Space: International Space Station Movie

Check out this amazing graphic detailing the steps to build the International Space Station. It even includes future components, and demonstrates how the various space vehicles fit into the station.

History: Bastille Day

July 14th is celebrated as Bastille Day in France. The day symbolizes the birth of the French Republic and abolition of feudalism.

The painting from Claude Monet depicts the celebration in Paris in 1878.

We find it also makes for a more interesting bike race in the Tour de France, as the French riders give more effort. However, they've been quite successful this year already.

Tech: Integrated Circuit Introduction

Can't resist post this one, if for nothing else than the totally groovy side-burns.

Music: Michael Jackson A Cappella

One more Michael Jackson tribute, from Acapodcast Podcast. Check out his other podcasts, great stuff.

Space: Interplanetary Internet

The International Space Station (ISS) is testing software which would provide internet access to space vehicles. The ISS will be the initial node in the "Interplanetary Internet"; however, NASA is in discussions with European and Japanese counterparts to add to the network. The nodes will also be placed on future NASA projects.

The new technology is similar to TCP/IP, which our internet uses, but is designed to handle the long delays in packet transfer which would occur in deep space travel. It would also enable a new space communication model. The current model is more similar to radio.

While following Tour de France bike riders with Twitter has been interesting, we can't wait for twittering astronauts.

Comparitive Anatomy: How the Turtle Got Its Shell

You might need a short anatomy review before reading this one. The turtle's shell is basically made from a fusion of its ribs to the vertebrae. The trick is that the shoulder blade (scapula) grows deeper than the rib cage, rather than on top of it (like ours).

This adjustment of the shoulder blade causes a "muscular origami" when the torso musculature is forced to develop differently.

In the end, it is not possible for a turtle to come out of his shell, as the cartoons suggest.

Programming: GoTo Statements

As background, GOTO statements are expressly frowned upon in modern software development. They lead to a hard to read and error prone spaghetti code.

TDF: Lance and Jimmy Buffet?

We closely follow the Tour de France, and Lance's team this year, Astana, looks very impressive.

However, what could be better than Lance and Jimmy Buffet together! Take a look at Lance's Twitter feed, maybe he'll do a video with Jimmy as well.

Farming: Find Local Farmer's Markets

This site has farmer's markets and local produce. Here's the search for our zip code's farmer's markets.

Bible: Oldest Known Bible Online

An article from CNN discusses the Codex Sinaiticus, the oldest known Christian Bible, which is now available online. A quick look at the website shows it is not the best for such an important historical document. There are few English translations, and the pages load very slowly.

The Codex Sinaiticus was written in the 4th Century and was found in 1844 at the Monastery of St. Catherine in the Sinai desert. One of the more interesting aspects are the additional books not found in the Hebrew Bible such as Esdras, Tobit, Judith, Maccabees, Wisdom and Sirach.

Tools: Free OCR Conversion Tool

This tool converts images of documents to proper documents which can be edited, and it's free.

Games: Online Drum Kit

Cool little online drum kit. Actually the best part is its made entirely from HTML and JavaScript; however, it still makes for cool drum experimenting.

Taekwondo: Gae Baek Pattern

Isaac's Gae Baek pattern from many angles.

Front


Side


Back

Stories: Creepy Stories

Creepy Stories by Christian and Isaac. Young authors at work.

Comics: X-Men Relationship Map

We recently found a t-shirt with many of the Marvel comic book heroes. However, this page describes, in fantastic detail, the various relationships of the X-Men characters throughout the series. It even discusses characters from an alternate dimension.

Holy smokes, Wolverine has a lot of lines pointed in his direction.

Quotes: Intelligence Quotient

Great quote for the day. Be curious and find your quest. Love it!

Only the curious will learn and only the resolute overcome the obstacles to learning. The quest quotient has always excited me more than the intelligence quotient. Eugene S. Wilson

Ukulele: Harmony

Good article about musical theory of harmony. Especially meant for ukulele's. Looking forward to some great jam sessions.

Main melody: G D G A B C A
3rd harmony: B F# B C D E C

Main melody: G D G A B C A
5th harmony: D A D E F# G E

Main melody: G D G A B C A
6th harmony: E B E F# G A F#

Puzzles: Online Jigsaw Puzzles

Looks like a good site for the kids (spatial awareness), and fun for adults too.

Ties: Matrix Reloaded Knot

After considering which knot to teach my son, I found this Matrix knot. Found on Lifehacker.

Also take a look at the ukulele blues chords in this video.

And a tie wearing quote of the day. Happy Monday

Good taste is the worst vice ever invented. Edith Sitwell

Games: Kinetic Sketch

This fun game combines drawing and physics. Many different options to explore.

Music: Michael Jackson Cover Story

Who didn't practice the iconic moon walk in socks on the linoleum kitchen floor? We'll have to introduce the move to Isaac with a remembrance dance this evening. A great tribute from Coverville.

Tie: How to Tie a Tie

Honestly, I haven't found a reason to wear a tie in several years. Saying that, it's probably a good skill to teach to the young ones. This article shows several knots to attempt.



Whatever did we do before YouTube and the internet?

Science Fair: Business Card Circuit

Cool circuit on a business card, here's the PDF instructions. I'm pretty sure we have all the parts in an old kit.

NASA: Lunar Orbiter Reaches Moon

NASA's LRO reached the moon Tuesday morning with a 40 minute main thruster brake. We questioned why its so important to use this mission when the previous Apollo missions did not require it?

This article indicates that "the Apollo program accepted risk and was able to have safe landings. We want to return to the moon, make repeated landings in some areas and be able to go there with a higher degree of safety." Over the next year, the LRO will essentially create a new global atlas of the lunar surface.

Projects: Tie Dye and Juggling

In addition to multiplication tables and learning to type this summer, I thought some tie dye and juggling might be fun. I could use some new tie dye shirts, plus it seems to be a good chemistry experiment.

Music: Great Live Music From NPR

This podcast has some of the best live music, recorded in an office for NPR's All Songs Considered.

Space: Lunar Reconnaissance Oriter Launchb

NASA launched the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS) last night at 4:32 CST. The instruments are scheduled to reach the moon on Tuesday.

The LRO will go into orbit around the moon looking for potential landing sites for astronauts. On the other hand, the LCROSS will collide with the lunar surface in an effort to find evidence of water at the moon's poles.

Iran Protests: CNN's Iran 101

This article does a good job explaining some of the background to the current protests in Iran, and some of their recent history.

Very interesting is the comment regarding the similarity of the candidate Mir Hossein Moussavi to the current president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Both are considered "hard liners". Of Moussavi, CCN says,

Though the 67-year-old former prime minister is credited for successfully navigating the Iranian economy as prime minister during the Iran-Iraq war, he also was a hard-liner whom the Economist described as a "firm radical."

He, like most Iranians in power, does not believe in the existence of Israel. He defended the taking of the American hostages in 1979. He was part of a regime that regularly executed dissidents. And as late as April, he opposed suspending the country's nuclear-enrichment program but said it would not be diverted to weapons use.

Rap: Large Hadron Collider

A YouTube rap about particle physics.

Excellent!

Science Fair: Digital Music Programming

The application Pd (Pure Data) looks like a visual programming environment for digital music. This might be an interesting test application for our new Ubuntu system, they even have a specific Ubuntu version. Here is a online instruction manual.

Looks like a great exercise to combine programming (variables, loops, events, and mathematical operations) and musical (pitch, frequency, volume) concepts.

Music: Coverville Does A capella

If you haven't tried Coverville, you should give it a listen. However, my favorite shows are the a capella versions.

Also trying a new MP3 player which isn't pink (not that pink is bad). This one is a replica of the Google Reader MP3 player.

Quote: Being With Those We Love

Found this quote, which reminds me how thankful we are to have our family close. This is a love village.

I have learned that to be with those I like is enough. Walt Whitman

Pictures: Green Hair (and Ham)

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Given certain hair cutting restrictions, we've decided to experiment with our fashion. I still think Leo wears it the best.

Garden: Raised Garden Week 3

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Celebrating the 3rd week of our raised garden with new fruit. We're having great fun with the project, and realize the need for some tomato cages.

Variables: Rain to Sunshine

Interesting quote which illustrates the use of variables in natural language.

You can change the name of 'rain' to 'sunshine', but you still in an umbrella to go out in it. Dave Winer

Philosophy: Existentialism

This episode of Engines of Our Ingenuity discusses existentialism as a metaphor. I thought someone might use this as a lesson one day.

Also checkout the cool new embedded MP3 player.

Quote of the Day: War Is Not It's Own End

Quote of the day for those that study these things, and it really concerns us all doesn't it.

War is not its own end, except in some catastrophic slide into absolute damnation. It's peace that's wanted. Some better peace than the one you started with. Lois McMaster Bujold "The Vor Game" 1990

DIY: Hand Lights

Looks like an interesting and easier project.

Photo Editing: FotoFlexer

Isaac was looking for an online photo editor to play around with. Wondering if this one will work. Here's a quick example.

Quote: Relationship Quote of the Day

Found these two quotes today which seem to go well together. My interpretation is discovering the perfect relationship doesn't seem to be about finding someone just like yourself, but someone who complements you. Also once you find your perfect mate, how to have the inevitable disagreement positively and argue like philosophers not like combatants.

There is nowhere you can go and only be with people who are like you. Give it up. Bernice Johnson Reagon

All married couples should learn the art of battle as they should learn the art of making love. Good battle is objective and honest - never vicious or cruel. Good battle is healthy and constructive, and brings to a marriage the principle of equal partnership. Ann Landers

Fitness: Stop Doing Sit-Ups

This article from Newsweek suggests to stop doing sit-ups or crunches and begin doing more push-ups instead. They say that push-ups work the abdominal and back muscles in the neutral position they were designed for. Here's a push-up set program to get to 100 consecutive push-ups within 6 weeks of training.

Art: Tibetan Dancing Water Bowl

Noticed this article in Wired magazine about the Dancing Water Bowls. It reminded me also about the singing bowls. An initial search shows most cost upwards of $100. We'll have to sic the treasure hunter on it.

Remarkable YouTube video with a singing bowl.

Birthday: Happy Birthday Faith

Looking for the perfect post for Faith's birthday turned out to be easy when we noticed the History of the Coiffure in the 18th Century. A coiffure is simply a hair style; however, in the 18th Century the coiffures took an entire day to style. Who wants to be that kind of princess?

Happy Birthday Faith!

Quote: Life's Challenges

"Life's challenges are not supposed to paralyze you, they're supposed to help you discover who you are" Bernice Johnson Reagon

I will try to let myself be open-minded enough to discover who I am. That seems like a worthy challenge indeed.

Garden: Our New Raised Vegetable Garden

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

We completed work on our new raised vegetable garden this weekend, taking our first step toward self-sustainability. There are five varieties of tomatoes and a spicy pepper plant. Isaac also planted a separate watermelon and cantelope garden for container testing. We had a fantastic time constructing and planting and getting our hands dirty.

We hope to have pictures as the garden develops over the summer, and truly homemade salsa by August.

Taekwondo: New Black Belt

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Isaac successfully completed a very stressful and comprehensive, 3 hour black belt exam for Taekwondo on Saturday. After years practicing and training, he also received the highest score of the exam, despite being the youngest participant.

The prescribed initiation after was a traditional Korean meal with the Masters of the school, who judged the exam, complete with raw squid and Kimchi. To make Christian proud, Isaac asked for seconds of the spicy squid with a smile on his face.

We thank our family and friends for their enormous efforts to assist in helping Isaac achieve this goal. Isaac you did an awesome job, and your family is very proud of your accomplishment.

Also thanks to Dad again for forwarding better "inside the gym pictures," hoping for a new camera for summer.

Eye: New Corneal Transplant Procedure

Keeping my eye on this one. My good eye that is. A procedure to replace corneal transplants without surgery. They use the patients own stem cells from their good eye to grow inside a contact lens.

Alphabet: Star Wars and Alien Caterpillars

XYZ is for Xam, Yaddle, and Zutton. Learn ABC's with Star Wars pictures.

Also check out the 15 most alien looking caterpillars. Reminds me we need to go hiking soon to find more caterpillars and spiders.

Armstrong: Lance Before Climbing Vesuvius

Interesting picture from Lance's Twitter this morning before he climbs Mount Vesuvius.

We've seen this guy, or others dressed just like him on the Tour de France coverage as well.

Hurricane: NOAA Hurricane Tracking

Those with a new aggregator may be interested in this feed for NOAA hurricane tracking. Just noticed the first tropical depression of the season, "Tropical Depression ONE".

Here's the feed for the Atlantic Basin.

Twitter: Lance Armstrong's Favorite Tex-Mex

I've been following the excellent Twitter feed of Lance as he races through Italy. Among many interesting behind the scenes videos was this tid-bit on his favorite Tex-Mex. Isn't Chuy's awesome!

Genealogy: Marchant Pictures

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
We've had a fantastic time discovering our family genealogy lately. Here are pictures from the Marchant side of the family.

Music: 5th Graders Sing Fleetwood Mac

Great stuff from NY fifth graders. Here's the link to more of their performances.

Beaches: Top 10 Beaches for 2009

A professor from Florida compiles this list of top beaches. Oddly enough, we were discussing with Isaac last night that we would rather go hiking or to the beach instead of Disney.

This sounds like a challenging road trip!

1. Hanalei Bay, Kauai, HI
2. Siesta Beach, Sarasota, FL
3. Coopers Beach, Southampton, NY
4. Coronado Beach, San Diego, CA
5. Hamoa Beach, Maui, HI
6. Main Beach, East Hampton, NY
7. Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, NC
8. Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, FL
9. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, MS
10. Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, SC

DIY: Soft Circuit Merit Badge

Use conductive thread to create a wearable circuit. Interesting to consider wearable computer designs.

This is from our favorite maker Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories.

Commentary: The Compromise Theory

Interesting comic regarding another hot button debate topic, published on the day the President spoke at commencement ceremonies at Notre Dame University. Here's further commentary from the Washington Post from a Catholic journalist.

The article points out that Notre Dame has a tradition of inviting newly elected presidents to speak at their commencement ceremonies. In fact, George Bush accepted the invitation despite his views and practices as Governor of Texas on the other side of the right for life debate, the Death Penalty.

In my own biased opinion, the President does a masterful job framing the debate during his his address. Let's spend more time trying to limit unwanted pregnancy and less time arguing over the debilitating, endless, polarizing debate of woman's rights. As the author of the discussion points out, "Outlawing the death penalty will stop the death penalty. Outlawing abortion (to whatever extent that means) will not stop abortions."

Music: Play.FM DJ Music

I often find subtle repetitive music helps the creative work process, and usually will opt for some Grateful Dead. However, this new beta site provides DJ mixes, some of which go on for hours. Give it a try.

Ukulele: Take Your Love With Me

Interesting tune for the ukulele. Perfect song for my lover and son. Here are the chords from ukulele hunt.

Video: Cats and Pumpkins

TIGERS LEOPARDS Vs Pumpkins! - The best video clips are hereHere's one for all the cat lovers. Look at how much these big cats like playing with the pumpkins. Amazed at how much the tiger likes playing in the water.

Games: Star Wars Soundboard

Pretty cool Star Wars soundboard game. Check out the X-Wing vs. Tie Fighter sounds by pressing the drop down list. Looks like there's other games and maybe even some videos of Clone Wars.

Space: Atlantis Shuttle Launch

After watching this launch on NASA TV, I'm amazed at how common place it has become for NASA to launch a space shuttle. The current mission is to make repairs to the Hubble telescope. This will be the final mission to repair the Hubble, and should keep it operational until at least 2014.

Comics: Educational Responsibility

Interesting comment on test driven educational standards.

Pictures: Isaac's Birthday

Some great pictures of Isaac's birthday. What a truly fantastic time we had with bands, and skateboards, and waterslides. Take a look at this one of Michael and Isaac. Great stuff, thank you all who were able to make the trip to Houston.

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Music - Film: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Classic standoff scene, and an interesting adaptation with ukuleles.

In this world, there are two types of people. Those with loaded guns, and those who dig.

Music: Turn, Turn, Turn Biblical Reference

Just learned this on a podcast. Bonus points if you know what the biblical reference used by this famous song, performed by the Byrds. Here's the wikipedia entry if you must look.

Twitter: Queen Rania Al Abdullah

I began following Lance Armstrong's twitter account recently through my RSS Reader (the twitter accounts produce an RSS feed you can subscribe to).

However, just noticed the Queen of Jordan, Rania Al Abdullah just recently began to use the service. After hearing her and her husband speak on NPR several weeks ago, I was very impressed with both of their ideas and thoughts.

Here are two amazing comments on her Twitter account which show her

Reminder of how special this land is- where our 3 beloved Prophets carried the message of moderation, tolerance, and peace

Just listened to Pope's speech. Our region so needs a message of Peace

Picture: Eyes Wide Open

After a trying week with dispersions being cast here and there, I'm afraid I had lost a bit of sunshine. Never worry, Isaac comes to the rescue with his love, hugs and snuggles.

He continues to try and teach me a lesson about a child's motives for the actions they take. I try and teach him, and remind myself, that motives and agendas can have unintended consequences even when they are generated altruistically. Certainly a complex lesson that I still cannot always wrap my hands around.

He also shows us unconditional love, and that is a special thing. Thank you family for helping teach this lesson to me and my child, you are the finest experts, and it is appreciated continuously.

Finally, Happy Mother's Day to all the unconditional lovers in my life. You fill us up with sunshine, and help us keep a smile.

Science Fair Experiment: Pseudoscope

Pretty simple set designed to demonstrate an optical illusion used even by artists such as M.C. Escher. Interesting stuff from Make magazine.

Tech: Online Media Player

Take a look at this online media player. Looks like it is returning YouTube videos right now, which you can search for in the top pane. Very simple and intuitive design.

Music: A cappella Simpsons

The Simpsons theme song a cappella.

Development: Twitter With .Net

This article describes interacting with the Twitter API through .NET code. Could be an interesting interface moving forward.

Edible House Plants

Looks like an interesting article about sprouts and micro-greens, edible house plants. Our first step towards self sustainability.

Also good quote of the day for creative workers. A group I try desperately; however, not always successfully to be a part of.

If you want creative workers, give them enough time to play. John Cleese

Cartoon: For The Runners

Onwards from AKQA on Vimeo.

For the runners who persevere. This was linked on Lance Armstrong's Twitter feed (pretty cool).

Music: One Love - Playing for Change

This is a cover of one of our favorite songs to sing with Isaac.

It was released by the group Playing for Change. According to their website, they have an an admirable goal to, "...bring peace through the world through music."

Hiking: Camino de Santiago

This blog article describes a trail which can be hiked across Spain. This looks like a spectacular vacation (although a long one).

Take a look at the movie these hikers created discussing their journey. I especially enjoy the shell trail markers.

Of course, the Camino has many websites describing it, and here is a map of the trail. Appropriately, it ends at the ocean.



Finally, if you're trying to learn Spanish, or interested in Spanish culture this is a great blog to read.

Science Fair: Homopolar Motor

Isaac told me last night he has the opportunity to participate in a science fair this year. Here is my write up to guide him through a potential project.

The experiment teaches the principal of electro-magnetism in a simple motor allowing many options for creative design.

I. Design

a. The only parts needed are a battery, copper wire, and a circular magnet (I had ordered some magnets during the weekend if you want to use those).

b. See this video for the operation of the simple motor, and the variety of design options.

II. Explanation of Electro-magnetic principals

a. Basically explained by using force vector diagrams, where the interaction between the force in the electrical circuit and the magnetic force of the magnet create a tangent force perpendicular to the magnet giving the torque (spinning to the copper wire).

i. See the second half of this article for demonstration and illustration

ii. Here’s another explanation in Wikipedia

III. History

a. A similar experiment creating rotation from electro-magnetism was created by Michael Faraday in 1821

IV. Additional questions and experiments for Isaac

a. How can you make the wire spin faster?

b. What happens when adding a bigger battery, or stronger magnet, or alternative shaped wires?

c. How does this apply to other types of motors? DC, AC, etc.

Games: Lunar Lander

Do you guys remember this game on the old PCs? I certainly do, great stuff!

Birthday: Isaac's Birthday 2009

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Here are some pictures from Abuela's camera from Isaac's birthday. My personal favorites are of Isaac playing the banjo in our newly created band. We also got some more of Gammy; however, not surprisingly, look who she's holding again (Lucky kid). Also some majestic pictures of Leo at the end.

We want to also thank you all for a fantastic time. What a tremendous joy it is having a house full of loving, happy people.

Genealogy: Our Branch of the Hughen Family Tree

Last night after watching a show about the Highland games in Scotland, Denise started looking up some information about the Hughen family tree. Dad helped confirm some of the names which he knew.

So here is our tiny branch of the Hughen tree, for simplicity, I only included the males with the Hughen surname. Links when possible to online sources.

• Samuel Hughen or Hughens arrived in Charleston, SC in July 1772. He is thought to have sailed to the US from Larne, County Antrim, Ireland in a large Protestant movement to the United States.
  
• Robert Hughen - born 1784
• James Hughen - born 1800
  
• George Washington Hughen - born 1837 - the link shows George as a Private in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. He seemed to serve in the 33rd Arkansas Infantry. It also documents his son Wallace (Frank). He was also the first to move his family to Texas in the late 1890s.
• Wallace G. (Frank) Hughen - born 1870
• Victor Alvin Hughen - born 1900
• James Frank Hughen - born 1946
• Mark Timothy Hughen - born 1969 - Most of Mark's online presence is in the referee reports of the Texas Rugby Referees
  
• Isaac Alan Hughen - born 2001

Quote: Be Who You Say You Are

I usually send my salesperson extraordinaire wife sales tips from this blog. However, today they have a bit of advice for all of us. It primarily involves being honest, be who you say you are. The examples they give in the article are meant for a work environment, but probably applicable in many areas.

Here's my favorite.

Don't charge for hand leaf raking, but use a leaf blower when the client isn't home.

DIY: Magnet Tricks

Magnet Tricks from the Evil Mad Scientist. My favorite is the Homopolar motor, many examples of these on YouTube.

Video: PBS Streaming Video Site

Great site from PBS for streaming video. Looks like they even have past editions of shows such as Nova and Frontline, as well as others. Perhaps inspired by the Hulu interface, it could make for great watching.

Happy Earth Day

Happy Earth Day!

Take a look at this wikipedia entry describing some of the history of Earth day. It began in 1970, ironically spurred on by an article in the NY Times regarding a "global cooling" scare.

Movie: The Realm - Cisco Advertisement

This is an incredibly intelligent ad campaign from Cisco. They show short action cartoons which relate to various real world computer security threats. The cartoon characters are also linked to actual engineers.

Quote of the Day: Isaac's Birthday Celebration

This quote is extremely appropriate for our celebrations this weekend. How fantastic to have family and friends fill our home with love. Truly spectacular to see so many smiling faces.

Treasure the love you receive above all. It will survive long after your good health has vanished. Og Mandino

Pictures to come soon.

Pictures: Forwarded Pics of Isaac

Good looking pictures of Isaac. Again, thanks to Dad for forwarding from his mother.

Cartoon: Man's Best Friend

Leo often helps us out using the very same method. However, he doesn't stop licking so quickly.

Games: Tone Matrix

Interesting little music game.

By playing with the boxes, do you see how the application was developed with its pattern of rows and columns?

Boxes on the same row have the same tone, but the timing is different. Make a line of boxes on the same row.

Boxes on the same column have different tones, but the same timing. Make a line of boxes on the same column.

If you create a diagonal line, guess what it will do?

Happy Birthday Mom

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

With all this technology, we don't buy too many birthday cards these days. Its too easy to create your own.

As you can see, Mom/Gammy has been very elusive during picture time. However, we managed to get a few of her. Also, I can't help but notice a certain grandchild she seems to appear with the most.

Happy Birthday Mom! We love you!

Reverse Evolution: Chicken-osaurus

This Discovery article discusses Jack Horner's vision to reverse engineer a dinosaur by way of a chicken embryo. The article is taken from his book, How to Build a Dinosaur. The NY Times summary answers a few questions of practical application.

The growth of the tail is tied into the problem of the spinal chord, and spinal chord birth defects in human are a major medical problem. Learning more about what prompts and stops tail growth could give us important insights about serious human birth defects.

The final quote comes from the Discovery article as Mr. Horner describes his quest for learning.

I don't like providing answers. ... I like questions. I like asking them, trying to figure out answers, trying to figure out what we are really asking, and seeing what new questions come up.

Music: Anyone Else But You - Ukulele

This is one of our favorite songs from the movie Juno. It's covered here with a ukulele and an interesting collaboration that makes YouTube great.

Also a quote of the day, which may have been posted before, but can't hurt to repeat.

If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail. Abraham Maslow.

Links: Homeschool and Ukulele

Here's an interesting link to six great and geeky home school websites. Looking through the list, these would be interesting to anybody wanting to teach their kids extra science and math.

Also a ukulele link, must learn this version of Lionel Richie's "Stuck On You".

Happy Monday!

Games: Ball Dropping Physics Game

No score keeping, just fun music and physics.

Space: Hubble Telescope 'Crown of Thorns' Galaxy

Mom desperately wants to write a blog, and I'll help her out for now until she learns the technology.

NASA's Hubble telescope photographed a galaxy bordering between spiral and elliptical. The halo is formed from a collection of individual stars.

Religion: Jewish Celebration of Birkat Hachama

This evening the Jewish faith celebrates Birkat Hachama or the Blessing of the Sun. This celebration only occurs once every 28 years; when, by Jewish tradition, God initially created the Sun.

This year, the Birkat Hachama coincides with Passover, an extremely rare confulence, happening only 12 previous times in recorded Jewish history (over 5000 years).

ASL: Colors

This video has lots of sample signs in addition to the colors.

Science: Stephen Wolfram A New Kind Of Science

Stephen Wolfram's A New Kind Of Science is online including linked notes and search functions.

This feels like the future of online publishing. It is far to convenient to confine only to computer science applications and research. The ability to search the full text, index, as well as the author's notes is amazing.

Learn ASL: Fruits and Animals

We have a long way to go, but here are fruits. No better way to learn than to be totally immersed.

Here are animals.

Development: IPhone

There have been some discussions at my work regarding an IPhone application. Here is a link to a new course at Standford regarding IPhone development.

The only prohibitive factor is the price of a Mac, they are sure proud of those machines.

Star Wars and Music: Chewbacca on a Strat

Being fans of both Star Wars and electric guitars, we thought you might appreciate this short clip.

And, speaking of a galaxy far, far away, an other worldly quote of the day.

If we discover a desire within us that nothing in this world can satisfy, also we should begin to wonder if perhaps we were created for another world. C.S. Lewis