I’m fairly certain that these are the exact thoughts going through Ryan’s head:
The Dark Crystal Busts by Plan B Toys
Plan B Toys released a series of collectible busts between 2003 and 2006 based on Jim Henson’s 1982 film The Dark Crystal. They are long sold out and very hard to get. Here they are.
Garthim
We’ll start with the best one – the Garthim. Yes, he’s a big creepy bug with lobster hands, but he’s literally the stormtrooper of the Skeksis, the one who brings order. Also, his base is made of the pod people. Here’s a closer look:
Sad, but cool, too.
SkekUng
Here’s my next favorite one, mainly due to the size. It’s also more colorful than the others. SkekUng is the Garthim master, so he controls the big bug above.
UrYod
Here is UrYod the numerologist. I think that makes him The Count of the Mystics.
UrSkek
As much as I like this one, he doesn’t seem complete without a few others, surrounding the crystal at the end of the movie after the Great Conjunction.
Aughra
Hot.
SkekSil
This one is smaller than the others, and seems a lot more fragile. This is my least favorite one. I’m sure the Chamberlain would be upset.
SkekTek
The mad scientist isn’t available. Plan B Toys only made one prototype. They showed it at toy fair one year but the license with the Henson Company expired before the company could get him to market.
Abandoned 94th Aero Squadron Restaurant – College Park
I was a bit shocked to learn that the 94th Aero Squadron Restaurant in College Park, Md. was closed down. I’ve only eaten there once but I always thought it was an awesome place, considering you can walk around Lake Artemesia to get there. The worst part was that the airplanes were gone.
For some reason, abandoned buildings fascinate me as nature takes over and destroys the place (of course, this building was originally designed to look old to begin with). Here are a few photos I got without trespassing inside.
And here are a few photos from 2007:
Update: 5/28/19:
It’s totally gone now:
Why Aren’t More People Like Steve Jobs?
The passing of Apples Steve Jobs got me thinking: Why arent more decision-makers like him?
Jobs was a perfectionist, and by being that way, he created one of the most valuable companies in the world, one in which people LOVE. Everyone wins. Why dont other companies take this approach?
For years, Microsoft got away with releasing problematic software, causing users major headaches, and ultimately costing companies and consumers time and money, which makes this world a worse place. Having worked at a couple of companies, Ive seen firsthand how short-sighted business decisions can cause major headaches and ultimately cost the company more money. Even worse, lessons rarely get learned, and bad decisions get made all over again. Its 2011, and people are still having the same computer problems from 10-15 years ago.
If Jobs ran Microsoft, would we have suffered so many Windows crashes and viruses? If Jobs ran Dell, HP, or whatever other cookie-cutter PC company, would we have so many computer problems? If Jobs ran IBM, would awful software, such as Lotus Notes, still exist? Forget the tech industry. If Jobs ran any of the automakers, would that industry be in such trouble?
Im certain the answer is no. If Jobs ran any of those companies, consumers and businesses would have better software, better hardware, wed work more efficiently, and wed spend more of our time getting things done than wasting time and spending money on repairs.
So long as businesses and consumers are looking to save a few bucks in the short term, and continue spending on service and repairs for inferior products, these products will continue to get made. But sooner or later, as with Apple, folks will figure out that it doesnt need to be so difficult, and spending more on quality is the better option. Once that happens, the business model of making crap will go away.
What Jobs did at Apple wasnt genius. It was obvious, something that too few people are willing to do.
A New Caps Season
This season with Caps Outsider, I decided to hire a bunch of folks to help out with that site. I recruited Taylor Lewis, a University of Maryland journalism student; Alena Schwarz, a Towsen journalism student; Nicole Weissman, who writes for Box Seats on washingtonpost.com; Jeffrey Kleiman, a New York-based Caps fan living in Islander territory; M. Richter, who I work with at the Gardens Ice House and blogs for a few other sites; Samantha Bass, also a student; and Mike Xtremist aka Caps Tattoo Guy, one of the most passionate Capitals fans you’ll ever meet. Along with Phil Van Der Vossen from Gunaxin.com, we’ve got a great staff ready to take on some of the most offbeat Capitals content we can find. We also have an army of loyal readers who pitch us nuggets of info and oddball things that wind up on the site.
For instance, I learned about these new Plush Dolls coming out from Bleacher Creatures from a reader. So I posted that an Alex Ovechkin one is coming out. Yahoo’s Puck Daddy got wind of it from my site and wrote a post of his own (going out to a MUCH larger audience, of course). I’m pretty certain that this marketing is what Bleacher Creatures will need to get sales. Sure, it could’ve happened despite my reader tipping me off to them, but I got it before other sites did. If other sites already had it, particularly with a photo of the Alex Ovechkin doll, there would’ve been no point to me posting that.
And that’s the way things work in the blogosphere.
Some people collect stamps. Some people play with model airplanes. I run a site that focuses on offbeat Capitals news. That’s my hobby and it’s utterly thrilling that the world works in such a way now that I’m able to do this type of thing for fun. It’s going to be a great season.