Music Genome Project

This is a video from Pandora which is part of the music genome project. They have broken down music into its component parts, which allows them to play music for you that is similar to the music you like, but possibly from other artists that you have never heard before. Visit it and play with it, because it is one of the coolest things to discover new music that you like. You start by choosing a song or artist that you like, and it starts playing songs similar to what you chose. You get to vote on whether you like each song, and it slowly tailors the songs to your responses. If you don't like a song, it instantly can skip past it, but it is like your own personal radio station, even better than the "My 99.5" station.

Don't Fast Forward Through life

Macey likes sleeping only while we are holding her, and while I was sick and in my jammies, Becca decided to take this picture. I was just trying to pass the time until I could feel better, but I couldn't ignore the baby while Becca tried to take care of the house, so she ended up sleeping while I played on the computer.

I have gone through some tough times in my life, and my escape has been video games. I think that it helped me survive at times, however life is pretty good now (at least when I am not sick) so I shouldn't need video games anymore. However, I am addicted to video games. Once I start playing, I have a hard time stopping. It tends to be okay if I get a bunch of things done, and then play for an hour to relax, but if I get started on Saturday morning, I end up doing nothing with my entire day.
We recently saw the movie Click, where the main character ends up fast forwarding through his entire life. I realized that when I start playing games, I am sort of fast forwarding. I accomplish almost nothing, I take care of the kids basic needs, but I am not paying enough attention to them. I am not accomplishing my home improvement projects, yard work, extra work to help me get ahead, or anything else.
I am going to be limiting my time on the computer, and trying to accomplish more. In the past I felt like I needed more time to myself, working and going to school, but now things are different, and I haven't changed with how my life has changed.
I think that video games can be good, they can bring people together, they can improve hand eye coordination and problem solving skills. But in excess they cause problems because you aren't improving anything, you aren't getting together with people anymore, in fact the people in your life can feel alienated.

The Power of Positive Thinking

There is no such thing as luck. At least not for me. Nothing really that terrible happens to me, and nothing extraordinary. Well, except for Becca and my kids, they are definitely the best thing that could happen to me. I've always thought that nothing matters but what you do, not how you feel or how lucky you are, but how do you explain the following:

There is this guy at work that can do no wrong. Nothing that ever happens to him is bad. There is that scripture that The Lord will turn all things to your good, but I don't think things could get as good as he gets it. He gets rear ended, gets some pain, and his Honda Civic is totaled. Most people would now be hard pressed to get a car for what the insurance company gives you, but the car didn't actually belong to him, but to his Mother-In-Law. After she gets the insurance check, she then wires some money to her son-in-law, but of course a little extra... enough to buy a Mercedes C Class! Plus he gets money for his pain and suffering, as his doctor's bill added up to just enough.

And another thing that happened to him:
What would you think would happen if you accidentally got a package in the mail? It is usually junk mail, or something that they will charge you for later. How about a 23" flat screen monitor? And there is no record of shipping it to you, and they won't accept it back.

Plus, positive thinking can get you a close parking spot, every time, at Costco and Wal-Mart. This may not be positive proof, but you have to give it a try at least, right?

Too Cute

Look at this cute picture that I took! I just like the pose because when Micah was little I took him to the zoo and he loved eating a milk bottle. I got a little picture of him from someone else who was there, but we didn't have a digital camera back then, and the picture we got was really grainy... Anyway this is a much better picture, And I just wanted to share it with everyone. Do you think that Meadow Gold would like this spokesperson? Maybe Cream o' Weber? I think this little girl could sell strawberry and chocolate milk :)

Websites by Troy

I have a website done almost entirely by me... well sort of. This is the first public website where I was allowed free license to do whatever I wanted, no template to follow, or other restrictions. I'm the developer, but I have some help on the design side of things. Check out the Windsor-Essex Parkway and let me know what you think of it. The website had 115,000 hits on the first day that it went live, and I have not heard a single comment that the site didn't work, or that it didn't look good. I was able to do what the designers envisioned in the flash movie header, and the basic site design. Make sure to check out the Media page and try some of the movies, they are quite short 3d animations, but still kind of fun to watch. Most of you probably won't care too much about the purpose, but it was made to announce a plan for a parkway that would help connect Detroit in the US with Windsor Ontario in Canada. Right now there is a lot of congestion trying to cross a single bridge, and this solution will bring much needed below grade highway to reduce pollution and congestion by reducing stopped vehicles, and also add a lot of park space and walkways over the road, which should help connect the neighborhoods better, and reduce eye sore. Anyway, let me know what you think :)

Opposites Attract

	Becca is my opposite, while I don't mind things to be a little bit messy, she likes them sparkling clean. I tend to procrastinate, Becca does things now. I like to relax, Becca never seems to rest. I like new technology, Becca still misses her old Windows 98 computer. I like to be with lots of family, Becca likes to keep things small with just us. We do have in common that we love each other, and we love our children, and we have been able to make it work. We both compromise on various things to help maintain a balance. Becca may be different from me, but I need her to help me where I am lacking. I recognize I have some bad habits, like procrastinating, and I am trying to follow her example. I would like to help her learn to relax a little, and in some small way help her the way that she is helping me.
Becca, then and now
	She is a wonderful wife and mother. She says that it isn't her that has helped the kids be so smart, but I still know that it is. She has encouraged them, and tends to find fun activities for them to learn new things. For instance, Jewelia is now learning her ABCs, and so every day she sings the ABC song with her, and they put together the alphabet puzzle. I try to encourage them in my own way, whenever they ask questions, I don't just put them off or tell them they will understand later, I try to explain things to them as best I can, even if the explanations get a bit technical, the children like to hear the answer. I'm not saying that we are the greatest parents ever, and I know that our kids are really smart, but I think that my wife has a much larger influence than she will admit.

American Idol

So, the big excitement around here is for David Archuleta, who is doing us proud here in Murray. I think he is really doing well, although I'm not sure if he will win it all, I do also like Carly Smithson and David Cook, and Kristy Lee Cook adds the Country dimension. They all did fairly well tonight, at least I thought so. I do miss Amanda Overmyer, I thought she was consistently good.

Tonight was American Idol night at our house. We all like to listen to the songs, even though they are sometimes (*cough* Brook *cough*) less than appealing. Sayesha tends to be somewhat boring, and Kristy did fairly well tonight, but she doesn't seem to be consistent. I do like having some country, and I hope that she stays around until the final four at least. After that I'm going to have to make some hard decisions on who is my favorite. Oh, and I forgot about Jason Castro... he sounds all right, I liked his Somewhere Over the Rainbow song, but mostly he is, as Simon likes to put it, "forgettable."