Owner: Future Gringo URL:http://www.futuregringo.com Join Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2007 11:38:47 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: Travel | Politics | Opinion | Denver |
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Glenwood Canyon Photos 2007-08-20 00:52:28 For my friends and strangers over at misc.transport.road - some photos of interstate 70 as it winds Glenwood Canyon
, Colorado.
I haven’t visited or posted to this group in a while, but there is a usenet board full of folks who are interested in roads, highways, and general infrastructure. If you’ve ever wondered about arcane topics like font styles on overhead signs, new versus old gantry design, and why highways and freeways are numbered the way they are it’s worth a visit. And like any good message board there’s plenty of heated arguments and flame wars too. I’m more into trains and aviation, but it’s very impressive to see the way flyovers and interchanges are designed and put together. Especially if you’ve ever navigated the 105/110 interchange in south Los Angeles.
Even if you’re not into it, it wouldn’t hurt for more people to go take photos of bridges, airports, and train stations in order to ensure your right t
Daily Scoop . Denver 2007-08-19 15:26:36 If you’re in the Congress Park area of Denver
, my home, check out the DailyScoop
. Their specialty is ONE flavor a day!
An ice cream shop with only one flavor? That’s crazy you say. Half the fun of visiting an ice cream shop is smearing your grubby fingers against the glass taking forever to decide what flavors to select. What makes the Daily Scoop special is that the ONE flavor is made fresh every day from scratch, and always tastes great. Something you WANT when you’re sampling obscure flavors like papaya and chocolate cake.
In addition to the daily special flavor they also offer vanilla and chocolate at all times, and also sell “day old” ice cream, packaged in the freezer for take home. That shouldn’t sound bad, it’s actually delicious.
If you’re there in the early hours stop next door to Under the Umbrella coffee shop. If I’m not incognito please say hello. You’ll recognize me by my extremely heavy Son
Erawan Cafe 2007-08-17 20:38:23 For your next Thai cuisine outing visit the Erawan Cafe at 8th and Colorado Boulevard. Tucked along 8th Avenue next to the Starbucks, they serve a mix of Thai and Chinese dishes. Some spicy, some mild, and a selection of imported beers.
Inside it’s cozy and quiet, with a unique interior peaked roof and soft lights. For Fung Shui? I always seem to find myself here when it’s raining out. But noodles, peanut dishes, and hot tea are always perfect during a dark rainy evening after work.
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Ted Haggard and Jasper 2007-08-27 13:20:34 In case you did get the baffling urge to send Ted a donation for his continuing education and “recovery”… (see yesterday’s post) Below is his letter and mailing address from Christianity Today.
What’s even more nuts is that he’s toting his teenage kids into a halfway house for the homeless and drug addicts? What the fuck? What did Alex and Elliot do to deserve to be dragged out of high school life in picturesque Colorado Springs and into a Phoenix halfway house! Is The “Dream House”, a place teeming with drug addicts and prostitutes, a healthy place for a 16 and 14 year old to dwell?
The story of this joker’s life just becomes more and more like a parody. Each press release makes him appear a bigger buffoon. Furthermore it was uncovered by Dan Savage and Seattle’s “The Stranger” on Friday that “Families with a Mission”, the organization that accepts money for Ted, is run by Read more:Haggard
, Jasper
, Ted Haggard
Crown Burgers . Denver 2007-08-26 16:46:30 A long long time ago I worked retail on Colorado Boulevard and frequented CrownBurgers
almost daily. It’s been a while since I returned, despite now biking to work and back daily only three blocks away.
I was across the street at Moda Furniture ordering some lamps and popped into Crown Burgers for lunch. Still the same great place run by the same friendly Greek family after 20 years.
My usual order, the quarter pounder, has a unique sauce (Greek inspired,) and another favorite of of mine is the pastrami burger.
From the Westword Review:
The casual, kitschy Crown Burger has an odd Greek-American hamburger-stand menu that includes giant omelettes, cheeseburgers, fries and gyros, as well as a monster ham-and-pastrami hand grenade called the Royal Burger, all of which you can eat in or order as you drive through. That’s the best way to grab Crown’s best offering: a breakfast burrito overstuffed with ingredients taken straight from the long line of flat grills in the ga Read more:Denver
Ted Haggard and other absurdities 2007-08-26 14:52:16 Your Sunday religion roundup:
Like many adults, disgraced due to infidelity, religious hypocrisy, drug use, or not - Ted Haggard
is returning to school to further his education! And good for him. Only he’s asking for “financial help” from his followers, or former followers. Whoever those are. Reason? He cannot “maintain adequate earning power” during this transition. And apparently he’s above applying for student loans, grants, or a part time job at Arby’s like most regular adults due when they need some extra scratch for tuition.
From the AP
“It looks as though it will take two years for us to have adequate earning power again, so we are looking for people who will help us monthly for two years,” the e-mail said. “During that time we will continue as full-time students, and then, when I graduate, we won’t need outside support any longer.” Haggard left the 10,000-member New Life Church late last year and res Read more:Ted Haggard
Update on the Ghetto Tree 2007-08-25 16:08:13 I posted on this beauty about 14 months ago, and I’m happy to say this tribute to urban non-renewal is still thriving.
I actually noticed it in January of 2006. Whatever the magic is it’s been there since January and still going strong, despite some raucous windstorms too.
If you’d like to water, or decorate it for the upcoming holidays, the ghetto tree is located on Josephine Street between 14th and Colfax. Hopefully it will stand strong until Arbor Day rolls around next April.
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ASUS Tiny PC 2007-08-24 15:54:27
I don’t bring a laptop along when traveling, and I discourage people from toting their laptops to countries outside the U.S. since internet cafes are on every other street corner in every major city on the planet. Why carry an expensive notebook PC around when you can just duck into a small cafe the size of a Subway shop and write e-mails to home, blog, backup photos, get directions, and be done. If all of your PC needs area web based anyway then there’s no need to worry about theft and carrying your own PC from place to place.
The ultraportable PC by ASUS could be an alternative. But I can’t tell. Is that their BEST photo? It might be the ultimate travel computer. Or it might be a complete piece of crap. Agreeing with my premise that most folks on the go only utilize the web on their PC. ASUS provides an easy on the go solution: A web only PC that weighs about 2 pounds with a full size keyboard and a 7″ display. It contains 512MB of me
The New Roomba 2007-08-24 13:40:25 Some people love the Roomba
, iRobot’s self propelled low profile vacuum cleaner. Others find it gimicky and a big waste of money. I’ve owned the original Roomba and now own the Roomba Discovery, and I fall into the “love it” category.
I have hardwood and carpet in my house, and it does an excellent job of cleaning up between major housecleanings. Plus I have a townhome, which saves me from hauling a vacuum up and down many steps. I run it once a week around the kitchen and main floors and it easily picks up dirt, crumbs, and other miscellaneous crap. And with the “virtual walls” I can set it to clean a certain area or room, although at times it tends to clean one area to much, ignoring another.
The Roomba 500 series has resolved a few of the Roomba weaknesses. The navigation I mentioned above, causing Roomba to focus on one floor area too much, and also the occasional problem where Roomba gets stuck on items on the floor. (The man
Time Magazine Studies Air Travel Delays 2007-08-29 20:48:04 I recently saw this article and graphic at Time.com. I’m assuming the same is printed in Time Magazine
, which I’ll confirm after my next bloody visit to the dentist.
Time Article: An Answer to Flight Delays
?
I hold a private pilot certificate with a few hundred hours under my belt. I don’t have the authority of a commercial pilot or a busy controller, but I fly under ATC guidance, and practice instrument flights and approaches “in the system” as often as possible. In reading this article I feel akin to doctor who sees a puff feature on the heart or circulatory system that lacks any substance and is plastered with colorful pictures of angry faced fatty acids and “FYI” balloons making up the majority of “in depth” reporting. I’d guess said doctor or expert would hurl the magazine at the wall and scream, “No, No, No, that’s NOT how it is!”
While the basis of this article, “GPS is more efficient that rada Read more:Travel
, Studies
, Time Magazine
Larry Craig’s America 2007-08-28 17:12:54 Where people of all races, creeds, religions, and sexual preference can live without fear of persecution. Unless you’re a Republican fed by the monies of the religious right and get caught with another man. Then giggle tee hee tee hee finger pointing at you.
I swear between Mark Foley, Ted Haggard, LarryCraig
(slist), is there going to be ANYONE left to vote or hold up as your right wing leader in ‘08?
And what would be wrong with Larry Craig flat out stating “Hey I have some gay urges. I shouldn’t have been screwing around in a public restroom. But it’s me, and I’m not ashamed of liking guys. It’s between myself and my wife - deal with it”
Perhaps the only problem with that statement is his history of voting against gay rights. That’s what makes these constant revelations so gleeful to those of us who really don’t care about the personal lives of others - that is until they’re hauled out in front of the Read more:America
Elephant Magazine 2007-09-02 15:55:17 Today I read the entire Summer 2007 edition of Elephant, a Boulder published magazine devoted to organic and sustainable living and conscious consumerism.
Elephant is not to be confused with the other Elephant Magazine
, the internet site published by “Friends of the Elephant Foundation” and devoted to the awareness and care of actual animal elephants.
I’ve never read the Boulder Elephant before. The magazine appears deceptively trite from brief glance of the cover. Many specialized living magazines are nothing more than a vehicle for ads, with a few paltry articles qualifying as content. Wait that’s almost every major magazine. But surprisingly Elephant features very in depth and detailed writing on a variety of subjects, including travel.
The summer issue features articles on juicing, composting, eco-friendly home renovation, a primer on hip L.A. Westside activities, and of course a passion of mine: bike commuting.
Elephant is chock full of good writing a
Cherry Creek Bike Rack 2007-09-02 14:45:11 I’ve mentioned the Cherry
Creek Bike Rack in various past posts but never provided details about their services. The Bike Rack is run by the long standing chain Campus Cycles, in conjunction with local Denver advocacy group Transportation Solutions.
The Bike Rack location, at 2nd and Detroit in Cherry Creek, exists to serve bike commuters by providing valet parking, wash up facilities, snacks, and a comfy place to unwind and park your bike near work. Being located two blocks from the Cherry Creek trail their rentals are popular with visitors to the area as well. Because they open at 7am they can facilitate daily bike parking for commuters, or cyclists passing through the area who need early morning service, (such as myself with my recent spat of flat tires.)
This is a micro version of Chicago’s Cycle Center, and as I mentioned in this post we NEED more places like this! Small shops, dedicated to transit oriented cycling, service and repairs, and rentals. If cities h
Old Map Gallery 2007-08-31 17:41:46 If you’re a map and geography enthusiast like myself, and enjoy spending time poring over maps and Google Earth learning about cities, roads, rivers and countries - then you probably appreciate historical maps as well.
It’s amazing that without satellites and aerial surveying, (save for rudimentary bicycle powered cartoonish hot air balloons,) the early explorers still managed to depict new lands in such a correct manner and proportions. The cartography of our coasts and borders from the mid 1800s is almost the detail of present day accuracy.
The Old Map Gallery
in Denver’s Lower Downtown area has a huge collection of old maps from all corners of the globe, including celestial and oceanic charts as well. If you have a map geek in your life it’s worth checking out their collection. Or make your co-workers think you’re smarter by eschewing the cuddly cat calender for a nice framed map like this circa 1700s Europe shown below.
They located at 1
Drive Safe. 2007-08-31 17:14:40 So you’re jammin’ to Pink, yakking on your cell phone while applying your makeup when this monster tumbles off a semi trailer and rolls right at you. Yikes. Straight out of Terminator 2.
This giant piece of mining equipment fell off a truck this morning on busy interstate 70. Someone explain to me why we still have mines?
The disproportionate size of this spindle almost appears photoshopped. Perhaps it will wind up on Snopes?
Photo from KUSA
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Chemical Brothers . Denver 2007-09-27 13:48:59 Despite an interruption mid show caused by a 10 minute long audio problem the Chemical Brothers
put on a tremendously rocking and fun show at the Fillmore Auditorium last night.
Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons took the show after opener The Faint performed a 45 minute set. Opening with “Galvanize” the duo worked the crowd throughout the night and seamlessly blended in two of my other favorites “It began in Afrika” and “Leave Home.” Their metallic set and interwoven chain video screen gave an industrial vibe to the normally cozy looking Fillmore, and the crowd of all ages, styles, and backfounds at it all up.
Thanks to my professional photographer friend Miles for these photos. He’ll be happy to sell you some wall size prints if you like.
If you’re headed to the Fillmore Auditorum in Denver
and care to libate yourself before the show - you’d be best served by visiting the Red Room a few blocks down or Dulcinea’s next door. I disco Read more:Chemical Brothers
iRobot Looj 2007-09-27 08:31:03 Somehow I wound up on the iRobot e-mail list, which I really don’t mind as I enjoy reading about their new products and developments. iRobot produces the “Roomba” self propelled floor vacuum series, the “Roomba Scooba” wet mop, and also creates tactical robots for military and government. With our constant fears of the lone backpacks sitting on the park bench I’m sure those are selling like hot cakes with. Combined with the Roomba 500 series I recently featured this company seems as intelligent as their products.
Now just in time for fall: The iRobot Looj. A self propelled gutter cleaner to keep them free of leaves, debris, dead squirrels, or whatever else haunts your eaves.
Starting at $99 it’s not a bad price if you don’t feel quite nimble enough to skirt around the edge of your roof for hours, but then again I would probably just give the neighbor kid 20 bucks for the job. But on second second thought his mom might sue me when H
Max Gill & Grill . Denver 2007-09-25 21:11:55 For lunch today I dined at Max Gill and Grill
, one of the most popular restaurants of the Old South Gaylord retail district in Denver
’s East Washington Park. This location was formerly known as “Hemingway’s,” with a nautical themed design that barely skirted Jimmy Buffet’s copyright holdings. (Complete with wooden planks and fishing nets strewn about the walls of course.) The atmosphere at Max Gill and Grill is more refined and upscale with a simple yet comprehensive seafood menu, a tranquil ambiance, and comfortable furnishings including beautiful teak tables out on the patio.
Being located in a somewhat hidden residential area it doesn’t garner the big business power lunches, so Tuesday’s mid day crowd was quite light. Max Gill caters mostly to evening diners from Washington Park and surrounding enclaves. The staff was pleasant and attentive, and they fired up the patio heat lamps for us this mild fall day.
We had the sampler which included
Sao Paulo Gives Up Ads 2007-09-24 11:07:12 Over the weekend I read several news stories about Sao Paulo
’s new ban on outdoor advertising. In recent years outdoor advertising has run amok in Sao Paulo
. In order to earn extra money property owners drape enormous ads on building fronts, covering up historic structures and modern highrises alike. Led by Regina Monteiro, Sao Paulo’s director of environment and urban landscape, the cityscape is slowly revealing the old edifices. Depending on your view of profit versus aesthetics this is a positive project for the city, or will have a negative impact on business and economics.
I consider myself middle of the road, although definitely leaning more to a city’s right to control the aesthetics and appearance. I don’t care for garish and over the top signs and banners, and like most I find advertising as litter disgusting: i.e. street spam and “work from home” ads tacked on telephone poles. But I understand in big cities like New York and L.A.&rs
News of Interest 092407 2007-09-24 08:55:44 Can you accept that fact that a car is expendable? Lynn Hanley opines in this Guardian article from August the British mentality regarding public transit, Britain’s perception of it, and it’s potential future.
As a lifelong pedestrian and user of public transport, the only trouble I tend to experience in getting from A to B is having to listen to people who usually drive describe pleasant, speedy journeys as “a bloody shambles”. Methinks they protest too much, mindful that to be caught sharing transport with other people is to show the world what a loser you are. Anyway, these serial complainers have presumably never been in a traffic jam, or been subject to roadworks.
Every day I meet people, living a short walk from reliable, regular, late-running forms of public transport, who insist that having a car is “necessary” to their lives and who can’t understand how our household is capable of functioning without one. The lack of bottom-up wi Read more:Interest
Crested Butte . Ski For Free 2007-09-22 18:19:44
I’m enjoying an almost 90 degree day in the city, yet writing the first ski post of the season and anxious for some soft powder and my first day on the slopes.
Early season snowriders who will be in the central/southwestern Colorado area this fall - check out Crested
Butte’s “Ski for Free” promotion.
The promotion details? Actually that’s pretty much it! Nothing more. From November 25th through December 15th Crested Butte will allow free access to all open trails! In addition they’re offering lodging and instruction specials during the promotion as well.
Their season opens November 17th. More info here, and at Crested Butte’s official site.
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Blake Street Glass 2007-09-21 21:06:01 Blake StreetGlass
Studio is having an open house. Have you ever wondered how designs like these are created? Now for an evening or afternoon you can watch talented glass artisans at work in searing heat as they morph shapes and mold ideas into the physical.
The team of Blake Street Glass, detailed here, consists of Denver local Kit Karbler, his partner Dimitri Rudenko, plus three young and skilled craftsmen with varying backgrounds and experience.
The exhibit is Friday October 5th from 6pm to 10pm, then Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm.
More at Blakestreetglass.com
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Show Us Your Keyboard Leavin’s 2007-09-21 18:10:51 I often peruse the site Lifehacker.com It’s a site devoted to computer tips, tricks, the office environment, gadgetry, health, and collections of articles to make your work and home life more productive. Sometimes the posts are a tad simplistic, but overall it’s fun to read, and it’s popularity results in many comments and discussions.
A recent topic was “Show us your go-bag,” in which readers sent in photos of their briefcases, messenger bags, man purses, or other totes. We see how our online friends organize their stuff, what they carry, and what tech gear they use. This fun and healthy voyeuristic topic resulted in two more “Show us your go-bags” and a follow up “Show us your desktop.”
However I think we’re straining a bit with today’s “Show us your system tray” post, but hey it’s Friday. So in the same spirit I propose Lifehacker take over my idea of “Show us your keyboard leavi
Apple Touch Review 2007-09-20 12:07:51 I’ve been testing the newest member of the iPod family, the big-screen iPod Touch. The iTouch will be released September 28th, but I was able to try it out at home a week in advance! It’s a close cousin of the iPhone in that it connects to the Internet via Wi-Fi wireless networking, and replaces the famous iPod click wheel with a touch screen.
Like earlier iPods, the Touch is elegant and capable, and interacts smoothly with Apple
’s free iTunes software for Windows and Macintosh PCs, as well as with it’s computer-based online iTunes Store which sells far more downloadable songs and TV shows than any other legal outlet. Not only that, but the Touch introduces a mobile version of the iTunes store. It’s called the iTunes Wi-Fi Music Store, and it allows you to buy, via the iPod, any of six million songs for the same price you’d pay on a computer. This portable store will soon be made available on the iPhone as well.
In my experience the music and
News of Interest 092007 2007-09-20 08:16:33 Erik Caves is profiled by the OC Register. Is it possible for a family to live without a car in car dependent southern california?:
And what he’s doing is remarkable in a nation of 220 million adults owning 247 million registered vehicles. A nation so dependent on those vehicles that, according to Jane Holtz Kay’s book “Asphalt Nation,” by the time you finish this sentence, they will have traveled another “60,000 miles, used up 3,000 gallons of petroleum (products) and added 60,000 pounds of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.”
Jess started taking the bus to work. Erick started biking Rachel to tutoring lessons and to the park to play. All three of them bike to Target and the beach. They’ve discovered new restaurants. Met new people. Rediscovered their own neighborhood. Within two months they paid off two credit cards. No car meant no car bills. It also meant no quick trips to Taco Bell. No morning jolt of Starbucks. No impulse buys of jeans Read more:Interest
Descente Apparel 2007-09-20 00:27:31 Fall is here, and each morning as I check the outdoor thermometer before my daily bike ride to work I see it downticking more and more. It’s not cold enough to break out the Gore-Tex gloves, and my cheap liners I picked up last year didn’t make it through the winter without some fingers poking through. I saw these gloves (pictured right) by Descente at a local bike shop and picked them up in order to give me a comfy start to the approaching cold season.
They’re a local Boulder company, and have a wide selection of apparel for cycling and running, as well as buckets of cool accessories. Their “Element” jacket is a perfect all season light yet waterproof and highly insulated jacket which is perfect for winter biking, hiking, and skiing, or use as a liner on those really really cold days.
They’re sold at REI and local bike stores around the country. Descenteathletic.com
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The DNC Wants You! 2007-09-19 13:16:32 Next fall the Democratic National Convention will be held in our fine fair city bringing media coverage, commerce, clout, and light to issues important to the Rocky Mountain and Southwest regions of the country.
Another plus, thankfully, is that attention will be focused on something other than hypocritical gay church leaders and theocratically ruled political action groups in Colorado Springs, some 70 miles south of our enlightened thinkers in the beautiful, leafy, more culturally balanced neighborhoods surrounding Denver and Boulder.
The DNC is calling on local residents from all walks of life to show their stuff and be potential bloggers during the event. You’ll have your own homepage on 08DNC.com to explain how the election affects you and how politics relate to your life and your home in Colorado.
Are you an outspoken and opinionated Denver resident? More info here. Why yes of course I did! I certainly fall into a few of the below categories. Alth
Notes in Spanish 2007-09-19 11:44:31 My small advanced spanish language group, which meets weekly, at times tends to flow like a mismatched crowd wave during a baseball game. We’ve been together for about two years and have a great time together every week poring over history books, heavy grammar, or some weeks just hitting the pinot grigio – but our level of interest, schedules, and other life activities of any five members logically influence the amount of time we’ll put into our studies at any given period.
Wanting to listen to something other than my stale iPod rotation I paid a long overdue visit to “Notes
in Spanish
.” Notes in Spanish is a site run by Madrid couple Ben Curtis and Marina Diez. They began their podcasts in 2005, and post about one a month. They have a beginner, intermediate, and advanced level. Their friendly demeanor is delightfully enjoyable and easy listen to. Their grammar is perfect, and their charm and wit shines through their voices. I feel like
News of Interest 091707 2007-09-17 11:09:50 United Airlines sets up a committee to investigate “Air Rage.” From the Denver Post’s Kelly Yamanouchi
“Air rage” has become such a problem that United Airlines is creating an internal committee to review incidents in which passengers are physically abusive of employees. The new United program comes as airline passengers throughout the country - including in Denver - make headlines for bad behavior.
My thoughts? Sure the alcohol aspect is a factor, but booze has been around since the inception of air travel. The leading cause of air rage incidents is only given THIS one sentence. Short, but exactly to the point.
More passengers with fewer airline employees tending to passengers, the frustrations of traveling, fewer amenities and packed planes also increase “the opportunity for passengers to show their unreasonable side,” Nelson said.
Bingo! When you cram hundreds of people into an enclosed space, delay them, don’t commu Read more:Interest
Diet Pepsi Max 2007-09-16 14:31:13 I saw this Smurf colored promo stand inside the Cherry Creek Mall last weekend. Spastic young reps were eagerly touting the perks of Pepsi
’s new caffeine infused soda, “Diet Pepsi Max.” (to the max or something.)
The looped promo video showed people going about their daily activities, (subway, desk, lunch) in a half zombie sleeping state, and of course resurrecting to life and productivity after downing some Max. Uh, how about just sleeping more, eating right, and exercising? A slightly better way to boost the old energy level.
According to Energy Fiend.com a futuristic looking can of Diet Pepsi Max contains 69 milligrams of caffeine. Diet Pepsi Max is a zero-calorie cola with ginseng added. There is also more caffeine in it that regular Diet Pepsi (which has just 36mg per 12oz can).
I’ll stick with black coffee thanks. Also on Energy Fiend.com - A form that allows you to plug in your favorite energy drink, your weight, and it will calculate the consump
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