Officially a YouTuber?

By request, I've posted a video on YouTube for the first time ever! Enjoy.


If you can't see the video, here.

More to come? We shall see...

Hockey Fight and a Pirate Toaster

A huge fight from last night's game between the Ottawa Senators and the Buffalo Sabres - even the goalies get involved!


If you can't see the video, here.

Speaking of things that you don't see everyday (two hockey goalies fighting) how about some toast emblazoned with the Skull and Crossbones - a perfect Father's Day gift for the dad who thinks he's a pirate.


Via mental_floss.

World's Oldest Blogger

Olive Riley lives in Australia, was born in 1899 and, at the age of 107, has just become the World's Oldest Blogger.

Olive Riley, a feisty 107-year-old Australian great-great-grandmother with amazingly clear memories of her colorful life, has just become the world's oldest blogger. She is 12 years older than Spain's Maria Amelia, the previous titleholder.

Physically frail but mentally alert, Olive lives in an aged care hostel 50 miles (80 km) north of Sydney. She was born in Broken Hill, a tough mining town in Australia's arid Red Centre 565 miles northwest of Sydney, in 1899.

Sydney was then the capital of the British colony of New South Wales, ruled from London by an aged Queen Victoria. Australia did not exist as a nation until January 1, 1901, when the separate colonies united to form a Federation.

Olive says she was twice married, raised her three children on her own, survived two world wars and the Great Depression of the 1930s, and has worked as a barmaid and accountant.

Here's how her first post, dated February 16th, begins...

Good Morning everyone. My name is Olive Riley. I live in Australia near Sydney. I was born in Broken Hill on Oct. 20th 1899.Broken Hill is a mining town, far away in the centre of Australia. My Friend, Mike, has arranged this blog for me. He is doing the typing and I am telling the stories. He thinks it’s a good idea to tell what’s going on. He already made a film about me a few years back and people liked that, so they might like this blog too, he says. We’ll see.

Now, her blog is not the most exciting piece of online literature, but it is an interesting look at the life of a 107 year old.

Wendy's Training Video

An amazing Wendy's Training Video from the 80s.


If you can't see the video, here.

Beatboxing Flute Player

This is incredible, and I'm not just saying that because I love Inspector Gadget.


If you can't see the video, here.

Before computers...

A glimpse into what early IT Help Desk services might have been like...

Happy Belated Valentines.

Happy Valentines Day - One Day Late.

And here's how I will die...

Andrea: At age 62 you will be gunned down in the street by hippies after enacting a bill that grants the WTO even more power.

Andrea: At age 66 your prototype flying machine will work, and while aloft on its maiden voyage a passenger jet will take you into it's jet engine, and throw you out as a mist.

Andrea: At age 64 you will die fighting the Interplanetary War on Terrorism on Camp Harmony, Venus.

Andrea: At age 31 you will start playing an online game and become so addicted that you starve to death.

Andrea: At age 33 you will die lonely and alone.


I guess this means that when I am 51 1/2, the terrorist hippies will rig my flying machine after I beat them in the online games and make it so that I never reach my final destination of Venus...where I was going alone. (I don't even get to outlive Cameron...geez!)

Death Predictor

I just found out how I am going to die, via The Amazing death Predictor.

Cameron: At age 49 you will go down in a small raft, in your friend's pool, and subsequently drown.

Cameron H.: At age 72 a statue will fall over and crush you while giving your acceptance speech for the position of Governor.

Cameron Heiliger: At age 43 you will fall into a vat of neutral shoe polish, and your body will never be recovered.

Cameron E. Heiliger: At age 62

Cameron Edward Heiliger: At age 51 the artificial intelligence software you programmed becomes self aware and devours you. You will be saved to disk though, so no worries.

So the law of averages says that I will die at 55 when the software I developed to get me elected to the office of Governor becomes self-aware, drops a statue on me, drowns me in a pool, throws my body into a vat of neutral shoe polish and then eats me. Sounds like a great way to go!

Google Makes Embarrassing Mistake

This image appeared as Google's header today:

Sure looks like 'googe' to me, unless the stem of the strawberry is supposed to be the 'L.'

Classic Post 1

I've decided, since so much of my time right now is spent doing homework and sitting in class that I am going to begin reusing old posts - from my Israel blog. Don't worry, when time permits I will post new content.
Number One - Marathon, Wednesday July 19, 2006
To put this post in context; I spent about two weeks in Israel this summer on an archaeological dig. We were supposed to be there for four weeks, but the trip was cut short by almost two weeks because of the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

The marathon is over - 30 hours of being awake and I'm finally back in the states...Philadelphia to be exact.
At 7 AM on Tuesday morning (Israel time) we boarded our Olympic Air flight to Greece, by 4 PM Tuesday afternoon (Eastern Standard Time) we were in New York. Then we caught a cab from JFK to Penn Station in downtown Manhattan (I'm not sure it counts because I didn't do anything tourist-y, but at least I can now say that I have been to Manhattan). At Penn Station we bought two tickets on the Amtrak to Philadelphia. Our train was almost two hours late...very frustrating, but we're here and ready to rest...So - long story short, I have been up essentially since about 2 in the afternoon (Israel) on Monday. Let's do some math...
Approximate hours of sleep since Saturday Afternoon when we left - 15
Approximate full meals eaten - 2 or 3?
Approximate hours awake in a row - 40? (Slept for a few hours at the hotel in Tel Aviv, but have been essentially awake since 2 PM on Monday (Israel time) combine that with the fact that today was about 31 hours long for us (7 hour difference between here and there)
Today was a literal version of "Planes, Trains and Automobiles"

For more stories from my trip - here.

Ode to old toys

Yay for Lite Brite! I remember playing with ours a LOT when I was younger. I don't remember why it was so much fun, but it really was. And now, you can even do it online, just go here.

Remember some of these other toys?

weebles...


tinker toys...



lincoln logs...


wizzers...


and for some reason my sisters and I used to play with trolls instead of Barbies...


My favorite toys from when I was little were my dad's old toys, like his slot cars we used to set up and race...


And even more his Lionel train...


And the best thing we ever did with that was set it up in the attic--which happened to be where my younger sister and I lived--and we made a bridge over the hole in the floor where the stairs came up for the train to go over. The bridge was made from dad's erector set...

In high school, when I moved into what had been my older sister's room, dad put a shelf around the room near the ceiling and we put the train on there, going in circles over my head. Good toys.

(Not So) Sweet Inspiration.

I had been trying to think of something to post about for most of the day, and then when I came back to my room it hit me like a door in the face: literally.
You see, we all have routines, things that simply come naturally. Well, after about 5 months of coming back to the same dorm room I have gotten into a pretty good routine when it comes to making sure the door is locked and, when I know my roommate is asleep, making sure it closes quietly and gets locked after its shut. This is where it began.
I came back to the room tonight, opened the door and as usual was about to turn around to "help" it close and lock it when something completely out of the ordinary happened. My foot was, apparently, in the wrong place. The door stopped suddenly and my face slammed forehead first into the corner of the door. I laughed it off initially, and was slightly distracted when my roommate perked up from his bed said, "Who's there..." laid down and went right back to sleep without saying another word (kind of like the watch dog that barely barks at an intruder). Anyhow, I then began to realize that a welt was forming directly over my right eye and I had a bit of a headache (this faded quickly though).
The entire experience reminded me of the clumsiness that so often occurs when one is going through a growth spurt. I was no exception. In fact, I attribute my one major broken bone to a growth spurt, well, kind of...
Our Seventh grade teacher had taken a month off and it was the last day for our substitute, so, since we were hardly focusing on anything anyhow, she told us that we could spend the last hour of the day out on the playground. The boys played football while the girls...I don't know what they did, a couple of them played football but most of them just went off and talked somewhere I think. I'm getting off topic...It was the last play of the game and my best friend, who was playing quarterback, told everyone to go deep. Amazingly, he passed it to me (I say amazingly because I was the shortest boy in the class at the time). I began running for the end zone but was quickly overcome by one of the tallest guys in our class, and also one of the fastest. Being at a disadvantage in two ways I began zigzagging across the field and switching the ball from one side to the other (since it was the last play of the game he was not trying to get me down but was instead going for a fumble). Eventually I couldn't out maneuver him and he was able to swat the ball. We both sprang for it. I got there first and wrapped my arms around the ball. He dove just a split second after me and landed directly on my elbow, the weight of his body pushing my wrist and forearm into the ground.
I have always had a low threshold for pain and nearly fainted four or five times on the way to the office where my mom was (she was the school secretary). She rolled out the mat usually reserved for sick children, got a damp cloth, an ace bandage and some Aspirin and told me to relax and rest as she performed "mom surgery." My wrist never swelled up or turned black and blue, but it was sore for a few days after so I continued to wear the ace bandage. And then came kickball...and here's where the clumsiness kicks in...
The principal was also the gym teacher and on this particular spring day he decided that we should play kickball. It was my turn at "bat," and since I was a soccer player I was generally confident concerning my kicking ability. I stepped up to the plate and awaited the pitch, the ball rolled toward me, I revved up, stepped into my kick and...stepped directly on top of the rolling ball. I fell straight down to the tarmac and smacked my bruised and bandaged left wrist against my side. I got up feeling almost exactly like a few days earlier and asked if I could go see my mom. I thought I had really broken my wrist this time. The principal told me that he couldn't excuse me and that I should be fine.
That night my mom took me to the doctor...it was in fact a broken wrist, although only a "green-stick" fracture. The next day at school I had a few balloons, a "Get Well" card and a bag of M&M's from the principal waiting for me on my desk.

Always Know Where the Camera Is.

I was going to post an amazing video of a Congressman picking his nose while in session (it even looks like he might have eaten it), but apparently it was taken off of YouTube...
So, here's the next best thing. A montage of some of my friends from high school.

1 - Hit Clips


If you can't see the video, here.

2 - J.P.'s Corner (any scene inside of a gymnasium is from my 18th Birthday party)


If you can't see the video, here.

Urologists go to Town for Urinetown.

Last week the St. Paul Conservatory, a private fine arts high-school, performed a free production of "Urinetown-The Musical." Don't let the rather descriptive name fool you, this play is appropriate for most and is incredibly funny. That's why, as I was looking through some news sites, this headline caught my eye, "Urologists Throw 'Urinetown' Potty Party."

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) -- The opening-night party for "Urinetown- The Musical" will take on a urological cast in Omaha. Decorative yellow and white flowers will be arrayed in bedpans. Dessert- something yellow- will be served in specimen cups.

It's what you might expect from the show's sponsor, The Urology Center of Omaha.

The 2002 Tony-award winning Broadway musical opens Friday night at the Omaha Community Playhouse. Among the show's song titles: "It's a Privilege to Pee."

The show is about how a terrible drought makes private toilets unthinkable, so such private activities must be done - for a price - in public amenities controlled by a private corporation, Urine Good Co.

The theater approached the doctors about sponsoring the local amateur production.

Said Dr. Mike Kroeger of the Urology Center: "We thought it would be fun for our staff and would let people know we have a sense of humor."

If you're in Omaha I highly suggest you go see this play.

[Story]

Honesty; The Best Policy

This New York City cab driver proves that there are still good, honest and hard working people around today...

Never mind diamonds- a New York cabbie was a Texas girl's best friend. The driver returned 31 diamond rings he found in his cab after dropping off the passenger, who had left him with a 30-cent tip on a $10.70 fare.

"All my life, I tried to be honest," said Osman Chowdhury, a native of Bangladesh. "Today is no different."

But the 41-year-old cabbie from Queens did have a message: "I'm proud of what I did so that people know New York taxi drivers are honest."

What he did started on Monday evening, when he picked up the woman at a hotel in midtown Manhattan and drove her to an apartment building several blocks away. She gave him $20 to pay the fare and asked for $9 back.

Hours later, at about 10 p.m., three other passengers with luggage discovered the woman's suitcase when Chowdhury popped the trunk open for them.

Chowdhury first drove to the building where he had dropped off the woman. But he had no idea in which of the many apartments she might be and didn't want to cause a disruption by knocking on doors.

He took the suitcase to the Manhattan headquarters of the New York Taxi Workers Alliance, a drivers' advocacy group to which he belongs. He and the alliance president looked inside and found two display cases with 31 diamond rings inside.

"I saw flashing, and I said, 'Oh my God! Diamonds!'" Chowdhury recalled. "I was shocked. I was trembling."

They also found a small luggage tag with a Texas telephone number they called - the home of the woman's mother in Dallas. Meanwhile, she called the number, too.

The woman, who said she was a jeweler, got back the gems on Monday when she arrived at the alliance office around midnight - incredulous at her luck. She offered Chowdhury a reward - a check for $100.

That jeweler, however, might want to rethink her tipping tactics.

Here's a clip of another "honest" taxi driver...

If you can't see the video, here.

That is One Scary Fish!

A goblin shark -- a rarely seen species often called a "living fossil" -- was caught alive in Tokyo Bay but died after being put on display, an aquarium said.
The grey, long-nosed shark was caught in fishermen's nets around 150 to 200 metres (500 to 650 feet) deep. It was discovered by officials of the Tokyo Sea Life Park when they took a boat with local fishermen on January 25.
"We were able to bring it to the aquarium alive and show it to the public," said an official at the park.
But the shark died on the morning of January 27.
"Dead goblin sharks are caught from time to time, but it is rarely seen alive. We were able to document the way the shark swims. After it died, we dissected the specimen for further studies," he said.
The shark was about 1.3 metres long.
Resembling pre-historic sharks, goblin sharks live on deep sea bottoms. Little is known about their lives.

This story on Yahoo inspired me to look up more information about the goblin shark.

Here's what I found, it looks like something from a horror film.



Don't worry this one's dead.

You Make the World Taste Better.

Dr Pepper really does make the world taste better!
And did you know that it was the first soda invented that is still on the market?
That's right, Dr Pepper was first introduced in 1885 by a German pharmacist named Charles Alderton in Waco, TX, and was introduced nationally in 1904. It is reportedly the combination of 23 different soda fountain flavors that were available at the time of its conception (essentially, a pre-mixed suicide for those of us who remember going to fast food places and mixing EVERYTHING at the fountain). It has NEVER contained prune juice, as legend suggests.
In some parts of the country Dr Pepper is enjoyed hot, and remember there is NO period after Dr in Dr Pepper.

Official Site
Dr Pepper on Wikipedia

You're a Human Zoo.

Apparently...

Researchers on a safari for microbes have found that human skin is populated by a veritable menagerie of bacteria -- 182 species -- some apparently living there permanently and others just dropping by for a visit.

No cause for panic...

There's no need for alarm, said microbiologist Dr. Martin Blaser of New York University School of Medicine: the bacteria have been with us for quite a while and some are helpful.

In fact, they may be good for you, and you might want to stop showering so much...

Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms believed to have been the first living things on Earth. While some cause disease, bacteria also reside normally in our bodies, for example in the digestive tract, performing useful chores.
"Without good bacteria, the body could not survive," added Dr. Zhan Gao, a scientist in Blaser's lab involved in the study.
The researchers noted that microbes in the body actually outnumber human cells 10-to-1.
"Our microbes are actually, in essence, a part of our body," Blaser said.
"We think that many of the normal organisms are protecting the skin. So that's why I don't think it's a great idea to keep washing all the time because we're basically washing off one of our defense layers," Blaser added.

So the next time you're bathing with that Ivory soap remember you might be committing bacterial genocide.

[Full Story]

I'm Melting...I'm Melting...

I find myself melting slowly into oblivion. My blogging skills are waning with the prospects of this daunting semester: 14 credits worth of work (an entire 16 week semester for most) in 10 weeks followed by 6 weeks working in a classroom. Couple that with the tension of "what happens next?"
Next fall I student teach. I'm not 100% sure where, signs are pointing to Kalispell, Montana. After that...a job, who knows where.
Therefore I try to keep my sanity. I do my homework, the best I can. I write my lesson plans, read the books on how to teach (occasionally) and try to sleep whenever possible.
On that note, on of the most interesting, and entertaining, resources I have been introduced to this semester is a site called BrainPop. The site uses fun flash animations to educate students. I would watch it even if I wasn't going to be a teacher. Check it out, most of the videos are not available unless you sign up for them, but they do have a 14 day free trial and some others are available to watch absolutely free.
In summation, did you know that NASA recently (in December) unveiled plans for a permanent base to be constructed on the moon. Some details are available on Wikipedia. More detailed info via National Geographic.
In the immortal words of G.I. Joe - Knowing is half the battle.


If you can't see the video, here.

Montana Sues Wyoming!

I'm not sure whose side I should be on in this one. After all, I was born in Wyoming and have lived in Montana since I was 8...

The state of Montana filed suit Thursday with U.S. Supreme Court against Wyoming over water rights, claiming Wyoming’s excessive use of water from two river systems is leaving downstream Montana ranches and farms dry.

The dispute over the Tongue and Powder rivers - which flow from northeastern Wyoming into southeastern Montana - marks a sharp escalation in an increasingly acrimonious water fight between the two states. The region is suffering through a prolonged drought dating to 1999.

The lawsuit alleges Wyoming is ignoring Montana’s "senior" water rights by taking more water from the rivers than allowed under the 1950 Yellowstone River Compact. That includes water diverted and stored for irrigation and also groundwater pumped from beneath the surface during coalbed methane production.

"Wyoming signed a compact that said Montana would get its fair share of water and Wyoming has not been holding up its end of the deal," Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer said in a statement.

Full Story

Snow

In a normal winter, the Front Range of the Rockies in Colorado does not get much snow. I can remember Christmases spent at the park with just a light jacket on. This year, however, Fort Collins and other cities in Colorado are striving to break records, this being the 7th consecutive week that it will snow. Just thought I'd share it. (Cameron told me to).

Check out the facts here.