The History of Universe Set To Rhyme

Books, Science

universe-verseI’m a big fan of science.  I also love comic books.  So when I heard about James Lu Dunbar’s comic – The Universe Verse – I wanted to read it.  When I learned that it was a rhyming comic book, I definitely wanted to not only read it, but wanted to read it to my children.  I actually posted about the first two books of the Universe Verse three years ago.

Since then, James has released a third book in the series.  Bang! (Book One) covers the Big Bang, the formation of matter, and how stars and planets were made.  It’s Alive! (Book Two) handles the origins of life, Evolution, and DNA.  However, It’s Alive! only hinted at the scope of life that came to be.  James ‘ third book Great Apes! goes back to those single cell organisms and shows how they became more complex.  It takes us to the era of multicellular organisms, the end of the Dinosaurs, the rise of the mammals, primates, humans, language, and finally science.  If you think this quick summary tells the whole story, though, you are sadly mistaken.  Throughout the book, James takes complex subjects and makes them easy to understand.  He also makes it all rhyme which can be helpful when little kids hear words like photosynthesis, mitochondrion, or eukaryotic.

I would definitely recommend James’ work to any parent who loves science or any kid who loves science.  I know I’ll be reading this book to my kids (as well as re-reading it myself several times).  If you want to sample it, I’ve got some good news for you.  For the month of December (which, as of this writing still has nine more days left), you can download the eBook version for free.  Yes, you get all three books in PDF format for absolutely nothing.  These could easily be loaded onto a tablet or computer to read.  For a more offline version, though, you’ll probably want to buy the hardcover version which can be purchased at 20% off of the normal $24.95 price by using the coupon code "fanclub".  (NOTE: I’m not sure how long this coupon is good for so I recommend buying his book quickly.)  There are also bulk discounts if you want to buy three or more copies and distribute them to your friends and family.  It’s probably a little too late to buy them for Christmas or Chanukah, but there is never a bad time to give the gift of science!

NOTE: I received a free copy of James Lu Dunbar’s The Universe Verse in PDF form via the deal I mentioned above.  At no point was I required – or even asked – to review it, though.  All of the opinions expressed above are my own.

Chanukah Presents And Surprises

Holidays

surpriseChanukah is now a few days in, but the boys have already gotten many things they were hoping to get.

First, was a gift that they actually got a few months ago.  When Disney Infinity 2.0 came out, we bought it for our boys and gave it to them as an early Chanukah present.  NHL and JSL have been playing it ever since, building complex worlds and fighting many Disney and Marvel villains.

Next, was Robots vs. Dinosaurs.  This is part of a series of dice games – they already have Pirates vs. Ninjas.  Gameplay is simple, you roll your dice and those represent your troops.  You then battle other player’s forces, "killing" their dice (moving them to the side) and rerolling your dice where appropriate.  If all of your dice are killed, you are out.  Last player standing wins.  The fun part now is that we can play a four player game.  Pirates versus Ninjas versus Dinosaurs versus Robots.  Who will win?!!!

robots_vs_dinosaurs

Now if we just get Zombies vs. Wrestlers and Army vs. Aliens, we’ll have a complete set and can have a 8 way free for all!

JSL’s big present was actually quite large – a full sized keyboard.  He’s been begging for one for a year now and we finally caved… And let his grandparents buy it for him.  He’s now determined to learn how to play.

jsl_keyboard

Tonight’s present is going to be a big surprise.  Don’t tell the boys, but we’re taking them to see Disney On Ice.  We’ve gone to many Disney On Ice shows in the past and have enjoyed them all. This will be the first time that we’ll be surprising them with the trip on the same day.

What presents have you surprised your children with?

Positively Pixelated Perler Bead Pickle Weasels

Crafting

Sometimes, you just feel blue.  You feel like you have been faking it your whole life and someone will figure it out any day now.

This is called Impostor Syndrome and many people get it.  Sometimes, you just need some extra mojo to ward it off.

JC Little, aka The Animated Woman, has a creation that helps to add mojo whenever you need it: Pickle Weasel.  Our Twitter exchange reminded me of an idea I had once: Make a Pickle Weasel out of Perler Beads.

First, you begin with the body and legs.

pickle-body

Next, you add some ears, arms, and a tail.

pickle-arms-ears-tail

At this point, it is time to add some eyes and a nose.

pickle-eyes-nose

Next. some whiskers and a mouth.

pickle-whiskers-mouth

After adding some "pickle spots" and coloring in the ears and tail, Pickle Weasel is really starting to take shape.

pickle-color-spots

Finally, you color in Pickle Weasel.

pickle-colored-in

Um… Did I say "finally?" Pickle Weasel is done, but if we iron him like this, those spindly arms and legs will fall apart.  So we should add a clear background to keep Pickle Weasel in one piece. (He’s not a Pickle Weasel Puzzle, after all!)

pickle-background

A trip to the iron and Pickle Weasel is done and ready to spread mojo wherever he goes.

pickle-weasel-perler-beads

By the way, if you enjoy Pickle Weasel’s antics, JC has a new Pickle Weasel book out.  Check it out and see if you can guess what Pickle Weasel is up to now.

NOTE: I’ve added my © TechyDad watermark to the images above.  These are images taken by me of creations I made, but only the photos are under my copyright.  The "Pickle Weasel" character was created by JC and is thus owned by her.  I made this creation and am sharing photos of it with her permission.

Happy Birthday To My Wonderful Wife

B, Birthday

version2_chocolate_birthday_cakePlease join me in wishing Happy Birthday to B, aka TheAngelForever, aka my wonderful wife and mother of our children.  Yes, today is her birthday.  The celebrations will include an oven delivery and a possible event to attend for NHL (if the weather doesn’t get so bad that it is cancelled).   Seriously, she has bad luck with birthday scheduling.  It seems like something always hits right on her birthday.  One year, I’d love it if she could sleep late (not rush to get the kids ready for and then off to school), spend the day doing anything she wanted to do, and be able to go out to eat where ever she decided to go to.  We’ll celebrate her birthday another day, but it won’t be the same.

I’m so happy that B is in my life.  She’s a wonderful wife to me and a fantastic mother our kids.  She takes care of so much both around the house and in our lives.  She fights to ensure that our kids have a good education, makes sure all of our bills are paid on time (I *may* have missed a few due dates when I was in charge of them), steps in when NHL and I are butting heads, and not only puts up with the high level of geekery in our house, but even participates in it.  I couldn’t imagine life without her.

Happy Birthday, B!

NOTE: The "Chocolate Birthday Cake" image above is by version2 and is available from OpenClipArt.org.

The Game Data Facebook Conundrum

Games, Smartphone/Tablet Apps, Smartphones/Tablets, Social Media

Facebook_installBack in March, I wrote about moving from my old smartphone to a new one.  Well, thanks to B getting a new phone from Verizon Wireless, I’ve had to do it again. This time, however, things didn’t go as smoothly as the first time.

For the first move, games tended to fall into one of three categories. The first was games whose data I couldn’t move over but whose data I really didn’t care about. For example, I enjoy playing a backgammon game and the app keeps track of the games won and lost. I didn’t really mind having that counter reset.  The second category was games whose data I was able to move either by signing into an online account if by contacting the developer. The third category was games whose data I couldn’t move but which I realized I hadn’t played in a long time.

This time around, there was a fourth category as well. These were games that I cared about and could be moved – but only by logging into your Facebook account.

Problem: I didn’t have a Facebook account. Though I’m on social media, I’ve steadfastly refused to open a Facebook account. I refused when I saw that a lot of people that i knew were on Facebook. I refused when groups I would like to be a part of were only accessible as Facebook groups. I refused when my wife kept telling me it was a great way to keep in touch with family and friends.

Part of my refusal was due to time constraints. I don’t have a lot of time to spend on social media in general. I’d rather focus on one or two social media platforms than to spread myself across too many and not be able to keep up with any. In addition, Facebook has had a lot of piracy and usability issues. I didn’t want to subject myself to that.

Still, I *needed* to get those games transferred. What was I to do?

In the end, I gave in and opened a Facebook account to transfer my games over. Don’t expect my to Like your Facebook posts or add you as a friend, though. My profile remains almost completely bare – I didn’t even bother to add a profile image. The only purpose for this account was to assist me in moving my game data. Now that this is done, the account is only going to be used for saving game data.

What lengths have you needed to go to to keep your game progress?

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