August was a very busy month here at Watershed Studio and included everything from getting the kids back into the swing of things at school to attending Blog Indiana 2010 and having the opportunity to catch Jeff Pulver at the 140 Characters Conference Roadtrip Tweetup here in Indy. Now that fall is only a few weeks away we’re gearing up for the new projects that always hit this time of year and we have a few things of our own up our sleeves.

If you need anything at all, please contact us.   In the meantime, check out these blog posts from August:

• Indy Media School: September 2010 Courses
• Blogging for Passion or for Dollars – Would you blog if the government taxed you to do so? The city of Philadelphia is trying to do just that.
• Hootsuite Premium Pricing Shocker – This month Hootsuite unveiled their pricing structure which caught everyone off guard. If you use Hootsuite, be sure to check this out.
• Search Engine Reputation Management (SERM) – This is a review from one of the sessions at Blog Indiana focused on SEO from a PR angle.
• Ten Social Media Reads, Vol 2

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio, LLC

• Saturday, September 11, 2010 from 9:30 AM – Noon
• Saturday, September 25, 2010 from 9:30 AM – Noon

Introduction to Social Media for Business

• Thursday, September 9, 2010 from 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
• Tuesday, September 14, 2010 from 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
• Thursday, September 23, 2010 from 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM

Social Media 101

• Saturday, September 4, 2010 from 9:30 AM – Noon
• Saturday, September 18, 2010 from 9:30 AM – Noon

WordPress for Small Business and Nonprofits

• Tuesday, September 7, 2010 from 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM
• Thursday, September 16, 2010 from 6:30 PM – 9:00 PM

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio, LLC

On Utter Oddcast episode #110 we discuss general oddness from around the globe. Enjoy!

As always, listener discretion is advised.

SHOW INFORMATION

• Hosted by Jeff Stanger and Brian Groce
• Released on Tuesday, August 31st, 2010
• Leave us a voicemail at 317-565-4250
• Snail mail us at:
  Utter Oddcast
  c/o: Surge Bucket Media
  212 West 10th Street, Suite B-310
  Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-5416
• Recorded, edited & encoded by Watershed Studio, LLC in Indianapolis, Indiana.
• The Utter Oddcast is a proud member of Surge Bucket Media

Share This

Listen to the podcast at: http://utteroddcast.com/2010/08/utter-oddcast-110/

Here we go…

1. NateFowler
2. Mzs_Goof_Troop
3. sboselya
4. MichelleBerezan
5. lottsoftraffic
6. BusMatchMkr
7. No1_webmarketer
8. SEOFollowers
9. homebizmom2
10. iGrOOps
11. ByBox
12. adriana_a1ka
13. dimetr83

Last updated: Friday, August 27, 2010

Note: these are not linked as we don’t want to encourage this behavior or give them any link love.

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/08/who-i-block-on-twitter/

On Utter Oddcast episode #109 we discuss people who are Naked in the News. Enjoy!

As always, listener discretion is advised.

SHOW INFORMATION

• Hosted by Jeff Stanger and Brian Groce
• Released on Friday, August 27th, 2010
• Leave us a voicemail at 317-565-4250
• Snail mail us at:
  Utter Oddcast
  c/o: Surge Bucket Media
  212 West 10th Street, Suite B-310
  Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-5416
• Recorded, edited & encoded by Watershed Studio, LLC in Indianapolis, Indiana.
• The Utter Oddcast is a proud member of Surge Bucket Media

Share This

Listen to the podcast at: http://utteroddcast.com/2010/08/utter-oddcast-109/

1. After seeing mentions of Slingshot SEO all over the place I was curious as to what Slingshot SEO did.
2. I was curious as to their take on tackling brand management in the search engines.

Going in everyone who has listened to me knows my take on the SEO (Search Engine Optimization) industry as a whole.  It would seem that the vast majority of those that claim to be “SEO Experts/Gurus” are paranoid, incompetent and up to no good which turns out to bite their clients in the rear eventually.  My blood boils when new clients come to us stating something like “our last SEO guy got us banned from (insert search engine here), he took a ton of our money, can you help us out & get that behind us?”.  While we can help out, it’s a long road back to normalcy.

All of that to say, in the first few minutes of Jeremy’s presentation it was clear that Slingshot SEO was legit and he had my full attention.

As to what Slingshot SEO does, I would peg them more as a search engine PR firm as opposed to simply optimizing content.  Their approach is optimizing content in multiple places and across multiple services with the goal of resolving small problems before they become large ones.

A few of the key points Jeremy hit on are:

• Most people click on negative search results first
• Most people don’t actually read everything and often stop at the title and make assumptions
• Use monitoring tools such as Google Alerts (which we highly recommend)
• Make sure your most important information is on your home page (that would seem obvious, but take a look around and let me know what you see)
• Focus on customer service (you are in business for your customers)
• Respect others
• Know when to say no (this is a hard one to learn, especially when business is slow and/or you’re a start-up, but trust me, LEARN TO SAY NO if you don’t feel good and/or confident about something as it’s not worth damaging your business for)

However, I have to disagree with the stance of staying away from all review sites/directories (i.e. all of the”Local” sites within the search engines).  Yes, I understand that you don’t control these in any manner and people can try to ruin your reputation there, but if you are confident that you have a good product and good customer service any negative responses can be dealt with.  As a consumer I don’t expect everyone to like everything, but if something is clearly crap, let it be called out as such.  And as a business owner myself, if something I do is honestly below expectations, I want to know that and to be held accountable.  My business isn’t here for me or my feelings, it’s here for my customers.

Overall it was one of the better sessions I sat in on and thanks to Jeremy for sharing.

Here are the slides if you wish to view them…

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio, LLC

Friday, August 27, 2010

Indianapolis GP Pit Walkabout/Practice Day
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 4790 W 16th Street
8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Tickets $10, 12 and under free

Motorcycles on Meridian
Meridian Street, Downtown Indianapolis
7:00 PM – 3:00 AM

From 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday, Aug. 27 and Saturday, Aug. 28, Monument Circle and South Meridian Street in downtown Indianapolis will be a flurry of engine roars and leather. Motorcyclists will gather to share interests and celebrate the Red Bull Indianapolis GP at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The inaugural Motorcycles on Meridian took place in 2008. The streets of downtown Indianapolis were an ocean of bikes and people, moving in waves. The event is for people with and without bikes. Interested parties with no steel horse of their own are welcome to walk around at this free event and marvel at the impressive choppers and sport bikes. On these two nights in August, the motorcycle culture of Indianapolis is open for everyone to enjoy. The entrance for the 2010 Motorcycles on Meridian is through Monument Circle, cyclists should enter the route from Monument Circle and continue onto Meridian.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

Indianapolis GP Qualifying Day
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 4790 W 16th Street
7:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Tickets $20, 12 and under free

Motorcycles on Meridian
Meridian Street, Downtown Indianapolis
7:00 PM – 3:00 AM

From 7 p.m. to 3 a.m. Friday, Aug. 27 and Saturday, Aug. 28, Monument Circle and South Meridian Street in downtown Indianapolis will be a flurry of engine roars and leather. Motorcyclists will gather to share interests and celebrate the Red Bull Indianapolis GP at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The inaugural Motorcycles on Meridian took place in 2008. The streets of downtown Indianapolis were an ocean of bikes and people, moving in waves. The event is for people with and without bikes. Interested parties with no steel horse of their own are welcome to walk around at this free event and marvel at the impressive choppers and sport bikes. On these two nights in August, the motorcycle culture of Indianapolis is open for everyone to enjoy. The entrance for the 2010 Motorcycles on Meridian is through Monument Circle, cyclists should enter the route from Monument Circle and continue onto Meridian.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Red Bull Indianapolis GP Race Day
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, 4790 W 16th Street
7:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Tickets start at $40, 12 and under free with adult General Admission ticket holder

• 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Public Gates Open
• 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Vendor Marketplace Open, Gasoline Alley Garages
• 8:40-9 a.m. 125cc Warm-Up
• 9:10-9:30 a.m. Moto2 Warm-Up
• 9:40-10 a.m. MotoGP Warm-Up
• 10:20 a.m. USGPRU Moriwaki MD250H Powered by Honda Race #2 (12 Laps)
• Noon 125cc Race (23 Laps)
• 1:15 p.m. Moto2 Race (26 Laps)
• 3 p.m. MotoGP Race (28 Laps)

Comment on this post at Naptown Buzz

1. AOL Launches SafeSocial…To Screen Your Kid’s Every Friend Posted (Katy Gathright – Social Times)
2. 4 Ways to Make Content Go Viral in Social Media (Kyle Lacy)
3. How Freelancers Might Use Social Media in the Future (Stephanie Marcus – Mashable)
4. Make Shareability a Priority (Chris Brogan)
5. Marketing Your Business through the Use of Podcasts (Gini Dietrich)
6. 100 Ways to Measure Social Media (Pam Dyer)
7. Social Media Parenting: Raising the Digital Generation (Matt Silverman – Mashable)
8. 12 Ways to Market Your Event With Social Media (Rich Brooks – Social Media Examiner)
9. Twitter And The Nine-Month Bounce (Erick Schonfeld – Tech Crunch)
10. Winemakers shun social media grapevine (Leslie Gevirtz – Reuters)

If you have any social media reads that you’d like to suggest, please contact us or Tweet us @watershedstudio.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio, LLC

Taking a step closer to an eerie Orwellian state where creativity is crushed in the name of “the greater good,” the city of Philadelphia is demanding that bloggers pay $300 for the privilege of writing on the Internet.

This $300 “business privilege license” is for all local bloggers – even the ones that make no money off their words.

The city doesn’t stop there. In addition to the $300 for the license to write on the World Wide Web, bloggers must pay city wage taxes, business privilege taxes and taxes on any net profits — on top of state and federal taxes — even if the blogger only made $11 over two years, reports the City Paper.

Full story at NBC Philadelphia

Even though I’ve never heard of anything like a blanket “business privilege license”, I understand paying taxes is something we all have to do. If that’s how it is in Philly for any business, then fine.  But when you automatically label bloggers as businesses then I have a problem with that.

Taking a step back to the mid-1990′s, I used to publish a ‘zine (and yes, ‘zines are still alive and well in 2010).  We printed 100 copies, got some free music to review, had a few small ad sales, and if we were lucky we broke even.  But it was about our passion for the subject and it was nothing more than a hobby for a group of college kids.

Step forward to 2002 and I jumped head first into blogging and haven’t looked back.  The idea of being a zinester & the idea of being a blogger were pretty much the same thing for me, but with blogging there was a lot less overhead and many more potential eyeballs.

Now jump to present day 2010 and I find myself making a living off of blogging.  (Note that I didn’t say from blogging.)

When Watershed Studio was started back in 2004 our focus was on web design and building PHP based web  applications since that’s what I was doing as a day job back then. Today that has morphed into a lot of WordPress development for clients as well as social media related consulting, coaching & training.  Last year WordSprung was launched as an extension of our WordPress services and earlier this year we launched Indy Media School to focus on the social media training side of things.

On the flip side of the coin, in 2006 the decision was made to separate our content (blogs, podcasts, writings, etc) from the design & consulting side of things and Surge Bucket Media was formed.  Four years later Surge Bucket Media (SBM) consists of dozens of web properties, many of which are networked together.  The difference here being that SBM is currently nowhere near the money maker that everything under the Watershed Studio umbrella is.  And a lot of that is on purpose as we are trying to keep advertising down to an absolute minimum and frankly we do that because we like to do it.

All of that to say, we have seen quite the spectrum of blogs & bloggers throughout the years. While many of our clients are businesses, both small and large, we also have numerous clients who blog out of their own pockets. In other words, their blogs are their passion and they are funding them themselves without a concern for monetary gain.  And it’s this crowd that the vast majority of bloggers would fall into.

Going back to Philadelphia, I honestly don’t see how this will hold up. There are just too many issues at hand, not to mention the moment when freedom of speech and press are brought up (and Philly should be pretty familiar with those, right?).   If I were a small potatoes blogger in Philly I wouldn’t be packing my bags just yet, but I certainly would raise a ruckus with your city government.

What are your thoughts on the matter? Please leave us a comment or leave a voicemail at 317-565-4250.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio, LLC

She killed her own kids… but the art lives on. Indianapolis-based performance group paperStrangers is making a triumphant return to local theater during the 2010 IndyFringe Festival after a wildly successful national tour.

Michael Burke’s adaptation of “Medea,” which won awards and sold out shows during IndyFringe 2009, went to Washington, D.C.; Hollywood and Cincinnati, where more sellouts came.

Rave reviews included this: “If you want to know why Greek tragedy is still vital to modern theater, go see paperStrangers Performance Groupʼs adaptation of Medea.” DC THEATRE SCENE Jenn Larson

And the LA Theatre Review honored Medea with “Outstanding Contribution to the Theatre of Los Angeles in an Ensemble Production.”

Medea, of course, is the character created by Euripides who kills her own children after a betrayal. Michael Burke, a recent Butler University graduate, is being called a “wunderkind director” by theatre critics. He serves as co-artistic director of Indianapolis-based company paperStrangers, with Tommy Lewey. Beginning this Friday, paperStrangers brings another emotion-filled production to Indianapolis as part of IndyFringe 2010.

“They Touch in Flood” is an exploration of making love, a distinctly human concept, using performers and multimedia. It might seem strange for the company to move from Greek tragedy to such an ethereal subject. But it ties in flawlessly with the company’s goal, as Burke and Lewey explain: “It is our mission to have our audiences truly feel. Our focus is evocation.”

In “Medea,” paperStrangers took the audience inside the tormented mind of the title role.

In “TTiF,” they want to take you on a reflective journey that begins with heavy emotions. “We are a theatre of feeling−an experience−one that resonates deep within each of us.” What’s next for paperStrangers? The success of “Medea” has the company already in talks to bring it to even more cities for another festival tour next summer. But the immediate plan for the company is to take a breather and enjoy their successes from a whirlwind summer of performances.

“They Touch in Flood” at the IndyFringe Theatre Festival

Venue: Theatre on The Square
• Tuesday August 24. 2010 6:00 PM
• Wednesday August 25, 2010 9:00 PM
• Saturday August 28, 2010 3:00 PM
• Sunday August 29, 2010 10:30 PM

For more info on the IndyFringe Festival or to buy tickets visit indyfringe.org or m.indyfringe.org for mobile.

This post was submitted by Justin Brady.

Comment on this post at Naptown Buzz

I was on the varsity golf team in high school. I love hitting a bucket of balls around at the driving range. I love walking around the links playing or even watching from the gallery. But one thing I cannot wrap my head around is how anyone can sit and watch golf on television (unless it’s Happy Gilmore).  And to do it all day long.  Put on some pads, go full contact and we can talk.

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/08/martin-kaymer-wins-the-2010-pga-championship/

On Utter Oddcast episode #108 we discuss general oddness from around the globe. Enjoy!

As always, listener discretion is advised.

SHOW INFORMATION

• Hosted by Jeff Stanger and Brian Groce
• Released on Monday, August 16th, 2010
• Leave us a voicemail at 317-565-4250
• Snail mail us at:
  Utter Oddcast
  c/o: Surge Bucket Media
  212 West 10th Street, Suite B-310
  Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-5416
• Recorded, edited & encoded by Watershed Studio, LLC in Indianapolis, Indiana.
• The Utter Oddcast is a proud member of Surge Bucket Media

Share This

Listen to the podcast at: http://utteroddcast.com/2010/08/utter-oddcast-108/

On Utter Oddcast episode #107 we discuss stories focused around Filthy Animals in another themed episode. Enjoy!

As always, listener discretion is advised.

SHOW INFORMATION

• Hosted by Jeff Stanger and Brian Groce
• Released on Friday, August 13th, 2010
• Leave us a voicemail at 317-565-4250
• Snail mail us at:
  Utter Oddcast
  c/o: Surge Bucket Media
  212 West 10th Street, Suite B-310
  Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-5416
• Recorded, edited & encoded by Watershed Studio, LLC in Indianapolis, Indiana.
• The Utter Oddcast is a proud member of Surge Bucket Media

Share This

Listen to the podcast at: http://utteroddcast.com/2010/08/utter-oddcast-107/

Local bloggers from across Indiana will gather at the Informatics and Communications Technology Complex on August 20-21st, 2010, for BIN2010, a 2-day social media and blogging conference that aims to promote education, innovation and collaboration among Indiana’s fast-growing social media community. The conference is sponsored by the IU School of Informatics.

BIN2010 is a 2-day conference for both experienced and new bloggers and social media enthusiasts alike. Sessions will include topics ranging from beginner-level through more advanced social media marketing and business topics. Blog Indiana 2010 seeks to bring a high-impact, high-value blogging and social media conference to Indiana.

This post was submitted by Shawn Plew.

Comment on this post at Naptown Buzz

As I looked at this I was shocked by the top end (the actual top end is not listed here, but is in their Enterprise Services at $1499-$1998 per month).  The biggest shocker being their pricing emphasis on “Team Members” (a.k.a. other Hootsuite users who can use one or more of your social network accounts) rather than some sort of true functionality.

I recall just this past week looking through the FAQ’s and reading this & this (emphasis mine):

• “There is no cost to use the HootSuite Team Collaboration tools or any part of the social media dashboard at this time. Everything is free – though in the future, we will likely add premium level accounts.”
• “The web version of HootSuite as well as HootSuite Lite for iPhone and Android is currently free. HootSuite for iPhone and Android currently costs $2.99. We are investigating pricing plans and exciting new features for paid accounts.“

Fair enough. It’s worded in a  way that says, “We do charge for some things & will be charging for other things at some point. Don’t get used to having everything you currently have for free”.  You can’t argue with that. It’s pretty clear and from a business perspective understandable.

I have absolutely no problem paying for services. We’re in the business of getting paid for services & we pay for services all of the time if the ROI is there.  Just earlier this week in some sort of prophetic thought I was thinking to myself that if Hootsuite charged $5/mo for the service I had at that point in time I’d be happy to pay it.

Beyond the whole Team Members issue (I need this to be expandable to an infinite number of users, even if it costs $4.99/mo for each additional user) their $4.99/mo a plan suites me just fine.  But by charging $15 for the first team member for collaboration aspects (the “priority support” isn’t something I can see being used much & in my opinion should be there with any paid account), they’re really doing themselves no favors.

That said, I can see no good reason for most of our clients to bump up to the “Silver” plan solely for the purpose of allowing us access to their account via our account. And a good portion of them would probably be fine with the Basic plan as long as the advertising isn’t too annoying.

So having mulled this over we’ll be moving our internal Twitter collaboration over to CoTweet.  Facebook pages updates will take place through our Bronze Hootsuite account or directly via Facebook by other team members. Post updates via RSS will continue to be handled via WordPress & the Facebook app. For clients, we’ll simply log into their accounts when needed.  At the end of the day we may not be able to do everything the way we’d like to do it, but we can still do it.

Now it’s your turn. How will the Hootsuite changes affect you, if at all?  What other applications & services do you use for your social media management?  Let us know and if you’d like you can leave a voice message at 317-565-4250.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio, LLC

Hi, Indianapolis!

We’re part of the Midwest Fringe Circuit, about to perform in the IndyFringe, and we hope you’ll see our show! Here’s some more information:

Performing at Theater In The Square, 627 Massachusetts Avenue

“Grind” follows the owner of a doomed Minneapolis coffee shop, her aspiring-musician brother, a homeless evangelist, a comic-book writer and a young barista relocated by Katrina as each answers the question “what do I do when ‘home’ can’t be home anymore?” Punctuated by bursts of shadow puppetry done in the style of comic-book art, each character struggles to answer this question set to a soundtrack made from styles varying from rap to indie to jazz to spoken word. And somehow, it’s also hilarious.

See reviews from our Minneapolis performances here: http://www.fringefestival.org/2010/show/?id=1341

IndyFringe performances:

• Saturday, August 21, 6:00pm
• Sunday, August 22, 1:30pm
• Monday, August 23, 6:00pm
• Friday, August 27, 9:00pm
• Saturday, August 28, 6:00pm
• Sunday, August 29, 9:00pm

Tickets at http://indyfringe.org/fringefest/show/grind-the-musical

Want a review before you click “Attending,” or to check out what crazy stuff we’re up to on this tour? http://www.grindthemusical.com/

This post was submitted by Laura Stratford.

Comment on this post at Naptown Buzz

INDIANAPOLIS – There will be many knights to remember this fall when Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre celebrates the 50th anniversary of Broadway’s classic Camelot. This magical musical with a stirring score is live on stage Sept. 7 through Oct. 10.

Based on the T.H. White Arthurian fantasy novel “The Once and Future King,” Camelot tells the famous tale of King Arthur, his queen Guenevere, Merlyn the magician, Lancelot and the Knights of the Round Table. King Arthur has an idealistic vision of harmony and justice in his enchanted Camelot, but it is destroyed by the misplaced passion, greed and jealousy of those in his kingdom. Ultimately he is forced to choose: fight or forgive.

Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre’s own Douglas E. Stark stars as the legendary King Arthur, while Krista Severeid plays Queen Guenevere with Tony Lawson in the role of Lancelot and Jeff Stockberger as Merlyn. The show is directed by Eddie Curry, with musical direction by Terry Woods and choreography by Doug King.

Book and lyrics are by Alan Jay Lerner, with music by Frederick Loewe.

There are 39 performances of Camelot scheduled in the intimate space of Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre. Tickets range from $35 to $58, and include Chef Odell Ward’s specially prepared buffet, with a fruit & salad bar, unlimited coffee, tea and lemonade. Parking is free.

For reservations, call the Beef & Boards Box Office at 317.872.9664. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays.

Camelot is sponsored in part by the National Bank of Indianapolis.

For complete show schedule, visit www.beefandboards.com.

This post was submitted by Patricia Rettig.

Comment on this post at Naptown Buzz

If you’re unfamiliar with OIOpublisher, it is a PHP based ad platform with a focus on performance, control and ease of use. It allows you to easily serve advertising on your blog or website and keep 100% of the revenue you bring in. For those of you using WordPress, it includes a plugin that allows for easy integration. And if you need consulting help setting it up, please contact Watershed Studio.

Disclosure: I am an affiliate of OIOPublisher, but I use the product myself and can vouch that it’s an excellent product.

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/08/oiopublisher-coupon-code-august-2010/

• Saturday, August 7, 2010 from 9:00 AM – Noon
• Tuesday, August 17, 2010 from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Introduction to Social Media for Business

• Tuesday, August 3, 2010 from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
• Tuesday, August 31, 2010 from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

WordPress for Small Business and Nonprofits

• Monday, August 9, 2010 from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio, LLC

If you’re unfamiliar with OIOpublisher, it is a PHP based ad platform with a focus on performance, control and ease of use. It allows you to easily serve advertising on your blog or website and keep 100% of the revenue you bring in. For those of you using WordPress, it includes a plugin that allows for easy integration. And if you need consulting help setting it up, please contact us.

Disclosure:We are an affiliate of OIOPublisher, but we use the product ourselves and can vouch that it’s an excellent product.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio, LLC

Schedule your WordPress upgrade today via our WordSprung WordPress Upgrade Service.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio, LLC

• WordPress 3.0.1
• Indy Media School: August 2010 Courses
• Ten Social Media Reads, Vol 1

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio, LLC

Indianapolis, Indiana – Jeri Holland, 25, of the 3700 block of West 10th Street, said a man in a pick-up truck stole the basketball goal in front of her house at 6 p.m.

After backing his silver Chevrolet pick-up onto her property, the robber — about 5-feet, 10-inches tall, and 145-pounds — lifted the goal off the ground and threw it into the bed of the truck.

If I were the thieving kind I’m pretty sure that a basketball goal would be pretty far down the list of things I’d be after.  But hey, sometimes in the summertime I guess you just have to have your hoops.

Comment on this post at Blue Shotgun » Odd News

IPhone users can now legally hack their phones to download applications that aren’t in Apple’s App Store.

The U.S. Copyright Office, a division of the Library of Congress, has authorized several new exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), one of which will allow mobile phone users to “jailbreak” — or hack into — their devices to use apps not authorized by the phone’s manufacturer. The new rules will be published on Tuesday in the Federal Register.

Jailbreaking iPhones in order to download apps that are unavailable in Apple’s App Store had been a legal gray area: Apple technically had the right to request a $2,500 government fine for damages every time a user violated the law that bans “circumvention of technological measures” controlling access to copyrighted works — in this case, the iPhone’s iOS software.

I’m glad that the government made the correct decision.  Sure, the warranty is void if you do so, and they’ll continue to try to prevent it (and spend a lot of money doing so in a losing effort), but that’s a public step in the right direction.  In my opinion, you should be allowed to do whatever you want to with any device that you purchase.

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/07/hack-your-iphone/

Via AFP:

LONDON — The strongest and most expensive beer ever created sold out within hours Friday, a Scottish brewery said, as they courted controversy by packaging the bottles inside the bodies of stuffed animals.

BrewDog, the self-described maverick brewery, presented the beer — which contains a record 55 percent alcohol — inside the bodies of dead squirrels and stoats.

Animal rights activists rushed to condemn the stunt.

“It’s pointless and it’s very negative to use dead animals when we should be celebrating live animals,” Advocates for Animals policy director Libby Anderson told BBC Scotland.

“This seems to be a perverse idea.”

BrewDog said the limited edition Belgian ale — made with juniper berries and dubbed “The End of History” — was also the costliest beer ever sold.

The squirrel bottles cost 700 pounds (1,000 dollars, 840 euros) each and the seven stoat bottles went for 500 pounds a pop.

All sold out within four hours of going on sale, BrewDog managing director James Watt told AFP.

Watt said the controversial drink was the last in a line of experimental brews, explaining: “For the final installment in the strong beer series, we wanted to create something epic, something monumental.”

He said there were no plans to come up with a beer to beat this record, insisting: “We’re quite happy at 55 percent.”

As for the taste, Watt described “The End of History” as a “complex” beer with a multitude of flavours including honey, mint and cinnamon.

He recommended sipping the drink “much like you would a malt whiskey”, served up in a spirit glass rather than a pint glass.

I can’t say that sounds appealing at all, but if that’s up your alley I’d love to hear about it.

Comment on this post at Squirrel Dish » Squirrel Dish

LONDON — The strongest and most expensive beer ever created sold out within hours Friday, a Scottish brewery said, as they courted controversy by packaging the bottles inside the bodies of stuffed animals.

BrewDog, the self-described maverick brewery, presented the beer — which contains a record 55 percent alcohol — inside the bodies of dead squirrels and stoats.

Animal rights activists rushed to condemn the stunt.

“It’s pointless and it’s very negative to use dead animals when we should be celebrating live animals,” Advocates for Animals policy director Libby Anderson told BBC Scotland.

“This seems to be a perverse idea.”

BrewDog said the limited edition Belgian ale — made with juniper berries and dubbed “The End of History” — was also the costliest beer ever sold.

The squirrel bottles cost 700 pounds (1,000 dollars, 840 euros) each and the seven stoat bottles went for 500 pounds a pop.

All sold out within four hours of going on sale, BrewDog managing director James Watt told AFP.

Watt said the controversial drink was the last in a line of experimental brews, explaining: “For the final installment in the strong beer series, we wanted to create something epic, something monumental.”

He said there were no plans to come up with a beer to beat this record, insisting: “We’re quite happy at 55 percent.”

As for the taste, Watt described “The End of History” as a “complex” beer with a multitude of flavours including honey, mint and cinnamon.

He recommended sipping the drink “much like you would a malt whiskey”, served up in a spirit glass rather than a pint glass.

I can’t say that sounds appealing at all, but if that’s up your alley I’d love to hear about it.

Comment on this post at Blue Shotgun » Odd News

MOSCOW (AFP) – Russian beachgoers got a shock when they saw a donkey soaring in the blue skies over the balmy beaches on the Sea of Azov in southern Russia last week, police said on Tuesday.

Attached to a parachute, the animal screamed in fear as it circled over heads of holidaymakers sunbathing on a beach in the Cossack village of Golubitskaya in the Krasnodar region.

A regional police spokeswoman said the donkey ended up in the skies as a result of an impromptu advertising campaign by several Russian entrepreneurs to attract beachgoers to their private beach.

Instead, they attracted the attention of regional police who learned of the flying donkey earlier this week and launched a probe.

“The donkey screamed and children cried,” regional police spokeswoman Larisa Tuchkova told AFP. “No-one had the brains to call police.”

Instead, she said, people reached for their cameras and bombarded a local newspaper with phone calls.

“It was put up so high into the sky that the children on the beach cried and asked their parents: “Why did they tie a doggy to a parachute?” the newspaper, Taman, said late last week.

“The donkey landed in an atrocious manner: it was dragged several metres along the water, after which the animal was pulled out half-alive onto the shore.”

The incident is stunning even for a country where animal cruelty is widespread and came as a shock to the locals, said Taman newspaper’s editor, Elena Iovleva.

“This has never happened before,” she told AFP.

The footage of the parachuting donkey was aired on national television Tuesday.

Wow. That’s funny & not funny at the same time. I’m not sure what to say other than if I saw a parachuting donkey calling the police would not be my first reaction either…and I’m not sure I’d even be able to find my camera to document the experience. Wow.

Thanks to my sister-in-law for sharing this oddity.

Comment on this post at Blue Shotgun » Odd News

On Utter Oddcast episode #106 we discuss stories focused around people AND animals Hitting The Sauce in another themed episode. Enjoy!

As always, listener discretion is advised.

SHOW INFORMATION

• Hosted by Jeff Stanger and Brian Groce
• Released on Friday, July 23rd, 2010
• Leave us a voicemail at 317-565-4250
• Snail mail us at:
  Utter Oddcast
  c/o: Surge Bucket Media
  212 West 10th Street, Suite B-310
  Indianapolis, Indiana 46202-5416
• Recorded, edited & encoded by Watershed Studio, LLC in Indianapolis, Indiana.
• The Utter Oddcast is a proud member of Surge Bucket Media

Share This

Listen to the podcast at: http://utteroddcast.com/2010/07/utter-oddcast-106/

National Touring performers Christian & Katalina are back with a sophisticated, interactive, and intimate theatrical show called Mind Tripping: Psychological Illusions for the Mind. They take audiences on a series of mind-bending adventures. It is a psychological thriller that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality. It is perfect for ages 8 to 108. Shows are weekends through August 14th. Fridays and Saturdays at 6pm & 8:30pm. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for seniors and students. It is an intimate cabaret performance with only 40 seats per show, so don’t delay. Tickets can be purchased online at http://www.mindtrippingshow.com.

Discount: Naptown Buzz readers will receive $5 off each ticket with promo code: BUZZ. Type the promo code in the box during the ticket buying process on the website. In addition, with your Mind Tripping Show tickets, when you purchase an entrée at 120 West Market Fresh Grill, located in the Hilton Indianapolis Hotel & Suites, you get a second entrée (of equal or lesser value) FREE! Also, valet parking is only $5.00 and self-park in the Hilton parking garage is FREE.

Mind Tripping Show at The Hilton Indianapolis Hotel & Suites 120 W. Market Street, Indianapolis, IN 46204.
317-691-6399
www.mindtrippingshow.com

This post was submitted by Katalina Absolon.

Comment on this post at Naptown Buzz

1. 7 Surprising Statistics About Twitter in America (Jay Baer – Convince & Convert)
2. Delivering Wow! (Jeff Stanger – Blue Trolley Press)
3. Five ways to integrate social media into your overall marketing mix (Catherine Parker – Memeburn)
4. How to be the Life of the Social Media Party (Darren Rowse – ProBlogger)
5. How to Use Proactive Social Customer Service to Build Your Brand (American Express OPEN Forum)
6. IndyCar Drivers now tussle through Twitter posts (Curt Cavin – Indy Star)
7. More small businesses use Twitter, Facebook to promote (Jon Swartz – USA Today)
8. Social media: why there’s no point trying to escape (Shane Richmond – Telegraph Media Group)
9. The Power of Social Media: Educate Embrace and Empower (Kyle Lacy)
10. When Someone Blindsides You With a Negative Blog Post (Liz Strauss)

If you have any social media reads that you’d like to suggest, please contact us or Tweet us @watershedstudio.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio, LLC

HAMILTON COUNTY (WISH) – A pet monkey went berserk Wednesday morning injuring two people and prompting a family to barricade themselves in a Hamilton County home.

Hamilton County Sheriff’s Deputies were called to a home in the 2900 block of East 276th Street after Eujo, the Patas monkey, got out of his cage.

Deputies called in animal control officer Tom Rogers who was finally able to wrangle the monkey.

The two injured people are said to have minor injuries.

The Patas monkey is said to be one of the fastest primates; it can reach speeds of 34 mph.

A few days ago it was Jungle Cats in Indiana. Today it’s a pet monkey. Seriously people, what are you thinking with your exotic pets?  I know what I’m thinking…I’m thinking that’s kind of funny and want to see a video.  You have fun with your monkey.  I’ll stick with my Zhu Zhu Pets.

Comment on this post at Blue Shotgun » Odd News

Officials with a child advocacy group are trying to retrieve some 1,000 plastic ducks that remain on the loose following a Fort Wayne duck race last month.

Stop Child Abuse & Neglect says 17,000 ducks were placed in the St. Joseph River for the annual fundraiser duck race on June 19, but were swept away by the current and only 15,000 were retrieved the same day.

Spokeswoman Jennifer Boen says about 1,000 of the rogue ducks have been recovered and some have been spotted as far away as Ohio.

The group says it’s working with the city water department to catch the remaining ducks. Officials also are taking boats downstream to search the riverbanks for runaways.

The group’s website says it doesn’t want to do anything to jeopardize the beauty of the river.

I’m thinking to only be missing 1,000 out of 17,000 isn’t too bad…those are numbers I can live with.

Comment on this post at Blue Shotgun » Odd News

USA Today – A cheeseburger sold as a foot-long sandwich, with three burgers and three cheese slices, is being tested at 50 Carl’s Jr. restaurants in Southern California and 50 Hardee’s units in Indiana. That’s the same chain that introduced the world to the 1,400-calorie Monster Burger and the Monster Breakfast Sandwich, with 47 grams of fat.

“We live in a society that’s fascinated with all things big,” says Scott Hume, editor of BurgerBusiness.com, an industry trade site. “It’s inherently American to push for something bigger and better than anyone else has.”

The foot-long burger idea was hatched two months ago from a product development chef at Carl’s, says Brad Haley, marketing chief. The chain is especially eager to create products that appeal to its core customers: young men ages 18 to 24. “Obviously, the foot-long sandwich has been very successful at Subway. But we decided to do it the Carl’s way.”

That means big — and controversial. The sandwich has 850 calories with 20 grams of saturated fat. It’s served on a white sub roll, sliced in half and wrapped in butcher paper.

If it’s a hit in testing, it could be sold at all Carl’s and Hardee’s — sister chains in different regions of the country — within three to six months, Haley says.

Responds Haley, “I’d rather have a charbroiled, foot-long cheeseburger than a cold, foot-long deli sandwich any day.”

Say what you will, but I love the fact that Hardee’s is up front about their food not being the most healthy option out there.  But boy, is it tasty.  I love that Indiana is a Hardee’s test market as there is always some sort of odd creation that they’re touting.  I may have to give the footlong burger a whirl…I only wish they had a Mushroom & Swiss option.

Comment on this post at Blue Shotgun » Odd News

China is now the world’s biggest energy consumer, knocking the U.S. off a perch it held for more than a century, according to new data from the International Energy Agency.

China devoured a total of 2,252 million tons of oil equivalent last year, or about 4% more than the U.S., which burned through 2,170 million tons of oil equivalent. The oil-equivalent metric represents all forms of energy consumed, including crude oil, nuclear, coal, natural gas and renewable sources such as hydropower.

The U.S. is still by far the biggest energy consumer per capita.

Via the WSJ alerts.

Seriously though, given the population differences I do find it surprising that the United States leads China in per capita consumption.  I know better than thinking that China is more “green” than the U.S. so I can only conclude that it’s due to the fact that we have more “free time” to fire up the computers, televisions, boats & RV’s.  And the fact that we’re America!

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/07/china-passes-u-s-in-overall-energy-use/

Goshen, Ind. – The Indiana Department of Natural Resources believes a hybrid of a rare tropical jungle cat is living in a vacant lot in Goshen.

DNR spokesman Phil Bloom says an Indiana conservation officer went to investigate Wednesday after a neighbor spotted an unusually large cat living there. Bloom says experts looked at photos of the cat and believe it is a hybrid of an ocelot, which are native to South America.

Bloom says there is an online market for ocelot hybrids, which is an ocelot crossed with another kind of cat.

More crazy people with exotic pets are trying to kill us all.

Comment on this post at Blue Shotgun » Odd News

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) – Metro Police are looking for a man who gave a Broad Ripple security guard a hard time while stealing several boxes of condoms from grocery store.

Officers were called around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday to the Marsh supermarket located at 2350 Broad Ripple Avenue. The security guard told investigators he witnessed a man shoving several boxes of condoms down his pants.

The guard told police he initially followed the man to the prophylactic aisle because the man matched the description of the suspect in a previous condom theft at the Marsh.

Wow. Is a 45-year old man is either embarrassed to buy condoms or find himself a place that gives them away for free?

Comment on this post at Blue Shotgun » Odd News

“Toy Story 3″ is set to become Walt Disney Co.’s (DIS) largest-grossing animated film after generating $630.2 million in its first month in theaters, the Financial Times reported Sunday on its website, without directly citing sources.

The film yet to screen in about half of the world’s movie markets, the report said.

It said the film was set to debut in the U.K. Monday, and would be released in Spain, Germany and Scandinavia in the coming month.

That doesn’t surprise me.  “Toy Story 3″ is a great movie which was highly anticipated.

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/07/toy-story-3-set-to-break-disney-records/

• First, check out Abdul Hakim-Shabazz’s Second Saturday Night Special post.  I echo what he’s saying.
• Parents: for those of you whose children were misbehaving last night, what in the world are you doing and teaching your children? And where were you?
• Leaders: where were you on this one?  You think a kid getting beat down for not respecting and listening to the authorities is a travesty and wonder why this sort of thing happens.  I’m not saying that cops should necessarily go out beating people down, but just think about the message that you’re sending to the youth and the community by asserting that you don’t need to respect authority.  This is what that mindset leads to.
• Girls: stop dressing like “street workers” & fighting with each other in the streets! Respect yourselves first and foremost and control yourselves.  Whatever you’re after and upset about isn’t worth it. (Back to the parents.)
• Boys: pull up your freaking pants! I watched live coverage of kids trying to run away from the shootings and there were a handful of you not getting anywhere fast as you’re holding your pants up. I thought the “prison draws” were a fad back when I was in school, but I guess that I was wrong.  Come on fellas.  I’m not saying to wear slacks all of the time, but you can at least do functional baggy in something your size. (Back to the parents.)
• Morons with guns: I’m glad that you’re a horrible shot, but:
  1. where did you get your guns?
  2. are you even old enough to have a gun?
  3. what made you think it was a good idea to bring guns along?
  4. what made you think it was a good idea to start shooting people?
• IMPD & Mayor Ballard: You did the best job you could be expected to and you were on top of.  There were ample officers and no one should expect you to control the stupid actions of a select few.

That said, let me know your thoughts, agree or disagree via comment or voicemail at 317-565-4250.  And keep it civil.

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/07/indy-is-not-the-o-k-corral/

U.S. retail sales tumbled again in June, threatening to drain steam from an economy saddled with high joblessness. Sales fell 0.5% from the previous month, the Commerce Department said. Excluding auto and gas sales, though, sales rose 0.1%.

Economists surveyed by Dow Jones Newswires had forecast a 0.3% decline. In May, sales fell a revised 1.1%.

As I continue to say, a small fluctuation either direction should be expected, but more importantly, the state of the economy isn’t really any better than it was two years ago.  If anything, from what I’ve personally seen here in the “real world”, things are actually a little worse.  Most companies are still making money, but they’re tightening their belts as they see their income decrease.

What have you seen? Do you agree or disagree? Please leave a comment or leave a voice message at 317-565-4250.

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/07/u-s-retail-sales-fell-0-5-in-june/

• Thursday, July 15, 2010 from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
• Thursday, July 29, 2010 from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Introduction to Social Media for Business

• Tuesday, July 6, 2010 from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
• Tuesday, July 20, 2010 from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

WordPress for Small Business and Nonprofits

• Saturday, July 24, 2010 from 9:00 AM – Noon

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio, LLC

What: Two chefs. Two unlikely friends. Two very different careers and philosophies. Hear them share stories and muse on the place of food in our personal, community and global life.

When: Thursday, Sept. 30, 7 p.m.

Where: Clowes Memorial Hall, Butler University, 4600 Sunset Avenue, Indianapolis

Cost: Prices range from $25 to $100. The $100 ticket includes admittance to a private reception with the speakers in the Krannert Room at Clowes immediately following the show.

Tickets will go on sale July 19 at 10 a.m. You can purchase tickets at the Clowes Memorial Hall box office, online at Ticketmaster.com or through the Ticketmaster Charge-By-Phone number, 1.800.982.2787.

Organized by: Spirit & Place Festival, Indiana Humanities Council and IndyTalks.

Financial support is being provided by BSA LifeStructures, Butler University, Café Patachou, Citizens Energy Group and a grant from the Efroymson Family Fund, a CICF Fund.

This post was submitted by Kristen Fuhs Wells.

Comment on this post at Naptown Buzz

Calling all bad emails. Delivra, one of the original email marketing software companies, is holding its first Extreme Email Makeover Contest to help rid the world of bad email design.

“There are scads of awful emails out there calling out for help,” said Neil Berman, president of Delivra. “Marketers know they are guilty. Their emails contain all HTML and broken links. They have high unsubscribes and low click-throughs. They have committed these or other transgressions. Let us help you.”

The Extreme Email Makeover will overhaul the email design that is most in need of a “face lift.” “In our competition, the worst wins,” said Berman. “We are asking marketers to compete for the opportunity to have their poor, underperforming email transformed into a high performance, eye-pleasing email.”

To participate in the Extreme Email Makeover simply “like” the Delivra Fan Page on Facebook and then upload your worst email design. You do not have to be a Delivra client to participate. The contest will run from July 1 through July 31, so you have no excuse not to participate. After submitting your own email designs, you can vote for the one you think most needs the Extreme Email Makeover. On August 4, 2010, after evaluating the entries and the voting that takes place via Facebook, Delivra will announce the email design that is most desperate for a “makeover” as the winner.

If the winner is not a current Delivra client, they will win: one custom-designed, sophisticated email template; one hour of email strategy consultation; access to Delivra 101 and 201 email webinars; and a 90-day Delivra trial account. If the winner is already a Delivra client, in addition to the embarrassment this will cause us, they will receive a custom-made, sophisticated email template, which will be placed into their current Delivra account for future email marketing needs.

PR.Extreme Email Makeover.06.29.2010.pdf (18 KB)

This post was submitted by Lavon Temple.

Comment on this post at Naptown Buzz

If you’re like most bloggers, then you’ve probably been kicking yourself trying to figure out the answer to these questions…trying to find the key that unlocks the large steel doors that are holding you back from the success you’ve been looking for.

In his book, Blogging to the Third Power, Nicholas Cardot shares what he has discovered as being the essential elements necessary to connect with people on a large scale.

eBook Edition: Click here to view more details
Print Edition: Click here to view more details

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio, LLC

Consumer Reports said its tests show a hardware defect causes the iPhone 4 to lose reception when held a certain way, challenging Apple Inc.’s claims that the problem is rooted in software that can be easily fixed.

The product-quality watchdog said Monday it can’t recommend the newest iPhone despite otherwise high marks, dinging a company that for many shoppers can do no wrong. It was the first time Consumer Reports has failed to give the thumbs up for an Apple phone.

…

Consumer Reports took some of the heat away from AT&T Inc.’s network, which has been criticized for dropped calls and not being able to adequately handle the load of data-guzzling iPhones.

Full story

The iPhone isn’t perfect? Really?  Well, I’m glad that we can now add it to the list of every other piece of hardware.

While the iPhone may have its software issues, I can say without a doubt that AT&T’s cell coverage is horrible.  I can’t count the times that I’m somewhere around Indy, even in my downtown office late at night, and either the phone drops out or I can’t get data to come through at all (I have a Blackberry Bold). And forget about trying to get a decent & consistent connection at a major event or an amusement park.  It’s not happening.

I can vouch that back when I had my non-3G Palm the service was better.  When I switched to my BlackBerry service was decent as well.  But by the time the iPhone market began to overwhelm AT&T it was really bad (they claim NYC is ready for the iPhone now…I wouldn’t hold my breath).

All of that to say, once my contract is up I’m planning on heading elsewhere. Someone that has decent service & isn’t going to start charging me outrageous fees for data usage (on top of an already expensive plan).  I don’t have time to worry about how much data I’m using and I’m sure not going to pay for data that only half way transferred because the network is choking on the data that’s trying to flow through it.

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/07/consumer-reports-slams-new-iphone/

Basics of Blogging

• Thursday, July 15, 2010 from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
• Thursday, July 29, 2010 from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Introduction to Social Media for Business

• Tuesday, July 6, 2010 from 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
• Tuesday, July 20, 2010 from 6:00 PM - 9:00 PM

WordPress for Small Business and Nonprofits

• Saturday, July 24, 2010 from 9:00 AM - Noon

Comment on this post at Naptown Buzz

Get ready America. It’s time for a star-spangled celebration of…roast beef! To celebrate the red, white and blue – and help America save some green – Arby’s, the home of the free and the delicious, is offering its new Junior Deluxe sandwich free, with any drink purchase, on Monday, July 5.

The latest addition to Arby’s Value Menu, the Junior Deluxe features oven-roasted, thinly sliced roast beef, topped with crisp, fresh lettuce, ripe tomato and mayo on a toasted sesame seed bun. The Value Menu, which launched in April, features Arby’s signature offerings starting at $1.

“We’re thrilled about adding the Junior Deluxe to the Arby’s Value Menu,” says Steve Davis, chief marketing officer, Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. “The July 4^th fireworks may be over, but this sandwich will help people close out the weekend with another kind of explosion – a little ‘kaboom’ for their buck.”

Free Junior Deluxe Sandwiches will be available during normal business hours on Monday, July 5, with any drink purchase, excluding Value drinks and coffee, at participating Arby’s locations nationwide. This offer is limited to one per person while supplies last. Consumers will need to ask for their free Junior Deluxe with drink purchase to receive the offer.

For more information about Arby’s Junior Deluxe giveaway, please visit http://www.facebook.com/arbys or follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Arbys.

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/07/free-arbys-junior-deluxe-sandwiches-on-july-5/

• WordPress 3.0
• Indy Media School: July 2010 Courses

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio, LLC

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/06/south-carolina-gamecocks-win-the-2010-cws/

The father of a 6-year-old Ohio girl who turned up on the U.S. government’s terror watch list says the worst thing his daughter has ever done is probably been mean to her sister.

But Santhosh Thomas, a doctor from Westlake, Ohio, says he’s sure that’s not enough to land his 6-year-old Alyssa on the no-fly list of suspected terrorists. “She may have threatened her sister, but I don’t think that constitutes Homeland Security triggers,” he told CNN.

Federal authorities have acknowledged that such a no-fly list exists, but as a matter of national security, they won’t comment on whose names are on it nor why. “The watch lists are an important layer of security to prevent individuals with known or suspected ties to terrorism from flying,” an unnamed spokesman for the Transportation Security Administration told Fox News.

[read the full story]

This will probably get me put on “the list” for saying this, but our government is apparently ran by complete morons.  Is it really that hard to find competent people for the  job? Boy, do I feel safer now that this 6 year old girl can’t fly.

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/06/6-year-old-domestic-terrorists/

3.5″ x 2.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

For trade only. NOT FOR SALE.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

2.5″ x 3.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

For trade only. NOT FOR SALE.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

3.5″ x 2.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

TRADED.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

Schedule your WordPress upgrade today via our WordSprung WordPress Upgrade Service.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio, LLC

Make plans to see Disney’s hit High School Musical live on stage as it moves from the screen to Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre for the first time. On stage through July 18, it has all the fun and music of the original made-for-TV movie.

Fans will see all their favorite characters – from the spoiled Sharpay Evans (played by Lara Hayhurst) to the basketball star Troy Bolton (played by Tim Barsten) to the new girl at school, Gabriella Montez (played by Jessica Murphy).

They’re all in this together, singing the songs that made this movie soundtrack earn quadruple platinum status within months of the movie first airing. High School Musical introduced songs including “Bop To The Top,” “Stick To The Status Quo,” “We’re All In This Together” and “Breaking Free.”

Plus, this is Beef & Boards’ 2010 Family Show, with $10 discounts on tickets for ages 3-15, making it an affordable outing together!

There are 40 performances of High School Musical on stage scheduled in the intimate space of Beef & Boards Dinner Theatre. Tickets range from $35 to $58, and include Chef Odell Ward’s family friendly buffet, with a fruit & salad bar, unlimited coffee, tea and lemonade. Parking is free.

For reservations, call the Beef & Boards Box Office at 317.872.9664. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Mondays.

High School Musical is sponsored in part by Radio Disney 98.3 FM.

For complete show schedule, visit www.beefandboards.com.

This post was submitted by Patricia Rettig.

Comment on this post at Naptown Buzz

3.5″ x 2.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

For trade only. NOT FOR SALE.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

3.5″ x 2.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

For trade only. NOT FOR SALE.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

3.5″ x 2.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

For trade only. NOT FOR SALE.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

2.5″ x 3.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

For trade only. NOT FOR SALE.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

2.5″ x 3.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

For trade only. NOT FOR SALE.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

2.5″ x 3.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

TRADED

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

2.5″ x 3.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

For trade only. NOT FOR SALE.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

3.5″ x 2.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

For trade only. NOT FOR SALE.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

3.5″ x 2.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

TRADED

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

2.5″ x 3.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

TRADED

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

3.5″ x 2.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

For trade only. NOT FOR SALE.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

3.5″ x 2.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

TRADED.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

3.5″ x 2.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

For trade only. NOT FOR SALE.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

While I still don’t see myself buying one of these at this price, I’d lean towards the Nook since it does have removable storage. BUT, and this is a huge but, there are major issues across the board as far as format standards go (I believe it was the WSJ that had a great explanation of this) & the whole DRM nonsense must go.

Personally I’d really like a full color screen option, but for multiple reasons there’s no way I’d purchase an iPad (at least not as it stands now).  But I am glad to see technology moving along and hope everyone can get on the same page in the next 5 years or so.

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/06/nook-kindle-prices-cut-to-under-200/

Comments from my Facebook friends:

“GAG, the old logo was OK, but the new one has even less appeal.”

“Haha, or a zit! Ugh, what is the bump anyways?? Does the museum have a bump in it’s design somewhere!? They should have incorporated something iconic of the museum whether out-of-state visitors get it or not, like the clock, or something like that!”

“Looks like a crocodile eye or a terrible skateboard ramp. Either way, I expect record attendance and season pass purchases any minute now.”

“Very dated typography and very conservative.”

“I vote a big thumbs down on this change. Makes no sense. It doesn’t look very inviting as far as a museum geared towards children. Fail.”

“It looks like a stodgy business logo. Not kid-friendly at all. Boo.”

And to my own comments:

I’ll preface this by saying that I love the The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and the logo won’t deter me from personally visiting, but…

Some “marketing” people really don’t get “branding” at all. Yes, update logos once in a while if/when necessary, but not something like this. (UPS is a good example of how to do it right.)

It certainly doesn’t scream “Fun” and I’m wondering if they did any market research with this because I’ve not heard anyone say they really like it. Even my 6 year old tells me “It looks like a mountain or hill & it’s boring to look at all day.” Way to market to your target audience!

Personally if I were in charge of The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis I’d have a nice chat with the creative director and the marketing team.  Bottom line, you want something that brings in your target audience, especially out-of-town  visitors.  While logos don’t always need to give a feel for what the business is about (their main purpose is branding), in this case that should be important.  And by all means you don’t drastically change them every 15-20 years.

But I digress and am just happy that’s not something I’m responsible for.

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/06/the-childrens-museum-of-indianapolis-new-logo/

Sunday, August 1 – Players report by 2 p.m.

Monday, August 2 – 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Tuesday, August 3 – 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. (afternoon session is special teams only)

Wednesday, August 4 – 9:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, August 5 – 3:30 p.m. (special teams only)

Friday, August 6 – 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 7 – 10:30 a.m.

Sunday, August 8 – No practice

Monday, August 9 – 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. (afternoon session is special teams only)

Tuesday, August 10 – 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Wednesday, August 11 – 9:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, August 12 – 3:30 p.m. (special teams only)

Friday, August 13 – 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.

Saturday, August 14 – 9:30 a.m.

Sunday, August 15 – San Francisco vs. Colts, Lucas Oil Stadium, 1 p.m. (preseason game)

Monday, August 16 – 4 p.m.

Tuesday, August 17 – 8:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday, August 18 – 9:30 a.m., break camp

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/06/indianapolis-colts-2010-training-camp-schedule/

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE INDIANAPOLIS IN
534 AM EDT FRI JUN 18 2010
..VERY WARM AND HUMID CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED INTO NEXT WEEK…

Very warm and humid conditions will develop across much of the region once again and last into next week.

High temperatures will reach the upper 80s to lower 90s most days for the coming week. Heat indices combining the effects of temperature and humidity will reach as high as the upper 90s to near 100.

If possible stay in an air conditioned building during the afternoon and early evening hours. If you must be outdoors for a significant period of time be sure to take frequent breaks in the shade. Remember to drink plenty of water and avoid overexerting yourself.

I personally don’t do to good in the heat (it’s a miracle that I didn’t pass out at the Indy 500 this year) & I certainly don’t want my kids to get sick from it.  So I’m having second thoughts on that one.  And golfing would be an even less enjoyable outing.  Anyway, we’ll see what happens.  Maybe the norm in air conditioning.

So, what are your Father’s Day plans?

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/06/what-to-do-on-fathers-day-2010/

3.5″ x 2.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

For trade only. NOT FOR SALE.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

2.5″ x 3.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

For trade only. NOT FOR SALE.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

2.5″ x 3.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

For trade only. NOT FOR SALE.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

3.5″ x 2.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

TRADED

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

3.5″ x 2.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

TRADED

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

3.5″ x 2.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

For trade only. NOT FOR SALE.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

3.5″ x 2.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

For trade only. NOT FOR SALE.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

3.5″ x 2.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

TRADED

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

3.5″ x 2.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

TRADED

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

3.5″ x 2.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

For trade only. NOT FOR SALE.

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

3.5″ x 2.5″ Artist Trading Card (ATC).

TRADED

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

In a setback for the U.S. economic recovery, retail sales fell 1.2% in May from the previous month as consumers pulled back their spending on things from cars to clothing, the Commerce Department reported. The decline was the biggest — and the first — since September 2009, when sales fell 2.2%.

Excluding auto and gas sales, retail sales slipped 0.8%, the largest drop since 1% in March 2009.

For my own business I know that I think in a “micro” scale compared to the overall U.S. economy, and being up or down a few percentage points isn’t a huge hit to my business operations, but are we really basing any sort of reality off of a 1-2% fluctuation in sales (either way)?  If sales went down double digits during a single month on a grander scale for the economy as a whole I might be worried, but I’m not going to lose any sleep over this.

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/06/u-s-retail-sales-tumbled-in-may/

On the other side of the coin you have former Gov. Jerry Brown. I don’t know anything about Mr. Brown, but one can venture to guess.

For the sake of your local economy (which has a direct impact on my own livelihood) I really hope that you have some decent third, fourth & fifth “party” candidates in the race.  I know you can do it!

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/06/meg-whitman-attempts-to-board-the-sinking-ship/

It’s kind of crazy it took so long to get Simona de Silvestro out of her car. Luckily she only suffered minor burns to her hand when she tried to get herself out.

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/06/simona-de-silvestros-fiery-accident/

Now that sounds like a good Friday night in the summer! If only the Thunderstorm Watch as a bit longer.

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/06/friday-night-thunderstorm-watch/

Saturday & Sunday, June 19 & 20, Noon – 5 pm
www.mkhometour.com

Celebrate the eco-benefits of one of Indy’s oldest neighborhoods at the 37th annual Meridian-Kessler Home & Garden Tour.

The theme for the 2010 tour, “Green By Design, ” showcases the green qualities of historic areas. Mature trees provide shade and reduce pollution. Walking to dinner, shopping or to play at the park lessens car emissions. In addition, restoring and maintaining an existing home doesn’t use the natural resources that would be consumed to build new.

View seven vintage homes and one community garden. Tour homes are selected for their interior and exterior design as well as their distinguishing architectural elements. Proceeds from the tour support the Meridian-Kessler Neighborhood Association and its revitalization efforts.

Tour tickets can be purchased the day of the event for $15 at any tour home. A good place to start the tour is the home of David Helmer at 5909 N. Washington Blvd. Advance discounted tickets are available for $12 online at www.mkhometour.com or at the following retailers:
• G. Thrapp Jewelers (56th & Illinois St.)
• The National Bank of Indianapolis (49th & Pennsylvania St.)
• Taste Café (52nd & College Ave.)
• Aristocrat Pub & Restaurant (52nd & College Ave.)
• The Fresh Market (54th & College Ave)
• Paradise Bakery & Café (all 6 Central Indiana locations)

This post was submitted by Meghan Martin.

Comment on this post at Naptown Buzz

The Supreme Court says suspects must explicitly tell police they want to be silent to invoke their Miranda protection during interrogations. A right to remain silent and a right to a lawyer are the first of the Miranda-rights warnings, which police recite to suspects during arrests and interrogations. But the justices said suspects must tell police they are going to remain silent to stop an interrogation.

So, my question is, if you tell the police anything, how do you remain silent? And for the sake of argument we have to assume that both written & oral communication, as well as sign language, are fair game.

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/06/suspects-must-disclose-intent-to-remain-silent/

• Indy Media School: WordPress For Small Business and Nonprofits
• WordSprung’s WordPress Maintenance Package

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio, LLC

As I mentioned a few weeks ago via Facebook, AMC was determined to get rid of the Kerasotes Five Buck Club from the get-go.  They sent out a “survey” about the Five Buck Club and mentioned their alternative “Program X” for $5 movies.  Coming from a marketing & business background it was clear to me that AMC already had their mind made up on what to do regardless of the outcome of the survey (which they quickly shut down because they said that they had enough responses).

While the number crunchers probably sat down and came up with this grand plan, they failed to realize that there’s a reason people waited for movies to go to the Five Buck Club…because they don’t want to pay $10 (or more in 3D or IMAX) to see a movie that will be out in stores in a few months.  If people really want to see a movie then the price doesn’t come into play and they’d see it opening weekend anyway (and BTW, all morning movies at Kerasotes were $5 as well, even for new movies).

Anyway, what this means for me is that AMC won’t be getting as much money out of my pocket because most of my theater visiting opportunities come during their new Premium Pricing Club viewings.  But never fear, we still have second run movies and maybe Regal or another theater chain will see AMC’s folly and seize the opportunity.

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/05/amc-kills-the-five-buck-club/

One of the country’s best Talking Heads Tribute bands is coming to downtown Indy.

Show will be at the Anthenaeum Theater on June 5th @ 8 pm.

Tickets can be purchased at www.talkingheadstributeshow.com

This post was submitted by Erik Compton.

Comment on this post at Naptown Buzz

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/05/twitter-weekly-updates-for-2010-05-16/

With their new project Reinvention, Grammy-nominated Superchick goes back to the studio to reinvent their favorite songs. Drawing inspiration from the 100+ TV shows, video games and movies that use their music, Superchick has created a soundtrack album for fast car chases, giant fighting robots, teen romance and bad guys walking in slow motion. Three new singles including “Still Here” and a solo breakout from bassist Matt Dally entitled “Let It Roll,” accompany nine reinventions pulled from every album in the band’s discography.

“These are songs we love; it means a lot to us to get the chance to go back into the studio as a band and rebuild them from the ground up. We have the technology. We can make them better, stronger, louder,” says Max Hsu, the band’s founder, producer and studio recluse.

Having taught themselves wireflying for the “Cross The Line” music video, Superchick plans even more ridiculous and dangerous videos for these cinematic respins, to begin shooting immediately following their headlining tour this spring with John Reuben. With over three quarters of a million records in the marketplace – including a previous remix project (Regeneration) which has scanned more than 100,000 units to date – and music heard regularly on NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, MTV and ESPN, Superchick plans to turn Reinvention up to 11, coming soon to a stereo near you on April 20th.

Track Listing

1. Cross the Line (Box Office Blockbuster Mix)
2. Rock What You Got (Fight Underdog FIght! Mix)
3. Let It Roll – Matt Dally with Superchick
4. Karaoke Superstars (Shiny Car Advert Mix) – Superchick with ThumpMonks
5. Hey Hey (Vampires vs Cheerleaders Mix)
6. One and Lonely (Chick Flick Mix)
7. Breathe (Dont You Die On Me Mix)
8. Bowling Ball (Not That Into You Mix)
9. Pure (Brand New Day Mix)
10. Wishes (Teens Falling In/Out Of Love Mix)
11. Still Here
12. With You – Tricia Brock

Product Details

CD
Release Date: 04/20/2010
Label: Inpop Records
Distributed By: Chordant (EMI)
ISBN-13: 804147152529
Product Code: 782250

Order Reinvention by Superchick

Comment on this post at eC zine » eC zine

The album, The Generous Mr. Lovewell, revolves around a fictional character we created who reminds us that we simply need to love others well. For some of us, it means that we need to put hands and feet on our ideology and rhetoric. For others, it means that we need to continue in doing well, but to not stop there. We need to let people know why we are called to make a difference. Our prayer is that this album would mobilize the body of Christ to encourage people in word and deed.

It’s almost like a ‘pay-it-forward’ idea that revolves around the Cross. We are called to be servants to our neighbors, but if we don’t share the gospel with them, it’s almost offensive and we have only accomplished a part of what God has called us to do. We need to stop letting the world teach us theology about how to act or speak. We need to encourage one another to provide a helping hand to our neighbor, offer up random acts of kindness and share with others how our lives have been transformed by the power of the Cross. It doesn’t take much action – or even many words – to make a difference both here and forever.

- Bart Millard, MercyMe

Product Details

CD
Release Date: 05/04/2010
Label: INO Records
ISBN-13: 000768481325
Product Code: 657687

Purchase The Generous Mr. Lovewell by MercyMe

Comment on this post at eC zine » eC zine

Via el Wikipedia “Adderall is widely reported to increase alertness, libido, concentration and overall cognitive performance while decreasing user fatigue”.

I didn’t bother to look up the side effects, but man, I’d be lying if I said increased alertness, concentration and overall cognitive performance while *decreasing* user fatigue wasn’t appealing.  (I have 5 children, so my libido is obviously fine.)

And while I’m not into chemicals unless absolutely necessary (and yes, caffeine is a necessary vitamin) I wonder why the ADHD crowd gets to have all the fun.  Maybe some day when I’m locked up in the loony bin I’ll find out first hand.  But until then I’ll stick to my Coca-Cola & Coffee.

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/05/adderall/

Comment on this post at: http://blueshotgun.com/2010/05/twitter-weekly-updates-for-2010-05-09/

8×6 Acrylic on Canvas Board

Artist: Brian Groce

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

6×4 Acrylic on Canvas Board

Artist: Brian Groce

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery

8×6 Acrylic on Canvas Board

Artist: Brian Groce

Comment on this post at Watershed Studio Gallery