Posts from — January 2006

Last night, while we were watching Lost, I had control fo the remote. I hate most commercials, and so I would mute them and ignore them.

One came on, and it was for Planters Peanuts. It showed Mr. Peanut, and it said something like, “Mr. Peanut thinks…” and then I hit mute. Megan was like, “Hey! Now I don’t know what Mr. Peanut thinks!”

So I unmuted it… and it showed his monocle, and the voiceover said, “His monocle says..” and then I muted it again. And again Megan made known her displeasure. I laughed, and turned the sound on once again. This time, it showed his cane, and said “Mr. Peanut’s cane represents…” and again I muted it. And I laughed. Megan, on the other hand, kicked me and reached for the remote. There was a struggle, and she somehow managed to turn mute off while I was still holding the remote, and we heard, “His gloves mean…”. Try as I might, I could not regain control of the remote. The television remained audible. So we heard, “… nothing.”

I laughed. She laughed, too.

Hey, the Center for Cultural Leadership archive blog that I maintained for a little while is linked on the frontpage of the official site.

Of course, I stopped updating it back in May. But still.

Missouri Presbytery Federal Vision Study Report

Megan went to her midwife for the first time yesterday, and they did an ultrasound. Baby is happy. 3.29cm long. Heartrate of 176bpm (or something like that). Little arms and legs floating around. I understand that there was some dancing going on during the ultrasound.

We got some printouts, but, since we have no scanner, I can’t post ‘em. Unless I took a picture of them. But that’d probably look weird. I’ll experiment.

Happy Trogday!

HT: Al

Those of you concerned about my tire situation, be comforted. I got it fixed. And, because I found an online coupon for a really good deal, I went ahead and replaced the other three tires as well. I think, perhaps, I should have gotten the alignment checked out, as I have a good bit of vibration at highway speeds. Maybe I can have that done this weekend. Now I need to replace the four tires on my other car. The old one. I’ll hopefully get that done this weekend as well.

Yesterday we received our membership package from Columbia House DVD. Actually… we received our two membership packages. I submitted an application to join back in October. I didn’t hear anything for several weeks, so I emailed them to see what was up. They didn’t have any record, and told me to try it again. So I did. Nothing happened again, and I emailed them, and they said the same thing. So I tried it in IE, thinking maybe firefox had something to do with it (don’t know why it would, but you never know with this magic). Still nothing, so I shook the dust.
But then, on December 29th, I got an email saying there was a technical error, and they were processing my request. And then, yesterday, I recieved two membership packages. That’s 14 DVDs. Of course, most of them were the duplicates. I changed a few selections between applications. And one of them was to be a Christmas gift, so I had already purchased it elsewhere. Anyhow. They fixed me up. They’re sending prepaid packing stuff for one of the accounts, and for the additional Primer that was a gift.

After I got the packages, I remembered that Jason signed up with them a while back, and I should have gone through him to get him some free stuff. Oops. Sorry Jason.

Here are the movies I got…

• Hoosiers
• The Usual Suspects
• Hotel Rwanda
• My Fair Lady
• A Christmas Story
• The Bourne Identity

Primer was in there, too, like I said. But I’m returning that for something else (which I’ll decide on when I get the credit). Have any suggestions?

As some of you already know, Microsoft recently announced that the next version of Internet Explorer, IE 7, will use the well-known orange icon Firefox’s default theme uses for RSS and Atom feeds. As a dedicated Firefox user, I’m pretty excited about the atmosphere this creates for further collaboration among broswer developers to create (and abide by) standards for the web.

You can help to establish the new standard by simply using the icon instead of a text “RSS” link or the graphic. If you haven’t already, check out FeedIcons.com. Download. Customize. Use.

Check the bottom of this site for how I’m using it.

HT:raekwon

Store Clerk 1: Nature’s Emporium, how can I help you?
Me: Hi. Do you have aquarium plants there?
SC1: Yes we do.
Me: Do you have Elodea?
SC1: Let me check
-hold-
SC2: This is Heidi, how can I help you?
Me: I was calling to see if you have any Elodea in stock?
SC2: No, we don’t. We don’t have any aquarium plants or fish. We just have feeder goldfish.
Me. Oh. Thanks.

No, not the beer.

I got a flat on my way to work this morning. It was dark, and a little bit cold out when it happened. I stopped, and looked at it, and it was really screwed up. And I couldn’t see anything. So I hobbled my car down the road a bit next to a motel, which had very bright lights in the parking lot. There I put on the spare.

I think I’ll cut out early this afternoon to get a new one.

Unconfirmed release date for Andrew Peterson’s live compilation album, Appendix A is January 17, 2006. Only a week and a half away!

Introducing the new Bio-Optic Organized Knowledge device, trade named: BOOK

BOOK is a revolutionary breakthrough in technology: no wires, no electric circuits, no batteries, nothing to be connected or switched on. It’s so easy to use, even a child can operate it.

Compact and portable, it can be used anywhere — even sitting in an armchair by the fire — yet it is powerful enough to hold as much information as a CD-ROM disc. Here’s how it works:

BOOK is constructed of sequentially numbered sheets of paper (recyclable), each capable of holding thousands of bits of information. The pages are locked together with a custom-fit device called a binder, which keeps the sheets in their correct sequence.

Opaque Paper Technology (OPT) allows manufacturers to use both sides of the sheet, doubling the information density and cutting costs. Experts are divided on the prospects for further increases in information density; for now, BOOKs with more information simply use more pages.

Each sheet is scanned optically, registering information directly into your brain. A flick of the finger takes you to the next sheet. BOOK may be taken up at any time and used merely by opening it.

Unlike other display devices, BOOK never crashes or requires rebooting, and it can even be dropped on the floor or stepped on without damage. However, it can become unusable if immersed in water for a significant period of time. The “browse” feature allows you to move instantly to any sheet and move forward or backward as you wish. Many come with an “index” feature, which pinpoints the exact location of selected information for instant retrieval.

An optional “BOOKmark” accessory allows you to open BOOK to the exact place you left it in a previous session — even if the BOOK has been closed. BOOKmarks fit universal design standards; thus, a single BOOKmark can be used in BOOKs by various manufacturers. Conversely, numerous BOOKmarkers can be used in a single BOOK if the user wants to store numerous views at once. The number is limited only by the number of pages in the BOOK.

You can also make personal notes next to BOOK text entries with an optional programming tool, the Portable Erasable Nib Cryptic Intercommunication Language Stylus (PENCILS).

Portable, durable, and affordable, BOOK is being hailed as a precursor of a new entertainment wave. Also, BOOK’s appeal seems so certain that thousands of content creators have committed to the platform and investors are reportedly flocking. Look for a flood of new titles soon.

Here’s a site making simple and clear basic cousin relationships (which have always confused me).

Thanks to Chris for the link.