I have a Sony DSC-W1 and have really enjoyed it: it’s incredibly easy-to-use. So now that I’m thinking about expanding, I’m wondering if I’d like to leave the Sony world.
I’d hate to have to know 2 or 3 camera operating systems and modes of operation - which I’d have to do if I bought from […]

Since both Aidan and Ethan were doing podcasts tonight (Aidan on his third birthday, and Ethan on his favorite games, Gabrielle could not possibly survive the night without doing her own.
So we did.
And here are Gabrielle’s thoughts on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which we watched tonight on DVD:

Since Aidan just did a podcast about the presents he received for his third birthday, Ethan wanted to do one too.
So we did a podcast together of his favorite games … one card game (Skip-Bo), and one computer game (Nanosaur 2).
Voila:

Aidan and I do a podcast about the presents he received for his birthday …

(As promised here.)

I’m doing some education research lately and happened to come across this article which refers to the “Canada effect.”

Some have quipped that state-level student achievement in the U.S. can be best predicted by proximity to Canada …

In other words, the most northern states typically have the best results.
However, lest we Canadians get too cockey, we […]

Tonight Teresa and I said goodnight to our two-year old son for the last time.
I sang the goodnight prayer with Aidan, and then I told him a “Jerry Ant” story - made up on the spur of the moment.
He read me his favorite book du jour, Buenos Noches, Gorila. And we talked, for a while, […]

Now I have a great answer for all those I-was-blogging-before-it-was-cool been-doing-that-since-1997 types:

Yup, since 1970 … two years before I was born.

Overheard today outside a Burnaby, BC high school: “They don’t know about Chinese people there!”
Volume, high. Asian woman and boy leaving SUV, hurrying to get into the school.
Conversation continued at high speed in (presumably) Mandarin.

H2O

Originally uploaded by johnkoetsier.

Teresa and I were out shopping this afternoon … our main floor bathroom is about to get blown up and redone.
High time, too …
We saw this sand-blasted glass sink and faucet - beautiful. Unfortunately, due to irritating facets of reality (namely, pipes, […]

The NHL playoffs started tonight; my productivity is also going way down.
Could there be a connection?
Hard to say … after all, correlation is not causation.

Gabrielle (9), Ethan (6), and Aidan (2) sing happy birthday to Grandpa ….

Very, very, very dumb gun safety officer. Click the play button:

You have to admit, the guy’s got guts. He must be pretty tough …. he tries to continue his speech. Unbelievable.
I don’t think I’d continue my speech after shooting myself in the foot.

Aidan (my youngest son - 2 years old) and I have some fun with podcasts.

I think there is some way of publishing this with a photo, but for the life of me I can’t see how … I’ve uploaded a photo for this podcast, but it’s not showing up above. Perhaps they have some sort […]

Me: sitting at the table downstairs this morning, eating breakfast.
Aidan (2 years old): coming down the stairs sleepily, saying “Daddy, you’re not going to work today?”
Me: “It’s a workday today, Aidan. I have to go to work.”
Aidan: right beside me now, with big liquid eyes and a sad face. “But I will miss you!”
I’ll miss […]

Whatcom creek

Originally uploaded by johnkoetsier.

About 3 minutes walk from my Bellingham, WA office is Whatcom Creek.
Just a couple minutes away, but quiet, calm, peaceful, and organic in every sense of the word - a very welcome break from a day inside an office!

I managed to […]

One of the things I did on my recent trip to San Antonio was to visit (quite accidently) the largest Starbucks in North America.
The entire first floor of this Starbucks on San Antonio’s riverwalk is what they call Hear Music. You get your java (or not), sit down at a computer station (stylish flat-screen monitors: […]

I saw this screed from a college student a couple of weeks ago: why you should cancel your cable. Or satellite. Or even broadcast TV.
And I agree.
I have an odd relationship with TV. I can go without for days. Then I get hooked into a hockey game or a movie, and suddenly I’m watching for […]

I’ve moved my blog to a new server at Media Temple.
That’s great and wonderful and exciting and beautiful and all that, for a number of reasons, but the most important thing to know right now is this:
This blog is moving to sparkplug9.com/art-n-artifice.
I’m going to be consolidating all my blogs and sites there - here’s the […]