This months News and Views (January 2000)
- Y2K bug a no show
And I told you so!
So much had been made of the Y2K problem. Power outages, water shortages, banking problems; you name it, it had been predicted. In the field that I'm in, I had to sit back and laugh at some of the media's coverage of the Y2K bug.
As Paula and I watched the ball drop at Times Square, we were greeted with local news reporters going to ATM machines and getting out cash. Guess what? They all worked. Paula and I (And Micah) quickly got tired of the ATM withdrawals (No kidding they did this at 3-4 different banks at different locations throughout Charlotte). We went outside and watched the neighborhood fire works show. Power still on. Phone works fine. Home theater still kicking. Can opener still functional. Life as normal. Whew!
- Post Christmas empty nest syndrome
If you read last month's News and Views, you know we had several visitors for the holidays. Mary, Gene and Grandmother all joined us for the Christmas Holidays. Gene and Mary left a few days after Christmas, even though we tried to get them to stay longer. Grandmother stayed with us a little longer, not returning to Birmingham until the end of the first week in January.
Now that everyone's gone, we're missing them, wishing they were still with us. But, thanks to NetMeeting, we can visually, easily, and inexpensively stay in touch with Gene and Mary. Come on mom, get your web camera working through AOL so we can keep in touch with you, too!!!
All video clips converted to .MPG files
As I mentioned in the following information detailing how to play video clips found within our home page, I was looking for a tool to convert all of my .AVI video clips to .MPG to conserve space, allow faster download times, etc. etc. Well, Main Actor came through for me. Now, just download the Microsoft Media Player, and you'll be able to view all of the video clips found throughout our home page. I've also gone through last months video clips, and converted all of them to .MPG files (They're now found under the News and views from the past for those interested section).
I've also placed the following symbol (
) in front of video clips, as well as the size of the video clip. Just click on the underlined text to the right of the video camera, and the video clip will begin downloading. Once downloaded, it will begin to play. This will help you determine which video clips you have time to watch, and which ones you might want to skip until next time, when you possibly have more time to download the video clip.
- Tragedy in Charlotte for the Charlotte Hornets
On Wednesday, January 12, 1999 Charlotte Hornets player Bobby Phills was killed in a car wreck. Here's the news as it appeared on the Charlotte Observer:
Hornets players Bobby Phills and David Wesley were racing each other in their Porsches when Phills lost control and was killed in a wreck on Charlotte's Tyvola Road, police said late Wednesday.
Preliminary estimates show Phills and Wesley were driving at speeds of more than 75mph, said police Sgt. Ricky Robbins, a supervisor in the traffic unit conducting the investigation. The speed limit is 45mph.
The tire marks from Phills' sliding car stretched more than 350feet before the point of impact, Robbins said.Robbins said the two Hornets were in a spur-of-the-moment race, known under state law as
a spontaneous speed competition.
Wesley, Phills' close friend, declined to comment.
Shortly after the wreck, Wesley sat in his Porsche, looking downward, rubbing his head
and covering his face. His car, which sat facing the accident scene, was cordoned off from
other players, Hornets staffers and reporters.
A Porsche dealer who is familiar with the players' cars but declined to be identified said both Phills and Wesley had their cars modified to go faster than factory models.
Phills, 30, leaves a wife and two children under the age of 4. He was the team's defensive
specialist, a swingman who played guard and forward. He signed a $32 million contract with the Hornets in 1997.Our thoughts and prayers are with his family. From the local media, Bobby Phills appeared to be a very generous, loving, giving, unselfish individual. Often, these qualities are missing in today's multi million dollar salaried athletes. He appeared to be an exception.
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow
When we moved to Charlotte a little over 5 years ago, we expected to see a lot of snow, especially when compared to living in Alabama. You would think that moving this far north would allow for some winter fun. Well, that hasn't really been the case. Yes, we've had a few days each year where it snows, it stays on the ground for a day (Often less), and then disappears. Until this year...
On January 18, 2000 we finally received some snow that we could actually do something with (Other than watch it it fall from the sky, and melt on the side walk). By my measurements, we got at least 4-6 inches during the night, and most of it was still on the ground for the next few days.
School was cancelled on Tuesday, and with the weekend, and Martin Luther King day, the kids got a four day extended weekend! Dad was not as lucky, having to trek to work on MLK day. But, I was able to delay my arrival to work by a few hours on snow day. So, let's bundle up, get on our jackets, try out our gloves, put on our beanies, and have some fun.
First, we tried to sled down the little hill of our cul-de-sac. It was mostly ice, with very little snow on top, and didn't work too well. There just wasn't enough frozen stuff, or snow to sled on. We were forced to use our back yard "hill" (A term which I use very loosely), which is about 8 feet in length. Oh well, I guess it was one step better than nothing.
Next, we started a snow ball fight. Actually, the kids teamed up against me, while Paula rolled the video camera (And, therefore, was exempt from being pummeled). I don't know that anyone lost, but we all got pelted with snow and had a great time.
Finally, in the evening, we built a small snow man on the hood of my truck. The snow was very powdery, and hot very "packable" (You know, the snow was very dry, and didn't make snow balls easy to create). We were, after some searching, able to find some snow that we could form into snow balls, and we created an 18" snowman on the hood of my truck. How's THAT for a hood ornament?
We also received some significant snow on January 22, and again on January 24 that closed down most of Charlotte (Good luck finding bread and milk). The kids were out of school on Monday and Tuesday, and I was sent home early from work on Tuesday due to the rapidly deteriorating driving conditions.
They're also calling for snow this weekend (Super Bowl Weekend).
As it turned out, we "only" got an ice storm, no snow. Most churches were closed, and some roads were iced over. Here's what part of our deck out back looked like on Sunday morning.
Some of the snow this month has lasted 5-7 days, which is an unusually long period of time for snow to stay on the ground (At least here in Charlotte). THIS is what I expected when we moved here to Charlotte.
I've assembled the following video clips for your enjoyment:
- Did you see the moon on January 20, 2000?
Of course, I'm talking about the lunar eclipse that occurred that night. That's where the shadow of the Earth moves across the moon.
It started about 9:00 p.m., and clear skies here in Charlotte allowed for a beautiful view of this event.
I took the camcorder outside, shot a few minutes of video, and here's a snapshot of what I captured.
- Clint has the chicken pox
Yep, our cute Clint, covered with red bumps. In his mouth, on his chest, you know, the usual places. This put a damper on snow fun we were preparing to have (You'll hear about it next month, I'm sure), but that's how the cookie crumbles.
So, off to the store for some Benadryl, Aveeno oatmeal bath, and some children's Tylenol (And, some football trading cards if I can find some). The doctor phoned in a prescription for him that will hopefully make the chicken pox less severe. He said it would help lessen the symptoms, including the red sores and the itching and scratching.
As you can see, he isn't feeling too well these days, even though he'll miss an entire week of school. This snapshot was taken on the first night; things went downhill from there. Due to his request, we won't post the snapshots of him with calamine lotion spots everywhere. Don't worry Clint, we'll have Brad pick up your school work for the week, and bring it home for you.
Get well soon, Clint.
- Your questions about NetMeeting
I've gotten several EMails about NetMeeting. Mostly questions. What is it? Is it easy to use? Can you really see the other person? Is it like watching TV? Is is clear? What does it sound like, a tin can? Can my machine run it? What if I don't have a camera, can I still use NetMeeting?
First off, here's what NetMeeting is (Steve Hughes definition). It's a program that allows you to talk over the internet (Technically speaking, this technology is called Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VOIP), share programs, chat via a keyboard, and video conference if either participant has a video camera (web cam). What do you need for this? A 200Mhz. Pentium II processor equipped computer, about 16Mb. of RAM, 30Mb. of hard disk space, a 56K dial up internet connection, speakers, and a microphone are what I would consider the minimum requirements. If your computer exceeds any of these minimum requirements, your NetMeeting experience will be better.
Here's the answers to some of your common questions.
Is it easy to use? Yes, although Microsoft recently changed the way you look up, and connect with people through it's Internet Locator Services (ILS) servers. Now, both parties have to get Microsoft's Messenger program (Kind of like AOL's Instant Messenger software), and a HotMail account. But, it's still rather easy.
Can you really see the other person? Yes, if they have a web cam, you certainly can. Obviously, if you don't have a web cam, the other person won't be able to see you, but if they have a video camera, them you will be able to see them. You really don't NEED a web cam, as you can use NetMeeting to just talk over the internet. But, I can personally say that a web cam certainly enhances the NetMeeting experience.
Is it like watching TV? Well, not quite. Standard television signals (Called NTSC) send about 30 framers of video per second to your TV. NetMeeting over a 56K modem connection is probably about 2-7frames per second (Depends on how heavily loaded the internet is during usage). Not exactly like watching TV, but you do get a clear picture, and you can see the other person.
What does it sound like, a tin can? No, the audio comes through pretty clear. It's not as clear as a standard phone connection, but you can easily tell who you're talking to.
My opinion of things to come. Connecting to the internet in the next few years will be getting faster. Cable companies are already offering cable modems in some areas, and local phone companies are providing Digital Subscriber Lines (DSL) for their customers. Both of these technologies are about 10-20 times faster than your current 56K dial up connection. In the future, when these become the standard method of connecting to the internet, we will approach 20-30 frames per second during NetMeeting, and the audio will be as clear as your current telephone. Also, I have this posted under Cool Tools for the ultimate internet experience, but you can order the Intel PC Camera Pro pack from one of my favorite online stores, Outpost.com by clicking here.
Netmeeting in action video clip. I'll forewarn you about this video clip. Because of the refresh rate of the computer monitor versus the speed at which my camcorder recorded the video, you'll see large horizontal bars across the computer screen that are distracting. It's also about 3.4 Mb., and will take a while to download, but it's 21 seconds in length. But, even with the distracting horizontal bars, you get a sense of what's it like when we're using NetMeeting to stay in touch with our loved ones.
- And the rest of the month?
A case could be made for us being a very boring, static, run of the mill, nothing ever changes, uneventful family. Between sickness, health, church, doctor visits, house work, home work, trumpet practice, cooking, cleaning, laundry, bills, NetMeeting, Nintendo, shopping, sledding, home page updating, phone conversations, and other events, there's little time for extra curricular activities (Whew!). Things will pick up in the spring, when the days get longer, and baseball weather is upon us. But, for now, we'll deal with the "daylight savings time" hours, turn on the fire place, put in a DVD, crank up the volume, sit back, and enjoy. You're welcome any time!!!
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