play some paddle

PaddleAfter all the Christmas dinners were finished, I met up with some high school friends for some local Connecticut bar wind-down drinks. My friend Jared and I decided that we ought to stop by and play some paddle afterwards. About 2:45AM and about 21 degrees out.

For those unfamiliar with paddle, officially known as “platform tennis”, is specifically designed to be played in cold weather — the snow and ice.

More from from the APTA (American Platform Tennis Association):

The Court: The game is played on an elevated aluminum deck 1/4 the size of a regulation tennis court … The court is surrounded by a 12′ high superstructure with taut, 16-gauge “chicken wire” fencing which allows playoff the walls, as in racquetball and squash. The base of a platform tennis court is usually enclosed, allowing for a heating system beneath the deck (propane, natural gas or kerosene.) The heating system melts ice off the aggregate deck surface, allowing athletes to play outdoors in all weather conditions. Most courts have lighting systems for nighttime play.

The Rules: … Rules of the game are identical to tennis with a few exceptions: only one serve, serves that touch the net are played, and what many consider the best thing about platform tennis – the ball can be played off the screened walls.

The Name of the Game: Players often refer to platform tennis as “paddle,” as in “Are you playing paddle tonight?” With the re-emergence of paddle tennis on the West Coast (basically, a down-sized game of tennis,) this has many people confused. To further the problem, there is paddle ball (an urban sport played against a single wall) and paddle (much like paddle tennis).

Now playing: !!!Hello? Is This Thing On?

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holy captain hoof?


Long ago I had a popular post about CaptainHoof/Rance. It is a supposed celebrity writing the blog and generated a blip of interest for a while there. I kept my RSS subscription, but haven’t really been reading or thinking about it since.


Then out of nowhere I get this email today: Rance a Hoax No, a Stalker Yes.


Here’s just a sampling of the madness.



My name is Victoria (Vicki) Rum, and you need to know the truth about Rance, who he is and what he has done.


[…]I have recently written to the FBI, FCC and DOJ regarding my matter in hopes of getting a response as this affect their departments as well.


[…] I would like to reiterate; these devices are still “active” and never been removed. (Corey: the author claims that GPS tracking devices and cameras are installed in her home and car)


Full email text here.


I really have no idea how to react to this.

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bizzare rance email


Dear Sirs/Madame,


My name is Victoria (Vicki) Rum, and you need to know the truth about Rance, who he is and what he has done.


My situation is unique. Several individuals are stalking me in a variety of ways and I know who they are.


I have gone through many channels of contacting the local authorities (Lenexa, KS) and filed 2 police report regarding these details. The reporting officer’s filed both reports as Suspicious Activity.


I have recently written to the FBI, FCC and DOJ regarding my matter in hopes of getting a response as this affect their departments as well.


This took several months of my own investigating to put it together.


This begun August 2003, when I e-mailed an entertainer/actor who’s name I will not mention at this time. He is not my stalker but is aware who they are.


I sent a second email a few weeks later and attached a picture of myself I felt was neither risqué nor out of line.


These e-mails got in the hands of another entertainer/actor, which was shared with other entertainers, throughout the industry.


You ask how this effects me?


In the months of September through November 2003 the actor I sent e-mail’s to start a mini-series on HBO.


During this time, I used an alias and posted my thoughts, opinions and creative writing on these boards.


Being entertainers they were very creative in their thinking. In December 2003, after many failed attempts in my home, car and work this sect created a WebPage, called Captain Hoof http://www.captainhoof.tripod.com.


He called himself Rance as a pun of “rants” as he wanted to “bitch” about things.


According to his e-mail interview with Rueters, he claimed to be an A-list actor, writing under a pseudonym, and admits he may not be believed.


By early 2004 journalist speculated Rance possibly could be Owen Wilson, Ben Del Torro, George Clooney, Ben Affleck or Matthew Perry.


Rance is one of these individuals, and one of my stalkers.


It was speculated the answer could be found in his log entries and they are right.


As I began to read these posts, I was reading about the activities and myself that reflecting my daily life.



  • Illegal devices planted throughout a women’s home
  • All phones tapped
  • GPS installed in a car
  • A cheerleading outfit found in a basement during a break in, and suggested that pinning the picture to the uniform, instead of sending via e-mail, to avoid it being intercepting
  • Breaking into a doctor’s office in search of a female blood type

Rance discloses his identity within his blogs but attempts to portray the original entertainer that I wrote, in hopes to keep the readers guessing.


In the closing comments he made reference to the “blackmail policy”. Encouraging readers to contact him before the media and he was to pay them a sum of money.


Admitting of pay-off a woman early 2004, which is the one who stole the e-mails from the original entertainer.


Additionally, Rance and associates paid monies to a radio station in Kansas City, MO called FM Z95.7 to go along with their scheme.


During November and December 2003, they wanted me to believe the “original entertainer” was affiliated/owned this station, and he had personal interest in the metropolitan area, which were for me.


On the morning of December 11, 2003, DJ’s Just Plain Dave (Johnson), Bobby Keyes, and a female name Shorty were doing an interview with an entertainer name Christopher “Kid” Reid that was appearing at local comedy show.


At first I thought it was a generic interview but quickly realize they were discussing my daily activity (shower, lotion, shampoo, etc) over the radio.


Another individuals spoke up, and sounded to be of the “original” actor I wrote and indicated that he was in Kansas City on a personal level between himself and a female from this area.


In addition, during the interview discussion of illegal activities regarding the creation of a WebPage and assuming know one would take them serious. I knew exactly what they were referring to because they post on a HBO board.


This sect posting on these boards as well, and at times depicts to be the original actor.


Anyone can acquire what he or she wants through the Internet, including personal information, as I was able to obtain my entire history.


When they obtain my personal information is when they broke into my home over a period of time.


They installed audio and video equipment in various places in my home, which would explain how they had intimate information about myself.


They were able to put a tap on my home phone as well of obtaining the serial number from cell phone because I had forgotten it one day.


I didn’t have proof of illegal entry in my home until December 2003, the pieces of paper that I had folded in the doorframe had fallen to the floor. I immediately contacted the local authorities and file my initial police report.


It was suggested to have an alarm system installed, the exterior door plugs changed, and my home swept for bugging devices.


I made these adjustments as well as hiring a detective agency to sweep the home, unfortunately they did not locate anything.


With all of these changes I thought this madness would stop, it didn’t.


Unaware my phones were tapped, and while giving my immediate contacts my access codes to the alarm system and garage door is how they continue to break in.


Their excessive stalking was insane and installed equipment at work.


The bizarre thing about this, security is posted 24/7, they monitor every door throughout the facility by cameras and guards sit at a few. After certain hours everyone is required to go through one (1) door.


They bribe security to gain admission into the building.


Which brings me to my car, when I left it sitting in the garage and the house un-attended is when they install those same devices, and additionally a GPS/ tracking device.


April 2004 and while on a 10-day vacation the car sat in my garage, the GPS was removed.


The home computer hard drive crashed in February 2004, while attempting to fix it an IT technician discovered it was mapped to another computer.


Why didn’t the Surveillance Company find these devices? It is a legitimate firm the equipment was only looking for the common devices.


I had to get answers so I investigate myself. I paid attention to the radio station and became familiar with the DJ’s. I reviewed their profiles and became familiar with their faces.


Realizing I have been seeing their faces in places I was at example: the mall, restaurants, movie theater, my neighborhood driving past me, grocery store.


May 2004 is when I discovered the information about Rance and everything started to click.


Particularly after seeing Rance appearing as the guest hosts of a live weekend show. Within his performance he was using my daily personal life in his skits.


All of these parties involved are fully aware of me knowing this, as well as others.


Z95.7 recorded my voice on continuous basis from my home or car, up till May 2004, and aired without my permission in their commercials.


June 2004, is when I contacted the “original” entertainer/Actor as this group of individuals started to post things about myself on his board under www.imdb.com pertaining to the location of the equipment in my home and other personal issues.


Unknowing that he too had been conducting his own investigation since December 2003, after my girlfriend and I posted on the HBO boards what the radio station, and Christopher “Kid” Reid failed as a repartee of the original actor.


I would like to reiterate; these devices are still “active” and never been removed.


This e-mail is diminutive of what I have been going through since last year. The information is immense and would benefit everyone with a face to face discussion.


Please, I am seeking your help to bring this to the attention of the necessary agency to put a stop to these crimes and to these individuals.


Sincerely,


Victoria Rum


Lenexa, KS


913-xxx-xxxx [corey’s edit]

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last.fm — works as advertised

Last.fm

Liz Lawley re-remindedme today aboutlast.fm. I’ve been using Audioscrobbler for a while, but hadn’t really turned it into something useful because I was ignoringlast.fmbecause I didn’t really get how it worked.

Well, it does work. Works great. Thanks Liz. Once you get above 250 songs profiled in audioscrobbler, it will stream personalized selections to you. Free and legal of course.

And how do I know the selection engine works? It was suggested to me recently (in real life) that I should check out the band Broken Social Scene and lo and behold,last.fm’ssecond suggested song (see pic).

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shield your eyes, head in the sand

Msnbc_editors  vs  Msnbc_viewers

I enjoy MSNBC’s week in pictures. Each week you are given the option to vote for your favorite.

This year they do a 2004 Year in Pictures flash movie set to music featuring the Editors’ Choice and the Readers’ Choice top picks of the year.

Let’s just say the two vary widely. Soldiers-on-fire or kitten-on-skateboard. There is almost no overlap between the two.

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thanks to transalt.org

MapI put my name on the car-free central park list two summers ago and while their email letter is poorly designed and slightly annoying they managed to get some concessions from the city.

  • Cars will only be allowed in the park 7 to 10 am and 3 to 7 pm
  • Five entrances permanently closed to cars and reclaimed
  • 25 mph speed limit on park drives (formerly 30 mph)
  • High Occupancy Vehicle restriction during the morning rush hour on the Park’s West Drive

It doesn’t solve my main problem of cars in the park because I would like to be running during those mid-week rush hours when cars are still allowed. And while the reduced entrances should reduce the numbers slightly I’m sure that will just mean increased speeds.

 

 

 

 

 

. .

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bcs

Bcs1 (WinCE)

Vinod sent me this from Hong Kong. Click to see a closeup of what the ad is for.

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freeboard

FreeboardNow I know this is the wrong time of year for this for my cold-winter readers, but gift season is here.

Freeboard: It is a skateboard with central pivot wheels in the middle which act like the smooth base of a snowboard allowing snowboard like sliding for speed control to skateboarding. It requires some lightweight bindings too.

Freeboard_85_deck_bindings%20copyThe website has some amazing videos of dudes cruising down hills on these things — and I mean fast — but since you can slide like a snowboard (sortof hockey-stop) style you are able to control the speed better than the typical skateboard “jump off and hope to land in such a way as to hope to only break something minor”.

There are some hills in Central Park that this would be good on, but how do you get back up to the top? Walking would get old real fast. I suggest a rope-tow on the N 110th street section of the loop.

[I re-found it today on Metafilter, but seen originally on Josh Rubin’s Cool Hunting]

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aesop rock for beginners

Evil92

I am a big fan of Aesop Rock. This online flash movie ft. Evil Nine and Aesop Rock is perfect for a first time listener, much catchier.

I hadn’t heard of Evil Nine before and given this, I’d really want the album, but it is listed as being available March 29, 2005 at Amazon. WTF? I don’t want to wait 4.5 months. It seems copies are available on Ebay for big bucks ($91) or via the UK which isn’t real attractive.

[via Resy]

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