the renaissance man

I’ve decided to come back to WordPress.com [http://WordPress.com] after branching out to some Rails-based software for a while on my own domain. In short, a blog at WordPress.com [http://WordPress.com] is just so much easier than running through the update dance on a self-hosted WordPress system. Maybe I’ll actually write a little more here now.

I am moving my blog to here: http://blog.alexezell.com

It runs SimpleLog which itself is a Rails application. I will be building out the root site soon, but have moved the blog for now.

Once again, I find myself looking for work. I guess that’s the problem when you love new challenges. Sometimes, they don’t work out. If anyone knows of web development work in Nashville, TN, let me know.

My resume is here.

Is it me or is the rest of the country just ignorant to the fact that rich white kids in the South are, for the most part, racist. That’s not to say that they are bigots. They may not act on that racism against other races, but they certainly think it.

Take this story on CNN, Racist Party at Clemson. They seem almost breathless that white kids might be insensitive on MLK, Jr. day. As a graduate of a southern state school, I can guarantee that those kids knew exactly what they were doing. They were intentionally exhibiting stereotypes of black people in an attempt to belittle and mock MLK, Jr. day. Some of it might have been motivated by a misplaced sense of hipster irony, but the majority of it was that they simply don’t see anything wrong with what they were doing.

What bothers me most is not the racism itself (that cause is far beyond my ability to solve for anyone other than myself and those I deal with), but the fact that journalists and others around the country seem so surprised. In that same vein, CNN is also showing some video coverage of the “E-Gate scandal” out in Seattle. The tone of the whole thing seems to be surprise and mocking horror.

I wonder what world these people live in that they see such little racism around them. It’s hard to avoid in the news, in commercials, and in almost all media. How can these people not be aware of the huge undercurrent of racial tension in this country? How can they not see that the poor and the minorities are still being walked on, even in the military, where they serve as cannon fodder while only hoping to make a step up the ladder.

Where does this surprise come from?

Woohoo! I just bought tickets to see Yonder Mountain String Band at City Hall in downtown Nashville. This is in addition to the TV On the Radio show I bought tickets for a few days ago.

Unfortunately, I had to use Ticketmaster. So, for $40 worth of tickets, I ended up paying $62.50. That’s more than 50% in fees and taxes. It’s absolute highway robbery. It’s $6.95 per ticket, plus tax, plus a nebulous $4.95 charge for something, and then $2.50 to EMAIL me the tickets. That charge to email something is just amazing, especially considering that they put ads in the files which they email.

It’s a testament to Yonder Mountain String Band’s draw that I would put up with Ticketmaster’s bullshit. Why can’t someone take these guys out of the market?

Nick Bradbury, of Homesite, TopStyle, and FeedDemon fame, is asking folks in Nashville to spread the word about Max It Out. This is a worthwhile charity event, and though I’ve not attended it (I’m new to Nashville), you can read more about it from Nick.

The charity is involved in raising money to study and hopefully, cure bacterial meningitis while raising awareness of how devastating the disease can be, especially in children.

If you’re in Nashville, check it out.

Technorati Tags: max it out, nashville, charity, meningitis

I’m finally going to get to see TV on the Radio live. They are playing at the Mercy Lounge in Nashville in March. I’ve already ordered the tickets. I really up they live up to the hype in my head.

I just bought a new car. It’s a 2005 Kia Spectra5 with 19,000 miles. I have pretty bad credit because of some dumb decisions when I was right out of college.

With that, the credit companies feel free to rake me over the coals. It’s their perogative in the free market, I suppose.

For all the recent chatter about the consumer being empowered by the web and car buying becoming a buyer’s transaction, I still feel like I just got done filming my first movie with Jeff Stryker. What would it take to make car buying as good and easy an experience as buying a book from Amazon?

Technorati Tags: buying car, cars, commerce, free market

I came home this afternoon expecting a lot of news about the bombing in Greece. Instead, there is nothing on the cable news shows and nothing on the major news outlets online. This is a screenshot from CNN.com as of 4:40pm CST. There is nothing about Greece and certainly nothing “above the fold.”

FoxNews.com is having the same problem as there site is showing nothing. I have been flipping between CNN, MSNBC, Headline News and Fox News for an hour now. There has been no word at all about the bombing in Greece. Am I missing something or this some sort of media blackout? The only news I can get is from European sources. This really stinks.

Technorati Tags: greece, cover up, terrorism

On CNN at this second: “Explosion rips through U.S. Embassy compound in Athens, Greece.”

Is this the beginning of the end? Will there be a worldwide about-face against the U.S.? Perhaps there already is and this is the result of that downturn.

Let’s hope it was just a gas leak. Of course it’s not. I am beside myself.

Technorati Tags: greece, explosion, terrorism