Reid (no middle name yet), was born about 6:30 this evening! 8lbs. 8oz., 21in. long. Both Mom and baby are fine. Dawn says he might be a red-head…the name kinda fits. Hope Charlotte doesn’t mind sharing her birthday!
GS2 is on his way…
Grandson #2, that is. Dawn has been in labor for 8 1/2 hours. We’re hoping Charlotte will have a cousin with whom to share her birthday (otherwise he will be a leap year baby)! I’ll keep all posted.
My Birthday Presents
Sort of a 2-step process. First thing I decided early on to get was an AppleTV.
I really have very little use for this, but I wanted it anyway. It allows me to rent or buy movies over the internet, including HD movies. (Only 720p, tho, and I was originally gonna wait for it to be upgraded to 1080.) Works really well, particularly since I have the bandwidth thru my FIOS service. Also holds all family photos and shows them in HD, an upgrade over the Tivo SD that I used to use for this. Plus, it holds my music. Also an upgrade, as I used to get occasional stalls when streaming music wirelessly from my computers.
Second step took some time to decide, but after getting the AppleTV, I made the decision pretty quickly. We have a Netflix account, which serves us quite well. The kids watch a lot of movies. But invariably, it seemed, any grown-up movie we’d get would be sent back unwatched. Lis and I just never seem to find the time. (Either I go to bed too early, or the kids go to bed too late.) So I tested a program called Handbrake (available on PC, too) that would rip DVDs directly for use by the AppleTV. One click, and you’re done. Only problem, on my 5 yr old laptop it took 20 hrs.
So I bought a new computer. The Mac Mini.
My main, 8 yr old computer is dying, making horrible noises, freezing, quitting apps, etc. And I really didn’t feel like trying to fix it. Plus I had recently moved it down to the desk in my bedroom, connected to a small LCD. The Mini will fit the desk much better than the old tower does.
So thanks again guys.
AppleTV: $300
MacMini: $680
Giants winning the Super Bowl: ……..well, you know.
For Shannon… “Yes We Can”
Actually, I’m pretty sure that she’s probably already seen this viral video for her candidate. I’m just posting it for those who may not have caught it already. It’s a pretty powerful message.
For those who might not be quite into pop culture, the video was produced by will.i.am the front man for the Black Eyed Peas. It wasn’t commissioned by Obama but once he saw it he recognized its potential impact and he’s put it up on his campaign website.
