Blog

An In-depth Look at the Elepho eClip: Does This High-Tech Safety Solution Stand Up to the Heat?

Following the blistering, unprecedented heat of July 2023 that saw temperatures globally reaching historical highs, the issue of child safety in cars has become even more pressing. With the harsh sunlight beating down, vehicles can rapidly transform into deadly heat traps. The increase in fatalities involving children inadvertently left in...
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Challenges Loom for Meta's Threads

Threads, Meta’s recently launched social media platform, is attempting to carve out a niche in the market, promising a blend of the familiar and the innovative. Launched globally, with the exception of the European Union due to potential regulatory concerns, Threads is described by its parent company as a “separate...
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Meta's Threads: An Unbaked Twitter Killer or Just Another Passing Fad?

There’s a lot of buzz about Threads, Meta’s latest answer to Twitter. Everyone is asking, will this be the “Twitter killer” we’ve all been waiting for? Like seriously, was there a single majro news outlet that didn’t have a headline like this last week? Will Threads Kill Twitter? - New...
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TikTok Video Making Just Got Easier: Fun with the Safe-Space Template!

Hey TikTok creators! We all know TikTok is the king of the social media jungle right now. Who doesn’t love creating those fun and funky short videos that have the power to go viral in an instant? But you know what’s not fun? Having your punchline, logo, or even your...
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T-0! — Well, mostly!

tl;dr Friday before last, I got a call from my neurosurgeon’s office letting me know that they were finally able to get my MRI results to show up, and my vertebra is healed, so I can wean off of the brace!!! I’ve had some ups and downs since my last...
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Knee high by the 4th of… April?

I haven’t posted in a while because I have been super busy. Since I can’t work on any projects that involve almost any manual labor, and I was so excited that I could sit at my desk and work on my computer for more than an hour without being in...
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No Joke, we went Ditto hunting!

The family went on a Pokémon hunt to catch Dittos tonight! I wanted to go walking Wednesday, but I was still sore from my little adventure on Tuesday. Thursday got rained out. I was going to be lazy and not go tonight, but there was a special event on Pokémon...
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Out of the house on my own

I hit two pretty big milestones this week. Yesterday, I managed to go downstairs to my office to work. It was the first time in over a month that I was able to do any work from my comfy basement office. I immediately realized how messy it is down there!...
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Yep, those are my socks

Yep, those are my socks stuck to the back of my back brace. We were getting ready to go for a walk before it got too late and Amber tossed me a pair of socks without looking. I didn’t know that Amber had thrown them to me, because in my...
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Heading back to normal

I skipped a few days posting because after all that excitement, I was worn out. I thankfully got a LOT of sleep this weekend which felt amazing. I wanted to go for a longer walk this weekend, but timing didn’t quite work out right either days. I’m gonna make a...
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My happy place

Yesterday was already a fairly long day, but I convinced Amber to drive me to my happy place (Home Depot) last night and let me walk around for while. After I found the parts I needed to make some improvements to my bedside desk, I got to meander in the...
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Good news!

In my best Professor Farnsworth voice… My doctor appointment went fantastic today. The PA and the neurosurgeon both feel I am doing great. I am right where they expect me to be at this stage of recovery. They alleviated a lot of my concerns. I’m still a couple months away...
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Rest

I didn’t post a picture yesterday — not because I was avoiding writing “T-69 days” and the obvious 12-year-old-boy-level humor that would ensue — but because I worked so hard and so late yesterday that when I wrapped for the night I was exhausted. I had a couple of projects...
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BANANAS!

Got some serious work done today trimming the dead winter leaves off of the banana trees and trimming the trunk down to fresh growth so that they’ll hopefully fruit this year and give us some good bananas! 🍌🍌🍌 NAH! Just kidding! 🤣 I was barely outside long enough to get...
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I made it to the stop sign!

I started feeling a bit better this afternoon and decided that I had to get out of the house for my mental health. I was just going to go to walk out to the street and down the stop sign at the corner of my yard, but I decided I...
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T-72 days

I thought today was going to be a good day. I even shot this time-lapsed video this morning to show you all how “easy” it is for me to get into bed by myself now. But today it was decidedly a very BAD day. You know it’s worse than having...
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Working vertical while horizontal

If it looks like that laptop is hanging precariously over my face, don’t worry! It is! I know I’ve talked about it before, but my days are a series of transitions: lying down, sitting up, lying at an incline, sitting up, lying down, lying at an incline, sitting up, lying...
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My partner

I’ve complained a lot in these posts. Most of these days have been pretty rough, and today was definitely no exception. In fact, today was one of the worst. But I’d rather focus on something good today. Amber has been incredible to me throughout this ordeal. She has been at...
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My little dudes

When it happened, Zachary (on the left) had no idea what the big deal was. When he heard the DJ call for him over the PA system, he just figured it was another Zachary they were calling for and kept on skating! When they finally found him and brought him...
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My office, my bedside

I think the most frustrating thing is how hard it is to do my job. It feels ridiculous. I have done much more physical jobs over the course of my life: pushing carts in the summer sun, standing for hours at a cash register, serving tables, washing dishes, slinging concrete...
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Stuck

Saturday was delightfully restful. We didn’t do much but sit around the house and lay in bed and rest. It was great and I felt pretty great at the end of the day. Today, however, has been rough. Apparently, as restful as it felt yesterday, I might have pushed myself...
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Transitions suck

Walking around is relatively easy to do these days. I use the walker about half the time. Standing still is fine. Sitting still is fine. Laying in bed is mostly painless. But, transitioning between any of those things is agony. Getting out of and into bed is probably the worst...
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Yesterday, I almost blacked out in the shower

The doctors told me that I should be able take a brief shower standing up without the brace by this week. I carefully climbed in the shower, and Amber washed my legs. Then, I gently removed my brace and stood perfectly still while Amber helped me wash the rest of...
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It’s not from IKEA, but it might as well

This was me last night, sitting up in my brace — for way too long according to Amber — putting together a bedside desk that finally arrived yesterday, even though I tried to order it on Sunday when I fell. I sat on the couch while Zach and Will handed...
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Today was better

Today was better. Not great, but definitely a LOT better. It was all partly due to a really, really simple solution to a problem I didn’t realize I was having: I wasn’t putting my back brace on high enough. It was about an inch too low. So, as a result,...
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I’m a trapped turtle

Today was so exhausting. I worked as much as I could, but just sitting at the table poking keys on my laptop for several hours is as tiresome as chopping down trees all day. I feel trapped. I can’t even get out of bed at all without putting on the...
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Somethings never change

One thing hasn’t changed… my bedhead is still remarkably insane. T-83 days. I like how the brace censored this image to protect it from the Facebook nipple police bots. 🤣🤣🤣
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Peaks and valleys

Yesterday started off really great, went deep into the pits of hell, but came out good in the end. I managed to walk out onto the front porch to drink my coffee yesterday which was amazing. It helped restore a tiny sense of normalcy to my life. Then, just a...
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Time for a goofy picture.

The hot flashes. The hot flashes are so stupid and awful. I feel like I have early onset menopause! Every 30 to 60 minutes somebody turns the heat up to 90 degrees. I haven’t gone full Pedro from “Napoleon Dynamite” and shaved my head bald and beard off, but I’ve...
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Mixed Emotions

You know that scene in “Inside Out” when Riley has a core memory that is full of sadness and joy? That’s how I’ve felt for the past few days. I’m incredibly happy and thankful that I wasn’t hurt worse than I was. I was so relieved when they told me...
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So, I broke my back.

*record scratch* *freeze frame* Yup, that’s me. You’re probably wondering how I ended up in this situation. LOL On Sunday my son Zach had a birthday party to go to at the new skating rink in the old CompUSA in Regency. Since Amber has bad knees, and I used to...
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How I Manage My Pokémon GO Storage

Do you play Pokémon GO? Have you ever tried to find good advice on how to decide which Pokémon to keep and which to throw away? If your answer is no, please go away, and stop bullying me! But if you’re a Pokénerd like me, hang in there because I...
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A Javascript bookmarklet to open PDFs in Chrome without the toolbar

Every time I start working on designing a new website, I spend about 15 minutes searching the inter-webs looking for how to open a PDF in chrome without the annoying toolbar at the top of the page. The reason why is, of course, I need to open the PDF that...
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WordPress Plugins That You MUST Install

Everytime I start a WordPress installation, I go through the same process of downloading and installing a bunch of plugins that are basically mandatory. If I was smart, I would build an automation that automatically downloaded them and installed them, but alas, I haven’t taken the time to do that....
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Who Let the Dog Drive? Who? Who? Who?

There’s plenty of Florida Man stories, how about a Florida Dog story?! A south Florida neighborhood woke up to the sounds of someone doing donuts in their cul-de-sac. The sedan was driving around and around in circles in reverse, and who was behind the wheel? A black Labrador. Fortunately police...
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Turkeys Are Getting Ready To Tussle

It’s almost a week before Thanksgiving here in the US, and some wild turkeys are fighting back. Turkeys are taking over a neighborhood in New Jersey. The township, which is coincidentally named Toms River, (because male Turkeys are called Toms) is being overrun with turkeys that are pecking cars, scaring...
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Did the Representative Rip One?

Well, I guess this account has turned into a running fart joke, because here we go again. Congressman Eric Swalwell appeared to let out a huge fart on live television. “The president used taxpayer dollars to ask the Ukrainians to help him cheat [fart sound] an election.” Clip of Swalwell...
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Getting Caught Like That Must Really Stink

Note to self: if you’re ever hiding from the police, it might be a good idea to get some Gas-X. #notanad A Missouri man farted so loud that police found his hiding spot. Liberty Police officers and Clay County Sheriff’s Deputies were out looking for a man with a felony...
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Free Funerals! (*Some Conditions Apply)

Funerals can be expensive! But a South Korean company is giving them away—as long as you’re not dead. The Hyowon Healing Center is hoping people will live better lives by pretending to die! The center has performed over 25,000 mass simulated funerals since it started in 2012. People of all...
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The Secret Code Is “Extra Lemons”

It’s time for news! In South Carolina man says his sweet tea had more than just tea leaves in it, it had marijuana leaves too! Parrish Brown says he ordered a sweet tea, light ice, and extra lemon from a McDonalds in Hilton Head Island. Brown says the cashier double...
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The Real Estate Market Is Tough To Crack Into

Source: https://www.wxyz.com/news/zillow-listing-of-home-goes-viral-after-photo-shows-white-powder-substance-drawn-in-lines
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Is That A Gator In Your Yoga Pants?

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/florida-baby-gator-yoga-pants_n_5cd120c9e4b04e275d4f166a
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Stop Stealing Sasquatch!

Source: https://www.coasttocoastam.com/article/massive-bigfoot-statue-stolen-in-florida
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Belated Valentine’s Day Text Messages

Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/valentines-day-texts-old-messages-random-phone-messaging-issue-explained-2019-11
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That’s A Big Dog For A Name Like Kitty.

Source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/hotel-hiring-fur-butler-paying-20783891
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TSA Is Not Putting Up With Your Shenanigans!

Source: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/toilet-paper-holder-gun-tsa_n_5dbb4e60e4b057bf506f0b46
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Where’s My Costume?!

Source: https://chicago.cbslocal.com/2019/10/30/kankakee-county-wanted-man-costume/
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Apps to Help Slow the Summer Slide

The summertime is a great time for your kids to rest their minds, but if they rest too much it makes it harder to get back into the swing of things next school year. Here are four apps your kids will enjoy that will also keep their mind in great...
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Spring Cleaning Your Computer

Apply the principles of the KonMari method, from the book “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up.” Go through your computer and get rid of documents & files you don’t need and/or don’t bring you joy. Give everything a home. First, back it up! You remember how the last time...
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Give Your Kid’s Tech a Back-to-School Tune Up

https://youtu.be/BX-PbuZsZzk https://www.mixcloud.com/WJCTNews/apps-for-school/ While you’re out shopping for pens, pencils, and paper, don’t forget to get your kids’ laptops, tablets and smartphones ready for back to school too! Taking a little bit of time now can save you lots of headaches later. Nothing could be worse than finding out that not...
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I’m So Egg-Sighted For Easter

It’s another holiday season and with it comes more animated stuffed animals doing horrible parodies of songs. If I see them on a shelf, I have to turn them all on simultaneously.
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Cutting The Cord on River City Live

Today was the first (and second!) time I’ve ever been on television. Well, it was the first time in an official capacity as a guest on a television show. There was that one time I was interviewed on the street, but I don’t think that counts. :D Here’s my interviews...
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Why the 'How I Met Your Mother' series finale was perfect, but done wrong.

Or, “Everyone else has written a blog about the How I Met Your Mother series finale review so why don’t I?” SPOILER: Don’t read any more if you haven’t seen the HIMYM finale. Here’s the thing, the story in the HIMYM finale was excellent. It was a great love story....
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Lila Hollister 2/25/1918 – 12/17/2013

As you may know, my grandmother, Lila Hollister, passed away on December 17, 2013. She lived a long and happy life, and she is now at peace. I have included a few links below to memorials to her. You may be looking for the photo slideshow that was presented at...
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Apple EarPods Won’t Suck Your Brains Out [Review] [Unboxing] | Deemable Tech

The only most interesting thing announced at the Apple special announcement last week was the new Apple EarPods. Apple has redesigned the earbud headsets that have come standard with every iPod and iPhone since they were released in 2001. I picked up a pair and unboxed them for your viewing pleasure below. The EarPods look...
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The iPhone 5 is here! Whoopidy Doo! | Deemable Tech

After the obligatory months and months of iPhone rumors, Apple has finally announced its latest smartphone, the iPhone 5. If you were waiting with bated breath for something new and exciting, go watch the iOS 6.0 announcement from WWDC back in June. The only really exciting features in the new iPhone 5 are the...
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Google Drive app for iOS adds native document editing | Deemable Tech

I have a bad habit (or good habit depending on your perspective) of updating apps without even looking at the description. As soon as I see the badge next to the App Store, I will automatically update all apps as soon as I get on Wi-Fi. So far this hasn’t...
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Siri made me stupid, or Did you know you can set an iPhone alarm to repeat every day?

I hate to give Android fanboys fuel for the flames, but it is true that sometimes convenience makes us stupid. Don’t take me the wrong way. I love my iPhone. I love using it. I love the way it works. I’ve never had as enjoyable an experience using a mobile device as...
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Baby Taylor Guitar For Sale – $250 SOLD

I’m selling this beautiful Baby Taylor Guitar. It’s a gorgeous 3/4 scale guitar with a solid spruce top and sapele laminate back and sides. It’s in great condition. The only reason I’m selling it is because I never play it anymore, and I live in a small apartment. Perfect for...
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Doritos Locos Tacos at Taco Bell

After the hullabaloo that was made out of Marilyn Hagerty’s Olive Garden review, I thought to myself, “What would make a crazier restaurant review than Olive Garden?” Fortunately, while I was driving home tonight the answer was shining at me from the side of the road. In a mash-up that...
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HzO Waterblock Revealed at CES 2012 | First Coast Connect

Yesterday, I visited First Coast Connect’s Melissa Ross in Studio 5 to talk about the HzO Waterblock announcement that happened at CES. Your browser does not support the audio element. TRANSCRIPT: RAY HOLLISTER: In the movies, cell phones never seem to get wet unless it helps to move the plot...
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HP Open-Sources webOS

Here is my first radio news piece in case you missed it, or if you just want to hear it again. Your browser does not support the audio element. TRANSCRIPT: RAY HOLLISTER: Recently HP announced that they are open-sourcing the operating system that runs their phones and tablets called webOS....
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You can have Marty McFly’s shoes from 2015 today! (Power laces, not included.)

If you were a child of the 80’s like I was, you most likely remember that iconic moment in Back to the Future Part II when Marty arrives in 2015, and he has to change into clothes that fit the time period so he will pass for his future son....
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Even wolves hate Creed, or do they?

I’ve never understood why people hate the rock band Creed so much. While I’m not a huge fan, I’ve always found their music at least palatable. However, from all of the Creed hate I read on the interwebs, it would seem that I am not in the majority. There are...
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JTA Bus Schedule WebOS App Changelog and Planned Updates

Some folks asked for this, so here it is. This is what I am planning on doing, and the order I plan on doing it in. If anyone wants to help, let me know! I’m doing this all for free. Version # Changes or Planned Changes 0.0.1 Added Bus Schedules...
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I’m tired of looking at ugly App Catalog icons!

When I got my Palm Pre in October of 2009, the only thing that disappointed me was the lack of apps in the App Catalog and how few of the apps in the catalog looked very professional. I often would see new apps and think to myself, “Gee, I could...
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Whoops! I goofed.

Last night I uploaded version 0.5.0 of the JTA Bus Schedules app for WebOS. I made it so that the schedule webpage on jtafla.com opened inside of the app, instead of loading a new web browser card for each schedule. I don’t particularly like it this way, because it doesn’t...
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I made a WebOS app!

I can’t believe it! I watched one episode of the Palm Developer Podcast on YouTube and followed the Ares app tutorial. Then, I played around with Ares and I created my first app! It was fairly super easy, especially considering I have never written an app before! Now, don’t get...
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The WebOS App Project

Today I decided to make an app for WebOS. Everything I hear about WebOS development tells me that it is fairly easy to develop an app on WebOS if you have a rudimentary understanding of html, css, and javascript. That’s about all that I have. I have no prior experience...
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Phineas and Ferb spoof CSI: Miami.

Now for something completely different. Since I have a four year old daughter, I have an excuse to watch Disney Channel. One of Zoe’s favorite shows is the cartoon Phineas and Ferb, a show about two brothers who are creative geniuses that take every seven year old boy’s craziest ideas...
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The real reason why I’m a “long-haired hippie freak”

My friend, Grace Gilbert, was diagnosed with liver and colon cancer back in 2004 when she was in high school. It was a long struggle, but she began doing well and the cancer went into remission. However, in 2007, when she was a sophomore in college, her cancer came back...
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Ray Hollister sings John Denver’s “Annie’s Song” on Helium! :-)

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Live From The Heart

This is a video project I did a voice over for a few years ago for CrossRoad Church. Unfortunately, the audio quality isn’t amazing, but I still love this project. I should probably rerecord it and remaster it. The amazing art work is by Ambler Hutchinson, the music is Svefn...
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Hey Windows Phone Series 7 users, when you get your phones at Christmas, copy and paste this: “EPIC FAIL!” Oh, wait, you won’t be able to!

Seriously? Windows Phone Series 7 will not have cut, copy and paste? You idiots! OK, it was bad enough that every time I saw the user interface on Microsoft’s new operating system for phones it literally made me want to throw up. (I don’t know why. It had something to...
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WebOS 1.4 is finally here!

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Sprint Web Chat just rocked my socks!

So, I normally don’t talk about customer service unless it stinks, but I just got off a web chat with Sprint and they rocked. Long story short, we accidentally had two phone plans on our account instead of one, and we didn’t realize it until this month. So, I got...
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You really should RSVP, whether you like it or not.

I belong to more social networks (i.e. Facebook, MySpace, Ning, etc.) than I could possibly name off the top of my head. I have so many social network profiles that I have to keep a database on my computer and phone that stores all of my usernames and passwords. Because...
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Shame on the the “Shoes Under” It’s the classic bait and switch.

I’ve been looking forward to getting the Shoes Under since I saw them on TV. If you haven’t seen the commercials, Shoes Under is a space saving shoe organizer. On the commercial you see a nice canvas covered boxes with a zipper see through cover. In the commercial, the box...
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I sold my moped.

I just sold her. I’m only crying a little.
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Riverside Park wasn’t looking very “green” the weekend before Earth day.

Ironically, the pond was very green from algae, but it goes without being said that I’m not referring to the color but the concept of being green. Last Saturday, my wife hosted my 3 year old daughter’s birthday party at Riverside Park at the corner of Park and Post Street....
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Five years ago there was no Gmail?

It’s funny how something as simple as a product can become so entrenched in our life that we can’t imagine how we ever lived without it. I remember that I used to use Yahoo mail. I remember using Hotmail years ago. I even remember having the covetted rayhollister at aol.com...
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Can I help you find something?

Being a former sales rep myself, I’m usually not bothered by sales people, even when they are exceptionally aggressive. I expect a certain level of attention when I go to a department store or when I go somewhere where I know that the employees work on commission or have a...
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FDL = You gotta either fix it, deal with it, or leave!

During the past few weeks I have been in training preparing for the upcoming tax season. We have been learning about all the new tax law changes that Congress has implemented. It is always an adventure trying to sort through how the new laws are going to impact how we...
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