If you haven't been out to World Wide Technology Raceway to catch an IndyCar race you are missing out! I took the camera over to Madison Illinois this weekend to spend a few hours in wonder watching the race. Check out my full photography blog for more details and of course check out the gallery!

The MR340 is not just any race; it’s an ultimate test of endurance, teamwork, and sheer willpower. Stretching 340 miles along the majestic Missouri River, this annual race challenges paddlers to traverse from Kansas City to St. Charles, Missouri, braving both the elements and their limits.

The 2024 edition promises to be as exhilarating as ever. With seasoned veterans and eager newcomers ready to take on the river's twists and turns, the anticipation is palpable. The race brings together a community of passionate paddlers, supportive families, and enthusiastic spectators, all united by the spirit of adventure.

Learn how to access your SmugMug sitemap URL when using a custom domain. This comprehensive guide covers the importance of sitemaps for SEO, step-by-step instructions for setting up your custom domain, and how to find and submit your sitemap to search engines like Google and Bing. Whether you're a professional photographer or a hobbyist, ensuring your SmugMug site is easily discoverable by search engines can help attract more visitors to your stunning photo galleries. Enhance your website's visibility and SEO with these simple yet effective tips.

This morning, I received a notification from OpenBugBounty.org that an XSS vulnerability had been found on ChrisHammond.com. The email included a link to a bug bounty report but lacked specific details about the issue.

I quickly set up an account on OpenBugBounty.org and attempted to claim the domain to gain more information. Upon successfully doing so, I was provided with the display name of the researcher who reported the issue. I reached out to them via email, albeit cautiously, as I was unsure if it might be a phishing attempt.

As people age, they often become more nostalgic. Recently, while sorting through their parents' belongings, the author and their brother found various interesting items. Among these was the entire front page of the May 13th, 1924 edition of the Sedalia Capital newspaper, which had caught the author's interest for future research.

Welcome to the home of St. Louis Region Autocross Photos for the 2024 Season from RainbowMarks Photography. We’ll be updating this post with galleries from each event we cover during the 2024 Season.

 

For many years I used this site as an outlet. I blogged about everything. What movies I saw, what races I went to, what events I did, what my political thoughts might have been at the time. Then Twitter came along, and my blogging fell by the way side, not quickly, I still blogged a lot about different things, but I became more sporadic. I created many other websites, for cars, for DotNetNuke, for photography, for whatever. Those sites saw content get generated.

In February of 2024, I had the pleasure of spending some time in Florida for a work conference. While there, I kept an eye on the forecast and space launch schedule to see if I might catch a rocket launch while in town. SpaceX was planning to launch a Falcon 9 with the NASA PACE payload. The launch ended up being delayed for 3 days, finally happening early in the morning on February 8th, 2024.

 

📸 Book Your Game Today!

At RainbowMarks Photography, we’re thrilled to announce our exclusive photography services for the Blue Note Cup 2024! Get ready to immortalize your team’s moments of glory on the ice.

 

The 13th release in the Jack Daniel’s Distillery Series, formerly Tennessee Tasters has been announced, a Twice Barreled Rye.

Information about this release is hard to find so far, but it is being reported that it will be available in April 2024, and as with all other bottles in the series, only available in Tennessee.

Here’s what we know so far, mostly based on the label found online.

 

On Sunday morning, the 21st of January, I headed up to Clarksville Missouri to look for Bald Eagles along the Mississippi River.

I arrived just after sunrise (next time I’ll leave earlier) and immediately saw two Bald Eagles flying just north of the lock and dam. I knew it was going to be a good day.

 

The Chesterfield Falcons had two games the weekend of January 20th, 2024. The AI generated game summaries are below!

Game Summary: Chesterfield Falcons 10UA1 vs Kirkwood Stars 10UA1

Location: Maryville University Hockey Center, Shanahan Rink

Date: Saturday January 20th, 2024

In an exhilarating display of youth ice hockey, the Chesterfield Falcons 10UA1 faced off against the Kirkwood Stars 10UA1 at the Maryville University Hockey Center on the Shanahan rink. The matchup was highly anticipated, especially considering the history of the two teams. In their previous encounters, the Kirkwood Stars had dominated, winning 10-2 and 7-0. However, this game proved to be a stark contrast to their past meetings.

 

So here we are, another year later. 2023 wasn’t much in terms of riding, but I’ll get to that in a bit. 2023 was quite the adventure from a family perspective. Both my parents were in memory care most of the year, fortunately in apartments side by side. In early summer my father really started struggling, had a couple of falls and spent time in the ER and hospital recovering. By the end of summer he had another couple of falls and ultimately a stroke took him from us.

Overall the family held up well during this time, but it was not without stress and struggle to get through most of the year.

I haven’t actually ridden my bike since September 17th. At that point I still had plans to ride Big Sugar Gravel in Bentonville Arkansas a month later. That didn’t happen, along with Unbound Gravel, I managed to not make either of the scheduled rides I had for the year.

So what did get accomplished on the bike this year? Almost 50% less riding than 2022, and only 1/4 of the riding from 2020! Here’s a simple breakdown.

2023 Bike Riding Stats

37 Rides
507.5 Miles
8,790’ of elevation
42 hours

So overall, a pretty down year! But 2024 will be different! I hope.

I’ve only got one scheduled ride so far this year, but it’s another big one, 100 miles at Unbound Gravel in June.

How am I going to ensure I get to participate this year? Well, hopefully my riding buddies will help me be accountable! Wigs and Wags are both planning on being there, though Wags will be there as our support crew.

Hope to see you out on the bike!

So Unbound Gravel 2024 is coming up, with registrations opening already (depending on your status and distance).

Are you gearing up for the Unbound Gravel 2024? Here’s everything you need to know about registration:

Random Selection Process (Lotto)

Due to overwhelming demand, a random selection process determines participants for the 350-mile, 200-mile, 100-mile, 50-mile, and 25-mile events. Registration is free, but credit card details are required upon application. Charges apply only upon acceptance. More info

Lottery Registration Dates

  • UNBOUND Gravel XL Lottery: December 1-15, 2023.
  • UNBOUND Gravel 200, 100, 50, and 25 Lotteries: January 5-20, 2024.

Life Time Members Early Access

Life Time members, with a minimum of six months’ membership, get early access to event registrations and guaranteed spots in lotteries.

Notification and Fees

Selected participants will be notified by email. Event fees, processing fees, and taxes will be charged upon selection. Entry fees for various distances are yet to be determined.

Registration Rules

Only one application per person is allowed. Special consideration is given to multi-time finishers nearing the 1,000 Mile Club status. Life Time members with a qualifying membership duration can bypass the lottery.

Deferral Policy

Participants can defer their entry to the following year, with varying fees based on how far in advance the deferral is requested. No refunds or transfers are allowed. (deferred registration was November 2023, and is closed now)

Alternative Entry Options

Apart from the lottery, you can gain entry by collaborating with charity partners, signing up for UNBOUND Gravel Training Camp, or opting for a coaching package. Volunteering at the event also offers future participation benefits.

Stay tuned for more updates and start planning your journey to one of the most challenging and rewarding gravel events in the world!

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Chris Hammond

Chris Hammond is a father, husband, leader, software developer, photographer and car guy. Chris focuses on the latest in technology including artificial intelligence (AI) and has spent decades becoming an expert in ASP.NET and DotNetNuke (DNN) development. You will find a variety of posts relating to those topics here on the website. For more information check out the about Chris Hammond page.

Find me on Twitter, GitHub and LinkedIn.