Thanksgiving in Vegas
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Thanksgiving in Vegas
Todd Swank's Diary Entry for December 1, 2024
This year, Thanksgiving took a detour from turkey to slot machines. Avery
ditche...
March 31, 2011
Video: Quadrocopter Ball Juggling
I think we need to stop teaching the robots now else they may become self aware...
March 30, 2011
Lessons Learned: Pentium Flaws Aid Intel In Sandy Bridge Chipset Recall
Meanwhile, Todd Swank, vice president of marketing at system builder Nor-Tech, said he recalls the Pentium FDIV error being a major issue -- but one that's very different from the Sandy Bridge situation.
"[The Pentium FDIV flaw] happened after so many customers had already had systems in hand and were already relying on them," Swank said. "Plus, that was a difficult problem to detect and customers feared that their fundamental data could be flawed and they didn’t even know about it," Swank said. "The recent Sandy Bridge episode was caught so early that very few customers were actually affected. It also involved a very obvious failure should a customer’s SATA drive suddenly stop working, nothing as subtle as the original Pentium flaw."
Read Full Article Here:
http://www.crn.com/news/components-peripherals/229400535/lessons-learned-pentium-flaws-aid-intel-in-sandy-bridge-chipset-recall.htm?pgno=1
"[The Pentium FDIV flaw] happened after so many customers had already had systems in hand and were already relying on them," Swank said. "Plus, that was a difficult problem to detect and customers feared that their fundamental data could be flawed and they didn’t even know about it," Swank said. "The recent Sandy Bridge episode was caught so early that very few customers were actually affected. It also involved a very obvious failure should a customer’s SATA drive suddenly stop working, nothing as subtle as the original Pentium flaw."
Read Full Article Here:
http://www.crn.com/news/components-peripherals/229400535/lessons-learned-pentium-flaws-aid-intel-in-sandy-bridge-chipset-recall.htm?pgno=1
March 29, 2011
March 27, 2011
Football In Wisconsin
The Green Bay Packers will not be playing next year.
They have been replaced by the Wisconsin Democrats who have established a much better running game.
Shortarmguy Family Trip to St. Louis 2011
Shortarmguy Family Trip to St. Louis
Shortarmguy Diary Update for March 27, 2011
The boys and Miss Sheri had Spring Break from school this week so I took a few vacation days, packed everyone up in the Family Truckster, and headed down to Sunny St. Louis. Except it wasn't very sunny.
On Wednesday, it was actually pretty nice. The temperature said 70 degrees when we rolled into St. Louis in the late afternoon after a 10 hour drive looking at the nice day outside. So instead of enjoying the outside, we decided to spend the rest of the day deep underground in Meramac Caverns. Jessie and Frank James were once known to hideout there after some of their daring bank robberies. We were hoping maybe they left some loot behind that we could find. But dang the luck, we didn't.
Meramac Caverns is the largest Commercial Cave in Missouri which is known as the Cave State. We took a one and a quarter mile walk through some really interesting caverns and saw more underground water than we've ever seen in a cave before. I thought it was so nice down there that perhaps the children would want to stay. I offered to set them free so they could become full time cave people, but they declined and opted to stay with us instead.
We thought we were just exploring a regular cave when we suddenly stumbled across one of the most amazing discoveries ever made before by man. These fossils of huge dinosaur heads had never been seen before by anyone else, so they're lucky we were there to point them out! All right, I'm kidding. This picture was actually taken the next morning at City Museum in Downtown St. Louis.
City Museum is a really cool, quirky museum that is a ball for kids and adults alike. It's unlike any museum I've ever seen before. It's just a mish mosh of things to climb, slide down, play with, run on, jump off, and explore.
Housed in the 600,000 square-foot former International Shoe Company, the building itself is an adventure. This is a 10 story former shoe slide that we all took turns riding. It sounds a lot more thrilling than it is, unless you like rolling your butt off rusty metal that spins you round and round for 10 stories. I only did it once, but the boys had to give it a second try to get all of the joy they could from it.
The boys were enamored by all the art at the museum as well.
On Thursday afternoon, we headed to the Arch to do some sight seeing and take a cruise on the Mississippi River. The main reason we went to St. Louis was to see the Arch which marks the city as the original "Gateway to the West". We were pretty impressed with it, but were a bit disappointed when we discovered that there wasn't a ladder along the side of it to allow us to climb to the top.
So instead, we entered the smallest elevator ever made to ride to the top of the arch. It was very crowded and stressful to ride. I also couldn't escape the feeling that suddenly Willy Wonka was going to appear and tell us that he was giving us his chocolate factory, but first we had to go to Oompa Loompa training.
Going to the top was neat, but I was a bit disappointed with the size of the windows to look out and see the city. They were dinky. I would have rather the whole floor been made of glass like the balcony at Willis Tower in Chicago. You could then actually see the arch around you instead of it just being like a submarine port hole. I kept thinking I was inside some tall building instead of the incredible structure I was on top of. But the experience was still very cool!
Who am I kidding? The view was incredible!
On Friday morning, we drove to the St. Louis Zoo. Since it was snowing and raining outside, we were basically the only people there so we had the zoo almost exclusively to ourselves! Which I like since otherwise people some times think I'm one of the exhibits and ask if they can watch me being fed.
It's a free zoo so I wasn't sure what to expect, but must admit I was pleasantly surprised. It's very well done with a lot of unique exhibits.
This is Ruby. She's a 6 year old orangutan who was quite playful with all of us. She kept swinging back and forth and banging the windows. It was one of the warmest receptions we received from anyone in St. Louis!
The Tawny Frogmouth wasn't nearly as happy to see me. She wouldn't take her big eyes off of me and about pooped an egg when I started mimicking her call. I have this same effect on a lot of women.
After the zoo, we skipped over to the nearby St. Louis Art Museum to try to give our boys some culture. It didn't work.
They weren't really interested in all the historical art, but did love looking at the ancient weapons and armor. Destruction is so much cooler than beautiful art!
Luke was so happy that he finally had the opportunity to do his mummy impression!
After an hour at the art museum, we'd all had about enough and decided to go back to doing stuff more our speed. So we headed to the big Budweiser plant nearby to go on their walking tour. We were so happy to discover that they had free samples for us to enjoy!
We were quite impressed with the facility. We saw huge kettles for brewing beer and massive containers where they performed their beechwood aging process. We also loved the packaging area where we saw beer bottles and cans being flung around in every direction at top speed. It reminded us of being at home on a typical Friday Night!
On our drive home, we stopped in Cedar Rapids to see our old buddies, Joel, Jason, and Ron. Then we left.
Funeral for a Cardiologist
This would be an acceptable reason to laugh at a funeral.
A very prestigious cardiologist died, and was given a very elaborate funeral by the hospital he worked for most of his life... A huge heart... covered in flowers stood behind the casket during the service as all the doctors from the hospital sat in awe. Following the eulogy, the heart opened, and the casket rolled inside. The heart then closed, sealing the doctor in the beautiful heart forever.
At that point, one of the mourners just -burst- into laughter. When all eyes stared at him, he said, 'I am so sorry, I was just thinking of my own funeral... I'm a gynecologist.'
The priest fainted.
A very prestigious cardiologist died, and was given a very elaborate funeral by the hospital he worked for most of his life... A huge heart... covered in flowers stood behind the casket during the service as all the doctors from the hospital sat in awe. Following the eulogy, the heart opened, and the casket rolled inside. The heart then closed, sealing the doctor in the beautiful heart forever.
At that point, one of the mourners just -burst- into laughter. When all eyes stared at him, he said, 'I am so sorry, I was just thinking of my own funeral... I'm a gynecologist.'
The priest fainted.
HOW TO INSTALL A REDNECK HOME SECURITY SYSTEM
HOW TO INSTALL A HOME SECURITY SYSTEM
1. Go to a secondhand store and buy a pair of men's used size14-16 work boots.
2. Place them on your front porch, along with a copy of /Guns & Ammo Magazine
3. Put a few giant dog dishes next to the boots and magazines.2. Place them on your front porch, along with a copy of /Guns & Ammo Magazine
4. Leave a note on your door that reads:
Bubba,
Bertha, Duke, Slim, & I went for more ammo and beer.
Be back in an hour.
Don't mess with the pit bulls; they attacked the mailman this morning and messed him up bad.
I don't think Killer took part, but it was hard to tell from all the blood.
Anyway, I locked all four of 'em in the house.
Better wait outside. Be right back.
Cooter
Generation Y Photo
Silent Generation are people born before 1946
Baby Boomers are people born between 1946 and 1964
Generation X are people born between 1964 and 1982
Generation Y are people born between 1982 and now
Why do we call the last one generation Y?
I didn't know, till a cartoonist explains it eloquently below...
I learned something new today!
Baby Boomers are people born between 1946 and 1964
Generation X are people born between 1964 and 1982
Generation Y are people born between 1982 and now
Why do we call the last one generation Y?
I didn't know, till a cartoonist explains it eloquently below...
I learned something new today!
The Green Thing
In the line at the store, the cashier told the older woman that plastic bags weren’t good for the environment.
The woman apologized to her and explained,
“We didn’t have the green thing back in my day.”
That’s right, they didn’t have the green thing in her day. Back then, they returned their milk bottles, Coke bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, using the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.
But they didn’t have the green thing back her day.
In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and
didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks.
But she’s right. They didn’t have the green thing in her day.
Back then, they washed the baby’s diapers because they didn’t have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts – wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.Sometimes we had to SHARE the tub water from lack of hot water and not to waste.
But that old lady is right, they didn’t have the green thing back in her day.
Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house – not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a pizza dish, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn’t have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used wadded up newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, they didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.
But she’s right, they didn’t have the green thing back then.
They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty, instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled pens with ink, instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.
But they didn’t have the green thing back then.
Back then, people took the streetcar and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus, and Yes some of us walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.
But that old lady is right. They didn’t have the green thing back in her day.
OMGoodness – that was MY day too
The woman apologized to her and explained,
“We didn’t have the green thing back in my day.”
That’s right, they didn’t have the green thing in her day. Back then, they returned their milk bottles, Coke bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, using the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled.
But they didn’t have the green thing back her day.
In her day, they walked up stairs, because they didn’t have an escalator in every store and office building. They walked to the grocery store and
didn’t climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time they had to go two blocks.
But she’s right. They didn’t have the green thing in her day.
Back then, they washed the baby’s diapers because they didn’t have the throw-away kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts – wind and solar power really did dry the clothes. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing.Sometimes we had to SHARE the tub water from lack of hot water and not to waste.
But that old lady is right, they didn’t have the green thing back in her day.
Back then, they had one TV, or radio, in the house – not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a pizza dish, not a screen the size of the state of Montana. In the kitchen, they blended and stirred by hand because they didn’t have electric machines to do everything for you. When they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used wadded up newspaper to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, they didn’t fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. They used a push mower that ran on human power. They exercised by working so they didn’t need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity.
But she’s right, they didn’t have the green thing back then.
They drank from a fountain when they were thirsty, instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time they had a drink of water. They refilled pens with ink, instead of buying a new pen, and they replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull.
But they didn’t have the green thing back then.
Back then, people took the streetcar and kids rode their bikes to school or rode the school bus, and Yes some of us walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. They had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And they didn’t need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.
But that old lady is right. They didn’t have the green thing back in her day.
OMGoodness – that was MY day too
March 26, 2011
Video of the enormous wave that hit Japan
Unbelievable video from SKY News of the disaster that befell Japan recently.
Hard to grasp the force of the water without seeing it as it actually happened.
This is unreal!
Florida kayaker has close encounter with enormous shark
This shark is huge!! You don't get the real perspective of it until the kayak rows up to it. I would have pooped my canoe had I been the one in there!
Read more details here:
http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/25306/florida+kayaker+has+close+encounter+with+enormous+shark/
Read more details here:
http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/25306/florida+kayaker+has+close+encounter+with+enormous+shark/
March 22, 2011
Report: Intel Approaches Top-Level HP Executive As Potential Successor To Otellini
Todd Swank, vice president of marketing at Northern Computer Technologies, a Burnsville, Minn.-based system builder and Intel partner, said Intel’s interest in executives outside the company makes sense given industry trends toward mobile over on-site computing and migration to the cloud. “It makes sense to me that they’re looking for new blood, because it looks like the landscape is changing so rapidly,” he said. “It wouldn’t hurt for them to get some new opinions from outside.”
According to the report, Intel is under pressure from investors to show that it’s making progress in the hot smartphone and tablet markets, especially as rivals Nvidia and ARM work together to challenge Intel in the desktop and server markets. Bradley’s experience as former chief executive of Palm prior to joining HP in 2006 could be useful to Intel as it seeks, in turn, to challenge ARM in the mobile market.
However, according to Swank, an HP executive may not offer the greatest departure from Intel’s current thinking. “HP is not that far of a stretch for Intel, since HP has obviously been a customer of Intel’s for a long-time and have shared Intel’s vision of the technology landscape for a long time,” Swank said. “They could have looked for someone from a completely different field, someone from a company that isn’t on the x86 architecture. But HP has had a lot of synergy with Intel in its marketing and product roadmaps.”
On the other hand, for a company that is known for promoting within to suddenly turn to someone from outside could cause some tension, according to Swank. “If their looking outside for a successor to Otellini, that’s going to ruffle some feathers, “he said. “At that level, I’m sure there’s a pecking order for whose next in line. If it’s out that people outside the company are being considered, then people in the company who believe themselves or their colleagues to be next in line all of a sudden start asking questions like ‘why am I not next in line.’ But that’s business. We all have to deal with those issues.”
Read Full Article Here:
http://www.crn.com/news/components-peripherals/229301374/report-intel-approached-top-level-hp-executive-as-potential-successor-to-otellini.htm?pgno=2
According to the report, Intel is under pressure from investors to show that it’s making progress in the hot smartphone and tablet markets, especially as rivals Nvidia and ARM work together to challenge Intel in the desktop and server markets. Bradley’s experience as former chief executive of Palm prior to joining HP in 2006 could be useful to Intel as it seeks, in turn, to challenge ARM in the mobile market.
However, according to Swank, an HP executive may not offer the greatest departure from Intel’s current thinking. “HP is not that far of a stretch for Intel, since HP has obviously been a customer of Intel’s for a long-time and have shared Intel’s vision of the technology landscape for a long time,” Swank said. “They could have looked for someone from a completely different field, someone from a company that isn’t on the x86 architecture. But HP has had a lot of synergy with Intel in its marketing and product roadmaps.”
On the other hand, for a company that is known for promoting within to suddenly turn to someone from outside could cause some tension, according to Swank. “If their looking outside for a successor to Otellini, that’s going to ruffle some feathers, “he said. “At that level, I’m sure there’s a pecking order for whose next in line. If it’s out that people outside the company are being considered, then people in the company who believe themselves or their colleagues to be next in line all of a sudden start asking questions like ‘why am I not next in line.’ But that’s business. We all have to deal with those issues.”
Read Full Article Here:
http://www.crn.com/news/components-peripherals/229301374/report-intel-approached-top-level-hp-executive-as-potential-successor-to-otellini.htm?pgno=2
March 21, 2011
Opinion of the day...
I exercise regularly. I eat moderate amounts of healthy food. I make sure to get plenty of rest. I see my doctor once a year and my dentist twice a year. I floss every night. I've had chest xrays, cardio stress tests, EKG's and colonoscopies. I've seen a psychologist once, and she thought I was A-OK. I have a dog and a variety of hobbies to reduce stress. I don't drink and drive. I quit smoking. I don't do drugs. I try not to disparage others. I don't have crazy, reckless sex with strangers.
If Charlie Sheen outlives me, I'm gonna be really pissed.
If Charlie Sheen outlives me, I'm gonna be really pissed.
March 20, 2011
Visit To The Amazing Mirror Maze At Mall of America
Visit To The Amazing Mirror Maze At Mall of America
Shortarmguy's Diary Update for March 20, 2011
It's been a melty week in Prior Lake, Minnesota. I know most of you in the rest of the country have been enjoying real Spring weather, but here in Minnesota we still have a lot of snow on the ground and ice on the lakes. So since the temperature reached the fifties, we were all excited to get outside and finally start enjoying some fresh air again. And wet feet!
When it's almost sixty degrees outside, we're willing to walk on the frozen lake, but plenty of people are willing to go out there in a motorized way. I sit back and admire their bravery.
Four wheelers are one thing, but seeing people drive their trucks through deep puddles of water sitting on a layer of ice that resides on top of 20 feet of water below is surreal to me. Sometimes I talk to people who do it and they'll say things like "Do you know how thick that ice still is? Plenty enough to hold a vehicle!" So then I think they're smart and I must just be paranoid. But then I read in the newspaper every year about people that put their vehicles through the ice and I'll think they're not smart. It's confusing. I don't know the right answer, but I guess I'd rather just not risk it.
Miss Sheri sure knows how to sling balls!
Miss Sheri sure knows how to sling other stuff also. It's amazing how much poop can be covered up by 6 months worth of snow!
On Saturday, we hooked up with our old buddies, Chris Curry and Grandma Linda for a visit to the Olive Garden. The restaurant people sat us in the corner. Apparently we get kind of loud and are slightly annoying to sit nearby while other customers try to enjoy their succulent Italian cousine. I think we're kind of fun to be around but I guess Opinions Vary.
That afternoon, we went to the Mall of America.
There sure were a dang lot of people there again!
The purpose for our visit was to check out the Amazing Mirror Maze. Their website says that at 2,500 square feet, it is one of the largest mirror mazes in the world, with endless hallways, infinite reflections, and a new twist and turn waiting around every corner. I wasn't sure if we'd enjoy it or not, but honestly it was pretty cool. They make you wear plastic gloves so you don't smudge the mirrors when you walk into them, which you do quite often. Another weird side effect is how many times you think you're looking at a real person, when in fact you're looking at their reflection. Or quite possibly, a reflection of their reflection. If you're prone to anxiety attacks, it may not be a good place to visit because you can quickly start to feel lost and the exit isn't always easy to find. At $7.95 per person, I can't imagine it's a place we'd visit again, but we all thought it was a pretty cool thing to do once. Check it out if you get the chance.
Miss Sheri had fun with the gloves mainly because she didn't have to smell her hands any more. Apparently, there was still some remaining poop residue under her fingernails from the grimy backyard cleaning task earlier that day. We were happy to see her smile again.
Grandma Linda's smile didn't last long while we were there, though. The mirrors really started to stress her out after being in there for 10 minutes or so. She didn't say anything regarding a reason why, but I think she can see strange people on the other side of the looking glass that none of the rest of us can see. Sorry about that, mom.
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