Simultaneity http://www.sillypuppies.com/jesse/blog/ Seeking to bridge the extremes of life without establishing an average en-us 2007-09-05T21:01:36-05:00 Where's the feed? http://www.sillypuppies.com/jesse/blog/archives/my_life/20070905_wheres_the_feed.asp As I mentioned in Tapping Out I've moved my blog to Live Journal. If you're looking for a syndicated feed, check there. Otherwise, read on and enjoy...public articles posted there will show up here.

]]> My life Jesse 2007-09-05T21:01:36-05:00 Tapping Out http://www.sillypuppies.com/jesse/blog/archives/web_design/20070807_tapping_out.asp My Blog has moved...(sort of)

In the beginning it seemed like I was raising the white flag and saying that the spammers have won. But the more I thought about it, the truth is that they haven't won, I'm just not participating in the fight directly, I'm paying someone else to do it.

I've moved my site from MovableType to LiveJournal because I have to many other things in my life that take priority to blogging and figuring out how to stop the next round of spam attacks. If you read my blog on the site, it'll still be there, though there will be some minor changes that I'll not below. If you subscribe to by RSS, then you'll want to change your feed to these: RSS Atom. (Sorry, it won't do this automatically)

I've embedded my LiveJournal into my blogsite so it still looks the same, but as I mentioned, there are changes.

The categories sidebar is gone
I may find a way to show my LJ Tags, but that's a real low priority
Search sidebar is gone
No sense searching sillypuppies for posts that are on LJ, right?
Last few comments and scrolled off side bars are gone
They come from the MT database

I liked the things that are gone, so I may look for a way to bring them back. I didn't want to make a full jump to LJ because I like having my own site and, more importantly, I like the other sidebars that I have here...like what I'm reading, listening too, and TiVo stuff.

So, there you have it....

]]> Web Design Jesse 2007-08-07T14:18:13-05:00 Spammers 1 - Sillupuppies 0 http://www.sillypuppies.com/jesse/blog/archives/20070804_spammers_1_sill.asp Well, that's not really the score, we've both scored several in the never-ending battle to fight spam. But, I think the never-ending battle is nearing an end.

I don't post as often as I used to so it makes it pointless to continue to fight. For now, I've turned off comments. Not because I don't care what you all think, but because I don't want my ISP shutting me down.

More news from the front as it develops.

]]> Jesse 2007-08-04T13:32:09-05:00 Interesting XP Problem http://www.sillypuppies.com/jesse/blog/archives/neat_things_on_the_net/20070803_interesting_xp.asp I recently upgraded my laptop with another GB of memory, bringing the total to 2GB (thanks for the sale Best Buy!).

A few days later, I started noticing that my laptop light was blinking after shutting down (I usually hibernate through pushing the power button). I've even stuck it in my bag thinking it was shut down to find it pretty warm when I pulled it out.

Turns out there's some sort of problem with XP power manager finding a block of memory to hibernate if you have more than 1GB of memory. Then, once it fails to do that, you need to reboot...and it may work again. Our you can install the hotfix described on this site.

]]> Neat things on the 'net Jesse 2007-08-03T00:42:14-05:00 In Search Of... http://www.sillypuppies.com/jesse/blog/archives/my_life/20070731_in_search_of_1.asp Our cell phones are reaching the end of their life. My battery only holds half the charge it should and the phone believes it always has the headset attached. Teri's is doing well, but I expect that won't be the case forever.
So, I'm shopping for a new phone. Our current plan is so old we can't get it again (it was with the original AT&T wireless) so we could be open to moving providers as well, but AT&T has done well for me - no dropped calls, service in places others don't, etc.

I visited the AT&T store today and surfed their site. There's a few phones I'm looking at so I thought I would fish for some feedback. You'll see that the iPhone isn't on the list. I've heard the camera isn't all that good...but the main reason that it's not on the list is that I cannot justify the cost of the plan. For Teri to have a regular phone and me to have an iPhone, our plan would be $89.99 a month...we're spending $49.98 now. We use very little minutes so we'll go with the smallest plan they have.

The phone I'm looking for should take good pictures and have easy access to contacts. All the other bells and whistles are nice to have, but I don't know that I would use them.

So, on to the choices:

Looking for feedback on these phones
Nokia 612610MB memory, MP3, 1.3 MP Camera, e-mail, IM, Voice dialing, MicroSD slot, bluetoothFree
Cingular 85253G, Pocket PC, 2MP camera, WiFi, bluetooth & infared, Voice dialing, MP3$99.99 Refurb
$299.99 New
Sync3G, 2MP Camera, Mp3, Bluetooth, MicroSD$39.99
$19.99 Refurb
Samsung A7273G, 1.3 MP Camera, Bluetooth, MicroSD slot, email$99.99
Nokia N753G, 2MP camera, bluetooth, Mp3, email, voice dialing$99.99

My current order is: Cingular 8525 (refurb), Nokia N75, or the Nokia 6126

]]> My life Jesse 2007-07-31T15:10:40-05:00 Writing http://www.sillypuppies.com/jesse/blog/archives/raising_kevin/20070706_writing.asp I've been writing for Dadbloggers for some time now and I enjoy reading some of the articles and comments. It's a nice place to share some thoughts about fatherhood and practice my writing skills. Last month, my article garnered a special response that I wanted to be able to access later so I'm repositing here.

Mama's Moon
Jesse, from Dad Bloggers, wrote about his experiences going forward after discussing punishment with his son. It's a post that really made me stop to think of not only the ways we discipline our kids, but the state of mind we're in when we actually do it. It's wonderful to see that a child as young as four years of age understands the reasons for punishment. But it's even more wonderful to watch a father soak in his child's words and really want to be a better parent because of them.
]]> Raising Kevin Jesse 2007-07-06T16:53:27-05:00 Some of the 'fuge songs http://www.sillypuppies.com/jesse/blog/archives/church_thoughts/20070701_some_of_the_fug.asp

]]> Church Thoughts Jesse 2007-07-01T22:12:54-05:00 A change in advertising? http://www.sillypuppies.com/jesse/blog/archives/news_and_comment/20070614_a_change_in_adv.asp Kellogg to Curb Marketing of Foods to Children
The Kellogg Company announced today that it will phase out advertising its products to children under age 12 unless the foods meet specific nutrition guidelines for calories, sugar, fat and sodium.

Kellogg also announced that it would stop using licensed characters or branded toys to promote foods unless the products meet the nutrition guidelines.

Interesting, but here's my first thoughts after reading the article...
It says that Froot Loops' days on Saturday morning TV may be numbered...I've looked for Saturday morning TV, it's really not there any more.

Secondly, who cares? They way I see it, they've already hooked the parents while they were kids. Most people my age and younger are still buying the stuff and guess what? We feed it to our kids...who will then buy it for theirs and so on...no need to market to children under 12, they're not the main target any more.

No more toys?!? They've started charging for them anyhow. I want my toy IN the cereal, not for $4.99 shipping and handling a 4 weeks later.

]]> News and Comment Jesse 2007-06-14T17:24:54-05:00 Happy Anniversary http://www.sillypuppies.com/jesse/blog/archives/my_life/20070523_happy_anniversa.asp Balloon ShadowToday Teri and I celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary. Teri is the love of my life and I wanted to make sure that this day was special.
I had to forewarn her about the early schedule last night, but didn't tell her what we would be doing. We left the house a few minutes after 4:30 am and drove to Whiteford, MD to meet up with Teri's surprise.
I was happy that I was able to hold off telling her or having her find out until the van from Light Flight Hot Air Balloons pulled into the parking lot.
We loaded in and went to the take off site, watched them fill the balloon then got in and sailed away. It was a beautiful morning for flying and the air was really calm. We flew over some great landscape and took a ton of pictures (I only uploaded some of them). We were in the air for a little over an hour and settled down very close to where we had parked.
After helping pack up the balloon, we had a traditional toast and ended our time with the balloon crew. After leaving, we took a quick trip north and had a tasty breakfast in a family dinner in Pennsylvania then headed for home.
I Love You
I thought this picture would sum things up for the day.
Teri, I love you.

]]> My life Jesse 2007-05-23T13:44:19-05:00 Almost enough to make me listen... http://www.sillypuppies.com/jesse/blog/archives/tvtivo/20070515_almost_enough_t.asp I used to listen to country music, not the tangy stuff, but things like Alabama and other groups. I've never been much of a music listener and country music isn't on my list of things I listen to, but I enjoyed Jeff Foxworthy's speech at the end of the CMT Awards.

I wouldn't have found this, but I heard Jeff speak at a recent ministry conference and the speech was asked about.

"Country Music doesn't have to be politically correct. We sing about God because we believe in Him. We're not trying to offend anybody but the evidence that we have seen of Him in our small little lives trumps your opinion about whither or not He exists."
- Jeff Foxworthy

]]> TV/TiVo Jesse 2007-05-15T14:21:48-05:00 The Single Life http://www.sillypuppies.com/jesse/blog/archives/my_life/20070429_the_single_life.asp Teri, Kevin and Alex left with her family on Wednesday and would be gone from the 18th to the 29th and thus began a trial of sorts, living as a bachelor – but with plans.
Here’s some of the plans, let’s see what happens:

  • Clean living room
  • Replace flooring in kitchen
  • Replace flooring in dining room
  • Shampoo living room carpet
  • Clean Kevin’s room
  • Get rid of some of Kevin’s (unplayed with) toys
  • Organize Alex’s room
  • Reduce Alex’s toy collection
  • Clean Pantry
]]>Continue reading "The Single Life"

]]> My life Jesse 2007-04-29T09:05:57-05:00 Awww... http://www.sillypuppies.com/jesse/blog/archives/fun_and_games/20070409_awww.asp So Close
The picture says it all...1 silly little pin, it was almost enough to make you cry.

If you don't know what this is a picture of, it's Wii bowling.

]]> Fun and Games Jesse 2007-04-09T20:09:03-05:00 More Referrals http://www.sillypuppies.com/jesse/blog/archives/tvtivo/20070405_more_referrals_1.asp You may or may not have noticed that the book links on my pages are Amazon referral links, which means if you click to Amazon though my site, then buy something they throw me a bone...well, with the current rates, I'll get a bone sometime around 2020.

Anyhow, for you TiVo lovers out there, you may want to check into the referral program if you're going to be using AmazonUnbox. If you are an associate and buy a DVD, you get a TV show free...and, you earn 10% (upto $1.50) on all Unbox referrals.

Of course, if you aren't going to become an associate, feel free to get your Unbox stuff here.

]]> TV/TiVo Jesse 2007-04-05T20:33:41-05:00 Back to School http://www.sillypuppies.com/jesse/blog/archives/my_life/20070403_back_to_school_1.asp I thought that getting a Bachelor's degree would be the end of school...or maybe I knew that it wouldn't but kinda hoped I was done.

In either case, it wasn't the end of the line. I've been accepted into a Master's program (Master of Arts in Children and Family Ministry) and will start classes in September 24th. I'm excited about the program, but at the same time, a little apprehensive since I know that it's going to take up a huge chunk of time during the next 40 months. The cost is a little bit of a concern as well, so I am hoping to see some scholarships or grants to help out.

The program is a distance learning format - sort of. The summer and winter sessions are fully distance and the spring and winter sessions include 2 week intensives on campus.

All in all, I'm trying to just not think about it as a whole, but just tackle each piece as it comes. If I think about total cost, the month away from the family each year, the travel costs, the amount of reading and study, and everything else, I think I'd go crazy.

]]> My life Jesse 2007-04-03T10:13:19-05:00 TiVo: Share your home videos http://www.sillypuppies.com/jesse/blog/archives/tvtivo/20070330_tivo_share_your.asp In case you missed it, TiVo and One True Media teamed up to allow you to share home movies through your TiVo.
Basically, you set up a One True Media account, upload your video, get a code, share it with others. They plug the code into their TiVo and your movie streams (downloads?) to their TiVo.
If you sign up now you can try it for a month during beta. After that it'll be $4 a month or $40 a year.

If it was free, it'd be neat...at $4 a month, I can live without it.

]]> TV/TiVo Jesse 2007-03-30T21:13:55-05:00