I knew when I accepted my new job that I’d be doing a wide variety of things, but I never anticipated I’d be doing CSI-type work. Earlier this week our Denver IT group was troubleshooting some network issues that were slowing down our work. In order to diagnose the issue, they needed to know which… Continue reading Eat your heart out, MacGyver
Back Yard Action
I was going through some pictures that I downloaded into iPhoto from one of my cameras and ran across this one. I don’t remember taking it, nor do I have any idea how I managed to get the fisheye effect. But there’s something about the composition and the action that captures my imagination. I do… Continue reading Back Yard Action
The present tense of “brake” is “broken”
Don’t you hate it when this happens? What you’re looking at is the sad sight of a broken bicycle brake. I’ve never seen – or even heard – of this happening before. It appears to be metal fatigue; the aluminum casting just split. I would not have guessed that the brake housing is subject to… Continue reading The present tense of “brake” is “broken”
Necessity is the second cousin twice removed of stupid inventions
My sister-in-law keeps forgetting to plug in her crockpot, making for disappointing meals. One of her cousins suggested that she needs to find a slowcooker with an alternate energy source. I’m surprised that no one has thought of this solution before. I’m now working on a version powered by AAA batteries. I figure it will… Continue reading Necessity is the second cousin twice removed of stupid inventions
Record-setting Snowfall in Midland
Almost a foot of snow, and there’s never a ski lift when you need one.
“A Dance With Dragons” – An unsatisfying ending
My enchantment with the Lord of the Rings series notwithstanding, I’m not a big fan of the fantasy literary genre. So I was surprised at how quickly I was sucked into George R.R. Martin‘s epic A Song of Ice and Fire, which has grown to five volumes, with two more on the way. The preceding… Continue reading “A Dance With Dragons” – An unsatisfying ending
3D Movie a No-Show
Ha…a “no-show.” Get it? Movie. No-show. I kill myself, sometimes. I’m sure you’re no more surprised than I was when we couldn’t get the 3D DVD to work in our setup last night. It was a comedy of errors, although we needed a laugh track because I certainly wasn’t giggling. First, I couldn’t find our… Continue reading 3D Movie a No-Show
3D TV might be 1D too many
As I may have mentioned before, for our Christmas gift to each other Debbie and I bought a new Samsung LCD/LED TV. It’s got a lot of bells and whistles, including built-in WiFi and that great edge-to-edge picture that makes it look like movies are literally coming out of the woodwork. And it’s also got… Continue reading 3D TV might be 1D too many
Surfing the web? Uh, what’s that?
When’s the last time you surfed the web? (OK, when’s the last time you even heard that term?) My guess is that it’s been a long while, and that you’re now fidgeting on Facebook or whatever the operative phrase might be for wasting time online. I know I’ve blogged about the effect Facebook has had… Continue reading Surfing the web? Uh, what’s that?
Tony Joe White / Dave Alvin: Subsonic Vocals
One of my Christmas gifts was an iTunes gift card, and I always use such windfalls as an excuse to look for music that’s a little outside the mainstream. Coincidentally, a song on SiriusXM’s Outlaw Country station caught my attention, and so I went searching for it. Although my car radio’s readout often truncates artist… Continue reading Tony Joe White / Dave Alvin: Subsonic Vocals