Interactive white board with Nintendo Wii remote

     Interactive white boards can run about $2000.00. You can use the Nintendo Wii Remote to create one for about 85$. One Nintendo remote is about $40.00, software can be free to $25.00, an infra-red pen is $10.00 and the Bluetooth Dongle is $10.00.

     I have a Windows 7 64 bit PC without blue tooth capability.

     The most difficult part of this project was getting the Nintendo wiimote to connect to the PC.

     I ordered a bluetooth dongle from wiiteachers.com.  The dongle came with software. DON'T USE THE SOFTWARE THAT COMES WITH THE DONGLE. Only use the bluetooth software included with Microsoft. Do not download this software either -> http://bluetoothinstaller.com/. There is a known bug in this software for the 64 bit software that does not allow you to open the Device and Printers window from the Control Panel after installing it. I had to go back to a previous restore point to get my computer back to a clean point so I could get the wiimote to work correctly.

     Put the bluetooth dongle in a USB port and wait for windows to install the device driver.  Check to see if the USB "radio" device is in the  "Devices and Printers" window.


     To connect the wiimote: Click on the START button, then Devices and Printers. Click on "Add a Device" at the top of the screen. Hold down the 1 & 2 buttons near the bluetooth dongle while the system is searching for the device.  When the device shows up in the window, click on it and select next from the bottom of the window. Choose the option "No Code" at the bottom of the next screen. Close the window and check the device manager. Your new wiimote should now show up in the "Devices and Printers" window.

     I have not been able to make the new Wiimote with MotionPlus Inside connect to the computer correctly. The only wiimote I have been able to connect was the older basic version. Most stores don't carry the older versions of the Wii remote. I would recommend buying a new model and trading a neighborhood kid who has the older version that you need.

     After the wiimote is connected the software will walk you through the set up of the whiteboard. You will need a projector to finish the calibration and set-up.  I used SmoothBoard 2 for software, mostly because there is not much else out there. The free version on http://johnnylee.net/projects/wii/ only seems to work with 32 bit machines. Or I just haven't been able to figure out how to download and install it,  which may be the case.

     Here is a good website describing the Windows XP version of setting up the system. http://mkeadle.org/wiiboard/ This also has a good list of parts needed to create your own InfraRed pen if you don't want to buy one.

Who are You OWS and how are we going to get rid of you?

The Daily Show’s video of the class divisions at Occupy Wall Street was delectable. See it here http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/occupy-wall-street-jon-stewart-zuccotti-park-263116.

An open, horizontal, leaderless process soon divided into a ghetto and an upper class enclave.

The rich kids were feeling guilty because of their un-earned success, while the poor kids were feeling betrayed by the American Dream.

The rich kids are mimicking their Grandmas and Grandpas who Occupied Woodstock and Kent State. Our condescending occupiers don’t understand why they have everything while others have nothing. I find it a hopeful sign because it’s not about entitlement; it’s embarrassment about entitlement. They still understand the American Ethos is about working hard to earn success and they are an aberration from it. Their teachers, even if they didn’t mean to, somehow inculcated the definitive American value by decrying the failures of the American system.

The ghetto dwellers are the kids who have worked hard and are failing to gain traction economically. Feeling betrayed by their teachers because they are working hard and yet nothing that should happen is happening, they rebel against the current injustices.

I’m hopeful because eventually Life will happen to both of these groups. The condescending ones will be slapped around by life like everyone is slapped around by life. They are, like all young people, sure that their life will go on in the same trajectory as it is right now. But it won’t. Life catches up with everyone eventually. They will have to struggle, they just don’t know it yet.

The ghetto dwellers need to keep working, eventually life will catch up with them too. The secret to gaining traction in the US economy is to get a job and save more than you spend.

Apart from all the trappings of hippie, anti-establishment rhetoric, the ghetto dwellers, condescending occupiers, and the Tea Party all have the same basic values … working hard should mean something and if someone fails there should be consequences. Because they are young, they have not experienced the great equalizer: the wheel of time. In the US, there is high mobility between low and high economic classes over time. Unfortunately for the occupiers some of them may have done the one thing to prevent them from moving upward by getting a criminal record.

I am sure that just like their Grandmas and Grandpas of the worst generation they will all eventually settle down, get married and work out their own compromise with the American Ethos.

Why my new hobby is looking at myself in the mirror naked

 Review of "20 Second Fitness" 

Update: February 7th. Just finished my 3rd tour of the 4 week program and I am starting to do all the harder exercises . I hate, burpees with push-ups! 

Update: December 21st. Somehow it took me 6.5 weeks to complete a 4 week program. I think that has a lot to do with Thanksgiving. The biggest disappointment for me has been the weight gain. I look a lot better and I have great muscle definition but the fat seems to be accumulating on my now bigger tummy muscles which only makes it look that much bigger. I think my appetite has been increasing for fatty and high calorie foods. The holidays are never a good time for me to lose weight. I just have to get back on my calorie count program.

On a very positive note, I ran a 5K on Thanksgiving and it was no problem at all. I had a lot of energy all the way to the end and wasn't even breathing hard. I stopped running in early September when I started the 20 second fitness plan, so I thought that was awesome. On the other hand, I tried to run this Sunday and my left knee was killing me. I couldn't even run a mile.

Summary - Thumbs up! Great work-out, inexpensive program, short workouts make procrastination harder.

     I am now finished with the 2 warm-up weeks and the 4 regular work-out weeks. I can see amazing changes in my muscle definition, especially my abs. Then, there are tiny changes that can't be documented like losing weight around my ankles. I don't mind seeing myself in the bathroom mirror anymore.
    
      About two years ago I decided to get control over my weight and health. I lost a bunch of weight over 1 year by severely restricting calories, but I still wasn't in shape, so I started running using the Couch to 5K program in April 2011. That helped, I felt better and had more energy, but I stalled out at 125 lbs and 3 miles of running distance. It didn't seem to matter how little I ate or how much I ran, I wasn't making progress.

     In September, 2011, I was at a Women's Expo in Orem, Utah and met Spencer. He was selling his 20-second Fitness Program. I was very skeptical at first but after 3 days of talking to him and the other people at the booth who had tried the program, I decided to give it a try. He convinced me because of the real life, before and after pictures of him, his wife, and other people who had gone through the program. They didn't seem like fitness freaks and, in fact, Spencer described one of them as lazy.  He also said you only had to work out for 12 minutes per day - MAX, 6 days per week. That sounded great because I was really getting tired of 40 minute runs that didn't seem to be getting me anywhere.

     I have not lost weight. I actually gained weight while losing 2.5 inches around my waist. I am hoping the weight gain was muscle mass which will shortly start turning into real fat loss.

     I will keep going because I love the way I look and want to stay fit for my kids.There really is no excuse when the workouts are so short.

	September 12th 2011	November 7th, 2011	December 21st, 2011	February 7th, 2012
Weight	125 lbs	127 lbs	130 lbs	128 lbs
Bicep	11 in	11.5 in	11 in	11 in
Hips	36 in.	38 in.	38 in.	38.5 in.
Chest	34 in.	34.5 in.	35.5 in.	35.5 in.
Thighs	18 in.	19.5 in.	20 in.	20 in.
Waist	34.5 in.	32 in.	32 in.	32 in.
Calf	13 in.	13.5 in.	13 in.	13.5 in.

See the program at http://www.facebook.com/20second and http://20secondfitness.com/ . It only cost $100 which included the stretch cords, mat, videos, and jump rope.

Spicy Meatballs

I just made the best meatballs evah. They were spicy at the finish but not too spicy, browned on the outside but soft in the middle. Nom, nom.

Ingredients
1.4 lbs ground pork
1.4 lbs ground turkey
1.4 lbs ground beef

3 eggs
1.5 cups of Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup of Shredded Parmesan Cheese
2/3 package of bacon ( 1 lb package)

Spices (dried)
4 1/2 teas basil
4 1/2 teas parsley
3 teas garlic powder
3 teas kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
Mix, by hand, all ingredients together in a bowl. They don't have to be completely mixed together, just roughly mixed. (You don't want it to look like batter. It should look like Chex Mix).

Turn pan on medium/low
Cook meatballs until slightly browned (about 5 minutes) turn occasionally to brown all sides - DO NOT COOK ALL THE WAY THROUGH
Transfer to baking sheet
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

Gravy

Basic Gravy

1/4 cup of turkey pieces
1/2 cup of white onion slices
1/2 cup of celery, cut up
include the young leaves of the entire stalk of celery

Saute the above until they are browned - takes about 20 minutes. There should be burnt spots.
After the vegetables are very brown and cooked, add 1 and 1/2 cup of vermouth to deglaze the pan.

Cook the vegetables and vermouth for 10 minutes.
Drain the vegetables and meat from the juices into a sauce pan
Add the meat back to the sauce pan.
Add 2 cans of chicken stock.
Add liquid smoke, about 1 - 2 teaspoons
Add salt and freshly ground pepper
Cook down by about half
Remove meat pieces

Mix the following together in a separate mixing bowl until the flour is well dissolved.
1/3 cup of flour
2/3 cup of chicken stock

Use a wire wisk to briskly wisk flour mixture into the sauce. Adjust seasoning.

Keep warm until dinner is ready.

Mushroom Yam Stew

My son's (10 yrs old) comments. "Wow, I like this stew. It's really good. I want more. I would much rather have this than a sandwich."  This is a rich, fall soup that is unusual and very tasty.

Mushroom-Yam Stew

Ingredients:
1 lb. button mushrooms, sliced
2 yams, sliced into quarters and then into thin slices
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can chicken broth
5 tomatoes, quartered and sliced
2 cans of green bean juice - do not add the beans
1 tsp of basil herb blend. The kind in the tube that has already been ground up.
16 oz. - Polska Kielbasa - sliced (you could try bacon or some other rich meat)
Butter - 3 teaspoons for saute, 2 tablespoons for the pot
Salt and pepper to taste.

Directions
Put 3 teaspoons of butter in a large soup pot and saute the mushrooms until browned. Add garlic to the pot and let cook until savory. Add yams, sliced tomatoes, chicken broth, green bean juice, basil and sausage slices. Add butter to the pot to flavor if you want more richness. Let simmer until yams are soft and flavors blend. Salt and pepper to taste.

High School Reunion Blues

The beautiful girl in the first row, center of this photo was killed in her early 20's when a drunk in a speedboat nearly cut her in half. Their boats collided and, as the drunk's boat climbed on top of the one she was riding in, the propellors cut through her vital organs. She died instantly. She was a dancer at the Columbus ballet.