Today's Spiritual Message: An Apostle's Introduction to the Book of Mormon

Hope you enjoy it.

Careful Closing the Dumpster: Something Might Leap Out at You

Here I was, lamenting how bored I felt, with my wife shooting a wedding (photography, rather than guns), chrome and other news essentially evaporated (even the rapture failed to materialize and make my desolation more exciting), and my daughter fast asleep.  To assuage my lamentations, I decided to take out the trash, which consisted of two bags of diapers . . .

Over the past day or two, I've felt rather zealous about closing our two dumpsters' doors -- all four of them.  Why?  Well, the other night, I went to throw out some trash when I heard something fall on the ground.  I assumed the worst, yet found only some trash, which looked like it might have fallen from a bag with some tear marks in it.  Failing to see anything living, other than the heaps of trash, I went on my merry way.

The next day, I obtained my evidence:  A bandit-faced creature, skulking near one of our dumpsters and trying to look pitiable.  I starred it down and it tucked it's tail and ran for the hills (which were only a few feet away, anyway).

Now I imagine you can now understand my conviction for securing the dumpster doors (even if someone else left one or more open).

Finally, we end where I began:  Depositing some valuables into the dumpster.

With proactive zeal in my heart and bodily safety on my mind, I approached the far side dumpster, as one of its doors stood already ajar.  After delivering my fragrant treasures, I went to close the dumpster door when, "Yeaaaaaaaahhhh!!" some animal shot out -- thankfully, away from me -- and booked it like a teenage-girl running to procure the latest Twilight installment.  After overcoming heart failure and flashing images of rabid claws sinking into my flesh and long nights in a stiff hospital bed, I caught my breath and slowly walked away, thankful to have my skin and good health intact, ready to take the trash out another day.

Okay, so the title is slightly misleading

Cute and cuddly, eh?

Alphabet Tutor in Action

I'm getting nervous about the day when I see a random credit card purchase for toys neither I nor mom knew about . . .

GERMANY PHOTOS (are finally here)!!

Okay, peeps.  Here it is, the moment you've all been waiting (months) for!  The Germany trip photos.

Enjoy!  (Please click on the Picasa icon in the bottom-right-hand corner of each album viewer if you'd rather see a full album view, rather than a one-picture-at-a-time slideshow.)

If you want me to comment on them, give me a call, and I'll give you the three hour tour.

















I'll probably get more up here from our more "socially acceptable camera," as my wife calls it.

(See my wife's blog for exacting details of our adventures.)

Today's Spiritual Message: WE Are Children of God

I hope you enjoy this video about our heavenly heritage.

Confession: I'm a Parselmouth

"I can speak to snakes.  I found out when we've been to the country on trips — they find me, they whisper to me.  Is that normal for a wizard?"

Thankssss, amigo!

Okay, so V-Mart said that and my character was less narcissistic about his ability.

The other day, my wife, daughter, and I were at a local park, when we walked past an old school bathroom (like something from a reptile house -- or Hogwarts).  Long story short, turns out we saw what we think was a Black Rat Snake, hanging on the windowsill, its long tail tucked into the corner of an old, grated window.  I'd say it was as short as three feet or as long as four or five.

We called the police (hey, the thing could have been a Basilisk, for all we knew!), and they showed up like two days later.  Okay, after about 30-40 minutes.  We wanted to avoid creating a panic, so I sat by the bathroom and, uh, kept watch, until they arrived.

Two little girls came skipping down to the reptile house, err, bathroom, and were perplexed, when I told them to go and ask their parents for permission.  "Our parents already said we could," the girls insisted.  "Did they know there was a snake in the bathroom?" I asked.  Both girls apparently failed to distinguish the snake from the brick and one started walking into the bathroom . . .  I sternly told her to come back, and, once the girls had it click in their minds what I was talking about, they ran away, screaming, "Snaaaaake!"

Is the Chamber of Secrets located underneath a wash closet in a Cincinnati park?

"Oh, great," I thought.  Some dad's going to come down, looking to punch me in the face because he thinks I'm a weirdo, hanging out by the girl's bathroom.  Actually, their father just stood in the door, with his back to the snake and commanded the girls to go to the bathroom because, darn it, they said they had to go!  (I think both girls felt differently, at that point.)

Once the folks in white showed up, one of them wanted to get out some kind of extendable stick and put the snake in the trees.  "No, Bill!  What if it's somebody's pet or it's poisonous or something!?"  Ah, yes, the calm-headed reasoning of the female officer won out, and we presume they waited until animal control (or someone similar) turned up.

Good times, eh?

I'd give you two non-stock photos from my "1.3 Mage Pixels Mobile Camera" (it literally says "Mage"), except they're pretty low resolution, and I lack a way to transfer them, anyway.  Just pretend like this is Hairless and use your imagination.  Savvy?  Awesome.

(See my wife's blog for more.)

Breakfast Blinis

YUM.

I made some buckwheat blini pancakes for my wife and daughter, out of a fancy cook book, and we loved them.

I highly recommend it.  Let me know if you want the recipe.  The only bummer is that part of the preparation is letting the batter rise for 2-3 hours . . .

Yep, Poppers, this stuff goes well with a nice sip cup!

That's a spatula, rather than Harry's head, "floating in mid air!"

I highly recommend getting real maple syrup:  I tip my hat to my wife for this judgment call

Proper fork use recommended

I'm detecting something . . .

. . . I'm getting it . . .

. . . almost . . .

. . . yes, truly amazing!

Take your blinis with you, wherever you need to go!

Breakfast blinis:  The ultimate rock-out breakfast food

Happy Mothers' Day!!

"Who can probe a mother’s love? Who can comprehend in its entirety the lofty role of a mother? With perfect trust in God, she walks, her hand in His, into the valley of the shadow of death, that you and I might come forth into light."  Thomas S. Monson.

The holiest words my tongue can frame,
The noblest thoughts my soul can claim,
Unworthy are to praise the name
More precious than all other.

An infant, when her love first came,
A man, I find it still the same,
Reverently I breathe her name,
The blessed name of mother.

George Griffith Fether, “The Name of Mother,” in Best-Loved Poems of the LDS People, edited by Jack M. Lyon and others (1996), 218.

On this Mothers' Day, I want to give thanks to the three mothers I am closest to:  my wife, my mother, and my mother-in-law. I have received unique and special gifts from each and am eternally grateful for their love and devotion.

Above all, I want to give thanks to my sweet and darling wife.  She is the apple of my eye (my daughter's a close second), the mother of my child, and the wellspring of my hopes and dreams.  Sweetheart, I love you -- Happy Mothers' Day!!

In celebration of this special day, here are some pictures of the children my wife takes care of, on a daily basis.  I hope you enjoy them.

We love you, mom!!

(Germany pictures are on their way, I promise!)

Harry Potter 7, Part 1 Reviewed

Google Chrome for Dads

This one tugs at my heart strings:



Hope you enjoyed it.

Great Chrome App for Toddlers: Alphabet Tutor

My daughter seems to love playing on the computer (especially assaulting my keyboard), so I've recently been checking in on the Chrome Web App store, every so often, to check for games/apps I think she'll enjoy.

Today, I found one I want to rave about:  Alphabet Tutor.

Your kids will love practicing their number/letters with Alphabet Tutor!

Here's Alphabet Tutor's description from its creator:

Alphabet Tutor features two modes to help children (ages 2+) learn to recognize the letters by name.

Freestyle mode says the name of each letter pressed aloud and displays it on the screen.

Quiz mode asks the child to locate a specific letter on the keyboard and press it. Hints can be enabled to show the letter on the screen after two incorrect answers.

You can choose between displaying uppercase and lowercase letters and enable numbers depending on the level your child is prepared for.

Tested and approved by my 2 year old daughter.

I strongly recommend you try this out with your toddler -- I think you'll be very impressed.  I also recommend you sit at the computer with your toddler.  I think you'll really enjoy the experience.

P.S.  If you have yet to install Google Chrome, repent, install it, and then install this app.

Today's Spiritual Message: He Is Risen!

Today, is, I submit, the most important holiday of the year:  Easter.

12 Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?
13 But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:
14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.
15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.
16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:
17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.
19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

"There would be no Christmas if there had not been Easter."  - Gordon B. Hinckley

I know that Jesus Christ lives and because He lives, we will all be resurrected.

I hope you enjoy the following Easter videos.

New Google Navbar (Finally) Switching to Email Address Instead of User Names?

UPDATE:  I think I figured out what's really going on, this morning.  I believe Google uses first/last name by default, unless I open up another Google account, in which case subsequent services will show the email address, rather than the first/last name.  What's your preference?  I suppose Google wanted to shorten the ID space, since I imagine most first/last names are shorter than myname@gmail.com.  I'm now undecided.

"And Cougar Abogado came unto Google, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the navbar be my name, put it: but if my email address, then put it. And Google answered him not a word."

Peradventure Google sleepeth, and must be awaked.

I've been wondering for the past few days whether Google is (hopefully) switching its navbar name plaque from the user's chosen first/last names to the user's email address (as seen, above).  When I poked around, just now, every Google service, other than Picasa, showed my names, instead of my email address . . .

Who cares?  Well, some people have multiple user accounts and yet, here's a shocker, they still maintain the same first/last name!  Allow me to illustrate:  Let's say my first and last names are, respectively, Cougar Abogado and my email address #1 is imanawesomecooldude@gmail.com and my email address #2 is thedude@gmail.com.

If I'm using multiple profiles, I might accidentally take some action in thedude account, thinking it's the imanawesomecooldude account.  Catch my drift?

I hope this issue can be resolved soon, so we can avoid slaying anyone, down by the river.

(I wonder who actually owns those email addresses -- I assume someone, perhaps a bot, does.)

Google Calendar Adds Dynamic Date Favicon: It Knows What Day It Is

Here's an update I've been expecting to see for some time.  Google Calendar's favicon (or browser tab icon) will now show what the day's date is.  Observe:

From Alex Chitu's Google Operating System

According to Alex Chitu, "Google Calendar is the first Google service that has a dynamic favicon," meaning it responds to data/changes.

As the Google Calendar Blog notes, "Today's date is now always a short glance away."  This is frankly the main reason I am writing this post.

I occasionally forget what the date it is and want to see it at a quick glance.  I normally have a time keeping device visible (we filthy Americans are such time gluttons, especially compared to Germany, IMO).  On Windows 7, I minimize my taskbar and have an extension, Cool Clock, displayed in Chrome; on Chrome OS, I use the built-in time piece at the top right.

Cool Clock in Windows 7

On the other hand, I rarely have the day's date in front of me because I rarely care about the date.  So, normally, I would have to take an extra two-five seconds to actually click (gasp, I know!) on something to bring up the date.  Now, since I generally have my Google Calendar up, in a pinned tab (as in the first image), I can have quick-access-to-today's-date goodness.

Chrome OS Clock

Ah, the marvels of technology.

Now, if I could only get a device to zap me, every time I read another mindless article, whose general content I could have absorbed, simply from reading the title.  Well, on second thought . . .

Today's Spiritual Message: Avoid Procrastination

I'm one to talk.  Anyway, as I'm getting ready for bed, here're a few verses of scripture I'd like to share on the theme of procrastination:


32 For behold, this life is the time for men to bprepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.

33 And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed.

34 Ye cannot say, when ye are brought to that awful crisis, that I will repent, that I will return to my God. Nay, ye cannot say this; for that same spirit which doth possess your bodies at the time that ye go out of this life, that same spirit will have power to possess your body in that eternal world.

35 For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you, and the devil hath all power over you; and this is the final state of the wicked.

http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/34.32-35?lang=eng#31

Please note that in LDS doctrine, hell is a temporary experience and essentially everyone will eventually merit some degree of heaven (except for literally a handful or two of people):  http://lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/76.31-39?lang=eng#30

See Doctrine & Covenants 76 for a more complete explanation of how heaven will be divided.

Congratulations to Matt & Deena!!

Last month, my family and I went out to Salt Lake to witness (and participate in) my brother-in-law Matt's wedding.

We really enjoyed ourselves, and I kept most of my hair, even though I had the main daughter-watching duty!

Here are a few photos.  I hope you enjoy them.

CONGRATULATIONS, MATT & DEENA!

I think most grooms seem to like this moment . . .

Down the aisle!

Cutting the cake

Van Halen, anyone?

GQ with my sip cup (my wife really likes this shot)

Hey, I like the camera, peeps!  (I'm unsure whose legs . . .)

She must really love me, to take a picture with me, while I'm sporting an upside-down boutonniere

Cr-48 WPA2-Enterprise Issues Fixed in 0.12.362.2!

Good news, school/work enterprise network users!  Thanks to Jay Lee's blog post update, I learned, today, that the ability to connect to a WPA2-Enterprise network is now inherent in Chrome OS's network connection GUI, as of dev 0.12.362.2.

Just make sure you're in range of your wireless network and that it uses a visible SSID (as opposed to a hidden SSID).

Also, I think you need to select "Do not check" for the Server CA Certificate (as shown below).  Although, I suppose it may vary.

Finally!!  And there was much rejoicing.

Yes, now you'll be able to connect to your fortress of a wireless network, absent delving into the bowels of your Cr-48, regularly bashing a script, or setting up an auto-run script.

To be candid, while I'm elated this functionality is (finally) here, I also feel like I'm parting ways with an old frenemy, like Batman saying "good bye" to the Joker or Mr. Freeze.  Okay, maybe just the Joker.

Please let me know what issues/questions/parties you have, in the comments.  As is generally the case, I suggest using the settings/ID/password that are unique to your situation.

Enjoy!

General Conference Wordles: What Conference Is All About

I'd seen word (or tag) clouds before today, yet, to be candid, I think I just barely learned that another name for them is a wordle.

I heard about the term by reading an LDS Newsroom Blog post about what words speakers used the most in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints April General Conference.

So, basically, a wordle shows (visually) which words in a defined group of text are used the most.  Here's an image from the Newsroom Blog that shows which words speakers at the April General Conference used the most.

Which words do you notice the most?

Users can create a wordle for a bunch of copy/pasted text or from a specific URL (web address) at http://www.wordle.net/create.

I'll post a wordle depicting this blog, later, when I'm using my other computer, since I appear to be missing a required plugin on my Cr-48.

I think I had be using a Java plugin.  Anyway, here it is, as promised:

Wordle from my blog

I'm having my doubts about the wordle's accuracy.  I think it might favor more recent posts.

Google Docs Releases Pagination and Native Printing

Here is a rare occurrence:  I'm going to tell you about a feature update to a Google product.

Google Docs has, today, added pagination view (being able to write a document and see the words typed as though on a sheet of paper) and native print (the ability to directly print a document created online, rather than first making a pdf).

Hurray for paginated view!

To choose paginated view or compact view (removing the extra space -- headers, footers, page break), go to View>Document View, as shown below.

I'd been wondering when this feature would roll out.  Looking at the first comment on Alex Chitu's post about this release, it looks like Google may have some more tricks up its sleeve, coming soon.  (Automatic page numbers, please!)

Today's Spiritual Message: New Joseph Smith Movie

The Church has released a new movie about the prophet Joseph Smith.  As I understand it, the movie tries to tailor the experience to those who are unfamiliar with it.



I hope you enjoy(ed) the movie.

I want to share my brief testimony (witness) that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, called in these, the latter-days, to restore the gospel and Church of Jesus Christ, with all its attendant blessings, to the earth.

I invite you to learn more about Joseph Smith at mormon.org/joseph-smith/.