Cute joke, but it's her laugh that really gets me every time.

I didn't grow up with Nintendo. I played plenty of arcade games, but for some reason we picked the "wrong" home video game systems: Odyssey 2 instead of Atari 2600, Atari 7800 instead of NES. Of course I've played Super Mario Bros. but I didn't "grow up" with it the way my wife, many of my friends, and most people my age (late 30s) did.

I recently bought Super Mario Bros. on the Wii's Virtual Console so the kids can play a game that is easy to understand and control (though it isn't an "easy game"). They really like it, and I was a little surprised how much I enjoy it, too. And if I felt guilty for liking an old and silly game (I didn't) I've recently come across a couple pro-Mario articles:

Why A Man Plays Mario (Kotaku.com)
Better Late than Never? (AV Club)

I think this (from the latter article) sums it up:

Here's another thing I didn't understand about games until I played Super Mario Bros.: Games are supposed to be fun. And it is enough for games to be fun.

Dick Maul's Bike Shop held a contest at Skater's Edge in Taunton, MA today. It was great seeing some old friends and a lot of fun shooting BMX again (it's been a long time). Here are some shots from the contest:

‘Freedom’ and Faux Populism

[W]hen freedom is invoked by the GOP it means liberty for corporations. It's big government getting out of the way so big business can step up. The GOP wants Chevron, Haliburton and United Health Care to have more independence – not the Joe Everyman, Six-Pack or Plumber they try to appeal to.

Just the other day I was wondering what the "Heinz 57 varieties" on the ketchup bottle was. Then out of nowhere the internet brings the answer to me via kottke.org — I didn't even have to Google it myself. Super-convenience...

Surviving Grady is my favorite Red Sox site. I think they do the best job at capturing the joys and frustrations of being a Sox fan, and they do it with a sense of humor all their own. However, their taste in music is questionable at best. Yes, everyone has their own personal preferences and, despite being a music snob, I shouldn't be judgmental. But a 5PM Friday mix that includes Counting Crows and Collective Soul, and chooses Triumph over Rush? I'm sorry, but that's just plain wrong...

While cleaning my office today I came across an old photo my uncle took when he brought my brother and me to our first game at Fenway Park. On August 14, 1983 the Sox beat the Royals 4-3 in the first game of a doubleheader.

I don't have any specific memories of the trip to Boston or the game itself. But what I still remember to this day is walking through the tunnel to our seats: The greenest-green field and the impossibly white uniforms (of the Red Sox, not the Royals' blue pajamas) were amazing for me to see, and still is today.

The photo shows Brian and me taking it all in before the game started. Thanks again, Rick!

If there's one thing I've learned from photography, is that you don't always know what your best shot will be. Sometimes I spend a lot of time planning and setting up a photo, shooting multiple photos from various vantage points, only to be disappointed by every one of them. Then other times I'll shoot a one-off photo without thinking, and that ends up the "winning" shot.

This is evident looking at my photos on Flickr. Some of my most popular photos ("popular" meaning highest number of views and favorites) weren't planned. One July 4th we watched the Boston fireworks from the top of the Museum of Science. When we were leaving I put my little point & shoot camera on the wall and took this shot of the Zakim Bridge in the distance:



I didn't think much of it — and I still don't particularly like the photo — but Flickr members sure seem to like it. Even more so was my cousins' wedding cake, which was near a window and I happened to notice how it looked while the sun was setting:



I think it's important for me to always be practicing and learning to the point where things become second nature. So when a perfect unplanned photo opportunity presents itself, I'm ready for it.

Justices, 5-4, Reject Corporate Spending Limit (NY Times)

Overruling two important precedents about the First Amendment rights of corporations, a bitterly divided Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that the government may not ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections.

Is there anyone — other than the corporations and lobbyists, of course — who likes this ruling? Corporations are not people and don't deserve the same First Amendment protection.

The founders of this nation warned about the dangers of corporate influence. The Constitution they wrote mentions many things and assigns them rights and protections — the people, militias, the press, religions. But it does not mention corporations. (The Court’s Blow to Democracy)

The Supreme Court has handed lobbyists a new weapon. A lobbyist can now tell any elected official: if you vote wrong, my company, labor union or interest group will spend unlimited sums explicitly advertising against your re-election. (Lobbyists Get Potent Weapon in Campaign Ruling)

Perhaps it's time to update Old Glory...

I can be a pretty compulsive photographer — not a professional by any definition, but I do enjoy shooting…perhaps a bit too much. (When I recently told a friend that I shot about 950 photos on our weeklong Disney vacation, he commented "I don't think my parents took 950 photos of my entire childhood.")



But unlike a lot of people today, I still have them printed and organized in albums. I used to use Snapfish but switched to Shutterfly for the simple reason that they had an iPhoto plugin. Even though I preferred snapfish.com's user interface, allowing me to export my photos directly from iPhoto was worth dealing with Shutterfly's crappy site. I don't know when Snapfish finally released their iPhoto Exporter, but when I found it last month I happily switched back.

And as an aside, Snapfish's Christmastime shipping was amazing: I ordered almost 450 photos on December 21 as a gift to my in-laws (I printed and organized their photos for the year). I didn't expect to get the prints until early January, but they were delivered on December 24! So kudos to Snapfish for (unexpectedly) coming through — my in-laws loved the photo albums!