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January 31, 2006
Trivial Tuesday #4
A little late thanks to my internet connection...
Week 4:
1. Last week, Disney announced that they were buying Pixar. What was Pixar's first animated short, and where did it premiere?
2. Mozart's 250th Birthday was the 27th of January. What's his full name?
3. President Bush is going to ruin TV tonight. When was the first State of the Union Address given?
4. My broadband internet is extremely slow, making this entry painful to complete. How can I fix this?
5. The NFL recently decided to contribute $20 million to help repair the Louisiana Superdome. FEMA is providing $6.3 million to remove water damaged items. Estimated repair costs are $140 million, btw. Where did the New Orleans Saints play before the Superdome was opened in 1975?
Posted by mhader at 8:12 PM | Comments (3)
January 30, 2006
Weekend Wrap-up
I've been considering it for quite some time now and finally acted on it this weekend. I don't get to bring it home for a couple weeks, but I bought a futon to replace the waterbed. Since I'll be sleeping on it, I got a nice one that had to be ordered. The frame is a natural stained cyprus. The mattress has springs and will be covered by an arctic [blue] suede cover. The room remodeling begins...bye bye dive wall?
I also received a letter from the SC student loan corp this weekend saying that I have made 48 consecutive payments (4 years!) and they have roughly halved my interest rates (woohoo!). I had been thinking of paying it down soon because my Jeep actually had a lower interest rate. I guess I'll pay the Jeep off first..
Posted by mhader at 10:10 PM
January 28, 2006
Remembering Challenger
On this day 20 years ago, the space shuttle Challenger exploded seventy three seconds after takeoff, killing all seven crew members. The crew consisted of six astronauts - Francis R. Scobee, Michael J. Smith, Ronald E. McNair, Ellison S. Onizuka, Judith A. Resnik, and Gregory B. Jarvis - and what was to be the first teacher to go to space, Sharon Christa McAuliffe.
I was in second grade at the time and if I've done my math correctly, we had just moved to Orlando. I was in the cafeteria when the shuttle launched and I remember hearing the announcement made over the intercom. From Orlando we were able to see the trail of smoke left by the shuttle.
Posted by mhader at 11:38 AM | Comments (2)
January 27, 2006
Picture Friday
Nurse Shark at the South Carolina Aquarium
Posted by mhader at 5:55 PM | Comments (1)
January 26, 2006
Rants & Taxes
The internet seems to be hit and miss for me this evening, so this entry is being typed in Thunderbird and will hopefully be uploaded before I go to bed.
Tax season is here once again. I believe I've received all my forms so I should be ready to sit down and figure out how much Uncle Sam [hopefully] owes me. I pray that it's not the other way around. This year is a bit boring though because anything I get back is scheduled to just go to the savings account and eventually the retirement fund. Next year however, I plan to use the money on a new computer. A nice and expensive new computer. Hopefully the chip that no longer has a properly attached heat sink can make it another year. I can't wait until tax time next year.
Here's my short rant for the day. Why do the networks have to keep moving shows around? This is why I like torrents. It's too hard to keep up with a show because you never what night it's going to be on. All the networks try to put all the shows I like on the same night at the same time. It's a conspiracy. I think I'm down to only 5 shows (3 @ 30 minutes) that I'm even bothering to keep up with anymore. If I see some of the others great. If not, oh well.
Posted by mhader at 10:09 PM | Comments (1)
January 25, 2006
Trivial Answers
I waited a little too late to write tonight, but I wanted to give you the answers to yesterday's trivia questions:
1. 1995. Jan 11 for the WB and Jan 16 for UPN.
2. Pocohantas, IL
3. Sudan
4. Death Cab for Cutie (bonus: the Macintosh 128k)
5. In 92 runnings of Le Tour, no Englishmen have won.
Posted by mhader at 11:07 PM | Comments (2)
January 24, 2006
Trivial Tuesday #3
The weekly trivia questions fall into 5 categories on a weekly basis to give you (well, me) a well rounded look at what's going on in the news. The categories are as follows: Entertainment (Movies/Theater/TV), Music (yes, I know that's entertainment as well), Politics, Technology, Sports. In that order.
1. Hot off the press: The WB and UPN will be shutdown by next fall to make way for a new channel, CW. What year did these two stations launch?
2. I just saw Gretchen Wilson in concert. What's her hometown?
3. Today the Congo Republic was chosen to head the African Union. Which country takes over next year assuming all crisis can be resolved?
4. Apple has been catching a little flak recently for ripping off a music video by the Postal Service. With what other band is The Postal Service member Ben Gibbard associated? (that's more of a music question, isn't it? - easy bonus tech question: What did the infamous 1984 commercial introduce?)
5. In 2007, London will be hosting the first stage of the Tour De France. Who was the last Englishmen to win the Tour De France?
Posted by mhader at 12:49 PM | Comments (1)
January 23, 2006
Weekend Wrapup
I waited a little to late to start writing a weekend update so I'll give you the cliff notes version and let others fill in the details. The first BEWB of the year took place in Columbia this weekend. I left for Columbia Thursday night and stayed until probably too late Sunday night. Friday night consisted of Hockey, Carolina Wings, and the Flying Saucer. Saturday I made the trek to the upstate to celebrate another birthday at the Gretchen Wilson concert in Greenville. Yes, you read that correctly. Even scarier, I actually enjoyed it. She puts on a good show. In between everything, there was lots of Ms Pac-Man. After my first couple games I set my goal for the weekend to be 100k points. I was quite proud of my high score of just over 122,000. Now I wish I had a Ms Pac-Man machine..not that I have anywhere to put one.
Posted by mhader at 11:18 PM
January 20, 2006
Picture Friday
Posted by mhader at 8:00 AM | Comments (1)
January 19, 2006
Traveling Thursday
I've been busy today so for your three minutes of entertainment, check out yesterdays Rocketboom
Posted by mhader at 8:14 PM
January 18, 2006
GS Woes & TTA
Attempts number one and two with the green screen were not complete failures. I was successfully able to replace the green screen behind me with video (and the green on the table in front of me, and where the green bleed on to me). Unfortunately when I upgraded my video card I forfeited my composite video inputs so in order to get the video into the computer I have to go through a VCR that's got to be around fifteen years old. That on top of the fact that the camera I'm using isn't the best makes for a lot of bleeding colors. There is a green halo on everything you put in front of it by the time it makes it to the computer. With attempt #2 I found a way to put another five feet (for a total of about seven foot) between myself and the screen hoping the extra distance would help. You really need crisp lines for the green screen to work. Any suggestions (for things like capture software & perhaps cheap cards, getting rid of the bleeding edges, etc.) are welcome!
..ooh..I have an RF Modulator.. :) I'll have to try that out later.
Trivial Tuesday Answers:
1. The director, Len Wiseman.
2. Hailie Jade Mathers
3. A bit of a tricky question to answer. The Organization was founded in 1998. The Foundation in 2003. The Corporation in 2005. The Mosaic Communications Corporation, the 'parent' of Mozilla, was founded in 1994.
4. James Earl Ray
5. Pittsburgh Steelers, 1933 (Pirates until 1940); Denver Broncos, 1959; Seattle Seahawks, 1974; Carolina Panthers, 1993 (First seasons of play are 1933/1960/1976/1995)
Posted by mhader at 7:07 PM | Comments (3)
January 17, 2006
Trivial Tuesday #2
Look for the answers tomorrow!
1. Underworld: Evolution hits theaters this week. To whom is the lead actress, Kate Beckinsale, married?
2. Marshall Mathers, aka Eminem, remarried his ex-wife over the weekend. What is their child's name?
3. Mozilla Thunderbird 1.5 (an email program) was released last week. When was Mozilla founded?
4. Yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. He was shot and killed in Tennessee on April 4, 1968 by whom?
5. And then there were four. Put the four remaining NFL teams in order by age of franchise. Oldest to Youngest. (hint: teams are Broncos, Panthers, Seahawks, Steelers)
Posted by mhader at 1:33 PM
January 16, 2006
Movie Monday
Can somebody say box office bomb? I have enjoyed Milla Jovovich in the Resident Evil movies. Now it seems like she's trying out a new hair style (makes her look like Selma Blair), altering her genetically mutated DNA, and changing her name. (Typecasting?)I think I'd rather see another RE. Which, btw, I will soon. Anyways, the movie Ultraviolet should be hitting theaters the end of next month. I probably shouldn't judge it too harshly by the trailer, but please take a look and tell me what you think. From what I gather, Violet (Jovovich) is infected with a vampiresque disease and must do what she can to protect herself and a young boy from "normal", uninfected humans.
Speaking of the undead, Underworld: Evolution hits theaters this weekend. With the release the studio was nice enough to lower the price of the 2 disc extended cut of the first movie and release it with a bonus preview DVD. The bonus disc is rather worthless, but it was nice to be able to pick up the DVD at a decent price. That and I was able to free up some hard drive space :). I'm not sure why I enjoy movies with zombies, vampires, and other random creatures of the night so much...
In case you hadn't noticed, this entry was brought to you by the Internet Movie Database, though no money exchanged hands..just links.
Posted by mhader at 3:54 PM
January 13, 2006
Picture Friday
The Mountain Sneak Peak
Posted by mhader at 10:32 PM | Comments (2)
January 12, 2006
Winter?
What happened to winter? It's mid-January and it was in the upper 70's here today. I don't need to see snow, but I wouldn't mind it if the temperature would drop another 20-30 degrees for a couple weeks.
My green screen arrived this afternoon so I made a trip to Lowes tonight for pvc to make a stand. I spent about $10 on the pvc and it seems to work quite well. I may go spend another $5 just to make it a bit more sturdy. That plus a couple more lights and I may be ready to start filming something. I've actually done pretty well money wise with everything I've bought, and most of the stuff is dual purpose so if and when I give up on the video thing it can be used elsewhere (except the green screen).
I did a test photo with the green screen and was easily able to put Sven in Scotland. I know he belongs in Denmark, but I haven't been there to take pictures. Tomorrow I'll try video to see how (if) it works.
Posted by mhader at 10:10 PM | Comments (4)
January 11, 2006
Long Way Round
My brand spanking new sleeping bag just arrived today from it's cross country tour. The trip took 7 days, made stops in 9 cities covering 7 states. Here's the route: Missoula, MT -> Billings, MT -> Minneapolis, MN -> Addison, IL -> Indianapolis, IN -> South Charleston, WV -> Greensboro, NC -> West Columbia, SC -> Charleston, SC. I'm glad it finally made it. In case you're wondering, it's a 'North Face' Fission 20 degree bag. Good colors, nice and light, mummy style.
Now all I need from the delivery persons is my green screen. I got some ghetto diffusers (sunshades), a light (I may need a couple more), and some tapes for the camcorder today. Now if only I had some ideas.
Answers to yesterdays Trivial Tuesday:
1. January 26, 1988
2. 2001 Academy Awards
3. John Jay, 1789-1795
4. Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle
5. Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Posted by mhader at 10:31 PM | Comments (1)
January 10, 2006
Trivial Tuesday #1
Here's some trivia related to current events. Thanks to the search capabilities of the internet, these trivia questions are probably too easy, but maybe you'll learn something new in the process.
1. Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera just passed Cats as the longest-running show in Broadway History. When did Phantom open on Broadway?
2. Bjork was just voted the world's most eccentric star (I believe by the BBC). To what event did she wear her "swan dress"?
3. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito has been in front of the firing squad for the last couple days. Who was the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?
4. Yahoo! Inc recently launched Yahoo Go so you can't get away from the internet no matter where you are. Yahoo is an acronym for what?
5. The Olympic Games begin in one month. Ice Dancer Tanith Belbin was recently put on the fast track to becoming a US citizen by President Bush. Where was she born?
I'll post the answers tomorrow.
Posted by mhader at 12:29 PM | Comments (1)
January 9, 2006
Movie Monday
I had several good things to blog about today and now that I've sat to write, I find I have nothing to say.
Kevin Smith's "Clerks II" teaser hit the internet this morning a couple minutes before ten. You can find the teaser @ http://www.clerks2.com/. They had five download sites so hopefully the servers didn't get too bogged down. The teaser lasts a couple minutes and doesn't really shed any light on what the film is about..it just gives you an idea what to look out for. Cameos for the trailer include Kevin Weisman, Ben Affleck, Ethan Suplee, and Jason Lee. The film is going to be filled with cameo's from Smith's other films and a several newcomers.
BTW, don't expect too many posts on the weekends. I've decided I'll leave those off unless I actually have something to talk about.
Posted by mhader at 9:40 PM
January 6, 2006
Day 006: Picture Friday
Hershey in a shoebox
Posted by mhader at 10:32 PM
January 5, 2006
Day 005: Resist the Urge
Upon seeing Ben's entry on buying parts for computers and now the new WD hard drive with a window I nearly had a wild hair to dive back into speccing my next computer. Although, I would not get that hard drive because it's only 150 GB--the window would also be rather useless seemings how it'd be hidden. At the very least I expect my next computer to have a terabyte of storage. Which means I need to keep waiting. So anyways, to resist the urge to shop, I thought I'd write a new entry, which will undoubtedly be boring because, like yesterday, I have little to talk about today.
Have I yet mentioned that it isn't monetarily a smart idea to buy a car at christmas time? Especially if you are getting a new insurance plan to go along with it. Doing this means getting the bill for the insurance and the car tax a week before christmas. The good news is that I bought my Jeep on the 31st of December 2004 and the registration didn't go through until January. This gives me until the end of the month to pay the car taxes. Luckily the taxes are $168.08 cheaper than they were last year. If only that trend would continue every year. It's crazy how many miles I put on the Jeep in only a year. 4508. That's a little over 12 miles a day. Holy cow.
All new episodes of "My Name is Earl" and "The Office" are starting now. I'll start watching in 18 minutes so I can skip all the commercials. Till tomorrow!
Posted by mhader at 8:59 PM
January 4, 2006
Day 004: Plumbing Problems
Not a good day for work..The laser had some major water leakage which set off the wall alarm after a patient was already under anesthesia. Water had gotten onto the electrical components inside of the laser which is obviously a bad thing. That led to other issues that I won't bore you with. Needless to say, not a good day--but we were able to successfully complete the case. I hope it works tomorrow.
That was my excitement for the day. Now I am going to cut this short so I can get up at some crazy hour manana..
Posted by mhader at 10:45 PM
January 3, 2006
Day 003: The Green Screen Show
I really don't care much for that show. It's partly due to the fact that I don't like Drew Carey. If he wouldn't talk or try to do improv comedy it'd be a lot better. It's a crying shame that he replaced Clive Anderson as the host on Whose Line Is It Anyways? when it moved to the states. The show has little to do with why title. So... /rant
I was browsing the internet looking for cheap green fabric last night to use as a green screen and came across a company that actually sells green screens (go figure). I was nearly sold when I saw a reasonable price for a 5'x5' foam-backed section. Finding that they accepted PayPal sealed the deal. I tend to treat my PayPal account as free money that I can spend on fun stuff. There's not usually much money in the account because I'm not selling things online and I never add money to the account. So, thanks to those who paid this way for homecoming tickets, I bought a green screen to play with. I really wish I had taken some theater classes in college so I could have learned a bit about stage setup and lighting. I suppose I'll figure it out as I go. I also still haven't a clue as to what I am going to do with the whole video thing. It may just be something to mess around with to see if I can do it.
Posted by mhader at 5:34 PM | Comments (2)
January 2, 2006
Day 002
Wow..two days in a row. You're a lucky crowd, perhaps.
Pet Peeve of the Day: I'm happy that people, especially in this town, are willing to go a bit out of their way to take corrugated cardboard to one of many drop-off locations throughout the area. The normal recycle truck that drives by the house every other week won't take it. I went through the garage and sadly the front porch to gather up and flatten all of the cardboard we've been collecting for the last several months in order to take it to the drop-off location a minute from the house. Upon arrival we found two containers stuffed full with mostly unflattened cardboard boxes. If you are going to take cardboard..please be considerate of others and FLATTEN IT. It takes a couple extra seconds and allows more than two people to put cardboard in the bin. The second place we went wasn't much better but we were able to stuff our flattened cardboard into the bins. I suppose my bigger peeve should be directed at the people who don't recycle at all..
One more day and I can use my credit card again..woohoo!!
Posted by mhader at 9:01 PM | Comments (3)
January 1, 2006
A New Year
A new year is here. I've got lots of ideas (ok, a couple) brewing for the site. The gallery will be migrating to another site once I get around to paying for a hosting plan for the recently purchased domain. This should mean larger images and gallery 2.x. I've also been pondering the idea of the occasional video blog. Only because I like to play with video. Problem is I have no ideas just yet for what I'd do. Nor do I have a huge desire to be in front of the camera. I've stumbled upon Kira's video camera that she hasn't been using and it seems to work fine so far so I wouldn't be stuck with one of my cheapo webcams.
In other news, we had a 'friend' stay in our garage for a couple days over the last week. The garage door was left a wee bit open for a couple hours which allowed the opossum to sneak in. I thought I heard a noise later that night while in the garage trying to get a cat in so I opened the door and made some noise to try to get it out. Apparently it didn't work. Two nights later I opened the door only to see the opposum staring back at me. This time I left door cracked all night which seems to have done the trick.
Ok, it took me 4 episodes of commercial free (cause I bought the dvd) Veronica Mars to get this far..so I guess I'll just post the entry. Let's see if I can crank out 364 more of these this year..(don't count on it) :)
Posted by mhader at 9:31 PM