A More Healthy Happy Hour at Sonic...

Drinking Flavoring ideas for Sonic. They could join the health craze movement and offer "green tea" or "pomegranate" flavoring. Love my anit-oxidents.

Wacky Airline Humor

FARE RULES for a recent flight on Frontier Airlines: "PENALTIES: CANCELLATIONS TICKET IS NON REFUNDABLE. NOTE - WAIVED BY DEATH OF PASSENGER."

Funny Word of the Day...

SMOCK! a loose coverall (coat or frock) reaching down to the ankles [syn: duster, gaberdine, dust coat]. Today I am wearing my new brown smock.

Come on, the word is hilarious....

Stupid Word of the Day...

ESOTERIC! Understood by or meant for only the select few who have special knowledge or interest; recondite:

The word "esoteric" is so "esoteric".

In the Year 2108...

In the year 2108, we will be able to control the laws of science to do things that would appear to be magic today.

Craiglist vs Ebay - Round 1...

Planning on moving to the west coast in June. Wanting to downsize and sell a bunch of our stuff. Trying Ebay and Craiglist. In 4 days the tally is Ebay = $55 and Craiglist = $300.

The Zen of Typing...

The #1 thing that I learned in high school which has helped me be a more productive worker and human being was TYPING. The ability to type close to 100 words per minute has helped my productivity a heck of alot more than knowing the difference between sine and cosine or the square root of 122,463.

But the most important life lesson from typing - The harder you try not to make errors, the more errors will be made and the slower you will type. Moral of the story - stop thinking and don't be afraid to fail, and you will succeed better-faster. That grasshopper, is The Zen of Typing.

5 Commandments for a New BCS...

1. THOU SHALL PLAY IN A CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP.
1a. Every major conference should have 12 teams and play a championship game.
1b. This would also make room for the little guys and ND as the Big East, Big 10 (?whatever), and Pac 10 would be adding 8 teams b/w them.
1c. Therefore 8 games of a 12 game season would be intra-conference.

12 teams would ensure more competition, and a championship game would effectively be the first round of a playoff as well as ensure that a BIG 10 or PAC 10 or BIG EAST Championship is of the same value as a SEC or BIG 12 or ACC Championship .


2. THOU SHALL PLAY AT LEAST 2 REAL NON CONFERENCE GAMES.
2a. All teams should play at least 2 non conference games against a major conference school. In fact It would be cool if...
2b. Conferences paired up for inter-conference games- PAC 10 vs SEC; BIG 12 vs BIG ?WHATEVER; and ACC vs BIG EAST.
2c. Subdivision could go further where an ACC SOUTH plays a BIG EAST SOUTH
2d. One game is a fixed opponent every year for cool rivalries (how about a Texas vs Ohio State EVERY YEAR!!!).
2e. One game rotates b/w the rest of sub conferences, ie in a 5 year period UFLA would have played every team in the PAC 10 SOUTH. Rotating home and away.
2e. 2 games of a 12 game schedule would be real matchups.

This would eliminate all the "my conference can beat up your conference" bullcorn. Plus It would also add 2 real (mini-playoff type) games to everyones schedule.

3. THOU CAN STILL BEAT UP ON THE SMALL SCHOOL.
3a. The school schedules remaining 2 games of a 12 game schedule where OHIO STATE is free to play it's annual 2 games against University of Ohio and Miami of Ohio.
3b. Or they could schedule other major non-conference outside of their inter-conference pairing, think LSU vs VA TECH.

This gives the big guys a good homecoming game and still gives the little guys a good payout and every once in a while Louisiana-Monroe will beat Alabama.

4. THOU SHALL RETURN TO TRADITION.
4a. Bowls will return to traditional matchups. ROSE is PAC10 Champ vs BIG ?WHATEVER Champ; SUGAR is SEC Champ vs BIG EAST (right?); ORANGE is BIG 12 vs ACC; FIESTA can be 2 HIGHEST RANKED TEAMS REMAINING (the hot teams).
4b. To ensure that there's no repeat of games from the regular season the pairings in Commandment#2 above should be different than bowl tradition, ie PAC 10 should play 2 games against any conference other than the BIG ?WHATEVER.
4c. All bowl games shall be played by Jan 2.
4d. On top of it all every "BCS" bowl game would have meaning other than for your uncle Larry's New Year's Day football pool.

This becomes your second round of playoffs. You'd have a much clearer 1 and 2 picture with conference champs playing each other as well as better non-conference play, and all the other guys can still have the Poulan Weedeater Bowls of the world.

5. THOU SHALL THEN HAVE A PLUS 1 CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
5a. A true, almost indisputable 1 vs 2.
5b. Location doesn't have to be locked into a bowl game city. Anyone interested in January in Minneapolis?
5c. The championship game should be played within 2 weeks of the last bowl game - by Jan 16.


What do you think?

The Computer is Dead...

I was in a training class for Web 2.0 Basics when the instructor asked what was the definition of a computer. He said Microsoft sees a computer as anything with an operating system and Google sees the computer as something to that does searches. To extend that, Apple probably sees the computer as a media device; Nokia sees a computer as a mobile phone and maybe Cisco sees the computer as anything that connects to the internet.

Is the computer is dead? If not dead, than it definitely has a terminal disease (pun intended, get it?) Everything is a computer, but the only true thing that the normal Jane sees as a computer is her laptop or desktop. How soon before the laptop is obsolete? You already can do almost anything that you do on your laptop with your cell phone or your ipod or your tivo or your xbox.

My bold prediction - in 10 years we will no longer be using "computers"; we will be using other devices with other names that have an operating system, does searches, entertains us, is mobile and is connected to the internet. Heck, we already are.

Long Live the Computer...

According to wikipedia.org, A computer is a machine which manipulates data according to a list of instructions.

Based upon that definition, if Bubba from "Forrest Gump" was a real person and had a passion for computers like he does shrimp, he's list of computers would be: "Desktop Computer, Laptop Computer, Handheld Computer, Cell Phone Computer, iPod Computer, Tivo Computer, Digital Camera Computer, DVD Player Computer, XBOX Computer..."

Those are the easy ones, but what about other stuff with Computers in them; everyday items. Bubba continues - "Car Computer, Telephone Computer, TV Computer, Refrigerator Computer, Toaster Computer (yes, my toaster has a computer chip in it), Coffee Maker Computer, Dishwasher Computer, Baby Doll Computer, Cieling Fan Computer, Underwear Computer (it's possible)..."

As computer chips get smaller and cheaper, everything can be computerized. Do you think of everything around you as a computer or only that that big ugly box under your desk? What's your definition of computer? Long Live the Computer...

Deconstructing Starbucks...

As I sit in my friendly neighborhood Starbucks drinking my $1.85 venti green tea, I quickly wonder why would I pay $1.85 for a cup of tea when I have the exact same tea at home. Is it that hard to heat up water?

In fact, the most expensive drink here is a holiday-spirited Peppermint Mocha at $4.40. That combo of flavors doesn't really interest me. Is it really worth that?

So why is there a continuous stream of soccer moms, high school students, and casual dressed business men buying their $3.50 soy lattes? I'm sure it's not the coffee and definitely not the soy. The funky chairs and music and nice barristas add some value, but the people come for the CUPS. Holding a Starbucks cup makes you look and feel cool! Who can put a price on cool? Starbucks! 29 cents for the coffee and soy milk... $3.21 for a cup of cool...

Easy Peanut Butter...

When making Peanut Butter and Bananas for a snack for my kids, they like me to cut the banana into little rounds then spread peanut butter on top.

Try it out! This is a major whipping! The banana's stick to the knife or the peanut butter won't stick to the banana's. You end up having to use your fingers and then half the kitchen is dotted with peanut butter fingerprints.

MY BIG IDEA - Peanut Butter in a Easy Cheese can. Who's with me? Petition Kraft Now!

Education 2.0: A Simple Definition...

K-12 Education 1.0 (today) is to K-12 Education 2.0 (tomorrow) as Lecture is to Conversation... hmmmm....

Web 2.0: A Simple Definition...

Web 1.0 is to Web 2.0 as Lecture is to Conversation.

First Dollar Made...

Sold 4 T-Shirts today on Zazzle. My first sale. $10 for autism research.

Steve Jobs Reads My Blog...

Looks like someone from Apple reads my blog. On May 21, I posted the following right here on Blog-Fontenot:

StarTunes or iBucks...

Living a good 30 miles from the office, I work alot from my friendly neighborhood Starbucks. I use their wifi via the wonders of T-Mobile. The welcome web page allows you to download different Starbucks "mixes" from iTunes. But wouldn't it be cool if there was a pop window that displayed, in real time, the actual songs playing in the store, and you had the option to purchase that song from iTunes in real time. Hmmm....

Last week Apple announces their new "Starbucks Wifi Music Store". From the announcement:

"Say you’re in line at Starbucks. You hear this amazing song wafting from the speakers. You gotta have it. Now. Tap the iTunes button on your iPhone or iPod touch, tap the Starbucks button, and voilà: You see the current song, the last 10 songs played, and featured Starbucks Collections. Preview, buy, and download whatever you like, right then and there. Or, if you’re sipping away with your laptop, buy what’s playing — exclusively on iTunes."

Mr Jobs, please, in lieu of any royalties, feel free to contact me about where to send my free 16 Gb iPod Touch.

THE REEL, the reel, THE REEL...

Joshie's new adventure...

Why Didn't I Think of That 3....

Freakin' Genius!

2 Years Ago Today, All Hell Broke Loose...

For those waxing nostalgic, excerpts from my Katrina Blog:

Here She Comes...
August 28, 2005

7AM: Kids woke up. Wife sends me to the store for water, batteries, food and flashlights. Wal-Mart is completely picked over. No water, no batteries, no flashlights. Lines are long. Leave with only toilet paper and spaghetti-o's. Success at Walgreen's. The store is virtually empty. SCORE ON WATER, FLASHLIGHTS, AND BATTERIES!!!! WOOHOO!!!!

12PM: Calls from around the country coming in to check on the family: Virginia, Texas, NJ, Cali. Sun is shining bright. Cooler and drier than normal. Blue skies to the west, mass of clouds to the east. Poor New Orleans. One friend and family left New Orleans at 5pm on Saturday and took them 8 hours to drive 120 miles. Went back to Walgreen to get prescriptions filled. Store was packed. Water almost gone. Still had beer though, so picked up a case for emergencies.

3PM: Clouds have set in, but no wind. The children are planning their "hurricane party".

5PM: New Orleans is screwed! Doom and gloom all over the news. FEMA reporting that their simulations are showing up to 60,000 deaths. Mom just called wanting us to drive 60 miles further west to stay with her. Planning on riding out the storm from Baton Rouge. Can't fathom driving 6 hours with 2 kids to drive 60 miles. My company's security and safety department just called to check in. Wondering if I should be more nervous.

Here Comes The Rain. August 28, 2005

650p. Just started raining. The kids are bouncing off the wall. Put 3 mattresses on the floor in the front kids room. There's a 50 foot tall sycamore in our backyard. Probably safer for everyone to sleep in the front of the house.

Hurricanes are Sport... August 28, 2005

9:03p. Growing up on the gulf coast, hurricane tracking maps were available at every gas station, bank, and McDonald's. On the radio about every 10 minutes or so the DJ would announce the latest coordinates of the latest hurricane, and you would then put an "x" on your map matching those coordinates. Kind of like bingo I guess. My grandfather had this huge chalkboard with a map of the gulf and would get so excited about keeping track of the hurricane's progress. Back then the weatherman would have this magnetic board with the map and would move this large lawnmower blade shaped magnetic around with the coordinates. It was almost like tracking a relative coming for dinner or Santa Claus. The storms also had the friendliest names like Betty, or Bobby or Charley. Nothing to be afraid of.

Today, our children watch the weather and there this great big freaking red swirlie monster barreling across a geologically and geographically correct map heading dead straight for that point on the map where they are taught to say that they live. Not only that but someone must want to bring back the anxiety of the cold war giving the storm mad Russian names like Boris or Ivan or Katrina.
Longitude: 27.2N Latitude: 89.1W -for those keeping score at home.

Good Night K-K-K-Katie... August 28, 2005

1000P: Actually lost power for 30 minutes already. Not a good start.

Reality Check. The wife talked to a cousin, and her 80 year old great aunt had to evacuate from NOLA. Her aunt has been crying since she left, left her home of 50 years with all her memories, not sure if she'd ever see it again. Weatherman says cat 5 hurricane is like a 30 mile wide tornado. Looks like hurricane might be turning more westerly, which means not a direct impact on NOLA, but Biloxi is screwed either way. Powering down the laptop and heading for the campout in the kids bedroom.

If we lose power, I'll still try to blog via cell phone. Good Night, Good Luck, and God bless.

Largest City in Louisiana... August 30, 2005

Thanks for the emails and calls. The immediate family is doing fine. During the storm, the worst in Baton Rouge was downed power lines and tree branches. The power to our house is still down and not expected to be up until Saturday. We are staying with my wife's aunt as she has power and AIR CONDITIONING!!! Our small sales office has turned into a mini refugee camp with other employees and family staying here until the power is back up. Extended family from New Orleans has moved in with other relatives in Baton Rouge for an indefinite period as their homes are probably completely destroyed. But that's only the worst from a physical point of view.

Emotionally, Baton Rouge is just as devastated. Over night we have gone from the second biggest city in Louisiana to the first. Nearly 100,000 refugees are seeking shelter in Baton Rouge and Lafayette. Last account, New Orleans will not be habitable for 2-4 months, and not just a neighborhood or two but the whole city as well as the surrounding suburbs. Right now it looks like the entire power and water utilities will have to be rebuilt from the ground up, and most of the brick and wood homes will have to be rebuilt too. This is just the tip of the ice berg as we are heading into a period of rebuilding never seen before in America.

New Orleans isn't the only Louisiana area to suffer such devastation. The entire parishes (counties) of St. Bernard and Plaquemines are under 10-20 feet of water. One politician said after a fly over that these parishes have been swallowed up by the Gulf of Mexico.

MORE HERE...

Death Sees a Therapist!

A friend of mine was in her new psychiatrist's office, when her nice and friendly therapist received an urgent page that one of his patient's was in the ICU. The therapist then stated out loud that he'd have to wait to call back the ICU tomorrow because he had to attend another patient's funeral that afternoon.

My advice to my friend: RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!