tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69227592012-01-25T14:47:09.818-08:00Technology, learning, sports and local issues from Temecula, CABReillynoreply@blogger.comBlogger8511100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-71985077454597577322008-05-06T18:36:00.001-07:002008-05-06T18:36:41.189-07:00

I haven't been active on this blog for a couple of months. It seems neglected. Maybe I should turn it into a photoblog or do something to get it going again.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-40447954942562987372008-03-29T17:04:00.001-07:002008-03-29T17:04:36.165-07:00

I was hoping Xavier could hang in there with UCLA but it's not gonna happen. Too much talent and too much defense for UCLA is going to make it a blowout. Xavier just doesn't have the horses.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-68509852275170788872008-03-27T21:01:00.001-07:002008-03-27T21:01:45.698-07:00

I wrote on my other blog that I'd like to be the best Brian Reilly online. If you search for Brian Reilly, I'm definitely above average, with the 3rd and 6th spots currently. I'd like to get back to #1, but I don't know enough about search engine optimization to do that, apparently. It's not really the best Brian Reilly site that gets the top ranking, it's the one that has the best links. And I

BReillynoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-14574308253476600552008-03-27T20:58:00.001-07:002008-03-27T20:58:56.817-07:00

I picked UCLA to get to the final game and lose to North Carolina. So far, that looks like a possibility. I was a little too influenced by Bob Knight's pick of Pittsburgh to win it all, so I put them in the final four, but they are already out and did some damage to my brackets. Anyway, UCLA looks like they will coast to a win over Western Kentucky, although WKU's wild play in the second half is

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-36261779861111522322008-03-21T14:30:00.001-07:002008-03-21T14:30:56.046-07:00

The NEA's new report on reading [PDF] paints a bleak picture of reading as a pleasure activity in the US. In a quick look at the document, I didn't see any discussion of the possibility that reading on computer screens accounts for some of the change in reading habits. What is clear though is that reading does compete with other media, and it seems to be losing, particularly among young people:

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-8264496412077914502008-01-14T15:36:00.001-08:002008-01-14T15:36:32.317-08:00

My hosting plan on Vizaweb was up for renewal on Saturday, Jan. 12th. On the 8th, I sent an email to Vizaweb support asking if I could pay more money for a better hosting plan. I got a quick automated response, then waited and got nothing more. I sent another request on the 11th and got the same automated response and nothing more. I tried again on the 12th. Same result. Today my site went

BReillynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-54903018005285736682007-12-16T21:21:00.001-08:002007-12-16T21:21:47.604-08:00

10,000 people have bought the mupromo. That's pretty impressive. Half a million dollars spent on Mac software, which, if bought at full price, would be more than $6 million.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-27346632030797380812007-12-02T20:55:00.001-08:002007-12-02T20:55:57.294-08:00

Florida Atlantic University is playing Memphis in the New Orleans bowl. I think FAU started playing football about 5 years ago, so that is quite a feat. Actually, it FAU started playing football in 2001, so it's been 6 years, but that is still impressive.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-64726429803740202072007-11-16T18:19:00.001-08:002007-11-16T18:19:35.722-08:00

The soccer playoffs ended last night. Most of the games ended in ties, went into overtime and then were decided by penalty kicks. It didn't look like many of the teams had done any preparation for penalty kicks though. I think it would have helped because most kids either missed the goal entirely or kicked it right at the goalie. I think the overall make rate on the penalty kicks I saw was around

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-50845969452189853192007-11-03T19:47:00.001-07:002007-11-03T19:47:43.604-07:00

this is a sponsored postResearch on academic achievement makes it clear that it's essential for students to develop strong reading skills by third grade. Math and other subjects are also important, but reading is a key part of just about every subject. My sons are both good readers, but if they had trouble with any aspect of reading -- word recognition, decoding, or comprehension, I wouldn't

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-6351870908968444912007-11-03T19:31:00.001-07:002007-11-03T19:31:14.919-07:00

In our U-12 game we tied it up in the last quarter on a penalty kick. We got the call when one of our players went down on the ground as he was defended by two players in front of the goal. I thought he was going to get a good shot at the goal and the opposing team had been pushing quite a bit during the game, but I didn't see the foul. I know that the referee in the game is one who rarely calls

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-37956570612675402772007-11-03T19:28:00.001-07:002007-11-03T19:28:52.928-07:00

I turned on the Suns - Lakers game last night near the end of the third quarter hoping to see the Lakers close enough to make it a game down the stretch. It was a real shock that they were up by more than 20 at that point and then as many as 33 in the fourth quarter. The Lakers looked good and the Suns didn't. I don't know if you can learn anything from that game or not. I don't expect it to

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-36885174800670354152007-11-02T20:50:00.001-07:002007-11-02T20:54:07.619-07:00

this is a sponsored postThere are many types of bicycles to choose from, but beach cruisers are unique because they are easy to ride, not too expensive and they look great. Right now you can get a great deal on a beach cruiser from XYZ bikes for under $100. It's hard to find a used bike at that price and these are brand new beach cruisers. Don't wait because prices will go up for Christmas and

BReillynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-22023079322250723052007-11-02T20:49:00.001-07:002007-11-02T20:49:43.503-07:00

I don't know how good the Wizards are, but they were a playoff team last year and Boston handled them very easily tonight. It's just the first game, but the Celtics look like a real contender in the East. There are not too many teams with three scorers like they've got, so they will be tough to beat.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-73333009826656893652007-11-01T13:51:00.001-07:002007-11-02T20:54:38.861-07:00

this is a sponsored postHave you ever bought something online and then had problems trying to make a warranty claim on it? Some manufacturers use the excuse that you bought it online to deny you the warranty. That's not right. Well, if you are interested in buying flooring, iFLOOR not only has a great selection and nice prices, they are offering a $1 million guarantee in case your warranty claim

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-13842064299387240262007-11-01T13:45:00.001-07:002007-11-01T13:45:27.079-07:00

I took pictures of the trick or treaters who came to our house last night. The pictures look good and I hope to get them online tonight. What surprised me was that no one said no to having their picture taken. I don't think I would have gotten the same reaction without the costumes. The other surprise was actually how few kids were out last night and how few houses were participating. There

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-13986495291341994742007-11-01T13:35:00.001-07:002007-11-01T13:35:17.165-07:00

They said on the radio today that the air quality today was moderate, so that's a step in the right direction. I think it will be another week at least before it doesn't look smoggy, but today we had some fog and a little bit of precipitation and I'm sure that helps clean things up a little. Fires are still burning not far away, so things could change, but it seems safe to resume outdoor

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-4378286858863838692007-10-26T09:11:00.001-07:002007-10-26T09:13:10.002-07:00

this is a sponsored postWhen it's time to go to sleep, a nice bed makes a big difference. I've slept on mattresses on the floor, on air beds and in some other uncomfortable arrangements, but now I have a nice wooden bed and it's very nice. Time4Sleep is known in the UK for their leather beds, but they have recently expanded their wooden bed collection to include Oak Beds. Prices are good, with

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-10935226983033753692007-10-26T09:10:00.001-07:002007-10-26T09:10:48.313-07:00

I have had lots of time with sore fingers, wrists and shoulders in the past few months due to my excessive use of a Macbook Pro. The laptop keyboard isn't so great when you are using it 8 hours a day. I get worn out by the end of the week and would like to take a break to save my body.I came across the freeware applicaton AntiRSI which is a little program that reminds you to take breaks while you

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-62554470488388015852007-10-26T09:00:00.001-07:002007-10-26T09:00:38.659-07:00

I hear people mowing lawns this morning, but I don't think the air is any better. The sky is still very gray and there's not much sun coming through. It looks like another day to stay inside. The forecast is for cooler weather starting today, but not by very much. What we really need is rain and that is not in the cards right now.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-31256141933095919592007-10-25T20:47:00.001-07:002007-10-25T20:47:11.552-07:00

Looking for a new garage in the UK? Lidget offers concrete garages. Prefab Concrete Garages go up quickly, saving you time and money. Lidget have been designing and building concrete garages for more than 30 years, so their experience will make your experience a good one. Whether you need a single or a double, a high roof garage, or you want a building for your garden, Lidget can do it. Need

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-208566367963358152007-10-25T20:34:00.001-07:002007-10-25T20:34:19.365-07:00

I'm not planning on buying Leopard for my iMac tomorrow, but I am getting more interested in some of the new features. I think the Time Machine backup deal is going to be good, but there are a few others I'd like to have too. Usually these updates are no problem, but every once in a while there's a problem and you end up wasting a few hours fixing things. Better to wait and see what happens to

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-17639359670176796162007-10-25T19:32:00.001-07:002007-10-25T19:32:49.374-07:00

No school tomorrow. No soccer on Saturday. Those make sense to me with the terrible air quality here. I just wonder how long they can keep the schools closed. It seems like even after the smoke goes away and the fires are out, whenever that may be, the air is going to be bad for days and days unless it rains. It's not likely to rain though, so the air quality should be bad for some time. I'd like

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-59041260920787138902007-10-25T19:29:00.001-07:002007-10-25T19:29:59.448-07:00

Tonight's game is much better than last night's but I think the Rockies are going to come up a little short. Boston isn't going to score only 2 runs, but the Rockies don't look like they can do anything against Curt Schilling. I don't think Colorado can take 3 in a row at home, but I bet they win 2 and then Boston closes it out in the 6th game at home.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-78917007859442444462007-10-25T17:14:00.001-07:002007-10-25T17:14:41.269-07:00

this is a sponsored postAvand.co.uk started out offering plumbing training about three years ago, and they continue to offer a number of plumbing courses, including the 4 week course which covers enough to help you get your plumbing career started. They've also expanded to a variety of training centres in the UK. Once you've got the plumbing skills, you'll need customers, and that involves sales

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-9954676752532668662007-10-25T16:52:00.001-07:002007-10-25T16:52:39.782-07:00

TemeculaWeather.com says the index is 139 today. I'm not sure how that number differs from the 180 particulate number, but both are not good. They say conditions may continue to be bad through Saturday.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-59099223055714818562007-10-25T16:24:00.001-07:002007-10-25T16:24:35.207-07:00

If the most polluted city in the world has an average particulate matter measurement of 169 micrograms per cubic meter (Cairo, Egypt), we are in bad shape here in Temecula. We have a reading of 180 today and some of the nearby cities are even as high as 220 or more. I wrote to the City of Temecula to ask what standard is used to determine whether people should stay inside -- is there one? What

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-56924297187386787832007-10-25T15:15:00.001-07:002007-10-25T15:20:43.937-07:00

this is a sponsored postYears ago I worked for a company in Florida which developed software for managing construction projects. The software came with a computer and was pretty expensive. It was also hard to use, so training was included and the clients either came to Florida for training or I went to their office. Managing construction jobs can be complicated, so using software to track

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-32512799046877657042007-10-25T15:08:00.001-07:002007-10-25T15:08:22.206-07:00

I can't actually find out what kind of measurements are being used to determine how bad the air is here in Temecula, but since school is closed for 2 days and there hasn't been any soccer practice the entire week, it's got to be bad. I can smell the fire in my yard and I am many miles away, but I'd like some sense of just how bad it is. Particulate counts or whatever measurement is used would be

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-40529318339059142682007-10-21T18:59:00.000-07:002007-10-25T15:00:01.336-07:00

I usually create a DVD for each soccer team using the photos I've taken during the season. The past couple of years I also put together a poster which I've given to the coach. I've done the slideshow on DVD for several years now and they are starting to look very similar. I need some new ideas to make them look better, but I'm not sure what's out there short of moving up to Final Cut Express and

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-39769282411877130872007-10-17T21:36:00.001-07:002007-10-17T21:36:43.054-07:00

Marty Burns discusses five trade possibilities for the Lakers to dump Kobe Bryant. None of them are going to happen. Jerry Buss made this mistake with Shaq and that's why the team has been what they've been the past 2 years. He won't do that again.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-6543542834175975502007-10-17T21:28:00.001-07:002007-10-17T21:28:51.567-07:00

I can't afford the $2395 registration fee for 6Sight, but it sure looks like an interesting conference. It's about the future of imaging, and there are a number of interesting sessions in the program. The Visual Storytelling and Rise of the Amateur clusters look especially good. Some of the projects I've done recently would fit in with those themes and I'm sure the overall experience at this

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-13809658442268957972007-10-17T20:48:00.001-07:002007-10-17T20:48:36.640-07:00

this is a sponsored postMy garage is a disaster area when it comes to clutter. I heard a rat out there the other day chewing on something. That's a reminder that I need to clean up and throw stuff out. I've got lots of paper and books, but I've also got garden tools and kids toys and sporting equipment all over the place. The Car Guy Garage has storage solutions for whatever junk you've got in

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-37728125415921547132007-10-16T20:31:00.001-07:002007-10-16T20:31:26.795-07:00

this is a sponsored postOnline shopping is the way to go for the holidays, as far as I'm concerned. No traffic jams or parking problems to deal with, plus good prices. You just have to plan ahead and make sure you'll get your purchases shipped to you in time. The other step in the process is to find an Online Coupons before you visit your favorite online merchant. I know I always check around for

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-46894979712844293322007-10-16T16:25:00.001-07:002007-10-16T16:25:33.848-07:00

Photojojo is a great site for anyone with a camera. They've got 12 tips for fall photography this week. Lots of stuff about leaves. All of my neighbors have removed the trees from their front yards, so if they need any leaf pictures, they'll either have to come to my yard or wait until my leaves blow into their yard.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-47855884540823826992007-10-16T16:13:00.001-07:002007-10-16T16:13:48.419-07:00

I have stayed away from espn.com for 3 months now. Not even a peek at it and I never missed it. I got very tired of their autostarting video which offers no option to shut it off. It's still there and still as irritating as it was 3 months ago. I won't be back until next year. I can get my talking head sports news on ESPN using my television.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-45142227620394796002007-10-15T20:42:00.001-07:002007-10-15T20:42:01.525-07:00

this is a sponsored postSocial networking sites are among the most popular on the web, so it makes sense to try and combine the activity among friends with a specific area of interest like music. IndieMV offers lots of tools like photo sharing, video blogging plus access to great content like music videos and interviews. They've also got advanced filtering and tagging software so you can

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-77714674766487927082007-10-10T16:32:00.000-07:002007-10-15T20:41:00.037-07:00

We only have 4 games left in the season. Our U-10 team is looking like a good bet for the playoffs with a 5-1 record. The U-12 team needs to win a few in a row to have a chance, but they are playing better and looking pretty good. I always miss it at the end of the season and it seems like a long time until spring soccer starts in March. It's actually more than 4 months, which is a pretty long

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-71633384819397454392007-10-05T22:43:00.001-07:002007-10-05T22:43:12.381-07:00

this is a sponsored postI have been having a real problem with the faucets in my shower. They are so cheap that they don't actually turn off the water. I've been doing that with a wrench and just took a shower after using the wrench to turn the water on and off. I'd really like to have some nice bath faucets which were both functional and attractive. This Delta faucet would do nicely. Faucet.com

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-22497600570515027792007-10-05T22:36:00.001-07:002007-10-05T22:36:00.574-07:00

I think it's interesting that Southwest Airlines doesn't have a dress code. Someone needs to tell the employees about it because they apparently don't know about it. There needs to be some limit as to what you can wear, but it can't be easy to decide what's offensive enough for the person to be told to change their clothes. What do you do if you've only got the clothes you are wearing?

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-82029456423072454202007-10-05T22:29:00.001-07:002007-10-05T22:29:28.813-07:00

The Angels are a local team, but I'm not much of a fan. I enjoy watching the Red Sox because they've got so many good hitters and they play in a unique ballpark. They look unbeatable at home right now and we'll see what happens in Anaheim/LA. I like their chances of making it to the World Series this year and maybe they'll play the DiamondBacks if they stay hot.One thing I don't get is why they

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-43816021424825504192007-10-05T17:27:00.001-07:002007-10-05T17:27:13.091-07:00

There's a Cardiff close to where I live, but the one in Wales is much more interesting. It's the home of the National Assembly of Wales as well as a famous castle. There are lots of nice hotels in Cardiff, but when you visit, you might prefer to say in a Cardiff bed and breakfast where you'll get nice accommodations with breakfast included. Prices are good and you'll usually get great service

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-52342247961265968612007-10-05T17:08:00.001-07:002007-10-05T17:08:21.846-07:00

Something that is a real challenge is selling stuff on your website without giving away a huge cut of your profits. At least, that's what I've seen with most of the solutions out there. There's a new plugin for RapidWeaver which might make this much easier. Payloom is a PayPal shopping cart creator which works with RapidWeaver. You can check out the beta version right now.With PayPal's 30 cents

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-83253873085325869532007-10-05T16:47:00.001-07:002007-10-05T16:48:36.260-07:00

If you are heading to Canterbury, you'll really enjoy the Canterbury Cathedral. I've been there myself and it's an impressive building and should be on your list of places to visit when you are in England. And while you are there, you should plan to stay in a Canterbury bed and breakfast like the Bulltown Farmhouse. It's only £30 per night for adults, £25 for 3 nights or more, and of course,

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-10928154662015860692007-10-05T16:28:00.001-07:002007-10-05T16:28:59.814-07:00

I was changing channels last weekend when I saw the Frank Caliendo segment on one of the NFL pregame shows. I thought it was hilarious. He has the lingo and the mannerisms down pretty well and the intonation. Hilarious! I wonder how that goes over with the clones?

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-44557979382426651162007-10-05T16:19:00.001-07:002007-10-05T16:19:11.287-07:00

It's nice that we don't have any overlapping soccer games this season. We usually end up with one Saturday when both games are played at almost the same time a few miles apart. It makes it hard to watch both and to get both guys there on time. Tomorrow we have the opposite. The first game and the last game. One at 8 AM and the other at 3:05 PM, so our whole day will be involved with soccer. I

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-59494490931740050882007-10-05T15:23:00.001-07:002007-10-05T15:23:35.873-07:00

Bed and Breakfasts aren't as common in the US as they are in England, which is too bad. I had some great experiences in B&Bs in England. It's a nice way to meet real people and it's a more personal experience than staying in a hotel. Harrogate, in North Yorkshire, is a town with a rich history and the architecture that goes with it. If you are thinking about a trip to Harrogagte, check out a

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-32449745582017555222007-10-05T11:21:00.001-07:002007-10-05T11:21:05.013-07:00

MacSurfer is a great site. It collects Mac-related links every day and organizes them into categories. This makes it really easy to find any Mac/Apple items. The site has changed how it's organized over time, but it's still an excellent resource. It's blank today, though. No links, no nothing. What happened.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-72972073142105125052007-10-05T11:07:00.001-07:002007-10-05T11:07:43.768-07:00

Two of my alma maters could work together to put one of them in the top spot in college football. If Florida can beat LSU tomorrow, and that is a big if, and then Cal can beat USC in two weeks, Cal should be #1. I don't know if they've ever been #1 before, certainly never as long as I can remember. I think it's going to take some luck for Florida to beat LSU and Cal's defense is going to need to

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-6979429436349940772007-09-29T19:28:00.001-07:002007-09-29T19:28:38.023-07:00

Cal was ranked #6 at the start of the day and since #5 and #3 have lost, they should be 4th. However, my other team, the Gators, is in trouble. They're #4, so if they lose, and I hope they don't, Cal could be #3. That would be about as high as they've been ranked as far as I can remember. I know they were up pretty high a few years back when they got a raw deal from the BCS, but I don't know if

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-646579783182163582007-09-28T20:50:00.001-07:002007-09-28T20:51:44.745-07:00

this is a sponsored postMy mother and sister both have real estate licenses and I know they spent money to take face to face courses in order to pass the exam. Those classes can be costly and they take time away from work and other things. Why not try the self-paced learning tools from CompuCram? You can study for the california real estate test at home. At $59, it's a bargain! You can study

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-25702432085871703702007-09-28T20:45:00.001-07:002007-09-28T20:45:07.153-07:00

I called the attendance hotline to report that my son was staying home from school today. Usually you get a recording that says, press 1 for help, press 2 to leave a message, etc. This one said "press 1000 to leave a message", then on that one it said "press 1500 to record your message". Were 1-999 already used? That is ridiculous and not user friendly.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-8196542109928929692007-09-28T20:43:00.001-07:002007-09-28T20:43:24.039-07:00

With all the talent on the NY Mets, it's hard to understand how they have faded so fast in the pennant race. I didn't think there was any way they wouldn't make it to the World Series this year, but it looks like they won't even make the playoffs. I heard that this would be the 2nd biggest collapse in baseball history -- maybe they can win their last two games and pull it out, but I think things

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-31973281658757236512007-09-28T13:03:00.001-07:002007-10-26T10:11:03.141-07:00

this is a sponsored post North Carolina is a great place to live or visit. The climate is nice, there's lots to do and there are some great cities and towns to spend time in. Raleigh, NC has plenty of things happening to keep you busy. The N.C. Symphony's Classical Series: Branford Marsalis Quartet is coming up November 2nd and 3rd, and there are lots of other concerts and cultural events going

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-68551818769419019492007-09-28T12:46:00.001-07:002007-09-28T12:46:10.690-07:00

Our local school banned any outside food for parties last year as part of the push for healthier food at school. Not everyone liked that, but I think it was a good idea. There's still room for improvement, but at least they don't serve a soft pretzel as an entree for lunch any more. That was one thing I never understood. Who eats a large pretzel for lunch?I was talking with someone yesterday who

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-79330030541543531082007-09-27T09:02:00.001-07:002007-09-27T09:02:32.827-07:00

The Women's World Cup games I've seen have been very exciting. I only wish the games were on a little later here in California. At 6:30 AM I can catch the last part of the 2nd half. Brazil looks unbeatable, but Germany hasn't given up a goal yet, so the final should be a good one. We have our own soccer game at the same time, so we'll have to settle for watching the highlights.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-33367977905046673712007-09-24T09:07:00.003-07:002007-10-12T21:37:57.123-07:00

this is a sponsored postI remember those Dell Dude commercials. They are long gone but "Dude, you're getting a Dell!" is still echoing in my mind. In French, that would be "Type, vous obtenez un Dell !" and if you are in France or you need a computer which operates in French, whether you are looking at desktops or laptops, Dell has what you need. Dell has several desktop models, including the

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-2000202228056029762007-09-24T09:07:00.001-07:002007-09-24T09:07:18.059-07:00

The Chargers had the Packers with about 2 minutes left and should have beaten them. You can say don't blame Norv Turner all you want, and that it's really a problem on defense, but the offense isn't the same. They've got almost the same guys, and their primary playmakers are the same, but the results aren't there. Norv Turner is the guy who calls the plays and something is just not working so far

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-79679206752283807782007-09-23T20:41:00.001-07:002007-09-23T20:41:45.883-07:00

I was in and out of the car and in and out of radio reception tonight, but I heard parts of a really interesting program on KPCC. It must have been a segment of This American Life based on the schedule. I never heard the title or ending but it was a kind of personal family history done by the daughter of the dad who was the focus of the story along with his many children and wives. I want to go

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-52250201338503499962007-09-22T20:05:00.001-07:002007-09-22T20:05:57.964-07:00

this is a sponsored postLes ordinateurs de Dell -- Dell Computers -- are sold in France on the French dell site, which is just as easy to use as the US Dell site, especially if you can read French. My French is a little rusty, but I can still find a deal on a laptop or a desktop on the site. If you are looking for a portable computer, Dell has a nice selection. I like the new Inspirons with a

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-64919495480814394062007-09-22T19:57:00.001-07:002007-09-22T19:57:11.352-07:00

Graveyard Mall is like Woot. They sell one thing at a time at a nice discount. Today they had Under Armour Gear at low prices with $4.99 flat rate shipping. Great deals. Unfortunately, by the time I got there, they were all sold out. I'm going to check Graveyard Mall along with Woot now to see what kinds of deals are available.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-59339606616662144762007-09-22T19:55:00.001-07:002007-09-22T19:55:05.509-07:00

We had losses in both soccer games for the first time this season. After our 2-0 defeat this morning in the cold and rain to the second place team, I was surprised we didn't get rained out in the second game. Unfortunately, we lost that one 4-0, with 2 cheapo goals among the 4. Not a good day.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-19429781155205176302007-09-22T10:20:00.001-07:002007-09-22T10:20:56.042-07:00

It rarely rains in Temecula and I can't remember much rain at all during September in years past. It's raining today though, and our 8 AM game was played mostly in the rain and cold. It was less than 60 degrees during the game. The slick ball didn't help as many of the kicks didn't go far and there were some balls slipping through the goalie's hands. We suffered our first loss, 2-0. The game was

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-12175185413775376592007-09-21T19:18:00.001-07:002007-09-21T19:18:23.698-07:00

It seems like these guys who live in one town and claim to live in another town are everywhere in the Bay Area. If you really live in Oakland, why not say so? It's hard to find a place to live in Berkeley, but if you don't live there, you shouldn't pretend that you do. What's the problem with moving to the city you represent?(09-21) 14:32 PDT OAKLAND - Berkeley rent board member Chris Kavanagh

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-30273126632168611072007-09-21T19:09:00.001-07:002007-09-21T19:09:31.906-07:00

While my Google page rank for my other weblog has stayed at 3, my Alexa rating has gone from 300,000 to 1,700,000. That's the wrong direction! I don't really understand the value of the Alexa rating at all. It seems to be pretty arbitrary or at least very misleading.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-53247949104452489252007-09-21T16:35:00.001-07:002007-09-21T16:35:41.970-07:00

It can't be any surprise that the Giants aren't going to sign Barry Bonds for next year. He broke the home run record while the team went down the drain, so they need to make changes. Barry would make a great DH in Yankee stadium, but since he lives in SoCal, maybe the Angels would like to have him. I don't know what other options he might have -- Detroit with Jim Leland. Probably not the Oakland

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-44826412426565388912007-09-21T09:34:00.000-07:002007-09-21T09:35:23.983-07:00

this is a sponsored postDell makes reliable computers which are a good value. I've got one for years and never had a single problem with it. It's easy to buy from Dell and they have a huge selection as well as very competitive prices, plus you can tell them exactly what you want and they'll put that together for you and ship it to your home or business very quickly. What more could you want from

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-45533118848869221682007-09-21T09:32:00.000-07:002007-09-21T09:34:51.825-07:00

I set up a couple of galleries with the Polaroid theme (here and here). They look pretty good and it was easy to do. I'd like to customize it a little bit more but haven't had time to do that yet. A kitchen table background would be a nice change, I think, and I'd like to use a different font. I've changed the font but still looking for a formica desktop/wallpaper to use.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-78197980166033380722007-09-16T16:14:00.000-07:002007-09-16T16:19:50.778-07:00

The Polaroid Gallery is a nice looking, interactive Flash photo gallery. It's pretty easy to set up and fun to use, although you'll need to have your own server and edit the xml file to make it work. It puts your images into a Polaroid looking frame and spreads them out on a wood-like background, as if they were laying on a table. You can move them around and click through them. Developed by

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-80414542223389020512007-09-13T18:17:00.001-07:002007-09-13T18:21:39.630-07:00

I finally got Slideshow Pro working properly. There are still a few things to work out, but overall, I was able to create a gallery and add 4 albums. Just in time for the update to the software which will change how it works quite a bit, but at least I won't be lost completely. There seems to be a little more control over things available in the update. That's a good thing. They are also

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-5293260272565416902007-09-12T20:22:00.000-07:002007-09-12T20:27:10.041-07:00

Priests in the Catholic church have gotten their share of bad publicity in the past few years. They've earned most, if not all of it with various scandals. However, I guess being a priest is still impressive enough to some people that it will get you into a Notre Dame football game for free. Where did he get the uniform?

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-12058893496214483002007-09-12T20:20:00.000-07:002007-09-12T20:22:33.911-07:00

I had a nice hard drive case I bought a couple of years ago -- it holds two drives and was very quiet. It was so quiet that I didn't notice that it wasn't even running any longer. Either the power supply just quit or maybe the power cable went bad, but either way it's not working and one of the drives had most of my music on it and the other one had quite a few pictures. Time for another case.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-39315349350749149982007-09-09T14:07:00.000-07:002007-09-09T14:11:49.385-07:00

I took about 550 pictures yesterday. Many of them weren't good for technical reasons -- out of focus, missing heads, nothing interesting in the shot, etc. Loading all those bad images into either iPhoto or Lightroom is time consuming and slows down the whole process of working with the good shots. PhotoReviewer 2.1 is an application which is designed to solve that problem. I like the way it works

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-32971723889207406972007-09-09T14:03:00.000-07:002007-09-09T14:05:37.821-07:00

During one of our soccer games yesterday a weird thing happened. At halftime the head referee left the field and went somewhere. And she didn't come back when the game should have resumed. No one knew where she was, so after waiting about 10 minutes, they moved one of the side judges to referee and got another side judge and started the game. A few minutes later the referee came back and she took

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-40576946969126991512007-09-07T22:43:00.000-07:002007-09-07T22:55:59.714-07:00

There's more images and discussion about the new Alpha 700 at the PhotoClub Alpha site. A detailed discussion of the hardware is included, along with close up shots. I like the lens discussion, which also is in-depth. More images to come.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-80624477521314262582007-09-07T21:38:00.001-07:002007-09-07T21:38:42.591-07:00

LifeKnot is a social networking site based around common activities. If you are looking for a companion for your next hike or ski trip or whatever you like to do, check it out. Browse activity profiles at Lifeknot.com and you may find a friend or someone special.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-62137871285881438322007-09-07T21:33:00.000-07:002007-09-07T21:38:22.010-07:00

I was thinking last night that the Rick Ankiel story has to be one of the most unbelievable comebacks in sports. The guy went from a pitcher who couldn't deal with the pressure to a slugger who is just hitting the ball like crazy. Unfortunately, it seems like HGH may have played a part in his quick transformation. Since it wasn't outlawed by baseball when he got it and there is probably no proof

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-63792876055573123192007-09-04T21:33:00.000-07:002007-09-04T21:36:40.194-07:00

I was away from work for 5 weeks, but going back gave me a rude reminder of how little I enjoy the commute. The last 3-4 miles to work are just brutal and then those same 3-4 miles are much worse when I leave for home. The freeway construction doesn't seem to make much progress and there are more and more cars and trucks clogging the road. I'll bet that once the construction is done, the road

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-46998369029018409032007-09-04T15:02:00.000-07:002007-09-04T15:07:24.969-07:00

It's 100 degrees outside today. No sign of thunderstorms or much in the way of clouds. Very uncomfortable. Inside, people have the lights off to stay cooler, but since the hallways are not air conditioned, it's very warm moving from A to B. Even the bathrooms don't have A/C. Not a relaxing environment.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-30960931402641340592007-08-31T19:28:00.001-07:002007-08-31T19:30:47.894-07:00

I added the Sphere plugin to my other weblog since they have one for self-hosted Wordpress sites. It creates a list of other blogs and sites which may be relevant to an individual blog post on your site. It doesn't take up much real estate and everything is automated, but I'll have to see how useful the links are. It seems geared towards politics since they give you an option to include liberal

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-62574465551853832752007-08-29T19:57:00.000-07:002007-08-29T20:00:53.697-07:00

Sphere has something to do with the blogger links available now on CNN.com. I signed up for their free widget and got an email back saying they were so busy it might take a few weeks for them to get back to me. A few weeks? Sounds like they need more employees. I'm still not sure what they do other than "connecting mainstream and social media," which sounds like a good thing.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-64603014818365956582007-08-29T19:53:00.000-07:002007-08-29T19:57:10.928-07:00

The high today in Temecula was 109, which is probably as hot as it's been during the eight years I've lived here, although there may have been a few 110 degree days at one point. Either way, it was very hot and it's still 94 degrees about 90 minutes after the sun went down. It feels like Palm Springs, but it must have been even hotter there today. Looks like it's going to be a long, hot Labor Day

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-85576459027387378282007-08-25T21:46:00.000-07:002007-08-25T21:54:03.566-07:00

We had a very hot first day to the youth soccer season with the temperature close to 100 degrees for the afternoon game at 1:20. By 3:00, things were cooling off fast and our second game was much more comfortable and successful. We lost the first game 4-2, but won the second 9-0. No games next weekend due to Labor Day.In a first for me, I have my photos from both games online on the first day of

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-38558441374411578632007-08-24T09:35:00.000-07:002007-08-24T09:41:03.812-07:00

I heard this story on the radio this morning and also just saw it online. The iPhone has been unlocked, meaning you could buy one and use it with whatever carrier you choose, not just AT&T, and not just in the US. You wonder if Apple will try to stop it through software updates or legal action, or both. I don't have an iPhone and don't plan to get one due to my lack of interest in phones in

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-51698925215390508252007-08-24T09:13:00.000-07:002007-08-24T09:23:52.629-07:00

Newspapers have to adjust to changing times and competition from television and the web. Some do it better than others. PE.com is a local paper which has added some new media elements to their website, but you have to wonder what they were thinking. I checked out their video clip -- 10 questions with Stanford's Toby Gerhart. The video starts with a short and loud car commercial for Corona

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-42078628121550351542007-08-23T20:14:00.000-07:002007-08-23T20:19:55.072-07:00

Last week we took a trip to Catalina island from Dana Point. Expensive and short, but it was fun. However, I had an encounter in the restroom prior to the boat ride which was very bizarre. I was in the only stall in the men's room and the bathroom was otherwise empty. Some guy came in and tried to open the stall door by shaking it. Then he said "I guess someone's in there" to himself. He waited

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-62815252641450909232007-08-23T13:15:00.000-07:002007-08-23T13:24:06.882-07:00

Eight years ago I was on hold on the telephone waiting to talk with a real estate agent in Temecula when the local news came on. It mentioned that a number of local men were arrested in a white supremacist attack on a black man. Hearing that made me wonder if I really wanted to move to Temecula. Today, eight years later, that case was in the news again as the convicted attackers and their

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-54728068155949836902007-08-21T18:06:00.000-07:002007-08-21T18:18:42.203-07:00

I don't live in Oakland any more, but I still think the Oakland Crimespotting website is a very interesting use of technology. This is the kind of things that police departments or departments of public affairs could do in large cities to keep citizens informed. I know that I would like to be able to get an RSS feed or email updates related to crime in the places I live and work.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-16699070931494723502007-08-21T17:43:00.000-07:002007-08-21T17:56:41.187-07:00

Where I live, in Temecula, there isn't much in the way of subcultures, just lots of conservatives and their families. Goths are few and far between, so if I was a goth looking for goth dating, I think it would be tough to find suitable goth guys or girls. Gothscene is a dating site for people looking for goths. It's free to join and to create a profile with a description and image and contact

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-20850709491902300592007-08-21T17:39:00.000-07:002007-08-21T17:43:20.362-07:00

Tomorrow morning I have to give a deposition in a lawsuit my wife and I filed in regard to an auto accident 2.5 years ago. We tried to negotiate with the insurance company but they never made a reasonable offer to settle the case considering the medical bills and other costs associated with the accident. That was a big disappointment. Now we have lawyers involved and more money. I'm not sure what

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-44264854526586601492007-08-19T09:25:00.001-07:002007-08-19T09:31:11.742-07:00

We have almost all Macs in our house -- 1 Dell PC I bought 4 years ago is the exception. I think we have 8 or 9 Macs although not all are in use any longer. My sons like to play Runescape on the PC, so one of them decided he wanted a laptop. The lowest end Macbook would be close to $1000 new, so that didn't seem like a good option. Another possibility is to replace the hard drive in a 12 inch G4

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-15020472082364261132007-08-18T19:56:00.000-07:002007-08-18T20:01:22.479-07:00

Souplantation and Fresh Choice are very similar cafeteria style restaurants. They offer salad, soup, pizza, bread and desserts for one price. Eat as much as you like. At one time, both had locations in Southern California, but at that time, I lived in Northern California. Around the time we moved to SoCal, Fresh Choice closed all their SoCal locations, so now we only get to go there on visits to

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-5925081926666507742007-08-18T14:34:00.001-07:002007-08-18T14:43:13.454-07:00

Online role playing games are very open ended, so they lend themselves to lots and lots of time spent playing the games. World of Warcraft, of course, is the biggest, and seems to cater to a more adult audience. Runescape has a younger set of players, including both of my sons. I think they would play it 24 hours a day if they could, as would many of their friends, all of whom are male. What's

BReillynoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-75541128461453934692007-08-17T13:28:00.000-07:002007-08-17T13:29:25.280-07:00

Jim Heid may have more to write about on his blog now that iLife 08 is out. Or maybe he'll be too busy working on his book. Either way he's got an insider perspective on what's new and what's out in iMovie 08. Plus he helped with the tutorials on the new version.

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-3413154883573574492007-08-17T13:16:00.000-07:002007-08-17T13:25:13.632-07:00

I read David Pogue's review of iMovie '08 in the NY Times. He says it should be called something else since it's not an evolution of iMovie but a different application which serves a different purpose. Reading the comments on Pogue's article and elsewhere, there do seem to be quite a few people who really like the new iMovie. It works with hard drive and flash media based camcorders and does seem

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-61718532938874919512007-08-17T10:21:00.000-07:002007-08-17T10:39:33.309-07:00

Furniture stores tend to be very large because they have to display lots of items to attract lots of customers. My town has very few furniture stores, but shopping online is a nice alternative. Lots of choices that you can browse through very quickly makes it a good experience. If you are looking for a mattress, the Tempur-Pedic brand is one I recommend. I've had a Tempur-Pedic mattress for about

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-12567608442349140932007-08-17T10:00:00.000-07:002007-08-17T10:20:55.719-07:00

Among the many strange choices made with iMovie '08 is the lack of plugins for the program. I have a few plugins for previous version of the program and always wanted a few more if I could afford them. It's not clear whether or not there is a way to create plugins for iMovie '08 or not. The other thing I'm not seeing is a price cut on the plugins for the older versions of iMovie. If that software

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-77363558521673204232007-08-17T09:52:00.000-07:002007-08-17T10:00:40.726-07:00

Maybe my memory is failing me, but I recall paying about $49 for previous versions of Apple's iLife with the educational discount. iLife '08 came out recently and the list price is $79 while the educational price is $71. Doesn't seem like much of a deal really. The same is true for the iWork package.It sounds like you can purchase iWork for $49 by downloading the trial version and then buying a

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-67778909298878265302007-07-26T09:12:00.000-07:002007-07-26T09:17:43.764-07:00

There is hardly a professional sport in the US right now that doesn't have some kind of scandal. Baseball has the never ending steroids issue with Barry Bonds getting ready to break the home run mark. Basketball has the cheating referee and football has the Michael Vick dogfighting. The Tour de France has its own doping scandals, with riders dropping out daily it seems and even the UFC had a

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6922759.post-56817958947935847432007-06-23T21:36:00.000-07:002007-06-23T21:50:57.262-07:00

I like the slideshow that you can create using Simple Viewer. It looks good, works well and is easy to use, plus with the right tool you can customize it to a certain degree. It's free and the free version does the job very well. I saw it first on the Oakland Tribune newspaper site and was a little surprised that they use the free version. Actually I was a little more surprised that the Oakland

BReillynoreply@blogger.com0