Seems like the perfect gift for the guy who has everything and spends most of his reading time with his head on a pillow. Other readers in the past caused problems with eye strain; the screens were illuminated to let you see them in the dark (or, really, see them at all.) But Sony and MIT have solved that problem. The new PRS-500 inflicts no more eyestrain than your typical paperback. That’s because MIT-developed E-ink doesn’t glow like the backlit LCD screen on your computer monitor. Instead it uses microcapsules filled with oppositely charged black & white nanoparticles. Even better, the e-book reader can hold hundreds of books, and, thanks to those cool little nanoparticles, has a nearly inexhaustible battery.
A Father's Gift: The Legacy of Memories
What pictures will my son remember when he comes to the plan granite marker over his father’s grave? What will my daughters remember? Or my wife?
I’ve resolved to give fewer lectures, to send fewer platitudes rolling their way, to give less criticism, to offer fewer opinions. From now on, I’ll give them pictures they can live by. Pictures that can comfort them, encourage them, and keep them warm in my absence.
Because when I’m gone, there will only be silence. And memories. Of all I could give to make their lives a little fuller, a little richer, a little more prepared for the journey ahead of them, nothing compares to the gift of remembrance. Pictures that show they are special, and that they are loved. Pictures that will be there when I am not. Pictures that have within them a redemption all their own.
– Ken Gire
"Not My Job" Award Winner
I’m told this picture was taken in Marshall, IL, but truly, regardless of where it was taken, someone *really* needs to be fired.
Orionid Showers (Should) Offer Dazzling View
If you can get out of bed, that is. I stepped out into the driveway this morning at 6am on my way to a meeting (a meeting, incidentally, that is actually scheduled for next Friday, but that’s a different matter.) I paused in the driveway long enough to gaze up at Orion and marvel at the splendor of God’s creation. I thought for just a moment that it was clear and dark enough to see a shooting star. And it was then that I thought of Halley’s comet.
As comets travel in their orbits, they’re constantly in a state of degrading, leaving dust and specks of matter behind. This trailing debris of comets like Halley appear to us in the form of shooting stars. Though Halley’s comet only comes around itself for viewing every 76 years, the orbit of Halley’s comet closely approaches the Earth’s orbit at two places. Once in May, creating the Eta Aquarids, and in October, producing the Orionids. This year, we have the fortunate timing of a new moon on the 22nd, meaning the sky should be dark enough for a great view.
According to Space.com, “the best time to watch begins from 1 or 2 a.m. local daylight time until around dawn, when the shower’s radiant (in Orion’s upraised club, just north of the bright red star, Betelegeuse) is highest above the horizon. The higher the radiant, the more meteors appear all over the sky. The Orionids are one of just a handful of known meteor showers that can be observed equally well from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.”
Happy viewing!
[More information about the Orionid Showers and Halley’s Comet]
Send a Thank You to the Troops
This is a great idea. One of my old Navy buddies (and in this case, “old” means old, not just “from some time ago”) sent me this link this morning. It’s a great idea that everyone should do, regardless of your political affiliation. The site is called “Let’s Say Thanks” and is sponsored by Xerox. It’s simple and free: pick a card from the designs created by kids across the country, select a pre-formatted note (or write your own), and Xerox will print the card and send it to a member of the Armed Services.
I think my favorite might be the one created by Ivan, age 8, from Austin, Texas. It has a picture of a Corvette and says “Be Strong, Be Fast. Like an American muscle car.”
If you have a particularly gifted artist running around, you can also submit a design that they can use.
What are you waiting for? Do it right now and then tell your friends.