YaPeBe

Last Post Here

2006-05-15T23:07:00.000-05:00

The previous post was a bit lengthy so here's a (really) final post for this site:

Reset your bookmarks for http://www.gowinfamily.net.

Do it today. Tell your friends. This is it. Really.

This Site Does Not Have a Future

2006-04-30T21:54:00.000-05:00

I said changes were coming and I meant it (Luzio). Yapebe will be terminated.

I've jumped into blogging with both feet and have decided to separate my personal and professional blogging interests. I've been buying domains, setting up sites--you know: doing all that stuff to get into the late 90's just prior to the dot com bust. At the moment, then, here's what's happening:

Personal and family matters are being handled on the new Gowin Family Blog. My wife and my brother and his fiancee will (may) also post there. Updates on most anything related to my life can be found here. In a sense, this site replaces Yapebe minus the technology and business content. To that effect:
A professional blog on customer service resides at 5customers.com.
I've got another pro blog planned to address parenting and child-raising issues.
Another secret pro blog is already in progress. That site will likely go public within a few weeks.
And I'll probably do a blog related to my academic work and interests.

Does this sound excessive? My apologies to the four people who visit this site regularly--I've now complicated your lives by giving you more sites to sift through. That is, of course, if you plan to continue following my life and interests. Sorry. All of the sites have or will have RSS feeds, so just add them to your favorite reader. I use and recommend Bloglines.

So that's the story. I'll probably leave this site up for a time but don't expect to add any new posts. Thanks for making Yapebe what it's become in the last two-and-a-half years. I'm going to get a little weepy now.

Changes On the Way

2006-04-27T11:55:00.000-05:00

Check out what is likely to become one of the most frequently visited sites on the Inkernet. It's not much to look at--yet. But just wait, my friends.

Dylan in Des Moines

2006-04-22T16:26:00.000-05:00

I saw Bob Dylan in concert last night.

One of my colleagues, Bob Lowery (a self-confessed Dylan addict), had tickets for Friday's show in Des Moines, IA and invited me to join him. Bob has seen Bob perform "over a hundred times;" this was my first Dylan show. We sat within 10 feet of the stage--not bad for your first Dylan concert.

I know the Dylan material that everybody knows ("Like a Rolling Stone," "Rainy Day Women," "Mr. Tambourine Man," "All Along the Watchtower," "Positively 4th Street," etc.). I also own Oh Mercy, which I was exposed to in college. The rest of the catalog--which is vast--is largely unknown to me. That's not to say that I don't appreciate the guy: after all, this is an American icon we're talking about. I've played "Like a Rolling Stone" a time or two in a coffee house, I just haven't followed his career with the same interest as others.

So what was my first experience with Mr. Dylan like?

Merle Haggard opened. I appreciate honky tonk and the Bakersfield sound as much as anybody. At 70 years of age, Mr. Haggard's voice is silky smooth and he runs the show with veteran authority.
This will make me sound old, but Bob's band was stinkin' l-o-u-d. Granted, we were in the front but I think a couple of my fillings rattled loose.
Bob's band was also stinkin' good. Excellent musicianship all the way around. It was a treat to watch the guys--they rarely took their eyes off the band leader, following his lead and anticipating his cues.
Bob likes to play with the arrangements and the vocals. Bob (Lowery) advised me of this beforehand, and even though I recognized about a third of the songs that were played, I didn't recognize them as the arrangements I grew up hearing.
Bob doesn't interact with the audience with the exception of an occasional "thank you." Bob (Lowery) indicated that Bob (Dylan) is both shy and he doesn't feel the audience has come to hear him tell jokes.
He looks old and tired. Again, this was my only personal encounter with the man--and maybe he was tired. Heck, doing a show in a different town every night is hard work. And he's nearly 65. How much longer can he keep this up? Don't know, but I'm glad I got to see him.
The audience loved the show.
The round trip took us nine hours from Lincoln. Bob (Lowery) and I had some great conversation to and fro.

My recommendation: if you get a chance, see a Dylan show. And, if possible, see it with Bob Lowery.

Oklahoma! Photos

2006-04-03T21:17:00.000-05:00

Speaking of photos, shots from LCC's production of Oklahoma! are now in my SmugMug site. In the shot above, you'll see Suzanne on the far left.

Ten Years Celebrated

2006-04-03T21:10:00.000-05:00

We got some time to ourselves this past weekend and spent Friday night at the Timbercreek Bed & Breakfast in Paxton, IL. Very nice place, quiet, friendly--recommended. Saturday afternoon we bummed around Chambana, buying Suzanne clothes and looking for a case for the iPod Nano (in black) that Suz gave me as a gift. Couldn't find one I liked so I ordered one later in the weekend.

We took a few pictures and Suzanne obliged while I shot. Check 'em out.

Ten Years of Wedded Bliss

2006-03-29T10:29:00.000-06:00

Today I and the bride of my youth celebrate our tin, aluminum, or diamond anniversary--depending on how you keep score.

Send Suzanne your condolences at sgowin @ gmail dot com.

The Times They Are A' Changing

2006-03-27T12:01:00.000-06:00

Soon...

Photos For Sale

2006-03-26T10:00:00.000-06:00

I've recently joined iStockphoto, a "micro stock" photography service. Photographers and graphic artists upload images that designers can then download for use in their publications and web site designs. For designers, this is an inexpensive way to add stock images to their compositions; for photographers, it's a nice way to earn a few bucks. You can access my iStock portfolio by clicking the ugly orange logo, also preserved for posterity in the sidebar at right.

Facebook Pits Students Against Administrators

2006-03-25T07:59:00.000-06:00

Students at the University of Dayton are trying to keep school administrators from using evidence disclosed in Facebook to identify and punish students for illicit behavior.

The resolution says the aim is to “Prohibit the use of facebook.com pictures, messages, associations, profiles and opinions as singular evidence in cases of misconduct by an individual student or group of students.”

Students around the country often use Facebook to post pictures and messages relating to a variety of extracurricular activities including underage drinking parties.

The logic behind the students' concerns appears to be this:

We want the freedom to engage in illegal activities
We want the freedom to publicize information regarding those activities
We don't want to get in trouble for 1 and 2

Makes perfect sense.

OK: Overheard

2006-03-23T22:37:00.000-06:00

Tonight Suzanne had her stage debut: Oklahoma! runs tonight, tomorrow, and Saturday. On my way out the door from lunch today, I asked what time I needed to be home so Suz could get to the college on time. The following exchange then took place:

S: (looking surprised) Oh! My stomach just turned.
M: You know what I do when I feel like that?
S: What?
M: Throw up.

Are. We. Famous?

2006-03-16T20:12:00.002-06:00

You be the judge:

Pod People: Podcasters make social connections with their Internet programming

On the Internet tonight; appearing on news stands throughout central IL tomorrow.

2010: Apple Sells Only Software(?)

2006-03-15T23:37:00.000-06:00

Five reasons why there will be no new Macs in 2010:

Vista adopts all the niceties of OS X and is secure
No more cool cat names
Can't justify better performance with Intel inside (vs. PowerPC)
iPod is a cash cow--makes more money than selling Macs
More money to be made by selling OS X and other Apple applications to 90% of the world instead of 3%

What say ye?

Happy Pi Day

2006-03-14T12:06:00.000-06:00

O, let the celebration begin!

March 14 = Pi Day

Sharks! With Laser Beams Attached to their Heads!

2006-03-02T12:11:00.000-06:00

You can't make this up.

Engineers funded by the US military have created a neural implant designed to enable a shark's brain signals to be manipulated remotely, controlling the animal's movements, and perhaps even decoding what it is feeling...

More controversially, the Pentagon hopes to exploit sharks' natural ability to glide quietly through the water, sense delicate electrical gradients and follow chemical trails. By remotely guiding the sharks' movements, they hope to transform the animals into stealth spies, perhaps capable of following vessels without being spotted.

Yeah, baby, yeah!

Happy (Belated) Birthdays

2006-03-02T09:56:00.000-06:00

Well, better late than never.

Feb 24: Happy birthday, Pop. Hope it was everything you wanted and better than Suzanne's (see below).

Feb 25: We made plans to have a quiet Saturday together then do some steaks on the grill for dinner. At 11:30 PM on Friday, however, a friend called. His wife was out of town and two of his three kids were sick. All three were awake and crying--could Suzanne come over to help get them settled down? She did and returned about 2:00 AM.

I made the kids breakfast (yummy waffles) so Suz could sleep in. After breakfast, Maura threw up all over the kitchen floor. Twice. About ten minutes later, Liam got sick. Note that there was no connection between my cooking and the kids being sick: they'd played at a friend's house earlier in the week and were probably exposed there.

Within a few hours, I wasn't feeling well. As we started to get dinner ready at 4:00 PM, I couldn't take any more and had to lie down. Fortunately my mom was here to help. After a few hours I felt marginally better but had missed dinner entirely.

By 10:30, it was time for bed. How did Suzanne's birthday end? You guessed it: she got sick.

Happy Birthday Suz!

Why 7.1 is Overkill

2006-02-27T10:07:00.000-06:00

Read this piece courtesy of Digg and thought, "Geez, I only have the two tiny speakers on my TV blasting away when I watch a movie. I'm so far behind I don't have my TV audio running through an amp and stereo speakers with a subwoofer much less 5.1 or 7.1." But then I realized, "Oh--I just don't care about TV enough."

So now I feel better.

The Best Apps on the Web

2006-02-22T10:19:00.000-06:00

More cool stuff comes out on the Web all the time. Here's a list of what ZDNet writer Richard MacManus considers the "best of breed" at the moment. Among them, Gmail, Basecamp, and Goowy.

New Bloggers (Sort Of)

2006-02-21T09:36:00.000-06:00

So Brian's not gone after all. Whew!

Anybody Wanna Buy an iPod?

2006-02-21T09:28:00.000-06:00

I'm selling one. Of course, you won't be able to load any music on it (just kidding, but read the post from yesterday).

RIAA: Ripping CDs is NOT Fair Use

2006-02-20T10:44:00.000-06:00

So if you own a CD (maybe one that you bought at Tower Records, B&N, Amazon or wherever) the RIAA appears to be saying that you can't rip it onto your computer and upload the music onto your MP3 player. If this is true, it's going to get really messy.

Cool Free Stuff (Part 4)

2006-02-07T08:10:00.000-06:00

Free e-mail accounts abound. The primary players are MSN Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail, and Google's Gmail. Google made a splash when their service debuted by offering users 1 GB of storage when Hotmail and Yahoo offered only a few megabytes. If you don't like to delete stuff, Gmail is the way to go. Gmail's interface is a little clumsy but, overall, I like the service.

Yesterday, Google announced that it would integrate instant messaging (what it calls Google Chat) into Gmail. And, with Google Talk, you can enjoy voice conversations with other Gmail users via the Internet--for free. I haven't had a chance to use this service yet but let me know if you'd like to give it a go--I've got my Google Talk client running.

Google Gmail

Bono Appears at National Prayer Breakfast

2006-02-03T23:05:00.000-06:00

Bono & President Bush both spoke at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington yesterday.

Text of Bono's remarks here.

Video of both here.

Commentary here.

Groundhog Day

2006-02-02T09:09:00.000-06:00

Remember: Don't drive angry.

How to Save(?) The Record Industry

2006-02-01T14:59:00.000-06:00

CD sales are down--everyone knows that. So what could an enterprising old media company do to boost sales? How 'bout create a TV show that seeks to profile up and coming new talent and promote the artists before they release new albums? Well, there's a show that does that--and it's not called American Idol.

It's called Love Monkey. (You may know it as Ed and the City.)

Turns out CBS's "Love Monkey" is produced by Sony Television, corporate sibling to Columbia Records. Every week, the dramedy has Tom, a record-label A&R exec, hunting for fresh talent...Columbia's fresh talent, that is. Teddy Geiger ("Wayne" on the show) -- a 17-year-old who just signed with Columbia -- is the first artist to be "discovered" on the show. The past few weeks have given the genuinely talented Geiger glossy airtime to intoxicate viewers with his voice, which will lead up to his album debut in February.

CharcoCaps = Laugh Out Loud Funny

2006-01-31T08:57:00.000-06:00

DISCLAIMER: This post will discuss physical ailments that some viewers may find embarrassing. Read at your own risk.

Last Thursday I picked up some kind of stomach illness. It's been inconvenient and uncomfortable. I've been bloated, gassy, and have been unable to eat foods I like. Initially, I figured it would pass (so to speak) after a day or two. It hasn't.

So last night I was on WebMD looking for relief. I learned a lot about what causes gas and other gastrointestinal distress. I learned that there are foods to avoid: fruits, vegetables, dairy products, carbs--essentially the entire Food Pyramid. I learned that there are some potentially serious conditions that have these symptoms, but I don't think I'm in those dark waters yet. And I learned about some home remedies: simethicone, lactase, and activated charcoal.

Activated charcoal evidently helps relieve gas pressure in the colon. Since I was experiencing some of this, I'm thinking, "Cool. Where can I get activated charcoal?" It turns out there's a product called CharcoCaps for just this purpose. So I Googled "CharcoCaps" and this result was the second one listed:

CharcoCaps Cure Smelly Farts

I chuckled and clicked the link. Then, as I read the copy, I laughed. Out loud. A lot. Check it out.

And This Is News, Too

2006-01-27T11:26:00.000-06:00

The Jan/Feb 2006 issue of Business 2.0 arrived at my office yesterday, featuring the "2006 Smart List" (lots of people and companies doing the right things) as well as the "6th Annual 101 Dumbest Moments" (lots of people and companies doing the wrong things). As I read through the list, what shows up at #53?

Worst Music You've Ever Heard, or WHYME, is a podcast run by Blue Dog Banter friends Seth and Jessica out in Philadelphia. So while they've now been associated with some of the dumbest moments in business for 2005, at least they get some national exposure out of it. And bad PR is still PR. Congrats, Seth and Jessica!

Read the whole list of 101 dumb things here.

Flickr Photo O' The Day

2006-01-24T08:50:00.000-06:00

the lies we tell..
Originally uploaded by _rebekka.

This flickr user, _rebekka, posts some really nice shots. This one is super creepy--unusual for her but well done nonetheless.

If You Think About It...

2006-01-23T15:00:00.000-06:00

In a sad, strange way, this makes perfect sense. But who's going to watch the kids while their mom's in jail?

Mom Leaves Kids Home Alone To Attend Jerry Springer Taping

Sign of the Times

2006-01-23T09:41:00.000-06:00

New Blog Link

2006-01-23T09:24:00.000-06:00

I've added a new blog link on the right side of your window, GetReligion. Sadly, I was unaware of this excellent site until just recently when Just Pete pointed it out to me. It features incisive analysis of the ways in which religion and related issues are covered in the main stream media (MSM) and how most newsrooms just don't "get" religion: GetReligion; get it?

Check it out.

Now THIS Is News!

2006-01-20T23:04:00.000-06:00

Way back over a month ago, I mentioned that I submitted a photo to get one of those free Senseo coffee makers. I promptly received a confirmation that my photo had been received but never heard anything else. I visited the promotion site a week later only to find that they'd given away all 5,000 machines, so I hadn't even thought about it since then.

Until today.

Guess what shows up on my doorstep this afternoon?

Guess who's having a tasty cup of Senseo in the morning?

(I'll give you a hint: me.)

Why Is This Even News?

2006-01-20T13:48:00.000-06:00

First, Mircrosoft changed the name of "Longhorn," the successor to Windows XP, to "Vista." Today, CNET reports that the successor to Vista (which is supposed to ship by the end of 2006) has been renamed from "Blackcomb" to "Vienna." No doubt the Macophiles will poke fun at Microsoft for promoting the next generation of vaporware but that misses the point. This isn't about Microsoft, it's about the media: CNET's story offers nothing newsworthy. Who cares?

Cool Free Stuff (Part 3)

2006-01-19T15:31:00.000-06:00

Just for fun, I set up an account at the photo sharing site flickr. Although I already have an account at smugmug, what I like about flickr is that it's fun and easy. Adding tags to photos and joining and sending pictures to groups enhances the photo sharing experience. Smugmug has easier upload tools but flickr offers a better user experience. Sort of like the iTunes/iPod connection.

A free flickr account enables you to upload 20 MB of photos/month. At web sizes and resolutions, that could be as many as 200/month. Upgrading to a "pro" account costs only $25/year and allows 2 GB/month plus other features. A pretty sweet deal.

Spring Semester Starts ...Now

2006-01-12T15:56:00.000-06:00

Yikes--how did this happen?

Just yesterday (it seems) I was grading final papers and exams, taking a final exam, submitting grades, etc. And now this.

I thought this semester would be lighter than the fall; now I'm not so sure. I'm teaching 10 hours, supervising six independent studies, taking two classes (one of which is online), and I feel like I'm behind the 8 ball on the first day. Crimoney.

Cool Free Stuff (Part 2)

2006-01-06T15:35:00.000-06:00

As Luzio has indicated, Protopage is an alternative to the My Google, My Yahoo!, etc. crowd. The very coolest thing about Protopage is that it allows you to create a customized start page in minutes. Back in the old days, you coded your own HTML, got some server space, and uploaded your files to the server via FTP. If you wanted to edit or add content, you made the changes locally and sent the files to the server again--a cumbersome process.

With Protopage, edits are stored in your browser cache. The service uses a "sticky note" metaphor. You can put darn near anything on a sticky note, add multiple notes to a page, and create multiple pages. Cool. Check it out.

Cool Free Stuff (Part 1)

2006-01-05T13:47:00.000-06:00

I've been using some neat free programs that I'll share with you in the next few posts. Today's may be one that you're already familiar with: My Google. Technically, it's called "personalized home" (in contrast with "classic home," the bare bones Google search page).

While Yahoo! and others allow you to set up a personalized home page, they end up cluttered and limited in the degree to which you can customize them. With Google's personalization, you can add pretty much whatever you want--including your own RSS feeds and your Gmail--and then drag the sections exactly where you want them on the screen. Pretty cool.

To get started, you'll need a Google account (which, of course, is free). If you're using Gmail, you've already got an account so you're halfway there already!

I've got my personal Google page set as my browser home page in Firefox, though I may be changing that soon. Stay tuned to see why in the next installment of Cool Free Stuff.

Worrying About the Wrong Things

2006-01-04T14:22:00.000-06:00

What will the world look like by the end of this century? Will natural and environmental disasters (global warming, deforestation, etc.) wipe out humanity?

Not likely, according to commentator Mark Steyn. In his article, "It's the Demography, Stupid," Steyn asserts that modern nations are preoccupied with things like government-supplied health care, child care, and elder care and less concerned with "national defense, family, faith and, most basic of all, reproductive activity." Steyn believes the cart is before the horse.

Given the declining birthrate in developed nations and the rising birthrate in less developed countries, the world will look a lot more, well, Muslim. European nations have the lowest birthrates in the world, lower than the 2.1 children per woman estimated "replacement" birthrate required to stabilize a country's population. Spain's population, for example, will be reduced by one-half with each successive generation. Somalia, Niger, Afghanistan, and Yemen all average nearly 7 births per woman. These countries all have Islam as a common denominator.

What are the implications? Europe will need a steady stream of immigrants to maintain its population base, and Muslims will step in to fill the gap. As of 2003, some 15-20 million Muslims were living in Western Europe. That number will only increase. At some point--perhaps in the next 20 years--Muslims may well constitute a majority of the population in some countries and Europe's cultural heritage will likely be subsumed in the process. The West as we know it may not exist for our grandchildren.

They Actually Said It (Part 3)

2006-01-03T15:10:00.000-06:00

One last category: Anything Goes. It would be difficult to categorize the following nominations, so they get lumped into this one. Just bear this in mind--I'm not making this stuff up.

Candidate 1
Before sin entered the lives of Adam and Eve, [God] walked among them in the Garden of Eden. They were all three good friends walking around whistling tunes and sun bathing. At least, that is how I picture their relationship before they were separated by our sin.

Candidate 2
One of my favorite songs is, "Holy Spirit Take Control." It goes, "Holy Spirit take control, fan the flames within my heart. Breath down deep within my spirit, strong fires burn." You keep repeating it. When that song is sang as worship to God, you fill the room become full of the Spirit of the Lord, and my heart gets full of the power of Christ Jesus.

Candidate 3
The word Christianly is such a brad religious term, but there are eight foundation beliefs of Christianly as a faith. The eight beliefs that will be disused are… [lists eight beliefs]. By understanding this eight beliefs one will get a better grasp of Christianly as a whole.

Place your bets, friends.

Self-Portrait in Oklahoma

2006-01-03T10:08:00.000-06:00

They Actually Said It (Part 2)

2005-12-21T21:22:00.000-06:00

As we continue on this journey of theological insight, today we explore the second category: Theological Obfuscation.

Candidate 1
The Jews did not make any statues of the Christ, because they were afraid of creating idolatries and blaspheming the holiness of Christ.

Candidate 2
Most non-Christians cannot see what the Holy Spirit is, because they can not grasp what it does. They just think it is some creepy force that mysteriously gives us Christians answers to life problems.

Pick your fave!

They Actually Said It (Part 1)

2005-12-19T14:05:00.000-06:00

I've just finished grading papers for a freshman theology course I teach. On this assignment, students were to summarize eight basic Christian doctrines in 8-10 pages. Some of the papers were very good, many were average, and some were, well, it'd just be easier to show you. So I present some of the "chef's choice" awards in all of their unedited glory. Today's category: Huh?

Nominees for the Huh? Award (that is, "I don't really know what you're saying."),

Candidate 1
Humans are sexual beings almost animalistic in respect with genetics and unpredictable behaviors.

Candidate 2
When Jesus dyed for our sin one does not have to sacrifice animals any longer. By doing this, everything was made right and had no guilt. Only by God wrath that it is possible for our sins to be set free.

Candidate 3
Humans base much of their lives around Life and Death, they see it as they go throughout their lives, and many will experience it first hand.

Cast your vote now. More nominations and categories yet to come!

Iraqis Vote

2005-12-16T08:51:00.000-06:00

An estimated two-thirds of Iraqis who registered to vote--some 10 million people--turned up at the polls yesterday. This despite the naysayers at home and abroad who've said democracy is impossible in the Middle East and that the war in Iraq is unwinnable.

On these lines, The WSJ has this to say:

Let's also hope this election mutes the Howard Deans, Jack Murthas and others who say the war is "unwinnable." The scope of yesterday's vote shows again that the insurgency lacks any broad base of support inside Iraq. If a new government is skillful in accommodating Sunni demands for representation and for sharing oil revenues, the terrorist room to operate will further shrink. There's a reason Abu Musab al-Zarqawi worried in a letter last year that "Democracy is coming, and there will be no excuse \[for violence\] thereafter."

Here's to democracy abroad.

Windows Tip

2005-12-16T08:29:00.000-06:00

I've been a Windows user for, gosh, a long time. Back to the 3.0 days. Although I know a good deal about getting around in Windows, every once in a while I stumble on something I didn't know. Like this:

You can lock your computer by holding the Windows key and pressing L (Windows+L).

I've always locked it by pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL and selecting Lock Computer from the Windows Security dialog box. This little shortcut should add minutes back to my life! Try it today!

Some Things Are Worth Fighting For

2005-12-15T12:49:00.000-06:00

Who would give up a career as a journalist at The Wall Street Journal to join the Marines at the age of 31? Matt Pottinger. From today's OpinionJournal.com.

Mightier Than the Pen
Why I gave up journalism to join the Marines.
By Matt Pottinger
When people ask why I recently left The Wall Street Journal to join the Marines, I usually have a short answer. It felt like the time had come to stop reporting events and get more directly involved. But that's not the whole answer, and how I got to this point wasn't a straight line.
It's a cliché that you appreciate your own country more when you live abroad, but it happens to be true. Living in China for the last seven years, I've seen that country take a giant leap from a struggling Third World country into a true world power. For many people it still comes as a surprise to learn that China is chasing Japan as the second-largest economy on the globe and could soon own a trillion dollars of American debt.
But living in China also shows you what a nondemocratic country can do to its citizens. I've seen protesters tackled and beaten by plainclothes police in Tiananmen Square, and I've been videotaped by government agents while I was talking to a source. I've been arrested and forced to flush my notes down a toilet to keep the police from getting them, and I've been punched in the face in a Beijing Starbucks by a government goon who was trying to keep me from investigating a Chinese company's sale of nuclear fuel to other countries.
When you live abroad long enough, you come to understand that governments that behave this way are not the exception, but the rule. They feel alien to us, but from the viewpoint of the world's population, we are the aliens, not them. That makes you think about protecting your country no matter who you are or what you're doing. What impresses you most, when you don't have them day to day, are the institutions that distinguish the U.S.: the separation of powers, a free press, the right to vote, and a culture that values civic duty and service, to name but a few.
I'm not an uncritical, rah-rah American. Living abroad has sharpened my view of what's wrong with my country, too. It's obvious that we need to reinvent ourselves in various ways, but we should also be allowed to do it from within, not according to someone else's dictates.
But why the Marines?
A year ago, I was at my sister's house using her husband's laptop when I came across a video of an American in Iraq being beheaded by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. The details are beyond description here; let's just say it was obscene. At first I admit I felt a touch of the terror they wanted me to feel, but then I felt the anger they didn't. We often talk about how our policies are radicalizing young men in the Middle East to become our enemies, but rarely do we talk about how their actions are radicalizing us. In a brief moment of revulsion, sitting there in that living room, I became their blowback.
Of course, a single emotional moment does not justify a career change, and that's not what happened to me. The next day I went to lunch at the Council on Foreign Relations where I happened to meet a Marine Corps colonel who'd just come back from Iraq. He gave me a no-nonsense assessment of what was happening there, but what got to me most was his description of how the Marines behaved and how they looked after each other in a hostile world. That struck me as a metaphor for how America should be in the world at large, and it also appealed to me on a personal level. At one point I said half-jokingly that, being 31 years old, it was a shame I was too old to serve. He sat back for a second and said, "I think I've still gotcha."
The next morning I found myself roaming around the belly of the USS Intrepid, a World War II aircraft carrier museum moored a few blocks from Times Square, looking for a Marine recruiting station and thinking I'd probably lost my marbles. The officer-selection officer wasn't impressed with my age, my Chinese language abilities or the fact that I worked for one of the great newspapers of the world. His only question was, "How's your endurance?"
Well, I can sit at my desk for 12 hours straight. Fourteen if I have a bag of Reese's.
He said if I wanted a shot at this I'd have to ace the physical fitness test, where a perfect score consisted of 20 pull-ups, 100 crunches in two minutes, and a three-mile run in 18 minutes. Essentially he was telling me to pack it in and go home. After assuring him I didn't have a criminal record or any tattoos, either of which would have required yet another waiver (my age already required the first), I took an application and went back to China.
Then came the Asian tsunami last December.
I was scrambled to Thailand, where thousands of people had died in the wave. After days in the midst of the devastation, I pulled back to Thailand's Utapao Air Force Base, at one time a U.S. staging area for bombing runs over Hanoi, to write a story on the U.S.-led relief efforts. The abandoned base was now bustling with air traffic and military personnel, and the man in charge was a Marine.
Warfare and relief efforts, as it turns out, involve many skills in common. In both cases, it's 80% preparation and logistics and only a small percent of actual battle. What these guys were doing was the same thing they did in a war zone, except now the tip of the spear wasn't weapons, but food, water and medicine. It was a major operation to save people's lives, and it was clear that no other country in the world could do what they were doing. Once again, I was bumping into the U.S. Marines, and once again I was impressed.
The day before I left Thailand I decided to do my first physical training and see what happened. I started running and was winded in five minutes. The air quality in downtown Bangkok didn't help, but the biggest problem was me. I ducked into Lumpini Park in the heart of the city where I was chased around by a three-foot monitor lizard that ran faster than I did. At one point I found a playground jungle gym and managed to do half a pull-up. That's all.
I got back to Beijing and started running several days a week. Along the way I met a Marine who was studying in Beijing on a fellowship and started training with him. Pretty soon I filled out the application I'd taken from New York, got letters of recommendation from old professors and mentors, and received a letter from a senior Marine officer who took a leap of faith on my behalf.
I made a quick trip back to New York in April to take a preliminary physical fitness test with the recruitment officer at the USS Intrepid. By then I could do 13 pull-ups, all my crunches, and a three-mile run along the West Side Highway in a little under 21 minutes, all in all a mediocre performance that was barely passable. When I was done, the officer told me to wipe the foam off my mouth, but I did him one better and puked all over the tarmac. He liked that a lot. That's when we both knew I was going for it.
Friends ask if I worry about going from a life of independent thought and action to a life of hierarchy and teamwork. At the moment, I find that appealing because it means being part of something bigger than I am. As for how different it's going to be, that, too, has its appeal because it's the opposite of what I've been doing up to now. Why should I do something that's a "natural fit" with what I already do? Why shouldn't I try to expand myself?
In a way, I see the Marines as a microcosm of America at its best. Their focus isn't on weapons and tactics, but on leadership. That's the whole point of the Marines. They care about each other in good times and bad, they've always had to fight for their existence--even Harry Truman saw them as nothing more than the "Navy's police force"--and they have the strength of their traditions. Their future, like the country's, is worth fighting for. I hope to be part of the effort.
Mr. Pottinger, until recently a Journal correspondent in China, is scheduled to be commissioned a second lieutenant tomorrow. He spent the last three months at Officer Candidates School in Quantico, Va. As of early December, his three-mile run was down to 18 minutes and 15 seconds.

Yes, I'm That Far Behind

2005-12-13T10:36:00.000-06:00

Suzanne and I watched Dodgeball last weekend. It's full of silly physical humor (of course, people are getting hit with dodgeballs in all the wrong places), an over-the-top performance by Ben Stiller, and Warren P. Cheswick. Suffice it to say that we both enjoyed the low-brow humor of this film.

In an interview with Dave Letterman, Vince Vaughn indicated that Ben Stiller based his character on Patrick Swayze's in Road House. If you've been unfortunate enough to see that movie, it makes Ben Stiller's performance all the better.

Because You Need to Know This

2005-12-12T15:46:00.000-06:00

CBS (via the AP) has this critically important story:

Joss Stone Named Best Celebrity Dog Owner

When it comes to celebrity dog-parenting skills, Joss Stone is tops and Paris Hilton is the worst, according to an online vote by readers of two dog magazines.

Read more.

And you wonder why CBS news often finishes last.

St. Louis is Stoopid

2005-12-12T09:15:00.000-06:00

Well, not really. But bear with me.

Last Thursday, we took the "big" kids (i.e., Erin and Liam) to St. Louis to see Riverdance as a kind of family Christmas present. They'd never been to a big theatrical production so we figured this would be fun for them. Of course, last Thursday it snowed.

As we headed south from Springfield, the snow started and got worse as we drove on. The visibility dropped and the road surface grew slick. At times we were driving only 35-40 mph on I-55 in near-whiteout conditions (see below).

We finally rolled into St. Louis about an hour before the show and had to get lunch. We found a cool place the next block over, ate quickly, then walked over to the Fox Theater for the show.

The show itself was good but, for lack of a better word, small. Suzanne and I saw Riverdance at the Fox several years ago and the cast and orchestra were significantly larger. I suppose that's the way it goes with these touring productions: they're trying to leverage the success of the show with smaller casts to increase profits. It's all about the bottom line. The kids have seen the video of the Dublin show (the one with Jean Butler and Michael Flatley) and it's HUGE compared to what we saw last week.

We probably expected too much of the kids for this. Liam fell asleep about a third of the way into the second act, and Erin fidgeted for at least half of the entire show. Given the spectacle they see on TV and movies nearly every day, they don't quite "get" what goes into putting on a show like this. Overall, though, they were well-behaved and reasonably quiet. All of the grandmas sitting around us thought Liam was "just the cutest thing."

On to the stoopid part of the day. Trying to get out of St. Louis was a major chore. The Fox is located about a mile or two north of I-64. Getting to the theater was easy. Getting out was not. From the exit that we took off I-64 west, there's no signage indicating how to get on I-64 east. We drove around for an hour and asked for directions twice before we were able to get back on the interstate. And since you can only get into St. Louis from one of two ways from the east, it took for-stinkin-ever to get back on I-55 north. Of course, the whole task was made more difficult by the weather.

At any rate, we made it home, didn't crash, and everyone survived the day. If there's a moral to the story, insert it here _____________________.

No Christmas Day Services?

2005-12-11T15:27:00.000-06:00

I've heard that some mega-churches and mega-church-wannabe's (including Eastview CC in Bloomington/Normal and Willow Creek near Chicago) are not having Christmas Day services this year. The reasoning appears to be that it's too much to ask staff and volunteers to be present on Christmas Day--which also happens to be a Sunday this year. I can imagine those who attend church semi-annually pulling into one of these massive parking lots on Christmas Day--only to find it empty--and wondering what the heck is going on.

Having been raised Catholic, my family went to Christmas Mass whether it was on Sunday or not. As such, this trend strikes me as particularly odd. On the other hand, however, I'm not much of a fan of the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services I've experienced in Restoration Movement churches: I'd rather participate in a worship service that celebrates the birth of Christ than sit and watch a pageant or someone else's idea of a moving musical experience. These non-participatory approaches leave me cold. My wife and I have occasionally attended Christmas services at Lutheran, Episocopal, or Catholic churches because these churches sometimes have a better fix on worship than do our own.

Several bloggers have commented on this: Pete, internetmonk, and NT scholar Ben Witherington. What do you think? Should churches close their doors on Christmas Day? If so, is there any better reason you can offer than that it's inconvenient for our people???

Christmas Time is Here

2005-12-09T13:10:00.000-06:00

Astute readers will recognize the title of the Vince Guaraldi song in the title, the Vince Guaraldi who wrote and performed the music for those classic Peanuts television specials. I grew up watching A Charlie Brown Christmas. I loved the characters, the story, the music, the simplicity of it all. Now that I'm in my mid-30's, I enjoy it still more and look forward to watching it with my kids. USA Today has a great story explaining how the program nearly didn't make the cut.

(With props to Clifton for pointing this out.)

Honored and Humbled

2005-12-09T09:25:00.000-06:00

Having served at LCC (in some capacity or another) since 1996, I will be promoted from Assistant Professor to Associate Professor effective June 1, 2006. This is a good place to work, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue teaching here.

Sony's Bad Bad Thing (con't)

2005-12-08T20:38:00.000-06:00

Another rootkit problem found with Sony audio CDs. This one can permit an unauthorized user "full rights" access to a machine. Fortunately, Sony has issued a software patch to fix the problem; even so, more bad mojo is not good for the company.

Do You OpenOffice?

2005-12-06T20:00:00.000-06:00

Need MS Office functionality? Don't have the dollars? Check out OpenOffice.org. OpenOffice is an open-source alternative to MS Office and it's available for the price of a 70+ MB download (in other words, it's free but you'd better have a broadband connection to get it). You'll get a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation program, database, math equation editor, and drawing program. And OpenOffice will save files in its own native format or in MS Office formats so they're completely compatible with the files you'd swap with Office users. Not bad for free stuff.

As other reviewers have noted, I've found it to work fine with existing MS Office files. OpenOffice even includes some features not included in MS Office, like the ability to save files as PDFs. It can be slow and a bit of resource hog but, then again, it's free. Google recently announced plans to help with the project, which means that it will only get better in future versions.

If you need Office but can't stomach the price, OpenOffice is a no-brainer. Heck, get it for a friend as well--it is, after all, the season for giving. Did I mention that it's free?

Break Out the Chips and Salsa

2005-12-04T21:04:00.000-06:00

Irish are headed to the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. Bring it on, Ohio State.

Jumping on the Senseo Bandwagon

2005-12-04T19:00:00.000-06:00

Isaac got one. Don't know if they'll have any left, but I thought I'd give it a try.

Guinness Lite?

2005-12-01T15:32:00.000-06:00

I like Guinness. It's one of my favorite things, a guilty pleasure. It's brown and thick and chewy and Irish and has a taste unmatched by anything on this side of the Atlantic. It's made to be savored, not thrown back wantonly or with careless abandon. Even pouring a pint of Guinness takes a special touch. Yes, this is a brew for people who savor the finer things. (Unless you're Irish, of course, in which case it's simply the most expedient path to drunkenness.)

And yet this: Guinness is planning to produce some "lighter" versions that should somehow increase its appeal. As Bill the Cat might say, "Ack! Thbbt!"

Guinness Going Light in the Loafers

A Couple Tech Updates

2005-11-30T12:17:00.000-06:00

New Mac mini will have Intel inside. Expected to include DVR feature that could replace your TiVo as well a built-in iPod dock. Look for it this January.

Firefox 1.5 is on the streets. Notice the new domain: mozilla.com. Easier security updates and compatiblity with new web standards as well as enhanced tabbed browsing--yummy. I'm interested to see if it includes some of the extra features in Netscape Browser 8.0, which I like but find to be crash-prone on my system. I'll probably wait a couple weeks before installing it leaving time for the initial bugs get sorted out.

Week in Review: Homefront

2005-11-30T12:13:00.000-06:00

Mr. Mom (Part 1) concluded successfully last Thursday when we picked up Suzanne at the Bloomington, IL airport and then drove up to Michigan City, IN for Thanksgiving festivities.

Mr. Mom (Part 2), however, began on Monday of this week when Suzanne flew back to Oklahoma for her grandmother's funeral. We had tearful goodbyes from the children at the airport on Monday afternoon and sadly headed back home in the minivan. Mommy returns tomorrow afternoon. I'll post some observations later tonight if I get the chance.

Notre Dame finished the regular season 9-2 with a (scary) last-minute win at Stanford, 38-31. BCS bowls will be announced this weekend.

Mr. Mom, Day 2

2005-11-23T22:53:00.000-06:00

I was on my own today. On my own with the three chilluns, that is.

After running a little behind yesterday morning, I pursued a different strategy today. Yesterday I got up at the same time as the kids, did all their stuff, and got Erin to school. I had a shower after I returned and then ate breakfast around 9:30. So today I figured I’d get up before the kids, get my shower, and eat and then I’ll be ready to get them going. I set the alarm for 6:00, finally struggled out of bed at 6:20 and got in the shower. Liam poked his head in the bathroom door about the time I finished getting dressed, which is more or less what I expected. My plan half worked.

We had a little extra time after breakfast so we walked to school this morning. It was brisk—somewhere around 40 degrees and Maura refused to keep her mittens on.

Maura slept well in the morning. Lunch went off without a hitch. Erin got home on time (one of the neighbor kids walked her home). She seems to come home with a bit of a short fuse for her brother. Maybe she just needs to decompress after being around all the other kids at school; I can understand that.

Dinner was fine. It was the after dinner part of the day where I lost it. Everyone’s tired. The kids don’t mind as well which, in turn, frustrates me. I’m trying to get dinner cleaned up and three kids bathed and ready for bed: I’m outnumbered and they know it. While I’ve got one of them in the tub, at least one or both of the others are fussing or causing trouble—standard kid mischief, too much laughing or too much quiet and you know they’re doing something they shouldn’t. And there’s nothing I can do until after the deeds are done.

After some loud voices and tears, we all settled down, read a book, sang a song, said a prayer, and they then went to bed content. As for me, I’ve been packing up the last few things for our Thanksgiving Day trek and loading the car. Now it’s late and I’m beat.

Everyone misses Mommy. My hat is off to her and those who find themselves to be single parents through no fault of their own.

Mr. Mom, Day 1

2005-11-23T13:03:00.000-06:00

My lovely and thoughtful wife has left the building. She left for Oklahoma late Monday night to attend a relative’s funeral. And for the rest of us, that means I’m Mr. Mom for a few days. For those who don’t have a score card, I need to feed, clothe, bathroom, and care for three children aged 5, 3, and 1. This ought to be some kind of reality TV show. Maybe it is, for all I know.

Yesterday went fairly well. I prepared three breakfasts (not including my own), got everyone dressed, and Erin off to school on time. My mom had the day off, so she came at lunch time and took Liam with her to have lunch at Erin’s school. Maura’s lunch was easy. Dinner came courtesy of the Gaffs and Papa Murphy’s. I had a class in the evening so Mom stayed and put the kids to bed. Pretty easy for me.

Two items of note from the first day:

As the kids were having breakfast and I was preparing all that as well as Erin’s lunch, I had to keep asking Erin where to find things. Evidently I don’t do this very often. Sure, I know my way around the kitchen but when it comes to certain particulars (like the heart-shaped cookie cutter that Suzanne uses to cut little heart-shaped pieces of cheese for Erin’s lunch) I was a bit lost.
I know that Erin gets finished with school at 2:00, and I was planning to get her. I was upstairs reading and Mom was downstairs playing with Liam. About 2:15, Mom comes up and asks about Erin. I look at the clock, my heart sinks, and I grab my jacket and run—I mean run—out the door. I ran the two blocks to Erin’s school and found her sitting in the office. She gave me a big smile. Huffing and puffing (I’m out of shape), I say, “Honey, I’m sorry I’m late. I was reading and forgot to watch the time.” Her response? She looked at me with her big brown eyes, smiled and said, “That’s OK, Dad.” And she was her normal chatty self the whole walk home. Whew—no permanent damage done.

Today I'm flying solo. I'll let you know how it goes.

ND Tops Syracuse

2005-11-20T15:11:00.000-06:00

After an anemic first quarter, Notre Dame pulled off a 34-10 victory over Syracuse. Syracuse kept the Irish from scoring through the first 15 minutes, a feat no other team has accomplished this season. Not to fear: two touchdowns in the second quarter and 10 points in each of the final two quarters put the Irish back on top. Notre Dame now stands at 8-2. A victory next week over Stanford will place the team in a BCS bowl game.

ND quarterback Brady Quinn is breaking records left and right these days. He now holds records for the most touchdowns in a game (6), most yards passing in a game (487), completions in a game (33), most passing yards (not sure of the number), and some other stuff I'm no doubt unaware of.

Interestingly, Erin mentioned some time on Friday that she was looking forward to Saturday. When I asked why, she said because there was no school. I thought you liked school, I said. "Yes, but we get to watch football on Saturday!" she answered. That's my girl.

Sony Did a Bad Bad Thing

2005-11-18T14:35:00.000-06:00

This has been in the tech news for a couple weeks and finally hit the mainstream media earlier this week. Evidently Sony BMG included software on some of its music CDs that would contact the mothership to let Sony know you were playing their music when you popped the CD in your computer.

Two problems:

It wasn't clear to the user that this would happen when the software was installed.
The software corrupts the computer's operating system thus making it vulnerable to hackers.

As a result, networks have been compromised, user machines will be infected by viruses, and lawsuits will follow. Get all the gory details. Nice work, Sony.

PBS, CPB, WSJ, and Government BS

2005-11-17T08:40:00.000-06:00

NPR and other outlets have been reporting the alleged misdeeds of Ken Tomlinson, until recently the chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The CPB is the organization that funds public television programs like Sesame Street and Arthur, as well as National Public Radio. Tomlinson, a political conservative, sought to bring some balance to PBS as he saw it leaning leftward. Actually, this ought to be evident to anyone who's seen programs like NOW.

An internal investigation at the CPB authored by Kenneth Konz, the inspector general at the CPB, has resulted in the issuance of a report that chronicles Tomlinson's failings. NPR cites the following:

Tomlinson's role in creating a new public affairs show, The Journal Editorial Report, violated the director's code of ethics, according to the review. Tomlinson "violated his fiduciary responsibilities and statutory prohibitions against Board member involvement in programming decisions" in his handling of the show, according to Konz's report.

An editorial in today's Wall Street Journal, however, indicates that, among other things, a Miami PBS affiliate--independent of Mr. Tomlinson--first approached the WSJ about doing a 30-minute program in early 2003. The show did not air, but Mr. Tomlinson did contact the WSJ in December 2003 to discuss a WSJ news program. The editorial reports:

...in his former role as chairman of the CPB board Mr. Tomlinson lacked the power to put any show on the air. CPB is a funding and oversight body but it can't decide to broadcast so much as a 30-second spot. That decision rests with PBS itself and its member stations. And in the case of "The Journal Editorial Report," that meant PBS President Pat Mitchell, who contacted [WSJ Editorial Page Editor] Mr. Gigot in a phone call in early 2004.

So "The Journal Editorial Report" eventually made its way on to PBS. Or did it? The WSJ article continues:

The last time we checked, PBS stations in eight of the top 30 TV markets don't run the show at all, and another four do so in the dead zone of the post-midnight morning. There is more to say about those programmers and their motivations than we have space for today. But suffice it to say we know how Mr. Tomlinson must feel as he reads the stories about his profound influence over PBS. The reality is just the opposite.

There are, of course, other things not being covered in NPR's reporting, not to mention in the CPB internal report itself. Read the editorial from the WSJ for yourself and see if there's some, to quote a famous senator, "vast, right-wing conspiracy" at work. By contrast, it looks as though the left is still safely and securely in charge of "public" broadcasting.

My Okie is Fixin' to be in Oklahoma!

2005-11-16T21:52:00.000-06:00

My lovely wife, God bless her, has never acted on stage. She's just not that type of gal. She loves dancing. She'll sing around the house (heck, we all do that here). But get her in front of people to do those things? No way.

Until now.

The school is doing Oklahoma! as its spring musical. I suggested to Suzanne that she audition for a "chorus" part, the stuff where you sing with everybody and do dance numbers. She is, after all, from Oklahoma (the state) and I figure anybody from Oklahoma ought to be in a production of Oklahoma! if they get the chance.

So she auditioned. Did a little song and dance routine. And it looks like she'll be part of the chorus, maybe even get a line or two as well. The parts will be posted on campus later this week. I'll keep you posted.

Incidentally, if you haven't seen the production of Oklahoma! linked above, it's highly recommended. Hugh Jackman plays Curly, the lead male part. Yeah: the same Hugh Jackman who played Wolverine in X-Men. Excellent.

ND Takes Navy

2005-11-13T19:48:00.000-06:00

The Irish beat the Midshipmen 42-21 on Saturday and advance to No. 6 in the polls. Are a 9-2 season and a BCS bowl game in sight?

Family Movie Night

2005-11-11T09:11:00.000-06:00

I've been re-reading Stephen Covey's The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People this fall. I read it a dozen years ago for a class and am using it as a class text this semester. The students are responding to it--the notion of living more intentionally resonates well. It's been a good reminder for me as well. Since my schedule is so full with work and school obligations, I am being more purposeful with family time. One result of that has been the establishment of a new tradition: Family Movie Night.

For the last several weeks, we've had Family Movie Night every Friday. After dinner, we put Maura to bed (she's too young at this point to participate) and then everyone else puts on their PJs. We pull out the sleeper sofa in the den, nestle into a pile of pillows and blankets, pop some popcorn in the microwave, and put on a kid's movie of some kind. Last week it was Babe; this week we're watching Robots.

Erin and Liam have grown to love this. It's fun and exciting and just for us. Though I'm gone two evenings each week, they know that they can count on everyone being home on Friday night to hang out together. As Friday nears, Erin usually asks at some point (and then several times in the days/hours following): "Dad, do you know what's in ___ days? Family movie night!" Suzanne took the kids to Pizza Hut for lunch today and I met them at the restaurant. When I sat down at the table, Erin said to me, "Do you know what today is? Family movie night!"

Today is Friday, and you know what we're doing tonight.

It Feels Like This

2005-11-10T07:54:00.000-06:00

The days they rattle past me
Like a tunnel round a train
Landscapes and heartaches
I don't know what I feel
All I know is my condition
Is worse than I can tell
The small talk and the slow burn
And I just wanna be healed
I just wanna get well

--Mark Heard

In the Interest of Ongoing Improvements

2005-11-09T22:24:00.000-06:00

I got rid of the HaloScan commenting system and added Blogger's. It appears that HaloScan deletes comments after x number of months/years/whatevers. If you felt you left some really important comment, you can always go back through the posts and add your thoughts.

Or not.

Passing the Days

2005-11-09T11:33:00.000-06:00

I suppose I could write this post every week, month, semester, year. But it's true: my life is busy, and I'm busier now than at any time in recent memory. The days are flying past. Here's some of what's going on:

I'm teaching. A lot. Two classes I haven't taught before (and both are overload assignments). One class coming up this winter that I haven't taught before (another overload). The extra money is welcome but they truly are--in every sense--overload.
I'm being taught. A finance class in my MBA program at UIS this semester. Enjoying it but wish the instructor required more of us (my classmates would curse my name if they heard me say this).
Erin is in kindergarten. This is a big one. She's growing up and, while I love seeing her do well in school--which she enjoys immensely--, it breaks my heart. She's becoming a big girl and I'm not ready to let her go.
Liam is asserting his independence, fiercely at times. He's generally a good boy, even tempered and finds things to do on his own, but some days are a struggle.
Maura is walking. The other day, Suzanne described Maura as "intense." This is fitting. She'll probably be the toughest of the three. I dread the teenage years to come.
Suzanne is managing the chaos at home, and doing so admirably. We get out a few times a month to keep sane, but it's tough. The kids are being drawn into our Saturday ritual of watching Notre Dame football on TV. Maura knows how to throw up her arms and say, "Touchdown!" Actually it sounds more like "Dutt dow!"

All of this activity and busyness makes me want to slow things down, take a break, catch my breath, but it's like trying to stop a train--there's too much momentum. If nothing else, when I get a moment to reflect, I appreciate my life and my family even more. My life is busy, but it's good. And for that I'm truly thankful.

You Cannot Stop Them...

2005-11-05T20:03:00.000-06:00

You can only hope to contain them.

Irish beat Vols, 41-21.

Catching Up on My Reading

2005-11-05T19:41:00.000-06:00

I like to catch up on my recreational reading (i.e., not work or school related) on the weekend. Unfortunately, as busy as my days are this semester, I find myself having to multitask even with the few moments I have for this otherwise leisurely activity.

And, yes, that is my natural "bed head" in the photo.

One of the Great Things About Autumn

2005-11-03T09:21:00.000-06:00

Kids and fallen leaves.

What We Did This Weekend

2005-10-27T15:16:00.000-05:00

Suzanne and I were fortunate enough to get tickets to Saturday's Notre Dame v. BYU game in South Bend. Mom watched the kids while we had fun in NW Indiana. Woo hoo!

Is Anyone Home?

2005-10-27T13:46:00.000-05:00

Here's the trouble with blogging.

You get started and you're eager to post every day, or at least a couple times a week. You get your family and friends to check in. They start leaving comments. You're encouraged and keep posting.

At some point, however, you realize that this is work and requires discipline and time. When it's work, it becomes less fun. And you wonder why you're doing this. Why did you start doing this in the first place? You like to write? Maybe. You think other people are interested in your life? Ha! You want some Internet weirdo to start leaving messages on your answering machine? "Yeah, this is Ed. You don't know me but I read your blog on the Internet. Why haven't you posted lately?"

All this is to say I'm trying to get back on the horse.

And this post has largely been streamofconsciousness. If it doesn'tmakesensethat'sok.

Aaarrrrrgh! You Scurvy Dogs!

2005-09-19T08:58:00.000-05:00

You've been waiting all year for this. September 19 is:

Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Avast, ye mateys!

Check This Out

2005-09-08T16:03:00.000-05:00

Like music? Like Illinoise?

Check out the Bored Again Christian podcast. Cool.

Back Home Again in Indiana

2005-08-01T11:21:00.000-05:00

From July 21-26, we visited my old hometown of Michigan City, IN for a long weekend. We stayed with my dad, celebrated my grandfather's 88th birthday, went to the beach and enjoyed dinner with some dear friends. Click the photos below to see more.

Here my grandfather is blowing out candles on the second birthday cake we ate that weekend.

The pier is a popular place to fish as well as catch a beautiful photo at sunset.

And, of course, we had to take pictures of the kids on the beach.

Sad Day for Trekkies

2005-07-20T13:02:00.000-05:00

Scotty has died.

Stuff Burns in Lincoln

2005-07-13T13:45:00.000-05:00

Kids. Fire. Buildings. Get the story. Get the photos.

Green Bean in the Corn

2005-07-07T12:11:00.000-05:00

Erin and I went out for 45 minutes last night to do some shooting. Here are a few of the better ones (IMO).

July 4 = Parade, Cook-in, and a Trip to the ER

2005-07-05T13:54:00.000-05:00

My hometown has a nice little Fourth of July party. There's a kid's parade, waterball competition with the volunteer fire departments, food, and fireworks. The last several years, we've gone back to Michigan City to do that stuff. This year, however, we decided to stay in Lincoln. So like millions of other Americans, we began our Independence Day celebration with a parade. Suzanne and I (Suzanne mostly) helped the kids decorate a bike and a wagon to participate in the Lincoln Heritage Days kid's parade. About 100 or so folks showed up. We walked, rode, and pulled about a mile down a stretch of Lincoln streets to the Rec Center while the kids threw candy to spectators along the parade route. Prizes were awarded in several categories and Erin won second place in her division!

Erin's prize-winning bike

Erin with her "prize bag"

After the parade, we headed home for lunch: sloppy joes, corn on the cob, fruit, chips. Unfortunately Suzanne was inserting a corn skewer into an ear of corn when it broke, driving the little corn skewer nail about an inch into the palm of her left hand. Since it'd been over 10 years since she'd had a tetanus shot, I counseled "better safe than sorry" and took her to the ER. Fortunately my mom was with us so we didn't have to pack up the kids. While pondering the odds of inflicting such an injury, the ER nurse confirmed my suspicions: they don't get many corn skewer puncture wounds on July 4; mostly fireworks-related idiocy.

Back from the ER, we went next door for a cook-out with our neighbors at 4:00 PM. Now it hasn't rained in Lincoln for about a month, so it started raining shortly after 4:30. The festivities moved indoors but that didn't put a damper on things (so to speak). We still talked, ate, drank, etc. while kids played. In spite of the few incidents, it was a nice way to spend the holiday.

I'm No Lance Armstrong

2005-06-30T14:21:00.000-05:00

Not that anyone would think that, but I've been reminded of it this week.

I've not ridden regularly for months but I managed to get out on my bike Saturday and today. No hard effort, just tooling around town trying to stay upright for 45 minutes. Both days, however, around 35 minutes in, I just felt sick and all I wanted to do was get home and lie down. Granted, it's been, what, 140 degrees here in central IL, so I'll blame it on the heat. That must be it.

TdF Part I

2005-06-29T11:48:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow our cable package is being upgraded for the month of July to include OLN, the Outdoor Life Network. Why? Because in July, OLN becomes the All the Tour, All the Time station in the US. This year's Tour de France, the Superbowl of cycling, runs from July 2 through July 24. Lance Armstrong, now with Discovery Channel since USPS is no longer sponsoring a team, will attempt a seventh and final Tour win. He's already announced that he's leaving professional cycling after this year's Tour. Will he do win again? What lies in the Texan's future once he retires? Stay tuned...

A Little Something

2005-06-27T14:07:00.000-05:00

So to appease the critics, here's what's up:

I finished my research/statistics class "very well"
I'm busy on several projects for the fall (getting a couple of Internet classes ready, preparing to teach a new class, developing training for a new learning management system we're using, and lots of other stuff)
Celebrating birthdays (see above)
Shooting pictures with my new camera
Trying, along with Scott and Isaac, to keep the Blue Dog Banter from going under (always a challenge)
Traveling and spending time with my family

So that's me. For now. In a nutshell. Any questions?

Happy Birthday, Baby

2005-04-22T23:35:00.000-05:00

Baby Maura turned one year old today. Party tomorrow.

And Speaking of the President...

2005-04-20T13:05:00.000-05:00

I had a chance to hear the President and other luminaries speak at the dedication of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum yesterday. My friend Ron Keller, who was actually invited to the White House and met the President in February, scored us some tickets to the dedication in Springfield. See a little photo essay of the day.

The Leader of the Free World

2005-04-12T15:46:00.000-05:00

President + mountain bike + iPod + trad country = W

Passing the Days

2005-04-05T09:45:00.000-05:00

In the last week, each of the kids has visited the doctor.

Last Monday, Liam went with strep throat.

Last Wednesday, Erin went with an ear infection.

Yesterday, Maura went with a double ear infection and bronchiolitis

Everyone's on meds now and on the mend. Of course, there's been plenty of grumpiness and lost sleep in there as well. And the kids are tired and grumpy, too.

My wife, God bless her, performs admirably under these circumstances. We'd be lost without her.

Happy Anniversary, Suzi

2005-03-29T08:02:00.000-06:00

In 1996, at the ages of 25 and 26, we were just two crazy kids looking to start a life together. Nine years, one dog, and three children later, we still love each other and we are still married.

School Days

2005-03-24T10:33:00.000-06:00

Had class last night and the instructor returned our second exam. Out of a possible 250 points, I scored 248 (that's 99.2% if you're keeping track at home) so I'm feeling pretty chuffed about that. After class, my professor mentioned he'd be willing to do an independent study with me with the goal of producing something publishable(!) His areas of interest are survey design and market research, so this would be an excellent opportunity for me. I've got some work for LCC I need to get done this summer, so summer 2006 would probably be the best time to pursue the independent study.

BDB Show - Back Up

2005-03-23T11:13:00.000-06:00

After a minor editing glitch, the very first episode of the BDB Show is back online. Check it out.

At the Top of His Game

2005-03-23T07:31:00.000-06:00

My good friend Jeff Prus works as the recruiter for CMF International. He recently took a group to Africa and had an opportunity to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. Here's Jeff on top of the mountain with his boys' Flat Stanleys. Way to go, Jeffy!

Blue Dog Banter -- Online!

2005-03-22T16:41:00.000-06:00

There's a new podcast in town: find it at http://bluedogbanter.blogspot.com/.

Where Angels Fear to Tread

2005-03-21T22:16:00.000-06:00

I have it on good authority that some yayhoos (mostly well-known to visitors of this blog) had a "dry run" at a podcast over their lunch hour today.

You've been forewarned.

Erin Go Bragh

2005-03-17T21:46:00.001-06:00

And Happy St. Patrick's Day while I'm at it.

Long Time, No Post

2005-03-17T21:46:00.000-06:00

Well, as Michele pointed out, it's been about a month since my last post. I've been busy; what can I say.

I'm back into my MBA at UIS this semester, taking BUS 521 Business Research. I've really enjoyed it so far--experimental design, survey and questionnaire design, experimental validity, statistics--all good stuff. The class is small: only six of us. Two of the guys are French and one of the girls is Pakistani, so it makes for an interesting mix. The exams have been challenging but fun (am I nerd or what?). One point of interest: studying statistics is a lot like studying hermeneutics and epistemology. The more you learn, the less you find you can truly pin down.

Kids are good. Maura is 10 months old now and has been crawling for a month. That's two months earlier than Liam and four months earlier than Erin. She'll probably be walking in another few weeks.

As of today, I have entered the world of RSS feeds. I'm late to the party on a lot of things, and this is just one more for the list. I downloaded and installed an Outlook plug-in called You Subscribe that brings RSS news feeds and web sites, blogs, and podcasts right into Outlook. Highly recommended.

Speaking of podcasts, stay tuned. Something fun is just around the corner...

Armstrong Aiming for Seven in 2005

2005-02-16T14:53:00.000-06:00

Lance Armstrong plans to race in this summer's Tour de France with his new sponsor, Team Discovery. As most know, Lance won an historic sixth consecutive Tour victory in 2004 with the US Postal Service team. Former USPS team manager Johan Bruyneel comes with Lance to Team Discovery, and a number of USPS veterans will race on Team Discovery as well, including George Hincapie, Viatcheslav Ekimov, Jose Azevedo, and Jose Luis Rubiera.

An interesting season of racing is ahead of us!

Problems with Digital Music

2005-02-09T13:01:00.000-06:00

I use iTunes to rip and play music on my Windows PC and my Mac at home. I've purchased a few songs from the iTunes Music Store but most of my digital music has been ripped from CDs I've bought. On my PC, in addition to iTunes, I have Windows Media Player 10, Real Player 10.5, and Musicmatch Jukebox. What's the problem here? iTunes is by far the easiest player to use but suffers from some sound quality issues. Real Player has better sound but it's user interface is lousy and Real wants you to pay for an upgraded version to enable some of the features. I've never been a fan of WMP; Musicmatch Jukebox is decent but, again, not as easy to use as iTunes.

One of the main issues here is file format compatibility. Apple's proprietary AAC format won't play on anything but iTunes and an iPod. Dozens of other players from iRiver, Rio, and Creative Labs are cheaper than iPods, more full-featured than the (play and record FM radio, built-in voice recording, etc.), and play multiple formats--but not AAC. If you saw the Super Bowl, you may have learned about the new Napster to Go service: $15/month and you can download all the music you want. What's not to like? The service only works with a few players, and the iPod isn't one of them. If you want to take advantage of the simplicity of iTunes and the rental service of Napster, you'd need multiple players. This is stupid. This little fiasco is known as digital rights management. Imagine if you needed a separate CD player for albums from different labels, or if Toyotas only ran on Toyota-branded gasoline. Who would put up with this?

Commentator Molly Wood thinks this is nuts, too. What say you?

Isn't rights management an oxymoron?

Microsoft employees + iPods = Trouble

2005-02-03T14:35:00.000-06:00

An estimated 16,000 of the 25,000 employees at Microsoft's campus in Redmond, WA, own iPods. Does this bother the management? You bet it does.

AAPL on a roll

2005-01-12T23:10:00.000-06:00

The iPod. The G5 iMac. The new iPod shuffle and Mac mini.

If you'd had a crystal ball, you'd have bought AAPL at $23/share a year ago. Now you'd be sitting on AAPL at over $70/share. Yikes.