Sean Gursky: Pioneer on the Internet

My Swine Is Fine

By Sean | May 1, 2009

No To Pig If the aporkalypse is going to strike me down I want to document my naivety here for prosperity sake. Right now I am not worried about H1N1/Swine Flu because in my lifetime I have laughed in the face of Small Pox, Avian Flu, West Nile, SARS and Ebola.

I have licked batteries, crossed a street without authorization from the little walking man, enjoyed the mystery meat within the McRib, routinely consume expired yogurt and eggnog, ate Listeria contaminated meat, stood in front of the microwave all the while I am warming something up still inside its plastic container. I have been to the edge, looked over and turned around. After all of that I am still around to tell my tale.

But, if in a one year from now this pandemic has devastated the population then let it be known that I was really, really wrong. Sorry about that.

My Name Bid

By Sean | April 30, 2009

1 Comment

I am now one step closer to having seagurs.com back in my possession.

I have debated a lot about what I would do to regain seagurs.com. I contemplated spending the $50USD to 1and1 to retrieve the domain out of the Redemption Period, or just forgetting about it completely. Ultimately I decided to ‘back ordered’ the domain through GoDaddy and see what would happen.

However, when I suspected that GoDaddy wasn’t going to successful secure my domain I found a domain auction and entered a bid into that. I felt kind of odd bidding on a domain I had owned for years, but seeing the advertisement parking on the site made me realize how much I would hate it if someone else had control of my former identity and the least I could do was try to secure it through another method.

I won the domain auction without hassle, and to my surprise ‘back order’ from GoDaddy did not help in the process. I paid my $9.00 for the domain bid and now with the WhoIs updated to show that I control seagurs.com I can rest a little easier. Unfortunately I am still not out of the woods yet.

Now I began the steps of transferring the domain over to GoDaddy and then maintaining it from there. Until I can complete the domain transfer, which may require me to wait 60 days because I just bought the domain, the advertisements on the site will stay. Even doing a domain redirect with my temporary registrar would set me back $25USD which is too much for that 60 day period.

It has been a long road back to recovery but I can see that the end is in sight.

My Bird In a Tube

By Sean | April 25, 2009

6 Comments

I have been a member of Twitter for nearly a year. My tweet output may have dropped off in recent months but that doesn’t mean I am using the service any less. I think I am more connected to Twitter than I was when I started.

I like to think I have a healthy variety of technology, news, friends, locals and people that I have a common interest with on my Follow list but that doesn’t give me the full story. I follow any discussions marked with the Edmonton “#yeg” hashtag and routinely go into Trends to see what is making news on Twitter. I am often informed of news from Twitter before it comes up on my RSS reader.

However keeping tabs on all of that at once can be trying and I have recently become addicted to Twitter desktop applications. I have tried several clients and will talk about them below. Notably missing from this list is Twhirl. I have used it but it was no comparison to my favorite application and removed it immediately and I could not be bothered to install it again for screenshots.

Desktop
Seesmic Desktop Logo Seesmic Desktop launched in April to a lot of praise and publicity on Twitter. It had an immediate market share penetration. I could no longer hide from it so I tried it out to see what all of the fuss was about. The application is straightforward and fairly robust. It wasn’t what it did that caught my attention, it was what it didn’t. I immediately noticed I could not filter columns (from my timeline or searches) and this is something I have come to rely heavily on. Since this program is still in its infant stages I may be persuaded to return to it once they improve some of their features.

Tweetie for Mac Logo The popular iPhone application Tweetie now has a Mac desktop application. On the surface it is very simple and clean, and if I primarily used a Mac at work I may consider switching over to it full time.

Still, it is my primary application on MacBook Pro because I like to keep tabs on my timeline but do not require the extensive functionality of other applications. For long term usage I would like to have saved searches that I find useful when I have a Twitter application open for 9-10 hours a day. I have not investigated what the full version of Tweetie is capable of, but it would have to be really impressive to persuade me from the free version of Tweetdeck.

Tweetdeck Logo I have saved the best for last with Tweetdeck. There really was no competition here, Tweetdeck may occupy more memory than I would like but it has changed the way I get information on Twitter forever. At first I was overwhelmed with this application but it is now clearly my favorite.

It can do everything previous clients can but also has Facebook integration for status updates, TwitScoop, multiple URL shortening services available (compared to others applications that would have just a few) and the ability to filter results in a column. This is something I recently discovered and it has cleaned up duplicate data between my main timeline and my “#yeg” column.

My primary Tweetdeck view gives me everything I need to know immediately and it fits perfectly in the corner of my monitor and requires no switching between tabs or scrolling to see more. The program is not without its shortcomings, such as not being able to save filters on a column and its demand on system resources. However those are small grievances to an otherwise robust and great program.

Mobile
When I am not in front of a computer I rely on my iPhone to keep me up to date with Twitter and there are just as many applications for that as there are for desktop use. It seems applications for Twitter are a dime a dozen but one notable application missing from this list is Twitterific. I tried the free version, liked it, but it had nothing to keep me coming back and I could not justify the $9.99 price point of the full version.

Unlike the desktop programs I do not have a clear favorite for iPhone applications. This is a tale of two clients: Tweetie vs. Twitterfon.

Twitterfon iPhone Icon When comparing the differences between Tweetie and Twitterfon I was hard pressed to offer a compelling argument. I found Twitterfon to be as capable as the pay program of Tweetie. They provide the same information such as Trends, GPS capabilities and images are uploaded to TwitPic. There is only so much you can include an a mobile application before it becomes difficult to use and the features they do have are perfect.

Comparing the Tweetie interface to the Twitterfon interface reveals they are nearly identical. Even the Tweetie new message and Twitterfon new message are similar. I will concede that Twitterfon did something I loved with the “person” icon when you make a new tweet. That will show your entire follow list and you can select who you want to direct the message to, which saves embarrassing tweets because you spelt someone’s name incorrectly.

Tweetie iPhone Icon If they are nearly the same application then why would I pay $2.99 for Tweetie? I was able to justify it because of the subtle differences like speed at which the application loads my timeline, it doesn’t have hideous colors for unread tweets on my main timeline and replies, the ability to save searches and finally I thought the developer at least deserved that much for their work on the iPhone and Mac client.

It seems excessive to have two Twitter applications on my iPhone but that’s how even these two programs are.

My Second Round Dog

By Sean | April 23, 2009

1 Comment

The Vancouver Canucks live to see another round. It may have been over in four games but it was anything but a lopsided series. St. Louis fought extremely hard and played an aggressive series. Had it not been for Luongo’s goal tending performance and the lackluster Power Play from the Blues this could have easily been a seven games series.

Which leads me to an interesting fact about the Canucks series victory. In addition to being their first series sweep in franchise history, it is also the first time the Canucks have won a series in under seven games since 1994. And the memories of 1994 are still very real to me. I am not one to get wrapped up in stats or history, but if this playoff run is going to be different from ones before it then it certainly is off to a good start.

The advancement to the second round also means by playoff beard will be around for another week or two. However the results have been less than impressive but it amuses everyone who sees it. I can only hope that if Vancouver goes deep into the playoffs that my beard doesn’t become the source of great shame while I support my team.

Tube Steak Challenge

When does a hot dog cease to become a hot dog? What constitutes a hot dog for this Tube Steak Challenge? Last night there were four buns and four hot dogs but they were the least enjoyable hot dogs I have consumed since I started keeping track. The buns were freezer burnt and the top half was too hard while the bottoms were thin and unable to maintain the buns integrity.

The hot dogs were well enough, except one side was burnt more than I would have liked. I feel like I am dishonoring the other 41 hot dogs before them by adding these four to this batch but there are expected highs and lows in any challenge and this was a definite low point. I will have to do right by them and make sure the next hot dogs have fresh buns from the bakery and complete with all of the fixings.

My Analog Frame

By Sean | April 22, 2009

0 Comment

On January 12th I started something on a whim. A casual viewing of a SomethingAwful thread inspired me so much that it made the transition into my life.

I enlisted the help of Jeff and his collection of random things site Totallies.

Friday, January 09, 2009
(8:26 AM) sean: I have about 12-14 good photos so that will suffice for a couple of months.
(8:26 AM) Jeff G.: awesome

Every Monday since January 12th I have put a new photo in my frame for people to see. I started off strong with my favorites, had some prints from the B.U.S.E.Y. Photoshop SomethingAwful thread and submissions from the inspirational thread that started it all. I had some personal favorites but every week people would come by the desk and see what this weeks photo was.

Now that I am at the end of my photos I will start back over and repeat the photos again. The end came up faster than I expected and I was not prepared to add new photos into the mix. I will look through old threads and retrace my original steps to see if there are other worthy photos that could be added to the mix.

Regardless of what I find, knowing that some photo tech at London Drugs saw these photos and did a full body huh makes this whole adventure a little sweeter.

My Word Jumble

By Sean | April 17, 2009

3 Comments

On my way home yesterday I came across a license plate I could not figure out, it was RNDMBRD.

I was immediately stumped. I tried adding vowels into places and when I said it allowed it sounded like “arandeemembered”. I tried to google rndmbrd but the results were not too helpful. There was a Twitter account for Georgia Pattison and something about Bird-Shaped Tools.

Following Google’s did you mean suggestion of rndm brd was still not helpful in any leads on this license plate.

I can take silly vanity plates, or ones that substitute numbers for letters, but ones that I can’t decipher drive me mad.

My Circus Strip

By Sean | April 16, 2009

0 Comment

Time for an update on a few things occupying my time.

The seagurs domain is still in ‘redemption period’. A few weeks ago I began the process of trying to reclaim it, but the account information did not match the domain registration so I had to provide government issued identification for Dad and myself. Since I had been waiting over a week for a response from 1and1, and the ‘redemption period’ was about to expire I decided I had enough with 1and1 and would just forget it and wait it out.

1and1 canceled my previous hosting on March 16, so I am nearing the time where I can buy the domain back. I have read that the ‘redemption period’ time varies so I have been checking GoDaddy for the purchase of my domain several times a day to no avail.

The Las Vegas U2 tickets have been purchased, and my excitement level about the show has increased dramatically. I have seen plenty of photos from Sam Boyd Stadium and it looks like such a cozy and tight arena that no seat will be a bad spot. However, my mission to get a lower level seat close to the stage was successful but there were many who were not so fortunate.

There was plenty of ticket drama surrounding this event as Ticketmaster wasn’t responsible for the fan presale. A smaller site for the venue handled everything and things like presale codes being counted as used when they weren’t, the site buckling under the pressure of presale purchases and a confusing delivery method of the tickets lead to a lot of confusion and grief.

The ticket cost was a bit much for my taste but U2 in Las Vegas sounds like a once in a lifetime experience and after seeing the sights in and around Vegas seeing U2 will be a perfect ending to a trip in Nevada. I am in the process of comparing flights and hotels. I am searching Hotwire, Travelocity, Expedia, WestJet, Air Canada, Yapta and Farecast for the best deals, trends and will hopefully have the flight booked first and then I can focus on hotels and all of the fun stuff to do while in Sin City.

It’s playoff time for the Canucks, and without getting ahead of myself, I am hoping the team can escape the first round and make a solid effort in the second. I am sure their highs and lows will be documented thoroughly here. With that said, I have decided to grow a ‘beard’ in honor of this playoff run.

I use the term ‘beard’ loosely as I have the patchiest, sorriest excuse for a beard that people may confuse me as a double in the “Don’t Be a Tosser” commercials.

My Countdown to the Horizon

By Sean | April 9, 2009

0 Comment

U2 360 Tour Logo In two months the U2 360 tour kicks off and so begins my ritual of following their set lists, listening to fan recordings, reading individual concert reviews and counting down the date until my chance to see them live. Except, I don’t feel the same way about this as I have before. What is going on?

Don’t get me wrong, I love U2 and have had two amazing experiences at their concerts before, but for some reason I am not ready for my habitual U2 binge.

This year we are planning on going to Las Vegas to see them perform. A Vegas trip alone should be worth excitement, but I see several hoops to jump through in order to buy tickets and feel like I am going through the motions. Is the increase in ticket costs* off putting? Is an outdoor show going to change my enjoyment? What is so different than before?

* I realize that General Admission tickets are still the cheapest offered on this tour but I will not subject Jenna to hours waiting in line and standing through the show for the chance we could have an okay view.

I enjoy their most recent album and expect the new material to sound great live but I just cannot get as excited as I usually am for the possibility of seeing U2 perform. To make matters worse there isn’t even the possibility of having a good opening act as it has been confirmed that the last dates on the tour are getting Black Eyed Peas.

This could all be psychological and I am downplaying all of my usual excitement prior to the upcoming presale week. Or it could be that the show is over half a year away and it is difficult to be excited over something so far in the future. I guess time will tell.