Ultranormal

Author: Kevin Lawver

  • The Big 2k

    This is the 2000th post on this blog. I wish I could write this to coincide with some big redesign, a switch to a cool new blogging platform or have some cool techno-geeky thing to show off. But, I don’t. I just have this measly little entry. This entry is mostly here so I get over the fact that there are two thousand entries, most of them by me, but a bunch by Jen now too.\
    The first entry was way back in July of 2000 and it says nothing at all important, just like the vast majority of other posts here where I rambled about nothing and posted anyway.\
    Two thousand posts in, what have I learned and what has it done for me? Here you go:

    1. Blogging changes everything. If you get into the habit of doing it, it opens up a new world of people, experiences and possibilities. Maybe it’s because I started blogging before there were millions of people doing it, but I’ve made connections with so many different people through my blog and reading others. Blogging is a great way to get a glimpse into other peoples’ worlds, to walk a little bit in their shoes and get a perspective you wouldn’t have otherwise had into someone else’s experience.
    2. Blogging has changed how I communicate with everyone. My family reads my blog. A lot of people at work read my blog. A lot of my friends read my blog. When there’s a topic I’m not comfortable talking about in person (like religion, politics, etc). Writing about it here makes it easier to talk about it in person, and has led to some very interesting conversations I wouldn’t have otherwise had. Giving myself an “opening” here creates an opportunity for discussion in the “real” world.
    3. Blogging has made work better. I used to religiously not talk about work here, because I didn’t want to get dooced (I read her blog before she became a verb and loved it – still love it). I still have a hard time talking about work (habits die hard), but it’s made my work easier. I used this space to experiment with web standards, and that bled into work. Being one of the first bloggers at AOL (at least one of the first who would admit it), I got to help with the initial thinking behind AOL Journals and go on a couple trips to talk about it.
    4. Blogging is more fun with a partner. Jen jumping in and blogging here has been a lot of fun, especially the unspoken game of keeping up with her. Sharing the front page has removed some of the pressure of posting all the time, and I can’t tell you how many times people have caught me at work and told me how much they enjoy her posts.\
      It took five and a half years to get to two thousand. Hopefully, it won’t take another five and a half to get to ten.

  • Camera Update

    I asked for advice earlier about cameras and here’s what I decided:

    • I did a little research on different digital SLRs, features, prices, etc and then went to eBay and looked for those cameras on auction. I bid low on a Digital Rebel XT, and Nikon D50 and an Olympus Evolt E500 (hoping I would get one, but not more than one).
    • I figured if I got a digital SLR with a lens for less than \$500, I would get a new point and shoot camera that’s better than what I have now but not top of the line.
    • I’ll play with the SLR, get the hang of it and have fun, but I’ll have the point and shoot as a backup.\
      So far so good. I lost the D50 and the Digital Rebel XT and won the Evolt! So, as soon as they ship it, I’ll join the ranks of digital SLR owners and see where that takes me. I haven’t decided on the point and shoot yet, but I’m in no real hurry. The Powershot A640 that Porter mentioned is the current leader, but I’m going to see if I can find something smaller. I really like Tantek’s little Canon SD400 that I saw at the last CSS meeting. It’s ridiculously small and takes decent pictures in low light (just look at his photos, they’re almost all in low light). There are plenty of newer ones to look at, and other models to compare. That task starts after I play some Excite Truck!

  • Wii First Impressions

    I told you we got a Wii, and here are my initial thoughts:

    1. Everything about it is gorgeous. The box itself, the wiimote, the nunchuk, the menus, the sounds, everything. It’s one of the best designed consumer electronic thingies I’ve ever used.
    2. It’s usable. I didn’t have to look anything up to get it hooked up, play my first round of bowling or get connected to the internet. It all just worked. Better yet, it’s very easy to get started playing. Including Wii Sports was a great move, because it gives you an easy introduction into totally changing how you play video games.
    3. It’s a workout. Yeah, you can fairly easily do everything you need to while relaxing in a chair, but it’s not as much fun as really going at it (see the video in the original Wii post).
    4. It makes watching people play video games fun (finally!). We had a great time laughing at each other box, bowl and golf last night.
    5. The controller takes some getting used to. When I say it totally changes how you play video games, I’m not kidding. Everything is based on motion, and you have to figure out the best way to keep the controller pointed at the screen.
    6. Everyone can play. We still have to convince Jen of it, but Max, my 24 year-old brother, my over-50 dad, and I were all able to pick up Wii Sports and be relatively successful with it (Max is the king of nut-shots in boxing… I’m scared for all the little Wii boxers’ hopes of having children).\
      In short, it’s fun. It’s a lot of fun. If you get one, Rayman Raving Rabbids is a great first game. Lots of crazy minigames, easy to pick up, and funny. The first-person shooter bits could be a game all by themselves. If you can find a Wii, get it. I can’t wait to see what other crazy games come out for it.

  • Max Loves the Wii

    Since we were out of town for Christmas, we had a New Years Eve Gift-Giving Extravaganza at my parents’ last night. Aaaand, my mom got us boys (Brian, Max and me) a Wii! We hooked it up in their basement to try it out, and Max is hooked. I took a little video of Max playing Wii Sports Boxing to show just how hooked the boy is (and I’m playing with Dreamhost’s new flash movie stuff):

    Get\
    the Flash Player     to see this player.

  • Brian Likes to Skip

    We were showing the boys how to skip at the zoo last week, and Brian really got into it. I took a little movie to show you just how into it he was:

    Get\
    the Flash Player     to see this player.

  • The Mississippi Pictures

    Skyanne, Brian and Max onthe train

    The pictures from the trip are up and organized into sets. Here they all are:

    • Day One – This included sledding, and dinner at Leatha’s: the Temple of Pork.
    • Max Takes Pictures – I let Max use the camera and iPhoto to take pictures around the house. He loved tweaking all the settings on pictures, and trying out crazy stuff. He really got into macro mode, as you’ll see. There’s some really good stuff in there.
    • Dinner Out, and the Lights of Tylertown – Little tiny Tylertown, Mississippi puts on a great light show. Unfortunately, the batteries in the camera died before we could document the whole thing.
    • Christmas Eve and Day – Including the requisite tree shots.
    • Jen Takes the Boys for a Walk – Some really funny Max and Brian moments in this one.
    • The Hattiesburg Zoo – We went to the zoo! It was small, but the kids had fun and got to ride on a train.
    • Around the House and Out and About – Random stuff from the trip that doesn’t fit anywhere else. See little Brian pig out, ride a tractor and the Great Sundae Massacre of 2006.\
      Enjoy!

  • Needin’ a Little Camera Advice

    My little Kodak 4 megapixel point and shoot is showing its age. It’s never been particularly good at using the right flash mode indoors, and it’s getting worse. The more I look at photos from Cindy, Jason, Elsa and Rannie, the more I want a DSLR. Cindy and Jason go on and on (without stopping, honest) about their rebels. Elsa loooooves her Nikon. With all this love going around – what do I choose? Do I go all out with a digital SLR, or do I go with something easier, but not as full-featured like a Fujifilm Finepix S9000 or 9100? Digital SLRs are expensive, and you then get sucked into buying all the extras like flashes, new lenses, extra special battery packs, etc. Is it worth it?\
    The Fuji looks good on paper, and the reviews are solid as well, but the reviews don’t match the love spewed forth about the Rebel XTi. How much should I expect to spend to get the XTi or comparable digital SLR set up? Is it really worth it? Should I start with one step beneath an SLR? Come on, all my photographically inclined friends, help me out here!\
    Update: Here’s what I want out of a camera: good in normal indoor situations, preferably without needing the flash. My Kodak is crap in normal indoor light, and the flash turns my pale little boys into ghosts, and I haven’t found a way to “rescue” those pictures in iPhoto. I like taking pictures, but I don’t go out of my way to set up picture-taking outings. I’m usually going somewhere, and happen to document it. So, lugging around an SLR is probably not wise (although little tiny Cindy does it). The G7 looks good, and I’m finding the Flickr camera finder really useful. I’m uploading photos now, and will point out some of the problem shots I want “help” with (thanks, Jeff!).

  • Home

    We made it home! Splitting the trip up into two even days instead of trying to front-load it like the trip there worked really well. We were in no shape for the long day (although two short days would have been nice). We made it home this afternoon after leaving Knoxville at 7:30 this morning. Jen is dozing on the couch, Brian is being annoyed at everyone’s lack of energy, Max is drawing, and I’m waiting for the pizza.\
    I declare this trip a success. We had a good time with family, ate wickedly good food, laughed a lot (sometimes at each other – but we deserved it), hung out, played a lot of games, and no one killed themselves or cried too much. The boys have been promoted from Awesome Travel Kids second class to Awesome Travel Kids first class with honors. They were both unbelievably good – much better than I remember Tim and I being on car trips that long.\
    I’m exhausted, though. I’m gonna go crash on the couch until the pizza shows up. Then, I’m going to watch the Doctor Who Christmas Special after the boys go to bed, and then go there myself. Tomorrow, it’s presents at my parents’ house. Whoopie, two Christmases!! It’s like Jesus was twins!

  • Five Things You May Not Know About Kevin

    I got tagged by Greg, so here we go… five things you may not know about me, in no particular order.

    1. I was a TV “star” on a Tucson Public Access TV Show called Tech X. I was a floating head called Otto (they had blue screen and everything) and sat behind the two hosts and said really stupid things. My pal, Diana, sent me DVDs with all of the episodes of the show on them, and I haven’t quite gotten up the nerve to watch them all yet.
    2. I graduated from Vicksburg High School in Vicksburg, Mississippi. I’m not proud of this fact, but that’s where Dad made us move, so that’s where we went.
    3. I moved 19 times in 21 years growing up. Since moving out, I’ve moved three times, once in the same town when buying a house. All that moving had done some weird things to me psychologically, which I think I’ve talked about here before, but it was so long ago that hopefully you’ve forgotten about it. I’m crap at relationships. When people leave, or I leave, I’m very good at pretending they no longer exist. Growing up, it was always easier to believe they no longer existed than to believe that I would never see them again. I never wrote letters, tried to never think about them, and did a good job of compartmentalizing my life. I recognized this a little after moving to Virginia, and have been trying to fix it, but it still pops up all the time.
    4. I’m an Eagle Scout. I earned Eagle at 14, and then maybe went on one camp out after that. I liked scouting, but was pretty much done with it once I got Eagle. If you’re a kid or have kids, and it’s important to you to get it – get it before you get interested in girls, cars or other stuff.
    5. I’m a big girl for Love Actually. I love that movie. I couldn’t tell you why other than it’s about all kinds of love, very well acted, is really funny, and makes me cry every single time I watch it. I’m not proud of it, but it’s the truth (and you might not know it).\
      Since these things are 21st century chain letters, I now have to tag five more people. Let’s see… I’ll tag: Jen, Tim, Heather, Cindy and Jason.

  • Merry Christmas!

    Merry Christmas

    We’ve got limited bandwidth here in Mississippi at Jen’s parents’ house, but we’re having a good time anyway. Max has been taking lots of pictures and playing in iPhoto, there are lots of pictures of the boys playing with Buddy, being goofy, opening presents, and hanging out. We’re having lots of fun eating good food (don’t tell my doctor) and playing games. Max and I have been playing chess every day while Brian stacks up checkers.\
    Expect the pictures and more frequent posting when we get back, but for now – Merry Christmas!!