New to Nashville

Thursday, December 04, 2008

So I attended Bloblive last night at Belmont, which was a lot of fun. Here were my favorites:

1) Green Lawn Care

Create a scalable lawn care system using old fashioned non-motor powered lawn mowers loaded onto bicycle carts. Less overhead in terms of gasoline and equipment, but obvious scale issues when it comes to little human-powered lawn mowers (I should know, I own one). Charge a luxury tax to these newfangled urban living communities.

2) Chart Your Career Path

Using sophisticated tagging and meta data, create a job search and career advice site that matches young and experienced professionals based on similar career paths/trajectories. (I think of it as the untapped social graph of LinkedIn - come to think of it, what a great idea for an app!)

3) Airport Strollers (thanks to a friend for this one)

Install airport stroller rentals in major U.S. airports (akin to those in amusement parks or large shopping malls) that are designed for better mobility and to go through security. Check them out upon arrival, use them to easily balance carry on luggage with laptop case plus your kid, and then return them at the gate. Charge $5.

4) Wiimote Smartboard Consultancy (In full discretion, this idea is mine!)

I’ve blogged about this over at my personal Web site, but basically here’s the idea. A graduate student in California, Johnny Lee, developed a Smartboard that can be used together with a Wiimote (that’s right, from the Nintendo Wii) and any PC with Bluetooth capability. (A smartboard, of course, is a fancy interactive whiteboard commonly used by teachers in classrooms).

What’s the point? Well, Lee’s Smartboard is about 80 percent as good as the professional ones at about 1 percent of the cost. (The big boys retail from $3,000-$5,000.)

Of course, the biggest problem with Smartboards, aside from getting the funding, is training teachers to integrate them into their courses. My idea for a company would be a full-service Wiimote Smartboard installation and support service for Metro schools.

(And I got a great comment from someone there suggesting I try to get in business with the big Smartboard retailers and see if they’d want to help fund it. The idea would be, if enough schools adopt this simpler, albeit more rudimentary technology, more would in turn upgrade to the real deal when they received the funds).

5) Bloblive!

At the end, the host stood up and once again explained the idea of Bloblive. Anyone and everyone convenes, volunteers stand before the crowd and take 2-3 minutes to explain an idea, and then people give feedback.

Unlike some other entrepreneurial gatherings I’ve been to, this one was really refreshing. No expectations. No pretense. Just some big thinkers with some big ideas, a bit of free food and a lot of fun. The thing I liked about Bloblive is that it didn’t pretend to be anything more.

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Wednesday, December 03, 2008

Looking at this photo I shot from the backseat of my carpool this morning while exiting I-65 South, it’s tough to tell what the subject of the picture is. If you look closely, however, you can tell what’s missing: merging vehicles!

Just about every day I spend at least 5-10 minutes of my life at a standstill because Nashville drivers don’t understand the simple concept of merging.

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Tuesday, December 02, 2008

When oil tanked and gas prices fell (along with the housing market, 401Ks and the economy in general) my wife and I made a bet as to how far they’d fall. (We established a Mapco near our house as the standard).

My guess? $1.84. No lower.

She bet it’d fall to at least $1.73, maybe further.

And, as usual, she’s right…

Lesson learned...

But on another note, the experiment helped me discover AAA’s gas price Web site - the Fuel Gauge Report. As of December 2nd at 3:00 am CST, the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $1.673.

I bet $1.50 is the trough.

In fact, I’m willing to bet $5.00.

Any takers?

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Monday, December 01, 2008

I’m thinking of heading over to Bloblive at Belmont this week.

Any of you out-of-towners who occasionally read this blog have any world-changing business ideas?

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Saturday, November 29, 2008

...is really, stinking cold.

(Image courtesy of LHOON via Flickr)

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Wednesday, November 26, 2008

(The Pancake Pantry, at 1796 21st Ave S in Nashville, serves up some of the best pancakes this blogger has ever had.)

So our carpool stopped at pancake pantry before work, a little pre-Thanksgiving celebration before the long weekend of food, family and festivities. Best. Idea. Ever. Nothing new for locals - just the best pancakes in Nashville, and a wicked long line to boot. We got there at 6:30 and the place was nearly abandoned. By 7:30 it had practically filled up.

(My pathetic attempt at a blurred, artistic capturing of the hustle and bustle inside the Pancake Pantry from my LG Dare. Try not to cringe, I know...)

The Star of the Show

No matter what you do though, make you try the cinnamon syrup. It’s life changing. Here’s another terrible photo of it; forgive me, my lack of photography skills (and photography equipment) notwithstanding, this jar of smooth, delicious, artery choking and diabetes inducing goodness deserves a shot in the limelight:

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Tuesday, November 25, 2008

It all seemed so straightforward at first. “Free lessons for newcomers.” “Come check out the dance studio.” For some reason the National Dance Clubs at Belle Meade doesn’t advertise “The Most Awkward Situation of Your New Life in Nashville.”

Don’t believe me? Keep reading (or check out these three City Search reviews).

In the beginning

When we first arrived at National Dance Clubs we were greeted by an extremely friendly and warm dance instructor. In fact, we were pretty unprepared for the atmosphere at the studio, and, having planned to play tennis afterward, we were pretty under dressed. Despite our embarrassment, our instructor made us feel exceedingly welcome. We did some very basic preparations, nothing much compared with other places I’ve been, and our instructor emphasized the importance of nailing the fundamentals. While I personally felt we could have progressed a touch quicker, hey, they’re the experts. And we were having fun…

Then came the “mini-sell”

Before we’d had much of a chance to enjoy our two free lessons, our instructor moved in quickly to convince us to sign up for a block of six additional sessions. She was slick about it, coupled with the fact that we, like many couples, “have always wanted to take dance lessons, but never had the time,” so we said, “Let’s do this.” It was a hefty chunk of change, especially for so few lessons. But it came with a number of additional events (at which the main attraction was an open bar). So if you don’t feel like you’re dancing your money’s worth, you can be darn sure that you can drink it.

The fun...

The next four to five lessons were great - no complaints there. Our instructor was both professional and fun, and we had a blast learning the basic steps to the waltz, rumba, push/pull, tango and foxtrot.

The hard sell...

Now this is equal parts art and science and it spanned two sessions. Here’s the breakdown, as best as I can remember it:

• The Questionnaire
  During our second to last private lesson our instructor had us fill out a 74-question worksheet (slight exaggeration) with some real brain-busters ("I enjoy dancing - Y/N” or “I would like to dance for fitness - Y/N"). Basically, they stack it full of items that no normal person would answer no to, and then use those answers later to overcome your objections to paying for more lessons. ("What? You don’t want to keep dancing with us? Now, you said ‘I would like to learn to dance.’ Now how do you expect to do that without lessons?")
• The Notebook
  On the second night our instructor pulls out a hand-written, color-coded notebook with all of our statements from the previous night. She picked it up off a table, hopped over to us, and exclaimed, “Ta-da!!!” She beamed as she showed off what she had created, but then issued a stern warning that it all depended on whether or not her boss would “approve us” for social ease classes, the next level of dance instruction. (At this point, no one has asked us yet if we are interested in continuing dance lessons, or even mentioned how much they cost.) The awkwardness builds...
• The Approval
  So, we walk into the boss hog’s office, present him our folder and politely ask him if he would approve us for social ease classes. He hesitates, looks us over, and says sure. We walk out, hit the music and assume proper posture. We begin to dance. Two beats later. “OK,” he says. “I’ve seen enough. You’re ready. The question is, on a scale of one to ten, how badly do you want to dance?” My wife and I look at each other. “Well, I’m a teacher, so I’m inherently a tough grader. I’d say a six,” she says.
• Back in the office…
  Essentially, both our instructor and the main boss are unphased by what I thought was a pretty good answer by my wife. Sitting across the desk from the manager, he goes over what all we will receive for the 17th time before guardedly scribbling some numbers on a piece of paper. “Ten private lessons, ten group lessons, all of the functions, plus all access to the dance studio,” he says, and slowly slides the paper toward us. We look down.

  $1,800

$1,800? We practically burst out laughing. “I had thought our second round of lessons might be a bit out of our price range,” I start, “but this, this is way, way out of our price range.”

“We need to pay a mortgage,” my wife adds.

They insist. They plead. They persist. They’ll lower the price to $1,650 if we pay right now.

“I can count on one hand,” the manager says, “the people who say they’ll come back and continue lessons, and then actually do.”

“And you know what?” my wife counters. “We’re one of those people. So if we have any interest, we’ll let you know. But right now, we can’t.”

The moral of the story...

The National Dance Clubs at Belle Meade is stacked with professional dancers. They’ll teach you how to dance, and it’ll be a good time. But they’re a business, and as such, they need to keep the lights on. They’re going to hard sell you, and it’s going to be awkward. I’ve often joked that I have a pretty high tolerance for awkward situations, much higher than friends and family, so while I think the whole situation was kind of funny, I’m OK with it. After reading our story, you need to make up your own mind. Newcomers beware…

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Monday, November 24, 2008

(A look over the Richland Park Greenway in West Nashville.)

Although I’ve written up the Greenways in Nashville before, and been on a bit of a nature kick recently, I needed to post this picture from the Richland Creek Greenway in West Nashville. Definitely check it out if you get a chance.

View Larger Map

Nashville.gov - Greenway Maps
Greenway MeetUp
Greenways for Nashville

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Sunday, November 23, 2008

(Radnor Lake, approximately 7 miles south of downtown Nashville)

Two of the Music City’s little secrets (even to those who grew up here I’ve found) are these two enormous parks. Radnor Lake (1200 acres) and Percy Warner Park (2684 acres) both reside officially within Nashville’s city limits, and offer some beautiful views and welcome respite from urban living.

Before you go...

Take a look at the park rules at Radnor Lake. This state park is a designated natural area, and therefore jogging, biking on trails and picnicking are strictly prohibited (and come with a hefty fine, as I understand it). At Percy Warner, on the other hand, we saw at least two dozen iPod-equipped runners, plus a handful of fully decked out cyclists on the six-mile loop we walked. 

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Friday, November 21, 2008

(Image courtesy of AaltoNET Importing)

I saw this item when researching how to make homemade Spaetzle* online last night. Looks funny, right?

It’s not. Read on...

I attempted to make this southern German specialty last evening, but lacked this basic culinary tool: the Spaetzle Wizard. After perusing what appeared to be highly reputable recipe sites, I found a recurring substitute mentioned in many of the instructions. Simply scoop the Spaetzle batter into a slotted spoon, then push it through using the back of a regular spoon into the pot of boiling water.

Easy, right?

It was a disaster.

Instead of the small, knobbly yet distinct Spaetzle I’m accustomed to finding in authentic German restaurants (such as Gerst Haus for those here in Nashville), I was left with unshapely gobs.

Don’t get me wrong, it still tasted fine. But I’m taking a second look at that Spaetzle Hex.

Random, I know, but I had to get it off my chest.

*For you deutschspraechigen Leute, I apologize for the lack of umlauts. I’m just too lazy to copy and paste or learn the shortcut for them.

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Monday, November 17, 2008

(Image courtesy of Paul Nicholson via Flickr)

There’s a number of public meetings taking place this week to elicit input on the future of public transportation in Nashville, and the Middle Tennessee area. If you can’t go, fill out this survey to get in your two cents:

Nashville Public Transportation Survey

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Monday, November 10, 2008

As near as I can tell, “recombobulation” is not a real word.

But the recombobulation area, just past security at the General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is definitely a real place. I promise.

And after taking off your shoes, belt, jacket and glasses, taking out your laptop and emptying your pockets (in short, becoming discombobulated), you may need to make use of this area.

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Wednesday, November 05, 2008

(Image courtesy of Mrs. Magic via Flickr)

I’ve had this checklist in mind for a while, so I figured I ought to put it down on paper.

1. Visit the Opryland Hotel.

2. See a concert at the Ryman auditorium.

3. Learn how to speak with a Southern accent.

4. Check out the Country Music Hall of Fame.

5. Dance the waltz at a honky tonk.

6. Drink Yazoo beer.

7. See something outrageous.

8. Hike at Radnor Lake.

Any I should add to the list? Restaurants? Parks? Etc.?

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Sunday, October 12, 2008

As an aside, I drafted this post weeks ago, but never finished it. Although it no longer has the same relevance as it once did, I still thought it worth sharing.

On October 22nd, Belmont University hosted the first presidential debate ever to take place in the state of Tennessee. Having just moved to Nashville, I was pumped when I found out. Moreover, I found a bipartisan debate viewing hosted by Deborah Wilson at Encore Condominiums downtown, so I went along…

I have to say, however, I was a little bummed by the debate discussion overall, which centered on race, religion, age and gender. Overall, the folks in attendance felt ill at ease (or perhaps uninterested) to discuss these concerns frankly. Discussion turned instead to health care, foreign policy, taxes, the economy, etc.

I post this today because I think it’s somehow prescient now that we’ve elected the next president of the United States. Going forward, there are some real issues facing us: a battered economy, an overstretched army abroad, a significant number of Americans without health care, etc. And now, just as before the election, those are the issues that matter. It’s not about red versus blue, black versus white, Democrat versus Republican, or any other us versus them dichotomy that matters. (In fact, from my experience at the bipartisan debate viewing, it never did to most people).

Perhaps I only speak for the moderates, but I was hard pressed to find people amongst my peers who thought any candidate throughout this (at times seemingly endless) presidential contest who truly embodied all of their views and could rightly bring them about.

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Friday, October 03, 2008

(Image courtesy of jon a ross via Flickr)

Lipscomb University is hosting a free E-waste recycling event today and tomorrow.

When
October 3rd-4th
8am-4pm

Where
Lipscomb High School
Football Field Parking Lot
1029 Caldwell Ln,
Nashville, TN 37204

What

Everything but refrigerators and air conditioning units!

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