Variable Christmas Cards

My father sent this along - I think it is great! And they have a bunch of other cards which have similar options....way cool!

Merry Christmas from Power Presentations, Inc.

WPI will grant a CS concentration in gaming....

As an alum of WPI and from the CS department I really think this is a great step forward. The program at WPI in general is one of the best in the nation. I believe that having the ability to think technically you also will graduate from WPI with a great background and be able to build on it in almost any direction. But remember this degree is not a degree in playing games - although it should help if you know how to play a game or two - this will be building the programs which the games are built upon.

WPI Gaming Article

Boston Globe Article -- Tenets of academic rigor spread to computer games

Have fun,

Kevin

Kevin

Interstate Wine Sales....

While many of the Supreme Court decisions seem to have little impact on my life - this is the first case which I can really sink my teeth into - or should I say drink. I enjoy a glass of wine like the rest of us legal adults in America. I have always hated the fact that some wineries that I like in MD, NY, and VA I can't get them shipped into Massachusetts. Even my favorite CA wine Fortino and Thomas Kruge you can't get them to ship into MA. BTW if you ever goto silicon valley in CA you need to take the 45 minute drive to Gilroy and find these places. I have always that this was a pain and I did not understand why it was a problem. Finally someone told me it was all about taxes and the state controlling what happens with alcohol due the the 15th amendment to the constitution. So I have been following this case pretty closely - and yesterday the supreme court finally heard the arguments:

SCOTUSBLOG

Briefs for Case

I can't wait to read the transcript of the arguments - posted sometime around Christmas....the decision is due next summer.

Dude!!!!!

I thought this was mildly funny - "Like Dude where is my Car" a really bad movie that actually has some meaning in the current lexicon....interesting. I found that I was actually using the work correctly - word.

Anyway I wonder if "word" will make it into some college professors studies soon...

News Articles from Google News

Word.

The Thanksgiving feast...

This year we will host 13 people for Thanksgiving - so yesterday's post of a 28.5 pound turkey isn't that bad. As more of the recipes become available on-line I will update the post.

Here is the Menu:

appetizer
Cheese Tray
vegetables and Dip
Shrimp and Cocktail Sauce
Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Gail's Nut Bread

Main Course
Roasted Turkey w/Thyme gravy
Davis' Stuffing
Cranberry Chestnut Stuffing
Goodrich's Creamed Onions
Sweet Potato Creme' Brulle
Corn
Brussels Sprouts w/Poppie Seed
Mashed Potatoes and Turnips with Roasted Pear Puree
Karla's Cranberry Sauce


Dessert
Pecan Pie
Squash (Pumpkin) Pie
Blueberry Pie
Mince Meat Pie
Apple Pie
Congo Bars
Vanilla Ice Cream
Cheese

Beginning of Thanksgiving

Hi everyone-

Let the festivities begin!

Thanksgiving a very American holiday is/has already started. People gathering their good items for the traditional large meal with friends and family to give thanks for a good year. The Pilgrims did it - or did they?

My wife has already planned the menu with her sister. The 28.5 pound bird has been delivered to the house and the thawing has begun. Menu and links in the next post. We are trying a few new items this year hoping that all will go well.

Meanwhile work must continue as the out of town guests arrive and people on the roads get more insane. I remember Thanksgiving holiday travel - driving to see my Aunt Eileen in Norfolk, VA. I remember that traffic was so bad we turned around and tried the next day - it was one of those sites to see Mom and Dad trying desperately to get to a final destination but only to be turned around by dense traffic.

Well to all traveling be safe. And to all cooking your bird remember to cook it correctly.

having fun....

First Snow of 2004-2005 Winter Season

Well we got flurries on Monday - but today we will get somewhere between 3-6 inches of snow. This snow seems really early. The forecast did not even have this much snow this morning. By the afternoon news they gave us the 3-6 inch forecast. So here is a picture of our house - see even the Halloween decorations are still up...

Finished Goods from Claypot

I've been a little slow getting some pictures up on the blog. The previous previous article talked about how much fun we had at producing our pottery. Enjoy the pictures:


All of our pottery


Spot the fish 

Big Dig Woes

Hi everyone-

Well in case you haven't followed the most expensive road project in the US here is the latest.
Big Dig found riddled with leaks

While I agree that it is one the of toughest engineering projects - the oversite on the project was nonexistent - hence we had cost overruns.

For the main project website check out:

The Big Dig

Verified Voting

Hi everyone-

With the electron approaching quicking in the USA - many new things are poping up. Here is an article - actually an article which summarizes a bunch of other articles about Verified Voting. Check it out and support them - I think anything like this which will go along with international observers is a good thing.

Slashdot | Verified Voting

Remember November 2nd - get out and vote.

Boston Red Sox go to world series....

Many of you know that I am not a big sports fan - but this moment deserves some recognition. First - they are one of the few teams in history to come back from the 3-0 underdog in the Division series and then I think they are the only team to ever have actually won the way they won. Second - the Red Sox beat the Yankees - wow. So here is the headline from the Boston Globe --

Boston Globe - A World Series ticket

And to give equal time here is the favorite headline from a New York Paper:

New York Post

Go Sox....

Boston.com / Sports / Baseball / Red Sox / A World Series ticket

Boston.com / Sports / Baseball / Red Sox / A World Series ticket

Playing at the clayroom in Natick...

Hi everyone-

Sorry about not posting in a while - nothing really caught my eye. Well mom and dad came up for the weekend. Have not seen them for a few months and it was really nice to see them. Fall folliage is at its peak now. I will have some more pictures of that later. We did however goto Natick - on a whim - a do a little pottery glazing. It was totally fun and worth the money. I would encourage anyone in the Boston area to do this great activity. It is a place called the clayroom. They charge for the pottery piece - unfinished - at a very reasonable price. Then you pay a studio fee - again this covers the supplies that you put onto the pottery piece and the very clean environment.




The Clayroom


Once everything is finished I will post the before and after pictures. We hopefully will have something done by Thursday.

Have fun......

Presidential Candidates Speak Out on Science Policies

Hi everyone-

Wow something else that is really interesting...


Physics Today October 2004- Special Report: Presidential Candidates Speak Out on Science Policies

Fun Political Game Staffers Challenge

Hi everyone-

Well I just needed a little diversion from the morning routine. Ran across an article at CNN talking about all of the new satire occurring on websites. Thought "hmmmm maybe spend a little time seeing what each of these sites have to offer"....of course there is the mock the vote site....seen most of those. But the next link - kinda fun:

Staffers Challenge

Have fun....

Mt. Saint Helens VolcanoCam

I thought this might be interesting. Seeing how the volcano keeps erupting finding some pictures might be neat. As a child this was one of the first "natural" disaster that I can remember. Anyway there are rules for the pictures and the best I can tell is just to post a link to the main page and say read the rules yourself. They are archiving the pictures for the eruptions and venting opportunities - or so they say.

Current picture from the MSH Volcanocam (this will change periodically):



MSH Volcanocam homepage

Politics 101: Presidential Debate #1

Last night was the Presidential 2004 debate. I watch the whole thing. I would say that it was a push. And for people that may not know that term equate it to a tie. Which I believe for Sen. Kerry is better than I thought he would do in this debate. Pres. Bush seemed to be very repetative - sticking to message more that I think he should have done.

Anyway this morning surfing I found a relatively good site on the upcomming electon.

Politics1 - 2004 U.S. Presidential Election (P2004)

Also if you want a countdown screen saver check out this link (use at your own risk....):

Election Countdown Clocks

Working from home Part I and Adam@Home comic

Hi everyone-

Well working the the tech industry you get the opportunity sometimes to work from home - that is if the company has the technology setup. Anyway yesterday was such that day - with doctors appointments and a contractor coming in for gutter work it made life easy to balance. A friend of mine turned me onto this comic strip...

Welcome to uComics Web Site featuring Adam@Home -- The Best Comic Site In The Universe!

Seems pretty relevant and current. Last weeks gags with a necktie sure do make me laugh.

Have fun...

Interesting Website: New American Dream Home

Well this is a first for me. Promoting a website on values which would set most American households scratching their collective heads....

New American Dream
Home

On the surface it seems like a pretty good site that pulls together a bunch of things that I believe would make a difference. But getting to that state seems rather difficult to do....

Have fun...

Bench Part II

Well I think I finally figured this picture thing out. Anyway here is the picture of the bench. See a previous post which detail our weekend work.



Over the weekend we had a "work" day at church. I installed a 170 year old door in a new door frame. It was a bunch of fun to get the door frame to fit around the new door. No pictures sorry.

Have fun...

US-Election.org: The world's voice, the world's vote

A very interesting site. You should give it a try. I wonder how much spin there is in the voting and how many times you can vote....

US-Election.org: The world's voice, the world's vote

Supreme Court Justices Bobble Head Style

Hi everyone-

Well people may know that I have an interest in law - don't have a JD - but really like to read over cases. I think I like reading law v. because it is a nice distraction from my everyday job.

Anyhow I found this site while reading over some blogs about some upcoming court cases and found this reference to eBay auctions selling these Bobble Heads. They are actually commanding over $250.00 - WOW! My question: "Does each justice have the #1 or #2 in the series on their desks?"

The Green Bag: Eclectica#OConnor%20Bobblehead#OConnor%20Bobblehead#OConnor%20Bobblehead

As always Have fun....

NPR : Google Entices Job-Searchers with Math Puzzle

Not that I solved this puzzle at all - but I really thought that it was cool of Google to do search for people this way.

NPR : Google Entices Job-Searchers with Math Puzzle

Since about the 7th grade I have had a math puzzle of my own:

Make a number that is 8 digits that are singly 8 consecutive numbers. Take that 8 digit number and multiply it by the 8th digit in the list of numbers. Take the first 7 numbers of the original eight numbers as a seven digit number and add it to answer from the first step. Take the 8th number of the original eight numbers as a single digit number and add it to the answer from the previous step. The answer should be the same number repeated 8 times. What are the 8 consecutive numbers?

I am sure it is a stupid puzzle and totally not as cool as Googles, but email me for the answer or post an answer of your own.

Have fun

Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap and Cherohala Skyway, Graham Co, NC

A friend of mine alerted me to this website a few months ago - could even be a year ago. Anyway I thought that most people will get a kick out of looking at this. It looks like an amazing place for some neat scenery - let along watching trucks trying to navigate the switchback. I don't ride a motorcycle - even persuade people to give up those things.

Pictures of trucks trying to navigate the Tail of the Dragon are here.

Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap and Cherohala Skyway, Graham Co, NC

Have fun,

Kevin

So much for free speech

Many of you know that I generally don't like to get into the middle of a political discussion. But you know things are getting a little crazy when something like this happens:

Yahoo! News - Top Stories Photos - AP

Grow up people.

have fun

Rainy Day

Morning-

Traffic - I know everyone has it - and people seem to deal with traffic differently but let me tell you something - when school starts all of the crazy people come back out to play. Granted the last two days have been raining here, but people are nuts. Here is a recent article about Boston and its traffic problems.

We used to live in Washington, D.C. and I used to commute to Tyson's Corner, VA from Laurel MD - only 27 miles but the evening commute could take upwards of 4 hours.

But you know it can't be as bad as a bison in the middle of the road. Oh well so much for a normal traffic kinda day.

Having fun...

The Bench Part II

We finally got around to finishing a bench that my parents gave to us over the winter. It wasn't that we did not want to have the bench on our front porch it was just that we needed to get some time to finish it. It was an unfinished bench from a company called Tidewater Workshop. They offer a bunch of unfinished outdoor products. Our bench is a white cedar bench. Very pretty.

After some light sanding, a coat of a water based stain from Minwax and two coats of poly from Minwax it was complete.

What a great looking bench. I am working on posting the picture...new to this whole thing.

Have fun....

First Post

First Post. Great day. My parents gave us a bench for our front porch to stain. The shame of it was that they gave it to us over the winter and it was supposed to be ready for sping/summer this year. My wife and I are just getting to the project. It is a white cedar bench that we are staining with a water based stain because of the oils in the cedar. Tomorrow a couple of coats of poly to finish the project.

Pictures tomorrow.

Why did I start a blog - just to collect my thoughts and to interact with a community.

Have fun....