News and Views

From my kids accomplishments, to my heretical perspective of the world

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Entries from June 2006

Camcorder

June 29th, 2006 · 2 Comments

As we were getting ready to go to Peru next week, I realized that our camcorder had died. I’ve got one closet shelf full of Hi-8 tapes, and another shelf full of MiniDV tapes. The only way I can view either of them is to play them through their respective camcorders, each of which is […]

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Tags: Computers, Tech & Science · Family Updates

Flags and Freedom

June 27th, 2006 · 4 Comments

Today the Senate failed to pass, by one vote, the “Flag Desecration” amendment. Now I don’t like to see the flag burned, stepped on, or otherwise mistreated. It represents my country, and despite its faults I’ve traveled around the world enough to know that it’s not a bad place to live, and we should appreciate […]

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Tags: Opinion

Loss of Wisdom

June 22nd, 2006 · 7 Comments

Loss of Wisdom Teeth, that is. Derek had his all yanked out today. He’s up in his room on Vicodin and Ibuprofen, holding an ice bag against his face with one hand, playing “World of Warcraft” with the other. He decided to do it without the sedation, just local anaesthetic. He was uncomfortable with the […]

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Tags: Family Updates

Watch your lap!

June 21st, 2006 · 2 Comments

Here’s a story with photos about a laptop that burst into flames. Could be a problem if it were on your lap, especially if you were on a plane.

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Tags: Computers, Tech & Science

Antipodes

June 19th, 2006 · 5 Comments

See here for an interesting, interactive map of the world showing which points are exactly opposite each other. Could you get to China by digging a hole straight through the earth from the USA?

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Tags: Computers, Tech & Science

Wildcat Derek

June 15th, 2006 · 1 Comment

I took Derek down to Tucson yesterday for a 3 day preview and orientation at the University of Arizona. I will pick him up tomorrow afternoon. I haven’t heard from him begging to come back home, so I assume he’s doing OK.

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Tags: Family Updates

She’s off to France

June 7th, 2006 · 7 Comments

I just got back from the airport, where Gisele left on a two-week trip to France. Most summers she goes for a month of intensive language instruction, but this year it’s a two week tour of the “Bourdeau” region, visiting castles (“Chateaus”), wineries and scenery. Derek and I are bach-ing it until she gets back.

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Tags: Family Updates

I want one!

June 6th, 2006 · 1 Comment

Strap on wings to use by the military to deposit soldiers well behind enemy lines. They can glide for miles, then open a parachute at the last minute to drop safely to the ground.

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Tags: Computers, Tech & Science

Puzzles

June 4th, 2006 · 9 Comments

Here’s an interesting set of puzzles. They come with no instructions; you have to figure out what to do, and how to do it. It’s a little like playing “Myst”. Experiment! The set of puzzles is called “ClickDragType”. There’s a clue right there. Find it here. Click on the link “Play This Game”. Note that […]

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Tags: Computers, Tech & Science