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New Blog

2008-02-09T21:32:00.000-05:00

Cloning Animals For Food

2008-01-04T21:29:00.001-05:00

Cloned Livestock Poised To Receive FDA Clearance - WSJ.com

This has to be one of the most unbelievable stories I have ever read. I've always thought of cloning as a means to produce healthy organs for transplant cases. Not for endless supplies of food:

After more than six years of wrestling with the question of whether meat and milk from them are safe to eat, the Food and Drug Administration is expected to declare as early as next week that they are.

Think about it, McDonald's will never run out of food. Just as long as they keep cloning Bessie, they can keep mass producing Big Macs.

"Most consumers do not find this appealing," says Marguerite Copel, vice president of corporate communications at Dean Foods Co., one of the nation's largest milk producers, which says it won't sell any milk from cloned animals.

Downright disgusting is more like it. I am physically sick thinking of these cloning factory slaughterhouses, and hey, they don't need to worry about PETA or ethical treatment either, because the clone was never supposed to be alive anyway.

Home Appliances Get Crazy Warning Illustations

2008-01-04T05:31:00.001-05:00

Remember to never, under any circumstances, use an air purifier as a table tennis partner.
Educational: Amadana's Warning Illustrations Are Something Special

I don't think I can state it any plainer that that. There is many other things you should never do with an air purifier, and many other products as well. Please click the link above to find out.

Possible Darwin Award

2008-01-03T20:56:00.001-05:00

With theStepSons in Iowa right now with there Dad, at least I can rest easy knowing this kid has already fallen due to natural selection:

Dumb Kid Looks Down Barrel of Potato Gun - Watch more free videos

Hacked GMail Filters

2007-12-27T05:57:00.001-05:00

If you, like I do, use GMail, then you need to do yourself a favor and check your filters. There was a vulnerability, which has since been fixed, that would allow a user to add a filter to your GMail account if a user visited a malicious website while logged into their GMail account. In this case, a filter was created to forward all e-mail from this users domain host to an account for the purpose of stealing his domain, which the hacker successfully did and then held his domain for ransom.

WARNING: Google’s GMail security failure leaves my business sabotaged
Now my domain name was being held to ransom, and the hacker was taunting me. What I had spent more than a year building into a sound marketing plan had been severed at the knees.

As I said, the vulnerability has been fixed, however, if the filter already exists in your account, then e-mail could still be leaving your GMail account without your knowledge. Do yourself a favor and check your filters today.

The Ultimate Christmas Tree

2007-12-25T07:41:00.001-05:00

This must have been one fun project to work on.

Pretty Big Story

2007-10-25T18:35:00.001-05:00

A couple of mornings ago, as I was listenening to the radio in the morning, I was affronted by what is wrong with society. Yes, driving in my car, I realized where everything that is wrong with human nature stems from. One of the morning dumb jockies that theElderSon likes to listen to as I drive him to school, was doing her daily impersonation of a news reporter. In her bit, she broke down news of the wildfires that are raging in Southern California, and she described the tragedy that is currently happening as a "Pretty Big Story".

A story? That is the number one problem with this country, everything is just a story. I would like to go on record to correct the dimb jockey and call her "story" what it really is. A Tragedy.

Just for the record, a story is a piece of fiction written by an author meant to amuse or entertain in one way or another. The word story most likely started being used by the ahole media to unhumanize the event in order to report it. Over time, the worse the tragedy was, the better the "story" is. But let's not forget that what is happening in Southern California is not a story...It is really happening. There really are people that have had to evacuate their homes, leaving all their possessions behind, only to have everything they own burnt to nothing. It's not just a "Pretty Big Story". No you idiot, it's so much more.

Email Post

2007-10-19T04:35:00.001-05:00

This is a test. This is only a test. Had this been a real post, I may have actually written content that the reader would enjoy reading. Instead, I'm test sending this from my mobile gmail on my phone. Please feel free to continue on about the day in an orderly fashion. Thank you and have a wonderful day, even though the Indians could not clinch the World Series birth last night.

Turtle Lovin, Havin a Blast

2007-08-05T09:12:00.000-05:00

theWife, theDaughter and I took a trip to the Zoo yesterday, compliments of the WDOK slot machine. We were dual cameraing, so there are tons of pictures to post, which I will do a bit later. I had to share this first.

We were walking up to the aquatics and cats display when we past the giant turtles. As we were watching, one of the turtles started getting a little frisky. We laughed, but walked off to the cat exhibit leaving the turtles to have their privacy. When we came back out of the exhibit, however, we realized that this turtle was not interested in privacy. Of course, theWife got video and of yeah, it's not safe for work:

I don't know what disturbed me more, laughing at the sound or the thrusting motion that big old horny turtle made. All that was needed was a "If this pond is rockin', don't come a knockin'" sticker on the fence.

Now Hear This

2007-08-04T06:28:00.001-05:00

The oft fabled Swamp Thing has been found to have produced offspring. Proof has been found of this mythical creature in, of all places, Iowa. This myth has come under much scrutiny in recent years, but finally putting it to rest theElderSon holds his evidence for every one to see.

It comes in the form of a 37.5 inch, 27 pound, pond catfish caught on a bass lure to boot. Yes, that's right, it was found in a pond, proving the Swamp Thing has been reproducing in this area. For your own safety, theElderSon is a trained professional, please do not attempt to approach or catch Swamp Thing or it's offspring, or even go out at night if you find yourself near Iowa ponds. Thank you, now back to your regularly scheduled Saturday.

Prank taken WAY too far

2007-08-03T05:06:00.001-05:00

Anyone who knows me, knows that I lurve me some prank TV. This one however has taken it too far, even in my book. In no way shape or form is this work safe. You've been warned.

Source: read more | digg story

Treatment Effects?

2007-06-21T05:00:00.001-05:00

I have heard of side effects. The often hilarious rambled through possible effects of drugs heard at the end of a pharmaceutical advertisement can be very funny. This is going a little to far though. From myalli.com about the new weight loss drug:

What are treatment effects?
alli™ works by preventing the absorption of some of the fat you eat. The fat passes out of your body, so you may have bowel changes, known as treatment effects. You may get:
gas with oily spotting
loose stools
more frequent stools that may be hard to control
What to expect
The excess fat that passes out of your body is not harmful. In fact, you may recognize it as something that looks like the oil on top of a pizza. Eating a low-fat diet lowers the chance of these bowel changes. Limit fat intake in your meals to an average of 15 grams.
Learn more about following a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet.
Learning how to manage treatment effects is an important part of being successful with alli. Here's how to take control:
Start trimming fat from your diet now, even before you begin taking alli. Then pick a day to begin taking alli, such as a weekend day so you can stay close to home if you experience a treatment effect. Make the timing work for you. If you're getting ready to travel or attend a social event, hold off on starting with alli until the event is over
While no one likes experiencing treatment effects, they might help you think twice about eating questionable fat content. If you think of it like that, alli can act like a security guard for your late-night cravings
You can't "save fat grams" from lunch and "spend them" at dinner. Spread your daily fat gram allowance of 15 grams on average per meal over the whole day
You may feel an urgent need to go to the bathroom. Until you have a sense of any treatment effects, it's probably a smart idea to wear dark pants, and bring a change of clothes with you to work
You may not usually get gassy, but it's a possibility when you take alli. The bathroom is really the best place to go when that happens
You can use a food journal to recognize what foods can lead to treatment effects. For example, writing down what you eat may help you learn that marinara sauce is a better option than Alfredo sauce

It Twas....

2007-06-12T05:03:00.001-05:00

The Bushman of San Francisco that was missing people. How could you not know that?

More Bushman can be found on YouTube.

Guess That Location

2007-06-08T21:43:00.000-05:00

Can you tell what's missing in this photo?

I've been having some amount of fun lately with the new Street View feature of Google Maps. So much so that I decided I have to share with everyone. I found this familiar location, which if you can guess where it is taken, besides what city it is in, and tell me what's missing, you will win a prize.

It's that simple, tell me what is missing from the Street View photo and win a prize. Leave your guess in the comments and I will notify you if you win.

In Focus

2007-05-23T04:52:00.000-05:00

Since winning another digital camera, and having theWife use that one exclusively, while I continue to use the one we currently had, we had managed to snap off roughly 3 weeks of pictures on two cameras without transferring any of the pictures to the computer. I finally got the chance to do that yesterday morning, and saw this shot that I took. Doesn't theDog look so happy there in the sun. One of the rare moments he's not running away from us, chasing geese in one of the neighborhood ponds or general causing havoc. Either way, it's a cool picture, even if I have to say so.

I Wish I Was A Little Bit Taller

2007-05-15T05:01:00.001-05:00

I Wish I Was A Baller

I wish I had a better rhyme with Baller than "Impaller" (meaning Impala?).

I heard that song this weekend for the first time in years. I got a chance to reminisce about all the good times I had years ago making fun of it.

I'm writing just to write this morning, so do not make the mistake of looking for a rhyme or reason in this post. I haven't written in months. I haven't posted in about as long either. I simply have not had the time to plan a post and write it. So this morning, I'm not planning, just writing.

I went to New York City a handful of weeks ago and spent a work week there training. It was my first trip there, and I never made it out of lower Manhattan. I was still extremely impressed by the massiveness of the city. Just for the record, massiveness did not come up in my spell checker so it must be a word. I took a bunch of pictures from my walks around and posted them on my google web albums:

20070413 New York

Speaking of pictures, I recently went to a HP sponsored seminar which introduced their new desktop and laptop lineups and won a new camera. It's an HP Photosmart r927 for those interested, and theWife has been having a good deal of fun with it. Maybe she'll start posting more pictures on her Flickr site. I'm sure as soon as she gets the time to do so, she will. There's that whole concept of time again, and how neither of have any, but I'm sure that holds true with most people.

Speaking of my luck, I also recently won a couple of Indians tickets from a local radio station. Not just any tickets either, but I will have a shot at $50,000 while I'm there. theWife and I will be sitting in a section of seats with other "finalists" who all have the same chance. If a foul ball gets hit into our section, and one of us catches said foul ball in the air, and it is then verified by an Indians representative, that person will win $50,000. Hopefully my luck continues, and all things come in threes. A third win for me would bring me that foul ball.

My rise hour is just about up, so I will wrap up this rambling incoherent nonsense I'm weakly calling a post. One more update, it's been 133 days, 8 hours, 58 minutes and 28 seconds since either theWife or I have had a cigarette. You may now leave your praise in the comments.

Pet Peeve

2007-03-27T21:21:00.001-05:00

I do not have any "Pet Peeve"(s). At least I like to claim that I don't. For the most part I think that a pet peeve is fairly useless. What is it but a thing for which upsets a person that can not be dealt with? Most of the time when someone with a pet peeve witnesses that pet peeve being performed, they do not do anything about it, but complain, or become generally irritated. And someone who gets irritated over something they have no control over is really a pet peeve of mine.

Right about now, you're asking yourself where this is going, what's up with the picture of the escalator, and what's up with the midget? Ok, so maybe you weren't asking yourself about the midget, it's just a reference I like to use every once in awhile (if you can tell me where it's from I'll award you with bonus points and much respect). But I digress. Over the past 6 months of working in my new job, I have come to realize I do have a pet peeve. It gets so bad at times I just want to run through people yelling at the top of my lungs. What causes me to want to act like a screaming mimi, tearing through crowds and causing a commotion? People who stand on escalators.

Every day I have to go up and down a couple of escalators on my way to my office. Worse than the people who stand on them is the people who stand on escalators in pairs so I can't walk by even if I tried. Think about it, standing on an escalator is just plain lazy. They were invented to get us where we wanted to go faster, not to be lazy. If it were meant for us to just stand on, it would be an elevator. Now you want to stand there and talk to your coworker/friend and block my way, causing me to be inefficient as well.....Can you see why this frustrates me? I just want to get where I'm going, now. Is that so wrong? At least stay to one side so I can go about my merry way efficiently. Is that too much to ask?

Tech Toys

2007-03-23T05:05:00.001-05:00

Although I am currently striving to be financially independent and work for myself someday soon, I enjoy my current job. Yes, it's corporate and there are politics I must put up with, but I get to play with toys. We currently work with blackberries, but are looking at Windows Mobile devices. So when the Blackjack came out, I was one of the first to try it out.

Yesterday, I saw an online ad for the new Blackberry 8800 and started thinking about trying that out next. But then I read that it didn't have a camera. That may not be important for true business use, but then again it might. A coworker recently sent me a snapshot of the network rack they mounted in a remote office so that when my employee is there, he will know what he is looking at. This to me is a very efficient use of the camera phone feature that can be a great tool.

Of course, not all pictures taken can be considered "Business Efficient". For example, if one day you happened to be in an elevator that had a mirrored ceiling, and you happened to be like me, you might take something like this:

With a Banjo on my Macchu Pichu

2007-03-21T20:35:00.001-05:00

I have a module on my Google Personalized Home Page that shows me a daily "See Before You Die" sight complete with a picture. It's at the bottom of my page, so I tend to not see it every day, but most days I do, and I get a glimpse of somewheres I've never been. It was right about the time I saw today's however, that I realized I may have played one too many video games in years passed. So here is a test that I failed. Let's see if anyone else fails this as well.

Look at the picture on the right and tell me what place comes to mind:

Macchu Picchu, Peru OR
A scene from the Nintendo 64 game Banjo Kazooie.

I thought of Banjo Kazooie, which is why I fail. In fact, you can not tell me that the picture is not from the video game that I spent many an hour with while playing with theWife and theKids. I guess it truly is time to go see the rest of the world, though. I'll add Macchu Picchu to my list of places to go.

No-Rad

2007-03-19T21:26:00.001-05:00

Have times gotten that bad? Or is this a leftover from the Cold War that went unpurchased and forgotten about? Or maybe this is necessary for family safety when living near Lake Erie? I have heard about two headed bass swimming around and being caught, but this is ridiculous.

Whatever the reason for it's existence, theWife and I walked into a local Health Food store looking for something for our pets, but walked out prepared for a nuclear strike. As it turns out, this product is sold at a good deal of Health Food stores, including ones online:

No-Rad Anti-Radiation Potassium Iodide tablets | HerbShop.com

Peace of Mind in a Changing World

Be Prepared! Protect your family against the absorption of radioactive iodine after a nuclear emergency!

Ok, so maybe we didn't purchase any, but it's good to know that we could have. One never knows when the next nuclear emergency will take place.

In the human body, which organ is in charge?

2007-03-18T20:07:00.001-05:00

All the organs of the body were having a meeting, trying to decide who was in charge.

The brain said: "I should be in charge, because I run all the body's systems, so without me nothing would happen."

"I should be in charge," said the heart, "because I pump the blood and circulate oxygen all over the body, so without me you'd all waste away."

"I should be in charge," said the stomach, "because I process food and give all of you energy."

"I should be in charge," said the rectum, "because I'm responsible for waste removal."

All the other body parts laughed at the rectum and insulted him, so in a huff, he shut down tight. Within a few days, the brain had a terrible headache, the stomach was bloated, and the blood was toxic. Eventually the other organs gave in. They all agreed that the rectum should be the boss.

The moral of the story?

You don't have to be smart or important to be in charge... just an *sshole.

Still Not Smoking

2007-03-16T04:54:00.000-05:00

theWife and I are still not smoking. How good are we? I mean really, you just can't beat us. It's been 73 days and 8 hours, and neither of us have had a cigarette. So it's funny that I find out now that someone has invented a way to enjoy the tobacco and nicotine, without any of the ill effects of standard cigarettes:

Wired News: Smoking 2.0 Give Lungs a Break

The NicStic is a cigarette-size plastic tube with a rechargeable heating coil that vaporizes tobacco instead of burning it. Pop a filter on the end of the tube, and in seconds it is warmed up enough for a nicotine fix without the smoke. Because it has no smoke, it also has none of the tar, arsenic, cadmium and formaldehyde of regular cigarettes;

So, this article is telling me that I could have all the benefits provided by the nasty smell of tobacco and addiction to nicotine without having to worry about the whole dieing thing. Sounds good no? Actually, no...thanks but I'll stick to not being addicted or stinking like ass, which is what the article says these smell like.

2006-10-07T17:14:00.000-05:00

Richard Simmons on Who's Line

One of the funniest things I've ever seen. You have to check this out.

Criss Angel

2006-09-28T04:51:00.000-05:00


It's the old "Watch me cut a quarter out of my arm" trick. If I've seen it once, I've seen it a thousand times. This guy rips off all his stuff from Bullwinkle. It's sad really.

What Do You Mean No

2006-09-20T04:50:00.000-05:00

If you are going to propose in front of tens of thousands of fans, you better be damn sure that she will say yes!!

Hilarious prank call ever: Fired

2006-09-19T04:55:00.000-05:00

Just wait for the end of this one. I would've loved to hear them let her down and her reaction. "Boss calls employees wife to explain why he fired her husband: "...we found your husband on top of his desk making love with secretary..." - oh G, this woman is so angry! This is the funniest prank call I ever heard!"

read more | digg story

2006-09-18T05:21:00.000-05:00

Humans, the stupidest species on Earth!

When I first read this title, I immediately disagreed. But the video makes a great argument for it's case.

New Picasa 2.5

2006-09-15T08:56:00.000-05:00

I've used Picasa ever since it first came out. A new version of Picasa has been released and it enables you to create a web album and automatically share photos. I had to play around and test it, so I created an album from the fishing trip we took the kids on recently:

Fishing at Findley Lake

Aug 12, 2006 - 22 Photos

Here It Goes Again

2006-09-12T05:19:00.000-05:00

OK Go - Here It Goes Again

What an awesome idea for a video. It doesn't stop there, I think we may have our next big exercise video fad as well.

Fantasy Football

2006-08-30T04:57:00.000-05:00

You've asked for it, so here you go:

You have been invited to join mgrace74's Custom League in Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Football.

In order to join the league, follow the link above or go to game front page, click the "Sign Up Now" or "Get Another Team" button and follow the links to "Join a Custom League". When prompted, enter the League ID.. and password below.

League ID..: 625043
Password: thepassword

We will send you a confirmation with further details once you have completed the registration process.

--Fantasy Football Commissioner
http://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f1

Social Networking After Death

2006-08-29T05:12:00.000-05:00

It's been so long since I've posted anything, that some may have thought I passed on. No, I don't mean it that way, I meant passed on to myspace. Ok, I'll admit I did create a myspace account, but what would happen to it if I really did pass on? Of course there is a study about it.
Social Networking After Death:

Back when the social networking craze was first taking off, we wondered what it would mean when people died. What would happen to your profile after you passed on. With the success of MySpace, apparently it's becoming a bigger issue. Ben Silver writes in …

Bike Thief

2006-07-17T07:34:00.000-05:00

Who said stealing a bike wasn't easy? It is if you in NYC.

The Flintsones Cigerette Commercial

2006-07-17T07:22:00.000-05:00

It turns out that Fred and Barney smoked Winstons. People forget that the Flintstones where originally geared for adults, and debuted in prime-time.

read more | digg story

Natural Hallucination

2006-07-06T14:00:00.000-05:00

I promise this is not one of those silly, jump out at you scare movies. Just watch the center closey and look away when it says to.

Filed in:

Video

Online Poker Blogger Tournament

2006-06-06T07:18:00.000-05:00

If your a blogger, like me, and you love Texas Hold'em, like me, than you'll definitely want to check this out. I have a chance to play in Vegas at the WSOP just because I'm a blogger. I feel special.

I have registered to play in the PokerStars World Blogger Championship of Online Poker!

This Online Poker Tournament is a No Limit Texas Holdem event exclusive to Bloggers.

Registration code: 5898616

2 out of 3 Aint Bad....usually

2006-06-01T04:59:00.000-05:00

Normally, 2 out of 3 would make for a pretty decent living, at least for an athlete. A quarterback who completes 2 out of 3 passes is considered decent. A point guard that can hit 2 out of every 3 jump shots is an All-Star. Hell, even approach getting 2 hits in every 3 at bats in baseball and you'd be the greatest ever. But sometimes, 2 out of 3 just ain't good enough, yes I said ain't. I've grown so annoyed that I'm using contractions that don't exist.

When it comes to your 3 cats using your new cat door to go to the basement and poop in the litter boxes versus, say, one of them pooping in a planted palm tree for instance, just hypothetically of course, 2 out of 3 does not cut it. Not by a long shot. Somehow I don't think Meatloaf had this situation in mind when he wrote his ballad.

Filed in:

Study: Drinking daily can bring health benefits -- for men

2006-05-26T04:57:00.000-05:00

Now here's a study I can really sink my teeth into...or at least my liver.

Drinking reduces the risk of heart disease but the beneficial effects seem to work differently in men and women. They found that for men drinking daily seems to have the biggest positive effect on health while in women the amount of alcohol consumed may have more of an impact.

read more | digg story

Every Adult, Child In Town May Become Millionaires

2006-05-10T11:40:00.000-05:00

Here's another reason to live in the middle of nowhere. Wait did I say another? This is really the only reason I have heard of to date, so I guess the use of the word another is completely and totally baseless. Either way, here's one reason to live in the middle of nowhere:

Every Adult, Child In Town May Become Millionaires:

One of the biggest jackpots in Nevada may not be a casino.
Residents of Boulder City could vote on a plan to make every man, woman and child there a millionaire.
An initiative that could be on the November ballot calls for the city to sell 167 square miles of undeveloped open land in one of the hottest real estate markets in the country. The property is about 25 miles southeast of Las Vegas.
The ballot measure would require the city to distribute the billions to the 15,000 residents of Boulder City.
But it's too late to move there. Only people who lived in Boulder City as of March 31 would qualify.
However, residents shouldn't start counting their millions just yet. City officials said they intend to fight the forced land sale initiative in court.

They tell us this now? The had to wait to report about this until now? Although I could only imagine what kind of madhouse the area would have been had this news broke before March 31. In fact, real estate could have made a handy profit from a story done prior to the deadline.

Filed in:

Free iTunes song with box of cereal

2006-04-18T21:59:00.000-05:00

Two of my favorite things in this world would have to be cereal, because you can eat it at all three meals each day, and iTunes music. Now they tell me I can get iTunes songs by buying cereal? I think I just found a reason to eat that cereal four times a day.

General MIlls is giving away a free iTunes song in boxes of popular, sugar encrusted, carb-laden cereal. Milk optional.

read more | digg story

Creative Ramen Noodles

2006-04-09T19:03:00.000-05:00

And you thought it only took 2 minutes to make Ramen.

read more | digg story

Video of high-tech Honda Civic hatchback

2006-04-09T18:26:00.000-05:00

Video from 5th gear of the futuristic high-tech Honda Civic hatchback that the U.S.A can't buy. But man I can't wait for it to come out here:

read more | digg story

Lower Firefox's Ram Usage With This Simple Hack

2006-04-09T18:19:00.000-05:00

Finally, the only thing I didn't like about using firefox is that it's a bit of a memory hog, but I can work around that now.

This Firefox 'hack' brings the ram usage to less than 10MB whenever you minimize Firefox. IE7 and Opera both have this implemented by default and so should Firefox. This is a great way to help with the memory leaks.

read more | digg story

Creativity

2006-04-09T06:55:00.000-05:00

As a parent, I am constantly finding average household items used in different capacities than they were originally intended for. theMiddleChild is usually to blame, as his creativity pushes boundaries that mine never did. There is a fine line I walk every day to not step on and smother his creativity, but at the same time, not allow him to just take things at will.
This person's parents probably walked the same line everyday with their child.

Filed in:

Neighborhood Hibernation

2006-04-08T07:26:00.000-05:00

The party went off last night, without a hitch. There were varying opinions of the wine. It seemed like, to me at least, that our neighbors who responded to us, implying that they drank wine, liked the wine. The neighbors that implied a distaste for wine, didn't like the wine. Go figure.

The wine was nice, but what was even nicer was seeing all of our neighbors and socializing, with some for the first time. We have all been on our street since winter started last year, and we had neighbors introducing themselves to other neighbors for the first time in our great room.

See, we moved in first, last summer. After us, a couple of neighbors moved in in fall, but the rest have moved in after winter hit. What we've found out happens here, that didn't in Cauliflower is people hibernate in winter. With no reason to go out and work in the yard, everyone stays inside their homes all winter long.

Spring is hesitantly setting in around Cleveland, which is to say that it was 70 degrees two Fridays ago, and snowed last week, so our neighbors will start to pop their heads out of their houses more often, as will we. As long as noone sees their shadows, we should have a pretty fun neighborhood this spring and summer.

Filed in:

First Show Tonight

2006-04-07T04:29:00.000-05:00

theWife has her first show as a Wine Consultant tonight. She invited all of our neighbors, who have been hibernating all winter, and most of them are coming. We, of course, have spent the past couple of weeks tasting each of the wines that she will be presenting tonight. I know tonight's guests will be not be disappointed. Not one bit.

I have been very impressed with almost every wine I have tasted from her company and the one wine I did not care for was probably my fault and not the wine's. You see, I had eaten pizza that day for lunch, which made my stomach upset, and had just finished chewing a piece of gum before tasting. Anyone who has been wine tasting before will tell you that two things don't mix well with the wine, greasy foods and mint flavored gum. I managed to get both of them in there. That could have been the best bottle of bordeaux imaginable and I would not have liked it.

The wine in question will get it's chance at redemption at tonight's tasting, however. I am interested to see how theWife's guests (read neighbors) will like the wines and generally excited all around about the event. If only I didn't have to go to work today first. Oh well, duty calls.

Filed in:

It's the new "Angry Letter"

2006-04-05T04:31:00.000-05:00

theElderSon and I were having a discussion last night. At the moment I can not remember what it was about, but what we were discussing is not important at the moment. What is important is that a discovery was made by yours truly. A discovery so important that everyone who reads this post should consider themselves lucky that they are among a small percentage of human beings who now have the knowledge that I am about to impart upon you.

Blogging is the new "Angry Letter".

As I stated theElderSon, who's sense of sarcastic humor is getting more and more refined every day, were discussing some sort of "this company did this" event. Our conversation went something along the lines of this:

tES: Did you hear about {companyX}? They're {insert evil action}.
Me: Really? that's really bad, they shouldn't be able to do something like that.
tES: Yeah, but it's not like anyone can do anything about it.
Me: Wanna bet?
tES: {sarcastically} Yeah, we can write an angry letter.
Me: Nope, we can blog about it.
tES: Blinks, eyes open wide in mock fear and shock.

So just remember, having a blog is having the ability to write an agry letter that will actually be read. Sure maybe not by companyX, but at least people will comment and you'll feel better about yourself for having bashed companyX. That reminds me, I've got some ~~angry letters~~ posts to write to about Vonage and Dell. Consider them on notice.

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Cat Vs Dog Part 2

2006-04-04T04:37:00.000-05:00

Just in case any of you were curious, thePrincess, otherwise known as the only female cat in the house, does not like theDog.

Any questions?

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Stupid Girls

2006-03-31T05:58:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I boasted about theDaughter wanting to focus on her career before boys. theWife and I keep pounding into her head that she is going to be so much more that just some eyetoy for boys. I wish more parents would teach their daughters that, but no. There's so many celebrities, read Paris, who act like that's all girls are good for. Throw in half the dang videos I see on MTV, and one would start to believe that women are only good for one thing. Pink, theWife made me listen to it, shutup, has a song out about these stupid girls that, although I may not like the song as a song, it's message is great. Pink says "What happened to the dreams of a girl president, She's dancing in the video next to 50 Cent". Not my daughter.

Hell, now you have Sharon Stone giving advice, and I use the term loosely, to a young girl she met in a store that "oral sex is a hundred times safer than vaginal or anal sex." She goes on to say "If you're in a situation where you cannot get out of sex, offer a blow job." What?? Are you kidding me? What happened to no means no. So all a boy has to do is pressure a girl for sex and he'll get oral sex? That sounds like rape to me. Sharon, if your ever in my area and want to give my daughter advice, feel free. I'll sue you for every penny BI2 makes. And when it's all said and done, I'll take my 50 cents and buy a pack of gum.

So where, does this all lead? To this: Sex Acts Alleged On Ohio Bus Full Of Seventh-Graders:

The bus was on its way back from Mount Union College when the game of Truth or Dare allegedly got out of hand for eight children.
Some put their hands down each other's shirts. Then some girls reportedly started flashing passing cars.
Eventually, one child allegedly performed oral sex on another.

The community is asking where the teachers were, but I ask, where were the parents. Why were the boys not being taught that this is inappropriate. Girls are not meant to be treated this way. Why were the girls, especially the last one, not being taught that she is more than just a sex toy. I am absolutely outraged that the parents could hold the teachers responsible. We as parents need to be teaching these children their sense of self-esteem. If we don't, Sharon Stone will.

Oh, and one last thought before I wrap this long post up, before you guys out there disagree with me, and think this behavior is ok from 12 year old girls, think about this. Imagine, that is your daughter on that bus. Guys tend to be so hypocritical, it makes me sick. I heard a bunch of comments on a radio show the other day regarding this that were along the lines of, "where were these girls when I was 12?" I tried calling in, but never made it. I really wanted to know, if all these callers thought it was ok, would they think the same for their own daughters? I doubt it. Hypocrites. Here I thought we evolved from the intelligence level of an animal. I guess not.

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Career

2006-03-30T05:20:00.000-05:00

I have been internally debating with myself this morning. I have been trying to decide in which format to bring you 3 or 4 posts that are not that related, per se, but segue into one another quite nicely. I could break them up and link to posts as needed, or I could create one longer post with all the material I have swimming through my head presently. The latter would present itself to the reader in a much nicer format. The one main drawback of the one long post debate, is that until everything is down, you, good reader, will enjoy none of it. With that being said, my decision is made. I will seperate my thoughts and try as best I can to break them into seperate posts. Here we go.

On my way home from work yesterday, theWife told me of a little conversation she had just had with theDaughter. She has been seeing a chiropracter for the last month or so, in fact I just started going to him yesterday as well (more on that in a seperate post). As it turns out the chiropracter, let's just start calling him theDoc, has a son who is one year older than theDaughter. theWife was joking around with theDaughter yesterday, telling her about this boy, but theDaughter wanted nothing to do with him. I believe theWife said her words went something like:

theDaughter: I need to work on my career first.

So what does Dad think of his 7 year old today? I could not be more proud. That's my girl.

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OutOfTheMouthsOfBabes

theWife's new Gig

2006-03-27T05:58:00.000-05:00

Rarely, in life, does a person get a chance to go to work and do something that said person truely enjoys. It happens so infrequently, that when it does it needs to be applauded. theWife has just found herself in that position, and because she has, at least for the past weekend, I did too.

theWife has become a Personal Wine Consultant and offers Free Wine Tastings at Homes. She gets to set up and attend wine tastings for a living. Better yet, she's one of only a handful in the whole state, due to the fact that Ohio just lifted certain restrictions on the importing of wine. If you live in the Cleveland area, and like wine, you should definately consider having a tasting in your home.

My part in enjoying what job you do was in building the website. That was my job this past weekend. Let me know what you think.

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Family
Job

4th Amendment Shipping Tape

2006-03-11T07:24:00.000-05:00

When I first read this story, I thought "Wow, people need to stop whining about lost liberties, because times like these require extra protection". 4th Amendment Shipping Tape:

You can put this shipping tape on your packages and your airplane luggage. Every time I fly, my luggage gets a card in it telling me how “for my protection” they have searched it.

Now, when they open my luggage, they will have to literally slice the 4th amendment in half in order to do this.

Then I started to really think about my first impression of the story. What exactly is "extra protection"? Does it mean government has the right to take away liberties given to me as a citizen of the United States by the Constitution? I don't know if I'm OK with that. I definitely should not be, but this persistent thought continues to burrow through my head...they blew up buildings and killed thousands of Americans with hijacked airplanes.

It is fear of the worst that allows us to accept lost liberties. But as time distances our memories from the event itself, we start to question the means and methods being used to protect us from a similar occurence. Movies are made that assign blame for the lack of action taken before 9/11, but the actions needed are also not wanted.

For my part, I think like most Americans, I'm on the fence. I get upset at times, about losing my Constitutional rights, but once I sit back and think about it, my view changes. I will probably read something tomorrow that will swing my thinking in the other direction. Even as I type this, I am having a very difficult time writing "for now I give up my rights for peace of mind".

I start to think, where will it end. If I give up one or two rights, how many more will be taken away. This is where I always end up. My brain gets filled with the opposites sides of the argument, and shuts down. This post then will follow suit, and now....shut....down.

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Funniest Commercial Ever

2006-03-10T05:36:00.000-05:00

First things first, I must tell you, paying for things with your cell phone is just cool. Getting $5.00 for signing up isn't bad either.

Ok, with that out of the way, last night theWife and I saw this ad for the first time. I haven't laughed at a commercial as hard as I did at this one in a very long time:

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Video
Humor

Math Geek Test

2006-03-07T05:57:00.000-05:00

See how many patterns you can figure out. I've gotten 3 so far, but I only played with it for a minute. I'll try to come back when I have more time and update how many I can get.

Take the Test | digg story

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How to Enrage Your Owner - A Pet's Guidebook

2006-03-02T05:41:00.000-05:00

Enraging your owner is fun to do. Watching the human's face contort into a fit of rage is one of the few truly enjoyable moments of the day. Mornings do work best, especially before the rest of the house wakes up. That way, the owner's rage must be kept in check, and the temper tantrum must be a quiet one. This enrages humans even further.

A good idea is to coordinate your efforts with more than one pet. The human can not focus his anger on just one of you, yet the anger grows and grows, bringing the human to a state of pure fury that is so enjoyable to watch. That's when you can sit back and enjoy the fireworks.

Here is a good way to get the ball rolling in the morning, again, having more than one participant works wonders:

Pet 1: Knock over a plant that has a lot of dirt and rock in it, making sure to cause a crash when it hits the floor spilling the rock and dirt everywhere.

Pet 2: Try to eat the rock and dirt as the owner is cleaning it up.

Pet 2: The owner should still be cleaning up the dirt, and not watching you, go poop in the dining room. Make it a stinky one for effect.

Both Pets: Give your owner 5 minutes to calm down, we wouldn't want any pets getting harmed for our enjoyment.

Pet 1: Just when your owner has settled down, pick something else to knock over. We recommend your food if it is kept in a place suitable for knock off of. Pretend like you are eating to keep your owner from getting suspicious.

Pet 2: While your owner is cleaning up the food and probably cussing under his breath (remember, it's too early for the owner to yell) find something to tear apart. We suggest some sort of beanie animal, the kind that has lots of tiny little beads in it.

Pet 2: Bonus...while the owner is cleaning up the remains of that conquest, start tearing something else apart, like your bed. Make sure it makes a ripping sound, again, for effect.

After these steps are completed, sit back and enjoy the wonderful quiet temper tantrum that you have created. Heck, have a good chew on something...you deserve it. If, by chance, either one of you end up in your cage for your efforts, consider your mornings job well done.

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Boy, 12, Sticks Gum on $1.5M Painting - Yahoo! News

2006-03-01T21:27:00.000-05:00

Every so often, I read a story that makes me feel better about my own kids:

Boy, 12, Sticks Gum on $1.5M Painting - Yahoo! News:

A 12-year-old visitor to the Detroit Institute of Arts stuck a wad of gum to a $1.5 million painting, leaving a stain the size of a quarter, officials say.

The boy was part of a school group from Holly that visited the museum on Friday, officials say. They say he took a piece of Wrigley's Extra Polar Ice gum out of his mouth and stuck it on Helen Frankenthaler's 'The Bay,' an abstract painting from 1963.

The museum acquired the work in 1965 and says it is worth about $1.5 million.

Well, at least it used to be.

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Darth Vader Prank!

2006-03-01T05:57:00.000-05:00

Sometimes, I see priceless ads that are homebrewed and generally not funny. In fact, most of the priceless ads have lost their humor all together and become something of a bore. Except this one:

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What would happen if everyone drove the speed limit on highways

2006-02-28T12:31:00.000-05:00

A neat trick I would love to try in the Bay Area, California (insert evil laugh)

5 cars line up on the highway and run at the speed limit blocking faster traffic. Chaos ensues.

read more | digg story

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Unfortunately Mike

2006-02-25T06:40:00.000-05:00

I just read Unfortunately Pete and had to try Unfortunately Mike:

Unfortunately, Mike keeps so-so records of achievements, so there are several unknown facts, such as what's the highest scoring word he has ever played.

Unfortunately, Mike & Toni will not be able to participate.

Unfortunately, Mike got excited and Big P had to knock him unconscious to calm him down.

Unfortunately, Mike doesn't work for KISS FM. He works for ABC Radio Networks.

Unfortunately, Mike never got to see the final version, sadly, Mike passed away before it was completed.

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Humor
Link

How Cheney Just Shot a Man

2006-02-17T12:36:00.000-05:00

If we as Americans can't laugh at our VP, what the hell can we laugh at. Huh?

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Google map hack + cell phone photos + dumpster diving = awesome

2006-02-11T07:36:00.000-05:00

{sarcasm}This is the best idea anyone has ever come up with...ever. Now the streets of New York really are lined with people's garbage. I hope this concept gets regionalized like craig's list did, because garbage laying around the streets of Cleveland sounds great to me. Who wouldn't want garbage laying around waiting for someone else to pick up.{/sarcasm}

Only in New York is it a good idea to make every day, garbage day.

This is a great Google map project - when you're out and about in New York City and spot something cool destined for the dump, take a photo with your phone, send a description and an address!!!.

read more | digg story

Another Guy Proving How He Got His iPod from FreePay

2006-02-10T12:58:00.000-05:00

Yes, in case you are wondering...and I know you are...you CAN still get a Free iPod.

I came across this guys blog. I know there are few of these already out there but I figured those of you that are still skeptical might wanna check this out.

With only 2 referrals needed, hopefully I can soon be posting my own success story...and you can too.

read more | digg story

Jesus Pancake

2006-02-10T12:29:00.000-05:00

It's true. The prophecy has been fulfilled. The second coming of christ has finally come...in the form of a what??

WTF? Can people be anymore gullible and dumb. Do they think this is really Jesus and if so, is this the golden ticket that gets one into heaven? You be the judge.

And for the ultra low price of (insert bid here) Jesus can enter your home, and be eaten for breakfast. Can I get an Amen?

read more | digg story

theDog v theSnow

2006-02-10T05:57:00.000-05:00

After a much maligned indian summer, winter finally resumed here in NorthEast Ohio. That means more skiing for us, and more playing for theDog. Did I mention that theDog loves the snow?

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Steelers voodoo doll on Ebay

2006-02-09T20:24:00.000-05:00

I could see some definite uses for this while rooting for the Browns next season. Maybe I'll put up a $2 bid...

One of the funniest auctions I've seen in a while, particularly: Potential buyers: Steeler fans who want to save him from any more harm, Seahawk fans that need relieve some tension, or any NFL referees who suddenly find themselves with some extra money.

read more | digg story

Riddles, Riddles everywhere...

2006-02-09T12:55:00.000-05:00

...and I can't solve any, er most of them. I sure do like trying to though:

1000 cool and interesting riddles. Cool site with easy single click navigation. You never even have to refresh the whole page thanks to AJAX. WARNING: You could lose HOURS on this site!

Example:

I can flutter and take your breath away.
I can take a beating, but do not bruise.
If I stopped you would be sure to lose.
Everyday I am with you.
What am I?

read more | digg story

Find Lowest Airfare via Google Maps

2006-02-09T00:00:00.000-05:00

The coolest thing to happen to Google Maps, since...well Google Maps!

FareCompare, a provider of next- generation airfare search technology, announced today the deployment of an airfare search engine on the Google map platform that helps consumers quickly find the cheapest way to reach multiple destinations.

read more | digg story

Look What I Can Do

2006-02-04T07:01:00.000-05:00

Until a couple of weeks ago, I had no clue who Stuart from MadTV was. Now I know, and as it turns out, I'm related to him by marriage:

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Cut in Half

2006-02-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Finally, an original magic trick. Ok, so maybe being cut in half has been done, but not like this, I guarantee you that.

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Where's the Snow

2006-01-31T06:07:00.000-05:00

I remember a time during my youth that this little old lady would look at her burger, remove the top bun and proclaim, "Where's the beef?". I feel much this same way when it comes to the subject of our first Cleveland winter and the snow we've gotten recently. It's been non-existant.

Of course without the presence of snow, skiing becomes very difficult. We did manage to go two weekends ago, but the hill was covered with slush, not snow. We didn't even try last weekend. I am forced to think of better days, when the snow was prevalent, at least on the hill it was, before spring decided to show up here in January.

At least I got a good video of theBrotherInLaw to remind myselft what I'm missing:

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Million Dollar Homepage, with a Huge Twist/Next Generation of Advertising

2006-01-21T00:17:00.000-05:00

Following in the wake of milliondollarhomepage is tough, but that’s why we’ve devised a whole new dream. They're giving away a total of One Million Dollars to the advertisers.
Every time 10,00 ad units are sold, $10,000 will be raffled off to one advertiser.

read more | digg story

Five-year-old gets drunk at Applebee's

2006-01-12T12:57:00.000-05:00

Newsflash, I actually watched the news one night this week. theWife and I saw this story:

David Pescovitz: Five-year-old Seth Pereles was sipping what his mother thought was an apple juice at the Applebee's restaurant in Battery Park City, New York. Turns out that apparently he had accidentally been served a Long Island Iced Tea. His mother, Cynthia Pereles, says the restaurant came clean on the mistake but she's suing them for $75,000. From Local 6:

Pereles said she did not realize her son was drinking a concoction of white rum, gin, vodka, triple sec, Coke and sweet-and-sour mix until it was too late. The boy's eyes became glazed and he began to laugh uncontrollably, according to a report.

'When you're looking at your 5-year-old and you're asking him, quiet down Seth, sit still and you see that mentally and physically he cannot comply with what you're asking him to do because he is under the influence,' Pereles said.

I can understand the parents being upset, but come off it already. This one drink will not have any lasting effects or cause the child any mental anguish. I wonder how long it took the mother to be happy that this happened so that she could sue. A couple of minutes maybe.

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UncommonlySenseless

Google Video Adds Download Support

2006-01-11T12:31:00.000-05:00

Google Video Adds Download Support. You can now download videos on google video in the Windows/Mac, Video iPod, or Sony PSP format. Isn't that great news. The news doesn't end there either. Google videos can now be embedded into personal websites, such as this site. I like youTube better, because my videos are posted instantly, and other users can comment on them, but having two ways to share is always better than one:

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Fake Lottery Tickets-The cruelest joke of all

2006-01-10T05:39:00.000-05:00

Can someone please tell me what is the deal with these Fake lottery tickets lately:

Mark Frauenfelder: Site sells fake lottery tickets with hateful putdowns under the scratch-off material: 'Kiss My A**,' 'You Lose S***head,' etc. The ad copy on the site suggests it's a delightful family gag: 'Fool your friends with fake cursing lottery tickets These fake lotto tickets are so funny, they will have you rolling on the floor laughing in tears! Perfect for holiday gifts and family parties!'

I guess they aren't as cruel as the fake tickets that trick the dupe into thinking they've won $25,000.

I enthusiastically agree with that last sentence. I saw this on a recent AFV, and then I argued with theWife and theElderSon about why this is not funny. I have a good sense of humor for many things, but this, in my opinion, is the cruelest kind of prank. Some may argue and say that joking around about someone's death would be worse, but I will disagree.

In the case of the latter, at least you find out good news in the end, while the former presents the "dupe" with a huge letdown. Not only is the target finding out that they are the subject of a joke, but that they really didn't win jack. In my thinking, it would be tantamount to hearing that a sick relative has made an amazing recovery, only to find out they really hadn't. Why is this funny?

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Another Ski Trip

2006-01-09T06:04:00.000-05:00

Our weekly passes to Boston Mills and Brandywine have been getting good use. We have not missed a week yet and we're even starting to remember the camera when we go. That being said, I clipped together this video of our day on the hills:

As you can see, we had a great day for it. There was just enough new snow last Friday to make the conditions perfect and the sun even decided to show up for us. The day would have been perfect had it not been for the teens near the end of the day there to irritate us.

There are many times when kids act a certain way and I say to myself, I remember doing that, not this time though. Boarding or skiing up to the front of the long lift line, bypassing everyone standing there is one of the most annoying things I have seen out there on the hills. Especially when it's not just a couple of kids, but 15 or 20 of them doing it. Rest assured that theWife and I did not remain quiet like most of the other adults, and the lift operators did, though it did not do us much good. Most of them simply turned the other way and pretended not to hear us. Frustraing, yes, but at least they were not there the whole day, and we were ready to leave by this point anyway.

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10 Reasons Why Google Pack is Overhyped

2006-01-07T07:46:00.000-05:00

Google Pack goes Live, the news can be found everywhere. The whole internet seems to be rejoicing that Google has released this package of software, most of which is free. Great news to be sure, but is it worth all the fuss? Honestly, it doesn't seem to be that big of a deal. In fact, if it was Microsoft who released this package, the same users who are hyping Google Pack, would be villifying Microsoft for trying to force software down their throats.

Most of these offerings, a lot of users have already. I looked through the list to see what I needed, and found nothing. With the exception of Google Earth, which I could've picked up any time I have wanted to, I already have all that I want. Without further ado then, I bring you 10 reasons why Google Pack is overrated and overhyped:

Google Pack Screensaver - Windows already comes with this ability, and it works great. Why do I need another screensaver?
Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer - You've also packaged Firefox with Google Toolbar into this package, which I already have in the first place, do I need this toolbar? I don't think so. (Doesn't 99% of the online population have this already anyway?)
Trillian - The paid mode of this instant messenger is probably the best IM app out there, but the free version is just ok. Doesn't Google have their own IM in development?
Google Talk - In the world of IM apps, this little one is featureless and not ready for primetime.
RealPlayer - Your kidding right? I've been trying to keep Real Player off my system for years. I've found myself just walking away from links that require it. Unsuspecting downloaders, be ready for all of your media to be taken over by this one.
Google Video Player - Google videos providing premium content to pay-per-click is a good idea, but can I only view it with this app? Bad idea. If that's not the case, do I really need another video player on my system?
Norton Antivirus 2005 Special Edition - This is the package breaker. Google has to be kidding right, they're aligning with Norton for the anti-virus option? Norton is only throwing in a 6-month free subscription with this one to boot, then it will be useless unless a license is paid for. Good luck ridding your system once you decide not to continue with Norton too. With good options out there, Grisoft, Avast, why go with Norton?
Ad-Aware SE Personal - Decent product, but other spyware programs are needed too. This is not a complete answer to the spyware problem, by any means.
Adobe Reader 7 - I haven't seen a computer in awhile that doesn't already come with Adobe Reader and Adobe is already running processes checking for updates of their own software.
GalleryPlayer HD Images - No thanks, I have enough of my own pictures taken up enough room on my hard drive as it is.

As I mentioned earlier, if this was Microsoft offering such a package, everyone would be picking it apart. I have what I want of the package already. I see no reason, whatsoever, to package this all together. Thanks, but I'm passing on this one.

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Advertising...Huh...What is it good for?

2006-01-06T06:11:00.000-05:00

A couple of months ago, you may remember reading about the million Dollar Homepage, a site who's goal, as it was obviously stated, was to make a million dollars. The site's owner's plan was to sell advertising one pixel at a time for one dollar a pixel. The purchased pixels were then placed on a large grid on his site for everyone to see and click. Not a bad idea, especially considering that the site reached it owner's goal of earning one million dollars.

What ensued was copy cats building sites that tried to do the same thing, but tweaked the concept one way or another, and as far as I know, none of the copycats have had success. This is usually the way things go isn't it? First to market always hits their goal while every other unoriginal hack flounders around trying to make a living off of another's idea.

Now another site is garnering attention from the tech crowd, OnlyOneAd.com. Instead of pixels, this site has one viewable advertisment posted on it's page every day. The cost of purchasing the ad will double in size until Ad 21, which will cost just over one million dollars. Another very creative idea, but this brings me to my question, or actually, my two-part question.

Why do companies advertise on a site like this?
Who visits these pages looking for a service?

It seems to me that the only reason these type of sites are garnering traffic is because visitors are interested in the idea of making one million dollars rather easily, not in finding a service that may be advertised there. It's not as if the advertisements are indexed in a manner in which I could find a spyware solution if I went looking for one. I can honestly say that I would never find myself visiting OnlyOneAd on the off chance that that day's ad may contain something I need.

I do believe that these ideas are inventive, but how they make their goals, or any money at all for that matter is beyond me. Maybe that why I haven't come up with my own million dollar idea yet.

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Bloggingly Delicious

2006-01-05T05:40:00.000-05:00

Almost 3 years ago, 2 years 354 days to be exact, I started a blog. I hosted the blog at bmgwebdesign.com and called it bloggingly delicious. Over the years, it grew. It started as a blogger blog, but soon I moved to using Movable Type for it's added features. Then I changed yet again to Wordpress for it's ease of use and still more features.

Disaster struck then and left me without my domain. Last summer I lost the ability to sign into my wordpress, because I could not renew my domain, and therefore 2 and a half years worth of blogging history were gone. I was also without my own domain for the first time since I had started this blog.

At this point of frustration, I wanted to continue blogging, but just barely. I definately knew that I did not want my own domain anymore...too much pain and hassle. There was only one choice, blogger.

Like I said, though, it would have to be a brand new start because all of my history was gone. Gone, that is, until I found out that most of it was cached in the internet archive, January of 2003 to August of 2004 to be exact. I began the posting each post from that time frame one by one.

As I finished up posting every message, I again realized one of the drawbacks of using blogger versus MT or Wordpress...catagories. In MT or Wordpress I could catagorize every post, making it easy for a reader to browse through and find posts he or she is interested in. I gave up that niceness, however, when I decided to not blog from my own domain, however.

I didn't have to give it up for very long, though. I soon found myself reading an article that instructed me on how to use del.icio.us to catagorize all of my posts again. All I had to do then is catagorize every post I had just reposted to this blog. No problem. Take notice that at the bottom of every post are the links to browse the rest of the posts in the listed catagories.

Another feature I had while using MT or Wordpress was the ability to post interesting links in my sidebar quickly and easily. Once again, it's not easy to do in blogger. I tried using SideBlog, but it turned out to be another interface completely and rather a pain to maintain. Again del.icio.us was there to provide for me. You'll now find that I have links and news in the sidebar. They are updated more often than I blog, so keep an eye over there if you like interesting links, or simply subscribe to the rss for each channel.

Even though this blog has sported the title before, with the help of del.icio.us, I can now truely say that my blog is bloggingly del.icio.us.

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Frustrating Morning

2006-01-03T06:03:00.000-05:00

I had a post for you this morning, and it was not about frustrating. I was drafting it in my head as I woke up this morning. It was going to be about the fact that in a couple of weeks, my blog will turn three years old, and that while alot of things have changed, alot of things have stayed the same.That post will have to wait for another day. My morning can be summed up by what theDog has been doing this morning. So let me tell you of his morning instead:

Be let outside, Go potty
Bark to come inside
Try to get mud on as much of floor as possible before owner wipes feet
Find water spilled on floor by the cats to step in to track mud all over the floor anyway
Get caught pooping in living room
Go outside but do not finish
Inside, feet wiped, finish pooping in Great Room
Outside, run around and bark
Inside, feet wiped
Chew on cat
Disregard bone
Chew on other cat
Disregard bone
Chew on glue stick
Disregard bone
Chew on rabbit's cage
Try to chew on rabbit

This is the day I picked to start my quit campaign? Oh boy...

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Price Matching - Best Buy vs. Amazon

2006-01-02T06:09:00.000-05:00

There have been stories going around the internet this holiday season, like this one, posted at digg.com/deals/Best_Buy... , or this one. I read both of these horror stories in the last couple of days. I was well prepared walking into Best Buy yesterday and turned out pleasantly surprised. Allow me to explain.

I bought theWife a Bluetooth headset for Christmas this year. I found a good price for it on Amazon.com and then, after reading all the news about Amazon.com's price-drop policy, and then finding the price-drop tracking website, I got a refund for $9 a couple days after Christmas.

theWife loved her gift, I got some money back on top of the good deal I got, every thing turned out great. Then theWife said it was time to get me one as well. I had received a gift card from Best Buy from theBroInLaw for Christmas, so I thought what better way to spend it, or part of it, on this for me. However, when I walked into Best Buy I was met with a bit of sticker shock. The cost of the same headset was double what I paid for it on amazon.com. I simply walked away, saving my gift card for another day.

I did not even think of asking them if they would price match, but by the time I had read all the bad publicity Best Buy had been receiving, I figured I would give them a shot and at least ask. The associate I spoke with, of course, had to ask his supervisor. The supervisor fleetingly nodded and said they had price matched amazon.com before and told his associate to look up the price of the headset online.

I thought his eyes would pop out and hit the monitor when the results of his search came up showing a price of half of what Best Buy carried it for, but his supervisor had already told him to go ahead with the price match. I tried reassuring him that I was not trying to scam them by informing him that I would rather purchase the item from Best Buy, but how could I with a price difference like this. Here is where the catch was found, however.

Amazon.com happened to be out of stock. I was informed that since Amazon.com was out of stock, they could not price match the item for me. Since they were in such a giving mood, though, I was not ready to give up just yet. I asked another simple question. How about another model?

I raced back over to the display case and found another suitable headset, this one, the HS820, was $20 more that the H500 and again the associate was taking a very long time looking it up. theWife called home, where theElderSon was, and asked him to look up the price and stock availabilty for us. In 30 seconds theElderSon told us what theAssociate could not in 5 minutes. The price was $60 cheaper on Amazon.com, and most importantly, it was in stock.

theAssociate finally printed off the Amazon.com product page, went to talk with another supervisor, came back and politely informed me that they do not usually do this, but they were making an exception because I had told they have in the past. He wrote up the order, I paid and walked out of Best Buy with the Motorola HS820 headset for less than half of what Best Buy sells it for.

I currently, for the moment at least, am a satisfied Best Buy customer.

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Christmas is Over, Time To Play

2005-12-28T06:43:00.000-05:00

Now the Christmas is over, it's time to play with our toys. Yesterday, we took theKids skiing/snowboarding to make use of their christmas presents, and our as well. Of course, theKids found a jump to try out:
Daily Links:

Zen Falling Sand - Relaxation and Wasting time all in one shot.
Bush is Drinking Again - It's true, take a look for yourself.
25 Most Interesting Webcams of 2005 - Don't have enough money to travel around the world? Then travel virtually through webcams.

Filed in:

Animal Crossing

2005-12-23T05:55:00.000-05:00

theFamily and I were driving down the road just the other day when we noticed an interesting sign. The sign has been there as long as we've lived here, but I never took notice of it before now. The sign is a duck crossing sign and I can honestly say that it's the only duck crossing sign that I know of. I see deer crossing signs all the time, but another duck crossing sign, I do not know of. The noticing and mentioning of this sign did inspire a question that at first seemed trivial, but has been playing in my mind ever since.

How does a city know where to put the sign? And how many times does an animal have to be seen crossing the road before the sign gets put up? And do people call the city when they spot an animal crossing the road when there is no sign posted?

Go ahead and laugh, it's ok. I did at first too. Before the day is up, however, or maybe the next time you see an animal crossing sign, you too will be thinking of these very questions. Do you have a valid answer for them? Unless you work for the city, than I should think not.

Daily Links:

Tontie ver.1 Flash Game Planet___EYEZMAZE - Like whack a mole, but hipper.
Top Gear playing darts with cars - Google Video - Bet ya can't launch just one.
Stack Trace - Think pick up sticks, on crack.

Filed in:

Jeans Poll

2005-12-22T05:36:00.000-05:00

Last night theWife and I went into an Express store because their sign outside drew us in offering $30 off every pair of jeans. At first I thought that was a good deal, but then it dawned and me and I asked theWife, how much are these jeans in the first place, if they can afford to take $30 off?

As it turns out, they're normally anywhere from $70 to $108. $108 for Jeans? Do they make coffee? I doubt it. Do they last longer than a normal pair of jeans? I doubt that too. So the question is, would you pay $108 for jeans? If you vote yes, please leave your reason in the comments.

Daily links:
Why you should continue to date me; a series of charts and graphs - Sad and Funny, all at the same time.
Lightning Pool - Very Cool Time Waster.
.:: BUMPERBALL ::. - Another addictive time waster.

Filed in:

Christmas Spirit

2005-12-20T06:00:00.000-05:00

So many people are arguing about how to celebrate Christmas, that my light display next year will be so Christmassy, even though of us who do still celebrate Christmas will be overwhelmed:

Sparks flew when U.S. President George W. Bush sent out cards referring to the "holiday season," a leading Republican declared the decorated tree on the Capitol lawn a "Christmas Tree" and not a "Holiday Tree" and the logger who cut down the tree for the Boston Common was so upset when officials called it a "Holiday Tree" that he said he'd rather see it fed into a wood chipper.

"'Happy Holidays' and 'Season's Greetings' are not a substitute for 'Merry Christmas,"' said Manuel Zamorano, head of the Sacramento, California-based Committee to Save Merry Christmas, which organizes store boycotts over holiday advertising.

"Christmas is the holiday and 'Merry Christmas' is what we want to hear," he said. "It's political correctness gone amok."

Ok, maybe their going a little overboard, but it's about time someone did, before we lose the ability to celebrate every holiday we have always held sacred. Think I'm over exaggerating? In cauliflower, our children were not allowed to have Christmas or Halloween parties in school because it may offend the other children. Well, I'll tell you what, it's offensive to me not to celebrate. I'm with these people:

A school system in Texas found itself in court after teachers asked children to bring white -- rather than red and green -- napkins to a party, while Annapolis, Maryland raised hackles by calling its evergreen boughs and ribbons on public buildings the "Hanging of the Greens" rather than "Christmas decorations."

Daily Links:
En Garde! The Safe Bedside Table - My only question, is it bulletproof?
Do It For The Kittens - Sick and Wrong, I know but I still laughed.

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Christmas Lights

2005-12-19T05:37:00.000-05:00

In the past, theFamily and I have put forth great effort into our Christmas lights. When we lived in Cali, we took part in a contest. One year, we have over 16,000 lights, which I believe was the year we received an honorable mention for our display.

We've already come to realize one thing, here in the midwest. If we want a big display, we are going to have to start a lot earlier than after Thanksgiving. We only managed a few lights this year, mainly due to the cold weather.

What am I getting at? Next year, we're starting earlier. For now, check out the videos at www.lindsaylights.com/ In my honest opinion, their lights and videos are even better than these lights:

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Alcohol PSA

2005-12-17T07:37:00.000-05:00

Not only does this guy make a great PSA for the evils of alcohol that I can show to my kids, but he's also in need of some crack spackle:

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Cold Outside

2005-12-08T05:57:00.000-05:00

I knew, remembered from experience that is, that it got cold here, but this is ridiculous:

I'll take that over this anyday, though:

Daily Links:
The Jimi Handtrix Experience: Only watching this video will explain this one.
Scientists ponder Titanic discoveries: Two hull pieces indicate ship sank faster, researchers say.
Paintball is Fun Again!: File this one in the "You've got to be Kidding me" category. Pay to hunt people online with paintball guns.
Edna: Take Charlie Chaplin and cast him in Steven Spielberg films.

Categories: Weather Cleveland California Links

Good Friends

2005-12-07T04:50:00.000-05:00

Back in August, when I wasn't blogging much at all, we were visited by our good friends from our previous state of residence, cauliflower or something like that, which we had been looking forward to since our ~~evacuation~~ move. We were looking forward to having the kind of times we had while we were still in cauliflower. Wine tasting, tasting wine, playing dvd trivia games, sampling more wine, did I menting drinking wine? When we brought up our plans to our friends, they seemed a little more reserved than usual.

As it turned out, they brought along a stowaway and they didn't even pay for his, that's right I said his (sending y chromosome vibes their way) plane ticket. Our friends were pregnant, at least one of them was. So the fun had to be had without the influence of wine, which was no big task. We gave them a little tour of Cleveland and explained to them how much better their lives would be if they made the great cauliflower escape themselves. In the end they went back home and we were sad.

Last month, though, I got more good news from theFriends. He's blogging about the baby. theClimber has his very own baby blog set up. Yes, I know it looks similar, but I did not do it for him, I swear.

Either way, stop by and throw a comment his way. While your at it, throw a comment my way...I could use them too ya know.

Categories: Friends Kids Blog

Unpublished Car Ad

2005-12-05T20:57:00.000-05:00

This is a car advertisement from Great Britain. When they finished filming the ad, the film editor noticed something moving along the side of the car, like a ghostly white mist. They found out that a person had been killed a year earlier in that exact same spot.

The ad was never put on TV because of the unexplained ghostly phenomenon.
Watch the front end of the car as it clears the trees in the middle of the screen and you'll see the white mist crossing in front of the car then following it along the road....Spooky!

Is it a ghost, or is it simply mist? You decide. If you listen to the ad you'll even hear the cameraman whispering in the background about it near the end of the commercial.

A little creepy but pretty cool!

Filed in: Humor Advertising Scary Video

Two-Picture Story Book

2005-12-03T07:02:00.000-05:00

I've received a few e-mails this week to let me know that the updates most of my readers receive, through bloglet, have headlines in them that can not be seen on my site. I wanted to give you a condensed explanation of this phenomenon. If I save a draft of something, like a link I plan on posting in my daily links section, it goes as a headline in my updates for that day, whether I actually end up posting the item that day or not. There's nothing I can do about it.

So, if you see a headline in your bloglet email, and you can not locate that on the site, you now know why. Notice the daily links today, most of the headlines you may not have been able to find earlier this week are there. Now, on with our two-picture story book today:

theCats: That mean old dog can't see us up here. I think we're finally safe.

theDog: Can't see you...but I can hear you!

Daily Links:
Cuckoo clock pulls voicemail off the Internet and plays it back: Put this one on the wishlist.
5,000 Tv Channels for Free: And there's still nothing good on TV.
Television commercials - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Edit it. What's your favorite commercials of all time.

Filed in: Blog Pets Pictures

Dead Mans Chest Trailer

2005-11-29T06:04:00.000-05:00

I know that theWife will be excited about this one, heck so will I. We still haven't gotten to see the Goblet of Fire yet, and now there's this:

Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest:

Daily Links:
2005 "10 Worst Toys" List: Make sure you check the list before Santa checks his.
Bartender jailed after tequila drinker dies: Yeah, it was the bartender's fault. Sure.

The Deer Call

2005-11-25T07:39:00.000-05:00

When we built our house, we picked a lot that backs up not to another road, but to 40-acres of privately owned farm land and 310-acres of publicly owned and maintained reservation. The farmer recently plowed all of his corn, leaving us a view of the whole field and all the deer that graze in it.

theWife told me that there was one this week who got closer than any deer before her has. She also told me that it was theDaughter who called her in using theBoys' deer call. As you can see in the pictures below, theDeer got right up to the property line between our houses and the farmer's property:

theWife then had to call theBoys, who are in Iowa with their Dad for Thanksgiving week, and tell them what had happened. Of course, theElderSon did what theBoys both always do, asked for more details that we do not know. Everytime I say I saw a deer they ask me what kind it is, so theWife was expecting that. She got something else though:

theElderSon: Which call did she use?

Hmm, let me think about that for a second. Not being a hunter, and knowing that theDaughter is only 7 and would not know either, I would have to say the one in which she put the call to her lips and blew air into it.

Daily Links:
Taxi Driver: Put the passenger into the glass.
Where's the Rake?: An oldish joke but made better by animation.
Mario Unleashed - Google Video: It's Mario's world, we just live in it.

Overheard in the Hallway

2005-11-24T08:03:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving. A day to give thanks. Thanks to families. Thanks to friends. Thanks to life and health. But especially thanks to higher education and uncommonly senseless people who are put on this earth to entertain the rest of us.

I passed two girls in the hallway at work the other day, and I couldn't help but to overhear their conversation. It actually wasn't much of a conversation because only one of the girls were talking, but I overheard it just the same:

So anyway, like croutons are like the coolest. They're just like bread....but crunchy

Before you ask, yes...these are college kids.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving all.

...And Everything is Right with the World

2005-11-23T05:27:00.000-05:00

Somtimes, not all the time but sometimes, there's no better feeling in the world than being a Cleveland sports fan. Sure, we've had our share of disappointment to deal with, more than our share if you ask me, but I know that I, for one, have learned to be happy for small victories.

After the Cavs won on Friday and then there were two amazing come from behind wins, one from the Cavs and one from the Buckeyes, on Saturday, theMom asked me if I knew what that meant. When I said the I didn't, she informed me very simply that the Browns would win because the Cavs and Bucks both did. If that doesn't make sense to any who read this, then you are obviously not a Cleveland Sports fan.

By the way, the Browns did win, pulling off the Cleveland sports trifecta....and everything is right with the world.

Daily Links:
2005 "10 Worst Toys" List: Make sure you check the list before Santa checks his.
World's Ugliest Dog Dies at 14: Anybody else going to miss him? He's still a dog you know.
Crazy Christmas Lights: This is just too cool.

Candy Land

2005-11-22T05:11:00.000-05:00

Sunday, we decided to take theDaughter to a place we saw on the news Saturday night. Penitentiary Glen Reservation on the East side of Cleveland has a life size Candy Land display, in which the people walking on the game board are the pieces. Just like the board game, theDaughter had to draw colored cards and move to the corresponding spots on the board. theWife and I walked along with her and I snapped the pictures. I would have played against her, but theDaughter usually ends up beating me at Candy Land and I wouldn't have been able to handle the defeat.

Check out the gallery or the slideshow, but here's a little preview:

What Did That Bowl Ever Do To You

2005-11-21T05:58:00.000-05:00

With so much going on around the house, I do not know where to begin. I've got pictures to share from our day trip on Sunday. I have video to share of theDog and I have good news about this site to share with all of you. Let's start with some video...

theDog, or as we have so affectionately dubbed him, P-Doggy, is a growing boy. He's tripled, or maybe quadrupled, in size since we brought him home just a few short months ago. He is also a hungry boy. When he eats, he eats, most of the time without even chewing his food. This causes him to be done with his dinner much faster than he would like to be. I took this video of theDog and what happens when he finishes his dinner. Do you think he's trying to tell us something?

Driving

2005-11-19T05:16:00.000-05:00

Driving theBoys to Illinoise...hope we won't need this guy:

Ready or Not, It's Here

2005-11-18T05:22:00.000-05:00

It's been twelve years. Twelve years since I could look out my window at home or at work and see snow. Twelve years since I've had to drive home from work in snow. Twelve years since I've had a White Christmas. And if you think that's a long time, theWife and other members of theFamily have never had these experiences. Until now.

On Tuesday night our house was assaulted by heavy winds, but the temperature outside was a comfortable 70 degrees. I was beginning to wonder if our first snowfall would ever come. Wednesday morning, however, mother nature heard my request and dropped the temperature into the 40's by the time I left for work. Then she did one better by dropping it into the 30's by the time I left work and into the upper 20's Wednesday night.

Snow flakes started to lightly fall out of the sky, but the snow would get no heavier than that. Yesterday, however, while I was at work, again, the snow decided to pay me a visit and remind me just what Cleveland winter is all about. Mother Nature's way of saying welcome home.

Daily Links:
Message Server Chat (with Google Maps): Chat with someone and see where they are on the map.
Mom Makes Teen Stand on Street With Sign: This will make your kids think twice about not doing their homework.

A Real Life Reverend Henry Kane

2005-11-17T04:59:00.000-05:00

As my regular readers and those close to me outside of this blog will attest, I am very rarely serious. Especially on here. I have to be serious enough in my offline life that I've always wanted to keep things loose and entertaining here.

That changed as I watched Fox 8 news on Tuesday night.

They aired a piece that they kept promoing throughout their newscast. A story about a pastor and his congregation rejoicing in the deaths of American Soldiers. Fred Phelps and the WBC are protesting at their funerals with signs that proclaim the dead soldiers were "burning in hell" and that "God hates America". Literally spitting on the American flag and in the faces of the families of the deceased, claiming that the American Army is a "fag army" and only in death do soldiers get "what they deserve". Having done my part and served my country, even though it wasn't during a time of war, you can understand how enraged I was watching this story unfold.

I had to do more research. This story stayed in the back of my mind all night and into the next day. I turned to wikipedia for more information and found this picture of Fred:

I found my reprieve. I was able to find a little more humour in Fred's plight because, look at him. Doesn't he look just like that creepy bad guy from Poltergeist? Is he going to take his followers to California and then hide in a cave to live through the end of the world that never happens? I mean c'mon...they could've been seperated at birth. Then I read the article further:

Four of his children, his sister, former congregants of his church, enemies, acquaintances, and other pastors who have worked with Phelps claim that he abuses both his children and wife, and his two estranged sons claim that Phelps may have been instrumental in the death of his 17-year-old daughter-in-law Debbie Valgos (the first wife of his son Fred Phelps Jr.), who was not supportive of Phelps' teachings.

How come it always seems like this type of holier-than-thou ignorite (yes I just made up my own word) always seem to be complete scumballs in their own lives. Running around pointing a finger at every one and everything except themselves. I just have one thing to say to you Fred Phelps...If I burn in hell for not adopting your teachings the way you say I will, at least I'll be able to beat the living snot out of you every chance I get, for all eternity.

Technorati Tags: Fred Phelps, Westboro Baptist Church, Westboro, Fox8News, Wikipedia

Classic Gaming Systems

2005-11-16T06:04:00.000-05:00

Which gaming system did you own as a kid? No, I mean before Nintendo. These classic ads may take you back and jog your memory. I had the Intellivision. Little did I know that George Plimpton Digs Intellivision

George Plimpton says Intellivision is far superior to Atari. Just look at those super-sophisticated graphics. Why, you can practically see the beads of sweat on that baseball pitcher's forehead.

You read that right, it says "Super-sophisticate graphics".I was given the system as a Christmas present. It was the best present I had ever received and I played it for years. That system lasted for at least five years. They sure don't make them like they used to.

Technorati Tags: Intellivision, Baseball, Classic gaming systems, Classic, Gaming, Systems, Atari, George Plimpton

Zen iPod Docks

2005-11-15T05:56:00.000-05:00

These Zen iPod Docks, as seen on Gizmodo make me long for an iPod even more. I get all crazy when I see cool iPod accessories, when I don't even have an iPod. Why must accessory designers torture me this way. Why....Why?!!!

"A monk saw a turtle in the garden of Daizui’s monastery and asked the teacher, “All iPod docking stations cover their bones with plastic made of white. Why does this being cover its flesh and skin with stones?” Master Daizui took off one of his sandals and covered the i-Stones Wabi with it."

Technorati Tags: iPod, iPod Accessories, Free iPod