Here is a World Wide Web original - a very early use of the Internet. Still brings a small smile to my face.
Hamster Dance
Friday, August 29, 2003
Monday, August 18, 2003
Ever wanted to take a MIT course?
I was reading the new issue of Wired magazine this weekend that had an article about MIT putting its courseware online.
MIT OpenCourseWare
I haven't spent much time looking at the courseware so far, but what I have seen does remind me of a belief I have...
"Teaching is all about the Teacher"
The courseware material I went thru didn't seem to be much different from what I have seen in my past. I believe almost by default, courseware material is boring... it is the person that is presenting the material that brings it to life.
MIT OpenCourseWare
I haven't spent much time looking at the courseware so far, but what I have seen does remind me of a belief I have...
"Teaching is all about the Teacher"
The courseware material I went thru didn't seem to be much different from what I have seen in my past. I believe almost by default, courseware material is boring... it is the person that is presenting the material that brings it to life.
Saturday, August 16, 2003
Computer Safety
With all of the news about the mblaster worm, I though I would mention the two to three important things to do that will help keep such things as viruses and worms from infecting your computer.
Since I am running a firewall as well as a webserver, I see evidence every day of viruses and worms roaming the Internet looking for a computer that is vulnerable. Even if you connect for only a minute, a minute would be enough for you to get infected if you are vulnerable.
I think of the Internet as a neighborhood. Even though I live in a pretty nice neighborhood, I am not going to leave my front door wide open (whether I am at home or not). In fact, my doors tend to be locked at all times.
The Internet is a "not so nice" neighborhood. Please make sure you don't leave your "doors" wide open. If you are concerned that you don't know what to do, let me know. I should be able to walk you thru it.
- Keep your Operating System up to date by visiting WindowsUpdate. On the site, click on "Scan for updates". You should install all "Critical Updates and Service Packs".
- Use an Anti-virus program. I use Norton Antivirus. There are free antivirus software that is available. Let me know if you want links to the the free software. The key is to have the software installed, update the virus definitions weekly and run a full system scan at least weekly.
- If you are connecting to the Internet via broadband (DSL or Cable), you need to use a firewall (either hardware or software). The software I use is called ZoneAlarm. A firewall will make your computer appear to not even be on the Internet.
Since I am running a firewall as well as a webserver, I see evidence every day of viruses and worms roaming the Internet looking for a computer that is vulnerable. Even if you connect for only a minute, a minute would be enough for you to get infected if you are vulnerable.
I think of the Internet as a neighborhood. Even though I live in a pretty nice neighborhood, I am not going to leave my front door wide open (whether I am at home or not). In fact, my doors tend to be locked at all times.
The Internet is a "not so nice" neighborhood. Please make sure you don't leave your "doors" wide open. If you are concerned that you don't know what to do, let me know. I should be able to walk you thru it.
Friday, August 15, 2003
Interesting blog entry
The below link is from a blog called Eject! Eject! Eject!.
It is quite lengthy but I believe it does a good job in trying to describe what makes the United States great.
The article: Trinity
Links that are kinda related to the above... You will understand if you make it thru "Trinity". I purposely didn't name the links so I don't spoil the above story. If you don't want to read all of the above, for sure check out link 2. This is the sort of stuff that I think drove me into the Engineering field.
link 1
link 2
It is quite lengthy but I believe it does a good job in trying to describe what makes the United States great.
The article: Trinity
Links that are kinda related to the above... You will understand if you make it thru "Trinity". I purposely didn't name the links so I don't spoil the above story. If you don't want to read all of the above, for sure check out link 2. This is the sort of stuff that I think drove me into the Engineering field.
link 1
link 2
Thursday, August 14, 2003
Daily Websites that I visit
Below are a set of websites that I pretty much visit every day (or every other day). In no particular order:
I don't know any of the individuals above... I just enjoy reading their sites.
Sandy E. (not Everett, but Engle) will enjoy Airliners.net since I know she is an active subscriber to Flying. Airliners.net is a great site that I use to gather images for my work screen saver.
Not sure if anybody else will find them interesting, would love to hear of websites that other people read on a daily basis.
- jwz's LiveJournal
- Mike's List: The Raw Feed
- Rachel Lucas - Piquance, Impudence, Ordnance
- Jeremy Zawodny's blog
- Airliners.net
I don't know any of the individuals above... I just enjoy reading their sites.
Sandy E. (not Everett, but Engle) will enjoy Airliners.net since I know she is an active subscriber to Flying. Airliners.net is a great site that I use to gather images for my work screen saver.
Not sure if anybody else will find them interesting, would love to hear of websites that other people read on a daily basis.
Wednesday, August 13, 2003
Random Selection of Music
I have recently purchased an Apple iPod and just love being able to have my entire CD collection with me at all times (3021 songs at the moment).
I did have to do a couple of things like upgrade from Win98 to WinXP as well as install a Firewire card in the computer. All that work ended up being a day's worth of effort. Ripping my CD's into MP3 was also required. I am getting more and more convinced that the bulk of the computer world is not accessable to the general population.
I will typically listen to music at work allowing the iPod to randomly play songs. It is always fun to be reminded of music that I totally forgot about.
Here are 5 songs that I got to listen to in order today at some point during the day:
Title - Artist - Album
I did have to do a couple of things like upgrade from Win98 to WinXP as well as install a Firewire card in the computer. All that work ended up being a day's worth of effort. Ripping my CD's into MP3 was also required. I am getting more and more convinced that the bulk of the computer world is not accessable to the general population.
I will typically listen to music at work allowing the iPod to randomly play songs. It is always fun to be reminded of music that I totally forgot about.
Here are 5 songs that I got to listen to in order today at some point during the day:
Title - Artist - Album
- Hello - Oasis - (What's the Story) Morning Glory
- End of Innocence (Live) - Jackson Browne, Bruce Hornsby, Bonnie Raitt, Shawn Colvin, David Lindsay
- Cry Freedom - Dave Matthews - Crash
- Dead Man's Party - Oingo Boingo - Dead Man's Party
- Human Touch - Bruce Springsteen - Human Touch
Saturday, August 09, 2003
Thursday, August 07, 2003
Family History
Last night I decided to request Google to crawl the Everett Family Blog. That simply means that at some point people might be able to find the site via searching on Google.
Because of that I did a few searches on Google to see what is out there... I did bump into a site called Everett Families of the South. I couldn't tell when this site was last updated but it seemed intriguing at the surface.
I am always very intrigued about Everett genealogy. I know that Dad has a lot of material. Is there anything that I can do to help? Is there any material that is possibly in a form that I can put up on the site?
I always thought things like the Sons of the American Revolution organizations to be kinda hokey as a kid, but as I get older... my opinion changes. I actually think it would be very cool to belong to such organizations, knowing that I have an ancestor that fought to create the United States.
Based on things that I have read, it seems like people with the surname of Everett were very early settlers to America (as in the 1600's).
Off-Topic Comment: I believe it is fairly easy for anybody to create an entry to the site. It is a little bit more involved than putting in a comment. Let me know if you would like to be added as an author. I made Steve E. an author a week or so ago to test if it was possible.
Because of that I did a few searches on Google to see what is out there... I did bump into a site called Everett Families of the South. I couldn't tell when this site was last updated but it seemed intriguing at the surface.
I am always very intrigued about Everett genealogy. I know that Dad has a lot of material. Is there anything that I can do to help? Is there any material that is possibly in a form that I can put up on the site?
I always thought things like the Sons of the American Revolution organizations to be kinda hokey as a kid, but as I get older... my opinion changes. I actually think it would be very cool to belong to such organizations, knowing that I have an ancestor that fought to create the United States.
Based on things that I have read, it seems like people with the surname of Everett were very early settlers to America (as in the 1600's).
Off-Topic Comment: I believe it is fairly easy for anybody to create an entry to the site. It is a little bit more involved than putting in a comment. Let me know if you would like to be added as an author. I made Steve E. an author a week or so ago to test if it was possible.
Wednesday, August 06, 2003
Steve E.'s Summer Book Reviews
It's been a very productive reading summer for me so far. Here are the reviews of the books I've read this summer, in priority order of enjoyment.
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
Have you always wanted to read a book about dead bodies? I didn't know that I did, but I found this book very entertaining. Be warned, it's not for the squeamish. The first chapter opens up with plastic surgeons practicing face lifts on dead people. That may not sound that bad, but you should be aware that the whole body is not needed for this practice. This may seem paradoxical, but the author writes in a very funny and witty style, but maintains respect for the dead bodies. I also enjoyed her visit to Wayne State University, where researches were doing crash tests with cadavers. At one point, the author finds herself sitting alone with a cadaver, who was slouching in the chair. She writes very poignaintly about what it's like to hang out with this dead body. Here's an excerpt:
"By and large, the dead aren't very talented. They can't play water polo, or lace up their boots, or maximize market share. The can't tell a joke, and they can't dance for beans. This is one thing that dead people excel at. They're very good at handling pain."
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson is one of my favorite authors. For example, I highly recommend A Walk in the Woods. In "A Short History", Bryson covers nearly every aspect of science, from the Big Bang, black holes, geology, and evolution. It was great learning how scientists first measured the Earth's weight. It was even more enjoyable reading about the scientists, who were often quite wacky.
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer.
This book is really three stories, weaved into one book. A history of the Mormon religion, a survey of Mormon Fundamentalists, and a true crime story about two fundamentalist Mormon brothers who are told by God to kill their sister-in-law and infant daughter. Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon religion, got his start as a diviner, a seeker of buried treasure using his magic stone. One night an angel appeared to tell Joseph Smith where to find buried gold plates with sacred text. Smith eventually dug up the plates and translated the text by using some magical glasses and his trusty magic stone. Things got a bit more controversial when for Smith and the Mormons when God commanded them to take on multiple wives. Eventually the mainline religion disavowed polygamy, but the fundamentalist splinter groups follow this command to this very day. An exellent book because I learned about the history of the Mormons, pondered over questions about the brothers' murder trial, such as where's the line when religious faith crosses over into insanity? I also highly recommend Krakauer's other books, Into Thin Air and Into the Wild.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Dale, Sharon, and I read the first four books and we read this one too. Fun summer reading. I wish Harry wasn't such a grump in it though. And for a fee, I'll tell you who dies...
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis
I liked it. Probably only interesting to big baseball fans, particularly Oakland A's fans. The story of how Billy Beane, the Oakland A's general manager, built a powerhouse team on a low budget, by going against conventional baseball wisdom. Now only if they could win the World Series!
Prey by Michael Crichton
It's unclear why I bought this book. Perhaps the low price at Costco attracted my attention. OK reading if you have nothing else to read. I still remember Tim's review his previous book, The Lost World. Tim said it seemed like Crichton wrote it in a weekend. I think with Prey, he probably took at least a week. What's more interesting than the book however is the fact that Tim and I both were convinced for a while that Michael Crichton was dead. All indications are that in fact he is very much alive. With that said, I still have a recollection that he's seven feet tall.
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach
Have you always wanted to read a book about dead bodies? I didn't know that I did, but I found this book very entertaining. Be warned, it's not for the squeamish. The first chapter opens up with plastic surgeons practicing face lifts on dead people. That may not sound that bad, but you should be aware that the whole body is not needed for this practice. This may seem paradoxical, but the author writes in a very funny and witty style, but maintains respect for the dead bodies. I also enjoyed her visit to Wayne State University, where researches were doing crash tests with cadavers. At one point, the author finds herself sitting alone with a cadaver, who was slouching in the chair. She writes very poignaintly about what it's like to hang out with this dead body. Here's an excerpt:
"By and large, the dead aren't very talented. They can't play water polo, or lace up their boots, or maximize market share. The can't tell a joke, and they can't dance for beans. This is one thing that dead people excel at. They're very good at handling pain."
A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson is one of my favorite authors. For example, I highly recommend A Walk in the Woods. In "A Short History", Bryson covers nearly every aspect of science, from the Big Bang, black holes, geology, and evolution. It was great learning how scientists first measured the Earth's weight. It was even more enjoyable reading about the scientists, who were often quite wacky.
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer.
This book is really three stories, weaved into one book. A history of the Mormon religion, a survey of Mormon Fundamentalists, and a true crime story about two fundamentalist Mormon brothers who are told by God to kill their sister-in-law and infant daughter. Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon religion, got his start as a diviner, a seeker of buried treasure using his magic stone. One night an angel appeared to tell Joseph Smith where to find buried gold plates with sacred text. Smith eventually dug up the plates and translated the text by using some magical glasses and his trusty magic stone. Things got a bit more controversial when for Smith and the Mormons when God commanded them to take on multiple wives. Eventually the mainline religion disavowed polygamy, but the fundamentalist splinter groups follow this command to this very day. An exellent book because I learned about the history of the Mormons, pondered over questions about the brothers' murder trial, such as where's the line when religious faith crosses over into insanity? I also highly recommend Krakauer's other books, Into Thin Air and Into the Wild.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
Dale, Sharon, and I read the first four books and we read this one too. Fun summer reading. I wish Harry wasn't such a grump in it though. And for a fee, I'll tell you who dies...
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis
I liked it. Probably only interesting to big baseball fans, particularly Oakland A's fans. The story of how Billy Beane, the Oakland A's general manager, built a powerhouse team on a low budget, by going against conventional baseball wisdom. Now only if they could win the World Series!
Prey by Michael Crichton
It's unclear why I bought this book. Perhaps the low price at Costco attracted my attention. OK reading if you have nothing else to read. I still remember Tim's review his previous book, The Lost World. Tim said it seemed like Crichton wrote it in a weekend. I think with Prey, he probably took at least a week. What's more interesting than the book however is the fact that Tim and I both were convinced for a while that Michael Crichton was dead. All indications are that in fact he is very much alive. With that said, I still have a recollection that he's seven feet tall.
California Governor Recall
Three postings in one day!!! A new record.
I have a real dilemma... do I vote for Arnold Schwarzenegger or the other "Arnold" running, Gary Coleman.
I have a real dilemma... do I vote for Arnold Schwarzenegger or the other "Arnold" running, Gary Coleman.
Interesting Money
Sam recently visited a childhood friend. Her friend's (Shawna) family was having a family reunion by chance so Sam was able to see Shawna's brother Guy. I believe Guy was Sam's very first babysitting job.
Guy works in the video production area. He was a camera man for the local Santa Cruz television station. Guy was invited to Clint Eastwood's wedding since he knew the bride very well (she was a news anchorwoman)
From there he moved to Texas to work for Fox. Was part of video production of things such as NFL football, etc. He is now owner of his own video production company that has such clientile (spelling??) such as G.W Bush. GW uses Guy's company for any video production such as his Presidental campaign videos
To make a long story short (as Uncle Charlie used to say)... Guy has been in Iraq working I believe again with Fox News, walking thru Saddam's Palaces as well as other things.
He gave Sam 4 250 Dinar bills that Sam claimed he picked up in one of Saddam's Palaces. I am a little suspicious of that story, considering Sam had a guitar picked tossed to her after a concert and she proceeded to claim it was from Keith Urban (country music star) :)
Do you think the CIA would run a DNA test for me to determine if Saddam had ever touched the money???
Also if I ever play that party game called "Six Degrees of Separation", I can claim Tim->Samantha->Guy->GW Bush (I believe that is 3 degrees of separation) as well as Tim->Samantha->Guy->Clint's wife->Clint Eastwood (4 degrees)
I wonder what the people on the back of 250 Dinar are doing or are meant to represent.
Guy works in the video production area. He was a camera man for the local Santa Cruz television station. Guy was invited to Clint Eastwood's wedding since he knew the bride very well (she was a news anchorwoman)
From there he moved to Texas to work for Fox. Was part of video production of things such as NFL football, etc. He is now owner of his own video production company that has such clientile (spelling??) such as G.W Bush. GW uses Guy's company for any video production such as his Presidental campaign videos
To make a long story short (as Uncle Charlie used to say)... Guy has been in Iraq working I believe again with Fox News, walking thru Saddam's Palaces as well as other things.
He gave Sam 4 250 Dinar bills that Sam claimed he picked up in one of Saddam's Palaces. I am a little suspicious of that story, considering Sam had a guitar picked tossed to her after a concert and she proceeded to claim it was from Keith Urban (country music star) :)
Do you think the CIA would run a DNA test for me to determine if Saddam had ever touched the money???
Also if I ever play that party game called "Six Degrees of Separation", I can claim Tim->Samantha->Guy->GW Bush (I believe that is 3 degrees of separation) as well as Tim->Samantha->Guy->Clint's wife->Clint Eastwood (4 degrees)
I wonder what the people on the back of 250 Dinar are doing or are meant to represent.
Informal Coin Collecting
I have started to collect at work from my daily change all of the new state quarters. How many has been release so far? I am curious to see if I am able to get one of each simply by paying attention to my change.
My impromptu collection:
1976 Bicentennial - I always enjoy finding one of these.
State Quarters in order of State Year:
1788 New Hampshire
1788 Virginia
1788 New York
1790 Rhode Island
1791 Vermont
1792 Kentucky
Also Samantha got four very interesting pieces of money recently. Look for that entry in the very near future along with a small story.
My impromptu collection:
1976 Bicentennial - I always enjoy finding one of these.
State Quarters in order of State Year:
1788 New Hampshire
1788 Virginia
1788 New York
1790 Rhode Island
1791 Vermont
1792 Kentucky
Also Samantha got four very interesting pieces of money recently. Look for that entry in the very near future along with a small story.
Sunday, August 03, 2003
Quick Preview of Batman???
For those who are not able to download Batman Deadend, below is an Everett Family version of it.
Saturday, August 02, 2003
Batman Deadend
Very cool 8 minute short movie, Batman Deadend. It was made to showcase the skills of a director that would love to be given the chance to direct the next Batman movie.
It is a fairly hefty download at 48MB, but is worth the wait. It does require Quicktime from Apple
Batman Deadend
It is a fairly hefty download at 48MB, but is worth the wait. It does require Quicktime from Apple
Batman Deadend
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)