What's New
December 12, 2007
Last night my dog barked at the UPS man with such vigor that she pulled her back muscles and required a trip to the emergency room.
May 15, 2007
 It's coming...
May 7, 2007
I had three teeth pulled today!
April 1, 2007
A couple of years back I replaced the battery in my first generation iPod. I didn't throw the original battery away, but instead I placed it in a drawer and promptly forgot about it. While digging through that drawer yesterday, I rediscovered the battery, as shown here. It used to less thick than a pencil, but over time it has swollen into the beast that you see.
Seeing this thing sitting in the drawer freaked me out a bit. I carefully picked it up by its connector and brought it outside to the trash can. Right before I was about to dispose of it, I thought that I should take some pictures first. I (stupidly, perhaps) brought it inside and snapped some pics. It was only then that I disposed of the battery.
And no, despite the date, this is not an April fool's joke.
Mar 15th, 2007
Hey, St. Joseph Health System guy, did you get that job you interviewed for?
Sept 9th, 2006
I went to the central branch of the Austin library today. While I was in the elevator and riding my way up the third floor, I took note of the transparent panels on the ceiling that difuse the light. I decided to push on one to see what was in there. The moment I did that, the elevator stopped dead and an alarm started sounding.
Aug 30th, 2006
Dear Fox 7 News,
I'm watching your report on the San Marcos shooting right now. It raises a question that has come to my mind several times while watching the news (and listening to the news on the radio). Why are reporters sent on location after the news-worthy event has passed? It seems a bit silly and doesn't add to the credibility of the story.
Feb 21st, 2006
Compound interest is a powerful thing. If you are 15 and you save a buck a day, investing it at 12%, by the time you are 65 you will have nearly 1.2 million dollars
If you want to retire at 40 with just a hair less than 1 million dollars, put away $300 at 15% for the next 25 years and you're set.
Explore the power of compound interest using my new Compound Interest Calculator
December 7th, 2005
I got an amusing note earlier this morning from the owner of GeeksHideout.com. Note the similarity in that site's name to this site's name. It seems that he gets an occasional prod of discontent from those who eagerly add the letter "S" when doing a search for this site and end up at his.
November 1st, 2005
Yorkie Bars are tasty. They're from the UK, but readily available here in Austin at Central Market and World Market. They're marketed as not being for girls, which apparently makes some people get a bit uppity.
October 9th, 2005
Sharp and shiny, it's the Benchmade 670
October 6th, 2005
And the answer is: Panama!
September 30th, 2005
Q: How did the turtle with no legs cross the freeway?
A: Take the "F" out of Free and the "F" out of Way.
September 23rd, 2005
Calvin Coolidge said this:
Nothing in the world can take the place of Persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan 'Press On' has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
This came to mind because I was just thinking about how so many people seem to believe the world owes them something for nothing in return.
September 21st, 2005
Hey, a hurricane is coming!
July 27th, 2005
I strapped on a heart monitor today while doing my speed bag workout and I was shocked to see that my heart rate was averaging about 85% of max. What's odd about this is that hard running and cycling puts me in the same range, but these activities feel considerably more difficult than using the speed bag.
July 23rd, 2005
It would seem that I'm not the only person with a fear of drains.
July 19th, 2005
Dream come true: Tour of the LCRA Power Plant
July 5, 2005
My tale of woe regarding my iPod Shuffle.
June 24, 2005
I take elaborate steps to remain a private individual. I like to be in absolute control of what personal information is in the public domain. For this reason, it drives me bonkers when other people talk about me--I view it an invasion of the privacy and a removal of the control that I try so hard to maintain. This is particularly true if sensitive information is shared. We often tell someone who we trust something in absolute confidence only to later learn that it was shared with others.
For example, someone wished me a happy birthday the other day. I never shared my birthdate with this person and so I can only assume it was gathered through some other means. I'm aware this doesn't bother most others in the slightest, but it's just the way I'm wired.
Since I can't control conversations that take place when I'm not around (nor would I wish to do such a thing), I sometimes employ my spam technique.
Spam technique, you ask? What does spam have to do with people? A lot, actually. When I provide an email address to a company, I will make it unique for that company, for example sears(a)geekhideout.com if I am dealing with Sears. If I start receiving spam at that address, I know that Sears provided my email address to a spammer.
In a similar vein, when dealing with someone whom I suspect might not be discrete with information that I provide, I will plant unique or slightly inaccurate information. If this is returned to me from a different source, I know exactly who was responsible for the leak.
June 20, 2005
Feels like a good day to archive the old What's New stuff and empty out the main page.
And now, go ahead, Tell Me a Secret.
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