Monthly Archives: November 2013

Sunday night – memories

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I’m at my folks house in Sherborn Ma.. i’m trying to get down here more often to spend time with them. .. Even though its getting harder for my dad to remember things.. he has a great memory for pictures. we spent some time together today goign through a bunch of old picture books. it was really great seeing some of these things.. they brought back all sorts of memories, happy and sad.. for both of us..

 

 

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Here’s a piece about my great great grandfather dying of rabies

 

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me and pa IMG_6291

 

me and ma IMG_6293

 

my grandmother and crazy aunts .. IMG_6251 IMG_6252 IMG_6255

 

lots of pictures of sam… i don’t remember ever seeign this one IMG_6256

 

my dads grad school graduation in the mid 90’s IMG_6257

 

us in the caymans.. just before sam died. IMG_6258

 

thats my uncle bird behind my dad

 

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i remember making this holiday card when the kids were little

 

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ahhh. that patz physiqe (and hair style)..    here’s a great argument for genetics. IMG_6265 IMG_6266 IMG_6268 IMG_6269

 

another good shot of sam..    this book had more of him than the other boys.. which is pretty strange.. IMG_6270

 

 

my grandfather max.. whom i never met.IMG_6271

 

my sisters birth announcement

 

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my mom circa 1936IMG_6273 IMG_6274 IMG_6275

 

 

my grandfathers birth announcement (from Nicaragua) IMG_6278 IMG_6279

 

my grandfather at 25.. IMG_6280 IMG_6281

 

 

my great grandfathers funeral announcement. .. i’v eseen where he’s burried.. IMG_6282

 

a love letter from y grnadfather to my grandmother.   IMG_6287

 

ok.. my memories are overflowing.. time to integrate..

more tomorrow

nite all, nite sam

-me

 

Friday night – zombie apocolypse

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Just finished watching World War Z with diane an gabe… Nothing like a good zombie apocalypse move to get your day off of work…. Twisted bodies lurching through the halls, expressionless faces, slack jaws, searching for anything living to feed on….. And that was just my building Actually.. There really was something zombie like about the day..four more friends said they were leaving for other jobs… Pretty dark times…

Its no wonder i want to come home and turn on a movie…

As zombie movies go, this was a pretty good one.. Nothing can compare to Shaun of the Dead for me… But this one had all the right elements.. And not much gore. A perfect blend.. Ive gotten much more partial to zombie flicks since i did the reality show. If you been through one apocalypse, you gotta keep getting more. Ive even been interviewed on several zombie blogs.. And even made a zombie 'dream team' once

http://screenrant.com/the-walking-dead-celebrity-zombies-aco-86934/4/

Its also interestign to note that vermont often factors big in zombie movies.. Soemthign to be proud of there, i suppose

Im feeling a bit zombielike right now.. So im gonna crawl in bed.. More tomorrow..

Night all, Night sam

-me

 

 

 

Thursday night – help map the Phillipines for storm disaster relief

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Lots goign on in my life right now… my brain is truly swirling. I was procrastinating today to get my mind off things when I found an interesting albeit very indirect way to help the phillipines rebuild from the terrible typhoon strike they just had.

 

A group of us at work monitor a community called ‘Understanding Risk’. We’re interested in seeing how IT can’t help manage and mitigate RISK. This appeal came across that community today..   The basic idea is to help crowd source the maps of soem of the more remote rural areas to help get supplies  in there.   . Here’s the note we got.

 

Typhoon Yolanda has had a devastating impact on the Philippines. Thousands are feared dead and many more have been affected by one of the strongest storms on record. The work required to respond and recover from this event will be massive.
One way that you can help is by contributing to OpenStreetMap (OSM). OSM is a free and open map of the world that everyone can access and contribute to. Right now, hundreds of volunteers from all over the world are working together to digitize roads, buildings, and other features from satellite imagery made freely available by Microsoft and the US State Department’s Humanitarian Information Unit. With the coordination of our partners at the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, the geographic information they are creating is already being used by the Red Cross, the United Nations and other responding organizations working in the Philippines. There is more work to be done and the Understanding Risk Community is uniquely positioned to help.
To get started, you can:
– Visit the project coordination page for more information: http://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Typhoon_Haiyan
– Login to OSM Tasking Manager (OpenStreetMap account required) and click on a task to contribute:  http://tasks.hotosm.org/
-If you have any questions or want to learn more you can join the mailing list of the Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team: https://lists.openstreetmap.org/listinfo/hot
– If you are in DC and want to help the Philippines Typhoon response, contribute to @OpenStreetMap at @CrisisCamp this Saturday – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/crisiscamp-philippines-washington-dc-tickets-9289145083

 

It’s pretty easy to sign up. first go to http://www.openstreetmap.org

and sign up for an account.. you have to click on the email they send you to get started…    then go to the link above that lists the tasks that need doing http://tasks.hotosm.org/ , pic a task, then start editing,

You start by choosing an editor….. I picked ‘potlatch’, the second choice..

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They suggested an easier entry level editor called ‘ID’.. which you find on the ‘Edit’ menu… I took a short tutorial and was editing in 3 min ..

 

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I only did a little tonight.. but plan to do more during phone calls tomorrow..

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I know it’s not much.. but at least its something we can do to help get help there..

 

nite all nite sam

-me