tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35150784184916676322024-03-12T19:07:36.571-07:00CaseyBroughton.caCasey Broughton (and maybe others) write things.Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-27364719129886122142016-05-08T16:39:00.000-07:002016-05-08T16:39:38.756-07:00Defacing US Currency
<p><em>Time to continue the not-really-a-series “Casey gets way too into researching something and decides to write a blog post about it” that started with <a href="http://blog.caseybroughton.ca/2014/12/how-long-would-it-take-to-watch-all-of.html">Days of Our Lives</a>. This year: US currency defacement.</em></p>
<p>After watching <a href="https://youtu.be/Et92qN2yQ0Y">this video</a> about making a money clip out of a dollar bill and resin, I began wondering about the legality of damaging United States money. After some cursory research, I wrote a long comment on the video beginning with:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>TL;DR: Yes, defacing bills is technically always illegal. But really don’t worry about it.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>I figured that I would expand upon this idea here.</p>
<h1 id="coins">Coins</h1>
<p>Under <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/331">18 U.S. Code § 331 - Mutilation, diminution, and falsification of coins</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Whoever fraudulently alters, defaces, mutilates, impairs, diminishes, falsifies, scales, or lightens any of the coins coined at the mints of the United States, or any foreign coins which are by law made current or are in actual use or circulation as money within the United States; [or attempts to use such a coin] … Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This would seem to make coin modification illegal. Does this mean all of those penny-stamping machines are breaking federal law every day? No. Note the adverb “fraudulently” in that statement. Altering coins is only illegal if it is done for a fraudulent purpose, such as restamping a penny into a dime or trying to shave bits of copper off pennies for scrap. Coin jewelry and the like is therefore entirely legal, as is addressed on the <a href="https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/faqs/Coins/Pages/edu_faq_coins_portraits.aspx">Treasury Department website</a> (emphasis added):</p>
<blockquote>
<p>[18 U.S.C. § 331] means that you may be violating the law if you change the appearance of the coin and fraudulently represent it to be other than the altered coin that it is. As a matter of policy, the U.S. Mint does not promote colo[<a href="http://grammarist.com/spelling/color-colour/">u</a>]ring, plating or altering U.S. coinage: however, <strong>there are no sanctions against such activity absent fraudulent intent</strong>.</p>
</blockquote>
<h1 id="bills">Bills</h1>
<p>Bills, however, are a different matter. To again quote the law, under <a href="https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/333">18 U.S. Code § 333 - Mutilation of national bank obligations</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This definitely does prevent bill mutilation under any circumstances. Note the lack of a “fraudulently” qualifier or any other requirements for maleficent intent. There is some wiggle room created by the requirement of having “intent to render such bank bill … unfit to be reissued”, which is why stamping, stapling, pinning, or even writing (in small amounts) on bills is legal. However, you are likely out of luck if you were intending to, say, wallpaper your house with Benjamins (though that idea was likely ill-advised anyway).</p>
<h1 id="theconstitutionsavestheday">The Constitution Saves the Day?</h1>
<p>After reading about this seemingly-arbitrary<a href="#fn:1" id="fnref:1" title="see footnote" class="footnote">[1]</a> difference between bills and coins, a libertarian-minded person might be thinking, “Why should the government get to prevent me destroying my own money? What about my constitutional rights?” Well, it turns out, the Constitution may indeed have something to say about this, and to understand why one must examine the similar issue of flag desecration.</p>
<p>In 1968, allegedly in response to Vietnam War protests, Congress passed the Flag Protection Act of 1968, which criminalized the desecration of the US flag. The law, which eventually became 18 U.S. Code § 700 originally read:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Whoever knowingly casts contempt upon any flag of the United States by publicly mutilating, defacing, defiling, burning, or trampling upon it shall be fined not more than $1,000 or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both. (<a href="http://www.esquilax.com/flag/protection.shtml">Source</a>)</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In 1989, the Supreme Court (in <em>Texas v. Johnson</em>) effectively stuck down this law<a href="#fn:2" id="fnref:2" title="see footnote" class="footnote">[2]</a>, claiming that flag burning as “expressive conduct” was “protected speech” under the First Amendment. In the wake of this decision, Congress attempted to amend the law to make it constitutional by prohibiting the mistreatment of the flag regardless of political message (basically just removing the “cast contempt” part). During the consideration of the amendment bill, “former U.S. Attorney General William Barr testified that any regulation protecting something purely for its symbolic value would be struck down as unconstitutional” (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_burning#United_States">Wikipedia</a>). The Senate Judiciary Committee presumably rejected this argument, as they wrote in their report that “Barr’s theory would render 18 U.S.C. § 333 [the prohibition on money desecration] unconstitutional as well” (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_burning#United_States">Wikipedia again</a>) and the bill was passed into law. In 1990, the amended Flag Protection Act was again struck down<a href="#fn:3" id="fnref:3" title="see footnote" class="footnote">[3]</a> by the Supreme Court in <em>United States v. Eichman</em>, in which it was again decided that flag burning was protected speech.</p>
<h1 id="conclusion">Conclusion</h1>
<p>So where does that leave burning or defacing bills? Likely in a legal grey area. Having never actually been declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, 18 U.S.C. § 333 is still most definitely a law that people can be prosecuted under. However, if the case made it to appeal, the precedent of <em>United States v. Eichman</em> would prove difficult for the prosecution to refute. Furthermore, there have been several very public money-burning demonstrations by public figures in the recent past (again, see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Money_burning#United_States">Wikipedia</a>), but as yet no prosecution, as far as I am aware. One can therefore plausibly conclude that: (a) the government is refraining from prosecuting money-desecrators due to the legal difficulty of doing so, (b) that they do not care enough about small-scale money burning to prosecute regardless, or (c) some combination of the two.</p>
<p>Which brings us back to where we started.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>TL;DR: Yes, defacing bills is technically always illegal. But really don’t worry about it.</p>
</blockquote>
<h1 id="appendix-canada">Appendix - Canada</h1>
<p>In my home country of Canada, oddly enough, the reverse is true. Under <a href="http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-46/page-92.html?txthl=456#s-456">the Criminal Code of Canada, section 456</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>456 Every one who</p>
<p>(a) defaces a current coin, or</p>
<p>(b) utters [uses] a current coin that has been defaced,</p>
<p>is guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction<a href="#fn:4" id="fnref:4" title="see footnote" class="footnote">[4]</a>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>However, neither I nor far better-qualified individuals can find a statute banning the destruction or defacement of bills. This notably came to public attention when a Calgary radio station burned $5000 at the behest of an online poll. According to a <a href="http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/calgarys-amp-radio-going-ahead-with-bank-it-or-burn-it-contest-after-it-came-under-fire-for-incinerating-5000-cash">National Post article chronicling the event</a>, “Calgary police confirmed that the law only forbids the destruction of coins, not banknotes.” <a href="http://www.nationalpost.com/m/wp/blog.html?b=news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/bank-of-canada-defends-durable-plastic-bills-despite-melting">Good luck trying to burn the new money, though.</a></p>
<div class="footnotes">
<hr />
<ol>
<li id="fn:1">
<p>This difference is likely not very arbitrary at all. The purpose of laws protecting coinage was and is largely to prevent “sweating” and similar scams (i.e., shaving small amounts of metal off coins for the scrap value and then proceeding to spend the coins to recoup their monetary value). Contrarily, the purpose of bill protection seems to be largely symbolic. While destroying large quantities of currency would theoretically cause deflation, and force the Bureau of Engraving and Printing to pay to replace the bills, the effect of a few destroyed bills on the macroeconomy would be laughable at best, and it literally costs the BEP pennies on the dollar to replace currency (which they wouldn’t bother doing anyways for such small quantities; monetary policy is not dictated to the cent). <a href="#fnref:1" title="return to article" class="reversefootnote"> ↩</a></p>
</li>
<li id="fn:2">
<p>They actually struck down a similar Texas state law, but the precedent could easily hold for federal law as well. <a href="#fnref:2" title="return to article" class="reversefootnote"> ↩</a></p>
</li>
<li id="fn:3">
<p>As mentioned in the previous footnote, technically struck down the first time. <a href="#fnref:3" title="return to article" class="reversefootnote"> ↩</a></p>
</li>
<li id="fn:4">
<p>Basically Canada’s equivalent of a misdemeanour, punishable by a maximum of 6 months in prison and/or a $5000 fine. <a href="#fnref:4" title="return to article" class="reversefootnote"> ↩</a></p>
</li>
</ol>
</div>
Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-6914309471309256172015-09-01T19:33:00.001-07:002015-09-01T19:33:42.918-07:00Lessons from a Liberal-NDP Accord<span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"><span style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.thepearsoncentre.ca/progressive-memos/lessons-from-a-liberal-ndp-accord/" target="_blank">Election 2015: Lessons from a Liberal-NDP Accord</a></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">The party with the most seats does not have to form the government!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">As it looks unlikely that any party will have a majority in Parliament after the upcoming election, it is very important to get past single-party partisan politics and think about how a government would be formed. This article has some relevant history and interesting ideas! Neither the Liberal nor the NDP need to support a minority Conservative government, but they could cooperate to form a government, even if it is not a coalition.</span>Dr. Wayne Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11561109855215967310noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-33668776135005686312014-12-26T12:40:00.003-08:002014-12-26T12:46:11.783-08:00How Long Would It Take to Watch ALL of Days of Our Lives?This is a question that came up this week as I am visiting relatives for Christmas, two of whom are regular watchers of NBC's <i>Days of our Lives</i> daily soap. As of this post, 12 493 episodes have been aired.<br />
<br />
I began by calculating the running time of all these episodes, making a few assumptions. From 1965 until 1975, the show was 30 minutes long, but from 1975 since, all episodes have been 1 hour (60 minutes) long. Therefore, I assumed in my calculations that roughly one fifth of all DOOL episodes are 30 minutes long, and that the rest are 1 hour long. By this logic, watching all episodes to date would take (0.2*12493*0.5)+(0.8*12493) hours, or approximately 11 244.<br />
<br />
If one watched all DOOL episodes to date continuously, it would take them 468.5 days, just over 1.25 years! If we are more reasonable* and assume that it is your full-time job to watch DOOL, then at 40 hours a week it would take you 281.1 weeks or approximately 5.4 years with no break time to watch DOOL to what is now the current episode.<br />
<br />
However, if you wanted to watch EVERY episode, and be up to date with the episode current to the time you finished watching, it would take you far longer, as you would be in a game of catchup. Luckily* for you, you can watch 40 hours/week while only 7 hours/week of new content is released.<br />
<br />
One can solve for the total time taken to catch up to the present episode, in weeks, with the formula y = <img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKjkwTAW3xe-wy6D_6R93gy5dxnYUXM9d4Z3dPrYOCwVV9O7RZcXfYoQpSMR4VlkJ_V0W7LZAm7_imwd12bVVNk38n7qCANdX-DwC0C7RQifMRWzsJhcNP1FjdXM1RHnDjBxp8DQMix9U/h120/Untitled.jpg" class="mm-O-x" alt="" style="width: 91.333px; height: 40px; top: 0px; left: 0px; -webkit-transform: rotate(0deg);">, since you are watching 40 hours/week and 7 hours/week of new content is added. This solves to y = 11244/33, or approximately 340.72 weeks. This works out to just over <b>SIX AND A HALF YEARS!</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
Given all of this, I would be VERY interested if anyone can find evidence that someone has watched every single episode of DOOL, as I would imagine that many people who have watched in "real time" from the beginning will have likely quit or died by this point. Leave a comment or email me if this person exists.<br />
<br />
--<br />
* This is a relative term.Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-36042967762251719952014-11-08T23:14:00.002-08:002014-11-08T23:14:42.022-08:00From the Archives: Cannabis SpeechFor this post, I decided to pull an assignment out of the archives for posting because I believe it to be an excellent example of both an effective speech outline and a sound argument in favour of something. While I myself obviously have no personal interest in the legalization of marijuana, I found the topic's notoriety to be interesting academically, since I could see no realistic reason why it should not be as legal as alcohol or cigarettes. In researching for this speech, I also found out about many of its less obvious benefits, such as reducing the risk of breast cancer. All information is accurate as of the time the post was written, which was in my Grade 9 year (2012-2013). I dug it up recently as a result of an assignment in my Law 12 course.<br />
<br />
One might also note that while this is the form of the speech as I gave it, the original was nearly twice as long and had even more arguments and talking points.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: 8px;">
<span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"><b>Legalization of Recreational Cannabis</b></span></div>
<ol style="list-style-type: upper-roman;">
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Introduction</span></li>
<ol style="list-style-type: upper-alpha;">
<ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“Prohibition is best known as the disastrous 13-year attempt by the US to prevent people from consuming alcohol. Their intentions were noble: stopping alcoholism, preventing drunken violence, etc., but their effect was not: illegal imports and gangsters controlling supply. This is similar to what is currently happening with cannabis. Also known as marijuana, pot, weed, or hashish, marijuana is the most common illicit recreational drug. Today, I am here to tell you about why it should be legalized.”</span></li>
</ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">History of Cannabis</span></li>
<ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Plant biology and history (Spread, etc.)</span></li>
<ol style="list-style-type: lower-alpha;">
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Cannabis refers actually to a genus of 3 plants: Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Originate in Central and South Asia</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Been cultivated since at least 3000 B.C.E. for hempseed oil, hemp, birdfeed, religious/spiritual use (trance), and medicinal/drug uses</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Sativa: Generally what “high inducing” marijuana (actually a preparation of flowers) and hashish (resins and extracts) are prepared from</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Indica: Causes drowsiness (more “stoned” than inebriated, “body buzz”), less likely to cause psychotic break and/or anxiety due to higher Cannabidiol: Tetrahydrocannabinol ratio</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Ruderalis: Less commonly used for drugs, often used for industrial products (ie hemp) or crossbred with other breeds due to hardiness and autoflowering</span></li>
</ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Legal History</span></li>
<ol style="list-style-type: lower-alpha;">
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Cultivated for years by people in modern-day China, Romania, India, Nepal</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Shakespeare might have used it, as there were chemical traces of it on pipes dug up from his house garden</span></li>
<ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">"noted weed" mentioned in Sonnet 76</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">"journey in my head" from Sonnet 27</span></li>
</ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Cannabis Indica known to have been used by Rio Grande-area people in present-day TX</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">First criminalized in “… most Eastern countries” by 1894</span></li>
</ol>
</ol>
</ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Argument I: Scientific Evidence of Benefits (Medical)</span></li>
<ol style="list-style-type: upper-alpha;">
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Already-Legal Medical Use</span></li>
<ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Painkiller</span></li>
<ol style="list-style-type: lower-alpha;">
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">The THC contained within has been proven to ease pain in both pills and regular Cannabis forms</span></li>
</ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Confirmed Medical Uses</span></li>
<ol style="list-style-type: lower-alpha;">
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Amelioration of nausea</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Hunger stimulation in those with AIDS or undergoing chemotherapy</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Decreased intraocular fluid pressure in the eye (treating <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glaucoma">glaucoma</a>)</span></li>
</ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Some other individual studies show it is good for</span></li>
<ol style="list-style-type: lower-alpha;">
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Multiple sclerosis</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Decreases risk of Alzheimer's disease</span></li>
<ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">stops formation of "Alzheimer plaques" in the brain”</span></li>
</ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Breast Cancer</span></li>
<ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“may stop breast cancer from spreading throughout the body by downregulating a gene called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ID1">ID1</a>”</span></li>
</ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Brain cancer</span></li>
<ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Promotes the death of brain cancer cells by forcing them to feed upon themselves</span></li>
</ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">May help those with Opioid dependence stay off opioids</span></li>
</ol>
</ol>
</ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">End Illegal Trading & Tax It</span></li>
<ol style="list-style-type: upper-alpha;">
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Less diversion of law enforcement from key areas</span></li>
<ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px; text-decoration: underline;"><b>Cheaper</b></span></li>
</ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Tax legal users</span></li>
<ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Similar to Alcohol, Tobacco (see below)</span></li>
</ol>
</ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Counter-Argument: Danger (esp. to underage)</span></li>
<ol style="list-style-type: upper-alpha;">
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Smoke Danger</span></li>
<ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Counter: Cigarettes & 2nd hand smoke</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“The harm caused by smoking can be minimized or eliminated by the use of a vaporizer or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingesting">ingesting</a> the drug in an <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cannabis_foods">edible form</a>”</span></li>
</ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Use Under 18</span></li>
<ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Madeline H. Meier <i>et al</i> in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA: “persistent, dependent use of marijuana before age 18 was associated with lasting harm to a person's intelligence, attention and memory, and were suggestive of neurological harm from cannabis. Quitting cannabis did not appear to reverse the loss. However, individuals who started cannabis use after the age of 18 did not show similar declines.”</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Counter: alcohol, cigarettes legal to people over 18 (or 19-21, law varies) and illegal to people below that age</span></li>
</ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">“Gateway Drug”</span></li>
<ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Validity debated by science, but often seen as incorrect</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Cigarettes more likely to predict usage of alcohol, tobacco, and illegal drugs than Cannabis</span></li>
</ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Deaths attributable to Marijuana</span></li>
<ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Abuse-related deaths are almost always poly-drug (not just Cannabis)</span></li>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Also due to activities done under the influence (driving)</span></li>
<ol style="list-style-type: lower-alpha;">
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Counter: alcohol</span></li>
</ol>
</ol>
</ol>
<li style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; margin: 0px;"><span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;">Conclusion</span></li>
</ol>
Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-84312754499764892012013-12-25T20:48:00.002-08:002013-12-27T22:33:12.421-08:00Kelowna ATIS "Merry Christmas"Earlier this evening, I was listening to the Kelowna ATIS phone line (yes, I have odd hobbies; its at <a href="tel:250-491-0310" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="telephone" x-apple-data-detectors-result="0">250-491-0310</a> if you're interested) when I was surprised to hear it say "Merry Christmas". Naturally, I recorded this event, and have embedded it below, along with a transcript.<br>
<br>
<a name="more"></a><br>
<br>
<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/126534277&color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%"></iframe><br>
<br>
<b>From the description</b>:<br>
<br>
This was taken around 20:00 local time from the CYLW (Kelowna International)ATIS phone line (<a href="tel:250-491-0310" x-apple-data-detectors="true" x-apple-data-detectors-type="telephone" x-apple-data-detectors-result="1">250-491-0310</a>) on Christmas Day, 2013. I am an avid ATIS listener, as my school is near the airport and I need the weather readings, and was surprised to hear the ATIS say "Merry Christmas". I therefore recorded it on my iPhone via a cable to my computer for posterity.<br>
<br>
<b>TRANSCRIPT</b>:<br>
<br>
Kelowna Airport, Information Quebec<br>
Weather at Zero Three Two One Zulu<br>
Automated Observation<br>
Wind One Four Zero at Six<br>
Visibility Niner<br>
Niner Hundred broken<br>
One Thousand Four Hundred overcast<br>
Temperature Zero<br>
Dew point Minus One<br>
Altimeter Three Zero Three Eight<br>
IFR approach ILS DME runway One Six<br>
Active, runway One Six<br>
Runway surface condition at Zero Three Zero One Zulu<br>
One Hundred Percent bare and wet<br>
Chemical Applied<br>
Merry Christmas<br>
Inform ATC that you have information QuebecCasey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-72434585245695389932013-11-03T21:06:00.003-08:002013-11-03T21:06:49.830-08:00Unitarian Fellowship of Kelowna: November 3rd Service (BETA)<div>
<iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/118475045" width="100%"></iframe></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The mp3 file embedded above is a copy of an edited version of the "sermon" given at the November 3rd, 2013 Sunday service at the Unitarian Fellowship of Kelowna. I consider this recording to be in "Beta" (i.e. there are some kinks that need to be worked out), but so far as I can tell the recording (which is taken directly from the mixer's output) sounds fine. Enjoy!</span>Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-80351782845288158012013-10-27T22:27:00.002-07:002013-10-27T22:34:39.521-07:00Dreams of Mars (Draft 1)Similar to my last post, I have again been assigned to write a 600 to 1000 word story upon a particular theme. In this case, I was to analyze the poem "<a href="http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1996/szymborska-poems-1-e.html" target="_blank">Utopia</a>" by Wislawa Szymborska, which won a Nobel Prize in Literature in 1996. I was then to explore this theme through a 600 to 1000 word narrative. I have decided to post this narrative now, in its current form, because the most likely edits I will be making will be exclusively to meet school requirements, such as including certain types and numbers of different parts of speech. The full story is below.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<div style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
It is a bright morning in Pasadena, California as the man walks from his car in the parking lot, pausing only to listen for the <em>chirp chirp</em> characteristic of his key-fob lock. As he walks away, he replaces his keys in his pocket and removes a different small object: his ID pass. <strong>Fred Earle</strong>, it says, <strong>Systems Engineer, Jet Propulsion Laboratory</strong>. He holds it up to the door scanner, which buzzes as it unlocks the door. Stepping into the whoosh of cold air, Fred reflects on the life decisions he made that brought him to where he is.</div>
<div style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
As a child, Fred Earle had always wanted to be an astronaut. While not old enough to have been around for the Apollo flights and surrounding buzz, he was excited by both the manned shuttle missions and the first, albeit primitive, unmanned space probes. During his school years, he worked hard in the fields of mathematics, physics, biology, and chemistry all in the hopes of becoming one of the few selected to go into space with NASA. He even pursued a major in aerospace engineering in university, also minoring in physics.</div>
<div style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
He applied for every NASA astronaut class every single year, but was always rejected due to his height. Being six foot three meant that he was always on the cusp of NASA’s requirements, and that small factor usually was just enough to bounce him to the rejected bin. After years of trying, however, Fred managed to land a job at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Pasadena, California organization that runs, tests, and designs many of NASA’s unmanned missions.</div>
<div style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
While this position got him closer to his dream, he always felt a longing for something more Not necessarily to travel in space himself, but for more involvement in an active mission as opposed to his current job of designing mostly-cancelled prototypes.</div>
<div style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
Luckily for Fred, one of the less-costly projects he was a planner for, initially cancelled, received enough outside investment and media attention to earn it a spot on NASA’s tight budget. He finally was able to move with a project out of the planning stage, and into actual logistics and budgeting. In his (admittedly) small role as supplemental flight engineer, he was able to assist in the tweaks, problem-solving, and prototyping of the design for a new lander: one that would be able to autonomously return a sample from Mars back to Earth.</div>
<div style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
Despite meeting seemingly insurmountable obstacles, the project continued to move forward. Eventually, it all began to lead up to the final day, the day we join Fred, the day the spacecraft would be re-launching from Mars. Jogging quickly to the control room, Fred puts on his headset and begins to mentally prepare himself for the metaphorical marathon of the launch process. The spacecraft had technically already launched (or, possibly, not launched) on its return, but the signal delay meant that they would not know what had happened until the data reached them.</div>
<div style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
As the launch nears, Fred and the others can sense the tension rising. The spacecraft’s signals confirm it has verified itself, and begun the power up process on the engines. Heater on, igniter primed, fuel pump active… After agonizing minutes of testing, the countdown begins: 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … The controllers hold their breath. 1 … Liftoff confirmed. While the media go into a frenzy, Fred and his colleges know that the launch itself is not the problem: it is the clearing of the atmosphere that is the true test. The ship appears to be rising through the lower atmosphere when, abruptly, the feed cuts out. The media gasp as the controllers, including Fred, attempt to regain communications. Seconds go by agonizingly slowly as fix after fix is thought of and tested. Finally, after a seemingly-infinite gap, the feed comes back to life. The controllers then jump out of their seats and celebrate wildly, for they see that the probe, despite the malfunction, has made it out of the gravity well and is headed back to Earth.</div>
<div style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
Fred, having waited so long for this moment, cheers even more wildly than the rest. Despite the fact that he will never become an astronaut, Fred realizes what his dream has brought him: the motivation to persevere through the difficulties and work through the challenges of becoming a NASA engineer, and be able to celebrate that a probe he was a team member on was a success.</div>
Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-4802670271009300012013-09-22T21:28:00.001-07:002013-09-23T08:17:57.161-07:00A Night at the Roadhouse<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
I began thinking about a narrative set at a motel along the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyre_Highway" target="_blank">Eyre Highway</a> due to personal interest in these very isolated roadhouse towns. I soon afterwards realized that this would meet the criteria of an upcoming school English assignment quite well. Below is the full story, fleshed out for the assignment.<br />
<br />
NOTE: The assignment <b><u>required</u></b> me to start this with "it was a dark and stormy night". I didn't choose to do so on purpose.</div>
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It was a dark and stormy night as the man, wearied by hours of travel, walked across the parking lot and into the harshly lit roadhouse. Not that the lights were particularly uncomfortable, but any lights at all seem harsh when compared to the blackness of the Nullarbor Plain at night. As he stoops under the low doorframe, he begins removing his jacket. Once inside, he is careful to place it so that it will not be stiff after it dries, clearly having practice in doing so.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">He scans the amenities of the roadhouse. Not very impressive, just a small café (closed at this hour, of course) and a small motel desk. Behind the desk is a man wearing a ridiculously cheery name tag saying “Hi, my name is Arthur!”, fast asleep in his chair.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Uh, ‘Arthur’,” the traveller begins, “I was hoping to rent a room.” Arthur does not even stir, clearly sleeping soundly. Annoyed, the traveller rings the service bell, loudly. Arthur immediately snaps up.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Good evening sir how can I help you sir?” he says quickly, as if by reflex.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“As I believe I just said, I would like to rent a room for the night.” the traveller replies.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“One room will be 125 dollars per night, plus tax.”</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“125 dollars! For a motel room in the middle of nowhere!”</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Sir, the fact that we are in the middle of nowhere is why the cost is so high.”</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Fine, I’ll take the one room. Name’s Martin Mitchenson. Just flew in from Birmingham and have a couple days before I leave, so I’m taking the chance to explore the Outback.”</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Here’s your room key,” Arthur says, “and your room number is 12. Enjoy your stay.”</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Having secured his room, Martin walks out onto a covered outdoor walkway in front of the roadhouse and down to room 12. He enters his room and falls onto the bed for a hopefully restful night.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Meanwhile, elsewhere in the roadhouse, a mysterious figure is listening for any indication that anyone is awake or about. Finding nothing, they slip out of their door, making sure that it doesn’t squeak. Sneaking quietly into the roadhouse lobby, the figure avoids waking the doorman and instead heads straight for the wall panel access to the roadhouse’s circuit breakers, which convey the power for the entire building. Surreptitiously, they remove the panel and locate the master switch, clasping it loosely between thumb and forefinger to avoid any sound as it is slowly moved to the off position.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As soon as it is released, there is a sudden silence as the various appliances in the cafe whir down, the type of silence that happens when a noise you never notice stops abruptly. The lights of the roadhouse go pitch black, glinting briefly on the figure’s gold Claddagh ring just before utter darkness. The figure, satisfied with their handiwork, slowly moves to the doorman’s desk, carefully taking a single room key.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Everyone in the building awakens in the same instant, including the doorman (sound asleep though he is). A loud crack has startled even the deepest sleeper in the motel, a crack with only one explanation: gunfire. As all the other guests are fumbling through getting up and dressed, a single figure slips away just long enough to reactivate the main breaker before blending into the emerging crowd of tired road-train drivers, hitchhikers, backpackers, and miscellaneous bleary-eyed travellers of the Eyre Highway.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Stepping through this crowd, followed closely by the doorman, is the closest thing to a police officer: a local bylaw enforcer, who just so happens to double as the roadhouse’s security guard. Not exactly riot control, but the pepper spray and handgun on his belt is enough to make him a suitable enforcer of the law.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Within minutes, a survey by the doorman and the security guard reveals that two guests are missing: Martin Mitchenson and Mrs. Celine Walker, found dead in Room 13 with a single gunshot wound to the head. The security guard then wakes Martin, who claims he has slept through the entire ordeal. The security guard is suspicious, and calls for backup from the National Police. Due to its isolation, however, the roadhouse is several hours from police assistance, meaning the security guard will have no help in the initial investigation of the murder.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Mister Mitchenson, my name is Officer Robert Loblaw, but my friends call me Bob. I have a couple questions.”</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“I’m not sure how much help I can be, Bob,” Martin replies, “as I was sleeping until the gunshot went off.”</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Is there anyone who can verify that you did not leave this room last night?”</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“I’m afraid not. I have been travelling alone.”</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Unfortunately, sir, this makes you our number one suspect in this case. I am going to be forced to confine you to your room.”</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For several hours, Martin paces nervously in his room as Officer Loblaw continues asking questions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Dammit Martin, this is a woman’s life we’re talking about here! And you’re the only one without an alibi! Confess!”</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“I won’t make any confession because I am telling the truth! I didn’t leave this room last night!”</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Suddenly, an officer of the National Police bursts in.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“Mister Mitchenson, we owe you an apology,” begins the officer. “Our investigation has concluded that Mrs. Walker’s gunshot wound was self-inflicted. The only thing out of place appeared to be her jewelry box, which we surmise she was holding as she died. You are free to go.”</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Several days later, as he sips his hot coffee on his flight back to Birmingham, Martin reflects on the events at the roadhouse.As he brings the cup to his lips for the third time, he briefly flashes back to Officer Loblaw handing him a similar cup of coffee, during the period he was interrogated in and confined to his room.</span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 23px; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">“How odd,” he thought, “that a Australian security guard would wear an Irish Claddagh ring. I wonder where he picked that up.”</span></div>
Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-78685247092395265912013-08-28T23:02:00.000-07:002013-08-28T23:02:31.366-07:00Tribute to Toby (YouTube Repost)<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ivHUSnRQwHM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
<br />
BONUS: Spanish Version!<br />
<br />
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/LdPFgfEj3tY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-27782780218282751442013-08-14T13:02:00.001-07:002013-09-05T22:15:13.060-07:00New Blog URLWhile I don't update this blog often, I thought it might be a good idea to mention the fact that I have changed the URL. While <a href="http://www.aspiethoughts.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">aspiethoughts.blogspot.ca</a> will still redirect, the new correct URL is <a href="http://blog.robertcasey.me/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Blog.RobertCasey.me</a>.Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-48648347947670878882012-05-25T12:46:00.003-07:002012-05-25T15:35:14.716-07:00Friendship Algorithm in Java<b>UPDATE: </b>Source code fixed and updated below.<br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<strike><b>UPDATE:</b> Currently trying to nail down a problem with the loopcounter at the end of the code. I will update the source here as soon as it is fixed.</strike><br />
<br />
For Geek Pride Day (May 25)/ 42 Day (25+05+12), a super double geek-out! I took the Friendship Algorithm from the second season of The Big Bang Theory and spent about an hour converting it into Java code in Eclipse. The result is an extremely convoluted but functional bag of Java loops that accepts input of answers to the original flow chart's questions and goes down the proper path for the answers. Full source code below.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Full Source:<br />
<br />
<br />
package Algorithm;<br />
import java.util.Scanner;<br />
public class FriendshipAlgorithm {<br />
public static void main (String [] args) {<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>int loopcounter = 0;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("Place phone call");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("Home? (1=Y/2=N)");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>int home = 0;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Scanner in = new Scanner(System.in);<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>home = in.nextInt();<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>while (home == 2) {<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("Leave message");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("Wait for callback");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>home = 0;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>}<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>while (home == 1) {<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("Say: 'Would you like to share a meal?'");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("What is the response? (1=Y/2=N)");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>int meal = 0;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Scanner intwo = new Scanner(System.in);<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>meal = in.nextInt();<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>while (meal == 1) {<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("Dine together");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("BEGIN FRIENDSHIP");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>meal = 0;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>home = 0;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>}<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>while (meal == 2) {<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("Say: 'Do you enjoy a hot beverage?'");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("What is the response? (1=y/2=N)");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>int hot = 0;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Scanner inthree = new Scanner(System.in);<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>hot = in.nextInt();<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>while (hot == 1) {<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("Case: Tea/Coffee/Cocoa");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("Have Coffee/Tea/Cocoa");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("BEGIN FRIENDSHIP");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>home = 0;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>meal = 0;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>hot = 0;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>}<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>while (hot == 2) {<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>while (loopcounter < 6) {<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("Say: 'Recreational activity? Tell me one of your interests.'");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("Do you share this interest? (1=Y/2=N)");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>int shared = 0;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Scanner infour = new Scanner(System.in);<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>shared = in.nextInt();<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>loopcounter = loopcounter+1;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>while (shared == 1) {<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("Say: 'Why don't we do that together?'");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("Partake in interest");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("BEGIN FRIENDSHIP");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>home = 0;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>meal = 0;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>hot = 0;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>loopcounter = 7;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>shared = 0;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>}<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>}<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>while (loopcounter > 5) {<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("Choose least objectional interest");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("Partake in interest");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>System.out.println("BEGIN FRIENDSHIP");<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>home = 0;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>meal = 0;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>hot = 0;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>loopcounter = 0;<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>}<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>}<br />
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>}<br />
}<br />
}<br />
}<br />Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-5342835765604907102012-03-09T21:21:00.005-08:002012-03-09T21:25:06.859-08:00My Entirely Improvised Story that I Told to Victoria (Or, On The Origin of Pugs)Tonight I was putting Victoria to bed, and as usual had to improvise a final short story after the main one(s) to finally get her to bed. Tonight I improvised based on what was around and told the following story (which I have slightly improved for this post):<br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i>Once upon a time there lived a beautiful princess named Victoria. Now Victoria was lonely in her castle because she didn't have a prince yet, so she decided to get a dog. When she caught 2 dogs, she found them to be too rowdy and not cuddly enough, so she changed them into the fun kind of dog she was thinking of using a bit of her magic. She made them have short, push-in snotty faces, short legs and body, a fat tummy, and a curly tail. She named the new kind of dog the "pug", because it rhymed with "hug", which is what she wanted to do to them. WHen she finally did meet her prince, Harry The 3rd And A Half, he loved the dogs as well, and spread them throughout the land. Thus from then on everyone loved pugs. THE END.</i></span>Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-15358396647155878072011-10-31T22:18:00.000-07:002011-10-31T22:18:35.034-07:00Halloween (Twitter Long Post)I went trick-or-treating with my little sister (of @stufftorisays fame), and only one person recognized my #Portal suit. Someone even called me a janitor! Luckily, the person who recognized my Portal suit has a minecraft pumpkin. #nerdhalloween #ifyoudontunderstandignorethis #WhyAmIUsingHashtagsOnMyBlog?Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-31903992800796673762011-09-22T15:57:00.000-07:002011-09-22T15:57:46.364-07:00Meditation<br />
I have a different kind of meditation. Some people find a calm place, and sit down and try to relax. I meditate with music, outside at recess at Aberdeen Hall. I relax using music that inspires me and makes me think, punctuated by music that I really like and makes me happy. That is my meditation, my relaxation. Sometimes I watch from above and see people sitting, running, and playing below. Other times I go down and walk around with slow, measured steps. I see that world punctuated with a soundtrack of my choosing, like a silent film. It wouldn't be "meditation" any other way. I have started a playlist of the songs that provoke this mood in me, called "Recess". Here are some of the songs that I listen to, along with explanations about why they make me feel that way (in no particular order):<br />
<br />
<b>Raise Your Glass by P!nk:</b> Fast-paced for the most part and energetic, one line resonates with me:<br />
"So if you're too school for cool,<br />
And you're treated like a fool,<br />
You can choose to let it go<br />
We can always, we can always,<br />
Party on our own"<br />
<br />
<b>Ain't Nothing Wrong With That:</b> This song was used back in 2008 (and again this year) to advertise Discovery Channel's Shark Week. When I first heard it in the ad, I was in Washington, DC, visiting my biological father. Hearing it again makes me remember those times.<br />
<br />
<b>Sway by the Cast of Glee:</b> I like the music and the style of singing in this song. It feels like a Tango.<br />
<br />
<b>F**kin' Perfect by P!nk:</b> I can relate to this song, and the story within. I have bad times, but that doesn't mean I'm not perfect.<br />
<br />
<b>Dream On by the Cast of Glee:</b> I used to wake up to this song. It is slow but fast at the same time. I like the mixture of the drums, guitars, and bass in the music. The lyrics are also energizing.<br />
<br />
<b>Hotel California by the Eagles:</b> I like the story in this song, as well as the music.<br />
<br />
<b>Bad Day by Daniel Powter:</b> I have had my share of bad days, but I like how this song stays positive even though the unknown person is having a Bad Day.<br />
<br />
<b>Nowhere Man by The Beatles:</b> The abstractness of this song lets me guess at what they are actually talking about.<br />
<br />
<b>Man in the Mirror by Michael Jackson:</b> I like how he realizes that you need to start changing the world by changing yourself. Start small.<br />
<br />
<b>American Pie by Don McLean:</b> I first heard this song because someone posted a video to Twitter of the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPjjZCO67WI">Grand Rapids Libdub</a>. I liked the song, because of the contrast of the upbeat music and singing, despite the sad "Day the Music Died" idea.<br />
<br />
<b>Blackbird by The Beatles:</b> A calming song often referring to nature, and the Blackbird's flight in everyone.<br />
<br />
<b>Don't Let Go by The Envy</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Taking Chances by the Cast of Glee</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Keep Holding On by the Cast of Glee:</b> I love the message; don't give in, keep holding on.<br />
<br />
<b>I'll Stand by You by the Cast of Glee</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Imagine by the Cast of Glee:</b> I like the ideals represented in the song, many of them are very Unitarian values.<br />
<br />
<b>Hello by the Cast of Glee:</b> I like the slow, measured piano and the thoughtful lyrics.<br />
<br />
<b>Poker Face (Glee Version) by the Cast of Glee:</b> The slow tempo and lyrics contrast with the original very nicely.<br />
<br />
<b>Loser Like Me by the Cast of Glee:</b> I'm not very social, and not very cool, but like the song says, "I know one day you'll be screaming my name/and I'll just look away, that's right." Love the line "Push me up against the locker, and all I do is shake it off, I'll get you back when I'm your boss."<br />
<br />
<b>Go Your Own Way by the Cast of Glee</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Your Song by Elton John</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Blackbird by Sarah McLachlan:</b> Cover of "Blackbird" by The Beatles, above.<br />
<br />
<b>Boston and St. John's by Great Big Sea:</b> I'm a big fan of Great Big Sea's music, usually for it's energy and the stories in the songs. So I love the sad story in this song.<br />
<br />
<b>Sea of No Cares by Great Big Sea</b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
<b>Viva la Vida by Coldplay:</b> Interesting story about a former ruler who was tossed out for some (unmentioned) bad deed. The violins really set the mood for this song. Also heard it performed instrumentally by the school band class.<br />
<br />
This playlist is still a work in progress, I may have more songs to add.<br />
Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-6914840536850500302011-05-20T12:18:00.000-07:002011-05-20T12:18:42.630-07:00TwitterI now have a Twitter account for things too small for a blog! My Twitter name is @AspieTweeter, twitter.com/AspieTweeter<br />
<br />
Thanks to @StoryRoute for the mention of the blog and the <a href="http://aspiethoughts.blogspot.com/2011/03/how-to-act-like-writer-in-cafe-when_13.html">How to Act Like a Writer in a Café When You’re Not</a> story!Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-31153118146984924002011-03-31T14:44:00.000-07:002011-03-31T14:45:46.408-07:00Replace MobileMe by Syncing with Google and DropboxMobileMe is cool. It gives you an @me.com email address, 20GB of storage for your emails and iDisk files, syncs contacts and calendars across devices, finds your iDevices, a web gallery for your photos, even a website (for iWeb, naturally). For $99 a year (even more in Canada!). The cool thing is, if you are willing to sacrifice elegance for price, Google and Dropbox can do this for free.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBIXy0nZ-zoEEP3KOCbOu7sdbkhjkg8xRy0JG-f6ItgBu3KIYwfpfbaIisbLhyphenhyphenD1F0PQ1Cf0b8DIBrCqVzUxmsf92KNEmqCrvQnwZcGvSMC0is6a1bR8J-uD5-Jb0pTMrhwo8fxiWUHXA/s1600/The+Battle+of+the+-Me%2527s.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBIXy0nZ-zoEEP3KOCbOu7sdbkhjkg8xRy0JG-f6ItgBu3KIYwfpfbaIisbLhyphenhyphenD1F0PQ1Cf0b8DIBrCqVzUxmsf92KNEmqCrvQnwZcGvSMC0is6a1bR8J-uD5-Jb0pTMrhwo8fxiWUHXA/s320/The+Battle+of+the+-Me%2527s.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Google's "GoogleMe" replacement tools (icons from Google and Apple, GoogleMe logo mashup by me).</b></div><b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Step 1: iDisk replacement (non-Google)</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
iDisk is awesome. It gives you 20GB of space to store your files, and a free iPhone App, OS X integration, and me.com to access them. Dropbox can give you 2GB of storage for free, as well as some paid plans for more space. They also support iOS, Linux, Windows, and Macs using the Dropbox app.<br />
<br />
To sign up, go to <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/">the Dropbox website</a> and click download.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydezPz1OkRqs_bUl6P51X-o43xWDgQqNveU7082-6WsAKg0yQoCPX9SqtJlSblMd8SrfV8px-MuySLw8QRZ31yl86VJugJ8hBEa7Okh9An8cwuzhwJ5PiDwITiZJAVYSe27cmjzwY_ls/s1600/Dropbox.com.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgydezPz1OkRqs_bUl6P51X-o43xWDgQqNveU7082-6WsAKg0yQoCPX9SqtJlSblMd8SrfV8px-MuySLw8QRZ31yl86VJugJ8hBEa7Okh9An8cwuzhwJ5PiDwITiZJAVYSe27cmjzwY_ls/s400/Dropbox.com.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
Follow the instructions to install Dropbox and create you're account, and soon you'll be up and running. To sync a file, simply drag it to your Dropbox folder (in My Documents on a PC or your home folder on a Mac by default). Once a green check appears next to it, it has synced. By the way, any files in the Dropbox folder are only copied to the cloud, they can be accessed later, even if you are offline.<br />
<br />
Now to get it on your iPhone/iPod/iPad. First download the app from the app store (<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/dropbox/id327630330?mt=8">iTunes Link</a>), and load it on your device of choice. When you launch it, tap I'm already a Dropbox user, and it will ask for your login information. Once you login, you will see the home screen, tap My Dropbox to get to your files. Tap files to view. When viewing, tap the chain on the left to get link options, tap the star to favourite an item to view offline, and tap the rectangle with an arrow to choose to open a document in another app that supports the file type.<br />
<br />
For any other computer that doesn't have Dropbox, go to Dropbox.com and log in, where you can download and upload files, but not sync them.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXOBA4s50kmHEhRpaCEgbVSyjLLXeywIx_QyCVmqdTZyP2IvamYglD-xEK8exjAP2AGOGDlgDU8D0FKZyfQz0E2NTFwJt9FZd81OwOgBLCLsQiiOPLXGDesKiu7ScszOH6H8EJUSa_cY/s1600/Photo+Mar+30%252C+9+35+24+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXXOBA4s50kmHEhRpaCEgbVSyjLLXeywIx_QyCVmqdTZyP2IvamYglD-xEK8exjAP2AGOGDlgDU8D0FKZyfQz0E2NTFwJt9FZd81OwOgBLCLsQiiOPLXGDesKiu7ScszOH6H8EJUSa_cY/s320/Photo+Mar+30%252C+9+35+24+PM.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>The </b><b>Dropbox for iPhone</b><b> opening screen</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9fka6jOf6slQfChB7FLjFgkrm6pYyGCl6rwiPnwHZkwGBE8JOrjBJBPfwGbBIqKahbKcE46HL3lRaWsZzHavGNcXh8mNBR1t8vDQZkAoeP_OiXJQDbl-rnzbwnnI1N3MMj2TXTCLxXI/s1600/Photo+Mar+30%252C+9+34+51+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9fka6jOf6slQfChB7FLjFgkrm6pYyGCl6rwiPnwHZkwGBE8JOrjBJBPfwGbBIqKahbKcE46HL3lRaWsZzHavGNcXh8mNBR1t8vDQZkAoeP_OiXJQDbl-rnzbwnnI1N3MMj2TXTCLxXI/s320/Photo+Mar+30%252C+9+34+51+PM.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>The Dropbox for iPhone Login</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkdA0PsAABJ5REJa85NtNMDNIOLAsDSSitNj9WNE9GA2W-mny4ZNcuKkttsJRbkVNOh713VoKlvLr5YJHvZEEBEmpKgZkUbU7fwPbDpYGQkhztId3HMGI2Wu-ADbdeAJOYEki98UNcYQ/s1600/Photo+Mar+30%252C+9+35+09+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkkdA0PsAABJ5REJa85NtNMDNIOLAsDSSitNj9WNE9GA2W-mny4ZNcuKkttsJRbkVNOh713VoKlvLr5YJHvZEEBEmpKgZkUbU7fwPbDpYGQkhztId3HMGI2Wu-ADbdeAJOYEki98UNcYQ/s320/Photo+Mar+30%252C+9+35+09+PM.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>The Dropbox for iPhone home screen</b></div><br />
And that's it! Repeat the install process on any other devices that you want to sync with, and rock on (for free)!<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<b>Step 2: Syncing Contacts</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
To keep contacts in the cloud, open Address Book, go to Preferences, click Accounts, and under "On My Mac - Local" check Sync with Google. Enter your Google Username and password, and you are set to sync. Unfortunately, syncing is manual (but free is free). To sync, click on iSync in the menubar (the 2 arrows), and click Sync Now. That's it, your contacts will now be available online using your Google account!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ER-GSktHhcbAwu3yq9_1QX6PkVR4ct3A20jqIrgPtD1mnGYsuGekb-bzylWiYcBz1h8c-k8SQkdoS84fb8ei3eqPeOIxBmktypw2ckcJzI4f3YDGA70QJrCeLKHyY-xRrQtDH_gEeOU/s1600/Address+Book+Sync.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ER-GSktHhcbAwu3yq9_1QX6PkVR4ct3A20jqIrgPtD1mnGYsuGekb-bzylWiYcBz1h8c-k8SQkdoS84fb8ei3eqPeOIxBmktypw2ckcJzI4f3YDGA70QJrCeLKHyY-xRrQtDH_gEeOU/s320/Address+Book+Sync.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>The Sync with Google Checkbox</b></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-VVQToIErgfZoM2pcncS5cyHkeLMLEcBRRPT9lG-D5T0LTs7SSmpNULZsu_5hMZPk7tyPo-coRYCPsqrCPfiLJ9ABLEbZzPp97p4t34l1CnKM3FQID_MC8lAqJTmk4_tbwqidGPVb3T4/s1600/iSync.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-VVQToIErgfZoM2pcncS5cyHkeLMLEcBRRPT9lG-D5T0LTs7SSmpNULZsu_5hMZPk7tyPo-coRYCPsqrCPfiLJ9ABLEbZzPp97p4t34l1CnKM3FQID_MC8lAqJTmk4_tbwqidGPVb3T4/s320/iSync.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>The iSync Menu. Ignore the MobileMe stuff. You have GoogleMe!</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now to get it on your iDevice. If you already sync Contacts with Address Book, no settings need to be changed, Address Book will automatically sync the contacts it has synced with Google. If you want to sync only using the cloud however, add a Microsoft Exchange account in the Settings for Mail, Contacts, and Calendars. Set Email and Username to your Google login email and set password to your Google password. Add a description (my favourite: Pirated GMail Xchange), and click next, and set server to m.google.com. When it goes to a Preferences screen turn on contacts (and calendars, if you have already set up Google Calendars). Choose to delete the already synced contacts, and replace them with the new set. Then, rock on with Google-synced contacts.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIdgdweq7vrBLKahcv1oKrp_lSBWAn-uvXTyIdS9wrHFfDdhU9rTYv0h1CO65Dd6QjnTuSnJTilgkmRFZJJ5NC15GVM2qk9_-uPetfomAjVz38rSL2rD1LMGbweJ6sthnRgIC1GoC1mg/s1600/Photo+Mar+30%252C+10+12+12+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpIdgdweq7vrBLKahcv1oKrp_lSBWAn-uvXTyIdS9wrHFfDdhU9rTYv0h1CO65Dd6QjnTuSnJTilgkmRFZJJ5NC15GVM2qk9_-uPetfomAjVz38rSL2rD1LMGbweJ6sthnRgIC1GoC1mg/s320/Photo+Mar+30%252C+10+12+12+PM.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Add an Exchange account using Google?</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.maclife.com/files/u307916/2011/4/google/googleme_screen3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.maclife.com/files/u307916/2011/4/google/googleme_screen3.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Fill in your Google Info (pic borrowed from Mac|Life, see bottom of page)</b></div><b></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><br />
</b></div><b>Step 3: Sync Calendars</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
Syncing calendars is a bit tougher. First, export your iCal calendars. To do this, open iCal and choose File>Export>Export. Choose an easy location to find (i used the desktop) and click Export. That will create a file with all your events for the selected calendar in it. Repeat this step for any other calendars you want to sync.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9kHYmyQ_Pt8F8dn0JBRQ6QiLuYje_wWO8bEYmzkMV6lxWT3RVdb6OSW7O29a9PGNB823culcELB9J9VPdf_Yzk64hJbEJ2PDJ36RTSQoTw8i0zI-UjV7nUrfVqLLX7xL6f-KSFwL2kA/s1600/Exporting.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt9kHYmyQ_Pt8F8dn0JBRQ6QiLuYje_wWO8bEYmzkMV6lxWT3RVdb6OSW7O29a9PGNB823culcELB9J9VPdf_Yzk64hJbEJ2PDJ36RTSQoTw8i0zI-UjV7nUrfVqLLX7xL6f-KSFwL2kA/s320/Exporting.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>The iCal Export Menu</b></div><br />
Now, to get it on Google. First, head to <a href="http://www.google.com/calendar">Google Calendars</a>. Now, either create a calendar to act as one of the ones you are using, by clicking add under "My Calendars", or rename the default to suit you. To import the calendar from iCal, click Add under Subscriptions. Choose a calendar to import the events to, and watch as your events sync to Google. Actually, you can't watch, as there's no progress bar for importing. Repeat these steps for all your calendars. You can delete the originals in iCal when you are finished.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.maclife.com/files/u307916/2011/4/google/googleme_screen1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="154" src="http://www.maclife.com/files/u307916/2011/4/google/googleme_screen1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Importing a calendar into Google (photo borrowed from Mac|Life, see bottom of page)</b></div><br />
Now to import them back into iCal. Open iCal, and enter the Preferences. Click accounts, and click the + button. An add account dialogue will popup, choose Automatic for account type and enter your Google info under username and password. The screen should go away now, to reveal your new account Preferences. Change the refresh interval to what suits you, and don't change the server info unless you know what you're doing. For this step, those of you who don't have multiple calendars, and only use the default, can skip this. Those of you who do use more than one, or don't use the default, read on. To add other calendars, go to Delegations under your account's preferences. After a refresh of your account, it will display all the calendars you have access to, with a checkbox next to each. Check the ones you want to display (Note: I advise you not to try displaying the Weather calendar).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS4kNNoTJqCOFW902G1Lim-ehnQK3FD7mS0s1yo5ycLtXGtbCKWH4NcdMIb7ZIbyzdgNWXK9t3kl8I5ZNetiP86t_9K_rXevqnxZ5Lgn3m6MyINbYBXVYmaGtYKzoffxDxCWz1Ry4k_qM/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-03-31+at+1.44.19+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS4kNNoTJqCOFW902G1Lim-ehnQK3FD7mS0s1yo5ycLtXGtbCKWH4NcdMIb7ZIbyzdgNWXK9t3kl8I5ZNetiP86t_9K_rXevqnxZ5Lgn3m6MyINbYBXVYmaGtYKzoffxDxCWz1Ry4k_qM/s320/Screen+shot+2011-03-31+at+1.44.19+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Account Details</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib0PGITs5Ubp4E-Wh-cIxPgMqJ9H-rt8chKWd19VLL2GiZf_zyCEDWqOhScqgFlTKZdjThM3v9ii03fhmZAuaIWIdW7Zc2DocFGiLY8wyQBElnXeAxacB1juitNTX40sI79RV2AjJGh4Y/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-03-31+at+1.54.26+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEib0PGITs5Ubp4E-Wh-cIxPgMqJ9H-rt8chKWd19VLL2GiZf_zyCEDWqOhScqgFlTKZdjThM3v9ii03fhmZAuaIWIdW7Zc2DocFGiLY8wyQBElnXeAxacB1juitNTX40sI79RV2AjJGh4Y/s320/Screen+shot+2011-03-31+at+1.54.26+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Adding "Delegate" Calendars</b></div><br />
Now that you have added your Calendars to iCal, it's time to get them on your iDevice. To do this, go back into Mail, Contacts, Calendars in Settings. If you already have Gmail set up, simply use that account, turning on Calendars. If you don't, use the "Exchange" account from the Contacts sync and turn on Calendars as well (you may have to revisit the last step, depending on whether you use iTunes or Google to sync contacts).<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KNTKP0_7EqpXUMvztAjjJSORxTerNDfCDk_5CFutXgMp0tQlFJA6vYcAZf7SzkDxVnwmqbHxbU4jVmgpUGK32LKt_BTH7uzHDehGfUFT5INhQma1ICSmFhb-oPCQLcDEC_noWafujPg/s1600/Photo+Mar+30%252C+10+12+02+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9KNTKP0_7EqpXUMvztAjjJSORxTerNDfCDk_5CFutXgMp0tQlFJA6vYcAZf7SzkDxVnwmqbHxbU4jVmgpUGK32LKt_BTH7uzHDehGfUFT5INhQma1ICSmFhb-oPCQLcDEC_noWafujPg/s320/Photo+Mar+30%252C+10+12+02+PM.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Settings for Gmail</b></div><br />
<b>Step 3: Free Find my iPhone</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
Unfortunately, free Find my iPhone is only for iPhone 4, iPod touch 4th generation, and iPad 1 or 2. As well, the WiFi-only iPads and iPod touches can only be located when connected to a WiFi hotspot.<br />
<br />
To get free Find my iPhone, go to Mail, Contacts, Calendars in Settings, and tap Add Account. Choose MobileMe, but when asked for your Apple ID and password, put in your non-MobileMe Apple ID. Click next, and you will see the Preferences screen. Turn Find my iPhone on.<br />
<br />
To find your device later, go to <a href="http://www.me.com/">Me.com</a> and log in with the same Apple ID and password. You should be redirected to the Find my iPhone tool. You can also use the Find my iPhone app (<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/find-my-iphone/id376101648?mt=8">iTunes Link</a>) on another iDevice.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzbG4ApcZvUg3dDclkTKOOAKAcKouVhUnXRsn8liIdef5UQaJ3vpaLMB-EzhyUbUrp99-x-ZMYDxBLNbXsev5rZo0ueV3FnrEBzqdAe-w6jmkR-srBskaNLyNHoZuKCoRufnp7vCfLa8/s1600/Screen+shot+2011-03-31+at+2.20.22+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAzbG4ApcZvUg3dDclkTKOOAKAcKouVhUnXRsn8liIdef5UQaJ3vpaLMB-EzhyUbUrp99-x-ZMYDxBLNbXsev5rZo0ueV3FnrEBzqdAe-w6jmkR-srBskaNLyNHoZuKCoRufnp7vCfLa8/s400/Screen+shot+2011-03-31+at+2.20.22+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Me.com Find my iPhone locating my iPod. It's more accurate than this but, you know, creepy stalker people.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br />
</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqt6VaNSav2YdfQQ6gaPoxMvP-6r_7kjtBfXI7Sty1YQA6moKQ7AgRpAuncXP8_VnKMvuA0y674jOwdWhq3GQBCmdNSMG_XICYVEaDRYg65GwXYvZolaRiZp8F-k46FudiQfShKwmZkw/s1600/Photo+Mar+31%252C+2+21+58+PM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXqt6VaNSav2YdfQQ6gaPoxMvP-6r_7kjtBfXI7Sty1YQA6moKQ7AgRpAuncXP8_VnKMvuA0y674jOwdWhq3GQBCmdNSMG_XICYVEaDRYg65GwXYvZolaRiZp8F-k46FudiQfShKwmZkw/s320/Photo+Mar+31%252C+2+21+58+PM.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b>The Find my iPhone app locating my iPod. It's more accurate than this but, you know, creepy stalker people again.</b></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><b><br />
</b></span></b></div><b>Step 4: Photo Gallery</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
You may know of Picasa, Google's photo editing, organizing, and sharing program. You may also know of Picasa web albums, the place where those shared photos go. You may not know, however, that you can use Picasa web albums even without Picasa. First, log into Google and navigate to <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/">Picasa Web Albums</a>. If you have a Blogger blog, you already have an album for you blog(s). From Picasa you can upload photos, download the Picasa Uploader for Mac, and share your photos using links and slideshows. I could go into detail about this, but Google already has, in their help pages.<br />
<br />
<b>Not Really a Step: Webpage/Blog</b><br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
There are many web services out there, some free, some cheap, some expensive. For a blog, I recommend Blogger. For a very small website, All Macs come with a built in, IP address based, website. To publish to it, delete everything in the "Sites" folder in your Home folder, then tell iWeb to publish to that folder. To put the site on the internet, go to System Preferences and turn on Web Sharing in "Sharing" (not to be confused with Internet Sharing) on. To navigate to it, find out your computer's IP address, and type that into the address bar. That will take you to a page that only says: "It works!". To get to your page, add ~yourhomefolder/ to the end, replacing yourhomefolder with the name of your home folder.<br />
<br />
And That's it for GoogleMe! Now go out there and rock on with your Dropbox and Google back-up and sync system!<br />
<br />
This article, and it's title and title picture, was inspired by a Mac|Life article about the same topic (without Dropbox or Find my iPhone) that can be found <a href="http://www.maclife.com/article/features/how_drop_mobileme_googleme">here</a>. All photos and screenshots not declared otherwise were taken by me.Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-62505845513366127192011-03-15T09:43:00.000-07:002011-03-15T09:43:00.328-07:00Tsunami "Journal"For my English writing class, I wrote a fictional journal of a survivor of the Tsunami in Japan. It is completely fictional, I have no idea of the atmosphere in Japan right now. The epilogue is set a month from the quake, assuming the waters didn't stop at that point.<br />
<b><br />
</b><br />
<br />
<b>March 13th, 2011</b><br />
<br />
After being alerted to the quake, I have started running for my life. I headed for the car, which is packed with enough supplies to last at least a month. That may not be enough however, if I don’t escape the waters, or get poisoned by radiation from a melted-down reactor. The outages have begun, as reactors hastily shut down. I am heading for the hills, literally, before the costal areas are flooded. My family is gone, they were in a skyscraper that was downed by the quake. Where will I go?!<br />
<br />
<b>March 14th, 2011</b><br />
<br />
I am still running from the water. The gas is getting lower everyday, and the batteries are draining at an alarming rate. I haven’t seen anyone in at least a day, and I am doomed if I don’t have gas. Not even an athlete could outrun a tsunami. My phone is beginning to die, and has been restricted to emergencies only. Not that it will help if the towers are down. I don’t have anyone to turn to anyway.<br />
<br />
<b>Epilogue</b><br />
<br />
A month after the quake, I finally found refuge on mountaintop, with some other survivors. We have pooled our water and supplies, in order to best ration them. About a week ago one of the others went down to see if there was anything left. We haven’t heard from him since them. The water passed recently, and it is unlikely he survived it on foot, with a few day’s worth of supplies.Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-57803738980694322922011-03-13T20:34:00.000-07:002011-03-13T20:35:52.490-07:00How to Act Like a Writer in a Café When You’re NotDress in your best post-modern hipster clothes.<br />
<br />
Bring your laptop to a coffee shop with free Wi-Fi. New, stylish computers work best.<br />
<br />
While waiting to order, open web pages for things like Shakespeare and Isaac Newton, for your “research”.<br />
<br />
Order your favorite drink, snack item and treat, and sit down, alone, at a table not close to too many people, but close enough for them to see you.<br />
<br />
Keeping your “research” close at hand, do whatever you like doing on your computer (like, maybe, writing?). When anyone comes by, open your “research” pages, or type gibberish loudly to look like you’re writing.<br />
<br />
Stay for a few hours, ordering more food and snacks every once and a while. When you leave, close the laptop with the pages still open, order some coffee to go, and leave after an exhausting day of “writing”.<br />
<br />
Repeat ad nauseum. Who knows, maybe you will actually start writing!Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-91004230384393334442011-03-11T20:49:00.000-08:002011-03-11T20:49:20.624-08:00Visiting TraceyI'm visiting Vancouver this weekend! I'm here for an appointment, but we're taking the time to enjoy ourselves. I got to visit an Apple store for the first time!<br />
<br />
But I wanted to talk about a weird thing I do when I'm tired: analyzing fun. I look at why getting something virtual makes me happy, and why I'll give something real to get it. I also analyze why even having something real makes me happy. I always know I should give up, but I can't get my mind off of it. Interesting, isn't it?Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-84390004203339385922011-03-06T20:22:00.001-08:002011-03-06T20:22:25.797-08:00Joke 1What does a guitarist wear to his concerts?<br />
<a name='more'></a>Chords (cords)!Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-42945039704392719782011-02-27T14:48:00.000-08:002011-02-27T14:48:52.653-08:00FamilyThis weekend I have really having family over. We had a pre-Oscars/birthday party. Our winner for best picture was the King's Speech.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<br />
Today my aunt and cousins, the family visiting, were supposed to leave today. However, the snow was so bad that we decided they should stay, because it was too dangerous. I am so happy that they are staying...I mean, too bad for them...Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-80811789536860150322011-02-19T20:27:00.000-08:002011-02-19T20:27:37.098-08:00Today's FunniesToday at dinner, Victoria said she didn't like an item of food. She tried it, and said simply, I stand corrected, to a burst of laughter.<br />
<br />
Later, I was talking with Mom about the 1, 2, 3, counting strategy. She said I should learn it when I have kids. I simple responded "I know. It works on me."Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-56289720322117255452011-02-06T13:42:00.000-08:002011-02-06T13:42:14.961-08:00Voice PlanToday I was talking to Dad about getting an iPhone. I asked him if he would pay for my voice plan, since he did for my phone already. He said he already had an unlimited voice plan from me. :)<br />
<br />
Posted from my iPod touch in a Montana's.Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-9265906408227003432011-02-05T17:45:00.000-08:002011-02-05T17:45:05.761-08:00NewsI have news! Today I finished my science experiment and something else happened. . .<br />
<a name='more'></a>Today I finished the experiment part of my science experiment. I managed to light paper towel soaked in oil, then managed to crystallize a Sodium Acetate and water mix by dipping it into it.<br />
<br />
In other news, Mom got an iPhone 4 yesterday! It's so not fair! I'm so jealous! :-( But I will win the tech race when I get an iPad. Actually, just having Star Trek: The Next Generation on my Mac automatically makes my Mac cooler than hers! ;)Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3515078418491667632.post-54681133898308595242011-02-05T13:52:00.000-08:002011-02-05T13:52:22.604-08:00Joke 1What do you call a vampire who's car breaks down 3 blocks from the blood bank?<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>A cab!<br />
<br />
I saw this an SpongeBob a very long time ago, but didn't get it until now!Casey Broughtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11859815958452281493noreply@blogger.com0