February 12, 2010
From The Los Angeles Times
No surprise, when censors got a look at Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 masterpiece “Psycho,” they were aghast at what they saw in a certain bathroom scene. But it may not be the part you expect.
Who can forget the infamous shower scene in which Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) is knifed to death by Mrs. Bates? Women have been known to refuse to set foot into a shower after seeing the movie.
Read the rest of the article here …
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February 12, 2010
This handmade Valentine card was found in my mailbox this morning and it just made my day! It’s from the triplets who live next door — Cole, Sophie and Hayden.
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January 3, 2010
Watercolor on paper.
© Paul Myrick 2010, All Rights Reserved
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December 13, 2009
This very informative email was received from LaptopMD.com a few days ago and the company owner, Arthur Zilberman, graciously gave me permission to republish it here. I have used LaptopMD in New York for repair and they do an excellent job with very quick turn-around. They see every kind of laptop (including the insides) so I trust their opinion. Here’s the newsletter:
Looking for a laptop this holiday season? LaptopMD owner Arthur Zilberman has a few pointers for shoppers.
The technicians at LaptopMD repair all laptop brands, so they have a keen understanding of which laptops offer the best all-around features and which models are best suited for specific needs.
Read the rest of this entry »
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November 27, 2009
… are the “Fontainbleu” ads on the San Francisco Chronicle’s site. It’s just a purple background banner with “Fontainbleu” stretched across the ad with something about Thanksgiving and holidays special deals. Then, when it is clicked on, it just goes to a blank white “reservation” page. There is no way to tell if this hotel is in Miami or Las Vegas. BAAAAD! Whatever they paid their ad agency is too much. I smell a scam ad just trying to gather credit card info.
Update to post 11/28/2009: Apparently The San Francisco Chronicle, along with other major newspapers in the country, has rolled out self-service advertising for banner ad space on their website. The self-service advertising function they offer allows users to create banner ads from pre-made graphics or users may upload custom ad designs. According to information found on sfgate.com, the self-service banner ad campaign costs start at $250.
Obviously, some non-savvy employee at the Fontainbleu hotel in Miami decided to create an amateur ad campaign on sfgate.com, which resulted in the advertising mess I saw last night.
A word to the wise: if you’re going to go the self-service route for advertising, hire a designer to create a decent ad banner that reflects your brand. Also, don’t link directly to a page on your website (from the banner ad) that gives absolutely no information about your organization. And absolutely DON’T use those amateurish pre-made ads they offer through the self-service function. Everyone has seen those ad layouts used for other businesses and they’re just plain bad.
Posted in Opinions No Comments »
November 13, 2009
It’s not often I find ready-made templates for WordPress that actually impress me. However, this new premium (not free) WordPress template named “de Casa” on themeshift.com is great! Of course, the excellent stock photography shown in the demo really makes it stand out visually. The base design is very clean and simply allows whatever real estate photos are included to be center stage. If using this theme, the real estate agent should really consider having professional photography done for listed properties since any photo-warts will really be emphasized.
A few functions that really stand out in this theme are:
- inclusion of Google maps
- excellent photo gallery with pop-out image enlargement / navigation
- ability to host multiple real estate agents
A few screenshots are included here, but to try out a demo, just click on over to themeshift.com. If you are a real estate agent and would like assistance in implementing this theme, or a customized version of it, please contact me.
Thanks to the folks at webdesignledger.com for featuring this theme and bringing it to my attention.
Posted in Website Design / Development No Comments »
November 10, 2009
This dip / sauce is really delicious on anything: roasted potatoes, french fries, seafood, burgers or crackers. I honestly don’t remember where I found the recipe, so I can’t give credit to whoever invented it. But I really love it as a dip for grilled fresh artichokes. To prepare the artichokes, simply steam them in a big pot (1 per person for appetizer) for about 15 minutes and cut them in half. Remove the flower in the middle — it is not edible. Brush the cut sides with a bit of olive oil and place them on a hot grill for a few minutes to put grill marks on them. Dip the leaves in the sauce and enjoy. Also, the heart of the choke that remains after the leaves are all pulled off is very delicious.
Remoulade Dip / Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons creole mustard or whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons ketchup
1/2 cup finely chopped green onion
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh celery
2 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish sauce
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon hot sauce
Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate, covered, for at least one hour to allow flavors to mingle.
Posted in Entertaining, Food No Comments »
November 9, 2009
Great clouds for use as graphic design texture or as backgrounds. Free for all to use with no link-back or author credit required. Download the hi-res files at Deviant Art.
Posted in Photography No Comments »
November 8, 2009
© Paul Myrick 2009, All Rights Reserved
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