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Showing posts from January, 2007

Engineering Test

Watch a Boeing 777 wing stress test .... when it goes...it goes....bammmmm Pretty interesting.

Fried Phone

I jumped out of the shower and took a couple of calls on my cell on Sat....guess what....I suppose the steam off my ear was moisture overload for my delicate little phone,.... now no workie. I am using my old phone for the moment and it holds a charge for about 3 hours, (reason it was replaced) so if you don't get me on cell, try the houses on both sides of the street. I am giving my dead phone a couple more days to see if it can rise from the dead as per the techniques and advice in Wiki How To article before I march up to Cingular and spend money.

Fun Toy for Today

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Isotope2 and you can go to the comments area and copy/paste other people's settings to try but really, as for fun toys, ZeFrank has everyone beat, hands down IMHO and BTW, this a.m. was in the 40's when I got up, so nevermind about coldest night, I guess the cold weather retracted back to the north where it belongs.

This is cool

If you get a scan at a hospital, ask for a CD of the scans. There is a lot of open source software out there that will allow you to re-assemble the thin slices on the CD and see for your self what your innards look like. Read this short Wired piece.

Brrrrrrr.......

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It is 37 degrees as I speak. Yipes ! Just got back from dinner at Lulu's and it is only 9:30, so tonight will probably be our coldest night of the year. Shelly Pulliam has been here this weekend and she leaves in the morning so Marti Choate , Mark Berson, Shelly and I went to Lulu's to hear Brent Burns and have dinner. I am sooooo thrilled to say that Lulu's has added a menu item that is actually really good. The hamburgers and most fried stuff was always good, but other than that, and maybe the gumbo, it was hard to find anything I wanted to order...now they have a marinated rare tuna sandwich that comes with some great ' asian style' , (their name for it) , slaw which is really, really good. I am so glad to have something positive to write about in my Gulf Shores restaurants web page about the food at Lulu's. I end up going there a lot because of 1. location, 2. out of towners want to go there and 3. they actually do sometimes have the best music d

Memphis History

Well, obviously Google Video does not have the 10 minute limitation that YouTube does. I just saw a big 32 min chunk of pure-D Memphis crowd-pleasin' video. I remember all the players in this little mini- documentary. Yep, this peek into the past shows a big part of the Memphis local television audience and live entertainment a few years back. Jerry the King Lawyer, Lance Russell, Jimmy Hart, ...I just wonder where Dave Brown was...maybe since he is still the best known TV weatherman he opted out of this bit of Memphis history, but he was the co-host of televised local wrestling at the time.

Online Dating

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Recent conference showcased add-ons for anyone wanting to ck out that cute looking fellow/ gal B4 you reveal too much about yourself. Interesting article about digging up the facts ( or factoids)

Snakes on a Blog

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Python almost long enough to span the width of a tennis court and as thick as a tree trunk swallowed at least 11 dogs before capture. Read More if you dare

Welcome Whistling Visitors

Seems that the owners of cafe that was the real inspiration for the Whistle Stop Cafe , (Fried Green Tomatoes fame) have linked to my blog and are sending me all sorts of visitors...thanks & thanks for the comments. You'll find some good recipes and food inspiration at whistlestopcooking.blogspot.com

Another Miracle !

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Rubber tapper Kamariah Koning, 52, said since her 23-year-old daughter Siti Suhana Saadon was featured on TV3 on Monday, people have been coming to her Taman Cempaka Dua, Durian Tunggal home from far and wide. And the telephone has not stopped ringing. "People just want to know how the stones grow from my daughter’s toes. "We are not looking for publicity, but we want someone to research on this and heal my daughter," she said. Kamariah said that the skin under Siti Suhana’s toenails opens up, releases a stone and then closes itself. "I don’t work as I have to care for my disabled brother. Also, I feel weak when the stones are about to come out," said Siti Suhana. The stones, she said, normally come out in fives, but in the past few days only two marble-sized stones have appeared, she said. Read More

Emails I love :o)

Received from Google tonight: "After a recent review of your site, we would like to include ScrapbookScrapbook.com in our custom placement packs program. Custom placement packs are selections of individually-reviewed sites designed for our largest brand advertisers. ........................ ........................................." It is great to be sought after !

Wash Your Hands Dude

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"Give me some of that" soundtrack plays in the background.... www.washyourhands.tv The candid camera site of guys who don't wash.

Usenet Update

Online discussion forums date from the Internet's early days, and many people consider them passe in the Web 2.0 era of blogs, wikis, and social networks. But Google has no plan to put its Groups service out to pasture. On the contrary, Google today unveiled an updated version of Groups. The discussion forum now sports a redesigned interface and new features such as the ability to create and edit Web pages and to upload and share files. According to Andrew Zaeske, Groups' engineering manager, this is just the beginning of the service's makeover. via PC World I love Usenet and credit Usenet for almost all my early online learning. The feeling of community was strong and participants included many an expert. I am sorry that so many computer users today do not even know about the other half of the world wide web.

Red Lichen

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Check out this interesting lichen growing on this oak tree across Fort Morgan Road from my place. It is RED. I have never seen red before. Anyone know more about it ?

CC Trivia

How much do you think it costs the CC companies for each new acquision ? $12.80, $32.67, $80+ Read credit card facts... little example opf the fun on this site: Credit card companies are all headquartered in states with high or no cap on interest rates. American Express is located in Utah (no cap), Bank of America is in Arizona (36%), Citibank is in South Dakota (no cap), Capital One is in Virginia (no cap), Providian is in New Hampshire (no cap), and JP Morgan Chase, MBNA (now Bank of America), Morgan Stanley/Discover, and HSBC are all located in Delaware (no cap). Each American household receives approximately 6 offers a month. The typical response rate is .33% (one third of one percent). You can opt out of these mailings via OptOutPrescreen. Each direct mailing acquisition costs approximately $80, according to R.K. Hammer, bank card advisory firm. Credit card companies earned $90.1B in interest in 2006, up from $89.4B the year before (according to R.K. Hammer). BOTTOM LINE... d

Great Sunglasses

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Crazy Love ....true story...a movie shown at Sundance this yr. Check her sunglasses....I think this photo was taken before he hired three men to throw lye into her eyes which left her blind. He did 14 yrs in prison and they married when he was released. Wow-e ! I'm just diggin ' the sunglasses. I bid on a pair on ebay this week but did not get them. They were vintage bamboo shaped plastic cat-eyes with green lenses. I really wanted them, I have a pair of bamboo painted mules (open toe, slip-in shoes for those who don't know, actually FMP's ) and it would be a great match, but the price went way up over 50 bucks and I am not an idiot. So someone else will be behind those cool shades. I did buy a really reasonably priced pair of old sunglasses on ebay last week. They are cool too, not as cool as the bamboo ones tho. The coolness is in the arms. They were overlooked by most bidders because the description was bad. Well, the description was fine, the title was bad, poor

Smokey News

In Mexico and dozens of other countries, especially developing nations, health workers smoke at far higher rates than the general adult population. Mexican doctors and nurses smoke at twice the rate of other adults, according to international data compiled by the American Cancer Society. Similar disparities exist in Paraguay and Pakistan, countries where 32 percent of health professionals smoke, and Iranian doctors and nurses smoke at more than triple the rate of other adults. more from Washington Post

ATT Explained

Funny...

These Poeple Should be SHOT

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A TWO YEAR OLD !!!!! From today's paper ....click to enlarge and read this garbage....Didn't they see Little Miss Sunshine ???

Off the Scale

Anyone who has read that I have made all these trips to Memphis to deal with both boxes and stuff from the Cordova house & attic & U-Hauls and the boxes that Miller packed & stored, (He only expected them to be in storage for a few months)..... all who have read about it know that it has been a huge physical ordeal. What I have not mentioned till now is the mental and emotional side of this process. I can't describe the pain this multi -part expedition of discovery has ignited. I guess I understand (maybe) why Harry simply had Miller's packed up stuff delivered to my parent's guesthouse and just stacked sky high....mixed as the boxes are with old school notes and intensely personal memorabilia, dealing with them has been maybe more than he could stand and something I have not felt ready to address to others. Every day after hours of unpacking, sorting, and crying, I'd think of adding a blog note, but ....I was alway too, too, too drained. I know it see

Cory Morrow

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For anyone who doesn't listen to Cory Morrow CDs, ....don't you wonder what is you been missin' ? Play them LOUD....jump up and dance. And if you live in Texas, as I know some of you DO, you have no excuse. Here is the current schedule , Lordy I DO feel TX calling !

Must share again

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This photo is so funny, I feel I simply must share it for those who may have missed it the first time.

Little Bit of Momma for Sale on ebay !

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WOW ! From a search I saw: eBay: ORCHID PHAL SPECIES HYBRID AMBOINENSIS WAXY FRAGRANT (item ... THE" SARAH FRANCIS PRIDGEN " FLOWERS ARE WAXY AND VERY FRAGRANT.THIS ORCHID MAKES MANY MANY BASEL KEIKIS,AND IS A VERY FAST GROWER BY YEAR END YOU WILL HAVE A..... Similar one still listed

Amusing Tale

Here is a little one page WIRED diversion-- When Good Cows Go Mad

A Must-See Webpage

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Strange Statues Around the World Be sure to let all the photos load, a very diverse list....all worth seeing, some twice.

The Village at Germantown

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Since most people won't want to wait while all the detailed photos that I took at the Alzheimer's Unit at the "Village at Germantown " load in the blog, I have put them on a web page and will link to it from here . It is just a fantastic place, better than I would have even imagined. We children are so thankful that this place got built just exactly when our family needed it. To my knowledge, there is nothing in Memphis that even comes close to providing all that this Methodist Health Care affiliated retirement community does. Daddy feels perfectly comfortable there. It is much like a country club atmosphere . CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PHOTOS

Play Dress-Up

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... all over the house. I have been working on a web page about drawer pulls, cabinet knobs and such. One of the standout companies is Susan Goldstick's over the top colorful and jeweled home-fashion-jewelry site. Personally, I think I prefer, for the most part, hardware that looks like it will be a bit stronger, long lasting, and resistant to abrasion than this stuff, but it is great fun to look at nonetheless. Her stuff could be GREAT fun in a little girl's Princess Bedroom.

Come on Girls....look at the potential

"Joyce Park, CTO of invitation site Renkoo.com, has written a two-part essay exploring why there is no pipeline of self-taught female engineers entering the tech industry via Open Source or other individual efforts. In The Hidden Engineering Gap, she asks why there are so many self-taught male software engineers in startups, but no similar pool of women. In A Modest Proposal, she discusses a potential short-term fix to the problem: a one-year, co-op, certificate-granting program for women set up and sponsored by Silicon Valley companies." dgilik notes that his unscientific survey suggested that 93% of Linux users are male. Via Slashdot

Mystical Banjo Music

Well, I took a nap today...i had a big Cosmos lunch (biz of course) and it was cold, dreary, and it started raining . When I walked in the door at the Lagoon house, I was overtaken by bed gravity. (In case you don't know this term, frequently used by Dave Berry at the Miami Hearld, while couldn't find a concise definition for you, I did find this reference to bed gravity found in a scientific paper: (lumpen = unit of resitance to getting out of bed gravity x intertia x apathy ) which gives you the gist. So now, after several cups of coffee, I am tying to get into a productive mode, but I am still transitioning, and have somehow gotten sucked into YouTubeWarp...so I'll share these three mini concerts that have been helping me transition, all with a common thread...err...string. Pretty cool but boy do I wish he'd pick up that banjo leaning against the wall on the right. Spectral Path Now this fellow does have his banjo in hand: Mongolian Throat Singing --Xue ting in red l

Senseo Coffee Makers-I'm Hooked

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Well , Phillips/Sara Lee knew what they were doing when they mailed me a free one. At first I wasn't so sure that I'd prefer it to my regular coffee maker, but now I find myself hand carrying it back and forth from kitchen to kitchen because I so prefer the morning coffee from it and its expensive little pods. I tried a Presto gizmo that I picked up locally that is suppose to allow you to use regular ground coffee in the Senseo but it was totally unacceptable. I called Presto about it, and from the sound of the customer service rep, seems like I was not the only one calling. So forget the Presto thing and fork over the extra buck or two for the real deal. I have just placed a bid for a second one on ebay. I have a few gripes about the packaging the pods come in, there are several brands. I noticed today that the Maxwell House brand has a better method to open the package than the previous ones I've bought...maybe they had some real people, half-awake, no glasses, attempt

The Move--The Movie

I have uploaded an unedited mini movie in two parts to YouTube. All you cousins and friends that know my Momma and Daddy might find it mildly interesting. Memphis-Move-Part 1 Keep in mind that the image got kinda fuzzy due to the necessary compression to get the file size down to what YouTube will accept Memphis-Move--Part 2

Very Cool Photo

This photo was taken above the guy's black granite kitchen countertop thru a piece of glass w/ water drops on it. He foucsed on the images in the drops, not the drops themselves, which he says is the most tricky part. Be sure to see it BIG. Juicy orange slices: http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/19163916/

Great Weekend !

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We are having the mildest winter. It is fabulous. Days in the 70's, nights in 60's. Very little cold weather. My St Augistine grass is leafing out again. Friday night Dave Perry came over from P'cola area (brought me flowers, see above :0) and we went to dinner at good friends, Becky & Warren Gottesegen's. They are great people who live part time in a very cool home on the Gulf. Becky is an incredible cook. She made awesome crab cakes, grilled asparagus, and a super salad w/ goat cheese and toasted pecans. I took lemon tarts I made with fresh raspberries on top. Afterwards, I got to see Dave's portfolio. He is a writer w/ a strong science background and does advertising and marketing projects. Sat was a chill-out day, sleeping late, just hanging out and going to Jerry Nasello's construction site . Jerry & Mary were there and the workers were even there working. The weather was just awesome. The house is getting on up there and they have a great view

The New Me

I just got the word, I am now: Fort Morgan Web Development, Inc.

Whoa...maybe the peso idea wasn't a good idea

A U.S. pizza chain has been hit with death threats and hate mail after offering to accept Mexican pesos , becoming another flashpoint in the nation's debate over immigrants.

Jesse "Guitar" Taylor

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I am in a state of shock and sadness. Whilst unpacking I came across an older copy of experience Austin w/ awesome action photo of Jesse Taylor on the cover. In the back of my mind I remember hearing that Jesse was ill some time ago, so this a.m. I did a search and to my dismay I found that Jesse died this past March. What a loss. I first heard of Jesse from a radio programmer friend in Memphis, Ann Howard, who knew him personally. When Judy Weeks and I flew to Austin one time we were fortunate to see Jesse play w/ Joe Ely at Liberty Lunch in what, I believe, was the very last show ever at Liberty Lunch in downtown Austin before it became history. The fabulous live recording, Joe Ely Live at Liberty Lunch was recorded there (highly recommended). Another time, Ann introduced me to him backstage at Austin Music Hall on New Years Eve. I looked on Amazon and ebay and the few of his recordings (other than the ones w/ Joe Ely which were mass produced--and great) are either unavailable or

Let your fingers do the walking

Tonight I sent my first text message . It only took about the same amount of time that a message chisled in stone would have. Up until now the only text messages I have received were a few from Cingular that proudly announced that they were no-cost, and encouraged me to sign up for nifty at-cost features. BUT tonight I got a REAL text message from Lauren Flinn Campbell, one of Miller's former girlfriends and friend. It boldly said "Reply", so I figured I would. I can see that I need a tutorial. I did not know how to do a carriage return or capitals, but I didn't care what it cost (I mean HOW much COULD it be ?) I figured that it was time for me to enter the age of technology. Of course, had it not been for adequate strength reading glasses, any text messaging would be out of the question, no matter how nimble my fingers are. OK--so now I have been initiated into that world. Be looking for future text messages from me. I am practising dancing Zydeco. I got a call fr

I'm Baaaaaack !

First, A Dallas-based pizza chain which caters to the Hispanic community is accepting the Mexican currency at all of its 59 U.S. stores starting on Monday. Wow. I had a fine drive down. Almost no traffic, sometimes I was the only one on the road. I didn't go over about 60 mph, which is most unusual for me, but I noticed the trailer fishtailing when I first got on the highway, and figured I had better not take any chances. I personally know of two overturned trailers from that happening. I think a lot of heavy stuff got put on the trailer later in the game so it was too heavy near the back. I stopped at Hacks Cross Rd Cracker Barrel and this outstanding cute blonde employee dug in the cabinets until she found the book on CD that I wanted to listen to. Garlic & Sapphires. Cary had told me it was good. A very sensual book...all about incredible food. A good listen. I also got John Grisham's new book, The Innocent Man, for a back-up, in case I didn't like the first one

Speak English (Dammit)

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I think this fellow is a baseball player, anyway.... he is selling T-shirts that simply say SPEAK ENGLISH I think it is the proper attire to wear to W-M lately. He has bumper stickers available too. I suppose it could say "READ ENGLISH" just as well, since the message is read. But I kinda like the 'Speak English' message. Why can't I think of the perfect slogan of the moment so I can sell a bazillion T-shirts ?

Funny

Cocaine is God's way of saying that you're making too much money. - Robin Williams

Dial-Up is making me nuts, or is it something else

Either the earth is spinning faster and therefore my mind is working faster or dial-up has gotten slower than ever. I got onto an unsecured wireless connection for a few minutes tonight, but it was too weak to stay connected. So I am back to Earthlink dial up. It would be next to impossible to do any web business on dial-up. It is next to impossible to just ck email and do mundane tasks. OK--enuf whining. I am on my itty bitty laptop w/ mini keyboard so I am prome to typo's. Stephen arrived today, yea. It is great having him around. Momma and I went to the new place, and yes, Randy the floor guy had gotten over there to get his tools, and throw outhis trash (most, not all)and since he had done that, Stephen and I werte able to see numerous places that need attention. Sloppy workmanship. When we got home, we told Momma not to pay him until he deals with several punch-list issues we easily spotted. We measeured for in-cabinet kitchen slide out drawer-trays and for additional shelve

Big Job

Wow, this is sho nuff some job here. 3 ladies have packed all day for 2 days. They are planning to come back Monday a.m. I would have started taking stuff over 5to the new house but I walked in today and the floor guys had left it a huge mess. HUGE mess. I had to rush back here and get the floor guy on the phone, he swears they will come get the tools and wood scraps , etc...and clean some tomorrow a.m. Sawdust is everywhere. I think Momma may find that there is not going to be enuf room for what she is planning on taking over. Esp in the cooking category. Cookbooks, jello molds, etc... I hope the interior decorator gets on over here and says what goes and what doesn't. There is still some confustion about that. He has been out of town. It is a really strange feeling seeing so many go/no-go/trash/goodwill decisions being made over so many things that are just such a big part of this house, our childhood and my Mom's identity. So many things we just can't bear to part with,

From Memphis

Good Morning from Memphis I drove thru rain all day yesterday but when I got here I found warm weather so I was elated. The packing team of 3 ladies worked all day yesterday and got TONS done. Things are a lot more organized here than I expected. I do think that perhaps Momma is expecting more to fit into the new space than will realistically fit, so some additional sorting will prob have to take place once the boxes get over there...but that is OK. I brought Jerry Nasello's video camera so I hope to make a little video for YouTube. I need practice as a movie maker anyway. The evening before I left for Memphis, advertizing/writer and all 'round creative (& cute) guy Dave Perry came for dinner and we talked a bit about putting together a promotional packet to give to manufacturers who express an interest in getting a listing on my websites. We will let them know that we can work that out in exchange for components for the Phase II construction. I am excited about putting thi

Live Longer

I think I am staying off ferrys and out of high schools.

Entertainment On the Water

Living on Little Lagoon is so entertaining. Moments ago a whole flock of loons went by, close to the shoreline and house. They were doing something I have not seen before. All of them were flitting just inches above the water but with their tail feathers actually dipping into the water. It looked like, at times, some of their feet were going in and out of the water too. Of course it was quite a splashy scene and they were moving along at a quick pace. About 5 minutes before, a lone coyote was trotting across the shoreline. He stopped a couple times and looked back ,over his shoulder then moved on out of sight. Wonder what I'll get to watch during my second cup of coffee.

Patrick Stewart Video

On writing screenplays (funny):

On the Road Again

Looks like I will be driving to Mempho on Thurs. Momma has packers lined up to come on Thurs and Fri for their move to the new house. I probably won't get much added to the blog in next few days, even tho there is a lot I'd like too. Between getting my important stuff (that means stuff more important than this blog ) ready and all that goes w/ leaving town and the almost non-existent Internet access for me in at my parents, I will probably be unable to update much. You will simply have to browse the web on your own to uncover interesting tid-bits....and believe me they are out there. I brought a book of Momma's down here and have almost finished. It is " Being Dead is No Excuse ". While it is written about Southern funerals by two Southern gals who know, it is not side-splitting funny (like Southern Fried Divorce is (you can get it used for 5 cents for goodness sakes)) but it does have some recipes that look pretty good if calorie or health issues do not stand i

Sounds Grim

At least 1,413 people — referred to as "amateur butchers" by the Turkish media spent the first day of the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha in emergency wards on Sunday after stabbing themselves or suffering other injuries while sacrificing startled animals. Read More

Happy New Year

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Perfect weather down here for mid-winter and New Years festivities. Last night was about 65 degrees....ideal. The chamber spokesman has asked me to be sure to point that out....I often get a phone call when I report something like 'bitter cold' or similar. Cosmos, all of my friend's favorite restaurant, was reservation-full, but we took our chances and got a spot at the bar for a dinner of Japanese salads and sushi. That sweet ultra-waitress, Ginny Lynn was there sporting a new 'do' and a big smile. Ginny, who is an artist by day, is decorated in exotic tattoos and often surprises us with different hair colors and styles. The Wharf in Orange Beach threw a big free outdoor party along the main drag where shops and restaurants are just beginning to open in this huge, new, grand-e-ous development. It was very 'family friendly' which was a great thing considering that is the theme of this resort area. The tall palms were all lit up along the main street and a b