Music: Studio Multitrack Recordings

This site is completely awesome. They have the individual tracks from studio recordings. I've included the guitar and vocal track from Van Halen's "Running With the Devil." If you start them both at the same time, they are pretty much in sync.

Should be great for our mash-up adventures.

guitar:


Vocals:

Programming: Google Periodic Table

Periodic table of Google's APIs including links to their home directories.



via TechCruch

Art: Life is Short, Make It Amazing

Great quote and art from gapingvoid. So many applications.

Games: Man in the Gap

I haven't tried this one but expect reviews from Christian and Isaac.

Gun Control: Gunslinger Myth

NY Times article illustrating the Myth of the Hero Gunslinger.

The morning of the shooting in Tuscon, there was another gun in the crowd. The gun was in the hand of a potentially heroic bystander to the event. Not only was he unable to get one shot off before the villain emptied 30 rounds from his legally carried automatic pistol, he almost shot the heroes wrestling the bad guy.

Given the power of the NRA, gun control is not realistic potential. However, please keep in mind, as the article concludes, the legal right to carry a concealed hand-gun and common sense are not necessarily mutually exclusive.

Commercials: Kraft Mac N' Cheese

Good to hear a productive outcome from all of this. Recognize the announcer's voice at the end?

Logic: Wisdom is Not Logical and Simplicity is not Simple

Thought provoking article and comic from Scrivle.

It seems the point is, that there are stages to wisdom and finally knowledge. Scrivle points out that there are not many experts. I think because the process to wisdom (to simplicity) is not easy, it is hard. Simplicity is not Simple.

Following this revelation, it seems for most subjects we will remain in the "hapless" stage. I think I'm OK with this. Our world has a built in tolerance for a bit of wobble.

Games: Reggae Game

This is a cool one for sure. Lots of settings to play with also.

Music: Rivers of Babylon

Cool tune. Looks like the reggae band The Melodians did this one; but this is a cover of the Sublime version. These guys do a pretty good job. Here's the simple chords.

Re-telling the story from Psalms 137; however, the reggae singers often identify with the Israelites to pay tribute to people's enslavement.



Here's the Melodians version.

Quotes: Incredible Times

from gapingvoid.

Science Fair: Color Blindness

Isaac has decided to experiment on color blindness of dogs for his science fair project this year. (Robotics and engineering are not in the scope of this year's science fair instructions.)

An interesting article regarding testing in the past. Keywords: dichromats, deuteranopia.

Here's a picture of our color blind, but handsome, dog Leo.

Science Fair: Trammel of Archimedes

Also called the Do-Nothing Machine. Looks like we might be able to make one in Legos also.

Music: David Wax Museum

Fun band from NPR's Tiny Desk Concert. The first song reminds me of the Iguana's. I think its the combination of playful Spanish and English with the saxophone.

Music: Bass for Man Eater

We broke out our bass guitar last night after listening to Man Eater by Hall and Oats. I love the instrument because its relatively easy to pick out the riffs you hear in popular songs.

Lots of practice with Green Day Rock Band expert bass and an attempted slapping style made us sound pretty darn funky on this simple riff. I must teach it to Isaac and figure out the guitar chords and we're rocking, "... she's a man-eater."

Programming: Eloquent JavaScript

Found this JavaScript introduction which also describes introductory programming. While they taught us BASIC in high school, why not teach Isaac in JavaScript. There is an widely distributed test environment. Combine a little HTML and the results are extremely interactive.

I notice in a quick overview, "Eloquent JavaScript" even quickly address Objects and Functional Program, and provides many examples and assignments.

Hopefully many sample pages over on Isaac's Game Room / Programming site soon.

Signs: Tea Party Commentary

Many fun signs here at BuzzFeed. Mostly helping the Tea Party sign makers.





Update: pic removed due to advice from common readership.

Music: I Am The Walrus

I am he as you are he as you are me and we are all together.
See how they run like pigs from a gun, see how they fly.
I'm crying.

Sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van to come.
Corporation tee-shirt, stupid bloody Tuesday.
Man, you been a naughty boy, you let your face grow long.
I am the eggman, they are the eggmen.
I am the walrus, goo goo g'joob.

via BuzzFeed

Resolutions: Create Chaos

from Scrivle

Happy New Year with the Rockets!

While some families were watching fireworks.....We rang in the New Year with Yao Ming, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, and the rest of the Rockets (past/present).
What a great time we had cheering the Rockets to victory! Isaac loved it!