Laser Tag

On Saturday (May 26th, 2012) Erin & Doug Atwood came to town! We had offered a game of laser tag last time they were in town so they took us up on our offer this time. The whole family went to Jack & Jill’s (in Lehi) and played a couple of games and then bummed around the arcade for a bit. I really like the Jack & Jill’s laser tag because the two story arena is fun and I like to see the laser beam when I shoot at people. I wish the facility was was run a bit better (one surly teen just doesn’t cut it).

The scores from our second game. No one checked to see who they were. We don't play to win. We just play.


Posted by Cam

Being “That” Guy

“It was Dilroy!” It was always Dilroy. Billy sat in his chair and squirmed like little boys do when they get in trouble.  And he was in trouble, but he was also nearly thirty. He’d blamed Dilroy for the mistake but –and he never seemed to learn – there was no Dilroy at the company where he worked.

Wayne sighed and leaned against the cubicle wall. “Billy, this is getting ridiculous. When we hired you – and remember, we were doing your Dad a favor – we agreed that you’d sit at your desk and not touch anything or talk to anyone.”

“But Wayne,” Billy wailed. “If you’d just give me a chance to do some real work I wouldn’t have to be so obnoxious.”

Wayne considered this carefully. Having another worker might be beneficial. But then again, every office needed an obnoxious guy. On the other hand, they weren’t an office. Still, the idea of Billy doing work was laughable. The guy could barely sit still in his chair all day with nothing to do.

“You’re going to have to make a choice” said Wayne.

“And that choice is?”

“I’m either going to need you to find the mythical jock strap of Hercules or see our psychologist.”

Billy’s adventures are too incredible to recount in the written medium, but after returning with the famed jockstrap, briefing the board and giving credit to Dilory, Billy settled back into the role of guy-who-doesn’t-do-anything-and-bothers-everyone and they all lived happily ever after.

THE END

Other Blogs Have I Which Are Not of This Fold.

Just a quick little update for the family and fans (ah ha ha! Haaaaah ah….). In the past few weeks I have updated most of my other blogs:

CamOnCommerce.com – Just a couple of miscellaneous posts.

UtahCorvette.com – Still messing with my car. A couple of fun posts too.

UtahCamaro.com – Starting to mess with the new car.

ZoobaBean.com  – Sometimes I post silly things I’ve written. This blog has had a couple of updates in the last few weeks.

HughesFamily.com – Last year I picked up this domain and put up a blog. I’m in the process of deciding if I want to maintain it. Thoughts?

KnifeBlog.com – This is my company’s main blog and it has cool stuff on it (I don’t do the blogging personally, but I think a blog this good deserves a plug).


Posted by Cam, May 29, 2012

 

Terrible Short Stories for Children

I’ve always thought the idea of adult themes presented in a children’s book format was amusing. These are some awful little tidbits that I’ve written here and there over the years. Most are pretty bad, but there are some gems. I present to you Terrible Short Stories for Children

The Little Boy with too Much to Do.

Adam had too much to do! He couldn’t finish everything so he flung himself from a cliff.

The Little lost Girl

Gretchen was lost in the mall. She had wandered away from her mother. She cried and cried until a nice man said, “Come with me, I’ll drive you home to your house.” Gretchen went with the man and no one ever saw her again.

The Bad Little Dog

Pepper was a bad little dog. He would not sit, he would not roll over and he begged at the dinner table. “I will take Pepper on a trip, and when we come back he will be a good dog.” Later, Father came home but no one saw Pepper. The next night at dinner Father said, “Will someone please pass me Pepper?”

The Bird who Could Not Fly.

Little Bobbie Robin sat in his nest. He could not fly. He decided he must learn, so he hopped out of his nest and jumped. Little Bobbie Robin could not fly.

The Seed that could not Grow

Once there was a little seed. A bird ate it and pooped it out on some rocks. It could not grow.

The Fat Little Cow

There was a farmer who had a fat little cow. Each day he went to see the cow and told her how beautiful she was. He said, “You are the fattest most beautiful cow there ever was!” The cow felt very good and ate as much as she could so she would become even fatter for the farmer. Soon the little cow was so fat she could not walk. The Farmer said, “You are the most amazing cow I have ever seen!” The cow was very happy. Until the Farmer killed and ate her.

The Bad Teacher

Barney’s teacher was bad. She made Barney learn to add and subtract, divide and multiply. She made Barney learn the alphabet and she forced him to read and write. Barney grew up and became a successful business man. When he was rich enough he hired high powered lawyers to sue his bad teacher for ruining his life.

The Little Fish

There lived a little fish in a little pond. He had just learned to swim. One day he was caught by a hook. A boy-scout pulled him from his warm home and danced about gleefully. The boy-scouts ate the little fish.

The Race

Paul ran as hard as he could. He finished last. His father came over to him and said, “It is okay that you did not win. Your brothers are better than you and they will win.”

Three Wishes

Bob found a magic lamp while he was on vacation. The Genie inside said I will give you three wishes. Bob said, “I wish I knew what to wish for! And I wish I was home so I could show my friends. No, I wish I hadn’t wished that.” The Genie slapped Bob.

The Boy Who Cried Turtle

The Wade Family went to the Beach. “Turtle!” said little Timmy Wade. No one looked because Timmy saw Turtles everywhere. The Turtle climbed out of the sea and ate Timmy.

Healthy

Mr. Riggs worked out every day. He ran five miles, he lifted weights for hours and he swam and swam. He only ate healthy foods- never anything he liked. He never had time for anything fun. But he always said, “I’m taking care of myself now so I can enjoy my family when I’m old!” The doctor said Mr. Riggs was in perfect health. A truck hitMr.Riggs and he died.

Ice Cream

Mommy brought home ice cream for dessert. She said if we ate all our vegetables we could have some. Dad ate ice cream before he ate his vegetables. Dad said, “When you are a Dad you can eat what you want.” When I am a Dad I will eat kittens and  bunnies.

Baby Lewis Learns to Talk

Baby Lewis was learning to talk. “Come on! You can do it” said Mommy. “Come on! You can do it!” said Daddy. They practiced long and hard, every day for months. Baby Lewis learned how to talk! “Quiet!” said Mommy. “Shhhh!!” said Daddy.

The Bike Story

John had a brand new bike. He had worked hard and saved his money for two years to buy it. Each day he washed and waxed his new bike. He rode it around the neighborhood each afternoon. Every night John carefully put his bike under the porch and locked it to a post. John’s bike was his favorite thing in the whole world. One day John was hungry and he traded his bike for a cookie.

The Lonely Tree

Billy was an oak tree. He was all alone. One day a forest elf said he could have a wish. Billy clapped his branches together. “I wish for a friend!” The forest elf said he would grant the wish. The next day a man came into the woods and walked up to Billy. “I am your friend!” he said. He took out his ax and chopped Billy down.

Best Friends

Pete and Joe were best friends. Where Pete went Joe went. Where Joe went Pete went. They played tag, hide and seek, they ran and laughed. Later that day Pete found a new best friend named Dave.

The Lamp Lie

Lucy was scared. She had broken her mom’s favorite lamp. When mommy saw the lamp she was very sad. Mommy asked Lucy, “Do you know who broke my lamp?” Lucy shook her head. She felt bad inside. When Daddy came home he said, “Do you know who broke mommy’s lamp?” Lucy shook her head. She felt bad inside again. Lucy lied more and more and eventually the bad feeling went away

Mark’s Teeth

Mark would not brush his teeth. His mom told him they would rot and turn green. Mark would not brush his teeth. His Dad told him they would smell bad and turn yellow. Mark would not brush his teeth. His Brother told him they would get cavities and turn gray. . Mark would not brush his teeth. His sister said they would decay and turn brown.. Mark would not brush his teeth. And nothing anyone said came true. Mark’s teeth turned black and fell out.

The Newspaper

Mr. Fuller was not happy. Each day his newspaper was thrown into his grass. Mr. Fuller stopped the paper boy and yelled at him. He told the paperboy to stop throwing the newspaper in the grass. Mr. Fuller was not happy. Each day the newspaper was thrown through his window.

 Marvin’s TV

Marvin liked to watch TV. And the TV liked to watch Marvin. One day Marvin went to turn the TV off and the TV turned Marvin off.

Camaro Aftermarket Subwoofer Review

So here are a few of my Camaro stereo impressions thus far.

JL Audio 10W7AE Subwoofer:

Wow. Just wow. This sub is amazing. The 10W7 provides so much more depth and bass than the 10W6 in the Corvette that’s hard to believe. I honestly feel like this is all the bass a rational person could ever want. Even with the sub turned up the sound is full and smooth.

JL Audio JX1000/1D Amplifier:

I had originally intended to use a Kenwood XR-1S (the same kind my Corvette has) but the preamp signal in the RCA outs carries six volts which would fry the Kenwood. I opted for the JX1000 because it can take the six volts with no issues. The JX1000 also mutes the outs as soon as the receiver is turned off so there’s no sub thump when things power down (this can be an issue with the stock Camaro stereo and some aftermarket subs and I didn’t want to use a ground loop isolator if I didn’t have to).

Feature-wise the JX1000 is pretty straightforward. I picked up JL’s remote so I can control the gain while I’m driving. This is especially nice on cars where there is no separate sub out (hence no way to adjust the sub volume). Everything works just like it’s supposed to. It’s powers the sub with no issues and sounds excellent.

Performance with the Boston Acoustic System:

I wrote about how I thought the Boston Acoustic set up in the Camaro was pretty good for an OEM offering. I stand by that. As the speakers have broken in the seem like that have lost a little off the clarity but it could be that the sub woofer just overpowers them a bit.

I had to do some tweaking with the stock stereo settings (which is tricky, since they don’t give you too many options) to try and balance the stock speakers with the 10W7. Not physically balance- I’m talking about the volume and frequencies. Overall I think the stock speakers and the JL sub compliment each other quite well.

As far as physical balancing goes I think the staging in the Camaro is exceptional. The music is right in front of you, just beyond the dash (possibly that front center channel makes a difference). Even the sub tones sound like they are coming from the front of the car.

Mounting: 

As I briefly mentioned already the box I got from SubThump.com was excellent. The fit in the Camaro’s trunk is perfect. I mounted the JX1000 onto the subwoofer box because there was room and because the box seemed very sturdy. I checked to see how much vibration the amp was enduring and it’s pretty minimal- the sub box is like a rock. In addition to being impressed by the performance, I’m also visually satisfied with the outcome.

Conclusion: 

I’m pleased enough with the Boston Acoustic speakers and JL Audio sub & amp that I’m not planning to add aftermarket speakers (woofers & tweeters) or an amp in the near future. I think the music I listen to is well served by the configuration as-is. With the Camaro I do think a sub is critical if the musical experience is important to you.

Stereo Shootout:

At the onset of my stereo shoot out I was pretty sure I preferred the Camaro. So to make things more fair I decided to fix a few issues in the Vette. I spent a long time trying to isolate and eliminate the alternator whine (not gone, but much better). I moved the staging to the front of the car and did a lot of tuning; I think it makes a huge difference in sound quality and enjoyment.

So with the stereos on more equal footing I will shortly commenced the 2012 Camaro vs. Corvette stereo shoot out.Stay tuned!

To Blog or Not to Blog

I already have several blogs that I update on a regular basis. I love to blog. I wish I could blog for a living (I’d probably have to blog about interesting things though… how boring). But I’m trying to decide if I want to add another blog to my pile. I’m already the busiest guy in the world (especially when it’s convenient) but I feel like it’s important to create a record of what we do as a family.

This wouldn’t be a  “Hey look what we did!” kind of blog. Rather, I’m interested in making quick little posts when we do something as a family so my kids can look back and see that we cared. We spent time with them. We loved them. Sometimes we’re so busy living in the moment that we forget what we’re doing (which means there’s no way we can ever remember what we did).

Yeah, not sure what I’ll do (blog? no blog?) This is a big decision and I’m sure not going to make it tonight at two in the morning. “Oh man! I did what last night?” If I commit to it I’m in for the long haul.

Cam

Camaro Mods So Far

I think in general when someone gets a car they do something to make it theirs. Maybe it’s a few stickers, some seat covers, a new shift knob or all of the above. I already mentioned that I got some floor mats, put on a couple stickers and added a sub woofer. Here are my other mods to the car so far.

Upgraded exhaust: I added the OEM GMPP axel back exhaust (made by Borla). With regard to the stock exhaust, I thought the tips were okay I really disliked how the stock mufflers looked under the car. The upgraded exhaust is less constrictive and gives the car a nice growl. Sure, there are better exhaust options, but I wanted the warranty (for now)

Interior Accent Lightning: This was a splurge, plain and simple. I had added some accent lighting in the Vette and I really liked the idea of having something like that in the Camaro. This factory option has lights that shine out of the cup holders and in both footwells. The coolest part is that a toggle switch allows you to switch between red and blue.

Fuel Door: I looked at some aftermarket offerings for the fuel door, but really liked the design of the OEM upgrade. My plan is to powdercoat it black at some point.

Custom Chevy Bowtie Emblems: I’m not a big fan of the gold colored bowties so I got this custom painted set (I picked the colors).  I had originally wanted to do all red, but I did a mock-up in Photoshop and decided all red looked like a clown nose. After playing with different color combinations I thought the contrast of the pinstripes looked best.

Tinting: I had ceramic tinting added to the windows. I stuck with legal tinting on the two side windows (I don’t know why, in retrospect) and then 20% on the rear sides and back. I also had the taillights blacked out (I think it makes the car look more menacing).

Also, if you’re local I can recommend Tint & Clear Bra Specialists in Midvale for any tinting needs. I have used them several times and they have been excellent.

Powercoated Rims: At first the silver wheels grew on me; I thought they added a nice contrast. But before long I knew I wanted to get black rims. I shopped around a bit, but I couldn’t find any rims I liked better than the 20″ OEM’s. LA Wheel offers a wheel exchange program so I decided to try it out. They sent me a pair of black powercoated OEM wheels and once I got them I shipped back my silver ones. Compared to buying new rims it was fairly inexpensive.

The rims are 40% gloss which makes them much less shiny that the body of the car. I think it provides a nice contrast while still giving the car a more aggressive look. You can see below that I’ve already dinged the wheel (in a car wash- don’t go through car washes with any car you care about).

In the coming months I may have the opportunity to have a prototype turbo kit installed on my car (kit at cost w/ a free install) so I’m considering that. I’m also considering trying out a supercharger (Whipple of Kenne Bell?). My goal is to have my Camaro more powerful than a stock ZL1 by May of next year. But I digress –  that’s mechanical stuff, and this post was meant to be about cosmetic mods.

The only other cosmetic additions I’m considering for now are a body kit and some racing stripes. I just need to find a reliable dealer to who can do these right.

Magento. Simply the Best.

Notice anything different about our website? Probably not- that’s how seamless the transition was. Of course there’s still a ton of configuration left to do so the new features won’t start popping up for several months but we are on Magento!

We recently acquired a competitor and their website was running on Magento. After using it for a few weeks it became clear that we had wasted  a small fortune building our own software. Magento is significantly ahead of where we were (and seems to be ahead of everyone).  In just the few short weeks we have been using it we’ve seen a nice bump in sales.

If you run any kind of ecommerce company and you have been using a a cookie cutter “box shop” or hosted solution it’s time to take a serious look at Magento. It’s affordable, stable, fast, secure, scalable and boasts more features and usability that any of its competition*. Our motto at work is “evolve or die” and Magento had breathed new life into our company (maybe they should change their name to “Life Cart”!).

*Some of the other ecommerce solutions we compared it to were Shopify, Yahoo, BigCommerce, Volusion, Shopping Cart Elite, Fortune3, NetSuite Ecommerce and custom built solutions on the OS Commerce platform.