Music: Oh-Bla-Di

Nothing better than a travel band of hall gypsies singing "Oh-Bla-Di" in full voice (even noticed a melodica). Believe this is their blog, which has other videos called, "The Cover Tunes Grab Bag."

Quote of the Day, "If you want some fun, SING OH-BLA-DI-BLA-DA!" Indeed



via everydayisawesome

Games: Mario A Capella

Teaching Isaac to harmonize. This should make it more relevant.

Here's Jimmy's YouTube page. He also wrote the song, "Ching Chong! Asians in the Library Song (Response to UCLA's Alexandra Wallace)" which was featured on NPR last week.

Running: Santiago Running

Awesome weekend with the Santiago runners, looking forward to actually running with them after rugby season. The Dallas Rock and Roll Half Marathon made a back drop for a great weekend with the Valdez family.

In a gutsy display of effort, Denise shows you can complete 13.1 miles without a great deal of training (believe she trained 6 miles once). Aided by a reported "Dr. Sheehan angel," she finished strong and awesome!

Music: Buffett Picture

Lance Armstrong posted this picture of an "impromptu gig" in St. Barths. Not interested in flying to St. Barths to see Jimmy Buffett do an "impromptu gig," rather learn to sail instead. It would make a much better story.

Security: Password Phishing

Hey! Don't give away passwords in emails, ever (Mom, seriously don't do it). Advice from Scripting News, a new phishing technique. If you see something asking for your password, hit delete.

Music: NPR's SXSW Coverage

Many interesting live recordings available for listening from NPR's coverage of SXSW. Just heard Jack White's impromptu parking lot performance.

Math: Play With Plynomials

Need to try the Algebra Touch application with my budding math student. Looks like the application allows the user to "tap, drag, rearrange and reduce the equations to solve them." It also includes tutorial and practice sessions.



via GeekDad

Spring break comes to an end and we have had a great time! We started with rugby in Ft Worth and a visit with the Valdez family. Dinosaur Valley was fantastic and offered an 8.5 mile hike with tracks through out. We met an eccentric fossil hunter who shared great tips and showed us his woolly Mammoth tooth. Mother Neff Park was beautiful and serene. Austin led to great adventures spending time with the family, cousins, great friends, and beautiful music. The Brazos River shared it’s fossil treasures with us and convinced us to get our own professional fossil digging tools! Yes we have a rock pick now. Camping on the beach offered us a night light by the Super-Moon and then a beautiful sunrise while we listened to ocean waves. All in all one of the best Spring Breaks ever! Texas is truly beautiful.

Poetry: Having so much fun we are losing our heads!

We have had such a great time during Spring Break!

Gammy...

said I'd lose my head
if it wasn't fastened on.
Today I guess it wasn't
'cause while playing with my cousin
it fell off and rolled away
and now it's gone.

And I can't look for it
'cause my eyes are in it,
and I can't call to it
'cause my mouth is on it
(couldn't hear me anyway
'cause my ears are on it),
can't even think about it
'cause my brain is in it.
So I guess I'll sit down
on this rock
and rest for just a minute...
Shel Silverstein

Games: Push The Cat

Blogging games for interested spring break gamers, "Push the Cat."



via Woot!

Fiction: New Cory Doctorow Experiment

Cory Doctorow is releasing a new collection of short stories called, "With A Little Help." As he's done previously, he's experimenting with the publication style. Along with a Radio Head like "pay as like" model, he also has several custom covers (one by cyberpunk writer Rudy Rucker), print on demand, and audio books.

Games: Sugar Sugar

New flash game to try out, for those who might be interested. This one is called Sugar Sugar love to hear your opinion.



via Woot!

Picture: Future so Bright ...

Isaac in his college day t-shirt. Never hurts to be ambitious; however, need to work on his Tom Cruise smile.

Computers: iRig Mic For iPad2

Isaac and I have been collecting excuses to get an iPad2. I've never been a fan of the client based iTunes; however the avalanche of cool apps (especially musical apps) is drawing us to the flame.

This one reviewed in TechCrunch, in combination with the Garage Band app, looks pretty awesome.

Games: Tealy & Orangey

Looks like an interesting maze game. Check it out if you enjoy online flash games.


via Woot.

Games: Interlocked Puzzle

How about this 3D spacial puzzle game to test intelligence for kids and adults?

It's bound to be more informative than the TAKS test for minimum skills. Isaac took a portion of the exam this week, and comments that none of the questions surprised him. He had been trained to expect every type of question they asked.

While we will congratulate him for exceptional scores and encourage him to check his work harder for lower scores, what does a test for the lowest common denominator prove? It seems to consume so much time in the classroom.

Isaac your assignment for the weekend is to complete 10 levels using the least possible moves. I can't train you to do it, you must figure it out using your brain (as you say, "Insane in the membrane, Insane in the brain").

Youth Sports: Concussions

Sorry for the avalanche of posts today, but needed to post this one so I can find it later when football season begins.

It has Fact Sheets from the Center of Disease Control regarding concussions in youth sports. They include guidelines for coaches, players, and parents.

Web Development: Shaun Tan's 'The Lost Thing'

This website is fascinating, you must check it out. Shaun Tan won an Oscar for the best animated short.

Take a look around. When you press on the 'Trailer' button, for example, the most innovative processing indicator rolls onto the screen.

If the website is this impressive, we must get the movie.

via GeekDad.

Space: NASA Captures Sun Flare

This is awesome. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory spacecraft (SDO) captured the large solar flare on February 24th. Here's their description, "it blew out a gorgeous, waving mass of erupting plasma that swirled and twisted over a 90-minute period."

Science fiction can't beat the real thing.

Pictures: Beauty Eh?

Couldn't resist this picture. "The power of the force has stopped you, you hosers." Doug McKenzie

Cooking: DIY Organic Pop Rocks

Sounds like from the instructions, these might be more "fizzle rocks," but definitely cool to make your own.