Celebrating New Years the only way I know how. By watching internet videos of cute animals
Saturday, December 31, 2011
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Christmas dinner: The Eatening
I just posted about making Christmas dinner, but I thought that the Christmas dinner itself deserved a separate post. Kate and I got out our wedding china for the first time (is that right, Kate?) and set everything up to look really pretty.
(Kate went kind of nuts with the "background defocus" feature on our new camera)
And we set all our food out to enjoy.
For those of you not familiar with the Haglund Swedish feast (or at least, our modified version without pickled herring), you see from left to right, crackers, mashed potatoes, limpa (heavy rye bread), roast and sausage, and fancy cheeses (also bought on sale at Kroger. We can't afford to be too fancy). You might also notice some mis-matched china. I meant to blog about that a long time ago, and maybe still will one of these days, but that was bought at an estate sale here in Ann Arbor and we just wanted to get it out and use it too. It's kind of a peachy-pink color, and Kate really fell in love with it.
Anyway, Merry Christmas to all!
And we set all our food out to enjoy.
For those of you not familiar with the Haglund Swedish feast (or at least, our modified version without pickled herring), you see from left to right, crackers, mashed potatoes, limpa (heavy rye bread), roast and sausage, and fancy cheeses (also bought on sale at Kroger. We can't afford to be too fancy). You might also notice some mis-matched china. I meant to blog about that a long time ago, and maybe still will one of these days, but that was bought at an estate sale here in Ann Arbor and we just wanted to get it out and use it too. It's kind of a peachy-pink color, and Kate really fell in love with it.
Christmas dinner!
I'm only posting this 5 days late. That's pretty good for me.
So, the date is December 24th. It's Kate's last day at Barnes and Noble. I'm home all alone, so I decided to make Christmas Dinner. And in the finest of family traditions, I made a Swedish feast. The recipe was documented by Sara in her recipe book. It has come in quite handy over the years.
To start, I chopped up an onion (sliced half and diced half) and sauteed it in a little bit of oil in our dutch oven (Thanks John and Dan!)
Then, I browned a beef roast. I found this particular roast on sale at Kroger. Thank goodness for sales. It's about a pound and a half, which is a lot for two people, but it is just right for two people who want leftovers for several days. You just want to sear the sides, not actually cook the roast just yet. A couple minutes on each side is perfect.
Then I put the lid on and let it cook over low heat for a few hours. I deviated from the recipe a bit by adding a healthy (huge) spoonful of minced garlic. Because I love garlic more than I love recipes, which is saying a lot.
After cooking for a few hours, I added another onion. Not just any onion, mind you, but an onion with 4 cloves stuck into it.
I'm not sure why we stick the cloves into the onion like this. All I know is that it seems to please the Swedish dinner gods, so I do it.
Next I added a single bay leaf.
Yum. Partially cooked roast and raw onion and bay leaf. After this, I put the lid back on and put it in the oven (I could have left it on the stove, but the oven was already warm from baking Limpa bread, and I needed the stovetop space)
While the roast cooked in the oven, I cooked up some sausages.
And, of course, threw them in with the roast about an hour before I took the roast out. And that's how you make a delicious Swedish dinner roast.
So, the date is December 24th. It's Kate's last day at Barnes and Noble. I'm home all alone, so I decided to make Christmas Dinner. And in the finest of family traditions, I made a Swedish feast. The recipe was documented by Sara in her recipe book. It has come in quite handy over the years.
To start, I chopped up an onion (sliced half and diced half) and sauteed it in a little bit of oil in our dutch oven (Thanks John and Dan!)
Then, I browned a beef roast. I found this particular roast on sale at Kroger. Thank goodness for sales. It's about a pound and a half, which is a lot for two people, but it is just right for two people who want leftovers for several days. You just want to sear the sides, not actually cook the roast just yet. A couple minutes on each side is perfect.
Then I put the lid on and let it cook over low heat for a few hours. I deviated from the recipe a bit by adding a healthy (huge) spoonful of minced garlic. Because I love garlic more than I love recipes, which is saying a lot.
After cooking for a few hours, I added another onion. Not just any onion, mind you, but an onion with 4 cloves stuck into it.
I'm not sure why we stick the cloves into the onion like this. All I know is that it seems to please the Swedish dinner gods, so I do it.
Next I added a single bay leaf.
Yum. Partially cooked roast and raw onion and bay leaf. After this, I put the lid back on and put it in the oven (I could have left it on the stove, but the oven was already warm from baking Limpa bread, and I needed the stovetop space)
While the roast cooked in the oven, I cooked up some sausages.
And, of course, threw them in with the roast about an hour before I took the roast out. And that's how you make a delicious Swedish dinner roast.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Merry Christmas!
Hail the heav'n born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Ris'n with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth,
born to give them second birth.
Hark! The herald angels sing Glory to the new-born king!
Hail the Son of Righteousness!
Light and life to all he brings,
Ris'n with healing in his wings.
Mild he lays his glory by,
born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth,
born to give them second birth.
Hark! The herald angels sing Glory to the new-born king!
Thursday, December 22, 2011
The problem with special effects
A few years ago, a young director named George made some awesome movies with revolutionary special effects. But the movies were awesome because of the characters and story, not the special effects themselves. A few years after that, George decided to try it again. He made more movies, but these leaned more on the special effects and less on the characters and story.
What's wrong with that? Special effects are cool, and they can make a movie cool. True, but the problem with special effects is that they are getting easier and easier to make. So, anybody can make a movie with great special effects. Even people who don't make movies for a living. If you want to be better than them, you have to give us more than shiny computer effects.
In other words, once amateurs can do stuff like this, the pros really need to step up their game.
What's wrong with that? Special effects are cool, and they can make a movie cool. True, but the problem with special effects is that they are getting easier and easier to make. So, anybody can make a movie with great special effects. Even people who don't make movies for a living. If you want to be better than them, you have to give us more than shiny computer effects.
In other words, once amateurs can do stuff like this, the pros really need to step up their game.
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Christmas, Christmas time is here
Well, folks, Christmas is upon us. Kate and I are back in Michigan after a trip to see parents and in-laws and hospitals. Next time we should probably leave out that last one.
But, as Christmas approaches, I thought I should give a plug for Worldbuilders. If you don't know them yet, go to the link and read up on it. Or read the rest of this post.
Worldbuilders is a charity run by Patrick Rothfuss, author of the Kingkiller Chronicles (big, thick fantasy books about a red-headed wizard. Kind of). The gist is this: Pat and several other fantasy authors organize donations to Heifer International, and then match 50% of donations with their own funds. They (the authors) also donate autographed books and other such neat stuff, which is given to people who donate. The details of how that works are on the worldbuilders site, so check it out if you're interested.
The point, though, is this: because of Pat and these other authors, your charitable donations go farther. My family decided this year that instead of giving eachother lots of stuff we don't need, that we should buy a cow for a family in Africa so they could rise out of poverty. And because we did it through Worldbuilders, we gave $500, enough for a cow, and they gave $250, enough for a water buffalo. That's right. A water buffalo.
So, give it some thought. Every bit counts. Click over to Worldbuilders and check them out.
And Merry Early Christmas.
But, as Christmas approaches, I thought I should give a plug for Worldbuilders. If you don't know them yet, go to the link and read up on it. Or read the rest of this post.
Worldbuilders is a charity run by Patrick Rothfuss, author of the Kingkiller Chronicles (big, thick fantasy books about a red-headed wizard. Kind of). The gist is this: Pat and several other fantasy authors organize donations to Heifer International, and then match 50% of donations with their own funds. They (the authors) also donate autographed books and other such neat stuff, which is given to people who donate. The details of how that works are on the worldbuilders site, so check it out if you're interested.
The point, though, is this: because of Pat and these other authors, your charitable donations go farther. My family decided this year that instead of giving eachother lots of stuff we don't need, that we should buy a cow for a family in Africa so they could rise out of poverty. And because we did it through Worldbuilders, we gave $500, enough for a cow, and they gave $250, enough for a water buffalo. That's right. A water buffalo.
So, give it some thought. Every bit counts. Click over to Worldbuilders and check them out.
And Merry Early Christmas.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Army Drill Team
Well, with Kate sleeping off her Kidney infection, I find myself with some spare time. So, to help me pass the time, I watched this. It's pretty remarkable. The Army Drill Team marches and whatnot without music or drums to keep them on beat. Check them out.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Best Hospital Ever
Well, friends, here we are. Kate and I took a trip to Texas for Early Christmas (since tickets are expensive at real Christmas). Saturday we flew into Dallas airport and got picked up by Kate's folks to go to Daingerfield for a few days. Kate wasn't feeling super great, what with the travel stress and all, but we weren't terribly worried. Sunday she woke up with a fever of 104. Which isn't good. So she spent all day feeling pretty miserable. Monday she wasn't any better, so we went off to the doctor. After some blood work and an ultrasound we ruled out gall bladder (which was the doctor's first guess), so we checked into the hospital for some more tests. Doctor thought it might be the appendix, which we really didn't want because that means surgery.
CAT scan showed no problems with appendix, but a big kidney infection. Which is actually good news, because there is no surgery involved. Just lots of antibiotics.
So, here I am on Wednesday morning and I've got lots to be thankful for. The hospital is really nice. Kate has her own room with hard wood floors, a really nice view, and even a little patio outside.
Not that we can use the patio (the door to the outside doesn't open) but it gives the illusion of being able to go outside, which is almost as good.
Kate has gotten lots of visitors. It's nice to be in a hospital close enough to home where people can come by. Her Dad brought flowers, and John and JaNae sent flowers too.
All in all, we are very lucky. While I was writing this post, the doctor came in and told us that we are free to go as soon as Kate's IV is done. I am very ready to be sleeping on something better than this
CAT scan showed no problems with appendix, but a big kidney infection. Which is actually good news, because there is no surgery involved. Just lots of antibiotics.
So, here I am on Wednesday morning and I've got lots to be thankful for. The hospital is really nice. Kate has her own room with hard wood floors, a really nice view, and even a little patio outside.
Not that we can use the patio (the door to the outside doesn't open) but it gives the illusion of being able to go outside, which is almost as good.
Kate has gotten lots of visitors. It's nice to be in a hospital close enough to home where people can come by. Her Dad brought flowers, and John and JaNae sent flowers too.
All in all, we are very lucky. While I was writing this post, the doctor came in and told us that we are free to go as soon as Kate's IV is done. I am very ready to be sleeping on something better than this
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Christmas tree
Well, friends, now that I am done with my Thanksgiving posts, I get to move on to Christmas. I've been wanting to show our Christmas tree for a while.
We went fake, which I really thought I wouldn't do, but it was such a good deal we couldn't resist.
We don't have much in the way of decorations, and it doesn't smell like Christmas. Which at first seemed like two big problems. But at the checkout line they had cinnamon-scented pinecones. We tied ribbons around them and put them on the tree. Looks like a decorated tree, smells like Christmas.
The only other ornament we have is this beautiful piece that Mom gave us last year.
Near the end of the 19th century, Wilson Bentley was the first person to photograph a single snowflake. He was fascinated with them. Over his life, he photographed over 5,000 snowflakes and never saw two that were the same (which, as far as I know, is where we get that little factoid that no two snowflakes are the same). This ornament is crafted from one of those pictures. It is a beautiful ornament that Kate and I will have on our tree every year.
Merry getting ready for Christmas!
We went fake, which I really thought I wouldn't do, but it was such a good deal we couldn't resist.
We don't have much in the way of decorations, and it doesn't smell like Christmas. Which at first seemed like two big problems. But at the checkout line they had cinnamon-scented pinecones. We tied ribbons around them and put them on the tree. Looks like a decorated tree, smells like Christmas.
The only other ornament we have is this beautiful piece that Mom gave us last year.
Near the end of the 19th century, Wilson Bentley was the first person to photograph a single snowflake. He was fascinated with them. Over his life, he photographed over 5,000 snowflakes and never saw two that were the same (which, as far as I know, is where we get that little factoid that no two snowflakes are the same). This ornament is crafted from one of those pictures. It is a beautiful ornament that Kate and I will have on our tree every year.
Merry getting ready for Christmas!
Monday, December 5, 2011
Thanksgiving: Apocalypse
Well, in case you didn't know, John and JaNae met up with Kate and me for a Thanksgiving at Niagara Falls. There are a couple of other posts about the trip.
It turns out that Niagara Falls is a ghost town during November. Tourists just don't want to come when it's cold, it seems. Now, when I say "ghost town" I want you to understand that it was so empty we were wondering if the world had ended. After dinner on Thursday, we walked over to the falls. No one was on the streets. No other cars, no other people. As we walked, we passed a creepy building that was blaring Christmas music out of a staticy speaker. It was spooky.
When we walked a bit father, we saw a strange display of a bear holding four flags. American, Canadian, UK, and what I can only assume was the Flag of the United Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland. It was a green flag with a yellow mushroom cloud in the middle. A little farther and we saw a bear holding two little cubs...and stomping the head of a third. It was weird. They look like they were supposed to be cute instead of terrifying. Which made them even more terrifying.
The next day we decided to do a bit of exploring. The spooky building was a bit less spooky in the light of day, and it even said they had a free observation deck for you to look out over the falls, so we decided to go in and check it out. And it got even more spooky. It was a completely disorganized array of T-shirts, food stands, and abandoned equipment.
I want it noted that we weren't somewhere we weren't supposed to be. We didn't sneak into the employees only section. This was the store.
It turns out that Niagara Falls is a ghost town during November. Tourists just don't want to come when it's cold, it seems. Now, when I say "ghost town" I want you to understand that it was so empty we were wondering if the world had ended. After dinner on Thursday, we walked over to the falls. No one was on the streets. No other cars, no other people. As we walked, we passed a creepy building that was blaring Christmas music out of a staticy speaker. It was spooky.
When we walked a bit father, we saw a strange display of a bear holding four flags. American, Canadian, UK, and what I can only assume was the Flag of the United Post-Apocalyptic Wasteland. It was a green flag with a yellow mushroom cloud in the middle. A little farther and we saw a bear holding two little cubs...and stomping the head of a third. It was weird. They look like they were supposed to be cute instead of terrifying. Which made them even more terrifying.
The next day we decided to do a bit of exploring. The spooky building was a bit less spooky in the light of day, and it even said they had a free observation deck for you to look out over the falls, so we decided to go in and check it out. And it got even more spooky. It was a completely disorganized array of T-shirts, food stands, and abandoned equipment.
I want it noted that we weren't somewhere we weren't supposed to be. We didn't sneak into the employees only section. This was the store.
Thanksgiving: The Aviary
Like I said in my main Thanksgiving post, John, JaNae, Kate, and I went to an Aviary while we were in Niagara Falls for Thanksgiving. It was super-fun. This post will be pretty light on the text, I just thought with all the pictures I should break it into its own place.
Pirate wife!!!
The first part of the aviary was a reptile room, where you could touch all the animals. This was a fun little iguana named Fernando. He was very slow and just sort of walked around and sat under his heat lamp.
One of the staffers walked around with a giant snake. It was really big.
There were two turtles who just wanted out of their enclosure. This little guy just kept trying and trying to scratch his way out.
After the reptile room, we went into the small bird room. This is the only picture from the small bird room. I liked this one because it looked like a coloring book picture of a bird that a 3rd grader colored. Purple, yellow, red, everything. Just a bunch of colors.
After the small bird room and a nocturnal bird room (no pictures...it was dark) we went into the big bird room. Both big birds and a big room. This bird was huge and he just sort of sat there up near the top like he was king of the world.
At least, he looked like the king of the world until this Phoenix flew by (maybe it wasn't phoenix. It was hard to tell).
I tried to get a good picture of this one, but he was tough to get. He was a really pretty green and black. I've got more pictures below.
And that's about all we got from the aviary. Fun!
I tried to get a good picture of this one, but he was tough to get. He was a really pretty green and black. I've got more pictures below.
And that's about all we got from the aviary. Fun!
Friday, December 2, 2011
Alloy of Law
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Thanksgiving!
Hello there, dear readers. It's Cyber Monday Eve [as usual, when I mention the date in a post, it actually took me 4 days to get back to writing this, so it's not Sunday anymore], and I'm back in town after a nice Thanksgiving trip to see John and JaNae at Niagara Falls. So, here's what happened.
Actually, for some of the story to make sense, we have to start early. Last Saturday. Kate and I had a pretty fun day- just enjoying ourselves and a nice day off. Kate was having problems with her eye, though. It was hurting and kind of blood-shot all day. No bother, we thought. Just a weird contact thing or some such small problem. It got worse and worse through the night, and eventually we went to the ER early Sunday morning. Long story short, everything was fine. The contact scratched her eye up a bit, so she is on strict glasses-only orders for a week or so while it heals.
So, Wednesday comes around. Kate has to go to work, but she can't find her glasses. If she wears no glasses and no contacts, she can't see. But she can't put a lens in her right eye because it's all scratchy. And she can't just wear one contact, because that messes with your vision (or so I hear). So, my dear wife being very resourceful, she just puts a contact in her left eye and gets an eye patch to put over the right.
So, after work, Kate and I headed off to Niagara. It's an hour shorter to go through Canada, so we headed off to the land of Poutine and kilometers. Crossing the bridge from Michigan to Canada was an ordeal. There's a 4 dollar toll just to cross the bridge, which felt kind of excessive. The lanes were really narrow and there were trucks getting really close. It was stressing me out.
When we got to the border, the border patrol guy asked Kate if she was smuggling parrots into Canada. Ha Ha! Pirates! After a very long drive we got back to America. The American border patrol was way less fun.
We got to the house in Niagara Falls late Wednesday night. I took a few minutes to get Grandma Payne's rolls going, since they rise overnight. Thursday morning, John and I got up and went to Walmart for some last minute things, then started making dinner. We made some Dad Payne stuffing (butter, onions, bread, sage, and no other ingredients) and got everything cooking.
Grandma Payne's rolls, for those of you who don't know, are baked in a muffin tin. You put three balls of dough in each cup and they rise together and form beautiful pull apart rolls. Like this:
But Kate and I only own one muffin tin, and we forgot to ask John and JaNae to bring more, so we had to improvise. We had a pie tin that we were going to use for pie later, so we figured, why not make a bunch of dough balls and put them in the pie tin? I did this, and it sort of turned into a giant roll.
Pretty darn tasty, though. Here's the whole spread, giant pie-roll and all
It was a heck of a Thanksgiving. After dinner and before pie, we walked to the falls. While the walk itself will be part of another post, I thought I should try to post one of my terrible pictures of the falls here. These were all taken on my iPod since my camera died recently. (Thankfully, I found a good one on Black Friday so I'm back in business.)
The next day, we went to an aviary on the Canadian side of the border. It was really close and we were able to just park on the street on the American side and walk over. The place was really neat and I think deserves its own post. So, till then!
Actually, for some of the story to make sense, we have to start early. Last Saturday. Kate and I had a pretty fun day- just enjoying ourselves and a nice day off. Kate was having problems with her eye, though. It was hurting and kind of blood-shot all day. No bother, we thought. Just a weird contact thing or some such small problem. It got worse and worse through the night, and eventually we went to the ER early Sunday morning. Long story short, everything was fine. The contact scratched her eye up a bit, so she is on strict glasses-only orders for a week or so while it heals.
So, Wednesday comes around. Kate has to go to work, but she can't find her glasses. If she wears no glasses and no contacts, she can't see. But she can't put a lens in her right eye because it's all scratchy. And she can't just wear one contact, because that messes with your vision (or so I hear). So, my dear wife being very resourceful, she just puts a contact in her left eye and gets an eye patch to put over the right.
(artist's rendition)
So, after work, Kate and I headed off to Niagara. It's an hour shorter to go through Canada, so we headed off to the land of Poutine and kilometers. Crossing the bridge from Michigan to Canada was an ordeal. There's a 4 dollar toll just to cross the bridge, which felt kind of excessive. The lanes were really narrow and there were trucks getting really close. It was stressing me out.
When we got to the border, the border patrol guy asked Kate if she was smuggling parrots into Canada. Ha Ha! Pirates! After a very long drive we got back to America. The American border patrol was way less fun.
We got to the house in Niagara Falls late Wednesday night. I took a few minutes to get Grandma Payne's rolls going, since they rise overnight. Thursday morning, John and I got up and went to Walmart for some last minute things, then started making dinner. We made some Dad Payne stuffing (butter, onions, bread, sage, and no other ingredients) and got everything cooking.
Grandma Payne's rolls, for those of you who don't know, are baked in a muffin tin. You put three balls of dough in each cup and they rise together and form beautiful pull apart rolls. Like this:
But Kate and I only own one muffin tin, and we forgot to ask John and JaNae to bring more, so we had to improvise. We had a pie tin that we were going to use for pie later, so we figured, why not make a bunch of dough balls and put them in the pie tin? I did this, and it sort of turned into a giant roll.
Pretty darn tasty, though. Here's the whole spread, giant pie-roll and all
It was a heck of a Thanksgiving. After dinner and before pie, we walked to the falls. While the walk itself will be part of another post, I thought I should try to post one of my terrible pictures of the falls here. These were all taken on my iPod since my camera died recently. (Thankfully, I found a good one on Black Friday so I'm back in business.)
The next day, we went to an aviary on the Canadian side of the border. It was really close and we were able to just park on the street on the American side and walk over. The place was really neat and I think deserves its own post. So, till then!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Internet Fame pt II
Well, dear readers, I find myself internet famous again. Here I am on the "Blog" of unnecessary quotation marks.
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Efficiency! I love it!
see more There I Fixed It
(Yes, I know this is a gag- there are two bags in there. Just let me have my laugh.)
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Friday, November 18, 2011
Mistborn
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was excited for the new Mistborn book to come out, and I thought I should follow up on that. I finished the book (it turns out that the free teaser chapters that were online before the release were almost 1/3 of the whole book, so what was left was a pretty fast read), and it was pretty good. Solid.
At some point, I'd like to muse about the series as a whole, or maybe even Brandon Sanderson's universe that he writes in, but for how I have just a few thoughts for anybody who is considering reading this book. It was a very fun read, but very different from the original trilogy. It was much less epic. I don't mean that in the way lame teenagers use "epic" as a substitute for "cool," but rather I mean that the scope of this book is much smaller. It came from a free-write where Brandon Sanderson apparently said to himself "what would Sherlock and Watson be like if they were magic?" It turns out that they would be pretty darn cool.
So, what can you expect from this book? Some of Brandon's hallmarks are missing (epic scope, intricate plot, lots of twists and surprises), and some of them are very present (a well thought out plot, fun and original magic system, interesting characters, some very cinematic fight scenes, and a very internally consistent world).
And one thing I noticed that is one of Brandon's biggest weaknesses (bad banter) is getting way better. I don't mean this to be hyper-critical. I could never do what he does. But he loves to include witty banter that sounds like an author writing witty characters, not like real witty people. If that makes sense. Anyway, in this book, the witty banter is way way better. It's only rarely clunky and awkward. It's kind of fun to have been following Brandon's works from near the beginning and see him develop in little ways like this.
So, it's a really fun book that you should read. And you don't need to read the first books to get it. There are some moments where people who read the original trilogy will chuckle at inside jokes, but I don't think newcomers will be too lost.
At some point, I'd like to muse about the series as a whole, or maybe even Brandon Sanderson's universe that he writes in, but for how I have just a few thoughts for anybody who is considering reading this book. It was a very fun read, but very different from the original trilogy. It was much less epic. I don't mean that in the way lame teenagers use "epic" as a substitute for "cool," but rather I mean that the scope of this book is much smaller. It came from a free-write where Brandon Sanderson apparently said to himself "what would Sherlock and Watson be like if they were magic?" It turns out that they would be pretty darn cool.
So, what can you expect from this book? Some of Brandon's hallmarks are missing (epic scope, intricate plot, lots of twists and surprises), and some of them are very present (a well thought out plot, fun and original magic system, interesting characters, some very cinematic fight scenes, and a very internally consistent world).
And one thing I noticed that is one of Brandon's biggest weaknesses (bad banter) is getting way better. I don't mean this to be hyper-critical. I could never do what he does. But he loves to include witty banter that sounds like an author writing witty characters, not like real witty people. If that makes sense. Anyway, in this book, the witty banter is way way better. It's only rarely clunky and awkward. It's kind of fun to have been following Brandon's works from near the beginning and see him develop in little ways like this.
So, it's a really fun book that you should read. And you don't need to read the first books to get it. There are some moments where people who read the original trilogy will chuckle at inside jokes, but I don't think newcomers will be too lost.
Monday, November 14, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Whoopsie
So, it turns out that I'm not terribly bright. The other day, I got frustrated and posted a rant. It was a pretty good rant, as rants go. Brad even made an insightful comment on said rant. Then I posted on my Facebook wall that I was updating my blog. Moments later, I got a thumbs up from a faculty member at the University. Which reminded me that my readers include more people than just Brad and my family (which is almost repeating myself).
So, I hurried over to my blog and removed the post that might have hurt some feelings. If anybody read a post that they can't find anymore, that's why. I apologize to anybody who I might have offended.
Moral of the story? Never say anything you don't want everyone hearing. Thanks a lot, internet. Thanks a lot, Al Gore.
So, I hurried over to my blog and removed the post that might have hurt some feelings. If anybody read a post that they can't find anymore, that's why. I apologize to anybody who I might have offended.
Moral of the story? Never say anything you don't want everyone hearing. Thanks a lot, internet. Thanks a lot, Al Gore.
Friday, November 11, 2011
11-11-11
Friends, in addition to being Veteran's day, today is very special. As was pointed out this morning on Ace, it should be the one day in the century to celebrate Nigel Tufnel.
So, let's celebrate all things 11.
So, let's celebrate all things 11.
Veterans Day
We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. — George Orwell
Today is Veterans Day. So, thank a veteran for being willing to serve you and me and keep America safe.
Today is Veterans Day. So, thank a veteran for being willing to serve you and me and keep America safe.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Productivity
[update- Kate submitted this to ILoveCharts.tumblr.com and now I'm internet famous. Well, I'm internet somewhat known. Well, a few people said they liked it. Which pays about the same as being internet famous]
Monday, October 31, 2011
Happy Halloween!
Well, dear readers, I have a Halloween treat for you. It's the Survivor of the Flames, carved onto a pumpkin.
If you're not nerdy enough to understand my treat, you need to read the Mistborn trilogy. That'll nerd you right up. Yes, I'm asking you to read 3 whole books to understand a throw-away joke on my blog. Trust me, it's worth the read.
As a side note, I'm super-excited for the new Mistborn book to come out next week!
If you're not nerdy enough to understand my treat, you need to read the Mistborn trilogy. That'll nerd you right up. Yes, I'm asking you to read 3 whole books to understand a throw-away joke on my blog. Trust me, it's worth the read.
As a side note, I'm super-excited for the new Mistborn book to come out next week!
Friday, October 28, 2011
Frenzied posting
Well, in case you haven't noticed, I've had a flurry of blogging this last week or so. Some of you are wondering why that might be. Those of you who have been reading my blog for more than 6 months don't wonder that because you recognize the cycle of "wow! Blogger is super-awesome!" to "meh, I'll blog next month..." and back.
But for those inquisitive few, there is actually a reason this time. Kate's sister Jessica needed to drive from DC to Texas with her dog and her baby. That would be a grueling drive with no other adult around, so Kate offered to go along. So, Kate flew to DC on Wednesday and spent Thursday and Friday (today) driving to Texas. The plan was for her to come back next Wednesday after spending a couple days with her folks, but then my brother James went and had a baby. I guess it was actually Regent who had the baby, but you get the picture. With neither grandma able to come help out with a new baby, Kate offered to spend a few days in San Antonio helping James and Regent. I've got such a thoughtful wife.
So, Kate is in Texas for two weeks and I'm all by my lonesome. There's only so much Malcolm in the Middle I can watch, so I blog too. Plus, I gotta give the fans what they want.
But for those inquisitive few, there is actually a reason this time. Kate's sister Jessica needed to drive from DC to Texas with her dog and her baby. That would be a grueling drive with no other adult around, so Kate offered to go along. So, Kate flew to DC on Wednesday and spent Thursday and Friday (today) driving to Texas. The plan was for her to come back next Wednesday after spending a couple days with her folks, but then my brother James went and had a baby. I guess it was actually Regent who had the baby, but you get the picture. With neither grandma able to come help out with a new baby, Kate offered to spend a few days in San Antonio helping James and Regent. I've got such a thoughtful wife.
So, Kate is in Texas for two weeks and I'm all by my lonesome. There's only so much Malcolm in the Middle I can watch, so I blog too. Plus, I gotta give the fans what they want.
Movie Review: Tron Legacy
Well, imaginary readers, it's been a while since I've posted a movie review. Tonight I am watching Tron: Legacy, and I have to give it an enthusiastic "meh."
Tron Legacy has excellent visuals. Let me just get that out there from the beginning. Visually it is a beautiful movie. They even managed to have a young Jeff Bridges digitally put onto a body double for most of the movie, so it looks like you've got Jeff from the same time as the original Tron was made. It's really impressive.
And, since lots of computery people wear masks (for some reason), Daft Punk has a brief cameo as a couple of DJs, which was kind of a fun wink at the audience.
So, so far we have two things going for us: fantastic visuals and the "hey, it's that guy!" moments. Unfortunately, this film has very little else to offer. I could talk about the bad acting (even from Jeff Bridges, which is hard, since he is so awesome), the lame writing, the Good Guy Ex Machina ending, and plenty of other things, but I won't. Let me just focus on two things, one intangible and one very tangible.
The intangible problem with this movie is that it lacks charm. Tron was just such a charming, fun movie, but Tron: Legacy isn't. It's hard to put my finger on the exact problem, but I think it is that they tryed to make it epic and big, instead of just making it fun.
The more tangible flaw was the serious over-use of a couple of effects. For instance, every time anyone did anything cool (dodge a flying computer-frisbee, crash a light cycle, etc) they went into super-slow-motion. It was kind of insulting after a while. It felt like a laugh track. The people who made the movie didn't think I was smart enough to catch how totally amazing that move was, so they slowed it down for me. It got irritating.
And finally, one unrelated thought. In the original Tron, the programs all saw the user as some sort of God, which was interesting because we got to deal with the user feeling like he was nothing and everyone else feeling like he was everything. It made the character deeper. In the sequel, they try to make the user into God. Flynn was sort of a cross between Rand-Jesus from the last couple Wheel of Time books and Neo. It was a bit much.
All in all, it was an OK movie, but I'll probably never watch it again.
Tron Legacy has excellent visuals. Let me just get that out there from the beginning. Visually it is a beautiful movie. They even managed to have a young Jeff Bridges digitally put onto a body double for most of the movie, so it looks like you've got Jeff from the same time as the original Tron was made. It's really impressive.
And, since lots of computery people wear masks (for some reason), Daft Punk has a brief cameo as a couple of DJs, which was kind of a fun wink at the audience.
So, so far we have two things going for us: fantastic visuals and the "hey, it's that guy!" moments. Unfortunately, this film has very little else to offer. I could talk about the bad acting (even from Jeff Bridges, which is hard, since he is so awesome), the lame writing, the Good Guy Ex Machina ending, and plenty of other things, but I won't. Let me just focus on two things, one intangible and one very tangible.
The intangible problem with this movie is that it lacks charm. Tron was just such a charming, fun movie, but Tron: Legacy isn't. It's hard to put my finger on the exact problem, but I think it is that they tryed to make it epic and big, instead of just making it fun.
The more tangible flaw was the serious over-use of a couple of effects. For instance, every time anyone did anything cool (dodge a flying computer-frisbee, crash a light cycle, etc) they went into super-slow-motion. It was kind of insulting after a while. It felt like a laugh track. The people who made the movie didn't think I was smart enough to catch how totally amazing that move was, so they slowed it down for me. It got irritating.
And finally, one unrelated thought. In the original Tron, the programs all saw the user as some sort of God, which was interesting because we got to deal with the user feeling like he was nothing and everyone else feeling like he was everything. It made the character deeper. In the sequel, they try to make the user into God. Flynn was sort of a cross between Rand-Jesus from the last couple Wheel of Time books and Neo. It was a bit much.
All in all, it was an OK movie, but I'll probably never watch it again.
Ken Jennings is the 99%
Ken Jennings has a worthless humanities degree.
"...a huge multinational corporation poured millions of dollars into a computer that would demolish me on national TV, robbing me of my livelihood..."
He is the 99%. Hilarious.
"...a huge multinational corporation poured millions of dollars into a computer that would demolish me on national TV, robbing me of my livelihood..."
He is the 99%. Hilarious.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Conference
Well, it's Monday afternoon (actually, by the time I am finishing this, it's Wednesday night...). I had a really busy weekend, and I thought I would tell some of it here. I won't tell all of it here because, honestly, it was really boring (just ask Kate- I made her listen to a play-by-play). This weekend was the Midwest Microbial Pathogenesis Conference. Or as Kate called it, the Germ Convention. Friday after work we got a talk about a bacterial transport system. It was kind of slow, but the dinner was delicious.
At dinner I talked to Jose Martinez, a young professor from the University of Chicago (I think). When he heard I was a member of the Church, he pointed to another professor and said "Dr. X over there" (no his name wasn't really Dr. X. What do you think this is, a comic book? I just forgot his name) "Dr. X over there is a Latter Day Saint and he's a really good man."
I wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Good for him?" "Yeah, me too!" I think I ended up saying something like "huh. that's neat." Not the best answer, but regardless, it got me thinking a bit. I hope that people who know me say that to Mormons they meet. "That David Payne is a Latter Day Saint, and he's a really good man."
Saturday morning we went to lots of talks. LOTS of talks. In the afternoon I presented at a poster session. It was my first presentation of my research to the broader scientific community. I got lots of interest and lots of questions, and mostly very positive feedback. It felt good to be so well received. Blaise wasn't around much at the conference because his wife, Suzie, started having contractions (contractions have since stopped and no baby yet). But he did give a talk that blew some minds. Our lab is doing some important work in the field of pathogens.
So, there were lots more talks, and lots more science. But like I said, I don't want to bore people. Take home message: I presented and I rocked the house.
At dinner I talked to Jose Martinez, a young professor from the University of Chicago (I think). When he heard I was a member of the Church, he pointed to another professor and said "Dr. X over there" (no his name wasn't really Dr. X. What do you think this is, a comic book? I just forgot his name) "Dr. X over there is a Latter Day Saint and he's a really good man."
I wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Good for him?" "Yeah, me too!" I think I ended up saying something like "huh. that's neat." Not the best answer, but regardless, it got me thinking a bit. I hope that people who know me say that to Mormons they meet. "That David Payne is a Latter Day Saint, and he's a really good man."
Saturday morning we went to lots of talks. LOTS of talks. In the afternoon I presented at a poster session. It was my first presentation of my research to the broader scientific community. I got lots of interest and lots of questions, and mostly very positive feedback. It felt good to be so well received. Blaise wasn't around much at the conference because his wife, Suzie, started having contractions (contractions have since stopped and no baby yet). But he did give a talk that blew some minds. Our lab is doing some important work in the field of pathogens.
So, there were lots more talks, and lots more science. But like I said, I don't want to bore people. Take home message: I presented and I rocked the house.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Michael Winslow
Does anybody else remember Michael Winslow? He was the Black comedian from the 90s who did all the sound effects. The one from Police Academy. Anyway, I remember that he did all sorts of crazy sound effects. Turns out he has spent the last decades honing his craft. It took me a minute to realize that all the sounds in this video other than the acoustic guitar are coming out of that guy's mouth. Take a look.
Monday, October 24, 2011
I been saying it for years
The key to piracy-control is to make it more convenient to buy products than to steal them. Video piracy has gone down significantly since Netflix came on the scene. I read numbers on that a while ago, but now I don't feel like looking them up. And now, we hear it from Steam, a video game company.
If only the new NBC execs got this they would be making Hulu bigger instead of trying to kill it slowly. Sad. Maybe they should hire me to explain it to them.
If only the new NBC execs got this they would be making Hulu bigger instead of trying to kill it slowly. Sad. Maybe they should hire me to explain it to them.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
I am a gremlin
Just in case anybody needs some funny for the day, I present for your viewing pleasure:
A bad lip-reading of Mitt Romney.
Happy Step-Child!
A bad lip-reading of Mitt Romney.
Happy Step-Child!
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Construction workers. Geniuses.
The lab next to mine is under construction. It used to be a lounge with couches and a pool table and such, but now that it's a lab, it has to have a reenforced door. Yesterday they took off the old door, but they didn't have the new door in yet. Rather than put the old door back on, they just put drywall over the open doorway. Anyway, I just thought it was funny.
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