Spare Views

Time to create my 2010 Christmas playlist

2010-12-04T22:02:00.001-06:00

Here is my list from last year – thought I posted it here, but I guess not. Looking to find my favorite 20 songs for this year. I have not decided if I will allow duplicates or not.

Stay tuned for updates…

Netflix = Clean

2010-12-04T21:59:00.001-06:00

I love Netflix. Great selection of movies and TV shows online. Get a disc when I can’t find something online. The thing I really love is the condition of the disks. Redbox is fast and convenient, albeit with a smaller selection, but the disc quality varies dramatically.

I’m assuming Netflix runs the disks through a cleaner of some sort when they receive them. Everyone looks great and does not have a collection of fingerprints and other smudges of questionable origin. This is not the case with Redbox or BlockBuster.

Profile Pic…

2010-07-01T21:55:00.001-05:00

I believe I selected that when I created this blog. Been a fan of the show for awhile and just saw the movie today. It was fun, they did a very good job of brining the series to live action.

Down Under Follow-up

2009-12-12T23:06:00.001-06:00

I have a friend who recently visited Australia and was able to obtain a few books from the series (Ranger’s Apprentice) that have not yet made it to the US. Very cool as I am now almost caught up.

Made a difference did I

2008-10-14T22:51:00.001-05:00

Got this in the mail today, was surprised since it was so long ago (see two posts down).

Dear Earth Hour Supporter,
Please excuse me if this thank you note seems a bit impersonal, but the fact is I really owe millions of thank yous – 50 million to be exact. That’s 50 million amazing people, including you, who took part in Earth Hour 2008, and switched off their lights for one hour to show they care about our living planet. Thank you!
By taking part this past March 29th, you helped make Earth Hour 2008 an extraordinary success by any measure – and there were plenty. In fact, here’s a short recap by the numbers:

Some 50 million people around the world switched off their lights for one hour
More than 370 cities, towns and municipalities took part
Earth Hour was held in more than 35 countries across all seven continents, including Antarctica, covering 18 different time zones

All told, Earth Hour was the biggest voluntary power down in history; this simple act not only heightened awareness about the challenges of climate change, but also inspired individuals and businesses to take practical action to reduce their own carbon footprint. The event exceeded all of our expectations to bring attention to the issue of climate change. But while Earth Hour was an incredible achievement, there is still much to do for our environment every day.
And that’s the mission of World Wildlife Fund, the group behind Earth Hour.
As the largest multinational conservation organization in the world, WWF works in 100 countries and is supported by 1.2 million members in the United States and close to 5 million globally. WWF's unique way of working combines global reach with a foundation in science, involves action at every level from local to global, and ensures the delivery of innovative solutions that meet the needs of both people and nature.
I welcome you to learn more about WWF and ways to support our great work by visiting our website at www.worldwildlife.org.
Again, thanks for helping to make Earth Hour 2008 such an incredible success.
Sincerely yours,
Richard Moss
Vice President and Managing Director, Climate Change

DVDSpot RIP

2008-10-14T22:47:00.001-05:00

Well, here we go again. After a painful Guzzlefish death came light with DVDSpot. The Spot was a nice place to track DVD's as well as have fun with the community. All was well until today. I haven't been to the site for a few weeks and visit today only to discover it's shutting down tomorrow. Tomorrow! Well, in one sense they at least made a decision and did it quickly. But on the other hand, it blows.

There is a refugee forum that was created to help keep a sense of community. This helps. And now back to the eternal quest - the best way to maintain a DVD collection.

I'm open to ideas...

Make a difference tonight...I am

2008-03-29T16:33:00.001-05:00

From http://www12.earthhourus.org/

On March 29, 2008 at 8 p.m., join millions of people around the world in making a statement about climate change by turning off your lights for Earth Hour, an event created by the World Wildlife Fund.

Earth Hour was created by WWF in Sydney, Australia in 2007, and in one year has grown from an event in one city to a global movement. In 2008, millions of people, businesses, governments and civic organizations in nearly 200 cities around the globe will turn out for Earth Hour. More than 100 cities across North America will participate, including the US flagships–Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix and San Francisco and Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver. View cities involved around the world.

We invite everyone throughout North America and around the world to turn off the lights for an hour starting at 8 p.m. (your own local time)–whether at home or at work, with friends and family or solo, in a big city or a small town.

What will you do when the lights are off? We have lots of ideas.

Join people all around the world in showing that you care about our planet and want to play a part in helping to fight climate change. Don’t forget to sign up and let us know you want to join Earth Hour.

One hour, America. Earth Hour. Turn out for Earth Hour!

"Cotton" Trees

2008-03-16T10:22:00.001-05:00

There is a small one or two week period in the spring that I love and as an added bonus usually pops up as a surprise to me. The Bradford Pear flowers in the spring with white buds that when I first saw them reminded me of cotton - hence my nickname. A good year will have the flowers stay for a good two week, with bright, full tree coverage. They then begin growing green leaves and resemble a normal tree.

It is really a nice surprise when they bloom in spring. I am aware that they will do this each year, of course, but I tend to forget when it will happen. This is a very popular tree in my area (and in most that are hospitable to the tree) and makes for a truly splendid viewing. This year was a little different as we had a rare snow storm. I was enjoying the snowy look of our town and thought that was a lot of snow on the trees. As I looked more closely, I realized that my cotton trees were blooming as well. It was cool seeing the whole area white, then as the snow melted the Bradford Pears trees in full bloom. Some are still blooming now - this is truly a great year!

United States Imperialism?

2008-02-24T12:03:00.001-06:00

I've read and heard much about America's imperialistic designs. From the war in Iraq to our military bases around the world (Gitmo, Okinawa, etc.). I'm not a scholar on this topic, but my question is this: What does it mean to be imperialistic? Clearly we have periods in history that help define this. Countries and rulers built empires. These had a common "look and feel". The army came, conquered and stayed. There may have been a local government - but it had a formal, subservient relationship to the empire in question. The goal was clear - the country had resources or some other intrinsic value to the empire (which could be as simple as wanting to rule everywhere) so the empire kept it. In time, all empires fell. Too much ground to cover with too few resources combined with a determined local population leads to a shrinking empire. It is interesting to note that even after the empires shrink, some countries still retain a loose association with the "empire". Canada and Australia are independent but yet retain ties (recognize the crown?) to England.

So back to America. What is America doing in the places we remain? Are we in charge of host country? No. Do we want to be? No. Do we gain anything from being there? Yes and No. Yes, there is some reason we are there - usually this involves a strategic military location. Having troops available to jump into some remote hotspot. Do we enjoy special favor with the country? Do they recognize the US or President as leadership for their country? No. Not even close. We pay to be in these locations. We normally have to bend over to appease the local country to remain (rightly so as we are requesting the right to stay). I won't get into the reason or perceived reason we need to be there in the first place, but the fact remains we desire to have a US presence there.

Definition according to dictionary.com
imperialism
–noun 1. the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies.

Now, according to the definition above, my understanding seems right. People are misusing the term imperialism. However, a closer examination of what this could mean has created another view.

Wikipedia discusses broadening the definition:
Currently, there is an effort to broaden the definition of "imperialism" so it applies to any instance of a greater power acting or being perceived to act at the expense of a lesser power. Including 'perception' in the definition makes it circular, solipsistic, and subjective. Under this broader definition, 'imperialism' not only describes colonial, territorial policies;but also describes economic dominance and influence.
European dominance of the east through economic exploitation and political rule, (as distinct from the word colonialism, which usually implied establishment of settler colonies often with slavery as the labor system), the word was coined in the mid-nineteenth century.

This is interesting and does seem like the next logical evolution of the more "colonial" definition. However, the question still remains, is the US acting with imperial intentions? I believe the answer is complex. America has long held the belief that democracy is the right way for people to live. We have no tolerance for dictators or oppressive rule. Early in the history of the country (no wise cracks here Europe - early relative to our existence<g>), we believed all people should live free but we didn't do much to help effect change. US foreign policy was directed by the Monroe Doctrine (which itself was formalized based on the reality of US behavior to that point). Essentially, we would not involve ourselves with international issues and wars unless the United States was pulled into an event or otherwise threatened. Isolationist is one of the terms used to describe America and this policy. It's interesting to note that there has always been two sides to this:

1. That's fine - stay out of others affairs.
2. That's no good - you have the means to help others - so do it!

There was a period where Roosevelt extended the "borders" of the doctrine to extended to Latin America. A few years later the Roosevelt Corollary was repealed. This lead to resentment from in Latin America where the term "America for Americans" was coined implying we are only interested in what's good for the United States. Anywhere you go, there are folks on either side.

For the most part, the Monroe Doctrine has guided American Foreign Policy since it's inception. Communism was seen as a major threat to America and as such, the Presidents extended and modified that doctrine accordingly with the main goal of either containing or defeating Communism. Things changed radically in the wake of 9/11. Here the Bush Doctrine was born. In my mind, this replaces completely the Monroe Doctrine and it's subsequent changes. It started with the assertion that countries that harbor terrorists would be considered terrorists themselves and subject to attack. Since we are at "war" with the terrorists, this could be viewed as a positive policy change. The notion of fighting a war in the traditional sense was gone. The Administration believed that this was the way to end the threat. The bigger, more controversial addition to his doctrine was the policy of preemption. This is basically a blank check to depose leaders in countries through force if they are a direct threat to the United States now or may be a threat in the future.

So let's bring this all the way back, is the US imperialistic? If you subscribe to the definition that Wikipedia has put forth, the answer is maybe. The US is definitely out there influencing world affairs. From peace keeping efforts in various locations to the liberation (yes, and all that that implies) of Iraq. But to say that the US has economic dominance seems like a stretch - certainly not in recent history.

At the end of the day, after all the discussion and debate, I have to ask myself, is this all worth it? Are the actions were taking good? Do they help the world at large? Even with the claims of imperialism and the poor world opinion of the US? The simple answer is yes. Using the lightening rod issue of today, you can't argue that Saddam was evil and needed to be removed. There was no change on the horizon from within. The fact that he was harboring terrorists allowed President Bush to invade for a different (and incorrect) reason still resulted in the removal of an oppressive, exploitative dictator making the world a better place. Now, are there issues with this? Absolutely. Strategy for withdrawal? Non-existent or at the very least not working as quickly as everyone would like. What does the future of the Bush Doctrine hold? This is unclear. That the upcoming election will result in change is clear, but how much is the question. The US has been put into the role of "World Cop" since WW I and has since helped make the world better. Period. Argue all you want, but the bottom line is that there is a net positive (I might argue big positive) result due to American involvement in broader affairs. Taking action creates change. Putting yourself out there incurs risk. Not all decisions are correct. Not all actions work as planned. But if you don't try, what's the point? You are simply taking up space and marking time.

___________

As an aside, this was an interesting exercise. I didn't do weeks worth of exhaustive research, but rather leveraged what I already knew and infused some new content and ideas. Some of these thoughts have been bouncing around my head for awhile and just needed a spark to make me write them down. I was really looking to educate people on what imperialism means and to choose a different word/idea for their arguments. In the process I learned some interesting stuff. I still don't think America is imperialistic. Altruistic is not entirely correct either (we certainly have ambitions for making things better here as well) but in my heart that seems closer to our intent. Consider this Version 1.

The spark, for those interested, was the alleged rape an Okinawan child by a US Soldier. For the record, my stance is crystal clear. There are bad people everywhere and they must be held accountable for their actions. With that, innocent until proven guilty. If found guilty, penalize to the maximum (and yes, that includes local penalties). I really do expect our military be held to a higher standard where ever they are located. This may not be fair, but that's just the way it is.

Do you GTD? Then you should TDM!

2008-02-02T11:04:00.001-06:00

I read the Getting Things Done (Allen) book a few years ago and have tried to maintain a system that allows me to track my actions. I am a computer guy - I need a technology system to back any type of paper system. I have looked low and high to find the right mix of simplicity, elegance and functionality.

Through my search, I've encountered tools that are way to simple, way to complex, too slow and just plain ugly. I've built my own applications (from Excel to a .Net/SQL Server solution) but while I write good code, I was still not happy with the results.

Through all that, my open actions haunted me as I had no reliable system. Every few months, I resume my search to find the right mix and a tool to track and maintain my actions. I thought I found one a few weeks ago and used it for a few weeks, but it turned out to be clunky and slow. Very disappointed. Things are crazy at work and more had the potential to slip through the cracks so I did another search and went through a bunch more - again no dice. There was one that looked interesting, but I glossed over it and kept moving. I did have it open in a new tab (very lovely feature in browsers these days) and as I was closing them down, I stopped and looked at it again.

With no other options, I read it a bit more closely and downloaded to give it a try. When I first saw it running, it was functional, clean and simply amazing. I read the tasks that show you the basics and spent a little time playing with it and quickly realized that this may be the one. I took it a step further and performed a massive sweep of my actions for two reasons. The first, to simply get my act together. And second, to try the tool. I have just over 100 actions with a few headers. I have devised my strategy for tags and will implement that today or tomorrow. I have been extremely pleased with this app named Tudumo (www.tudumo.com). It is very easy to use and seems to be holding up it's end of my GTD deal. The author is nearly done with version 1. It is free for use while in BETA. He is also very active in the discussion group - both answering questions and taking suggestions. If you are looking for a tool that makes it easy to keep you on track, give this a try. This is the first tool that has really given me confidence it will deliver and as such I had really loaded it up. I will continue to use it, putting it through its paces while it helps me get stuff done!

Another Year Alone (or What Happened?)

2008-02-02T10:45:00.001-06:00

The game is close

The teams are ready

Fans are excited

especially the folks on the tele

I sit alone

Little tears in my eyes

My team fell apart

At just the wrong time

So this year I watch

Like many before

Not really caring who wins

Just hoping for a close score

So I picked up a modern poetry book and read a few. Then I read the preface about who the guy was. Turns out he was a business man who for whatever reason started to write. Kinda cool. I had a Christmas/Holiday book of poems I found at an estate. It was signed by the author, which is probably what led me to buy it. I keep forgetting to read it at Christmas. I won't read it out of season - strange but that is just me. I had a copy of Skipping Christmas for a few years before I remembered to read it a year or two ago.

Aussie Authors

2007-10-02T20:44:00.001-05:00

So in the last month, I've stumbled upon two outstanding Australian authors: John Flanagan (Ranger's Apprentice) and now Karen Miller. It's like an invasion! And like the Ranger series, her books were written a few years ago and only now emigrated to the US. At least they are here - and at least I can get the whole series without having to wait (years?). I really need to figure out how to get down there...

I completed the first book: Innocent Mage and am just starting Awakened Mage (original title = Innocence Lost). It is a really good fantasy story. To learn more about Ms. Miller, check out her site: http://www.karenmiller.net/.

Parent Teacher Association

2007-08-31T22:32:00.001-05:00

I've recently become actively involved in my PTA. I've been a member for years, supported the fund-raisers and attended the meetings. This year is different. This year I'm helping with the website (big surprise there) and considering chairing a standing committee. Why? It feels like the right thing to do. It's all about helping the kids - through the teachers and the school!

I started reading the book Bowling Alone, didn't get far and had to return it to the library. I then purchased the book thinking I would read it on vacation - didn't happen. Yet. However, it quite possibly has subconsciously spurred me on to service. Anyway, it is fun helping and I'll continue to see what more I can do.

Do you have kids? Are you in your local PTA?

If you answered "Yes" and "No" respectively, click here!

http://www.pta.org/homepage.html

Ranger's Apprentice

2007-08-24T23:51:00.001-05:00

I was browsing in Barnes & Noble and came across this series. It is a pretty straight forward, but very enjoyable youth fantasy series. I've read the first three of six published books in just a few days. The downside is that books 4-6 (and soon to be 7) are not yet available in the States. The author has published them in Australia. Arrg! I guess that is as good as reason as any to travel down under ;)

If you've enjoyed these books, here are a few similar series you might enjoy as well.

Terry Brooks - Shanarra Series

Raymond Feist - Riftwar Series

David Eddings - The Belgariad

On Holiday

2007-08-18T22:46:00.001-05:00

Spent a little time on the west coast recently. Always fun. Did some reading, saw some sights and spent time on the beach. I really love having the waves crash over me. Sometimes it's diving over and dropping down as it passes. Doing flips into them are a blast - especially if you get caught up in a big one and it rolls you back the other way. Time away in general is such a good thing. Simply turning it off - I didn't bring a computer this time and didn't miss it at all. There are a few more steps to get information, but hey, it's like a trip back to the early 90's.

How tragedies help

2007-08-01T22:25:00.001-05:00

Tragedy sucks. It makes good theater, but in life it's hard. You can argue that life would be so much better if there were no tragedies, but would it really be better? Doesn't it take sadness to have happiness? Without one, the other simply becomes normal and eventually bland. I received the following in email a week or so ago:

I ran into a stranger as he passed by, "Oh excuse me please" was my reply. He said, "Please excuse me too; I wasn't watching for you." We were very polite, this stranger and I. We went on our way and we said goodbye.
But at home a different story is told, How we treat our loved ones, young and old. Later that day, cooking the evening meal, my son stood beside me very still. When I turned, I nearly knocked him down. "Move out of the way," I said with a frown. He walked away, his little heart broken. I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken. While I lay awake in bed, God's still small voice came to me and said, "While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use, but the family you love, you seem to abuse. Go and look on the kitchen floor, you'll find some flowers there by the door. Those are the flowers he brought for you. He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue. He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise, you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."
By this time, I felt very small, And now my tears began to fall. I quietly went and knelt by his bed; "Wake up, little one, wake up," I said. "Are these the flowers you picked for me?" He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree. I picked 'em because they're pretty like you. I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue." I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today; I shouldn't have yelled at you that way." He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway." I said, "Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."
Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think?

It's point is the importance of family and to always treat each other with respect. Great point, but the reality of familiarity puts this at odds with human nature. Which bring me back to the topic. The was a tragedy in our community involving the death of children - the most difficult to understand. These always seem to make people step back and consider their lives. Where are their priorities? Do they have the right balance? If not, people make changes. Spending more time with their families - less time at work. The battle is won, but what about the war? In a few months, as the pain fades, old habits reemerge. Day-to-day struggles take over and before you know it, you're back to the status quo - until the next tragedy.

So take time now to hug your kids, call you father, say something nice to your spouse - make time to do it now. </soapbox>

Samsung Blackjack

2007-07-28T22:38:00.001-05:00

My new phone is a BlackJack. I have spent the last 2.5 years with a Motorola MPx220 flip-phone so this is a bit of a change. The keyboard is quite a change as well. For having used it for about 10 days, I have a good feel for the phone and it's features. First of all, it uses Microsoft Mobile 5 (I've heard they will upgrade to Mobile 6 at some point) which provides a consistent experience from my prior phone (Mobile 2003). I plugged it into my Vista machine and it worked like a champ. I had my contacts, calendar etc. sync'd with no real effort. The phone itself is wider than I'm used to but about half as thick as my old phone. The sound is really good, including speaker phone. There is a dial on the phone used to scroll through lists - it seems pretty useful, just need to remember it's there. The keyboard is a little daunting at first. The digits are arranged in the normal pattern, but embedded with the rest of the keyboard. On the pic above you can see the gray keys have the digits and letters for the QWERTY keyboard. Typing is actually pretty easy - this creates a problem as I added texting to my plan. We'll see how that works out ;) Samsung seems to like closing the ports with little doors. I've seen this on other phone as well. The power, sync and headset (all one) port has this door that is attached to a string cord or flexible plastic that you open and twist out of the way to plug in. I guess it helps keep the port clean and safe.

I am very happy with this phone. As my old SmartPhone aged, I had visions of spending hundreds on a new one and had not really looked in earnest. The deal I got on this was just too good to pass up so here I am - loving my BlackJack. Now I need to find a BSG theme and I'm in business.

The Deathly Hallows

2007-07-21T11:23:00.001-05:00

Well, I was there at midnight last night to get my copy of the last Harry Potter book. This was the second year of doing this and they were two vastly different experiences. The festivities prior to getting the book were similar - both were fun. Plenty of people dressed up, things to do and, well, it is a book store. The problem was the actual handing out of the books. Last year, I was at Books-A-Million and this year I was at Borders - both great stores. The difference - Books-A-Million had prepaid books and Borders did not. Books-A-Million started handing the books out at midnight and I was out of there by 12:10a. Borders started at midnight and I was out of there by 1:30a. Still a fun time, it's just when it's time to get the book - you want to get it and go.

Lesson learned for next time. I just wonder what the next book will be that gets me there at midnight...

Corn Mo

2007-07-19T22:01:00.001-05:00

Busey Boy - check it out.

If you can't use your head...

2007-07-18T21:17:00.001-05:00

I was again reminded of a phrase my Dad made up when I was a kid.

If you can't use your head, you gotta use your feet.

I'm reminded of this every time I forget to bring or pick up something. Essentially, if you're not thinking when you leave, you're going to have to go back and do it right the second time. This popped up today as I was headed to the AT&T store to look at a new phone. I had a flyer with a discount, not a coupon, but a flyer. As I walked up to the store it dawned on me that I didn't have it on me and knew that it would be a problem. It was. *sigh*

I went back later with the paperwork, met the right guy who took very good care of me and I walked out with a new phone.

Nope, not an iPhone - no thanks. I'll review it soon...

Who are you?

2007-07-16T21:31:00.001-05:00

How do you stay plugged into all that is going on out here? I found out about OpenID from the ClaimID wrapper site. What is this? Better web identity management? Should I get one? Am I opening up too much with something like that? I'll need to do some research to see what this is all about. One of the guys who wrote ClaimID seems to have some detail on his blog Unit Structures that I'll check out. Found a few reviews, I'll see where this takes me.

DVDSpot

2007-07-14T19:25:00.001-05:00

Looking for a great way to track your DVD's? Look no further than DVDSpot. This is an online solution with a user-maintained database of movies. I've used it a few years now (since the demise of Guzzlefish) and have been most pleased. The submission process is easy, fast and thorough.

The best part about DVDSpot is the community. There is a strong sense of building a great database (thanks to the tireless work of the editors) as well as having fun. The forums cover all ground for DVD's, movies and general fun.

If you are looking for a client side solution, I recommend the following Movie Collector or Movie Library. Both are maintained and provide a great experience. I have drifted away from these in favor of DVDSpot but there are new versions that seem to have some really great features. Movie Library uses an access database that allows direct export of the data. I built a small system that uses Microsoft SQL Server to make the data available via IIS on my home network. That was actually a fun little project. It still runs today - though all my recent movie purchases are no longer in the system.

Bowling Alone

2007-07-13T19:22:00.001-05:00

This is the title of a book by Robert D. Putnam (ISBN: 0-7432-0304-6) that focuses on the American community. Specifically it's collapse and subsequent revival. The concept and notion are very interesting to me. It's something that I have noticed and experienced to a degree. I can "look" back to the days where community and organizations seemed to be everywhere and on the surface things seemed better. However, as an adult, this may simply be the illusion of nostalgic glasses. I think I would like to be a part of what this golden era had to offer, but have not really made a real attempt to do so. I suspect that is what the book is about, though I must confess that I am only 25 pages in - and it is already a week overdue from the library. I can tell this is going to require some focus to reach the end of the book and I have not yet committed to doing that.

Anyway, I'll get through it eventually (just like I will finish Diplomacy). It just may take a little time and is probably best suited for a vacation reading list.

The New Seven Wonders of the World

2007-07-10T22:59:00.001-05:00

The world voted and here they are in all their glory.

Brazil Statue of Christ Redeemer

Peru Machu Picchu

Mexico Chichen Itza

China Great Wall

Jordan Petra

Rome The Colosseum

India Taj Mahal

The Great Pyramids of Giza retain their "Wonder" status from the original list of Wonders. They alone remain from the original list.

Family Tree Maker 2008 BETA

2007-07-09T22:59:00.001-05:00

I am very excited! I found the link to download the BETA. I just put it on and have the following observations based on my 35 minute look at the product.

I really like the new layout. There is much more information available on the screen. To me, it is not overly cluttered. I am running on a 17" wide-screen laptop. It looks modern and quite nice in Windows Vista.
Navigating is made much easier by buttons and tabs across the top of the window. There are also simple shortcuts for main views (Ctrl+1=Plan, Ctrl+2=People, etc.).
The task functionality is more visible than in prior versions. You can create tasks by person, family and overall. The Plan view shows all your tasks by group. You can do basic filtering. The tasks themselves are still very basic, but that is probably ok (keep in mind this is still fairly new to me).
"Places" provides a Microsoft Virtual Earth view of the cities and towns that are in your database. This is pretty handy and easy to use.
When looking at an individual there is a timeline view that can also show family information as well as historical facts near the events of the person's life. Did a quick check for some of the earlier relatives and it has a few facts from the 1600's. I would imagine this is easily extensible.

There are a few things that are not as smooth as I'd like.

There is no All-In-One chart. This was a key feature in earlier versions of the application and a differentiator from other genealogy applications. It provides a view of your entire file, without page breaks, that you can use to see relationships as well as get a feel for the whole family. I hope it is just not available in the BETA release I am using.
The mapping functionality only seems to allow you to view one person at a time. It would be interesting to have multiple people selected and have it zoom to the right level to show where they live relative to each other. Also would be helpful to show families in the same area.
I'll have to play with this a bit more, but it seemed to "import" my data as though it were an external format even though it was a Family Tree Maker file (v16). I understand this is necessary at times, but some data seems to have not been imported. This could very easily be my fault - I'm using a play version of my data. I'll copy a good file and try again.

There is lots more to see and do, this is just my initial impression. I'll write more as I get to know this version a bit better. Here is the link of you want to try it yourself.

Family Tree Maker 2008 BETA

Battlestar Galactica

2007-07-05T22:12:00.001-05:00

I was a big fan of the original Battlestar Galactica. I remember watching it as a kid. I even remember Galactica 1980, but good luck tracking that down today. Armed with these memories, I was a bit skeptical about the new series and didn't watch the miniseries until it came out on DVD. Wow! This is one of those shows that just grabs you. I've started watching the series again and just completed season one. Simply excellent. I'm teed up to start season two starting tonight.

If you have not see this and like drama, action and tension - check out this series - it won't disappoint. Click here for more information.

Declaration of Independence

2007-07-04T15:36:00.001-05:00

Here is the beginning and end of the Declaration of Independence. To read the entire document, which I recommend, click the image below. I have not read it in a while, but having just read it again, realize what a group of highly motivated, intelligent people can do when they work together for a common purpose. Simply outstanding.

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

...

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

57% feels about right...

2007-07-04T15:05:00.001-05:00

Not being new to blogging, but trying to be more diligent, I took the addiction survey and it makes sense - I clocked in at 57% addicted to blogging. I am trying to use blogs at work to convey information as well as thoughts, ideas and my philosophy. Where are you? Click below and take the survey...

Patriotism

2007-07-03T22:45:00.001-05:00

Today, for the first time, I helped send off soldiers to Iraq. A large group from work met at the USO terminal at our airport. We spent time greeting, talking and having lunch with members of the Army, Marines and Navy. As they were getting ready to board their plane, we formed a line and shook each soldiers hand and offered a brief "Thank You", "Hurray Home", or "Take Care". This was a very sobering experience. Looking these people in the eye as they prepare themselves to head back into the chaos that is war - knowing that they are risking everything to perform their duty. They did this willingly, with dignity and honor. Very humbling.

I hope they were able to take away something from our visit and know that they are respected, loved and fully supported. Always.

Family Tree Maker 2008

2007-06-30T12:13:00.001-05:00

A new version of Family Tree Maker (FTM) will be available in late August (according to Amazon.com). There are virtually no details available yet, just a teasing splash screen on the Family Tree Maker site.

New versions of software always brings wild speculation, especially early when there are few details. I've seen a comment that suggests massive restructuring, but there is not detail or source information<g>.

So what would make this release interesting? Here are some of my thoughts - and keep in mind I am still a newbie in this space.

1. Vista. It would be really cool if FTM 2008 was enhanced to take full advantage of Vista's UI enhancements. The possibilities for a more visual approach are quite staggering. The reality is that it will of course have to run on Windows XP so the odds of a true Vista application are pretty slim. I've been waiting (though not very patiently) for Yahoo to release their designed from the ground up Instant Messenger for Vista. It looks amazing.

2. Isolate. This is a feature that I've been considering that provides the ability to view a family line with filters applied. So, if I'm looking at a tree view of a file, I could select an individual and filter to just see the ancestors or just the maternal/paternal live of the individual. This would allow you to still have a broad (many lines/families) file, but still be able to easily focus on a particular are of research.

3. Live Zoom. This is loosely tied to the isolate feature above. The idea is that as you zoom in you are provided context options to Isolate and\or show additional details. It's more like Microsoft's Virtual Earth in that as you zoom in closer, more detail is available vs. just making the box bigger. Example, in FTM 16, All-In-One view give you a good view of your family. It has a zoom, but it is too basic - it literally just makes the box bigger. There are so many options for making this a truly intelligent feature (display facts, links, photos as a few of the simpler options) that would make the experience interactive. There is still a need for the more basic version of the All-In-One view - printing or exporting to PDF but it should be in addition to the Live (interactive) zoom.

4. Timeline. This is an idea that is not completely baked yet, but has been mulling around in my noggin a bit. This would allow you to display the tree or more likely key facts in a timeline manner. This may be suited to a narrative type of software. I envision using as a research aid as well as for telling the story later. As an example, if I'm looking at a line and start building details relating to their emigration, I see being able to drag facts onto a timeline (think building a timeline for a family or a specific research topic). Having the ability to then add items flagged as research, action plan or speculation (any tag/label you want) to help document your next steps would be a very powerful tool. I'd argue that having it integrated (vs. a standalone application) would make a better experience. As new facts are validated and added they would be immediately available for reconciliation with your research tags.

5. Relationship Visualizations. Making it easier to see how people are related would be a very useful enhancement. The ability to simply click on a person and be presented with an option to show how they are related to a specified person - visually would be excellent. This is tied to the isolate and zoom to an extent. So I have two people "far" apart in the tree - this option isolates to the common ancestors and allows zooming in and out.

A key theme for me is visualization. I am a highly visual person. I can certainly deal with text and lists but if you can see it the possibilities open up...can't wait to see what they have created.

Chess for Kids, 1.1

2007-06-21T22:15:00.001-05:00

There is a common theme I've discovered in trying to find the best way

to teach chess to kids - play people better than you! There is also a school of thought that focuses on pattern recognition. If you recognize checkmate patterns that you've seen and studied before you will win more games. It's an interesting approach, somewhat common for the uninitiated it appears. The book on the left seems to be a good pick. I'm not finished, but like the direction of the book as well as his writing style.

Chess: Teaching Children, Part 1

2007-06-07T22:55:00.001-05:00

I learned chess as a child and have played very little during the interim years. It is a fun, but sometimes frustrating game. Teaching it to children can be a challenge. Starting with the pieces and how they move to setting up the board - to actual game play. All good up to this point. Even discussing the need to keep a close eye all over the board (not just the genius offensive plan you are hatching) is ok, even when pieces are lost. The main challenge is building up confidence. Read any book on the subject and they warn you that you will lose, lose and lose. However, you will get better. You will build skill and eventually get that first win under your belt. This can be enough of a challenge with adults, but children take this challenge up a few levels.

I'm going to do some research on the subject, looking for strategies that teach game play without the disappointment of losing. Could be just part of learning the game, but its worth a look.

(Oh yea, I know this has a very dubious title, Part 1 indeed...)

Neighbors

2007-06-03T23:03:00.001-05:00

This is nothing new, but fresh experiences just remind us that there are generally two ways to approach anything. Positive and negative. If you chose the latter, you should expect the same in return - regardless of the issue. Even as it is happening, the receiver could choose to try to make it positive...but if this is not the first experience from the sender - not likely.

Like I said, nothing new - let's just all try to be more positive.

Genograms

2007-06-02T17:21:00.001-05:00

I'm still pretty new to family history and genealogy (though I can now spell it correctly at will). I really enjoy tracking down relatives and collecting information about my family. It can still be challenging to explain to people why I like to spend time doing this. I look at it as providing context to future generations of the family. Being able to articular where you really hail from is a good feeling. There is satisfaction in solving puzzles and the list goes on...still working on the silver bullet to not only explain why, but to enlist helpers in the search for history.

As I build out the family tree there are interesting charts that you create to really see the tree. For showing the tree and layout, they are functional and look ok. However, I stumbled across another way to document a family - genograms.

A genogram is a visual, multi-generational representation of familial relationships and patterns of behavior. *

Genograms can be used to show more detailed family relationships, medical history, emotional ties and much more. This is well and good, but requires some diligence to maintain. These are very dynamic attributes; some can change on a daily basis.

The two images show the same family - the top is a standard genealogy view of the family. The bottom image is a genogram. They both show the family hierarchy, but you can get additional detail from the genogram.

The genogram (above) shows divorces more clearly (twp slashed in the relationship line) as well as complex relationships (conflict, hate, love). There is also provisions for showing pets. In addition to that type of information, you can show medical history - like cancer, heart disease etc. If you accurately research and document this - it can be a big help to you and your physician.

As I said, there seems to be value in both views - what I need now is one application that can track and display both!

Windows Live Writer Beta 2

2007-06-01T21:31:00.001-05:00

Live Writer is an excellent way to post blog entries. It is a client side tool that provides a full Windows/Office like experience. Including spell checking, saving drafts and published posts locally. It handles pictures rather nicely. There is also a bunch of stuff for handling tags, maps, tables etc. It rocks!

To read more and download, check our their blog.

The Destroyer

2007-05-26T23:26:00.001-05:00

Have you heard of the book series titled "The Destroyer"? It was first published in the early 1970's. The original creators (Murphy and Sapir) wrote around the first 40 and then handed off it off to ghost writers. Sapir died in 1987. The series has a strong following of very particular fans. There have been some really good writers following Murphy and Sapir and some really poor writers. In order to be good, one has to have read and understood the characters. That hasn't happened over the last few years. Well, the good news is that Murphy wrestled control of the series back and will be partnering with one of the good writers (Mullaney). This is excellent news!

They sort of mentally delete the last dozen or so books and began anew. The title has changed and it has been reset to book number one. I have the book and have just started reading it. I have high expectations.

For more information about The Destroyer check out this site.

http://www.destroyerclub.com

Family

2007-02-10T11:00:00.000-06:00

I've recently developed an interest in learning more about my family history. There are several books on getting started as well as local genealogy societies that offer information and guidance. The Internet has made it pretty easy to get started and find immediate results.

I'm really looking to do two things in relation to the family. One is build the "tree". This consists of identifying the lineage of my family as far back as possible. The better the information (complete sources etc.) the more reliable it is for sharing as well as standing the test of time. The second element is documenting the family story. I look at this as a deep scrap booking exercise. The idea is to tell the story of as many family members as possible. As time moves forward, stories are lost if not captured.

As I move forward with this project, I realize all over again the complexity of family. No kidding, right. Being spread all over the country makes it tough, but busy schedules, work and conflict lead to time and relationships just slipping away. Before you realize it you have lost touch with whole branches of your family. I'm working to correct that. Reconnecting can be very rewarding - if you are in a similar situation give it a try!

Welcome to the Social

2006-11-23T15:55:00.000-06:00

I am the proud owner of a Zune. A Brown Zune. I am very happy with this gizmo. The only other MP3 player I had was a small Creative that held around 15 songs. This has a 30GB drive that holds music, video and pictures. This has inspired me to clean up my music, find all my CD's (still looking for about a dozen or so<g>) and get them loaded onto my Zune. I've got some video that I'll move as well. One of the more interesting things about this device is the fact that you can wirelessly transfer a song to some other Zuniac. I did this the first time I took it out in public. Someone noticed the earbuds and asked if that was for a Zune. We compared models (white vs. brown) and each transferred a song. It was simple, fast and very cool! This adds a fun element - considering what song to transfer to someone else. Picking something that complements that persons taste or something that will turn them on their ear. It's like making a mix tape for those who have ever done that.

It's only been out just over a week and already there are many fans who have created websites, made wallpaper for their Zunes and are debating what should be in the next version.

I am having a blast with my Zune though its a little strange walking around with earbuds in my head. This has definitely revitalized my interest in music!

It ROCKS!

Are y'all bought into the Internet?

2006-08-08T21:03:00.000-05:00

So I'm not really from Texas or the south for that matter, but there are some phrases that I find myself not only saying, but enjoying. Y'all. Fixin - as in I'm fixin to write. Wreck instead of the more traditional midwestern "accident". Anyway...

I've been online since the days when CompuServe was king. I've surfed, newgrouped, IM'd (didn't really do chat), forums. All great stuff. Can't even imagine life without it - literally you can find something about anything. How many remember your more youthful days when nearly all information gathering required a trip to a library and if it didn't have what you were looking for it may as well not exist. Two sites have really captured my interest:

1. http://www.blinklist.com

2. http://www.cingo.com

I realize I'm behind the times regarding tagging and all that, but these may have me back on the right path. Blinklist is a really cool way to mark things that are interesting to you, but more importantly, you get to see what's interesting to other people. Like a sneak peak into their Favorites. Cool, fun, wacky stuff. Take a look and you will sign up.

Cingo is a newly developing site that helps track your life. It's a way to share a calendar with family events, track tasks/to-do items all in a very cool interface. I'm just getting started with it, but it has a ton of potential. The development staff is very responsive to feedback as well.

As an aside, I've played with blogs for coming up on two years. Not very seriously as you can see (though I also have a spaces.live.com blog -just as sporadic and idle<g>). But I think that may change. I found the site above from a blog (can't remember which - it led to such a flurry of activity or I would credit the writer). And over the last week have spent way too much time cruising though various blogs and am seeing even more cool stuff. Blogger communities - see http://micheleagnew.com which I found from http://momhood.blogspot.com.

Anyway, the point is that people are truly creative and I love that I can still be amazed. So you keep doing cool stuff - just for me!

Where has the time gone?

2006-08-03T21:42:00.000-05:00

It's been over a year since I've written anything. It's one of those things that seems to be wired into some people and not in others (guess which I am). It was kind of cool to come back to the site and see a comment<g>.

I'm looking at using blogging at work to provide info and thoughts to my teams. It has a lot over the short life span of email. I'm curious how much mail (work related) people get these days. I'm easily over 300 per day. I've used many techniques to try to deal with the constant stream, but have gone back to a single "inbox" (no rules and subfolders) and one "action" folder manually move only. This forces me to deal with the quick actions (< 2 minutes - do it when you read it) and make decisions about those items that will require more time or are dependent on other items.

How about you?

Rebate Forms

2005-04-18T00:16:00.000-05:00

What a scam...

This is a simple way to entice people to purchase items thinking they will get them at a lower price. The problem is that people don't send the rebate forms into the company. I wonder what the actual return rate is for rebates?

Good Stuff

2004-12-01T23:27:00.000-06:00

The Packers have had two big wins (6 in a row) and things are looking good. This week - Philly - huge game - in Philly. Go Pack! During the holiday I visited Lambeau and had a chance to run through the tunnel and into the South Endzone. Even though we couldn't go on the field it was Super Cool. The new stadium is really cool - if you ever get there be sure to check out the atrium floor. After that ask one of the staff to comment on the yard lines - truly amazing.

Some excellent news on the DVD front - Buck Rogers in the 25th Century has been released!! Just found out that The Six Million Dollar Man/Bionic Woman is coming in 2005. Probably will tarnish the memory, but I know I won't be able to refuse.

Whew...

2004-11-14T18:50:00.000-06:00

That was a close one. Got a call from my brother during the last minute and we were able to celebrate! Sitting on top of the NFC North - need to shore up the defense.

First Half Impressions

2004-11-14T16:53:00.000-06:00

After cleaning the garage this morning, I'm having a pretty good afternoon watching the Pack. They looked very good on offence but need some consistency on D. I'm hopeful the testing on A. Green is negative and we see him in the second half.

Second half starting in a few. Man it gets dark early these days - cloudy and rainy doesn't help.

Watched Ali G Indahouse last night - had some funny parts.

And now, back to the game...

Guzzlefish

2004-11-13T17:51:00.000-06:00

Do you have many DVD's, CD's, games? If you want to track them in a database, consider using http://www.guzzlefish.com. I have looked for apps and websites to do this for years. There are lots of options, few that are truly useful and even fewer that are maintained. Then I found Guzzlefish (yea, silly name but I got over it). This is a well designed site for tracking your media as well as a good discussion board.

I found this site in the spring of '04 and all was right with the world for a while. Then the dark months - no database updates. This is typically the problem with sites and apps like this. Even though it is free, you become reliant on the content etc. The one area that kept me and others coming back was the forum. It was entertaining and informative (to an extent as to the status of the site) and I checked back a few times a week.

Well, over the last few days they got an update to the database. The only question now is will it remain consistent over time... In the meantime check it out - and have fun.

Getting Started

2004-11-13T17:13:00.000-06:00

ok, let's hit it.

Brazil	Statue of Christ Redeemer
Peru	Machu Picchu
Mexico	Chichen Itza
China	Great Wall
Jordan	Petra
Rome	The Colosseum
India	Taj Mahal