Ryan
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Homepage: http://www.totallyserial.com
Posts by Ryan
Hello September
Sep 3rd
It’s been a whirlwind summer and even though there are officially nearly three weeks left of it I know that time will fly by. We spent our warm months this year doing the things we love. James has had multiple trips out on “Gampa’s boat”. We’ve been camping with friends and visited family. We’ve even had family come visit us. Even though summer is my favorite time of year I find myself getting excited about fall. For me fall means football followed shortly by hockey. While I love baseball and following the Twins, the 162 game season seems to drag on by the end. It is especially tough when your team is not only hovering at the bottom of their division, but also sees the .500 mark growing smaller on the horizon. Well, there’s always’ next season. Plus, we have the 2014 All Star game to look forward to at Target Field!
Here are some pictures from this summer to close out with:
The Future is coming…finally…kind of
Jun 3rd
The Internet community has been talking about IPv6 for years. In the last two or three, it has really come to the forefront as the amount of unused IPv4 addresses available in the world has dwindled to near zero. If you have no idea what I’m referring to, here is a super quick primer. IP addresses are used to allow one computer to talk to another across the Internet. There are a finite number of them available. Version 4 of the Internet Protocol (IPv4) has a little over 4 billion addresses available. That sounds like a lot, but there are a lot of connected devices in the world as well, and we’re running out of v4 addresses. This problem has been known for a while, and a new version of the Internet Protocol, version 6, is out there waiting to be widely adopted by the Internet community. The problem is, getting people to use it is not as easy as just flipping a switch. Internet service providers have to make it available for their subscribers and Internet hosts need to start using it as well. Additionally, we can’t just shut off v4 and turn on v6. There needs to be a transition period while both work side by side.
A handful of websites and providers have started using v6 but so far, aside from a single day of testing last year, there hasn’t been a push by large companies to start using v6. That is changing on June 6, 2012 as many companies come together for a World IPv6 Launch. For more information on IPv6, visit Wikipedia.
P.S.
This site is available via IPv6!
Daddy! Present!
Feb 17th
Becky’s new job that she started last fall begins the work day an hour after mine. On normal weekday mornings I’m the first one up and in the shower. When I’m finished cleaning up it’s been a toss-up lately as to whether James will be awake yet or not. On this past Tuesday, which was Valentine’s day, as I finished showering and shut the water off I could hear James outside the bathroom door yelling “Daddy! Present!” over and over again. I rushed to dry off and get at least partially dressed before opening the door to see if he either had something for me or wanted me to go see something that his mother had given him. No sooner was the door open than he had me by the finger and was pulling me down the hallway to the living room. Upon reaching the middle of the living room he let go and began pointing vigorously at my laptop bag while saying “present!” again and again. Much to Becky’s chagrin I opened the laptop bag and found the bag of candy she had hidden inside. Her response to James? ”You’re not very good at keeping secrets, are you?”
Yes this thing is still on
Feb 17th
Don’t worry. We’re still here. Look for some actual posts and content in the next few days. Wait at least a couple more weeks before sending a search party!
New and improved! Now with less MSG!
Aug 27th
After reading a friend’s blog post I’ve added a plug-in to our blog that automatically presents a mobile version of our blog to smart phones and other mobile devices. What does that mean for you? Now it’s easier to take us with you everywhere! You know you’re excited!
p.s. If you’re curious, the plug-in is called wptouch
Go Bulldogs!
Apr 9th
As nerve wracking as a tied hockey game can be to watch, what better finish to a championship game can you have than a hard fought tied third period followed by an overtime win? Congratulations UMD Bulldogs on winning your first NCAA hockey championship. I wish I could have been at the game.
An open letter to the House of Representatives, Senate, and President of the United States
Apr 6th
Dear Honorable Ladies and Gentlemen,
The time for polarized political views in regard to the budget is over. This isn’t a black or white, right or left, right or wrong issue. You need to realize this and start working together to find some common ground. Bargaining in good faith and compromising is the only reasonable solution to the budget stalemate. While everyone has the right to their own opinions and idealogical views please don’t let them get in the way of being open minded. Nobody wins if the government shuts down and the lives and livelihoods of many who are less fortunate than yourselves hang in the balance. Please get it figured out.
Sincerely,
A concerned and frustrated voter
Fill your hand you son-of-a-…
Jan 23rd
The days of the western being a staple at the box office have passed us by. Today we are lucky if we get one gunslinging movie a year. I’m very pleased that the Coen brothers have shown us that Hollywood still knows how to make a good western. Their rendition of Charles Portis’ True Grit is absolutely fantastic. Being a big fan of the 1969 version starring John Wayne I was concerned that a remake would disappoint me by being vastly different from the story I already knew and loved. Furthering my concern, reviews I had read claimed that it was darker and more like the book than the 1969 version. Never having read the book I started to wonder what kind of liberties may have been taken by the screenwriter and director of the John Wayne film. Much to my relief I discovered today that John Wayne is most likely smiling down on the Coen brothers. If the modern version is in fact more like the book, then the production crew from the late sixties must have only pared out some of the bloodier details to get a G rating, because the story in the new film flowed just how I thought it should. I’m not trying to say that the Coen brothers made a carbon copy with some deleted scenes reinserted. They definitely made this film their own, but they did so without changing the story. Of course, that last statement is somewhat speculative. I guess I’ll just have to read the book to see how both films did at telling the story. Now, I can’t end without stating that all the credit for this wonderful movie cannot go to just the directors. Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, and Hailee Steinfeld together did a wonderful job portraying the little posse that could. To sum up, True Grit 2010 is a great movie from a genre we do not see enough of anymore. I hope to see it again before it leaves the theaters. If you have not yet seen it you are missing out.
P.S.
I was so in the western mood after seeing True Grit that I had to watch 3:10 to Yuma this evening. I haven’t seen the original, just the one from a couple years ago starring Christian Bale and Russel Crowe. I guess I’ll have to see the original and compare those as well.
Low Hanging Fruit
Jan 14th
I like apples
While Becky and I were doing dishes and making dinner this evening James crawled into the kitchen and grabbed an apple out of a basket we have on a low shelf and promptly sank his teeth into it. Being proud of his wise “choice for an appetizer” I grabbed it to quickly rinse it off and remove the sticker. It kept him occupied just about the entire time we were busy in the kitchen.
Look what I can do with these teeth
More techno-babble
Dec 21st
The aforementioned maintenance is done. I even managed to do it without any down-time (i think).
