Wednesday, April 22, 2009

Tour groups

We get regular tour groups through the radio/TV facility that I work at.

It's a lot of fun. I work on the air and in the studio most every day so it's work to me. Those who come through on the tours are wide eyed and excited about seeing what we do and how it all works to run radio and television stations.

The group that came through today was a large bunch of kids who looked like they were 10-13 years old. About half were armed with digital cameras and snapping pictures. They were fun.

I did notice that once they packed about 25 of them into the studio that it had that sweaty smell of kids. Not an unshowered nasty sweaty smell, just sweaty. I have always wondered what happens that as humans we go from just a little sweaty smelling as kids to smelling so nasty when we sweat as adults. Is puberty really that crazy to sweat glands?

I suppose this is what keeps Axe, Secret, Degree, and Right Guard in business!

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Photo enforcement camera in Tucson / Pima County

Technology is about to make driving from one place to another more difficult.

Photo enforcement cameras are multiplying. These are the ones that have been in the "warning' phase but will start issuing tickets this week:

North La Cholla Boulevard near West Sunset Road
South Mission Road near West Grubstake Drive
East Ina Road near North Camino de las Candelas
North Swan Road near East Calle Barril

The other six speed enforcement cameras that are installed will begin their warning periods on May 1 and begin issuing citations May 8.

Those are at:
East Valencia Road near South Wilmot Road.
West Ruthrauff Road near West Rillito Street
West Valencia Road near South Camino de la Tierra
South Alvernon Way near South Station Master Drive
East River Road near North Country Club Road
South Nogales Highway near East Hermans Road

The good news? You must be going 11 mph or faster going by any of these to get a ticket.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Gene Simmons rocks

I'm a fan of Gene Simmons.

I'm indifferent about Kiss the rock band. I sat front row at their reunion tour in 1996 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. It was so loud my ears rang for three days and I ended up sitting next to a 20-ish something girl who kept flashing her breasts at Paul and Gene. It was an odd experience but I got the tickets for free (hello job perk) so I went.

I am a fan of Gene Simmons the business man and marketer. I think he's one of the smartest guys out there. He has no fear, no shame, and has more self confidence than most people. He's good and he knows it. He also doesn't mind laughing at himself. That's why Gene Simmons Family Jewels is such a fun show to watch (a fourth season of the show on A&E is premiering later this year).

I ran across an interview he did with Business Week magazine that's good reading.

Click here if you want to read it.

Susan Boyle video stats

The Susan Boyle video (the frumpy looking contestant on Britain's Got Talent whose video has been an internet sensation) has exploded in views this week on YouTube.

I saw the video Tuesday. It had just over two million views. As of right now (April 18, 2009 at 3:35 a.m.) is just over 25 million views. That's crazy!

If you are wondering (as was I) what the most viewed video on YouTube has for views: 118.5 million. That's the video for the song "Girlfriend" from Avril Lavigne. Which is roughly the equivelent of poking an eye out with a spinning drill bit.

It's a fascinating time we live in.

Friday, April 17, 2009

University of Arizona is a top five party school

According to Playboy magazine (I don't read it, found this info thanks to a Tweet on Twitter from the Arizona Daily Star), the University of Arizona is ranked as the number five party school in America.

It's hard for me to believe that I haven't been invited to any of these parties. I need to get out more.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Ashton Kutcher vs. CNN race on Twitter is over

Ashton Kutcher's race to 1,000,000 (a.k.a. one million) followers on Twitter is over. He cracked the one million mark at about 11:13 p.m. Pacific Time tonight (4/16/09).

Ashton has said all along that it says a lot about how the public consumes it's news, information, and has a desire to be a part of being the information stream.

According to the statistic I read today, Twitter is at about 8.5 million subscribers. That translates into roughly 11.7% of Twitter's subscribers following Ashton Kutcher (and nearly that many following the CNN Breaking News account).

I'm at 337 people today. They're all nice enough to care what nonsense I type on Twitter so to me that's worth a million!

The worst drive thru meal in America

According to Men's Health Magazine, this is the worst (for you) drive thru meal in America:

"Carl’s Jr. Double Six Dollar Burger
with Medium Natural Cut Fries and 32 oz Coke

2,618 calories
144 g fat (51.5 g saturated fat)
2,892 mg sodium
Of all the gut-growing, heart-stopping, life-threatening burgers in the fast food world, there is none whose damage to your general well-being is as catastrophic as this. Consider these heart-stopping comparisons: This meal has the caloric equivalent of 13 Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Donuts; the saturated fat equivalent of 52 strips of bacon; and the salt equivalent of seven and a half large orders of McDonald’s French fries!"

Geez, I'm hungry.