According to a Discovery Channel news post, cockroaches make group decisions. Like what I suppose? Maybe something like this:
Where we gonna eat tonight? The two week old pizza molding on the counter, the three week old spaghetti sauce in the pot on the stove, or are we going to slide under the sink and get some drinks and meet up with some ladies?
Friday, March 31, 2006
Thursday, March 30, 2006
SPACE.com: Noah’s Ark
Wouldn’t it be really something if Noah’s Ark was actually discovered? Rumors and speculations have circulated for years about the Ark’s location and supposed existence, but new satellite images may help solve the mystery.
I know the chances of a wooden boat thousands of years old that came to rest on Mt. Ararat and has somehow been preserved is a long shot, but again, wouldn’t it be cool?
Here is a photo from SPACE.com:
The “anomaly” kinda looks like what we stereotypically think of as the ark…
I know the chances of a wooden boat thousands of years old that came to rest on Mt. Ararat and has somehow been preserved is a long shot, but again, wouldn’t it be cool?
Here is a photo from SPACE.com:
The “anomaly” kinda looks like what we stereotypically think of as the ark…
Clowns are Evil
And here are five bad clowns to prove it:
1. Krusty the Klown- The Simpsons
2. Pennywise- Stephen King’s It
3. Homey D. Clown- In Living Color
4. The Joker- Batman
5. Jack I. Box- Jack in the Box resteraunts
There you have it. These clowns put the creepy in “Creepy Clowns”.
Good News out of Iraq
Islamic Extremists have released American hostage Jill Carroll, of the Christian Science Monitor, after 3 months of captivity. She is healthy (physically anyway) and glad to be free.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
I'm Back!
The long, dry trek through the broadband-less wasteland is officially over!
What I thought was going to be a week turned out to be a whole lot longer. But, I have faster download speeds than I had before and I'm saving a ton of money!!!
Plus I'm going local and stickin' it to the man...
A lot has happened since I last blessed the internet with my thoughts (probably there aren't any readers left to peruse my pages...).
Buck Owens, Stanislaw Lem, Judy Blume, and Kasper Weinberger all died.
An Afghan Christian was on trial because he converted to Christianity. Off with his head (isn't that the answer to everything...).
The DaVinci Code is on trial being sued by Michael Baigent, the same man who just released his book The Jesus Papers. Baigent claims to have proof that Jesus denied his own divinity, didn't die on the cross and resurrect from the dead, and went on to live a long life on this earth with his wife Mary Magdelene. Uh-huh. Right. A long rant is coming on this one, just getting together some materials.
But here is the big story to lead off the triumphant return to blogging: Psycho kitty terrorizes neighbors.
The persecuted kitty's blog might go something like this:
March 30, 2006,
Day 206 of captivity. Implemented Plan Delta as the strange lady that brings horrible smelling fluids into the house approached bringing more foul torture devices to torment me, much to my captor's delight.
I taught her a thing or two. But for some reason I can't go out of the house lately...
What I thought was going to be a week turned out to be a whole lot longer. But, I have faster download speeds than I had before and I'm saving a ton of money!!!
Plus I'm going local and stickin' it to the man...
A lot has happened since I last blessed the internet with my thoughts (probably there aren't any readers left to peruse my pages...).
Buck Owens, Stanislaw Lem, Judy Blume, and Kasper Weinberger all died.
An Afghan Christian was on trial because he converted to Christianity. Off with his head (isn't that the answer to everything...).
The DaVinci Code is on trial being sued by Michael Baigent, the same man who just released his book The Jesus Papers. Baigent claims to have proof that Jesus denied his own divinity, didn't die on the cross and resurrect from the dead, and went on to live a long life on this earth with his wife Mary Magdelene. Uh-huh. Right. A long rant is coming on this one, just getting together some materials.
But here is the big story to lead off the triumphant return to blogging: Psycho kitty terrorizes neighbors.
The persecuted kitty's blog might go something like this:
March 30, 2006,
Day 206 of captivity. Implemented Plan Delta as the strange lady that brings horrible smelling fluids into the house approached bringing more foul torture devices to torment me, much to my captor's delight.
I taught her a thing or two. But for some reason I can't go out of the house lately...
Monday, March 13, 2006
Be back in a week or so
I'm changing ISPs, so I will be offline for at least 7 to 10 days. At least that is what the new company said.
I'm hoping it is more like 30 minutes or so...
I'm hoping it is more like 30 minutes or so...
Ultraviolet
The Mrs. and I are going to see Ultraviolet tonight. It looks visually enticing, seems like it has a good story, and c'mon, it's got Milla Jovovich!!!
I'll let you know how it turns out.
I'll let you know how it turns out.
The book funk is at least over…
I just finished reading Contest by Matt Reilly. Quick and entertaining read. It was his freshman effort and you can tell. Definitely not at good as Ice Station, but still as quick paced.
What happens when you throw 7 contestants into the New York Public Library to compete in the Presidian? Complete mayhem!!! 7 may enter, but only one can leave the victor. The reward for winning: your life!
Great little romp.
No if only the blog funk would come to an end..
What happens when you throw 7 contestants into the New York Public Library to compete in the Presidian? Complete mayhem!!! 7 may enter, but only one can leave the victor. The reward for winning: your life!
Great little romp.
No if only the blog funk would come to an end..
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons…
Last month, the book club at work was reading A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. I had never been involved with the book club before, which is all women, so when they decided to read a book about the Appalachian Trail, I figured I could get into it. It was a great book, and the discussion was interesting as well.
I had a good time and was eagerly anticipating the next book the club would read. My excitement was short lived when I heard we would be reading Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons. I judged the book by its title, figuring it would be about a bunch of man-hating wives getting together to rail about their husbands.
I am glad to say I was very wrong. I told the group I would try a couple of chapters, and if I didn’t like it, I was out for this month. I read a couple of chapters and I was immediately hooked.
Written by Lorna Landvik, the book is about the lives of these women, which makes it extremely interesting. The story follows the lives of the Freesia Court book club, know as Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons, over a thirty year period. We see children born and grow up, husbands leave, and characters come to grip with life events they thought were insurmountable. It is not a book about women bashing and putting down men. Even though there was one husband that upon his introduction in the story you knew he was a mean, nasty, foul creature that would sully the good name of any and all men out there. However, even that scenario plays itself out well in the end.
I identified with Faith, who I would say is the main character of the book. In an effort to come to grips with her troubled past, she begins writing letters to her dead mother, who was a raging alcoholic. Over 30 years the process is very cathartic. I am also the child of an alcoholic, and at one point in my life in an attempt to deal with issues I had with my father, I turned to writing. I kept a journal, often addressing Dad and writing to him, and found it extremely helpful in dealing with my baggage.
This was an excellent story that kept me interested in the characters and their experiences. I highly recommend reading it.
Thursday, March 09, 2006
Death of a blog
Well, I haven’t blogged in a while, and honestly I have had little desire. As I look at the news each day, nothing grabs me, not even this hairy crustacean.
But, here is a vain attempt at some less than deep thought.
I don’t think the much-hyped Origami is going to be as big a seller as Microsoft hopes. Why, you ask? Well, for me, because it runs Windows XP. When Apple creates a portable, handheld computer, we’ll talk.
This story really shouldn’t surprise anyone: Negative Perceptions of Islam Growing.
Well, when you have predominately Islamic countries like Iran wanting to build nukes and cause the U.S. “pain”, it’s hard to portray what should be a peaceful religion as that. When you have Muslims rioting over Danish cartoons (just an excuse for violence, when there should be forgiveness), and Iraqis blowing each other up, it is kind of hard to feel the love. The Middle East is just waiting to tear itself apart. Like most groups, the Muslim majority that is peaceful is getting the shaft from the violent lunatics. It isn’t the first time that the many are negatively effected by the few.
Now on to game time, and this seems as good a time for a rant as any.
As any reader of this blog knows (I know you are few), I have been devoting too much time to playing Halo 2 on Xbox Live. While I thoroughly enjoy the game, I have to say, the people that tend to play it can lean toward the reprobate side of things. When I play a ranked Rumble Pit game, I tend to leave my headset unplugged and enjoy the action. Today, I made the mistake of plugging in to give a listen. I was assaulted by some of the foulest language and demeaning comments I could possibly conceive. I hate to say it, but I was so taken aback it threw me a little off my game, obviously the goal of these foul-mouthed teens.
Was I surprised? Sadly no. This seems to be the norm. Apparently, some members of the Halo community have 1.) way too much time on their hands, 2.) no social lives outside of online gaming, because they certainly don’t have any social skills, and 3.) are hard-wired badly or Mom and Dad failed somewhere in teaching manners to their offspring.
Will this keep me from gaming online? Heck no! I enjoy the down and dirty play as a single in the Pit, but the real fun comes when I get on with my friends, either my local pals or the people of Seasoned Gamers.
In fact, I think there will be a little community of my fellow well-mannered, older gamers on tonight for a little action in the Pit.
But, here is a vain attempt at some less than deep thought.
I don’t think the much-hyped Origami is going to be as big a seller as Microsoft hopes. Why, you ask? Well, for me, because it runs Windows XP. When Apple creates a portable, handheld computer, we’ll talk.
This story really shouldn’t surprise anyone: Negative Perceptions of Islam Growing.
Well, when you have predominately Islamic countries like Iran wanting to build nukes and cause the U.S. “pain”, it’s hard to portray what should be a peaceful religion as that. When you have Muslims rioting over Danish cartoons (just an excuse for violence, when there should be forgiveness), and Iraqis blowing each other up, it is kind of hard to feel the love. The Middle East is just waiting to tear itself apart. Like most groups, the Muslim majority that is peaceful is getting the shaft from the violent lunatics. It isn’t the first time that the many are negatively effected by the few.
Now on to game time, and this seems as good a time for a rant as any.
As any reader of this blog knows (I know you are few), I have been devoting too much time to playing Halo 2 on Xbox Live. While I thoroughly enjoy the game, I have to say, the people that tend to play it can lean toward the reprobate side of things. When I play a ranked Rumble Pit game, I tend to leave my headset unplugged and enjoy the action. Today, I made the mistake of plugging in to give a listen. I was assaulted by some of the foulest language and demeaning comments I could possibly conceive. I hate to say it, but I was so taken aback it threw me a little off my game, obviously the goal of these foul-mouthed teens.
Was I surprised? Sadly no. This seems to be the norm. Apparently, some members of the Halo community have 1.) way too much time on their hands, 2.) no social lives outside of online gaming, because they certainly don’t have any social skills, and 3.) are hard-wired badly or Mom and Dad failed somewhere in teaching manners to their offspring.
Will this keep me from gaming online? Heck no! I enjoy the down and dirty play as a single in the Pit, but the real fun comes when I get on with my friends, either my local pals or the people of Seasoned Gamers.
In fact, I think there will be a little community of my fellow well-mannered, older gamers on tonight for a little action in the Pit.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
In Bit of a Blog Funk
In addition to being in a complete book slump, I am in a blog slump as well. As I peruse the internet each day for interesting tidbits, I just can't seem to find any. Maybe they are hiding. Maybe I am currently living under a large rock in what has become the Frozen Tundra of Maine (went from 50 degrees to -10 in one fell swoop). Cabin fever finally sets in.
I have been busy though. I just finished writing my first worship song. I hope to put a rough cut into Garageband this weekend, and then with the help of the worship team at church put some finishing touches to it, like some vocal harmonies and some guitar fills.
The book club at work has decided to read this gem, and are looking for me to input my male perspective.
I've read the first chapter and no emotional vomitting yet...
I have been busy though. I just finished writing my first worship song. I hope to put a rough cut into Garageband this weekend, and then with the help of the worship team at church put some finishing touches to it, like some vocal harmonies and some guitar fills.
The book club at work has decided to read this gem, and are looking for me to input my male perspective.
I've read the first chapter and no emotional vomitting yet...
Howl’s Moving Castle
This post is not totally precipitated by the release of Howl’s Moving Castle on DVD March 7th. It is actually because I just read the book, which was amazing.
While perusing the local paper, I came across a review of HMC, where the writer lauded the film by celebrated director Hayao Miyazaki as amazing. While muttering out loud about how I needed to see the movie, a very knowledgeable co-worker says to me, “Did you know that it was a book written some time ago and was made into a movie. The book is amazing. I have it if you want to read it.”
I quickly and eagerly agreed since I am in sort of a book funk. The usual suspects (books I reread often) hold no appeal, and nothing was jumping out at me, so this book suggestion came at a great time.
A brief synopsis of the book written by Melissa Hyland (from Nausicca.net):
Howl's Moving Castle is based in a slightly fantasy setting, in that magic
fantastical creatures and many fairy-tale conventions exist. The heroine is
Sophie, who lives with her step-mother and two step-sisters after her father
dies, leaving them his hat-shop. Since they are very poor, the step-mother
decides it would be best to send to of the daughters away where they can be
assured of a good start in life. In fairytale convention, the youngest child
will always suceed best when seeking their fortune, so the youngest daughter
Martha is sent to learn magic with a friendly white witch, while the middle
daughter Lettie begins an apprenticeship with the local baker. Sophie, the
eldest, doesn't have much chance, so she stays on with her mother to help run
the hat-shop, which she will inherit someday.
However, things don't work out as planned. Martha and Lettie use a spell to
switch places, since Lettie wants to learn magic and have adventures while
Martha wants to get married and raise a family. After Sophie discovers this,
she crosses paths with an evil sorceress who for some reason that is not
revealed at first, casts a spell on Sophie that turns her into an old woman and
prevents her from telling anyone about it. Forced to leave the hat shop, Sophie
goes to find some way of breaking the curse and ends up taking refuge at the
moving castle (yes, it is a castle that can move about, and also has a door
that can lead to four different locations). This place belongs to Howl, a
charming yet seemingly irresponsible wizard with a reputation for chasing
pretty girls. The castle is powered by Calcifer, a fire demon who lives in the
hearth and is bound by a contract with Howl. He makes a secret bargain with
Sophie; he will break the curse she is under, if she can find a way to break
the contract as it could destroy him and Howl. Sophie takes a position as
housekeeper and tries to find out what the contract is (Calcifer is also bound
not to tell her what it is), whilst putting up with Howl's annoying behaviour,
and there are further complications when he clashes with the evil sorceress.
Written in 1986 (I believe that is the year) by Diana Wynne Jones, I am amazed at how cool this book is, and definitely recommend it to any fantasy fan. Great characters and story. You burn through every page to see what sort of calamity happens next.
I hope the film is half as good as the book.
While perusing the local paper, I came across a review of HMC, where the writer lauded the film by celebrated director Hayao Miyazaki as amazing. While muttering out loud about how I needed to see the movie, a very knowledgeable co-worker says to me, “Did you know that it was a book written some time ago and was made into a movie. The book is amazing. I have it if you want to read it.”
I quickly and eagerly agreed since I am in sort of a book funk. The usual suspects (books I reread often) hold no appeal, and nothing was jumping out at me, so this book suggestion came at a great time.
A brief synopsis of the book written by Melissa Hyland (from Nausicca.net):
Howl's Moving Castle is based in a slightly fantasy setting, in that magic
fantastical creatures and many fairy-tale conventions exist. The heroine is
Sophie, who lives with her step-mother and two step-sisters after her father
dies, leaving them his hat-shop. Since they are very poor, the step-mother
decides it would be best to send to of the daughters away where they can be
assured of a good start in life. In fairytale convention, the youngest child
will always suceed best when seeking their fortune, so the youngest daughter
Martha is sent to learn magic with a friendly white witch, while the middle
daughter Lettie begins an apprenticeship with the local baker. Sophie, the
eldest, doesn't have much chance, so she stays on with her mother to help run
the hat-shop, which she will inherit someday.
However, things don't work out as planned. Martha and Lettie use a spell to
switch places, since Lettie wants to learn magic and have adventures while
Martha wants to get married and raise a family. After Sophie discovers this,
she crosses paths with an evil sorceress who for some reason that is not
revealed at first, casts a spell on Sophie that turns her into an old woman and
prevents her from telling anyone about it. Forced to leave the hat shop, Sophie
goes to find some way of breaking the curse and ends up taking refuge at the
moving castle (yes, it is a castle that can move about, and also has a door
that can lead to four different locations). This place belongs to Howl, a
charming yet seemingly irresponsible wizard with a reputation for chasing
pretty girls. The castle is powered by Calcifer, a fire demon who lives in the
hearth and is bound by a contract with Howl. He makes a secret bargain with
Sophie; he will break the curse she is under, if she can find a way to break
the contract as it could destroy him and Howl. Sophie takes a position as
housekeeper and tries to find out what the contract is (Calcifer is also bound
not to tell her what it is), whilst putting up with Howl's annoying behaviour,
and there are further complications when he clashes with the evil sorceress.
Written in 1986 (I believe that is the year) by Diana Wynne Jones, I am amazed at how cool this book is, and definitely recommend it to any fantasy fan. Great characters and story. You burn through every page to see what sort of calamity happens next.
I hope the film is half as good as the book.
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