kidTruant

time to play

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Sun, 14 Jul 2013 00:42:00 +0000

About two months ago, my wife got me the Lego Millennium Falcon as a birthday present. Now, it's my strong-held belief that you should always get a toy for any and all special gift-giving occasions. Toys are important -- what a toy is, is not. It could be made by Lego or Apple, a new gardening tool by John Deere or a new camera lens. As long as it's something that engages you in creativity, not just a new tie to wear to work (I don't wear ties), then it's a toy.

But where is the line in time when we got older and stopped playing with imagination toys? And I don't mean the new iPad or the new garden tool -- I mean Legos, action figures and dolls, play sets and crayons. (Btw, have you drawn with crayons lately? It's seriously a ton of fun coloring in and outside the lines.) Why is it weird to see a 40 year old playing with toys, but not a 4 year old? (Ok, because it is weird.) Part of it is that there's seemingly no time to play as you get older. You get focused on work, on getting to the bar or gym on time, making payments, making babies, back to making payments... there's no time. But I think as we get older we discover other pursuits that fulfill the "playing" we did as a child. Whether it's video games or photography, blogging or even working out, it's a "hobby" -- which is a term for grownups playing. But I think imaginative play is important, too, and I don't do it enough, if at all anymore.

So that brings me back to the Lego Millennium Falcon. When I got it, I was pretty stoked -- even just thinking about finding the time to set aside to put the model together made me feel more relaxed. My in-laws joked that between work and having a 2-year old at the house, putting it together would take me a long time. (Then they sent me pictures of their grandson's 2 completed Falcons...)

Took me a month and a half of random 30 minute or 15 minutes opportunities. Probably 3 hours total time. And boy, it was fun. The best part was imagining the ship was in the process of being built by a shipyard, and I was watching it all come together.

When I finished the Falcon, placing the characters inside gave me the opportunity to find the small vignettes that seemed to just automatically happen.

I'm not sure why, but Luke Skywalker looks really pissed.
Sure, Aunt Veru and Uncle Owen got roasted, but the dude just seems really annoyed.

Wise words...

Cosmic diva takes no crap.

After I positioned the figures I realized that those vignettes are "play." I was playing. And that was pretty cool. Maybe I'm only discovering what parents around the world already know -- one of the best parts of parenting is getting to play with your kids' toys. I look forward to watching my darling daughter get older and explore the world... and get cool toys for us to play with.

Here's all the pictures from the Lego Millennium Falcon (or view the set on Flickr):

here's to the traitors

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Thu, 04 Jul 2013 04:01:00 +0000

237 years ago, our forefathers all went out on a limb, threw their John Hancock on a piece of parchment and became traitors. Happy July 4th, my fellow Americans!

My area of DC gets very ebullient on July 4th. I live far enough away from downtown to avoid the season's tourists, but close enough to see the the National Mall's explosively patriotic evening events (ok, I mean I can from my roof and if I stand on my toes and peek over the tops of the trees... there, to the left, see that? No, my left... yeah, that's the fireworks on the Mall).

Of course, for the new to DC, the "required at least once" viewing is down at the mall and experiencing the full effect of the bands, symphony and B-list stars. Oh, you can't forget the subsequent learning opportunity upon trying to then metro home from the national fireworks. Enjoy that crowded metro full of hot humid air and sweaty Marylanders and Virginians.

After that, I think the best view is from a friend's (or your own) high roof. Any place above Meridian Hill and U Street will work. From a roof you can see the downtown national fireworks, Takoma, Rosslyn, Bethesda... all at once. With some creative playlists, you can even time the different fireworks to some patriotic music (or Lady Gaga, whatever works).

The highlight of the night's viewing activities, the best part of being in DC that night, is the orgy of fireworks fired off by residents all night long. The maelstrom will generally start about 30 mins after sundown and go on for hours of non-stop viewing from all sides. No matter where you stand on a roof, there's bound to be someone sending hundreds of dollars worth of explosives into the air. You'll see everything from Roman candles, whistlers, buzzers and single-pop black cats to professional-looking palm-shells, kamuros, spiders, willows and chrysanthemums. And that's just in a 2 block radius. We're talking some professional-looking projectiles here.

With a 2 year old in the house now... our night is probably going to be rough with the constant pop pop pop and bang! Not really conducive to toddler sleep. Ah, the joys of DC.

Here's a video I shot back in 2010 from my rooftop.

We're all another year older, another year of BBQs and hanging out with family and friends. Another year to celebrate our separation from tyrannical rule and watch big explosions with oohs and aahs and the smell of gunpowder in the air.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed...

It's a good opportunity to reflect on the state of affairs in our country today, the various whistle-blowers (or traitors, depending upon your perspective) and the level of intrusiveness and the potential growth of the security state. It's always an interesting time to be an American, as our country is always changing, for good and for bad. It's a balancing act, and right now it's kind of a circus clown show between Congress, the Administration, Snowden, NSA, TSA, police powers, blah blah. I wonder if Americans are taking for granted the liberties that our forefathers risked their life and limbs on 237 years ago. That which gets ignored slowly rots away... we must be vigilant to protect the fragile freedoms that we hope to enjoy, or before we know it, they won't be there.

We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately.

- Benjamin Franklin

Follow kidTruant on Facebook and Twitter.

somnambulation

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Tue, 02 Jul 2013 01:24:00 +0000

My cute little daughter is now a few months past 2 years old.

Our dream, as parents, is to sleep late. You know. Like to 6 or something.

Our daughter wakes up at 5am every day. Except for those days when it's 4am.

I'm lucky that my wife gets up with our daughter and often lets me sleep in -- to 7ish. You'd think she was being altruistic, but I think she just really enjoys the one-on-one Mommy time, and I can't begrudge that in the least. Our daughter is a joy in the morning ... that is, assuming she got a good night's sleep and a good nap during the afternoon on the day before. If not, look out!

She definitely is like me -- a terror when tired. I have a very understanding wife.

A few months ago, a really good (and childless) friend of mine was asking us about being parents and kids sleeping habits. We told him about how our daughter gets up early, so we end up going to bed early just to try to get sleep. The days of seeing 1 or 2am roll around while we stay up and watch TV / watch movies / play games / drink / get lucky or come strolling in from a night on the town are greatly diminished. It's more like "Wow, it's 10 (yawn) ... can't believe we stayed up so late!" Shuffle off to bed.

My friend looked at us and said "But you get to sleep in on the weekends, right?"

thinking of others

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Fri, 28 Jun 2013 01:03:00 +0000

And brownies. Gosh I really like brownies.

useless box

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 15:20:00 +0000

I'll leave this here for you to ponder and enjoy. (I would love to build one / get one; great to leave sitting on a shelf for a guest to randomly find and flick...)

courtesy reddit.

soap box derby

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Wed, 26 Jun 2013 02:37:00 +0000

Supposedly tomorrow the Supreme Court is going to announce its decision on the Defense of Marriage Act and generally, same-sex marriage. Living in DC I've been watching the all the name calling, the protests (yay gay! hetero only!), the Facebook chatter and the talking-heads news reports (ok, mainly John Stewart and Stephen Colbert... but at least I'm getting both sides).

I've been listening to my friends and family with their why-fors and the why-nots. You know what I haven't heard? A single valid reason to be against marriage equality.

I've heard religious excuses.

I've heard societal-impact excuses.

I've heard the "I just can't imagine it" excuses.

If you're against same-sex marriage, it's because you're afraid. It's because you don't understand people. It might be you've been cloistered by your religious upbringing and fail to see that all people have rights, and they should be the same rights. I'm happy if someone likes their religion, but hey, like a case of the cooties, keep it to yourself. (And the last time some narrow-minded ignoramus used the phrase "it's a states-rights issue" I happily unfriended him.)

I have more respect for someone who admits fear of homosexuality than attempting to rationalize their irrationality with made-up excuses. If you're afraid your marriage is in jeopardy due to same-sex marriage, it might be because you have a bad marriage. If you're afraid of two loving same-sex people raising loved, respected children it's probably because you don't know how to love and respect people.

Does this make me intolerant?
Uh, yeah. And I'm cool with that. I respect anyone's right to have an opinion, especially a differing one... I just don't respect anyone who wants to negatively impact another person's life because of their own personal or religious beliefs or immature world view. Just like I'm intolerant of any bigot on any civil rights issue.

I am really happy that, as far as I know, all my friends agree with marriage equality. I'd have a hard time staying friends if they weren't, not because I'm gay (not that there's anything wrong with that), but because I want to be the intolerant one surrounded by tolerance, love and respect.

-----------------
On a side note... while looking for photos for this post, I noticed that when I typed the phrase "gay" and "gay marriage" into google, the search box changed.

Awesome.

6-26-13 Update:
The Supreme Court has struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), removing the barrier for same-sex married couples to receive the same federal benefits.

Pics courtesy of knile and Joelk75.

bro, you awake?

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:37:00 +0000

Sometimes it's like there's a little person in your head tap-tap-tapping away, sometimes gently, sometimes not, when you're trying to fall asleep. Just quietly, happily, trying to fall asleep.

"Bro, you awake? How about that presentation tomorrow, huh? Wonder if the file is on the shared drive. Wow, these covers get warm, you should stick your feet out. Nah, pull 'em back in. What time is it, like 4am or something? Oh, it's 1? Huh. Yo, think that tick gave you Lyme's disease? How would you know? What are the symptoms of Lyme's disease? Should we lay here and think about it for a while? Geez, that dog snores loud. Bro, you sleepin'? How about that pillow, huh? Could this thing get any more lumpy?"

I feel like my insomnia voice seems to sound like a low-level shtick comedian from Jersey working the late shift. He has too much chest hair and not enough good jokes.

(On the other hand, I got up and ate a brownie, so there's that.)

Here's a great little TED talk on the mystery of 4am in literature, music and culture.

i'll take the banana

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 05:54:00 +0000

Here's a fascinating short documentary by Marc Isaacs.

He filmed people in a London apartment elevator, just standing there in the back of the car, watching with his camera and listening with his microphone, as people end up telling him personal things about themselves.

Amazing how we trust each other sometimes.

got ink?

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:56:00 +0000

I've always dug tattoos. Some are incredibly elegant, with very intense artwork and shading. Some confuse me... did a four year old draw that?

Back in college when it became a trend among my friends to get one, I didn't. I just couldn't think of what image or text I'd want on my body forever. This notion was reinforced by some of the incredibly dumbass tats my friends got, like a Joe the Camel around a bicep, or the Tasmanian Devil ripping out of a peace sign inked on a back. They weren't winners. I admit I didn't have much respect for the work.

But I do respect a person's dedication to great ink art, and I respect great ink artists. While you can buy yourself a full-length sleeve tattoo for ten bucks, that's only good for Halloween. If you dedicate your life (and your skin) to intricate, artistic tats, you've got my respect.

This one looks like it was painted on this woman's back...

via bodyartdiary.com

Really nice design...

via Sakura on deviantART.com

The colors on this one are fantastic...

via annielicious on deviantART.com

Here's a fun game... find the tattoo...

pretty good illusion -- the pen is a tattoo

Obviously, I have a geek affinity for this one...

via Casey Tattoos

Tattoos tell a story. Some are "I got drunk and now I have this on my ass." Some are "I like to have Chinese characters on my arm -- it means 'courage'!" (Hint, no it doesn't.) Some tattoos commemorate an occasion, a person or an idea and mean more than what the ink shows.

Some are simple, like this poem tattoo:

Picture of Pvt Hockenberry, © Laura Rauch Stars and Stripes

"For those I love I will sacrifice." The tattoo on Private First Class Kyle Hockenberry's right side became famous after he was greviously injured in Afghanistan in June 2011. On his evac out, Stars and Stripes reporter Laura Rauch took this now-famous picture. Pvt. Hockenberry was only 19 when he lost his legs and one arm. The Stars and Stripes article is worth the read -- the photo won a prestigious 2011 Sigma Delta Chi Award for excellence in journalism. (Here's more about Pvt. Hockenberry.)

As for me...
I knew exactly when the time was right for my first and only tattoo: in 2011 to celebrate the birth of my daughter. Since my daughter's name is Greek and Hebrew and means "the life that binds together," I knew I wanted an original design that would symbolize the interconnected lives of my wife, my daughter and myself. Here's what I came up with (with excellent work by ink artist Robert “Pup” Byington).

kidTruant's disembodied arm

The tattoo is made up of three signs all interwoven together representing the three of us: Gemini on top, looped into Cancer on the left and Aries at the bottom, tied into both) and is on my left arm (supposedly the one with the direct tie to the heart). I'm totally in love with my tat, and glad I waited for a design that was original and intimately connected to my family. It means wherever I go, they're with me. I think that's awesome.

The other day I was commenting on a Facebook post by a friend of mine, complementing this awesome display cabinet:

that's a lot of Imperial bad-assery in one cabinet (jealous)

Turns out, this magnificent display of imperial armor belongs to a fellow named Pat, the owner of Casey's Tattoo in Nacogdoches, Texas. I checked out the tattoo studio's Facebook page and dug their work (check out some photos). I saw their awesome new studio shirt and decided I wanted to represent my old home state here in DC. I sent Casey's a random message on Facebook and asked to buy a shirt. Talk about good people, they totally hooked me up! Not only did they not charge me, they sent me a ton of goodies: 2 shirts, 5 car stickers and even 2 beer cozies (they are in Texas, afterall). I'm wearing the color shirt right now (love the clover as the apostrophe).

Really nice of Pat and his crew at Casey's. If you happen to be close to Nacogdoches, and ink is in your future, you have to check them out. Looking at their fine detail work, small tattoo work (really impressive, btw) and their shading techniques, I wish I were closer.

Here's some of their work (the storm trooper tattoo above is theirs, as well)...

via Casey's Tattoos

Love the shadow detail

Who knows, maybe a nice kidTruant tattoo is in the future? What do you say, Casey's? ;)

congrats mr president

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 17:20:00 +0000

Do good work, sir.

auto-rip my books pls

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Thu, 10 Jan 2013 23:55:00 +0000

Amazon announced a new feature called AutoRip. Basically, if you purchased a CD since 1998 from Amazon.com, they'll now make that album available to you as high-quality mp3s in their online music locker. Plus, any new CD that you buy (one that qualifies, not all do) will also appear in your Amazon Cloud Player account. (Yo, whatzzup playa!)

When ripping one becomes a better ROI...

Great. Considering most people can rip a CD in under 5 minutes, and probably have most of their desired music already in mp3 format, AutoRip is nice but not earth-shattering. It's cool if you want to own the CD and want to save time by not ripping it yourself. Afterall, Amazon is offering the mp3s in DRM-free 256kbps files. Holla. That's really sweet. You can then download them to your computer or keep them in the cloud.

But you know what would really be amazing and useful?
Give me digital copies of the books I've purchased over the past two decades. (Here's a fun fact: Amazon started out as an online bookstore not a music seller or Best Buy killer... True story. Do you know the first book sold?)

I have hundreds of books in boxes, on shelves, piled up, stacked away... and I'd love to have the ebook version of some of them. My only three choices are to scan each page, buy the ebook version or find a pirated version online. I'd love to buy a new book, in hardcover cause that's how I roll, and get the ebook version. I love looking at my books... sitting and reading the paper version... and I like having a book on my iPhone, my iPad, my kindle, etc. I like going to Japan with 5 books and having them all on one device (or on all my devices and not taking up all that physical space).

An eShelf is not as lovely as a real book shelf

Look, I was very anti-kindle when it came out. Nook shmook, gimme paper not plastic. But now I own a kindle and an iPad, an iPhone, a Mac... my wife has the same... and we share the same Kindle account and books. Sharing is great (like this book - quickly becoming a necessary handbook, it seems). Convenience is great. Being able to look up a word that you don't know with the touch of a finger or click of a button is what it's all about (well, the hokey-pokey is clearly what it's all about, but I digress...). I love my kindle. Pretty much everyone I know who owns a kindle loves it. Yet I love books, and I like buying books.

Amazon: Auto-rip my books, please.

No but seriously, AutoRip is cool. Go login to Amazon and see if you have music waiting for you. I did, it was cool.

vids, kids and lullabies

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Sun, 06 Jan 2013 15:32:00 +0000

My wife and I decided, as a general rule, that our daughter would not watch TV until she was 3. We want her to focus on reading and imaginative play before she zones out on Star Trek like a good lil kidTruant offspring. Now into ZR's 22nd month, we've kept to this. Mostly. Certainly, some television is educational and teaches concepts that lend themselves really well to the medium.

That and ZR discovered Elmo at daycare so... we then discovered the myriad of children's videos on YouTube, seemingly designed just for exhausted parents and Elmo aficionados. This brush your teeth song was phenomenal in getting ZR excited to brush her teeth (and honestly, we thought it was great too... check out the singers and actors who show up in the video).

So while we're still avoiding TV, ZR knows to ask for the "macbook" to watch an Elmo video on counting.

To help entertain all of us, we decided to pay for a subscription to Pandora to get commercial-free music. So, yay for an uninterrupted stream of Sesame Street and the Wiggles!

(On a side note... omg, how many versions of Wheels on the Bus are there? Does every children's singer have to do their own version? Really? And why does everyone have to "move on back, move on back?" Is there discrimination on the bus? Itsy Bitsy Spider? When is that stupid arachnid gonna learn that building a home on a water spout is a terrible fucking idea? I feel like these may not be the best lessons to be teaching a 22-month old.)

What is great about Pandora is that steady stream of music -- create a new "station" by putting a tune or a musician name into the app (or website) and you'll get hours of similar music. Put simplistically, the service determines what to play based on the music genome project -- the relationship of different music to each other much like how genetics shows the interconnection between people. You then vote up or down for each song, which then refines the algorithm Pandora uses to serve the music. Kinda groovy. Until you've heard the same song 10 times, or realize that the music is blending together. Pandora doesn't do big variety unless you actively change the "station." But for 4 bucks a month, it's a great way to get kid's music without buying endless CDs or MP3s that we won't listen to in 3 months.

Great Example: over Xmas we created a Charlie Brown Christmas Jazz station that I'm still listening to a few weeks later because it's awesome. You're a cool cat, Charlie Brown.

Last night, the wife turned on Pandora as we were "winding down ZR's evening" to listen to music as we got her ready for bed. After they went upstairs to go to sleep, she left the music on and I found myself getting really relaxed. "Hmm, this music is pretty nice. What is this channel, hon?" She laughs... "the Lullaby channel." Maybe I'm getting old (or I'm just tired).

So now we have a lot of music in the house, which is great, and the TV is mostly off except for the evenings. And to be honest, with a day that starts at 5 or 6am, we're not up very late anymore. When our friends ask if we're just totally oh-so-loving that hot new cable program, we're like "No. We have a toddler and we're snooty." At least, that's what we think people hear when we say "No, but I've heard about it. I tend to only watch Elmo YouTube videos lately."

(On the other hand, I just discovered The Big Bang Theory. I know, right? You'd think I would have been the total target audience but I didn't have time before to watch. Now I'm all about the reruns at night after the wife heads to bed. That's why TBS exists... they run back-to-back episodes. And hello, Barenaked Ladies do the theme song? The show deserves a MacArthur Prize... it's genius!)

Brush brushee brush...

writing and other post-apocalypse hobbies

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 02:07:00 +0000

So I just noticed that it's been quite some time since I wrote a blog post. Time really flies, huh? Ok, I didn't just notice. I'm totally fucking lying. In fact, lately I've been alternatively ignoring and obsessing / stressing about the fact that I'm not writing. I've had good reasons to have been tardy -- new job and new baby. Now both are two years old, and after dealing with poop from both I find that I am jonesin' to write. You were probably wondering where I went (uh, kid who?)... well, I ain't forgot ya.

flickr: olvrbrown

kidTruant is back on, bitches. I have a lot to write about, from my tech/geek toys (hello iPad mini!) to some political crap (I do live in DC afterall) but mainly just typical sarcastic commentary on life. And now with extra fun stuff about toddlers. And diapers. Either way, there's more good stuff on its way.

I hope you missed me. I hope you wondered where I went. I hope you plan on reading some more, cause every writer wants an audience... kinda like how a raincoat-draped flasher craves people to check out and be awes-struck over his package.

And my package is awesome.

writers are dirty dirty narcissists

thanks Steve

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:20:00 +0000

"No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary." -- Steve Jobs, 2005

an epiphany with friends

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 16:12:00 +0000

I'm a bit addicted to an iPhone game called Words with Friends. It's a knock-off of Scrabble, and it does some things better than the original, some things not as good. It's much faster and more social, making it easier to find your Facebook friends and chat with them during a game (whether it's complimenting a great turn or talking smack).

It also has three big crimes:

It never tells you WHICH word you placed isn't acceptable;
The sound effects can't be turned off (they get tiresome after one listening);
What the potential score might be. This is a lesser crime.

At any one time, I think I have six to seven games going on with as many people (not to mention games on the "official" Scrabble iPhone app...). My wife, my brother-in-law, my sister, friends and even my 10 year old nephew all have active, recurring games with me. It's a lot of word-play. Mainly, you find yourself playing "Qi" over and over for the easy 11+ points (normally it's on a double letter, triple letter or double word score square, so now we're talking 22 to 31 points for those two little letters... not too shabby).

Well, I was taking my turn earlier this morning (I had four games waiting patiently for me) when I had an epiphany: Finding time to play can be hard, so it's generally when you have a few minutes downtime. Maybe you're standing in line at the grocery store. Maybe you're about to go to bed and playing for a few minutes. But more likely, (and here's my epiphany) Words with Friends is tell-tale for when your friends are pooping.

When else do people have that much free time to sit and stare at a game on their phones? Email, sure, you can scan that in line at the grocery store pretty easy. But a Scrabble game? Naw, that's something you can only reserve for quality poop time, for sure. (It may be a guy-thing, but I don't think so...)

I'm thinking I'm right... but I'm also thinking I don't want to know if I'm right.

Wanna play me in Words with Friends? Download the game and look for kidTruant. Just don't tell me yer pooping when we play, ok?

happy 2011

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 20:52:00 +0000

So Arthur C. Clarke's predictions for the future didn't come true... again. Thanks Art.

Well, so what if we don't have spaceships to Jupiter and aliens in our backyard? We've got many other things to be thankful for in the upcoming year! As for me, I have a kitchen renovation, a new job and a new baby, pretty much in that order. It'll be a busy, messy year ahead.

J.C. Leyendecker artwork for the 1911 Saturday Evening Post.

I hope your 2011 is better than your 2010 and that you are happy, healthy and wise.

smooches!

kidTruant

toys for my (geek) tot

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 20:46:00 +0000

I was once terrified by the idea of being a parent ... and then my wife told me she was pregnant, and my fears disappeared. It's a done deal, no need for anxiety anymore. Then one day a Legos catalogue came in the mail and a realization hit me: I get to play with toys again!

I don't mean my normal type of toys. I mean new toys like Legos and building blocks, kickball and swings, video games and coloring books. Now I find myself much more aware of kids toys that are being marketed, such as this one toy that I think is very cool.

My new obsession are interactive blocks called Sifteo Cubits. These aren't just any type of blocks, no sir. The Cubits have 1.5" LCD graphic displays on them and are able to detect motion, are aware of their neighbor blocks and are wifi enabled. Seriously, it's like taking my toys and mixing them with kids toys to create the perfect geek toy. Joy!

Developed by an MIT grad, these blocks are designed to interact with each other and the person (or child) playing with them. They can be different types of games and puzzles, can do math, play complex music and can change features / functionality depending upon how they're played with by the person. They're still in development and are supposed to come out first quarter 2011. I think my daughter will be too young for a few years to use these, but I suppose there's nothing wrong with me doing some "product testing" ahead of time, right?

Here's a great TED video from 2009 from the MIT grad, David Merrill, as he demonstrates the Cubits (called siftables back then). Even if you're not a fan of the toy... you have to admit that the impact technology is making on how we interact and understand the world around is evolving at an exciting pace. I can't wait to see (and play with) my daughter's toys in 10 years.

problems with your apple or blackberry?

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 22:36:00 +0000

It's always a bad feeling when the cool tech toy of the year fails to impress. Maybe you bought yourself or a loved one a new Apple, and coverage is a bit spotty. Perhaps your BlackBerry isn't holding its juice the way you thought. Always a disappointment.

If you have a problem with your Apple or BlackBerry product, you should always check with a qualified technician, just like this fellow does in the BBC video below... (ps, "Orange" is a mobile provider in England)

Ronnie Corbett and Harry Enfield star in this fruity sketch from The One Ronnie, written by Dawson Bros.

pic courtesy of pixel & matter

keepin' it real

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 18:17:00 +0000

Just a reminder, that as we enjoy our holiday break, other Americans aren't. Whether they are sick, homeless or in battle, not everyone enjoys the day. I saw the picture below on MSNBC and it made me feel a little less jolly. That, and these guys are hard-core. Click the image to see the expression on the right soldier's face.

click to embiggen

Spc. Charles Moore, left, of Angleton, Texas, along with Spc. Andrew Vanderhaeghen of Rochester, Minn., of 2nd Platoon Bravo Company 2-327 return fire after a sudden attack by Taliban on combat outpost Badel in easteran Afghanistan near the Pakistan border on Saturday, Dec 25. (From MSNBC Photoblog)

merry happiness to all

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 17:58:00 +0000

May the spirit of the season bring cheer to all, whether you're opening gifts, going to church or enjoying a nice movie and Chinese food today.

As for me, it brought a few hours volunteering at a food pantry and then an Apple TV. ;)

Merry Christmas! Enjoy the Tom Waits video, below...

pardon me, billy the kid

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 05:19:00 +0000

It seems that before Billy the Kid died, he was supposed to get a pardon by the governor of New Mexico... back in 1879. Turns out, the governor, Lew Wallace, didn't follow through with a promise he made to William Bonney (aka, Billy the Kid). Who knew?

(Apparently, some dedicated people in New Mexico...)

Long story short, Bonney was involved in an armed conflict that most of his fellow troublemakers received amnesty for. He did not get amnesty because he was under indictment at the time, disqualifying him. He agreed to testify in a murder trial, for which he was offered a pardon by Wallace. He did... and no pardon.

The story that followed is tragic in a wild west way, especially when you consider that when Bonney was finally "caught" (shot and killed) he was only 22.

Now, Bill Richardson, the current governor of New Mexico, is considering giving William Bonney the pardon he was promised oh so long ago. The governor has opened up a website and email address to consider public opinion on the matter. Considering Richardson is on his way out as governor, don't be surprised if that pardon comes through, and Billy the Kid gets away one last time.

Read the New Mexico webpage about the potential pardon. And read the two page Pardon Application (pdf) for Bonney... it's really quite interesting.

Thing is, I can't help but hear the Billy Joel ballad in my head...

your email just got the 4th

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 22:32:00 +0000

The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) has helped win an important victory for US citizens with their work on a recent appeals court decision that brings Fourth Amendment protection to email communications:

In a landmark decision issued today in the criminal appeal of U.S. v. Warshak, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the government must have a search warrant before it can secretly seize and search emails stored by email service providers. Closely tracking arguments made by EFF in its amicus brief, the court found that email users have the same reasonable expectation of privacy in their stored email as they do in their phone calls and postal mail. (Full article on EFF.org)

This means the government can't peer into your email communications at their whim, but now require a court order just like phone, snail mail or home searches. I remember there was talk about a government system at AOL called Carnivore that searched email as it zipped across the AOL network. It always made me wonder at the legality of monitoring and searching email.

Just because you're innocent doesn't mean a government has the right to monitor you. If you don't stand up for your rights, someone else will gladly walk right over them.

If you think the EFF did a great job helping to protect your rights, consider donating to them:

click to donate

If your interested, here's full the court decision. (pdf)

exciting

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 04:32:00 +0000

Courtesy of Dweebist. It's probably true.

saddest xmas tree ever

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 23:28:00 +0000

Really?

Is it anarchy? Tomfoolery? Pure meanness?

What ass decided to cut down this old, historic and beloved tree in England?

click to embiggen

From the UK's Daily Mail:

Vandals have destroyed one of the most celebrated Christian pilgrimage sites in Britain and chopped down a tree said to have sprouted from the staff of Joseph of Arimathea 2,000 years ago.

The Holy Thorn Tree of Glastonbury, Somerset, is visited by thousands every year to pay homage and leave tokens of worship. Those visiting today were moved to tears on finding the tree cut to a stump.

The sacred tree is unique in that it blossoms twice a year - at Christmas and Easter - and sprigs taken from the thorn are sent to The Queen each year for the festive table.

I'm not religious, and I don't think trees are "holy" -- but whoever did this deserves to be locked up for severely damaging the tree. Luckily, it will probably grow back... but really? WTF?

You can read the full article from the Daily Mail. Then mebbe go plant a tree somewhere.

Pic courtesy MSNBC Photoblog.

just do it

noreply@blogger.com (kidTruant) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 18:41:00 +0000

When I was in college, I met with a class over at the professor's house one evening. We discussed writing and what it takes to tell a story. The one piece of thought, of advice or of truth that I took away from that night was a statement the professor made: "Writer's write." You can do or say whatever you want, but if you want to do something, do it, and keep doing it.

Which brings me to a related, if somewhat different art and example... acting.

There is this really interesting video slideshow on the New York Times Magazine website that is worth checking out. It's "Fourteen Actors Acting," and it shows 14 famous actors portraying an emotion and telling a story in short scenes. There's not dialogue, only music that accompanies the video -- very reminiscent of early cinema before "talkies." Most are very successful... two struck me as not working well, as they break the moment in various ways. I'll leave it to you to judge.

Check it out.

Image courtesy of NYTimes.