Every since we moved from Texas and left our beloved Verizon FIOS, I've been trying to find ways to make our web surfing faster. Apparently the good folks at Google spend a lot of time (OK, a lot *more* time) trying to reach the same end.
Google has announced it's free public DNS called… wait for it… Google Public DNS and it is FAST. If you're on a mediocre connection, you should definitely consider swapping your DNS servers for Google's… pronto.
Why would Google do such a thing? Fast internet = more searches = more revenue for Google.
To try out the Google Public DNS, check out these resources.
Like many FSU football fans, I knew this extremely bittersweet day would come. Thank you for the memories, Coach Bowden. You will always be UNCONQUERED. Go Noles!
For those that are planning purchases at Barnes & Noble….
The bookseller (media seller?) will donate a portion of your store or cafe purchase proceeds to The Gladney Center for Adoption on November 28 & 29 – simply mention Promotion Code 1007 6420 prior to checking out at any B&N nationwide.
Of course, Gladney is near & dear to our hearts. Kudos to Barnes & Noble!
How many men age 40 or older will die of a sudden, massive heart attack? Go ahead – take a guess.
1 out of 100? Nope.
1 out of 50? No.
1 out of 25? Warmer.
1 out of 10? Warmer still.
1 out of 8? Bingo.
One out of eight men age 40 or older will die of a sudden, massive heart attack, according to a new American Heart Association study detailed today in the Wall Street Journal.
Even more startling is the fact that 1 out of every 2 men age 40 or older will develop coronary heart disease. 1 out of 2! 50 percent!
Men, we all fear our own mortality but this is a conversation that you must have with your doctor.
And, ladies, you need to ensure that the men in your life are talking to their doctor about their own personal risk factors.
For obvious reasons, this issue hits home with me, but it doesn't have to hit your home.
Don't be a statistic – talk to your doctor.
For me and many other Mac users, 1Password is the ideal application. I essentially remember — wait for it — one password… ever. The app takes care of creating secure passwords for every website I visit and remembering them. They even have a companion app for iPhone/iPod that allows me to browse with my passwords when I'm mobile. There's even a secure wallet feature for online purchases. I bought 1Password last year and I've used it every single day without fail. It is, without question, the premiere password creation/logging app available today.
And that's where our story takes a sad turn.
[click to continue…]
Merrin found a great dog park here on the island and — quite honestly — Oliver is in love with the place.
They have lots of toys, a garden pond, a bone-shaped splash pool, separate large dog & small dog areas, a refreshment center, and a dog wash area.
We took him there today and let him play with the big dogs (and I mean **big dogs**) and he had an absolute blast. He pretty much held his own with the big dogs.
Suffice it to say, Oliver is a *big* fan. 
I guess it's time for an update. The moving truck came and went without incident this week. The team from Hilldrup Moving & Storage (United Van Lines) did a great job. They were efficient, safe, polite and *fast*. I would highly recommend them if you're considering a move in the Southeast.
Now that our stuff has made the trek, I find myself in awe (once again) of my wife. I'm amazed at just how quickly she has turned this house into our home. And it's not just arranging the furniture or unpacking the boxes, but putting the touches in place that make a place "ours".
We managed to venture out yesterday for a quick drive through town. In what is certain to become a regular occurrence, we stopped for a walk along the beach and collected more shells. It's been mentioned many, many times on my blog that I am solar powered, but I'm quite certain that my wife is hydro-powered. She loves just being near the water. I guess that's just part of what makes us so good for one another.
There's something almost magical about this place. While there's a good deal of history as The Isle of Eight Flags and as a pirate haven years ago, the town is just such a welcoming place. The people are exceptionally nice and friendly. It will take some adjusting to, but it's such a small place – population 12,000 – we don't have ten digit dialing. Since our house is so close to the ocean, we get these great, colorful sunrises each morning. At night, you can see so many stars in the sky. Perhaps it's my imagination, but I would swear – if you try hard enough – you can smell a hint of sea in the air.
Suffice to say we're adapting quite nicely to our sleepy little beach town. It's good to be "home".
After two plus years in Orlando, moving day is finally here. Next stop: a small beach town on the Atlantic coast of North Florida. CAN'T WAIT!!
This is the first video I've seen online that comes close to capturing the FSU Warchant. I'd like to dedicate this one to my father-in-law.
Since upgrading to Snow Leopard and running the most recent, 64-bit version of Safari (Version 4.0.3 (6531.9)), I've been experiencing the most annoying error.
After several minutes using Google Reader in Safari on OSX, I receive an error message: "Oops…an error occurred. Please try again in a few seconds." Once Google Reader resumes, I can browse through content that is currently in view, but selecting any other content results in an empty reader with the error: "The feed being requested cannot be found." message for every single feed item or folder.
Once I sign back in, everything works for a few minutes and then the error returns. And it's very consistent – it happens on the Home, within my feeds (Your Stuff), People You Follow, Trends… you name it.
It's incredibly frustrating and has ruined my user experience in Google Reader. I've tried emptying the browser cache, restarting Safari and even resetting Safari. I've even tried using a secure page (https) instead of the traditional Google Reader URL. None of these have any effect. And it seems I am not alone in experiencing this error.
Google – if you're listening – help before I spork my eyes out!
I nearly forgot to post my faves from this year's Epcot Food and Wine Festival. All in all, I think the food was just slightly better in 2009 than it was in the last two years.
My top picks:
New Orleans – Crawfish Etouffee
By far the best you can get in Orlando. Same recipe as in 2008, although I do wish they would bring back the small Tabasco bottles to compliment this great etouffee. (If you ask, they do have hot sauce behind the counter, just not Tabasco brand.)
Melbourne, Australia – Grilled Lamp Chop with Red Wine Sauce and Murray River Sea Salt
The chop could have been trimmed better. It's almost as if they left the fat intact to impress you with the portion size. That said, this was a very well executed, hand-seasoned lamb chop with great balance between the wine & sea salt. Delicious!
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Grilled Pork Skewer with Farifa
No wonder the USA lost the Olympic bid to Rio. Something so simple as a pork on a stick… and it absolutely rocked. Perfectly balanced tastes.
A couple of other notables:
- The Chicken Urumqi (Grilled chicken with cumin and traditional Chinese spices) in Bejing was really tasty, especially with sriracha sauce to compliment the cumin.
- The maple glazed salmon in Montreal was good, but not nearly as tasty as last year. I thought they were a little overboard with the maple this year and the choice to serve the salmon over cold lentils wasn't nearly the presentation or taste of last year's dish. Bring back the arugula & roasted corn and this dish makes the "best" list.
- Stop by Cape Town, South Africa and order the Seared Beef Tenderloin, but don't focus too much on the meat. The star of this dish is the amazing sweet potato puree. A bite of sweet potato with the beef and mango barbecue is really tasty!
- I don't care what anyone says, the Nuernberger sausage in Munich is fantastic. Yes, the presentation sucks… but it's a sausage… on a pretzel roll! It's so simple and the the pretzel rolls were really soft this year. Just a really great snack – perfect way to sneak a beer into the mix at a "wine" festival.
- Last but not least, the sushi rolls at Tokyo. I don't understand how they can make and refrigerate rolls without them turning into mush, but they have got it down pat. The sushi rolls aren't legendary, but they are crispy and fresh!
For more on the 2009 Epcot Food & Wine Festival see the official Disney event page or this unofficial overview at WDWInfo.
Thank you all so much for your encouraging words and donations towards the American Heart Association's START! Heart Walk 5k.
Merrin & I were more than a little surprised yesterday when we showed up to find more than 4,000 walkers for yesterday's event. Of course, we also had to laugh when we passed several groups of walkers who had stopped to take a smoke break… but I digress.
I really appreciate you thinking of us for this very special event!
I don't do the personal appeals too often, so I hope you'll indulge me just a moment.
As many of you know, I suffered a heart attack in 2008 brought about by heart disease.
While my recovery has gone exceptionally well — thanks in no small part to the love and support of my wife, family, and skilled doctors — I still live ever day with the realization that I have heart disease.
What you may not know is that heart disease is the #1 killer in the United States. I've spent the past 18 months learning to live with heart disease, but now I need your help and support to do something about it.
This Saturday, October 3rd, I have chosen to participate in the Start! Heart Walk 5K benefiting the American Heart Association. I have set a personal goal to help raise funds that are needed for critical heart disease research and education.
You can help me raise funds and protect those you love by making a donation online. Click on the link below to visit my personal donation page where you can make a secure online credit/debit card donation of $25 or more.
http://greaterorlandoheartwalk.kintera.org/kevindonahue
Thank you so much for considering a donation. I know firsthand how very difficult these economic times are and I sincerely appreciate your ongoing support.
