You know me, I don't like to complain

VeriSign has released the VeriSign PIP as a elegant and simple way to utilize URL-based identity via OpenID/Yadis.

This service will allow application developers to handle authentication using URL-based user profiles, which then in turn allows users to control access to their information based on what services they interact with.

I highly recommend you check it out and start using it wherever you can, and if you’re an application developer, hook your application into it.

I have high hopes for the future of handling authentication and being able to delegate control to the services I use.

What a day.

For some background information, something bad happened to the DNS for Vanson Leathers, making their website unavailable. Long story short, I did them a favor (full story on my new website scooterati) and decided to take them on their offer to come by and check out the sale.

So when thinking about people that would enjoy a field trip to Fall River to see the good people at Vanson Leathers, I thought of my friend Dmitry.

First, I finally met his cat. I love this cat. The cat just loves to play and likes to fetch. He cat has huge double-paws. Love that.

Video: Dmitry’s Cat

Next we hit the road and got to a full parking lot at Vanson Leathers. Their big sale drew a big crowd, and there were wall to wall motorcycles. Didn’t see any scooters, but saw a full compliment of sport bikes, street bikes, roadsters, and every combination thereof.

We went and checked out the store and I met up with my contact there, who introduced me to the owner and we went over the whole situation together. Long story short, they let me pick out a jacket, which was a remarkable gesture. I really didn’t think they’d be so appreciative and I thought maybe they’d throw me a free Vanson wallet or give me a discount but I certainly didn’t think they’d let me pick something out to have. I love it. Like all Vanson products it is perfect, and quite comfortable. I also fell in love with a jacket they have a prototype of hanging on the sales floor—it is a really crazy distressed aged leather. Looks great, and has a nice fit to it. Once they get their supply of the leather ironed out and put on the finishing touches it will be an amazing jacket that they’ll sell out of almost immediately, I promise.

After we left the store we checked out the stunt riders, and I filmed them with my N90. A lot of people in the crowd were paying a lot of attention to my phone. Sometimes I forget that a phone that flips out into a full-blown camcorder isn’t exactly commonplace. So I grabbed a couple of videos of the stunt riders goofing off in the parking lot and have them available here as well.

Video: Stunt Riders 1

and -

Video: Stunt Riders 2

After that, I came home, put on my new jacket and went for a ride down Blackstone, up into College Hill, stopped by Whole Foods for some tortillini salad and sandwich buns, and came home to lotion up my new coat and commence the break-in period.

It was quite a day.

(Large)

(Large)

View them in their normal state on flickr here complete with annotations.

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My new face, courtesy of Gregory’s Optical on Wickendon St., and Francois Pinton.

I had an apartment in Fairfax, Virginia where I had a very interesting neighbor named Kirby.

One night, I think after watching Fatboy Slim do a set at Buzz in DC, my friend Ben Brown and I came back home late to crash at my place. It was probably around 3am.

That night we met my new neighbor, Kirby.

Kirby was a standup comic out of Chicago, who had polaroid photographs of him partying with Chris Farley in a hotel room overlooking the Loop.

I will skip the fantastically surreal conversation and associated antics but only to tell you about the most interesting aspect of Kirby’s personality.

Kirby’s entire apartment was decorated as if it were a room in a Holiday Inn.

The rugs, the console TV, the amazingly tacky couch and loveseat, the absolutely horrifying pattern on the “bed spread”. It was something no average human being could possibly endure.

But Kirby was used to spending a lot of time on the road. In goofy hotels. And I suppose no matter where he was while on the road, he always felt at home.