I should first begin with a brief apology. A few weeks ago I posted my thoughts on the KCATA.org website. They weren’t the kindest, and I should have put myself in that designers shoes first. It’s tough designing and developing websites for large organizations; a lot of hands get in the pot and stir things up. I am sure that team did the best they could, and I shouldn’t have criticized the site. That being said, from here on out I shant criticize sites anymore. Flaws are often obvious and don’t need pointing out. If I don’t have something nice to write, I’ll keep it to myself.

Which brings me to the subject of this post: Electra Bikes. Holy moley are these bikes smooth and a complete joy to ride. As this posts headline states, though, it’s more than fantastic bikes that makes Electra great. They are an innovative company that seeks to restore the joy you had riding a bike as a kid.

I started riding my bike to work about three weeks ago. I don’t get to ride every week, but I ride most days. It’s a comfortable four miles each way, although mostly uphill from my office to my home. Before I got the bike in the picture I was riding a Trek 4500 – a great bike for riding trails and such. However, I wanted something more suited for commuting. Enter Jarrod Jarod McBride (twitter.com/concertman), he introduced me to Electra bikes (electrabike.com). The sleek design had me hooked immediately.

It wasn’t long on the site that I was looking for places in Kansas City that sold these bikes. I found a place near me and made my way there (Midwest Cyclery, on Broadway). Fortunately they had one in stock for me to test ride. I knew pretty quickly this was the bike I was looking for and it was in my price range. I still had some questions, though, and decided to ask them directly to Electra if I could.

This is also part of what makes them great, in my humble opinion: on Electra’s website, under the Contact heading you will not find a standard contact form. Instead you will find the names and actual email addresses of the people you may ask questions of. I emailed Elayne, in Marketing, because why not, right? Elayne replied to me within an hour and a half. Perfect. I was even more convinced this would be a company that would stand behind their bikes and offer exceptional service.

Naturally, the lack of contact form got me thinking about web usability. If you are a small business what does it hurt to put a name and email address on your contact page rather than a contact form? Chances are the contact form is just going to go straight to the person you would have the form direct to.

I can see if you need to get technical information from the user, such as browser and OS info, but if you are product oriented, or service oriented, small business like Electra adding a name and email address is a subtle way to build trust with your users and potential customers.

Anyway, I put my scooter up for sale on Craigslist since I had not been riding it and wouldn’t take the time to maintain it properly. Within a few days it sold and I ordered my Townie 21 original in black satin. I also ordered fenders for the tires and the rack on the back. Midwest assembled everything for me and called me yesterday to let me know it was all ready.

If you are looking for a new commuter bike I highly recommend Electra. Spend some time on their site. You will find it informative and full of pictures of their various bikes. Also, if you decide you want one, and you are in the KC area, talk to the guys at Midwest Cyclery, they are cool guys, one dude has a wicked moustache, and they will make sure you are happy with your bike before and after your first ride.

This, apparently, is a honest-to-goodness internal Microsoft video meant to inspire the Vista sales force. If this is real, and you still buy Vista after this, you are mom jeans. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPv8PPl7ANU[/youtube]

If you are like me, and you’re not face it, you spend a lot of time in front of your computer with your Instant Messenger client of choice distracting you on a regular basis. Often in my haste to please an IM buddy I’ll quickly type something and I’ve noticed that I make some funny typo’s. So, I’ve amassed them in a brief list. Feel free to add more in the comments section.

• fort = for - this is typically the result of a fat finger
• ti’s = it’s - not an ode to Frank McCourt
• dong = doing
• abou tit = about it
• noi = no i
• meat = me at
• pees = peace
• lame = my wife’s cat

Incidentally, any 10.5 users using Spaces frustrated by iChat’s hostile take over of your machine upon a new chat? Do. Not. Want!

You may be familiar with an improv/performance art group called Improv Everywhere. They pull off some pretty sweet stunts seemingly at random and in public places. My personal favorite is when 50 or so of them all froze in place on cue in Grand Central Station. They held their place for what seemed to be an eternity, then all at once they unfroze and moved on with their actions. People in Grand Central applauded.

The most recent feat I’ve come across from them is this gem. They really put a lot of effort and planning in to one of their productions. They take the time to learn the names and history of people unwittingly involved, and in this case, really deliver an experience only dreamed of. If I were one of the kids in this video I’d be talking about it for years to come.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Nbkbss7i5s[/youtube]

I’m not really interested in fairness or anything, but this is just pathetic. I mean… we get it.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPLtotzqH0M&NR=1[/youtube]

Striving to bring you the greatest in campaign videos, I present you with Raining McCain. Watch one girl as she washes her face with McCain. W. T. F.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaP9eiWuX3s[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf0x_TpDris[/youtube]

Here we are. Christmas 2007, and still no flying cars.

Before you continue reading let me preface this entry with this statement: I am thinking out loud.

It seems there has been a swell of anti-consumerism messages filling the ears of Christians this Christmas season. My own church is taking part in a thing called The Advent Conspiracy.

At their most benign, anti-consumerism messages remind the buyer that Christmas isn’t all about gifts and buying. At their most extreme these messages advocate not buying anything you don’t need. There is even a Church of Stop Shopping now. More about them in a bit.

While I don’t think these messages are without merit, I believe the majority of these anti-consumerism messages don’t address the heart of the issue.

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…

At the heart of consumerism is want. If you want, you buy. Right? Movements like The Advent Conspiracy and The Church of Stop Shopping are failing to fill the need that is met with the want. That means movements like these merely become short lived fads. This isn’t good because movements like The Advent Conspiracy, at least, are meeting needs in other parts of the world. I don’t know much about The Church of Stop Shopping other than documentary producer, Morgan Spurlock (Super Size Me, 30 Days), followed its pastor, Reverend Billy, around for a while and made a film. A fillm that people will no doubt buy a ticket for after they’ve bought dinner at a local eatery then at the theatre perhaps they will buy more things to eat and drink. Do I need to point out the irony?

So what is the need that people are filling with the want? Well, that’s up for debate, but I would guess a host of things, not the least of which being a sense of purpose.

What’s startling to me is the Christian community’s swiftness to latch on to things like The Advent Conspiracy and The Church of Stop Shopping (see this entry from the blog Revolution in Jesusland).

The Church is quick to adopt new movements, but not our own problems. See, I feel like things such as The Advent Conspiracy provide an opiate for Christians around Christmas time, and even beyond. It helps us not feel as guilty for buying the gifts we are secretly still buying (TAC asks that participants forgo spending money on gifts, and rather give that money to their participating TAC church to fund clean water projects in third world countries).

Perhaps what we should be focusing on is what void we are filling by shopping, and, even, giving. Are we buying because it allows us to feel in control? Are we giving because it gives us a high, or because we love? Are we shopping to keep our minds off of something greater?

I think that when we begin to tackle these voids, then doing things like what TAC is taking on become part of our daily faith and practice, not just a Christmas event. Otherwise, I fear such movements will only be passing fads like True Love Waits, Promise Keepers, WWJD, Prayer of Jabez, and the entire “golden age” of Praise & Worship music.

When I was in college I met a dude named Jake. I wasn’t a freshman, but he was.

The first time I met him I remember there being a lot of noise. Hollering. There was also a rainbow clown wig and a Fender Stratocastor; it was light blue, I believe. Maybe green.

I quickly realized I recognized Jake, he was the drummer for a band, called Shine, later (*see comments) Reflector, and I had heard them a month before and really liked them. Jake played drums.

Jake’s last name is Cardwell, and his dad is Bill Cardwell. They are the Cardwells’ of the famed C&C Drum Company.

The Pitch recently published an article on Bill and C&C, and it brought back memories of me, Steve (who had played in a previous band with Jake) and Jake breaking into the store late at night to pass time and make music.

We would typically buy a couple 12-packs of Corona or Boulevard, then drive to the store where we would each pick out the instrument of our choice and then play until we got bored of the instrument; then we would pick out another. Of course, we would have to put everything back in order just the way we found it and close everything back up before anyone got there to open up.

It does me good to see that C&C is still doing great, and growing leaps and bounds. The Cardwell&s deserve their success. Those guys really do build some of the finest drums you will ever hear.