Saturday, December 06, 2008
Friday, November 21, 2008
Geek Morsel
The more you understand about technology, the cooler it gets. I think most of our readers know that you can put a LOT of pictures, music, and email on a computer, but humor me while I explain how amazingly cool that feat is.
All of that data is stored on a hard disk. Inside that hard disk are a few, well... disks (as in flat, round plates) called platters. They're stacked vertically, and spin very quickly. Similar to a record player, data is stored in rings (records use spirals), and a head reads data from the platter, moving toward the center of the platter and back out again depending on where the data is (just like you can move a record player head to skip to different parts of a record). So there is a platter, always spinning, and a head moving in and out to read data as it passes underneath.
The interesting part about this all this is the scale! I first learned this in a class a few years ago, but saw it again today in Tom's Hardware:
"The dimensions of the head are impressive. With a width of less than a hundred nanometers and a thickness of about ten, it flies above the platter at a speed of up to 15,000 RPM, at a height that’s the equivalent of 40 atoms. If you start multiplying these infinitesimally small numbers, you begin to get an idea of their significance.
Consider this little comparison: if the read/write head were a Boeing 747, and the hard-disk platter were the surface of the Earth:
* The head would fly at Mach 800
* At less than one centimeter from the ground
* And count every blade of grass
* Making fewer than 10 unrecoverable counting errors in an area equivalent to all of Ireland."
You can look at scale another way: a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. According to this link a germ is about 1000 nanometers large. That hard drive head is a tenth the width of a germ. Next time you feel like your computer is taking too long to do something, think of a Boeing 747 flying at 800 times the speed of sound counting blades of grass!
All of that data is stored on a hard disk. Inside that hard disk are a few, well... disks (as in flat, round plates) called platters. They're stacked vertically, and spin very quickly. Similar to a record player, data is stored in rings (records use spirals), and a head reads data from the platter, moving toward the center of the platter and back out again depending on where the data is (just like you can move a record player head to skip to different parts of a record). So there is a platter, always spinning, and a head moving in and out to read data as it passes underneath.
The interesting part about this all this is the scale! I first learned this in a class a few years ago, but saw it again today in Tom's Hardware:
"The dimensions of the head are impressive. With a width of less than a hundred nanometers and a thickness of about ten, it flies above the platter at a speed of up to 15,000 RPM, at a height that’s the equivalent of 40 atoms. If you start multiplying these infinitesimally small numbers, you begin to get an idea of their significance.
Consider this little comparison: if the read/write head were a Boeing 747, and the hard-disk platter were the surface of the Earth:
* The head would fly at Mach 800
* At less than one centimeter from the ground
* And count every blade of grass
* Making fewer than 10 unrecoverable counting errors in an area equivalent to all of Ireland."
You can look at scale another way: a nanometer is one-billionth of a meter. According to this link a germ is about 1000 nanometers large. That hard drive head is a tenth the width of a germ. Next time you feel like your computer is taking too long to do something, think of a Boeing 747 flying at 800 times the speed of sound counting blades of grass!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
We need to post more often, eh?
As soon as I get over this cold / flu our family has, we'll post some good stuff. Until then, we're all a bit out of it. There are some interesting side effects of this bug, though.
Congestion is pushing on my eyes and ears, so if I cough, the increased pressure makes my vision get clouded and blurry. One side of my hearing is delayed a fraction of a second, detuned, and spatially unresolvable (like headphones playing an out-of-tune echo, or two audio tracks slightly out of sync). The upshot (?) of this is that now kids tv show theme songs sound pretty interesting -- like some demented, evil robot clown is performing the theme with a distortion pedal.
Congestion is pushing on my eyes and ears, so if I cough, the increased pressure makes my vision get clouded and blurry. One side of my hearing is delayed a fraction of a second, detuned, and spatially unresolvable (like headphones playing an out-of-tune echo, or two audio tracks slightly out of sync). The upshot (?) of this is that now kids tv show theme songs sound pretty interesting -- like some demented, evil robot clown is performing the theme with a distortion pedal.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Friday, August 29, 2008
McCain picked Palin!
Woo-hoo! An Alaskan for VP, and a good solid conservative choice at that, with few weaknesses (that we know of) and heavy appeal. Good analysis over at Eowyn's. But celebrate! This is an extremely reassuring sign from McCain.
Friday, August 22, 2008
What things have looked like around here since The Move:
The internet and the collective sanity of the Stevenson household was restored yesterday at approximately 3:45 pm.
Monday, August 04, 2008
The heart of the economic mess
The heart of the economic mess
I think our blog readers will appreciate this article (it was on Reddit earlier today). The author makes some interesting points about the causes behind our economy's slump, as well as proposing an approach that would help solve the mess.
His hypothesis that, since wages have not kept up with cost of living, Americans have adopted 'coping mechanisms' since the 70s: both parents work, then work more hours, then borrow money. Now, we're at a point where "there's not enough purchasing power in the economy to buy all the goods and services it's producing."
Discuss!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Can you solve... The Mystery of the Tandoori Grill Spammers?
In case you've missed it, we've had a lively discussion going on in the Tandoori Grill Post. I've gotten a bit tired of it, but I think we can still have some fun with it by turning it into a mystery. Put on your detective hats fellow bloggers! Post your theories and hypothesis in the comments for that post -- we have over 40 comments so far, and lots of evidence.
We've got a few interesting characters (maybe they're the same person), and a few mysteries to solve:
Who is flooding our blog with grammatically incorrect reviews of Tandoori Grill?
Are Beautiful Southern Arizona (BSA) and Tandoori Grill the same people?
Who is 'matthew' and what does he REALLY do?
I don't really know what the whole story is, so we may never know the real truth. Get your blog readers to chime in! We might as well get some new friends out of this whole shindig. I started Google Analytics on the post yesterday afternoon, so when we're all done I'll post the map global visits, as well as and the best hypothesis.
If that's not enough to get you excited, I'll even make it a contest. I'll try to come up with a cool prize for the most exciting, interesting, elaborate explanation of who's who, and what the motives of each player are. I suppose the awesomeness of the prize probably depends on the awesomeness of the explanation, so have fun, and go crazy. I know we have some creative readers -- show us what you've got!
We've got a few interesting characters (maybe they're the same person), and a few mysteries to solve:
Who is flooding our blog with grammatically incorrect reviews of Tandoori Grill?
Are Beautiful Southern Arizona (BSA) and Tandoori Grill the same people?
Who is 'matthew' and what does he REALLY do?
I don't really know what the whole story is, so we may never know the real truth. Get your blog readers to chime in! We might as well get some new friends out of this whole shindig. I started Google Analytics on the post yesterday afternoon, so when we're all done I'll post the map global visits, as well as and the best hypothesis.
If that's not enough to get you excited, I'll even make it a contest. I'll try to come up with a cool prize for the most exciting, interesting, elaborate explanation of who's who, and what the motives of each player are. I suppose the awesomeness of the prize probably depends on the awesomeness of the explanation, so have fun, and go crazy. I know we have some creative readers -- show us what you've got!
Not to interrupt the counter-troll war
down in the Tandoori Grill post, but I saw this over at The Glory of the Present. I haven't laughed that hard in a while. Go take a look.
Friday, July 18, 2008
The Memory Game
This is a cool idea:
Leave a memory you have involving one of us-- doesn't matter if it's me, James, or Will-- in the comments. Doesn't have to be anything momentous or anything, just whatever you like. One of us will do the same for you (but probably not Will). I've done Amanda and Tiffany so far...
Leave a memory you have involving one of us-- doesn't matter if it's me, James, or Will-- in the comments. Doesn't have to be anything momentous or anything, just whatever you like. One of us will do the same for you (but probably not Will). I've done Amanda and Tiffany so far...
Tuesday, July 08, 2008
Don't eat at Tandoori Grill? (EDIT: They seem to have improved!)
Restaurant Review
Tandoori Grill- Indian Cuisine
(801) 769-8850
465 South University Ave., Provo, UT 84601
EDIT: This post got a lot of attention! For those of you coming in from Google, I'll note that the Tandoori Grill has had some good reviews recently from the local newspaper, and we've got actual people (in addition to our faithful spammers) reporting positive experiences in the comments. So go try it out for yourself! I've always been willing to admit we just had a bad experience, and I love to see good restaurants succeed!
And, for your entertainment, weigh your opinions of the following spam-war at Can you solve... The Mystery of the Tandoori Grill Spammers?
A new Indian restaurant opened in Provo last week-- stay away! I enjoy Indian food, but Tandoori Grill is the worst Indian I've ever had, and probably the worst food I've put in my mouth in years.
I tried three entrees from their buffet: chicken curry, chicken tikka masala, and beef curry (often not served in Indian restaurants). The chicken curry was very bad, but not as bad as the tikka masala (which left a horrid, gunky aftertaste) or the beef curry (nearly tasteless, as if someone used cheap beef and forgot to add any spices). The tandoori chicken looked unappetizing-- ordinary baked chicken with a bit of spices, lacking the yogurt and spice covering or distinctive red coloring common to tandoori chicken (usually only dye, but part of the presentation).
If you're looking for good Indian food, try the excellent India Palace on Center street instead, or the more expensive Bombay House on University.
Tandoori Grill- Indian Cuisine
(801) 769-8850
465 South University Ave., Provo, UT 84601
EDIT: This post got a lot of attention! For those of you coming in from Google, I'll note that the Tandoori Grill has had some good reviews recently from the local newspaper, and we've got actual people (in addition to our faithful spammers) reporting positive experiences in the comments. So go try it out for yourself! I've always been willing to admit we just had a bad experience, and I love to see good restaurants succeed!
And, for your entertainment, weigh your opinions of the following spam-war at Can you solve... The Mystery of the Tandoori Grill Spammers?
A new Indian restaurant opened in Provo last week-- stay away! I enjoy Indian food, but Tandoori Grill is the worst Indian I've ever had, and probably the worst food I've put in my mouth in years.
I tried three entrees from their buffet: chicken curry, chicken tikka masala, and beef curry (often not served in Indian restaurants). The chicken curry was very bad, but not as bad as the tikka masala (which left a horrid, gunky aftertaste) or the beef curry (nearly tasteless, as if someone used cheap beef and forgot to add any spices). The tandoori chicken looked unappetizing-- ordinary baked chicken with a bit of spices, lacking the yogurt and spice covering or distinctive red coloring common to tandoori chicken (usually only dye, but part of the presentation).
If you're looking for good Indian food, try the excellent India Palace on Center street instead, or the more expensive Bombay House on University.
Monday, July 07, 2008
New blog!
My friend Eowyn (not her real name, but really cool all the same) has started a politics blog. It's some pretty smart stuff (and she even quoted me!), so if you're interested, go and take a look at The Glory of the Present. If you like it, she appreciates all links, as she's just getting it off the ground. And she says to thank Cara for giving her the idea for the title (she likes to look at the book club posts:)).
Monday, June 16, 2008
The mother of all politics posts
Mitch is a friend of James'. He read one of my political posts once and said I sounded like a member of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. Fair enough. I would imagine I do sometimes. And for all of you who agree with Mitch... this one's for you.
I watched two speeches about a week ago. They were by Barack Obama and John McCain, respectively. The speeches were each candidate's speech opening the general election now that the primary season is FINALLY over (I know I'm late to talking about this, but I've been rolling it around in my head for awhile).
My impressions were as follows (I'll elaborate in a minute):
1. Barring a monumental, catastrophic screw-up by Obama, McCain is toast.
2. Man, Obama's great behind a lectern.
3. ...How did we come to this?
a. I have never seen a person so uninspiring and uncharismatic as John McCain. I've heard he's better during town hall meetings and the like, but... all you can think after watching that speech is a horrified "wow". The video I watched went for 21 minutes (I think. It may have been 23 or something) before the news cut him off. I wanted to turn it off after the first three minutes. Every time he smiled... well, this is going to sound gross, folks, but every time he smiled the only thing I could think of was how my dog Rusty used to look before he threw up. McCain praised Hillary Clinton (Hillary! Not his opponents in the Republican primary, but Hillary!) to high heaven, but had not one graceful thing to say about Obama. All he could manage was a snide and nasal "That's not change we can believe in" after mocking Obama's stances (which deserve mocking, don't get me wrong). It was a terrible speech in every way, from the words to McCain's delivery to that hideous green thing behind him to the "crowd" of maybe 75 people watching him. For heaven's sake, he's the nominee of the Republican party, and THIS was all he could manage? He paused for applause only to have it not arrive until people decided to fill the awkward silences. And to top it all off, it was an utterly graceless speech. No praising of his Republican opponents (that I remember), no kind words toward Obama... the speech left me with nothing except a lingering disgust.
b. I'd never seen any of the major candidates give a speech. We don't get TV reception in this house, so I get all of my news from reading. I had only the vaguest idea of what Obama even sounded like. And all of his speeches seem rather standard (or outrageous, depending on the venue) when you read them. But put him behind a lectern, and again, "wow", minus the horror of McCain. The man's delivery and grace were impeccable. He praised every one of his opponents from both sides, particularly Hillary, saying that if anything happened on health care it would be due to her (look for Hillary in an Obama cabinet as Secretary of Health and Human Services).His backdrop wasn't a sheet of kelly green paper, but a massive, packed stadium. It looked presidential (McCain's looked like the press conference that the coach of the losing team gives after a football game).
I think I see part of what people love about Obama. It's there in the first part of his speech, when he discusses the fact that real people elected him. Real people decided that they didn't like the way the country was going. And that part is true to the point of inspiring. People tend to forget the fall of the Berlin Wall and the revolutions of all the other Soviet satellites. People, or even one person, really do have the power to change the world. There is a huge, magnificent power in ideas, the kind of ideas that take root in a soul and make you see differently than you did before. There are ideas and people capable of pitching them that make you believe that near anything is possible. And the wonderful, terrifying thing about that is that it's true. West Germany's government didn't tear down the Berlin Wall, East German people did. There's the Orange Revolution, and the Rose Revolution, and dozens and maybe hundreds of others that happened because people refused to be spectators to the fate of their country anymore. THAT is the gift of Barack Obama-- the ability to make you see that you are, in fact, important.
Unfortunately, that's all there is to it. There is no genius behind the lectern, just a sadly inexperienced and out-of-touch one term Senator with no executive experience. Just a thorough-going politician like all the rest. He isn't the secular Messiah that some people, including himself, believe him to be: "I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal" is how he put it in his speech.
c. After watching these speeches, a quote kept floating through my head and disappearing before I could quite catch it. I finally trapped it the other day, and it wasn't just a quote, it was a scene from a movie. I imagine all of you (except maybe Amanda) have seen The Two Towers, the second movie of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. You'll remember Theoden, the king of Rohan, standing on the battlements of Helm's Deep, looking out over his meager army and then seeing the hordes of barbarians and orcs coming to kill his people. The lines on his face seem to deepen, and and with pain in his eyes and voice, he says, "How did it come to this?"
I suppose it might seem like an extreme analogy at first. But is it really? Thousands of terrorists scream for our blood every day. But that doesn't even concern me as much as the problems at home and next door. Who's heard of Mark Steyn? Anyone? He's a Canadian journalist, on "trial" for quoting someone in a way that someone else found offensive. The Canadian Human Rights Commission, which is devoid of rules of evidence, and is basically winging the trial, has never found someone not guilty in one of these show trials. And it has existed for over 30 years. It recently handed down another "verdict" saying that a Christian minister could never again say anything that could be deemed "derogatory" about homosexuals. Another Christian, a printer, was fined for refusing to print pro-pedophilia pamphlets. In CANADA. Want more examples? A woman in France was convicted for things she said about Islam. A fifteen-year-old kid was arrested in Britain for holding a sign saying "Scientology is a cult". And these are in nominally free countries. First-world countries, if that's the right term. How long is it until you are no longer free to speak your mind? You no longer are in Canada or Europe. America, in that regard among many others, is unique. America is also under siege. We won't be a free country for long if we don't stand up for ourselves. If we don't have the courage to say that the Founders were right when they said that certain things were inalienable rights. If we don't have the bravery and pride to be American, with ALL that that entails-- freedom and respect, competition and generosity, compassion and courage.
Which brings me back to Theoden. With terrorism and all the threats that it brings with it, deteriorating free speech around the world, and an economic crisis in the works, how did it happen that the two choices for leader of the free world are John McCain and Barack Obama? A moody undependable old man, or a smooth-talking empty suit? This isn't the appropriate time to go into why I think the Republicans got saddled with John McCain, although I might in a different post. But it might be an appropriate time for a suggestion.
Amanda said, "politics is sort of like religion...you know? You believe what you believe, I believe what I believe and that's that." And as things are, sometimes that's true. But it's not true in all cases. Take me. I was all ready to vote for John Kerry in 2004 before I started listening to people with different points of view. And that's as it was intended to be. A person's politics were never intended to be sacred, just their vote. And yeah, our choices pretty much suck this round. But America will still be here in four years, and between now and then, we need to have done some talking. As soon as we realize we're not just spectators, as soon as we realize that politicians depend on us and not the other way around... as soon as people start talking to each other and talking to politicians and saying "We the people".... It's our job to change things. Not Obama's and not McCain's. If you're not happy with things, start talking. Start learning. We are not sheep.
I watched two speeches about a week ago. They were by Barack Obama and John McCain, respectively. The speeches were each candidate's speech opening the general election now that the primary season is FINALLY over (I know I'm late to talking about this, but I've been rolling it around in my head for awhile).
My impressions were as follows (I'll elaborate in a minute):
1. Barring a monumental, catastrophic screw-up by Obama, McCain is toast.
2. Man, Obama's great behind a lectern.
3. ...How did we come to this?
a. I have never seen a person so uninspiring and uncharismatic as John McCain. I've heard he's better during town hall meetings and the like, but... all you can think after watching that speech is a horrified "wow". The video I watched went for 21 minutes (I think. It may have been 23 or something) before the news cut him off. I wanted to turn it off after the first three minutes. Every time he smiled... well, this is going to sound gross, folks, but every time he smiled the only thing I could think of was how my dog Rusty used to look before he threw up. McCain praised Hillary Clinton (Hillary! Not his opponents in the Republican primary, but Hillary!) to high heaven, but had not one graceful thing to say about Obama. All he could manage was a snide and nasal "That's not change we can believe in" after mocking Obama's stances (which deserve mocking, don't get me wrong). It was a terrible speech in every way, from the words to McCain's delivery to that hideous green thing behind him to the "crowd" of maybe 75 people watching him. For heaven's sake, he's the nominee of the Republican party, and THIS was all he could manage? He paused for applause only to have it not arrive until people decided to fill the awkward silences. And to top it all off, it was an utterly graceless speech. No praising of his Republican opponents (that I remember), no kind words toward Obama... the speech left me with nothing except a lingering disgust.
b. I'd never seen any of the major candidates give a speech. We don't get TV reception in this house, so I get all of my news from reading. I had only the vaguest idea of what Obama even sounded like. And all of his speeches seem rather standard (or outrageous, depending on the venue) when you read them. But put him behind a lectern, and again, "wow", minus the horror of McCain. The man's delivery and grace were impeccable. He praised every one of his opponents from both sides, particularly Hillary, saying that if anything happened on health care it would be due to her (look for Hillary in an Obama cabinet as Secretary of Health and Human Services).His backdrop wasn't a sheet of kelly green paper, but a massive, packed stadium. It looked presidential (McCain's looked like the press conference that the coach of the losing team gives after a football game).
I think I see part of what people love about Obama. It's there in the first part of his speech, when he discusses the fact that real people elected him. Real people decided that they didn't like the way the country was going. And that part is true to the point of inspiring. People tend to forget the fall of the Berlin Wall and the revolutions of all the other Soviet satellites. People, or even one person, really do have the power to change the world. There is a huge, magnificent power in ideas, the kind of ideas that take root in a soul and make you see differently than you did before. There are ideas and people capable of pitching them that make you believe that near anything is possible. And the wonderful, terrifying thing about that is that it's true. West Germany's government didn't tear down the Berlin Wall, East German people did. There's the Orange Revolution, and the Rose Revolution, and dozens and maybe hundreds of others that happened because people refused to be spectators to the fate of their country anymore. THAT is the gift of Barack Obama-- the ability to make you see that you are, in fact, important.
Unfortunately, that's all there is to it. There is no genius behind the lectern, just a sadly inexperienced and out-of-touch one term Senator with no executive experience. Just a thorough-going politician like all the rest. He isn't the secular Messiah that some people, including himself, believe him to be: "I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal" is how he put it in his speech.
c. After watching these speeches, a quote kept floating through my head and disappearing before I could quite catch it. I finally trapped it the other day, and it wasn't just a quote, it was a scene from a movie. I imagine all of you (except maybe Amanda) have seen The Two Towers, the second movie of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. You'll remember Theoden, the king of Rohan, standing on the battlements of Helm's Deep, looking out over his meager army and then seeing the hordes of barbarians and orcs coming to kill his people. The lines on his face seem to deepen, and and with pain in his eyes and voice, he says, "How did it come to this?"
I suppose it might seem like an extreme analogy at first. But is it really? Thousands of terrorists scream for our blood every day. But that doesn't even concern me as much as the problems at home and next door. Who's heard of Mark Steyn? Anyone? He's a Canadian journalist, on "trial" for quoting someone in a way that someone else found offensive. The Canadian Human Rights Commission, which is devoid of rules of evidence, and is basically winging the trial, has never found someone not guilty in one of these show trials. And it has existed for over 30 years. It recently handed down another "verdict" saying that a Christian minister could never again say anything that could be deemed "derogatory" about homosexuals. Another Christian, a printer, was fined for refusing to print pro-pedophilia pamphlets. In CANADA. Want more examples? A woman in France was convicted for things she said about Islam. A fifteen-year-old kid was arrested in Britain for holding a sign saying "Scientology is a cult". And these are in nominally free countries. First-world countries, if that's the right term. How long is it until you are no longer free to speak your mind? You no longer are in Canada or Europe. America, in that regard among many others, is unique. America is also under siege. We won't be a free country for long if we don't stand up for ourselves. If we don't have the courage to say that the Founders were right when they said that certain things were inalienable rights. If we don't have the bravery and pride to be American, with ALL that that entails-- freedom and respect, competition and generosity, compassion and courage.
Which brings me back to Theoden. With terrorism and all the threats that it brings with it, deteriorating free speech around the world, and an economic crisis in the works, how did it happen that the two choices for leader of the free world are John McCain and Barack Obama? A moody undependable old man, or a smooth-talking empty suit? This isn't the appropriate time to go into why I think the Republicans got saddled with John McCain, although I might in a different post. But it might be an appropriate time for a suggestion.
Amanda said, "politics is sort of like religion...you know? You believe what you believe, I believe what I believe and that's that." And as things are, sometimes that's true. But it's not true in all cases. Take me. I was all ready to vote for John Kerry in 2004 before I started listening to people with different points of view. And that's as it was intended to be. A person's politics were never intended to be sacred, just their vote. And yeah, our choices pretty much suck this round. But America will still be here in four years, and between now and then, we need to have done some talking. As soon as we realize we're not just spectators, as soon as we realize that politicians depend on us and not the other way around... as soon as people start talking to each other and talking to politicians and saying "We the people".... It's our job to change things. Not Obama's and not McCain's. If you're not happy with things, start talking. Start learning. We are not sheep.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
Monday, June 09, 2008
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
You know you're a true nerd...
when your wife asks what type of pillows to make, and you tell her any part of the Mandelbrot set will do nicely.
You know SHE'S a nerd when she considers actually doing it (but settles on the Heighway Dragon curve instead).
Edit: Cara, if you're looking for a challenge -- an epic quest to prove that a former cheerleader can truly become a nerd -- incorporating the Mandelbrot set into your next craft will surely suffice!
You know SHE'S a nerd when she considers actually doing it (but settles on the Heighway Dragon curve instead).
Edit: Cara, if you're looking for a challenge -- an epic quest to prove that a former cheerleader can truly become a nerd -- incorporating the Mandelbrot set into your next craft will surely suffice!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
I NEED one of these
Weekends living down the street from the state liquor store bring this need into sharp focus...
Friday, May 23, 2008
Laugh of the day
James tells me that everyone and everyone's respective dogs have already seen this. But I'd never seen it before tonight, and I think it's hilarious:
Monday, May 19, 2008
ENOUGH
"We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK," Obama said.
I keep saying that I'm not particularly fond of John McCain. And it's true. But if it helps keep Barack Obama out of the White House, I will, quite literally, crawl over broken glass to vote for McCain.
Obama perpetuates the worst stereotypes of Americans. For your information, Senator, I drive a Mazda 3, one of the better cars out there for gas mileage. My husband walks to and from class, about three miles each way. I don't say "Supersize me" at the drive through. And one of my dearest wishes is that my house would stay under 85 degrees in the summer and above 67 in the winter, but it doesn't. But you know what? Even if my husband and I each drove and H3, ate McDonald's out of business, and blasted air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter in our drafty house, it wouldn't be any of your business. Not even a little. Let alone the business of the UK, or Mexico, or Iran, or Venezuela.
Maybe, Senator, since you live in a tasteful (if ill-gotten) mansion and are so far above us all, you don't hear very many vernacular expressions. Here's one you should learn: IT'S A FREE COUNTRY. I don't care if you think how I live is irresponsible (thanks for libeling me in front of the entire world, by the way), because you know what?
I don't answer to you.
Good heavens, when did we reach the point that a man like this could even be considered a serious candidate?! When did it become acceptable for the president to meddle in ANY aspect of our everyday lives, let alone how much we eat, or what we drive, or how warm our homes are? And when, WHEN did any president of the United States of America try not only to get involved in the day-to-day running of my home, but then try to involve other countries in it as well?!?
That is wrong. Plainly and simply wrong. You talk about energy independence, Senator, and then you give people on the other side of planet veto power over my thermostat. How is that independence?
You tell people they can't eat as much as they would like. Let me guess: you'll create a government agency (tax-funded, of course) to create rules about how much people in every given circumstance should eat. Every one will have to go into a doctor at tax-payers' expense (but wait, you already wanted to do that anyway) and get measured, and poked, and invaded so you can tell them how much the world thinks they should eat. Are you going to give them a little government issued card that only allows them to buy so much food per week?
You talk about the greatness of the country and its people, and then you give control of its families to the U.N.
Expect a lot more political posts around here in the future. I know all of 5 people read this blog... but like I said, I'll crawl over broken glass to help prevent a President Obama, and this is as good a place as any to start.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Friday, May 09, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Best line of the political season:
"I for one welcome our new pinhead overlords".
Chris Muir, Day by Day, 4/20/08
Chris Muir, Day by Day, 4/20/08
Friday, April 18, 2008
Of course we're not dead!
Just really, really busy. But I put pictures up, see? See?
Doesn't get me out of trouble, eh? Sorry, folks. Here's the update:
1) James' thesis proposal is done and working its way through committee.
2) Will has gone plug-less (pacifier-less, for those uninitiated in Stevenson lingo) for three days! Woohoo!
3) For the entire 5 days before the past three days, Will hadn't slept through the night ONCE.
4) Cara gave me Twilight for my birthday. Holy cow addictive. I read Twilight, borrowed the sequel from Cara, and bought and read the third one from Saturday night to Monday evening. Good stuff-- and an emotional overload in so little time. I'm only reading funny stuff for a few days, which means...
5) I'm drastically behind on politics. (Drastically behind, for anyone wondering, means I haven't devoted a solid hour or more to it for a week.)
Doesn't get me out of trouble, eh? Sorry, folks. Here's the update:
1) James' thesis proposal is done and working its way through committee.
2) Will has gone plug-less (pacifier-less, for those uninitiated in Stevenson lingo) for three days! Woohoo!
3) For the entire 5 days before the past three days, Will hadn't slept through the night ONCE.
4) Cara gave me Twilight for my birthday. Holy cow addictive. I read Twilight, borrowed the sequel from Cara, and bought and read the third one from Saturday night to Monday evening. Good stuff-- and an emotional overload in so little time. I'm only reading funny stuff for a few days, which means...
5) I'm drastically behind on politics. (Drastically behind, for anyone wondering, means I haven't devoted a solid hour or more to it for a week.)
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
ABC Tag
A- Attached or single: Attached
B- Best Friend: James and Cara
C-Cake or Pie: Pie! Unless it's a ridiuclously good coffee cake
D- Day of Choice: Saturday
E- Essential Item: Sunglasses
F- Favorite Color: Red, in every imaginable shade
G- Gummi Bears or Worms: Worms are the best!
H- Hometown: North Pole, Alaska
I- Indulgence(s): An Elizabeth Peters novel, chili cheese nachos, and strawberry Haagen Dazs
J- January or July: That depends entirely on where I am. Utah? January. Alaska? July.
K-Kids: The Willex!
L-Life is incomplete without: Family, faith, friends, and the collected works of Robert and Elizabeth Browning. And Calvin and Hobbes.
M- Marriage Date: April 23, 2004
N- Number of Siblings: One younger sister
O- Oranges or Apples: Apples (unless you're talking Cara Cara Oranges). Oooooh, Honeycrisp Apples!
P- Phobias or Fears: Being locked in.
Q- Quote(s):
"I love thee to height and depth and breadth my soul can reach"
--Elizabeth Barrett Browning
"Here's to manufactured triumph!"
--Benjamin Sisko
"Nice to meet you, I'm the One!"
--Sibling Revelry
R- Reason To Smile: James quoting Garak, James and The Willex splitting a grapefruit (oh so funny), flowers sprouting... lots:)
S- Season: Spring
T- Tag Six: Erm... feel free to decline, but I tag Cara, Andrea,... and anybody else who wants to?
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I have seventy-four plants on my kitchen counter at the moment
V- Veggies or Fruit: Fruit!
W- Worst Habit: Procrastination, baby.
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: ultrasounds
Y- Your Favorite Food: Anything James cooks.
Z: Zodiac: Aries- My birthday is in 13 days!!!
B- Best Friend: James and Cara
C-Cake or Pie: Pie! Unless it's a ridiuclously good coffee cake
D- Day of Choice: Saturday
E- Essential Item: Sunglasses
F- Favorite Color: Red, in every imaginable shade
G- Gummi Bears or Worms: Worms are the best!
H- Hometown: North Pole, Alaska
I- Indulgence(s): An Elizabeth Peters novel, chili cheese nachos, and strawberry Haagen Dazs
J- January or July: That depends entirely on where I am. Utah? January. Alaska? July.
K-Kids: The Willex!
L-Life is incomplete without: Family, faith, friends, and the collected works of Robert and Elizabeth Browning. And Calvin and Hobbes.
M- Marriage Date: April 23, 2004
N- Number of Siblings: One younger sister
O- Oranges or Apples: Apples (unless you're talking Cara Cara Oranges). Oooooh, Honeycrisp Apples!
P- Phobias or Fears: Being locked in.
Q- Quote(s):
"I love thee to height and depth and breadth my soul can reach"
--Elizabeth Barrett Browning
"Here's to manufactured triumph!"
--Benjamin Sisko
"Nice to meet you, I'm the One!"
--Sibling Revelry
R- Reason To Smile: James quoting Garak, James and The Willex splitting a grapefruit (oh so funny), flowers sprouting... lots:)
S- Season: Spring
T- Tag Six: Erm... feel free to decline, but I tag Cara, Andrea,... and anybody else who wants to?
U- Unknown Fact About Me: I have seventy-four plants on my kitchen counter at the moment
V- Veggies or Fruit: Fruit!
W- Worst Habit: Procrastination, baby.
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: ultrasounds
Y- Your Favorite Food: Anything James cooks.
Z: Zodiac: Aries- My birthday is in 13 days!!!
Friday, February 22, 2008
Pensivity II
1. So many cute babies floating around right now! There's Kaden, Nora, Rachel... awwwwwww!
2. Come March, I'm going to pull a Cara and kick winter out of my house. A lot of people will probably laugh, being as this is an Alaskan household, but I HATE Utahn winters. Ugh. Dreariness embodied.
3. John McCain. I'm not looking forward to the rest of this election, folks. I'll support McCain-- I'd far rather it were him than Hillary or Obama-- but I'll find it hard to be enthusiastic. At least as long as I'm enjoying the internecine warfare over on the Dem's side, anyway. I imagine I'll settle down as soon as that's decided... won't I? I just can't get all excited over McCain. He's got some of the worst aspects of Bush, not to mention the fact that's he's "supremely vain", to quote Yuval Levin. He's great on foreign policy, at least as far as I can tell... but the man's a jerk. Not as much of a jerk as Giuliani, but still a jerk.
4. All my seeds should arrive before too long. What is politics compared to therapy that is gardening? The answer is, thankfully, not much in the U.S.A. The Constitution will still be there, no matter who wins in November. If someone screws up, that's why we have election, and (heaven forbid) impeachments. This is still a wonderful place-- no matter who sits in an ovoid-shaped office on the east coast.
2. Come March, I'm going to pull a Cara and kick winter out of my house. A lot of people will probably laugh, being as this is an Alaskan household, but I HATE Utahn winters. Ugh. Dreariness embodied.
3. John McCain. I'm not looking forward to the rest of this election, folks. I'll support McCain-- I'd far rather it were him than Hillary or Obama-- but I'll find it hard to be enthusiastic. At least as long as I'm enjoying the internecine warfare over on the Dem's side, anyway. I imagine I'll settle down as soon as that's decided... won't I? I just can't get all excited over McCain. He's got some of the worst aspects of Bush, not to mention the fact that's he's "supremely vain", to quote Yuval Levin. He's great on foreign policy, at least as far as I can tell... but the man's a jerk. Not as much of a jerk as Giuliani, but still a jerk.
4. All my seeds should arrive before too long. What is politics compared to therapy that is gardening? The answer is, thankfully, not much in the U.S.A. The Constitution will still be there, no matter who wins in November. If someone screws up, that's why we have election, and (heaven forbid) impeachments. This is still a wonderful place-- no matter who sits in an ovoid-shaped office on the east coast.
Sunday, February 17, 2008
Tagged-- My man
What is his name? James Emmett Stevenson
How long have you been together? Well, I've known him since I was 15, so that would make it... a long time. 12 years this fall... WOW I'm old.
How did you meet? I smacked him upside the head with a drum mallet. It's a long story.
How long have you been married? 4 years this April.
Kids? The Willex!
How old is he? James is 25.
Who eats more? Me. Definitely me!
Who eats more sweets? Um. Probably James. He's a chocaholic.
Who said I love you first? Will you think I'm unromantic if I don't remember?
Who is taller? That would be me. By four inches.
Who sings better? Definitely James.
Who is smarter? Probably James. But we tend to balance each other out.
Who does the laundry? I do, but the washer and dryer are in James' office. Does that mean we both do it?
Who pays the bills? The bank's online auto pay. I set it up though.
Who sleeps on the right side? I do as you lay on the bed.
Who mows the lawn? The landlord's son.
Who cooks dinner? Depends on the night. We do about 50/50.
Who drives? Whoever gets there first, unless it's dark. My night vision isn't very good.
Who is more stubborn? It used to be me, but I think I've rubbed off on him.
Who kissed first? James did.
Who proposed? James! I'm not that brave:)
Who has more friends? Well, most of our friends are OUR friends, so I think we're tied.
Who is more sensitive? Me. For sure.
Who has more siblings? We're tied at one a piece.
Consider yourself tagged if you wanna. It's fun!
How long have you been together? Well, I've known him since I was 15, so that would make it... a long time. 12 years this fall... WOW I'm old.
How did you meet? I smacked him upside the head with a drum mallet. It's a long story.
How long have you been married? 4 years this April.
Kids? The Willex!
How old is he? James is 25.
Who eats more? Me. Definitely me!
Who eats more sweets? Um. Probably James. He's a chocaholic.
Who said I love you first? Will you think I'm unromantic if I don't remember?
Who is taller? That would be me. By four inches.
Who sings better? Definitely James.
Who is smarter? Probably James. But we tend to balance each other out.
Who does the laundry? I do, but the washer and dryer are in James' office. Does that mean we both do it?
Who pays the bills? The bank's online auto pay. I set it up though.
Who sleeps on the right side? I do as you lay on the bed.
Who mows the lawn? The landlord's son.
Who cooks dinner? Depends on the night. We do about 50/50.
Who drives? Whoever gets there first, unless it's dark. My night vision isn't very good.
Who is more stubborn? It used to be me, but I think I've rubbed off on him.
Who kissed first? James did.
Who proposed? James! I'm not that brave:)
Who has more friends? Well, most of our friends are OUR friends, so I think we're tied.
Who is more sensitive? Me. For sure.
Who has more siblings? We're tied at one a piece.
Consider yourself tagged if you wanna. It's fun!
Wednesday, February 06, 2008
Super Tuesday's over
And I'm not so happy about it, although I'm not surprised either.
No, I take that back. I'm not surprised with how well McCain did-- I'm surprised at how well Huckabee did. Huckabee has earned the distinction of being one of the few politicians whom I personally dislike.
At any rate, I don't think Romney is going to be able to get past this, although it is just barely possible. We'll see, I guess. In the meantime, I'm going to begin resigning myself to nominee McCain... although if he picks Huckabee for his running-mate, all resignation will be out the window, down the street, and in the storm drain.
No, I take that back. I'm not surprised with how well McCain did-- I'm surprised at how well Huckabee did. Huckabee has earned the distinction of being one of the few politicians whom I personally dislike.
At any rate, I don't think Romney is going to be able to get past this, although it is just barely possible. We'll see, I guess. In the meantime, I'm going to begin resigning myself to nominee McCain... although if he picks Huckabee for his running-mate, all resignation will be out the window, down the street, and in the storm drain.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Nail-biting
I've been looking forward to Super Tuesday for at least a month. That said--
STUPID EXIT POLLS! Why can't this be OVER already?
Yes, I do need to take a deep breath.
STUPID EXIT POLLS! Why can't this be OVER already?
Yes, I do need to take a deep breath.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Pensivity
So, John McCain won Florida. Florida's a winner-take-all state (for Republicans, at least; I don't know about Democrats), so he's now in the lead as far as the delegate count goes.
I suppose I could live with McCain (although, Senator, if you want to keep any ideological conservatives on your side at all, use your common sense and do not tag Huckabee for VP). He's not conservative on taxes. Or illegal immigration. Or... lots of things.
A McCain-Huckabee ticket isn't enough to make me not vote, much less vote Democrat. But it's enough to make one cringe in the voting booth, is it not?
This has not been an enjoyable race so far. Reagan's commandment was broken from the get-go. Huckabee was (and is) plainly disgusting and calculating. The only enjoyable things I can remember are Thompson smacking down debate moderators and watching the Clintons self-destruct, and that's saying a lot for a politics junkie. Oh, and Ron Paul. The man has no shot at the nomination, but he's been nothing if not fun to watch.
Oh, how glad I will be when the nomination has been decided-- on both sides. Then at least it's a clean fight, without all the hypocrisy that inevitably besets the primary season. Candidates go for the jugular within their own parties and trash each other-- right up until they concede the race and start angling for VP, at which point they can't say enough good about whomever they believe to have the best shot at getting them some sort of office in the West Wing.
Can you tell I'm fed up?
I suppose I could live with McCain (although, Senator, if you want to keep any ideological conservatives on your side at all, use your common sense and do not tag Huckabee for VP). He's not conservative on taxes. Or illegal immigration. Or... lots of things.
A McCain-Huckabee ticket isn't enough to make me not vote, much less vote Democrat. But it's enough to make one cringe in the voting booth, is it not?
This has not been an enjoyable race so far. Reagan's commandment was broken from the get-go. Huckabee was (and is) plainly disgusting and calculating. The only enjoyable things I can remember are Thompson smacking down debate moderators and watching the Clintons self-destruct, and that's saying a lot for a politics junkie. Oh, and Ron Paul. The man has no shot at the nomination, but he's been nothing if not fun to watch.
Oh, how glad I will be when the nomination has been decided-- on both sides. Then at least it's a clean fight, without all the hypocrisy that inevitably besets the primary season. Candidates go for the jugular within their own parties and trash each other-- right up until they concede the race and start angling for VP, at which point they can't say enough good about whomever they believe to have the best shot at getting them some sort of office in the West Wing.
Can you tell I'm fed up?
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Well, that settles that
I could never decide whether I wanted to vote for Mitt Romney or Fred Thompson, but I see that Fred has dropped out. I'm kinda relieved not to have to choose, actually. I really liked Thompson's positions on just about everything. It would have been nice, however, if he had had a little get-up-and-go. I would have even settled for some get-up. Or some go, or anything. I also see that his mother is in intensive care. though, so maybe that had something to do with it. I hope his mother is okay and that he doesn't disappear-- he is phenomenal when he gets going. In any case, I am now decided. Vote for Mitt!
Monday, January 21, 2008
Friday, January 11, 2008
You must watch this.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
How to understand James
I know there are some people who will think that this is a joke.
It isn't. Go and read it.
UPDATE: I apologize for the cuss word in there. At least there's only one!
It isn't. Go and read it.
UPDATE: I apologize for the cuss word in there. At least there's only one!
Tuesday, January 08, 2008
New Hampshire
McCain and Hillary win. Darn it, I KNEW it was too early to dream about Hillary dropping out of the race.
McCain did pretty well in NH-- I'm impressed. It will be interesting to see who registered Republicans went for though-- NH allows independents to vote in their primary, and independents tend to love McCain. I'm not a McCain kinda gal myself-- I don't particularly trust him on taxes or immigration. I do respect him though, which is more than I can say for Huckabee, who regrettably is polling rather well in South Carolina...
I'm still pulling for Obama to win the Dem's nomination. On top of the fact that he's so much more likable, he has next to no experience and is even more liberal than Hillary, which does wonderfully in primaries and terribly in general elections.
We shall see. In any case, I am off to eat snickerdoodles.
McCain did pretty well in NH-- I'm impressed. It will be interesting to see who registered Republicans went for though-- NH allows independents to vote in their primary, and independents tend to love McCain. I'm not a McCain kinda gal myself-- I don't particularly trust him on taxes or immigration. I do respect him though, which is more than I can say for Huckabee, who regrettably is polling rather well in South Carolina...
I'm still pulling for Obama to win the Dem's nomination. On top of the fact that he's so much more likable, he has next to no experience and is even more liberal than Hillary, which does wonderfully in primaries and terribly in general elections.
We shall see. In any case, I am off to eat snickerdoodles.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
On a brighter Iowa-note:
Hillary's looking to come in third. Gotta look for the silver-lining somewhere.
?!?!??
Mike Huckabee: The candidate who is conservative per abortion and gay marriage, liberal per everything else, sees foreign policy as a wonderful chance to treat homicidal maniacs like your sibling or best friend, and doesn't understand the concept of separation of church and state.
THIS MAN WON THE IOWA CAUCUS BY 9 FREAKING POINTS?!?
To any Republican-primary-goer who may chance to read this: Do you realize that if Huckabee becomes the Republican nominee for president, we will lose? Not only lose, but lose badly. Are we really so invested in identity politics that we'll vote for a guy just because he's a Baptist preacher?? 'Cause really, that's all he has going for him (other than a fantastic oratory presence. Gotta give credit where credit is due).
The man pardoned or otherwise helped to free over 1,000 criminals while governor of Arkansas-- more than his four predecessors combined (including Bill Clinton). And some of the most loathsome, dangerous criminals he helped because they had "found Jesus" in jail.
He's a taxer.
He isn't strong vs. illegal immigration.
He thinks people like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong Il should be treated like siblings or close friends.
He's running as the anti-Mormon candidate.
He's a liar.
Fellow GOP-ers, if this man is your choice, be afraid, come November. Be very afraid. Not only will he go down spectacularly, but the entire party will go with him.
THIS MAN WON THE IOWA CAUCUS BY 9 FREAKING POINTS?!?
To any Republican-primary-goer who may chance to read this: Do you realize that if Huckabee becomes the Republican nominee for president, we will lose? Not only lose, but lose badly. Are we really so invested in identity politics that we'll vote for a guy just because he's a Baptist preacher?? 'Cause really, that's all he has going for him (other than a fantastic oratory presence. Gotta give credit where credit is due).
The man pardoned or otherwise helped to free over 1,000 criminals while governor of Arkansas-- more than his four predecessors combined (including Bill Clinton). And some of the most loathsome, dangerous criminals he helped because they had "found Jesus" in jail.
He's a taxer.
He isn't strong vs. illegal immigration.
He thinks people like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Kim Jong Il should be treated like siblings or close friends.
He's running as the anti-Mormon candidate.
He's a liar.
Fellow GOP-ers, if this man is your choice, be afraid, come November. Be very afraid. Not only will he go down spectacularly, but the entire party will go with him.
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