What Fires You Up?

12/07/2002

"All You Need is Hugs"
from the Daily Iowan, December 6

"All you need is hugs" By Cathy Flory - The Daily Iowan "UI freshman Benjamin "Benjy" Schirm not only talks to strangers, he hugs them, too -- up to 100 in a day. Spinning slowly behind the Pappajohn Business Building on Thursday afternoon, decked out in a blue jumpsuit painted with the words "Hug Me," eyes wide and smiling, Schirm opened his arms as students rushed up and hugged him.
In his first half-hour, the Plymouth, Minn., native gave/received approximately 20 hugs, ending the day with 40 after 45 minutes outside. "So many people walking around aren't smiling and don't look happy, so as long as I can make someone smile, it's all worth it," said Schirm, who also sported a Santa hat Thursday in light of the holidays. What started as a rhetoric assignment has netted the theater and dance major more than 200 hugs since he first began doling out love four weeks ago. The assignment that brought on the hugging frenzy called for students to find the best medium for conveying a message. Schirm's message? All you need is love."
See? This is the type of story about spirit that I especially enjoy at this holiday time. Have you got any to share?
* * * * * * * cobalt * * * * * * *

BJ 12/07/2002 11:47:00 AM

12/06/2002

Links for Favorites in HTML Design and Graphics Sites

FlamingText.com Free online tool for generating custom webpage graphics and animations Draac.Com's Html Course Draac.Com's CSS Course - Page 1 Draac.Com's Forms Course - Page 1 Draac.Com's Frames Course - Page 1 HTML Goodies - Home Page Clip-Art.com Draac.Com's Tables Course - Page 1 Dynamic Drive DHTML(dynamic html) code library! TheFreeSite.com Freebie Font Resources, free fonts, TrueType, graphics, font Webmaster Resources at RealWebmasters.com Webmonkey The Web Developer's Resource ABCBANNERS! CREATE YOUR OWN BANNER, FREE! Draac.Com's Tool Box - Generators ASCII Creator MediaBuilder 3D Text Maker - Create Free 3D Banners for Your Web Pages! SnazzyT's Graphics Collection HTML Primer HTML Tutorial and Resources HTML An Interactive Tutorial for Beginners [ Dave's HTML Guide ] ANTIVIRUS clipart in italian GUIStuff.com - Free Graphical User Interfaces Webmonkey design graphics A+ Art - Free Clipart Icons Backgrounds Buttons Bars Animations Bullets Photos moreCrayons colors for web designers Coolmenus example - CoolMenus3 DHTML script made by Thomas Brattli from DHTMLCentral.com. Visit for more great scripts. DHTMLCentral.com - Dynamic HTML News Gifs & Stuff Site fontseek.com - free fonts search engine, finding font search engine the Dingbat pages Fonts of Linotype Library download fonts for text, display, symbol, digital WebSearches - Fonts Font Avenue - resources for font people Dingbats pg 2 Production Graphics with Wendy Peck at webreference.com TriVista Technologies, Inc. Ascii Table - ASCII character codes and octal, hex and decimal charts Kittys Art Galleria - from the surreal to the stars and moon! Gallery your photos on your website Scripting News Download TK3 Reader Voidstar Kleptography - Notes - Workflow 2Cool Animations - Over 20,000 Free Animations, Clipart Images, Wallpaper, Backgrounds, and Textures for you to choose from. Free Gifs & Animations Best Clipart - The Best Original Free Clipart On The Net Animation Factory - Free Animated GIFs and 3D Clipart Fontenstein - Creepy Fonts - H Absolute Background Textures Archive 4312 Free Tiling Background Textures Clipart Ancient Page 1 Linksmedievalart Clip Art Review - free graphics, photos, pictures, clipart Jelane's Families of Graphics Electric Blues De A. Eggers & Associates, Business Information Services for the Health Care Field.

Please let cobalt know if there are any links that are broken. I am interested in your comments about this blog and recommended links. Just click on the "comments" hyperlink below. * * * * * * * cobalt * * * * * * *

BJ 12/06/2002 01:44:00 AM

12/04/2002

Changes to the homepage today - fun stuff for my family and friends
cobalt homepage

BJ 12/04/2002 03:24:00 PM

12/01/2002

This is cool! The site called "enetation" has allowed me to add comments to the blog entries! When you click on the "comments" at the bottom of each post, you will have a new window open where you will be able to see comments of others and also to enter in your own comments! The comments will not be seen in the regular blog page - one must open the comment link.
When friends of the Fired Up Folks wish to comment, the blog editor will be able to easily copy and post their comments and / or new entries into the blog, using the nickname as the poster. This blog editor (cobalt) is also able to delete comments and ban IP addresses per poster if there are inappropriate entries. What a "step up" for blog friends of this editor!

BJ 12/01/2002 02:28:00 PM

A fun night out with Drew to see the Mavericks play the Chicago Bulls! The win was relatively easy, and the fun was seeing the whole game from what some call "nosebleed" land. We found that the seats were comfortable and though very high up in the upper tier, we had a terrific view of the game. It was an opportunity to see the game "as a whole" and also to enjoy parts of bigtime sports venues often unseen and unknown to fans.
The American Airlines Center was about $350 million in the making, and quite a splendid arena - clean, spacious, well-planned. As we walked from 'timbucktoo" parking about 4 blocks (ha! And $12 at that) we joined about 17,000 or so fans pouring in through metal-detector geared entries. Round and around we walked to get to our seats, but huge escalators made the going easy. Sometimes we passed luxiourious box seat sections and private viewing areas complete with wet bar, sink, tables, couches and easy chairs. Everyso often there was a giant "sun tube" of sorts, where one could look down through the giant porthole through to the first floor, seeing tiny folks and inlaid floor sports decor way below. The blond wood flooring between escalaters was beautiful - wide and long lengths of polished oak. The terrazzo-look tile was smooth and art deco - the snack areas convenient between the outer walks and the inner seating tiers.
The best pizzaz was left for the giganitic center ceiling consoles of wide screen TV's and the matching light panels end to end that completely encircled the stadium. There were "light shows" every few minutes, with strobe, flashing graphics, explosions of color and moving light displays. Sometimes it was hard to decide where to look! At times a remote-controled blimp sponsored by Haggar flew around the crowd and emptied out prizes like t-shirts. Music was a big part of the extravaganza - never knew that each part of the game was choreographed to matching music - fight song snippets when the ball play when to the home team and solemn or eerie music to the other end. An announcer cheered all on, and every moment that play was interrupted, the fans were treated to "talented" cheerleaders performing quick dance routines or the Maverick mascot character clowning amid young men who's fire "guns" that shot t-shirts high into the upper decks.
Half time was a treat - seeing "Stickman" spin a basketball, transfer it to long poles joined end to end with duct tape, and then balance the spinning ball as he walked down the court to score a 'goal' ! The pole was possibly 30 to 50 feet long, and it was mesmerizing that a person could do this.
A very unexpected thing happened near the end of the first half, and following is the Dallas Morning News story today:
Fans do not dawdle when alarm sounds 12/01/2002 By EDDIE SEFKO / The Dallas Morning News Fans made a rapid exit from their seats at American Airlines Center on Saturday night when the building's fire alarm system was activated late in the first half. The siren and strobe lights went off with 1:18 left in the second quarter and the Mavericks leading, 54-42. After Raja Bell made a 3-pointer for the Mavs, play was stopped while an announcement was made that an emergency situation had arisen. Fans filed out of the arena quickly, virtually emptying the middle and upper decks within three minutes. At least half of the fans in the lower deck left their seats. "A sensor picked up what it thought was an electrical problem, and the alarm went off as a safety concern," Mavs president and chief executive officer Terdema Ussery said. "We have a fire marshall at every game and he determined that there was no emergency." The fans' quick response was applauded. "I think people are more receptive to this kind of precaution now," Ussery said. The game resumed after an eight-minute delay.
My reaction and thoughts were different: no one knew what to think when the lights of the arena blinked off with strobe white lights and alarm beeping sound filling the space. All went silent, amazed. Then we heard the announcer ask us to leave immediately and go to the stairs and exit the arena as an "emergency was detected". After a pause that seemed way way too long, the crowd slowly got up and made way out. We got to the escalators, now 'stopped' to be stairs when the crowd was advised we could return. I thought "This is it! This is the terrorist action the US had been told is coming. Here we are in a very public place and an easy 'target'. I expected an explosion soon. What an experience - sad and wonder that we all had to experience this. And, the realization that "this" interlude has become a way of life in many parts of the world!
Oh, the Mav's won, something like 103 to 90, thus earning the attendees a "free chalupa" at Taco Bell. Something about a Mav score of 100+ netted homegame fans a prize. Nearing that 100 mark, fans chanted "Cha - LUP-Pah!! Cha - LUP-pah!" Not a bad way to spend advertising revenue, eh? All in all, what a night. Modern sports in the pro arena - spectacle and glitz for fans who 'want it all'. Link to game stories.Game summary.BTW, now that I "know" Nick Van Exel, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, Michael Finley, Popeye and others, I'll just hafta watch the rest of this season. The Dillo says I may be watching till July or August... (lol) * * * * * * * cobalt * * * * * * *

BJ 12/01/2002 12:32:00 PM