A nice person named Joy left the following comment on this entry: "...today on "Millionaire" they asked what a blog was. The very next question asked "Howard Roark laughed" was the first line of which novel? She missed it! She didn't know what a blog was either. She had to phone a friend on that one." And here's a related entry with the title "Howard Roark Blogged."

Just a thought, as I watched a snippet of "The Bad News Bears" today...this is the first movie that I can think of that was aimed largely at what are now called "tweens" and teens. Prior to BNB, movies were either aimed at grownups, small children, or older teens.

And speaking of baseball...I may be on the verge of the ultimate sacrifice: attending a baseball game tonight with my father. It's opening night for the home team, the Great Falls White Sox. I'll at least bring my cell phone so I can stay on top of e-mail and receive my website comments (hint, hint, faithful readers...send me interesting stuff & comments to read between 7:00-9:00 pm tonight!). UPDATE: Not to worry - when in public forums, I always turn my phone's ringer off!

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UPDATED TUESDAY MORNING: Grandpa Howie arrives! Here he is with the girls...and the next picture is a sign we passed in a very small town along the way...notice the two different spellings of the key word...next picture is the little 50s-style diner that we ate at in Billings - called "Blondy's" - Craig, ever been there? And the last picture is of a 70" snakeskin hanging on the wall in a roadside cafe near Harlowton; the picture is dedicated to Kate, of course.

My dad is flying in to visit us today; he had a free R/T ticket from America West, so he is using it to fly from S.A. to Billings...but AW doesn't fly into Great Falls, so I'm driving down to Billings to pick him up. The drive should be interesting...approximately 3-4 hours through the central portion of Montana. I'll bring my trusty camera and share any worthwhile pix with everyone. Meanwhile...expect lots of dining out this week, for that is what one does when my father visits. And (shudder) possibly a minor-league baseball game...he loves that stuff.

While I'm gone today, you might enjoy this link to high-viz movie directors...it provides box-office gross receipts for their "biggest" films, both in real dollars and inflation-adjusted. Quite interesting.

Well, I finally figured out how to convert my short video clips into smaller files for your viewing pleasure...when I take these videos using my Creative PC-Cam, they are always marked by two features: (1) they are under 70 seconds - that's the built-in limit, and (2) they are *huge* - one 60 second clip yields a 20MB file, or more. But the Windows Movie Maker shrinks them down (way down - under 1MB!) and converts them from .avi to .wmv format. Here's my test page -- take a gander and let me know what you think.

MORE TECH: At the urging of a few friends, I've decided to try to figure out the RSS thingie...Kate, thanks for "dumbing it down" to a level that even I could understand. I'm using Amphetadesk, and have a few sites loaded into it. Nifty. And here are my two feeds: xml and rdf. I'm not sure what, if any, difference there is between the two.

We watched the movie "Undercover Brother" this evening, and it was very entertaining - very funny. Eddie Griffin was great in his role. The extending-platform shoes? Great stuff. Need I mention that the soundtrack was terrific?

The plot: "Blasted from the past and ready to take care of business, Undercover Brother is recruited to infiltrate a sinister underground movement headed by The Man. Partnered with the sassy, stunning Sistah Girl, our hero must first undergo the ultimate attitude adjustment and trade in his 'fro and platforms for tennis sweaters and penny loafers. Once the transformation is complete, he's ready to take on the evil perpetrators of Operation Whitewash - Mr. Feather, Penelope Snow (aka the 'White She Devil')and ultimately, The Man."

This is an example of mocking stereotypes, not perpetrating them, I believe...and the skewering and parody is spot-on, in this case.

Did you know that Google has a store? It shouldn't surprise me, but it did. I probably should pick up a Google t-shirt to go with my fading Blogger shirt.

You all know that I find cows absurdly, whimsically amusing...but it turns out that there is a very serious reason to appreciate our bovine friends. Suppose the earth was attacked by aliens...do you think Superman is going to save us? Get real - Superman is fictional! Batman can't do it - he's just a guy with some good skills and cool toys. Wonder Woman? Ha - her Lasso of Truth would be useless. So - who ya gonna call? A COW. (via my younger child, who loves these Flash thingies)

Fanboy Alert! A Jennifer Eccleston update - she will be appearing on a show called "Last Call" next Wednesday, according to the unofficial fansite devoted to her.

ALSO: Here's something interesting that I found via Technorati...apparently not everyone appreciates the bloggy goodness of my site...

Someone who goes by the name "Penda" came across my site recently and had this to say:

"Sometimes when I'm surfing, I come across a few blogs that not only catch my eye, but make me think - wtf?

Better Living Through Bloggingis one of them. Dave seems like a nice enough guy, but he is one of about 100 reasons why the West (Montana, Okalahoma, The Dakotas, etc...) is not for me. Ther emust be something in the water, or maybe the carrion birds are carrying some mind-altering disease. Who knows.

I don't know if it just that his sense of self gets under my skin, or the mere fact that he lists "Arsenic and Old Lace" as one of his favorite movies.

See the Dave. Be the Dave. Shake your head in wonder and maybe fear."

Hm. Was it something I said? Here's the link to her page, but her permalinks are fried...scroll down a ways and you'll find it. I left a comment to ask what, specifically, seemed to bother her about me (or my site).

Some other stuff about Penda: she posted an entry about herself that reveals "Layers" of her personality, life, etc, similar to the "100 Things" meme. She smokes cigarettes, enjoys coffee, and likes thunderstorms - groovy. But something puzzling: under the category of "Your Heritage" she wrote, "Black with shades of someone's master." I'm not sure what to think of that.

Am I the only person who really thought that the movie "E.T." was a piece of crap? I saw it shortly after it came out, was completely unimpressed, and to this day am baffled by the attention and adoration it receives. And speaking of E.T., here's a guy who saw the movie and then turns his post into a rant against the airing of commercials before movies at the local multi-plex. I know this angers a lot of people, but it doesn't bother me one bit. It bothers Cam enough to make him believe that sneaking into a second movie (without paying) is somehow justified. I don't get it. Of all the things in this world worth being upset about, somehow crying foul over watching a few ads just doesn't seem like that big of a deal. Paying $3.50 for a bag of popcorn, on the other hand...

ALSO: Best Movable Type tip ever.

People, this is exactly the kind of site that makes that internet such a wonderful thing. Aren't you glad that we live in an age that allows us to experience the technological marvels that bring such things right into our homes?

What do you think the odds are of our cats allowing us to dress them up in one of these costumes...? (Link via MeFi)

He's back! You remember - "Virtual Sanity" is his name. He had to stop blogging back in January, but it was for a very good reason...you see, he had to depart for U.S. Army Basic Military Training. In his own words, back in October:

Here's the cool part...during basic training, he kept a journal (with pen-n-ink!), and now he has recreated the experience on his re-activated blog. Way to go. (And sorry I didn't check back on your site sooner!)

Forwarded to me by a buddy... A physician claims these are actual comments from his patients made while he was performing colonoscopies...my favorite is #6...and for #12, you could easily substitute the word "boss" or "kids" or some such instead of "wife."

1. "Take it easy, Doc, you're boldly going where no man has gone before."
2. "Didja find Amelia Earhart yet?"
3. "Can you hear me NOW?"
4. "Oh boy, that was sphincterrific!"
5. "Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?"
6. "You know, in Arkansas, we're now legally married."
7. "Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?"
8. "You put your left hand in, you take your left hand out...you do the Hokey Pokey...."
9. "Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!"
10."If your hand doesn't fit, you must acquit!"
11. "Hey, Doc, let me know if you find my dignity."
12. "Could you write me a note for my wife, saying that my head is not,
in fact, up there?"

An interesting factoid served up in the latest issue of Mental Floss magazine: if you are under the age of 48, then every single Presidential election that you have voted in contained at least one Bush or one Dole.

Most people know that I hate sports. All sports. There is, however, one exception - kind of. There is actually one moment in professional sports that I look forward to each year. Unfortunately, that day has not yet arrived this year. The day that I await each year is the ouster of the San Antonio Spurs from the NBA Finals (or semis, or whatever). I don't know much about these New Jersey Nets, but I'm rooting for them. (more, more, more)

Having said that, I did stumble across something to appreciate about San Antonio (besides Taco Cabana breakfast tacos): a very good blog from Courtney. In her latest adventure, she endures an evening with some liberals who are shocked to discover that she isn't quite so liberal. Go give her a proper bloggy welcome!

This is a thread on MeFi that I posted nearly two years ago; it's about Brigadier General Paul Tibbets, the man who piloted the Enola Gay. Here's his official website. Contrary to what some people believe (or believed), he did much more than simply fly the plane and push a button. The MeFi thread generated quite a bit of discussion, and in fact I was rather surprised at some of the comments. You decide.

ALSO: You really should go visit Baron Carlos. Nice guy.

OK, folks, it's time for another contest! The prize, as before, will be a beautiful, hand-crafted (?), suitable-for-framing (but you probably should just drink from it, not frame it), very own Better Living Through Blogging Coffee Mug!

Ready? Here it is: under the heading of "Bloggy Goodness" links over on your right, there are 30 outstanding bloggers. What you have figure out is what is so unique about my list of Bloggy Goodness Links. You can e-mail me at mscdavid AT hotmail.com or leave a comment with the answer. First correct answer wins!

UPDATE: Well, either I made this one way too easy, or Jen is just way smarter than the average bear. Jen (of JenSpeaks! fame) is the winner. The answer is: all of the entries in "Bloggy Goodness" are listed in Boy-Girl order. Or Girl-Boy order, if you like. Jen - shoot me your address and I'll have your prize on the way soon!

To help you cogitate, here is the list, in exactly the same order as it is presented under hte "Bloggy Goodness" heading:

Tiger: R & R, Electric Venom, Play One On TV, Sperari, Dustbury, Suburban Blight, Velociworld, Liquid Courage, Light of Reason, Spleenville, Dave Tepper, Da Goddess, Gecko Blue, A Small Victory, Jon McNally, Jen Speaks!, Dean's World, Allison Lives!, Hell In A Basket, Confetti Falling, Joshua Zader, Peppermint Patty, Fredrik Norman, Annessa, Solonor's Inkwell, Plum Crazy, Mark Wickens, Social Reject, Anger Management, Cut On The Bias

Ian Hamet has some thoughts about the proposed "Atlas Shrugged" movie/mini-series. He discusses the vexing issue of whether or not to set the film in the past, present, or future. The trains are the key concern here: modern audiences have little connection to the world inhabited by the characters of Atlas; few would deny that trains are as important to the economy now as they once were. Some have suggested that the Taggart industry needs to be something "high tech", such as internet-related, or perhaps replace trains with space-travel vehicles. Which leads to Ian's idea - the best idea that I've seen so far: project a few years into the future, where mag-lev high-speed trains criss-cross the country. I like it.

ALSO: Since some other cool people were posting songs for people to enjoy, here's my contribution: Oran "Juice" Jones - "I Saw You (Standing In The Rain)" Sample lyric: "You gotta get on outta here with that alley-cat-coat-wearing, punch-bucket-shoe-wearing crumbcake I saw you with...cause you dismissed!"

The Noble Pundit has an entry about a proposed "Department of Peace." Actually, I had a thought about Cabinet-level names a few months ago...basically, I think that the Department of Defense should be renamed the Department of War, and the Department of Homeland Security should be renamed the Department of Defense. Actually, what Sgt Stryker said in the earlier comments was pretty cool, too: rename DoD the Legion of Doom!

Today is Nick Rhodes' birthday. By the way - what is YOUR favorite DD song? Mine is probably..."Planet Earth" or "Please Please Tell Me Now." Maybe "Notorious." Which reminds me - isn't there a remake of "Barbarella" (more*) in the works? Also celebrating b-days today are Boz Scoggs, Nancy Sinatra, and Mick Hucknall. You do remember Simply Red, don't you?

* From the linked review: "Barbarella is a frothy period piece of raunchy Eurotrash SF camp..."

Delivered on Thursday. I opened it and unfurled it...and then felt a tremendous pain inside. Then a few tears. The Gail Wynand quote from "The Fountainhead" is something that has haunted me ever since that day.

Mobile Cam-Phones + Naughty Thoughts = This. Like "Hot or Not" - only more southerly in nature. (via the ever delightful SamaBlog)

IN OTHER NEWS - did you know that James has been liberated from BlogSpot and is now running MT over at his very own domain? Go visit him at Hell In A Handbasket and congratulate him.

How is the media covering the "re-look" of the tax-cuts that is designed to increase the number of people who are eligible for the expanded child-tax credit? The Media Research Center covers the story. This is exactly the kind of "reporting" that earns NBC and other network news organizations their reputations as "liberal" and "biased." Trying to tie this issue to military families is a shameless ploy of the left, similar to the "all of our GIs are on foodstamps" cry.

In a word, that's bull. I have always maintained that our military personnel (including me) earn adequate compensation. I believed it when I was an Airman First Class living single, when I was a Senior Airman with a wife and two children, and up to and including the present as a Captain. More money is certainly nice - everybody loves a raise! - and I don't generally have a problem with people suggesting that our military could use a few more bucks, but don't believe media reports that try to suggest that military personnel are living in poverty, eating ramen noodles, getting foodstamps, and rummaging through dumpsters. No one in the military will get "rich" by serving, but we are compensated adequately.

And FWIW: this is MY opinion and does not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Air Force or any other government agency.

RELATED: The 2003 Military Pay Chart. This is just the regular monthly pay that military members receive - we also receive a monthly housing allowance and monthly food allowance, both of which are tax-free.

ALSO: I posted about this over a year ago...here is what I had to say:

* An urban legend of sorts was sent to me the other day...it's based on a real event, but is usually falsely attributed to actress Cindy Williams, of "Laverne & Shirley" fame. In fact, the Cindy Williams that penned the article is a professor and think-tank type. In it, she maintains that the military does, in fact, earn "enough." Many military people are outraged by this claim, and while I understand their position, I simply disagree. Since enlisting in 1987, I have never once thought that I was "underpaid." My salary has always been enough to live on, whether during my 9 years as an enlisted, or my five-plus years now as an officer. Certainly, few military members are going to "get rich" solely on their salary (based on this pay chart) and other allowances, but I have always felt that military pay (including mine) was basically fair & equitable. The incidents of "GIs on food stamps" that seem to sprout during political campaigns are, in my experience, so rare as to be un-reportable. Isolated incidents, in other words. The examples given by many in favor of increasing military pay usually seem to focus on extremely junior enlisted personnel...but most junior enlisted personnel do not stay "very junior" for long. After about three or four years, many of them have advanced to the E-4 or E-5 grade. Add to the basic pay the food allowance, the housing allowance, the tax benefit, the healthcare benefit, the retirement benefit, and you've got a pretty good compensation package. Some may disagree with me, but I believe the military pays it's troops decently.

Get ready, people...I'm working on a post about my cats. Heh.

But before I get to the cat post, I have to tell you about "News From The Future." You see, our friend Joseph has managed to access some sort of space/time portal and actually managed to get his hands on a press release from the 24th century. The subject: a new piece of technology that will save lives, prevent damage, and generally improve safety for the entire Universe. I hope Joseph can continue bringing us "News From The Future."

Ladies & Gentlemen, I present MOO.COM. For all of your cow needs.

ALSO: A retread from November 2001...What is the meaning of life? We all ponder that weighty issue, periodically. The definitive answer, according to a trio of small children ranging in age from 8 to 10: "You're not dead." Perfect.

And if you're in the mood for some classic movie information, go visit Elizabeth's Reel Classics page. And speaking of classic movies (in a more modern sense), read this nice review of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." Lots of interesting tidbits, too, such as the nugget that the actors who portrayed Ferris' parents in the movie wound up getting married in real life.

Looking for information about the United States Air Force Medical Service (AFMS)? Look no further. See what's going on in the world of Air Force medicine -- clinical news, wartime medicine, organizational issues, and more.

MSNBC Breaking News
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Two top editors of the New York Times, Howell Raines and Gerald Boyd, resign in the wake of the Jayson Blair plagiarism scandal, NBC News has learned.

What took them so long...? UPDATE: Here's an Insta-Link.

That's it. I've had it. Enough already.

I'm going to shed the extra pounds that I gained...I've tried to tell myself that it was sort of beyond my control - that I'm still carrying the weight from having two children - but then my wife smacks me and says that I didn't gain any weight from her pregnancies. Right. Anyway, I've been stuck at between 192-198 for about two years now, and it's time to get back to about 175. Why now, you ask...? Could it be better health? Maybe. Improved fitness? Whatever. Family? Sure. Better appearance? Eh. All of those reasons pale in comparison to the real reason that I'm finally going to do something about it: the blogosphere! Yep - give me a bunch of virtual buddies that I've never met, and I'm all about joining in. Heh. Craig, Joanie - thanks for taking charge of this idea. I'm sure if there are any other bloggers out there who want to participate, it's not too late to sign up.

And if you want to see how scrawny I was back in 1993, take a look. I think my weight back then was around 150 or so...in the words of Doctor Nick, I was "dangerously underweight!" Oh, and kindly ignore the doofus look on my face, and my geeky stance. Compare that 1993 photo with this one from last Sunday, and you'll see how I've ballooned in the last 10 years...

(And for those who are curious, that's Dr. Paul Carlton on the left side of the first picture, former AF Surgeon General, back when he only had one star, vice the three stars that he retired with several months ago...and of course the lovely lady is my wife. You might even notice my youngest child's face peering out at the bottom of the photo, in between me & my wfie. BTW, that was July 1, 1993, when I "pinned on" the rank of Staff Sergeant; probably the second-proudest day of my military career, surpassed only by being commissioned as an officer and being sworn in by my father in 1997.)

Kate has posted a lengthy entry about the reasons that she enjoys blogging. Some of the post is in response to the Great Blogging Feud of 2003...which isn't really important in the grand scheme of things. What *is* important is what Kate says about blogging itself, and why she enjoys it.

Ditto. I like the way she thinks.

In all the fuss & excitement of our daughter's graduation on Sunday, we forget to wish our friends Tony & Kerry a Very Happy First Wedding Anniversary! Big hugs to you both - glad you are enjoying your tour in Japan - and we hope to see you soon!

Also: Jen and Josh -- I updated my links to reflect your respective new URLs...thanks!

I direct this quote to the entire blogosphere: CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?

ALSO: Social Reject has a very brief survey on blogging; go answer the ten questions and leave a comment for Jane. And on a more political note, Rob Booth has posted a very good entry titled "Why We Serve". What sparked his ire was that idiot Chris Hedges, the NYT reporter who got booed offstage at a commencement ceremony a few days ago. The line in Hedges' speech that triggered Booth's response: ...what saddens me most is that those who will by and large pay the highest price are poor kids from Mississippi or Alabama or Texas who could not get a decent job or health insurance and joined the army because it was all we offered them." Go read Booth's reply and, if so inclined, tell him thanks. (via the always insightful Reductio Ad Absurdium)

Our older daughter graduated from high school tonight. Wow! We're so happy & proud! Take a look at our graduate...

Our older daughter graduated from high school tonight. Wow! We're so happy & proud! She is now a "full time adult" in the words of my mother. You know what they say: they grow up so fast...and it truly does seem like just a very short while ago when we bundled her off to her very first day of school...got all of her shots, followed by the "make up" trip for a Happy McMeal...the first homework in which she learned to scrawl her name...then on to script and math...then the giddiness of junior-high school, complete with a dress code which brought tears...then to the rebellion of high school, complete with piercings, late-night cram sessions, and assorted fees for lab & other projects, and cross-country field trips for Theater (which she "lettered" in!)...and now this. Full stop for one night, to catch her breath...and then decide how to make her life happen. Next stop: college? Air Force? Full-time job? Too early to tell...

Regular readers know that I rarely participate in weekly memes, but what the heck...here are my responses to this week's Friday Five.

Oh, and in other news, the Social Reject has been added to my Bloggy Goodness roll...

1. What do you most want to be remembered for? Um...My scintillating wit...? Or perhaps my ability (or at least attempts) to turn almost any negative into a positive...you know, trying to always be an optimist. A realistic optimist, but optimistic nonetheless.

2. What quotation best fits your outlook on life? Sheesh, just one? OK, how about...heck, I can't think of a serious one (probably something from Rand, natch), but on a lighter note, one of my former bosses liked to say "Good Luck Beats Planning!"

3. What single achievement are you most proud of in the past year? Completing my graduate degree in healthcare administration (Baylor U).

4. What about the past ten years? Since my marriage and both kids are all "older" than 10 years...I'd probably have to go with either finishing my undergrad degree, or being commissioned as a Medical Service Corps (MSC) officer (similar to what these two people did recently).

5. If you were asked to give a child a single piece of advice to guide them through life, what would you say? Think. Be optimistic. Challenge rules. Live for yourself.

If you're clicking through from MSNBC, welcome! My military-related posts are located here. And if you want more military blogging, just look over to the right under "Military Blogs" and you'll see links to Sgt Hook, Fuze Pundit, Sgt Stryker, and others.

Some good news: the cable-modem is working - for now. Second, the Avant browser is on the verge of becoming my default browser - it's ability to block pop-ups is wonderful. Third, Happy June to everyone! Did you know that June is National Accordion Awareness Month? I can't make this stuff up, people.

And now for your moment of feline zen:

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The CowCat was intrigued by the spinner from The Game of Life, and she even tried to spin it herself - awwww! People, it just doesn't get any cuter than that.