Conversations rule...

I've been using Yahoo! as my mail provider for about eight years. I know, I know...I have my own domain. But I love the Yahoo! mail client so I just pop my mail into Yahoo! through SpamArrest (to alleviate nearly 100% of spam).
A couple of years ago my beautiful sister invited me to the gmail beta. I tried it out and didn't really get it. Then last year I moved my other domain over to Google Apps for My Domain. I like Google Apps. And the rest of the family is willing to use an @m5williams email while they resist @mikelwilliams.

So, I have been thinking about "rationalizing" my email to be consistent with my family. Well, gmail has now done it. The Killer App...SSL Pop mail. That means I can pull down all my work email straight into gmail and completely avoid the Outlook/Exchange server. That is sweet! It means all my mail is on one place...work, personal, mikelwilliams, m5williams...everything. That's nice. Plus, gmail has an awesome client. The best part is the "conversation" feature where it keeps your threads together for easy reference. Once I got the hang of that, I can't go back to individual messages. Conversations rule.

PS - Hotmail can also do SSL Pop. But you can't get rid of the ads from the bottom of your messages in Hotmail. Of course, you can't get rid of the ads in gmail's interface either. But it leaves the message unchanged. (Yahoo! allows you to pay $20/year for ad-free email).

The Power of Sport

It's nearly Super Bowl Sunday. I'm excited that the NFC has finally returned to the big game. Like many of you, I'll be heading to a friend's house for the big game. It's funny how sports can bring people together.

An old buddy from college shared this inspirational video with me today. It's a great example of the power of sport.

Discovering History

I am one of those people that love history. I always have. I remember one day before staring my BA at OC sitting and pondering..."what will I declare as my major tomorrow when I register?". I seriously considered history. But (this is the truth) I decided not to because I figured "What good is a BA in history and I sure don't want to go to graduate school!" (meanwhile, eight years, four graduate degrees, and many school loans later...).

Anyway, I've been doing some historical research of my own lately. On my family history. Just two quick points here.

First, it's an amazing feeling to look back at old documents and find evidence of your ancestors. The image above is the 1870 Census form that shows my grandfather's grandfather at 17 years old (Dewitt Williams). Isn't that cool!?!?!

Second, why is it that people trace so much of their history through the male side of the family? My maternal grandmother has traced her maternal side of the family back to Scotland in the 1700's. Yet, somehow because they are "Ketcherside" and not "Williams", I feel like I need to keep looking. Maybe I'm just a bigot (is that the right word?), but it seems like this is a common phenomenon in geneology circles.

Anyway, just wanted to share the fun.

The View from The Standard

Pix002.jpg
Originally uploaded by M_M_M_M_M_W

At our January GFGT we had drinks at the roof of the Standard Hotel. It was AWESOME!

Madison's new pet (Thanks KEN!)

From 2008-Q1-Tiny'...

Madison loves animals. Whenever we're at someone's home with pets she just plays with the animal the entire time. So, for Christmas Michelle had the brilliant idea to get her a pet. She chose a mouse (actually mice). Gheesh. It kind of freaks Michelle out. Of course, they hadn't been in the house more than a day before one got out of the cage and we had to have a hermetically sealed shut down of Madison's room until we found it.

Clearly, we chose the right mouse for our family.

We found it a few hours later INSIDE the PC in her room. It had crawled through an open slot in the back and was staying warm behind the hard drive!

Signing a promissory note for justice...

Dr. Martin Luther King is one of my true heroes. His pioneering efforts to lead a sea change of public opinion and political action across our country is nearly unmatched. In the words of Winston Churchill, "rarely have so many owed so much to so few." My favorite part of the speech is where he talks about the "promissory note" America has "signed" with all people to treat them equally with justice for all regardless of color, sex, or other attributes. Each year when I listen to this speech I find a different part compelling. Given today's climate in our country, I'm encouraged by his steadfast commitment to the "solid rock of brotherhood" and his optimism. Like MLK, may each of us be able to say that in 2008, "we refuse to believe the bank of justice is bankrupt."

Enjoy the holiday everyone!

PS

Here is what I posted last year about this day and how we celebrate it in our home.

A terrific Saturday...

Marcus and I went to see Flat Stanley on Saturday. We read the book first, then saw the show. It was a good boy's date.

After the show we met some very dear friends for the Women's Basketball game. The game was much better than our men's Monday night showing against Gonzaga. In case you hadn't seen it on ESPN...our men's coach resigned after the humiliating defeat by Gonzaga.

Then, after the game we had our January GFGT downtown. We had drinks at the Rooftop bar of The Standard, then dinner at La Bella Cocina. It was a terrific evening!

The end of an era?

Can it really be called an "era" when it lasts less than two years and has a 14-35 w/l record?

BTW-I was at the nationally televised PU/Gonzaga game on Monday night. I was amazed at how poorly our guys played. Ouch.

My brother...

 

This is my favorite photo of my brother from the holidays. Love you buddy!

ps - don't worry, he won't be mad because he never reads my blog.

National Christmas Tree

 

I know this is old news by now...but I had to post this photo after seeing my sister's pics the other day. We had a blast!

The Story of Stuff...

After another long day of repenting from Holiday consumerism my beautiful bride found a terrific resource or two online. These sites have encouraged us in our quest to live simpler lives. I highly recommend "The Story of Stuff", and this site about simplifying. These are good introductory resources that complement two of my favorite books of 2007,

• "Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television" by Jerry Mander
• "Made to Break: Technology & Obsolescence in America" by Giles Slade
  

I suppose I should say, check your local library for both of these before buying them from Amazon. :-)

Enjoy and live simply.

A good interview and a fine man...

Of the many things I love about being at Pepperdine, one is being able to live near and interact with Dean Kenneth Starr. Despite anyone's politics, I believe Judge Starr to be an honorable and kind man. This recent profile from the LA Times (from an occassional series on LA's intellectuals) is spot on. Enjoy...

Kenneth Starr: Open to the public - Los Angeles Times

An encouraging victory in Iowa

I don't want to spend too much time on early victories in the current Presidential race. We all know things change quickly (plus...at a recent party I was asked about my "wild left-coast views").

Anyway, I'm encouraged by the Iowa caucus. I believe both Obama and Huckabee are positive candidates who stand for change in the current morass.

Huckabee and Obama win Iowa caucuses - Los Angeles Times

The weight of false positives

This story from the AP is so disturbing. It tells of a TX man who spent 26 years in prison for rape and was released yesterday when DNA evidence proved he was not guilty. Amazingly, Charles Chatman consistently denied the rape of a neighbor girl for 26 years, even during three different parole hearings. He went to prison at age 20, and is now 46 with a clean record. Apparently "Texas Justice" is more swift than just.