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Daniel M. Hendricks
Learn from yesterday, live for today.

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Ahh, it's good to be back in town. I've never painted so much in my life.
Jun 29, 2009 @ 01:02 AM Posted from Twitter (web)
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My sister-in-law, Wendy, surprised us with McDonald's breakfast this morning.
Jun 28, 2009 @ 09:57 AM Posted from Twitter (txt)
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Dropped off a trailer load at Goodwill and Habitat ReStore, ate at Cancun in Rice Lake, went to Menards, and now taking a break.
Jun 27, 2009 @ 05:50 PM Posted from Twitter (txt)
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I sold another computer and our new DSL is set up. Relaxing before preparing to go up north. I see a trip to Goodwill in my future, too.
Jun 26, 2009 @ 02:05 PM Posted from Twitter (web)
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Pre-order Windows 7 Upgrade today for >= 50% off of retail price: http://alturl.com/g27s #windows7
Jun 26, 2009 @ 07:11 AM Posted from Twitter (web)

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Addicted to Power

Rush Limbaugh had some interesting commentary on the Democratic party on Thursday:

CALLER: “[W]hat do the Democrats want? They own the car industry. They don’t want us to go to college. What do they want? At the end of this, what do they want? They’re going to have all the power, and what do they want?”

Rush made an insightful comparison of the Democrats’ irrational policies with that of the chemically dependent:

LIMBAUGH: “Have you ever had a genuine addiction to anything? … Well, I have. I have. I have, and let me tell you about it. It makes you entirely unreasonable and irrational. It is all you care about. Nothing else matters. No matter how important to you otherwise, it doesn’t matter as much as the addiction. Feeding it, the fear of not being able to, is what animates your existence every day. These people are addicted to power, because they think it is their birthright. And I’m not just talking about the people in Washington, elected officials. I’m talking about some of — not all, but some of — the rank-and-file, madcap, insane liberals that you will find blogging, that you will find e-mailing, that you will find on the protest march. Their lives are basically meaningless. The addiction to power and dominance and control is what drives them. And the thing about an addiction is, it can never be satisfied.

Well, I have. I have. I have, and let me tell you about it. It makes you entirely unreasonable and irrational. It is all you care about. Nothing else matters. No matter how important to you otherwise, it doesn’t matter as much as the addiction. Feeding it, the fear of not being able to, is what animates your existence every day. These people are addicted to power, because they think it is their birthright. And I’m not just talking about the people in Washington, elected officials. I’m talking about some of — not all, but some of — the rank-and-file, madcap, insane liberals that you will find blogging, that you will find e-mailing, that you will find on the protest march. Their lives are basically meaningless. The addiction to power and dominance and control is what drives them. And the thing about an addiction is, it can never be satisfied.”

The caller followed-up with:

CALLER: “But after they destroy our country, where’s their power?”

Rush’s reply:

LIMBAUGH: “What do addicts do? They destroy themselves. They do. They destroy themselves, and they destroy the things that are most important to them.”

    I couldn’t help but think of Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle when I was listening to this segment.   You can find the original transcript here:

    Of course, this attitude isn’t limited to just the left – I think it is common among most politicians today.

    May 18th, 2009  Politics   Tags: , , , , , more...
    Twitter
    We did a lot of yard work today and now I'm tired. Wanda finished her garden and I mowed lawn and did some yard cleaning.
    May 17, 2009 @ 08:36 PM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    Our crab apple and pear trees are blossoming. Very beautiful.
    May 15, 2009 @ 08:56 AM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    We made our famous Sour Cream Roast. Leftovers are almost better than the original, because you don't have to do any work.
    May 14, 2009 @ 09:50 PM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    Inver Grove is ghetto and their diesel pumps are confusing. We're at the St. Croix casino right now looking for food.
    May 10, 2009 @ 05:52 PM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    On on our way back to Wisconsin.
    May 10, 2009 @ 12:41 PM Posted from Twitter (txt)

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    Twig – WordPress Twitter Integrator

    I just put together my first release of Twig, a plugin for WordPress that will pull your tweets from Twitter, cache them in a database, and display them chronologically intermingled with your WordPress posts.  It the first version, so there are bound to be bugs with it.  I hope to add more features soon, but I wanted to get an initial version out the door before the scope creeps into oblivion.

    If you’re brave enough to try this initial release, please let me know if you encounter any bugs, as well as ideas for feature enhancements you might have.  Cheers!

    April 21st, 2009  Software   Tags: , , , , more...
    Twitter
    10 years since Columbine. Makes me feel old. I was in a dorm room just after class and flipped on the TV, where the news was all over it.
    Apr 20, 2009 @ 09:02 AM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    Tonight's experiment: Chicken and Pasta in Creamy Pesto Sauce
    Apr 19, 2009 @ 06:20 PM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    Spring cleaning, putting together a grocery list.
    Apr 19, 2009 @ 12:40 PM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    We're going to watch 'Seven Pounds'.
    Apr 18, 2009 @ 11:29 PM Posted from Twitter (txt)
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    Vodka Pasta

    I made an interesting vodka pasta dish using some of the leftover the remaining leftover ham from Easter.  It was delicious, so I thought I would share it with you.  You can view the recipe here:

    April 18th, 2009  Food   Tags: , , , more...
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    We're eating at IHOP with my mom. I love the Colorado omelette.
    Apr 18, 2009 @ 10:15 AM Posted from Twitter (txt)
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    I have heart burn radiating in my kneecaps. :(
    Apr 18, 2009 @ 09:01 AM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    On our way to New London to pick up an overhead projector.
    Apr 17, 2009 @ 07:07 PM Posted from Twitter (txt)
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    We went for the first ride of the season - Wanda on her 750cc Yamaha Virago and me on my 50cc moped. =)
    Apr 17, 2009 @ 06:20 PM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    Web Site

    I’m working on a project, and I’m using my web site to test its functionality. For the few people that actually visit my blog, you may notice some bugs over the next 2 weeks with my site. I should have it wrapped up by then.

    April 17th, 2009  Uncategorized   
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    I'm off to the gym.
    Apr 16, 2009 @ 05:08 PM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    My favorites from *last night* were Kris Allen and Danny Gokey, with Allison coming in a close third.
    Apr 15, 2009 @ 08:58 AM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    I'm going to the grocery store, on my way home from the gym.
    Apr 14, 2009 @ 07:13 PM Posted from Twitter (txt)

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    Web site changes

    I’ve made a couple of changes to my site.  As you can probably see, I have added my twitter feed to my front page.  I’ve done this because I don’t post to my main blog as much as I used to – I post my thoughts to Twitter (which then automatically get copied to my main web site and Facebook).  I will probably reserve my traditional posts for longer posts.  It was not a simple tasks to intermingle Twitter posts within the WordPress loop, but I eventually got it to work with some sloppy code. ;)   The posts are cached and updated every 30 minutes.

    I also am trialing my web site back on a Windows server (previously it was on Linux).  I’m doing this to consolidate web hosts, and hosting on Windows gives me most stuff on Linux as well as ASP.NET.  I generally prefer Linux hosting when .NET isn’t needed, however, this will save me time and money.

    There will be bugs with the new setup, but I’ll take care of them as I see them.  I see my Flickr feed isn’t updating, which is probably a permission issue (curse Windows permissions!).  I’ll work on that.

    April 9th, 2009  Web Site   Tags: , , , , , more...
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    I bought a Coca-Cola (in a classic bottle even) from the Mexican grocery. It had real sugar as sweetener instead of HFCS. Very tastey!
    Apr 8, 2009 @ 11:57 AM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    The DVR cut off Adam Lambert's performance, but Allison and Kris are my top picks from last night. I think Scott and Lil are in trouble.
    Apr 8, 2009 @ 10:28 AM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    I went to the gym and then made tacos (with turkey meat) for supper. I'm off to watch Idol with Wanda.
    Apr 7, 2009 @ 09:03 PM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    The tax returns are finally done (barring rejection). They get more complicated every year!
    Apr 6, 2009 @ 09:39 PM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    The butter chicken was a delicious.
    Apr 5, 2009 @ 07:39 PM Posted from Twitter (web)

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    American Idol 8.11

    Alexis Grace got screwed on Idol last night.  Michael “Roughneck” Sarver should have gone, and I’m shocked that Allison Iraheta was in the bottom three – she rocks.  Alexis was clearly disappointed during her second run of the song, but that’s understandable.

    It’s going to be a tough year – lots of talent, there is.

    March 19th, 2009  Television   Tags: , , , , more...
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    Watched American Idol, now watching Lie to Me.
    Mar 18, 2009 @ 10:09 PM Posted from Twitter (txt)
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    I think it might be time to consider going back to school. :P
    Mar 18, 2009 @ 04:04 PM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    Wow, am I out of shape.
    Mar 17, 2009 @ 05:38 PM Posted from Twitter (txt)
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    We're going for our first bike ride of the season.
    Mar 17, 2009 @ 04:53 PM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    We're going to my parents house for dinner (supper for those in Rio Linda) tonight.
    Mar 16, 2009 @ 05:15 PM Posted from Twitter (web)

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    A new pair of eyes

    It’s been two days since I got LASIK eye surgery, and I must say that I’m impressed with the results.  I had the procedure done at the Alexander Eye Institute in Grand Chute.  I would highly recommend them – their staff was professional and courteous, and I was impressed with their facilities.  Dr. Alexander is great too.

    I also had a initial consultation done at OptiVision, one of the other popular LASIK providers in the area.  Their staff was also professional and friendly, and the prixe was considerably cheaper.  After doing much research, however, I felt more comfortable with Alexander’s bladeless (IntraLase) procedure over OptiVision’s use of a microkeratome.  Besides reading about fewer complications, I was convinced that Alexander’s Allegretto laser was more appropriate for my eyes since I have larger-than-average pupils and extreme astigmatism.

    I was a little nervous, since we were dealing with my eyes.  I thought it would be freaky watching them cut the corneal flap, lift it up, and have the laser do it’s thing.  Perhaps it was the Valium that they gave me, but I found the process completely comfortable, and it took only a few minutes to do the entire procedure.  Although I suffered bluriness and very dry eyes afterward (which is normal), I was able to drive without corrective lenses the very next day.

    I have to put in eye drops every 20 minutes for the next month, which is a bit of a pain, but it’s worth it.  I can’t wait to go boating/swimming and actually be able to see. :)

    February 28th, 2009  Health & Medical   Tags: , , , , more...
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    I'm working on organizing photos.
    Feb 28, 2009 @ 04:03 PM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    I noticed that the shopping carts at the local Asian grocery store are a lot shorter than the ones at other stores.
    Feb 27, 2009 @ 04:29 PM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    We got our Jetta stuck in the glacier at the end of the driveway. Had to invest in a tow rope for the Jeep finally. Worked like a charm.
    Feb 27, 2009 @ 09:12 AM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    I'm getting LASIK done in one hour. Wish me luck!
    Feb 26, 2009 @ 11:46 AM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    I baked some cod for dinner tonight. I love my rice cooker/veggie steamer.
    Feb 25, 2009 @ 06:25 PM Posted from Twitter (txt)

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    Recipe Exchange

    I enjoy cooking, and Wanda has been trying to get us to eat more healthy (goodbye meatloaf, I barely knew ye). I was wondering if any of you folks have some decent recipes you’d like to share with me – perhaps some of your favorites that you make at home. Some easy-but-healthy ideas for chicken, pork, turkey, fish and veggies would be ideal, but we’re open to anything. I’m looking for something different from our usual line-up.

    February 10th, 2009  Food   Tags: , , , , more...
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    I just got a visit from Jehovah's Wittnesses (while my dog almost had a heart attack). They gave me some Holy Bible Cliff Notes booklet.
    Feb 10, 2009 @ 04:39 PM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    I need to find some good fish recipes to add to the rotation. I'm still looking for an *easy* but tastey Indian curry recipe too.
    Feb 9, 2009 @ 09:05 PM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    We're on our way home. We got a lot done this weekend!
    Feb 9, 2009 @ 02:50 AM Posted from Twitter (txt)
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    Heading up North again. I just had the greasiest burger EVER at McDonalds.
    Feb 6, 2009 @ 09:41 PM Posted from Twitter (txt)

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    You reap what you sow

    I find it amazing and ironic that the religious right is crying discrimination with regard to a provision in the stimulus bill to ban money designated for school renovation from being spent on facilities that allow “religious worship”:

    These are the same people that argued that government should stay out of the affairs of private schools:

    I do not feel that public funding should be extended to any organization that discriminates against an individual based on their sexual orientation. If you want your child to be indoctrinated, you’re going to have to pay extra for it.

    February 4th, 2009  Politics, religion   Tags: , , , more...
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    We saw Slumdog Millionaire tonight. It was a pretty good flick. Previews for X-Men Origins and Star Trek XI look rad.
    Feb 2, 2009 @ 11:52 PM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    Good game.
    Feb 1, 2009 @ 11:45 PM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    Fresh pineapple is tastier than canned.
    Feb 1, 2009 @ 06:21 PM Posted from Twitter (web)
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    Jonathon's wasn't as good as it used to be. Slow service, unappealing food, limited selection. Bummer.
    Jan 31, 2009 @ 10:51 PM Posted from Twitter (web)

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    Skyfire, mobile browsing unleashed

    I have been looking for a decent web browser for my Windows Mobile phone lately. For the life of me, I can’t comprehend why Windows Mobile 6 came with IE 6. It’s quite frustrating to use – slow, featureless, clunky, and did I mention slow? I tried Minimo, and although it supports tabs, I thought the navigation on my Motorola Q9c was clunky. I went to download Opera Mobile, but the download page says it’s for touchscreen Windows Mobile only, so that wouldn’t work for me. I then did a Google search for “windows mobile web browser” and one of the early hits was for Skyfire.

    I downloaded and installed it on my phone. I was nervous, because I forgot my SD card and my internal storage was very low. Amazingly, the download was a little over 500k, and there was enough room on my phone for it to install.

    I launched the browser and was pleasantly surprised. It was fast, easy to navigate, and the rendering was phenomenal. I had always thought the download speed on my phone was slow, but I think it was a problem with IE 6, since pages render very quickly on Skyfire.

    The only problem I had was when the installer asked if I wanted to install a search widget onto my home screen. I approved, since it sounded handy, however, it totally mangled my theme, so I eventually switched back to my previous theme (easy fix). Beyond that, I think the browser is great!

    December 24th, 2008  Mobile, Software   Tags: , , , , , , more...