Greg In The Desert

• Hundreds Vying For Jobs With Albuquerque Isotopes – Albuquerque News Story – KOAT Albuquerque
  “I wouldn’t be surprised by the end of the day if we saw 1,000 people coming through here,” said John Traub, general manager of Isotopes.

  Applicants were competing for 100 open positions with the Albuquerque Isotopes for when the baseball season starts in the spring.

• What got cut from the stimulus bill – CNN.com
  CNN obtained, from a Democratic leadership aide, a list of some programs that have been cut, either entirely or partially: 

  Partially cut:

  • $3.5 billion for energy-efficient federal buildings (original bill $7 billion)

  • $75 million from Smithsonian (original bill $150 million)

  • $200 million from Environmental Protection Agency Superfund (original bill $800 million)

  • $100 million from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (original bill $427 million)

  • $100 million from law enforcement wireless (original bill $200 million)

• Sponsor Subway sticking by Phelps – Yahoo! News
  Restaurant chain Subway is still counting on Olympic swimming star Michael Phelps’s power as a pitchman, despite the uproar over a photograph of him with a marijuana pipe, Advertising Age reported.

  “Like most Americans, and like Michael Phelps himself, we were disappointed in his behavior,” Subway, which specializes in sandwiches, said in a statement.

  “Also like most Americans, we accept his apology. Moving forward, he remains in our plans.”

• Artist Shepherd Fairey Arrested in Boston Friday Night | Thomas Hawk Digital Connection
  Shepherd Fairey, the famous graffiti artist responsible for Obey as well iconic imagery used in the Barack Obama presidential campaign was arrested in Boston on Friday night. Fairey was in town for an opening of a new show of his, “Supply and Demand,” at the Institute of Contemporary Art. He was arrested on two outstanding warrants for graffiti in Boston.
• Apartment Therapy Re-Nest | DIY Dryer Sheets
  We posted about making your own dryer sheets before, but we think we might like this way even better. It doesn’t use any chemicals or heavy liquids…
• iPhone Carrier Update hints at AT&T MicroCell coming soon
  we’re still not super-stoked on the idea of paying a monthly fee to improve AT&T’s own service
• Homes destroyed as Australia struggles to rein in fires
  On Saturday temperatures in Melbourne soared to 46.4 degrees Celsius (115.5 Fahrenheit), the highest on record, local media said, with the mercury in the community of Laverton on the city’s west hitting 47.9 C (118.2 F). 

  Officials said dozens of fires were blazing across the country’s densely populated southeast, and police said at least one that hit Sydney’s metropolitan area late on Friday had been deliberately lit.

• Wal-Mart Looks At Chicago, Other US Cities For Expansion
  Wal-Mart is having “fairly regular conversations” with Chicago community leaders about opening several stores within the city, and considering the ” financial and political viability” of the move, said John Bisio, director of public affairs and government relations for Wal-Mart in Chicago.
• DRIVEN Magazine | Geek Storm: Halo fans won’t stand for “toddler” blocks
  In a deal that was initially seen as a coup for the Canadian toy company, MEGA Brands Inc. recently announced a licensing agreement with Microsoft Game Studios to produce MEGA Bloks building toys based on the extraordinarily popular video game series, Halo.However, Halo fans (some of ’em, anyway) are up in arms to see their only semblance of a hobby licensed out to a company best known for making the poor man’s LEGO .

In an effort to get familiar with iMovie, pending the iLife ‘09 release at the end of January, I started looking at some of the video I have taken with my Cannon G9. The camera takes really good video, I just wish it would zoom and focus while recording.

As part of this experiment I have uploaded my first video to YouTube. The video is of the Chili and Taco race at the Albuquerque Isotopes game on 5 May 2008. There’s quite a few of these races posted on YouTube but I think I’m the only one in widescreen. There is a high quality version available but it’s not quite as good as what I get in iMovie.

This weeks Photo Friday is “Fancy“. Isotopes Park is home of the Albuquerque Isotopes minor league baseball team. You may recall them from the Simpsons episode. The park itself was remodeled when the Dukes left us like a thief in the night. The park is very fancy now.