Party at my place...

There wil be a total solar eclipse on my birthday in 2057.

Mommy, Billy touched me!

A Boston school has banned tag.

Because they were afraid of being sued.

Are kids getting hurt so badly playing TAG that parents are actually suing?

Positive liberty in action. These kids are now free to not be hurt.

I Nintendo-ed my video card

I just bought a new video game for Bridget, but every time it would start, the computer would lock up during the intro video. I messed around, trying to figure out if this was a problem with the processor possibly overheating, whether the video card was acting up, or the motherboard was dying. I ran some diagnostic tests, but that showed me almost nothing.

So, finally, I took out the video card and blew on the fan, releasing the months of dust stored inside.

Ta-da! Working video game.

I want to be this fast.

Pop'n Music gone wild

A few reviews whilst I think of them...

The Motorola L2 is a fantastic little phone, if you don't need a camera. I just upgraded to one, for free, and we added a new line for Bridget with the same phone, also for free. Polyphonic ringtones, .mp3 support, Bluetooth, speakerphone... I love it. As does Bridget. It is essentially their "business-class" SLVR; business because it doesn't have the camera, which is frowned upon by many corporate-minded individuals. Suits me just fine. The L7 is the high end model with built-in iTunes support, along with an SD slot to hold songs.

And now, a book!

I hadn't read a book in a good LONG while, and then I ran across an ebook copy of Neil Gaiman's American Gods (for you hardcover fans). I'd heard good things about both Neil and this particular book, so I read it. Quite enjoyed it. At my next opportunity, I'll be buying a copy.



Was browsing the cellphone sale at Amazon as I typed this - and the whole page looked like this. Tempted to try them on that.

A recent spam I received

I... what is the point of this?

Now and then, a briar patch goes deep sea fishing with a nation from a rattlesnake. Any oil filter can compete with some scythe, but it takes a real pit viper to ridiculously bestow great honor upon a mastadon. When a nuclear customer is paternal, the flatulent avocado pit lazily recognizes a vaporized cowboy. Most people believe that some turkey single-handledly secretly admires a mortician, but they need to remember how single-handledly a self-actualized avocado pit returns home. Some pickup truck inside the grand piano procrastinates, and a chess board for a buzzard hesitates; however, a mean-spirited jersey cow eagerly trades baseball cards with the briar patch. For example, the particle accelerator indicates that a bowling ball figures out the most difficult fruit cake. Most people believe that a turkey completely secretly admires a stoic blood clot, but they need to remember how knowingly the turn signal defined by an apartment building beams with joy. When a tabloid is gentle, the outer globule tries to seduce the inferiority complex. A grand piano around the ski lodge feels nagging remorse, but a satellite secretly admires an asteroid inside an ocean.

Some precise warranty At base level, this just comes down to total transitional flexibility.

You really can't fail with integrated management matrix approaches. If a freight train caricatures some paycheck about another light bulb, then a freight train defined by the submarine procrastinates. When you see some hypnotic reactor, it means that a grizzly bear living with the cargo bay hibernates. When a hypnotic football team rejoices, a briar patch starts reminiscing about lost glory. A fruit cake beyond a bartender competes with the unstable polar bear.

I think my favorite part is "it takes a real pit viper to ridiculously bestow great honor upon a mastadon."

A Reader's Digest Moment

A conversation just held at the front desk:

Guest (on phone): Yes, I'd like to call Germany.
Clerk: Umm... let me check on that for you.
Clerk (to me): How does a guest call Germany?
Me: They dial 9, and then the number as normal.
Clerk (to guest): Dial 9, sir, and then the number as normal.
Guest: Okay... but how do I dial the plus?
Clerk: The... plus?
Guest: Yes, the plus. To call Germany is +49.
Clerk (to me): How does he dial the plus?
Me: The plus? What? Did he actually just say that? You don't DIAL the plus!
Clerk (to guest): Sir, have you ever called Germany?
Guest: Yes, from my mobile.
Clerk: You don't have to dial the plus.
Guest (obviously does not believe clerk): I will try this...

The guest also did not know he had to dial the U.S. country code before dialing the number. This may not seem odd at first, as I'm sure not many Americans know to do this, but the man is FROM Germany, working for an American company IN the U.S.

Edit: When dialing an international call from the U.S., every call starts with 011 - which is the U.S. Country Code. The general format is 011 + City Code + number.