Utahania

• "To Help Other People at All Times"

  It didn't look like this today,but you get the idea.Image via Wikipedia Today I was riding my bike along toward Lehi north of Utah Lake. I hear a motorcycle approach but it doesn't pass. A lady and a little boy pull up next to me and match me speed. She [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 30, 2008, 4:04pm EDT
  

• Close call for BYU Football

  This morning while driving across BYU campus, I stopped at a crosswalk to let a guy finish crossing the street. Consensus between my wife and I was that it was one Bronco Mendenhall (he looks even younger up close). The guy in the other lane almost didn't stop and almost' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 27, 2008, 8:46am EDT
  

• Most of my Personal Money Management Dreams Have Come True

  Image via WikipediaThanks to mvelopes.com which is everything I hoped MSFT Money would be in 2004. It slurps in all my credit card, retirement and savings account info. It lets me categorize spending, it lets me make an envelope-based budget, it lets me track spending. It runs in the cloud. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: August 04, 2008, 5:01pm EDT
  

• More Free Time in July

  Image via WikipediaI put professional cycling on a 5 year doping ban and have made no effort to follow, watch or even know the stages in this year's Tour de France. That certainly frees up a lot of time in July, it's been nice. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: July 09, 2008, 7:45am EDT
  

• Bangkok Grill in Orem

  "A rural scene in Utah County"Image via WikipediaIn our never ending quest to try all the Thai restuarants on the Wasatch Front, we visited Bangkok Grill in Orem last night with the Barney's. We deviated slightly from our control order which was pad Thai, massaman curry, green cury, tom kha' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: July 09, 2008, 7:25am EDT
  

• Thank "U"!

  Image via WikipediaIt looks like the University of Utah has lost my identity information for the second time in 6 years. The good news is that I keep getting a year of free credit fraud monitoring! No identity theft detected yet, though we did have quite a scare a month [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: June 26, 2008, 8:42am EDT
  

• Voters may have got one right

  Image by Getty Images via DaylifeI think the voters got the Cannon/Chaffetz race right even though I voted for Chris Cannon yesterday. I started to think that when I read this in the Des News this morning:"If I don't win I'll do exactly the same thing I did before and" [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: June 25, 2008, 7:43am EDT
  

• Welcome Back Lee!

  Image via WikipediaLooks like Lee Cummard will be playing in the Marriott Center again next Winter. Works for me. Cummard's a great work-hard player. A friend of mine is in the Cummard's ward. They tell us that the Cummard's are a solid student family. Deseret News | Cummard is turning' [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: June 14, 2008, 3:17pm EDT
  

• Graduation rate woes?

  Image via WikipediaDespite all our consternation about lowest per-pupil spending, it looks like we have only the eighth highest graduation rate in the nation now, down from the first.Don't get me wrong, I think we should increase pay for teachers and supplies, but I also think that that's pretty darn [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: June 05, 2008, 9:05am EDT
  

• Memo to Flashers in Provo

  Apparently, some guy allegedly flashed two women on the Provo River Parkway Trail. I happened to ride by, apparently, while they were on the phone with 911 and later while the police were on the trail. I stopped and talked to the police and later to the two women. Frequent [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: June 03, 2008, 7:59pm EDT
  

• Best Thai Food on the Wasatch Front

  Image via WikipediaWe've been to two Thai restaurants so far in our quest for the best on the Wasatch front. Restaurants are judged based on their Tom Kha Gai, Green Curry, Massaman Curry, Pad Thai and a randomly chosen entre.Of the two we've officially visited so far, Mekong Cafe in [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: June 03, 2008, 1:16pm EDT
  

• Cycling in north Orem Utah--even on the Provo River Parkway

  Image via WikipediaJason, a scout leader, is wondering where to take some scouts on a 15 mile (I would guess) ride. He's thinking about the Provo River Parkway but my comments from last year made that seem like a less-good idea.Here's an 18 mile loop in Orem:Start at 1600 North [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: May 08, 2008, 9:17am EDT
  

• Fake picture of Mt. Timpanogos

  If you took photographs of a mountain for a year about 20 times a day and recorded the weather and time for each shot, then you could use machine learning to learn what the mountain should look like as a function of the date and time.If you did that using [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: March 10, 2008, 2:46pm EDT
  

• Nice work Trent Plaisted

  So I was running slowly around the indoor BYU track at lunch a whileago (as I often do) when I saw one Trent Plaisted shooting freethrows, with someone to shag rebounds for him (his wife?), on one ofthe hoops at the volleyball court.That paid off nicely tonight. Nice work. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: February 27, 2008, 10:28pm EST
  

• Overheard on NPR

  On NPR this morning they were commenting about how the risk of anyone being fatally exposed to rocket fuel gas from the spy satellite was "only 3% and even then you'd have to hold your face next to it and breathe for a while"  Clearly, this was just a pointless [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: February 21, 2008, 7:53pm EST
  

• First time I saw that

  One of my hobbies is watching the mountains so that I can watch avalanches roll down through the cliff bands.  I am pretty good at it, not that it's very hard, and have seen a fair bit of avalanche activity on Timp.  At least before our kids were born.  Sitting [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: February 21, 2008, 7:46pm EST
  

• He's got a point

  Tony Caputo (mmm, Italian) says "Our government, both federal and state, is opposed to someone eating salami, but they're not opposed to us being in the environment with toxic nuclear waste" He's got a good point.  If we can't important some salamis because they are too dangerous, then,um, why should [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: February 21, 2008, 7:41pm EST
  

• That's too bad

  I see that our legislature repealed in-state tuition for the childrenof illegal immigrants. Bad call.Yet another indication that our Republican Legislators are out of touch.If some kid graduates from High School and gets accepted at a collegeor university and his/her parents have established residency in Utah,even illegally, then that kid [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: February 13, 2008, 7:47am EST
  

• I wish I'd waited 45 minutes to vote

  Because I had to wait 1 hour and 30 minutes to vote in my precinct in Orem.  Mostly I felt sorry for the poll worker volunteers. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: February 05, 2008, 9:27pm EST
  

• Not what I thought

  I thought this article titled "Cosmo vs. Provo" would be about parking in Provo or some other town vs. gown issue. It wasn't. Pretty funny. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 23, 2008, 10:32pm EST
  

• Better duck if you are Mormon? Not quite.

  Doug Robinson wrote a piece in the DesNews which gave his take on the recent torrent of ignorant statements about Mormons.  It hasn't been since High School in Montgomery, Alabama that I had to deal with this kind of stuff.  It was really awkward in High School.  This time around, [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 23, 2008, 10:15pm EST
  

• Rolly and I agree on Something?

  Rolly nailed this one about Republicans in Utah County.  It's not often that we agree.  However Steve Baugh picked a tough race to win against Stephen Sandstrom for three reaons.  First, Sandstrom does a great job staying close to his constituents, third, Sandstrom voted for vouchers as did just over [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 21, 2008, 7:41am EST
  

• Macbook Air: No Regrets Here.

  I finally bought a new laptop in December. I knew I could have waited for Apple's rumored new ulta-portable, but didn't and bought a Dell XPS 1330 instead. Now that the new Macbook Air is out, I am happy to say that I have no regrets.The Air fits nicely in [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 16, 2008, 6:24pm EST
  

• Memo to anonymous commenters

  I've gotten a spate of anonymous comments of late.  Either lots of anonymous people are hitting my blog, or someone with a lot of time and no identity is working through the archive.  I thought I'd respond to all 4 in one post.  So here goes. Steve Baugh anonymous #1:  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 10, 2008, 9:24pm EST
  

• Steven Baugh?

  Maybe so. I don't think I am going to switch parties, but I'll give an ear to Steven Baugh. Sandstrom is right, a Republican will likely be elected in District 58. But a viable Democratic Candidate in our Distract may energize moderate voters in our District (where "moderate" in our [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 09, 2008, 4:37pm EST
  

• Sandstrom v. Baugh in District 58

  Now that's a race I'll be watching closely because I live in District 58. Baugh is running as a Democrat. Cool. I may end up voting for a Democrat in my District race. We'll have to see how it goes. Sandstrom is having a breakfast this Sat for Precinct chairs. [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 09, 2008, 4:12pm EST
  

• New Type of Boy Scout Story

  The Maldives, best known for printing really colorful postage stamps , has given us a new type of Boy Scout Story, which brings us to 4 types and now two of them are good.  Type 1 is "Adult leader abuses scout", not good, type 2 is "Boy scout is injured/lost/worse", [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 09, 2008, 8:22am EST
  

• Provo Canyon Trailer Park Closes

  I often wondered how that trailer park in Provo Canyon stays open.  It's a throwback to hippie life in the 60's.  I wouldn't have been surprised to see the Rainbow Family there.  I thought that was all fine and kind of liked having some solid Americana in the canyon.  However, [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 09, 2008, 8:14am EST
  

• In the future...

  I rather listen to the Nighside Project on the day of New Hampshire's primary than listen to Dave Rose talk about why Wake Forest demolished the BYU basketball team.  In fact, they could have switched away from the game to the primary in the first half when the game was [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 08, 2008, 7:36pm EST
  

• My coffee mug collection

  Now includes a J.M. Bell - and Friends coffee mug. I put red pens in it just to be sure that (a) I didn't look too liberal and (b) my students would continue to respect the power of the red pen (just kidding). I got the U of Utah water bottle [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 04, 2008, 9:54am EST
  

• Huckabee vs. Obama?

  It's an interesting proposition because it may set up a Democrat to win Utah in a Presidential election. I'd vote Obama over Huckabee at this point (though I haven't made up my mind yet). SLCSpin � Blog Archive � I Don’t Usually Do National Topics… [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 04, 2008, 10:07pm EST
  

• Memo to Huckabee: How to be competitive in Utah (if it comes to that)

  Mr. Huckabee: Congratulations on the win in Iowa. I was glad to see that money doesn't always win. That's refreshing. I noted in a CNN article that you won 45% of the evangelical vote and they comprised 60% of caucus goers. That's an impressive bloc. You won't have that cushion [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 03, 2008, 9:33pm EST
  

• I can relate

  This lady in a Trib article bought a vacation home in Park City because... 'When you travel with three small kids, a nanny and a housekeeper, you need all the conveniences.' Boy, don't I know that! When we travel with the twins we couldn't imagine roughing it without a nanny, a [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 02, 2008, 2:26pm EST
  

• Good thing the SL Trib Editorial Board Doesn't Live in Georgia

  Because their reaction to Gov. Perdue's prayer for rain given on the steps of the capitol would have been off the charts. (That is, if their indignation of Leavitt's early morning seminary classes in the Gov's mansion is any indication. ) Did the home teachers visit at the mansion too or [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 01, 2008, 5:53pm EST
  

• Tough Questions from 4 Year Olds

  Christmas brings difficult questions from 4 year olds (Can I have it? Why do Santa's reindeer fly?) But this year we got 2 tough questions. First, the nature of the internet. Daddy, where did you get our game? We got it on the internet? Daddy, where's the internet? I'm thinking [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 01, 2008, 11:49am EST
  

• Mormon Journalist Prof on Media Coverage of Mormonism

  Joel Campbell gives an insightful analysis of media coverage of the LDS faith. Apparently, journalists writing articles are supposed to give both sides of a discussion a chance to respond. Wow. Letting Mormons respond to claims about how non-Mormons define Mormons? Great idea. Also, note how Campbell reveals his bias [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 31, 2007, 8:47am EST
  

• Question for Mike Huckabee and for Baptists in General

  Question for Huckabee: if elected, will you continue to preach a sermon every Sunday? The POTUS should be at Church most every Sunday. I like that idea. But I am still warming up to the idea of the POTUS giving sermons. It seems to erode the appearance of separation of [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 24, 2007, 6:22am EST
  

• New trail in Utah County Perfect for Winter

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 19, 2007, 9:35pm EST
  

• CNN.com - CNN Political Ticker Huckabee denies subliminal Christmas message ?

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 18, 2007, 4:29pm EST
  

• Rally around JM Bell (echoed from SLCSpin)

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 17, 2007, 9:28pm EST
  

• Jon Krakaur as a source on Mormonism? Seriously?

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 16, 2007, 7:14am EST
  

• Mitt's Speech

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: December 06, 2007, 9:00am EST
  

• Megan on Hillary Clinton

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 24, 2007, 8:28pm EST
  

• My next $11,995 bike

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 19, 2007, 7:39am EST
  

• We have a bog in Orem?

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 15, 2007, 7:55pm EST
  

• PECASE awarded to professor at BYU

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 15, 2007, 7:29pm EST
  

• Memo to BYU students angry over parking

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 15, 2007, 10:20pm EST
  

• A $cout executive is...

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 13, 2007, 9:18pm EST
  

• How change education in Utah, step 1

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 08, 2007, 7:51am EST
  

• In the Post-Voucher Era

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 07, 2007, 7:08am EST
  

• Memo to George F. Will at the Washington Post

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: November 01, 2007, 8:30pm EDT
  

• To What Extent do Vouchers Make Private School Affordable?

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 30, 2007, 8:57pm EDT
  

• Clarifying What I Meant by "Cost to Public Education"

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 27, 2007, 7:25pm EDT
  

• Why do vouchers cost public schools money?

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 25, 2007, 8:17pm EDT
  

• Other People Question Spending Tax Money on Vouchers

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 22, 2007, 8:40pm EDT
  

• Cycling Moab with 4 Year Olds

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 22, 2007, 8:29pm EDT
  

• Faculty are anti college sports?

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 20, 2007, 7:45pm EDT
  

• Input needed on field work test sites

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 18, 2007, 8:20pm EDT
  

• The Budget Numbers on Vouchers

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 17, 2007, 9:47pm EDT
  

• Loading a helicopter with 1 skid on the ground

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 16, 2007, 7:39pm EDT
  

• The Secret 18 Mile Loop in North Orem

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 13, 2007, 4:35pm EDT
  

• Moderating comments, oops

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 13, 2007, 4:32pm EDT
  

• Why I oppose vouchers

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: October 13, 2007, 4:15pm EDT
  

• Memo to DesNews: Paper Ballots are not Ludite

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: May 29, 2007, 10:43am EDT
  by Mike Jones

• Welcoming the New Utah County Democrats

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: May 09, 2007, 1:57pm EDT
  by Mike Jones

• War Criminal?

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: May 05, 2007, 11:26am EDT
  by Mike Jones

• Usage rules for incite versus insight

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: May 03, 2007, 2:00pm EDT
  by Mike Jones

• The Mormons

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: May 02, 2007, 8:36am EDT
  by Mike Jones

• Utah County Republican Convention

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: April 30, 2007, 10:16pm EDT
  by Mike Jones

• Ralph Nader at UVSC (for BYU, sort of)

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: April 30, 2007, 10:00pm EDT
  by Mike Jones

• VP Cheney at BYU

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: April 26, 2007, 6:10pm EDT
  by Mike Jones

• Satan?

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: April 26, 2007, 8:01am EDT
  by Mike Jones

• Mormon Democrats I know

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: April 24, 2007, 8:46am EDT
  by Mike Jones

• BYU Protest Update

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: April 04, 2007, 11:46am EDT
  by Mike Jones

• Walsh on Commencement Speakers at BYU of U of U in 2007

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: March 30, 2007, 10:09am EDT
  by Mike Jones

• Welcome UVU!

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: February 27, 2007, 4:42pm EST
  by Mike Jones

• My Wow Moment

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: February 27, 2007, 3:03pm EST
  by Mike Jones

• Average Sunset on Mt. Timpanogos

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: February 08, 2007, 4:59pm EST
  by Mike Jones

• A story that warms the conservative heart

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 22, 2007, 7:44pm EST
  by Mike Jones

• In-state tuition for students here legally

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 22, 2007, 4:49pm EST
  by Mike Jones

• Vote against Utah HB224

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 20, 2007, 10:33am EST
  by Mike Jones

• Hey, that's the person that runs with my sister!

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 19, 2007, 8:53am EST
  by Mike Jones

• Donut Falls open again

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 19, 2007, 7:48am EST
  by Mike Jones

• Way to go Democrats!

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 16, 2007, 12:48pm EST
  by Mike Jones

• Rashaun Broadus' Bad Day

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 08, 2007, 10:20am EST
  by Mike Jones

• Big Box and Daybreak

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 05, 2007, 9:26am EST
  by Mike Jones

• Unusual Sunset

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 04, 2007, 10:21am EST
  by Mike Jones

• The Apocalypse must be near.

  [...]
  Share | Rate | Archive

  Posted: January 03, 2007, 7:50pm EST
  by Mike Jones