World's Largest Rubber Band Ball

I saw these people outside my office today (11/21) loading this rubberband ball on to a truck with a forklift. It is HUGE. If you want to see it for youreself it will be on a float at the Chicago Thanksgiving day parade.

This is the 4594-Pound, 175,000-Band Rubberband Ball, Sponsored By OfficeMax, Certified as World's Largest On November 21. 26-year-old Steve Milton started his ball in November 2005 with a number of small rubberbands. The rubberband ball stands 5 1/2 feet-high and has a circumference of 19 feet.

TALLEY FOTO - Stephen Talley Photography

Stephen Talley Photography (Talley Foto) is a client of mine. I designed and developed their web site. I met Stephen and his staff during an all day photoshoot in which Chloe was hired for American Girl Magazine. Stephen, J and the rest of the staff are incredibly nice, unilke other photography studios I've dealt with in the past.

Stephen has an incredible sense for good, natural looking lighting and he was a way with people that puts them at ease. This usually results in a great shot. Check out his work at the Talley Foto web site.

Who is BANKSY?

www.banksy.co.uk/

RIDE : : : Galena

On August 26th, I rode out to Galena/ Jo Daviess County with Mark, Geo and Eric. Even though the day started out rainy, it eventually turned into a beautiful day to ride. We rode through the twisties of western Illinois and around the Galena area along the Mississippi River Valley... rode through quaint little downtown Galena... and had lunch at a Mom and Pop style restaurant. Northwestern Illinois is beautiful and unlike the rest of the midwest's cornfield-flat terrain. There are actually hills and cliffs there! And the ride on 52 on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River is absolutely breathtaking. It was my first long ride and even though I was a bit achey after the 375 mile ride... I'm already itching to do it again... and even farther next time. For those who ride, you know what I'm talking about... and for those who don't... all I have are some words I ripped off of my buddy's Friendster page - "Four wheels move the body... 2 wheels move the soul". Check out the video here from the ride. I'm the slow one who's always in the way of the camera bike. It was hard keeping up with an R1, R6 and Ninja ZX7 but the SV 650 handled the twisties just fine. It's so fun to ride. Special thanks to Mark for the great footage and to Geo and Eric for the great company. Looking forward to another one soon before the season is over.

Kudos to me

I must toot my own horn and give myself kudos for designing and developing a Flash based touchscreen application for One Rincon Hill, a major residential development in San Francisco. The interactive touchscreens feature detailed floorplans with links to views from each unit. The application also visually shows unit availability which can be updated by a custom content management system. The sales center opened on June 12th and the touchscreens received rave reviews.

One Rincon Hill is a $290 million condominium development in San Francisco that is said to be an instant landmark once completed. The structural engineering of the building is one of a kind since it is earthquake proof but will still be the tallest residential building in San Francisco. My work is currently viewed in the mammoth sales center and will help sell the units and as of June 15th, over 200 units have already been sold at the starting price of $500G for 613 sq ft 1 BR up to $2 million for 1900 sq ft penthouse units.

I spent most of my last 2 weeks at work, a few very late nights, and many hours on the train working on this landmark project for Firestar Interactive. Yes, I am proud of my work. Read some news about the development below.

• SocketSite
First Impressions: One Rincon Hill Sales Center – "Most likely you’ve already read about the touchscreen kiosks that allow you to browse floor plans, views, and availability (floor plans 02 and 06 appear to be popular); the model unit (floor plan 03) with simulated views from the 45th floor"

• Curbed SF
Notable quote: "Favorite sales center device: touchscreens. Chose the unit's size and orientation, view the floorplan, and see the view from each window. Great stuff... "

• KGO-TV (ABC, Ch, 7), by David Louie
Notable quote: "Touch-screen technology allows prospective buyers to see the views from each window from every unit on every floor. The shots were taken by helicopter. "

• San Francisco Chronicle, by Carl Nolte
Notable quote: "... a project that when it is finished in two years will be an instant San Francisco landmark "

Maxwell's 6th Birthday Party

Maxwell is now 6 years old! His Fear Factor birthday party was a ton of fun for all the kids who went through obstacle races, finding an eyeball in a bucket of liquid goo, eating mystery liver and 30 day old moldy cheese, and picking spiders out of a big bowl of worms with your teeth! Alyssa and Aidan were the big winners of the Fear Factor prize! Congratulations!
Maxwell would like to thank all who came and for all the presents.
>> view photos from the party here <<

Yet Another Maguigad!

Eric (Bong) and Nizza Maguigad are the proud parents of their second child, Zoe Maguigad. She was born on Tuesday morning, May 16, 2006 at 9:00 AM and weighing 6 lbs 4 oz. Congratulations to the new parents! Mom and baby are doing great.
>>> view more photos here!

>> Send an EMAIL<<

The Maguigad Elders

Leonardo, Glicerio, Wilma, Demetrio and Romeo Maguigad on a recent gathering in Maryland.

Thanks to Elizabeth Maguigad for the photo

walking dude

I'm back in Chicago! I've taken a new job at Firestar Interactive on East Ontario after 4 years of working in the burbs. It's great to be back on North Michigan Avenue. So of course, the first thing I wanted to experience was a siting of the infamous Walking Dude. I used to see him quite a bit during my days working for the Tribune from 1998 - 2001. I have not seen him yet but now that the weather is warming up, I'm sure I will see him once again. Anyone that has worked downtown or even visited downtown Chicago should know who I'm talking about....


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Sarah and Jay's wedding

The Maguigad gang at Sarah and Jay's wedding reception.

Click on Image for supersize pic.