Tag, I’m it. Courtesy of Dave.

Four jobs I have had:
1. Produce clerk
2. Gas station attendant
3. Inventory auditor
4. Graphic designer

Four movies I can watch over and over:
1. Fight Club
2. Star Wars Trilogy
3. The Royal Tenenbaums
4. Dumb and Dumber

Four places I have lived:
1. Wentzville, Missouri
2. Cullman, Alabama
3. Grand Island, Nebraska
4. Evans, Colorado

Four places I have vacationed:
1. Estes Park, Colorado
2. Chicago, Illinois
3. Arches National Park, Utah
4. Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Four of my favorite dishes:
1. London broil
2. Tam’s Noodles with Savory Beef and Shrimp
3. Macaroni and cheese
4. Chocolate chip cookies and milk

Four sites I visit (almost) daily:
1. Seth Godin’s blog
2. Make
3. Digg
4. Flickr

Four TV shows I love:
1. Battlestar Galactica
2. The Office (the American version)
3. The Simpson’s
4. MacGyver

Four Places I’d Rather Be Right Now:
1. College
2. Outside taking photos
3. On a mountain riding my bike
4. The local record store

Four bloggers I am passing the torch to:
1. Kadavy
2. Polyfro
3. Frank
4. Bennett and the rest of the group

There is an interesting article on Times Online talking about an “experience economy.” (link via CPH127) It describes the new economy as being driven by experience rather than products or services. In other words, people are increasingly willing to pay extra for a product that is attached to an “experience” rather than basing our buying decisions on price alone. We pay six bucks for a cup of coffee at Starbucks. We pay extra for an iPod. It says “contrary to what companies think, not all consumers are focused on bagging the cheapest product.” The question is, why would their be an increasing need from people to have an experience attached to the way they spend their money. Do we just expect more for our money? No, I think it is something different than just the desire to have more, more, more. Underneath the “experience economy” is something more than simply materialism tied to an entertainment element. It is more than simply wanting memories, or the desire to be a member of an exclusive club. The real reason that there is a push for “experience” is because there is a basic spiritual need that isn’t being filled in our lives. The article puts it this way, “There’s this emerging idea of ourselves as projects — we are no longer labeled by our education or gender, or born into a social situation that we then play out for the rest of our lives.” At the risk of being labeled a “true Gen-Xer”
again, I will quote Fight Club:

“We’re the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War’s a spiritual war… our Great Depression is our lives. We’ve all been raised on television to believe that one day we’d all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won’t. And we’re slowly learning that fact.”

And as we awaken from the sleep of materialism, we are still spending money. Only now our money is connected to a spiritual desire. Instead of simply amassing more and more stuff, we use our money in an attempt to meet our spiritual needs: We want to improve ourselves. We want to meet people with similar interests. We want to create something original. We want to connect emotionally with something. We want to build, hack, remix. We want to share. We want to feel.

If I am getting to touchy feely for you, let me bring it back to an economic model. Some businesses are realizing that there is huge profit in satisfying the consumer’s new appetite for experience. The article says “The hippest companies of the moment… are all admired within the business industry for their ability to connect emotionally with their consumers and for proving that people will pay a premium to buy into their world.” Do you think it is a coincidence that so many products are trying to sell a lifestyle instead of a product? Next time you see a commercial for a car, clothing, a soft drink, shoes, you name it, look real hard at how they position the product. Empty promises maybe, but it isn’t advertising’s fault. It is actually the symptom of an advancing society. We are beginning to realize that we are more than just consumers and many of us are trying to figure out what exactly that is.

I had the best meal last night, and I can’t help but talk about it. Betsy and I managed to escape Rian for an evening, and we decided to eat at P.F. Chang’s. Betsy had never eaten there, so I had to assure her that it would be worth the 1.75 hour wait. We shopped the outlet mall while we waited and by the time we were seated, we were both starving. (Not to mention freezing after walking in the 4 degree temperature!) P.F. Chang’s special was “[Flavors of Sichuan."](http://www.pfchangs.com/cuisine/menu_flavors_of_sichuan.jsp). As an appetizer, we ordered Flaming Red Wontons. They were poached, not fried, and they were excellent. Just spicy enough to warm us up from our cold walk. To drink, I had a Chinese beer called [Tsingtao](http://www.tsingtaobeer.com/) which is pronounced “ching dow.” I am going to see if I can buy that somewhere locally. For the main coarse, I decided to try something new. I ordered Tam’s Noodles with Savory Beef and Shrimp. Here is the description “A unique gnochi-like noodle stir-fried with sliced beef, shrimp and chili peppers in a subtle abalone sauce.” Again, it wasn’t too spicy, and in fact I added some of the hot sauce that the waiter mixed for us. I learned that a Tam noodle is almost the size of an oblong quarter and about twice as thick. It has a wonderfully smooth texture kind of like melted cheese. Absolutely delicious.

There was enough food for leftovers, but it was too good to stop eating. We both cleaned our plates and ordered cheesecake to go. It was the best meal I can remember eating in a very long time. I don’t plan on making a habit of blogging about my meals, but this one was just too good. I highly recommend you eat at P.F. Chang’s before the “Flavors of Sichuan” special is over.

Griffin Technology recently redesigned their iMic product. While it doesn’t seem that the guts are any different, it sure looks better. If you want to connect your turntable to your computer, I highly recommend the iMic by Griffin. To use the iMic, simply plug your turntable (or any external sound device) into the iMic and then plug the iMic into an open USB port on your computer. It is basically an external sound card. The advantage of being external is that it is free from all the noise, vibration, and interference that exists inside your computer. That translates into better sound quality.

I should also note that you may need a cable adapter to plug your turntable into the iMic. If your turntable is like mine then it has rca outputs. The input on the iMic is for a minijack. All you need is rca to minijack cable. You can get a cheap one at Wal-Mart for a few bucks, or splurge and get a Monster iCable for $30. You may also need a pair of rca couplers that are also fairly inexpensive.

Another selling point of the iMic is that it comes with audio recording software called “Final Vinyl” (Mac only) that is perfect for converting your vinyl LPs into digital files. I had problems running the newer version of Final Vinyl (I am using Mac OSX 10.3.9 and the new versino of Final Vinyl wouldn’t open) but the older version of Final Vinyl (1.1.2) works very well. By simply clicking on “preview” I am able to listen to my record. If I want to make an mp3, I hit record. When the track is over, I hit stop and then save. This will create an “aiff” file in the folder that I specify in the preferences. Then I open the aiff file in iTunes and from there convert it to an mp3, aac, or whatever format I want. Lately I have been using the “Apple Lossless encoder.”

When reading the new iMic page I was surprised to read that “Final Vinyl can also equalize LPs without having to connect a turntable to a pre-amp.” My turntable (Sony PSLX250H) has a built in pre-amp, that I thought was a requirement for using a turntable with a computer. Apparently not. I would be curious to hear the difference between iMic with a pre-amp and without. I would assume that a pre-amp improves the sound quality, but I could be wrong. Anyway, the iMic is a great product. Check it out if you are looking for an excellent external sound card.

After reading the airplane conveyor belt puzzle on Kottke, I was reminded of a puzzle I thought of a long time ago that is pretty similar. Here is the puzzle:

You are driving a car at 50mph with the passenger window down. You look out the window and see a bird flying next to you at the same speed. The bird turns left and enters your car through the open window without touching any part of your car. You close the window and the bird is still suspended in the air next to you. In order for the bird to remain hovering above your seat, what did the bird have to do?

A. Keep flapping it’s wings at the same pace as before he entered the vehicle otherwise it would slam into the back window of the car.

B. Stop flapping it’s wings in a forward manner and flap its wings so that it can “hover” above the seat, otherwise it would hit the windshield.

C. A combination of A and B.

I thought I knew the answer, but Kottke’s post has me questioning my own logic. Maybe you can give me a physics lesson after you get this one figured out…

A couple weeks ago I invested in a pair of Sennheiser HD580 headphones. I had been dreaming of a stereo system, but didn’t have enough spending money to get something decent. My research led me to high quality audiophile headphones. Since Amazon cashed out earlier this month, I took the plunge and bought the Sennheiser HD580’s. I am not exaggerating when I say these headphones are the best purchase I have ever made for my music. I have been relistening to my entire music collection and hearing things I have never heard before. I understand lyrics that I couldn’t make out previously. I realize that duets are actually trios. I appreciate songs that I never really liked before because I realize how much of the music I hadn’t heard before.

I should also tell you that I am not an audiophile, and I don’t have a decent stereo system. I am just listening to mp3’s on my computer! I also have a turntable with a preamp that I listen to through the computer. For my iPod, I bought a cheap homemade headphone amp on Ebay for about $30. I don’t listen to my iPod at high volume, so I could power the headphones from the iPod if I wanted to. The amp is nice, though because I can save battery power on the iPod because with the amp, I only have to have the volume set to less than half. It is also nice to know that I can crank the volume if I ever need to. It was also alot of fun to personalize the amp by making a custom case for it (watch for a post about this in the future). There are some really cool homemade amps built out of Altoid tins.

I don’t have any complaints, but if you are considering buying them there are a couple things you should know. First, they are over the ear headphones, so you no longer have the trendy white buds to score “cool points.” They also give you “headphone hair.” They are an open design, which means that sound escapes and can be heard by others around you. Our secretary thinks I am going to go deaf because she can hear the music when she walks by. I actually prefer the over the ear headphones because I find the in-ear ones uncomfortable. I also researched some of the Grado headphones, but decided on the Sennheiser’s because they seemed to get slightly better reviews and there was a consensus that the Sennheiser’s were more comfortable. Anyway, I highly recommend the Sennheiser headphones. I thought that this purchase would let me hold off from buying a decent stereo system, but now it makes me want one even more. I can’t wait to hear how these speakers sound driven by something other than my computer or iPod.

It is human nature to want to upgrade everything you can. We want the best. We want more. Faster. Bigger. Louder. Cleaner. Hotter. Colder. New and improved. While some people spend their entire life pushing for these things, most of us eventually realize that this isn’t healthy. While it is fun for a while, the end result is a bloated life of excess and waste. Once you come to this conclusion, you start to prioritize things in your life. You figure out what is really important, and you invest in it. With everything else, you downgrade to the most efficient and comfortable level possible. At least that is what I do.

In the vain of life hacks (shout out to David Kadavy), I thought it would be fun to make a list of upgrades and downgrades that I have installed in my life recently. These aren’t big things, in fact you might laugh at how trivial some of these things seem. Nevertheless, here is my list:
Upgrades
1. iPod headphones upgraded to Sennheiser HD 580
If you only do one thing to upgrade your iPod, make an investment in a quality pair of headphones. If you can afford to splurge on a pair of Sennheiser HD 580’s, you will be rewarded with astounding sound.

2. Sheets on my bed upgraded to 300 thread count
Sleap is an extremely important part of life. You are going to spend a large part of your life in your bed, so it makes sense to upgrade your sheets. When my wife bought new sheets, I didn’t realize how nice this upgrade would be.

3. One button Apple mouse upgraded to two button Microsoft mouse
It was hard to give up an Apple product in favor of a Microsoft mouse, but I am not looking back. The two-button optical mouse with scroll wheel is perfect. If you just can’t embrace a Microsoft product, I hear good things about the Mighty Mouse.

4. CD player upgraded to turntable
That’s right I said upgrade. There isn’t any point in starting a cd vs. vinyl debate, but I will throw my hat in the vinyl ring for several reasons that don’t involve audiophile snobbery. First, it introduces a physical presence to music, that gets lost in the mp3 format. Second, it allows me to be exposed to great music of the past that I would have otherwise ignored, or simply not been willing to pay $17 for. Third, Looking for bargain records is fun.

5. Cable upgraded to Tivo
I am not a big television watcher, but this is still a very worthy life hack. I haven’t watched a commercial since I made this upgrade several months ago. With a simple remote hack, I fast forward through commercials in 30-second jumps. Now that the TV works for me, I can record the shows I want, and skip everything else. It has streamlined my TV habits, and allowed me to watch things that I would have missed otherwise.

Downgrades
1. Trifold wallet downgraded to two fold
Fighting “fat wallet syndrome” is a constant battle for most men. I have always hated the seemingly unavoidable “wallet bloat.” By using a two-fold wallet instead of three, my wallet is 33% thinner. When combined with a commitment to keep my wallet cleaner, I no longer feel like I am lugging around a briefcase in my back pocket.

2. Toyota Tacoma downgraded to Toyota Tercel
Probably the hardest downgrade to make is on your vehicle. I still miss my truck, but my decision to trade it in for a cheaper, more fuel efficient vehicle was a choice I don’t regret.

3. I drink tea
I have a drink at my desk almost all day long. In attempt to cut down on the sugar and caffeine, I switched to drinking tea or Fruit2o instead of soda and coffee. Surprisingly, I haven’t had the headaches that accompanied prior attempts to quit caffeine.

4. No cell phone or watch
People have lived for centuries without portable phones. I really enjoy not being able to be reached anywhere at any time. When I lost my watch a couple months ago, I decided not to replace it right away. It is amazing how many clocks surround us. If you can afford not to be a slave to your watch and phone, I recommend ditching them.

5. Digital camera downgraded to film
Ok, I still use my digital camera, but I am a film guy at heart. Film can be much cheaper than people realize (even medium format). If you are willing to surpass the instant gratification of digital, you will be rewarded by the quality and versatility of film.

Well, there you have it. I would love to see your list. What do you upgrade in your life, and what do you downgrade?

(Update: I added a couple hacks to my list on this post.)