By Larry Daniele on
5/3/2009 1:39 PM
My JanSport backpack and I have travelled everywhere together - all across the United States, Germany, Scotland, Italy and right here in lovely Sunderland, Massachusetts. I use it a lot as a ride my bicycle around town to do work and run errands.
I often throw a laptop, a few folders or some boxes to be mailed into my backpack and pedal wherever I need to in our little town. So I was quite sad when the zipper on the pack started to give way. After a while, it could no longer be trusted to hold everything reliably. What to do?!?
Go out an buy another JanSport backpack, of course! I loved my old one, so I went online and found a new one similar to it. I couldn't find my favorite burgundy color, so I settled for green (my other favorite). It arrived quickly and looked great. As I was unpacking it, I noticed that the JanSport information said simply that all JanSport backpacks come with a lifetime product warranty....
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By Larry Daniele on
9/11/2008 3:18 PM
Joe was really using his head during yesterday's game against Holyoke Catholic. This photograph appeared in the Springfield Republican newspaper and online at MassLive.com.
(Thanks to Jeanne for letting me know about this!)
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By Larry Daniele on
7/14/2008 6:23 AM
I thought that the article Five Myths About Nuclear Energy by Kristin Shrader-Frechette was very well presented and enlightening. For the past few years, I have been considering whether or not we should consider increased use of nuclear energy as one of our ways to reduce our dependence on oil. However it is becoming clear that not only is nuclear power still dangerous (e.g. nuclear plants are vulnerable to terrorist attacks and we still don't know how to safely dispose of the radioactive waste), it is also not cost-effective (with wind turbines producing energy at less than 1/2 the cost of nuclear - with none of the safety issues of nuclear).
It speaks volumes when billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens is investing big time in wind power and has developed the Pickens Plan. So environmentalists...
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By Larry Daniele on
6/5/2008 7:07 AM
I guess I was sort of naïve in believing that the idea of teaching creationism alongside evolution in science class is something that would just fizzle and die. Then creationism evolved into "intelligent design" to appear more scientific and less religious. Now, the NY Times article Opponents of Evolution Adopting a New Strategy describes the next step in the evolution of this misguided campaign. The idea is for school boards of education to direct teachers to teach the "strengths and weaknesses" of evolution. Of course the scientist in me says, "sure, why not?" But I see that this strategy is just a ploy to keep creationism's foot in the scientific door.
It is my view that religion and science are two related but orthogonal axes -- like the X and Y axes on a graph. Science is about things you can prove, religion is about things...
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By Larry Daniele on
5/4/2008 2:21 PM
 My brother Phil's daughter Jillian had her first communion at the Our Lady of Lourdes Church in West Islip, New York yesterday. The church was absolutely filled with many familes there to celebrate their son or daughter's special day. As you can see Jillian was both angelic and charming! Her three-year-old sister Annabella was my best buddy all weekend! Afterwards, we had a wonderful family celebration at Francesco's Italian Restaurant in Babylon. It was great to see my Long Island family including cousins Kevin and Dan....
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By Larry Daniele on
4/17/2008 2:03 PM
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By Larry Daniele on
12/26/2007 9:37 PM
It all started off simple enough. Vickie, Laura and I were to travel to Boulder, Colorado for James' graduation from the Culinary School of the Rockies (CSR). Of course, like all great heroes, we had to be challenged. Mother Nature whipped up a doosy of a snow storm that paralyzed the Northeast. But after a 7.5 hour drive to LaGuardia (after they closed Hartford and White Plains airports) and nearly 24 hours of traveling, we made it to Denver and then Boulder. In the end, it was definitely worth it!
We stayed at the historic Boulderado Hotel and loved it. Here we are sitting in front of the fireplace in the lobby. (You click on any photo to see a larger version. Just click the browser "Back" button when you are done.)
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By Larry Daniele on
11/21/2007 9:26 AM
There's a new phenomenon that catching on like wildfire among my teenagers and twenty-somethings: Guitar Hero. It's a game for the Nintendo Wii where you play "guitar" along with a classic rock tune. The more right notes you hit, the more the audience loves you. Here's Sarah laying down her tasty licks:
Of course, then there's her on-screen personna:
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By Larry Daniele on
11/21/2007 9:22 AM
There's always a precious moment each fall here in New England. The moment when you look out the window and your body lights up and says "It's SNOWING!" Here's what that moment looked like this year:
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