Resolved: I Will Learn the Books of the Bible

Also sad, but I've never memorized the books of the Bible. I suspect my six-year-old may have a better grasp of this than I. This year, I will learn them all. There's not that many. I will learn them and I will learn their order. Let's say by July if you mention a book and I can't name what comes after it, I'll owe you $1. And by September, I'll need to be able to tell you the book that comes before and the book that comes after any book you name. If not, I'll pay you $1. (Payable Dec. 31, 2011 as a lump sum. Three attempts to stump me per day may. Must be in person and cannot repeat the same challenge on the same day.)

Resolved: Snow Chains

I've tempted fate to date being unable to successfully properly put snow chains on the car. I've relied on luck, good driving, a heavy car, etc. But truth be told, we live on a hill on top of another hill and that snowplow sighting last snowfall sugests only that the driver was lost. We bought chains during the move up, and then squeaked through after a snow plow during the short few hours that the mountain pass was open.

Resolved: I Will Learn to Tie a Tie

This is sad, but I don't know how to tie a tie. I've tied a few, but most of the ties I own have been tied by other people. When I take them off, I just hang them up, still tied. It's convenient, but it's a pain when I receive a new tie and then I have to wait to wear it until I can temporarily re-learn.

So I will learn it well this time so that it sticks.

The Sift 6-10

The Sift 6

• Amazon patents procedure to let recipients avoid undesirable gifts
• Why Your Child's School Bus Has No Seat Belts
• Want to Change Behavior? Make it Easier.
• Website advertising pilot project begins at ferries
• Lennart Green does close-up card magic (video)

Read more...

---

The Sift 7

• Working Out Before Breakfast Is Better for Weight Loss
• RunKeeper Pro FREE through the end of January
• Improving your odds at keeping New Year’s resolutions
• Maybe Next Year
• Predictions for Google's 2011

Read more...

---

The Sift 8

• Nissan Leaf rates you against other drivers, creates a high score list for hypermilers
• Russia Constructing High Speed Rail System for 2018 World Cup
• New Jersey Mayor Uses Twitter to Help Residents Through Blizzard
• An Orlando Theme Park of Biblical Proportions
• 2011 Sound Transit Budget Approved

Read more...

---

The Sift 9

• Social Networks Are Not Killing Our Social Lives
• 10 Reasons Every TV Exec Needs to Start Tweeting
• Should You Accept Mom & Dad's Facebook Friend Request?
• How To: Explain Twitter to Your Parents
• MySpace to Make Major Layoffs?

Read more...

---

The Sift 10

• Happy New Year!
• Sharing Trends in 2010
• For a happier new year, Seattle and the state need to think big
• 10 Predictions for Web Development in 2011
• 7 Predictions for the Gaming Industry in 2011

Read more...

Resolved: I'm Going to Be a Better Shape

In 2010, I arrived at a smaller shape, thanks to this great website/iPhone app Lose-It, support and encouragement of friends and family.  I give a lot of credit to my wife.  She also started the program this year and because she was on it, it made it much easier for me to get calorie counts for meals and helped a lot with portion control.    Now, I've stopped using the program because I've reached my goal weight, but I intend to stay at this new goal weight (am toying with losing 5 more, actually) with the tricks I learned from that program, such as portion control and healthier choices (and if I go 2.5 over my goal weight, I automatically have to start tracking again until I drop back to my goal weight - my rule).

Thanks to Lose-It!, I was able to 22.5 pounds.  My wife is working towards a more ambitious goal, as is my friend Corey.  This year, I want to continue to be an encouragement to them.  But also, now that my shape is smaller, I'm starting to look at where the me is that is left.  And am starting to realize that there ought to be more muscle me and less fat me.  So in 2011, I am going to work to get stuff rearranged, more toned.  I've got another new iPhone app that will help with that, but I've only been using it for a very short time, so it's too soon to tell.  I am also going a small number of push-ups, jumping jacks and sit-ups with the intent to slowly increase over time.

Resolved: I Will Take More Photos

We have a picture frame in our foyer that holds four photos.  The goal has always been to pick our favorite non-people photo each month and put it in the frame, moving the others up.  We were successful for a year or two, but then we stopped and for a year and a half, the same photos appeared in the frame.  Kind of sad, really.

I recently decided to update the frame and went to look at the photos we'd taken.  For all of December, there wasn't a single photo that wasn't of people.   I grabbed the camera, set it to manual, turned off the flash, set it to a slow shutter speed, aimed in at the tree, zoomed in and then moved the camera around as I took the photo.  Had some interesting shots.

And then nothing for November and some simple photos of flowers for September.

So, for the new year, I resolve to take more photos, to try to be more artistic, more creative, looking at the world in new ways through the lens.

Resolved: I will Dress for Success.

Last year, I complained about our new dress code.   More accurately, the dress code hasn't changed, our department's director has just encouraged us to disobey the dress code.   I was unhappy about that... I like dressing nice, I think I look good, I like the way I'm treated when I make the effort and I subscribe to the idea that if you hold someone to a higher standard in one area, like "dress professionally" it leads to them thinking about those words and applying them to other parts of their work.

So, this year, more ties.  More professional.  More class.  You can wear your jeans and your tennis shoes. It'll just make me stand out more.