Future Poltergeist

I find this type of thing interesting. It's a post detailing current genetic research that suggests genes might play a part in language and understanding. It suggests that genetic mutation has increased our ability to understand non-tonal languages. I would never have guessed that that type of brain connection was hardwired rather than learned.

Ugh. It's hot and humid here. Our nice mild springtime weather feels like it left with Memorial Day. Even the nice (brief) shower we just had didn't cool things down. I'm really hoping for a cool summer for the FP Gal's sake. Of course we could always move to a milder climate ... It was a glorious victory . And that is seriously a nice park there. And speaking of maps, I have few but prominent memories of this spot . Rough day at work today. The day after a long weekend is always a busy one as people try and make up ground from the lost time. Today was made worse because of an hour of system issues that made pricing flights difficult or impossible. No sooner was that sorted out than a (very pleasant) woman with limited english skills booked a complex international trip to Europe with me. There came a point when we were trying to find a hotel in Paris near a certain address when I could feel my life force dwindling. I used to have a better linguistic ear but n...

Every year on this day, this speech by Robert Heinlein to the Naval Academy comes to mind. Patriotism — Moral behavior at the national level. Non sibi sed Patria. Nathan Hale’s last words: “I regret that I have but one life to give for my country.” Torpedo Squadron Eight making its suicidal attack. Four chaplains standing fast while the water rises around them. Thomas Jefferson saying, “The Tree of Liberty must be refreshed form time to time with the blood of patriots–” A submarine skipper giving the order “Take her DOWN!” while he himself is still topside. Jonas Ingram standing on the steps of Bancroft Hall and shouting, “The Navy has no place for good losers! The Navy needs tough sons of bitches who can go out there an WIN!” I always feel a pang of regret that I didn't live up to that ideal myself, having never served. I guess the best I can do is to offer my thanks to the men and women who did. I'm fully aware that the life I lead and the country that I love is dependent ...

We're putting together our kit to take to the hospital when the baby comes. We've used common sense and looked at some stuff online but I'm not sure we're set. What I'm wondering is what item(s) did you wish you had that you didn't. Or what oddball thing did you have that made it all work? Bonus question: we're thinking we should have some kind of talisman or lucky charm to bring. Any advice? Also some kind of celebratory item is needed. Thirty years ago it would have been cigars but that won't work anymore. Fireworks maybe?

For anyone looking for something new (and different) to read, I'd suggest the Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson. I tackled it about a year and half ago and really really enjoyed it. One warning, the entire thing runs almost 3000 pages so clear some time. I bring this up because the entire thing is reviewed here . On a personal note, reading actual professional reviews like this make me feel that the distinction between amateur and professional critic really is quite large. I hope you'll look at my efforts as little appetizers or something like that. Not being down on myself, just recognizing the distinction.

The FP Gal and I just had a brief discussion about Big League Chew. She wanted to know if I remembered it, and I did. I compared it to candy cigarettes and suggested that you really should try to light them. Ruins the taste. Yes, I did just that and she wanted to know how old I was. Eight or nine I think. A quick look of horror on her face and then she remembered. "That's right. Your Grandma gave you matches to play with." Yep. When I'd go to visit my Grandma in the summer, she'd buy me two boxes of Blue Diamond matches and turn me loose in the driveway. I'd build little houses and burn them down. Little forts and burn them down. Create trails of matches. And burn them down. Lots of fun! The FP Gal just might have some guidelines for grandparents when they're babysitting.

Or maybe until the end of time. This movie clock in at about 2:45 but it felt more like 4 hours. Every throwaway scene is lovingly crafted. The movie opens with an endless line of people shuffling off to a gallows and waiting to be hanged. We see several sets of feet dangling and then a child joins them. The child starts singing a piratey song and others begin to join in. The executioner gets a barrel so that the child is tall enough for a rope. It's revealed that he has a coin. This coin sets up a small joke later in the movie. Not only did this scene not do anything for the movie, it took a long time not adding anything . This is repeated over and over ad nauseum throughout. Long establishing shots with little payoff. The movie looks good but each overly long scene drains a little bit of energy out of the whole thing until you feel sapped just from watching. But that's not the worst part of it. The worst thing is that they keep Johnny Depp under wraps for far t...

You can add this to the list. Let's stick to a hospital, kay?

So last night was class three of five. We talked about pain medication options and techniques. One interesting exercise involved a chart that listed (1-10) the level of help that moms would want. Both partners circled the number they thought the mom would want and then showed them to each other. No one in the class had the exact same number. (We were only off by one.) We watched a short film on various techniques and it was the hardest part of the class so far. Watching a graphic of the epidural was tough. Watching the graphic of an episiotomy made me feel faint and I had to run to the bathroom. (Personal note, I've had the equivilant of an epidural to check spinal fluid pressure and they're not bad at all. Kind of like a shot and then some weird zings up and down the spine.) For the first time in this whole shebang, I was questioning whether I could deal with the medical side of this. The FP Gal assures me that I can, but really that's all she can do. She can...

Interesting read here . I know that we're seeing more and more delays and a ton of ripple effect. More travelers and less flexibility in the system means that missed or cancelled flights put passengers in a really tough spot. Let's hope that these changes help.

Quick review: Story follows a man in a future society where people have rejected books entirely and now spend their lives with radios in their ears or with large room sized interactive TV units. The job of 'fireman' has been changed to putting out fires to burning any books that are found. He secretly steals some books instead of burning them and has a breakdown in which he rejects his society and becomes a criminal. Read this back in high school but not since. Remembered enjoying it, but wasn't overly thrilled about reading it again. There are segments of our society that think we're inches away from becoming a book burning fascist society and frankly I'm tired of them. ( Related .) I was ready to point out that I can go to a couple of dozen bookstores in the metro area and buy just about anything I want to without fear of censorship or reprisal. That the only real censorship battles in this country have to do with school mandated book lists and/or age appr...

In anticipation of tonight's season finale: Desmond gets killed. Juliette betrays the good guys. 'Looking Glass' is still run by Dharma. We get another clue to the statue of a giant foot. Kate is pregnant. Update: Ok, so I went 0-5. What do I know?

Seems I've had my license revoked . I think I'll go ahead anyway. What a fathead.

If you look over on the right (below the blogroll) you'll see a global map with red dots on it. (I stole it from Jodi and I should give a nod to the FP Gal for helping me put it on the site.) If you click on it, you can see where the dots are in better detail. I love the thing . I love that people in 22 different countries have stopped by to take a look since it was installed on April 8th. I love that someone up on Hudson Bay read something I wrote. Three different spots in India and five of the thirteen in South America. Whee!

while reading this ? And if I'm going to link to Lileks, I should mention his trip to Disneyworld too (parts one , two , three and four and worth every link). Last went to Disneyworld in '99 and came away very impressed. The sheer amount of detail work is breathtaking. Reading about Lileks trip made me a little anxious to take little ones there. Maybe a family trip in four or five years...

discussion of article here . (The FP Gal is more of a George fan but I'd lean Paul if I had to.) Clip of the inspiration for 'Blackbird' found here .

Since we have an obvious interest in baby names right now, I found the most popular names of 2006 very interesting. For girls: 1. Emily (ruined by the psycho redhead) 2. Emma 3. Madison (do you think common last name or Avenue?) 4. Isabella (reminds me of crown jewels, also some family history problems) 5. Ava (Braun?) 6. Abigail 7. Olivia (wonder what this does to a little girl's self esteem) 8. Hannah 9. Sophia (like this one, but I'd spell it like the capital of Bulgaria ) 10. Samantha (I like this one too) Boys: (old Testament figures or saints) 1. Jacob 2. Michael (I always think Archangel) 3. Joshua (a strong name but no thanks) 4. Ethan (only name on the boys list without an obvious nickname) 5. Matthew 6. Daniel (a lion tamer!) 7. Christopher (has potential) 8. Andrew 9. Anthony (now a mobster) 10. William (greatest playwrite in history)

Last night was round two and it went well. More info for dads in how to comfort moms. This is somewhat of a theme, I guess. Probably one of the two biggest reasons for the class, the other being to let people know what the actual fearful things are so they can take the regular things in stride. So what did I learn? The most interesting thing for me was learning about how the baby is trying to make his/her push to the end. They are looking for any position they can find to make their way down the birth canal. That means that regular change in position by the mother will help the baby out. My question for next week is whether some caffeine during early labor will help at all. Give the little one an energy boost maybe. (That's not too stupid a question, is it?) Also learned about 'back labor' which sounds very painful. Happens when the baby positions itself backward to the norm and causes rubbing of skull to tailbone. They gave us some techniques to help the baby ...

Ozzie's death ray eyes