“On the Web, everyone will be famous to fifteen people.”
– David Weinberger, The New Yorker in an article entitled, “Amateur Hour”

Here’s a guy who is famous to slightly more than fifteen people.

Feeling particularly burned out this afternoon, I allowed myself the luxury of mindlessly web surfing. I found myself perusing YouTube, clicking on any clip with a mildly interesting thumbnail photo or description. Of course, there’s a ton of crap on YouTube, but that’s bound to happen when you let every Tom, Dick, and Harry post their content. Sometimes you find a gem or two, though.

Tonight’s find? Gary Broslma is back; the “Numa Numa guy” who became an Internet sensation overnight with only a marginal webcam, a catchy tune, and decent lip synching skills. This time, he’s back with a new video, professionally-produced, backed by a corporate sponsor promoting a $45,000 contest urging fans to create their own “New Numa” video. And let me tell you, this big boy has some fans.

Thus far, 1,600,972 of them have viewed the new video on YouTube, 9723 of them leaving comments.

Can you believe it all started with a talented eyebrow and a weird, albeit memorable, dance move that you can do from the comfort of your desk chair?

In my opinion, the “New Numa” video doesn’t have the same flair or charm that the original webcam video had. It feels a bit staged and unnatural. It just goes to show you that sometimes homegrown is better than manufactured.

So, anyone up for the challenge of creating your own “homegrown” New Numa video for a chance to win some bucks and a chance to be famous to, oh, 15-million people?

Bored? Check out this variation of the Numa Numa video. It’s actually a compilation of various people doing the Numa Numa and I find it pretty darned amusing.

Cure for the funk: new house plants.

I feel like the plants absorb my stress and release good energy, creating a calm, relaxed environment. If that’s the case, these buggers will be lucky to last the week.

Holy cow. Apple is good. Darned good, I’d say.

One week ahead of schedule, I received my notification that my iMac is being shipped via FedEx. I may have my new toy in my hot little hands by the end of the week, if I’m lucky!

Talk about great news after a very long and trying day contending with work and school. Tomorrow promises to be another toughie at the office, but I should be able to face it with a little more pep in my step.

A 24″ iMac has my name on it.

Thanks for the advice, everyone. I especially like Rod’s point: “It’s easier to add more RAM than it is to add more screen.”

Ship date: 9/18/2006. Expected delivery: 09/21/2006.

Good things come to those who wait.

I just noticed that Apple was kind enough to automagically upgrade my order. So, on my current order is:

iMac, 20-inch, 2.16GHz Intel Core 2 Duo
128MB VRAM
2GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 2×1GB
250GB Serial ATA Drive
SuperDrive 8X (DVDR-DL/CD-RW)

I paid for:
iMac, 20-inch, 2GHz Intel Core Duo
ATI Radeon X1600/128MB VRAM
1GB 667 DDR2 SDRAM - 1×1GB
250GB Serial ATA drive
SuperDrive 8x (DVD+R DL/DVD+RW/CD-RW)

So, the question is… pay approximately $200 more for the 24″ iMac which comes with 1 GB RAM, but better video card — or stick with the upgraded unit (2 GB RAM) as detailed above? What would you do?

Rainbow Cake from the IS gang
“Happy Birthday, Mac User!”

When Ted saw my birthday cake, he jokingly remarked, “it should’ve said, ‘happy birthday, traitor’!” Ah, you PC users are just jealous.

At any rate, Arnold has me pegged. I am so going to put that Apple sticker on my car.

Thanks to everyone for making my birthday special and for those of you who took the time to leave me birthday wishes here, on e-mail, or by phone. It’s not everyday you turn turtle-tree, I guess.

To all of you fellow Mac cultists, thanks for the information! I am definitely going to call Apple tomorrow and see if we can upgrade that puppy to the 24″. Thanks, Hubby, for authorizing the upgrade! I just hope the good folks at Apple allow me to change my order.

Hubby quote for the day: “My gift wasn’t good enough — you’re upgrading it already?”

Screenshot from today’s Honolulu Star-Bulletin

Last night, I drove for 3 hours and close to 70 miles all in the name of avoiding the unprecedented west-bound traffic gridlock that resulted from a freak accident involving a flatbed truck carrying a crane that struck a pedestrian overpass. The force of the impact took a sizable chunk out of the overpass, rendering it unsafe to pass beneath. It resulted in the complete closure of the H-1 freeway just before rush hour. Diverting all of rush hour traffic from the freeway to Kamehameha highway is like trying to funnel the flow from a firehouse through a drinking straw. That’s probably only a slight exaggeration.

If not for Joyce, my good friend and trusty navigator, I probably would have opted to hang out at the office for a few hours and brave the traffic going west on Nimitz Highway — probably the worst route possible. My co-worker took the Nimitz highway route and reported taking 6 hours (SIX HOURS!!) to get from downtown to Pearl City, arriving home at the ungodly hour of 2:30 am. Instead, Joyce and I enjoyed a relaxing dinner at Gordon Biersch, Aloha Tower Marketplace, overlooking the harbor as the sun set over the ocean. We then took a quick run to Ala Moana Shopping Center to pick up an electronic Sudoku puzzle at Shirokiya for Joyce (and manju and anpan for me), then hit the road — the long way home.

Looking at the display on the dashboard, we noted that it was 8:28 pm when we left the parking lot. We entered the freeway, only briefly, to exit on the Pali Highway and proceeded on to Kahekili Highway where we drove through small towns that we rarely ever have reason to: Punalu’u, Hau’ula, Laie, Kahuku…

Honestly, the 3 hour drive didn’t seem that long to me. The good company made all the difference. We mused about aging rock stars from the 80’s (the good, the bad and the ugly), reminisced about when we first met at Okinawan dance class, and laughed hysterically about my noisy windshield wipers (you had to be there). What had the potential to be a truly terrible night ended up being an enjoyable and therapeutic time for the both of us.

After dropping off Joyce at home, I noticed the time: 11:42 pm. I lifted up a prayer of thanks to the Lord for a safe arrival and for the company of a wonderful friend on the eve of my birthday, even though it was spent taking the scenic route in the midst of the worst traffic snarl in Hawaii’s history.