LegoVideoMania

The boys have been busily working on their Lego videos this weekend. Well, what else are you going to do on a wet, rainy weekend?

The videos aren't ready for Prime Time yet, but we might have some teaser/trailer clips ready in a week or so. I'm not rushing the boys to get anything done because we're still working on simple techniques of shooting and editing, and hoping that they're just having fun.

They have lots of fun, so long as the movies are silly. They love silly movies!

For Adam, it's Lord of the Rings-style movies, with castles and knights and wizards; with James, it's Star Wars or Spiderman movies, with lots of weird creatures doing battle with (or just plain eating) ordinary people. Adam always goes for the classic sword duel, whereas James likes the gross-out.

Actually, it surprised me how quickly they took to the medium. The "rushes" from today looked pretty good, considering how little instruction they were given. I gave them some basics on lighting and focusing, and they were doing anywhere between 50 and 150 frames per scene. We dumped the JPEGs into Microsoft MovieMaker for a quick view of the results, talked about some things that needed to change - like redoing some shots when the camera lost focus, or increasing the number of frames in a scene due to jerkiness - and they were both humming the music they wanted to put in as background.

If you've heard the Numa Numa song, you know which one they want. If you haven't heard it, don't go looking for it, because it will infest your brain and you won't be able to get it out of your head. I warned you!

The most difficult thing about making these movies is that the boys have to understand how much work really goes in to one of these productions. Even though there are digital cameras which can give us "instant" movies, and there is software to simpify all the special effects, it is by no means a simple task to take hundreds of pictures and combine them all together to form a composite feature, not when one takes into account that there may be specific timing intervals between the frames, or that each frame must be timed for a specific duration, or that there will need to be synchronization between the action and the audio.

The boys have been continually reminded - and asked - about creating scripts prior to shooting the movies, and they have been consistently ignoring that aspect of the process. Doubtless they will discover how important it is when they get around to inserting the audio track - because they will find out how crucial it is to know what the character is going to say, how long he is going to say it, how long the camera needs to focus on the face while he is saying it, and how the action has to sync up with the words being said.

But that is for another day. Or days. For now, we'll be happy just to make some silly scenes, get comfortable with the cameras, figure out how to light the subjects so that the auto-focus works right, and dream of one day getting a real video camera instead of these cheesy-but-expensive ones that are supposed to be used for making holiday shots, not making Lego movies.

Camping in Style

I wish I had a picture, but it was too dark, and I was too tired, and it's probably unnecessary because you can imagine it, can't you?

We were watching a week-old episode of 'House' tonight because we hadn't found time to watch it beforehand, and James, who is a big fan of the show, decided to stay up a bit later and watch it with us.

Yeah, yeah, we spoil our kids rotten. So sue us.

This particular episode dealt with a little boy - probably just a bit younger than James - who was having these bizarre nightmares or delusions that aliens were trying to abduct him. I won't give away the plot, but obviously it ended up being something they could fix, as opposed to something extra-worldly.

But it did have some disturbing scenes in it. Strong lights coming into the boy's room at night, things shaking and rattling off the shelves, windows crashing open. And one particular scene where the boy seemed to be floating on his back through the air toward the blazing-with-light window.

Quite freaky.

James claimed he couldn't sleep, so he stayed up and watched the news and then the beginning of Jay Leno with us. And then Cheryl suggested he go lie down on our bed for a while. But of course since the cats were (by then) in our room and/or on our bed, that distracted him a bit - he loves cats. So Cheryl had him go get his blankets and pillow and lie down on the floor at the foot of our bed.

And there he slept last night.

I thought for sure he'd get up in the middle of the night and wander off to his own bed. That floor can be so uncomfortable. But he didn't. He's a good camper. Must be from all those Cub Scout campouts. Or maybe it was because he was using my Turkish blanket that Judy got me oh-so-many years ago. It's so thick and soft...

He slept all night long, and woke up with a kitty in his face, which didn't seem to bother him. He just petted it, and then got up and had a normal morning. Got his breakast, put his clothes together and assembled his books and lunch, and went merrily off to school.

He'll probably go to bed early tonight, but that won't be a problem.

So long as it's not on my floor.

Working from Home

I'm working from home today, which is probably the only reason you're going to be reading anything on this blog today. Blogging at work is not forbidden outright, but it is a bit embarrassing to be eating lunch at the desk and writing inane comments for the etherspace when one of the co-workers drops in to ask about the document which is supposed to be ready.

Ah! But here at home, I can take as many breaks as I want, and do what I want, and even crank the stereo up while working! Without bothering anybody! Except the cats! And they can just run away!

Actually, I'm not playing the stereo really loud. Because, as I've gotten older (over the hill, as it were), I've lost the ability to concentrate on my work while listening to anything. I apparently went from a very visual person to a very audial person. In fact, as I'm typing (or reading), I'm hearing the words in my head, in my own imaginary voice; and if something interrupts me, my train of thought jumps the rails and crashes into the river below.

This explains why I get very, very angry when someone talks to me while I'm trying to read. Or web-surf. Or watch a movie. My ears do not multi-task. And although I may appear calm on the outside, inside I'm a seething mass of boiling lava, ready to bite someone's head off if they don't shut up and let me think. Or think. Or type.

Oh, no, no. I didn't mean YOU. You'd never to that to me, would you? Of course not. Because you understand that my brain is dysfunctional. And only running on two cylinders. And out of oil. And you wouldn't want me to lose my temper, now, would you???

Another reason I'm working from home. Too many interruptions at work. Too many meetings. Too much noise. Can't think. Can't focus. Can't get my priorities in order.

My priorities today are the following:

1. Finish writing that C++ sample code.
2. Finish documenting what it took to get the C++ code to work with the latest software release.
3. Finish documenting what it took to get ANYTHING to work with the latest software release.
4. Start working on that file server sample application.
5. Start working on the drop-in-place instructions for migrating old apps into the new build structure.

If none of these priorities mean anything to you, count your blessings. You are not doing software. You are not doing avionics. You are free to do all sorts of other things, which is what I call "real work".

Of course, you might still have to deal with management, but that's another issue, for another day.

The House is Quiet

Ten-thirty at night, and the house is eerily quiet. Normally, Cheryl would be down on the computer doing some spreadsheets or net browsing, or reading, but tonight she is in bed with a nasty cold or sinus infection or something.

She'll be trying to get a Doctor appointment tomorrow.

Meanwhile the kids had a blast putting dinner together tonight. Chicken nuggets and Wheat Thins! With peach slices thrown in for "color"! Oddly enough, I wasn't very hungry...

Then Adam and I went to the Science Class Open House at the Middle School where I got to meet his teacher and some of the other parents, and find out what he's going to be teaching this year. He apparently won the Michigan Science Teacher of the Year award last year, so he's supposed to be good at it. And his method sounds interesting: he's having the students learn Science by reviewing it from an historical standpoint, going over all the major discoveries in order, finding out who the major scientists were/are, and seeing how Science developed from its most humble beginnings.

Now the house is quiet, and I've pulled out my Engineering Circuit Analysis book to review the Fourier and Laplace Transform material (I'm working on an RF circuit design -- for fun!), and enjoying the sound of silence.

Tomorrow, it's back to the grind of solving customer problems for a few hours before heading off to the PromiseKeepers Conference (assuming Cheryl is feeling well enough to handle the kids), and that about takes care of the weekend!

More Work Hysteria

Management can be so weird.

Got this call from The Customer today. They're all in a panic because they're having difficulties integrating the latest software release. Doesn't surprise me. I had trouble integrating it, and I'm writing the User Manual!

But their bone-headed Management-by-Crisis idea was to fly me out to the Customer site to help them out. This by itself doesn't seem odd, except when you take into account that we already have an on-site rep there to do just that. And they're already paying for him!

There are, of course, extenuating circumstances. One of their customers is having a problem (a very simple problem), so they want to send the on-site rep out to Atlanta to work that problem while I come out to help them.

But ... the on-site rep is already deeply involved in the integration effort, and already has full lab access and card keys and all that stuff, whereas I would have to be escorted everywhere (including the restroom!) and it would take me some time to get up to speed on the procedures they're using.

Naturally, it's political. They are responsible for supporting their customer, and since they think of this on-site rep as "their" guy, they automatically think of sending him. And they think that I'm sitting at the airport waiting for a phone call so I can jump on the next plane out to LA, whenever they start to whine.

My response was predictable. I argued. I cajoled. I bargained. I told our rep out there to send me the problem information for their customer so I could start working the problem and let him deal with the stuff he knows. The last thing we need to do, is to waste more money on plane flights for simple problems.

I did that a few weeks ago, and that was a total waste of time. Never again!

My next visit to LA is going to be for a good reason. Hopefully, Disneyland!

Top Hits of 974

{This post only makes sense if you read the previous post!}

Here it is! The Top Hits of 1974! In order! Mostly!

These are the ones whose tune pops right into my head when I read the title and/or artist. I left out the ones that didn't.

Do you remember any of these??

[Note that they are not in my top 100 order, but reflect the Sales/Play requests for that year]

The Way We Were - Barbra Streisand
Seasons In The Sun - Terry Jacks
The Loco-Motion - Grand Funk Railroad
The Streak - Ray Stevens
Bennie And The Jets - Elton John
Until You Come Back To Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do) - Aretha Franklin
Midnight At The Oasis - Maria Muldaur
You Make Me Feel Brand New - Stylistics
Spiders And Snakes - Jim Stafford
Rock On - David Essex
Sunshine On My Shoulder - John Denver
Sideshow - Blue Magic
Hooked On A Feeling - Blue Swede
Billy Don't Be A Hero - Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods
Band On The Run - Paul McCartney and Wings
The Most Beautiful Girl - Charlie Rich
Time In A Bottle - Jim Croce
Annie's Song - John Denver
Let Me Be There - Olivia Newton-John
Sundown - Gordon Lightfoot
(You're) Having My Baby - Paul Anka
Rock Me Gently - Andy Kim
You're Sixteen - Ringo Starr
If You Love Me (Let Me Know) - Olivia Newton-John
Feel Like Makin' Love - Roberta Flack
Nothing From Nothing - Billy Preston
Top Of The World - Carpenters
The Joker - Steve Miller Band
The Show Must Go On - Three Dog Night
Rock The Boat - Hues Corporation
Smokin' In The Boys Room - Brownsville Station
Living For The City - Stevie Wonder
The Night Chicago Died - Paper Lace
Then Came You - Dionne Warwick and The Spinners
The Entertainer - Marvin Hamlisch
The Air That I Breathe - Hollies
Rikki Don't Lose That Number - Steely Dan
Mockingbird - Carly Simon
Help Me - Joni Mitchell
You Won't See Me - Anne Murray
Tell Me Something Good - Rufus
You And Me Against The World - Helen Reddy
Rock And Roll Heaven - Righteous Brothers
Eres Tu (Touch The Wind) - Mocedades
Taking Care Of Business - Bachman-Turner Overdrive
Please Come To Boston - Dave Loggins
Oh Very Young - Cat Stevens
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
I've Been Searchin' So Long - Chicago
Oh My My - Ringo Starr
I Shot The Sherrif - Eric Clapton
Jet - Paul McCartney and Wings
Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me - Elton John
Tubular Bells - Mike Oldfield
Love Song - Anne Murray
I'm Leaving It All Up To You - Donny and Marie Osmond
Hello, It's Me - Todd Rundgren
I Love - Tom T. Hall
Clap For The Wolfman - The Guess Who
I'll Have To Say I Love You In A Song - Jim Croce
Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing - Stevie Wonder
A Very Special Love Song - Charlie Rich
Wildwood Weed - Jim Stafford
I Honestly Love You - Olivia Newton-John
Call On Me - Chicago
Wild Thing - Fancy

Radio Serendipity

It's amazing what you can find on the Internet.

I was browsing around looking for reference materials on some electronics and wandered into a website that featured "old radios" -- and, lo and behold, they had this radio.

The Longines Symphonette World Traveller Multi-Band radio.

Those of you who lived in the Meyer household might recognize this radio. Those of you who lived in the Meyer household who weren't paying attention, or who came along a bit later, won't.

Some of you who lived in the Meyer household who were paying attention might wonder what ever happened to this radio. I'll get to that in a moment.

But first I want to tell you about this radio. Because this radio mysteriously disappeared from the family view around the year 1974, and reappeared later intermittently. You may have wondered at the time where it had gone. You may have noticed nothing at all, being too busy with your Barbie dolls and puppy dogs and kitty cats and other more important things.

It was in my room.

This radio was my constant companion in 1974, my introduction to modern music: Billy Joel, Elton John, Gordon Lightfoot, to name but a few. This was my new best friend. This is what gave me the strength and confidence to endure three sisters.

I really enjoyed that radio.

One of my fondest memories of that era was going into my room after the traditional Saturday-night bath and closing the door behind me and sitting at my desk and listening to the Top Hits (although I didn't even know what 'Top Hits' meant at the time, I just thought it was cool music) while my hair dried.

On FM. Frequency Modulation. High Fidelity. As Steely Dan would say, "No static at all."

Piano Man. Benny and the Jets. Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Seasons in the Sun. Midnight at the Oasis. Sunshine on My Shoulder. Hooked on a Feeling. Sundown. Jet. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.

What memories!

Finding this picture on the net was like finding an old high-school friend after too many years. Can't believe it was real. Did we really do those things? Do you remember the time we ... ? And then when we did that other thing? Man, the memories just start pouring in.

That radio was a big part of my life right up until the day it died. I still can't believe Mom and Dad let me keep it in my room for so long. But it sure made a difference in my life. It gave me a sense of my place in the big, wide world. And a deep and abiding appreciation for music, the kind of music that touched my generation. Those tunes still get me right here.

And what, you might ask, ever happened to that radio?

Sad to say, Time and children were not kind to it. At one point - I don't remember when or how - it received a serious blow to the side, and the plastic cracked, and the handles got loose, and the reception started to go bad. I in my ignorant youth tried to repair it, and only made it worse. The mechanical case repairs were beyond my skills. I tried to transfer it to a new case, hoping to put it into one of those old-style 1930's recreations, but my note-taking skills were not up to the task, and I was unable to remember how all the wires connected, and I never could get it to work again.

I don't remember seeing it again after departing for college twenty-five years ago. My presumption is that it was tossed out years ago in one of those let's-clean-out-the-attic purges.

But it was sure nice to see again for just a little while.

Financial Peace University

[Written Wednesday, September 6]

We started our class tonight.

After the orientation last week, I was a bit worried that we might be the only ones to show up (again). But that was not the case this time. At least two other people showed up, and there is the possibility of more in the future. That would be a very good thing, because I feel really bad for people who go to all the trouble of putting on a training class and then no one (or very few) shows up. It can be rather disheartening. Being in the teaching/training trade myself, I know this from experience.

This really isn’t a training class in the traditional sense, though; it’s more of an accountability class. We are here to ensure that we all ascribe to and maintain the integrity of our promise, that we will strive to be completely debt-free in the foreseeable future. It is neither simple nor painless, this striving of ours. We are charged to drop all other monetary priorities in order to attain this goal – which implies a lot of sacrifice. It means foregoing travel, comfort, pleasure, and all the other little ‘extras’ that we have come to rely on for our well-being. Not completely, of course. But until we get a solid handle on things, and get into the habit of denying our selfish desires, it will be a bit of a strain.

The concept of becoming debt-free is really rather simple. It is outlined by the following steps:

1. Establish an emergency account, no less than $1000.
2. Save up 3 – 6 months worth of salary.
3. Establish and maintain a permanent savings plan.
4. Establish and maintain a cash-only payment system.
5. Pay off all credit debts – and destroy those credit cards!
6. Pay off all other outstanding debt (including the house!).

(This is not quite the way Dave Ramsey outlines them, but this is the way I remember them.)

We have already completed #1, and are working on #2. Number 3 has been on-going for years, since I used to work at Boeing. Number 4 is going to be extremely painful, especially since this will seriously curtail my normal spending habits. Visa was invented to support my Radio Shack habit. I can’t walk into a Radio Shack with a little envelope containing my ‘mad money’ and purchase something worthwhile, not when the envelope contains a mere $5 or $10. Nor will it help me when I’m browsing through the computer parts store. Most of the items on my Wish List are far more than $10!

What? You mean I have to save up, and wait until I have enough before I can buy what I want??? That’s not the American Way! That’s ... that’s ... outrageous! I’m an American, and I demand my right to instant gratification! I demand my right to be selfish! I demand my right to a 52-inch LCD HDTV!

As you can see, I have a long way to go.

Cheryl could teach this class. She already knows the concepts and the disciplines by heart. So it really isn’t for her benefit that we are taking this class. It is more for mine, because money is not something I enjoy thinking about or talking about. I just want to spend it. As soon as I get it. On toys. And then feel horribly guilty about it. When I should be talking about it first, and feeling horribly disappointed when I don’t get to spend it. But that feeling passes when the next desire pops up, and I start obsessing about something else.

So this class should help us (me) to be more communicative with our financial goals and struggles, to help us truly be of one mind and spirit concerning our future. Plus we gain the fellowship of a few other people who are facing many of the same struggles, with whom we can sympathize and empathize when things aren’t going the way we had hoped.

The best part? They are providing free babysitting, so the kids can run around the church and play while I get to spend some quality time with Cheryl, delving into a subject that is near and dear to her heart, un-distracted.

First Day of School

What? Huh? What are you kids doing up so early? Eh? First day of school? Harrumph! So it is, so it is.

Cheryl is going to be doing the Happy Dance all day today, just as soon as the last one has gone out the door. For the first time in three months, the house will be quiet, and she’ll be able to sit and enjoy her coffee and listen to the silent walls sighing with relief. Whew! Now ... what to do until lunch.

Actually, I have no worries that she will lack for things to do. She has plenty to do, only now she will be able to do them all without dragging the kids along.

Thoughts on the Demise of the Crocodile Hunter

[Written Tuesday, September 5th]

Why is it that the death of someone like Steve Irwin touches so many people?

Perhaps it is because the man had such a zest for life. Regardless of how some might have felt about his pursuits or his methods, it must be admitted that he was totally enthusiastic about what he was doing. He experienced joy doing what he was doing, and we experienced that joy by proxy, watching him jump around like a kid in an candy store (or perhaps more like a kid in a Diagon Alley toy shop!) and feeling like we were right there with him, anticipating the sugar rush. He was a big kid who had never outgrown his fascination with the way things worked, the mysteries of the animal world, and the importance of preserving what we have for future generations.

And, of course, he had that way-cool Aussie accent.

One of the things that we learned from Mr. Irwin was the fact that the world, although a dangerous place, is also filled with beauty and wonder, and that it is possible to look these dangerous creatures in the eye and appreciate them for what they are. He brought us in to their world, close-up, where it would otherwise be impossible for us to go, so that we might share with him the joy and excitement of seeing these marvelous creatures in their native habitat.

He was a great showman, an exhuberant cheerleader, a passionate spokesman, and a dedicated conservationist.

Most importantly, and more to our grief, he was a husband and a father, and will be sorely missed by them not only now but in the years to come. Our hope and good wishes then are for them, that they might remember the joy that he brought to the world, and that they might find comfort and strength in those who surround them now.

A Visit with the Family

Family get-togethers are generally celebrated with lots of food, lots of gab, and lots of sweaty kids running around using up all the energy they gained from all the sugar they’ve been eating. Labor Day down at the Siegels was not an exception to this rule. We had lots of great food, lots of interesting converstation, and a bunch of children coated in glistening perspiration who slept very well once we managed to get them home and showered and to bed.

But the best part of the day for me was spending some time with Uncle Bob working on his trailer.

Maybe it’s just the electrical geek in me, or maybe I have too many fond memories of working on those old Volkswagens with Dad, but it was a genuine thrill to pull and trace and reroute wires on the old trailer so the lights would work right – or mostly right. Part of the fun was investigating something I’d never touched before – a tractor-trailer rig – and part of it was actually being of some use to somebody, to be able to use the stuff I’ve learned over the years to help fix something. Most of the fun was from the satisfaction of getting the lights to work (almost) by the time we were done, hours later.

It was a little bit frustrating because at the very end of it, they still didn’t quite work they way we wanted them to work, but it was a lot closer than it had been when we started. And that was a bit of a reward. I do wish I had the time to go back down there and fix it up completely before Bob has to drive it somewhere, but that probably won’t happen. Too many things going on up here.

My hope is that this year the weather won’t prevent us from getting down there at Thanksgiving, like it has the last two years. It sure was fun being down there and hanging out with the family.

Sunday Afternoon

It's Labor Day weekend, and if there's one thing that needs to be done around here, it's lots of labor.

But I don't feel like it today.

Yesterday, I did quite a bit of labor, but it didn't amount to much. Started working on one of the walls downstairs, in a prototypical kind of way, but it took too long because I had to think about it, and my mind was in ten different places at once.

See?



No, wait, that's the wrong picture. That's a picture of what Adam was doing this afternoon. Playing on the computer. Trying to finish yet another level of Battle for Middle Earth. He's obsessed with the game.

OK. I know I've got a picture of it here somewhere. See, I'm trying to put up the dividing wall between what is going to be James' new room, and the downstairs play room / family room. Problem is, this wall has to go up against a ceiling that is chock full of ventilation ducts and water pipes and drain pipes and things, so it's not like just slapping together a quick 4x8 rectangular wall and calling it good.

No, this one has to fit like a jigsaw puzzle up there.

Take a look:



Nope. Wrong again. That's a picture of what the other three were doing this afternoon. Vegging out in front of the television, watching the old 1976 version of "King Kong". You know, the one with Jessica Lange and Jeff Bridges. The one with the helicopters. The one that came out when I was in high school (or almost in high school).

{For those of you who might remember, that movie had a full-page ad in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and I had it hanging in my room for the longest time. It was a way cool movie. For its time, I mean. The latest one blows it away, of course. There's simply no comparison between the CGI and motion-capture that Peter Jackson used versus the man-in-a-suit version. But I didn't see any full-page ads in our local paper last year.}

You probably don't notice it, but the television screen is so dark that the movie is almost unwatchable. There were a lot of 'dark' scenes in that movie, no doubt due in some measure to the blue-screen or blue-screen artifacts. And our TV is on its way out, so its gotten progressively darker over the last few months. Maybe by Christmas we'll get a new one.

But ... here's that picture I was talking about!



As you can see, it's not much of a wall. But getting it to fit up there was lots of fun!

September!

It must be Autumn. The air is cool, the sky is cloudy, and the trees are all standing around sighing, waiting for the inevitable browning of the leaves.

Is summer really over?

To say it passed quickly would be an understatement, although that only expresses the sentiment and not the factual passage of time. In reality, it passed no slower nor faster than any other season, but there were a lot more activities crowded into it.

Looking at the calendar which is posted on my wall, I can see off-hand the following events:

* A visit from the Greens in May
* Memorial Day weekend
* Home School try-out (on-going through June-July)
* A business trip to Long Beach around Memorial Day
* Vacation Bible School - planning meetings scattered throughout May, June and July
* A week of Gerber Scout camp with Adam in June
* A day-trip to Notre Dame on July 2nd
* A visit from the Guabs on July 3rd
* Adam to Imaginary Worlds camp
* The reunion trip to Indiana in early July
* VBS during the last week of July
* Kids in church camp the first week of August
* A trip to Pittsburgh to visit the Joneses
* The boys' trip to Washington
* Two overnighters to Chicago in mid-August
* Another business trip to Long Beach in August

Lots of other stuff that isn't on my calendar. Whew! Makes me tired just looking at it. Wish I could somehow catch up on all the things I didn't get around to doing this summer, but just don't have the energy left.

Maybe a little guitar would help...