Temperatures in the 50's and clear, sunny skies made for a great opportunity go for a bike ride in a nearby forest preserve for the first time of the season. At one point, I cycled within 3 feet of a deer standing next to the path, unfazed by me or the mechanical contraption I rode.  The length of the return trip increased by a few miles, as I had to detour around a section of trail that was well under water.  Next time I'll pack a paddle.  Total trip - 30 miles; total for year - 641.

Lately, in the midst of the presidential election and economic woes, our troops in harms way have received very little attention. Please remember to keep them and their safety in your prayers.

I post these pictures, not because they would make great Air Force pictures (which they would), but because my cousin Chris Wells is behind the wheel, or stick, or whatever they call it in an F-16.

I just finished listening to Speaker for the Dead by Orson Scott Card. (Almost all of my books are read through the ears during my commute.)

The main premise of the book: if you truly get to know someone, bad and good, not just the good, then you can not help but love them, because you will know what drives them. And if you look down deep, you will that find what drives them also resides in you. This is true whether the person is a gruff, violent man, a computer intelligence, a alien species that looks like a monkey with a snout, or the buggers themselves, who tried to destroy humankind 3000 years ago. The book challenges our ideas of just what does it really mean to be "human".

In this award winning novel, Card deals with what it really means to be human. As with all truly good science fiction novels, the setting is not the story, but merely a convincing backdrop for the redemptive threads that are played out in this second installment of the Ender Universe.

I think this one outdoes Ender's Game.  In the afterword, Card even states that Speaker for the Dead is the book he first set out to write. Ender's Game, as good as it was, was only written to provide a backdrop for Speaker. That said, if you haven't read it yet, start with Ender's Game.

Karis and I, along with a couple of other friends, wandered out to Indiana Dunes State Park today. (I had the day off for President's Day.)  Similar to last year's trip in February, the shelf ice was amazing.  Unlike last year's trip, I remembered to bring a camera, so the pictures this time are mine.  Perfect weather, beautiful sights, some good company, and hot macaroni on the trail made for a great 5 1/2 mile hike.

It seemed simple enough.  I wanted recent photos that were posted on my Facebook account to auto-magically be posted my blog. However, due to either my ineptitude at searching or the non-inutitiveness of Facebook, I was unable to figure out how to do this after hours of searching on Google.  Finally, I figured it out and was embarrassed by how simple the process was. 

1. Go to your facebook Profile Wall.
2. Click on "Create a Profile Badge" (on the lower left)
3. Click "Edit this badge"
4. Modify to your heart's content and click save.
5. Copy the resulting HTML to whatever part of your website that you desire.
   

P.S. I also use TwitterFeed to automatically update my Twitter status when I update my Facebook status.

Part 2 of the truck upgrades... our new Tacoma just got a truck topper installed today. We got a Leer 100XR, with sliding windows on the side for ventilation for the dog. The interior of the shell is carpeted, the rear window has a single twist handle, and the front window not only slides open in the middle, but it is also completely removable for cleaning. I was very pleased with the way it turned out; it looks like the truck came from the Toyota factory with the shell already built onto it.

We will probably throw a piece of carpet down on the bed. Now, the dog will be able to ride in the back and I won't have worry about cargo getting wet. The lockable rear window adds a little bit of security as well.