Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Scariest Picture Ever
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.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Skydiving?
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...
Oh my...
Art from my Middle Son
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.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Trio depart Beijing on epic horse ride to London
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"
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"
Monday, April 13, 2009
The IT Crowd
'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.
Working in IT, it's hard not to be fan.
Here's a link to another clip about the nature of the internet.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
David Arneson, co-creator of Dungeons & Dragons game, dies at 61
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.
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.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Bran Flakes are the New Law
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.
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.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
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Friday, March 06, 2009
Wednesday, March 04, 2009
My Seven Year Old has too many girlfriends
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”.
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”.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Mock Computer Errors
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!
Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Google and Nasa back new school for futurists
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
--------------------------
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
Monday, February 02, 2009
Battlestar Galactica - Has it 'Jumped the Shark'
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.
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.
Friday, January 23, 2009
Daily Show Clip about Bush and Obama
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.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Mamma Mia
Shannon and I watched Mamma Mia on DVD a few weeks ago. It's the film version of the broadway show based on Abba songs. It was odd to see an old style musical with pop music of the late 70's and early 80's performed by big name actors like Meryl Streep, Stellan Skarsgård and Pierce Brosnan. To see Pierce Brosnan, aka James Bond, singing and dancing was a unique experience. I liked it, but it's definitely not for everyone, if you don't like musicals or if you don't like Abba, I'd steer clear.
However weather you are inclined to watch it or not, the closing credits feature the main cast including Pierce Brosnan singing and dancing in 70's disco garb. Had to be posted... Here it is.
However weather you are inclined to watch it or not, the closing credits feature the main cast including Pierce Brosnan singing and dancing in 70's disco garb. Had to be posted... Here it is.
Monday, January 05, 2009
Interaction with youngest son
I had a short conversation with my youngest son a few moments ago. I told him, "You make my heart feel very good."
He told me, "I know."
I laughed and asked, "How do you know?"
He said, "I'm a professional."
(too funny)
He told me, "I know."
I laughed and asked, "How do you know?"
He said, "I'm a professional."
(too funny)
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Vacation is almost over
Well my long Christmas vacation at home is nearly over and Tuesday I'll be back at work. I feel refreshed and kind of miss my work, but it doesn't compare to a week with my kids. It's my favorite week of the year.
I've started dabbling with Facebook. I never thought I'd see the day, but I've actually done it. I gave it a try to view the wedding album of a friend and then people I know started coming out of the woodwork. I've connected with many old friends I lost touch with.
Thursday, January 01, 2009
My Father's You Tube Channel
Here are videos my dad has posted on YouTube. It covers his real steam engine hobby and some of his machining tools.
http://www.youtube.com/user/ernietrainz
http://www.youtube.com/user/ernietrainz
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
One more post - sever winter weather
Loads of ice very little snow. Yuck! Fortunately family driving to town for the holiday arrived safe and sound. Now family driving home from work just needs to take it slow and safe.
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