Animation: Online Animation Engine

Create your own online animations. Looks pretty cool.

Reading: Table Top Black Hole

A new installment of Thursday reading material for Isaac. The "First black hole for light created on Earth."

Football: Pearland Football Eagles

Here are some pictures from the team's blog, go check it out. It usually has weekly updates on the games.

Since Isaac is the center he doesn't easily get in many pictures. Look, there's his hand on the ball.



Oh here he is in the team's huddle after the game. It sure is fancy having your name on the back of the jerseys.

Development: Virtual Storefront

I've been asked to keep an eye on these Virtual Storefront applications. This one is built on PayPal's API as a payment mechanism. Looks like it could be easily set-up on FaceBook to sell T-Shirts or supplies.

No reason to develop these shopping cart and storefront applications from scratch anymore.

Space: 50 Years Of Space Exploration

Excellent graphic application from National Geographic demonstrating the various space manned and un-manned missions into our neighboring planets. You can zoom in to read the names and follow the path of the various voyages.

Music: Queens Of The Stone Age Mashup

Cool and easy-going mashup, perfect after a busy three day weekend. Queens of the Stone Age mashed with Johnny Cash guitar.

Games: JS Wars

Interesting game for the kids. Written entirely in JavaScript. Good trick!

Quotes: Friday Quote of the Day

I find the definition of Good and Bad deeds can be skewed by perspective. I would rather say anything worth doing is worth doing with zeal.

Let a good man do good deeds with the same zeal that the evil man does bad ones. The Belzer Rabbi

I think I like this one better.

You say "looks like somebody has too much time on their hands" but all I hear is "I'm sad because I don't know what creativity feels like." Dan Wineman

Space: How Far Away Is The Moon

Denise had a great question this morning while we were watching the Lunar collision with Isaac, "How far away is the moon?" The question invites an interesting study in perspective.

• We know it takes about an hour to get to rugby practice (about 50 miles)
• We know its about 200 miles to Austin from Houston
• The moon, however, is 238,857 miles (depending on where and when you measure)
• Mars on the other hand is 34,646,418 miles

Space: LCROSS Crashing Into the Moon

This page gives several methods for watching the LCROSS collision into the moon on Friday morning. Hopefully, we can watch it with Isaac before heading to school and work.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY LOVER

Just a quick post to the man of my dreams! I want to wish you the happiest of birthdays today. You are such an amazing person. You are a fantastic father, my very best friend, and the most loving husband a wife could ask for. You are my sunshine and my anchor when life seems strange and confusing. Most importantly, you are the glue to holds our family together and keep us on the path of positive adventures. Today our family honors you and the love you so unconditionally and loyally share with us.

Today we celebrate you Amor! Feliz Cumpleanos. I love you forever.

Besos,
Denise

Music: Mechanical Reproduction Of Digitized Speech

Very cool project making a piano speak.

Reading: NASA Discovers New Ring Around Saturn

Using the Spitzer Space Telescope, NASA has discovered a massive ring around Saturn.

Food: Making Kimchi

Here's a kimchi recipe from Granny Choe. On her website, she even gives instructions for kimchi pancakes. Interesting!

Quote: Monday Quote Of The Day

We've always looked suspiciously at children who do not have their share of bumps and bruises, fearing that they are not being as adventurous as they should. Thankfully, when the inevitable bruises come, our family is always there to kiss it and make it fell better.

Thank you to our family this weekend, for healing our worries and bringing a warm smile to our faces. You guys are worth more than all the treasures in the kingdom.

It's a shallow life that doesn't give a person a few scars. Garrison Keillor

Comics: Calvin and Hobbes

Puzzle: Petals Around The Rose

A classic problem solving game. Five dice are thrown. The name of the game, "Petals Around The Rose," is important in the solution. The answer is always zero or a non-negative even number.

Must try this one with the kids. However, once you solve the puzzle, you must be sworn into the club, and promise to never give away the solution.



Answers:
1. 6
2. 6
3. 8
4. 8
5. 2
6. 2
7. 4
8. 12
9. 6
10. 4
11. 6
12. 0

Quote: We Do The Best

Love this image from the Pioneer Woman. It reminds me that we frequently do the very best, I often tell Isaac, "don't be a star today, be a super-star!" However, not matter what, we always "do the best we can."

DIY: A Nation Of Engineers

This morning, Isaac asked Denise, "why do the teachers make us memorize all this stuff, if robots will do it all in the future." She gave the perfect response, "Who's going to build the robots?" (she's good that way).

First a quote from Pablo Picasso, "Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." I believe every child is also a maker and an engineer.

This article from Make Magazine discusses the concept of a "Nation of Engineers". In case you think all the good stuff has already been developed, here's a list from the National Academy Of Engineers. Let's go make something.

1. Make solar energy economical
2. Provide energy from fusion
3. Develop carbon sequestration methods
4. Manage the nitrogen cycle
5. Provide access to clean water
6. Restore and improve urban infrastructure
7. Advance health informatics
8. Engineer better medicines
9. Reverse-engineer the brain
10. Prevent nuclear terror
11. Secure cyberspace
12. Enhance virtual reality
13. Advance personalized learning
14. Engineer the tools of scientific discovery

Trees: California Redwood Photograph

Amazing photograph of a California redwood tree in National Geographic. The little red dots are people.