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I tried something different with the Orca Card this month (I’ve written about Orca Cards before). Since I knew I'd be away for a little bit, instead of buying a full monthly pass, I just added $20 to the card. Would that be enough?

With only 13 recorded trips (hop-ons and Ride-Free zone trips not included), it was.

And special thanks to Tobias Bäthge who's awesome WP-Table Reloaded plugin for WordPress enabled the tabular data below.

Date/TimeDescriptionTxn ValueE-purse Balance
7/30/2009 19:20Route 21-6
7/30/2009 17:25Route 22-26
7/30/2009 14:41Route 18-1.758
7/30/2009 8:28Route 15-29.75
7/28/2009 11:03Purse Use Entry -2.5011.75
7/28/2009 11:03Purse Use Entry 2.5014.25
7/28/2009 11:02Purse Use Entry -2.5011.75
7/28/2009 11:02Purse Use Entry 2.5014.25
7/28/2009 11:02Purse Use Entry -2.5011.75
7/16/2009 18:23Route 18-14.25
7/16/2009 17:52Route 13-214.25
7/16/2009 8:39Route 18-216.25
7/15/2009 8:19Route 18-218.25

Still getting the hang of riding the bus, a behavior promoted by my recent purchase of an Orca Card (I've written about Orca Cards before. Data for the month of June is below, and reveals 17 rides total, not counting transfers or trips in the Ride-Free Zone of downtown Seattle (for which you don't have to tap the card on the reader.

One tip I learned this month: if you replenish your card online, instead of at an Orca Sales kiosk, then there's a trick to getting your updated balance sent to the card: When next you get on the bus, hold the card perpendicular to the Orca reader when you tap it (instead of flush). Apparently this 'loads' your new balance onto the card, and then you can resume tapping it flush against the reader to register your ride.

Date/Time                              Location     Product
06/26/2009 06:15 PM     Route 13     KCM, KCM-BUS-4160
06/26/2009 05:45 PM     Route 15     KCM, KCM-BUS-2625
06/26/2009 09:01 AM     Route 15     KCM, KCM-BUS-2733
06/26/2009 08:17 AM     Route 18     KCM, KCM-BUS-2607
06/22/2009 01:22 PM     Route 15     KCM, KCM-BUS-3611
06/19/2009 09:18 AM     Route 18     KCM, KCM-BUS-2803
06/18/2009 05:22 PM     Route 18     KCM, KCM-BUS-2686
06/18/2009 04:00 PM     Route 15     KCM, KCM-BUS-2317
06/18/2009 09:01 AM     Route 18     KCM, KCM-BUS-2678
06/12/2009 11:38 AM     Route 18     KCM, KCM-BUS-2689
06/12/2009 08:58 AM     Route 18     KCM, KCM-BUS-2734
06/11/2009 05:27 PM     Route 18     KCM, KCM-BUS-2680
06/11/2009 09:05 AM     Route 15     KCM, KCM-BUS-2470
06/05/2009 04:19 PM     Route 18     KCM, KCM-BUS-3612
06/05/2009 09:18 AM     Route 18     KCM, KCM-BUS-2630
06/04/2009 07:01 PM     Route 18     KCM, KCM-BUS-2334
06/04/2009 05:39 PM     Route 56     KCM, KCM-BUS-3693

Imagine you are the two guys behind this summer's diabolically bad Terminator: Salvation movie. Your film of humanity's destruction also destroys a solid 3-picture franchise and any hope of a better future (who's gonna make a sequel after that?). Then you declare bankruptcy and run from your creditors (who include among them the lead actors from both the original and your  re-imagined celluloid dream: Christian Bale AND Arnold Schwarzenegger. Take it away LA Times:

The producers of "Terminator Salvation" have filed for bankruptcy and their list of creditors is a veritable "who's who" of Hollywood.

Just a day after the duo sued their investors for allegedly pushing them into a series of bad business decisions and placing what they claim is an illegal lien on their property, three companies belonging to Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek, owners of the "Terminator" franchise rights and the producers of May's "Terminator Salvation," filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Tuesday.

via 'Terminator' producers file for bankruptcy, creditors include Schwarzenegger, Christian Bale, McG | Company Town | Los Angeles Times.

For years, my browser-of-choice has been Flock, the social media browser built on Firefox. Last month I switched my browser to Firefox 3.5 with the Yoono plug-in to see how it compared w/ Flock, and to learn what using a 'more standard' browser experience felt like. Aside from using all the same plugins and addons as Firefox, the experience was very similar.

But I couldn't get comfortable with using Yoono. It's UI feels disruptive, cluttered, and less useful than Flock's built-in social media enabling features. Now that Flock has added more functionality for Twitter (easy re-tweets, replies, and direct-messages) and integrated Facebook chat into the chrome (so you don't have to be on a Facebook page to access it), I've switched back. I've even explored the "My World" page built into Flock. With just a few simple customizations, I was able to reproduce the same functionality as TweetDeck, which can now be removed (right after I un-instill Firefox).

Way to go Flock! Be sure to check out it's new version 2.5.1 available for all platforms

Whether you think he's Odin, Thor, or just plain Eric the Red, the transition of this menacing German into a techno dancer is classic. Key questions remain unanswered like:

  1. What did he drink from the bottle handed to him (1:20sec in)
  2. What was written on the note passed to him (2:05sec in)
  3. What is the origin of the talisman around his neck that, when pulled, can arrest his dancing so quickly (3:58sec in)
  4. Was he mocking the backpack-wearing rave kids around him, or does he really enjoy dancing this way?

Be sure to get Mirth's technicolor Techno Viking T-shirt to boost your 'internet meme' cred.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1nzEFMjkI4

Liv sleeps on Uncle Frank's front porch

Contrary to popular belief, my neighborhood is sunny, quiet, and loaded with sensitive father figures that young ones can totally relax with. Check out this picture of Baby Liv sleeping on Uncle Frank's front porch. In fact, Uncle Frank's own dad lives only two blocks away!

  • Bobby McFerrin hacks your brain with the pentatonic scale:

    Marilyn sez, "Bobby McFerrin uses the pentatonic sc.. http://bit.ly/VaHow #

  • Selling my N810 w/ latest OS & apps installed. $225 shipped free to a US home (http://bit.ly/jwYre
    ) #
  • First Pictures of Virgin Galactic WhiteKnightTwo Interior [Airplanes]: We all know how Virgin Galactic's WhiteKn.. http://bit.ly/16l8xZ #
  • Chilling w/ iced americano & little ones at @bedlamcoffee watching construction... #
  • Chilling w/ iced americano & little ones at @bbedlamcoffee watching construction... #
  • Chilling w/ iced americano & little ones at @bedlam watching construction #
  • Riding Seattle's new Link Light Rail end-to-end #
  • Join me and lets LEARN TO ROW! 6 classes in August for $50 at the http://bit.ly/aC9b9
    . . . RSVP @digittante #