For less than $5 a month you can have space on a web server. For a few bucks a year you can have your own domain name. With a computer at the public library and a plain text editor you can then publish a website that can be seen more or less all over the world. THAT IS POWER. It just requires a tiny bit of knowledge and effort to do your own thing. You should do it.
We had a good Thanksgiving. Watched MST3K all day, read, took the dog on an excellent walk on the long leash up at the local university. Had an excellent dinner.
Riley – you can’t take a bad picture of himIn the Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons, Artificial Intelligences known as the TechnoCore trick humanity into providing the processing power of their own brains to serve the Technocore’s purposes. They do this by providing the technology for space-warping gates, allowing interstellar civilization to exist. When humanity uses the system, their neurons are used. And humanity uses it CONSTANTLY.But I guess it’s cool if we let the world’s AIs steal our creative output, by providing “free” platforms for use to use. Nothing bad could happen.
My favorite SF series, by the way. Wonderfully written – gorgeous.
Last week we went to see Fran Lebowitz speak at the Eisemann Center here in Richardson. I remember her appearing on the old David Letterman show in NBC, but was not really that familiar with her. It was entertaining. Going to look into more of her work.
We went to see Front 242 last night here in Dallas, at the Granada Theater.
First a little bragging. My amazing wife got us front row balcony seats. We could sit for the whole show and no one could stand in front of us. The balcony at the Granada is a fantastic place to see a show.
This was to be the band’s last live tour. The guys are getting up there. They are a little older than me, and they’ve been doing this since about 1983. They’ve earned a rest.
We’ve seen them once before, same venue, 2017.
The show as great. I love the imagery Front 242 uses on the screen. Just amazing. The crowd was generally older and cool. Not the kind of crowd you encounter so often these days where people are standing in groups talking while the band plays.
We needed this. 
Today is Carl Sagan’s birthday.
Can we please have more Sagans than Rogans? Please.
True story. My first “real job” out of college was selling copiers. Outside sales. One day I was out cold calling in my super horrible sales territory, just going through an office building talking to people. I went into a small movie production company and met the owner, Terry Lofton (yes, close last name). They had produced this wonderful film — Nail Gun Massacre. I have never seen it.
Apparently Terry died in 2011, at the age of 48, and NGM was the only film he ever made.
I did not succeed in selling them a copier.
Our sweet old man.
Yesterday we took Riley to a short class on “scent training” or something like that.
It involved me rubbing a mixture of smelly treats on my shoes, shuffling across the grass to create a trail and periodically dropping treats, and then my wife following him on his loose leash while he followed the trail to the end, at which point he celebrated with her.
By the end of the hour Riley was really getting it, and it was super cute and heartwarming to see my wife and our dog celebrating is success!
The previous post, in which I do an end-over to Frontside Fakie 360 — I posted that video on the OldSkaters reddit. Someone commented “Very Alva!”
This was very pleasing to me.
That is all.
My new friend Noah, who I met at StupidFest this year, sent me this video clip of me doing that same end-over to frontside fakie 360 at Zombie Baby ditch. Always fun to have stuff like this just materialize. I like this view – it shows the ditch really well.
10/6/2026 will be the 20th anniversary of the first posting on this blog. That is crazy. Is it turning out that this blog is actually my life’s work?
I’ve had this Cockfight Skateboards deck for a few months. With the death of Frank Gardner I for some reason found myself compelled to set it up. Thanks, Frank. Seriously. I will seek to honor you with every ride on this beast.
Setup – can’t remember what they call this shape. Indy 169s, 1 thin riser, 54mm 95a OJ Nomads.
This will be a damned good board.
Found out yesterday that longtime Texas skateboarder, crafter of custom Texican skateboards, and wonderful son Frank Gardner has died.
Frank is one of the many people I knew online but have not met in-person. We chatted a lot, especially when our moms were both going through dementia. Of all Frank’s accomplishments – the skating, the creativity, etc. – I will alway remember him as a son who loved his mother and was devoted to her. Frank did the really heavy lifting during those days. That kind of situation is no easy ride, and Frank handled it with love and grace. That alone made me very happy to call him friend.
After Frank’s mom died he began a new lifestyle. During the horrible Texas summer’s he’d pack up the Texicamper van and head to the cooler Pacific Northwest, where he loved skating the many excellent skateparks up there. Then he’d return home and create fantastic skateboard decks for people. He pressed his own laminate, shaped the boards, and finished them. His decks were sought-after. Fine and solid craftsmanship was inherent and obvious when you touched one. Bullet-proof.
It saddens me that our paths will not cross in the future, in some awesome and perfect drainage ditch with all our friends sessioning alongside us.
My next ride will be in memory of Frank.
Today I am 60 years old.
Right now I feel good. I feel as strong and agile as when I was 50. I know that the journey from 60 to 70 can be more…severe. I just want to travel and go to shows with my wife, walk the dog, enjoy the cat, skate, do aikido, game, and see my friends.
So here are a few pics … Thanks to Jeff Minx for the skateboarding shots.
Riley with his current favorite stick…
Me, landing a shove-it rock ‘n’ roll…
Me, spinning an end-over to fakie 360.
Me, spinning an end-over to fakie 360, from a slightly less flattering angle…