Happy 2006

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man. ~Benjamin Franklin

Quick Update

Hello Everyone (Elise),
I just wanted to let everyone know that we are alive and well. We (I) haven’t posted in a while because we have been enjoying our vacation together. We’re both glad that there really are 12 days of Christmas. I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season.

Christmas in New Haven

It's just about here. Look what we found while shopping downtown.

Historically, luminaria function as a part of worship ceremonies or as a beacon for travelers on darkened roads. Both were true for us.

Check out the pics. (Our tree has been included)

Shuffle and Deal

It’s been a year now since I got Sirius and I must say that I am still as much in love with it as the day my receiver found the satellite feed.

What I found recently: Sirius Super Shuffle

As far as I can tell (and the internet tells me), the station plays itself by searching the music stations once a song has ended to find a song that is just beginning. Very iPod Shuffle, except that you’ll hear songs that you forgot about or never heard of right next to your current favorites and those of the past.

Apparently this is a trend that began in Denver, Colorado about a year ago called Jack Radio. Not sure if it was based on the Shuffle, but I think that was around the time when it came out (might have been the year before- research it yourself). One way or the other, I think it is an interesting way to listen to music, as well as to listen to Sirius. How often does any listener get around to all of those channels?

The weakest element is that, unlike the Shuffle, you can’t skip past a song that you don’t want to listen to. But you can switch back to one of your favorite stations or CD while you keep an eye on station 12. One positive element is the “train wrecks” that occur- that is the playing of completely different genres or styles next to each other.

Check it out.

Zubbles!

Ok, this is old news I guess; gizmodo (general link) covered this a while back. I just heard about it today on NPR (ditto).

For 60 years there has been little happening in the world of bubble technology. They have that wand with a rope to make huge bubbles, guns that shoot bubbles, and that’s about it as I can recall. Enter the Zubble. This is a wicked-cool colored bubble and although it seems simple, it is actually a result of one of the most complicated advancements of chemical and biotech engineering known to man.

10 years of crazy scientific hassle and a struggle for financing were needed to create a colorful bubble that wouldn’t stain or poison the children of the world. Obviously worth the wait.

Check out the whole story.

Christmas Market Watch

According to the Advocate:

Last year, the price of three French hens rose 200 percent.
The price of five golden rings fell 29 percent.

Demolish Hunger

Mostly everyone wants to see the New Haven Coliseum fall to the ground in a cloud of dust and smoke (those who don’t, really have no say anymore- have you seen the giant hole in the building?).

But when it is all said and done, not everyone will be able to say, “I blew up the Coliseum.” and not sound crazy. The good news is that with a little generosity and luck, you can be the one to say it and mean it.

You have nine(9) days to give six(6) canned goods or non-perishable food items to the Connecticut Food Bank. This will enter you into the coolest raffle I have ever heard of.

If they pick you, you get to push the ceremonial plunger (think cartoon-style Acme demolition device) that will bring the building crashing down. What a great idea for a food drive. Everyone wins.

Oh, and you get a personalized seat from the Coliseum, although, I’m not sure why you would want it. Probably pretty greasy after 30 or so years.

It's Smart Enough for You, Old Man

Dan, Maggie, Lauren, Mike, and (from what I understand) Carrie all think that these devices are smarter than you. Don't think so? Try the online version.

Sunday Update:
After playing with this for a day, I am still amazed at the artificial intelligence that this thing possesses. Now I have beaten the machine a bunch of times, but the strange thing is when it guesses something really specific by asking really basic questions. After the first few times the device blew my mind, I decided not to say what I was thinking out loud as I thought the thing had a mic.

The online version tells you what it thinks are flaws in your logic based on your responses. It also gives a little insight into how it works.

This is my gift of choice to toy drives this year.
Seriously, try this.

Citric Acid

Ever wonder where super trendy mall rats in their mid 20s go to look at each other after they’ve spent a lot of money on clothes? Me neither, but I found out anyway. The answer is Citrus.

There are lots of wall sconce votive things and leather couches and cubes for conversation. There are glass and tile walls that have water flowing down them and are lit from behind (think Spencer Gifts dorm decoration all grown up). They play the same ten songs over and over again. It has dim lights and LCD TVs. Everyone has a tab at the bar, I’ve never seen such a line of plastic. The one bartender that serves this pack greets you with “What’s your name? What are you having?” as he knows too that either no one carries cash or that everyone finances their Friday night drinking with ridicules interest.

We had some of the couches, and like most bars, if you were at one end of the L, you had to imagine what the person on the other end was talking about. If you were in the middle, you were living between two conversations.

Somehow we still had fun. Good people go a long way.

I just feel bad for those that go there on purpose.

So if you’re ever in the area and need a drink, Archie Moore’s is just down the street.

Who knows? Maybe it’s a good place for dinner. The website does look good.

I Have Made Categories

Ok, maybe that title on the side should say “Category”- whatever.

I’ve seen a lot of clever ways to get categories on blogger and none worked except doing it the very hard way. But you can see it did work. I’m not sure if it’s worth it. I may add them, I may delete the one that is there, but for now, just be proud that I made it work. I am.
And because I know nothing about html or dreamweaver, I don’t think I want to explain my method. It’ll make me seem like a caveman.

Tired of the Cold

Here is that snow day pic in case you forgot how cold it is outside. Why do I still live in this climate?

Let's Get Small

Now, I know nothing about HTML, but I wanted the site to look a little different from every other blog out there, so I played around for a little bit. I hope you like it.

How Bizarre

I don't really think that this needs to be explained, but here you go. Although I do not endorse this game, please note that the game is endorsed by Rusta Rhyme, B. Diddy, Master B., and Hustle Simmons.

No DJ Skills Needed

I know this sort of thing has happened to just about everyone before. I know about Versus tracks. I know that no one is going to try this. But I really enjoyed it anyway.
And it was all by accident.





Play Danger Doom in your dining room at a reasonable volume. (Thank you, Malcolm)

Play John Scofield in your living room at a reasonable volume. (Thank you, Elise)

Sit in the living room.

Snow Day

Our first snow day of the year- Maggie's first paid snow day ever. See how we spent it.

There were more pics, but I guess blogger didn't like them, or I hit my limit, or something.

Dan’s favorite cookie designs. Elf-Up. High-Gear.

Maggie’s favorite cookie designs.

We spent a long time in the past week (and today) just looking at the tree. Now you can too.

Are you an ornament?

The epic struggle of Superman and a giant robot- right in our living room.

Games indoors.

Automated

I have somewhat reached my goal of becoming a robot. I have set up a class that can in a way run itself (at least for this unit, one day they were working hard and didn’t need me, so I was looking for things to do). I stand and listen for problems with phrasing, syntax, developing ideas, logical flow and when help is needed, I come out of my observation stand-by mode and assist the way any good robot would. . This all came through not only my own programming, but my programming of them through a structured course of study that builds component by component.

You realize quickly that teaching is not lecturing and the less you say, the more they can do on their own. Then they remember what they learn, they aren’t just memorizing. It’s not me shutting down for the rest of the year and leaving them up to their own devices- actually more thought needs to go into assignments like these- it’s me removing the training wheels.

Unfortunately though, as everyone knows, the default setting for a robot is KILL.

Bibliofool

In order to help people make their selections for the list of books (that I guess the owl posted), here are links to the first chapter or so of 5 of the 7 books. Now you don't have to leave your house at all.
Middlesex

Heart of the Matter

Hunger

Lolita

A House for Mr. Biswas

Also see:
The Sunlight Dialogues John Gardner
Teacher Man Frank McCourt

On your own, in the real world.

That Time Again

Cut Your Own

Dog Blog

The First of Many

Broken Arrow Nursery sounds like a place that takes care of your tough little kid. It isn’t. It is the place to go for the best Christmas tree cutting experience. They give you a saw and a graduated 8-foot pole (to measure the height of your tree) and set you loose on acres of farmland. Sounds like any tree farm right? Well it kind of is, but this was the first time since before high school that I went out and did it (therefore the first time with Maggie) and also, it is the tree for our first married Christmas.

I have fond childhood memories of going out with the family, hunting for the perfect tree, being left in the cold to guard one that was of particular interest, and watching my dad try to hack it down and tie it to the car. It even seemed like a Christmas miracle when the farm owner would give us free rope.

Now my parents have an artificial tree with built-in lights and it makes sense because it’s easier.

Maggie and I have now started a tradition. There's nothing better than that. We think that when we buy a house, we will buy a potted tree to decorate and then keep it on the property. Maybe we’ll decorate one of those cedar seedlings (cedarlings) and use that in future years.

As a side note- it was awesome that our good friend Mark works at the Broken Arrow and not only helped us bag the tree and tie it to the car, but also showed us how to make wreaths. I felt like we were on a Christmas episode of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood where one of the local experts took the time to teach you how to do something.

Last thing- there is a machine, about the size of a microwave, that has a rapidly vibrating pedestal. They balance your tree on it and it shakes all of the loose needles off it. I have never seen a vibrating Christmas tree before and I have not been so delighted by a simple sight in a long time. I kind of wish my tree vibrated wildly all the time.

Picture of the tree to follow

Happy Birthday Sally!

Wimpout

Original post: It's a winner.

A bit later:

First time out- tough to explain the rules. Mike, Carrie, and Maggie caught on, but they thought I was lying a lot. Maggie won the first cosmic run. As usual, she tried to bet well after the game ended.