Higher resolution.

One of my resolutions for this year is more frequent posts to the blog; specifically, I'd like to publish something every Saturday this year. Later this week I am going to be sorting our photo collection¹ so the next update will be chock-a-block with pictures, but this entry will be mostly text. So, just some quick thoughts:

The Chinese government just released an official version of the Linux operating system, called "Red Flag." I kind of understand the name, as China has a (mostly) red flag and the national flag is being raised over computing. That said, I have to wonder if they know that a red flag is colloquially an indication of a problem, as in "The fact that Helen couldn't explain where she was the previous evening raised a red flag with her husband." It is sort of like naming your software "Unaccountable Credit Card Charges."

I think I am going to buy a Netbook. Anyone have any suggestions for which one? I want max battery life and the ability to run Skype.

January is going to be a monster. I have a new post-doc coming, my first, as well as teaching a 16 person section of physical chemistry and doing a two week class for high school students thinking about going to college for a technical education. The two week class is sort of a supplemental contract, i.e. I get paid extra for doing two hours of lecture per day for 10 days. This will be a lot of work and a lot of fun.

My buddy Mike got my son the following toy, which is so awesome: The arms and legs are the perfect size for Henry to chew, and he loves him. The toy is technically a wee ninja, although I like to tell people it is Middle-East Barbie.

(1) I tried to use Picasa to do this originally. It is the single dumbest gosh-dang piece of software ever constructed, as there is no way to tell it to not index EVERY PICTURE on the hard drive upon installation. I want it to index "My Pictures" and not (for example) the figures from every saved version of every paper I've ever written.

Prague.

At a later date, I am going to post a long entry about our Christmas trip to Prague, in the Czech Republic. For now, a couple quick things of no great importance.


1) Everyone overhere looks like a Pagac or a Dubnanski. (Nicole's ancestors.) We walk around all day saying, "Hey, that guy looks like Uncle Jeff" or "That guy could be Uncle Kevin's overweight twin." Oddly, no one looks like Uncle Mike.¹

2) I have consumed some Becherovka, which is is a yellowish liquor sold here as a digesterif which is made from vodka and infused spices, and tastes vaguely of cinnamon, cloves, and maybe a hint of nutmeg, sort of a boozy gingerbread. I have either had it somewhere before (Oleg/Artur/Viktor can you take credit for this?) or something nearly the same, as it tastes remarkably familiar. We purchased a bottle at a small liquor store, where the proprietor stated that Henry looked almost exactly like me. (He also said Henry needed a brother and a sister. ) Personally, I don’t see the resemblance.



3) Prague has a lot of cool views, especially if you are a kid from Western PA who's idea of old is 150 years.


4) Nicole liked her Christmas gift!

(1) Actually, about half the people here look like Uncle Mike.

A comparison, version 2.

At ~0.5 Months:



At ~4 months.



At ~6 months.