Swearing off Television

Well, we've done it. We've suspended our DirecTV account for six months.

We haven't totally cut the cord, as we will continue to watch DVDs, video on demand from Netflix (a pretty good deal) and a stockpile of TiVoed programs.

Still, canceling our service until October is a significant move, I think.

We'll see how it goes. If nothing else, we'll miss virtually all of the campaign commercials.

No warming for a decade?
Temperatures will be down slightly this year: This would mean global temperatures have not risen since 1998, prompting some to question climate change theory. But experts say we are still clearly in a long-term warming trend - and they forecast a new record high temperature within five years. The WMO...[READ]

Mega Millions Winner to Ford: DROP DEAD
David Sneath worked in a Ford Motor Company parts warehouse fro 34 years, but didn't take much time leaving after winning $136 million in the lottery. "I yelled to the boss, 'I'm out of here,"' the Livonia man said Thursday after coming to state Lottery Bureau headquarters in downtown Lansing...[READ]

IN THE MAIL: Training for Warriors
Murdoc's been looking for a couple of new twists to throw into his daily workout now that spring is approaching, and maybe I'll try one or two from Training for Warriors: The Ultimate Mixed Martial Arts Workout by Martin Rooney. To be a warrior, you must train like a...[READ]

Crane collapse in NYC
A construction crane, reported to be perhaps 15 stories tall, has collapsed in New York City. Parts of several buildings were severely damaged, including one apartment building which was really hit hard. This isn't normal Murdoc fare, but the MSNBC.com story says two were killed. CNN says four. I'll be...[READ]

Here comes the sun
Solar Power to Rule in 20 Years, Futurists Say Via Instapundit: He predicted the fall of the Soviet Union. He predicted the explosive spread of the Internet and wireless access. Now futurist and inventor Ray Kurzweil is part of distinguished panel of engineers that says solar power will scale...[READ]

Cold 'nuff for ya?
This has been getting a lot of (pretty justified, IMHO) attention: The total amount of cooling ranges from 0.65C up to 0.75C -- a value large enough to wipe out nearly all the warming recorded over the past 100 years. All in one year's time. For all four sources, it's...[READ]

Sometimes, the Slopes Hit You
My 10-year-old daughter went skiing yesterday and we got a snapshot: She's fine. On Monday they'll set the break. If you aren't skiing hard, you aren't skiing. And Murdoc's kids ski. Good thing I wasn't with, because I probably would have told her something along the lines of "tape it...[READ]

Edmund Fitzgerald
The Edmund Fitzgerald sank with all hands on the night of November 10th, 1975. For more Edmund Fitzgerald videos, see last year's post in MichiBlogger....[READ]

The coming strike at Chrysler
The United Auto Workers has set a deadline of 11 a.m. Wednesday to agree on a new contract with Chrysler LLC or workers could strike. Blah, blah, blah....[READ]

'They were prepared'
Searchers locate missing Boy Scout troop They had gotten off the trail so they "hunkered down" for an extra night. They waited until daylight rather than trying to walk out in the dark. All were safe and well, and on their way out, when found. The search was initiated in...[READ]

Equal Parenting Bike Trek
I've mentioned before the plan to bike the 600+ miles from Lansing, MI, to Washington, DC in support of childrens' rights. The Equal Parenting Bike Trek begins this Saturday, and they're still a few bucks short of their fund-raising target. Also, they've launched a new site dedicated to the effort:...[READ]

Minneapolis Bridge
Police: 4 dead in Minneapolis bridge collapse Death toll revised downward; investigation to begin into cause of buckling Murdoc has a number of friends and family in the Twin Cities area. I know that, statistically speaking, none of my people were probably involved. But it's obviously a scary thing to...[READ]

Now for the "rich" part
Instapundit: HOW TO GET RICH: Quit watching TV. From the linked article: If you want to know why you don’t have enough money, the first question to ask yourself is how much time do you spend watching TV? It’s probably a lot more than you ever realised. While most people...[READ]

82nd Carnival of Homeschooling
I've mentioned before that Murdoc's family homeschools its two children. No, no counter-sniper classes or M-16 field stripping drills. But for those that have the opportunity and are up to the challenge (because it sure ain't the easiest way to go...), homeschooling can have some great benefits. Not everything is...[READ]

Murdoc the Green
For all of Murdoc's capitalist tendencies, Republican leanings, and derision for stupidity like Live Earth, he's also concerned about the environment and more than happy to do a little to help protect it. Particularly if doing so saves him a bit of cash and sticks it to those who would...[READ]

Independence Day
If you're reading this on Wednesday, get off the computer and get outside. Visit with friends and relatives. Shoot off some fireworks. Shoot some guns. That's what Murdoc's going to do. And, as always, don't forget those in American uniforms who are deployed around the globe, often far from their...[READ]

US Gas Prices By County
I think I've linked to this before: Get a better look at GasBuddy.com. Considering Murdoc's recent trip to Maine and back to Michigan, this certainly looks right. Particularly the higher prices in New York. What Murdoc would really like to see is a map like this that shows: Gas prices...[READ]

So, California is France
Here's an interesting thing: a map of the United States with the names of the states replaced with the names of countries that have equivalent GNP's. It seems that my home state of Ohio is, economically, a brother to Australia. Cool. Take a look. Thanks to Rocket Jones for the...[READ]

Homeschooler wins National Spelling Bee
Was checking out 13-year-old w-i-n-s National Spelling Bee and saw this: The 13-year-old from Danville, Calif., aced “serrefine" Thursday night to become the last youngster standing at the 80th annual bee. Because no school was mentioned, I suspected that the winner may not attend government school, but I had to...[READ]