Thursday, July 31, 2008

Ford's TUEC


Here's the label from Henry Ford's TUEC. What's a TUEC, you ask? As far as I can recall, it was a wall-mounted vacuum cleaner in Ford's workshop. Sort of an early predecessor of a central vacuuming system. The latest patent date on this thing is September 1912. There's nothing new under the sun, is there? Anyway, I thought the badge looked interesting. Wonder what the United Electric Company is up to these days? They have a website.

Now here's something I want: the StupidFilter. Although I fear it would seriously shorten the length of my blog posts. On the other hand, this technology could be expanded in many different ways. Today's controversy: how would you use/change/upgrade the StupidFilter to make the world a better place?

Let's see here, what's been going on in the comments area? A little bit of immigration talk and some carefully-worded comments on driving. I'm not touching that last one any more. On immigration, though, one more question: how would my Loyal Readers handle the question of legalizing the millions of illegal aliens? Is it right to put them on the path to citizenship in spite of their illegal status? Isn't that giving favorable treatment to people who have broken our laws, while others all over the world wait for many years to come here? On the other hand, what else can we do with all these people? Deport them? Crack down on employers so they can't find work? Cut off government benefits and accept the health risk untreated sick illegals would pose? How do we continue economic growth when my generation and the ones that come after it aren't even replacing themselves, let alone increasing the supply of future workers?

So many questions. I'm looking forward to hearing some simple solutions.

I was in a training class on Tuesday morning, and I got some really good ideas for some articles for software developers. One I'm working on is tentatively titled "Costing to Price." It's about the insidious practice software developers (and other engineers, for that matter) sometimes engage in of estimating the cost of a product based on the amount of money available (i.e. the price). While that sounds like a good idea on the surface, what it actually results in is deliberately understated estimates, which inevitably lead to cost overruns. This is not a good management practice, and yet many managers (including some of mine) require their subordinates to do just that.

One of the first things they teach you in MBA school is that there is no relationship between cost and price, and attempting to establish one will inevitably lead to failure. Of course, an important goal is to keep the cost below the price, but you can't do that by fiat, and trying to do it that way will lead to unpleasant surprises later.

Anyway. I'm working on a little article on this and some other topics (another one: "Ruthless Prioritization") and post them to the Gardenville Software website. Along with a few little projects the Loyal Readers and I have been working on. Other Loyal Readers with an interest in writing software-related articles are welcome to submit ideas and/or finished work. Not being a peer-reviewed publication and not being a paying publication, we are able to keep our editorial standards notoriously low. You too can be a published author!

Time for bed. See you tomorrow.


Today's 3 Morrowlife Comments:

Blogger Mark said...

Here's an idea: steal labor. We'll go to Mexico with little nets and we'll catch families and legalize them and let them get jobs, and then we'll just prey off of other nations until none of them exist and we have 100% of the world population. Then we will probably win, and the world will end, hopefully, because at that rate we won't be able to support them all.

Thu Jul 31, 10:38:00 PM  

Blogger Andy Morrow said...

Argh! Blogger ate my comment! I think that the StupidFilter should be used on social networking sites and forums. If you have too many violations, your account should be closed.

Fri Aug 01, 09:16:00 AM  

Blogger Paul said...

I want a StupidFilter device I can keep in my pocket. It would cause searing pain to stupid people, or maybe even disrupt their stupid brain waves during stupid thought. It could also stop me from doing stupid things by the same methods.

I figure it should be easier to get a work permit/citizenship in this country. However those who broke the law need to have justice served. I think some kind of work repayment program for a short time would make up for public services used. It could be like court ordered community service. All the while it saves law enforcement from having to expend the money required to deport and process them. I might ask for English to be a requirement as well.

Sat Aug 02, 10:47:00 AM  

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Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Private pool


Here's the private pool at our hotel suite at Yosemite. I've had worse hotel rooms.

Two days, no comments. Sigh. Any Loyal Readers out there? My prose may not have been memorable lately, but the Great Art pictures of Yosemite have been pretty good. And then there's the Whatsit. Classic.

Morrowlife Financial Juggernaut update: I'm still only at $2.03. I'm just not making any money at this. Must . . . get . . . better . . . content. No, that couldn't be the problem. It must be sunspots. Or something. In any case, it's time to get that total above three dollars. I can't ask my Loyal Readers to click on my Commerce section, of course, so I certainly won't. Those ads will have to speak for themselves.

I can't see anything wrong with this plan, can you? I'm sure they'll start turning themselves in in droves.

Loyal Readers Numbers One and Two spent the day babysitting our triplet friends. They're eleven years old, if memory serves. It appears to have gone well. Their parents are both at camp with Loyal Reader Number Four. Who we miss.

Today's controversy: Do you suffer from this problem? I have no comment. Note the final question: "If they're all such good drivers, why do they crash more often than women?" My answer: they have to be crashing into somebody, don't they? Otherwise, no comment.

See you tomorrow.


Today's 3 Morrowlife Comments:

Blogger Mark said...

Ha, nothing wrong with the immigration plan at all, except they wanna go home instead of get in prison because they can jump the border again from home.

Thu Jul 31, 07:37:00 AM  

Blogger Paul said...

It's going to be lonely waiting for all the deportees to show up.

The driving controversy is interesting. It seems like women cause less accidents in Australia because their boyfriends/husbands won't allow them to drive...

Thu Jul 31, 10:34:00 AM  

Blogger Andy Morrow said...

I think a more realistic plan would be to offer them a pathway to citizenship and begin cracking down more on illegals taking advantage of our tax-funded services. For example, we would allow anyone into the hospitals - but if they didn't have citizenship papers, we would throw them in jail as soon as they were well. I think the government ought to offer many, many more temporary work permits - and then keep track of them and deport them as soon as their time was up. I know, that would cost quite a bit - but it also costs quite a bit to support them via our taxes. Furthermore, if they knew they could always get another permit, they would be much more willing to leave. In all, it's a very interesting problem. Something needs to be done, because doing nothing isn't acceptable.
As far as driving goes, I suspect that the group surveyed (readers of a driving magazine) would not be very representative of the entire nation and that they may not have been taking the test very seriously. Who would honestly push a girl out the door for commenting on your driving? I'd be interested to see what the questions and answers were.

Thu Jul 31, 06:13:00 PM  

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Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Distant waterfall


Here's one more picture from Yosemite - a distant waterfall. They told us the waterfalls were even more spectacular in the spring when there's more water in the rivers. This looks pretty good to me anyway.

Worked hard all day. Came home and ate. That's about it.

Not exactly a controversy, but would you buy one of these? My answer: probably. I might like a little more assurance it's not going to crash the first time I use it, but otherwise it looks like fun. Maybe a little heavy.

Time for bed. See you tomorrow.


Today's 2 Morrowlife Comments:

Blogger Andy Morrow said...

I don't know about that jetpack. I'd feel safer paragliding - there's very little chance of being hurt when you're hanging from a parachute before you even leave the ground.

Thu Jul 31, 05:51:00 PM  

Blogger Mark said...

That is, until an eagle attacks you and tears up your paraglider. It's happened.

NOWHERE IS SAFE.

Thu Jul 31, 10:35:00 PM  

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Monday, July 28, 2008

Ford's Quad


Here's Henry Ford's first personal car - the Quadricycle. As with Hank's other personal cars, this one is black and basic. Pretty nice upholstery, though. And check out that sleigh in the background. Black, of course. The guy was monotonous.

Anyway. I like the bell on the front of the Quad. I want one on my car. That would get people's attention.

It's a quiet day around here. Loyal Reader Number Four is at girls' camp, and we're on our own. Loyal Reader Number One made a delicious dinner and we had a pleasant home evening. After Blog Time, we might even get a little dessert. Then it's off to bed.

The Loyal Readers and I are planning one little bit of excitement - we're going camping Friday night. I have to work that day, so it won't be a long campout, but we'll enjoy sitting around the trailer with our books, knives, or whatever; we'll have a campfire if we can find some firewood; and we'll play some Kubb.

By the way, there are an amazing number of Kubb websites out there. A few of them spell it "Koob," but I think they're just phoneticizing the word for the semi-literate lawn sports (link warning: I got a 70%) lovers out there. We'll stick with "Kubb" here on Morrowlife.

Anyway. We might go out for breakfast on Saturday morning too. No need to be primitive, after all.

LRN1 is heading for college four weeks from today. Things are going to change around here.

Let's see, what happened this weekend? We picked up the Loyal Readers on Saturday morning, of course. Their flight appears to have gone well, they had a great time with Loyal Readers Numbers Three and Fifteen, and it's nice to have them home. We stopped and visited Loyal Readers Numbers Five, Six, and Twelve on the way home. They're doing fine. LRN5 claimed that LRN12 had been a twerp all morning, but she was as good as gold when we were there. All smiles. I suspect she's not capable of naughtiness, but her parents may have a different opinion.

I'm hungry for dessert. See you tomorrow.


Today's 0 Morrowlife Comments:

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Friday, July 25, 2008

Little brother


Here's a little family snapshot from Yosemite. This is Loyal Reader Number Four's brother and his family. Yet another beautiful Yosemite background.

Well. I seem to have forgotten that yesterday was only Thursday. Wished my Loyal Readers a happy weekend prematurely. Oh, the shame.

Although it did feel like Saturday today. It was my off Friday, so I stayed home and only worked about three hours. Fine day - sunny and warm. Loyal Reader Number Four and I fixed the mower, trimmed the lawn, swam, cleaned the pool and pond filters, swam again, got the Honda washed and gassed, had a nice dinner out, bought some stuff at Wally Mart (new calculator batteries, which had been badly needed for a couple of months and were surprisingly cheap, antifreeze for the 'burb and 'rus, and some other stuff), and some new shirts for me on Uber Sale at Mervyn's. Also cleaned all the superfluous stuff off my Palm and got it set back up on the Mac.

More work to do tomorrow, including picking up the Loyal Readers at the Oakland airport! Woo hoo! I also hope to work on the Miata's boot snap.

Good news for Loyal Reader Number One! I discovered when I was messing with the Gadget that my license for The Missing Sync allows me to install it on two Macs. You can have a copy! Woo hoo!

This weekend's controversy: Do you believe the rumors about a tablet Mac coming soon? And if they're true, would you buy one? My answers: yes and definitely, assuming the pricing rumors are also true. LRN1 may want to look at one as his college computer.

Thanks to the Typo Brigade for keeping a weather eye on my work. I can't see any typos there, though.

See you Monday.


Today's 1 Morrowlife Comments:

Blogger Andy Morrow said...

I don't know about the Macbook Tablet. It might be very cool, but I might prefer a MacBook Air. Chances are, however, that's not what it is.
Mark and I thoroughly enjoyed our visit with Paul and Melissa, and we're sad that it was over so soon.

Sat Jul 26, 06:06:00 PM  

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Thursday, July 24, 2008

Whatsit


Here's Henry Ford's . . . umm . . . something or other. Photographed in the powerhouse at Fairlane. Part of my famous Machinery series.

Uber Extreme Short Shrift tonight. I've been working on my Sudoku program all evening, and there's just no time left.

The program is going okay - thanks for asking. I've gotten it to read and parse the input file, put the numbers into an array, and print out the resulting puzzle. Now all that's left is solving the thing. That's the easy part, no?

Loyal Readers One, Two, Three, and Fifteen have only one full day left together in Arizona. Do lots of fun things, Loyal Readers!

Lots to do this weekend: fix the mower, mow the lawn, clean the pond and pool filters, fix the Miata's broken boot snap, wash the Honda, and get the Sudoku solver working. I think I can do it. Actual results on Monday.

See you then.

Labels:


Today's 2 Morrowlife Comments:

Anonymous Shannon said...

Good luck with your weekend list--I especially wish you luck with the mower so we don't look like the bad neighbors with the shaggy lawn!

Fri Jul 25, 08:59:00 AM  

Blogger Andy Morrow said...

We're about to go out to lunch with one of Paul's friends, Chris. I've been trying to debug an error in Apple's Core Video library (I know, shocking.) It may be a rare problem because of my low-end graphics card mixed with a PPC processor. I've enlisted Jonathan deWerd's help to determine how to report it to Apple etc. We've also been playing the guitar and a few video games. We went shooting yesterday and each got to shoot 100 rounds. We had three different pistols to choose from, but we had the most ammo for the Glock. Very fun. We also stopped at the Scottsdale Gun Club, which had many, many, many awesome guns which you can't even think about owning in California. Super-cool stuff.

Fri Jul 25, 12:40:00 PM  

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Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Rest stop


Here's our tour group making a quick stop in Yosemite. It was hard to take a bad picture there. Of course, I did manage to succeed several times.

The Loyal In-Laws have left the building. As mentioned before, we enjoyed their brief visit. Now it's just Loyal Reader Number Four and me. And Loyal Pet Number One. And Loyal Pet Number Two. And the Fellas. So I guess it's just the thirteen of us. Pretty lonesome. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to work on my Sudoku solving program.

I spoke with Loyal Reader Number One this afternoon. Other than their ten cent wings costing forty cents each, they're having a great time. When I called, they were at the Bass Pro Shop, and they had just been to see a 3-d movie (link warning: dramatic movie soundtrack music).

No new controversy today. After yesterday's swirling drama, I'm just too tired for more. Maybe tomorrow.

See you then.


Today's 4 Morrowlife Comments:

Anonymous Shannon said...

A link on the Bass Pro Shop says they will open here in October. It will be interesting to see if they actually open on schedule.

Thu Jul 24, 07:13:00 AM  

Blogger Andy Morrow said...

I have found a typo. If the author cannot find it, I will negotiate prices.

Fri Jul 25, 12:36:00 PM  

Anonymous k8 said...

I found the typo, too. I wonder how much a forth is?

Fri Jul 25, 04:51:00 PM  

Blogger Michael said...

I don't see any typos here. I have no idea what you're talking about.

Fri Jul 25, 08:38:00 PM  

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Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Big waterfall


Here's one of those spectacular waterfalls at Yosemite. They probably told us its name, but I can't remember it. Doesn't matter anyway, I guess. It doesn't come when you call it.

Speaking of not coming when you call it, Loyal Pet Number One finally got her summer haircut today. She sure looks skinny.

Busy, busy day. It was wall-to-wall meetings. Didn't get anything done. The money's pretty good, though.

We continue to enjoy our visit with Loyal Reader Number Four's folks. They're heading out tomorrow morning. Happy trails, Loyal Family! Thanks for coming.

Nothing else to report. So let's have a little controversy. Could these people be any stupider? My answer: probably, but they'll get there before their little party is over. Your opinion?

One more thing. Can you see anything wrong with this? I'd buy it!

See you tomorrow.


Today's 2 Morrowlife Comments:

Blogger Andy Morrow said...

About the first controversy - sounds like the Democrats. It's almost too stereotypical. Cheating the people while they try to get themselves into office, offering lame excuses ("it's for safety and security reasons"), trying to distract blame by accusing the Republicans of doing the same thing, pretending they didn't know it was illegal, etc. How can anyone vote for these people? I cannot understand.
On the Craigslist posting, I'd buy it. Then I could sell it on Craigslist to some sucker - wait a second...

Wed Jul 23, 12:36:00 PM  

Anonymous Shannon said...

I wonder what color of highlighter Plato preferred?.....

Wed Jul 23, 02:07:00 PM  

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Monday, July 21, 2008

At the falls


Here are Loyal Readers Numbers Two and Four hanging around at the Yosemite Lodge. They were waiting for our tour tram to show up. What a great tour.

And what a great weekend! The family reunion has come and gone and it was an unqualified success. Attendance was very good, everybody enjoyed visiting, the lodge was great, Yosemite was beautiful, the weather was warm and sunny, nobody got hurt, the food was good, and we all left wishing it had been longer. Can't complain. Several samples of Great Yosemite Art to follow. People who've seen these pictures have been comparing them to the work of the great Ansel Adams. Unfavorably, of course, but they're still comparing them. You'll have to judge for yourselves, Loyal Readers.

It's hard to work in all the Great Art I have sitting in my queue right now. That's not a bad problem to have.

As mentioned in last week's comments, Loyal Readers Numbers One and Twenty-Four went with LRN1's non-Loyal-Reader cousin and her Significant Other up to the top of Half Dome. It was a really tough hike, but they're better off for having taken it. Maybe. I think. Anyway, they did it.

Speaking of the lodge, it turned out to be fantastic. We got several standard hotel rooms and also rented the Master Suite. It has three bedrooms plus two sleeper sofas in the large living room, a big dining room, full-size kitchen, and a wonderful large deck with big private pool, spa, and some very pretty gardens. Great Art will be posted later.

Sorry about not posting during the trip. The WiFi was only available in the lobby, and then only for a bunch of money. I would have paid the bucks, but it was a long walk to the lobby, it was hot, and I didn't feel like going up there. So I didn't.

Things are back to normal. My boss is back from her month-long vacation. She went with her daughter on her honeymoon. Yes, I know. I just report these facts; I don't make them up.

Already time for bed. See you tomorrow.


Today's 1 Morrowlife Comments:

Blogger Andy Morrow said...

You should have seen the look on Paul's face when I read him that last sentence. We've been having a good time here in Sunny Arizona. We're going to go for 10 cent wings tonight with one of Paul's friends. Paul was teaching me some guitar technique today in the morning. Having a good time!

Tue Jul 22, 02:27:00 PM  

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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Baby racer


Here's Henry Ford II's first car. The Baby Racer. Or whatever they called it. Cool machine. This thing and the red one next to it were built by Ford's engineers for his grandkids. Turns out old Hank the Deuce had nicer wheels than his grandpa. Picture taken in the garage at Fairlane.

Well, it's been a Short Shrift week, hasn't it? Company, long work hours, et cetera. And we're leaving on vacation tomorrow. Bloggage for the rest of the week will be either light or non-existent. I understand they have wi-fi in the lobby at the resort, so I might be able to make a quick post or two.

Got home at about 8:00 this evening, which isn't bad for the last day before a vacation. Of course, I forgot to finish a couple of things before I left, but you can't have everything. The boss is back on Monday, so life should go back to normal. That's good and bad. I've enjoyed doing her job this past month, but I'm a little tired.

The Loyal Readers and relatives went to Costco, Wal-Mart, and a park today. Do we know how to host or what?

I printed a bunch of geocaching maps tonight for caches near the resort. Hope to find the time to go look for a couple. As I've mentioned before, I think the thing I like most about geocaching is that it takes you to beautiful places you wouldn't otherwise visit.

Time to make my list of things to take and go to bed. See you ... ummm ... soon.


Today's 1 Morrowlife Comments:

Blogger Andy Morrow said...

The family reunion was excellent. I was so happy to see everyone. I hadn't seem some of them in so long that they almost didn't recognize me. Marcie, Clark, Moriah, and I climbed up Half Dome. It was insanely difficult, and I'm still very sore, but I'm very glad I went. It was well worth it.
Mark and I are having a good time here at Paul and Melissa's. We haven't really done anything interesting or productive, but we're about to go to the grocery store, and I've heard plans to visit the zoo or something along those lines. Fun!

Mon Jul 21, 12:37:00 PM  

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Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Look up


Here's another one of those strange statues in downtown Sacramento. Somebody has been pretty free with the old taxpayer money. I'm not sure what this guy is looking for up there. Maybe more suckers. Low-quality photo courtesy of the exclusive RAZR-cam. Part of my famous Statue series.

Another Short Shrift night. Spent the evening chatting with our guests, to which we added my brother-in-law Ken. He's in town early - he's a salesman and has some local customers, so he's combining business and vacation on this trip. He's staying at a hotel somewhere around here, but we'll see him again on Thursday.

I went out for sushi with a colleague who is transferring to Florida after this week. I'll be gone for his luncheon on Thursday, so we went out today. After we got back to the office, he gave me yet another GPS. That makes four now. The new one is the best of the lot. He has also given me some other cool gadgets he's gotten at garage sales, including a cool little robot that walks on six legs and backs up and changes direction if it hits an obstacle or hears a loud noise. Lots of fun.

Time for bed. See you tomorrow.


Today's 2 Morrowlife Comments:

Blogger Andy Morrow said...

We should never get lost again! Or, at least, we won't have any excuse to. I can't wait to see Ken again. The family reunion is going to be fantastic.

Wed Jul 16, 08:39:00 AM  

Blogger Mark said...

Well, actually, we do, because as far as I saw it only shows highways.

Wed Jul 16, 11:09:00 PM  

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Monday, July 14, 2008

Voltmeter


Here's Henry Ford's voltmeter. Pretty cool old piece of machinery. In fact, it's part of my famous Machinery series. Taken in the power house at Fairlane.

Uber Short Shrift tonight. It's about midnight already. Loyal Reader Number Four's brother and his family arrived this afternoon. We had a pleasant evening together.

Fine weekend. Some things got done. Others didn't. More detail later.

See you tomorrow.

Labels:


Today's 2 Morrowlife Comments:

Blogger Mark said...

Short comment for a short post.

Tue Jul 15, 07:26:00 AM  

Blogger Andy Morrow said...

Very good proportions, Mark.
I can't blame you for the short post this time because I don't think you guys got out of the spa until almost midnight. Geez.

Tue Jul 15, 09:45:00 AM  

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Friday, July 11, 2008

Russian launch


Here's a really old picture I took at Baikonur. As I recall, this was a Soyuz launch. Looks like one, anyway. Ah, the memories of that vast desert wasteland.

Non-Short Shrift tonight. Went to work an hour late and came home an hour early. I'm rested and ready for the weekend.

Not that it will be all that entertaining. We're helping move a friend tomorrow morning, and I don't think she'll be anywhere near ready to move. Sigh.

Let's see what else needs to be done? I need to get the Suburban (commercially) washed. I want to wash the Honda too. Dirty, dirty, dirty. Loyal Reader Number Four's going to need help getting ready for next week's family reunion, and I'm sure there must be something I can do.

We've thoroughly enjoyed Loyal Reader Number Twenty-two's visit this week. Sadly, he's heading for home tomorrow morning. Have a safe trip back, LRN22! And come visit us again.

He and Loyal Reader Number One are upstairs working on the electronic project that's consumed their week. They're trying to make an Arduino interface with a Mac to program a PIC chip, which will then be used as a serial driver for my cool little LCD panel. Of course, I could buy a serial driver for the LCD for about twenty bucks, but that wouldn't be fun at all, would it?

Loyal Readers Numbers One, Four, and Twenty-two went to Alcatraz this morning, and then had lunch with Loyal Reader Number Five. It sounds like they had a nice day. The most interesting thing they saw, though, was a mother seagull throwing up pieces of fish for her babies to eat. I have to agree that sounds fascinating.

Ironically, they've been having the most trouble with something that should have been one of the simplest problems - they need to have a switchable voltage applied to one of the pins on the PIC. It's been quite a daunting task, but I'm sure they'll come up with something.

Today's controversy: Who are you with: the Saint Nicks, or the Jolly Old Elves? This controversy just might end Christmas as we know it.

Well, it wasn't exactly Long Shrift, but it wasn't as short as some other days. See you tomorrow.


Today's 4 Morrowlife Comments:

Blogger Paul said...

I'm with the separatists if the article is true. Sounds like the Amalgamated Santas have some legal/violence issues that are not what I would associate with a merry Christmas.

Maybe we should all run if we see someone who looks like Santa...

Sat Jul 12, 01:53:00 AM  

Blogger Andy Morrow said...

I'm not quite certain that I could trust a group of Santas formed in Hollywood. Especially since the majority of Hollywood is Jewish and doesn't celebrate Christmas!

Oh, and I guess Uncle Scott needs to be careful to never wear red furs. Children might run - the question is in which direction.

Sat Jul 12, 08:01:00 PM  

Blogger Mark said...

I'll side with Paul. First of all, because being a separatist sounds fun, exciting, and like a darned first for me. Second of all, because I'd rather not side against Paul. Just in case.

Sun Jul 13, 10:43:00 AM  

Anonymous moriah said...

I am really excited for Friday. Andy said that I could tag along with him and Mark when they climb up Half Dome. It sounds dorky, but I'm excited :)

Mon Jul 14, 02:45:00 PM  

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Thursday, July 10, 2008

Reading frog


Here's a frog reading a book. About frogs, of course. Although frogs may be excellent readers, their literary tastes are limited. On the other hand, people mostly read books about people. (Link note: disturbing topic, but I'm still trying to figure out what's up with result #7. I mean, the show was bad, but it wasn't that bad.) This might not be that odd after all. Picture taken in the reptile house at the Detroit Zoo.

One more Extremely Short Shrift post. I might have to start calling this the Shortshrift blog, rather than Morrowlife. Never fear, Loyal Readers, I'll get my act back together Real Soon Now.

As promised yesterday, here's today's controversy: does this worry you? Not me. And I don't think they're invading anyone's privacy. When you're out in public, whatever you're doing is fair game. Like this stuff.

See you tomorrow.


Today's 5 Morrowlife Comments:

Blogger Paul said...

I'm not worried about the Google people. What's public is public. The real question I have, though, is what terrible secrets do the front doors in England hold?

Fri Jul 11, 01:53:00 AM  

Blogger Paul said...

By rhe way, I just noticed that the loyal reader column has numbers. That's pretty cool. Has it been like that for long? I read the blog through my RSS aggregator, so I may have missed it for a long time...

Fri Jul 11, 01:56:00 AM  

Anonymous k8 said...

Yep, it's been that way for at least a couple months! Kind of nice to be able to tell who's who.

I'm not bothered by Google pictures and street view. All you can see is exactly what you would see if you walked down the street in person. Maybe people should close their blinds or stop going to adult stores...

I am kind of disturbed by the lipstick-wearing frog, though. Creepy!

Fri Jul 11, 11:28:00 AM  

Blogger Andy Morrow said...

Perhaps they're afraid that we'll see the microfilms printed on their doorknobs.

Fri Jul 11, 06:43:00 PM  

Blogger Mark said...

Ha.

What is a fighter jet doing in a parking lot?

Sun Jul 13, 10:53:00 AM  

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Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Ford's Model A


Here's Henry Ford's personal Model A. Having seen his personal Model T and his personal '42, my Loyal Readers will recognize old Hank's preference for black paint, a few experimental features (check out that huge bottle of water in the back seat!), and not much in the way of luxury. Honestly, what's the point of owning a huge car company if you don't get some cool machinery for yourself? The guy owned Lincoln, for crying out loud. They made some pretty hot stuff back then.

On the other hand, at least he was riding around in a car with his own name on it. That's got to count for something.

Yet another Extremely Short Shrift night. Had a meeting right after I got home from work and the day's gone yet again.

I have just seen the most amazing robotics video ever. Dave Barry linked to it in his blog, but there's no need to go way over to his site. Check it out right here. Have you ever seen a more amazing robot? It looks downright alive.

And that's it for tonight. Controversy tomorrow. See you then.

Labels:


Today's 2 Morrowlife Comments:

Blogger Paul said...

That robot is fantastic! I've never seen a machine move like that. It's hilarious to watch them try to mess it up, though. Sending it across the ice was pretty funny. I want to ride one to school.

Thu Jul 10, 12:05:00 AM  

Blogger Andy Morrow said...

Absolutely incredible. And the RHex robot is pretty cool too - I don't think I've ever seen one that copes that well on shore and in the water.
The ride on the BigDog would be quite long and noisy; however, you would certainly be the talk of the town.

Thu Jul 10, 02:28:00 PM  

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Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Mosaic bear


Here's yet another polar bear at the Detroit Zoo. This one isn't actually alive. It's more of a mosaic. Looks a little more friendly than the real ones.

Extremely Short Shrift yet again. I had visitors from the government all day today (they were here to help) and didn't get home from the office until just about exactly 8:00. Quick drive, but a late one. I had my dinner (excellent hamburger); went for a long, relaxing swim while chatting with Loyal Reader Number Four; got dried off and dressed; had a piece of banana cake (excellent, and possibly better than yesterday's piece; I don't know why certain foods taste better on the second and third days - lasagna, pizza, banana cake - but they definitely do, which would make an excellent Morrowlife controversy); and sat down to blog for a few moments. The iPod got its nightly update too.

Speaking of which, I've added a couple of new podcasts my Loyal Readers might be interested in. First, there's Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. Excellent advice on numerous grammatical topics. Heartily recommended. Grammar Girl's style is light and entertaining, and her advice is excellent and correct. It's part of the Quick and Dirty Tips podcast network. I was already listening to The Get-It-Done Guy's Quick and Dirty Tips to Work Less and Do More, which I also heartily recommend. I had had no idea there was a network. Now I know. I haven't subscribed to any of their other podcasts, but my podcast-listening Loyal Readers might find something else useful there.

After many disappointing experiences, I've subscribed to a music podcast I might actually keep. It's called the Big Band Stage Door Canteen. It's a weekly radio show from KAMU, the FM station affiliated with my admittedly-strange-but-they-have-a-great-engineering-school alma mater. It looks like a very entertaining two-hour-long weekly exploration of old (and maybe some new) big band music. I might get sick of it soon, but I'm giving it the old college try. Since it is from my old college.

One other music-related podcast I've added is From the Top at Carnegie Hall. It's a PBS-funded (shudder) series showcasing 8- to 18-year-old musicians in performance at Carnegie Hall. They include interviews and some backstage stuff, which are always entertaining, but the performances are enough to bring me back. It's a video podcast and extremely highly recommended.

There are other new ones, but they'll have to wait until another time. Not much action on yesterday's controversy, other than LRN4's comment (thanks very much!). Must have been boring to everybody else, but I'll give it one more day to get the attention it so richly deserves. What do you think of overly long musical performances? Is 639 years just too long? Could they have limited it to, say, 100 years without seriously affecting the social impact?

See you tomorrow.


Today's 1 Morrowlife Comments:

Blogger Andy Morrow said...

I actually read yesterday's controversy and neglected to post. To me, it sounds like the composer had way too much time on his hands. And like the people in the town have way too much time on their hands. And shouldn't it be easy enough to figure out how long this chord will be held if the sheet music is available and we already know how long the other five chords were held?
As far as limitations on time - I certainly don't think you could get away with playing that piece at a recital. I hope each chord sounds nice, because whoever lives near the chapel will be listening to it for a looooooooong time.

Wed Jul 09, 05:01:00 PM  

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Monday, July 07, 2008

Hillside


Here's another exclusive RAZR cam picture taken out the window of the train. I'm not sure this an Ansel Adams clone, though. Maybe Monet. What do you think?

The usual Monday Short Shrift tonight. It was a long day and it's already late and I'm sleepy.

Loyal Reader Number Two is off to Scout camp. Let's hope he's having a great time. I got up at 3:30 this morning to get him to the church on time, and decided to go straight to work from there. So it really was a long day. Lots to do at work. On the one hand, I'm enjoying sitting in for my boss. On the other hand, there's a lot of pressure. It's something I could really grow into.

A few hours after LRN2 left, Loyal Reader Number Twenty-two arrived at the Oakland airport. Welcome, LRN22! So far, he and Loyal Reader Number One have worked on computers. Also, umm . . . nothing else. Ought to be an enjoyable week.

Took a swim tonight. It was a very hot day (will be the rest of the week, too) and the water was almost perfect. In another two days, it will be easy to just walk into it. That's the way I like it.

Today's controversy: Don't you think they ought to keep organ concerts down to under 500 years? Also, would you prefer to listen to the composer's other work - four minutes and 33 seconds of silence? I certainly would.

See you tomorrow.

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Today's 2 Morrowlife Comments:

Anonymous Shannon said...

This reminds me of the lecture the boys and I heard about additional piano techniques that included "playing chords" with your forearm. Sorry, but that is NOT my definition of music.

Tue Jul 08, 09:44:00 AM  

Blogger Paul said...

I'm not sure I could stay interested for more than a year or two.

Wed Jul 09, 11:54:00 PM  

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Friday, July 04, 2008

Zoo birds


Here's a little flock of birds at the Detroit Zoo. I think these guys were there voluntarily. Part of my famous Bird series.

Wonders of Blogger. I sat down to write Friday night and immediately fell asleep. Must have been tired. I woke back up just long enough to walk upstairs and get in bed.

The Fourth was pleasant. We had several friends over. We swam, jacuzzified, played croquet, ate hamburgers and associated goodies, and visited. Also watched the local fireworks. They were nice, with one oddity.

We walked out to the entrance to our neighborhood and discovered half of Lardville over there waiting for the fireworks. We arrived at about 9:10, expecting the fireworks to start at 9:30. It turns out they started at 10:00 instead. After going for just a couple of minutes, they stopped. Don't know why. About five minutes later, half of the crowd got back in their cars and left. Immediately thereafter, the fireworks resumed. We thought it unfortunate that all those people came here and waited over an hour for two minutes' worth of fireworks. They missed the best part, too. Including the smiley face. Wow.

Anyway. Several things on the agenda for today. I'm planning to wash the Miata, possibly get the Suburban washed (commercially, of course - it's just too darned big to wash myself), look at a model home with Loyal Reader Number Four, maybe play a little more croquet with the family, swim, and who knows what else.

Have a great rest of the holiday weekend. See you on Monday.

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Today's 1 Morrowlife Comments:

Anonymous Shannon said...

Hopefully you didn't nearly lose your pants (like the guy in the video) when you were washing the Miata!

Sun Jul 06, 07:58:00 AM  

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Thursday, July 03, 2008

Tigers


Here's a pack of pretty scary-looking tigers. Photo taken in the gift shop at the Detroit Zoo.

The work week's over! It was a busy one. I'm looking forward to the three-day weekend. Loyal Readers Numbers Five, Six, and Twelve are already here, and we're having more friends over tomorrow afternoon.

No specific weekend plans yet. The Loyal Readers already did a marvelous job cleaning up the garage. Loyal Reader Number Four is buying a new freezer and needed a space for it. The freezer is arriving on Monday. The biggest problem they had was the mountain of shoes outside the door. They creatively came up with the idea of building a little shelf, which looks great and really helped straighten up the mess. Congrats and thanks, Loyal Readers! I'll think of some more projects tomorrow.

No controversy today. I'll come up with something really controversial tomorrow. For now, it's already late and I need to get to bed. There'll be plenty of time for blogging tomorrow. In the meantime, have a great Fourth, and be careful (link warning - fireworks noise) out there.

See you tomorrow.


Today's 4 Morrowlife Comments:

Anonymous Shannon said...

Wow! I missed all the tigers at the zoo. Where was I in the gift shop?

Fri Jul 04, 06:40:00 AM  

Blogger Andy Morrow said...

I dunno, but they're sure as heck creepy.

Fri Jul 04, 12:25:00 PM  

Anonymous k8 said...

It's only Friday! Hard to believe, since I took Thursday off and worked at home on Wednesday. We've having fun here with Grandma and Grandpa, and Mia can't wait to go in the "pooooool."

Fri Jul 04, 02:20:00 PM  

Blogger Eric Vogel said...

They look like they are scared and sad! Everyone of thoughs big eyed animals. They are usually at the main registers by the exit side and are $13 with $25 or more purchase I believe. I would want a happy animal not a scared and sad animal.

Fri Jul 04, 05:35:00 PM  

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Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Out of the water


Here's a bizarre sculpture we found out in the middle of the street in Sacramento, right outside the theater we visited a few weeks back. I'm still having nightmares about the little head growing out of the side of the big head. And won't someone help that poor woman who's about to drown? Picture taken with the exclusive RAZR-cam.

Came home sick this afternoon. I'm still feeling terrible - very upset stomach and possibly a fever. I came closer to barfing today than any time since my infamous food poisoning incident at Baikonur. I really need to be back at work tomorrow, so I'm hoping the stomach will cooperate. The flesh is willing, but the stomach is weak.

Interesting comments on yesterday's controversy. Having thought about it a little more, I think I may agree with Loyal Reader Number Three. For five hundred bucks or so, I could probably be convinced to wear that monstrosity. Just not in public.

And of course I share Loyal Reader Number One's concern about the fires threatening Big Sur. We may have to find another place to camp next Spring Break. On the other hand, they may be offering tremendous discounts.

And I don't feel like writing anything else. So, we'll go with today's controversy: do you believe this? Interestingly, on the website where I found a link to this article, most of the comments were about people whose friends are faking their interest in religion. I think they missed the point. Among sincere believers, I suspect a lot have happy marriages. Lots more than unbelievers. What do you think?

Whew. That came pretty close to being serious. I'll do better next time, Loyal Readers. See you tomorrow.

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Today's 4 Morrowlife Comments:

Blogger Paul said...

I concur.

Thu Jul 03, 10:42:00 AM  

Blogger Andy Morrow said...

Certainly a very close brush with seriousness. (Although I don't know how it can get more serious than gas mileage.)
As far as perceived benefits from religion - I doubt faking an interest in religion will help them much either with their marriages or their standing with God. But I agree that "the couple that prays together stays together." And studies the scriptures etc.

Thu Jul 03, 12:00:00 PM  

Anonymous Shannon said...

It seems to me that the argument about people who are more settled and mature being the ones who go to church is self-defeating. It doesn't surprise me that people who are committed to a faith together would also be committed to each other--and their jobs and other commitments they make. It just seems to follow to me...

Thu Jul 03, 11:36:00 PM  

Blogger Mark said...

It is rather simple, isn't it?

Fri Jul 04, 10:20:00 AM  

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Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Engineers


Here's the follow-up to the train disaster picture from the other day. Loyal Reader Number One leapt into the fray to try to help stop the train. Didn't do much good. Taken at the Henry Ford Museum. Part of my famous Machinery series.

I enjoyed Loyal Reader Number Twenty-Four's comments to yesterday's post. Sounds like a highly exciting ball game. I checked the link, and it turns out the brawl spurred the Chukars on to victory. A good time was apparently had by all.

Another perfect day. I can't exactly say I ever get tired of it, though. It was sunny and warm all day here in Lardville, but the June gloom was pretty thick on the other side of the mountains. It was kind of pretty to look at the low clouds on the mountains. The train route goes through some pretty territory.

Today's controversy: How much would they have to pay to get you to wear this? My opinion: There's not enough money in the world.

Nothing else new today. See you tomorrow.

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Today's 4 Morrowlife Comments:

Blogger Andy Morrow said...

Hasn't this already been tried?
However, I agree. I don't think you could even pay me to wear it as a Halloween costume. It's just too plain weird.

Wed Jul 02, 07:43:00 AM  

Blogger Mark said...

Woah.

Like, a lot.

Like, a TON of a lot.

Maybe several billion.

Wed Jul 02, 07:57:00 AM  

Blogger Andy Morrow said...

Oh no! Our official campsite is in danger!

Wed Jul 02, 03:00:00 PM  

Blogger Paul said...

I think I would wear it on two conditions. If the money were right and if I could burn when I was done wearing it. I think the requisite amount of money would be in the $500+ range for a single day of wear.

Wed Jul 02, 08:18:00 PM  

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