By Erik France on 9/22/2008 9:22 PM

I am really enjoying Picasa.  It is simple to use, can handle tons of pictures and still keep things organized, and it's actually fun to mess with all of my digital photos now.

Take a look at our Picasa albums if you want to see what is going on in the France family.

By Erik France on 9/17/2008 8:15 PM

 

Read More »

By Erik France on 9/8/2008 9:57 PM

OK, if your mind is in the gutter, congratulations! You still think with the mind of a 25-year-old, sleep deprived, beer guzzlin' band geek! But if you are wondering what happened, read on.

Read More »

By Erik France on 9/3/2008 11:48 AM

This weekend we headed to Omaha to spend time with my parents. We had a great time. Read the full post (it's a bit longer than normal for me) and learn what we were up to this weekend.

Read More »

By Erik France on 9/3/2008 10:45 AM

I learned today about the Google Chrome browser.  I had not heard of it before, so of course, I had to download and run the thing.

So far, it is not too bad.  The install is simple and the options available in the browser are also simple to understand.  The interface is pretty good, although basic -- like many Google interfaces.  The nice thing is you only see what you need to see.

I will keep playing with this browser and see how I like it.  So far, things look promising.

By Erik France on 8/26/2008 9:33 PM

Tonight we went to Justyn's school for Parents' Night.  It was a good time to see the school, learn about things like the PTO, and get a chance to meet with Justyn's teacher.

But the thing I noticed most about being in the First Grade room was how every square inch of the room was about learning and participating in the school day.  In one section they had their spelling words, in another was the math area, another section held the art work, another had the mailboxes, and so on and so on.  Everything was colorful, bright, and made you want to look at it.

So I began to wonder when it was that I quit seeing the bright, encouraging, positive rooms and started to see more of the tan, barren walls which are in so many office buildings.  I know I saw interesting, fun decorations all through high school so, perhaps it was during college or slightly later.

What if we all worked in areas which were built like a First Grade room.  Now, I am not saying we need spelling words on the walls or that we need...

Read More »

By Erik France on 8/21/2008 10:45 AM

I know I have been on a comics kick, but here is one more to laugh at.  I just saw a Dilbert cartoon this morning which made me about fall out of my chair.  The discussion around the office table goes like this:

Pointy-Haired Boss: I've decided to standardize the department on a new programming language.

Dilbert: With all due respect, that sort of decision should be made by someone who knows his mass from a black hole.

Pointy-Haired Boss: The vendor warned me that you couldn't be objective.

Now, that was crafty writing on Scott's part.  Getting "...his mass from a black hole" around the censors ... great writing!

And it made me laugh really hard, which is the best part.

By Erik France on 8/20/2008 10:30 AM

You have to love it when you hear a good joke. It is even better when the joke is about your own people ... and the joke is good. Here is one such example recently given to me by a friend at work.

Read More »

By Erik France on 8/4/2008 10:43 AM

Poor Jason Fox.  Once again he gets it from his mother.

By Erik France on 7/30/2008 7:29 AM

I was thinking last night about some of the cartoons I watched as a kid.  One of my favorites was Animaniacs.  Here are some classic lines from the two best mice in the business:

The Brain: Are you pondering what I'm pondering?
Pinky: I think so Brain, but burlap chafes me so.

The Brain: Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?
Pinky: I think so, but where will we find an open tattoo parlor at this time of night?

The Brain: Pinky, are you pondering what I'm pondering?
Pinky: Well, I think so Brain, but if we didn't have ears, we'd look like weasels.

The Brain: Are you pondering what I'm pondering?
Pinky: I think so, Brain, but if the plural of mouse is mice, wouldn't the plural of spouse be spice?