Gobble Up

Wherever I went in my life, I have met people wanting to gobble up something new. Gobble up a new car. Gobble up a new piece of property. Gobble up the latest toy. Then they want to tell you all about it.

These people are so hungry for love that they were accepting substitutes. They were embracing material tings and expecting a sort of hug back. You can't substitute material things for love or for gentleness or for tenderness or for a sense of comradeship.

Money is not a substitute for tenderness. Power isn't not a substitute for comradeship. Neither money or power will give you the feeling you're looking for, no matter how much of them you have.

Thought of the Day - 7/25/09

Responsibility can seem an awful lot like a four-letter word. Haven't I done enough? Isn't there someone else who can help pick up the slack? How can I answer these questions as a single mother (financially, emotionally, physically). Sadly -- and fortunately, -- I will have to grit your teeth and simply soldier on through the next new tasks.

Thought of the Day - 7/24/09

The good news is that you can only make the future positive by building on the past, so even if you've resolved to forget it all, the best will stay with you.

Blogging Tips #2 - Badges, Buttons, & Widgets

There's just something about badges, buttons, and widgets that bloggers cannot resist but put them up on their blog.

Pay attention to bumper stickers then think how you can slant it towards your blog.

Always make sure the button links back to your blog.

Keep the widgets related to the topic of your blog. If you blog about pregnancy, create a pregnancy countdown ticker. If you blog about Christmas, create a countdown to Christmas ticker. If you blog about books, create a reading list.

Inkdeath

Inkdeath by Cornelia Funke

Inkdeath is the conclusion of the Inkheart trilogy (Inkheart, Inkspell, Inkdeath).
"Ever since the extraordinary events of Inkspell, when the enchanted book Inkheart drew Meggie and her father, Mo, into its chapters, life in the Inkworld have been more tragic than magical.

The fire-eater Dustfinger is dead, having sacrificed his life for his apprentice Farid. Now, under the rule of the evil Adderhead, the fairy-tale land is in bloody chaos, its characters far beyond the control of Fenoglio, their author. Even Elinor, left behind in the real world believes her family to be lost -- lost between the covers of a book.

Facing the threat of eternal winter, Mo inks a dangerous deal with Death itself. Yet there remains a faint hope of changing the cursed story -- if only he can fill its pages fast enough."


Cornelia's stunning and spellbinding descriptions keep you in suspense and filled with magic. You will feel joy, pain, suspense, anger, hope.

Rating (1, lowest; 5 highest): 4.5

Distribute Cycles

Before I read the book Storm Cycle I did not know about computer cycles.

Does your computer spend most of the day running screensavers or otherwise wasting its computing cycles? Why not use those spare cycles to help solve some huge problems?

Distributed computing is a science which solves a large problem by giving small parts of the problem to many computers to solve and then combining the solutions for the parts into a solution for the problem. Recent distributed computing projects have been designed to use the computers of hundreds of thousands of volunteers all over the world, via the Internet, to look for extra-terrestrial radio signals, to look for prime numbers so large that they have more than ten million digits, and to find more effective drugs to fight cancer and the AIDS virus. These projects are so large, and require so much computing power to solve, that they would be impossible for any one computer or person to solve in a reasonable amount of time.

The concept of distributed computing has been around for more than a decade.
There are currently hundreds of worthwhile projects that pool the resources of personal computers and game consoles all over the world. To find a cause meaningful to you and contribute your cycles to a worthy endeavor go Distribute Computing.

Storm Cycle

Storm Cycle by Iris Johansen and Roy Johansen

"Rachel Kirby is a computer genius whose personal life is falling apart. Even as she stands on he brink of a stunning technological breakthrough, her beloved younger sister is plagued by a rare chronic illness that will eventually kill her, laving Rachel all alone.

But thousands of miles away archaeologist/adventurer John Tavek has made a priceless discovery in an Egyptian tomb. A discovery, Rachel realizes, that humankind has been seeking throughout history -- a secret that may save her sister's life and many thousands more. But a powerful organization is also in hot pursuit, led by a man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants.

Against all odds, Rachel joins forces with the brilliant, enigmatic Tavak in an adventure that will take them across three continents. They have but one piece of a much large puzzle, and it will take all of their wits, instincts, and cutting-edge technology to bring to light an ancient civilization's most amazing legacy."

The details and research and charismatic characters live up to the usual "can't put the book down" writing of Iris Johansen. With her son's help they put together a captivating tale. It is a whirlwind of an adventure and the technological details are gripping.

Rating (1, lowest; 5 highest): 4

Thought of the Day - 7/23/09

You feel pleasure when you want something and you get it. Or when you don't want something and you remove it. Pleasure is always relative. Happiness is absolute. Happiness is the understanding and acceptance of life as it is in this very moment as completely perfect, because every creation of God is perfect. The degree to which you do not accept life in all of the Divine forms is the degree to which you suffer.

Thought of the Day - 7/22/09

We all share the love of peace, but our sons and daughters must learn two lessons men everywhere, and in every time, have had to learn that the price of freedom is dear, but not nearly as costly as the loss of freedom, and that the advance and continuation of civilization depend on those values for which men have always been willing to die for.
~~ Author Unknown ~~

Thought of the Day - 7/21/09

You can motivate by fear. And you can motivate by reward. But both of these methods are only temporary. The only lasting thing is self-motivation.
~~ Homer Rice ~~

Thought of the Day - 7/20/09

Experience is a great teacher.

Thought of the Day - 7/19/09

Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense.
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~