Rob Williams - Orangejack

2011-04-19T16:59:00.000-05:00

I started this blog on Blogspot back in 2004. I've since moved on but I can't bear to delete this blog. So here it stands.

For more about me please start with my profile: Rob Williams - Orangejack

Thanks for stopping by.

Rob

Rob Williams' Blog

2008-04-22T13:39:00.002-05:00

Rob Williams' Blog is now located over at rob's place.

It's really been there for a long time but some still seem confused.

To make it easier, you can check out Rob Williams online profile.

Hope this helps.

~Rob Williams

rob's new place

2005-09-17T16:02:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed that the background of this blog has turned black. There's a reason.

This blog is dead.

But fear not. For Rob has a new place!

Come check it out. Be sure to reset your RSS feeds also!

Pray for Fellow Blogger

2005-09-16T09:43:00.000-05:00

Good friend of mine and fellow blogger, Tom Seely, is a missionary in Budapest and having to deal with a serious delima. Please pray.

From his blog today:

The news from Dr. Varga wasn't good. I have a severely Herniated Disk between L5 & S1 (if that means anything to you). He said that it can't be helped by therapy and that we should move quickly towards surgery. Valerie & I will go tomorrow morning to meet with him and discuss the situation.

Now the big decision. I never imagined myself having surgery in Hungary. If I did, I wanted to do it at the Private Hospital in the country that caters to Westerners like me. It appears that if I have this surgery done here, it will be in a city hospital that looks like something from 50 years ago. I have total confidence in the doctor because he is a leading expert in the field and does these surgeries all the time. I don't have confidence in the hospital where I'll have to spend 3 or so days recovering. Having surgery and being in the hospital is stressful in the US and it seems like adding language barriers, cultural differences, etc .. . will increase that level significantly.

On the other hand, should I return to the US to do the surgery? That means a long plane flight (this whole thing got really bad on the last plane flight I took), and probably a long stay in the US in order to recover. It would be difficult to be away from my family that long.

Tigers Will Eat Chicken with their Turkey

2005-09-16T08:52:00.000-05:00

CU Sporting News » Clemson - USC moves to post-Thanksgiving date

This is interesting...and some interesting reasons for it. I think it'll be fun. New Thanksgiving tradition of having chicken with my turkey.

But I don't want a turducken.

I've Been Published

2005-09-16T07:29:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my sister-in-law's inspiration, I've been published by Why Go?

Check it out...Casa Mila Roof

Foto Friday

2005-09-16T07:04:00.000-05:00

Ashley Falls

Click on the image for a larger view and description.

Cool Ted Tip in Orlando

2005-09-14T10:07:00.001-05:00

For my flight today the lines were long to check in. Nothing new. But I found a great thing in the Orlando airport as a result.

In Orlando they have one set of kiosks to check in for those not checking bags. There were four self-help terminals for us with carry-on bags only. Only three of us checking in with four terminals.

Check-in took less than three minutes...counting "standing in line".

More airports and more carriers should have this! Thanks, Ted and MCO!

Hey Music Downloaders...

2005-09-14T10:07:00.000-05:00

I'm trying to figure out where can I download mp3s inexpensively. But here's my requirement...I don't want to download software. I just want to grab the mp3 file myself.

Any suggestions?

Going to Chicago?

2005-09-13T17:53:00.000-05:00

In the morning I'm getting up early and going to the airport. There I'll fly to Chicago's O'Hare airport. I'll ride a shuttle to a hotel. In that hotel I'll eat all my meals, attend a conference, and sleep. On Thursday I step out of the hotel onto a shuttle to take me back to the airport where I'll fly back to Orlando.

Though my ticket says I'm going to Chicago, it almost doesn't count.

But I will be back in time for Survivor.

Music Mashups

2005-09-13T16:51:00.000-05:00

Oh man, you've gotta check out mashuptown.com. It's like old school DJ mixes of songs. Some of them really rock! A few of my favs so far:

Tigers Taking on the Twerps

2005-09-10T12:20:00.000-05:00

It's halftime of the Clemson/Maryland game. We're down 7-10. I wanted to give some first half thoughts...

Last week we had a problem punching the ball in for a TD. This week our problem is getting into scoring position.
We put together a great opening drive that went 80 or so yards and took about 7 minutes. Ended with our only TD. Very nice.
On that drive we were pounding the run. It was 2nd and Goal on the 2. I think we should have called a pass.
Our DE looks good in the red-zone. But they've been burned twice on the long ball.
Horrible snap on a punt gave MD great field position but the Tigers stepped it up and only gave up 3.

If we won't get burned on the long ball and get the O working good drives again, I think we'll pull this one out.

CU Sporting News has a good preview of this game.

UPDATE: Clemson pulls it out! Whew! Man, I don't like how we keep winning close games. but we're winning! 2-0 on the season so far and more importantly, 1-0 in the ACC!

I was glad to see Clemson go downfield on a pass or two. Finally connected and we got a TD out of it. Our running attack is looking good...really good.

Oh man...next week we host Miami. This is going to get good!

UPDATE: Per usual, CU Sporting News has a good recap.

Foto Friday

2005-09-09T07:03:00.000-05:00

Falling Waters

Click on the image for a larger view and description.

Hurricane Ophelia

2005-09-08T18:28:00.000-05:00

Well, she made it to hurricane status today. Who knows where she's going. My bet is she'll loop around and come through Florida still around St. Augustine.

Here's something interestingly cool. I know that Ophelia is almost 100 miles north-east of Orlando. We're close enough to where we get wind (avg 15-20 mph) and rain often. We're far enough away so that the "fury" isn't here all the time. What that means is quite often (like on the way to work this morning) you can look at the sky and see bands of clouds moving very fast out of the NE.

In a way it's kind of cool. You look at the satellite and know it spins, but when you're near the center of a hurricane, you can't tell it's spinning. It just comes hard and fast. But on the edge, you can really see how it cranks.

Interesting side-note about a possible Katrina effect in Central Florida: I was talking to a friend about the housing market here. It's in a real boon. But there is a shortage of "quality workers" on site. There's a fear that the quality workers may jet for the Gulf effected by Katrina because there may be more money to be made. If that happens, the boon could slow...or crappy houses will be built.

Spot the Ball!

2005-09-08T12:14:00.000-05:00

The NFL season starts tonight with Oakland taking on New England. I can't wait.

This also means the 2005 season of the East Coast Football Club will begin tonight. My Orlando Chupacabras are going to reek havoc – or just reek. We’ll find out which soon enough.

Time to spot the ball in the NFL and ECFC!

This is my BOOMSTICK!

2005-09-08T10:23:00.000-05:00

All my Aggie friends have been curiously quiet this week. I bet they won't like this video either: This is my BOOMSTICK!

I'm sick of comment spammers

2005-09-08T08:44:00.000-05:00

Sorry folks, but for a while if you leave a comment, you'll have to jump through one little hoop now. You must type in a code provided by blogger to leave the comment. I'm going to see if this will slow down the spammers. Ugh.

Setting up a laptop

2005-09-07T12:08:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine just bought a Dell laptop off eBay cheap. She has no money and an MSN account. Another friend of mine is trying to get her new laptop setup cheaply.

It got me thinking...what are the free and/or inexpensive tools/downloads they should be checking out for protection, entertainment, and personal management?

I thought of some already such as:

Yahoo's email, calendar, etc
BackPack for organizing projects
Flickr for photo sharing
del.icio.us for web bookmarking
Spybot for spyware
Maybe OpenOffice for software?

That's all I can think of right now. What else can be added to the list?

NFL Survivor Game

2005-09-07T09:23:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone, I set up a league in Yahoo to play "Survivor Football". All you do is each week you pick just one NFL team you think will win that week. If you're right, you advance to next week. If you miss, you're out (until we're all out and I reset the group...did it three times last year).

If you want in, leave a comment today. I'll send you the invite. Since the NFL kicks off tomorrow, the deadline to make your pick is tonight.

Little Buddy is Dead

2005-09-06T13:55:00.000-05:00

Bummer. It was by far my favorite old sitcom.

-----Original Message-----
Sent: Tuesday, September 06, 2005 2:43 PM
Subject: CNN Breaking News

-- Actor Bob Denver, 70, of TV's "Gilligan's Island" fame has died, his agent tells The Associated Press.

TD 16

2005-09-06T10:35:00.000-05:00

Time for Central Floridians to watch Tropical Storm 16. She may very well become Tropical Storm Ophelia. Hopefully nothing worse. But she's heading towards ~~the Daytona area~~ just south of St. Augustine Beach.

National Hurricane Center / Tropical Prediction Center

GOAT Rice

2005-09-06T10:29:00.000-05:00

Is Jerry Rice the GOAT? Maybe. But what I'm wondering is now that he's retiring, how much would it cost (and hurt) the 49'ers to bring him in for one more home game? Suit him up, put him in. Let him go out as a '9er.

Or maybe that's too embarrassing for him? I dunno. I heard someone on the radio today say that Rice wouldn't be so great if he didn't have Montana and Young. Well, that's true. But you know what? Montana and Young wouldn't be as great as they were without Rice.

Goodbye, Jerry. I don't know if you're the GOAT or not, but you are one of the very best the NFL has ever seen.

The BCS

2005-09-06T10:20:00.000-05:00

I posted this last year and thought I'd post it again to get ready for the new season.

Orangejack Blog: BCS Mess :: aka Rob's Blog

What are your thoughts?

Pre-Season Super Bowl Predictions

2005-09-05T13:57:00.000-05:00

This is fun. What's your pick? It must be in before the season starts Thursday. I'm going with Panthers beating Colts (at least that's what I'm pulling for...though more likely it'll be the other way around if those two are in it). This came from an email from draftsharks.com

** Today we've gathered Super Bowl XL predictions from NFL analysts all over the country:

Steve Young (ESPN) – Colts over Vikings
Mark Schlereth (ESPN) – Ravens over Vikings
Mike Golic (ESPN) – Colts over Falcons
Joe Theismann (ESPN) – Steelers over Redskins
Chris Mortensen (ESPN) – Eagles over Colts
Merrill Hoge (ESPN) – Colts over Falcons
Len Pasquarelli (ESPN) – Patriots over Falcons
Michael Smith (ESPN) – Rams over Patriots
Paul Zimmerman (SI) – Panthers over Colts
Peter King (SI) – Patriots over Vikings
Tony Moss (Sports Network) – Patriots over Vikings
Brian Baldinger (FOX) – Chiefs over Eagles
Ron Borges (MSNBC) – Colts over Panthers
Jeremy Green, Scouts Inc. – Colts over Vikings
Dan Arkush (PFW) – Panthers over Jets
Paul Attner (TSN) – Colts over Eagles
Chris Bahr (TSN) – Colts over Panthers
Dan Pompei (TSN) – Eagles over Colts
Vinnie Iyer (TSN) – Panthers over Jets
Arnie Spanier (TSN) – Falcons over Colts
'War Room' (TSN) – Colts over Falcons
J. Brockerman (UltimateCapper.com) – Colts over Cowboys
'Gridiron Goose' (EFS News) – Eagles over Patriots
Adam Nelson (SportsColumn) – Colts over Vikings
Howard Balzer (Lindy's) – Patriots over Falcons
John Pezzullo (Sports Ticker) – Patriots over Eagles
Lenny Pappano (Draftsharks) – Vikings over Chiefs
John Miller (Draftsharks) – Falcons over Bills
Marty McDonald (Draftsharks) – Chiefs over Eagles
Lary Bump (Draftsharks) - Colts over Eagles

** Here are the top-16 teams according to Vegas, ranked by fixed odds (for recreational purposes only):

1. Indianapolis Colts: 13/2
2. New England Patriots: 13/2
3. Philadelphia Eagles: 7/1
4. Carolina Panthers: 16/1
5. Atlanta Falcons: 16/1
6. Minnesota Vikings: 16/1
7. Pittsburgh Steelers: 18/1
8. Baltimore Ravens: 20/1
9. New York Jets: 25/1
10. Buffalo Bills: 33/1
11. Kansas City Chiefs: 33/1
12. Jacksonville Jaguars: 33/1
13. San Diego Chargers: 40/1
14. Denver Broncos: 40/1
15. Seattle Seahawks: 40/1
16. St. Louis Rams: 40/1

Litany for Katrina

2005-09-05T13:28:00.000-05:00

Fantastic Litany for Katrina used this week.

Feel free to continue the litnay in the comments.

Lord, hear our prayers.

Photo Worth 1000 Words

2005-09-05T07:39:00.000-05:00

Pass Christian House Before/After
Originally uploaded by CraftJunkie.

This photo comes from someone in Pass Christian, Mississippi. Sometimes photos really are worth 1000 ~~words~~ emotions.

Hokies Win Too

2005-09-04T21:59:00.000-05:00

Virginia Tech beat NC State tonight 20-16. Glad to see them win. But man, watching the game on TV was a pain. The announcers must have reminded us of Marcus Vick's legal problems about 15 times. Good heavens! They must have not had anything to talk about. Oh, and that Marcus is Michael's little brother. I think they showed Michael as much as they showed Marcus...and Marcus was playing the game!

But the Hokies win. Good deal.

More on the Clemson game

2005-09-04T13:24:00.000-05:00

Here's an article on how the Clemson/Texas A&M game went. I have to say though, I'm excited and bummed about what I saw...when I saw it.

A friend of mine and I went to a place to watch the game with the Clemson alum in Orlando. We got there right at kickoff but it wasn't on TV. They were still showing the Florida game. Then the dude turned off the UF game and went to us. Well, that made everyone mad! Then he put our game on a small TV, then moved it to another TV, then back to a large screen that we couldn't see. It was a mess. By then a third of the first quarter was over and we had seen about 3 plays.

So we left. We got to another place and got a screen once the UF game was over. That was about 10 minutes left in the half.

Then in our last drive (the game winner), ABC broke in to tell us that Rehnquist died. Though it was sad and worthy of a break-in, it lasted for what seemed an eternity since everything was hanging on that last drive!

It was good to see the Tigers win.

UPDATE: Jeremy has a great game recap including a fantastic halftime show I saw nothing of.

Whew! We Won!

2005-09-03T22:54:00.000-05:00

Man that was close! Clemson beat Texas A&M tonight with a last minute field goal. Kicked 6 of those suckers tonight.

Man! I'll take the win, but I don't like we got into the red zone several times and couldn't punch it in. But all in all, well, we won. Whew!

Foto Friday

2005-09-02T06:25:00.000-05:00

The 50

Click on the image for a larger view and description.

NFL Pitching In

2005-09-01T13:08:00.000-05:00

There should be more of these articles written: Yahoo! Sports - NFL - Packers' team plane also carried supplies to South.

Katrina Relief Efforts

2005-09-01T12:48:00.000-05:00

Katrina Relief Efforts

Today is Blog for Hurricane Relief Day. There are so many organizations to choose to make a donation to. My wife and I have decided to make a donation to GAIN:

Global Aid Network, the humanitarian aid ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, is working in coordination with other Campus Crusade ministries and churches to supply compassionate help and hope for many of the victims of Katrina. Already supplies such as juice, clothing, ice, soup and other food items are being transported for distribution in churches, camps, and other places of shelter for displaced people who have been left homeless.

Will you join us?

Instapundit has a long list of alternatives. This blog is listed with Truth Laid Bear who is organizing the blog relief day. Let your blog count too, but more importantly, do something.

Football Starts Tonight

2005-09-01T09:40:00.000-05:00

Woo Hoo! College football gets underway tonight! Oh baby! The highlight game will be South Carolina taking on UCF. UCF has not won in their last 15 tries and Carolina is coming off a 6-5 season sporting their new ol' ball coach.

I think Carolina will win...but to be honest, I won't be to surprised if UCF actually hangs around a bit. I think they only hang around IF Carolina lets them. It's the Gamecock's game to lose.

I'd love to post the headline tomorrow "Good Knight!" for a Golden Knight victory. ;-)

Humbled Coaches in SC

2005-09-01T09:24:00.000-05:00

I was thinking about this on the way into work this morning: the state of South Carolina has a couple of humbled coaches.

I wonder how the seasons will be effected at Clemson and S. Carolina because of it.

Bowden was a proud man. Then he got that pride handed to him on a plate against Wake Forest in 2003. One of the most embarrassing losses he and Clemson (and I) ever endured. But I think it humbled him. He's a better man. He rallied the team and they made it through the season. They only did fair last year (by record). I'm a true fan...we were better than our 6-5 record!

Spurrier was a proud man. There's no doubt about his pride. There was a joke: what's the difference between Spurrier and God? The answer is one knew he was God and the other thought he was. Spurrier thought he was so smart when he went to the NFL. He thought he could run his style of football there...even bring in ex-UF QB's to run his O. What a laugh. He was humbled. And listening to his interviews now I think he is more humble.

It'll be interesting to see how this new-found humility for both coaches will play itself out this year.

BTW, my pre-season pick: Clemson wins 7. Carolina wins 6.

Which Vick to Pick?

2005-09-01T09:20:00.000-05:00

Okay, weigh in. Which Vick will have the better season? NFL Vick for the Atlanta Falcons or NCAA Vick for the Virginia Tech Hokies?

My vote is little bro will have the better season.

(better is subjective...could be based on stats, wins, etc...you choose)

Katrina's Damage at a Glance

2005-08-31T13:54:00.000-05:00

CNN has put together a quick summary of the impact of Katrina including:

estimated 80 percent of New Orleans under water, up to 20 feet deep in places. Water still rising...
...crews put aside the counting of [dead] bodies to concentrate on rescuing the living, many trapped on rooftops and in attics.
...3,000 people rescued by boat and air.
At least 110 [people dead in Mississippi]
Flooding reached 11 feet in Mobile, matching record set in 1917 [in Alabama]

Katrina's impact on sports

2005-08-31T13:08:00.000-05:00

I know it's really not that important compared to every other priority, but I find it interesting all the impact Katrina is having on sports.

Why New Orleans is Flooded

2005-08-31T12:45:00.000-05:00

They are evacuating the entire city. Everyone.

Unbelievable.

I finally understood all the talk about flooding and levees and 'New Orleans under sea level' better when I saw this graphic of New Orleans.

If you were to draw a line from the top of Lake Pontchartrain across the city, you'll see that the entire city would flood. The levee on that lake is what is broken. The water will not stop filling up New Orleans until the water level in NO is equal with the lake.

I want to live

2005-08-29T13:19:00.000-05:00

Haunting words coming out of New Orleans as the flood waters rise:

'I'm not doing too good right now,' Chris Robinson said via cellphone from his home east of the city's downtown. 'The water's rising pretty fast. I got a hammer and an ax and a crowbar, but I'm holding off on breaking through the roof until the last minute. Tell someone to come get me please. I want to live.'

How do you react to this? What do you do? How do you pray?

Me? I don't know. I want to slap him. I want to help him. I want to show him love. And I want to slap him. But I don't know his situation. Why did he stay? I don't know. Was he stupid? Did he have a legit reason? Who am I to judge? But what I do know is he needs help.

Sigh.

Some NFL News

2005-08-28T21:35:00.000-05:00

Maurice Clarett will be released by the Broncos this week. Maybe the Bears will sign him. Oh, never mind.

And I was wondering what the NO Saints were doing. They're going back to Cali.

Evening Sunday News Anchors

2005-08-28T21:12:00.000-05:00

I turned over to CNN to watch some of the Hurricane Katrina coverage. Larry King was on. Eeek! So I flipped over to FOX and it was worse...Geraldo Rivera. Eeek! So I went to MSNBC and it was some dude in a bowtie named Tucker?

I can't decide who to watch.

College Colors Day - Sept 2, 2005

2005-08-28T20:51:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm game.

College Colors Day - 2005:

What is College Colors Day?
College Colors Day, which coincides with both "back to school" on campus and the kick-off of the college football season, seeks to celebrate and promote the traditions and spirit that drive collegiate athletics by encouraging fans, alumni and students to wear apparel of their favorite college throughout the day of September 2.

Of course this doesn't seem too different from most Fridays...I like to wear orange on football Friday's most of the time.

Thanks to fanblogs, I know about this.

Oh NO, Get out of there!

2005-08-28T10:01:00.000-05:00

Central Florida Hurricane Center 2005:

10:50AM
Hurricane Katrina is now up to 175MPH Maximum Sustained winds.

If you are near the coast and in the cone for Katrina YOU SHOULD NOT BE LOOKING AT THIS PAGE

The mayor of New Orleans has issued a MANDATORY EVACUATION. The entire city!

Katrina is a Category 5. Good news is she may slow to a 4...but that's not very comforting. The satellite of her right now takes up the entire Gulf of Mexico.

Our cousin just enrolled and moved into Loyola University in New Orleans.

This stuff makes me sick to my stomach.

BBQ: Pork or Beef?

2005-08-27T16:24:00.000-05:00

Which do you prefer? Keith likes beef and thinks pork is weird. I think pork is the way to go.

What about sauce? SC sauce is mustard-based. NC sauce is vinegar-based. I prefer sweet/spicy ketchup-based.

The dry rub ribs in Memphis though were awesome!

What do you think?

Draft Over

2005-08-27T16:11:00.000-05:00

Well, I feel pretty decent about my draft. We start 1 QB, 2 RB, 2 WR, 1 FLEX, 1 TE, 1 K, and 1 DE. Here's who I have (for those who care):

QB: Drew Brees, Chad Pennington
RB: Domanick Davis, Julius Jones, JJ Arrington, Kevin Barlow, Chester Taylor
WR: Joe Horn, Laveranues Coles, Ashly Lelie, Keyshawn Johnson
TE: Alge Crumpler
K: Matt Stover
DE: Jaguars, Falcons

What do you think?

Get that crap outta here!

2005-08-26T13:20:00.000-05:00

Found a great little tool to clean up the crap on my computer. In fact, it's called CCleaner - Crap Cleaner. It's good. From their website:

CCleaner is a freeware system optimization and privacy tool. It removes unused files from your system - allowing Windows to run faster and freeing up valuable hard disk space. It also cleans traces of your online activities such as your Internet history. But the best part is that it's fast (normally taking less that a second to run) and contains NO Spyware or Adware! :)

I can vouch for the speed.

Tracking Katrina

2005-08-26T10:40:00.000-05:00

Now this is REALLY cool! It's a hack of Google Maps and plotting the path of Hurricane Katrina.

FLHurricane.com: Google Map Plot of Katrina (2005) Google Maps Hurricane Track Overlay

Tigers Sell Out

2005-08-26T08:52:00.000-05:00

Coming off a mediocre season last year, I'm happy to see that fan support for Clemson is still at an all-time high. We can pack out over 80,000 people there and already we have both the Florida State and Texas A&M game sold out.

The September 3 season opener between Clemson and Texas A&M at Clemson Memorial Stadium is sold out. The announcement was made late Thursday.

It is the second preseason sellout for the Tigers, who earlier announced the Florida State game on November 12 was also sold out.

Limited tickets remain for the other four Clemson home games, Miami (FL) on September 17, Boston College on September 24, Temple on October 22 and Duke on November 5.

Go Tigers!

Foto Friday

2005-08-26T08:32:00.000-05:00

Wilson's

Click on the image for a larger view and description.

Fantasy Football Geek?

2005-08-25T20:10:00.000-05:00

Laughing at a fantasy football article:

Everybody has a buddy who is a little too geeked about his or her Fantasy Football draft...

...Nervous about a Fantasy Football draft? It's not your wedding, pal.

I confess I've had those feelings some for my draft Saturday. Not nervous though. I'm anxious to play!

Supply and demand

2005-08-25T12:39:00.000-05:00

Seth Godin has a very thought-provoking thought about oil and supply and demand:

So they said on the radio today that for the first time ever, oil consumption worldwide is exceeding oil production.

How does that change your world? How will it change your world a decade from now?

It's making me think. What do you think, if indeed this is true, this could mean for our future? It's kind of fun to dream.

I know this brings up all sorts of political views (drill for more oil, wean off the Middle East, etc), and there are environmental issues (drill for more oil, alternative fuel).

Makes me think though...why does the price of technology get cheaper while the price of oil and other mechanical processes increases?

Katrina Forecast

2005-08-25T12:14:00.000-05:00

Every time I think we're going to be fine, I read more maps that say once Katrina gets out into the Gulf, she may swing back our way again.

These models I'm looking at are taking her more to Jacksonville via north of Tampa. That gives us more wind and rain.

The good news is if it does that, it won't pick up much strength because it won't be over the Gulf long.

No matter what, it looks like she's going to hit Florida twice.

Good grief.

Tropical Weather

2005-08-25T09:29:00.000-05:00

I hate tropical storms and hurricanes. We're going to be fine from Katrina, but I just hate it. After last year it's worse. Can't help but remember the stress.

I walked outside this morning and I could feel it. Smell it. There's something about the air when a tropical storm is coming. We've already had a couple of fast moving rain clouds. We've had worse thunderstorms...almost daily! But there's something about tropical storms...

Katrina and the Waves

2005-08-24T16:00:00.000-05:00

Someone had to use that as a title for Tropical Storm Katrina. She could be a Category 1 hurricane when it hits Florida...the first time. Right now they are saying she'll come over south Florida (getting us in Orlando wet and breezy), head out into the Gulf, and turn up into the panhandle again.

Looks like that area (FL panhandle to New Orleans) is this season's Central Florida.

VT Home Field Advantage

2005-08-24T15:56:00.000-05:00

What team has the best home field advantage? The Hokies do...according to rivals.com.

I've been there for a game or two. It was about 10 years ago...back when my wife was my girlfriend and a hokie undergrad. I wasn't all that impressed. It was also pre-Vick. That boy changed everything in Blacksburg.

It'd be fun to go back.

The best sports blog, Fanblogs let me know about the rankings.

I'm now waiting for the Tech cheer to appear in the comments...

Google Talk vs Skype

2005-08-24T10:48:00.000-05:00

Well I said I was looking forward to trying out Google Talk and I've enjoyed it so far. I've had two conversations: one with a friend in Spain and one with a friend in Little Rock. Both calls were clear...or at least just as clear as Skype.

I started my conversation with my Spanish friend using Skype. Our signal bounced in and out sometimes and once we had to restart the conversation because the signal was so bad. We switched to Google and went for 30 minutes without any real problems. A couple blips here and there.

Comparing Google Talk to Skype, I'd have to say that Google right now is clean and easy to use. I like that it integrates my GMail account and contacts in there. That's a bonus. What I'd like to see is the ability to conference call like Skype can do. I really like the ability to conference call with this technology.

Not only can Skype conference call, but you can call phone numbers for a cheap price. That's only significant for me when I travel out of the US because it makes it cheap to call home. In the US I have a national mobile plan with Sprint and at home use Vonage to call the US and Canada free.

My wish list for Google Talk: add conference call ability, maybe add the ability to call phone numbers cheap, and allow me to chat with other IM accounts like AIM, MSN, etc (a la Trillian). I love convergence and I love Google's clean and functional products.

UPDATE: I just realized Google Talk CAN get your Trillian account in there IF you have Trillian Pro. So if you pay for trillian, you can get Trillian in Google Talk. Bummer.

More on Robertson

2005-08-24T08:22:00.000-05:00

After I wrote this I felt a little bad. I started thinking about how I was name-calling and casting stones. But that was my first reaction. I thought about taking it down but decided for authenticity of my reaction rather than censorship.

I wouldn't call him names again...though I have my own strong personal opinions about him and his ilk. What bugs me is that he is seen as a leader in the Christian world and represents the US to many -- but he doesn't represent me...though what I do have in common with him is we both say things we shouldn't. I can relate to the poor sap, that's for sure!

Another fleeting thought I had was what's the difference in calling for Chavez' head and being upset when missile strikes on Osama bin Laden were scrubbed? In the latter, I'm upset the strike didn't work (BTW, these were pre-9/11). The former is assassination. Murder is murder. Argh!

No matter what, this was a dumb statement for Robertson to make. That's what frustrates me. But then again, I'm glad it's him and not me. I'd probably say dumb things too if more mics were pointed at me.

What I want my life to look like is not like Robertson, but more like Jesus. Unfortunately, what scares me a little, is when I examine my life, I see more of the boneheaded-ness of Robertson then the righteousness of Jesus in my life.

That's when I really shudder.

Google Talk

2005-08-23T22:25:00.000-05:00

Google Talk is here. I look forward to playing with it to see what all it can do.

Tropical Depression 12

2005-08-23T19:52:00.000-05:00

Keeping an eye on TD 12. Will become TS Katrina soon probably and head through Florida this week.

Watch the feed

Fantasy Football has got Juju

2005-08-23T19:46:00.000-05:00

Bet you didn't know that, did you?

The Marketing Juju of Fantasy Football:

...marketing juju [happens when a brand is] (1) facilitating, not dictating the usage of its products, (2) fostering community and (3) assisting consumers in actualizing their aspirations.

That and fantasy football is fun. The Orlando Chupacabras are going to rock the East Coast Football Club this year...again!

Pat 'The Idgit' Robertson

2005-08-23T19:34:00.000-05:00

I'm about to tell you some news that might scare you -- might shake you -- might annoy you -- might sadden you -- may not surprise you.

Pat Robertson is an idgit.

Robertson wants the US to assassinate Hugo Chavez.

Bush thinks Robertson is an idgit too.

Chavez thinks Robertson is a terrorist.

I want to humbly apologize on behalf of knuckleheads like Robertson to all people who think he represents Christians. Please know, most of us look to Jesus, not Robertson.

Andrew and Ryan have more.

Fantasy Football

2005-08-22T19:43:00.000-05:00

Oh man, it's coming. I'm itching. Our live draft is Saturday. I'm Commish again and I can't wait to get it going again.

Just how crazy is fantasy football? I invite you to read this post called Fantasy Obsession. He tells you how Fantasy Football

...warps you, though, it really does, beyond the fact that the real fantasy footballer is more concerned with his fantasy team winning than his NFL team. It warps you when you watch the game, placing you in unbelievable conundrums.

I can relate to his post.

I'm ready for some fantasy football!

When Animals Attack

2005-08-22T11:10:00.000-05:00

Sounds like a show on FOX, no? Maybe it has been...or will be.

But this weekend I watched a couple of shows about different animal attacks. 2 animals specifically.

First was a program about two shark attacks in as many days off the panhandle of Florida. They said there are only 3 types of sharks that have the reputation for attacking people. The Great White, Tiger Shark, and Bull Shark.

Usually when a Great White or Tiger Shark attacks, they bite once and let go. We are not part of their diet. Of course one bite can be lethal. About 50 people a year die from shark bites in the US. These two also usually are deeper-water sharks.

In the shallows is where the Bull Shark can and does attack. And as this special pointed out, these actually can attack. In June, one killed a teen girl and another(?) almost took the leg off teen boy. The Bull Shark bit, and fought to keep coming back attacking. He bit the girl several times even after she was rescued on a long board surf board.

Freaky.

Their advice was not to swim in murky water, be near those fishing (the boy was fishing and had dead shrimp in his pocket), or swim near the sand bars because that's where the sharks feed.

Then last night I was watching another special about an animal that kills on average 3 people a week(!) in Bengal. That animal is the elephant. Can you believe that? I didn't. There was an account of a 4-ton elephant SNEAKING UP on two guys. He killed one and the other escaped with his life. There's like 4-6 inches of fat on the bottom of their feet.

I think the conclusion was that short/no-tusked bull elephants are more aggressive. But they don't know why they are attacking people more. Makes you reconsider relocating them in the US, doesn't it?

Freaky.

25 Ways to Save at the Pump

2005-08-22T09:38:00.000-05:00

Steve has compiled the Top 25 Ways to Save at the Pump.

Not a bad list.

Simply Cool

2005-08-20T16:55:00.000-05:00

Color, Bendable Electronic Paper

Tuesday's Got Nothing

2005-08-19T12:00:00.000-05:00

I've thought this for a long time, but a co-worker disagrees. Here's my take on the days of the week.

Sunday: Weekend
Monday: At least we know going in it's Monday
Tuesday: Got nothing
Wednesday: Middle of the week
Thursday: Almost Friday
Friday: Friday
Saturday: Weekend

So you see, Tuesday just has nothing going for it. Heck, there isn't any football on Tuesday's either (usually). It can't be all that great.

Foto Friday

2005-08-19T08:58:00.000-05:00

Bark

Click on the image for a larger view and description.

A Colorado Elephant?

2005-08-19T08:53:00.000-05:00

I think they're serious.

2 Weeks From Tonight

2005-08-18T19:49:00.000-05:00

Oh man...college football on TV starts 2 weeks from tonight!

C'mon football!

openTV

2005-08-18T10:37:00.000-05:00

Wow. Will TiVo evolve or erode? I love where technology is taking us for watching TV!

Check out this example from TV Squad.

LOTR Q

2005-08-18T08:56:00.000-05:00

I finally watched all 3 installments of The Lord of the Rings. We watched 1 and 2 Sunday and finished 3 last night. I liked it. I've seen 1 a couple of times and 2 once or twice. This time I really enjoyed all 3. I think I needed to watch them back to back to back to really enjoy them.

But I have a question. Why did the evil white wizard (whatever his name is -- the Count Dooku guy...names were confusing in the movies) lose his power? Seemed like a little flood washed out his little slave hole and he lost his power? I didn't get that.

Jerry Palm and the NCAA

2005-08-18T08:27:00.000-05:00

Jerry Palm is one of those guys that just gets college football. He runs collegeBCS.com and just knows this stuff inside and out. I respect his knowledge and having gotten to know him a bit through a couple emails but mostly his blog and websites, I listen to what he has to say.

That's why I'm pretty excited about his questions he's taking to the NCAA regarding their recent legislation on "hostile and abusive" names:

1. Why did the executive committee limit the ban to mascots, nicknames and imagery and not include the names of schools?

2. Since this is only in effect for NCAA championship events, can we assume that the NCAA will no longer enter into sponsorship agreements for those events with companies that use hostile and abusive racial/ethnic/national origin names and/or logos?

3. Why is Central Michigan, which has no Indian mascot or imagery -- only the nickname Chippewas, forced to cover up its nickname as hostile and abusive, but the University of Mississippi Rebels, which disposed of its Confederate imagery in the 80s (if I recall correctly), gets to continue to display its nickname?

4. This is a broadly written policy, but for now anyway, narrowly enforced. Can we assume that other racial/ethnic/national origin mascots will be included eventually as well, such as Highlanders, Spartans, Trojans, Vikings, and Fighting Irish (to name a few)?

So far no answer from the NCAA. You can read more on Jerry's site.

Transparent Screen

2005-08-17T10:54:00.000-05:00

Transparent Screen - peon.master
Originally uploaded by w00kie.

Transparent Screens are a trip.

Perspective

2005-08-15T11:22:00.000-05:00

You want some perspective on life? There's many places to find it. Because I'm about to link to one place doesn't negate the others.

You should read this: When Grown Men Cry

I want to personally thank those who are in service to me and this world for what you have chosen (or more properly, been chosen for you). May the Lord strengthen you. May you find His pleasure...and His rest.

Response to the NCAA

2005-08-14T17:46:00.000-05:00

By now I'm sure you've heard that the NCAA has put a ban on "hostile" and "abusive" mascots and nicknames if they refer only to Native Americans.

Well, this is an incredible response from the President of the University of North Dakota.

Commitment

2005-08-13T10:16:00.000-05:00

I am me.
I will do.
I will be.
I will go.
You are He.

Charley Anniversary

2005-08-13T06:47:00.000-05:00

It was one year ago today that Hurricane Charley came ripping through the state of Florida. It was a wake-up call to Central Floridians to be sure. We hadn't had a hurricane make it to Orlando in 30 or so years. Last year 3 of them made it in, and Charley started it.

Feel free to check out my collection of posts called Hurricane Charley: A Retrospective.

Changes

2005-08-12T16:25:00.000-05:00

I think it's time for some changes around here. Any suggestions? I have my thoughts already but I want to hear yours.

What do you like/dislike about this blog? Content, style, layout, colors, sidebar, features, web address, feed...

Krystal Wi-Fi

2005-08-12T13:35:00.000-05:00

More and more companies are offering free wi-fi. I like that.

Now it's Krystal offering free Wi-Fi. There's one down the road. I'll have to check it out.

Foto Friday

2005-08-12T07:22:00.000-05:00

Bye Bye Derby

A tribute to our pet cockatiel since he recently died.

Click on the image for a larger view and more details.

PVR

2005-08-09T19:01:00.000-05:00

I've wanted a TiVo for a long time. We went with the next best thing today and got a PVR through our cable company.

So far it's pretty sweet!

Bono and Jesus

2005-08-08T16:06:00.000-05:00

Who would you expect these words to come from? CS Lewis? Martin Luther? Dr. Martin Luther King? Joe Pastor?

Try Bono of U2.

It's a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the Universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma.

...At the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics -- in physical laws -- —every action is met by an equal or an opposite one...And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that...Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I've done a lot of stupid stuff.

...I'd be in big trouble if Karma was going to finally be my judge...It doesn't excuse my mistakes, but I'm holding out for Grace. I'm holding out that Jesus took my sins onto the Cross, because I know who I am, and I hope I don't have to depend on my own religiosity.

...The point of the death of Christ is that Christ took on the sins of the world, so that what we put out did not come back to us, and that our sinful nature does not reap the obvious death...It's not our own good works that get us through the gates of Heaven.

...the secular response to the Christ story always goes like this: He was a great prophet, obviously a very interesting guy, had a lot to say along the lines of other great prophets, be they Elijah, Muhammad, Buddha, or Confucius. But actually Christ doesn't allow you that. He doesn't let you off that hook. Christ says, No. I'm not saying I'm a teacher, don't call me teacher. I'm not saying I'm a prophet. I'm saying: 'I'm the Messiah.' I'm saying: 'I am God incarnate.'...So what you're left with is either Christ was who He said He was -- the Messiah -- or a complete nutcase...The idea that the entire course of civilization for over half of the globe could have its fate changed and turned upside-down by a nutcase, for me that's farfetched.

I know because Ryan told me so.

Blogspot Is Popular

2005-08-08T15:45:00.000-05:00

Ken says it's hard to believe, but I'm not surprised. Blogger has more visitors than the WashingtonPost.com, USAToday.com, and NYTimes.com.

Guess this blog thing is here to stay?

Jacksonville

2005-08-07T19:15:00.000-05:00

Oh! I forgot to post this...on the trip home, it rained in only ONE place then ENTIRE trip from Fort Collins, Colorado to Orlando, Florida.

That place was Jacksonville, FL.

Seriously, only while we were in the city it rained. It stopped when we left.

For those of you not familiar with JAX, it's notorious for bad weather.

Home

2005-08-06T15:13:00.000-05:00

I forgot to say that we're finally back in Orlando after being gone a month and driving home from Colorado.

I have nothing really to say. More on this later...

Oh, I did watch two cool DVDs yesterday and today: The Bridge On The River Kwai and Tora! Tora! Tora! Both good movies worth watching sometime if you get the chance. I borrowed them from my dad.

Foto Friday

2005-08-05T07:31:00.000-05:00

Public Works

Click on the image for a larger view and description.

34

2005-08-04T14:18:00.000-05:00

That's how old I am today.

All Your Fads are Belong to Us

2005-08-03T09:19:00.000-05:00

Great list of internet fads compiled by C|Net. I couldn't think of a more creative title than Andrew used so I just used it too.

Top 10 Web fads

One thing I disagree with though...this guy didn't make the top 10...nor did the Badger.

OK, AR, TN, NC, and SC

2005-08-03T08:41:00.000-05:00

Our trip is coming to a close. I've told you about some observations of driving in Colorado and Kansas. Even mentioned some of Memphis. I thought I'd make a couple more observations about the rest of the trip so far:

There's a difference between Kansas and Oklahoma: one of them has trees.
Oklahoma was like a green version of driving out of Colorado.
I'm really not anti-Kansas. I thought it was pretty.
I've never been to Arkansas before. I was VERY impressed with it's beauty.
We stopped in Little Rock for coffee and a visit with some friends...that was fun.
There's nothing on the west side of the Mighty Missip. Memphis starts with a bang!
Tennessee is one long state.
God seems to speak a little more in Arkansas...I think.
Tennessee is very pretty also.
Driving I-40 in North Carolina is even prettier! The mountains on this side are smoother and shorter than their western counterparts, but it's just as magnificent.
One of the prettiest drives I know, though not long, is dropping out of Asheville into Greenville County (my home county in South Carolina) on Hwy 25.
It's good to be back with family in Simpsonville, SC.
It feels like we've gone much further than just 1600 miles.

More Hurricanes

2005-08-03T08:22:00.000-05:00

Read about this yesterday and can't say I feel so god about it.

NOAA: More hurricanes to come

Drivin' In Memphis

2005-08-01T16:48:00.000-05:00

This is our second day hanging with friends in Memphis. We're trying to decide what to do tonight, but last night I had my first slab of real Memphis dry ribs from Corky's. They were great!

We also drove by Beale St, the FedEx Forum, and saw the hotel where Dr. King was shot.

And of course we drove by Graceland and the Heartbreak Hotel. I'll try to get some pics posted eventually...though we didn't take a lot.

This is an interesting and pretty cool place.

Where I've Been

2005-07-31T15:25:00.000-05:00

I can now update it. Probably won't change much for a while.

create your own personalized map of the USA
or write about it on the open travel guide

create your own visited country map
or write about it on the open travel guide

create your own personalized map of Canada
or write about it on the open travel guide

create your personalized map of europe
or write about it on the open travel guide

Observations Driving in CO & KS

2005-07-29T21:41:00.000-05:00

We took off this morning from Fort Collins, Colorado and are now in Wichita, Kansas (I can never spell Wichita correctly). I thought I'd post some lessons I've learned on this trip:

If you think you have to go to the bathroom, think you might need to go soon, or think you will at some future point in your life and you see a bathroom, STOP! I learned the hard way.
The first lesson can be applied to gasoline. Thankfully I applied the first lesson to this one and we were fine.
Giving 75 cents worth of change in mostly dimes, nickels, and pennies to a toll booth lady can get you in trouble. I thought money was money. She thought I was being "cute". We had nothing else.
Even on a goofy diet, you can still find things to eat.
You can talk to God from any state, but He doesn't seem to talk back when in Kansas.
Speaking of God and Kansas, a friend told me Kansas was "Godless". I disagree. I think He just forgot to decorate it much.
Speaking of decorating the states, there was a lot of cool country-side to see. Lots of shapes from rolling hills, sharp edges, and flat.
There's something kind of sad seeing the great Rocky Mountains fade to nothing in your rear-view mirror.
Because of a wrong turn, we saw a great sunset over the Wichita skyline. Not bad.
There's a lot of country music on the stations out here

We take off for Memphis tomorrow with a short stop in Little Rock.

Foto Friday

2005-07-29T18:54:00.000-05:00

Continuing with my new tradition of a featured photo I've taken, I present this one today. (click on the image to read a description and larger image)

Radish

It's been a while

2005-07-28T21:43:00.000-05:00

Don't you hate those posts that say "sorry I haven't written in a while".

I'm not going to do that.

Go here to read what's been going on with us...

Happy Birthday, Sister

2005-07-28T21:40:00.000-05:00

Hey my sister...it's almost not your birthday anymore but I wanted to make sure there was a public acknowledgement of your day!

Congrats on another year. Hopefully we can see you soon.

The Party Next Door

2005-07-24T21:32:00.000-05:00

We're staying in an apartment this month. We're upstairs with one other apartment. We're the first door up the stairs.

Tonight our neighbors beside us had a party. They were cooking outside on the ground floor and moving up and down the stairs.

Two people came into our apartment tonight accidentally.

One of them came in twice.

We greeted them each time with "Hello!"

They were embarrassed.

We should lock our door.

But it was funny.

Fess up to Bad Movies

2005-07-24T18:34:00.000-05:00

So fess up. How many of the biggest movie bombs have you seen? Are you shocked that any of them are on there? (BTW: looks like Pluto Nash maybe the worst of all-time).

I've seen:

Around the World in 80 Days
The Cat in the Hat
Howard the Duck
Lost in Space
Speed 2: Cruise Control
Welcome to Mooseport

Most of those weren't bad.

ACC in Springfield

2005-07-24T18:20:00.000-05:00

Fanblogs.com: Fun with ACC Mascots

Google Map Hybrid

2005-07-24T18:11:00.000-05:00

Google steped it up again...and I like it!