Random

...It seems to me that perhaps President Ford would have felt more honored if instead of taking yet another day off and shutting everything down, we all got together and decided that for once we'd actually put in a full day's work.

...Our FedEx package with all the paperwork for the sale of our house, which we sent on the 27th Guam time (the 26th California time), but which has taken the scenic route around the globe, has now (January 3rd in Guam -- the 2nd California time) "arrived at FedEx destination." It's possible that might mean it has been delivered. I'm not sure.

...Asians applying for academic programs in the US are panicking. The Internet crisis, expected to last another two weeks, comes right at deadline time. I wouldn't be surprised if US schools figured out a way to accommodate the applicants.

...A little more detail about the interface for the One Lap Top Per Child computers.

...From the Chicago Tribune: "A flying saucerlike object hovered low over O'Hare International Airport for several minutes before bolting through thick clouds with such intense energy that it left an eerie hole in overcast skies, said some United Airlines employees who observed the phenomenon."

I figure it left because they got tired of waiting in a holding pattern. Alien pilots aren't as patient as human pilots who are used to delays.

...Weird stuff with Amazon's shifting prices.

...My random thought for the day: There is nothing more toxic than a piety which grows out of a sense of obligation or a desire to impress. But there is nothing more winning and powerful than a piety which grows out of a grateful heart.