A little perspective

I spotted this diagram over the weekend and thought it provided some much-needed perspective...

Here's a snippet of the writeup that went along with it...

It's easy as pie to generalize to millions of people the crimes of a few. We Catholics have had it done to us. And we can have it done to us again. So we should be bloody cautious about insane schemes to do it to 18 million fellow citizens.

Signs of the season

I know that fall starts in a couple of days, but I was taken by surprise when I spotted this tree on my way to work today.

The leaves are just about the brightest orange I've ever seen -- and there were already several of them on the ground beneath the tree.

I'm always kind of bummed to see summer slip away.  But I must admit, this tree is a beautiful sight.

Android vs. iPhone

I love my HTC Droid Eris (except for a few nitpicks -- that password protected lock screen is annoying).  But every now and then I've gone searching for an app, but can't find one that does quite what I'm looking for.

With that in mind, I stumbled on these cartoons that compare Android and iPhone. Thought I'd share...

For the love of the game

If there is a TV turned on the house, these days it seems Nolan will have tuned to the Little League World Series.

I think he really enjoys watching kids close to his age playing ball on TV. Right now I think he's predicting Texas will go all the way.

The fact that Little League World Series 2009 on Wii is one of his favorite video games probably doesn't hurt either.

I find I kind of enjoy watching it too. It's a nice change of pace -- no egos, no giant paychecks, no steroids. Just the game.  There's something pure about it that a baseball fan can't deny.

The other day I was watching a game during my lunch break. The young third baseman playing for Connecticut, I think, snagged a ball that was lined like a shot down the third base line.  It would have been an amazing grab for any major leaguer.  And as I watched the huge smile on the 12-year-old ballplayer's face, I couldn't help but smile myself.

It's a terrific reminder of everything that's great about America's pastime.

Gotcha Day 2010

It's been seven years since we made the trip to New York City to pick up 4-month-old Thomas at JFK and bring him home. We lovingly refer to each August 19th as "Gotcha Day."

Flash forward to 2010...Thomas and Nolan are much bigger and about to enter into 2nd and 5th grades. They are brothers through-and-through.  Best friends -- except for the times when they want to kill each other, as siblings are also prone to want to do now and then!

I try to snap a photo of the boys every Gotcha day.  Here's this year's before and after...

'An elegant weapon for a more civilized age'

This has been floating around on YouTube for a week or so.  For everyone who ever wished to have a lightsaber, here's every lightsaber ignition and retraction from all of the Star Wars movies...

Doctor D'oh!

Ever wonder what "Doctor Who" would be like in the hands of Matt Groening and the creators of "The Simpsons?"

Thanks to co-worker Pat Skerry for finding this and passing it along...

Charting the chart toppers

Listening to the most recent Current Geek Weekly this morning, they referenced this funny-sounding flowchart that maps out the Beatles classic "Hey Jude."

But then in looking it up so I could post it, I saw that whoever created it was inspired by this flowchart of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" (click on it to see it bigger).

'In the event of a flight attendant freak out...'

By now we've all heard the tale of disgruntled JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater. But no one tells the story quite as well as Stephen Colbert -- who has named Slater his Alpha Dog of the Week...

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Alpha Dog of the Week - Steven Slater
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes 2010 Election Fox News

Meanwhile, the Taiwan-based studio that brought us that CGI summary of the Leno-Conan late night debacle have recreated the flight attendant frenzy for those of us who weren't there to see it first hand...

'Even the darkness must pass'

Nolan has discovered the "Lord of the Rings" movies. He watched "The Fellowship of the Ring" for the first time about a month ago and tonight we watched "The Two Towers."

I enjoy these movies so much. I love the characters. Aragorn is such an awesome hero. Gimli and and Legolas are lots of fun. But my favorite might be Sam. I don't think there is a more loyal friend in the world.

Of the three movies (Nolan is very eager to see "The Return of the King" now), "Two Towers" is the one I've seen the least.  There is a speech that Sam gives at the end that I had forgotten about, but I really liked it a lot. So I figured I'd post it here:

It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger, they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened?

But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer.

Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why.

But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn't. They kept going. Because they were holding on to something.

As long as we're on the subject, I'd be remiss if I didn't include a link to this clip, which may be my favorite moment in the entire LOTR trilogy. I admit, I get a little choked up every time I see it.

May the cupcakes be with you

see more My Food Looks Funny

Thanks to Shawn for passing this one along. These Star Wars cupcakes look pretty awesome. Which one would you eat first? And what's the most creative thing you'd do with the Jar-Jar cupcake?

600

It’s not unusual for my kids to greet me each morning with the following question: “Did the Yankees win last night?”

For the last couple of weeks that’s been immediately followed with another question: “Did A-Rod hit his 600th homerun?”

Just when I was beginning to resign myself to the fact that Alex Rodriguez was never going to knock another ball over the fence, he finally belted career homerun number 600 this afternoon in the first inning against the Toronto Blue Jays.

A-Rod is now the seventh and youngest slugger ever to each that milestone. He just turned 35 on July 27.

It’s quite an accomplishment and as a Yankee fan, and a baseball fan in general, I’m excited for A-Rod.

But I’m not as excited as I could be, given that I know this achievement isn’t 100 percent “pure.” After all, Rodriguez has admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs from 2001 to 2003 while playing for the Texas Rangers. We’ll never know for sure how many of the homers he hit during that period were “enhanced.”

When Barry Bonds – another steroid abuser -- broke Hank Aaron’s career homerun record I thought to myself, “That’s okay. In time, A-Rod will pass Bonds, and he’ll do it in a Yankee uniform.” If and when he does, I’ll still applaud him. But I can never be quite as excited as I once thought I’d be.

As for my kids, I’ll go home tonight and tell them about the homerun. I’ve talked to them about steroids and about A-Rod in particular. I don’t think it’s really sunk in for them. Maybe someday it will. But for now, I’ll let them be thrilled for the Yankees third baseman.

It actually works!

I've had this blog for six years now. Finally it's paying off!

I don't remember exactly when I added Google ads. I know I put them on at one point and then removed them and decided to try putting them back again. I don't know if I ever really expected to see any return on them.

But low and behold, yesterday a check arrived in the mail from Google for $104! That's really impressive considering I hardly write on the blog anymore.

This could be yet another incentive to keep writing. Google doesn't pay you until you're earnings reach the $100 level. Hopefully it won't take another six years to get another check.

So thanks, everyone, for the clicks.  I'll keep writing if you keep clicking.

Most likely to be a social media nerd

Although I didn't think of myself as exactly being at the top of the social ladder in high school, apparently many of my former classmates now consider me the king of social media.

Last night Niskayuna High School's Class of 1990 had their 20-year reunion.  It was so great to see so many old faces -- many of which I haven't seen since graduation. At least, not in person.

That brings us to modern marvel that is Facebook.  I seriously lost track of how many people said to me, "Hey, Chris, I see you on Facebook all the time!" or "Yeah, you're all over Facebook."

Another person looked at the drink in my hand and asked why I wasn't drinking a cup of coffee. Apparently I've written many status updates about enjoying a cup of coffee.

Then there was the guy who told me I'm on Facebook so much that I have the most recognizable face in the room.  I know that was meant as a compliment, but I admit I was a little embarrassed. Am I putting too much out there?

For the record, I think I only did a few updates on Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare during the course of the party.

I also only sang karaoke twice. I haven't done that since college.  But the ham in me couldn't resist the urge to grab the microphone and make an ass of myself.

I was one of the first singers of the night and did a very lame rendition of "Great Balls of Fire."  Much later in the evening I had the urge to take another crack at it.  It took a while to decide what song to do, but I finally settled on Van Halen's "Jump." However,when the DJ told me I'd be the last song of the night, I immediately changed my mind. "New York, New York" would be the perfect song to end the night!

I managed to get a good number of the attendees on the dance floor to sing along and start a kick line.

And of course I couldn't wait to update my Facebook status about it.

Fun with negative space

Listening to the Current Geek podcast recently, they referenced "the arrow in the FedEx logo."

I have to admit, I wasn't sure what they were talking about.  I hadn't ever noticed an arrow in the logo before.  I tried to picture it in my head, but I wasn't seeing it.

Then while driving home work earlier this week I was behind a FedEx truck -- and there is was!  It's as plain as the nose on my face.  How did I never see it before?  Now I can't look at the logo without the arrow jumping out at me.

All-Star annoyance

I'll spare you my usual rant about baseball coverage on Fox and the late start of important games like the All-Star Game and the World Series.  Instead, I'll let you hear straight from one of those most affected by the annoying practices of MLB and Fox...



For the record, tonight's first pitch came at 8:50 p.m. ET.  Nolan got to watch the first two innings before going to bed.

The bendy bike

I spotted this on Discovery News the other day and thought it was pretty cool.

A 21-year-old British college student designed this bendable bicycle. The idea is that by being able to wrap your bike around a pole like this you can lock up your frame and both wheels with one simple lock giving you a more secure setup.

Apparently the bike uses a ratchet mechanism so it's both rigid and bendable, but not simultaneously. When you jump off the bike to park it, you push a lever on the frame and the bike becomes flexible, so you can wrap it around the nearest post or bike rack.

Kevin Scott's design was runner-up in the Business Design Centre New Designer of the Year Award.  He hopes to commercialize his invention.

What do you think bike fans? Is this something that you'd want?

The pilgrimage

I mentioned our trip to Yankee Stadium.  Here are some photos...



We went to the game on July 4th. The Yankees beat the Blue Jays 7-6 in 10 innings.  This was our first trip to the new stadium and Kris and Thomas' first big league ballgame.

Today is the first day of the rest of your blog

My three-month blogging hiatus is over.

Lately, anything I've felt like saying I've been able to say in 140 characters or less on Twitter.  Any interesting links I spotted or photos I had were shared on Facebook.  Updates on life with the Rooney family were posted on the Rooney Train.

I was no longer sure this blog served a purpose and came closer than ever to pulling the plug.

The truth is, I thought about the blog almost every day. I usually felt guilty for neglecting it, but I was actually a little relieved when I thought about getting rid of it and not worrying about neglecting it any more.  If keeping this blog going is a source of stress, then what's the point?

So if that's how I feel about it, then why am I back here posting again?  I'm really not sure.  I guess I just don't want to give up that easily.  I shall endeavor to do better.  Wish me luck!

Decade Day

Nolan joined the Double Digits Club today. Where the heck have the last 10 years gone?

In the blink of an eye, this little baby we brought into the world is now a 10-year-old kid about to go into the fifth grade. In another of those blinks will he really be 20 and in college? Hard to fathom!

As is often the case with our kids, the celebration was stretched out over a few days. It started back on July 4 with our first trip to the new Yankee Stadium. The tickets were actually a Christmas gift from Kris’ folks, but we decided to time our trip close to his birthday and bought him an extra souvenir while we were there.

Last night we took him out to dinner at the restaurant of his choice. He picked Red Robin.

Tonight we had dinner with my mom and his cousin Louis. Nolan requested a Boston cream pie for his cake.

I think he had a good day today. When he was going to bed he asked how much older I was. When I told him I had 28 years on him Nolan remarked that he had a lot to do before he reached that age -- middle school, high school, college, finding a job. I advised him to just take life one day at a time.

That’s how we’ve done things so far. Day 1 of the next decade starts tomorrow.

Tasty art

I love stories about people with too much free time, which this appeared to be at first.

It turns out it’s actually about a high school art class in Utah where the teacher dreamed up an interesting idea to better connect with students.

The class spent about a week creating a 6,400-square-foot replica of Vincent van Gogh’s famous “Starry Night” out of Malt-O-Meal breakfast cereal.

After the project was finished, the cereal was scooped up of the gym floor and given to a famer to feed pigs.

What’s the craziest class project you ever took part in?

I'm a PC and this was NOT my idea

OK, all you macheads out there are going to pounce on this with a great big "I told you so."  But I'm hoping someone out there might have some suggestions I haven't thought of for my computer conundrum.

We got a netbook for Christmas that's running Windows 7 Starter (don't get me started on the lame Starter edition -- that's a whole other blog post).  It took me a little while, but eventually I figured out how to network it with my other computer, which is running Windows XP Pro.

Life was good for a time.  Nolan and I could sit in the basement and watch "Doctor Who" episodes saved on my external hard drive.  I could sit in bed and watch video podcasts I had downloaded from iTunes on the other machine.  And I could print anything I needed to from the netbook.

Then one day, poof.  The connection was gone.  The computers just decided they didn't want to play nice and talk to each other anymore.

I have absolutely no idea what happened. I assume this is the result of an update that was automatically installed to one of the computers, but I have no idea which one or which update -- or if that even really is the problem.  I just know that I didn't make any changes that I'm aware of that could have caused this.

So tech nerds, what's the deal? Has anyone else experienced a problem like this? And if so, tell me you figured out how to fix it.

Spring ahead

On weekends we often don't bother setting our alarms.  We usually wake up when we hear the kids get up.  They almost always arise around the same time whether their alarms are turned on or not -- around 7 a.m.

Today was no different -- sort of.

We awoke to the sound of the kids going downstairs and digging into the Sunday paper, looking for the funnies.  Kris eventually decided to get up and hop in the shower and I dragged myself out of bed to go downstairs and start breakfast.

I was in the midst of starting a pot of coffee when Thomas looked at the cable box noted that the time on it was "wrong."  It said 8:16, not 7:16.

D'oh!

The Mass we usually attend starts at 8:30.  We probably would have gone to a later Mass, but Kris and Thomas were scheduled to usher this morning.

I don't know how we did it, but somehow we all managed to get dressed and arrive at church just in the nick of time.

Shortly after church started we spotted someone coming in late.  Kris noted that she had wet hair and acknowledged it made her feel better to know we probably weren't the only ones rushing around this morning.

How about you? Have you ever forgotten to change your clocks before a time change and then been caught by surprise the next morning?

RSS for Dummies

Not long ago I had to explain to someone (who I thought should have known better) what an RSS feed was and how it's so much easier to follow all of the websites and blogs you like with an RSS reader.

I've been using an RSS reader, mostly Google Reader, for years. Almost as long as I've had this blog and certainly longer since I've been on Facebook and Twitter. So I guess I take for granted that everyone knows what it's all about.

I posted this "RSS in Plain English" video almost three years ago. For those who still don't get it, here's a refresher.

'Oh, it's good to be back'

"Iron Man 2" looks like it's going to be a ton of fun.

Wookie Mania

"Oooh, Look! There's Chewbacca!"

It wasn't the kids who were so excited. It was me.

I took to the boys on Saturday to the annual Kidz Expo at the Empire State Plaza. It's filled to the gills with booths and displays from various kid-related businesses pushing their services. There's some things to do, like giant bouncy-bounces, video games, mini golf and lots of other stuff. Laser tag was the biggest hit for Nolan and Thomas.

For their giant geek of a dad it's seeing people wandering around in really cool Star Wars costumes. There was a variety of stormtroopers and Jedi. We even saw a Jawa. Darth Vader was also lurking about.

But my eyes lit up when I saw the first mate of the Millennium Falcon.

"Hey, Chewie! How about a picture?" I asked after rushing right over to him.

Except while everyone else was taking photos of their kids with George Lucas' creations, I promptly handed my camera to 6-year-old Thomas and proudly took my place next to my favorite Wookie. I admit, part of me wondered if the guy in the costume thought I was nuts.

Afterward, almost as an after thought, I asked the boys if they'd like their picture with Chewbacca.

"Um, no, dad. That's OK."

The guy in the Wookie suit might not have thought I was crazy. But I'm pretty sure my kids did.

Then again, they're probably used to it. I had a similar reaction at last year's Kidz Expo when I had my picture taken with Lord Vader.

App writers unite!

Remember that blog post I wrote about the Internet becoming fractured by all of the different options for wireless apps depending on who manufactured your device or what carrier you used?

Well, maybe it won't come to that.

Goofy goggles

I'm sorry, but doesn't the protective eyewear Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad sported during an laser science exhibition in Iran last week look just like the safety goggles worn in the "TV room" in "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?"

Words trailing off

Ever wonder what happens to the words floating through space after they go by at the beginning of "Star Wars?" Where do they go?

The question is answered in what is likely the most geektastic viral video you'll see this week...

The Splinternet

Is the World Wide Web an endangered species?

Driving home last night I listened to author Josh Bernoff on NPR's Marketwatch make the case that the golden age of the Internet is over. Bernoff argues that smart phones and devices like Apple's iPad are fundamentally changing the nature of the Net.

...it's really the Web that is shattering into pieces here. We've had 15 years now where there was a common standard for the kinds of computers that were connecting up to Web sites, and this really made it easy for the people who were delivering content to those folks. But now, between iPhones and Tablets and Kindles, you can't be sure if you build a Web site that everybody will experience it the same way anymore.

The comparison was made to the early 1990s when you had AOL and Compuserve -- the Coke and Pepsi of the Internet. You either used one or the other. There some features and services that one had the other didn't -- pros and cons to each. Then the Web came along and unified the way we use the Internet.

But up until now the Internet has been tied down to our home computers or even our laptops.

Now it's gone mobile. We carry the Internet around in our pockets with iPhones, Blackberries, Droids and whatever else. The Internet is often accessed and utilized through various apps. But there is no standard for them. An app for one device won't necessarily work on others.

This could pose a challenge for developers and consumers alike as they try to choose which horse to back. Is this the Internet equivalent of Beta vs. VHS?

iPod inspection #4

Time for another iPod inspection.

I've been getting some odd mixes lately. The other day I was rocking out to a classic Van Halen song only to awkwardly segue into a much more easy listening James Taylor tune.

And the last time I went running I kept getting hit with slow songs like Billy Joel's "She's Always a Woman," which just goes to show I need to use a playlist for exercising instead of just shuffling everything.

Anyway, here's today's random 10 songs:

1. "Killer Queen" - Queen
2. "Every Breath You Take (Acoustic)" - Sting
3. "Mr. Pitiful" - The Commitments
4. "Imperial March" - John Williams (what, you all know I'm a giant geek)
5. "Paper In Fire" - John Mellancamp
6. "Black And Tan" - Hair of the Dog
7. "Where the Streets Have No Name" - U2
8. "Even Flow" - Pearl Jam
9. "Home by the Sea/Second Home by the Sea" - Genesis
10. "Frankestein" Edgar Winter

It seems like I get a U2 song and a Hair of the Dog song every time I do this. You'd think that's all I own, although I can assure you that's not the case.

What's got your ear these days?

Fun at the Frost Faire

I've written before about how much I enjoy going to the Saratoga Battlefield. It is just so awesome to stand amid such beautiful scenery and know you are surrounded by history.

We paid another visit to the battlefield today for their annual Frost Faire.

We started out by taking a horse-drawn wagon ride out to the big tubing hill. And when I say big, I mean BIG. There was more snow last year. This year there were actually some patched of grass on the hill that slowed things down a bit. But it still went pretty fast. Nolan and I went for a few good runs down the hill.

Thomas was a little intimidated by the steep slope. So he hung out by the campfire at the top with Kris, who was nursing a sore knee, and worked on a assembling a life-sized puzzle of a British soldier.

Then it was off to the warming tent for hot chocolate and cookies before taking the 3/4-mile wagon trip back to the visitors center. That's where Nolan got a lesson in how to handle musket (it was only a pretend one) and Thomas got to practice writing with a quill and ink. There were some crafts to work on and -- best of all -- one of the big canons was fired off a few times. I never, ever tire of that!

It made for a pretty fun afternoon, and every time we go to the battlefield we leave having learned something new.

Social media ain't kid stuff

It seems like I still run into people who think Facebook and Twitter are for youngsters. But get a load of these figures Lost Remote pulled from a Forrester Research report...

• A third of adults post at least once a week to social sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
• A quarter of adults publish a blog and upload video/audio they created.
• Nearly 60% maintain a profile on a social networking site.
• 70% Read blogs, tweets and watch UGC video.

Clash of the talk show hosts

There are a lot of subtle details to the late night TV debacle at NBC. This video sorts it all out.

Sure it's in Chinese. And it depicts Jay Leno, Conan O'Brien and Jeff Zucker as costumed superheroes battling each other. And it features David Letterman wacking Zucker with a folding chair.

But otherwise, it really tells the story well.

Avoid the Noid

Domino's Pizza has new ad campaign touting a new tastier recipe and saying they've listened to the comments of their customers.

Enjoy Stephen Colbert's analysis of the campaign...

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Alpha Dog of the Week - Domino's Pizza
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Economy

iPod video test

I'm impressed with the video camera on my iPod Nano.

Over the weekend while Thomas was playing in the front yard I decided to pull my iPod out of my pocket and play with the camera since I had never really used it before.

The tiny microphone doesn't pick Thomas up very well, but you can hear my voice just fine. The camera lense is also in kind of an awkward spot -- right where it would feel most natural to place your hand while holding the iPod.

Other than those nitpicks, the video looks pretty good considering it came from such a small device.

iPod inspection

Time for another iPod inspection. I’ve been listening to a steady diet of podcasts lately (I’m hooked on Current Geek). But when we shuffle the tunes, here’s what comes out…

1. “The Scotsman” – Hair of the Dog
2. “Up on the Roof” – James Taylor (Live)
3. “One Year of Love” – Queen
4. “In ‘N’ Out” – Van Halen
5. “You May Be Right” – Billy Joel
6. Hard to Handle” – The Commitments
7. “Crash Course” – Crash Test Dummies
8. “Oliver’s Army” – Elvis Costello
9. “Bullet the Blue Sky” – U2
10. “Lonely Ol’ Night” – John Mellencamp

What are you listening to these days?

Passing it along

There is nothing better than sharing something you love with your kids and seeing them enjoy it too.

For Kris, this often comes when we go camping or spend time in the Adirondacks. She tries hard to instill an appreciation of the outdoors in the boys and loves seeing that pay off.

With me it often comes with more geeky pleasures.

Case in point -- last night I took Nolan to see "Raiders of the Lost Ark" at the Palace Theatre in Albany. He had seen the movie before, but I assured him that he had never seen it like this. I told him that there was something magical about sitting in a dark theater and watching the adventure play out on the giant screen. I told him that the picture might be scratchy or the sound not always crystal clear, but it would still be way better that watching a DVD in our basement.

I don't think he understood what I was talking about. But when the movie was over, he told me that I was right. He got it.

Another example -- it was a big weekend for "Doctor Who" fans. The latest (and some might argue greatest) actor to play the main character in the long running British sci-fi show left the series.

One of the things that has kept the show going since 1963 is a clever little plot device that allows different actors to come and go in the role. You see, the Doctor is an alien with the ability to regenerate -- essentially transform into a new body -- when he is dying.

Fans of the show always have a certain fondness for their first Doctor. For me it was Tom Baker, the fourth Doctor. For Nolan and Thomas it has been David Tennant, the 10th Doctor.

When I was a kid I was aware that there had been other actors who had played the Doctor. But still, seeing Tom Baker regenerate into the fifth Doctor blew my mind. And that was the case for my boys. There was much hoopla and hype leading up to Tennant's departure. When the moment of the big transformation finally came, they were literally on the edge of their seats. It was so cool to watch them enjoy that.

There are lots of things we try to pass on. Some things take better than others. It's always a thrill when you find you can share something you love.