Originally, Michael Jackson wrote this song for Ryan White. It’s a beautiful song with wonderful lyrics and now it is once again sadly appropriate. Below is a video of Michael Jackson performing, “Gone Too Soon” at Bill Clinton’s inauguration. Despite the fact that it’s a political event and politicians can be seen in the crowd, it’s still a touching performance. This video originally aired in November 1992, when Michael Jackson was only 34 years old. “Thriller” had debuted almost exactly ten years prior, in 1982. Jackson looks and sounds good. This was how he looked at his peak, and how most people would like to remember him.

One of my favorite characters on the television show, “24″ is the loyal, honest, and patriotic Secret Service agent Aaron Pierce. I also enjoy Star Trek the Next Generation (STTNG). After seeing the latest Star Trek film Kelly developed an interest in the Star Trek franchise, so we’re watching all of the STTNG episodes from first to last. Tonight we’ll be watching the first episode of the third season. But, as we finished the second season last night, there was a young red-headed man in season 2, episode 21 that looked very familiar. I’m sure you already know that is was the actor that portrays Aaron Pierce on “24″, Glenn Morshower. I tried taking screenshots, but my software couldn’t capture video, so I started searching Google and found the image above on   this interesting Blog post featuring a list of other sci-fi actors that have appeared on “24″.    Image from www.erlendaakre.com

The Internet tubes are abuzz with talk of the new Burton/Depp extravaganza, “Alice in Wonderland”. MTV posted some images, and after a quick search I found some more on the websites of USA Today and Yahoo. Imaginative? Yes. Fantastic? Yes. Creepy? Definitely.

My cousin Jason just sent me the link to this video. I’ve seen a number of literal videos, but few of them are lyrically creative enough to make me keep watching all the way through. However, this music video is already freaky-weird and kept me watching anyway, just to see what other random visuals they’d include. The literal lyrics make it oh-so-much-more enjoyable. I think this one’s pretty darned funny.

He’s Barack Obama! The creative and comedic folks at Jib Jab have created another animated short. The visuals are very impressive!

Characters from the well-known children’s show, “Sesame Street” are promoting a preparedness mindset, telling parents and children that they need to be prepared for emergencies such as, “… earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, or even the simple house fire.” The website, parentdish.com, features this article discussing the preparedness initiative, and provides a link to this Sesame Workshop article about being prepared.

I’ve written about the importance of personal preparedness before (for instance, here and here), and most of my family and friends have not been kind. I’ve been mocked, ridiculed, belittled, and I’ve actually had my sanity questioned by friends and family alike. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to be prepared. This past winter the area in which I live was hit with highly damaging wind storms, ice storms, and heavy snowfall that all caused service disruptions. My area often experiences severe weather in the summer. Tornadoes are not uncommon in my area, and service disruptions occur every season.

To protect myself and Kelly I have devised plans to handle minor service disruptions of emergency responders (police, fire, EMTs) as well as disruptions of power, water, heat, and transportation for up to three days (perhaps longer). I have light sources, a generator and a battery backup for power outages. For other emergencies I have stored water, additional heat sources, and a stocked pantry. I have an emergency fund and a shelf of how-to books on topics ranging from repair to medicine. I have fire extinguishers and firearms. I’m slowly learning skills that could be helpful in times of trouble or service disruption. There is nothing crazy about preparedness. It’s pragmatic and responsible. I question the sanity and maturity of anyone that thinks they don’t need to take responsibility for the safety of themselves and their family.

A husband and father can’t be a protector and provider if he doesn’t make a plan to protect and provide. Planning to protect and provide is preparedness, plain and simple. What plans have you made to protect and provide for yourself and your loved ones in the event of a major service disruption or an emergency?

I’m rather surprised to see an article like this, and a little concerned that it’s from the Wall Street Journal. The map they provide with the story is very interesting. It shows the US divided into smaller territories, such as The Southern National Congress, The Republic of Lakotah, Cali Baha, and Texas. I know a number of films and novels have speculated about secession and the transformation of the United States into the Divided States, but I wasn’t aware that anyone sane actually thought it was a good idea. In the show Jericho the country was divided after a series of attacks destroyed the federal government, which lead to wars between the governments of newly created “sovereign nations”, like the Nation of Texas and the “Allied States of America” (based in Cheyenne Wyoming). But that was after nuclear detonations. So, the European nations are banding together because they recognize the strength of a large union, while some people here are discussing the disolusion of our union. The world is a very different place than it was a year ago.

“To give you an idea of how big a problem these deficits are, consider that the US government could tax its citizens 100% of their earnings and not have a balanced budget.” - Graham Summers

I started my original Blog on October 10, 2004, but hundreds of posts and lots of great content (four years worth), were lost due to a disreputable web hosting company that deleted all of my data on the server, stole my money, and then stole one of my domain names. Since then I restarted my Blog using a different service provider, and today is my one year Blog-Rebirth-Day. I restarted my Blog on June 15, 2008. It seems like much more than a year ago! As of today, including this post, I have 26,243 words in 137 entries.

Amazon has a listing for a “JL421 Badonkadonk Land Cruiser/Tank“, which sort of resembles Jabba the Hutt’s sail barge from Return of the Jedi. Here is an excerpt from the description on Amazon:

The JL421 Badonkadonk is a completely unique, extremely rare land vehicle and battle tank. Designed with versatility in mind, the Donk can transport cargo or a crew of five internally or on the roof, and can be piloted from within the armored shell or from an exposed standing position through the hatch, thanks to special one-way steel mesh armor windows and a control stick that pivots up and down to allow piloting from the standing or seated positions. The interior is fully carpeted and cozy, with accent lighting and room for up to five people. A 400 watt premium sound system with PA is mounted to project sound both into the cabin and outward from behind the windows. The exterior is a steel shell with a rust patina, and features head and tail lights, turn signal lights, trim lighting, underbody lighting, fixed slats protecting the windows, and a unique industrial-strength rubberized flexible skirt that shields and protects the wheels to within an inch of the ground, while still allowing for enough flex to give clearance over bumpy and uneven terrain.

The description ends with the following disclaimer, “Price does not include shipping and handling.” The list price is $19,999.95 and the shipping weight is listed as 1,300 pounds. Check it out!

I found the video above by accident while browsing YouTube, and the story was too intriguing not to view the video at the center of their report, which I’ve embedded below:

Now I believe that I must buy one of these magical shirts. I must!

I’m not sure if I’ve ever mentioned it before, but Kelly and I work as Designers and Developers of web-based training materials. Last Wednesday Kelly and I completed our first Flash animation created completely with ActionScript. I’ve always used the timeline for my animations, and was doubtful that we could pull a timeline animation off before our deadline. So, we decided to attempt a new method and it really paid off! Not only was the animation completed on time, but I think it’s quite nice considering that it was created in such a short time. Unfortunately, the content of the animation involves specific information and statistics concerning my employer, so I don’t think that I can post the animation here. But I can say that we used a custom class called, “Tweener” to create the animation, and the method we devised allowed us to create a rather dynamic animation in a small fraction of the time that it would have normally taken to produce a timeline-based animation of the same complexity. I don’t expect to abandon timeline-based animation, but I do plan to use more code-based animations in the future. If you’re a Flash developer or an animator, I suggest exploring Tweener as a possible supplement to your timeline animations.

Kelly is in Florida with her family for a vacation. I didn’t have enough vacation days to spare so I’m stuck at home and I’ve just finished my first weekend alone in years. At first I was looking forward to some time to myself, where I can watch the shows I want to watch and do the things I want to do (like post on my Blog, bore-sight my rifle, and play with my new GPS). However, now I find myself really missing her. She’s only been gone a few days and will stay gone for six more, but I’m missing her very much right now. This apartment feels very empty without her, and it’s very unpleasant. Sweety, if you’re reading this, I MISS YOU!

On a somewhat unrelated note, I’m getting frustrated with a bull frog. The entire back wall of my apartment is about 24 inches from a pond. It comes right up to the building with only a couple of feet to spare. My concrete patio actually extends out into the pond. For the last few nights I’ve been annoyed by a bull frog that has taken up residence near my back patio and is producing some rather loud mating calls. It’s not a high-pitched chirp that some frogs produce, it’s that deep, pulsing bull frog sound. Although I find that frog annoying, I’m really missing Kelly right now, and if I could belt out a deep, throaty sound to bring her to me, I’d do it. So, tonight I’ll just commiserate with that lonely frog.

In February of 2005 I posted the text to a short inspirational story. As I was sorting through old code that I was able to salvage from my original Blog, I re-read this story and decided to re-post it:

A speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $100.00 bill. In the room of several hundred people, he asked, “Who would like this $100 bill?” Hands started going up. He said, “I am going to give this $100 to one of you but first, let me do this. He proceeded to crumple up the $100 dollar bill. He then asked, “Who still wants it?” Still the hands were up in the air. Well, he replied, “What if I do this?” And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now crumpled and dirty. “Now, who still wants it?” Still the hands went into the air. “My friends, we have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $100. Many times in our lives,we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the poor decisions we make and the difficult circumstances that come our way. We might fail or suffer because of the failings of others. We can feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what you have done, what has happened, or what will happen, you will never lose your value. Dirty or clean, crumpled or finely creased, you are still priceless to God and the people that love you.”

A persons perception of their own value is related to their understanding of how their life and actions have value to others, which includes family, friends, society, and God. The value of a person and the value of that persons actions are vastly different, and God knows this. Regardless of what you have done or whom you have grieved, your personal value is a strong constant to God, and he values each and every one of His children. While it’s difficult for you to feel valuable when you feel guilt or pain, it’s important to remember that forgiveness and reconciliation can bring great freedom and lead to happier days. Keep in mind that, before you were born God knew you were going to make horrible mistakes, but in spite of that He loved you and made a way for you to go back to Him, because God, The Father, sees value in you. www.biblegateway.com

Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Cmabrigde uinervtisy, the oredr of ltteers in a wrod aern’t iprmoetnt, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteres are at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a tatol mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by it slef but the wrod as a wlohe. Ins’t taht azmanig?

As a single man I’ve gone on many, many dates with women that were so completely full of themselves it took all of my strength just to be polite and make it though dinner. I’ve been amazed and irritated by the level of narcissism present in the young women I’ve met. I’ve always wondered how a nice girl from a nice family could end up thinking that she doesn’t need to be helpful, considerate, empathetic, concerned, or respectful. How can an otherwise nice girl think that her mere existence should make everyone around her happy, that she should always be the center of attention, and that everything she wants should be given to her on a silver platter with a side of loving adoration? I just read an entry on CNN that describes, “Narcissistic personality disorder“. I had previously read an MSNBC article titled “Princess fever reigns for generation of girls“. I’ve seen it on sitcoms and they almost always make comedy of the fact that a girl is self-centered or has an apparent addiction to praise and encouragement. The MSNBC article discusses the fact that Disney relies heavily on narcissistic behavior for their profits. … Read the rest of this entry »

I wasn’t feeling well one day last week and thought I should stay home from work. After sleeping until about 9am, I shuffled into the living room and got comfortable on the couch with the TV remote in-hand prepared to relax and watch me some Discovery channel. I only watched about 15 minutes before the power went out. I later discovered that the power outage was related to the construction going on out front, but it wasn’t an intended outage. While digging to lay plumbing, the construction crew accidentally cut a power line. The power was out for a little over 9 hours that day. I had no Internet and I couldn’t even play a game on my laptop because the battery was nearly dead. I needed electricity. It was a beautiful sunny day, and the sun was streaming in through the sliding glass door. Two thoughts went through my mind: “If I only had a solar panel, I’d be able to charge my laptop”, and “If this was an emergency, this would be more than inconvenient”. So, I bought my first solar panel (pictured above). As a matter of fact, I just finished charging my cell phone with it, just to see how well it worked. So far, in my limited testing, it seems to work great. It folds up into a thin package that is smaller than a ream of paper. Small enough to drop into a backpack.

I rarely rave about anything. I’m just not the kind of person to lovingly gush about things. However, this video is one of the most well executed works of motion design that I have ever encountered. Excellent writing is paired with engaging motion graphics to provide one of the most educational and important motion graphics works that I’ve ever seen. Have you been confused by the credit crisis? Well this video explains it in a simple and visual fashion that is absolutely brilliant!

You can read the original article on motionographer.com

Yahoo Finance’s ‘Tech Ticker’ program features a video on their web site from an economist that echoes the same warnings we’ve been hearing for months: “The Worst Is Yet to Come: If You’re Not Petrified, You’re Not Paying Attention”. The facts that the economist cites in this video further reinforce the idea that we should all have a plan to deal with a greater economic downturn. I am not professionally trained in financial matters. I’m just a regular guy. But I’ve been reading the same advice from dozens of educated and professional resources, and below I’ve listed suggestions that I’ve been following. This isn’t a complete list of possible actions you could take, but these are the actions I’ve been taking. From my perspective the actions listed below have no downside, and they reduce my risk in the event that something economically terrible happens. There may be nothing we can do if things completely collapse, but there are some things we can do which might help lessen the pain for ourselves and our families. Saving money may be helpful if you lose your job, but in the event of an economic collapse, inflation can render your bank and savings accounts worthless. Do something with your money that helps it lock-in some level of value to you: … Read the rest of this entry »

This is either sick or awesome … maybe a little of both. This guy lost his eye when he was 11. Years later, as an adult, he’s inserted an LED into his prosthetic eye, and it looks totally creepy! (via Great White Snark).