It's raining, its hailing

Well the storm has just hit Harker Heights.
We're getting loads of rain and pea-sized hail.
The winds have really picked up to.
I'm sure my lawn will love the rain. It will give it a chance to "green-up" again (IN NOVEMBER?!).

This guy voted for Pedro..

"Just tell them if they vote for Pedro - all their wildest dreams will come true."

A UT student got the chance to play onstage with U2 in Dallas Saturday night. Lucky.

Playing quarterback for your favorite team. Rocking out with your favorite band. These are the dreams that fill a teenage boy's heart.
Sunjay Devarajan, 19, traded sunglasses with Bono after joining U2 on guitar Saturday.
Of course, most boys don't think they'll ever actually realize those fantasies. But as 19-year-old Sunjay Devarajan strapped on a guitar next to Bono, The Edge and the rest of U2 on Saturday night in front of 20,000 screaming fans at American Airlines Center, his teen dream took life right before his eyes.
"This is like a Make-a-Wish Foundation kind of dream," said Arlington native Sunjay, a day after Bono plucked him from the crowd to play the band's "Angel of Harlem." "I'm just so thrilled that they gave me that opportunity. That they were adventurous enough to actually pick somebody that they had no idea who he was from the audience and have him play guitar."

Clarence Larkin Charts

These charts are amazing in detail and information. Enjoy them:Clarence Larkin Charts

Collaborative whiteboard

Trying to explain something to someone and it's not quite working?
Or maybe you have half and idea and you need some more help.
Try drawing collaboratively with your friends and colleagues.
Draw, draw, draw -- and then share it and let them add their input.
This is what the Internet is for. Take advantage of it.
Watch XPLANE's founder and CEO Dave Gray draw a friendly ole' chap or a clown with GE Imagination Cubed and Art.com

Pray pray pray

I visited Antioch Community Church in Waco this morning, where we were told of a fatal accident at University Baptist Church this morning.
The pastor, Kyle Lake, was baptizing a young girl (age unknown) when a microphone fell into the baptismal electrocuting both of them.
They were both transported to a local hospital. A short time later Pastor Lake passed on. I don't know any specifics on the girl's condition, but we were told she was doing better before the service was over.
Please be in prayer for everyone involved, espcially the immediate families of Pastor Lake and the young girl.
This is from the church's website as of 2:42 p.m. Sunday.

This morning, Sunday October 30th, our pastor Kyle Lake was involved in an accident during a baptism and was transported by EMS to a nearby hospital. At this time we don't know his status but it is very serious. Everyone here is praying for him and we ask you to do the same. We will do our best to keep updates coming as we learn more.
Thank You,
UBC

Kathryn at El Chico

Kathryn getting upset with Matt and I at El Chico's Sunday afternoon.

Brandy & Allison at El Chico

Brandy and Allison hanging at El Chicos in Waco after we visited Antioch Church Sunday morn.

DJ's: Cuttin' Up C-Span

DJ RX pokes fun at Bush and other politicians with his mashups.
RX combed through videotapes to build the bogus phrases he needed to have the president "sing" songs like U2's antiwar anthem "Sunday Bloody Sunday."
Or you can listen to all his other mashsups at http://www.audiostreet.net/artist.aspx?artistid=6407&mode=music

Feld Thoughts

This is funny...The new men's room

Bono saves the world

WFAA in Dallas has a feature cartoon on Bono saving the world.

Slightly different than planned

So - my house sold.
In like an hour.
Anyone think God wants me to stay in Belton?
It was crazy. My realtor came around 10 a.m. yesterday to put a sign in the yard.
By 11ish, another realtor in her office brought someone by and he decided he wanted to buy.
By 5:30 I had an offer and I made a counter offer.
He accepted and he'll sign the contract on Monday. Wow.
We close on Nov. 29.
So my plans to spend the day cleaning and fixing things around the house seemed a little unnecessary.
I planned on mowing and giving the house a real-deep clean today but I don't guess he's concerned with that.
I still have a board I need to replace before an inspector comes, but otherwise I don't guess there's any reason to try and do anything to my house for it to sell.
--
So I woke up around 10 a.m. this morning. Took a shower, got dressed. Watched U2 in Boston - twice. And then I slept from 2 till 5:30.
It's funny how Saturdays and Sundays my body just says, "Sleep."
Whether it's sleeping really late or waking up, doing something and then sleeping later in the day, my body says, "Sleeeeeeep."
--
U2 will go on stage in the next 3 or 4 hours in Dallas.
I'm really bumbed I won't be there. But oh well.
Aaron's planning a U2 concert at his house when the new DVD comes out. And I'll be in Dallas by that time so I should have no problem making it.
Until then I have Rattle and Hum, U2 live in Boston, U2 Live in Dublin and countless CD's and music videos to give me my fix.
--
UMHB won today against ETBU. 23 to 7. They're not kicking tail like they did last year. The offense isn't racking up as many points.
I remember three or four years back someone (who thinks they make black and white lights - funny story) said UMHB should move to Div. II or I because they were so good.
I told him that was the dumbest thing I've ever heard. And still think it's pretty dumb. But oh well - I digress.
--
Well that's my day - thus far. Now I need to find something to do tonight. I can still make it to the U2 concert if anyone has an extra ticket. Anyone?
Ok. I guess it will be me, my dogs and my dvd's. Maybe I'll watch the West Wing to take my mind off missing the U2 concert.

[]Deace.

Funny

Found this while looking for possible U2 tickets... thought it was worth noting...
: "Ladies, form a line to the right for make-outs... Dudes, form a line to the left for hi-fives... "

Identification devices cause consumer concern

i got this article from a friend, John Lochridge, who won't give in and get a blog. :-)
good stuff. i personally haven't made up my mind about RFID yet.

Identification devices cause consumer concern
By JOHN LOCHRIDGE
Special to Today
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) devices are called "the barcodes of the future."
They have the potential to allow everything, indeed every person, on the planet to be given and tracked using unique serial numbers which can be identified from a distance of a few inches or a few feet using radio waves.
Katherine Albrecht is a well-spoken, articulate speaker, Harvard doctoral student, and the founder of Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering (CASPIAN), the 10,000 member consumer privacy advocacy group which is concerned about the implications of the use of RFID technology.
Albrecht is the author of Spychips: How Major Corporations and Government Plan to Track Your Every Move with RFID published by Thomas Nelson. She has been featured by CNN, NPR, Business Week and numerous other media outlets.
This past Saturday, Albrecht and Duncanville area residents held signs in front of the Wheatland Wal-Mart to protest Wal- Mart¹s trial use of RFID devices (called "tags") on products sold to consumers at Dallas area Wal-Mart stores.
According to Albrecht, quoted in the engineering journal EE Times (Dec. 2, 2003): "This technology is like an electronic frisk or a form of X-ray vision, It really could create a total surveillance world. It¹s very dangerous."
RFID technology has been getting a lot of press and gaining a lot of momentum. Retailers want to use RFID tags to more efficiently track inventory but privacy advocates are concerned about the reality that the ability to track an item brings with it an ability to track the owner of an item.
Albrecht points out that manufacturers are experimenting with embedding RFID tags into footwear and clothing, including undergarments such as bras.
RFID readers can read through outer clothing to identify what a person is wearing or to track a customer from the time of purchase.
Retailers aren¹t the only ones interested in using RFID. With what seems "spookily" appropriate for a pre-halloween announcement, it was a year ago this month that the FDA approved RFID chips for implanting under the skin of humans to keep track of medical information.
Former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson has since announced that he intends to be "chipped" using this technology.
Just this year, RFID was proposed for tracking every car in Texas. In April of this year, Texas state representative Larry Phillips (R-Sherman) proposed HB 2983 which initially called for embedding RFID tags into vehicle registration stickers, allowing car registration information to be read and collected by a scanner from a distance.
The requirement for RFID tags was removed from the legislation as a result of negative public reaction regarding the issue.
Elsewhere in Texas RFID is already used to track public school students. RFID tags are placed in Spring ISD student ID cards to track thousands of students in the district.
Dallas residents can expect to hear more about RFID in the future. The Dallas technology community is very interested in the technology. According to the Metroplex Technology Business Council, there are over 100 local firms actively involved in the development of RFID technology.
Albrecht quotes RFID industry research as indicating that over three-fourths of consumers are leary of RFID technology.
Despite this, industry documents show that consumers apathy could still result in the widespread implementation of this technology.
Albrecht says that its fine if stores want to use RFID to track crates and pallets -- but thinks the line needs to be drawn at item-level tracking which brings consumers into the equation. She opposes efforts that result in consumers being forced to buy products containing RFID devices.
Place a call to Wal-Mart (1-800-WAL-MART) and let them know what you think too. For more information, you can visit CASPIAN¹s websites at NOCARDS.ORG and SPYCHIPS.COM.
John B. Lochridge lives in the Dallas area and works as a technology consultant. he can be reached by e-mail at johnets@earthlink.net.

i've seen and read both sides of the issue and can understand both sides.
the problem with technology is that the more it encroaches on our lives, the less privacy we have.
take a look at the movie Minority Report. I think that's what we're heading to.
advertising is becoming more and more targeted. you already have cookies on your machine that will keep track of when and where you go online.
businesses want to target their audience. i think that's why we're seeing less and less advertising in newspapers.
car dealers and businesses alike are turning to the internet and television and targeting specific audiences.
researches are already working on cars that drive and fly themselves.
and for that to happen satellites and other devices will have to keep a constant tab on where vehicles are at, within inches.
we either have to accept technology, or move back into an Amish state.

Another blog?

Yup. Another one. What am I thinking? I'm turning into Michael Robinson. Ha. Just kidding Mike.
Anyways, thanks to inspiration from Tim Halberg and other photo blogs, I'm giving you my life in pictures - The Way I See It.
It's a super easy URL too, the same as this one with a "3" added: http://jdblundell3.blogspot.com.
So check it out. And hopefully it will get updated most days.
And for those of you keeping up with A Work in Progress there have been some recent additions to the story.
Once I get moved and re-settled I hope to have a lot more time to really delve into the story.
I'm also looking for more suggestions on character names. Some of the current character names are "borrowed" from the West Wing and they'll need to be changed. So if anyone has suggestion for character names, let me know - either here or there.
I better get back to my laundry. Someone's coming to look at my house today. And I'm hoping and praying, this will be the first and only person to look at it.
How assuring would that be if my house is sold before it is even officially on the market?

Night Cap

This is the most unusual bottle of scotch I've ever seen. But for $12 its pretty good. Thank goodness for paper routes. Although I doubt they liked me paying for it all in quarters. Ha. I think it had been sitting on the shelf for a while because both corks (one sealed in the bottle and the one on the cool stopper on top) broke apart fairly easily.