There’s something Psycological…

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When you hear the temp is -2 then you remember that it is -2 C (only about 28ishF).  So, sure, it is cold, but it isn’t really cold (like 0F or below).  But there’s still something psycological that makes you double-think things.

image from bbqjunkie via flickr

I couldn’t

Fork and Knife Merged

Well, I couldn’t do it.  Tonight, I went to this semi fancy shmancy restaraunt for dinner and just could not bring myself to eat like the British with my fork in the left-hand all the time.  I don’t know what it was…I spent most of my life as a child grumbling about how goofy it was to switch hands.  I’ve even done it in other restaraunts before.  But there, in this semi fancy place, I just couldn’t do it.  I felt like such a hick eating the wrong way (from an American perspective).  So, even though I heard the 2 waitresses make a comment about me switching hands, I just couldn’t do it any other way.  My parents should be proud!  Their manners stuck!

Oh…BTW…just like with units of measure (such as the cup and gallon), the US maintains the older traditions.  It is the rest of the world that moved away from us.

Image from jefe317 via flickr

National Opt Out Day

NationalOptOutDay

November 24 is National Opt Out DayWhy not try it with a kilt:

But come November 24th, here’s an idea you might try to make the day extra-special. It’s a one-word idea: Kilts. Think about it — if you’re a male, and you want to bollix-up the nonsensical airport security-industrial complex, one way to do so would be to wear a kilt. If nothing else, this will cause TSA employees to throw up their hands in disgust. If you want to go the extra extra mile, I suggest commando-style kilt-wearing. While it is probably illegal to fly without pants, I can’t imagine that it’s illegal to fly without underpants. I If you are Scottish, or part Scottish, or know someone who is Scottish, or eat Scottish salmon, or enjoy Scotch, or have a vestigial affection for “Braveheart” despite Mel Gibson, you can plausibly claim some sort of multicultural diversity privilege — the term “True Scotsman” refers to soldiers who honor their tradition and heritage by wearing kilts without drawers underneath.

We the people need to figure out how to reign in our government!

The Internet Better Watch Out…

Why? I was randomly selected for a naked scan/full body scan at the airport. When they get out the internet will come crashing down…either because the pictures are so popular or because it wants to purge them…

 

[posted from my kindle 3 3g] 

[Update 11-20-2010 05:39:22] Looks like people are really up in arms about this.  Check out this article from Bruce Schneier.  There is also this account from Penn (of Penn and Teller fame).  Too bad everyone doesn’t stand up for themselves like he did.  But then, of course, he does have magic celebrity status….

Guy Fawkes Night/Bonfire Night

Last night, we went to the Brockham Bonfire.  We had a great time and saw some really neat fireworks (in the top 5 I’ve ever seen).  Below are some pictures:

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Lydia has her class bear (Bella Bear) and so she went to the bonfire too.

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The Guy. Wonder if he knows what is to come?

Yep…Isaac went too

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We arrived about 5…it was dark already. But there is this really neat church in the center on the green.

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The Guy

The Guy waiting beside what will become the bonfire

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Lydia did a good job of waiting for a 3 year old.

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Going to burn the guy!

The lit fire

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Isaac enjoyed the fireworks

So did Lydia

As always, all of our pictures are in our flickr photostream.  You can go directly to our Brockham Bonfire (2010) set here.

[Update 2012-11-06 13:22:32] We went again in 2012.

Kindle

Writers Conference

WIth Christmas approaching, I’ve been asked by several people about the Kindle.  Why?  Well, I got Cyndi one last year for Christmas.  I liked it so much, I ordered one for my birthday.

Why would I buy a kindle over another e-reader?  I have more in this post, but here is a summary:

  • Price
  • Connectivity
  • International Connectivity

What does this mean?  If you are going to buy a 3rd generation kindle , get the 3g version.  Why?  Free internet access from wherever you are.  This one thing is what differentiates the kindle from other ereaders.

If you are worried about book selection, don’t worry.  Amazon has tons of free books (check every Thursday and you’ll find new free books).  If you don’t want to get books from Amazon, you can get anything in a variety of formats (basically the kindle supports every format EXCEPT epub).  But, I doubt you’ll have to go anywhere but Amazon…of the 700+ books in our archive, we’ve spent < $20 on books.

Image from srharris via flickr

[Update 12-02-2010 06:04:43] Edited the Kindle link to use my new affiliate link.  For information why, see this post

[Update 2012-12-26 16:26:55] Edited some internal links to clean things up

Holy Cow

US ConstitutionFirst off, let me say that I don’t agree with everything the US Government does.  I have lots of problems with so many things that happen around the world.  BUT, I want to go on record…this is bunk.  The US isn’t perfect–in fact, I’ll go so far as to say we are far from it–but countries like Iran, China, or Saudi Arabia don’t have any business telling the US how bad we are at human rights.  The US should immediately withdraw from the council!

Image from kjd via flickr