Go Dog Go

After seeing a bit of the clip on the iPhone commercial, I just had to see the rest. Woof. And when the phone has built-in GPS tied into Google Maps and becomes more like a "smart phone" then maybe I'll be interested.

Meteor My Eye

In late June of 1908, a fireball exploded above the remote Russian forests of Tunguska, Siberia, flattening more than 800 square miles of trees. Researchers think a meteor was responsible for the devastation, but neither its fragments nor any impact craters have been discovered. Astronomers have been left to guess whether the object was an asteroid or a comet, and figuring out what it was would allow better modeling of potential future calamities.

Italian researchers now think they've found a smoking gun: The 164-foot-deep Lake Cheko, located just 5 miles northwest of the epicenter of destruction.

"When we looked at the bottom of the lake, we measured seismic waves reflecting off of something," said Giuseppe Longo, a physicist at the University of Bologna in Italy and co-author of the study. "Nobody has found this before. We can only explain that and the shape of the lake as a low-velocity impact crater."

Heh, I know, along with every other X-Phile out there, what really happened in Tunguska. ;-) Read the entire article here.

Endangered or Threatened No More

The American bald eagle will be removed from the list of protected species tomorrow. Thanks in part to the Endangered Species Act of 1973 and good-hearted Americans and conservationists. We can make a difference over time if we have the foresight and commitment to do what's right. Read the whole story here.

Hot Stuff

It's so freaking hot. Nine in the evening and it's still in the 90's and no breeze. Official high for today was 106. Tomorrow the high temperature is forecasted for 101 with a slight chance of isolated thunderstorms. Please rain.

Purple Kid Eater

As the Little One and I watched a Barney video yesterday, I found myself being lulled or hypnotized into sleep by the purple dinosaur's voice. As I fought off the slumber I thought to myself how can an adult keep from dozing off during these shows? That's when I came up with my own ideas of making the show more adult friendly.

Barney is supposed to be a T-Rex so lets make his teeth more realistic. Lets make them big and sharp and also give him some claws. Then to make things more interesting, lets make a kid disappear during the show. Maybe when the audience and the kids on the show are distracted by some song and dance, Barney will move off screen just for a moment and there will be a munching and crunching sound just before he reappears on screen. After that, one of the kids won't be seen again for the rest of the show. I'm betting most won't even notice someone is missing and if they do, it's got to be a continuity error, right? But you and I would be the wiser. Later Barney can burp and explain to the kids that that isn't polite. Even after a big meal.

We Don't Repair Glasses

I bought my current glasses at one of those "ready in about an hour" places back in February of this year. After the cost of the lenses, frames, and "extras" (like scratch resistance) I ended up paying just under $300. What a bargain.

Well, my daughter loves grabbing my glasses and playing keep away. That's when she's playing nice. When she's upset, she likes to grab my glasses and throw them across the room. The last time she threw my glasses, a scratch appeared on one of the lenses. So I went back to LensCrafters this evening to see if they could buff out the scratch or do something since I had the scratch resistant coating on the lenses.

After waiting twenty minutes to be helped because they were obviously understaffed, I explained the problem to the lady and she in turn tells me "we don't repair glasses." I told her I had just gotten these glasses here less than four months ago and wanted her to at least look at the scratch. She pulls up my information on the computer and said that the lens could be replaced because the glasses were under warranty but there would be a deductible. She also stated that no lens is 100% scratch resistant. I think the sale of those types of "extras" are misrepresented and takes advantage of the customers. I mean how do I really know that my glasses are blocking harmful UV rays? I don't so that's my point. How do I know if my lenses really have a scratch resistant coating? The deductible came out to be $145 and I told her for that amount I'll live with the scratch. To myself I was thinking they can go @*&# themselves. Live and learn. That'll do donkey.

Turning Green

Please Remain Seated At All Times

It took me twenty minutes in line at Sam's Club before I paid and left because there were only five registers open and a gazillion people shopping in the store. For a second there I thought I was at Walmart. Anyway, while waiting patiently I pretty much finished reading all the nutrition facts for the stuff in my cart. There was nothing else to do and that's when I started to read the instructions printed on the child seat of the cart. You know, it's that plastic flappy deal that covers the openings for the child's legs or prevents things from falling out through the openings if you aren't using the seat. All depends on which way it's positioned.

The instructions (in English and Spanish) for use and things not to do were pretty straight forward and included diagrams. Truthfully, I don't think I've ever read those instructions even though I use the seat a lot when shopping with my kids. What caught my eye was this warning: "Your child can fall out of cart and suffer a serious head injury." Well, yeah, that's a possibility. But how about a broken arm? Or even a broken neck. It's scary thinking of all the various results that can occur if one falls out of the cart but I'm puzzled why the warning didn't just say "serious injuries?" The door is open for a personal injury attorney to make some quick cash.

Multimedia message

What about broken bones?

Don't Follow Me 'Cause I'm Lost Too

To me things like this belittles the Catholic church but that's just me. Maybe I used the wrong word. It just seems that there are more important issues to be dealt with than moral conduct during the use of a motor vehicle.

1. You shall not kill.
2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.
3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.
4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.
5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.
6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.
7. Support the families of accident victims.
8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.
9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.
10. Feel responsible toward others.

Oh, please. But I guess if every driver followed these rules driving would be more pleasant and less stressful. Read the whole story here.

Oh The Horror

I had a really bad dream last night. I was yelling in my sleep during the dream and thank goodness my wife woke me. I dreamed that I lived in the house from the Ju-On series and Kayako was coming after me. It scared the hell out of me. After I awoke I just had to laugh for a while relieved that it was all just a dream.

I Am NOT Insane!

This is for everyone who said I was crazy because they had never heard of Grins & Smiles & Giggles & Laughs cereal. RASPBERRY! I seem to remember that it tasted a bit like Cap'n Crunch cereal. And I think I still have some of the free magnets that were included in specially marked boxes.

Try Converting This

According to an article in today's paper, thieves are crawling under cars and trucks to steal the catalytic converter, a device to reduce pollutants in the exhaust. They use a small electric cutting device and can remove the converter in 30 seconds. But why would they want to steal that? It turns out that inside the catalytic converter are small amounts of platinum or rhodium which are metals that can be sold on the black market for a high price. The police say that these thefts occur during all times of the day and mostly in large commercial parking lots. What will they think of next?

And I'm saddened by the passing of Mr. Wizard. Even though I watched him in the 80's I found his program entertaining and educational.

Isn't That The Truth?

Old Wive's Tale

After surfing the Internet with the Little One's symptoms yesterday I came to the conclusion that it was a rare form of a degenerative bone disease that inflicts about 1.25 in 1,000,000,000 persons living in tropical environments. Once we got to the pediatrician's office and described the symptoms to the doctor, she examined the Little One's feet and legs and said not to worry. She said it probably was growing pains and explained that only about 20% of children experience this and it usually occurs at night after a day of physical activities. Just give some children's Motrin before bedtime and everything should be fine. Whew, what a relief. Oh, and it turns out that when I was a little tyke myself, I used to wake up in the middle of the night with pains in my lower legs. I had no recollection of that.

Growing Pains

The Little One woke up twice last night crying and saying that her feet hurt. Each time it took about thirty minutes of rubbing and massaging her feet and ankles before she would stop crying and fall back to sleep. I don't know what's wrong or if this is something to take seriously. I looked on the web for help and all that has done is make me more paranoid about what could be wrong. And the instruction manual is no help at all, either.

Literally Speaking

From a Lease Contract:

"Death of Sole Resident. If you are the sole resident, upon your death you may terminate the Lease Contract without penalty with at least 30 days written notice. You will be liable for payment of rent until the latter of: (1) the termination date, or (2) until all possessions in the apartment are removed. You will be liable for all rent, charges, and damages to the apartment until it is vacated, and any removal and storage costs."

Yeah, maybe I'll have the luxury of knowing in advance when Death will come knocking on my door but you can surely bet I won't be wasting my time writing a 30 day notice. I won't have time to worry about penalties or liabilities either because I'll be DEAD! And if I were to return from the dead like a zombie from a George Romero film, I wouldn't be wasting my time removing my possessions. I'd be chasing down dinner.

Uneccesary T.V. Children

The article did right by putting Cousin Oliver at the top. Wait, I take that back. Kim Bauer should have been up there. Or maybe not. Hey, didn't Gilligan adopt a monkey during a season? Or was that Lost In Space. I get the two confused. See the article here and you can also take a poll of the most unnecessary child from a list of the unwanted there, too.

Warning

I was getting gas this evening and since I no longer enjoy watching the digital numbers on the gas pump change, my eyes were wandering. That's when I happened to notice the warnings printed on the plastic molding on the pump nozzle. To me most of them seemed to be common sense kind of stuff (Extinguish all flames, Turn off engine, etc.) but I guess you never know. The item that caught my eye though was "Licensed drivers only." Does that mean my mother-in-law who doesn't have a driver's license cannot operate the pump? How about a learner's permit? Can those teens pump gas or do they need to have the licensed driver accompanying them do it? And is it a crime for a licensed driver to pump gas for an unlicensed person? Even though it has been years since I took the exam for my driver's license I don't recall having to study anything about pumping gas.

I Have No Recollection Of That

That's what you should say especially if you work in Washington. So the former chief of staff to Vice President Cheney was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison. I don't know. I think that's a little harsh for lying and obstructing and technically no one was really hurt right? Right? Let's see what happens during the appeal. Read the story here.

Get the F*** Out of My Kitchen

Chef Gordon Ramsay is so unpredictable and angry that it's scary. I'd probably cry if he spit out my signature dish and started yelling at me. At least Mondays without 24 will be entertaining now that he's back.

Come Out Come Out Wherever You Are

I'm fascinated by this stuff. UFOs, Nessie, Big Foot, giant squids, monster spiders in the Amazon Basin, and haunted places to name a few. So I was really excited when I read the news about a new video taken at Loch Ness. Is it Nessie or isn't it? You decide. I think it is.