Saitek A-250

The rumor is our midtown Wal-Mart is going to be closing soon so they can move to a larger Wal-Mart (actually, one of the biggest I've seen) down the street. I've noticed their clearance area has more than doubled in size over the last month or two.

Yesterday, I ran across a device I saw on Gizmodo a while back. At the time, it was too expensive for me to seriously consider. But with a $40 mark down, I could not resist. It was less expensive than buying it at Amazon.com, even after their rebate.

I must say it sounds very good and was really easy to setup. They had one left if anyone else wants one!

Update: I took this product back to the store. After using it for a week, its quirks and limited wireless range made it unsuitable for my needs. I think I'll look into getting a speaker system with an iPod dock on it.

Mosquito Device

I keep reading story after story of how a new device called a Mosquito emits a high pitched frequency that people over the age of twenty cannot hear. For people under the age of twenty, the sound is very annoying, and the device is being sold to movie theaters and such to cause teens to stop loitering outside. While I had not actually seen the device in use anywhere in Tulsa, a co-worker downloaded the sound off the internet, and played it for us. I can hear it. I'm 33. I think it very irresponsible for the creator of this device to make such blanket statements about who can and cannot hear the sound. I'm sure its a marketing tactic to sell more Mosquitos. What's bad is the media is repeating the statement without verifying its authenticity. If and when I do notice the device in use, I will be giving the owner an ear full so to speak.

Yet Another Reason I'm Against Genetic Engineering

Yahoo has a scary story about genetically engineered grass used for golf courses being found growing in the wild. You can read the article here.

The grass was engineered to resist Round-Up, a popular herbicide. The article implies the grass could cross-polinate with other strains of grass (and possibly other plants), producing new varieties of Round-Up-resistant plants.

It pisses me off that the scientists in the article use levity to lessen the seriousness of genetic engineering. It is only a matter of time before something bad is released into the wild that cannot be contained. Indeed, it may already be out there. Take StarLink corn, which has pesticide engineered into it. It kills bugs, some beneficial. The last time I checked, it's not approved for human consumption. But it cross-pollinates with other corn, apparently, so who know if we are eating it or not? Somebody ate some of it. Anyone remember the Taco Bell taco shell incident? And if anyone died from it, how would we know? It's not the like the government checks dead people for such things.

Oklahoma Centennial Botanical Garden

In the spirit of reporting on improvements to Tulsa today, I also found the website for the Oklahoma Centennial Botanical Garden here. It sounds like it will be really nice when they complete it in 2007.

The American Statue

Last night I uncovered the website for the American statue. You can find it here. There don't appear to be any recent updates, so I decided to contact them.

I got this reply within just a few minutes:


Dear Mr. Wallace,

We are happy to advise that The American Project is alive and well. Yes, we have been very quiet for a number of months while we were completing research and addressing some design issues that we believed were necessary to ensure the success of the Project. Since last August, we have completed two focus group studies, an attendance study, and an economic impact study. The results of these studies all identified the Project as not only a sound Project, but one with great potential for Tulsa and the state. We also introduced The American to the art world at Art Expo in New York City in March of this year. Art Expo is the largest art show in the world. With regard to design, the artist and designer of the Project, Shan Gray, completed the 3.5 ft engineering prototype in February and has begun work on what will be called the Scan Master (a 6 ft engineering prototype of The American image) which will be the final image for enlargement to the over 200 ft monument. With the completion of the 3.5 ft image and the 6 ft Scan Master, certain design issues are being addressed by the Structural engineers (i.e. fitting of the elevator shaft and stairwell inside the statue, etc.). While all of this work is very exciting and important to the Project, we realize it is not very tangible to the public.

While we work on different aspects of the design, we continue to raise funds. When the funding is completed, we will have about a six-month start-up and then the public will be able to begin to see construction on the monument itself. Our goal is to have the monument and support facilities complete by January 2010.

Thank you so much for your interest in the Project. And if you have additional questions, please feel free to contact us.

Best regards,

Melanie Gray

The American Project


I'm still very excited about this project, and it's encouraging to know the project is still very much alive.

Glued to a Toilet Seat

I just read where another person found herself glued to a toilet seat in a public restroom, and I can remain silent no longer! I'm not one to blame the victim, but I'm thinking there are some very simple precautions one could take to ensure one doesn't find one's self the subject of an embarassing, if humorous, internet story.

It seems to me, that if you wipe the seat off with a tissue or place one of those paper ass gaskets down, it would be pretty obvious if some deviant has squirted a bead of super glue on the seat (which is really funny by the way). That's all there is to it.

It seems like common sense, but I could be wrong. I just can't imagine walking into a public restroom and sitting down without doing a thorough inspection of the seat first. You never know when a Trekkie left Klingons on the seat, if you know what I mean.

I'll give these super glue victims the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they had to go so bad it seemed like a good idea at the time to forgoe the inspection because hestitating even a second would risk unleashing the unthinkable. Just be careful. Apparently, staph infections and pedophiles aren't the only thing to worry about in the bathroom.

Gatesway Foundation's 12th Annual Balloon Festival

It's always the first weekend in August, and I nearly forgot about it! I look forward to this all year, and it is this weekend at the Osage Million Dollar Elm Casino.

Friday night they do the balloon glow where they light the balloons up all at once. They don't fly them, though. Saturday and Sunday, I think they have contests and they will be flying them, weather permitting. It's fun for the entire family.

Facial Morpher

After seeing Terry's post on celebrity look-alikes over at Wild Ramblings (see link under Other Blogs on the right), I did a little searching on my own and found another funny site. This one lets you upload your picture and morph it into a different age, race, etc.

Here is what I'll look like when I get older:

Here is what I'd look like if I were African American:


Check it out: St. Andrew's Face Morpher

A Beautiful Butterfly

Tonight my $6 investment in a butterfly bush paid off as a beautiful yellow butterfly spent several minutes on it getting a drink.

Boy Did I Make an Ass of Myself

Yesterday, was our second annual "Team Building Exercise". It's really just a day where we take off work and go the the lake to horse around.

After several margaritas and a few beers, I was feeling really good. But as the day wore on, it became obvious that I'd reached my limit...and went way beyond it. Suddenly, the trip became not so fun.

I'm not exactly sure what happened after that. I do remember hanging my head over the rail of the boat for most of the trip back. Oh, yeah, and I remember vomiting over the rail in front of all of my co-workers. Sweet! I'm sure they'll never let me live that one down.

I passed out in the car on the way back (I wasn't driving). I'm really glad I didn't vomit in the car. That would have been bad.

When I finally got home, I slept for around 12 hours.

If anything good comes out of this, it will be that I don't plan on touching any liquor again for quite some time.

Mentos Experiment

After having witnessed the video of the two guys dropping Mentos candy into 2-Liter Diet Cokes on eepybird.com, we couldn't resist trying the experiment at work on our smoke break.

For the first experiment, we didn't have a 2-Liter or a Diet Coke, so we used a 20oz Diet Pepsi. I devised a paper tube from an index card to fit over the neck of the bottom. Just above the opening, I cut a slit and put a piece of paper in there cross ways to hold the Mentos just over the fluid. Then, I yanked the paper out and took off running. The drink did indeed produce a lot of foam, but it wasn't nearly as exciting as the video. The foam came out and spilled over the sides without making any kind of geyser.

So we watched the video again to see what we did wrong. We realized in the video, the guys left the lid on. They drilled a hole through the lid and fed a string through it. This creates a nozzle of sorts. Then, they apparently threaded the Mentos onto a string. So on smoke break #2, we took the original bottle, filled it just above half-way with Diet Coke, and poked a small hole in the lid. We recreated the experiment pretty well. The hardest part was getting the needle through the Mentos without breaking them. I nearly made the mistake of putting the lid on before we went outside. That could have been a disasterous elevator ride, if I'd accidentally let go of the string.

Outside, I had Terry hold the thread and Mentos above the fluid while I put the lid on. Then we dropped the string and Mentos into the Coke. This time we created a geyser, but it still wasn't like the one on the video. Not even close. I think we had too much air in the bottle. By the time the foam bubbled up to the neck, most of the air pressure had already escaped. I think the bottle has to be filled up nearly to the top.

Maybe we'll try again tomorrow.

New Animal Control Laws

Starting today, Tulsa county has tougher animal control laws. Tulsa has been putting a positive spin on the law, saying it will help with keeping loose dogs from running around, attacking people. Apparently, the county is overrun with this sort of thing, didn't you know? The owner of a loose pet could be fined $500. Also, each pet is required to have a rabies vaccination. Sounds like a good law, right?

Wrong. There is more to the law, and it has an insidious side. Tulsa country now requires you to register all of your pets (I'm not sure if it's just cats and dogs or what...do I have to register my fish, too?) for the ridiculously steep amount of $100. Not only that, you are also required to re-register every year for an additional $50. This is just ridiculous. What family can afford that, especially if you have more than one pet?

I believe this law will make people think twice about adopting pets, which means more of them will be destroyed at the rescue shelter. And I think people will be afraid to take their animals to the vet, for fear of being turned in.

Superman Returns in IMAX 3-D

You'd think that with all the improvements in special effects technology and the fact that Superman Returns has around 20 minutes of 3-D in it (but only if you see it at an IMAX), the movie would easily surpass the previous incarnations of Superman. Well, you'd be wrong.

The movie lacks something the original Superman movie with Christopher Reeve had. It just doesn't feel fresh. Rather than re-invent the Man of Steel like they did with the Dark Knight in Batman Begins, they just update him a little. Even the plot is a little stale: it's very similar to the plot of Superman I.

The movie is also too long. By the time the climax is reached, there is easily another 20 minutes...and it seems to drag.

And lets talk about Kevin Spacey. He's a brilliant actor...but his Lex Luther doesn't come anywhere close to Gene Hackman's. Brandon Routh does a great job as Superman...and he so convincingly imitates Christopher Reeve that it is a little eerie at times.

That's not to say it is a bad movie. I didn't hate it. I didn't find at as good as Superman I, but I thought it was better than Superman II.

Finally, there is the 3-D stuff. The 3-D stuff didn't really add anything to the movie. In fact, I found it a little distracting. If the entire movie had been 3-D, it would have been cool...or even one 20 minute block of 3-D. But instead, the 3-D is interspersed throughout the film for about 5 minutes at a time. It comes across as a gimmick. And that's really sad, considering I love IMAX 3-D.

More on Sex Offenders

There is a news report on the KTUL website saying that 97 percent of Tulsa is off limits to sex offenders due to laws that say offenders cannot live near parks and schools, etc. I don't really cherish the idea of a sex offender living nearby, but it seems a little restrictive.

I think people should be less concerned about sex offenders and more concerned about violent criminals (the two are not mutually exclusive). Where's the website that shows where the violent criminals live? That's what I really want to see.

Dieting Makes No Sense

I don't understand this. For the past several weeks, I've been denying my self pop and trying to eat healthier. I didn't lose squat. So this week, I really fell off the wagon and drank copious amounts of pop, and I had a large chocolate shake from Burger King (the only thing I'll eat there). When I weighed this morning, I'd lost 3 pounds. Go figure.

Condom Poppers

Okay, this one goes into the WTF File. A friend of mine found these unusual fireworks at the local fireworks stand. They're called Condom Poppers. I think they're like those champagne poppers. However, I suspect there may be little condoms in it, instead of streaming paper. Get this! There are phrases on the side of each popper like: So Many Girls So "Little" Condoms, Can't Get Enough of a "Small" Thing, For "Small" Emergencies Only, and Tight is Good "Tightwad" Dangerous.

BlockParty 1.0 Released

I just finished uploading BlockParty 1.0 to SourceForge.net. The champaigne cork is out (okay, it's really a can of beer).

If you have an iPod or MP3 player, you might want to check it out.

BlockParty

Why Cats Suck

I have three cats. And they all suck. If they're not coughing up hairballs, it's something else.

Yesterday as I was leaving for work, I realized the litter box needed changing, but since I was running late, I thought it could wait.

Well, one of the cats--I'm pretty sure I know which one--decided the leave me a reminder to change the litter box. That's catspeak for "he pissed all over the bed". Vindictive little bastard!

I knew I was going to be up for a late-night work implementation at 1:00am, so I'd planned to come home a little early and take a nap. That did not happen. Instead, I spent the evening steam cleaning the bed and washing sheets.

BlockParty Application

I'm a little excited about this. I'm working on an open source Java application called BlockParty. I hope to have it available at SourceForge soon.

Basically, it will let you record a "block" of SHOUTcast-compatible internet streaming music. It will produce MP3 files, which can be uploaded to any iPod or MP3-compatible music player.

I got interested in writing the program when I found another project on SourceForge called Streamripper. All the other programs I've evaluated try to break the songs up into separate tracks with varying degrees of success. Streamripper has this capability too, but it's the only one I've found that will also record until a certain file size or time limit has been reached. BlockParty will use Streamripper in the background, but it will have some other features too.

So far the application is coming along nicely. I estimated I will be done with the first version sometime within the next 2 weeks.

My iPod

I have a love/hate relationship with my 5G iPod, the one with video. I love that it's compact and goes anywhere, can hold several days worth of songs, can show videos when I'm on a plane or in the car, it's relativily easy to use, and the video looks great! But there are some glaring problems (some of which seem easy to fix) with it, too:

1) It's too hard to get movies onto the iPod. Granted, Apple doesn't advertise you can watch movies on it, but since it is a video player, it's sorta implied. Wrong. The Apple Music Store doesn't have movies. Sure, you can buy TV shows from the Apple Music Store, but at $2 a show, an entire season usually costs more than a DVD box set. Which means you must convert the movies yourself, and it's slow and requires you to find third-party software.

2) The Apple Music Store has the option of blending songs together at the breaks, rather than leave a second or two gap between songs. The makes a playlist seem more like a radio broadcast. Yet, the iPod doesn't have this feature. It's probably one of the most requested features on the forums I've seen.

3) When I create a playlist, sometimes I'd like to shuffle it, sometimes not. Unfortunately, the iPod seems to only have a global shuffle setting and it's a pain to navigate to it and turn it on/off.

4) The scroll wheel sensitivity needs to be adjustable. It's aggravating when you highlight something and raise your finger to hit the selector button only to have the selection move as your lift your finger.

I wish Apple and Sirius would team up and build an iPod that could receive Sirius satellite radio transmissions. Now that would be awesome.

Overall, I'd rate myself mostly satified with my iPod, but I don't think it comes close to living up to the hype.