Monday, July 10, 2006
Build forms effortlessly online!
Having been a Lotus Notes developer in a past life, I still have an affinity for forms and form design. Now I'm especially interested in web-based applications that will motivate technology-shy teachers to give them a try (blogs are a perfect example which we worked on with the teachers last school year). I have been watching the development of this web app for a while. It has finally been released, so check it out. Everyone could use a few forms, right? http://www.wufoo.com/
Another similar site is http://jotform.com/
I'll let you form your own opinion about which one is better. :-)
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Another similar site is http://jotform.com/
I'll let you form your own opinion about which one is better. :-)
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Friday, July 07, 2006
Somewhere Out There
Tonight we got a chance to view the International Space Station in orbit. It was pretty cool and right on schedule at 9:12pm - it's hard to believe that there are actually people way up there, possibly eating freeze dried ice cream :-) Not sure if you could see it in the city or not, but to us it appeared as a steady white light moving at a similar pace to an airplane. No matter where you live, you can check out possible sighting opportunities using this tool:
http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/SSapplications/Post/JavaSSOP/JavaSSOP.html
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http://spaceflight1.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/SSapplications/Post/JavaSSOP/JavaSSOP.html
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Thursday, July 06, 2006
Please Buy Consumables
Unless there is an item I specifically ask for, please do not buy me trinkets, accessories, decorative or display items - especially if you have a different style than I do. Please. I suffer from a guilt complex and as a result, as I have been working on paring down my belongings recently, I have run across so many unwanted items that I find it hard to part with because of some associated guilt or the perception that I will feel guilt in the future if the giver were to visit and find the said item missing from its place on the mantle. Culinary supplies are my accessories of choice, so bring 'em on.
What do you do when you receive a gift you don't like? How long do you keep it? Have you ever brought an item out from hiding when the giver is to visit you? Am I just being too nice?
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What do you do when you receive a gift you don't like? How long do you keep it? Have you ever brought an item out from hiding when the giver is to visit you? Am I just being too nice?
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Age Perceptions
The longer I'm back in my hometown, the more I realize that age is not only just a number, it's a perception and it's all relative. I frequently meet (or meet again) people that were working adults at the time I started Kindergarten here. Honestly, most of them look almost the same and quite a few look better (younger, thinner, more fit, less hairspray) than when I knew them as a kid. It is almost impossible for me to believe they have been adults this whole time and are still working, still active, not much has changed for them.
Meeting these people again as adults and having adult conversations (when the last converstation we might have had was 1+1=2) is a tiny adjustment for me, but is always a huge adjustment for them. All they can remember is the tow-headed girl who used to run around my parents' farm. They are amazed that I am now 30 and that the little girl is gone. Their lives have been relatively the same for the past 25 years, as they are still here doing the same thing and now somehow I have grown up and am now their coworker.
The reason I am thinking about this more now is that I am finally starting to think as the "older" person instead of the kid. My nieces are growing up at a rapid pace - one has been married for several years. Another has been driving for several years and is now in college and has a serious boyfriend. My two younger ones look more mature in every picture I see. H's nieces that I met as 8 year olds are both grown up - one is in college dating an NFL player and the other is married with two children. There is never really much discussion from any of them as they age. Maybe a little of the obligatory "look how much you've grown" from me, but they don't exactly say things to me like, "I'm older now so I'll be cursing during our conversations" or "I'm a political activist now, so we can nix the talk about summer camp" or the dreaded, "I'll be making more money than you when I graduate..."
I guess the good news is that now that I am the older person, maybe I can accept that my aging doesn't matter any more, because it will go completely unnoticed by the younger ones. :-)
On a side note: I also just noticed recently that I am actually old enough to notice prices increasing, so I can relate a little more to my parents than before when they say things like "This is outrageous! I remember when _____ used to cost _____!" I guess this is because when I was a kid, the only things I really paid for were gas and some clothing items. I didn't really start buying building supplies and groceries until college and so it took me a while to see a marked difference in things. Now that it has been 5 years since we built our house, things are starting to need replacement already and I can really notice that changes when I run to Lowe's for an item here or there. The quality of the boxes, thickness of metal on the same object purchased a few years back are all worse as well. Mom and dad, I'm finally starting to see where you're coming from :-)
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Meeting these people again as adults and having adult conversations (when the last converstation we might have had was 1+1=2) is a tiny adjustment for me, but is always a huge adjustment for them. All they can remember is the tow-headed girl who used to run around my parents' farm. They are amazed that I am now 30 and that the little girl is gone. Their lives have been relatively the same for the past 25 years, as they are still here doing the same thing and now somehow I have grown up and am now their coworker.
The reason I am thinking about this more now is that I am finally starting to think as the "older" person instead of the kid. My nieces are growing up at a rapid pace - one has been married for several years. Another has been driving for several years and is now in college and has a serious boyfriend. My two younger ones look more mature in every picture I see. H's nieces that I met as 8 year olds are both grown up - one is in college dating an NFL player and the other is married with two children. There is never really much discussion from any of them as they age. Maybe a little of the obligatory "look how much you've grown" from me, but they don't exactly say things to me like, "I'm older now so I'll be cursing during our conversations" or "I'm a political activist now, so we can nix the talk about summer camp" or the dreaded, "I'll be making more money than you when I graduate..."
I guess the good news is that now that I am the older person, maybe I can accept that my aging doesn't matter any more, because it will go completely unnoticed by the younger ones. :-)
On a side note: I also just noticed recently that I am actually old enough to notice prices increasing, so I can relate a little more to my parents than before when they say things like "This is outrageous! I remember when _____ used to cost _____!" I guess this is because when I was a kid, the only things I really paid for were gas and some clothing items. I didn't really start buying building supplies and groceries until college and so it took me a while to see a marked difference in things. Now that it has been 5 years since we built our house, things are starting to need replacement already and I can really notice that changes when I run to Lowe's for an item here or there. The quality of the boxes, thickness of metal on the same object purchased a few years back are all worse as well. Mom and dad, I'm finally starting to see where you're coming from :-)
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