Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Nostradamus Strikes Again

Time for some distraction from the snow and wind outside (not to mention the sub-zero temperatures). I.e. it is time once more for Mama Kat's Writer's Challenge. This week's topics:
1.) Describe what you would change about yourself if you could.
2.) Book Review! What children’s book do you hate reading to your child?
(inspired by E. from Mommy’s Still Fabulous)

3.) What do you predict will happen this decade? (You can be funny or serious if you like).
(inspired by Christopher from CaJoh)

4.) Choose the 7th picture you took from last January and write a poem.
5.) Write about a heated argument you had with your parents (real or fictitious).
(inspired by Writer’s Digest)

Hi ho and away we go.

#1 - There are a lot of things about me I would like to change. Unfortunately most of them are things that there is no realistic way to change and if I iterated them all, this post could reach epic lengths. So I will limit myself to a few day to day nits.
  • My hair to return or go away entirely.
  • My hair to finally just be all gray or return to black. Trying to "style" half a head of 95% gray hair isn't easy.
  • To stop aching. All the broken bones and stretched ligaments of a lifetime make me an acute weather predictor. If the left shoulder hurts, it is going to storm. If the right hand hurts, it will be cold. If the feet throb like mad it is going to be clear. And the worst thing is that I can still remember when nothing hurt and weather was a thing to watch and not predict.
  • To return to the flexible strength of my twenties.
  • And of course if we can ask for anything, I'd love to be handsome, lantern jawed, with abs of steel, have perfect eyesight, have an awesome super power or two, and rule the world in my spare time. {*grin*}


#2 - I need to modify this one a bit to say which book I *hated* to read. Given it has been more than a decade since reading to the Son, some of the pain is beginning to fade. {*grin*}

When I was a kid, my favorite book was Digger Dan. Of course it re-surfaced (thanks mom) to read to the Son. Somehow the prose lost much appeal over the interleaving 30+ years and the happy ending became less of a surprise. So Digger Dan is one selection.

The other book is actually any one of the Richard Scarry books, especially Busytown. Not only the interminable reading packed with alliteration, there was also the computer game that could drive one close to distraction with its continuous verbalization. Admittedly they are all great books and were loved by the Son, just a bit repetitive for me. Not only that, but the books were all complex enough that the Son wanted them read to him night after night and then to read them aloud still more times as he learned to read.


#3 - Things I predict will happen this decade:

Technology:
  • The smartphone hardware market will consolidate.
  • The number of smartphone operating systems will shrink to 3 - iPhone, Android, and probably RIM.
  • Microsoft will buy one of the other smartphone OSs (like Palm) and so badly bungle the subsequent marketing effort that the OS will die.
  • Hard copy books will disappear in favor of eBooks of various forms.
and finally, I'll go a little farther out on the limb with
  • Home PCs will disappear in favor of an interface unit that connects via the net to a cloud of computing resources and storage.

Personal:
  • I will lose more hair.
  • My hair will finally turn completely gray.
  • My joints will ache more.
  • Getting up in the morning will become more of a task.
  • I will continue to be amazed at the important things youngsters don't know how to do.


#4 - I took no pictures last January, so I have nothing to show nor exposit upon.

Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense. - Buddha


#5 - The topic inspires me not. Instead I'll put forth an old chesnut and see if it tickles your brain.
A mother make tasty toast in a small pan. After toasting one side of a slice, she turns it over. Each side takes 30 seconds. The pan can only hold 2 slices. How can she toast both sides of three slices in 90 seconds?
The answer is in the first comment.

17 comments:

  1. She puts two slices in the pan; after 30 seconds she has toasted one side of each. She turns over the first slice, takes the second from the pan, and in its place puts the third slice. After the second half minute the first slice is done and the other two are half done. In the last 30 seconds she finishes the second and third slices.

    An ancient but simple chesnut to keep you alert.

    ReplyDelete
  2. OK, that almost made my brain hurt. You aren't supposed to post those kinds of puzzlers for me to read so early in the morning.

    And the aches and pains...sucks to know they will get worse and I'm only 35. Thanks for that.

    Looks like you're 2 for 2 with me this morning!

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  3. "I will continue to be amazed at the important things youngsters don't know how to do." AMEN!!!!

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  4. OK...it is too early to be thinking about toasting times.

    I think Richard Scarry books are brilliant ... but hard to read aloud. I remember poring over them as a child -- I loved all the stuff that was going on but they aren't easy to "read" to a child.

    Love your predictions ... I think you are on to something.

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  5. Bold prediction with the e-Books, and you may have something there.

    I see the industry making in-roads, but there will be still plenty of room for the traditional reading market--reading a screen for 300 pages of a writer's work is a challenge.

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  6. Making my brain do puzzles this early in the morning, should be a crime! arrest this man!

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  7. Dan... you always amaze me...

    You would be a great person to sit and talk to for hours.

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  8. My son loved Richard Scarry. I had to look up his favorite: The Great Pie Robbery and other Mysteries.

    The illustrations were so much fun, and in the end, the bad guys got what they deserved.

    I think I'll be buying this for grandson Seth soon.

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  9. I think you already rule the world :)

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  10. I never want hard books to disappear. There is just something about holding one and I have to admit reading on the computer really bothers me.

    The Book I loved as a child - The Little Lame Prince and I hated Heidi.

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  11. I'm 100% with you on the Richard Scarry books. My daughter who is detail oriented would make me talk about every single one of those tiny little details on each of those enormously oversized pages!

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  12. I love reading the word epic in the right context! Perfect.

    I don't know what lanterned jaw is. I am going to google it : )

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  13. Stopping by from Mama Kat's…

    I love how you tackle them all. I typically struggle with just one (even if I am the one who made up the prompt).

    I think that technology is definitely going to change. I was considering talking about how Google took over something, but couldn't find a way to make it funny.

    Thanks for sharing,

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  14. Great post...interesting to see how you took on all of the prompts (well most of them). I may have to come back and check you blog out again. Have a great day!

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  15. Stopping by from Mama Kat's…

    so you don't end up ruling the world in ten years?

    ...that's sad

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  16. hiya passed from Mamakat...you got quite a bit list there! the gray hair shows how wise you are the black that you are still young :)

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  17. Hehe. Greg cuts his hair almost down to nothing so that it doesn't show any missing spots. Lol. Actually, I like the look on him :)

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You know you want to ... so just do it!!!

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