Kihei, Hawaii Whitefish, Montana Bloomington, Minnesota Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria UTC/GMT Iraq Afghanistan Republic of Korea Ocean Grove, Victoria
Optimized for 1280x1024 resolution

Sunday, February 28, 2010

Modesto makes pitch for super-fast Google Internet service

Water, wealth, contentment, health ... Google? That's the high-tech angle some are hoping to add to Modesto's tag line.

Residents and city officials are leading an effort to persuade Internet giant Google to bring ultra high-speed Internet access to Modesto. Google, already the search engine of choice for Planet Earth, wants to become an Internet service provider. It's accepting applications from cities willing to serve as guinea pigs for the project.

Google says it will build a fiber network that's 100 times faster than existing Internet service in winning cities.

Read entire story: Modesto Bee

When I first moved into my apartment here in Modesto I had internet service via AT&T DSL at 1.4mbs. I have since upgraded to Comcast Cable at 12mbs. A significant difference. In Kihei the Time-Warner cable provider offered their standard internet service over fiber-optics and the connection speed (I tested it) was 1.7gbs. Now that is FAST!









"Let's all be careful out there!"

CBS NEWS on the tsunami "non-event" in Hawai'i










"Let's all be careful out there!"

Number of Earthquakes - Worldwide 2000-2010

image pilfered from here: Uncle Bill's Canadian Blog









"Let's all be careful out there!"

Saturday, February 27, 2010

Tsunami waves cross the Hawaiian Islands

HONOLULU (KHNL-KGMB-HawaiiNewsNow) – At 1:50 PM Saturday, scientists at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center canceled the tsunami warning after all of Hawaii had braced for the worst for a tense 13 hours. Governor Linda Lingle, speaking from the state Civil Defense headquarters at Diamond Head crater, announced that there were no reports of significant property damage or loss of life.

The tsunami waves began hitting the Hawaiian Islands exactly at the time that scientists predicted, though without the ferocity that may island residents feared. The first indications of the tsunami appeared at around 11:30 AM Saturday as the ocean began dramatically receding from Hilo Bay.

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported that the sea level rose almost three feet at Hilo, surging and receding numerous times at intervals of about 20 minutes. No injuries or property damage were reported at Hilo, on the eastern coast of the Big Island of Hawaii.

Much of the areas in Hilo's inundation zone are now parklands, the city having been devastated by deadly tsunamis in 1946 and 1960.

At Kawaihae Harbor, on the Kona side of Hawaii, the tsunami was measured at almost two feet high. On Maui, at the main harbor of Kahului, the ocean rose over three feet, the highest surge recorded in the islands.

On the island of Oahu, police shut down dozens of major thoroughfares. Many businesses and institutions closed down and most scheduled events were canceled. Thousands of people gathered on hilltops and mountainsides to watch for the waves to come in. Thousands of tourists were ‘vertically evacuated' to higher floors of high-rise hotels at Waikiki Beach.

Time-lapse video of water receding in Hilo








"Let's all be careful out there!"

SCREEN CAPTURE

Of the USGS/Google Earth SHAKE MAP showing the affected area. Obviously it expanded well beyond the artificial truncated parameters set for the display:









"Let's all be careful out there!"

Deadly Earthquake Rocks Chile, Causes Tsunami Alerts

AP A massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake has rocked Chile, killing at least 122 people, bringing down homes and other buildings and causing tsumani warnings, watches and alerts in many parts of the Pacific Ocean.



U.S.G.S. DETAILS


Received this e-mail from a friend in Kihei:
Tsunami!!!!!!!!!
Aloha from Tsumani Land!!!!!

Hi friends and family,
Just a quick note to let you all know that the Hawaiian Islands will probably be hit with a 6' Tsunami wave starting around 11:20 am on the Big Island. I am located on the South side of Maui in the area known as Kihei. Where I live is just above the inundation zone, as it is called. I live down stairs and am making plans to evacuate to the upstairs around 11am HST. Don who lives upstairs have been through these things before and just doesn't think we are in any danger here. Just in case I will take my electronics and important papers etc. up stairs as in the event something comes I am sure my apartment would be flooded.
Anyway, people are already evacuating even though there is no order to do that. Gas stations and supermarkets are very busy with long lines out the door and into the streets. no sense of panic. Most people on the Big Island in hilo are most at risk because of the shape of Hilo Bay makes Tsunamis quite destructive there.
So far so good, all is well at this time of writing to you 8:23am HST.
I will keep you all posted.
I have attached some pics to document my preparations for this event.
Aloha!!!!
Robert















"Let's all be careful out there!"

Thursday, February 25, 2010

MOMM! HEY MOM!










"Let's all be careful out there!"

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

HOW DO YOU LIKE...

The blog's new look?

Decided it was time for a makeover and I thought the double sidebar would look good. I switched to the "new" Blogger layout format and made my modifications.

I will only be showing 4 posts at a time on the front page but you can see earlier ones by just clicking the "Older Posts" link that appears after the last post, or by using the ARCHIVES menu.

Hope you enjoy it and any feedback would be appreciated.








"Let's all be careful out there!"

For all you country music fans...










"Let's all be careful out there!"

Monday, February 22, 2010

Aloha HALOSCAN

I really liked Haloscan as a comment service but I just clicked on it and the new service from JS/Kit came up. Didn't like it and I posted a comment and it never appeared.

So, I have reactivated Blogger's "comment" service. It will be moderated to keep trolls from wasting everyone's time. Also, if I read it correctly, the comments will be embedded directly below the post. This eliminates all that hassle of pop-up window or being shuffled off to some other web page. If anyone else has left comments over the last couple of days, and they didn't appear in that sidebar widget (also history) then I never received them.

Don't forget, you can also use the chat box on the sidebar to just make general comments. Don't even have to sign in.

Hey, its almost March and winter will soon be leaving our presence. I am so HAPPY!

Oh, has anyone noticed that my other blog has both a left AND a right sidebar. Blogger doesn't offer that as an option but I've been doin' some readin' and figured out how to make it work. Pretty kewl, eh?









"Let's all be careful out there!"

My Angel Drops In

My beautiful Angel, Alissa (a/k/a/ "Wiskers") went skydiving yesterday, SUNDAY 21-FEB-2010. She's wearing the camera. (duh!) Just been informed the she's NOT the one wearing the camera. She's the one you're watching doing all the spins and shit. As she pointed out, winds speeds of 130mph do tend to distort one's appearance. Also, all that gear she's wearing tends to hide her fantastic good looks.

XOXO Love you Angel! XOXO











"Let's all be careful out there!"

Take the THINKING TEST

I got 22 out of 25 correct.
How well can you do?

CLICK HERE









"Let's all be careful out there!"

One Pissed Off Cat











"Let's all be careful out there!"

Saturday, February 20, 2010

A Great Cheese Commercial

Only The Strong










"Let's all be careful out there!"

QUESTIONS THAT WILL HAUNT YOU

  1. If you have sex with a prostitute against her will, is it considered rape or shoplifting?

  2. Can you cry under water?

  3. How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?

  4. Why do you have to "put your two cents in"..... But it's only a "penny for your thoughts"? Where's that extra penny going to?

  5. Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?

  6. Why does a round pizza come in a square box?

  7. What disease did cured ham actually have?

  8. How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?

  9. Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?

  10. Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?

  11. Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?

  12. Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway.

  13. Why is "bra" singular and "panties" plural?

  14. Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?

  15. If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a stupid song about him?

  16. Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?

  17. If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?

  18. Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!

  19. If Wile E.. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn't he just buy dinner?

  20. If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?

  21. If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?

  22. Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?

  23. Why did you just try singing the two songs above?

  24. Why do they call it an asteroid when it's outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it's in your butt?

  25. Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

  26. Why did Kamikaze pilots wear helmets?

  27. Do you ever wonder why you came here in the first place?











"Let's all be careful out there!"

Thursday, February 18, 2010

CHEVROLET BRINGS YOU THE NEWS - FROM 1935

Before the days of TV, shorts like this ran in the local theaters. Usually prior to the main feature.









"Let's all be careful out there!"

Out of the ol' e-mail box:

Crucial

Because of recent abductions

In daylight hours, refresh yourself

of these things to do

in an emergency situation...

This is for you,

and for you to share

with your wife,

your children,

everyone you know.

After reading these 9 crucial tips,

forward them to someone you care about.

It never hurts to be careful

in this crazy world we live in.
1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do :

The elbow is the strongest point

on your body.

If you are close enough to use it, do!
2.. Learned this from a tourist guide.

If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse,

DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM.

Toss it away from you....

Chances are that he is more interested

in your wallet and/or purse than you,

and he will go for the wallet/purse.

RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car,

kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole

and start waving like crazy..

The driver won't see you, but everybody else will.

This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars

after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit

(doing their chequebook, or making a list, etc.)

DON'T DO THIS!

The predator will be watching you, and this

is the perfect opportunity for him to get in

on the passenger side, put a gun to your head,

and tell you where to go.

AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR ,

LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE..

If someone

is in the car

with a gun

to your head

DO NOT DRIVE OFF,

Repeat:

DO NOT DRIVE OFF!

Instead gun the engine

and speed into anything, wrecking the car.

Your Air Bag will save you.

If the person is in the back seat

they will get the worst of it .

As soon as the car crashes

bail out and run.

It is better than having them find your body

in a remote location.

5. A few notes about getting

into your car in a parking lot,

or parking garage:

A.) Be aware:

look around you,

look into your car,

at the passenger side floor ,

and in the back seat

B.) If you are parked next to a big van,

enter your car from the passenger door.

Most serial killers attack their victims

by pulling them into their vans while the women

are attempting to get into their cars.

C.) Look at the car

parked on the driver's side of your vehicle,

and the passenger side... If a male is sitting alone

in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back

into the mall, or work, and get a

guard/policeman to walk you back out.

IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator

instead of the stairs.

Stairwells are horrible places to be alone

and the perfect crime spot.

This is especially true at NIGHT!)

7. If the predator has a gun

and you are not under his control,

ALWAYS RUN!

The predator will only hit you (a running target)

4 in 100 times; and even then,

it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ.

RUN, Preferably in a zig -zag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying

to be sympathetic:

STOP

It may get you raped, or killed.

Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking,

well educated man, who ALWAYS played

on the sympathies of unsuspecting women.

He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often

asked 'for help' into his vehicle or with his vehicle,

which is when he abducted
his next victim.

9. Another Safety Point:

Someone just told me that her friend heard

a crying baby on her porch the night before last,

and she called the police because it was late

and she thought it was weird.. The police told her

'Whatever you do, DO NOT

open the door..'

The lady then said that it sounded like the baby

had crawled near a window, and she was worried

that it would crawl to the street and get run over.

The policeman said, 'We already have a unit on the way,

whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.'

He told her that they think a serial killer

has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax

women out of their homes thinking that someone

dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it,

but have had several calls by women saying that

they hear baby's cries outside their doors

when they're home alone at night.



10. Water scam!

If you wake up in the middle
of the night to hear all your taps outside running or what you think is a
burst pipe, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE! These people turn on all your
outside taps full ball so that you will go out to investigate and
then attack.

Stay alert, keep safe, and look out for your neighbours!










"Let's all be careful out there!"

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Just to keep things in perspective:

As of the moment of the post, the movie AVATAR has had estimated gross box office receipts of $2,357,605,653. The highest grossing pic in history. GONE WITH THE WIND had a gross of $390,500,000.

But wait, those GWTW figures are in 1939 dollars. If we adjusted for inflation that would be an equivalent of $60,021,510,000 (Duh! That's $60 Billion) in today's money. Sorry James Cameron. You still have a ways to go to truly hold the record.









"Let's all be careful out there!"

Monday, February 15, 2010

Secular Life


Secular Life








"Let's all be careful out there!"

Is This The Next Susan Boyle?











"Let's all be careful out there!"

Sunday, February 14, 2010

SIGH......


Van and Austin having fun with their bogie boards.

sighhhhh.....









"Let's all be careful out there!"