tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76088752024-03-12T23:15:53.798-05:00BatcaveDo people still blog?Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.comBlogger289125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-17638135708865481742019-01-29T16:00:00.000-06:002019-01-29T16:00:16.851-06:00One shall stand...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYA_v0WwIT7POKifvtb39ykNx3QNnPZXzvWIf6IJXQSZiaXK49lrS8YyHeFicZMikyoSarppW8mggeAeTBWUkV9paVmr7gNFw3ZogyZsgu86Z5IOa2ZpqIKFcgpVA9la6p3Gtp/s1600/IMG_20190115_101059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYA_v0WwIT7POKifvtb39ykNx3QNnPZXzvWIf6IJXQSZiaXK49lrS8YyHeFicZMikyoSarppW8mggeAeTBWUkV9paVmr7gNFw3ZogyZsgu86Z5IOa2ZpqIKFcgpVA9la6p3Gtp/s640/IMG_20190115_101059.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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It seems like no more than a handful of months are allowed to pass before we are presented with yet another Optimus Prime toy. Be it from a new movie, new cartoon, or the latest video game, there is always an Optimus on the shelf.</div>
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Not that this situation is a bad situation to be in, being an Optimus Prime fan and all. However, as with all things quantity does not always equal quality... (I'm looking at you, Cyberverse.)</div>
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Every once in awhile though... A Prime to best all Primes lands on store shelves.<br />
Enter Transformers War for Cybertron: Siege Optimus Prime. Yeah... That's a lot of words for one toy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHijUc1Pg3vRobCoQAOppQn5-6dsycg8Uio7C-sRUqj8KemARv7UKuxfLmdx8FJBbnbT9UPEo6pikEriAx7TgL_mSKHxr_rYGH9vAT_1rEm5H0IbXOMOY1g2Lw6TExZ2A6Nfo/s1600/IMG_20190115_100946.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHijUc1Pg3vRobCoQAOppQn5-6dsycg8Uio7C-sRUqj8KemARv7UKuxfLmdx8FJBbnbT9UPEo6pikEriAx7TgL_mSKHxr_rYGH9vAT_1rEm5H0IbXOMOY1g2Lw6TExZ2A6Nfo/s320/IMG_20190115_100946.jpg" width="240" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOiZf_xmvq2zjqxLlWOKaB7eVVx8J67VgHFP1UKuQdX8JqS4FQXKiO-mh1eeEfLxeYXpnQW-XvsjhQpWWMnRn-JVo9JuVTHJElASwMqoST61oj-ji4LhNldRnXy7sg0BmBu7JV/s1600/IMG_20190115_101234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOiZf_xmvq2zjqxLlWOKaB7eVVx8J67VgHFP1UKuQdX8JqS4FQXKiO-mh1eeEfLxeYXpnQW-XvsjhQpWWMnRn-JVo9JuVTHJElASwMqoST61oj-ji4LhNldRnXy7sg0BmBu7JV/s320/IMG_20190115_101234.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Siege Optimus, like all of the other characters in the line, is a very faithful throwback to his original G1 robot mode with a slightly modified Cybertronian vehicle mode.</div>
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The robot modes are where the Siege line really shines. Everyone is very well articulated and looks exactly like you would expect a G1 character to look. We all know the original G1 toys looked nothing like their cartoon counterparts.</div>
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Other than a small amount of kibble under his forearms and his backpack there is very little junk hanging off of Optimus' robot mode. You can't see if very well in these photos but I think his backpack looks quite a bit like the jetpack he borrowed from Sideswipe during an episode of the G1 cartoon. Works for me. Up, up, and away!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaFDqimtV4-0YqwIp7gsBeYa3Fi6r18gdFsdJb9wp8ISgrNYx0F-EgGomllttofTW-gHEENAJcDtCM_mU4WeiaHsaYUpxuUw4G0V4m4MV7jeafi0BEJqv8OAPYSvF1QCJzBMe/s1600/IMG_20190115_100621.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcaFDqimtV4-0YqwIp7gsBeYa3Fi6r18gdFsdJb9wp8ISgrNYx0F-EgGomllttofTW-gHEENAJcDtCM_mU4WeiaHsaYUpxuUw4G0V4m4MV7jeafi0BEJqv8OAPYSvF1QCJzBMe/s320/IMG_20190115_100621.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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The truck mode reminds me very much of his original G1 vehicle mode despite having all of the little Cybertronian bits. It is very close to the same size and has that same boxy feel. I approve. I just wish he came with his trailer or if they sold one separately as a playset.<br />
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Thankfully it is becoming less rare to get a Voyager scale Optimus. Hasbro was hard set on making every Optimus Prime a Leader class toy. He was never that big in the G1 days so I am thankful for every Voyager Prime we get. In my opinion this Optimus is by far the best Voyager scale Prime we have received to date. He is as detailed and articulated as a Masterpiece toy and a heck of a lot cheaper.<br />
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I am looking forward to future waves of this War for Cybertron: Siege line. Every toy I have thus far is simply amazing. Gone are the headmaster gimmicks, the powermaster gimmicks, the combination gimmicks... Hasbro has finally given us a Transformers toy like that actually delivers quality (and not gimmicky) robots in disguise. I think it was very smart of them to move the gimmicks to the weapons and the battle master figures. Good job Hasbro. Now keep it up. ;)<br />
<br />Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-37403996316687143472018-10-30T11:45:00.002-05:002018-10-30T11:47:36.971-05:00The blog is dead. Long live the blog!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8qHH_Is4vRZEZ6JD9fiwVquqRqZUoLlSNJdhWNzWdHrIgzBp5tM_2kWtu5dIl-XBd73FS8qZUhY1Bq5m6QGMGZKTr-2FsPg7-nC9VsVHwg5u5eTu-Bx9hxJYFDTpC5SQgPnq/s1600/IMG_20181027_152212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU8qHH_Is4vRZEZ6JD9fiwVquqRqZUoLlSNJdhWNzWdHrIgzBp5tM_2kWtu5dIl-XBd73FS8qZUhY1Bq5m6QGMGZKTr-2FsPg7-nC9VsVHwg5u5eTu-Bx9hxJYFDTpC5SQgPnq/s400/IMG_20181027_152212.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
A few months ago I dusted off this blog which I had not touched since 2011. The reason?<br />
I was prompted by an <a href="https://elgan.com/blog/should-you-follow-leo-laporte" target="_blank">article written by Mike Elgan</a> about how famed podcaster and internet host Leo Laporte was dropping social media all together. No Facebook, no Twitter, not even an Instagram. Leo retreated to the safety and security of his own blogs. A world totally under his control.<br />
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That got me thinking about my terribly limited use of social media (i.e Google+) and why I even bother using it. My engagement on the once flourishing Google+ had all but dried up. I really only communicate regularly with three or four people on the platform these days.<br />
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All of this lead me to examine the reasons I still bother to post anything to Google+ and the answers were pretty simple.<br />
The primary use? To share photos of our travels and grandpuppy with our family.<br />
The others? To read the news and to share and converse about things that I like and that matter to me.<br />
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Then came the announcement that Google had decided to shut down the consumer facing version of Google+ and move it to a corporate only solution.<br />
So that pretty much answered my question. What to do about Google+ and social media? Stop using it (kind of) and find other methods of accomplishing these goals.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3y39-I6aDU6ab9J4K9cifsgcrhuivAjXz8kv3mMpeB-W11NRipZtErWLeJbxiiRbrHaxs-aSrmIPKjxz60jJTIox9Atc6Kj5g6Nzgi2tib-_Yt70TOGSyomdl-BRuI3Jm_Me/s1600/IMG_20181027_151658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT3y39-I6aDU6ab9J4K9cifsgcrhuivAjXz8kv3mMpeB-W11NRipZtErWLeJbxiiRbrHaxs-aSrmIPKjxz60jJTIox9Atc6Kj5g6Nzgi2tib-_Yt70TOGSyomdl-BRuI3Jm_Me/s400/IMG_20181027_151658.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<b>The results?</b><br />
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For news I have taken some time to find most all of my favorite news sources and have added them to Google News. I've also started reading more news through Google News so that its recommendation system will get better at presenting me with the types of articles I prefer to read. Seems to be working reasonably well so far.<br />
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As for sharing and conversing about things I enjoy... I have basically given up on any social interactions but will occasionally share those type of things to this blog, <a href="http://batcaveweb.com/" target="_blank">Batcaveweb.com</a>. Comments are enabled for those with a Google account so feel free to interact if you so desire but I assume that most will not bother. The act of doing any more than clicking a link is too much effort in this world of social media instant gratification.<br />
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The sharing of travels and grandpuppies with the family will take a very similar approach with one extra venue tossed into the mix.<br />
We have created a new blog, <a href="http://unruhelee.com/" target="_blank">UnRuheLee.com</a>, where we will share long form posts about travel, food, and our animals. In addition, as blogs are not great for sharing quick photos publicly, we have also created <a href="https://www.instagram.com/jasonandrewlee/" target="_blank">Instagram account</a>s. Yeah, I know. Failbook owns it. I'm sure it will soon be ruined but for now it is one of the easiest and fastest ways to share photos with comments and location tags publicly as well as allowing for comments. As the photos can be shared publicly family members can view them without the need to create an account. Life is simpler for everyone.<br />
If Instagram becomes too terrible much of this sharing can be accomplished via Google Photos. It just lacks an easy way to share context with a photo but it could work with a little training.<br />
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In the meantime the blog posts will automatically share to Google+ from both blogs. Also sharing the photos over from Instagram isn't too difficult. That also comes with the added bonus of Google+ not completely wrecking and pixelating every single photo I try to upload from my phone these days.<br />
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That being said, I don't know how much, if any, content I will post directly to Google+. All of the usual stuff will end up there just from other sources. So I'm still here. :)<br />
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If you want to keep up in the future after Google+ finally folds you can follow along here:<br />
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/jasonandrewlee/" target="_blank">https://www.instagram.com/jasonandrewlee/</a><br />
<a href="https://batcaveweb.com/" target="_blank">https://batcaveweb.com/</a><br />
<a href="https://unruhelee.com/" target="_blank">https://unruhelee.com/</a><br />
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See ya around the internet. ;)<br />
<br />Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-9691181607023977452018-10-21T16:19:00.001-05:002018-10-21T16:21:56.792-05:00After 32 years they have finally arrived...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiTfvWBgwhpTZQCW4_39laovk-xpK1blxM-KmUDqkZBIgQc1iauU3Or9U32gvA2K-Ee2jzD5AQ-y9HKwLchEI-GHZzg9oEcy6DXFg5AxJW-yXzh1SFKkamtJq8rmPvEDCd3KZ0/s1600/IMG_20181020_171502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiTfvWBgwhpTZQCW4_39laovk-xpK1blxM-KmUDqkZBIgQc1iauU3Or9U32gvA2K-Ee2jzD5AQ-y9HKwLchEI-GHZzg9oEcy6DXFg5AxJW-yXzh1SFKkamtJq8rmPvEDCd3KZ0/s640/IMG_20181020_171502.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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In 1986 McDonald's released what might have been the greatest Happy Meal toys ever created.<br />
<b>Jim Henson's Muppet Babies</b>.<br />
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They were just as awesome as the cartoon and twice as fun! :)<br />
They were the perfect size to fit into about anything we wanted to play with. They fit in the seats of most G.I. Joe vehicles and yet were small enough to be used as Monopoly pieces. We constructed all sorts of Lego vehicles and houses for them and created endless adventures for them in the backyard. (Yes, children in the 1980's played outside.) They went with us on trips and hide in our pockets to school. Possibly the best toys I even had.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHIh2MleUEIxWRz8_XuNimmobz9y70ZP4ROOl7UVpEkjfQb7Qlz6wmrOpk43x_Q8Oo0uhdol9g1E3F_JW3LyTZBdZ055X6DHyMRY9wzg43YWB6quMeFAbZ-1iiTFJk35p10kia/s1600/IMG_20181020_171344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHIh2MleUEIxWRz8_XuNimmobz9y70ZP4ROOl7UVpEkjfQb7Qlz6wmrOpk43x_Q8Oo0uhdol9g1E3F_JW3LyTZBdZ055X6DHyMRY9wzg43YWB6quMeFAbZ-1iiTFJk35p10kia/s320/IMG_20181020_171344.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Flash forward to 2018, <b>32 years</b> later.<br />
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Today I found the first Muppet Baby figures created since the spectacular originals! Of course I had to buy them. :)<br />
They are a line of toys based off a new DIsney Junior show that isn't half bad. It's nowhere near as awesome as the original but still very fun to watch.<br />
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The first wave includes Kermit, Fozzie, Piggy, and Summer (a new character created just for this show). There is also a 2-in-1 vehicle line and a school playset floating around out there somewhere.<br />
All are currently Target exclusives. My store only had three figures, one each of Kermit, Fozzie, and Summer.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEIuTiuIX8jBn2JG-i2TY5UQqPDFe9-guGHLKB3dJoCoS9W8THyBjAgFwoJmCcr-dNchyW8HwekRhS6KpWqQaHZ3XYFM8NNDv4qErFOCdBPlJIgI-klu-MAP3oVuu5NZ0hyphenhyphenRjU/s1600/IMG_20181020_164229.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEIuTiuIX8jBn2JG-i2TY5UQqPDFe9-guGHLKB3dJoCoS9W8THyBjAgFwoJmCcr-dNchyW8HwekRhS6KpWqQaHZ3XYFM8NNDv4qErFOCdBPlJIgI-klu-MAP3oVuu5NZ0hyphenhyphenRjU/s320/IMG_20181020_164229.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Hopefully a future wave will include Gonzo and Animal who are also in the show.<br />
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There is also a line of small plushies and possibly some larger ones but I have not been able to confirm that as of yet.<br />
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The figures are jointed at the hips, shoulders, and neck. Each comes with a small accessory from the show. I love Fozzie's rubber chicken bow and arrow. :)<br />
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Needless to say I am very excited to finally have new Muppet Baby figures. Now if they will just get my Gonzo out. :DJason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-40589689776040466342018-09-02T21:36:00.003-05:002018-09-02T21:38:29.066-05:00Do people still blog?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZq9Y1nGQDGodiZbMV1SUoi1wXrXEX1ga9TRtUAPYDgOCDAfXzaeJScBuT1q0vLBhJRhOjnykC5QKGmrhe4RvGqu9aGKwN-0gYjWb6OjJlfwPbdgCMJ_OMGUBZ5BLtjVG0YhAw/s1600/00000PORTRAIT_00000_BURST20180902152610715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZq9Y1nGQDGodiZbMV1SUoi1wXrXEX1ga9TRtUAPYDgOCDAfXzaeJScBuT1q0vLBhJRhOjnykC5QKGmrhe4RvGqu9aGKwN-0gYjWb6OjJlfwPbdgCMJ_OMGUBZ5BLtjVG0YhAw/s400/00000PORTRAIT_00000_BURST20180902152610715.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I mean really? Do people still post things to "blogs" or has everything totally gone the route of social media?</div>
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Obviously I haven't used this thing actively since 2010. I was a bit surprised to see it all still here. Most of the images are busted as they didn't transfer over after Google killed Blogger FTP support but all the text is still hanging around. More about that fiasco <a href="https://batcaveweb.blogspot.com/2010/02/end-of-era.htm">here</a>.</div>
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I do wonder if we will see a resurgence in blogging with all the recent trends of abandoning the hate filled social media arena. That is honestly why I looked back at Blogger after not having touched it for eight years.</div>
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It looks like Google has pretty much abandoned this platform as well. I wonder which product they will kill first? Google+ or Blogger? You never really know with Google...</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">(Picture of the dog is totally unrelated. Blog post just need picture ya know.)</span></div>
Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-18366977970643356702011-08-11T15:15:00.001-05:002011-08-11T15:17:03.348-05:00Pandas and politics don't mix...<div><br/><img src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMcfet13JsVSZHb48QpQG5_zwFp04DqWlVZJ-R62JbcN2GbbIKvL0ksemxH0910Zk1WBoCw40shjBBujxGNjbSBusD-hqqzGHa_zgHK7DbEE2YP7Up2dXXKvR8bXBQuG0gRRY/' /></div>Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0Missouri State University, 901 S National, Springfield, MO, United States37.20128 -93.281761tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-85649142899744789782011-02-06T04:06:00.001-06:002011-06-17T04:23:48.607-05:00Blogger for Android test post<div><div><div><p>So how does this work?</p>
<p>Good? Bad? Why should I even use blogger these days? :)<br>
</p>
<br/><img src='http://lh5.ggpht.com/__aZvkTs55UM/TU5yoBxiyqI/AAAAAAAABTc/25Q75b6RYkM/IMG_20110204_174458.png' /></div></div></div>Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-10127374409077926982010-02-02T17:41:00.000-06:002010-02-03T13:16:23.171-06:00It's me, Mario...<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQ-jhuqi9Ns0nIZPqCT4WiJCvulawH8BL9C7BCB-PiKDpkeriCS9U6p0LJUdckQUVQ4WuwfAzTYynTCIoo5SiNdghdvGJPRjs2JmdWKPwwKjuezGgSO8Im4mc6b-lPA3Hv8wi/s1600-h/bm-image-783172.jpe"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjQ-jhuqi9Ns0nIZPqCT4WiJCvulawH8BL9C7BCB-PiKDpkeriCS9U6p0LJUdckQUVQ4WuwfAzTYynTCIoo5SiNdghdvGJPRjs2JmdWKPwwKjuezGgSO8Im4mc6b-lPA3Hv8wi/s320/bm-image-783172.jpe" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434098206694279826" /></a></p>Mostly just testing to see if mobile photo posting still works.Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-27393860199303586302010-02-02T15:31:00.003-06:002010-02-02T15:59:28.364-06:00The end of an era...I received an email today from Blogger informing me that as of March 26th they will no longer support FTP blog publishing. My blog has been powered by Blogger since 2004 and FTPed to my hosting service.<br /><br />I really don't know exactly what I plan to do. This site can remain exactly as it is but I will no longer be able to update it via Blogger. For the time being I plan to move this blog over to <a href="http://batcaveweb.blogspot.com">http://batcaveweb.blogspot.com</a>. Google supports custom domains and such but I'm not really sure I want to continue to use Blogger after this change. I will loose all of my custom sub-pages and a whole lot of customization ability.<br /><br />The same goes for the Istari blog. I will be moving it over to <a href="http://istariguild.blogspot.com">http://istariguild.blogspot.com</a>. <br /><br />I may at some point use the custom domain option to redirect batcaveweb to the Blogger server but I doubt it. I will probably have to start from scratch and move to some custom content system. However, I really don't use my blog all that much these days so who knows when I will get around to doing that, if ever.<br />Unfortunatly the move to blogspot hosting will pretty much require a complete redesign of my blog. I will most likley just pick one of the Blogger templates for now just to ease the pain. All of my sub pages and such will still be here at batcaveweb.com.<br />Also note that my RSS feed will change as well. The current feed will still be here but no longer updated. You will need to visit the new Batcave on blogspot to get the new feed.<br /><br />So in the mean time you can keep up with me at the following locations:<br /><br />Facebook - <a href="http://www.facebook.com/jasonandrewlee">http://www.facebook.com/jasonandrewlee</a><br />Twitter - <a href="http://twitter.com/jasonandrewlee">http://twitter.com/jasonandrewlee</a><br />The new/temp Batcave - <a href="http://batcaveweb.blogspot.com">http://batcaveweb.blogspot.com</a><br /><br />It is rather sad. I've used this blog in basically this format since 2004...<br /><br />So here it is... The last post ever on the batcave as it is today...<br /><br /><br />Catch ya later..Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-24663825256698485312009-09-11T10:59:00.001-05:002009-09-11T11:01:18.870-05:00Oh, why not...<img src="http://batcaveweb.com/comics/batmansays/batmansays03.jpg" alt="Timmeh!!">Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-77939306301966495932009-09-08T13:35:00.003-05:002009-09-08T13:40:27.942-05:00Mmmm.. Tacos.In today's issue we head a little south of the border...<br /><br /><img src="http://batcaveweb.com/comics/batmansays/batmansays02.jpg" alt="Busted Bat-taco"><br /><br />Oh noes... Busted Bat-taco...Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-49715122533742726312009-09-08T09:25:00.003-05:002009-09-08T10:39:17.024-05:00This is why I can't stand a fanboy...A friend recently linked this article on twitter so I thought I'd give it a read.<br />I was expecting a logical, well though out argument about how Apple has drastically changed the mobile phone industry in the United States... <br /><br />That wasn't what I got.<br /><br />As I read on I thought he proceeded to mock the anti Apple folks, you know, the haters with out provocation? Well deserved, they should be mocked. People who rail on something without getting their facts strait (regardless of their views) need to be set strait.<br />After a few more paragraphs I assumed I would start to see the logic and reasoning of the cleverly crafted article... It never happened... What I got instead was a completely biased and inaccurate list of things that only Apple themselves could do.<br /><br />So, lets look at the list shall we? (I'll add my comments below each numbered entry.)<br /><br /> 1. Carriers ruled the industry with an iron fist<br />(True, but only in the United States. Anyone with any will or knowledge could easily acquire an unlocked GSM phone and use it with any GMS carrier in the US.)<br /> <br /> 2. To access carriers’ networks handset makers capitulated everything<br />(Yes, only in the US.)<br /><br /> 3. Carriers dictated phone designs, features, apps, prices, marketing, advertising and branding<br />(Again, only in the US.)<br /><br /> 4. Phones were reduced to cheap, disposable lures for carriers’ service contracts<br />(See above)<br /><br /> 5. There was no revenue sharing between carriers and manufacturers<br />(True, as far as I know.)<br /><br /> 6. There was no notion of phone networks becoming dumb pipes anytime soon<br />(That whole in the US thing again...)<br /><br /> 7. Affordable, unlimited data plans as standard were unheard of<br />(I have paid $19.95 per month for UNLIMITED date on my phone since 2001. Available to any phone on the carrier.)<br /><br /> 8. A phone that would entice people to switch networks by the millions was a pipe dream<br />(This is very true. Apple has the marketing magic.)<br /><br /> 9. Mobile devices were phones first and last, not usable handheld computers<br />(This is a completely ridiculous comment. The first smart phones were introduced in the early 1990's. By the late 1990's/early 2000's Nokia and Palm/Handspring were picking up steam along with that upstart RIM and their Blackberry. By 2002 Microsoft had converted their Pocket PC OS over to a smart phone version. I have had a full blown computer in my pocket since 2002 when I got my first smart phone. And since 1995 if you count the handheld computer I tethered to my phone.)<br /><br /> 10. Even the smartest phones didn’t have seamless WiFi integration<br />(My first first Smartphone from 2002 had seamlessly integrated WiFi.)<br /><br /> 11. Without Visual Voice Mail, messages couldn’t be managed non-linearly<br />(True for mobile phone voice mail.)<br /><br /> 12. There were no manufacturer owned and operated on-the-phone application stores as the sole source<br />(True, there were MANY other application stores out there. However, none were manufacture owned.)<br /><br /> 13. An on-the-phone store having 65,000 apps downloaded nearly 2 billion times was not on anyone’s radar screen<br />(True for on-the-phone stores. Says nothing of the billions of programs sold via the thousands of other mobile software stores since the 1990's. I totally agree that Apple revolutionized the mobile software store by placing it directly in front of the user.)<br /><br /> 14. Low-cost, high-volume app pricing strategy with a 70/30 split didn’t exist<br />(Ok)<br /><br /> 15. Robust one-click in-app transactions were unknown<br />(True, though I not sure this is a good thing.)<br /><br /> 16. There was no efficient, large scale, consistent and lucrative mobile app market for developers large and small<br />(Handango.com, Pocketgear.com, plus many many others.)<br /><br /> 17. Buttons, keys, joysticks, sliders…anything but the screen was the focus of phones<br />(And who says this is a bad thing? Preferences people. Give me a physical keyboard any day.)<br /><br /> 18. Phones didn’t come with huge 3.5″ touch screens<br />(What about my first phone at 3.6 inches, or that 4" Toshiba, or that crazy 5" HTC? All pre-iphone. Only recently did some screens shrink to the 2.8" range.)<br /><br /> 19. Pervasive multitouch, gesture-based UI was science fiction<br />(True)<br /><br /> 20. Actually usable, multi-language, multitouch virtual keyboards on phones didn’t exist<br />(Not entirely true, Resco keyboard, Spb keyboard, Fitaly, and countless other full and half screen touch keyboards have been around for years with support for many languages. No multi touch though.)<br /><br /> 21. Integrated sensors like accelerometers and proximity detectors had no place in phones<br />(Quite a few phones had ambient light sensors. I will agree that Apple brought the accelerometer to the mobile phone world.)<br /><br /> 22. Phones could never compete in 3D/gaming with dedicated portable consoles<br />(There are several HP and Toshiba devices with integrated 3D graphics chips that were out years before the iphone. Several desktop PC games were ported to these devices.)<br /><br /> 23. iPod-class audio/video players on mobiles didn’t exist<br />(True, much higher class audio and video player existed before.)<br /><br /> 24. No phone had ever offered a desktop-like web browser experience<br />(Not true, I had Opera mini on my old Motorola phone, then later Opera mobile on my smartphone. With flash support mind you.)<br /><br /> 25. Sophisticated SDKs and phones were strangers to each other<br />(... You are kidding right? Palm, Symbian, Windows Mobile have all had SDKs for years before the iphone existed. The Windows Mobile SDK was usable in the exact same environment that windows programmers had used for years.)<br /><br /><br />I will admit, the author has several valid points. And I agree, Apple really kicked the mobile phone market in the ass. They have helped advance products much faster than would have happened without the launch of the iphone. Competition is good and Apple sure brought it.<br /><br />What I cannot agree with is the ranting against fact-less fanboyism on once side only to turn around and do it himself. While Apple may not be "evil" as the author claims, they sure as hell are not "God" as he implies. No company is perfect. All devices have their flaws. And people have their preferences. All these things much be acknowledged in order to have a valid discussion. Pointing and yelling, "Mine's better than yours is!", all day isn't going to get us anywhere.<br /><br />Thanks for playin.Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-81376545381104470382009-08-27T13:39:00.003-05:002009-08-27T13:42:57.412-05:00Batman says...Did you ever think it would be funny to hear something said in the "Batman voice"? You know... Something that you would probably never hear Batman say.<br /><br /><img src="http://batcaveweb.com/comics/batmansays/batmansays01.jpg" alt="Batman says issue 1"><br /><br />Maybe I should do more of these... Dunno.. We'll see.<br /><br />*remember to read it in your best Batman voice. :)Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-86750663452444874422009-08-15T00:34:00.000-05:002009-08-15T00:35:08.636-05:00Yo JoeCon!Saturday we are headed out to Kansas City to our first ever G.I. Joe convention. I don't know if it will be half as cool as BotCon but I am very excited.<p>Good news is that it isn't all that far from home so if it sucks not a huge wasted trip. :)<p>Check it out: <a href="http://www.gijoecon.com">http://www.gijoecon.com</a>Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-42318616329151525292009-08-07T10:37:00.002-05:002009-08-07T10:39:24.310-05:00Sure Ninjas rock...<img src="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/piratesposter.jpg" width="600" alt="Pirate with wenches"><br /><br />But some times you just gotta face the facts...Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-63543896839205880622009-07-07T12:50:00.003-05:002009-07-07T12:51:55.464-05:00So much to say...And so little time...<br /><br />So many things I am thinking about today and no time to ramble on about them...<br />Can't cram it all into 140 characters. ;)Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-62455837078754900462009-05-19T23:52:00.006-05:002009-05-20T08:29:52.858-05:00Twikini version 1.0 released!<img src="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/twikini01.png"><br /><br />The entire reason I started using Twitter if the first place was to have an excuse to play with the many clients available for Windows Mobile. I have a thing for good software. :)<br /><br />After quite some time I thought I had finally settled on a Twitter client for my phone... Until I saw a news post about this great new Twitter client called Twikini. I'll admit, the name put me off a bit at first but it looked nice and claimed to be fast (which my current Twitter client was far from) so I gave it a try.<br />Having only used Twikini for a day I was convinced. It was FAST and just had that feel of really well written software. It was a joy to use. <br /><br /><br />Twikini's feature set is truly amazing, there are far too many to go into here but I'll touch on a few I really like.<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/twikini02.png"><br /><br />Inline display of Twitpic pictures!<br />This is a great feature and a true time saver. Most of the time a quick thumbnail view is all you really need to get the gist of someone's Twitpic post. For those times when you need more you can still click the link or the picture to view the full Twitpic page in your browser.<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/twikini03.png"><br /><br />Just look at all these options you get while posting a tweet!<br />You can update your location by typing into the box or by using the GPS built into your phone. What's even better is you can enter your GPS lat & lon or have it translated to an actual street address! And boy is it accurate.<br />You can also post photos to Twitpic and use various URL shortening services.<br /><br />The features don't stop there:<br /><ul><br /><li>Full support for Direct Messages, inbox and sent folders.</li><br /><li>Follow and unfollow users.</li><br /><li>Delete your own tweets if you make an oopsie.</li><br /><li>View users profiles and timelines.</li><br /><li>Jump directly to any user, if your following them or not.</li><br /><li>View the large version of a users pic.</li><br /><li>And so much more!</li><br /></ul><br />Head on over to Trinket Software's site and check it out:<br /><a href="http://www.trinketsoftware.com/Twikini" target="_blank">http://www.trinketsoftware.com/Twikini</a><br /><br />I have tested it on both Windows Mobile 5 and 6.<br /><br />Twikini is, by far, the best Twitter client out there for Windows Mobile.<br />Give it a go, you won't regret it.Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-47319850655864208542009-05-19T13:36:00.002-05:002009-05-19T13:44:13.554-05:00Shipping overkill?We recently purchased 25 refurbished Cisco switches from a company. One of them was defective so we returned it or another one.<br />Well, that one arrived today in this box...<br /><br /><img src="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/overship1.jpg" alt="Peanuts"><br /><br />That's just nuts... ;)<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/overship2.jpg" alt="there it is"><br /><br />Ah! There is something in there!<br /><br /><br /><img src="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/overship3.jpg" alt="all for that"><br /><br />All this box for a single switch??! Umm, ok...Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-87960019927498330962009-04-08T19:10:00.000-05:002009-04-08T19:04:05.016-05:00Spring hath sprung...<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/bm-image-745019-745038.jpe"><img src="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/bm-image-745019-745034.jpe" border="0" alt="" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/bm-image-745132-745148.jpe"><img src="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/bm-image-745132-745145.jpe" border="0" alt="" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/bm-image-745244-745282.jpe"><img src="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/bm-image-745244-745257.jpe" border="0" alt="" /></a></p>Yes, spring is here. At least today anyway. Frakin screwy weather...
<br>I had a nice drive home from work todat with the top off the car. Then helped the wife finish off mowing the yard for the first time this year.
<br>
<br>Looks like rain and maybe sleet over the next few days though... Least we got one nice day. :)Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-24582422506571982682009-03-27T14:18:00.003-05:002009-03-27T14:27:26.662-05:00Go Go Sparkle Monkey!!<img src="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/sparklemonkey1.jpg"><br /><br /><object width="320" height="240"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/o2SVvItgPPc&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/o2SVvItgPPc&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="240"></embed></object><br /><br />So this is what Alastria comes home with yesterday. He should make a nice addition to my desk. :)<br /><br />He looks really cool if you turn out the light and shake him real good. :DJason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-81576917221448197212009-03-25T10:53:00.000-05:002009-03-25T10:46:48.680-05:00Spam fail.<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/bm-image-708684-708693.png"><img src="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/bm-image-708684-708691.png" border="0" alt="" /></a></p>I got this spam mail today and just had to share...
<br>It is a rather nice spam form letter but it appears that someone actually forgot to populate the form fields. :D
<br>
<br>So, if you ever wondered what uncooked spam (mail) looks like here you go. ;)
<br>
<br>Spam FAIL!!Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-7253105770033355462009-03-25T10:45:00.000-05:002009-03-25T10:38:35.088-05:00The little tree that could.<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/bm-image-715093-715215.jpe"><img src="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/bm-image-715093-715114.jpe" border="0" alt="" /></a></p><p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/bm-image-715274-715319.jpe"><img src="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/bm-image-715274-715288.jpe" border="0" alt="" /></a></p>Over the last 2 years the wonderful ice storms we had have all but destroyed the trees in our front yard. One we completely cut down to the ground and the other we kinda just left. We tried to cut it down but the wood was too hard for the chainsaw we had.
<br>
<br>But that really didn't seem to matter to the trees. :)
<br>The one cut to the gound looks more like a bush now and the shattered stump? Well, you can see how it is doing above. :)Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-44529801226850390822009-03-05T15:39:00.002-06:002009-03-05T15:42:18.733-06:00Look to the future...<img src="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/futureman.png" alt="Future Man" width="640"><br /><br />Tee hee...Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-75005703357603575912009-03-04T15:03:00.003-06:002009-03-04T15:06:00.988-06:00Change...<img src="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/OptimusChangePoster.jpg" alt="Optimus Change" /><br /><br />Haha. Love it. :)Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-25213422170536579922009-02-28T08:50:00.000-06:002009-02-28T08:45:08.948-06:00Which way do we go George...?<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/bm-image-708953-709027.jpe"><img src="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/bm-image-708953-708990.jpe" border="0" alt="" /></a></p>Two days ago... 70. Now? Two and a half inches of snow... *unintelligible babbling noises*Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7608875.post-31653298004612947232009-02-26T12:15:00.000-06:002009-02-26T12:10:35.416-06:00Ahh, February...<p class="mobile-photo"><a href="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/bm-image-735418-735429.png"><img src="http://batcaveweb.com/uploaded_images/bm-image-735418-735426.png" border="0" alt="" /></a></p>Near 70 in February... Nice. Too bad I didn't have yesterday off work... Oh well. Nothing like workin on the car in the rain...Jason Leehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11446664715146649749noreply@blogger.com0