Peppercorn the dog as a pumpkin for Halloween, a photo by nelslindahl on Flickr.

Everybody seems to enjoy seeing peppercorn the dog dressed up as a pumpkin for Halloween.

I’m testing my Flickr video to weblog integration.

Streaming Content, a photo by nelslindahl on Flickr.

During the course of the last year my household has transitioned from paying for cable/satellite services to paying for streaming video services. Within this post I have included a Microsoft Visio diagram of my current streaming video content setup.

1. At this point, the TiVo box provides digital video recording options for over the air (OTA) channels. The OTA channels provide access to local content.
2. Hulu Plus provides next day streaming access to a wide variety of television shows.
3. Netflix provides streaming access to older television shows and a variety of movies.
4. Both Vudu and Amazon on Demand provide streaming access to movies.

Via Flickr:
This is a Microsoft Visio diagram of my current streaming video content setup for home entertainment.

what could be more fun than snow in Colorado? what could be more fun than snow in November?

Type some words to fill this space.

the google talk to text software seems to be working on the android platform. the software can process about 1 sentance. sometimes the software will miss a word or completely interpret the speech incorrectly.this last weekend peppercorn the dog had a chance to sport a pumpkin halloween costume. It seems like halloween is only a few days away.the dictation software limits the complexity of my sentences. overall writing a few words of the time seems to generate disjointed prose. at

Driving from colorado to kansas seems to take longer every time. at the same time time, free podcasts are becoming harder to find. during this last trip for the first time I was able to download a podcast to my EVO during the drive. being able to get updates on the road fundamentally changes the game. a few of the podcasts are better than others. my current podcast preferences are straight forward.

1. the dennis miller show
2. science friday
3. mike and mike in the morning
4. pardon the interruption
5. Dr. Kiki’s science hour
6. engadget

Are you ready for halloween? Peppercorn the dog is ready for halloween.

When did Costco star selling Stag’s Leap wine?

The big Italy pizza was priced right, but the final product was somewhat average.

Nick was right about my tire issues. At some point during the last few days, I picked up a random nail during commute to work. I was surprised to find out that none of the tire repair stores are open on Sunday. Hopefully, the tire will hold up until the tire repair store opens.

Yesterday was a big day. Sometimes those major life milestone days catch up with you. Other times a moment of self reflection kicks in and a sense of truly inspired urgency comes to the forefront of all considerations. I decided today would be the day format my Dell Studio laptop computer. I keep all of my  personal computers on either a 6 or 12 month formatting schedule. My the process will be easy. Do Android phones have the ability to connect keyboards?

Do Android phones have the ability to connect keyboards? Typing on the HTC EVO keyboard takes time. The formatting project went well. Right now the Windows update process is slowly performing a series of restarts…

I am testing my mobile photo upload system.

I am testing my mobile digital photograph uploading system.

The Android operating system seems to be fully functional. My new math based alarm clock has proven exceptionally reliable. You actually have to be awake to solve mathematical equations. I am very satisfied with my recent $2 purchase from the Android market. Blogging from my new HTC EVO requires a degree of patience. I type much faster on a full keyboard than a touch screen. Even the basic Android talk to text function limits productivity. The Android operating system barely supports rudimentary document processing beyond simple viewing.

This is a test of the new live blog posting system.

After a quick Google search for “Nels” this website came up in the second page of results. A ranking of 12 out of 2,430,000 webpage results might be acceptable in some social circles. Maybe someday this page will move up in the rankings.

• Yep, it finally happened… yesterday during the middle of a seemingly innocent Saturday afternoon I purchased several bags of mulch. New homeownership implies a certain set of responsibilities including in some cases extensive landscaping. Since last summer both rocks and dirt has been delivered by the ton to landscape the yard. From now on a ton of rocks will have a very real meaning one shovel and wheelbarrow at a time. Loading the old Chevy Blazer with bag after bag of red cedar mulch might seem like a normal day to day activity. Actually having purchased mulch for landscaping the front yard was a defining moment in the realm of homeownership and being an adult. Yesterday I was actually thinking about how landscaping changes the potential resell value of a house.
• Joni finally got a Nintendo Wii after months of searching for the illusive gaming console. The basic price of the Nintendo Wii only includes one controller. For two people to be able to utilize the Nintendo Wii gaming console a second controller had to be purchased. In order to utilize the Virtual Console component of the Nintendo Wii gaming console two classic controllers had to be purchased. Right now the Virtual Console is providing NES and SNES capabilities. Playing classic Super Mario and Donkey Kong in widescreen format was shocking at first. Sometime next week I will try to provide a comprehensive review of the Nintendo Wii gaming console.
• I cannot believe the month of May is already approaching. Time really does fly by quickly. Part of the last few days has been devoted to digital video editing. I was able to finally complete the digital video disc (DVD) of the big wedding. After working with two different formats of NTSC video that involved hours of numerical computation I am terrified of a future that will involve editing high definition video. A complete DVD that includes photographs and multiple formats of video mixed with complex menus can take several hours to format into a usable product. Right now I just hope that the DVD format is playable in a variety of different video players. I would hate to have produced a DVD that simply does not work properly. After the photographs for the DVD booklet are developed I will be able to begin shipping next week.
• Apparently I am going to receive a inferred digital thermometer for my upcoming birthday. Technology enthusiasts obsessed with kitchen gadgets have discovered that inferred digital thermometers designed for the automotive and construction industries are also useful in the kitchen. Have you ever wanted to know where the hot spots are in your oven? Are certain parts of the freezer colder than other parts?

• Do not fear the occasional false start, but be prepared to start over.
• Peppercorn the dog will be traveling this week. Strangely enough I do not like to leave Peppercorn the dog behind during any trip. A portable kennel will be in the back of the car during the trip planned for this week from Colorado to Kansas City. Traveling with a pet can be a fun activity, or traveling with a pet can be a difficult process. Peppercorn the dog actually sleeps in the kennel with the door to the kennel open or closed. During the trip frequent stops will be made to a variety of pet friendly rest stops. As a traveler who rarely stops at rest stops without a pet I was unaware of the actual number of people who travel with a wide variety of pets. Peppercorn the dog is exceptionally friendly. Some dogs just happen to like everyone and enjoy traveling.
• A few months ago I sat down and wanted to watch an old vacation videotape recording. I quickly realized the companies who produced home camcorders never produced any affordable technology for video tape players beyond VHS. Entire personal libraries of videotapes recorded with technologies like HI8 and Digital 8 can only be played with the original recording device. After learning about this backward compatibility problem the next challenge will involve finding the old camcorders and all the cables the old camcorders need.
• Joni has granted permission on the current handheld global positioning system acquisition plan. A wide variety of GPS handheld systems exist that provide both mapping and turn by turn driving direction functionality. Right now we are considering getting the Garmin GPSMap 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigator. We looked at the Garmin eTrex Legend/Vista CX Handheld GPS Navigator, but discovered that the Garmin GPSMap 60CSx Handheld GPS Navigator provided better turn by turn driving direction functionality. The research process is far from complete at this point.
• After converting to the dark side of cooking (scientific based culinary exploration, but not necessarily molecular gastronomy) I decided to buy Alton Brown’s, “I’m just hear for the food 2.0,” cookbook after watching numerous episodes of the Good Eats television show on the Food Network. I knew the dark side of cooking was strong when Amazon suggested buying a infrared thermometer based on browsing preferences.

Yesterday seemed like a normal enough day. A few weeks ago I tested for the National Career Readiness Certificate. Visiting the workforce development center was an interesting experience. Maybe something about striving to earn a GED is compelling. People were milling around inside the workforce development center, accessing the internet, working on certifications, and taking GED classes. Earning a GED might be a foreign concept to an individual who finished high school.

Maybe more observation should be allocated to individuals striving for a certain degree of personal improvement. Part of the American dream involves the possibility of personal improvement. Considering the meaning of personal improvement can drive a series of questions about the nature of the pursuit of happiness. Individuals should resolve that the summation of personal action should strive for the pursuit of happiness. If the summation of personal action does not strive for the pursuit of happiness, then each individual action should be called into question.

Part of what made yesterday unique was the strange weather pattern. April snow storms at high elevations are not a new phenomenon. Early in the morning yesterday very large snow flakes covered most of the backyard. Shortly after the snow melted the weather shifted to almost t-shirt conditions. Sudden temperature changes periodically happen in Colorado Springs. Maybe I am simply fascinated by the sudden change between long sleeve and short sleeve weather. Regardless of the weather conditions outside striving to pursue happiness has to be a priority.

That moment… that very moment… what exactly about that moment counts? A moment roles around that defines a certain level of action. Everyone else seems to understand the absolute need for action. Reservations build up around the potential outcomes of action. Not only does everyone outside of the situation seem to understand the conflict, but also the conflict seems to be reasonably defined and obvious.

Rapid development of prose seems to center on previous definition. Maybe it is easier to focus on the distractions. Distractions exist everywhere. Self-censorship is not a topic that is easily discussed or understood. From time to time it is easier to falter to a path of inaction than to accept action. Suggestions abound about the idea of opening the mind to the possibility of writing. Perhaps writing is truly about allowing a string of thoughts to develop. Defending the concepts tends to agitate from occasional thoughts.

Certain problems exist that require immediate resolution. During the course of this week one class will end and the next class will begin. Earlier this year it seemed like a good idea to consider a knowledge management specialization. Without question the readings on knowledge management have been informative and fundamentally different than the traditional public administration readings. Recently the progress toward finishing the fifth knowledge area module has been painfully slow. Breaking the fifth knowledge area module into three parts should have been elementary and part of the initial development process. After the first draft was complete the decision was made to break the fifth knowledge area module into three parts. Right now the current challenge involves translating previously completed work into a finished product.

At some point a principled moratorium developed resulting in the personal avoidance of actively engaging in the conspicuous consumption of coffee before lunchtime. Most conspicuous coffee consumers specialize in the active practice of early morning consumption. For some reason actually enjoying coffee seems to require a few hours of reflection before engaging in coffee consumption. Drinking other caffeine containing beverages during early morning hours is not actually a part of the moratorium. For some reason even diet soda beverages that contain caffeine seem to fit the bill during the first few moments of the day.

Today is an interesting day inspired by an early morning glass of water. For the rest of the day the first moments of each hour will be devoted to drinking one glass of water. Maybe today is not the best day to give up all caffeine, but random decisions are normally made for random reasons.

What makes today special and worth celebration is the start of the 2007 National Collegiate Athletic Association March Madness. Recently Jeff Sagarin a well known sports statistician actually ranked all 336 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s division one basketball teams. As of this morning 64 out of the 336 teams still feel a degree of hope about potentially winning a college basketball national championship.

If the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) simply invited 256 teams to the eight round national tournament, then Jeff Sagarin’s ranking of all 336 teams would be incredibly useful for seeding.

During the first week in March the first round of the national basketball tournament 256 teams would play 128 games at the home court of the higher ranked team. Administratively the first few rounds of a national tournament would require utilizing the college campuses of the higher ranked teams. During the second round the remaining 128 teams would have to play 64 games at the home court of the higher ranked team. For the third round of the complete national tournament 64 teams would play 32 games at the home court of the higher ranked team.

After the conclusion of the first three rounds of the national tournament the 32 remaining teams would take a week off before playing 16 games during the fourth round of the tournament at the home court of the higher ranked team. After the first four rounds of the tournament the top 16 teams would relocate to a single national tournament location for the 16 team fifth round, 8 team sixth round, 4 team seventh round, and the two team national championship game.

Would adding two rounds to the national tournament really be impossible?