The Crash Dump - Andy Crash Kelly

If you know someone in local broadcasting...

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 14:04:40 PDT

As you have probably found out through local Northeast Wisconsin tweeters, I'm available for on-air work. So, if you have any "ins" in the industry, pass along this post!

Lots of music and fun, with less talk:

My Prayer Today

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:40:47 PDT

Lord,

I thought I knew where You were taking me lately. Today's news comes as a complete surprise to me and my family. I gave it to You, Father.

I need answers. Talk to me in the days ahead so I know that I'm living in Your will. Where do I go next?

People change. You give and some people are willing to wait and get the big picture. Some are short-sighted, I understand that.

I pray that some answers and closure will come to me soon. I thank You for the opportunities that lay ahead and for the courage for my family to keep our focus on what matters most.

I love You, I trust You. I know You are real and always blessing those that honor You.

Amen

RIP Steve Jobs (Audio)

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 07:25:10 PDT

Steve Jobs, the visionary in the black turtleneck who co-founded Apple in a Silicon Valley garage, built it into the world's leading tech company and led a mobile-computing revolution with wildly popular devices such as the iPhone, died Wednesday. He was 56. Some audio bytes to remember this great man!

Introducing Machintosh in 1984

... the IPod 2 in 2001

... The new IPhone in 2007

... and the exciting IPad in 2010

Steve Jobs (1955-2011)

Less than two months after officially stepping down from his role of CEO at Apple, company co-founder Steve Jobs died yesterday. He was 56. In a statement on the Apple website, the company writes: “Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an amazing human being. Those of us who have been fortunate enough to know and work with Steve have lost a dear friend and an inspiring mentor. Steve leaves behind a company that only he could have built, and his spirit will forever be the foundation of Apple.” Here is a look at Steve Jobs’ life and career highlights, compiled by Mercury News:

1955: Steve Jobs born February 24th and adopted by machinist Paul Jobs and accountant Clara Jobs of Mountain View.

1967: Asks Hewlett-Packard co-founder for $12 in parts to complete building a piece of electronic equipment.

1972: Graduates from high school and enrolls at Reed College in Portland, Oregon; he drops out after one semester.

1974: Takes a job at Atari; leaves to travel through India and then joins a farm commune.

1975: Joins the Homebrew Computer Club, headed by Steve Wozniak, and convinces Wozniak to go into business to pursue his design for a computer logic board dubbed Apple 1.

1976: Apple Computer founded.

1977: Apple incorporates in the state of California and introduces the Apple II.

1980: Apple goes public; first day’s trading brings its market value to $1.2 billion. At age 25, Jobs is worth $239 million.

1981: Jobs becomes chairman of Apple.

1983: Jobs recruits John Sculley from Pepsi to be CEO of Apple.

1984: Apple launches the Macintosh, an all-in-one desktop computer with a graphical interface and mouse.

1985: Jobs clashes with the Apple board and is ousted and replaced by Sculley. Jobs launches NeXT, a Redwood City-based company seeking to build a breakthrough computer that will revolutionize research and higher education.

1986: Jobs buys Pixar Animation Studios for $10 million from filmmaker George Lucas.

1988: Jobs unveils the NeXT computer, a 1-foot-tall black cube costing about $10,000.

1991: Jobs marries Laurene Powell, whom he met in 1989 while she was doing graduate work at Stanford University.

1995: “Toy Story,” the first Pixar movie with Disney, is released to huge success; Jobs becomes a billionaire when Pixar goes public.

1996: Apple buys NeXT for $400 million and rehires Jobs as an adviser.

1997: Apple CEO Gil Amelio is ousted and replaced by Jobs as interim CEO.

1998: Apple releases the iMac, which becomes the fastest-selling personal computer in history.

2000: Jobs becomes permanent CEO of Apple.

2001: Apple introduces the iPod, a music player that will revolutionize the digital music industry.

2003: Apple launches the iTunes Music Store.

2004: In an email to Apple employees, Steve Jobs says he underwent successful surgery for a rare, treatable form of pancreatic cancer.

2006: Jobs sells Pixar to Disney in $7.4 billion stock deal; becomes Disney’s largest shareholder and joins its board of directors.

2007: Apple introduces the iPhone, a smartphone with a touchscreen keyboard that will revolutionize the cellphone industry.

2009: Jobs takes a six-month medical leave during which he undergoes a liver transplant.

2010: Apple releases the iPad touchscreen tablet.

2011: In a January memo to Apple employees, Jobs announces another medical leave with no set duration. On August 24th he resigns as CEO, asking that he remain as chairman of the board and be replaced as chief executive by interim CEO Tim Cook. He passed away on October 5th.

I just had the realization, I'm a terrible dad!

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 13:25:19 PDT

I just got back from the new movie "Courageous" .. now showing in your local theater. If you're a dad, have kids, wanna have kids, have a father, had a father.... this movie is a must-see.

Cumulus Closes Citadel Deal

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 02:37:02 PDT

Cumulus Closes Citadel Deal: The $2.4 billion acquisition by Cumulus Media of Citadel Broadcasting has been approved by shareholders, the FCC and the Department of Justice. The deal adds an 225 stations to the 346 Cumulus owns. The deal also includes Citadel Media, a leading radio network which develops and distributes a programming, along with shows from ABC. Citadel shareholders approved the merger on Thursday

Cumulus also welcomes 36 Citadel Country stations to the 52 it currently operates, giving it two Country outlets in Dallas and Nashville and eight in the top 50 metros markets. All together, those 88 stations reached over 7 million listeners per week in Fall 2010.

Mom died again last night

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 04:02:54 PDT

After 5 years, I thought it would be easier. It's not. Not yet.

I stopped by to visit a friend on Saturday. He's usually very upbeat and fun. He's the General manager for a local car dealership. I've never seen him mad or stressed.

While he was at a sporting event the other night, he got word that his mother had passed away. He is feeling extremely guilty because some thing urged him 'to stop by and see her' before going out with his friends. He told me, "I just didn't want to see her that way, in that nursing home." She was 97 years old. I tried to assure him she lived a very long, fulfilling life.

As I'm attempting to speak comfort to him about what I went through with my mom's passing in the summer of 2006, the fallout with my youngest brother... those painful feelings came back to me.

And haunted me all day. And gave me a bad dream. In my dream, I kept checking on my mother who was sleeping in the next room. I kept touching her foot under the covers. She would jump up and say, "What are you doing? I can't get any rest!"

I was jolted up at 3am this morning with the reality that she's been gone for 5 years.

Like my friend, many years went by without any contact with my mom. My radio career has put in in many areas in the country that was no where near her. And I was very bad about calling and keeping in touch. Usually on her birthday and Christmas.

And we had a fight about a year before she died and I didn't speak to her until about 6 months before she was diagnosed with liver cancer.

Almost happy ending: Mom and I made peace about our past together. She actually took her last breath in my arms. Just before she died, she opened up her eyes, smiled like I've never seen her smile, laid back down, EVERY wrinkle on her beautiful face went away, and she began her new journey.

I've been an on again/off again Christian believer since my early 20's. But something happened to me, inside, when she smiled. Mom saw someone that she was very happy to see. A long lost relative or friend? God? That "life long movie" we heard happens before we die?

Whatever it was, she was in total joy!

I miss my mom every day. I see her in my little boy. Smells, songs, TV shows bring her to my thoughts. Yes, guilt still taps me on the shoulder now and then also. But I'm comforted in knowing that one day, I too will see what she saw. And hopefully my loved ones around me, Lord willing, will see that same joy in my face before I join her again.

The Most Deadly of All Possible Sins

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Tue, 31 May 2011 07:39:43 PDT

"Someday, maybe, there will exist a well-informed, well considered and yet fervent public conviction that the most deadly of all possible sins is the mutilation of a child’s spirit; for such mutilation undercuts the life principle of trust, without which every human act, may it feel ever so good and seem ever so right is prone to perversion by destructive forms of conscientiousness." - Erik Erikson

Leave a message at the beep!

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Sat, 02 Apr 2011 17:20:13 PDT

I hope this will help you better understand my late responses (or occasional oversights): Twitter (Facebook) is like a press conference with lots of speakers at the podium (with one mic) and a big Q&A audience. Imagine the chaos if everyone in the audience started asking questions at the same time in the time allotted. I try, but can not always keep up with all the replies and messages I get. And it's not entirely necessary, either. That's MY reality with thousands of social media connections. It's just me posting out here... not a staff of writers monitoring accounts 24/7. Try not to take it personally when I overlook something you asked or said directly to me. I eventually will see it and respond, if applicable. If you heckle me, I'll send you this post. 2nd heckle, we part company, hopefully as friends.

What is Anxiety?

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Fri, 25 Feb 2011 09:37:30 PST

I was cleaning out some old paper files and came across some notes a retired psychologist friend gave me a few months ago. We all experience anxiety. I'm one of those that like to keep it all in perspective when possible. I'm not learned enough to dispute any of the following and I'm not sure of the original source or authority... I did find it insightful and wanted to make it available to others. It's for information purposes only.

WHAT IS ANXIETY?

Everyone experiences symptoms of anxiety from time to time, changes in ones' life (marriage, divorce, having children, moving, career change, loss of job). Positive events as well as negative events create anxiety. Ongoing stress or having. "too much on your plate" can create anxiety as well. These symptoms often reflect a normal response to problems arising in our lives.

With anxiety disorders, on the other hand, sometimes we recognize the situation as creating our anxiety, yet often times, one cannot be specific as to what it is they are anxious about. It is a response to a vague, distant or even unrecognized danger. Psychologically, anxiety is a subjective state of apprehension and uneasiness. In its most extreme form, it may cause you to feel detached from yourself and even fearful of going crazy or even dying.

Four types of symptoms are encountered when we are anxious:

Physical reactions: racing heart, flushed cheeks, liightheadedness, muscle tension, perspiring, lump in throat etc.
Behaviors: avoiding situations where anxiety might occur, leaving situations when anxiety begins to occur or trying to do things perfectly or trying to control events to prevent danger.
Moods: Nervous, irritable, anxious, panicky.
Thoughts: overestimation of danger, underestimation of your ability to cope, underestimation of help available and worries and catastrophic thoughts etc.

Most people who are anxious are VERY aware of the physical symptoms; they may be aware of the behaviors used when anxious, but rarely are they aware of the thoughts. All of the physical, behavioral and thinking changes we experience when we are anxious are part of the anxiety responses called "fight, flight, or freeze". These three responses can be adaptive (helpful) when we face danger. (cont'd on this PDF file)

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Follow Friday - RIP

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:37:58 PST

I'll be on Twitter for two years in April. I will admit that I don't do the #FollowFriday or #FF tweets on a regular basis, so perhaps this viewpoint is skewed.

When I DO the #FF tweets, I assume it is designed to tell YOUR followers about who YOU follow and then others can connect with THEM, and YOU, etc. etc. So I was told at tweet ups.

In my reality, I only gain about a dozen new followers from my #FollowFriday tweet participation. And I'm not sure if that's from other's recommendations. It may be from recent tweets.

And I've checked out some of the "social media guru" types on Twitter... at least the ones I looked over are NOT participating in the #FF party anymore.

May I assume that the #FollowFriday tweets are for tweet folk who are sticking with tradition? Or they're new to Twitter, following the train? Or no longer have anything of value to tweet on Fridays? These questions are not my attempt to be an ass, just truly wondering if it brings any connection value since it began about 5 years ago.

I've even had a few Twitter connections tell me they stay off Twitter on Fridays because of "all the noise".

I think I may have tweeted my last #FollowFriday tweet today. Your thoughts/feedback would certainly be appreciated.

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Gallstones I can live with

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 22:28:41 PST

A few friends have chastised me about "getting more personal" in my posts. So... TMI alert!:

Just an update about from my last post. My father contracted a blood infection from gallstones. He was in the hospital for almost a week and went home. Without removing the gallstones. Apparently you don't 'have to' get them removed, so he didn't.

His voice is bright and chipper so I am assuming that an 80-year old man can make his own decisions.

As for me, I've been recovering from a vasectomy since last Friday (January 28th). Like my wisdom teeth removal, if I knew what I know/feel today, I probably would have NOT done the procedure... but I'm enjoying how my wife is waiting on me hand and foot.

The doc and nurse said they "numbed the area". I think they panicked when I started bucking.

I recommend numbing the entire body if you know someone considering getting the snip-snip. I know why they're paid well, the verbal abuse they must endure couldn't be tolerated for minimum wage.

Frozen peas, Vicodin, and movie rentals have kept me mostly pain free and distracted. I'm looking forward to the three months return visit with my lab "sample".

It's a six ounce sanitized container. I'm not sure yet how I'm going to completely fill that thing up.

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C'mon Saba, hang in there with us

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Sat, 15 Jan 2011 17:57:56 PST

Just got word from my stepmom in Las Cruces, New Mexico. My 80-year-old dad, whom I named "Saba" because I was unable to pronounce 'papa' very well when I was 3 years old, has been taken to the ER room.

For ten years, he's been dealing with Parkinson's disease, a few heart issues, and eye cancer. Bless his heart, he woke up this afternoon confused and unable to walk. My stepmom, alone, felt so helpless. I'm up in Wisconsin, my younger brothers are in Utah, and in south Texas.

So far, the doctors in El Paso, Texas don't know what it is, but they believe it's some blood infection.

I'm posting this because I have this nervous and scared energy that I'm unable to channel at the moment. My first reflexive impulse is to just keep it inside and be all smiles and giggles. My 3yr old boy needs me to be that way tonight. His mom is at work, I'm home with a stupid cold. Our boy needs me to be playful and occupying.

My dad lost his younger brother (my uncle Perry) on New Year's day. I must confess here that I'm overwhelmed.

Time to hand this off.

Be my rock and refuge, my secure stronghold; for you are my rock and fortress. Psalms 71:3

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My Very First Surgery

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 21:08:36 PST

That's right. I turned 50 a few weeks ago and the only time I've ever been in a hospital bed was when I was dating a trauma nurse.... well, that's another story, another time.

Last Saturday afternoon, after enjoying some very spicy hot wings, I found myself in terrible pain in the lower left side of my abdomen and bleeding from an area of my lower end I've never bled from before. Rushed my butt (pardon the pun) to the ER room.

Very new experience for me. I've enjoyed no accidental injuries or serious illnesses all my life. Any ER visits were for someone else. With my health insurance background, I would have to say I was a good (yet scared) patient.

For obvious personal reasons, I choose not to share what the diagnosis was, but it does require surgery, and follow ups... and lots of missed work. Well, lots for me, since I'm not used to being on my back and drinking liquid diets... well, not since college (if you get my drift).

I've posted a few cryptic hints about this surgery just to explain my absence from social networking, but since my friends deserve a little more information than "this just happened", I decided to share a little more information here.

I'll say this, since cancer runs on both sides of my family, I should have had some of these procedures done about five years ago, but out of ignorance just didn't bother with it.

The surgery went off without a hitch. I'm a wimp, so the anesthetic kicked my butt (as it were) and I spent about an hour knocked out after the surgeon was finished with me. The fact that I didn't sleep a wink the night before probably helped that along.

I've got a follow up visit it next week and another surgery planned in late January and as far as I know for now, it'll be all wrapped up... hopefully.

My eyes started going bad when I turned 40, and now there are some foods and liquids my body will no longer tolerate in this new decade of life. I'm very fortunate that everything else seems to be in tip top shape... I could lose another 30 pounds according to averages, that'll be my new year's resolution, since it'll take the year for me to pull that off with my hectic schedule.

Perhaps my eyes are getting better after all... I'm seeing the light of preventative health care... for peace of mind, and savings. Much cheaper for catching it earlier.

Thanks again for your social media feedback and support.

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Why 42,000 Real People Quit Twitter Daily

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Sat, 30 Oct 2010 04:35:34 PDT

Just posted this via Twitlonger:

"Do you know what day/date the idiot thinkers at Twitter decided to release abandoned usernames? I begged them for months to release @Crash which wasn't in use for over 2 years. I've seen them release names for other ppl that requested it. They kept denying that request. One insider told me, "the only way to get it done is walk up to one of the Twitter staff at at 140 conference and make a scene like I did". I even offered to pay Twitter a reasonable fee to release the name to me. More denial emails. I just happen to check again this morning and my coveted, rightly deserved username now belongs to another bot holding it for ransom. Be advised. I will most likely dump Twitter when they force us to use the new interface."

OK, I made that 42K quitters number up. I'm positive it's higher. I wanted to be conservative since it was just a guess.

Perhaps what makes me really frustrated and annoyed lately is how I got sucked in to this whole MySpace/Blogger/Twitter/Facebook nonsense anyway.

And what kind of lame ass clown cares about a stupid branding moniker that he's been called since 1987 anyway?!

F%&K!!!! I'M TURNING INTO ABRAHAM SIMPSON!

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Never pay full price again for electronics

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 07:00:41 PDT

If you're one of the many people (latest stats are actually over 90%) that buy expensive electronics without extra ADH protection, I will change your life today by empowering you with knowledge that will save you thousands for the rest of your life.

Actual ADH protection plans, available through Best Buy, Office Max, and a handful of other electronic retailers, offer ADH protection, or Accidental Damage and Handling... plus other needed protection: surge protection, weather damage, etc.

Between 3% - 6% of electronic purchases are processed with the additional ADH protection. Yep, the others are just raw purchases. Good for them, they won. They got out of the store without spending the extra money.

Wrong.

Let me predict your future (or remind you of your past): You have broken something expensive and had to pay full price to replace it. Or worse... wait until you could afford to replace it.

How did you feel when you dropped that cell phone or digital camera and you heard that voice in your head, the one of the sales clerk asking you, "Would you like to hear about the extended warranty protection we offer?" And you said back, "No thanks, this is all I want today... [WOO HOO, I WON, THEY LOST!]"

No actually, the next lucky retailer you go to replace that device wins and you lost. And you won't go back to the store you bought it from because, no one wants to feel stupid for being short term money conscious.

Don't comment or email me about how the last "extended warranty" you purchased didn't work out, didn't get redeemed, whatever. If it's in writing, the sponsoring company must comply with the coverage. It's the law. And if they sales clerk lied to you about the protection, then it's still your fault for being in a hurry and not asking, "really? Can you show me that on the coverage brochure?"

"Hey just a dadgum minute, Crash.. Consumer Reports has been warning us for years that extended warranties are a rip off!

Yep. They're right. Buying an extended labor or service warranty is a bad idea for most cheap electronics. Read the article again. Slowly. Breathe it all in. Again I'll repeat... I'm posting here about ADH protection, NOT EXTENDED WARRANTIES. The sad thing is that most retail sales clerk "sell it wrong" so you're mislead by the pitch, "do you want to also get our extended service and warranty plan?"

Your response should be: "Is this an extended service and labor warranty or Accidental Damage and Handling Protection plan?" If they give you the second option, then ask, "so if I drop this new device in the lake while I'm fishing, I can get it fixed, replaced, or my money back?"

Their response will let you know what they're offering. Again, I'm preaching here about obvious protection most of us are ignoring at the register.

If you must save because it's "the game" for you, then thanks for reading this far. Good luck. You'll drop or break the device eventually and you'll pay full price. You may even come out ahead if your device happens to be on sale the moment you broke it. Good for you. The game is afoot and you're ahead so far.

Or, the device is no longer available or outdated now. Oh well, you can go get another cheap one with similar or better features. It's all good...

Whatever.

Or you can spend the extra money at the register and never pay full price for it's replacement again. One thing Consumer Reports fails to mention on just one expense that people don't plan on, but it happens, and someone you know has done it: a cracked laptop screen.

If your laptop happens to come with some miracle warranty that will replace your cracked screen because you dropped the laptop, or stepped on it, on tripped over the power cord and jerked it onto the floor then you're in denial. They don't exist. If they do after this posting, then great---it's because of my article and I've bettered the world. :-)

Let's check out the costs:

Brand new Compaq Presario CQ62-220US Notebook PC Office Max this week: $430.00.

Things that will break by accidental damage:

Monitor $95.00, Keyboard $26.00, Base Enclosure $26.00, Insured shipping $50 - $80, etc, etc.

Cost of MaxAssurance protection for FOUR years: $174.00

And I'm not including the other things that will go wrong: BATTERY REPLACEMENT, surges, humidity, spills, broken keys/spacebar, yadda, yadda, yadda. Or the loaner program. Or the phone support. Or the "take it back to the store" options, or....

You get the idea. $430 or replacing it for the upfront costs of $174.00. Is it a gamble? Sure it is. But the best thing I like about insurance or "purchased protection".... peace of mind. I break it, it becomes someone else's problem and expense... not mine.

All I know is that I sent someone I really care about (I will protect this person's name so he/she won't feel even more ashamed then they did when they dropped it) an Office Max gift card for $280 so he/she could buy a specific camera for his/her birthday which included $50 for a 3 year ADH plan. They decided to use the $50 extra to upgrade their camera choice on the spot. 3 months later he/she dropped the new camera and it was instantly useless. I wasn't told about it until months after that because "I felt really bad for not taking your advice and now I don't have a camera because I can't afford to replace it right now."

I bought a big screen TV from Costco. And the ADH protection. And I moved from Texas to Wisconsin. And I broke the TV's screen. And they replaced it (better, fancier TV since features went up, prices went down). And I'm a fan of the plan.

I've been in retail sales on and off again since 1981. You wouldn't believe how many times someone has said to me, "I wish I'd have paid the extra money when bought it, now I'm buying a new one for full price."

If you only have said amount to spend, then downgrade your features choices and include the cost of the ADH protection. If you're doing some internet research, also keep in mind that all the negative posts you read about "extended warranties" come from human beings treating human beings badly. Stores have great employees and they have bad employees. Know any bad employees at YOUR company? When the rubber meets the road, the sponsoring retailer who sells the protection plan is responsible for it's redemption. The laws are on your side.

When a clerk spouts off the cost of their ADH plan, do the math. You'll discover your peace of mind should come to about a $1.00 per week. Be prepared to spend the money upfront, budget for it. Call the store ahead of time. If you're researching your device, research their ADH coverages and costs, too.

I actually like to call the store that "lost my sale" and tell 'em to contact their supervisor and let them know that Office Max (or Best Buy, or Lowes, etc.) got the sale because their ADH plan was more comprehensive and cheaper!

THAT'S how you win the game.

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How to know you're stupid

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:28:33 PDT

I just got this in my Earthlink email inbox today. I must admit, I was impressed with the pitch. It took about two paragraphs before my intelligence was insulted.

If you do this, you get the Five Star rating from the Moron's Union:

================================

User Quarantine Exercise

The Helpdesk Program that periodically checks the size of your e-mail
space is sending you this information. The program runs weekly to ensure
your inbox does not grow too large, thus preventing you from receiving
or sending new messages.

As this message is being sent, you have 18 megabytes (MB) or more stored
in your inbox. To help us reset your space in our database, please enter
your current USERNAME:(____) PASSWORD:(_____)

You will receive a periodic alert if your inbox size is between 18 and
20 MB. If your inbox size is 20 MB, a program on your Webmail will move
your oldest e-mails to a folder in your home directory to ensure you can
continue receiving messages on your behalf.

If your inbox grows to 25 MB, you will be unable to receive new messages and
it will be returned to sender. All this is programmed to ensure your account
continues to function properly.

Thanks for your cooperation.

Help Desk

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Pat Halbach: 1952 - 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 20:01:16 PDT

From Appleton Post Crescent - June 16, 2010

Patrick "Pat" Halbach, of Sherwood, age 58, died unexpectedly on Monday, June 14, 2010, after a short illness. He was born March 11, 1952, in Appleton, son of the late Urban and Adeline (Vogds) Halbach. On August 9, 1986, Pat married the former Kris Kress at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Sherwood. The couple lived in the Sherwood area their entire married lives. On December 29, 2009, Pat retired from the Calumet County Highway Department after 37 years of employment.

He was a member of St. John - Sacred Heart Parish where he served as an usher, the Catholic Knights, the Knights of Columbus and Sherwood Lions Club. Pat enjoyed opening weekend of deer hunting spent with cousins. He loved spending Super Bowl weekend with "the gang" and the yearly vacations with his siblings. Pat cherished time spent with his family and especially his grandchildren. He also enjoyed helping anyone in need, especially putting the flags up in the village for the holidays.

He is survived by his wife of 23 years, Kris; his children: Kerri (Paul) Krueger, Hilbert and their children, Paige and Nick; Katie (Andy) Connell, Kaukauna, and their children, Korey and Patrick; and Aaron Houk, Appleton, and his children, Christopher, Zeke and Noah; his siblings: Mary Lou (Joe) Schwalbach, Sherwood; Michael (Karen) Halbach, Tomball, TX; and Carol (Fred) Pritzl, Brillion. Pat is further survived by Kris's family: Ken and Betty Kress, Karen Mader, Klair (Julee) Kress, Kurt (Sue) Kress, Klay (Mary) Kress, and Karol (Gary) Thiele; and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a sister, Sue; a brother-in-law, Jim Mader; and a niece, Nina Bearth.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, June 18, 2010, at St. John - Sacred Heart Catholic Church, N369 Military Rd., Sherwood, with Fr. Kenneth Frozena officiating. Friends may call on Thursday, June 17, 2010, at Boettcher Family Funeral Home, 2401 Fieldcrest Dr., Kaukauna, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. and again directly at Church on Friday from 9:30 a.m. until the time of service. There will be a parish prayer service at 7 p.m. Burial will take place in the parish cemetery. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund is being established.

The family wishes to thank everyone who offered their prayers, help and support during this difficult time.

13 reasons why we're parting company

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 14:02:42 PDT

Some accounts on Twitter can be very sensitive for some reason. I've unfollowed a few that some how 'noticed' and instantly @reply with, "why did you unfollow me?"

Most likely is because:

1. I realized after several months of following your tweets, you and I have nothing really further to to discuss (you never @ me anyway).
2. I've decided I'm not on Twitter enough to benefit either of us.
3. I checked out your product(s), service(s) and won't be in that market anytime soon.
4. I have a strong feeling you want something from me I'm unable to provide or give away.
5. You appear to be following me just for the follow back.
6. Your redundancy is understandable, but now annoying me.
7. We connected at one time or another, but apparently it was just a 'one tweet stand'.
8. I feel you're harassing or heckling me... not a productive relationship.
9. I don't have a clever response to your consistent "what's up?" anymore.
10. No more free "CUSTOMIZED jokes ON DEMAND", I'm trying to make a living at it.
11. Our twitter relationship seems to me to be "one way".... not why I'm on Twitter.
12. Nothing personal, just time to clean up my twitter account, and I'm moving on to new connections... our interests evolve and change.
13. If none of the above apply, it may be a script bug and not intentional. If you bring it to my attention, I'll remedy the mistake.

If my unfollowing (I'll also remove myself from your follow list) distresses you, please recap our Twitter relationship over the last few months. I'm one follower... trust this, you'll get over it in a few tweets.

And who knows, perhaps down the road, we'll meet up again... if you don't 'block' me in a fit of anger. ;-)

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I List Twitter Accounts I Know

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Tue, 23 Nov 2010 07:43:32 PST

I'm cleaning up my Twitter lists. I'm unlisting Twitter accounts that I no longer follow. It's this simple: Each list will only hold 500 accounts, so my OCD nature wants to keep 'em current and clean.

Twitter accounts also evolve. If I feel that an account has taken a different direction than my list classification of that account... yep, I'll unlist or re-list under a different topic.

I may find myself unlisting accounts that no longer follow me as well. Again, 500 is the limit... current and clean.

So, no offense, it's just time for updating!

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Cosco Scenera 22123 Harness Threading Instructions

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 10:31:14 PDT

OK, this is way off for me. I have yet to post instructions on how to rebuild ANYTHING....

While shopping today with our 'almost three year old' boy, he and I overindulged on popcorn, hotdogs, and cherry Icees. Yes, I need to grow up and be the parent.

After a fun-filled spree we ran to the van in the nice 72 degree weather.

Four minutes after he was strapped into his car seat, I heard that unmistakable moist splat sound. Yep, I turned around and he had that confused look on his face, "what the hell just came out of my mouth and all over me?!" look.

I was a little proud at that instant. I'm a wimp and when it comes time for me to expel any toxins my body deems intolerable, I make a scene of it. My son was cool, calm, and quiet. Me? As my wife puts it when I rarely 'ralph'.... "my God, no one throws up as loud as you do".

He just stared at me for a few moments, then looked at his messy hand (I guess he tried to hold it in?), shirt, pants, shoes, back of the passenger seat, carseat (harness and all), side door panels... well... anyway...

I keep a roll of paper towels in the van, so I was sorta prepared. I did my best to calm him down as I attempted to clean up his accident while gagging so loud, a man in handicapped parking limped over from his van to make sure I was all right. Wife was still in the store at the register. Naturally. When there's a baby clean up, she's not at her post.

Well, the car seat was trashed. Ray-Ray had moved on and now upset because he was hungry again. Wife showed up, didn't notice anything because she was on her cell phone talking to her sister about borrowing a Cricket or something for scrapbooking, blah blah blah.

We got home and quickly took the nasty carseat apart and threw all the parts in the washing machine (the ones that weren't attached), along with Ray-Ray's clothing, and tossed our hungry baby in the tub.

An hour or so later all was clean. And un-assembled. Oh no. "We DO have the manual to this thing, right? I have no idea how to put it back together?" My wife started griping about how we're still living out of boxes and blah blah blah.

Oh, yes. There's Google. 15 minutes later. Nothing. Their company website was NO HELP, but it looked nice. Great use of Flash. Anyhoo...

From what I could tell in my searches, our Cosco Scenera 22123 model no longer exists. Wow, we only bought it new about 2 years ago. Nothing. No manuals, no YouTube videos on how to re thread the harness, rebuild it from scratch, nothing. BUT there were lots of forums begging for help with my same challenge.

I decided to just use logic. I know, that only works for chicks and Vulcans... but that damn car seat dared me. I had to face my fears and get after it. Deep breath.

By the time I got back upstairs, my wife had it all rebuilt. She found the manual. Google sucked and so did I. But, I was allowed to put the cleaned, rebuilt, fresh car seat back in the van myself. So there.

Being the kinda guy I am, I decided to help troubled others that are still standing their with that single strap in their hands wondering what to do next.

OK, all your parents who own a Cosco Scenera 22123 Car Seat and had to take it apart to clean it or replace the strap or whatever... I've scanned in the last few pages of the Instruction Manual (man, those two words are painful to type, much less say) so you can download it (PDF file) and get busy. My wife said it only took her 10 minutes to put it back together. Which, of course is bulls##t. I was on Google for at least 15 minutes trying to find out how to fix it first.

But after looking over the pages, it really isn't so bad. It's just a lot of snaking the same belt through many slots (and we all know how fun that can be).

Here is the re-harnessing instructions from the Eng. 4358-3614D manual. I also scanned in the REPLACEMENT PARTS order form. It has a fax number, but looks kinda cheezy to me. It's a safe download from my CrashKelly.com site. The url is:

http://crashkelly.com/Cosco-Scenera-22123-Harness-Instructions.pdf

Good luck with that project, and post a comment if it was any help or if it just confused you more. I may be able to talk my wife into stopping by your place and reassembling it for you, however it would be cheaper to try it yourself first. And she's got a hectic schedule.

Oh, one last thing... recycled cherry Icees, hotdogs, and stale popcorn blend in well with beige/brown car seats. If you can tolerate the smell.

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CAPTCHA Fail on Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 06:01:21 PDT

Click it to enlarge it... check out the SECURITY CAPTCHA... and nope, it's not a Photoshop trick. Share it before Google jerks it off because they do that kinda sh#t to me.

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Happy Twanniversary to ME!

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 11:26:22 PDT

March 15th marks my first year on Twitter.

I was on MySpace (closed that account in December), Blogger, Facebook, and LinkedIn back then, didn't even know about Twitter. Then I met Jerry Del Colliano through his Inside Music Media blog. We exchanged a few phone calls and emails and he convinced me to try Twitter since I was no longer able to 'compel' behind a radio mic back in central Texas (at that time).

A year later, many downs and ups, I'm still tweeting.

To draw attention to myself (which I rarely do) *coughing from the back row*, I wanted to do something extra special Monday. I've saved over the year my favorite tweets. I was thinking about doing the "best of @AndyCrash" to remind long timers what we've shared as well as give an idea to new friends and prospective friends how I've evolved my "Twitter brand" over the past 12 months.

But I'm very busy this week, hopefully closing a "broadcasting" deal that I've been working on for several years. I'm hoping the timing is finally right. With that being said, I just won't be able to sit on Twitter all day and evening to copy/paste/interact on Monday.

But that's really ok. Because, in my experience, that's not what Twitter is to me. It's the sharing.

Out of the 5800 followers that have joined me along the way, I'd say about 20% of 'em are true friends. These are Twitter people that continue to keep in touch, provide tweets that inform or entertain, introduce me to new networking opportunities, etc. So, as a labor of love, I'm going to share THEM with all the followers who bother to scan my tweets in their timeline.

I'm spending my anniversary RETWEETING!

Sure I already do a lot of retweeting, but ALL RETWEETS in Monday's timeline. I'll be scanning over 5800 profiles and retweeting tweets I feel will give you an idea of why I follow them.

I won't be "you're welcome'ing, thanks'ing, I'm fine'ing, yes it's nice here'ing" at all so don't get your social media etiquette undies in a knot. :-) If I have a response, I'll do it in a DIRECT MESSAGE.

Yeah, that feels right. Tweeting is great, freindships are great, networking is great---but it's the viral, organic effects of the retweet that I appreciate most about being a Twitter member.

So, thank YOU in advance for taking a chance on that old dude from central Texas (and now NE Wisconsin) who comes and goes as he pleases and hopefully creates a few chuckles along the way!

Very sincerely YOURS,

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10% of your followers have abandoned Twitter

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 05:54:32 PDT

I'll admit it. I put way too much thought into my @AndyCrash Twitter account. How many Twitter users actually keep up with their Twitter followers... each and every one of them?

Recently, I wanted to update a few lists. I knew it would take awhile. I've built up over 5,700 followers since last March. By the way, if I would have never blocked any spammers, that count would be around 7,100 on my follower count.

I tried out a Twitter app called UnTweeps. I just wanted to see who hasn't tweeted over the last 30 days, 45 days, 60 days, and 90 days. The app allows first three checks for free.

I was a tad heart broken. Yep. Several hundred users that follow me are not tweeting anymore. A good number of them were accounts/people I remember engaging with on a fairly regular basis. Now gone, off Twitter.

I know it's an app. Apps can make errors I suppose. I didn't use the app to block or unfollow any accounts. It started out as a curiosity thing. OH, THAT'S ANOTHER TOPIC: Twitter will no longer allow API apps to mass unfollow. I'm not sure why after my recent discovery. In my opinion, if they're not tweeting anymore, there's nothing to follow.... why can't I just unfollow them all at once?

Anyway. I decided it was time, while it was still fairly manageable to go through every single of my followers profiles. Yes, every 5 thousand, 7 hundred, and 12 of them and check out their 'last tweet'.

Wake up call.

Over 200 followers stopped tweeting around mid December, 2009. I decided that they haven't woken from their turkey induced nap or sold their laptops to pay off Christmas debts.

I further discovered that an additional 300 "hand picked" followers stopped tweeting between MAY 2009 and November 2009. It's a reasonable assumption that they're not coming back to Twitter. They've moved on to Buzz, Wave, Facebook, perhaps got full time job, moved to a 'blocked country' or something. But they're not coming back.

I mean, c'mon. How hard is it to just send out one tweet per week with a simple update like: "I didn't make my expected millions on Twitter, so I'm job hunting", or "I thought I could pick up chicks here, but found out that most are dudes or bots, so I'm trying MySpace again." Anything. "I'm still here, are you?", "How about those Saints?", "Did Obama win the election?"... one tweet a week? One tweet a month? Nah, they're not coming back. So I did the polite thing... a very tedious, time consuming task of the "forced unfollow" since Twitter apps are no longer "legally allowed" to bulk unfollow.

You know how to force an unfollow right?

Go to the profile.... click the BLOCK link... refresh the page (usually the F5 key)... then click the UNBLOCK link. There. You're not following that account anymore, and it's not following YOU anymore either. Nice and polite. No need to block. They're not there to get their feelings hurt, and Twitter doesn't get any flags on your account about a mass blocking spree.

I'm sure I'm gonna take a bath from those twitter account watchers like Twitter Counter and Grader... "how in the world does an account lose 144 followers in a few hours? What the hell did he tweet?"

I'll deal with it. At least I'll feel better knowing that my lower follower count is comprised of active bots, spammers, and a few hundred real people. =)

To be fair, the inactive accounts based on my experience, is about 10%. So if you're impressed that Twitterer "X" has 75,000 followers, you may assume that at least 7,500 of his/her/their followers have abandoned their timelines. If this is an incorrect assumption, then I gladly welcome your experienced feed back in the comments area or tweet me (below gives you more than 140 to elaborate).

I challenge YOU... no I DOUBLE DARE you to check out your followers/friends on Twitter to see when they tweeted last? Because this is a fact: If they're no longer tweeting, then they're no longer re-tweeting. Hmmmm. I wonder if TweetReach is taking this into account as well.

Really, I want to know your thoughts and discoveries. I was a little bummed. It also took several hours to manually "force unfollow". I would like enlightenment other than "stop thinking so much about your follower count".

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Snow Globe flakes in the neighborhood - Video

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 18:53:56 PST

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#PrintWithMe HP Deskjet F4480 - Keep it!

noreply@blogger.com (Crash) — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 09:11:48 PDT

My wife's uncle recently purchased a Toshiba laptop package deal from Best Buy. He didn't like the printer because he wanted one with a SD card slot to print directly from the computer. He asked me if he could return it to Best Buy for a better one. I don't work for Best Buy, but I know how these "package deals" work. I also researched it since I'm just a family member by marriage who 'may or not know'. :-) I also suggested he sell it on EBay, take the money and upgrade the printer. But then...

Online value of HP Deskjet F4480 is $49.99 – $79.99 depending on the online merchant.

You can expect to get about $60.00 selling it unopened/new on EBay (minus shipping costs).

This particular model DOES NOT have a SD card slot for direct printing.

HOWEVER, you can purchase a USB SD card reader for about $20 at Office Max. It plugs into the USB port on your laptop/desktop and will read your camera’s SD card for printing on this affordable HP F4480 printer.

In my opinion, the HP Deskject F4480 is a great, functional printer, scanner, copier. The 2 cartridge system is also a plus if you used quality paper (24lb) with “HP Color Guard” coating on the paper (uses less ink). My favorite printer rule: Buy in bulk. Ink and paper are like toilet paper, can you have enough? Do expect to one day stop printing with ink onto paper?

Best Buy return policy: Promotional items and bundles

... Best Buy occasionally offers promotional items and savings with a purchase or enhanced savings on a bundle of items when they are purchased together.

• When a promotional item is returned, the value of the promotional item is deducted from the refund amount. For instance, if you purchase a TV and get a $100 gift card or 50% off of a DVD player, the $100 value of the gift card or the total value of the DVD player would be subtracted from the refund.

• When an item included as part of a promotional bundle is returned, the bundled discount is void and the value of the bundled discount will be applied to the refund. This occasionally results in additional funds being owed to Best Buy. For instance, if your receive $200 in savings when you purchase a laptop and printer together and you return either item, the $200 amount will be subtracted from your refund.

#PrintWithMe

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