Thursday, January 24, 2008

I am not the author, but this speaks volumes:

Received from a friend:

 

A group of graduates, well established in their careers, were talking at a reunion and decided to go visit their old university professor, now retired.  During their visit, the conversation turned to complaints about stress in their work and lives.  Offering his guests hot chocolate, the professor went into the kitchen and returned with a large pot of hot chocolate and an assortment of cups - porcelain, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the hot chocolate.

 

When they all had a cup of hot chocolate in hand, the professor said: "Notice that all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones.  While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. The cup that you're drinking from adds nothing to the quality of the hot chocolate.  In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was hot chocolate, not the cup; but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

 

Now consider this: Life is the hot chocolate; your job, money and position in society are the cups.  They are just tools to hold and contain life.  The cup you have does not define, nor change the quality of life  you have.  Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the hot chocolate God has provided us.  God makes the hot chocolate, man chooses the cups. The happiest people don't have the best of everything.  They just make the best of everything that they have.  

 

Live simply.  

Love generously. 

Care deeply.  

Speak kindly.  

And enjoy your hot chocolate.


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Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Irony in full-force for the local university newspaper

When I got a copy of today's O'Colly (university newspaper), I noticed the "above the fold" headline to be:  A linguistic letdown

 

The article with that headline was expanding on the idea that cell phone and internet lingo might have contributed to students' poor grammar in recent years, which would include spelling, proper capitalization and punctuation.  The photo to accompany the story was a possible paper that might have been turned in as a class assignment.  The image below was obtained from their web-site, but isn't as easy to read as the larger version on the front page.

 

Here is what I am able to read from printed copy:

an analysis of thermodynamic pro...

    i think that thermodynamics are when

pressure gets bigger b/c of heat.  not hotz like

heath ledger, but hotz like a fire,  if u need

sum amount of heat, then teh press will ...

  ---- blurred out image ----

 

Where is the irony you ask?  Obviously, I doubt this story was written overnight, and the work involved not only the writing of the article, but the preparation of the 'paper' being turned in for a class.  I also doubt whoever put the image together had any clue that a photo of Heath Ledger would be displayed immediately above their story.  Heath Ledger's photo had the caption of 'Batman', 'Brokeback' actor dies at 28.  Yep, that's the irony ...

 

I won't start trying to share various slants of morbid humor here, as I:

1. Don't want to offend too many people

2. Have so many different possible quips to say, I wouldn't know where to start!

 

Image from the paper's website:

netspeak


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Wednesday, January 16, 2008

It's all about the funny!

A friend sent me this, and I just thought I would share it with you as well:

    


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Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Have you ever wanted to say "Thank You"...

thankyouBeing that I am not really a shy individual, I haven't had a problem with stepping up to any military or public safety personnel to tell them THANKS for the service they are performing.  However, if you are somewhat reluctant to walk up to a stranger and share that feeling, maybe you should visit http://gratitudecampaign.org/

 

I have embedded one of their videos below (hosted by YouTube) for your viewing pleasure:

 


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Sunday, January 06, 2008

Tag, I'm it!

It's been a while since I been tagged for a List <qty> of <adjective> things about you that your readers probably don't know, but it happened yesterday over at 5150Life.  This particular tag is a Share Seven Weird things about yourself.  Those of you who have been following this blog for a while or have known me/worked with me in the past are probably wondering how I could narrow the list down to only seven.  I will try to provide some good (but not incriminating) information about myself here:

 

The rules are as follows: Simply link to the person who tagged you. SHARE SEVEN WEIRD things about yourself. Tag SEVEN bloggers to do the same AND include a link to their blog. Let each person know that they have been tagged and finally post the rules on your blog.

 

In compliance with the above mentioned rules, I have already complied with the "link to the person who tagged you" (see first paragraph) and "post the rules on your blog" (see second paragraph)

 

I. With the current configuration of my prosthetic leg, I have the ability to quickly disconnect the foot, turn it around, and re-attach it backwards!  It only takes me a few steps to adjust my gait (walking pattern) so that I don't limp or stumble.  This has been used for such fun as practical jokes and to interrupt  stressful times at the office.  Seems that people don't see someone walking with one foot pointed backwards everyday of the week!

 

II. I can't stand a repetitive sound/noise to continue on for more than a few minutes.  This can range from someone singing the same short verse or line of a song over and over and over and over and over (you get the idea), whiney dog yipping to get in the house, etc.  If the sound is one that tends to naturally occur or is mechanical in nature, they don't seem to bother me as much.

 

III. The last three cars I have bought cost a total of $2,500 and were later sold for a total of $2,800 (if you don't consider the amount I knocked off the last car due to charitable Christmas write-off0:

---1983 Pontiac J2000 w/+120K miles- bought for $300, driven for 2.5 years, sold for $500

 

---1964 Ford Falcon w/53K original miles- bought for $1,500 three days before my fall (which ultimately led to the amputation), sold for $1,500 (image and original television commercial 5MB Mpeg or 1MB RealMedia file)

 

---1981 Olds Cutlass Supreme w/41K original miles- bought for $700, driven for 2 years and sold for $800 (price reduced prior to receiving funds).  Linked image is tan in color, mine was gold.

 

IV. Valium makes me hyper!  Yep, the stuff that is supposed to be able to sedate elephants, rhinos and other large land mammals actually makes me wired like a little kid on Jolt Cola and Pop Rocks.  We found this out the weekend of the fatality pursuit I was involved with about 12-13 years ago (when I was still a cop).  Long story very short: I was in pursuit of a motorcycle rider, in speed well above the posted maximum.  He crashed and subsequently died.  I didn't deal with it very well mentally and a few days later suffered an anxiety attack while on duty and was rushed to the ER.  While there, I was given two doses of valium, which only slightly relieved the anxiety symptoms.  When I was finally released later that evening, my wife was told I would probably sleep for 12 hours, considering the dose I had been given.  I actually didn't get any sleep until sometime the next day.

 

V. Excessive cellphone texting drives me crazy.  This has nothing to do with #2 above (repetitive noises).  If you can text back and forth with a person for an entire conversation, just CALL THE PERSON!  If you already have the cell phone in your hands, and are 'chatting' with another person, why not just call them.

Note: I don't 'text', nor do I have a plan for it, but that will change when Sarah goes to college later this year.

Instant Messenger use on a computer doesn't count in this category. 

Texting to leave a message for another person when they have a chance to read it also doesn't count in this category

 

VI. I bite my fingernails.  There, I said it (or, actually, typed it).  Close-up pictures of me will normally have my hands hidden as I know my nails and cuticles look awful.  I have 'quit' before, just to fall off the wagon and start chewing/tearing them off.

 

VII. I multitask like crazy.  I have been known to be chatting with three or more people at the same time about different subjects (in person, on the phone or multiple IM chat windows).  These conversations might be going on while also prepping large-scale distribution email messages being addressed to a population of over 25K email addresses or some other computer support-related activity. (yes, 25,000 addresses - someone has to send out the "important information" mailings for the various university departments)

 

There you have it, the seven items I decided to share today.

 

The bloggers I have decided to 'tag' are:

Bubby: he was my Yoda, in regards to blogging

Brent: the first cop-blog I started following

Ambulance Driver: I really hope he 'plays well with others', as his should be fun to read

Johnny Law: another one that should provide for interesting reading

LawDog: just to get mentioned in his blog

Murphy: I regularly 'lurk' at his blog

Jack Army: I don't remember how I stumbled across his blog, but I'm glad I did


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And the winner is .... ME!

The last few sockets I have had made included an additional outer layer of cloth laminated to the carbon fiber, as a way of providing a little personality to the leg (previous posts with images: My logo on the socket, Cars socket & my website has a small image of one as well).

 

FredsLegs.com is a company founded by a prosthetist/amputee who recognized the fact that a prosthesis can be both functional and fashionable. Their SleeveArt concept takes high quality material (Spandex and Lycra) with fun and interesting designs, and turns them into sleeves that are pulled on over the socket of a prosthetic.  This way, an amputee can change the 'displayed personality" as they desire.  They really have some cool designs.

 

Visitors to the website can signup (via email) for a monthly drawing to win two sleeves ... one is the choice of the winner, and the second is the choice of the company.  I was lucky enough to be drawn as the final winner in 2007.  I've reviewed the available options several times (like I said, they have some really cool designs) and I finally made my decision.  I have emailed the information and now I will just sit back and wait for the postman to bring my my goodies.

 

Oh, did I forget to mention which sleeve I requested?  Well, when my choice and the mystery sleeve arrive, I will get some pictures of them and share in a future post.  Why don't you visit FredsLegs.com and check out their inventory?  Feel free to leave a comment with your vote of which one I should have chosen (pinks, purples, Flamingo and Child styles are not available as voting options!).


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Friday, January 04, 2008

Calling All Cops! - free training available (except $6 s/h)

Hi, I'm Ron and I'm an RSS Junkie!

(your response:  Hi Ron!)

 

Seriously, I use RSS feeds to keep up with a large variety of websites and blogs.  These feeds range from Microsoft related (for Windows Mobile, XP or Vista), Document Imaging, humor, law enforcement (cause I still have close ties to teh Law enforcement community), EMT and a few other topics.  I like using an RSS reader so I aware when new articles are posted, without having to visit each site each day.

 

One of the RSS feeds I have is for Blue Sheepdog, a site dedicated to "Serving Those Who Protect: Police Training and Officer Survival Tips".  A post from yesterday was titled Vehicle Stop Interdictions - Drug Interdiction for Patrol: Excellent Police Training Course from The Backup Training Corporation.  Within the article was a list of three great reasons to use the training, with number two being "FREE" (#1 was content is current and #3 was college credit available).  When a state employee sees the word FREE, it is almost a requirement for us to investigate further.

 

backuptraining

The Backup Training Corporation is offering the free training to SWORN* officer in the USA.  Topics in the course include: indicators of drug couriers, roadside interviews, search and seizure case law, concealment locations and methods, “source” states and frequent overland routes, the use of K-9s, profiling, documentation, and more. You can find a more complete list of training topics here.  They also have a FAQ about the free training here.

 

One of the great aspects of the service is the fact that the training can be used to satisfy state training mandates in many states:

trng-map

Their map with "click-able states" can be found here

The A-Z Approval list is located here

 

With the increased training requirements for law enforcement, as well as the problem with shift-work and area coverage, this self-paced computer-based training seems to have an ideal opportunity to assist departments, both small and large. 

 

If there is a LEO in your life, share this information with them.  If they already know about it, that's great ... but if they don't, they need to look into it!

 

Note: I do not work for/with The Backup Training Corporation, nor will I receive any compensation from them for this posting.  This is done solely as an act to share information so that I may Serve Those Who Protect!

 

And, as Sgt Esterhous from Hill Street Blues would always say:

    "Hey - let's be careful out there"

   

 

*Those qualified include: any sworn law enforcement, military, or corrections personnel who act in a law enforcement capacity


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Thursday, January 03, 2008

Note: Not all of Oklahoma is this backwards

Man stabs another man with a pork chop bone

 

News report out of Ardmore OK advises than 38-year-old Tony Willis was arrested after he allegedly stab another man in the neck with a pork chop bone during a food fight.  This occurred outside a local business on New Year's day.

 

You can read the complete, albeit short, report here.

 

At least you gotta give the suspect credit for the ingenuity of using what he had available as a weapon.


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Sunday, December 30, 2007

Do you backup your blog?

BlogBackupOnline.com is a free service that backups my blog on a daily basis.  It currently has all 549 posts from this blog, starting with my Initial Post on 9/7/2003 (this post will be number 550).  When I found this service in May 2007, I had it run a full backup of my blog.  Once the full backup was completed, it was set to check my RSS feed for new posts on a daily basis.

 

Why did I worry about backing up my blog in May 2007?  To be perfectly honest, I really wasn't worried ... I just found a new blog related 'widget' to play with and had to try it out!

 

Images from my account BlogBackupOnline account(click to enlarge):

The image showing the Info tab (left image) shows Blog status (URL, Title, Blog type, # of posts and Space used) as well as the Images and feeds discovered within the blog.  The Dashboard image on the right is more basic information, but allows for adding new blogs to backup and manage the backup settings of the blogs already listed.

 

When setting up a blog for backup, the userid/password combo for posting entries is not requested/required.  If I wanted to backup a buddy's (bubby's) blog, I could do that very easily.

 

The reason the space used for my 549 posts is only 1.49MB is due to the fact all of the images from my posts are stored remotely away from the actual blogspot.com address for my blog.  Their FAQ page advises they are working on adding support for pictures and videos as well.

 

How can this help you? (besides if your blog host trashes your blog)

If you are currently using a hosting service such as Blogger, LiveJournal, Wordpress, etc and decide to move to your own domain, BlogBackupOnline has the ability to restore your previous posts to the same blog or a new blog.  (Blogger and the other major blog engines can be used to blog to a different domain).

 

After logging into the system, the Restore Wizard is as simple as:

1. On the Restore tab, input the URL and select the type of blog you are restoring to

       

2. Decide "Restore all my blog entries" or "Select blog entries to restore"

   If the second option is used, click Load blog entries, then select the entries.

       

3. Input the Username and Password needed to post to the 'receiving' blog

         (Yep, I like long passwords!)

      

4. Confirm your settings and click the Start Restore button

      

 

You can use the Log tab to determine the status of the restore process, as well as the daily backup actions:

     

 

The only issue that I am aware with in regards to the restore is the fact that Blogger (blogspot.com) will only allow the Restore Wizard to restore 50 posts per day until all have been transferred.

 

In case you were wondering, I am not affiliated with BlogBackupOnline in any way, other than as a very satisfied user of their service.  If you spend any time blogging, you owe it to yourself to go check this free service out.

 

Note: I keep a 'test blog' with Blogger that has the exact same template code as this blog.  When I try anything new out (Windows Live Writer, Restore Wizard from BlogBackupOnline, new ways of embedding videos, etc) or I feel like tweaking the blog template, I have a playground for the trials.  I have been involved with "Testing in Production" before, and it isn't any fun when things go south (which happens much too often with new technology).


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Friday, December 21, 2007

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Don't ya just hate when....

.... life gets in the way of blogging?

 

More posts in the future, as life should be slowing down in the future (or I will run out of energy).

 

However, please enjoy this video in my absence:



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Saturday, December 08, 2007

Prince Caspian

One of the fun things I have done with Hope over the past year is reading through the whole Chronicles of Narnia book series.  While the movie for book two (The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe) has been out for a while, it looks like the movie for Prince Caspian will be released May 16, 2008.  From the trailer below, it looks like the next installment has the potential of being better than the first!

 


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Monday, December 03, 2007

Thursday, November 29, 2007

I'm a VPP (Very Proud Papa)

 

Those of you who don't know, I was raised in an OU household, of which I am not ashamed at all.  My favorite state school team was the Sooners, prior to my employment at OSU.  Now my two favorite teams are OU and OSU.  Yeah, there is a lot more orange in my closet than red (at least on my side) primarily out of loyalty to my employing campus. 

 

With that having been said, who would have expected to see the University of Oklahoma logo presented at the top of one of my blog posts?  Well, it is being done by a very proud papa of a high school senior that has completed all of the requirements to apply for an early admissions to a Masters of Occupational Therapy program at OUHSC. Yes, I said Masters program.  Occupational Therapy is a field Sarah has been interested in for quite a while.  Recently she found that OUHSC has an early admittance program to the MOT program for high school seniors, depending upon their GPA, test scores and having confirmed observation time (shadowing) with a practicing OT.  She has the grades and test scores, and recently completed all the required hoop-jumping to get her shadowing hours completed.  She submitted all of her paperwork for the early admissions yesterday.

 

Admittance to the program holds a spot for her once she has completed her bachelor's degree, which doesn't have to be completed at OU.  Being that OT is a growing field, and the graduate placement rate is almost 100%, the program is growing increasingly difficult to enter.  Her taking the initiative now, as a high school senior, will pay off huge dividends in the future.  In short, she won't have to spend her senior year in college worrying about gaining admissions to a graduate program!

 

No, it isn't guaranteed that she will be accepted into the program, but that isn't a major concern (who is stupid enough to deny/reject my daughter? It would just be their loss!).  I am just amazed at how well she has squared away her plans for the future. 

 

Extra Info:

My dad was an Alumni of OU Medical Center.

 

Just to show the level of OU involvement by my family, here is the ring-tone that plays when my mom calls my cell phone:

       

        which can be interesting when she calls during normal business hours!

 

However, I do have to have a little OU humor somewhere, so here it is:

 


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Sunday, November 25, 2007

Five-Second Rule Extended to Eight Seconds

ATLANTA (CAP) - Bowing to pressure from advocacy groups and a lobby effort dating back three years, the Weights and Measures Division of the National Institute of Standards and Technology has agreed to expand the age-old Five-Second Rule to eight seconds beginning next month.

 

"With all the pressures we all face on a daily basis, nobody has the time they used to," said Pete Olsen of Focus On The Family, which began lobbying the NIST back in 2004. "Three seconds may not be much, but every little bit helps."

 

Focus On The Family originally sought a rule expansion to ten seconds, citing the continued increase in the number of single-parent households as the primary factor in their request. "The numbers of cookies and crackers remained the same, while the sets of eyes to respond and react dropped," said Olsen.

 

However, the NIST countered by offering to increase the limit one second each year from 2008 to 2011, which Focus called "a watered-down attempt to throw red tape at a systemic problem." An arbitrator was brought in last June to help both sides reach an agreement.

 

After months of arbitration, both sides agreed to concessions as part of the deal to change the timeframe of the rule. Among those concessions:

- The Berber Carpet Clause was expanded to include a ban on households with cats. For households with dogs, the rule still only applies to short-hair breeds.

- Section 4.1.2b regarding gum and gummy bears was also expanded to include children's "fruit snacks." However, the two sides could not reach agreement on Starburst chews and had to reserve judgement for a future time.

- Foyers, sunrooms and entryways were added to a special section of the Approved Rooms List that accounts for appropriate weather conditions. For the drier months of July and August, the Eight-Second Rule will now apply to the floors of these rooms.

 

The two sides also agreed to meet on a bi-yearly basis going forward to review all the stipulations of the rule to make sure it continues to meet the needs of a busy population.

 

Originally reported by CAP News


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Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Truth in advertising?

I don't watch television that much, but when I was in Chicago last week, I was able to catch a couple hours of viewing Friday night.  I already realized that there are numerous medications for ED (erectile dysfunction), but one of the Cialis commercial was found to be quite humor.

 

Seems they have a 36 hour formula that "means you can be flexible".

 

Excuse me?  I thought 'being flexible' was the problem to begin with.....


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Saturday, November 17, 2007

Quick trip to Chicago

As of this weekend, I have been to Chicago twice in the last two years (previous visit).  The previous visit was give a presentation to the Barr Foundation Board of Directors.

 

What is the Barr Foundation you ask?  I will give a short answer here, but provide a more detailed description in the future.

The Barr Foundation has a three-fold mission:

1. Provide financial assistance to amputees in need to provide prosthetic components.

       (those who have no financial mean, not to help with insurance deductible)

2. Provide assistance in third-world countries with donated components.

3. Promote the Ertl procedure of lower limb amputation

 

For the last three years I have been very instrumental in the promotion of the Ertl procedure, via both being the webmaster of ErtlReconstruction.com and talking to as many people as I can about it.

 

This visit wasn't primarily to give a presentation to the Board.  It was actually attend as a "Director nominee".  After the meeting was called to order and previous meeting minutes reviewed/approved, the first order of business was to review the nominees and vote on their membership status.  My nomination was approved by a unanimous vote (as was all the others who voted in).

 

Another item of distinction of the evening's meeting was when the foundation operation method was modified to utilize committees to move forward.  Previously, before Tony Barr passed away, the president of the foundation was very active in all aspects of the mission.  It was really his full time job.  However, all of the directors have their own full time job, with foundation work being an additional responsibility in their life.  As such, we have split the functional areas (Executive, Financial Assistance, International Missions & Ertl promotion/education) to be governed by small committees, with them reporting back to the Directors as a whole.  While non-foundation members are allowed on the committees, the primary rule is that at least 50% of the committee members must by BF Directors.

 

I have been asked to be the chairman of the Ertl Education committee.  Another one of the new Directors, Dr Jan Ertl has agreed to be on the committee as well.  I already know of one non-director wishing to be on the committee and I have an idea of another I am going to ask to join us.  When all is squared away with the committee, it will probably look like a grade-school kid leading three Phd students around.  Reasoning is that the committee will most likely be comprised of two orthopedic surgeons, one internationally known CP (certified prosthetist) and me.

 

That's all for now, but I have a feeling there will be several posts in the future about the Barr Foundation in general, with detailed posts about Ertl activities.  


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Friday, November 16, 2007

Sitting in an airport waiting for my flight...

Found this and thought I would share it here:

Scientists Decode the First Message From an Alien Civilization... Simply send 6 x 10 to the 50 atoms of Hydrogen to the Star System at the top of the list, cross off that star system, then put your Star System at the bottom of the list and send it to 100 other Star Systems. Within one-tenth of a Galactic Rotation you will receive enough hydrogen to power your civilization until entropy reaches its maximum! IT REALLY WORKS!

<><><><><><><><>

Happy 100th birthday OKLAHOMA!

Have a great weekend
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Tuesday, November 13, 2007

Can you said AAA?

Associated Press:

SOUTHWORTH -- A man trying to loosen a stubborn lug nut blasted the wheel with a 12-gauge shotgun, injuring himself badly in both legs, Kitsap County sheriff's deputies said.

 

The 66-year-old man had been repairing the car for two weeks at his home northwest of Southworth and east of Port Orchard and had gotten all but one lug nut off the right rear wheel before getting frustrated Saturday, Deputy Scott Wilson said.

 

From about arm's length the man fired the shotgun at the wheel and was "peppered" in both legs with 00 buckshot and other debris.

 

Wilson described the injuries as "severe but not life-threatening."

 

I think an annual membership with AAA would have been a lot less expensive!


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Saturday, November 03, 2007

60 'channels' with plenty to watch (except the final score)

Last week I received a call from the Support Service Captain of our University Police Department, asking if I would like to start working for them running their camera system for selected sporting events. He explained that they had a new system being installed with the number of cameras being too great for their current staff to be able to maintain along with their other duties.  Being that I have been offering to help out in their Command Post for the past few years, I quickly agreed to the request.

Interesting side note: When I was an officer with the PD, this Captain was a Lieutenant and was responsible for my getting involved in computers and information technology items way back in the dark ages.

 

Fast forward to today... After arriving at the PD and getting my press box credentials, I went to the squad room to attend my first police briefing in a dozen years.  In the room were many officers I had worked with previously, a couple I had trained and several new faces.  About halfway through the meeting and before I had been introduced, Renee (my lovely bride) called me.  In case you are wondering, this is the ring-tone I have for her:

 

      

       Yep, that is Hot Legs (by Rod Stewart)

       Yep, my phone wasn't on silent

       Yep, I answered the phone and exited the room very quickly

       .... and, Yep I turned several shades of RED

 

Once I returned to the meeting, I was introduced as a former officer who had been asked back to run the new camera system at the stadium.  After the normal police humor was shared and laughed about, the briefing was adjourned and all were transported to the stadium.

 

Once I got to the stadium I was presented with:

 

   (click on pictures for larger versions)

 

What you see here are eight monitors, controlling four zones of cameras.  Each zone uses two monitors, one showing either 14 or 16 images from the zone cameras and the other showing a full size image of the particular camera being controlled.  I used the first hour or so learning the system controls, which worked out fine considering we got to our locations a few hours before the game began.  Once the stadium started filling up, I was able to quickly focus one, if not more, camera(s) on the areas officers were dispatched to for various issues.  Everything considered, it was a good day.

 

Well, it was a good day, if you didn't consider the football game.  Someday the Cowboys will understand there are four complete quarters to play.  All was good and then ... Poof! Just like that, a 21-point, mid-third-quarter Oklahoma State lead vanished before my very eyes.

 

Yep, Texas scored 24 unanswered points to come from behind.  They kicked the winning field goal with 0:00 left on the clock!


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