70's Toy Commercials

Since I'm in this retro kind of mood right now, I found this on YouTube. I was a proud owner of Bing Bang Boing and the SSP Smash-Up Derby set. It got me thinking about things like Shaker Maker and G.I. Joe. There are a lot of vintage toy commercials on YouTube that I still need to look at.

Please, Please, I Promise To Be Good

As I was trying to say last week, I had a memory pop into my mind as fast and as real as being hit by a line drive foul ball at a MLB game. I was attending a private school in Virginia during my second grade and every now and then a parent would bring someone in my class their lunch that they had either forgotten at home or to celebrate some special occasion. The latter was almost always a meal from McDonald's. I remembered that I thought it was so cool that someone could eat a burger and fries from McDonald's during school. I remembered pleading with my dad to bring me lunch from McDonald's during school someday. And I can still remember my dad walking into my class with *my* special lunch from McDonald's.

After that memory came another of a restaurant I remembered going to when we lived in Virginia and never saw again when we moved. It was a place called Gino's. I could remember how the place looked and even some of the small toys they gave to kids with their meals. I found a tribute site to Gino's that has pictures and such here. I just wish they had more stuff circa 1972. Then I thought about Shakey's Pizza and birthday parties and...well that's another story.

Daughtry

Daughtry (sort of) rocks.

Oh, So That's the Reason

I've always wondered why the drive-up ATMs have Braille on them. Now I feel much safer driving around town.

Q: Why Is There Braille On Drive-Through ATMs?

We have been looking into the reason for why there is Braille on drive-up ATMs. After scratching our heads for a little while, we decided that the best place to search would be in the Americans with Disabilities Act , or ADA. In section 4.34.4 of the ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities -- Appendix to Part 1191, 36 CFR Chapter XI, issued pursuant to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 -- it says, "Instructions and all information for use (of an automated teller machine) shall be made accessible to and independently usable by persons with vision impairments."

So that takes care of most ATMs, but what about the drive-through? While most bankers thought drive-through machines would be exempt from the ruling, the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board disagreed, reasoning that ATMs without Braille "would not allow the (blind) individual to use the ATM independently." Some argue that any blind person could use the drive-through machines while riding as a passenger and then have the driver help enter information. Again, this goes against the ADA’s code requiring “independently usable” ATMs for those without sight.

Chlamydoselachus anguineus

I was going to post an entry regarding a memory that came to me yesterday but I forgot what it was. No, not really. I just thought this entry would be a lot cooler and my memory could wait until tomorrow.




Anyway, it seems a very rare species of shark was captured on film by staff of a Japanese marine park. The captured five foot long Frilled shark, which has changed very little since prehistoric times and usually lives 2,000 feet below the sea, was seen swimming in shallow water and moved to a pool at the park. Unfortunately it died a short time later. You can read the article and view the video and pictures here. Looks almost like something out of a SF or Horror movie. Fascinating.

Phobia

Breaking Benjamin rocks!

Well, Well, Well

I'll be a monkey's uncle. It snowed last night. We woke up to about three inches of snow this morning. Some school districts canceled classes and some opened late due to the temperature staying below freezing during most of the morning. Of course it all melted away by noon but it sure was pretty while it lasted.

I Should Have Been...

A Meteorologist. Then I could get paid for guessing what the weather is going to be like. And I would have been right on the money the past couple of days. Some of you out there may see some ice and snow and some of you may not. But it will be cold and then warm up a little before tumbling down to cold again. You may see more sun than clouds depending on where you are. But this will all clear up soon and temperatures will be back to normal. Just remember to bundle up and layer your clothing. I could have been a contender.

Is It or Isn't It?

When will the freezing rain/sleet/snow begin? The weather people here have been instilling fear in everyone who watches their newscasts about the severe winter storm that is supposed to be upon us right now. Schools and County offices didn't open today based upon the forecast. It has been raining since yesterday evening but that's about it. Not that I don't doubt the accuracy of the forecast but I am anxious to see three to five inches of snow on the ground. I'm in this snowman building mood. I'll be very disappointed if it doesn't snow after all this.

Surprised Again

Well, not really. Lindsay Lohan checked into rehab yesterday. OMG! Did she have some kind of addiction? Oh, that's right. She was attending AA meetings but I thought everything was fine. Guess not. Read the entire article here.

Surprised

Took The Little One to the pediatrician today for her immunizations this morning. The doctor also wanted to do a blood count and lead screening so they had to draw blood, too. I was really dreading hearing her cry but she was cool as a cucumber. Not a wimper as they poked her arm to draw the blood nor did she flinch when she got the shots in her leg. Actually, when they stuck the needle in her vein she turned her head to see what had happened and was transfixed on the vial filling with her blood. I think she was more relaxed than me. Now if only my other daughter were the same when it comes to shots I'd be a happy guy!

Heartless?

Actually, contrary to popular belief, I *do* have a heart as this screen shot of my echocardiogram sort of shows. My wife was pleasantly surprised. :-)

They Were Doing Their Job

A little history in a nutshell first. Two Border Patrol agents encounter a drug smuggler along the Rio Grande river and shoot him as he is running back into Mexico. They then pick up their shell casings and do not report the shooting to their supervisor. The smuggler survived being hit by a bullet and ends up being a witness in the trial against the two agents. They are found guilty in a jury trial of "violating the civil rights of Osvaldo Aldrete Davila by shooting him, then tampering with evidence by picking up shell casings from the shooting" and sentenced to prison. They are to report to prison by Wednesday.

I've been reading a lot of articles regarding vigils and petitions for clemency for the two ex-agents and have had some problems with the ideas presented in them. I don't doubt that these two individuals served their country by protecting its border or that their job was difficult. I also don't doubt that the smuggler was committing a crime. I don't believe this case has anything to do with current immigration issues. I do think that the only reason politicians are getting involved is to gain publicity and to roll with the momentum created by current immigration issues.

The bottom line here is that they broke the law and committed a crime. And then tried to cover it up. In my opinion they should be held to a higher standard because they worked in law enforcement. If the average Joe did the same thing there would be no demonstrations for leniency and absolutely no question of guilt. They shouldn't be pardoned because they were just doing their job or because the victim was an illegal immigrant or drug smuggler. Again, they broke the law and should have to be accountable for their actions.

You can read a current article here or what the Canada Free Press has to say here.

Terrorists Beware

I am totally pumped for this Sundays premier of 24. Can't wait to see how Jack will end up saving the country this time. I guess in honor of this fast-paced action show, McFarlane toys will be releasing a line of 24 action figures. The full story can be had here. Wow, now I can put Jack on the shelf and have the talking Jesus doll minister to him. Or maybe not. Uh oh, I guess I'll have to start watching Heroes on the computer.

For The Earth Breathes No More

It's humanity's last breath. Literally. In a post apocalyptic world, a family of four and their dog struggle to survive the after effects of the devastating consequences of global warming and ensuing civil strife. Food and water are scarce, no comforts of the 21st century, roaming gangs of murderous marauders, and an invisible but deadly phenomenon survivors call "voids"...pockets of the atmosphere at ground level which contain no oxygen and seemingly moves on its own...hunting. And they're getting bigger. Any thing unlucky enough to stumble into a "void" quickly suffocates and dies. Can the world heal itself and mankind rebuild from this horrible situation?

Movie trailer? Synopsis for a book? No, the description is from the dream I had last night. Weird stuff.

Is It Safe?

Saw this little article on a news feed. Very scary, indeed. Isn't Jennifer Lopez filming a movie about the city of Juarez and disappearing women?

There were 243 homicide victims in 220 incidents, including 49 cartel-style executions, in Juárez Mexico, in 2006, Juárez police said.

Police said homicides were down compared with 2005, but did not have 2005 figures available.

Police said that in 2006, 153 of the 220 incidents involved deaths by gunshot wounds, 33 involved deaths caused by beating, 22 involved stabbing deaths and 12 involved deaths caused by other means. Police also attributed 23 homicides to street gangs and said 49 were executions, probably by drug cartel members. At least 14 victims were minors and 22 were women. There were 14 homicides in the city of El Paso Texas and seven in El Paso County in 2006.

Craving

I don't know why but I've been craving Chinese food for about 2 weeks now. I went out to lunch today with a sales rep and funny that he should suggest Chinese. We ended up at a restaurant called Mayflower and I have to say that the food there was outstanding. And my opinion isn't biased because I was craving it. I'm a picky eater and I take my food seriously, folks. Now how about some sushi?

Bravo...Forte

It's about time someone came up with a solution to the information that displays for digital recordings of classical music on your MP3 player. A new standard announced today would help organize and display correct information for classical music on your portable audio player.

Essentially, the new approach offers a standardized way of cramming the additional relevant data in classical music — such as composer, ensemble, movement number or soloist — into the three-line display.

One resulting "track" would appear like this:

"Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, Op. 8/1, `Spring' — 1. Allegro"

Meanwhile, the "artist" line for the same track would cite both the star violinist and his conductor on the recording:

"Joseph Silverstein, Seiji Ozawa, Boston Symphony Orchestra"

I am really picky about what and the accuracy of the displays for each song. And I get annoyed when the information is wrong for my particular recording. Hopefully, this will help. You can read the entire article here.

Is It Getting Hot In Here?

Scientists are predicting that 2007 will be the hottest year on record due to El Nino and carbon emissions. Really depressing and scary news when you think that if all the industrialized countries would just apply a fraction of their resources to combat greenhouse gases now, then this world catastrophe could be minimized a little. It's also depressing that the United States rejected the Kyoto Protocol thereby influencing other countries but that's politics. Read the entire article here.

On another note, NASA and the JPL are holding the Cassini Photo Contest II to mark the second anniversary of the Huygens Probe descent. You can vote for your favorite Cassini spacecraft photo and the most popular will be announced in February. You can also read about the liquid lakes on Titan here. Cool.

The Amazing Robertson

Apparently, God has been talking to Pat Robertson again. He said on Tuesday that God told him that the United States would suffer a terrorist attack late in 2007 and would affect millions of people. This isn't the first time Robertson claims that God has given him some inside information although these moments of prophecy have been hit and miss the past few years. Why can't God tell him how to make world peace a reality? Read the full story here.

First Gripe of 2007

I was reading a newspaper article regarding the results of increased police presence on the roads during the New Year long weekend. Apparently the local police and sheriff's departments saw no traffic fatalities and very few DUI arrests. All in all a busy but safe holiday weekend. It seems that the local policing agencies always step-up enforcement around the holidays. I think they should do it more often and not just on holidays since there are intoxicated drivers on the roadways every day.

Something else that bothers me is that the local newspaper and newsrooms always announces law enforcement's locations and days of compliance checkpoints or what traffic violation they are on the lookout for during monthly stepped-up enforcement. Hello? If you don't have vehicle insurance then avoid Main Street next Monday between 7 PM and 10 PM. Geez, let's just start informing the violent felons when and where their warrants are going to be served, too.

Well, enough griping for this post. In other news it snowed here yesterday. Came down fairly heavy but the ground just wasn't cold enough. It did accumulate on rooftops, yard, and fields, though. Probably around a quarter of an inch. As the temperature dropped the snow on the roadways eventually turned into slush and then into ice overnight. I hope, and my kids hope, that we get a lot more snow this winter. We'll see.

Happy New Year

Well, it's in with the new and out with the old. Hello 2007. It doesn't seem like the world has changed much since last year. Still policing in Iraq, violent felonies are still being committed, still can't solve Rubik's Cube. But I'm still looking forward to another year with endless possibilities. Perhaps this is the year I'll win the Lottery. Or maybe there will finally be world peace. My cat might even come home. So many possibilities to consider that by the time you think of all of them, it will be time to welcome the next New Year. Anyway, hope everyone has a safe and prosperous 2007.