The first few minutes of this video are boring, but hang in there. It's a bunch of bridesmaids preparing for a wedding...and then the bride arrives and she HATES her hair. She goes insane - watch until the end.
These are horrible girls- they continue to videotape and laugh throughout the freakout and then posted the video on YouTube...for our enjoyment.
Stupid people
this is why George Bush is President.
Kofi Annan is a drink.
The axis of evil includes California.
Star Wars is based on a true story.
A triangle has 4 sides.
Venice Beach probably wasn't the best place to ask people questions....
(Obviously it's too early in the morning and I'm one of them....I originally wrote the "access" of evil. Sigh.)
Kofi Annan is a drink.
The axis of evil includes California.
Star Wars is based on a true story.
A triangle has 4 sides.
Venice Beach probably wasn't the best place to ask people questions....
(Obviously it's too early in the morning and I'm one of them....I originally wrote the "access" of evil. Sigh.)
Bill Gates on the Jon Stewart Show
Best questions of the night:
"What does the F12 key do?"
"What's your password?"
Jon gave Bill two segments, which I haven't seen before, but all in all, it was just a bunch of marketing stuff. Jon was amusing and it was nice to see Bill laughing and joking around a little, which made him seem lifelike.
Speaking of Bill, on the news this morning, they showed all these people lined up last night to buy the very first copies of Windows Vista when they went on sale at 12:01am. No way I'm staying up on a school night for software. Especially software that ends in a .0.
"What does the F12 key do?"
"What's your password?"
Jon gave Bill two segments, which I haven't seen before, but all in all, it was just a bunch of marketing stuff. Jon was amusing and it was nice to see Bill laughing and joking around a little, which made him seem lifelike.
Speaking of Bill, on the news this morning, they showed all these people lined up last night to buy the very first copies of Windows Vista when they went on sale at 12:01am. No way I'm staying up on a school night for software. Especially software that ends in a .0.
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Poor Barbaro
Remember Barbaro? The horse that broke its leg in a horserace? They put him down today. From MSNBC:
Barbaro battled in his ICU stall for eight months. The 4-year-old colt
underwent several procedures and was fitted with fiberglass casts. He
spent time in a sling to ease pressure on his legs, had pins inserted
and was fitted at the end with an external brace. These were all
extraordinary measures for a horse with such injuries.
I'm sad.
Barbaro battled in his ICU stall for eight months. The 4-year-old colt
underwent several procedures and was fitted with fiberglass casts. He
spent time in a sling to ease pressure on his legs, had pins inserted
and was fitted at the end with an external brace. These were all
extraordinary measures for a horse with such injuries.
I'm sad.
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MIA?
Sorry for dropping off the radar a bit lately. I flew to the land of the giant rat (aka DisneyWorld) on Friday via Dallas. I'm convinced that there's a law in Dallas that if a plane takes off on time, they must kill the pilot. Suffice it to say, I was delayed in Dallas and finally got to Orlando around 11pm local time. The good news is that for the first time in 14 years, I made it to this conference with carryon luggage only. It helps that it's warm this year and I don't need to bring sweaters or bulky coats...
My big goal for Saturday was to absorb Vitamin D and I was successful in being able to sit outside and enjoy the big shiny thing in the sky they tell me is called "the sun". I was sitting on the balcony outside my hotel room and there was a sky writing plane that made a big smiley face in the sky which really made me happy. A little later, I looked up and he was writing Jesus graffiti in the sky, which sorta made me not as happy. Someone needs to tell him that long phrases tend to disintegrate before you finish...
Other than that, I've been doing the work thing. Learning a bunch of new things, doing a bit of the schmooze, catching up with friends, the usual. Of course, there's been a bit of juggling with work that needs to be done for the folks back at the office which has kept me up late a few nights, but I appreciate the opportunity to be out of the office and in the warmth, so I'm cool with that.
One of the things that's really special to me about coming to this particular conference is that because I've been coming to this particular conference for so long and because of my involvement with the technology from so early on, I know tons of people here. It takes an extra 20 minutes to get anywhere, because I keep stopping to talk to people. It's a great feeling to walk down the hall and have people waving at me and know that any of the sessions I drop into, I'll likely have someone I know to sit with. Especially considering there's 7,000 people here this year. And, the best part is that my friends are the really senior people here who everyone wants to know...we're so the cool kids!
My big goal for Saturday was to absorb Vitamin D and I was successful in being able to sit outside and enjoy the big shiny thing in the sky they tell me is called "the sun". I was sitting on the balcony outside my hotel room and there was a sky writing plane that made a big smiley face in the sky which really made me happy. A little later, I looked up and he was writing Jesus graffiti in the sky, which sorta made me not as happy. Someone needs to tell him that long phrases tend to disintegrate before you finish...
Other than that, I've been doing the work thing. Learning a bunch of new things, doing a bit of the schmooze, catching up with friends, the usual. Of course, there's been a bit of juggling with work that needs to be done for the folks back at the office which has kept me up late a few nights, but I appreciate the opportunity to be out of the office and in the warmth, so I'm cool with that.
One of the things that's really special to me about coming to this particular conference is that because I've been coming to this particular conference for so long and because of my involvement with the technology from so early on, I know tons of people here. It takes an extra 20 minutes to get anywhere, because I keep stopping to talk to people. It's a great feeling to walk down the hall and have people waving at me and know that any of the sessions I drop into, I'll likely have someone I know to sit with. Especially considering there's 7,000 people here this year. And, the best part is that my friends are the really senior people here who everyone wants to know...we're so the cool kids!
Someone do an intervention on Paula Abdul
Seriously, does anyone think she's just "tired"? She nods off during the middle of this interview. She's slurring her words like crazy. She's a mess! But her dad says she has "edge"...so I guess it's ok?!?
The "news" folks discuss the interview afterwards and they say "she's a little bit out of it" and said that the American Idol producers said it was ok to run the clip cause "she's just tired".
Click on Paula to check it out -->
Driving in the Pacific Northwest
well, this one is from Portland. My favorite is the first car - there's no way that guy kept going after hitting all those cars unless his foot was on the gas. You'll see - I'm talking about the part where he's going backwards!
Everyone repeat: no gas, no brake when sliding.
Stay off the roads. Do not walk either.
Everyone repeat: no gas, no brake when sliding.
Stay off the roads. Do not walk either.
Guess what's happening here today?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Very unusual to have this much snow here. Honestly, it's very pretty and I don't mind it at all - I prefer it to the rain. But some folks here (many folks here?) really aren't comfortable driving in the snow (oh yeah + the ice which is rather unpleasant). So, I'm staying home and trying to avoid them.
Technology runs in my genes...
Just uploaded some pix my dad gave me of him working many many years ago on very early computers...
Here's what my dad had to say when I asked him when the pic
tures were taken:About 1955. The machine is the IBM 705. What you see in the picture is 40K memory (they used ferrite core memory). The processing circuits were in other large boxes. We had 10 tons of air conditioning which was pumped under the floor to the machines and exhausted through the ceiling. IBM had maintenance personnel on site. They had a large room in which they kept spare parts. They took the machine over every morning for 1 hour (3 hours every Wednesday) for preventive maintenance. During that time, they reduced the voltage to the lowest allowable level in an attempt to make any weak part fail. They would then replace those parts. The circuits used vacuum tubes (like old radios)...thousands of them.
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Went to see this show on Saturday night. I had heard really good things about the Broadway production, but you never know with road casts, but these guys were great! It's hysterical and also had a really touching part that choked me up a bit. I'm totally in love with it now. I strongly recommend it if it comes to your town or if you're in NYC...Here's the original Bway cast on the Tony's...
My subconscious
A couple of years ago I had a dream where my dog talked. He said "avocado".
Last night I dreamt again that he could talk, but this time it started off with him repeating phrases and moved into paragraphs.
I think I'm a little too attached to my dog...your thoughts?
Last night I dreamt again that he could talk, but this time it started off with him repeating phrases and moved into paragraphs.
I think I'm a little too attached to my dog...your thoughts?
Scratch & Sniff Stamp
The Chinese post office is celebrating the year of the Pig with a pork-scented scratch-and-sniff stamp whose glue tastes of sweet-and-sour pork.
When you scratch the front of the stamps, it smells of the popular Chinese dish and when the back of the stamp is licked it tastes of the dish too.
(Thanks boingboing.net!)
Hey, we're having (yet another) storm!
Snow, ice, cold, whatever. A few hours ago, I heard it was taking people more than an hour just to get out of the garages here at work and that cars were crashed all over the place. I went down to the caf to get some dinner and I waited 50 minutes to get a veggie burger -- and the line didn't get any shorter while I was waiting! Usually, the caf closes at 6, but they were staying open late cause I think there's a strong likelihood they'd be lynched if they didn't.
It's about 7:15pm now. Last snowstorm when I left around this time, it took me 30 minutes to get out of the garage and another 45 minutes to get home (I live 1.5 miles from work). Oh, and my lovely (rear wheel drive) car was slipping and sliding all over the place. I have purchased new tires since then, but still... I may just end up leaving the car and walking home, but I'm afraid of someone sliding off the road and hitting me. Sigh.
Oh and look at this story about the traffic right now: Nearly all the major highways in the Seattle area jammed up tonight as snow rolled through the region during the evening commute, but there haven't yet been any major road closures.
But wait....here's the best part: One to two inches of snow was expected in the Seattle area.
All this over one to two inches of snow! Seriously. I'm speechless.
And check out this story about Mt. Rainier National Park: November delivered the most damaging storm in the national park's 108-year history. During one hellacious 36-hour span, 18 inches of rain fell -- taking out roads, bridges and campgrounds. The current damage estimate is $36 million, and that's only a starting point. The staff is waiting for the snow to melt to find out what else will need to be repaired or replaced.
Sigh. I need sun. The good news is that I'm off to Orlando next Friday for a week. Cross your fingers that it's sunny - I intend to sit in the sun all day Saturday and read a book. That's what everyone does when they get to DisneyWorld, right?
It's about 7:15pm now. Last snowstorm when I left around this time, it took me 30 minutes to get out of the garage and another 45 minutes to get home (I live 1.5 miles from work). Oh, and my lovely (rear wheel drive) car was slipping and sliding all over the place. I have purchased new tires since then, but still... I may just end up leaving the car and walking home, but I'm afraid of someone sliding off the road and hitting me. Sigh.
Oh and look at this story about the traffic right now: Nearly all the major highways in the Seattle area jammed up tonight as snow rolled through the region during the evening commute, but there haven't yet been any major road closures.
But wait....here's the best part: One to two inches of snow was expected in the Seattle area.
All this over one to two inches of snow! Seriously. I'm speechless.
And check out this story about Mt. Rainier National Park: November delivered the most damaging storm in the national park's 108-year history. During one hellacious 36-hour span, 18 inches of rain fell -- taking out roads, bridges and campgrounds. The current damage estimate is $36 million, and that's only a starting point. The staff is waiting for the snow to melt to find out what else will need to be repaired or replaced.
Sigh. I need sun. The good news is that I'm off to Orlando next Friday for a week. Cross your fingers that it's sunny - I intend to sit in the sun all day Saturday and read a book. That's what everyone does when they get to DisneyWorld, right?
Email I just received - wanted to share the news
Your Romanian colleagues at large corp enterprise have the pleasure of announcing that on this January 1st, 17 years after the fall of communism, Romania and Bulgaria have joined the European Union.
Romanians celebrated the most historic event for their country since they overthrew communism in 1989, marking their entry into the European Union with celebrations that coincided with the ringing in of the New Year.
In Bucharest, Romania���s capital, in the square where emboldened people shouted down Nicolae Ceausescu, the communist dictator, just before his overthrow in December 1989, thousands counted down the seconds to midnight. Fireworks lit the night sky and the EU's anthem Beethoven���s Ode to Joy from the Ninth Symphony played while groups danced the Hora, a traditional Romanian folk dance.
Romania is the 7th largest EU member with a population of 22 millions and an area of 92,043 sq mi. Bucharest, with a population of 2 million, is the largest city and also the country's capital.2
Road to EU Integration
Romania has made considerable progress over the past years in achieving this goal. EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said in Bucharest that the two entrants "deserve congratulations for impressive reforms in strengthening democracy, modernising their countries, making their justice systems more efficient and independent".3
Romania threw off communism in 1989, applied for EU membership in 1995 and began accession talks in 2000. Negotiations ended two years ago, and the European Commission declared in September that the country could join. In 2004, Romania also joined NATO.
Economy
Romania has enjoyed seven-years of continuous economic growth and seven-years of continuous disinflation. GDP is up by 8.3% compared to the same period in 2005, exceeding expectations, and economic growth during the first nine months of the year rose to 7.8%. According to the Financial Times, Romania is undergoing the fastest economic development in Europe, surpassing Greece (3.2 %), Turkey (5.2 %) and Bulgaria (5.7 %). Romania's leu surpassed all European currencies and became the world's best performer this year, according to Bloomberg market analysts.5 Play Romania, Bucharest - Simply Surprising movie.
Tourism and Culture
Romania has majestic castles, medieval towns, great hiking and wildlife, and cheap skiing of much of the 'undiscovered' former Eastern Bloc. The Palace of Parliament is the world's second largest building after the US Pentagon. Built in 1984, the building's 12 storeys and 3100 rooms covers 330,000 sq metres - an estimated three billion Euro project. The medieval Saxon city of Sibiu in Transylvania was designed to be the European Capital of Culture in 2007.
The Romanian Black Sea coast stretches out for 245 km (153 miles). The southern 72 km (45 miles) area of the Romanian Black Sea coast has been developed into a string of beach resorts forming the Romanian Black Sea Riviera.7 Play Romania's Black Sea - Simply Surprising movie.
Natural Reservations
Danube Delta is the largest and best preserved of Europe's deltas and it's on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites (1991) and Biosphere reserves. Around 2,733 km�� of it are strictly protected areas and it hosts over 1,200 varieties of plants, 300 species of birds as well as 45 freshwater fish species in its numerous lakes and marshes.8 Play Romania's Danube Delta - Simply Surprising movie.
Romania - Simply Surprising campaign Play movie
Debate
Last week, I went to see a Parliamentary debate between two guys from the Oxford University debate team and Northwest University. I've never seen a debate before (unless you consider the Presidential and Vice Presidential debates actual debates. Which they aren't.).
Parliamentary debate allows one team (of two people) to introduce their side for 7 minutes, the other team to rebut for 8 minutes, then back and forth one more time for 8 minutes each.
There was a woman who introduced the topic (American Foreign Aid) and we (as the British Parliament) were supposed to knock on the tables in front of us when we agreed with a point. We would also decide the winners based on who made the best argument - not who we agreed with.
It was fun in watching these guys go. First of all, thought there would be some sort of "Presentation Style", but they talk really fast trying to get all their points in. Apparently, they must be rated based on not only the quality of their arguments, but also the number of points they make supporting their argument. I found myself agreeing with both sides which is always good for me (I like to be reminded that very few issues are black and white). Ultimately, I voted from the British guys but GaryDev felt that the Americans answered the question - they focused on what aid has done up until now and Gary felt that the Brits talked more about what aid can do.
Free lunch, interesting discussion, good company, good times!
Little Children review
I went to see this movie yesterday and liked it a lot, although it's one of those movies that's a little "hard" to like. It's definitely not a pick me up kinda flick - it's about two married people who meet through their children (three year olds) and have an affair. Oh yeah, plus a man who exposes himself to children. So, it's a bit dark.
I read the book and they cut out a several big parts from the book (there's an entire storyline on Kate Winslet's husband in the book that doesn't exist at all in the movie, which changes it significantly). And, I meant to check to see if they changed the ending, cause I think they have. Which is fine - the movie has its own message.
It's definitely a reflection on American middle class suburbia in the way that American Beauty was, but with less tongue in cheek (or much humor at all). The suburbanites don't come across particularly well (surprise surprise). Kate Winslet's performance was excellent (but they always are) as were the other performances, particularly the creepy pedophile guy.
I wouldn't go to see this in order to have a little light getaway from your life, but I think it's an interesting reflection on suburbia, choices and moving forward. I enjoyed it quite a bit. 4 Amys.
I read the book and they cut out a several big parts from the book (there's an entire storyline on Kate Winslet's husband in the book that doesn't exist at all in the movie, which changes it significantly). And, I meant to check to see if they changed the ending, cause I think they have. Which is fine - the movie has its own message.
It's definitely a reflection on American middle class suburbia in the way that American Beauty was, but with less tongue in cheek (or much humor at all). The suburbanites don't come across particularly well (surprise surprise). Kate Winslet's performance was excellent (but they always are) as were the other performances, particularly the creepy pedophile guy.
I wouldn't go to see this in order to have a little light getaway from your life, but I think it's an interesting reflection on suburbia, choices and moving forward. I enjoyed it quite a bit. 4 Amys.
Like DVDs of TV shows?
If you're like me, you find that the best way to watch TV shows is on DVD - especially hour long shows like 24 and Lost. It's a great way to catch up on shows you always heard were great but never got around to watching. Anyways, Amazon is having a huge sale on FOX DVDs, some of them as much as 50% off.
Amazon always has discounts on their items, less than you'd pay in the store, but these prices are even bigger discounts than usual so it might be a good time to beef up your collection.
Amazon always has discounts on their items, less than you'd pay in the store, but these prices are even bigger discounts than usual so it might be a good time to beef up your collection.
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