Bizarre / Interesting / Newsworthy (BIN # 1)

From the B.I.N. for this week, I give you the following articles:

In China, genetically modified cows produce human breast milk. It will be sold in stores within three years. Other cows modified are resilient against mad cow disease, and yet other beef cattle are genetically modified to produce more nutritious meat.
  --http://www.myfoxny.com/dpp/news/china-genetically-modifying-cows-to-produce-human-breast-milk-20110608-ncx


Matt Stutzman, a man born with no arms, still has none. But what he does have is a qualification for the National U.S. Olympic team in archery. Yep. Armless archery.
 --http://www.newtondailynews.com/articles/2011/06/06/r_sxx109pfrlwa_cpzlzx6rw/index.xml


A mother in the UK has volunteered to donate her womb to her infertile daughter, to be transplanted so that the daughter can have a daughter (or son) of her own. If successful, Sara could conceive and carry a child in the same womb she herself was born from.
  --http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/jun/13/uk-mother-agrees-donate-womb-daughter


I don't care so much about the game aspects of this, but the voice controls  in "Ghost Recon: Future Soldier" is really rather impressive. As shown in the video near the bottom of the article, even with another demo blasting near by, the Xbox (via Kinect) was able to pick up almost every voice command given by the both the interviewer and interview-y. It's still not as good as you've seen on the Enterprise, but it sure is getting close.
  --http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/08/kinect-integration-in-ghost-recon-future-soldier-hands-off-vi/

Quick Photos (SIM card reader and USB charging adapter)

A few gadgets photos. Just got these the other day, and haven't had time to play with them yet. They came from http://www.dealextreme.com . Once I've used them a bit, I' post more info.

I found it interesting that the USB charging adapter has the Apple stamp on it. It was just mixed in with tons of cheap Chinese items (which often do just the job, and at the right price.) This was not mentioned in the info about the item. I'd think it would be a selling point.

The packaging:

Both items: A USB power adapting charger and a SIM card reader.

Fresh Bread

I just pulled this fresh bread out of the oven. Four rolls, one small loaf and one small loaf with a butter hardened crust, half of which has a cinnamon and brown sugar topping.

Review: "Pushing Daisies" Season One

Fantastic! Very very funny. Bizarre, but brilliant. I watched the whole season in two sittings, and wished that I had season two waiting on the shelf. It's a show about murdered people. People that can talk, if only for sixty seconds. After that, it back to that land of the dead. I know the premise doesn't sound funny, but it truly is. It's a fairy tale like story, about a man named Ned, and a woman who's not dead (Her name is Chuck, and he's a pie maker.) and the very, er, distant relationship they have while he runs a pie shop and helps a Private Investigator solve mysteries. Murders mostly.

Please excuse me, while I go add seasons one and two to my wish list...

Sleding at Night

Sledding at night is fun, but I need to come up with a camera mount for my hat or something. Steering with one hand is rather difficult as you will see in the video.

Trailer: I.O.U.S.A

This looks to be a movie worth the watching. Their website: www.IOUSAtheMovie.com

My Good Experience with Best Buy: Update 3

I received my gift card from "Best Buy" in the mail today. My $75.00 gift card.

At the outset of this issue, I never planed to darken the doorway of any of their stores again. Now, however, I am quite satisfied with their method of resolution for this problem. True, I didn't have my camera for longer than I would have liked, but a seventy-five dollar bribe* to forget about it seems sufficient from my point of view.

If you don't know why "Best Buy" is sending me large sums of money, you may want to start at the beginning of this tale, or read the first update, or even the second update.


*If you don't like the term bribe, please pretend that I wrote graft. Err, I mean gift.

The Jeremiah Hickabilly Show

What happens when three people don't get enough sleep? Why The Jeremiah Hickabilly Show of course!

The views and opinions expressed by the hosts, guests and advertisers of the Jeremiah Hickabilly Show are not necessarily shared by the the owner of this blog.

(Warning, if you were not there, this will probably bore you to tears.)

(If you don't like the player, join the club. I mean, common, it's pink! If you know how to change that, or know of a better player, please do leave me a comment and let me know.)

These People Make the Laws

I just ran across this video (here). A barrel shroud is a safety feature. This woman thinks we should ban/regulate them. Her reasoning will astound you. The clip is under a minute long.

Fire!

After returning from a two week vacation (see "San Fransisco") I have found few things that are equal in their relaxation value as a thousand acre fire threatening your home. Follow me as I guide you in a photo tour of my weekend. All these photos/videos were taken from my grandpa's porch. Only a hundred yards or so from my house.

Doing a little smoking.

Might as well enjoy the air show, right?

I love water, don't you?

A chopper on the way out.

Some folks missing a few marbles. (Click image for a more details.)

A wee bit close for comfort.

I'm not sure if this was comforting or terrifying. (Click to play.)



My brother took this one.

Yet another fly by. (Yippy!)

Later that night.

I took seval hundred more pictures, but these give you the idea.

Of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit

I have for many years, if fact, for most of my life, desired to taste rabbit stew. I can trace this fact directly back to Chapter Five of "The Two Towers" (By J.R.R. Tolkien) in which Samwise Gamgee cooks the brace of coney's that Smeagol (notice that I intentionally do not call him Gollum in this instance) catches for Frodo Baggins.

Every time I have heard this passage, my curiosity has been piqued. And each time I have wanted to try it. With every reading my craving for this dish has intensified.

At our house, on the occasion of a birthday, Papa will try to prepare the meal-of-choice of the raison d'être of the celebrations. Within reason of course.

Since at least as far back as 2001, and perhaps longer, my meal-of-choice has been rabbit stew. We don't exactly live in England (or the deep south) so rabbit is extraordinarily rare as a food source. (Although there are plenty on the wild and as pets.)

I have eaten squid, octopus, duck, pheasant, eel, lamb, et cetra, et cetra. But I have never had the opportunity to dine on rabbit. Until yesterday.

We have some friends who raise rabbits for food, but for one reason or another, we have been unable to acquire one for our consumption.

Yesterday, being my birthday, I had the great joy of going to work! Wait... hmm. There is something subtly wrong with that... But anyway, when I got back up, Lo! a rabbit in the (crock)pot!

This disposed me to be immensely gleeful. Within an hour or so, I was supping on the succulent delight of Herbs and Stewed Rabbit.

(And by the way, yes, the picture was edited slightly.)

One Working Welder

  This past weekend I was able to get the correct plug on my new welder, and use it for the first time. After a half hour setting up, and fifteen more minutes of fiddling, I found the correct settings and fired up the new arc-welder.

I didn't have a lot of time, so I contented myself with fusing a pair of horse shoes together.

Whereupon I went to use my acetylene torch (also for the first time). When I swapped my brand new acetylene tank for a full tank, it had a plastic cap covering the output nozzle, which was great because I wasn't planning on assembling it for a while.

I remove the cap, ready to go cut some pipe for a quick project for Papa, and Lo! The inside of the nozzle was caked in crud. So, sadly, as I had little time remaining in the day, I was unable to use it at the time.
Oh well. One down, one to go.

Do you have a file with the FBI?

Neither had I. Until yesterday that is. As all of you who know me could testify I take a lot of pictures. Too many pictures, some might argue.

One of you told me on Saturday, that "People will think you are some kind of wacko" for taking pictures on the freeway. It turns out that you were right!

While waiting on the freeway on ramp, I saw this call box. The lighting behind it was interesting (It didn't come out in the photo) so I took a picture. *Gasp!*

I wear gloves when I drive, I have a "full beard" -so says the FBI- and I was taking pictures of a Free Standing, Solar Powered Communications Device (FSSPCD) commonly known as a "Call Box."

Did you know that taking pictures of a call box can get you called by the FBI? "Suspicious activity" "in this post 9-11 world", don't-cha know?

I took the above photo on Monday. (July 9, 2007 @ 06.09:32 Hr.) and promptly forgot about it. Yesterday morning, my sister called me. She told me that an FBI agent had called her. She gave me his phone number and I called him back.

I called the number given (and listed for the San Diego FBI) 858-565-1255. I asked to be transferred to the person my sister spoke with, and it was done. I got a message machine. I left a message. Several minutes later, he called back.

He asked me if I was taking pictures at such-and-so a location at 7am. (While wearing gloves.) I told him I had. He wanted to know why.

I told him I "take a lot of pictures." I also mentioned that I had been at a wedding on Saturday night and took over three hundred pictures there. I referenced my website which he then wanted to know the URL of. I gave it to him.

But why had I taken a picture on Monday? he asked.

Because I liked the lighting. I replied.

He asked me several other questions. Would I like to meet him in person? That way he could show me his badge, etc. But he figured I'd "rather deal with this over the phone."

Later I learned that he had spoken with all three C.W.Holeman's before finally finding me.

---

He called me back this morning. He asked the same sort of questions, I gave the same answers. (got to keep my story straight :-) )He hadn't even looked at my website. I even posted "The Great and Mysterious Photograph" for him.

He offered to meet me in person again too. But this time he motioned a "partner" or an "associate." I forget which. Why is he so anxious to meet me in person? Does he need a picture for his dossier on me?

He said that he'd look at my site, and "Reach out to you" again if he needed anything else. He told me he would look at my site yesterday too. I wonder if he will this time?

---

If I were a terrorist, what would his calls have done? (Other than alert me to the fact that I had been noticed)

He might as well have said, "Attention Terrorist, This is the FBI. We have noticed your suspicious behaviour. Please flee or hide your activities better at once. Thank you."

The Praise Symphony Orchestra

On Sunday evening, The Praise Symphony Orchestra came down from Orange County to do a performance at Hillside Community Church. Only about two-thirds of this chamber orchestra was able to come on this trip, which put their number at around thirty-five people.

Not only was I able to get a front row seat, I got the whole front pew all to myself. Which was exceedingly useful for taking pictures, videos, and a number of audio clips as well.

The orchestra happens to be celebrating their 30^th anniversary this month. There are only two or three people left from the original group, but the ranks have clearly been swelled with replacements along the way. In fact, one of the cellists is only twelve years old!

The only thing that topped the quality of the music was the price. The concert was totally Free. Plans are already under way for a return visit next year. All I can say is give me a date to reserve.

Chicken de Holeman

I was home alone tonight for dinner because half my family is at a Civil War Reenactment, and the other half is on their way north to see my uncle who has had a massive stroke, and is in the hospital.

We got 25 lb. of chicken at 77¢ a lb yesterday, so I made something up with chicken for dinner. Here is the recipe:

• 2 cups chicken, sliced into strips.
  
• ~1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  
• 1/8 teaspoon Oregano
  
• 4 heaping tablespoons butter
  
• 3 cloves garlic (crushed)
  
• 1/8 cup onion
  
• 1/8 cup Chardonnay
  
• 1/2 leaf basil
  

• 2 corn tortillas
  

1. Heat butter, onion, garlic and basil an a sauce pan on medium-low until the onion is nicely browned. (It took me two tries to do this part. The first attempt was more black than brown.)
   
   
2. Add chicken, Chardonnay and spices.
   
3. Cook until the chicken is well done all the way through.
   
4. Place chicken/onion mixture in a bowl. (Do not remove liquids.) Cover with several place-mats/towels to keep warm.
   
5. Fry the tortillas in the butter mixture in the bottom of the pan.
   
6. Serve with orange juice.
   

Remember, I wrote this post after midnight-thirty, so prepare this sapid dish with caution (Also please excuse the brevity and sloppiness etc. of this post.)

A Duo of Dolts

After spending an hour and a quarter on the road, dealing with the usual dolts driving like bats out of Borrego, I got a special treat: double tailgaters!
That's right, because one person right on my tail wasn't dangerous enough. I let them all pass me, so I wouldn't have any problems with them.

Or so I thought.

Ten minutes later, just before my driveway I come upon this scene:

"Not good," think I. So what's my first reaction? Slow down? Honk horn? No, of course no. What then, you ask? Take a picture. (Duh) I did stop and honk at them, but only as secondary operations. My primary focus was on getting my camera powered up. Hey, evidence is handy stuff, right?

These two fellows were hollering and swearing and flinging profanity around like it was the end of the world. I have never in my life heard so much verbal abuse heaped on anybody. Not to mention that they were practically in his lap swinging fists around.

After I showed up and the neighbor you can see in the background came out, the two men backed off. The man in the car called 911 and asked me to stick around as a witness. I parked at home, grabbed a sweat shirt and ran back down there.

That's when it started snowing.

It turns out that this was my tailgating duo. Apparently, the man in the car had passed the other two and "ran us off the road" when a car came from the other direction. So they decided to give him a piece of there minds and followed him for fifteen minutes to do so, which is where I found them.

Within a few minutes, the snow slacked off and no less than two CHP cars, two sheriff cars, an ambulance and a fire truck had shown up. A CHP officer told me that I could go, so I did. I walked home and related these exciting events to my family, wolfed down some fresh home made pizza, and ran out the door to go to so-called-youth-group.

While I was away, a sheriff called and one of my parents gave him the story as I told them then, and as I have now told it to you.

A Contrast in Concerts

In the last 48 hours I've been to two concerts.

The first was a fund raiser sort of thing, an hour from where I live. There were three bands in attendance: Jason Harris, InAidance and Sam Heart. I got in for half price ($5) for bringing a friend.

I was glad I got the discount. It was just your typical music that can be found at any Sunday morning Church service. there was a little preaching, free cookies and popcorn and lots of volume. The instant InAdence got started, I was out the door.

That's not to say I left the concert. It just means that I could hear the music just fine outside by the ticket table, which is where I listened to them. For having the desire not to cause permanent damage to my ear drums, I was granted the title "Pansy Behind the Plexiglass" by the ticket taker. She seemed truly puzzled by my being outside.

The subsequent band was louder yet. Needless to say, I stayed outside. All in all, I wasn't terribly impressed.

---

On Sunday, the band Giveway came all the way from Scotland just to play for the Julian Library. Err, well, maybe they were on tour in the area.

Giveway is a Scottish band of four highly talented sisters. They started the performance with a bang and never looked back. It was foot stomping, hand clappingly good music. If there was a still foot in the building (There was seating for 200, and people standing around the edges) I couldn't see it.

Since I've already admitted that Giveway was on tour, I might as well tell you a funny thing that happened. So Giveway is on tour all the way from Scotland, here they are at their final gig, and they have one CD left. That's right, a crowd of over two hundred people, and they only have one disk.

At the intermission, there was maybe a half second before that lone album had vanished like smoke. There were a number of people upset that the library that was hosting the event didn't buy it before someone else got to it. Most were mollified by the fact that she (claimed) that she bought it for her branch of the library.

You can listen to some sound samples from their two CDs here and here. Their website is www.givewaymusic.com