Focrylin - The Blog

2009-12-27T22:55:00.002-06:00

Frog Force

2009-09-25T08:57:00.001-05:00

Kitchen Remodel 09

2009-07-10T20:21:00.003-05:00

From Kitchen Before/After

one year ago

From Kitchen Before/After

Now, with new backsplash.

From Kitchen Before/After

One Year ago.

From Kitchen Before/After

Now, with new backsplah.

New Rinando Up

2009-06-15T12:18:00.001-05:00

Self Explanatory really :)

Blog Cleaning

2009-06-08T10:35:00.002-05:00

Greetings all just a few quick updates.

1) Once again I have assimilated into the technological biomass that is the "interwebs" and am now Tweeting. Why? Oh who knows. You can follow me here: http://twitter.com/iisamu . I don't know what it is about it, but it is kind of fun.

2) New Comics up at Rinando , as well as a new board game review. I'm thinking about putting up a small cafe press store to sell some T-shirts and other merchandise with our toons on it.

Peep Rescue Foundation

2009-05-16T18:52:00.001-05:00

Please, help us fight this genocide!

New Rinando Up

2009-05-07T10:46:00.002-05:00

Just a shameless plug :)

Go see, go see!

rinando.blogspot.com

Peace

It Has Begun...

2009-03-04T17:04:00.002-06:00

The last book in the wheel of time series, or at least the first half it seems has just received a release date. No official word, but next month should see the announcement. I'm not sure if Tor actually created this, but I hope so.

Yeeeaaaaaahhhhhhhhh! No Tumor for Me!

2009-02-23T16:08:00.004-06:00

In honor of just finding out that I have a normal brain (or at least one free of tumors), I would like to give you a gift. These two droids. No wait, what was it the doctor told me? That's right, those visions are only in my head, and I cannot indeed use the force. Well in that case I'll just have to give you the link to a fun webgame.

Ice Breaker

Get all the vikings to the ship to complete each level.

Play this free game now!!

Enjoy and
May the Force
be with you

Growing Up

2009-02-19T16:28:00.003-06:00

As you can see we have moved into the Duppy stage. Still mostly a puppy, but growing into a dog. He's doing very well in class, he can sit and stay with the best of them but last week's test was a doozy. He had to lay down at the end of one isle (and stay), while I went to the other end and called him. The hard part? There were TONS of treats lining the isle between us and he had to ignore them all. He was hilarious! When I called him he walked the whole way hugged up against the shelving careful not to touch any of the treats. He didn't take a single one. Soon I will unveil our super secret trick we are working on. I hope to have it ready by Fall :)

This Reminds Me Of My Father

2009-02-03T11:57:00.000-06:00

KFC anyone?

No Idea What Your Talking About

2009-01-29T13:07:00.004-06:00

I've been updating my blog constantly. I blame those internet "spiders" i've heard so much about, catching my posts in their inter-webs never to be read...sad really.

On with my regular posting :)

I'm pretty sure I have posted about her before, but Ingrid Michelson's music is wonderful. She has such great control over her voice, it's just fun to listen to. Far beyond the pleasentries delivered vocally, she is one of the few artists whose lyrics I actually connect with. This album has come for me at the perfect time.

Anyway, give it a listen.

In This Season Of Choice, May I Present...

2008-10-22T12:35:00.004-05:00

I don't know what your talking about? I update this site all the time! *cricket* *ahem* Yes well, know that that's out of the way.

In a season of democracy, I present to you cherrypeel.com. It's very similar to Reddit or Digg in that users submit stories (or in this case music they like) and then everyone votes on what they like or do not like. I have to say I like what I see. One of the bands that jumped out to me is the qwirky Immaculate Machine. I'd suggest starting with their song "C'mon Sea Leggs". Just do me a favor and listen all the way through the song. I wasn't blown away until the second time the chorus was sung. Good stuff.

Oh and by the way, Rinando is now being updated twice a week (Tuesday and Friday)!

And We're Back

2008-10-03T10:07:00.002-05:00

My partner in comic skulduggery Tony is settled in his new home now. Well, he has all the essentials setup...meaning he has internet and power :) Our next comic is up at Rinando. Go. Look. Laugh. and as always Send Money :)

Webgames Wednesday - GemCraft

2008-09-17T13:25:00.002-05:00

For the last two weeks I've been playing this little "gem" of a game, and I have to admit it's pretty impressive. It follows the same concept as Puzzle Quest in that they altering an already existing game (in this case any tower defense game you have played) and tweak it almost to perfection.

As in most tower defense style games, you have a board with your tower and an evil tower with a winding path connecting the two. The evil tower looses hordes of marauding monsters out at set intervals that follow the aforementioned path. In order to prevent these monsters from reaching your tower, normally you would build and upgrade towers along the path that would shoot, bomb, slow your enemies.

In GemCraft you place jewels in pre-placed towers along the roadside. These jewels have different attributes (poison, shock, splash damage, 3X damage, chain damage, mana steal...) and can be combined to make even more powerful gems. You can also build more towers to house more gems, moats to slow your enemies (neccesary for those speedy enemies), or even toss gems at your enemies in moments of despartation.

This game also has a little bit of RP element built in, in that you can upgrade yourself with different skills. These skills might help you gain mana (what you use to create or combine gems/build towers etc.) or just protect you if you let some baddies through. You can even save your progress and pick back up later. There are pleanty of levels to keep you interested and even some built in achievements ala Xbox 360. All in all, a great little game.

My Preeeshhhhhhhhiiiisssssssssss...

2008-09-16T09:28:00.005-05:00

It's here! It's here! My new ~~toy~~ work tool! And after a day of using it, I must say I am extremely impressed. I got my email synced, my calender synced, my bookmarks synced, contacts synced, all my music and videos loaded on it, and connected it to the internet in less than 30 min.

Let me be clear on one thing. I did actually buy this to be my PDA for work, and I'll tell you why. My computer is very organized. Every file has a folder, and all folders have folders, and those folders have their folders. A place for everything and everything in it's place. But if you would look at my actual desk, you would see quite a different story. I like to think of it as organized chaos...but it's just chaos. I don't know why it's so hard for me to keep it clean, but it is. But, when I am at my desk, I remember things because I set reminders all the time on my computer. Once I leave my computer, all bets are off. So I needed a PDA to keep me on track.

I've had PDA's before but none of them lasted very long. The problem wasn't that they were not good products. They did what they were made to do, which was a vary narrow list of tasks, and I got bored with them. I need something that I will want to have with me all the time. And this definitely fits the bill.

Email, calender, contacts? Check.
Internet Access? Check.
Music, Movies? Check.
Games? Check.

So things are good, gadgets are fun, and now I'm going to go ~~play~~ work.

Guess Who's Comming To Visit -Final Update

2008-09-10T09:46:00.008-05:00

FINAL UPDATE
Well, looks like we dodged the bullet and Ike went almost straight north of Huston which puts it east of us. We got a little wind and a little rain, but nothing worse than what we used to see during a normal storm in the mid-west. Thanks to all who prayed for our safety. Next time could you pray a little less hard so I can at leas see SOME of the bad weather?!

9/12/08
Okay, good news is that Ike has bounced back to the east and we are on just the outer western most edge. What does that mean? Rain. Rain and wind, but hopefully not nearly as much as what it would be if it were closer or on the eastern side. So far so good. We aren't worried anymore, so hopefully you aren't either :) We have some bottled water and toilette paper, so we are set :)

9/12/08
Aparantly, Ike can't make up his mind. These are the latest computer models from the National Hurricane Center. The red line represents the most historically accurate model, and as you can see puts Ike right on top of us sometime Saturday. I will continue to update this post as time gets nearer so you all know we are okay.
One more side note. Jay reminded me of when we were all younger and mom would take us out on the old screened in porch to watch thunderstorms roll into and through town. I remember loving those times, and I am sure is part of the reason I love big storms now. Thanks Mom!!!!!!

9/11/08
Well, it seems the projected path for Ike once it makes landfall has changed quite a bit. The eye will now be moving to our east, which put us on the "cleaner side" of the Hurricane. I'll keep updating this post with new maps as they updated the storm path :)

9/10/08
I am way more excited than I should be about this, but those of you who know me know I am a storm freak. So the picture is the National Hurricane Center's prediction map overlaid onto Google maps. You might want to click on the picture to make it bigger, but yeah we are gonna get hit :) Luckily at this point it's only going to be a tropical storm!

Comic Relief

2008-09-07T19:56:00.002-05:00

Our next comic is up at Rinando. Go. Look. Laugh. Send Money :)

First and Hopefully the Last

2008-09-03T21:15:00.006-05:00

I try to stay out of the realm of politics. I'm old/wise enough now to know that you will rarely ever change anyone's mind when it comes to their political standings/beliefs. But this evening I came across a letter written to "The Washington Independent". It was written by a woman who lives in Wasilla, Alaska where Sen. McCain's pick for VP was from. I realize that Anne never meant for this to get out and get the attention it has, but I feel the information she shares is very eye opening and important.

From: http://www.washingtonindependent.com/3671/the-reform-candidate

Submitted by Michael Wrightson on Sept 1, 2008

A note to all by {the Author}

Dear friends,

So many people have asked me about what I know about Sarah Palin in the
last 2 days that I decided to write something up . . .

Basically, Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton have only 2 things in
common: their gender and their good looks.

You have my permission to forward this to your friends/email contacts
with my name and email address attached, but please do not post it on
any websites, as there are too many kooks out there . . .

[ This was already posted on Washington Independent comments area,
with a controllable hotmail account, and was obviously meant by the
author to be read. ]

Thanks,

Anne

ABOUT SARAH PALIN

I am a resident of Wasilla, Alaska. I have known Sarah since 1992.
Everyone here knows Sarah, so it is nothing special to say we are on a
first-name basis. Our children have attended the same schools. Her
father was my child’s favorite substitute teacher. I also am on a
first name basis with her parents and mother-in-law. I attended more
City Council meetings during her administration than about 99% of the
residents of the city.

She is enormously popular; in every way she’s like the most popular
girl in middle school. Even men who think she is a poor choice and
won’t vote for her can’t quit smiling when talking about her because
she is a “babe”.

It is astonishing and almost scary how well she can keep a secret. She
kept her most recent pregnancy a secret from her children and parents
for seven months.

She is “pro-life”. She recently gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby.
There is no cover-up involved, here; Trig is her baby.

She is energetic and hardworking. She regularly worked out at the gym.

She is savvy. She doesn’t take positions; she just “puts things out
there” and if they prove to be popular, then she takes credit.

Her husband works a union job on the North Slope for BP and is a
champion snowmobile racer. Todd Palin’s kind of job is highly
sought-after because of the schedule and high pay. He arranges his
work schedule so he can fish for salmon in Bristol Bay for a month or
so in summer, but by no stretch of the imagination is fishing their
major source of income. Nor has her life-style ever been anything
like that of native Alaskans.

Sarah and her whole family are avid hunters.

She’s smart.

Her experience is as mayor of a city with a population of about 5,000
(at the time), and less than 2 years as governor of a state with about
670,000 residents.

During her mayoral administration most of the actual work of running
this small city was turned over to an administrator. She had been
pushed to hire this administrator by party power-brokers after she had
gotten herself into some trouble over precipitous firings which had
given rise to a recall campaign.

Sarah campaigned in Wasilla as a “fiscal conservative”. During her 6
years as Mayor, she increased general government expenditures by over
33%. During those same 6 years the amount of taxes collected by the
City increased by 38%. This was during a period of low inflation
(1996-2002). She reduced progressive property taxes and increased a
regressive sales tax which taxed even food. The tax cuts that she
promoted benefited large corporate property owners way more than they
benefited residents.

The huge increases in tax revenues during her mayoral administration
weren’t enough to fund everything on her wish list though, borrowed
money was needed, too. She inherited a city with zero debt, but left it
with indebtedness of over $22 million. What did Mayor Palin encourage
the voters to borrow money for? Was it the infrastructure that she said
she supported? The sewage treatment plant that the city lacked? or a
new library? No. $1m for a park. $15m-plus for construction of a
multi-use sports complex which she rushed through to build on a piece
of property that the City didn’t even have clear title to, that was
still in litigation 7 yrs later–to the delight of the lawyers
involved! The sports complex itself is a nice addition to the
community but a huge money pit, not the profit-generator she claimed it
would be. She also supported bonds for $5.5m for road projects that
could have been done in 5-7 yrs without any borrowing.

While Mayor, City Hall was extensively remodeled and her office
redecorated more than once.

These are small numbers, but Wasilla is a very small city.

As an oil producer, the high price of oil has created a budget surplus
in Alaska. Rather than invest this surplus in technology that will
make us energy independent and increase efficiency, as Governor she
proposed distribution of this surplus to every individual in the state.

In this time of record state revenues and budget surpluses, she
recommended that the state borrow/bond for road projects, even while
she proposed distribution of surplus state revenues: spend today’s
surplus, borrow for needs.

She’s not very tolerant of divergent opinions or open to outside ideas
or compromise. As Mayor, she fought ideas that weren’t generated by
her or her staff. Ideas weren’t evaluated on their merits, but on the
basis of who proposed them.

While Sarah was Mayor of Wasilla she tried to fire our highly respected
City Librarian because the Librarian refused to consider removing from
the library some books that Sarah wanted removed. City residents
rallied to the defense of the City Librarian and against Palin’s
attempt at out-and-out censorship, so Palin backed down and withdrew
her termination letter. People who fought her attempt to oust the
Librarian are on her enemies list to this day.

Sarah complained about the “old boy’s club” when she first ran for
Mayor, so what did she bring Wasilla? A new set of “old boys”. Palin
fired most of the experienced staff she inherited. At the City and as
Governor she hired or elevated new, inexperienced, obscure people,
creating a staff totally dependent on her for their jobs and eternally
grateful and fiercely loyal–loyal to the point of abusing their power
to further her personal agenda, as she has acknowledged happened in the
case of pressuring the State’s top cop (see below).

As Mayor, Sarah fired Wasilla’s Police Chief because he “intimidated”
her, she told the press. As Governor, her recent firing of Alaska’s top
cop has the ring of familiarity about it. He served at her pleasure
and she had every legal right to fire him, but it’s pretty clear that
an important factor in her decision to fire him was because he wouldn’t
fire her sister’s ex-husband, a State Trooper. Under investigation
for abuse of power, she has had to admit that more than 2 dozen
contacts were made between her staff and family to the person that she
later fired, pressuring him to fire her ex-brother-in-law. She tried to
replace the man she fired with a man who she knew had been reprimanded
for sexual harassment; when this caused a public furor, she withdrew
her support.

She has bitten the hand of every person who extended theirs to her in
help. The City Council person who personally escorted her around town
introducing her to voters when she first ran for Wasilla City Council
became one of her first targets when she was later elected Mayor. She
abruptly fired her loyal City Administrator; even people who didn’t
like the guy were stunned by this ruthlessness.

Fear of retribution has kept all of these people from saying anything
publicly about her.

When then-Governor Murkowski was handing out political plums, Sarah got
the best, Chair of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission: one
of the few jobs not in Juneau and one of the best paid. She had no
background in oil & gas issues. Within months of scoring this great
job which paid $122,400/yr, she was complaining in the press about the
high salary. I was told that she hated that job: the commute, the
structured hours, the work. Sarah became aware that a member of this
Commission (who was also the State Chair of the Republican Party)
engaged in unethical behavior on the job. In a gutsy move which some
undoubtedly cautioned her could be political suicide, Sarah solved all
her problems in one fell swoop: got out of the job she hated and
garnered gobs of media attention as the patron saint of ethics and as a
gutsy fighter against the “old boys’ club” when she dramatically quit,
exposing this man’s ethics violations (for which he was fined).

As Mayor, she had her hand stuck out as far as anyone for pork from
Senator Ted Stevens. Lately, she has castigated his pork-barrel
politics and publicly humiliated him. She only opposed the “bridge to
nowhere” after it became clear that it would be unwise not to.

As Governor, she gave the Legislature no direction and budget
guidelines, then made a big grandstand display of line-item vetoing
projects, calling them pork. Public outcry and further legislative
action restored most of these projects–which had been vetoed simply
because she was not aware of their importance–but with the unobservant
she had gained a reputation as “anti-pork”.

She is solidly Republican: no political maverick. The State party
leaders hate her because she has bit them in the back and humiliated
them. Other members of the party object to her self-description as a
fiscal conservative.

Around Wasilla there are people who went to high school with Sarah.
They call her “Sarah Barracuda” because of her unbridled ambition and
predatory ruthlessness. Before she became so powerful, very ugly
stories circulated around town about shenanigans she pulled to be made
point guard on the high school basketball team. When Sarah’s
mother-in-law, a highly respected member of the community and
experienced manager, ran for Mayor, Sarah refused to endorse her.

As Governor, she stepped outside of the box and put together of package
of legislation known as “AGIA” that forced the oil companies to march
to the beat of her drum.

Like most Alaskans, she favors drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. She has questioned if the loss of sea ice is linked to
global warming. She campaigned “as a private citizen” against a state
initiaitive that would have either a) protected salmon streams from
pollution from mines, or b) tied up in the courts all mining in the
state (depending on who you listen to). She has pushed the State’s
lawsuit against the Dept. of the Interior’s decision to list polar
bears as threatened species.

McCain is the oldest person to ever run for President; Sarah will be a
heartbeat away from being President.

There has to be literally millions of Americans who are more
knowledgeable and experienced than she.

However, there’s a lot of people who have underestimated her and are
regretting it.

CLAIM VS FACT
•“Hockey mom”: true for a few years
•“PTA mom”: true years ago when her first-born was in elementary
school, not since
•“NRA supporter”: absolutely true
•social conservative: mixed. Opposes gay marriage, BUT vetoed a bill
that would have denied benefits to employees in same-sex relationships
(said she did this because it was unconsitutional).
•pro-creationism: mixed. Supports it, BUT did nothing as Governor to
promote it.
•“Pro-life”: mixed. Knowingly gave birth to a Down’s syndrome baby
BUT declined to call a special legislative session on some pro-life
legislation
•“Experienced”: Some high schools have more students than Wasilla has
residents. Many cities have more residents than the state of Alaska.
No legislative experience other than City Council. Little hands-on
supervisory or managerial experience; needed help of a city
administrator to run town of about 5,000.
•political maverick: not at all
•gutsy: absolutely!
•open & transparent: ??? Good at keeping secrets. Not good at
explaining actions.
•has a developed philosophy of public policy: no
•”a Greenie”: no. Turned Wasilla into a wasteland of big box stores
and disconnected parking lots. Is pro-drilling off-shore and in ANWR.
•fiscal conservative: not by my definition!
•pro-infrastructure: No. Promoted a sports complex and park in a city
without a sewage treatment plant or storm drainage system. Built
streets to early 20th century standards.
•pro-tax relief: Lowered taxes for businesses, increased tax burden on
residents
•pro-small government: No. Oversaw greatest expansion of city
government in Wasilla’s history.
•pro-labor/pro-union. No. Just because her husband works union
doesn’t make her pro-labor. I have seen nothing to support any claim
that she is pro-labor/pro-union.

WHY AM I WRITING THIS?

First, I have long believed in the importance of being an informed
voter. I am a voter registrar. For 10 years I put on student voting
programs in the schools. If you google my name (Anne Kilkenny +
Alaska), you will find references to my participation in local
government, education, and PTA/parent organizations.

Secondly, I’ve always operated in the belief that “Bad things happen
when good people stay silent”. Few people know as much as I do because
few have gone to as many City Council meetings.

Third, I am just a housewife. I don’t have a job she can bump me out
of. I don’t belong to any organization that she can hurt. But, I am no
fool; she is immensely popular here, and it is likely that this will
cost me somehow in the future: that’s life.

Fourth, she has hated me since back in 1996, when I was one of the 100
or so people who rallied to support the City Librarian against Sarah’s
attempt at censorship.

Fifth, I looked around and realized that everybody else was afraid to
say anything because they were somehow vulnerable.

CAVEATS
I am not a statistician. I developed the numbers for the increase in
spending & taxation 2 years ago (when Palin was running for Governor)
from information supplied to me by the Finance Director of the City of
Wasilla, and I can’t recall exactly what I adjusted for: did I adjust
for inflation? for population increases? Right now, it is impossible
for a private person to get any info out of City Hall–they are
swamped. So I can’t verify my numbers.

You may have noticed that there are various numbers circulating for the
population of Wasilla, ranging from my “about 5,000″, up to 9,000. The
day Palin’s selection was announced a city official told me that the
current population is about 7,000. The official 2000 census count was
5,460. I have used about 5,000 because Palin was Mayor from 1996 to
2002, and the city was growing rapidly in the mid-90’s.

TNRPLE AEP

2008-08-29T10:56:00.005-05:00

This probably won't mean much to anyone else, but this post is just for Mom.
TNRPL AEP (Think Purple Ape)
True, Noble, Right, Pure, Lovely, Admirable, Excellent, Praisworthy

Long Live Quiz :)

Also, Romans 5:1 can be sung to the Storm Trooper march from Star Wars

Final Countdown

2008-08-27T10:07:00.002-05:00

De de doo dooo, de de doot doot doooooo, De de do dooo, de de doot doot doot doot doooooo de de dooo de de doot doot doot doot dooo DOOO DOOOOOOOOOO! *DRUMS*

My recent obsession is about to get even worse. As you know I sold that disappointment of a video game console the Nintendo Wii. I have already picked out what that money will go toward. A brand new iPod Touch (yes precious, it will soon be ours). The good news is that they are about to release a brand new version. The bad news is I didn't know when, and I have money burning a hole in my pocket.

Well happy days are here again my friends. September 9th looks to be the release date! So, as you have no doubt noticed over there -----------------> is my new countdown widget that looks appropriately Apple.

I know you all are as excited as I am :)

New Comic Up

2008-08-22T19:43:00.003-05:00

Just FYI, the new comic is up over at Rinando.*hint* *hint* I think this comic is going to be a...regular...comic every Friday. You'll get it after you read it.

Why Did I Get Rid Of My Wii?

2008-08-22T11:00:00.002-05:00

This is why. Despite Nintendo's insistence that they have not forgotten the core gamer, the line up of new games looks like this.

Wii...So long, and thanks for all the Metroid.

O.J. Strikes Again

2008-08-20T11:59:00.005-05:00

No this is not a cautionary tail about Mr. Simpson, but it looks like you should stay away from the sweet fruity nectar of the same initials if you are taking any kind of medication. According to a new report, O.J. (and other fruit juices) may stop medication from entering into your bloodstream, possibly rendering them useless. Just a heads up for any of you who are Juicers like myself!

Aspirations and Dreams

2008-08-17T20:39:00.005-05:00

I am VERY proud to present to all of you...Rinando! This has been in the works for...well I guess technically it's been in the works for 12 years. See, in the fall on 1996, a young impressionable youth left his family for destinations unknown...well okay, he knew where he was going. He was going to the magical land of...wait for it...that's right, Indiana! Oh what a magical place...okay, enough of that. Anyway, while at college, he met another young man. This one was a talented artist with a quirky sense of humor. They fast became friends and spent many nights under the influence of those most volatile of all substances....you guessed it... Mountain Dew and JAPANESE ANIME! Despite their best intentions, both managed to graduate from college AND get married to two incredibly beautiful, loving and understanding wives (HI HONEY!!!). Yet they knew that their destiny was not yet filled. That is, not fulfilled until this very day, when they began a web comic about video games, movies, books, and life in general. That's right, two 30 year old guys making jokes and doodles :) Well I hope you enjoy!

Good News on the Fight Against Teen Pregnancy...

2008-08-13T23:05:00.002-05:00

Good to know :)

Finnished Finnished....For Now

2008-08-12T19:51:00.003-05:00

Okay, so we finally patched, sanded, and painted the walls. So without further ado, Alicia and I are proud to present...OUR KITCHEN!!!

It is an understatement to say that most of credit goes to my amazing father-in-law, Bob. He designed these specifically for our kitchen, and built them all in our garage and drive way in the middle of a Texas summer. So once again, we say thanks.

And how could we forget our site foreman, Donna. Sanding, painting,sweeping, cleaning, not to mention making sure we stayed cool and hydrated. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

It Has Begun*

2008-08-08T22:31:00.004-05:00

The Olympics have officially begun, and I must say I am enjoying them immensely. The Opening ceremony was truly a spectacle to behold. A breathtaking mixture of technology and culture, it was a great way to kick the games off.

But the reason I am most excited about these particular games is that I am finally able to watch some of the sports I have always wanted to, but never could because they were aired on some random cable station at 3 a.m. Well, now we have cable (HD Even), but even better than that many of the games are broadcast live on the web. Right now I am watching Hungry and Sweden play Handball (17, 15 Hungry at this point). This is one of the coolest sports ever. It's like reverse soccer (you can only use your hands to move the ball) played on a basket ball court. Fantastic. So if you want to see what's being broadcast live, or see a sport you missed check click the pic below. Have fun!

*another 10 points to anyone who can tell me what movie the quote I used as the Title of this article is from. Another 10 points if you can tell me who said it.

Who Said We Can't Control Time

2008-08-08T08:48:00.002-05:00

Ever wish you could stop time? How about go back in time just a little? Then you have to check this out. This is quite possibly the coolest thing I have seen this year.

Yes, it's an optical illusion. But have you ever seen one so simple in concept yet completely astounding? If it wasn't $200 I would have three.

Also, along the same lines, Baylor scientists have figured out that it is possible to go faster than light. All you have to do is expand the fabric of space behind a ship into a bubble and shrinking space-time in front of the ship. The ship would rest in between the expanding and shrinking space-time, essentially surfing down the side of the bubble. Easy eh? Check out the whole article here.

Frisbee, Bath, and Push Up's

2008-08-07T16:13:00.002-05:00

"Ahhh! It's gonna hit me!" That is our brave little puppy. He was actually having a ton of fun, he just looks completely terrified! He is still a great dog, and even Chloe is starting to warm up to him....starting to. He got his first bath the other night, which he loved ever so much (only not). You can see more pics below.

Just adorable.

Well, last night was push up night, so here we are the results as promised.

100 PUC: Ketchup (get it...it's a play on words)

2008-08-05T12:41:00.002-05:00

I was about to update you on Day 10 when I had realized I never put up the results for day 9. So double bonus for you. As you probably noticed we had to take a week off from the PUC. This was do to my shoulder. Apparently, it was not enjoying the challenge as much as I was and decided to voice it's complaint with an increasing pain. So we took the week off and are back in business as of last night!

In other news, we have decided to sign Griff up for training through PetSmart. Once he completes all the courses they have to offer, we should be able to pass the test and register him as a therapy dog! How cool is that! He starts a week from this Saturday. We will keep you posted.

WRONG. WRONG. WRONG

2008-08-01T15:24:00.003-05:00

I'm sorry. Summer is not the best season. It is the worst. See Exhibit A above. Exhibit B is closely related. It's my electric bill. I would post that too...but it makes me cry every time I look at it. I'm gonna go stick my head in the freezer.

I've Hit It Bigtime!

2008-07-26T22:55:00.003-05:00

I am number 1 on Google! Well, perhaps I should clarify. I'm the number one search result when people type in:

"stoned to death monkeys drought well"

- Take a look for yourself -

Right above my old nemesis

Juan Vicente Gómez

At last I have surpassed you Juan!

100 PUC: Day 8

2008-07-25T08:55:00.004-05:00

Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee*

*please read Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggggg

Holy...Halo...

2008-07-23T18:00:00.000-05:00

So, we've all heard about the miraculous displays of Mary and Jesus to people all over the world in mysterious and...well...odd ways. I have to say, I never took these report too seriously...until it happened to me. Well...it wasn't Mary...or Jesus. No...it was Master Chief.

I had just started frying up my ground beef for some delicious beef stroganoff, when I realized that there in front of me was the spitting image of the Halo destroying spartan himself. See...and believe.

Chief's head in a Pan

Meat the Chief.

100 PUC: Day 7 (so...many...push-ups...pantpant*)

2008-07-23T17:25:00.000-05:00

So there was an ever so slight adjustment in difficulty this week. At the end of last week we were supposed to perform an exhaustion test (number of push-ups you can do till you drop), and use that to determine what group you are in to start the third week. Well, we were a bit behind so we thought we would just used our exhaustion set from the last day of the last week. That put us both in the final set once again. I should have pretended to do less. Behold...the pain.
That's right, 100. We did 100 push-ups last night. Well, I did 100. My wife did 110. She is so cool :)

Web Game Wednesday: Rocket Mania

2008-07-23T16:00:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been a while since I posted a good webgame, so I thought I would show a little love to those of you who like these little posts (Kelli). I humbly submit to you Rocket Manina. I've always liked games like this. Basically you click on the tiles to rotate the fuses. The object is to connect the rockets on the right to the flames on the left via the fuses in the middle. If you get real good you can launch them all at once and get loads of points :) If you really like the game you can even buy the full version. I think this one only lets you go up to level 10 before kicking you out. Have fun!

YOU JUST GOT SCHOOLED, DAWG!

2008-07-22T21:53:00.001-05:00

Here are some videos of our favorite super-pup showing off his new tricks.

Not bad for only one week of training, eh?

100 Push-Up Challenge, End of Week 2

2008-07-21T16:30:00.004-05:00

A little late posting this but here is the results from the end of week two. Alicia kicked my butt last night on the max set. She pumped out 45! She's a little bit of fabulousness.
Oh, and hopefully either tonight or tomorrow night we will have videos of Griff showing off. He's pretty much the best dog in the world.

100 Push-Ups: Day 5

2008-07-18T09:45:00.003-05:00

Still going :)
EDIT: HOLY FRANCIS FOR COPOLA! I just realized I did 82 Push-Up's last night! Running total so far is ...315. Go me :)

To Wii, Or Not To Wii

2008-07-17T12:54:00.003-05:00

I've had a NES, GameBoy, Super NES, N64, Game Cube, a DS Phat, a DS Lite, and now the Wii. For over 22 years now, I have stuck by Nintendo's side, but I just don't think I can do it anymore.

For those of you who don't know/care, E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) was this week. At this event, each of the big 3 console companies (Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo) holds a huge press conference to announce how they are going to move into the future of gaming. Microsoft came out strong, announcing a complete software redesign that added functionality to the Xbox 360 that their fans long awaited (downloading games to the Hard Drive, streaming Netfix to your TV, Avatars etc.). Sony's was a bit less lack luster, but still managed to satisfy their user base and stir up some new interest in their latest console.

And then there was Nintendo. What was gist of their press conference. Let me sum it up for you.

"Thanks for your money. Drive safe"

No storage solution. No DS redesign. No addressing of the horrible lack of support from 3rd party game developers. No redesign of their horrible online components. I could go on, but I just don't care anymore.

Don't get me wrong, I was blown away by the possibilities the Wii provided. But I am completely deflated, but the lack content and the unwillingness of Nintendo to listen to their most steadfast customers. So, if anyone wants to buy barely used Nintendo Wii with 2 controllers, let me know. I'm gonna go play my 360.

Griff's First Day

2008-07-16T08:30:00.004-05:00

I am pleased to say that Griff slept through the night. We didn't hear a single wine, yip, or howl from him. Granted we still think he had some anesthesia in him from the "berry removal process", but we are encouraged none the less. Not only did he sleep through the night, but he kept his cage clean as well (WOHOOO). So far so good. Whoever had him before, didn't feed him well so he is pretty skinny right now, but we will remedy that. Okay, on to the stuff you really came here to see. MORE PICTURES!

Day 4

2008-07-15T22:44:00.002-05:00

One last post before bedtime. As promised, here is my update on the 100 Push-Up Challenge. A quick note. I dropped the Sit-ups. After the last set on the first week, I noticed a sharp pain when I would actually sit up. So, since sit-ups were just an afterthought I decided to pull out.

Let me just take this opportunity to further explain what my goal is for this Challenge. I am not a heavy guy. I don't need to drop any weight (5'11, 155), though I do have some areas that defiantly could use some toning. So all I am testing whether or not this challenge will add that tone. Okay, enough talk, here are tonight's results. I'm pretty happy with my final max.

DON'T FORGET TO READ OUR BIG ANNOUNCEMENT BELOW!!!

IT'S A BOY!!!

2008-07-15T17:51:00.003-05:00

Please welcome to the family Mr. Griffin Alexander Myers, affectionately known as "Griff". He is 11 weeks old and as you can see tuckered out. He just got...um...well...separated from his berries if you know what I mean. He's had a long day, but he is a big sweetie.

Comming Soon...Big News

2008-07-14T11:59:00.003-05:00

First of all, let me just say that Tuesday evening Alicia and I will have a big announcement to make, so stay tuned.

Second of all, let me say that if you are looking for good kids movie to watch, Bridge to Terabithia might possibly be the worst choice you could ever make. Like, put-your-kids-in-to-therapy kind of bad.

This movie should come with some sort of warning label!

"Warning! Do not watch unless you are devoid of any and all feeling!
Will cause intense depression which may lead to long-term psycho-therapy."

I won't tell you what happens (partially so I don't have to relive the horror), but lets just say Old Yeller doesn't hold a candle to this movie.

Day 3, Baby!

2008-07-11T22:02:00.003-05:00

Oh yeah! Still pushin' on up! Hands up, those of you who thought I wouldn't last this long? Yeah, mine was up as well :) And a little encouragement for the women who are reading this. My wife is doing this along with me (and to be honest, she is kicking my butt!!!)

Total Push-Ups completed so far = 173
Total Sit-Ups completed so far = 188

Stranger Than Fiction

2008-07-11T12:25:00.001-05:00

Will Farrell.

Most of you have just formed an opinion in your head. You are either in the "Talladega Nights & Anchorman are the cinematic equivalents to Hamlet and Othello" camp, or you are in the "Dear sweet angels of mercy, save me from this noxious tripe" camp. There are those of us who fall in between, but let's face it, we are in the minority.

So, when someone recommended Stranger Than Fiction I immediately went back into my office and went back to work, because that is what you do when someone talks about a movie they like and you are at work. BUT, later that week when I went to Blockbuster, what did I pick up? That's right, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Flushed Away, both of which I liked :) Okay fine, I'll get to the point. Eventually I got around to renting it one night, popped it in and watched it. This movie is...brilliant. Not "okay", not "pretty good", but "brilliant".

It's not your typical Will Farrell movie. Yes, he is the main character, but it's not his normal slapstick, fast paced, sophomoric humor. (Oh come on, even if you do like his movies, you know that's all they are.) It's well written, clever and unique. Farrell, ironically cast as a very straight laced IRS auditor, begins hearing a voice that is narrating his daily life, "only with a better vocabulary". In the process of trying to track down the author of his life (Emma Thompson) he ends up falling in love with a spirited baker (Maggie Gyllenhaal) who hates him. Farrell plays the straight-man roll brilliantly. I would venture to say that this is by far and away his best roll to date.

Now, go back to doing what ever it was you were doing before you read this, BUT do not pass it by in the store or on TV. Watch it, love it.

Don't forget to come back tonight to check up on the 100 Push-Up Challenge!

Creative Sweet Mercy That Hurts

2008-07-09T22:54:00.003-05:00

Today started off so good. How did it end up with so much pain?

I am fortunate enough to work at a university that willing to invest in it's staff. Two weeks ago I was sent to Chicago for a digital film-making boot camp, and this morning I got to attend an 8 hour training session covering some of the nice new features of the Adobe CS3 Creative Suite (Photoshop, Illustrator, Bridge, etc.). I wasn't sure how much I would get out of today's training but in then end I walked away pretty pumped about the new additions. I will defiantly be using what I learned today.

After training I got to come home and watch two gentlemen from Apex Security install our new security system. That's right bad guys, we got all sorts of high tech gadgetry protecting our property now. It come fully loaded with pressure panels on the floor that when tripped shoot poisoned from secret compartments in the wall at the would be thieves, dropping them to the floor where the vicious attack ferrets gnaw on them till the attack ninja squad can show up and further subdue them. It also makes loud "woop"ing noises and calls the police :)

So then, we ate...and I remembered that it was day 2 of the pushup challene. Let me just say, that this challenge sucks. Not "sucks" as in doesn't work. Sucks as in, "pain...horrible horrible pain" kind of "sucks". Never the less I did it, as you can see below. Yeah...my situps trailed WAY off from Day 1. Oh, well, still met all my goals. So far I haven't heard anyone else accepting my challange. Come on ya'll, if I can do it, so can you!

100 Push-Up/Sit-Up Challange: Day 1

2008-07-08T09:20:00.010-05:00

As many of you know, I am an avid Workoutaholic... and by avid, I mean occasional...and by occasional I mean...I take the stairs...look at my eye, look, I'm winking.* So when I came across the 100 Push-Up Challenge, I thought "Eh, why not" with my usual verve and Joie de Vivre. Now, I'm a relatively normal 30 year old. I never played sports (other than golf, which, let's be honest, in high school is not a strenuous physical activity), I eat plenty of healthy food (Wendy's, Taco Bell, Subway on occasion), and get plenty of sleep (6 hours is good, right?). All of that said, I thought I might need a little bit of help sticking with this program. What better way to do that than publish my journey on the web for all to see (and, yes, probably laugh at). So, let's get started.

To begin this challenge the participant (me) is supposed to see how many good form push-ups they can do before the collapse in a heap of weeping exhaustion. I was pretty proud of my self when I squeaked out 24 a week and a half ago. So, I took my 24 to the chart for the first week and found out my task for first day. Each session is broken up into 5 sets of push-ups with a 60 second break between each set. On the left you will see the number of required, on the right I'll record the number actually completed. Oh, and I thought, heck, if I'm doing push-ups I might as well do Sit-ups too. Last night (Monday) was my first night, and below are the results.

So as you can see, so far so go after day 1. I am a little sore today, but tomorrow is going to be the real beast. So, if your up to it, take the challenge and keep me updated through the comments.

*Bonus points for anyone who can name the movie this quote comes from.

Wall-E Coyote : Super Genius

2008-07-07T10:44:00.003-05:00

Alicia and I decided last Friday evening to venture to a dark place. One that usually holds frustration, pain, and your shoes fast to the floor. A place where 2 year olds run free, and people have no idea how to "whisper" to their neighbor. Yes, the dreaded home of the opened mouth popcorn chomping slurpee sucker...the movie theater. But, we outsmarted them all by going to an earlier show, and were fairly successful (we only had to move once :). We hunkered down as the moving picture show started and I have to say Wall-E did not disappoint. It was a phenomenal movie. Good for kids and adults. The little nonexistent robot even made me tear up. So go, take your kids, and see it. Oh, and come early enough to see the cartoon short they show before the main movie, it was just as good as the feature presentation :)

Please Hold..... thank you.

2008-07-03T15:35:00.004-05:00

Life, the Universe, and Everything, that's why. Don't know if it will keep going, but there are definitely some things I miss about blogging, so, I thought I'd give it another go. Probably not going to be updated as often as before, but hoping a few times a week.

So As a form of apology, I offer to you an amazingly fun game. I call it: "Magic Pen", as does the individual who created it...and named it.

Don't Mess With the Monkeys!!!

2007-10-22T12:15:00.000-05:00

These are news stories that just cannot go by unnoticed. So, I present them as a gift to you so that you don't stop visiting...if you haven't already.

Flaming Squirrel Blows Up Car

Not Quite a "Clean" Get-Away

Monkey Assassins

The one that started it all, is so short I'll just cut and paste.

Thirsty Monkeys Stone Herdsman to Death
NAIROBI (Reuters) - A group of thirsty monkeys stoned a herdsman to death in drought-stricken northern Kenya as he watered his livestock, a newspaper reported Thursday.
"In a clear sign of worsening drought, a herdsman was killed after riotous monkeys stoned pastoralists at a watering point in Wajir district,'' the East African Standard said. A nurse in district said the man died from severe head injuries. Herdsmen in Wajir usually tend cows and camels.

I just love that a "Clear sign of Worsening Drought" is a group of riotous thirsty monkeys stoning someone. It sounds like two old guys sitting on their porch with their overalls on, chewing on a piece of straw:

"Well, looks like we have a drought. The Monkeys are rioting again."

Reason #1 Not to Drink Alcohol

2007-10-08T13:32:00.000-05:00

So I am pretty sure the conversation that happened before these guys did this went something like this.

Ok, so I've got a great idea for our show.

Lets hear it!

Aright, picture the scariest looking two story rotating structure of death you could possibly imagine with three equally spaced arms comming out from the center

I like it already.

Great, then put a cylinder at the end of each arm that's big enough for one of us to stand in.

Good, good!

Ok, then one of us gets in and starts the thing spinning

Yeah?!

Yeah, and then another one jumps in and gets is spinning faster!

How fast?

Aproximatly 90mph

Sweet then what!

Then the last one has to time his jump just right so he can grab onto the outside of the last cylinder let it fling him into the air, and pray the the good lord he has enough arm strength to hold on or he will pull a peter pan.

AWESOM! Can we light it on fire?

I don't see why not.

Thats the greatest idea I've ever heard.

Yeah, but it gets better!

How could it get better?

I'm glad you asked. While it's going 90mph, we get out of inside of the rotating cylinders of death...are you ready for this...AND WE RUN ON THE OUTSIDE!

But wait...that doesn't sound too hard...I GOT IT! Lets jump rope on top of them, and then pass it off to then next guy!

I like the way you think...but it's still too boring. hmmm...OF COURSE, we do it with BLACK VELVET BAGS OVER OUR HEADS!

Awesome! But we still need a little more pizzas.

How about we make Frank wear a Santa Suit?

Perfect! Lets go tell him.

Ok, don't forget to grab the vodka!

Funky Friday

2007-10-05T14:50:00.000-05:00

I came across this video a while back and thought that it was great, so I thought I would share it with everyone now. Apparently she slowed down the song and filmed it at a slower speed then then sped it all up to match the normal speed of the song. All it in it turned out pretty cool. Speaking of cool, it might rain tomorrow (yeah right) but I am at least hoping for lots of clouds, because Alicia and I are going to our first Baylor Bears football game. Is Baylor any good? Well, lets just say they are far better than Duke...but we couldnt' say "No" to free tickets now could we :)

When Squirrles Attack

2007-09-22T19:01:00.000-05:00

So this morning we woke up and Alicia tried to call her parents. Unfortunately we got no dial tone. So we went into Baylor and called Grande Communications to come out and take a look at what the problem could be. He finally figured out that one of the wires had worn almost completely bare and shorted out. So he replaced that. Before he left we noticed that our internet was out as well. So he checked out the cable which was right next to the phone cable that had "worn-out". This is what he found.

Yup, the little bugger chewed all the way to the exposed wire. Too bad there wasn't any current going through it at the time. So I am going to blame my long blogging absence on him. Cause....I can. :)
Anyway, we are back up and running now so hopefully no more delays in posting.

Flowers

2007-09-10T15:18:00.000-05:00

Ok, nothing too earth shattering here. Just noticed I hadn't posted in a while and I need to keep it up, so... here are some pictures I took yesterday after it rained. Enjoy!

Good Apple, Bad Apple

2007-09-05T20:25:00.001-05:00

First of all let me say, I called it. When the iPhone was released, I took one look at it ... and promptly wet myself. Then, after a quick change of clothes, I said, "I'll just wait till they remove the phone part". I just didn't think it would be this soon. The quick high points are as follows:

Beautiful 3.5 wide screen display
Touch screen controls (same as iPhone)
Wifi enabled (browse the web, surf youtube, and download from a new wireless version of iTunes, sorry no email unless it's web-based)
2 models: 8GB for $299 or 16 GB for $399
No crappy contract with ~~Big Brother~~...er I mean AT&T
Oh, and the ship world wide in a few weeks :)

So there is the good news. Bravo Steve Jobs. For a fuller description check out Engadget's Full Coverage. And now for something completely different...

So, I knew I had put on a little extra weight (to everyone who has ever known me: Yes. I really have gained weight. And I look DARN GOOD!), but I never suspected that may laptop had. I went to turn it on and it booted up like normal, loaded a few programs, and I heard a slight *click*. Then, the computer turned off. That was all, just a *click*. I count myself lucky, I could have been like this guy. So I hit the power button again, and it starts booting up, then powers off. So I flip over the computer and pop out the battery and that's when I see it. Just a slight bump and a separation at the seem by the battery check button. So, apparently I will be contacting Apple tomorrow :) And to all you Mac haters out there, yes Mac's have problems too. But let me just note, I am typing on my computer right now, so it could have been a lot worse :)

Oh, and yes I know. It is Webgames Wednesday. You didn't think I would leave you hanging did you? Here you go. Just a cute little game that is oddly addictive. Enjoy playing with Bugs!

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

2007-09-01T23:20:00.000-05:00

Today I was reminded of why I love this time of year. It wasn't because it was beautiful outside. It wasn't because I grilled my best burgers yet (hamburger mixed with A1, onion powder, Mrs Dash, a pinch of Chili Powder, and the Pièce de résistance fresh shredded Parmesan cheese). And it wasn't that College Football started today. But it was close :) Appalachian State, a division I-AA football team mind you, took out number 5 ranked Michigan. Sorry, slight correction, formerly 5th ranked Michigan. Call me silly, but when I heard the blocked field goal call by the Appalachian State announcers on the radio, I laughed so hard I cried. I have a feeling that unless Lloyd Carr has phenomenal rest of the season, he might not be staying at in Ann Arbor long.

Ahh well, moving on. Yesterday I promised pictures and here they are.

More to come!

Send Your Weekend Down The Toilet...

2007-08-31T14:15:00.001-05:00

...but in a good way.(yeah, I don't know either)

Greetings faithful reader (Haiiiii <---- Inside joke for Kat and Cameron or anyone who has seen this brilliant website), and welcome to yet another edition of Film Friday. Today's movie is "Flushed Away". I don't have too much to say about it other than it is FREAKING BRILLIANT. Also "Brilliant" is apparently the word for today as I have already used it twice.

Seriously though, this was a surprisingly good flick. Plenty of slapstick humor for the kiddos, with a surprising amount of tongue-in-cheek humor that keeps us "grown-ups" laughing. So all in all I give it 4 Whatever-you-want-to-call-thems out of 5.

Tomorrow's post (hopefully) will be some pictures I took recently, just for the Harry-Who of it.

Brilliant!

Samurai in Grand Rapids - A Webgame Wednesday Tale

2007-08-29T16:22:00.000-05:00

Well, apparently it's reminiscing week in the blogosphere. So I figured why should I fight it. So....

Once upon a time, in a land far far away (or at least it seemed it at the time) in a tiny town called Grand Rapids...Ohio, not Michigan...there were two little kids, Kelli and Scott. They were there, because once again their parents had decided (for some unknown reason) that it was a fun place to visit. As I recall, there was a river with a big dam...that we weren't allowed to play near; an old canal that was historical in some way...that we weren't allowed to play in; and a main street with shops...that had nothing in them to play. That is until one day, bored out of our minds we entered into a little store called "Philis' Shack-O-Stuff". Ok, I have no idea what it was called, but you get the idea. Setup in the store on a table was a simple looking game called "Abalone". According to their website the game, "called the “Game of the Decade,” fortifies math, logic and reasoning skills". All we knew was that it was fun, and we were actually allowed to play with it.

This weeks game is an ode to that little gem. It's called Chap Hai, and you can play it -HERE-

Samus, I amus.

2007-08-27T08:29:00.000-05:00

There comes a time in every bounty hunter's life, when they realize that retirement doesn't sound that bad after all. Unfortunately, for Bobba Fett, that realization came a few minutes too late. Samus Aran is not making that same mistake. That's what makes today a great and sad day. With today's release of Metroid Prime 3, Samus will take her final bow on the video game stage. She has battled countless head sucking metroids on many different planets in the last 20 years. Passing through 6 consoles and making the flawless transition from tiny pixels into 3 full and glorious dimensions.

Oddly enough, there are a lot of memories tied to this one line of games. I remember finishing the game for the first time, and finding out that Samus was in fact a woman. I can't help but remember my dad laying on the couch, with the lamp at his back so he could see the screen on the Gameboy, playing Metroid II. I also remember playing Metroid Prime with my nephew Jacob when he was 4 or 5. I was locked in battle with one of the many incarnations of Ridley, and he was shouting "Ok, Uncle Scott, now don't let him hit you!" "Look out" "No, you gotta move when he does that!".

But, all good things must come to an end, and it appears this is no exception. Taking a look at Metacritic, it looks like Metroid Prime 3 is taking the series out with a bang! It's being hailed as the best Metroid ever made. I will see tonight when I pick up my copy from the store. I truly hope they saved the best for last.

Oh, and by the way. The official word from the developers at Retro Studio say that the proper pronunciations is Ch-Ozo, with a soft "ch".

2007-08-25T15:58:00.001-05:00

So, this morning Alicia and I walked into the UPS Store with a plane white box. I was standing approx 15 feet away from the gentleman behind the counter, and the shipping label was up against my chest. He looked up at me and said "Sending back your 360 for repair?". I smiled and said very intelligently "Yup". He said in all seriousness, and I quote: "We get one of these every day. One ever other day at the least." Wow. Some how I think that PC Magazine's estimate was a bit low when they reported that between 30% - 33% of all Xbox 360s fail. You gotta love it when a company has so much money, that it can sell a product for a loss. Then, have 1/3 of them come back to them for free repairs, costing them more money. What's crazy is they are now the number 2 console in number of total units sold world wide (Nintendo Wii just passed them). It is my opinion that they would be solidly on top if it weren't for their terrible track record. Sadly enough, I don't think Microsoft is too interested in most of their customers opinion. Oh, well. Off to play my Nintendo DS!

Pizza+Turtles+Painters = Film Friday!

2007-08-24T20:06:00.000-05:00

There are so many great things that the furtherance of science and technology has brought us through the years. Penicillin, cars, computers, the internet...oh, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But we will get to them in a second.

First, let me just say that there are many things I like about the internet. The ability to communicate with people all over the world, near instant news updates, being able to order pizza online.... I mean seriously, it's not like I can just pick up some magical device, put in some "special code" and instantly be connected to Pizza Hut. NO I CAN'T! LA LA LA, I CAN'T HEAR YOU! Ahem. So, since magic does not exist (Wengardium Leviosa! Dangit, must practice my wrist flicking), I am forced to place my order on PizzaHut.com. I don't know why but I feel cool every time I do it. Cowabunga dudes!

Speaking of which, guess what we rented from Bank-Buster..er Block Buster. That's right. The ol' lean green fighting machine, TMNT. Now, let me start off by saying that I wasn't expecting much from this stirring piece of cinema, but I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. It didn't blow me away, but it had three things going for it.

The CGI, though stylized (more in the style of "The Incredibles" than "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within") was pretty good. They kept the over all feeling dark without making it feel oppressive.
The fight choreography and animation were pretty nice. The animation was fast moving, lots going on, and smooth. You could tell they put a lot of time into planning those out.
My buddy, Michelangelo. There were two perfectly placed lame Mikey jokes that caught me off guard and make me laugh out loud. I could try and explain them, but we all know it wouldn't be the same.

Over all, not a bad flick. Nothing earth shattering here, but I don't think anybody expected that. I give it 3 1/2 stars...or whatever I'm gonnna call my....things that I give out. Any suggestions? Put them in the comments. I've opened them up a little more, so you should be albe to use them now.

WGW And A Fantastic Photo Editing Application

2007-08-22T08:12:00.000-05:00

First of all, you guys look great! Second of all, it is indeed Wendnesday, and since I care about your well-being and sanity I am posting another webgame for you to "share and enjoy" as they say in the Sirious Cybernetics Corporation. Today's game is for those of you who like visual logic puzzles. It is aptly named 3D Logic. I admit, number 16 has me stumped. Feel free to put your accomplishments in the comments.

I wanted to post this next video for anyone who has worked with digital images. Specifically, taking an image and making it larger, smaller, or even removing specific elements and then trying to cover up that hole so it doesn't look like it's been radically altered. The video starts off slow, but when he starts removing people from pictures your jaw will drop. It makes what used to be a very difficult and painstaking process simple to do.

Microsoft + Gaming System = RROD

2007-08-20T22:16:00.000-05:00

Yeah. 6 months. 6 whole wonderful months. And then it struck. It started like every other evening. I got to see the bright sparkle in my wife's eyes when she said, "Can I play a couple of songs on Guitar Hero II?" (P.S. It's questions like that that make me love her!) So she strapped on her ax and got ready to grind out a few mad licks...but all that awaited her was the sad quartet of the Red Ring of Death. These guys are the 4 Horsemen of the 360 apocalypse. She turned to me with those beautiful eyes, her bottom lip quivering oh so slightly as a single tear fell from her eye. So, the 360 is going to take a little trip in the next week or so, back to it's homeland for a little "Spiritual Cleansing" AKA and exorcism. The good news is that Microsoft is going to fix it for free. It may have something to do with the fact that they have between a 30% - 33% failure rate. 1 in 3. Wow. Not sure why I am so surprised, considering the number of times I have to reboot my PC every day. Thank goodness my main computer is a Mac. Ok, enough bohooing.

Luckily I will have a couple of distractions. Rune Factory is a fun mix between Diablo and Harvest Moon (I know! It's an obvious match made in heaven). Metroid Prime 3 has gotten rave reviews for those who have gotten their hands on it. It got a 10/10 from Nintendo Power, which isn't necessarily a given. Shame on Nintendo for not promoting this more than they have. Of course, they always seem to drop the ball in promotion.

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
August 27
Rune Factory
Just Released

Well, Good Night All!!!

Good Music You Probably Haven't Heard -- Chapter 1

2007-08-18T17:13:00.000-05:00

A couple of years ago I was driving home from dropping Alicia off at the Duke Divinity School, and I was listening to the NPR show "Weekend Edition". I heard a young woman from Scotland being interviewed. She was a musician who built her songs, layer by layer, all by herself. She played 3 songs and they were fantastic. I made a post on my old website about her, and the next thing I know, she was all over TV and the radio. She even had one of her song's in a movie. Her name is K.T. Tunstall. Now, it was obviously my post that got her to where she is today. So, in order to help out more up and coming musicians I have decided to scour (again, read stumble across) "the Webb" to bring you a feature called "Good Music You Probably Haven't Heard"! <---the last part of that sentence should echo to get the full sense of grandness. So let's begin.
1. K.T. Tunstall - Obviously, she no longer needs my help. But if you have only heard her songs "Big Black Horse" and "Suddenly I See", you really need to hear more. So check out her Myspace page.

2. Meiko - This young lady (I think she is only like 18/19 or so, has a fantastic voice. Her music is very laid back and fun. It's the kind of music that you can read to, and the tunes will get stuck in your head all day. Her main site http://www.meikomusic.com/ isn't up yet, but you can hear some of her music on her Myspace page. I suggest "Reasons to Love You" and "The Piano Song".

3. Ingrid Michaelson - Ok, so you should be seeing a couple of trends here. One, so far we have all female artists. Two, they all have Myspace pages. Honestly, Myspace is a great place to check out up and coming artist. Ingrids music is Indi/Pop/Folk-Rock (Also very fun to say out loud over and over fast. Indi/Pop/Folk-Rock Indi/Pop/Folk-Rock *Sign* I digress). Lots of good songs on this one. "Breakable" and "Keep Breathing" to mention a few. Alicia and I bought this on iTunes and have listened to it non-stop since.

4. Andy McKee - All I can say is...wow. I could describe his music, but I'm just going to let you watch him play, while I go buy his album. This is especially great if you are a Toto fan.

Well, that's all for now. I'll let you know when I find more. Until then, happy listening.

"I Know Kung-Fu"

2007-08-17T22:46:00.000-05:00

BBC America is fast becoming one of my favorite channels. Between the wildly anachronistic Robin Hood (at least he's British [take that Kevin Costner]), and the ever quirky new Dr. Who series, I have become very fond of those crazy Brits. The following clips are from a show called "Man Stroke Woman" and they are fantastic. The show is basically a half an hour of "one-liner" type short skits done by the same 6 actors/actresses. Watch and laugh. They are short so even those of you with dial-up (mom and dad) can watch one or two :) Two quick notes

Note #1: Those of you who enjoy these, there will be more clips listed after the video plays all the way through. Just a warning, while most are fine, there are some that get quite raunchy.

Note#2: For those of you who took my advice and watched "Shaun of the Dead" and "Hot Fuzz" and enjoyed those fine films, might be interested to know that Edgar Write is one of the 3 guys who perform/write for "Man Stroke Woman".

Contact Update

2007-08-16T09:30:00.000-05:00

I had a few request for some contact info, so I went ahead and added that information to my profile. So if you want to email me, or add me to your IM click on "Full Profile" and look under my way cool picture.

Peace!
Scott

Webgames Wednesday

2007-08-15T13:30:00.000-05:00

In an effort to keep you coming back, I have decided that Wednesdays will be "Webgames Wednesday"!!! ***INSERT TRUMPET BLAST HERE*** So, I will be scouring (read, making note of when I happen upon them) the internet for the very best games. Most will be playable through your browser, but I am guessing there will be a few that will need to be downloaded. I will keep a list of them in the sidebar for you to hit when you are bored. Please, feel free to email me any suggestions!

So with no further adieu, I give you JELLY BATTLE. Direct your little Jelly on the path to victory as you play against the computer or other players. I have to say, this is defiantly amongst one of my favorites. Enjoy!

-Scott

Bonus Sunday Post

2007-08-12T20:30:00.000-05:00

I don't plan on doing many weekend posts, but I had to put up this picture. We went over to the Anderson's house last night to decorate their home with some "Welcome home baby" stuff, and they surprised us by being home. Everyone is doing well, so they got to check out a day early. So here is a picture of my baby, holding someone else's baby.

Film Friday

2007-08-10T14:00:00.000-05:00

Good Friday to you all! First of all let me send out a congratulations to a couple of new parents John and Taryn Anderson, as they welcome little Evan to the world. He is a big boy already at over 9 pounds! Congrats you two, on be half of, and I quote "Uncle Poopyhead". I apologize for the language.

Now let me ask you a question.

"Have you ever fired your gun up in the air, and gone ARRRRG?"

No? Well neither had Sgt. Angel till he gets transferred out of London to a not so quiet hamlet in the country. This is the second movie in Simon Pegg and Edgar Write's comedic "homage" series. The first movie "Shaun of the Dead", the duo's tip of the hat to all past zombie movies, became an almost instant cult classic when it was released in 2004. Brilliant dialog, well thought out fast paced editing, and dead on timing make these movies well worth seeing. Though they are comedies, they are not light on the blood and violence, so not one to watch with the kiddos. Luckily for you, they are now out on DVD, so you can pick them up and put the kids to bed, and settle in for two of the funniest movies I've seen in a long long time.

LOOK OUT! SHE'S GOING TO...um...well ok

2007-08-09T08:46:00.000-05:00

I can't say that I would have chosen to take the same risk that these guys did, but what a cool result. These two guys raised a young lioness cub for several years, then released her into the wild. A few years later, they decide to track her down to see how she is doing. That's were we pick up the story.

Oh, and the other lions you see after their reunion, are ones those two had never met.

Video Bananza!

2007-08-07T09:12:00.000-05:00

So I thought if I am going to do this, I'm going to start out strong. Below are 3 movies I have made. 2 are new to most of you; "Enter Shamoo" which is a Music Video and "Getting Rid of Trudy" a short remix of some stock footage of the TV show "Monk". Last but not least was a spoof we did last year of the amazingly funny show "The Office" . Spread the love

And So It Begins

2007-08-06T15:56:00.000-05:00

I make no promises of daily/weekly/monthly updates, or even that this blog will even get off the ground. But, here is the first bit. The bit that begins something that is to last, or that will fall to the wayside like so many that have come before. All I will say is, here's hoping...and here are some funny pictures of when my student workers decided that while I was out for lunch, they should decorate my office for me.

PeaceOut

Scott

The Day My Office Thew Up

Focrylin - The Blog

Frog Force

Kitchen Remodel 09

New Rinando Up

Blog Cleaning

Peep Rescue Foundation

New Rinando Up

It Has Begun...

Yeeeaaaaaahhhhhhhhh! No Tumor for Me!

Growing Up

This Reminds Me Of My Father

No Idea What Your Talking About

In This Season Of Choice, May I Present...

And We're Back

Webgames Wednesday - GemCraft

My Preeeshhhhhhhhiiiisssssssssss...

Guess Who's Comming To Visit -Final Update

Comic Relief

First and Hopefully the Last

TNRPLE AEP

Final Countdown

New Comic Up

Why Did I Get Rid Of My Wii?

O.J. Strikes Again

Aspirations and Dreams

Good News on the Fight Against Teen Pregnancy...

Finnished Finnished....For Now

It Has Begun*

Who Said We Can't Control Time

Frisbee, Bath, and Push Up's

100 PUC: Ketchup (get it...it's a play on words)

WRONG. WRONG. WRONG

I've Hit It Bigtime!

100 PUC: Day 8

Holy...Halo...

100 PUC: Day 7 (so...many...push-ups...*pant*pant*)

Web Game Wednesday: Rocket Mania

YOU JUST GOT SCHOOLED, DAWG!

100 Push-Up Challenge, End of Week 2

100 Push-Ups: Day 5

To Wii, Or Not To Wii

Griff's First Day

Day 4

IT'S A BOY!!!

Comming Soon...Big News

Day 3, Baby!

Stranger Than Fiction

Creative Sweet Mercy That Hurts

100 Push-Up/Sit-Up Challange: Day 1

Wall-E Coyote : Super Genius

Please Hold..... thank you.

Don't Mess With the Monkeys!!!

Reason #1 Not to Drink Alcohol

Funky Friday

When Squirrles Attack

Flowers

Good Apple, Bad Apple

The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

Send Your Weekend Down The Toilet...

Samurai in Grand Rapids - A Webgame Wednesday Tale

Samus, I amus.

Pizza+Turtles+Painters = Film Friday!

WGW And A Fantastic Photo Editing Application

Microsoft + Gaming System = RROD

Good Music You Probably Haven't Heard -- Chapter 1

"I Know Kung-Fu"

Contact Update

Webgames Wednesday

Bonus Sunday Post

Film Friday

LOOK OUT! SHE'S GOING TO...um...well ok

Video Bananza!

And So It Begins

100 PUC: Day 7 (so...many...push-ups...pantpant*)