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June 27, 2007
Freight Graffiti
I shot this train rolling through T-town today. I'm not clear who these two people are supposed to be. The guy looks sort of like Sean Penn to me, but I have no clue who the chic is, which makes me think that it might be the graffiti artist and his girlfriend? The image on this Burlington Northern Santa Fe refrigerated car was apparently created by "Seed One" in 2005.
Update: I found a book alled "Freight Train Graffiti" that came out in June of 2006. Looks interesting.
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 27, 2007 at 8:24 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
June 24, 2007
My Most Newest Toy
This is my most newest toy. Just bought it today. OK. This one in the photo isn't technically mine, but it looks exactly like the one I bought today. Like a genius, I didn't get the guy to take any photos of me on this awesome machine. It's a 2002 Honda XR400, a one cylinder 4-stroke 400cc thumper. Disc brakes front and rear. Gas shocks in front. Mono-shock suspension in the rear. Gears are one down, five up, and it's been rejetted for Denver. We'll probably have to rejet it again though for about 10,000 feet above sea level. Otherwise, they tend to cough and sputter when you're crossing the continental divide. Note that this XR400 has a rear-view mirror. The guy did this to make it street legal. No real reason to have a rear-view mirror on a dirt bike. As they say on Cannon Ball Run, "If it's behind you, it doesn't matter."
Update: I corrected the year of the bike to 2002 instead of 2003. I attribute the confusion to the "fog of war".
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 24, 2007 at 8:43 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Western Bluebird Houses
Jennifer and I decided to build some Western Bluebird houses today. We just went out to the barn and found some old scrap wood and followed these directions. We ended up building three before we ran out of wood and before it was time to go back down the hill to Mom's house.
Bluebird house photos in extended entry.
Continue reading "Western Bluebird Houses"
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 24, 2007 at 4:16 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
June 23, 2007
Our Summer Guests
Jennifer and Allie and I went to Splash down in Golden today and swam about half the day. Then, when we got back, I figured I'd walk around a bit and see what I could shoot. Sure enough, our three summer guests are back there again this year. This is a Mule Deer Buck with a reddish brown summer coat, and his rack covered in velvet. These guys have lived down there every summer since I've been here. I'm sure they'd be delicious, but I like to watch them also. Usually by the time they go into rut in the fall, their coats have turned a distinct grey color and they're all 10 points. Or, as they call them out here, 5 points. When it turns cold in September, the elk come down from the mountains for the winter, and the mule deer go further down to stay warm and forage for food.
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 23, 2007 at 8:36 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
June 22, 2007
Four Percent
Four percent of American adults age 20-59 years have never had sex.
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 22, 2007 at 5:19 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
UFO Spotted over Channel Islands
Some pilots are reporting they saw a mile-wide UFO over the channel islands. Sweet.
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 22, 2007 at 2:50 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Black Holes Are Black No More
They've renamed Black Holes to 'Super High Gravity Locations' because "Black" is insensitive. Wake me when it's over.
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 22, 2007 at 11:45 AM : Comments (2) | Permalink
Jennifer Wants A Treehouse
The Treehouse Guide
Treehouse Living
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 22, 2007 at 10:18 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
June 19, 2007
Family Surprised Bears Live in Woods
Tragically, an eleven year old boy was attacked and killed by a Black Bear in a campground in Utah this past weekend. Immediately after the boy was attacked, his step-father went to another campsite in the dark without a flashlight wearing flipflops to summon help. This is a tragedy, and it's sad that the child perished in the attack. Normally, we'd just say a prayer for the family and move on. But the grandfather is now publicly castigating the people at Timpooneke campground for not warning people that bears live in the woods, and that's where I draw the line.
It’s a senseless tragedly that this boy died in a bear attack. It’s a further tragedy to blame it on the people that run the campground. Blaming the authorities for not warning you that bears live in the woods smacks of nanny-state socialism. A man is responsible for defending his family. Running crying to the next campsite for help wearing flipflops like a Girl Scout in the night is not the optimal response to a bear attack.
I was a Life Scout in the Boy Scouts. The Boy Scout motto is "Be Prepared". So, obviously, this family wasn't prepared to be in the situation they found themselves in. Let's discuss rationally, how different people in the same situation might have responded. And this is not "Monday Morning Quarterbacking" on my part. My daughter and I were in a tent in the Arapaho National Forest this past weekend. This exercise has real-world implications.
The article mentions that the same bear attacked someone else earlier on the same day, but doesn't bother to mention the reason the first victim survived. One is left to believe that it was dumb luck that the first guy survived the initial attack. Can you guess why the first victim survived? Anyone? Anyone?
The first victim survived because someone in his group had a firearm and they discharged it multiple times, scaring the bear away. The only mistake they made was not killing the bear during the initial attack. Probably, they were afraid they'd be prosecuted for shooting a bear out of season, which they no doubt would have been. A guy up here in Conifer shot a bear that was consistently breaking into his house and spent over $50,000.00 in legal fees trying to stay out of prison.
As an added bonus, this article includes a link to the Official Utah State-Sanctioned Victim's Guide to Bear Encounters that doesn't mention the word "gun" or "firearm", but includes this gem:
"If you encounter a bear in a residential area or if you have an encounter with an aggressive bear, please alert the Division of Wildlife Resources. During regular office hours (8 am–5 pm, Monday–Friday), please call the office closest to you (offices and numbers are listed below). A division employee will notify a conservation officer of your encounter or transfer you directly to law enforcement personnel. If the encounter or sighting occurs after hours or on the weekend, please call the police, who can contact a conservation officer to handle the situation."
How pathetic is that? I mean, I can hear that phone call right now:
"Uh...yeah...I'm sorry to bother y'all this late on a Saturday night, but a bear just drug my son through a bear-sized hole in the tent by his skull. How soon can y'all get a police officer over here? Oh. Not on weekends, huh? Geez. That sucks..."
Jennifer and I camp out frequently, and we've never had a problem with wild animals. Of course, we're always armed to the teeth, just in case.
Remember, a gun in the hand is better than a cop on the phone. A gun is one of those things that, if you need it once, and don't have it, you may not need it again. When you're camping outdoors, you need to have a firearm. And bigger is better. If you feel threatened by an animal, kill it. A general rule of thumb is that anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Or more. Ammunition is cheap. Life is expensive. Suing the idiots that run the campground will not bring your child back.
Rest In Peace, Samuel Ives.
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 19, 2007 at 5:01 PM : Comments (3) | Permalink
Busted at Bonnaroo
Doh! I thought I was the one taking the photos, but apparently, someone shot a photo of me shooting photos. This was at the quasi-official pre-Bonnaroo gathering in the Wal-mart parking lot in Manchester, TN. All the hippies have driven from all corners of the Earth and are stocking up on supplies for the weekend and waiting for the gates to open at Bonnaroo. So, I was walking around taking a few shots. I think that, in this particular image, I was shooting some hippies pushing each other around in a shopping cart.
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 19, 2007 at 7:54 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
June 18, 2007
Happy Father's Day
Image shot with Canon EOS 20D, Canon EF 17-85mm IS USM telescopic zoom lens on a tripod in low light situation with no flash and a 10 sec timer delay. Lens=26mm, shutter = 1/2 sec, aperture = f/5.6, ISO=1600.
Jennifer and I were packing to go camping, but it's hard to imagine what it's like up in the mountains. We live 7,500 feet above sea level in the "hills". But, the "mountains" are different. They generate their own weather. Some of the trails don't open up until August. And we're going camping in June. That's early to be camping in the mountains. It's 86 degrees at my house, and I'm calling my friends in the mountains...."what's it like up there? are the trails open? has the snow melted?"
"Where y'all going?"
"Up above Montezuma."
And they say "prolly so...come on."
For the rest of the story, buy my book "Killing Strangers".
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 18, 2007 at 7:08 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
June 16, 2007
Bonnaroo 2007 Images
This slideshow is composed of original images I shot in June of 2007 at Bonnaroo Music Festival in Manchester, Tennessee. {If you look closely in the Rastafarian's sunglasses, you can see an image of your's truly.} All photos were captured using a Canon EOS 20D and either a Canon EF 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens or a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens with a circular polarizing filter.
This slideshow (2:32) is a 13 Meg self-playing executable named bonnaroo.exe created using Imagematics StillMotion PE. The soundtrack is White Rabbit written by Grace Slick and perfomed by Grace Slick with Jefferson Airplane, off of the Surrealistic Pillow album.
Click here to download the presentation. If you have an Apple, or you're running Unix, or if you're nervous about running a .exe file from my site, then click here to download the Macromedia Flash version. The resolution is not quite as good on the Macromedia Flash version, and you can't pause and go backward and forward, but it loads faster, and it's a fairly decent presention. Click here if you need help.
To see all of the slideshows, click here.
Lyrics in the exended entry.
Continue reading "Bonnaroo 2007 Images"
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 16, 2007 at 11:44 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
At The Rodeo
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 16, 2007 at 5:54 PM : Comments (1) | Permalink
Swisher Trailcutter
So, I finally broke down and ordered a Swisher Trailmower — 44in. Cutting Width, 11.5 HP, Model# T11544. It's been raining up here like crazy, and I really just can't get across my property any more. It's seriously like going on a safari. So, I need to be able to whack the grass back, and I decided that a "finishing mower" probably isn't what I need. I want to try this "trailmower" to see if it will work. If it doesn't do what I want, then I'll sell it and get something different. But, it's too grown up back there, and I can't find anyone that mows up in the mountains anyway.
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 16, 2007 at 12:51 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
June 15, 2007
The United States vs. Mark McCloud
At Bonnaroo, I saw some trippy hippy types selling "blotter art", which is basically white sheets of LSD with a psychadelic image printed on them. Apparently, he was representing art from Mark McCloud's collection of blotter art, unofficially known as the Institute of Illegal Images. He mentioned that Mark McCloud was tried and acquitted in court in the case of the United States v. McCloud.
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 15, 2007 at 3:44 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
The Truth About Marriage
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 15, 2007 at 1:52 PM : Comments (1) | Permalink
Ever Felt Like This?
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 15, 2007 at 1:49 PM : Comments (1) | Permalink
June 13, 2007
Image Hosting
I wanted to find some software that would allow me to do some things with my photos. Specifically, I wanted to be able to tag/categorize my images, upload them to a website, and have the wesbite host them for me for free. The main reason that I want to do this is that I want to compile some of my freight graffiti images, and it seemed logical to tag them with the tagger's name or pseudonym or the message that was painted on the train. My thought was that, if I put the images out there, then people should be able come to a web page on my site, click on the "tag", and then be directed to the images in question. However, this is not possible without tagging the photos, and that meant some new software. I tried using Flickr, but they aren't really set up to allow you to link the images to an external website. I'm not saying it isn't possible, but it certainly isn't easy. I looked at PhotoBucket, but their categories seemed like a taxonomical nightmare. In the end, I looked at this review of the various services, and have decided to go with Google's Picasa Image Hosting.
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 13, 2007 at 4:05 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
June 11, 2007
Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware Software, Part II
Rob's list of anti-virus and anti-spyware software below is a good starting point.
But if you're serious about keeping your computer free of various forms of malware, get one of these:
As someone who supports Windows desktops and servers for a living, and has supported home users for longer than I care to remember, keeping a Windows PC secure is nearly impossible for the average person. Security is a process, and no amount of software is going to protect you from yourself. This is especially true on a Windows PC.
And if you're sharing your computer with your kids, rather than having them use their own separate PC, you've already lost the battle.
As I started telling everyone who's asked me for support: "Get an Apple, and stop calling me. I've got a life to live."
Trust me: Once you go Mac, you can never go back.
Posted by Robert Racansky on June 11, 2007 at 12:21 PM : Comments (1) | Permalink
Michelle Malkin Presents the Open Borders Awards
http://hotair.com/archives/2007/06/11/new-vent-the-first-open-borders-oscar-awards/
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 11, 2007 at 11:49 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Dr. Turlington's Lower Back Tattoo Removal
If you or someone you know is considering getting a lower back tattoo, you might want to watch this short video first.
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 11, 2007 at 10:24 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Anti-Virus and Anti-Spyware Software
Some people have asked me recently what anti-virus and anti-spyware programs I'm using. I am using and recommend using the following:
Grisoft AVG - Free software to removes virus, worms, trojan horses.
Spybot Search & Destroy - Free spyware removal tool.
AdAware - Free spyware removal tool.
Microsoft's Windows Windows Defender - Free spyware removal tool.
CodeStuff Starter - Free program that stops TSR's from loading when computer is powered up.
All of the above programs are free, legitimate software programs. Be careful if you decide to go off on your own, as some "anti-spyware" and "anti-virus" programs are actually malicious software programs that infect your computer.
Previous posts on anti-virus programs:
http://www.peeniewallie.com/mt/mt-search.cgi?IncludeBlogs=1&search=avg
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 11, 2007 at 9:29 AM : Comments (1) | Permalink
June 10, 2007
End of Camp Daddy - Day 8
Well we shut down Camp Daddy today. We searched an idling train for open boxcars, but couldn't find any, so we ate breakfast at the Waffle House, and then we took it easy and spent the day swimming in the local pool and hanging out at my place watching TV. She slept on the ride up to Nashville. Then, when we got to the airport, the limo dropped us off and she mmediately realized she didn't have her stuffed turtle. So, I called the limousine company and they radioed the driver and confirmed that she'd left her stuffed turtle in the back of the limo.
Somewhere in San Francisco there's a tree-hugger struggling to climb a hill in a battery-powered Prius, and we've got a forty foot limo delivering a stuffed turtle to the Nashville airport.
At the gate, Jennifer decided she needed to get a "magnet" for mom as a momento of Camp Daddy. So, I told her where to go and she wandered off. Somehow, she managed to exit the secure area and the TSA nazi's cornered her when she tried to re-clear security. I called her on her cell phone and she was bawling but we got her cleared and back down to the gate in time to catch the flight.
So, it looks like I'm sleeping alone tonight.
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 10, 2007 at 8:13 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
June 9, 2007
Camp Daddy - Day 7
Today we went to Nashville Shores. It was fun, but the lines for all of the water slides are way too long. I probably wouldn't go back. Like, not only are the lines too long, but no one cares. Just a bunch of stoned kids running the place. They only let one perosn go down the slides at a time, and they have to exit the slide completely before the next one can start down. So, the lines are just mind-numbingly long. Plus, there's a lot of gross fat nastly people there. Immigrants. You name it. Not the place you want to be hanging out, really. But, I'm glad we went, cause I'd never been there and I'm all about checking out new places.
I've been bugging the crap out of Tim's Ford Motor Sports. I call them about eleventeen times a day "Is my SeaDoo fixed yet? Huh? Is it? Huh?" They're always like "We'll call you when it's fixed, Dr. Kiser." But it's still not fixed. Argh.
My buddy BK came in second in the Turtle Race today at Daddy Billy's. So, he got $50 for winning, I think. He cause the turtle with a net out of the Duck River. So, I was glad to see that he had won. He's a cook at Fast Jack's, and he burned Jen's Grilled Cheese tonight, but made her another one. He's a good guy.
She has to fly back tomorrow, so that sucks cause I'm really going to miss her. But, I'll see her next weekend in Colorado, and I promised to take her camping and trout fishing. .
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 9, 2007 at 9:57 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
June 8, 2007
Camp Daddy - Day 6
We went to the aquarium in Chattanooga today. We got down there at about 3:30 EDT and closed the place down. I think we left at about 6:30 EDT. It really is an amazing aquarium, plus, they have pengiuns now. Go figure.
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 8, 2007 at 9:02 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Raptors
From Slashdot:
A Field Trip To the Creation Museum
Posted by kdawson on Friday June 08, @10:19AM
from the dinosaurs-were-vegetarians dept.Lillith writes
"The anti-evolution Creation Museum opened last weekend and Ars took a field trip there and took lots of pictures. 'There were posters explaining just how coal could be formed in a few weeks as opposed to over millions of years, and how rapidly the biblical flood would cover the earth, drowning all but a handful of living creatures. The flood plays a big part in the museum's attempt to explain away what we see as millions of years of natural processes. There was also an explanation as to why, with only one progenitor family, it wasn't considered incest for Adam and Eve's children to marry each other.' (Myself, I liked the picture of the velociraptor grazing peacefully next to Eve, who is wearing some kind of dirndl, in the Garden of Eden.)"
The reporter posted more photos from the museum on Flickr.
Here is the picture of Eve with a so-called "Velociraptor":
There are three things wrong with this picture, two of which have been pointed out by the Slashdot crowd:
But for a group of people rightfully complaining about the anti-science theme of this museum, nobody has pointed out that the dinosaurs in the pictures are not Velociraptors (at least nobody who has been modded up enough to have their comments visible).
Velociraptors were about two feet tall.
When Steven Spielberg was filming Jurassic Park in 1992 - 1993, he decided that two-foot tall dinosaurs weren't scary enough. Using artistic license, he made the Velociraptors about six-feet tall.
As coincidence would have it, six-foot tall raptor fossils were discovered in Utah shortly before the movie was released. What was actually depicted in the movie, and in the Creation Museum, are Utahraptors, not Velociraptors.
But by then, it was too late to change the movie. And thus the confusion between Velociraptor and Utahraptor has been entrenched in popular culture.
At least Walking With Dinosaurs got it right.
Posted by Robert Racansky on June 8, 2007 at 9:40 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
June 7, 2007
Camp Daddy - Day 5
Today, we bought a mess of donuts from the Donut Palace and headed up to Shelbyville (pronounced "shovel") for Jennifer's lesson riding horses. Every time we drive past a cemetery, the child sucks in a huge breath of air and holds it until we are safely past. It never fails to scare me half to death. The horse riding deal at Cedar Ridge is pretty nice. We go in and right away they've got Jennifer brushing down this horse and I'm thinking....I'm not paying good money for my daughter to be a stable hand, but I figure I'll just keep my mouth shut cause I don't know anything about horses except that they're like women in that your shoud never trust them or look them in the eye.
So, pretty soon, they throw a saddle on the beast and then Jen's out riding around in the ring on this Tennessee Walking horse, just as proud as punch. She's wearing jeans and boots and a long sleeve shirt cause daddy had the presence of mind not to let her wear a skirt or shorts. After the ride is over, her eyes start puffing up and turning red and she's itching bad on her neck and back. Apparently, everyone on Earth knew that Benadryl would clear up her reaction except for me, so we went and got some Benadryl and Visine and after lunch at Fast Jack's, she was ready to roll again.
Tonight, she fell asleep in the car on the ride home. Maybe Camp Daddy is too much for her?
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 7, 2007 at 9:17 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Agenda for the 2008 Democrat National Convention in Denver
Agenda for the 2008 Democrat National Convention in Denver, CO (Just Released)
7:00 pm Opening flag burning
7:15 pm Pledge of Allegiance to the U.N.
7:20 pm Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
7:25 pm Nonreligious prayer and worship with Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton
7:45 pm Ceremonial tree hugging
7:55 pm Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
8:00 pm How I Invented the Internet - Al Gore
8:15 pm Gay Wedding - Barney Frank presiding
8:35 pm Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
8:40 pm Our Troops are War Criminals - John Kerry
9.00 pm Free Saddam Rally - Cindy Sheehan and Susan Sarandon
11.00 pm Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
11:05 pm Collection for the Osama Bin Laden kidney transplant fund - Barbara Streisand
11:15 pm Free the Freedom Fighters from Guantanamo Bay - Sean Penn
11:30 pm Oval Office Affairs - William Jefferson Clinton
11:45 pm Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
11:50 pm How George Bush Brought Down the World Trade Towers - Howard Dean
12:15 am "Truth in Broadcasting Award" - Presented to Dan Rather by Michael Moore
12:25 am Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
12:30 am Satellite address by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
12:45 am Nomination of Hillary Rodham Clinton by Nancy Pelosi
1:00 am Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
1:05 am Coronation of Hillary Rodham Clinton
1:30 am Ted Kennedy proposes a toast
1:35 am Bill Clinton asks Ted to drive Hillary home
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 7, 2007 at 1:28 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
June 6, 2007
Camp Daddy - Day 4
Yesterday, Jennifer complained "You forgot to feed me, daddy" cause apparently we skipped breakfast. I don't usually eat breakfast, so I gave her money to eat out of the vending machine at work, which is what I usually do. So then, today, we went to Waffle House for breakfast. "I"m like...ok...order whatever you want."
Then, we drove down to Chattanooga. The whole way, she pointed out every single pine tree we passed, because I told her that there aren't many up here. There are not, and I stand by that assessment. Where I grew up in Mississippi, there are entire forests of nothing but pine trees. But, up here, they're as rare as hen's teeth.
The reason for this, as it turns out, is that the winters are colder in Tennessee, probably because the Gulf of Mexico moderates the winter weather along the coastal plains. But I digress.
None-the-less, Jennifer pointed out every single pine tree one she saw, and has since she got here. Very annoying.
We went to Rock City on Lookout Mountain outside of Chattanooga. If you've ever driven through any corner of the south, you've probably seen some of the forteen zillion billboards and barns that say "See Rock City" or "See Ruby Falls". Eventually, you have to go see them. Over time, it becomes an innate homing instinct, similar to the way the swallows return to San Juan Capistrano. It is, in the long run, the path of least resistance.
So, we went through Rock City. Over it. Under it. Through it. We were supposed to meet Scott and Shelly and Rachel down at Lake Winnepesaukah, so we were basically going through Rock CIty like the Griswalds. I would kill to have a "See Rock City" bluebird house, but I couldn't find any for sale there. They have lots of "See Rock City" bird houses, but none of them were designed for bluebirds. I tried to tell them they needed to get bluebird houses, but they were all just like..."Huh? Dude...I just work here..." and all so eventually I decided that I'd just make my own. In all probability, I never will actually make one, but it's the path of least resistance at this point. Trying to convince a stoned teenager on a summer job that he needs to ask the owner to order bluebird houses is like trying to push a rope.
So we went down to meet Scott and Shelly and Rachel at Lake Winnepesaukah and as it turns out, it was in a different state. It was in Georgia. So we were a little late getting there but, we got there and only then did I realize that it was June and I was in Georgia in the heat of the day wearing jeans and wool socks and winter hunting boots with thinsulate. So, I was basically sweating like a whore in church. It was then that I remembered why I moved to Colorado.
So we're standing around inside this amusement park in Georgia in June and someone decided it would be a good idea to ride the "Oh-Zone". So we all sat down in these little chairs and they start cranking us up into the stratosphere and I started freaking out. I had no idea that the thing went that high and I swear to god I could see Virginia and Kentucky from up there. We could see every bit as far as we could on Lookout Mountain. We were 140 feet up in the air. Imagine standing on the edge of a fourteen story building and jumping off. That's exactly what we were about to do and then we're falling and I'm squeezing Jennifer's hand so hard I could hear her little bones cracking and somehow it stopped and we're still alive and we get off the ride and I look up at it from below. How could I have been so stupid? How could I have not realized how high the thing was? But it's an illusion. When you're standing at the bottom of it, it's impossible to accurately gauge how tall the structure is. I'm sweating profusely and my heart is palpitating and Rachel, the youngest in the bunch says "THAT WAS AWESOME!"
Continue reading "Camp Daddy - Day 4"
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 6, 2007 at 8:46 PM : Comments (1) | Permalink
June 5, 2007
Camp Daddy - Day 3
Day 3 at Camp Daddy, we didn't do much. Took in the SeaDoo to get it fixed and then went to the Hands On Science Center. We've been trying to figure out where to buy a turtle for the turtle race at Daddy Billy's on Saturday, but, so far no luck. Apparently, it is a violation of federal law to purchase a turtle less than four inches in diameter since the 1970's. Aside from that, it is furthermore illegal to sell or offer for sale any turtle or tortoise in the state of Tennessee.
I had this woman in a pet store explaining all of this to me as if it made perfect sense. "Turtles cause salmonella. That's why it's illegal to sell them."
"Chickens carry salmonella. Why is it legal to buy chickens?" I ask. "Dogs carry rabies. Why can we buy dogs?"
I'd argue that every pet for sale is susceptible to multiple diseases, many of which can be transmitted to the owners. Why not ban the sale of pets outright? No matter how stupid a law is, there appears to be a line stretching in perpetuity of apologists for big government intervention ready to declare that it's all perfectly logical. No matter how patently absurd the laws, they are always precisely crafted in the minds the numbskulled sychopants. Were it not the turtle police...were it not for our Orwellian laws regulating everything from seatbelts to light bulbs to pets, our Earth would stumble in its orbit about the sun. Of this, they are certain.
The more I understand our government, the more convinced I become that we need to repeal every single law on the books and start over from scratch. I'm very close to an epiphany, the way John Watson realized the world was completely insane when he read the instructions on how to use a toothpick.
Of course, I found a site on the internet that says they FedEx turtles anywhere on the planet overnight. Thank God for the internet.
Continue reading "Camp Daddy - Day 3"
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 5, 2007 at 2:57 PM : Comments (2) | Permalink
June 4, 2007
Camp Daddy - Day 2
Today, we went to the Imagination Station, then swimming/minnow-catching in Rutledge Falls, then back out to Lake Normandy for more SeaDoo riding/crawfish-catching. Unfortunately, the SeaDoo seems to be having issues again. It appears to have a lot of milky emulsified oil in the hull, and there's a bolt laying down there that seems to be out of place, so we're going to drop it off at the shop tomorrow. There's a stray cat outside that she's adopted and named "Kitty". For some reason, he seems to stay around. Maybe because she's feeding him?
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 4, 2007 at 9:53 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Camp Daddy
Jennifer got out of school on Friday, and her mom didn't have her enrolled in a camp this week, so I flew her out to Tennessee to play with daddy for the week.
On the first day of Camp Daddy, we rode in a limousine, ate fried pies, and went and played out on Lake Normandy on the SeaDoo. When it got dark, we caught lightning bugs, which was hilarious. I don't guess she'd ever caught any before. She was running after them at top speed like she was trying to catch hummingbirds. I was like...they really don't fly very fast, sweetie. Then, when she caught one, she was like "Is this one? Did I catch one?" and I was thinking...."Christ - you don't even know what a lightning bug looks like? Oh my."
Later, we went for a Shirley Temple, and of course, she found this stray cat outside my place here in Coffee County and petted the poor thing near to death. Just before she collapsed tonight, she swore that Camp Daddy the "best camp ever!"
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 4, 2007 at 1:42 AM : Comments (1) | Permalink
June 3, 2007
Blow Up The World
Since the Denver Mad Scientist Club web site, www.dmsc.org, has been out-of-order for a while now, I thought I'd post this here as a public service.
The Denver Mad Scientists Club annual "Blow Up the World" party (BUTW) will be held this year on Saturday, June 23, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.
Entry is $5 per car load.
BUTW is held at the Wildlife Hunters Association of Colorado (WHAC) range in Hudson, north-east of Denver International Airport.
See the upper-left hand corner of the map below.
Bring guns, ammo, anything else that goes boom, friends, family, food, water, and sunscreen. No glass targets or alcohol allowed.
Point-of-contact for this event is Bill Llewellin: bllew @ rmi . net
Sort-of-related entry: Bike-N-Shoot
See the extended entry below for last year's announcement from the DMSC web site.
Continue reading "Blow Up The World"
Posted by Robert Racansky on June 3, 2007 at 8:54 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Al Gore Speaks
"I don't think that the skills I have are the ones that are most likely to be rewarded within this system. " - Al Gore
I would certainly hope not. Al, the skills you posess are not the ones that will be rewarded anywhere logical discussion can still occur. If that M16 had gone off while he was staring down the breech, we wouldn't be wasting our time lampooning his delusional, convoluted ramblings. Good riddance to the man that advocated more gun control and ban of the internal combustion engine. You will not be missed, Al Gore.
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 3, 2007 at 8:01 AM : Comments (0) | Permalink
June 2, 2007
Photos From May
This slideshow is composed of original images I shot in May of 2007 in Colorado and Tennessee. All photos were captured using a Canon EOS 20D and either a Canon EF 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM lens or a Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens with a circular polarizing filter.
This slideshow (3:36) is a 15 Meg self-playing executable named changing.exe created using Imagematics StillMotion PE+. The soundtrack is Everybody's Changing by Keane, off of the Hopes and Fears album.
Click here to download the presentation. If you have an Apple, or you're running Unix, or if you're nervous about running a .exe file from my site, then click here to download the Macromedia Flash version. The resolution is not quite as good on the Macromedia Flash version, and you can't pause and go backward and forward, but it loads faster, and it's a fairly decent presention. Click here if you need help.
To see all of the slideshows, click here.
Lyrics in the exended entry.
Continue reading "Photos From May"
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 2, 2007 at 11:35 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Savemyhusband.com
I think this Savemyhusband.com commercial crosses the line. I think it's reprehensible to have some bleating housewife on TV pleading for her husband's life to promote some stupid show. I agree with this post...I cringe every time I see it. I would never go to the website. Fark em.
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 2, 2007 at 11:09 PM : Comments (1) | Permalink
Freight Graffiti
I found another website that has some freight graffiti on it. So I 'm not the only one shooting trains. Go figure.
www.flickr.com
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Posted by Rob Kiser on June 2, 2007 at 10:48 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink
Why Are The Bees Disappearing?
Here's an interesting and informative article on why the bees are dying off.
... the original report describing and naming the phenomenon explicitly says it's something that has been seen before (repeatedly), named before, and studied before – in all cases without coming to any conclusion about the cause. The researchers didn't like the older names for the syndrome (which usually included the word "disease," which has connotations about infectiousness that don't seem applicable here), so they renamed it colony collapse disorder. That point has largely eluded the press, with the result that most people think this is a new phenomenon, when in fact the researchers who described it note reports of similar die-offs dating back to the 1890s.
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 2, 2007 at 2:04 PM : Comments (1) | Permalink
June 1, 2007
Freight Graffiti
Posted by Rob Kiser on June 1, 2007 at 12:24 PM : Comments (0) | Permalink