Successful Upgrade to Movable Type 3.0

Just a housekeeping note to indicate that I’ve successfully updated the site to Movable Type 3.0. I had debated between upgrading to MT3 or switching to WordPress, and in the end decided to stick with MT, for now.

The primary reason for making a change at all was to improve the site’s spam handling capabilities. Jay Allen’s MT Blacklist plugin works great, but I wanted more choices. While WP arguably provides finer-grained control over comment settings, in the end familiarity with MT won out.

I realize that in today’s political climate one blog entry is unlikely to change anyone’s mind, and agreeing to disagree is sometimes the best that can be done.

I’m posting about John Kerry’s acceptance speech for those who might still be on the fence, or those that need some validation that Kerry is a viable choice. I’m probably in the latter category, previously not so much for Kerry as against Bush. In Kerry’s speech tonight he strongly articulated a number of viewpoints that I strongly agree with, and did so in a non-negative and persuasive manner. (The transcript is available online.)

I heard the first half of speech this evening while driving the family to supper, and later read the entire thing online. The speech reads well, and the delivery was very powerful; very presidential. Based on what I heard and later read, I feel much more positive towards Kerry and his abilities to actually lead the nation, though the truth is I’ve avoided paying too much attention until very recently … even the next three months could become tedious in terms of the campaigning.

Here is an expanded set of quotes from tonight’s speech that really spoke to me. There was one moment, which luckily occured right as were pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant, when I got unexpectedly very choked up. It struck at the root of the problem with the current war: America simply does not initiate violence without a manifestly clear and present danger.

And as President, I will bring back this nation’s time-honored tradition: the United States of America never goes to war because we want to, we only go to war because we have to.

Before you go to battle, you have to be able to look a parent in the eye and truthfully say: “I tried everything possible to avoid sending your son or daughter into harm’s way. But we had no choice. We had to protect the American people, fundamental American values from a threat that was real and imminent.”

Additional highlights are quoted in the expanded entry accessible by the “more” link immediately below:

(more…)

The Cassini spacecraft has been returning wonderful photos of Saturn and its rings all summer, but this image of Mimas, one of the moons of Saturn, really caught my eye. The crater that is visible near the top is about 80 miles wide, and the mountain in the middle is as high as Mt. Everest. It’s said the impact almost destroyed the moon!

Some higher definition photos of Mimas are available, but I like the one above both for the way it’s lit (the peak in the middle is nicely highlighted) as well as its resemblance to the Star Wars Death Star.

This story wouldn’t be complete without mentioning this detailed critique of the DeathStar’s trash compacting system.

Thanks to apostropher for the original linkage.

Having visited Monument Rocks last year, we were excited when we had the opportunity to swing by this unusual geological formation on the way to Lindsborg a few weeks ago. These fossil encrusted limestone structures are remnants from the time when Kansas was at the bottom of an ocean, and are 2-3 stories tall. It’s interesting how they rise up all of a sudden in otherwise non-descript prairie pasture (read flat) land. Well worth a visit if you’re ever close to the area. Note: the black specks in the first picture are the birds that build mud nests near the top of the arch.

After 26 years of living in the SF Bay Area, and 30 years since we first left home, we’ve made the decision to return to our hometown of Lindsborg, Kansas. This decision comes after contemplating such a move off and on for the past 6 years. To be honest, this is probably still as much a shock to us as it is to our friends and family; to the extent we do have uncertaintanties about this decision we will retain our house in California for an indefinite time.

To some degree it’s premature to mention this in public, as the deal isn’t absolutely final yet, but at this point we’ve got a signed contract for our new house and the financing seems to be going well. Plus, I’ve discussed this with my management at work, and have their support, so I guess it’s time to tell the world!

While there are many reasons for making this rather dramatic change, it really boils down to family. I saw one of my sisters for 1 hour this last trip. I only saw my dad twice. Last year I didn’t get to see Regina at all, and every year, excited as I’ve been about returning home to California, it’s always been hard to say goodbye when it came time to leave.

After almost 30 years of being gone we have a whole lot of catching up to do. And, not just with family. George, the best man at our wedding, lives in Lindsborg and we haven’t seen him since 2001. And the list goes on. We just get too busy trying to see family to find time for friends. (Quite a change from when we first moved away. When visiting back then we’d see the family the day we arrived, and the day we left, and the rest of the time was spent w/friends.)

Finally, we’re keeping our California house, and if it doesn’t work out, we’ll just move back and call our time in Kansas an extended visit. We had quite a jolt of “what have we done” as we drove up US 395 and through Yosemite on the way home, but for the most part are pretty excited about beginning this new chapter of our lives.

Herewith, then, are a few photos of our new home in Lindsborg, a single owner, custom built, 15 year old house that has ensnared us with its charms:

Many more pictures of the house are available.