Author: LegoDoug

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Greetings from Mexico!

[doug]I’ve been much too busy to keep the BLOG (or even the Mexico site) updated while in Mexico, although there is dial-up access – other things seem much more important.

Of course, the hard part is being so far away from Nichelle, but I had been homesick for Mexico for a couple of months.

I will post details of our missions trip soon, but one funny thing that has happened is that two girls have started fighting over our son John [john inline], just from seeing his picture. ¡Valgame Dios!

For Nichelle: LYMZ, TDS.

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Old Enough to Drive, Old Enough to Drink, Old Enough to Vote, but Apparently Not Old Enough to Think!

Harry Potter Fan's Magic Attempt Sets House Ablaze
Thu July 10, 2003 10:59 AM ET

MADRID (Reuters) – A woman set her Madrid home on fire as she cooked up a potion in an attempt to imitate the fictional wizard Harry Potter, emergency services said.

The 21-year-old was rescued Wednesday by firemen and treated for minor injuries, but half her home was destroyed.

The ambulance service said she had told them she was trying to emulate the boy magician, hero of the books by J K Rowling that have been a sensation among adults and children alike.

For want of more magical ingredients, the woman cooked up a potion of water, oil, alcohol and toothpaste, local media reported. It was unclear what spell she was trying to weave.

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Tish Hinojosa

I’ll post more narrative later, but last weekend Nichelle and I went down to hear the hauntingly beautiful, often plaintive, voice of Tish Hinojosa (more on that later) at the New Bedford Summerfest 2003 folk festival.

Here are a few images (yes, KI, I finally bought my own digital camera):

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Future Tech: 20 Hot Technologies to Watch (from PC Magazine)

[doug]Technology enthusiasts (or probably anyone else) will be interested in reading this article from PC Magazine about technologies that will definitely have an impact on our lives in the next 2 to 25 years. There’s some amazing stuff: Everything from E-Bombs (think EMP*) to Wireless Mesh Networks to Quantum Cryptography.

*Electromagnetic pulse, for those of you who weren’t interested in the Cold War, or have never seen “Dark Angel.”

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Dungeon Seiges the Wilcox Family

After hearing Phil Luchon tell as about half a million times, “You have to buy Dungeon Seige,” I finally picked up a copy of this $30 gem. It’s a role-playing game with an emphasis on action done by Microsoft and Gas Powered Games. David and Isaac beg to play it every day (and lament the fact that, unless they supplement their computer time with educational activities, they only get an hour of game time per day). A few screen shots are below.


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Dumb, Dumb, Dumb

[doug][nuke]It seems that today I have come across a number of headlines that reflect individual, societal, or corporate stupidity. Let me share a few:

Individual: Not getting enough attention with your body piercings? Have your tongue split!

Reuters Oddly Enough news simply titled this article, “Aaaaaaaaagggggghhhhhhhhhhh!!!! ” Enough said, da?

Societal: Let’s boost tourism by catering to marijuana-smokers!

A little history:

Last month, the Canadian government introduced legislation to end criminal penalties for the possession of small amounts of marijuana.

Under the bill, people caught with 15 grams (half an ounce, or enough for about 15 to 30 joints) or less of cannabis would only be fined, and criminal penalties would be reduced on those growing up to 25 marijuana plants.

I won’t even begin to list the stupidity of moving toward the legalization of marijuana (but, hey, it’s Canada—the people who brought you the best argument against Socialized Medicine in North America), but check out these statements, made by “Prince of Pot” Mark Emery:

”Marijuana—that means fun times, parties, a cool city and an enlightened state of mind,” Emery told a crowd gathered in front of Toronto's police headquarters.

Cradling a marijuana plant in the crook of his arm, and a pipe in one hand, Emery said: “Believe me, marijuana people don’t create problems like alcohol people. You want those kinds of tourists who are laughing, having a good time, and eating a whole lot in Toronto restaurants.”

See the full article here at Reuters.

¡Qué bárbaro! (What an idiot!) Apparently, slowed thinking and reaction time, confusion, impaired balance and coordination, cough, frequent respiratory infections, permanently impaired memory and learning, increased heart rate, anxiety, panic attacks, drug tolerance, and addiction are not problems. You might want to wander over to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America® site.

Corporate: USB Whah?

Confused about USB standards? You will be.

In December [the USB Forum] announced that henceforth USB 1.1 would be called USB 2 and USB 2 would continue to be called USB 2. To help the public grasp this subtle distinction USB 2, which was the old USB 1.1, would have “Full Speed” added to its title and USB 2, which was USB 2, would have “Hi-Speed” added.

See the full article here at the Bangkok Post.

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Yeah, right!

According to the Hobbes’ Internet Timeline, CERN didn’t release the WWW until 1991. So, you can imagine my surprise when I saw this AdWords link on Google, of a Web developer boasting of 20 years’ experience.

Judging by the view through his Webcam (overlooking a private harbor of some sort), he hasn’t exactly done too badly for himself, even if his site is a bit overdesigned and hyperactive.

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Lego [in the] News

  

I’ve seen a number of interesting Lego-related items in the past two days. Here are three good ones:

Wow! I still haven’t gotten around to completing my Lego Thunderbird 2 model (my first ever attempt at a Lego reproduction.

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Family News Update

Well, it’s about time I updated a few family items; Nichelle can add her 2¢ later.

  • Isaac’s last day of school (second grade) was yesterday. He cried because it was over. He does much better in elementary school than I did.
  • Work at Kronos has been great, and a wonderful opportunity to daily improve my Java skills. One colleague pointed out that our team seems to have “the right amount of fun.”
  • My father’s health has actually improved (this was not expected)! He was able to walk into and out of church a couple of weeks ago, and the congregation appauded when he came in. This is a big difference from how he was doing at Christmas.
  • Nichelle’s pregnancy is halfway through, and she finally has another ultrasound scheduled for June 16, which should be the gender-determining one. (If this child is a boy, I’ll post a link to the e-bay auction soon.) If it’s a girl, we still need to pick a middle name. I’ll probably create an online submission form for suggestions. (Kherna Yoyo continues to insist the middle name should be Kherna.)
  • We are still working on our move to Nashua. The cosmetics on our current house are nearly done. I have a minor plumbing problem to correct, but the greenboard for the new bathroom ceiling is up. Nichelle is (as usual) doing her masterful job of spackling, patching, and painting. We do not yet have a house picked out in Nashua or Hudson, but we find reasonable listings every day. We continue to pray for God’s guidance in this.
  • The Mexico missions trip is back on after a one-year absence. I am going alone (sniff), but am looking forward to continuing to help with the church and children’s home in Constitución, as well as reimmersing myself in the culture. (I will be keeping The Missions Trip Site updated starting in a week or two, and will be porting the BLOG software to it, so I can do live updates from the trip. I read an excellent biography on Benito Juarez, the orphan-who-became-president. His story rivals that of Lincoln in some ways. I’d like to re-read the book before we leave, and take some notes.