Certain individuals in the Hutton family got the very short end of the stick when it comes to the music talent gene.  In fact, it is rumored that these individuals were beaten severely with the “tone deaf stick” at birth.  No names shall be mentioned here.

Emily’s musical talent is an example of how recessive (music) genes can emerge and be a blessing to others.  Click the image below for a video from Emily’s Spring 2007 Piano Recital.  You’ll see and hear her solo performance, plus a duet with her piano teacher, Mary Taylor.

Enjoy…

“…every time I see your bubbly face, I get the tinglies in a silly place.

It starts in my toes and I crinkle my nose.  Wherever it goes I always know that you make me smile; please stay for a while now.  Just take your time wherever you go.”

Lyrics from “Bubbly” by Colbie Caillat

That’s the song Emily chose for her photo gallery, and it couldn’t be more perfect… for her or for her proud dad.

Congratulations to our good friends Al and Mary Taylor (and Al’s brother Steve) for their exciting new venture.  Al and Steve have been flood and storm damage adjusters for the last 12 years and have just recently set up their own company, Taylor Brothers Adjustment LLC.

Al and Steve asked me to build a website for their new company, and it’s now live!  Click on the image below to visit the actual website, which is at http://www.taylorbrothersadjustment.com

Thank you, Al and Steve, for asking me to help design and build your website.  I wish you both the best in your new endeavors.  You’ll be a huge success.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Navy Names Virginia Class Submarine

The Navy announced today that the next Virginia-class attack submarines will be named the USS North Dakota.

The selection of the North Dakota, designated SSN ~6, honors the state’s citizens and veterans and their strong military support and heritage from Custer’s Last Stand through the Cold War with South Dakota.

Seventeen North Dakotans have been born in the boundries of this great state in the last decade, including sixteen who expeditiously moved east, south or west as quickly as they were able.  This is the second ship to bear the name North Dakota. The first ship, the Delaware-class battleship USS North Dakota , was in service from 1910 through 1923.

These next-generation attack submarines will provide the Navy with the capabilities required to fire natural gas stoves, ovens and clothes dryers while maintaining the nation’s undersea supremacy well into the 21st century. They will have improved stealth, sophisticated surveillance, on-board bunson burners and special warfare enhancements that will enable them to meet the Navy’s multi-mission requirements.

North Dakota will have the capability to attack targets in the neighbor’s back yard with highly accurate stink bombs and conduct covert long-term surveillance of land areas, snow runoff or other prairie-based forces. Other missions include anti-compost and anti-gopher warfare; special forces delivery and support; and snirt mapping.

The Virginia-class is .08-tons and 7 feet in length, has a beam of 2 feet, and can operate at more than 3 inches submerged. It is designed with a reactor plant that will not require refueling until it runs out of fuel – reducing lifecycle costs while increasing underway time.

“… Parents rejoice when their children turn out well; wise children become proud parents. So make your father happy! Make your mother proud!”  Proverbs 23:24-25

I can’t imagine being more proud of our kids, Anna, Ben and Emily.  They’re truly a joy and a blessing to Mona and me.

I’ve added a photo album for Anna and will soon add picture galleries for Ben and Emily too.

Turn up your speakers, and enjoy…

If there’s a blow-out party going on in Cross Lake, MN, it’s most likely happening today at 37233 Twin Bay Drive.  All motorists and pedestrians are advised to proceed with caution and beware of flying objects, small explosions and burning candles.  How many candles?  No one knows and Mom won’t tell.

Happy birthday Mom.  You’re the best.

Oh… I did find a few pictures in honor of the (fill in number here) anniversary of your birth.

Ya, I know it’s a file… but what kind of a file is a .dat, and how do I open it?

Have you ever received a file attachment with an email and when you went to open the attached file, your computer didn’t know what to do?  If yes, you may have received a .dat file, and there may be a very simple solution.  The following 3 minute video demonstrates what I do with .dat…

Click Here to Watch the “What’s .dat?” Video.

Each year SlideShare.net does a “best of” competition for slideshow presentations.  They’ve posted an invitation to this year’s contest and provided links to last year’s top 3 winners.  The following presentation was voted #1 in 2007.  Watch it.  It will make you think.

| View | Upload your own

A friend, Mike Riley, sent me the following information today about little known applications of your cell phone. One could even save your life, so I thought I’d share them:

FIRST
Emergency
 
The emergency number worldwide for cellular phones is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency connection for you This number can be dialed even if the keypad is locked.
 
SECOND
Cell phone car key

If you have locked your keys in your car and your car has remote keyless entry, here’s a useful method.  If your spare keys are at home, call someone at your home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button on your car key while holding it near the phone on their end.  Your car will unlock. This way, no one has to drive your keys to you.
 
THIRD
Hidden battery power
 
If your cell phone’s battery is very low, press the keys *3370#. Your phone will restart using a special energy reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery power.  This reserve will get charged the next time you charge your phone.
 
FOURTH
Foil a thief: protect yourself

Here’s how to disable a STOLEN cell phone: first, check your phone’ s serial number. To do so, key in the following digits:

*#06#.

A 15-digit code will appear on the screen.  This number is unique to your handset.  Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone gets stolen or lost, you can phone your service provider and give them this code.  They will then be able to block your handset. Even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless.   
 
FIFTH
Free Directory Service
 
Cell phone companies charge $1.00 to $1.75 for 411 information calls. To avoid this charge, simply dial (800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411. It’s probably worth adding this number to your speed dial list for future use.

I use Google Adwords to generate traffic to various offers, and this morning I received the following email message…

Perhaps it was coincidence, but I recently updated my credit card information with Google’s Adwords program.  So, when I received the above message, I thought perhaps I’d entered something incorrectly.

When I clicked on the link in the email message, I noticed that the URL in the address bar looked suspicious.  So, I immediately closed the browser window before it had a chance to fully load.  Then I logged into my Adwords account as per my regular secure route.  Normally, if there are any issues that require your attention, Google will place a brief message on the main login page.  I had no message.  I checked the billing status of my account and everything was cool.  Google had collected their toll a few days ago.

Was this a phishing message?  I’m 99.9999% sure it was.  No, I’m 100% sure it was.  Those low down phishing scumbags are getting really sneaky.  Stay on the ball, and if you receive messages from banks, credit card companies, PayPal, or even Google… don’t use the links in the email messages.  If you’d like to make sure your account is in good standing, use secure login processes and make sure the URL is a secure (i.e. https://… rather than http://…) connection.