No more TMZ.com, more Khan Academy

I've become a huge fan of the Khan Academy site.  We all spend countless hours mindlessly surfing the web.  Well why not learn something along the way.  Play around the site and see the wide range of subjects covered.  I'm into Italian Art and Architecture this video pleases me by combining both ...find a video that mirrors your interests.


Linear Perspective: Filippo Brunelleschi's Experiment from Smarthistory Videos on Vimeo.

The 2012 Underappeciated List

Life is full of pleasant surprises that are beyond the grasp of the popular media or "best of" lists. In 2007 I started my "under appreciated" list.  Here are the latest items that deserve a little extra praise.

1. Movie- (The Big Year):It could very well be the only movie with Owen Wilson, Jack Black, and Steve Martin that you never made an effort to see.  In spite of a cast that contains many comedic heavy weights, this movie gets by more on character development, cinematography, and a simple yet powerful message.  The movie is PG which is also an absolute rarity in a day and age where most movies have to get crass and violent in order to cultivate an audience.  Watch it; you'll be touched.
2.  Virtue (Selflessness)- Whether it is politics, big business, or Hollywood things are rife with scandal and most of these scandals are the result of one thing, selfish greed.  The "Me first at the expense" of others attitude is the single most attitude that is shrinking the potential of our great Nation.  We need more people who care about others as much as themselves.
3. TV Show (Friday Night Lights)- I got brought in at the very tail end of the series thanks to some very vocal encouragement from some friends.  It does have more then its fair share of soap operaesque drama but when it comes to matters of Coach Taylor and molding his team there isn't better television. The last episode is Hoosiers and Band of Brothers and Brian's Song all rolled up into 45 minutes of absolutely moving drama.
4. Food (Vietnamese)- We've dissected Italian food six ways to Sunday and our proximity to Mexico has us swimming in Mole Poblano.  We love our Tapas and we dive right into the dishes of the Indian subcontinent.  One region, most foodies believe is world class, that most of us over look is Vietnamese.  It is fresh, flavorful, diverse, and hearty. Pho is the soup that you'll want to order on a rainy day. I've got good company, Anthony Bourdain agrees with me.
5. Band (Trash Can Sinatras)-  This is a classic example of a band coming of age at the wrong time.  They were a great sounding indie band in the age when grunge had pretty much squelched their kind of sound.  Their sound is lush with a hint of the Smiths and their lyrics are exactly what you'd expect from a some Scots, heartfelt and rich. 

Bouncing Charlie

I will continue to post photos/tidbits of Charlie until Jodi creates his own blog.  In the meantime, we got a kick, pun sort of intended, at Charlies ability to kick and get his bouncing chair a rocking.  I think we're ready to sign him up for AYSO.

What's more Roman then the Aqueduct?

The Aqueduct was one of Ancient Rome's proudest engineering feats and abundant water was one of the primary reasons that the city was able to thrive as it did.  This great piece captures the discovery of the great Aqua Traiana, just one of the many things that Trajan built.


While the video might be a little dry, this link is pretty cool.



The Search for the Aqua Traiana with Rabun Taylor from MEON HDTV PRODUCTIONS on Vimeo.