Ghost Busters

Who you gonna call?

I cannot believe it, but my boys are terrified of Ghostbusters. They sat through Lord of the Rings and other frightening films, but they had to stop GB 1/2 way through since it was dark (and thus, scary). This was GBII.

GB 1 is unavailable, so far. We're looking at video stores for it. We may have to get it from NetFlicks.

I heard there's a GB III in the works--that sounds so cool.

Pecha Kucha

I am EAGER to employ this technique in my Lit class and (hopefully) online. The particular video here is, itself, a Pecha Kucha (though too long). His presentation is on more than Pecha Kucha, but it's got good information, overall. Great for the classroom intro.

I agree with the narrator of the video, that images can carry the load and that we need to move it on along. I would also like to see a Pecha Kucha Night. That would be fun.

Farm livin' a general update

Farm livin' is the life for me.

Okay so our test livestock, a free goat, survived a neglectful Jarvis winter, reinforcing that we need to get better habits if we're to get more livestock. We are very close to getting something in the pen, a pig perhaps or maybe bottle fed baby goats, for I have spent a couple days electrifying the fence (the old one is 3 layers of junk). We also farmed out the east pasture to a neighbor for his 5 yearling horses; our only obligation is to water them, and even at that we are not the best ranch hands (but we'll improve).

I have every intention of building a chicken moat, but first must come the chicken coop. I am most excited about eggs, for if I were true to my personal feelings, I'd not eat anything with a face. Someday, maybe I'll quit being lazy in my beliefs and live by them.

And, our garden grows and grows. We have a great start on watermelons, cantaloupe, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries, onions, peppers, and corn. Ironic: last year's big winner, pumpkins, have yet to be planted. That's today.

Trademark THIS

Greed and ownership drive corporations to new extremes. This topic would be a hot one for an issue-oriented essay. What am I writing about now?

Subway files a claim to trademark the word "footlong" and badgers small businesses currently using the term. On-ramp to the full-on debacle here, courtesy of an NPR blog.

Yes, as always, I'm late to the fracas, now raging since May 9th or so. Nonetheless, here's my opinion:

What grounds do they have to trademark something in such general use as "footlong" anyway?

Next we'll see trademarked:

Spicy

Hot and juicy

Cold (as in cold beer)

Good

For sale

What will be immune to trademarking if this goes through?

The issues of ownership, intellectual property, identity and brand are very engaging. I am no attorney, but it would seem to me that generic words could not be owned. I don't like it that any words are owned. I suppose I could see that a brand name concocted from a corporate punk's head might be okay if it were not in the OED or any other dictionary already...those words could be owned.

In fact, some like Polaroid, Xerox, and Kleenex have won battles in court for decades now. I agree with these guys, for the words did not exist prior to the inventions, ideas, etc. associated with the company that owned the trademarked term.

Leave it at that.

Subway, be a creative force instead of a monopolizing bully. Here, you marketing wizards, I'll give you some lingo to sling and trademark:

30.48 cm Sandwich

Eatcha IntoaComa Sandwich

SewerLog Sandwich

Want to keep that alliteration going? Five dollar Floater Sandwich

Friends don't let friends blog alone. Contribute your fresh ideas (oops, "fresh" is prolly a Subway owned word, too) in your replies.

The best moments

I'd waited for three (3) months. I'd spent my savings. I'd cleared my calendar (well, that last one is less-than-relevant since it IS summer, after all).

Finally, it was here, Star Wars in Concert. This was especially great for us, as it was our first visit to the new Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita. What a nice, new facility! All around the upper deck/concourse, there were food vendors (irresistible) and in this case, the 501st Star Wars reenactment group (I'll find their real name later) that was posing with kids for pictures like these (to be posted). For my kids, standing shoulder to shoulder with "real" Star Wars characters was da bomb--likely more exciting for them than the entire show. Another special feature of the event was that an exhibit of props and costumes from the actual films was on display, and we were able to see an original Darth Vader costume, weapons, helmets, etc. Cool!

As advertised, the multi-million dollar show in the multi-million dollar arena did deliver! Everything from a jumbo screen with choreographed scenes from all six films to the celebrity of the day, Anthony Daniels, who played C-3PO to extravagant lighting and awesome laser light features.

It was all I hoped for and more. Sure, it was very commercial (T-shirts were $45 and up; even event programs were $30!). Yes, it was hammy and campy--hey, it's a musical performance based on a silly sci-fi franchise (that did not come first from a comic book). Still, it was a really good show!

I have all the John Williams tunes from all six films on my iPod. I give them a listen regularly, especially the big swelling fanfare numbers. It truly was all exquisitely coordinated, music and sound. At one moment, for instance, the Millennium Falcon was rushing from the back of the jumbotron quickly to the foreground, to eventually fly right into the camera and at that moment roared over the auditorium, and blinding swivel lights tracked the movement in perfect synchrony with the blast of the 86 piece live orchestra. Then all the lights and sound went dead. Bam!

HOWEVER, all that was not the best moment. It was a great investment, don't get me wrong, but the best of the best of the best (sir) was a little private moment that could have happened anywhere.

My boys had little glow sticks from home (we frugal dudes did not want to spend $20 for one at the show). The kid in front of us, prolly about 4, had tight-fisted parents who did not even buy refreshments (kudos to them). My 4 year old decided to give away his glow stick to the little boy who did not have one. It's that kind of innocence and generosity that gives me faith in kids as our future.

If only they will not be corrupted by the world as they mature.

Construct a Chicken Moat for Effective Garden Pest Control

Construct a Chicken Moat for Effective Garden Pest Control

This has been on my mind and "radar" since the article first came out (really!) and now, this summer of 2010, just 22 years later, I am going to do it!

I think, after looking the article over again, that I've been thinking too small, that we need to build this garden BIG. I thought our garden of 30 x 48 was getting big enough, but the one in the article is more like 50x75.

I also do not know for sure about the fencing material. The article suggests 6' high fence, and to use a better, stronger material than typical poultry fencing. I am unsure what to use, but it will be a big expense.

I've been thinking through a hen house concept that uses old pickup toppers on top. I'm thinking the topper would provide adjustable skylights and access to the hen house. I'd want 2 toppers on top, and they'd have to match...and they'd have to be adequate scale. If I know all that upfront, I can design the walls to fit.

Hawaii-5-0

Man, this was one great show, back in the day. Brian Setzer's Orchestra did a great cover of the theme song, gets me on my feet every time. Here's the promo clip from the new series coming out on CBS soon:

Roughing It

I've never been for a ride in a Model-T Ford, but I have been in cab-less vehicles that had firm shocks, leaf springs front and rear...an old Willys Jeep (precursor of the AMC Jeeps we all know and love). I've been studying old cars for most of my life and know there are modern conveniences we take for granted:

1. comfortable, adjustable seats
2. automatic transmission
3. windows
4. music
5. gauges
6. power steering
7. power brakes
8. power windows
9. good exhaust
10. air conditioning
11. safety features
12. (nearly) rattle-free interiors
13. quiet rides
14. GPS systems

...and I could go on.

We marvel that people could drive such harsh vehicles, so brutal and inconsiderate. We also marvel that people used to leave food products out of the fridge between meals, that they used root cellars to preserve food, that they had the windows open and open fire places!

Once upon a time, you had to open doors all by yourself at grocery stores.

Used to be, you had to talk to a teller to get some cash.

We were able to write on little slips of paper to conduct business rather than use credit/debit cards...and we carried cash (real green stuff).

...and I could, again, go on.

The point of this entry (and I'm just warming up to it) is that we have so many modern conveniences and luxuries which we never reckon with [clean, running water--indoor plumbing!]. The one I am thinking of most right now is the humble computer.

Yes, I grew up on a typewriter. I was using the Internet when it was just a blue screen and white text (and we thought that was da'bomb).

I am sharing this because I realize frequently how very, very dependent I am on technology and how much of a wuss I am due to creature comforts. When visiting Mexico, I had a few reality checks, and when I revisit my homeland and farmstead, I again am reminded of my childhood and "roughing it" back then with black and white TV coming in via aerial.

I guess there's no turning back, but frankly, I'd like to. I'd go all the way back to the buckboard and kerosene light. My only issue would be medical care, but I guess we're likely to be reverting to that 19th century medical practice anyway, thanks to what's afoot.

I could go a week without a shower, use an outhouse, take cold showers (uhgh, starting to get into my sacred comfort zone now). I could stand only traveling 40 miles a day on horseback. I could sleep on the ground. About all I could not handle--dental care!!!!

Open letter to Educators (from a drop out)

So, Danny boy here has a good message, overall. His beef is that the school he attended pressed facts, memorization of data, and, as he says, information is free, freely available. He says institutions of education need to "stoke creativity" and empower young people for change.

I could not agree with him more.

He complained that his college experience did not encourage interaction w/peers or instructor, that the text was okay but that more relevant (and accessible) content was online. He said learning management systems (aka Blackboard) are a step in the right direction, but so '90's!

I teach a skills-based curriculum and it's all about communication and engagement. My students all learn a little more about accessing information through digital tools. They tend to have a positive experience with me and peers, whether through the 'net or ground face to face engagement.

I agree that even Blackboard/ANGEL has room for improvement. We're now exploring video conferencing for next Fall. Even that is, perhaps, too little, too late.

Sometimes I think the whole higher education paradigm needs reinvented.

Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas : The Poetry Foundation [poem] : Find Poems and Poets. Discover Poetry.

Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas : The Poetry Foundation [poem] : Find Poems and Poets. Discover Poetry.

So Long...

So, it's finals week in my world, which means high stress, long hours, and incredible pressure. I tend to be over-wrought on all counts, overly-emotional, altogether unpleasant to be around. (This is unfortunate for my daughter, for her birthday falls at the end of finals week.)

I can get through the grading. Every year I write myself notes on how horrible this feels, how very much I should knuckle down earlier in the term to prevent such anxiety and overload...of course, most of this is the nature of the beast, teaching a double load of nearly all college freshman writing classes. I always shake my head in sorrow, lament how it sucks to be me...but then, there are much worse jobs.

The worst part of this: severing ties. Here's where too much disclosure can be downright unmanly, uncomely, uncouth...so I forge ahead. The truth is, I am a sappy guy. I have emotions. I build bridges and bonds and relationships with students that lead me to make too much of an investment in them. "How can a teacher do too much of this?" one might ask, for it would seem good teaching, like good parenting, would be an all-out venture. You cannot love too much, can you?

When I reason through from this angle, I do agree, it's a good thing to throw deep, to "care."

I have had some amazing ends to semesters, too. I've had students bearing gifts. I've had classes applaud. I've had a steady stream of referrals to my classes. Once, back when it was in the collective conscious of the public, a class spontaneously stood up on their chairs and did the "Captain, my captain" thing from Dead Poet's Society. (Really!) I've had people name their children after me. (Not really!) It's been a good ride, overall, even in the home stretch.

It's just that every semester is like a new relationship, or in my case 100's of them. Of the 100's per semester, 99% of them "die." Thus, finals week is like seeing all these people on the morgue table one last time. If ever I see them again, it will likely be years from now. When I see them again, it will be a head bob hello, a grunt, a vague recollection.

Worse yet, the Eddie Haskell's of this world, the kid who seems to be bonding, seems to care, and yet behind my back or the day after grades are due--cold-hearted villain. There's nothing to be done about bad apples and insincerity, but those folk are hurtful, make one want to choke back on the bat and be more an automaton and less a caring individual.

All that said, I feel no better, and I have many, many goodbye's left this week.

Babies

So now there's a movie all about babies, starring babies, etc. Remarkably, it's titled: Babies! (That link takes you to their site, trailer, text, etc.)

I am so enthused about the movie, I added a widget to my blog--see over there on the right?

Why would I do such a thing, promote such a film? Well, for one, it's a lot like Baraka, for it does not force a story on you; instead, it's a documentary w/out much voice-over. It's all about 4 babies and the lives they lead, starting out. It's shot from their p.o.v. and it's stripped of all our parental uber-lord. I cannot wait to see it.

Similarly, I am always studying my own kids, always fascinated with their inner workings. They say the darnedest things, do the most outlandish things--they're just unpredictable. That's why I like them so much.

Packing Iron

Image from here.

Yes, Iron Man is going to be a big hit, much-hyped and destined to rake in box office bucks beyond measure. I'll leave it to the true comic book fans to report on accuracy of the film to the character from the colored pages of our youth...

I'll just confess that I like Robert Downey, Jr more with every successive film he appears in. Oh, he's no Johnny Depp, or reaching way back Peter O'Toole, but he's really coming into his own. I admire that RDjr is overcoming his demons, and I lament that Charlie Sheen is not (but gosh darn, I want to like that guy, too, really).

I've already written about Downey in Sherlock Holmes (though I shared more about the soundtrack). He was incredible in that film, and I'm begging for a sequel.

Iron Man 2, however, intrigues me. I know little more than the average Joe, and I plan to keep it that way, not pouring over the website or blog posts or trailers, teasers, etc...for I like being pleasantly surprised.

I guess you could say that's a lifestyle decision for me: blissful ignorance. That way I am seemingly constantly in a state of ah-ah! (Not really so very much, but it was fun to imagine I was really living in the moment, even if only for the moment I wrote the passage).

Regardless, I have something to look forward to: summer movies! Alas, I only have one movie pass hoarded from my birthday months ago. So far I expended the passes wisely, very wisely if you ask me, on Holmes and then on Alice in Wonderland. (I owe myself a post on that film, too, soon.)

On Toilet Mints

I've been thinking this one over for some time now, well, since about mid-March, anyway. About that time, the custodial gods installed toilet mints in the urinals where I work. For those not privy to our privy, we have about 9 urinals all lined up like strangely-receptive i-robot parodies, eager to be flush with one's contribution. What has gathered my attention is this: the mints do not seem to be dissolving at a consistent rate.

Now, some may venture that about this time of year I get a bit loopy, that I am prone to observations that one might not make if of sound mind. I have been known to see invisible creatures, to laugh at the pronunciation of my own name, to forget where my children are (even as I am holding one of them on my hip). In this instance, however, let me assure you that I am making the most scientific of observations.

My office mate, himself a scientist, speculated over the toilet mint phenomena himself last week--unsolicited, I might add.

You see, there might be any number of factors that are affecting the mints. His theory was the most obvious (and thereby, the most likely for me to discount, for it makes too much sense). Simply put, he thinks the most-dissolved mints must be in urinals that are most popular. This would stand to reason, for they are, generally speaking, the urinals at the far ends of the line up. We men like to wee as privately as we may, given the circumstances.

However, couldn't it also be that the downdrafts from the vents (approx. at the ends of the line up, in the ceiling above) could be eroding the mints?

Or maybe it's not the number (popularity) of the use of said urinals but the quality of urine of those who frequent these urinals. I, myself, have toxic waste from too much coffee (a pot before 830am) and thus would offer, maybe folks with a stream like mine more greatly affect the toilet mint. Or it may be that the clientele of certain urinals might have a higher velocity discharge than another. I know for a fact that some males (I debated over using "boys" or "men" in this context) make a sport of eroding the toilet mint with their fire power. If, perchance, any reader of this is doubting me, I offer as exhibit A the toilet mint/target popular after 9/11 that featured a target and image of Osama Bin Laden:
Note the catch phrase: "Urine Trouble bin Laden." Toilet humor. Can't get enough? Then you might want to order the customizable urine cake that allows you to insert any photo!

Now back to our show...
I am concerned that this whole discussion may be moot, for who's to say the custodians don't rotate these mints on some schedule? I know when I was a custodian, I had similarly been assigned mundane, asinine, inexplicable tasks on my list (including cleaning the hose that fed water into my mop bucket). If that is true, all hope is lost to ever explain the mint erosion issue!

Perhaps, if the mints are in rotation, then it is not the placement of the mint in any given urinal but the quality of the mint, itself, to study. It may be that some mints are of inferior manufacture or inconsistent materials. I am sure there must be some ANSII standard for toilet mints, but is there really any quality control? WHY DOESN'T SOMEONE CARE! Does any one really invest enough time in making sure these mints are tested for density, strength, scent or, most importantly to this discussion, durability? Is there a job for that in the Occupational Outlook Handbook: toilet mint inspector? He, who comes home from work, goes over his day with his spouse over meatloaf: "Yeah, honey, we had another reject today. Color faded after only 72 gallons at medium stream, don't that just beat all? And someone could have had that in their urinal! Makes me proud I'm there to maintain quality, by gawd!"

Maybe, just maybe, down the drains of these urinals there are life forms we do not know or acknowledge, and perhaps some colonies of said life forms are more voracious in their eating than others. Or maybe they do not eat the toilet mints, but instead lick them, like a cow would a salt lick...or maybe they skate on them...at any rate, one life form's colony's appetites and lifestyle choices might be more demanding on the toilet mint than a neighboring life form's colony.

Betcha didn't think about that, eh?

A point of order: And, btw, I call them toilet mints rather than urinal cakes for good reason. There is nothing cake-like about them, and like those old air fresheners (Stick-ups?), you can put said mint behind a toilet, in the tank of a toilet, etc...so they are more versitle and thereby deserve the broader name, "toilet" mint.

A Year In Review

...that is, 365 blog posts and counting!

It's taken me years to get to this point, having launched my blog in 2006, but I am happy to report that I've finally posted the equivalent of a year's worth of daily entries. (Pathetic in a way, but hey, I'm still sluggin' them out.)

Don't judge too harshly, for I also keep several other journals and such, so this really is about 1/3rd of my personal writing. It's just the most public venue I maintain.

I will hopefully learn to hyperlink all the references to other posts via blogger tools so that they all open in new windows. I'm working on that. Meanwhile, for now just right click and select how you want these to open up. (Once I get them linked up, that is.)

So, categorically (which I admittedly did not start really tagging until more recently) I have most posts in Family and Belief. Since having kids, I've learned much more than I could post, even if I did so conscientiously every day. I have tried to offer some insight for others, and I've posted some issues with parenting, too. I've shared some of my more intimate moments of parental pride, as well. My two favorite entries in the category are "Turn off the Moon" (in which my 3 yr old was camping and annoyed by the moonlight) and "I don't know the words," (where my 7 year old was at a loss for words and I was marveling over that.)

I have shared a number of issues and beliefs that I've been compelled to vent. Well, usually vent. Sometimes it's a belief/amusement, like my very first blog posts about dentists or my speculations on this or that. Consider my lamentations about being a "Tree Slayer" for example.

I have a great interest in technology, and I have to admit it is not done justice by my blogging (though this passion is more accurately reflected in my bookmarks and surfing habits). A couple of favorites of mine have been over such diverse ideas as RFID, cloning my dog, and the Social Media Revolution.

As I review the "year's worth" of entries I am pleased to see content ranging from my first car to pirates and zoot suits. I have captured both highs and lows in life, from funnies of my kids to tributes to missing dearly departed folk. There is one major omission in my blog, and that has been to share more about its most faithful reader, my boon companion and wife. I hope to rectify that oversight in the near future. I guess I don't write about her here because it would be so mushy.

I hope folks who are newer to my blog will take time to poke around in to the past posts and write a comment or three. I would love to interact more with you all.

Make mine SciFi

Ever thought about how this genre, science fiction, is something of an oxymoron in itself--I mean, science is all factual and well...scientific, while fiction is lies, lies, lies.

This entry is to explain to some folks why I like science fiction.


First of all, I like gadgets. I subscribe to feeds on new gadgets. (even though I cannot afford them) I can't get enough of Rube Goldbergian, overly-complicated, old school gadgets. I think early inventors rock, and I have bookmarked several patent/invention sites I visit frequently. When I was a kid, I would get a buzz out of the Jetson's and all those gadgets in the opening credits that got George around for the day ahead.


Then, I like to make things. While I aspire to great gadgetry, I'm just as happy making a crude box from scraps with my kid and a pneumatic nail gun, like we did just yesterday. I like to concoct crazy fixes and employ things other folk might discard. I like to re-purpose things. I especially enjoy solving problems with technology.


I am a man of conundrums. Puzzling principles and complicated circumstances draw my attention. This might be a convoluted plot in some work of fiction, or it might be some issue of life/society that is unresolved or annoying me. For example, I find the time it takes to get somewhere to be very, very bothersome. (I know, you're supposed to enjoy the journey, but....). I think I like science fiction because it can step up and offer solutions for commutes that get in the way (teleportation) or language barriers that lead to battles (universal translators).

I am an optimist, and much of science fiction (the Roddenberry strain, and soft sci-fi) addresses worlds and cultures that have overcome all the -isms and moved on. Many SF environments are free of pollution, no longer burdened with consumption, want, lust... When I am seeking a better world, I can usually find it in the pages of a SF novel or film.



Admittedly, when it comes to art--film, in particular--I am all about the eye candy. The fanciful worlds of space and science that could be...breathtaking! Fusing fantasy (the entire gamut of what-if) and scientific gadgetry on screen is awesome.

Ticket to Ride...Hillbilly style

One of the better bluegrass covers of a Beatles' song...and the video is excellent, too, in this rare case. Sometimes you need something silly and light like this to brighten the day. Go make it a favorite in YouTube.