The Portland White's

Not Attending MIX09

kelly — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 04:58:00 GMT

For the first time in four years I won't be attending the MIX conference in Las Vegas. I'm sad, sort of...

You see, for the first time in 25 years there will be opening rounds games of the NCAA Final Four tournament played in Oregon. It's been 34 years since a tournament game has been played in Portland. This year (2008-2009 season) the Oregon Ducks will be one of the a host schools for the first and second round, and games will be played at the Rose Garden arena (where the Trail Blazers play).

I have tickets, I bought eight of them last spring. Some of my family from Idaho will be coming out and staying with us. I sold two of the tickets to a friend who wasn't able to get any. I may have one more ticket for sale, maybe. It depends on whether I want to try taking Jasmine/Tyler to a session or not. I don't know if either of them could make it through 2 games. I've got to think this over and see how they do at some high school games this season. If you're interested in this other ticket, drop me an email and I'll keep you in mind.

I'm excited. I love college basketball. Back when I was in high school my family started a tradition of attending the opening round tournament games in Salt Lake City and Boise. Talk about a sweet family tradition. I can't wait to start taking my kids to these games. Jasmine's went to a Blazer's game last year and did really well. However, over the weekend I took the Tyler and Jasmine to see a high school football game (state tournament). Lake Oswego was playing, and just in case you are wondering, they are currently ranked 30th in the nation. Wow, they're a great team. We made it to halftime, but just barely.

So yeah, no MIX for me this year. Part of me is pretty bummed. Yeah, more like really bummed. I guess this means I'll be traveling to more code camps throughout the year. I'll be making a point to attend next year's Gamefest, as well. Still, who was the genius who scheduled MIX during the NCAA tournament? ARGH!!! Some may argue that the majority of MIX attendees would not have this conflict. Hah, I am one to disagree. I'll bet I can find some others...uh...maybe...

Jasmine's baptism, and then some...

carrie — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:45:00 GMT

I suppose I should have posted this like LAST WEEK, but my laptop's been missing. Heck, I still can't find it, but now that I found the charger cord, I can at least use Kelly's old laptop.

Jasmine was baptized on November 1st, one day after Halloween. Kelly's parents, allong with his two youngest siblings, drove all day Friday so they could be here on Saturday for the baptism. It went really well, and Jasmine knew exactly what to expect. She had practiced with Kelly a few times, and knew that she was supposed to "bend her knees" when she was immersed in the water. I put her hair in a twisty-French-braid-thingy so that it would be easy to mangage before/after the baptism (it's really quite long, and I wanted to make sure it would behave and not stick out of the water). She was beaming with excitement and happiness, anxious to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (small story about this in a minute) After the baptism, we presented her with her own set of scriptures. She also got a "Sacrament Meeting quiet bag" from another family in the ward, filled with little activities to do during Sacrament Meeting.

Later that evening, we left Kelly's little brother and sitster (ages 10 and 12) here with Jasmine, Tyler and Kaitlyn while us four adults went out to eat. It was also my first time seeing the inside of Kelly's work. (I never saw it before because he claimed that it was "nothing exciting" .... and after seeing it, I'd have to agree with him). It's hard to believe that his brother and sister are old enough to babysit (together). I remember when they were babies! Kaitlyn napped most of the time, and all of the kids behaved and had fun. It was nice to get out without them, and they had the bonus of extra-special babysitters.

They stayed with us until early Monday morning. Jasmine had a tough time when they left, since she knows it's going to be a while before we see them again. Sometimes, living far away from family is really difficult. I am really grateful that they made the effort to drive out here for Jasmine's baptism.

And here's the small story I was referring to earlier.... When Jasmine came home today, she immediately apologized for getting in trouble at school. Calmly, I asked her what happened. She had received a "yellow light" today for talking during reading. Every day, students receive either a green light (for good behavior), a yellow light (meaning they were warned after talking, misbehaving, etc...) or a red light (for repeat offenses.... accompanied by the ultimate punishment, a TRACKER). Occasionally, for exceptional behavior, a gold star will be given. All year, Jasmine has gotten green lights on EVERY day except for two, in which she received gold stars. Needless to say, she was heart-broken when she was given the yellow light... her perfect record had been tarnished. The reading class was actually out in the hall, and Jasmine was talking with another little girl when she shouldn't have. She and the other girl were told to go back into the classroom and move their name clips from green to yellow lights. When they walked into the classroom, the other girl wanted Jasmine to lie and walk back out with her without moving her name clip (hoping the teacher would forget about it) so they would just get green lights. Jasmine INSISTED on moving her name clip, even though it wasn't something she was happy about. Even though she got in trouble (and it was really just a warning), I am so proud of Jasmine for being honest. After telling her how proud I was, she told me that the Holy Ghost helped her make the right choice. What a sweetheart!

Tim O'Reilly endorses Barack Obama

kelly — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:26:00 GMT

Tim O'Reilly wrote a blog post today on why he's supporting Barack Obama. I've known Tim for years, though not personally, and not that well. I met Tim in Las Vegas at MIX06. That was fun. FYI, he's a little shorter than I expected, but don't tell him I said that. Tim's got a presence that is as big as Steve Ballmer and twice as big as Steve Jobs. Heh, some of you may be thinking that I'm not a fan of Steve Jobs. If that's true, then it is only because I don't know him.

Do yourself a favor and go read Tim's post on why he's supporting Barack. If you're a techie and during any time of your life you fought on the side of RMS, then Tim's post is required reading. (FYI, that was only during my freshman year in college, after that I became a pupil of ESR.) Yeah, bad joke, moving on... In the world of the internet there are red states (Adobe/Flash/Flex/Air) and there are blue states (Microsoft/IE/Silverlight/.NET). You can tell Tim is an independent because O'Reilly puts animals on their covers in black and white. Please read his entry on why he's supporting Barack Obama.

If you head on over to Lawrence Lessig's blog you'll see that he also supports Barack (watch Vote for Hope and Colin Powell's endorsement). Most of my readers (especially my family) may not know who Larry Lessig is. Larry argued Eldred v. Ashcroft back in 2002-2003. I remember being on pins and needles for months while waiting for the decision. Larry also founded the Creative Commons. I remember actively listening to Larry talk about code, patents, and free culture between 2000-2002. Even though I'm now a Microsoft fan-boy, I credit Larry for helping me refine my beliefs about fairness, about standing up, and about getting involved. I mentioned in a previous entry how the movie Lions for Lambs really reasonated within me. In no small part that is because of the spirit Larry's words helped nurture inside of me.

I will run for public office, perhaps here in Oregon, or perhaps back home in Idaho. I don't know when and I don't know what for (right now I'm too busy with a very promising startup), but I do know that it will eventually happen. I feel one part of me pulling the other part to become more involved, to answer the call, and to accept the responsibility. Why? Because I care. If I am blessed with the ability to care, then don't I also share in the responsibility to act?

Thank you Larry, and thank you Tim.

Seattle Code Camp v4

kelly — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:38:00 GMT

In case you haven't heard the news, the Seattle Code Camp will be happening in mid-November (11/15-11/16). The location will again be DigiPen's main campus in Redmond. I'm interested in attending, in carpooling, and in getting a cheap/free place to stay. If you have similar interests or connections, email me at kelly@whitepdx.com.

BTW, XNA Game Studio 3.0 gets released tomorrow. How cool is that?!

November PDXUX.Net Meeting

kelly — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 06:29:00 GMT

November PDXUX.Net Meeting: "Silverlight 2 Launch Party"

My political prowess...NOT.

carrie — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 23:18:00 GMT

I wrote the following entry on August 28th, but never posted it. I think (my not posting it) may have been due to my embarrassment of how little I know. I am, by no means, a political genius, or ANYWHERE near there.

I find Obama's background very admirable... being raised in a working class family without a lot of luxuries. His mother, and granpdarents, instilled in him the values of honesty, hard work, and getting an education (there were many others as well). Listening to the speeches the past few nights helped me see him as the human being he is, and as the president he can become.

One big theme that I saw/heard throughout everyone's speeches is that Obama is for change, while with McCane things would stay the same. Our economy right now isn't doing too hot.

I don't think it's any secret right now that the healthcare insurance industry is in trouble. I really like what Obama said in his speech tonight about how he plans on lowering healthcare premiums-- or, for those who don't have any insurance, to make it affordable. I am happy with my insurance, which the kids and I have been on for almost three years now. However, I was rather upset a few months ago when I learned that my policy premiums were going to jump $60/month, effective immediately. This would be an almost $100/month increase from two years before. Yuck. That extra $60 a month may not be cause for me to drop my insurance (though I'll still feel the pain from its pinch), but for many people it probably would be. As expensive as it is, though, it's only about half of what it would cost if we were to be insured through Kelly's employer with a comparable plan. I can see how going without Unfortunately, going without is a huge gamble that many lose.

The state of our economy is another big ugly thing.

Right now, I am trying to watch the 2nd presidential debate. "Trying" is the operative word. It's hard to watch and focus on the things being said when the kids are screaming and beating each other up. I do know that I like what Obama has said about health insurance, (lowering premiums and eliminating "pre-existing conditions" limitations to make sure EVERYONE can be insured ) and I don't like what McCain wants to do (tax employers' insurance coverage for the first time ever). There's more I want to say, but I need to un-muddle my mind and get a chance to watch this entire debate (UNINTERRUPTED) before I do. For now, I'm being pulled on by a very upset toddler who is intent on pushing the reset button on my laptop... I think it's time to go fix dinner.

Vote Tina Fey for 2008

kelly — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 15:28:00 GMT

I watched last night's debate, as I'm sure many of you did. Then I watched Chris Matthews discuss what people thought of it. At one time when the camera was pointing at Chris Matthews you could read a poster that someone behind him was holding up. The poster said "Tina Fey 2008". That was awesome.

A coworker showed me a Palin web site the other day (http://www.thanksbutnothanks.com/). I'm not impressed with this web site, as I think it is a little too harsh and personal. However, it was while visiting this web site that I found the following video from last week's Saturday Night Live. Yes, Sarah Palin is a breath of fresh air, those Obama/McCain skits were getting kinda old.

Movie Referrals for family members

kelly — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:23:00 GMT

There's a few movies I've watched over the past month that I wanted to remember to refer to my family back in Idaho. I'm chosen to list those movies here for two reasons. One, because I'll probably forget to mention it whenever the next time is that I get to talk to them, and two, because they'll probably forget them as well. We watched all these movies through Netflix.

The Forgotting, a Portrait of Alzheimers - My grandfather, Clem Thompson died of Alzheimers in November of 2006. He taught Chemistry at Ricks College. It was sad and heartbreaking to see this disease take ahold of him. It slowly consumed his mind and left a shell of a man. Anyone who has ever had a relative diagnosed with Alzheimers should watch this movie. IMHO, everyone should watch it because the statistics are they will have a family member be diagnosed with Alzheimers and will have to deal with this in a very personal level at some point. After watching this I started to wonder if shouldn't be changing my profession, or at least do what I do but instead in the field of research to help find a cure for Alzheimers. I'm still dealing with this question and haven't found an answer yet.
Outsourced - What a great show. You'll enjoy it. It's funny, and touching. We're all dealing with this issue in some form or another and this is a great way to start the dialogue in discussing it. But, you can just enjoy the show and don't have to discuss the issues associated with it. Again, it's funny, it's entertaining. We're all humans with the same joys and sadnesses, we come from different cultures, we look and sound different, but with have the same emotions and are more alike then we are different. If I was younger, I'd really enjoy a trip to India and working overseas. That's the anthropologist inside me talking. It's harder for me to do that know, but maybe someday.
Lions for Lambs - There are three types of people in this world. Two of the types will watch this film, one type will not. Of the two types who watch this film, the first type will enjoy it, perhaps recommend it to friends, and maybe even refer to it as edu-tainment. The last type will be the ones Robert Redford's character is addressing throughout the movie. This group finds themselves in a position to change their lives and to choose the course Redford's character is placing before them. This group is also made up of individuals who maybe aren't in a position to change their lives, but have the desire and determinition to do it anyways. The questions they are asking themselves is "where", and "what". They're not asking "why", though everyone else around them will. And they're not asking "when", because the answer to that question is already known. "How" is an implementation detail and will be answered after "where" and "what" have been crystalized. "How" doesn't affect the outcome of "where" and "what", but instead it is the outcome of those two questions. "How" is the question which distinguishes the two groups who watch the movie, from each other. If you've seen this movie, what group do you find yourself in? Because it's really a separate topic, I'll write later about what group I find myself in.

Reading Tea Leaves

kelly — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 15:54:00 GMT

Last year there was an episode of Red vs. Blue done to promote the Halo 3 Beta (watch the video). In it, Sarge tells the "lunatics" that if they don't quiet down he'll drop a "tear gas grenade" on them. Immediately one fanboy concludes that they'll be getting "tear gas grenades" and exclaims that he needs to go update his blog. It is in that same spirit that I write this blog entry.

Silverlight 2 RTW Date most likely before mid-November, 2008.

I'm not saying I've heard a guaranteed date or anything, but if you read through the comments in Scott Guthrie's and Tim Heuer's latest blogs posts on Silverlight 2 RC0, then you might draw the same conclusions as myself.

# re: Silverlight 2 Release Candidate Now Available

Friday, September 26, 2008 10:09 AM by ScottGu

Hi Ian,

>>>>>>>> Great to finally have a release candidate although I read a comment on Tim Heuers blog that you are 'still committing to shipping Silverlight this year' which is totally against the whole 'Late Summer', 'really soon' and 'which will be soon though' comments I keep reading on SL team blogs. It seems almost an unsubtle way of saying it could be December. The team I work with are currently developing an SL 2 Beta 2 app due to be delivered to our client in early to mid November. However there are bugs in Beta 2 that are a real issue for us so we are kind of desperate to go to the RCO - we are not asking for a release date but would you be able to say that we can safely go to the RCO version and by the time we deliver our client will have no problem in using the app?

You shouldn't have any problems shipping your application in mid November. Do let us know immediately, though, if you find bugs with the RC that are impacting your application so that we can investigate and fix them.

Thanks,

Scott

Obama on economy and canceling debate

kelly — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 03:51:00 GMT

Barack Obama held a press conference about our current financial crisis and the principles we need to uphold as Congress works to resolve it.

Meanwhile, John McCain has suspended his campaign and wants to postpone Friday's debate on national security.

Watch Barack Obama's press conference on the state of the economy and whether to cancel Friday's debate.

Like Obama said, the president needs to be able to focus on more than one thing at a time. Canceling the debate would be non-presidential. This country needs to hear what the candidates think and feel, and how they would react during this time of stress and crisis, if they were in charge. After the election someone will be president and will need to deal with the many issues that this country is facing. Imagine McCain telling the Taliban in Afghanistan to please not attack us while we are trying to end the war in Iraq. I sure as heck don't want a president who either can't multitask himself or doesn't have a staff that deal with multiple issues at once. I've been gearing up for the last two weeks for this Friday's debate, so naturally I became livid when I heard that McCain wanted to cancel it.

Of birthdays, broken cars, and ridin' on the potty train...

carrie — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 23:04:00 GMT

Yeah, really random stuff, I tell ya. First off, it is Kelly's birthday today. He's a whoppin' 32 years old. Happy birthday, sweetie! I love you, and I am very grateful for all you do for the family. I am very happy to be married to you, and I can't believe we've been married for over 9 years already. Time sure flies by when you're having fun!

Unfortunately, today had to be the day that Kelly took the Grand Prix in to get it serviced, only to find out that it would need nearly $2,000 worth of work done before too long. Brakes are out, power steering is out, some dumb belt needs replaced, etc..... This comes after we already spent close to $2,000 on it back in June. We won't be fixing it. At this point, it's just not worth it. Oh, and the transmission is giving us problems as well. That would be another $3,000 to fix down the road in the not-too-distant future. So, it looks like we'll be getting Kelly a bike, since buying another car right now is not really feasable. Ugh. I hate car problems. And had we known three months ago that we would be in this position, we may not have bothered to dump money into the car then... we could have used our stimulus check for something much more, um, fun. Double ugh. I REALLY hate car problems.

And last on my random list mentioned in the title.... Tyler is FINALLY potty training. We still have 2-4 accidents a day, but at least he's now willing to go pee pee in the potty. Whenever he has an accident, he'll take off his underwear, rinse them off in the sink, and dump them in a special garbage can reserved especially for pee-soaked clothes. I'm happy he can do that, but it will be so much better once he realizes that it would be much easier to not have accidents in the first place. And the poop? Well, we won't even talk about that one yet. Let's just say that there's a special Thomas and Friends lego set that he REALLY wants, and we will gladly fork out the $50 for it once he is fully and completely potty trained.

September PDXUX.Net Meeting

kelly — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:44:00 GMT

September PDXUX.Net Meeting: "Silverlight Deep Zooming"

Why choose Barack Obama

kelly — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 06:17:00 GMT

Have you been watching the Democratic National Convention? Did you watch Michelle Obama speak? How about Hilary Clinton? Bill Clinton? Joe Biden? Al Gore? Barack Obama? Did you watch the entire speeches or just catch the sound bites on the 10:00 news? Don't worry if you missed it, you can watch any and all of the speeches in HD at http://gallery.demconvention.com/. This is a high quality video, just like what NBC's Olympics site had. What I find interesting is their HD video content is being delivered via Silverlight. I find that very interesting.

If you've read my blog before you may know that I'm a registered Democrat. Early on in this election I supported Hillary. I was very disappointed and heart-broken as I watched her lead slip away. When it came time for Oregon to have its primary election I wasn't sure what to do. I was planning on voting for Hillary. On the Sunday before our primary, Barack Obama held a rally on the waterfront in downtown Portland. I didn't attend but watched it on television. I was impressed. I was amazed. I voted for Barack in the Oregon primary election.

I've been pretty quiet about my political beliefs when talking to family members. I grew up as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and my entire family is active members of the church scattered throughout Idaho and Arizona. Mormons traditionally vote Republican. Many of my family members were supporters of Mitt Romney. I feel now is the time for me to explain why I am voting for Barack Obama and why I think they should do the same. Good thing us Mormons are forgiving of each other, eh?

Over the last four days I've spent an average of 5 hours each day listening to and watching the Democratic National Convention. I'm planning on doing the same during the Republican Convention. I've made a decision to support Barack Obama and I need to be sure that I'm making the correct decision. By watching the Republican Convention I will either solidify and finalize that decision, or identify new questions that need to be answered before my decision can be finalized.

This election is important. Some may say that all elections are important, but this one is important to me. I'm not voting for a candidate, I'm voting for me. I'm voting because I want my voice to be counted and heard. In 2000 I was supporting Al Gore but didn't vote because I lived in Idaho where Gore had zero chance of winning. I will never make the mistake of not voting again.

In this election I believe only four issues matter:

Nuclear Energy - Our energy/oil crisis is the number one problem, and I firmly believe the only way we can fix this long term is with safe and efficient nuclear energy. Solar and wind power are great and help out a little bit, but we aren't going to be able to truly end our dependence on oil and solve the energy crisis we face without nuclear energy.
Housing Market - Currently I rent a home in Hillsboro, Oregon. I have younger siblings in both Arizona and Idaho who have purchased similar-sized homes (or larger) for half the price compare to the one I live in. I'm wondering if I'll ever be able to afford a home in Oregon, let alone one with a yard. The prices on homes throughout America have started to adjust back to normal, but not in Oregon. Jeff Merkely, how can you help me on this? Will you?
Economy - This is perhaps most voters' number one issue. I've moved it to three because I believe a large part of this can be solved by increasing the amount of nuclear energy we generate. Item number two is really a subset of this item, but is listed higher for personal reasons. There's a lot more to talk about here, but I assume most people already understand why this issue is so important.
Universal Health Care - I find it very frustating that ever since I've moved out to Oregon I haven't been able to afford having my family on a health plan provided by any of my employers. It's actually cheaper to have my wife and children have their own policy. How in the world does it cost more money to have them on my plan, versus having them get their own? Their premiums consistently go up, and their benefits go down. This is one area that frustrates me to no end. What about all the families who don't work in the tech industry like me and have a smaller income? Ever see the movie John Q? How about Sicko? This is the point where I seriously start to consider moving up to Vancouver, BC. I could easily work as a software developer up there. I also hear the fishing is great. But seriously, why should I have to move from America to get decent and affordable health care coverage for me and my family?

Now there are lots of other issues that matter and need to be solved, but for me those are lower priority than these four. I recommend listing to Barack Obama's speech from tonight. I also recommend listening to Bill Clinton's speech from last night. If you do that you'll understand why I am voting for Barack Obama, and you'll come to realize that you should vote for him as well. Seriously, don't take my word for it, listen to him.

Barack Obama is grounded in reality. He knows what its like to not have a lot of money, to live from paycheck to paycheck. He knows what its like to have to go to school on student loans and then be wondering how you'll pay them back when you can't even get a job that brings in enough money to pay your bills. Barack Obama realizes that 95% of Americans deserve and need tax breaks. He wants to do away with tax shelters and corporate loop holes, and instead give breaks to those who take the risks of starting up new businesses. He believes in the importance of nuclear energy and wants to see us using more of it. He understands the importance of health care for every American and has a plan to increase benefits, not take them away. He will stop the insurance companies from denying services to those who deserve it. He had a grandma who had cancer and had to argue on the phone with the insurance companies to get services covered.

I'm not sure how Barack will help me with my housing market problems here in Oregon. I first need to go through my local representatives and get these stupid land use policies changed. It will be tough, and I'm guessing I'll be stuck where I'm at until this startup which I work for takes off and makes billions. Yeah, I'd be ok with that kind of solution to my housing market problems. But until then....

We've got a three-day weekend coming up. I know most of you won't be working on Monday. If you didn't take the time to listen to Barack Obama speak, then I encourage you to make an effort to do that. But don't stop there. Take the time to tune into the Republican National Convention (ignore the javascript errors on their website). Pay attention to the speakers and what is said. Take an interest in this election. Make sure you're registered to vote. Encourage others to do the same. Above all, focus on the issues that matter most to you. Make a list and verify the candidate you're supporting is actually the better candidate and will accomplish what you feel is most important. Don't stand for negative campaigning, but do stand for what you believe in.

My husband is a brave man.

carrie — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 05:26:00 GMT

Well, it's either that or he's just plain silly. Or both. I'll let you decide.

Until recently, Kelly and I didn't have a dresser in our bedroom. Instead, we've been using some wire shelving in our walk-in closet as a place to store all of our clothing. This was a big pain since clothes were spilling out and piled everywhere. Finally, after some thorough hunting on the ever-lovely Craigslist, I was able to acquire a dresser for the nice sum total of $30. It's nothing fancy, but it's big enough for almost all of my clothes. While sorting through my clothes to put into the dresser, I immediately formed a "keep" pile and a "toss" pile. I found many articles of clothing that I wouldn't be caught DEAD in outside the house. They were either waaay to small, or, um, lacked a certain finesse. Like this lovely number, for instance:

Oh, it still fits me (and then some), and it's even kinda comfortable. But WHY on EARTH would I wear this shirt out in public, for all to see? I was gifted this beautimous item during my last employment (a Sprint PCS call center) while I was about 8 months pregnant with Tyler. I think I wore it to work a few times, but only because other people were also wearing their beautiful read Sprint shirts. I mean, it's okay to look like a dork while everyone else does, too. ANYway, as I sorted through my clothing, deciding what to keep and what to toss, I immediately chucked this shirt in the "toss" pile.

A few days later, Kelly was curious to see all the clothing I deemed as "unwearable". Some items he agreed with, some he did not. This shirt was an item he did not agree with me getting rid of. (Why?? I still don't know) So I struck a deal with him, thinking I was in the free and clear. I told him that if he would wear this shirt to work the next day, I would keep it. Easy as pie, right?? Well I thought so until I saw him putting it on the next morning. Sure enough, he wore it to work. Not only THAT, but he also went into a few stores that day as well. He got all sorts of comments from his co-workers, such as "that's a REALLY nice shirt" or "what's with the shirt?" (to which he only replied that he was earning brownie points). A lady at Winco even laughed after reading it.

Kelly is now officially MY certified customer satisfaction specialist. Needless to say, I still have the shirt.

Cell phone numbers DO NOT go public tomorrow

kelly — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 02:12:00 GMT

Have any of you ever received the following email (or one similar) from a friend?

Just a reminder that all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies tomorrow and you will start to receive sales calls. You will be charged for these calls.

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222. It is the National DO NOT CALL list. It will only take a minute of your time. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number.

Make sure to listen to the entire message after you have entered your number until the voice tells you that it is removed. I just did it and it was easy. You can also do this on-line at http://www.donotcall.gov/.

However, this is something you do not have to worry about. From the FTC website (emphasis added):

If you’ve received an e-mail telling you that your cell phone is about to be assaulted by telemarketing calls as a result of a new cell phone number database, rest assured that this is not the case. Telemarketing to cell phone numbers has always been illegal in most cases and will continue to be so. In response to recent e-mail campaigns urging consumers to place their cell phone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry, the Federal Trade Commission and Federal Communications Commission issue this advisory to give consumers the facts.

....

Here’s what you need to know about the National Do Not Call Registry program:

FCC regulations prohibit telemarketers from using automated dialers to call cell phone numbers. Automated dialers are standard in the industry, so most telemarketers are barred from calling consumers on their cell phones without their consent.
The federal government does not maintain a national cell phone registry. Personal cell phone users have always been able to add their numbers to the National Do Not Call Registry — the same Registry consumers use to register their land lines — either online at www.donotcall.gov or by calling toll-free 1-888-382-1222 from the telephone number they wish to register. Registrations become effective within 31 days of signing up and are active for five years. There is no cut-off date or deadline for registrations.

Yeah, it would be scary if telemarketers were allowed to call our cell phones. Fortunately the government has prevented that problem from ever occurring. And don't worry if you've been one who has rushed off to register your cell phone number with the Do Not Call Registry. You're in good company. I registered my cell phone number when I first moved out to Oregon, and then I did it again today.

We've got a new family member :)

carrie — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 03:14:00 GMT

... of the four-legged variety. I've been REALLY wanting a dog for the longest time, but no matter how much I want one, I just can't bring myself to plunk down the $400 for a pet depotit. So, I moved to the next animal on my wish list... a bunny. A kind lady had to sadly give him up due to allergies. His name is Bilbo, and he's an American fuzzy lop. His original name was Meatball, but that just didn't sit well with Kelly, so we renamed him. In the past, we've had a chinchilla named Smeagol and a guinea pig named Gandalph, and currently we have a frog (which Kelly caught in the back yard) named Gollum. Do you notice an underlying theme? He's a very frienedly little guy who likes to be snuggled. I finally found the blasted camera cord, so here is a picture of our cute little bunny. And yes, that is a "Lord of the Rings" blanket behind Bilbo. How fitting, though not intentional.

July PDXUX.Net Meeting

kelly — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:02:00 GMT

It's amazing how the summer heat takes so much out of everyone's time and energy. Join us tomorrow evening to hear Erik Mork talk about the new Silverlight 2 Beta 2 and see how you can get started enhancing your web applications with this new technology.

--Kelly

WHAT: July PDXUX.Net Meeting

WHEN: Tuesday 07/15/2008
6:30 p.m. Pizza
7:00 p.m. Presentation

WHERE: Robert Half Technology
KOIN Center (Map)
222 SW Columbia Street
Portland, OR 97201

WHO: Erik Mork
Erik Mork is a speaker, consultant and Silverlight enthusiast in the Portland area. He specializes in Smart Client/RIA application development with Silverlight, ASP.NET AJAX, and other technologies. He's focused on making the web V.Next, and his consulting company can be found at http://www.silverbaylabs.org/.

TOPIC: What's new in Silverlight 2 - Beta 2
What's the big deal with Silverlight 2? What's the story with the latest beta release? Is it ready for primetime? Erik tackles these questions by reviewing what Silverlight 2 is and where it's going. If you're new to Silverlight, this is an opportunity to understand it, and if you've already played with Silverlight, it's a chance to further learn about the platform. Applications will be presented for 1) fighting corporate greed and 2) mindhacking with Silverlight. Erik will have the mindhacking source code available for all attendees.

While you're at it, consider visiting our Premium Sponsors that make these meetings possible:

Robert Half Technology http://www.roberthalftechnology.com/

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Hi ho! Hi ho! To Idaho we go!

carrie — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 20:48:00 GMT

I'll be leaving with the kids to go pick up Kelly from work in about two hours. From there, we'll head on out. I am so excited to see everyone. It's been two years since we've been back, meaning that Katie Mae has never been to Idaho (except for when she was growing in my tummy ). It will be fun to see how much everything has changed. We'll be doing lots of driving, so the kids had better behave! I am really grateful we got that DVD player for the minivan. That should help. I still have tons of stuff to do before we leave, but I thought I'd better make one more appearance on the blogger radar before leaving.

PAXNAUG is FREE to attend

kelly — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 03:52:00 GMT

Someone on the PADNUG mailing list asked a question about whether there was a cost to attend the PAXNAUG June meeting which will be held this week. I typed up a quick reply which I thought I'd shared here as well. And seriously, if you're interested in sponsoring PAXNAUG or PDXUX.Net, feel free to contact me.

PAXNAUG is a free event, just like PADNUG and PDXUX.Net. You should definitely come, and please feel free to encourgage others.

If by some chance you feel guilty about showing up and partaking of the grub--some recruiters may feel this way--then please feel free to contact either George or myself about sponsoring PAXNAUG. :) Seriously.

This audience tends to be very technically competent, these are guys who would rather code than play Halo 3 (at least some of the time). And as far as the type of coding they do in their spare time, it isn't just basic web sites, either. These are junior-level architects who single-handedly manage multiple n-tiered applications for the Windows, Xbox 360, and Zune platforms. Well, "junior-level architects" might be stretching it a bit, but seriously, feel free to show up and find out for yourself who this group really is and what we're all about.

Regards,
Kelly White
(The junior-level nerd herder)

PAXNAUG June Meeting - Developing XNA Games for the Zune

kelly — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:38:00 GMT

Interested in developing games in XNA for your Xbox 360? What about developing games in XNA for your Zune? Ok, perhaps you don't have a Zune, but wouldn't you like to develop a game in XNA for my Zune?

PAXNAUG will be meeting this Wednesday and XNA MVP, George Clingerman will be presenting on just that, developing games with the XNA framework for the Zune. The meeting starts at 6:30, and you'll probably want to get there a little early.

If you think this sounds interesting but are not sure how it translates to your work skillset, then take a lesson from a page out of my life/book. With a current "top secret" Silverlight project I'm working on I found it better to opt out of the WPF pages model and instead use a screen manager like you'd find in XNA development. This approach wouldn't have even crossed my mind if I hadn't been exposed to it from XNA meetings, such as the one coming up this Wednesday. However, this approach is exactly what I need for the current application I'm building. Pretty cool, eh?

Besides, XNA is a breath of fresh air. It's nice to learn about development that is fun and actually released, rather that something that is not yet fully baked/adopted (e.g. Silverlight), or something that is what the boss would only approve of you learning (ASP.Net/SharePoint/LINQ/WPF). Don't get me wrong, these other topics are awesome and something that I thrive on, but sometimes you just need to unplug from the day-to-day technologies while you still keep sharpening that saw.

Here's a link via Upcoming. Hope to see you there!

Master Chief does Speak and Spell

kelly — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:02:00 GMT

Here's a blog post I never got around to writing from last year's GameFest. The title just cracks me up, and yes, I'm one of those that laughs hardest at his own jokes.

Kids + Xbox 360 + XNA Homebrew Games = Master Chief does Speak and Spell

Just one of the things announced at GameFest (from developermag.com). This is so going to be my next project, that is, if it would only pay the bills.

GAMEFEST: Landmark legal move allows consumers free use of Halo, Forza and Viva Piñata assets in homebrew works

After announcing the 2.0 version of XNA Game Studio during Gamefest's keynote, XNA general manager Chris Satchell also revealed that the company had made an "unprecedented" move to allow consumers direct, legal access to game content from a number of Microsoft-owned IPs.

Effectively immediately, Microsoft has granted consumers "a personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use and display Game Content and to create derivative works based upon Game Content, strictly for noncommercial and personal use".

The licence, similar to the Creative Commons agreement that some writers and artists use to give their works free and open copyright to the public, gives users access to any game published by Microsoft Game Studios (but not any third-party brands). Users don't get rights to share the games themselves, but can share creations that use game content.

....

More details can be found at Microsoft's official 'rule' list for the agreement.

NYTimes covers Earth Class Mail

kelly — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 18:32:00 GMT

There's a good article in the last week's NY Times about Earth Class Mail. It's a good article explaining who we are and what we do.

We also released another big feature this last week. Now when you sign up for your account at Earth Class Mail, you have the option to sign up for a prestigious street address in L.A., Manhattan, or San Francisco.

As a side note, I just signed up for my own personal Earth Class Mail account. Right now I'm finishing up the 1583 forms. I don't know if I'll have time to get them notarized this week. However, I'm really looking forward to the benefits of using this product.

Our new baby...

carrie — Fri, 30 May 2008 03:12:00 GMT

Last Wednesday, we bit the bullet and finally bought a minivan. We had been talking about it for years, and SERIOUSLY considering it for the past few weeks. Being a one car family has been tough, especially as the kids have gotten older and don't always want to be stuck at home. I also have them signed up for swimming lessons when school is out. That would have been a big ol' pain in the rear to take Kelly to work every morning in order to have the car. Plus, with gas at already over 4 bucks a gallon , taking Kelly to work whenever I need the car is kind of crazy. What kind did we get? We ended up with a 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan. Yes, that is correct... 2008. It had a whole whoppin 26 miles on it when Kelly drove it off the lot. (Rebates and holiday weekend specials are GREAT) It may not be souped up with extra features, but it's just what we need, right down to the stain-resistant seats. Oh, and it has the Stow-n-Go seating on the 2nd and 3rd rows, something that I HAD to have.

Hello

kelly — Wed, 28 May 2008 06:44:00 GMT

Yes, I'm still here. Things have been busy. PDXUX.Net meet last week. Earth Class Mail keeps me busy (and happy). I'm finally getting back into some Silverlight dev projects at home. I've been digging into Amazon's S3 API, and Basecamp's API. It's amazing that I'm just now digging into those, and that they've been out for so long. I should have some nice apps I can be releasing (or at least talking more about) here in the next month or so. Jasmine is doing softball, so that keeps me really busy with games and practicing. I took Tyler and Jasmine out to the golf course again to hit range balls, and everytime I do that it is painful, but someday they'll thank me. XNA projects have fallen behind, not sure if I want to try and attend Gamefest 2008 this year, I just don't know if I have the time. I'll try, though. Can't attend the PAXNAUG meeting tomorrow night though, got a softball game for Jasmine. I really need to do a better job promoting them. Been playing around with Lego Mindstorms, Tyler loves that. He comes in the office and points to the desktop icon and tells me he wants me to start a new robot. That's fun, but I keep putting him off cause we're doing other stuff instead. Forgot Carrie's birthday, forgot Mother's Day, forgot Dad's birthday. Since MIX I've been going non-stop, wow, I need to unplug. Actually that's what I've done, if you can't tell. Now it's time to get back into the fight. It's been a good break. I think I ready to start rocking and rolling.

I'll tidy up this post later, add some links and formatting. Right now I just wanted to say hi.

Me + clutziness = cracked nose

carrie — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 22:24:00 GMT

I am a clutz. I'll be the first to admit it. Well, maybe Kelly will, but that's beside the point. My "lack of grace" comes and goes, and it came full force on Sunday evening. UGH.

Our church starts at 1:30. We decided to start a project beforehand since we didn't get to it the day before. The prtoject: modify the kids' bunkbed to make it safer, sturdier, and take up less room. It was currently stacked in the "L" shape, with the top bunk set on leg suspensions that Kelly had built out of 2x4's. We got rid of those, and cut the 2x4's down to smaller extensions that we could use while stacking the bunkbeds one on top of the other, the way bunkbeds are "supposed" to be stacked. This made the top bunk lower, easier to get on, and just all around better. (Without the extensions, there's not enough room to sit up on the bottom bunk with the extra thick mattresses.) Well, later on that day, after church and after our hometeachers had come and gone, I brought down all the extra wood that was clogging up the upstairs hallway. Here's where my mistake started. First of all, instead of taking them all out to the garage right then like I should have, I just leaned them against the wall. When I finally DID take them out to the garage, I somehow missed the bigest beam.

Later on, as I was coming down the stairs, I noticed it, and thought to myself "I need to get that out to the garage now." I took the last step down, and the next thing I know, I was on the floor and in a LOT of pain. Aparently, when I took that last step, I turned my right ankle, spraining it. Naturally, this made me fall to the floor rather quickly. I have sprained my ankles so many times. I have weak ankles. Usually it's painful, but not that big of a deal. This time, however, my face made contact with that very 2x4 that I hadn't yet taken out to the garage. Okay, it didn't just "make contact" with it, it SMASHED into it. I was conscious through the whole thing, but seeing stars. There was lots of blood. I've never had a bloody nose bleed that bad. Kelly kept asking if I wanted to go to the ER, but I wanted to wait it out.

Fast forward to Wedesday night. My nose was still in quite a bit of pain, and I had a headache that wouldn't go away (had it for three days). I finally decided (mainly due to Kelly's insisting) that it would be a good idea to go to the ER. I got there shortly after 9:00, and by 2:30 a.m. I was on my way back home. I got some facial x-rays and a tetanus shot. Oh, fun. And it turns out that I DID fracture my nose, but it's not misaligned, so it'll heal just fine on it's own. Meanwhile, it still hurts. For that, I got a prescription for some Vicodin. I took one last night, and let me just say now that nighttime is the ONLY time that I will be taking that stuff. POTENT!

Right now, Jasmine has a friend over who is in her class at school, as well as in our ward. I really do need to arrange playdates for her more often, because it sounds like she's having a lot of fun. And Katie Mae has a poopy diaper, so I get to go and have lots of fun now, too. (NOT!)