Animal Kingdom, Armed and Dangerous, -and- It's a Boy!

Animal Kingdom - thieving fox amasses 120 shoes
Armed and Dangerous - cop runs over woman sunbathing on Florida beach
It's a Boy! - Cher's daughter Chastity changing gender

On this day in history: June 12, 1994 - Nicole Brown Simpson and her male friend Ronald Goldman are savagely murdered in front of Simpson's condominium complex in Brentwood, California. The most plausible suspect turns out to be Nicole's estranged husband O.J., who is arrested for the crime a month later. A jury later finds Simpson not guilty, and in a subsequent civil case, he is found guilty.

Born on this day in history: June 12, 1929 - Anne Frank (1929 - 1945) Born in Frankfurt, Germany, Jewish diarist and concentration camp victim, Anne Frank fled the Nazis to The Netherlands in 1933. During the occupation, she hid in an office flat in Amsterdam with her family and kept a moving diary, later published. Frank died in Belsen concentration camp.

Scripture of the Day: As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. — Psalm 103:12

Video of the Day: Brat Drop

No caption required! Click to enlarge.

A visitor from Johnsonville!

A visitor from Johnsonville came to this blog yesterday and invited everyone to enter a campaign the company is currently running: "We have this new campaign called Create Your Own Ville, you can create your own Johnsonville ad and enter for a chance at $23,000 in cash and grilling prizes. Anyone else here fans of Johnsonville, or plan on checking out the site to enter a VILLE? Go on to http://www.createyourownville.com to check it out!"

That sounds like an excellent idea to me. I shall certainly enter!

New features in iPhone 3G OS 3.0

1. Cut/Paste
2. Copy/Paste
3. Shake to undo/redo typing
4. Text selection for easy mass deletion
5. MMS
6. Landscape keyboard in Notes
7. Landscape keyboard in Mail
8. Landscape keyboard in Messages
9. Forward texts or picture messages
10. Delete individual texts or picture messages
11. Sending progress bar in Messages app moved to title instead of over the keyboard area (allows typing new message while the first one is sending)
12. USB tethering
13. Bluetooth tethering
14. Stereo bluetooth (A2DP)
15. Spotlight search (searches all app titles, mail, media, contact details, and calendar appointments)
16. Search in Notes
17. Search in Mail
18. Search in iPod
19. In-App purchases
20. Option to have double clicking the home button go to the Spotlight Search
21. Option to have double clicking the home button go to the Camera
22. Preview icon in lower left hand corner for last shot taken in Camera app
23. Shake to shuffle in iPod
24. Scrolling of screenshots in App Store
25. Type of phone used under each call in Recents (i.e., mobile, home, work, etc.)
26. Call history log (including call duration)
27. Option to Share Contact in each contact listing
28. Hold link in Safari to Copy
29. Hold link in Safari to Open in New Page
30. Auto Fill contact information, usernames and passwords in Safari
31. Login to your YouTube account
32. See Comments in YouTube
33. Subscribe in YouTube
34. Rate in YouTube
35. Shake to undo what you have typed
36. Option to retry sending failed text messages, indicated by red exclamation point next to text 37.
Turn-by-turn GPS capabilities
38. Maps can be run inside other applications
39. Access to dock port for accessories to communicate
40. Peer-to-peer connectivity using Bluetooth (no Wi-Fi required)
41. New Voice memo application
42. Extended Parental controls
43. Anti-phishing
44. Wi-Fi auto login
45. Note syncing in iTunes
46. Improved Stocks app
47. New calendar types (CalDAV)
48. Prompt to confirm deleting a note
49. Prompt to confirm deleting a photo
50. Option to select multiple photos to attach to an email
51. "Find My iPhone" option for MobileMe users
52. Unlimited size podcast downloads over 3G
53. Pushing home button on first home screen takes user to Spotlight
54. Pushing home button on Spotlight takes user to first home screen
55. Variable speed playback for audio books
56. App Store subscriptions
57. Push notifications
58. Audio/Video tags
59. New video streaming capabilities (HTML 5 video, h.264 and HTTP)
60. Calendar subscriptions
61. iTunes login
62. iTunes account creation
63. Encypted profiles
64. LDAP (directory services)
65. VPN on-demand
66. EAP SIM
67. Proxy support
68. OTA profiles
69. Revoke certificates
70. Exchange ActiveSync Policies
71. Media scrubber
72. More languages
73. Improved keyboards
74. Failed app updates now are shown in a duplicate icon and labeled "Paused"
75. When selecting multiple emails to forward/delete, any unread emails'
blue dot are shown next to the red selector dot instead of being overridden by the red selector dot
76. Non-contact phone calls list their city and state of origin in Recents and Visual Voicemail under the number.
77. Ability to change ringtones straight from Favorites
78. Lap time display now displayed smaller and above time in Stopwatch
79. Polished Phone, Messages, and iPod icons
80. Swipe to delete notes in the Notes app
81. Advanced Bluetooth options for Handsfree devices
82. Option to close a single web page in Safari page view, which immediately opens a new blank page
83. Improved predictive dictionary
84. Blue dot now displayed in center of location circle in Maps (V1 only)
85. Listening to music while charging the battery now displays the album art instead of the battery
86. Smaller font for song title on lock screen
87. Option in Phone Settings to choose your phone number
88. Option to disable text message reminder alerts
89. Option to disable text message previews
90. Option to show subject field in text messages
91. Ability to integrate iPod music into apps
92. Clickable email links in App Store app descriptions
93. JavaScript 3x speed boost
94. 11 homescreens now allowed
95. Reboots to "slide to unlock" screen instead of homescreen
96. In Settings>General>Home>Search Results, users can choose what is searched on the phone and in what order.
97. Application count added in Settings>General>About
98. Option "Load Remote Images" added in Mail settings
99. Global address book option available if Exchange account is set up
100. Speed control in audiobooks
101. 30 second repeat option for audiobooks
102. Improved scrubbing speeds when holding white dot in song progress bar in iPod 103. When sending a text, your text box where you typed smoothly fades from white to green instead of instantly changing from white to green.
104. When moving an app across homescreens, holding the app on either the left or right side will slowly advance the app one through one homescreen at a time, without leaving empty spots in the bottom right corner or each homescreen it advances through.
105. Album name displayed on lockscreen iPod controls
106. Shake to shuffle on lockscreen iPod controls
107. Podcasts saved on iPhone now show Run Time, Time Left and Date Published
108. Screen goes from dimmed to full brightness after each song when playing the iPod while plugged in
109. WAVE file support in Mail
110. Attachment no longer automatically downloaded until user taps the attachment in Mail
111. When using a bluetooth headset with iPod, volume bar is removed and bluetooth headset name is displayed in its place.
112. A hard reset on your phone (holding sleep and home for 10 seconds) now turns it off instead of restarting it.
113. A space is no longer needed between two words for predictive texting to function.

Please Help Me I'm Falling, Honey Don't, -and- They're Here!

Please Help Me I'm Falling - man, dog survive 220-foot plunge
Honey Don't - city tells woman to get rid of bees
They're Here! - Chinese company develops UFO

On this day in history: June 17, 1994 - O.J. Simpson fails to turn himself in to the LAPD at a prearranged time and is later spotted in a white Ford Bronco on a Los Angeles expressway. After a low-speed pursuit through the freeways and streets of Brentwood, O.J. is finally arrested live on television in the driveway of his mansion. According to one of the defense attorneys who served on O.J.'s "Dream Team," Simpson tried to kill himself in the car, but the gun misfired. The Juice allegedly told him: "I pulled the trigger and it didn't go off."

Born on this day in history: June 17, 1980 - Venus Williams (1980– ) Born in Lynwood, CA, tennis champ Venus Williams was the first African-American to reach No. 1 ranking. She's won Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, and Olympic gold.

Scripture of the Day: But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. - Romans 6:17

Video of the Day: "Dream On" - Kelly Sweet - submitted by Amber

Laura had a 3-hour worship team rehearsal at Harvest Christian Center last evening, so I have no exciting menu to share. I had some tortilla chips and salsa and some spring water. Well, I warned you that it would not be exciting!

I watched two episodes of "Party Heat" and two episodes of "Beach Patrol" on truTV. I am always amazed by the idiotic antics of drunken beach-goers. The cops show considerably more restraint than I could!

I got in an hour of good practice with my new guitar and amp. I am very rusty, but I am progressing nicely.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Controlling Substances, -and- Judge Not

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes - how to know if your tomatoes are free from salmonella
Controlling Substances - world's largest drug seizure, $400 million, in Afghanistan
Judge Not - LA obscenity trial suspended over judge's Web site

On this day in history: June 12, 1978 - David Berkowitz is sentenced to 365 consecutive years in prison without the possibility of parole. Berkowitz killed six New Yorkers between 1976 and 1977, known collectively as the Son of Sam murders.

On this day in history: June 12, 1994 - Nicole Brown Simpson and her male friend Ronald Goldman are savagely murdered in front of Simpson's condominium complex in Brentwood, California. The most plausible suspect turns out to be Nicole's estranged husband O.J., who is arrested for the crime a month later. He is later acquitted in the criminal trial and found responsible in a subsequent civil trial.

Born on this day in history: June 12, 1929 - Anne Frank (1929 - 1945) Born in Frankfurt, Germany, Jewish diarist and concentration camp victim, Anne Frank fled the Nazis to The Netherlands in 1933. During the occupation, she hid in an office flat in Amsterdam with her family and kept a moving diary, later published. Frank died in Belsen concentration camp.

Scripture of the Day: For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. - Ephesians 6:12

Video of the Day: Monkey Taunts Tigers - submitted by Amber

You'll never be as cool as a bull-riding monkey! Click to enlarge.

For those who think they know everything:

The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for blood plasma.

No piece of paper can be folded in half more than seven times.

Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes or shark attacks.

You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.

Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty (50) years of age or older.

The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.

The King of Hearts is the only king without a moustache.

American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one (1) olive from each salad served in first-class.

Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise.

Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.

Most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin.

The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer.

Walt Disney was afraid of mice!

Pearls melt in vinegar.

The three most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.

It is possible to lead a cow upstairs—but, not downstairs.

A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.

Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six (6) feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.

Richard Millhouse Nixon was the first U.S. president whose name contains all
the letters from the word "criminal." The second? William Jefferson Clinton

Turtles can breathe through their butts.

The Fly, Mommy Dearest, -and- Parking Lot Rage

The Fly - squirming larvae pulled from traveler's head
Mommy Dearest - "gang mom" drove teens to murder
Parking Lot Rage - man runs over woman with shopping cart

On this day in history: July 20, 1994 - O.J. Simpson offers a $500,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the Real Killers. To this day, progress remains elusive, although Simpson's golf score has improved somewhat.

Born on this day in history: July 20, 1919 - Edmund Hillary (1919 - ____) mountaineer, explorer. He was the first, with Tenzing Norkay, to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, 1953.

Today's Video: Canon Rock 2

I got a new cell phone. This new Nokia has great anti-theft capability! Click to enlarge.

Phoebe—my notebook computer—died last weekend. She shall be refurbished and go to a foster home soon. She provided me with five years of excellent service.

On Monday, I custom-configured and ordered an HP Pavilion dv9500t notebook. The new Phoebe is expected to ship next Thursday. Here is the configuration of the new Phoebe:

Intel(R) Core(TM) 2 Duo processor T7300 (2.00 GHz, 4 MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB)
2GB DDR2 System Memory (2 Dimm)
160GB 5400RPM SATA Hard Drive
511MB NVIDIA GeForce 8600M GS
Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection and Bluetooth(TM)
17.0" WSXGA+ High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1680 x 1050)
Microsoft Windows Vista Ultimate (64-bit)
8-Cell Lithium Ion Battery
LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-RW with Double Layer Support
HP Imprint (Radiance) + Fingerprint Reader + Webcam + Microphone
Integrated 10/100BASE-T Ethernet LAN (RJ-45 connector)
1 Expansion Port 3 connector
1 ExpressCard/54 Slot (also supports ExpressCard/34)
Notebook keyboard with scroll bar and integrated numeric keypad
3 USB 2.0 ports
IEEE 1394
1 Consumer IR (Remote Receiver)
HP Mobile Remote Control
TV-Out (S-video)
5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Reader
Built-in Altec Lansing stereo speakers
Touch Pad with On/Off button and dedicated vertical Scroll Up/Down pad

I eagerly await the delivery of the new Phoebe.

If He Did It, Rated G, -and- Animal Cruelty

If He Did It - O.J. Simpson's daughter must testify
Rated G - Christian site takes on YouTube
Animal Cruelty - Australian police probe kangaroo mutilation deaths

On this day in history: June 13, 1920 - The United States Postal Service rules that children may not be sent via Parcel Post.

Born on this day in history: June 13, 1865 - William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939) poet, dramatist. He was the leader of the Irish literary renaissance; Founded Abbey Theater, Dublin.

Today's Video:Paris Hilton in Jail - "The Cellblock Life" (Episode 1)

Another warm day is predicted. The temperature reached 100+ degrees yesterday. There was a nice breeze in the evening, however. It was 77 degrees in my office when I arrived here this morning at 7:15 AM. It shall be very warm very soon!

For dinner last evening, I made rigatoni and giant shrimp: I peeled giant shrimp and marinated them in extra-virgin olive oil, minced garlic, grated ginger, seasonings, and crushed red pepper. I cooked the rigatoni and set aside. Laura sautéed the shrimp and stirred in the pasta when the shrimp were done. At the table, we added shredded mozzarella cheese, crushed red peppers, and freshly ground black pepper. It was delightful. I will add this recipe and a tip for grating ginger to the Recipes list when time permits.

Vanished, Mommy Dearest, -and- Uplifting

Vanished - "hiccup girl" may be runaway
Mommy Dearest - mother charged after 10-year-old son found begging for food
Uplifting - NYC store offers walk-in Botox

On this day in history: June 12, 1994 - Nicole Brown Simpson and her male friend Ronald Goldman are savagely murdered in front of Simpson's condominium complex in Brentwood, California. The most plausible suspect turns out to be Nicole's estranged husband O.J., who is arrested for the crime a month later.

Born on this day in history: June 12, 1924 - George Bush (1924 - ____) 41st president. He was U.S. Ambassador to China; Vice President to Ronald Reagan, 1981-89, and President, 1989-93.

Today's Video: Emily and Henrietta

Recipes: I have started a recipe list—finally! I have been urged by many visitors to create a list of recipes and cooking tips that have appeared in this blog, and the list is now available via the "Recipes" link below the visitor counter. There is only one recipe in the list this morning, but the list will grow quickly, so check it often!

On the way to my office this morning, I saw this cat smelling a flower near the lake behind my office. Click to enlarge.