Geek Brown Bag

I started posting over at Geek Brown Bag a Christian/Geek Site hosted by a friend of mine.

http://www.geekbrownbag.com

Cool Firefox Car

Cool car

Robot Stand-in at work

http://news.therecord.com/Business/article/236315

IvanAnywhere - stand in for Ivan Bowman who is working from home, but uses cameras and microphones on a robot to go to meetings, and meet with co-workers in their offices.

thefreecountry

I really like this page for looking up free (no cost) and open source software in almost any category.

http://www.thefreecountry.com/

Examples

Backup and image software

http://www.thefreecountry.com/utilities/backupandimage.shtml

Encryption software

http://www.thefreecountry.com/security/encryption.shtml

Partition Editors

http://www.thefreecountry.com/utilities/partitioneditors.shtml

Emulators

http://www.thefreecountry.com/emulators/pc.shtml

Anti-virus

http://www.thefreecountry.com/security/antivirus.shtml

New Mexico Drive In Theaters

http://www.driveintheater.com/list/nmexico.htm

Operating Theatres

• Fiesta Drive-In Theatre
  
  401 W. Fiesta Dr, Carlsbad, NM (505) 855-4126

• Apache Drive-In
  1411 W. Apache St. Farmington, NM 87401 (505) 325-3925

• Fort Union Drive In
  3300 7th Street, Las Vegas, NM 87701 (505) 425-9934

• 85 Drive-in,
  1391 2nd St. Raton, NM 87740 (505) 445-3672

Funny New Mexico World Records

In 1998, Kevin Cole, of Carlsbad, New Mexico set a new world record for farthest spaghetti nasal ejection, by sending seven-and-a-half inches of noodle rocketing from his nose in a single blow.

In 2001, Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta vendors "The Original Breakfast Burrito" also set a record, for the most breakfast burritos sold in one hour at an outdoor event—417. Wow! 417!

Then, in 2002, charity workers from Albuquerque set a record for the world’s largest taco. The soft-shelled taco weighed over 1,600 pounds, measured almost twenty feet long, and took at least twenty-five people to construct.

So, there’s that.

New Mexicans, it seems, can be a pretty odd lot—with unusual hopes and goals and accomplishments—but it seems we may be represented by one of our own. In 2002, in Albuquerque, current New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson set the Guinness Book world record for most handshakes by a politician in an eight-hour period, shaking the hands of 13,392 potential voters.

http://www.mystrangenewmexico.com/

Websters 1828 - first edition dictionary search engine - Christian definitions

Websters 1828 - first edition dictionary

Search here

http://1828.mshaffer.com/

Example:

politics

POL'ITICS, n. The science of government; that part of ethics which consists in the regulation and government of a nation or state, for the preservation of its safety, peace and prosperity; comprehending the defense of its existence and rights against foreign control or conquest, the augmentation of its strength and resources, and the protection of its citizens in their rights, with the preservation and improvement of their morals. [emphasis mine] Politics, as a science or an art, is a subject of vast extent and importance.


Do think secular humanist ideas haven't effected our language? Look up words in this dictionary and compare to modern definitions. This 1828 edition bases many definitions out of the Bible and is completely politically incorrect according to todays standards.

1828 Noah Webster's Dictionary (first definition)
1981 Webster's New Dictionary (a more modern edition)

Examples copied from here http://www.hstreasures.com/1828dictionary.html

Marriage:

The act of uniting a man and woman for life...Marriage was instituted by God himself..."Marriage is honorable in all..." Heb. 13.

Marriage:

...man and woman are joined in a special kind of social and legal dependence for the purpose of founding and maintaining a family...an intimate or close union.

Education:

Education comprehends...instruction and discipline intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give them a religious education is indispensable.

Education:

The action or process of [developing mentally or morally]

Mercy:

That benevolence, mildness or tenderness which disposes a person...to treat an offender better than he deserves. "The Lord is long-suffering and of great mercy." Num.14.

Mercy:

Compassion or forbearance shown esp. to an offender or to one subject to one's power...an act of divine favor or compassion...a fortunate circumstance.

Truth:

Conformity to fact or reality...We rely on the truth of scriptural prophecies. "Sanctify them through thy truth..."
John 17

Truth:
Sincerity in action, character, and utterance...the body of real thing... a judgment...that is true or accepted as true.

You can be my Firefox

Very, very funny geek love song.

http://www.gryphontech.co.za/ffsong/

Chorus from the page

Chorus:
My heart went Yahoo!**
When I Stumbled Upon** you
I couldn't help to Google**
Your beautiful face
So please don't be Froogle**
with your love for this nerd
You can be my Firefox**
and I will be your Thunderbird**

Printing Large Fonts in Firefox

To print using a larger font than the default. Follow the steps in the image to set the minimum font size FF will display or print. Click on the image see it full size.

Helping the visually impaired to read a little easier

1. 5 Inch Round Lighted Magnifying glass

2. Head Mounted magnifying devices - These would be good if purchased with the optional light

3. eBay: 3 Mounted Lighted Magnifying Glasses

4. Miscellaneous - Magnifying Glasses, Lighted Magnifyers, Magnifying Headsets, Optics, and other magnifying devices - Scroll down they have several interesting products

5. Low Vision Reader - home project for creating a cheap electronic magnifing device

6. 3 Inch Dome Magnifier - Cool shape

7. Magnifying Desk Lamp - Pricey but very large

8. 3X Rectangular Magnifier - Interesting shape

9. Sheet Magnifier - Magnify a whole sheet of paper at a time

10. Sheet Magnifier with built in stand
    

11. TOPAZ - expensive electronic magnifying goodness

Albuquerque Driving

Funny forward from M.
-------------------
Driving in ABQ

Ladies and Gentleman these are tips on how to survive driving in Albuquerque.

First you must learn to pronounce the city name.

It is 'Al buh kirky' or some variation of that.

Juan Tabo is pronounced Huan Tah boh, San Pedro is San Peh Droh,
Candelaria is Can Deh Lay Ree Ah, etc.

Forget the traffic rules you learned elsewhere. We have our own version of traffic rules. 'Hold on and pray'.

There is no such thing as a dangerous high-speed chase in Albuquerque We all drive like that.

All directions start with, 'Get on Central'. which has no beginning and no end.

The morning rush hour is from 6 to 10. The evening rush hour is from 3 to 7. Friday's rush hour starts Thursday morning.

If you actually stop at a yellow light, you will be rear ended, cussed out and possibly shot.

When you are the first one on the starting line, count to five when the light turns green before going to avoid crashing with all the drivers running the red light in cross-traffic.

Construction on Central is a way of life and a permanent form of entertainment. We had so much fun with that, we have added Montgomery/Montano and Lomas to the mix.

All unexplained sights are explained by the phrase, 'Oh, we're in Rio Rancho.'

If someone actually has their turn signal on, it is probably a factory defect.

Car horns are actually 'Road Rage' indicators.

All old ladies with blue hair in Mercedes have the right of way. PERIOD.

Montgomery and Ellison mysteriously change names as you cross I-25. (these are only a couple of examples).--------- If asking directions in the SE or S part of town, you'll benefit from a working knowledge of Spanish.

If on Central or in Tijeras, ditto the above. If you stop to ask directions on Coors Blvd or S 4th, you'd better be armed.

A trip across town (east to west) will take a minimum of two hours, although many north/south passages have an unposted minimum speed of 75.

The minimum acceptable speed on North I-25 is 85. Anything less is considered downright sissy.

The East I-40 is our daily version of NASCAR. It also ends in Edgewood .

I-25 to Santa Fe is called 'The Death Trap' for two reasons: 'death' and 'trap'.

If you flip on your turn indicators expect the lanes beside you to close up bumper-to-bumper.

If it's 100-degrees, Thanksgiving must be next weekend.

If it's 10-degrees and sleeting/snowing, the Fourth of July is around the corner.

If it's rained 6 inches in the last hour, and it is Fall, the Balloon Fiesta just started.

If it is Fall, the Balloon Fiesta is going on.

If you go to the Fair, pay the $5.00 to park INSIDE Fair Park . Parking elsewhere could cost up to $2500 for damages, towing fees, parking tickets, etc. If some guy with a flag tries to get you to park in his 'yard', run.

All amusement parks, stadiums, arenas, race tracks, airports, etc., are conveniently located as far away from EVERYTHING as possible so as to allow for ample parking on grassy areas.

Australian English to American English Dictionary

My mom's list of terms and oddities she recorded on the trip.

Australian- US
Sacked- Fired
No Worries- ?Don't worry about it????
Schedule Schedule
(pronounced shedule)-
Burger King- Hungry Jacks
2 liter soda- $4.00 to $5.00 USD
small Can soda- $1.99 to $2.50 USD
paper round- Paper route
highway smash- car accident
lollies- candy
rebranded- renamed
house removal- house mover
feed- meal
swaggie hat- a hat which has corks hanging down with strings all around your face to scare flies away. (First thing I've ever looked up which isn't in wikipedia)
Bus set down- bus stop
toilet - bathroom
Liter of Gas - $1.25, which is about $5 per gallon
seat belt in buses

Google SMS

Getting info from Google using text messages. Send a text to the phone number 466453 (GOOGLE) with a message like any below. You can try it out on their web page.

http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/mobile/sms/

Search Features	Example query
Local Listings	sushi 94040
Weather	weather NYC
Flight updates* New!	LH454 or AA 2111
Airline information* New!	United Airlines
Sports**	lakers
Movies***	the departed 94110
Stock Quotes	tgt
Glossary	define zenith
Zip Code	72202
Translation	translate hello in french
Driving Directions	pasadena CA to 94043
Web Snippets	g hubble telescope
Q&A	abraham lincoln birthday
Area Code	650
Froogle	price ipod player 40gb
Calculator	1 US pint in liters
Currency Conversion	8 usd in yen
Help	local

* Flights data is provided by flightstats.com

My Strange New Mexico

Funny stuff

http://www.mystrangenewmexico.com/

Who what of thought New Mexico had a snake whacking day like the Simpsons?

"In Alamogordo, in an even more unbelievable example, locals get together every April to round up every rattlesnake they can find, throw them into trashcans and buckets and cardboard boxes, and then kill and skin many of them to cook up and sell to the public. Those snakes that aren’t killed are goaded and harassed into striking at objects for the amusement of onlookers; vendors sell balloons which can be dropped into snake pits for the snakes to attack, and snakes are kicked along the floor or dropped while being used in tricks. On average about two thousand people a year attend this event, the Alamogordo Rattlesnake Roundup—which is combined with a crafts exhibit and a gun show—and over half of those collecting snakes admit to taking theirs from public lands. These snake hunters have gathered as many as one thousand snakes every year since 1986, mostly western diamondbacks, and as most of these rattlesnakes are not listed as endangered species, the area’s Game & Fish representatives do nothing to protect them."

Is it wrong that the above description of the event really, really makes me want to go?

[Simpsons]
http://www.answers.com/topic/whacking-day

Funny Kid Quotes

An email forward I received

JACK (age 3) was watching his Mom breast-feeding his new baby sister. After a while he asked: "Mom why have you got two? Is one for hot and one for cold milk?"

MELANIE (age 5) asked her Granny how old she was. Granny replied she was so old she didn't remember any more. Melanie said, "If you don't remember you must look in the back of your panties. Mine say five to six ."

STEVEN (age 3) hugged and kissed his Mom good night. "I love you so much that when you die I'm going to bury you outside my bedroom window."

BRITTANY (age 4) had an earache and wanted a pain killer. She tried in vain to take the lid off the bottle. Seeing her frustration, her Mom explained it was a child-proof cap and she'd have to open it for her. Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked: "How does it know it's me?"

SUSAN(age 4) was drinking juice when she got the hiccups. "Please don't give me this juice again," she said, "It makes my teeth cough."

DJ (age 4) stepped onto the bathroom scale and asked: "How much do I cost?"

MARC (age 4) was engrossed in a young couple that were hugging and kissing in a restaurant. Without taking his eyes off them, he asked his dad: "Why is he whispering in her mouth?"

CLINTON(age 5) was in his bedroom looking worried. When his Mom asked what was troubling him, he replied, "I don't know what'll happen with this bed when I get married. How will my wife fit in?"

JAMES(age 4) was listening to a Bible story. His dad read: "The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city but his wife looked back and was turned to salt." Concerned, James asked: What "What happened to the flea?"

TAMMY(age 4) was with her mother when they met an elderly, rather wrinkled woman her Mom knew. Tammy looked at her for a while and then asked, "Why doesn't your skin fit your face?"

The Sermon I think this Mom will never forget.... this particular Sunday sermon..."Dear Lord," the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. "Without you, we are but dust..." He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four year old girl voice, "Mom, what is butt dust?"

Audio Bible

I've run into a situation a couple of times now where I wanted to help someone find a audio bible but the person don't own a computer or portable MP3 player. MP3 Bibles are cheap or free and often contain extra resources such as sermons. I think they are a great resource, but in some cases the person can't use them because he or she doesn't have a player. Alternatively, you can find audio bibles on audio CD. They take up 64+ CD's and generally cost over $60. Isn't there something in between?

Options

1. Check to see if the person has a DVD player and if it plays MP3 CD's - maybe this would work in some situations
2. Determine if there is a cheap portable MP3 player <$35 Which can hold the MP3 Bible contents generally <>
3. Use a CD Duplicator to create the 64 + CD's from a burned copy of an the MP3 bible. 64 Audio CD's themselves will cost less than $10 the problem is how long it will take to make 1) the initial burned copy and 2) the additional copies + labels. A couple of audio bibles I've seen allow you to make unlimited copies for non-commercial use, for the others just purchase an additional copy and package it with each set of CD's.

Find someone who already sells a combo of any of the above options for a reasonable price.

Update. E-bay has some cheap used (eg here, here) CD/MP3 player combos which could be bought for $15-$25 including shipping.

Huge smoke ring generator