ENoa's Blog

Roku 1080p and Vizio 1080p

2012-01-14T08:18:00.001-06:00

The two roku boxes we have at home work great. They support 720p for most streamedtelevision. 1080p support is available but only for a handful of video feeds,and not for major services like Netflix or Hulu. There are now a handful of devices thatsupport 1080p for Netflix.

According to this page on the roku website, the Roku 2supports 1080p for Netflix. However the roku 2 has changed their lineup. Only the top two models the XD and XS support1080p. All units support wireless, butonly the XS has an Ethernet port, which is ideal if you have access to an Ethernetport.

I also learned about a new Vizio streaming box for about thesame price as the roku that supposedly supports 1080p. It doesn’t seem to have better services available,but it does have Ethernet and WiFi connectivity, two HDMI ports and DLNA support.

Finally roku has announced a new device for TVs with ahigh-definition port, a new port available on a growing number of new TVs. It’s about the size of a flash drive and fitsinto a computers USB outlet. The fingersize device fill function like a roku box, but will be much smaller and won’trequire an independent power source. Sounds exciting!

Now if I could only get ESPN and the Big 10 network on myroku, I’d cut the cord from cable. Lackof sports, football specifically, remains the missing link for me.

Locatelli Cheese

2012-01-10T17:49:00.000-06:00

I love locatelli cheese, it’s a high quality romano cheese. Very dear family friends are nice enough to bring me a wedge of it every time they visit from the east coast. I love it. My two youngest sons love it. My folks love it. My brother and sister love it. My wonderful wife and eldest son hate it and call it ‘foot cheese’, because they think it smells like feet. I couldn’t disagree more. I’m going to have linguini with white clam sauce for dinner and I thought a little fresh grated locatelli on top would be perfect. I offered a little taste of cheese to my darlin’ wife who said she’d rather lick my foot.

Foot Surgery - the sequel

2011-11-12T07:37:00.001-06:00

Last Tuesday I had foot surgery. I had more extensive work done on my right foot three years ago, this was restricted to the toe. The procedure basically straightened my right toe, removed an anchor from the first surgery and removed or restructured the bump on the side of my foot. It had been causing some mild to moderate pain, hopefully this gives me long term relief and a little more power from my toe\foot. I've been on some serious pain killers. It's left me extremely tired, but otherwise I am none the worse for wear. Here is the 'damage'. At least I can get around fairly well in the boot.

Tom Clancy - Dead or Alive

2011-11-06T14:34:00.000-06:00

My father in law loaned me 'Dead or Alive' one of Tom Clancy's latest books. I've always been a fan of the Jack Ryan series of Clancy novels, but I stopped reading them after 'Bear and the Dragon', when Clancy switched from Jack Ryan to Jack Ryan Jr. I have to say how pleasantly surprised by 'Dead or Alive' It's well written (which is no surprise for a Clancy novel), exciting and relevant for the current time period, as opposed to his early books like, "The Hunt for Red October". All of the old characters I remember are there, just as vivid as ever. It feels very much as if I am revisiting an old friend. I have about 200 pages to go, and I've borrowed 'Teeth of the Tiger', the first Jack Ryan Jr book which I skipped. In December the Next Jack Ryan book is coming out. I am eagerly looking forward to it.

Lots of cooking and lots of kids

2011-11-06T14:33:00.000-06:00

Lots of cooking and lots of kids this weekend.Yesterday I made Italian Beef and Risotto. Today I am making turkey and beef chili. I'm using up a lot of leftovers and things in the cupboard. It's funny with three young boys we seem to go through food at an alarming rate, yet it's also spilling off the counters on the floors with regularity. When I moved into my current house I thought the kitchen and house were huge and would never be filled. Now it feels like we are bursting at the seems. Despite all the food I picked up four pizzas this afternoon. My eldest son has two classmates over. They are trying to build a bridge out of toothpicks for science class. My two younger sons each have a friend over. Grabbing a couple of pizzas seemed like a good move, but no one is hungry. I guess we'll have even more leftovers.

The Captains

2011-11-02T17:31:00.000-06:00

This week I watched, ‘The Captains’ a new documentary by William Shatner about the five actors who played captains in the various incarnations of Star Trek. I really enjoyed the documentary and although I am an avid Star Trek fan I learned a few new things and enjoyed hearing each of the actors reflect on their experiences. William Shatner has a strong and unusual personality and he is admittedly an acquired taste. I tend to like Shatner’s eccentricities, but others may find it a bit distracting. William Shatner interviewed each of the actors one at a time, interspersed with interludes of his own travels and visits to Star Trek conventions. He appears to have a realy friendship with Patrick Stuart, and their interaction felt the most natural. The interview with Kate Mulgrew was good, and he seemed they seemed to get along well enough, although Shatner went off on a bizarre tangent about women not being able to hold high political office. It appeared to be the first time he met Scott Bakula and Chris Pine. I’ve always liked Scott Bakula as an actor, but he seemed to be a genuinely interesting guy and a real fan of classic Start Trek. William Shatner’s interaction with Avery Brooks was very odd, mildly uncomfortable and in some ways it stole the show. Avery Brooks is an accomplished jazz musician and instead of answering interview style he played light jazz on the piano interspersed with answer in song and ‘spoken word’. Shatner couldn’t resist and started interjecting his own improvised song and lyrics. They worked out an uneasy style by the end of the interview, but I swear Avery Brooks was ready irritated and ready to deck Shatner early on.If you are a die hard or causal Star Trek fan, put his on your list. It’s worth a look.

A Wrinkle In Time

2011-10-30T11:43:00.002-06:00

My son and I read "A Wrinkle In Time" by Madeline L'Engle for his school book report. I read the story when I was a little older than him and recall really enjoying it, although I could not remember much. I enjoyed it all over again. It was a bit advanced for my nine year son but he did well and wound up with an A+ on his book report. Today I stumbled on a TV\direct to video release of "A Wrinkle In Time" by Disney on netflix. It's not great, but considering it was a direct to video style production, it was quite enjoyable and a nice way to finish the experience with the book, particularly for my son.

Roku follow up.

2011-10-29T10:00:00.001-06:00

In June I purchased a roku

in an effort to cut down on my cable bill. I subscribed to Netflix instant streaming service and hulu plus. We've changed a bit from our original configuration but after nearly 6 months I'm happy to report it's worked very well and it's drastically changed how we watch television. We've also saved some money on our cable bill.The biggest problem with the roku is an HDMI handshake. You can read about how HDMI works and HDMI handshake issues here. My Phillips LCD TV and Roku XDS had a handshake problem. The result is a green screen instead of a picture. This problem can be solved by re-seating the HDMI cable or by turning the Roku on and off. Reseating the HDMI cable causes unwanted ware and tear on the HDMI port. I've read posts from people who have had a spark when doing this repeatedly and burning out the HDMI port on there TV. This doesn't appear to be common, but I didn't want to run the risk of this. The Roku is basically a mini computer, so restarting it takes 2-3 minutes, too much time when you are ready to plop down and enjoy some TV.

I solved the problem by running my HDMI cable through a manual three port switch. This resolved avoids rebooting the roku and resetting the cable. If I get a green screen due to a handshake issue, I can cycle through the three ports on the switch, causing a new handshake and the problem is gone. The cable is ugly, but the problem is fixed. There are no first run television shows on Netflix, so I though Hulu plus was going to be a must. However, we cancelled Hulu plus last month. The interface was clunky compared to Netflix and watching commercials was a drag. It wasn't awful or 'broken' but it was enough of an impediment that we basically stopped using Hulu Plus. We find enough television on Netflix alone that we barely watch standard cable. Neither Netflix nor Hulu Plus have first run CBS shows or sports, and this may be a big drawback for some. I am not a big sports watcher. I like to watch a little NFL here and there, but Illinois Football is my big passion. Dropping the big 10 network to cut back our cable bill was going to hurt. I was pleasantly surprised the Comcast's 'Economy' cable package included Big 10 Network in standard def only. It's not as fun as watching the game in HD, but it's still fun. I miss the games on ESPN but occasionally they are on one of the major networks and I can still catch the game.I would highly recommend the roku as a cheap solution to lower your cable bill, but it's important to understand what you will and won't be able to watch before making the move. On my wish list for the future is a mini\media PC. I can watch Netflix and hulu standard through a media PC, and I can watch shows direct from the network web sites, such as CBS, NBC, etc... I'll wind up watching TV with a mouse and keyboard but I think this is the best way to get the most bang for your buck. You can buy remotes for your PC, but I think the keyboard will suit me fine.If you watch Hulu and other services through your Roku, DVD player, Wii, etc.... you may find that there are some shows labelled, "Web Only". You can only watch them on your PC. Plugging a media PC directly into the TV would avoid this particular problem.All in all, the Roku has been a very satisfying and money saving experiment. The money savings couldn't have come at a better time, now that I have a teenage son driving. It really helped offset those insurance costs.

Crave Truck

2011-10-29T09:34:00.001-06:00

A few months ago a colleague of mine at work arranged for the 'Crave Truck' to make a stop in the mid-afternoon. Last night the Crave Truck was at St Matthew's Church for this years Trunk or Treat. Crave is a family owned business started by high schooler, Zachary Ware. Zach has a passion for food and a passion for fast cars. The crave truck combines the best of both to bring Chambana the latest food trend: Artisinal Food where the people are– on the streets.

The Crave Truck specializes in Street Waffles They use their own recipe made from scratch each day. Made from a yeast dough instead of a baking powder batter, these waffles are Belgium’s other waffle. They have all the fresh ingredients found in a great brioche along with a secret Belgian ingredient. This ingredient is part of what makes the Street Waffle different from any other Belgian waffle. Take a look a there menu here:

I would highly recommend seeking out the Crave Truck. These waffles are treat not to be missed. Watch for the crave truck in Downtown Champaign, Downtown Urbana, Campustown. Friday mornings- on the corner of Hessel Blv. and Neil (actually BEHIND the Circle K) in Champaign and Saturdays 7am-Noon- at the Market at the Square, Urbana’s farmer’s market at Lincoln Square Mall.You can also follow them on twitter for up to the minute news on where to find the truck.

Roku

2011-07-01T10:11:00.001-06:00

I purchase two roku units in early June and cut way back on cable service. We had two DVRs and a pretty extensive lineup of channels through Comcast. Now we have one DVR and the economy plan. We subscribed to Netflix steaming service and hulu plus, for a total cost of $17 per month. After recouping the cost of the roku, which are $75 each, we’ll be saving a lot of money.

The Roku with Netflix and hulu plus has really changed the way we watch television. We only kept cable to watch particular shows that are not (yet) available through Netflix and Hulu. Other than the shows we record on the DVR, we never watch cable. It’s all on demand viewing via Netflix and Hulu. I don’t think our kids have watched any television through cable since the switch.

The savings and selection are nice, but there is a downside. First and foremost, there are almost no live sports through the Roku. You can watch live baseball for a fee, but I only watch Big 10 football. I will sorely miss that.

The biggest problem impacts some television models and Roku has been trying to resolve it for 4 years+ Sometimes when switching to the Roku you will only see a green screen. This only occurs if you are using an HDMI cable with specific television sets. I want to use the HDMI cable to get a 1080 picture when it’s available. There are a variety of ways to work around this problem. You can restart the Roku but this takes 3 minutes. You can reseat the HDMI cable but this is hard on the cable and I’ve read you can damage the cable or the HDMI port on your Roku or TV. Reseating the cable every time you want to watch TV is a real drag. I have found if I switch from a HD signal off another HDMI device to the Roku it’s fine 100% of the time. If I switch from a standard def signal or a device using component cables, it produces the green screen 100% of the time.

I’ve read you can set your Roku to 720p max or use component cables, but I really want that 1080p picture when it’s available, so I haven’t tested these methods.

Roku forums and support have been pretty good. I had trouble setting up one of the two units I purchased and their support staff did an excellent job resolving the issue. Information on the green screen issue has been inconsistent and unclear.

Now that I have a way to make my roku work 100% of the time, I’m quite happy with the purchase. It’s a nice addition and has really changed how my family watches TV.

No Cable TV?

2011-05-14T15:06:00.001-06:00

I am interested in dumping my cable TV and just keeping internet. I’d like to buy a streaming device or higher end blu-ray player with streaming capability. Right now it seems to make sense to buy a mid-level Roku and augment it with an antenna for local TV. I’ll post some links below about the products I’m thinking about. Anyone have experience or recommendations?

I'm looking at the mid-level roku. http://www.roku.com/roku-products#2

It would be nice to have an internal antenna, so I don't have to mount it outside, but I'm not sure if they work well.http://www.amazon.com/RCA-ANT1650-Digital-Amplified-Antenna/dp/B0027FGW3K/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1305406281&sr=1-1

If I did a higher end blu-ray, I'd look at something like this:http://www.amazon.com/LG-BD570-Network-Blu-ray-Player/dp/B0036WT1RW/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1305405905&sr=1-2

Toilets, why does it have to be toilets.

2011-01-01T16:58:00.003-06:00

Toilet issue #3.

Remember this: http://enoa4.blogspot.com/2009/10/home-repair-saga.html

or this: http://enoa4.blogspot.com/2006/09/toys-in-toilet.html

Well we've got a new toilet issue for January 1st 2011. I ran to the store and came back to reports of a overflowed toilet and a leaking ceiling. The upstairs replacement toilet featured in this story http://enoa4.blogspot.com/2009/10/home-repair-saga.html was clogged and overflowed. This has caused some damage to the ceiling in the floor below.

The ceiling is damp, cracked and sagging a little. The floor is fine. Serve Pro is on their way. Here we go again.

Black Swan

2010-12-27T21:31:00.001-06:00

My wife and I were able to slip out and see a movie tonight thanks to my oldest son, who was nice enough to watch his brothers. (Thanks Sean, watching your brothers is #429 on my list of reasons you rock. ) At any rate, we saw ‘Black Swan’ starring Natalie Portman. I like Natalie Portman a great deal, I like the arts, and I like thrillers. I thought this was a terrible movie. Neither my wife nor I liked it. It was supposed to be a dark psychological thriller. I didn’t find it scary, in fact I found myself laughing at the what was supposed to be scary. I like all kinds of movies, mainstream, art, sci-fi, drama, mystery, comedy, old, new and consider myself to be a bit of a moviephile. I rarely get bored with movies, even bad ones that I’ve seen more than once, but this was tough to pay attention to. I was bored, not scared, didn’t care about the characters, and guessed what the resolution was going to be after 10 minutes. It was bad. I looked it up on Rotten Tomatoes when I got home and was STUNNED to find it’s getting 88% positive. I don’t get it.

The Most Interesting Man in the World

2010-11-01T20:56:00.002-06:00

This is my favorite ad campaign. The best line, 'He speaks French, in Russian.'

The HTML Gnome

2010-10-15T17:21:00.006-06:00

I brought in a garden gnome for my friend and co-worker a month ago. He had no furniture and he hates mushrooms with a passion. The gnome is sitting on a big mushroom. The gnome took on a life of his own. We have been working for months on a re-build/relaunch of our main web site. He quickly became known as the HTML-gnome. We put the gnome in the office of our marketing director, who is leading the redevelopment project and it got a lot of strange looks and comments. It spent a month, prominently displayed on or near her desk. Gnomes have also made brief appearances in the new web site as 'Easter egg' jokes.

We launch on Monday. Today is the last full big push before we turn the key on the new site. We the gnome and an owl on our desks with notes, and donuts holes. The HTML gnome turned in a vacation slip requesting 40 hours off because he had been working so hard. The owl, is 'Mo' the marketing team mascot, and he's here to keep an eye on the gnome.

Buttitta's

2010-07-06T18:44:00.002-06:00

I took my wife and Grandmother out to dinner at Buttitta's tonight. I have wanted to try it since it opened several months ago. I was very impressed with the food and service. The prices were reasonable and the atmosphere was pleasant. I would highly recommened it to anyone. My wife and I may have found our new favorite resturaunt.

I had the Chicken Galena, my wife had Barramundi and my grandmother had raviolli. Everything was fantastic!

Check out the full menu here: http://buttittascu.com/index.html

Disney World

2010-06-21T18:59:00.002-06:00

After much planning and saving my wife and I were able to take our three wonderful kids on a trip to Disney World. Here are a few photos.

Oil Spill Deja Vu

2010-06-01T18:06:00.000-06:00

Farewell Lost

2010-05-24T18:58:00.001-06:00

I was a latecomer to LOST, but it was one of the best TV shows ever. The series finale was amazing. Just for fun here are three alternate endings to the show:

Boatload of children

2010-04-01T16:46:00.004-06:00

After a rather intense day and week of work I returned home to start what I hope will be a relaxing three day weekend. I was suprised and amused to find a crowd of children racing back and forth across my front lawn. Four older neighborhood boys were playing basketball in my driveway. My kids were racing around with some younger kids. My great grandmother in law was watching from the front step, she had just dropped off the younger boys from Tae Kwon Do. My neighbor who runs a day care was also watching, and had a couple of very young kids running back and forth from her yard to mind.

I don't mind one bit at all, but the level of activity was both unexpected and amusing. I did not expect a boatload of children when I rounded my corner but there they were.

When I opened the garage door to park my van, a throng of them ran in and then back out carrying an assortment of toy lightsabers, and balls. It was really something to see.

Great Family Day

2010-03-20T20:29:00.004-06:00

I spent most of the day with my family.

My younger two kids had Tae Kwon Do belt tests. My youngest earned his first belt, a yellow belt, and my middle son earned his third belt, a green belt. My oldest was there for one of the tests to support an encourage his younger brother.

This was followed by a play date for my middle son, which went extremely well. Everyone played well, no fights, and they kept themselves very well occupied.

Next it was off to my folks. My dad was teaching my wonderful wife about woodworking. She has a lot of intrest in the topic and a lot of interest in tinkering with light home repairs. My father is a home repair and woodworking guru. We had a light dinner with my parents (which was great), relaxed and headed home.

The kids went to bed I was surprised to see my middle son appear in the door of the home office. My wife was working and I was keeping her company working on a hobby of mine. At any rate, my middle son gave us a hand written note which read:

Dear Parents,
Thank you for a home and food and shelter and cloze and freinds and helping me on my blet test. Love [middle sons name]

This was followed by a copy of his schedule for tomorrow, which included 'fun with parents among other things. At the bottom was a picture of my wife, him and me.

How cool is that.

One man a cappella tribute to John Williams

2010-02-18T08:27:00.000-06:00

Correspondence with a friend

2010-02-01T17:24:00.002-06:00

Here are two recent emails from ongoing daily correspondence between a friend and I. There are the actual emails word for word. I'll let you wonder which is mine.

----------------------------------
To this simpleton's palate there reside yet few foods that can register true epicurean delight. Loftiest among them is the meatball. How grand a vision you delivered to me of steaming pots bristling with a battalion of these pan-fried crumbling concoctions slithering amongst one another within a hot tomato bath. Neither the armed will of spartan soldiers nor the entreaties of greek philosophers could compel this aging revolutionary away from a kitchen so enlivened as yours must have been on that day. My dearest Abigail, observing me in this state, has deemed me lost to Lucifer's will, the insidious devil having, with the greatest alacrity, traded away from the dangling of tobacco and spirits in favor of that singular vice from which this Achilles suffers - the meatball.

Your humble servant.

- - - - - -

Dear Sir, — The wishes expressed, in your last favor, that I may continue in life and health until I send you a Meatball, to evoke the exclamation of `mon Dieu! jusque à quand'! would make me immortal. I can never send half a meatball in addressing you when only a whole not the part would suffice. Indeed I think that every culinary pallet gives a great handle to sauced meatball that, without a revelation, there would be tomoato sauce on their cravat. Please give my best to dearest Abigail.

Going Batty at Work

2010-01-20T10:15:00.003-06:00

While I was leaving the office after work yesterday I notice a small brown blob on the wall, about 5 or 6 feet over my head. I couldn't quite make it out but my friend and co-worker Bruce recognized it as a bat! He's been there all night, we're speculating he died in the cold. Here are some photos.

Click on each image for a larger view.

Those were the droids you were looking for.

2010-01-02T09:29:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas

2009-12-24T07:48:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas blog readers!

Sponge Bob Lego

2009-12-20T18:17:00.002-06:00

My middle son received a Sponge Bob lego set. My good friend Bruce hung around an helped me build it. It took well over an hour, but we work pretty good as a team. Here is a result, and my two young boys who also approve of it.

(Thanks for the assist Bruce.)

Bowling Cake

2009-12-20T17:50:00.002-06:00

We celebrated my middle son's birthday. He's 8. My mom always makes cool themed cakes for my kids. My son wanted a bowling themed cake. Here is the result.

(way to go mom... great job)

My folks, brother, sister and me. (1978)

2009-11-30T19:20:00.002-06:00

Here's a photo of my folks, brother, sister and me from 1978!

9 Year Anniversary

2009-11-28T16:16:00.001-06:00

My wife and I have been married 9 years (and three days). We're going out to celebrate tonight.

I love you sweet wife!

2009 Family Video

2009-11-28T16:13:00.003-06:00

The 2009 Family Video has been edited and an initial render has been prepared succesfully. I've been preparing the family videos as gifts for about 6 years now. I think I've finally figured out how to sidestep most of the big issues. For example, if I render the video as a DVD it will fail every time. The video is long enough and contains enough photos and transistions that it crashes. However, I can render the video as a single AVI without any difficulty. This single AVI will render as a DVD with no trouble, so I use as the basis for the final copy and add all the menus at the last minute.

This years video clocks in at 36 minutes. That's pretty close to what I've been hitting the past few years. I'm satisfied with it. Hopefully everyone will enjoy it.

My youngest son (6 years old) thanked me for working hard on the video. That really made my day.

Cool Leaves!

2009-11-20T19:08:00.002-06:00

http://niemann.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/17/bio-diversity/

Home Repair Light – Broken Doors

2009-10-30T17:30:00.006-06:00

I came home tonight (Friday night) ready to kick back and relax at the end of another work week. My eldest son was kind enough to empty the dishwasher upon request but accidentally broke a new thermos. I went for the vacuum to clean up the shards of class insulation that shattered. They key to the closet door would not work. I fumbled with the keys for a few minutes before I notice the door was smashed in several degrees beyond where it was supposed to be. I could see the molding the door rests against was smashed back into the door frame. Several good tugs and the door snapped back into position, and then I was able to unlock and open it.

The molding for the door was smashed in and all the nails had been pulled out. It looks like it rested on heavy duty staples to keep in place. I was quite upset about the door, and asked my eldest son if he knew what had happened. He did not but said he noticed it a few days ago. I asked if he was aware of any other broken doors and he motioned to the door below the kitchen sink.

Sure enough that was broken too, as if someone had kicked it in. The recessed part of the door frame had been punched out the back take the sturdier wood that surrounded it with it.

I vacuumed first.

Then I managed to pull the closet door back into place. I used nails that were comparable in length to what was there, but I don’t believe they were nails intended for wood. Still the door if functional and the nails won’t be seen by human eyes. The frame is fixed but if you look you can tell it’s not quite where it was and a small amount of unstained wood is visible.

The kitchen door under the sink was much more difficult. The wood itself was shattered, cracked and damaged. I took the door off and was able to push the recessed piece of wood back into place with some effort. The shattered wood is glued back on. It would have been smart to hold it together with clamps overnight, but I can not find our clamps. I secured it under something heavy for about 30 minutes (the remainder of my patience for the evening the reattached the door. From the outside the door looks ok, but it’s quite stress and damaged. Although no one knows how it was damaged, clearly it will not withstand a second blow of the same force.

My eldest son and I agreed that there are only three people in the house with the strength to damage doors in this manner; his mother, him and me. We agreed that we would both be extra careful about the force we use when opening and closing doors. We also agreed they would not be closed by kicking them ever again.

This says it all...

2009-10-26T18:01:00.001-06:00

Home Repair Saga

2009-10-21T09:41:00.005-06:00

I've taken today and this Friday off to be around while work is being done at the house. Thankfully my folks and my in-laws have been able to watch the house earlier this week. (THANK YOU!!! YOU GUYS ROCK!!!)

This is the final phase of the home repair due to the leaky toilet saga. If you are not familiar with the story here are the relevant links to the earlier chapters.

* Part 1: The saga begins
* Part 2: Clean up and restoration.
* Part 3: It's dry, we're ready to fix it

This previous weekend Shannon, Shannon's folks and I moved all the furnature to make room for the workers to do their stuff. Monday and Tuesday they scraped the ceiling. Today (Wednesday) they sanded and primed. It sounded like the ceiling would be sprayed today, dry over 24-36 hours then be painted on Friday. That's changed a few times. We heard they'd spray today, tomorrow, then the latest is they can do it today. If so this is great their will be no work done tomorrow. After the painting they may not be able to get the fan and fixtures up. Sounds like they might get that done on Saturday, but we'll see. If they can't it will be next Monday. Shannon and I are anxious for the house to be back together.

Here are photos of the house under construction:

Monday Night October 19th:

Today, Wednesday October 21st:

Thanks to all who have helped with this repair effort!

Sounds like there is more prep today and the ceiling will indeed be sprayed tomorrow. UGH! Guess I've got to hustle around and see if I can find help watching the house tomorrow, or I'll telecommute/take more time off. Either way it will get done. I sincerely hope the fixtures can go back in on Friday or Saturday. I do not want this to bleed into next week.

Blue Man Group

2009-10-18T18:34:00.001-06:00

I've been aware of Blue Man Group for years, but never heard or watched much. I saw most of their Megastar Rockstar concert on HD TV tonight. Fabulous stuff. I am now officially a fan.

Blue Man Group - Drumbone
Uploaded by garthy4u. - Watch more music videos, in HD!

A Good Week

2009-10-18T12:57:00.003-06:00

It's very easy to focus on the challenges we are facing day in and day out. It also tends to be what we share with others. This week had some minor challenges for me, sick children, busy schedules at work, preparing for some home repair, I did not do particularly well with diet or exercise his week, etc... but it also was a very good week. I had many wonderful moments with my wife and kids. I saw a fascinating motivational presentation at Central High School that my son recommended. Most of all I am left feeling upbeat and happy do to comments I received related to work.

This past week was the annual leadership workshop where I work. Leaders from various chapters around the United States and internationally were all in town for a few days. I went to a meeting to listen to comments and questions about some projects I am involved in. While there I was surprised and humbled by how many people seemed to know who I was, and took time to express appreciation for the work that I do. One individual in particular shook my hand and said that many people across the country were benefiting from the work I was doing, and that it was both appreciated and noticed. I feel much appreciated in general at work, but I was deeply flattered and humbled that this person took the time to say something so kind. It really made my week. It’s the kind of thing I needed to write down and remember on days that do not seem as positive.

Avatar

2009-10-18T12:52:00.002-06:00

I'm officially excited about the new James Cameron moving coming out this December. His stuff is always entertaining, and often exceptional.

3 Questions for a Redneck Engineer

2009-10-10T08:56:00.001-06:00

Question # 1:

How much does a house weigh?

Question # 2:

How much weight can a rural two-lane bridge Hold???

And

Question # 3

WOULD THIS BE COVERED BY

HOME INSURANCE,

CAR INSURANCE,

OR, DOES

IT COME UNDER ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE ???

Y' ALL HAVE A GREAT DAY NOW, YA' HEAR!!!!!

Dancing Baby

2009-10-06T12:26:00.001-06:00

Tales of my sons.

2009-09-19T17:44:00.001-06:00

My middle son and his friend came tearing through the house, a little wet. They stopped and accused my youngest son of picking up the sprinkler and getting them wet. Then my youngest son came through soaked, dripping water on the floor. When I asked him if he sprayed his brother he told me, 'No I haven't been near the water' with a completely straight face.

This past thursday, I walked upstairs to find five small children. Two were my own. One was a little boy from the neighborhood, and the other two, well I don't know who they are or where they came from. My wife seems to have the situation well in hand. I promptly turned around and walked back downstairs.

My eldest son ran a cross country meet today. I was extremely impressed and proud of his performance. I have never been able to do anything quite like that, I have bad feet that have always made it difficult for me to run long distances.

The Bathroom Saga

2009-09-15T12:09:00.002-06:00

Well the saga continues.

I met with Serv Pro today. The downstairs has dried out. Tomorrow a construction boss will check it out and recommend a method for fixing the ceiling.

The floor of the upstairs bathroom has not dried out. Tomorrow they will demo it and in the very near future, replace it.

Shannon is meeting with the claims adjuster now to make sure we're in good shape on all of this.

If you need to catch up, here are the first two parts of the saga.

Part 1

Part 2

Star Trek Humor

2009-09-14T07:16:00.001-06:00

Star Trek & Monty Python

Star Trek & The A-Team

Toilet / Water Damage Clean Up

2009-09-13T06:08:00.002-06:00

Shannon wisely called the insurance company. We leaned that if we didn't take steps to preserve the property insurance might not covern any claims, so we had Serv Pro come out. Serv Pro directly bills insurance and works with them, so that's a pretty good deal. At any rate, I was wondering how much help we would need, but I am very glad we called them.

Here's a video with the gear the brought in:

They had a sensor that could detect moisture in the walls and cealing, I knew ceiling would act like a sponge but I was truly surprised at how far the water had spread. It even went down into one wall.

When it's dried out the ceiling can be repaired. They may take out a large area of the ceiling, otherwise it won't match. It's very loud in our house right now due to the fans, but it's getting done.

The lipstick issue

2009-09-12T06:38:00.002-06:00

This is a funny story posted by a friend of mine, Trey, on Facebook.

According to a news report, a certain private school in Washington was recently faced with a unique problem. A number of 12-year-old girls were beginning to use lipstick and would put it on in the bathroom. That was fine, but after they put on their lip stick, they would press their lips to the mirror leaving dozens of little lip prints.

Every night the maintenance man would remove them, and the next day the girls would put them back.

Finally the principal decided that something had to be done. She called all the girls to the bathroom and met them there with the maintenance man. She explained that all these lip prints were causing a major problem for the custodian who had to clean the mirrors every night (you can just imagine the yawns from the little princesses).

To demonstrate how difficult it had been to clean the mirrors, she asked the maintenance man to show the girls how much effort was required.
He took out a long-handled squeegee, dipped it in the toilet, and cleaned the mirror with it. Since then, there have been no lip prints on the mirror.
There are teachers ... and then there are educators

Cracked Toilet and Wet Ceiling

2009-09-12T05:35:00.006-06:00

I need a cup of coffee.

I got up about 30 minutes ago, around 6am, to alarmed voices about a problem in the boys bathroom. I was worried we had an issue that would rival the infamous toys in the toilet incident, but it's not quite that bad. Unforunately the problem was upstairs and we've got some ceiling damage downstairs in the living room.

Here's a photo of the toilet:

It took me about 15 minutes to find the hairline crack running along the back of the tank. I spend my time initially checking all the seals and the hose running from the wall to the toilet. It never occured to me the ceramic tank was damaged, I didn't think three young boys could do that during the course of normal usage, but alas there it is. For now the water is off and the tank is drained.

So the real problem is downstairs, water accumulated in the floor all evening long and then damaged the ceiling below. Here are some photos of the damaged section of the ceiling.

The crack is just under a foot in length, but the damaged section is about 3-4 feet long.

I did a quick search and it looks like the toilet tank will cost around $60. I am most concerned about matching the toilet color. Shannon told me, it's
bisque. I'm color blind and I know how to work with plumning but the color is a bit beyond me. When I search for a 'toilet tank bisuqe' I get fancy looking 'Elizabethen' tanks which are twice as much. Maybe it will only be $60.

The real question is can I fix it before the Illinois Game.

The ceiling is a bigger concern. I've got the nearby ceiling fan on, hopefully helping dry it out. Perhaps it's not that wet despite the crack. It would be nice if it simply dried out in a day or two and then allowed for a quick patch. My wife has patched a popocorn ceiling. We'll have to wait and see.

======= UPDATE =========

I learned tanks and toilets do not match and are not universal. The recommendation is to replace the entire toilet. That's what I'll be doing this afternoon. The budget went from about $60 for a tank to $250 for a toilet. I've got the toilet, I just need to lug it up the stairs and get to work.

======== UPDATE =========-

The hose running pipe to the fill valve in the tank is about 2 inches too short. Otherwise, I am pretty much there. I'm going to have to run out and get a replacement. However at the moment, I am solo dad with my two younger boys, and my eldest may call for a ride any momement. My brother graciously offered to help, perhaps I'll give him a call.

======== UPDATE =========

It's finished. It works. My wife will call the insurance company about the ceiling, but my part is done, at least for now. Where did my Saturday go?

Good interactive quiz on email phishing scams

2009-09-11T12:00:00.002-06:00

Below is a link to an online quiz regarding email security and phishing scams. 10 email messages are presented in the quiz, you must decide if the email is legitimate or a phishing scam. When the quiz is complete, information is provided why each message is or is not a phishing scam.

http://www.sonicwall.com/phishing/index.html

See if you can spot the fake messages.

Swine Flu Advice - latest info from Dept. of Health

2009-08-28T11:28:00.000-06:00

Latest info from Dept. of Health...

If you wake up looking like this, don't go to work

IT Work in the Middle Ages

2009-08-26T15:52:00.002-06:00

This is awesome. This really is what IT work is like sometimes.

Interesting blog post on health care

2009-08-23T07:42:00.001-06:00

My friend Terry has a fascinating blog on economics. I've got a permenant link to the left of this blog. He recently posted again about health care. It was very interesting and worth a read:
http://terrynomics.blogspot.com/2009/08/ten-things-that-truly-have-not-been.html

The Fishman Cometh

2009-08-18T17:17:00.005-06:00

Last Friday at during a Lunch & Learn (training) meeting I won a major award. No, not a leg lamp, nor a Red Rider BB Gun, I won a jar of Pickled Red Fish. Although I was not inclined to eat it, my 14 year old son was keen to give it a try. When he saw the fish first hand he decided
discretion was indeed the better part of valor and much to his mother's
relief he changed his mind. Thus there were no brave souls at the Noa
household willing to tackle the pickled major award.

Two co-workers had expressed interest in the fish, so I brought it
back to work with me yesterday morning. They did indeed sample the fish
and reported first hand that it was indeed edible, despite a rather
pungent odor. Both felt that one bite of the delicacy was more than
enough to satisfy their culinary curiosity, so I was still left with one
jar of Picked Red Fish.

If sent an email to the rest of the office offering them a taste or if they were inclined the entire jar. I did warn them to hurry as the hazardous
materials team will be arriving later this week to carefully dispose of
whatever remains.

Spiderman's Been Webbed!

2009-08-18T16:46:00.005-06:00

My wife noticed a Spiderman Action Figure had been left on our back deck overnight. It looks like something decided to web Spidey!

Looks pretty cool!

I couldn't resist posting a few quick photos.

Fun at the fair

2009-08-16T18:04:00.003-06:00

My mother took Shannon, the boys and I to the Illinois State Fair today. We had a great time.

Here is my middle son (7 years old) on the power jump ride at the Illinois State Fair.

Here's Shannon and the younger boys on the Ferris Wheel.

Eldest Son's Award Winning Artwork

2009-08-16T17:57:00.002-06:00

I posted earlier that my eldest son won 3rd place for a painting at the Illinois State Fair.

Here is a photo of my son with this painting.

Here is the painting alone.

Here is the art that beat his.

...and the other painting that placed ahead of his.

He entered a sketch in another category that did not place.

The other painter in the family

2009-08-12T18:12:00.003-06:00

I've posted about my son winning awards at the state fair and the county fair. Well my wife is a painter of another sort. Ok, not really but I have fabulous photos of her applying water proof stain to our fence in the back yard.

3rd Place in State Fair

2009-08-11T13:08:00.001-06:00

My eldest son won 3rd place in the Illinois State Fair for his painting of a lioness. (the above picture of the lioness is old and is not complete, I'll post updated photos when I can.)

Here's a link to the Illinois State Fair web site.

Lost from Comic Con

2009-07-29T12:38:00.002-06:00

I listen to the Lost Transmission, a podcast on. They are or rather were, just at Comic Con in San Deigo and watched the Lost a panel. They have audio from the panel in a special podcast which I recommend checking out. If video is more your speed, I found this blog post featuring video and audio from the panel.

I'm not quite done with the podcast, but so far just a lot of fun and not too many spoilers. They do seem to be indicating one of my pet theories about season 6 may be true.

It's good to get a Lost Fix.

1979 Klingon Happy Meal

2009-07-28T13:23:00.001-06:00

Award Winning Art at the County Fair

2009-07-27T06:59:00.009-06:00

My eldest son, who's just a week shy of 14 years old, entered four pieces of artwork in the Champaign County Fair. He earned three 1st place awards and one 2nd place award.

His oil painting of a lioness won 1st place in it's category.(the above picture of the lioness is old and is not complete, I'll post updated photos when I can.)

(this is the completed work at the fair)

His pastel drawing of a classmate won 1st place in it's category.

His charcoal drawing of a girl in an apple orchard won 1st place in it's category.

His oil painting of the eight cylons from Battlestar Galactica won 2nd place in the open category.

I will modify this post when I have photographs of the artwork.

Vinny's East Coast Pizzeria

2009-07-24T11:35:00.003-06:00

I had lunch at Vinny’s East Coast Pizzeria today and was very happy. It’s been 15 years since I’ve had a slice of New York style pizza and they got it pretty darn close. I read the owner has 15 years experience in the food service industry and spent most of it in Manhattan. I’ve been waiting eagerly for this place to open. There has been other ‘East Coast’ or ‘New York’ pizza places in Champaign, but they were terrible.

I worry that there menu may be a bit too diverse, sometimes this causes problems when a restaurant tries to do too much. East Coast style pizza is unlike anything you can get around here, it may not be for everyone but it made me very happy. I talked to the cooks after having my slice of cheese and slice of sausage. I told them I grew up in NY and it had been 15 years since I had a real slice of pizza. They all cheered and enthusiastically asked me to come back and tell others. I assured them I would.

I highly recommend giving it a try. Pizza is available by the slice for lunch and dinner.

You can read a bit more in this News Gazette article

Birthday

2009-07-22T16:57:00.002-06:00

My birthday was last Sunday. Thanks to all who made it very fun and memorable.

My day started off great. I was sound asleep at 6am then, "WHAM" the bedroom door is slammed open. My middle son (7 years) yells, "Happy Birthday", runs to the side of the bed, gives me a kiss, then sings happy birthday. Then he runs back out and "WHAM" slams the door closed.

I close my eyes and get comfortable again, very happy that the first thing he did was come wish me a happy birthday.

Then..."WHAM" the door slams open. My youngest son (6 years) is standing in the door. "Happy Birthday Dad", he yells. Then he sings happy birthday, trots to the side of my bed and gives me a kiss. He runs back out slamming the door behind him. "WHAM!".

What a great start to a great day.

My eldest son, wife, and the rest of my family all helped make it a great day, but that's the most I've ever enjoyed such a loud wake up call.

Second Saugatuck Trip

2009-07-12T15:51:00.002-06:00

I just returned from Saugatuck, MI with Shannon and the boys. Shannon's folks rent a nice cabin up there twice a year and invite us up to spend some time. They took the boys last weekend and Shannon and I had a few rare days of one on one grown up time. We missed the boys dearly but it was a very nice break. Thursday we drove up and spent three nights in Michican resting and relaxing.

Our youngest (6yrs) cried when we arrived. It was all for attention, he wasn't really upset. Shortly thereafter he was smiling and telling me they were tears of joy. My middle son (7yrs) said it was good we came up because he couldn't remember what I looked like. My eldest son (13) had some stomach woes and was a bit subdued at first, but we got to take a boat cruise together before the visit was done for some quality father son time together.

Following are pictures from the boat cruise, "The Star of Saugatuck" and from around the town. If you have access to my flicker account loads of additional photos will be posted shortly.

i.Saw - The World's First USB-powered Chainsaw

2009-07-08T15:07:00.001-06:00

ISA's president sent this to me and a few other people at work. It's really funny and worth a look. i.Saw - The World's First USB-powered Chainsaw

Old Time Meat & Deli

2009-07-04T15:07:00.001-06:00

If you live in the Champaign/Urbana area I highly recommend checking out Old Time Meat and Deli. Their product is outstanding and the service is great.

Russian Volcano Shocks the World

2009-06-24T09:16:00.001-06:00

This was posted on the Discovery Channel Web Site

Russian Volcano Shocks the World
June 22, 2009
In the pantheon of awesome images of explosions, this has got to rank pretty high. Astronauts floating high above earth in the International Space Station snapped this shot of Russia's Sarychev Peak volcano in the Kuril Islands busting through the atmosphere on June 12 (click on the image for full-size).

As NASA scientists M. Justin Wilkinson writes, conditions had to be perfect to get this shot -- there must be almost no wind for the plume to shoot so high into the atmosphere undisturbed.

The white stuff at the top of the ash cloud is probably condensing steam. And that halo of clouds surrounding the eruption is what happens when a powerful explosion rips into the atmosphere -- the shock wave literally pushed the cloud cover out of the way.

Minor Storm Damage

2009-06-18T13:47:00.002-06:00

I was worried about a repeat of the great flood here at work when a pretty heavy storm hit this morning. Lots of rain, lots of lightning and pretty intense winds.

I was rather alarmed when I saw my brand new gas grill being blown off my back deck at 7am this morning while eating breakfast. I screamed, 'Shannon the grill is going to blow away.' The kids were scared because I yelled and Shannon thought I said, 'Shannon the grill is going to blow up.'. Fortunately it neither blew away nor blue up. I saved it but it was pretty exciting.

There were several very large tree limbs down and one of them took out two planks in our brand new fence. Shannon was a trooper and waded through the water to recover the plank in our neighbors yard.

The Big Bang Theory

2009-06-18T13:44:00.002-06:00

My friend Bruce loaned me season 1 of The Big Bang Theory on DVD. I'm not sure that Shannon is sold on it, but I am definitely, officially a fan.

Terrynomics

2009-06-12T07:11:00.003-06:00

I reconnected with Terry, an old friend on Facebook a month or two ago. I have greatly enjoyed my correspondence with this gentleman and have even talked on the phone once or twice.

In 1994 Terry wrote the first online trading system which later became Ameritrade. He then went on to found Automated Financial Systems, a provider of financial software to banks and brokerages. Terry has held senior management positions at SunGard, a US based Fortune 500 software firm, and Brokat AG, a German based technology firm.

Terry now muses on economics, politics and foreign policy while preparing for an expanded family.

I started reading his blog on economics and was extremely impressed. Although he hasn't posted since just before the birth of his son I am going to book mark his blog. It's definitely worth reading.

The main address is: http://terrynomics.blogspot.com/

However I recommend reading this specific entry:
http://terrynomics.blogspot.com/2009/02/debt-deflation-is-progressive.html

The posts are long and the subject matter is complicated but it is excellent information and very well written.

Reply to Son's Letter

2009-06-05T06:57:00.002-06:00

My oldest son applied to Uni High recently and was not accepted. He wrote them a letter requesting they reconsider. The letter was fantastic. Yesterday he received a reply. It did not change anything but he did receive a positive and personal reply. I am very proud of him. Here is the letter (click on it for a full size copy)

My New Grill, aka the Genesis Device, aka My New Chest Freezer

2009-06-04T18:09:00.004-06:00

My birthday came early. I got a new Weber grill. My old grill literally fell apart after a 11 year run. This new grill is a monster and I was able to test it out tonight.

In 'Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn', the villian steals the Genesis Device, a device that can reorganize matter at a subatomic level to create life. I was thrilled to learn the model name of my grill is 'Genesis'. So I'll be referring to my grill as either the Genesis Device or the Genesis Torpedo. AWESEOME!

I had a hunch my wife was going to arrange this gift and Lowe's let the cat out of the bag with a few telephone calls letting me know about the delivery. They didn't say what it was, but I pretty much knew. Shannon said we were getting a new chest freezer. We've also been calling it our new chest freezer and we've taken to calling the gas canisters, bags of ice.

I'll probably alternate between grilling out on the chest freezer and the gensesis device for a long time.

I took it out on a shake down cruise tonight, grilling up a pair of burgers really quick. It's easy to use and I am quite happy with it. Tomorrow night I'll grill out for a crowd. It should be fun!

Han Solo PI

2009-06-04T06:55:00.002-06:00

My friend Bruce showed me this awesome Magnum PI Parody featuring Han Solo.

Here it is showing both side by side:

Here is the Han Solo clip alone.

Good Computer Security Article

2009-06-01T15:33:00.002-06:00

My friend Bruce sent me this link to an excellent security article. This is a must read if you have ever felt safe while using a computer connected to the internet.

Letter of Reconsideration from my eldest son

2009-05-28T06:49:00.010-06:00

My eldest son applied to Uni High (the University of Illinois Laboratory High School). Yesterday he received a rejection letter. He took the news well and is excited about the classes he'll get to take at the school he will attend, but he decided to write a letter asking to be reconsidered. I wasn't sure how far he might get, but I thought this was highly commendable.

Then I read the letter he wrote and was even more impressed.

Here is the letter:

Dear Mr. XXXXXXX,

It is not exactly public knowledge just how you evaluate and accept students into Uni, and I know that it is hard to find room even for the select few that do make it in, but I believe that you are making a mistake in not accepting me.

So far you have read three letters of recomendation from people who have given you their opinions of me from their point of view. You’ve evaluated my test scores and essay, as well as my application, and something in one or more of these things fell short of the mark, because someone was accepted ahead of me.

I am an artistic person who tends to perceive things a little differently than the average person. I don’t play video games in my spare time, I paint and draw. I have practiced the martial and aesthetic arts since I was three years old. I’m a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and to earn that I’ve had to overcome asthma. I can tell you the strategic plan that Hitler had for Operation Babarossa, the attack on the Soviet Union, and I can tell you why this plan failed and how. I can run a two-mile race in under 13 minutes. I can tell you how to make gunpowder with no saltpeter. If you are willing to sit for five hours I can paint a museum-quality portrait of you that will one day be worth a fortune. I can tell you the name of the National Socialist Propaganda Minister of 1938 Germany, the place of Blackbeard’s death, Bartholemew Robert’s favorite liquor, the tactics of the Battle of Cowpens, the material of Washington’s artificial teeth, the producer of ABC’s Lost, and I can salsa dance if I have a partner my height. Above all this, I can see what is bigger than myself. I can see things from the perspective of others.

I believe that this small sample of my unique qualities shows that I am a very unique person with very unique gifts that would contribute a great deal to your school. I respectfully request that you reconsider your decision and accept me into your school.

Mr. XXXXXXX, I understand that it may be too late to alter your decision about accepting me into Uni and I can, to some extent, see this letter and my request from your point of view. I don’t know how many letters such as this that you get every time you have to turn students away, but I imagine that they are fairly few in number, and I hope that from them this letter stands out.

I thank you very much for reading this, and I anxiously await any reply you choose to give. Enclosed are pictures of my recent paintings and drawings, one of my poems, and my alternate history of WWII, now posted on a wiki.

Thank you for the unique opportunity to apply to your school, and I once again would like to thank you for reading this letter.

Sincerely,

XXXX XXX

He did include all of the items mentioned in his letter, which are equally impressive.

What an amazing person, and I don't think that's just fatherly pride speaking.

Nice Article in the Local Paper about my father-in-law

2009-05-25T07:48:00.002-06:00

There was a nice article in the local paper about the work my father-in-law does. Here is a copy:

The News-Gazette.com

Local attorney is glad to help children - and he does it for free
By Mary Schenk
Sunday May 24, 2009

URBANA – With 39 years of legal experience, Jack DeLaMar could likely earn $500,000 a year as a lawyer.

But the former litigator, prosecutor and judge is using his legal skills in a far less monetarily lucrative field: advocating for children whose parents can't or won't care for them.

His salary: $0. His reward: immeasurable.

For his work as the lead attorney for the Champaign County Court Appointed Special Advocates program, DeLaMar will receive the John C. McAndrews pro bono service award from the Illinois State Bar Association at a June 26 luncheon in Fontana, Wis. He is the sole recipient from among 11 nominees.

Pro bono is Latin meaning "for the good" and refers to hours worked for free.

CASA serves as a voice for abused and neglected children in court. The agency is the appointed legal guardian for the children and its trained advocates follow court cases and make independent recommendations on behalf of the children to the judge.

DeLaMar, 63, of Champaign, has worked as CASA's main attorney for free since December 2002, when he retired after 23 years as a Champaign County judge. For the last couple of years, he's had help from two other part-time attorneys.

Mahomet attorney Holly Jordan, herself a recipient of the award in 2001, nominated DeLaMar, citing his work of more than 2,000 hours per year for the past seven years.

"The emotional toll of abuse and neglect on any player – the judge, the lawyers – I can't think of an area of the law that takes more out of you. It was his assignment when he was a judge," Jordan said. "He could have (asked for another assignment), but he never did.

"That's part of what is so extraordinary about his whole story. This is the area of the law that he wants to do."

Retiring CASA executive director Gigi Lambert said without DeLaMar's willingness to work for free, CASA would not have been able to act as the guardian ad litem (court-appointed guardian). That status was conferred on the agency simultaneously with DeLaMar's retirement from the bench in December 2002. DeLaMar was also instrumental in getting the CASA program started in 1994.

"His generosity allowed us to become a guardian ad litem program, to become a party to the case and have a lot more involvement in what was going on in the life of the children," Lambert said.

Many CASA programs across the country act only in the "friend of the court" mode, she said. In some states CASAs are tax-supported. That is not the case in Illinois. Champaign County CASA derives its income from donations and a contract with the Champaign County judiciary to act as the guardian ad litem. The $72,000 annual contract is a bargain for the county, which would have to otherwise pay individual attorneys an hourly rate to represent children, an amount Presiding Judge Tom Difanis estimated at closer to $200,000.

"I've made a career of spitting out the silver spoon," DeLaMar laughed about his earning potential.

He jokes that he did his ladder-climbing in reverse. After getting his law degree in 1970, he worked with Thomas, Mamer & Haughey, a prestigious Champaign law firm. He left there in 1973 to work in the Champaign County state's attorney's office. After six years as a prosecutor, he was appointed to the bench as an associate judge. Judicial salaries were around $33,000 in 1979, he said. Circuit judges in Illinois now earn about $170,000 and associates about $162,000.

He had enough time in the judicial retirement system to draw an 85 percent pension. Without that, he said, he couldn't pursue his passion for advocating for abused children for free.

For the first few years as CASA's lawyer, DeLaMar was putting in well over 40 hours a week. With the addition of Carrie Kmoch and Peggy Pennacchi as part-time attorneys a couple of years ago, DeLaMar said he's been able to scale back slightly but his workweeks still hover around 40 hours.

"When you think about it, it goes beyond generous to be able to volunteer that many hours," said Lambert, who met DeLaMar in the late 1980s when she and her late husband were foster parenting. "It was a very selfless act on his part and his family. We took up a lot of his time."

Lambert was planning to retire at the end of the summer but a diagnosis of bladder cancer in March pushed her out the door sooner. And DeLaMar has stepped up to fill that role as well until a new director can begin in mid-June.

"What he's done has been extraordinary," said Ann Einhorn, also a retired Champaign County associate judge and a member of the CASA board of directors for three years.

"I did the abuse and neglect caseload. I know the toll. These are not easy cases. Everyone wants to make the world right for a child. In many of these cases, you simply can't," Einhorn said.

Champaign County CASA serves 584 children in about 310 families.

DeLaMar agreed about the emotional toll and said that's where having Kmoch and Pennacchi, who he said complement his work style well, really helps.

"There are times when you just feel like you're done. They usually don't last. Another case comes along and you have a lot of energy you didn't know about until that happens," he said.

Although his cell phone number is always available to the children and families for whom he's working, he tries not to get too attached.

"You do have to maintain professional objectivity or you just can't do your job as a lawyer. Everybody feels the emotion. You're terrified of doing the wrong thing for a child."

Find this article at:
http://www.news-gazette.com/news/2009/05/24/local_attorney_is_glad_to_help_children_and_he_does_it_for_free

V returns to ABC this fall

2009-05-22T13:34:00.000-06:00

Looks like ABC is being revived as a new TV show this fall.

I recognized Elizabeth Mitchell from Lost and another actor who was in Fringe early during the first season. The original V seems pretty bad now, but I sure enjoyed it when I was younger. Who knows... maybe it will be half decent.

Award Winning Poem

2009-05-21T10:53:00.000-06:00

My eldest son was given an award during his 8th grade graduation for a poem he wrote:

Snow on Tulips

We heard birds for the first time in months.
Basked in the rays of the clear shining sun.
The trees came back to life; the people came out.
We thought winter was over and done.

The sight of a snow-filled ball diamond was gone,
Talk of swimming already in the air.
The people’s gardens were no longer choked with ice;
Tulips had begun to grow there.

And then, quicker than it came, the sun was gone.
On the ground where flowers now grow.
A fluffy white powder comes with a new cold.
The tulips are covered in snow.

Case my wife is involved in

2009-05-15T12:36:00.001-06:00

My lovely wife has a big case she's involved with. It just hit the news today.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/business/stories.nsf/story/32ACD29A32AE57D4862575B70002546B?OpenDocument

http://messages.finance.yahoo.com/Stocks_(A_to_Z)/Stocks_Y/forumview?bn=57522

My lovely wife burned her hand

2009-05-14T18:01:00.000-06:00

My wife nearly burned her hand on our broken refridgerator. It's broken and will be replaced. While disconnecting it she touched what I believe is the compressor. It was quite hot. There was a recall that started our fridge woes, the compressor was in danger of catching on fire. I have a funny feeling it still is.

Cold and Wet

2009-05-13T13:39:00.003-06:00

I am thankful that I have a dry warm backup sweatshirt at the office.

Around 10:45am all hell broke loose at work. Bruce, my co-worker and good friend, noticed water seeping in under the shipping doors near the server room. He opened them an water poured in. It looked like something out of a submarine movie. Everyone was leaping in to action. I ran to the outside of the shipping doors, and it the water was deep. I took off my shoes and socks and waded in up to my knees, fishing around for the drain, which I got clear. I stayed there for a while, when the corkscrew pattern in the water stopped or slowed, I re-cleared the drain, but even with the drain it wasn’t keeping up.

I went back around to the rear of the building, from the upper floor and went back down the lower floor to help on the inside. There were two more lower floor doors to check. Sure enough the next door had water rushing under it just as I approached. We got people laying down towels, looking for things to stop the water with and squeegee the water out. I pulled my shoes off (again) and ran into the water by that set of doors. the drains were 100% clean, there was just too much water.

I ran toward the south side of the building through the mud when my boss and another co-worker came running towards me out of the rain. That door was holding the water out, but the water level was above the basement windows water level. Water was seeping in through the windows, and behind/through the phone panel in the corner of the building (not a good place for water). Later we learned the downspout broke off that corner of the building causing the water to back up there.

About that time, I ran out with another co-worker to get sand, towels, blankets, shop vacs, etc… anything to combat the water. We could not head north to the store we wanted, the road was flooded out and cars were clearly stuck. We did a 180 and went to the small True Value near Springfield Ave. We got bags of sand, absorbent tarps, two shop vacs and a pair of really big squeegees.

By the time we got back, water was no longer pouring in and we could walk to the areas that were previously submerged but there was still plenty of clean up. We have the lower level doors sandbagged in anticipation of more heavy rain that is expecting this afternoon.

The next few hours were spent setting up sump pumps, heaters, fans, etc…. and keeping computers off the floor.

I am wet, drenched to the bone and cold. Now that the adrenaline and excitement have worn off I am quite tired. This is going to count as my exercise for the day.

Wow…

Me, protecting our servers!

The radar image just after the downpour.

The water level in the shipping area was at the line in this photograph.

Star Trek - New Movie

2009-05-10T09:14:00.002-06:00

I saw the new Star Trek movie last night. I absolutely loved it. I had high hopes for the movie since I tend to like JJ Abrams stuff, and it did not disappoint. I think the movie will appeal to people who are not Star Trek fans and know almost nothing about Trek, but still has enough nuggets to make die hard fans very happy.

He's a 360 panorama of the new bridge during an emergency.

Here's William Shatner watchign the trailer for the fist time:

This is the summer movie to beat.

Hackers Break Into Virginia Health Professions Database, Demand Ransom

2009-05-05T12:57:00.000-06:00

Hackers last week broke into a Virginia state Web site used by pharmacists to track prescription drug abuse. They deleted records on more than 8 million patients and replaced the site's homepage with a ransom note demanding $10 million for the return of the records, according to a posting on Wikileaks.org, an online clearinghouse for leaked documents.

More...

Maytag Refrigerator Problems

2009-05-05T11:17:00.003-06:00

We had our Maytag refrigerator compressor replaced due to a recall. The 'fix' was free but now the fridge has stopped working. We're working with Maytag to get it fixed. My wife has done quite a bit of research and it looks like this recall 'fix' is causing a lot of trouble and some folks are even looking at a class action law suit against Maytag.

We are waiting for a replacement part and hope to have it all fixed by the end of the week. This really sucks.

Here are some blog posts my wife found:

Chip of Spring, TX May 3, 2009

These refrigerators are junk. Defrost controls go out every few months. Relays burn out and sometimes cause fires. There are so many common failures with this model refrigerator. Maytag issued a recall but they usually find a way to get around standing behind their products.

Sherry of Marietta, GA April 26, 2009

I received a letter regarding the Maytag recall in early to mid April. I called on Friday April, 24th the scheduled an appointment so that the defected part could be replaced. The appointment was set for Saturday April, 25th between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm. The repair guy from A&E arrived at approximately 11:00 am. He replaced the â€œdefectedâ€� compressor.

The repair was completed in about 15 -20 minutes. My family and I left the house at about 2:00 pm for my sonâ€™s baseball game. After the game went grocery shopping at Kroger. We arrived home at about 6:15 to find water and Popsicle juice coming from the freezer. The entire unit had stopped working. I called A&E first and they told me I would have to call Maytag.

Frank, a customer service manager with Maytag was very incompetent; they offered only $100 dollars and the comment that it was very unfortunate and said I would have to wait until Tuesday before someone could come repair the unit. I was also very offended by several comments he made suggesting I was wanting "the farm" from Maytag. I only want and wanted my unit working again.I called A&E again and received an apology from the sales representative and a phone number to help with my food loss.

Leah of Alabaster, AL April 24, 2009

Called Maytag after receiving a Recall Letter regarding "Certain side-by-side and top freezer refrigerators pose serious fire hazard." I purchased this fridge (MSD2454GRW) in 2002 from Best Buy and have had no problems! I called to schedule repair of this recalled "relay" because I thought it was the right thing to do and the letter scared me a bit. Maytag scheduled repair with A&E Factory Service for Thursday, April 23, 2009. No problems there. The A&E guy comes out replaces the part and is gone in under ten (10) minutes.

Friday, April 24, 2009 at 7:00 am I go into my kitchen to find water all over my floor. When I opened the freezer side, I find water dripping all down the shelves, meat thawed, popsicles melted, etc. I called A&E and they tell me "uh-oh" you have to call Maytag. I called Maytag...on hold for 15-20 mins...the customer service rep. acted nonchalant and put me on hold again so she could call a local repair company. She told me someone from S&S Applaince Repair would call me later this afternoon to arrange repair for this evening.

Fortunately, S&S called me right away and said they had some one in my area and he would be at my house in 30 minutes. This repair man came as said. He is working on the fridge as I type. we will have to wait and see if this takes care of it. Meanwhile, I must start making a grocery list to try and replace all the food that has spoiled! I will be making an offical request that Maytag reimburse the cost of food and lost time. If they do not there will be an oficial complaint to Maytag and the Better Business Bureau and whomever else I can complain to!

Mike of Brighton, MI April 18, 2009

Had my frig fixed b/c of the recall. By the way..best way to do this is online (not on the phone) - I saw other folks complaining about not being able to reach them. The frig no longer works after the repair - I have to wait 4 days for them to come back.

Maytag said that they will not pay for the food that spoiled even though they broke the frig. The lady on the phone said it isn't in their policy. Best part is, I call back several times and different customer service reps told me this is happening to a good amount of the repairs. I will never by MAYTAG again.

Tim of Doylestown, PA March 16, 2009

I too had my Maytag fridge repaired with a 'replacement' relay a week ago and low and behold - my fridge stopped working yesterday. Now I am SOL about the food and such and I am just hoping that the part was faulty. What a CROCK.

Spoiled food.

David of Boerne, TX March 31, 2009

My refrigerator was affected by the 2009 recall. The first time we contact Maytag, no one showed up to our appointment. The second time, we got a repairmen the next day but after replacing the relay switch on a Saturday, the entire unit stopped working.

We didn't realize that our entire unit wasn't working until Sunday morning when water was leaking out our water dispenser because of all the melted ice. I had a puddle on my floor and it wasn't relenting. I called Maytag and they said sorry but I had to call back on Monday to schedule service. I said this was unacceptable as I had a mess on my hands, $200 + in food that was going bad. All I got was an I'm sorry but you'll have to call back. Maytag CAN DO better!!!

Stanley & Isola Smith of Hoffman, MN March 25, 2009

Bought a Maytag side by side in 2001 with an extended warranty. April 24 2006 noticed freezer and refrigerator not cooling. Called Maytag to schedule service, the earliest service call would be 3 days later. In the meantime lost all food. Defrost cycle not functioning Noticed front panel under ice/water dispenser rust. Not reported, but a source of irritation! March 12 2009 noticed a recall announcement in the newspaper for Maytag refrigerators. Called and found out was affected. A service was scheduled for March 13 2009jand an overload relay was replaced. March 14 2009 (Saturday) noticed freezer not cooling and lost all food. Earliest service afternoon March 17 2009. Needless to say am disappointed with service. The MAYTAG REPAIRMAN is extinct!

Lost food in the freezer twice and have a crappy rusting front panel.

Sue of Cleveland, OH March 16, 2009

MAytags recall, First they send a Service tech to my home from A & E factory service, Which is SEARS. The man was in and out of my home in 5 minutes. That was 3/12/09 at 4.00 p.m..At 6:00 P.M. The Refrigerator was not working, for the next hour I was calling everyone from Maytag and A & E about this. I was told it would take 3 to 4 hours before it would reset itself. I told the man on the phone I never heard of such a thing. But also stated to this man I have over $400.00 worth of food in this and it is in a meltdown.

Come morning on the 13th there was water all over the hardwood floor and everything inside the Refrigerator was melted ice and water everywhere and wwas very hot inside the refrig part. I phoned again and was told it would be till the 14th before someone would be able to come out. From one person to Supervisors. Also they would have a food bill on the truck for me to fill out, and I still had to wait.

The man comes on the 14th in the afternoon about 1:00P.M. and had no such billing for the food but did see all the waste. He fixes the part again and stated and wrote on the receipt that the first recall part put on was not put on the right way. So the Refrigerator was not working and only the fans were on. Now I phone to Maytag this morning and A &E about the food lose again and was told I would get 100.00 and they would have to look into it. I was on the phone for over 1 hour again today and still these people have not got a clue on what to do.

(MAYTAG)sent out INCOMPETENT people from A & E Factory service and messed the job up. Now Im out of 400.00 worth of food. and These people are out to lunch.
The flooring is all wet.

Wendy of Mastic Beach, NY March 16, 2009

o Margo said

April 30, 2009 at 2:13 am

Same thing happened to me!! I called & got an automated service that sent an A&E serviceman the next day Friday 4/24. He was suppose to call before arriving but he did not. He did the work but left no paperwork. I had no proof of him being ther or doing anything. Sat morning my freesor had defrosted and frige was warm leaving large puddle. Called Maytag they gave me A&E servicman # and said I had to call. Next available day for sevice was Monday! Monday afternoon A&E serviceman arrives again without calling. I meet him at home and he says part was installed wrong which caused my compressor to go bad. He will order me a new compressor and install on Friday. I call A&E and ask for claim for reimbursement of food. It is not their policy to reimburse for food loss. I was told Customer Relations will get back to me. Compressor arrives 4/29 I call A&E @ 5:15pm to schedule appt. I am told next available is Friday or Sat. I’m not STUPID. I refuse a Friday or Sat appt and demand next day service. I get nowhere! Meanwhile A&E Customer Relations has never called me. I believe they are ficticious! I call Maytag and plead to give me another company that will install on Thursday 4/30 and I’m told only A&E can finish the job. IF I fax an itemized food loss Maytag will review it HAHA.! I am using a cooler to keep a few perishables and I have to take vacation time every time they come for service. I am SCREWED! I don’t know where to turn for help.

Reply

I have a recalled maytag, the repairman came out replaced overload circut and left.... 5 hours later fridge is broken and lost all our food, rescheduled for next week for service maytag sux will buy new foreign made appliance next week

Diane of Charleston, WV March 15, 2009

Alternate History of World War II

2009-05-04T19:17:00.003-06:00

My son, who is a avid student of history, has become interested in Alternate histories. He recently contributed an alternate history of World War II to an alternate history wiki.

Here is his version. He's told me it is a work in progress.

Relaxing Sunday

2009-05-03T08:54:00.003-06:00

I am looking forward to a very relaxing Sunday. It's been a pleasant weekend. Nothing scheduled, nothing planned, and lots of time to spend with my wife and the kids. I wish all weekends were like this.

Pining Away for Days Gone By

2009-05-02T15:55:00.002-06:00

I am pining away for days gone by. Last week I was lucky enough to see some very old dear friends. Some I see only once every few years, others it seems like many weeks, often half a year or more. This week I also reconnected with a friend I had not talked to in over 15 year. We emailed on Facebook, then I actually got to chat on the telephone for almost an hour this morning. It was like very little time had passed and it felt natural and easy to pick up where we had left off.

I am very happy with who I am, where I am, with my family, etc... I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. At the same time I find I am gripped by waves of nostaliga for days gone by. Fond memories that are too detailed and numerous to truly share with someone who did not experience them.

You can never go back except. Those days are precious memories. I know in 10 years I'll likely look back on the experiences I am having now in much the same way.

Bacon, Bacon and More Bacon

2009-05-01T06:15:00.003-06:00

Here is an unhealthy and odd food duo I found posted on Facebook by an old friend I reconnected with.

A few years after WWII ended, a young man working in a small restaurant in Sweden developed a new way to process bacon. By precooking it and blending it in a special way, he was able to make a fully cooked 100% bacon paste that could be squeezed from a tube. Knowing he had discovered something paradigm-shifting, young Vilhelm Lillefläsk quickly went into business. That, dear friends, is when Squeez Bacon® was born. And this delicious delectable from Sweden has finally been brought over to the USA - now with American Flavor!

Want to buy bacon paste? Here ya go.

Maple Bar Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs
Oh My god... my heart just skipped a cholesterol infused beat! This whack job has done the impossible and made the best possible meal all in one. Your eyes do not decieve you thats a bacon wrapped hot dog inside a donut!

Scariest Picture Ever

2009-04-29T15:45:00.001-06:00

I have in irrational fear of bees. I am not allergic to them, I just don't like them. Bees and the Burger King guy. Although with the Burger King it's more like how some people are afraid of clowns.

Skydiving?

2009-04-28T19:02:00.003-06:00

My middle son who's seven years old wants to go skydiving. I'm laughing too hard to tell him no. He also wanted to know what would happen if his parachute did not open.

Oh my...

Art from my Middle Son

2009-04-28T06:58:00.001-06:00

Above is a drawing from my middle son (7 yrs). He likes my cooking and often says I should be on top chef. I loved this drawing and had to share.

Trio depart Beijing on epic horse ride to London

2009-04-19T11:05:00.000-06:00

Trio depart Beijing on epic horse ride to London: "A middle-aged British woman and two Chinese companions on Saturday set off on an epic horse ride that will see them cross China, Central Asia and Europe -- and arrive in London for the 2012 Olympics.
Megan Lewis, a 60-year-old British pony breeder and head of the expedition, said the three-year trek from Beijing to London was a lifelong dream.
But the former geography teacher, who is raising money for charity, admitted the more than 5,000-mile (8,200-kilometre) journey was as much a test of the horses as the riders.

'You know you're going to get lameness and all sorts of things with the horses, that's just part of what goes with it,' she said.
'But we've got a couple of nice little horses and we've got support from everyone.'
The first section of the trip will take the three-man team to Inner Mongolia, along the north of China, to end up at the Jiayu Pass in Gansu province in August -- the end of the Great Wall.
From there, they will ride across China's westernmost region of Xinjiang, Central Asia and Europe, to eventually end up in London in time for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in 2012.
One of her fellow riders, Li Jing, 47, has just finished a solo horseback trek from central Russia to Beijing.
'It is not a certainty that we will be able to reach London,' he told AFP in an earlier interview.
'Anything can happen on such a long ride, we have to see if we are lucky, if the heavens will shine down on us.'
Peng Wenchao, the third member of the team, used to be a cab driver in Beijing until he gave up his job two years ago to ride and drive 1,300 kilometres around China, before returning to the capital for the 2008 Olympics"

The IT Crowd

2009-04-13T15:18:00.002-06:00

'The IT Crowd' has coming to DVD in the US. The show takes place in the basement IT department of a faceless London company, and the two techies, Roy and Moss, both possess some charming personality quirks I expect you will quickly recognize. My wife and I stumbled upon the show a few months ago. They are running the BBC sit-com on the Independent Film Channel once a week.

Working in IT, it's hard not to be fan.

Here's a link to another clip about the nature of the internet.

David Arneson, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons game, dies at 61

2009-04-11T10:45:00.001-06:00

MINNEAPOLIS — David Arneson, one of the masterminds who created the original version of the award-winning fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, died Tuesday in St. Paul following a two-year battle with cancer. He was 61.

Arneson teamed up with co-creator Gary Gygax in 1974 to create Dungeons & Dragons, which remains one of the best-known and best-selling role-playing games of all time. An estimated 20 million people have played the game in which players create characters who embark on imaginary adventures within a fantasy setting. Characters solve dilemmas, engage in battles and gather treasure and knowledge, and in the process they earn points to become increasingly powerful over a series of sessions.

The game became wildly popular with wargamers at its debut and soon after became a favorite of high school and college students.

As a University of Minnesota history student in the late 1960s, Arneson developed an interest in naval war games and re-creating battles complete with miniature armies and fleets. He had begun to design Blackmoor, a role-playing game of his own that involved medieval miniatures exploring the dungeons of a castle inhabited by monsters, when he attended GenCon in 1969, said Wizards of the Coast, the subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. which produces the game. That is where he met Gygax and, along with Jeff Perren, they collaborated to create a game of sailing-ship battles called Don't Give Up the Ship.

They swapped ideas and came up with the script that eventually led to Dungeons & Dragons.

Bran Flakes are the New Law

2009-03-26T06:15:00.003-06:00

My seven year old son noticed one of our neighbors was gathering signatures on a clip board. She is trying to become a member of the school board. My seven year old was fascinated and decided to do something similar.

He got a clip board, and some paper. One the paper he wrote, "Bran Flakes are the New Law". He got it signed by half the neighborhood. I'm both impressed and amused.

New workplace accomodations in economic downtimes

2009-03-25T11:45:00.000-06:00

Remember there is a light at the end of the tunnel

2009-03-06T08:27:00.000-06:00

My Seven Year Old has too many girlfriends

2009-03-04T09:29:00.001-06:00

My mother-in-law has been picking my 3 sons from school. Each day she asks them, “how was your day?” Yesterday she told me a funny story about the answer. My first grader said, “My day was fine, but I have 5-6 girlfriends”.

My mother-in-law said, “How do you have so many girlfriends—that must be because you are a really nice boy.” He responded, “No, it’s because I’m cute”. He then added, “I cannot date all 5-6 of them, it is just too crazy.”

My very helpful kindergartener then said, “I’ll take some of your girlfriends for you and if there is any problem, you just come and talk to me”.

Mock Computer Errors

2009-02-05T07:59:00.002-06:00

These are classic mock computer errors. I had seen most of them before, but decided to post them after my mom passed them along to me. Great stuff.

Enjoy!

Google and Nasa back new school for futurists

2009-02-03T08:04:00.001-06:00

I found this article to be interesting.

--------------------------

By David Gelles in San Francisco

Published: February 3 2009 05:02 | Last updated: February 3 2009 05:02

Google and Nasa are throwing their weight behind a new school for futurists in Silicon Valley to prepare scientists for an era when machines become cleverer than people.

The new institution, known as “Singularity University”, is to be headed by Ray Kurzweil, whose predictions about the exponential pace of technological change have made him a controversial figure in technology circles.

Google and Nasa’s backing demonstrates the growing mainstream acceptance of Mr Kurzweil’s views, which include a claim that before the middle of this century artificial intelligence will outstrip human beings, ushering in a new era of civilisation.

To be housed at Nasa’s Ames Research Center, a stone’s-throw from the Googleplex, the Singularity University will offer courses on biotechnology, nano-technology and artificial intelligence.

The so-called “singularity” is a theorised period of rapid technological progress in the near future. Mr Kurzweil, an American inventor, popularised the term in his 2005 book “The Singularity is Near”.

Proponents say that during the singularity, machines will be able to improve themselves using artificial intelligence and that smarter-than-human computers will solve problems including energy scarcity, climate change and hunger.

Yet many critics call the singularity dangerous. Some worry that a malicious artificial intelligence might annihilate the human race.

Mr Kurzweil said the university was launching now because many technologies were approaching a moment of radical advancement. “We’re getting to the steep part of the curve,” said Mr Kurzweil. “It’s not just electronics and computers. It’s any technology where we can measure the information content, like genetics.”

The school is backed by Larry Page, Google co-founder, and Peter Diamandis, chief executive of X-Prize, an organisation which provides grants to support technological change.

“We are anchoring the university in what is in the lab today, with an understanding of what’s in the realm of possibility in the future,” said Mr Diamandis, who will be vice-chancellor. “The day before something is truly a breakthrough, it’s a crazy idea.”

Despite its title, the school will not be an accredited university. Instead, it will be modelled on the International Space University in Strasbourg, France, the interdisciplinary, multi-cultural school that Mr Diamandis helped establish in 1987.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009

Battlestar Galactica - Has it 'Jumped the Shark'

2009-02-02T10:03:00.002-06:00

The new Battlestar Galactic has been one of my favorite television shows of the past few years and perhaps ever, but has it finally jumped the shark?
Spoilers will follow, so don't read ahead if you are not caught up with the show and hope to watch it.

Battlestar was and is extremely well done. For a long time I thought the strength of the show is it didn't have to be a sci-fi show, it could have been set in another time and place and the elements that made it strong would have worked with minimal adjustment. The storytelling and acting was fantastic. While these elements remain strong, the show has gone further and further from it's roots. At the end of the 3rd season 4 Galactica crew members hear the Bob Dylan song 'All Along the Watchtower', representing that something has 'switched' in their brains and now they know there are Cylons? What!?! This has subsequently been explained, but I never fully bought it. There has been good stuff since that point in the show, some great stuff, but it was too far fetched on many different levels.

Everyone started wondering who is the 5th and Final Cylon. This is interesting, but none of this is what made the show interesting at the outset. We know who it is now and we found earth (which was very cool) and where are we headed now.

I'm not sure and the show could redeem itself by the end, time will tell.

Don't get me wrong, this remains one of my favorite TV shows and I'll watch it to the bitter end, but I think it may have lost a bit of it's luster. Ever since the end of the 3rd season when the four of the final five were revealed to be Cylons, it really lost something. My suspension of disbelief was pushed a bit too far. It's lead to some great stories as a result, but it's not quite the same.

Daily Show Clip about Bush and Obama

2009-01-23T12:52:00.001-06:00

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

Changefest '09 - Obama's Inaugural Speech

Barack Obama Interview
John McCain Interview

Sarah Palin Video
Funny Election Video

This was pretty funny. For those who are adamantly for or against either Obama or Bush, here's a clips showing striking similarities between them.