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Random musings on a Sunday morning after the big game

Sunday, April 1, 2012 at 11:27 AM
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Did you know that the University of Kansas men’s basketball team will be playing in the NCAA national championship game on Monday night? Who am I kidding — of course you knew about the big game!

I had to ask myself — What’s up with Bill Gates these days? How often do you think Bill Gates checks in on what Steve Ballmer is doing? All I really want to know is when the next edition of Microsoft Office Word will be available. I keep waiting for a skydrive version of MS Word to be announced by Microsoft. I really do use MS Word daily. Like many professionals who spend a significant amount of time writing Word will probably always be a part of my daily life. About ten years ago, I applied to work for Microsoft. Bill Gates never responded. I’m not sure I would have enjoyed living Washington state.

Parenting can be incredibly tiring

Saturday, February 4, 2012 at 8:51 AM
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One of my resolutions for 2012 included actively blogging/writing every day. The joy of parenthood has dramatically changed my sleep and writing schedules. On a side note, did you know that a baby can squeak? Out of nowhere John Paul on occasion just squeaks… As my new world of eventualities unfolds, I am struggling to find a rhythm between work, personal life, and academic life.

For the last few years, I have worked on different sets of tasking without any real interruption. One of my goals for this weekend is to watch the super bowl and complete my Stanford University classes from the Stanford Center for Professional Development. I have already selected a location in my office for the Stanford University advanced project management certificate.

As part of my journey into the world of project management certification, I recently acquired Rita Mulcahy’s book, “PMP Exam Prep, Seventh Edition: Rita’s Course in a Book for Passing the PMP Exam.” At some point within the next 3 months, I plan on taking the Project Management Institute (PMI) Project Management Professional (PMP) exam. After gain the Stanford Certified Project Manager (SCPM) and PMP credentials, I plan on focusing my attention on earning a few Cisco certifications.

Thinking about country clubs and golf in general

Saturday, December 17, 2011 at 11:50 AM
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During the course of 2012, I want to spend more time playing golf and less time watching television. Are both cable and satellite television companies swimming upstream against the growing force of internet enabled content? We cut the cord (aka cancelled our satellite and or cable subscription) about a year ago.  For the most part, the transition has been relatively seamless. I have been asking myself the question, “Who really needs to watch several hours of television per day?” Giving up watching live sports on ESPN was probably the hardest part of cutting the cord. Cable news networks are capable of providing hours of mindless background noise, but they rarely deliver truly informative content. We just got a flyer from Xfinity (Comcast) that would provide cable, internet, and phone for about $89.99 a month. It is interesting to see the difference between the on demand video content services provided by satellite and cable companies versus the on demand content that companies like Netflix provide.

Weekend Activities Reconsidered

Sunday, September 25, 2011 at 7:39 AM
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Apparently, the Joni plan involves some type of activity during every day of every weekend. My weekend may very well involve a trip to Costco or maybe even Lowes.  After acquiring a Keurig Platinum B70 gourmet single cup coffee maker with 60 samples I have watched my supply of k-cups dwindle. Costco only sells a handful of K-Cup varieties. It would be nice if Costco sold a sweet variety pack. Outside of coffee considerations a trip to Lowes will probably involve looking at ceiling fans.

Questioning Finding Atlantis

Sunday, March 13, 2011 at 8:53 AM
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The National Geographic Channel will be airing a show about Finding Atlantis this week. I am very curios to find out more about the possibility of the lost city of Atlantis being discovered right off the coast of Spain. How did cartographers miss an entire city?

Notes from 20101129

Monday, November 29, 2010 at 8:08 AM
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* Joni and I just adopted a new (new to us) Australian cattle dog this weekend. Peppercorn the dog definitely is used to flying solo and having the complete run of the house. Puppies are (and will always be) an adventure. Training a dog without the use of treats or fear requires an extreme amount of patience, but the results are well worth the effort.

* A few pages for the new novel are starting to turn over (albeit slower than expected). Writing has to become a state of mind for the writer. Being drawn to the page requires a certain degree of passion for the project. Being forced to writer defeats the purpose and ultimately cheats the project. Professional writers certainly end up writing on a schedule and only an endless reserve of passion for the work allows that compromise.

* Stream of consciousness writing produces strange and interesting results. Going back and editing prose generated from a stream of consciousness writing session can be challenging.

* Over the course of the last few months, I feel that the amount of interesting video content on Netflix has disappeared. Maybe my moving watching tastes are changing.

* The new dog had a successful visit to the local veterinary clinic. Queensland heelers appear to be both intelligent and hearty. The test the veterinary technician ran to determine if the new dog had heartworms was negative. Overall, the morning seems to be rather peaceful and otherwise uneventful.

* All of the cyber Monday emails seem to be delivering on the promise of specific sale items targeted at laser shoppers. If you know what you want or can be easily persuaded, then the deluge of cyber Monday online deals could be just what you are looking for both now and in the future.

Notes from 20101114

Sunday, November 14, 2010 at 8:30 AM
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* After watching televised advertisements, I learned Papa Murphy’s now has a Bacon Bacon Bacon Pizza (a pizza with three kinds of bacon). Americas has developed a fascination with bacon and Papa Murphy’s pizza has decided to exploit that fascination for profit. What percentage of people using video recording options to capture content (for time shifting) takes the time to watch commercials? Do live sporting events and AM radio shows provide the only method of actual advertisement and therefore should be more expensive?

* If NBC decided to sustain the blockade against Google TV, then the potential for online advertisement revenue will be lost. Say for example somebody wanted to watch full-length episodes of the show Outsourced on the NBC website using Google TV and the blockaded turned away that potential viewer. Not only did NBC fail to gain additional advertisement revenue, but the network also lost the opportunity to diversify the brand by introducing new viewers to other content (generating additional revenue streams). Consider for a moment, that NBC has also disenfranchised anybody who owns or uses a Google TV. Broadcast television stations lack subscription subscribes and have no contractual obligations to hold viewers hostage. Maybe disenfranchisement was the wrong choice.

* If anybody has had a chance to demo (or has as strong opinion about) any of the Sony Internet TV powered HDTV systems, then please let me know what you think about the device. I am considering purchasing the NSX46GT1 model to replace my primary television. I am in the market for a new television and I believe that internet television will replace conventional television within the next two years.

* The shop now link at Fiorella’s Jack Stack Barbecue provides a resource for individuals who want to acquire mail order barbeque. After an initial online review, two items stood out: Item #PKSS0436 $59.95 Sunday Sit-Down Special and the Item #PKBT0315 $79.95 Big Taste of Kansas City. A review of the online delivery system will probably be forthcoming at some point in the not so distant future.

*What is the real difference between Microsoft Office 2007 and Microsoft Office 2010? I am considering upgrading to get Microsoft Word 2010…

Notes from 20101107

Sunday, November 7, 2010 at 6:59 AM
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The (daylight savings extended) day started with a sweet Windows 7 error. What could be more wicked fun than a day full of wicked errors? When a computer profile does not load correctly doing any kind of meaningful work becomes problematic. For the most part doing meaningful work at 3:00 AM MST becomes problematic.

Joni thought it was a good idea to pain accent walls and the regular walls in the family room. The exceptionally dark red historic color Joni selected seems to require a minimum of three coats of paint to fully cover our lightly textured white walls. The redesign will also include a major purchase. At some point between now and the first of next year, a new television will be purchased. The purchase will be based on the television purchase paradigm in celebration of the holiday season. We have started to visually evaluate HDTV options. Given the situation two general buying options exists including  buying either a high altitude plasma HDTV or a LED HDTV.

A good competitive game is the best part about having Sunday off during football season. The Minnesota Vikings certainly delivered an exciting second half of National Football League (NFL) action this Sunday.

Do plasma televisions suffer from glare problems? Within the proposed television-viewing situation, the plasma television will face exposure to three different sets of windows creating a potential for glare throughout the entire day. A quick Google search reveals the ability to purchase an anti-glare shield for plasma televisions. If companies are producing glare shields, then the product design probably has a shortfall that aftermarket modifications are attempting to correct.

New Television Search Protocol:

1. Solicit personal recommendations from trusted sources
2. Search for online reviews from all sources
3. Compare reviews from trusted online sources and general online sources
4. Acquire hands on experience at retail locations
5. Compare technical specifications and pricing using a standardized matrix

Predefined variables:

1. The space will only support a television up to 58 inches wide.
2. 1080P would be the absolute minimum television resolution required.
3. The device will need to have at least 4 HDMI inputs.

HDTV Update: If anybody has had a chance to use any of the Sony Google TV powered Android based HDTV systems, then please tell me what you think about the device. I am considering purchasing the NSX46GT1 model to replace my primary television.

20100827 Weblog Adventures

Friday, August 27, 2010 at 9:20 AM
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A weblog rule violation almost occurred today. A major post about the phone that cannot be named is resting in weblog draft status. Weblog postings seem to require more and more energy to complete. Over the last few months the Twitter update utility has been providing updates. A recent change in Twitter policy has changed the entire weblog archive policy. All future weblog updates will involve a series of keystrokes instead of automated processes.

Why would finding a great Lasagna recipe be difficult?
What is better a digital archive or a recipe box?

Being able to relax might be the best part of having Friday off from work. The biggest adventure today will probably involve cleaning the Ford Explorer. Somehow or someway the Explorer gets exceptionally dirty.

Update: The explorer is now clean.

What are the best android applications?

Saturday Considered

Saturday, August 7, 2010 at 12:57 PM
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Laundry problem resolved.
Strange shower drain clog corrected.
Vegetarian burrito from Chipotle devoured.
Reel lawn mower returned to the garage.
Saturday considered.
Additional Saturday activities planned.

HTC EVO 4G Shortages

Thursday, July 15, 2010 at 6:47 AM
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Who would have ever guessed at the advent of the digital age that technology companies would have a hard time producing portable electronics?

With any new technology the process of early adoption always remains problematic. HTC will probably continue attempting to be a functional wireless device manufacturing company. At some point the company will need to ramp up production to meet real work demand. Sprint is struggling to have enough 4G devices in the marketplace.

Unless something new comes along in the next few weeks, I will keep waiting for the HTC EVO 4G to become available.

Everything could have been somewhat easy, but nothing in the real work every really works out that way. Rob and a few other people have noticed the number of posts on this weblog about the HTC EVO 4G. Then again Rob “The World’s Finest” tends to engage in the process of creating origami. Rob may or may not be the foremost connoisseur of paper based shuriken (ninja stars) on the planet. At some point, HTC will manage to produce enough of the HTC EVO 4G phones to make the commercially available online again for regular consumers who refuse to wait at stores for random delivers.

In other somewhat related news, this morning Andy from Chicago might have received a free bag of dog treats. In response to my low resolution camera phone powered by the Verizon Wireless network Andy was going to send HTC EVO 4G inspired high resolution photographs to my phone. Unfortunately, my handset cannot even begin to open an eight megapixel photograph.

I guess all random acts of kindness should be supported.

Wondering Forward

Friday, April 30, 2010 at 10:30 AM
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Even things that seemed relatively stable change periodically. However, I am still bitter my search for a proper sandwich on Thursday was decimated by the evil overloads of Quiznos (subs, soups, and salads) who discontinued meatball subs. Sometimes an individual might face a specific food hunger that can become almost overpowering. A specific food hunger can develop into the formational basis of a mission. Each mission develops with specific objectives and requirements. In this case, the mission involved the search for a sandwich.

Maybe now is a good time to move from thinking about the current mission to a more proactive attempt to understand all of the relevant history. As a retrospective sojourn into the nature of specific food hungers spending some time creating reflective prose seems to be almost necessary. During the course of the last year I have adopted a 2/3 vegetarian diet during breakfast and lunch. Alternatively, during the Lenten season I was able to adopt a completely vegetarian diet. Right now everyday is a struggle between a previous lifestyle and a healthier vegetarian diet.

Spring Cleaning Theory

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 10:30 AM
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In regards to the wallet situation; unbeknownst to me the wallet (now found) was located between the seats in the car. During the initially problematic search for the wallet a significant amount of cleaning occurred in both the living room and the basement. For some reason regardless of the amount of cleaning that occurs in the basement the realization of a clean basement never fully occurs. At some point in the future a garage sale will be required to facilitate realization of the new clean basement policy. Maybe having enough space to walk around while playing guitar will be personally inspiring or at least somewhat relaxing. Over the years, my collection of 80’s inspired metal (a word defining a musical genre) guitar pedals has been growing. Sometimes finding that signature guitar amplification sound of the past requires knowing the right settings for the right pedal.

Revolutionary Considerations

Sunday, April 25, 2010 at 11:09 AM
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Yesterday was an interesting day on the grind at work. The never ending wisdom of the crowd seemed to be outsourcing humanity without remorse or hesitation. Unbridled aggression without any purpose, logic, or reason rarely accomplishes anything meaningful. Maybe at that point even the most basic accomplishment would stand for something. A day or two of perspective might clean everything up and make even the most complex considerations appear well defined. The work week concluded last night without any significant revolutions. A self imposed cool down of twenty minutes seemed necessary at the end of the night.

In response to the evening the morning started out with a search for biscuits. Throughout the entire search for breakfast a Blu-ray/DVD combo package of James Cameron’s Avatar was waiting at home. Unfortunately, James had to wait as the hunt for completed survey questionnaires continued. At some point, the dissertation project will be complete. Until that major milestone is complete every weekend is devoted to a combination of cleaning the house and striving toward some degree of academic productivity.

Strangely enough the last week has involved discussions of mobile technology. Within the discussion the relative merits of both BlackBerry devices and various Droid (Android) systems received consideration. Most of the discussion and consideration about the mobile devices centered on a combination of debating the merits of electronic mail (email) and mobile internet access. Right now the technological trajectory seems to be leading up to the inevitable purchase of a BlackBerry device.

Weblog Saturday

Saturday, November 21, 2009 at 8:00 AM
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Andy from Chicago provided an interesting observation about the number of tacos that could be consumed within a single year. Without question this weekend will include a few tacos and probably a few football games. Weekends typically provide two solid days of reprieve from the standard operating procedures of the work week.

Here is a randomly assorted list of shows that have been programmed into the digital video recording (DVR) device. Most of the shows are currently being broadcast, but some of the shows have been canceled. Somehow the DVR list does not automatically adjust to reflect the most current broadcast lineup. Eventually somebody will develop an algorithm that would use predictive preference based analysis to suggest alternative viewing material. .

1. Castle
2. American Idol
3. Sanctuary
4. House
5. Fringe
6. Bones
7. Grey’s Anatomy
8. The Simpsons
9. King of the Hill
10. Family Guy
11. American Dad
12. Iron Chef America
13. Private Practice
14. My Name is Earl
15. Kitchen Nightmares
16. 24
17. Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations
18. Lie to Me
19. Hell’s Kitchen
20. The Office
21. Man v. Food
22. In Plain Sight
23. Meerkat Manor
24. Glee
25. So you think you can dance
26. The Goode Family
27. Torchwood
28. Mental
29. Kathy Griffin: My life on the D-List
30. Top Chef Masters
31. Star Trek The Next Generation
32. Doctor Who
33. Warehouse 13
34. Eureka
35. Being Human
36. Flipping Out
37. Shaq Vs.
38. Stargate Universe
39. Flash Forward
40. V
41. The Big Bang Theory

Reviewing Card Collecting

Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 9:23 AM
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The new stream of consciousness format for the NelsCAST seems to be up and running successfully functioning with a minimal level of maintenance. Audio recording seems to be a good hobby. Outside of hobby considerations the world continues to strive forward. For a very good reason the next few weeks will be very tense. Waiting on confirmation about chapters always seems to create a certain amount of anticipatory anxiety.

The hobby of baseball card collecting has rapidly changed over the last decade. Gradually, the hobby has expanded beyond baseball card collecting into a multitude of potential card collecting avenues. For example, the rise of football card collecting has significantly increased during the last decade. Even the nature of graded sports trading cards has transformed the hobby. Overall, the hobby is changing and those changes require a careful review of the practice of card collecting.

20091114 Notes

Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 11:40 AM
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An early morning trip to the local neighborhood Costco involved acquiring a coupon book for the much anticipated price correction known as Black Friday. The day after the Thanksgiving holiday celebration, consumers converge on retail locations to determine what proprietors are providing the best possible savings.

Even with the expanded DirecTV satellite television package the number of early morning Saturday football games remains limited. Today only the Fox Sports Network provided access to an interesting Big XII football game. Sometimes ESPN picks exceptionally strange games for national broadcasts. Maybe ESPN does long range forecasting to extrapolate expected game quality. In any event, the predictive algorithm should probably be modified or at the very least numerically optimized based on empirical data.

Evaluating Friday

Friday, November 13, 2009 at 9:12 AM
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Today should be the final threshold to a weekend of watching football and eating snacks. Unfortunately, due to previous scheduling problem a training class will require traveling to a place of employment for financial compensation before the sun rises. Overtime typically provides the opportunity for expanded financial compensation. Naturally, the opportunity for overtime only exists after completing the standard workweek. Having days off can be exceedingly important to individuals seeking to find opportunities for relaxation outside the confines of a workplace environment. Maybe the process of observing and describing the construction of a workplace environment until the tipping point that begins the eventual deconstruction requires a certain degree of perspective.

20091107 Notes

Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 9:09 PM
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Additional Saturday Notes

* Some elements of the new Stargate Universe series seem promising. Parts of the show seem recycled from Battlestar Galactica.

* On a hierarchy of calamity, the movie X-Men Origins: Wolverine rates worse than the original X-Men motion picture effort.

* Dinner tonight involved a meal from Bird Dog BBQ in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Thinking About Movies

Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 8:52 AM
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Maybe a free trial from Netflix would be entertaining. The current configuration of mobile internet provides access to information without providing access to online streaming video. Maybe an interest in barbeque sauces could translate into a movie selection preference. After all some movies have to exist that are about the fine art of barbeque style food preparation.

Early morning writing does not tend to yield any publishable results. Maybe the art of writing take a few minutes to build toward an actionable conclusion. For some an early morning cup of coffee can become as standard as any routine. At some level, the habit of writing can overtake even the need for a cup of coffee. The habit of writing can even overwhelm the highest quality of coffee cup.

Thinking November

Monday, November 2, 2009 at 9:37 AM
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All of the joys of November are starting to become reality. The weather in Colorado Springs has fundamentally shifted from summer directly to winter skipping any elements of fall. Anybody who does not have one is considering getting an exceptionally warm winter coat.

Strangely enough, the weather predicting professionals (aka meteorologists) are predicting that November will be abnormally clam this year. Given the nature of the two snowy mix filled ice storms that have occurred this year the weather seems to be extremely unpredictable.

November should prove to be an exciting month full of new and exciting elements of both professional exploration into the nature of the workforce and occasional glimpses into the nature of academic discovery. The Thanksgiving holiday seems to be approaching faster everyday.

Winter Weather Halloween

Thursday, October 29, 2009 at 8:38 AM
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Apparently, winter in Colorado Springs has decided to start early. Halloween will occur on a Saturday this year. The snow just might melt before Halloween. The candy just might freeze. Naturally, Peppercorn the dog will be wearing a pumpkin outfit in honor of Halloween this year. Perhaps everything will turn out well in the end with a fantastic Halloween.

———-

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