Simple Randomness

All About Network Solutions

I’m sure that a lot of you are relatively new to the internet, blogging, hosting, and all the other strange words that you’ve probably heard since you got involved in this crazy thing called the world wide web.  Did you ever wish there was a resource that could help clear up some of your confusion?

Well, Network Solutions has put together a page to explain everything about themselves, and by finding out about a company like Network Solutions and their many products you can honestly find out the answers to a lot of your questions like “What is hosting?” and others.

Pretty cool site.  It looks like they just barely did a redesign on it and I have to say that they’ve done a very good job with it.  you can find out more about their products and services, Network Solutions jobs, and anything else you need or want to know.

Network Solutions is one of those hosting and domain name registration companies that has been around for a long time.  So if you’re looking for a reliable company to get a domain name, hosting, email, or other online service though, you can trust someone like Network Solutions to treat you right.  Check them out!

I No Longer Have a ‘Favorite Band’

I remember back in high school, I always had a favorite band.  For the most part, it was always Queensryche, Dream Theater, Led Zeppelin, or Collective Soul.  As you can tell, it would change from time to time.

But just last night my wife and I were talking about music and what my or her favorite band was, and I realized that I don’t have one anymore.  I have certain bands that I really like their music, but it’s no longer just one.  It’s different types, and it depends on my mood.

So I’m wondering if the whole ‘favorite band’ thing isn’t really just a glorified high school concept.  And the more I think about it I would have to say that it is.  Instead, it is so much better to just have certain types of music that you like to listen to.

So my advice, don’t limit yourself to one band.  Branch out and learn to appreciate other types of music.  Though I do have to admit that I can’t find an appreciation for rap, most R&B, or country…

I’m Really Ready for a LONG Weekend

So with Friday being the 4th it’s already a short week.  Next week I’m taking Monday off so I’ll actually have 2 short weeks in a row.  I could really use this vacation, and I’m getting excited for it!  Granted, it is more of an ‘extended family vacation’, but that’s better than nothing at this point.

What I really need to plan is a weekend getaway for just my wife and me.  We haven’t done something like that for a long time, really not much since we started having kids.  Now that our oldest is about 2 1/2 and the youngest is about 5 months we’re getting closer to being able to do something like that.

Anyway, I’m ready for a long weekend.  It should be nice!

What Does Your Email Address Say About You?

A friend of mine wrote this post a couple months ago, but I still think it’s funny so I thought I’d bring it up here. There are a lot of email extensions these days, and my friend’s comment is that you can tell a lot about a person by the email they use. While I don’t agree with everything that he says about this, it’s really funny and has a lot of truths to it.

So what do you use? Here are the types that he mentions:

• @aol.com
• @hotmail.com
• @yahoo.com
• @earthlink.net
• @somecompanyname.com
• @someinternetprovider.com
• @gmail.com

So what is your ‘email horoscope?’ Find out here: What Does Your Email Address Say About You?

Global Warming is Causing All Your Problems!!!

Before I start into this you should probably know that I am not a believer in the whole global warming scare. I think that most of it is just hype and baloney to help guys like Al Gore make extra money. But I found this to be really really funny. I heard about it on Glenn Beck last week, but someone came up with a list of all the things that global warming has been linked to. Not only does it mention them, but it has a reference to the article that it came from as well.

Here’s the list: A complete list of things caused by global warming.

Here are some of my favorites off the list:

• Atlantic less salty
• Atlantic more salty (contradiction???)
• cougar attacks
• crocodile sex
• fashion disaster
• Loch Ness monster dead
• and countless others

So if you want a good laugh at all the hype surrounding global warming, check out the list!

Getting the Feeling the Spring is Almost Here

As you may well know, I’m sick of winter… But I’m getting the feeling that spring is almost here.

How can I tell?  Because I feel like my allergies are coming early!  I get hay fever just about every year, but usually it doesn’t hit until May, and then again in late July or early August.  But for some reason this year as soon as it started to get warm I started to sneeze a little bit more than normal.  Granted, this is not full on hay fever, but it’s reminding me of one of the things I don’t like about spring and summer….

I’m beginning to realize that I don’t have a favorite season.  I know a lot of people do, but I guess I’m not one of those people…  Oh well!

My Favorite Pixar Movies!

I did a post about a week ago about my favorite animated Disney flicks, so I figured it was time to do one about the Pixar movies.  I must say that the Pixar movies are some of the best animated movies ever, so here is my list of favorites:

#3 - Toy Story

I liked the first Toy Story a lot better than the second one, although they are both really really good.  I know that a lot of you are probably already saying, “How could he put Toy Story third?!”  Well just remember that this is my opinion on this blog!

Ok, all joking aside, Toy Story is a great movie and will always be a classic.  It’s creative, funny, and just a good time.

#2 - Monsters, Inc.

I think this movie took Pixar’s creativity to a new level.  I mean c’mon, they made a whole movie about monsters in the closet, and it came out hilarious!  Boo is one cute animated kid, too!  At this point this movie is still a little too scary for my two-year-old, but I’m thinking that he’ll love it once he’s old enough not to freak out.  I guess he’s a little sensitive .

For a long time I probably would have put this as the #1 Pixar movie, but then the REAL #1 came out…

#1 - The Incredibles

I LOVE this movie!  It’s just so funny to think about it, because the whole lawsuit against the ‘Supers’ idea is so believable with the way things are today.  I just love the line where the ‘jumper’ responds back to Mr. Incredible “You didn’t save my life, you ruined my death!”  I could totally see someone doing that today.  Just a great great movie!

Honorable Mentions

I still believe that all of the Pixar movies would deserve mention as great movies, but only so many can make the top 3.  With that being said, there are a few that came close.  Here they are:

A Bug’s Life

Another great Pixar film.  Very creative, very well done, and almost made #3.  But I figured too many people would be upset if Toy Story wasn’t at least in the top 3.

Cars

I’ve only seen this a few times, but I think its a pretty good movie.  I’ll have to watch it a few more times to really get a full review for it, but I would still give it an honorable mention.

Now I know a lot of you may be saying, “What about Finding Nemo!?!?”  Well, it’s a good movie too, but I’ve seen it too many times with my kid.  So I’m a little sick of it.  Sorry!

My Top 3 Disney Animated Flicks

Well, being that I have a 2-year-old and now a newborn, we’re watching a lot of Disney movies lately. Mainly to keep the 2-year-old entertained if you know what I mean. So this got me thinking the other day: what are my favorite Disney movies?

So here are my favorites. Also keep in mind, these don’t include any of the Pixar movies, just the regular animated flicks.

#3 - Tarzan

I personally thought Tarzan was great. They did a much better job of blending the CGI with the regular animation, and it gave a better image of the ape-man really acting like a monkey. The one down side to Tarzan would have to be Rosie O’Donnell, but I will say that she wasn’t too incredibly annoying and I can even convince myself that it isn’t really her.

So Tarzan gets my vote for my #3 favorite. Great story, really good animation quality, and it keeps my kid entertained!

#2 - Lilo and Stitch

I love this movie. I know it’s definitely one of the more off-beat Disney movies, but maybe that’s why I love it. That and its full of a bunch of GREAT one-liners. Here are some of my favorites:

• Lilo: Oh good! My dog found the chainsaw!
• Lilo: [creating voodoo dolls of her playmates] My friends need to be punished.
• Mr. Cobra Bubbles: Thus far you have been adrift in the sheltered harbor of my patience, but I cannot tolerate you being jobless. Do I make myself clear?
• Lilo: Elvis Presley was a model citizen. I’ve compiled a list of his traits for you to practice. Number one… is dancing!

I mean c’mon, with lines like that it has to be a great movie right? If you haven’t seen this one check it out.

#1 - The Lion King

This has probably always been my favorite, ever since I saw it as a kid. The songs are good, the story is great, and you get to see funny subliminal messages… ok, that’s not the real reason, but its a great movie. Honestly I can’t pinpoint the one thing that makes me put this movie number one on my list, I just know that it’s always been my favorite. Scar is a great bad guy, and you can’t go wrong with James Earl Jones as Mufasa. Great movie all around and my #1 favorite Disney animated flick!

Honorable Mentions

So there are a couple of movies that were really close to making the top 3, and I’m still back and forth a little bit. Here are the two that make the honorable mention list:

The Emperor’s New Groove

Another classic, this one is full of great laughs. Also full of great one-liners that you can sit around the dinner table and quote.

Beauty and the Beast

I can’t leave this one out can I? Another high quality, good Disney movie. It didn’t make the top 3 because it’s a little bit more of a chick flick, and I think that Stitch could take the Beast any day! That and I really don’t like the way the Beast looked as a human. He should have stayed a beast.

My Thoughts on Open Source vs. Proprietary Programs

Yesterday I got into a discussion with a friend of mine about open source programs vs. proprietary programs. Now granted, my experience with open source programs is rather limited. The main programs that I’ve used are FireFox, GIMP, Nvu, OpenOffice, and I guess you might count WordPress.

So here’s my thought: there are some great open source programs out there. If you consider WP to be one of these, I would say its the best blogging software out there. FireFox is awesome, need I say more? OpenOffice is great, too. But some of the other programs I’m not as impressed with. For example, GIMP and Nvu. They are fine in their own right, but I would have to say that the proprietary programs kick their rears (if you know what I mean). DreamWeaver blows Nvu out of the water in my opinion, and I would much rather use FireWorks, PhotoShop, or Illustrator over GIMP.

Now remember, my experience is limited, but I think that in most situations a proprietary program is going to be better. And really I think the main reason for that is capitalism. If you run a software company, you are going to do your best to make sure that you develop a product that meets the needs of your customers. You have a financial interest in making the best product you possibly can. I just don’t see the same level of financial motivation behind an open source program.

It just seems to me that if you need a more advanced program like photo or graphic editing, you’re probably better to go with a proprietary program.  You can do just fine with the open source versions, but I think they’re harder to use.  Again, this is just my experience with them.

Of course, this could very easily start a very heated debate with all of the Linux vs. Windows people out there. But again, this has been my experience. Any thoughts?

Bottled Water…I Still Don’t Get It!

Ok, so if you’ve ready many of the posts on this blog, you know that I like to make random observations about things. So today’s random observation is about bottled water.

As the title of this post says, I just don’t get bottled water. Who would have ever thought that the day would come when we’d be drinking packaged water from the store. Now of course, they try to tell you that it’s extra healthy and tastes like the mountain springs or whatever.

Well, to tell you the truth, every time I have some bottled water I think it tastes like crap.

In fact, where I work I have 3 choices for the water that I put in my Nalgene bottle that I keep at my desk: the sink, the water fountain, or the ‘purified’ water that comes from the water filter. And guess what, my favorite by far is the drinking fountain. The second choice is the sink, and the last resort is the filtered water. I really don’t like the way that water tastes!

And since when was mountain spring water any better for you? Granted, if you like in some country where the water is dangerous, grab some bottled water. But if you live here in the US, just buy a Nalgene or something and fill it up at the drinking fountain. I just can’t see the point in paying $2.00 for a bottle of water. Amazing.

A friend of mine had some similar thoughts, check this out: Fun Events? Or Wasteful Events?