State of the Union Address This Evening

Check out more pictures from the White House!

The White House is planning on taking President Obama's State of the Union address to a whole new level, even stating "You've Never Seen a State of the Union Address Like This Before."  Using a live stream to drive home points, you can view charts, quick stats, and more as the President is speaking to the Union.  Immediately following the speech there will be an interactive question and answer session about the speech happening live.  Viewers present and online will be able to get their questions answered, it is an enhanced viewing experience.  To find out more, visit The White House Blog.

The State of the Union address will be live at 8:00pm on Channels 3, 6, and 10.

Casarez Run Added to YouNewsTV

I've uploaded Saturday's called-back touchdown by Joe Casarez the the KIII YouNewsTV site. The video is titled "Extra Effort Touchdown." Click here to check out YouNewsTV.

UPDATE: I've reposted the video to the KIII-TV Local Sports section. Thanks to Bobcat Fan for the heads-up about posting it to the wrong station. I hope the folks up in Boston enjoy a little taste of South Texas football!

StormPulse Serves Up Detailed Hurricane Info

If you are tracking Hurricane Ike through the NOAA or other website, you may want to take a look at "StormPulse." The StormPulse site features a very nicely designed map with customizable overlays for viewing a hurricane's radar, historical track, forecast models, wind probabilities, and more. Click here to visit the StormPulse website. -- Thanks to Mavournee DuBose for providing information about the site.

Virtually Skidmore

The S-T ISD administrative offices as viewed in "street view" on Google Maps.

I was amazed to learn that our little town of Skidmore, like Austin, Boston, and San Francisco, has been mapped in "street view" by Google. Unfortunately, the mapping took place prior to the recent bond-funded improvements to the S-T ISD campus so much of the photography is already out of date. Click here to view the Town of Skidmore on Google Maps. Zoom in on the map and select "Street View" from the map option buttons in the upper right of the window.

Online Bookstore Lets You Browse by Cover Art

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One of the best things about visiting a bookstore or library is the ability to browse the aisles - spotting random books that spark your interest. You walk through the door looking for a book on gardening and walk out with the "The Barbecue Bible." Well, someone has taken this concept and applied it to an online bookstore with impressive results. Check out Zoomii.com.

Press 1 if You are Annoyed

Don't you hate navigating through the endless menu items in some mega-corporation's automated phone system only to find YOUR problem is not among those listed? Wouldn't you like to talk to a real human being? Don't you hate it when the automated system asks you to enter a bunch of information and, when you finally reach a real person, they ask for the information AGAIN! Wasn't the computer listening to you the first time?

The folks at GetHuman.com help you cut through all the automated garbage and speak to a "sentient being" at hundreds of companies through their list of direct-to-human numbers, tips, and tricks.

My personal method of defeating an automated answering system is simply to act like an idiot. When the computer asks for your zip code, answer "Cheese Sandwich." The computer will usually try a few more times with "I'm sorry, I didn't understand your reply." Keep feeding it nonsensical answers and it will finally give up and route you to an operator. Happy dialing!

Skidmore: A Bird's Eye View

With the Goggles Flight Simulator, you can fly over our hometown and try to spot familiar buildings, houses, and roads. Simply click link above, and click on START. (Do not change the "select a location" menu, the location will load through the URL.)

Control the plane with arrow keys, change the speed with 'A' and 'Z', and use the space bar to rain down plasma balls on the houses of those who annoy you.

Happy flying!

Never Pay for Another Paperback?

Avid readers may be interested in a new book trading website paperbackswap.com. Here's how it works as described on their website:

1. List at least 9 or more books in the system to become an active member and receive 3 free credits to get you started trading. List as many books as possible to be more successful in trading. 2. Browse our online list of books posted by club members, and use your credits to order books. 3. Selected books are delivered right to your mailbox, for free! 4. When other members order books that you’ve listed, you mail them from your mailbox and you pay the postage (usually $1.59). 5. You get one credit (good for one book) for every book you mail when it is received by the club member who requested it. 6. List as many books as you like. The more books you mail to other members, the more credits you'll receive.

Hot Website: Lifehacker

Practical tips for living in an online-offline world. Looking for hard to kill houseplants, computer tips, back to school advice, healthy living suggestions, etc.? Find it at: Lifehacker.com.