The Blog of Burgher Jon

The reason I missed posting yesterday is that I was attending my Grandmother Janet’s funeral.  She was a classy woman, who was the first in our family to go through college (obtaining both bachelors and masters degrees while working other jobs to pay for them).  She really deserves a great deal of credit for anything I accomplish in my life, as well as the entire rest of my family.  Another thing she was responsible for was bringing sauerkraut in to my life.  Somehow, she got the idea that sauerkraut is a thanksgiving dish and she made it every year without fail.  It was around these tables that I learned just how disgusting this German delicacy was.  Consequently, this issue of Sauerkraut Sunday is dedicated to my Grandma, who made Sauerkraut Sundays possible in more ways then one.

Now on to the purpose of Sauerkraut Sundays… As I go through the week, I use Twitter to send out little updates and links.  I realize that I do this quite a bit and that not all of you use Twitter, so with that in mind I’d like to take Sunday to do sort of a week in review.  I’ve selected the most useful of my tweets from the last week and placed them in to the categories that I use in this blog.

Me

• I’m headed home to #Pittsburgh for the weekend!
• yay for 8pm meetings! and by “yay for” I mean, kiss my ass!
• Before just now it had literally been 5 or 6 years since I had created an infinite loop.

Pittsburgh

• You can spend $10 on a drink at Jack’s, who knows what I’m drinking?
• Forbes ranks Pittsburgh among top cities for working Momshttp://bit.ly/aSA13o

Sports

• Is it me or does the Steelers’ #1 pick not look enough bigger then Tomlin to be an offensive lineman? http://bit.ly/cgzORp
• I wonder if there are offensive coordinators in the NFL who have joined Twitter just so that they can “block” @tpolamalu

Startups

• Parkwhiz, the OpenTable of parking. Solid idea, easy monetization.http://www.parkwhiz.com/
• Congratulations to @joshuadziabiak and @ShowClix, nice to have one of INC’s 30 under 30 in the Burgh http://bit.ly/aLt1WP
• NP, the 4sq API is interesting atm. RT @jamesgiang: @BurgherJonthanks for the plug for TipFinder in your blog post!http://bit.ly/aCOLgA

Unsolicited Advice

• What do you want to do when you grow up? If you don’t have an exciting answer to that question, you’ll never find joy in your work.
• P.S. When asking yourself what you want to do when you grow up, “Be Rich” is not an acceptable answer.
• RT @BusinessTalk: Your problem is you’re really focused on making money. No business can survive that http://bit.ly/czpnN8

Other (Mostly Humorous Comments from the Week)

• You can beat yourself up about it later, I’ll help.
• Burt Reynolds in on Burn Notice, BURT REYNOLDS, you’re going to want to flip on USA.
• Does anything make a better brain break then thursday night on USA? My brain doesn’t have a gear lower then “Burn Notice”.
• Ha RT @Jesus_M_Christ: I totally re-gifted that frankincense bullshit, BTW. #omgfacts
• RT @russwbeck: According to HuffPo College, PSU has the 2nd highest starting salary among traditional party schools.http://huff.to/d7QEob
• You’re very clever aren’t you? How’s that going for you, being clever? http://youtu.be/r2PM0om2El8
• “The Ex” a knife set. Cute idea. http://amzn.to/cDeUio

I don’t regularly trade commodities as valuable as sauerkraut, prefering to focus on more commonly accepted economic commodities like worthless gold and silver.  If I were to trade sauerkraut futures though, I would be in BUY mode today.  You see, there’s been a tragic accident at one of the few Sauerkraut manufacturers in the US, The Fremont Company.  A large concrete roof collapsed and experts are unsure how long the sauerkraut assembly lines will be down.  In the mean time, its highly recommended that you gather up some reserves and possibly even learn to make your own.  Until next week though, it’s every man for himself.

Now on to the purpose of Sauerkraut Sundays… As I go through the week, I use Twitter to send out little updates and links.  I realize that I do this quite a bit and that not all of you use Twitter, so with that in mind I’d like to take Sunday to do sort of a week in review.  I’ve selected the most useful of my tweets from the last week and placed them in to the categories that I use in this blog.

Business

• BNY Mellon’s 2nd Quarter profits up nearly 400% year over year (right at analyst expectations though) http://bit.ly/bcdzKE

Blog Info

• The Blog of Burgher Jon gets some love from Global CTO of CapGemini, glad he liked two of my fav posts: http://bit.ly/c014fI

Me

• For all my Charlotte friends, when I say I’m missing Petty in the Burgh tonight, I mean Tom not Richard. NASCAR’s dumb.
• I love redoing things, it allows you to be busy all morning and still feel unproductive.
• Restaurant week, give me my food cheeper bitches. (@ Sullivan’s Steakhouse) http://4sq.com/64ylsS
• Last week there was a serious momentum shift in my world. This week, time to make sure that train gains speed.

Personal Technology

• If you’ve been using Google Voice on Android, this is a great development (otherwise you won’t care) http://tcrn.ch/bfJony

Pittsburgh

• I had no idea Kaye Cowher was so sick. Prayers with Bill and his kids.http://bit.ly/c23Gyc
• RT @PCPGH What color shirts do you want this year? Remember: Registration for PCPGH5 opens Aug 1!!
• Council passing a resolution “demanding” moratorium on shale drilling is as effective as me whining on Twitter that they’re wasting time.

Other (Mostly Humorous Comments from the Week)

• What an innovative idea for a “tape” deck. http://bit.ly/acVs8R
• Pittsburgh reporter explains how airlines charge for sex.http://bit.ly/9UwfxR
• Wait, there’s a Legoland USA? RT @msuster: Andy (4.5) sneaks on driving course for 6+ at Legoland, USA (beg for forgiveness )
• Silly Bandz = kiddy bling.
• It just occured to me, there are people finishing college next year who were born in the 90s #NOTCool
• If I were British Open Champ Oosthuizen, I would pronounce my name “Oh Oh sthuizen”. #BritishOpen
• Ha! RT @thesulk: Sometimes when I feel old I watch the Real World and thank god I’m old.

About 90% of the people who land on this site today and tomorrow will come because, they are entrepreneurial or web type folks who read this blog.  The remaining  will be lovers of sauerkraut who keep landing here because Google doesn’t know the difference between spoiled cabbage and my weekly posting of my more interesting Twitter posts.  Well today I have something for both of you, www.PickledPlanet.com. It’s the website of a group of inventive, one could even say entrepreneurial people who LOVE sauerkraut.  They even have a business plan for once they grow to the point that they need employees.

Now on to the purpose of Sauerkraut Sundays… As I go through the week, I use Twitter to send out little updates and links.  I realize that I do this quite a bit and that not all of you use Twitter, so with that in mind I’d like to take Sunday to do sort of a week in review.  I’ve selected the most useful of my tweets from the last week and placed them in to the categories that I use in this blog.

Me

• 17 pages of single spaced papers due tomorrow for the MBA.#FocusFace
• I remember the days when I’d play racquetball without stretching and not be sore at all the next days. #GettingOld
• Softly played blue grass and greasy food. Y’all come down now. (@ Philosopher’s Stone Tavern) http://4sq.com/5J6M4W
• I’m very excited to read this book, but probably won’t get a chance for a couple weeks. http://amzn.to/aOlNFQ

National Politics

• We don’t have to do what the supreme court tells us, as long as we have guns. (via colbert report)

Personal Technology

• ZocDoc (http://tcrn.ch/avxhkS) is just a great idea. I love it for the same reason I love Open Table (http://bit.ly/bzB5xh)
• Disappointing how little has been done with alternatives to the iPad:http://bit.ly/cBTdt3
• RT @betaworks: TweetDeck Turns Two, passes 15 Million Downloads http://tcrn.ch/dvlyRP

Pittsburgh

• Google in the PG this AM, goes beyond the details and makes some guesses on what it means to the city http://bit.ly/ckZ5zF
• Really interesting post from Chris Briem on the growth (in land area) of the city proper. http://bit.ly/aln9rm
• Buying beer in Pennsylvania is more complicated than buying a shotgun in Kentucky.
• Pittsburgh, land of the FIN corps that didn’t F-up. RT @PittsburghPG: Federated in $17B fund acquisitionhttp://bit.ly/dmowkm
• Dust off your old ECON books and think about the potential impacts of Marcellus Shale (via Chris Briem). http://bit.ly/bEEgih

Social Media

• Stopping payola in social by accountability. @sethgodin‘s complaint: http://bit.ly/bST9RN My Response: http://bit.ly/aRdfav

Sports

• Listening to Bob Walk and Steve Blass without Neverette, what are the chances of an @ScottDMcCauley for a Sept. callup.
• RT @ScottDMcCauley: delay gives us the time honored tradition of players lined along the dugout railing and scanning the crowd for girls.

Startups

• Venture Capital Investments up 34% (software up 70%), highest numbers since 2008. http://tcrn.ch/aRcAuV
• If you’re thinking of starting a small business, reading @AldoCoffee‘s Blog is not optional. http://bit.ly/90iDxw
• My company (@adaptivity) gets press from @BSatNWW (section titled “Getting Tough on Cloud Providers”) http://bit.ly/9ZtfYU

Technology News

• Surprising. Netflix passes Hulu in total US traffic.http://tcrn.ch/bNRczw
• WOW!!! That looks simple, Android App Inventor (a development tool) http://bit.ly/cvRiF5
• I bet giving away Amazon Prime for one year to college students is a test run for giving it to everyone. http://tcrn.ch/bNRczw

Unsolicited Advice

• Bestest is not a word… even if you’re really good friends… the answer is still NO!
• Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they’ve got a second. -William James
• RT @jencaple I find it interesting that it’s the one’s that constantly complain about their job & life that tell me to get a practical job & life
• Great post by @vwadhwa, unless you’re Steve Jobs, you should probably ask your customers what they think. http://bit.ly/cEpOqc

Other (Mostly Humorous Comments from the Week)

• Guess what kind of Pizza I’m having tonight… Hint: It’s not delivery.
• Whole different meaning in the south. RT @AFMJen RT @HeyItsNicoleA: There’s nothin like a British boy calling a girl “Sweetheart”.
• Morning Sex is a drink, so is a Martini. You can order Martinis dirty.#justsayin
• RT @davonmagwood I wanted pasta but drunk me is willing to settle for pizza rolls, I want fucking tatter tots!

Turkey Kielbasa, Sauerkraut, Apple Bake

Ingredients:

12 oz Oscar Mayer turkey polska kielbasa
32 oz (4 cups) sauerkraut, drained, liquid reserved
1 granny smith apple, peeled and chopped
1 cup onion, chopped
4 oz carrots, diced
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup apple juice

Directions:

1) Heat oven to 350°F.
2) Mix 1/4 cup of sauerkraut liquid into apple juice. Stir brown sugar into apple juice mixture and set aside. Do not discard remaining liquid, it may be used later.
3) Cut kielbasa into slices or dice, whichever you prefer. Place in a 13—9-inch pan along with remaining ingredients, including apple juice mixture. Mix well and spread evenly in pan.
4) Place in oven and bake uncovered for 30 minutes, or until kielbasa is heated through and apples are tender, stirring occasionally. If sauerkraut seems a little dry when stirring pour in a little more of the remaining sauerkraut liquid, to your taste, and finish cooking.

I end up looking through a lot of sauerkraut recipes as part of my never ending quest to feed the hungry people who drop by my blog.  Since I’m not a fan of sauerkraut in general, I think most of them sound pretty disgusting.  Well the one above struck me as particularly awful, especially with turkey kielbasa from Oscar Mayer!

Now on to the purpose of Sauerkraut Sundays… As I go through the week, I use Twitter to send out little updates and links.  I realize that I do this quite a bit and that not all of you use Twitter, so with that in mind I’d like to take Sunday to do sort of a week in review.  I’ve selected the most useful of my tweets from the last week and placed them in to the categories that I use in this blog.

Me

• The #PittsburghMarathon will be on May 15th next year. Should I? It would be one hell of a birthday-eve.
• I haven’t done as little work in 4 days as I did in the last 4 in years. It was Great! Now back to regularly scheduled programming.

Personal Technology

• I just set up the Boxee remote on my ipod touch. <little nerdgasm>http://youtu.be/1OL6ruHE7WA

Pittsburgh

• Sounds Interesting… RT @FatHeadsPGH: FatHeads on tap right now BEAN ME UP COFFEE STOUT 5% #cheers #craftbeer
• All 7 of Pittsburgh’s highest paid execs got raises of at least 5% last year one was 372.8%). http://bit.ly/cNQZFO
• Hard to win a seat at at a table tonight. (@ Rivers Casino)http://4sq.com/92D71D
• Local raised smoked salmon at the south side farmers market is amazing.
• Drinks are too cheap at jack’s its not safe.

Social Media

• Stopping payola in social by accountability. @sethgodin‘s complaint: http://bit.ly/bST9RN My Response: http://bit.ly/aRdfav

Sports

• So wait, today’s #Worldcup consolation game is a soccer game that doesn’t matter? Isn’t that kind of redundant?

Startups

• This company (http://bit.ly/djAPBU ) has 5 digit revenue. It makes you feel like a crappy entrepreneur when dumb ideas make $.

Technology News

• It’s learning RT @hunch: Pick a # from 1-10. vegetarians are twice as likely to pick 9: http://hun.ch/94fds8 /@hunch
• 4sq five times larger then gowalla and growing 75% faster. Game, set, match. http://tcrn.ch/a0FlA0

Unsolicited Advice

• I’m a fan of what the Southside Starbucks is trying to do with their space. If you haven’t been in a while, stop by.

Other (Mostly Humorous Comments from the Week)

• I got 142% in discrete math in college (includes probability) and yet I insist on playing blackjack. Why?
• Ha! RT @vseanclark: Can’t get work done if I have to debunk markitecture first. Maybe that’s one of those new jobs created by cloud.
• I agree that companies need ops and innovation focus. But budgets always drive former, latter gets lost if not a focus.
• HA! “….at the craps table, which boy is THAT an appropriately named game.” http://bit.ly/9MBVfy (via @PittGirl )
• You mean this piece of cardboard is not the real ipod? http://twitpic.com/22zwkv

The Haufbrauhaus in Pittsburgh has really matured.  When I made the trip over there on Friday there was a line out the door.  That place has a huge capacity to end up with a line.  We ended up not going in, but came back the next day to celebrate Germany’s 4-0 victory.  Here’s a picture of my wursts hanging out over a bed of kraut.

Now on to the purpose of Sauerkraut Sundays… As I go through the week, I use Twitter to send out little updates and links.  I realize that I do this quite a bit and that not all of you use Twitter, so with that in mind I’d like to take Sunday to do sort of a week in review.  I’ve selected the most useful of my tweets from the last week and placed them in to the categories that I use in this blog.

Business

• A great post by @fredwilson in his MBA Mondays series. It’s on hedging, every math nerds favorite topic! http://bit.ly/bWnqdJ

Me

• Watching the eating contest, but not being critical since im here. (@ Primanti Bros.) http://4sq.com/17jr6p
• Ahhh home sweet home (@ Jack’s) http://4sq.com/cSrbbL
• My names still on the wall. (@ Fat Head’s Saloon w/ 2 others) http://4sq.com/5DfUVp

National Politics

• #Aussies RT @pevansgreenwood: An unmarried female atheist redheaded migrant Prime Minister? Who’s a communist now, Obama?

Personal Technology

• @jencaple My phone was dying, so I didn’t notice till this AM that you were also at the game! 4sq, was almost actually useful.

Pittsburgh

• Someone Robbed 6’1″ 325lb 4.52 second 40 yard Casey Hampton. Wasn’t there anyone else on the block with nice stuff?
• Parking rate increases are good for the city of Pittsburgh. Why make PAT compete with Parking Authority?
• All the furies in one photo! http://bit.ly/bd86CO
• I have a question to parents, how did you explain the furies to your children?

Sports

• Awesome, got to see Pedro’s first Home Run! (@ PNC Park w/ @jencaple) http://4sq.com/8Qcrl8
• Eminem mentions Big Ben and The Terrible Towel in one song. http://bit.ly/8YaVFD
• Just noticed that PNC paid for Chicago based advertising at Wrigley Field. Way to piss off your fan base back home!
• OUCH! RT @ScottDMcCauley: Rough night. Top 6 COL 6-2. Charlie Morton 3IP 7H 5R 4ER 3BB 3K. << Also 3 Indians ejected.

Technology News

• Very interesting, Google has built a flash game on the YouTube platform (to show off integration no doubt) http://bit.ly/d1VT8o
• I must admit that I was dead wrong about the Kin, I thought it would find a market. http://tcrn.ch/9IRgBE
• Yahoo built an Android App. Isn’t that a bit like Oldsmobile building a car for mars travel?

Other (Mostly Humorous Comments from the Week)

• “Can I get some glue and the name of the last Mountaineer to score 50 points in a game?” http://twitpic.com/21taji
• @ thesulk It can’t be a good sign when your girlfriend absent-mindedly hums “Better Man”.
• If guys are riding the bull, its not a good sign for this bar. (@ Whisky River) http://4sq.com/8vTa2M
• Today someone told me they would spend 3 hours on eclipse this weekend. I asked what they were developing. We were both confused for 3 min