Gary Meyers: Big. Hungry. Trout.

Tiffany: It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brow
A classic! Watching this with a hot cup of cider (or hot buttered rum) always reminds me of fall.

Natasha: The fall season is one of my favorites because of the delicious local produce available. Pumpkin lasagna is a delicious twist on this classic dinner recipe! And don’t forget to add caramel apples for dessert with these creative toppings!

Kristen: Picking pumpkins and going through the amazing corn maze at Stocker Farms!

Rachel: There is nothing like a little pumpkin butter and some spiked apple cider on a chilly fall day!

Gary: One word: Vermont!

Sharan: Not your ordinary pumpkin patch.

Lea: The smell of woodsmoke, my tree-lined street, kids in halloween costumes, corn mazes, cinnamon, nutmeg and spices, fresh local apples, and pumpkin pie.

Jason: When the sun begins to fade earlier each day and the leaves make a rapid descent from the trees, the early signs of Fall have fallen. The cool, crisp weather signals the time of year when everyone bundles up and tends to retreat indoors. Spike, on the other hand, takes a different approach. What better way to deal with the cold than avoiding it all together. October is the perfect time to plan a tropical vacation… preferably one scheduled to hit in January, when the weather is ugly and the Holiday cheer is all but forgotten. And what better way to plan a much needed sunny escape than taking advantage of a great on-line service like jetsetter. Spike likes!

John: This fall we have the Rugby World Cup playing out in New Zealand. Its great to see Ireland kicking-butt, and playing in the Quarter Finals on Saturday (10/8) against Wales. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for the US team.

It’s interesting to note that those who lived during the Industrial Revolution didn’t stop and say to themselves, “gee, we’re living in the Industrial Revolution.” I think it’s a “can’t see the forest for the trees” sort of thing. So, it wasn’t until later that people looked back on this era and the full impact of what really occurred during those times hit them. With the passage of time and historical juxtaposition, it was clear that there truly was an Industrial Revolution.

Fast forward to today. As opposed to those of a hundred plus years ago, we realize we’re living in a Technological Revolution. What we don’t realize perhaps, is how one person could so profoundly affect how billions of people work, communicate, socialize, and get entertainment as part of that revolution. It’s truly mind-boggling to think how things might have been, had not that person pursued his vision and passion.

I sit here typing on my Mac Pro desktop computer, a MacBook Pro laptop in the computer bag under my desk, my iPhone a few inches away, and my iPad open to the Wall Street Journal app, where six of the top seven most read stories today are about Steve Jobs and Apple.

Thanks Steve. We will miss you.

Rachel: Ever wonder how clean a restaurant actually is? Now you can check food inspection data online. The website, Dinegerous , lists inspection scores, and what violations were found at each restaurant.

Willem: A business card is somewhat neglected but can be an important and crucial element of establishing a strong business identity no matter in what business you are into.

Natasha: Season 8 of Grey’s Anatomy started yesterday!!! Yessss!!!

Kristen: Cats + Cell phones = Cute

Tiffany: Love, love, love the marketing folks and Ben & Jerry’s! Looking forward to Ben and Jerry’s new flavor.

Charlie: Very cool animated alphabet.

Check it out in this classy little video.

Gary G: Spike likes the Metolius and Umpqua Rivers in Central Oregon, where every vista seems like a scene from the movie, “A River Runs Through It.”

As Summer is coming to an end, Spikesters share their likes of the week!

Kristen: Test your eye for color with this game. It’s harder than it looks!

Tim: Love this video. A beautiful blend of content and artistry. Not to mention jaw-dropping stunts.

Rachel: Excited to go to the Puyallup Fair this weekend!

Natasha: Next time you think about hitting your snooze button…

Willem: RETAIL RENAISSANCE | Smart retailers are defying doom and gloom scenarios, as they realize that shopping in the real world will forever satisfy consumers’ deep rooted needs for human contact, for instant gratification, for the promise of (shared) experiences, for telling stories. Hence the flurry of new formats, technologies, capabilities, and products that now are delighting retail customers around the world.

Tiffany: I’m not sure it’s science, but its definitely art!

Jason: 10th Anniversary 9-11 Memorial Stairclimb Seattle Firefighter

Charlie: Amazing, powerful and incredibly moving.

John: Football is back! I’m looking forward to a great season from the NY Jets.

Kristen: Prepare for the VMA’s by watching recaps of the most classic VMA moments- as reenacted by some special actors.

Gary G.: Having spent a week on the road surviving east coast earthquakes, avoiding oncoming hurricanes and (shudder) focus groups, Spike likes being back on terra firma among family and friends in the Great Pacific Northwest. His heart goes out to those about to feel the brunt of Irene.

Tiffany: So, I’m a big NASA nerd and I have been following the Mars rover’s for years. RIP Spirit

Willem: After testing their highlining skills up in the Mont Blanc massif, crazy french dudes highlined the highest twin towers in Paris.

Rachel: This bridesmaid was unable to make it to her friend’s wedding, but with an iPad and FaceTime, she was able to attend, digitally.

Natasha: Excited for my camping adventure at Blue Lake in Eastern Washington this weekend!

Erin: Nothing could make me more excited about heading into the weekend than seeing this:

Gina: Sad, but touching story that shows just how powerful the bond between people and animals can be.

Tim: Tim likes Steve Jobs. Or more accurately, he likes his contribution to technology.

As Steve Jobs steps down from Apple this week, it really does mark the end of an era. I was in Pioneer Square in the mid-eighties when a designer friend showed me his Apple computer, either an SE or a Plus, don’t remember. It was incredibly crude by today’s standards of course. But it allowed one to do graphics on a computer. Not very well at that time, but it was a beginning. I remember poking fun at it, but that changed soon. Then just around the corner, literally, a company called Aldus introduced PageMaker, and desktop publishing was born. Almost overnight, typesetters started to disappear — an industry that has been around since Gutenberg (over 500 years!). Within a year I had my first Mac. It was a IICX, and it was the most amazing thing I could imagine. Having just got out of art school and learned the traditional way of creating art, the timing couldn’t have been better for me. Adobe entered the picture  with Illustrator and Photoshop, and gave unbelievable creative life to the Mac.

We’ve stuck with Macs through thick and thin, even when the company was supposed to die in the late 90′s. It was Steve Jobs who came back, after being unceremoniously shoved out in 1984, and literally saved the company. One of the first signs of his resuscitating the company was the introduction of the cute and colorful iMacs. The iPod then revolutionized the music industry in spite of aggressive attempts to dethrone it (remember Microsoft’s Zune, the “iPod Killer”?). The iPhone reinvented the smartphone industry, and the latest smashing success is the iPad, which I absolutely love. (My wife thinks I love my iPad more than her. I don’t.)

This is of course a super-abbreviated version of the story. And even accounting for all the attention and adulation Steve Jobs has gotten in the business and entertainment communities, I don’t think history has even begun to really register the profound impact this visionary has had on the world. And for me, it’s been exhilarating and rewarding to personally experience it.

Gary Meyers: Humble Pie- Shine On

Jason: Classic Iconic Summer Song: Don Henley’s- Boys of Summer
This won Video of the Year at the 1985 MTV Video Music Awards, that was the second year the awards were held.

Gary G: Boys of Summer by Don Henley. I can still remember cranking this song up loud driving from Edmunds to Seattle on a beautiful summer evening after a dinner celebrating my upcoming New York City advertising adventure. Five years later I was back in the northwest enjoying Don Henley—and Seattle summers—once again.

Willem: “In the Summertime” is a song recorded in 1970 by the British pop-blues band Mungo Jerry. The song reached the Number 1 position on charts around the world. It is considered one of the highest selling singles of all time with an estimated 5-10 million copies sold.

Rachel & Kristen: Jake Owen- Barefoot Blue Jean Night

Natasha: 311- Amber

Sharan: Billie Holiday- Summertime

Gina: Bob Marley-Buffalo Soldier

Chris: I can’t get Lady Gaga’s “The Edge Of Glory” out of my head. But that’s only because my daughters keep singing it over and over and over again. My tastes are a little less teen oriented. This summer I’m into Big Head Todd and the Monster’s cover of The Rolling Stone’s “Beast of Burden”. Try saying that 5 times fast.

Lea: This recording of the Penny & the Quarters’ “You And Me” is a random rehearsal by a group no one can remember. Discovered nearly thirty years after the Prix label shut down, a mysterious box of tapes was found at an estate sale in Columbus, OH. It turned out to be dozens of demos, rehearsals and a few finished songs. The tapes were for the most part were unmarked but not this song. It appeared in the movie, ‘Blue Valentine’ this past Spring and now won’t be forgotten. It’s also been the summer song at our house, which our four year old now hums and sings constantly.

Erin: John Mellencamp- Under The Boardwalk

Tim: “Springtime” by Donald Fagan. (because summer in Seattle is more like spring . . . )

John: A lot of music comes to mind for summer, but a couple of artists stand out, Dave Matthews Band and Bob Marley specifically.

Spike loves his trips to Cabo, and came back with many pictures of his adventures.  More importantly, he brought a gift back for the Spikesters- some sunshine!

Though Summer has yet to fully arrive here in Seattle, the Spikesters are sitting here, wishfully thinking about their favorite summer things. All in hopes that one of these days, we will break the 70 degree barrier.

Gary G.: Who do the Hoodoos? I do!

Lea: An afternoon sitting on the banks of the Seine in Ile St-Louis in Paris. Picnic, book, and champagne. And a box of strawberry macaroons from Laduree.

Chris: When the sun refuses to shine in Seattle, I like to head east to Lake Chelan where you’re guaranteed at least a little warmer weather. Canon Beach is great in late summer, and the San Juan’s can be spectacular. Here’s a picture of my daughter trying to catch some summer rays…literally.

Willem: The Solstice Parade and Fremont Fair welcome summer with a big, Fremont-style party. A local favorite since 1972, the fair celebrates the summer solstice and the quirky spirit of Fremont, the self-proclaimed “center of the universe.”

Rachel: Summertime dinners out on the deck, with all of our family and friends. Gives me an excuse to make my favorite Watermelon Salad. To make it more of a meal, I add arugula for a perfect summertime lunch. Also, for those who don’t like Feta- Parmesan is a great alternative.

Tim Hodgson: An interesting, and very unusual, place to visit this summer.  Assuming you like snakes.

Gary Meyers:
1. Shorts, t-shirts, and flip flops for (hopefully) 3 months.
2. Raucous birds in the backyard at 4:30 AM.
3. Grilling!

Andrew: This week, I’m donating one of my ugliest pictures in the name of summer fun. My favorite place to go, when the weather gets hot around here, is Lake Chelan. My friends and I bring the Boat and Sea-doos, and partake in some Chelanigans.

Natasha: My favorite thing about this summer is that I am finally graduated from college!

Gina: Summer makes me think of Nefarious Vineyards in Chelan and sipping my favorite summertime wine, Consequence.

Charlie: A classic look at summer in Seattle, courtesy of Almost Live!

Kristen: My favorite summer activity is walking to beautiful, historic downtown Snohomish and getting a bite to eat on a sunny day. My favorite places to visit are: The Crepe Escape for breakfast, Fred’s Rivertown Alehouse for Lunch, The Repp for Dinner and Bite Me Cupcakes for dessert!

Kristen: I’m very excited to join the Hodgson/Meyers team and I can’t wait to get started!

Andrew: This weekend I’ll be sporting the shorts and flip-flops as Seattle finally gets above 75ºF for the first time this year!

Rachel: I may be one of the few people around here who likes country music, but this song, Honey Bee by Blake Shelton is my current favorite. It is the perfect summer song.

Charlie: The good ol’ days of packaging are back (for a limited time).

Sharan: This kitten video is quite adorable.

Chris: The new mobile marketing gold rush is under way in the form of branded mobile codes. Instead of securing the latest website address, you can get your very own mobile vanity code that allows your customers to more easily interact with you on their mobile devices. Have you reserved your code yet? If not, you better hurry…they’re going fast. Find out if your company’s name is available at http://www.zoove.com/ But be prepared to open up your wallet.

Gina: This is hilarious. I see a bright future for this kid. Maybe politics? Motivational speaker?

Willem: Delicious HD eye candy at Vimeo.

In this weeks edition of Spike Likes Fridays, we are doing a little throw back to some of the best (and maybe worst) videos from YouTube.  Make sure you have a few minutes, and your computer volume on, so you can enjoy this edition of Spike Like’s Fridays.

Rachel: I have seen this video a few times, but Charlie still manages to crack me up.

Erin: I just think this is so sweet!

Chris: This one always makes me laugh…

Gary G.: Spike grooves to the Dave Niehaus Tribute Video by Macklemore.

Charlie:

Andrew: It was a tough choice between “Charlie Bit Me” and the new talking dog video, but this is my all time favorite. Be sure you’ve got 6 minutes to watch this. It’s worth every minute.

Sharan:

Tim:

Lea: I guess I am partial…