Chris Vreeland is the genius behind this graphic. He works with Macon at Amplifier. Chris has an old-skool website and a a sort-of blog-thing (his descriptions).Let's get this thing rolling! ;-)
Tuesday, October 21
Visual Rick Roll for geeks
Remember when I posted about Rick Roll? Well, Macon sent me an awesome Rick Astley Venn diagram!
Chris Vreeland is the genius behind this graphic. He works with Macon at Amplifier. Chris has an old-skool website and a a sort-of blog-thing (his descriptions).
Let's get this thing rolling! ;-)
Chris Vreeland is the genius behind this graphic. He works with Macon at Amplifier. Chris has an old-skool website and a a sort-of blog-thing (his descriptions).Let's get this thing rolling! ;-)
Monday, October 20
Still catching up...
Debate followup:
+ Analysis: McCain puts Obama on the defensive
+ Warped facts in last presidential debate
+ Lex made this great comment over at Mark's place:
Paul posted this picture:
Funny stuff (and great photoshopping!).
Election resources:
+ FactCheck.org including FactChecking Debate No. 3.
+ Common Cause: Holding Power Accountable.
Non-politics
+ I totally want my next personal cell phone to run Android (Lifehacker review). Hopefully we'll get a cost-effective option in the next couple years.
Here's the AP review.
+ I was catching up on some SNL and 'Mark Wahlberg talks to animals' is pretty funny (especially if you like Andy Samberg.
I've got more to say, especially on health and fitness (short version: ok), but I'll save it for next time.
+ Analysis: McCain puts Obama on the defensive
+ Warped facts in last presidential debate
+ Lex made this great comment over at Mark's place:
The kind of people who read Zenpundit are not the target audience for the debate. I never watch them. This group — whichever candidate each person is voting for – pay attention to politics and have long ago made up their minds. I know who I am voting for, as does everyone else who reads this blog. We are not part of the group that is undecided until the final weeks of the election.The whole comment, and then the whole thread are worth reading.
Paul posted this picture:
Funny stuff (and great photoshopping!).Election resources:
+ FactCheck.org including FactChecking Debate No. 3.
+ Common Cause: Holding Power Accountable.
Non-politics
+ I totally want my next personal cell phone to run Android (Lifehacker review). Hopefully we'll get a cost-effective option in the next couple years.
Here's the AP review.
+ I was catching up on some SNL and 'Mark Wahlberg talks to animals' is pretty funny (especially if you like Andy Samberg.
I've got more to say, especially on health and fitness (short version: ok), but I'll save it for next time.
Thursday, October 16
My quantum library
Mark posts about the concept of quantum libraries, the books you read over and over again and learn something new each time. He kindly tagged me so here's my take:
The BibleIf you'd like to read more lists, click through on Mark's post above. Friends tdaxp and Lexington Greene included theirs in Mark's comments. Friends Shane and Soob also contributed.
Tolkien's entire Middle Earth corpus including The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion and The Children of Hurin.
All six of Frank Herbert's original Dune books.
Getting Things Done - This book really helped me to get a few things done, which consequently helped my self-concept and outlook a lot.
The complete work of Thomas P.M. Barnett - might seem a little cheesy, but after reading every word the man has written for more than 3 years I still find myself in almost complete agreement with his outlook on international relations.
The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
The work of Tim Keller
Wednesday, October 15
Hated aphorism
+ One of the aphorisms I hate the most: 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.' Obvious contradiction: Some things that don't kill us leave us maimed for life. Here's a supporting point I just ran across:
We’ve all heard that what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, but that is a dangerous oversimplification. Many of the things that don’t kill you can damage you for life.source
Tuesday, October 14
Starting to catch up
Well, I'm back from a week in DC, one reason why you haven't seen much here lately. Here are some of the links I've been saving up:
+ My friend, Mademoiselle Le Frog, showed me this video when I was in DC last week. Hilarious! (Some salty language, so not for Christine and her ilk).
Rejoinder: Wishing Roger Moore would come back (in the bridge) is very bad taste!
+ Tom linked this Economist piece on Amory Lovins. For my part, I like Lovins (as I've written before); may his tribe increase! Almost painless efficiency seems like a no-brainer to me.
+ If you care about the presidential race and haven't checked out FiveThirtyEight.com yet, well, why not? Seems to be the best analysis going by a guy who, among other things, is a successful baseball stat geek (older Newsweek profile here).
+ Mark presents us with this picture:
credit
My comment: Tyranny is a little worse than democracy. The tyranny of the majority is bad, especially when the majority is not using their brains in their personal economic and political choices.
+ Push-up analysis: maybe I'm trying to do too many push-ups. That is, maybe three times a week to abject failure is too many. Back when I was lifting in college (literally half my life ago, which, believe me, I know is part of the 'problem') we only worked each muscle group hard two days a week with two days of rest in between. I definitely have not felt like I'm recovering enough with just one day of rest. So maybe I'll try two. Any pertinent advice?
+ To celebrate their 10th birthday, Google ginned up a retro-search for 2001. Here's mine.
+ My latest TED talk viewing was Jonathan Haidt on moral values and what makes people come out left and right. I don't necessarily buy the whole argument, but it is interesting.
Haidt has a lot of side projects. He wants people to disagree more civilly, and I'm all for that. So much so that I signed the pledge. I mean, who in our circle argues for civil politics more than me?
Strangely, not many people have signed. I'm one of two from SC. Here's one that leaps out at you: the only signatory from Alaska is from Wasilla...
He takes the same moral values angle (he focuses on five) and offers up a ton of questionnaires on YourMorals.org. I came out moderate on Harm, conservative on Fairness, moderate to conservative on Loyalty, moderate to liberal on Authority and arch-conservative on Purity (quirk in the test or other?)
Lots more to catch up on, but that's enough for now
+ My friend, Mademoiselle Le Frog, showed me this video when I was in DC last week. Hilarious! (Some salty language, so not for Christine and her ilk).
+ Tom linked this Economist piece on Amory Lovins. For my part, I like Lovins (as I've written before); may his tribe increase! Almost painless efficiency seems like a no-brainer to me.
+ If you care about the presidential race and haven't checked out FiveThirtyEight.com yet, well, why not? Seems to be the best analysis going by a guy who, among other things, is a successful baseball stat geek (older Newsweek profile here).
+ Mark presents us with this picture:
creditMy comment: Tyranny is a little worse than democracy. The tyranny of the majority is bad, especially when the majority is not using their brains in their personal economic and political choices.
+ Push-up analysis: maybe I'm trying to do too many push-ups. That is, maybe three times a week to abject failure is too many. Back when I was lifting in college (literally half my life ago, which, believe me, I know is part of the 'problem') we only worked each muscle group hard two days a week with two days of rest in between. I definitely have not felt like I'm recovering enough with just one day of rest. So maybe I'll try two. Any pertinent advice?
+ To celebrate their 10th birthday, Google ginned up a retro-search for 2001. Here's mine.
+ My latest TED talk viewing was Jonathan Haidt on moral values and what makes people come out left and right. I don't necessarily buy the whole argument, but it is interesting.
Haidt has a lot of side projects. He wants people to disagree more civilly, and I'm all for that. So much so that I signed the pledge. I mean, who in our circle argues for civil politics more than me?
Strangely, not many people have signed. I'm one of two from SC. Here's one that leaps out at you: the only signatory from Alaska is from Wasilla...
He takes the same moral values angle (he focuses on five) and offers up a ton of questionnaires on YourMorals.org. I came out moderate on Harm, conservative on Fairness, moderate to conservative on Loyalty, moderate to liberal on Authority and arch-conservative on Purity (quirk in the test or other?)
Lots more to catch up on, but that's enough for now
Sunday, October 5
Bad sports life
Latest exhibit:
Longest World Series Appearance Droughts
By The Associated Press
63 years - Chicago Cubs (1945 last appeared)
48 years - x-Texas Rangers-Washington Senators
40 years - x-Washington Nationals-Montreal Expos
32 years - x-Seattle Mariners
29 years - Pittsburgh Pirates (1979 last appeared)
x-never played in World Series
Longest World Series Appearance Droughts
By The Associated Press
63 years - Chicago Cubs (1945 last appeared)
48 years - x-Texas Rangers-Washington Senators
40 years - x-Washington Nationals-Montreal Expos
32 years - x-Seattle Mariners
29 years - Pittsburgh Pirates (1979 last appeared)
x-never played in World Series
Saturday, October 4
More politics
+ Tom has turned me on to Fareed Zakaria, who I quoted in a recent politics post (the one about worldview, scary or not?). I just saw his Palin pan from before the debates today. It's a little dated, but his argument still makes sense to me. Sample:
Can we now admit the obvious? Sarah Palin is utterly unqualified to be vice president. She is a feisty, charismatic politician who has done some good things in Alaska. But she has never spent a day thinking about any important national or international issue, and this is a hell of a time to start.+ Charles Krauthammer says Obama's calm, cool and collected and McCain's a gambler, so Obama will win.
Friday, October 3
Current political thoughts
+ Actually watched most of the debate last night. Palin was good, so she outperformed expectations/fears. All she had to do. Biden was fine.
+ I didn't need Vote Help.org, but they've got a pretty nice tool. Here are my detailed results. I came out a 88.78% match on issues with Barack Obama and a 87.32% match on issues with John McCain. They're not really that different.
+ I made three notes on the debate, stuff I really agreed with Biden on:
+ And, for the sake of truth in reporting: Some facts adrift in veep debate. The Obama/Biden campaign's distortions are disappointing to me, but to be expected, I'm afraid.
+ I didn't need Vote Help.org, but they've got a pretty nice tool. Here are my detailed results. I came out a 88.78% match on issues with Barack Obama and a 87.32% match on issues with John McCain. They're not really that different.
+ I made three notes on the debate, stuff I really agreed with Biden on:
1. what he said on foreign policy, across the boardI totally did not buy Palin's admonition to look to the future. We haven't passed the statute of limitations on the Bush administration, yet. Anybody who's connected to it has to continue to pay the price.
2. champions of the middle class - tax cuts
3. tying McCain to the failures of the Bush administration
+ And, for the sake of truth in reporting: Some facts adrift in veep debate. The Obama/Biden campaign's distortions are disappointing to me, but to be expected, I'm afraid.
Weigh-in and pull-update
Way past time for one of these. Short version: I'm holding steady.
Weighed-in today at 200.5. On the one hand, not making progress. On the other hand, I'm not getting heavier and it took me awhile to gain all the weight, right? Or is that just rationalization?
Anyway, I'm fairly encouraged because I didn't count points on my trip to Austin last week; just tried to take it easy.
On the push-up front, I'm keeping after it, but not making much progress; seriously plateaued. Walter gave me the good idea of 'scaling' if I need to: finishing my push-up workouts with push-ups on my knees, if I need to. So, for example, tonight I did about 70 regular push-ups in 5 sets with 2 minute breaks and finished the last 5-10 on my knees. Don't feel like I'm gaining much here, but will keep after it for now. If you have great advice on how to break a plateau, please send it my way!
Other things to send my way: prayers and well-wishes for continuing to lose weight and get in better shape. Thanks!
Weighed-in today at 200.5. On the one hand, not making progress. On the other hand, I'm not getting heavier and it took me awhile to gain all the weight, right? Or is that just rationalization?
Anyway, I'm fairly encouraged because I didn't count points on my trip to Austin last week; just tried to take it easy.
On the push-up front, I'm keeping after it, but not making much progress; seriously plateaued. Walter gave me the good idea of 'scaling' if I need to: finishing my push-up workouts with push-ups on my knees, if I need to. So, for example, tonight I did about 70 regular push-ups in 5 sets with 2 minute breaks and finished the last 5-10 on my knees. Don't feel like I'm gaining much here, but will keep after it for now. If you have great advice on how to break a plateau, please send it my way!
Other things to send my way: prayers and well-wishes for continuing to lose weight and get in better shape. Thanks!
Wednesday, October 1
Deeply and closely divided
Jonathan Vaught wisely writes in his Facebook status:
Why do we feel the need to draw dividing lines and make them into huge chasms? We take positions, make them out to be more extreme than they really are, villify the opposite positions, and then project everything onto the candidates. It's a no-win system that produces the kind of political shenanigans we get treated to all the time. It's crazy.
Is there any way to fix this thing (not this particular election, which is probably already a loss in this regard)? To make it better?
If Twitter is any indication [and I would add, Facebook], on November 5 one half of the country is going to bitterly, violently hate the other half, no matter who wins.We're deeply divided politically right now. But guess what? The candidates aren't that different. There are things I agree with on both sides. Many others do, too. It's not like we're talking Communists and Fascists here. We're talking degrees of people who believe in free market capitalism and democracy/republic-anism.
Why do we feel the need to draw dividing lines and make them into huge chasms? We take positions, make them out to be more extreme than they really are, villify the opposite positions, and then project everything onto the candidates. It's a no-win system that produces the kind of political shenanigans we get treated to all the time. It's crazy.
Is there any way to fix this thing (not this particular election, which is probably already a loss in this regard)? To make it better?
Sunday, September 28
Politics, planes and Parkinson's
+ We continue to just talk past one another on politics. Just read your Facebook feed from Friday night. GOPs thought McCain clearly won; Dems, Obama.
+ Fallows says the same thing in this article.
Fallows says Obama 'won' the debate by being more convincing to those who are undecided. I'm inclined to agree with his argument, but I am biased.
+ I heard there's very little chance of surviving a water landing on an airplane. Turns out it's happened a few times. There's a chance.
+ Sergey Brin has a new weblog (via) and a post on Parkinson's Disease. After having recently read 'Before the Dawn' on Dan tdaxp's recommendation, I'm more interested in DNA than ever, including in getting my own sequenced with a service like 23andMe (but I'm not willing to drop the $400 right now).
+ Fallows says the same thing in this article.
Fallows says Obama 'won' the debate by being more convincing to those who are undecided. I'm inclined to agree with his argument, but I am biased.
+ I heard there's very little chance of surviving a water landing on an airplane. Turns out it's happened a few times. There's a chance.
+ Sergey Brin has a new weblog (via) and a post on Parkinson's Disease. After having recently read 'Before the Dawn' on Dan tdaxp's recommendation, I'm more interested in DNA than ever, including in getting my own sequenced with a service like 23andMe (but I'm not willing to drop the $400 right now).
Friday, September 26
ACL!
Coming to you live from Austin, Texas (though I'm leaving soon and probably won't post this until I do). Austin City Limits festival is this weekend, but I will not be attending. I've heard of a couple of those bands, but wouldn't take time to actually go.
All that to say, here's my playlist from Austin, which otherwise has nothing to do with ACL ;-)
+ Here's a picture of me at hey cupcake! (credit: Macon):
+ My buddy, Macon, works for Amplifier who ships stuff for Rooster Teeth who makes Red vs. Blue, which still means nothing to most of you. Short explanation: they make movies with Halo. Worth watching if you want a laugh about the difference between real life and the Internet (some adult language/concepts for those of you (Christine) who like your humor pure as the driven snow).
+ Wholey cow. John McCain stood David Letterman up for Katie Couric and Letterman beat the fool out of him.
+ Macon and I were discussing child over-safety, something I like to rant about sometimes. He pointed me to this excellent video, 5 dangerous things you should let your kids do:
I really agree! Now I just have to take the time to do some of these things with the twins.
All that to say, here's my playlist from Austin, which otherwise has nothing to do with ACL ;-)
+ Here's a picture of me at hey cupcake! (credit: Macon):
+ My buddy, Macon, works for Amplifier who ships stuff for Rooster Teeth who makes Red vs. Blue, which still means nothing to most of you. Short explanation: they make movies with Halo. Worth watching if you want a laugh about the difference between real life and the Internet (some adult language/concepts for those of you (Christine) who like your humor pure as the driven snow).
+ Wholey cow. John McCain stood David Letterman up for Katie Couric and Letterman beat the fool out of him.
+ Macon and I were discussing child over-safety, something I like to rant about sometimes. He pointed me to this excellent video, 5 dangerous things you should let your kids do:
I really agree! Now I just have to take the time to do some of these things with the twins.
Sunday, September 21
Latest political commentary
+ I knew there was an SNL imitation of Palin and Clinton, but I didn't know Tina Fey was playing Palin. Wholey moley. Thanks to Shane for embedding this. Hilarious.
+ Analysis: Are economy's fundamentals actually OK?
+ Fareed Zakaria: The World Isn’t So Dark
Zakaria says McCain says the world is scary and Obama has hope. Agree or disagree? I'm inclined to agree, and I agree with Obama.
+ The Shady History of Cindy Hensley McCain's Family
+ Biden gave average of $369 to charity a year (via)
+ Analysis: Are economy's fundamentals actually OK?
+ Fareed Zakaria: The World Isn’t So Dark
Zakaria says McCain says the world is scary and Obama has hope. Agree or disagree? I'm inclined to agree, and I agree with Obama.
+ The Shady History of Cindy Hensley McCain's Family
+ Biden gave average of $369 to charity a year (via)
Saturday, September 20
Tim Keller at Google!
Great Scott! How is it that Tim Keller spoke at Google and I didn't know?!
In case you don't know, Tim Keller is a pastor in Manhattan who is the smartest guy... well, in a really big set. Put it this way: everything he says is the smartest thing I've ever heard a pastor say. Or somewhere near that. He's really smart! And I'll put him up against anyone else's smart guys any day. He can eat Hitchens and Dawkins for breakfast (not hard to do).
Must stop gushing. Here's the video:
In case you don't know, Tim Keller is a pastor in Manhattan who is the smartest guy... well, in a really big set. Put it this way: everything he says is the smartest thing I've ever heard a pastor say. Or somewhere near that. He's really smart! And I'll put him up against anyone else's smart guys any day. He can eat Hitchens and Dawkins for breakfast (not hard to do).
Must stop gushing. Here's the video:
Friday, September 19
Back from the Mouse House
Yep, we spent three days at Walt Disney World, Saturday through Monday, with a day of driving on each side.
I think I should let the pictures tell most of the story, don't you?
We met our friends, Shawn and Kathy Linfoot and their sons Josh and Jensen. We know them from when we lived in Tulsa. Hard to imagine someone it would be easier to spend 3+ days with at Disney. It went really well.
Christine knows everything about Disney and these trips are planned to the nth degree. Not that every minute is filled, but if it's not filled, it's because that's part of the plan.
We stayed at All Star Sports because that's what had vacancies. It was fine. Disney also had a free meal plan running, which is another reason we visited at this time.
One of the cool things about this trip is we did things we'd never done at WDW before (except Christine has been to Animal Kingdom).
Our first full day was spent at Downtown Disney.
The coolest part of Disney Quest was probably the Design Your Own Roller Coaster (whatever it was called). You design it on a computer, then 'ride' it virtually in a simulator, including loops and spins. Very cool. However, I'm not that into thrill rides anymore. I don't like being jerked around. I guess I'm getting old
My favorite part was probably the Alien Invasion game. Second: Pirates of the Caribbean simulator.
Our second full day was spent at Animal Kingdom. The twins and I had never been before. It's a pretty good park. I enjoyed the East African replica stuff (though it's no comparison with the real thing!). Zoo-type stuff does not thrill me. The faux-safari was fine. I know it's a major thing to pull off. It just doesn't do that much for me.
In fact, that's part of the whole thing about Disney that I don't really like: all of the over-the-top pretending. It's no criticism of those who like it. Christine really likes it. It's great for kids. But I don't like it. It's too cheesy to me. Probably I just take myself too seriously, but there you have it. I'd rather just ride around their little savannah without the pretending that we are on a safari.
Crazily enough, one of my favorite parts of Animal Kingdom was the Finding Nemo musical. Now, I'm not a fan. In fact, I've never seen the whole video. But the technical stuff, especially the puppets, was cool.
Christine and Kathy hooked us up with a special safari plus dinner, so we actually did the safari twice.
Our third full day was Blizzard Beach. This was probably my favorite day. No pix yet because they were all taken on waterproof camera. Big fun.
That night we ate at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary Resort. I just don't get into meeting characters and getting autographs and pictures, but that part's not for me, is it? I felt like I was a reasonably good sport.
Our final morning, we had another character meal at the Beach Club.
All in all, a good time. Christine's planning was impeccable. The only question is: how long can I hold her off before she takes us again ;-)
I think I should let the pictures tell most of the story, don't you?
We met our friends, Shawn and Kathy Linfoot and their sons Josh and Jensen. We know them from when we lived in Tulsa. Hard to imagine someone it would be easier to spend 3+ days with at Disney. It went really well.
Christine knows everything about Disney and these trips are planned to the nth degree. Not that every minute is filled, but if it's not filled, it's because that's part of the plan.
We stayed at All Star Sports because that's what had vacancies. It was fine. Disney also had a free meal plan running, which is another reason we visited at this time.
One of the cool things about this trip is we did things we'd never done at WDW before (except Christine has been to Animal Kingdom).
Our first full day was spent at Downtown Disney.
The coolest part of Disney Quest was probably the Design Your Own Roller Coaster (whatever it was called). You design it on a computer, then 'ride' it virtually in a simulator, including loops and spins. Very cool. However, I'm not that into thrill rides anymore. I don't like being jerked around. I guess I'm getting old
My favorite part was probably the Alien Invasion game. Second: Pirates of the Caribbean simulator.
Our second full day was spent at Animal Kingdom. The twins and I had never been before. It's a pretty good park. I enjoyed the East African replica stuff (though it's no comparison with the real thing!). Zoo-type stuff does not thrill me. The faux-safari was fine. I know it's a major thing to pull off. It just doesn't do that much for me.
In fact, that's part of the whole thing about Disney that I don't really like: all of the over-the-top pretending. It's no criticism of those who like it. Christine really likes it. It's great for kids. But I don't like it. It's too cheesy to me. Probably I just take myself too seriously, but there you have it. I'd rather just ride around their little savannah without the pretending that we are on a safari.
Crazily enough, one of my favorite parts of Animal Kingdom was the Finding Nemo musical. Now, I'm not a fan. In fact, I've never seen the whole video. But the technical stuff, especially the puppets, was cool.
Christine and Kathy hooked us up with a special safari plus dinner, so we actually did the safari twice.
Our third full day was Blizzard Beach. This was probably my favorite day. No pix yet because they were all taken on waterproof camera. Big fun.
That night we ate at Chef Mickey's in the Contemporary Resort. I just don't get into meeting characters and getting autographs and pictures, but that part's not for me, is it? I felt like I was a reasonably good sport.
Our final morning, we had another character meal at the Beach Club.
All in all, a good time. Christine's planning was impeccable. The only question is: how long can I hold her off before she takes us again ;-)
Wednesday, September 10
I really hate political punditry
Stipulated: Jon Stewart is not objective. And I'm sure similar clips could be found for liberal pundits.
But the juxtapositions in these clips are just flat out amazing.
This is one reason politics, as normally practiced by both sides, makes me sick.
But the juxtapositions in these clips are just flat out amazing.
This is one reason politics, as normally practiced by both sides, makes me sick.
Monday, September 8
Jane Austen immersion
I bought Christine the abridged, audio Persuasion as read by Amanda Root, who played Anne Elliot in our favorite video version. She loved it. I hadn't had a chance to listen to it, so we started it over the Labor Day weekend and finished shortly thereafter.
I decided to follow it up by re-reading Persuasion last week, which was really fun.
Then we re-watched the video.
Then I got interested in doing a Google map with Jane Austen locales. So far I've done the Big Three (my own designation: Pride and Prejudice, Emma and Persuasion).
Biggest problem: the principal locales of our three heroines are all fictitious, so I had to put shapes in the approximate ares of the appropriate counties. These were helped by distances given to real places in Persuasion (17 miles or so from Uppercross to Lyme) and Emma (16 miles from Brunswick Square in London to Highbury). Persuasion was made easier by the significant role of two real places, Lyme and Bath. Pride and Prejudice, in contrast, takes place principally in three fictitious places: Loungbourne, Rosings Park and Pemberley.
Don't miss the green route that Elizabeth and the Gardiner's took up north (it kind of blends in).
Enjoy!
I decided to follow it up by re-reading Persuasion last week, which was really fun.
Then we re-watched the video.
Then I got interested in doing a Google map with Jane Austen locales. So far I've done the Big Three (my own designation: Pride and Prejudice, Emma and Persuasion).
Biggest problem: the principal locales of our three heroines are all fictitious, so I had to put shapes in the approximate ares of the appropriate counties. These were helped by distances given to real places in Persuasion (17 miles or so from Uppercross to Lyme) and Emma (16 miles from Brunswick Square in London to Highbury). Persuasion was made easier by the significant role of two real places, Lyme and Bath. Pride and Prejudice, in contrast, takes place principally in three fictitious places: Loungbourne, Rosings Park and Pemberley.
Don't miss the green route that Elizabeth and the Gardiner's took up north (it kind of blends in).
Enjoy!
Saturday, September 6
Friday weigh-in (one day late)
198 today. Not too bad.
I held off posting this because I was 199 yesterday and 198.5 last week and I hoped, if I held off one day, to at least get back to 198.5 when I reported to you, so there you have it.
Like I said, not too bad, given the anniversary celebrations last week and general slackitude. Doing ok since then, so hoping for one more good weigh-in this week before we go on vacation this coming Friday.
Push-ups. I got rocked last night. It was pretty disappointing.
I was supposed to do 99 push-ups in 5 sets, ideally with only a minute of rest in between sets. It says to take more time if you need it, so I settled on about two minutes in between sets.
And failed on the last 4 sets. :-(
I did:
25/25
15/17
12/17
10/15
10/25
More doubts about sticking with the 100 push-up challenge, but will stay with it at least for now.
And remember, keep thinking about and praying for me. I sure appreciate all the support so far!
I held off posting this because I was 199 yesterday and 198.5 last week and I hoped, if I held off one day, to at least get back to 198.5 when I reported to you, so there you have it.
Like I said, not too bad, given the anniversary celebrations last week and general slackitude. Doing ok since then, so hoping for one more good weigh-in this week before we go on vacation this coming Friday.
Push-ups. I got rocked last night. It was pretty disappointing.
I was supposed to do 99 push-ups in 5 sets, ideally with only a minute of rest in between sets. It says to take more time if you need it, so I settled on about two minutes in between sets.
And failed on the last 4 sets. :-(
I did:
25/25
15/17
12/17
10/15
10/25
More doubts about sticking with the 100 push-up challenge, but will stay with it at least for now.
And remember, keep thinking about and praying for me. I sure appreciate all the support so far!
Friday, September 5
100!
Well, I did 100 push-ups Wednesday night.
Now, I did them in the space of about 3 hours, which is pretty spread out, but still, not too bad, aye?
Furthermore, something between my diaphragm and chin, including my arms, is usually sore or uncomfortable at this point, even between Friday and Monday, when I get two days off.
With the soreness, I come to my push-ups thinking there's no way I'll finish them all, but I did Wednesday.
100 more tonight, or I'll at least try it. And I need to rest less between the five sets this time (which could well affect my ability to do all 100 in 5 sets).
Still stuck on week three of the Hundred Push-up Challenge. Find myself sometimes wondering why I took this on, when I prefer lifting weights, but I'll stick with it for now.
And I do feel like I'm seeing some difference in tone and mass (either that, or it's just the soreness ;-), so that's a good thing.
Now, I did them in the space of about 3 hours, which is pretty spread out, but still, not too bad, aye?
Furthermore, something between my diaphragm and chin, including my arms, is usually sore or uncomfortable at this point, even between Friday and Monday, when I get two days off.
With the soreness, I come to my push-ups thinking there's no way I'll finish them all, but I did Wednesday.
100 more tonight, or I'll at least try it. And I need to rest less between the five sets this time (which could well affect my ability to do all 100 in 5 sets).
Still stuck on week three of the Hundred Push-up Challenge. Find myself sometimes wondering why I took this on, when I prefer lifting weights, but I'll stick with it for now.
And I do feel like I'm seeing some difference in tone and mass (either that, or it's just the soreness ;-), so that's a good thing.
Thursday, September 4
Chrome review
Ok, I was totally pumped about Google Chrome, I've been spewing it on my Facebook and Gmail chat statuses. People keep asking what I think of it and it's about time I wrote.
Interestingly, this article says the biggest slow-down on the web is Flash. I'm not surprised, but I didn't have it pegged that way. Still, I run the essential Flashblock add on in Firefox, so no surreptitious Flash for me. Lots of good talk in this article, too, about how much CPU load each browser uses.
Overall, I like it. And someday, I bet it's going to be my browser of choice.
But not yet.
I normally have 5 or so Firefox windows open at a time with a number of tabs per window. Sometimes it's more windows and more tabs. Firefox can normally handle this pretty well for me.
So, for trying out Chrome, I switched two of my most common windows (and their tab sets) to Chrome. One window with Gmail and Blogger and one with the stuff I watch for Tom. These all work fine.
Normally I also run Facebook in my Gmail window, but some of the normal Facebook functions don't work well in Chrome, like simply clicking on 'Older status messages'. Nothing happens. Same thing with 'Give gift'.
I should add that I think part of my problem with Chrome is running Firefox at the same time. Both seem to run more smoothly without the other one. In fact, strangely enough, Firefox seems to take up most of my CPU cycles when running both at the same time. The first hour or so that I only ran Chrome this morning, it ran pretty smoothly and quickly.
Chrome also doesn't work right with one of the web apps I have to use for work.
Another Chrome annoyance: clicking on a link in Gmail or launching a tab from Google Reader with 'v' brings that tab into immediate focus instead of loading it in the background, like I am used to and prefer. Easy enough to shift-click or right click, open in new tab, but not as quick and not my established behavior.
Interestingly, this article says the biggest slow-down on the web is Flash. I'm not surprised, but I didn't have it pegged that way. Still, I run the essential Flashblock add on in Firefox, so no surreptitious Flash for me. Lots of good talk in this article, too, about how much CPU load each browser uses.
And, horror of horrors, this same author actually prefers IE8 at this point! ;-)
Without breaking down every one, here are some reviews I've read and enjoyed:
Google Chrome is insanely fast … faster than Firefox 3.0 (via Dan tdaxp)Review: Google Chrome Mostly Glitters
Google's OmniBox is pretty similar to Firefox 3's new location bar, and it's obviously where browsers are headed.
Here's something I haven't seen written elsewhere, though it's pretty obvious: For people who have teenagers crufting up their computer with spy- and adware, or older parents sabotaging their own computers, Chrome with its sandbox approach to security may be perfect.
Irony alert: if Google's trying to minimize the 'chrome', why call the browser 'Chrome'? I like the name enough, but something else would make more sense. Window on the Web. PureWeb. Not suggesting either of those, but something in that vein.
Friends that have weighed in on Chrome:
My poor friend, Mlle. Frog, has very good geek credentials, but so far thinks Chrome is a tool ;-)
Good buddy, Paul, sent this review: Google Redefines Web Browser
In the end, what I'm most excited about when it comes to Chrome is the next release. I wonder how long that will be.
Enough from me. What do you think of Chrome?
Tuesday, September 2
I am such a geek!
Google's coming out with a new browser today and I almost can't stand waiting! In case you live in a cave ;-)
+ A fresh take on the browser
+ No Joke: Google Introduces The Chrome Browser With A Cartoon
+ The two sites that are eventually supposed to serve the download:
+ A fresh take on the browser
+ No Joke: Google Introduces The Chrome Browser With A Cartoon
+ The two sites that are eventually supposed to serve the download:
http://www.google.com/chrome(Don't ask how many times I've reloaded them ;-)
http://gears.google.com/chrome/?hl=en
Monday, September 1
The movie '21'
The two best things about this movie, which we watched last night, were not really about the movie:
- The opening song was 'Time to Pretend', though the arrangement was not as good as the original.
- It was based on a great-sounding book, Bringing Down the House. I certainly enjoyed the excerpt in Wired, which I linked in this post, back in 2002. I heartily recommend reading the excerpt instead of watching the movie.
10 things to know about me
I have had this tab open for the longest time. Steven tagged me. The rules:
Title a blog post "10 Things to Know About Me" and list ten things that anyone who wants to know you well, to know who you really are, would have to know. But for the sake of brevity, each of the 10 Things must be expressed in 25 words or less, and 1 Thing must be expressed in only 1 word.
- In some ways, I believe in historic Christianity more strongly than ever. OTOH, I'm usually at an almost total loss for how to live it.
- Bad Sports Life: Cubs, Vikings and Hawkeyes
- I am an extrovert who really loves being deeply connected to people. I have had, literally, not one friend here in Columbia until this year.
- I love music but came embarrassingly late to the golden age of REM, New Order, The Smiths and The Cure.
- I only have the capacity to add a few new bands per year. This year's 'finds' are MGMT and The Killers.
- Like Steven, I love rainy nights. Unfortunately, I think of Eddie Rabbit's song about them every time.
- I often think in ads and late 70s/early 80s TV.
- I sometimes worry that, in Wil, I am creating a 'monster' that only I think is hilarious; a father's prerogative.
- I love Iowa and would like to move back there. But did I love it before? Would I? Can you go home again?
- G(af)TD
Sunday, August 31
Olympics - All-time hardest and videos
+ I'd swear I've written this before, but I can't find it here on my weblog. The hardest athletic event I can think of is balance beam. How do little girls do it? Tiger Woods won't hit without silence. These little girls backflip on four inches with music blaring for the nearby floor exercise, clapping for other events and announcements. How do they do it? Truly amazing.
+ kottke had a great post about Olympic moments on YouTube:
How about you? What did I miss?
+ kottke had a great post about Olympic moments on YouTube:
One of the best ways to watch the Olympics is to chase down all the references made by NBC's commentators on YouTube and watch them in addition to (or instead of) the regular telecast. Here are some of the ones I've found.He's got some great stuff there I'd encourage you to check out. The two that make my greatest hits are:
- Kerri Strug's nailed vault on an injured leg, Atlanta, 1996 (which, lest you forget, though they thought they needed to win, they did not).
- Greg Louganis, Seoul, 1988, hitting his head then coming back to win the gold.
- The Miracle on Ice., Lake Placid, 1980. Still gives me chills.
- Torvill and Dean, Bolero, Sarajevo, 1984. I know Jaq and Kathy hate Bolero, but I don't, and this might be one reason why.
- Mary Lou Retton's perfect vault, LA, 1984.
- Australia's 4x100m relay at the 2000 Sydney games, anchored by Ian Thorpe.
How about you? What did I miss?
Stokes champ election
+ This issue of Sports Illustrated includes one prediction that the Cubs will make the World Series, one that the Vikes will make the playoffs, and two that the Pats will win the Super Bowl. I am doomed ;-)
+ My friend Benet, who happens to be African-American, has a nice post about the historical nature of the Obama nomination in terms of her own family's history.
+ defective yeti mostly does comedy, but here's an interesting piece of political analysis: choosing such a young and inexperienced VP candidate will give the Dems more license to talk about McCain's age and health.
+ Remember when I posted about having coffee with the Stokes clan but no picture. Well, this is pretty much what they looked like (down to Mary's car with bike on back):
Such great folks! It's like being with family :-)
+ When they visited, Paul gave me the book Mover of Men and Mountains, the autobiography of RG LeTourneau. Very interesting book about a pioneer in the earth moving and heavy equipment industry. Out of his Christian conviction he resolved to keep only 10% of his profits and gave the rest to charity.
+ My friend Benet, who happens to be African-American, has a nice post about the historical nature of the Obama nomination in terms of her own family's history.
+ defective yeti mostly does comedy, but here's an interesting piece of political analysis: choosing such a young and inexperienced VP candidate will give the Dems more license to talk about McCain's age and health.
+ Remember when I posted about having coffee with the Stokes clan but no picture. Well, this is pretty much what they looked like (down to Mary's car with bike on back):
Such great folks! It's like being with family :-)+ When they visited, Paul gave me the book Mover of Men and Mountains, the autobiography of RG LeTourneau. Very interesting book about a pioneer in the earth moving and heavy equipment industry. Out of his Christian conviction he resolved to keep only 10% of his profits and gave the rest to charity.
Friday, August 29
Friday weigh-in
198.5!
Hooray! I lost 2.5 pounds last week! Finally, something more than 1!
The Weight Watchers site, when I put my weight in today, said something like 'We don't recommend that you lose more than 2 pounds a week. Please change your approach.'
Me: Are you out of your mind? ;-)
Anyway, it's a nice surprise because, as I wrote in my belated post last week, I totally fell off the Points wagon Friday, Saturday, and some of Sunday. But I was down to 198.5 by Wednesday. Up a little Thursday, but back down today. Hooray!
Impossibly hopeful wish: If I could keep up 2 pounds a week, I'd be down to my goal by December 12th. Seems kind of unrealistic, though. I mean, there's our anniversary, Disney World Vacation, probably two business trips, Christine's birthday and Thanksgiving. What do you think? I think it's too much to hope for.
How many times have I had to get down below 200 again? I think this is the 4th. That sucks.
The desperate prayer that always comes to mind:
'Dear God, please don't let me get up above 200 ever again.'
Obviously I've been the problem, and this is not a mature prayer, but there you have it.
Push-ups continue to go well for my part. I hedge because some genius thought it was a good idea to go from 69 push-ups at the end of week 2 to 99 on the first day of week 3. Not possible, at least for me. I did all of the first 4 sets, 74, but only 10 of the last set of 25. I'll either stay on this day until I can complete it or repeat the week until I can complete it. We'll see.
Thanks for your continued support. Keep those thoughts and prayers headed my way.
Hooray! I lost 2.5 pounds last week! Finally, something more than 1!
The Weight Watchers site, when I put my weight in today, said something like 'We don't recommend that you lose more than 2 pounds a week. Please change your approach.'
Me: Are you out of your mind? ;-)
Anyway, it's a nice surprise because, as I wrote in my belated post last week, I totally fell off the Points wagon Friday, Saturday, and some of Sunday. But I was down to 198.5 by Wednesday. Up a little Thursday, but back down today. Hooray!
Impossibly hopeful wish: If I could keep up 2 pounds a week, I'd be down to my goal by December 12th. Seems kind of unrealistic, though. I mean, there's our anniversary, Disney World Vacation, probably two business trips, Christine's birthday and Thanksgiving. What do you think? I think it's too much to hope for.
How many times have I had to get down below 200 again? I think this is the 4th. That sucks.
The desperate prayer that always comes to mind:
'Dear God, please don't let me get up above 200 ever again.'
Obviously I've been the problem, and this is not a mature prayer, but there you have it.
Push-ups continue to go well for my part. I hedge because some genius thought it was a good idea to go from 69 push-ups at the end of week 2 to 99 on the first day of week 3. Not possible, at least for me. I did all of the first 4 sets, 74, but only 10 of the last set of 25. I'll either stay on this day until I can complete it or repeat the week until I can complete it. We'll see.
Thanks for your continued support. Keep those thoughts and prayers headed my way.
Wednesday, August 27
Johnny and June
Christine and I are watching Walk the Line and we like it pretty well. Most historical movies send me to Wikipedia to research the real history.
In this case, I'm looking to YouTube, too.
First off, Phoenix and Witherspoon's performances are amazing. All the more reason to look back at the real thing:
I Walk the Line - unfortunately (in a 'sad when relationships are broken', non-moralistic sort of way), Johnny was not 'walking the line'.
Jackson - Witherspoon is much prettier than Carter, but there's no denying Carter had all kinds of personality (as played up in the movie). Carter's vocal style is almost Broadway (which Witherspoon mostly did not match).
It Ain't Me, Babe - I was pretty sure this was a Bob Dylan cover.
Johnny Cash & June Carter, 1967, rare footage - interesting mostly for the interaction between June and Johnny he'd kicked his drug habit and they were married.
Upon finishing the movie, it could be called 'The Apotheosis of June Carter' ;-) She definitely comes across as a saint.
In this case, I'm looking to YouTube, too.
First off, Phoenix and Witherspoon's performances are amazing. All the more reason to look back at the real thing:
I Walk the Line - unfortunately (in a 'sad when relationships are broken', non-moralistic sort of way), Johnny was not 'walking the line'.
Jackson - Witherspoon is much prettier than Carter, but there's no denying Carter had all kinds of personality (as played up in the movie). Carter's vocal style is almost Broadway (which Witherspoon mostly did not match).
It Ain't Me, Babe - I was pretty sure this was a Bob Dylan cover.
Johnny Cash & June Carter, 1967, rare footage - interesting mostly for the interaction between June and Johnny he'd kicked his drug habit and they were married.
Upon finishing the movie, it could be called 'The Apotheosis of June Carter' ;-) She definitely comes across as a saint.
Love's angel queen
I don't know why, but Juice Newton's song Love's been a little bit hard on me popped into my head today. The video is really painful, but if you liked it back in 1982 you might enjoy listening to it again now.
While you're traipsing down memory lane, here's Queen of Hearts (also bad video) and Angel of the morning (barely tolerable video; didn't notice the cheesy arrangement when I was 9 ;-)
While you're traipsing down memory lane, here's Queen of Hearts (also bad video) and Angel of the morning (barely tolerable video; didn't notice the cheesy arrangement when I was 9 ;-)
Tuesday, August 26
Olympics wrap-up
Well, it was a great, fun Olympics. A few last thoughts:
+ Good article from the recent SI. As much as I'm a huge advocate of peacefully rising China, it's important to remember that they have a long way to go on freedom and human rights. The IOC and NBC both took it pretty easy on China.
As for China authorities, the pretty little girl stood in for the more homely singer. Digital fireworks were added to the original picture. No protests were approved, and some who applied were reportedly detained. Tourist visa requests were denied. Foreign protesters were deported. And some suspiciously little girls helped China win the women's gymnastic team gold medal.
+ As the same article said, and Bob Costas waxed eloquent about at the close, the people of China were very friendly, helpful and welcoming. And we hope those people get more freedom as soon as possible.
+ Someone said somewhere that the US shouldn't try to match China's medal haul. I basically agree with that. If we want to invest more money, that's great (especially private money). But, they have a system we can't and don't want to replicate.
+ Another good article in SI about how Michael Phelps is not the greatest Olympian of all-time, bar none. That's probably right. Others had impressive longevity. Greatest single Olympics performance of all time? No question. Among the very short list of greatest Olympians? Indubitably.
+ My faves: Michael Phelps (of course), Shawn Johnson (Iowa, represent!), the Dream Team (despite myself, to some degree), and Usain Bolt.
+ All in all, a lot of fun, and I got surprisingly into it. Wonder if that'll ever happen again. We'll see...
+ Good article from the recent SI. As much as I'm a huge advocate of peacefully rising China, it's important to remember that they have a long way to go on freedom and human rights. The IOC and NBC both took it pretty easy on China.
As for China authorities, the pretty little girl stood in for the more homely singer. Digital fireworks were added to the original picture. No protests were approved, and some who applied were reportedly detained. Tourist visa requests were denied. Foreign protesters were deported. And some suspiciously little girls helped China win the women's gymnastic team gold medal.
+ As the same article said, and Bob Costas waxed eloquent about at the close, the people of China were very friendly, helpful and welcoming. And we hope those people get more freedom as soon as possible.
+ Someone said somewhere that the US shouldn't try to match China's medal haul. I basically agree with that. If we want to invest more money, that's great (especially private money). But, they have a system we can't and don't want to replicate.
+ Another good article in SI about how Michael Phelps is not the greatest Olympian of all-time, bar none. That's probably right. Others had impressive longevity. Greatest single Olympics performance of all time? No question. Among the very short list of greatest Olympians? Indubitably.
+ My faves: Michael Phelps (of course), Shawn Johnson (Iowa, represent!), the Dream Team (despite myself, to some degree), and Usain Bolt.
+ All in all, a lot of fun, and I got surprisingly into it. Wonder if that'll ever happen again. We'll see...
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