Some Blog Site

There is now a German accent option on Accenterator. Go try it out. It’s not as fun as the Australian accent generator because the vowels aren’t as dramatic, but it’s pretty good if you get the right collection of consonants in there.

If you need suggestions, here are some phrases to enter in the translator box:

• Slow and steady wins the race.
• What are you thinking about?
• The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

In case you missed the link, go to Accenterator.com and click the German button.

Subtitle: in which I improve the government’s records

Allow me to introduce to you the 2015 SFS List of Baby Names that Combine Similar Pronunciations. That baby name list is the place to go in case you are wondering what are the most popular baby names in 2015 regardless of how they are spelled. The Social Security baby name list does not adjust the rankings based on alternate spellings (like Catherine/Katherine), but SFS does.

It was just Mother’s Day, so the SSA released the name rankings for 2015. Last year’s new champion, Jackson is again the most popular boy’s name in the US. And it is widening the gap over Aiden – Jackson’s count is going up and Aiden’s count is going down. Not looking good for the former champ. No controversy for the girls – it’s Sophia again. Her numbers are going down, but all the top girls’ numbers are going down so that doesn’t mean much.

Some Stats

• There was not a lot of change at the top for the boys. The top 10 names are the same, and in the same order except William and Jayden swapped spots at 7 and 8.
• The top 8 names for the girls are the same as 2014, it’s just Mia and Emily swapped spots.
• Noah is once again the highest-ranked boy’s name that has no spelling variations, at number 3.
• Abigail is the highest-ranked girl’s name that has no spelling variations, at number 10.
• Girl names still have more spelling variations than boy names (295/1000 vs. 203/1000 alternates)
• Aiden still has the most spelling variations for the boys, but it dropped from 9 to 8. Aidyn is the one that dropped off the list.
• For the girls, Adalynn leapfrogged the other names to claim the title of most variations – now at 7.
• Sophia is still the runaway favorite for the girls, but the gap is closing. Sophia is on the decline

2015 Improved Baby Name List

Click on the link above and peruse to your heart’s content!

My wife did not like our closet doors (they were large, heavy, and obtrusive), so we went to IKEA to procure an alternative method of hiding the contents of our closet.

Behold, the Kvartal:

I’m not going to go into details explaining IKEA’s closet curtain system and how it works, and I’m not going to give step-by-step instructions on how to install them. It was obvious enough from the instructions they provided.

What I am going to do is offer up my collection of Allen wrenches to the highest bidder.

For the Kvartal, you buy all the pieces individually. That lets you customize it to what you want. So we bought some rails, a few hanger thingies, and a few panels of fabric to go in the hangers. Oh, and the brackets for mounting the rails.

The downside with the modular approach is that, since they don’t know if you’re buying one piece or ten, they provide a little Allen wrench with each piece. It’s the same wrench, but I didn’t need 14 of them to install one closet system.

For those who are keeping track: yes, there are only 13 in this photo. I lost one somewhere.

Sometimes, when I am assembling something, or fixing something, there will be a pile of spare parts left. In this case, I had a pile of spare tools.

Subtitle: in which I improve the government’s records

Allow me to introduce to you the 2014 SFS List of Baby Names that Combine Similar Pronunciations. That baby name list is the place to go in case you are wondering what are the most popular baby names in 2014 regardless of how they are spelled. The Social Security baby name list does not adjust the rankings based on alternate spellings (like Catherine/Katherine), but SFS does.

It was just Mother’s Day, so the SSA released the name rankings for 2014. Coming out of nowhere, Jackson is the most popular boy’s name in the US. The reigning champion for the last 8 years, Aiden, has been defeated. No controversy for the girls – it’s Sophia again.

Some Stats

• There was a lot of change at the top for the boys. Not only did the top name change, but 2 names left the top 5 and were replaced with different names.
• The top 9 names for the girls are the same as 2013, it’s just Emma and Olivia swapped spots
• Noah is once again the highest-ranked boy’s name that has no spelling variations.
• Girl names still have more spelling variations than boy names (291/1000 vs. 207/1000 alternates)
• The boys still have the name with the highest number of alternate spellings (Aiden with 9 vs. Madelyn/Liliana/Layla/Kaitlyn with 6 each)
• Sophia is still the runaway favorite for the girls, but the gap is closing. Sophia is on the decline

2014 Improved Baby Name List

Click on the link above and peruse to your heart’s content!

Inspired by Pinterest, my wife came up with some ideas for our yard. Here is the one I accomplished.

First step: acquire old tires.

This was an easy step. On my morning run I had seen four tires, abandoned on the side of the road. So I took the old minivan and picked them up. Then I went to the hardware store and got some lumber (some of that lumber is for a different project).

It’s nice having an old minivan into which I can throw muddy tires without worrying about messing anything up.
(more…)

No, I haven’t drawn up any kitchen plans. There are too many variables and we don’t have a house to remodel so I don’t know the dimensions of the room.

But here are some things that I would like in a new kitchen:

• A pot filler. This is a spigot at the stove. Rather than lug a pot – heavy with water – from the sink to the stovetop, this feature lets you fill the pot while it’s on the burner. The fancier pot-fillers extend in order to reach all the burners, then retract or fold out of the way when not needed.
• A rinsing sink. In other words, separate sinks for dishes and food. The normal sink is the dishes sink. It can stay near the dishwasher. But near the food-prep area, a smaller sink can be used for rinsing food, filling pitchers, and other things that are hard to do when your only sink is piled high with dirty dishes.
• A double oven. This is on my wife’s wish list. More ovens = more options.
• A convection oven. One of the double ovens is to be a convection oven. With the capability to be used in normal-oven mode if desired.
• An induction range. See this chart as to why.

                           | Gas  | Electric | Induction |
  -------------------------+------+----------+-----------+
  Fast operation           | Yes  |  No      |  Yes      |
  Safe Surface		 | No   |  No      |  Yes      |
  Safe Exhaust		 | No   |  Yes     |  Yes      |
  Work during power outage | Yes  |  No      |  No       |
  

  So the best stovetop type is induction. The only category it failed was that you can’t cook on it during a power outage. But that’s what the firepit on the patio is for.

• Appliance garages. The problem with larger small appliances is that they are cumbersome to move. A large mixer, for example. Or popcorn maker. Or crock pot. I want the back of one countertop not to be the wall, but doors. Open a door, slide the appliance out on its own roller tray, use it, clean it, slide it back in. No wondering where to set it up. No struggle to fit it back on its shelf. Just simple.
• Herb garden. Indoors. That’s a big deal for the Midwest, where the cold kills a lot of things. It’s like houseplants, but useful.

Say the following phrase out loud in your normal voice:

Nuythah weend noh snaow noh dahk of noight.

If someone overheard you, did they guess what accent you were trying to imitate?

No?

They just laughed?

Oh well. Thanks for playing along.

In case you have a need to sound Australian (going to interview at a certain restaurant chain?) or just want to waste a few minutes, go try to speak with an Australian accent.

The site works like the game Mad Gab, for those who are familiar with that. If you’re not familiar with it, just type in a phrase, click the button, and read the result without thinking about it.

Just read it.

Out loud.

In your normal voice.

If you can’t think of a phrase, try entering some of these into the generator:

• I ate at the steakhouse.
• Don't yell near the crocodile.
• Throw some more shrimp on the BBQ.

That’s probably good enough for now.

You readers of this blog are the beta testers. Leave a comment and let me know how well (or not) it works.

In case you missed the link, go to SomeFunSite.com and click the Aussie button.