tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-231230542012-02-16T05:29:42.465-08:00Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.comBlogger941100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-35720897075161506132011-09-20T17:56:00.001-07:002011-09-20T17:56:29.091-07:00

I’ve been thinking about how many times I’ve taken the military oath.  Between initial sign up, Officer Training School, my commissioning, joining the National Guard, and finally, the Air Force Reserve, it adds up to maybe a half a dozen times. In short, I swore to uphold the the Constitution of the United States.    I still feel that I’m under oath to protect it.  I’m ok with that. I like the

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-50116337213411716372010-09-24T14:16:00.000-07:002010-09-24T14:17:25.423-07:00

We stopped by the cemetery where C's parents are buried to freshen up the flowers.  Directly across the street (two lane blacktop) is the Oil Museum.  My Grandfather and C's Father worked for The Pure Oil Company.  Gathered around the museum grounds were over a dozen antique cars.  These are real antiques, from 100 years ago.  It was a tour of the Horseless Carriage Club.  We took pictures with

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-79133939595934124692010-03-18T14:43:00.001-07:002010-03-18T14:43:39.321-07:00

She was a typical JRT, which means she was an extraordinary dog.  This is the dog that people like to put in movies and TV shows, mostly because they are so charismatic and smart.  They never fail to steal the scene.  Katie was like that. She had Cushing’s Syndrome, which is an abnormality of the pituitary, but causes damage to the liver.  Four days ago, an X-ray showed her liver to be

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-67570944525745550802010-03-13T08:41:00.001-08:002010-03-13T08:43:05.919-08:00

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-4538022605799199092009-11-25T12:14:00.000-08:002009-11-25T12:18:31.874-08:00

Two years ago, my wife and I got hooked on watching re-runs of “What’s My Line.” It was a prime time game show that was on during our pre-teen years, the “early” days of television. GSN, the Game Show Network, carried it late at night, so I recorded it to watch in the evenings. There were two reasons I enjoyed it. It was pure nostalgia, and it had Steve Allen on it, one of my personal

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-72449968502370265122007-11-26T18:01:00.001-08:002007-11-26T18:01:53.662-08:00

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-23599444732737811982007-07-12T13:04:00.001-07:002007-07-30T08:16:06.967-07:00

  I occasionally have a lucid moment in which I notice something that had been staring me in the face for years. A few weeks ago, it occurred to me that the price difference between regular gas(87 octane) and super(91 octane) had seemed to stay the same (around 20 cents) even from the days when gas was a buck fifty a gallon. Since my teenage years, it had always been axiomatic that high test gas

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-4424443380389409272007-07-06T20:07:00.000-07:002007-07-06T20:08:38.072-07:00

This is an interesting story. I may be late bringing this to your attention, but just in case you missed it.Actually there is an "America's Got Talent."

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-8921921886250364452007-07-06T20:05:00.000-07:002007-07-06T20:06:19.827-07:00

July 1 was the big day for our Canadian friends. This video has popped up on YouTube and is enjoying a revival in popularity. I get a little nostalgic, myself.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-45737117323214572342007-06-23T08:18:00.000-07:002007-06-23T08:21:02.101-07:00

This works out to be about $5.07 per gallon.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-68290134714787620332007-06-13T14:46:00.001-07:002007-06-13T14:46:56.322-07:00

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-52869957138495781432007-06-12T18:58:00.000-07:002007-06-12T19:00:37.978-07:00

I wouldn't be the geek I am today if it hadn't been for him.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-46048245288916864952007-06-11T17:03:00.000-07:002007-06-11T19:37:04.403-07:00

Mad Skillz or Dumb Luck? I'm going with Dumb Luck. Sometimes computer problems just go away. Occasionally, someone will tell me about a problem they're having, and when I try to help them, the problem's gone. Sometimes, I don't even have to be present. Our scheduler has had a new smart-phone for a month now, but couldn't use it because it wouldn't sync with her computer. The computer didn't

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-26095742198998908802007-06-04T18:21:00.000-07:002007-06-21T18:27:50.788-07:00

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-63462039715643842412007-06-03T18:21:00.000-07:002007-06-21T18:27:28.484-07:00

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-8346115167745183592007-06-02T18:19:00.000-07:002007-06-21T18:27:03.969-07:00

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-75745513547782431452007-06-01T18:17:00.000-07:002007-06-21T18:26:18.434-07:00

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-61492866336661127112007-04-22T20:37:00.001-07:002007-04-27T17:44:33.493-07:00

We went to Martina Franca's old town for dinner again last night. There are four of us pilots, an Evergreen Airlines pilot, an FAA Pilot, me, and the guy who's in charge of this mission, R. R took us to a cafe he'd had his eye on since we got here. As the four of us got settled at a table an angel with dark hair came to our table and gave us four menus. We studied them for a minute, then R said "

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-37021027161005127652007-04-08T22:03:00.000-07:002007-04-09T10:07:04.454-07:00

  Easter is a big part of our family tradition, especially the Easter egg hunt. We can trace it back to my Dad's childhood, which would put it in the depression era. Back then, Poppa (my paternal grandfather) would count the eggs before-hand and make the kids keep hunting until they were all accounted for. By my childhood, it had evolved to the point of being our primary family reunion. It still

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-48872221503653184062007-03-28T10:59:00.000-07:002007-03-28T11:00:12.508-07:00

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-62280506753449014572007-03-25T16:59:00.000-07:002007-03-25T17:01:26.144-07:00

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-17199938604758685622007-03-25T16:33:00.000-07:002007-03-25T16:35:24.453-07:00

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-39611199638817081052007-03-25T16:27:00.000-07:002007-03-25T16:30:56.304-07:00

As you know, the earth is not a perfect sphere. It's sort of pumpkin shaped. This makes the mathematics for navigation a little more complicated. Especially for large distances. But it effects short distances, too. In a previous career, these distances were important. If you used spherical geometry to calculate the number of feet between two points that were 15 or 20 miles apart, you'd get errors

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-83954085338402737662007-03-24T15:32:00.000-07:002007-03-24T15:36:10.277-07:00

I found this by accident. Really. But it's pretty nice to have the Pandora player minimized to your tray.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-54428955268163457252007-03-17T14:08:00.001-07:002007-03-17T14:08:33.685-07:00

The RIAA is at again. Streaming internet radio is threatened by punitive fees that will virtually shut it down if allowed to happen. There is a petition to stop them. Please check it out here, on Pandora.com's blog, do whatever research you need, and sign the petition.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-82033395289751211952007-03-09T19:06:00.000-08:002007-03-17T14:11:24.742-07:00

Last summer, my son went to Australia to teach the care and feeding of some industrial strength software that his company provides. He was kind enough to let me quote his emails home here.In January, he went to India. He tought classes in both Bangalore and New Delhi, spending a week at each location. Below is a lengthy post of his experiences and observations about this trip. I have taken

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-63116203310968375072007-03-03T11:39:00.000-08:002007-03-03T11:43:07.429-08:00

More images from this site.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-25648719541994998532007-02-26T09:58:00.000-08:002007-02-26T10:01:19.502-08:00

This was on Digg.com, but there is much more information on the full up web site. Go to Travel Tools.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-17255678998385392452007-02-03T14:56:00.000-08:002007-02-03T14:58:03.443-08:00

I listened to "Family Hands" this morning. It always reminds me of my Great Grandmother. Although, not in the same sense that the song reflects. Born Mary Emma Glenn, (it's how I'm distantly related to John Glenn) She was my mother's father's mother. She was not what you might picture. She lived her life in Central Texas, about 100 miles west of Fort Worth. Rough, arid, cattle country, hers was

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-14288294776206178862006-11-29T12:08:00.000-08:002006-12-09T12:09:40.002-08:00

  We arrived in China on Wednesday and on Sunday my colleague and I were both sick. We had done a lot of things right: Used bottled water for brushing teeth as well as drinking, avoided eating food from suspect sources, but we still got sick. AJ, my partner, had stomach problems, and I had "flu like symptoms", basically achey joints and a dry cough. What we could have done better is carry a small

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-27071424989494202002006-11-23T15:08:00.000-08:002006-11-24T17:30:01.081-08:00

These are, more or less, a random collection of pictures I took during my visit to Xiamen, China and it's satellite island, Gulangyu.Near my hotel was a boulevard that had been blocked off as a pedestrian only shopping area. My last day in country, my last couple of hours, in fact, I frantically walked through this area taking pictures of the shops and people. Some, I asked if I could take their

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-76324157416727794352006-11-21T14:05:00.000-08:002006-11-21T14:20:39.236-08:00

The previous two pictures are from a little trip to the island of Gulangyu. It was a European, mostly British, enclave, with remarkable architecture. Some of it is in decay, but much is preserved as tourist attractions. Many guided tours passed us during our visit.To us target-oriented-shopper types it means one thing: Pearl World and Nena.We found the shop and introduced ourselves. The name of

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-65438039856813442072006-11-21T14:03:00.000-08:002006-11-21T14:05:05.085-08:00

This is a picture of a cute little girl. Her lovely, fashionable mother just happened to be in the frame. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-12079989648938342702006-11-21T14:01:00.000-08:002006-11-21T14:02:45.838-08:00

Junk Boats are motorized now.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-58162674608824365782006-11-21T13:49:00.000-08:002006-11-21T14:00:12.152-08:00

The Tokyo, Narita Airport reminds me of Heathrow. The layout is almost identical. If you've been to one, you'll feel comfortable in the other.The Japanese live in a compact environment The hotel rooms are small but nicely appointed. The public restrooms are just too small for me. Even the men's room in the JAL Executive Lounge was confining. (Speaking of crowded, the culture allows line jumping.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-73537004104355764102006-11-20T12:43:00.000-08:002006-11-21T13:12:33.044-08:00

The first leg of our journey was to Narita. A 10 hour flight on United. My partner had a bad reaction to the salmon, but was better by the end of the flight. We spent the night at the Airport Hilton, and will leave in a few hours for Xiamen on JAL. The Hilton is our preferred place to stay, the ANA Hilton is smaller and not as clean. I'll get some pictures later and add them to this post.It's

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-46190362347776775372006-11-11T16:39:00.000-08:002006-11-21T13:08:11.084-08:00

Xiamen is located in the Fujian Province of China. Fujian is about 500 miles North of Hong Kong, and looks out to sea at the island of Taiwan, approximately 150 miles due East.I will be traveling there on business in a few days and hope to provide a few insights on the trip and my experiences.Xiamen is nestled on the mainland side of the Amoy Island.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1163009447556697672006-11-08T09:55:00.000-08:002006-11-08T23:56:10.429-08:00

Thanks to John Scalzi, I've found some new music to help pass the time on my commute.This is one of my favorite tracks also, generously made available on her web site.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1161570642848608392006-10-22T19:28:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:10.261-08:00

I cropped and straightened it.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1161375574119267052006-10-20T13:18:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:10.078-08:00

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1160523046604547822006-10-10T16:29:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:09.916-08:00

This site summarizes her career.With several downloadable songs.This site, by the way, is an excellent source for music information. Click the circle!

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1159839099214712112006-10-02T18:29:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:09.729-08:00

My favorite:"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers." --Thomas Watson, chairman of IBM, 1943 I've cornered the market!!!

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1158848396719565572006-09-21T07:17:00.000-07:002006-12-20T08:55:11.756-08:00

Pirate?! I spent the whole day talking like a Parrot!!! Dang!

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1154984903378559252006-09-20T13:19:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:06.210-08:00

This post by Instapundit has reminded me that Fighter Pilots and Scuba Divers have something in common: they're both fanatic about their air supply. The disclaimer on the Re-breathing apparatus is enough for me.There are some differences in what happens when oxygen is scarce, but the outcome is disaster for both.From my first introduction to military flying, I was indoctrinated in the use of

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1158612838288018082006-09-18T13:52:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:09.262-08:00

Since this life here and now is all we can know, our most reasonable option is to live it fully.– Paul Kurtz

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1158603669133222972006-09-18T11:18:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:09.152-08:00

Inside the Factory Door

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1158361063421655772006-09-16T20:50:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:09.018-08:00

In the early sixties, C and I started going steady. It's what you did in high school. Yes, we're high school sweethearts. When I first met her family, her mother was working as a clerk in the local, very small, grocery store in our very small town in East Texas. Not long after we were dating, her mother got a job in the town's only bank. By the time she retired, she had become the President and

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1157391817848919742006-09-04T10:08:00.003-07:002006-11-08T23:56:08.725-08:00

For brief moments in my life, I've transcended my common sense and done something that could have ended disastrously, not just for me, but for my comrades as well. It was like a switch was thrown, and I didn't care if I bent my plane or not. I was not going to let the situation get the best of me. Looking back, it was when I did my best flying. It was when I learned something new about myself,

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1157306252479623312006-09-03T10:56:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:08.230-08:00

My best time was about 0.22 sec, but I'm old.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1156813391901437542006-08-28T18:01:00.000-07:002006-12-20T08:54:41.209-08:00

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1156427615127926972006-08-24T06:52:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:07.856-08:00

The test of courage comes when we are in the minority. The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority. Ralph W. Sockman

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1156210237655560612006-08-21T18:21:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:07.591-08:00

I'm the official office computer wizard, a "Computer Focal." How that came to be is a long story which I'll spare you. It's not my real job. I've been doing it so long that I inadvertently acquired "God Mode" admin privileges. I only use my powers for good, but don't think I won't use them! About fifty people come to me first when something doesn't work with their computer. As a result, I see

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1156201488639939742006-08-21T16:02:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:07.444-08:00

Trying to figure out just which one of these I'm in!

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1155578109099510752006-08-13T20:50:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:07.073-08:00

He he he, you can't see me, cuz I'm the same color as the leaves.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1156812770453974622006-08-13T17:52:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:07.965-08:00

On Saturday, we took the Grandkids, Bug(12) and Dodie(7), to Vashon Island for some exploring and high-impact beach-combing. We caught the ferry from Point Defiance to Tahlequah, then drove north to "Sound Foods," an old hippy hangout, now a high end, and pricey, lunch place. We sat outside in a lush, English-style garden. The temperature and sun were perfect, the food was good, although we all

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1155269498092771552006-08-10T21:01:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:06.842-08:00

the final post from my Melbourne trip:Benefits of arriving at the airport early:I packed my garment bag Friday night, and placed boxer shorts and dirty socks in the extra pockets in the garment bag (to make room in other bags for purchased items). I set out my other bags and items, and packed them on Saturday morning. I planned to be in a taxi at 8am and arrive at the airport by 9am.Plan - the

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1154997341435159312006-08-07T17:35:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:06.310-08:00

(All times are based on Dallas time.)« on: July 21, 2006, 20:57:54 »Melbourne, OzzylandI just checked into the hotel room. Today is tomorrow. The time in Dallas is 8:50pm on Friday, 21 July 2006. The time in Melbourne is 11:50am on Saturday, 22 July 2006. So I guess Melbourne is 15 hours ahead of Dallas.Being as I left Flower Mound around 3pm on Thursday (Dallas Time) to go to the airport,

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1154136415983793072006-07-28T18:16:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:05.687-08:00

My son is in Melborne on an assignment for his company. This is from an email about his trip there and his first day in "Melb."I am south of downtown Melbourne ('Melb' for short). So far I am loving it.Travel Review:The second hardest part regarding yesterday (see below for the first hardest part) was the schedule. It started with a 10:40pm flight out of LAX (12:40am Dallas time). I ate

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1153158564373422922006-07-17T09:47:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:05.568-08:00

Last week I conducted a customer demonstration of a 777 with one of our Asian customers. This customer is one of our toughest to work with because they are methodical to a fault. Their procedures actually interfere with understanding and testing the systems. What is normally a two and a half hour flight, stretched into almost a five hour flight. This tries my patience.At the "post flight" meeting

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1152484515232614252006-07-09T15:12:00.001-07:002006-11-08T23:56:05.446-08:00

Warning: Treacly Grandkid stuff to follow.My twelve year old grandson has done quite well this season in the Little League Baseball. He made it to the All Star Team and worked very hard to move up to second baseman. Two days before the All Star Playoffs, he took a hit across the bridge of his nose by a low hit ball. It slightly dislocated his nose, and opened a cut where it hit. For a few moments

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1151971120418751092006-07-03T16:56:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:05.164-08:00

I've tried explaining this to people, but was never convincing. Maybe this will get the job done.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1151945022392621022006-07-03T09:40:00.001-07:002006-11-08T23:56:05.057-08:00

Rock Stacking

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1151722304026332022006-06-30T19:50:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:04.801-08:00

Which Princess Bride Character are You?this quiz was made by mysti

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1151623646584601402006-06-29T16:22:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:04.676-08:00

This Site wants you to use their stock photo's, and only asks that you provide a link to them.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1150943696257815542006-06-21T19:25:00.002-07:002006-11-08T23:56:04.528-08:00

This is a slide show of a student project to launch a ballon to an altitude above 60,000 feet.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1150764765192731032006-06-19T17:41:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:04.148-08:00

One of the nice features of Pandora is that you can email one of your personalized stations to a friend. With a couple of more steps, you can post your stations to your journal or web page. Just send the email to yourself, then open your mail and copy the URL to the appropriate location.Here's a station I built around Jane Monheit.Here's one based on Natalie MacMaster.Besides Pandora, there are

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1150414919256835672006-06-15T16:39:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:03.974-08:00

A very cool commercial by a Firefox fan. He did this for free to show his support for Firefox.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1150387808309053282006-06-15T08:58:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:03.836-08:00

This is good.Here's a little inspiration.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1150333539034925102006-06-14T18:04:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:03.731-08:00

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1150132599184268582006-06-12T10:13:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:03.615-08:00

The ego that sees others as "Thou" is different than the ego that sees others as "it."From Wandering Visitor

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1149732051015171032006-06-07T18:48:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:03.445-08:00

We had the chance to attend the Town Hall meeting with Pandora.com founder Tim Westergren at Seattle's Experience Music Project. If you are not familiar with Pandora, you should check it out.The Music Genome Project now has more than 400,000 songs in the database and over 2 million subscribers.Pandora.com has only been online for six months. That's a staggering growth rate!(Side note: Legally

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1149700400225403272006-06-07T10:10:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:03.329-08:00

This is worth watching.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1148920905560691642006-05-29T09:25:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:03.194-08:00

The F-101, "Voodoo", was the second of the so-called Century Series fighters. Starting with the F-100, "Super Sabre" and ending with the F-110, "Spectre", which was later re-designated the F-4, "Phantom II". As you can see from the photo, the rudder and pitch control are on a tail boom behind the engines. Just forward of the tail boom and above the engines, are five fuel "cells" plumbed

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1148598094454128882006-05-25T16:00:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:02.954-08:00

I'm not that big a fan of Big Band era music, so when Benny Goodman's "Sing, Sing, Sing" started playing on the local Jazz radio, I almost switched it off. After a minute or two, it started getting to me and I wasn't sure why. About half way through it, I knew. There was a drummer banging away on the Tom-tom that was relentless. He turned out to be Gene Krupa. Krupa does, what I found out

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1148243538008543532006-05-21T13:29:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:02.828-08:00

Me, too.That would be Cirie Fields from Survivor Panama.In an interview, she said that she had been underestimating herself for 35 years. That resonated with me.It's almost a universal human condition. Sometimes we break out of the pattern by joining the military, signing up for something like "Outward Bound" or choosing some kind of adventure that puts us to the test.Yogi Berra said, "When you

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1146690044557066972006-05-03T13:45:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:02.730-08:00

Reference to my previous post about the music streaming site, Pandora.I've had a couple of friendly exchanges with the "Listener Advocate" at Pandora support desk and have learned a few new things about how it works.Here are excerpts from our emails:Q: I'm a little curious what happens when I seed widely different genres into the same station, for instance, Diana Krall, and Gipsy Kings?A:

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1146623904596692442006-05-02T19:22:00.000-07:002009-01-23T19:26:45.887-08:00

In the Fall of 2004, four of my coworkers and I started on an adventure that would take eighteen days to complete. It would involve a trip around the world, but not in the usual sense of east to west. This trip was north to south, almost pole to pole.The map shows where we went, but to get a proper idea of what we did, you need to lay it out on a globe. Our task was to prove the long range

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1146247977695694532006-04-28T11:06:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:02.386-08:00

I recently discovered the Podcast, "Inside the Net" Catching up on the earlier podcasts, I was interested enough in episode 6 to check out two of the sites they talked about.One of them blew me away. The developer is a musician by training and profession.Movie and TV producers would hire him to compose music for segments in their shows.They would bring him music that they had compiled from

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1145972335269140892006-04-25T06:32:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:02.269-08:00

There are a collection of metaphores that refer to a persons intellectual or neurotic quirks:Everyone has heard, "He's not playing with as full deck."You may have heard the more hip, "He's not the sharpest knife in the drawer."or the similiar, "He's not the sharpest tool in the shed."My all time favorite, "He's one taco shy of a combination plate."I just heard a new one, "Chalk don't stick to his

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1145578050882106892006-04-20T17:06:00.000-07:002006-12-20T08:50:33.355-08:00

savage chickens

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1145381662220700992006-04-18T10:32:00.001-07:002006-11-08T23:56:02.077-08:00

I've always preferred Science Fiction to Fantasy. I recently ran across this entry from John Scalzi's blog defining the difference between SF and F: Call me unbearably shallow, but here's how you know the difference. You walk up to the main character of the story in question and say: "Hey! Main character! That deus ex machina doodad you have on your belt, does it have, like, a battery?"If he

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1145138609723449672006-04-15T15:01:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:01.886-08:00

My daughter, S, became interested in a medical career after she had her first child. While taking nursing classes, she met a young female doctor from Pakistan. They became close friends. Even after they moved away from each other, they kept in contact by email. One day S got an email that Simi, the doctor, was pregnant. They began a correspondence that lasted for the rest of the pregnancy. S was

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1145031014872874532006-04-14T09:07:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:01.751-08:00

I work with some interesting people. One of them will be retiring next week. He joined us about thirteen years ago, from NASA. He was a Space Shuttle commander with three missions to his credit. A genuinely nice guy, he never played the "astronaut card." One had to ask him a direct question to get him to talk about his experiences. Enough people asked that he agreed to bring in his slides and

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1144530929045495732006-04-08T13:59:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:01.612-08:00

Living and working in the Puget Sound area, almost everyone I know has taken a crack at the famous STP.Four years ago, C and I took one of our road trips to Texas and back. One morning on the trip, we were in West Texas, just south of the panhandle. Since we were practically in Larry McMurtry's back yard, it was appropriate that we stop for breakfast at a Dairy Queen. While we were ordering at

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1144379586648207732006-04-06T20:11:00.000-07:002006-11-08T23:56:01.470-08:00

We were back on the farm in Texas for a week. We made the required daily trips to WalMart.Except for one day we missed, so we made two trips the next day. It's a law or something.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1143838934563838662006-03-31T12:59:00.000-08:002006-11-08T23:56:00.476-08:00

In the Fall of 1972 we went to Phoenix, Arizona to start my training in the F-4 at Luke Air Force Base. That's where I met Bob. Bob was the real thing. He was raised on a 10,000 acre ranch in Wyoming. He would ride his horse into the mountains for days at a time to bring the herds down to safe pastures for the winter. He participated in the local rodeos. A Catholic, for a time he considered

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1143768779010840562006-03-30T17:31:00.000-08:002006-11-08T23:56:00.376-08:00

"Stick with me, kid.You'll be wearing rocks as big as diamonds."I say this when I get something right. It happens sometimes.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1143674351834826792006-03-29T15:17:00.000-08:002006-11-08T23:56:00.271-08:00

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight, And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way, Do not go gentle into that good night. Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Dylan Thomas

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1143508011517629742006-03-27T17:04:00.000-08:002006-11-08T23:56:00.026-08:00

When I was in High School, my parents bought a school bus.In the 60's there were many desegregation initiatives one of these had to do with busing kids from one district to another to achieve a better mix of races in the schools. In our school this meant that many black students were brought in from schools that had been primarily black. Surprisingly, this was not a problem. We accepted them and

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1142652235464145722006-03-17T19:22:00.000-08:002006-11-08T23:55:59.922-08:00

Be very careful when walking through the Ginza District of Tokyo.

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1142569308803766152006-03-16T20:21:00.000-08:002006-11-08T23:55:59.793-08:00

“We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.” - Joseph Campbell

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1142482106762651102006-03-15T20:07:00.000-08:002006-11-08T23:55:59.561-08:00

I have a protege. Doesn't everyone? We met at Salty's on Alkai Beach for a nice visit and wonderful food. She paid.It wasn't always that way. I met her twelve years ago. I was flying corporate jets, and she had never flown anything but light, piston engine planes. Our group was pretty tough on her. But I felt we had an obligation to train her to be as good a pilot as she could be. It turns out

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1142221073780667162006-03-12T19:37:00.000-08:002006-11-08T23:55:59.443-08:00

We went to see "Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont" in a poorly run art house in the U District. They seemed to have trouble with the sound system. During one preview, there was no sound at all. During the feature, the sound went out momentarily, twice. Never the less, we enjoyed the show. C was crying at the end. Since we went to a matinee, we were ready for lunch afterward. I suggested we see if "The

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23123054.post-1141072390141536832006-02-27T12:32:00.000-08:002006-11-08T23:55:59.198-08:00

You Are AustinA little bit country, a little bit rock and roll.You're totally weird and very proud of it.Artistic and freaky, you still seem to fit in... in your own strange way.Famous Austin residents: Lance Armstrong, Sandra Bullock, Andy RoddickWhat American City Are You?

Major Donhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15724658095121712858noreply@blogger.com0