I have a new nephew. Spencer Andrew Stone was born today. Welcome to the world, Spencer. I look forward to meeting you.

There have been ten FIFA World Cup Finals since I was born. When I was three years old, Brazil defeated Italy. At that age I had no idea I would later be called on a mission to Italy, and I was too young to really root for either side -- and I don't recall watching the game. When I was... read more »

Lately, it's been like pulling teeth to get any writing done. (Which reminds me, I have a dentist appointment tomorrow (well, today, actually, since it's after midnight.) I've been working on this short story, "The Ashes of His Fathers," for about two months now, dribbling it out in bits and pieces to my writing groups. I finally finished it tonight,... read more »

In honor of the birthday of the united States of America, here are some verses from two patriotic songs. But rather than the more familiar first verses, here are the final verses: Oh beautiful, for patriot's dream That sees, beyond the years, Thine alabaster cities gleam Undimmed by human tears! America! America! God shed his grace on thee, And crown... read more »

I spent some of my childhood in Argentina, and later spent two years as a missionary in Italy. So on July 3, 1990, when Argentina faced Italy in a World Cup semifinal, I had to decide where my soccer loyalties lay. It wasn't until the penalty kick phase that I was able to finally realize that I favored Argentina. (Argentina... read more »

On the recommendation of Eric Swedin, I recently read the Dread Empire's Fall trilogy by Walter John Williams. The series is in the military SF/space opera genre, and overall it's a good read if, like me, you enjoy space opera. Dread Empire's Fall: The Praxis begins the series by introducing us to the galactic empire founded by the Shaa, a... read more »

I got an iPod a few months ago for my birthday, and it maintains a count of how many times a particular music file is played. It even has an automatic playlist of the top 25. So, after about three months of usage (mainly hooked up to my car stereo), here's what's in my Top 25. (The number in parentheses... read more »

I voted in today's Republican Primary, and it was my first experience with Utah's new electronic voting machines. (I used Virginia's electronic voting machines a few years ago, and was not particularly impressed by them.) The touch-screen ballot was clear and easy to use. After I made my selections, it confirmed them on the screen, allowing me a chance to... read more »

A Democratic friend invited me to see Al Gore's movie, An Inconvenient Truth. Since I'm generally a fan of science fiction, I agreed to go. The good: It was entertaining to watch, for the most part. There were perhaps a few too many shots of Al Gore looking pensive, but he was actually funny at times. And there are some... read more »

Earlier this month I read The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, and this week I finished reading the sequel, Enna Burning. The Goose Girl is based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale of the same name, with which I was not familiar. (After reading the book, I read the original fairy tale, which is posted on Shannon's site, and I... read more »