Do the Techno-Dunce

Dig the shoulder shake.

I Wish it Was Christmas Today

Cats Who Yell

Really?

Happy Thanksgiving from MindComet

I Used to Have a Sister…Someone Asked Her to Hold a Balloon

Remembering Steve Jobs the MindComet Way

We gathered (mostly) all of the Apple products in our office together for a little tribute to the man who was responsible for their invention.



We'll miss you Steve...

Let Your Freak Rock Fly

The Team was recently tasked with taking a naked rock and painting it to reflect their personality. Although we just started this project, here are some initial pics. Make sure you check back for updates.



If you had a naked rock, how would you paint it to reflect your personality?

Sheeped Away

I Honor of Today’s Release

To mark the release of "Star Wars: The Complete Saga" on Blu-ray for the first time, we offer this great mashup.



Enjoy…

Bake that Cherpumple!

At MindComet, we love cooking and eating on top of all the great work we do. So if you're looking for something to do this weekend try this Cherpumple recipe courtesy of Charles Phoenix:



BTW: a big MindComet thanks to Rick for the homemade cinnamon rolls this morning.

Enjoy!

Randall’s Back (NSFW)

As we all gear up for Labor Day, we thought we'd show another gem from Randall. Enjoy!

We Just Pitched a Tent

On Tuesday, the Team got together and did a little Summer cleaning which made way for a couple new breakout areas for meetings, brainstorming or simply a break from our cubicles.

Probably the most popular new area is dubbed The Campground which includes a beach-themed sitting area and a six person tent complete with bean bags.

Lazy Guy with a Portal Gun

Admit it, You Want to Do This Dance

Insert Caption Below

Enjoy

No, You’re Not Hallucinating - Part Deux

And it just gets better. Here's another homage to today's Psychedelic SupaFri: Space Hippies & Star Trek!

The perfect combination for a nutritious breakfast.

No, You’re Not Hallucinating

In honor of today's Psychedelic SupaFri, you give you the the hottest pop music sensation...in Japan.

Enjoy!

Admit It, This Is Cool…

Dmitri finds out about Google Plus

Only 817 pieces to go!

After the fun of the last State of the Company, the back room has remained decorated for the rest of the summer.

One of the many cool things in the back is this big and obscene 2,000 piece jig saw puzzle that some of us have been spending their lunch hours on.

So take a moment and check out the progress - only 817 pieces to go!

We’re Going to Miss You and Safe Travels

It's always been a benefit to work out of our Orlando Office as we usually gather outside to watch each Shuttle launch since the Cape is only about 50 miles away. It's a really cool thing to experience and it never gets old.

Although it's not a typical Cakeplow video, I thought it would be good to post this homage to the Shuttle Program video recently released by NPR given that the last ever launch just happened earlier today:

A Blast From The Past: Shuttle Through The Decades from NPR on Vimeo.

The MindComet crew is really going to miss these launches and all we wish for a safe return for today's crew.

All Your Base Belongs To Us!

8 bit Invader (maping) from Darkfejzr on Vimeo.

Have You Signed Up Yet?

Plungr: A Splashy New Social Network - watch more funny videos

The Latest Craze Sweeping the Nation

Last Month, Mashable published a great infographic on the dangers of sitting. Needless to say, the concept went a little viral and it became a subject of talk around the tech community. Its even taken hold with some MindCometeers.

Here's some pictures from the floor where some of us are trying this new healthy work style:



Have you tried this at work? If so, what do you think so far?

Gunther is for Real & We’re Sure There’s Some Fans Out There (NSFW)

The Ding Dong Song has been going viral around the Office, but believe it or not, the official video is too risque to post. So here's another goody from the hottest singer in Sweden:



This guy really freaks me out.

Finally, We Learn What’s Behind the “Do Not Enter” Sign

Last week, I told you something strange was going on at MindComet.

On Monday, we found out what was behind the door - an indoor campsite!



About twice a year, MindComet gets together to hold a state of the company. This time around we also added on a SupaFri afterwards.

This month's theme was outdoor fun complete with picnic tables, a fishing pond, a putting green, a campsite complete with tent & campfire, and a tree with rubber frogs on which to toss.

Fly Away My Space Rocket

Dance baby, dance.

Just What the Heck is Going on at MindComet?

Earlier in the week, our back room was closed off to all MindComet employees and the rumor mill is flowing like a swollen river after a torrential downpour under a full moon in the summertime.



So what's going on?



Are we renting out some of our unused space?

Is Carney building a better life-sized mousetrap?

Are we getting that laser tag space we always needed - err, I mean wanted?



Nope, just Marcelle and the rest of the Executive Team getting the back room ready for our next State of the Company meeting.

Don't worry, we'll reveal the theme after June 20th.

The Most Epic Beer Commercial Ever Made

Apache

Come on, you know you dig it baby.

We Assure You, The Pinata Did Not Suffer

I know this is a week late, but I wanted to take a moment and recap last week's SupaFri for May. The theme was Oktoberfest in May which included:

- German Travel films with lunch - brats, potato salad, soft pretzels, beer, etc.
- An indoor foursquare tournament
- A trivia Contest about Oktoberfest
- The unleashing of 3 new choices for the Wheel of Destiny
- And a pinata for the hell of it

Here's Jeremy & Cayla doing the Chicken Dance:



And here's Daissy trying to kill our Oktoberfest pinata while James later clubs it into submission:

Outside dining at MindComet

Over the past week or so, the weather in Orlando has been absolutely beautiful. Just in time for the Florida Summer, we recently added new umbrellas to our outside dining area complete with solar lights and a nice fan to cool everyone off after working hard.



And check out the great view the crew has of the spaceship!

Sit Back & Enjoy the Jello…

Really? Part 2

April’s RoyalFri

In celebration of Kate & Will's marriage, this past Friday's SupaFri became RoyalFri!

MindCometeers divided into 4 Houses and then competed to become the new Royal House of England.

To win this title, each house competed by Jousting on horseback, Fencing, and Passing the Petit Four. These were tests of agility, strength and cunning... all important qualities of any English Monarchy.

A big congratulations to The House of Pancakes for taking 1st place in the competition.

Also, special thanks to both Rebecca and Amber for pulling this great event in such short time.

Enjoy photos and videos from the event:

Beware of the Worm (NSFW)

Insidious Worm Makes Unauthorized Purchases When Computer User Is Drunk

Really?

You Will be Missed but Always Remembered

Today we laughed.

Today we cried.

Today we ate some wicked barbecue.

Today we said good bye to Andrew.

He is leaving MindComet for more important pastures.

We wish him well.

We wish him the best of luck.

We'll miss the bake goods.

We'll miss the one-liners.

We'll miss the dead pan facial expressions.

We'll miss the certainty of a person who makes a difference,

We'll miss the great person he is even if he can't dance - trust me, watch the video.

We're going to miss you, but we're proud to have had the opportunity to work with you.

Good Luck Andrew.

Good Luck to you and your family.

Please don't be a stranger.



Here's a special homage we played today in our Weekly Meeting:



Good Luck Buddy, you will be missed but always remembered.

James Has a New Toy

Check out the Nerf Sniper Rifle just bought to terrorize the Dev Team.





And check out this bad boy in action via the Nerf commercial:



Have fun Buddy.

Cheers.

Capitalizing on the Backroom Space of MindComet

This month, MindComet saw two rooms taken over by both the Engineering & Media Teams.

Led by Scott, the Engineering Team has taken over TRON (our focus group room) to set up a Scrum Board for the projects they're focused on this month.

As for Media, Mark decided to update the podcasting room in the back of the Office and make it a multipurpose meeting room for podcasting, video casting and overall social media strategy sessions.

Here's some pics of both rooms:

Sense is Something You Can’t Even Make Sense Of Until You’ve Been to the Future… (NSFW)

Beastie Boys Fan? We are too and can't wait for the May 3rd release of their new album.

In the meantime, check out this sweet teaser of an upcoming short for Hot Sauce Committee Part Two.



Happy Friday.

Cracking Stuxnet, a 21st-Century Cyber Weapon

Great TED talk from the guy who cracked Stuxnet. Enjoy.



Thoughts?

Foursquare and MindComet’s SupaFri

Check out these pictures from March's SupaFri:



This month's theme was "March is Healthy" month. We consumed light drinks and light fare. But the hit of the day was a couple hours of non-stop foursquare out in the parking lot. We had 2 courts set up and just enjoyed the game and beautiful weather.

Our Tree Died. Luckily It Missed Our Spaceship.

MindComet started the week with a loss and it wasn't in the NCAA bracket.

One of our trees by the patio fell down and couldn't get back up. We don't know if it was from all the work we've been doing or it was residual effects from SXSW.

Regardless, MindComet is going to miss you Mr. Tree and thank the stars above no one was sleeping in the hammock.



Yeah that's right, MindComet has a spaceship (more to come).

Happy 5th Anniversary Twitter (NSFW)

We love you Twitter, keep it up.

Twitter Celebrates its 5th Anniversary - watch more funny videos

Pi Day 2011 at MindComet

On Monday, MindComet celebrated Pi Day 2011 with our own Pi Day. Everyone who participated brought a pie for lunch to recognize the awesomeness of math.



To get a better approximation of Pi, we celebrated with more pie at 26 seconds seconds after 1:59 PM.

Music, How You Agitate Me.

At lunch today, we had a discussion about the music. Namely this happens because I am the office DJ and for the most part Pandora streams what I want to listen to... Unfair I know. It was a chilly Friday morning (by Florida standards) so I wanted something peppy. I chose the genre station "Hard Rock". I was unaware this station was making my team angry. When we were discussing the music, it came up that certain genres of music have different effects on people. I personally love "Movie Soundtrack" day, as I think it's fun to type emails while simultaneously marching to Mordor. One of the developers becomes agitated with Death Metal, Drum N' Base, and Dubstep. Others want him to get over his Dubstep agitation so they can listen to more of it. Now I ask you, dear reader, what music agitates you?

Need a Laugh? Check out Honey Badger (NSFW)

After yet another hard week of work, I felt we could all take a break and have a laugh. So I'm getting on the "Honey Badger Don't Care" train with the following video:



Cheers!

Viva La Team Speedbump!

Don't be upset if your driving along the roads in Lake Nona on March 6th and you get stuck behind a troupe of MindCometeers riding their bicycles. Its all for a great cause.

This year MindComet will be riding in the Tour de Cure to raise money for the American Diabetes Association. We started a Team we are calling Team SpeedBump. Hopefully no one will be run over, but we may slow down traffic a bit. Anyone is invited to join and ride with us but here is who you can expect to see.

James: He is riding 74 miles on a fancy road-bike that is made of space age materials. Its not that this is a race its just James does not do anything... well at a normal level. Its always dialed up to eleven for that guy.

Carney: He is also riding 74 miles. Mostly likely, Carney and James will be seen arguing about wether Google is Skynet, if something Carney found on Reddit is actually cool, or Carney will be talking about Science and James will pretending to understand.

Josh Cox: Some say Josh trains on a bike that weighs a metric ton to increase endurance. Some say he rides uphill for 100 miles while singing a Scottish drinking without breaking a sweat. That may be true, but all we know is, when we asked him to ride he simply said ...OK.

Marcelle: Our President and CEO will be riding 25 miles with us. Marcelle has proven time and time again that she's tough as nails when it comes to a challenge. We expect her to be passing traffic on the highway while tweeting out her progress.

So help us out by donating to a great cause. Or you could get out and enjoy a fun day outside and ride with us. Click here for more information on Tour de Cure.

Or simply check out our team page.

What’s Your Favorite MindComet Photo From This Week?

This week has been busier than normal at MindComet. Luckily, some of us got a moment to let off some steam.

So here are two photos from this week - which one is your favorite?

Is it Mark & John at Social Fresh Tampa?




Or is it Will at the In Control Conference?




Or is it James and Stephanie cutting loose at the after party.

That’s Gold Jerry!

If You Could Eat Lunch With Three People, Who Would You Choose?

Andrew sent an email around the Office last week that asked: If you could eat lunch with three people (alive or dead) from your field, who would you choose?

Here are the answers we got from the crew:

Andrew: John Carmack, Gina Trapani and Nikola Tesla

Jen: Carl Jung, Albert Einstein and Jason Statham

Verble: Jesse Schell, John Lasseter and Steven Spielberg

Mark: Eric Hoffer, Clay Shirky and Theodore Roosevelt

Kenny: Brendan Dawes, Lee Brimelow and Leo Burnett

Kinbar: Oscar Wilde, William Faulkner and Jane Austen

Daissy: Salvador Dali, Frida Kahlo and Paula Scher

Jeffrey: Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak

William: John Carmack, John Resig and Guy Kawasaki

Rick: John Lasseter, Mark Zuckerberg and Kevin Rose

Doug: Steve Jobs, Seth Godin, and Alex Bogusky

Carney: Lawrence Lessig, John von Neumann and Alan Turing

Interestingly, these are the people who were picked more than once:

John Carmack

John Lasseter

Steve Jobs

I wonder what lunch with these three would be like.

At the end of the day, who would you pick to have lunch with?

A Big Thank You to Everyone Who Participated on Saturday

We just take a moment and thank everyone who participated in both Drupal Camp 2011 and Social Media Conference 2011. Overall, we had close to 300 people from across the state learning about everything Drupal and social media.

Here's just a brief clip of Jeremy discussing Shopkick during his talk on location based services:



To learn more about Social Media Club Orlando, click here

See you next year!

It Doesn’t Get Any Better Than This

w00t!



Courtesy of our friends at Archie McPhee.

Take a Moment and Check Out “Manhattan 4.33pm”

Manhattan 4.33pm from Lizzie Oxby on Vimeo.

Director: Lizzie Oxby

A daydream to remind me of the joy of the New York skyline. "Daydreams" is one of my ongoing projects incorporating a series of observational thoughts. Manhattan 4.33pm is the latest short film made with three photographic stills which I brought to life (35 secs).

Manhattan: 4.33pm has been selected as a finalist in Raindance’s Welcome to the Extraordinary competition.

www.lizzieoxby.com

Orlando’s Own Mobile Food Truck

Those who know me, know that I'm a big fan of food -- 10th degree Shaolin Black-Belt fan of food. A foodie through and through. And as most Orlando foodies know, being a foodie in Orlando can be tough. Very tough. So when I spot new talent in a mostly food starved Orlando, it's always a treat.

Tony Adams, local chef at Big Wheel Provisions, is doing some work that really impresses me and is helping to raise the bar in O-Town. His latest project involves something very near and dear, launching a mobile food truck.

Best of luck Tony.

Follow-up to The Great MindComet Chili Championship of the Universe!

It took us a couple days to recover from the Friday's Great MindComet Chili Championship of the Universe!

The competition was fierce and and so was the voting - to vote, everyone was required to eat a small bowl from each competitor. In the end, everyone survived and fun was had by all. 6 competitor's entered the ring and 2 Winners were crowned.

And 2nd Place goes to John and his Walt's Favorite Chili. Here John shows off his prize:





Here's John description of his entry:





And 1st Prize (aka Championship of the Universe) goes to Jeremy and his 7 C's Chili. Here's the description of his entry which included homemade bacon:





And now the Winner shows off his prize - and no, its not the stuffed Lion on his head:

The Great MindComet Chili Championship of the Universe!

Here at MindComet, we are very proud of our traditions and today we get to celebrate two in one Friday afternoon.

The first is "SupaFri" - our monthly get-together to celebrate everything we've accomplished over the past month in addition to recognizing our top performers.

The next, is the Great MindComet Chili Championship of the Universe! In this heated competition to deliver the most delicious of stewed meats, peppers and beans, the winning chef will get to enjoy 365 days of unbridled bragging rights along with their mugshot in the break room.

Early this morning, vats of chili goodness started to brew in the back room. Here, John shows off his patented "lid lifting" technique:





And here's his entry:





And now, Jeremy's batch:





And this one, it's a secret:




Hungry yet?

MindComet to Speak at SXSW Interactive 2011

MindComet is proud to announce that we will participating in SXSWi 2011. Jeremy and Mark with be giving a talk they've titled, The Net Promoter Score: A Metric for Social Media:

In their presentation, Mark Krupinski and Jeremy Hilton define the Net Promoter Score along with a case for its consideration as a Return on Investment (ROI) metric for on social media initiatives. Additionally, they compare this measurement with other customer loyalty and sentiment formulas currently being championed by industry leaders.

Lastly, Mark and Jeremy will review real world examples of the Net Promoter Score in practice by mainstream organizations.

Who is the intended audience for this session?

Anyone who involved in properly measuring social media initiatives.

5 Questions that will be answered:

How do you measure Social Media?
Can you accurately measure customer sentiment?
What is the Net Promoter Score?
Why should I consider the Net Promoter Score in my social media efforts?
What are some real world examples of the Net Promoter Score in practice?

To learn more about this annual event, check out the SXSWi 2011 Website.



We hope to see you there!

New Artwork in the MindComet Office

Before we went on break, David gave the Creative Staff some free time to let their "creative" flag fly. The results are the following 4 pieces of artwork that now hang in the halls of MindComet.


Kenny's Work:





Daissy's Work:





Sara's Work:





Jeremy's Work:

Great Video: “Nonsense 2” by Jack Vale

Classic video from Jack's "Nonsense" series.

Congratulations Daissy! MindComet’s Employee of the Month for December 2010.

This past Friday, the Team was happy to announce December's Employee of Month: Daissy, one of our Design Ninjas on the MindComet Creative Team.



What can we say about Daissy? Well how about:

"Daissy is an awesome team member. She is always willing to pitch in, always has an amazing attitude and is just so much fun!"

"She has been kicking but jumping around on multiple projects."

"Every time I am around her she is always happy and in a great mood. She's also amazing at juggling a ton of projects and keeping a positive attitude at all times. She's definitely a great creative and great MindCometeer!"

To celebrate this award, we cracked open some refreshments.



Again, Congrats Daissy. We appreciate everything you do.

Really? I thought it was Octopi

It’s 2011, Check Out How Far CGI Has Evolved

Although a little creepy, check out the latest in CGI in this example video from Image Metrics.



Believe it or not, the actress is CGI until the 1:30 min mark. This only goes to show you have far the technology has come and it opens the door to not only new possibilities in video games but it also creates opportunities in TV and movies.

What do you think?

To learn more about this, check out the original article in The Times.

Merry Christmas from MindComet: Glengarry Glen-Christmas

Here's another classic Christmas skit from SNL. Enjoy and Happy Holidays from MindComet!





If you never saw the original Alec Baldwin speech you can find it here on YouTube.

Check out the MindComet Christmas Tree!

A big "Thanks" to Jennifer who decorated our Office this Holiday Season. This particular tree is actually in the middle of our main work area so we decided to use it as a collection spot for whatever we could give to Toys for Tots. It's a great case and if you want to help out, click here for details.





Cheers!

No Plans This Holiday? Try Paraglide Sking

Check out this great video from Marshall Miller and his insane footage of paraglide skiing down Mt. Superior, Utah earlier this month.

Looks like fun, right?

Superior, Speed Fly from Marshall Miller on Vimeo.

Cool tune by K'Naan also .

Classic SNL Video: “I Wish It Was Christmas Today”

In celebration of the upcoming holiday weekend, we thought you'd enjoy this classic from Saturday Night Live:





Dig that Tracy Morgan dance!

The Lying Down Game

Have a camera? Good at lying face down? Good! This game is for you. What game you might ask? The Lying Down Game of course!

The rules are quite simple, lie face down, arms to your side, body stiff as a board. Have someone take a picture and post it on the internet.

Here's MindComet's entry into the game:


Andrew under the tree.


Andrew doing paperwork (notice the nice form with his hands).


Carney on his way to the loo.


David working on his Mac.


Danko is dead (or not).


James after fighting off three vikings.


P.S. We didn't make this up, it's a real game.

Here are more pictures of crazy blokes from around the net. (Disclaimer: Some pictures are rated PG)

Dear Santa, All We Want for Christmas is Beer and Bacon Mancakes

Courtesy of Betty Crocker's Flickr Account. Click on the image for the recipe, just make sure you send us some.

Yes! Cats vs. Eggs

We Need Your Vote For The Worst Christmas Song Ever….

Several MindCometeers and I were having a discussion about “the worst Christmas song ever” and we’ve reached a stalemate. In our discussions, there emerged five really strong competitors and now we need you to help us name “The Worst Ever”.

Here are your choices...

The Force is Strong With this One (NSFW)

David already wrote a great post on his Christmas present, but check out the video of him seeing it for the first time. Like a kid in a candy store





Enjoy!

Great Video for a Great Cause

No, it's not the residual affects of last night's Holiday Party, those dogs really have hands.





Enjoy!

Best Gift Ever? Green Lightsaber For Xmas!

James, Steph, Daissy, Kenny, Sara, and Jeremy surprised me today with an xmas gift like no other. I am truly appreciative to not only have a combination of the most talented people I've ever worked with, but also to be presented with a new working GREEN LIGHTSABER!!! Learn more about lightsaber colors and meaning here: light saber colors & meaning and more on lightsabers. After playing with it all morning, I finally feel ready to post this awesomeness in appreciation. But I dare to ask you... am I Jedi or am I Sith?

Truly, truly, from one Jedi to the rest on my creative team, thank you!!!!





More info below provided from: Stray at swtor.com

Green

Following the sequence of the films when they were released, we see our first green lightsaber in Return of the Jedi. It is interesting to note here that originally Luke's lightsaber was to be blue. It is rumored to have been seen in early film trailers, but because it was hard to see against the blue sky of what would be the rescue of Han Solo from Jabba on Tatooine, it was changed to green to be more easily seen. If this is true, then this could be the point of departure associating the color of lightsabers to a classification. However, I'd like to believe that Lucas gave some thought into if not blue then what would make sense for Luke's character. I think you'll find the attributes of green fit very well.

Green is the color of a living thriving environment or nature if you will. There is a balance to nature and well balanced people tend to favor green. New growth in nature is typically green, so it can represent learning new things, growing and maturity in oneself. Often safety is associated with green when we talk about providing a safe environment to work and play in as well as keeping our environment safe for future generations. To the human eye, it is the most restful of all colors, so it can represent peace and harmony (such as the offering of an olive branch). Of course there are other associations with the color green. It's often quoted to be the color of money, which brings to mind greed and jealousy of those that have it. Green is the second most favorite color (blue is the first).

Our bodies react to green both physically and mentally. It can be soothing and can help to alleviate depression as well as nervousness and anxiety. Not only does it help to relax us physically, but it also helps to relax our mind. It can give one a sense of renewal and harmony.

Kinect Hack: Predator Style

The web's been filled with Kinect hacks lately, but we thought this was too cool to pass up. And now courtesy of TakayukiFukatsu, enjoy "Optical Camouflage":





Dig the soundtrack Daddy-o.

This is…Inconceivable!

What better way to spend 1:48 minutes:





Enjoy!

Virtual Barbershop

This is just amazing!

To get the full effect, use headphones and close your eyes while listening. Trust me when I say it's well worth the time.

All good things must come to an end but the party must go on!

It's a sad but happy day, one of our own, Dean Proctor is leaving MindComet. While we're sad to see him go we wish him well and thank him for his years of awesome service and his zaney antics.

Dean started off as a systems administrator and moved up the ladder to become our Director of IT. While many people would have been content bossing around the Akiba-kei from afar. Not Dean. He enjoyed getting things done, weather that means ripping out code from third party modules, selling to the client or figuring out why a server keeps dumping every half hour. This is why we give Dean three cheers and will gladly raise a glass to him tonight.

Dean, in your honor, I'll continue adjusting peoples chairs and messing with Sara's desk after you leave.

P.S. I'm seeing how many clieche's I can have in one post.

Jeremy Carrus Discusses MindComet’s New Posters

As we gear up for 2011, MindComet has a couple of new faces walking around the floor. One of them is Jeremy Carrus who recently joined us as an Art Director.

We're happy to have you Buddy, Welcome!

In this video, Jeremy talks about the new MindComet posters he just completed.

Geez Brian, I don’t know what to say

Marcel The Shell With Shoes On

My name is Marcel and I'm partially a shell as you can see on my body but I also have shoes and a face....

MARCEL THE SHELL WITH SHOES ON from Dean Fleischer-Camp on Vimeo.

Lets Make A Deal, MindComet Style!

We're gearing up for October's SupaFRI event, which will be no ordinary SuperFRI. We're inviting friends, family and our clients and giving away tons of prizes at MindComet's "Lets Make A Deal" Super Friday Extravaganza!


Here's a little video to get everyone in a deal making mood!

The Importance of Eating Lunch

I enjoy eating lunch in the kitchen or on the patio at MindComet, as the lunchtime conversation is fantastic. We have a very diversified group and the topics are unique. I started to keep a little journal of the more eccentric topics...



We've had discussions on modern mummies and mummification (who does this? it's so weird!), LARPING (Live Action Role Playing, for those of you pretending you didn't know), baby shower games (important to note, there were more men than ladies at the table for this discussion) and our all time favorite topic-food. Yes, while enjoying lunch we often talk about other food. Questions like "If you could only eat one food forever, what would it be?" and "What is the perfect food accompanying beer?" are bantered about...



I always learn something during lunch. Today I learned that what I know as the banana is actually not really a banana. The banana of old, the Big Mike, died out due to disease. This tidbit of information came as we were discussing apples and how taking a seed from an apple and growing it will not result in a tree that produces the same type of apple. It will most likely be a poor tasting variation of that apple. What did you learn at lunch today?

Too Many Twinkies

We've got a retreat coming up, and everyone's worried about getting themselves in shape. I think some of us could use a few pointers... what do you think?

Have You Got the Funk?

Let's get this #DiscoFri started!

And the frontrunner for our costume contest (as always) our pal Joey!



...watch out for the recap next week, jive turkeys!

Leaf Blower + Internet = Hovercraft

What happens when nerds have too much time on their hands? They Google random things like how to make a hovercraft. Add a leaf blower, initiative, and some other junk into the mix, and you get what Dean, Carney and Peter made below.

We tested their weekend creation on MindComet's back patio. Indoors, it sounded like a vacuum-powered vuvuzela, but outdoors, it was a lot of fun. They claim to have lifted three grown men!



Stephanie also took it for a whirl but found herself on a bit of a slope...


Is this the future of electric transportation? Maybe not, but over lunch, I caught them chatting about their next design, so watch out for version two!

Jeremy Soothes the Soul with Doug on Spoons

It's Friday - and I bet you've had a tough week. You deserve a break!

Sit back, relax, and let our very own Jeremy Hilton serenade you with an old American Classic: Country Roads by John Denver. Don't miss Doug's solo on the spoons!

Best MindComet Prank Ever?

If you follow us on Twitter, then you might already know about our bicycle gang. Yep, that's right, we've got a full-fledged biker gang in the office.

With all of these bicycles around, it's like they're begging for mischief. One creative team member hatched one heck of a prank on poor James. It's amazing what you can do with a couple of zip ties - but it's a good thing that James bought one of those fancy super-light bikes!



He walked by it a few times, deep in thought, fully-focused and on-task. But then he found it. You could hear his giggles throughout the office. Check out his reaction below.



And another pic for good measure... poor bike!



What's your best office prank?

All Carney Wanted for his Birthday…

...was a Pie in the Face!

I've never seen someone so excited to be slammed in the face with the whipped topping.



But it's not so fun when it's time to clean up... and maybe that's why he was so brutal with this guy.

Our Most Brutal Pie In The Face Yet!

You can't run, you can't hide, the Wheel of Destiny will find you...



PS: It's all fun and games until you have to smell rotting whipped cream in your nose for the rest of the day! Eww!

It’s Cool to Pee Your Pants

Yep, peeing your pants is the coolest! Just ask Jim or David.

As Doug tells spinners of the Wheel of Destiny: "All of the spots are good. Just some are good for YOU and some are good for US." This was the latter.

A Boy’s Dream, Realized With Pudding

View the heart-warming story of a father who would do anything to see the dream of his boys realized... by getting pudding flung at his face!

It will all make sense when you watch the video below.



MindComet... where dreams come true (at least if they involve pudding). Thanks for being such a great sport, Matt!

SUPA4th - Revenge of the Wheel of Destiny

Last Friday, we celebrated the 4th of July a little early, hosted by our pal, Andrew.

Dressed in our patriotic best, we started off the festivities with a good ol' cornhole competition. Incase you're having any strange ideas, you can learn more about it from the American Cornhole Organization. Or better yet, watch the music video.

The winner of our single-elimination tournament was ironically the man with the least depth perception: James May, aka monooptical.


After we chowed down on some burgers and dogs, it was time to revisit the Wheel of Destiny. It had been some time since it had last been spun - we didn't want to get our fancy Derby outfits messy - so it wasn't happy.

We had some great karaoke performances and a few spinners that were fairly fortunate, but because we know you like you watch us get messy, check out the action shots below.



Stay tuned for video coverage of karaoke performances, live pudding flings, pies in the face and more!

Meet Our Newbies

Despite the rough times, we're happy to see our hard work pay off in the form of company growth. Hopefully you've already met our semi-newbies, like Carney, Mark, Cayla and Daissy. But today, I'd like to tell you about our new batch.

Read below to get inside of their heads and see what makes them tick. I've spiced things up a little bit, but it's still mostly true.


First, we have Jim Danko. He's just joined our IS team as a Software Developer, working with both .NET and PHP. As you can see above, he's got a little bit of a wild side and is all about having fun. He's excited about MindComet's culture, describing it as "really like nothing I've seen." He also owns a Zune, but we don't hold that against him.

He came to us from Ohio and doesn't miss it one bit. He's worked as both an in-house developer and for an interactive agency before joining our team. In his free time, he codes some more, wails on his guitar and plays some video games (anything where he can drive fast and/or shoot things). When he's not making the music, he listens to a wide range of tunes, from NOFX to Wu-Tang Clan to Johnny Cash. He secretly wishes that he could join forces with all three to create one mega-band that could bring world peace with their sweet jams.

I asked Jim for an interesting fact about himself and he responded that "There's nothing about me that ISN'T interesting or unique." Connect with him on Twitter and be the judge: @jimdanko


Next, we have Rick Donelson. He's also a brand new Software Developer, starting alongside Jim. Rick's such a nice guy, telling me that he's "excited to be a part of such a talented team" (I'm blushing), but also excited to have "the opportunity to work with such a diverse set of clients, projects and technologies." You can really tell that Rick is passionate about his work, and we think that's great.

Before joining our team in May, he married his wonderful wife and moved to Florida to work as a PHP Developer at NFi Studios. He actually worked with David Verble, who you'll meet below. He originally comes from a little town in northeast Missouri called Palmyra, which is also the name of an ancient Aramaic city. When he's not coding, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two wiener dogs. He likes to watch TV/movies and also enjoys the occasional cigar. His passions are solving problems and understanding how things work. He also likes building things, in the real or digital world. The idea of creating something from little or nothing brings him great pleasure.

Finally, believe it or not, but Rick's been performing magic since he was 8 years old. And now that we know this, we're looking forward to seeing him perform, and maybe we'll even feature him on Cakeplow sometime in the near future! You can catch him on Twitter here: @rdonelson


And from the other side of the office, we have an even newer team member, David Verble. He's only been with us for a short time, but he's really hit the ground running and doing a great job as our Senior Account Manager. His excitement was clear when I asked him what he was looking most forward to at MindComet: "I'm pumped about working with a top notch team with some great clients in an awesome environment...whats not to like?"

His passions are one facet that make him an excellent fit for our Account Team. He loves all things interactive: the Web, social technologies, augmented reality, immersive games and interactive exhibits, just to name a few. He's been in Central Florida for quite a while, graduating from UCF with a Masters in Interactive Entertainment. He previously worked with our Account Director, Matthew Gardner, for two years with the Digital Agency Lightmaker, and more recently at NFi Studios as a Project Manager working on social networking Web applications.

But before Central Florida, he was born in Knoxville, TN and grew up a few hours away just outside of Jacksonville, FL. In his spare time, he also plays the guitar - maybe he and Jim should start a band, and Pants could be on the drums. He also loves to travel and the beach. He's been known to hang ten.

David's interesting fact is more of a story: "When I was a senior at Stetson University, I put an inflatable kiddie pool in the back of my truck and and drove all over campus with about 4 guys in the pool... and called it Broah's Ark." Now that's classic! Keep up with his exploits here: @dverble


Brandon Brown hasn't been with us for very long, but we're growing attached to him. He's the newest tool in our creative arsenal, joining the team as a Junior Designer. He originates from Maywood, NJ, where he worked at a small company called EarthCam. There he did everything from internal creative, Times Square and National TV commercial spots, to photographing and producing Hawaiian Tropic Bikini Pageants. I haven't asked him what he missed the most, so you'll just have to guess. He came to Florida to finish his education at Full Sail University and we promptly snatched him up afterward.

One of the big reasons that he's so excited to be a part of our team is "the overall involvement the company has within the local professional community." He continues: "Events like Refresh Orlando, Florida Drupal Users Group and Social Media Club to name a few, are a big part of why I like telling others that I am a MindComet-eer."

When he's not designing, it's hard to hold him down. He's often at the beach, playing sports or hitting the gym. He secretly wishes to bring muscle beach to FL because ladies are so fun to bench press. But his real passion is cycling. After some time off, he's training to become competitive within the next 2-3 years, with the goal of competing in an iron man event in the not too distant future.

Finally, check out his interesting fact, complete with Wikipedia links to clue you in: "I keep various dendrobates and other amphibians. I also build custom Paludariums to keep them in. Right now, I only have three fire-bellied toads because of moving so much lately, but have kept a wide variety of different dendrobates. Moving to Florida was great because the exotic pet communities down here are much larger and active than back north."

If you'd like to chat about dendrobates, you can find him here: @bybrandonbrown. Or you can dive deeper at bybrandonbrown.com.


Last, but definitely not least, we have William Chang, also a Software Developer. He's been developing for over a decade and specializes in ASP.NET C#, but has worked with many technologies, like Java, PHP, C++, JavaScript, Python and OpenGL. He's here to overcome obstacles and loves to learn and collaborate - an overall great guy to have on our team. Will is a Software Engineer by trade and makes Web applications for all kinds of clients from government to the entertainment industry.

He's an Orlando native and graduated from UCF. He enjoys researching technology and his passion is prototyping cutting edge technologies. He thinks the Web is the future. But outside of the tech world, he likes to go on adventures and play sports like kayaking, tennis, basketball, horseback riding, canoeing, surfing and so on. Will's got a big bad Harley, as you can see above. His secret dream is to be the next Evil Knievel and jump the Grand Canyon, but for now, he enjoys keeping both wheels on the ground.

He's a man of few words and always has a smile on his face. Contrary to what some might expect from a developer, he'd rather meet you in person than online. William's open-minded and entrepreneurial, but in the end, he'd like to do his best to make the world a better place. What a noble goal! You can learn more and connect with him at williamchang.org.

And there you have it. I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about our newest additions to the team. We're excited to have them and are looking forward to introducing them to the Wheel of Destiny. Stay tuned to see how they fare!

Fun With The Flip

If you give James a Flip Camera, a roll of scotch tape and some toys, you're bound find him up to something screwy like this.

Check out what MindComet would be like if you were six inches tall (and a terrible driver):


A Nerf gun attack gone wrong:


What will he think of next?

Don’t Panic

In honor of Douglas Adams (author of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy,) today is Towel Day! It's a reminder to everyone out there, hitchhikers and otherwise, that you should always have your towel with you. To quote The Guide, "... Any man who can hitch the length and breadth of the galaxy, rough it, slum it, struggle against terrible odds, win through, and still knows where his towel is is clearly a man to be reckoned with."



I know where my towel is. Do you?

DerbyFri

After a little snafu with a digital memory card, we've finally got pictures to share from DerbyFri last month!

Marcelle went all out to show the team a great time, as we reviewed and celebrated our accomplishments from Q1 of 2010 and discussed upcoming plans.

With the Kentucky Derby days away, we dressed in our Sunday best to celebrate the occasion. The team placed our bets on virtual horses and everybody took home a sweet prize on undoubtedly one of the best SUPAFRI events to date.

Stephanie was named best dressed while Joe, our reigning "dress-up champion", was disqualified for wearing jeans to the race. For shame! Find them below.