Tipping Point

I recently read the book "The Tipping Point" a book about how small factors can significantly change the course of events surrounding everything from fashion, to disease, to addiction.

It was a book that I thought about reading for some time (Came out in 2000) but had never gotten around to. Recently I found out that my work has a library, where you can check out real books. I called them up in Cleveland and asked if they had this one. They did own 2 copy's. As it turns out, both were lost :(

But much to my surprise, just over a week later a copy showed up on my desk at work. They had gone to the trouble of tracking down a copy at a Wisconsin public library and check it out for me through an inter library loan! Now that is service!

Well, it was a pretty short book, and very interesting. It makes some claims about the very small amount of influence that parents have on their children. I am taking that with a few grains of salt.

Still it is a pretty interesting collections of concepts, that has some application. The message does matter, but it is also as important how you communicate it, how memorable it is, and who the messenger's are.

My rating:

Worth the Read

Good discussion starter

Pick a Pop!

So you may not be able to tell in the picture but each of us is eating a different kind of frozen treat pop. Now I use such generic language, not as the food network does (to disguise the particular brand they have chosen) but instead due to the huge variety we from which we are eating.

None of the pictured frozen treats is truly a popsicle. Lilly has an Orange Cremesicle, Cara a Dark Chocolate Fudgesicle, Hannah a Milk Chocolate Fudgesicle, and Bill a White Chocolate Fudgesicle. What an aray of frosty treats!!! A testament to the modern appetite. Or maybe I should just get over it and grab myself an Icecream sandwich... but that is for another post!

mmmm frosty!

So what is your favorite frosty treat?

Fantabulous!!! (Easter Bread)

This year the Goodall family participated in a family tradition reaching back over the ages... well since I was a little kid anyway. Once a year we would have home made Easter Bread when I lived with my Grandma and Grandpa - it was really yummy and had a unique flavor and aroma due that is unmatched in my memory - accept for maybe Christmas Tree Cookies with the real silver sprinkles.

Well I heard a ton of chatter on facebook about making the bread this year, and my Aunt Char sent the seeds to my sister and I so that we could try to make some. You may or may not know it, but my wife is an excellent cook and baker, but before this weakened she had never made bread from scratch - dough yes, but actual bread no.

Well Cara stepped out in faith and it was Fantabulous!!!

Watch and enjoy... I only wish you could smell through this thing. Maybe after the iPod touch, they will come out with the iPod scratch and sniff ??!?!?

An Early Spring Bikeride

We had fun today sneaking in an Early Spring Bike Ride.

Last year Hannah learned how to ride without training wheels and remembered very quickly this year.  Lilly's first time she took to it like a fish in water. (It helps that she can finally reach the pedals now :)

Check it out.

Video of Lilly in action.

Bill

Unplanned Time Off

My work has implemented something called affectionately MULA, time off in which you get no MOOLA.    It stands for Mandatory Unpaid Leave of Absence.  It is basically a fancy word for a furlough.  I am fortunate that it is only one week long at this point, and that I still have a job :)

Already we have been blessed as some friends have offered to give us a meal, and we still have an active Zoo pass from my mom - so we get to enjoy this fabulous 50-60 degree temperature tomorrow up here in Minnesota.  (For reference it was sub zero last week. I am glad that I didn't get that week in March.)

I can say that God has always been faithful to us in every difficult time, and we are excited to see him training our hearts to lean on him in this too.  

I pray that I will find some rest and refreshment with the family in this unplanned Sabbath from work.

Lilly's Birthday Blizzard

This is a video that I created from a film that Hannah took of Lilly's actual birthday (her party was a few days earlier).  To celebrate her birthday she got a birthday blizzard with candles and all!!!

Enjoy.

Bill

Lilly at one Year Old

I just ran across this photo of Lilly at 1 year old. It is hard to believe that she is doing so much now. She could only scoot for so long. Now she is a dancing machine

"Search WIKI" User Rating when Loged into Google

Google apparantly launched a new "Search Wiki" feature when you are viewing seach results and are logged into your google account.

Just to the right of the search resutls there is an up Arrow, and an X.
The Arrow elevates the item in your search results.
The X removes the item from your search results.



There is also a () Thought balloon after the "Similar pages" link which allows the user to make comments. These comments are viable by other users who are logged into and record which google user made the comments.  This feature is referred to as SearchWiki in the popup baloon you get when you go to use the controlls.

Interesting.  I wonder how much influence this will have on Googles overall search algorythm over time...

A brave new world all over again.