This image leaves me depressed:
http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/NaturalHazards/shownh.php3?img_id=14126
It's a satellite view of the northeastern US and it shows very clearly where there is snow - which is most of the northeast. However, from about Boston on south, there's a thin strip of land along the coast where there is no snow. I happen to live in that area. So for pretty much this whole winter there's been no snow on the ground where I live. There was one day when it snowed and I was all excited when I saw a few inches of snow on the ground in the morning. I even took my camera with me to work, hoping to take some nice snow scene pictures during lunch. Unfortunately, as I drove to work the snow faded and there wasn't even any on the ground anymore. When I got home that night, all the snow was gone there, too.
Maybe I need to move further north. Oh wait, that's what I'm trying to do - if I could just find someone to buy my condo... (yes, it's still for sale). Based on the latest statistics, it seems I picked the worst time in the past 15 years for selling my home.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Upcoming Lunar Eclipse
There is going to be a full lunar eclipse on Saturday, March 3rd, at about 5:30PM. For those of us on the east coast, that means the eclipse will occur during the moonrise. As a result, the moon is supposed to be a deep red color. Hopefully there won't be any clouds.
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Duck, Duck, Grey Duck?
These two ducks were outside my window this morning. I'm suspecting the greyish one is a gadwall and the other (with the blue bill) is a widgeon, but I'm not sure. Anyone have a better idea?
I found it odd that there was just one of each type of duck, along with a whole bunch of mallard ducks and some Canadian geese. I guess these two got lost. A brief read of the description of gadwalls does say they are sometimes with widgeons, so I guess if the two are a gadwall and a widgeon it might make sense to see those two together.
Sorry the pictures are a bit blurry. I was experimenting with my camera earlier and forgot to adjust the ISO back to a reasonable value. I didn't notice the problem until after the ducks had swam away.
I found it odd that there was just one of each type of duck, along with a whole bunch of mallard ducks and some Canadian geese. I guess these two got lost. A brief read of the description of gadwalls does say they are sometimes with widgeons, so I guess if the two are a gadwall and a widgeon it might make sense to see those two together.
Sorry the pictures are a bit blurry. I was experimenting with my camera earlier and forgot to adjust the ISO back to a reasonable value. I didn't notice the problem until after the ducks had swam away.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Fortune of the Week (10)
"You're not a failure because you don't make it, you're a success because you tried."
Hmmm.... I'm on the fence on whether I like this one. On the one hand it sounds like some really lame saccharine message to help under-achievers feel good about themselves. But, at the same time, it does coincide with my belief that all you can ever strive for is to always try to do your best.
Hmmm.... I'm on the fence on whether I like this one. On the one hand it sounds like some really lame saccharine message to help under-achievers feel good about themselves. But, at the same time, it does coincide with my belief that all you can ever strive for is to always try to do your best.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Free Pancakes!
Ok, it might not be as tasty as the free cone day at Ben & Jerry's (usually around Earth Day in April), but I thought I should mention that IHOP is having a "free pancake day" next Tuesday, February 20th to celebrate Pancake Day (better known as Mardi Gras). They'll give you three free pancakes. All they ask is you consider making a donation to the Children's Miracle Network or other local charity.
Hmmm... I never knew there was a Pancake Day.
Hmmm... I never knew there was a Pancake Day.
Monday, February 05, 2007
Fortune of the Week (9) and My Zen Soapbox
This was the fortune I found in my cookie from lunch today:
""
Yup - the cookie was empty. That's two weeks in a row I've received an empty cookie! So instead, I'll present this qoute from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Zen Living:
"Do your duty without attachment and without resentment or obsession. Practice personal discipline so you can better maintain a sense of control, well-being, and good health for your own body and your own mind. Devote yourself with compassion to the world and the people and things in it - without attaching to them, without needing them, without desiring them, but simply by loving them."
Now that's some great advice!
I know I've already mentioned this book in the past, but I think it's worth repeating. There is a great deal of good advice in there and it gives a nice overview of the whole concept of Zen. And if I had to pick one thing that has had the most positive influence in my adult life, it would be Zen. I wish more people could learn about Zen. However, I think one false impression many people may have regarding Zen needs to be overcome. Zen does not have to replace an existing religious faith - the two can coexist. To quote another part of the Zen Living book:
"If you have a religious faith that involves a higher power, you can still look within yourself to find the gifts you have been given. You can still immerse yourself in the present moment to fully appreciate and savor the life you have been given and the world that has been created and grows and breathes and lives all around you. Buddhism doesn't say you are God. It doesn't really talk about God, leaving that for other faiths, or the individual, to contemplate. That's why Zen doesn't contradict other religions."
Anyhow, if you ever get the chance, read a bit of this book. It's definitely time well spent.
""
Yup - the cookie was empty. That's two weeks in a row I've received an empty cookie! So instead, I'll present this qoute from The Complete Idiot's Guide to Zen Living:
"Do your duty without attachment and without resentment or obsession. Practice personal discipline so you can better maintain a sense of control, well-being, and good health for your own body and your own mind. Devote yourself with compassion to the world and the people and things in it - without attaching to them, without needing them, without desiring them, but simply by loving them."
Now that's some great advice!
I know I've already mentioned this book in the past, but I think it's worth repeating. There is a great deal of good advice in there and it gives a nice overview of the whole concept of Zen. And if I had to pick one thing that has had the most positive influence in my adult life, it would be Zen. I wish more people could learn about Zen. However, I think one false impression many people may have regarding Zen needs to be overcome. Zen does not have to replace an existing religious faith - the two can coexist. To quote another part of the Zen Living book:
"If you have a religious faith that involves a higher power, you can still look within yourself to find the gifts you have been given. You can still immerse yourself in the present moment to fully appreciate and savor the life you have been given and the world that has been created and grows and breathes and lives all around you. Buddhism doesn't say you are God. It doesn't really talk about God, leaving that for other faiths, or the individual, to contemplate. That's why Zen doesn't contradict other religions."
Anyhow, if you ever get the chance, read a bit of this book. It's definitely time well spent.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Interesting articles about Cybercrime
There's a very interesting series of articles from Wired Magazine about cybercrime. It gives a very detailed look at what sort of stuff has been going on and just how much some cybercriminals get away with. It's a somewhat scary story since what is described actually happened.
Here are links to the three articles:
I was a Cybercrook for the FBI
Tightening the Net on CyberCrime
Crime Boards Come Crashing Down
Here are links to the three articles:
I was a Cybercrook for the FBI
Tightening the Net on CyberCrime
Crime Boards Come Crashing Down
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Foxes watching the hen house?
Ok, it seems I'm a bit behind the times on keeping up with politcal news. I was surprised today while reading an article about alleged censoring by the White House of scientists reporting global warming when I came across this quote:
"Cooney, who was a lobbyist for the American Petroleum Institute before becoming chief of staff at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, resigned in 2005 to work for oil giant ExxonMobil."
So let me get this straight. A guy who used to work as a lobbyist for oil companies was appointed chief of staff at the White House Council on Environmental Quality??? Is this some kind of joke? Talk about a conflict of interest! How could someone in good conscience do such a thing? Could the president seriously think, "Now this is the guy who will do the best job looking after the environment..."? And to think I actually thought Bush sounded like a reasonable guy when he gave his state of the union address last week.
Ok, I suppose there's no sense for me to get all worked up about it - this all was from a couple years ago - the oil guy has since resigned to go back to working for oil companies - but sheesh! That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in a long time.
Am I missing something here?
"Cooney, who was a lobbyist for the American Petroleum Institute before becoming chief of staff at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, resigned in 2005 to work for oil giant ExxonMobil."
So let me get this straight. A guy who used to work as a lobbyist for oil companies was appointed chief of staff at the White House Council on Environmental Quality??? Is this some kind of joke? Talk about a conflict of interest! How could someone in good conscience do such a thing? Could the president seriously think, "Now this is the guy who will do the best job looking after the environment..."? And to think I actually thought Bush sounded like a reasonable guy when he gave his state of the union address last week.
Ok, I suppose there's no sense for me to get all worked up about it - this all was from a couple years ago - the oil guy has since resigned to go back to working for oil companies - but sheesh! That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard in a long time.
Am I missing something here?
Advice on getting a dog
Lately I've been really poor with my time management. For example, I ended up cooking my dinner about 11:30PM tonight. And now it's 12:30am and while I should be sleeping, I ended up getting distracted reading an article about how to properly choose a dog. And I'm not even thinking about getting a dog! (Hmmm.. seems I've got a monkey brain...) You too can get distracted and read the article here. It's actually quite entertaining and offers a lot of great advice. If you don't want to get totally distracted, here's one quote that I thought was very worthwhile (from page 5 of the article):
"Pet stores . . . Just say no!
Here's a way NOT to get a dog. When you see those little puppies in mall pet stores, our advice is: run away. Many pet stores sell dogs from puppy mills. If you thought that the plight of veal calves was bad . . . well, you're right, it is. But puppy mills are right there with it when it comes to wholesale animal cruelty. They basically churn out puppies for pet stores, kill the ones that don't look like they'd sell well, and keep the live ones in awful living conditions. And pet store puppies that don't get bought are sent to the pound."
So, if I did lose an hour or so of sleep getting distracted reading about dogs, the least I can do is share the above advice. And if you are considering getting a dog, read the full article, and then visit the local pound.
"Pet stores . . . Just say no!
Here's a way NOT to get a dog. When you see those little puppies in mall pet stores, our advice is: run away. Many pet stores sell dogs from puppy mills. If you thought that the plight of veal calves was bad . . . well, you're right, it is. But puppy mills are right there with it when it comes to wholesale animal cruelty. They basically churn out puppies for pet stores, kill the ones that don't look like they'd sell well, and keep the live ones in awful living conditions. And pet store puppies that don't get bought are sent to the pound."
So, if I did lose an hour or so of sleep getting distracted reading about dogs, the least I can do is share the above advice. And if you are considering getting a dog, read the full article, and then visit the local pound.
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