When I was a kid, one of the things I really looked forward to around Christmas time was my father getting the electric train set out. We did not have a big elaborate set, but the track was attached to a 8x4 piece of plywood, with lighted billboards and trees.  My dad even painted it green with a 'road' going through it.

What does this have to do with the Wii my kids got for Christmas?  Well, 2 years ago, my parents gave me the train set that we used to have as kids.  Unfortunately, the track was in bad shape, and the transformer plug was so dry rotted, you could see the copper wire.   This Christmas, I was determined to get it running. 

After a trip to a local train shop, I was able to purchase some new track and a new plug for the transformer.  Thanks to help from my father-in-law, the new plug was soldered on (I don't do solder) and the new track assembled and the train was running like new.  When we were looking to see how the wires needed to be attached to the transformer, I noticed the copyright date on the instruction manual, 1971. The trains set is 36 years old, and still running like new, even after not having ANY maintenance in those 36 years. I will say that I plan on taking the train to that shop to get a 'tune up' so that maybe my grand-kids can enjoy the set as well.

This, to me, proves the old saying, 'they don't make them like they used to'.  How many toys that you or your kids got this Christmas will still be operating in 2043?  I would venture to guess not too many.

It appears as if some of the ncie things about CF are being picked up elsewhere.

I don't think there is a CF developer alive who has not bowed before the God that is <cfdump>.

Now its available for PHP.  Check it out here.

Thanx to JJ for showing me this.

Call me a sucker.  But I am trying for more free stuff. This time an iPod Nano.

Just go to http://ipodnanos.freepay.com/?r=22640974 and sign up for an offer (I would suggest the Rhopsody offer, its only 99 cents).  If you don't see an option for Rhapsody on teh site, look in the e-mail you'll get from FreePay.com.

I feel a bit better about this offer since I know someone who has gotten stuff from FreePay.com.

Please help!

 I just came across a site called The Oops List.  If you are anything like me, you won't be able to stop at one picture.

My favorites are the 6 images below..each had 'Why Women Live Longer' in the file name....so true.

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 I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has clicked any of the Google ads that appear on this site.  As I am typing this, I am looking at my first check from Google for the 'click-throughs' from my site.

  OK...it took since October to get my first check, but I never thought I would have enough traffic to generate any cash from Google.

 Why not?  I do.

Check it out.

This is a transcript of a 'conversation' Joe Rinehart had with the cf_eightBall, and has been re-printed with his permission.  The names have not been changed to identify the guilty. (OK, one name was changed, at Joe's request).  While I haven't verified, I suspect alcohol may have been a precursor to this conversation...at least I hope it was.

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I received this by e-mail from a family member,

I doubt any of this is true, by it is damn funny.

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I just snapped these photos of these birds in my back yard.  Since moving to West Virginia, this is about the 6th animal I have seen on or near my property that I could not readily identify.

Kudos to anyone who knows what it is.  (I already figured it out).  It's hard to tell, but its about 12-18 inches tall.

The new trailer for Star Wars:Epidoe III Rvenge of the Sith is out.

Check it out.