Random Access

Monday – 18 June 2012
This will be a brief post, but there are two important things that bear noting:

1. Today is my sister-in-law, Melissa’s, birthday.
   

   (c) 2011 – Amanda Nelson Photography

   This is particularly important because for the past two years, I neglected to mention it… leading to two instances of “Melissa Kelly Week.”

2. The debris from the gazebo tear-down has been removed, courtesy of the SL County dumpster that was placed just across the street from the house… and some very welcome help from my father-in-law. I’m qualifying it as today’s workout.

Stray Toasters
Okay, okay… we’ll throw a couple of these in, too:

• Apple and Google Go Head-to-Head Over Mobile Maps
• Confessions of a former booth babe
• Royalties from Digital Radio Start to Add Up
• Web Sites Illuminate Unknown Artists

And done.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 12 June 2012
According to a trusted source, today is apparently National Peanut Butter Cookie Day.

I’m feeling a little remiss as a Rush fan: Clockwork Angels was released today… and I completely forgot about it until I saw something on Facebook.

On the “plus” side of today’s tally sheet:

1. The lawn is mowed.
2. A couple of trees have been trimmed, getting rid of branches over the sidewalk.
3. I figured out what was going on with Sprinkler Zone #5 (Translation: “The back yard will actually get watered!”)
4. Steve and I determined how to get drywall into the basement, without having to cut the sheets or trying to finagle them down the stairs.

Stray Toasters

• By way of SaraRules!: What kind of Muppet are you, chaos or order?
• So, new MacBooks. Add (at least) one to The Covet List.
• Brian Haas Explores Superheroine Secret Identities With New Prints
• Retro Sci-Fi Costume Pieces in City of Heroes…because what kid didn’t want to play Space Ranger?
• Shelf Life
• The Chumbawamba Principle: A Commencement Address
• I wonder how The Art of Manliness and The Alphabet of Manliness would get along…?
• 10 Bets You Will Never Lose (video)

And… done.

Namaste.

Thursday – 07 June 2012
Not only is today NBN Thursday, it is also my mother’s birthday:

And, it is also the day that Diana turns 9-months-old:

To celebrate the day, the girls get to go for another visit to the pediatrician… which means: Shots! (Which also means “Cranky children this afternoon.”) Yay.

::: INTERLUDE :::

Well, as it turns out, the girls did not have to get shots today. But, they will be getting four at their one-year check-up. (Joy of joys.) On the plus side, we found out that their pediatrician’s office will be moving… to our neighborhood right before that visit. So, I guess that means the offices will still have that new car office smell.

Stray Toasters

• Dresden Codak’s X-Men Reboot
• Thanks to my friend, Sunny, for pointing out this story: From scrubbing floors to Ivy League: Homeless student to go to dream college
• And, on the other side of the spectrum: Ohio school withholds diplomas for excess cheering
• 
• MST3K robots in LEGO
• Cat Bowl-Sized Gardens
• The Gardens of Paspas

Yeah, that’s good for now.

Namaste.

Wednesday – 06 June 2012
Midweek.
New comics day.
Pasta and Movie Date Night… maybe.

Yesterday, the destruction of the grotto demolition of the gazebo was complete. There’s now just a slight depression (and a little debris) where the gazebo once stood. Pictures here. Now, we just need to decide what we want to do with the space.

Last night, Logan and Sanaz came over to watch the girls so that SaraRules! and I could have an actual, out-of-the-house date night. It was glorious. We went to see The Avengers – second time for me, first time for SaraRules… and it was just as much fun the second time around. While she enjoyed the movie, I had to ‘splain a few things about characters to SaraRules! after the movies. (Comics, go figure.) But, it was a great way to spend a Tuesday evening.

And, yesterday also saw a notable dip in temperatures around here.  It was in the upper 90s on Monday; yesterday barely made 60.  And last night, we actually had to turn on the furnace. Yeah. Welcome to June in Utah.

Stray Toasters

• Sci-fi legend Ray Bradbury dies
• The pros and cons of living with your significant other
• Are you a tabletop gamer? Do you use terrain for your miniature games? Would you like custom terrain? You should check out Children of Mercury.
• The New Internet Starts Now
• These two strips made me laugh:
  …and…
  
• High Blood Caffeine Levels in Older Adults Linked to Avoidance of Alzheimer’s Disease
• A Brief History of Video Games
• Cablox
• Army Scientists Build a Better Battery
• 
• Dull and Boring? Not anymore for Scottish village and US town
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Russian Millionaire Hurls Money Paper Airplanes from Office Window, Starts Riot
• These Incredible LEGO Beasts Liven Up Iowa State’s Reiman Gardens

Namaste.

Monday – 04 June 2012
A new week is here.

The weekend was good – and fairly busy – weekend. We started with a pancake breakfast/car show, supporting the local Boy Scout troop. Next, SaraRules! went to quilt club while I stayed home with Team DiVa. After she got back, I headed out to judge a ‘Clix tourney. And, if that wasn’t enough: We also attended a friend’s birthday party.

Saturday night has now unofficially become “Action Movie Saturday Date Night.” We didn’t know what we wanted to watch, so we left it up to the Fickle Finger of Fate method of “Hey, what does Netflix have to offer?” We wound up watching Trollhunter:

It was surprisingly fun. And funny. We went into it with no real expectations or assumptions, but were quite well entertained by the time the credits rolled. I also found that I liked what they did with some of the mythology of the creatures.

Sunday was a little more relaxed… although it did start early: We hit the Wasatch Front Farmers Market. The rest of the day was spent mostly hanging out with SaraRules! and Team DiVa. I wrapped up the evening upgrading my game box from Windows XP to Windows 7. Finally. And by “upgrading,” I mean “I did a clean install on a bigger hard drive.” Now, I just need to reinstall the games. And remember to copy my bookmarks over.

And, speaking of Team DiVa:

Diana (in her custom Batgirl onesie)

Vanessa (in her custom Flash onesie)

Stray Toasters

• Air Force’s First Female Combat Pilot Becomes Wing Commander
• That makes me find the timing of  this item about wage disparity from The White House rather amusing.
• Every Black Hole Contains a New Universe
• My mother-in-law was singing Froggy Went A-Courting to the girls the other day and I realized that the tune was somewhat familiar: It was the same as The Crawdad Song (You Get a Line, I’ll Get a Pole).
• The Sartorialist
• 
• The Horrifying Truth Behind Pixar’s Cars Universe
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Westlake: ‘Cleaning Fairy’ breaks into houses, leaves cleaning bill
• Does this sound at all familiar…?
  
• I am really enjoying this season of Young Justice. They have taken some unexpected – and well-plotted – turns.
• Railfest 2012 (UK)
• By way of Melissa: That Song Sounds Like
• Open-source human genomes

Namaste.

Friday – 01 June 2012
A new month is upon us. Among other things, this means that I need to get to the Hallmark store and pick up a couple of important birthday cards.

We haven’t done anything new/else with the decking of the gazebo. Yet. But, maybe I’ll be able to get to it sometime in the next few days.

Team DiVa, on the other hand, continue to be adorable and entertaining.

Diana (l) and Vanessa

I’m hoping to get a new video of them doing what they do posted soon.

SaraRules! and I watched Blade Runner: The Final Cut the other night. After catching the tail end of the movie on cable a couple of weeks ago, we both realized that neither of us had seen the full movie in years. So… watched it. And it was good.

Stray Toasters

• Straight out of the “When Worlds Collide” file: I was reading Avengers vs. X-Men #4 this morning while having my morning coffee. Some people read the newspaper, I read comics. Sue me. This issue includes some of Marvel’s “Augmented Reality” or “AR” technology, which basically means that you hold up a smartphone or tablet with the appropriate app to a panel with the AR logo and you get either additional content. One particular panel featured a brief talk by Dr. Michael Shara– Curator, Department of Astrophysics, Division of Physical Sciences at the American Museum of Natural History – on what it would take to destroy a planet.

  The name struck a familiar chord in my memory, but I was just unsure enough to have to verify what I was thinking. After a few rounds on Google I confirmed what I had suspected: Dr. Shara was my Astronomy professor at Johns Hopkins about 20 years ago.

• Noah’s Ark Is a Sustainable Floating City for the Post-Apocalyptic World
• The Accidental Asshole: Pinpoint How You’re Annoying People and Do Something About It
• 
• We now know which DC Comics character is being reintroduced as gay. James Robinson, author of Earth 2, not only has a solid track record for writing gay characters, it seems as though he was the first to actually script a gay kiss in mainstream comics, in 1988.
• The Discerning Man’s Guide to Summer Style
• Shopping Guide: The Ultimate Warm-Weather Blazer
• 
• Bottle Cap Blues
• The History of Pigeon Camera Photography
• 
• Japan’s Hidden Tropical Island: Aogashima

And with that, I’m off to save the world.
Or destroy it.
Or something in between…

Namaste.

Monday – 28 May 2012
It is Memorial Day.

Please remember that the day is about more than sales and barbecues… or just a day off of work. Take a few moments to recall and thank the servicemen and women who fought – and have fallen – to preserve our freedom.

Namaste.

Tuesday – 22 May 2012
Today’s another sunny day in the valley.
Tomorrow, however, there’s rain in the forecast, long with a nearly 15 degree drop in temperature. Yay.

There will (hopefully) be a new Adventure Babies: Team DiVa video short in the next few days… if I can catch them doing one of their new cute habits.

Stray Toasters

• Experts explain why PSA test is not worth risk
• There’s a rumour going around that I might actually go to the gym this evening. (I started it.)
• A ‘Leap’ forward in gesture-control interfaces?
• Tracking the Junk Food the World Eats After Dark
• Are Bananas Really as Bad For You as Cookies?
• 
• Lucasfilm Retreats in Battle with Wealthy Neighbors
  I’d read about this last week, but wanted to get a second verifying source.
• Miles Davis: his wardrobe, his wit, his way with a basketball…
• Stuff and things. Yadda Yadda Yadda.
  (Not to be confused with Boom De Yada or Boom De Yada.
• Engineering Infrastructures for Humans
• I skimmed over a new ad for DC Super Heroes: LEGO Batman 2 and thought that LEGiOn of Super-Heroes would make a great game. Hey, a guy can dream.
• Hitchhiking Director John Waters Picked Up in Ohio by Indie Rock Band
• From the “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot…?!” file: Baby trapped in tumble dryer after ‘joke’ goes wrong.
  (Also, the child was in a washing machine, not a dryer. And, no, that doesn’t make it any better.)  I’m glad that the child in this story is reported to be fine, but I have nothing “good” to say/think about the father in this video. Seriously, what kind person puts his child in a washing machine?!  Even as a “joke.” As my father would say, “That doesn’t even make good crazy peoples’ sense.”
• Cake Wrecks. ‘Nuff said.
• The history of the U.S. electric grid

Namaste.

Thursday – 17 May 2012
It’s another NBN Thursday in the valley. This one even came equipped with sun (with a slight chance of rain). So far, it’s been a good day… and there’s still a lot of day to go.

Last night, SaraRules! and I watched Where the Wild Things Are for Movie Date Night.

I thought that it was pretty good. I was a bit surprised in that I was expecting something… a little closer to the book, at least in some respects, but the differences didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the movie.  It was also helpful to watch one of the special feature short pieces which highlighted the collaboration of author Maurice Sendak and director Spike Jonze.

The movie is rated “PG,” but there are a few scenes that might be scary for younger children. Nevertheless, I recommend it.

Stray Toasters

• Can You Call a 9-Year-Old a Psychopath?
• I finished Play Ball (1, 2)  earlier. It’s well-written, fun and… a even better than I had expected, even having read the preview on Comics Alliance. It’s a well-told (and rather frank) coming-of-age story, as well as a good reminder to follow your dreams, no matter what challenges you face.
  
• Donna Summer, RIP
• Chuck Brown, godfather of Go-Go music, dies at 75
• How to Tell From a Trailer That a Movie Is Going to Suck
• Mark Hamill Returns as The Joker in “DC Universe Online”
• 
• Rocking Horses of the Apocalypse
• Urban Plant Tags
• Mind-controlled robot arms show promise
• Because, you know, it’s going to be The Future Soon…
• If Diablo 3 was a girl (video)
• 
• Straight White Male: The Lowest Difficulty Setting There Is
• Big Black Book Spring 2012: A Blue Portfolio
• Comparing Gender in LEGO Minifig Heads

That’s good for now.

Namaste.

Friday – 04 May 2012
“May the 4th be with you.

Today’s my working Friday.
It’s also the day that my brother-in-law, Logan, graduates with his Doctorate in Pharmacy.
It’s also the day that I got to go home and spend a couple of hours in the middle of the day with Team Diva…

Vanessa (l) and Diana

…so that Bonne and Steve could attend the graduation. Getting to take a little time off work to spend with my girls? Yeah, I have absolutely no problem with that.

Around 9:00 last night, I got a call from my friend, Jeremiah, asking if I wanted to go with the Dr Volt’s staff to see

It didn’t take much convincing, though I did check with SaraRules! to see if she’d mind me being gone until the wee hours of the morning. She didn’t. (Best. Wife. Ever.) I even broke out the Nick Fury eyepatch and black trenchcoat for the occasion. (Hey… comic book movie. Seen with comic shop guys. Do the math.)

It was a great movie. Joss Whedon did a fantastic job of bringing all the characters together and weaving a coherent and cohesive reason for them to work together. There was a LOT of action. A fair bit of wit. (Even a little smarm thrown in, for good measure.) All-in-all, it was pretty much a fanboy/fangirl’s dream team-up movie. If you enjoyed the movies that led up to this, you’ll have a blast.

Of course, I didn’t get home until after 3:30… and the girls started waking up around 7:00. So, I’ve been working to thin out the blood in my caffeinestream for most of the day. So far, so good.

|| PAUSE ||

Blackberry cobbler.

That was the second thought that crossed Jones’ mind when he saw the sign for Dalton. Sure, his first thought was an amalgamation of  “Home/Bed/Emma,” but he knew that there’d be cobbler, too. Emma always had one cooling on the kitchen counter when he came home from long trips. This one was a west coast turnaround, had him gone for a week. He swore that he could smell it already; his mouth watered.

Just a few more miles and we’re there, he thought, patting the dashboard through the steering wheel. He didn’t mind the miles. The rig had a smooth ride. The bunk in the sleeper was comfortable enough. And the people he met on the road were generally pretty decent.

Jones eased onto the off-ramp, letting of the gas. He stopped at the top of the ramp and then turned right onto Freeway Drive. Just ahead on the right was Cal’s Diner. There was almost no one on the road at this time of night, but there were still a few cars in front of Cal’s. He’d catch up with the boys tomorrow or Sunday and they could sit around, drink a few beers, and tell lies about their past week. He stopped for the flashing light at Rolling Road. He eased through the intersection. Jefferson… Barnes… McCutcheon. Almost home.

As he turned onto Clarksville Pike, the weariness of the trip started to weigh on him. By the time he got to Lake Avenue, he was ready for a shower, a slice of cobbler and bed – maybe even in that order. He parked on the street. He shut off the engine, turned off the lights and sighed heavily. He sat there for a few moments before reaching into the back to get his gear. As he got ready to climb down, he remembered to grab the gift bag sitting on the floor of the passenger seat. He climbed down, closed the door and walked around the front of the truck.

He walked across the lawn and up the sidewalk to the side porch. He fumbled through keys until he found the one for the door. He put his bag down and opened the screen door; the spring groaned a little. He’d have to look at that. Tomorrow. It would wait.

He put the key in the lock and turned the knob. He opened the door, inhaling deeply.

Blackberry cobbler. Home.

> PLAY >

Stray Toasters

• Go see The Avengers.
• Supervillain Schemes That Ought to Have Worked
• A Prose By Any Other Name
• Ten Things You Probably Didn’t Know About DNA
• That Spells DNA, by Jonathan Coulton
• THEY FINALLY MADE A REAL LIGHTSABER!
• Mindplay: Bricks on me

Namaste.

Wednesday – 25 April 2012
It’s the middle of the week… which means that it’s new comics day as well as Movie Date Night.

Last night, Matt, Dave, and I missed our usual Guys’ Night Out activities and, instead, went to see the Utah Jazz take on the Phoenix Suns in a game with major playoff implications: If the Jazz won, they would be in the playoffs. If they lost, Phoenix would have to lose their next game and the Jazz would have to win their next game.

Needless to say, there was a lot of anticipation about this game. What we didn’t know until we got to the Energy Solutions Arena was: Tip-off had been delayed from 7:00 to 8:30, for TNT’s broadcast coverage. On the other hand, this gave us plenty of time to get something to eat. We opted for Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana. And we finished it off with gelato from Capo Gelateria.

Meanwhile, back at the arena, we got to our seats and got ready for the game.

This was my first Jazz game in over 14 years; I haven’t been to one since before I moved out here. Seriously. And it was a great game to attend. The Jazz played well, except for late in the 3rd and early in the 4th quarters. But, they pulled it off with a 100-88 win, clinching a playoff berth.

It was a fun way to spend the evening and a great change of pace for Guys’ Night Out.

Stray Toasters

• Fees and Anger Rise in California Water War
• Give the Gift of Experience
• Number of interracial couples in U.S. reaches all-time high
• 
• Jessica Thom’s Tourette Syndrome Superhero Educates, Entertains and Inspires
• I still need to finish LEGO: Batman. Now, more than ever. Why?  Because they’ve just given me a reason to add LEGO: Batman 2 – DC Super Heroes to The Covet List. What is it?  This:
  
  Yeah, it’s Hal Jordan and not John Stewart, but I’m not going to complain.
• The GQ Guide to Shirting
• This sounds curiously interesting: Leviathan: graphic novel of a gigantic cruise ship lost at sea for 20 years

Namaste.

Friday – 20 April 2012
It’s my “on” Friday. And, it’s also “4/20.” (Insert your own jokes here.)

Last night was my night to fix dinner. After wracking my brain over what to fix, I decided to head up to the local Whole Foods and see what they had in their meat counter. I returned home with four good-sized Parmesan Chicken breasts. While they were in the oven, I prepared some rice in chicken broth (and a little lemon pepper, for flavor). I added a salad for our vegetables and we called it a meal.

We watched Castle while we ate; it was a fun episode, with Nathan Fillion’s Firefly costar, Adam Baldwin, as a guest star. After dinner, I joined a couple of coworkers online and played a little MW3. And had my virtual ass handed to me. Repeatedly. But, it was still fun… despite the ego-bruising.

Stray Toasters

• Girl born with no hands wins national penmanship award
• LEGO + guerilla art = Banksy
• Investigation: Two Years After the BP Spill, a Hidden Health Crisis Festers
• When I first read this strip…
  
  …I wasn’t sure what to say about it. Then I read the commentary that accompanied it:

  An annoying distraction in the gay marriage debate is the idea that it infringes on a parent’s right to leave their kids in the dark about homosexuality. Preserving a kid’s ignorance is a pretty weak argument, unless there’s a truly compelling reason to keep them ignorant… such as a giant bug monster issuing forth from their heads.

  And that’s really every kid’s dream anyway, so I still don’t see what the fuss is about.

  And that, I thought, summed things up nicely.

• By way of Dave: Trains have a long-time, little-known history at HAFB
• Fears Rise That Recovery May Falter in the Spring
• 
• Ultimate Shopping Guide for Men, Spring 2012
• By way of Matt: Facts, 360 B.C. – 2012 A.D.
• The art of Jessica Lynn Gonzalez
• 
• Trojan designed to take screenshot of hotel payment apps
• Breast cancer rules rewritten in ‘landmark’ study
• While I’m an O’s fan, I’m both happy and a little weirded-out by the fact that they are currently atop the AL East.
• Speaking of baseball: Fenway Park is celebrating it centennial season.
• 
• The World’s First Bionic Foot Mimics Flexion to Aid Gait
• The Candle Problem

Namaste.

Tuesday – 17 April 2012
Day One of the work week. It started off rainy, but skies have cleared a bit.

TeamDiVa’s first road trip was a success.  The basic breakdowns were:

• Five days.
• Four states.
• Three hotel rooms.
• Two little ladies who traveled incredibly well, all things considered.
• One honest-to-goodness zebra.

It would be something of an understatement to say we’re “a little” tired. That was a lot of driving. But, it was a good trip. And, I wasn’t kidding about the zebra:

“Sure, there’s a zebra and some llama, Daddy… but there are cars and trucks right over there!”

There’s a petting zoo at the Flying J Truck Stop in Scipio, UT. We’d heard – and forgotten – about it, since we don’t go through there much anymore. But, we needed to stop so that the girls could have lunch. Thus, zebra.

And, while I don’t say this very often: I’d like to commend UDoT for the five (5) 80 MPH zones between Provo and the Arizona state line. They made a few of the long, boring stretches much more tolerable.

Stray Toasters

• Space Shuttle Discovery flies over D.C. to cheers — and warnings
• World’s Greatest Piggyback Ride
• I Love Ya But You’re Strange — That Time Wonder Woman Worked at Taco Bell
• 
• I am trying to avoid too much coverage of both Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises; I’d like there to be at least a few on-screen surprises.
• New treatment for prostate cancer gives ‘perfect results’ for nine in ten men: research
• 
• How to Fit Reading Into Your Schedule and Actually Finish the Books You Want to Read

Namaste.

Wednesday – 11 April 2012
Midweek, once more, is upon us.

Last night, because of their Uncle Logan’s birthday, Team DiVa stayed up a little past their normal dinner and bedtimes.

Vanessa (l) and Diana

They did nap a little on the way home; after a bite to eat, bottles and pre-bed wash-ups, they were still calm enough for a quick bedtime story. (Or, maybe they were just punchy.) But, they were out pretty quickly once they were in bed.

After they were down, SaraRules! and I split a piece of birthday cake (Raspberry Marzipan) and watched a little NCIS before calling it a night.

Stray Toasters

• Just a note to say that SaraRules! wins the Best Wife Ever Award. And Human of the Day. Again. This morning, I was so scatterbrained that I forgot my trusty travel mug o’ coffee. I realized this as I was at work, getting out of the car.

  She called me a few minutes later, letting me know that she was bringing it to me on her way to work.

• Long-lost Titanic S.O.S. is on view for the first time
• By way of my friend, Jeff: zxcvbn: realistic password strength estimation
• Commodore 64 pioneer Jack Tramiel lived Silicon Valley’s story
• Seat Assignment: Lavatory Self-Portraits in the Flemish Style
• For SaraRules!: Largest Rube Goldberg Machine: Purdue team set new world record (2012)
• TSA Waste

Namaste.

Tuesday – 10 April 2012
Another day in the valley. And it’s a rather nice day, at that. A bit breezy and few high clouds, but nothing horrible.

And, today is also my brother-in-law, Logan’s birthday:

Last night, SaraRules! had a Justice League meeting. My father-in-law came over to help me get Team DiVa ready for bed and to do some duct work in the basement. Both jobs were successful. When SaraRules! got home, we relaxed and watched a bit of House Crashers and Yard Crashers to wind out the evening.

Stray Toasters

• Even as Violent Crime Falls, Killing of Officers Rises
• Microsoft quietly buys Netscape browser technology
• Seeking Robots to Go Where First Responders Can’t
• For Galadriel:
  
• LEGO CUUSOO
• Raising the Floor on Pay
• It’s the End of the World as We Know It, and It’s a Small, Small World

Namaste.