The Edge of Empty

Ferrets are curious creatures that need a variety of toys and activities.    Our ferret loves to dig, and one of his favorite activities is digging in a plastic tub filled with rice.  We make sure it is not available at all times so that it remains a special treat. As much as he loves the rice, if given a choice, he would choose to dig in the dirt of my ficus or citrus tree.  He also loves to "tunnel" under the covers of our bed.  He is not normally a biter, but for some reason, he will bite any toes under sheets.  My theory is that since ferrets are tunnelers and are carnivorous, then he must have some instinct to eat what he finds while tunneling.  Maybe the toes are "earthworms" to him. When my kids were small, they also loved to play in their rice box.  Their rice was multi-colored though. We have added a few PVC pipes (we smoothed all rough edges with sandpaper).  Occasionally, we add some cardboard mailing tubes as well.

Sometimes we get so busy doing our jobs that we fail to take the time to learn more about the tools that we use everyday.  For alarm administrators, that tool is often CryWolf® or another similar program. Once I had discovered the Text Select tool, I began looking at other items on the tool bar.  In doing so, I found that clicking on the Binocular Button at the top right of a report (red arrow to the left) opens a search box.  This makes sense because the binocular button is officially called the Find Text tool.  To find what you are looking for, simply enter the word or number that you want to locate in the "Find What:" box (blue arrow below). If you want to limit the search, click on the search parameters boxes (green arrow below). Click the Search button (red arrow below) and the magic begins. In no time at all, the results of the search will be displayed in the results box (circled in black below).  Here, the sample shows that I searched for the date 5/2/2011.  The s

Today, we are starting a new feature here on The Edge of Empty called "Things that make you say Hmm!"  We will be discussing things that we encounter and don't know what they are or cause us to do a double take. Our subject today is another by-product of our trip to Philadelphia.  At one of our rest stops, we saw these strange looking contraptions in the truck parking area.  I am pretty sure that we were in Delaware at the time but the rest stop description on the I-95 Exit Guide website doesn't list anything particularly helpful for figuring out what the contraptions might have been.  (Did you know that there was a website devoted to rest stops on I-95?  Well there is, and there are sites for other highways as well.  Even better, they have apps in the App store and the Android Market.  Actually, there is a lot of helpful information on the website so check it out--after reading this post of course.  I will definitely be using the gas price link to plan our stops st

Two weeks ago, the Hubster completed a project that had been in the works for more than two years.  I must say that I would have given up on the project ages ago, but he persevered and his effort has finally paid off.  Here is a clue: June 2011 Do you have any guesses as to what that project might have been? No? Here is another clue: June 2011 Any guesses? After 20+ years of short military haircuts (which he kept even after retirement), he decided to grow his hair for Wigs for Kids .  When he announced his plan, I was surprised-this is a man who loves to get his haircut.  I can't even tell you how much we have spent over the years on his bi-weekly cut--the shorter the better.  See the skin showing in the photo above?  That is what the back of his head looked like for most of the 23 years that I knew him before this project. Now, I will concede that his hair does grow fast, but I don't think either of us knew how long it would take to get to the 12" required fo

Do you remember those old Apple ads where a nerdy PC interacted with a cool Mac?  If not,  go here for a YouTube refresher. For several years now, our house has been undergoing a transformation back to Apple from PC domination.   I started out using Apple computers way too long ago and have been pushing this transformation.  The first computer that I really remember using was the  Apple IIe .  I remember going to the Apple retailer with my dad to purchase it, and I can still see multicolor apple logo.  After the Hubster and I married, I would have to say that PC's entered our home due to the lower cost and ready availability. A few years ago, I started the move with a Mac mini.  Other MP3 players have been replaced by iPod Touches in all of our pockets except the Hubster who has an iPad.  When I went back to school, I purchased a MacBook Pro.  The transformation is nearly complete and I couldn't be happier. However, I'm not sure I fit the stereotypes of a Mac user found h