No Sheep http://nosheep.net Comic book guy, tech geek, and father of two... Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:03:58 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 Plastic Wrap Prank of PSU Alumni Director http://nosheep.net/story/plastic-wrap-prank-of-psu-alumni-director/ http://nosheep.net/story/plastic-wrap-prank-of-psu-alumni-director/#comments Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:03:58 +0000 zbtirrell http://nosheep.net/?p=685
Under the direction of Sara and with help of Matt, we completely plastic wrapped Plymouth State University’s Alumni Director, Joe Long. It took us 19 rolls of plastic wrap and 3.5 hours to complete, but it was well worth the effort to greet him with this upon returning from vacation.

I can’t wait for the inevitable retaliation…

A couple previous pranks:

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]]> http://nosheep.net/story/plastic-wrap-prank-of-psu-alumni-director/feed/ 6 Augmented Reality Games http://nosheep.net/story/augmented-reality-games/ http://nosheep.net/story/augmented-reality-games/#comments Sat, 25 Jul 2009 00:13:42 +0000 zbtirrell http://nosheep.net/story/augmented-reality-games/
I’ve been interested in the concept of augmented reality for awhile now, but this video really pushed home the potential for gaming. I can just imagine something like what is shown here with zombie killing in a tower defense style with “Arghhhh” being applied to a multiplayer cooperative and/or competitive experience.

Hearing that this capability may be coming to the iPhone in 3.1 as early as September is very intriguing.

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]]> http://nosheep.net/story/augmented-reality-games/feed/ 1 Spider-Woman Motion Comic Trailer http://nosheep.net/story/spider-woman-motion-comic-trailer/ http://nosheep.net/story/spider-woman-motion-comic-trailer/#comments Tue, 21 Jul 2009 02:21:31 +0000 zbtirrell http://nosheep.net/story/spider-woman-motion-comic-trailer/
I am very curious about this new endeavor Marvel is about to embark on with motion comics. Frankly, I’m skeptical. However, with Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev at the helm of this project, I am eagerly awaiting the results. This trailer rocks and certainly has increased my excitement. The full first episode (issue?) will be revealed at ComicCon on Friday 7/24. Hopefully the release will not be too far delayed beyond then.

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]]> http://nosheep.net/story/spider-woman-motion-comic-trailer/feed/ 0 KISS and Adam Lambert on American Idol http://nosheep.net/story/kiss-and-adam-lambert-on-american-idol/ http://nosheep.net/story/kiss-and-adam-lambert-on-american-idol/#comments Fri, 22 May 2009 02:19:29 +0000 zbtirrell http://nosheep.net/story/kiss-and-adam-lambert-on-american-idol/
I’m not a big fan of American Idol, but when Dan told me KISS joined Adam Lambert on stage for a Beth, Rock N Roll All Night, and Detroit Rock City medley in the finale show, it became critical to check it out! (If only for this one clip, of this one episode

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]]> http://nosheep.net/story/kiss-and-adam-lambert-on-american-idol/feed/ 0 20 Minute Starcraft II Footage http://nosheep.net/story/20-minute-starcraft-ii-footage/ http://nosheep.net/story/20-minute-starcraft-ii-footage/#comments Sat, 18 Apr 2009 02:15:40 +0000 zbtirrell http://nosheep.net/?p=679
Yes I stole this from Joystiq, but seriously, this is Starcraft 2 and anyone who even had light interest, must watch this video!

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]]> http://nosheep.net/story/20-minute-starcraft-ii-footage/feed/ 0 Texican Whopper Ad Pulled http://nosheep.net/story/texican-whopper-ad-pulled/ http://nosheep.net/story/texican-whopper-ad-pulled/#comments Fri, 17 Apr 2009 02:24:04 +0000 zbtirrell http://nosheep.net/story/texican-whopper-ad-pulled/
The ad features a little guy in mexican wrestler costume and a texan becoming roommates, the key insulting phrase is “the taste of texas with a little spicy mexican”. After general outcry, Burger King has pulled the ad

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]]> http://nosheep.net/story/texican-whopper-ad-pulled/feed/ 0 SunGardHE Case Study: Luminis Portal for Alumni at Plymouth State http://nosheep.net/story/sungardhe-case-study-luminis-portal-for-alumni-at-plymouth-state/ http://nosheep.net/story/sungardhe-case-study-luminis-portal-for-alumni-at-plymouth-state/#comments Sun, 22 Feb 2009 20:30:31 +0000 zbtirrell http://nosheep.net/story/sungardhe-case-study-luminis-portal-for-alumni-at-plymouth-state/ SunGard Higher Education recently completed a case study with me and our Alumni Director Joe Long about how Plymouth State is leveraging Luminis to engage alumni.

You can read the complete press release: Plymouth State University Leverages Luminis Platform to Strengthen Interactions and Connections With Alumni.

I have a few good quotes in the article. SunGard does a nice job writing these up.

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]]> http://nosheep.net/story/sungardhe-case-study-luminis-portal-for-alumni-at-plymouth-state/feed/ 0 1978 Japanese Spider-Man http://nosheep.net/story/1978-japanese-spider-man/ http://nosheep.net/story/1978-japanese-spider-man/#comments Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:59:59 +0000 http://nosheep.net/story/1978-japanese-spider-man/
Justin sent me this rocking 1978 Japanese Spider-Man rendition. Frankly this was just a tease. I need to see more. I can’t be alone in wondering how Spidey plans to take on that big Voltron like monster!

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]]> http://nosheep.net/story/1978-japanese-spider-man/feed/ 2 Blogging in the Classroom http://nosheep.net/story/blogging-in-the-classroom/ http://nosheep.net/story/blogging-in-the-classroom/#comments Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:23:00 +0000 http://nosheep.net/story/blogging-in-the-classroom/ An NYU professor demanded that her journalism student not blog about class. This brings up some interesting questions and debate. Are conversations and discussions in classrooms private? Initially I would have thought “absolutely not, blogging is 100% OK from the classroom”.

After reading the article, the topic is much more grey. In my classroom, there really aren’t any topics that would be sensitive (I teach Web Programming). However, an ethics class could see students proposing opinions or debating ideas from tenuous positions that would they would either choose to be silent on or be greatly embarrassed if revealed publicly.

With all this in mind, I think NYU has the right policy and that is to allow the faculty member to decide for themselves on a class by class basis.

I will say though, that the specific instance in this article is much more black and white. This professor felt threatened and lashed out inappropriately. It did appear that her stance was softening a bit over time though. Good to see she has potential to learn…

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]]> http://nosheep.net/story/blogging-in-the-classroom/feed/ 0 Powell for Obama http://nosheep.net/story/powell-for-obama/ http://nosheep.net/story/powell-for-obama/#comments Tue, 21 Oct 2008 04:01:25 +0000 http://nosheep.net/story/powell-for-obama/

Many desperate Republicans will cling to the false idea that General Colin Powell is only doing this because of race. Yet, for the rational and open minded, this should be the final cry that McCain is not right for America. I voted for McCain in the 2000 primary, but the man who stands three weeks away from possibly becoming the next president, is not the man who once was.

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]]> http://nosheep.net/story/powell-for-obama/feed/ 0 Not McCain’s Friend http://nosheep.net/story/not-mccains-friend/ http://nosheep.net/story/not-mccains-friend/#comments Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:23:31 +0000 http://nosheep.net/story/not-mccains-friend/ Not McCain's FriendI can’t begin to explain how tired I am of the “my friends” quote from John McCain. I am in no way friends with this shifty old curmudgeon. Sara and I joked last night that this would be a no brainer for a debate night drinking game, possibly even outstripping the frequency at which Sarah Palin likes to remind us that her and John are “mavericks”.

I was ecstatic to be shown this t-shirt by Jenny, it’s just perfect.

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]]> http://nosheep.net/story/not-mccains-friend/feed/ 2 Tina Fey as Sarah Palin http://nosheep.net/story/tina-fey-as-sarah-palin/ http://nosheep.net/story/tina-fey-as-sarah-palin/#comments Mon, 15 Sep 2008 07:25:49 +0000 http://nosheep.net/story/tina-fey-as-sarah-palin/
“30 Rock” star and Saturday Night Live Alum Tina Fey appeared on the season premier of SNL to portray Sarah Palin alongside Amy Poehler’s Hillary Clinton. She nails not only the look (no surprise) but the voice and cadence of Palin. This video is funny, but also very very sad.

When I can find a way to subdue my language a touch, I intend on writing up a post on how distasteful and insulting Sarah Palin is in this presidential election… If I never manage to put it together, it’s because I couldn’t find a way to channel my hatred in healthy manner…

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]]> http://nosheep.net/story/tina-fey-as-sarah-palin/feed/ 0 10 Good PHP Principles from Nettuts http://nosheep.net/story/10-good-php-principles-from-nettuts/ http://nosheep.net/story/10-good-php-principles-from-nettuts/#comments Wed, 10 Sep 2008 23:19:57 +0000 http://nosheep.net/story/10-good-php-principles-from-nettuts/ The recent article from Nettuts.com, 10 Principles of the PHP Masters has some solid concepts that are worth reading about.

The description synopsis of the article is:


With PHP’s widespread adoption,it’s almost too easy to find a script or snippet to do exactly what you need. Unfortunately, there’s no filter as to what is a “good practice” and what’s, well… not so good when writing a PHP script. We need trustworthy sources, who have proven they have a solid grasp on the best practices of PHP.

We need PHP masters to show us the best principles to follow for high-grade PHP programming.

Good stuff.

Update: This article on CSS is equally valuable – 10 Principles of the CSS Masters.

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]]> http://nosheep.net/story/10-good-php-principles-from-nettuts/feed/ 0 Silverback – Usability Testing http://nosheep.net/story/silverback-usability-testing/ http://nosheep.net/story/silverback-usability-testing/#comments Mon, 01 Sep 2008 06:34:54 +0000 http://nosheep.net/story/silverback-usability-testing/ I have always been very interested in doing serious usability testing of applications or web sites. However, it is complicated and associated software to make it easier is usually quite costly.

Silverback appears to change that.

I have yet to have a chance to put it through it’s paces, but watching the video demo, this has great potential. With only a $49.95 price tag, this will be easy to justify with our next major project.

Described by Clearleft as:

Spontaneous, unobtrusive usability testing software for designers and developers.

  • Capture screen activity


  • Video the participant’s reactions


  • Record the participant’s voice


  • Add chapter markers on the fly


  • Control recording with the remote


  • Export to Quicktime


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]]> http://nosheep.net/story/silverback-usability-testing/feed/ 1 Peak Guitar for Guitar Hero/Rock Band http://nosheep.net/story/peak-guitar-for-guitar-herorock-band/ http://nosheep.net/story/peak-guitar-for-guitar-herorock-band/#comments Wed, 27 Aug 2008 06:35:21 +0000 http://nosheep.net/story/peak-guitar-for-guitar-herorock-band/ Peak has put out three amazing guitars compatible with both Guitar Hero and Rock band on the PS2® / PS3®. These guitars are full size, completely wood, and look just plain spectacular. I saw these being played on CNBC today and I can’t explain how great they looked.

The Starpex guitar comes in a black “Obsidian”, red “Dead Rose”, and classic “Black Sunburst” (pictured above). The $180 to $190 price tag is a bit hard to swallow… but I sure do want one.

Here are a few bullets from the Peak marketing page:


  • Compatible with Guitar Hero™ and Rock Band™!


  • High quality 10 – button design for enhanced responsiveness


  • Instrument quality wood body, neck and headstock


  • High speed 2.4 ghz wireless technology


  • Optional cable for wired connectivity (included)


  • Easy access starpower / overdrive button


  • Improved whammy bar for easier access and durability


  • Modular design allows for alternate body styles


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