Random Blog Visit 6:
God Bless Monty & Susan

Earlier in my random blog visits I posted about "Ruminations on the Meaning of Life?" a blog where Trey Tomes' ruminates about his beliefs, two ordained ministers, however, Monty and Susan are actually living out their faith. The msmission blog documents Monty and Susan's life journey as they aid disaster victims: first in Mississippi and Lousiana after Hurricane Katrina and now more recently assisting Mid-west flood victims in Columbus, Indiana.

There aren't enough selfless heroes out there like Susan and Monty, and I truly encourage you to visit their blog. If you'd like to help out, or for more information please visit The Convoy of Hope.

Random Blog Visit 5

Despite it's unusual title City Data Stone Park Recovery York is really not that unique. It looks like a personal site that seems to concentrate on pop music, although annoyingly most music posts turn out to be ads for a product called SuperMedia Downloader Suite, and extremely ugly eBay tables displaying auction items related to the associated artists. I'm suspecting what reviews are on this blog were co-opted from other sites, as all the music videos were scarfed directly from YouTube.

City Data Stone Park also features a few product reviews; there's one for a Garmin nvi 350 3.5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with loads of links to eBay and Amazon in case you are just so bowled over by the review you need to purchase one immediately!

City Data Stone Park is pretty much a waste of time. For all his/her efforts I hope the "creator" of this blog is making some money from SuperMedia Downloader Suite, eBay, Amazon, and Google AdSense. Hey, did we miss anyone here?

Random Blog Visit 4

Got Inspiration? How could one avoid a blog called "Ruminations on the Meaning of Life?" Trey Tomes offers inspiration and his thoughts on various Bible readings along with his comments on wisdom and patient endurance. The blog's serene blue design adds to a sense of calm and peacefulness. If you're feeling a bit overwhelmed, this could provide you with an uplifting online "time-out."

More Metropolis Footage Found!!!

First, I offer a sincere apology to Ibetolis, creator of the Film for the Soul blog, I metioned here last week. He wrote to tell me that he IS the author of the "Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid" review. Sorry, I misread what he had posted on his blog.

As Ibetolis continues on his mission to view the greatest 1000 films of all time, perhaps he may be fortunate enough to view Fritz Lang's masterpiece "Metropolis" with more than 20 minutes of extra footage that was recently discovered at the Museo del Cine in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Listen to the npr story.

Read a related article.

Another Deathlok-Inspired Quiz

I saw this quiz posted on the Teremity of High Maintenence and just had to try it myself. I discovered two things: 1. Deathlok really is a bigger lush than I am. 2. I know a lot more about alcohol than I thought I did.

88%DRUNKARD

Created by OnePlusYou

Carbon-free in 10 years!

Former Vice-President Al Gore announced yesterday his challenge to the U.S. "to produce all of its electricity from renewable and carbon-free sources in 10 years." According to Gore, "The survival of the United States of America as we know it is at risk."

An ambitious goal, maybe, but aren't we suposed to be the greatest country on earth? If so shouldn't we be the leading the effort to reducing greenhouse gases and control global warming? Ten years from now, my niece, Gabriella, will be a junior in college. It wouldn't it be great if she and her friends could start out their lives in a healthier environment and not have dependency on foreign energy sources hanging over their heads?

Fortunately both Presidential candidates seem to take the issue of global warming more seriously than Mr. Bush does. If we truly desire to unite our country, perhaps with strong and couragous leadership this could be the issue that brings us all together.

Not-so-random Blog Visit

While I was surfing around I found a blog that may be of interest to my fellow film buffs, Film for the Soul.

There is an extensiveand quite excellent review of Peckinpaw's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, however it's borrowed from another film blog. I, did, however enjoy Ibetolis' post asking his readers to choose which film he should watch again. Besides, anyone who uses a still of Takashi Shimura in the final scene of Ikiru as his blog header can't be all bad, can he?

Use Your Fridge to Save the Planet!

The fight against global warming may seem daunting at times, but if everyone did something small everyday it could add up to a big difference. Did you know thart you can help save the planet by just changing a few small things in the way you use your refrigerator? These tips come courtesy of the dailygreen.com.

Keep a Pitcher of Water in Your Fridge
A pitcher full of water will help your refrigerator keep your food cool more efficiently

Fill the Fridge
Keeping your refrigerator full, but not to the point of overstuffing, will allow it to run at max capacity.

Check the Temperature in Your Fridge and Freezer
The EPA recommends keeping refrigerators at 37 degrees F and freezers at 3 degrees,

Buy an Energy Star Refrigerator
New Energy Star models use 40% less electricity than typical units sold in 2001. That means you could easily save over $50 a year by upgrading to an Energy Star fridge.

Remember: Refrigerators and freezers account for about a sixth of all electricity use in a typical American home, and they use more electricity than any other single household appliance.

(Photo credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigerator)

50 by 2050

The Group of Eight, or as we called them in my our telecom policy course, "The Rich Countries Club" have agreed to meet again and further discuss the possibility of reducing the output of greenhouse gases by half. Gee, how nice of them! Of course, not many of us will even be around by 2050 to see how successful this so called initiative may turn out.

Read Andrew C. Revkin's article.

Random Blog Visit 3

Streamsters - Tribal Tech blog bills itself as, "Tribal Tech Multimedia Electronics Reviews!" I guess that's a little something for everyone. Recent articles inlcude How to Find Auto Parts, Finding the Perfect Guitar Tone, and one on the good old water-engine.

Streamsters is maintained by someone named "Minley," but he only posts; the articles are submitted or borrowed from others. Apparently this is one of several blogs Minley maintains each with a different topic. Minley participates in Google Ad Sense and also features a wealth of links to other "Related Themes and Partner Sites."

While Minley is making (or trying to make) a profit off of his blogs this doesn't take away from the quality of the articles. He's put a bit of time and thought into what to include in his blogs. Being a designer found Domen Lombergar's interesting article on the "History of Digital Art" espcecially interesting.

The Green Prince

Prince Charles is now joining forces in the war against global warming. He would like to go down in history for his efforts to save the environment. His efforts to reduce his carbon footprint include using vehicles that run on biodiesel, including a classic Aston Martin that runs on wine! (Whoa, that's still a bit too rich for me, but the way gas prices are rising perhaps soon it could be cheaper to fuel your car with wine.) Charles is also cutting back on travel and asking his staff to consider commuting by bicycle.

However, not all of Prince Charles' "green" activites are being applauded. Controversy exists concerning use of his luxury yacht, which Charles claims is less harmful to the environment that an airliner. Whether or not his actions are truly contributing to reducing global warming, the fact that Charles has chosen to make this "his issue" will contribute greatly to getting the message out to an international audience, and I admire him for that.

Random Blog Visit 2

I don't know jack about poker -- online or offline, but Bullet Boy does. He's a professional poker player whose blog "Online Texas Hold Em-Play Great Online" states, "Are you ready to start winning at hold em? I'm going to show you how." The blogs also says, "This blog is for entertainment purposes only. It is meant to provide information relating to the game of hold em in its legal and non-gambling applications." then it goes on, "Online Poker can be profitable, but be sure to choose the right table!" --Whatever.

Bullet Boy's writing style is clear and direct. He's not instructing you on how to play Texas Hold Em. He assumes you, unlike myself, already know how, but are looking for tips on how to play online. He suggests what to look for on different poker sites. Here's some sample advice:

"You'll probably never see a player again but if you find anyone who is horrible, take a note and especially when you find the good players, make a note. It could save you your stack later."

Bullet Boy loves playing Texas Hold Em online, and is doing a pretty good job of spreading the love. My one criticism of the blog is that it appears a bit cluttered, and the white text on a black background lends itself to eye-strain.