The Big Ten announced the names of the new divisions today, and they also unveiled the new logo. I would have been very surprised if they had used the logo I designed for them, since I don’t even know that I did that.
Reaction to the new division names and the logo has been fairly consistent – no one likes them. Well, no one other than Commissioner Delaney.
I agree with all the fans out there. The Big Ten would have been better off keeping the temporary names of X and O. The new names, Legends and Leaders, are way too cheesy. They are meaningless and therefore worthless.
They are meaningless in that the teams were arbitrarily assigned to one side or the other. There’s no reason why one team is a Legend as opposed to a Leader. The names can have meaning, but they were not used that way.
For instance, Michigan State is a Legend although they are the third most recent addition to the Big Ten.
And Michigan uses the word “Leaders” to describe itself in its fight song, but it is not in the Leaders division.
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Posted in Sports | 9 Comments »
There was a lot of snow-related happenings this weekend:
- The roof of the Minneapolis Metrodome collapsed, forcing a rescheduling of the NFL game that was to be held there.
- As of last night, which is several hours before the buses would start running, the local TV channel was reporting 81 schools / school districts were closed for Monday.
- I got to try my new snowthrower!
No pictures of the snowthrower in action, but it works. After I tested it on our driveway, I took a quick stroll (20 mph winds and below-freezing temperatures do not allow for leisurely strolls) down the driveway and took some pictures.
Our road – looks a lot like last year’s winter weather photo
Neighbor’s pine trees
Our apple tree
Nothing spectacular to report – no downed power lines or damaged buildings here. Just enjoying the scenery and preparing for the slow commute to work this morning.
Out of the south comes the storm, And out of the north the cold.
Job 37:9
Posted in Life | 2 Comments »
Here are three random conversations that occurred around here recently:
Key Jokes
Alpha: What kind of key can’t open a lock?
Me: A monkey
Alpha: and a turkey and a donkey
…a little bit of time passes, during which time we have opened the box for a new puzzle…
Beta: What animal can’t open a puzzle?
Me: A monkey
Beta: No, a fish!
Well, he’s right about that.
Not Easily Deterred
Me: Beta, you can’t have a Tootsie Roll – you had one for dessert.
Beta: Okay, I’ll have a candy cane!
You’re not getting the point… or the candy cane either.
Pretty Sneaky
Beta: Whoever says potty talk first is out.
Alpha: Okay
Hey Alpha – how do you spell “pizza”?
P-I-Z-Z-A
What was the first letter?
P-
Potty talk! I win!
I was in the other room and overheard this one. If they knew I was listening they might not have played that game… or they might have just whispered it instead.
But He detected their trickery and said to them,
Luke 20:22
Posted in Conversations | 2 Comments »
We have an extension cord that is meant for Christmas lights. It’s a foot-pedal switch, intended to save you the hassle of crawling behind or underneath a Christmas tree to plug or unplug the lights. It looks pretty close to this:
This year, we put Christmas lights around the railings of Beta’s bunk bed. It was a pain turning them on and off, however, because the best plug was behind Alpha’s dresser. I figured we could go buy another switchable extension cord and make life easier. But once we found out it was $7.49, we decided otherwise.
Then I went to a hardware-type store on the way home from work one day. I found this
and this
for a total of this
which is a savings of 33% off the pre-made switch. For $4.96, you too can make your own light switch extension cord. There was another switch that was almost a dollar cheaper, but it was the rotary kind that comes with lamps and is not as easy for little fingers to work. And for less than a dollar (that’s $3 less than the switch I used), you can just use a normal light switch. But then you really should have an enclosure (non-conducting and fire-resistant) and I didn’t want to get into that.
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Posted in Projects | 8 Comments »
You may have wondered how much you’re going to use the things you learned that were taught in the probability and statistics part of math class. Some people really liked the probability and statistics class. Other people really disliked the class. I was somewhere in the middle, somewhat more towards the like side of things.
Now that I am older and wiser more experienced in life, I can tell you that you will use those concepts.
Because I have young active children, it’s always a race to fold the laundry before someone jumps or climbs on the bed and knocks over the piles of neatly folded clothes. Because of that, some things do not get folded.
Or even sorted…
Like socks.
Story Problem:
Some Guy has 4 different sets of 3 pairs of socks each. If he just tosses all his 24 socks in a drawer without sorting them, what is the minimum number of socks he must grab each morning to ensure that he has at least one matching pair?
Assume there is no difference between left and right regarding the sock pairs.
Also assume the effects of friction are negligible.
Answer:
Okay, pencils down. Trade papers with the person next to you and mark +10 points for the answer “5” and 0 points for anything else.
Behold, you are wiser than Daniel; There is no secret that is a match for you.
Ezekiel 28:3
Posted in Ponder | 3 Comments »
I’m sure this has been done before, but – so that I can honestly say I haven’t seen it anywhere else – I didn’t look it up to check.
Enjoy!
Non-image version
Luke Skywalker: Ben, I can’t get the hang of these chopsticks
Obi-Wan Kenobi: Well then, use the forks, Luke
I think it fits well with Luke’s attitude in Episode 4. He whines a lot and can’t do much for himself.
Then I warned them and said to them, “Why do you spend the night in front of the wall? If you do so again, I will use force against you.” From that time on they did not come on the sabbath.
Nehemiah 13:21
Posted in Humor | 2 Comments »
It’s December, the start of the winter quarter. We don’t have snow here yet, but I decided to make this quarter’s theme a snowy one.
It’s not really a new theme – all I did was replace the images.
Anyway, here’s a slightly new look. Expect some tweaks in the days to come.
He gives snow like wool;He scatters the frost like ashes.
Psalm 147:16
Posted in Technical | 2 Comments »
This is Alpha, the first-born, when he was 2YO.
This is Beta, the second-born, when he was about 2YO.
This is Gamma, the third-born, when he was about 18MO.
