Baby Thinks Paper Magazines Function Like iPad

Amazing video, undoubtable (via Laughing Squid):

Birthday Celebrations

As this post goes live my wife and I are on our way to see Don Henley at Harrah's Rincon. That's us celebrating at my birthday dinner last night, at Cheesecake Factory in Irvine.

The big 50:

My mom asked yesterday if I felt different, and while I said, "No, a day older than 49 years and 365 days, I guess," the truth is I do feel past the halfway mark. And I mean that in a good way. Five years ago, when I had my 45th year physical, my doctor said, "Well, you're halfway through your life." I thought that was good, since he must have expected me to live to 90. I've always expected to live to 100 (or thereabouts, with luck), based on the longevity of family members on both my mom's and dad's side. So, I guess if 100 is still the benchmark, I'm now finally on the downhill slope of my life. It's mellower and wiser, and probably happier as well. Sitting at the table last night with my family, I looked across at my two beautiful sons and said, "This is my birthday present." All I really truly wanted in life was to be married and have a family. I guess a lot of boys aren't acculturated to that as a life goal nowadays. But sitting last night out for dinner, it occurred to me that all the birthday presents on the world wouldn't make me happier than just sitting there with the people most important to me.

Anyway, my friend Pat Austin's having a birthday weekend as well, so head over there to wish her well: "Birthday Weekend, Estate Sales, and Old Houses."

I'll be back tomorrow with a report on the concert.

Thanks everybody!

Maybe I'm Amazed — At Turning 50...

Linda McCartney would have turned 70 today. Paul McCartney wrote "Maybe I'm Amazed" for her, so here you go. I just turned 50. So, perhaps this might be a nice musical break. I feel good. I walked yesterday for a couple of hours. Cleared my head and saw parts of the neighborhood I hadn't seen before. I'm going to try to make that a habit. I used to walk just about every day. Blogging replaced some of that time. I've been getting some of it back lately, spending less time online. Anyway, thanks for the readership and friendship. More later today:

RELATED: At TigerHawk, "Happy birthday, Scott!"

Charles 'Dale' Ostrander, 12 Years-Old, Survives After More Than 20 Minutes Under Water

This is one of those stories that I can't even read. It's a miracle.



At ABC News, "Boy Survives After 25 Minutes Underwater, Rescued by 12-Year-Old Girl."

Dr. Benjamin Abella, director of clinical research in the Center for Resuscitation Science at the University of Pennsylvania, said rather than a miracle, Ostrander's survival may be due to the fact that the waters in which he was submerged were sufficiently frigid.



"A number of studies have shown that hypothermia -- reduced body temperature -- is highly protective of the brain when it is starved for oxygen and blood flow," Abella said. "The water that bathed him was certainly quite cold, and its likely that his core body temperature dropped during his cardiac arrest event."



Abella said Ostrander's age and overall health may have also factors in his survival.

Also at Daily Mail, "'He just spoke... it was amazing': 'Miracle' boy plucked from the sea stuns doctors with incredible recovery after spending 20 minutes under water."

Secrets to Longevity

Hoping for a long life?

Check with Neo-Neocon for an informative essay on the topic, "Want to reach 100? Just do whatever you want…":

…and hope for the best.

HAT TIP: Instapundit.

August Birthdays

My mom turned seventy-five earlier this week. President Obama turned fifty on Thursday. And Lucille Ball would have turned 100 yesterday.

My youngest boy's going to be 10 years-old next week, but we had a little cake and ice cream party for him earlier. A few of his friends from school came over. They opened presents and played video games (the streamers are still up at top below, and not too messy). And then yesterday I took my boy down to my friend Mikey Hirsch's skateboard pro shop, So Cal Skateboards. I got him a Nijah Huston street skate for his birthday, seen at bottom. Nijah won the street Gold Medal at the X-Games last week, and my son digs him.

Yosemite Waterfall Deaths

The Los Angeles Times recently ran a piece on the surging Central Valley rivers, "Central Valley rivers are flowing stronger, faster, more fatally."

I used to live up in Fresno, so a lot of the names and places are familiar. And now there's dramatic news, of three presumed dead at Yosemite, after hikers ignored warnings.

See Los Angeles Times, "Witness tells of horror as 3 swept over Vernal Fall in Yosemite":

The three were members of a group of 12 from a Central Valley church that had hiked to the top of the waterfall, said Yosemite spokesman Scott Gediman.

Ignoring posted signs and repeated warnings, they had climbed over the metal-bar barricade to get in the Merced River about 25 feet from the edge of the falls.

As Gediman recounted what happened, it was a chain reaction. First one person was swept away, then a second one tried to rescue that person and then a third tried to save the other two. All three were swept over the waterfall.

They were identified as Ramina Badal, 21, of Manteca; Homiz David, 22, of Modesto; and Ninos Yacoub, 27, of Turlock.

Witnesses immediately called rangers, and search-and-rescue teams canvassed the waters downstream Tuesday. They were back out at first light Wednesday to continue the search, but by late morning park officials said they believed the three were dead.

Also, "Search for 3 people missing in Yosemite is hampered by raging river."

Plus, at Christian Science Monitor, "Yosemite waterfall accident a cautionary tale for Yosemite visitors."

Up in the Air

This is one of those spiffed up movie trailers with added commentary, but the young lady gets it all wrong. Watched "Up in the Air" yesterday afternoon. The corporate downsizing is a timely backdrop for a movie that's really about the meaning of life. And I'm not going to spoil anything for readers. I watched it on Cinemax. I can say that the big surprise of the movie is simply, absolutely devastating, and it's not a moment dealing with job loss. See the film. Think about those priorities --- those relationships Clooney's character Ryan Bingham mentions in his downsizing speeches at the clip. Manohla Dargis has the review, "Neither Here Nor There." Get it on Netflix if you're not plugged into cable movies.