Ellernet Blog

Patriot ReadyMixed Concrete - Website Launched

2008-12-15T17:46:00-07:00

This past week, Ellernet launched a new website for Patriot Ready Mixed Concrete - my brother Roy's company. Check it out if you have a minute. I have a number of side-projects that I am currently working on and I will post what I can here. Funny - when I was looking for a job a few months ago, i couldn't find any side projects to work on. now that I have a new job I have side work coming out of the wood work. :) Go figure.

Stormpulse

2008-10-02T10:22:00-07:00

Stormpulse is a really neat site that not only gives you a live view of any potential and active hurricanes, but it also allows you to go back in time to view the paths (with storm data) of any hurricane in the past. Just enter a search term like "Katrina" in the search box.

StormPulse does an amazing job of aggregating weather data from multiple sources. For the latest hurricane information, this application combines storm data from the National Hurricane Center and imaging from NASA and NERC. Currently if you want to view a hurricane's projected path, projected wind speed, and historical tracks, you must cycle between multiple maps. However, StormPulse presents multiple overlays that enable you to view all the information simultaneously.

Here's the path of Fran - a storm I witnessed first hand in 1996. Be careful - you can spend hours playing with a site like this. :-)

Slideshow

2008-08-26T08:43:00-07:00

Here is a neat little video I made using a service called Animoto. They allow you to create short (free), unique slide shows of your pictures OR you can pay to have full length slide shows created from your pics (for fee). If you like it and want to give it a try, use this code: cjqonybx and you will get $5 off.

To Tattoo or not to Tattoo

2008-07-22T07:45:00-07:00

A colleague of mine pointed out this article to me today. We've had a couple of discussions about how lots of people these days spend their hard-earned money on tattoos rather than paying off their credit cards or - yikes - saving it.

"Tattoos are the emblems of our age. They bristle from the biceps of men in summer shirts, from the lower backs of women as they ascend stairs, from the shoulders of basketball players as they drive toward the basket, and from every inch of certain celebrities. The tattoo is the battle flag of today in its war with tomorrow. It is carried by sure losers."

What do you think?

Read the full article: Ink-Stained Wretchedness

Ellernet Chat Room

2008-05-13T14:31:00-07:00

Well, in a moment of geek weakness, I added a chat room to Ellernet. I decided to use the Chatopica chat widget. It was exceedingly simple to setup. Took all of ten minutes, and most of that was getting the popup window sized correctly. They provide you with a free piece of JavaScript that you add to the page where you want your chat to appear. That's all there is to it. You can click the link in the sidebar to enter the Ellernet Chat or click here. Stop in and say hello.

Tornado

2008-04-27T18:15:00-07:00

This is a neat video Roy (Bubba) took of a little tornado the other day at his plant in Virginia. I thought it was amazing how clear the sky was - not a cloud in sight...

Glubble

2008-01-27T12:31:00-07:00

If you are like me and have a young child at home who is getting more and more interested in the internet, you have worries aboutthem stumbling accross stuff that you would rather they didn't. Fortunately, if you use the Firefox browser, there is a solution that makes the web safe and fun for kids. Glubble is a free addon for firefox that you setup for your child.

From the Glubble website:

The Glubble Add-on for Firefox allows your child to freely discover the best of the web you choose with your family.
Glubbles are bubbles of web content that you trust your child to see online. Even search results are modified so your child explores a trusted Internet made of Glubbles.

Try it out - it really is a neat program.

Advice to Children

2008-01-13T20:49:00-07:00

I have found the best way to give advice to your children is to find out what they want and then advise them to do it. - Harry S. Truman

I just love this quote and it is so true. I saw it in a blog post today over at zenhabits entitled Why I Love Being a Dad. A very amusing read.

Where in the World?

2008-01-09T19:51:00-07:00

Bailey's first grade class is studying "Maps and Globes" and has requested that folks send postcards to the school. They will locate where the postcard was mailed from and locate it on the map and then display the cards on a bulletin board in the classroom. If you canhelp her with this, contact me via email and I will send you the school address, etc.

Xobni

2007-11-19T15:39:00-07:00

This is a new Outlook widget that I am dying to try out. From what I can tell it analyzes your email and extracts meaningful information so you can do things faster, better, etc. They are offering a free signup for their beta program - just click the logo above to signup. Here's a video about how it works. Pretty cool!

One True Media

2007-09-20T16:53:00-07:00

This service is very nice. They give you the ability to make very nice slideshows that include pictures as well as video - all for free (up to 100MB uploads per month). Here is a slideshow I put together from our most recent visit to the fair. Really neat how you can apply various styles to it as well as music. Check it out here

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

What I'm Reading

2007-07-25T22:26:00-07:00

If you have visited Ellernet in the past day or so, you may have noticed the "What I'm Reading" menu at the top of this page. You can click this link and get a very nice page generated from Google Reader of the recent news items, blog articles, etc. that I have shared via Google Reader. Go ahead and give it a click and you can see what I'm wasting time at work reading. :)

64% Addicted to Blogging

2007-07-25T07:44:00-07:00

So, I thought I might score around 40%, but 64%?!? Maybe I need to reexamine my priorities. :) 64%

Sketch Swap

2007-07-24T06:12:00-07:00

Got kids? If so, they will love to play around on Sketch Swap. The way it works is simple - first you draw a picture, then you click Submit Drawing, then you get to see a drawing someone else made. Simple idea, but fun nonetheless. Here's one I did:

Bailey Simpson?

2007-07-06T08:26:00-07:00

Bailey spent some time building her Simpson's character this morning. It turned out well I thought. What do you think? Simpson's Movie Site

Are you a Simpson's Character?

2007-07-04T22:15:00-07:00

If not, you can be now. With the Simpson's movie due out this month, there are a lot of things you can do in virtual Springfield. You can create yourself as a Simpson's character - here's mine. mmmm donuts...

Outsmarting Poison Ivy and Its Cousins

2007-06-27T21:51:00-07:00

If you're anything like me, you can catch Poison Ivy if someone says Poison Ivy. In trying to deal with some in my backyard (and on my arm) recently, I came across this very informative article. Here are some tips if you come in contact with the itchy weed:

First, Epstein says, cleanse exposed skin with generous amounts of isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol. (Don't return to the woods or yard the same day. Alcohol removes your skin's protection along with the urushiol and any new contact will cause the urushiol to penetrate twice as fast.)
Second, wash skin with water. (Water temperature does not matter; if you're outside, it's likely only cold water will be available.)
Third, take a regular shower with soap and warm water. Do not use soap before this point because "soap will tend to pick up some of the urushiol from the surface of the skin and move it around," says Epstein.
Clothes, shoes, tools, and anything else that may have been in contact with the urushiol should be wiped off with alcohol and water. Be sure to wear gloves or otherwise cover your hands while doing this and then discard the hand covering.

The full article can be found here: Outsmarting Poison Ivy and Its Cousins

Blog Musik

2007-06-14T17:12:00-07:00

I found this new site today that lets you create music play lists for your blog or website. They also have features similar to Musicovery and Pandora. I understand that LaLa is also getting into the internet radio space. Like Blog Musik, LaLa is supposed to be letting you play songs on demand (unlike Musicovery and Pandora). Here is a John Coltrane (jazz) playlist I made this afternoon. Hope you enjoy it:

Youtube

2007-06-14T08:34:00-07:00

I've always just used YouTube to upload my videos so I could embed them easily on my blog. However, recently, I spent a little time looking around on YouTube and the video of Bailey singing Tim McGraw is pretty popular. To date, it has been watched over 1400 times. Pretty neat. As a result, I've setup the Ellernet YouTube channel. You can find it here. You can see all the videos that are on Ellernet along with a few others that I did not post.

Subscribe to Ellernet...

2007-06-09T16:57:00-07:00

I was not aware or just didn't pay attention but the email subscription feature on this blog has not been functioning since I moved servers a while back. I resolved the issue this weekend and, if you had subscribed in the past, you will start getting emails when new posts are made. There are two ways to subscribe - via email or via rss feed. Email is the easiest - just enter your email address in the form in the right margin under Subscribe via Email. If you use a Feed Reader like Google Reader (my choice), NetVibes, PageFlakes, Feed Demon, or any other - just click the orange feed subscription link in the right margin. You will then be able to add the Ellernet Feed to your reader and keep up with our goings on that way. If you are subscribed and don't want to be, just shoot me an email and I'll get you unsubscribed pronto.

The Future of Computing?

2007-06-01T13:37:00-07:00

Microsoft is developing what they are calling a Surface Computer. Watch this video and be amazed. When can I get one?

My Desk

2007-05-19T11:11:00-07:00

Any of you who have seen my home office know that I have dual Dell 2005FPW Flat Panel monitors. Very nice monitors but having 2 of them on my desk takes up a lot of room and doesn't leave room for much else. So, when I got my tax refund, it was burning a hole in my pocket, so I splurged and bought an LX Dual Desk Mount Arm. It was easy to setup and it gives back a lot of desktop. Plus you can easily move the monitors now up or down, or close or far. Very nice.

Play Catch

2007-05-12T12:24:00-07:00

This is a neat little flash page that lets you play catch with yourself. Bailey and I enjoyed playing with it for 15-20 minutes.

The Last Morsel

2007-05-09T20:30:00-07:00

How many of you knew that I have a little side business of hosting websites? Actually I am a reseller for Daily Razor. So, if you have web hostin needs let me know. Here is a new site I am hosting: The Last Morsel. This site offers a new food-related literature snippet each day. Check it out when you get a chance.

Carline Family Genealogy BLog

2007-05-01T19:43:00-07:00

So my mom is officially a blogger now. She has been interested in genealogy for years now - now she has taken her research online. This looks to be an interesting and fun way to learn about the history of our family and to a certain degree our country as well. Check it out - she's already had an interactive poll and promises to have a lot of fun and interesting articles for us in the future.

Blue Ball Machine

2007-04-01T12:04:00-07:00

An amazing waste of time. This is an incredible graphic with no real apparent purpose. Very interesting for sure. I stared at it for probably 5 minutes and Bailey enjoyed it also. :) Blue Ball Machine

Musicovery

2007-03-29T18:58:00-07:00

Musicovery is a neat online music discovery site - much like Pandora - but different in some very interesting ways. Instead of making channels like in Pandora, you specify a genre of music, a time period, and a mood. Then, the program plays the music you were looking for and gives you a graphical representation of the playlist it has built for you. If you don't like a song, you can click on another one and it plays that song and builds a new play list based on that song. I really like the jazz selections it picks for me. Best of all, its free.

Singing Cows (I think)

2007-03-28T17:36:00-07:00

Another site we stumbled upon last night had us cracking up. You can have your own cow mini-choir. Singing Cows

Man in the Dark

2007-03-28T17:29:00-07:00

Bailey and I had a great time playing with this site tonight. Very impressive graphics. Man in the Dark

Feb Snow Sorm

2007-02-25T20:38:00-07:00

Hopefully, this is the last snow storm of the year. We are ready for spring. After the ice storm of last week, we got another 6 inches or so of snow today. We hope it doesn't ice on top of it again like last time. It was pretty though:

IMified

2007-02-15T20:36:00-07:00

This is a very cool new (free) service if you use instant message utilities alot - like me. Basically, you simply add imified to your buddy list and by chatting with it, you can setup reminders, task lists, calendar events, etc. Currently, it works with AIM, Yahoo and Gtalk - there seems to be a little trouble with MSN at the moment. IMified offers notes, todo's, and reminders by default. It also integrates with Google Calendar and other online services. If you ask it to remind you of something, it will send you an instant message if it sees that you are online. If not, it can send a text message to your phone. Seems like a great idea to me. Try it out and let me know what you think.

Children See, Children Do

2006-12-08T09:31:00-07:00

I saw this video posted on the Dumb Little Man site. If you have kids - or even if you don't - it should really make you think about the impact your actions have on them.

When Can You Retire?

2006-11-29T18:36:00-07:00

Here is a cool tool that will allow you to project how much money and time it will take to allow you to retire at your present standard of living. It is pretty neat because you can adjust the amount you save or how long you can wait until retirement and see how it affects your bottom line. Looks like I need to work until I am about 80. :) Check it out here.

Long Distance Tax Refund

2006-11-28T12:47:00-07:00

If you had long distance service between Feb 28, 2003 and Aug 1, 2006, you are eligible for a refund on the taxes you paid for that service. You will be able to claim this refund (between $30 and $60) on your 2006 taxes. Ask your tax advisor or read more about it here. Nice to get some money back every now and then.

Go Outside and Play

2006-11-13T10:23:00-07:00

Life Organizer

2006-11-12T12:30:00-07:00

If you are like me, sometimes the clutter just gets overwhelming. Toys, paper, laundry, etc etc. I try to keep things nice and neat, but sometimes it is just a losing battle. Here's a neat site that will give you tips and strategies for organizing your life. I thought it was a pretty neat site so i thought i'd pass it along: Life Organizers

Snippy

2006-11-04T08:51:00-07:00

Do you use a program like Snagit to do screen captures, etc? I've used it in the past and I do like it, but when the free demo runs out, I uninstall it. I came across a cool little free program that lets you take little captures of your screen just by circling them with your mouse. The capture goes onto your clipboard and you can then paste (control v) the resulting image into an email or some other document. Check it out here. Did I mention that it is free.

La La

2006-10-21T12:47:00-07:00

Do you have old CD's that you never listen to anymore? I sure do. The weird thing is that just because you don't listen to it anymore doesn't mean someone else doesn't want to listen to it. That's where La La comes in. It is a site that is like a swap meet for your CD's. They send you all the shipping materials you need, you go the site and list the CD's you want to trade and some that you'd like to have. That's all there is to it. Next thing you know, you will have some brand new (to you) CD's to listen to. It costs $1 per CD to do. I guess that is for the website and shipping material. Pretty cool idea I think. I've already traded about 15 or so CD's. Here are some that I have listed to trade.

Click here to get any of my CDs for $1

Do You Waste Money?

2006-09-29T11:22:00-07:00

I bet you do. I read this article about the ten biggest ways Americans waste their hard-earned money and I admit, at least 3 and a half of these apply to me. How about you?

Air Fare Predictor

2006-09-21T22:59:00-07:00

This is a very cool site. I have no way of knowing how accurate it is. Basically, you tell it where and when you want to fly, and it tells you whether you should buy your plane tickets now or if you should wait. It tries to predict if prices will go up or down based on some fancy algorithm that analyzes past price history and other factors - like fuel prices, etc. Check it out: Fare Cast

Target - 10% off Coupon

2006-09-21T21:31:00-07:00

If you shop online at Target.com, here is a nice coupon for 10% off - no minimum purchase required. I have not used the coupon yet, but I plan too. Don't say I never gave you nuttin'.

Tenth Anniverssary for Elmo

2006-09-21T12:30:00-07:00

Can you believe it? They have a new Tickle Me Elmo this year. It is really funny. I like tickle #3 best. Check it out here: Link

Young FrakenSteve

2006-06-10T17:50:00-07:00

I almost fell out of my chair when I saw this. Steve Ballmer is entertaining in a crazy, kinda scary way. So, this is how Gates gets his CEO's, he builds them from scratch. Check it out:

Young FrankenSteve

And, here's another very creative music video starring pop-icon Steve Ballmer:

Developers, Developers, Developers

Do You Want to Pay for Speed?

2006-06-08T23:17:00-07:00

Net Neutrality is becoming a hot topic these days. THe big phone and cable companies are lobbying congress to allow them to throttle the internet and allow higher download speeds and more access based on who pays the most. To date, the internet has been a free zone where anyone, no matter how big or small, can have the same access. If you are - like me - opposed to the big corporations trying to make the internet into a multi-tiered system where those who can afford it get the best access then check out these links below and let your congressmen know how you feel.

It's Our Net

SaveTheInternet.com

Make Calls for Free

2006-05-15T17:17:00-07:00

Just saw that Skype is letting all users call any US or Canada for free until the end of this year. That's a pretty good deal if you ask me. Check it out here. I've used them for some calls at 2 cents a minute, but I like free better.

Bandwidth Test

2006-03-26T11:37:00-07:00

Want to see what kind of bandwidth you have available? This neat flash utility will allow you to test your upload and download speeds to a variety of different locations (requires Flash 8). I get 3741 kbps downstream and 421 kbps upstream in my home office.

Frappr!

2006-02-14T19:15:00-07:00

This is a pretty cool little map tool. Pretty neat how you can put your pin dow where you live or work, and then others (your friends) can do the same and you get a visual of where everyone is located. Fun to play with at least :)

Gas Prices

2005-09-16T10:18:00-07:00

Here is a cool tool that you can use to check where the cheapest and most expensive gas is in your area. You just enter your zip code and it returns a map with the locations of the gas stations. Try it out. Thanks to Sue for showing me this. http://autos.msn.com/everyday/gasstations.aspx?zip=

Gone with the Water

2005-09-09T11:14:00-07:00

This National Geographic article, written in October, 2004, seems to right on target. As we are finding out, the information was out there predicting the catastrophe that we are now witnessing, but no one wanted to or was able to do anythign about it. And, as usual, the big oil companies have a large hand in this. Seems to me that these companies are constanly either directly or indirectly impacting our environment.

Gone with the Water

New Orleans Mayor

2005-09-02T15:56:00-07:00

Please listen to this radio interview with New Orlean's mayor. He's upset and has every right to be imo. He should be upset with himself for not calling for evacuations sooner.

Interview

Please go to the Red Cross website to donate money to help with the relief effort. Things need to happen - yesterday - to help these poor people. RedCross.org

Hurricane Photos

A Day on the Bay

2005-08-22T22:39:00-07:00

Here is a slideshow i made of some pictures I took this past weekend while down at Ocean City. I used Microsoft Photo Story 3 to build this - pretty slick. The only problem is that I was going to add some background music and it kept crashing. I'll keep playing with it. Maybe i can get it figured out. I will post a few of these pictures in the Desktop Wallpaper section soon. There were some pretty nice sunset pictures on the water.

Google Earth

2005-08-14T20:19:00-07:00

If you haven't had a chance to play with this cool new program, I recommend getting it. I literally spent hours the other night looking at satellite views of places I've been and places I used to live, etc. You can start at a world view and zoom in to the point where you can see cars on the streets. Very impressive. It even let's you output as an image whatever you happen to be looking at. Here are a few examples. Here is a view of the region I live in and here is a view of my town. You can see my house (sort of) if you know where to look. For some cities, it gives a 3-D representation of buildings if you zoom in enough. FOr example, here is the White House in DC. http://earth.google.com/