The Brain of Shawn: Recent Episodes
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No, not in the biblical sense (or in the bedroom sense… boy, I should really rethink that title…)
(This is actually a journal entry, but it felt like a blog post when I finished, so I copied it here too)
I’m almost 50. Well, recently 49, and 49 is close to 50. And while I’ve been financially poor and financially well off, very rarely in my life has the thing I love doing been the same as the thing that makes money. Making money doesn’t really motivate me.
Don’t get me wrong, I WISH IT DID. Because making money, or more specifically not making money, is the thing I think about the most. Literally all day every day. For someone not motivated by making money, I think about making money to an absurd degree. And it ends up being a really weird dynamic. Allow me to elucidate a bit. (I mean, this is my journal so whatever I want to blabber about is fine)
I don’t think a person must love their job, and find passion in how they make money in order to be fulfilled in life. In many ways, I think tying your passion to your employment is a dangerous game that often leads to hating the thing you once loved. The nuance for me is, the main thing I’m good at (using technology) is a skill that facilitates the thing which brings me joy (helping other people, improving the lives of other people).
You’d think that would be the dog’s balls. (is that a saying?) I could help people at home, in their businesses, etc. — and it would also be a way to bring in a steady income. But my lack of being motivated by money screws it all up. See, if I help someone and then take money for the help, it no longer feels like I’ve helped them. It becomes a transaction, and all the joy I would get from improving that person’s situation is GONE.
And it’s not because the person feels less helped, or values the assistance any less. In fact, most people find joy themselves in paying for someone’s time when that person really helped them. But for my stupid brain, if it becomes a transaction, the entire mental situation changes. No longer am I helping them, rather it feels like I’m taking advantage of the person because I have a skill they themselves don’t have.
I think that’s part of the reason I love teaching so much. I’d rather everyone be able to help themselves and others than to have the knowledge and ability myself, and then take money for doing the thing. It’s really illogical on my part, and intellectually I know it’s illogical, but that doesn’t change how it works in my head.
So back to creation. I love creating things that bring people joy. Be it my comic, or my training, or my writing… heck even this journal entry might entertain someone in a way that makes their day a bit better because, “at least I’m not as messed up as that guy!”
I love creating so much that if I were paid hourly for “creating whatever”, so I could just make stuff all day, there might be concerns over unfair labor practices I’d be committing on myself. BUT, I don’t create that much. And it’s for a really messed up reason:
It doesn’t bring in money.
See, providing for my family is my utmost concern. Maybe that’s unhealthy, but I certainly don’t apologize for it. And due to reasons both good and bad, in order to pay for the things required to live comfortably, I need to make a significant amount of money. The best way I know to make money is currently to work for a company that pays me well for creating IT training content for them. It’s really hard work, and since I don’t know the subject matter beforehand, it means it’s mentally exhausting learning and then immediately teaching from the standpoint of an expert.
That job happens to be quite flexible when it comes to what hours I work though. Awesome, right? Well… The thing is, the more work I do, the more money I can make. So any time I’m doing something NOT directly related to working my DayJob, I have incredible guilt because I’m not making money. So the things I do that bring me joy do NOT bring me joy, because I’m not making any money while I do them. And the screwed up thing is, making money from the things I love to do is not what makes me love them, AND making money from the things I love often (not always) ruins the whole thing for me anyway.
So what’s a weirdo to do?
Well, I have done many things over the years. Recent years have seen me doing things like opening the ability for Patreon support. Also YouTube subscriptions. And KoFi memberships. And recently, Twitch subscriptions. And I made a book of my comic in order to sell a book for money.
Those types of money-making endeavors somehow “hack” my brain a bit, and allow me to experience the joy of creating without it being ruined by selling it. I think it only works because the money isn’t tied to the product, but rather to supporting me as a person. Since the individual “things” aren’t being sold (the comics in the book are all available for free online), the financial compensation is sorta separated from the products of my passions.
The thing is, it doesn’t really feel sustainable. My hope before I had to go back to creating content as my DayJob was that I could maybe grow my YouTube channel enough that I’d get a living wage from ad revenue on YouTube, and I could spend all day every day doing what I love without ruining it by attaching it to money. I haven’t uploaded a single video to YouTube in close to a year, and I still make about $300/mo from ad revenue. So if I put in another couple years, I really might be able to grow to a point that it could become a career.
But also, I don’t want YouTube to be my career… I would love for YouTube (or Patreon, or Twitch, or book sales) to provide me with a steady income that would allow me to separate the things I create from how I pay my mortgage. And if my YouTube channel grew enough that I could “create” full time, would I have the same unhealthy connection with YouTube training that I have with my DayJob now, and always feel guilty if I weren’t making more content for the thing that makes the money?
I think this is why creative folks usually do better when in a group. I don’t think my broken relationship with money is unique to me. (Well, maybe my specific brand of neuroticism is unique, but, “starving artist” is a trope for a reason)
I think the concept that Patreon was built from is fascinating. Traditionally, a patron would be a rich person who paid an artist to do art. I think my brain would require some sort of guaranteed contract in order to really go “all in” on being a creator. But I very often wonder what my life and my day to day activities would look like if I didn’t have to worry about making money. Would I be free to create content and joy? Or would I worry about something else and never really get to squeeze the juice out of life?
Lots of people want to win the lottery so they can retire and do nothing. I’d like to win a small lottery, like a few million dollars, and put the winnings into an index fund. Every month or year (I don’t know how such things work), I could take out a decent salary for myself, confident that salary would be self-sustaining so I could spend all day working. All. Day. Long.
Sometimes that work would be making training videos. Sometimes it would be doing IT work for local businesses in town. Sometimes it would be fishing while I think about stuff. Sometimes it would be writing a book.
And maybe those things would make a ton of money. But they wouldn’t have to. And I think I’d enjoy that work more than anything I’ve ever done. So if you know anyone with a few extra million dollars who wants to run a social experiment with a weird creative guy who has an unhealthy relationship with money, just let me know.
Or at least that’s what it sounded like to me when the orthodontist said I’d be getting “Power Chains” on my braces. It turns out they’re a bit less exciting than the name suggests. Power chains are just rubber bands that connect brackets together and speed up movement. So yeah, far less exciting.
Today I got my braces adjusted. Traditionally they refer to it as “tightening”, but I don’t think that’s really what happens. This time the orthodontist got a bit aggressive, at least in my opinion. Today’s festivities included:
- Using a handheld power sander, the doc sanded between my 4 front teeth. Basically he made my teeth smaller and smoother so they would move easier and faster. The disturbing part was that he had to change “sandpaper” halfway through because the first piece got clogged. WITH MY TOOTH ENAMEL.
- The wire which is the “tightening” part of the process was replaced with “the big wire” — I’m not sure what that means exactly, but I do know the wire crammed into my brackets was much bigger than the last few. I’m pretty sure that means it will hurt more.
- Thanks to one of my molars being a crown, I only have an “anchor” on one side of my mouth. On the side with no anchor, they used an even larger wire to sorta brace my rearmost bracketed tooth against the tooth next to it. This was because the force of “the big wire” along with the power chain has the potential to make my molar twist…
- And then of course the power chain. That’s the green thing in the photo above. (No, that isn’t spinach, sheesh…) Normally each bracket has its own tiny little rubber band holding the wire in place. The power band accomplishes the same thing, but also aggressively pulls the teeth toward each other I guess? Honestly that part is a bit confusing for me.
- Did I mention he SANDED MY TEETH?!? That’s messed up.
Anyway, my mouth is a little sore. I expect tomorrow, and the next few days, my teeth will all hurt. That’s pretty normal. But for some reason the bulk of “the big wire” along with the power chain has changed the way my braces fit (or don’t fit) inside my lips. I’ve had my braces catch my lip several times today, making me feel a bit like a largemouth bass getting hooked in the lip.
I don’t think it’s going to be fun to pick wax out of this new monstrosity in my mouth. But as we learned earlier this week, my brace-wearing experience is very wax forward.
Wax on. Wax off. Also, I’m not sure how to get a bandaid to stick to a bloody lip. Sigh.
HE SANDED DOWN MY TEETH, Y’ALL
I’ve wanted a 3D printer for well over a decade. I never really had a reason to get one though, and, “because it seems fun” just didn’t seem like a worthy rationale. But then Donna needed tiny skulls for a display at work. And I FINALLY had a reason!!!
A few months ago I ordered the Bambu Carbon X1. I have to admit, I’ve printed far more things than I expected. Almost all of them have been toys. It turns out, having a granddaughter is an even better reason to get a 3D printer!
I was blocking the television. Emmy was not impressed.Recently I’ve been printing these nifty little cars. Each color piece prints separately, and then are easily assembled with superglue. My granddaughter loves cars, and these have become her favorites. If you’re looking for a reason to buy a 3D printer, I highly recommend grandchildren. LOL!
It’s been almost 4 months since I got braces. So far, it takes longer than almost 4 months for me to adjust to braces. I wish that weren’t the case. It’s not the case for most folks. But like all the other ways I’m a super special, unique little snowflake — this way is really dumb.
It’s not that my teeth hurt. That only happens the first few days after adjustments, and honestly the pain from that is mild at the worst. It’s not even braces cutting into my lips. I don’t have a problem with sharp wires poking my cheeks. Heck the few times a wire did get squirrelly, I went back to the orthodontist and they were able to clip/bend it immediately.
Nope, for me, the issue is my tongue. It just can’t seem to leave the sharp brackets alone. I can either consciously think about not fiddling with my braces all day long, or I can do things like “my job”, or “living life.” Ironically, the reason I GOT braces in the first place is because at night my tongue would play with my incorrectly healed tooth and flay itself open while I slept. Cutting itself and rubbing itself raw on the sharp braces during the day seems like a lateral move at best.
Garfield and I both appreciate a good grimace. Mine is waxier than his, however.Thankfully, wax seems to help. Most folks put a bit of wax here or there to cover up sharp wires or to cover the brackets where they’ve cut into their lip or cheek. But not me. I use 2 full “bars” of wax and line the entirety of my bracketed mouth with a layer of smooth, wonderful wax. The only problem is that it’s not really possible to eat anything with wax covering all of your braces. It falls off, and you get a very waxy meal. So every time I need to eat, I peel off the wax. And then after I eat, I brush my teeth to clean the unbelievable amount of food out of my braces, and then “rewax” myself.
The orthodontist assured me applying wax doesn’t hurt anything. I don’t think he realizes just how much and how often I apply wax, but hey, it’s either that or pry the brackets off in a fit of rage some afternoon. Also, while the office does offer free wax to their clients, I can’t bring myself to fill my pockets with orthodontic wax every time I drive by. It would be like the naughty kids at the saddest halloween candy bowl ever.
Wax, wonderfully, is cheap. You can buy it at the local store, but it’s not super cheap there. Online however, it’s possible to get huge quantities for reasonable prices. And so I have more wax than any sane person should ever need. And I’ll likely have to buy more soon.
I just wish I had something clever to do with all those empty plastic containers that the wax comes in…
I listen to audiobooks whenever I’m doing something that doesn’t require inner monologue. It took me a while to realize why I could listen to audiobooks while doing some things but not others. And I think it’s inner monologue. If I’m doing dishes, mowing, driving, walking, fishing, cleaning… anything like that; I can listen to an audiobook. If I’m prepping for teaching, it requires me to think through things, and so I can’t listen to audiobooks. Anyway, there’s often several hours a day, especially in the evenings, where I can listen/read books. So I do. Here are some books I’ve recently read:
Riyria RevelationsThis is a trilogy about 2 friends, who have mysterious pasts and are really good at surviving. They are thieves, but also the protagonists. If I had to compare them to something, it would be the two guys from The Road to El Dorado. They’re funny, and the 3 books are a complete story with a satisfying completion. I’m not normally surprised by book plots, and while I did figure out where the story was going — there was at least one pivotal aspect of the plot that was a total surprise to me. I highly recommend Riyria Revelations, but be sure to read all 3 books.
Starship MageThis is a rather long series, and while there might still be more books featuring the main protagonist (Damian Montgomery), the bulk of his story has been written. PLUS, the first 5 books (as of the time of this writing) are free on Audible! You just need an account. I’ve read the 14 books in the series that are written to date, and didn’t regret reading any of them. It’s a cool mix of science fiction and magic. The premise sounded kinda cheesy to me at first, but somehow it just works. I know 14 books is quite a commitment, but they’re not terribly long, and are quick reads.
The first book was written in small pieces, or some sort of writing experiment. It’s called, The Starship Mage Omnibus — but it’s just a single book. Again, no regrets reading this series. It was fun, and reminded me (but was also very different) of the Miles Vorkosigan books.
Alien Clay & Service ModelThese are two standalone novels by Adrian Tchaikovsky. His insight into alien minds is always fascinating, and these are two very different examples of his prowess. He’s an author who has really come into his own, and I always love his books. Series like Children of Time and The Final Architecture are both profound world building masteries, each drastically different and yet equally as interesting. The two standalone novels create unique universes too, each story being complete and not “leaving the door open” for sequels, or at least not baiting the hook with a cliffhanger.
Seriously any of the books mentioned are a great place to start. If you’re a science fiction fan who has a penchant for alien minds, you’ll love Adrian’s work. I sure do.
Dungeon Crawler CarlThis is just a fun series. I guess these LitRPG-based storylines are a “thing” — but I’ve never heard of them before. DCC was recently purchased by a publisher, and so the first 6 books are being republished, even though they’re not really new. The audiobooks are done really well, and while I can’t wait for book 7 to come out, book 6 didn’t end with an anger-inducing cliffhanger.
Convergence SeriesCraig Alanson’s writing combined with R. C. Bray’s narrating is a combo that just works. I’m a HUGE fan of the ExForce series featuring that combo, but Craig’s newest series, “Convergence” is just as good while being very different. While ExForce has an alien AI beer can as a fun character, Convergence has a wonderful talking dog. This series is currently underway, and feels like there are quite a few more books to go, but the first 4 books are complete and worth binging now.
What About You?Have you read any books or series of books that struck your fancy? Let me know! I’m always looking for new books, especially if they are available as audiobooks with good narration. (And yes, there are TONS of other books I’ve read over the past year or so. If you want to more more, let me know!)
I mean, it was only a 40 minute drive, but still, today my son in law Niel took me on a fishing trip. He and Lydia got me a pair of waders for my birthday, and since the ladies were having a baby shower for my eldest daughter, it seemed a perfect day to wade up the river and hopefully catch some fish.
I did learn a few things. One, fancy fishing waders have “socks” built into the bottom of the legs, not actual boots. Most people then have “wading boots” which are pretty heavy duty boots which go on like regular boots, but over top of the “socks” at the end of the wader legs.
I do not have wading boots.
Thankfully, I did find a pair of water shoes. The water shoes were sized to fit my bare feet, so they were REALLY tight over the neoprene wader sock-things, but I managed to get them on, and they worked fairly well. (sorta — more on that in a bit) Anyway, once the foot situation was handled, we crashed through the woods and got to the river.
The river was narrow, fast, and a bit treacherous. Still, within the first 5 minutes, I caught a little brook trout. It wasn’t a showstopper, and my phone decided not to save the photo. Still, catching something so early in the adventure was encouraging. (NOTE: We caught nothing else all day, lol)
While we had a ton of fun, the river turned out to be really quite challenging. There were a LOT of downed trees and branches, making fishing tough. But more than that, the river bottom had inexplicable mucky spots. The weird part was that it was often impossible to tell where the bottom would “fall out” from beneath you. It wasn’t possible to tell the difference between the firm sandy bottom and the deep muck with a dusting of sand over the top.
There were sections that were so mucky, I wasn’t sure I was going to be able to get out! Oh, and remember the water shoes I mentioned earlier? Yeah… they wanted to stay in the muck really really bad! I did not lose the shoes, but it was a close call a few times.
Once it was time to head back, we crashed back through the woods, and walked along the road back to the truck. No, we didn’t catch any more fish after that initial little brookie, but it was a VERY fun day! The waders worked perfectly well, the company on the river was amazing, and we didn’t get skunked! Plus I got to spend a day with my son in law, which would have been worth it even if there wasn’t fishing at all. Thanks for a great day, Niel!
I’m currently reading an incredible book by Stephanie Harrison called, “New Happy.” Its findings on what makes us truly happy are similar to a few other recent books I’ve read on happiness. Basically, one of the only ways we become happy is to help other people. Again, while this is a “new” way of looking at happiness science, it’s not the first time I’ve read about the phenomenon. Stephanie pointed out something that really struck me though…
Yes, helping others makes us happy. But when we don’t let others help us, we’re preventing a path of happiness for them. And I’ll be honest, that really stung. All the things I do trying to be kind, helpful, funny, entertaining… they do in turn make me happy. But when I insist I’m not worthy of help, kindness, gifts, etc., I’m not just depriving myself of that connection; I’m also depriving others of the happiness they might get from helping me.
See, if I accept assistance from someone, it feels like I’m being selfish, self-centered, and that I’m elevating my worth above their own. With my messed up self image, I can’t fathom being worthy, much less deserving, of something someone else would do or give to me. Yes, I realize that’s not a healthy attitude about myself, but even more disturbing (for me anyway) is that by having that attitude, I’m preventing people I care about from getting the joy which comes from helping others.
That’s kinda messed up. But if that “help” someone is giving comes in the form of money? It’s somehow SO much more difficult for me to accept. Take Patreon for instance. It took MONTHS, possibly over a year of multiple friends encouraging me to start a Patreon account before I could bring myself to do so. And then when a life change stopped me from producing as much content as I thought made people’s support at least someone compensated, I turned off billing.
The notion that someone might WANT to give me financial support, and that the very act would give THEM joy is just so hard for me to fathom. But honestly, when I look at times in my life when I’ve given to others, it’s those situations where the giving was truly freely given that gave me the most fulfillment. Making someone’s support transactional cheapens the gift. And for my attitude about receiving help, especially financial support, I apologize.
When I create things, be they blog posts, videos, cartoons, cat photos, books, or dad jokes, I will strive to create them to provide value and help others. Maybe some of those things are sold, and maybe they’re given away freely. But the reason I create them won’t be to deserve compensation. And when people give me something of value, whether it’s financial support, kind words, wisdom, insight, or gifts — I’ll do my best to accept it with gratitude, and not cheapen the kindness with refusal or by trying to “pay for” the help.
Thank you for being awesome. Thank you for being patient. I’m a work in progress, and if you’re reading this, you’re helping me become the person I want to be. Even if it’s really, super, extra-pokey slow.
This is the shirt, in blue. That’s not really true. I have somewhere around 16 shirts. They’re just all exactly the same brand, size, style, and material. I have the same shirt in multiple colors. But they all feel the same. They are a tri-blend fabric, no tags, and extremely soft.
I wear the same thing every day. Since the shirts are different colors, it doesn’t seem like it. I think.
I also usually wear the same type of blue jeans, but I haven’t found my favorite yet, so I have a couple with which I go back and forth.
Someday I might switch to a single color shirt, and a single style pants. One less thing to think about is really, really nice.
That’s all I’ve got today.
It annoys me how prevalent ADHD is in every aspect of my psyche. Really. I’d like to have some qualities and faults which don’t fall directly in line with how ADHD brains work. I used to think I was a special, albeit broken, snowflake. (Not in the political sense, I just mean in the special and unique sense) But nope, even thinking you’re different than everyone else is a symptom of ADHD. If I think about the things that make me uniquely me, it’s ADHD every single time. It seems like the only uncommon thing about me is that ADHD medicine doesn’t work super well to relieve my symptoms. But everything else?
Procrastination: ADHD
Self loathing: ADHD
Unreliable: ADHD
SUPER reliable in an emergency: ADHD
Above average pattern recognition: ADHD
Superb problem-solving skills: ADHD
Self-deprecating humor: ADHD
Moody: ADHD
Hyperfocus: ADHD
Outside the box thinking: ADHD
Extreme good looks: ADHD
Sarcasm about physical appearance: ADHD
OK, the last couple were jokes. But even that, being funny — a pretty common ADHDer trait. One of the biggest trends with folks who have ADHD is that they only stick with a subject while it’s interesting. Once it gets boring, they can’t (like, actually can’t) focus on it. This is why most folks with ADHD will burn through hobbies and jobs like crazy. I’m no exception here either. But there are a few long-standing passions in my life, and I’ve been trying to figure out why they exist.
Off the top of my head, there are things like Linux, bird feeders/cameras, technology in general, writing, and my wife/family. I know, family doesn’t seem like it qualifies as a “hobby”, but folks with ADHD often have real struggles with romantic relationships. They fall deeply in love (extreme emotions: Another ADHD thing), but once the novelty of the relationship wears off, they lose interest. That hasn’t happened to me. Plus the other things listed have been a sort of staple in my life while so many other hobbies and interests have come and gone. And I’ve been trying to figure out why.
Perhaps it’s because those things are all fairly dynamic and ever changing. Linux is really just a vehicle for all the various software-related hobbies I’ve had over the years. I’ve upgraded and changed the bird feeder cameras dozens of times over the years. Technology is constantly changing. And writing is different every time. Family though? Relationships aren’t easy by any means, but they’re not exactly brand new every day. That “success” doesn’t really fit the same mold as the others.
Maybe it’s not the constant change at all. Maybe it’s the challenge. Relationships are certainly challenging. Attracting birds and getting good video of them is difficult. Writing well is hard. But Linux and technology? I don’t mean to sound arrogant, but no, they’re not difficult or challenging anymore. Yet I still remain interested.
I’d like to have a great answer to finish off this post. Some kernel of wisdom, which peels back the mysteries of the universe just a bit. Heck, even a hint so I might leverage some sort of brain hack to stay excited about the things I SHOULD be focusing on. But no. I have no idea.
I’ve lost interest in this blog post. See you later.
(hehehehe, ok, that was just my attempt at a clever closing)
On Star Wars Day (May the 4th… lol) of 2023, my wife Donna had the first of 3 surgeries on her heels. Donna has a genetic defect called, “Haglund’s Deformity”, which is sorta like bone spurs that were exposed to gamma rays and became Incredible Hulk level angry.
The left is a normal heel bone. Donna’s is on the right. She calls it her dinosaur bone.While sometimes physical therapy can alleviate the pain caused by the issue, Donna had gone decades without a diagnosis, and the orthopedic surgeon who finally did recognize why she was in constant pain said hers was the worst case he’d ever seen. And both of her heel bones being identically that severe was an indication it was not a growth, but rather a lifelong deformity. Unfortunately, when the spur is so pronounced, it causes severe damage to the achilles tendon along with the chronic, often unbearable pain. But I digress. After years of pain and frustration, a specialist not only diagnosed her, but happened to be incredibly skilled at the procedure for repairing the deformity. And the procedure is a doozy.
Basically, the surgeon detaches the achilles tendon from the base of the heel, and then saws off the back of the heel bone where the spur is located. Then the damaged tendon is cleaned and abraded in order to encourage healing, and reattached to the reformed heel bone using an elaborate procedure that basically screws the tendon into the base of the heel bone again. As is easy to imagine, this is an extremely invasive and extensive procedure with requires 6 months to a year of rehabilitation. It starts with 2-3 months of absolutely zero weight bearing.
And she needed both heels done, back to back.
The bottom is Donna’s heel pre-surgery. On the top is the same foot, with the deformity cut off.The first surgery went as planned, and it took a little over 6 months for the heel to heal (hehehe) enough that it could bear the weight of walking. Then the second surgery could (and did) happen, starting the entire rehabilitation process over. Unfortunately, while the second surgery seemed to go identically to the first, during the physical therapy portion of the second heel recovery, her tendon proved to be irrevocably damaged from the lifetime of abuse. Rather than healing, the achilles in her second heel ruptured. Like, literally ruptured through the back of her heel. (I’m not kidding, it was the most blood I’ve ever seen in my life, it was like a poorly produced horror film)
And so when we thought her almost year long debacle was coming to an end, she had to have an emergency 3rd surgery. The surgeon harvested a tendon from her big toe, and used it to rebuilt the achilles on her left heel. This surgery was also a success, but the trauma the heel had been through meant an even longer and slower recovery process. And if the toe-tendon didn’t “take” — it likely would mean a permanent disability that wouldn’t be repairable.
That was February. Today, Donna had her final followup appointment with the orthopedic surgeon, and got a clean bill of health. Both heels have healed. The achilles tendon on her first heel seems to be in good shape, and the toe-tendon did in fact grow in place properly to recreate a working achilles tendon on the ruptured side. Donna is done with physical therapy, and after a full day of work, her heels don’t hurt. Truthfully, her recovery felt like it might never be complete. But thanks to an incredible surgeon, and well over a year of recovery and intense, painful physical therapy — the nightmare appears to be over. There is still some strengthening to do, and flexibility will require constant attention. But she made it. We made it.
And today, for the first time in years, Donna and I went for a walk along the waterfront. We held hands, and we talked, and it was the best.
This is my favorite human. She’s the best.
For a while, I was doing a podcast with a group of friends, where every week we’d take turns “deep diving” on a topic we found interesting. The Bench Ash Shirt podcast sorta died off as our lives got busy in different ways, but probably my favorite episode never happened. Or it did happen, but someone forgot to press record. And that someone was me. The episode being about ADHD, and the ADHD guy forgetting to press record was just so on the nose, it hurts.
Ahh, the Bench Ash Shirt podcast… I miss it…ANYWAY, while I don’t have a recording of the episode, I do have my notes. I was talking to friend recently diagnosed with ADHD (hi Jake!), and on a whim looked for the notes I prepared for that particular deep dive. Usually my notes are terrible, with disjointed thoughts and single word triggers to remind me about a particular thing. For some reason, the notes I made for this episode are pretty elaborate. Even readable, for the most part. Anyway, I figured I’d share them here for anyone wanting to know more about ADHD, from someone who was diagnosed late in life.
SHAWN’S NOTES:
ADHD Podcast Deep DiveFirst: ADD & ADHD
- It’s all ADHD now, ADD is an old term for “non-attentive” version vs “hyperactive” version.
- That’s a spectrum between the two though, and is largely just how a person’s personality responds to the underlying issues.
- So ADD is an outdated term, but you still hear it a lot – and I don’t correct people unless they are snotty and all “AKCTUALLY I have ADD, not ADHD”
Brain Chemicals
- Endorphins
- Runner’s high
- Allows us to push ourselves beyond normal limits
- Released in response to pain
- Why we enjoy laughing so hard it hurts our bellies
- Dark Side: self-cutting releases endorphins
- Labor pains release lots of endorphins, but also:
- Oxytocin
- It’s why love, friendship feels good
- Behind the feelings of trust, security
- This is why we are social creatures – the oxytocin is our reward for caring for and being cared about by others.
- That feeling you get from a long hug (consentual) – that’s a release of oxytocin
- Dark Side: staying in a bad relationship chasing the love and security, ie, oxytocin
- Serotonin
- Feeling of pride in what you do, what gives you a sense of being successful
- Serotonin is released when a leader leads well
- ALSO released when a follower impresses their leader. It’s why we strive to do well for others, regardless if we’re in a follower or leader role.
- Self-worth is largely a serotonin-based metric
- Dark Side: possibly narcissism (if you think you’re a great leader when you’re not really great)
- DEPRESSION is largely a lack of serotonin in the system, or the brain not regulating it correctly. No matter what the reality is, lack of serotonin leaves you feeling worthless with no way to make it better, because doing the “right stuff” doesn’t give you the proper feelings
- SSRI – Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor. The brain vacuum that cleans up excess serotonin is possibly working overtime.
- Dopamine
- That quick hit of joy from checking off an item on a list
- Very short lived. Serotonin drugs take weeks to start working, because that is a slow release slow cleanup system. Dopamine is a quick hit.
- Dopamine is addictive. It’s what video games, social media, and cocaine manipulate
- Without dopamine, we’d never reach our goals – it’s the reason we take the steps toward larger goals. Without dopamine, there is no motivation to DO anything.
- It seems like the least important brain chemical, because it is manipulated for evil all the time, candy crush, etc.
But ADHD is a dopamine issue. And because it’s tied to dopamine, that is why people often think ADHD isn’t really a big thing, or that everyone is ADHD, or when they hear the symptoms of ADHD, they identify with them because they’ve experienced the same things due to technology, etc.
And while there is a serious conversation that can be had with regard to society manipulating dopamine, ADHD isn’t just someone who is more susceptible to dopamine manipulation – their actual dopamine system is broken from the word go:
- That little “win” you receive from checking off an item on your to do list is a tiny hit of dopamine. ADHD brains either:
- Don’t release that hit
- Release far less of it
- Clean up the dopamine before its effects are felt
Mind you, dopamine is how you know what to do. Your brain rewards you for doing things that are productive and work toward a larger goal. It’s the most basic of the chemicals we talked about.
- Eating releases dopamine, this kept us alive
- Sex releases dopamine, this kept us populated
- EVERYTHING we do is dictated by our brains leading us around with dopamine carrots
So, without that regulation, the ADHD mind is constantly switching from thought to thought, trying to figure out what it’s supposed to do. This is not a conscious “figure out” – it just knows that dopamine means it’s doing good. So it’s easily distracted, every (literally every) think being a potential source of dopamine, and thus guidance.
The hyperactivity is often physical in children (moreso in boys, thanks to society expecting boys to be boys). And since that physical hyperactivity tends to fade during the transition into adulthood, for many years it was assumed ADHD was merely a childhood affliction. BUT, the hyperactivity doesn’t go away, it just internalizes into racing, unmanageable thoughts. (Still manifests physically some, leg-shakers, etc)
AND, because not all hyperactivity (seeking dopamine guidance) is physical in children, it often goes underdiagnosed. Especially in girls.
AND, if a child is intellectually gifted, they either:
- Meet the standards for normal, so aren’t seen as needing diagnosis or treatment (although they’re likely performing WAY below where they could – these children are the ones who, “had such potential”)
- Internalize their hyperactivity in the same way adults generally do (perhaps due to introversion, societal expectations, etc), and so their struggles aren’t suspected to be ADHD related because they’re not hyper.
- Girls are often “dreamers” instead of seen as needing help.
- Boys, well, boys end up never living up to expectations and dyeing their hair green, not to put too fine a point on it.
WHAT ABOUT STIMULANTS?!?
You’ll likely hear that stimulants do the opposite for ADHDers. And on the surface that seems to be true. But that’s not really what’s happening. Now that you have a pseudo-understanding of what’s going on in the ADHD brain, let’s talk about stimulants. (Which are THE most effective psychoactive treatment drugs for their use case across all of psychology. The degree to which they work is off the charts effective.)
- Touched on it briefly but dopamine is released by the brain when we do something we’re supposed to do, it binds to neuroreceptors giving us the win, and is then reabsorbed. It’s very short lived, but that’s how the process basically goes.
- ADHD brains do one of two things, and sometimes both:
- release less (often MUCH less) dopamine when something is accomplished
- clean up that dopamine quicker than a typical brain
- There are (2) classes of stimulants used to treat ADHD. Amphetamines and Methylphenidate. (Adderall and Ritalin, respectively)
- Adderall increases the amount of dopamine released
- Ritalin slows down the reuptake of the dopamine
- This is why some people respond better to one class of stimulants over the other. Some people have over active brain vacuums, some people have normal vacuums but don’t release the proper amount in the first place. Some have crappy boths.
- SO, either way, the stimulants increase the amount of “tonic dopamine” in the brain. How much is sitting around to assure the brain that it’s doing the right thing. So the brain calms TF down, reducing hyperactivity both mentally and physically.
- The reason stimulants aren’t a good idea for people with high blood pressure is because the two classes of stimulants also cause the brain to release more norepinephrine. It’s related to epinephrine (Adrenaline) but works more on keeping blood pressure up so the brain is flushed with blood during high stress. (This seems to be less of an issue with standard doses, but more on that later when we talk about abuse)
- Here’s the rub though: It calms down the frantic dopamine seeking so an ADHDer can function. BUT increased tonic dopamine just means there’s less jumping from topic to topic (or chair to chair) – it doesn’t FIX how dopamine works to REGULATE daily activities. So medicine is invaluable and even vital for success, but it’s not enough. Once medicated properly, a person with ADHD has to learn to use tools like reminders, lists, schedules, etc., because while they’re not in panic mode – they still don’t get direction from their brains on what to do. A medicated ADHDer just has the ABILITY to use the sorts of tools that people thing is all they need to have in the first place.
CAFFEINE?
So… what about caffeine?
It does increase dopamine (and norepinepherine) in a roundabout way. It blocks the adenosine receptors, which has the effect of increasing dopamine in the brain. But it’s not terribly efficient at it. Still, many adults with undiagnosed ADHD (and at least one with a diagnosis) drink FAR more caffeine during the day than would be considered normal. Basically it’s self-medicating for ADHD using whatever is at hand. Thinking is slightly better when hopped up caffeine, and so we tend to over indulge.
Oddly, many folks with ADHD do not respond to the adenosine blocking, which is the mechanism caffeine uses to keep most people awake. Perhaps it’s because they’ve built up a tolerance, but there seems to be more to it than that, and it’s not that way for everyone with ADHD. It’s possible it’s something else, or some aspect that isn’t well understood.
I’m one of the ADHDers who doesn’t get “hyped up” from caffeine. When I first approached my doctor about getting tested for ADHD, he asked if a cup of coffee at night would keep me awake. I told him that I have such horrible insomnia, I don’t drink caffeine at night because I can’t fall asleep anyway. He said some people with ADHD seem to be “immune” from the sleepless effects of caffeine, and some folks tend to sleep better. That night I took a cup of caffeinated black tea to bed with me, and drank the whole thing right before shutting the lights off. And I slept better than I could ever remember. The only way I can explain it is the caffeine seems to help me “focus” on falling asleep instead of my brain going 100mph all night. It has changed my life.
WHY PEOPLE ABUSE ADDERALL
When a person who doesn’t have ADHD takes adderall, it does the same thing to their brains. It increases tonic dopamine levels. But their levels were already a normal level, so now the levels are abnormally high. So it feels REALLY good. They have a constant “YOU DID A GOOD THING” feeling because they’re brains are flooded with dopamine, PLUS when they actually do something good, their brain releases MORE.
The effect is that a person with a typical brain chemistry on Adderall gets “hyper” because everything they do is rewarded with OMG SO MUCH DOPAMINE that they want to keep doing all the things! And college kids can study for HOURS or DAYS, because even if they’re body/brain is exhausted, all it knows is THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I SHOULD BE DOING BECAUSE MY BRAIN SAYS SO!!!
They’re just high. And it feels GREAT. And the studying is often effective, even if there is a toll – they’re young so the toll is likely one they don’t notice. And because it feels good, they often take way more than what an ADHDer would take, so the blood pressure issues from the extra norepinephrine becomes a real concern. PLUS, all that extra dopamine might cause insensitivity in the neuroreceptors, which means more is required for the same high – and the physical addiction becomes real.
Someone with ADHD, taking the properly prescribed amount of a stimulant almost never get addicted, and while there are different titrations for each person, in general, once the proper dose is found, it works for decades without needing to increase it. Because again, it’s just bringing tonic dopamine levels up to normal amounts.
My point here is, people with ADHD don’t “get high” with a regular, prescribed dose of stimulants. They don’t have an advantage over neurotypical brains who don’t have stimulants. In fact, because their regulation system is still broken, they’re STILL at a disadvantage compared to un-medicated neurotypical students. Which is why accommodations are still appropriate. (There’s a whole other episode about what accommodations make sense for an ADHDer – the typical “more time on a test” is rarely helpful, unless they have secondary issues like dyslexia which would make more time helpful, but I digress)
SO ARE WE ALL A LITTLE ADHD?
There’s a worthwhile discussion to be had about whether technology is causing serious dopamine-related issues with us as a society. BUT, that would be different and/or in addition to ADHD, which is a deficiency in how the brain regulates dopamine.
And yes, I think it might be difficult to tell the difference without some testing designed specifically to look for ADHD in a dopamine driven world. And even with thoughtfully created testing, there still might be some confusion, especially when there is overlap between the two phenomena. But the tendency is to dismiss ADHD as not real because so many people have similar symptoms from dopamine addiction, especially when the people are the same person. (An ADHDer could get addicted to Candy Crush, even if the dopamine hit from making a match is significantly lower than a neurotypical brain)
WHAT ABOUT HYPERFOCUS?
Ha! If people with ADHD can’t focus, explain the “hyperfocus” thing.
- Everyone has experienced being in the zone
- For someone with ADHD, that sort of timelessness getting sucked into a project happens more frequently than with the standard population
- Many see it as a superpower.
But again, what’s actually going on? The phenomenon happens to ADHDers who are medicated and those who are not. Arguably more with unmedicated people, but that sorta makes sense when you realize what’s going on.
Remember that the dopamine response system is b0rked. So the mechanism to regulate what you should be doing at any moment isn’t responsive, or isn’t responsive enough to keep you on a task. So instead of dopamine regulation, an ADHD brain will follow something it’s interested in, and have no safeguards in place to turn back. Interested in the lack of tectonic activity on Venus? Why not start reading about it, and watching youtube videos. As long as it’s interesting to you, nothing will take your mind off of the topic. You’ll forget to eat, sleep, pick up your kids from school, take a shower… Because all that “what you should do” stuff is broken.
Someone on medication is perhaps less likely to fall into one of these holes, because they can more easily choose to do something they know they should be doing. Their minds aren’t racing to find something new or novel that might give them a hit of dopamine, or might at least catch their non-dopamine-influenced interest. So a medicated person isn’t more immune to the hyperfocus sessions, they’re just perhaps less likely to fumble about until something grabs them.
And superpower? Meh. If we could choose what or when we hyperfocus, maybe. But I find my hyperfocus sessions are usually so very, very dumb.
LITANY OF ODDITIES
There are so many other weird things that are often associated with people who have ADHD. Many anecdotal, because it’s difficult to test when not everyone has the same things but off the top of my head:
- Bad in relationships, often never building a deep relationship and once the newness wears off, look elsewhere for the thrill
- not always
- Often VERY generous. Dopamine broken, but oxytocin works fine. Empathy to a fault.
- Forgetful
- Often don’t pay attention
- Itchy tags or uncomfortable clothes can consume attention
- co-morbidities (mine is major depressive disorder), is it a cause? Just coincide?
- VERY good in an emergency
- thinking fast is normal, when there’s a clear, immediate task – ADHDers are BUILT for that
- it’s crazy, i’ll go from spacey and distracted to 1000% problem-solving mode instantly. If there is a benefit to ADHD, this might be the only one that doesn’t have strings attached
- Thrill seekers.
- Nothing motivates us, so extreme sports/actions/danger are attractive because excitement provides some fulfillment.
- I’m not allowed on 4-wheelers, snowmobiles, motorcycles, or sports cars – because I can’t not be stupid
- Often drug abusers, for various reasons, various types of drugs – often also due to co-morbidities
And let’s be honest, no one else wants it.
I went fishing today after I dropped Donna off at work. This will surprise exactly zero people, but this particular fishing stop ended up lasting a lot longer than my normal 20 minutes of worm drowning. (OK, that’s not actually a good description, since I almost always fish with lures, not live bait. But “worm drowning” is such a clever way to describe fishing, it’s hard to resist in prose…)
An older man, probably in his 60s, was walking along the beach and struck up a conversation. It was the standard “two old men talking” banter for a bit, talking about fishing, lake access, etc, etc. Somehow the conversation turned to more serious things, and as I’m casting my Husky Jerk Rapala lure out into the lake (see? not as clever as “drowning worms”), we started talking about the junk humans tend to accumulate over a lifetime. He’d recently gone through the passing of several older family members, and the burden of sorting through possessions and such he experienced both first hand, and by watching his extended family deal with it as their parents died.
Yeah, we were talking about dying. But it wasn’t a depressing talk about it at all. Rather he managed to express a lesson he’d recently had driven home about getting rid of the stuff he owned. I have to give it to the man, whose name I never learned, it never once felt like a lecture or even a lesson he was trying to give me. Rather he was teaching in that most effective of methods: storytelling.
And he wasn’t even telling me a personal story, oddly enough. Just about the general frustration of dealing with probate after someone dies, and the stress, financial cost, and strain on relationships the process creates. Intellectually I’ve known that for a long time, but seeing him saddened by the recent experiences he’d lived and witnessed really drove it home. And it reminded me of what Donna went through when her father and his wife died a few years ago.
The only things Donna wanted from her dad were memories. A few trinkets that reminded her of him were nice, or an heirloom that had no monetary value, but was special to him. It’s easy to imagine your children or grandchildren will want you to leave them something of value. And sure, an inheritance is nice if it doesn’t come with lots of hoops to jump through. Honestly though, when someone you love dies, you just want to remember them.
It’s almost ironic that when someone dies, the “stuff” they leave behind is almost just a bitter reminder of how little the “stuff” in our lives matters. Again, there’s nothing wrong with leaving an inheritance behind, but I think it’s almost kinder to make sure you don’t leave behind a burden. Even burdens of value.
Let me say that again, mainly so I can hear it myself: It might be kinder to not leave behind a burden, even if that burden is a valuable one.
Donna and I have talked for decades about how we would like to have 3 different properties, so we could leave each of our children one when we go. But as we get older, and see what happens when loved ones die — leaving 3 properties seems almost silly. Why would we think our children would want properties to deal with suddenly? It’s unlikely our properties are something they’ll want to live in, especially not at whatever random part of their own lives we happen to die during. So they’re left with the burden of selling those properties, or keeping them as a way to try to keep our memories alive. What a terrible situation to put them into.
If we ever get a cabin on a lake somewhere, setting up a trust that makes the property available for all of them to share, without being an additional burden might be an option. But not just random properties they’ll have to sell and then feel guilty about selling.
The old man at the beach (the other guy, not me) wasn’t even most put out by those types of situations though. For him, it was the stuff left behind. Going through your parent’s stuff after they die is never fun. Those boxes of things in your closet that you haven’t needed for years, but you are keeping because someday you might need them? First off, you almost certainly won’t. But the people who have to sort through it when you die will certainly never need it.
I have a lot of stuff. I have a lot of valuable stuff. But I certainly don’t need the stuff I have, and its value is questionable at best, and nothing but a burden if I’m not here to think it’s worth keeping. I’m going to try to get rid of my stuff. I don’t plan to die any time soon, but when I do, I’d sure like to leave my family with little more than happy memories. Hopefully by then, my most valuable things will already be a part of them, and won’t be something they find in a box anyway.
I’ve raved about my Lectric XP eBike for a while now. While I haven’t used it this summer (until today, he foreshadows forebodingly), last year I put hundreds of miles on it. The thing is, an eBike, or a, “pedal assist” bike, makes riding a bike fun again.
Remember when you were 12 years old, and you could ride your bike all day? Nothing was too far, and while hills meant standing up and pedaling hard, it was just a minor annoyance. As an adult, a pedal-assist bike is a lot like that. With the fancy pedal bikes I’ve had over the years (as an adult), I never wanted to actually go anywhere far. Because I’d have to pedal back home. And it’s impossible to know when you’re exactly, “half worn out.” So to avoid getting stranded somewhere miles from home, I just never went very far at all. Or, let’s be honest, I just never rode my bicycle. But my Lectric brand eBike changed all that. The battery has about a 20 mile range, and with the cargo rack on the back, I could carry my battery charger and limp to an outlet somewhere if I went further than my range anxiety suggested. Heck, I actually bought a second, larger battery so I could take it with me on that cargo rack, and run my first battery totally dry without any worries about getting stranded.
Today, my battery did not die. But I felt like I might…
My family lives in Petoskey, Michigan. It’s a small town overlooking Little Traverse Bay. We live a few blocks out of the small downtown area, and if you squint really hard through trees after the leaves fall off in autumn, you can see the water from our house. But we’re WAY up on the hill which forms the town. That’s a bummer during the winter, because sometimes the roads get icy and it’s difficult to make it up the hill to our house. Basically, I’m saying town is down a very steep hill, and our house is up that same hill if you’re coming from town. And tonight, I took my bike to town.
In fact, I went all the way to the waterfront, and down several miles of bike path along the shore of Lake Michigan. It was beautiful. Using pedal assist, the eBike will easily zoom along at 20MPH, regardless of how hard to pedal. So I was just leisurely pedaling and cruising with the cool breeze whipping through my green hair. Then, I met a new friend. His name was E007.
It’s supposed to fold in half like this…Error 007 is a bit of a jerk. I didn’t know anything about him when he first showed up to my bike ride, but googling him shows that he tends to appear when there is a, “motor fault” on your eBike. Unfortunately, the few recommendations on getting rid of my buddy E007 involved taking apart the “guts” of the bike and making sure it was all plugged in. I did take it all apart (seriously, having a Swiss Army Knife with a Phillips screwdriver is AWESOME), but everything was indeed plugged in.
So I was stuck with no assist on my pedal-assist bike. Which brings me to the little bit of information that hasn’t been relevant until now. The Lectric XP eBike weighs as much as an aircraft carrier. And while technically it does function as a pedal-only bike, that word “technically” is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Imagine putting pedals on a Sherman Tank. The only resemblance to riding a bike as a 12yr old is if the 12yr old were having one of those nightmares where you feel like you’re running through pudding.
Also, gentle reader, perhaps the part of the story where I described the elevation difference between my house and the waterfront might make a bit more sense now too. I had to pedal that monster ALL THE WAY HOME.
“But Shawn, just call someone to come pick you up!”
Alas, everyone in my family was gone. That’s why I took a solo bike ride. I was alone, and everyone was at work or home with their own families. So yes, I put the electronics back together, and E007 and me pedaled.
An hour later, and I’m home. Every part of me hurts. There may have been times during the ride when I feared my quadriceps might actually burst into flame, but thanks to the constant dripping of sweat from my head and torso, any potential fires were smothered before igniting.
I don’t like eBikes anymore. At least not today. And yet, in the back of my mind I can still feel the joy of zipping along the lakeshore at 20MPH, with the wind trying to tug off my pink baseball cap. Today could have been a lot worse.
It’s funny that we think of, “middle age” as somewhere around 50. Assuming a 100 year lifespan is pretty darn optimistic. Don’t get me wrong, I’d be happy to experience mid-life around 65 or so. But unless we make some major medical/robotic advances in the next 30-40 years, it’s likely my mid-life is in the rear view mirror. (And not that, “objects are closer than they appear” one either…)
Today is my 49th birthday. Being born in 1975 makes the birthday math pretty easy, especially when thinking about quarter centuries. While I’m not having some sort of existential crisis about approaching 50, I have to admit it’s a bit unsettling to run out of 40s! Nevertheless, today starts Season 49 (or Series 49 if you’re in the UK). I want to make this a year where I squeeze the joy out of each day. I don’t want to just, “get through” the weekdays in order to stress about Monday on the weekends. If there’s anything getting older has taught me, it’s that we need to live life as it happens. Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, and things will NEVER slow down.
I couldn’t sleep last night. That’s not uncommon, unfortunately. Once my brain starts thinking about something, it figures, “hey, nothing is interrupting me — we can get some serious thinking time in! Yay! Think all night!” UGH.
Personally, I think my brain is a bit of a douchebag, but I’m stuck with it. (Unless we figure out that robot thing in the first paragraph…) My thought was that if I really wanted to make sure to live every day to the fullest, I should document it. Vlogs aren’t cool anymore, but if I just wanted to record stuff for myself, it wouldn’t have to be popular or profitable.
Seriously, I thought about it ALL NIGHT. It wasn’t the first time I’d considered such a thing either. Just ask me who owns the season49.com domain… lol. The problem is, I’m not sure recording every day is conducive to actually squeezing the juice out of every day. It sounds fun today, but will episode 149 be a frustrating burden not even halfway through the season? I did the 90DaysOfMayhem challenge, and did really enjoy it — but the self-made rules were I just had to upload some sort of video every day. If I’m documenting my entire day into a Vlog, that sounds like a lot of hours of forced editing.
So maybe instead of a daily Vlog, I commit to a daily Blog. I do want to write more often, and my Patreon supporters listed blogging as my most valued creative endeavor. Heck, maybe Season 49 can just be a commitment to reflect on each and every day in some manner. Maybe a blog post. Maybe a Vlog entry. Maybe a TikTok if some wisdom is bestowed upon me in the supermarket. What do you think, noble reader? Does, “reflect on the day, every day, in some way” fill the role of trying to squeeze the joy out of life? I realize it’s totally my call, but as a full night of thinking demonstrates; deciding is not my strong suit.
But look! If that’s my plan (which it sorta feels like it might be), I’ve already finished Episode 1. And you just watched it. Whatdoyathink?
While my life has been one long string of weirdly-deep obsessions which fizzle out after I gain some level of mastery, only in the past few years have I realized why such things happen. As with so many of my weird quirks, hyper focusing on one weird hobby or passion after another is a pretty common trait of ADHD. Ayup. What is now super obvious was just a weird personal quirk people either found endearing or annoying. I still have no idea how no one ever realized I had ADHD. I tick almost every single box when it comes to symptoms. ANYWAY, what was I talking about? (ha, see what I did there?)
My latest obsession is fishing. I blame my friend Josh. He moved out to Kansas a few years ago, so I rarely get to see him. But about a month ago, he came into town for personal business, and messaged me to see if I wanted to go fishing while he was in town. I hadn’t been fishing in years, but honestly I was just so glad he didn’t ask if I wanted to go golfing or something equally horrible, I jumped on the opportunity. Plus, my newest son-in-law is a fisherman, and it would give us a chance to bond while I introduced him to one of my closest friends.
My son-in-law, Niel, caught a few of these.They both caught a few Cisco (Lake Herring), which are actually making a comeback in Lake Michigan. I, on the other hand, caught a tiny 3 inch long Goby, which is an invasive species. As it turns out, I’m just not a great fisherman. But more on that in a bit.
When I knew Josh was coming to town in order to go fishing, I knew that was my chance to upgrade my fishing gear. I had a couple fishing poles, but they were very old, and I wasn’t sure if they were even in working order. So like any good hyper-focused ADHDer, I researched for DAYS about what sort of fishing pole and reel I should get, along with the different types of fishing line.
(You didn’t know there were different types of fishing line? Oh you poor soul, perhaps you should stop reading and go research monofilament vs fluorocarbon vs braided line. Then followup with a deep dive on how to properly load your reel with backing line, followed by braid, with a monofilament or fluorocarbon leader, depending on the length and action of your rod. What does action mean, you ask? See, fishing rods have both power and action, which are also affected by the length of the rod itself… wait, what were we talking about?)
-Shawn’s brain derailing the conversation
This monster was my catch that day. The photo is actual size. If you’re reading this on your phone…So yeah. I got a brand new light power, fast action, 7′ long Lew’s MACH I fishing rod with a matching reel. Honestly, I hadn’t yet gone down the road of researching fishing line when I bought the rod/reel combo, so I just filled it with standard 6lb test fluorocarbon fishing line. I bought an assortment of fishing lures, not really knowing what we were going to fish for, and thought that would be the end of it.
But as my foreshadowing about the nuances of fishing line has already given away, that afternoon of fishing was not the end of it. Oh no. My poor showing when we fished sparked a sort of need in me to figure out how to be a fisherman. Fishing, as it turns out, is actually really really complex. There is SO MUCH to learn, and it’s the sort of physical activity that doesn’t require traditional sportsball-type skills. (Unless maybe it does, and that’s why I’m not very good at it… hmm.)
Sadly, this isn’t even close to all the tackle storage boxes I’ve printed. This just all that fit in frame…Since that fishing trip a month or so ago, I’ve purchased several more fishing rods. I also dug out my old equipment from years ago, and the stuff that was still viable has been cleaned and sorted. I have watched hours and hours of YouTube videos about fishing in different situations, using different lures. I’ve used my 3D printer to print out multiple styles of fishing tackle holders, including inserts designed for Altoid tins for pocket sized travel packs of lures. I’ve mapped every body of water in my area that has shore-accessible fishing, and tried multiple apps designed for knowing the best places and times to fish. And I’ve attempted to fish in most of the places I’ve been able to find, including roadside bridges on tiny creeks using ultralite fishing equipment.
Yeah. I’m deep, DEEP into an ADHD hobby spiral, and it doesn’t look like I’ll be out of it any time soon. That said, it’s been pretty frustrating, and I have zero desire to go ice fishing in the cold. It’s likely this new obsession will pass with the season, and when the snow flies I’ll be well into another quirky pastime like gelato making or blindfolded martial arts. While I’m still in this obsession, however, here are a few things I’ve learned:
- Even though I live in Northern Michigan, surrounded by more freshwater than most places in the world, there are a frustrating lack of places one can fish from shore.
- I’m worried that previous factoid will lead to me trying to purchase a plastic bass boat I can fit in the back of my truck. This model is just so awesome I could cry.
- Fishing with live bait doesn’t really appeal to me. I think the idea of using a lure feels more sporty, and the vast array of lures makes for so much to learn about each type and their use cases.
- I also just catch and release. I don’t want to clean and eat fish I catch. I much prefer to let them go. That’s just me though, I don’t begrudge anyone who wants to eat what they catch.
- Based on how often Donna will come with me while I fish, only to sit in a camp chair and read a book, it’s proof that I married SO VERY WELL. Seriously, I don’t know how she puts up with me.
- Catching occasional fish, even tiny fish, makes the whole experience enjoyable. If you get skunked 3 or 4 outings in a row, it can get really frustrating. Yes, the fishing is still fun, but never catching a fish is just an emotional kick in the crotch.
- Fishing is HARD. Well, that’s not true. CATCHING FISH is hard. So maybe, “FISHING WELL” is the thing that is difficult.
Honestly, as obsessions go, there are plenty of worse options than fishing. Getting outside is something I don’t do often enough, so that alone is probably healthy for me. I sorta hope I do keep interest in the hobby. It’s fun, and if I actually get better at it, I could potentially make it fun for others too. There are few things I enjoy more than helping other people succeed, so if I’m eventually that guy who can kickstart a healthy hobby for someone else? Well it might be one more way I take advantage of ADHD, instead of suffering from it.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to look up gelato recipes…
I recently bought a few, “morning meditation” type books. I’m not really someone who actually goes through the process of proper meditation, but I wanted a short snippet that I could read and reflect on first thing in the morning. These types of things tend to be uplifting, encouraging, and generally just positive vibes all the way down.
I kinda need that.
So anyway, I’ve been reading the MorningThing and enjoying it. But I usually forget about it halfway through my first sip of coffee. (I generally read the daily medication thingy while my coffee is brewing) So I’ve been trying to think of a way to reflect on the morning GoodVibes thing throughout the day. I thought maybe the process of recording myself throughout the day as I ponder the MorningThing would be a way to keep myself accountable.
Since it would be a, “throughout my normal day” sort of thing, the videos would just be me whipping out my phone and recording on the fly. Then, at the end of the day I could combine the videos into a sort of mashup of my daily ponderings. I could write up something on a blog post, and embed the video into the blogpost for folks who want to see me squeeze the juice out of the MorningThing.
What’s the over/under on ideas fueled by insomnia being actual good ideas?
— Shawn Powers (@shawnp0wers) February 29, 2024
I don’t think I could do it every single day, at least not successfully. But probably once a week, especially if in the morning the MorningThing seems particularly thought provoking. Anyway, that was the idea I had during a bout of insomnia last week. It stuck with me, so this is the next step in making it happen.
What do you think?
For some odd reason, the weather in late February decided to go on vacation for a day. Today, we have several inches of fresh snow, and below zero windchills — yesterday it was in the mid 60s. And even though I’m behind at work, it seemed like an opportunity I shouldn’t pass up, and so I took a walk in the local nature preserve at our community college.
An additional bonus is that I can get a handle on whether or not this will be a good hiking trail for Donna and I to hike once she gets a walking boot. (She is currently in a cast after her THIRD surgery in less than a year)
While today is miserable, yesterday was a really nice glimpse at what the summer is like in Northern Michigan. Feel free to take a walk with me and see some of the early spring happenings in the woods!
There are so many weird quirks that come with ADHD. Mind you, I was only diagnosed with ADHD a couple years ago. And while it explains so many oddities about me, some personality traits which I always attributed to being eccentric end up being pretty common for ADHDers.
That both annoys and fascinates me.
It’s annoying, because I hate that almost every aspect of why I am the way I am tends to have roots in the way my brain is wired. I mean yeah, I guess it makes sense that, “how your brain works” sorta defines you, but still, I feel like my skull meat should have come with an owner’s manual.
One strangeness I recently discovered is my propensity to prefer knowing how a movie or TV show ends before watching it. Yes, I’d rather know all the spoilers. No, it doesn’t make the watching less enjoyable. Quite the opposite in fact.
Many people can relate to at least part of the issue. If you won’t watch a movie because you know the dog dies, you sorta understand the sentiment. Even if the dog dying is central to the plot of the movie, for many folks, it’s not worth the emotional trauma. (Honestly, https://www.doesthedogdie.com is a godsend, I can’t recommend it enough)
Now imagine seemingly mundane aspects of a movie carried that same emotional trauma for you. Like if the inevitable conflict in the second act is from a spouse cheating. Or from a middle-schooler getting bullied. Or from a character experiencing heartbreak. Or from a misunderstanding causing an animated snowman to feel unwelcome. Imagine every second act of a movie was as mentally debilitating as John Wick’s puppy crawling across the floor to be near him. That’s usually what it’s like inside my head. So I want to know what happens in advance. Sometimes it means I don’t want to watch the thing at all. But often, knowing what happens somehow reduces the anxiety over the situation to the point where I can enjoy the journey.
If this doesn’t resonate with you, that’s OK. If it seems a bit immature to struggle with emotions over such trivial things, hey, I agree. But one of the wonderful, terrible things about the way ADHD brains work is they tend to have extreme emotions, and very little ability to manage them.
It really annoys me when my idiosyncrasies are just bullet points in the, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting Your Brain to Function Normally” book of ADHD. But also, it’s sometimes nice to understand why you’re that weird half-melted snowflake who can only wear certain shirts because over-sensitivity to textiles is part of your neural norm. (I wish I were kidding, but that’s another post altogether…)
It’s currently mid-January in Northern Michigan, and last week, we had green grass with temperatures in the 50s. (Fahrenheit… we weren’t cooking eggs on the sidewalk or anything) Then this week, we got several feet of snow. And the brakes on my truck failed. And I’m housesitting for my daughter. So it’s been a week of almost zero productivity at work.
Oh look, my screen saver is active in the middle of the day…Here’s the rub: Those are excuses, and fairly wishy-washy excuses at that. I could have done more work, and actually being stuck at home even meant I should have had an easier time working. But I didn’t. For whatever reason.
Common wisdom dictates that we can’t change the past, so we just need to focus on the future. But it’s one of those adages which is easy to say and quite a bit more difficult to actually internalize. Because, you see, now I’m behind. The whole point of coming to grips with not being able to change the past is that it’s supposed to free you from the anxiety of what you did or didn’t do, because you can’t change it.
But… like… being in the soup is stressful! In order to meet deadlines (I need to finish my current course by the end of the month), it means I have so much more work to do than my normal amount. Therein lies the stress. And in the past (ok, still, but I’m working on it), I would use that anxiety, shame, and looming deadline to motivate my ADHD brain into action. The problem is, it’s a terribly miserable way to live.
Ask me how I know.
(OK, this next part is specifically to the literal Brain of Shawn)
Listen up, wonky brain in my skull: You know how you always love problem solving and emergency situations because it allows you to take advantage of all those weird ADHD quirks? Well you have a doozy of a situation that has been handed to you. You have an absolute butt-ton of work that needs to be completed in a crazy-small amount of time.
BUT IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT
Actually? It is your fault, but it doesn’t matter if it is your fault or not, the blame doesn’t change anything about what needs to be done. Except that if you stop hating yourself, feeling shame, and avoiding joy because you feel like you don’t deserve it, etc, etc — you will actually be able to use that insane ability to perform in a crisis. You get to save the day, and make a seemingly hopeless situation turn into success for someone else.
You just need to let that someone else not be someone else. It’s OK to save the day for yourself sometimes. You do deserve it. And you are worthy of joy both now and once this crisis is averted. You’re better at everything when you’re light-hearted and joyful.
So please, be nice to my friend Shawn. He’s really hard on himself, and could use the same compassion and understanding you give to everyone else. And if you ever find yourself in a pinch? He’s the kind of guy who you want helping. Even if he doesn’t realize it.
Be kind, everyone. Especially to yourself. If you’ve read this far, it’s unlikely you’re someone who treats others poorly in order to make yourself feel better. But you might treat yourself poorly for… reasons. So I’ll try to be nice to my friend Shawn, and you try to do the same to your friend $YOUR_NAME
If you’re not a car buff, the notion of a, “master cylinder” might not immediately scream, “brakes” for you. But the master cylinder on a vehicle is the place where brake fluid goes. It’s the plunger mechanism that converts pressing the brake pedal into hydraulic pressure that applies the stopping power.
The master cylinder is also where the reservoir(s) for the brake fluid itself reside(s). There are many nuances of braking systems, varying from power brakes vs manual brakes, disc vs drum, and these days even regenerative brakes on EVs. But sometime in the early 60s (I think, I couldn’t find an exact date), master cylinders switched from single reservoir to dual reservoir. It was for several reasons, but the most important was the safety it offered.
See, with a single reservoir master cylinder, if a brake line were to break or get cut, all the pressure created when stomping on the pedal would cause brake fluid to squirt out of the break or cut in the line. And if all the brake lines are connected to one single reservoir in one single hydraulic system, it would mean little to no pressure used for stopping the car. Many folks would refer to the single chamber master cylinder as, “suicide brakes” — because there was no redundancy.
Dual chamber master cylinders usually come with two different size reservoirs. This is because for a very long time, the back wheels used drum brakes, and the front wheels used disc brakes. (The disc brakes generally required the larger amount of fluid) But arguably most important was the separation of the front and back brakes hydraulic systems meant that if one system was compromised due to a break or cut, the other wheels weren’t affected, and the car could still stop. Thus the term, “suicide brakes” when referring to the old system with only one chamber.
Now, that’s an oversimplification. Modern cars actually have a single reservoir for adding fluid, but there are still two chambers in the master cylinder, keeping the front and back hydraulic systems independent, even though they are all disc brakes these days. (except for EVs, I have no idea what those magical unicorns do)
SO.
On Saturday, when Donna and I were driving home with my truck, in the middle of a blizzard; and the brake pedal felt a bit squishy, it was disconcerting — but not terrifying. My truck has 4 wheel disc brakes, and if indeed a brake line broke (which is usually what causes a brake pedal to get squishy in a modern vehicle), it was bad, but even during the blizzard, we’d likely be fine as long as we realized our braking ability was probably significantly reduced. We’d get home, cuss a bit, and then take the truck in for brake work once the blizzard was over. (I don’t have a garage, there’s no way I’m replacing brake lines in the winter outside)
And we did technically make it home safely, but it was just barely. And I mean just barely. See — while I haven’t been able to get to the truck to look under the hood (blizzard: truck is buried now), as soon as we turned down our road, the ENTIRE master cylinder gave way, shot brake fluid all over the hot engine (we could smell burning brake fluid), and completely stopped stopping the truck.
Brakes aren’t supposed to fail so catastrophically anymore, because the dual hydraulic systems are designed to keep your brake pedal working somewhat when you have a break/cut. So apparently the part of the brake system before the dual chambers (the plunger bits that convert pedal pushes into hydraulic pressure, most likely) just completely broke in epic fashion. Thankfully, we were already on our road, and going quite slow.
I managed to get the truck up our VERY steep driveway, and put it into park. We went inside, cussed a little, did a quick prayer of thanks, and moved on. The next day, I had to move the truck to get to the car parked behind it, and when I pulled it down the steep driveway, sure enough, there was NOTHING to slow the truck down even a little. Well, except for the snowbank across the street. (I was prepared for that, but still, it’s freaky to experience)
Now my truck is back up the driveway, all the way in the back, and buried in another snowstorm’s leavings. It will stay there until Spring, because like I said earlier, there’s no way I’m going to work on the brake system of my truck in the winter, in our gravel driveway, OUTSIDE.
So, how was your weekend?
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | SpotifyIf you’re anything like me, well first off, I’m so, so sorry. But if you’re like me you appreciate sparkling water, especially now that it comes in a plethora of delicious artificial flavors. I’m not a snob, either. I like the LaCroix, the Bubly, StoreBrandica — it’s all delicious.
But, it’s also a bit spendy. It hurts me every time I spend $6.99 for a pack of (8) 12oz cans of water. Yes, they are usually painted in pretty colors, and come with pre-dissolved carbon dioxide and 3 drops of chemical flavoring; but it still feels like I’m paying a lot for something so very simple. (If you add the 10 cents per can for the Michigan deposit, it’s even worse, because I’m nowhere near responsible enough to take my empties back to the store. Seriously, if you’re a Boy Scout troop or a Little League team doing a fundraiser, stop at our house. We have 537 bags of empty cans piled in the back room.)
So anyway, in an attempt to Hackzor The Planet, I bought a Soda Stream machine (The “Source” if it matters, but I think they’re all exactly the same thing, I’m not sure why they have so many models. THEY DO ONE THING.) I figured if I could make my OWN bubbly water, I might be able to find flavors and stick it to man! Actually, I don’t know if a man owns LaCroix and/or Bubly. But saying, “stick it to the person” seems less revolutionary and more pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. But yeah, I bought a Soda Stream machine and a set of (3) reusable bottles. Because I love the planet. Of course those bottles are made of plastic, so maybe I hate the planet and just want to save money? I dunno, it failed anyway (he foreshadows like a BOSS).
I tried to find “flavor drops” that would make my homemade bubble water taste like something other than salty fizz. (Also why does carbonated water taste salty? There’s no salt… There’s carbonic acid, but why does that taste like salt? Shouldn’t it taste… acid-y? Or carbonic-y?)
So, flavor drops. The only thing I could find was some co-branded thick goo from the Bubly company, which you add a surprisingly large amount of to your freshly carboned water. It’s supposed to be just like the cans you buy at the store, and with the cost of those little bottles of goo, it certainly should taste like Bubly, because it costs just as much. Also, they only come in the lamest of flavors. And I didn’t want Bubly, I wanted something different. And cheaper.
Then I found these Capella brand drops, which come in a crazy variety of flavors. They seem perfect, so I bought a LOT of them. If you go directly to their website (instead of that Amazon affiliate link), they have even more flavors. Some sound better than they taste, and some taste exactly like you’d expect. My favorites are the gummy bear flavor and the Swedish Fish flavor. (I think they’re called something similar to the brand name, but not exactly so they don’t get sued — but that Swedish Fish flavor is pretty gnarly to drink in bubbly water.)
Unfortunately, every flavor adds a sort of “waxy” flavor to the water. Waxy might not be the right word, but they don’t seem to have the same sort of delicious flavor that store-bought cans have. I know they’re artificial, but the store brand flavors seem more “real” somehow.
And that’s when Hank Green ruined my bunny slippers.
I’m a fan of John & Hank Green. That’s no secret. Anyone in Nerdfighteria worth their salt is familiar with the podcast they do together, “Dear Hank & John.” I’m even a $5 Patreon supporter, so I get a bonus podcast every time they record an episode. Totally worth the price on the tin. Anyway, during one of the episodes, Hank was talking about how he also enjoys LaCroix-ish things. Like me, he has tried to make his own concoctions from home. (OMG we’re so alike, we should totally be BFFs… just sayin) During one of the episodes, Hank said that he adds some orange juice concentrate to his SodaStreamed tap water. Now don’t get me wrong, I know that fruit juice of any kind is just sugar water, and it’s not, “good for you” in any significant way. But still, it sounded like a pretty great idea.
And so I bought some orange juice concentrate. And I did it with aforethought, y’all. I got pulp-free, because while Fizzy Floaters might be a great band name, chunky bubble water sounds pretty gross. I also bought the kind that comes in a plastic container. Not because I hate the planet (although we established above that maybe I do…), but because I didn’t want the cardboard to get weird and soggy. Anyway, I put the plastic, pulp-free concentrate container in the fridge so that it would be pourable. The next day, along with my cup of coffee, I decided to prepare an all-natural carbonated bottle of slightly orange-y water. Unfortunately, Hank did not specify how much concentrate he adds to how much water — but I thought this was a, “less is more” kind of situation. I didn’t want carbonated orange juice, I wanted carbonated water with a refreshing hint of citrus. So after making a bottle of plain bubble water, I slowly poured a tiny bit of the concentrate into the bottle.
Now, I’m not sure if you know how science works. I thought I did. And Hank is “The Science One” when it comes to the Green brothers. But in some sort of Mark Rober inspired reaction, my innocent bottle of sparkling water turned into a fountain of citrus and shame that makes Mentos and Diet Coke look about as exciting as those weird ash-snake firework things that come in the cheap 4th of July fireworks packs. The explosion that took place on my counter hit the kitchen ceiling. Much like an untethered rocket ship, the bottle of fury fueled by some sort of zero-point energy launched its frothy exhaust into my pouring hand, which shot the mostly full container of concentrate against the side wall of the kitchen. It had enough force behind it that it bounced off the wall, and came back (still about half full) to hit me square in the chest and get further accelerated by the now spinning bottle of fury on the counter.
Further experimentation should be done, because I think the OJ concentrate combine with the freshly carbonated water created some sort of Jesus-level loaves and fish situation. That single 20oz bottle of water somehow left about 5 inches of angry standing water in our entire kitchen. The rest of the orange juice concentrate dumped directly on my slippers and my cup of coffee somehow poured itself into one of my slippers during the 7 seconds of chaos.
So yeah. That’s how Hank Green ruined my bunny slippers. And I have no idea if his Molotov Cocktail of Doom actually tastes good, because all of the ingredients were now a permanent part of my kitchen decor.
The moral of the story? Um… I dunno. Stock up on LaCroix when it goes on sale?
The post Hank Green Ruined My Bunny Slippers appeared first on The Brain of Shawn.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | SpotifyI’m not going to lie, it does feel a little silly when people in my meat-space life find out that while I do have a day job, the vast majority of my energy goes into creative endeavors. Being a YouTuber at 48 years old smacks of midlife crisis, and being a small YouTuber feels somehow even sadder.
This is probably where you’d expect me to get all noble, and say that I’m not creating content for monetary gain. I’m doing it because I want to make the world a better place. I want to share knowledge, and I want to provide skills in order to help other people do good things. A rising tide lifts all ships, and that sorta thing. And that is true, to an extent. But the thing is, I do actually hope to make an income in order to allow me to do all those noble things. The money isn’t really the reason, but it has to be a part of the process. I wish it weren’t the case, but it is. Largely because I can’t work full time and also be a creator forever. I’ve been doing it for a year and a half now, and while it’s been manageable — it’s a lot.
I also want to support my family as a creator, because I need to have some flexibility when it comes to mental health. Yes, part of that means I occasionally need a “day off” for mental health (Donna and I are staying in a cabin for 2 nights later this month, which will be the first vacation we’ve had since 2019, and even then it was a single night out for our anniversary). But more than that, I need the flexibility to fail at human-ing from time to time.
My official diagnosis is Severe Inattentive Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder. (the double whammy of “inattentive attention deficit” seems a bit mean, but whatever) And while medicine doesn’t help me very much, the knowledge of the condition has helped me navigate life with severe ADHD a lot better. But while that’s the loudest part of my official diagnosis, I also have an even more insidious diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder. It’s quiet, dark, shameful (not really, but it feels that way), and it rears its ugly head during the worst possible times.
I usually just knuckle under and push through the depression. And while it both rips up my insides while also making me numb, for the most part I just accept it. Too many people are depending on me, so not showing up isn’t an option. Sometimes it’s bad enough that I can’t hide it from those around me, and they know I’m miserable — but they also don’t know how to help. Because they can’t. And if you’ve been following me as a creator, those odd multi-week stretches of really low productivity? Yeah, I’m doing my best to hang on. My dayjob is such that I can manage to keep servers going even if I’m painfully numb, but being creative is mostly not possible. Showering is mostly not possible.
And I realize the irony of wanting to be a full time creator in order to help deal with my mental illness — when I JUST SAID that I could do my dayjob even in a depressive funk. But the thing is, it doesn’t mean I’m able to heal. It just means I push it down enough to move forward. Surviving and living are different, even if the Venn diagram has significant overlap. I need to be able to flake, and still be providing value for others and security for my family. And so that’s why I’m building a library of content. And why I want to continue building that library, and the community of people who care about learning; because if I’m your employee, I’m apt to let you down. But if I can share my insights, knowledge, quirks, silliness, skills, and kindness with you? Perhaps that value isn’t tied to how many hours a day I work.
"I desire to give away the best parts of myself, so at the end of my life, the stuff buried is of no consequence. And my best bits will be immortal.” -Me
— Shawn Powers (@shawnp0wers) February 21, 2022
I do believe my work provides value. Some days I think that value is more or less than other days (depression, you see, is a crafty liar). And so I want to be a creator so that I can share all the valuable parts of me. My hope is that when I’ve built up enough of that value into consumable content, if I flake for a week while I stare at the ceiling, I won’t feel like I’m stealing from those people who support me. I want to disconnect my value from the hours I’m present, because I’m built in an unreliable way.
Anyway. Maybe it’s a midlife crisis. If it is, that means I’ll live to be like… 96 years old, which would be AWESOME. But whatever it is that convinced me creation was my path from here, I’m grateful. It’s scary, and uncertain — but it means I get to share the parts of me that I think others might find valuable. And every time you find value in something I’ve created, you punch my depression in the junk. Because it tries to tell me I’m a burden and provide negative value to those around me. And that is a lie. A lie which calls for a junk-punch.
So if you’re reading this, thank you for punching my depression in the junk. He’s a total douchecanoe, and deserved it.
The post The Real Reasons I’m a Creator appeared first on The Brain of Shawn.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | SpotifyIntellectually, I understand the importance of Open Source licenses. The nuances of GPLv2 and GPLv3 can change the entire way a piece of software is used, developed, and shared.
But I don’t really care all that much.
Sure, I lose a lot of “cred” when I dismiss licensing so offhandedly. How can I call myself an Open Source evangelist, or even an enthusiast, if I don’t have thoughts on licensing? Honestly? It’s because I’m not passionate about Open Source Software due to its legal allowances and limitations. Heck, I didn’t even build my career around Linux because of software at all. I’m an Open Source advocate because of people. Period. End of sentence.
Does that make me anti capitalism? Against monetization? A GNU/Linux zealot? Nope. But it also doesn’t me pro-capitalism, entrepreneurial, or a Microsoft fanboi. It basically means I don’t care a whole lot about the non-people-parts of the entire movement, or community, or vertical marketplace. I don’t even really know what a vertical marketplace is, or if I made that up. I love Open Source because it changed my life, and never asked anything in return. And the “it” that changed my life, really means people.
In 1999, when I had my car accident, the aftermath was pretty grim. I’ve told the story countless times, but the headline version is, “Woman in 5th month of pregnancy forced to bus tables in order to support family of 3 as main breadwinner battles against head injury, no longer able to leave the house, much less work.”
When I tell the story, whether on a podcast, to a news reporter, or in the posts on this very blog, I jokingly say that I learned Linux because it was all I could afford. But if I wanted to learn other products, I could have found a way to “get” those software packages. And while I wish I could say it was my pristine moral standards that made me settle on Linux instead of pirating commercial products — that would be a lie. It was because Linux, and by extension Open Source Software, was purposefully designed to give me everything I might need, for free. And then when I needed help, provide that help whether I could afford to pay for it or not.
I could have pirated Microsoft Windows Server, but I couldn’t call Microsoft to ask questions about setting up an Active Directory! Yet, if I wanted to know how to make two Linux machines share user data, I could reach out to folks for help on NIS/ypserv/ypbind, and if I said I was just trying to figure it out, they’d be MORE excited to help me. And perhaps it is the licensing that created that sort of community, but legalese doesn’t garner my gratitude and respect. Kindness does. Kind people do. And that’s why for the past several decades, I’ve built my career around Open Source Software.
RedHat recently made news by deftly tiptoeing through the GPL (I don’t even know or care what version), and legally restricting people from taking their source code and compiling clones of their commercial, flagship version of Linux. Their rationale is that groups like Rocky Linux and Alma Linux were simply taking RedHat’s hard work, repackaging it, and giving it away free. Which… is true. For many Linux users, that’s simply what Open Source meant. RedHat took the work of others and created their commercial product, but since they used other people’s work, they had to release their work as well. In fact, RedHat has been one of the few companies to make incredible amounts of money selling a product that companies could get for free. Their support, both in making the distro and in integrating after the fact meant they could add value beyond their code itself.
But it seems they weren’t making the amount of money they thought they should be making, and so using legally-allowable restrictions, have stopped the proliferation of clones. Some giants in the community think they’ve violated at the very least the spirit of Open Source. Others (several of whom I respect) have taken a more corporate-sided stance on the issue.
Me? It just makes me sad. And before anyone responds with, “If it weren’t for corporate money, Linux and the Open Source community wouldn’t even exist!” — I’m not sad about RedHat protecting their financial interests. I’m sad because the kindness of Open Source has been tossed out in order to… make it successful? Have Rocky and/or Alma been taking advantage of RedHat? I have no idea. Really. But it was the community of people working together in order to make sure everyone could play that takes a hit.
I can already hear the response that RedHat allows people to use their commercial product for up to 16 servers without paying for a license! And yep, that’s true. But the joy of Open Source used to be not worrying about licenses in order to participate in the global, shared experience of working together. I didn’t fall in love with Shareware, I fell in love with freedom.
Our community has been built around people contributing in whatever ways they can, and at times, by only participating. I’ve never contributed code to any project, but I’ve written and edited for Linux Journal. I’ve never done a pull request on a kernel module, but I have spent the bulk of my career teaching people how to use Open Source to make the world a better place, one person at a time.
My contributions to Open Source, and the world in general, doesn’t have a clear business plan. While I’ve been paid for many of the things I’ve taught and created, monetization has never been the reason. If making money motivated me more, perhaps I’d have more of it, and my voice would be heard in more places. But a rationale isn’t the same as a motivation. My YouTube channel is monetized, and that’s my rationale for investing the time into making videos to help people. But I assure you, I haven’t spent every spare moment this past two years making videos so I could bring in $150/month in YouTube ad revenue. That revenue is nice, but it’s not what keeps me excited. When someone leaves a comment that they finally understand octal notation and sticky bits after watching my video — that is what motivates me.
It’s the people. It always has been.
So am I on RedHat’s side? Am I on Rocky Linux’s side? Not really. I’m on the side of working together to make the world a better place. I’m on the side of kindness for no reason other than a kind world is a world I want to be part of. Maybe RedHat’s contributions have made my particular livelihood possible. Maybe not. But we have different motivations, and gauge success by different metrics. That’s OK. But it still makes me sad.
The post RedHat: Rocky Times with its Alma Mater appeared first on The Brain of Shawn.
I got some flak for talking bad about myself in a tweet. But in this case, I wasn't really trash talking myself. Not exactly anyway... https://brainofshawn.com/2023/06/07/better-class-of-loser/
A tweet reminded me of one of my few childhood memories, and how magic really works... https://brainofshawn.com/2022/10/25/the-scholastic-book-fair/
This post will upset some people. And that bums me out. But I can't be someone I'm not, and I'm a green-haired heathen who loves people.This is a reading of my blog post: https://brainofshawn.com/2022/09/28/green-hair-mustard-seeds-and-me/
It's weird that empathy is seen as a weakness, because I think it's what made building a civilization possible! This is a reading of my blog post at https://brainofshawn.com/2022/09/22/the-wonder-and-misery-of-empathy/
Don't do anything at all? Yeah, that doesn't seem healthy...
This is a reading of my blog post from https://brainofshawn.com/2022/08/25/if-you-cant-do-something-perfect/
Just don’t do anything at all? Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s not a healthy motto to live by, but it sure does resonate with me. I’ve always struggled with perfectionism, and it sorta ambushed me this week. It’s been a while since I’ve been paralyzed by it. That’s mostly because my creative efforts of late ... Read more
The post If You Can’t Do Something Perfect… appeared first on The Brain of Shawn.
Before I start, it’s important to know that I’m not writing this to convince anyone to send money. We’ll be OK, truly. I’m writing this because much like depression, shame withers in the light. I don’t want the specter of “what if someone finds out” to live in my brain, rent free. And perhaps hearing ... Read more
The post Shame appeared first on The Brain of Shawn.
Five years ago, my wife Donna and I invested our entire nest egg into buying an old farm in Brutus, MI. We refurbished the old barn, and created a young adult ministry, because there wasn’t one in the area. It turned out almost exactly like we pictured it, but then when it was still in ... Read more
The post Success appeared first on The Brain of Shawn.
Hello Shaun, A few months back, I got an email from GLE, which announced your new position as CEO (congrats!), along with other updates about service, fiber internet rollout, etc. One of the things I noticed in the email was that Great Lakes Energy doesn’t actually produce electricity, but buys it from a local supplier. ... Read more
The post An Open Letter to Shaun Lamp, CEO of Great Lakes Energy appeared first on The Brain of Shawn.
It occurred to me today that I’m not really sure if the things I publish are the things I allow to get out of my think-meat, or if they’re things I can’t keep inside it. It probably doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things, but my brain (jerk that it is) thinks a ... Read more
The post How THIS Keeps Happening appeared first on The Brain of Shawn.
I’m currently depressed. I think. I’ve been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, and so maybe any time I’m depressed, that’s the “reason” it happens. But also, depression is different for everyone. I’m confident of that, because depression is often different for ME, and I’m the same person as me. Still, I wonder if what I’m ... Read more
The post Depression is Me appeared first on The Brain of Shawn.
I recently read advice about writing letters to famous people. I think it was in the Steal Like an Artist Trilogy by Austin Kleon, which is a wonderful set of books. (I’ve listened to the audio version several times) This is not a letter to him, however. The point was that you can write letters ... Read more
The post An Open Letter to the Green Brothers appeared first on The Brain of Shawn.
Last night I had the opportunity to speak for Linux Dominicana, which is the Linux Users Group in the Dominican Republic. I was approached several months ago by a man who has since become a good friend, asking if I would give a webinar-based talk. As most people reading this know, I’m currently trying to ... Read more
I was scrolling through social media the other day, and ran across this photo. I laughed out loud, because a bottle of cleaning spray decorated like this is the most Yaya thing I could imagine. I mean, these things are usually “decorated” with a Sharpie marker declaring what sort of cleaner is inside the bottle. ... Read more
Several years ago, I was asked to speak at a bible camp in southern Michigan. It wasn’t my first time speaking there, and I’d been a youth group leader at our local church for years, so my talk wasn’t vetted before I was allowed to speak to a couple hundred teenagers. And no, I didn’t ... Read more
I often think about Charlie Brill and Mitzi McCall. If you aren’t familiar with the married comedy duo, it’s not surprising. They were the act who followed the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show back in 1964. How could you possibly follow that?!? Thankfully, Justin Bieber didn’t recently make Linux training videos that I have ... Read more
When I started this “be a professional creator full time” adventure at the start of 2022, I got lots of advice. And as a quick recap for those who don’t know about my “Big Year” (sans birds), which is honestly most of you, because I didn’t really shout about it from the mountain tops, here’s ... Read more
And of course I mean jelly people are lonely. Jealous people, that is. Actual jelly people are never lonely because they’re sweet and sticky, and people either want to lick them, or are stuck to them. And that’s weird, so I’m gonna stop. Sometimes it’s easy to avoid being jealous of someone. Particularly when they’re ... Read more
It’s a funny trope in sitcoms. One person is in love with another person, and so they confess their love, only to be given a “Thank You” in reply. We cringe. We hurt for the confessor, and we feel bad for the one not in love. We are also impressed by the thanker, because it ... Read more
I have many legitimate friends whom I’ve never met in person. Some of my very best friends are a group of folks who met online and have remained close for well over a decade. There was a time when that was considered a naive misunderstanding of friendship, but I’m happy to say it’s slowly becoming ... Read more
There’s a bitter sort of irony that people who enjoy selling things are rarely the people you want to give money, and those folks who deserve your money are cripplingly uncomfortable receiving, much less asking, for it. Mind you, this is a terribly generic take, which (might) be true for the majority of situations, but ... Read more
A while back I posted a poll on Twitter about which Star Trek technology would be the most significant. Usually when I bring the topic up in conversation, people jokingly say the Holodeck, and then say, “But seriously, warp drive is the most significant tech.” I generally argue that the replicator is the most overlooked ... Read more
I’m doing all sorts of content creation these days. I’m doing videos, comics, newsletters, reviews (I’m figuring that bit out still… but I wanna keep doing it), podcasts, other podcasts, and I’m still doing silly tweets and cat photos, etc, etc, etc. I want to be a full time content creator someday soon, and so ... Read more
There’s really only one job description: Problem Solver. Sometimes that problem is, “I need to host a website that can scale as demand expands and contracts.” Sometimes the problem is, “People want good coffee but aren’t interested in making it themselves at home.” It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the tools we use ... Read more
I created professional video content for about 12 years. That doesn’t mean I’m any good at it, but it does mean I’m comfortable with it. This year, 2022, I’ve decided to get back into making video, but with a twist: I’m doing it on YouTube. Certainly over a decade producing hundreds (maybe thousands) of hours ... Read more
As far a memorable numbers go, 46 is pretty low on the list. I cant’ really explain why it seems so ordinary, but it truly feels like one of the blandest numbers in the gamut of years old to be. This past year has been anything but bland, however. I managed to not catch Covid. ... Read more
I do not have a college degree. I think it’s important to lead with that, because while I’ve built a fairly successful career, I’ve done it without actually attaining a degree of any sort. I did attend college — a major university for 2 years, and a community college for a year. But in all ... Read more
Social media tends to be a glimpse into the highlights of a person’s life. Don’t get me wrong, I’m the same person I am online that I am in person, but some things don’t get posted not out of shame, but out of inability. I try to make it clear that mental health is a ... Read more
I hate resolutions. I hate when people say they hate resolutions. But, here I am, hating resolutions. I also hate that I gained over 40lbs during 2020. All this hatred has to be redirected… I didn’t start a resolution on the 1st, because if I miss one day, my OCD punishes me fiercely. So I ... Read more
NOTE: This was originally published in Linux Journal, back in 2017. I noticed this morning that my script is still running every day, and I have over 1,100 Bing photos saved locally! I’ve written a little about PHP before, because I think it’s a great utility language for writing quick things you need to do. ... Read more
I have a 48TB NAS in my basement. Granted, thanks to RAID6 I only (only!) have 36TB of usable space, but still, I assumed that would last me forever. Thanks to ripping DVDs and Blurays, I was so very, very wrong. Rather than spend a few thousand dollars on a new NAS, however, I decided ... Read more
I only recently discovered this tiny bit of brilliance, even though it was written over a decade ago. It’s by Bre Pettis and Kio Stark, and released under Creative Commons, so I’m pretty sure I can post it here without being shady. (I don’t know where to link to originally, because Bre Pettis’ blog from ... Read more
I don’t want to be. I don’t try to be. My mom didn’t purposefully raise me to be. But I am. White Privilege. I’m racist because I’m white and I live in a country where that affords me privileges black folks don’t get. Just because I’m white. I don’t want to put white privilege in ... Read more
(NOTE: This is being written during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically during the “Stay at Home” directive in Michigan.) This week, the CDC announced that it is recommended to wear cloth masks while out in public. A friend of mine kindly made and delivered really cool masks for Donna and me to wear when we go ... Read more
I work from home every day. This new COVID-19 stuff shouldn’t be all that different for me. But boy howdy is it ever. Part of it is because I’m in strict quarantine. I’m not going to the store, I’m not meeting anyone at the door, and I’m not even going through drive-thru anything. I’m staying ... Read more
Those of us who are work-from-home-introverts can be found online joking about how we’ve been preparing for this Coronavirus thing for our entire lives. And yes, I suspect the transition to working from home will be easier on introverts, and will be almost no change for existing telecommuters. That said, working from home this past ... Read more
If you’re befuddled by every Poe other than Edgar Allen, after this short blog post, you’ll be confused… nevermore. I’ve been installing a lot of POE devices recently, and the different methods for providing power over Ethernet cables can be very confusing. There are a few standards in place, and then there’s a method that ... Read more
This won’t be a long, navel-gazing post about all the wisdom I’ve gathered over the past year. Rather, a quick list of things that stuck out to me. And honestly, it’ll probably largely be from the past couple months, because a year is a long time to remember. And I didn’t take notes. 🙂 Happiness ... Read more
This article covers some grep and regex basics. There are generally two types of coffee drinkers. The first type buys a can of pre-ground beans and uses the included scoop to make their automatic drip coffee in the morning. The second type picks single-origin beans from various parts of the world, accepts only beans that ... Read more
Every year, since our (now adult) girls were tiny, Donna and I have created a scavenger hunt for our kids on Christmas Eve. They follow clues, solve puzzles, and at the end, there’s a group gift/prize for them to enjoy together. It’s not our only family tradition, but it’s by far the biggest and most ... Read more
Roles are the most complicated and yet simplest aspect of Ansible to learn. I’ve mentioned before that Ansible’s ad-hoc mode often is overlooked as just a way to learn how to use Ansible. I couldn’t disagree with that mentality any more fervently than I already do. Ad-hoc mode is actually what I tend to use ... Read more
Playbooks make Ansible even more powerful than before. To be quite honest, if Ansible had nothing but its ad-hoc mode, it still would be a powerful and useful tool for automating large numbers of computers. In fact, if it weren’t for a few features, I might consider sticking with ad-hoc mode and adding a bunch ... Read more
Finally, an automation framework that thinks like a sysadmin. Ansible, you’re hired. In my last article, I described how to configure your server and clients so you could connect to each client from the server. Ansible is a push-based automation tool, so the connection is initiated from your “server”, which is usually just a workstation or ... Read more
I’ve written about and trained folks on various DevOps tools through the years, and although they’re awesome, it’s obvious that most of them are designed from the mind of a developer. There’s nothing wrong with that, because approaching configuration management programmatically is the whole point. Still, it wasn’t until I started playing with Ansible that ... Read more
Ubuntu changed networking. Embrace the YAML. If I’m being completely honest, I still dislike the switch from eth0, eth1, eth2 to names like, enp3s0, enp4s0, enp5s0. I’ve learned to accept it and mutter to myself while I type in unfamiliar interface names. Then I installed the new LTS version of Ubuntu and typed vi /etc/network/interfaces. Yikes. After a technological ... Read more
If you can remember all of your passwords, they’re not good passwords. I used to teach people how to create “good” passwords. Those passwords needed to be lengthy, hard to guess and easy to remember. There were lots of tricks to make your passwords better, and for years, that was enough. That’s not enough anymore. ... Read more
I don’t talk much about mental illness. Not because of any stigma against it, or because I’m ashamed of having and handling mental illness, but rather because I just don’t have much to say on the issue. My car accident (see link above) sparked some serious brain issues for me, including anxiety, depression, OCD, and ... Read more
This letter is a response to my eldest daughter mentioning that she doesn’t post videos of herself singing, because she doesn’t want to post them just to get “likes” and puff herself up. She’s worried about posting them for the wrong reason, and doesn’t want to be “that” person. While I respect that… Dear Singers ... Read more
Our fancy new “Space Fridge” has some amazing features. It will auto-fill a glass, based on sensor readings so it knows how much water to add. It has a fancy LCD touchscreen that allows you to configure its features. Heck, it even warns you if you leave the door ajar by playing an annoying tune ... Read more
I wear pink hats. Pretty much exclusively. It wasn’t always that way, in fact, my first pink hat was a Mother’s Day ball cap from the Tiger’s “pink out” weekend last year. I wore the hat, and it disturbed some people. Like, it really disturbed some people. Especially older men. That bothered me, because if ... Read more
We’ve had a bidet in our master bathroom for about a year, and so I feel pretty confident that I can give you this list to start your year on the right foot. So here are the top 7 reasons never to buy a bidet: International travel will lose its mystery. You know that scene ... Read more
I’m 43. I have to think really hard every time someone asks, because after car insurance getting cheaper at 25, there really aren’t any milestones to look forward to in life. Oh, you thought a blog post about burpees would be motivational? Yeah, no refunds, sorry. (Not sorry) I’m 43, I’m about 5’11”, and I ... Read more
Today marks 51 years since Mister Rogers taped his first episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. The Google Doodle commemorating the event is pure awesome!
Most people who follow me on Twitter or Facebook (or know me in meatspace) are familiar with my excitement regarding, “The Martian” book and movie. I still think it’s my favorite book of all time. And that’s saying something. So how did the movie compare? Surprisingly well, and not surprisingly, it was less awesome than ... Read more
I think it’s still “Mental Health Awareness Month.” Or whatever it’s called. This post is the 38,000ft edition of, “Crazy Things About Shawn.” I’m currently somewhere over Iowa, and just had my traditional ginger ale and Delta cookie treat. (Truly, they taste amazing together, but only when you’re 7 miles up in the air) As ... Read more
I think May is mental illness month. It might be October though, because Google tells me both things. It doesn’t really matter though, because honestly it’s not something that only happens once a year. I mean “Christmas Month” makes sense, or “Pre Spring Break Tanning Bed Month” — but Mental Illness isn’t seasonal. Well, unless ... Read more
My family is blessed, and starting next Friday, we’ll be taking a trip to Florida. This is our second family vacation, which makes it less unique than last year (our first ever family vacation), but no less exciting. It’s forced me to think quite a bit about vacation and social media, however. I imagine that ... Read more
I got frustrated with myself tonight. I was planning on running a full 5K. I figured I’d already run 2 miles straight, and rather than move to 3, I’d just go to 3.1 and get an official 5K. But I failed, and didn’t run a full 5K. Then I realized: I just ran 2.1 miles. ... Read more
This evening, Donna and I were driving home from dinner out with friends. It was snowing pretty hard, and we were at the intersection of a wide, busy road. Donna warned me of car coming from her side, and then after it passed I gunned the gas pedal to get out on the road quickly. ... Read more
I’ve posted on Twitter & Facebook as I’ve progressed over the past few months, but I haven’t really put all the information together in a “greater than 140 character” post. So here’s the update for all those folks who are curious. My Kidneys Are No Better This is depressing. I ate as healthy as a ... Read more
Tomorrow is it. With all my crazy health problems of late, I haven’t done anywhere close to the fundraising I hoped to do, but regardless — tomorrow I’ll be golfing 50 holes. Again due to the health stuff, I haven’t been to a driving range, so my first golf swing attempt will be on the ... Read more
I’m not famous, but my jobs past and present have given the opportunity to have a large number of online friends who genuinely care about my wellbeing. I pour my heart into the things I do (which sounds odd for someone in a technical field), and countless people support me, defend me, and protect me ... Read more
Today is the 7th run on my path to running a 5K. It’s my 4th day straight, which is pretty cool. I hope to continue with my daily runs, even if they’re small runs. Building up that habit is something I’ll be really proud of. But… I really suck at running. No really, that’s not a ... Read more
While the neighborhood is pretty rough, and half the houses in the area are burned and gone, the house I grew up in is still standing. Google Maps is a pretty cool thing. 🙂
I’ve had asthma most of my life. When I was younger, the doctor never diagnosed it, so unfortunately my lungs are full of scar tissue from a childhood full of wheezing and gasping. (My mom feels really bad about this, BTW, but it’s not even a little bit her fault — the doctor should have ... Read more
While driving, my audiobook is interrupted by a phone call from my wife. (All hands free, for those concerned) ————- Donna: Twitter doesn’t give me enough characters to write the school’s entire name in the “Full Name” field when I try to create an account. Me: How close is it? Donna: “Harbor Light Christi” Me: ... Read more
Based on the photo, you might think I went for mental health issues. While some days perhaps I should go for mental health issues, today I went for another reason. It’s an embarrassing reason, but I want to write about it, because going was the right thing to do, even though it really felt foolish. ... Read more
I have very few regrets. Sure there are the dumb physical things I’ve done that I wish I hadn’t. For example, I really wish I hadn’t ridden shotgun on a four-wheeler down a hill named “Shaboom” when I was in high school. The crushed spine I ended up with hurts fairly often, even 20+ years ... Read more
I warned you I’d be posting about birds. 🙂 One of the problems with having BirdTopia so close to my office window, is that when I move, it scares the birds away. My solution for this was to buy one-way mirror film to put on my window. After installing it (a real pain, btw), I ... Read more
Today is a brand new day. Well, ok, it’s not really brand new, it’s been around for a while as it’s after 2PM. Still, it’s the newest day we have. For me, that means moving past the last 3 months of horrible pain. Mid June, I was a typical guy, and didn’t wait for any ... Read more
Due to drastic career changes, our previous relocation to Grand Rapids, MI has been rescinded, and we’re back in our home up in Indian River. Since we were never able to sell our home, moving into the home we still own is actually rather nice. I far prefer one house payment to two. 🙂 Now ... Read more
Like any fallen-off-the-wagon blogger, I’ve decided to commemorate my intention to return to regular (personal) writing by redesigning my site. I think the last time I redesigned my site, I blogged for a week. Now that we’re back up north, with only one house payment, and only two jobs — perhaps I’ll have some time ... Read more
In an unexpected announcement today, the Plant Kingdom spokesman, Fern Dirtlicker, told press, “providing oxygen free of charge no longer fits into our business plan.” When asked if the Plant Kingdom will offer a subscription service, or possibly sell the oxygen manufacturing industry to another company, Fern replied, “Nope. We’re just not going to do ... Read more
Today would have been Mr. Rogers’ 85th birthday. If you were a child in the 70s, 80s, or 90s, you know Mr. Rogers. Heck, I don’t even remember my childhood, and I still know this man. I look at the fast paced lives my kids are growing up in, and it makes me sad to ... Read more
The office realm was a happy place. Mondays came, and Mondays went — but the supply of Monday repellant was always plentiful and hot. But then one foul, foul day, something horrible happened. The Elixir of Promised Fridays disappeared! Knowing the Office Realm could not survive under such dire circumstances, the king decided to ... Read more
My family rocks. In fact, they’re the reason I work so hard. These are the people who inspire me to do my best. Heck, I moved my family across the state so these ladies would be guaranteed a university education (free tuition is a perk of my new job). So is this a post ... Read more
Let me tell you two different stories: Greg jerked out of his fitful slumber because a cold draft snuck under the covers when his wife got out of bed. After quickly sealing himself back into his burrito-like cocoon, he realized that warm or not, his aching back wouldn’t allow him to sleep. With all the ... Read more
That’s how long it took before I had to shave my face every day. Since I know guys that had to shave at 12, I refuse to believe this revelation marks me as a “grown up” — I sincerely hope that day never comes. 🙂 For the record, I hate shaving. I’ve never really liked ... Read more
Write a book of fiction, just to see if I can. I’m making this resolution a year in advance so that perhaps I can get my life in order enough that devoting time to writing fiction might be practical. I have plenty of ideas for books, but fleshing them into more than napkin-sized scribbles is ... Read more
It’s a clogged pipe. I’m a regular sufferer of writer’s block, and for years I had a deep seated fear it meant I had run out of ideas. Or creativity. Or grey matter. Perhaps that’s true, but since that is depressing and impossible to fix, I decided to declare it a total lie. And now ... Read more
I’m normally not a fan of New Year’s resolutions. You never hear anything thing about them after about January 2nd, and they’re often unrealistic and too general. As it happens, I’m actually at a point that I need to make some major changes, and I’m also at the point that I actually realize it. It’s ... Read more
Perhaps it’s naïveté, perhaps it’s absentmindedness, or perhaps it’s just that people don’t know me as well as I think they do — but yesterday I tweeted something that confused about half the folks who read it: The problem is that I assumed everyone would KNOW I was being completely sarcastic in regards to “thanking” Westboro. ... Read more
My kids are selling pies for a school fundraiser for their choir/vocal class. (My two oldest are in choir, and are amazing, thanks for asking!) The cool part is, after orders are taken, the kids MAKE the pies themselves! What a neat idea, hats off to Hopkins Schools for a cool fundraiser. If you ... Read more
My beloved 1994 Chevy S-10 unfortunately drives very much like a 1994 pickup truck with 200K miles on it. Don’t get me wrong, I love my truck. The thing is, now that we’re in the city, when I commute to work in the morning it feels very much like I’m going to die at any ... Read more
Many folks already know, but it only recently became official. I’ve accepted a position at Cornerstone University as “Assistant Director of Database Services”, which is just a wordy way of saying I’ll be working with a team of database folks much smarter than me, doing new and exciting things pertaining to databases. You want more ... Read more
Just as I’m whining on Twitter about running with asthma, and having a pity party for my otherwise healthy self, my phone rings. It’s a police officer from my home town. (I’m currently in another town, about 35 miles away) “Hello?” “Hi Shawn! This is Gordon. Are you missing something?” Now, to be clear, Gordon ... Read more
It’s simple, it’s delicious, it has the perfect amount of everything — and in some circles it’s sorta famous. Here is my iced tea recipe. You can substitute other teas, but I’ve tried MANY others, and PG Tips has just the right amount of tannin and a nice red color. Obviously you can tweak it ... Read more
Posted without comment… info: Please wait for a chat representative to respond. info: You are now chatting with ‘Ian Young’ Ian Young: Thank you for chatting with at&t today, I am happy to assist you Shawn Powers: Can you give me an idea when our service will work here in Indian River, MI? Ian Young: ... Read more
Leaders succeed vicariously. Leaders have thick skin, but use it to protect others. Leaders make the coffee. Players win, coaches lose. Managers convince people to do their best, leaders inspire people to do their best. Leadership is smiling because no one else is. Leaders come in early, and make sure everyone else leaves on time. ... Read more
This was my sermon from today. My normal disclaimer applies: If you don’t want to hear me preach a Christian sermon from Sunday morning, I won’t be offended. I’m not a professional, etc, etc, etc. Nonetheless, lots of people asked for these, so here ya go. 🙂 December 11, 2011 Title: “I’ve got this job ... Read more
I have been asked for audio copies of the sermons I do at church. It’s important to bear in mind that I’m not a pastor, I’m just a church leader that preaches when the need arises. I’m not a professional, but I do my best. If you aren’t interested in hearing me preach a Sunday ... Read more
This is not my normal goofy post. Just a warning. This is a personal post, and if you feel squiggy about taking a glimpse into my personal life, flee now. Like many artsy-fartsy folks, I struggle with clinical depression coupled with crippling anxiety. It might be cool if a creative person battling with inner torments ... Read more
This is my daughter Lydia. Lydia is in 7th grade, and has a very slight frame. I’d say she’s scrawny, but since she’s 10 times tougher than I am, that seems like a silly thing to say. Since my wife Donna is a high school volleyball coach, Lydia gets to (or has to) sit through ... Read more
Our nation is struggling with a growing obesity problem unlike anything we’ve seen in generations past. Our slovenly lifestyle is beginning to leak into science as well, however, and the ramifications could be deadly. Researchers at CERN, (yes THAT CERN) have discovered the speed of light is beginning to slow down. They fired a beam ... Read more
Three or four months ago, my beloved Droid died. Since I don’t use my phone for actual phone calls, I decided to just not get a new phone, and stick with my work provided iPhone for my mobile computer needs. (I can’t use it for personal calls, but I have unlimited data and talkatone, so ... Read more
Every so often, I post a video of Amanda playing her guitar and singing. What can I say, my totally-parentally-biased self thinks she’s pretty good. Anyway, her uncle Chris is home from college, and joined her for this particular song. NOTE: No actual grenades were harmed in the making of this video.
Last night at the Hugo Awards, my friend Kate Baker was on the ballot for being the podcast director of Clarkesworld, which was nominated for Best Semiprozine. That means she can forever refer to herself as “Hugo Award Nominated Kate Baker”, BUT THEN that whole idea was ruined when she went and won! Now she ... Read more
Today, Linux Journal announced something that I’ve known was coming for a while now. We will no longer get that wonderful excitement of finding a good old fashioned paper magazine in our mailbox every month. The good news is that Linux Journal won’t be going away. We’re just switching medium. It’s no longer possible for ... Read more
So along with a new web host, it seemed a new look was in order. I rather like this theme, and expect I’ll be sticking with it for quite a while. (I mean, how can you beat a Mars sunrise in the header!?!?!) The only thing I can’t decide is whether to make that YouTube ... Read more
Today is my dear wife’s birthday. As is accustomed here in the Powers household, we shall fan her with palm branches, feed her grapes off the vine, buy her flowers, take her on a gondola ride in Venice, and paint her toenails with the distilled tears of a thousand unicorns. Or at least the flower ... Read more
In other words, there may be wild monkeys with chicken heads flying around the room with wet paintbrushes and flaming leotards — but nothing weird. The DNS might take a while to propagate, but if you’re reading this, then it’s already propagated for you. You win!
My database is “hosed” at the moment, and I’m unable to restore my backup. (Something about a duplicate entry for key ‘PRIMARY’) I have no idea what’s wrong. Rest assured, all my years of content are here somewhere, Just not visible right now. Stay tuned…
You know how after a couple gets married, they go on a honeymoon? Yeah, well Donna and I are doing that this week. Granted we put significant stress on the after part, since we were married almost 16 years ago. Nonetheless, better late than never. 🙂 This is the resort we’ll be going to. It’s ... Read more
Today’s silly thing was quite nice. A nap. But not just a nap, a nap with a baby! Sadly, it didn’t last. The baby woke up, and wanted cake. 🙂
Yesterday I was sick, so I didn’t post anything silly. I suppose when I tried to calm my upset stomach by eating leftover Indian food it could be considered silly, but I decided to do (2) silly things today. Here is the first. 🙂 I gotta say, purposefully doing something silly every day has been ... Read more
Today sorta snuck up on me, or rather snuck away from me. It’s almost tomorrow, and I’ve barely been silly at all! Well, nothing brings out creativity quite like desperation. So here we go! So, it’s been almost a week. I think you should start posting some comments about the silly things you’re doing. Because ... Read more
This may explain a few things about me. Meet my Mom. I get my silly honest. Here we are being normal. For us. 😀 If you can’t dance with your Mom, just stop in and visit mine. She’ll probably dance with you, if you’re brave enough! (PS: My Mom is awesome)
This one may not seem particularly silly, and until I did it, I didn’t think it was silly either. We were in a parade today, celebrating Independence Day, and advertising for Vacation Bible School next week. That part isn’t silly. In fact, here’s our float: Lovely, no? Yes, well the silly part is that I ... Read more
It’s the holiday weekend, so I say it’s time to get CRAZY. I know I did. I went out and BROKE THE RULES, BABY! This silly thing may be too dangerous for some of you, but for those daring enough to follow in my freakishly rebellious shoes — feel free. I gotta go, I think ... Read more
It’s easier to do this with kids. As we age, our creamer stacking creativity declines. Thankfully, so does the desire to do creamershots. 🙂 Bonus points for using all the condiments and table accoutrements.
I don’t really have anything against dollar bills. I don’t. They fit in your wallet well, they are great for tipping, and they smell pretty cool. (That’s actually cool of all denominations, not just singles. Hey don’t judge me, marker sniffer.) Apart from that, they are a waste. As it turns out, paper currency costs ... Read more
The truth of the matter is that I love my Flowbee. The folks at Linux Journal got it for me as a pseudo gag gift last year for my birthday. The joke, as they say, is on them. 🙂 For some reason people want to see video proof of Flo’s suckitude. Here’s the latest cut…
I’ll let the girls speak for themselves. If you’d like to donate, the link is below the video. 🙂 For more information on the 30 Hour Famine, visit their website.
How does this keep happening to me?!?!?? OK, don’t answer that. Tonight is Wednesday, which means youth group at church. It’s 8:30, and we just got home. BUT, I have a video and possibly an article due for the Linux Journal website, must pack for Penguicon, must send refined interview questions to Gareth Greenaway for ... Read more
This was Phoebe when we adopted her 10 months ago: Unfortunately, after 10 months of effort, she hasn’t gotten any better at housebreaking. In fact, we’ve remodeled our kitchen to keep the dogs away from the carpet, because regardless of our efforts, Phoebe poops and pees everywhere. If you’re thinking we’re just silly, naive humans ... Read more
You are a powdered drink mix. Just like chopped steak is still hamburger, and Crocs are just weird rubber shoes, you are not a gourmet beverage. Please do not pretend to be so. In fact, I suspect you may actually be a prank beverage, because it seems that when I made a cup in my ... Read more
Amanda, my oldest, records herself playing guitar and singing from time to time. She posts them on Facebook, but only her “friends” can see them. I asked her if I could put them up here every once in a while. Enjoy! 🙂
Really. They’re not for sale. This particular one was made by a 6th grader. She was one of the winners of the “design a bookmark” contest here at the school library. She’s also my daughter, which is awesome for many reasons. (No, Donna and I were not judges in the contest.) The winning bookmarks, of ... Read more
What started out as a festive holiday for most ended in the beginning stages of the apocalypse. CERN has certainly been under the public eye with their LHC experiments, and so in order to test some of the more controversial procedures — the “scientists” need to mask their nefarious plans in a bit of pie. ... Read more
It is the time of year where we get presents. That means it’s the time of year for awkward moments where you must pretend your gift is something you’ve always wanted. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all about, “It’s the thought that counts” — but we’ve all gotten those 3 armed sweaters from Crazy Aunt ... Read more
I’m currently sitting in a restaurant with my extended family, as one often does during the holiday season. They’re all eating. It’s not rude of them to be eating while I sit and stare at my empty placemat, because you see, they ordered soup and salad bar with their meal. I, did not. It’s quite ... Read more
Whenever I’m overwhelmed, Donna reminds me how to eat an elephant. One bite at a time. It’s really good advice, and yet I still try to poke that thing down in one gulp. I always fail of course, and have guilt, more stress, an increasing workload, and a lovely shame spiral that seems to never ... Read more
I read that fish relieve stress. I also know that caring for fish can be very stressful. Ironic that. So, following the advice of my Internet friends on Twitter, I decided to adopt a betta fish. I have a 1.5 gallon tank, and he seems quite happy. He likes to strut his stuff and flare ... Read more
It’s really interesting to visit others during the holidays. Some folks have advent calendars, some have fake snow on the windows, heck some even have dying pine trees sitting in their livingroom decorated in a morbid mockery of their death. (At least that’s what I assume the trees are for, we have a fake tree…) ... Read more
I saw the doctor today, and he says I’m better! I no longer have pneumonia, I am no longer contagious, and I can return to work in the morning! Yay! Hooray! Well, sorta. I’m glad to be over the hump. Really, I am. I gotta be honest though, I thought being healed would feel a ... Read more
If you’ve been following me on Twitter, Facebook, or suchthelike, you most likely know that I’m absurdly sick. Today is the 13th day I’ve been bedridden, and it’s getting frustrating. I started with what I think was Influenza (I say that instead of “Flu”, because the stomach flu is what most people call the “Flu”, ... Read more
I’ve never had my fever spike before, at least not when I was in a place I could do nothing about it. On the way home from the doctor today, my fever went up. WAY up. I didn’t have a thermometer with me, but it’s fair to say it was a very scary experience. I ... Read more
Here’s the thing, I’m a sickly man. It’s true. I seem to get every sniffle, infection, cold, pneumonia, etc that can afflict a person. Add to that my chronic migraines, and I’ve seen my fair share of bedrest. I’m pretty sure I have the flu right now. I looked up symptoms (after I tallied all ... Read more
I’ve lost weight before. Lots of weight. In fact, over about 6 months, I lost 60 pounds. It was impressive. I felt great, looked great, and had the willpower of a hunk of granite. This time, I’m not so great with the willpower. So I’ll give you some of the things I do to help ... Read more
Donna and I are celebrating our 15th anniversary this month. 15 years. Yes, it amazes me that someone would put up with for that long as well. Still, in all that time, we’ve never been on a honeymoon, or even a vacation with just the two of us. I started planning a vacation for our ... Read more
WARNING: This post is a long, wordy, self-discovery thread in which I reveal more about myself than anyone likely cares to know. It’ll probably be boring. Feel free to click away now, I won’t be offended. 🙂 I wish I would follow my own advice. Really, I do. See, my simple advice to everyone is ... Read more
I have books. I have eBooks. I have eBook readers. (Yes, plural) I have eBook conversion tools. I have shelves. I have books on those shelves. I have a “shame pile” of books to read that could easily intimidate the most avid bookworm. Yet I can’t seem to find the time to read. When I ... Read more
OK, here’s the deal. Those of you that know me know I struggle with migraines. Like, really really struggle with them. Well, I’m on a new cocktail of prescription drugs that seems to be working at keeping migraines at bay — but one of the side effects is that I am gaining weight. And boobs. ... Read more
I was sitting at work, happily working hours of overtime for no pay, when I got an instant message from a young lady that used to live with us. (She’s now in college, doing quite well — I’m incredibly proud of her, but that’s another story altogether…) Anyway, here’s how the conversation went: Jess: hi ... Read more
I’m posted before about how wonderful McDonald’s Premium Roast coffee tastes. I’ve also expressed how that seems to go against everything that’s right in the universe. I mean, really good coffee? From McDonald’s??!?!?!. But alas, it’s true. That being said, while they may understand how to brew good coffee, they apparently haven’t figured out physics. ... Read more
I don’t often post about religion or politics. Mainly because that’s not what I feel my blog is for. I just don’t want my personal blog space to be a focal point for religious and political disagreement. I want it to be a neutral ground that everyone can play in. Today, however, I figured I’d ... Read more
I know, it’s hard to believe, but this fine piece of 12 year old geek was single. Mind you, he had a TI-99/4A computer, a black and white television, and a laminated library card — but no woman could hold him down. In fact, it was so obvious to them, that none tried. 😀 I ... Read more
UPDATE: I just got a call from the CEO’s executive team, and the full check is being overnighted! Thank you to everyone that helped. 😀 Anyone that knows me personally or professionally knows that in January our house burned down. Many of you know that we’ve had problems getting our house replaced as well. Oddly, ... Read more
Monday is my birthday, which means I need to renew my license plates. I can’t decide which style to get. Let’s vote! Which Vanity Plate Looks Better?online surveys
Hi! How have you been? I realize it’s been a while since I last wrote you, and quite frankly I was hoping another letter wouldn’t be necessary. It turns out, however, that you sent another one of your famous conundrums my way. I realize it may be your little brother Karma that has been shanking ... Read more
Long ago, in a land not very dissimilar from our own, there were two little girls. Their names were Lagoria and Lizzanthia. The two sisters were particularly good one season, and at the Sun Harvest Festival, their father purchased them each a fairy scribe of their own. Fairy scribes, as you know, can not write ... Read more
July should be the last month The Powers Family is displaced. This is something I find profoundly awesome. My birthday is on the 19th, and I would be quite happy for my belated birthday present to be a home. Also, school is out. ALSO, I’m half done with the super sekrit project I’ve been working ... Read more
I like Apple products. No, really. Yes I’m fanatical about Linux and open ideals, but Apple makes really nice hardware and software that “just works” well. Their products are expensive, but if the elegance is something you like, you’re willing to pay for that premium. And it’s a free market. So that’s OK. The thing ... Read more
Yesterday, my family went to a local animal shelter to walk some dogs and pet some cats. As I walked “Taz”, an old dog with a mellow personality, I realized that I haven’t mourned the loss of Tigger. I want to tell you about Tigger, and while it won’t bring him back, perhaps it will ... Read more
Yesterday I blogged about my day of awesome. There was one little thing I left out — the family bought me a combination early Father’s Day and birthday gift in the form of an awesome grill! If you think an awesome grill would have propane fire, quite frankly you don’t know the awesomeness that is ... Read more
If you follow me on Twitter, you know that today I went fishing. It was the first time in about a decade that I’ve gone, and while I didn’t even get the slightest hint of a nibble, it was awesome! Then the day got better. I sent an email to the staff at school, and ... Read more
It’s Monday. If it’s not Monday when you read this, chances are it’s one of Monday’s six miserable siblings. Like my pasta-addicted buddy Garfield, I hate Monday. So here’s my tip to make Monday, or any other day, full of awesome. (Or at least less full of suck…) Pretend. Yep, that’s right, just pretend. Pretend ... Read more
A bunch of my UCF friends have been posting songs all week on their blogs. Well, I wanna play too. Here’s Jonathan Coulton performing “The Future Soon”. His music is fun, well done, and pretty geeky. Enjoy, and Happy Friday!
They say fear is the mind killer. I’d guess the one that wrote that never had migraine pain. Unless of course it’s the fear a migraine won’t go away. Because that might actually be true. Don’t worry, I’m not getting suicidal or anything — I’m just swinging precariously at the end of my sanity rope. ... Read more
My oldest girl turned 13 this past weekend. Those of you following me on Twitter or Facebook probably heard about the big party she had, and how her old man struggled to deal with 15 teenage girls. Honestly though, the party was fine, the girls all behaved (for the most part), and Amanda made me ... Read more
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed a good April Fool’s Day silliness as much as the next online person — but this year, I think the pranks just seem a bit too 2007. So I say, this year (and possibly the next 2010 years) we try to out-awkward each other. I declare today, “TMI Day!” ... Read more
Got my disk in the mail, and thought I’d stop home at lunch to try it out. Here are my thoughts, shot out into quick bullets: The interface is the best Netflix interface I’ve used yet. It’s easy to navigate your queue, similar titles, recent additions to the streaming library, etc. Activating your Wii is ... Read more
Here is our burned house. Don’t let the outside fool you — it’s totaled. If anyone would want to preserve it, it would be the insurance company, and even they agree demolition is the only option. Also, the contents are a total loss. Here’s what it looks like though: The house we’re putting up in ... Read more
I’m at a conference this weekend! This time, it’s not a Linux conference. I’m at a church leadership conference, and boy has it been interesting. The most interesting part, sadly, hasn’t been the content — but rather my inability to handle the huge mobs of people. If you’ve known me for a while, you know ... Read more
You ever go outside in the rain, and as much as you try to stay dry, you just end up wet? About the point where your underwear band starts to get damp, you stop caring about getting wet, and just embrace the rain. Well, the horror and destruction that has been my 2010 isn’t really ... Read more
Because 3 day weekends are amazing. And no one does anything really productive on Friday anyway. So c’mon world, why not adopt a 4 day work week? Also, I think the extra day should be Friday. Face it, the first day back from the weekend (regardless of duration) will stink. Monday already has that stink ... Read more
Ok, maybe a couple questions about ’em… 1) Do you have “dress” t-shirts? By that I mean t-shirts you treat as more formal attire than you do the mountains of t-shirts we have for sleeping, painting, dog washing, etc. Personally I do. I have lots of t-shirts in a drawer, but I also have my ... Read more
I love the lifehacker website, really I do. But I’m not a writer there, so when I feel particularly life-hackerish, I do it here. This is one of those times. One of the big problems with loving what you do, is that you tend to do too much. Really. Take me for instance, I have ... Read more
Thankfully, the former doesn’t guarantee the latter, or we’d have a lot of people with funny looking hairdos walking around the Internets. 🙂 Ok, this will likely be long, so I’ll bust it up into sections: Why Would I Hack My Wii? There are many reasons to hack your Wii. There are many reasons not ... Read more
As many of you know, my wonderful wife works in the high school library. Even if you didn’t know that, it’s still true. Seriously though, one of the areas the library is severely lacking in is the science fiction department. Really, it’s slim pickings. So here is my request: Please leave in the comments what ... Read more
One of the really neat things about writing is when you “find your voice.” A voice is a rather elusive thing, in that the darn thing hides right in front of you. It will also hide in technical nuances too. Lemme give you an example from the past few years of my life. * I’ve ... Read more
Tired of my blog being all about doom, gloom, and fire? Me too. (Oh, I’ll keep you updated on that too, no worries) Here’s something that has been bothering me…
And yet we’ve just begun the process. The world has gone forward, us included, yet it amazes me how tumultuous our lives remain. My family appreciates everyone’s continued thoughts and prayers. Donna went to the house for the first time since the fire yesterday, and it was really hard on her. I think if the ... Read more
While I’ve been looking for a contact on the “inside” at Ganz, the makers of “Webkinz”, I sent this letter to their support email. My hope is that it finds someone that realizes the significance to a 9 year old girl: Dear Webkinz, My name is Shawn Powers, I’m an editor at Linux Journal, a ... Read more
I know none of you have helped us looking for our gratitude as motivation. I know you’ve all given gifts, emails, encouragement, kind thoughts, and a million other things purely because you’re wonderful people. I think that is the reason I want to track everyone down and blubber over them with thankfulness. I apologize for ... Read more
I think that’s the part that amazes me. Well, OK, I think the outpouring love on my family is the bigger amazement. Still, I have been so busy over the past 3 days, I’ve had little time to do much more than “keep going”. I want to give you all an update, because you’ve shown ... Read more
The wind was blowing hard, but it didn’t offer any relief. In fact it was much like a dragon trying to cool off a hot cup of tea by blowing on it. The sun pressed down so hard on Jade’s head, its flaming tendrils wiggled their punishment through the holes in the straw cap he ... Read more
You’ll have to trust me that the significance of this is much greater to myself and my family than I expect it to be anyone reading. (Well, maybe for my friend Josh, who hosted my family last night. He’s heard way more than a dude should hear about another dude’s lack of clean underwear.) Silliness ... Read more
Wow. You’d think I’d have something a bit more profound to say, but perhaps I’m still in shock. So, wow. Here’s a quick update: * We’re all OK. We were at church during the fire. * Our house did burn, but is still standing. The fireman said it was likely because it’s winter, and the ... Read more
If drywall gets wet, do you call it wetwall? I think a cat tongue would be really great for eating ice cream. I like gummy bears. (This post has been brought to you by the “adjusting to new medication society”)
Ok, don’t mention that one, you perv. I think a large part of my migraines might be due to stress. I have an abnormal amount in my life, even for me. So I’m up for ideas. Please, if your answer is “exercise”, be more specific. (Again, not that, sheesh keep your mind out of the ... Read more
It often sucks, quite frankly. Vacation is over, and tomorrow, all the staff and students will be bounding in the doors ready to tackle this new year with vim and vigor. (As opposed to emacs and vigor? Nevermind, nerd joke.) The problem with that is Saturday night, when I went home for the evening around ... Read more
Yes, the rumors are true — brainofshawn.com is now mobile! What, you haven’t heard the rumors? I guess that’s understandable. They were really only circulating around my house. And if you were around my house listening to rumors, well that’s just creepy. GO HOME! On your way home, assuming you take public transport and aren’t ... Read more
L. O. L. You can’t make this stuff up, I found this post in my “Drafts” section of WordPress’ dashboard. Dated August 10th. I think posting it like this is actually better than finishing my original thoughts on the matter, which I assure you were profound. 😀 Why yes, I did start this post about ... Read more
UPDATE: Kris wins. 🙂 I am an information addict. The Internet is my crack, and the LCD monitor is like my crack pipe. (Or heroin and syringe if you prefer, or meth and… well, I don’t know how one “does” meth, but you get the idea) At work, I have (3) 22+ inch monitors set ... Read more
I normally do work involving clicking and typing, but soon (I hope), I’ll be doing work that involves hammering and sawing. And likely grunting and belching. Also probably whining and thumb smashing, but we’ll ignore that bit for now. Basically, I’m extending a wall from our walk-thru closet about 3 feet into our living room. ... Read more
This isn’t the first time I’ve ranted about Anti-Lock Brakes. Last time, my post sparked lots of discussion in IRC, IM, and in the comments. I’ve thought long and hard about why exactly I hate them so much, and I’ve come up with why. First though, I should give them credit where credit is due: ... Read more
I figure, if I make them publicly, I’ll have slightly more motivation to keep them. In the end, it won’t likely matter, because let’s face it — you aren’t the boss of me. (Well, not true, a few of you might actually be the boss of me. Your powers are limited to the ability of ... Read more
May your candy bring you joy as well. 🙂 Fun With Christmas Candy I slay me… Posted on Natuba
We’ve all got flash drives. They’re awesome. They’re great. They are awesometastic with awesomesauce on top. But I’m curious, what do you keep on them? I’m a big fan of bootable USB drives. In fact, although he hasn’t updated it in a while (hint hint), I think Bill Childers‘ Linux distribution “Billix” is handy to ... Read more
I have a bunch of duties over at Linux Journal. I’m certainly better at some things than others, and if you ask Jill (the Executive Editor), deadlines are not one of the things at which I’m particularly skilled. 🙂 There is one task I find especially enjoyable, however: Answering letters to the editor. I’m not ... Read more
See, that’s the sorta thing I got today at the doctor’s office. I haven’t really been that public with the horrific problems I’ve been having with migraines lately — but suffice to say it has affected my daily comings and goings quite severely. After another trip to the hospital on Sunday night, I decided to ... Read more
Based on photographic evidence, The Grinch had acute liver failure. Poor guy, with his sociopathic tendencies, he’ll never get on the transplant list.
But just in case y’all haven’t heard about the new Linux Journal podcast we’re doing — you can check it out HERE. That’s all. Carry on. 🙂
In my attempt to de-fattify myself, I find that cooking is a must. You see, it’s just too easy to buy fast food. And, it’s like, fast and stuff. When I cook, I tend to cook vegan, or at least very vegetarian. I think it takes a REALLY good cook to make something delicious when ... Read more
It’s very difficult. However, both Donna and I really need to lose weight. I need to lose about 40 pounds, and Donna needs to lose some too. (I’m not going to say how much she wants to lose — I’m transparent, but I’m not stupid) Donna paid for a month at the local “gym”, which ... Read more
Don’t worry, it won’t take you long to read. I still like the ideas I had, so perhaps I’ll finish it sometime this winter. 🙂 Black Holes, and Other Things That Suck You ever bark at a dog, and wonder if you’re really saying something? I always imagine we sound absolutely ridiculous to our canine ... Read more
For those of you with a fascination for space, fire, and sitting in the dark — tonight was made just for you. Tonight is when the Leonid meteor shower peaks, and the conditions should be pretty good. While the show in Asia is supposed to be the best, here in North America it will still ... Read more
Yesterday on Twitter, I commented that I would be asking everyone for a HUGE favor today. Well, it’s today. 🙂 Over at Natuba (the folks that put me in their ad), they are having a “funniest photo” contest in which the winner will win a Nintendo Wii. I have mentioned it before, but today is ... Read more
I have a deadline. Mind you, this isn’t just a regular deadline I’ve pushed off until the last minute (rest assured, I have one of those for Monday. Seriously.) This is a monumental project that has been delayed due to a myriad of reasons. Some reasons good ones, some reasons not. But it’s a deadline. ... Read more
I’m sure it makes me horribly narcissistic, but I’m just so humbled that people actually want to hear what I have to say, I thought I’d pass the links on to you. In case, you know, you’re one of those people. 😉 First: Back at The Ohio Linuxfest, I was interviewed by Aaron Newcomb from ... Read more
It’s my blog, and I can say whatever I want. So there. Also, I’ll have you know this is the only hit when searching for Bliggle Darnock Marchiqua Norlanthou via Google. I have exclusivity, baby! Yours Truly, Quigniggly McPooterspank UPDATE: Darn you rotten kids!
Yes, I realize it’s silly. Yes, I realize it’s cheesy. But still, for some reason being in an ad is full of awesome. Natuba in @linuxjournal. Welcome Natubatons! Posted on Natuba
This man is a father, husband, and soldier. I'm proud to call him brother. Posted by shawnp0wers on Natuba
Warning: This is all about me. More so than usual. If you’re here to hear about notme things, well, turn back now. You have been warned… First off, you should know about my accident. Reminiscing about childhood memories is much less significant unless you have acute amnesia. That said, even with amnesia (yes, it still ... Read more
I’m not sure where someone goes for banal chat on such a thing… Also, I apparently can only communicate in 140 character chunks.
We went to Salvador Molly’s here in Portland, and I took the “Great Balls of Fire” challenge. It’s 5 habanero fritters with habanero salsa. If you “win” you get your photo on the wall of flame. Kyle Rankin took video of the event:
Maybe you like corn. Or soy beans. Or John Scalzi Or Buckeyes. Or humidity. Or the occasional pig farm. Or John Scalzi’s Cat Or maybe it’s just on your way to somewhere. Whatever your reason, I’ll tell you why I’M going to Ohio: And in the words of Levar Burton, don’t take my word for ... Read more
I tweeted about my world famous beef stroganoff, and got a few requests for the recipe. The cool part is that the recipe is DEAD SIMPLE. And it always pleases. I got the original recipe from my Mom, I’m just a little more picky about the process. Here goes: 1 Bag wide egg noodles (whole ... Read more
In 1993, I went off to college. One of the required classes for freshmen is “Speech.” It seems fairly simple, every freshman must take speech class. I dropped the class. Then in 1994, when I was entering my second year at Michigan Tech, the adviser kindly reminded me I had to take speech class. I ... Read more
(In reference to this post on Twitter) Personally I like the firework looking one. Posted by shawnp0wers on Natuba
Or canoodling for that matter. But at least I’m getting somewhere. 5PM approaches! Mobile post sent by trunkboy using Utterli. Replies.
I’m not even sure if "kanoodle" is a word, but at the very least I’m futzing with them. 🙂 Mobile post sent by trunkboy using Utterli. Replies.
Yes, I realize I’m a dork: Innocent Friend 11:48 I think Michael Jackson fans have officially lost their GD minds. Shawn Powers 11:48 His death is a real Thriller O.o Innocent Friend 11:49 rimshots Shawn Powers 11:49 But yeah, the fans should just Beat It Innocent Friend 11:50 yep Don’t care about the man for ... Read more
Have you ever heard of “Neti Pots” ? Apparently Oprah told the world how awesome they are, and now doctors are recommending them. Last week when I went to urgent care about a headache, sure enough the guy suggested I use a “Neti Pot” type thing. Actually, he suggested the Binford 2000 variety that uses ... Read more
Well, I bought the book. It’s the Kindle version, which O’Reilly promised was DRM-Free — but I’m not totally convinced. Still, the book is amazing. I’m about 25% finished. This guy gets it, and I can’t recommend the book enough. Anyway, I think I’m going to officially start on July 1. I have bible camp ... Read more
See, anyone can maim themselves with razor sharp objects. It takes a real man to do it with a yummy malt.
I have no time to re-spiff my site right now, so this old theme (which makes the widgets look wonky, I realize) will have to suffice. The good news is we get to look at a photo taken on Mars. I’ll fix it soon, but it might be the weekend. 🙂
I’ve spoken of this before, but the truth of the matter is that I’m a terribly disorganized person. I have an aversion to schedules, and I am a world class procrastinator. (Ask poor Jill, the editor at Linux Journal, about my deadline pushing. It’s disgusting. I have 2 more articles due today — and it’s ... Read more
Have I mentioned how awesome the folks at Linux Journal are to work with? Well, they are. Last Friday that created an ad, and put it live on the www.linuxjournal.com website. This is not to be confused with the ad I created, oh no, this is much better. Much. I don’t want to post a ... Read more
[INTERESTING FAILURE FROM UTTERLI] Yeah, it made my topic that much more interesting, no? This was supposed to be an audio post remotely from my cellphone. 🙂
TruckCam – #macfail Edition I still have a truck. I still have a cam. This is them together. 🙂
I won’t give you spoilers, because you need to see this movie. You really do. All I will say is that it’s amazing. Some people will be angry. And the reason they will be angry is because they know they can’t be angry. Amazing. Go see it. Really.
That’s how long it took for my “add a new post” page to load. I have no idea why my wordpress install is so absurdly slow. Perhaps it’s GoDaddy. Perhaps it’s DNS. Perhaps it’s WordPress. Perhaps it’s Mogwai that were fed after midnight. The load time is so frustrating, I find myself using Twitter more ... Read more
I’m being completely honest — I still find it a bit surreal people actually want to know my schedule at Penguicon this year. I’ve gotten several emails, tweets, and facebook something-or-others asking for it. It makes me feel a bit like the nerd that gets asked to the prom as a prank. If anyone throws ... Read more
You may remember last year, my church youth group participated in the 30 Hour Famine to raise money for those in need. We’re doing it again this year, and our oldest girl, Amanda, is now old enough to be in youth group. I told her she could ask the people that read my blog if ... Read more
This post crosses way over the line of TMI, but if you’re remotely interested in some insight into the boxer and brief debate, and not offended by references to dangley bits, this post might be educational. It might also be a complete farce, it’s hard to tell. This evening, due to my inability to put ... Read more
At first glance, insomnia really does seem cool. No, I’m serious. I don’t know about you, but I’m often annoyed that I need to spend a third of my life pointlessly sleeping. I’ve got things to do man. Unfortunately insomnia really isn’t as cool as just “never getting tired.” See, here it is almost midnight ... Read more
There are some things I do that are almost too absurd to share with the public. Thankfully, this isn’t one of them. Plus, I “shared” with the public more than I ever intended to anyway… This morning, due to insomnia problems, I was getting ready for work after my family had already left for school. ... Read more
Wow. I have not been able to sleep lately. I think I get like 2 hours a night, and it’s really starting to catch up with me. I feel like death. Apart from doctor prescribed drugs, anyone have any good tips on curing insomnia? I’m all ears…
I’m not a wine pro by any stretch of the imagination, but this wine was something I just had to review. It’s weird. The back of the bottle explains the name, “Layer Cake” by saying good wine should be like a layer cake. There should be a layer of chocolate, a layer of fruit, and ... Read more
Don’t get me wrong, I think Joe Cocker is an amazing artist. I really do. But kids, this is a prime example of why drugs are bad, mmmkay? [kml_flashembed fversion=”8.0.0″ movie=”/videos/JoeCocker.swf” targetclass=”flashmovie” useexpressinstall=”true” play=”false” publishmethod=”static” width=”320″ height=”276″ quality=”high” allowfullscreen=”true”] [/kml_flashembed] NOTE: I have no idea who to credit for making this video. The “transcription” is ... Read more
In today’s tech tip, I show you how to upgrade Linux so you can have things like IE7, Minesweeper, and MS Paint!
Tomorrow is April 1st, and apart from funny pranks and silly hats — the Conficker worm will rear its ugly head. As recently as yesterday, some early (not that early I realize) detection programs are available. And they’re free. The first is simple to use, but slow as crap. In the author’s defense, it’s just ... Read more
No really, it’s finally fixed. CNN reports the stock market is headed upwards on a steady rise to its previous highs. The stimulus package has taken hold, and jobs are being created. The Midwest alone has seen a 4% decrease in unemployment, and more jobs are being created every day. White House corespondent Julie Swarnok ... Read more
This hard drive contains over 16,000 photos of my kids growing up. No, I don’t have a backup. Yes, I thought I did. (An untested backup is no backup at all) I’m 99% sure the PCB failed. The mechanics inside the drive I believe are fine. The problem is, I need to find the exact ... Read more
There have been some questions about my Houdini act, so I’ll set the record straight… 1) I am not the one that locked the keys in the car. I think that’s important to note. So, noted. 🙂 2) Our van is a 2007 Caravan, and doesn’t lend itself to jamming a coat hanger anywhere. Well, ... Read more
Who unlocked it with a string, piece of plastic, and physics? This Guy! Posted by shawnp0wers on Natuba (It’s a 2007 Caravan too, which makes me even more impressed with myself…)
No really, I do. You know that awesome magazine company I work for? Well, you can get a year subscription to the digital version absolutely free. FREE. No strings attached. All you have to do is solve a puzzle and fill out a form. And puzzles are fun, so it’s like 2 gifts in one. ... Read more
I think it was meant as an insult, but it made me laugh out loud 🙂 Posted by shawnp0wers on Natuba
Yes yes, I'm drinking caffeine in order to function. I blame DST. 🙂 Posted by shawnp0wers on Natuba
You know those videos I do all the time, teaching folks how to do stuff with Linux? Well, humor me and pretend you do. Anyway, this week Linux Journal is giving stuff away. And not a limited amount of stuff either. Everyone that plays can win. You can play. You can win. Watch this video ... Read more
Poor Tigger, the vet doesn't even know what's wrong with him 🙁 Posted by shawnp0wers on Natuba
Does anyone know where to get real information about mortgage assistance, etc, that the stimulus package is supposedly providing? Here’s the deal: I get about 10 calls a day telling me how they want to relieve my overly-big mortgage payment. 10 calls. 8-9 of those calls are scams (Michigan is getting hammered with stimulus scams), ... Read more
We all have silly dreams about what we’d like to do. As a kid I wanted to be an astronaut. (And by kid, I mean last week…) Silly things like mortgages, food buying, and raising a family can often squelch our dreams. So what do you do with those unmet longings? Well, I’m not a ... Read more
Yes, a Star Trek question. But really, which would you rather have? With a replicator, you could create anything the size of a bread basket or smaller, as long as it wasn’t terribly complicated. With the holodeck, you could live a virtual world as real as life and have it go any way you desire. ... Read more
Well, not really a jetplane. More like a big van. I’ll be away for a couple days at a youth group retreat. I may or may not have Internet access while gone, but I’ll be busy for sure regardless. See you on the flip side!
I like music, I really do. I don’t listen to music as much as other people, largely because I like music so much that it sucks me in. I can’t work with music playing, because I just stop and listen to the music. I can usually watch TV while working, because it doesn’t draw me ... Read more
I tend to watch television (movies, shows, whatever) with a laptop in my lap. I often search for actors on IMDB, or during boring scenes I’ll browse the web a bit. Yes, I’m a multitasker. In fact I’m watching TV as I type this right now. Am I alone? Do you watch TV with a ... Read more
Living in a small town means: If you forget to tip your waitress, you drive back to the restaurant and do so. If you take a sick day, you’d better be sick, and you’d better stay home. If you don’t, everyone will know. You don’t have to lock your car. If someone steals it, everyone ... Read more
A co-worker forwarded me this email she received. It’s long, but I assure you it’s worth the effort to read. The Beautiful Son of the King! So lovely is the work of the beautiful Son of the King, the precious manchild of Revelation Chapter Twelve. He is a delight to see; and His works are ... Read more
This is like a nicotine patch for Coke drinkers, but without the nicotine. So, I guess that means it’s like a pointless sticker that resembles a nicotine patch. At the very least the Coke company could make caffeine free Coke Zero — which would probably taste fairly good. Sadly, I’m not the guy they turn ... Read more
Anyone notice that about the time I quit drinking caffeine I also stopped blogging regularly. Coincidence? I think not. Why yes, I am trying to rationalize drinking real coffee again. Thank you for asking.
UPDATE: For all you “you already did that” haters out there, fine. Here’s a different picture for you:
(Click play to see what I’m talking about) They agreed to do an intro for one of my tech tips. I love the “woo” right before it switches to the actual tech tip. 🙂
You know, a few months ago, I could have posted this screenshot and probably gotten on the local news. Or possibly on the cover of The Enquirer as a secret UCF/LHC/Palin conspiracy member. Of course in these post-Palin days, I figure it’s just one of my Alaskan friends visiting. Still, seeing it makes me chuckle. ... Read more
I really hate memes, so I figured I’d tell you about my dog instead. To be honest, he’s probably more interesting than me anyway. So here ya go: 1. His name is Tux, but originally it was Fizz-Gig. It fit him well. 2. Our cat is bigger than he is. 3. She reminds him of ... Read more
OK, I hate exercise. I really really do. I would like some suggestions for exercise that is fun. Something that I might not consider exercise, but rather something fun to do. No, not that. Sicko. Here’s a bit about the requirements: 1. I don’t like being outside when it’s cold. 2. It’s always cold here. ... Read more
He’s home. Sick. But because he can’t stand being home sick, he’s going into work at 10AM this morning and sequestering himself to the office so as not to infect others. OK, enough with the 3rd person. 🙂 Yeah, I have the flu that has been ravaging our school district. I try really hard to ... Read more
Here’s the deal: My wife and I are not the most organized parents in the world. Usually, at least 2 days a week, at least one child will go to school missing their lunchbox. One of us must then run it to the school, and drop it off in the appropriate office before our children ... Read more
You know that guy that can fix mechanical things? The car breaks down, and he grabs his toolbox and reconoiters your carburetor on the side of the road? Yeah, well I’m not that guy. We have lots of snow. The storm London just got is what we refer to “A Tuesday” around here. That’s not ... Read more
Today I put this together: Some of you may have seen my tweet about it earlier. The part that was really interesting for me is that a former student was chatting with me over IM while I was assembling it, walking me through some of the things that have changed since I last built a ... Read more
About a week and a half ago, I quit consuming caffeine. It was about as much fun as you’d imagine, and only the past 3 or 4 days have been headache free. I actually think my plan to taper off was dumb, and I should have quit cold turkey. I ended up with a headache ... Read more
So yesterday I posted about how I find daily posting to be the proper speed for me. And the next day I don’t post anything. I’d like to claim I did that on purpose, but in fact it was just legitimate irony. Oh well, such is life. 🙂
We’re past the point where “blogging” is new and cool, so everyone tries it. Chances are you’ve tried blogging. It’s fairly likely that you are a blogger yourself. If so you’ve probably had the days, just like any other writer, that you sit and stare at the screen with nothing to say. One of the ... Read more
That’s right folks, there’s no hope now. You’ll be seeing much more of me. (I mean, not like more of me, but more often.) Sadly, my truck is off the road for the winter, so actual TruckCam will have to wait. I’ll try to fill the void with something. Yay for video!!!
I’m sure it comes to no surprise that my kids are cooler than me — but here’s some video evidence. At least they get to listen to good music while they show me up. 🙂
Chances are, you use toilet paper. We may have different techniques when it comes to the use of it (and no, I don’t want to discuss technique, eiw) but we’re all probably familiar with the usage and purchasing of the product. I’m a Mega Roll man. Don’t get me wrong, I always read the sheet ... Read more
Tonight, the family and I went skating. (We’re not Canadian, so we haven’t been bred to ice skate and play hockey. I don’t mean that as in insult either, hockey is cool.) The rest of my family has been going for a while, and in fact everyone else owns their own skates. Daddy had to ... Read more
The older I get, the more sensitive I am to sleep deprivation. It wasn’t very many years ago that “pulling all nighters” was a common occurrence at work. Now, if I did have to work all night, I’d likely have to take a day or two off to recoup. It’s quite frustrating. Take this evening ... Read more
Look, sometimes things are fun and funny for no reason apart from absurdity. Things like whoopie cushions, LOLCats, and peeing in the snow. Today, we’ll say to celebrate Inauguration Day, I give you permission to be completely silly. The best way to start is with your new name provided Professor Poopypants from Captain Underpants and ... Read more
Over at Linux Journal, we’re doing new “Linux in a Minute” videos. Ideally, they’ll give you a tiny tidbit of helpful information in about a minute. We started last week, but we’re going full force this week. Click through to enjoy! (PS: Please leave any comments over on the Linux Journal site)
I understand that I live in a northern climate, and cold weather is part of the deal. Really, I do. I just wish the forecast people would give realistic estimates. See if you can tell what’s wrong with this little forecast widget’s forecast: Notice today’s low. Notice the current temperature. Guess who’s grumping because he ... Read more
I realize I am the exact demographic that should play video games like crazy. When the Blizzard company’s board meets — they probably use pictures of me when they discuss ways to better market their product to computer geeks. I should be every game-producing company’s ideal target. As it turns out, I’m just not a ... Read more
Remember the waterbeds that used to have a big wooden frame, and a rubber bladder on the inside? The kind that was quite impossible to “make” because it constantly moved, which wrinkled the sheets? The kind that was either so hot it made you sweat, or so cold you (sometimes literally) got hypothermia? Does anyone ... Read more
A friend of mine suggested I try hosting with www.nearlyfreespeech.net — because instead of a set monthly rate, they charge you based on usage. Low traffic sites (like mine) would cost very little to maintain. About that time, I was starting a private website, so I gave it a go. As it turns out, I’m ... Read more
Look, you have a new 16×9 high definition television. I get it. So do I. There is something in us that WANTS to have every single, beautiful pixel filled with entertainment awesomeness. But here’s the deal — your 4×3 footage was never meant to be displayed like that. It’s just wrong. Picard did not have ... Read more
This is the first in a series of short HOW-TO videos we’ll be doing over at Linux Journal. What do you think? (Sorry for the click through, but I’m looking for feedback over there) read more | digg story
See, my wife is gone for the evening. And if you recall, my desk is too tall. I’m a solution man. 🙂 Posted on Natuba
I’ve mentioned my little “office area” in our bedroom before. The more I use the desk, however, the more I’m annoyed by its height. The entire desk is about 6 inches too tall. The keyboard is a bit too high, the monitor is a bit too high, and that makes the webcam too high — ... Read more
Turns out, I need a vacation. No, really. I did a lot of amazing things this past summer, but none of them were really vacation. Yes, we just had Christmas break, but anyone that’s ever celebrated holidays knows it’s the furthest thing from a vacation. So, I’m looking to plan a small weekend getaway. This ... Read more
Being gone on the weekend almost caused me to miss my daily blog resolution! So here is my Saturday thought: I was watching Dirty Jobs (the TV show), and they were smoking bologna – that was in plastic tubes. How would the smoke flavor penetrate the plastic? Does that seem strange to anyone else?
Most bloggers are pumped when famous people visit their websites. Me? This friend stops by, and I’m all a twitter. 😉
Apparently I’m on a “which do you like better” kick. I am a BIG fan of soft cookies. In fact, I mean BIG in a literal sense because eating cookies has that effect on me. I never knew anyone that preferred hard cookies until the other day I was approached with the idea that soft ... Read more
I’m not talking about epic battles, but rather which a person identifies with more. Myself, I grew up in the Star Wars era. I had action figures. I dreamed of fashioning my own light saber. I was both scared and fascinated by Darth Vader. (Actually, he scared me even more in Return of the Jedi ... Read more
I posted a comment over at John Scalzi’s website that piqued my curiosity enough to ask the question to everyone: * Do you love/hate/not_care_about anti-lock brakes on your vehicle? * Also, where do you currently live, and where did you live when you started driving? I ask, because I live in northern Michigan, and we ... Read more
In my Calendar Sales / Cow Dance promotion, I ended up raising $130. Not surprisingly, the large majority of that did not come from calendar sales, but rather cash donations. I’m OK with that. Since the first two goals were met, that means in the very near future (not today, it’s Monday around these parts) ... Read more
With all apologies to my friends from the Pacific Northwest — y’all burn your beans. I have tried, over and over, to enjoy dark roasted coffee. I love that they call dark roast coffee “gourmet” coffee. What the heck?!?! If you cook your bread until it’s black, that’s called burnt toast. If your pancakes are ... Read more
No snow really (I mean, there’s lots on the ground), but this morning we woke up to a nice coating of ice. I actually like freezing rain, it’s almost magical the way it puts a complete coating of ice on things. Yes, it makes for dangerous travel. I realize that. Still, it’s really nifty to ... Read more
The weird people being me of course. It turns out, I’m rather difficult to buy for. My hobbies are rather limited, and if I want something throughout the year, I generally just buy it. (No, not like, “Hey, I’d like a Mustang”) This year, however, there were a few different things I wanted, so I ... Read more
Recent events have revealed that indeed, the UCF, an organization I belong to, is in fact a secret group of Navel enforcers. The timing for discovery isn’t ideal, but nonetheless here’s my reveal video:
I’m making videos again today. I love making videos, I truly do. You’ll have the opportunity to see them in the near future over at Linux Journal — but suffice to say, I’m a bit giddy today as the camera rolls. 🙂 Oh, and my office still has barren walls. I have an awesome penguin ... Read more
This year, I plan to write more regularly. Here, elsewhere, on bathroom stalls, whatever it takes. Today, I am carving out about 25 square feet that will be my “office” for a while. Here’s what it looks like currently: Tiny, but cozy — Posted on Natuba I know, it’s not much — but I have ... Read more
I’m not usually a fan of New Year’s resolutions, but this year, I’m going to try a few. It’s not that the concept has grown on me, but rather the timing is fairly good. I need to concentrate on a few things, and it happens to be the end of the year. So: Resolution Time. ... Read more
On my “POKE Me About Pills” post, Vince left this this morning: ‘Twas the day before Christmas and all through the house not a Shawn was stirring and nor was his spouse. The pills were all waiting all snug in their bottle ’cause Shawn hadn’t taken one as he knows that he ought’l And so ... Read more
I know I said we’d never speak of it again, but I figure the chance to humiliate me a bit, with the added benefit of, well, benefiting those in need might make it worth while. Remember those “Hot Blogger” calendars I blogged about? The ones that yours truly graces November in? Well, it turns out ... Read more
Well, it’s a song cool enough to repeat as often as it happens. Tonight, the full moon is the perigee moon, which means it is closer to Earth than any other time of year. It’s also in a particular part of the lunar cycle to make it closer than normal even for perigee. So it’s ... Read more
As the president of the NCCAoA (National Candy Cane Association of America), I feel a public service message is in order. Considering the season, it’s very likely candy canes are being improperly consumed. The following is the only acceptable consumption technique: 1) Broken candy canes are an abomination, and must be discarded immediately. Just because ... Read more
Well, to be completely honest, that part is already happening (no, I’m not being mean: bear with me). Many of you know Donna (my wife) works in the library at the school. One of the things she’s been doing is trying to get more books into the library. Many books, especially newer releases, are in ... Read more
Well I’m glad you asked. The blog-o-meter currently shows that my life is hectic to the point of non-posting. It’s been a long time since I’ve been this neglectful to blog. I could claim, “It’s my blog, I can do what I want!” But that would be a lie, because you see I rather like ... Read more
And really, who wouldn’t at these prices? I do really feel bad for the folks that “stocked up” when gas prices “fell” to below $4.00 a gallon. Who would have guessed prices would fall so much?!?! I’ve been told by people smarter than me that the low gas prices are a result of the failing ... Read more
As many of you know, I was one of the final 12 guys for the Hot Blogger Calendar contest. Yes, this is embarrassing. No, I don’t think I deserve it. Still, if you want to own your very own calendar with shawnp0wers as the November “model” — I think you should be able to fulfill ... Read more
It really is a sad testament to humanity when being kind is significant enough to point it out with thanks. Don’t get me wrong, I think we should all be thankful for things in our lives. Some things, however, shouldn’t be so rare as to warrant a thanks. When most people meet me, they don’t ... Read more
Can someone explain to me what Google Page Rank is all about? Apparently my site recently went down a point from a pagerank of 6 to 5. I guess a 5 is still good, but in the grand scheme of things, I don’t get what that means at all. Apart from ego stroking, what does ... Read more
Writing this gives me joy. Why? Because I win either way. Tee hee hee. I just read a post John wrote over on his site about his commenting on other blogs. It’s very interesting, and while I’m certain I won’t be the only one that baits him — I don’t know that others “win” by ... Read more
Apparently the little puddle jumper plane I was supposed to take from Pellston to Detroit needed some repairs. I’m actually happy they chose to repair the plane as opposed to crossing their fingers and going anyway — but it does make for an inconvenient morning. Plus, now I’m not arriving in Houston until 6PM. That ... Read more
Wow. November 3rd. That’s the last time I posted to my blog. Largely, that’s been due to my work load “harshing my mellow” when it comes to recreational writing. Also, I’m not sure if anyone else noticed, but the theme I was using in WordPress was very slow to load. I changed themes (although I’ll ... Read more
NOTE: No flogging, the photos were sent. 🙂 If I don’t get my photos into the Hot Blogger Calendar ladies in the next 2 days — you all have my permission to flog me publicly. I have to get them done. This weekend didn’t work for reasons outside of my control — but I MUST ... Read more
No, I did not have chili last night for dinner. And, eiw. The smell I’m referring to is that which emanates from a microwaveable bag of popcorn after it’s been in the microwave under power for too long. It’s not just a burnt smell mind you, but rather an unholy death stench that invades the ... Read more
It’s like I Tivo’d myself or something. 😉 Anyway, here’s the Linux Journal Live from this evening, happy Thursday!
Tonight, at 7:30PM CST (or 8:30 for those of us on the east coast), don’t miss the Halloween edition of Linux Journal Live. Click on the graphic I made to get to the show. Oh, and don’t make fun of my graphic. 😀
Over at Linux Journal, I do a weekly show. This week, I’m soliciting horrible computer stories from people, so I can pick the worst/funniest/most_interesting and give out prizes. Doesn’t that sound peachy? The details are here — as of yet, the responses aren’t nearly as numerous as I’d hoped. Perhaps you could be the poor ... Read more
Ok, not pickle farmers. Calendars and todo lists have been on my mind a lot lately though. Aside from making me think of The Wizard of Oz, “todo” lists have always been something I struggle with. Don’t get me wrong, I know how to make them. I have created categorized, prioritized, color coded, device syncing, ... Read more
The other day I was cleaning up some junk around the house, and threw out a lamp that got broken. OK, I stepped on the lamp and broke it. As I gathered the pieces to throw in the trash, I instinctively cut off the power cord, and began to wind it up for storage. See, ... Read more
Our new van (2007 Dodge Caravan SXT) has one of the most annoying features in any vehicle I’ve ever owned. I don’t say that lightly, because there are many vehicular things that bother me. Things like the idiotic power sliding doors. Or my truck, for instance, has an extremely sensitive, “Oh you must have already ... Read more
If you’re not doing the Manic Monday challenges over at Aff The Fang, you really should. This week’s mission was to write our own obituary. Being still alive, I had to guess as to what mine will read like, but I think I estimated fairly close. You’ll have to go there to read the rest. ... Read more
I have nothing interesting to say. That’s never stopped me before, so I figure we make this a participatory thread. Here’s the deal: I like hot beverages. A lot. In the morning, I prefer coffee, and in the evening I prefer tea. I’m also absurdly picky about what coffee and tea I like. Note, I’m ... Read more
I’m out of town this week, but Linux Journal Live is still going to be great! But don’t take my word for it, you can listen to this crazy guy in his truck:
Another Manic Monday post over at Aff the Fang. 🙂 UPDATE: Is anyone else disturbed that all my character voices sound suspiciously like Lady Elaine Fairchilde from Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood?
Wow, it’s kinda dusty around here. Yes, indeed I haven’t blogged for a full week. I was sick, and made myself chill out and heal. Sitting around is really overrated, and I’m actually starting to question how good I’ll be at retirement when the time comes. Thankfully, I have about 20-30 years to ponder the ... Read more
Over at Aff The Fang, Crystal does a weekly assignment that is designed to take the pain of Monday away, if only a bit. This week, we get to write off whatever we want for our taxes. Nevada. I used Nevada as an example of a place that uses a lot of electricity, therefore it ... Read more
This is one cool thing about living in Northern Michigan Posted by shawnp0wers on Natuba
Donna and I, dressed in our 50's gear. And yes, those are Lucky Strikes. 🙂 Posted by shawnp0wers on Natuba
I find it intriguing that my windshield wipers short out when it rains. On any given day of the week, I can use them — but when it rains, they short out. I think “convenience sized” bars of soap at hotels are very inconveniently sized. Yes yes, only two — now it’s your job to ... Read more
Hey guess what? I haven’t been posting a lot lately. I find that upsetting and disturbing. It probably hasn’t bothered you as much, but bear with me… I’ve decided to give you an actual aural snapshot of the thoughts in my brain for the past few weeks. If you can help sort out what it ... Read more
whew — what a week. Many of you know that I won’t be doing a review video this week for Linux Journal. WAIT! Step away from the edge of that building. The story doesn’t end there. 🙂 Starting this evening, I’ll be hosting “Linux Journal Live” on Thursday nights. When I was in Houston back ... Read more
As Nathan points out, I’ve been doing a lot of videos lately, and fewer and fewer posts that require actual text. It’s not because I forgot how to write, or because I think writing is outdated, but rather quite the opposite. I’ve been working on an outline for a book. I find that if I ... Read more
No video this morning, but I try to make up for it this evening. You get to see the local gas station in town, and buy Coke with me. How exciting. This is real reality TV. 😀
My pirate name is: Black Sam Cash Like anyone confronted with the harshness of robbery on the high seas, you can be pessimistic at times. You’re musical, and you’ve got a certain style if not flair. You’ll do just fine. Arr! Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.part of the fidius.org network H/T to Janiece.
I work with really cool people over at Linux Journal, and video seems to be getting more and more popular. I think that’s awesome. So watch this video, then do you best Jagger to get a free awesome poster.
Crystal over at Aff the Fang does a Manic Monday challenge every week. (It actually reminds me of John Scalzi’s “Weekend Assignments” back when he blogged for AOL) Anyway, this week the assignment was to do a MacGyver video. Here’s mine:
I’m impressed with Sitemeter. But don’t take my word for it, you can hear me talk about it… 😉 Click Here to Download Video
Because I know you read my website, so you’ll get my message. And it’s public, which is fun. So happy birthday Mom! 🙂
I used to love the simple, useful, real-time information SiteMeter offered for web traffic. This weekend, they changed over to their new system, which resembles a much less friendly, and much less useful version of Google Analytics. I’m really bummed about this, because it was their simplicity that made Sitemeter awesome. Now? Just another complicated, ... Read more
Kiki likes my hair gel. Sometimes I wake up at night with a WET head. This time she didn’t wait for me to fall asleep. Weird, eh? Click Here to Download Video
Over at Linux Journal, I reviewed a nifty set of speakers. Please go over there to comment and make me look much more popular than I really am — the captcha isn’t as bad as it used to be, I promise (Now it has maths!!!). 😀 (Plus, the commenters over there can be grumpy — ... Read more
So Crystal over at Aff The Fang assigned us the task of writing a poem about cheese. There were several interesting submissions. Go read for yourself. 🙂 (Mine is pasted below…) —- Cheddar by Shawn Powers The yellow cheese from Cheddar was a sight that had to be seen, See, the cows ate grass in ... Read more
I realized after filming this, that the motion isn’t terribly pleasant. You be the judge. 🙂 Download Video File Here
Sitting next to each other on the bathroom counter, these almost conspired to cause a really weird mess. I was moments away from gelled pits. Posted by shawnp0wers on Natuba
If you were wondering about my lack of posting this week, it’s just because I’ve been getting up at 3AM to get some work done early. It’s sorta painful to get up at 3, so today I decided to go back to bed. TTFN. 🙂
I’m considering something more than just a personal video blog, and I’m curious what y’all think about it. Click Here To Download Video
No video this morning, because quite frankly, you don’t want to see me at 3:45AM. No, really, you don’t. Basically, there’s a few things I want to get done at school before anyone arrives, so early is the way I decided to accomplish that. More later, I promise. 🙂
I’m not really “better” as in “healed” — but rather better as in better than I was yesterday. So, here I am at work. There’s no way I’m going to be ready for school to start. I can either deal with that, or stress myself to oblivion over something I can’t possibly change. I think ... Read more
As a rule, I never post about politics. The current race, however, really begs to be talked about. I have lots of friends that are much more intelligent than I am, so click on their links over there on the right. Many of them have deep insightful things to say about the election, and they ... Read more
After my site was crumpled from momentary Digg frontpage action, I’ve been more and more frustrated with GoDaddy. I’m considering a couple things: 1) Switching to Blogger. It’s free, it supports domain names, and if Digg brings down Google, we’re all in trouble. The downside is I’ll miss all my widgets, BUT Blogger seems to ... Read more
It appears that I have surpassed the Pheasant Hunting Guide, the lady Chiropractor, and the USC dude to attain the first place spot on Google when searching for shawn powers (Don’t even need the quotes! Hooray!) See for yourself. I have to go find a bigger hat now… 😉 UPDATE: And ironically, my Google Page ... Read more
Yesterday, at the doctor’s office, my blood pressure was 108/62!!!!!!! (No, that’s not 62 factorial) All this “makin’ sure Shawn takes his medicine” is GREATLY appreciated. My blood pressure has never been that good, even medicated. AND this is the most stressful time of my work year. w00 H00!!!!
Not a review, just tomfoolery. Video proof that LinuxWorld was fun. Also, Kyle Rankin, one of our columnists, has a website HERE if you want to learn more about the Jerry to my Kramer. 🙂 Download Video Here
Which do you think sounds more interesting: 1) A book discussion my car accident, where I elaborate much more than I did here. I’d talk about all the details regarding recovering from such a life changing event. There would be medical, social, relational, financial, and educational bits pertaining to my recovery. It’s a story people ... Read more
I’m spending a LOT of time in the server room lately. I thought you might want to take a peek. 🙂 Download File Here
Quick a little history: I was submitted to the “Hot Blogger Calendar” thingy. I find that funny. I find it funnier that I’m actually getting votes. My boss over at Linux Journal sends me this “Press Release” for the Brain of Shawn readers… Ain’t the Internet a funny place? (I wasn’t going to mention the ... Read more
I talk about my diet plan, “The Pushup Diet”. As absurd as it seems, I think it will work pretty well. Feel free to send friends here, so if they think it’s a stupid idea, they blame me, not you. 😀
Thanks to Crystal, I recently learned about Paperback Swap. If you can part with your precious books (I struggle with this), you should go sign up. Tell ’em I sent you (shawn@brainofshawn.com), and I think they send me a free pony or something. Oh, and here I talk about it:
I got loot from Nathan! Yay! I have no photos, because I’m at work. Again. Still. So in lieu of actual loot photos, here’s a picture of a bunny with a pancake on its head. You’re welcome.
I hate rap, but this is amazing. Super cool. Watch it. Teach it to your kids. Particle physics in a rap? Awesome. 😀 Hat tip to Maria over at .51
Thanks to Nathan, I’ll soon be reading some books in the Discworld series. Michelle posted the results of her character quiz, and so I figured it would be good to take the test before I read the book. I have no idea, my character might be a total dweeb. Time will tell. 🙂 Which Discworld ... Read more
I’m really busy, but still wanna play. Go HERE for details. Yay! (I’ll be playing on other blogs too, but it might be a bit after the fact…)
If you don’t know, August stinks for me. Busy, busy, busy, busy. I used to just give up sleep to accomplish August, but my body is reminding me I’m no longer in my twenties. My alarm went off this morning at 3AM, and I didn’t actually wake up until 10. Which kinda sucks. Anyway, here’s ... Read more
1) All the Good Stuff Has Already Been Written. Really, how many recycled articles, plagiarized copy/pastes, and kitties with poor grammar does the Internet need. If it’s important it’s already been written. If it’s funny, it was funnier the first time. If a cat said it, well, OK, I admit LOLCats are funny. And what ... Read more
No, not cleaning up the cables, but updating the servers. 🙂 Posted by shawnp0wers on Natuba
Ok, all those videos drove me nuts on my front page, so I put them in my archives under 2006. If you want to watch them, feel free. They are RIGHT HERE. Any future videos on my front page will be current. Sorry for the confusion. 🙂
No, I don’t have suggestions, rather I’m looking for some. I MUST exercise. I HATE to do so. Like, really hate it. We bought an expensive treadmill. I hate it. Running, in my opinion, is for those that haven’t mastered driving. I’m very open to suggestions, but don’t be offended if I don’t follow any ... Read more
I made it home. Yay!!! That said, the “insanely crazy” time of year is upon me regarding work at the school. Classes resume in a few weeks, and it’s time to update everything so it’s ready in time. There should be video today. I’m trying to figure the best way to embed them… I’ll probably ... Read more
I have some video toys to play with. I’m very excited about that, and after Nathan’s comment about my video reminding him of Dr. Horrible, I think I’m going to adopt the notion and start doing some regular video on this sight. You have been warned. 🙂
I’m off to LinuxWorld this morning. Admittedly, usually I consider 3AM as part of the previous night, but the airport is 2 hours away, and my plane leaves early anyway. Ugh. I’m not really complaining. I hear San Francisco is beautiful this time of year, and I’m looking forward to hanging out with the whole ... Read more
We have 2 dance pads for “Dance Dance Revolution” the other day, and it’s amazing to see my 9 year old. It looks like she is randomly bouncing around, but in fact, she’s hitting 90% of the “steps” during the song. She does NOT get her coordination from me. 🙂 I’d show you video, but ... Read more
Over at Stonekettle Station, Jim has quite an interesting story going on. It’s worth your time to go over and read it. Really. Also, check out Jim’s site in general, as he’s a pretty interesting fella.
No, I’m not really going to wax my face — but I’m tempted. Here’s the deal, my face is absurdly sensitive. I have to use a fresh razor almost every day, and that razor must be touched by an elvish princess while being sprinkled with aloe freshly squeezed from an aloe plant growning on a ... Read more
Something interesting I noticed while traveling this past week: Men at airports tend to wash their hands after using the bathroom. I find this amazing, as most of the time in public restrooms, guys will handle their junk, and just walk right out. (eiw) At the airport, even with the added inconvenience of lugging around ... Read more
It’s a good thing he’s cute. 🙂 (If you don’t know him, click on the picture for the story…)
I don't like the iPhone THAT much! I got comments on it looking like I peed myself… ugh… Posted by shawnp0wers on Natuba
Remember the “stay tuned” thing I mentioned earlier? Yeah, well… Nevermind. I was a semifinalist for a contest over at Winelibrary.tv — but as the top three were announced today, and I wasn’t one of them, it looks like I won’t be asking any of you to vote for me. CRAP.
Here I sit, an hour early, and airport security took all of 30 seconds, with no one else in line. Sigh… Maybe I could have left later than 3:30AM to get here! Posted by shawnp0wers on Natuba
Don’t know when I’ll be back again… (That part is true, details to follow. I will need your help, so please stay tuned!) I’ll be at OSCON for the rest of the week, and from there, well, we’ll see. Really, please stay tuned!
I missed Friday Cat Blogging, but Kiki was rather full of herself today, so I thought I’d snap a photo. I also got a bit of my big toe in the photo. It made me chuckle, so I didn’t crop it out. 😀
It's my birthday, and I've been showered with gifts. You might recognize these pipe cleaners, as they "starred" in my latest Linux Journal video. 🙂 Posted by shawnp0wers on Natuba
So that’s like, pretty good and stuff. My best present? Donna coming home today. 🙂 (And yes, Amanda comes home too, which is awesome, but I’m totally gonna make out with Donna when she gets here. 😀 )
Perhaps there's more in the future for http://monsterlibrary.tv ? Time will tell… Posted by shawnp0wers on Natuba
I’ve seen this all over the web, so I don’t know who to give credit to for sending me the link first, but it was probably someone over on my blogroll, so visit them all. 🙂 WARNING: There are a few PG-13 parts in the video. You have been warned. Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard ... Read more
If you haven’t been watching Dr. Horrible, you must. Joss Whedon has a master plan. I like the plan. You can be a part of the plan. You can watch it online for free, or buy it on iTunes. (I actually did both, I like supporting new ideas like this) There will also be other ... Read more
HP sent me one of their Mini-Note’s to review, even after the video I put up 2 weeks ago. I was impressed with how they handled themselves, and I was equally impressed with the laptop. Check it out:
That’s all I want in the world. Well, not really, but it would add a huge boon to my happiness. My family is late to the “let’s get cellphones” game, but even with our limited exposure, we have had 3 different style cellphones, each one taking a radically different charger. Of the 3, my current ... Read more
The install went pretty well, but it scared the beans out of me when I could no longer log in! The solution was to delete any and all brainofshawn.com cookies in my browser. Now all works, but it was a scary few minutes. 🙂 Now I have to go check on my plugins… Hopefully all ... Read more
See, look, it’s over there on the right. I opted for the full 2 column size. I’m linking to Janiece’s post, but if there is an official, “What in the heck is the UCF” post somewhere, I’ll happily relink. 🙂
The header graphic is by Kate Baker, and it is teh hawsome. The theme is my standby, dkret3, which I love, especially for it’s ability to arrange the widgets on the side like it does. I like it, and I think I’ll stick with it for a while. There may be some minor adjustments, but ... Read more
If you Twitter, and don’t follow the Mars Phoenix Lander, you really should. The idea of NASA personifying spacecraft, and interactively talking with people on social networks is FULL of teh awesome. I am so impressed that NASA has gone so far as to talk about Mars with people in a no nonsense, simple, understandable ... Read more
Or something like that. Anyway, I have no cat pictures, so here’s the one I LOL’d from John Scalzi’s site.
I should, because I have a very early morning tomorrow. But I can’t. I’m not sure why. I did WIN over at Nathan’s site, which is teh awesome. But still, I can’t sleep now. And that stinks. Just thought I’d share. 😉
First off, I highly recommend you do not watch “America’s Got Talent” — it’s almost entirely absurd. Their adoption of Jerry Springer as host only exemplifies that. That said, it was on TV while I was in my office, so I left it on for background noise. I heard a young man singing, and I ... Read more
Do Want! This isn’t the first time I’ve been interested in tentacular fodder. Perhaps I have some deeper issues… That said, I think the tentacle arms might be easier to persuade my wife into. 😀 (Ok, neither is very likely… sigh…)
In a very depressing bit of news, Star Trek: The Experience is apparently closing on September 1st of this year. STTE has been one of those places I hoped to visit someday, and I don’t see how I can possibly get there before Sept. 1. I really can’t tell you how sad I am. I ... Read more
After 4 months of calling, complaining, calling, begging, calling, ranting, and then calling again — Charter finally sent out a technician that agreed to do what I asked the original guys in March to do. That is, to replace the coax cable from the road to my house. The connector at the house sat exposed ... Read more
So… Kate made me a super cool header graphic for my website. In my spare time (HA!), I’m looking for a new theme that goes well with it. I am, needless to say, pretty excited about it. While I like the current picture of Mars, I’ve never really liked this theme. The widgets are funny. ... Read more
I also got my time machine working, but that has nothing to do with this post. Srsly. Proof? You want proof that I won? Fine, here ya go: (Click to embiggify) I also was already contacted by Future Nathan, and he assured me my prize of a Dominos Pizza should be delivered any minute now. ... Read more
My Linux Journal video this week is a far cry from my normal silliness. There’s a part of me that hopes my change of pace further exemplifies how serious I feel about computer vendors and their lack of openness. I’ll admit, this video was awkward for me to release, because it’s not my normal shtick. ... Read more
No really, I do. See: I assure you, that’s not photoshopped. So far, this massive muscle hasn’t proved terribly useful, other than it’s wide enough that it gets chomped between my jaws more than I’d like. If it were long instead of wide, it might be more useful, like for licking my eyeballs or something. ... Read more
So yesterday, Carlie left a comment saying she was disappointed in the lack of fireflies in my tour. Since she asked so nice, and also because she’s my boss, I figured I’d oblige her: (Note: Carlie is also facilitating the iPhone adoption next month, so she’s on my short list of people to keep happy… ... Read more
Well, this week is payday. That’s normally a great thing, but this week is a bit depressing. See, my awesome job at Linux Journal pays me (again, awesome), but the amount I get from LJ, plus the amount I get from the school pushes me into a new tax bracket. The precise tax bracket is ... Read more
I’m at Bair Lake Bible Camp this entire week, and I’m actually quite a bit busier than I thought. I’ve been able to keep up with Linux Journal stuff, albeit a day later than I’d like on most things, but blogging here has suffered. A big reason is that wifi is spotty from my room. ... Read more
Hey, there’s still 5 minutes left of Friday. I made it. Barely. This is KiKi, sleeping in her cat treehouse thingy. It’s only significant because I was using the treehouse to hold my laptop while recording my latest Linux Journal video, and she kinda freaked me out when I noticed her in there. She’s an ... Read more
This past week has really really stunk. I call a do over. Or at least, let’s not talk about it anymore. For those keeping score: The product I was supposed to review didn’t come in I wasted a whole day working out purchase orders for used computers My replacement video did not go well, and ... Read more
I added an RSS feed widget thingy over on the right hand side of my blog, so if you’re dying to know what I have been writing instead of stuff on my blog, you can do so. I post 2-3 times a week over there (the third post being a video every other week). It ... Read more
Oh well. I do have a special “UCF” section that I keep up with. I haven’t commented as much as I’d like, but at least I try to keep up on things. 🙂
It’s cat blogging Friday. Apparently. 🙂 I don’t have any new Kiki pictures, but here’s something I whipped up last August when John Scalzi was out of town. She looks pretty much the same, except she’s currently chasing a moth around the house.
First off, a disclaimer: I am a Linux enthusiast. This is no secret. What may not be evident, however, is that I’m not a purist. I believe in the best tool for the job, and if you want to use Windows or OSX, more power to you. I’d rather you choose to try it, rather ... Read more
I tend to impulse buy domains. I own ihatedigg.com, because I was (and largely still am) frustrated with Digg. This morning, I was watching Gary Vaynerchuk’s Wine Library reviews, and thought it would be funny to do a parody. So, I bought a domain. Be sure to watch Gary’s stuff first, then check out my ... Read more
So instead of jacking up our house and putting a basement underneath ($25,000 for an empty shell of a basement), we’re going to just build a shed for me to use as an office. The question, is whether or not to build said shed, or to get a “pre-cut” kit. The former might be cheaper, ... Read more
I watched a great video today, and it reminded me of the UCF. If you don’t know what the UCF is, well, don’t worry, we’re just a group of people that are online friends. We’re a community if you will. In fact, the idea that online friends care enough to remind me about taking my ... Read more
This song was released the year I graduated from high school. What crazy kids we were. 🙂 I was so not cool back in high school. I’m OK with that. Donna, however, was pretty cool. We didn’t go to the same school, and that’s probably a good thing, or I’d have never had the guts ... Read more
Whenever Tux gets a bath, he rubs his face on the carpet. The video really doesn’t do it justice, but it’s hilarious to watch. 🙂 (Plus, Michelle is under the weather, and wanted to be entertained. Here ya go.)
Inspired by Michelle’s post about her hubby, I thought I’d share a dialog that happened this morning: [Shawn and Donna are walking into the school for work, Shawn has a key to the front door] Donna: You know, I’m just using you for your key… Shawn: That makes sense, I am the keymaster. Are you ... Read more
It’s happened again. This time, I reorganized my feeds, and put my favorite blogs in a “short list” that I can keep up with. Yes, you’re on it. 🙂
A guy walks into a bar with a penguin on his head. The bartender says, “Hey, how’d that get there?” The penguin replies, “It started out as a pimple on my backside.”
My oldest, and most widely used online name is “trunkboy”. As a big fancy grown-up, I realize this name is odd at best. It’s one of those things, however, that is so deeply ingrained into my past, that ditching the name just seems wrong. Plus, it’s the account I use on gmail for everything, so ... Read more
If you ever buy a dog that comes with a name already, my advice is to opt for dogs named things like: iPeeOutside iPoopGoldBricks iWontEatEverythingYouOwn Chewy, needless to say, is true to his name. Ugh.
I realize many people have already seen this, but since it’s common around my house to quote lines from it, I thought it would be appropriate to post here. Gawd it’s funny. 🙂
Today stinks. Really and truly. First, when dropping the kids off to school, this happened to the gas stations in town: Then, the reason I didnt’ stay at work after taking the kids, is because our toilets won’t flush. No mere plunger will do the trick, either. Our septic tank is full. At least, that’s ... Read more
This video was fun. Donna’s response was largely rolling her eyes, but hey, at least I didn’t use a sock puppet. 😀
Great article at Business Week. Oddly enough, I never knew I was part of “Generation X” — I guess you learn something new every day…
You just have to see it I guess. So here ya go: MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.
I think I’m going to try writing a book. Not a fiction book, although that is a dream someday. A technical book. Yes, a Linux book. It should be quite geeky, but hopefully fun to read. I’ll keep everyone posted. I’m sure you can hardly wait. 🙂
Chewy is our newest family member. We rescued him from the Humane Society. And yes, his name is descriptive…
Ok, based on some emails and comments, it seems I might have to explain the inscription on the pink iPod. The pet names are from a scene in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (a Disney film, not some odd smut film the title might suggest). The song is cute, and we call each other by the ... Read more
It was $22, and I’ve never read them all. I think it’s about time, and at like 65% off, how could I not buy it?!?!
We just bought a new iPod nano for Donna, because she’s going to need the video playing ability this summer. It’s a really cute black 8GB model, and she likes it. That, however, isn’t what this post is about. See, Donna already had an iPod. It’s a pink 4GB nano, and since she has a ... Read more
There’s a few interesting moments in my last video. It turns out, I’m a dork. Who knew!
Another 2 weeks went by, and you probably didn’t even miss the Gadget Guy video, but it’s that time of the every other week again. This time, I look at Wubi. It’s so fun to say. Woooobi doobie doo… Oh, and what do you think of the widescreen instead of standard 4×3? Also, we’re using ... Read more
This company is run by friends from Houston — and it’s actually a very useful, simple photo sharing site. iPhone isn’t required. 🙂 Natuba is a new photo sharing site that targets iPhone users with an emphasis on mobile uploading. read more | digg story
Another immigrant article from the Linux Journal site — but again, I think this is worth discussion if you’re a Linux person. If you’re looking for discussion, I’d go either to the Linux Journal site to comment, or to the Digg link. Happy Monday! When I demonstrate software for Linux Journal, I tend to use ... Read more
You know those people that live and die by their paper planner? When they lose it, life almost ceases to go on, and they run in circles like a bee with a pollen allergy? I’m not one of those people. You know those people that have a crackberry/palm pilot/iPhone strapped to their side, and if ... Read more
Put the gun down, I was talking about video cameras… I put up a short article about the Penguicon over at Linux Journal, and the video is painful to my ego. I really should consider investing in something with better audio recording ability, and better low-light performance. Or maybe I could get an implant into ... Read more
This time of year, I take lots of drugs. Allergy drugs, headache drugs, asthma drugs — lots and lots of medicines to stave off my genetically prescribed death. Lately, I’ve had lots of headaches, and so we had to purchase a new bottle of pain medicine. The problem is that these new pills are candy ... Read more
I wrote this for Linux Journal — but it’s something that I’m pretty passionate about, so I’m reposting here: There are two kinds of Linux people in the world, those that will help people fix their Windows spyware problems, and those that will not. I land squarely in the former camp, and I think that ... Read more
Many of you know that we have a Silky Terrier named Tux. He’s cute. He’s affectionate. He’s travel sized. He’s also not housebroken. I don’t require too many things from our pets, but proper bathroom habits ranks near the top of the list. In fact, there remains a distinct possibility that Tux, awesome namesake or ... Read more
I’m not totally thrilled about the new theme, but for a day or so, this is what we’ve got. It’s 1:30, and I’m tired. 🙂 The good news is that I’m now managing the updates, etc, now. Hopefully I can manage to avoid most wonkiness in the future. We’ll see. G’night.
My site has several layers of brokedness to it, and thus will be killed, roasted, and eaten this evening. I will likely have downtime. I will likely have problems. I’m planning for total chaos, and hoping to be surprised. Wish me luck. I think this is my karmic punishment for meme tagging. Thanks Nathan. 😀
Henceforth, all memes shall die here. I’m all about playing silly Internet games, but “tagging” is much like chain mail, and people don’t seem to take kindly to such things. SO, that means all memes shall be officially voluntary, and never to be pressured in any regard whatsoever. Any previous, “tagging” shall be redacted, and ... Read more
Nathan tagged me with a “6 Unimportant Things” meme. I have the odd position of sorta liking these type things, while completely understanding why they annoy the crap out of people. So now, I need to come up with 6 things, and then tag 6 people. It’s the latter that I feel bad about doing. ... Read more
Here’s a quick look at the newest version of Ubuntu Linux. If you’re into that sorta thing, check it out. If not, here’s a link to a random LOLCat. It’s hard to go wrong with the kitties…
Last night was a talent show in our district for all kids between the 5th and 12th grade. That’s a huge age bracket, but it didn’t stop my 11 year old 5th grader from entering. I’m biased to a degree that almost negates the validity of my comments, BUT she was awesome. 🙂 Also important ... Read more
No update from Penguicon yet, largely because I had to get the following video done! Enjoy:
I’m here at the Penguicon, and day 2 is going swimmingly better than day 1 did. The only downside is that I can’t seem to get a decent Internet connection. It may have something to do with the million geeks all sharing the same DSL line — but still, it’s frustrating. So far today, I ... Read more
I’m here at the Penguicon, and it turns out, I am one of the horribly awkward individuals that becomes a wallflower in a crowded room. Based on my online presence, that might come as a surprise to some. You can hear me lament a bit here: [display_podcast]
I really don’t have a good reason to hate Digg, but it’s just frustrating that it’s guided by the general public. Because honestly, I think the general public is dumb. Not individuals (I think you personally are shiny), but rather as a whole. I can write some well thought out, interesting stuff — and get ... Read more
The biggest thing that concerns me about my recent Linux Journal article, is that people might think my hair is normally like the photo… 🙂 If you’re looking for a laugh at my expense, feel free to click through. (And please Digg the article too, if you like it and know what Digg is…) read ... Read more
It’s officially official. Actually, it was official when I paid my registration fee a few months back, but it’s super ultra certain now. I will be at the Penguicon this weekend in Troy, Michigan. This revelation means that I got my truck running after sitting all winter in the driveway. I’m a bit giddy to ... Read more
I’m tired of waiting for the perfect, inspiring, well-spoken podcast to emanate from deep within my soul. So, I yammered on about what was on my brain. So the title is rather fitting I suppose… [display_podcast]
I found ’em!!! (They had fallen off the bookshelf) Yes, I realize I’m supposed to take them at night. If I do, however, I wake up 274 times to pee. I do not enjoy waking up that many times, but admittedly, I prefer it over wetting the bed. So my new “in the morning” method ... Read more
I realize this is a cross post, but I’m curious how everyone feels about upgrades versus fresh installs… As the release of Ubuntu 8.04 LTS rapidly approaches, the all important question is beginning to form in everyone’s mind. Upgrade, or freshly install. read more | digg story
Lizzie recently turned 7 years old. She’s our youngest, but like her sisters, she couldn’t deny being my kid. Today, she proved that she’s a geek. And from me, that’s a big compliment. 🙂 Lizzie is home sick today, and Grandma is staying at the house with her while Donna and I are working. Donna ... Read more
Today, we purchased frozen pizza and 2 liters of pop (soda). I got not one, but two coupons this time. (I only got one last time) I’m starting to think I’m girlie looking or something…
(Read here for links to the whole story, and why it’s being written) Blink/Sophie sat in as fetal a position as possible in the corner of a phone booth outside of Negworth, Amsterdam. Their recent merging was, of course, successful. Both minds were now in perfect harmony, and mostly open to one another. Therein started ... Read more
It’s Friday — but for some reason, it seems like this week has been HORRIBLE! I have no real explanation, or even reasoning. I just hereby declare this week as a lost cause. Bleh.
You might notice that I have a little widget in the upper right hand corner, which I update when I take my blood pressure medicine every morning. It’s there, because I’m HORRIBLE about remembering such things, and a few folks are kind enough to remind me if I don’t. This post shall be the official, ... Read more
Yesterday, Linux Journal let me go crazy with an April Fool’s Day joke. I came up with the idea to switch our focus to an old operating system, BeOS, and pretended to seriously report on things pertaining to BeOS. The whole LJ crew got into the fun, and we ended up with quite a round ... Read more
Change your website’s color to purple today, to support the Pentium Pro! For more information, check out Linux Journal! 😉
Incredibly awesome and tasty, or too tainted by being from McDonald’s? I’m still undecided, and usually have 2 or 3 cups of it a day…
This post is part of a multi-blog, round robin, create your own chaos, short story write-a-thon. It’s sorta like Ficlets, but on a larger, less organized, slightly longer form. You can still play if you’re reading this before noon on Sunday, just go to Nathan’s blog and he’ll add you to the pool. It should ... Read more
I’ve wanted a pair of Converse All-Stars my entire life. When I was younger, they were out of our price range, and then when I got to the point that I could afford them, I sorta forgot about my desire. Then, I saw a pair at the shoe store when I was replacing my 7 ... Read more
This is Amanda. This is Amanda’s Drug Abuse Resistance Education diploma. She completed the course, passed whatever tests need to be passed, and made her parents proud. I’d like to take this time to share my views on speaking to your kids about drugs. Do it. Often. Yes, yes, that’s a pretty common mantra, “Talk ... Read more
Our local grocery store has a machine that prints coupons for you as you check out. It bases the particular coupons on the things you buy, and has a fairly good track record of choosing appropriate products. I just went to the store to pick something up for dinner for the kids. Our purchases were: ... Read more
There are a couple things I want you to notice about this picture. It’s poor quality is not one of them. 🙂 1) Janiece sent me this jam, because she’s really awesome, and I am pathetically awesomely fast with comments. 2) It arrived when I was in Houston, and my family waited until I got ... Read more
“Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.”
As a public service to the blogosphere, I will give the following advice: 6AM EST is not 9AM PST. It is, in fact, 3AM PST, and not a terribly appropriate time for an online meeting. You’re welcome. 🙂
I’m tired. It’s been a long week. One funny story (well, funny for me): I was talking with my friend Josh this evening, and he commented that Easter week is always really busy and tiring. He’s a pastor, so I’m sure that’s the case. My response was, “Yeah, it was pretty tough on Jesus too…” ... Read more
There’s so much to say about the trip to Houston, but I’ll try to stick to pertinent information, and leave things like wearing a “Feeling Lucky” shirt at a restaurant on gay night out of the story. 🙂 Linux Journal flew me out to Texas for a meeting. I wasn’t entirely sure what the meeting ... Read more
I landed in Pellston, and I’m awaiting my ride home. Pellston is an awesome airport, and has free WiFi. That is not true of either Detroit or Houston airports. They have coffee shops though, so I guess I won’t complain too much. Lots of details about Houston and the flights later. My right ear wouldn’t ... Read more
I’ll have a total recap later (maybe tomorrow, depending on how the flights go), but I’m on my way home soon. It’s been an awesome trip, but I can’t WAIT to see the family. My family. Not some mob thing that I have to see Uncle Vinny or anything…
I got to talk to the family this morning with Skype’s video chat. Video really does make it more personal. And Skype works so darn well that the process is painless. If you commute, do you Skype with your family? You should try it…
In Houston. Very tired. Very awesome here, but I’m very tired. Going to sleep now. Frito Pie So this is my introduction to Houston cuisine. Perhaps my shirt is fitting? Posted on Natuba
Boy am I tired. This update won’t be as elaborate as I planned, because I need to get some rest — but here’s the skinny: * We had 27 kids attend the 30 Hour Famine * Our original goal was to collect $360 (This feeds a child for a year) * We raised over $3000. ... Read more
I’m offline for a bit, while I don’t eat. I’ll take my medicine, even if I can’t update here. 🙂 UPDATE: Going well, update after it’s over. (I had to run home to get the CF card reader, our camera filled up)
Pictured here, you see McDonald’s new “Sweet Tea”, which apparently is meant to add to the Southern Style menu that is fashionable of late. I like tea. I like sugar. Sweet tea, however, mixes the two ingredients in an unholy ratio. While I haven’t scientifically measured, I estimate the sugar-to-tea ratio is about eleventy five ... Read more
Here it is, episode 1 of the podcast. I considered calling this episode zero — because really there’s very little content. Then I realized that if the expectation of real content is established, I might be in trouble somewhere around episode “the next” 🙂 To donate 4 minutes of your life to pointless endeavors, just ... Read more
Ok, my blog has been not much fun for me the past few days, so I’m resolving to have fun here. No more politics (my political views, for the record, are reflected here, and there will be some funny political “commercials” coming your way soon). No more metaphorical vegetable stories. No more BOFH type posts. ... Read more
Yesterday was an interesting day for my website. A large number of people “discovered” my site, and more specifically, they discovered my Shawn’s List of Rules post. That was the first thing. The second thing that happened was a bunch of people got offended. Unfortunately, there was a subset of those people that truly shouldn’t ... Read more
And I’m at work. Because there’s work to be done. And that’s what I do. 🙂 UPDATE: 10:30 — still here. 😉 UPDATE: 11:30 — uh hu. Still here. 😀 UPDATE: 12:24 — going home. Gotta work in a few hours! UPDATE: 12:56 — OK, I forgot a server that needed to be updated. Really ... Read more
Improv Everywhere rocks my face off. Wouldn’t the world be a lot less “up tight” if this was more common?
I’ve mentioned a few times that I desire to produce a weekly podcast. I even have a mixing board, decent mic, and enough tech know-how to publish the thing. What I’m lacking, is a focus. I like the title, “Professionally Inept” because truly, I know a lot about a lot, but I’m far from a ... Read more
Remember a while back I mentioned I was going to be on television as a caller on The Lab with Leo Laporte? Well, episode 157 aired on Thursday, and I snagged myself a copy of it today. It only airs in Australia and Canada, but they offer torrents of the show after it airs, so ... Read more
Another thank you to the folks that remind me when I don’t take my medicine. This month is the first time in years I’ve taken my blood pressure pills EVERY DAY. You guys and gals rock. Really. Today is a day I really need that blood pressure medicine as well. I’ve had 200 Macs fail ... Read more
I don’t have a problem writing non-fiction, but fiction is difficult for me. Really really. I’m not quite sure why. I think I’ll blame the Great Red Spot, because I don’t think it gets blamed for enough stuff. I thought I’d put a link up to 1200 words of fiction that I wrote. I don’t ... Read more
This week brings a really fun Linux Journal review. It’s especially cool, because Kate Baker agreed to do some voice work for the video. Thanks Kate!!! (PS: It helps if you’ve seen the Tom Cruise video, and/or the Jerry O’Connell parody)
Don’t judge me… UPDATE: Apparently I named the graphic the same thing and overwrote the screenshot showing 200-odd unread blog entries. Silly me…
Those of you concerned that I died from cinnamon poisoning, fear not, I’m still kickin’. I also still like cinnamon, which is a plus. The past few days have been overwhelmingly busy, and to make a busy couple days even worse — Kate Baker introduced me to Portal. This introduction had several side effects: I ... Read more
After I did the cinnamon challenge, Kate Baker gave it a go as well. Then, Donna got home, and figured she’d give it a try too. 🙂 Here is Donna doing the cinnamon challenge: Carlie: I’m pretty sure you have to do the challenge now… 😉
Carlie mockingly quoth thus: Since you like cinnamon so much, try the Cinnamon Challenge. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2y2KMMk0Row So I did. 🙂
Everybody’s doing it, so I figgered I would too. I saw Jim’s first, so officially that’s the one I’m responding to. Enjoy: 1) Ever been in a relationship lasting over 5 years? Yes, been married for 12 years. Also, had a pair of sneakers for about 7. The wife is much better looking. And smells ... Read more
Just wanted to leave a note — that the new header graphic is a Martian sunset. Cool, eh?
I like to wear mismatched socks. I think I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s true. I prefer similar thicknesses, but I’m not terribly picky. It’s important that they are drastically different, however. Something like one purple and one green is perfect. Or one white tube sock, and one argyle dress sock. So, do mismatch socks ... Read more
Last night, I showed my true colors as I pushed silly right to the border of awkward. 😉 Nathan blogged about his issues with Dominos Pizza. I thought it was funny, and wanted to taunt him. So, I went to his online book, which has his name on the bottom, and looked up his home ... Read more
Some guy named Robert got to have his name on a list of rules, so I hereby claim the following rules as Shawn’s Rules of Public Decency in Meetings: 1) In order to complain about something, a person must actually know what they’re talking about. It’s important to note that someone telling you about it ... Read more
I have crippling stomach cramps. No fever. So much for my cast iron stomach. Ugh. Tip of the Day: If food smells like garbage, it is. (In my defense, sour cream throws a monkey wrench in that otherwise simple rule…)
Ok, this one isn’t really silly so much as stupid. And it just happened. Last night, we went to the grocery store. It was late, and we didn’t get all the bags empty. We made sure all the frozen stuff was put away, and all the cold stuff went to the fridge. Noodles, etc — ... Read more
Well, I’m off to buy brake pads, and replace the bad ones on the van. Lucky for me, I don’t have a garage, and the temperature is below that which freezes water (and rear ends). I also have a selection of tools that likely came from the dollar store. That, and a cub scout knife ... Read more
Every time I return a rented DVD, I look forlorn and slightly sheepish as I tell the clerk, “I’m really sorry, but I didn’t have a chance to rewind the movies…” It’s funny approximately 1 time. But that doesn’t stop me from repeating often. 😉
On March 14th & 15th, our church youth group (Donna and I are the leaders) is doing a fund raiser to help feed starving kids. It’s a 30 hour hunger strike type deal, and the kids are gaining sponsorship to send money to feed some of the 29,000 kids that die every day. This is ... Read more
The title is a spoonerism. I love me a good spoonerism. 🙂 New review video is up, and ripe for the watching. Enjoy! (Oh, and here‘s where the video lives on the Linux Journal site — there’s lots more information there, and since I “point” to a link during the video, it really looks best ... Read more
Ok, if you’re on the east coast, press pause on your Tivo, and go outside. Right now. Do it. About 3 minutes ago, the Lunar Eclipse started, and we won’t have another till 2010. And it will probably be cloudy in 2010. So go watch now! (It’s actually a rather slow event, so you have ... Read more
Work (all kinds) has me currently very busy, so my blog usually suffers. That, and since my blog was spamming folks, it took more of it’s fair share of yesterday morning away from me as well. So instead of some enlightening, meaningful, comedic quip — I give you a picture of a recycling bin. Linux ... Read more
My apologies, when I updated the theme on my site, apparently it didn’t mingle well with the “subscribe to comments” plugin. Everyone was AUTOMATICALLY subscribed whether they wanted it or not. Eiw. I think it’s straightened out now. Please test it for me, ie, leave a comment and don’t check the box. Hopefully you WON’T ... Read more
I’ve toyed on and off with the idea of a podcast. I’ve decided to go ahead with the plan, and I’m going to try doing a weekly deal. The bad news is that I’m not exactly sure how the format will go. It might change. It might flop. (The last is actually a significant possibility) ... Read more
My server room is loud. That’s not a bad thing, but it does mean that if I’m in there, I can’t hear my phone in the next room. That is a bad thing. As much as I’d like to avoid it, people do need to speak with me sometimes. Ugh. I realize the most logical ... Read more
We took the kids to see The Spiderwick Chronicles last night. This movie was significant for a couple reasons. The first, is that all the special effects (of which there were many, and well done) were all done with Linux. This, needless to say, makes me happy. Second, we just read, as a family, the ... Read more
I did take my pill (and I’d have forgotten, if it weren’t for Michelle), and I’m trying to dream up some absurd widget that I have to update daily when I take my pill. Maybe I’ll integrate a “skype me a reminder” button somehow too. …anyway, I’m off to take the kids to the library ... Read more
My recent game review got a review of it’s own. 🙂 It’s funny, because the critiques are a bit odd (especially suggesting that using the stable version was the wrong choice?!?!) There’s no such thing as bad press, so I’m not complaining. And it wasn’t really a bad review review, but I thought I’d share ... Read more
My beautiful and talented wife interviewed for a position as a paraprofessional in the school library yesterday. Apparently she blew away the competition, because the interviewing process didn’t even go into a second round (normally it does). Donna loves books, so I’m sure her enthusiasm came through in the interview. AND, the library is conveniently ... Read more
So, if you have a significant other, what are you getting him/her/they/them for Valentine’s day? DISCLAIMER: If your significant other actually reads my blog, well, that’s pretty cool, but you don’t have to comment on the gift unless it’s already a done deal. As mine is. Since Amazon will be delivering the gift tomorrow while ... Read more
This is assuredly an overshare, but for some reason, I just started sweating like crazy. My wife suggested it might be hot flashes. I agreed, and told her I was likely going through mental-pause. Har har har…
I really did take my medicine last night. I promise. And I’m quite certain of it, because I had to get up and use the facilities about 37 times. (My blood pressure medicine is a diuretic, which is just a joy to take before bed.) Maybe I should get one of those fancy pill cases ... Read more
Yep, Another One It’s been a crazy winter here in northern Michigan. But I’m OK with that. 😉 Posted on Natuba
Sometimes, I get depressed — for no good reason at all. Yeah, I could come up with tons of reasons, but really, how lame is that. I think it would be more fun to blame something absurd, like cottage cheese. Maybe because tomorrow is Monday. Yeah, that’s it. Want some depressed people poetry? Here ya ... Read more
New review is up, this time of the game, “The Battle for Wesnoth” Here’s the link to the Linux Journal site, if you want to comment there, and possibly suggest future game titles for me to review. 🙂
Something I’ve noticed since I’ve been doing video reviews, is that speaking in public (well, sorta) is a bit different than writing. I know some of you do voice work professionally. Dear Lord, the thought just occurred to me that what I do might be considered professional. Heh. Anyway, it amazes me how much I ... Read more
Recently, on the Whatever, the topic of thread etiquette came up. Since many of us are already professionals, I thought it would make sense to post a HOW-TO for those not so enlightened. 1) Be a Regular. This is not to be confused with being regular, because how boring is that? Rather, I mean be ... Read more
I’m sure you all feel somewhat unsettled, and you’re not quite sure why. Let me reassure you, yes, there hasn’t been a new gadget review for 2 weeks. I wasn’t sure if the “reviews” were going to keep happening, as my original arrangement with Linux Journal was for a 2 month trial. We ran out ... Read more
My family drove to a beautiful home on the shore of Lake Huron today for lunch. Thankfully, the home is owned by friends (actually, my former boss — he retired), and they were expecting us. When we arrived, they had gifts for the family, and the coffee mug below is one that I think he’s ... Read more
I’m wondering, out loud as it were, how working as an editor might affect my writing. Any of my writing friends, do you work, or have you ever worked, as an editor? Editing is in the right field, and I don’t think it will hurt my actual writing, but I’m curious if it will affect ... Read more
I am not a NASCAR fan. At all. However, my 8 year old daughter went through the trouble of searching through the entire “school store” to find a coffee mug (which I do like) that said #1 Dad. We live in northern Michigan, which is a fairly redneck locale, and so the only option she ... Read more
They say curiosity killed the cat… Well, no dead cats here, but Nathan, I’ll open the door for you… [flv:https://www.brainofshawn.com/videos/door.flv 320 240]
I have many geeky friends. That probably doesn’t surprise anyone. This morning, one of them (I’ll leave his identity concealed, to save face) instant messaged me the link to a site he wanted me to check out. That site was password protected, and with the link, he simply wrote, “Speak friend, and enter.” Cool. 🙂 ... Read more
Ok, I read this on Digg — but it’s frustrating enough that I feel the need to repost it. Sitting at your desk, lift your right foot and make clockwise circles. While doing this, draw the number “6” in the air with your right hand. Your foot direction will change to counter-clockwise, and you’ll quickly ... Read more
We had a meltdown with our school lunch POS system. Yep, POS. It also stands for point of sale. It’s that black monitor/computer job in the photo. (Click to embiggen) Anyway, hundreds of kids that want to eat, lunch lady frantically trying to figure out who has money in their account, who gets what, who ... Read more
It’s 10PM on Saturday. I’m at work. Working. I have nothing to entertain you. Not even a crafty quip. I’ll leave you with a picture of my current naughtiness, however. Don’t tell anyone, because I’m supposed to be on a diet. That’s right, Dots. And not just Dots, but Tropical Dots. Yum.
Please, if you have the ability, consider installing THIS plugin. It’s that thing I have that notifies you via email when someone comments on a post you’ve commented on. Since Blogger added the feature, I find myself depending on it in order to follow the location of conversations. If I’ve left you hanging on a ... Read more
I just signed up for the Penguicon 6 convention in April. It will be my first science fiction con. It will also be my first Linux con. It will basically be my first con. I’m rather excited, and hope it will be fun. At the very least, I guess every room at the Hilton has ... Read more
I’m home sick today. Actually, more than sick, I have a really sore left shoulder that won’t quit hurting. I find this bizarre, because I didn’t do anything to hurt my shoulder, and yet, it really does hurt like the dickens. Perhaps it’s sympathy pain for Jim Wright. (If so, I love ya man, but ... Read more
God has a sense of humor. I know this, because I’m 32 years old, and while I was preparing to shoot this video, my forehead kindly grew 2 giant pimples. One was in the “unicorn” position, and the other was placed just right to accentuate my receding hairline. That’s just spiffy. So, like any filmmaker, ... Read more
For a few years, I considered writing a book about my car accident. I’ve seen books about less exciting things. I haven’t ever done it, however, and I sorta doubt I ever will. This post might be all I ever write on the topic. (That seems so final doesn’t it?) On March 2, 1999, I ... Read more
I accidentally ate a whole bag of Chex Mix. And yeah, it really was an accident. I sat down on the couch after work, and sitting on the coffee table was an open bag of Chex Mix. Without thinking, I grabbed it, and proceeded to eat the whole thing. (Not the actual bag, I don’t ... Read more
For the next couple days, I’m doing a “trial run” for a part-time permanent gig related to the publishing world. It’s super exciting, slightly overwhelming, and on the short list of careers I would find ideal. Not bad for a Monday. 🙂 Oh, and I didn’t do too bad today with eating. I did horrible ... Read more
OK, so here’s the deal: I’m currently claiming more than my fair share of matter in the universe. I’ve had this struggle before, and it’s usually due to stress at work. (Well, ok, it’s indirectly due to stress at work, it’s actually due to eating lots of food and being a lazy SOB) It’s not ... Read more
Did you know Nathan had a blog? Yeah, you probably did. I however missed that train when it started. Oh well, I found out, so all you guys trying to hide over at Nathan’s house won’t work anymore. 🙂
I was complaining a while back, probably on someone else’s blog, about when I search for my name on Google, I get a chiropractor and a pheasant hunting guide. Tonight, I realized it’s because I didn’t actually have my name anywhere here. It’s surprising Google found me at all! So yeah, I’m narcissistic, and I ... Read more
I don’t know why. I know that I would like to wear it to work. And just one, because two would be silly. If you want one, just click on the photo, it will take you to an online store. Please buy me one too, because there’s absolutely no way I could convince my wife ... Read more
My wife has been working in the elementary school for the past month, assisting a special needs boy. He has a horrible background, and because of it, has the worst social skills I’ve ever seen in a student. At any age. And he’s a second grader. When Donna started working with him, he was violent, ... Read more
I called the well man, and he came over right away. Which is nice. He took off the top of the well, took some measurements on amperage usage on the pump, and told me I needed a new pump. Not nice. So I told him to come over tomorrow and do it, I’d figure out ... Read more
It appears as though our well quit today. This does not please me, because although a well is just a big hole in the ground, it’s a rather pricey hole in the ground. And apparently our well pump doesn’t suck, and it’s actually supposed to. What a weird world. Anyway, wish me luck. The well ... Read more
I’ve mentioned before that I really, really like me a good LOLCat. No, not stir fried or broiled, but one of them there funny cat pictures. Here’s a random one now. Enjoy. My apologies if you get a ceiling cat, they tend to be a little risque. My issue, today, is with the commenters on ... Read more
From now until, well, maybe forever — my works schedule has changed. I’m now working from 4AM to Noon. My blogging will likely take a bit to adjust to the new times, because quite frankly, I’m very tired. More later. Probably. Must sleep now, and finish reviewing this week’s Gadget. (It’s a really nice one, ... Read more
I just got a hit from the MSN search engine for, “Crafty manipulative people” Bwahahahahaaa! UPDATE: I just got one for “cocaine and nail polish remover” What on earth am I posting to attract such a crowd?!?!
And now, my valued readers, I bequeath my laments forthwith… My last post, which was little more than embedding my lastest product review, sparked some really fun comments. I love that we’re discussing a glowing eyed, half possessed, flame throwing desk accessory. It’s fun, light hearted, and occasionally enlightening. I thank you for that. My ... Read more
We’re having 2 days of thunderstorms here in Michigan. In January. Granted, rain is my favorite weather condition — but really, it’s odd to know that I just put the Christmas tree under the house for storage this past weekend, and today we’re having a thunderstorm. Weird. On top of that, I think the pressure ... Read more
This is me, with bunny slippers. The Garfield comic was particularly appropriate today. I tend to have an intimate (not freaky) relationship with our own thermostat. Sorry I’ve been too busy this weekend to do all those things I hoped to do (I’m looking at you, Nathan) — maybe later on this evening. It’s just ... Read more
I posted a followup story, click through for all the geeky details: Followup: Was Linux Worth It? | Linux Journal
Yes, things are working quite swimmingly. Details later, I gotta like, do my job and stuff now.
I’m in the market for a calendar that gives me an extra day before tomorrow. I’ll also be willing to barter for a time dilation device.
Most of you know I’ve been working on servers for the past 2 weeks, often with less than stellar results. I realized that I sound as though I’m complaining about it, when really, that’s not the case. This is my favorite part of the job, and frustrations aside, I’d rather do this than clear 50 ... Read more
Servers not working. Installation attempt number 17 in progress. School resuming soon. Not a SINGLE computer in the district working. Uh… when is spring break coming?
My wife is very sick today, and this commercial makes her smile. You can smile too if you like, but it’s really not about you, it’s about her. 🙂
There are 2 kinds of people in the world, those to love Monty Python humor, and those that despise it. I am in the former, with both feet. I’ve watched The Holy Grail so many times I can almost quote the moose credits… On a similar vein — have you seen Fawlty Towers? Absolutely hilarious, ... Read more
Following my review of the Penguin Pooper, Carlie Fairchild, the publisher over at Linux Journal, started a review contest. The first 20 people submitting video reviews of their geeky gifts get free T-Shirts. But even more than that, the bragging rights that go along with such a contest. Go quickly!
Here’s what happens when you are a Linux lover that tells his family about Open Source all the time. Yes, penguin poop tastes good, albeit crunchy. UPDATE: Make sure to check out the review. 😉
There was a slight… disbelief in my household this Christmas, which YouTube graciously helped me prove wrong. No one remembered this, but once I found it, and showed them, they all remembered. Yeah, if you’re in your 30s, it will make you nostalgic, I promise. 🙂
We do a scavenger hunt every Christmas — and this is a video clue for the girls. Going to Daddy’s blog was the last clue, this one sends them somewhere else. AWESOME fun for the girls. Merry Christmas everyone. 🙂
Here at the Powers’ homestead, Christmas is always a mixed bag of joy, stress, depression, fun, and food. And presents. I must admit, I’m not terribly fond of this time of year, and my personal mood tends to lean more toward depression and stress than anything else — but there are some things I like ... Read more
If you’re willing to watch my latest review below (Here’s a link to all of them to date), please do so. Then I have a couple questions… Most of the folks reading my blog are intelligent people. Although varying in tech skills, I value everyones thoughts. Regarding the video reviews for Linux Journal: 1) Should ... Read more
I didn’t throw up until 1:30PM, so that was good. Things were actually quite nice until the afternoon, in fact. I had a meeting, drank some coffee, ate some lunch; it was pretty nice. Then, for some odd reason, I began violently throwing up. It was truly a vomit fest, and just as gross as ... Read more
If it seems dark in here, it’s just me fiddling with the site. I am trying a new theme. I might keep it, and I might not. In fact, I might delete this post, and you’ll never know. 🙂
For future reference: These types of cups are not designed for mug warmers. Also, fingernail polish remover does remove melted Styrofoam. You’re welcome.
I was speaking to a programmer friend over IM today: Him: Hey, I’ve been learning Python Me: Cool, the hisses are the hard part. Pythons are pretty forgiving with grammar, but Rattlers get TICKED if you mess up their tonal dialect… Yep, I’m still a geek. I gotta love that he played right along though.
Joy is getting an email from your 8 year old that simply says, “Daddy, I love you!!!!!!!!!”
See: Astronauts to Inspect Space Station Joints in Spacewalk I don’t think they should be smoking marijuana on the space station at all. Call me a prude if you will, but I have to draw the line somewhere. That said, are the laws the same once you leave the planet? If an astronaut kills another ... Read more
Here’s a 1:45 snippet of the culmination of 2 months worth of preparation. My wife was the director of the children’s Christmas musical at our church this year, and tonight was the performance. We’re not sure what we’re going to do with ourselves now that there won’t be 3 practices a week, with 3 times ... Read more
I have no good excuse. It’s probably the fear of failure. Maybe it’s intimidation on tackling such a huge project. Maybe it’s a combination of several things. The funny thing is, I usually do well when I’m given a deadline. I recently took a magazine article assignment, and had a deadline of a week later. ... Read more
It’s rather weird to be in the public eye. Granted, the “public” eyes I’m in are rather small, but when a few thousand people intake something you’ve created, there’s bound to be someone that doesn’t like you. It’s a little weird to be disliked by someone you’ve never met, or talked to, or talked about, ... Read more
In some more “pretty cool” stuff in my life, I just got confirmation that I’ll be a guest caller on, The Lab with Leo LaPorte, which I think is on G4 Tech TV. I have a question regarding the things to look for in a wireless microphone (for shooting my Linux Journal videos), and apparently ... Read more
I think I’d like to make a rule banning all gender non-specific names. Yes, that includes my own. All those Robins, Shawns, Pats, Terrys, Jerrys, Sams, Jesses, Stevies, Coreys, Jordans, Leslies, Taylors, Erins, and Billys just need to change to something like JOHN. Or JULIE. Ugh. In the cheesy video spoof I just posted about, ... Read more
I’ve been pretty scarce around here lately, and it’s been because I’ve had both writing and video deadlines. 2 more videos just went live on the Linux Journal website, so please go there and let me know what you think. 🙂 Check the comments on their site for the second video. And here’s the direct ... Read more
This photo was not staged. Donna called me quietly into the living room so I could see “my” kids. (They’re usually “mine” when they are misbehaving, but this time, it was hard for me to deny them…) A (micro)chip off the old block. 🙂
You know that cool new feature Blogger has that allows you to get updated when OTHER people’s blogs get comments? Yeah, I was jealous. So now, you can do that same thing on my blog. I can tell you’re just shaking with excitement at the idea. I don’t blame you. It’s so exciting. (Oh, and ... Read more
It’s that time of the (year * 4) when we begin to hear about all the candidates, potential candidates, lovers of potential candidates, and potential lovers of people that once went to college with the ex stripper that ate cheese whiz off the other candidates partially inhaled drug usage charges when he was in jail ... Read more
I like Spongebob Squarepants. I figure it’s just something you should know about me. You get to peer into my inner soul, so to speak. I think he’s funny. You want to hear the deepest, most philosophical thing you’ll probably ever hear regarding the large yellow invertebrate? I think I like Spongebob because he’s the ... Read more
Maybe not glorious, but hey, you get what you pay for. And this is free. (Click the image below to watch it online) I’m Linux Journal‘s new, “Gadget Guy” — and I do video reviews of products for them. The first video is up, and depending on the feedback they get, I will be a ... Read more
This is Lydia. It may not be perfectly clear in this cellphone photo, but Lydia’s eyes are particularly pink today. The doctor won’t let her return to school until Thursday. Ironically (for me anyway), she’s not thrilled about that. She wants to go to school. She doesn’t want the drops in her eyes though, which ... Read more
Aren’t snow days GREAT?!?!?! And a personal note: This will be my 6 and 8 year old’s first snow day EVAR. (They were previously homeschooled).
Next week, I can go public with the project I’ve been putting a lot of time into recently. I’m looking forward to that, because my blog is where I usually yammer on about such things. My blog is so darn popular, however, that if I talked about it, both my readers might tell, and I’d ... Read more
For the first part of my life, I grew up in the ghetto of Detroit, in a single parent home. Mom and I were very poor. When I was 4 years old, however, I had to get glasses. Not just glasses, mind you, but Coke bottle thick welfare glasses. You can probably imagine that growing ... Read more
The woolen socks itched. Well, I guess that’s not really true. They were rough and scratchy, but weren’t really irritating. At the least, they were a reminder of the rough outdoors, and at the most, they kept my tootsies from freezing and falling off. I’m thankful for both. Black Friday, instead of braving the stores ... Read more
Don’t get me wrong, I’m a Christian through and through. I get annoyed by holiday catch-phrases though. Like the, “Jesus is the reason for the season” pins? Or emails? 100 a day? The truth of the matter is that the axial tilt of the Earth is the reason for the season. Or any season for ... Read more
Linux Journal magazine recently opened up their corporate website so that any staff members can post to the front page without being moderated. Foolish mortals… If you are interested in Linuxy things, stop by and call me names in the comments threads. Here’s a link.
After an overindulgence of melange spice turkey, I had a realization that the numbers were in fact television stations. In our audio/video behemoth system, we have the ability to tune in several cable stations, and rebroadcast them throughout the school. One of the custodians wanted me to switch one of the stations so he could ... Read more
I found this note taped to my office door this morning. I’m the technology director for a K12 school, and my office is inside the library. You now have just as much information as I do. Please tell me what this note means. My guesses are: I’m expected to “fix” the state Lotto, or Manage ... Read more
It turns out I did have helpers, and some were even adults. (Thanks Josh!) As soon as we emptied that last tarp, the snow started coming down pretty hard, and before we even had the rakes all put into the van, the freshly raked lawn was covered with a blanket of white stuff. We cut ... Read more
I have to rake tomorrow. It’s not my lawn, and due to an unfortunate series of circumstances, I’ll be raking the yard with very little help. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll be fine, it’s just that we had a dusting of snow today. It’s not enough to stop the raking, but it is a reminder ... Read more
It’s really lucky for the rest of the world that geeks and writers aren’t terribly motivated folks. One of these days, however, we might actually get around to taking over the world. And I’m only half joking… UPDATE: Oh, and for the first time in my life, I can say “Union” without getting a little ... Read more
Dear software developers: If you are unable to create your software in a way that follows standards clearly put forth by Apple, Microsoft, etc — please don’t sell software. As a possible exception, if you feel the need to create non-standard software that only works on a standalone computer and only works for the user ... Read more
I don’t remember yesterday. At all. See, as many of you know, I’ve been sick for about a week now. I finally went to the doctor (Donna made me, I won’t lie), and he gave me some prescriptions, and took some of my blood. He also took some of my money, so it seems a ... Read more
I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired. And sore. And hot, then cold. And cranky. And recliner-bound. And probably stinky. And wearing glasses. And being unshaven. I’m ready to be better now. Seriously. Any time. Any. Time. NOW.
This scared me today: But it was healed a bit later. I didn’t realize how much I depend on Google… Even my NaNoWriMo novel is on Google, so they better pay their electric bill, because I need them to stay running! (Novel is going very slowly, and the site redesign wasn’t just me procrastinating, it’s ... Read more
I recently wrote an article about the Quake III gaming engine being released open source, and the games that have developed from it. It’s here, but unless you’re a Linux Journal subscriber, you can’t read it yet. (Feel free to subscribe, by the way ,it’s a great magazine, and they have a pleasant habit of ... Read more
I’m sick, I’m miserable, and I’m terribly behind. I haven’t given up or anything, but I feel like crud. I’m going to plug away a bit tonight, but I’m not going to let my behind-ness be an excuse to quit. Hope you all are doing well. 🙂
I wrote 1833 words today. Which is, not too bad. The really cool part is that for the first time ever, I had FUN writing fiction! Not looking back and just writing was hard, don’t get me wrong, but it was also freeing. My characters actually came to life a bit, and it was really ... Read more
I decided to write a novel. 🙂 Yeah, yeah, I’ve been saying that for years, but I’m taking advantage of National Novel Writing Month, and I’m going to try to really do it. Basically, for the month of November, entrants must write like crazy, and by the end they must have 50,000 words. The catch? ... Read more
Only in an elementary Halloween parade can you see not one, but two Power Rangers pick wedgies. It just takes away from their mystique, you know? Happy Halloween everyone. 🙂
I keep reading reviews about how great OSX 10.5 is, and how much I should praise Steve that I have such an OS. Like in my pre-release review, I’m still less that excited. Here’s a list of 7 things that frustrate me about Leopard: 1) Time machine, it all it’s awesome splendor, is pointless for ... Read more
I used to think when people talked about taking risks in order to follow your dreams, they mainly meant the financial aspect of risk. I think that might be largely true, but as I’ve recently been following my dreams, I’ve discovered the risks aren’t always financial. I’ve wanted to be a writer for literally longer ... Read more
A very nice young telemarketer from AT&T called me yesterday. Most of the time I gauge my phone nastiness factor on how idiotic the caller behaves. I vary between just hanging up, to stringing them along, to acting insane, or sometimes I just leave the phone off the hook and see how long it takes ... Read more
Tonight, the full moon is also the Perigee Moon — which means it’s actually at it’s closest point to us. Here in northern Michigan, we have a beautiful clear night as well, so the view is spectacular. In celebration of the Full, Perigee moon, I give you the Spongemonkey’s rendition of, “We Like the Moon.” ... Read more
Another week of youth group, and another episode of Exciting Excitement. This one isn’t quite as long as the last episode, but equally as entertaining (so either equally good, or equally bad!) Enjoy! Here’s a link to the original file, just in case you don’t like YouTube. 🙂
(This is an old post, but I actually had a nightmare about one of these things last night, so thought I’d repost) There are some things that really scare me. Bees, hoop earrings, woolen underwear, and restaurant spikes. Ok, ANY earrings give me the heebee-jeebees, but that’s another story altogether. Every time I go to ... Read more
It’s a long story. Based on an even longer story. Don’t worry if it doesn’t make sense.
Did you know a US Postage Stamp costs 41 cents? Yeah, so did I. Did you know that 41 cents ends up being one of each of the commonly used US coins? ME NEITHER! Things like that are super cool for me. I have no idea why. Unfortunately, when the postage rate goes up again, ... Read more
Linux Journal just updated their website, and it looks pretty awesome. Go check it out. Quick!
Today was our first large Youth Group gathering. (My wife and I are the youth leaders for our church) The object lesson was a cup of tea, or more specifically, steeping a cup of tea. Here’s the video I made for the event. Don’t judge me. 🙂 Just in case YouTube is blocked for you, ... Read more
A literal star I mean. I would want to be a brown dwarf. They just look cool, what with their eerie glowingness and all. If I couldn’t be a brown dwarf, I would want to be a star large enough to go supernova, because I think that’d be fun. I’d also want to be large ... Read more
You ever have nothing to say? I have nothing to say. So I’ll say it: [Blankness Here] There you have it. Nothing interesting to say. I’m going to go watch Transformers now. (It came out today, and I didn’t see it in theaters)
Today we took my oldest daughter to Urgent Care for pink eye. (She actually didn’t have pink eye, but it sure looked like it, and we didn’t want her to miss a day of school) On the way home, Donna and our oldest were discussing the odd accent the Urgent Care doctor had. His name ... Read more
My oldest daughter loves pink camouflage. While it doesn’t look silly, it sure seems like it should. Why on earth would they make pink camo? I wonder if it looks normal to me just because I see it so often. Maybe, there is a place that pink camo works. I’d kinda like to see it. ... Read more
This comic made me laugh so hard I almost had to replace my coffee-soaked keyboard. You may want to swallow your caffeinated beverage of choice before reading any further. (Yeah right, you know you read the comic before reading this. You open the present before the card on your birthday too, don’t you?!?!)
This is just a quick post regarding Apple OSX version 10.5, or “Leopard.” I’m not terribly impressed. No, it’s not out in retail yet, but it’s awful close. Maybe it will grow on me, but now I’m just more annoyed at the changes than I am impressed by them. I can’t say much more, or ... Read more
Many of you know I’ve started writing my first novel. I have to be honest, I’ve been struggling like crazy. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a problem writing, but with a novel, it all comes out awkward and weird. I think it’s because I’ve been trying to write the way “standard” modern novels ... Read more
I do have my room now, so I can stop lugging around my unmentionables to conference sessions. I took a few pictures of the room, including one of the pillows as they are stacked on the bed. Now, I understand that fancy stuff is nice, but my bed(s) look like they have a pile of ... Read more
I’m currently at a 3 day conference in Boyne Falls, MI. (At Boyne Mountain resort for my stalkers, mind you though, it’s a big place) I arrived around 9:30AM, and I’ve already had some great opportunities to speak with people smarter than I am. The problem is that my room won’t be available until 6PM. ... Read more
AAAAHHHH HAHAHAHAHAA! I just ate a whole box of maple candy. A whole box. A whole box. A whole box. I’m rather wired now. Yep. Quite a bit. WEEEEEE!!!! I think this is what schizophrenia feels like. HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE!!!! AAAAAHHHHHHH HHAAAAAHAAAAHAAAA! …watch me run. Run RUN RUN!!!
Ever been fed up? I am. It’s not my family or marriage or anything, but work & church are really getting me down. I’m pretty fed up. I’m grumpy too. I’m actually not very fun to be around, and I’m wearing the “look that kills” pretty much all the time. It sucks. But don’t worry. ... Read more
When contacting the IT department at work, or calling a repair shop for your home computer, here are some tips for getting fast, friendly service: Fully describe your computer. Yes, we could look up the specifications for your computer, but it sucks to do that. Just tell us what you have. (Unless you consider the ... Read more
A fellow over on a forum I was visiting posed the question, “How Do You Keep At It?” He was referring to steadily blogging. Here was my response: I’ve had some lapses, like recently work has been really rough. I think that 4 things have kept me pretty regular for a while now: 1) Paying ... Read more
I really enjoy music, but I have to admit, my favorite musical “tool” is the human voice. I love the sound of a good singer. In fact, I think all too often, musical instruments get it the way of a good sing. This makes for some unfortunate truths: 1) I enjoy watching American Idol. Not ... Read more
I saw this on the kitchen floor as I went to tuck the girls into bed this evening. I was too scared to ask them for any details. What could Tenderheart have possibly known? He hasn’t been on television since the 80s…
My office has been overrun with fruit flies. Mind you, my office is cleaner than it’s ever been — but the custodians haven’t been taking out my garbage, so apparently I now have a fruit fly version of Motel 6. Sometimes the swarm is so bad that I want to gouge out my eyes, and ... Read more
No, I’m not going all “Blair Witch” on you or anything. I just took this photo. It’s 3AM, and I finally turned in my article. Now, I only have the regular amount of stress. You know, 53 work orders, 8359 emails in my inbox, and impatient, unhappy co-workers. (If you’re my co-worker, and reading this ... Read more
Writing an article on computer gaming is a lot harder when you’re not a gamer. Trust me.
All 3 of our kids are in public schools this year, which is a really big deal, because we’ve been homeschooling for a long time. So far, it’s been going well. It helps that I work at the school, and Donna substitutes as an aide. In fact, today Donna told me a hilarious story about ... Read more
For those of you that didn’t get forced to read the actual Linux Journal magazine that published my articles, you’re in luck! Today being September 1st, the articles from the August issues are available to read online for free. Way to go Linux Journal! Here ya go: Build Your Own Arcade Game, and Relive the ... Read more
I still don’t have time to write much, but here’s a quick tour of my office. You know, because I know you’ve been dying to see it. 🙂 [flv:https://www.brainofshawn.com/videos/myoffice.flv 320 240]
Just a quick post (still crazy school time). I like LOLCats a lot, but by far, the funniest, albeit geekiest, photo I’ve ever seen is: It’s funny because of Schrodinger’s Cat Thought Experiment. Basically, quantum physics says a quantum particle, at any moment, may or may not exist. Honestly, there is still no “official” way ... Read more
This week and next are insanely busy for me, so you’ll have to forgive my sparse posting. As you probably know, last week we went camping. It was a great week, but one of the things you notice more when you’re away is how often you go to the restroom. I’m actually on a blood ... Read more
One of the joys of camping in a state park, is that everyone uses community showers. (No, not like that…) The park we stayed at only had 3 showers for the entire park. There are well over 100 campsites, and camping creates lots of reasons to bathe. Every morning, as I walked to the restrooms, ... Read more
I’m back from my week long hiatus in the woods! We went camping in the tip of Michigan’s upper peninsula, and it was very awesome. Although I brought 2 laptops and a WiFi enabled Palm Pilot, I didn’t do much web surfing. Nor did I do much writing. The latter saddens me more than the ... Read more
If you’re awake, and it’s Sunday night (the 12th of August, or if it’s already past midnight, the 13th), GO OUTSIDE AND LOOK UP!!! The Perseid meteor shower is going on right over your head! Ok, in all fairness, it’s largely better in the Northern Hemisphere, but it’s worth a look regardless. The peak will ... Read more
Believe it or not, I do try to be a sensitive husband. I listen close throughout the year so I get gifts that are really good, and I try to be loving and caring on days that aren’t just special occasions. Sometimes, however, I screw up. Today is one of those days. I thought I ... Read more
We don’t have a junk drawer in our house. That saddens me immensely. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a big fan of clutter, but it’s very strange to live without a junk drawer. At work, it’s not really been a problem, historically, because I’ve had at least one place for junk. For example: But ... Read more
On Monday, we’ll be leaving for a camping trip to the upper peninsula of Michigan. I’m looking forward to the trip, but it means we’ll likely be away from any Internet connection. I’ll be bringing my trusty laptop along, and will keep blogging (offline), and if we get to a hotspot somewhere, I’ll upload! Do ... Read more
I have digital books, and a few different eBook readers. I enjoy eBooks, but I have to admit, if I had my druthers, I’d grab a hunk of dead tree any day. Not only do I like actual books, but I really like old books. Like this beauty here. I found this at the used ... Read more
I’ve had a multitude of Palm Pilots over the years. I’ve always thought they’d help me with organization, but in reality, they’ve never done more than cause frustrations. Maybe I’m doing it wrong — but it seems I end up spending more time syncing, updating, etc, and less time accomplishing anything. I’m curious how useful ... Read more
I love Pop-Ice. You know, those plastic tubes filled with flavored goodness, which are frozen, and eaten right out of the tube? My favorite flavors are pink and blue. I know, those are colors, not flavors, but really I don’t think they contain any natural flavors at all. I could say my favorite flavor is ... Read more
Sometimes I do things for no other reason than being different. Maybe it’s because I like to do things that annoy people. Here’s a short list of 8 things I do off the top of my head. 1) I like to set my alarm clock to PM when it’s AM, and then set my alarm ... Read more
John Scalzi (one of my favorite authors) is busy this weekend. Normally, he posts lots of things to entertain his fans, but is unable to do so now. So this inside joke won’t make sense to most, but ya know, anything to keep his fans entertained. (And no, he didn’t solicit help, it’s much more ... Read more
I have a stressful job. So do most others I know, but believe it or not, my stressful job affects me more than it effects others. Funny how that works. When I’m stressed, I tend to turn into an S.O.B. (Silly Old Bear — c’mon folks, this is a family blog!) Really, though, I get ... Read more
[audio:https://www.brainofshawn.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/yeahivegotgoals.mp3] I keep reading how important it is to set goals. Not just set them, but write them down. I’ve never really been one to do that, and at the same time, I rarely meet the goals I do have (but not written.) So here’s the deal. I’m going to write some down. You do ... Read more
I just realized (OK, my wife realized for me, bless her heart), that although I talked about my awesome t-shirt gift that no one understands, I didn’t give any credit to the givers! I guess I just assume my brain is open for all to see, and expect you to read what I think, not ... Read more
Donna and I have been married for almost 12 years. (Crowds cheer, the banners fly, yay for young marriages that work!) In all that time, we really never had a “song” that was ours. You know, the “song” that when it plays, you can say, “That’s our song.” We’ve never had one. Until a few ... Read more
I received the following on a t-shirt for my birthday: And I love it. Really, it is hilarious, and when I first saw it, I almost spit coffee all over my laptop. But there is a problem. It’s really hard to explain what it means to anyone that’s not a Unix/Linux geek! I have a ... Read more
I suck. Apparently, it’s a law that one must fully stop at the end of a private drive before entering traffic. I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t know that was a law — but unfortunately, the police officer that pulled me over was quite aware. I don’t really want to talk about it.
Back in 1985, things were cool. If you disagree, you’re either too old or too young. The 80’s were my heyday, and I’ll always identify with everything from that decade. I was a bit younger than most people who identify with the 80s, but really, that’s the time I identify with my youth. One of ... Read more
Yep, today is the 8th annual Sysadmin Day. Every summer, the last Friday of July is the official Sysadmin Day. And every summer, here at the school, the entire staff works (4) 10 hour days, so they take off every Friday. You might think they do this to avoid buying me gifts and whatnot (the ... Read more
I had a falling out a while back with one of my sisters. It was one of your standard fallings out — basically miscommunication and misunderstanding. Since we’re too old to kick each other in the shins and go tell Mom, we basically haven’t spoken in months. If I thought hard enough, I could remember ... Read more
Click HERE for a random LOLCat from icanhscheezburger.com. LOLCats are great, they’re like digital Prozac.
I used to think The Boy Who Could Fly was the dumbest, most absurd movie I’d ever seen. It was my lowest common denominator for movie quality. There may have been others that were worse — but that one always sticks in my head. Then, I saw a movie preview that shouldn’t be. It just ... Read more
Yesterday, I posted about how impressed I was with Chris’ performance. I went back tonight, and even though there were some changes to the performance that detracted a little (not Chris’ decisions), it was still incredible entertainment. I have a couple video clips taken with our little digital still camera. The video quality is terrible, ... Read more
Maybe it’s because I always feel old around my birthday, but every once and a while, I’m awestruck when young people do amazing things. If you’re a parent, I’m sure you know what I mean, but you don’t have to be a parent to experience it. I think what really gets my goat is when ... Read more
Well, that’s 32 times now I’ve flown around the Sun. Relatively speaking, I’ve traveled 18,380,173,760 miles, which means I could have flown to Pluto and back, then taken a quick jaunt back to Uranus for souvenirs. I still would have made it back in time to blow out candles this afternoon. Of course, for that ... Read more
This week is CRAZY!!! We’re running Vacation Bible School at our church, and we’ve been overwhelmed with the turnout. It’s a good problem to have, but stressful! I probably won’t be blogging as much as normal, but here’s a link to the daily photos we’re taking.
I didn’t really like Harry Potter 4 (the movie). It was too dark, and I thought Harry was a crybaby teenager with an immature angst that was downright annoying. Plus, I disliked several of the other characters as well, so it was just a cruddy movie for me. I was expecting much the same or ... Read more
I slowly see myself growing up. Sometimes it catches me off guard, and makes me look back at the days of less stress and less responsibility. It’s funny for me to consider paying off our current vehicle, and then saving thousands of dollars to get a new minivan when this one finally drives to it’s ... Read more
OK, I’ve already changed my mind on the “every article in MP3 thing.” Mainly because I’ve avoided posting because I’m not in a place I can record myself, and also because some things are too lame to have an audio version. “I think I should mow my lawn today” Has no place in a podcast, ... Read more
OK, I know I’ve been playing with my website a lot lately, and today is no different. I’m going to try recording my blog posts, and publishing the audio version right along side the text. Is that cheesy? Maybe. But here’s the deal — I could use the practice with performance reading, and sometimes I ... Read more
It rained yesterday, and it seemed that everyone was gloomy right along with the weather. I LOVE the rain. I relish the closed in, cozy feeling when clouds are squeezing the town in a big hug. Don’t you just love the rain? [audio:gloomydaybliss.mp3] Download Audio File Here
I had a big ol’ bunch of white space in my header graphic — and I thought it would be cool to have some comics in there. I created a comic with the “Comic Strip Generator“, and Photoshopped it into the graphic. It gave me great joy. Then I thought it’d be pretty fun to ... Read more
You can judge for yourself, but every time I see a picture in sepia, it makes me think of coffee. Maybe it’s just that I just haven’t had any coffee this morning, but still — seeing myself like this makes me want a cuppa joe.
I don’t normally like chain emails and such — but Lynda Walldez listed me as a blog she “tagged” to participate in “8 random things.” I like the idea of 8 random facts, so I’ll bite. 🙂 8 Random Things You Probably Don’t Know About Me My favorite color T-Shirt is orange. I listen to ... Read more
I got my Linux Journal magazine in the mail today, so I guess it’s not too soon to brag a bit. LJ bought (2) of my articles, and they both appear in the August “Cool Projects” edition. The first article appears in the “Up Front” section, on page 16. It’s all about our school’s transition ... Read more
I live in a small town. When I’m driving down the road, I wave to just about everyone I pass, because chances are I know them. I also tend to wave to everyone anyway, but here in town — I’m less likely to offend someone if I wave at everyone. Today, however, I almost killed ... Read more
Happy Independence Day to all my ‘merican readers, and Happy Wednesday to everyone else. After walking in the parade this morning, Donna and I decided to go to Burger King for lunch, and let the kids play in the playland. That’s us, enjoying the air conditioning. Later we have a barbecue and then giant colorful ... Read more
I’m currently reading the first book in Fred Saberhagen’s Berserker series — and oddly enough, he died a couple days ago, no matter what Wikipedia editors might think. That got me to wondering, is it possible some of the best Science Fiction writing is being written now? I know the greats are the greats, but ... Read more
Well, a couple things have changed. One, I am using a template that actually works for Windows Internet Explorer folks. Secondly, I moved hosting to an actual host instead of the computer in my closet. It was cool to host things locally, but some days my personal bandwidth is affected by web traffic. I need ... Read more
This video clip is kinda special for my family. Our daughter, Lydia, really likes it. I’m sure you’ll see why. 🙂 [flv:http://web.mac.com/shawnp0wers/lydia.flv 400 300] It probably violates copyright of some sort, but for reference sake, it’s The Muppet Show, Season 1, Episode 2. Enjoy!
Have you ever been looking through a box of pictures, or in my case a pile of hard drives, and found a picture that you don’t remember? Yeah, me too. Here’s proof. I have no idea where this is from, but I found it on an old hard drive in my office. Apparently it was ... Read more
I just discovered that my website doesn’t render right under Internet Explorer… How odd! I’m starting to get enough traffic that perhaps hosting from my home DSL line isn’t really the wisest move anymore. Perhaps I’ll run to blogger or something, now that they have well done domain interaction. Did you know you can point ... Read more
[flv:http://web.mac.com/shawnp0wers/bos_podcast0.flv 320 240] I Think I’ll start doing podcasts occationally. They were fun. 🙂
John Scalzi has some good advice today on his website, and it caused me to look at my own keyboard. My lovely children are the worst offenders, but it still amazes me this keyboard still works without any problems.
I play guitar. Well, I want to play guitar. I’ve been learning for probably 20 years, but when it comes to actually playing a song, something doesn’t click in my brain. Oh, I admit that I haven’t practiced as much lately as I should, but honestly, practice starts to feel futile when you can’t seem ... Read more
Hi everyone! I’m back. I’m tired, but I’m back. I have a terrible headache, but I’m back. My nose is running like a faucet, but I’m back. I miss my wife and oldest daughter (they stayed for another week), but I’m back. So far, being back kinda sucks… Hope you are all doing well. I ... Read more
I’m still alive, and having a great week. I’m coming home Saturday, and will post in the evening. We’re at Bair Lake Bible Camp this week, and it’s an amazing place. Even the food is incredible. 🙂
I’m in the land of shared dialup this week — so updates will be few and far in between. It took me 10 minutes to post this. No exaggeration!
I signed 2 contracts today for Linux Journal magazine! And it’s certain I’ll be published in next month’s issue. Hooray! Now I have to get started on that &*#^$ book…
I stumbled upon this video, and I thought it was pretty funny. I’m not sure the original source, but I thought it was great. The only background info I know is that a couple named “Jennifer and Jim” were getting really high water bills, and one day they found out what the cat did all ... Read more
My last post (I think it was my last…) mentioned the Eat-2-Live diet. Since it literally changed my life, I’ll expand a bit. About 2 years ago, I weighed 220lbs. I was at the doctor’s office for a routine sickness, and he mentioned offhand that I was at risk for heart attack. I hadn’t’ realized ... Read more
I’ve been following the Eat-2-Live diet very closely since Sunday. Yes, I realize that’s only 3 days ago. I’m pretty ticked off, because in that time, I’ve actually GAINED 3 pounds. What’s up with that!?!?! I’m sure it’s just some odd fluke, but it sure is disheartening. My first instinct is to ask, “I can ... Read more
What do you think of the new look? Less creepy? Less personal? Better? Worse? Go ahead, be brutally honest. And yes, that’s me sleeping in the straw hat. 🙂
So, when we left for Florida, I forgot to pause the lawn. It was an interesting afternoon when we returned…
I’ve been talking quite a bit about my childhood lately, which is very ironic, since I don’t remember much of it firsthand. (That’s another story, very complicated) There are many things I know about growing up though, partly due to stories I’ve been told, and some things that show in my everyday life. I grew ... Read more
I have a great desire to live frugally. I think, however, that growing up poor makes frugality seem poor as opposed to wise. Don’t get me wrong, I never went hungry as a kid, my Mom always made sure we had what we needed — but we weren’t even close to middle class. All in ... Read more
I like Diet Coke. Donna Likes Coke Zero. If you look at the ingredient labels, both products contain the same stuff. It must be the ratio of said ingredients. So I ask you, which no-calorie Coke is the best, and why? Bonus points if you add comments on how vile Diet Pepsi tastes.
One of the stops we made on our recent vacation was at St. Augustine. It’s the oldest city in the country, or some such thing. Honestly, history really isn’t my thing — but it was also the first time I’ve ever seen the ocean. In fact, no one in my family had ever seen the ... Read more
Whew, we’re back. I have SOOOO much to post about, but today I’m at work. After 8 days gone, I have a lot to catch up on. See: Wish me luck!
Whew. We’re in Georgia. It was a long, but enjoyable day. Amanda’s Day 1 log is on her site, and since it’s 11:30, and I want to go to bed — I’ll send you there. 🙂 http://amanda.meetthepowers.com
We’re leaving for an 8 day trip to Florida today. I’ll do my best to post from the road, but I urge you to read my daughter Amanda’s trip blog. Her teacher assigned her the task of journaling every day, and we’re posting it for her class (and the world, I guess) to see. Stop ... Read more
Can’t sleep. I might take some sleeping pills, but the fear there is that it’s so late I might not get up in the morning. Once midnight comes and goes, I grow leery about taking ’em. I’ll probably go take a couple Sominex anyway. It’s not like I have to get up early tomorrow. G’night ... Read more
Last weekend, we traveled to Grand Rapids for my sister’s college graduation. We really tried to be frugal, and so we bought snacks, etc. for the trip. One of the snacks was Chocolate Pop-Tarts. As all too often happens after a long trip, much of the travel fodder remained in the van. Yesterday I plugged ... Read more
I just want to share a frustration with the world. My right hip twitches. This may not seem terribly newsworthy, but my right hip is also where I clip my cellphone. I put my cellphone on vibrate, and my darn twitchy hip makes it feel like I have a call. I just had to vent. ... Read more
I submitted another magazine article today. This one was a little more work, but just as fun. (Ok, it’s actually for a “cool projects” issue, so it was VERY fun). I really enjoy writing these articles, I hope I can find more venues to publish. I think Linux Journal will get tired of me if ... Read more
Last night, I found myself driving home after dark with our youngest daughter. Going for a ride in Daddy’s truck is a special treat, and apart from the loud exhaust, rusty body, and non-existent shocks, I can understand why. My old truck rocks. It’s a stick shift, and Daddy drives it kinda rough — great ... Read more
Look, I don’t care why Linux doesn’t have issues with spyware and viruses like it’s glass-in-a-frame brother, but it doesn’t. Actually, I do care — but the beauty is that it’s true. Maybe it’s because it’s not a target. Maybe it’s designed better. Maybe it just has a cooler name. The truth of the matter ... Read more
Yesterday, I was speaking with a dear friend at a softball practice. Both of our daughters are on the team, so we got to sit in the peanut gallery and gab (it’s practice, so it’s not like we were supposed to be cheering or anything). She brought up an interesting notion, in that she thinks ... Read more
I started writing a book! I know, a million would-be authors have started the Great American Novel, but at least I’m almost a published author, right? 🙂 Seriously though, writing a novel is a different beast. I’m thinking about characterization, plot, etc. I know I have the writing ability, I know I have a great ... Read more
It just doesn’t get any cooler than this! Scientists found a planet in the “sweet spot” that would support liquid water! It’s 20.5 light years away, but has an estimated average temperature of 68 degrees Fahrenheit. I’m so excited about this kind of stuff!
Hey, I got another query accepted! This will be my second official writing-for-money assignment. I’m thrilled! Yay!
I just recovered from a 16 hour headache. It was a doozy. I feel better now, and I don’t have gas either. Odd thing to mention? I agree. In our medicine cabinet, we have sinus headache medicine. They are green pills, which a person with a hurting melon takes every 6 hours to feel better. ... Read more
The Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) have an election coming up, and a ton of rhetoric and flame wars are going on. I’m not in the association, so I won’t be voting — but if I could, I’d be voting for John Scalzi for president. It’s no secret that I’m a Scalzi ... Read more
So Tigger got skunked. Yep. Right in the face. When I smelled it, I ran outside to bring him inside, so that he wouldn’t tangle with the skunk I smelled. Too late. When he came running to me, his face was still wet from skunkiness. It was truly disgusting. So Tigger will be spending the ... Read more
I never knew this was a real thing! I do it all the time, because I’m a silly guy, but apparently it’s something definable. It showed up on my “word of the day” list, and I thought it was really cool! Spoonerism: the transposition of usually initial sounds in a pair of words. For example: ... Read more
I found out today that one of my co-workers reported me as being, “incompetent and having lazy work habits.” 4 years ago, that would have devastated me. Now, it makes me chuckle a bit, but ultimately feel bad for that person. Over my career working for this school district (a bit over 7 years now), ... Read more
I’m sick. It’s an interesting kinda sick too. I had a backache yesterday, which I assumed was because I’m slightly overweight and getting older — but it turns out it was a precursor to this icky funk I’m in now. My back feels a little better, but this morning I feel like I’ve been avoiding ... Read more
With all the different spin offs from Ubuntu Linux, I thought I’d spin my own version, and make it available to everyone. My version is a little different (aren’t they all?) — in that it will only work for me. That’s right, it’s “Not-Your-Buntu.” Since it’s Linux, and since I didn’t think there were enough ... Read more
I’m that guy that notices grammar problems. You know, the little ones that really don’t mean a whole lot in the big picture. Yeah, I’m annoying. The ironic part is that I submitted the final draft of the article I’m writing for Linux Journal. I had a professional review it for me. I edited it ... Read more
What a great 3 days! We’re all pretty tired, but everyone is home safe and sound. Here’s a little video snippet. I have the yellow balloon. (If you watch close, I almost pass out!) [flv:http://trunkboy.googlepages.com/helium_guys.flv 400 300]
I’ve had more than a 3 day gap in posts before, but for the next 3 days I’ll have a reason. Or excuse. Or something. Donna and I are going with the youth group to lead a retreat. It’s in a beautiful camp located on 6.5 miles of Lake Huron waterfront. The forecast calls for ... Read more
I didn’t really like the idea of Ficlets when I first read about them on John Scalzi’s blog. Basically, you write a VERY short story, and others can add on the end (or beginning) of it, and make a big lego-like story. I thought it was odd, and didn’t write a ficlet for a long ... Read more
It’s very possible the editors at Linux Journal will read this post, and validate their concerns that I’m not a professional writer. I guess that’s OK, because I certainly never claimed to be so. 🙂 A few weeks ago, I sent a query letter to Linux Journal regarding an article I’d like to write for ... Read more
OK, I’m waaaay too proud of this ringtone, but I made it from television show clips, and think it is awesome. It’s an MP3 (Razr Compatible) file of the Enterprise computer from TNG saying, “Incoming subspace signal…” I’ve gotten so many comments from people about it, that I wanted to put it here for everyone ... Read more
You know what we’re doing this fine Tuesday evening? We’re watching old episodes of Star Trek the Next Generation. That’s right, I said we are watching it! Donna is the coolest wife in the world. I think that her not being a die hard trekkie, yet still enjoying watching it with me makes her super ... Read more
It’s 4:18. Nope, now it’s 4:19. Wait for it… Wait… BAM! 4:20. And yes, I actually did wait for the clock to turn. I’m that bored. You ever been sleepless? OK, I’ll try to sleep again. It’s getting close to that point that sleeping will be worse than staying awake. You know what I mean. ... Read more
Yay! Today is the Vernal Equinox, or for you less geeky folks, the first day of Spring! That said, it was VERY COLD here last night, and we got snow the day before… but I’m focusing on the officialness of spring rather than the reality of cold. Basically, I’m living in a very cold dream ... Read more
John Scalzi recently did a “high priced” commercial for his book, The Android’s Dream. I laughed really hard, and thought I’d do him the favor of producing one for his upcoming book, The Last Colony. [flv:http://trunkboy.googlepages.com/scalzi_last_colony.flv 400 300] UPDATE: For those of you unfamiliar with John’s work, the video will make very little sense…
It’s springtime here in northern Michigan. Maybe not according to the calendar, I’m not sure of the “legal limits” on seasons — but it’s springy weather here, so by my calculations, that makes it spring. For dog owners, spring doesn’t just mean birds twittering, trees budding, and flowers blooming — it means poop thawing. Admittedly, ... Read more
I love scented candles. I love the smell of fresh baked bread. In much the style Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups were invented, what if candles and bread crossed? Would you like a fresh baked bread scented candle? I’ll tell you what, I’d buy that for a dollar! (Incidentally, “I’d buy that for a dollar” is ... Read more
How sweet is my wife you ask? (Ok, you didn’t ask, but I’ll tell you anyway) I’ve been talking to Donna about writing professionally for quite some time. Ok, more than “quite some time” — it’s been more like the entire 13 years I’ve known her. I always go on about how I’d like to ... Read more
Just a quick post about a big annoyance of mine. In the past month, I’ve been to (3) restaurants with the most absurd forks ever forged. (Are forks forged? That awful fancy talk for a lowly fork… anyway…) Does someone think these pitchforks are actually fancier than a human fork? Was it actually hard to ... Read more
John Scalzi has a weekend assignment over at his By the Way AOL journal. The assignment is to post about something silly you or one of your children did when they were younger. So, with Lydia’s permission, I’ve posted one of her early “all by myself” trips to the potty…
I’ve noticed that I’ve fattened up of late. I notice it because the only pants that fit me are the 2 pair of fat-guy khakis I have left from my pre-skinny-getting days. What happened? You stopped eating smart, you dolt. You eat anything you want, as much as you want, and any time you want. ... Read more
It’s been a week since I posted. That’s horrible! I’m not feeling terribly well, so this is just a quick recap of the week. 22 — On Tuesday, I had a file server crash. Yes, it was the same file server from before, so I wasn’t terribly happy about it. I worked 22 hours on ... Read more
Yesterday, a really good friend let me use his wife’s season ticket and go to a Michigan vs Michigan State hockey game with him. (Yes, his wife approved) I’d never been to a hockey game before, so I planned to write about it. In fact, while I was there I was thinking about what I ... Read more
We hustled into the house last night, because the air was so cold it froze together our nose hairs as we breathed. If you’ve ever walked in sub-zero temperature, you know exactly what I mean. 🙂 Before we opened the van door, however, Donna and I briefly gazed up at Orion, and his belt. While ... Read more
Ask me my favorite season, and you’ll get a different answer on any given day. Fall, especially here in Northern Michigan, is absolutely stunning. The trees put on a show as they pack up for winter that makes the 4th of July fireworks seem pathetic. Summer, while often too hot for my taste, has long, ... Read more
I have nothing interesting to say. Don’t get me wrong, I have lots of things I want to write about — but I can’t seem to “Use My Words” like Mom used to tell me. I want to write about my silly habit of curling up by the heater vent on a cold morning. I ... Read more
Donna’s been coaching volleyball for… 10ish years or so. (No, that’s not her team in the photo, it’s actually Roger Bacon High in Ohio, I didn’t have a picture our our team) I’ve grown to love the game, but there are a few things that really make me smile, even after so many years of ... Read more
No, not that, you sicko… I was reading an article about being happy. It’s one of those things that I’ve always struggled with, so the article really sucked me in. I’ve been across the gamut when it comes to finances. Well, OK, I’ve been across the lower end of that gamut. I make around $40,000 ... Read more
I had a glimpse of a perfect morning (Shawn style), earlier today. It was tainted by sick day guilt, but it was still a refreshing, almost utopia-like view of morning perfection. I sat at the kitchen counter, on a hard wooden stool. The sun was pouring in the window behind me so that I could ... Read more
Many months ago (and 2 blog software iterations ago), I did an experiment which involved waking up every morning at 5AM. It was difficult, but I made a video podcast every morning, and it was fun. At the end of the 30 days, I went back to waking up around 7AM, and life went on ... Read more
I write because I want people to value my thoughts. Is it because I have self-worth issues? Maybe, but more than that I think it’s that the brain is a lonely place. I am a family man, and my wife and kids know me very well. There is a privacy in thoughts, however, that you ... Read more
First off, I fully believe that “famous people” are absolutely normal people. Often quirky, but that’s not an attribute reserved for the famous. They’re just people. If there is a difference, it’s the huge disadvantage they have because they’re known by so many more people than they know themselves. So what’s a star to do? ... Read more
I signed up for a free coffee maker. (The promotion is over, sorry) Part of the deal is that I share the coffee with friends, and they’ll love it so much they’ll rush out and buy the $70 machine for themselves. Here’s my review. 🙂 First off, I wish they’d have sent me a different ... Read more
Apparently, to me, this sign means: “Women, men in kilts, or people who enjoy sitting in recliners are welcome in this room.” Since I fall into the last category, its OK for me to stroll in, right? Here’s the deal: my wife and 2 youngest daughters were looking at “capri pants” or some such girly ... Read more
I took the family to a really nice coffee house this evening. All 4 of them ordered hot chocolate, but I won’t yammer on about wasting a good coffee house experience with simple hot cocoa. It may sound cheesy, but this particular coffee house actually has a drive thru. (I know, that sorta cheapens the ... Read more
In an irony that I just relish, this post has been in my “draft” area for about 5 days. Are you a procrastinator? I am. My whole life I’ve been trying to avoid being a procrastinator, but I think I just needed to redefine the rules to fit my tendencies. (nothing like redefining reality to ... Read more
I was going to post about 10 ways to make blogging fulfilling, but while I was surfing earlier, I came across a much better post. His list was slightly different, and only 8 points — but I’ll just send you a link. It was a great read. I’m going to follow his advice, and leave ... Read more
I must admit, I’ve never had a journal. I know, I know, for someone who loves to write so much, it seems a shame not to have a journal. I never really realized how sad it was until I started regularly blogging. I wish I had a journal for the last 30 years or so. ... Read more
There are some words that have bad connotations bestowed upon them. We’d argue some are deserved, like the evils of “murder”, “adultery”, “saturated fat”, or “LA Clippers.” (I had to take a cheap shot at SOMEONE, and it’s unlikely that either Clippers fan will ever read my blog…) Escapism, however, often gets a bad rap, ... Read more
I don’t mean to be conceited, but I’m darn good at Beyond Balderdash. I’m not sure if I should be proud, or ashamed, because the whole premise of the game is that the best liar wins. It is great fun, but what does it say about me? A few months ago, I thought about purchasing ... Read more
I do, I really hate “New Year’s Resolutions.” It seem so dumb to pick a single day to set goals. I do have a goal, but it’s important to me that it’s not a dumb old New Year’s Resolution. I don’t know who I’m trying to convince, maybe myself. 😉 I need to lose some ... Read more
A blog reader named Rachel left a comment on my Thanksgiving post, and due to server problems, I didn’t see the comment until this morning. I felt so bad, I thought I’d make a blog post out of the comment, and drop Rachel an email with my apologies. Rachel commented: Hi Shawn, My husband was ... Read more
I was talking to my wife recently about music. She mentioned that she doesn’t like Nirvana, because it puts her in a dark mood. Discussions about the value of Kurt Cobain’s music notwithstanding, it’s impossible to deny that he could express his torturous depression impeccably in his music. What really stuck with me in our ... Read more
Remember the original Revenge of the Nerds? It was an absurd 80’s movie. Some may say cult classic, some might say lame — some might say both. Anyway, there’s one line in the end, when Ogre joins the nerds, in which a drug induced nerd says, “What if along with infinite bigness, is infinite smallness?” ... Read more
It’s a little disheartening to think about the vastness of space, especially in contrast to the shortness of our lives. We talk about a “close” star being only 50 light years away — but holy cow. If my mother sent a message when I was born, I’d be dead before the congratulations ever got back ... Read more
This year, my family stole a tradition from some friends of ours. Every year, the evening before Thanksgiving they eat cabbage soup, and spend the evening together in candlelight (ie, no lights). Then, the next morning, oatmeal is all they get for breakfast. The idea is that it will make them all very thankful for ... Read more
About 7 years ago, my family was in a very rough spot due to a car accident that turned our lives upside down. We were forced to go on welfare, my pregnant wife was forced to take a job bussing tables at a local restaurant, and we were the recipients of holiday food baskets, etc. ... Read more
Well, I got a Windows Vista install DVD at a conference I was just at. I tried to install it, using MICROSOFT’s own Virtual PC on my Apple laptop. I did have to do some odd tweaking to get it to begin the install, but I thought I was on my way to Vista Preview ... Read more
Just a quick post. THIS is what we had Thursday morning… Gotta love Northern Michigan. 🙂
I haven’t posted, I actually began fleshing out the site a little. There’s now an “About Me” link, along with an “About my Faith” link. I’m working on a better eyeball picture too. (I sorta like the creepy factor my eyeballs give the site…) Stay tuned, I haven’t given up on the blog again!
Pretty bold question, I know. Seriously though, almost any parent would die for their child without hesitation. A parent’s love transcends morality, responsibility, and do-gooding. The love a parent has for their child is indescribable, and is the only way we get a glimpse of the Lord’s love for us. Therein lies my dilemma. See, ... Read more
Here’s the long version of what happened Friday regarding the file server. If you’re not interested, by all means just ignore this. It’s for informational purposes only. I was scheduled to work Thursday night 3rd shift. My plan was to apply security patches, run updates, scan hard drives, etc., on servers. Pretty much the stuff ... Read more
Friday morning at work started with me scotch taping the following note on every teacher’s door in our school district… ATTENTION!!! READ THIS!!! Last night there was a catastrophic hardware failure in the server room. Any and all documents are NOT available. I started restoring from backups at 4AM, but there are over 8 million ... Read more
Are you one of those people that likes change? It’s funny, judging by my personality, I seem like the kinda guy that doesn’t like change. However, I find myself quite the opposite. Do you like to rearrange your office/bedroom/livingroom/etc? Do you crave catastrophes at work, just so that it’s something new and fresh? Much to ... Read more
This was my favorite video, it has another top 5. The videos are getting shorter too — I think that is better. 😉 Click To Play
More video — but don’t worry, they’re in numerical order. You will know when the retro misery is over. 😉 DETAILS: Top 5 countdown, guest host, coffee-cizing. Click To Play
Carrie reminded me that I used to be a video blogger. Thanks Carrie! Back in early 2006, I started to video blog. I was much healthier back then, a full blown vegan, slender, and caffeine free. The only thing that I’ve really kept from the veganism is that I’m totally grossed out by cow’s milk. ... Read more