Okay, it really didn’t in words, but more in the actions of the users.  For those unfamiliar with the site, woot is a website that sells one item-per-day.  When the inventory of that item is gone for they day, you wait until the next to see what they offer.  About once every two monts, they hold woot-offs – where there are multiple items per day and once the inventory for one is gone, they pop up another.

Simple, right?

Today is a woot-off.  As new items popped up, I notice a difference from the last time they held this event a couple months ago.  Items are selling out at remarkable speeds.  Even big ticket items are only on the site momentarily before the “Sold Out” graphic pops up.  This tells me one of two things.

1.  They have less inventory than usual.

2.  People are more willing now then earlier this year to spend money without really thinking about it.

While I cannot confirm either, I lean towards and hope for the second.  With the recent jumps in the stock market, maybe we are closer then we think to being out of the worst recession I can remember.

w00t!

After living here for almost two years, I’ve determined it is necessary to add an “Only in Madison” section to this website.

In a Cap Times article,  Eric Sundquist, a member of the Madison Plan Commission and former Atlanta newspaper reporter proposes restricting or banning the drive through in Madison.  Quoting:

“Given the concern about all the carbon going into the atmosphere, I’m not sure we should be building more places for people to sit idling in their cars,” says Eric Sundquist, who was appointed to the citizen panel by Mayor Dave Cieslewicz this spring.

A former newspaper reporter in Atlanta now working as a researcher at the UW-Madison’s Center on Wisconsin Strategy, Sundquist notes that several cities in Canada have recently moved to ban the drive-through coffee shop or stand-alone fast food restaurant.

Seriously, what happened to American ingenuity?  Are we now forced to copy  bad ideas from Canada?

For good or bad, the car is part of the American way of life.  Most of us (even in Madison) own cars and many of us need them to commute to our jobs, pick up our children, and grab supplies at the local Target.  Rather than try and fight this and make it more difficult for a mother with three screaming children and a station wagon full of supplies to get her much-needed caffeine, why not try and devise a better drive through?

Here’s a simple thought – why not build a drive through with a simple incline.  This would allow motorists to kill their engine while they wait for the barista to process their latte, yet move forward once the car ahead of them receives their chai tea.

Now, I know I’m only a recent journalism graduate, not a reporter-turned-researcher like Mr.  Sundquist, but banning seems like a lazy attempt to solve a problem.  I admit we must make changes as a country, but lets use our best assets – our intelligence and creativity – to come up with logical solutions rather then bad ideas that hinder the majority.

Other possible solutions encouraged in the comment section.

The truth is that sales of cheap booze should be regulated. It is unlikely that Verveer’s proposal will address every social ill or challenge associated with such sales, but it is the beginning of a rational response — a response that can be tinkered with, extended or otherwise altered as evidence suggests is wise.

I’m sorry, I thought prohibition was overturned in 1933.

For a city that is supposed to be open and liberal, an ordinance governing what types of alcohol can and cannot be sold seems extremely hypocritical.

Verveer’s proposal limits choice – the choice of everyone of legal drinking age. Some may enjoy the cheap goodness of Mountain Creek, or want a six pack of it to boil brats.

A city should not treat its residents like 12 year olds. Anyone that can purchase alcohol is an adult, and this law undermines the decision making ability of adults. Just because Mr. Verveer has a government job where he can afford to drink the more expensive beer that would be “legal” in Madison does not mean he should dictate what others can buy.

We are adults. While some are more responsible than others, we live in a country where we are free to choose and live with our choices. The Capital Times recommendation and Verveer’s proposal goes against everything our country stands for, and therefor should not be imposed.

3.5 out of 5 stars

Write your own haiku review in the comments.

“I quit/got fired from my job” – Reality Bites. When you feel a bit bummed about leaving a job (by choice or otherwise), the thought of Winona Rider losing her job, and Ethan Hawke being fired from 14 makes a person feel a bit better for some reason.

“Women make no sense” – High Fidelity. Yes, women are confusing as hell. What better way to celebrate this than by watching a movie where the man is actually the one with a few screws loose (or is completely sane depending on the day)?

“I need to code a ton of C++/PHP/etc” – Antitrust. There is just something about this movie that makes me want to code like a madman. Maybe because it’s a crappy movie, and if I look up, I’ll be annoyed.

“I’m heading to the small town where I grew up” – Beautiful Girls. A movie about a guy that goes home to his family and friends in his hometown. I watch it every time before heading to my parents place. Old friends, women and beer – is there any reason this movie does not fit here?

“Damn, I’m old” – Logan’s Run. A movie where you are killed when you turn 30. Yea, that’s right.

“Ok, so I’m old. What am I doing with my life?” – Free Enterprise. Two 30-year old geeks try and determine what is important, and how to proceed with life.

“I need creative motivation” – Moulin Rouge. There is just something about this movie that can get me to my keyboard and get me typing nonstop. A great movie to inspire and motivate.

“Date movie 1” – Evil Dead 2. If she stays thought the end, you win.

“Date movie 2” – Monty Python and the Holy Grail. If she stays through the end and doesn’t try to hurt you, you win.

“Oops, I tried to date a lesbian” – Chasing Amy. This film has played way-too-significant a role in my life.

“My friend are idiots and know less than me about women (if that’s possible)” – Swingers. As bad as your friends get, they can’t be as dense as John Favreau’s character – unless they’re trying to act out Night at the Roxburry.

“I just need a cool-ass movie to make me laugh my ass off” – The 40 Year Old Virgin. Seriously, this movie could cheer me up when my dog dies – if I still had a dog. Funny and wonderful.

List your movies in the comment section.

When opening band Paul & Storm asked the audance to produce a 20-sided die, you could see numerous people in attendance frantically searching their bags to try and find one. When Coulton himself took the stage, a fan was able to produce a power adapter for his Apple Powerbook that was low on battery life.

Such is the audience at a Coulton concert.

This is the second time I’ve seen Coulton with Paul & Storm opening. It’s less a matter of an opening act and a headliner as two bands that work together well. Paul & Storm provide backup for many of Coulton’s song.

The end result – three hours of laughter and music in the key of geek.

Related links:

My interview with Coulton for 77 Square – “Songwriter embraces lyrical nerdiness”

Madisonite John Kovalic of “Dork Tower’s” cartoon about Coulton’s show tonight.

A link to Mr. Coulotn’s music online.

Change is all around in Madison. Drive by where University Square was once located, past the Chazen Art Museum and the addition to Granger Hall.

Change is not limited to campus. Downtown is in a constant state of flux. The west side continues to grow. Even the suburbs seldom remain the same.

For those not from Madison, change is noticeable when you visit your hometown. A favorite clothing store is replaced by Target; the local drug store is now a Walgreen’s.

“It is not necessary to change. Survival is not mandatory,” — W. Edwards Deming

Change happens for a reason. The old becomes new because people demand it.

A recent Zogby poll says that 48 percent of respondents say the Internet is their primary source of news and information. This is an increase of 8 percent from a year ago.

“You’re afraid of change. I don’t know the future. I didn’t come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell how it’s going to begin.” — Neo, “The Matrix.”

Change brings mixed emotions. People may be intimidated, as change replaces the known with the unknown.

The Capital Times is changing. Starting today, the print edition of the paper that has survived over 90 years will cease to exist. Roughly 17,000 subscribers in Madison will lose their newspaper.

However, The Capital Times will not disappear. Rather, it will transform.

CapTimes.com will continue the tradition of the newspaper on the Internet. The website is supplemented by two weekly magazines. One will cover entertainment, while the other focuses on editorial.

“Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change,” — Confucius
Related:
The Capital Times: Is change good?
The changing face of newspapers

Interest in the draft is still minimal. My normal Sunday morning tradition inivolves sitting down with my multiple newspapers and trudging trhough them while listening to the classic country music station on cable. However, I decided to flip to the draft during and noticed the Packers were within three picks of their next selection.

The Packers address one of their needs, taking tight end Jermichael Finley from Texas. Finley is a pass-catching tight end that needs work on his blocking.

Back to the newspaper. More updates to come.

……..
THOMPSON TRADES UP!

Breaking news! For the first time as the Packer’s GM, Ted Thompson has traded up in the 4th round. Thompson snagged Wake Forest DE Jeremy Thompson. Thompson is the younger brother of Packers guard Orrin Thompson. Described by Wake coaches as “Julius Peppers-type player,” Thompson’s workout numbers are: 4.75 in the 40, 32-inch vertical, 9-9 broad jump, did 225 pounds 25 times, scored 24 on the Wonderlic.

20 minutes until the Brewers game starts.

……..

I misread the start time of the Brewers game. It’s not until 1 p.m. D’oh1

Playing around the Internet, I came across SI’s analysis of the Brohm pick yesterday:

The Packers land the top-rated quarterback prospect heading into the season in the second round. Brian Brohm, who has been the victim of incessant nitpicking by scouts, will push Aaron Rodgers for the starting job if the veteran struggles under center this season. To pick up such a talented quarterback prospect without using a first-round pick is a major coup for the Packers.

I was waiting for the Packers to make their second 4th round pick, but it appears they traded it to the Rams.

JSOnline reports that the Packers acquired a 5 and 7th round pick for their fourth rounder.

I love the fact that Thompson takes a “Madden Fantasy Mode” approach to the draft. Let me explain. When I play the Madden football games, I try to acquire as many draft picks as possible. I bring in young talent and see if they develop into the next stars. If they are average, I trade them for more draft picks and try again.

Thompson has a similar approach to the game. Trade a player that will demand a huge sum of money for draft picks. Know exactly who you want in the draft and where you can get them. Then, trade down to acquire more picks if the person you want is still available and might be for a while longer. While I usually swear a lot at his picks initially, Thompson does know what he is doing, and does it well.

……..

The New York Times has an awesome article about a reporter jailed in Zimbabwe for doing his job. The quote of the article:

I was being charged with the crime of “committing journalism.” One of my captors, Detective Inspector Dani Rangwani, described the offense to me as something despicable, almost hissing the words: “You’ve been gathering, processing and disseminating the news.”

Read the article here (login required)

Anyway, lots of football. The first Badger was drafted in the 4th round by the Eagles. Jack Ikegwuono probably would have been drafted earlier if he had not been injured at the end of the season. Ikegwuono presents possible character issues for the Eagles, as he was charged with stealing an Xbox while at Wisconsin. Still, it will be interesting to see how he performs.

The Packers drafted a lineman they probably could have drafted in the 6th round. In Ted we trust?

The Vikings finally had a chance to make their second pick – a pick that once belonged to the Packers. With it, they took John David Booty – QB from USC. This could be one of the pieces that helps make the Vikings into a playoff team – damnit! Us Packer fans prefer the Bears and Vikings stay bad until we get our own quarterback situation figured out.

……..

Overload!

The Brewers, Penguins, AND draft are all on now. I think draft coverage will suffer the most.

Packers draft another offensive lineman. Breno Giacomini is an offensive tackle from Louisville. Tall (6-7, 304lbs). Needs some work, but could start in a year or two.

Meanwhile the Brewers have the bases loaded with 1 out. Haven’t checked the Penguins game yet.

Brewers are on the board (1-0) with a sacrifice fly by Corey Hart. Woo!

……..
Sidney Crosby just got dumped, giving the Penguins a power play (4 on 3). I think this is the first game I’ve watched Jager play against Pittsburgh since he was traded.

The Rangers made it through the power play without letting up a score. However, things are getting physical, and New York now has a man advantage.

The draft is currently at pick 160. The Packer’s next pick is 209. Think I can successfully avoid ESPN for a while and switch between baseball and hockey.

Brewers lead 1-0 in the top of the third.

……..

J-E-T-S take quarterback Erik Ainge out of Tennessee. A tall (6’5”) quarterback that is used to pressure and can get it done. I thought he would have went in the 3rd round, and had the Packers possibly taking him if Brohm would have not been available.

Since the hockey game is at the end of the period, I figured I would check to see how my Jets have done so far overall. The Jets need A LOT, and drafted the best TE and a good pass rusher in the first round.

The Jets have glaring needs at the playmaker positions. Thomas Jones is a good running back, but they could use more. Laveranues Coles is their only decent wide receiver. The have a desperate need for a cornerback or two. Who knows who will start at quarterback.

Thus far they have done an acceptable job addressing some needs. Although he seems like a jag, drafting Darren McFadden would have brought the best playmaker in the draft to New York.

Jets just picked again, taking Marcus Henry from Kansas. Henry is a possession receiver with limited speed that drops a fair number of balls.

Brewers keep missing opportunities to score. Why do I feel that will hurt them once the relievers come in?

……..

Well, I have a meeting shorty, so I will have to leave my sports heaven.  Currently the Penguins are  up 1-0 with about 5 minutes left in the game, while the Brewers are about to blow it, with the bases loaded and already down 2-1.  The Packers have not made another pick.

Over the last two years, my interest has faded significantly. When a friend asked if I planned to watch the draft this year, I told him no.

Then something happened. I was out running errands when the draft was about to start. The normal pompous ESPN crew was spieling crap about who would be the best player. Still no interest. Then I noticed another television. The Detroit / Colorado hockey game was about to start.

I knew it was time to race home.

Over the past two years, I have become more of a hockey fan. While I’m not a Detroit or Colorado fan per se, I’ve grown to dislike the Red Wings enough that the game is of interest.

But the ultimate question still lingered, which would I watch more of – the draft or the NHL?

I arrive home at the worst possible time. Detroit is leading 1-0 right before the end of the period, and the draft is on commercial – right after my Jets have picked.

I jump to Si.com to check what I have missed, while the Red Wings take it into the zone.

Shit, Matt Ryan went #3 to Atlanta. Double shit, Darren McFadden went #4 to the Raiders.

Triple shit, the Jets got stuck with the most overrated player in the draft, Vernon Gholston. Gholston had two good games this year, and is a prototypical “combine pick” – the kind of player that gets a buzz around the NFL combine, performs well there, but does very little in the NFL. I hope I’m wrong and he’s an NFL stud.

End of the first period – time to catch up a bit and order a pizza.

Pick 7 – N.E. Patriots – fuck the Patriots!

<Rant1>Cheating is cheating. There is no difference between taking steroids, paying a referee or taping practices to gain an advantage. The Patriots got off lucky by only losing one draft pick for their actions. I’m glad that the commish said there was a possibility for more penalties against the Patriots, and personally I think their best draft pick should have been forfeited. </Rant1>

Damnit! Red Wings score on the power play to make it 2-0. The power play was BS to start with. Detroit has been dominating so far this game on offense.

I can’t even finish writing my rant above, and Detroit scores again. 3-0. This is ridiculous, it’s not even funny. Good time to flip over to the draft.

1.5 hours into the draft, and we’re at pick #12. The Packers pick 30th overall. Will they make their pick before the hockey game is over?

So, Hockey. Since Wisconsin does not have a professional hockey team, we I am forced to look elsewhere for a team. At an early age (before they won any Stanley Cup Championships), I became a Pittsburg Penguins fan. I really only have two teams I dislike – the Northstars (for moving to Dallas), and the Red Wings. I have a bunch of friends in town from Detroit, and know one person who cheers for them for no real reason (you know, similar to my Pittsburg rational), so GO COLORADO.

In the time I took to write those two paragraphs, Detroit scored again. Seriously, who the hell did Colorado beat to get here?

Finally Colorado is showing some life. Mind you it’s in a fight. Hey guys, put that much effort into scoring goals, and you might be winning, or at least in this damn game.

I realize I haven’t checked the draft in quite a while. The much-hated Bears are on the clock.

Pick 14 – Chris Williams, offensive tackle. With a lethargic offense, anything on that side of the ball makes sense.

Poor Detroit fans now have the choice between their hockey team and their first round pick. A commercial in the hockey game comes at the exact right moment. Which wide receiver will they take this year?

PIZZA’S HERE!!!

………

Trades trades trades. It seems as though every pick in the middle of the first is being traded. Also, the run on offensive linemen has begun.

Hey look, Hockey! Colorado FINALLY got on the board and only trail by 3 with 13 minutes left. They should be able to get back into this, right? Oh, and for those that are curious, Colorado beat Minnesota in the first round.

And Detroit scores a short-handed goal. Yippie.

The draft is at pick 21. Man is this BORRRRRING!

Since the hockey game is basically over, and the draft sucks, I think it’s time to do a little work. More to come later on the draft picks I miss.

……..

WHAT?!?!

Chris Bermann is an idiot. As ESPN discusses the Redskins, The do a brief tribute to Sean Taylor, the safety that was murdered last year and wore the number 21 for his career.

Berman’s comment after the segment – “Taylor wore #21, the Redskins are picking #2. Maybe more than an accident”

Yea, it’s called they finished with a record where they were able to pick 21st in the draft, dumbass. Also, what kind of “deep meaning” is it that the Redskins traded the pick to the Falcons?

……..

So it’s about 7 p.m. and I really didn’t miss anything. The Packers (predictably) traded down into the second round where they took Jordy Nelson, a wide receiver from Kansas State. From what I’ve read, Nelson can best be described as a possession WR, as he doesn’t have great speed but is tall and can make tough catches. A bit of a surprise pick, since the Packers have a lot of talented young wideouts on the current roster.

The Packers have two more picks in the second round, and I am debating if I will watch them or flip channels for the Brewers game.

……..

More on Nelson from the Journal Sentinel.

• 6-2.5, 217 pounds; Had a 40-yard time of 4.5 seconds.

• Former walk on who was originally a strong safety after being a QB in high school

• Finished second nationally last season in receptions (122) and yards (1,606)

I’m a bit excited as Chad Henne is still on the board, and there are only two teams before the Packers pick, both with solid starting quarterbacks. In my mind, he is the best quarterback in the draft with the most professional potential. Normally I would expect the Packers to NOT pick who I hope they take, but since there were rumors of them taking Henne in the first round, this might be their new backup quarterback.

……..

Philadelphia is currently leading Montreal 2-1. This game appears to be a lot better then the earlier “game.”

Packers are on the clock, and ESPN is on commercial. Another reason I hate the draft is ESPN continues to talk about the 1st round today and the first two rounds tomorrow; giving no love to the later round picks at all.

Like normal, the Packers surprise me, taking the position I think they need, just picking a different candidate. Brian Brohm was my preseason pick for the Heisman, so I love the Packers taking him.

• 6’2″, 230, 4.83
• 12 interceptions in his first three years.
• Drafted by the Colorado Rockies as a baseball player
• One of my top 2 quarterbacks in the draft. Should have been a 1st round pick

Chad Henne is drafted the next pick by the Dolphins. Both quarterbacks will have great careers, better the quarterbacks drafted in the first round.

……..

Philly is up 3-1 in the hockey game.  Man, all the teams I want to win are losing today.

Packers are up again.  I admit, Thompson is good at acquiring picks

Patrick Lee, a 6’ cornerback from Auburn fills a need for the Packers.  Their secondary is talented, but ageing.  Good speed and size, should fit in well with the Pack’s secondary.

Think that is all for today.  I’ll blog the later rounds tomorrow while watching my Penguins play.

While so far I can say that no one has “got me,” here are a couple of my favorites I’ve stumbled across today.

MPS forced to cut art, English – from OnMilwaukee.com

Favre to rejoin the Packers for ’08 season -also OnMilwaukee.com

Teacher’s head explodes due to Wi-Fi, mobe radiation – from The Register

Google to acquire U.S. Government -  InfoWorld

and my personal favorite from ThinkGeek – Betamax to HD-DVD Converter

April 1 is also the 3-year anniversary of Dane101.com. I have written for them for just over a year, and I am proud to be a part of their team. Happy Birthday to Jesse and the gang that makes it all possible.