kyleandkelly.com

The “bizarre tale behind the Graphing Calculator”:http://www.pacifict.com/Story/ in the Mac OS is one of the coolest things I have ever read.

written by Kyle

In my never-ending quest to listen to new music, I’ve found the following tools (if you will) invaluable:

* “WYCE”:http://www.wyce.org (“listen online”:http://realaudio.iserv.net/wyce.ram)–folk, blues, jazz, rock, world beat, all in one place.
* “Radio Paradise”:http://www.radioparadise.com/ (“listen online”:http://www.radioparadise.com/modules.php?name=Listen)–eclectice online rock radio, and one of the best around.
* “WebJay”:http://www.webjay.org/ –a web site that allows you to create playlists from any MP3s linked to by a web page. The really interesting thing is listening to the playlists created by webjay users; you have to wade through a lot of junk but the diamonds in the rough are worth the effort.

written by Kyle

New photos all over the place–we’ve posted:

* “Nursing photos”:http://www.kyleandkelly.com/photos/nursing
* “Halloween”:http://www.kyleandkelly.com/photos/2004_halloween
* “Fall Retreat”:http://www.kyleandkelly.com/photos/2004_fall_retreat
* “Thanksgiving”:http://www.kyleandkelly.com/photos/2004_thanksgiving

Finally, it’s with great excitement that we present the long awaited John’s Light Switch:

John Remein helped me install these lighted 2-way switches in our hallway when he “visited for Labor Day, 2003″:http://www.kyleandkelly.com/photos/johnlaborday. I promised to post a photo of them in all their lit glory, so now, over a year later, I’ve delivered

written by Kyle

As a follow-up to ‘”Christmas is Canceled”‘:http://www.kyleandkelly.com/scribbles/politics_and_current_events/christmas_is_canceled.php…

An economist for Morgan & Stanley pronounced that Christmas has been saved. There’s the makings of an instant holiday classic movie here! “Bean counter crunches numbers and in saving the holiday discovers the true meaning of Christmas: money.”

written by Kyle

“Hot diggity dog”:http://www.macminute.com/2004/12/16/apple-stores/! Background: Grand Rapids doesn’t _currently_ have an Apple Store. Hmm…

written by Kyle

A BBC news story on “an American display of Christmas lights in Cuba”:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4097367.stm (a hilarious form of protest) contained the following tidbit:

bq. He [BBC's Stephen Gibbs] adds that the government cancelled Christmas as a holiday for several decades in an apparent bid to increase sugar production.

Wow. Imagine if the U.S. government tried to cancel Christmas. It sounds like Cuba canceled Christmas for economic reasons, but given how retailers depend on holiday sales, that concept is totally foreign to this American

As a Christian, I find it rather ludicrous that a government would presume the ability to “cancel Christmas.”

written by Kyle

The latest test for the missile defense system “has failed”:http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&ned=us&q=missile+defense+test&btnG=Search+News. The missile defense system is Dubya’s pet project, a sort of “Son of Star Wars” spawned by Reagan’s initiative to build a space-based defense system for the Soviet Union’s ICBMs.

To begin with, such a defense system is in violation of treaties the U.S. has with Russia. Consequently we’re violating signed promises by engaging in this activity–take a moment to think about that if you aspire to be a person of honesty and integrity.

Secondly, 9/11 was a wake up call that ICBMs are not the primary threat to the U.S. anymore. The Pentagon is spending approxiamately *$10 billion* a year on missile defense, and the 9/11 commission uncovered numerous areas where that money could be better spent. One example: better training and equipment for first responders (fire, police, and EMT) in dealing with major terrorist attacks.

Last, let’s honestly evaluate how well the missile defense is shaping up:

# The defense missile never got off the ground in the last test.
# In the previous test (held in December of 2002), the missile never separated from its booster stage.
# In tests before that missiles succeeded in destroying their intended targets five out of eight times under tightly controlled circumstances (assuming the most basic anti-interception systems on the attacking missile).

Consequently here’s what we’re spending $10 billion a year on: if we’re attacked with an ICBM, there’s a good chance our defense won’t get anywhere near the attacking missile. If it does, we have, at best, a 63% chance of actually intercepting the attack; however, if the attack has standard anti-interception mechanisms, that success rate will likely be dramatically lower. And this whole thing does us absolutely no good if we’re attacked with three commercial jets piloted by suicidal terrorists.

written by Kyle

A Lakeshore Flooding Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for southwest Michigan coastal areas.

==

...ALLEGAN MI-MASON MI-MUSKEGON MI-OCEANA MI-OTTAWA MI-VAN BUREN
MI- BERRIEN MI-

... LAKESHORE FLOOD WARNING REMAINS IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS
EVENING...

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN GRAND RAPIDS, MI HAS CONTINUED THE
LAKESHORE FLOOD WARNING.

WAVES ALONG THE LAKESHORE WILL BE IN THE 14 TO 18 FOOT RANGE
THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON POSSIBLY LEADING TO BEACH EROSION AND
DAMAGE TO UNPROTECTED VESSELS AND STRUCTURES.

A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM NEAR LAKE HURON WILL SLOWLY PULL
AWAY FROM THE GREAT LAKES REGION THIS AFTERNOON. THE COMBINATION
OF STRONG WINDS AND COLD AIR MOVING SOUTH FROM CANADA WILL
PRODUCE THE HIGH WAVES. SOME WINDS GUSTS TO 50 KNOTS WILL BE
POSSIBLE. AT 9 AM A WIND GUST TO 48 KNOTS WAS RECORDED AT
MUSKEGON. THE HIGHEST WAVES ARE FORECASTED TO OCCUR FROM
HOLLAND... SOUTH TO THE BENTON HARBOR REGION.

STRONG WINDS AND HIGH WAVES WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE HAZARDOUS
CONDITIONS ON PIERS... BREAKWATERS AND UNPROTECTED SHORELINE SO
CAUTION IS STILL ADVISED UNTIL THE WINDS AND WAVES SUBSIDE. WINDS
AND WAVES OF THIS MAGNITUDE MAY PRODUCE MODERATE BEACH
EROSION....

==

I really want to be at the lakeshore right now just to watch those waves come in. Instead I’m at work

For those who haven’t been to our house: we’re about 5 minutes from a park that borders the lakeshore. There’s a good observation deck built on top of a dune at the park–back from the water far enough to be plenty safe, but a good vantage point for an awesome (though bone-chillingly cold) display of nature’s power.

written by Kyle

Look at the image below long enough and you’ll see a giraffe–it really works!

written by Kyle

Wired has just posted an “excerpt”:http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.12/view.html?pg=2?tw=wn_tophead_7 from one of my favorite Paul Graham essays, “Why Nerds Are Unpopular”:http://www.paulgraham.com/nerds.html.

written by Kyle