MarkDMcKinney.com Blog

Personal Change

2011-10-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

Personal change is a very long process. In fact, it’s a lifelong process. You never stop changing or growing. You never stop bettering your character. I find that there are four basic steps of the change process.

First, recognizing what you need to change. This is what guides you. This gives you the focus of what you need to improve on to grow your character. Besides asking a trusted person, thinking about what happened in you day will give you a good idea of what you need to work on. For instance, you usually know right off the bat when you realize that what you just did was pretty stupid. Any regret you might feel about your behavior will indicate something you might want to change. Also, you can recognize what you need to change by asking yourself these questions: How does the environment change when you’re participating? How do others react? Sometimes you don’t need to search hard; it might just be right in front of you. Recognizing what you need to change is extremely important to improving your character.

Second, actually wanting to change. Do you actually want to change what you’re doing than just knowing what it is and letting it go? Do you really feel that you want to do something differently?

Now here is when it gets a little tougher. Okay so, you found what you need to do differently and you actually want to fix it, what do you do now? Where do you go from here? This is the third step; this is when you need to start changing. Keep in mind, at all times, what you want to change and be alert when you might slip into the old behavior you don’t like. Immediately divert from it and begin doing the behavior you want to make a habit.

The fourth step is just a reinforcement of the third step. Keep being alert and try hard not to do it until your form a new habit. Persistence is the key. Soon, you should be able to stop doing the thing that you really don’t want to do anymore.

By following these steps, you will be able to conquer the things you want to change and keep improving yourself more and more.

A Prairie Dog Language?

2011-08-29T16:44:00.000-07:00

Scientists have recently discovered that prairie dogs seem to have a language of their own. In their language they can tell other prairie dogs if there is a predator around, what kind of predator it is (coyote, hawk, etc), and even the color of the predator!

For 30 years, Professor Con Slobodchikoff and his colleagues have been recording the calls of the prairie dogs. They have found that prairie dogs have been confronted by so many different predators so often, that they have, over time, developed a way to accurately describe the predators. These “words” can be used to say, "tall, skinny coyote in distance, moving rapidly towards colony".

Professor Slobodchikoff and his team believe that prairie dogs can do this by slightly alternating the accents and of the call and the harmonics in the bark. This allows them to “say” a lot of information in a very short amount of time. Prof Slobodchikoff says, "Prairie dogs have the most complex natural language that has been decoded so far. They have words for different predators, they have descriptive words for describing the individual features of different predators, so it's a pretty complex language that has a lot of elements."

Five Characteristics of a Successful Leader

2011-08-24T07:44:00.001-07:00

Being a successful leader means that you are always concerned about others well being before your own. I have laid out five main factors of what makes a leader successful:

1. Be encouraging. Don’t put down someone’s work and make yours better. Uplift them and give positive input.

2. Listen. Listen to what others say. Let them share their views and thoughts and don’t put them down.

3. Be accepting. Don’t fall for what others say about the new guy. Again, be encouraging. Respect their beliefs or views. Don’t distance yourself from them just because they’re different from you.

4. Keep a positive attitude. I mean, who wants to be around someone who is always talking about how something is so bad or has a negative air about themselves?

5. Always do the right thing. Don’t be pulled into doing something that you know that’s wrong. It might be fun at the time, but it will just end badly.

Meeting Scott McKain!

2011-08-23T07:57:00.001-07:00

This summer I finally had the chance to meet Mr. Scott McKain! He’s a great speaker and business man and has been very supportive. You can read more about him on his web site.

Mr. McKain says that we need to focus on what really makes a difference. Anything you do gets better when you get better; and when you work as hard on yourself as you do your business. He wrote a book called, Collapse of Distinction about standing-out and not being mediocre. You create distinction by developing clarity, creativity, communication, and a customer-experience focus. You can’t be all things to all people. You can read a review of his book here.

3D Printer

2011-07-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

Video Description: 3D printing is a form of additive manufacturing technology where a three dimensional object is created by laying down successive layers of material. 3D printers are generally faster, more affordable and easier to use than other additive manufacturing technologies. 3D printers offer product developers the ability to print parts and assemblies made of several materials with different mechanical and physical properties in a single build process. Advanced 3D printing technologies yield models that can serve as product prototypes.

Serving the Community

2011-07-01T15:47:00.001-07:00

Serving your community doesn’t always have to be some huge project. It can be something small, like a change of attitude. Serving doesn’t just pertain to just your community, it can be your school and home too. Serving your community also means inspiring your community to do better.

Well, how do we do that? Like I said earlier, changes and improvements don’t need to be a huge ordeal. In fact sometimes, the small improvements are just as a good or even more significant than the changes that are huge. Of course, I am not saying that big events are not good; it’s just that the smallest improvements can be just as important. Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy once said, “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”

Here are some things that you can do to improve the community that you are in. First, change your attitude or outlook on things. To do this, be positive. Take things you don't want to do and look at them in a way that's constructive and uplifting. Second, be aware of your behavior and how you come across. Don’t try to cause problems and make things difficult. This only causes tension in the community. That tension can crumble the community. Third, get to know other people that are outside of your close circle of friends. Getting to know more people connects more and different people and builds the community.

Just by doing something simple you can make a great impact on your community, school, or home.

More leadership and personal development articles like this at Leader: Me!

Flight Over Grand Canyon in Jet Suit

2011-05-10T17:08:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Swiss adventurer Yves Rossy completed a flight over the Grand Canyon in his custom jet suit. Rossy was airborne for 8 minutes and was flying 200 feet over the canyon rim on the Hualapai Reservation after launching from a helicopter. His team said that Rossy flew at 190 mph before releasing his parachute and landing on the canyon floor. Rossy, also known as JetMan, has flown above the English Channel and the Swiss Alps in his custom jet suit as well.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) discussed what class this new flying vehicle should be in. The FAA has never had to assess this type of vehicle before. Eventually, the FAA classed Rossy’s jet suit in the class of airplanes.

His jet suit averages 124 mph and has a 6.5-foot wing span and Rossy wears it on his back. The engine is fed fuel by a slight roll of his hand. Dick Knapinski, spokesman for the Experimental Aircraft Association, says that "this one is a bit unusual." He adds, "It's such a unique design and a unique pursuit that it doesn't fall in the usual categories."

A short video of Rossy’s flight over the Grand Canyon:

Can You See The Great Wall of China From Space?

2010-12-18T10:20:00.000-08:00

This has been a very popular myth that you can see the Great Wall of China from space with the naked eye and that it’s the only man-made structure that you can see from space and even from the moon. The truth is that you can’t and especially not from the moon. However, there are many made-made structures that you can see from space like the Egyptian pyramids. The only way you could get a glimpse of the wall is if you had the help of radar or high powered camera. Though, even if you tried to take a picture with a powerful camera, it would still be very hard to make out the wall. Leroy Chiao, commander and NASA ISS science officer of the 10th Station crew, tried doing this with a 180mm lens and a digital camera last Nov. 24. The picture he took was the first confirmed picture of the wall. Chiao and NASA believe that they can make out some parts of the wall. In the picture, the yellow arrow points to an estimated location of 42.5N 117.4E where the wall is visible. The red arrows point to other visible sections of the wall. Still, the wall is not easily seen because of it small width from that height and because it blends in with its surroundings. Even though seeing or taking a photograph is still hard to see it in low Earth orbit, parts of the wall can be seen quite well using radar imagery (below).

So really, this claim is false. You cannot see the Great Wall of China from space with the naked eye without some sort of equipment and it’s not the only man-made structure you can see from space nor the moon.

Sources:

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/workinginspace/great_wall.html

http://www.snopes.com/science/greatwall.asp

http://www.universetoday.com/25364/can-you-see-the-great-wall-of-china-from-space/

http://www.factmonster.com/askeds/great-wall-visible-space.html

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/visible_from_space_031006.html

Why Do Leaves Fall?

2010-11-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

Most of the time people think when leaves start to fall it’s because of the wind and winter frost. Well, it’s not that! In fact, every single leaf on a deciduous tree has a thing called "abscission" cells, which acts just like scissors. How does this work?

Roughly around this time of year—Fall—in the Northern Hemisphere, changes in the weather trigger a hormone in the trees. The hormone sends a chemical message which tells the leaves that it’s about time to leave the tree. After the message is received, cells called “abscission” cells materialize where the leaf is attached to the stem. After a few days, each leaf receives a thin coat of bumpy lined cells. These cells push the leaf away from the stem. The tree then gives the leaf a push which leaves the leaf, in other words, hanging on a thread. The wind then carries off the leaf and essentially finishes of the “job”.

What’s the point of leaves falling off trees?

I really like the kitchen staff analogy to explain the role of leaves on a tree from Robert Krulwich.

“…leaves are basically the kitchen staff of a tree. During the spring, summer and early fall they make the food that helps the tree grow and thrive and reproduce. When the days get short and cold, food production slows down, giving the tree an option: It can keep the kitchen staff or it can let it go.
If trees kept their leaves permanently they wouldn't have to grow new ones, but leaves are not the brightest of bulbs (sorry!). Every so often, when the winter weather has a break and the days turn warm, Raven says leaves will start photosynthesizing. "They get some water up and they start operating and making food and then it freezes again."
When the cold snap's back on, the leaves will be caught with water in their veins, freeze and die. So instead of a food staff that's resting, the tree is stuck with a food staff that's dead. And when spring comes, the permanent help will be no help. The tree will die.”

List of Deciduous Trees

Deciduous trees are leaf-dropping trees. Here are some examples of deciduous trees:

Oak

Maple

Cherry

For a more extensive list go here: List

Other source: http://www.npr.org

Graffiti Art

2010-10-22T21:49:00.000-07:00

I have been recently learning how to draw graffiti letters. Here are some of the pieces I've done. Note: I'm still learning how to color them so that the color schemes complement the piece plus cool designs.

Positive Quotes

2010-09-23T14:25:00.000-07:00

I have just started a new blog post series (logo made by me)! I hope to bring five quotes about different problems, emotions, or most anything else! Here is the subject for this post: Perseverance

"Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working.”
- Author: Unknown

“Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul.”
- Douglas MacArthur

“Edison failed 10, 000 times before he made the electric light. Do not be discouraged if you fail a few times.”
- Napoleon Hill

“Try and fail, but don't fail to try.”
- Stephen Kaggwa

“Energy and persistence conquer all things.”
- Benjamin Franklin

Do you have any quotes or topics? Send your ideas to me (markdmckinney@gmail.com).

Leading with Grace

2010-08-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

Today, I am presenting a post by Dr. Jack King of the Northfork Center for Servant Leadership. Dr. King works to develop servant leaders. At Leadership Upsidedown he develops and teaches young leaders the timeless principles and values of servant leadership. I met Dr. King on Twitter and always appreciate his support.

* * *

I believe we often share a misconception about leading, leadership, and leaders. What do you think?

For example, does leading have to be stuffy? No. It is much of the time, but nothing says it has to be.

Leading has everything to do with love. Did you know that? Think about it for a moment. When you boil everything down, every leader you want to follow generously seasons all they do with love. Really.

They lead because they exude a love for others. They lead because they love what they do. They lead because they love what you do, and what you help others do.

Leading is not static. Because life is not static.

Leading is energy; it is flow. Leading is emotion, full tilt. Leading is electrifying. Leading is moving; it is intense. Because leading loves.

Did you watch the video? Did you wonder why it's on this page? Some of you may have thought something like, "Boy, Jack must have flipped his lid. What's this video got to do with servant leadership anyway?"

After all, servant leadership is soft, right? Only wimps are servant leaders, right? Wrong. On both counts.

Servant leadership requires strength; it is not for the faint of heart. The servant as leader, Robert Greenleaf suggests, sets out, first and foremost, to help those served to grow as persons, and for the least privileged in society to benefit, or at least, not be further deprived. Nuttin' easy about that.

Speaking of nuttin', Damien and Tourie Escobar, also know as Nuttin' but Stringz, bring popular and classical genres to the streets. In so doing, they edify, they inspire, they energize, and they move others to new heights. Did you pick up on their thoughts about "a lot of young kids getting violin lessons?" Damien and Tourie quietly lead with grace (well, maybe not so quietly.

And so can you!

Now get out there and quietly take the lead. Before you know it, followers will soon raise their arms high to the sky, joyfully moving them from side to side in tribute to your graceful leadership. Give it a try. You'll see!

Facts About Ego

2010-08-12T15:24:00.000-07:00

Google’s dictionary defines “ego” as “an inflated feeling of pride in your superiority to others.” In other words, ego makes you feel inappropriately better than other people. For example, if you walked up to a person and said that you did something that they might like and they were to respond saying “Are you serious? Mine is so much better than yours,” this would mean they have a huge ego. Ego can destroy teams and relationships as you probably saw above.

Ego won’t just destroy others, it will also destroy you. If you have a big ego, you will learn to be more and more of disrespectful. Also, people will not want to be around you much because all you’re going to do is complement yourself. Another thing that will happen to you if you keep growing your ego is that you will never be happy. You will always try to make yourself better than someone else. You can never say that something is good or that you really like an idea. No, you will always try to put down others.

If you put ego aside, wonders will happen for you. People will enjoy your presence. People will want to share things with you. More importantly, by setting your ego aside, you will be so much happier. You will always feel more supported by others. You’ll also get that good feeling that comes from helping make someone else feel happy. Your mind won’t be clouded with thoughts of just yourself. Your mind will be full of thoughts of others.

A way to do this is to have the trait of humility. Humility makes you courteous and respectful. In Matthew 5:5, within the King James Bible, it says “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” An example of humility, is saying “You first buddy!” when you are entering a door or doing an activity. Being humble will help balance your ego by putting other people in front of yourself.

So don’t allow ego to get in your way because it’s just going to bring you down. Scientist Nathaniel Bronner Jr. says “Ego has a voracious appetite, the more you feed it, the hungrier it gets.” I think he is so right.

My Leadership Page: Leader: Me!

How to Get Along With an Enemy

2010-08-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

We always want to avoid making enemies, but it will certainly happen. It may be the opposite of what you would want to do, but the first step to try to turn enemies into friends is to get to know the person better. As Abraham Lincoln said, “I don't like that man. I must get to know him better.” Getting to know them will enable you to learn about most of his or her strengths and weaknesses. Knowing that will help you understand them and get along. You might even figure out what you did (if you did really do something) to them. Then you can apologize to them and this will hopefully turn your enemy into your friend.

Now what if that doesn’t work because they just don’t seem to like you for whatever reason, you must now learn how to get along with them. To do this, you must first ignore their comments. Now I don’t mean that you should blow them off like “who cares about them” because that’s just what they would do to you. No, you must not react to their comments in a negative way. Don’t make their problem your problem. The next step is to not say anything about what he or she does. Don’t be critical of them. Don’t make negative comments. Otherwise, again, you are doing exactly what they are doing. You must ignore the urge to get back at them or the desire to embarrass them. Finally, you must always remember to be nice to them even if they are being a jerk to you. If you do this you will be setting an example. Hopefully they will follow your example.

The people we don’t like are usually the people we don’t know or seem to be not like us. We don’t usually like people that are different from us. The solution is to get to know others even if they are different and be nice to everyone we see.
Will Rogers, speaking of Leon Trosky, said, “I bet you if I had met him and had a chat with him, I would have found him a very interesting and human fellow, for I never yet met a man that I didn't like.” Get to know people. You’ll be surprised how much you might like them.

King Tut’s Tomb

2010-07-16T12:36:00.000-07:00

King Tut was well known for being only nine when he took the throne of Egypt and for his amazing tomb. What was so special about his tomb? The tomb was found by Howard Carter and his sponsor, Lord Carnarvon in November, 1922. When they found it, it wasn’t like any other tomb; it had been undisturbed for 3,000 years.

King Tut’s tomb was found in the Valley of the Kings. The tomb had survived flash floods and robberies throughout the centuries. No one knew where it might be. It seemed impossible to find it until an American business man named Theodore M. Davis brought some light to the situation. Mr. Davis found some items that led to the discovery of the tomb. The first item was a famous cache in which was a collection of royal funerary items “from Tell el Amarna that were brought to Thebes to escape destruction” says kingtutone.com. The objects were hidden in a safe tomb because of the clay sealing of the cache which was done by King Tut! Inside were many treasures. One treasure was King Tutankhamen’s furniture. There was also more evidence that led to the discovery of the tomb.

Another piece of evidence was found in 1907 inside a crater. It had seal impressions of Tutankhamen and embalming or mummifying materials like linen bags, broken pottery, and natron which basically a type of soda ash. Another clue was a faience cup with King Tut’s name inscribed on it. Next to the cup was another indication of King Tut’s tomb was a cluster of fragments of gold foil with Tutankhamen and Ankhesenamun inlaid upon it was found by Mr. Davis. Though he disregarded it but, Carter found it quite remarkable.
After studying it, Carter was certain that King Tut’s tomb was inside the Valley of the Kings. After that he went to his friend, Lord Carnarvon to fund his search. Carnarvon analyzed the clues and agreed to fund the search. They were able to dig in 1914 but had to stop digging because of the First World War.

After the war, they continued to dig. Though funds were running out for Carnarvon, Carter pleaded for one more season of digging and said that if he still didn’t find anything, he would pay for the dig. They agreed for one more season of digging. The project began by digging close to Ramesses VI’s tomb. While they were there, the workers were told to eliminate an Ancient workman’s hut. As the workers were doing what they were told, a step was found. Carter ordered the step to be clear of rubble and sand. At noon the next day, a entrance was found with a stamp on it. The stamp was a Necropolis seal which depicted the god, Anubis, standing above five conquered enemies.

Carter then hurriedly sent a telegram to Carnarvon saying “At last have made wonderful discovery in valley; a magnificent tomb with seals intact; re-covered same for your arrival; congratulations.” Carnarvon and his daughter, Lady Evelyn Herbert, quickly made arrangements to go to Egypt and to arrive in Alexandria on November 23rd.

Once they arrived, they met Howard Carter and his assistant, A. R. Callender. The following day, Carter started to drill a hole in the door while Carnarvon, his daughter, and Callender were in the corner waiting anxiously. As the hole became larger, Carter could look through. Carter held a candle which lit up the room quite well. Carter was amazed of what he saw. Lord Carnarvon asked “Can you see anything?” and Carter replied “Yes, wonderful things.” They widened the hole so that you could barely squeeze your way through. Once they were inside, the air was warm. Carter held the candle higher and saw many amazing objects. They agreed that the next day they would explore further.

The next day, they came prepared with electronic lights. The tomb was finally excavated and was photographed. Carter later died in 1939. The tomb treasures are now in the Cairo Museum.

The Curse
A story says that Howard Carter was to come across a tablet. He asked Alan Gardiner to decipher it. After deciphering it, it said “Death will slay with his wings whoever disturbs the peace of the pharaoh.” Both thought this was nonsense but to not scare the workers, all mention of the tablet was wiped from the record. There are many other versions:
“They who enter this sacred tomb shall swift be visited by wings of death.”
“Let the hand raised against my form be withered! Let them be destroyed who attack my name, my foundation, my effigies, the images like unto me!”
“It is I who hinder the sand from choking the secret chamber. I am the protection for the deceased and I will kill all those who cross this threshold into the sacred precincts of the Royal King who lives forever.”
Why do people believe that the curse is true? Below are some facts that help support this:

• Of the 26 people present at the opening of the tomb, 6 had died.
• Of the 22 people present at the opening of the sarcophagus, 2 had died.
• Carter’s dog Susie starts howling then drops dead.
However, Carter died in 1939 at age 64, Harry Burton died in 1940 at age 60, and Sir Alan Gardiner died in 1963 at age 84. For me, I don’t believe that the curse is real. I think it is merely a coincidence. Why? Well I think that maybe there was disease because the tomb had not been opened for 3,000 years so the air must of been pretty bad. Plus with the mummy, I think that could give some people diseases. Scientists say that King Tut died from malaria or bone disease. So since the air had been trapped in there for 3,000 years, perhaps some of the diseases from the mummy were still lingering inside the tomb.

Lincoln's Dreams

2010-07-15T21:50:00.000-07:00

It was the last morning of President Lincoln's life. He planned an evening at Ford's Theater for that night. Lincoln invited General Grant and his wife, but they declined. Following that, thirteen other people declined as well. Finally Major Rathbone and his fiancée, Clara Harris agreed to join the Lincolns.

At the cabinet meeting that day, the president said that he had two peculiar dreams. One of the dreams was: "I'm in a boat, and I drift and I drift. Gentlemen, something extraordinary is going to happen and very soon." After that, Lincoln told the cabinet his other dream. His dream woke him in a cold sweat. He explained: "I heard subdued sobs, as if a number of people were weeping. I left my bed and wandered downstairs. I went from room to room until I arrived at the East Room, which I entered. There before me was a corpse wrapped in funeral vestments. Around it were stationed soldiers who acted as guards. 'Who is dead in the White House?' I demanded of one of the soldiers. 'The President,' was his answer. 'He was killed by an assassin.'"

And so that night, President Lincoln was shot. He died the next morning. What is kind of funny is that he once said, "Most people regard dreams as foolish." You wonder what history would be like if Lincoln would of paid attention to his dreams.

Like this story? It was adapted from SHOCKING SECRETS OF AMERICAN HISTORY, 115 Surprising and Amusing Tales. Get the book for more Shocking Stories!

The Prophet's Presidential Curse

2010-07-07T15:06:00.000-07:00

The prophet and his brother Tecumseh, were Indian leaders that created many problems for the United States government in the area North of the Ohio River. This constant irritation made the government send General William Henry Harrison to appease the Indian brothers and their people. He accomplished this at the battle of Tippicanoe but not before the prophet placed a curse on Harrison.

Of course no one thought anything of this but, they would soon remember once Harrison was elected president in 1840. In March of 1841, president Harrison died because he caught pneumonia while he gave his inaugural speech in a pouring rain. Many people thought it might have something to do with the curse put on him by the prophet. This theory gained even more steam when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated because interestingly enough, both presidents were elected in a year that ended in a zero. Then when James A. Garfield was elected in 1880 and was shot, people gave even more credit to the curse.

Could it have been the curse at work here? Would each president elected in a year that ended in zero die in office? It seems that every twenty years the prophet's curse comes true! William McKinley was elected in 1900 and died in office. Warren Harding was elected in 1920 and died in office. Franklin Roosevelt was elected in 1940 and died in office. John F. Kennedy was elected in 1960 died and he died in office. So when Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980 and was shot many people believed he would die but, he came through. As a result, many people believe the curse was ended by him surviving. Pretty weird right?

Like this story? It was adapted from SHOCKING SECRETS OF AMERICAN HISTORY, 115 Surprising and Amusing Tales. Get the book for more Shocking Stories!

Books For a Bell

2010-07-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

It all began at the end of the American Revolution when a problem arose that divided the citizens of Wrentham. The problems grew so much some of the citizens left and started their own town which they called New Wrentham. The traditional New England way of building towns was to first build the cultural and governmental buildings in the middle of every town. This would include churches, banks, and so on. Anyway, after they built the church they noticed that it was missing the bell in the steeple. Why make such a big fuss? Well first of all, the bell could summon the citizens for a mass at the church, but also it was needed to let the people know of any type of an emergency.

So what did the leaders of the town do? They decided to rename the town after Benjamin Franklin. They hoped this would get Dr. Franklin's attention. Then they wrote a letter to him telling him what they did. Though, this did not impress Dr. Franklin, he later wrote back suggesting that "sense is better than sound," and suggested a better way of helping the town. Instead of a bell, he gave them books and suggested that they should start a library. The people of the new town followed what he said. So 200 years later, they have one of the oldest public libraries in the United States!

Like this story? It was adapted from SHOCKING SECRETS OF AMERICAN HISTORY, 115 Surprising and Amusing Tales. Get the book for more Shocking Stories!

The Voca People

2010-07-01T10:21:00.001-07:00

This group of vocalists sing real songs just using no instruments only their own voices! Pretty cool! Track list on the bottom of the video!

Intro: Era - Ameno
1. Johann Sebastian Bach - Toccata and Fugue in D minor
2. Hallelujah
3. The Entertainer
4. Chordettes - Mr. Sandman
5. Glen Miller - In The Mood
6. Elvis Presley - Tutti Frutti
7. Beach Boys - I Get Around
8. Doobie Brothers - Long Train Runnin'
9. Madonna - Holiday
10. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
11. Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams
12. Mori Kante - Yeke Yeke
13. Nirvana - Smells like teen spirit
14. Spice Girls - If you wanna be my lover
15. Los Del Rio - La Macarena
16. Rednex - Cotton Eyed Joe
17. Britney Spears - Hit Me Baby One More Time
18. Baha Men - Who Let the Dogs Out?
19. C+C Music Factory - Gonna Make You Sweet (Everybody Dance Now)
20. Will Smith - Switch
21. Madagascar 5 vs. KK Project - I Like To Move It

My Desk In Lego

2010-06-30T16:23:00.000-07:00

New Lego Sets!

2010-06-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

While I was on Lego.com, I was looking at the latest Lego sets. I found these new sets called Lego Kingdoms! The basic story line is that you are the "King's Knights" and you are trying to save your kingdom from the Dragon Knights. I have also noticed that the knight helmets are very unique (picture on the right)! It looks like Lego has finally caught up on the custom stuff!I believe you can buy the sets off of Lego Shop now but I don't know if you can get them at the Lego stores yet.

Mission Impossible (squirrel)

2010-06-28T09:45:00.000-07:00

Idiot Sightings!

2010-06-27T12:24:00.000-07:00

IDIOT SIGHTING:
When my husband and I arrived at an automobile dealership to pick up our car, we were told the keys had been locked in it. We went to the service department and found a mechanic working feverishly to unlock the driver side door. As I watched from the passenger side, I instinctively tried the door handle and discovered that it was unlocked. 'Hey,' I announced to the technician, 'it's open!' His reply: 'I know. I already got that side.'

This was at the Ford dealership in Canton, MS

IDIOT SIGHTING:
We had to have the garage door repaired.
The Sears repairman told us that one of our problems was that we did not have a 'large' enough motor on the opener.
I thought for a minute, and said that we had the largest one Sears made at that time, a 1/2 horsepower.
He shook his head and said, 'Lady, you need a 1/4 horsepower.' I responded that 1/2 was larger than 1/4. He said, 'NO, it's not.' Four is larger than two.'

We haven't used Sears repair since.

IDIOT SIGHTING:
My daughter and I went through the McDonald's take-out window and I gave the clerk a $5 bill. Our total was $4.25, so I also handed her a quarter.
She said, 'you gave me too much money.' I said, 'Yes I know, but this way you can just give me a dollar bill back. She sighed and went to get the manager, who asked me to repeat my request. I did so, and he handed me back the quarter, and said 'We're sorry but we could not do that kind of thing.' The clerk then proceeded to give me back $1 and 75 cents in change.

Do not confuse the clerks at McD's.

IDIOT SIGHTING:
I live in a semi rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the removal of the DEER CROSSING sign on our road. The reason: 'Too many deer are being hit by cars out here! I don't think this is a good place for them to be crossing anymore.'

>From Kingman , KS

IDIOT SIGHTING IN FOOD SERVICE:
My daughter went to a local Taco Bell
and ordered a taco. She asked the person behind
the counter for 'minimal lettuce.'
He said he was sorry,
but they only had iceburg lettuce.
-- From Kansas City

IDIOT SIGHTING:
I was at the airport, checking in at the gate when an airport employee asked, 'Has anyone put anything in your baggage without your knowledge?' To which I replied, 'If it was without my knowledge, how would I know?' He smiled knowingly and nodded,
'That's why we ask.'

Happened in Birmingham , Ala.

IDIOT SIGHTING :
The stoplight on the corner buzzes when it's safe to cross the street. I was crossing with an intellectually challenged coworker of mine. She asked if I knew what the buzzer was for. I explained that it signals blind people when the light is red. Appalled, she responded, 'What on earth are blind people doing driving?!'

She was a probation officer inWichita , KS

IDIOT SIGHTING :
At a good-bye luncheon for an old and dear coworker who was leaving the company due to 'downsizing,' our manager commented cheerfully, 'This is fun. We should do this more often.' Not another word was spoken. We all just looked at each other with that deer-in-the-headlights stare.

This was a lunch at Texas Instruments.

;
IDIOT SIGHTING :
I work with an individual who plugged her power strip back into itself and for the sake of her life, couldn't understand why her system would not turn on.

A deputy with the Dallas County Sheriffs office, no less.

How would you pronounce this child's name?

"Le-a"

Leah?? NO
Lee - A?? NOPE
Lay - a?? NO
Lei?? Guess Again.

This child attends a school in Kansas City, Mo. Her mother is irate because everyone is getting her name wrong.
It's pronounced "Ledasha", When the Mother was asked about the pronunciation of the name, she said, "the dash don't be silent."
SO, if you see something come across your desk like this please remember to pronounce the dash.

If dey axe you why, tell dem de dash don't be silent.

STAY ALERT!

They walk among us .... and they VOTE

Quiz!

2010-06-09T17:10:00.000-07:00

Weird Trees!

2010-06-08T19:09:00.000-07:00

Here are some wacky trees!

Sleep Walking Dog!!

2010-05-25T16:18:00.000-07:00

Amazing Paper Soldier Website

2010-05-16T13:38:00.000-07:00

Last year I saw this awesome paper soldier website. What are paper soldiers? They are used for doing small replicas of real battles. The website has a variety of paper soldiers (people, tanks, etc), aircraft's, and ships in all the different times in history (Ancients, Renaissance, Medieval, 18th century, 19th century, early 20th century, Word War II, Cold War, Modern, and non-historical!) Here is a sample:

Click on image to see it larger:

Pretty neat huh? Here is the website for this awesome stuff!
http://www.juniorgeneral.org/index.html

My Homemade Bow

2010-05-15T10:16:00.001-07:00

About a couple weeks ago I made this really nice bow. Here is how I did it:
1. Well to make the bow you need a thin piece of wood (not too thin) that is springy. What I mean by that is that the the wood needs to bend and snap back when you release the bow string. I used Scottish Elm.

2. I cut the piece of wood I wanted down from the tree. Then with a saw, I sawed off all the small branches coming off the wood. I used the saw to make nice clean cuts.

3. I took most of the skin of the piece of wood off and I let it dry.

4. Now I need to make the notches. I did this again with a saw. I made sure that I didn't cut to far in so that when I pulled the string it would snap off.

5. Now all I did was tie a piece of string in the notches tightly so that the string is in its position.

Info:

Average Range: 48 feet
Longest Distance: 53 feet
Wood Type: Scottish Elm

Funny Dancing Dog!

2010-05-13T19:16:00.001-07:00

The Best Paper Airplane

2010-05-13T08:18:00.000-07:00

Recently I saw this really awesome paper airplane! Once you have made it, you will have a blast!

Now for the instructions:

My RC Helicopter

2010-05-12T19:29:00.000-07:00

About four weeks ago I got this pretty neat little RC (Remote Control) helicopter from Brookstone. If you are looking for a well built RC helicopter look no further! I have written up some pros and cons about it:

Pros:
> Amazing maneuverability
> Don't worry to much about crashing
> a. Because you can buy a 1 year plan for about 3 or 4 dollars
> b. Because it is very well built
> Overall it looks pretty cool
> Can use it for at least 11 minutes unlike Air Hogs' helicopters
where you can only use it for about 6 minutes

Cons:
> Charge time takes a little while (about 25 minutes on used batteries)
> You will have to trim it most of the time (there is a button that you have to hold to make it stop rotating in one direction)
> Only can be used indoors. Otherwise the sun will effect the signal and you will lose control.

My overall rating: 5/5 stars

That's about it. To me this is the best indoor helicopter ever invented. So my advice is that if you want a really well built and easy to control helicopter this is the one to get!!

New Collectable Lego Minifig Series!!

2010-05-11T18:55:00.000-07:00

Today I got my Brick Master Magazine from Lego. While I was looking through it I saw an ad for a new Lego Minifig Series! It is said to come out during the month of June. There's a rumor that there is a random minifig in each box. There are 16 different types of minifigs and are said to be $2 each. Take a look at this image to see them all!

Poll
Comment back and say which is your favorite!

Match Rockets

2010-05-10T16:52:00.000-07:00

The other day I was reading this book called Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction and I found this cool little rocket you could make.
It consisted of a match and some tin foil. You would heat the rocket up (not burn it) and it would light and fly away. Here is how to make one:

Welcome To The Official Blog

2010-05-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my official blog!