Pittsburgh -- Merlins Tower

Andy Warhol: Eating a Hamburger: And was a Video Blogger

Posted on May 8th, 2008 by Merlin.
Categories: Art, Food, Human, Life, Pittsburgh, Video, Weird Stuff, YouTube.

I just came across this video of Andy Warhol - Who happens to be one of my favorite artists. Another Pittsburgher like iJustine that started video blogging. This video below is just a small sample of Andy Warhol’s interest in everyday objects and making it art. Yes, it is a little strange - but no more stranger then what people do on a daily basis video blogging, podcasting, blogging. Real life recorded - Some art - some journalistic - and some just plain weird. But that is just me. Now my comment on this video - Andy didn’t know the secret of getting Heinz Ketchup out of the bottle - Holding it at a 45 degree angle and hitting the bottle on / around the Heinz logo on the glass.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pdn6wrM1Hqw

Technorati Tags: video, video+blogging, blogging, podcasting, andy+warhol, warhol, art, life, pittsburgh, pa, warhol+muesum, iJustine

0 comments.

Robots Invade Pittsburgh - Roboworld

Posted on April 20th, 2008 by Merlin.
Categories: Adult, Analog, Announcement, Human, Life, Pittsburgh, Travel.

Carnegie Science Center - Pittsburgh - Roboworld Just announced - Well earlier this month - Is Roboworld at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, PA. This new exhibit will be part of their permanent display - It will cost about $3.4 million and will emphasize three aspects of artificial robotic behavior: sensing, thinking and acting.

This Display will also include members of the Carnegie Mellon University Robot Hall of Fame. On April 9th Anthony Daniels Dropped by for this announcement as his famous character C3PO is on display in the Robot Hall of Fame.

This exhibit hopes to help to foster kids into careers in Science, Math, and Technology and hopefully relating to the field of robotics. From all that I read on this new display this will be the largest of it kind in the nation.

I know I can’t wait till this display opens - if it is like the other displays there - it will included lots of hands on and lots of fun with a bunch of education thrown in with out it seeming like you are learning.

And as R2D2 would Say:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2GAsrYBAjY

Technorati Tags: Roboworld, Carnegie,, Science,, Center,, CSC, Mellon, C3PO, R2D2, , Carnegie, Science, Center, Robots, Robotics, Robot, Hall, of, Fame, Carnegie, Mellon, University, Carnegie, Mellon, CMU, Pittsburgh, PA

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Things that Are not there Anymore!!!

Posted on March 9th, 2008 by Merlin.
Categories: Analog, Communication, Fountain Pens, Free, Gadgets, Hack, Human, Pittsburgh.

I was playing around on Twitter today and found this great tool for twitter called TerraMinds - It allows you to search for a topic you want to see if anyone wrote about. I did a search on there for Pittsburgh and found some interesting articles. But I was lead to LyriqueTragedy and her web blog - DawnPapuga.com - And she wrote about Things that were not there anymore and specifically to Pittsburgh - But there are the general topics as well - Such as the handwritten note - to quote her on this:

There’s something magical about handwritten letters. To receive a handwritten letter from someone is a gift.

Boy isn’t that so true - I think this leads me to why I love to use my fountain pens and write things down instead of using a computer for everything.

Yes, Email is much faster. But, receiving a letter from a friend that was written down is way more personal.

They actually took the time to sit down at a desk, pull out a piece of paper, select a pen, and put their words in ink on paper. This truly is Magical.

Something that used to be taken for granted has been over taken by email, voicemail, faxing, (All things Digital) - Trust me - I love digital devices more then the next person but… There has to be a time and a place to sit down and write your friend a letter just because…. I know I would really enjoy getting a letter in the mail from a friend - Much more then I would like reading that same letter in email form. Yes, even the same words seem more powerful when put in ink on paper and not just represented on the screen in ones and zeros.

Well this is just my little push to go out and write a letter to someone that cares. And see what happens. You really don’t need to have a fancy pen, fancy paper or anything fancy at all. Just pull out a sheet of white paper from your printer and grab that bic pen that you have been chewing one and just write it down. Nice to write your thoughts down - when you have to think about them first and not have the backspace key at your beck and call. Now you don’t have to pre-think the whole letter but just think about the current sentence you are writing and just write what comes from your heart. I am pretty sure whom ever you are writing will be surprised and will love what ever you write no matter what.

Well now you need to send it to them - I know I don’t have any blank envelopes on hand so here you can make your own. - DIY - Fold Your Own Envelope.

But now that you have it folded what about a stamp - Two things - There are many post offices that are open 24 hours and you can put your pocket change in and get a stamp feed out to you - or go to and purchase a few booklets of the Forever Stamp from the post office - Cost the same as a first class stamp does now $.41 but it doesn’t have a price on it and can be used anytime in the future for no additional postage due. Very Cool - Nows the time to buy in bulk and use them in 20 years.

Merlin

Technorati Tags: Handwriting, letterwriting, writing, ink, paper, envelope, stamps, stamp, make, your, own, envelope, Hack, DIY, Free, love, fountain, pen, analog

2 comments.

Greyhound Watch Out Here comes Megabus.Com

Posted on March 9th, 2007 by Merlin.
Categories: Anything Else, Pittsburgh, Travel, Web Service.

Megabus Bus Photo Just saw in this evenings Pittsburgh Post Gazette that Megabus.com is coming to Pittsburgh. I just found this interesting that after many many years of being the only bus company to offer bus rides across the country that there will be another popping up when gas prices are starting to rise again.

Well Megabus doesn't offer as many stops as greyhound but what really is nice is the cost of a bus ride. I can do a round trip bus trip Leaving Pittsburgh Thursday Night arriving in Chicago Friday Morning and Returning Sunday Morning from Chicago and arriving back in the burgh Sunday Night. That full round trip will only cost me $9.50 Yes you read that right - Only Nine Dollars and Fifty cents. No gimmick the further in advance you order the cheaper the trip - Some trips are only $1 each way. Plus this is being run by a reputable company CoachUSA - Who does quite a bit of tour buses and bus trip rentals to various places like New England for Fall Leave Tours or to different Casinos.

You may wonder how they do it - well from what I gathered is that the best prices are when you order in advance - if you need a trip for tomorrow then you will pay more. And the only Hub is in Chicago - Here in Pittsburgh - You wait on the street corner until the bus arrives to take you to your destination. And the last reason they are cheaper is you MUST order your tickets off of the web.

Megabus main hub is located in Chicago and from there you can catch a bus to (St Louis - Chicago, Ann Arbor, Louisville, Kansas City and more) See the Full Route Below.

Megabus Trip Map Guide

I only mention this as I would like to visit Chicago this summer and take in a few of the sites (The Navy Pier, The Magnificent Mile and The City in General) and I can not think of a better way to travel and see the country. I don't mind flying but if I can visit a city and return back for under $10 that is a deal or should I say STEAL.

Technorati Tags: Greyhound, Megabus, Travel, Bus+Trip, Cheap+Tickets, Cleveland, Toledo, Detroit, Ann, Arbor, Milwaukee, Chicago, Kansas+City, St+Louis, Louisville, Round+Trip, Country

0 comments.

What is For Lunch: Try the Wheel Of Food

Posted on March 5th, 2007 by Merlin.
Categories: Beer, Coffee, Food, Free, Pittsburgh, Web Service.

Do you have a hankering for a hunk of cheese (Ah School House Rock) Or you have no idea where you want to go to lunch? - Well the Wheel of Food to the rescue. Just type in the Zip Code box where you want to eat some grub at and then type in what you want to eat - (Lunch, Dinner, Italian, Breakfast, Pizza, Hamburgers, Steak, Seafood, Ok You get the idea) Then you get to spin the wheel of Food and see where you are going to go - What is nice is this website pulls it data from Yahoo-Local and even gives you their ratings and website info in case you don't know where this place is located at.

What does the Wheel of Food
Have in store for you today??

Technorati Tags: Food, lunch, reviews, dinner, italian, hamburger, local, pittsburgh, yahoo, school+House+rock, random, fun+site, Cool+Site

0 comments.

Merlins Take on the Super Bowl Ads

Posted on February 5th, 2007 by Merlin.
Categories: Adult, Anything Else, Communication, NFL, Pittsburgh, Super Bowl, Video, Web Service.

So this will sorta be off topic today - But I watched the Super Bow last evening - I usually enjoy watching for the advertisements more then the game its self (Except last year when the Steelers were in it) I have to say I really was disappointed this year. There really was no one advertisement that just really stood out.

I have to admit I did like the Snickers Commercial Called The Kiss, and I liked the FedEx Commercial and the First Office on the moon.

The Taco Bell Commercial with the two lions (I felt was pretty lame - But at least it was original)

The Coke Commercial are all ones I have seen in the past and so don't get a vote for me as I thought the super bowl commercials were to be new and exciting.

I did like the the commercial for e-trade and what you can do with one finger. That was creative.

The Bud Commercial for the Beer stealing crabs - was just a 3.0 out of 5.0 Creative but why?

The Career Builder Commercials - Those were much better then the monkey commercials from last year. Not even sure it was for the same company but still better.

And that sales Genie commercial - just plain dumb.

But have to give too thumbs up to Sierra Mist for the Beard Comb Over. Original and Creative.

I also have to give two thumbs up for Nation Wide and the Life Comes at you Fast and K-Fed.

For a list of all of the super bowl Ads Check out IFilms.com.

Technorati Tags: super, bowl, super+bowl, ads, Super+, bowl+Ads, Commercials, funny, 2007, colts, bears