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Scarlett during April Play Time
I’ve been looking forward to this moment for a long time – Scarlett finally plays on her own, allowing me to photograph her. It’s much harder to capture the awesome moments if you’re also playing along with your little one. I have lots of spontaneous photos of her extended cousins (and even my adopted brothers)…
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Something Needs to Change
For the past two years we’ve had increasing evidence that something needs to change in the police/neighborhood dynamic. But Fergusson, New York City, and Baltimore are only the tip of the iceburg in every sense of the metaphor. If, like me, you follow the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Boing Boing, and other organizations committed to justice,…
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Visiting Walt Disney World with a 3 Year Old
This post is meant to be a followup to last year’s post, Visiting Walt Disney World with a 2 Year Old. I’ll be referring to, and updating, that post with the elements that were different this time around. For one, I said she wouldn’t remember the first trip. While that’s certainly true in the long…
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The Socially Awkward Questions Have Begun
Scarlett has become hardcore obsessed with the BBC show Octonauts. Nothing she used to care about – Mulan, My Little Pony, Beauty and the Beast – can be put on the television for her. All she wants to watch is Octonauts. So for Easter we got her all the characters. She has two favorite characters/toys:…
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Podcasts I’m Listening to in 2015
I’ve both added and dropped some podcasts since last time around. Ever since I started using Doggcatcher on my cellphone I’ve been able to listen to more podcasts because, even without the pitch distortion my sandisk had, it plays the content a lot faster. Where I’m listing the same podcast as last year I may…
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February Video Games
Civilization V (30 minutes) – We got a few turns in our multiplayer games, but other important things (like planning weddings, perhaps) have kept my brothers from sending me new turns. Pac-Man Championship Edition DX+ (38 minutes) – I got it as part of a Humble Bundle because eventually my PS3 will die or be…
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Review: Pirate Cinema
Pirate Cinema by Cory Doctorow My rating: 4 of 5 stars In my Homeland review, I mentioned that many of Doctorow’s novels post-Eastern Standard Tribe are depressing reads; especially Little Brother, Homeland, and For the Win. Since he’s trying to spur people to action by making them realize how the world works, they can be…
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Review: Love Hina, Vol. 12
Love Hina, Vol. 12 by Ken Akamatsu My rating: 2 of 5 stars The book continues where the last one left off: with Kanako desperate to get intimate (physically and emotionally) with her adopted brother. While not biological incest, I still am not completely comfortable with it. Of course, coupled with the fact that she’s…
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2014 in Books
I only have a bit of free time each day – usually no more than about two hours when you add it all up. So whichever of my hobbies tends to catch fire is the one that gets the majority of the attention. 2013 was a pretty good year for video games, but in 2014…
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Review: The Eyre Affair
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde My rating: 3 of 5 stars My brother Dan recommends a lot of stuff to me. I don’t always have the time or money to get to it right away, but when it comes to books, music, and comics I’m usually very in sync his recommendations. (At least when…
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Review: Homeland
Homeland by Cory Doctorow My rating: 4 of 5 stars Cory Doctorow – you upset me so much. Your books continue to rock. But, recently, you’ve gotten too real with your stories. They are still awesome stories. But they upset me because they make me feel impotent. All the ideas in Little Brother, For the…
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Why Car Talk Meant so Much to Me (And why I’m sad it had to go + Tom’s death)
Until I was in high school, my dad and I didn’t bond over much. I knew he was a caring father and loved me, but we just didn’t have much to share except for one thing: Car Talk. My dad was never one to suffer fools, so when he drove me to school in the…
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September Video Games
Poker Night 2 (3 hrs): Before going on my recent business trip I wanted to take a small break from school work so I played PN2 the night before my trip. I reached the point where I’ve heard all the in-game dialogue so many times that I don’t even listen any more. I can generally…
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Review: Chrono Trigger (Boss Fight Books, #2)
Chrono Trigger by Michael P. Williams My rating: 5 of 5 stars This book is exactly what I hoped it would be. It is a deconstruction and reconstruction of the plot; it is an examination of what made the game so special. And it is a chunk of the author’s autobiography. Unlike the author, and…
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Review: The Silver Ninja: Indoctrination
The Silver Ninja: Indoctrination by Wilmar Luna My rating: 2 of 5 stars Disclosure: I got this book for free for review. Let me start with what I liked. Wilmar does a good job creating a believable female hero. She has flaws. She sounds like a woman; not a man with breasts. At the same…