Just because

Space, Movies, More Space, and Space Movies

2008-03-13T12:00:00.000-06:00

I found this new watch that I would love to have. Of course I would also like to have all the Yen it would cost too.

The Astrodea Celestial Watch shows the position of the stars in the night sky as the earth moved beneath them.

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I have heard the urban legend about mars being so close to the earth that on a certain date you can view it in the night sky and it will appear as large as the moon.

[Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona]

So when I saw this image called, ’The Earth and Moon as Seen from Mars’ I realized that 1. there was some magnification used to make this photo, and 2. It would be really cool to see this for myself.
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I came across this game called the ’Olla Podrida PLEXUS Puzzle’.

The object of the game is to fit all of the pieces of the puzzle together into one shape. It took me a while the first time but I figured it out.

Don’t cheat!!!
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OK, I came across another list I thought would like to disagree with. But to define a cult classic would take more than this blog. So maybe in the future we will discuss what cult classics are and what movies can fall into this category. For now I will leave this list as it so I may discuss another topic below.

Top 10 Cult Classic Mid-80s Fantasy Adventure Flicks

10. Repo Man (1984)
9. Highlander (1986)
8. Flight of the Navigator (1986)
7. Dark Crystal (1983)
6. The Lost Boys (1987)
5. Explorers (1985)
4. Young Sherlock Holmes (1985)
3. Labyrinth (1986)
2. Return To Oz (1985)
1. The Goonies (1985)

It really hurts not to say anything. So all I will say is that I will never join the Classic Mid-80s Fantasy Adventure Cult.

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What !?! Lost Boys 2???

OK, I admit that in the 80’s I thought the two Cory’s were pretty cool dudes. I love the movies ’The Lost Boys’ and ’Dream a Little Dream’. I had a Vampire ’thing’ going then, that would also take another blog to discuss, and it all started with ’The Lost Boys’.

I am also guilty of watching ’The Two Cory’s’ last year on their reality show. It hurt to watch them at the 20th anniversary of the movie. They also discussed plans to try and make a sequel and who would and would not be in the movie.

Anyhoo, today I was minding my own business watching the new ’Incredible Hulk’ trailer and low and behold I see the frog brother himself and a preview.

This is a direct to DVD release and it is rated R. So unless this film reaches Cult Classic Mid-00s Fantasy Adventure status, this might be all I see of it.

[on the TV show they discussed that Haim would not be in the movie. He is not in the trailer but IMDB has him listed as being in the movie.]

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I was also minding my own business when I came across the headline, ’Utah Crater Mystery Cracked’. I thought to myself, what Utah Crater Mystery?!?

Apparently, for decades geologists have debated whether Upheaval Dome in Utah’s Canyonlands National Park was created by a volcanic outburst, an eruption of salt or a meteor impact. The crucial clue was the discovery there of "shocked quartz," which can be created only by the intense pressures of a violent meteor impact.

Well, I’m glad that was settled.

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Yes, I know. You don’t have to point it out again.

[click link below, or image, for larger view]

I came across this image of the quadrants from Star Trek. I place it here because sadly I am a Trek Geek but for the record I also place it here because I did not realize that all that trek’n was set in our own galaxy. [Even the Borg]. I admit I did not know that.

Hexapuzzle Gamepower Geek

2008-03-05T15:46:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why I like these little Internet gadgets

With this little tool you can 'Make your own Hollywood Star'.

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A while ago I posted a YouTube clip about a group of people who went into Ikea and froze in place for a certain amount of time. Well now 'Improv Everywhere' is Frozen in Grand Central.

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I came across a cool little art/science project called Let there be light.

'The 1301 fluorescent tubes are powered only by the electric fields generated by overhead power lines. Richard Box, artist-in-residence at Bristol University's physics department, got the idea for the installation after a chance conversation with a friend. 'He was telling me he used to play with a fluorescent tube under the pylons by his house,' says Box. 'He said it lit up like a light sabre.' Box decided to see if he could fill a field with tubes lit by powerlines. After a few weeks hunting for a site, he found a field, slipped the local farmer £200 and planted 3,600 square metres with tubes collected from hospitals. A fluorescent tube glows when an electrical voltage is set up across it. The electric field set up inside the tube excites atoms of mercury gas, making them emit ultraviolet light. This invisible light strikes the phosphor coating on the glass tube, making it glow. Because powerlines are typically 400,000 volts, and Earth is at an electrical potential voltage of zero volts, pylons create electric fields between the cables they carry and the ground. Box denies that he aimed to draw attention to the potential dangers of powerlines, 'For me, it was just the amazement of taking something that's invisible and making it visible,' he says. 'When it worked, I thought: 'This is amazing.''

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I found a site that my middle son would love called 'Extraordinary Mazes, Educational Puzzles'.

Christopher Berg, of Berkeley California, creates these great mazes that are not only fun to play but they also represent historical sites and ancient wonders. I have fun exploring this site.

He also sends out a monthly maze newsletter with news about mazes and labyrinths, puzzle contests with prizes, special offers, links to free printable mazes and other stuff. You can subscribe to his newsletter here.

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Have you every heard of a hexapus? No, it is not an animal from Dr. Seuss!

A hexapus is an under the sea creature, similar to an octopus, that has six legs!!!!!! I thought this was awesome. This creature was just discovered this week and have ever been seen before.

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Mindscape is a game I recently came across that I thought was really cool. It make you a little dizzy but the spin is part of the fun!.

Try it out!

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That's all for today!

[that felt great!]

Hubble Eyes Geeks

2008-03-03T14:48:00.001-07:00

A few months ago I came across a posting called '56 Geeks' by Scott Johnson.

Although this image is huge I thought is would be cool it I lead off each of my blogs or sections with one of these guys, then you would know what way coming. [Yes, I actually thought about this while I was not blogging. It's not that I didn't want to blog but between the crazy things happening at work and the drama of family I lost the love of blogging, but I have the itch again. I'm not sure how long I can scratch it. Oh well, it doesn't matter my readers have all left me. Maybe not having the pressure of putting out a blog is why I want to put one out? Go figure.]

Anyway. I think I might plug in a couple of these guys every once and a while, we'll see. I wish there was an astronaught on the moon geek or a Scouter Geekn to complete my collection.

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I'm not sure which guy to use here becaue there is not a "Space Geek" but I could choose between.

OR

Hubble peers into the Great Eye of Sauron

Astronomers at the University of California, Berkeley, and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center have released a rather remarkable Hubble image of a ring of dust around star Fomalhaut, described by New Scientist as resembling "the Great Eye of Sauron".

Fomalhaut, aka Alpha Piscis Austrini, is one of the brightest stars in the night sky, lying around 25 light years from Earth. a

A recent image captured with the Hubble Space Telescope makes the system look like the Great Eye of Sauron from the Lord of the Rings.

This is a great photo and goes well with the 'Eye of God' photo I posted in one of my earliest blogs.

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That's all for now

Todo sobre mi madre?

2007-04-24T14:07:00.000-06:00

All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy.
No man does. That's his. ~Oscar Wilde

April 24 is the 114th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. There are 251 days remaining in the year.

On This Date...

In 1184, BC Greeks enter Troy using the Trojan Horse.
In 1533, William I of Orange is born.
In 1558, Mary Queen of Scots marries the Dauphin of France, François, at Notre Dame de Paris.
In 1800, The United States Library of Congress is established when President John Adams signs legislation to appropriate $5,000 to purchase "such books as may be necessary for the use of Congress".
In 1877, Federal troops were ordered out of New Orleans, ending the North's post-Civil War rule in the South.
In 1898, Spain declared war on the United States after rejecting America's ultimatum to withdraw from Cuba.
In 1905, Robert Penn Warren, an American writer and first poet laureate of the United States, was born.
In 1934, Shirley MacLaine, American actress and author is born.
In 1942, Barbra Streisand, American singer/actress is born
In 1949, Linda Lee Bartholomew Trotter, American nurse, police officer, doll maker, wood worker, chef, craft artist, seamstress, scouter, Harley momma, hippie and mother is born in Moroni, Utah
In 1953, Winston Churchill is knighted by Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom.
In 1957, Boris Williams, British musician (The Cure) is born.
In 1958, David J, British musician (Bauhaus) is born.
In 1961, Bob Dylan earned a $50 session fee for playing harmonica on Harry Belafonte's "Midnight Special." It was his recording debut.
In 1962, The Massachusetts Institute of Technology achieved the first satellite relay of a television signal, between Camp Parks, Calif., and Westford, Mass.
In 1967, Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov dies in Soyuz 1, when the parachute fails to open. He was the first human to die during a space mission.
In 1974, Bud Abbott, American actor and comedian dies.
In 1980, Eight American servicemen died in an attempt to rescue hostages from the U.S. embassy in Tehran.
In 1982, Kelly Clarkson, American singer is born.
In 1984, Apple Computer, Inc. released its Apple IIc portable computer.
In 1990, STS-31: The Hubble Space Telescope is launched by the Space Shuttle Discovery.
In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI was formally installed as leader of the Roman Catholic Church in cermonies at the Vatican.
In 2007, Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin died of heart failure yesterday at the age of 76.

http://www.co.utah.ut.us/Dept/COMMISH/Data/Minutes/CM/1999/011999.HTM
http://www.goldenlife-labs.com/HELPFldr/provocub.html
http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/61688/4/
http://news.google.com/archivesearch?ie

Some reflections on aging:
* Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.
* The older you get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.
* You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks.
* I don't know how I got over the hill without getting to the top.
* Old age is when former classmates are so gray and wrinkled and bald, they don't recognize you.
* The nice thing about being senile is you can hide your own Easter eggs.
* My memory's not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
* It's scary when you start making the same noises as your coffeemaker.
* It is easier to get older than it is to get wiser.
* These days, I spend a lot of time thinking about the hereafter.. I go somewhere to get something and then wonder what I'm here after.
* Keep a diary... it will be a great source of comfort and a handy reminder of what you did yesterday.

Things My Mother Taught Me

My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE...
"If you're going kill each other, do it outside - I just finished cleaning!"

My mother taught me RELIGION...
"You better pray that will come out of the carpet."

My mother taught me LOGIC...
"Because I said so, that's why."

My mother taught me LOGIC... #2
"If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you're not going to the store with me."

My mother taught me FORESIGHT...
"Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident."

My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS...
"Shut your mouth and eat your supper!"

My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM...
"Will you LOOK at the dirt on the back of your neck!"

My mother taught me about STAMINA...
"You'll sit there 'till all that spinach is finished."

My mother taught me about WEATHER...
"It looks as if a tornado swept through your room."

My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY...
"If I've told you once, I've told you a million times: Don't exaggerate!"

My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION...
"Stop acting like your father!"

My mother taught me about ENVY...
"There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do!"

My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION...
"Just wait until we get home."

My mother taught me about RECEIVING...
"You are going to get it when we get home!"

My mother taught me MEDICAL SCIENCE...
"If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they are going to freeze that way."

My mother taught me to THINK AHEAD...
"If you don't pass your spelling test, you'll never get a good job."

My mother taught me ESP...
"Put your sweater on; don't you think I know when you're cold?"

My mother taught me HUMOR...
"When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

My mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT...
"If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up."

My mother taught me about SEX...
"How do you think you got here?"

My mother taught me about GENETICS...
"You're just like your father."

My mother taught me about my ROOTS...
"Do you think you were born in a barn?"

My mother taught me about WISDOM OF AGE...
"When you get to be my age, you will understand."
"One day you'll have kids ...and I hope they turn out just like you!"

Mixed Bag

2007-04-18T16:38:00.000-06:00

Hello, thanks for visiting. Today's blog is really a mixed bag. I really am posting them to clear out my desktop and my folders.

Every post today is an update, continuation or addition to past postings. At least it may prompt you to look back at some of my past blogs.

Surfs up fer-sure today...
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It has been a while since I have shared a new game.

[wce293]

'Orbox B' is a puzzle game. where you try to maneuver through a maze that is missing some walls. If your not careful you'll end up in outer space. It also allows you to keep codes of each level so when you return to the game you can start where you left off.

Enjoy!
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I have posted several variations of my name in different fonts and alphabets. The geek in me must really like these things because I have found a couple of them I would like to share.

'Hamburger Alpha' has floated around for the last couple of weeks. I think a butcher got bored or something, but I get to make a name out of his work.

Where's the cheese when I need it?
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This 'Hollywood sign generator' is an instant classic. I just wish the font was larger.
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*** WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT ***

A while ago I received some criticism for posting some pictures that were to graphic for children. I didn't really see it that way but you are allowed to have your opinion. This next but may also be close to the graphic line. Not as tame as 'the boy with three arms' but probably more intense than 'the man who had part of his skull fall off'. I'm not sure why I like these type of odd news stories but here it goes...

Yesterday I was reading an article called 'Croc bites off zoo keeper's arm'

What? That picture looks photoshopped!!!!

Apparently, "A 450lb crocodile has bitten off a zoo keeper's arm - but surgeons managed to reattach it after reclaiming the limb from the reptile's mouth."

WOW!!
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Have you seen the new Star Wars stamps? I know they are kind of old news but there is still time to vote for your favorite.

As of this post 139,303 people have voted, I hope they all chose Han and Chewbacca!!!
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Here is a cool little widget that allows you to make 'Personalized money'.

[Murray O'Dollar]

Please don't try and spend it!
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Last Fall I featured several pictures in a series of wrecked ships from Chromasia. Today I came across a new picture that refers to 'The Wyre Wrecks'.

With a little digging I found that these ships lay on the shores of the Wyre River in around Fleetwood, England. The website 'Fleetwood Maritime Heritage Trust' Lists several 'Morecambe Bay Shipwrecks' including some of the ships that have been photographed by David Nightingale at Chromasia.com. Thanks David for the really great pics!!
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I have blogged about several different types of street art but public art like this set from Cardiff Bay may be my favorite.

I don't think this is a fake.

But it all ends up looking like this.

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As the Seven Sisters take starring role in night sky Nasa has released a new picture of the constellation.

This is a great image taken by the Spitzer Space Telescope. According greek mythology, all seven sisters committed suicide because they were so saddened by either the fate of their father, Atlas, or the loss of their siblings, the Hyades. In turn Zeus, the ruler of the Greek gods, immortalized the sisters by placing them in the sky. There these seven stars formed the constellation known thereafter as the Pleiades.
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Remember that picture I posted of the look Obama was giving Hillary Clinton? That's nothing compared to this photo of Hillary.

I wonder what was being said?

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That's it for today.

What a trip...

2007-04-12T17:11:00.000-06:00

I wanted to write a post vacation blog to sum up my experiences. If you are not interested that's fine, you can skip to my next blog.

Like with my trip to Yellowstone I took some pictures of my travels but I will only post those I can find on the Internet for now.

As I mentioned in my last blog we left on Friday [March 30] right after I got off of work. But before I get to deep into the story of my trip I wanted to share with you a little tool I used to plan this vacation.

It helped me find restaurants and other stops along the way as well as great maps to get from spot to spot. I started using this after I had already made reservations but I still found it helpful.

As you can see from the Trip planner, out first stop was in Cedar City. We had considered staying in St. George but the prices were higher there. Staying in Cedar also saved me from driving so far after having worked all day. [I know, I sound like my dad but sadly it is true]

One of my favorite parts of I-15 is the Virgin River Gorge just outside of Utah...

...in the small section of the freeway that passes through Arizona.

The north fork of the Virgin river flows through Zions National Park.

This is the same river that flooded its banks in 2005...

...and took several homes with it.

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We arrived in La Jolla much later than I had expected. I received several different recommendations to take I-215, which swings out toward Riverside and San Bernardino and avoids traffic from L.A. but the route is under construction and the detours slowed our progress.

We stayed at the Embassy Suites La Jolla which was a mistake for two reasons. 1. We had to pay $17 a night to park the van, and 2. Now my children will never want to stay in a regular hotel again!!! The suites were very nice and they had a free custom ordered breakfast every morning. We had plenty of room for us and the kids. Besides the parking fee my only other complaint was that the hotel seems to host high school teams for several different sports. We felt chased out of the pool by the players every night and one of the La Crosse players knocked over the condiment table for omelets on Monday morning. Grr!

After settling into our room we went to explore the beaches of La Jolla and San Diego. I thought it would be fun to see the sunset over the ocean.

We ended up driving down the coast through Mission Beach past Sea World and into Old Town.

We ate at the Rockin' Baja Lobster it was in a building with an open courtyard the weather was cool enough we needed the heat lamp that was placed closely by our table. There are several restaurants in Old Town but we had decided we wanted Mexican food and we saw a little shop with women making handmade flour tortillas. Public parking was cramped so when we got out of the lot I noticed some families going into the Rockin' Baja so we followed them instead. I enjoyed my meal but with the kids meals and tip we spent nearly $100.

It was dark when we came across the temple on our way back to the hotel.

It was late when we got back to La Jolla and we had to park in the P.F. Chang's parking lot [which has the bottom floor of the parking terrace] because the rest of the lot was full.
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Sunday morning ended up being the lightest line for the free breakfast. We planned on spending the day at the beach but we woke up to a thick fog that didn't start to clear until 11:30.

We decided to get in the van and go to the La Jolla Beaches and see how warm it was.

We checked out Children's beach but there was a cool breeze and the seals were all sleeping on the beach.

It didn't seem like the fog was going to clear so I suggested driving up to Carlsbad because I remember the beaches looking like this.

The problem was that as soon as we got into Carlsbad all we could see was this.

Apparently every year Carlsbad City hosts a race called the Carlsbad 5000. This year they had over 10,000 runners in town for the race.

[I should have got a shirt!]

Well, as easy as it was to get into Carlsbad, it was nearly impossible to get out of town. What a bummer! I was convinced that Heavenly Father let me get into this mess because we were missing General Conference.

After we finally got out of Carlsbad we decided to go to Ocean Beach. My wife had spent time there as a child and I had heard it was a nice sandy beach with easy access and great waves.

The only problem with Ocean Beach was trying to park. But after we circled the parking lot 7 times we finally got a spot near the bathrooms and the life guard tower.

We had a great time. The kids played in the waves, made sand castles, dug nearly bottomless pits, and helped their dad find shells. We also got to watch the lifeguard run out into the water to help surfers avoid the riptide about 70 times!!! [Think David Hasselhoff instead of Pamela Anderson].

We spend the rest of the afternoon at the beach and started to leave just as the breeze came back. We decided that for the rest of the day we would explore a little. We headed south along the coast from Ocean Beach until we were forced into a neighborhood.

[Thanks Google]

After we crested the hill up the steepest road I have ever driven on there was a sign for Cabrillo National Monument. So we decided to follow the sign. The road led into Fort Rosecrans and through Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery.

As we approached the National Monument we noticed that the road to the tide pools was blocked off because it had closed, Drats!!! But we drove out to the point and could see across San Diego Bay to downtown and all of Coronado.

The buildings and paths around the monument were under construction and we were really looking for a place with picnic tables to we decided to head toward Coronado.

The drive back through Fort Rosecrans was a much better view of the Cemetery. It was very emotional and beautiful. After we got off of Point Loma we ended up driving past the Air Port and the open bay. There we saw the Aircraft Carrier USS Nimitz.

[You can see Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery at the top of the picture in the background.]

As we rounded the corner we could the Maritime Museum of San Diego.

We stopped to use the restrooms and tried to find a picnic table but had no luck.

It was starting to get late so we decided to head to Balboa Park and eat there. In the 'which vacation post', I blogged a lot about Balboa. My memory of the park was not as keen once we got there. I remembered the buildings, the zoo, the roads, but not the way everything was laid out. So we tried to find a picnic table, who would have thought that other people would be doing the same thing on a Sunday afternoon?!?

We managed to find a small open area with several open tables. As we got out of the van we realized that we were next to the Drum Circle. Bummer!!!

We ate quickly and decided that we did not have a contact high yet so it was OK for me to drive. We returned to La Jolla, bathed the kids and put them to bed. Then we watched the news and saw that there was a major sewage spill in Carlsbad lagoon and it contaminated the beach.

[I guess all those runners ate a few carbs before the race!]

We also learned that the Aircraft Carrier USS Nimitz was deploying to the Persian Gulf the next day. I am impressed we had seen it that day.
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Monday was 'Sea World day'. It all started with a La Crosse Player spilling the omelet goody table. Then I waited in line for half an hour to get the tickets to get into the park. While standing in the ticket line a guy with a megaphone was warning us that the wait for the shows and rides inside the park would be up to two hours.

We rushed in and barely got seats to see Shamu.

Then we rushed over and didn't make it to the Walrus-seal-sea lion show. After a quick diaper change we made a mad dash to the Dolphin Show. We should have sat in the splash zone. It was so hot!!!

Then we went to the Walrus-seal-sea lion show. After another potty break we went to see the Shark Exhibit.

Wheew!!!! At mid afternoon the breeze started to blow and people began leaving the park in droves. I realize now we never had to wait in line for anything except the tickets to get in, the Shark encounter and 'the haunted lighthouse 3D'. We didn't even have to wait for lunch.

We finished the day with the nighttime Shamu show and fire works.

We drove straight back to La Jolla, had to park in P.F. Chang's again and put the kids to bed. My wife and I ordered some P.F. Chang takeout and then I crashed with the TV still on.
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Tuesday was 'get our butts to Vegas day' but we didn't want to leave San Diego. So we drove over to the Temple and took some pictures. A sister missionary gave us a pamphlet for the Mormon Battalion Museum in Old Town so we went and checked it out.

..ageshack.us/img63/4788/mormonbattalionmuseumkg5.jpg">

We left Old Town and slid back to the Maritime Museum and visited the gift shop and then we ate at Anthony's Fishette.

We made out way to I-15 with a quick stop in Balboa Park at the Boy Scouts of America shop. After settling the kids in for the 'Harry Potter Marathon' we didn't get into our room in the Luxor until about 11 pm.

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We slept in on Wednesday. I think it had sunk in that regular life starts again the next day. We left the Luxor and went to Caesar's Palace and the Forum Shops. We ate at The Cheesecake Factory and shopped at FAO Schwarz. We left Vegas and made a mad dash to Beaver. Yes Beaver, Utah. If you don't know why I'm pretty sure you wouldn't understand. Anyhow, we got there about half and hour to late :(

We made it to Provo just before 9 and into Ogden around 10:30.

Wheeeeeewww!!
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Looking back on my decision between Highway 89 and I-15 one of the factors was that we wouldn't have to drive as much in San Diego because everything was closer. We also wanted to avoid the crowds of 4x4s in Southern Utah. I guess the trade off was Spring break in California, with about 2,000,000 more people and La Crosse players to deal with. hmmmmm......

We enjoyed our trip to San Diego but I think my heart remains with Highway 89.

Thanks for letting me share my experiences with you. 1000 points for making it to the end of this blog!!

blog 112

2007-03-30T13:57:00.000-06:00

Hello everyone, I threw this together just before I left for my vacation. I wanted to leave you with something to do while I was gone.

Have I mentioned how much I like feedback? Please drop me a note sometime so I know who is still checking in.

On with the show...

The Smithsonian Natural History Museum put out its 'Nature's Best' list of photographs. The theme was 'Experience Nature Through the Art of Photography'.

Here are some of my favorites:

GIANT KELP
Oceans Highly Honored - Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards. Shot in Bird Rock at Two Harbors, Catalina Island, California, USA by Bruce P. Hall Hillsboro, Oregon, USA.

GIRAFFE
Wildlife Winner - Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards. Taken in Kruger National Park, South Africa by Marsel Van Oosten Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

BALD EAGLE
First Place - Birds - Professional, National Wildlife Awards. Photographed in Kenai Peninsula, Alaska, USA by Cheryl L. Opperman Littleton, Colorado, USA.

POLAR BEAR
Environmental Issues Winner - Nature's Best Photography Windland Smith Rice International Awards. Captured outside Svalbard, Norway by Norbert Rosing Grafrath, Germany.

Check out the other great photos form this contest and pick your winners.
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As you know I love The Beatles and I love Zombies but what about Beatles and Zombies? I now present 'A Hard Day's Night of the Living Dead'

I do, I do I do like Th Beatles and zombies. Yes I like them Sam I am.
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Where was this list back in February when I needed it? 'Ten Ways Being a Geek Makes You More Attractive'. Yes, they are talking about me!!

10. You're passionate. [I knew that]
9. You're very articulate. [Wha?]
8. You've got your own stuff going on. [Computers, scouts and home repair!!!]
7. You fix stuff. [Computers, scouts and homes!]
6. You make good money. [What? Why haven't I heard about this!!!]
5. You listen to good music. [Well its good to me.]
4. Geek humor is the best humor. [Is there any other kind?]
3. You geek out on more than just your computer. [comics, sci-fi, coins, stamps...]
2. It's hip to be geek. [I knew it, now where's my money!!!]
1. You're probably very smart. [Not smart enough to get my money!]

I would believe this list if it were true.
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This is a very clever web ad called 'Vote Different'

I geeked out over this all day!
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I have seen several works of art by Jen Stark over the last few months.

I love the way she uses everyday objects to make art.

[peek-a-boo]

Check out some more of her work on her website!
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It has been a while since I have posted clever ads I have come across. But today I have a few that are worth mentioning.

First is a series called 'Rock Legends by Mini'. Can you tell what they are saying?

[My Favorite]

[They're getting back together!]

[My mom saw his butt at Lagoon. Yes, bare!]
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I felt this next ad was worth posting but I think I will leave the comments to you.

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The last item for this pre-vacation post is a sort of follow-up to a few guys I blogged about before Christmas. Without further adieu, 'SpiderSpud'.

Yes, our favorite neighborhood tuber has more than just angry eyes in his back pocket!

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That's all for today

Quirky Fun

2007-03-22T09:57:00.000-06:00

Do you really care why I have not posted a blog in a while? I didn't think so.

I have been saving up content for over a week. I thought I should throw it up today and see if something sticks.

To busy to surf....

There has been a story floating around the Internet over the last week about a guy who has refused to sell his property to a land developer for a huge new project.

So the developer went ahead and started the project!!

"Chongqing, China. The problem was this. The owner of the house would not leave without getting paid a large sum of money, how much? 20,000,000RMB, that's about $2mil. No one is living in there, but the owner would not move unless the money is paid. And house owner claims to have connections with the officials, and dares anyone who destroys his house."

At first this story seems like the little guy holding out against 'The Man'. But a 2 million ransom seems more like extortion than living up to principles. So I looked around for other examples of property owners who hold out despite the odds.

This is a great picture but... Apparently this guy didn't hold out, the road was built that way because of the grade and he didn't have the choice to sell.

Can you see this house? It is in the parking lot of the new hospital. The owner refused to leave so he now lives in the parking lot.

This house is also an island in the pavement. It reminds me of that song, 'They paved paradise and put up a parking lot.'
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When I saw this list of 'The Top Ten Most Practical Superpowers', I knew it would grace my blog. Here is the list:

10. Flight
9. X-Ray Vision
8. Super Strength
7. Pyrokinesis
6. Telepathy
5. Shape-shifting
4. Super Speed
3. Teleportation
2. Invisibility
1. Regeneration

I'm not sure practical is the right word. So I looked it up and saw an alternate definition of practical is. 'capable of being put to use or account : USEFUL'. I can see how flying or teleportation are useful but not really practical, oh well.
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I found this game called sprout. It's not the greatest game ever but you have to pay attention to get to the end.

I win!!
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In my last blog I mentioned a game that was like 'Flash element' but not as fun. Well I found another game that comes even closer to the original called 'Flash Circle TD'.

I still like the original better but some of you may like this game play better.
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Warning this next topic is Geek Factor Five. I found this picture on nasa.gov called 'One Engineer to Another'.

This photograph documents James Doohan's visit to NASA during his stint playing Scotty in Star Trek.

[I warned you]
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OK, I was not really satisfied with the 'The Top Ten Most Practical Superpowers' list above so when I saw the list of the 'Top 20 Comic Weapons' I was feeling due!! Here's the list:

10. Captain America's Shield ~ Highly topical since he's dead and Stephen Colbert now possesses it!
9. The Joker's Acid Squirting Flower ~ OK, maybe but not the version from the movie.
8. The Wrecker's Crowbar - Avengers ~ ok?
7. Doc Ock's tentacles ~ That's more like it, who can think these things up?
6. Iron Man's Armor ~ Well ok.
5. Wolverine's claws ~ Heck yes they are!!!!!
4. Saint of Killers' revolvers – Preacher ~ What???
3. The Bowel Disruptor – Transmetropolitan ~ A weapon that makes you poo?
2. Green Lantern's Ring ~ I always wanted to be the Green Lantern until I realized that there is more than one ring and these guys are worth a dime a dozen.
1. Mjolnir - (Hammer of Thor) ~ ok, arguably so.

I'm 0 for 2 with super hero lists today. My list is more like 1. Wolverine's claws, 2. Captain America's indestructible shield, and 3. Doc Ock's Shield. Other items that may make my list include; Goblin's sky-sled, Bat Man's utility belt, Thor's Hammer, Silver Surfer's Surf Board, and Gambit's Playing cards.
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Wikimedia has awarded the 'Commons Pictures of the Year 2006'. Here is the winner.

Other impressive images include:

[Elephant's Back]

[Moon Monster]

[Snow Crystal]

[Orion Nebula]

And this great shot from Angels Landing in Zion National Park

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Today I came across this website of 'Crystal Cave of Giants in Mexico'.

I didn't think much of the images until I realized that there is a guy in there standing on the crystals.

"The Naica Mine of Chihuahua, Mexico, is a working mine that is known for its extraordinary crystals. Naica contains crystals of selenite (gypsum) as large as 4 feet in diameter and 50 feet long. The chamber holding these crystals is known as the Crystal Cave of Giants, and is approximately 1000 feet down in the limestone host rock of the mine. The cavern was discovered while the miners were drilling through the Naica fault, which they were worried would flood the mine."

WOW!!
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When was the last time you thought, Legos + Beatles = Beatlegos. Me too!!!

I admit I only posted these because they are a twofer!!!

[Plastic Soul]
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Lastly, here is a hold over from my last blog. I forgot to post it. It has been a while since I have posted a street ad or otherwise clever ad.

[bic]
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That's all for now.

36 is the natural number following 35 and preceding 37

2007-03-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

Well I've done it again. I have waited until the last minute possible to post my blog this week. Things at work at still very rocky but it should all be settled by the end of this month. I have not had a lot of time to surf with all of the Daylight Savings Time updates on our PCs and Macs. If you don't know what I'm talking about run your updates now. [drop me a note if you need help]

Anyhoo, I think it is San Diego. I guess the vacations is about the destination and not the trip [this year].

Surf'n California Style....

There is a new movie starring Jim Carrey coming out at the end of this month called 23. I don't know much about the movie except that the number 23 plays a role. I have had my own numerical nemesis this year, the number 36.

According to Wikipedia 36... --

36 is the number of degrees in the angle of all 5 tips in a perfect star.
36 is the largest numeric base that some computer systems support because it exhausts the numerals, 0–9, and the letters, A–Z.
The number of inches in a yard.
In the UK, a standard beer barrel is 36 UK gallons, about 163.7 litres.
The atomic number of krypton [hmmm]
Many early computers featured a 36-bit word length
ASCII code for the symbol '$'
The New General Catalogue object NGC 36, a spiral galaxy in the constellation Pisces [my sign!!!]
According to Jewish tradition, in every generation there are 36 righteous people (the "Lamed Vav Tzadikim") in whose merit the world continues to exist
Altogether, 36 candles are kindled in the Hanukkah menorah over the 8 days of that holiday.
Traditionally Chinese dragons have 117 scales, 36 of which are Yang
Australian Basketball team The Adelaide 36ers.
The jersey number of retired Pittsburgh Steeler Jerome Bettis.
The Strait of Gibraltar is 36 miles long.
The Lakshadweep island group is made up of 36 coral islands.
The number of the French department Indre.
Only 36 of the 170 islands in Tonga are inhabited.
Survey townships were 36 square mile units of land divided into 36 one square mile sections.
Total number of plays in the First Folio of William Shakespeare.
The number 36 appears in some book titles, such as:
Thirty-Six Valentines A romance novella by Julia Quinn.
The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations, created by Georges Polti
The 36-Hour Day By Nancy L. Mace and Peter V. Rabins
The Wonderful World of Thirty-Six by Rabbi Pinchas Winston, about the kabbalistic significance of the number 36.
The Thirty-Six Strategies is a Chinese collection of 36 proverbs commented as militaristic tactics.
Thirty-Six Murders & Two Immoral Earnings By Ludovic Kennedy.
Thirty Six Biggest Mistakes Salesmen Make & How to Correct Them by George N. Kahn
Thirty-Six A collection of poetry by Steven Sher.
Thirty-six Exposures by Kevin Major.
36 Days by Douglas Brinkley.
On the piano, the number of black keys (for notes not on the C major scale).
Thirty-Six is an American band.
The Wu-Tang Clan's first album is entitled Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers
The number 36 appears in some song titles, such as:
#36 by the Dave Matthews Band
The number of episodes in the original series of Noggin the Nog.
In Stargate: Atlantis the stargates of the Pegasus galaxy have 36 symbols.
The number of original founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and also the number of countries it's roster currently includes theatrical filmmakers from.
The number of people with superhuman abilities on the list, created by Chandra Suresh, in the TV show Heroes. [WOW!!!!]
Thirty-six is also:
A perfect score on the ACT Exam
The code for international direct-dial phone calls to Hungary
In French, "36" is used as a cliché for "a lot"
The number of passengers who died when the German Zeppelin Hindenberg caught fire over New Jersey in 1937
The number of nuclear tests conducted as part of Operation Whetstone
The American flag had 36 stars from 1865 to 1867. Nevada was admitted as the 36th state of the Union.
The fruit fly Drosophila, frequently used in genetic studies, normally has 36 bristles. Mutations may cause it to have more or less. Further breeding after mutations always brings the number back to 36
The usual number of teeth for a healthy adult female horse.
The number of cards dealt in the solitaire card games Flower Garden and Stonewall
A suit of tiles in Mahjong consists of 36 tiles (4 of each numbered 1-9)
The highest number on a roulette table.
The length of mourning of a United States president is 36 days.

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I saw this great photograph called 'The Top of the Atmosphere' on the NASA website.

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I also came across a site that claims to have the 'Top 500 photos on the Internet'.

I admit that there are some pretty great photos on this site. Some of them I have featured in this blog.

But....

I don't think this site comes close to the top 500. Not even one of the 13 Photographs That Changed the World is on this page!!

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I love to post lists, especially those that pertain to things I am interested in. So a list of '13 sidekicks who are cooler than their heroes' is very appealing to me.
Here's the list:

13. Sideshow Bob, The Simpsons
12. Raymond "Mouse" Alexander, the "Easy" Rawlins series
11. Marvin, The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy
10. Rocky, Rocky & Bullwinkle & Friends
9. Dr. Pretorius, Bride Of Frankenstein
8. Inigo Montoya, The Princess Bride

7. Arthur, The Tick
6. Nobody, Dead Man
5. Samwise Gamgee, The Lord Of The Rings

4. Willow, Buffy The Vampire Slayer
3. R2D2, Star Wars

2. Hobbes, Calvin & Hobbes

1. Tonto, the Lone Ranger movies

I like this list but... [you have to know there is always a but]... Samwise would be number one on my list!!! Sorry Tonto, I don't think you would follow that masked man into a volcano and try and save his life after he tells you to leave so he can be alone with his mask and demented horse. And, who is R2-D2 a sidekick for?? Inigo Montoya would have to be number two. Sorry R2, you rock but I don't see you as a sidekick.
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Here is a picture take on the space shuttle before launch. It is a real 'Birds Eye View'.

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Have you seen this offering from 'Tesla Motors'.

"The Tesla Roadster's battery pack — the car's "fuel tank" — represents the biggest innovation in the Tesla Roadster and is one of the largest and most advanced battery packs in the world. We've combined basic proven lithium ion battery technology with our own unique battery pack design to provide multiple layers of safety. It's light, durable, recyclable, and it is capable of delivering enough power to accelerate the Tesla Roadster from zero to 60 mph in approximately four seconds. Meanwhile, the battery stores enough energy for the vehicle to travel 250 miles without recharging, something no other production electric vehicle in history can claim."

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Last weekend I found this great image of the Solar Eclipse taken by Andrew Holder.

I tried to get this out before the eclipse... I also found these 'Top 10 Lunar Eclipse Facts' from space.com.

10. Earth gets in the way
9. Why lunar eclipses don't occur every month
8. Lunar eclipses are frequent, relatively speaking
7. Lunar eclipses visible from the Moon, too
6. A bite out of the Moon
5. Myths persist today
4. Stonehenge may have predicted eclipses
3. Eclipses changed history
2. Eclipse time limits
1. One day total eclipses won't occur

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This is a great picture showing the 'Position of the sun' throughout the year.

"If you took a picture of the Sun at the same time each day, would it remain in the same position? The answer is no, and the shape traced out by the Sun over the course of a year is called an analemma. The Sun's apparent shift is caused by the Earth's motion around the Sun when combined with the tilt of the Earth's rotation axis. The Sun will appear at its highest point of the analemma during summer and at its lowest during winter."

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Writers always make fun of the line 'twas a dark and stormy night'. That is the name of this great image from flickr.com.

Snoopy would be proud!
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I came across this blog called Thrilling Wonder and a post named 'Wonders of the Chinese Landscape'.

There are several beautiful photos on this page, some I have featured on this blog before and some that I haven't. This is a beautiful part of the world and a site worth visiting.

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I have read several articles about the world's 'Deepest Cave'.

"The cave, which lies deep in Mexico's Sierra de Juárez region, has a main system that may have tunnels deeper than 6,500 feet (2,000 meters)."

At one point the explorer's had to swim through the cavern to reach the 2,000 meter mark.
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My blog theme drips into my posting every once and a while. If walking on the moon in cool what about 'Driving on the Moon'?

Apollo 17 mission commander Eugene A. Cernan makes a short checkout of the Lunar Roving Vehicle during the early part of the first Apollo 17 extravehicular activity at the Taurus-Littrow landing site. This view of the lunar rover prior to loadup was taken by Harrison H. Schmitt, Lunar Module pilot. The mountain in the right background is the east end of South Massif."
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I find my self searching through this blog for the game 'Flash Element TD'. There have been several updates to the game since I posted it and I love trying to make as much money as possible. So when I came across 'Desktop Tower Defense' I thought, "Maybe this could be as addicting".

The rules are basically the same build up weapons and try and wipe out the enemy before they cross the line and kill your people. It is different because in this game you use the weapons to build the maze the opposing army moves through. I like the variation of this game but I will most likely be returning to 'Flash Element' for my game play fix.
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This next item is a twofer and a follow up to two separate strings. [Double Bonus!!!] A while ago I blogged about the new 'Arizona Cardinals Stadium' and the innovative way the field rolls out into the sun while not being used. Well, check out this new stadium that was recently completed.

This new soccer stadium [Futbol] called 'Lego Arena' is truly a feat for its builders.

As you can see this Lego creation has a pull-away section so you can actually see the workings of the stadium as well as the game. LegoLand here we come!

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This would not be my blog without a mention of 'The Death of Captain America', 1941-2007. There is a funny clip by Stephen Colbert about this linked from Marvel.com. R.I.P. Captain. We will remember you in the Zombie files!
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As a follow-up to a post from last Fall I just wanted to share an image from a story called 'Walkway Installed Above Grand Canyon'

Maybe I should change my vacation plans!!
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In another geek out moment I saw a picture I felt compelled to share.

According to Geekologie.com the USPS is introducing R2-D2 mailboxes [about 6 years to late!]
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That's it for today. Say hey to Boh3m3 if he stops by.

Spring Vacation, Where to go?

2007-02-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

Hello all, Today's blog is a little different than any of the other 100+ I have posted. I believe all of the topics actually go together to tell a larger story. Even if you don't think so I hope you enjoy the ride.

Surf's Up...

I understand that I do not think the same way other people do. [My wife likes to point that out all the time.] So I think I will start this blog with a movie I was watching a few weeks ago.

Over the past few years we have given our kids a gift for Valentines Day. It is usually a video or some other trinket that they can enjoy during the post-Christmas-before-Birthday timeframe. Anyway, my youngest son really wanted to get 'Cars' on DVD. We had all of the other Pixar/Disney movies so we thought it would be nice to have.

We had first seen the movie at the Coleman's Motor-Vu Drive-In in Riverdale. (I know this is a trivial point but I think it ties into the general theme of this post.)

As you probably know the movie is about a race car that finds itself in a small town called Radiator Springs. This small town was on Route 66 and was by-passed by a Interstate freeway. There the race car finds his way and saves the city from becoming a ghost town.

One of the reasons I like to own DVDs is to see the extras that are included. After we had watched the movie I browsed at the included features and saw a clip called 'Inspiration for Cars'. In the featurette, 'Cars' Creator John Lasseter shares insights into the many inspirations behind the film, including Route 66.
John also shares his love of family cars trips and his firsthand account of how he discovered that life's about not about the destination; it's about the journey. [Sound familiar?]

['Cars' Creator John Lasseter]

I really liked the clip because it talked a lot about Route 66 and how family travel really changes once the Interstates Freeways were made. To paraphrase John, he said that in the days of the old highway system the trip included the stops along the way. If something looked interesting people would stop and check it out. Now when people travel they only get off the Interstate to refuel or for a bio-break.

The old highways like Route 66 are experiencing a lot more travel in recent years. The website 'Historic Route 66', "Cars, the Pixar movie, caused some interest in Route 66. What people might not realize is that most of the movie, including characters, cars, places and the plot itself were based on real people and places along Route 66."

I got a kick out of this site and how the pictures included were real life models and places used in the movie.

[This was the inspiration for the 'Road Cone Motel']

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The Highways and Interstate serve as the blood stream for transit and shipping avenues in the United States.

[Blue = Interstates; Red = Highways]

According to http://www.us-highways.com/, East-West U.S. Highways (Like Route 66) are even numbered highways from US 2 along the Canadian border to US 98 along the Gulf of Mexico. The North-South U.S. Highways are odd numbered highways from US 1 on the Atlantic coast to US 101 on the Pacific coast.

Route 66 ran across the country from Los Angeles, California to Chicago, Illinois as seen above in red.

I don't want to take anything away from the historic nature of Route 66. It has become a part of Americana and people are beginning to return to the cities and stops along the highways off of the Interstates.

This was John Lasseter's point in the featurette and one of the resolutions in the movie 'Cars'. This got me thinking about my own family and the trip we are planning for spring break. As you my remember our last vacation took us on a road trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. This spring we are debating if we want to go to the national parks in Southern Utah or visit the sandy beaches of San Diego, California.

My vacation plans fall into this debate of Highway vs. Interstate and if the vacation is about the trip or the destination.

First a little history, having lived in Utah for the last 36 years (gulp) I have become very accustomed to travel on either I-15 or Highway 89. For the last five years as I commute to work I have the choice of driving on the highway or the interstate every morning. These are the two biggest options for transit across most of Utah.

To compare Highway 89 and I-15 to Route 66 and I-40 is not historically accurate.

U.S. Route 91 was the original sister to highway 89. At its peak, from 1947 to 1965, US 91 extended from the Canadian border north of Shelby, Montana to the Pacific Ocean at Long Beach, California. Those who have traveled I-15 know for the most part this is the same path I-15 takes today. "The original routing of U.S. 91 roughly followed the current route of Interstate 15. There are large portions of the original U.S. 91 highway that were upgraded on the spot to I-15, but other places, there are long stretches of original highway now used only for local traffic". [wikipedia]

This brings me to the greatest highway in the country. Highway 89 is "a primary north/south route in the Western United States. In the early design of the US highway system, highways would run through the center of town. As such, Highway 89 is the main drag in towns throughout the western US. The Interstate system was designed to bypass such bottle necks. Interstate 15 parallels US 89. Sometimes the two roads overlap."

As of 2005, the highway's northern terminus is Piegan, Montana at the Canadian border (the highway continues into Canada as Alberta Highway 2). Its southern terminus is Flagstaff, Arizona. Historically US 89 continued to at Nogales, Arizona in the U.S. Mexico border.

This great scenic highway passes through or near Glacier National Park, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, the Jackson Hole Valley, the Grand Canyon of the Snake River, Star Valley, Bear Lake, Great Salt Lake, Bryce Canyon National Park, Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, Zion National Park, Glen Canyon Dam, Lake Powell, through the Navajo Indian Reservation to Flagstaff. An alternate route also leads to both the southern and northern rims of the Grand Canyon.

In fact, half of GORP's 'Top 10 favorite parks' are all accessible from Highway 89:

1. Glacier, Montana
3. Bryce Canyon, Utah
4. Yellowstone, Wyoming
5. Zion, Utah
8. Grand Teton, Wyoming

Interstate-15 parallels highway 89 for the most part. In southern Utah the two turn in opposite directions. I-15 to the west ending in San Diego and Highway 89 to the east around the Grand Canyon and Lake Powell ending in Flagstaff, Arizona

"Interstate 15 (abbreviated I-15) is the fourth longest north-south transcontinental interstate highway in the United States, traveling through the states of Montana, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California. In California, this freeway is a major transportation corridor linking the San Diego-Carlsbad-San Marcos Metropolitan area with the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario Metropolitan area, and various suburban communities between them. It is also the main artery of transportation through the Salt Lake City Metropolitan area. It also serves as the primary access route from Southern California to Las Vegas, Nevada, a major travel/tourist destination throughout the year. More recently, I-15 has begun to serve as a heavily traveled commuter route between the Mojave Desert communities of Victorville, Hesperia, Apple Valley, and Adelanto in California, due to rapid population growth and associated residential, commercial, and industrial development. There are a total of 400 exits along the entire I-15."

So yes, Like my last vacation to Yellowstone my current vacation plans are either along highway 89 or I-15. Unlike the Yellowstone trip we are choosing between Utah National Parks and San Diego.
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Another factor playing into our decision is that we will not we visiting Arches or Canyonlands National Parks if we travel via Highway 89. Spring Break means vacation to thousands of people, some of whom will flood Moab, Utah for the 37th Annual Easter Jeep Safari - March 31st to April 8th 2007

For those of you who aren't familiar with the Annual Easter Jeep Safari here is a description from the Discover Moab website. "Annual Jeep Safari - Easter Jeep Safari consists of trail rides, mostly day long trips, departing from Moab throughout this week long event. The official event is hosted by the Red Rock 4-Wheelers Inc. the local four wheel drive club of Moab. Participants provide their own four wheel drive vehicle, take care of their own food and non-alcoholic beverages for the trip. The club officially runs approximately 9 different trails every day, with "Big Saturday" culminating in the largest ever single trail ride departure happening - around 30 groups line up in down town Moab to head off in every direction for 30 different trails! Pre-registration for this event is recommended, although limited registration at the event may be possible. This massive week-long event is one of the largest events of the year for Moab. Please make your camping/lodging reservations as early as possible!"

Since high school I have wanted a Jeep and some day I hope to participate in an event like this but when I visit these crown jewels of the U.S. National Parks I would like to do it without all the 4x4's and associated crowds this event draws.

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Our Highway 89 National Park tour will only include the national parks, monuments and state parks along US 89; Mainly Bryce Canyon, Grand Staircase-Escalante, Grand Canyon National Park, and Capital Reef National Park.

We will stay just outside of Bryce Canyon National Park and travel by van to all of the other destinations.

My wife and I have been to Bryce one other time but the lower half of the park was closed and we didn't really get to see much of the park.

We would stay at Ruby's Inn, at the very top of the above map. The park has many features I want to see including...

Bryce Canyon Lodge...

Several trails, vistas and outlooks around the amphitheater that you cannot find anywhere else in the world...

Thor's Hammer...

Natural bridge.

and Mossy Cave.

I found this 'Top Ten List for Bryce Canyon' of places to visit.

1.Red Canyon
2. Mosey Cave Trail
3. Bryce Canyon Scenic Drive
4. Rim Hike
5. Queens Garden Trail
6. Peekaboo Trail
7. Hat Shop Trail
8. Tower Bridge Hike
9. Fairy Loop Hike
10. Under the Rim Hike
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I found a great photoblog by Derek von Briesen with some of our other possible stops on this trip.

Willis Creek Grand Staircase-Escalante

Lake Powell

Grand Canyon

Capitol Reef

Capitol Reef - Again.

Have I sold you on the beauty yet? Now for the downside. We have estimated that it will take 3 hours to get from Ruby's Inn at Bryce to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. All of the lodges and facilities will be closed when we visit. So 6 hours to the North Rim and back. We also estimate it is 2 hours to capitol reef.

This is the definition of a car trip!!!
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Our other option is to follow I-15 from home to where it ends in sunny San Diego, California. I have been here many times and spent three weeks there just after high school. San Diego is California's second largest city and borders Mexico. You may be aware of some of the attractions in San Diego like...

Sea World...

The San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Parks.

There are other touristy places like Lego Land but I found this list of the
'Top 15 Attractions' in San Diego:

1. San Diego Beaches - Yes
2. Sea World - Yes
3. San Diego Zoo - Yes
4. Balboa Park -YES!!!
5. San Diego Wild Animal Park - Not this trip
6. Gaslamp Quarter - No
7. Legoland - No
8. Old Town - No
9. Coronado - Yes
10. La Jolla - No
11. Del Mar - No
12. Seaport Village - No
13. Point Loma - No
14. Whale Watching - Wrong time
15. Tijuana / Mexico - Not with the kids

Like the list above, one of the biggest reasons we are considering San Diego are the Beaches. We are considering spending two full days on the beach. I found this list of the 'Top 15 Beaches' in San Diego:

1. Coronado
2. Mission Beach
3. La Jolla Shores
4. Del Mar
5. Pacific Beach
6. Mission Bay Park
7. Ocean Beach
8. Windansea Beach
9. Carlsbad
10. Black's Beach
11. Solana Beach
12. Imperial Beach
13. Children's Pool
14. La Jolla Cove
15. Oceanside

So I'm thinking that we would try and fit in Sea World, San Diego Zoo...

Balboa Park

more Balboa...

Coronado

Coronado at night

The San Diego Temple

Mission Beach

more Mission Beach.

I am excited to return to Balboa Park. "The nation's largest urban cultural park. Home to 15 major museums, renowned performing arts venues, beautiful gardens and the San Diego Zoo. Kid-friendly museum best bets include the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center, San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego Air & Space Museum, San Diego Automotive Museum, San Diego Hall of Champions, the San Diego Model Railroad Museum, and, of course, the San Diego Zoo."

Here are two links [link 1, link 2] to PDF maps of Balboa Park.

I will also make a point of visiting the San Diego-Imperial Council Scout office located on the grounds to support them using the public land despite the ACLU's lawsuit that is trying to force them out.
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So there it is my own little movie. Modern or Old School Car Trip? Natures beauty vs natures beauty. A long drive vs a long drive. The trip vs the destination. I-15 vs Highway 89. We have a big decision to make.

Weak week

2007-02-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

I have been caught in a funk!! 2007 has been a huge bust for me so far. I have built up this year in my mind. I have so many expectations and things to look forward to I think I get pre-disapointed when they appear not to be happening.

My blog has reflected my lack of passion. Poor me!!

One of the reasons I still blog on Myspace is because of the feature where people can subscribe to me and I can see who is subscribed. For a long time I could only see family members there. Then one of my longtime friends and fraternity brother subscribed. Yesterday I noticed a new subscriber from New York. It just made me think, why would someone from New York subscribe to my blog. Then it clicked, just because... Anyhow, if you have a myspace account and you read my blog you should subscribe so I can see who you are.

On with the show...

I keep a file on my computer of site I see that I can post in my blog. When I have to scroll the page I feel like I have enough content for my next post. This week has not filled my file. Maybe that's why this first post has hung around so long.

'SUV Plows Into Theater As Moviegoers Watch Dreamgirls'.

I think the reason that I posted this is because this would be my luck. I finally get out on a date with my wife and a SUV breaks through the wall and almost hits me in the head.
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I have seen this new image of this dead star in several places.. 'Hubble Spies Dazzling Death of a Sunlike Star'.

It is amazing this destructive force has the ability to create so much new matter. Beautiful.

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I don't think I will ever have the opportunity to visit 'Iguazú Falls'. If I were a producer of the Amazing race I would make this a stop!!!

I learned about the fall from a clip on YouTube.

The falls are located in Argentina and seems to be easily accessible if you are in those parts.

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Have you see the new warning symbol?

Can you tell what it means?

Apparently, the International Atomic Energy Agency felt they needed a 'New Symbol Launched to Warn Public About Radiation Dangers'. This new symbol should help reduce needless deaths and serious injuries from accidental exposure to large radioactive sources.
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I really geeked out when I came across this site of 'Space and Astronomy Stamps'.

There are actually other kinds of stamps on this site but I have to show you the ones with the man on the moon.

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My oldest daughter came home from school last week and said they had written thank you letters to the Ogden Police Officer [Hammond] who is credited with stopping the shooter at Trolley Square in Salt Lake.

Last weekend my wife told me that Officer Hammond was going to visit my daughters class and she (my wife) was going to write an article about it for the paper.

[The girl with red hair sitting against the wall on the left is our next door neighbor]

Officer Hammond did visit the school and the Salt Lake Tribune and AP were there to write stories as well. My wife called me right after the interview and told me this was one of her top newspaper reporting experiences. She said after he left the children the rest of the school children had lined the halls and applauded him as he left the school.

The above picture appeared in the Salt Lake Tribune and on the Stand-Examiner Internet site. My wife said Officer Hammond received letters from two classes, my daughters and a class in Texas.
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That's it for the week. Thank's for reading and make sure to subscribe to the myspace blog.

Games, pics and updates

2007-02-12T10:44:00.001-07:00

I have had several friends from out of state email me and ask about the gunman at Trolley Square. I will sum up my answers here.

No, I was not at Trolley Square when this happened. No, to my knowledge I do not know anyone who was involved. Yes, I will shop and eat there again. Although I would like to meet the Ogden City Police officer who was involved, I do not know who he is. Any more questions?

Now let's experience something comparatively unimportant.
-------------

I haven't blogged about a games for a while. I came across this site of 'Classic 80s Games'

Yes, they have George Costanza's Favorite game.

Good old Donkey Kong

and my favorite Pac-Man, plus many more.
----------

I came across some great pictures of Hoverflies on a website called 'Sensitive Light'.

This is a great series of pictures that not only show Hoverflies but also the way they pollinate as the move.

Pictures can tell a story that words cannot complete.
---------

I saw this great image from NASA's Image of the Day called 'Io: The Prometheus Plume'

"The plume rises about 46 miles above the surface of a Io's volcanic caldera known as Pillan Patera. Named for the Greek god who gave mortals fire, the Prometheus plume is visible in every image ever made of the region dating back to the Voyager flybys of 1979, presenting the possibility that this plume has been continuously active for at least 18 years. The above image was originally recorded on June 28, 1997."
---------

It has been a while since I last blogged about giant machines so this isn't really a follow-up. I am still impressed by these 'Giant Ships'. [No they are not ships for Andre or Larry].

At first this ship looks only a little different. Flat hull with normal bow and two towers in the rear.

Then you can see what it can do and how it does the job.

These sea monsters are amazing!!!

This is the USS Cole after is was attached in Yemen October 12, 2000.
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This is a follow-up to a post about a truck that was 'Living on the edge'

Come to find out this happened just outside Hurricane Utah [pronounced her-rick-an].

"The above-displayed photographs supposedly depict a truck that crashed though a highway barrier, rolled over a culvert, and came to rest facing opposite its original direction of travel - barely missing plunging hundreds of feet over an adjacent cliff.

"We have verified that the roadway seen in these pictures is Highway 59 (i.e., State Route 59) near Hurricane City, Utah:

"The Hurricane City Police department also confirmed that these images 'are consistent with a single vehicle traffic accident that occurred on State Route 59 in Hurricane City' on 30 December 2006, and that 'Hurricane City Police and Hurricane City Fire Rescue responded to the scene.' They declined to provide any additional detail about the accident, citing the confidentiality provisions of Utah's Government Records Access and Management Act."

Thanks to snopes.
----------

Tell me what your first impression of this picture is?

It is real or a scale model?

I have seen several examples of this type of photography where the intention is to 'Create Fake Miniature environments'.

I think this is cool but it makes me wonder why?
-----------

I saw a great series of billboards for the Ford Mustang.

Great Idea!! I'm not sure I would get it as I was driving by but it would make me take a second look for sure.
------------

Yes, I still like Zombies and Marvel Comic Books. So I must like Marvel Zombie Comic Books, right?

"It all began with Ultimate Fantastic Four #21-#23 as the zombified FF crossed over with the Ultimate U. The story then shifted, focusing on the zombie world in Marvel Zombies #1-#5. Ultimate FF #30-#32 tied up some loose ends on the Ultimate end, bridging that tale with the events taking place at the end of Marvel Zombies on the zombie world.

"But the stories don't end there. Or begin, for that matter. Dynamite Entertainment's Army of Darkness #13 ends with Ash, hero of the "Evil Dead" films and Army of Darkness franchise getting shuffled off onto the Marvel Zombies world before the events of Ultimate Fantastic Four #21. Look for the upcoming Marvel Zombies vs. Army of Darkness mini-series and the one-shot Marvel Zombies: Dead Days to explain what happens to Ash and reveal how the world got zombified".

You can see Ash from the 'Evil Dead' Movies in the above image. [sweet]
------------

If Zombies are just wrong for this time of year how about this:

This heart is for you from the Cloud Appreciation Society.
------------

I saw a funny editorial cartoon I also wanted to share.

--------

That's all for today

[sorry about the version one cryptic post. I thought I would finish from home but didn't get to it.]

Americana?

2007-02-08T15:29:00.000-07:00

I'm never sure how to start out my posts. Maybe I should come up with a good joke or something. Maybe I could find a good source of info to post. Whatever it is I'm sure I would beat, Hello Everyone.

I am taking the day off tomorrow to go with my oldest son to the dental surgeon. He is having a problem with one of his permanent teeth that won't come in. So I thought I would try and squeeze in a post for today.

I was not able to post on my brothers birthday. He never reads this blog anyway [Not Mose, my other brother]. I wanted to wish him a happy birthday anyway. He was born on Groundhog day. He just turned 24.

I'm going to throw in a make-up post of 'this day in history' for his birthday so make sure you go and check it out.

Surf's up...
----------

I had two things I really wanted to blog about today and three things that I just found at the same time.

First off, Have you heard about the 5000 year old skeletons they uncovered near Rome? They were found embracing.

There are several cool factors in this find. First it is very rare to find double burials in this time frame. They could not properly care for the bodies and even if they died near the same time they were usually buried as quickly as possible. Second, the find is near where William Shakespeare set Romeo and Juliet. Some experts are saying that this find is 'A Prehistoric Romeo & Juliet?'

They died young and, by the looks of it, in love. Two 5,000-year-old skeletons found locked in an embrace near the city where Shakespeare set the star-crossed tale "Romeo and Juliet" have sparked theories the remains of a far more ancient love story have been found.
-------------

I came across this little piece of Americana called the 'Top 100 Speeches in American History' on the site http://www.americanrhetoric.com/. I can't say that I agree with the order in the list [what a surprise]. I think there is a political slant in play but nonetheless it still contains some really great speeches.

Here's the list:
10. Lyndon Baines Johnson - "We Shall Overcome"
9. John Fitzgerald Kennedy - Houston Ministerial Association Speech
8. Ronald Wilson Reagan - Shuttle ''Challenger'' Disaster Address

7. Malcolm X - "The Ballot or the Bullet"
6. Richard Milhous Nixon - "Checkers"
5. Barbara Charline Jordan - 1976 DNC Keynote Address
4. Franklin Delano Roosevelt - Pearl Harbor Address to the Nation
3. Franklin Delano Roosevelt - First Inaugural Address
2. John Fitzgerald Kennedy - Inaugural Address
1. Martin Luther King, Jr. - "I Have A Dream"

A complete index to and partial text and audio database of the 100 most significant American political speeches of the 20th century, according to 137 leading scholars of American public address, as compiled by Stephen E. Lucas (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and Martin J. Medhurst (Baylor University). Find out who made the cut and experience the power of rhetorical eloquence in this provocative list of "who's who" in American public address.
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It has been a while since I posted a generated image. I thought this one was a great idea.

Can you guess the answer?
-------------

The next piece of Americana to make this post is entitled 'The American Society of Magazine Editors Top 40 Magazine Covers of the Last 40 Years". I'm also not sure I agree with this list. It must have been put together by a majority of editors in New York City with an insiders view of magazine art and political leaning to the left. But anyhoo, here is the list:

#10 National Geographic (June 1985) Photographer Steve McCurry immortalized the haunted eyes of a 12-year-old refugee in a camp on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border

#9 Harper's Bazaar (September 1992) under legendary Editor-in-Chief Liz Tilberis's direction heralded one of the most dramatic magazine reinventions in history.
#8 Esquire (October 1966) The all-black cover with the white inscription, "Oh My God—We hit a little girl,"
#7 National Lampoon (January 1973) shot of a human hand holding a revolver to the head of a docile-looking dog
#6 The New Yorker (September 24, 2001) The silhouetted Twin Towers were printed in a fifth, black ink, on a field of black made up of the standard four color printing inks

#5 Esquire (May 1969) image of a drowning Andy Warhol in a can of Campbell Soup
#4 The New Yorker (March 29, 1976) Saul Steinberg's cover, "View of the World from 9th Avenue"
#3 Esquire (April 1968) The controversial cover depicting Muhammad Ali impaled by six arrows
#2 Vanity Fair (August 1991) cover shot of the naked and hugely pregnant Demi Moore

#1 Rolling Stone (January 22, 1981) cover of John Lennon and Yoko Ono

Covers that were also notable to me included:

#13 LIFE Special Edition (1969) This LIFE special edition "To the Moon and Back" chronicles the first moon landing [of course]

#19 Esquire (December 2000) Bill Clinton's appearance on Esquire's cover

and #25 TIME (September 14, 2001) features a photograph of the Twin Towers terrorist bombings on September 11, 2001

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

Yesterday the Salt Lake City Chamber of Commerce announced the 27th Giant in the City.

[No not a real giant like Andre]

They named The Utah Jazz owner and car dealer as the newest giant.

Other giants include:

1970: Eric C. Aaberg
1972: Clarence Bamberger
1974: E.M. Naughton
1977: John M. and Glenn Wallace
1978: N. Eldon Tanner
1981: John W. Gallivan
1982: George S. Eccles
1984: Richard A. Van Winkle
1985: Wendell J. Ashton
1986: Arch L. Madsen
1987: B.Z. Kastler
1990: S. Chris Johnson
1992: Gov. Calvin R. Rampton
1994: G. Frank Joklik
1995: Fred S. Ball
1998: Kenneth Y. Knight
1999: Scott S. Parker
2000: Verl Topham
2001: Spencer Eccles
2002: W. Mitt Romney
2003: Don Cash and Nick Rose
2004: President Gordon B. Hinckley
2005: Jon M. Huntsman
2006: James LeVoy Sorenson
-------------

Here is another shot of Americana from the 'American Institute of Architects 150 favorite structures'. The biggest thing I have against this list is that my wife, mother and sister can say I've been there, and there, and there.... Here's the list:

10. Vietnam Veterans Memorial (1982) Washington, DC;
9. Chrysler Building (1930) New York, NY;
8. Biltmore Estates/Vanderbilt Residence (1895) Asheville, NC;
7. Lincoln Memorial (1922) Washington, DC;
6. U.S. Capitol (1793-1865) Washington, DC;
5. Golden Gate Bridge (1937) San Francisco, CA;

4. Thomas Jefferson Memorial (1943) Washington, DC;
3. Washington National Cathedral (1990) Washington, DC;
2. The White House (1792) Washington, DC;
1. Empire State Building (1931) New York, NY;

[I know Missy, I know]
-------------

I have not known how to address this next topic so I thought I would share a 'Top Ten' list from Late Night with David Letterman.

Top Ten Signs An Astronaut Is Trying To Kill You
http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/top_ten/index/php/20070206.phtml#

10. Says, "This is a giant leap for mankind" as she tosses you off a bridge
9. You turn on CNN and see the Hubble Telescope focusing on your house
8. She promises to "Take you out like Pluto"
7. It sounds crazy, but you could swear Mars is following you
6. You were on the "Maury" episode: "I Had A Booty Call And Now An Astronaut Is Trying To Kill Me"
5. Her previous attempts to kill you have been postponed due to high winds
4. She poisons your Tang
3. Says she looks forward to being the first to walk on your lifeless corpse
2. Been getting threatening emails from Connie@International Space Station.com
1. She keeps stabbing you with a pen that writes upside down

I think I will leave it at that. If you don't know what I am referring to then I may cover it in the next post.
------------

Check out this next image.

Yes it is a huge clump of Daddy-long-leg spiders. WOW
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That's all for today.

No Excuses

2007-02-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone, It has been a long week!!! Not only am I experiencing personnel hell at work we have been putting down carpet in three rooms at the same time. Last night was the first night since Friday that I slept in my room. I have consistently been up at 2 am for 5 days straight, something I haven't done since I was in college. Today I am fighting off sleep at work and found myself nodding off at 8:45 - arrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!!

Anyway I have been saving some things to post, it's hard to surf while sleeping....
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This winter has been very dry and cold, but I was still surprised when I saw this article about a frozen 8-foot boa constrictor .

The snake was stretched out when found near a bike path along the Great Miami River in southwest Ohio.
------------

I also read several articles about tunnels under the U.S. and Mexico borders.

Many of the tunnels had been discovered almost a year ago but there is evidence that they are still being used.

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

I have several great images for todays post. The first is called 'Pole in Field'.

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

The next set if pics are from 'The Visual Journey' by Marc Adamus.

Adamus is a professional landscape photographer based in Corvallis Oregon. His photographs have been published extensively worldwide in a large variety of media such as calendars, magazines, books, ect. His recent work has appeared in Outdoor Photographer, Digital Photo, Popular Photography, Unique Image, Digital Photo Pro and Photo Media magazines.

Marc has been honored with several international awards for photographic excellence. Marc generally spends much of his year traveling and shooting various projects around the Western US. and Northwest specifically.

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I was excited when I saw the headline for the next site I visited. '16 Mind-Blowing Microphotographs of Living Things'.

[proboscis housefly]

I have to admit my mind wasn't really blown. Of the 16 pics there are only a few worth seeing.

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

Here's another great picture from flickr that made me smile called 'Caught'.

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I found another great example of gorilla advertising.

I think this would catch my attention, don't you?

Monster Trucks are HERE!
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That's all for today.

Try as I might

2007-01-29T10:48:00.000-07:00

Well, well, well, 2007 is really stacking up well for me. Just as I think things are back to normal at work I get thrown for another loop. I went to the gym twice last week, I admit that may be taking up some of my blogging time. Oh well, please bear with me while I work out these new kinks in my schedule. I admit I am not the best blogger in the world, but I am getting a hang of it. Watch out boing boing!!

It's sunset at the beach, low tide, groovy view....

I was reading this article about 'A Road to nowhere'. Where there is a dispute about traffic congestion on a new $2.2-million road.

The dispute between counties has resulted in a 20 foot gap and a road that cannot be used just outside of Tampa.
-----------

I came across this site called 'The 7 Wonders of Utah'. I have seen this before and may have blogged about it but the second look must have been a better payoff for me.

Here's the list:
7. Antelope Island
6. Bryce Canyon National Park
5. Cathedral of the Madeline
4. Rainbow Bridge National Monument
3. Joseph Smith Memorial Building
2. Temple Square
1. Arches National Park

I've been to all seven, have you?
------------

I found another interesting photoblog, this one through time magazine, called the 'White House Photo Blog'.

[President Ford's Funeral]

Some of these photographs are historical....

some pictures are artistic....

and some are just funny. You should check them out.
---------------

I came across this clip after viewing a Colbert clip. I thought it would fit in here.

Hillary Clinton Sings National Anthem

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

I also read several articles about the how the Hubble Space Telescope's main camera shuts down. If the problem is permanent it would be a great loss.

The Hubble Space Telescope has done more to advance space research than any other devise other than earth based telescopes. It's impact on the modern science community is almost immeasurable.

Find more here.
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I found this funny image of the ultimate MacGyver Multitool.

Someone went to great lengths for this. I appreciated the good laugh.
---------

That's it for now.

Lists, favorites and photos

2007-01-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

Hello, welcome back.

The gym was not that great. I was there for an hour and a half and I only did one rep on one machine. We have started painting the room in the basement. We are trying to ease the congestion in the bedrooms upstairs. My son wanted BYU blue so we have painted it on one wall and are doing the rest BYU tan and the ceiling and trim will be [BYU] white. I think I will be comfortable with the colors.

I also attend community council meeting this week. I'm not sure I have blogged about this before but for the last four years I have been a member at the elementary school. The basic function of the council is to discuss and approve spending of land trust funds. I was chair two years ago and asked to attend a meeting in Park City about how these committees should function and how effective they are in the schools. After that I realized that we were not running the council correctly. I tried at the beginning of last year to add more parents for better representation and input. I also suggested that the funds be spent on school needs and not wishes. Both of these ideas were shot down by the principal.

Anyway, at this weeks meeting the new principal suggested that we add more parents to the committee. I felt vindicated.

It's high tide. Time to surf....
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I have seen several articles and TV news stories about the 'Top 100 most endangered species'. Most of the articles have included a picture of a long beaked echidnaay.

This is a cute/funny looking animal that easily peaks your interest in trying to save these animals.

Here is the list:
10. Sumatran rabbit
9. Northern hairy-nosed wombat
8. Bactrian camel
7. Black rhinoceros
6. Sumatran rhinoceros
5. Hispaniolan solenodon
4. Cuban solenodon
3. Riverine rabbit
2. Long-beaked echidna
1. Yangtze River dolphin

There are many unique animals on this list. The Yangtze Dolphin (above) is a fresh water dolphin that swims in the Yangtze River in China. They have not been seen in quite a while as are feared to already be extinct.

But did you notice that there are two species of rabbits on the list? Knowing the reputation of the breeding habits of rabbits I found this hard to believe. However, both varieties are endangered because of loss of habitat and human intrusion. In fact the Sumatran rabbit was thought to have been extinct since 1930 until one was accidently photographed but a camera trap in 1998.

This was an interesting read.
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I came a cross an article on CNN.com called 'The 6 most annoying things kids say'. This seemed promising. Maybe the article was about new slang words or misused words. Maybe it's mean things they say to each other. So I clicked and it is a parenting article listing six annoying things kids say.

Here's the list:
6. "Mine!"
5. "It's not fair."
4. "You're not the boss of me."
3. "I want it now!"
2. "You never let me do anything."
1. "I don't like you."

Wow, are those annoying? Maybe if it's a three-year-old and your the unmarried auntie. So I decided to make my own list of 'The top ten most annoying things my kids said in the last 24 hours'.

Here's my list:
10. "because it's stupid and I don't like it"
9. "I don't want to go to bed"
8. "I don't want to wake up"
7. "Mom let's us do it when she's here"
6. "Why do I have to?"
5. "You're the worst dad ever"
4. "I did it/got it at grandma's house"
3. "I'm running away...to grandma's"
2. "It wasn't me, it must have been the baby"
1. "Dad let's me do it when you're not here"

[No this is not my son]

I later found this video and thought it related to this topic in a humorous way.

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

Yesterday I read an article about Smallville and how last night episode would feature a newly formed Justice League. I have never watched this show and I don't think I will start but I have to admit the idea is pretty cool.

[Left to Right: The Flash, Green Arrow, Superman, Aquaman and Cyborg.]

Here is the episode synopsis:
The Green Arrow sends out for reinforcements and The Flash, Aquaman and Cyborg return to Smallville to help him take down LuthorCorp's secret lab.
During a break-in at the LuthorCorp facility, The Flash is captured and tortured by Lex and Clark sets off to rescue him but is felled by meteor rock. An alarmed Chloe goes to Green Arrow for help and the newly formed "justice league" springs into action to rescue Clark and The Flash.

Yes I watched it with my kids. Not it did not keep their attention. No I don't think I would watch again.
------------

Here is a follow-up to my last post about the commercial during the Golden Globes with Orville 'Zombie' Redenbacher. Here is the ad from YouTube.

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

I came across another website today called Steve Carter music and photography. Steve has a lot of great pics and many different galleries.

Size and majesty

delicate form

Sharp contrast

I feel like I have had the opportunity to take all of these pictures but none would have turned out as good as these.

Steve also has links for 'photo a day for a year' and 'photo of the month'. Check them out.
-------------

I also saw some photographs on outdoor-photos.com from photographer: Aleksey Puchkov from Sevastopol, Crimea, Ukraine.

Most of his picture are in wide format. I love his use of colors and topics.

A search for him on google leads to many different collections from stock photography to photographic art.

There is something about these pictures that draw me in. The colors stand out and the landscapes are out of my world.
------------

I also came across a list of the '13 Photographs That Changed the World'.

I have seen lists like this before but this one included dates and photographers names. Here's the list with my favorites injected.

13. "Le Violon d'Ingres" - Man Ray, 1924

12. "Gandhi at his Spinning Wheel" - Margaret Bourke-White, 1946
11. "Loch Ness Monster" a.k.a. "The Surgeon's Photo" - Ian Wetherell, 1934
10. "Dalí Atomicus" - Philippe Halsman, 1948

9. "Einstein with his Tongue Out" - Arthur Sasse, 1951
8. "The Corpse of Che Guevara" - Freddy Alborta, 1967

7. "The Tetons - Snake River" - Ansel Adams, 1942

6. "Hindenburg" - Murray Becker, 1937

5. "V-J Day, Times Square, 1945", a.k.a. "The Kiss" - Alfred Eisenstaedt, 1945

4. "Murder of a Vietcong by Saigon Police Chief" - Eddie Adams, 1968
3. "Federal Dead on the Field of Battle of First Day, Gettysburg, Pennsylvania" - Mathew Brady, 1863

2. "Migrant Mother" - Dorothea Lange, 1936
1. "Omaha Beach, Normandy, France" - Robert Capa, 1944

This is a great article, well researched and backed up. A textbook of photography. I would check it out and the rest of Neatorama too.

The article above was written by Ransom Riggs for the Jan - Feb 2007 issue of mental_floss magazine, featured on Neatorama in partnership with mental_floss.
----------------

Becareful driving in this cold weather!

That's all for today!

P.S. I never thought I would have Che Guevara on my blog at all, but twice in a week? Wow this blog has taken on a mind of its own.

Give a hoot

2007-01-17T14:15:00.000-07:00

Well I'm headed off for a meeting with a personel trainer at the gym. I'm not looking forward to this. Every time I go in there I feel out of place. I'm not sure what's going to happen but I hope since I am now paying for my membership I will have even more motivation to attend.

Yesterday I exchanged email with an old friend of mine from 'the old neighborhood'. He was one of my best friends when that really meant something. It was great to hear from him but as good as it was to remember the good times he also reminded me of some of my worst times. I will always cherish his friendship and the role it played in my life. I'm glad that I have had 20 years to let other things that happened at that time go by the wayside. It's amazing how the feelings and emotions came right back when names and places are mentioned. He and I had also exchanged thoughts about Murray O'Dell and his passing.

My oldest daughter ran into my friend Brad Wheeler at school yesterday. Brad is the guy who organized the harmonica army. Brad was visiting the school to pass out harmonicas to the kids in my daughters class. She introduced herself and he told he to say hello to me. I think it is interesting that some of my friends still influence my kids even though we are as close as we used to be. It makes me wonder what other connections there are out there.

Enough about me, I had time to surf today....
----------------

I haven't done this in a while so here is 'This date in history'.

In 1706 - Benjamin Franklin, American statesman, is born in Boston.
In 1893 - Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States, dies
In 1899 - Al Capone, American gangster, is born in Brooklyn, N.Y.
In 1929 - Popeye the Sailor Man, a cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, first appears in the Comic Strip Thimble Theatre.
In 1931 - James Earl Jones, American actor and voice of Darth Vader, is born.
In 1942 - Muhammad Ali, American boxer, is born
In 1945 - The Nazis begin the evacuation of the Auschwitz concentration camp as Soviet forces close in.
In 1949 - Andy Kaufman, American comedian, is born
In 1962 - Jim Carrey, Canadian actor and comedian, is born
In 1977 - Convicted murderer Gary Gilmore is executed by a firing squad in Utah, ending a ten-year moratorium on the death penalty in the United States.
In 1991 - 'Mother of all Battles' begins - Operation Desert Storm begins as Gulf War Allies send hundreds of planes on bombing raids into Iraq.
In 1997 - A court in Ireland granted the first divorce in the Roman Catholic country's history.
In 1998 - President Bill Clinton became the first U.S. president to testify as a defendant in a criminal or civil suit when he answered questions from lawyers for Paula Jones.
In 2001 - Faced with an electricity crisis, California used rolling blackouts to cut off power to hundreds of thousands of people.
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Since Mac World last week, the Internet has been all a buzz about the release of the new iPhone. I have to admit it seems pretty cool. I would like to get my hands on one but the $500 price tag scares me off. If you are wanting to check them out you may want to visit the 'iPhone countdown'.

This site is dedicated to letting you know just how long it will be before you can have an iPhone of your own.

It this is not enough for you try downloading this pdf file you can fold into the shape and size on an iPhone.

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

Since I was walking down memory lane recently, I think this next site jumped out at me. It's time for us all to say 'Good-bye to old Woodsy'. This link takes you to a page that describes the guidelines for destroying old Woodsy Owl costumes.

Why destroy Woodsy you say?

Well apparently Woodsy is now in version 2.0.

[weird]

I'm not sure what to think of the change. I hate it when stars get plastic surgery like this. In four years he'll have man-cheeks and his hooter will be able to poke someone's eye out. Besides everyone knows beauty is in the eyes and I don't think you can beat old Woodsy's eyes.

[Hey Woodsy, your 'hat' is looking smaller too. I guess age effects everyone differently.]
-------------

I thought my readers would enjoy this 90's flowchart I came across [especially my wife].

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

My wife loves to watch the award shows on TV. It has become a tradition where we spend time together making fun of celebrities and making lists of movies or tv shows we need to catch up on. Anyway, during the Golden Globes on Monday there was a new ad for Orville Redenbacher Popcorn that featured Orville himself -- Back from the dead.

I have to admit it weirded me out. The technology used here was not the same as was used in 'Lord of the Rings'. It looks like the took an actor wearing a flat paper mask of Orville with cgi over the top. This was so creepy it made my want to stop buying his popcorn. [Which is another one of my wife's favorite things]. I know it is his name and face that is associated with the brand but pay some respect to the dead people!
-----------

I came across this site that boasts the winners of the 'Digital Camera Photographer of the Year 2007'.

I have seen and posted a lot of the winners from this site before.

If you like photography this site is worth the visit.

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

It a completely unrelated site I saw a great picture of downtown Tokyo.

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That's it for today.

Floating on Air?

2007-01-15T14:21:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm off to a good start this week. My bosses are in Las Vegas and the first of the year lull is on the horizon. Surf's up....

I found this awesome video of a Science Experiment called 'Ship floating on nothing!'

"What they have is Sulfur hexafluoride. It's 5.11 times as dense as air. It's non toxic, although it's byproducts can be extremely dangerous.

Another interesting point is that inhaling this gas will make your voice sound deeper. Sound does not travel as fast in this medium. Helium can transmit sound very rapidly, hence making your voice squeaky."

That's Deep!
[via]
----------------

I came across a follow up to my last picture blog. This site is called 'More Disturbing and unusual pictures'.

Don't worry I'm not going to gross you out. But some of these pictures you must see.

[Watch Out Dude!]

This is a prize winning photo from 1994. The Photographer never saw this child again and does not know what happened to him.
-------------

Here is another sweet YouTube video called 'Spiders On Drugs'

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

I read about the next Pirates movie at 'Cinema Blend' and found some images and a synopsis of the plot.

[Pirates of the Orient]

The Rundown
"In the follow-up to the record-breaking smash 2006 hit Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, we find our heroes Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) allied with Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) in a desperate quest to free Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) from his mind-bending trap in Davy Jones' locker - while the terrifying ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman and Davy Jones, under the control of the East India Trading Company, wreaks havoc across the Seven Seas. Navigating through treachery, betrayal and wild waters, they must forge their way to exotic Singapore and confront the cunning Chinese Pirate Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat). Now headed beyond the very ends of the earth, each must ultimately choose a side in a final, titanic battle as not only their lives and fortunes, but the entire future of the freedom-loving Pirate way, hangs in the balance."
---------------

I also found an addicting game called 'Flash Element TD'.

The object of the game it to build fortifications so the invaders cannot make it to kill you people. Ya, that sounds lame. I guess you'll have to trust me.
-------------

I found some great space pics on 'Astro Meeting'.

[Look up]

[Whirlpool Galaxy]

Told you so.
------------------

I came across this article about the 'tailrace tunnel of Niagara'.

Apparently sometime in the early 20th century someone gave a go at creating an energy plant at Niagara Falls.

Some guys found out about it and made it their mission to visit the site and see if they could get to the backside of the falls from inside the tunnels.

Yes, they made it in to the tunnels but that's all I'm going to tell you. Check out the site to find out the rest.
--------------------

I have to admit that I have never seen the 'Original Star wars Trailer' have you?.

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

I have two more images for you before I'm done.

[re-entry]

[Silvery Sweet!!!!]
----------------

That's all for today.

100 Wheeeew!!!

2007-01-11T16:21:00.000-07:00

Well I started my year off with a stumble. Oh well, better things to come.

Went surfing this week, got a little wet......
------------

I came across a site that may come in handy called 'cliché finder'. Where you can find most clichés by a key word search.

Here are the pig clichés (since this is the year of the pig).

buy a pig in a poke
in a pig's eye
happy as a pig in mud
you can dress up a pig, but it'll still be a pig
Happier than a pig in poop.
In a pig's eye
not until pigs fly
Busier than a pig on ice.
as fat as a pig
your room looks like a pig stye
you eat like a pig
Even a blind pig finds an acorn sometimes
Do you have pigeon poop in your ears?
Don't bother trying to teach a pig to sing; you only waste your time and annoy the pig.
Silk on a Sow is just a well dressed pig
pleased as a pig in mud.
----------------

I came across this great picture. I'm not sure what it is about the picture but I really like 'Power Washing'.

That's a lot of soot. I think it was taken in NYC.
-----------------

I also came across some great pics from an Ice Storm in late December.

This ice formed from the wind and rain.

How would you like to wake up to this.

I guess the sunset makes it work it.

There are a ton of picks in the site so if your interested go check them out.
--------------

I have come across these picture several times over the past few weeks. If the description is true it is amazing. So here are the pictures of 'scary crash'.

If you can see the truck jumped the covert from where the people are standing.

As you can see from this shot it is a miracle the truck landed where it did.
----------------

I also saw some great images from BBC Photographer JP Trenque, who specializes in underwater photography, won an award for best photographer of the year with this shot.

This is one of 13 photos is a series called 'Capturing life beneath the waves'.
--------------

Here is a little flash game where you 'move the frogs' from one side to another.

This is a leadership game I have played many times.

Check it out
---------------

Here is another pic labelled photo of the year 2006 from Dgrin.

I have experienced many night like this camping. This captures a reason I love to camp and a reason I want a camera of my own.
-------------

Maybe I am a photo blogger!?!

That's all for today.

Ninty-Nine

2007-01-08T11:24:00.001-07:00

Hello Everyone, after taking almost two weeks off work for the Las Vegas Bowl and Christmas I had a ton of stuff to catch up on. Which is great because I have a job and a pay check but bad if I wanted to post a blog!!

This is my blog #99 - I'm not really a newbie to this now. I need to either jump in or get out. I hope I and jump in and have an even better year than last year. My subscriber base has really fallen off so I need you guys to spread the work again get people coming back. I have had 65 views this week and I was averaging more than that per day a few months ago. I know, if I build it they will come.

I know my first blog of 2007 will not be the best of the year but I hope to start things out right.

Surf's up!

On the Chinese calendar this is the year of the Pig.

I came across this page of 'Famous Pigs' we can think of through out the year.

The list includes:

[Miss Piggy]

[Porky Pig]

Other famous pigs not on the above site include: Bryan Adams, Woody Allen, Julie Andrews, Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball, Humphrey Bogart, Richard Chamberlain, Hillary Clinton, Glenn Close, Sheena Easton, Ernest Hemingway, Henry VIII, Elton John, Kevin Kline, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Marie Osmond, Luciano Pavorotti, Ronald Reagan, Ginger Roger, Peter Sampras, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steven Spielberg, Emma Thompson, and Tracey Ullman.

Not so famous pigs include: Yours truly, yes me, (you know--Mathias), my brother Mike and my oldest son.

According to Wikipedia not only am I a pig but I am a Metal Pig, My brother is a Water Pig and my son is a Wood Pig.

[I just saw that because the Chinese new year is not the same as the roman new year that my brother is actually a Water Dog. He missed the pig pen by 11 days.]
------------------

Smithsonian Magazine had this cool picture it ran with an article called 'Antarctica Erupts!'

A quote from the article sums it up best, "Seemingly dreamed up by Dr. Seuss, Mount Erebus' improbable ice towers form around steaming vents, growing up to 60 feet before collapsing."
----------------

I found another great picture on Flickr of the Golden Gate Bridge .

[Gold in the Gate]
--------------

At the end of the year everyone starts making lists like 'The worst dressed' or 'Top stories of 2006'. While wading through these type of lists I found this gem called the '50 Greatest Cartoons'. I'm not sure how I found it but it's not bad at all. The best part it that each movie listed is linked to an online version so you can watch yourself and see how they did. These are classic cartoons. Nothing modern hits the top of the list and when they do they are mostly obscure pieces.

Here is the top ten:
1. What's Opera, Doc? (1957)
2. Duck Amuck (1953)
3. The Band Concert (1935)
4. Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century (1953)
5. One Froggy Evening (1956)
6. Gertie the Dinosaur (1914)
7. Red Hot Riding Hood (1943)
8. Porky in Wackyland (1938)
9. Gerald McBoing-Boing (1951)
10. King Size Canary (1947)

[from #1 - What's Opera, Doc?]

This site is a true gem, so good I won't even argue what the number one should be.

[It look like they have been removing some of the movies because of copyright problems. I'm sure if you look you can still find them online.]
-----------------

I have mentioned in the past the love I have for Legos. My children have also picked up the passion. When my oldest son was into the height of his frenzy he would get a set and put it together and not play with it. He currently has a huge bin with each set in separate zip-lock bags ready for the wall of his new room (if I ever get it done).

My second son it currently in the height of his 'Lego Mania'. For Christmas he received four sets of Legos. I spent most of the mornings during my Christmas vacation putting together a Slave-One, an X-wing, Spong-Bob and Pirates of the Caribbean ships [I know this is not a Lego set, but to him they are the same].

For my first son, this would have been the end of the fun. But for #2 this is just the beginning. He actually plays with them and not just as the thing the kit builds. He also likes to take them apart and build other cool toys [most of which would belong in the Star Wars Universe].

After a while not only has he lost some Lego pieces but he can never find the original instruction book to build the kit again. Luckily for me, I found this site which posts Lego Instructions for all the sets made since before I was born.

[I had this set]

[My son would love to have this set]
-----------------

I know this is short and sweet but I wanted to get something out and I have been holding onto these for a while.

Out of this world Christmas

2006-12-15T14:02:00.000-07:00

What's up guys? The holidays are taking a toll. I am feeling extremely stressed. I'm glad we only do this one time a year!! Yesterday out kids had three separate performances and two of them were at the same time. By the time we got home I was in the dead zone. If my wife doesn't divorce me or just kill me before Christmas is over it may be a small miracle. [No Missy you cannot help her!!]

I found out yesterday that my youngest brother has moved out of my parents house and into an apartment with his girlfriend. I know a little more juice about this but will leave it alone until after Christmas. Anyhow, this is a weird thing for me. It has only been a couple years since I had to stop saying I am more than twice my youngest brothers age. Now he thinks he's all grown up. I don't think he understands the impact this will have on my life!!!! This means I can no longer say that my youngest brother still lives at home. [I know, I know, my other brother and his wife have moved back in, but that's not the point!] It makes me feel young to tell people I still have a brother that lives at home!!

I'm afraid this means I am officially old!!! Pretty soon I will be vlogging on YouTube telling my life story like geriatric1927.

In my misery I surfed a little [while I'm young enough to still see]....
---------------

Christmas is fast upon us. For the last 10+ years we have had some sort of Star Wars presents. I saw this video on YouTube and thought I hope this never happens to us.

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

I read this article about 'The 10 Gadgets That Changed the World'.

Here is the list:
10. Motorola StarTac cell phone (1996)
9. IBM 5150 personal computer (1981)
8. Sony Walkman TPS-L2 portable cassette player (1979)
7. Atari 2600 video computer system (1977)
6. JVC HR-3300 videocassette recorder (1976)
5. Amana Radarange microwave (1967)
4. Bell & Howell Director Series model 414 Zoomatic 8-mm Movie Camera (c. 1962)
3. Kodak Brownie 127 camera (1953)
2. Western Electric 500 Desk Telephone (1949)
1. RCA Model 630TS TV (1946)

I thought the TV may be number one, but I think in the future The Internets will be number one or two.

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

I found this game called 'Prismatic'.

The object of the game is to click on the small red dot. But no other dot can be behind it. I'm not sure why but I liked this game.
----------------

When I was little I always wanted to grow up and be rich. Today I came across a site that asked, 'Are You Rich?' and so I decided to find out.

Yep!! I'm rich and I'm ranked!!! Yes!!!!!!!!!

What? So is everyone else in America who makes minimum wage or more!?!

Back to the drawing board.
----------------

Yes, I read the Geekzine. Yes I'm a geek. Yes, I would like to post another list but this one is about Christmas. 'The 10 Greatest Holiday Movies'

Here's the list:
10. Elf (2003)
9. The Polar Express (2004)
8. A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
7. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1
6. A Christmas Carol (1999)
5. March of the Wooden Soldiers (1934)
4. The Year Without a Santa Claus (1974)
3. Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
2. A Christmas Story (1983)
1. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966)

Yes, I disagree!!!

However, my top ten would be similar but I have to would include 'Christmas Vacation'. I think #1 should be 'A Christmas Story'. I could also argue that 'March of the Wooden Soldiers', formerly titled 'Babes in Toyland', is the best holiday film ever made.

My dad introduced me to this movie. It is one of his favorites.

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

How would you like to Generate Napoleon?

[Who's Pedro?]
--------

I found a ton of great images today so please bear with me. Check out this cool Photo called 'leftover drops'.

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

In my travels I came across this photographer named 'Michael Poliza' and his site Michael Poliza Photography

[Elephants and Birds]

I love this series he took in a helicopter of Africa.

[I love boats!]

[Hippos]

[via]
--------------

Have you ever seen a 'Leafy Sea Dragon'?

[Tastes like Chicken]
---------------

This next image is a series of magnifications of a snowflake.

[Cool!!]
-----------------

I also came across this cool street ad for a shirt cleaner.

[Now you see it, now you don't]

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

That's all for today!!

Why Today? - Take two

2006-12-13T00:29:00.000-07:00

There have been a few days while blogging I have come across a bonanza of information I want to post. It usually follows days where I make a small post and promise a larger one tomorrow. I'm not sure if this is my subconscious desire for a larger blog or a coincidence, basically why today?

All surf no turf...
--------

Every once and a while Google swaps out its regular logo for one that pertains to an event or anniversary for that day.

So today when I opened Firefox I noticed that the Google logo was changed to show "The Scream". This is one of the most famous paintings in the world. I clicked the logo to find out more. The link brought up links about the artist Edvard Munch who was born on this day in 1863 in Adalsbruk, Norway.

[Self Portrait]

Munch was a painter and printmaker whose intense treatment of psychological and emotional themes was a major influence on the development of German Expressionism in the early 20th century. His painting 'The Scream' or 'The Cry' is regarded as an icon of existential anguish.

My first thought of why Google had this painting is because 'The Scream' and another Munch painting called 'The Madonna' had been recently recovered from a group who had stolen them both from a museum in Norway at gunpoint. You my remember that I blogged about this.

I found the theft timeline on Wikipedia, "On August 22, 2004, the Munch Museum's Scream was stolen at gunpoint, along with Munch's Madonna. Museum officials expressed hope that they would see the painting again, theorizing that perhaps the thieves would seek ransom money. On April 8, 2005, Norwegian police arrested a suspect in connection with the theft. On April 28, 2005, it was rumored that the two paintings had been burned by the thieves to conceal evidence... On August 31, 2006, Norwegian police announced that the two paintings stolen in August 2004 had been recovered. The paintings were said to be in a better-than-expected condition with only a minor scratch and two minor holes. 'We are 100 percent certain they are the originals,' police chief Iver Stensrud told a news conference. 'The damage was much less than feared'."

[Self Portrait with Bottle]

Thank's Google.
----------------

When I was a kid my father and I would listen to old radio broadcasts. I remember listening to a variety of different shows but my favorite to this day is 'The Shadow'. I have mentioned in this blog that in the summers when we take the kids to my parents and spend the night my dad sets up his radio and a tent in the backyard and we listen to tapes of the Shadow until we all fall asleep.

Today I came across this article that caught my eye called, 'Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?' Of course I knew this was a reference to the Shadow. Apparently the director of Spiderman is working to create a new movie based on this character.

Sweet!!
---------------

I wanted to mention that the Space Shuttle Discovery, Mission STS-116, happened this week.

The crew has completed a space walk and installed another part of the space station.

>
[This is the video of the launch]
-----------------

I came across this game called 'Mission in Snowdriftland'.

It plays like a classic Nintendo game and has one level for every day of December.

Passing each level also unlocks tips and game hints for DS games.
--------------

Last week I blogged about a photographer who has taken photographs in every National Park in the US. Today I came across some pictures of trail in a National Park in China.

This first picture alone sealed the deal that I will probably never see this park. I don't like the one at Lagoon, I barely lived through the one at Sundance and they had to sedate me to get me on the one at Snow Basin.

The above picture is the trail head!!

I could be wrong but I think the passing zone is designated by the yellow flags. 'If you pass in Red you may find yourself dead'.

Luckily, on the steep portions of the climb there are toe holds chipped into the stone :).

This reminds me a little of 'Angels' Landing' in Zions National Park.

This 'lodge' is at the top of the trail. I wonder if there is a restaurant in there. Can you imagine hauling in the food? Let alone the materials to build the lodge !?!

Well now I'm going to have two lists. Next to the list of places I would like to go I will have a list of places I wouldn't care to go. This trail will remain at or near the top forever!!

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

Speaking of far away places, I came across this re-printed/blogged article about the 1970 Star Wars set in Tunisia that has since been used as homes by locals.

Et tu Luke?
----------------

From Tunisia to Pasadena...
I saw this article, 'George Lucas to bring 200 stormtroopers to the 118th Rose Parade'.

Lucas will be accompanies by the members of the 501st Legion, also known as Vader's Fist.

This legion is a group similar to 'civil war reenactors' where they create and maintain their own uniforms and get together for reenactments, except they all create their own Empiral Star Wars uniforms and they make appearances instead of reenactments.

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

I have rarely lead a section of the blog with an image but I thought it would be a good way to transition. Just like the above image is a cross over of Star Wars and Peanuts, the reason I found the image is because of the title of the page it was on -- Peanuts Meets Marvel.

[Charlie/Wolverine]

I know I am raising my geek factor here but there is something about this cross over that made me check out every fan created image.

[The X-Men -- I'm not sure who Snoopy is???]

[Snoopy Jane]

I knew I had to share these when I came across this one, instant classic!
---------------

As you may know, in addition to my fondness for star wars and comics I also am a big fan of the Beatles. I have a large collection of their music. In high school I received a book that listed all of their songs with lyrics and dates of release in the UK and the US. According to that book I have every one of their songs, most of which are on vinyl. Over the years I have collected many other recordings, posters and books.

Today I found a new avenue to my collection. A crossover of comics and the Beatles.

[It's Paul you idiot!!!! He's not wearing shoes and the license plate says he would have been 28 if he was still alive!!! ]

Sorry about that the Beatlefile in me just snuck out.

[Marvel Beatles]

I'm not going to rush out and try to buy all of these but in my travels I will check them out if I see them.
------------

When I first saw the lead to the next article I was hoping I had found the reason I have been surfing the web for so long. 'The 25 Most Important Questions in the History of the Universe.' If you have been reading for a while you know I disagree with almost every list. But if these are the most important questions in the History of the Universe then I really am a prodigy.

Here is the list:
1. What Makes No. 2 Pencils So Darn Special?
2. Who's That AOL Guy Who Eerily Knows When You've Got Mail?
3. Where Does Nougat Come From?
4. Is There One Move That's More Likely to Win a Game of Rock-Paper-Scissors?
5. Which Came First, the Can Opener or the Can?
6. How Does a Word Become a Curse Word?
7. Can a Pregnant Woman Drive in the Carpool Lane?
8. Why Do Battery Letters Skip from A to C? Was There Ever a B-Cell Battery?
9. What Does McDonald's Have in Common with the CIA?
10. Why Does Hawaii Have Interstate Highways?

Some other interesting questions from the list:
15. We Know Nothing Better Has Come Along Since then, But Who Invented Sliced Bread Anyway?
18. Why Can't You Tickle yourself?
20. Can You Actually Sense Weather with an Injured body Part?

Probably the most topical question from the list is:
17. Is It Possible to Own Property on the Moon?
------------------

If nothing in this blog has interested you today maybe you would like to check out something I'm pretty sure you have never seen before.

Pencil Sculptures, no not sculptures of pencils but sculptures using pencils.

You have to admit they are interesting.

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

I found this picture rating site, called 'The Prettiest Images', that take two pictures and asks you which is prettier. Then they post the findings and rank the pictures in order. A lot of pictures I have show in this blog are on the list. I thought I would share a few I have never seen before.

[#3]

[#5]

[#19]

If you are here for great pictures you should check out this site.
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That's all for today!!

Can it be more random?

2006-12-11T11:04:00.001-07:00

Wow, last week went by in a flash. Work, shopping, eating, sleep, work, shopping, eating, sleep--I needed to fit in blog but It was hard. I am buried today so I will make this short and sweet.

I surf therefore I... surf...
------------

We ordered a gift for my oldest son on the internet but we got an email the next day that said the item was out of stock. So I jumped on to try and find it somewhere else but all I could find was this 'Street Sign Generator'.

[Apparently BYU is also an abbreviation for Bayou]

Please enjoy!
-------------

It has been a while since I have posted an Optical Illusion.

This is not an animated gif. This is was created by a very clever guy with a little to much time.
------------------

When I was younger I was fascinated with the idea of splicing different branched of a tree to another different tree. I'm not sure who told me about this but I always thought it would be cool to have a tree that grew apples, pears and cherries.

Anyway, I came across this site that teaches a similar technique so you can 'Grow your furniture'.

Six years for a stool?
------------------

I have been very interested in a series of articles that came out last week detailing the signs of water that have been found on Mars.

'NASA Images Suggest Water Still Flows in Brief Spurts on Mars.'

Wouldn't it be cool if in my lifetime man walked on Mars!
----------------

I have added a new website to my favorites it is called 'Wii Damage'. This site documents the damage that has been done by people playing with their new Wii.

[This guy got off lucky!]

[oops]

[Big Screen Buster!!]

Apparently the damage has been caused by a faulty strap that accompanies the Wii remote.

Merry Christmas Santa!!

[via]
-----------------

I found this game to post last Friday but you know the story.

'Ubmachine 1: The Basement' is a maze/puzzle/riddle that is fairly simple to play.

At least you won't break anything playing this game and it's free!!
----------

That's all for now

news, pics and news pics

2006-12-06T15:15:00.000-07:00

Wow it is Wednesday and I haven't got this blog out yet. Just know it is for a good reason. I have been good busy at work and haven't had time to blog. Yesterday I had a meeting from 9 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. [I also left work a little early too].

We went to Salt Lake last night to hear my daughter preform with her choir at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It was a great concert in a perfect setting. We ate dinner at the Spaghetti Factory and then saw the lights on Temple Square. If you have not been to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights then you are missing something. This has become one of our families most beloved Christmas traditions.

Today I had a meeting at 9 a.m. but it got canceled because the guy I was meeting with was in the hospital with his wife who was having a baby. So I had a little time to surf...

We are now in full swing for Christmas. I saw this gingerbread tiefighter on flickr and had to share.

I told my middle son about this and he said, "That would be easy to make'. We'll see if we can work one out this year.
------------

I know what I like. Sometimes I think I will like something and I don't. Other times I think I won't like something and I do. That's kind of how I feel about Pete Goldlust's Carved Crayons.

These are awesome!! I love the variation on a theme. I could really get into this if I had any talent. I have seen links to this in several places but I didn't check it out because I thought they would be lame. I apologize Pete, now my kids are going to have to hide their Christmas Crayons before I take my 'old timer' to them!
---------------

I found a new term and a new site. Warholizer: turn yourself and your friends into pop icons!

Sweet!
-----------------

I have finally come across another picture alphabet. I don't really seek these things out but it has been a while since I posted one.

Can you read this?

I couldn't either but once you know the Betamaze alphabet you'll have no trouble getting out of the maze.

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

I have been following the story about a nest of fossilized dinosaur eggs that have been found with fossilized bones in the eggs.

The nest was found in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong in 1984 and fell into the hands of an American collector in 2003. "The collector restored the nest to museum quality, revealing embryonic remains of 19 eggs. Some eggs were so well-preserved that the curled-up embryonic raptors were visible inside."

Today I read, 'Dino eggs auctioned for big money', where the "Dinosaur nest sold for an amazing $420,000".
---------------

Another story about the 'Moon Base Announced by NASA' caught my eye.

"US space agency Nasa says it is planning to start work on a base on the Moon after astronauts begin flying back there in 2020. The maps and graphics below show how and where man could live on the Moon."

[How]

[Where]

[What]

Man is that 'out of this world'?
-------------

I read another news story on the front page of the Standard-Examiner about the decommissioning of the USS Ogden.

Come to find out the USS Ogden is actually named after my home town, Ogden Utah. According to wikipedia, "USS Ogden (LPD-5), a Austin-class amphibious transport dock, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the city in Utah, which in turn was named for Peter Skene Ogden, Canadian explorer and fur trader."

The current USS Ogden is a landing platform dock, a multipurpose ship with a crew of 420. She was designed to carry as many as 900 Marines to combat and send them ashore from landing boats launched from within the ship. The landing platform docks have the unique ability to raise and lower themselves in the water and launch landing craft from a dock contained within the hull of the ship. She can also carry helicopters if needed.

The Ogden's most recent assignment was Iraq. She did a six-month tour of duty in the Arabian Gulf which ended in August, helping provide security, transporting Marines and training the Iraqi navy.

Both the Standard-Examiner and Wikipedia says after the ship is decommissioned it will be sold and used as a part of the Mexican Navy.

[USS Ogden sailing into the sunset]
--------------

I came across this photoblog of pics from Bryce Canyon National Park.

They were taken by Quang-Tuan Luong, who has photographed all 57 of the US national Parks.

I found this bio, "Professional photographer with a broad range of work in travel, nature, adventure, and large format photography. X84, PhD U. Paris 1992. First person to have photographed each of the US National Parks in large format (5x7 inch). Editorial credits include Time, US News and World Report, National Geographic Traveler, National Geographic Adventure, Outside, Discover, Scientific American, GEO. Other clients include Toyota, Audi of America, Honda, Ford, Bank of America, US Bancorp, Honeywell, Alaska Airlines, Korean Air, Pfizer, LL Bean, Warner Bros, US Department of State,US National Park Service,US Bureau of Land Management, World Health Organization, World Bank, Greenpeace, and a number of others from more than 20 countries."

[Temple of the Moon and temple of the Sun, Cathedral Valley. Capitol Reef National Park, Utah, USA.]

You shouldn't need me to encourage you to check out his work on his site!
--------------

This is a picture called Facettenauge.

Facettenauge is a German word meaning 'Fassetten or complex eye' like those of the insect depicted.
------------

That's all for today!

A Tree to Remember

2006-12-01T10:59:00.000-07:00

Sometimes life is a bumpy ride. I know it can't all be smooth sailing [or surfing]. Sometimes the bumps are the best or at least most memorable times in life. One thing you have to remember while on the bumpy road is that you can't really appreciate the ride until you look back on the experience.

I've been surfing rough waves lately....

I'm not sure what the draw is for me to great images on the web. I think most people don't consider 'Internet images' anything more than porn. I appreciate the times when I have been in the grind of life and been momentarily transported to a different place by a really great picture. I admit this is escapism in its purest form but these moments of respite are sometimes what get me through the day. I had this experience when I visited the 'National Wildlife magazine's 35th annual photography competition'.

This photo was the winner.

I'm not sure what it is about this photo but I like it.

This is one of the only landscapes but I like it none the less.
-------------------

Occasionally I have posted images from Image generators. This really started with some sets of alphabets but I will post some that I come across. Today I have two examples:

At first when I saw this I thought the writing in the snow would have been yellow but I guess the penguin is cool too.

This may be my most favorite image generator I have seen. Uncle Sam Wants YOU!!!!
-------------------

I came across a video that someone with a lot of time put together. It is very clever, especially when you listen to it instead of watching it. So here is the Seinfeld Lost Episode - 'Kramer At The Laugh Factory'.

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

Anyone who knows me can tell you that I am not a gear-head. I really don't know a lot about cars. But there is something about cars that keep catching my eye.

This is the new Ford Mustang Giugiaro designed by Italian Fabrizio Giugiaro. I was surprised to find out that this was not the first Mustang Giugiaro has designed.

This is the 1965 Bertone Mustang.

The linked article says, "The senior Giugiaro's portfolio includes concept and production designs for nearly every car maker in the world – from Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Volkswagen to Mazda, Lotus and Bugatti.... He designed the Chevrolet Corvette Moray, unveiled in early 2003, and was eager to expand the collection of Giugiaro-interpreted American metal."
----------------

Last year one of my closest college friends sent me an email about a Christmas tree that he helped a friend put up in her house. [As a side note this email is what really got me looking into blogging.]

Here is the text of the email he sent with most of the images that were attached. Please enjoy....

Eric and Satan's Christmas Tree

So I somehow got volunteered to go tromping through the woods in search of a tree to cut down for Christmas. The tree in question was for Penny's neighbor, Nancy.

The following pictures document this rustic, romantic Christmas notion of cutting down one's own tree.

I should have known when I was told we'd need the trailer to bring it home.....

We used a tractor with a cherry picker to load the tree;

come-alongs to winch it off the trailer and into the front yard.

The task of getting a 12-foot wide tree through a 3-foot door fell to brute force.

Don't ask. It's in, dammit. Are we having a merry freakin' Christmas YET ????

AFTER the tree was loaded, unloaded, drug, and muscled through the door, the top third of the tree was cut off so that we could standing it up. For the record - blue spruces are prickly. After the tree was stood up, it was then decided that the back (non-showing) sides should be pruned so that the tree could be pushed against the corner, allowing a small space for people to enter the room.

So there's my merry Christmas story.
Bah freakin' humbug to all!!!!

Thanks Eric, I will cherish this story forever.

The moral to this story is, if you think you'll be all sappy and rustic by cutting your own Christmas tree, you're only half right.
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That's all for today!

Birth - School - Work - Death

2006-11-29T13:53:00.000-07:00

Hello to everyone who visits this small speck of the web. I have been thinking a lot about what this blog is about. Basically it's about things I like. To some it may seem to broad of a topic and to others to little. I have tried to remain consistent. I have been thinking about branching out with my blogger account and splitting up my posts into separate blogs. [I would love any input about this.] I found a site that is linking to me that has me listed as a photoblog. How flattering, considering I have only posted one of my own pictures once in 92 blogs!!! I'm me, I guess I have to get used to how that feels [?!?].

I am still feeling the euphoria from THE Football game. But I did a little surfing and I think I have a great blog for you today....

I have been visiting the Zenith9 photoblog for some time. I can't remember where I picked up the link but I think this is the first image I have posted from this site.

[Doubler Stones]

I love these landscapes and how they show a different view of the world we share.

[Little Pock Stones]

You have to have a gift to make the ordinary extraordinary.

I suggest you spend some time checking out the photography there.
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Sometimes I feel like I have to defend the fact that I like the idea of space travel, both real and imagined. Today I came across this list of 'The Top 10 Movie Spaceships' and thought I would check it out.

Here are the top ten:
10. The Thunder Road (Explorers)
9. Gunstar (The Last Starfighter)
8. Mothership (Independence Day)
7. Klingon Bird of Prey (Star Trek series)
6. Discovery One (2001: A Space Odyssey)
5. Apollo 13 (Apollo 13)
4. Heart of Gold (The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy)
3. Nostromo (Alien)
2. U.S.S. Enterprise [ALL] (Star Trek series)
1. Millennium Falcon (Star Wars series)

Well at least they got #1 correct!!
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They has been much to do about Chuck Norris lately. I'm not sure what the 'cool factor' there is but I have to admit enjoying some of the fan-fair. I think I enjoyed the Conan skits the very best.

Today I came across the 'Chuck Norris Random Fact Generator'. Here is a sample, "Before Chuck Norris was born, the martial arts weapons with two pieces of wood connected by a chain were called NunBarrys. No one ever did find out what happened to Barry."

I know, I know, I can't believe I blogged about him either. Who would have thought? But then again I have also blogged about Rowdy Roddy Piper.
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Maybe I am weird, but I thought I would post this list of 'The 100 Greatest TV Quotes & Catch Phrases' I saw on Yahoo News.

Here are some of my favorites in alphabetical order:
"Aaay" (Fonzie, "Happy Days")
"D'oh!" (Homer Simpson, "The Simpsons")
"Good grief" (Charlie Brown, "Peanuts" specials)
"Holy (whatever), Batman!" (Robin, "Batman")
"I'm Larry, this is my brother Darryl ..." (Larry, "Newhart")

"Live long and prosper" (Spock, "Star Trek")
"Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! (Jan Brady, "The Brady Bunch")
"One small step for man ..." (Neil Armstrong)
"Space, the final frontier ..." (Capt. Kirk, "Star Trek")
"The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat" (Jim McKay, "ABC's Wide World of Sports")
"The truth is out there" (Fox Mulder, "The X-Files")
"Well, isn't that special?" (Dana Carvey as the Church Lady, "Saturday Night Live")
"Where's the beef?" (Wendy's ad)
"Yabba dabba do!" (Fred Flintstone, "The Flintstones")
"Yada, yada, yada" ("Seinfeld")

Did I miss one? If I did let me know!!
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Here is another classic photograph from the Mute photoblog called 'Arcade'.

This reminds me of Polk Ave. near my home.
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With the release of the new Bond movie I'm surprised that a list like this has not popped up before. Anyhoo here is 'The Best Bond Action Sequences Ever'.

#9 Moonraker: In this awesome opening sequence to the otherwise lackluster Moonraker, 007 is thrown out of a crashing plane, sky-dives in pursuit of a bad guy and then strips the dude of his parachute before finally engaging in some midair combat with ultimate Bond henchman Jaws.
#8 Diamonds Are Forever: In Sean Connery's final official outing as the British super spy, the aging Scotsman and his redhead gal are in Vegas and on the run from Johnny Law.

#7 Octopussy: Bond impersonates a Cuban military official in order to sabotage some high-tech gizmo but gets caught in the process.
#6 The Living Daylights: Along with totally smokin' babe Maryam d'Abo, new Bond Timothy Dalton uses his rocket-propelled Aston Martin to outrun a slew of police cars on a frozen Czechoslovakian lake.
#5 You Only Live Twice: Equipped with a combat-ready mini-copter, Connery scopes out mega-villain Ernst Stavro Blofeld's famed hollowed-out volcano lair, only to be attacked by a fleet of henchmen-piloted choppers.
#4 For Your Eyes Only: Much like the upcoming Casino Royale, For Your Eyes Only marked a return to reality for the Bond series. In this clip, Roger Moore skis through the Italian Alps, escaping two machinegun-wielding bad guys on motorbikes.
#3 On Her Majesty's Secret Service: In his only outing as Bond, George Lazenby ambushes arch-nemesis Ernst Stavro Blofeld in his Swiss mountaintop lair, then chases the megalomaniac in a dizzying bobsled pursuit. #2 Live and Let Die: Though Live and Let Die isn't the best Bond flick, it did provide a rocking title song and this legendary crocodile run. Trapped on a raft in the middle of a croc-infested Louisiana swamp, 007 escapes to safety by running over the backs of a few hungry reptiles.
#1 The Spy Who Loved Me: Holed up in a chalet in the Austrian Alps, Bond gets his freaky deaky groove on with some double-crossing blond, then straps on a pair of skis, escapes a crew of Russian agents and finally base jumps off the biggest damn cliff we've ever seen.

I think this list is upside down but leave it to Stuff Magazine to pick a #1 that begins with Bond in bed.
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This image has been around since 1983 but I first saw it today. I thought it was cool so here it is.

Pahoeoe Fountain
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In the last 90+ blogs I have taken some liberty at memorializing some of the people who have influenced me with or without them knowing it. Today I would like to memorialize someone who I did not know until he died.

I was reading this article, X-Men illustrator dies in Superman pajamas, and learned that the guy who illustrated the X-Men comics during my youth, Dave Cockrum, died yesterday.

[November 11, 1943 - November 26, 2006]

The article summed it up when it said, "The 63-year-old overhauled the X-Men comic and helped popularize the relatively obscure Marvel Comics in the 1970s. He helped turn the title into a publishing sensation and major film franchise."

[This is a panel from a comic where Dave created his self portrait.]

Thanks for everything Dave.
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With Christmas rapidly approaching I thought I could start sharing Christmas related items. I hope that isn't to far off topic. Anyhow, Check out this little goody I saw at 'Hammacher Schlemmer'.

As big of a fan I am I don't think I would want one of these cracking my nuts.
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Billy Idol does 'White Christmas'.

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Don't say I never gave you anything! I blogged about how we were trying to catch up on Lost before the season three premier. We decided that renting from RedBox would save us a lot of money over Hollywood Video. So we tried it and we really like it. I don't think we have been to Hollywood since Summer.

Why am I telling you this? No, it's not because I work for RedBox. Just before Halloween we rented a video for the kids to watch while we traveled to Provo for our family Halloween party. When we got back we had a Trunk-or-Treat at the church. One of my friends offered to return the video if I would help him move a couch into his house that night.

Last week I got an email that said the DVD had never been returned and they charged me 25.56 for the experience. I talked to my friend and they said they had returned it. So I called RedBox and without argument they refunded my money. [Now that's customer service!!] I had to get onto the RedBox website to find the phone number and I came across this page that offered a free nights rental.

This is not the first time I have received a free night rental from them either. The first time I went to use RedBox a guy who had just rented a DVD told me that if I use the word 'Apple' I would get a free night. He was right. The email I just received gave me a different password 'Breakroom'.

I love RedBox you should try them out!
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I came across this game called 'Infinite Mario'.

I haven't found the end so I don't know if it is really Infinite or not :)
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If you haven't seen it yet, here is the newest teaser poster for 'Spiderman 3'.

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That's all for today!

On Cloud Nine

2006-11-26T12:40:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

What a wonderful weekend we just had. I can only imagine a few ways it could have been better.

I was surfing this morning and thought I would share some of the sites that I visited....

This is one of the greatest Youtube videos I have ever seen.

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I found this great photo gallery. I really liked this photo by Douglas C. Pizac who works for the Associated Press.

Harline waits for the ball
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I think I like this picture by Rick Egan from The Salt Lake Tribune even better!!!

Harline catches the ball [The photographer cheering in the background missed this shot!]
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I saw this on TV but I think I like the photograph, by Douglas C. Pizac, even better.

Bronco shows emotion.
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The Boys Celebrate

(AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)
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Beck is carried off the field.

(AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)
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That's all for today

Let's Talk Turkey

2006-11-22T15:19:00.000-07:00

Hello, thanks for reading my blog. For those of you keeping track this is blog #90.

I have a crazy story to tell. A new family bought a home on the corner across the street from our home. They moved in during the summer and we have met them and got to know them a little. The lady who moved is a widow who lost her husband last year to leukemia. She is currently living there with two of her daughters.

Monday night we went to hear the kids play at their piano recital downtown at the Weber County Library. Then we went eat at the new Javier's on Harrison. We got home just before 10 and spent the next half hour getting everyone into bed.

Little did we know that at the same time two gunmen burst through the door of our new neighbors home and proceeded to rob the family. The men knocked on the door and asked for a Dave or David. The Seventeen year old girl cracked the door open to tell them they had the wrong home and they burst in. Luckily no one was injured during the robbery.

Both men, a Hispanic and a Caucasian, were wearing knit caps and one had his hoody pulled over his head. They asked the girls for their money and some car keys. As they burst into the door the daughter began to scream and her sister and mother began to run to the door to see what was happening. The older daughter turned to her mother and told her to call 911. The mother ran out the backdoor, so she wouldn't be trapped inside, and called the police. She ran around to the side of the house and watched the men as they took the money and keys from the girls.

The mother said from the time she called 911 to the time the police arrived was under a minute and a half. Both men got away in the stolen car.

We are all pretty freaked out about this. Things like this are not common in our neighborhood. I admit someone was murdered about two years ago but the circumstances behind that were different. The victim knew his assailant and had invited him into the home. It was a drug deal gone bad and the two men has also been involved in a sexual relationship.

This appears to be a random home invasion that happened when most of the neighbors were awake and could have seen what was happening in the home. The daughters got a good look at both men and could give descriptions of them. While the Hispanic man was with the older daughter getting the keys and money from a bedroom the younger Caucasian man told the 17-year-old that he was sorry but that if he didn't do this he was going to be killed.

It's hard for me to believe that this type of thing can happen so close to home.

It's been hard to concentrate on my work. I did some surfing to lose myself...
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When I was in high school I really got into the Beatles. I own every album they have produced including singles and CD's. They were revolutionary in their use of film with their music. They are truly the forefathers of Music Video and MTV. I came across this version of their animated movie 'Yellow Submarine' and decided to share it with you today because there are few better escapes from reality that this.

According to Wikipedia, "Pepperland is a cheerful music-loving utopia located "80,000 leagues under the sea", and is named after and protected by Sergeant Pepper of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band fame. It is attacked by the music-hating Blue Meanies who seal the Band inside a musicproof sphere, then turn the Pepperlanders into statues and drain the country itself of color."

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A few months ago I was watching the evening news and saw this story about a ' Truly Amazing Blind Kid'. This clip is about a blind teenager that has overcome many obstacles. His abilities are truly awesome!!

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'The Atlantic' recently put out this article about 'The Top 100 most influential figures in American history'. Can you Guess who made the list?

1 Abraham Lincoln
2 George Washington
3 Thomas Jefferson
4 Franklin Delano Roosevelt
5 Alexander Hamilton
6 Benjamin Franklin
7 John Marshall
8 Martin Luther King Jr.
9 Thomas Edison
10 Woodrow Wilson

I have to disagree somewhat to this list. Although no one can deny the contribution these men have played in U.S. History, sometimes is it the villains they were opposed to who had the bigger impact. This may be better name 'The Top 100 most politically correct figures in American history'. I would rank Edison and Franklin higher than King, Marshall, and Hamilton. In fact, I'm pretty sure King, Marshall and Hamilton would not be in my top 10, however, the author make strong arguments for each person on this list.
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Speaking of influential men, did you know that George Washington himself wrote a Declaration in 1789 establishing Thanks giving as a National Holiday? Here is the declaration in his words:

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me "to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"

Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enable to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.

And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.
-- G. Washington

[Prayer at Valley Forge by Arnold Friberg] - This is on my want list!!!
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In celebration of Thanksgiving I thought I would share this video I found on YouTube called, 'Thanksgiving Song'.

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One of my other most favorite clips about thanksgiving is from the television show WKRP in Cincinnati...

...called 'Thanksgiving Turkey Drop'.

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There is a Utah company that makes blenders. But this company has become famous because videos, called 'Will It Blend', they are posting of their blender blending out of the ordinary things.

Before you check out the other videos be sure to watch this one about Thanksgiving Dinner!

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I'd like to share with you another of my favorite comic strips called 'Moderately Confused'. That have had some great Thanksgiving strips this week.

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One last video I will share with you something you can do after you have stuffed yourself with Turkey and are picking your teeth before desert entitled, '5 Toothpick And A Star'.

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Speaking of stars I was reading this article about a 'Firecracker Galaxy' that Offers a Double Blast.

The article said, "Astronomers have stumbled onto two supernovae letting loose there just months apart. The recent twin supernovae were detected by the NASA Swift satellite observatory on June 19 and Nov. 5 of this year. In the images, the supernovae are visible on either side of the bright galaxy center."
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If stars eating stars isn't interesting what about this NASA Image of the Day called 'Reflection Nebula'?

The description says, "Like fog around a street lamp, a reflection nebula shines only because the light from an embedded source illuminates its dust; the nebula does not emit any visible light of its own."
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Well I don't know about you but here's where I will be spending Thanksgiving this year.

I used the 'Longitude and Latitude Finder' to find the location of my home. Check it out and leave me a message with the coordinates of where you will be spending Thanksgiving.
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That's all for today. Happy Thanksgiving I will post again next week.

GO COUGARS!!!

a-b-c-d-e-f-g-h-i-j-k-l-m-n-o-p-q-r-s-t-BYU-v-w-x-y-z

2006-11-20T16:17:00.000-07:00

My weekends keep getting shorter. I remember when I was a kid it seemed like an eternity between Halloween and Thanksgiving. Now it seems like a Halloween was last week and Christmas is next week. Even though time is flying I hope this week lasts a little longer. Saturday is the showdown in SLC. Wear your blue!

I think I'll surf until then...
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Sometimes I come across something on the web that I think, 'This has to go on my blog'. Today I had this experience with this picture called 'The Aviator'.

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Check out this list from The Ten Spot called 'The 10 Greatest Punches'. This is a great list great punches in movies.

10. Wife Swap - Raising Arizona (1987)
9. One-Punch Mickey - Snatch (2000)
8. The Beast - Kung-Fu Hustle (2004)
7. Deebo - Friday (1995)
6. Ten Count - Rocky Ii (1979)
5. The Skate Around - Slap Shot (1977)
4. Mr. Anderson - The Matrix Revolutions (2003)
3. The Russian's Cut - Rocky Iv (1985)
2. Hello, Mcfly - Back To The Future (1985)

1. Here Comes Mongo - Blazing Saddles (1974)
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Sometimes I read a story on the Internet that I cannot believe is true. So I usually check out Snopes.com and see if the story is in their Urban Legends Reference Pages. This happened to me recently when I saw a story in Yahoo News and from National Geographic about a cat that gave birth to puppies.

The jury is still out on this one but WOW!

Are Mimi the cat's offspring the first known cases of interbreeding between cats and dogs? Her litter of six, born in Passo Fundo, Brazil, contained three doglike offspring. Their three siblings with more feline features died soon after birth.

Mimi's owner, Cassia Aparecida de Souza, claims Mimi was found mating with a neighborhood dog three months ago and that her offspring are a result of that encounter.

Dogs and cats belong to distinct species, meaning that they should be unable to interbreed. A geneticist from a local university plans to analyze blood samples from the animals in an attempt to get to the bottom of the mystery.
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Over the last few months I have come across several alphabets made from different objects. The Zombie Alphabet was probably my favorite. Today I'd like to present the 'The Modern Child Unfriendly Alphabet'.

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On my way to work today I heard on the radio that the U.S. mint is planning a new $1 coin series similar to the state quarters.

The $1 coins are being introduced as a result of the Presidential Coin Act of 2005, which requires the United States Mint to mint the dollar coins commemorating the service of former United States Presidents in the order in which they served.

Like the United States Mint's successful 50 State Quarters® Program on which it was modeled, the Presidential $1 Coin Program features a systematically rotating design. The first four $1 coins will commemorate George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.

The designs of the coins are bold and dramatic, with traditional inscriptions moved to the edge to allow for larger images of the Presidents. These include "E Pluribus Unum" and "In God We Trust," the year of minting or issuance, and the mint mark, making these coins unique among today's U.S. circulating coins.

The new Presidential $1 Coins are identical in color and size to the Sacagawea Golden Dollar Coins, and have the same distinctive rim and tactile features to assist the visually impaired.
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Check out this great photo of a 'Rain(bow) Forest'

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When I was in high school my friends and I would get together and watch videos on Friday nights. At one point it seemed like we had seen everything that had been made. So we started renting some Monty Python movies and we were hooked. Today I read this article about 'Python's Best Sketches'

Here are the top 10:
10. Stoning (Monty Python's Life of Brian)
9. Eric the Half a Bee (Monty Python's Previous Record)
8. Nudge Nudge (Monty Python's Flying Circus, DVD 1, Episode 3)
7. The Lumberjack Song (MPFC DVD 3, Ep. 9)

6. Fish-Slapping Dance (MPFC DVD 9, Ep. 28)
5. The Funniest Joke in the World (Monty Python's Flying Circus DVD 1, Episode 1)
4. Dead Parrot (MPFC DVD 3, Ep. 8)
3. Guy de Loimbard's Castle (Monty Python and the Holy Grail)
2. The Ministry of Silly Walks (MPFC DVD 5, Ep. 14)
1. The Spanish Inquisition (Monty Python's Flying Circus DVD 5, Episode 15)

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I saw this other great images on the 'Mute Photoblog'.

I went out at 4:30am last night hoping to see some of the Leonid meteor showers over England. I saw a few gorgeous shooting stars but no 'shower' and didn't manage to capture anything on camera. Still, it was nice to be out that late, everything was beautifully quiet and I took some night shots, like this one, while I was out.
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This is an impressive satellite image of 'Niagara Falls'.

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If you have read many of my posts you know I love comics. One of my recent favorites is 'Pickles'.

I have liked this strip ever since I first saw it. But after a while I wondered why I relate to it as well as I do. I'm not old. My mother is not divorced and remarried. I don't argue with my wife over cats because we both hate them.

One day I was watching a show on PBS and I realized that the Cartoonist is an LDS guy and the 'Pickles People' live in Provo. If you don't believe me check out the picture of the Provo Temple on the wall of the first cell in the above image.
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I have always loved Legos. I have linked to many Lego related site from this blog. Today I was on this site called 'The brickshelf'. You should check out the great collection they have of popular bands in Lego.

[The Beatles]
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I also came across this teaser poster for the new Harry Potter movie that I just had to post.

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That's all for today!

The Week Before Black Friday

2006-11-17T12:06:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought I would get more blogs out this week. Last night was the science fair at the elementary school. Both my oldest daughter and my middle son won for their grades. Then we went to the church for a meeting for my oldest son. Yesterday was a great day. I hope tomorrow can be a great day as well. I hope to have one room in the basement done. I hope my cougars will win the outright conference championship. If I can also fit a nap in then I will call it a great day!

Surf's up...
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I'm not sure I have related the story of the concussion I had when I was six or seven. Anyway, my friend Murray O'Dell and I were in his backyard playing on his swing set when we got the great idea that we would take the slide and hang the end onto the crossbar of the swing set. Then we got the hose and put water on the slide so we could 'water slide' across the vertical slide. I had the great idea to try and walk across the slide but I slipped off and hit my head on the leg of the swing set. I ran home crying and soon fell asleep. My mom could not wake me so my parents took me to the hospital.

Whew.... That's a lot of background to make a point.

While I was in the hospital my dad brought me some comic books. I still have them to this day. My favorite one was Amazing Spiderman #177.

Ever since then I have loved and followed comic books and their super heroes.

Anyway...

I found the new Spiderman trailer on Youtube and thought I would share.

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I found a game called 'Missile Game 3D'

This is not the greatest game ever but I found it addicting as it progressed levels.
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For a cool game check out 'Mink'.

This game does not really have any rules. The object is to help Mink escape from his alien abductors. Each level is presented as a separate game [on the linked page] but I had fun working through these puzzles. Don't get frustrated and make sure you click on everything [even bolts].
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I have another Murray O'Dell Story for you. [I heard you groan.] Murray had a sand box in his back yard. He loved to dig holes in the dirt and then fill them with water and play in the mud. I really only liked the digging.

Our parents always told us that if we dug to deep we would come up in China. I found a website today that shows they were wrong.

We would have ended up in the India Ocean!! I'm glad we decided to stop and play on the swing set instead.
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I found some great photos. The first is this picture of 'Harvest Full Moon Rise'.

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I found this cool little interactive gadget called 'Make My People Sing'.

Sadly I played and listened to this thing all day long.
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Here is another photo I found but I can't attribute it to a source. The URL was a dead end. I do not claim it as mine, but I wish I could.

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T-shirt generator
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That's all for today.

Pictures, Coaches, Changes

2006-11-14T10:44:00.000-07:00

Hello all, thanks for stopping in. I'm sorry I haven't posted for a while. Things seem to be getting better in my life. I actually may be at the point I can start blogging everyday again.

Surfs Up....
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I found this great photo of 'Plitvicka Waterfalls'.

They are so beautiful I looked them up on Wikipedia to find out where they are.

It turns out they are in Croatia

The lakes are renowned for their distinctive colours, ranging from azure to green, grey or blue. The colours change constantly depending on the quantity of minerals or organisms in the water and the angle of sunlight.

I may consider traveling to this Croatian National Park someday.
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I found that the above photo was taken by a photographer named Jack Brauer. I found his photo gallery called 'Mountain Photography by Jack Brauer'.

In his collection he has a set in Utah. This is called 'Needles Cloud Burst'. It was taken in Cayonlands National Park.

This is a great picture of the Salt Lake valley at sunset.

This beautiful picture is called Timpanogos Sage. This view of Mount Timpanogos is taken from the backside by Deer Creek Reservoir. I grew up looking at this mountain and my High School took its name after this spectacular view.

I had to include this great shot called 'Needles Star Trails'. Shown by a 10 hour exposure during new moon night in Canyonlands National Park.

As you can see Jack is a talented Photographer. But for a real wow check out his panoramas.
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At a recent football game Ogden High School head football coach Dennis Dalton and his family came under fire from parents and students of the school. Dalton had his family on the field helping to control the game and parents hurled insults to Dalton's wife and daughter. This caps many years of frustrations from parents, students and coaches of the horrible record including the second consecutive no-win season. During the game one of the mothers called Dalton on his cell phone and screamed at him to call a passing play.

I think this is madness. Earlier in the season, Ogden's Starting quarterback was injured in a rollover accident after prom where the driver of the vehicle was killed. The previous Coach left in haste to a job in Southern Utah plunging a dagger into the heart of an already dead program.

Some parents argue that Dalton is not managing the team because he has 'hired' his two sons to coach the freshman and sophomore class teams. The largest criticism is aimed at his daughter Wanda, a student at Ogden, who Dalton uses as the strength and conditioning coach. Parents also say the criticism of Dalton's wife Debbie came from her telling injured players they could not come on the field to support the team and must sit in the stands.

Whatever the situation, Ogden needs this football program to rise from the ashes. I consider Dennis Dalton as a friend. He and his family live in my ward. I think the issue here is that the Dalton's are not from Ogden. They don't understand what parents are used to getting when they apply pressure to the schools. They are simple folk, that may be a little peculiar, but Dennis has his heart and mind in the right place. District officials said in the paper that Dalton's policies on academics and grades are impressive and a benefit to the players and school.

I think the Parents need to approach the problem from a different angle. There is the saying 'Money talks and B^!! S#!+ walks'. Break out your wallets people. Give Dennis some tools to work with. Put pressure on the district to fund the program. Get your companies to sponsor the program. Get your neighbors lazy kids to play for the program. Give Dalton time to create a program.

You are trying to chase off one of the only guys that will take on this challenge. When you are scraping the bottom and come up with a pearl you don't throw it away because you have to put it in a setting and polish it before it can be worn.
------------------------

Check out 'Create Fake Photo'.
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That's all for today.

What a difference a week makes -- Vote today!

2006-11-07T11:05:00.000-07:00

This has been the longest break in my blog except for my Yellowstone Vacation. Things at work have not been going well. I don't want to go into a lot of detail but my posts may be less frequent for a while. I apologize to those who are daily readers. I hope this issue will be resolved in the near future.

I have been saving items from the last week to post, it ain't easy surfin' cheesy...

This is kind of a follow-up. On July 25th, I blogged about the U.S. Postal service releasing DC Comic Hero Stamps. I found an article about their plans to release a similar set of Marvel Heroes!!

Lick and stick spiderwoman, sweet!
-------------------

I saw an interesting article called, 'Inventions for Lazy People'.

5. The Escalator.
4. The Toilet.
3. La-Z-Boy
2. Calculator.
1. Velcro.

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

I have seen these images floating around the Internet for the past week. There are of 'Modern Traffic in Russia'

This is what Orem looks like after a BYU game.

I think this is a 12 lane road.

It looks like the cars have moved about a block!

[via]
--------------

I have a follow-up of the 'Behind the scenes of the marvel/guiding light cross-over'.

WOW!! Wolverine and Spiderman. Marvel has pulled out all the stops

With all that is going on I forgot to record the show, I even forgot to ask my wife if she saw it.

Nice Fishnets!!
-----------------

I found another item to add to my wish list. I'm forgetting what else I have put on the list but this is close to the top.

This is a Laser Turntable. It plays records without using a needle. Think how easy it would be to turn my vinyl collection to MP3's with this baby!!!
-------------------

Hojas sobre tronco

Vi este gran cuadro de hojas en un pedazo de madera. No puedo hacer hacia fuera el título así que utilicé el Babel Fish para calcular fuera de lo que dijo. Oh bien, debo tener saber. ¡Ahora usted puede saber también!
---------------

I came across this site called 'September 12th'.

The directions say this is not a game. It is a simulation. You cannot win or lose. The rules are deadly simple. You can shoot or not. This is a simple model you can use to explore some aspects of the war on terror.

The moral I got out of this site is that you can't learn until you shoot.
---------------

National Geographic put out this great shot of 'Fog and the Golden Gate'.

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

Have you seen the site that shows the 'Top 100 Hubble Images'?

[Sombrero Galaxy]

I have seen it and it is worth a visit!

Wow.
---------------------------

Sorry about the weeks worth of great photos.

JR Photoblog - Mont Royal by Night #2
------------------

I'm not sure if this is street art or street advertising but seaing is believing.

'Mind that Child!!'

Homer says, 'Chocolate surf, aaaaawwwwww!!!'
-------------------------
I came across this site called 'Non Stop Masti - The Beauty of Mathemagic' and thought what is 'Mathemagic'.

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn't it?
And finally, take a look at this symmetry:

1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 12321
1111 x 1111 = 1234321
11111 x 11111 = 123454321
111111 x 111111 = 12345654321
1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321
11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321
111111111 x 111111111=123456789 87654321

Ouch, now I know what 'Mathemagic' is.
----------------------

When I was a kid my sister and I would play with spirograph at our Grandma B's house. According to this site I saw you can no longer purchase spirograph. Luckily, I can relive this childhood experience with spirograph online.

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

I found another example of advertising called 'Gum Ad'.

Sadly it would not work on the street without the picture of the pack of gum. But I think it is catchier and more funny that the 'nose on the cup' I blogged about before.
-----------------

Just a reminder to those of you old enough -- You need to vote today. Apathy aside it's your social responsibility to vote. So do it.

[and try not to cancel out my vote!!!]
-------------

That's it for today!

I'll try not to be gone as long this time.

Happy Halloween

2006-10-31T13:58:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry for missing yesterday's blog. This may happen from time to time until I'm good enough to get paid at it. I have some things going on in my life right now that down play the importance of this blog to me. I plan on sticking around but this may decrease the frequency of my posts. I will give you an update when I have one.

The storm surge is on, to hard to surf....
------------

I had most of this blog 'in the can'. I have been posting Halloween type information for awhile. Today's post is all Halloween!!

Have you ever wondered 'What Halloween is Really About'?

For starters, October 31 is the 304th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 61 days remaining.

On this day in History...
In 1517, Martin Luther posts his 95 theses on the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.
In 1864, Nevada is admitted as the 36th U.S. state.
In 1876, A monster cyclone ravages India, resulting in over 200,000 human deaths.
In 1892, Arthur Conan Doyle publishes The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
In 1926, Magician Harry Houdini dies of gangrene and peritonitis that developed after his appendix ruptured.
In 1938, The day after his 'War of the Worlds' broadcast had panicked radio listeners, Orson Welles expressed ''deep regret'' but also bewilderment that anyone had thought the simulated Martian invasion was real.
In 1940, World War II: Battle of Britain ends - The United Kingdom prevents Germany from invading Great Britain.
In 1997, A Boston jury finds Louise Woodward, 19, guilty of second degree murder for killing the baby, Matthew Eappen, in her care.

Halloween did not become a holiday in America until the 19th century, where lingering Puritan tradition meant even Christmas was scarcely observed before the 1800s. North American almanacs of the late 18th and early 19th centuries make no mention of Halloween in their lists of holidays. The transatlantic migration of nearly two million Irish following the Irish Potato Famine (1845–1849) brought the holiday and its customs to America. Scottish emigration from the British Isles, primarily to Canada before 1870 and to the United States thereafter, brought that country's own version of the holiday to North America.

Jack-o'-lantern - An Irish legend tells of Jack, a lazy but shrewd farmer who used a cross to trick the Devil, then refused to free him unless he agreed to never let Jack into Hell. The Devil agreed. When Jack died, the Devil wouldn't let him into Hell. So, Jack carved out one of his turnips, put a candle inside it, and began endlessly wandering the Earth for a resting place. He was known as "Jack of the Lantern", or Jack-o'-Lantern.
-----------------

What are You Wearing? The most popular costumes in 2006:

Kids:
1. Princess
2. Pirate - [I have two sons and a nephew who are pirates this year]
3. Witch
4. Spider-Man
5. Superman
6. Disney Princess
7. Power Ranger
8. Pumpkin
9. Cat
10. Vampire
11. Angel
12. Fairy
13. Ninja
14. SpongeBob SquarePants
15. Batman
16. Cheerleader
17. Football player
18. Tinkerbell
19. Monster
20. Star Wars character - [This had been the usual staple in our home for the past ten years.]

Adults:
1. Witch - [Yes, my mother is a witch]
2. Pirate
3. Vampire
4. Cat
5. Clown
6. Fairy
7. Gypsy
8. Superhero
9. Ghost/Ghoul
10. Dracula
11. Devil
12. Woman of the Night
13. Nurse
14. Pumpkin
15. Athlete
16. Princess
17. Zombie - [My oldest son is a Zombie]
18. Angel
19. French Maid
20. Cowboy/Cowgirl

SOURCE: National Retail Federation
----------------------

We spend last night carving pumpkins with our children. All of that scooping and washing for one night of fun? It makes you wonder, 'How Do You Keep a Jack O' Lantern From Rotting'?

Sadly for this experiment the control pumpkin faired the best.

The rest ended up looking like this

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

I know this is a small stretch but I had to include this article about 'New Glowing Mushrooms Found in Brazil'.

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

In one of my earlier blogs I mentioned my love for old time radio dramas that my dad and I would listen to in the dark of night at home or while camping and that my children enjoy this treat with grandpa whenever we spend the night at his home. Today I found a site dedicated to 'Old Time Horror Radio'.

I'm not sure my kids are ready for stories like 'The Pit and the Pendulum' - The classic E. A Poe tale, starring Vincent Price.

I'm leaving this one bookmarked so I can pull out a good story one night while we are camping.
---------------------

These guys bring 'Halloween Lights' to a whole new level.

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

From the newest in lighting effect to the good old standby 'Its The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown'

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

Retro Crush has been putting out some pretty great lists over the last month but I think this next list is the best yet. Here are 'The 100 Scariest Movie Scenes'.

10 The Shining- "Room 237"
9 The Exorcist III- "Head scissors"
8 Night of the Living Dead- "Look who's outside"
7 Jaws- "Heads will roll"
6 Un Chien Andalou- "Eye slicin' fun!"
5 Poltergeist- "Clown under the bed"
4 Alien- "Chestburster"
3 The Shining- "Danny takes a trike ride"
2 Carrie- "Surprise Arm"
1 Psycho- "Shower scene"

Other Scenes of note

13 Night of the Living Dead- "They're coming to get you, Barbara!"
14 The Blair Witch Project- "If this tent's a shaking..."
27 Twilight Zone The Movie- "Wanna see something real scary?"
28 The Shining- "Here's Johnny!"
38 28 Days Later- "Where is everyone?"
47 Eraserhead- "Cutest baby ever"
60 Pee Wee's Big Adventure- "Large Marge sent me!"
98 To Kill A Mockingbird- "Jem is truly outrageous"

99 Return of The Living Dead - "BRAAAAINNNNS!"

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

Finally I found this site called 'Halloween Arcade'. Although these aren't the most original games it is a great collection for the theme.

[Halloween Nightmare]
-----------------------

That's it for today, Happy Halloween!!

crossovers, rovers and pics - Oh My

2006-10-26T12:38:00.000-06:00

I don't have much to say again today. I think I want some turf with my surf....

I have previously posed about the Marvel / Soap Opera crossover. Today they released a teaser trailer for the show. All I have to say is, "Honey, It's Harley" - She's A Marvel: Special Sneak Preview.

Having watched the Guiding Light I know the 'new' super hero is a long time cast member and character who receives her powers in a 'horrifying electrical shock' from.....

.....Halloween lights?!? Hmmmm?

Her super hero name is 'Guiding Light'. [creative ain't it]. I found a comic version of the teaser as well.

Although the TV teaser doesn't show promise I may still watch so I can see the other Marvel heroes and villains who are promised to appear on the show. It all starts November 1.
------------------

I saw a cool invention that is the newest addition to my 'want list'.

This little guy is called the Firefly which turns your bottle into a lantern.

The unique lid design contains an integrated LED light which spreads a warm glow throughout the bottle. It has variable light levels so you can have a night light for stormy nights, or a reading light for enjoying your latest read; the control is at your finger tip! The electronics are in a separate sealed compartment, so there's no risk of water or juice gumming up the works! Compatible with all standard wide mouth bottles.
----------------------

I also came across another comic book today called 'The Walking Dead'.

This comic begins like '28 Days Later' with the main character in a hospital after an accident. There is an online version of the first book here.

[This is the cover art for #16]

This is a neat little cross over for me. I also found this 'Cover Art Gallery' if you want to view more of the images from the series.

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

I admit the scariest thing I saw while surfing today was not the Guiding Light trailer or The Walking Zombie comic. It was this site that allows you to 'Calculate Your Healthy Weight'.

[Gasp, shriek, blood curdling scream!!!!! %$@$%, !*^#?, &@@*$%]
----------------------

I came across this article from Forbes Magazine about the 'Top-Earning Dead Celebrities'. This has to be their way of writing a Halloween themed article. [Dead People Who Still Earn More Money Than You!]

Here's the list:
1. Kurt Cobain
2. Elvis Presley
3. Charles M. Schulz
4. John Lennon
5. Albert Einstein
6. Andy Warhol
7. Dr. Seuss (Theodor Geisel)
8. Ray Charles
9. Marilyn Monroe
10. Johnny Cash
11. J.R.R. Tolkien
12. George Harrison
13. Bob Marley

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

A celebration is in order! The Mars Rover Marks 1,000 Days on Red Planet!

[The Rim of Victoria Crater]

Congratulation to the team at NASA for this astonishing achievement.

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

Here is a great design for a Halloween pumpkin - the 'Captain Jack O'Lantern'.

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

Will all of the success and millions that actors are making on TV, I found it surprising that of the 'Top Rated TV Shows of All-Time' the most recent show was the 1994 Winter Olympics.

1. M* A*S*H finale (50.15 million viewers - February 28, 1983)
2. Dallas "Who Shot JR?" episode (41.47 million - November 21, 1980)
3. Roots finale (36.38 million - January 30, 1977)
4. Super Bowl XVI, 49ers vs. Bengals (40.02 million - January 24, 1982)
5. Super Bowl XVII, Redskins vs. Dolphins (40.48 million - January 30, 1983)
6. Winter Olympics, Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding (45.69 million - February 24, 1994)
7. Super Bowl XX, Bears vs. Patriots (41.49 million - January 26, 1986)
8. Gone with the Wind, Part I (33.96 million - November 7, 1976)
9. Gone with the Wind, Part II (33.75 million - November 8, 1976)
10. Super Bowl XII, Cowboys vs. Broncos (34.41 million - January 15, 1978)

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

Check out this perfect shot from 'Daily Dose of Imagery'.

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

I found some more clever advertising from Energizer.

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

Here are the games for this week:

BYU @ Air Force
UNLV @ Utah
Wyoming @ TCU
Miami (FL) @ #21 Georgia Tech
#19 Oklahoma @ #23 Missouri
#11 Notre Dame @ Navy
Georgia @ #9 Florida
#5 Texas @ Texas Tech

Here are my picks

I know, I know, I picked Utah again but they are playing UNLV, the worst team in the conference! Please don't think I am a Ute fan.

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

That's all for today

Look with your eyes not with your hands

2006-10-25T13:41:00.000-06:00

The tide is still coming in. I came, I saw, I surfed.....

Yesterday my wife bought my kids pumpkins to carve for Halloween. As excited as they were I was dreading the process. I think it is one of the traditions we do that I like the least. So today I came across this 'game' that allows you to easily and cleanly carve your own cyber-jackolantern.

Ahhhhh, that's more like it!
----------------------

I have been following this story about colleges that may lose their Division-I football status if they don't maintain an average attendance of more than 15,000 people per game. Utah State University is near the top of the list in this category.

There are 15 schools on the NCAA minimum attendance radar:

2005 AVG - 2006 YTD AVG - SCHOOL - Two year rolling avg (must >15,000 for DI-A)
5,219 -- 11,686 - Eastern Michigan -- 8,453
11,476 -- 6,431 - Florida Atlantic -- 8,954
10,896 -- 13,134 - Utah State -- 12,015
10,072 -- 16,753 - Rice -- 13,413
10,893 -- 16,011 - Akron -- 13,452
12,953 -- 14,138 - Ball State -- 13,546
12,735 -- 14,860 - Temple -- 13,798
14,929 -- 13,906 - Bowling Green -- 14,418
15,241 -- 14,386 - Miami (OH) -- 14,814
15,175 -- 15,135 - Idaho -- 15,155
15,147 -- 15,193 - Florida International (FIU) -- 15,170
17,591 -- 15,482 - Louisiana - Lafayette -- 16,537
18,630 -- 14,811 - SMU -- 16,721
18,033 -- 16,194 - Ohio -- 17,116

I have always thought Utah State is more like Weber State that the U of U or BYU. Maybe they should consider just dropping the level. If they can compete on the national level in D-II it would be better than the bottom 10 of D-I. I'm not sure what other implications it would have for the school.
----------------------

I came across this site that posted the 'Digital Camera Photographer of the Year'. The images were divided into six categories.

This is the overall winner.

Cat's Tongue [Animals & Nature]

Tiger under water [Animals & Nature]

Lower Antelope [Dramatic Landscapes]

Purwantonugroho Dramaticlan [Dramatic Landscapes]

Check out the rest, this site is worth the stop.
-------------------

Check out this great Marvel Character Composite

[The link takes you to a much larger version.]

Is there anyone they left out? If your not sure you can always check out the 'Marvel Directory' to make sure.

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

Check out this great photo of the 'Shuttle Launch Seen From ISS'.

This is a private photo taken from the International Space Station. It was found when as it was circulated between friends in their email.

You have to admit that is pretty cool.
-------------------

I am still search for the perfect Halloween costume. I need it by Saturday for my family party. I know for sure what I don't want:

What's the deal with the 'brown log' themed costumes?

My grandma sent me this picture several years ago. Back then I may have got it just to make her laugh but today there's NO WAY!!

I can't image wearing this! I'm not really sure if he's being Elvis or a Camel Jockey! [and I don't mean someone from the far-east. Leave a comment if you don't understand my meaning.] There is no way I would wear this either!!!!!

This is getting warmer but I think I would rather be Roddy from 'They Live'.

This one is pretty good but I haven't seen the movie yet. It just came out on DVD today.

OH YEA!!! This is great. To bad they are sold out this season. I thought I had found the answer. My youngest son is going to be Jack Sparrow and my middle son is going to be Will Turner. This would have been ideal!!!

Back to the drawing board!
----------------

That's all for today!

Pics, flicks, music, games and poems

2006-10-23T16:40:00.000-06:00

This week is off to another roaring start. I had a great weekend, it made it hard to come back to work. It's hard living the life of a surfer....

Today I came across this Lego character builder called 'The Mini-Mizer'.

You can create all kinds of characters with this reasonably clever tool.

[The man on the moon]
--------------------

While I'm on the topic of Legos I thought I would also share this site by Eric Charshbarger.

Eric is a master Lego builder and his site is a portfolio of all of his as-large-as-life creations.

Look at all of those Lego bins in the background!! What's better than Lego Sorting Goodness!!!!!
-----------------------

Every once an a while a tune come out on the radio that I cannot get out of my head. This was the case in the 80's when Bobby McFerin released his hit 'Don't Worry Be Happy'. Today I came across a flash tool that allows you to play with the different parts of the song.

Relive the 80's with this tune stuck in your head till Christmas!
----------------

While my son and I were driving to the BYU football game on Saturday, we were talking about how there are things in the world that are unique. He asked me how people knew that every snowflake was different. I said they probably figure it out mathematically because it is to hard to take a picture of them before they melt.

This is a picture of a snowflake at 300 um.

'Well now, isn't that special'

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

This story speaks for itself.

Scientist Sets Backpack Down, Finds Dinosaur in Southern Utah's Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument

The scientist found the fossil when he was about to take a rest, while hiking in Grand Staircase-Escalante Utah, and sat his backpack down on it.

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

On Friday I shard a video in the blog of what some people think is the best Zombie movie ever made. Today I would like to share a video called 'Nosferatu'.

The first, if not the best, vampire movie ever made.

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

In keeping with the pre-Halloween theme that has infected this blog over the past few weeks. I would like to share with you this NASA photo of a profile of a skull floating in space.

The Antennae Galaxies / NGC 4038-4039

Sweetness!!
-----------------

Someone keeps stealing my letters...

This refrigerator magnet game is fun on many different levels.
------------------

Did you know they did the mash?

Disney Halloween - Monster Mash
---------------------

If you are waxing or waning poetically this month you may appreciate the 'Goth-o-matic poetry generator'.

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

Speaking of scary things, my picks from last week were not the greatest. It's hard enough to think that Utah may win another game but to post there logo on this site and have them lose two weeks in a row, man I'm Homer!!!

I will try and post the new picks in the next blog!
----------------------

That's it for today.

Friday?

2006-10-20T02:48:00.000-06:00

Well work has finally caught up with me. I have been buried for the last two days. I am putting together databases for junk mail from our clients. [Don't worry all the lists are from back East, Texas or California.] I have tickets to go to the BYU game on Saturday, they are playing UNLV. It should be a blowout but I will get to spend time with my parents and brother and my oldest son.

It's a shallow pool today, I didn't have much time to surf...
------------

I have become a big Stephen Colbert fan. Lately this is the only way I have been able to listen to the news. Colbert has a segment called, 'You're On Notice!'. Today I found this image generator called, 'The Stephen Colbert "On Notice Board" Generator'.

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

I'm not sure how I came across this but once I saw it I felt like I should post 'The best (and worst) lines in the history of film.'

The Best One-Liners
Where to start? Or, indeed, finish? As an example of the script-writer's genius, the classic one-liner is unbeatable. We all have our favorites, and the best of them need no context, so just read and appreciate this small sample:

"Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room!" - Dr Strangelove (1964)
"Benjamin, I am not trying to seduce you." - The Graduate (1967)
"Love means never having to say you're sorry." - Love Story (1970)
"I'll make him an offer he can't refuse." - The Godfather (1972)
"Use the force, Luke." - Star Wars (1977)
"Go ahead, make my day." - Sudden Impact (1983)
"I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way." - Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
"I'll have what she's having." - When Harry Met Sally (1989)
"To infinity - and beyond!" - Toy Story (1995)

Treasurably bad lines:
"At least they won't be using heroin-flavored bananas to finance revolutions." - Goldfinger (1964)
"If I can change, and you can change, then we can all change." - Rocky 4 (1985)
"You can be my wingman any time." - Top Gun (1986)
"I love you, Flash, but we only have 14 hours to save the Earth." - Flash Gordon (1986)
"I love you. You complete me." - Jerry Maguire (1996)
"I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubblegum." - They Live (1988)

I admit I love that quote from ''Rowdy' Roddy Piper'. I'm sure he used that in the squared-circle!!
---------------------

Speaking of Rowdy Piper...

...my favorite Kilt wearing WWF world champion wrestler would love this new product called the 'Utili-Kilt'.

This new line of kilts are built for everyday wear while on the Job Site!

On second thought maybe a kilt on a construction site isn't a good idea.

One of the customers of the site bought a regular kilt and had his picture taken in it at Mushroom Rocks in Arches National Park, Utah.
-------------------

Sports Illustrated posted a list of the 'Top 15 College Quarterbacks' and guess who's #10!

10. John Beck | Sr., BYU
9. Chris Leak | Sr., Florida
8. Chad Henne | Jr., Michigan
7. Nate Longshore | Soph., Cal
6. Pat White | Soph., West Virginia
5. Tyler Palko | Sr., Pittsburgh
4. Brian Brohm | Jr., Louisville
3. Erik Ainge | Jr., Tennessee
2. Brady Quinn | Sr., Notre Dame
1. Troy Smith | Sr., Ohio State
---------------

This video was listed on YouTube's Most watched list. I will let it speak for itself.

WOW!!
------------
This ad for the 'Sony Bravia' has been floating around the Internet for a while.

This is an ad that catches you eye, I have never seen anything like it before.
---------------

Here is another great ad I saw for Bic permanent markers.

Now that's an effective ad!!
--------------

It's time again for the football picks for this week. I hope you all received the email because I'm afraid this post will be late.

Here are the games:
UNLV @ BYU
Utah @ New Mexico
Utah State @ Louisiana Tech
Colorado State @ Wyoming
#22 Boston College @ Florida State
#19 Rutgers @ Pittsburgh
#13 Georgia Tech @ #12 Clemson
#5 Texas @ #17 Nebraska

Here are my picks

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

That's all for today!

Lists inside of lists

2006-10-18T16:01:00.000-06:00

Well this is blog #80. I think I have the hang of this now. I had 85 views yesterday and my readership seems to be growing. I would like to hear from you [the readers] more often. Communication is hard to do when it is one way. I think I have made some pretty cool blogs but my brother commented on one he thought was 'the best so far' and to me that has become the standard I try to meet. That was #15 or something so I hope I didn't peak early and everything else has been sub-par. I really do want to know what you think. Unlike the newspaper or TV a blog can be interactive.

Today is my youngest son's birthday. We went to McDonalds for his 'friend party' and we will be having homemade pizza tonight for his 'family party'. He is turning four and I personally think this is the best age for birthdays. This morning when I got to work I put together a new bike for him. I'm excited just to see him open his presents.

The office is crazy and I have been swamped with overflow work others can't seem to get done. Hopefully when the server has problems or our software crashes and it requires another 24 hour shift someone else can pick up my overflow work. [Sorry, I know office sarcasm is not what this blog is about.]

I did manage to surf [while doing other people work]....
-------------------

I call todays blog lists within lists because and odd thing happened. I found myself reading some list somebody put together and found an accompanying list that was even better. The first example of this was from earvolution.com.

I admit that in my life I have memorized and can sing a number of TV show theme songs. Today I came across a list of the 'Top 10 TV Theme Songs With Outstanding Guitar Work'. This made me think of my brothers strumming different tunes in the basement of my parents house. So for them I post the list:

10. Simon & Simon
9. The A-Team
8. The Ren and Stimpy Show
7. Three's Company
6. South Park
5. Chico and the Man
4. Batman
3. Beverly Hill 90210
2. Law & Order
1. Barney Miller

I'm sure my brothers and other guitarists can pick out the 'guitar work' in these songs but some of them I can't remember a guitar in them at all.

While I was there I came across an ever better list called the 'Top Ten Greatest Guitar Solos'.

10. 'Hot for Teacher' - Eddie Van Halen
9. 'Texas Flood' - Stevie Ray Vaughan
8. 'Crazy Train' - Randy Rhoads
7. 'Hotel California' - Don Felder & Joe Walsh
6. 'Free Bird' - Allen Collins & Gary Rossington
5. 'All Along the Watchtower' - Jimi Hendrix
4. 'Stairway to Heaven' - Jimmy Page
3. 'Sultans of Swing' - Mark Knopfler
2. 'Comfortably Numb' - David Gilmour
1. 'Machine Gun' - Jimi Hendrix

I have actually heard the guitar in every one of these songs, except for 'Machine Gun'. I downloaded it today and I personally don't think I was missing much. I appreciate Jimi Hendrix I just like 'All Along the Watchtower' much, much, much more.
----------------

I was reading 'The Geek Zine' when I saw this post about 'The 20 Scariest Horror Movie Killers'. I thought, "It's Halloween, what the heck". Here's the list.

10. Alien
9. Michael Myers (Halloween)
8. Damien Thorn (The Omen)
7. Jaws
6. The Tall Man (Phantasm)
5. Jason Voorhees (Friday The 13Th)
4. Pinhead (Hellraiser)
3. Leatherface (Texas Chainsaw Massacre)
2. Freddy Krueger (A Nightmare On Elm St)
1. Hannibal Lecter (Silence Of The Lambs)

As you may know, I rarely agree with these lists. This list panders to the thrasher movies that plagued my teens. Jason Voorhees, Leatherface, Freddy Krueger, and Michael Myers are all really the same. The only differences are their methods of murder and abilities to overcome their own destruction. You could really throw Jaws into the crowd too except the original movie was actually worth seeing. You didn't even see Jaws until the last half hour of the movie.

As I was looking over this list it included two other even better lists. The first is fact based. It looks at the 'Body Count Rankings' of horror movie villains:

1. Aliens - 201 kills
2. Jason Voorhees - 125 kills
3. Jack Griffin (The Invisible Man) - 122 kills
4. Killer Klowns From Outer Space - 120 kills
5. Michael Myers - 81 kills
6. The Tall Man - 79 kills
7. Carrie White - 76 kills
8. Lord Crumb & His Army (Bad Taste) - 75 kills
9. The Knoxes (Natural Born Killers) - 74 kills
10. Children of the Corn - 72 kills

This list show that the more blood and guts does not mean the better the movie. I don't like horror movie for the body counts but I like this list because it is not subjective.

The other bonus list was of the 'Top 10 Classic Monsters'. These guys are the real deal! These movies can still scare my socks off while avoiding the blood and guts or body counts. [I'm not sure if 'body count' #3 is the same movie as 'classic monster' #6 but I think I will watch #6 below again to find out!]

10. The Hunchback of Notre Dame
9. Creature of the Black Lagoon
8. The Mummy
7. The Wolf Man
6. The Invisible Man
5. King Kong
4. Nosferatu
3. Frankenstein Monster
2. Dracula
1. Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

I'd take most of the classics over the slashers any day!
-------------------

The last list within a list I found was in an article about the 'New Seven Wonders of the World'. Apparently, only one of the ancient wonders of the world still survives -- now history lovers are being invited to choose a new list of seven.

The 21 finalists for the New Seven Wonders of the World, alphabetically:

1 Acropolis, Athens, Greece
2 Alhambra, Granada, Spain
3 Angkor Wat temple, Cambodia
4 Chichen Itza Aztec site, Yucatan, Mexico
5 Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
6 Colosseum, Rome
7 Easter Island Statues, Chile
8 Eiffel Tower, Paris
9 Great Wall, China
10 Hagia Sophia church, Istanbul, Turkey
11 Kyomizu Temple, Kyoto, Japan
12 Kremlin/St.Basil's, Moscow13 Machu Picchu, Peru
14 Neuschwanstein Castle, Fussen, Germany
15 Petra ancient city, Jordan
16 Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
17 Statue of Liberty, New York
18 Stonehenge, Amesbury, United Kingdom
19 Sydney Opera House, Australia
20 Taj Mahal, Agra, India
21 Timbuktu city, Mali

My personal favorite of the 21 is Petra, Jordan.

For years I thought this was just a set from 'Indiana Jones and the Final Crusade'. Later I found out this was a real place [minus the crusader and holy grail].

I always thought that the Great Wall of China was on the original list. So naturally I think it should be on the new list.

While I was reading this list I came across another list, that also answered the question of what were, the 'Seven Wonders of the Ancient World'.

The following list is of the Seven Wonders followed by how they were destroyed:
1. Great Pyramid of Giza - still standing
2. Hanging Gardens of Babylon - earthquake
3. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus - fire
4. Statue of Zeus at Olympia - fire
5. Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus - earthquake
6. Colossus of Rhodes - earthquake
7. Lighthouse of Alexandria - earthquake

Hmmmm! I learn when I blog!
--------------------

I like to visit photoblogs. I have blogged before about 'joe's nyc' photoblog. Today he has this great photo of the 'Brooklyn Bridge'.

Classic and modern at the same time. This may not be one of the 'Seven Wonders' but I would still like to see it for myself.
-----------------

Going from learning to burning time I found this game called 'Galactic Gravity Golf'.

[I was so good I finished the game and got the highest score!]
-------------------------

I'm not sure this qualifies as a game or not but it is certainly fun. 'Bone Idol' is a kind of 'cyber doll'.

Should I call this Idol 'Clav-ickle Ache-n', 'Burry Underground' or 'Bo-o Bice-ept'.
[Those were the best American Idol names as skeleton names I could come up with.]
-----------------------

When I saw the next headline I thought, 'Oh great - more bad news'. 'World's pollution hotspots mapped'

The silver lining is that the 'Big Bad United States' is not on the map.
------------------

I know I was talking about Halloween costumes last month. Despite my repeated warning I did not follow my own advice. I have waited until now to find a costume.

Flaming Carrot? NO!!!!

Um, NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

Mime stuck in a 'little trees'? NO!!!

Human Ping Pong? NOT EVEN!! [Although the geek factor is pretty high with this one. hmmmm]

The search is still on!
------------

That's all for today.

Mythbusters World Record

2006-10-17T12:39:00.000-06:00

Sometimes I lose track of time. This happened to me yesterday. I went to lunch with my wife and got back to work at around 1:40. I sat down and felt like I was getting a ton of work done when I looked up and it was 5:03. Oh well, Here is the blog I was working on, I wonder if you can surf in your sleep...
-----------

This time of year you can find great collections of Halloween Music. Today I came across the 'Forbidden Crypts Of Haunted Music'.

When you click the record cover you can listen to or download the music.
-----------------

I while ago I blogged about a game called 'Line Rider'. Today I came across this cool video on YouTube of someone's course. I thought I would share,
'Line Rider Dies at the slopes'.

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

While I was reading some news I came across this link to 'Reuters THE STATE OF THE WORLD'

This is a gallery of the best pictures from Reuters. This collection tell the tale of our times.

You should check it out too!
------------------

One of the shows that I love to watch is called 'Mythbusters'.

Today I came across this blog that listed the 'Top 5 Mythbusters Segments'.

5. Silver Paint causes original actor to back out of The Wizard of Oz.
4. A cd-rom could be shattered at 40x+ speed.
3. Does "killer" quicksand really exists.
2. "Unbreakable" biometric lock.

1. Falling through multiple awnings will prevent death when falling from a high place.

I love this show and have always learned something while watching it.
--------------------

Check out these great photos of 'Heavy dew on spider web'.

This looks man made like some kind of jewelry.

Luckily, for this spider, water does not damage silk.

I had to include the spider!!!
---------------------

I found this great site called 'Flash Games by TonyPa'

Try the 'Gear Taker' game.

This is harder than it looks!
------------------

I wanted to post something about my friend 'Bad' Brad Wheeler and his World Record attempting Harmonica Army.

About 1,200 Top of Utah saints marched into Lindquist Field on Saturday, smiles and harmonicas in tow. They came to support local bluesman "Bad" Brad Wheeler, who was trying to make Guinness World Records by organizing more than 1,707 harmonica players to play "The Saints Go Marching In," all at once. [Standard Examiner]

World-class harmonizing

Brad Wheeler, himself a harmonica player in the Ogden Blues band the "Legendary Porch Pounders" gives the go ahead signal for over 1,200 harmonica players to start playing "When the Saints Come Marching In" at Linquist Field on Saturday. Over 1,200 folks showed up, practiced and all played together to try and break the world record for most people playing harmonicas at a time. They came up several hundred short to break the old record of 1,800. (Al Hartmann/The Salt Lake Tribune )

I look up to my friend and congratulate him for following his dreams.
-------------------

One last thing, I did pretty poorly with my picks last week.

I will post the new games and my picks in tomorrows blog. Congrats to Kelly who picked all 8 games correctly!!
-----------

That's it for today.

299,995,220

2006-10-16T16:26:00.000-06:00

I had a great weekend. I got to spend time with my wife and Kids and see my family in Provo. They are so busy here at work they didn't seem to miss me.

I had a little time to surf today.....

The very first thing I saw today was an article about '13 Haunted Houses That Will Make You Wet Your Pants'. I think the time has passed when I find it fun to wet my pants -- Well at least until I'm a lot older.

Here's the list if you are interested:
13. Haunted Overload - Exeter, New Hampshire
12. USS Nightmare - New Port, Kentucky
11. Asylum & Hotel Fear - Las Vegas, Nevada
10. Seven Floors of Hell - Cleveland, Ohio
9. Erebus Haunted House - Pontiac, Michigan
8. Shocktoberfest - Reading, Pennsylvania
7. Fright Dome at Circus Circus - Las Vegas, Nevada
6. Rocky Point Haunted House - Salt Lake City, Utah
5. Headless Horseman - Ulster Park, New York
4. Terror Behind the Walls - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
3. The Darkness - St. Louis, Missouri
2. Netherworld - Atlanta, Georgia
1. Nightmare: Face Your Fear - New York, New York

[the Scream Room at Rocky Point]

Anyway, I noticed that Rocky Point Haunted House made the list. There was an article in the Ogden Standard Examiner about the history of Rocky Point from its beginnings just up the road in Pleasant View to this its final year this year in Salt Lake City.

[Leatherface's living room at Rocky Point]

I'm impressed it made this list!
-----------------

I forgot to mention that on Saturday night my wife and I went shopping for our youngest son's birthday. While we were out we stopped at Costco. There is the middle of the toy section was the largest darth tater 'I had ever seen'.

Inside were all three Star-tubers Darth, Spud and Potatoo!!!

Now I have checked Artoo-potatoo off my want list I thought I would add another geek item to the list.

This t-shirt is battery powered and shows the current time. Geek-tacular!
---------------

I found this timely article today called 'The Best Zombie Films Of All Time'!

10. Dead Alive/Brain Dead (1992)
9. 28 Days Later (2002)
8. Re-Animator (1985)
7. The Serpent And The Rainbow (1988)
6. Shaun Of The Dead (2004)
5. Zombie (Aka Zombi 2) (1979)
4. The Evil Dead 2 (1987)
3. Return Of The Living Dead (1985)
2. Dawn Of The Dead (1978)
1. Night Of The Living Dead (1968)

You can view the best of the best right here.

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

I found this great skyline photo on Mute.

[It even has a boat too!]
---------------

Have you ever been asked 'What's your Balinese sign?' Me either but you can find out here.

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

299,995,220 - The U.S. government has a website that tracks the number of people in the country this week this clock should turn over to 300,000,000.

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

I found a follow up from a blog I made before about the 'worlds most dangerous road'. Today I found this site called the 'Road of Death'.

These pictures show the road carved into a cliff.

The road is only really wide enough for one car.

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

I found another drawing game. This one is called 'Draw Play'.

Draw lines and then maneuver the man to the flag.
--------------

I also saw this site about the 'New Scientist Photographic Competition'.

[Soap Film]

[golden eagle]

Check out the other pics!
------------

Its been a while since I have posted some street ads.

This is a memorable and creative ad for watches.

Those are some powerful headlights.
------------

That's all for today.

UEA Ogden-Movie-Music-Picture-Addiction

2006-10-12T14:17:00.000-06:00

Well this week is flying by. Thanks to the most powerful union in Utah, today and tomorrow are statewide holidays. I am taking tomorrow off and hoping for some kind of adventure that is not yet planned.

Last night, I attended the Ogden v. Granstville football game to watch my oldest daughter preform as a cheerleader at half time.

[None of these girls are my daughter but they are cheerleaders at Ogden High]

She did a great job and it was really fun to see her excel at something she loves.

[This photo is from homecoming last year but; 1. It show two guys that used to live in my ward, and 2. I can really give them a hard time about it.]

In case you feel this information is a bit too indulgent on my part then perhaps you would like to know that Ogden High is the school the movie '3 O'Clock High' was filmed in.

[See the school in the lower right corner. I live two blocks behind this building.]

I had a little time to surf today but I was worried about drowning like Squints from the movie 'The Sandlot'.

Well, he was faking it just to kiss the lifeguard at the pool but that scene was also filmed in Ogden at the 'Lorin Farr Pool'.

I guess it's OK to surf after all....
--------------------

BTW, A quick glance at IMDB show 21 Movies and TV shows that have been or are currently filming in Ogden. The site allows voting to it appears as a list of the 'Top 21 Titles with Locations in Ogden, Utah'.

1. "Everwood" (2002) TV Series
2. "Promised Land" (1996) TV Series
3. "Stand, The" (1994) (mini) TV Series
4. "Touched by an Angel" (1994) TV Series
5. Alien Express (2005) (TV)
6. Benji: Off the Leash! (2004)
7. Blind Guy Driving (2007)
8. Book of Mormon Movie, Volume 1: The Journey, The (2003)
9. Con Air (1997)
10. Drive Me Crazy (1999)
11. Firestarter 2: Rekindled (2002) (TV)
12. Fletch (1985)

[Funny thing here is that in the movie he is at a hotel on 24th street in west Ogden talking on a phone but says he is in Provo.]

13. Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988)
14. Harmful Intent (1993) (TV)
15. Last Time I Committed Suicide, The (1997)
16. Melvin and Howard (1980)
17. Olivia in Concert (1982) (V)
18. Sandlot, The (1993)
19. Scorned and Swindled (1984)
20. This Boy's Life (1993)
21. Three O'Clock High (1987)
-------------------

Have I bored you to death yet?

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

Today I came across this photo called 'Just around the river bend' on 'Shutter Junkie'.

'Shutter Junkie' is Jemma Lambert, a 23 year old female photographer from the more northern regions of the UK.

Is it interesting that she traveled to the Grand Canyon all the way from Ireland and took this picture. I'm on the Internet and see the picture and it makes me want to go there, but I live in Utah and have never seen it with my own eyes?

Despite my rambling this is a great picture.
-------------------

I know I got all caught up in the Ogden movie thing above but don't let that detract from this amazing site where they have compiled a list of 'The Top 40 music moments in film history'.

10. "Try a Little Tenderness," Otis Redding - Pretty in Pink
9. "The End," The Doors - Apocalypse Now
8. "Moving in Stereo," The Cars - Fast Times at Ridgemont High
7. "Shout," Otis Day & the Knights, Animal House

6. "Stuck in the Middle with You," Stealer's Wheel - Reservoir Dogs
5. "Tiny Dancer," Elton John - Almost Famous
4. "Damn It Feels Good 2 Be A Gangsta," The Geto Boys - Office Space
3. "Twist and Shout," The Beatles - Ferris Bueller's Day Off
2. "In Your Eyes," Peter Gabriel - Say Anything

1. "Bohemian Rhapsody," Queen - Wayne's World

Other greats on the list include:
13. "Old Time Rock and Roll," Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band - Risky Business
15. "Don't Stop Me Now," Queen - Shaun of the Dead
17. "Afternoon Delight," Starland Vocal Band - Anchorman
19. "Tequila," The Champs - Pee Wee's Big Adventure.
24. "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow," The Soggy Bottom Boys - O Brother Where Art Thou?
28. Jump in the Line," Harry Belafonte - Beetlejuice
30. "Louie, Louie," The Kingsmen - Animal House
39. "The Promise," When In Rome - Napoleon Dynamite

I can't think of any they left out, can you????
------------------------

I found another great photo from 'Natural Moments Photography' which features the photography of Darwin Wiggett.

[This picture tells a great story]

[The colorful Rocky Mountains of Canada]

[How could I pass this up. (BTW I have been here!)]
---------------------

With my picks done and my team off for the week there is not much interesting to read about in college football right now. I did find this, the 'Top 10 college fight songs'.

10. Southern California: Fight On!
9. Auburn: War Eagle
8. Ohio State: Across the Field
7. Washington & Lee: Washington & Lee Swing [This is the same tune as the SAE song!]
6. Michigan State: Falcone Fight
5. Navy: Anchors Aweigh
4. Georgia Tech: Rambling Wreck
3. Army: On Brave Old Army Team
2. Michigan: The Victors
1. Notre Dame: Notre Dame Victory March

I'm feeling a BS bias on this list [oops, I left out the C! I meant BCS not BS, it must have been a slip of the fingers]. Although I can't stand the tune, even Utah's song is better than some of these! [ouch, it really hurt so say that.]
------------------------

NASA currently as a mission, called Cassini-Huygens, to Saturn that is returning 'Stunning new images'.

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

Halloween is quickly approaching. Are your costumes ready? Mine either, but before you run out and try to create a Rubik's Cube Costume out of boxes and Duct Tape...

...check out what you can do with a little more vision.

This is a 'Fully Transformable Suit' which has the 80's zeal of the Rubik's Cube but it also timely with the release of the upcoming transformers movie.

This is pretty sweet
-----------------------

Yesterday I made a confession about a musical misstep I made in the early eighties. Today I have another confession. I love my wife [No that's not the confession!]. I am so enamored with my wife that at one point, in the mid 90's, I was recording and watching the 'Guiding Light', which is Rachel's favorite daytime Soap Opera. Although I am currently cured of this addiction, I read an article today that may throw me 'off the wagon' and back into the soap [box].

New super-powered character debuts on Guiding Light on Wednesday, November 1

This news is a taste of Pop Culture at its best. CBS has announced that a Super character will be added to the cast of The Guiding Light. Along with this very interesting news we have learned that Marvel comics is doing an eight-page comic back up that will feature some of Marvel's mightiest heroes (and villains) descending on Guiding Light's city of Springfield to determine if this new super-powered being is friend or foe! This eight page comic back-up will be released into 13 books starting 10/25.

WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Here are the books to look for:

10/25
Civil War: Choosing Sides
Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane 11
Marvel Select Flip Magazine 18
Marvel Tales Flip Magazine 17

11/1
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man 21
Spider-Man And Power Pack 1
Marvel Adventures Flip Magazine 18
Marvel Heroes Flip Magazine 18

11/8
Amazing Spider-Girl 2
Franklin Richards: Happy Franksgiving!
Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four 18

11/15
Ultimate Marvel Flip Magazine 19
Ultimate Tales Flip Magazine 19

If I disappear for a while you might be able to find me at the SOA or GUA meetings the second Thursday after the AA, DAWN and SA meetings at the Church on Harrison Blvd.
-----------------------

When I opened the paper this morning I saw a great picture called 'Pond Secrets'

An automobile rests in the shallows of Ogden's 21st Street pond as the colors of autoumn [sik] reflect off its glassy surface on Wednesday. The automobile was places in the pond by rescue divers several years ago for training purposes.
---------------------

I hope that's enough to tide you over until Monday.

Unique Borat eats carved pumpkin photos... with Legos

2006-10-10T13:34:00.000-06:00

The week is not looking any better than when it started. Luckily I am taking Friday off. I wish there was a football game in Provo this weekend!!! Hopefully things will go better with the fam than it is at work.

Its getting deep around here, I may need to ski instead of surf.....
---------------------

I am by no means a botanist but I admit I have never seen this kind of 'Unique Flowers' before.

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

Do you know who this is?

Borat is the creation of comedian Sacha Baron Cohen a British comedian also known for his highly successful comedy character Ali G.

I have seen some funny things from him but he tends to cross the line with his comedy sometimes.

If you are interested in 'The 10 Best Borat Skits of All-Time', I saw a list on Cracked.com.

10. Borat At The Ballpark
9. Borat At The Foxhunt
8. Borat Sings A Song
7. Borat Learns Some Manners
6. Borat In The Ivory Tower
5. Borat On An Exotic Animal Ranch
4. Borat In The Actor'S Studio
3. Borat In The 18Th Century
2. Borat On The Campaign Trail
1. Borat As Bacchus

I can't say I approve of these clips but at times his comedy is as good as his ability to change his looks. He made be the next great comedian of our time.
-------------------------------

I came across some great pictures by Jan Zwart Photography

I really like these pictures and their shapes.

[I guess I shouldn't have cropped the shape but I wanted these to show up as large as possible.]

You should go to his site and check out his work!!
---------------------

I found this list on Yahoo of '30 Ways to Eat a Pumpkin'.

[Photo from Daily Dose]

1. Pumpkin Recipes
2. Pumpkin Pie
3. Pumpkin Cookies
4. Pumpkin Bread
5. Pumpkin Soup
6. Pumpkin Seeds
7. Pumpkin Cheesecake
8. Pumpkin Muffins
9. Pumpkin Roll Recipe
10. Pumpkin Cake
11. Canned Pumpkin Recipes
12. Pumpkin Pancakes
13. Pumpkin Bars Recipe
14. Pumpkin Jam
15. Pumpkin Dip
16. Pumpkin Spice Cake
17. Pumpkin Butter Recipe
18. Pumpkin Spice Coffee
19. Pumpkin Ice Cream
20. Pumpkin Brownies
21. Pumpkin Cream Cheese Roll
22. Pumpkin Dump Cake
23. Pumpkin Ale
24. Pumpkin Desserts
25. Pumpkin Cupcakes
26. Pumpkin Crème Brulee
27. Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
28. Pumpkin Ravioli Recipe
29. Pumpkin Fudge
30. Pumpkin Beer

It's really only a buzz list of lists and is only about 15 ways. I have never thought of really eating a pumpkin. Even the traditional Pumpkin Pie you eat on Thanksgiving doesn't have pumpkin in it.

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

I have previously blogged about Hobo Nickles. Today I came across 'More Carved "Hobo" Nickels (plus other COOL carvings)'

The site I found them on it called Squirl -- Squirl is a new way to catalog, organize and share your books, records, movies, comic books, stamps, coins, or practically anything else, and meet other collectors who are as passionate as you.
------------------

I visited the 'J.R. Photoblog' again today and found another great image.

J.R. stands for Julien Roumagnac. He is a Frenchman who has been living in Canada for the last four years.
--------------

I have a confession to make. Over 20 years ago, I got caught up in the fame and fan fair of Michael Jackson's Thriller.

The only comfort I find now is this fact that I no longer posses the 'Thriller Picture Disk' my mother purchased for us during the frenzy.

[My sister probably possess it now]

Today on YouTube I came across a version that I could actually enjoy. So I present to you 'Thriller. . . with Legos'

[Could it be that my fascination with Zombies started with Michael Jackson in 1982?]
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That's it for today

White moose, boldly sold, hole trouble, and photos

2006-10-09T16:05:00.000-06:00

The week from Hell continues. I did't think there was any water in hell to surf on...

This article caught my eye concerning an 'albino moose' and the controversy over killing it or not.

'It is surely entertaining to have an albino moose wandering in the woods but in purely breeding terms it is not right to let it live', Morten Brommdal, manager of the animal section at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at the University of Oslo told Moss Avis.

'That so many people want the white moose to live is an emotional issue. It is exciting to have such a rarity rustling around. But if it is spared we risk the moose's breeding qualities spreading. Soon we might two, three, four or five albino moose in these wooded areas, something which in the long run can weaken the herd,' said Brommdal, who pointed out that an albino moose is really a kind of 'mistake'.

Hmmmmm!
------------------------

Can you believe that the 'Starship Enterprise model boldly sold for $576,000'?

This model of the Starship Enterprise used in the pilot and title sequences of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" sold for $576,000 Saturday at an auction of costumes, sets and props from 40 years of the "Star Trek" sci-fi franchise.

The 78-inch-long miniature of the "Enterprise-D," built by Industrial Light and Magic, debuted in 1987 in the episode "Encounter at Farpoint," and then was used in many subsequent episodes, as well as the film "Star Trek Generations."

[I want one!]
-----------------------

Sometimes while I am surfing I see something that interests me but that I think may not interest anyone else. so I do not put it on this blog. Later I find myself talking about it to someone and I realize I should have posted it at least to know where I can find it again. This next story fits into this category. Luckily I came across it again.

'Pensioner ends up in a hole lot of trouble'

[This is the real picture. A postman came by and could only see his shoes sticking out of the grass.]

In this instance a Pensioner is a person who has retired, and now collects a pension. This is a term typically used in the United Kingdom; someone of pensionable age may also be referred to as an 'old age pensioner', or OAP.

[WOW!!!]
--------------

Today I found this great repository of photos on the web entitled 'Outdoor Photos'.

I'm not sure but it appears these photos are all from Russia or the former Soviet Union.

There are many people who have contributed photos to this site but I really like these and others that were provided by 'Paramon'. I'm not sure who it is but there is a Russian website by the same name.
---------------

I also found this article that I found interesting, 'Youths No Longer Predominant at MySpace'.

Just a year ago, teens under 18 made up about 25 percent of MySpace, the popular online hangout run by News Corp. (NWSA) That's now down to 12 percent in the comScore analysis released Thursday.

By contrast, the 35-54 group at MySpace grew to 41 percent in August, from 32 percent a year earlier.

"This analysis confirms that the appeal of social-networking sites is far broader," said Jack Flanagan, executive vice president for comScore, adding that the data suggest that social networking is becoming mainstream.
----------------------

I thought I had turned a corner in my picks but last weekend was not a good one for me again.

However, as bad as they were for me they seemed bad for everyone else too. The standings remain the same as last week. I hope this weeks picks are better for me. At least I know the Cougars can't lose!!!

Here are the games for Week 7:
Utah @ Wyoming
Utah State @ San Jose State
Colorado State @ Air Force
#22 Virginia Tech @ Boston College
#19 Missouri @ Texas A&M
UCLA @ #18 Oregon
#4 Michigan @ Penn State
#2 Florida @#11 Auburn

Here are my picks

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That's all for today.

A Day in the Life

2006-10-06T13:04:00.000-06:00

Please bear with me while the Holiday rush is falling on me. On Friday I had put my post together and myspace zapped it. I was rushing to get it posted and ran out of time. I apologize. I never really intended to blog every day. But I want to keep things current and interesting. I also use this blog to remember where I saw things on the Internet. This post will keep a Friday date but because of time will probably be the only thing I post today.

The weather is turning cold, I'm going to need a body suit to surf....
---------------------

After the whole 'voting Pluto off the island thing' This article called '16 Probable Planets Found in Milky Way' interested me.

Are they really planets? Will it end up there are really only 15? Oh well, earth like planets are cool!
-----------------

Did you see this article about 'Space debris punched hole in shuttle'?

Apparently it did not cause enough damage that the crewman noticed, but that's kind of like those drive-by shootings in Ogden, too close for comfort.
----------------

I'm not sure I have ever mentioned the 'Deceptive photoblog' but I visit there everyday. This is one of those blogs that posts a new picture everyday.

Today he posted this great pic. [I think I have a thing for pictures of boats].
----------------

I have mentioned that every now and again when I see something on the Internet that I know my sister or brother would love. This happened to me when I came across 'The photo gallery of Chucks'.

I admit the reason I checked this out is because I hoped I could find something that would make my brother say 'cool'. I stayed because, although I have not worn chucks since high school, I got all caught up in the coolness of this site.

For instance, there is a gallery of photos and links about movies that have featured characters wearing Chucks.

[Wayne's World]

[Back to the Future]

[The Outsiders]

[Stand By Me]

These are all some of my most favorite movies of all time. They also have TV characters as well as a gallery of Chucks, including 'one of a kind' varieties. [I hope my brother enjoys this link as much as I did.]
----------------

I saw another picture I liked from the 'Cloud Appreciation Society'.

This photo was taken by Matt Bellar on a Caribbean cruise... On the way back from Cozumel, Gulf of Mexico

I need to plan a trip like this with my wife. [But not for the clouds!]
----------------

I'm not sure if I have blogged about Lego's before. Could it be that in 75 blogs I have never mentioned that I like Lego's? Hmmmm? Anyhow, I found this cool Lego accessory that spiked my geekness scale, or was it nerd factor five? Which ever it may have been, I would buy this 'Lego Ice Tray' just so I could make Lego's and then organize them in the freezer!!!!!

[Cool]
-----------------

I found a game that captured my attention while I was burning 70 CD's on my laptop and computer for work.

'Snake Classic' is an easy game to understand but hard to walk away from. I even like how you can choose your own skins

This little guy gets high marks from me.
-----------------

If snakes aren't you style you may like 'Red'. [Although I like this game don't think it means I like the color RED!!!]

Save the world!
-----------------

You have to check out this 'Grand Canyon Skywalk' they are currently constructing.

The Glass Bridge Construction of the Skywalk began March of 2004 and is estimated to be completed by 4th quarter of 2006.

Upon completion, the Glass Bridge will be suspended 4,000 feet above the Colorado River on the very edge of the Grand Canyon. On May 2005, the final test was conducted and the structure passed engineering requirements by 400 percent, enabling it to withstand the weight of 71 fully loaded Boeing 747 airplanes (more that 71 million pounds). The bridge will be able to sustain winds in excess of 100 miles per hour from 8 different directions, as well as an 8.0 magnitude earthquake within 50 miles. More than one million pounds of steel will go into the construction of the Grand Canyon Skywalk.

WOW!!!
---------------------

He is another game I came across today. I have to admit that 'Sling' is unlike any game I have ever played.

You have to play it to understand it!
--------------------

I also came across a a site called 'The Shape of Music'. I admit again that I have never seem anything like it.

[imagine - John Lennon]

[One - U2]

[Back in Black - AC/DC]

[A Day in the Life - The Beatles]

I guess I like songs with arches. I also couldn't believe that 'One' was the 'messiest' song of the bunch.
---------------------

That's it for today. Let me know what you think.

Arches and rooms

2006-10-05T03:54:00.000-06:00

I have been buried at work this week. I have not had muck time to blog or surf....

October 5 is the 278th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 87 days remaining.
In 1582, Due to the implementation of the Gregorian calendar this day does not exist in this year in Italy, Poland, Portugal and Spain.
In 1805, Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis, British general dies.
In 1813, Tecumseh, a famous Shawnee leader who spent much of his life attempting to rally Native American tribes in a mutual defense of their lands, which eventually culminated in the War of 1812 and his death on this date.
In 1864, The Indian city of Calcutta is almost totally destroyed by a cyclone; 60,000 die.
In 1877, Chief Joseph surrenders his Nez Perce band to General Nelson A. Miles.
In 1921, The World Series was broadcast on the radio for the first time.
In 1925, Bob Thaves, American cartoonist of Frank and Ernest is born. [He passed away earlier this year]
In 1947, The first televised White House address is given by U.S. President Harry S. Truman.
In 1962, The Beatles release their first single, "Love Me Do," in Britain.
In 1969, The first broadcast of Monty Python's Flying Circus.
In 1970, PBS became a television network.
In 1988, Democrat Lloyd Bentsen lambasted Republican Dan Quayle during their vice-presidential debate, telling Quayle, 'Senator, you're no Jack Kennedy'.
In 2001, Robert Stevens becomes the first victim in the 2001 anthrax attacks.
------------------------

I'm not sure this is a game or not, but it is interactive and there is a goal. SO call it what you want, just try and make it through all '99 rooms'.

I never said it wouldn't be easy or worth it.

[room 99]
------------------------

Have you ever wondered what the 'The ten longest natural arches in the world are'? I did once when I was standing under Landscape Arch in Arches National Park. But sitting at my desk I can't say I have ever thought about it. But thanks to the all knowing WWW I can provide you the answer to this unasked question.

[Kolob Arch]

1. Kolob Arch, Zion National Park, Utah - 294 ft
2. Landscape Arch, Arches National Park, Utah 290 - ft
3. Rainbow Bridge, Rainbow Bridge National Monument, Utah - 275 ft
4. Sipapu Natural Bridge, Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah - 268 ft
5. Aloba Arch, Ennedi Range, Chad - 250 ft
6. Wrather Arch Paria Canyon, Arizona - 246 ft
7. Morning Glory Natural Bridge, Moab, Utah - 243 ft
8. Stevens Arch, Escalante River, Utah - 220 ft
9. Kachina Natural Bridge, Natural Bridges National Monument, Utah - 204 ft
10. Snake Bridge, Sanostee, New Mexico - 204 ft

[Landscape Arch]

I think it is pretty cool that seven of the top Ten are in Utah!! If you haven't been to these National Parks or Monuments you are spending to much time on the Internet!!!
------------------

I saw this picture of a Secret Room.

I have been thinking about doing something similar to our stairs, not to make it a secret but to block noise from downstairs. I think these are cool little gadgets.
--------------------

Here are the games for week 6:
San Diego State @ BYU
TCU @ Utah
Weber State @ Sacramento State
#23 Missouri @ Texas Tech
#13 Tennessee @ #10 Georgia
#11 Oregon @ #16 California
#7 Texas @#14 Oklahoma
#9 LSU @ #5 Florida

If this posts after the Utah game you will have to be on your honor with that pick. Sorry about the late post this week.

Here are my picks.

----------

That's all for this week.

Typecast propaganda for 5000 years of pictures, games and lines.

2006-10-04T15:27:00.000-06:00

Things are starting to pick up at work. We are in holiday rush mode, which is hard right now but will be sweet just before the holidays. I am working on a CD PR Kit for one of our clients. It should be easy but will take time. I have to burn 70 CD's, label them and get them ready to send out by Friday.

I had a little time to surf today....
-----------------

I saw this article called 'Roles Actors Will Never Live Down'. I liked the list because for two reasons. First, I love most of these actors and the roles they played and even if I don't like them I have to admit that I will always associate them with that character. Second, the article links to YoutTube video of each of the characters in action.

Every actor -- and waiter in L.A. -- dreams of landing that one role that lives on forever. Well, these actors have done it, and we bet some of them wish they hadn't.

Jon Heder as Napoleon Dynamite

Michael Richards as Kramer
Leonard Nimoy as Spock
Dennis Haskins as Mr. Belding
Macaulay Culkin as Kevin from Home Alone
James Gandolfini as Tony Soprano
Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger
Elijah Wood as Frodo
Christopher Reeve as Superman
--------------------

Every one and a while the site worth1000.com has a photoshop contest where the entries are really worth seeing. Today I came across this contest called 'Fun with Propaganda 7'.

The Theme is Propaganda posters put to humorous use.

[Zombies!!!! sweet]

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

I saw this cool flash animation of all of '5000 years of history' of the Middle East on MapsOfWar.com.

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

Apparently there is a website of lists which is maintained by a guy who calls himself the 'Keeper of Lists'. Today the keeper shared the 'Top 393 Greatest Lines From Television'. hmmmm??

Here are the top ten from the list.

1. "Doh!" - Homer
2. "What'll we do tonight, Brain?"
3. Meep Meep
4. Oh my God--they killed Kenny!
5. He's dead, Jim!
6. "[Name] has entered....the Twilight Zone!"
7. Live...from New York...it's Saturday Night!!
8. WELL, isn't that Special!!
9. And now for something completely different....
10. Heeerrreee'sss Johnny
----------------

Blogging has benefited me in several ways one of which is that I now have a place to put those things I see on the web but previously could not find again. Another is that I have noticed the different things I look at on the web. It was not intentional that I started posting a string of images with my name in it, it just happened that way.

Today I present, my name in lightning.

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

I found another game where you build a contraption to move a ball from one place to another. Todays game is called 'the contraption' - how fitting.

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

Today I also found an image gallery of 'Spiral Pictures'.

I never realized how often the spiral appears in nature.
---------------------

Halloween is quickly approaching. I know you're already planning your costumes but what about your pumpkins? If you need any ideas you can check out the 'Pumpkin Way'.

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

I found another game that almost lives up to its name - 'A Maze-ing'.

There are mazes, this is A Maze, I'm just not sure it is A Maze-ING.
-----------------------

Here is a game with a Halloween theme called 'Haunted castle'.

I'm not sure what the goal of the game is.

But.....turn left here, in the next room move the left torch on the wall in front of you. Then walk into the room behind the wall. Open the casket and.........
---------------------

As you may know, during my freshman year in college I rushed a fraternity. One of my fellow pledges from class Alpha was Brad Wheeler. Brad is a great guy and someone I still consider a close friend. I don't want to bore you with all the details but after a while our paths parted but we have kept in touch in one way or another over the years. I remember one time Brad had told me about when he went to Burning Man. While he was there he had a far-out experience where he learned to play the harmonica. I didn't really know what to think of it but this guy has so much artistic talent he could make anything beautiful.

A few years later I saw Brad on the news. He was working at Brewskies down on 25th street and was commenting about the Olympics. A while later I saw Brad and he said he was giving away Harmonicas in the local schools and teaching the kids how to play them. A few years later my oldest son came home from school with a Harmonica and a story about Brad. A few days later there was a story in the paper about him giving out something like his 10,000th harmonica to a student in Ogden. I spoke to him after that and he told me he was playing in 'South by Southwest' or SXSW in a few weeks in his band 'The Legendary Porch Pounders'.

Brad has really made a name of himself just by being Brad.

I tell you all of this because my friend Brad is organizing a 'Harmonica Army'. Brad has given out so many harmonicas that he want all of the student and any other players to gather at Lindquist Field (where the Raptors play) in Ogden to set a World Record for the most harmonica players playing at the same time.

Here are the details

So I think we should all go. Brad made a little tutorial about how to play 'When the Saints go Marching In'. You have time to learn so you had better get to it!

[That is Brad's Voice]
-----------------------

That's all I have for today.

Monday again!!!

2006-10-02T10:32:00.000-06:00

Well I had a really great weekend. To start things off BYU beat TCU and UTAH lost to Boise State. Plus my daughters soccer team scored at will in their AYSO U-10 game. [It must be the coaching]. This weekend was general conference and I got to sleep in and attend church in my pajamas!!!!!!!

I had trouble posting again and I have lost some info I was going to post. Oh well, I didn't have much time to surf anyway....
----------

October 2 is the 275th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 90 days remaining.

In 1789, George Washington transmits the proposed Constitutional amendments (the "Bill of Rights") to the States for ratification.
In 1835. The first battle of the Texas Revolution took place as American settlers defeated a Mexican cavalry near the Guadalupe River.
In 1869, Mahatma Gandhi, Indian political leader and Father of the Nation, whose philosophy of nonviolence influenced movements around the world, was born.
In 1890, Comedian Groucho Marx was born in New York.
In 1944, Nazi troops crushed the two-month-old Warsaw Uprising, during which 250,000 people were killed.
In 1950, The comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz is first published in seven US newspapers.

In 1967, Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, becoming the first black to serve on the high court.
In 1985, Rock Hudson died at age 59 of AIDS.
In 1996, Mark Fuhrman was given three years' probation and fined $200 after pleading no contest to perjury for denying at O.J. Simpson's criminal trial that he had used a racial slur.
In 2002, James Martin, a 55-year-old program analyst, was shot and killed in a grocery store parking lot in Wheaton, Md., the first victim in a series of sniper attacks in the Washington, D.C. area, that left 10 dead.

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

I did well with my picks over the weekend.

Although I was only 6-2, I still had the best picks out of everyone. Three were 4-4 and three were 3-5. Dan is on top at 33-7 or 82.5% but I moved up two spots with 31-9 overall. Our previous leader, Justin, has dropped into a tie for second place at 31-9. Again, thanks to everyone who played.
--------------

I love this picture by David J. Nightingale, of Chromasia, called 'Heaven can wait'.

It looks more like a painting than a photograph.
--------------------

I liked this article about 'The top 10 ugliest, most embarrassing fashion trends of the past 25 years'.

Here they are:
10) Shoulder Pads
9) Hats that don't fit/bandanna under the hat
8) Leg Warmers
7) Shirts with stupid sayings on them
6) Zubaz
5) Half Shirts / half sweaters / half jackets
4) Parachute Pants
3) Spandex bodysuits
2) Baggy Pants/clothes that are falling off
1) Grills

I have to admit I am related to people who have worn most of these 'fashion trends'!!!
----------------

I was checking out a site with 'U.S. Historical City Maps' when I came across this one of Ogden in 1917.

These were in the days before my home was built and before The Trotter's could follow this map to their home in Huntsville. My home was built in 1939 about where the Southern point of the compass lays on this map.
--------------------

That's all for today.

Don't just stand there!!

2006-09-29T15:01:00.000-06:00

This is blog #70 and I have never had more problems posting than on Friday. I ended up posting four versions of Thursdays blog. I have been duel blogging for some time on Blogger. but it the problems keep happening here I am going to end the myspace frustrations. Sadly there are some features I like about myspace that 'real' bloggers don't use or I would have already jumped.

Last night the Cougars pounced on the TCU horned frogs. It was a happy evening. I picked the cougars to win but my inner Homer was a little shocked that they actually did. Now I hope that Boise State has a great game!!!! Then my weekend will really be great.

There were calm seas today but I can see clouds off on the horizon, surfs up...
---------------

I have come across this picture twice this week it is called 'Adventurous visions'. I like the sliding effect of the design, but the Dr. Who reference add to the coolness factor.

Few New Yorkers will be familiar with the TARDIS, the time traveling vehicle that whisks the time lord Doctor Who through the centuries to save civilization from evil aliens. Yet TARDIS is the inspiration for an extraordinary new building on Spring Street in SoHo. The inside of the new Thomas Heatherwick designed Longchamps store, Spring Street, New York.
-------------------

As a follow up to the post last week about the '100 BEST Horror Movies' I would like to post the '10 Most Haunting Movie Moments for Halloween'. I'm not sure what this blog is but this article was fun to read.

Here is the list:

1. The Ring: Samara crawls out of the television
2. Hannibal: Hannibal Lecter dines on Ray Liotta's brain
3. The Exorcist: Regan's upside-down spider walk down the stairs
4. Blair Witch Project: The final chase through the abandoned house
5. Alien: The birth of the alien baby out of John Hurt's chest
6. The Exorcist: Regan's head spinning around backwards
7. A Nightmare on Elm Street: An invisible Freddy Krueger drags his victim across the ceiling
8. Poltergeist: Carol Anne announces "They're here!" in front of a static TV
9. The Shining: Danny encounters the murdered twins
10. Seven: The "Sloth" corpse rises up

Participants in a Halloween survey by Blockbuster said that the scene in the film The Ring in which the dead Samara crawls out of the television haunts them more than any other, although scenes from Hannibal, The Exorcist and The Blair Witch Project come close behind.

Close to 60 percent of those surveyed reported being unable to get a scary image out of their mind after watching a horror film. It's easy to see why, with a feast of frightening films to see that include Hannibal Lecter dining on Ray Liotta's brains while he's still alive in Hannibal.

My only solace with this article is that the people who took the surveys were mainly teenagers and young adults. This has to be why the movie titles are newer. I have seen the scene from 'The Ring' in the ads and I admit it is spine chilling, but does it compare to seeing Norman Bates' Mother through the shower curtain or at the top of the stairs? [If you don't know what I'm talking about you probably answered the Blockbuster survey!]
-----------------------

Check out this great image called 'When the night Falls on the City'.

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

Do you care?

Clever but does it mean what it says? [don't get it? Send me a message and I'll let you in on it]
------------------

Here is a little time waster called 'Time Capsule'.

Just put in the desired year and push the activate button and you will learn things. For instance, in 1971 the price of a gallon of gas was $.36. Also, In 1971 Billboard's top song was 'Joy to the World' by 'Three Dog Night'.
---------------------

I found a site called 'Image Chef'.

Click above and you can find many different pictures that allow you to enter text into them.
----------------------

Can you find Bill Gates in this picture?

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

Mystery Me by Gary Shrimpling from Durham in the North East of England, is a great photoblog.

He has a great eye for taking the ordinary and capturing it in a way that makes you stop and look.

These are great kites!!!

He even has some boats too!!
-------------------

I found a great Halloween themed game called 'De-Animator'.

You are this little weird guy with a gun who can't leave the graveyard.

Too bad he didn't leave the graveyard!
-------------------

That's it for today.

Weird house rover lost liquid games

2006-09-28T15:11:00.000-06:00

I finally sang in the open house in Salt Lake last night. things went fairly smoothly. The church was their filming and it should be broadcast on kbyu.

Work today is busy again, I didn't really have time to surf....
---------
I had to post a link to this article, 'One Serious House Boat Across Tampa Bay', when I saw the picture that went with it.

The house is reported to be approximately 7,000 square feet and weighs an estimated 220 tons. [I like the rainbow]
-----------------

I have another update from a previous post. 'NASA Mars Rover Arrives at Dramatic Vista on Red Planet'.

[victoria crater]

The mars rover has reached Victoria Crater.
----------------------

I can think of two people who would really appreciate this next list. The first is my friend Murray O'Dell, who introduced me to the world of Dr. Demento and Weird Al. The second, is my nephew Ian. This is more of a hunch than a known fact but the way Ian's mind works I really think Weird Al is something he would like.

So here is the 'Top 10 Weird Al Videos'.

10. Gump - Parodies: The Presidents of the United States of America - Lump
9. The Saga Begins - Parodies: Don McLean - American Pie
8. Smells Like Nirvana - Parodies: Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit
7. Money For Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies - Parodies: Dire Straits - Money For Nothing
6. I Lost On Jeopardy - Parodies: Greg Kihn - Jeopardy
5. Fat - Parodies: Michael Jackson - Bad
4. Like A Surgeon - Parodies: Madonna - Like A Virgin
3. Amish Paradise - Parodies: Coolio - Gangsta's Paradise
2. White and Nerdy - Parodies: Chamillionaire - Ridin'
1. Eat It - Parodies: Michael Jackson - Beat It

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

I found a great web gallery by Martin Waugh called 'Liquid Sculpture'.

There are several pages of stop action pictures.

This collections offers a lot in different shapes and colors.

I have these kinds of photo's before but this gallery contains many unique and inventive ideas. [this is my favorite]

splat!!!!
------------------------

I have blogged before about the TV show 'LOST'. My wife and I rented the second season at 'Red Box' and are ready for Season three which starts Wednesday.

Today I found the 'Lost: The Ultimate Viewer's Guide'. The best part of the article is the six degrees angle. Every character seems to have met another character before they crashed on the Island. In reading the six degrees I learned about connections that were not obvious in the plots.

Season three promises to be great. If you are not watching this show you are missing out. So go get LOST!!
-----------------------

I was visiting some of my friend's myspace profiles and saw this game on one of them. Presenting 'The Black Night'

I ended up playing it longer than I had intended. I would give it three stars.

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

If that didn't give you a wow factor check out this retro Pac-Man game I found offered with 'The Black Night'.

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

Later

quick week

2006-09-27T15:35:00.000-06:00

This week has been crazy. If you don't know, while in the disguise of my secret identity, I am a mild mannered web designer. While I am not surfing the web to find goodies to share on this blog, I add to the millions of web sites in the ever increasing Internet. This week I have been putting together a site for a national conference on tourism. ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!. The director acts like she know so much about creating web pages I can't believe she wastes money on me messing everything up. I should just plan on doing everything for her sites twice, because it ends up that way anyway.

Sorry to vent. She is out of town and away from her aol account so while I am waiting for more changes I surfed a little...
-----------------

Last week I was the true prognosticator!!! My college picks were 8-0. That's right baby, I pick them all!!

I should quit now, it all has to be down hill from here.

Speaking of which, here are the games for week 5:
BYU @ #17 TCU
#22 Boise State @ Utah
Colorado State @ Fresno State
Texas Tech @ Texas A&M
Purdue @#12 Notre Dame
#14 Oregon @ Arizona State
#24 Georgia Tech @#11 Virginia Tech
#1 Ohio State @ #13 Iowa

Here are my picks!

I hope this week I'm not another Homer!
----------------

I saw some pics on the Internet today of the new Harry Potter Movie, 'Order of the Phoenix'.

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

If you haven't seen the skit on the tonight show called 'Free photo booth' you are missing some of the best from Jay Leno.

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

Check out this great picture called the 'True Colors of Strasbourg'.

The above link is also to a site that hosts many different desktop wallpapers.
------------------

It Strasbourg isn't cool enough for you try 'Mouse Colon'.

This Award winning picture was taken by Dr. Paul L. Appleton, Division of Cell and Developmental Biology, University of Dundee, Dundee, UK. It really is a Mouse Colon.
-------------

I have to admit I spent some time playing 'Line Rider'

In this game you draw a line that a little guy then rides a sled down. To bumpy and he falls to his death. To flat and you spend time watching the guy just sit there.

There are videos on YouTube of the guy doing loop-de-loos. In mine he skids to safety on the front runners with his nose on the ground. At one point he rolls upside down but does not crash. You can create jumps, gaps, and uphill rolls. I like this game.
-------------

That's all for today.

Mathias is a dull boy [Go BYU]

2006-09-01T11:55:00.000-06:00

Sometime when I wake up it's like I was never asleep. A blink of an eye and nothing to show for it. I wonder if I have a hidden trigger for this kind of sleep.

Hmmm....

Is the universe and endless expanse of nothingness with a few globs of dirt and gas in it? Is it possible that if you travel far enough in one direction that you will end up right where you started? That's kind of like life isn't it. No matter how far you go in life you are still destined to end up in the same place. Maybe space is a metaphor of life. Once we figure out life the keys to the universe will be given to us. Or is it that once we figure out space the keys to life will be given us?

Is this why there is a debate between science and religion? Do you think they realize they are both seeking the same thing. If it is possible to travel in one direction and end up where you began then it is also possible to travel in the opposite direction and begin when you ended. Does this mean that we are all traveling to a place we have already been or are we all in the place we are traveling to?

What was lost now is found

2006-08-31T15:03:00.000-06:00

No picks, no blog.

No picks and no blog makes Mat a very dull boy.
-----------------

I'm a homer when it comes to BYU football.

Last night, we went up the canyon to watch my oldest son play a soccer game and then received his Tenderfoot and Second Class. This was a proud moment for me. I also presented an Eagle to one of my scouts. He earned it over two years ago but has finally decided to receive it before he turns his papers in. He gave me the mentor pin that came with his award. I am really touched he did this. It really means a lot to me. I have had many rewarding experiences with all of those guys, it's hard to see them turn the page in their lives and leave me behind.

I surfed a little today....
----------------

I read an article in SI about the '10 Most Feared NFL Players'

10. Rodney Harrison - Strong Safety, Patriots
9. Jason Short - Special Teams Gunner, Eagles
8. Lorenzo Neal - Fullback, Chargers
7. Keith Brooking - Middle Linebacker, Falcons
6. Roy Williams - Strong Safety, Cowboys
5. Anquan Boldin - Receiver, Cardinals
4. Keith Bulluck - Outside Linebacker, Titans
3. Ray Lewis - Middle Linebacker, Ravens
2. Olin Kreutz - Center, Bears
1. Joey Porter - Outside Linebacker, Steelers

I am really out of the loop with the NFL. I only recognize one of these players. I really picked this article because I loved the picture of Joey Porter.
---------------

Stolen Munch paintings found safe

'The Scream' and another stolen masterpiece by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch were recovered by police on Thursday, two years after gunmen seized the paintings from an Oslo museum.

They make movies about this kind of stuff.
-----------------

Check out this cool drawing of a 'Never Ending Zoom'

It's a little hard to read but in the text on the picture toward the bottom it says 'click here to start'. Once it is loaded just hold down your mouse and move up or down to see it zoom in or out.

This reminds me of dreams I have when I am sick.
----------------

I'm sure you have seen these chalk art paintings by Julian Beever. If you haven't you don't get around on the web very often.

Julian Beever has made pavement drawings for over ten years.

His unique use of perspective allows his drawing to appear three dimensional.

These works of art can only be view properly from one direction.

woot, here is a cross-over. Street art and Comics.

Once the street sweepers come or the rain falls these picture are all that's left of his masterpieces.
----------------

There is a new show on NBC this fall that has caught my eye.

I wonder how long it will last.
---------------

The Tucson paper ran an article today named 'UA Football: Beck in rarified air'

The article basically says Beck has big shoes to fill. [Doh!]

To sum up

BYU CAREER PASSING
1. Ty Detmer (1988-91) 15,031
2. Jim McMahon (1978-81) 9,536
3. Robbie Bosco (1983-85) 8,400
4. John Walsh (1991-94) 8,390
5. Kevin Feterik (1996-99) 8,065
6. Steve Young (1981-83) 7,733
7. Marc Wilson (1977-79) 7,637
8. Steve Sarkisian (1995-96) 7,464
9. John Beck ('03-present) 7,136
10. Gifford Nielsen (1975-77) 5,833

Following legends
BYU quarterback John Beck heads into the season as the No. 9 total offense and passing yards leader in school history:

Year GM Att-Comp Int Pct. Yds TD
2003 8 145-73 5 50.3 864 5
2004 11 343-192 8 56.0 2,563 15
2005 12 513-331 13 65.5 3,709 27
Total 31 1,001-596 26 59.5 7,136 47
-------------

Last thing, before you make your picks of the week, you had better help the
'world defense'

I beat the game but my screen capture didn't survive.
-----------------

Tired Already?

2006-08-30T15:22:00.000-06:00

This marks my 52nd blog. I didn't make a hoopla with #50 because it was less than stellar, but this my friends is at least up to par.

I want your Football picks. I may withhold blogs if I don't get picks.

Every bodies surf'n...
----------------

I revisited a horror story from my youth today. No not disco shirts and cord jeans. It was the original nightmare before christmas. None other than 'The Star Wars Christmas Special'

part 1 - grunt-o-rama

part 2 - Close the bar and end the show PLEASE!!!!

last part - Boba goodness?

As an afterthought, this show was an hour long. These clips do not show the entire show. Mommy please make it stop
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ESPN has released 'The Bottom 10'. This list is the best of the bad teams in college football for 2006.

1. Temple
2. Buffalo
3. New Mexico State
4. Kent State
5. Syracuse
6. Rice
7. F_U - Florida Atlantic and Florida International
8. Eastern Michigan
9. Idaho
10. Louisiana-Monroe
[no UNLV]
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Spin Magazine has a list of the '25 Greatest Live Bands Now'. Heres the top 10:

10. The Dirtbombs
9. Prince
8. The Hives
7. Green Day
6. White Stripes
5. Radiohead
4. Red Hot Chili Peppers
3. Arcade Fire
2. The Stooges
1. U2

[I have only ever seen one of these bands in concert. Can you guess who? When?]
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I read a list put out by Maxim magazine of '30 Things You Can Do With a Dollar'. [I do not endorse that you do all 30]

1. Use it as a fancy tablecloth in your dollhouse living room.
2. Buy .3 gallons of gas.
3. Buy REO Speedwagon's The Hits at your local 7-Eleven.
4. Buy a newspaper. Make a hat out of the newspaper.
6. Get 30 seconds of high-resolution "full-contact" Web chat time.
7. Put it all on red.
8. Get an all-day parking pass in downtown Steubenville, Ohio.
9. Buy a new doorbell button.
10. Trade it on eBay for a different dollar.
11. Buy enough yarn to knit your hamster a beach towel.
12. Get a small bag of fortune cookies. Then brag to your friends that you have a small (bag of) fortune (cookies).
13. Make a lightweight two-inch telescope (1X powered).
14. Buy enough breadcrumbs to go for a walk in the forest and not get lost.
15. Get 100 pennies, go to a fountain, and make 100 wishes for more money.
18. Make a three-second phone call from a hotel room.
19. Pay off all your debts in Mexico.
20. Make some origami. Sell it for more than a dollar to some retard who likes origami.
22. Buy a dozen used roses.
23. Fly a tiny kite.
24. Use it as homemade Q-tip.
26. Level a wobbly table.
27. Save an Africans life.
28. Get a black or white photo, from a picture booth.
29. Buy 20 empty aluminum cans.
30. Leave four messages on your answering machine from a pay phone.

The value of a dollar has really dropped. I remember when I was a kid I could buy a whole gallon of gas for a dollar......up hill both ways....kids today...
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Do you remember Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu? Okay then you must have been to Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.

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Do you have one of 'America's most dangerous jobs'?

1     Fishers and fishing workers
2     Logging workers
3     Aircraft pilots
4     Structural iron and steel workers
5     Refuse and recyclable material collectors
6     Farmers and ranchers
7     Electrical power line installers/repairers
8     Driver/sales workers and truck drivers
9     Miscelleneous agricultural workers
10    Construction laborers

My brother does.

For some reason this reminds me of that song, 'Momma's don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys'.

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

Check out this cool 'Official Seal Generator'.

[naw]

[better]

[best]
------------------

I also visited the Neave Planetarium to see what the star-lit night will be like on my wife's birthday.

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Have you ever wanted to create your own police sketch? What about a sketch of some ugly dude?

Realistic face sketch does all that and not much more.
--------------

Today I read that the Marvel Comics US stamps character selection have been named.

The ten characters that will be featured are:

- Spider-Man
- The Incredible Hulk
- Sub-Mariner
- The Thing
- Captain America
- Silver Surfer
- Spider-Woman
- Iron Man
- Elektra
- Wolverine

[sweeeeeeeeeeeet]
-------------------

Check out this photoset from Scott Stulberg Photography.

[Thor's hammer - Bryce canyon, Utah]

[cougar-riffic]
-------------

Maybe I'm numb

2006-08-29T14:30:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was another bad day for surfing. Maybe I'm in a funk. I blogged on my BSA blog but I didn't really find much for this one.

The silence is deafening.

Surf this....

What do the following people have in common?
Virgil Carter
Marc Lyons
Bill August
Gary Sheide
Marc Wilson
Jim McMahon
Steve Young
Robbie Bosco
Steve Lindsley
Bob Jensen
Ty Detmer
Steve Sarkisian
Kevin Feterik
Brandon Doman
John Beck

You may think your right, but not quite.
----------------

I like this picture of the Reflecting pond and the Washington Monument.

I did hesitate because I know I would hear my wife, sister and mother all say "I've been there before"
----------------

I waded through this list of 'The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s' and all I can say is really?

10. Desmond Dekker & The Aces: "Israelites"
9. The Who: "I Can't Explain"
8. Johnny Cash: "Folsom Prison Blues (Live at Folsom Prison)"
7. The Beach Boys: "Wouldn't It Be Nice"
6. The Ronettes: "Be My Baby"
5. The Beatles: "A Day in the Life"
4. Bob Dylan: "Like a Rolling Stone"
3. Sam Cooke: "A Change Is Gonna Come"
2. The Jackson 5: "I Want You Back"
1. The Beach Boys: "God Only Knows"

Wow, those brit's don't know !@#$ [anything]
-------------------

When I saw this all I could think is 'Mose should see this'.

I present to all of you the 'Top 20 strangest guitars'

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

Maybe I'm too picky, but that's all for today.