Owner: Tis Gar Plen URL:http://tisgarplen.blogspot.com Join Date: Tue, 07 Nov 2006 20:06:55 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: I am an ex-cop turned geek - which explains why I never have my back to the door and always keep one eye on the computer. I work for Oklahoma State University and write about whatever comes to mind. Site statistics:Click here
T3 Series Personal Mobility Vehicles 2006-11-07 21:05:00 My brother sent me an IM chat this morning with a link to http://www.t3motion.com/, which is a new product being marketed to police and security departments. The information on their website indicates they are not being advertised as a replacement for motorcycles or bikes, but as an additional tool for getting officers on the scene quickly and without being out of breath. Additional pieces indicate they aren't in competition with Segway, even though Segway just had a massive recall. From what I remember about the time I was in the Chicago Airport, I would say the simple fact the T3 is a trike instead of a balanced two-wheeler gives it a huge selling feature. When the Chicago officers bailed off their Segways, the units fell over on their handlebars, which can't be good for them over time.
Back to the T3… During lunch I looked around their website and found where they mention "Unlimited Range" due to swap-able power modules (fancy name of batteries). After I thought about that Read more:Personal
, Mobility
, Vehicles
Honorary "Ludite" 2006-11-06 05:32:43 This weekend I have been seriously thinking about becoming a card-carrying "Luddite". Here is what has happened this week:1. Wednesday: I finally got around to processing a service call on my laptop computer. The only problem was it needed 'jumper-cables' to get started. Even with a fully charged battery, it wanted the power cord plugged in before it would boot-up. After trying a new battery and running diagnostics on the device, Dell sent a new motherboard to arrive on Thursday (in the possession on an on-site technician).2. Thursday: The tech arrived and changed the motherboard. When I was checking everything out afterward, we discovered many new problems when it was on it's port replicator (docking station). Another call to Dell .. new motherboard and port replicator enroute.3. Friday: Return of the Dell tech, with new parts in hand. After short visit, all appears to be working fine!4. Saturday: Just before leaving town, my Pocket PC device locked up, which normally requir Read more:Honorary
Think it got quiet in this news room studio? 2006-11-02 21:05:21 I wonder what everyone in the the studio thought when the police sketch was pasted right next to this newscaster? Now, I am not implying that this guy is guilty, but I bet he caught some grief after the news show was over.
The "Evolution of Dance" guy is coming to town 2006-11-01 20:25:53 I have posted his video on my blog before and even have it on my personal website (view the video here). The OSU Career Services department has scheduled Judson Laipply to appear at both the OSU-Tulsa and OSU-Stillwater campuses on Monday November 13th: Event: Judson Laipply – The Evolution
of Dance
GuyTime: 3:00 – 4:00 pm Location: OSUTulsa Auditorium - Tulsa Campus Description: "Choices, opportunities in life..." Event: Judson Laipply – The Evolution of Dance Guy Time: 7:30-8:30 pm Location: Wes Watkins Center – Stillwater Campus Description: "Choices, opportunities in life…"I just got off the phone with the Career Services office to confirm this is an “open to the public” opportunity …. and it is. So, if you are close to either of these locations, you might think about attending.
I can do that! 2006-10-31 14:59:15 I could dress up just like this ... but I don't have a green suit :-(
When I saw this, I thought of Renee 2006-10-30 17:43:05 When this cartoon showed up on my screen this morning, it instantly made me think of Renee
. I think I should explain:Renee is a closet Luddite. Well, closet may be an understatement as she really dislikes the use of the internet and email and has no qualms in sharing that with others. (She is starting to come around a little with the discovery of Wikipedia, but that is another post within itself). However, many of her friends are quite computer-literate and used to send Renee emails about this and that. One friend in particular would send Renee an email and then call an hour or so later to ask her if she has checked her email. In the amount of time the friend would attempt to share the virtues of email, she could have just as easily provided the information in the email! (needless to say, many of the friends email the info to me, and I snail-mail it home in my laptop case!).All that having been said, time for the cartoon: Read more:thought
George Costanza's 10 Commandments for 'Working Hard' 2006-10-28 22:18:01 As borrowed from JumboJoke.com:
1 - Never walk without a document in your hands.
People with documents in their hands look like hardworking employees heading for important meetings. People with nothing in their hands look like they're heading for the cafeteria. People with a newspaper in their hand look like they're heading for the toilet. Above all, make sure you carry loads of stuff home with you at night, thus generating the false impression that you work longer hours than you do.
2 - Use computers to look busy.
Any time you use a computer, it looks like "work" to the casual observer. You can send and receive personal e-mail, chat, and generally have a blast without doing anything remotely related to work. These aren't exactly the societal benefits that the proponents of the computer revolution would like to talk about but they're not bad either. When you get caught by your boss -- and you will get caught -- your best defence is to claim you're teaching yourself to use new s Read more:George
, Commandments
Friday Groaner - 27 Oct 2006-10-27 14:54:55 While I don't envision the Friday
Groaner to be a weekly installment, I do believe I should limit myself to only posting 'jokes' like these on Fridays. I have been holding onto this one for several days, just waiting for today to arrive so I could share it with all of you:Three animals were having a huge argument over who was the best:The first, a hawk, claimed that because of his ability to fly, he could attack anything repeatedly from above, and his prey had nary a chance. The second, a lion, based his claim on his strength---none in the forest dared to challenge him. The third, a skunk, insisted he needed neither flight nor strength to frighten off any creature. As the trio debated the issue, a grizzly bear came along and swallowed them all: hawk, lion and stinker!
An interesting thought not to forget 2006-10-25 17:02:36 Received via email:In case we find ourselves starting to believe all the anti-American sentiment and negativity, we should remember England's Prime Minister Tony Blair's words during a recent interview. When asked by one of his Parliament members why he believes so much in America, he said: A simple way to take measure of a country is to look at how many want in... And how many want out.Only two defining forces have ever offered to die for you: 1. Jesus Christ 2. The American G. I. One died for your soul, the other for your freedom. You might want to pass this on, as many seem to forget both of themPersonal Notes:If you check Snopes to check that quote, you will find that the above quote to be simular to his actual statement of: I sometimes think it is a good rule of thumb to ask of a country: are people trying to get into it or out of it? It's not a bad guide to what sort of country it is.I would add Police and FireFighters to be listed with the American G.I. Read more:thought
, interesting
I have two beautiful daughters ... 2006-10-23 14:58:24 … but they will never be as beautiful (in the world’s view) as the models on billboards and print ads. Why? Because those models are photoshopped before being printed. The world’s perception of beauty is based on people who do not exist!Watch this 1 minute 14 second video and see how the agency turns an ordinary everyday looking woman into a super model. The real surprise is toward the end. If you have a daughter or niece, please make sure she sees this.(for the record, both my girls are prettier then the final billboard shown below)(direct link to video if needed) Read more:daughters
Videos posted 2006-10-16 14:58:00 With the update of the new web template on my personal web page (http://manna4all.net/tisgarplen), I thought I would add a couple of new items to the “Mental Escape” section. Besides the Games page (which includes SplashBack, Daffy Duck Skydive, Connect Four, Proximity and DiceWars), there are a couple of videos to watch. One is a very cool parody and the other a form of mash-up. Enjoy!Note: added Evolution of Dance as well
Return of the guest blogger 2006-10-14 16:36:29 If you remember a few months back, I had a post titled There’s a baby in the house when baby Deacon (and mommy) came to visit the King casa. Well, guess who’s back? Yep, you guessed it! The only guest blogger ever to post content (although it was gibberish) on Tis Gar Plen. Mommy and Deacon decided to grace us with their presence this week, allowing us to be their host during their ‘vacation’ in Oklahoma. This is the third picture of Deacon on my blog (forth is below), the first being in the New Baby Announcement and the second in the June entry referenced above. As mentioned in June, this kid is all muscle, and I’m not talking table muscle. While he doesn’t have the balance to walk yet, this youngster was pulling up to the standing position several weeks ago and is wanting to start running all over the house.I found out after they had left for the airport that I had missed a very moving piano recita Read more:Return
Saskatoon Restaurant 2006-10-13 16:23:39 I recently received an email from a friend that shared one of the advertising images of the Saskatoon Restaurant in Greenville, SC. It was so good, I had to share it here. Before posting, I visited their web site and found a few additional images to add as well: Not exactly politically correct, but when has that worried me?
Care to cast a vote? 2006-10-11 23:02:13 I have used this forum before to announce an impending upgrade to my personal web site (http://tisgarplen.tux.nu/) and I am about to do it again.This isn’t a flagrant call for comments, but a genuine request from my on-line friends to share their thoughts about a change I am thinking about. If you would like to take a few minutes to visit my current site, then review the proposed template change at http://manna4all.net/tgp2 and let me know your thoughts, I would greatly appreciate it. (note: both links will open in a new browser window)The program I use for creating web sites allows for quick changes to the overall template of the sites. If I need to make a few minor changes, such as the images with the bike (side of current site, top of proposed site) that is pretty much all I have to do. After I copied the files from current to proposed, I spent about 15 minutes to make the minor modifications prior to uploading to the test address.Thanks in advance to a
Time lapse photo of a plane taking off.... 2006-10-10 05:08:22 Airliners.net has an incredible time lapse photo of a UPS plane taking off, it looks like a road in the sky... If you visit the site, you should view the large version, as it is simply an incredible photo!
"In God We Trust" in Ohio 2006-10-08 18:23:00 A few months back (July 2006) Ohio
governor Bob Taft signed a bill requiring all public and community schools to display donated copies of the national motto, "In God We Trust" and the state motto, "With God, All Things Are Possible". The bill requires public and charter schools using state money to display copies of the mottoes if they are donated for use in classroom, auditorim, or cafeteria. Three federal courts of appeal have upheld displays of the Ten Commandments in public buildings.
I am sure that various groups will begin court proceedings to attempt to strike down this bill, this will be interesting to follow.
Additional details on this can be found here and here
It's Gametime! Part Deux 2006-11-10 00:27:39 I shared several weeks back about the emails I send out to all the students prior to home football games for the athletic department (see post). Without getting into all the details of the message being sent out today, I do have a funny piece to tell about it.Setup:The game is against the Baylor Bears and this is the primary image in this week’s email:After a message is sent out, I normally send a follow-up message to the approver to let them know the distribution process has been completed. This week, besides just a simple “DONE”, I included: “I feel sorry for the guy who was originally in the picture, but is now missing. All of his friends got their picture shared with the entire campus, and he got turned into a ghost! ;-)”The reply back from the approver made me chuckle, because their four word reply was simply: It was Boone Pickens!For those of you who don’t know the recent history of OSU and T. Boone Pickens,
Note to applicant 2006-11-11 19:34:57 When completing a job application, some questions are asked in pairs, so that if one is answered with a negative response, the follow-up question doesn't require an answer.Example:If you answer the question "Have you ever been arrested?" with 'no', don't answer the follow-up question of "Why?" with 'I was never caught'.Just something to think about....Sent via my SX66 device (which may explain why it was short)
Euro-English right around the corner 2006-11-13 22:17:57 The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English
will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5-year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English". In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter. There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter. In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have alway Read more:corner
Garfield Randomizer 2006-11-14 17:49:01 ...so this guy noticed that Garfield
comics make just as much sense if you throw random panels together, and sometimes are actually pretty funny. He got a cease and desist letter. So he made the code available for people who wanted to try it for themselves. Here we go!
This is what I got the third time I hit the Go button (which cycles the images):
Not a political blog, but... 2006-11-15 21:58:39 As my faithful readers are aware, I normally don’t make political
‘statements’ in my blog. However, the below cartoon was sent to me about a month ago and I stored it away in my “blog fodder” file. Most of the items in this file are of a humorous or personal nature, but some are very serious. For whatever reason, I have decided to finally post this entry.First, a little history. When I was growing up, my father was a military physician and in the early 1970’s we were stationed in Germany. This was a wonderful opportunity as we were able to travel and see places many people only dream of seeing (or end up using the internet for virtual-visits). One of the most vivid memories I have is one of visiting a concentration camp memorial site. While the visuals there have always stayed with me, over the years my memory was that the camp we visited was Auschwitz, probably because it is one of the most famous camps
Today is the day I get my new leg! 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Today is the day I get my new leg!Here I am waiting in the exam room when I heard the heavy door from the back of the clinic open ... that means my prosthetics team is on the way. In walks my CP with a piece of art even the great inventor Michelangelo would be jealous of. This work of art, from the bottom up, consists of a Freedom Innovation Renegade foot (size 27cm) attached to a 4.75 inch titanium post. Above the post is a quick-connect Ferrel coupler which has been joined to the sweetest socket ever presented to an amputee. Three layers of carbon-fibre lower and two layers upper, all covered with a beautiful cotton blend material inked with vintage autos and license plates. To top it off, my "Tis Gar Plen" logo is on the side, displayed proudly within an ichthus (christian fish) symbol. It even has the "new leg" smell (carbon fibre & resin)OK, it looks great, but how does it feel? Time to don the new liner and leg. Both are on, but something is wrong. It feels too good ... yeah, Read more:Today
Test post (with pic) 1970-01-01 00:59:59 Well, I saw an opportunity to 'upgrade' my blog to the blogger beta, which would be linked to my GMail account. After the upgrade, I found that neither of the programs that I normally use to post my blog entries no longer worked ....AAARRRRGGGHHHH! After spending plenty of time with Google, I ran across "Windows Live Writer" and installed it. After initializing it, I think I might just like this one better than what I had been using. This ties directly to my blog template, so I am able to see exactly how the formatting and spacing looks, prior to posting. Inserting pictures appears to be much better. The image is displayed immediately, borders (drop shadow and photopaper) are an option and image effects can be done on the fly. The last item to check for my template design is the blockquote tag My template is supposed to indent and italicize the text. Also, at the top left of the quoted text
The best shirt I have seen this season 1970-01-01 00:59:59 With Christmas quickly approaching, our mailbox has been inundated with various catalogs. Over the years we might have purchased half a dozen items from a few of the catalog vendors, but there is no way we have purchased enough (in my mind) to merit the volume of catalogs we receive. We recently received the Signals catalog. This has always been a family favorite for "window shopping" as it normally contains several cool things, including clever shirts. Some examples include: "Always Late But Worth the Wait" "50 is the new 30" "Veni, Vidi, Volo In Domum Redire" (Translated: I Came, I Saw, I Want To Go Home) "Am I getting older or is the supermarket playing great music?" "Mom, Dad, I'm Gaelic" "Embarrassing my children: Just one more service I offer" But the best shirt (hoodie) I found had to be: NOTE: In case you don't recognize the seals below the te
Plans have been finalized 2008-03-07 08:10:00 To celebrate the pending graduation and start of college by Sarah, Renee and I have scheduled a family trip to our nation's capital. While I won't share the exact dates here, the trip will be sometime after the school year is over. We still have plenty of time to schedule our itinerary for the days we are there, but I am more than willing to take suggestions for "must see" and "should avoid" options that are there. We will be staying at the Hotel Harrington ("... convenient to everything in D.C."). Please feel free to leave a comment with suggestions for our trip. We will be there five full days and two half-days (arrive at 1:00pm on a Wednesday and fly out at 6:00pm on the following Tuesday). We found a website titled DC Flyby, that provides a 'downto
Who would have thought it was a 'historical' site? 2008-03-01 17:47:00 I just found out that the house I lived in at Holdenville, OK was recently cut into four pieces, moved to a ranch in Texas and reassembled. The individual responsible for this action was T. Boone Pickens, and with the reason being that this was the house his family was living in when he was born! During the 'research' for this posting (finding a couple of Wikipedia links, see above), I found out that due to complications during his birth, T. Boone was the first baby born at the Holdenville Hospital via Caesarean section. How cool is that? Read more:thought
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