I Caved (or why I didn't get a new PC)

Yesterday I bought an XBOX.

The last console system we had was N64, which is now in the playroom and gets some activity. Lately, I've really been wanting to play some of the newer FPS games (Halo) and I'm looking forward to Duke Nukem Forever and Half Life 2 if they ever get released. I was planning on playing the latter on a new computer with a high-end graphics card. Recall the system I almost ordered.

After cancelling that one, I even found out the (supposed) best time to order a Dell. So earlier this week I priced it out again - several different ways - and the closest I could get to that system was about $200 more. I could get basically the same system for about the same price but with a 15" LCD instead of the 17" LCD. That just won't do.

So, in the process of talking myself out of a $1400+ computer, I talked myself into buying an XBOX. It's the most powerful computer you can buy for $150 today. Of course, it cost more than that when I was done, but I found really good deals and had a $30 coupon (that had to be used on XBOX stuff at EBGames) so it all cost less than $300.

Dolby Digital 5.1 sound is pretty cool in video games. But the XBOX can do so much more than just play games.... Posted by Chris on 4/29/2004 01:23:00 PM :: Permalink   

One more design show for our Tivo

CNN.com - 'Trading's'�Yip says he's leaving - Apr 28, 2004

I just know that Chris will be thrilled that I will now be adding another design show to the tivo record list. I can't wait though! Posted by Melissa on 4/28/2004 10:11:00 PM :: Permalink   

Why Rear-facing is Safest - our PSA of the day

People have been asking me when I would turn Tori around to rear-facing. Well, not any time soon. The whole 20lbs/one year old thing is really deceptive. That is a minimum and by far not the safest way to go.

The **safest** thing is to wait until your child outgrows the weight or height restrictions for their specific carseat. We have the Britax Marathon, so this means 33 lbs. and her head over the top of the carseat.

We didn't turn Delaney until 18 months and even then she barely met the weight limit. But we also had the ultra-crappy Eddie Bauer carseat at that time. That carseat drove me nuts with the twisty straps!

If I had the info then that I do now, she'd probably still be rear-facing. In fact I am going to check her head height in her seat tomorrow and I may just be changing her back for a while.

Rear-Facing Carseats and Safety: "When used properly, rear-facing carseats provide significant safety advantages in frontal, frontal offset and side impacts. These types of crashes are far more frequent and severe than rear-end crashes. For these reasons, rear-facing is the safest mode of travel, especially for infants. In the USA, this recommendation is valid through the 30, 33 or 35 pound maximum rear-facing weight limit of newer convertible carseats, or until the child outgrows their convertible carseat by height. The height limit of a rear-facing carseat may be listed in the owner's manual. A child is also considered too tall for a rear-facing seat if the top of their head is at the level of the top of the carseat shell. It is NOT considered a safety issue if a child's legs are bent at the knees in a rear-facing carseat, or if their feet can touch the vehicle's seat back. At a very minimum, children should remain rear-facing until AT LEAST one year of age AND 20 pounds in weight. In countries like Sweden, children are often kept rear-facing much longer, even to 3 or 4 years old. Auto related injury and death rates for rear-facing children in Sweden are near zero because of this." Posted by Melissa on 4/28/2004 07:44:00 PM :: Permalink   

Free Krispy Kremes!

Life doesn't get much better than this! One dozen free doughnuts with this coupon at your local Krispy Kreme store.

Sure, you have to buy a dozen to get the second dozen free, but you were going to buy that dozen anyway, right? Why else would you be there?

[Site note: We were on vacation yesterday and had a busy weekend, so no posts. We'll try to catch up soon. And we've got pictures from Caleb's birthday party that should get posted soon. ] Posted by Chris on 4/27/2004 01:01:00 PM :: Permalink   

Literally Speaking

I heard a radio commercial yesterday (I don't watch TV commercials since I have TiVo) for Denzel Washington's new movie "Man on Fire" that said: "Denzel literally sets the screen on fire!"

I wouldn't want to be in the theater when that happens! I hope those who like to sit in the front row also have quick reflexes. Posted by Chris on 4/23/2004 02:58:00 PM :: Permalink   

Happy Birthday Caleb!

Today is our cousin Caleb's birthday!

He's 3 years old today and we're looking forward to his birthday party tomorrow. Maybe we'll even get some pictures up after the party.

Happy Birthday Caleb!

Caleb, click here for a surprise! (Not for dial-up; 7.5MB movie (in Japanese, just for fun))

Labels: family

Posted by Chris on 4/23/2004 01:33:00 PM :: Permalink   

T-ball fun for 3 year olds

While it can be entertaining for some, it's hard work for the kiddos. I mean let's not have any errors starting off our careers as superstar ball players. Ok Ok, while it may not be in the cards for Laney to be a superstar ball player - she does have potential. I mean just look at the way she adjusts that glove with her back to home plate, what technique, what finesse...



And check out her swing...yeah, she hit the tee, but she hit it with all her might.



And she's running the bases. Go Laney Go! I will fess up here and say that I was ever so proud that she actually ran the bases in order. Quite a few of the boys playing ran straight from home plate to second that day for some reason.



Here's a shot of her playing second base. Note that she is looking longingly toward the "outfield" as another player gets the ball. She told me later, "Mommy, I wished that I was shortstop everytime, so that I could chase the ball more. It was boring when I just had to stand there. ***wistful sigh*** "

Labels: family

Posted by Melissa on 4/22/2004 10:00:00 PM :: Permalink   

Happy Birthday Carlos!

Happy Birthday Carlos!

Hopefully you won enough money on your Vegas trip to buy everyone in BIRT a car just like Dave's.

[Sorry, this old EMC badge picture was the only thing I could get my hands on today.]

Labels: family

Posted by Chris on 4/22/2004 02:39:00 PM :: Permalink   

Most Extreme Elimination Challenge Returns!

The new season of MXC (which is somehow an abbreviation of Most Extreme Elimination Challenge) begins tonight at 10pm on SpikeTV.

Most Extreme Elimination Challenge is a very difficult show to describe but is guaranteed to have you laughing harder than you've laughed all week. The video is of ridiculous events from a Japanese competition show and all the audio is dubbed by a couple of comedians. It's not a show for kids as the humor is sometimes low-brow, but it's one of the strangest shows on TV.

In some events you'll see Japanese men and women run down a mountain trying to escape a "boulder" or swinging on a rope over a pit of mud while wearing a velcro suit and trying to stick themselves to a target. Or maybe you'll see then one where they walk across a tightrope while someone shoots balls at them. It's absurd.

Check your TiVo Season Pass now.

Update: Actually, I just found out that tonight's episode will not use the original Japanese footage. Instead it will be US college students trying to complete the same events. I suppose next week they'll be back to Japanese competition. Posted by Chris on 4/22/2004 11:41:00 AM :: Permalink   

The Return of Leo the Great!

He's baaaaaaaccck!

Leo returns to TechTV. Leo Laporte will be on Call for Help once again. Actually, starting last night. I hate I missed his first episode back, but I didn't read his blog until today.

It seems that the uproar over his exit really did make a difference. There still may be changes in store when Comcast takes over in a few weeks, but it's nice to know he's back on air. Now, I wonder if he'll rejoin The Screen Savers...or do I have to get a TiVo Season Pass for "Call for Help"? Posted by Chris on 4/21/2004 04:04:00 PM :: Permalink   

Will Trade Passwords For Chocolate

Will Trade Passwords For Chocolate

An impromptu servey in England showed that 71 percent of users would trade their password for a chocolate bar.

How secure are your passwords? Test them here. This page also includes Do's and Don'ts of selecting a password. Posted by Chris on 4/20/2004 01:34:00 PM :: Permalink   

Interview With God

I usually do not care for those powerpoint-send-to-everyone-you-know-or-you-don't-love-Jesus type emails. Ok, "don't care for" is a bit of an understatement. BUT I found the imagery in this one just breathtaking and was genuinely moved by the text. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Interview With God Posted by Melissa on 4/20/2004 01:32:00 PM :: Permalink   

Sports Illustrated's Digital Photography

...or "What Happens with 16,183 pictures of the Super Bowl".

Here's a very interesting article on Sports Illustrated's digital workflow. It's technical in the description of the process, camera equipment, computer hardware, and photography software they use to get pictures from the event to the magazine.

Excellent read for a photo-enthusiast. Almost makes me want to pay for an SI subscription again just to admire the photos. Posted by Chris on 4/19/2004 01:34:00 PM :: Permalink   

Alias and "The Passenger"

I won't put any spoilers here in case someone didn't catch last night's episode yet. But let me just say that Jack is one bad dude! He's got skills, all right.

If you're getting confused over what is going on, checkout this Alias site with info about the artifacts, unanswered questions, and recaps of all episodes.

Alias airs Sunday nights (generally 9pm Eastern) on ABC.
Posted by Chris on 4/19/2004 11:41:00 AM :: Permalink   

When to Buy a Dell

I'm feeling more and more bummed about the deal I missed. A month ago, I spec'ed out and actually placed an order for this computer. I didn't feel so bad about cancelling it at first.

But then I've been pricing out the same system several times. Wow! I missed a deal. Today, the same system priced out at over $2000 shipped! That's about $700 more than I would have paid last month.

So I decided to do a little searching to see when the best time is to buy a Dell. The word is that they have the best deals at the end of their fiscal quarter. So this means the last week in april, July, October, and January. Generally, their rotating deals are about equal in dollar value, but some of the deals may interest you more than others.

Also get Dell coupons at TechBargains.

Next week (last week in April), I'll be pricing out the system again. If it comes back down to $1300 I just might pull the trigger...
Posted by Chris on 4/19/2004 11:05:00 AM :: Permalink   

GROW

OK, I admit I don't really get this. BUT it is really fun. I've played a few times and when my mountain turned into a volcano and the little sphere took off, well, it was pretty cool. Enjoy - thanks Japan.

GROW Posted by Melissa on 4/17/2004 09:32:00 AM :: Permalink   

Wacky Warning Labels

We've all seen them - warning labels gone awry. Here are a few of the year's funniest. ***note to self: fishing lures are harmful if swallowed...***
M-LAW's Wacky Warning Labels Posted by Melissa on 4/16/2004 04:55:00 PM :: Permalink   

It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's SuperLaney!

Faster than a speeding bullet...more powerful than a locomotive...

Labels: family

Posted by Chris on 4/16/2004 11:54:00 AM :: Permalink   

Lost In Translation

You can speak/write several different dialects with the help of The Dialectizer. Just go to the site and type in some text or even a URL and it will translate it into Redneck, Jive, Cockney, Elmer Fudd, Swedish Chef, Moron, Pig Latin, or Hacker for you. Depending on what you write or what site you point it to, it can be quite amusing.

You can also compose entire emails then cut-and-paste them into the translator and send the results to your friends. I don't recommend this for important communications, as they might not have the first clue what you said.

If anyone runs across a similar translator for hip-hop, let me know. And yes, I know there's the Valley Girl translator and I even found one that translates into Yoda, Klingon, and Kenny from South Park, but they didn't seem to work as well. Except for the Kenny one, but you're not supposed to be able to understand a word of that one. Posted by Chris on 4/15/2004 12:53:00 PM :: Permalink   

The Radon Test

While we were still in our one year warranty in the new house (so the builder would be responsible for any repairs) we performed a radon test. There are simple kits available for around $10 and then you mail them in to get the results. Radon is a colorless, odorless, invisible gas that can give you cancer. Pretty sneaky, huh?

Our test results shows our radon level was 0.6 pCi/L. That's quite low. If the level is 4 pCi/L then you really need to do something about it. If the level is 2 pCi/L then you should consider doing something to lower the level. But we're clean. The 0.6 is below the average indoor level. So feel free to visit us often. If you get lung cancer, it didn't come from radon at our house.

RADON.COM -=- The Radon Information Center --- Complete info on radon gas, radon testing, radon test kits, radon levels and radon mitigation. Posted by Chris on 4/15/2004 10:36:00 AM :: Permalink   

Spam Turns Ten

No, not the canned meat. It's almost sixty-seven years old. Now that's a lot of spam. You could call SPAM the grandfather of spam, I guess, but maybe that doesn't make much sense.

More on the 10th anniversary of email spam. Posted by Chris on 4/14/2004 12:20:00 PM :: Permalink   

Five Darkest Moments in Tech History

Read the Five Darkest Moments in Tech History from TechTV. You'll learn when spam was born and who you can blame for the rest of your life. Posted by Chris on 4/14/2004 11:09:00 AM :: Permalink   

Dinosaurs and Deals at The Twisted Fork

For Easter, we went out and tried a new restaurant - The Twisted Fork.

I think their kid's meals are the best deal there. For just $5, she got...

...a GIANT turkey leg! She was amazed when they brought this thing out and sat it in front of her. The waitress said she had never seen a kid finish one off (and today would be no different). This thing was called a DinoBone on the menu, I think. That made Delaney like it even more.

But just when you think you're done, you remember that the kid's meal comes with dessert...

...a scoop of ice cream and several cherries! I even got to share in this one. Posted by Chris on 4/12/2004 04:35:00 PM :: Permalink   

Happy Easter!

We hope you had a wonderful Easter! Delaney and Victoria had a short Easter egg hunt in the morning and found baskets left by the Easter bunny. I think you'll agree that they certainly had a wonderful Easter. Check out the photos.

Does anyone see me in the photo?

Labels: family

Posted by Chris on 4/11/2004 09:13:00 PM :: Permalink   

Site News: Transferred to New Host

OK, we're now on the new host, but it will probably take a couple of days to get everything ironed out again. If you see something that's broken, either send me an email or just ignore it for a couple of days. I'll fix everything I find soon, but an email explaining what's broken will make sure I don't miss something.

Later, I'll try to add some new stuff. Posted by Chris on 4/10/2004 11:41:00 AM :: Permalink   

Site News: ISPs and Disk Space

Well, the time has come much sooner than I expected. We've outgrown the paltry services offered by Time Warner/Road Runner. Over the next several days, we'll be moving to a real web server.

Road Runner limits you to 5MB of space! 5MB! I carry fifty times that much storage around in my pocket everyday. Disk space is under $1 per GB, for crying out loud! Why limit customers to 5MB?

So, the webcam is crippled for now (you'll only see the thumbnails) to conserve space. Once we're on the new site, it will include more pictures and even "movies" of people coming and going.

We'll also be able to add all kinds of other stuff (as time allows) since we'll have CGI, Perl, PHP, MySQL, and all kinds of services and configuration options available. And we'll have space. 2GB of it. So our web site could grow to four hundred times as big as it is now before we'll run out of space. Posted by Chris on 4/09/2004 03:22:00 PM :: Permalink   

Subservient Chicken

For the love of pete, why do I find this so amusing? If you come up with something funny that the chicken does, share it in the comments. Here are a few to get you started that I came up with:

pirouette
turn off the lights
die
electric slide
do the hustle
macarana
eat KFC
watch tv
take a bow

Subservient Chicken
Posted by Melissa on 4/08/2004 10:15:00 PM :: Permalink   

Surgeons Who Play Video Games Err Less

Somehow I feel that this gives our page some counter balance to the study that was posted about television being a bad idea for toddlers. At least when they grow up and become surgeons, all that time spent playing video games will be worth it.

ABCNEWS.com : Surgeons Who Play Video Games Err Less Posted by Melissa on 4/08/2004 09:22:00 PM :: Permalink   

Hip-Hoppy Easter

Tori was bouncing to this one! Yeah, it's the Easter B. groovin this easter to the bunny beats...

Who new the easter bunny drove a pink convertible?

http://www.debsfunpages.com/easterswf/rapeasterbunny.swf Posted by Melissa on 4/08/2004 04:06:00 PM :: Permalink   

Say It Ain't So, Leo!

Where have I been?

I have a TiVo Season Pass to The Screen Savers on TechTV. It's a wonderful daily hour-long live show about all things tech. I always keep a couple of shows on my TiVo, but don't always have time to watch them. Over the last couple of weeks I've only watched two or three shows and I know the last couple were hosted by Patrick and Kevin. But I didn't think anything of it since Leo Laporte is often on vacation or away at a conference or something.

But then...today...I run across mention of this...

Leo's leaving (well, 'left' now) The Screen Savers! Here's his post: The Laporte Report: So Long and Thanks For All The Fish.... That stinks! I like Kevin and Patrick and will still enjoy the show but it won't be the same without Leo.

Worse yet, while reading Leo's blog I then found that a few days later things changed and he's leaving TechTV entirely! He was TechTV. I recall seeing him on the first few shows on what was then called ZDTV network. He was obviously very knowledgable but quirky and uneasy - not a polished TV personality. Now he's quite popular and cruises through live shows with excellent commentary and interesting content.

My TV viewing will never be the same. Shame to Vulcan Ventures (TechTV's outgoing owner) who seem to have caused this. Now I'll have to setup a TiVo Wish List for Leo Laporte to await his return to the small screen. Posted by Chris on 4/08/2004 12:02:00 PM :: Permalink   

Why oh why would you want bling in your eye?

MY EYES! MY EYES!

Yahoo! News - The latest fashion must-have: eyeball jewellery

thinks quietly to herself ***I bet my brothers are actually thinking this is a cool idea*** Posted by Melissa on 4/08/2004 01:19:00 AM :: Permalink   

Char-Grill In Style

Today was nice. Real nice. A sunny 79 degrees. And someone was kind enough to force one meeting to be rescheduled and delay another to make room for Char-Grill. Yes, it was a perfect Char-Grill day. But wait, it gets better.

How, you ask?

On a day like today, why not go to Char-Grill in style? So we did. And it was GOOD.

Char-Grill : Highly Recommended
BMW Convertible: Highly Recommended

Some words of warning when riding in the backseat of a small convertible at (more) than interstate speeds:

• The backseat isn't really a seat to begin with and is just there for show. So whatever you get for sitting here, you deserve.
  
• Seatbelts were made for a reason. Use them.
  
• Do not be so foolish as to expect to carry on a conversation with those in the front seat. Patiently wait for a stoplight.
  
• Turning your head to the side may cause blindness as the wind tries to rip your eyeballs out of their sockets.
  
• If you don't have short hair, forget it.
  
• At times, breathing may be difficult. Don't panic. Oxygen masks optional.
  
• Safety glasses are recommended.
  
• Just because you don't see any rollbars doesn't mean they aren't there.
  
• You actually can hear the radio above the wind and it actually can sound very good.
  
• You cannot necessarily outrun a Chevrolet truck with a freezer and what appeared to be a welder in the back.
  
• You will turn heads.
  
• Expect to feel like you just lost a boxing match with a heavyweight named The Wicked Wind.

Riding in the front seat, however, is a pure joy and, again, is highly recommended. Thanks Dave.

And it's probably best that you can't quite make out the numbers on the speedometer in the picture.
Posted by Chris on 4/07/2004 06:10:00 PM :: Permalink   

Hack Your Toaster

I've been in a hacking mood lately and if I actually had some spare time, I would probably try this.

How cool would it be to have the TiVo logo on your toast!? Oooohh, I really want to try this now. Posted by Chris on 4/07/2004 05:25:00 PM :: Permalink   

No TV for Toddlers?

A new study from Dr. Christakis at the Children's Hospital in Seattle declares that "NO CHILD under the age of two should be allowed to watch television".

Does TiVo count? Not that Victoria really watches much TV at all, but I'm sure she will before she turns two. She mostly wanders around the room picking up various things and putting them on her head, pretending they are hats.

The study shows it increases the risk of having ADD or ADHD or whatever it's called nowadays. It also states that older children should be limited to two hours a day.

I wonder if the good doctor Christakis has any children of his own... Posted by Chris on 4/06/2004 01:35:00 PM :: Permalink   

I'm Blogging This

Since I've been enjoying keeping content on the web site, I think this T-shirt is appropriate. Be aware that I'm also armed with one of those small stealthy cameras built into my Palm (not my hand, technophobes, my Palm PDA). Now if I can just remember to use it, I'll add a thousand words to the blog. Today, in the year 2004, wouldn't you think that by now, a picture would be worth a little bit more?

ThinkGeek has lots of cool geeky stuff and the well known "No, I will not fix your computer" T-shirt, coffee mug, etc. Posted by Chris on 4/05/2004 02:49:00 PM :: Permalink   

T H E T O Y M A K E R

T H E T O Y M A K E R

A friend sent me a link to this site. The artwork is fantastic and the crafts are entirely charming and amusing. Check it out to have some fun with your children or just for yourself! Posted by Melissa on 4/04/2004 03:49:00 PM :: Permalink   

Victoria's Birthday Party

Victoria's first birthday party went great! Thanks to all those that attended and helped out. And too bad for those of you that didn't -- you missed a great party! But I'm sure Victoria won't hold it against you. In fact, except for the pictures, she won't even remember it. But she certainly had fun celebrating her first year with friends and family.

We received much ridicule from several of you (you know who you are) for inviting so many people. Yes, we invited 93 people. There were concerns of parking, weather, food, bathrooms, sufficient oxygen, etc. We think there were 48 people there - easily the biggest party we've thrown at the new house, but no problems at all (that we know about). The weather was nice and everyone left without sustaining any brain damage from oxygen depravation - well, there was this one guy we're not sure about...

Here's what you're waiting for -- the pictures. In fact, I'm surprised you even read this far without just clicking on the link immediately. Yes, there are 102 photos. And, yes, these *are* just the good ones. Enjoy!

Labels: family

Posted by Chris on 4/03/2004 11:24:00 PM :: Permalink   

April Fools Comes Absurdly Early

My good, kind, easy-going, forgiving friend Dave's web site Theatre of the Absurd got hacked yesterday. It seems someone played an April Fools joke a day early and the site looked like this.

How fittingly absurd. Posted by Chris on 4/01/2004 09:50:00 AM :: Permalink   
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