State Quarters

2010-11-17T23:15:00.006-07:00

Happy GIS Day! To celebrate, here is a post all about maps (and geography!).

Remember those geography tests in elementary school where we were given a USA map with all of the state lines and you had to name all of the states? Well, now we all know what the states look like geographically. We can pick out a state simply by seeing its outline. This type of information is all around us. There is even a font with all of the state maps (Ding Maps) available for free at dafont.com. Who knows how many "USA states" quizzes are out there in the cyberworld?

Back in 1999, the United States Mint began the 50 State Quarters® Program to honor the states. If I remember correctly, the governor of each state had the final decision on the design of the quarter. I remember that in Utah, elementary students were invited to submit their designs. From those, three concepts were chosen (and then designed by the United States Mint) and put up for an online vote. The governor chose the final design (which did happen to be the top vote getter). To see all the three designs, click here.

Utah's quarter does not have a map on it, but 13 other states did choose to include a map. That means that more than ¼ of the states decided that it was best to represent their state by showing a map on their quarter. Go maps!

Pennsylvania, Georgia, Massachusetts, South Carolina, New York, Ohio, Louisiana (this one actually includes a map of the entire United States), Illinois, Michigan, Texas, Minnesota, Idaho, and New Mexico. To see all of the state quarters, click here.

Just so everyone knows how useful maps are, check out this video from Dora the Explorer.

InDesign Software Midterm Project

2010-10-26T22:59:00.002-06:00

This semester I am taking the InDesign Software class at Salt Lake Community College. Despite having worked with InDesign for about five years, I decided that I should still take this class (plus it is a prerequisite for some other classes that I want to take). I am very glad that I did. I never realized how much I didn't know. While I will admit that the majority of the class is information that I already know, there have been moments when I would learn something new that I could immediately implement.

This midterm project for the class was to create a playing card. The idea was to choose a typeface, do some research about that typeface, and then use that typeface in the playing card. One requirement was to use text and images. Another requirement was to only use two colors: black and red (Pantone 200). We could use any tints of those two colors.

I chose to use the typeface Impact, which is a headline font. I designed the diamond in Illustrator. The layout, of course, was done in InDesign.

Atlanta Vacation (Map)

2010-06-02T08:13:00.004-06:00

Last week, we returned home from a vacation to Atlanta, Georgia. We originally went for a wedding reception for Justin & Abby Heap, but we stuck around for a few extra days to see the sites! The vacation was awesome! While in Georgia, we fit in as much entertainment as we could:

Stone Mountain
World of Coca-Cola
Centennial Olympic Park
Georgia Aquarium
Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History
Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park
Turner Field

I have made a Google Map of a vacation showing all the places we visited.

View Atlanta Vacation in a larger map

Wedding Maps

2010-05-05T21:43:00.008-06:00

Over the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to make a few maps for wedding receptions. Being someone who makes maps for a living, this task should have been quite easy. After starting the first map, I quickly realized one fundamental difference between the maps I make at work and a wedding reception map: the purpose. The purpose of a map for a wedding reception is to get people there as simply as possible. Geographic accuracy can be thrown out the window in the name of ease. For example, who cares if I-15 isn't perfectly straight on the ground - its only on the map to show which exit to use. Roads can also be shortened if there isn't any necessary information in the middle. I actually ditched the GIS software and used Adobe InDesign to make these maps.

My wife's brother is getting married in a few weeks and he asked me to make two maps - one for their reception here in Salt Lake and one for their open house in Atlanta, Georgia. The map for their reception is below:

One other map I made recently was for a coworker. I'm not sure who is getting married, but check it out:

Design Project #5

2010-04-14T22:40:00.008-06:00

Well, this is my last Design project for the semester, and probably my favorite project as well. Simply titled "UPC," the goal of this project was to take the familiar UPC barcode symbol and turn it into something else. The UPC had to stay recognizable, but that was the only limitation. It was kind of fun to figure out what a UPC symbol could be turned into, whether or not it had stripes. I also looked at some things a little differently to see if a UPC symbol would work for it.

Finally, I ended up with a small tulip patch. The bottom 1/4 of my design is a standard UPC symbol. From there I added some curve to the lines to make them stems. Some tulip heads on the top and it becomes a UPC tulip garden! The final version was all drawn in Adobe Illustrator.

Super 8 Map

2010-04-13T23:42:00.004-06:00

While on vacation in Cedar City, I came across this map in the lobby of the Super 8 Hotel. The map is a little old and outdated (1997), but is still quite effective. This map is an excellent example of maps in advertising and design. Most maps out there are "top-down" style, geographically accurate, and include a scale bar and north arrow. This map ignores typical map standards and presents Cedar City in a different and more pleasing way. Cedar City is simplified and viewed at an angle. Tourist destinations (restaurants, hotels, parks, museums, etc.) are emphasized along with some of the major roads.

GIS professionals might cringe at the sight of a map like this, but it serves its purpose incredibly well. A tourist could easily find his/her way around to some interesting places and then find a good place to eat. Thinking outside of the box of standard map design won me over on this one.

Design Project #4

2010-04-07T21:24:00.006-06:00

Just rushing right on through the semester. Only three more weeks of classes!

This project was titled "Less is More." The idea was to take an object, plant, or animal and simplify it in black and white. After trying out a few different things, I finally settled on this clock that was given to us by our real estate agent when we sold our house. I thought it had enough detail to be interesting, but not too much that it would be too difficult to draw.

After drawing the entire clock in Illustrator for the first picture, I simply zoomed in slightly for the second picture and some more for the third picture (the third picture is supposed to be "unrecognizable"). The fourth picture is a reversal of the black and white. The fifth, and largest, picture has color added. The color did not necessarily have to be the same as the original object so I went with a group of pastels that I thought worked well for this project.

The Map Gallery Logo Concept

2010-03-13T23:43:00.007-07:00

For my Digital Media Essentials class at Salt Lake Community College, the final project is creating a website. One idea I have for the project is "The Map Gallery." This is actually something I've been thinking about for quite a while - a gallery website for interesting, useful, different, and/or artistic maps. I make way too many boring maps at work and a gallery of "good" maps would be a pleasant change. The first part of the project is to create a logo for the website. Below are a couple of versions of the first draft.

Design Project #3

2010-02-28T22:47:00.007-07:00

Without too much time passing by, project three is finished. The project was titled "CD Cover: Photomontage by Hand." The project was to take an existing album and remake the album cover. The main requirement was to create a collage that would accurately represent the album and the artist. I chose Alphaville's Forever Young album (yes, from the 80's!). To me, this album is about people and cultures. My wife actually came up with the idea to do a collage of different faces to represent that. And what a good idea it was. The faces are all taken from various magazines. The text was created in Adobe Illustrator and then cut out in vinyl using my wife's Cricut machine.

This original album cover is below.

Design Project #2

2010-02-16T23:52:00.006-07:00

I just finished my second Design project: Symbol Design. We were assigned to make one symbol for each of four categories (transportation, architecture, animals, and human implements/tools). As shown in the pictures below, I chose a train, a basilica, a lizard, and a zipper. I did the concepts and layouts in pen and marker, but I decided to do the final versions in Adobe Illustrator. I just didn't feel like I would be able to make my lines straight enough or my circles round enough by hand.

Exergaming

2010-02-07T21:47:00.005-07:00

Lately, I have become a big fan of exergaming. I have never been very good at exercising, but I have been doing quite well with EA Sports Active. Believe it or not, the exercises are actually quite intense. There have been more than a few moments when my muscles were shaking because of the workout (just try a 40 second squat hold at the end of a 30 minute workout). Earlier this week, I completed the 30-day challenge on the intermediate level! Now it is time to move on to the next level.

I haven't done many of the exercises on Wii Fit, but I do a body test (weight, BMI, balance) every time I exercise. Soon I'll try out the strength training and yoga to see how well I like it.

Exergaming is an excellent option for indoor exercising. When the weather gets a little better, I'll probably do some running outside, but for now, it's exergaming for me!

Design Project #1

2010-01-28T23:32:00.003-07:00

One of the classes I am taking at Salt Lake Community College is Design (ART 1120). The class is about the principles, guidelines, and fundamentals of design. It also requires a lot of drawing by hand. Drawing is a talent I do not have. I am trying my best, though, and it's going okay. Below is a photograph of my completed first project (Negative Space Project).

Backwards Education

2010-01-20T00:53:00.004-07:00

I graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor's Degree in Geography in May 2005. After earning a Bachelor's Degree, people generally move on to a graduate program. I, however, am taking a different approach. Last week I began taking classes at Salt Lake Community College in the Visual Art & Design Program. Since graduating, I have been working as a GIS Technician (Map Maker). Over the past year and a half, I have been assisting the graphic designers in producing some of the marketing materials for our company. I decided it was about time I received some formal training in graphic design.

And now I am a student again.

Bear Lake Golf Course in Google Maps

2010-01-08T22:35:00.002-07:00

Last summer while on vacation in Bear Lake. My brothers, my dad, and I went golfing at the Bear Lake Golf Course in Garden City, Utah. While I was there, I took a photo from each tee box. Originally, I just wanted some good photos. However, I've created a map with the photos and some other information about each hole. Now I'm much of a golfer (I won't even admit what my score was that round), but it was fun to create a map of this golf course. Please take a moment to play a virtual round of golf at the Bear Lake Golf Course!

View Bear Lake Golf Course in a larger map

2010

2010-01-01T01:11:00.001-07:00

Happy New Year!

See my Featured Maps

2009-12-02T21:35:00.006-07:00

A couple of my maps are featured on Professional Mapping, LLC's website! Both maps were originally created for a scrapbook of a family vacation last year. Check out my maps on the Gallery page. The middle and bottom right maps are the ones I created. On the website, they have both been modified slightly to illustrate examples of what could be done so I have posted the originals below.

"There's a map for that"

2009-12-01T22:06:00.007-07:00

There is a big marketing campaign by Verizon Wireless that involves maps! Yea!! And of course, anything that involves a map catches my eye. In the commercials, Verizon Wireless takes on AT&T and Apple by showing that they have better "3G" coverage and that "there's a map for that." Below is one of the commercials.

GIS Day

2009-11-18T22:31:00.004-07:00

Today is the day that we geographers get to feel really good about the work we do! I actually really enjoy making maps.

Believe it or not, there was actually a movie made about cartographers (mapmakers): The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain. I saw the movie a few years ago and really enjoyed it. My favorite quote from the movie is "Maps, my dear, are the undergarments of a country! They give shape...to continents." Everyone should rent the movie in honor of GIS Day and Geography Awareness Week.

Geography Awareness Week

2009-11-17T23:24:00.004-07:00

Geography Awareness Week has begun! Everybody should celebrate by taking the National Geographic GeoBee Challenge.

People don't often think about location in an electronic world, but location is still extremely important. Think about where you live and why you live there. Chances are that most of the reasons have to do with location: is it close to work? is it close to family members? can you easily travel to a grocery store? to a school? to a park? is it a safe area?

Even if you shop online, location is important. It may not be important to you, but it is to the retailer. The product you buy has to be manufactured somewhere (think China), then shipped somewhere to be stored, then packaged up nicely and shipped again to your home, most likely passing through various locations along the way. You might even be charged different shipping rates depending on where you live.

Grab a map and enjoy the week!

Professional Mapping, LLC

2009-11-14T22:13:00.004-07:00

A friend (and coworker) of mine is starting a freelance GIS/Mapping business. Even though most of you probably don't have any need for a freelance mapper, you should still check out his YouTube video explaining some of the GIS/Mapping services his business offers. His company is called Professional Mapping, LLC.

Preparing for Geography Week

2009-11-10T22:09:00.004-07:00

I always enjoy a good comic that is geography related.

I found this on http://mapmaker.blogspot.com/, but it actually came from Savage Chickens.

Code Violations Map

2009-10-20T22:55:00.005-06:00

Just so everyone knows, if you commit a "code violation" in Taylorsville, you will get put on a map on the wall in the Taylorsville City Council chambers. Okay, so maybe you won't get put on the map, but your code violation will! I saw the map at the UDOT WEGO! open house held today at Taylorsville City Hall. Blue areas have a higher density of code violations and white areas have a lower density.

For the map nerds, please enjoy the standard point to density raster analysis. Very basic, but very useful, GIS functionality.

GIS Day is Coming!

2009-10-19T21:51:00.005-06:00

Being a nerdy geographer, I'm getting exited for GIS Day and Geography Awareness Week. GIS Day is the one day per year that we geographers get to feel really, really good about what we do! Anyway, Geography Awareness Week is November 15-21 and GIS Day is November 18. Everybody should at least find a good map to enjoy that week! Check out these websites to learn more:
Official GIS Day website: www.gisday.com
Geography Awareness Week website: www.mywonderfulworld.org/gaw

And if you ever find a good map, be sure to forward it on to me. I'm always interested in seeing a good map.

You can also check out some my old posts from last year's Geography Awareness Week to learn more:
http://allengreenwell.blogspot.com/2008/11/geography-awareness-week-begins-today.html
http://allengreenwell.blogspot.com/2008/11/human-geography.html
http://allengreenwell.blogspot.com/2008/11/physical-geography.html
http://allengreenwell.blogspot.com/2008/11/gis-day.html

It is still legal to text and drive!

2009-09-30T21:18:00.012-06:00

I'm always on the lookout for a good map, maybe something different than the usual or something just interesting. Today on Yahoo! News I saw a map showing states that have (and don't have) some type of ban on texting while driving. This really isn't all that exciting of a map, but there is something awfully curious: why do some states only ban texting for "young drivers"? Are adults really better at driving and texting?

For those of you who simply can't stop texting while driving, I have a few suggestions:
1. Move to a state where it is still legal (Nevada is close, and homes are now cheap!)
2. Increase your auto insurance just in case you cause an accident
3. Improve your grammar (okay, that one is for all texters!)

Do Not Dog This Door Open

2009-06-19T22:29:00.004-06:00

I saw this on the door of our church and I have to admit, I don't know what it means to "dog" a door open.

Flaming Mailbox

2009-05-09T23:42:00.005-06:00

Definitely the best paint job on a mailbox I have ever personally seen. Also the most useless.

I took this picture while driving home from work. It took me a few days to get a good view but I still ended up with a blurry shot. I have to wonder why someone would go through that much effort to paint his mailbox.

Guitar Hero

2009-03-06T22:40:00.003-07:00

If any game could be considered addicting, this one is it. It is very fun to play, and I'm actually getting fairly good at it. The best part of playing the game is that Hailey loves it. She loves to play the game with me. She'll pick up the guitar and try to play. I can't wait until she can really play so we can start our own family band!

Jury Duty

2009-01-24T21:24:00.002-07:00

I received my jury duty summons - I have to begin calling in to see if I get to spend a day (or more) at the courthouse. Lucky me! I actually made it to this point twice before, but I never actually had to go to the courthouse. And on two other occasions, I received the first letter, but never had to call in. This makes five times in eight years that I have been considered for jury duty. I'm hoping for the same result this time, but I don't think I'll get so lucky. I'm guessing that I'll get to spend a day at the courthouse.

Last time I was considered for jury duty, I requested that I not be summoned for two weeks of the date range they give because it was around the day by daughter was due to be born . . . and it was denied. Luckily, I was not summoned that time. I guess I'm making up for it now.

Learning HTML/CSS

2009-01-17T23:17:00.004-07:00

Lately, I've developed quite an interest in learning HTML and CSS. I really can't say to what end, but maybe one day I'll be able to create a website (or at least do some nifty customization to my blog!). For Christmas, I received a gift card to Borders and I bought the book: Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML. I've made it into chapter three. I've also used HTML Dog as a reference.

I've already been called a nerd (or a geek) by a couple of people (thanks Sara and Stacey), but I don't care. I'm enjoying living in nerddom and I'm going to stay there for a while.

Happy Birthday To Me

2008-12-30T22:00:00.000-07:00

I'm getting older. Ugh.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

2008-12-24T11:00:00.007-07:00

A friend of mine at work asked me to create a Christmas card that she could give away to the people that she works with. This is what I came up with (I even thought of the saying myself):

Happy Holidays!

Westside

2008-12-18T21:56:00.004-07:00

Every once in a while, I find myself at a meeting or some event in my company's downtown Salt Lake City office, which is a mere block away from the Salt Lake City Main Library and The Leonardo. Currently, The Leonardo is hosting Body Worlds 3: The Story of the Heart, which attracts a lot of school field trips. These schools park their busses in my company's parking lot. Today, I was at that office for a meeting and there was one bus in the parking lot. What caught my eye was the name of the school district: Westside School District. What kind of a name for a school district is that? (by the way, the bus had Idaho plates!) I did not attend school in this district, but I do currently live on the west side of the Salt Lake Valley. I thought it was funny so I took a picture:

Death (by Environmental Hazards) Map

2008-12-17T20:59:00.003-07:00

I know this may sound a bit morbid, maybe even a little bit creepy, but here is a "death map." Heather Byerline (a coworker of mine), forwarded me this map. The map shows the probability of dying by an environmental hazard (hurricane, tornado, earthquake, extreme heat or cold, etc.). Red means a higher probability and blue means a lower probability. Who knew that the chances of dying by an environmental hazard would be higher in Utah than in the hurricane states of Florida and Louisiana!

The Dark Knight

2008-12-13T23:18:00.006-07:00

I finally saw The Dark Knight. My wife was kind enough to reserve me a copy at the local redbox so I could watch it. I know this is old news to everyone else, but it was new to me. Definitely one of my favorite movies now. I think the most recent Batman movies are my favorite "action-hero" movies of all time. If you have not seen this movie, go rent it. It's worth the time and money. After all, it's not every day that you get to see a semi-truck flip over (and not to the side), a large building get blown up, and the pencil trick (ouch!).

State Corruption Map

2008-12-11T22:06:00.004-07:00

Being a cartographer, I am always on the lookout for a good map. Well, today one caught my eye: the state corruption map on USA Today. It's not spectacular. It's not particularly beautiful. It is, however, uncommon. It's the first "corruption" map that I have ever seen. The darker the blue, the more corrupt the state, based on the number of public convictions per 100,000 population. I have copied the map below, but you can also see the original story and map here. North Dakota wins for most corrupt.

Coldplay Concert Review

2008-11-23T22:00:00.003-07:00

This was a great concert! Being the most popular alternative rock band in the world right now, great things are expected of them. They exceeded those expectations. After painfully waiting through a couple of opening acts (well, Sleepercar was okay), we were finally rewarded with an amazing performance by Coldplay. They performed an excellent mix of their hits from previous albums as well as new songs from their most current album.

Now when I go to a concert, of course I want to hear the best songs the band has to offer. But I don't want to hear the "album" versions. I want to hear something different. This is where Coldplay really excelled. None of their songs were exactly like you hear on the album, but two really stood out as being especially different. They performed a faster, almost techno version of "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" and a mostly acoustic version of "The Scientist." I say mostly because it did have to be loud enough for the EnergySolutions Arena.

It was great fun to sing the "Ah ah ah ah" part of "Viva la Vida" immediately after a piano and voice only song (that I can't remember the name of). I was really impressed by the real piano on stage - not a synthesizer, not a keyboard - a real piano. Coldplay is a very talented band.

Next time Coldplay comes to Salt Lake City (or your town!), I recommend that you spend the money and go see them perform. You will not be disappointed.

GIS Day

2008-11-19T07:07:00.007-07:00

Today, the celebration of Geography Awareness Week continues on. It's GIS Day! GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems (or Science, Students, and Studies). GIS and mapping technology has progressed leaps and bounds over the past few years. Just think about GPS, how many of us have some kind of GPS system (cell phones, OnStar, etc.) now but didn't just five years ago? I'm sure many of you have seen Street View on Google Maps. Be sure to find your house! Mapquest, Virtual Earth, and Yahoo Maps are just a few other sites that also offer great mapping technology.

Normally, I'm not one to post a video, but the one below is a great video about GIS (and specifically the ArcGIS software that I use). It's a little song set to the tune of Disney's "Be Our Guest." Enjoy!

Physical Geography

2008-11-18T09:14:00.005-07:00

Today's theme for Geography Awareness Week is physical geography. Physical geography is what people think of when they think of geography: mountains, rivers, deserts, oceans. It is the natural environment around us. I don't specifically deal with physical geography much in my line of work except to show where the lakes and rivers are. Here in the Salt Lake Valley, physical geography plays a very important role. The mountains limit both commercial and residential development. The mountains form a "bowl" which worsens winter inversions. The Great Salt Lake increases the amount of snowfall in some areas of the Wasatch Front because of what is known as the "lake effect." Below is an elevation profile going from the Oquirrh Mountains (left) in the west to the Wasatch Mountains (right) in the East. The profile cuts through the Salt Lake Valley at about 7000 South.

Human Geography

2008-11-17T17:05:00.006-07:00

As part of Geography Awareness Week, today's theme is human geography. Human geography was actually my focus at college and it continues to fascinate me today. A lot of people think that geography is becoming more and more irrelevant in today's global society. I argue that because of this global society, geography is becoming more important than ever (think global warming). Sure we do our Christmas shopping at home on the internet, but the products we buy have to be somewhere and they will be transported to our homes at some cost. Human geography plays an important role in everything - work, church, communities, politics - for the better or for the worse. Because of geography, our vote for president doesn't matter in Utah (two reasons here - electoral college and a very strong LDS/Republican correlation). Finally, I have some proof of how human geography is affecting the very world that we live in. Check out the USA at night map below and see if you can find the Salt Lake City area.

Geography Awareness Week Begins Today

2008-11-16T21:37:00.003-07:00

Today is the first day of Geography Awareness Week! Yea!!! To get the celebration started, everybody should check out two things. The first is a little bit about Geography Awareness Week and GIS Day. The second is Google Earth. You can never be too familiar with the world around you. Below is a screenshot of what you can find in Google Earth for Salt Lake City.

Geography Awareness Week

2008-11-14T21:51:00.003-07:00

Once per year, we nerdy cartographers get our week of glory. That week happens to start this Sunday, November 16. It is the annual Geography Awareness Week. Of course, being a cartographer, I think that geography is very important and I could go on and on about it. In honor of Geography Awareness Week, I made a new map for the header of my blog. So everybody find a cool map (let me know if you find any good ones) or think about how geography affects the things that you do. Oh, and look forward to more geography posts all next week!

Cold Weather

2008-11-10T21:32:00.003-07:00

Having grown up here in the Salt Lake Valley, one would think that I would like the cold weather, or at least be used to it. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and winter is fast approaching. It seems like with each passing year, I dislike winter more and more. It's only November and I'm ready for summer to come back!

Pumpkin Carving

2008-10-30T23:26:00.007-06:00

Well, we carved pumpkins tonight and I had the great idea to put my mad cartographic skills to use. Yes, I carved a map into my pumpkin. It actually wasn't too hard. I found a simple map of the United States through a Google image search and printed it out. After clumsily taping a flat map to a (mostly) round pumpkin, I had a template to go by. I first cut out the shape of Utah and set it aside for later use. Then I marked the outline of the United States on the pumpkin and carved it out. To finish it off, I stuck Utah back in with a toothpick. Check out my marvelous cartographic creation. It doesn't get much nerdier than this:

My wife went with the more traditional jack-o-lantern. Both of them look great in the dark!

Pirates!

2008-10-25T22:29:00.003-06:00

So over the past few months (okay, maybe a little longer than that) I have been putting together a killer pirate costume for Halloween. My mom made the pants and shirt for my birthday last year. My wife made the sashes last week. The coat, hat, bandana, and boot covers we picked up at a Halloween store a couple of weeks ago. For those of you who don't know, I am kind of a pirate fanatic. Sara and I went to the midnight showing of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and then we promptly saw it again that evening. I frequently fly a pirate flag outside and have freaked out some of the neighbors because of it. I even own a T-shirt with a skull and crossed swords on it. Anyway, I was finally able to wear my costume. Sara, Hailey, and I went to my parents' ward Halloween party. My wife already wrote about it and posted some pictures on her blog so check it out: "Pirates, Arrr!"

Thriving Ivory Concert Review

2008-10-19T22:34:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, Josh (my brother-in-law) and I went to see Thriving Ivory live at the Murray Theater. We got there just in time to catch the last couple of songs from the first opening band and I cannot remember the guy's name. The couple of songs we heard were okay. The second opening band was Location Location and that was a complete waste of time. They were not good at all. Luckily, they didn't play too many songs.

The main act, was of course, Thriving Ivory. For those of you who may not be familiar with Thriving Ivory, they are a fairly new band. The band consists of five guys from San Francisco (I think) and they have released one album so far. Their style is alternative rock, but I have heard that all of their songs are written for the piano first and then the lead guitar, bass guitar, and drums are added later. Anyway, on to the concert. I was very glad that I went. They put on a great show. They played all of the songs from their album plus a few others. They even played "Angels on the Moon" twice. The show was being filmed and since "Angels on the Moon" is their main single, they wanted a really good recording of it . . . so they played it twice. That was a little different, but it's a good song so I'm not complaining.

They didn't add on a lot of extras to their songs - they stayed fairly close to the album versions. However, there was a lot more energy in the songs and of course, the overly loud and excited crowd. They did mix in a cover of "Let It Be" onto the end of one of their songs - a nice touch. The Murray Theater as a concert venue was not real impressive - it was standing room only with not much wiggle room because of the sellout crowd. It was also very hot inside. The tiered standing area made for a much better view from the back than a normal, completely flat area would have.

Now I haven't been to very many concerts, but this was one of the best I've been to. Thriving Ivory is a great live band and the crowd was very into it. I would definitely recommend to anybody that if you get the chance to see them live, take it. I didn't take my camera so all I have is one picture Josh took with his cell phone.

Thriving Ivory Concert

2008-10-17T13:32:00.004-06:00

After searching for concert tickets only to find out that the concert had sold out, a friend in the ward (who works for 101.9 The End) somehow got me on the 101.9 guest list. I am really excited to see Thriving Ivory live. I've heard good things about their live shows and I love live music. I'm still trying to figure out who to invite now - Sara doesn't want to come.

I was trying to remember the last concert I went to - I remember seeing Peter Breinholt and Ryan Shupe before my daughter was born, but I don't know if an LDS style concert counts. The last real concert I went to was Synthstock before I was married (OMD and Berlin played).

Coldplay Concert

2008-10-06T23:29:00.004-06:00

Well, I did it. I bought a ticket to go see Coldplay. They are coming to town November 22, 2008. It's been a long time since I last saw a concert and I am really excited for this one. While I am not an avid follower of Coldplay, I do really like their music. I have a copy of two of their albums (A Rush of Blood to the Head, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends) and I really like them both.

I am going to the concert with my brother-in-law, Jeff, who is a big Coldplay fan. It was actually his idea to go the concert, although I had thought of going before he said anything (at least, that is what I am going to claim, especially if it is a good concert). The concert is at the EnergySolutions Arena here in Salt Lake City and I can't say I was real impressed with the ESA as a concert venue. I saw Billy Joel at the Delta Center back in high school. Hopefully they've improved the acoustics and/or sound system since then.

Check back after November 22 for my review of the concert!

Mario Kart Wii

2008-09-25T15:17:00.003-06:00

I finally found a copy of Mario Kart Wii. I have to say that it is one very fun game. I am quite impressed by how well the game can sense the movements of the wheel. The game does have many courses that are similar to Mario Kart for the GameCube, but with 12 racers and more weapons, it is a whole new adventure. Beware of being in first place - the other racers show no mercy with a barrage of weaponry.

Fun for one person or more, the racing never ends.

Iva Kilpatrick

2008-09-24T16:58:00.003-06:00

My neighbor and friend, Iva Kilpatrick passed away last week at the age of 90. I have known her and her husband for about 2 1/2 years (since we moved in to our house). They are my neighbors - we share a back fence. I have also been their home teacher for about two years. The funeral was last Saturday (September 20) and I was honored to conduct it. I wish the best for Iva's husband Jay, her children, and the rest of their family.

The obituary:

Iva Lee Kilpatrick 9/7/1918 ~ 9/15/2008

My loving wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother passed away early Monday of natural causes.She is survived by her loving husband, Jay Kilpatrick and six children: Norman Conder, Pat Berry, Carolyn MerWorth and Buck Conder; stepchildren: Lori Parry and Kevin Kilpatrick; 32 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held Saturday, September 20, 2008, 11 a.m. at McDougal Funeral Home, 4330 South Redwood Road where viewings will be held Friday, September 19, 2008, 6-8 p.m and Saturday, 10-10:45 a.m. prior to services.

Facebook

2008-09-19T16:43:00.002-06:00

Well, I finally made a facebook page for myself. I'm still a little confused by some of the features that facebook offers, but I sure had fun setting it up and finding some of my old high school friends. Check out my page here (for those already on facebook). Be sure to add me as a friend if you haven't already!

UTA FrontRunner

2008-09-11T22:17:00.007-06:00

I just put a few pictures from the opening ceremony for UTA FrontRunner on my Picasa album. The ceremony was April 26, 2008 at the Salt Lake Central Station in Salt Lake City. While I will not be using the FrontRunner to commute to work (it runs from Weber County to Salt Lake City and I work in South Jordan), it is a significant step in mass transit for the Wasatch Front area.

Check out the pictures here.

Model Railroad Display Table

2008-09-08T22:20:00.008-06:00

Over the past couple of years, I have slowly been putting together a model railroad display table. It's been a fun hobby of mine. I kind of have this weird thing for trains (that's one of the reasons we go to Golden Spike NHS so often). I even have a T-shirt that says "Still Plays With Trains" on it. I've been keeping a photo journal of the progress of my display table. The photographs can be viewed on my Picasa web albums site.

My Picasa Web Albums

2008-09-07T22:47:00.004-06:00

Since Google is taking over the world, I thought I might join the bandwagon. Not only have I set up this blog, I have also put some pictures up on Picasa. Check out my web albums. So far, I have pictures from our vacation to Bear Lake, our day-trip to Golden Spike National Historic Site, the City and County Building in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah, the recent fire in Corner Canyon (near Draper, Utah), and the sunrise over the Wasatch Mountains.

Enjoy the pictures!

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Exergaming

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Backwards Education

Bear Lake Golf Course in Google Maps

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Do Not Dog This Door Open

Flaming Mailbox

Guitar Hero

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Coldplay Concert Review

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Thriving Ivory Concert Review

Thriving Ivory Concert

Coldplay Concert

Mario Kart Wii

Iva Kilpatrick

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UTA FrontRunner

Model Railroad Display Table

My Picasa Web Albums