April 09, 2007
Puh-lease
I would have thought the whole blogging "code of conduct" thing would have died down by now. If you don't know what I am talking about - consider yourself lucky and move on.. the whole issue is a tired waste of time.
The way I see it (and my blog is all about the way I see things) if you are going to toss yourself out in the public eye, you are going to attract some weirdos. If you don't want the weirdos, stop throwing yourself in front of the crowd. Take down your blog - turn off the microphone - shut off the camera - get off the damn stage. Problem solved.
Sure, there are some jerks out there and sure, they say some rude and hurtful things... thats part of the price of Internet fame. A "Code of Conduct" among bloggers is going to nothing more than drive traffic to the site of the guy that created the CoC badge. If someone breaks the law and makes a threat against you - take it up with the police... let's not create another level of Big Brother. Even talking about this code opens the door for the FCC and nobody wants that.
One of my favorite sayings applies... ."SAVE THE DRAMA FOR YOUR MAMA!"
Posted by CDogg at 07:15 PM | Comments (4)
March 25, 2007
Layin' it out there
A friend asked me the other day, "I saw you still had pictures and entries about old girlfriends on your blog - do you think that's a good idea? What if a new girlfriend reads it?"
My immediate answer was the flippant one I use all the time, "Hey, I'm an open book," but it got me to thinking about whether or not blogging habits affect a person. Stay with me here...
I have always been pretty adamant about not lying... but in a pinch, I would get around it by withholding information. I used to do things like dating a couple girls at the same time and when asked a question like, "what did you do last night?" I would respond "sat around watching TV" or whatever I did. What I failed to mention was who was sitting around watching TV with me.
The question is... Does blogging put it ALL out there and thus turn you into a more honest person? Or perhaps do bloggers still find themselves omitting key parts of blog entries that might embarrass or incriminate themselves? My guess is that it depends on who is doing the blogging. Personally, I can't remember half the time if I blogged about something or was just telling a friend about an incident. If I were to change or enhance the story, the odds of me keeping different versions straight would be about nil.
In the end... I think I have grown beyond the need to make myself look good all the time and find that as often as not I am blogging about a faux pas rather than my latest daring exploit. Or then again... this could all just be designed to make myself look good. 
Posted by CDogg at 08:48 AM | Comments (1)
September 12, 2005
039 - Props, best wishes, good tunes and saving the planet all in one episode!
Its catch-up time and time for me to hand out some props, some get-well wishes, a criticism and yes - I even saved the planet this weekend. Oh yeah - some great tunes too!
(Time: 21:14)
Fosco & Jack's Kickass Podcast
Skepticality
FTL
Jawbone Radio
K9Cast
Digital Flotsam
Lone Star Gridiron
Houston MetBlogs
This Week in Houston
S.W.A.M.P.
Cafe Artiste
Blind Willie Johnson-If I Had My Way I'd Tear The Building Down (1927)
Warren Zevon-Mohammed's Radio (1986 Tralfamadore Cafe - New York)
Intro and outtro music is I'm on Board by The Ride Theory.
Posted by CDogg at 11:49 AM | Comments (2)
August 02, 2005
Big ups to Laanba
I picked up a cool meme on A Thousand Thoughts... the idea is to post something each day in August that you are happy about. Being a happy person - that should be no problem.
I guess since it is already the 2nd when I started this, I have to post two things today:
I am happy about...
1 - the fact that I have a great dog named Lou.
2 - that there are 1,103 websites referencing my blog (according to TalkDigger.)
tune in tomorrow for another happy thought. :)
Posted by CDogg at 09:28 AM | Comments (0)
July 30, 2005
Maybe I'll record it
I was asked by Jocelyn if it would be okay to post in her blog about my song Blogebrity. That got me to thinking about picking up the minus track to the song "Celebrity" by Brad Paisley and recording the song. If anyone has the minus track (karaoke version) of the song - please send it to me in MP3. If I find it in the meantime, look for a recording of the song soon!
UPDATE: Just minutes after posting this and looking for the song - I found it!!! Today, I will be working on putting out the first PMC Top10 show, but after that I will take a shot at recording it!
Posted by CDogg at 09:43 AM | Comments (0)
June 24, 2005
Doing my part to advance science
Thanks to a link I found on Laanba's blog, I took asurvey being conducted by MIT.
Posted by CDogg at 09:04 PM | Comments (2)
June 03, 2005
Houston Chronicle Article
I was interviewed a couple weeks back by the Houston Chronicle and the article is now out.
The online version is available at: http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/tech/news/3206092
I will try to pick up a hard copy of the article for posterity. I think it came out Wednesday in the ThisWeek section - if anyone has one... please save it for me :)
Posted by CDogg at 08:02 AM | Comments (0)
May 19, 2005
I'm a blogebrity!!!
That's right folks - your not-so-humble host has cracked the B-List at Blogebrity.com!!
Song parody sung to the tune of "Celebrity" by Brad Paisley
Blogebrity - Chris Doelle
Someday I'm gonna be famous... do I have talent well, no
These days you don't really need it thanks to our blogs and podshows
Can't wait to rank on the A-List at Blogebrity
Can't wait to reach "higher being" on TTLB
[1st Chorus]
'Cause when you're a blogebrity
It's adios reality
You can write just like a fool
People think you're cool
Just 'cause of your ranking
I can throw a major fit
When my layout isn't just how I like it
When they say I've gone insane
I'll blame it on the fame
And the pressures that go with
Being a blogebrity
I'll get to cry to my readers when things don't go my way
Won't get community service why my entry's not great
I'll make the supermarket tabloids, look like they write good stuff
But the more they read my blog now the more my fame goes up
[2nd Chorus]
'Cause when you're a blogebrity
It's adios reality
No matter what you do
People think you're cool
Just 'cause of your ranking
I can fall in and out of love
With topics that barely last a month
When they go down the drain
I'll blame it on the fame
And say it's just so tough
Being a blogebrity
[Bridge]
So let's crank up the editors and write it down
For the fans or for the fun.
We'll be real-world authors, jackass pundits,
Hey hey, A-List, here we come!
[3rd Chorus]
'Cause when you're a blogebrity
It's adios reality
No matter what you do
People think you're cool
Just 'cause of your ranking
Being a blogebrity
Yeah blogebrity
song parody copyright 2005 All rights reserved - Chris Doelle
Posted by CDogg at 07:39 AM | Comments (3)
May 01, 2005
Podcast back online.
I did it... I got the podcasting back up and running after switching over to MT. Here is the first one with the new feed...
The plan is to put one up every week or so...
In addition, I am working with some folks on developing a podcast based on Texas High School Football... it should be pretty darn cool and will be hosted at www.lonestargridiron.com (not working yet.)
Here are the shots from the trip to the woods with Lou today. (listen to the audioblog for the complete story)
Lou listens to the birds... then bolts up a tree - we are talking straight up!!
Posted by CDogg at 11:21 AM | Comments (1)
April 13, 2005
Testing out audioblogging
Posted by CDogg at 06:20 PM | Comments (1)
Big Ups to Dave
I have to give huge "ups" to Dave for getting Movabletype installed on the servers. He sweated bullets and birthed more than one migraine making it happen, but it is running smooth as shizzle. (Hmm... that doesn't sound as good as I intended) Anyway, Dave did an excellent job of helping me feed my need to be noticed - it's always good when a friend understands your insanity - or at least understands that I am insane and humors me.
I am still racking my brain to figure out the intricacies of style sheets and templates, but it seems to be coming together. But you know what? It just doesn't matter because I am no longer at the mercy of Blogger.com. Don't get me wrong - I still think blogger is great and would never have jumped into blogging had there not been such a great entry-level site, but I have outgrown it and moved on. Thanks Blogger - don't let the door hit yo... well, you know.
Posted by CDogg at 04:49 PM | Comments (2)
April 05, 2005
A good time was had by all...
I have just returned from the blogging event at Houston Community College (see earlier post) where I was a member of a panel discussing all things blog. We spoke to an audience of about 70 and seemed to get a good response. The questions were intelligent and the responses interesting.
I met a diverse and interesting bunch of fellow panelists. It was good to talk with other flesh and blood nutcases like myself that have the audacity to put their thoughts out in the public eye. I think Corie did a fine job of putting together a cross section of bloggers. Check out their sites to see what I mean.
My fellow panelists were:
Jack Cluth - The People's Republic of Seabrook
Bernard Higgins - A Certain Slant of Light
Robin Reagler - The Other Mother
The moderator was Corie Schweitzer - Insane Troll Logic
We filmed the event and will be providing HCC with a copy for an upcoming webcast as well as using segments in an ongoing documentary about blogging.
Posted by CDogg at 04:15 PM | Comments (0)
April 04, 2005
No, really - I didn't make this one up...
You thought I was kidding when I mentioned that I am becoming a local celebrity. Okay, maybe not a celebrity - but there actually is someone who wants my opinion.
Tomorrow, I will be a panelist at Blogging: The Revolution. I am one of four Houston area bloggers that make up the panel. It should be pretty interesting as although I haven't met the other panelists, I hear we are a definite cross section of the types of bloggers that make up the blogosphere. Dave will be coming with and manning the camera as we plan on using some of the event in an upcoming documentary we are making about blogging.
P.S.- This is what part of the alphabet would look like if Q and R were eliminated.
Posted by CDogg at 04:16 PM | Comments (0)
No, really - I didn't make this one up...
You thought I was kidding when I mentioned that I am becoming a local celebrity. Okay, maybe not a celebrity - but there actually is someone who wants my opinion.
Tomorrow, I will be a panelist at Blogging: The Revolution. I am one of four Houston area bloggers that make up the panel. It should be pretty interesting as although I haven't met the other panelists, I hear we are a definite cross section of the types of bloggers that make up the blogosphere. Dave will be coming with and manning the camera as we plan on using some of the event in an upcoming documentary we are making about blogging.
P.S.- This is what part of the alphabet would look like if Q and R were eliminated.
Posted by CDogg at 04:16 PM | Comments (0)
March 22, 2005
I won a photo theme!
My entry Engine, Engine #9... on my photoblog, ShutterDog, was selected as one of the favorites in the Moody Monday photo theme for the subject "Blue"
suh-weeeeeet!!!
Posted by CDogg at 04:30 PM | Comments (0)
March 15, 2005
Interesting meme
I found a meme at "Fine, Thank You" I will call the "2 out of 3 Ain't Bad" meme. The idea is to make three statements about yourself. 2 of them are the truth; 1 of them is a lie. You, dear reader, have the task of posting a comment as to which one you think is a lie. After you figure mine out - do it on your blog and make sure to link back to where you found it.
"Riding with the window down..."
1. I have been on CNN.
2. I graduated 4th in my class in high school.
3. I was once ranked #13 in the world in Hacky-Sack.
Which one is a fib?
Posted by CDogg at 04:40 PM | Comments (0)
March 06, 2005
You like me -- you 'really' like me...
My blog, "Riding with the window down..." has been chosen as today's Blog of the Day!
I'd like to thank all the little people that made this award possible. I also have to thank all the medium sized folks, without whom the little people wouldn't seem little at all.
(music playing me off stage...)
Wait, wait... I need to thank all the big people - we know who we are. :)
(applause)
Posted by CDogg at 12:02 AM | Comments (0)
March 05, 2005
Interview Meme
Here is the deal... there is a meme going around called the Interview meme. I was on Dragonflies, Butterflies & LadyBugs blog and was selected as the next interviewee. That being said, here are the rules if you want to be the one that I interview...
1. Leave me a comment saying, “Interview me.”
2. I will respond by asking you five questions. I get to pick the questions. ;~)
3. You will update your blog/site with the answers to the questions and leave the answers as comments on my blog.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.
Here is my interview...
1) Why did you start blogging? My ego of course. Actually, I have kept a journal since about 1987 and found a blog was easier to update - and didn't really care if anyone ever read it. As I started getting traffic (long before the link exchanges) I kinda liked the "minor celebrity" status.
2) If you were a breed of dog, what would you be? That is a tough one because I really love so many breeds of dog. I think I would have to go with the St. Bernard though because of how much mine (Sam) meant to me.
3) What is the coolest thing that has ever happened to you? An even tougher question... because cool things happen to me every single day. I also take issue with the question on the basis that I don't believe things happen to me - I make things happen. So with a minor reinterpretation of the question, I would have to say it was when I blindly quit my job to strike out on my own as an entrepreneur. My life was transformed by that action.
4) What was the best book you've read since the beginning of the year and why? The one I liked the most this year was called Best Friends. It is a great story about a group of animal lovers that built their dream animal rescue organization.
5) Are you a native Texan? Nope - but I got here as fast as I could. :) I was born in Minnesota and my family moved to Texas just after I completed second grade.
Okay, now if you have a blog, leave a comment telling me why you want to be interviewed and I will select one. Thanks for listening.
Posted by CDogg at 12:05 AM | Comments (0)
March 01, 2005
Hits, Hits, Hits
This is it! I found the ultimate site for increasing hits to your blog:
Posted by CDogg at 12:09 AM | Comments (0)
February 12, 2005
Three for one...
Manny and I met up with members of Houston Metblogs at the monthly meetup. We gathered at Brasil's on Dunlavy. We had a really cool time - met some really cool people. (Nick & Katie are pictured here) It was really cool putting real faces with the names (handles) of people from the blogosphere. I look forward to attending more of them in the future.
After the meetup, we headed downtown to take some shots. I completely forgot what I had planned to do today, but oh well. I was selected for a car commercial that was being shot downtown. They were looking for men and women who looked European to be in this commercial. I sent them the latest photo of me in a suit and they asked me to shoot. When I heard it was about a 15 hour shoot and I had to wear my suit all day, I thanked them for the offer and begged out. Anyway, long story short - I was going to go by the shoot and get some pictures on the set but completely forgot that it was happening today.
We grabbed the metrorail down at Hermann Park and rode to downtown. We did get a ton of cool shots downtown (look for a few of them to appear on my photoblog "ShutterDog" over the next few days or weeks) I will have to head back down there and spend the day shooting because there are just so many great subjects.
We walked down to the Spaghetti Warehouse thinking we could grab a bite before we headed back to Hermann Park, but the waiting list was over an hour.
After leaving downtown we swung by Buffalo Wild Wings on Gray for some wings and trivia. The last time we went I won all three games and Manny was set on getting revenge. We were greeted by Dana who remembered us from the last time we were there. (I'm not sure if that is a good sign or a bad one... haha) She gave us the hookup with the wings and we commenced to doing battle with the rest of the bar.
In the first game... I missed first place by just a few points when someone named CUTTER took the win. We fought it out over the next couple games but by the end each of us had our share of fame as we bested the other 9 competitors . My handle BIGDOG and Manny's RENTON each graced the screen after our wins. I had to congratulate Manny on that victory because his first victory was an impressive one. If you have no idea of which I speak... go to www.ntn.com and sign up for an account. You can play without one, but having one will allow you to play at any location and continue to earn points towards free stuff.
Overall, it was a pretty full day - Brasil's started at 3pm - I have no clue how long we spent downtown - and not really sure how long we were at BWW. All I know is that amazingly enough we did three "outings" in the same day - each of which would have rated as a good time. In the end though, I guess its a testament to my philosophy on life... "Have fun!"
Posted by CDogg at 10:17 PM | Comments (0)
January 28, 2005
Blogroll me - get traffic - win a prize!
Add me to your blogroll by clicking the Blogroll Me! link and then shoot me an email to my gmail account (listed on the right side) with your blog addy and you will be sent a prize through email. All I can reveal is that it will be something that most of us can use!
PLUS - you get more traffic because I will be checking out your blog!
Posted by CDogg at 10:42 PM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2005
Shameless post for Google Hits
I heard through the grapevine that if you search google for "Kournikova Yellow Bikini," you will get pictures of Ms. K. showing more than she intended. Apparently, no matter what gets stuck in your craw (?) if you are celeb you need to be very discreet about when and where you "adjust."
So what is the point of the post? Well, it isn't really to get you to look at uncensored celebrity photos... it is as the title says, a shameless post for google hits. I figure that it has to be a very hot topic and if some of those searchers end up on my site, I will move up in the rankings of the blog world - haha. Cheezy, I know... but what can I say..
Posted by CDogg at 02:34 PM | Comments (1)
January 13, 2005
Blog clicker
I have just joined Blog Clicker. Like Blog Explosion, it generates a lot of readers for your blog. Apparently, it is human nature to pick a brand and stay loyal to it so I have read a lot of posts about which is better. Uh... it just doesn't matter. Sign up for both of them and watch your traffic increase. Works for me!
Posted by CDogg at 11:19 AM | Comments (0)
January 09, 2005
Looking for a catchy name for my blog...
Chris Doelle's Reading Room is 1) a bit long 2) a bit non-informative and 3) a bit boring.
I would like it to relate to something that is important to me... but I am not sure what to call it.
I thought about...
"All Blogs Go to Heaven" (a backhanded nod to my love of dogs... but sorta sounds religious)
"The Doelle News" (a play on my name - but then nobody knows it is pronounced "daily")
"The Doelle Grind" (same as above)
"The Passion of the Chris" (pretty good, but will it hold up in a couple years after the movie is forgotten? and it sounds religious too)
"BigDog's Blog" (a bit pretentious and there are waaay too many folks out there calling themselves Bigdog)
"Because I Can" (simple but doesn't really relate to me personally)
"People in Hell Want Ice Water" (I've just always liked that saying, but it is a bit long)
"Ice Water in Hell" (shorter and actually gives the impression that it is a good thing)
"Riding With the Window Down" (a reference to that look of joy on the face of a dog when doing so)
"Philosopher Dog" (from the quote by Plato - A dog has the soul of a philosopher. )
"Warm Puppy" (an homage to the Charlie Brown saying... Happiness is a warm puppy.)
I am open to suggestions...
Posted by CDogg at 08:06 PM | Comments (2)
November 17, 2004
My blog can be part of Your Yahoo!
That's right... you can now get a direct feed of my blog directed to your My Yahoo! page.
Just click the link to add it to your My Yahoo!
or you can syndicate the feed to any page of your choice through this link...
and you can add it to any webpage... by putting the following image... (email me for the actual html)
Posted by CDogg at 06:04 PM | Comments (0)
June 28, 2004
New graphic
I have decided to add a new graphic to the blog - my newly created Weekend Update logo. (I have been playing around in Photoshop)
So what did I do this past weekend? Well, a WHOLE lot of video production. Dave and I are still working on the large project that has tied us up for a couple weeks. We finished up the rough master Sunday night and I sent out six DVDs this morning. There is still a lot of editing to do, but they wanted to see a rough cut so they could start some editing notes of their own.
During rendering/burning/copying times, I finished cleaning out the garage. It sounds like no big deal, but those of you who have seen it, know that it was HUGE!! Our 3,000 square foot office was brought to my house after we closed it down and the lion's share went in the garage. Add that to the two coke machines stored in there and you can start to see how there was absolutely no room in there. Long story short - there is a ton of room now and I have even started working out again on my exercise equipment.
I also got a little handy and created a storage rack for my DVDs. As you can see, it is nothing fancy, but is extremely functional.
It was a fun little project that required about two hours worth of work (including buying the lumber at Home Depot) and cost about $15. I worked only from an idea in my head (no plans) and that made it even cooler that it turned out well. I treated it with a clear varnish because I like natural wood as opposed to a dark stain.
Today, I added another notch to the home handyman tool belt - I replaced the exterior garage light with a motion sensing double flood that does a great job of lighting the driveway when someone approaches. It will come in handy when coming home at night and should discourage any attempts to fiddle with mine or Brian's trucks.
Posted by CDogg at 06:07 PM | Comments (0)
May 08, 2003
It begins...
Hello - this is my first ever blog. I have fought the tide of "the blog" as a fad that would soon die out, but alas - it looks like it is here to stay. I intend for this to develop into somewhat of an online journal.
Posted by CDogg at 07:22 PM | Comments (0)