lukegilman.com : High on the Hog Blog

Purveyor of Idle Observation

YouTube is blowing me away. Where else can you find stuff like this? Thornson’s got it right on – ‘It’s like seeing Pele play sandlot soccer in Brazil.’

Classic Mel Blanc.

“There are more Ethiopian doctors in Washington D.C. than in all of Ethiopia.”

From NPR: Hospital Gives Ethiopian Women a Chance at Care

Here’s a great idea that seems long overdue now that someone else has finally put it into action. Footnote.com is an online repository and social annotation tool for documents and images. Watch the video above for a demonstration. Doing anything useful requires a membership either free or paid depending on the functionality and the images you’re viewing. Check out the Bonhoeffer page. The membership and payment is a speed bump to adoption, but the interface is great. We’ll see if it catches on.

I just got back from seeing if I could remember how to cross-country ski. I do remember how, however, I’m just too out of shape to do it very well anymore. BBQ is the devil’s own invention.

I headed out to the Frisco Nordic Center between Frisco and Breckenridge. It’s a great facility; trails were well-groomed and plentiful, busy but not crowded.

The rental equipment they gave me ($20 for the day) was better than the stuff I raced on in high school.

My only word of warning to anyone considering the trip – the altitude change will kick your ass. I’ve been getting winded just going up and down the stairs.

If you like baseball there’s no better event than the College Classic. I went last year and sat in every section of Minute Maid Park. Just for the record I’ve got to go with 1st base line as the best seat in the house. I’ll be cheering on the Coogs all three days as they take on a field of teams including Baylor University, Rice University, Arizona State and Texas A&M. (via Houston’s Clear Thinkers)

Get your tickets for the Houston College Classic, $30 for all three days.

Line Rider is all the rage.

Steve Jobs pulls yet another great gadget out of his pocket. iPhone. Before you get too excited it’s $500 in its cheapest configuration on Cingular. More iphone deets. iPhone Backstory.

[NB: Cross-posted at Metroblogging Houston.]

The Old Sixth Ward Neighborhood Association recorded residents of the neighborhood talking about their houses and what the character of the neighborhood means to them. There are currently four videos up – Volume One, Volume Two, Volume Three, Volume Four.

Houston Chronicle: Group trying to preserve old Sixth Ward character posts front-porch testimonials on YouTube.com

If you’re a Houston transplant like I am you probably have no idea what a ward is much less where they all are. Here’s a great run-down of the Six Wards of Houston. The Houston Chronicle has a feature on the wards with a helpful map. Looking it over, one of the things you’ll likely realize is how much of Houston you’ve never set foot in. May I suggest a New Year’s Resolution? Get out there and do some local tourism!!!