"Quote of the Day"

"Heat, ma'am!... It was so dreadful here, that I found there was nothing left for it, but to take off my flesh and sit in my bones."
- Sydney Smith

Yep. That about sums up the weather today. Hot, hot, and hot.

In fact, according to the National Weather Service, Milwaukee clocked in at a steamy 98 degrees (with high relative humidity making it feel ten degrees warmer). It hasn't been this hot on July 31 since 1917! For Milwaukee, that's pretty darn uncomfortable. :)

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:34 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Shipwrecks of the Aleutian and Pribiliof Islands"

The Aleutian and Pribiliof Islands are located in the Pacific Ocean and the south end of the Bering Sea in the Arctic. They are part of the USA. These are some of the many shipwrecks found along the coast of those islands.

Personally, I just find old shipwrecks very intruiging. :)

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:18 PM  I   I  0 comments

"It All Starts With an Idea"

Congratulations to my younger actress sister, Rachel. Today she bought an old church, which she plans to convert into a banquet hall, theatre, and the new headquarters for her increasingly successful theatre company. Well done sis!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 10:19 PM  I   I  0 comments

"No Arms"

Here's an amazing video I came across today of a woman who has no arms. Handicapped, yes, but held back by her disability, not at all! She's living proof that you can overcome anything, so long as you don't give up.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 9:43 PM  I   I  0 comments

"A New Sausage for the Brewers"

Hmm. There's some big news in local sports... The Milwaukee Brewers baseball team will be adding a fifth sausage to their 7th inning "Sausage Race"! How cool is that?!

"Chorizo will join the Bratwurst, Polish Sausage, Italian Sausage and Hot Dog for a race on "Cerveceros Day" -- that's "Brewers" in Spanish for you gringos -- following the sixth inning of Saturday's Brewers-Reds game at Miller Park. Chorizo will then be "optioned out to the Minor Leagues for more seasoning," according to Melvin, though there is also the issue of Major League Baseball's approval process for new mascots. The Sausage Race will officially become a five-weenie affair beginning on Opening Day of 2007."

-Jon
posted by Jon at 9:07 PM  I   I  0 comments

"One in Afganistan. One in Iraq."

I just heard the news today. My sister Becca (Air Force Lieutenant currently stationed in Texas), is getting deployed to Kabul, Afganistan on November 9th. She'll be stationed there for 122 days as a protocol officer, and will finally be able to use her new Arabic linguistic skills.

Of course, with her transfer to Kabul, that also means I'll actually have two siblings in the warzone overseas -- Ben among the roadside bombs and insurgents of Iraq, and Becca among the terrorist-friendly Afgans.

And while I'm concerned for both of them, I still couldn't be more proud!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 7:42 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Unusual Hotels of the World"

Unusual Hotels of the World offers 'experiential' hotels. Staying there is worth the trip, which will often be long and arduous, and delivers the guest a memorable and hopefully enjoyable experience. Some are luxurious, some are not.

My favorite is probably the Woodpecker Hotel in Sweden. It's a one-room tree house set 13 meters above a Swedish public park, with rope ladder access only. Guests must climb a ladder to reach their accommodation; the ladder is then removed, and meals are served via a basket attached to a pulley. The hotel includes a kitchen, bedroom, veranda with hammock and, most crucially, a toilet.

And if a hotel in a tree isn't to your liking, perhaps ones located underwater, made of ice, or consisting of rugged caves might be. Enjoy!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:13 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Telsa Roadster"

When potential buyers get a look at the Tesla Roadster this summer, it will be among the quickest production cars in the world. And, compared to other supercars like the Bugatti Veyron, Ferrari Enzo, and Lamborghini Diablo, it's a bargain. And even more intriguing: It has no combustion engine. The Tesla Roadster is powered by 6,831 rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, the same cells that run a laptop computer. Range: 250 miles. Fuel efficiency: 1 to 2 cents per mile. Top speed: more than 130 mph.

It took Martin Eberhard, CEO of Tesla Motors, three years to get this prototype ready for mass production, but with the backing of PayPal co-founder Elon Musk, Google's Larry Page and Sergey Brin, and ex-eBay chief Jeff Skoll, he has created Silicon Valley's first real car company.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:12 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Exploring Our Solar System"

The Nine Planets -- a multimedia tour of the Solar System -- is an overview of the history, mythology, and current scientific knowledge of each planet and major moon in our solar system. Each page on the site has text, images, some have sounds and movies, and most provide references to additional information.

Quite an interesting read, even if you aren't an amateur astronomer. :)

-Jon
posted by Jon at 10:29 PM  I   I  0 comments

"A New Begining"

My friend Diana got married today (and I attended her wedding this evening), so I think some recognition is in order. Congratulations Mrs. Mount! May you enjoy this new begining, and may you and your husband walk together in Christ for many years to come!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:49 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Google's Unknown Artist"

Dennis Hwang may be the most famous unknown artist in the world. His work doesn't hang in galleries or museums, but it's been viewed hundreds of millions of times. The 28-year-old webmaster designs the whimsical logos that decorate Google's otherwise spartan web site on special occasions.

He has been manipulating the six letters in the Google name into shamrocks, fireworks, hearts and goblins since shortly after he got an internship there in 2000. Company founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin found out that he was an art major in college.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 9:07 AM  I   I  0 comments

"Top 10 Least Likely Online Business Ideas That Made It Big"

Every once in a while someone comes up with a business idea that everybody else thinks is destined to fail. "That'll never work", or "Who's stupid enough to fall for that?". But sometimes, for whatever reason, these ideas actually turn out to be very profitable.

The 'Million Dollar Homepage' is a good example. Or what about the 'LaserMonks?' Real monks refilling your cartridges. In 2005, their sales were $2.5 million! Proof, indeed, that you never can tell what might become a huge success.

Here are the Top 10 Least Likely Online Business Ideas that actually worked.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 4:15 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Quote of the Day"

"Fall seven times, stand up eight."
- Japanese Proverb

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:29 PM  I   I  0 comments

"A Cool-Down."

Well, today was definitely much cooler than Sunday and Monday. High temperature: 76 degrees. The air is still a bit humid, but it looks like the evening could be quite comfortable.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 10:43 PM  I   I  0 comments

"The Heat Continues..."

Today's high temperature here in Milwaukee: 93 degrees. Tomorrow's forecast... much cooler. Here's to a far more bearable Tuesday!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:33 PM  I   I  0 comments

"A Collaborative Online Art Experiment"

Hey, anyone want to help me paint a picture?! Creativity welcome! :)

-Jon
posted by Jon at 9:57 PM  I   I  0 comments

"The heat is on!"

Ugh. Today was a hot day. Too hot, in fact, to do much of anything other than sweat and take semi-frequent water-guzzling siestas between shortened periods of work. Don't get me wrong, I got work done, but at great cost to my comfort level. I tell ya, we really need to install that window air-conditioning unit... or else poor Jon is going to melt away -- literally. :)

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:07 PM  I   I  0 comments

"33 Places to Hangout in the Social Networking Era"

A social network is a social structure made of nodes which are generally individuals or organizations. It indicates the ways in which they are connected through various social familiarities ranging from casual acquaintance to close familial bonds.

Social networks have had giant growth spurts over the past couple of years, and it seems there's one for everyone: from dogs to moms to book-worms to shoppers. Here's a list for people who have their odd MySpace or Bebo profiles but would like to seek and discover new ones.

I prefer MySpace myself. In fact, feel free to stop by my space sometime and say hi. I'd be thrilled to socialize on the same network!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 2:11 AM  I   I  0 comments

"Star Wars in Paris"

Here's an neat collection of photos by French photographer, Cedric Delsaux: Star Wars characters in Paris. Urban wasteland becomes intergalactic battleground. I like it.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 10:58 PM  I   I  0 comments

"The 10 Most Expensive Cars in the World"

Here's a site that lists the 10 most expensive cars in the world. They're certainly classy looking... but as luck would have it, I don't think I'll be driving any of them anytime soon.

Just give me a sporty sedan and I'll be just fine.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 9:36 PM  I   I  0 comments

"A 13-hour Lizard Adventure"

Wish granted. I just awoke from a night of nearly thirteen hours of sleep! I guess I really did need that slumber. And I'll tell ya, I'm feeling remarkably well-refreshed too! Thank you Sleep Fairy!

Ironically, I also seem to have had only one notable dream during those hours. In that dream, the world was drastically altered from ours. Large dinosaur species were an everyday part of our present culture. Yet, in that modern world, there remained one island paradise somewhere in the Pacific that was untouched by man or lizard. It was the mythical "Atlantis", and I was the member of one of four dozen large expeditions desperately in search of it. The dream itself followed our wild adventure as we sought to be the first group to find and stake a claim on that virgin island.

You know, that sounds rather like a blockbuster movie plot doesn't it? I guess, when given the time, I even dream in movies! Go figure. I may have to pitch that one to Hollywood! :)

Have a blessed Friday all (and, hey, watch out for those giant lizards!).

Your happily blogging well-rested friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 12:17 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Thursday's Paint Job"

Today I spent most of my late morning and early afternoon painting sixteen garage door frames -- with a coat of primer paint. Someday in the near future, I will probably be painting the final coat. But for the present, today was a gorgeous day to be outside (and fyi, yes, I did slather on the sunblock this time!). The sun was shining, water (for consuming) was plentiful, the temperatures were in the mid-70's, and the project wasn't nearly as as intensive as it could have been. All-in-all, it actually turned out to be a pretty good afternoon!

Of course, now that I'm home again, a nice long nap is starting to look very appealing. I nice looooooooong nap! But we'll see what I can wrangel up. :)

For the timebeing, though, have a blessed evening all, and until next time,

Your happily blogging sunburn-free friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 5:51 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Wednesday Memo"

Due to a continued lack of time, it appears that today has also been delayed until tomorrow. I appologize for the inconvenience, and will attempt to make sense of three complete days on Thursday. Wish me luck!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:18 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Tuesday Memo"

Due to a lack of time, today will be delayed until tomorrow. Thank you. :)

-Jon
posted by Jon at 2:55 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Quote of the Day"

"The creative mind plays with the objects it loves."
- Carl Gustav Jung

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:24 PM  I   I  0 comments

"30 Things You Didn't Know You Could Do on the Internet"

So you think you have the Web all figured out? Well, think again.

Did you know that you could go back in time, star in your own reality TV show, or download songs as you drive your car? And that's just the beginning. Using the right sites, you can give Google a face-lift, promote your products or bloviate about your blog, publish a novel, write a business plan, scan your PC for spies, and get free tech help. You can even use the Web to uncover government secrets and predict your own demise. Best of all, most of these sites won't charge you a dime.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 10:12 PM  I   I  0 comments

"The Electrical Life"

Last night ended up being a wasted work night -- but not through any fault of my own. A major storm rolled through Milwaukee, bringing with it gusting sheets of rain, dropping dime-sized hail, and knocking out power (for almost eight hours). I had been hoping to do some computer design work, but when the electricity went out around 8:15 PM, that effectively ended those plans. So, instead, once the rain ended, and the cool crisp night air replaced it, I spent much of the evening sitting outside on my front steps chatting with my neighbors.

And while I was grudgingly forced to postpone my work, I was reminded too just how necessary it is to take time to relax, forget the modern conveniences of life, and enjoy the company of friends and neighbors with whom we often don't have the time to socialize.

Life is short. There's always something that needs to be done, and needs to be done right now. But, sometimes, all it takes to keep us from getting too entrenched in our hectic lives is the temporary disruption of the one thing we take most for granted -- electricity.

So, as you go about your daily life, don't forget to take time off. Spend it with family. Get to know your neighbors. And don't wait for the power to go out.

Have a blessed Monday all, and until next time,

Your happily blogging friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 1:31 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Quote of the Day"

"A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows the public opinion."
- Chinese Proverb

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:47 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Sixty Years"

Today George W. Bush turns sixty. Happy Birthday Mr. President!

-Jon
posted by Jon at 8:44 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Give Me a Name"

Aaron Schwarz wasn't happy with his name, so he decided to change it. He figured, rather than dealing with the boredom of researching mythological deities or wasting his time looking through popular books of names, he would just get the entire population of the world to do it for him.

Oh yeah, and he's going to give $25,000 to whoever suggests the best name.

-Jon
posted by Jon at 10:39 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Happy Birthday America!"

I love the Fourth of July! -- Especially when I can watch one of the biggest and best fireworks displays in all of Metro Milwaukee from my own front yard! Pretty darn cool if you ask me. :)

-Jon
posted by Jon at 11:02 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Stars and Stripes Forever"

This amazing rendition of John Philip Sousa's famous "Stars and Stripes Forever" -- played entirely by trombones -- is performed by a group called Bones Apart, four young professional female trombonists (Carol Jarvis, Becky Smith, Rebecca Harper, and Camilla Tveit).

Appropriate for today, no? Enjoy, and have a happy (and safe) Fourth of July!

Your happily blogging friend,
-Jon
posted by Jon at 7:23 PM  I   I  0 comments

"Quote of the Day"

"Apart from God every activity is merely a passing whiff of insignificance."
- Alfred North Whitehead

-Jon
posted by Jon at 4:04 PM  I   I  0 comments