Robin Hood

Flute 13
Clarinet 12
Saxophone 12
Trumpet 23
Trombone 13
Tuba 14
Harp 13

Take from the rich. Give to the poor.

And speaking of putting dates on your calendar, a very important one is coming up next month. On the twelfth day, to be exact. That's right, kiddies - the day you've all been waiting for: the band geeks blog's third birthday. And I quote:

"I know, can you believe it?"
- Homestar Runner in Fluffy Puff Commercial

Well done!

At least the Horns went out in a blaze of glory... after they were doused with gas and had matches thrown at them. Bwwaaaahahahaha. Nothing better than ridding the world of French Horns. Except when Maestro John Williams is writting for them. Then it's a shame...

Anyhoo:

Flute 13
Clarinet 12
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 24
Trombone 13
Tuba 14
Harp 13

Up up and away with trumpets! Down down and towards with tubas!

Hooray! I will be getting my Sundance tickets this week. It should be an interesting experience.

Andrew posted, so I can post again, yay!

Flute 13
Clarinet 12
Saxophone 10
Trumpet 23
Trombone 13
Tuba 15
French Horn 1
Harp 13

More respect the ol' Trombone way at the expense of the Horns Francaise.

Well, I'm back

As sam would have it.

Well hello to all (though I've seen a lot of youse) , and let me just say this hemisphere is a little strange... snow is amazing stuff. And my Dad laughed at me when I called the traffic lights "Robots". So there.

Otherwise, my chops are pleasantly busted from Pep Band last night (I was pleasantly surprised by my ability to play, once I got my instrument working) and I am looking forward to participating in all musical matters as the semester proceeds.

Is anybody planning anything after Saturday's game? Not that any of the veterans are doing pep band these days. it's too bad. This younger generation of trumpets doesn't understand the glory of Pep Band... perhaps a teaching opportunity. Ah well.

I am a little confused right now, which is why I am rambling on in a vague and strange manner.
Oh yes, the other thing. I sat down and watched Jinglesþula I and II yesterday. OH MY WORD it is strange - but so cool. Of course, I don't actually have the final theatrical version.

And I declare open season on Jinglesthreela. Of course input is welcome!

AND p.s. my blog was also released honorably after two year's service, and is now thekobus.blogspot so those of y'all what are linked might want to update that.

My Whole Self Hurts

I'm working on getting over strep throat that has wiped me out for the last two days. Two thinks really sucked about this little bout with strep: 1) a persistent fever approaching 104 degrees, and 2) when I was finally able to eat something, it tasted like sand. Now, the former was definitely the worse of the two because I really have not had an appetite at all. That blasted fever kept me up all night long and made me so very uncomfortable. Fortunately, after considerable drug intervention (namely a penicillin prescription), I'm starting to feel almost normal. I'll tell ya, though, I haven't been sick like this for almost two years. In March of '05, I came down with strep and it knocked me out for four days. Of course, I didn't get it diagnosed for two days.

Well, enough of that. I just wanted to check in and see how everything was. In my absence, there's been quite a bit of traffic on this site, which is very good.

I'm getting tired, so it's time that I go in the other room and watch another movie. :) Chao!!

My back is in a world of hurt.

I moved lounge furniture today at the dorms. I must've pulled something because my back hurts like the Dickens. Yowza.

Anyhoo...

Flute 13
Clarinet 12
Saxophone 10
Trumpet 23
Trombone 12
Tuba 15
French Horn 2
Harp 13

Looks like the French Horns are about to be extinguished.

Jason, as to your question about switching to the new blogger, I have done just that and can see no real huge difference. It doesn't affect the way other blogs are shown at all. You being a computery type, might just find some cool little tricks from it, but regular old me can't see anything major.

Frenchies have too many and Harps don't have enough

Flute 13
Clarinet 12
Saxophone 10
Trumpet 22
Trombone 12
Tuba 15
French Horn 3
Harp 13

Jon, as to about considering financial advice, give me a jingle, I may have some helps for ya.

Velbekommen Tilbage

In other words, you're welcome back, Jarrett. May peace and prosperity shine down on your enterprises. And starships.

Flute 13
Clarinet 12
Saxophone 10
Trumpet 22
Trombone 12
Tuba 15
French Horn 4
Harp 12

Clarin-up. Down Sax. Now the woodwinds are unbalanced. As am I.

I forgot my username yesterday. Now I feel like a dumb.

Does anyone have any sound financial advice?

Quote of the day:
"Q: If a ninja falls down in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
A: If a ninja does anything, it doesn't make a sound, and if it does make a sound, it's most likely the last sound you'll ever hear."

New Year's, woo hoo!

Flute 13
Clarinet 11
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 22
Trombone 12
Tuba 15
French Horn 4
Harp 12

That would be flute +, and clarinet -

Something new

Question: Do we know how it will affect the band blog if someone switches to the new Blogger? I'm just wondering because I'm considering switching, but I don't want to lock anyone out or make it so that everyone has to switch whether they want to or not. Anyone out there using the new Blogger who might be able to lend some assistance?

And now for the Really Big Shoe:

Flute 12
Clarinet 12
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 22
Trombone 12
Tuba 15
French Horn 4
Harp 12

trpt++; fhrn-- // For any of you who are not programmers, the ++ and -- simply mean add or subtract 1 respectively. :)

And have a very happy New Year, if I don't post on here before then. Also, please be safe in all of your celebrating. Don't drink and drive. :)

GREETINGS one and all

Hmm... I thought I posted before, but it doesn't seem to have appeared. Too bad.
So I suppose there's a reason that only the veteran band citizens have continued posting. Just imagine what it will be like when (1. Jon is nimptopsical, I thought that was funny) you are an old man...

Well, I send my greetings to all and play "taps" for the funeral of the string family in your game. No vote at this time as I can't defend an instrument I haven't played for almost 2 years now. But oh well. PS there is a recent post on my blog for a change.

If any of you be wondering, I will once again grace the VBC with my presence starting next semester. So be prepared for the new, updated Jarrett Wheatley experience - the world will never be the same.

All sarcastic boasting aside, I wish you all the best, a Merry Christmas ('n Geseënde Kersfees) and a Prosperous New Year (n' Voorspoedige Nuwe Jaar) in all aspects and languages.
But I must hie. Salani Kahle!

The Ultimate Answer...

...to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything:

Will It Blend?

Ooh, a site dedicated specially to turning ordinary household objects into dust (another ordinary household object.) It's almost like alchemy, but with more horsepower.

Happy Holiday-type-days for you all.

Add one for my wife and minus one from that wooden woodwind.

Flute 12
Clarinet 12
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 21
Trombone 12
Tuba 15
French Horn 5
Harp 12

Rollercoaster

Flute 11
Clarinet 13
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 21
Trombone 12
Tuba 15
French Horn 5
Harp 12

Well, darn it all if you guys aren't just the best friends a guy could have
*sniffle* I mean, seriously. I just don't know what I'd do wivoutd awl of you... *sob* I just..... BWAAAAAAwaaaaaaaaaaaaaa....

(My impression of what I think I would blog like if I were plastered. Sorry, I had a glass of eggnog for dinner last night and it made me think of what I'd be like if I were inebriated).

I am locked out of my office right now, so I'm sitting in my old/Ben's new office blogging. I didn't have time to make rice pudd'n yesterday like I was supposed to for our office party today, so my ex-/Ben's new boss will be mad at me. Oh, well. I'll just have to bring some in later this week.

And speaking of Ben, yeah, I agree - a clarification on the no-undo-previous-move item would be good. <opinion>I was under the impression that you couldn't undo what was just done by moving the point directly back from where it was put (undoing both moves), but that moving another section's point to a recently-deprived section was ok. </opinion> Anywhoo.......

Yay for elipses.
Yay for adventures.
Yay for my spider plant in my office not being dead like I though it was (I watered it not enough, then way too much).
Yay for summer that is drawing closer every day.
Yay for Atari.
Yay for the stuff.

Kaybye.

Flute 11
Clarinet 13
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 21
Trombone 12
Tuba 15
French Horn 5
Harp 12

I'm scared........that's all.
Flute +, French Horn -

.5

Well, ok, you undid half of what I did. I took from the trumpets and you gave back to the trumpets on the next move. So then, are we able to undo half of the previous "move"? An answer to this would 4 shore change the way I play da game. I just understood it as we couldn't undo any part of the previous "move" but I did look at the other moves and there are 2 times (that I noticed) where this has happened so I'm assuming it's ok?? Either way it's not biggy cause it's just a game.

I did not undo what you did. Notice that you took from trumpets and gave to french horns. I took from tubas and gave to trumpets. That's how it works. Look at the older posts...

Flute 10
Clarinet 13
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 21
Trombone 12
Tuba 15
French Horn 6
Harp 12

What happens now??

"Rules: 1) You can't undo something that someone just did" I'm guessing the score stands as it was? Not sure though, it was never talked about.

Flute 10
Clarinet 13
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 20
Trombone 12
Tuba 16
French Horn 6
Harp 12

I am incredibly offended.

And yes, I am completely serious too.

Flute 10
Clarinet 13
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 21
Trombone 12
Tuba 15
French Horn 6
Harp 12

..............................................................................

yup, Version 2.156743857565645

yeah.....

Flute 10
Clarinet 13
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 20
Trombone 12
Tuba 16
French Horn 6
Harp 12

French fries are up, Donald Trump is down.

A fun poem

"There once was a Lady named Bright
Whose speed was much faster than Light
She went out one day
In a Relative way,
And returned -- the previous night!:

—Anonymous, early 20th century

This point change, however, is by no means anonymous. Nor is it vindictive. Or earth-shattering. Or edible. But I hope you enjoy it nonetheless.

Flute 10
Clarinet 13
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 21
Trombone 12
Tuba 16
French Horn 5
Harp 12

Trumpet to Clarinet 2-point conversion. Ding!

yup.

I know that this is in good fun and all, but I simply just don't like the trumpets and I think it's time to take them down a few notches. Join me, won't you? (Just kidding....well, actually, not really. I wouldn't lie about something like that)

Tuba+, trumpet-. Now somebody else needs to post so that we can end this trumpet lead and take them down. I mean, seriously, does anybody (besides trumpet players) actually like trumpets. They just sound so puny and weak.

Flute 10
Clarinet 12
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 22
Trombone 12
Tuba 16
French Horn 5
Harp 12

yup. This will be fun now :)

Merry Whatever-us

Flute 10
Clarinet 12
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 23
Trombone 12
Tuba 15
French Horn 5
Harp 12

I must avenge my wife. No hard feelings.
Flue +++, Trumpet ---

Harppy Holidays Everyone

Flute 9
Clarinet 12
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 24
Trombone 12
Tuba 15
French Horn 5
Harp 12

Harp +1, French Horn -1

Happy Birthday, Tycho!

No, not Tyco, maker of fine children's toys. Tycho, observer of the heavens. From Denmark, too. :)

Clarinet+ Horn-

Flute 9
Clarinet 12
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 24
Trombone 12
Tuba 15
French Horn 6
Harp 11

So...............................
how's everyone doing? That's just great. Since the semester is (practically) over (for those attending classes), I think we need to have somewhat of a celebration by way of social gathering and food and games and such.

The other day my brother gave me a set of the original Atari pong paddle-style controllers which are now gracing my office desk here at the Stick. Isn't retro fun?

In other news, it's supposed to be 49 degrees today. Crazy, no?

Well, for anyone with any finals left to take, I wish you goodest luck.

T minus 14...

...hours and Disneyland opens! Yay!!!

I just thought I'd throw that in there because that's where I'll be. Photos will be forthcoming. :)

And now on to bizz-ness.

Flute 9
Clarinet 11
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 24
Trombone 12
Tuba 15
French Horn 7
Harp 11

trpt++; flt--;

It's not that I have something fundamentally against flute players; my ears are damaged and have a very hard time listening to high-pitched sounds. And really, that was more of a "--" against piccolos because they hurt so bad to listen to. I've spent too many years listening to loud sounds (such as being in a jazz band and marching bands). Do I regret my hearing loss? Not one iota. It's like a war wound. I'm very proud of it. But, it does call into question my ability to listen to mp3 players. :) I also revel in loud sounds like those from good old American muscle (Chevy 350 small block, Ford 427, and Chrysler 426 Hemi). Those are some beautiful sounds, something no Euro-lib car or Japanese rice burner will ever [properly] imitate. :) Speaking of which, the Corvette is the most beautiful 4-wheeled creation to ever grace the surface of the planet. Ever. Period. I think this one comes in near the top, too. ;)

Wow! I went from flutes to sports cars in one paragraph. I like to gravitate to cars, if you can't tell.

Anyhow, take it easy, y'all!

This just in...

...French horns are going down!!

Flute 10
Clarinet 11
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 23
Trombone 12
Tuba 15
French Horn 7
Harp 11

Take that, Frenchie!

Flute +, French Horn -

Flute 10
Clarinet 11
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 22
Trombone 12
Tuba 15
French Horn 8
Harp 11

Ajax can be fun

So can sending the violas to be with the violins. They will be happier together, I think.

Flute 9
Clarinet 11
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 22
Trombone 12
Tuba 15
French Horn 9
Viola 0
Harp 11

Not much new here - just life in the fast lane.

Quote of the day:
"Never, never, never give up."
- Winston Churchill

Meh

Flute 9
Clarinet 10
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 22
Trombone 12
Tuba 15
French Horn 9
Viola 1
Harp 11

Trumpet +, Viola -

That is all.

Yay! Trumpets are legal now!!

Flute 9
Clarinet 10
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 21
Trombone 12
Tuba 15
French Horn 9
Viola 2
Harp 11

Andrew, I can only think of a couple of people I know who actually like Microsoft. And I am not one of them. I use Windows out of necessity; it provides some services that other systems do not, that I have discovered to be difficult to live without. I forsook MSN messenger a couple of years ago because of its desire for constant attention. I use mostly Jabber for IM (Google chat, gaim), but if I do need to connect to MSN/AOL, I use Trillian. So yeah, I don't much care for Microsoft either. Except, as I mentioned in an earlier post, I do think the Zune player is pretty cool.

Y'know, a couple of years ago, I purchased some speakers for my computer so that I could upgrade the sound experience. I forked over about $50 and bought the Logitech X-230 2.1 speaker set. Previous to that, I had this fairly nice 2.1 system by Altec Lansing which I donated to Kristin so that she wouldn't have to listen to her old crackly speakers anymore. Anyway, when we moved to Ogden, we set up our TV and DVD player, but desperately needed some decent movie sound. So, I sacrificed and connected my nice speaker system to the DVD player. It really wasn't a sacrifice at all. Over the last year plus, we have really enjoyed the sound that the X-230 puts out. The subwoofer is enough to actually blow air across the room. The sound rivals some Bose systems for clarity. Just last night, we were watching "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and during the end credits, I went in the other room. I could still hear the music loud and clear through the concrete walls. I do try to keep the music down after 10:00 pm so we don't come off as being bad neighbors. But yes, those little speakers are really quite impressive.

Anyway, that's my product review for the day. Take it easy, y'all!

Trombone +1 and Viola -1

Flute 9
Clarinet 10
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 20
Trombone 12
Tuba 15
French Horn 9
Viola 3
Harp 11

I looks like we'll have an interesting time once Viola goes the way of all that is Violins (violence).

I am running out of post titles...

I must have just sat there for litterally minutes trying to think up a title for this post, but nothing is coming to me. Also, Messenger is not signing me in, and I am getting quite pissed at the little bouncing MSN icon in my dock. Which leads me to my next point, I hate Microsoft. Seriously, can't these people ever get anything right (granted, the XBox is pretty cool)?

On the better side of life, I finished one class completely and now just have two more to go. My cinematography class is all but finish. I just need to get a sound mix done, then fill out a picture log, then send the whole shebang out to Denver and pay $100 and pray I have the patience and nerve to wait six weeks. Then, I just have one measly little project to do for ASL. I'm just worried about my grade in sign language. I need a C- or better. Wish me luck!

Also, I decided that my neighbor is an annoying twerp who keeps his music up too loud. Good thing he's getting evicted from the dorms.

On to business:

Flute 9
Clarinet 10
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 20
Trombone 11
Tuba 15
French Horn 9
Viola 4
Harp 11

Tumpet +, Viola -

A first

Just Strong Bad's mask not on his head.

Flute 9
Clarinet 10
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 19
Trombone 11
Tuba 15
French Horn 9
Viola 5
Harp 11

Flute - Clarinet +

And if you want to see a video about a different look at wiki editing, check this out. (Click on #3)

Trumpet +, Viola -

Flute 10
Clarinet 9
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 19
Trombone 11
Tuba 15
French Horn 9
Viola 5
Harp 11

Anyhoo, how's everyone doing? Us school people are all winding down for a nice, well deserved holiday break. As a fine arts major, I don't have to do any finals, just projects. I am split whether or not that is good thing. On one hand, I don't have the stress of tests, on the other hand, projects are large and take lots of time. Either way, the semester is nearly done. Happy semester break everyone!

KML != Camel

Cory, KML stands for Keyhole Markup Language. In other words, Jon wants to do some more stuff with Google Earth, like designing cool structures and placing them in certain places on Google Earth. That's what .kml means. But, if you like, you could create a really cool 3-D camel and place it somewhere and make everyone look for it. :)

Tired of meta tags? Try sketching it

If you've ever needed a CC licensed image to use for a website, flyer, or other purpose and you've tried searching flickr.com, but just can't quite find that perfect picture using search terms, you should check retrievr out. It's pretty amazing what they did. You basically sketch what you're looking for and every brush-stroke does a new search and returns more photos, narrowing the search.

Check it out.

I've been waiting...

Bwwwaaahahahahaha!!!

I get to destroy the violins! STOP THE VIOLINS!!

Flute 10
Clarinet 9
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 19
Trombone 11
Tuba 15
French Horn 8
Violin 0000000000
Viola 6
Harp 11

The violin gets one zero for each of its former points. Whoever goes next, feel free to just delete it from the list, also, feel free to add more points to trumpets.

Jason, I remember each and every single one of those people. In fact, I was just sitting down last night and thinking about the really cool arrangemnet Seth did of the Disney Electrical Light Parade for brass quintet.

Jon, I dig the events idea. Let's do it!

Jarrett, I had a strange experience the other day when I ran into your double here on the U of U campus. I swear, he looked almost exactly like you. Hope you have a pleasant journey home.

Okay peoples lets chip away at the viola and french horn...

Who's...

...scruffy lookin'? I mean, old?

So Jon, do you want Win3.1 to burn into your monitor? I have a copy of it if you'd like to use it for just such a devious purpose.

And why did I not know aboot the concert at St. Joe's last night? Geez! I played in that concert once. I had to fill in for Dave Cox who had some other engagement that night. Present was Seth C. Miner (Minor), Joel Green, Matt Moore (see him almost every week on Music and the Spoken Word), Chris Stubbs, and me. Well, and then there was the orchestra and choir. It was a cool concert. Now, anyone who knows all of the aforementioned people, raise your hand. I guess that would make me a little "old" now, wouldn't it. But, I'm not using the word "old," only "experienced."

Anyhow, I guess I have to do my civic duty to stamp out competition wherever its stinking corpse may lie. Oh wait, that's Microsoft. Never mind. My civic duty is to advance the cause of trumpet players the world over!

Flute 10
Clarinet 9
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 18
Trombone 11
Tuba 15
French Horn 8
Violin 1
Viola 6
Harp 11

And the "aye's" have it.

Old Computer Stuff and Other Stuff

I love old computer stuff. So nostalgic. My brother offered me a bunch of old computer stuff yesterday. I'm putting the Atari pong paddle-style controllers and a couple classic Atari controllers in my office as decor. And the CRT in my other office has the older Windows logo burned into it (95-2000 - not the 3.1 version). Yay.

Jarrett, good to hear from you. I hope everything is still going swimmingly. Can't wait to hear about S. Africa and all your adventures. Keep it up.

Flute 10
Clarinet 9
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 17
Trombone 11
Tuba 15
French Horn 8
Violin 2
Viola 6
Harp 11

Violin: one more nail in the coffin
Clarinet: TTL += 1

Everyone come to the Bell Tower at noon today and get a free hug.

There was a most excellent choirs/orchestra concert at St. Joseph's in Ogden last night. If you missed it, you really missed out. But then, I'm admittedly rather biased. Aside from my bias, though, it was still a very good concert.

I propose...

Summer Games

Hiking
Movies
BBQ's
Road Trips
Ultimate Frisbee
Stargazing
Boating
Rock Climbing/Ice Climbing
Concerts
Dancing
Breakfast
Volleyball
Ice Skating
Firesides
Game Nights

Starting when the weather warms up after this upcoming mini ice age we call "winter", I think we ought to have a communal calendar of events that we can all refer to and show up to as many or few of the events on it as we can or want to. Maybe a little .kml for each event that shows the meeting place and includes meeting time and/or other pertinent info. Each activity could happen once or more than once during the course of the warmer months ahead. Just an idea.

Hmmm....

this blog is starting to look like my Nelspruit district. They all called me "the Old Man". And it seems only the old men have continued to post lately. Funny how life goes on.

All I can say about your game is Bagpipes + 1, Panpipes - 1
or Accordion + 1, Nickelodeon - 1

I am not scared to fly... but I dread flights greater than 9 hours in length.

Well, I hope you're all doing well. And... well, that's all really

A. 2 J. W.
(or "wheatface" as some would have it).

Oops. Sorry.

Flute 10
Clarinet 8
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 17
Trombone 11
Tuba 15
French Horn 8
Violin 3 <--
Viola 6
Harp 11

As Andrew pointed out, I forgot to decrement a point from someone else. So, here's the correction. Sorry for the slippage of the transmission. :)

Hooray for Jason!

Thanks for doing your part! One question though, who did you take a point away from?

Now, on with the game!!

Flute 10
Clarinet 8
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 17
Trombone 11
Tuba 15
French Horn 8
Violin 4
Viola 6
Harp 11

There. I certainly feel better now.

Blasted embedded Flash movies!!

Flute 10
Clarinet 8
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 16
Trombone 11
Tuba 15
French Horn 9
Violin 4
Viola 6
Harp 11

I voted for trumpets! I voted for trumpets!

If anyone is looking for a really good meal, you need to try TGI Friday's Jack Daniels Sampler. It hits the spot. Mmmmmm.

And embedded Flash movies (like the ones on MySpace and YouTube) are good for one thing: heating up my CPU! So, I have FlashBlock!

Chao!

Ok, I'll do my duty.

Flute 10
Clarinet 8
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 15
Trombone 11
Tuba 15
French Horn 9
Violin 4
Viola 6
Harp 11

Now see what you made ME do.

Do your duty!

Vote for trumpets!! Don't make me keep doing it (but I will anyway).

Flute 10
Clarinet 9
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 15
Trombone 11
Tuba 14
French Horn 9
Violin 4
Viola 6
Harp 11

There, now see what you've made me do?

Clarineh-eh-eh-eh-t + / Saxophone -

Just evening out the reed instruments a little bit.

Flute 10
Clarinet 9
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 14
Trombone 11
Tuba 14
French Horn 10
Violin 4
Viola 6
Harp 11

Good to see you Andrew. Yes, I know - I also feel bad about never coming down to visit. Curse my lack of self-discipline! I haven't seen a lot of my friends for a while now. :(

Graduation = job_opportunities^2 - social_life

For a few pictures from Resonance 2006, head on over to my photo blog.

Up with trumpets!!

Well, hello my band geeky friends. It's been quite a while since I checked into the virtual band hall. I thought I would take a break between procrastinating on my 14 page paper and procrastinating on my film to swing by and say hello.

What does it take to ever get anyone to show a little love and visit me here in Salt Lake? I sure to miss all of you, my dear band friends.

So, as the first order of busines, here is my response to Ben's game:

Flute 10
Clarinet 8
Saxophone 12
Trumpet 14
Trombone 11
Tuba 14
French Horn 10
Violin 4
Viola 6
Harp 11

If you know anything about me, you know my undying hatred for french horns, so I had to stick it to them by stealing their point and giving to the greatest instrument of all time, the trumpet.

Ah, I have a random joke to tell you:
A pirate walks into a bar and has a ships wheel shoved down the front of his pants. He sits down at the bar and orders a drink. The bartender says, "Hey, you know, you've got a ships wheel down your pants?" And the pirate says, "Yarrr. I know, and it's drivin' me nuts."

Let's see, what else? Oh! I went out to a couple movies recently which I feel you all need to see. First, Casino Royale. It's possibly the best 007 film I have seen in a long time, and maybe even ever. They just nailed it. The action is awesome, and Daniel Craig makes one mean Bond. Kudos to the James Bond team and a nice achievement. Second, The Fountain. What an incredible film. If you have been paying attention to the reviews, you know what I mean. Darren Aranofski is best known for Requiem for a Dream, which is the best anti-drug film ever made (it'll scare the crap out of you and make you never ever want to take drugs). Here, he continues to push film in new and interesting directions. Check it out.

Website of the day: http://www.boingboing.net

Okay! That's all I have. Go go trumpet!!

Thanksgiving, I'm thankful for trombones and not for violas

You know, Thanksgiving is great: long weekend with no school/work, family, a big feast, pie! So, in light of the pending holiday, I'd like to say that I'm thankful for the pilgrims and what they continue to do for me.

Flute 10
Clarinet 8
Saxophone 12
Trumpet 13
Trombone 11
Tuba 14
French Horn 11
Violin 4
Viola 6
Harp 11

UP WITH TUBAS, down with violins

Flute 10
Clarinet 8
Saxophone 12
Trumpet 13
Trombone 10
Tuba 14
French Horn 11
Violin 4
Viola 7
Harp 11

That is all.

Trumpets up, violins down

Flute 10
Clarinet 8
Saxophone 12
Trumpet 13
Trombone 10
Tuba 13
French Horn 11
Violin 5
Viola 7
Harp 11

And thus we see that something will happen.

So, I have a question. What the heck do you do with 60GB or 80GB of storage for music? I have an mp3 collection that spans two DVDs, and now about 7 CDs. I don't think that's even approaching 30 GB yet. You'd have to have an enormous music collection to fill one of those bigger iPods. Now, I understand that many folks have movies on them, and I can easily see taking up 80 gigs with movies, but if I just wanted to have music on it, how many songs is that? Wow! I think with that much space, I could put enough music to listen to it for two or three weeks straight and never hear the same song twice. That blows me away.

I'm not criticizing it in any way. I'm just saying that it's incredible to have that much space devoted to music. And I'm sure there are geeks out there with iPods chock full of music, most of which they've never listened to.

To put it into perspective, I can stuff about 150 songs onto a CD in mp3 format. That's 150 songs per 800MB or ~.8GB. Now, that's about 1% of an 80GB iPod capacity. By that logic, I think you might be able to fit 15,000 songs onto an 80GB iPod, assuming AAC requires approximately the same storage as mp3 and WMA. Wow. That's a crapload of music.

IPOd Stuff

My wife and I recently aquired a 60 gig video ipod (2 weeks before the 80 came out). We love it. If we can put a song on itunes, we can put it on our ipod.
Also, I do see the point of itunes not remembering the songs you buy, but as with other important things, I like to always have a hard copy as a back up. A hard copy, in this case, being a cd.
Now, I don't want to force my beliefs or knowledge on anybody, but Apple is the best company ever!!!
That's all.
Cheers

1,000

Cory, I appreciate the insights into your iPod. They must've changed something along the way since the early iPods, because everything I've read recently about them is that they're very proprietary to iTunes and won't play straight mp3s, wavs, etc. So, if you have an older iPod and it does play those other formats and uses other software, more power to you! I'm also pretty sure there are hacks available for newer iPods that allow them to play all kinds of stuff.

Oh, and this is post #1,000. It sure has been an interesting journey and I hope that the journey will continue for several more thousand.

Lost Fingertips

For anyone who enjoys that one show that reminds me a lot of Gilligan's Island and/or who likes that one band that sings about that one star and how it works, I suggest you check out this creative mix of the two.

trumpet++; violin--;

Flute 10
Clarinet 9
Saxophone 12
Trumpet 12
Trombone 10
Tuba 13
French Horn 10
Violin 6
Viola 7
Harp 11
(this is going to go on for a really long time)

Jon, I do admit that Apple does produce some world-class products. I wish they were more affordable. I might actually buy a Mac if I felt like I could afford it. I don't want a Mac mini; I want a freaking powerhouse box. And I don't want to spend $8,000 on it. Of course, to get a real powerhouse box on the PC side, I'd spend about that much too. :) So, I guess I'm stuck, eh. Geez! $8,000 is about as much as I have tied up in my two cars! That's right. I have less-expensive vehicles. At least MacOS X isn't the hack job that Windows Veesta is. I feel bad for all those who will be upgrading anytime soon. Having been using the next Windows for quite some time now, let me tell you that it's nothing but pain. I think the minimum system requirements for it should list IBM DeepBlue as the base hardware.

My issue with the iPod is just like you said: Apple doesn't remember if you have purchased a song or not. Also, I don't like being forced to use iTunes when it is almost unusably slow. I will give it this: it pegs my CPU at nearly 100%, so it is getting good mileage out of my CPU. The same can be said with QuickTime.

So, Jon, what is Vista 4? Is that the new WebCT system?

...and when you're a Professional Pirate, you don't have to wear a suit.

Viola ++; Flute--;

Hooray for the underdog!

Flute 10
Clarinet 9
Saxophone 12
Trumpet 11
Trombone 10
Tuba 13
French Horn 10
Violin 7
Viola 7
Harp 11

Jason, I also do not own an Eye-Pawd. But I will give apple this: they wait and do things right, even if it means they're slow on getting things to market. That said, it is indeed annoying that you have to purchase songs again if you lose the file. For now, I guess I'll stick with my nearly-ancient RCA Lyra. It has downsides which are numerous. But I'll probably still keep it around for until it breaks for one reason - I can dump my digicam's memory card onto it w/o using a computer. Still, it would be nice if there were a feasable way to get it to do voice recording. iPod has an add-on (maybe third-party?) to allow that. I'm sure the Zune will as well. As with computers I'll wait until something decent appears before making my next purchase. For the computer, I will buy a McBook for myself when I actually buy one (the one I'm using now is WSU property).

Anywho - Vista 4 is going to be used starting next semester. The kick-off luncheon was today.

I have a sick. It is a cough and general tiredness. Go away, sick! :(

Ok, bye.

Now this is something I can get excited about

I hate to say it, but I think Microsoft actually has me impressed. They do that from time to time. Windows doesn't even raise my heart rate any more. But, this looks like it might be kind of cool. It's called Zune. It's supposed to be Microsoft's iPod killer. I doubt that it will seriously dent Apple's iPod sales, but it looks to be a really cool digital music player.

I, personally, have never been able to get excited about the iPod. I think Apple puts too many restrictions on it. For one, it won't play mp3 files; you have to convert everything using iTunes to AAC format and then dump it to your iPod. Also, if your computer ever has problems and you lose your music library (that you paid $1 per song), you lose everything. Period. Apple doesn't remember that you purchased those tracks and so you have to purchase them again. For someone with a couple thousand songs, the reality of that is painful. Also, I don't know how iTunes is on a Mac, but on a Windows machine, it's downright slow. For me, at least, it's very overblown and too slow to actually use. Granted, I don't have the latest, greatest quad-processor Intel Core 2 Duo (that's a really stupid name, by the way) machine. But, I do have a 1GHz Pentium III with 512MB of RAM. What is it about iTunes that doesn't work right on that platform? Anyhow, I digress... Please correct me if any of the above information is not correct. I don't actually own an iPod.

With Zune, Microsoft remembers what songs you have purchased, so in the event of an incident, all you need is a bit of extra bandwidth to download the songs again. Also, Zune plays lots of different formats, including mp3 and AAC. It also has a built-in radio tuner and 802.11b/g wi-fi capability to "beam" content to other Zune users. Granted, I'm sure Apple will build in some of these features to their venerable music player (and it will be a hit, of course.) I guess the real bone of contention for me is the universality of Zune as opposed to the highly closed architecture of iPod. I'm sure Zune users will be required to use the Zune software to update their players, but at least they can use existing music formats and not have to worry about losing their libraries in the event of a boo-boo.

Anyhow, be that as it may, Zune appears to be a great product. I don't think it will unseat iPod as the reigning heavyweight champion of digital music players, but I do think that users will have a much better offering in the non-iPod corner. Maybe, just maybe, I'll actually look into buying a digital music player, though I really do still like my CD player.

Norton Internet Security Design Document

The following is an actual* design document from Symantec documenting how their Norton Internet Security Suite should work.

int main()
{ // This gives the impression of something important
long wasteTime = 100000000000;

for(int i = 0; i <>
{
// Insert code to make the hard drive chatter a lot but not do any work.
// This should take about two minutes.
// block all other processes from running.
i++;
}
// Pop up the icon in the system tray
}

As you can see from this highly detailed design document, Norton Internet Security doesn't really do anything. When you turn your computer on, it only *appears* to be doing any work, when in reality it is just causing the hard drive to chatter a lot and block other processes from their opportunity to start. So, boycott Norton! Get a real anti-virus software like AVG and then put a decent firewall on your network.

Oh, and that last posting by RMT CTL was not mine. It was Kristin's. Jon, will you create her a login so that she can do her own posts? From the look of things, we can all see who we don't like. (ahem, VIOLINS/VIOLAS!) :)

*actual as in Jason made this up because he hates Norton Internet Security.

Viola -1, Harp +1

I must apologize for the lack of percussive instruments here. Sheesh, I'm a moron. It was in my initial intention to not forget drums, but when I wrote up my blog, I forgot in the heat of the moment. Maybe next game we do all percussive insturments? or we could add purcussion on here with the original 10 because we aren't THAT far into the game. Please way in...
Oh, and Jason, it doesn't matter if Kristen posted, just as long as there is someone else that has posted in between when you (Jason) posts, its fine.


Flute 11
Clarinet 9
Saxophone 12
Trumpet 11
Trombone 10
Tuba 13
French Horn 10
Violin 7
Viola 6
Harp 11

Saxophones +1 Viola -1

Flute 11
Clarinet 9
Saxophone 12
Trumpet 11
Trombone 10
Tuba 13
French Horn 10
Violin 7
Viola 7
Harp 10

stuff

Based on what Ben said I was thinking it was ok to duplicate what someone did, just not ok to undo it in the very next post. Either way, you're certainly welcome, Ricky.

I like my new job, for the most part. It's more work than I had before, but I'm fine with that. The part I don't like as much is that it's much more loosely structured. I'm in charge of managing my time between many different projects whose respective urgencies are rather fuzzy. That I don't like as much. I'm getting more used to it, though.

I'm looking forward to the Resonance concert tonight. Which reminds me - I need to charge up my camera batteries for the event. If anyone has a tripod they'd care to loan me, I'd be obliged, as I was unable to locate the one I had borrowed from my dad.

Ramblin' ramblin' ramblin'...

Hooray for sNOw. (emphasis on NO) :(

Correction!!!

So I'm not sure Jon, if ya didn't notice my post or if because we posted within 20 mins. of each other, that my post just didn't show up before you posted. Either way, thanks for the point!!!

Flute 11
Clarinet 9
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 11
Trombone 10
Tuba 13
French Horn 10
Violin 7
Viola 8
Harp 10

Tuba+ Viola -

Flute 11
Clarinet 9
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 11
Trombone 10
Tuba 12
French Horn 10
Violin 7
Viola 9
Harp 10

I guess if I give a point to tuba for Tim's last concert I certainly better give one for Ricky's Phantom run. And for some reason I'm on an anti-strings kick today.

Just group percussion in with whichever instrument wins, umkay?

Tuba +, Violin -

Takin' down the violin while breakin' the four-way tie!!

Flute 11
Clarinet 9
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 11
Trombone 10
Tuba 12
French Horn 10
Violin 7
Viola 9
Harp 10

trumpet++; violin--;

I know that RMT CTL already posted on here once, but that was Kristin. This is Jason posting and I do have to put in my $.02. (Is that taxable?)

Flute 11
Clarinet 9
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 11
Trombone 10
Tuba 11
French Horn 10
Violin 8
Viola 9
Harp 10

After reviewing this list, I have to ask: How come there's no Blaster Beam on here? Doesn't Jerry Goldsmith get any respect? Any instrument made with rotating magnets and artillery shells has got to be cool.

Flute +, Clarinet -

Ya, what is the deal with no percussion? who invented this game anyway?
My wife is the best!


Flute 11
Clarinet 9
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 10
Trombone 10
Tuba 11
French Horn 10
Violin 9
Viola 9
Harp 10

Tuba++; Violin--;

Just because I saw a t-shirt once that I thought was funny. It said simply "STOP THE VIOLINS". (Another for sale in the same catalog said "VISUALIZE WHIRLED PEAS") And in honor of Tim's final concert at this fine institution of higher education.

Flute 10
Clarinet 10
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 10
Trombone 10
Tuba 11
French Horn 10
Violin 9
Viola 9
Harp 10

Saxophones +1 Harp -1

Flute 10
Clarinet 10
Saxophone 11
Trumpet 10
Trombone 11
Tuba 10
French Horn 10
Violin 10
Viola 9
Harp 9

- Kristin

Viola -1, Trombone +1

Flute 10
Clarinet 10
Saxophone 10
Trumpet 10
Trombone 11
Tuba 10
French Horn 10
Violin 10
Viola 9
Harp 10

Game Time!

OK, a game I wanna try out on this here blog of band geeky-ness. I'm gonna list 10 instruments and each one gets 10 points. What each of you do: Repost the list, but take one point away from an instrument and add one point to another instrument. Make the repost reflect your change and put what you did in the post title. Rules: 1) You can't undo something that someone just did, 2) you can't post twice in a row. When one instrument reaches zero, they'll be dropped from the list.

Flute 10
Clarinet 10
Saxophone 10
Trumpet 10
Trombone 10
Tuba 10
French Horn 10
Violin 10
Viola 10
Harp 10

I'll repost first to give an example to all y'alls.

To All Band Geeks

I found this today and thought that this would be a very appropriate forum to share it. I do believe that most people who read this blog are or have been in marching band so I think it'll be pretty good. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Official Band Dictionary.

Enjoy!

Geek to the power of Geek

For anyone who has ever written any considerable amount of code, go here and watch the demo videos for TextMate. You'll probably wonder how this guy developed such an advanced case of terminal geekiness.

Welcome aboard...

...TWA Flight 978 with service to Long Beach, California. My name is Jason and I'll be your captain. In just a few minutes, we'll begin our pushback, but first the ground crew needs to apply de-icer to the exterior of the aircraft. The maple syrup smell is normal for the de-icing procedure.

Okay, that was super geeky, but I just had to do something to introduce post number 978. Actually, the jab about the de-icing procedure and the maple syrup smell would not be normally mentioned by the captain on a commercial flight, but rather by one of the flight attendants. Speaking of flight attendants, how the heck do they maintain the kind of composure that they do? I mean seriously, they look like they've just come out of some sort of a press or something. I don't know about y'all, but I hate being jammed in an airplane. I love flying, but man, do I hate being jammed in one of those small seats. And what's up with the people who fly? I mean, it seems to me that even though flying is pretty much something we take for granted, the folks who do fly are a cut above everyone else. I have met some really interesting ones on planes. I mean, I never meet just some person flying for the crap of it or because it's a trip. No, people who fly have some very serious, intense reason to be there.

Of course, it's always interesting to see what happens when the captain gives the go-ahead for electronic devices. It's like device city all of a sudden! Everyone pulls out the cell phones (despite the fact that I think it's probably less effective to make a cell call from 32,000 ft), and the PDAs, and the microwave ovens, and you name it. It's crazy. You don't see that on a bus, now, do you. Of course, now they're starting to feature Wi-Fi on buses so you can be hacked and still get to work on time.

On airplanes, it is often customary to be served a bag of peanuts and a soda. Okay, that's interesting because the only other time I would really consider having peanuts and soda is when I am watching the Super Bowl, and even then, it usually involves other enhancements like chips and salsa, and Li'l Smokies. So, the airline industry is what's keeping the peanut industry going. I guarantee that if we stop flying, peanuts will cease to be sold. However, if we stop buying peanuts of our own free will and choice, that means that there will be a peanut surplus and we might just get bigger bags of peanuts on the airplane!!! Go for it!

Finally, if you've ever flown more than a couple of times in your life, being a passenger in that big pressurized metal tube becomes a bit less exhilarating. The tops of clouds look exactly the same. The only time it's actually fun to look out the window is when a) there are no clouds and you're flying over a city and b) when you're taking off and landing in clear weather where you can see the city features. Either way, it's looking at the city that's fun. Okay, I'll admit that flying over Japan in the middle of the night was pretty cool, but only because the sky wasn't filled with clouds. That was just a collection of lights; I couldn't really make out any discernible features. So really, the windows in airplanes are non functional for most of a flight. And why the crap can't they ever line up the rows of seats with the windows? I mean, seriously, nothing ticks me off worse than having to look through the window that really should belong to the row in front of me. It's like I'm stealing their window space. The "screen peeking" is, of course, impossible if the seat or half of the airplane next to that window is occupied by anyone under the age of 10. Their little face will be planted firmly in that window for the duration of the flight. This will enhance any desire for you to catch some shuteye during the flight, but will make the job of cleaning and disinfecting that window quite the chore for the ground crew.

Amen.

Every Single Time

I'm beginning to realize that whenever I have a good idea, someone else has had it first.

For example(pdf).

Tribute

To the men of the 80's:

those at work

those without hats

Sorry - I know. It's pretty bad. But my co-worker declared today to be 80's day, so what could I do?

How To Build Stonehenge

If you happen to have a lot of spare time on your hands, why not try to build Stonehenge? Of course, you have to build it without any machinery. Oh, also, you'll need 22,000lb blocks of cememt and some wood and a large field to build it in. Not sure how to do it? Try this approach.

Ready. Go.

Eye GOTO skool

Self explanatory.

Sometimes I wonder if there shouldn't be some kind of periodic teacher competence requirements evaluation in the public education system that determines continuation of employment status, rather than tenure making it all-but-impossible to extricate poor teachers from our schools.

From Tim....

The party is on!!!!!! Lets do it!
My house anytime you want to show up. However I have set
6:00-6:30 pm as the mandatory attendance time. Call me if you want
breakfast in the morning from 7:00 am to 9:00 am. My house is in the condos
just outside of the Ogden Canyon. Call if you need directions.
Tim The Tuba!

Party Pending

You heard right, people! This Friday at the Koster residence. Most likely in the evening. More details will follow. Tell all your friends! Tell all your co-workers! Tell your parole officer! (That way you can come to the party.)

I vote that everyone bring a potluck item.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

The World Wide Web has changed quite a bit in the last 10 years. Pages have gone from being relatively stoic text frames to being nicely designed, dynamic creations. For the most part, this is a positive progression (although, sometimes, newer is not always better.)

I stumbled across a really great website that keeps archive copies of web pages in a huge database. This site is Archive.org and they keep a really impressive array of pages archived in their Wayback Machine. For instance, if you want to see what KSL's website looked like 5 years ago, you can go there and see it. Keep in mind that not all of the pages are very functional, but it does give you an indication of how things have changed.

Anyhow, I just thought y'all might like to see that.

Chao!

ps: Ricky, that is a sweet video of the Phantom Regiment

I hear ya

Seriously, Ricky. I know what you mean. I would be pretty miserable if someone forced me into a bee costume and posted pictures of the incident online.

If any of you liked line rider, here's another fun "game."

Honestly....

I looked at a lot of those beedogs and every single one I saw looked miserable. Also when I looked up how to spell the word miserable on google (ya know when you write a word and it just doesn't look right so ya gotta check?) the first page that came up was president Bush's biography. I thought that was kinda funny.

Jon, I don't have a dvd yet but when I do, I'll be sure to let everybody know.

Too Much Time Part V

.:beedogs:.

I mean, come on! Who has enough time to make a website about beedogs?


By the way, Ricky - loved the vid. If you have a DVD of finals I want to see it.

Awesomeness

Here is a nice little video of the 2006 Phantom Regiment finals night warmup.

Big

Jason, that building you mentioned is big. I figure from what Google Maps tells me that it's roughly the size of Ogden City. Or Hill. Roughly.

Too Much Time Part IV

This looks time consuming.

Family Guy - Soron's Contact

Clip from Family Guy

Too Much Time Part III

This edition starring not only this guy, but you also.

Note: You should click on the "you also" link and try it out for a while before clicking on the "this guy" link and appreciating how much time you wasted.

If you still have time, go to iTunes and check out episode #23 of the Ask A Ninja video podcast (sorry for no direct link - too lazy).

And thanks, Jason and Cory and Katie and all others who've expressed condolences.

Crap Happens

Jon, I feel for you. I know how it is to lose a beloved vehicle due to someone else's negligence. It kind of sucks. I know this all too well:














Y'know what really bites about the whole thing is that your car (like mine above) was probably completely paid off. Now, like me, you'll have to go out onto the market and deal with a car dealer and possibly go into debt for an automobile. I hate buying cars and I've done it enough to have really good reasons not to like it.

Anyway, Jon, from one wreck recipient to another, I totally understand your plight. Good luck on finding another vehicle.

Ta-Ta Ta

Honest.

Last night as I was driving home I thought about how I needed to get a new car sometime. Then I thought to myself that I would just put off buying a new car as long as possible. I thought, "I'm gonna drive this car into the ground." Well, what I meant by that was that I wanted to drive it until it would cost more to fix it when something major went out than it would be to buy a better car - you know, just use the thing right up - and then get a new car.

As it turns out, my car was indeed driven into the ground, although not by me.

It all happened early this morning about 8:30 or so. I was peacefully sleeping through my alarm, so I didn't hear the neighbor across the street ring the doorbell to let us know that some guy had hit my car which had been parked on the street in front of our house.

Spot was the only one in the vehicle at the time. As you can see from the picture, he was traumatized. As far as I know, he hasn't recovered at all. The fact that he has, as long as I've had him, always appeared traumatized doesn't change my opinion that the accident shook him up pretty badly. I'm just glad he didn't sustain any bodily damage.

As you can see here, there is not much hope for the Jingly-mobile. Now I'm minus a set of wheels.

The Parable

Matthew 24:32-33:
32 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.



Need I say more?

Space Shuttle Atlantis

If you have ever wondered what it looks like to be launched into space, check out this page. To view the super cool launch video, click on the "Video from Atlantis' Left Booster Rocket" and sit back and enjoy a really, really cool ride. They take you from launch, which is surprisingly fast, all the way through SRB jettison through splashdown of the SRB from the point of view of a camera mounted on the SRB itself. Keep in mind that when they jettison the boosters, they have passed through 200,000 feet MSL (Mean Sea Level.) That's over 37 miles in the air. This is seriously one of the coolest videos I've ever seen. I so love the work that NASA does. I don't know about y'all, but I want to fly on the Space Shuttle. That would be so freaking cool!

Too Much Time Part II

Pen spinning.

David Bowie wannabe.

Sand art. (this one isn't really, a "too much time" - more just a talent one)

One mouth band.

And then there's this guy.

Ok, so these links are getting further and further astray from the "Too Much Time" theme (unless you count the time I'm spending to collect them for posting up here), but I thought you'd all enjoy this one.

And how would you like a digital camera that sports a few more megapixels?

Or OLED meets solar cell?

World's Largest Building

In Everett, Washington, there is a little facility we all are quite familiar with. In fact, most of us who read this forum have probably used their products on occasion. The company I am referring to is none other than the Boeing corporation. One of their main production facilities produces the fuselages (bodies) of the 747, 767 and 777 models. The production of these mammoth aircraft (especially the 747) takes place in one building. The building has 472,000,000 square feet of floor space. To put that into perspective, a typicall grocery store is between 40,000 and 60,000 square feet. Wal-Marts tend to go a little over 100,000 sqare feet. The building that produces the 747 could house, within its walls, 4720 Wal-Mart stores. That's what's required when you produce aircraft with 224-foot wingspans, such as the 747.

I was browsing around on the Internet and came across this little photo montage of the interior of the production facility where 747s are made. I found it really interesting and it made me want to visit that place to learn just a bit more about how a fueslage is produced.

Correction: I re-read some of the facts about the Boeing facility and found that it does not have a floor space of 472,000,000 square feet, but an interior volume of 472,000,000 cubic feet. This doesn't really diminish the building that much (though nearly 5,000 Wal-Marts are not going to fit inside.) It does however have the ability to house 911 basketball courts or 47 American football fields. Disneyland would also fit in it along with 12 acres of Disney's California Adventure. So, it is still a pretty impressive structure.

A Fun Game

Takes about 15 minutes.

Ever have just a little too much time on your hands? (Yeah, that second one was stop motion and legos.)

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro"
-Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005)

Bureaucratese

Jon, the link in your last post was awesome! In my Engl3100 class, we talked about Bureaucratese, or inside language, that is generally very pointed at a certain group of people. The movie that you linked is a beautiful, shining example of bureaucratese. I sent it to my instructor and she emailed me back and said that she really enjoyed it. So that may be used a few times in class. :)

Also, that time machine with the luminescent droplets was incredible. I would love to see a demonstration of that live. Of course, you'd have to do it in a fairly dark room or it would be ruined. It was very awesome. Thanks for sharing.


New subject...

I was reading this guy's blog the other day and he said that BMW and Mercedes were the only worthy car manufacturers in the world and that Audi was a close second to those. He later blatantly said that the Big 3 U.S. manufacturers (Ford, GM and Chrysler) should cease and desist because their products are not worthy of being produced. Okay, personal gripe here: I really have a fascination with all things American, especially the American automobile. American car models are accessible. For instance, how many folks have been able to purchase a Buick Electa versus how many folks have been able to buy a Mercedes-Benz C Class? BMW and Mercedes are premium cars -- not accessible. And on top of that, the Electra was a nice car. It was comfy and rode smooth and was very well suited for long drives. The last time I rode in one of those Euro-barges, it was nice inside, but not intended for long drives. They're commuter cars. Also, have you ever seen how BMWs and Mercedes rust? It's awful! You'd think with all that German engineering, they could engineer some better rust protection.

Anyhow, I hate to bring that personal sidenote into a public forum, but it's just been bothering me for a couple of days. Americans can make good products. We understand the clientelle that we cater to. I just don't like this "Foreign only" mentality.

Ta Ta!

Today's

...fun vid.

Of course. We understand perfectly.

emiT

That is, Time, but backwards.

Check it out, yo.

And if you like Rube Goldburg machines, you should like this.

Art, anyone?

Fun in the water.

Ahhh

This morning my boss discovered the funniest site on the internet. At least all of us here couldn't stop laughing. The more you read, the funnier it gets.

Please, friend, feel welcome to read the AhhhMuse site. It brings joy to you, now.

Adendum: Defense 2
(Fun mindless game)

And also check this one out: comBOTS

If you want you can pit your skilz agin my bots:
26298AE24FF6B4ACE82746307B97DD82408D1F3D7A03FB0B552

or

092644C9051CF28B613D8A807AB0CA2AE6ACDC88500802177

or

3A2644C9051CF28B61B58D803965F7E2323D7782104CF6895A27031B
Just paste the string into the bot when you're selecting the opponents in compete under the add-a-bot (the one on the end).

I hope they call me...

...on a mishun... Good times, good times.

Being a missionary is awesome! It's sweet because you work hard and you're tired and yet, you feel really good! If I could only be a missionary again: no bills to worry about, no car to worry about, nothing to worry about except my companion, the people in my area, and that pesky neighbor dog that likes to chase bicycles. However, there's nothing quite like being a returned missionary, or as we called it in my mission, the Great Transfer North.

Heather-Marie, good luck on your mission. Please, please keep us posted as to where you go and when your farewell (oops, not supposed to have those anymore) is.

Okay, Jon, I don't know what Zombo.com was supposed to be, but I listened to it all the way through the loop and then, well, it looped. I don't want to sign up for any newzletter. :) Now, I must say that the Pandora site was pretty impressive. I just wish Flash didn't consume so much CPU time on my machine. I typed Weird Al Yankovic into the search and it immediately found a song by him and started to play it. It was cool.

I was also going to ask you about Joomla. Do you use it? If so, how do you use it (or what do you do with it?) Also, have you heard about a new technology called Ruby on Rails? It looks pretty cool.

TTFN