Saturday, June 19, 2010

Be a Geek Dad on Father's Day

Well, a special shout out to father's out there this weekend. Good father's are involved in their child's education and there are ways to make it fun.

Enter the book Geek Dad: Awesomely Geeky Projects and Activities for Dads and Kids to Share by Ken Denmead, author of the Geek Dad blog. There was a nice interview with him talking about the book yesterday on Science Friday. It sounds like a lot of fun...among the projects (from Amazon.com).

•Fly a night-time kite ablaze with lights or launch a video camera with balloons
•Construct the "Best Slip n' Slide Ever," a guaranteed thrill ride
•Build a working lamp with LEGO bricks and CDs
•Create a customized comic strip or your own board game
•Transform any room into a spaceship
•Make geeky crafts like cyborg jack-o'-lanterns or Ethernet cuff links

Many of these projects can be down with low cost materials, possibly even stuff you have laying around the house. What better way to spend Father's Day (or any lazy summer weekend) than showing your kids how much fun it is to mess around with science and engineering.

You can also check out his Top 10 Dads in Science Fiction and Fantasy while you are there.

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

Coming to Your Senses at the Right Time...

Swan Song




One of my favorite places to go to get away is Up North. It's a peaceful and tranquil place out in the boondocks in northern Wisconsin. A great place to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. A place to go fishing, hunting, four wheeling in woods, snowmobiling, and other outdoor activities. Here's a song about it...Swan Song

The lofty trees of green
Go far as eyes could see
Sun is held high at noon
Summer can't go too soon

Oh, you're so fine dear girl
Oh, can't we find a thrill?
The shines through your hair
Through breezes in the air

In the woods there is a fawn
An early sign of dawn
The birds sing in the trees
Because they're only free

In the lake a swan swims
Sun comes out from the dim
A bird chirp breaks the hush
There is no need to rush

Birds flying in the air
I just stood there and stared
Sun ripples on the lake
It's wonders the Lord can make

Light colors the lake blue
Colors in the eyes of hue
Overhead a hawk screams
I must be in a dream...

The sun draws to the west
Baby, I'll do my best
To give all that I can
For promise of a man

Butterflies you can chase
I know you love this place
The sun may go away
For another dawn we'll stay.....

Friday, June 18, 2010

Joe Jackson - "One More Time"



Crank it UP!!!

I don't expect comments. I posted this because I felt like hearing that song and thought I'd link it here in perpetuity (more or less). The song is from Look Sharp, an incredibly tight album.

Four for Fridays

Hello everyone! It's finally Friday after a long week. Seeing Father's Day is the weekend, this week's questions are about fathers.

1) Do you celebrate Father's Day?

2) How do you celebrate Father's Day?

3) Describe what is your father like.

4) What you think it takes to be a good father?

Enjoy your weekend!

Open Blog - Weekend Version


Keep doing that and your eyes will get stuck that way.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Um, how did we manage to miss our own 2nd birthday?



June 1, 2008 - JT IRREGULARS - June 1, 2010


Happy belated birthday to us!

Police Punch Probe



Based on what I've read and see here, I agree with the police on this one. Don't mess with the police in the performance of their duties, and especially don't shove a cop when he's trying to arrest someone. To me, this is just further evidence of the breakdown of law and order in our society.

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my wild and (very) wet ones! How are you? Does anyone remember what the sun looks like? That big, yellow thing that sometimes appeared in the summer sky? I heard a rumor that it might do a cameo today - if we’re all very good and finish all of our vegetables. Perhaps a human sacrifice to Sol? I just don’t know what it will take to get Mother Nature to finally engage the clutch on summer’s gearbox. Oh my, how’s that for a mixed metaphor? Summer’s engine is racing, but its wheels aren’t spinning. C’mon, let’s go!

Even though we have been cursed with forty days and forty nights of rain, the summer celebration time is here in Racine and I don’t think too many events have been rained out. It’s always good to see crowds of people out interacting with each other at local shindigs. And there is even so much more available in Milwaukee and Chicago. We are truly blessed to be able to call Racine home. At least when it’s not January or February.

I received an email this week from the always festive Mr. fungi. In a message entitled “Trademark Infringement,” he wrote:

Dear Madame,

I have read and heard of the many imposters trying to pass themselves off as a true soothsayer. I was out of town last weekend and made an interesting discovery in my travels.

I found this shameless charlatan hawking his "services" on the Vegas Strip. (Please see attachment.) [At right.] On the plus side I did not see anyone checking out if he had the right numbers to bet on or which slot machines would pay out the most. I figured it was because he doesn't have the pristine reputation that you enjoy.

Spiritually Yours
fungi

It is so good to hear from you, Mr. fungi. I am simply delighted. Thank you so much for your concern about me, my reputation, and my rights. That is just another reason why I so love my Irregulars. We are all a family, watching out for each other and helping when we can. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, kind of like when I drink too much wine, but without the hangover.

The fellow in that picture, Mr. fungi, is my ex-husband, or, more likely, one of his many clones. I had hoped that we saw the last of his kind when Ms. Beejay encountered him deteriorating on some forgotten stretch of Florida. However, he is legion. There are copies of him everywhere, cruel reminders of our bittersweet love. I am quite used to it by now. It does not bother me anywhere near as much as it used to. Today, I am a respectable businesswoman, and I am no longer easily manipulated by the wiles of what you so aptly described as a “charlatan.”

Thank you, again, Mr. fungi, for your concern. I deeply appreciate it. As I also appreciate the love and concern of all the other Irregulars and our friends. Thank you each and every one for taking the time to read my blog today. Our time together is precious.

Don’t forget, if you have anything you want to express, suppress, or repress, send it to: madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com.

Really, I heard the sun would actually shine today. In the sky. Like in days of yore. I am not kidding. Dust off your old sunglasses, and dig out the sunscreen, if you still have any. Otherwise, use lard. I love you all. Oleo!

Open Blog - Wednesday


So start humping!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

New Dental Extraction Methods

WTF?



I'll save you the trouble by making the obvious joke: This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for Obamacare.

Monday, June 14, 2010

Venus and the Moon Again...

Venus and the Moon are in the process of another nice encounter after sunset tonight. Had to get out and snap some pictures since I haven't done that in a while. Here is what it looked like from Tucson.




It will still be pretty good tomorrow night. The Moon will move higher in the sky and be above Venus.

Being so close in the sky together, it is a good time to try and see Venus during the day. I have blogged about this before. If you can find the Moon, Venus will be a little closer to the Sun. Scan slowly with your eyes. You really have to look directly at Venus to see it (when its image falls on the most sensitive part of your retina called the fovea). It can difficult to find, but pops right out when you hit it. Another hint: stand so the Sun is behind a building. If you do this, you can even try to find it with binoculars (be sure the Sun is totally hidden behind the building so there is no chance you can accidentally view it!) As long as the Sun is hidden, you can even get a picture of Venus during the day!

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

Golf Sector 6

Alan Shepherd made golfing on other planets famous during Apollo 14 when he became the first and only person to take a shot on the Moon. I am sure a lot of duffers would relish the chance to take a shot and see an amazingly long drive leave their club due to the lower gravity.

Now you can thanks to Golf Sector 6. Golf Sector 6 lets you try your hand at golfing on the Moons of Saturn. Careful, it is easy to launch balls into orbit or even totally escape some of these moons! It is based on real data from Saturn's Moons and incorporates imagery from the Cassini spacecraft currently orbiting Saturn.

It may not be as advanced as Tiger Woods golf games for the PS3, but the scenery is spectacular!

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

Open Blog - Monday


"Rainy days and Mondays always get me down." - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPmbT5XC-q0

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Sunday Evening Chuckle

A teacher gave her fifth grade class an assignment: Get their parents
to tell them a story with a moral at the end of it. The next day, the
kids came back and began to tell their stories.

There were all the regular types of stuff about spilled milk and
pennies saved, when the teacher realized that only Janie was left to
tell her story.
"Janie, do you have a story to share?' ''Yes ma'am. My daddy told me
a story about my Mommy. She was a Marine pilot in Desert Storm, and
her plane got hit. She had to bail out over enemy territory, and all
she had was a flask of whiskey, a pistol, and a survival knife.

She drank the whiskey on the way down and her parachute landed right
in the middle of 20 Iraqi troops. She shot 15 of them with the
pistol, until she ran out of bullets, killed four more with the knife,
till the blade broke and then she killed the last Iraqi with her bare
hands.

''Good Heavens,' said the horrified teacher. 'What did your Daddy
tell you was the moral to this horrible story?

"Stay away from Mommy when she's been drinking."