rickyleepotts …an opinionated realist

For most of us, listening to music is something we simply cannot live without. You remember the days of the portable cassette player and then moving to a new generation of portable CD players. Just in the last few years we have gone from carrying around CD players to carrying around iPods, iPhones, and a variety of other media players that will allow us to listen to our collection of albums and in most cases even the radio. But is AM/FM radio all that great anyway with all of those ads and off air time? Plus most of these stations play the same songs over and over again and it gets to the point that you cannot even drive to work without hearing the same song two or three times.

Thus enter the world of Internet radio. Now, through services like iTunes and Pandora, you can listen to radio stations from all over the world. iTunes offers stations from every corner of the planet while Pandora pulls tracks from an ever growing collection of songs. Pandora, coined the music genome project, can not only provide you with a list of stations to fit your specific genre, but based on a rating and skip system can tell you what you like and suggest tracks that you will also enjoy. And if a song appears that you do not like, simply clicking the thumbs down option (next to the album cover) and Pandora will not play that track anymore, nor songs like it. Pandora is truly a smart way to listen to the radio. (Funny how they consider themselves Internet radio when in reality it is not radio at all but rather a collection of predetermined tracks.)

Pandora is also convenient. With the website allowing you access anywhere that you have a browser as well as iPhone and Blackberry application options you can carry your Pandora account with you wherever you go. But Pandora is not the perfect solution to your music listening needs. There are advertisements every few songs that do nothing but annoy. There are even ads on the side of the window that take up half the screen when all you want to do is skip to the next tune. But be careful as you are only allowed six skips a day. So be cautious if you are tired of hearing Lady Gaga as you can only hope around a limited number of times.

There are some other issues like not being able to rate songs outside of your genre even. When you create your account you can select a genre from a predetermined list or even input an artist that you like the sound of. So, when I started, I put in Armin van Buuren. He is a high-energy techno DJ and I love listening to dance, trance, and house music. So, once I entered that Pandora made the House station “my” station. If I, for example, want to venture out and listen to some Top 40 music and want to like a song I am not able to since House is considered to be my default station. But, all of those things aside Pandora truly does put services like iTunes Radio and Slacker Radio to shame. The selection is just unbeatable.

But what if I want to have unlimited skips? What if I want to listen to more than forty hours a month? What if I want to turn on Pandora while having a dinner party and not be overwhelmed with advertisements? You are in luck as Pandora offers a paid subscription service. The rate is $36 a year (yeah, that is a value in my option) and you are welcomed with a handful of incredible options. I wanted to take an opportunity to share some of those with you here. Below is a list of some the more interesting and personally beneficial options when you actually pay for your Pandora service. This offer comes to you with a slightly different name, more for branding I would assume, and is known as Pandora One. You be the judge but if you are looking to have full control over your radio the only way to do it, through Pandora anyway, is to pony up the dough.

Bringing Pandora to your Desktop

One cool thing that the Pandora subscription offers is a desktop application that allows you to run your Pandora radio station outside of a web browser. If you are anything like me you are using four or five tabs at any given time, so why waste one on Pandora? This handy application allows you the view the album cover, rate the song as a like or dislike, and even skip to the next track and pause if you are wanting to take a break from the music for a little while. This application takes up a lot less space too. If you do not want to see the application just hide the sucker in your task bar and move on with your day.

Making Pandora Your Very Own

With your paid subscription get ready to get creative. With the default Pandora website you have no control over the look of your page. You get the default look and feel and the most excitement that will come from this is the ads that pop up non-stop every few tracks. So if you are dishing out the cash for the subscription you can have pretty much total control over your design. There are skins that you can download that allow you to personalize your media player. This is where Pandora gets personal.

Listing without Limits

With the way Pandora is currently setup, if you are not paying then you are limited to so many hours a month. Forty to be exact. So if you have a full time job and are allowed to listen to music while in the office (like I can) you will use that time in a couple of weeks, tops. Plus, I have Pandora on my iPhone. Because of that my account is linked to my phone and the hours are the same. So if I use the website for twenty hours and my phone for twenty then I have, according to Pandora, used my forty hours. They are linked and this proves to be a big issue when I am in the mood to listen to some radio. The paid subscription, however, has no time limits and you can listen all day every day for the entire month. For the entire year for that matter. Pay for the enjoyment of unlimited listening with Pandora.

Higher Quality Streaming

The audio quality coming from Pandora is pretty solid. You get what I consider almost CD quality sound from the service when you are taking the free route. But, if you decide to pay for your service, expect a much higher quality of sound to pierce your eardrums. With the paid subscription you will begin receiving 192k bits per second audio. To the normal individual that might not prove to be that big of a selling point, but to ears like mine I need to hear what the person producing this track heard. The better the sound quality the more enjoyment I can get out of a song.

No Advertising

The single best feature about the paid subscription to Pandora is that you get no ads. No more commercials every few tracks that fan inhibit your mood. No more huge banners popping out all over the screen. No more being bothered to rent your next DVD from Netflix or to watch the latest and greatest late night TV sow on NBC. Ads are a thing of the past when you pay for your service. This, to most, should be worth the $36. Please remember that this is $36 a year, not a month. You get 365 days of ad free listening power for a small price to pay.

Longer Timeout Periods

If you are using Pandora right now, for free, then you are well aware that you are to interact with the service every handful of tracks before it will ask you if you are still listening. You can be ten minutes into your day and then the music stops. You wonder why, open the tab, and see a message from Pandora asking you if you are still listening. You hit yes, and carry on with your day only to have to do the same thing in another half an hour or so. It gets annoying fast with the free service. But, if you pay for your service, you will not have up to five hours of idle time before you are required to interact with Pandora. So, enjoy your time sitting back with ad free unlimited skips music. It truly will make your listening experience that much better.

These are only a few things that make Pandora One that much better than the free version of the service. If you listen to the radio at work, and you favorite the stations on Pandora, it might be time to seriously consider some investment into their subscription services. The experience will be better just from the features that you will be able to take advantage of. So pull out your credit card, follow the on screen directions to activating your account, and get to dancing as you are on your way to higher quality unlimited skipping ad free music.

I play video games.  I play video games a lot actually.  I play sports games, first person shooter games, racing games, and even role-playing games if the mood strikes me.  I am not into games like World of War Craft, but I probably spend as much time playing games like Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf as some of you do playing WOW.  I take the game very serious and have purchased every copy of the game on the day of release since the 1999 version when it came to PC.  I recently have been going to Walmart at midnight the day of the release as that allows for immediate satisfaction of the updated graphics and the new game play.

I would venture to say that I play my Microsoft Xbox 360 about 95% of the time.  I am a console collector, as I have all three of the next generation consoles, but the 360 has a special place in my heart.  Perhaps it is the fact that I waited in line at Walmart for over twenty hours to guarantee that I got one the day it came out.  Or maybe it is because this is the first time that Tiger Woods was a launch title.  Actually, I think the real reason is because of the achievement points.  These points are a way for you track your progress as you play and beat games.  You get points for doing things like completing a season in Madden or for running a lap in Project Gotham Racing without hitting a wall.  Some of the points are easier to get than others, but with that comes smaller point totals.  I currently have just over 14,000 gamer points and from what I can tell that is a lot.  But again, I do play a lot.  Think of gamer points as bragging rights for the rest of the gamers out there.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2010 has been giving me some problems lately.  I have not beat the game, I have not completed the tournament challenge, and I have only received about half of the gamer points that this game has available.  However, with that being said, I do know what all of these achievements are.  And not only do I know what these achievements are but I also have researched them a little deeper to know not only how to accomplish these achievements but also some of the little innuendos that go along with each task.  Below you will see a complete list of the Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2010 achievements and a little more information on each one.  (These will go from the easiest achievements to obtain to the hardest and highest point valued ones.)

Team Work – Watch the Credits – 10 Points

This is a pretty simple task to complete.  All you have to do is head to the main menu, choose the My Tiger Woods -10 option, then select Extras, and then Credits.  Once you have watched the credits for the game you will unlock this achivement.  This is an easy way to jump start your list and to learn a little bit more about the number of people that went into making this game possible.

Blammo! – Earn the Bingo, Bango & Bongo point on a single shot in the Bingo Bango Bongo Traditional game mode. – 10 Points

This is another pretty simple task to complete.  Bingo Bango Bongo is a pretty fun style of play.  The concept here is that you and your opponent(s) tee off.  You earn a Bingo for the first person to hit the green.  Then, you win the Bango for being the closest to the pin once everyone is on the green.  The Bongo then comes as the lowest score on that hole.  So, for instance, if you hit in the middle of the fairway, stick it to three inches, and your opponent misses his putt and is a foot away from the hole, you would in theory win all three.  There are multiples ways in this game to achieve this task, but the easiest is to play you with two controllers.  Set up the game to be you versus yourself.  Hit the shots that you know will allow the first, or the second, player to win all three.  Is it cheating?  Sure it is but it beats trying to figure out a way to do this while playing in the exhibition mode.

Weather Report – Complete an online 18-hole round in the rain using the Live Weather feed. – 10 Points

Live Weather is new to the Tiger Woods franchise.  This is a feature that based on GPS and the constant connection to the web that your console has (assuming you invested in an Xbox Live account) to pull the actual weather conditions as they are in the city of where the course you are playing exists.  So, if you head over to St. Andrews to play a quick round before bed, have Live Weather set, and it is raining in Scotland you better believe that it is raining on the game.  This feature is cool because it gives you an accurate sense of what these guys truly have to deal with from week to week out there on tour.

The Comeback Kid – Come back from a +5 or worse to finish Even or better, in any Traditional or Online game mode round. – 15 Points

This is a very easy task to complete.  The idea of this is that you have to come back from being at least five strokes over par and finish the round even or under par.  This is not hard as most of these courses have the potential to shoot in the low 50s once you have figured out the putting.  The easiest way I know how to tell you to beat this challenge is to knock a few balls out of bounds on the first hole and start your next seventeen holes already at your target of five shots over par.  Then, once you have hit that magic number just play the way you would normally play.  Chances you finish even or under par are pretty good.

Tough at the Top – Compete in Play-The-Pros mode and submit your score online. – 15 Points

This is also another easy task to complete.  All you have to do is log on, play 18 holes in this particular category, and post your score online.  It does not matter if you shoot twenty under par or twenty over par, as long as you submit the score online you will unlock this achievement.

Play with the Big Boys – Drive the ball 400 or more yards in the fairway in any Traditional or Online game modes. – 15 Points

This is a task that takes a little bit of planning.  First, your player (you could use Tiger Woods for this if you want to) needs to have a high distance rating.  Once you are near a full rating on your distance category, head out to any given golf course and let the big dog eat, as they say. Some things that might help are finding a downhill down wind par four or five.  If the wind is at your back it will be much easier for the ball to carry.  If you do get a big down wind open the club face a little to let the ball get that extra airtime after you hit it.  You will probably get this achievement on accident by just playing the game.

Maximum Power – Complete an 18-Hole round using a max stats costume in any Traditional or Online game modes. – 25 Points

There are a couple of ways to complete this task.  You can purchase the bunny costume with 300 Microsoft points and get this challenge right out of the gate.  But, if you are like me and find yourself on a budget, you just simply have to unlock the bunny suit to break this challenge.  You can unlock this costume by making your way through the Tournament Challenge.  You have to play this to be able to unlock all of the achievements anyway, so it just comes with time.  But once you have unlocked the bunny suit all you have to do is play 178 holes.  Easy enough.

Raindancer – Play in the rain and score an Eagle or better in any Stroke based Traditional or Online game modes. – 25 Points

This is simple.  Set the weather to rain, play a round, and score an eagle or better.  Once you sink that eagle you will get an easy 25 points.

Riding Spinnaz – Sink an approach shot using backspin covering a distance of 5ft or greater in any game mode. – 25 Points

You will get this just by playing the game.  As you make your way through the PGA Tour season or the Tournament Challenge.  Most wedges wil spin this much by default so do not worry about the distance of your spin.  So just go out and play and eventually you will sink a field shot.

Taking Flight – Total 50 birdies with a created player. – 25 Points

This is a pretty simple one to break.  Just go out and play and you will break this in no time.  I currently have over 1,000 birdies and I am not even at 100% game completion.  A harder challenge might have been 50 eagles with a created player. But make sure that you are using your created player as these do not count with the players that are already in the game.

Eye of the Hurricane – Shoot under Par through a Gale Force wind in a Traditional or Online game mode 18-hole round. – 25 Points

Gale force winds are insane on this game. You will be starring at 25+ mile an hour winds going in any given direction.  Sometimes with winds this crazy rain is also thrown into the mix.  Regardless, just play smart, make sure you sink a few birdies early, and you will break this achievement.

It’s All in the Hips – Use Precision Putter to sink a 30ft putt without Putt Preview, in a Traditional or Online game mode. – 30 points

For this challenge you must sink a 30 foot putt without using the putt preview.  The putt preview is your one and only chance at seeing where, if you hit the ball at 100%, your putt will travel.  It can be difficult not using this as the new putting is something very hard to grasp for most average to mid level players.  But, there is luck!  In the tournament challenge you will be matched with Tiger and are required to match him shot for shot.  One of these is a putt that is 30 foot long.  The first time you have this putt, line it up, and use the putt preview.  Understand where the putt will break but then miss the putt on purpose.  The challenge will restart leaving your putt exactly where you had it before. Adjust accordingly and sink the putt.

Bare Minimum – Play a round under Par in a Traditional or Online game mode with a Driver, SW, 5 Iron and Putter. – 30 Points

This is a fun one to break.  I suggest that you use a curse like St. Andrews.  The course is not that long, from the white tees, and has pretty flat greens.  Also, while playing use the three click style of play.  This way if you have a 5 iron going into a 130 yard shot you can guarantee you will not miss the green by very much.  But the easiest thing you can do is just go out and have fun!

Big Money – Win 5 Million Dollars in Live Tournaments. – 30 Points

Good luck on this one.  This is the hardest challenge in the game, in my opinion.  This will take you not only time but patience as you have to play a lot, and for a long time to unlock this one.  There are various styles of online tournaments ranging from daily, weekly, and play the pros.  Each one requires you to play four rounds and the top 350 places generally pay out.  The play the pros one pay fewer spots.  This is not hard; it is just time consuming and a lot of golf.  So get out there and start making some birdies!

Piece of Cake – Post a Top 50 score in a Live Tournament. – 30 Points

This is not s hard as it sounds.  All you have to do is go out to live tournaments and finish one round in the top 50.  Find a tournament that has just started, play your heart out, shoot a decent score, and you will place in the top 50.

Migration – Total 100 Birdies using a created golfer. – 35 Points

Just like the 50 birdies that you must collect this is just a continued effort.  Keep playing and keep making those birdies and this one will eventually find its way into you trophy case.

Birds of Prey – Total 25 Eagles using a created golfer. – 35 Points

Exactly like the two birdie challenges, this is based on eagles.  So, head out there, play some par fives, and rack up the eagles.

Big Tuna – Play an 18-hole Traditional or Online game mode round in FIR and GIR using only tuned clubs. – 50 Points

This one is quite difficult for multiple reasons.  First, every club that you have in your bag must have been tuned out on the driving range.  The putter is the only club that you cannot tune.  This can be done by changing the loft, the lie, or anything else that you think will benefit your swing in the club-tuning mode.  I changed my clubs by one degree of loft.  Now comes the hard part.  You have to play 18 holes and not miss a single fairway.  You also cannot miss a single green.  You must literally play a perfect round from tee to green to break this with those tuned clubs.  Mine happened by accident but with a little patience you can break this in a hurry.

Aces High – Ace a Par 4 or a Par 5 hole in any Traditional or Online game mode. – 50 Points

This one is a lot more difficult than you might think.  You might pull this off by accident during normal game play but if you want to focus on this challenge and guarantee that you complete it then you need to head back to St. Andrews.  And rather than using your created player take Luke Donald.  On hole #9 at St. Andrews Luke will hit a 99-100% driver pin high.  Then, just play with the spin until you knock it in.  Also, use the mulligan feature in case you miss it to save from having to go back and set up the hole again.

Well-Seasoned – Complete a PGA TOUR® Season with at least 10 Million Dollars in career earnings. – 50 Points

This is a pretty simple task.  Just play through a season, win as many tournaments as you can, and finish the PGA Tour season with over $10 million in earnings.  The first time you do this it will actually unlock not only this achievement but also the Tracking Tiger Trophy Ball for making more than $10 million in a single reason.  Think of it as killing two birds with one stone.

Circle of Life – Score an Ace, an Eagle, a Birdie, a Par and a Bogey in a single round of a PGA TOUR® Event. – 55 Points

This, as hard as it seems, will again just happen on accident.  You can play a round and get any number of eagles, birdies, and bogies.  But the hole in one is the issue.  Play a course like Wentworth where you have a lot of chances.  Play the white tees, as well, giving you a better chance at scoring that ace.  With a little luck this will happen during the course of play.

Eagle Eye – Total 100 Eagles using a created golfer. – 55 Points

Remember when I said they should focus on the eagles rather than the birdies?  Well, your wish is my command.  Score 100 of these and you will unlock another achievement.

Ten Thousand Ways – Earn 10,000 Player Points in EA SPORTS™ GamerNet. – 75 Points

This is something that just comes with time.  You can either win these through the course of normal play by knocking it close to the pin or by out driving some of the other players on Xbox Live, or you can do it online in their menu.  You can search for and find these set challenges and if you beat them this route it will earn you double points.  This track will allow you a much easier road and can be accomplished in a few hours if that. (I am doing it the old school route and earning them as I go through the PGA Tour Season.

Challenge the World – Complete the Tournament Challenge mode. – 75 Points

It does not get any easier than this. Just play through and complete the tournament challenge.

Sharkies – Play 18 holes online against an EA Tiburon team member or against a player who has this Achievement. – 80 Points

You can either head online and setup a match with this as a requirement or just risk it and play as many people online as you can until you unlock this.  You must, however, complete all 18 holes for this to unlock.

From Bad to Worse – Hit the ball from any bunker into a different hazard, such as a Water Hazard or Out of Bounds. – 10 Points

This is easy.  Hit the ball into a bunker then hit it out of bounds or into a water hazard.  It really is that simple.

Mulligans Island – Use 20 or more mulligans during an 18-hole round, in any Traditional or Online game modes. – 15 points

Just start a round with mulligans activated and go to town.  You can do this all on the first shot of the round if you want.  Once you have used twenty of these finish the round and you will unlock this achievement.

No Known Survivors – Equip the CEC Mining Hazard Suit – 35 Points

All you have to do is play through the Tournament Challenge.  Once you have completed the four rounds at the TPC of Boston you will unlock this in the pro shop.  Equip it and then you will unlock this achievement.

Levinator25 – Complete the first Bonus Challenge in Tournament Challenge. – 55 Points

This is a fun little secret achievement that you will have to complete.  Once you have made your way through what you think is 100% of the Tournament Challenge you will be given one more set of tasks to complete.  You will be given incredible shots from recent history on the PGA Tour.  The first, and the one that you need to complete to win this task, is knock it in from a lily pad.  Remember that Tiger Woods commercial where he hits the ball from a lily pad standing in the middle of the lake?  Well, now you get to experience this first hand.

These are the achievements in the 2010 Tiger Woods PGA Tour Xbox 360 game.  The game is the best graphics you have seen in this series to date and the game play is incredible.  The putting, as always, changes this year but you get used to it.  If you are like me and obsess over achievement points hopefully this will help you get a healthy chunk.

I first met this man on Twitter, so it is fitting that when I took some time to sit down with him that it be on the social networking site itself. I have, since first chatting with him, gotten to know a little bit more about what makes this guy tick. I had the chance, not long after we sat down on Twitter, to meet this guy in person at an event held at Scotty’s Brewhouse up on the north side of Indianapolis. He is a true gentleman and a guy that I think you should take the time to get to know. With his efforts online to his efforts from 9-5, he is a perfect example of a man that “get it” when speaking on social media. So sit back, relax, and take some time to get to know the man that is Robby Slaughter.

(For those of you that do not know how Twitter works, messages that start with @robbyslaughter are messages from me to the artist.  Messages that start with @rickyleepotts are his responses.  I have set a limit to 140 characters for this interview and all questions and answers must fit in 1 single tweet.  All of the messages you see have not been edited and are exactly as I received them.)

So tell me @robbyslaughter, what is that you actually do for a living?

@rickyleepotts I help people. That’s what we all do for a living. My primary interest is in bottom-up workflow and productivity.

@robbyslaughter Can you help me?  I have been sick for the last three days.  Any words of advice on how to keep focused?

@rickyleepotts First: ask coworkers to give you a day without interruptions to catch up.

@rickyleepotts Second: Go through and reply to every email you received with: “I’ve been out sick, but I WILL reply within 48 hrs.”

@rickyleepotts And finally, make sure you leave on time the first day back! No use making yourself relapse.

@robbyslaughter That is some good advice.  Thank you.  So where did you go to college to learn how to help people like myself?

@rickyleepotts One of the big challenges of workflow and productivity is people feel like it’s too academic or too complicated to …

@rickyleepotts work smarter, because of tools or obscure terms. But the reality is that more important than a college degree is a new

@rickyleepotts perspective on work.

@robbyslaughter U are cheating u know. U are only supposed to be allowed 140 characters to respond. But that’s OK. I like it! Pepsi or Coke?

@rickyleepotts I didn’t know about the 140 character limit! I like Pespi better.

@robbyslaughter I will take the blame for not explaining the rules to you.  Don’t worry, @paulpoteet cheated too. You a Colts fan?

@rickyleepotts Yes, Go #colts! You can’t live in Indy and not be a Colts fan.

@robbyslaughter I beg to differ.  I HATE the Colts.  (Notice how I did NOT use a #?) According to Twitter you are a trouble maker?

@rickyleepotts If you’re not making trouble, what are you doing? Progress requires thinking differently.

@robbyslaughter You are very well spoken.  I like that.  Any reason why you follow more people on Twitter than follow you?

@rickyleepotts I don’t pay attention to follower/following counts. I just try to take part in the community, and numbers emerge.

@robbyslaughter I think you should write @HALLMARKPR cards.  What is on your Christmas list this year?

@rickyleepotts Thanks, I think. Xmas list: World peace. I don’t really have anything that I’m excited about.

@robbyslaughter How many people work for @slaughterdev?

@rickyleepotts Three plus myself.

@robbyslaughter So are you an @iPhone user?

@rickyleepotts I am, and user is the right word. There is use, there is addiction, and not really any grander benefit.

@robbyslaughter Is this your first time being interviewed on Twitter?

@rickyleepotts Yes, it’s my first time for a TwitterView.

@robbyslaughter Well in all of my interviews I let the artist (you are an artist in my mind) get the last word. So with that being said, GO!

@rickyleepotts Thanks for the TwitterView. I hope it was fun for all who listened in! Check us out at http://www.slaughterdevelopment.com/

I came across a show the other day that grabbed my attention. It comes from the man that almost ate himself to death in the film Super Size Me, Morgan Spurlock. The show is titled 30 Days and Morgan puts himself in situations for thirty days that he would normally not find himself in. He does the research, he plans the topic, and then is filmed for the thirty days breaking down how his mind and body react to the living this life style for an entire month. The show is quite good and it allows the audience a chance to see life on the inside.

The episode that stood out to me most was the season finale of the second season. Morgan put himself in jail for thirty days. His girlfriend, of course, did not take this too lightly, but she knew he had to go for the sake of his show and for the sake of what makes Morgan, Morgan. So he was picked up at home and for an entire month was treated like a criminal. He would eat with these guys; he would sleep with these guys, get time in the “yard” with these guys, and even shower and use the restroom right alongside convicts.

At first it was a little scary for Morgan. I mean, going from being able to do whatever you want whenever you want to now being thrown behind bars is a major life change. From the moment he walked into the prison he was told that he would be treated just like all the other inmates. He would get no special treatment, no extra protection, and would not be pulled out of any fights or altercations if he found himself in one. Morgan was on the inside all alone.

The episode was actually quite educational. There is not a lot that you can see in forty-five minutes that takes place over a month’s time, but I felt they did a good job breaking it down and showing the highlights. You learn a lot during that time, however, and get to see how smart prisoners really are. For instance, the bathrooms in these cells are literally just sitting out in the middle for everyone to see. So if you have to use the restroom you are going to be showing off for the rest of the guys around you. But these prisoners have developed a technique to show when they are in fact on the John. When someone goes to the restroom they throw a sheet up to cover the cell. Then the inmate will write and place a note on the outside of the cell to let guards and cell mates know they are using the restroom. It is clever and it works.

Part of the reason for this system, however, is due to the fact that jails are overcrowded. The cells are meant for two inmates, at most, and all of them are housing three at a time. A pair of convicts will get a bunk bed while the other gets a thin mattress and is forced to sleep on the floor. Now, the prison that Morgan visited was not maximum security, where I feel things might be a little different, but the inmates were only allowed very few hours of daylight a week. They were kept inside and not given very much freedom at all. But tensions do run high around any prisons.

So as Morgan goes along he decides to make things even worse for himself. Not only is allowed a handful of visitations while he is in the pen, he decides to put himself in solitary confinement for seventy-two hours. This, from the way he described it, has to be one of the worst forms of punishment that a prisoner can go through. I have always thought that this would be the easy way out. You get your own room, three meals a day served to you right there, time to shower and work out all by yourself, and no worries about getting into arguments or fights with the other inmates. But, when Morgan said that the prisoner is not allowed any books while inside of solitary confinement, I quickly changed my mind. You see, if I was in prison (for whatever reason) and I had nothing to do but wait, I would read. I would read magazines and books and try to learn as much as I could when I was on the inside. I would also begin taking college courses, as they are offered in most prisons, and try to get as far as I could in my personal education as possible. But, if while in “the hole” as they like to call it, you cannot read I would not want to be anywhere near that.

Morgan explains how being locked up by yourself, even for seventy-two hours, can do a lot to a man. He began talking to himself and was just acting silly trying to find ways to pass the time. The human body can only sleep for so many hours a day and you could tell that boredom set in very early with his time in that holding cell. But I have a feeling the whole situation would be an issue. Being in jail, having to follow someone’s rules about when you eat and sleep, and not being able to make phone calls whenever I wanted, having no Internet access, and not being able to watch TV that you want. I would simply go insane after a few hours, let alone a few years. Just try to imagine living a life like that, never mind the fear of being disliked, for years at a time. There are guys that get five, ten, twenty or more years in prison. Is that justice? That depends on their crime. But I am not sure how I would handle a situation like that.

The show, if even only for an hour, put you in a pair of shoes you might not have understood before. I now know what it is like to be a convict behind bars. I know what a prisoner goes through, what kind of food they eat, and what sort of activities they can take advantage of. All things said and done I do not want to be in jail. It looks to be a pretty lonely place. But if it was not for Morgan Spurlock and his show 30 Days I might never know what it truly was like behind bars. This is just one episode in his collection of now two seasons and if this one shows anything for the future of this show, I can see this lasting for a long time. So check out 30 Days if you want to live your life in someone else’s shoes; if only for an hour at a time.

As you all know Tiger Woods has been under the gun since his Thanksgiving Day car accident outside of his home in Orange County, Florida. The accident happened very late at night and there was immediate speculation that alcohol and domestic violence was involved in the incident. Alcohol, according to the Orange County Police Department, was not the cause of the accident. Then stories came from everywhere claiming that Elin Nordegren, Tiger’s Swedish super model wife, had beaten him up and he was running in a frantic to get away from her. (That might explain why Tiger did not have any shoes on when the police arrived.) There were even reports that she had bashed the car window in with one of his golf clubs. Regardless, this was a bad way for Tiger to spend his turkey day.

Tiger would spend the next couple of months in hiding as accusation after accusation came pouring in about his extramarital affairs. As many as fifteen women have lain claim to having shared a bed with Tiger Woods as a married man. Stories began to unfold that he would such as how Tiger would rent an entire floor of a Las Vegas hotel and order multiple cases of booze for him and a few friends.There were even stories that Tiger would purchase illegal drugs, order women who were paid to stay quiet, and disappear to some remote island for the weekend. (There were pictures taken recently of Tiger walking on the beach with a blond woman who was not his wife. He was in Australia for a golf tournament.)

Tiger married Elin Nordegren in October of 2004. On the list of women who have claimed to have slept with Tiger Woods includes Mindy Lawton, Cori Rist, and the hottest topic of them all, Rachel Uchitel. We are talking about Las Vegas cocktail waitresses to industry favorite porn stars. There are even reports starting to come out that one of these women is pregnant with Tiger’s baby. The gossip never ends thanks to websites like TMZ and magazines like the National Enquirer.

Needless to say this has been a mess for Tiger and his family. Tiger and Elin spent some time overseas at first, then Elin took some time to herself while her husband reportedly checked into a sex rehab facility down south. However, Tiger and Elin are now back in their Florida home with both of their children. This comes just in time for Tiger Woods to make his first public statement since November.  This announcement will come at 11:00 AM on Friday, February 19^th, 2010. But, before the announcement comes out I wanted to take the time to share with you what I feel the announcement will say. This is my attempt at writing a speech for the man I admire, Tiger Woods.

“Good morning everyone, and thank you for coming. Allow me to start by saying how deeply saddened I am for my friends and family. Since Thanksgiving Day there have been an onslaught of rumors about my transgressions and what the future for my career would hold. As you know I did take an indefinite leave of absence from golf. You will also recall that I did make an official statement on my website admitting to these transgression and I am deeply sorry for all of the hurt that I have caused. I have had to deal with this and what it has done to my family every day since and every day from here on out. That is why I am here today. Not only to apologize to you, my fans, but to also announce my return to the game of golf.

I will be making my official return to play at the Tavistock Cup in a few weeks. This is an event that I hold in high regard as it allows a select few PGA players the chance to play on one of the nicest courses in the country, Isleworth. This tournament also is on what I would consider a home course-taking place just down the road from my home here in Orange County. After this event I plan on playing at Bay Hill for the Bay Hill Invitational a couple of weeks before the Master and then again taking my game to Augusta for the Masters in April.

In my time away I have been able to rest, gather my thoughts on all that has been said in the media, and I am now ready to make a return to the game that I love. So to my family, friends, and fans know that I am deeply sorry for all that you ave been through as a cause of my actions, and know that I love you all for sticking with me through this difficult personal time in my life. I look forward to getting back on the course and I thank you for coming here today. That is all I have for you and there will be no questions at this time. Thank you.”

This might not be word for word what Tiger says in his press conference tomorrow, but you can bet your bottom dollar that I have hit a lot of nails on the head here. Tiger has spent too much time in hiding to come out and not have an announcement for his return to golf. He might shock the world and say that he is taking the rest of the year off or that he and his wife are getting a divorce or something insane like that. But I would venture to say that he is going to do nothing more than announce his return to the game that pays for his house, boat(s), and cars. I wish Tiger the best of luck tomorrow and I cannot wait to hear what he has to say. As always, you have my support in whatever you decide to do.

The guy that I am sitting with today was first introduced to me by a coworker. I received an email from Ryan Mull, managing partner at IMAVEX, and he said that the two of us should meet. He was copied on the email and Ryan also made mention that I was doing interviews with artists all over the world. The interviews are done either in person, via email, or over Twitter and he decided that Twitter seemed like the more appropriate solution. (The in person interviews tend to get a little out of control. Sure, I can type as fast as someone speaks but it is hard keeping up when trying to have a conversation as well as capture every moment that I can while chatting.) So, we connected on Twitter and quickly realized that we needed more than 140 characters to get our thoughts across. So we moved from Twitter to email. Both collections of questions and answers are here in this blog. So sit back, relax, and get to know Kristian Andersen.

(For those of you that do not know how Twitter works, messages that start with @kristianindy are messages from me to the artist.  Messages that start with @rickyleepotts are his responses.  I have set a limit to 140 characters for this interview and all questions and answers must fit in 1 single tweet.  All of the messages you see have not been edited and are exactly as I received them. Also note that #RLPTV was an attempt to create a trending topic on Twitter with this interview. It also allows for users to search and find my content.)

Let’s start this interview with @kristianindy! Tell me, @kristianindy, what is it that you actually do for a living? #RLPTV

@rickyleepotts My team and I work with our clients to help them develop their brand, product, and business strategies. We call it BXD.

@kristianindy How many people are on your team? #RLPTV

@rickyleepotts We have 7 full time employees (including myself) and a couple of part-timers – http://bit.ly/7CPOIz #RLPTV

@kristianindy I LOVE that you just used a bit link. How concerned are you with traffic on your link shares? #RLPTV

@rickyleepotts How concerned am I? Um…I guess not very. Should I be? #RLPTV

@kristianindy In my opinion VERY. I obsess over traffic to my link shares. Same as my analytics report. So are you a #Colts fan?

@rickyleepotts Yeah – my primary analytics report is my monthly P&L statement. Season ticket holder for 10+ years. #RLPTV

@kristianindy No kidding? That is awesome. Do you like the new stadium?

@rickyleepotts The new stadium is great in most regards –1 of the best in the NFL. Better than that strip club the Cowboys call home.

@kristianindy I do not even watch football to be honest. You appear to be an educated man! Where did you go to college? #RLPTV

@rickyleepotts It sounds like your a golf guy. I graduated with a degree in Design from Anderson University, in Anderson, IN. #RLPTV

@kristianindy I am in fact a golf guy. Are you? I can see you on the course! So what is this I hear about you living in Arkansas?  #RLPTV

@rickyleepotts What did Mark Twain say about golf again? – http://bit.ly/86vwJi . I split time between my homes in Arkansas and Indy. #RLPTV

@kristianindy I enjoy some MT but I really like those bit links! & I want to have multiple homes! So, what is your favorite “brand”? #RLPTV

@rickyleepotts This short-form interview format is tricky isn’t it? #RLPTV

@kristianindy I like it though! It makes you think about your response. I would be more than happy to do an email interview if you rather?

@rickyleepotts No way. This is interesting. Keep ‘em coming. #RLPTV

@kristianindy That’s the spirit! You have worked with some pretty impressive clients. Who is your favorite? #RLPTV

@rickyleepotts We’re really proud of our affiliation with all of our clients. We try 2 only work w/ clients where there is a mutual respect.

@rickyleepotts Currently we’re really excited about @FormSpring @exacttarget and @rewardsnap

@kristianindy What is one thing every brand has in common? #RLPTV

@rickyleepotts The fact that, in spite of what they might like to believe, they are not (exclusively) in control of their brands. #RLPTV

@kristianindy No no, I know but just in your experience with brands. Think Apple, McDonald’s, Target. What do they have in common? #RLPTV?

@rickyleepotts You mean great/successful brands. Successful brands all have a simple, differentiated, and focused value proposition. #RLPTV

@kristianindy No no no, you did quite well! I always let the bands that I interview get the last word. So, you too! GO! #RLPTV

(*This is where the interview went from Twitter to being handled via email.)

I see that you have worked with Smaller Indiana. The logo on their website does not link. That bothers me as a designer and as someone who wants websites that I visit to be user friendly. However, every time that I try to contact someone from there I am NEVER replied to. I am handling it in a very professional manner. It is honestly leaving a very sour taste in my mouth. What are your thoughts on a website that has a logo that does not link to the home page?

I’m sorry to hear that you are not getting a response from the gang over at Smaller Indiana. They are an amazing group and have done an enormous service for the Indy business community. With that being said, I’m obviously a proponent of adhering to best practices when designing for the web.

Where do you see the Internet in ten years?

I don’t think we will see it. In ten years it (the Internet) will be so ingrained and embedded in our lives that it will become invisible. The end game is truly ubiquitous networking.

What is your biggest challenge working with brand management?

I think it’s getting clients to understand that you can’t control a brand via brute force. It’s like raising a teenager. If you just lock them in their room and try to exert total control, they will rebel and you’ll end up with the opposite of what you intended. Conversely, if you just let them go and provide no supervision or support the outcome could, and often will, be equally bad. Managing brands is about finding the right balance between control and chaos.

Your team, based on what I see on the website anyway, looks more like fashion models than brand experts. Do you encourage that atmosphere in the office?

(Laughs) We just have a great photographer. But I will say that often times really great designers tend to have refined aesthetic sensibilities that transcend their professional life and manifest in lots of other ways…including fashion. We definitely take image seriously, it’s a profound part of our business. I don’t want to take fitness advice from someone that is in worse shape than me.

Out of Twitter, Facebook, and a blog which do you find has the most potential for the future of social media?

I have a hard time separating them. They are all just digital channels. I rarely think of those three “products” in a vacuum. Ultimately, I think Facebook is built to last, because their business is built on data. Blogs are a really just a publishing platform, but I don’t think they are going away either. Twitter is in front right now, because they are filling a huge need around “instant” – instant search, instant gratification, instant gossip, etc. 2010 will be the year of instant/real time, so I expect Twitter to flourish in the short term.

Who would play you in a Hollywood film about your life?

I’ve always said Ethan Hawke. But the rest of world seems to think Stifler (Seann William Scott) would be a more appropriate fit.

The names of your children intrigue me. Can you explain how you and your wife came up with those names?

My oldest daughter, Scout Belle, was named after the character in “To Kill A Mockingbird”. We named our middle daughter Daisy Jane, just because we thought it was a beautiful name, but there is also a literally connection to “The Great Gatsby” as well. Finally, my youngest is boy named Indiana Olav – we call him Indy. That is really my way of paying homage to Indiana and acknowledging how great that community has been to me and my family.

Any words of advice for a young guy like myself who wants to be on that list of the “Forty under 40″?

I think the fundamentals of success are fundamental. There is no secret sauce. I think it is a matter of working hard, being humble, serving others, and creating value. If I could add one thing that is often left off of that list it would be – being visible. Make sure that you are communicating to “your audience” in a way that is engaging and make sure that they know what you are up to. If you’re generating value…they’ll want to know.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

In a perfect world my life would look very similar to the way it does today. I would hope that my family is healthy and happy and that my businesses have continued to enjoy some level of success. I just want an opportunity to keep doing what I’m doing…which is what I love.

Do you think Lady Gaga has talent or she is all hype?

You’re asking the wrong guy. I listen to country (mostly classic country) music almost exclusively.

So how do you know Ryan Mull, managing partner at IMAVEX?

That’s a good question. If memory serves correctly we met a long, long time ago when he was at MarchFirst and I was doing consulting for one of their clients, a company called Healthx.

I always let the artist get the last word. (Yes, I consider Kristian an artist.) Go!

You’re doing good work and building a heck of a personal brand. Keep at it.

When I first heard that Apple was going to be releasing a phone, I was a little gun shy. I had never owned a Mac but had worked (and played) on them in school. Being a graphic designer had its perks. But I was in the market for a new phone after having carried the Motorola Razr for so long, so I began researching the iPhone. Luckily, Apple had signed an exclusive contract with AT&T, which was my carrier. The phone came out in June and although I would not get my very own until Christmas I spent many hours inside the Apple store playing with the device.

After I got the phone I fell in love with the features that were at my fingertips. I could browse the Internet with mobile Safari, sync my email and my calendar, and even download and listen to numerous albums with the iPod functionality. It even has GPS with turn-by-turn directions, a calculator (turn it sideways for a scientific calculator), and an always-changing App Store that allows you to download any number of useful apps. This phone was a dream come true and I used it all the time. But the phone is not perfect. I want to take some time to discuss what I feel are five flaws that Apple needs to fix for the iPhone to truly be the best smart phone on the market. (I know, I could hardly believe it either – Ricky Potts is blogging something negative about the iPhone.)

5. Dirty Screens

Whose idea was it to make a touch-screen phone that not only showed every fingerprint, but also was impossible to clean? I mean, sure, out of the box they give you a cloth that was designed to clean this screen, but who actually knows where that is? I want to be able to use my sleeve to clean my screen. Regardless, this is a big issue when you want to show someone something on your phone. You hand them the phone without wiping it off first and they will look at you like you are crazy. I wish they had taken the time to develop a screen that would still allow the ease of a finger but also stay a lot cleaner that this one does.

4. One Carrier

I hate that I have to be on AT&T to be able to carry an iPhone. Sure, I could jailbreak my phone and use it on any network, but I like the fact that I have Apple and their customer care in my back pocket. That gives me a feeling of security. I had an instance with my first generation phone where I kept breaking every set of headphones I had. It was not because I broke them on purpose, it was just because I was using them. Even after the phone was out of the warranty period, Apple still replaced my headphones each time I needed a new pair. I went through seven sets.

But, all that aside, being forced to have AT&T does not allow me options when it comes to cell phone packages. I have to pay what they tell me. If they say that unlimited text messages are $XX.XX, then I pay that. No other options. Other carriers are actually offering much better deals while AT&T has not let up on their price points at all.

3. Battery Life

Holy crap does the battery life on an iPhone suck! It was a little better on my first generation phone, but the 3GS is running (by choice) on 3G data speeds all day long. That kills the battery. Sure, I charge it the night before I go out, but on any normal Saturday the phone won’t make it through half the day before needing a boost. You would think that if Apple were producing a phone with as much power as this thing, they would have put a little more research and development into the battery. Not to mention that the battery is not removable. With my previous phone, I could simply grab an extra battery and go. With the iPhone, that’s not an option.

2. Volume

The volume on this phone is terrible. I have my phone on vibrate 90% of the time, so ringer volume is not that big of a deal for me, but the volume when I am on a call is disappointingly low. I have to have the phone nearly full blast when I am on a conversation because I can barely hear the person. Time and again when using this phone, I have to say, “What did you say?” And the 3GS is no better than the first generation. The only solution I’ve found is to use the headphones when I’m on a call. The good thing about this is that I am usually listening to music anyway, so the headphones are always close by.

1. Running Multiple Applications

This is by far my biggest pet peeve with the iPhone. Most (if not all) smart phones on the market can run multiple applications at once. The iPhone can’t. I can listen to Pandora just fine. I can send a text message just fine. But I cannot listen to Pandora and send a text message at the same time. That bothers me. This is also something that could easily be fixed with a software update. That’s the beauty of this phone – everything syncs to iTunes when connected to the computer. So why has it been over two years and still no update to fix this issue?

Perhaps this is my way of proving that I am human. I have taken what I feel to be one of the greatest inventions in our lifetimes and shown you five flaws that might affect some people from switching to the iPhone. Regardless of these minor issues, I have to keep telling myself that nothing is perfect. In the end, Apple still has my heart and AT&T has my paycheck.

About a month ago, my buddy Brent Perkins invited me to the grand opening of a new restaurant and bar located just off the circle in downtown Indianapolis. (It is actually located inside of Union Station.) I am always up for checking out new places and seeing what this city has to offer. Even better, he said the tickets were VIP and that there would be food, drinks, and a packed house of folks getting to know this new establishment before the general public. I was unable to attend the event but wished Brent a good time nonetheless.

About a week later, after they had in fact opened for the public, I heard a co-worker talking about their Thursday night drink specials. He said they were featuring $1 domestic drafts, which is almost impossible to find here in this city. I asked if he had been before and he said that he had been there a couple of weeks in a row and had experienced nothing but a great time. Even that night, on my way home from work, I heard my good friend the Deuce on X103.3 talking about this joint. He said they were there broadcasting every Thursday night for Buck Em’ Thursday featuring those same drink specials my co-worker had made mention to as well as sexy bull riding (I will explain more about that in a moment) and even prizes like concert tickets to all the upcoming rock shows in the city.

I decided that it was time for me to give this place a shot. So, I called Cadillac Ranch, made reservations for Saturday night (note that they normally do not take reservations for parties less than eight people) and asked my girlfriend to join me for a night of food and drinks. So when Saturday finally came around, we headed downtown for a night out, starting with the Cadillac Ranch.

We arrived just before 7:00 PM when I realized that it was, in fact, a Saturday night in downtown Indianapolis. I dropped Sheryl off at the door and began to look for parking. Not only was there an Indiana Pacers game that night but it was also the night before the Indianapolis Colts would take on the New York Jets in the AFC Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium. All of the parking meters were full, every parking lot was packed, and even some of the parking garages were full. I eventually, nearly a half an hour later, found a spot at the top of a parking garage on the other side of the city. A few blocks later and I would walk into the Cadillac Ranch for the first time.

I was, upon entering, already excited about this place. I had heard so many good things about it I just had to see for myself what all the fuss was about. Based on the name alone I was thinking this was going to be similar to that of a Texas Roadhouse where you can toss peanut shells on the ground. However, when I entered the front door all I could hear was a rowdy and energetic crowd and some Owl City playing on the speakers. It definitely did not make me feel like I was in Texas Roadhouse by any means.

In the time that it took me to find a parking space Sheryl had entered to make sure they were aware we were running a few moments behind. The hostess at the door had never heard of me and had said that I did not actually have a reservation on the books. When asking to speak to a manager, Sheryl was told that they were all in a managers meeting. However, by the time that I had parked and walked all the way over a manager had come out and had straightened everything out. The hostess walked us to our table and our server, Chet, immediately greeted us.

Chet was energetic and tossed down some cocktail napkins as soon as he greeted us. We had not even had a chance to get comfortable and he was asking us for our drink order. Sheryl would have a Pink Cadillac Cosmopolitan while I went with a Fleetwood Long Island Iced Tea. The Cadillac Cosmopolitan is actually a drink served in honor of the late great Elvis Presley. It is served chilled in a martini glass and topped with an orange and cherry flag. The presentation was just about as good as it tasted. I am not keen on that style of drink but it packed a punch in terms of the alcohol content. As did the long island iced tea. It was served with a lime and lemon wedge that added to the acidity of the beverage. All in all, it was a great way to jump-start our night as the appetizers started to make their way to the table.

Starting off with Appetizers

The first dish to arrive was a tower of sweet deep fried onion rings served on top of a pile of onion straws. On each side sat a vat of ranch dressing for dipping. I had never had ranch dressing with onion rings before, so I was a little nervous as to the flavor of the batter that sat on this mile high pile of rings. However, the batter was quite sweet and the ranch actually complimented it quite nicely. The onion straws, on the other hand, had very little flavor but I felt served a greater purpose than flavor and just simply added to the presentation of the dish.

Next came a fresh margherita grilled flatbread. This dish was huge and looked more like a large pizza from any of your classic pizza joints. But the flavors packed inside this sucker were enough to knock you off your feet. First off, the entire thing was literally covered in some of the thinnest sliced tomatoes that I have ever seen. Then, more cheese was sprinkled on top and the dish was finished off with some fresh basil. The dish was very light in terms of the impact it left on my stomach and is something that I not only would order again but I am craving as I type this.

Just when I was thinking of taking a break to wait for our entrees is when they delivered a sample of their cowboy bites. These little guys are something you can get anywhere. They are little cheeseburgers. No big deal, right? Well, Cadillac Ranch goes a little above and beyond with this dish. They start with a sesame seed bun, that actually packed a lot of flavors itself, and then toss some more of those onion straws on the bottom. Then comes the fire grilled burger that was grilled to perfection, keeping all of the juices deep inside the patty, and a slice of American cheese. Next come a tomato and the top of the bun. They slam a toothpick through the whole thing to keep it together and place a thick sliced pickle through that. The presentation is quite nice as well, as they look almost too pretty to eat. These tasty treats also came with some shoestring fries that would put Steak ‘n’ Shake to shame.

Time for the Main Course

After we had the chance to taste all of these delicious appetizers, the main course arrived. First we were served their Chicken Diablo Pasta. This dish was your typical chicken pasta presentation with a tomato cream base and chopped chicken. There were two slices of garlic bread to garnish the dish and a duo of spoons to help you work your way through it. The pasta actually had a little bit of a kick to it. The server stated that it was not too hot, but just right in terms of heat. The noodles, however, were under cooked in my opinion. They had a chewy texture and were harder than I would like to have seen them. The chicken as well was incredibly dry. But, while those two things could use some major improvement, the sauce was enough to pull the dish back to the top. The sauce was incredible with its spice and creaminess making its way into each of the noodles and all around the diced chicken.

The next dish barely had room to fit on the table. All of the appetizer plates were still there and we were working our way through the pasta. But that is when a full slab of barbeque ribs showed up. This dish was huge with two half slabs of ribs (your can order these either half or full slab off the menu) stacked perfectly leaning up against a bowl of their famous seasoned steak fries. I did not enjoy the fries as much as the shoestring ones that was served with our appetizers, but I can see why they come next to the ribs. They are thick, heavy, and make for a perfect combination to the Jack Daniel’s BBQ that is smothered on the ribs. I managed to kill half a slab.

Satisfy Your Thirst

When we were about halfway through the entrees Chet came back to check on drinks. The two cocktails from the appetizer portion were gone and we required additional libation. So, based on Chet’s recommendation, Sheryl had a Blue Moon (they offer beers such as Bud Light, Coors Light, Miller Light, and Blue Moon on draft) and I was served a Johnny Vegas.

The Johnny Vegas is a shot but could be treated as a drink with their portion sizes. It was served with a lime on the rim of the glass and had an overwhelming melon nose to it. I would later learn that there is in fact melon liquor in the drink as well as Jose Cuervo tequila. They top that off with a little Red Bull energy drink and you have a shot that can go with just about any meal.

Time for a Restroom Break

While we were rapping up and getting ready for dessert, I needed a restroom break. On my way back to the restroom I had the chance to see the mechanical bull up close and personal. While I did not ride the bull myself (I am sure some of you would pay to see that), I did witness numerous people jump on and fly off as they gave it a shot. Now, I am not a much of a mechanical bull connoisseur, but I have seen a few in my time. This one, however, was the most realistic mechanical bull I had ever seen. I mean, the thing actually looked like a real bull. If I didn’t know better, while riding it I am sure it feels like one as well. The bull, unfortunately, is not free to ride. It costs $3. However, Chet did make mention that the servers carry a handful of free passes that they give out throughout the night.

Just past the mechanical bull is where you will find the restrooms. But that is not all you find back there. You are then hit with yet another room at the back of the restaurant. This room has a third bar, another huge plasma screen showing sports all night long, and a look and feel like a martini lounge straight out of New York City. There are white leather couches surrounding the room and they offer bottle service for the VIP guests that visit. Seeing this room, it shows that the owners of Cadillac Ranch really are trying to hit a lot of markets here. They have great food, a great drink selection, and a mechanical bull. They play top 40 music and have a VIP lounge for the more swank of Indianapolis. They also show sports on nearly every TV (one of the televisions by the front bar was actually showing Titanic). I am not sure if this will benefit them in the future but it truly is a melting pot of patrons.

Always Room for the Sweet Stuff

Right as I got back to the table we were served our final round of drinks to compliment the dessert. Sheryl, still sipping on her Blue Moon, passed up the final drink as she was more concerned about the spoon cake that hit the table shortly there after. This was a huge slice of chocolate cake topped with a dollop of whipped cream and a cherry. This is actually the only dessert on their menu. Sure, you could say that you don’t come to a place like this for dessert, but at least provide some options. The cake was just mediocre at best in my eyes as it looked and tasted as if it was pulled from a box. I am not saying that Sarah Lee made this cake but I have definitively had better cake in my life. And what makes it a sponge cake? It was served with two forks for Pete’s sake.

Just when I was ready to explode from all of this incredible food, the bartender brought over a top shelf margarita. This thing was packed with alcohol. It was so much that I actually had to ask him what all was in it. He said the drink included tequila, a little Patron Citronge, some Grand Marnier, a splash of OJ, and some homemade sweet and sour. There were too many flavors in that glass to keep my head straight.

Bidding a Fond Farewell

After the dishes were all removed from the table and we had a few moments to let everything digest, Chet came back over to see if there was anything else that he could do for us. As we throw in the white towel on a meal well done, Chet proceeds to say, “Hey, couple more shots coming up. Let’s do it.” Then came Vegas Bombs. In this little guy you have some Crown Royal, Butterscotch Liqueur, and again more Red Bull. This little drink was sweet and was the perfect way to end our evening.

There really is no one way to describe the evening that I had at Cadillac Ranch. The place is new to Indianapolis and based on the crowd you would have never guessed it. We got there at seven and by nine there was not an empty seat in the house. They even began to bring out tables and chairs to be able to stuff a handful more people through their door. Take note, though, if you are planning on going there after nine on a weekend expect to pay a cover. They do, however, continue to serve a full menu until 10:00 PM and then a late night menu from 11:00 to 1:00 AM. So if you get hungry there is still a chance to chow down. The cover is $7.

By the time we left I had been impressed on multiple levels. I had heard good things about this place and not only were they all true, Cadillac Ranch went above and beyond. Being so new there are some kinks that need to be worked out (they do not have a carry out menu for instance) but you can expect that from a place like this. They are a huge facility that can seat a few hundred people and have space for your private event or parties. Brandon Slate, the General Manager, is actually an old classmate of mine. He and I had a chance to chat before I left. He said they have a lot of potential in this space and he is excited to be a part of it. I, myself, am excited to have been a part of this place as well. I will definitely be back to Cadillac Ranch.

By the way, when you go in ask for Chet. He was an incredible server. Also, if you pay close attention you might see a little resemblance to Robin Williams in him. He, and the rest of the Cadillac Ranch staff, made my experience one to remember.

The band that I am sitting with today brings a rare quality to the stage. Not only do they look like they can melt your face as soon as they begin playing, but they look like they are from the wrong side of the tracks, so to speak. But that could not be further from the truth. I have gotten to know these guys over the last six months or so and they are some of the nicest guys I have ever met. One of them has even started to write guest posts for my blog. Not to mention their addiction to Scotty’s Brewhouse and Twitter. I hope that you take the time to get to know these guys as the rocking band with the most unique name I have heard in along time, the Tug Fork River Band.

How long have you guys all been together?

We have been together for a little over three years now I believe. It’s hard for me to keep track.

Where did you guys come up with that name?

The Tug Fork River is actually the name of the river that separated the Hatfield and McCoy families during that huge feud. We liked it cause it was pretty southern sounding.

Describe your genre in one word.

Metal.

Where did you guys all meet?

We have all been playing in bands together since high school. I met Brian and David (bassist and drummer respectively) when their band at the time was trying out for our school’s annual concert. I met Aaron (vocalist) through my brother, who he was in a class with.

Who is the ringleader in the band?

That would probably be me if you’re talking about behind the scenes stuff. I usually take care of all booking as well as running the MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, etc. and updating all of our info in regards to upcoming shows. As far as on stage and at shows that would be our vocalist Aaron. He does very well with interacting with the fans.

How long have you all been performing?

Pretty much the whole time we have been a band. We did take a little time off in the early stages because my brother, who used to play guitar with us, left for the Air Force. We redefined our sound and took about three months off just to practice and get everything solid, which was probably the smartest thing we have ever done.

Who is doing all of that screaming?

(Laughs) That would be our vocalist Aaron.

Does his voice ever get sore after a show?

He has actually trained his voice in that way, so I think his voice is rarely sore after a show. The singing parts actually take more of a toll on his voice than all of that screaming.

Where do you guys practice?

We practice at our drummer’s house in Carmel. His parents are kind enough to open their house to us every week so that we can make a bunch of noise. His dogs are annoying though.

What are your thoughts on MySpace?

I keep trying to figure out my thoughts on MySpace. It used to be like THE place to go, but it seems like Facebook has taken over. It seems like anymore the only people on MySpace are other bands. I still believe it’s pretty essential for a band to have a presence on MySpace though, at least for now.

Are you on Twitter?

Yes. The band’s user name is @tugfork. My personal one is @justinfoxworth, and Brian’s is @bmdukes. David doesn’t have one and Aaron thinks Twitter is stupid. He says the only thing he would ever put is ’sitting at my computer on the Internet’.

Do you guys have a favorite venue?

My personal favorite would either be Rhino’s in Bloomington or The Emerson Theater in Indianapolis.

Do you guys have jobs outside of music?

Unfortunately yes. Aaron works at an autobody repair shop, Brian is a cook at a pub, David works at a retirement home, and I work during the day at McAlister’s Deli and in the evenings at J.D. Byrider making phone calls and wasting time on the Internet.

How do you all know Johnny Teater?

Johnny was the vocalist in the band that Brian and David were in when I met them. I ended up joining that band a little later and we played a bunch of shows as well as releasing a couple demos and a full length album. He’s one of my best friends for sure. I also have a man crush on him.

Who designed your logo? (I love it by the way!)

Thanks! I actually designed it. I’m currently going to school for a degree in Visual Communications. Almost done!

Tell me a little more about Wounded Records.

Well they are an independent label based out of Evansville, Indiana. They’ve been around for about 10 years now I believe and have released about twenty or so albums. We came in contact with them through a band called Neviah Nevi, who is also on their roster. We played a show with them here in Indianapolis and became good friends with them. They pushed us pretty hard to Wounded and they ended up picking us up.

Let’s say that I have never seen you live before.  What should I expect coming to a show?

Total ear drum destruction.

Where are all of you guys from originally?

We all hail from the glorious city of Indianapolis and it’s suburbs.

Who are some of your inspirations?

Metallica, Pantera, Maylene and the Sons of Disaster, The Showdown, Lamb of God, Ace of Base.

If you could be any cartoon character who would you be and why?

Great question. I think I would have to go with Homer Simpson. No matter what stupid thing he does or says everything ends up working out well for him for the most part. There’s some severe bodily harm on occaision, but he always pulls through. Plus he’s hilarious.

What are you drinking on stage?

Always water. Sometimes the occaisional energy drink. One time we tried to look cool by all of us having IBC Root Beer bottles. We didn’t have any water, just the rootbeer, and after a couple songs worth of intense playing we were dehyrated with nothing but sugar to drink basically. We all felt completely awful after the set.

Tell me what is like being on the same sampler as the guys in Devil Wears Prada?

It’s pretty cool to get on a sampler with a huge band like that, especially with it being based out of France I believe. I love getting international exposure. Cool side note: the band that Brian, David, and I were in with Johnny had The Devil Wears Prada open for us when they were first starting out. No joke.

How do you come up titles for your songs?

Basically we’re a bunch of idiots and it’s just random junk we come up with. We keep a dry erase board in our practice room with all of our stupid song title ideas.

Who writes all of the lyrics?

Our vocalist Aaron takes care of all of the lyric writing.

If you could live anywhere else in the world where would you go?

Anywhere warm. I can’t really describe how much I hate the cold, so anywhere south really. I love Nashville, Tennessee and could definitely see myself living there.

Pepsi or Coke?

Diet Coke FTW.

You guys have played Cornerstone?  How was that?

Cornerstone is amazing. It combines two of my all time favorite things, camping and music. The first year we went we basically had no idea what we were doing, but were able to hop on some generator stages there. The last two years we played on one of the encore stages, which are the biggest stages you can play besides Main Stage, so that has been just awesome. Also, the people you meet there are some of the nicest and most genuine people ever.

Do you guys have any merchandise?

Yes. We have a full length album that is out now on Wounded Records called Catch For Us The Metal. It is available on most online music distributors such as iTunes, Amazon, etc. We also have a five song self realeased EP and a variety of shirts.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

Hopefully on tour promoting a new album on a bigger label.

What do you want to be remembered for when this is all said and done?

We consider ourselves a ministry band first and foremost. I hope we are remembered for showing everyone we come in contact with the love that God has for them. We would much rather be remembered for that than for our music.

I always let the artist get the last word. Go!

Thanks so much for the interview and God bless!

Where are you right now? Are you at work? Are you at the grocery store? Maybe you are at home for a night on the couch watching movies and eating pizza. Wherever you are, make sure you tell foursquare so that all of your friends know where you are as well.

When I say foursquare, I do not mean the game that children used to play in the schoolyard. (Not sure, but according to a few friends of mine it is still a popular game for our youth. I myself have never heard of it.) Foursquare is a social networking service that allows you to check in to places that you go. You can follow people, as they can follow you, and you can always keep tabs on where you and your friends are.

With the service you are able to not only check in to places that you visit but you can track stats and earn badges for your accomplishments. You can earn badges, for instance, by checking in somewhere after 3:00 AM. Or you can earn a badge for visiting the gym three times in one week. That badge is called Gym Rat. On top of the ongoing and ever changing badges that you can earn, you can also become the mayor of individual locations. To become a mayor of a location, you have to have visited the place at least twice on two different days and have been there more than anyone else on foursquare. I am currently the mayor of over 25 locations!

The idea of foursquare is incredible for allowing people to stay connected. Especially for a person like me, that is always out in public and trying to network themselves around town. For instance, I went to Scotty’s Brewhouse a few weeks ago. I checking in once I sat down at the table. My girlfriend, who is also on foursquare, checked in when she got into the parking lot. I was given a notification that she was also at Scotty’s Brewhouse. The key to this is that foursquare also links to Twitter. I get updates from her sent to my phone as a text message as well. So, as I am sitting in the booth I get a push notification from foursquare saying she was there and then a tweet from Twitter saying that both she and I were in the same location. Imagine the possibilities when a location has multiple people who all follow each other on foursquare and Twitter.

Just this week foursquare has made some major changes across the board to not only their badges and the way you can edit locations, but they have also made several other platform changes. I wanted to take the time to not only introduce you to the service of foursquare if you were not already familiar with it, but also to show the people have been addicted to this service the changes that he and she can expect to see in the future.

(Note that you must have a smart phone such as a Blackberry, iPhone, or Droid to be able to use this service. You must be able to download an application that utilizes the phones GPS to track locations and allow you to check in to the desired space.)

City Buckets

When you first signed up for foursquare before these changes went into place, you were forced to sign up for the city nearest you. For example, while I live in Fishers, Indiana I was forced to sign up for Indianapolis, Indiana; that would place me in one of the said City Buckets and always be forced to add locations to that city. So, when I added Tan Co in Fishers, Indiana it would default back to the city of Indianapolis. That is no longer the case.

To get up to date with this issue all of the applications for all of the smart phones will be getting an update very soon, if they have not already forced the download. For the City Bucket issue to take effect everyone will have to update his or her software. I like that, actually. This is not the most exciting update of that will be taking place but it does force progress.

City Badges

As I said earlier, foursquare has what are called badges that you can earn by checking into certain locations. There are also offer badges for checking into places that have been tagged certain things. For instance, I earned a badge recently for checking into a three different locations that had been tagged with karaoke.

With the new city badges, certain cities will have their own badges. So, if you go to San Francisco you can earn a different set of badges than if you were in New York City. There were some issues initially with getting the Newbie Badge in multiple cities for people who travel a lot, but if that happens they are now rolled into one badge. This means that if you get the Newbie Badge in your hometown and travel to New York you will not be able to unlock that badge again. But, with that being said you will be able to access new badges that are specific to the city that you are in.

Adding New Venues

I love adding new venues to foursquare. I like walking around the mall and checking into every store I visit. Although, foursquare recently has been accusing me of cheating for checking into too many stores when I am at the mall, but that issue is known and is being looked at. But, let us say I walk into Victoria’s Secret (not for myself, of course) and try to check in. The location has not been added yet so I go to the application and add the venue. This is where the process gets a little out of hand. From here I have to put the store name in, the address, the city, state, and zip code as well as their phone number and Twitter handle. This is a lot of data to remember, as there is not a map function on the application itself.

With the changes for adding new venues you do not have to have the address with you to ad the venue and to receive points for adding said venue. So while at the mall I add Victoria’s Secret I can then go home, open foursquare on my computer, and then edit that data since I was the one who added it. (I am actually a Super User Level 1 so I am able to edit all locations. You can get that status by adding content to the website.) This will make things easier for all foursquare users as we try to add new venues while on the go.

City Leaderboards

Currently the way the leaderboards are set up are based on the city in which you live in and the people who you are following. Now it will be based on where you are located and in a twenty-five mile radius. So, if you live in Fishers, Indiana and your friends, even who you follow on foursquare, live in Greenwood they will not be listed on my leaderboard. Also, the leaderboards reset on Sunday night at midnight so the next week you have an open slate to make your way to the top of the leaderboard!

There are a lot of other changes coming to foursquare that have not been released. They are working on new location fixe to help with the GPS in the phones, a better Blackberry application to compete with the extremely successful iPhone application, a complete design and branding overhauled for the website and the applications, and even tweaks to the point system. It is exciting to see a service that Mashable has said is the net big thing in social media putting some effort into their progress. So, the next time you walk into your local grocery story, make sure you check in so I can know exactly where you are!