The Turner Traditions Tuesday September 27, 2011

Over the past four years, (wait a second … holy f$%k), one of our family traditions is to throw the occasional house party. As a couple, my wife and I strive to throw at least one party once year, regardless of how small our apartment is. With each of these parties, I also have a personal tradition of crafting customized posters for each event. My favourites of all time have to be the first few Tiny Turkey Dinner parties which always included some sort of inappropriate axe, skull and sickle combination for what is essentially a Boxing Day Turkey Sandwich party.

Anywho, last year we threw a party to celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving. It was our little way of bringing a bit of Calgary to Washington. So this year we decided to do it all over again. Because of which, I crafted another poster.

So this is this year’s version.

You maybe wondering why I would post this on c.t.overdrive. And if you guessed that it was because I haven’t posted in over a week, you are only partially correct. Actually one of the reasons, why I’ve always done these ridiculous posters is to try and challenge myself. Yes, they are fun to make, but they are also a great gauge of the transformation of one’s design skills. Plus these posters always give me a chance to think outside the box of my usual design aesthetic and also do a bit of experimentation.

So with that, I thought I’d post this year’s Turner Canadian Thanksgiving poster online. It took me less than an hour to whip up, but I’m proud of how it turned out and the growth in this design in comparison to my first party poster design… way back in 2008.

Categories: The-Family, ,

Random Thoughts For A Turkey Hangover Monday October 12, 2009

I’m going to blame the tardiness of this week’s random thoughts solely on the Canadian Thanksgiving long weekend and the ensuing Turkey hangover that comes with it. And for the record, since I’m still a first generation Irglish child, I still have no clue what this whole shindig is all about.

Anyways…

First – The FTC now mandates that Bloggers must disclose payments for all products reviews on a web site. Even though, I’m not American, I thought I would disclose the amount of money that I have received from reviewing a product on c.t.overdrive.

That value is: $0

But for the record, I would gladly modify this number to review some Threadless T-Shirts, Polaroid Camera equipment and even a large screen television.

Second – Forget being on a Boat … Anand and the Bumtop team are in Wired

Third – When Panada’s Attack has to be one of the best T-Shirts Threadless has ever released. In my honest opinion, this sucker really should be a hoodie.

But the good news is that it’s for sale again, during their retro t-shirt sale. Because a two year old T-shirt is so retro.

Fourth – Ah, this pains me, but I kinda have to agree. That being said … Ha Ha! Stupid Oilers”.

Fifth – These are the companies in your neighborhood. So this week’s this is a company in your neighborhood is dedicated to Pho3nix New Media Inc.

Pho3nix New Media, may not be a huge multimillion dollar name in your world, but if you’ve played Curse of the Pharaoh or it’s sequel then you know of the company. Earlier this week, Pho3nix’s president Jon Lam launched news of the first Canadian Based iPhone Fund. Which again probably doesn’t mean much, but 2 million dollars towards the iPhone development community in the city is pretty impressive.

Sixth – This could be the best looking version of FIFA soccer since the original 1995 Genesis version. I just hope they kept the feature where you could run away from the ref for hours at a time … Stupid ref, look at him run. Why didn’t he just tackle the offending player.

Seventh – Here’s an interesting turn of events, it seems Dallas Mavericks uber-owner Mark Cuban, is starting to champion the local Dallas scribes over the local Dallas TV reporters in regards to coverage of his team. This is pretty impressive, because Cuban garnered his billions off of the back of his online Television business. So it’s extremely odd to see him urging supports to support a traditional newspaper system.

Eighth – Here’s a Class of 1998 flashback with a HoodInternet Mix. P.Diddy vs. The Volcano Choir

All About The Islands (Puff Daddy vs Volcano Choir) – The Hood Internet

Ninth – Vikings & Skateboards … oh my!

Categories: The-Random, The-Family, The Blogosphere, The Calgary Vibe, The Flames, The Football, The Humourous, The Pop-Culture, The Southern Neighbours, The T-Shirts

Random Thoughts For Mussoorie Friday October 2, 2009

It’s a bit of a little known fact that although Papa Overdrive is probably as English as one could possibly get, he actually grew up in the mountainous region of the Himalayas. In fact, Papa Overdrive and Grandpapa Overdrive lived in the small mountainous town of Mussoorie, where Grandpapa Overdrive was head of Military Police for the province of Uttarakhand. This is all way back before Indian gained its independence from the glorious British Empire.

I mention this, because after a 6-10 year communication gap, I have finally started re-connecting with my cousins via Facebook. Through these conversations, my interest in the region has been rekindled and I find myself search Flickr on a daily basis for pictures of Mussorie, India. So below are some of the pictures from this beautifully amazing region of India.

If you want to check out more from Flickr, have a look at the Geolocation stream on Flickr.

First – Classy article from Flames President Ken King regarding Theo’s retirement.

Second … And this is why I’m going to stop building web sites and just start building Facebook Pages. The New England Patriots have released their new uber interactive Facebook Fan Page … (P.S. For those curious and wondering how Facebook would ever make any money here’s your answer.)

Third – Are there any camera junkies out there? Or maybe someone who is looking to explore the world of cameras?

If you are, then help LouderThan10 (Mr. Travis Gertz) get rid of his stuff before he and his wife leave on an epic Winnebago Adventure with Walter.

So if you want a great camera pack, take a look at what he’s selling.

Fourth – From Mr. D.A.Arnott, Here’s a case study of how a business use of Twitter can go horribly wrong. Uncharted 2‘s Horrible Game Updates experiment

Fifth – I’m going to start a new trend with these random thoughts. I’m going to call it These are the Tech Companies in Your Neighbourhood.

I figure since I spend most of my time talking about start-ups, social media tools, internet business and the what not maybe it is time to start promoting some of the companies I meet and hear of on a regular basis. So from now on look for the Fifth link to be a link to a company (or an article on the company) from the Calgary region.

This week’s big winner is crowdsourcing-uber-champions Mob4Hire

Sixth – With the NHL Season starting yesterday, here’s an awesome article in Sports Illustrated from 1980 about the Sutter Brothers and their brash clan.

Seventh – It’s articles like this that make me wish I had more time to do Logo design work… Or at least hone my Logo Design skills. Anyways, here are another 50+ Logo Designs for inspiration.

Eighth – Because I think it’s a great store and a great example of a local business leveraging Twitter in Calgary, check out ThinkHenry.

Ninth – Apparently the Conservative Party of Canada is sponsoring the Canadian National Olympic team … I’m kidding, but I have a feeling someone from the other political parties won’t be. (via. Dave Brekenridge)

Update: Ooops. Looks like somebody is already a bit mad

Categories: The-Random, The-Family,

Papa Overdrive Sunday July 5, 2009

See, I never thought this would happen. Actually, when I got the friend request on facebook almost two months ago I pretty much tumbled off my stool.

But yes, like dozens before me, I’ve started coming to terms with the fact that my parents are on facebook. In particular, papa overdrive.

Yes, so I’m now one of many early adapters of the Web 2.0 networks that is struggling with the fact that the simplicity and ease of networking online … also means that my parents can do it too. So the anonymity I once enjoyed is now slipping away. Not that I really post anything to dramatic on facebook anymore. But still, it’s still odd to see your parents updating their status or conversing with their friends.

So rather than fighting the inveitable, I think it’s better to embrace it. So internet, welcome papa overdrive.

Categories: The-Family, The-Pop-Culture,

Random Thoughts For A Silent Auction Friday April 24, 2009

This Saturday night, my esteemed fiancée and her best friend are holding a Silent Auction to raise funds for their participation in the Weekend To End Breast Cancer 2009.

Like last year they are trying to surpass their goal of $4,000 dollars; so this year they are holding a Silent Auction at Limerick’s on MacLeod Trail this Saturday at 7:00pm. (with a $20.00 donation at the door.)

But wait, this isn’t just any Silent Auction, because there are some sweet items up for grabs including:

• A Web Site/Personal Blog from The Corporation.
• A private Helicopter ride of our fair city.
• A day of Ice Boating with Stefan from Speedspecialists.com.
• A SteamWhistle prize pack.
• Spulombos Gift certificates, Free Oil Change, Aveda Products, and much much more.

We all know that the game is on that night and your going to a pub anyways, so you might as well help out a good cause and save some boobs. Right? Because who doesn’t want to save boobs.

First – Love twitter? Can’t use it at work? Then check out Elliot Kember’s SpreadTweet Application. It’s basically twitter in an Excel Spreadsheet.

Second – Some sexy sweet love for Anad and Bumptop in the latest edition of Business Week.

Third – Well, If anything, setting up a tumblr account is quite possibly one of the easiest user set-ups I’ve ever come across.

Anyways, If you are curious as to what I’m talking about, I’ve staked a claim to c.t.overdrive in the tumblr realm. You can find me at ctoverdrive.tumblr.com. I haven’t decided how it will integrate into the main site, but over the next few weeks I’m going to continuously play with it and we’ll see what happens.

Who knows it might just be a great place to dump links for people.

Fourth – The godfather of Cork sports, Roy Keane, has reemerged from his sudden departure from Sunderland Football Club to be announced as the new Manager of Ipswich. While some people are shocked at the sudden turn of events, all I’ve got to add is, this is how they do it in Cork.

Keane had been annoyed at suggestions that his departure from Sunderland reflected a maverick personality incompatible with football management and added: “Football is in my blood. I’d just had enough at Sunderland. Things had changed. End of bloody story.”

Arrogance? Check. Bitter and grumpiness? Check. Foul Language? Check.

Yup, that’s as Cork as you can get.

Fifth – A collection of Knitted Starwars hats (via. Mr. Trevor Smith…but he has no idea I’m using his link from a facebook email four months ago)

Sixth – Hot Pink? Check! Great Font? Check! Threatening to Destroy everyone you meet? Checkmate! Rumplo’s – Prepare to Meet Thy Doom Shirt

Seventh – DownGoesBrown.com takes a spin with Google Similar Images and the NHL. (NSFW)

Eighth – Wow, how can you tell that the first round of the NHL Playoffs are on? Every single one of my random posts has a hockey tinge … Anyways, here’s further proof that the fans in Philadelphia are by far … and I mean by far … the most vicious fans in North America. (NSFW)

Ninth – So much stuff that white people like in such an epic article – Doggie Yoga. It’s like a written Voltron of SWPL.

Tenth – On another esteemed fiancée note, there has been a bit of a glutastic-rebellion against a poorly written Avenue magazine piece on Gluten free living as a ‘trendy lifestyle choice’. There is so much wrong with the original article from sourcing a ludicrous herbalist to equating Celiac Disease to leaky gut syndrome. (Yeah, I’m serious)

But if you want a good laugh check out the Glutastic’s response.

Categories: The-Random, The-Family,