Four more years of war?

So......Bush will give his State of the Union Address tomorrow, February, 2. This is also Groundhog Day here in the US where we entrust Spring's approaching timeline to the cuddly Groundhog and his oh-so-telling shadow. Here's to hoping that Bush doesn't see his shadow, and that we won't be subjected to 4 more years of war!! One can dream, right?

Eaglecam....

I found a REALLY cool site today where you can watch footage of an eagle with a camera strapped to its back. Tilly is a golden eagle that has been trained to fly with a small, 1oz camera attached to her back, and has helped to capture some amazing footage. Check out the "dogfight" footage where she is approached by a buzzard in mid-air. Absolutely incredible, and amazing that the camera doesn't impede Tilly's ability to fly!!!

Beaver, party of 6.....

Well, we added to our family portfolio this past weekend with a new puppy. We got a very cool 5 month old Lab-mix puppy that we are tenatively calling Mia. Her "foster parents" had named her Caroline, which is about the DUMBEST name for a dog you could ever come up with. This new addition brings the tally up to 2 dogs and 2 cats, plus the 2 humans for a total of 6. So far, so good. She seems to be very intelligent, and plays well with our 3 year old Lab-mix named Milo. Let the wee-hours-of-the-morning-let-the-dog-out games begin!!!

Currently listening to...

The Roots - Tipping Point

So far, so good. Got this album from a buddy today, and so far I'm enjoying it!! One thing that is really attractive about The Roots is the fact that they actually play instruments. Imagine that, a musical group that actually plays instruments.....something that is typically overlooked in today's popular culture.

Currently listening to...

Foo Fighters: There is Nothing Left to Lose

I ignored this band for the longest time, chalking them up to just another pop band that would disappear within 2-3 years. I finally gave them a chance about 2 years ago at the urging of one of my friends, and I'm glad that I did. Dave Grohl is simply a musical giant, and his production skills are incredible. This album gets heavy rotation in my CD player, and makes a perfect addition to the soundtrack of my workday. Highly recommended if you don't already own it!!

Planes, Trains, and Plantains

A friend sent me this Link to an alleged essay submitted by a university student. It's an essay on The Story of Oedipus, but it reminds me a bit of the latest version of Romeo and Juliet, because I had NO CLUE that current pop-culture had such an impact on this old, old story. Check it out, and dig the rhyme on page 5.

Whatchu got on my 40, Craig?

Here's a GREAT site for all the info you could ever need on 40oz malt liquor. Thanks to my buddy Ajit for passing this along......he's always got my best interests, AND my liver, at the top of his list of concerns. Maybe I'll buy a couple 40's this evening and pour a bit on the curb out of respect for all the dead links on the web.

Currently listening to...

I'm far from being gangsta (BWARK!!!!!!!!!), but I still loves me some Outkast. I'm currently listening to Outkast: Aquemini. This album is INCREDIBLY awesome, and by far, IMHO, their best work ever. Very few hip-hop albums catch my attention, but I've recently begun to give that genre a bit more play. Outkast makes the cut with their meaningful lyrics and good beats, and it's a perfect soundtrack to afternoon java development. Check it out sometime if you've never heard it.

The only winning move is not to play

Can't quite wrap my mind around this: Voluntary Human Extinction Movement

iPod Shuffle.....ALMOST what I'm looking for

I've been wanting a portable MP3 player for a couple of years now, mostly to have with me on bike rides and for yardwork. iPod has been the brand I've found most attractive (even despite the big stink about the non-replaceable battery), but I've held off mostly due to the price constraints I have placed upon myself for such a device.

The new iPod Shuffle comes close to what I'm looking for in terms of price, size, and capacity (I don't need a whole lot of disk space, just enough for a couple hours worth of music), but there's one kicker to the unit that's a showstopper for me: the only playback method is random. I've got tons of albums that are best when listened to from beginning to end, and this is also true for the hours upon hours of live concert recordings that I have. Sure, there's lots of music out there that is GREAT to throw into a CD changer and hit the random button, but I just don't think I'd be truly content with my purchase if it had this inherent limitation. Maybe Apple will get enough complaints or feedback about this limitation and will make some changes in the coming months/years, but I doubt it. I'm sure that to add a tiny LCD display to the unit would drive the cost up at least 50 bucks, and then the price loses its luster..

One thing I've learned about myself is that I'm entirely too picky.

Flixville!! Never lose another movie.

My buddy Mark pinged me today with gripes of no new blog content, so that gave me an idea for a post: his website Flixville, a really sweet site that allows you to keep track of your DVD/VHS collection, as well as find other people near you so you can start trading movies...........LEGALLY!!
I assisted Mark with the initial development of this site (as well as an overhaul to the framework), but he's quickly gotten very good at Java and Web development, so much so that I need to start learning some new tricks just so he continues to look up to me. Right, Mark? :)
One of the many cool things that Flixville provides is the ability to post all or some of your video collection on any other site on the web. This provides a convenient, centralized, linkable online video collection so you can show off your collection anywhere on the internet. Here's my entire video collection, courtesy of Flixville.com:




Check it out, and start your online collection today....registration is FREE!!