I think this is a picture of a jet taken the instant it broke the sound barrier.

How does a guy that looks like that marry a 33 year old hottie that... oh yeah, 2 billion dollars.

In Tennessee there is a law that makes it legal to eat road kill, but there is also a law there that makes it illegal to give away free scoops of ice cream.

ABC's newest program gives a lucky couple chance to win a teenager's baby!

The story also went on to say that "My First Ice Pick" should be recalled too.



The Consumer Products Safety Commission and toymaker Mattel Inc. issued a notice on April 14, 2004 telling parents to take a Batmobile toy car away form their children, because the rear tail wings on the car pose a puncture or laceration hazard. The notice covers 314,000 units of the 20-inch blue and gray plastic vehicle with a detachable motorcycle, which was sold at mass merchants and toy stores nationwide from June 2003 through February 2004 for about $27, the notice said. Model number B4944 is written on the bottom of the toy vehicle.
(Mattel via Reuters)

KFC announced that it is serving up a new line of non-fried menu items. The Oven Roasted products - starting with an Oven Roasted Strips Meal and Roasted Twister® sandwich - will be available on May 10. In addition and currently in test in cities around the country are Oven Roasted chicken salads, Roasters flatbread sandwiches and chicken rice bowls.

"By adding new oven roasted chicken to our menu, we now have lunch and dinner options for everyone in the family. Our new oven roasted products are lower in fat and lower in carbohydrates than our fried menu options. These products were very popular in test with consumers, and they will be great additions to our menu along side our famous Kentucky Fried Chicken," said Gregg Dedrick, KFC President and Chief Concept Officer.

New Oven Roasted Strips Line Up
The new Oven Roasted Strips Meal consists of three freshly prepared boneless chicken filet strips seasoned with a unique blend of herbs and spices, served over a bed of long-grain rice with a side of southern-style green beans.

The Oven Roasted Twister Sandwich Wrap consists of two oven roasted chicken strips, marinated in special seasoning, fresh Romaine lettuce, tomatoes and KFC's unique pepper mayonnaise, all wrapped in a warm tortilla for a complete, portable meal.

Testing Around the Country
Roasters feature oven roasted, all-white meat chicken topped with crisp Romaine lettuce, chunky vegetable relish and a savory sauce all folded into a grilled flatbread. Flavor choices are Southwestern and Honey Mustard.

Chicken Rice Bowls are a complete meal featuring oven roasted, all-white meat diced chicken tossed with warm seasoned rice and flavorful garden vegetables. Flavor choices are Teriyaki and Homestyle.

The BLT Salad includes a Romaine and Iceberg lettuce blend, diced tomatoes, diced chunks of oven-roasted strips topped with chopped bacon and served with Hidden Valley Ranch dressing. A chicken Caesar salad will also be available.

The Three Cheese Oven Roasted Strips Meal consists of three boneless chicken filet strips topped with a shredded three cheese blend and served with southern-style green beans and a side garden salad with Hidden Valley Ranch dressing.

The Oven Roasted Mini Twister includes one oven roasted chicken strip, a blend of Romaine and Iceberg lettuce, diced tomatoes and a pepper mayonnaise sauce, all wrapped up in a whole wheat soft tortilla.

To support the introduction of the Oven Roasted line, all KFC stores will feature new menu boards. Designed to enhance the customer experience, the menu boards will feature a variety of options displayed in categories - value meals will be featured on the left, a new green section will showcase new non-fried menu options in the center and KFC's favorite snackables like Honey BBQ Wings® and Popcorn Chicken will be featured on the right.

You can also get nutritional information at kfc.com.

KFC Background
KFC Corporation, based in Louisville, Ky., is the world's most popular chicken restaurant chain specializing in Original Recipe, Extra Crispy™, Colonel's Crispy Strips and Honey BBQ Wings® with home-style sides and freshly made chicken sandwiches. Since its founding by Colonel Harland Sanders in 1952, KFC has been serving customers delicious, already-prepared complete family meals at affordable prices. There are over 11,000 KFC outlets in more than 80 countries and territories around the world serving some eight million customers each day. KFC Corporation is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., Louisville, Ky. (NYSE: YUM.)

The scale on my 16" globe is 1:31,680,000 which means:

1" = 31,680,000 inches
1" = 2,640,000 feet
1" = 500 miles

I guess it's just a matter of time before I get one of these.

It is 78º and breezy here. Just beautiful. I wish I had a laptop so I could finish up my final school project at a sidewalk café.

As a very rough estimate, I think I drink over 220 gallons of iced tea per year. (0.6 gallons per day x 365 days per year)

AC-130 gunship dropping flares.

AC130 Gunship Gunsight Video

I just got this year's property tax bill. It went up $425.50 from last year. I guess in the big picture that's a good thing because it means our property value is also increasing.

What happens when you don't sheer a sheep for six years.

Chicago Premium Outlets will be opening at the end of May.

It is about 15 miles north-west of our house, and is roughly on the east side of the Fox River where it intersects with I-88 in Aurora.

This is the current store listing.

Left-over pepper steak and rice for lunch. Mmmmm....

Although peanuts come in many varieties, there are four basic market types: Runner, Virginia, Spanish and Valencia. Each of the peanut types is distinctive in size, flavor, and nutritional composition.

Runner
Runners have become the dominant type due to the introduction in the early 1970's of a new runner variety, the Florunner, which was responsible for a spectacular increase in peanut yields. Runners have rapidly gained wide acceptance because of the attractive, uniform kernel size. Fifty-four percent of the runners grown are used for peanut butter. Runners are grown mainly in Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Texas and Oklahoma.

Virginia
Virginias have the largest kernels and account for most of the peanuts roasted and processed in-the-shell. When shelled, the larger kernels are sold as snack peanuts. Virginias are grown mainly in southeastern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina.

Spanish
Spanish-type peanuts have smaller kernels covered with a reddish-brown skin. They are used predominantly in peanut candies, with significant quantities used for snack nuts and peanut butter. They have a higher oil content than the other types of peanuts which is advantageous when crushing for oil. They are primarily grown in Oklahoma and Texas.

Valencia
Valencias usually have three or more small kernels to a pod and are covered in a bright-red skin. They are very sweet peanuts and are usually roasted and sold in-the-shell. They are also excellent for fresh use as boiled peanuts. New Mexico is the primary producer of Valencia peanuts.

We are going to watch Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and eat pepper steak tonight!

If there aren't any dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they go. --Will Rogers

The pepper steak is cooking!

Thanks to Lisa's inspiration I put together the ingredients for Pepper Steak Oriental in the crock pot and put it in the refrigerator. I will take it out and put it on low before I leave for work tomorrow. I can hardly wait.

I bought 3 pounds of round steak last weekend to make beef jerky, but I did get to making it. It takes a good amount of prep work to make jerky, and it is probably best to cut and marinate the meat on Friday night, and then start dehydrating on Saturday, and stop it Saturday night or Sunday morning depending on how fast it dries. To do it during the week you have to start it drying at night and not stop it until you get home from work the next day. That makes it too dry.

So anyway, I had 3 pounds of round steak in the fridge that I needed to do something with soon, and I didn't want to wait another 24 hours before I cut it up for jerky.

I diced up the steak and put it in the crock pot. Sheri stirred in:

soy sauce
garlic powder
ginger

She then diced and added:

half of a huge onion from a previous recipe
two average sized green peppers
½ pound of sliced fresh mushrooms

That's it! Lisa said it is delicious. One of their favorites.

I might serve it with a little rice.

We will have way more than we can eat for one meal, so I think I might freeze it in serving-sized containers and take it to work for lunches.

I have not been writing here too much. Nothing's wrong; just haven't been in a writing mood lately.

Me, I tend to like a 22 pound butt steak. Thick and juicy, sweet and meaty; 18 pounds for dinner and 4 for dessert.

Sheri bought this for me years ago, but I never really used it. Now that I have a dehydrator I am going to use it tonight to process as many apples as the dehydrator will hold. I bought six pounds of Fuji's over the weekend for $3 from Meijer, and they are some of the best apples I have ever had. Try a bag.

After work last night I cut the grass, used the string trimmer, and applied some insecticide crystals around the foundation of the house because we had some ants in the kitchen.

We make special trips to 7-11 just for their Diet Pepsi Slurpees. They're that good. We love 'em! Try one and let me know what you think.

These cars have performed well in Consumer Reports tests over the years and have had much-better-than-average reliability for multiple years:

Acura Integra
Acura MDX
Acura RL
Acura TL
Buick Regal
Chrysler PT Cruiser
Ford Escort
Geo/Chevrolet Prizm
Honda Accord
Honda Civic
Honda CR-V
Honda Odyssey
Honda Prelude
Honda S2000
Infiniti G20
Infiniti I30, I35
Infiniti QX4
Isuzu Oasis
Lexus ES300
Lexus GS300/GS400, GS430
Lexus LS400, LS430
Lexus RX300
Lincoln Town Car (except 2003)
Mazda 626
Mazda Millenia
Mazda MPV
Mazda MX-5 Miata
Mazda Protegé
Mercury Tracer
Nissan Altima
Nissan Maxima
Nissan Pathfinder
Subaru Forester
Subaru Impreza
Subaru Legacy
Subaru Outback
Toyota 4Runner
Toyota Avalon
Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry Solara
Toyota Celica
Toyota Corolla
Toyota Echo
Toyota Highlander
Toyota Land Cruiser
Toyota RAV4
Toyota Sequoia
Toyota Sienna
Toyota Tacoma
Toyota Tundra

These cars have shown several years of much-worse-than-average overall reliability.

Audi A6
BMW 7 Series
Cadillac Seville
Chevrolet Astro
Chevrolet Blazer
Chevrolet S-10 (4WD)
Chrysler Town & Country (AWD)
Dodge Grand Caravan (AWD)
Dodge Neon
GMC Jimmy
GMC Safari
GMC Sonoma (4WD)
Jaguar S-Type
Jeep Grand Cherokee
Mercedes-Benz M-Class
Oldsmobile Bravada
Oldsmobile Cutlass
Plymouth Neon
Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Jetta
Volkswagen New Beetle

I got choked up twice this morning on the way to work thinking about Goliath.

The first time I was remembering when we were in the vet's office to euthanize him and I positioned him and then held his head while the nurse gave him the shot that made him unconscious. Over the ten years that we had him we developed a repoire(sp) between us. Just by the way I would subtly tap my thigh, make a sound, or put pressure on a part of his body, he would respond and move in the direction I wanted him to. He always trusted me. My rational side understands, but my emotional side feels like I betrayed his trust.

The second time I got choked up was thinking about the final week or two. He was puffed up from the cancer and lost his energy to play, but he would still follow me from room to room. He didn't really want me to pet him; I think it might have been uncomfortable for him; he just wanted to be near his friend.

I am getting choked up for the third time today.

A video that Lisa sent me of Shawn picking up Easter eggs in Mom and Dad's backyard.

The value of my Bank One 401(k) increased 10% in the first quarter of 2004.

I have been having difficulty with the ShareALot program that I have been using to share pictures directly from my computer. I love the concept of the program, but it keeps crashing. I am going to uninstall it and keep my eyes open for another similar program that is more stable, or wait until ShareALot releases an upgrade. If you installed it, has it been crashing on your computer?

Consumer Reports says that Wal-Mart's Great Value brand automatic dishwasher powder is the best performing product! Better than Cascade, Electrasol, and Palmolive. Even better, it is half the price of Cascade, and has enzymes to dissolve starches and proteins.

Their prices look pretty good. I want to get everything in their weekly ad!

Bobak Sausage will be opening their Naperville store in May! It is supposed to be the best sausage maker in Chicago, if not the US.

The famous Ronnie Woo Woo!

(For OSU fans, he is like our Neutron Man.)

This guy just sits in front of his web cam in a chicken suit most of the day waiting for people to tell him what to do. Give it a try!

I just heard of Alcala's Western Wear this morning on the radio. It's a HUGE western store right here in Chicago. They have over 5,000 hats in stock!

A gallon of regular grade gas in Los Angeles currently averages $2.23 per gallon.

Toyota concept hybrid car.

I bought a bottle of this at Wal-Mart this weekend and it is really good. Nice flavor. Not too hot. Good vinegar balance. It was made in Guadalajara, Mexico, and was only $0.89! Highly recommended.

Consumer Reports Says Don't Buy The Sharper Image Ionic Breeze - Doesn't Work

Sharper Image ads claim that the Ionic Breeze has been “proven effective” and that “tests at leading university research centers show that the Ionic Breeze is effective at trapping airborne allergens, contaminants and irritants.” Ads also cite its quiet operation, implying that other cleaners are less effective because people can’t abide the noise and will shut them off.

Here is what we found.
Last year, we said that the Ionic Breeze “proved unimpressive” and that our tests “found almost no measurable reduction in airborne particles.”

The company complained, maintaining that our tests, based on the industry standard for measuring clean-air delivery rate (CADR), were inadequate. Sharper Image said that the Ionic Breeze technology is “vastly different” from that of other air cleaners and would fare better in a longer test.

We re-examined our test procedures and had them reviewed by an independent expert, Morton Lippmann, professor of environmental medicine at New York University. He confirmed the validity of our methodology. We continue to stand behind our report.

This year, we ran our regular tests for the Ratings of whole-house and room air cleaners. We then ran additional long-term tests to find out whether the Sharper Image technology is, as the company says, “so unique” that we have to “look beyond the limiting CADR test protocol” to evaluate it fairly. We included the similar Honeywell Environizer in the extended testing.

This year’s additional testing has not changed our judgment.
We hired both Prof. Lippmann and S. Katharine Hammond, professor of environmental health sciences at the University of California at Berkeley, to evaluate the results of several studies that Sharper Image sent us to demonstrate the Ionic Breeze’s effectiveness. According to our two experts, some of those studies were irrelevant to the question of whether the Ionic Breeze was an effective air cleaner. For example, one Virginia study used the Ionic Breeze only as a particle sampler, not an air cleaner. Other studies used questionable methodology or showed merely that the Sharper Image had little air-cleaning capability.


THIS YEAR'S ADDED TESTS AND RESULTS
Long-term air cleaning. We tested the Sharper Image Ionic Breeze and the Honeywell Environizer against two high-scoring air cleaners, the Friedrich electrostatic precipitator and the Whirlpool HEPA filter.

We gauged how well each air cleaner could handle the periodic introduction of small amounts of pollutant into a sealed test chamber over a 6-hour period. One set of tests used smoke, another fine dust. A second set of tests gauged how well each cleaner worked for the next 17 hours, after the last injection of pollutant. For both sets of tests, we ran the Ionic Breeze and the Environizer on high to maximize performance; the others were on low, their quietest setting.

The better an air cleaner does in lab tests like these, the better it will perform in a household setting. But as Prof. Lippmann explained, if there is “very little dust removal over 100 minutes,” then running an air cleaner for 24 hours “is not going to make it an effective air cleaner when infiltration of air containing particles into a room continues.”

The results. The Ionic Breeze and the Environizer didn’t come close to the performance of the others. As the graph below shows, the Friedrich and Whirlpool have very high rates of air-cleaning. The Ionic Breeze and Environizer had very slow rates of cleaning, which did not improve over time; those two products never achieved the same low pollutant level that the Friedrich and Whirlpool attained.

Noise study. We asked 40 people in 20 households to run the Friedrich and Whirlpool in their bedrooms continuously on low speed for a week.

The results. Thirty-five of those using the Friedrich said they didn’t notice the noise, hardly noticed it, or noticed but didn’t find it bothersome. With the Whirlpool, 29 people didn’t notice the noise at all, hardly noticed it, or noticed but didn’t find it bothersome. Two said the Whirlpool’s noise was so annoying that they wanted to turn the machine off. No one said that about the Friedrich.

Given those findings, you could expect most of the air cleaners we tested to be quiet enough on low speed for most households. Based on our lab measurements and judgments, both fell within the range we call very good for noise on low speed.


THE BOTTOM LINE
The Ionic Breeze and the Environizer are quiet but ineffective. A comparable product, the Hoover SilentAir 4000, performed poorly in our standard test; we chose not to put it through any extended trials. Considering how slowly these three products worked, our advice is to avoid all three. There are much better choices.

As we were out today I noticed a small storefront sandwich shop called Roly Poly Sandwiches that I hadn't noticed before. The sign looked professional like a chain, so I thought I would look it up on the web when I got home.

I pretty much expected a menu similar to Subway, but boy was I surprised! First, instead of bread, all of their sandwiches are rolled in a tortilla and grilled. Secondly, every sandwich on their menu sounds amazing! Brie, provolone, monetary jack, pepper jack, and cheddar cheeses; avocado; sprouts; cucumber; spinach; artichoke hearts; curried chicken salad; smoked salmon; mango chutney; apple butter; basil mayonnaise; steak; roast pork; mushrooms; sun dried tomatoes; hummus. (These are just some of the ingredients that stood out to me, not one sandwich!)

I can't wait to try them now. They have stores in about 30 states.

I have been craving a good cappuccino lately. Someone at work said that the new Duncin Donuts' lattes and cappuccinos were surprisingly good so I gave those a try. Very very light coffee taste. I didn’t feel like paying the $4 or $5 at Starbucks, so…

This afternoon I got out the espresso maker and made myself a wonderful cup of decaf cappuccino. The pre-ground decaf coffee that Mom and Dad brought back from Puerto Rico was already ground to a powder-like espresso grind and it worked perfectly. I didn't have to grind it down any further. I added three packets of Equal sweetener. I think I will make myself another one tonight while we watch one of our movies.

I just submitted our taxes electronically. Somewhere around here I have the rebate coupon that came with TurboTax in order to get the electronic filing fees refunded. I guess they are hoping I lose it.

This is what I applied yesterday.

Did you ever wonder what the different recycling symbols meant on the bottom of the various plastic containers mean? Here is the answer:


PET - Polyethylene Terephthalate is a transparent plastic with good gas barrier properties. It is also relatively cheap and strong. This makes it especially suitable for producing soft drink bottles.




HDPE - High Density Polyethylene is another plastic commonly used for drink bottles. It is translucent and strong with a good resistance against chemicals. Pigments are used to add colour to HDPE bottles.




PVC - Polyvinyl Chloride is frequently used for drainage pipes because of its superior chemical resistance. It also a good insulator and is used for cable jacketing.




LDPE - Low Density Polyethylene is a tough and highly flexible plastic that is used for producing plastic bags, cable jacketing and bottles. Other applications include products that can be heat sealed.




PP - Polypropylene is a strong and light plastic. It has a relatively high melting point and is used in products exposed to high temperatures. These include yogurt and ice cream containers that are filled while hot.




PS - Polystyrene is rather stiff and rigid. In this form, it is used in disposable cutlery and CD jewel cases. Packing foam is also produced by blowing air bubbles into PS while it is still setting.




Other - This designation is used for plastic products that do not fall into any of the other catagories. Further sorting of these items is required at recycling centres. An example is melamine, which is often used in plastic plates an cups.

I have been meaning to do this for a while. The fertilizer bag says it covers 5,000 square feet of grass. Well how many square feet of grass do I have? Now that I am a GIS professional I figured it out using an aerial orthographic photo.

The answer is 6,045 square feet. The green area in the image is obviously our grass, and the black part of the image is house, patio, sidewalk, and driveway.

[Click for full image.]

The mathematical opposite of green is red (and therefore the most contrasting), so I guess I will try red colored string trimmer replacement line next.

I had a productive day yesterday. I originally planned on going into the City with Sheri in the morning (I had off but she didn’t) but it was on the border-line cool side, and the gusty winds would have made it unenjoyable to sit outside and watch people.

I started out by cutting the grass. The lawn mower started on the third try. I was glad because I didn’t winterize it at the end of the season. I might have changed the oil but I left a small amount of gas in it. I might have added Sta-Bil to the gas, but I also forget.

After I cut the grass I cut up a big tree/shrub that was uprooted from the wind storms we had here a while back.

I then applied lawn fertilizer with crabgrass pre-emergent treatment.

Finally I used the string trimmer on the whole yard, and also used it to edge the sidewalk and curb. It started up on the first pull. I didn’t winterize it either, but I did start it up a couple of times over the winter to keep everything moving.

I love my gas powered string trimmer. With an electric powered one I was more likely to skip using it because of the hassle of getting the extension cord, unreeling it, wrangling the cord as I moved around, move it from the front yard to the backyard, getting it untangled from trees, etc. With the gas one I just start it and go.

When I need to replace the string on mine I am going to look for a different color, like blaze orange. Right now it is green and it blends in too well with the grass. I think if it was a more contrasting color I could see the blur of the string and be more precise in trimming.

Sheri is walking dogs this morning, but I didn’t feel like it.

One of my pet peeves is when people refer to the events that occurred on September 11,  2001 as “nine one one” rather than “nine eleven”.

SQUAD – Nine to 10 soldiers. Typically commanded by a sergeant or staff sergeant, a squad or section is the smallest element in Army structure, and its size is dependent on its function.

PLATOON – 16 to 44 soldiers. A platoon is led by a lieutenant with an NCO as second in command, and consists of two to four squads or sections.

COMPANY – 62 to 190 soldiers. Three to five platoons form a company, which is commanded by a captain with a first sergeant as the commander’s principal NCO assistant.
An artillery unit of equivalent size is called a battery, and a comparable armored or air cavalry unit is called a troop.

BATTALION – 300 to 1,000 soldiers. Four to six companies make up a battalion, which is normally commanded by a lieutenant colonel with a command sergeant major as principal NCO assistant. A battalion is capable of independent operations of limited duration and scope.
An armored or air cavalry unit of equivalent size is called a squadron.

BRIGADE – 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers. A brigade headquarters commands the tactical operations of two to five organic or attached combat battalions. Normally commanded by a colonel with a command sergeant major as senior NCO, brigades are employed on independent or semi-independent operations.
Armored, cavalry, ranger and Special Forces units this size are categorized as regiments or groups.

DIVISION – 10,000 to 15,000 soldiers. Usually consisting of three brigade-sized elements and commanded by a major general, divisions are numbered and assigned missions based on their structures. The division performs major tactical operations for the corps and can conduct sustained battles and engagements.

CORPS – 20,000 to 45,000 soldiers. Two to five divisions constitute a corps, which is typically commanded by a lieutenant general. As the deployable level of command required to synchronize and sustain combat operations, the corps provides the framework for multi-national operations.

ARMY – 50,000+ soldiers. Typically commanded by a lieutenant general or higher, an army combines two or more corps. A theater army is the ranking Army component in a unified command, and it has operational and support responsibilities that are assigned by the theater commander in chief. The commander in chief and theater army commander may order formation of a field army to direct operations of assigned corps and divisions. An army group plans and directs campaigns in a theater, and is composed of two or more field armies under a designated commander. Army groups have not been employed by the Army since World War II.

If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man. -- Mark Twain

I found out the prices that I quoted in my post on Thursday about battery powered emergency sump pumps do NOT include the battery. That is an extra $100 for a specially formulated lead acid battery.

I think I will eventually go with the middle model for $230 ($330 with battery) but install it myself. PVC pipe is pretty easy to work with.

Stupid jerk.

Happy Easter!



Ruben Enaje, 43-years old and on his 17th year to be nailed on the cross grimaces after a nail pierces his palm on Good Friday, April 9, 2004 in the village of San Pedro Cutud in Pampanga province, north of Manila. This ritual is performed yearly during Holy Week by Filipino penitents as they observed the life and sufferings of Jesus Christ and on the belief that it will atone them of their sins.
(AP Photo/Pat Roque)

Happy Easter!

Be careful with this. It can be addicting.

Has everyone checked their weather radio recently to make sure it is in stand-by mode; has a fresh battery; and is ready to go for this year's storm season?

FYI: Every Wednesday around noon local time a test signal is broadcast so people can make sure their radio's alert function is working properly.

Amazing. An almost real-time transcipt of Condoleezza Rice's testimony.

I really need to buy a battery powered backup sump pump. (The prices are from Home Depot's site.) I have not done any measurements (yet!), but with any kind of rain, we pump several gallons of water per hour. Maybe 20 gph? If we lost power, or the main pump malfunctioned we would be in big trouble.

Good - $130

Better - $230

Best - $470

I am listening to Condoleezza Rice testify before the 9/11 Commission via CNN.com's site. (I love the Internet!) Somewhat contentious so far.

Happy Birthday hat!

I updated the birthday page with Jack K.'s info!

This week's U.S. News & World Report has the annual national graduate school rankings. The University of Toledo made the top 100! It tied for the number 94 spot with Marquette, Santa Clara, U of Mississippi, and U of San Francisco.

DePaul, where I finished up my MBA, slipped to the third tier schools which means they are ranked between 105 and 133, but no ranking is given.

The Ohio State University's MBA program is tied for an impressive 19 with Emory U.

The oscar will now regularly nip my finger if I leave it just above the water level while pinching bits of fish food. I need to get some long pellets so I can train him to always grab the food from my fingers. He will start to wiggle back and forth now as I walk towards the aquarium. He can see me from about 15 to 20 feet away! They say that oscars are the smartest aquarium fish.

We are really enjoying our XM Radio. The music channels we check out most often are:

Channel Description
7 seventies
8 eighties
9 nineties
20 Top 20 hits
21 Kiss - Pop hits
22 Contemporary hits
25 Adult contemporary
26 concerts
27 Movie soundtracks
29 Euro and global chart hits
44 Deep classic alternative
45 modern / soft alternative
46 Classic rock
47 alternative hits
49 eclectic
50 acoustic rock
51 progressive rock / jambands
52 unsigned bands
53 punk / hardcore / ska
54 classic alternative hits (we listen to this one the most)
65 classic hip-hop / rap
66 uncut hip-hop
67 urban top 40
74 blues
76 cocktail mix
80 underground dance
81 club hits
101 reggae

There about 10 news and talk stations that I listen to mostly with my earphone after I have turned in for the night, including the BBC, CNN, and the new liberal network Air America Radio.

I also listen to the comedy channel occasionally.

I got a pound of slab apricots at Trader Joe's today, and are they ever good!

Slab apricots are dried apricots that are not harvested until they are fully ripe. This changes two things from normal dehydrated apricots you normally see:

1. Much sweeter and better tasting.
2. Because they are soft and ripe during processing they don't hold their shape well, so they don't have a uniform "pretty" shape.

In the past the slab apricots were the ones left behind at the orchard for the farmer's family and neighbors, but word has gotten out that these are the ones you want. If you see a bag at the store try it. I paid $4.79 for a one pound bag.

I am doing some freelance GIS work. One of the things I have been asked to do is get aerial photos for all the places that the Illinois Tollway goes through. This is the finished result:

Click for larger image


This is obviously just a low-resolution image of all of the 88 aerial photos. The aerial images are in 1 meter resolution. (The smallest object you that will show up is 1 meter in size.) The aerial images alone are about 250 megabytes. I downloaded the images from the Illinois Natural Resources Geospatial Data Clearinghouse and it took me about 1.5 hours. These images will eventually be on their website. You will be able to zoom in on the images and see individual cars.

This is what looked like in about 1997.

Dow Corning makes "3179 Dilatent Compound" and is then marketed by Binney-Smith as the famous Silly Putty.

You can buy in bulk directly from Dow Corning. Their minimum order is 100 pounds and should cost you under $800.

The world's most secure safe for use while traveling.

Don't worry about the words, just look at the pictures.

Has anyone that I sent an invitation to downloaded the ShareALot software and retrieved the test pictures on my PC?

If you would like an invitation just let me know and I will send you an e-mail.

I was dropping floating food pellets into the aquarium this morning and the oscar shot up and bit my thumb which was about an inch above the water! It didn't hurt; they don't have teeth. I think he was more startled than I was. He shot down to the bottom after that. It felt a little like sandpaper, and he didn't clamp down. It was only for a fraction of a second. I need to buy some long pellets so I can train him(her?) to take the food from my fingers. The stuff I currently have is the size and shape of BB's.

I want this chair!

If you want to get a jump-start on me you can download and install this new free software called ShareALot.

Without getting too detailed, it will let me share all of our photos with out uploading them to the web. I can just tell the software which folder has the photos I want to share. When you log-in to the internet the software works in the background copying them directly from my computer!

If it works as good as the New York Times review says it does, this might be the only way I share photos anymore. I will also be sharing a lot more photos because I won't have to worry about how much server space I am using. I currently only have 100 megabytes. I have about 20 availabe gigabytes (20,000 megabytes) on my PC. That is 200 times more space!

It comes in versions for both Windows, Mac OS X.