A Very INFO Christmas 2005

Group Shot Last night was the 2nd annual “A Very INFO Christmas”. I was a little concerned about the turnout. Not that people wouldn’t show up, but that I couldn’t fit them all. But, I somehow managed to fit 17 people into my place and feed them all dinner, with the help of Jamie and those who offered up pot luck dishes (thanks!).

Needless to say, it was good times and I’m glad that so many people turned out. But, I have to say that the best part of the night was probably the white elephant gift exchange, just because of the randomness and types of gifts brought by people. But, overall, it was a really fun night and I hope that those who attended had fun as well.

If you were there last night, you know I took some photos. I’ve put them in a set as well and tagged all of them with “INFO Christmas 2005”. Also, I realize some of the colors in the pictures look less than flattering, but I’m working on it.

Seattle Creations

Today I decided that I wanted a new desktop image for my new LCD, but nothing really fits the 1920×1200 resolution, so I made my own. Below are two of the wallpapers that I made today and I’ve sized them for sharing with those who do not have a screen resolution as high as 1920×1200. Feel free to use them on your own desktop!

Space Needle Wallpaper Thumb
This image is based off of this original image. It is also one of the very first shots that I took with my Digital Rebel.

Public Market Sign Wallpaper Thumb
This wallpaper is based off of this original image.

I’m Official

Well, I’m an official Washingtonian now. I got my license today and that is the final piece of “Ryan’s Washington Jigsaw Puzzle”. Now, I currently live, vote, work, and drive in the sate of Washington. Gone are the days of my conversation piece, my Minnesota license. It was a good ride Minnesota, but Washington won’t let me go… yet.

What is Relevance?

Question for the masses: What is relevance?

What I’m trying to get at is, what provides relevance to you? Is it your friends, Page Rank, a recommendation, or something else? I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately in relation to the blogosphere/news. Why do you read what you read? What if there was something that could recommend things to you that you might enjoy based off of what you define as your relevance? Would that help or hinder you in your online information endeavours?

Light It Up One Last Time

If you are a smoker, tonight is the last night of your free reign on smoking in public places. At 12:01 Thursday morning the Smoking Ban, which was passed by a 2:1 margin on November’s ballot will go into effect. This means, that you can no longer smoke in public places or 25 feet around an entrance to them. The Seattle Times has a nice Q&A up that covers the basic details of the ban. Here’s an excerpt:

Q: But I’ll still have my smoking sections and patios in restaurants and bars, right?

A: Nope. Those are considered workplaces and public places. What’s more, the few cigar rooms and hookah bars in the state must follow the law, too.

Q: Holy smokes! When does this ban go into effect?

A: 12:01 a.m. Thursday. Yes, that means if you are sitting in a bar late tonight, you can light up at midnight, but you’ll only have a minute to smoke it.

Buckle Up!

If you think all panhandlers are out for a donation to their living expenses, read this article in the Seattle Times about some sneaky ways they are catching drivers who do not wear their seat belts. I think that it’s a really good idea. I mean, yes, it is only a seat belt, but they save lives and you should have it on regardless. But, my favorite part of the article is near the end:

One passenger rolled down his window, hollered obscenities at Linn and hurled a half-full can of soda before he realized Linn was a trooper. The man was given a $1,050 littering ticket. A 15-year-old who was driving the car was cited for not having a valid license and for allegedly stealing his father’s rental car, Kesler said.

Yea, classic. Way to be, champ.

Yes, we’re that cool

Yes, we're that coolThis is Jamie and myself taking self portraits of ourselves before we headed out for the night to the Atlas Holiday Party. There are many more shots on Flickr, so ya check ’em out.

But, now that the party is over, it was a good time. Got to meet her co-workers and their SO‘s. A good time was had by all. We played craps, roulette, blackjack, and poker. We also drank a bit and had some dinner in there as well. Needless to say it was a jam packed four hours.

Next event: A wedding next Saturday.