Nork.com 'Jack Nork's Synapse Connections'

Green Haven Co-housing Sociocracy Conference - Day 1

2012-01-28T21:23:00.001-05:00

Jerry Koch-Gonzalez and John Buck lead the Green Haven Co-Housing Sociocracy Workshop held at The Grove in New Haven Connecticut .
Here are some snapshots of day 1 1/28/2012 and more information about Sociocracy:

See the full gallery on Posterous

Dynamic Governance at Lost Valley Educational Center and intentional community:

An introduction to sociocracy and its processes written by Jerry Koch-Gonzalez:
"Governance by Equals: An Introduction to Sociocracy"

Equality_in_Governance_-_Intro_to_Sociocracy.pdf Download this file

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The Nork Creations For The Create96 Show-And-Tell #FF @wordmason @jkubarych @create96 #NHV #SWCT

2012-01-27T14:09:00.001-05:00

I love how my good friend Aldon Hynes always puts up Follow Friday posts on his blog.

I want to do a Create96 themed Follow Friday (#FF).

Tonight Friday 1/27/2012 is the Create96 show-and-tell - 6:30 at The Grove.

#FF Create96 Masterminds:

@wordmason - Mason Rabinowitz

@jkubarych - Jeff Kubarych

@create96 - Create96.com

The Norks will be there in full force!

Evan will be unavailing the latest music video from his side-project band Synchron.

Hayden will be showing the slide show he made for the 2011 Robotics season to a rockin Led Zeppelin soundtrack.

Liam will be showing his Harry Potter Lego creation. (pictures to follow)

Ali and I will be announcing the launch of GiveLaptops.org

Give Laptops collects donated laptops less than 5 years old, refurbishes them in partnership with City Wide Youth Coalition

and distributes them through teacher partners directly to the children who could most benefit from a laptop.

Goal for 2012 is to distribute 24 laptops. For our pilot year, two schools have signed on:

Amity High School in Woodbridge
New Horizons High School in New Haven

We handed out our first laptop (donated by a fellow Grover) and have 3 more ready to be given to students.

If you would like to donate a laptop to the cause, please fill out the form here: http://givelaptops.org/donate-a-laptop

Create 96 Idea List.pdf Download this file

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Amity Teen Center Coats For Kids - 1,002 coats to give away!

2012-01-20T07:51:00.001-05:00

Hello All;
The Amity Teen Center has acquired 1,002 brand new winter coats from Operation Warm in Pennsylvania. Joyce Van Lines has graciously offered to pick up the coats in Pennsylvania and deliver them to the Amity Teen Center. Joyce and Operation Warm are still working out the timing and logistics. In the mean time the teen center wanted to get the word out to organizations in the greater New Haven area that have children and teens in need. They would like to have all organizations fill out a coat request form to identify the number of coats in each size that their community could use this winter. Once the coats arrive they will coordinate with a representative from each organization come to the teen center to pick up all of their coats to distribute to their community.

Please have an organization representative fill out this form indicating the number of coats needed:
http://bit.ly/coats2012

The teen center would also like your help in identifying all organizations that could use new winter coats. Please share this message with any other organizations in the greater New Haven area that you think may have a need for brand new children's coats.

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Evan's English Report

2012-01-03T11:18:00.001-05:00

Evan had to do an English report over Christmas Break so he decided to do it using Xtranormal Desktop.

Kino_and_Doug_english_-_Final.mov Watch on Posterous

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Video Of The BMAD Solstice Bonfire 12/22/2011

2011-12-23T12:28:00.001-05:00

Happy Solstice everyone!

I hope you enjoy this snippet of video as much as I do. My favorite part is at 1:10 when Bill is stoking the fire and causing sparks to fly up into the night sky!

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My Collaborative Consumption Wish List

2011-12-22T07:54:00.001-05:00

As a techie geek I get asked for help from my friends all the time with setting up computers, recovering lost files and just about anything else you can think up.

I run a consulting business and charge a decent rate for my time but I always feel awkward charging friends. I wrote a blog post about this back in October that's worth a read:

http://jcnork.posterous.com/creative-consumption-in-action

Since that time I have don't several collaborative deals and people have been asking me what they can trade so I made a quick list:

If you want to barter for service there are a few things I can think of off the top of my head that we could pick from:

Watch people's kids at the Lakeview Lodge Concerts (www.lakeviewlodgemusic.org)
Watch my kids so Ali and I can have a date night
Clean my gutters
Install a new mailbox
Prepare dinner for the family
Clean garage
Mount and frame 3 8x10 photos
Fix the ceiling in my kitchen
Put more insulation in my attic
Purchase and install 4 guitar wall mounts
Clean our windows
Cut the dead branches out of the oak tree in my back yard

Some of these jobs are small and some are not but all things I would most likely need to pay someone to do for me.

With collaborative consumption everyone wins!

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Happy Thanksgiving! Meet the Parents - Saying Grace

2011-11-24T09:44:00.001-05:00

Hope you have a wonderful day! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DlNF_ukr0I

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Music Video - "Electron City" by Synchron

2011-11-20T20:41:00.001-05:00

I love this video by Synchron. My favorite part Is 0:39 to 0:49 :) I want a video of just that playing over and over. I have a request into Synchron to make it :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twA7fT67r8s

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Our First Letterbox - Naugatuck Forest Stonewall Letterbox

2011-11-19T13:55:00.001-05:00

We stumbled across a letter box completely by accident last Sunday. The boys were so excited that they wanted to place their own in the woods. Our goal starting out this morning was to make it to Beacon Cap but I think we took a wrong turn somewhere along the way so we decided to leave our box in an old stone wall.

See the full gallery on Posterous

Nork's Stonewall Letterbox Location:
	Latitude:	41.453997º N
	Longitude:	73.014420º W
	Altitude:	712 ft

View Norks Letterbox in a larger map

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Ricardo Montelfish is in the house!

2011-11-06T09:25:00.001-05:00

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'Oh Yes We Did' - The Movie Trailer

2011-11-05T14:26:00.001-04:00

The boys have been very productive with the iPad today. I laughed so hard when I watched this that I was crying :-D

Oh_Yes_We_Did_-_Movie_Trailer.m4v Watch on Posterous

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New Song From Jaco Flavorwax And Ricardo Montelfish - 'Don't Forget To Scrub Captain B'

2011-11-05T13:30:00.001-04:00

Don't Forget To Scrub Captain B by Jaco Flavorwax & Ricardo Montelfish Listen on Posterous

New experimental rock from Jaco Flavorwax And Ricardo Montelfish
:-)

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Axel F iPad Symphony Video

2011-10-29T08:32:00.001-04:00

My son was very inspired by the Amity Music In Motion performance of the Axel F iPad Symphony that he woke up early to work in Garage Band in Ali's iPad

http://qik.ly/IkeIj

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Derek Sivers Talks About What's Important For Entrepreneurs

2011-10-20T11:53:00.001-04:00

I have been sharing this great video series by Derek Sivers, founder of CDBaby and author of the book Anything You Want and I thought it would be helpful to post these on my blog. Derek talks about his career and what he feels are the important aspects of entrepreneurship and life.

I encourage you to watch all 8 clips. It's totally worth your time!

Derek Sivers. Uncommon Sense. 1-of-8. Background.

Derek Sivers. Uncommon Sense. 2-of-8. Why are you doing?

Derek Sivers. Uncommon Sense. 3-of-8. Nobody knows the future.

Derek Sivers. Uncommon Sense. 4-of-8. Revolution.

Derek Sivers. Uncommon Sense. 5-of-8. Hit or switch.

Derek Sivers. Uncommon Sense. 6-of-8. Version 0.1

Derek Sivers. Uncommon Sense. 7-of-8. Ideas X Execution

Derek Sivers. Uncommon Sense. 8-of-8. CDBaby

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"Mickey come ovva for a potty!" Mickey Mouse Talking Phone

2011-10-17T19:43:00.001-04:00

I have no idea why... But this commercial popped into my head just now...
My brother and I used to laugh at this every time it came on thinking the girl was asking Micky to use the potty :-D

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Camera Rifle

2011-10-14T16:53:00.003-04:00

Got an extra $100k?

You can bid on this rare Leica 'rifle' camera. I've never seen anything like it!

The Tamarkin Photographica Fall Auction will be held on Sunday, October 30, 2011 in Woodbridge, Connecticut.

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Camera Rifle

2011-10-14T16:53:00.001-04:00

Got an extra $100k?

You can bid on this rare Leica 'rifle' camera. I've never seen anything like it!

The Tamarkin Photographica Fall Auction will be held on Sunday, October 30, 2011 in Woodbridge, Connecticut.

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Shucking Corn--Clean Ears Everytime

2011-10-11T22:35:00.001-04:00

My dad just sent me this video on how to cook corn on the cob without peeling. Pretty cool!

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New Song by Givers - "Ceiling Of Plankton"

2011-10-10T19:32:00.001-04:00

Ceiling Of Plankton by Givers Listen on Posterous

I Like this song by Givers! :-D

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Creative Consumption In Action

2011-10-04T20:42:00.001-04:00

Today an old friend contacted me in a panic saying that she was trying to submit her resume online and kept getting an error. She was wondering if I could help her. It was an easy fix. By changing the file format she was able to upload the resume without a problem. This was something that she had been struggling with for some time and she was so relieved and excited that she wanted to pay me for my help. I refused to which she then offered to babysit my kids. Ah yes! My wedding anniversary is coming up and I wanted to take my wife out which would entail hiring a babysitter. My friend now offered me a service that was very much needed! I was able to barter my technical knowledge for child care. Perfect. Everyone is happy, getting what they wanted and no money changed hands.

This got me to thinking about engaging in bartering and trade with more people. I have the honor of working in a co-working facility in New Haven CT called The Grove. The collaborative environment lends itself PERFECTLY to bartering and trading goods and services. Need help setting up your email account? How about trading cucumbers from your garden? Need help Google Analytics into your blog? Sure! - I need help weeding my front flower bed! :-)

Technology is facilitating these exchanges more than ever. Sites such as GiftFlow.org, Freecycle.org, ShareHaven.org and others make the connections of needs and services online.

Here is a great TED Talk Rachel Botsman: "The case for collaborative consumption"

;

The term collaborative consumption is used to describe an economic model based on sharing, swapping, bartering, trading or renting access to products as opposed to ownership. Technology and peer communities are enabling these old market behaviours to be reinvented in ways and on a scale never possible before. From enormous marketplaces such as eBay and Craigslist, to emerging sectors such as social lending (Zopa), peer-to-peer travel (CouchSurfing, Airbnb) and car sharing (Zipcar or peer-to-peer RelayRides), Collaborative Consumption is disrupting outdated modes of business and reinventing not just what people consume but how they consume it.

What do you think? I'm looking forward to getting started with being a more active collaborative consumer! How about you?

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How to Cut a Mango [video]

2011-09-27T12:04:00.001-04:00

YouTube is now my first stop when I want to learn to do just about anything. I wish I watched this video on how to cut a Mango a long time ago!!!!

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Enabled The New Facebook Timeline For My Profile #geek #fb #f8

2011-09-22T22:20:00.001-04:00

I followed the instructions on how to add the new Facebook timeline beta to my profile. http://techcrunch.com/2011/09/22/how-to-enable-facebook-timeline/

It worked!

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Ali's Famous Roasted Red Pepper Sauce Recipe

2011-09-22T20:17:00.001-04:00

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

7 to 8 red peppers
2 Tab. Olive oil
1 can tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
4 to 5 garlic cloves
1 cup fresh basil
Salt and pepper to taste

Cut peppers into 1 inch cubes. Heat oil in the skillet to medium high. Add oil, peppers and garlic. Cook them until they start to brown.
Then put them in a food processor. Add the tomato paste, vinegar, water, basil and salt and pepper. You may need to add more red wine vinegar and salt and pepper.
Puree until smooth. (If the peppers are large, you may have to puree two batches) Put puree back in skillet to warm.
Serve over your choice of pasta.
Delicious!!

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
This makes a lot. Probably more than enough for 2 pounds of pasta.

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Ha! Bethany Has It's Own Rap Video - "B-Town #1"

2011-09-17T21:56:00.001-04:00

This is funny :)

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Tiny snippet of the new foresters song "Radio"

2011-09-12T22:30:00.001-04:00

IMG_1786.MOV Watch on Posterous

Here's the 20 second intro to the new Foresters song titled "Radio". I love it! It reminds me of the band Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet (but don't tell them that I don't think they would appreciate the comparison) ;)
I'll have to record the whole song! Maybe they will debut it at the Rock The House benefit show on Sunday!

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Cake smashing birthday! [video]

2011-09-04T19:04:00.001-04:00

p638.mov Watch on Posterous

Hayden says this should be a new tradition for his birthday :)

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The absolute best name EVER!

2011-09-03T22:33:00.001-04:00

IMG_1711.MOV Watch on Posterous

Check out José's video telling me his compete name. Wow!

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Hindinger Farm needs help ASAP selling their produce because of the power outage

2011-09-01T08:57:00.001-04:00

Hindinger Farm, a fixture in Hamden since 1893, lost electric power in the hurricane. Need to sell tomatoes, peaches, string beans and corn that are in their coolers AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, while they are at their peak. Help save the Hindinger Farm and the Hindinger family. The farm store is open from 9am-6pm from Tues. to Fri. Sat. & Sun. til 5pm.
http://www.hindingersfarm.com/hindinger_farm_directions.htm

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Special Reunion On My Son's 10th Birthday!

2011-08-27T00:40:00.001-04:00

Hayden made a special request to go to the Bethany Music And Dance party on his 10th birthday. I was tired and it was late but i agreed to go because it was his special request on his special day. I'm so glad we did because we Ran IMO Natalie Glidden, one of our dulas who helped us on August 26,2001 at the Waterbury Birthing Center! The last time we saw Natalie was 10 years ago today at Hayden's birth!

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"Lieutenant Dan Got Me Invested In Some Kinda Fruit Company." - Forrest Gump"

2011-08-25T00:05:00.001-04:00

Thought of this when I heard that Steve Jobs is stepping down today. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNa4EMUWnAc&feature=youtube_gdata_player

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Video of The Barefoot Movement performing at the 8/20/2011 Lakeview Lodge Concert

2011-08-21T05:41:00.001-04:00

I was lucky enough to get both Clara Berry from Kennybunk Maine The Barefoot Movement from Granville North Carolina to perform at The Lakeview Lodge on Saturday night.
Here are a few videos of Barefoot Movement. I wish I filmed the whole night. What an amazing show!

Barefoot_Movement1.m4v Watch on Posterous

Barefoot_Movement2.m4v Watch on Posterous

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What an amazing night of music at the Lakeview Lodge!

2011-08-21T00:43:00.001-04:00

Memo.m4a Listen on Posterous

Listen to this track i recorded from my phone!

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Haiku by Matt Browning #swct

2011-08-06T13:57:00.001-04:00

Matt Posted this Haiku this morning on Twitter. It made me smile :-D

Whoops! My Baby boy
Is smiling through sleepy eyes-
Morning work on hold... ;-)

-- @MatthewBrowning

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The Beres Grandchildren :)

2011-08-04T22:29:00.001-04:00

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Greg Brown Performing "Laughing River" 7-24-2011 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival #frff

2011-07-24T14:08:00.001-04:00

I will always remember this song. As I was sitting by the stage my youngest son - 8 years old, climbed into my lap and looked up at the sky marveling at all the stars. I soaked up this moment with a little tear in my eye thinking that this will probably be the last year that one of my boys will want to sit on my lap. Every time I hear Laughing River I will think of this very special moment in time.

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The Foresters Interview on Fiona's Radio Show 7/4/2011 #swct #nhv

2011-07-04T10:55:00.001-04:00

edited fionas radio show interviewing the foresters 7-3-11.mp3 Listen on Posterous

Fiona and Aldon Hynes interviewed the Foresters for their weekly radio show on site after their live performance at the Gouge Fourth Of July party in Morris Cove.

The band was so excited to perform live and be on air!

Be sure to follow the band on Facebook and Twitter :)

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Updated - STILL NEED TO VOTE for round 3! Looks like @edgewoodparkct New Haven is getting an Orchard! Great work @semidikoko & @giuliag! #nhv #swct

2011-07-02T09:22:00.001-04:00

Update: Edgewood Park is now in 1st place for the 3rd round of voting. We still need to keep up the votes for another month!

Great news for New Haven. I can't wait to see the fruit orchard in Edgewood Park :)

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Updated - STILL NEED TO VOTE for round 3! Looks like @edgewoodparkct New Haven is getting an Orchard! Great work @semidikoko & @giuliag! #nhv #swct

2011-07-01T15:40:00.001-04:00

Update: Edgewood Park is now in 1st place for the 3rd round of voting. We still need to keep up the votes for another month!

Great news for New Haven. I can't wait to see the fruit orchard in Edgewood Park :)

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Looks like @edgewoodparkct New Haven is getting an Orchard! Great work @semidikoko & @giuliag! #nhv #swct

2011-07-01T09:20:00.001-04:00

Great news for New Haven. I can't wait to see the fruit orchard in Edgewood Park :)

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Evan's Latest Song - "Twisted"

2011-06-26T21:13:00.001-04:00

Twisted by Jack Nork Listen on Posterous

Take a listen to his latest song. He literally put this together in 15 minutes. I watched him, he's amazing!

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The Grand Finale at @artidea #nhv #swct

2011-06-25T21:13:00.001-04:00

Untitled.mov Watch on Posterous

What a great night of music on the green!

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Summer Solstice Bonfire at Bill & Mickey's

2011-06-21T22:01:00.001-04:00

What better way to celebrate the longest day of the year? http://qik.ly/Hy9b8

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Off to school @alibnork has Hawaiian day & the boys have old school day

2011-06-16T08:48:00.001-04:00

See the full gallery on Posterous

Busy morning at the Norks!

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livestream and ustream.tv

2011-06-13T23:13:00.002-04:00

livestream

Watch live streaming video from jcnork at livestream.com

ustream.tv

Online video chat by Ustream

I am completely baffled why Nyan Cat went viral but I found the perfect use for it!

2011-06-09T07:26:00.001-04:00

A friend on Facebook posted this video and after watching 30 seconds of it and scratching my head, I figured it out... Use this video to wake the boys up in the the morning. And... IT WORKED!!! All three woke up with smiles on their faces as I bounced around the room with Nyan cat playing on my iPhone.
Try it yourself and let me know how it works for you! :-D

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Amazing Music Series Starting In Bethany!

2011-05-18T18:27:00.001-04:00

Join your friends and neighbors for a wonderful night of acoustic music at the beautiful Lakeview Lodge for the inaugural night of the Lakeview Lodge Music Series sponsored by Bethany Parks and Recreation.

You know you want a fun night out so keep reading...

It’s amazing that little old Bethany is attracting national acts! The inaugural concert will feature Robert Oakes and Katherine Smith traveling from Western Massachusetts to perform. Not only is it a great night of music, but a portion of your ticket purchase goes to support the Bethany Land Trust. Why not come early to enjoy the beautiful setting and take a stroll around picturesque Hockanum Lake?

Great music, great cause, great setting and great community -- A GREAT NIGHT! Refreshments offered for sale by the Land Trust.

7PM, Saturday June 4, 2011
Lakeview Lodge
265 Beacon Road
Bethany CT

For more information call the Park & Rec. Office at 203-393-2100 x127 or online at http://on.fb.me/lodgemusic

Tickets are $15 each (children 16 and under are free) and can be purchased in advanced at the Bethany Park & Rec. office or at the door the night of the show.

Be sure to “Like” Lakeview Lodge Music on Facebook! You can also check out the band website at http://www.oakesandsmith.net

P.S. Invite your friends to come, too! More exciting shows are coming in late summer, fall and winter!

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Amazing Music coming to Bethany!

2011-05-18T18:24:00.001-04:00

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International Festival of Arts & Ideas App on iPhone

2011-05-18T17:27:00.001-04:00

Check out this application:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/international-festival-arts/id436094576?mt=8

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Four Lessons From Thomas Alva Edison

2011-05-16T11:06:00.001-04:00

1. Work hard & play hard.
2. There are no mistakes as long as you learn from them.
3. Look at your problems from a different angle and never get discouraged.
4. Find something you love to do in your life and do it your whole life long.

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UCONN Painted Rock - a slice in time. Will anyone remember the Rebecca Black song "Friday" in 5 years?

2011-05-15T21:45:00.001-04:00

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4 lessons from Thomas Edison #cic

2011-05-14T10:46:00.001-04:00

1. Work hard & play hard.
2. There are no mistakes as long as you learn from them.
3. Look at your problems from a different angle and never get discouraged. 4. Find something you love to do in your life and do it your whole life long.

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Evan's research project - What media type has the best sound quality?

2011-05-07T21:41:00.001-04:00

Evan is doing a really cool experiment for his 6th grade science project.
He is testing how people rate the quality of the same song played on MP3, Tape and CD

Here are the scores so far:

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You never know what you will see in New Haven #nhv

2011-05-05T18:58:00.001-04:00

See the full gallery on Posterous

p440.mov Watch on Posterous

As we were walking back from Bulldog Burrito with our Cinco de Mayo team lunch in hand we were drawn to the drumming on the green and soon noticed goat leg men on stilts and a man in a full set of armor & a sword!
Gotta love this city!!!

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Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss

2011-04-28T21:17:00.001-04:00

This is my youngest son's favorite Dr. Seuss book:

What's yours?

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The ASRC @CTAutism Walk is this Sunday (it also happens to be @alibnork's bday!)

2011-04-26T10:24:00.001-04:00

Come out to help us raise Money for the Autism Spectrum Resource Center this Sunday May 1st at Choate in Wallingford. If you can't make it, you can still donate online at http://ctautismwalk.org

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How to change the strings on a Fender Strat

2011-04-18T23:11:00.001-04:00

I've watched a bunch of videos but this one is the easiest for me to follow:

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Check out #fruithvn! Fruit Tree Orchard Grant Press Conference 4/15/2011 11am at @grovenhv #nhv #swct

2011-04-15T15:10:00.001-04:00

UPDATE: the press release event page is live on facebook
Update 2: The voting site is live: http://www.communitiestakeroot.com/

Press Reslease from Friends Of Edgewood Park:
The Friends of Edgewood Park invite you to participate in a media & public event launching our campaign for soliciting online votes for a Fruit Tree Orchard Grant that we have applied for, from the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation, (FTPF). The grant will provide us with fruit trees, resources and expertise assistance needed to re-introduce about 45 fruit bearing trees, (plus assorted fruit bearing shrubs), in Edgewood Park. The online voting period will extend from April 15 to August 31. We are excited to have made the 100 finalists, (out of about 425 participants worldwide). As such, we are competing for the top 20 votes gatherers applicants, (out of 100 finalists), who will be receiving fruit tree orchards from the FTPF foundation.

To further our excitement, The City of New Haven department or Parks, Recreation & Trees has offered its full support behind this initiative by matching this grant with an equal numbers of fruits trees that will be introduced in various neighborhood within the city, (outside Edgewood Park). In so doing, The Department has just rendered this initiative one that is of interest and stand to benefit the various communities and neighborhoods across the entire city of New Haven.

Event Time & Date:
Friday April 15, 2011 at 11:00 AM
Event Location:
The Grove
71 Orange Street
New Haven, CT 06510

Semi Semi-Dikoko, President
Friends of Edgewood Park, (FoEP)
http://facebook.com/EdgewoodPark
http://twitter.com/edgewoodparkct

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Check out #fruithvn! Fruit Tree Orchard Grant Press Conference 4/15/2011 11am at @grovenhv #nhv #swct

2011-04-14T20:26:00.001-04:00

The Friends of Edgewood Park invite you to participate in a media & public event launching our campaign for soliciting online votes for a Fruit Tree Orchard Grant that we have applied for, from the Fruit Tree Planting Foundation, (FTPF). The grant will provide us with fruit trees, resources and expertise assistance needed to re-introduce about 45 fruit bearing trees, (plus assorted fruit bearing shrubs), in Edgewood Park. The online voting period will extend from April 15 to August 31. We are excited to have made the 100 finalists, (out of about 425 participants worldwide). As such, we are competing for the top 20 votes gatherers applicants, (out of 100 finalists), who will be receiving fruit tree orchards from the FTPF foundation.

Event Time & Date:
Friday April 15, 2011 at 11:00 AM
Event Location:
The Grove
71 Orange Street
New Haven, CT 06510

Semi Semi-Dikoko, President
Friends of Edgewood Park, (FoEP)
http://facebook.com/EdgewoodPark
http://twitter.com/edgewoodparkct

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Scott Adams Advice For Entrepreneurs in the WSJ

2011-04-13T06:32:00.001-04:00

Scott Adams the creator of the Dilbert cartoon has a phenomenal article in the Wall Street Journal. You should go read it now!
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704101604576247143383496656.html

Below is an excerpt of an Entrepreneur's action items:

Combine Skills. The first thing you should learn in a course on entrepreneurship is how to make yourself valuable. It's unlikely that any average student can develop a world-class skill in one particular area. But it's easy to learn how to do several different things fairly well. I succeeded as a cartoonist with negligible art talent, some basic writing skills, an ordinary sense of humor and a bit of experience in the business world. The "Dilbert" comic is a combination of all four skills. The world has plenty of better artists, smarter writers, funnier humorists and more experienced business people. The rare part is that each of those modest skills is collected in one person. That's how value is created.

Fail Forward. If you're taking risks, and you probably should, you can find yourself failing 90% of the time. The trick is to get paid while you're doing the failing and to use the experience to gain skills that will be useful later. I failed at my first career in banking. I failed at my second career with the phone company. But you'd be surprised at how many of the skills I learned in those careers can be applied to almost any field, including cartooning. Students should be taught that failure is a process, not an obstacle.

Find the Action. In my senior year of college I asked my adviser how I should pursue my goal of being a banker. He told me to figure out where the most innovation in banking was happening and to move there. And so I did. Banking didn't work out for me, but the advice still holds: Move to where the action is. Distance is your enemy.

Attract Luck. You can't manage luck directly, but you can manage your career in a way that makes it easier for luck to find you. To succeed, first you must do something. And if that doesn't work, which can be 90% of the time, do something else. Luck finds the doers. Readers of the Journal will find this point obvious. It's not obvious to a teenager.

Conquer Fear. I took classes in public speaking in college and a few more during my corporate days. That training was marginally useful for learning how to mask nervousness in public. Then I took the Dale Carnegie course. It was life-changing. The Dale Carnegie method ignores speaking technique entirely and trains you instead to enjoy the experience of speaking to a crowd. Once you become relaxed in front of people, technique comes automatically. Over the years, I've given speeches to hundreds of audiences and enjoyed every minute on stage. But this isn't a plug for Dale Carnegie. The point is that people can be trained to replace fear and shyness with enthusiasm. Every entrepreneur can use that skill.

Write Simply. I took a two-day class in business writing that taught me how to write direct sentences and to avoid extra words. Simplicity makes ideas powerful. Want examples? Read anything by Steve Jobs or Warren Buffett.

Learn Persuasion. Students of entrepreneurship should learn the art of persuasion in all its forms, including psychology, sales, marketing, negotiating, statistics and even design. Usually those skills are sprinkled across several disciplines. For entrepreneurs, it makes sense to teach them as a package.

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Interview With Kam Lasater, Founder Of Hack Haven #hackhvn #fb

2011-04-11T00:22:00.001-04:00

I interviewed Kam Lasater this weekend, the founder of Hack Haven and co-founder of SeeClickFix
We talk about what exactly a 'hack-a-thon' is and 'learning from failure' among other things :)

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Hack Haven interview by Stephen Robinson #hacknhv #fb

2011-04-10T15:44:00.001-04:00

The @bcsrobotics team had an amazing time at the New Haven #hackhvn event yesterday.
Take a look at Stephen's video where he interviews Hayden, Greg and Matt.

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"Like Ali In The Jungle" by The Hours - It's Not How You Start, It's How You Finish! #inspirational

2011-04-09T08:06:00.001-04:00

Ali In The Jungle by The Hours Listen on Posterous

This song came up on random play on my SXSW play list this morning. This is was the first thing I heard when I woke up today:

I think everyone should download this song and listen to it every morning! What a great way to start out the day!

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Invention Convention - Guitar Mounted Pick Holder

2011-04-07T20:30:00.001-04:00

p301.mov Watch on Posterous

Hayden is soooo excited to show his invention tomorrow. I think he has the sales pitch down! What do you think?

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Live Streaming

2011-04-04T21:05:00.001-04:00

I want to try live streaming using Qik so that @alibnork can watch the Biography Breakfast:

I think this embeded Qik player will stream live and then play the last video I recorded.

The catch is, I need to have cell coverage in the town hall....

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My Son explains his invention for the invention convention

2011-04-03T17:15:00.001-04:00

p279.mov Watch on Posterous

I'm proud of you! :)

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Jimmy Fallon and Steven Colbert sing "Friday" to raise money for charity

2011-04-03T08:12:00.001-04:00

This is so great! Jimmy Fallon promised if people donated $26,000 to the charity www.donorschoose.org then Steven Colbert would sing Rebecca Black's Internet sensation "Friday". This is totally over the top. I love it! :-D

Jimmy Fallon upped the ante. Blowing away Conon O'Brien's parody "Thursday" (although Conon's is still pretty darn funny)

If you haven't seen the original cideo that started all this craziness, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CD2LRROpph0

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I Interview a FIRST Robotics senior going to WPI next year for Robotics #omgrobots

2011-04-02T12:51:00.001-04:00

p253.mov Watch on Posterous

See the full gallery on Posterous

First has millions of dollars in scholarships each year. Colleges LOVE FIRST kids!

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How's this for a breakfast coffee combo?

2011-04-01T07:53:00.001-04:00

Mmmmmmmmm

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Are you psychic & can type 34,000 words a minute? Google's hiring 'autocompleters' #aprilfools

2011-04-01T05:52:00.001-04:00

Have a great April 1st everyone! :-D

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13 year old girl takes the power back from the bullies and launches an international conversation on bullying!

2011-03-31T07:18:00.001-04:00

Alye you go girl! You have turned the tables taking the power back from the bullies and at the same time launching an international conversation on bullying! Alye you are a strong and courageous young woman. Great things are in store for you! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37_ncv79fLA

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13 year old girl takes takes the power back from the bullies and launches an international conversation on bullying!

2011-03-31T07:11:00.001-04:00

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2011 Autism Awareness Day At The Connecticut State Capital Monday, April 4th 10AM

2011-03-28T15:12:00.001-04:00

2011

AUTISM AWARENESS DAY

THE CONNECTICUT STATE CAPITAL

MONDAY, APRIL 4^TH

10:00 A.M. Have breakfast with others passionate about the needs of those with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

11:00 A.M. Hear from Legislators and speakers who support improvements for those on the Autism Spectrum.

Afterwards…

Take the opportunity to visit your personal local Legislators to discuss autism with them and/or their aides – if they are not in, let them know you stopped by and why

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The Foresters "Going Away"

2011-03-27T07:45:00.001-04:00

The latest video from the Foresters:

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Championship Game! Bethany's own March Madness :)

2011-03-26T08:54:00.001-04:00

p210.mov Watch on Posterous

Bethany has it's own March madness! Today is the championship game between the Red and the purple teams.

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Where's my doggie's head?

2011-03-26T06:50:00.001-04:00

Taken at Bethany , CT

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Gary Vaynerchuk of VaynerMedia on This Week In Startups

2011-03-25T23:04:00.001-04:00

I love this interview @jason did with @garyvee on the latest TWIST. It's TOTALLY worth an hour of your time! Context, engagement and being a nice guy wins in the age of social media. Watch, listen and learn:

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Emergence of a Fourth Research Paradigm #nhv #data

2011-03-24T10:43:00.001-04:00

I went to a very interesting Yale lecture yesterday by Tony Hey from Microsoft Research talking about the revolution of research needing to deal with the overwhelming amount of data.

The 4 Research Paradigms Throughout History

1. Thousand years ago - Experimental Science - Description of natural phenomena

2. Last few hundred years -

Theoretical Science - Newton's Laws, Maxwell's Equations

3. Last few decades - Computational Science - Simulation of complex phenomena

4. Today - Data-Intensive Science - Scientists overwhelmed with data sets require a new generation of scientific computing tools to manage, visualize and analyze the data flood.

The key is moving data to knowledge

DATA --> INFORMATION --> KNOWLEDGE

A few -interesting applications of this are:

NodeXL http://nodexl.codeplex.com/

Zoom Technology (Example Roman History)

Other resources:

List of Tools: http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/collaboration/tools/

Interesting article in NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/15/science/15books.html?_r=3

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Three Pieces Of Advice To Turn a Company Around

2011-03-17T23:15:00.001-04:00

George Bradt has a great article in Forbes with advice from the CEO Sam Martin of A&P Supermarkets.

Sam Martin says to turn a company around, do these 3 things:

1. Stay focused on the customer. Welcome them make them feel important & appreciated.

2. Build team on a bedrock of trust and focus at the task at hand.

3. Persevere. Reward small wins. Fail quick make sure mistakes are fast and little.

What do you think?

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What Makes A Twitter Champion? #swct #SXSW

2011-03-11T07:13:00.001-05:00

There is a really interesting analysis from O'reilly Radar on who the top #SXSW twitter champions have been over the past 3 years. I find this to be a very interesting case study of how to use the twitter stream for research and analysis. Take a look:
http://radar.oreilly.com/2011/03/sxsw-champion-2011.html

Their summary of what makes a champion is right on:
* retweet
* share messages
* respond in real-time
* provide useful information on topics that are interesting to their followers

Good advice for anyone trying to build a brand on twitter!

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An easy way to help get this project going! Baghdad Antebellum: a history in photographs

2011-03-08T23:49:00.001-05:00

I just pledged support to this amazing project to preserve, doument and write the history of these fantastic photos from Iraq.
I had an inspiring conversation with Christopher Brownfield who is working to get this project off the ground.
He said he needs as many people as possible to pledge at least $1 to show their support of his project.
Click on over to learn more.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/baghdad/baghdad-antebellum-a-history-in-photographs

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About Jack Nork

2011-03-08T16:53:00.001-05:00

To download Jack's Contact info into your phone use an app on your phone such as Red Laser to scan this QR Code:

Jack Nork
Director of Client Services
Retail Optimization Inc.
Work: www.retailoptimization.com
Personal: www.nork.com
Twitter: @jcnork

JackNork.vcf Download this file

Since 2008, Jack has worked as the Director of Client Service for ROI making sure that projects get done on time and on budget. Jack is also an integral part of new product development, marketing and new business efforts. He has worked with such clients as SuperVau, Safeway, Giant Eagle, Tops and Conagra.

Jack has over 15 years of experience developing and utilizing cutting edge technology and information systems. He previously led Mason Interactive where he was responsible for helping to strategically integrate the Internet, social media and online marketing into all areas of Mason’s B2B and B2C clients businesses. Jack also served two terms as the chairman of the American Association of Association of Advertising Agencies IT Committee. Jack was responsible for technology-related issues and devising solutions for agencies and their clients across the country.

Before coming to Mason, Jack was a Network Engineer in charge of the remote offices throughout the United States for Mercedes Benz Credit Corporation. His time at Mercedes gave him vast experience with both network and Internet technologies.

Jack lives in Bethany with his wife and 3 boys. He is very involved in the New Haven community including GoogleHaven (www.highspeednewhaven.com), Social Web Week Connecticut (www.SocialWebCT.com) and BCS Robotics (www.bcsrobotics.com)

Download the attached vcard to add Jack's contact information to your address book.

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My Observations Of The Foresters - A Parent's Perspective

2011-03-06T23:06:00.001-05:00

The boys have had a band called the Foresters for several years now, but really started gelling as a band this past September when they bought their own instruments (September 18, 2010)

Ali and I have really been enjoying watching the boys develop as a band. Each of them has emerged with important skills and strengths that make it possible for them to work and grow together. I talked to them about this tonight at dinner these are my observations:

Hayden Bass- Musicologist and Band Spirit. Hayden has been studying rock books for months. It seems as if he is working on memorizing every member of every rock band from the past 40 years! He gets his brothers excited about hearing all different kind of bands and is perpetually plugging his ipod into any set of speakers he can find so he can share his latest discovery. Hayden is also the one we will find practicing his moves in the mirror. When they had their first concert at the Amity Teen Center, Hayden was the one who got props for the band members to wear and made sure to bring little things with him on stage that he could throw into the crowd. Hayden is the one who will make sure the people coming to the show are having a good time.

Liam Drums- The Backbone and Glue Being the drummer in the band it is fitting to call Liam the backbone. He not only holds the band together with his beats, but even more importantly he motivates his brothers to practice even if they don't really feel like it. Liam is the one who will make them a great band because practice makes perfect and he understands that it takes hard work to become great. Liam has been known to play until he has blisters on his fingers. He is the glue that binds the band together and allows the whole to be greater than the sum of its parts.

Evan Guitar- Creative Mastermind and Teacher. Evan has an amazing gift. He is able to write songs and lyrics making it seem completely effortless. He writes at least 1 or 2 new songs a week. When he goes to guitar lesson his teacher is continually amazed at the new ideas Evan comes up with. Evan also is able to work on song samples and loops on the Mac This is building his recording and production skills. On top of all of this, Evan is a patient and nurturing teacher. This is not easy to do, but when Evan finishes writing a song, he is able to teach his brothers their parts. I've seen instances where the part he originally wrote was too hard for one of his brothers to play so he went back to the drawing board and rewrote it in a way that made it easier for them.

This has been such an amazing learning experience for the boys. Each of them is discovering and developing their skill while at the same time having fun working together. I can't wait to see what the future has in store for them!

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My oldest son made this funny wassup parody video with Homestar Runner (of course). Check it out!

2011-03-06T14:02:00.001-05:00

Remember that waasup!?! Superfriends parody?
Here is his Homestar Runner version my son made.

Really funny!

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New Haven Song by Jordan Fenster #nhv

2011-03-02T05:00:00.001-05:00

New Haven Song by Jordan Fenster Listen on Posterous

The New Haven anthem! :-)

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Robert Greenberg Crocs

2011-02-27T09:44:00.001-05:00

See and download the full gallery on posterous

I was reading @annnyberg's post on Robert Greenberg's show. We saw him at City Wide Open Studios alternate spaces this past year but didn't get to spend a lot of time looking at his stuff because we were chasing after the kids.

I love finding the source of his drawings such as this photo taken during the 1970 Black Panther trials.

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My text message chats with @alibnork #funnybuttrue

2011-02-25T10:07:00.001-05:00

That damn iphone auto-correct! :-P

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Do Librarians Talk In Dewey Decimal? The Mystery of 158.723

2011-02-25T05:57:00.002-05:00

I was reading this week's PostSecret Blog and came across this postcard:

Case of 158.723 in the Dewey Decimal System is an “Applied Psychology” book. specifically “Works that focus on burnout are classed in 158.723.

It got me to thinking. Do Librarian's talk in Dewey Decimal????

Like:

"Two of my coworkers are planning 392.5."

"The highlight of my summer was listening to 784.4 at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival."

"My dad is affraid of flying in 629.1's."

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Wanna hear what it sounds like inside my brain? Listen to this... #radiohead #kingoflimbs #bloom

2011-02-22T22:58:00.001-05:00

Bloom by Radiohead
Download now or listen on posterous

01 Bloom.MP3 (12456 KB)

Ha... They should be called 'InsideJacksHead' instead of 'Radiohead'.

These songs are so complex and layered. I LOVE listening to them with headphones on.

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The Foresters Band Shots 3 years apart

2011-02-21T08:16:00.001-05:00

Download now or preview on posterous

Document3.docx (9071 KB)

2007 to 2011

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Punch A Panda

2011-02-12T17:13:00.001-05:00

Only in New York City! My brother-in-law sent a tweet to @nateXhill to meet us at 4pm on 42nd Street. This guy dresses as a panda with boxing gloves and asks you to punch him! He actually met us there! Yes really! Watch the video. You have to see it to believe it!

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Cappy Cappo and Jacob Rastaman

2011-02-01T08:37:00.001-05:00

This is funny, the boys created the caracters Cappy Cappo (on the left) and Jacob Rastman (on the right).
They are also writting songs that these guys would sing. The first one is "Love Happy Love" a Reggae Tune by Jacob Rastaman :-)
I tried to convince them to let me record them singing the song, but they all refused saying I should get Jacob Rastaman to do it...

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UPDATE- FREE -- Office Furniture Looking for a Home! Seats Up to 7 People. Come pick it up in New Haven -- FREE (Pics.)

2011-01-28T14:54:00.004-05:00

UPDATE 1/29/2011 10:50pm I GAVE EVERYTHING AWAY!
(A 3-ft away to one person, 2 3-fts and a corner to another and may have given the last corner desk away tonight.)

~~UPDATE - ONLY TWO CORNER DESKS AND THREE 3-FOOT DESKS LEFT. FREE TO THE FIRST PERSON WHO CONTACTS ME~~

Retail Optimization Inc is giving away the office desks we first used when we first moved to New Haven in 2008!
Take a look at the pictures, they are in great shape! VERY lightly used. Is there another startup you know, or maybe a nonprofit that is looking for desk space?
Maybe you want one for your home office! These units could seat up to 7 people, or if some one really wants to spread out they can put several units together.
If you just want to take one or two of them, thats fine too.
Let me know if you are interested. Email me jack.nork AT gotoroi.com or Tweet me http://twitter.com/jcnork
EVERYTHING needs to be out of here by 5pm on Monday 1/31/2011

See and download the full gallery on posterous

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My Son's View of This Morning's #CTMeetup at @ChickenShackCT

2011-01-22T13:45:00.001-05:00

I am just returning from another great social media fueled meet-up where I finally got to talk to some of the folks I missed at #PCCT.
Big thanks to @CTChrisAdams for doing such a great job orgainizing, promoting and running the event!

This is my son's view of the meet-up/tweet-up:

He was SOOOO excited to meet some fellow Homestar Runner fans there!

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It's amazing what creative things the boys can accomplish when we take away electronics for the day!

2011-01-21T20:11:00.001-05:00

I love this doodle that my son made. This is one of those drawings that the more you look at it the more you find!

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What Do You Get When You Mix Homestar Runner and Star Wars? - "HomeStar Wars"

2011-01-16T11:10:00.001-05:00

I love this series of drawings my son made mixing HomeStar Runner characters with Star Wars characters

HomestarWars!

See the full gallery on posterous

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Video - Day of Sledding At Bethany West

2011-01-08T22:50:00.001-05:00

The whole gang went over to Bethany West to go sledding today!

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Picture of Stonington 70 Years Apart

2011-01-08T21:24:00.001-05:00

I sent a tweet to @joeCascio yesterday of a picture taken in 1940 by Jack Delano. He immediately wrote back saying that he knew where this was taken and that he would try to head out to capture a picture of how it looks today. Well Joe is a man of his word! Take a look! It's fun to look at them side-by-side.
Thanks Joe!

November 1940 - Photo by Jack Delano

January 2011 - Photo by Joe Cascio