Monday, May 30, 2011

Memorial Day

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself."

- Joseph Campbell

Monday, May 16, 2011

Tegu for You?

Yesterday, my family and I took a trip to the local zoo. Seems like everyone one else in the Houston area had the same idea, but I digress . . .

We were very excited to see the new African Forest exhibit, especially the chimpanzees. They were definitely worth the visit all by themselves, coming up to the glass of their enclosure and interacting with the crowd.

But on the way through the zoo, we stopped to visit with a docent, who had a Tegu Lizard in tow. Or, rather, the Tegu Lizard had her in tow. Not being up on my lizards, I'd never heard of one before.

The docent allowed us to stroke the Tegu. It was much like petting a cowboy boot.

In honor of the tolerant lizard, here are a few randoms about his relatives:

1. They are a South American lizard.

2. They come in three basic varieties -- red, black and white, and black.

3. A fully grown male will reach three to three-and-a-half feet and weigh about eight pounds.

4. Their hides are used to make purses and wallets.

5. They are often kept as pets.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Internet Access

So, over the past two weeks, I've had issues with Internet access. In other words, for days at a time, I haven't had any.

That's made more than a few things difficult. For example, how could I write on this blog without Internet access? And, I couldn't telecommute for work. The horror. Weird how dependent I am on the Internet.

So, in honor of my little dependency, here are a few Internet Randoms:

1. In 1969, the Department of Defense commissioned ARPANET to do research on internetworking, and the first four computers were connected. ARPANET ceased to exist in 1990.

2. The first four computers on the ARPANET were: (a) a Xerox DSS 7 at UCLA Network Measurements Center; (b) a NIC - SDS940 at Stanford Research Institute; (c) an IBM 360/75 at UCSB; and (d) a DEC PDP-10 at the University of Utah.

3. Ray Tomlinson is credited with sending the world's first e-mail.

4. John Paul II was the first pope to send an e-mail.

5. Queen Elizabeth II sent the first royal e-mail in 1976.

Friday, May 6, 2011

Quotables

A man can fail many times, but he isn't a failure until he begins to blame someone else.

-- John Burroughs

Monday, May 2, 2011

Quotables

Even if it's a little thing, do something for those who need help,something for which you get no pay but the privilege of doing it.

-- Albert Schweitzer