Category: etsy

Thanks, NASA (and Dad)

shuttle

To me, the Space Shuttle is equivalent to Apple ][ Computers, VCRs, ET, Microwaves, Cable Television and CD players –  evidence of how awesome technology was and could be, not to mention one of the first places where I learned or felt pride and awe in being an American in the 20th century.

So much has changed. The world is different and so am I.

And with that change, today, we mark the end of an era in great technology and great exploration of our world, our universe and ourselves.

I credit my dad for his unyielding awe of manned flight (and space flight) and giving me a respect for technology and instilling in me a desire to pull things apart, understand how they work, and see if I couldn’t make things better than I found them.

And, to some extent, I credit NASA and the Space Shuttle program for teaching me how awesome technology is, how humanity is more important than any technical advance, and a love of the Universe and the stars that I still have to this day.

I didn’t attend the launch today, but did attend one long ago after my dad took our family on a long drive to Cape Canaveral from Indiana where I watched an early morning launch and toured the Kennedy Space Center, stood next to a Saturn V, and took home my own Hotwheels-tough Space Shuttle which logged millions of scale-miles in my backyard over the years.

Thanks.

P.S. Here’s some food for thought for you:
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The entire half-century budget of NASA equals the current two year budget of the US military.less than a minute ago via TweetDeck Favorite Retweet ReplyNeil deGrasse Tyson
neiltyson

Record Labels Whine and Moan About Google Music Launch

This article first reply google doesn’t know how to ship product, And maybe there’s something to be said for that. But the farther I read into the article the more I realize it’s the record Industry up to their old tricks whining complaining when anything sounds like or rhymes with “innovation”

Behind The Music: Google Bungles Music Beta Launch, Leaves PO’d Record Labels In An Uproar

Your Heart Will be Full of Love & Forgiveness

John Taylor Said:

“My boy, never forget that when you are in the line of your duty your heart will be full of love and forgiveness, even for the repentant sinner, and that when you get out of that straight line of duty and have the determination that what you think is justice and what you think is equity and right should prevail, you ofttimes are anything but happy. You can know the difference between the Spirit of the Lord and the spirit of the adversary, when you find that you are happy and contented, that you love your fellows, that you are anxious for their welfare; and you can tell that you do not have that Spirit when you are full of animosity and feel that you would like to knock somebody down.”

I first came across this from ethesis in December, 2004.

In Which I Discuss My Five-Thousandth Tweet

This is not only funny, its a good representation of the long-term value of my twitter account to the world's huddled masses since 2007. You're welcome.

This post marks the moment that my twitter account crossed over the threshold dividing those who have tweeted more than 5,000 times, and those who have not.

My relationship with twitter has been an interesting one, especially since I don’t facebook any more, which single-handedly requires those who overhear to try and hide their shock and horror that I may be a techno-recluse-Unabomber-wannabe.

When they find out I "twitter" instead, they gasp for oxygen, not realizing that I am in-fact not actually human, but must be either a reality TV star or a cyborg.

Alas, today, I cross the threshold into 5-thousandth-tweet-ness and wave so-long to all of you suckers who have not achieved such great, dizzying heights.

Some analysis:

  • I began teh tweeting on Feb 6th, 2007, which is 4 years, 3 weeks, 6 days, 14 hours, 3 minutes, 44 seconds ago (at press time).
  • If each tweet were using its full 140 character capacity (and why would I have left any out), that means I have broadcast 700,000 bytes of twitterific awesome into the interwebs.
  • Knowing that there are 1,048,576 bytes in 1MB, that translates to .66 MBs of broadcasted win from my twitter handle to yours.
  • If my follower-count averages at ~500 for the last 4 years, then 2.5 Million messages have been broadcast through the web thanks to me, myself and I.

Help me celebrate this interesting fact by tweeting your amazement with one of the following suggested messages:

Just to archive the event:

image

Web Visits Went Global

image

Nothing more than a curiosity, but visits to this website went interestingly global last week. Mainly, the foreign visitors came from searches about tasks, to-do lists and personal productivity.

Since I’m on the subject, here’s the most-popular posts of-late:

 

  1. Images of Provo Tabernacle Fire | Connected Well
  2. Three Ways to Access Google Tasks | Connected Well
  3. TWiG Discussion Topics [Graphic] | Connected Well
  4. Connected Well
  5. Mute People or Hashtags on Twitter — Wishlist Wednesday | Connected Well
  6. Navigating Blackberry and Google Calendar Sync Issues | Connected Well
  7. Throw my latkes in the air… | Connected Well
  8. Choosing a Primary Monitor on Dell Latitude D620 | Connected Well
  9. Windows 7 Rocks; Needs Better Program Startup Control | Connected Well
  10. Better Streaming Selection on Netflix: Wishlist Wednesday | Connected Well
  11. Wishlist: Google Voice to Manage All My Messaging | Connected Well
  12. Utah Company Overstock #8 Best Place to Work | Connected Well
  13. Wishlist Wednesday: Scaffold for WordPress | Connected Well
  14. Import Contact Profile Photos into Android from Gravatar | Connected Well
  15. Picasa Photos Need Easier Sharing #wishwed | Connected Well
  16. eFax Cuts Off Free Accounts Without Notice | Connected Well
  17. Map of the World by Friends | Connected Well
  18. Chase Mobile Banking App Goes Android | Connected Well
  19. Google Ousted by Facebook as Mayor of the Net in 2010 | Connected Well

The plaster must be as wide as the sore

“To every forgiveness there is a condition.  The plaster must be as wide as the sore.  The fasting, the prayers, the humility must be equal to or greater than the sin. There must be a broken heart and a contrite spirit. There must be ‘sackcloth and ashes.’ There must be tears and genuine change of heart. There must be conviction of the sin, abandonment of the evil… and a confirmed, determined change of pace, direction and destination… There must be a washing of robes to get them white and there must be a new consecration and devotion to the living of all of the laws of God. In short, there must be an overcoming of self, of sin, and of the world.”

Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness, p. 353

People with Third Graders are Old

Waving to the princesses on a float at the 4th of July Parade in Provo, Utah
Waving to the princesses on a float at the 4th of July Parade in Provo, Utah

Today is Back to School day for my kids… and the first day of summer vacation for their parents.

This morning, I had this conversation with my new third grader:

Me: Wow, you’re in third grade now, huh.

Third Grader: Actually, I’ve been in third grade since June. You’re in the next grade after the last day of school, you know.

Me: Hmmm. Well, I was just remembering I used to think that people with third graders are OLD… but I’m not old, am I?

Third Grader: (thinking) Well… you are, um… kinda old… but you’re still kinda fun sometimes.

Me: Aren’t you late for school?

How to get Image Captions to work in WordPress 2.6

Sweet. WordPress’ new “image captions” feature is nice, allowing you to upload images and add captions to them right from withing the WYSIWYG editor.

But, you need to style them.

Thankfully, tenth blog already posted some cool CSS code to add to your theme’s stylesheet to make this happen:

Editing your blog theme:

The Code:

.wp-caption {
border: 1px solid #ddd;
text-align: center;
background-color: #f3f3f3;
padding-top: 4px;
margin: 10px;
/* optional rounded corners for browsers that support it */
-moz-border-radius: 3px;
-khtml-border-radius: 3px;
-webkit-border-radius: 3px;
border-radius: 3px;
}

.wp-caption img {
margin: 0;
padding: 0;
border: 0 none;
}

.wp-caption p.wp-caption-text {
font-size: 11px;
line-height: 17px;
padding: 0 4px 5px;
margin: 0;
}

Seizure Scare and Update

Today has been an interesting one, to say the least.

About 8:30 this morning, I was in the last few minutes of my routine before heading out the door for work, when K (5) was complaining a little as she came down the stairs. This isn’t uncommon if she feels over-tired, so I wasn’t too concerned.

She stopped talking to me mid-sentence, so I looked over to her from across the kitchen, and she had sat down on the stairs, was laying flat on her back, and I could tell something was wrong.

Running to her, I could tell she was unconscious. I called Cel to call 911. Ab and Ax came running to help, too.

Her breathing and things were fine, and we’ve seen this before (afterall). Still, the incredible feeling of helplessness that washes over you in a situation like this is unmistakable… and unwanted!

After the paramedics came (less than 10 minutes from call to arrival), they noticed her eyes moving under her eyelids and mentioned they thought she was about out of it.

Within about 5 more minutes, she woke up, confused at where she was and why there were four paramedics, a gurney, and two (count-em) fire engines outside!

The paramedics took her pulse, checked a few other things, helped calm us down, and got the other information they needed for their reports. They invited K to come by the firehouse anytime to let them know she was OK.

Within minutes, the phone was ringing from neighbors hoping things were OK, and offering help. Also, I had sent a note to my boss, detailed a bit of what happened, to which he replied I should take care of things at home and deal with work later.

Soon after that, I took our other kids to their grandmother’s house, and then met up with Cel and K at the doctor’s office. She got to be in the “Cheetah Room” which was really exciting for her and helped pass the wait.

The doctor’s tests confirmed his suspicion that what she experienced is a mild seizure. This is not the first time this has happened to K, so we’re on seizure watch with her, and anticipating the results of a battery of tests that we hope will turn out positive.

After leaving there, we went to the hospital to get bloodwork done, and now we wait to take her back in for an MRI and an EEG. The EEG won’t be fun because they are to be done after only allowing the child to sleep for four hours, to see the effect of sleep deprivation on the heart.

At home, K rested for a little bit, then reminded us about the paramedics’ invitation. She determined to draw a picture for them, which we took and presented. In return, she got a great tour of the firehouse, and a cuddly teddy bear as a gift.

K's Heroes

Thanks to all our family, friends, neighbors and co-workers who have sent well-wishes. Your continued thoughts and prayers are appreciated!