December 31, 2005
Happy New Year!!
My visiting Father-In-Law has volunteered to kid-sit so Michelle and I can go out sans offspring tonight. New Year's Eve without the kids. Woo Hoo!
I bet we are back home on the couch by 10 PM. Preliminary plans are dinner and, uh, well that is as far as we have got on the plans. Probably dinner and home.
Update: Home at 9 PM, after dinner at Bonefish Grill, and then lingering over a mocha at Starbucks. However, at Starbucks I did get to witness a drunk guy put at least 20 teaspoons of sugar in his coffee. Yech.
Permalink | Comments (2)December 29, 2005
Red Sox announce $10 tickets
This is a great move to help the average fan that can't afford $400 take the family to Fenway.
Note - before you post your smart-ass comment please notice what category this post is in :)
Permalink | Comments (2)Sponge Eddie Squarepants
Somebody with too much free time, and decent Photoshop skills, replaced Eddie with SpongeBob in all the Iron Maiden album covers.
Permalink | Comments (0)December 28, 2005
First hand account of an "in-flight incident"
Complete with camera phone pictures, and of course the usual assortment of assholes in his comments.
Permalink | Comments (2)The Carnival of Homeschooling
Frequent Cobranchi.com commenter Henry Cate is hosting the inaugural Carnival of Homeschooling. Based on what I know of Henry, I think it's a safe bet that he'll do a good job pulling in a wide spectrum of material.
Permalink | Comments (0)Links for 2005-12-28
How To Dismantle an Idolized Bono - Bono is the Antichrist because he promotes tolerance - or something like that.
No. 2 Pencil - Too Much Homework? - Homework is a crutch used by inefficient schools that can't get it done in the alloted 900 hours a year
What Bird? - Found this yesterday when trying to ID the large raptor perched on my backyard fence.
Permalink | Comments (3)December 27, 2005
Firefly rocks
I want to meet the idiot at Fox that canceled Firefly. I'm almost 1/2 way through the series on DVD. This is some of the best TV ever created. It's basically a classic western, set in space. It's got interesting, well developed characters, and great stories.
Put it in your Netflix queue or buy the DVDs. I can't recommend it enough.
Permalink | Comments (9)December 25, 2005
A Perfectly Good Cup of Tea
I bought Michelle some loose leaf tea for Christmas. Neither of us have ever had tea other than bagged.
I'm enjoying a cup of Earl Grey at the moment.
I don't think I'll be drinking much bagged tea in the future. Wow. The difference in both aroma and flavor is remarkable.
Now I understand why the British always make fun of our tea habits in this country.
Permalink | Comments (6)A herd of horse books
A herd of horse books
The Christmas 2005 set
Don't think she won't have all these read within a couple of weeks.
I must have been a good boy this year as I scored a few books, a few DVDs, and the Garth Brooks box set.
December 24, 2005
links for 2005-12-25
December 23, 2005
links for 2005-12-24
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At least my month hasn't been this bad.
Merry Christmas from Blackbeard
The skin he shed last week was 3 feet and 2 inches long.
Cleared by DNA - 20 years too late
This guy is a much better person than I. I'd be bitter as hell if I'd spent 20 years in prison for a crime I didn't commit.
As a taxpayer in the Commonwealth of Virginia, I suggest that the state write this guy a very large check. It won't erase the pain of losing 20 years - but it might make the next 20 a little more enjoyable. It's the least we can do.
Permalink | Comments (0)The new residents guide to education in the US
Check out the new residents guide to education from our Immigration Service. I was shocked to see that they actually acknowledge the legality of home education. Granted they aren't exactly correct in what they say - but I was surprised to see anything there at all.
However, whoever wrote that needs to use to learn a thesaurus. The overuse of the word free is annoying. The acknowledgment of drug and gang dangers in high school was also rather surprising.
Permalink | Comments (0)December 22, 2005
links for 2005-12-23
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20 odd comments and it's remained civil. That might be a record :)
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Not even close to as much fun as the real thing
Not even Susan Wise Bauer wants to take on Breck in history
We (meaning Michelle) are using a classical approach to history. This morning, Breck was insisting that Susan had made a mistake in The Story of the World, Vol 4.
On page 195, she is talking about the importance of oil in WWI, and the conversion of the British Navy to oil burning ships after they got access to oil rights they purchased in Persia. The time frame is 1908ish.
Here is the sentence that threw Breck into a tizzy.
"The Prime Minister of England, Winston Churchill, knew that if Great Britain built oil-burning ships, the British Empire would have to find a good reliable source of oil." And then it goes on to quote him as saying, "We must carry it by sea."
Breck was insisting that Churchill was not the PM in WWI. He is, of course, correct. Google quickly confirmed that Churchill's quote was from his time as First Lord of the Admiralty, 1911-1915.
It's probably just an editing error, and at some point that paragraph referred to future Prime Minister or something like that. Still, he is only 11 and he is picking out errors in WWI era history, in an extremely well done book. Can you imagine what he would do to the typical watered down, politically correct, public school history book?
(Ignoring for a moment that age 11 this material would not have come up yet in school...)
Permalink | Comments (2)Essential Software
I did a post like this a long time ago, but a lot has changed. This is primarily a checklist for me to use when setting up a new PC. However, maybe somebody will find something interesting here.
Firefox - If I need to explain this one, you are probably on the wrong blog.
Thunderbird - Open Source email client companion to Firefox.
Open Office - It's like MS Office, only better, and free.
NoteTab Light - Freeware replacement for Notepad that does a whole lot more
GAIM - Open Source IM client to replace that advertising laden virus known as AIM
Bit Torrent - For downloading big files fast.
GIMP - Open source image manipulation tool. Photoshop minus the price tag
NVU - Open source WYSIWYG HTML editor
Quintessential Player - Freeware and totally rocking audio player
Filezilla - Open Source FTP client
7-Zip - Open Source decompression tool to replace the slow and kludgey built in windows thingy
Avast AV - Solid anti-virus program, free for home use
Syncback - Freeware backup software.
Power Toys Calculator - A much better calculator for Windows
Thanks Verizon Wireless
I canceled my Verizon Wireless service on 11/15. A couple of days later I got an email saying my outstanding balance was $15.xx. However, since this is Verizon we are talking about, I wasn't particularly surprised at the end of Nov when they hit my AMX card for the full month - about $68.00. I called and was told I did indeed have a $53.00 credit and that a check would be mailed within a week of the billing date.
Today I got my Dec statement, still showing my $53.00 credit. When I called, the customer service rep happily entered my request for a check. Apparently I have to request that they pay me what they owe me. She said I can expect a check in 4-6 weeks.
WTF? They bill for services not rendered, and then get to dick around with my money for 2 full months before I get it back? That is a billing scam that is only possible in a government regulated industry.
BTW - I switched to Virgin Mobile. Other than the MTV-esque tone in their communications to me, the service is great. And my total expenditure for my first month was $15.00. I find that I don't make nearly as many calls when the 10 cent a minute meter is running full time. Another thing about the prepaid plan that is cool. When I pay for $10 of airtime I get $10 of airtime. They don't seem to be collecting taxes like the monthly plans. If they are, it's buried in the 10 cent price, which makes it even a better deal.
Permalink | Comments (5)December 21, 2005
links for 2005-12-22
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Blog editor extension for Firefox
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Gates and Buffett looking for schools to start a Bridge program
Barbara Walters on Heaven
Anybody watch the Barbara WaWa special last night? I sort of stumbled into it while flipping around the channels shortly after it started. It may have been a editing hack job, but I was struck by how similar the Evangelical leader and the failed suicide bomber (in jail in Israel) were. They both believe the only path to Heaven is through their God, and everybody else is destined for hell. They also both made the statement that it's nothing personal against non-believers, it's just God's will. The Islamic vision of Heaven sounds a lot like Las Vegas without the cover charges and hangovers. I can certainly see why that appeals to a lot of people ;)
Actually, now that I think about it, it seems like there was definitely an unspoken effort to show some of the similarities between Christianity and Islam. Both believe in Heaven and Hell, both believe that salvation is only available through their version of God, and both even have prophets that died and ascended within a few miles of each other in Jerusalem.
I'm not saying this is bad. More understanding can only be good.
The most interesting interview subject to me was the Dali Lama. For some reason we don't expect our great spiritual leaders to be so human, but he came across as very down-to-earth and a quite funny guy.
Again, I guess it could be editing with a purpose, I really have no idea. But of everybody she spoke with, he is the only one that made a positive impression on me.
Permalink | Comments (4)
December 20, 2005
links for 2005-12-21
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Free 411 service - in exchange for listening to a 12 second ad. I'll take that deal.
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"Company housing" for teachers, at well below market rates.
Links for 2005-12-20
The Chronic of Narnia Rap - Absolutely hilarious, and surprisingly, from Saturday Night Live.
Corporate Shrilling without disclosure - I got the same offer to pitch TOS magazine as a great gift for homeschool moms - in exchange for a free subscription. I passed on the offer, as did Daryl. Daddypundit didn't pass, and also didn't think it was important that his readers know he is being compensated for the plug.
Fredericksburg, VA - The birthplace of heavy metal
According to this article, the power chord, which is the root of all that is rightous about heavy metal, was invented right here in Fredericksburg, VA.
Permalink | Comments (0)December 19, 2005
The Salmon of Doubt
A must read for any Douglas Adams fan. It's a collection of essays, letters, articles, and the beginning of a 3rd Dirk Gently book, all recovered from the hard drives of his computers after his way, way, too early death. Plenty of laugh out loud moments, and a few poignant ones too.
I feel the need to brew a really good cup of tea, and to re-read H2G2 for the umpteenth time.
Permalink | Comments (0)The AntiFun
School was not fun. Not even back in the olden days when I attended.
Learning should be fun.
Permalink | Comments (0)No. 2 pencil on Unschooling
Kymberly Swygert is talking about unschooling, and apparently she believes most kids would fail without the rigidity and structure of the school system.
I think her real concern is that unschoolers don't take many standardized tests ;)
Permalink | Comments (2)December 17, 2005
Activision Medieval Total War crashes
This is here for Google - so others that are having the same problem won't have to spend 90 minutes working on it.
If you are having a problem with Total War crashing to the desktop as it loads a new campaign - here is an answer. This worked with a GeForce 5200. YMMV.
Go into your Nvidea settings and
1. Turn off software control for antialiasing. I set mine to 2X.
2. Leave antitrophic control alone.
Try game. If it still crashes play with the settings. Some others on the game boards reported needing to turn off software control on both settings. When I tried that it crashed so hard I had to reboot.
That's 90 minutes of my life I won't get back. Thanks Activision.
Permalink | Comments (0)December 16, 2005
links for 2005-12-17
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CS Lewis was an pagan occultist hell bent on brain washing kids with his book.
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Syncronizeyour Firefox bookmarks across multiple computers.
One bad apple can kill your PC
Doing some routine PC maintenance last night, I cleaned a few programs off Breck's game machine. One of them was Itunes.
Today, I got an IM at the office. Breck's CD Drive wasn't working. After walking them through the usual reboot stuff I told them they would have to wait until I got home. Upon getting home the CD did indeed appear to be dead, and since I had a spare drive in another machine I took the path of least resistance and switched it out.
The replacement didn't work either. So after trying the obvious stuff, I plugged the error message into Google. The first result was Microsoft help - with all the obvious stuff I had already tried. The second site was a hacker bulletin board that identified the problem as a registry entry that gets hosed when you uninstall Itunes.
Sure enough - I corrected the registry entry, reinstalled the drive, and all is fine.
We have a word for software that breaks your computer when you try to remove it. That word is virus.
For the record, I've never been a big Itunes fan anyway. I only use it to buy music, which I immediately export to MP3. I use the freeware and totally rocking Quintessential Player as my music interface.
Tim, you are banned from commenting on this post. Buying Macs is not an option.
Permalink | Comments (5)December 15, 2005
links for 2005-12-16
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Fascinating profile of the very unconventional Texas Tech football, who stops to look at grasshoppers on the field after a game, and explains his love for all things pirate.
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Free book from Dilbert creator Scott Adams
DHL Sucks
A few months ago Michelle almost ran over a package sitting in the middle of the driveway. It was a delivery via DHL. We weren't quite sure how it ended up in the driveway, but we didn't give it much thought.
A few weeks ago, Michelle witnessed the DHL delivery truck pull into the driveway, throw the package (that happened to be fragile) out the back door into the driveway, and take off. This prompted a call to DHL and a talk with a delivery supervisor who assured us that we were hallucinating, because their drivers are required to deliver to the door.
We got another DHL package yesterday. Any guesses where we found it?
Permalink | Comments (3)December 14, 2005
This is sad
Michelle is out at the farm with Delaney so Delaney can get her daily horse riding fix. It's 25 degrees F outside right now.
That is not the sad part though.
The sad part is that Michelle just got a phone call. I took a message, and emailed it to her. The most efficient way for me to get a message to my wife is to send it across the country to our mail server sitting in a datacenter in CA, so she'll get it when she checks email upon arriving back home, where I am right now.
Of course, we IM each other from within the house, so this really shouldn't be a surprise.
Permalink | Comments (4)For Narnia!
We made a family trip to the local Megaplex last night to see The Chronicles of Narnia.
Given my sci-fi and fantasy geeky background, you may be surprised that I went into the theater totally ignorant. I've never read the books, and I really had no idea what the plot even was. It's a fine kids movie. Good versus evil, sacrifices required to vanquish evil, sacrifices are rewarded, etc. All the usual themes from epic fantasy are there.
One thing I find confusing is how so many people that are opposed to Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings can be fans of Narnia. I don't see any difference in the magic or mythical creatures involved that would make HP bad and Narnia good.
Also, even though its being marketed in some quarters as a Christian movie - it really isn't. Your kid will not want to convert to Christianity after seeing the movie. I'd be surprised if your already Christian kid shows any additional interest in going to church after the movie. Certainly there are themes there can lead to a discussion, but it's all fairly subtle. So, if you are worried about that sort of thing, don't.
My son, who has read all the books, said the movie was fairly true to the books.
Permalink | Comments (2)December 13, 2005
links for 2005-12-14
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Lileks on 2005
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Simply one of the best homeschool articles ever published.
Austin, TX is going to hell
Right on, Phil! You know, there are HS moms here in Austin, Texas, that will not send their kids to public school because the schools are not humanistic enough! Seriously. There are many home schoolers around here that have no religious basis whatsoever for their homeschooling.
You know what this means, don't you?
Dr. Peter Venkman: This city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions.
Mayor: What do you mean, "biblical"?
Dr Ray Stantz: What he means is Old Testament, Mr. Mayor, real wrath-of-God type stuff.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Exactly.
Dr Ray Stantz: Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies. Rivers and seas boiling.
Dr. Egon Spengler: Forty years of darkness. Earthquakes, volcanoes...
Winston Zeddemore: The dead rising from the grave.
Dr. Peter Venkman: Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together - mass hysteria.
Isn't Austin TX generally considered a liberal town?
Permalink | Comments (1)It's like democracy in Iraq, only different
The polls are open at Spunky's. One vote per person, unless you are dead and buried in Chicago. In that case, you get two votes.
Permalink | Comments (0)December 12, 2005
links for 2005-12-13
Outstanding!
Not that I am bragging...
Actually, I'm not. I didn't do anything :)
However a certain 9 year old in the house received the Outstanding 4Her Award tonight. As I understand it, this is a big deal. They don't give the award lightly, and they don't give it to many 9 year olds. Reaching that level at age 9, without owning a horse, is rare.
I never achieved that level of recognition in anything as a kid. Well, unless you want to count my 20th level thief in Dungeons & Dragons, but we probably don't want to count that.
Permalink | Comments (2)
December 11, 2005
links for 2005-12-12
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Good advice
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This is funny, and all too true in some cases
December 10, 2005
links for 2005-12-11
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The winners here took some amazing photographs
The religious right is wrong again
Some so called leaders on the extreme right are upset because the White House Christmas card isn't religious enough and this shows that Bush has caved to the liberals, or something like that.
This clearly demonstrates that the Bush administration has suffered a loss of will and that they have capitulated to the worst elements in our culture," said William A. Donohue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights.
Bush "claims to be a born-again, evangelical Christian. But he sure doesn't act like one," said Joseph Farah, editor of the conservative Web site WorldNetDaily.com. "I threw out my White House card as soon as I got it."
One of the generals on the pro-Christmas side is Tim Wildmon, president of the American Family Association in Tupelo, Miss. "Sometimes it's hard to tell whether this is sinister -- it's the purging of Christ from Christmas -- or whether it's just political correctness run amok," he said. "I think in the case of the White House, it's just political correctness."
I happen to have a good friend who is on President Bush's Christmas card list. Here is the exact text of the card.
The lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my hear trusts;
so I am helped , and my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.
Psalm 28:7
With best wishes for
a holiday season
of hope and happiness
2005
It doesn't even say Happy Holidays, and it quotes the Bible. WTF do they want?
Oh, BTW, this is nothing new either.
White House Card 2003
You have granted me life and loving kindness; and your care has preserved my spirit
Job 10:12
May you celebrate the joys of
faith, family and friendship
this holiday season and always
White House card 2002
For the lord is good; his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations
Psalm 100:5
May love and peace
fill your hear and home
during this holiday season
and throughout the new year
And people wonder why I'm not a Republican.
Permalink | Comments (3)Random Play Sucks
Since I've been writing for ADDReviews, I've been listening to entire albums again in order to refresh my memory prior to writing a review for the site.
I've noticed that I miss listening to albums, with the songs in the order the artist intended. I've been living on random play for a awhile, and I'm going to stop. From now on, the Ipod in the car will be set to random play albums, not songs.
Permalink | Comments (0)March 14, 2006
Operation Mindcrime II hits the street in the US.
Set 20 years after the original, OPERATION: MINDCRIME II explores Nikki’s fate after being released from prison and reveals the identity of Mary’s killer. “I tried to put myself in Nikki’s shoes and imagine what it would be like for him to come back to society after spending 20 years in jail stewing about what happened to him,” Tate says. “I became fascinated with the concept of revenge and what that would do to a person like Nikki. The story is ultimately about how Nikki wrestles with his conflicted emotions. On one side, his base instincts are pushing him to kill those who wronged him. On the other side, his conscience–represented by the spirit of Sister Mary – urges him to learn from his past mistakes and find salvation.”Permalink | Comments (3)
But he is not judgmental or anything
It's been a while since I published a Great Quote, but this one was too offensive to ignore.
The fact that lots of Mormon moms are likable, politically conservative women who homeschool their kids does not alter the seriousness of Mormonism's error.
I'd put it into context, but honestly, it just makes it worse.
Permalink | Comments (2)December 09, 2005
links for 2005-12-10
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Interesting commentary on the Ludwig / Borden double murder
Daryl Started It
My camera isn't quite as good though. I have the same camera as Daryl's old model.
The story of Corey Maye
This is an important story. A man in Mississippi is on death row for shooting and killing a police officer that entered his home, without a warrant, in the middle of the night. The police were raiding his neighbor and did not realize that the house was a duplex with separate residences.
If somebody breaks down your door at 2 AM I think you have reasonable cause to believe you are in imminent danger, and to defend yourself by any means necessary.
There is a whole lot about this story that doesn't smell right. This is also why I stopped supporting the death penalty. Neither our government nor our juries can be trusted with that kind of power.
Permalink | Comments (3)Tim Finally Gets The Girl
Random quotes from the Christmas special I watched last night. Can you name it?
(This should be a gimme...)
I have been given an opportunity that would literally be a sin to waste. So, build on it, yeah? They took a normal guy, and they said 'let's see what the nation thinks of him', and the nation seems to be saying 'yeah, what else you got?
A philosopher once wrote you need three things to have a good life. One, a meaningful relationship, two, a decent job of work, and three, to make a difference. And it was always that third one that stressed me, to make a difference. And I realise that I do. Every day, we all do. It’s how we interact, with our fellow man.
I'm Waiting for a Blind Date and I Was Afraid You Were ItPermalink | Comments (0)
December 08, 2005
links for 2005-12-09
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"...no matter how deeply you distrust the government's judgment, you are too trusting"
Christina Robin & The Hundred Acre Wood
Disney wants to replace Christopher Robin with a girl that will inspire a whole new line of stuff they can sell.
The word sacrilege comes to mind...
HT: WWDN
Permalink | Comments (5)December 06, 2005
links for 2005-12-07
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I've tried both Yahoo's and Mazda's online service reminders - neither has worked well for me.
Indiana State 72 - IU 67
For those of you not into Big 10 sports, this is like George Mason beating UVA, or North Carolina losing to Appalachian State University, or Duke losing to Coastal Carolina University, or something like that.
Permalink | Comments (2)Corporate Shrilling pays off
The corporate shrilling I've been doing around here paid off in a $50 Best Buy gift card. Sweet.
I blew it on the Firefly DVD set, and Fast Times At Ridgemont High.
Who is coming over for movie night?
Permalink | Comments (1)December 05, 2005
links for 2005-12-06
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Don't cross the Girl Scouts
December 04, 2005
Drinking the kool-aid in PA
All of us ass-backward homeschoolers living in states not as cool as PA need to get on the ball and get our own state accreditation agency. Because, you know, it's important to be recognized as a "high school graduate."
Excuse me for a second while I go gag.
I'd go into my usual freedom rant here, but why bother. It's not like any of Howard the home educucrat's minions are actually going to understand.
Permalink | Comments (0)December 02, 2005
Wil Wheaton Speaks
Wil Wheaton tries podcasting. To great success too. I think he should do a podcast where he interviews a guy with a blog who also has a famous name.
Hey, it was worth a shot. Maybe he'll notice the trackback...
Permalink | Comments (0)