Pyrite Age: Put a santa hat on the Chengdu Panda and 'gone fishing ' with wooden shoes

Loose ends:

The land was moving in the land of the pandas with the earthquake. Pandas, pyrite, vacation. Oh my.

Wow. The death count is at 10,000 now. But, the roads are bad. Getting a grip on the damages and loss of life is sure to take some time. I'm expecting a few eco issues to gush about as well.

By the way, my internet access might be less than normal in the days to come. I'm going to hang the 'gone fishing' sign and head to the land with the wooden shoes.

If you can, check out the middle school musical at Pittsburgh Frick, ISA (International Studies Academy). The school is in Oakland -- near Childrens Hospital and just across from the Pitt Towers. The play is at 7 pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Pay $3. at the door. The musical is called, "Gone With the Breeze." My son, Erik, has a part. Singing, dancing, acting about Hollywood and a casting call for a show that is bigger and better than "Gone With the Wind."

Hope the show goes well. We'll be missing it, sadly. Reviews most welcome. Photos too.

The UPMC sign on the Steel Building is still missing the "M". Is it crumpled on the sidewalk?

I spoke at tonight's school board meeting. Erik also presented a written statement, but he didn't go.

The line-up of speakers was strong for the preservation of Schenley High School in its current location. The asbestos problem is really just a lie.

After I spoke, the school board president let me know that he didn't agree with my positions.

On technology, I feel that the developed software should be put into the public domain with an open source license. The school board is moving to a new dashboard like system and that code base -- not the data from each student -- has no commercial value and could be released to the public. Other districts and other developers might give it a peek, offer improvements and it could be of greater value.

When the news reporter talked about the injured penguin last week, it took a moment to realize this 'news' wasn't about either a zoo nor from anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere. How's the guy who stopped the puck with his face? If the Pens clinch with two more wins there will NOT be a conflict with the weekend swim meet at the JCC on Sunday afternoon.

On the Expresso exercise bike today, Erik and I had another battle. We can both start a course and ride our bikes along virtual pathways, up and down hills, around turns, etc, and RACE. He won by a wheel length. Our times were identical. But, at the finish, he just passed me by. This was the 4th race and my first stage loss. I should not have shown him how to tighten the toe clips nor adjust the seat to an optimum level. He had his pulse up to 210. My max was 150ish.