Here comes Winter now!

The first Twin Cities snowfall happened during the Thanksgiving break, and was mostly gone by the time Monday arrived. Holiday travel was slowed, but the regular workday communte was not really affected. Welcome to Tuesday. The MN State Patrol reported "hundreds" of cars in the ditches along the freeways of Northwestern MN. Here in the Metro I saw one ditch driver on my way to work this morning. We already have somewhere between 1 and 3 inches, depending on where you are; we are supposed to get another 1-3 today and tomorrow.

InfoWorld TechWatch | InfoWorld | Total Recall body scanner becomes reality | November 22, 2005 02:09 PM | By E. Schwartz

I have to wonder what the "privacy" concerns are and how private your privates really are? This thing makes a 3D image of your body similar to the X-ray in Total Recall, but maintains your privacy? How?

The 11-Year Quest to Create Disappearing Colored Bubbles - Popular Science

This guy is from Minnesota, and shows a huge amount of dedication to his passion. He is described as a person that finishes what he starts, and is usually starting something. Pretty cool stuff.

Sadly, John Hodgman cannot see you.

John Hodgman was on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart tonight. Funny guy, check out his site, which includes the .mp3 version all 700 Hobo names from his book, read by the author.

1 Square Inch of Land for Sale at $1,500

Don't tell me we don't have any money. I'd buy it and put up a fence.

Spencer, Ind.

Self Destructive Tendencies?

Last night I was talking with my boys about their days. My oldest told me the best part of his day was the media center, where they learned a little about the Dewey Decimal system and then were allowed to check out books. Funny how he says he hates reading but the Media Center is his favorite part of the school day. My youngest said Art was the best part of his day. It usually is. Sam the fish said "learning centers" were his high point. I wasn't sure what that meant so I probed deeper. I asked him what a learning center was. He told me that was where a group of people went to play and learn, like a certain area, the "blocks" area or the "coloring" area, for example.
I asked Sam if he went to each Learning Center with the same kids, or if he got to work/play with other kids each day. He said "Well, only if its 'self-destructive' learning time, then we can go wherever we want."
Self-instructed. I knew what he meant.

Halloween 2005

WE made it through yet another Holiday. (Or if you speak of it in school, a fall festival). Sam was the only Bee in the parade at his school, and Caleb donned the alligator suit that each of his brothers had once worn. Lucas was going to go as a football player, but since he IS a football player, it hardly seemed like a costume. Last minute we decided to change him to a Navy Seal. I printed out a Navy Special Warfare patch and Seal Trident off the web and taped them to a pair of my old DCU's. The highlight of the night was not all the candy, or the ringing of doorbells in our old neighborhood. It was Caleb shedding some light on what he thought of our parenting skills. Caleb is 4, almost 5, yet he is wise and shrewd well beyond his years. (See Calebisms, 4/05)
We were sitting at the dinner table with the three squirrelly boys, trying to keep them calm through the meal so we could get to the sugar buzz that was to come later. All three are at the same time going though that phase where it takes ever increasing threats of parental action to change their behavior - but therein lies the enlightening moment - a threat is merely a threat until it is followed through. The threat of punishment is not punishment and therefore useless; here's why:
Caleb was not listening, he was being loud and unruly. The threat was already out there.
"If I have to talk to you one more time, you will skip the first house that we go to and you won't get any candy till the second house." Caleb continued the same behaviors that initiated the threat.
"That's it Caleb, you just lost the first house, you are going to wait by me when your brothers got get candy from the first house."
Caleb calmed, looked his mom right in the eyes and said "Mom, you're not going to remember that."
I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing. This impetious four year old just called his mom's bluff, despite the fact that it wasn't even a bluff! She's the mom! She's always got pocket aces, she can do whatever she wants - SHE'S THE MOM, THAT'S WHY.


We forgot. Just like Caleb said. He was at the first house with his brothers and the rest of the crew. WE didn't remember until about the 10th house, and by then it was too late.

(This post is dedicated to grandparents everywhere who probably think its real funny when their grandkids pull the same crap their kids did growing up.)