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"Murphy was an optimist!"

Juggling and Fireworks tomorrow July 2, 2009 1:07 pm

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Announcements, Daily Life, Health, Juggling, Of Interest , add a comment

I will be juggling fire, knives, people, and other things at West Park Baptist Church’s annual fireworks show tomorrow from 7pm-9pm. West Park is on Middlebrook across from Fox Lonas. Hope to see you there!

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Who Watches the Watchmen? June 30, 2009 1:23 pm

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Announcements, Of Interest, TV / Movies , 4comments

I watch the Watchmen!

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My last juggling performance with my brother was 15 years ago June 25, 2009 8:42 am

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Announcements, Health, Juggling, Of Interest , add a comment

The 20th Knoxville Kuumba Festival begins tonight at 5pm. The last time my brother and I did a juggling performance on stage was at Kuumba Festival roughly 15 years ago (I may be off a year more or less). I was wounded at the time with a splinted finger so much of the performance for me was done with one hand. They had a camera crew but didn’t start filming until the end of our performance. So if it’s truly been 15 years, does this mean my brother and I need a reunion tour? Or do we have to wait another 5 years?

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Can you donate some antlers? June 22, 2009 12:40 pm

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Announcements, Of Interest, Philanthropy, Religion / Spirituality, Touchy Subjects , add a comment

The Center for Peace is in need of some new antlers for their sweat lodges. The Center for Peace is located in Seymour, TN and people travel from all over to visit.

We offer many opportunities, such as: Visionary Dances; Sweat Lodges; Fire Ceremonies; chanting/drumming gatherings; young people’s ceremonies and activities; Core Shamanism; Huna Shamanism; Vision Quests; teachings on drumming and working with fire; workshops on various topics such as numerology, fire walking, Druidic traditions, sound healing and chanting, shamanic studies, and many more; initiation ceremonies; supporting ceremonies in the local, regional, and international communities; and a safe, family-like environment to grow in. [Source, CenterforPeace.us]

If you have a set of antlers that could be used to say pick up a football and move it and are willing to donate them, they would be very useful to the Center for Peace.

I personally have attended several sweat lodges at the Center for Peace. Mostly recognized as a Native American tradition, non-Indian sweat lodges can be found in the fifth century BC. My personal experience has been that a sweat lodge is a ritual of spiritual cleansing not limited to a particular belief system or religion. The attendees has always been a diverse crowd religiously as well as professionally. I have met artisans, lawyers, philosophers, educators, land developers, environmental activists and others at the sweats. I believe the Center for Peace is yet another East TN treasure that few may know about. If you are so inclined, I highly encourage you to experience an activity at the Center for Peace.

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Jumpcut.com shutting down! May 21, 2009 9:33 am

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Announcements, Of Interest , add a comment

I had a bothersome email this morning alerting me that Jumpcut is closing its doors. Why was this bothersome? Mainly because I didn’t know what Jumpcut was nor did I realize I had an account…but sure enough I do!

Jumpcut is a place to make movies and interact with people. This is your personal home, where you can work with your stuff and see activity that is related to you. As you upload and interact with Jumpcut, it will fill up nicely. [Source, Jumpcut]

Here’s the email:

Dear Jumpcut user,

After careful consideration, we will be officially closing the Jumpcut.com site on June 15, 2009. This was a difficult decision to make, but it’s part of the ongoing prioritization efforts at Yahoo!

We have released a software utility that allows you to download the movies you created on Jumpcut to your computer. As well, you can now download your original assets. Please visit the download page at http://www.jumpcut.com/myhome/?subnav=download to get started.

Once you download your movies, you may choose to upload them to another site such as Flickr, which allows video uploads for short videos (90 seconds or less). You can find out more here: http://flickr.com/explore/video

Thanks for being a part of Jumpcut.

The Jumpcut Team

Read about Jumpcut.com’s history on Wikipedia.

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Knoxville Overground Social Mixer Tomorrow! March 24, 2009 2:59 pm

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Announcements, Of Interest , add a comment

Tomorrow night let’s all get together in Market Square to checkout Knoxville Overground’s latest and have some real life social time.

Tomorrow on Wednesday March 25th at 7pm, Knoxville Overground will host a social mixer at 35 Market Square as well as provide tours of the 5,000 sq. ft. facility it hopes to convert into a micro-enterprise development center within the next few months.

Remember, downtown parking garages are free at 6pm (although someone recently commented that had changed to 7pm..unverified). For for information about the social mixer and tour, e-mail knoxvilleoverground@gmail.com. See more at KnoxViews.

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Seeking Next Project March 19, 2009 8:26 am

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Announcements, CSS, ColdFusion, HTML, JavaScript, MS SQL, MySQL, Of Interest, PHP, Programming, Technology, jQuery , add a comment

I am coming to the end of a project and have an opening in my schedule. My strengths are programming in PHP, ColdFusion, JavaScript and jQuery, CSS, and HTML. I most frequently work with MySQL or MS SQL but can work on most database platforms. Code I write validates and is W3C compliant. I can also write Section 508 compliant code. I carry a project from concept to production as project manager, independent developer, and/or project team member. In addition to custom original code, I work well with open source projects and APIs. I usually telecommute but am not adverse to working onsite or traveling. I am not an artist and typically hire a graphic artist to provide the design for each project. I enjoy WordPress customizations (but have not done custom work to either Reality Me or Domestic Psychology). Please send referrals or inquiries to jugger@gmail.com or call +1-865-898-7189. Thank you!

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Latest Internet Nuisance March 19, 2009 7:15 am

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Announcements, Communications, Of Interest, Security, Technology , 2comments

This morning I received an email from two people who don’t normally send me email. Both emails were almost identical and inexplicable. One was sent to me while the other revealed the 87 or so email addresses it was sent to and appears to have been sent through gmail. I presume a worm, trojan or virus is sending this message to people’s complete address books. If you get one of these, you may want to let the send (not the entire mailing list) know that they need to scan their computer. Click more to see the email. (more…)

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Why yes I have heroes! And one is coming to Knoxville! March 5, 2009 9:05 am

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Announcements, Daily Life, Humor, Of Interest, Philosophy, Theater , 1 comment so far

My heroes and role models center around comedians. The list of influences is huge including Red Fox, Steve Martin, Bill Cosby, Rick Moranis, Dave Thomas…hold on…basically the SCTV and Saturday Night Live casts. I can narrow the list to four people: Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor, Bill Murray, and Robin Williams. When I was around twelve years old, Robin Williams got me in a bunch of trouble when I did his "moisture heat seeking missile" routine that involved a lot of pelvic gyrations for some guests my parents were entertaining. I had no idea what I was doing or saying. The guests were rolling on the floor and my father was fuming. That was my first Carlos Mencia lesson: don’t perform other people’s material.

Robin Williams is coming to Knoxville on April 11th to the Civic Auditorium! There’s even a VIP Meet & Greet package available! Well, he may be coming to Knoxville. His doctor has advised him to skip four Florida scheduled shows due to recent heart surgery.

On August 20, 2007, Williams’ elder brother, Robert Todd Williams, died of complications from heart surgery performed a month earlier. [Source, Wikipedia, Robin Williams]

I wish I was still participating in the Red Cross’ FAST program or that I could justify a ticket. Maybe Robin Williams wants to give himself an intermission during the show and would like a juggler to come on stage with him!

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Going to Goodwill or you January 24, 2009 3:26 pm

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Announcements, Of Interest, Philosophy , 2comments

Update: All has been distributed but the metal recycling.

I don’t do Freecycle anymore. I got to feeling like I had simply become a supplier for professional yardsalers. I guess that isn’t bad in that stuff I don’t use anymore still ends up getting used by somebody but I’d rather it get to someone more directly. Additionally, the last few encounters with Freecyclers were a little creepy. They started shopping my driveway and house, "What about that? Are you using that anymore? Can I have your lawnmower? Do you want to give that motorcycle away? …"

I am planning a large trip to Goodwill. If someone wants to put any of this to use before I make my trip, I would certainly prefer you to have it. The list right now is:

Separate from Goodwill, I’ll be making a donation to a metal recycler unless somone wants these:

I’m out of time for the moment. Several more items will be added to the list and I’ll get some pictures uploaded. Want any of this, contact me. You can also Twitter @djuggler.

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KSO Blogger Night - Tomorrow! January 14, 2009 11:34 am

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Announcements, Music, Of Interest , add a comment

If you are a blogger and want to experience the wonderful Knoxville Symphony Orchestra, tomorrow night is Blogger Night at the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra! The ability to request tickets ends today at 2pm. (that’s 2 ½ hours from now!) Noah and I participated last year and had a wonderful time. There will be a reception afterward to meet the Maestro and musicians. The KSO simply asks that the bloggers give a review be it good or bad. 50 tickets were available. I do not know how many bloggers responded.

The deadline for emailing Stephanie is January 14 at 2:00 p.m. [Source, Frank Murphy, rock me Amadeus]

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Blogger Night at the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra December 2, 2008 3:37 pm

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Announcements, Of Interest , 3comments

Last year the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra (see also blog) invited bloggers to attend a performance and meet Maestro Lucas Richman. I was blown away. The KSO had an outstanding performance. Frank Murphy announced last week that the KSO is again offering 50 tickets to the first 50 bloggers to respond to Stephanie Burdette. I am pleased that Thursday, January 15, 2009, I and one other blogger from our house will be attending. I am not sure if they still have tickets but if you are a blogger who is in Knoxville or can make it to Knoxville on January 15, I hope to see you! (Be sure to email Stephanie Burdette if you are interested).

The deadline for emailing Stephanie is January 14 at 2:00 p.m. [Source, Frank Murphy, rock me Amadeus]

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Blogfest This Saturday, Calhouns, 6pm September 25, 2008 6:01 pm

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Announcements, Of Interest , 1 comment so far

Lissa has announced Blogfest for this coming Saturday! Blogfest is an opportunity for us onliners to meet in real life (irl).

When: Sept 27, 2008 6:00pm until ?
Where: Calhoun’s on Kingston Pike near Pellissipi Pkwy
Who: Bloggers, blog readers, Twitterers, and their significant others, family and friends

Come have a great time getting to know the people you read every day, and put a face to the words.

RSVP: In the comments here, or by emailing me, or Rich

The early Blogfests set a great tone for future gatherings. People of different political philosophies, different religious backgrounds, different economic sectors, etc. all came together just to be social and had great times despite differing views. I think some people have avoided recent blogfests because of fears that political views would clash. Set those aside for the evening and just come have some fun! Lissa has reserved a large room. We can put red on one side and blue on the other.

This is not a Barcamp. This is simply a social gathering. Come one, come all!

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Costco coming to Knoxville August 1, 2008 4:05 pm

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Announcements, Economy, Of Interest, Touchy Subjects , 3comments

Costco will be tearing down the old BeltsBelz Outlet Mall across from Cotton Eyed Joe off of Lovell Road and building in its location. That’s a little off the beaten path. I didn’t think Costco’s and Sam’s existed in the same markets. It’ll be interesting to see if Knoxville can support Sam’s, Walmart and two BestBuy’s in close proximity. Yes, if you haven’t heard, Turkey Creek is getting a BestBuy. Personally I cannot see the BestBuy on Town and Country Circle surviving.

Little nostalgia. I remember the BeltsBelz Outlet Mall on its last dying legs. Walking through it was almost spooky. It was like the ghost mall. Then years after it was closed, I returned to it with several scouts to help package gifts for Angel Tree children. The moldy, rotting building accentuated the somberness as an Angel Tree volunteer called out the shortages in gifts and donations. Many empty bags were left "organized" on the floor with hopes that gifts would be scrounged for those children. None-the-less, the scouts running about and feeling good that they had helped someone that day reflected echoes of the energetic activity the mall had once known in its halls and particularly in its food court (as the old food court is where the bulk of the Angel Tree activity happened).

Old haunts go to make room for new haunts. I look forward to seeing what Costco brings to Knoxville.

Update 8/13/2008: Belts corrected to Belz thanks to JMT and hiknapster on city-data.com.

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Spam on Reality Me out of control July 17, 2008 4:05 pm

Posted by Doug McCaughan in : Announcements, Of Interest, Security, Technology , 1 comment so far

This weekend I plan to get a little aggressive with controlling spam on Reality Me. Most of it gets blocked but I get so much spam traffic that my Spam Karma logs regularly reach 70MB or more. If you find yourself unable to reach Reality Me, I may have been too aggressive. Just email me at juggler@gmail.com or Twitter @djuggler or Skype djuggler.

How do I plan to fight the spam? Mostly with apache. I’ll post details.

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