Monday, August 16, 2010

My New Friend.

 
I met him at the Pebble Beach Concours yesterday.
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Saturday, July 31, 2010

Chase Jumping

THE CHASER!!
This is a 4’ high fence and Chase is 11 years old!!! Pretty good for an old dog!
 
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DAVID BISBAL & KNAAN - WAVING FLAG [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

The Song of Summer 2010

Native Dancing on the Street in Guanojuanto

View from Los Archos on the City of Guadalajara Mexico

View from the Top of the Funicular in Guanajuato Mexico

Friday, July 30, 2010

Best Driving Roads in the World.

Best Driving Roads on World:
Nurburgring
Blue Ridge Parkway
Yungas Road Bolivia
Hells Canyon Idaho
Mulholland Drive CA
Tail of the Dragon NC
US Highway 1 FL
Transfagarasan Highway Romania Ceausescu's Folly
Saddle Road Hawaii
Independence Pass Colorado
Route 66 USA
More Here

What we did in Mexico:

Wendsday July 14
- Fly from US to Mexico

Thursday July 15
Guadalajara
Los Arcos- view of city
See the sights in historic downtown GDL
Cathedral
Museo Guadalajara

Friday July 16
bus to Guanajuato 11:15-2:15 (M$335)
Stay at Casa Bertha Hostel for M$260 per person a night
-callejon del beso
-Museo Iconográfico del Quijote (10-6:30 M$20)
-funicular (to see view of city- 1 way M$12, round trip M$24 -there are paths that we can walk down if we choose - 8-9:45)
-walk around Guanajuato

Saturday July 17
-Museo de las Momias (9-6 M$50)
- Alhóndiga de Granaditas (10-5:45 M$43- it is a history and art museum)
-Museo y Casa de Diego Rivera (10-6:30 M$15)
- Ex-hacienda de San Gabriel
- Gardens

Lunch at Truco 7 - tried Molle for the first time- not very good. Despite Lonley Planet's recommendation, I do not recommend this place, not that good.

-Casa Diego Rivera (Museo)
Checked out the Super Stores: Del Sol and Commercial Mexicana
Callejoneada - too many people.
-Dinner

Sunday July 18
-hike Bufa mtn with students
Took 1pm bus to San Miquel de Allende (Gringolandia)
-looked in some Cathedrals.
We were not that impressed with the city despite hearing alot of good things, possibly a bad day.
Took bus back to Guanojuanto and watched Top Gear

Monday July 19
bus to DF (8:30-1:20? M$430)
Stay at Mexico City Hostel (M$350 for two ppl in private room)
- get oriented with the city/murals?
Went for Dinner at Cafe Popular- had Azteca Soup and Queso Quesidillas

Tuesday July 20
Teotihuacán Pyramids tour with hostel (9-6 M$275- food and entry fee not included)
http://www.mexicocityhostel.com/Epages/tours.php
Went to sister city of Teotihican and the site of the 3 cultures, also the place of the 1968 Student Massacre.

Had Subway for Dinner.

Wednesday July 21
10- 1 Walking tour of the City centre with Hostel Guide
Visited:
- Palacio National - viewed Diego Rivera Murals
- Zocalo
- Jesus Nazareno Hospital

Lunch at Sanborns owned by richest man in the world: Carlos Slim.
Visitied Mercado's - San Juan and Artisans
on the way back visisted the Palacio des Belle Arts

Thursday July 22
Chapultepec
-National Museum of Anthropology (9-7 M$48)
Massive!
-Castillo de Chapultepec (9-5 M$45- history museum)

- Walk by Los Pinos- the Presidents home.

Ride bus back to Zocalo via Reforma Blvd.
Dinner- Salon Corona

Friday July 23
Zocalo
-Catedral Metropolitana (free 7:30-8)
went but they have 8 am mass. went back to hostel and changed out of pants.
-Templo Mayor (9-5 M$45)

Walk Down Reforma Blvd.
walked by US Embassy- heavily fortified
Lunch @ Subway

Visited Mercado Insurgents and the Zona Rosa
Bus back to Zocolo
visited sketchy market near hostel
Dinner
- Salon Corona

Saturday July 24
Bought breakfast at Ideal Bakery

Taxco Tour with hostel (9-9 M$500 meals not included)
Stopped first at Cuernovaca
Lunch- Rooftop Terrace in Taxco
Shopping

3 hour bus ride back to Mexico City.

Dinner- Salon Corona with new Australian and Brazillian friends

Sunday July 25
Breakfast from Ideal Bakery, again.
Meet @9.30 for Tour
Visit
-Azteca Stadium
Xochimilco Tour with hostel (9:30-5 M$275- food and entry fees not included)
Lunch in market in Coyoacán
Frida Kahlo House
Casa Leo Trotsky Museum - where he was killed in 1940
Top Gear tonight!

Monday July 26 - Fly back to the USA

Pictures Part #3

 
 
 
 
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Bufa Mtns

The beautiful Bufa Mtns looking over Guanojuanto Mexico.
 
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Tuesday, July 27, 2010

Snowshoe with the Boys

Check out the clouds in the background!
 
 
 
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Friday, July 16, 2010

Mexico Observations Part 2:

Other observations Part 2.
We are currently on a bus from Guadalajara to Guanajuato. This bus should actually be described as a luxury coach. The bus company is ENT. The coach actually has Wi-Fi on board that works most of the time. That is pretty amazing. Here I am watching the poverty on both sides of the bus, I am enjoying the AC and checking my email and updating my blog.

Other thoughts on Mexico

Every bus in Guadalajara seems to have a Mercedes Benz Tri-Star logo on its front. However, I doubt many are true Mercedes – Benz products. Some of the stars are actually side-ways.

As with many places in countries rife with poverty, each house is really a personal fortress.

When shopping, it is interesting that all the shops of the same type seem to be next to each other. An example is all the electronic stores seem to be located on the same 4 blocks. It is a new experience to walk by 12 bureaus of exchange, each offering the same rate. Who am I to choose?

Water pressure is also an issue. It is these little things that you forget about in in a “first world” country that you get so used to. This trip is helping me gain perspective on my own life.

Thursday, July 15, 2010

23 hours in Mexico

So here are a few things I have learned about Mexico in the 24 hours I have been here:

Bathroom Etiquette- you wipe and then throw the tissue into the trash can next to the toilet.You do not put the tissue in the pot!

I saw three cars today run out of gas.

No one here wears shorts. The temperature does not matter it just does not happen!

It is totally OK to stare at girls and whistle at them (the last part is optional).

People are always sweeping the streets. Yet the streets all seem filthy.

There are tons of street vendors with good looking food, yet the people seem to have no problem with tons of flies on their product. A good way to get "Montezuma's Revenge".

This is the Wild West in terms of cars, you can get anything for a Cadillac Escalade to an Opel Cadett.
It is the only place in the world that I have seen Toyota Tacoma's and Toyota Hi-Lux's on the road together.

California Car Week Trip


Ver Car Week California 2010 en un mapa más grande

Mexico - I am here!

Hello, I am here in Mexico. I am at the language center here at the University of Guadaljara. The hostel was wonderful last night.It is very pretty and I will have to take some pictures of the inside. Sarah picked me up at the airport with a car and driver from the hostel which was great. We walked around last night in the centro historico and it was fascinating. So many things to see.

Sarah has class right now so I am in the computer lap.
It is very different down here but hard to explain. Guadalajara reminds me alot of Malta. Safety is not a an issue. Everyone is very kind. We had a great bagel for breakfast and I am just going to hang out for the morning. Then we are going to Guanajunato which should be much more beautiful than here. It is a mountain town. Where we are now is just sort of the real mexico.
I am very excited about this trip. This may be one of the few times that I have to sit down and just type. I am typing this on a spanish language computer and it is so funny because the auto spell check is marking every word as incorrect. I am using a Spanish keyboard which is a bit different then the US English.

Thursday, July 08, 2010

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Wednesday, June 02, 2010

This is Priceless?


If you've ever worked for a boss who reacts before getting the facts and thinking things through, you will love this!

Arcelor-Mittal Steel, feeling it was time for a shakeup, hired a new CEO.
The new boss was determined to rid the company of all slackers.

On a tour of the facilities, the CEO noticed a guy leaning against a wall. The room was full of workers and he wanted to let them know that he meant business. He asked the guy, "How much money do you make a week?"

A little surprised, the young man looked at him and said, "I make $400 a week. Why?"

The CEO said, "Wait right here." He walked back to his office, came back in two minutes, and handed the guy $1,600 in cash and said, "Here's four weeks' pay. Now GET OUT and don't come back."

Feeling pretty good about himself, the CEO looked around the room and asked, "Does anyone want to tell me what that goof-ball did here?"

From across the room a voice said, "Pizza delivery guy from Domino's."

Mikko on the Nürburgring // Mikko Hirvonen meets the Ford Focus RS500 - ...

Mikko Hirvonen meets the Ford Focus RS500 - Part I

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Monday, April 19, 2010

Where Auto Insurance Is Most Expensive

The most and least expensive states for car insurance:

Source: Insure.com, from a study commissioned by Insure.com from Quadrant Information Services

Interesting! NC is near the bottom!

Rank State Avg. Premium
1 Louisiana $2,510.87
2 Michigan $2,098.29
3 Oklahoma $1,869.39
4 Montana $1,857.96
5 California $1,774.41
6 South Dakota $1,772.83
7 Washington, D.C. $1,753.19
8 Georgia $1,751.42
9 Illinois $1,679.15
10 Connecticut $1,678.90
11 Arkansas $1,648.80
12 New Mexico $1,603.65
13 Rhode Island $1,595.97
14 West Virginia $1,589.69
15 Alaska $1,572.21
16 Wyoming $1,552.98
17 Maryland $1,550.13
18 Kansas $1,524.51
19 Kentucky $1,515.30
20 Colorado $1,480.97
21 Mississippi $1,474.94
22 New Jersey $1,473.73
23 New York $1,463.21
24 Texas $1,462.65
25 Florida $1,453.20
26 Pennsylvania $1,420.78
27 Delaware $1,405.80
28 Missouri $1,390.59
29 Minnesota $1,381.09
30 Alabama $1,380.38
31 North Dakota $1,365.22
32 Hawaii $1,306.97
33 Indiana $1,302.51
34 Nevada $1,282.50
35 Washington $1,279.84
36 Utah $1,234.30
37 Virginia $1,233.36
38 Nebraska $1,210.74
39 Oregon $1,194.69
40 Idaho $1,183.47
41 South Carolina $1,182.18
42 Tennessee $1,170.12
43 Arizona $1,152.50
44 North Carolina $1,130.45
45 Massachusetts $1,043.80
46 Iowa $1,039.04
47 New Hampshire $1,011.23
48 Wisconsin $1,010.93
49 Ohio $999.86
50 Vermont $968.58
51 Maine $902.85

Saturday, April 03, 2010

Robert Lawrence on Letterman

Congrats Rob!
from Mike: " he was up in nyc for an interview and ended up going to see letterman afterwards."

Thursday, April 01, 2010

Some of my favorite free Programs

Here are some of my favorite programs and some programs have only recently heard about that I am interested in learning more about. I pulled this information from an PCMag.com article.

Some of my Favorite Apps of 2010:

Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware 1.36
http://www.malwarebytes.org/
Windows
Even other security companies, such as like Norton, use Malwarebytes' software, probably because it's fast fast fast at scanning a system for problems. Thankfully, it also does a good job of cleaning up what it finds. Pay for the Pro version to get real-time protection.


Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0
http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials/
Windows
Microsoft realized the dirty truth: Windows is susceptible to viruses! And rather than try to make a buck off this fact, it's doing the right thing by putting out its own anti-malware for free to the masses. It's not great protection, but it's better than nothing. It works great with Windows, of course, in 74 countries and 25 languages.

SyncToy 2.1
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en FamilyID=c26efa36-98e0-4ee9-a7c5-98d0592d8c52
Windows
What Microsoft once called a "powertoy" is now a great folder-to-folder synchronization tool. It's great for backing up data from local to network storage once in a while, either manually or scheduled.

Google Desktop 5
http://desktop.google.com/
Windows Mac Linux
Why can't searches of your local hard drives be as effective as Googling the Web? With Google Desktop, they can be, as the software indexes your data files to find things fast. It then incorporates the results into search results from the Web.

Glary Utilities 2.21
http://www.glaryutilities.com/
Windows Portable
This "all-in-one" utility does pack in a lot, from cleaners for disk, registry, shortcuts, and old programs; to optimizers for memory and the registry; to privacy tools like a file shredder and undeleter. It's even got some system tools, such as a process manager. Run it on any system from a USB flash drive.

Handbrake 0.9.4
http://handbrake.fr/
Windows Mac Linux
Got a DVD you want to back up to your hard drive (which you'll only do if you own it so it's legal, right)? The open-source and cross-platform Handbrake will do this for you on any OS. What's more, it can convert video from the DVD, or any other digital video on your hard drive, into other formats more useful for playback.

195. VLC media player 1.0.5
http://www.videolan.org/
Windows Mac Linux Portable
No frills video and audio playback on any OS that works with just about any media format you can imagine (including DVD but not Blu-ray)? That's what VLC media player is all about. It can even stream media, both live from a mic or Webcam, or using pre-recorded files. VideoLAN's Wiki will take you through this programs powerful feature set.


The following is some stuff that looks really interesting and I want to learn more about.
Some of these could be used in the classroom.

MP3 Skype Recorder 1.9.0
http://voipcallrecording.com/
Windows
You might be shocked to learn that this software records Skype calls to MP3 format. Yeah, that's it, but MP3 Skype Recorder does it incredibly well. It even saves the call as mono or stereo tracks, with an adjustable bit rate. There are no time limits or file size limitations. It even records SkypeOut calls to regular phones or conference calls with multiple people

Dropbox
http://www.dropbox.com/
Windows Mac Linux Web Mobile
Our Editors' Choice for cloud-based automatic file sync, Dropbox is the epitome of a set-it-up and let-it-go service. Install it on any desktop or laptop computer and all the files in your Dropbox folder appear on all systems (or on a friend's if you share a folder). It's free for up to 2GB of data synched, and that's data you can access on your iPhone or via the Web, too.
.

Advanced SystemCare Free v3
http://www.iobit.com/advancedwindowscareper.html
Windows
Formerly WindowsCare Personal, with this app you're just one-click away from making your computer work better and faster.

Miro 2.5
http://www.getmiro.com
Windows Mac Linux
Version 2.5 of Miro stresses that it's an open-source HD video player and podcast collector; it gathers new episodes of shows instantly. Miro pulls HD versions when available, even from sites like YouTube, and a BitTorrent client and RSS reader is built in. Since it can download the videos it manages and plays, with Miro you can take your shows on the road when you don't have Internet access.

CamStudio
http://www.camstudio.org
Windows
Ever thought what you do on a computer screen was worthy of being made into a movie? CamStudio will make it so, recording all your on-screen actions—even audio to accompany it—and it can turn the whole thing into an AVI or SWF for streaming via Flash.

Eraser 6
http://www.heidi.ie/eraser
Windows
Eraser 6 does what the delete key and emptying the Recycle bin can't. It ensures every little bit of information on your hard drive is obliterated—without destroying the drive physically—before you give it, or the entire computer, away.

DriveImage XML V2.13
http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm
Windows
Free for private use, this utility makes full "hot images" of your drives or partitions that are stored as XML files, so you can still access data on them. It works for Windows versions XP to 7, and it has a number of command-line parameters for power users.

FreeMind 0.9.0
http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki
Windows Mac Linux
A mind map is like a flowchart/illustration/diagram of all the words, ideas, and pictures you can imagine as you brainstorm new ideas. Mind mapping software, such as FreeMind, helps get those ideas down before they slip away. It's written in Java, so it runs on all OSes, providing an interface similar to an outline on steroids to track whatever you insert as you think think think.

Geni
https://www.geni.com/
Web
Get ready to decorate the family tree. Geni lets you build out your genealogy and find ways to connect them with others when ancestors overlap (to do some of that connecting requires upgrading to the Pro version). You can log in with your Facebook account to share updates to the family tree with everyone you know.

Windows Live SkyDrive
http://skydrive.live.com/
Windows
Let's get serious about free storage space. 2GB is fine for documents, but it's not enough for everything you've got. Maybe you can't get enough free space in the cloud for everything, but Microsoft comes close. Its SkyDrive online storage delivers 25GB—free. The only limit: You must keep to no more than 50MB per file.

DisplayFusion v3.1.8
http://www.binaryfortress.com/displayfusion/
Windows
If you're lucky enough to have multiple monitors, and you're looking to get more from the experience, try DisplayFusion. It gives each its own unique wallpaper (with integrated search on Flickr ), the ability to display more with the Titlebars at the top of each window, hot keys to move windows from system to system, and more.

Timetoast
http://www.timetoast.com/
Web
Occasionally, we all need a timeline for a presentation. Timetoast lets you build extremely beautiful and interactive timelines, which can then be shared on Web pages.

CopyTrans
http://www.copytrans.net/
Windows
Getting music on the iPod or iPhone is easy with iTunes, and even a few other programs; getting music off it is another matter. In fact, it can be a nightmare. We used to recommend EphPod but that's no longer in development; the former developer suggests CopyTrans and we agree. It copies not just the files, but also the ratings and artwork, all in the right categories. The also-free CopyTrans Manager

Dia
http://dia-installer.de/index_en.html
Windows Linux Portable
Want to diagram something, but don't want to pay for Visio? That's where Dia gets its inspiration, providing all the flowcharting goodness you can stand. Grab the portable version at PortableApps.com to keep it on your USB drive.

Springpad
http://springpadit.com/
Web Mobile
Recently relaunched, Springpad (like Evernote) is all about saving snippets of the Internet (plus your own documents, pictures, and more) into a personal notebook for future reference. What it does different is bolster that saved info with extras it pulls from the Web. Springpad's iPhone app lets you take it on the road.


Zoho
http://www.zoho.com/
Web
Zoho's massive suite of productivity and collaboration apps is unique in how it takes on the leader in online apps (Google) while still being fully in favor of working with Google's tech and even as a partner. Most of the Zoho apps have a free component that you'll get more from by subscribing.

Monday, March 22, 2010

Three Cups of Coffee a Day Good for Your Brain

Three Cups of Coffee a Day Good for Your Brain

According to a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, coffee can stave off the affects of aging on the brain—specifically in women over the age of 65. "MRI brain scans revealed that women who drank three cups of coffee per day (or 6 cups of tea) had lost less brain tissue called white matter than those who drank less." Unfortunately men who drank the same amount of coffee saw none of the same benefit, but either way, it's not a bad endorsement of our favorite caffeine-delivery method. (Tea drinkers, the study noticed the same results for over six cups of tea). [Psychology Today]

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Carroll and I


Amelia Island FL
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Presentation: March 20th, 2010


Greed Disguised as Humanitarianism: The Story of the Congo Reform Movement

Appalachian Spring Conference in World History and Economics March 20, 2010

Here is the download section or you can check them out embedded below.

Thanks
Tyler

Download Paper Word File.

Download Paper .PDF Adobe Reader Format

Download Presentation from scribd.com


Grove Leopold

Greed Disguised as Humantarianism: The Story of The Congo Reform Movement

Saturday, February 27, 2010

I met this guy at Hilton Head

This guy gave a tour of the Mercedes-Benz cars on display. It is pretty cool, I am friends with people that leno is freinds with... small world!

Friday, February 26, 2010

The 3 P's

I was in a teaching seminar this week and one of the things I took away was the 3 P's.
Anything you do in your life, especially in your profession, needs to have the 3 P's

The 3 P's
You need to have:
  • Be Positive
  • Be Passionate
  • Have Purpose

It does not matter what you are doing but you need to have these 3 P's.

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Saturday, February 06, 2010

Wednesday, February 03, 2010

TO read

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/0,1518,627342,00.html


The truth about the gunshot that changed Germany. On June 2, 1967, a West Berlin police officer named Karl-Heinz Kurras killed a leftist protester named Benno Ohnesorg. This killing galvanized the West German student movement, and led to a decade of protesting and actual armed conflict (notably by the Red Army Faction, aka the Baader-Meinhof gang [previously]). It turns out that the police officer was a member of the Stasi, the infamous East German secret police. [more inside]posted by norm at 7:46 AM - 22 comments

Sunday, January 31, 2010

The Best Version of Wagon Wheel.

Thanks Coach for making such an amazing version of Wagon Wheel!

YouTube - Wagon Wheel

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Sunday, January 24, 2010

The Parish in Newport RI where JFK married Jackie


I nice cool old British Car importer sign in Newport RI


My first view of the Nissan Skyline GTR (in person)

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Acadia National Park

Mom and Tyler hiking up Cadillac Mountain at Acadia National Park



The Only Fjord in the United States. (i think)
This is in Acadia NP

Someone loves the horses!


The Pretty Beach at Acadia, but to cold to swim!

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The Bush Compound in Kennebunkport Maine


Had to get our picture in front of it!


Grove and Demicco in Boston.


Grove and Lambertz
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Rolls-Royce in New England Concours

Nice picture. The oldest Rolls-Royce I have ever sat in..


Had to show off a few pictures.


These pictures were taken at the 2009 New England Concour d'elegence at Stratton Vermont.
Sponsored by Hemmings.
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