Our Lake Is Complete!

This is the new and improved evaporation pond for our neighborhood! It has been dug out and lined with a rubber blanket so it can hold water from the waste treatment system. Just in case you are worried about smell... The water released is cleaner than a public swimming pool and is chlorinated.

It took 5 days and several fire hoses to fill this bad boy up. Not too bad of a view if you ask me!

Makes you want to go swimming doesn't it.

This is what it used to look like!

Did Costco Get A Fountain?

This is what happens when a Semi-truck cuts the corner and takes out a fire hydrant! (yup, that's me looking stunned in the lower right hand corner of the photo.)

At every fire plug there is a shut off valve in the ground at a distance of about 15 feet. This way when this type of thing happens it can be shut off.

The tool in the guys hand works the emergency shut off valve.

There was a ton of water that flowed down the streets in all directions.

Colliding With Death at 37,000 Feet, and Living

Click on title for complete article:

It had been an uneventful, comfortable flight.

With the window shade drawn, I was relaxing in my leather seat aboard a $25 million corporate jet that was flying 37,000 feet above the vast Amazon rainforest. The 7 of us on board the 13-passenger jet were keeping to ourselves.

Without warning, I felt a terrific jolt and heard a loud bang, followed by an eerie silence, save for the hum of the engines.

And then the three words I will never forget. “We’ve been hit,” said Henry Yandle, a fellow passenger standing in the aisle near the cockpit of the Embraer Legacy 600 jet.

Watch Spyware Take Out Windows XP

Fall Comes To Idaho

Snake River Canyon at Dedication Point.

Lucky Peak Reservoir Park.

A cool looking horse.

That's right, Fall without gray sky's!

Rock Paper Scissors? Who Knew?

With the 2006 World Rock Paper Scissors Championships coming up in November in Toronto and $10,000.00 on the line (not to mention bragging rights of being able to call yourself "World Champion of RPS"), trying to get some sort of edge on your competition is becoming a focal point for a lot of players.

Little bit of background. Contrary to what you might think RPS is not simply a game of luck or chance. While it is true that from a mathematical perspective the 'optimum' strategy is to play randomly, it still is not a winning strategy for two reasons. First, 'optimum' in this case means you should win, lose and draw an equal number of times (hardly a winning strategy over the long term). Second, Humans, try as they might, are terrible at trying to be random, in fact often humans in trying to approximate randomness become quite predictable. So knowing that there is always something motivating your opponent's actions, there are a couple of tricks and techniques that you can use to tip the balance in your favour.

Blogging In The Blackout!

Greetings from southern California. I am currently sitting in my pitch dark hotel room while crews replace a downed power line and possibly a transformer.

From what I have learned, this is the story so far. Power line snaps, falls across street, starts fire in field right in front of hotel, (I watched that part) an 8 x 8 block area then goes dark. The police block off the whole area not letting any cars in. Anyone out in the world eating dinner are now trapped on the outside of the line. I am stuck at the hotel with not a single source of light. The emergency hall and stair lights have exhausted their batteries and it is just flat black everywhere! The last estimate is that it will be at least 6 more hours until they get the lights back on. The hotel does not have any flashligts or alternate source of lighting for the guests. I don't care myself, but you know that there are people down at the front desk right now demanding their money back as I type this.

It is at this point you start to realize just how much we depend on electricity. A shudder runs through me as I try to imagine life after my cell phone goes dead! It being my only entertainment and source of light makes it pretty important right now. "Why the hell am I typing this to you guys???". "I need to save the battery for myself!"

Someone just tried their key in my door!

Well, I guess I will do the only thing left to do... Call 911 and tell them how uncomfortable I am sitting here in the dark!

Or... Go to sleep.

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Changes In The Yard

The path between the shop and the house is complete.

The back yard has berms, plants and we watch for the grass to start growing from seed. This is the right side of the back yard.

This is a berm on the left side of the back yard.

The water feature is complete. We are going to bring in some more plants for the bed around it, sometime before winter sets in.

Latest On The Shop

Here's how it looks completed.

Yup, I'm filling it up quickly. This is looking through the right garage door.

Even more stuff through the left garage door.

New Chairs For The Kitchen

They even swivel.

If you wish to belly up to the kitchen counter... go ahead.

Never, EVER, Talk In The Mens Room!

Why It Took So Long...

Here is a fine example of why things take just a little longer than you think they should. I will say that this was a lunch break and all, but still! We are now so close to being done with builders and landscapers! There will be a party I assure you.

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