Tailgating in a Forest

Is it possible our voting standard is too lax?

2008-10-28T08:34:00.001-04:00

Jake and Amir

2008-04-09T10:27:00.000-04:00

Earth Has Issues

2008-04-01T10:21:00.003-04:00

Earth has issues, and it's time humanity got started on a Plan B. So, starting in 2014, Virgin founder Richard Branson and Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin will be leading hundreds of users on one of the grandest adventures in human history: Project Virgle, the first permanent human colony on Mars.

Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results Of 2008 Election Early

2008-04-01T09:58:00.001-04:00

Diebold Accidentally Leaks Results Of 2008 Election Early

Crime Doesn't Pay

2006-11-14T15:04:00.000-05:00

Secret Pants sketch comedy presents "Mature Themes"

2006-10-16T16:33:00.000-04:00

Lazy Snellville

2006-08-31T10:42:00.000-04:00

Has Sony done anything right since the Walkman? - and now this......

2006-08-15T11:13:00.000-04:00

With the exception of very good TV's (I love my 27" Sony Wega) and pretty good stereo equipment, Sony doesn't seem to do anything very well anymore.

Their largest flaw is that they are bound and determined to make things that don't work and play well with others. Examples:

Betamax - enough said

MiniDisk - a great format and media but not available on any hardware other than Sony and as a result adoption was limited at best.

Viao Computers - Some great equipment, but a royal pain to work on or to get it to work with non-Sony peripherals

Clie - A Palm Pilot with a proprietary memory card format and a higher price. Wonder why they didn't do well.

Playstation 3 - the world is waiting and XBox360 is kicking your ass

PSP (Playstation Portable) - A very slick piece of hardware, but Target and Wal-mart have already stopped carrying movies for this platforms proprietary format

BlueRay - or as I like to call it "Betamax: The Sequal"

And now they're killing other companies hardware. You may have seen or heard the stories of the exploding Dell laptops. Guess who's to blame.

Sony seems to be rudderless ship. Can it be long before they completely run aground?

Back to School

2006-08-14T09:53:00.000-04:00

Today was Kelsey's first day of Pre-K. She was very excited and the morning went off without a hitch. Detailed reporting of her first day at her new school will follow. She is currently attending The Sunshine House school in Loganville, but we are hopeful that a spot will open for her at Loganville Primary (where Michelle teaches) very soon. Kelsey is currently 4th on the Pre-K waiting list at LPS. Keep you fingers crossed for us.

As you can see in the photo she is will be at home in the classroom or on the playground in her striped top and demin skirt (a big girl skirt, not a skort) from Old Navy. She completes the ensemble with the Team Strawberry Shortcake backpack and z-strap sneakers from Target.

The Real World Ikea

2006-08-07T14:44:00.000-04:00

The DVD has arrived

2006-08-04T11:28:00.000-04:00

If we haven't forced you to watch it yet, here are the important parts of the Lawrenceville School of Ballet 2006 Recital, Cast E.

Cats That Look Like Hitler dot Com

2006-07-27T17:11:00.000-04:00

No Joke - catsthatlooklikehitler.com

The PC Bites Back

2006-07-27T10:00:00.000-04:00

Historical perspective on immigration

2006-07-25T14:15:00.000-04:00

The Corruptibles

2006-07-06T09:50:00.000-04:00

Blame Canada

2006-06-28T15:23:00.000-04:00

What country is the largest supplier of oil to the USA?

Is this cool or stupid?

2006-06-28T13:44:00.000-04:00

I can't decide if this is cool or stupid.

The Hallmark Scam

2006-06-20T10:58:00.000-04:00

Like most folks out there, the wife and I have our "circle of friends". That core group that you do things with by default. This also means 11-12 default birthday celebrations a year. We typically go out to dinner and several years ago gave up on exchanging gifts, in favor putting that money towards a nicer restaurant for the celebration dinner. Birthday Cards are still exchanged. Here lies my issue.

Birthday Cards (as well as other Greeting Cards) are for sending to people in the mail, not for handing directly to them at the function. Aunt Caroline who lives in Portland, your fraternity brother who took the job in Silicon Valley, or your nephew who is away at college --- these are all fine targets for a greeting card. When you are actually going to be in the same room as the person, I contend that a Greeting Card is inappropriate and a waste money. Some of these cards cost upwards of $5. Do people spend this money because they are incapable of saying the things that are inside the card. How hard is it to say something like, "Happy Birthday Tony, this seems like a great restaurant. Thanks for inviting me".

But do not dispair. I have a solution. This technique has been used by me several times (much to my wife's dismay). I redirect the money (or at least a portion of it) that I would have spent on a card. It is perfect for virtually any occasion. You can vary the denomination of bill or the color of the sticky note as appropriate. Whether they will admit it or not, in the end this style of card is a lot more useful to the recipient than a Hallmark, that ultimately just ends up in the trash.

It's Not Your Fault

2006-06-06T09:36:00.000-04:00

When will the excuses stop. I could blog further, but I don't want to spark an attack of IED in myself.

To be diagnosed with IED, an individual must have had three episodes of impulsive aggressiveness "grossly out of proportion to any precipitating psychosocial stressor," at any time in their life, according to the standard psychiatric diagnostic manual. The person must have "all of a sudden lost control and broke or smashed something worth more than a few dollars…hit or tried to hurt someone…or threatened to hit or hurt someone."

It also crossed my mind that this might be a left wing plot to confuse the American public about the IED (improvised explosive device) acronym that has come into vogue relative to roadside bombs in Iraq.

It appears the revolution has the support of the people.

2006-05-25T11:39:00.000-04:00

I was very excited yesterday about the FairTax Rally being held at the Gwinnett Convention Center. Apparently I wasn't the only one. While headed to the rally a little after 6pm (it was scheduled to start at 7:30), it was announced on the WSB Radio that they had already reached capacity and were unable to allow any more persons into the the venue. I was dissappointed that I wasn't able to attend the function myself, but it was very exciting to know there was such a great response. Hopefully this will be the first of many successful events around the country.

Fair Tax Rally Jams Civic Center

Rally for national sales tax draws overflow crowd

Ramadi rocks!

2006-05-19T10:13:00.000-04:00

And now for something completely different.....

2006-05-15T15:12:00.000-04:00

From Biased BBC: "BBC Views Online have just revealed that the man they mistakenly interviewed live on BBC News 24 in place of Guy Kewney is, in fact, Guy Goma, an applicant for a "data support cleanser" job."

The second one is just plain funny.

These Guys are Good!

2006-05-15T10:02:00.000-04:00

Operation 19th Hole is underway. Several bases in have Iraq have now installed driving ranges and putting areas for our deployed men and women. All that is lacking is the equipment to put these new facilities to good use.

I am answering the call here in the ATL to solicit donations from some major local retail shops, golf courses and individuals. Whether it is that old driver you never hit well anyway, the bag that got replaced at Christmas or just a few dozen balls from your shag bag, every little bit helps.

If you have something to contribute or would like to assist in the gathering effort please contact me at Op19thHole@earthlink.net

Can you pass the test?

2006-05-10T21:17:00.000-04:00

You Passed the US Citizenship Test

Congratulations - you got 10 out of 10 correct!

Could You Pass the US Citizenship Test?

One Night Only

2006-05-09T15:05:00.000-04:00

Appearing for one night only (June 7, 2006), Kelsey Watkins will dazzle fans as a cast member in the Lawrenceville School of Ballet's annual recital. Tickets are already very had to come by. More photos and possibly video will be available here as they become available. (Click the image for a larger picture)

"In every revolution there's one man with a vision."

2006-05-05T11:01:00.000-04:00

"In every revolution there's one man with a vision."
Capt J.T. Kirk, Mirror, Mirror, Season 2 - Episode 4

If geography permits, and you are a FairTax supporter, I encourage you to attend the FairTax Rally at the Gwinnett Convention Center on Wednesday, May 24th. This will also be a great chance to learn more about the FairTax plan if you are not yet a supporter.

Speakers will include:

Neal Boortz
Sean Hannity
Congressman John Linder

Possibly the dumbest thing ever!

2006-05-03T11:08:00.000-04:00

I'd like to comment, but I'm at a loss for words.

At the end of the day, Baseball is a good thing

2006-05-01T09:38:00.000-04:00

I know Major League Baseball has its issues -- performance enhancement, player salaries, Bud Selig.....the list goes on. Even so, I contend that for a family friendly experience from a professional sport, MLB is pretty hard to beat. And the value - tickets for $5 and they let you bring in your own food.

Yesterday, the family and I went to see the Atlanta Braves battle the "hated" New York Mets. It was a Murphy-Candler Little League Day at Turner Field, which meant that several families we know, had boys and girls participating in a pre-game parade around the field. Some of the younger ones even got to participate in little mini-games staged in the outfield.

The day was a little chilly, but we had plenty of peanuts and other snacks to help keep us warm. The game was great. The Braves never trailed and closed things out with a dramatic diving catch by 2nd year local boy Jeff Franceour.

The best part is that after the game the day only got better. After Sunday day games in Atlanta, kids ages 4-14 are allowed a very special treat. They get to run the bases.

Initially Kelsey was not really excited about the prospect, but we had loads of time to convince her. All the Little Leaguer's in attendance meant that this was a more popular activity than we could have ever imagined. The procedure is that all the participants and parents line up on the ramp at the Hank Aaron gate. We arrived at the bottom of the ramp and were told we needed to ascend the ramp until we found the end of the line. Ironically, the end of the line was already at the top of the ramp, four levels up, and about 50 feet from the tunnel we used to get to our seats.

At only 4 1/2, Kelsey has never played organized ball and needed some convincing. The walk up the ramp allowed her to see a surprising percentage of participants that were young girls. It wasn't long before she concluded that this must be pretty cool if all of these kids were doing it. The line moved a lot faster than I imagined and before we knew it Kelsey was zooming around the bases like a seasoned veteran.

I applaud the Braves. The activity was well staffed and smoothly run. Every participant got a T-shirt and a certificate. I hope it made an impression on Kelsey and the other future All-Stars. I know it made an impression on me.

Baseball is unique. It has tradition and subtleties more so than any other professional sport. I know there are those in the world who don't enjoy baseball, and for them I am sorry. On so many levels, at the end of the day, Baseball is a good thing.

Once a Generation

2006-04-07T09:44:00.000-04:00

It seems that looney politicians from Georgia exist once a generation. Our parents had to deal with Jimmy Carter, who presently is only getting crazier, but hopefully it is being balanced by an ever deminishing level of infuence.

We continue to be embarassed on a national level by Cynthia McKinney. I only hope that the American people will never let her become President.

We all have our handicaps

2006-04-05T11:04:00.000-04:00

Many of you have met Kelsey, but may have never realized she has a horrible disablility. Kelsey was born without the ability to smile normally in front of a professional photographer. Her mother and I have lived with this shame for years, but today we hang our heads no more.

Great place to visit.......

2006-04-05T09:45:00.000-04:00

This is why it will take 100 years for New Orleans to recover. And by recover, I mean get back to where they were, not get where they need to be.

Tony made me do it.

2006-03-29T09:49:00.000-05:00

Since I had to set up an account to comment on my neighbors blog, the world will here my voice for at least a few weeks.