The cabinet makers delivered our entertainment center today. We asked them to match the knotted alder wood cabinets that they installed while the house was being built. I think they did an excellent job. We’re watching football this afternoon, so this will be a short post. Click on the image to enlarge.
9/11 Tribute Passes 75 Million Hits
Just in time for the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on America, the hit counter for the Never Forget Tribute rolled past 75,000,000. We believe that the American People and the World can Never Forget the attacks that happened a decade ago. To do so would lull us into the complacency that was set up by the Clinton Administration which allowed the Islamic threat to materialize into the terrible events of 9/11.
About the Tribute
The animation was originally inspired by an anonymously-produced PowerPoint slideshow making the rounds on the Internet and via emails after 9/11. I gathered some of the graphics and produced the prototype of the graphic to display on my personal website. After refinements and improvements suggested by Damsel and others, it appears as it does today. This is the graphic seen in the right sidebar depicting the attacks on America by terrorists.
In August of 2005, I made the animation available to anyone. The offer was only taken by a few sites at first, but since then, many more have begun displaying the animation. As of December 2005, there were over 200 sites linking to it, and that number has been growing since. Sites in the US, Canada, Australia, the UK and Italy (and several other countries) display it on their pages.
The statistics counter in the sidebar just below the tribute indicates the approximate number of times that the tribute has been delivered to websites all over the nation and the world. Watch it for a few seconds to see it increment each time the tribute gets downloaded.
Blogging Holiday
No blogging today. We had a great day of football and cooking one of our favorite steamed Chinese chicken and rice with veggies meals.
If you missed the Notre Dame at Michigan football game, well that’s your loss. It wasn’t over until it was over with Michigan getting the victory they deserved.
More Xeriscape
Last week when we visited the Glendale Xeriscape Garden, I took this picture of a giant saguaro surrounded by a yucca (left), ocotillo (right) with an evergreen elm tree in the background. All of these are examples of low-water consumption vegetation.
The holes in the saguaro are usually burrowed out by flickers or woodpeckers but can be occupied by cactus wrens, elf owls and a variety of other desert birds. We really are enjoying learning about our desert environment. Click on the image to enlarge.
The UV Flashlights Are Here
When I checked the PO Box today, I discovered that the Scorpion UV flashlights had arrived. We drove home and I opened up the package to find these little, but powerful, units.
The light is powered by three AAA batteries. There are 32 UV LEDs that produce a very bright reflection when directed toward items that fluoresce in UV light. I found a few things in the office that lit up nicely under the UV light.
Image: one of the new UV Flashlights. Click to enlarge.
We’re anxious for nightfall so we can take the UV lights outside and see if there are any fluorescent critters around, or, maybe some fluorescent minerals around the area. It will be interesting to see what glows in the dark.
Printer Attack Dog
Cabela has developed a dislike for the printer in the office. She completely ignored the printer until over the past couple of months. Now, when we print something out, she will charge the printer and try to stop it from making all those whirring and clicking noises. She can be sound asleep on the love seat in the great room and will suddenly bolt into the office and snap at the printer at the first whirrs and clicks. Click on the image to enlarge.



