Random Thoughts 3/11/11

• Hey, thanks, Jayhawks, for the ulcer-inducing nail-biter yesterday.  I had a meeting yesterday so I went from the radio broadcast to a flickering scoreboard on my laptop, updating about every 30 seconds.  Ugh!  Hopefully tonight will be better.
• Here's a detailed review of the iPad 2.  I saw the first iPad 2 accessories in Walmart this morning but haven't spotted one of the new tablets in the wild yet.
• How horrible was the video of the tsunami in Japan?  I was up late, about to go to bed, and the news of the earthquake happened.  Then I stayed up another two hours fixated on the live news coverage of that dark mass of debris sweeping over the Japanese farmland, swallowing houses, cars and everything else in its path.  How horrifying!  Then I was back up at 8am watching coverage of Hawaii and the West Coast, praying that similar damage wouldn't be done.
• You can find some raw footage of the earthquake and tsunami on news sites and YouTube.
• Here's a Marine you should know: Dakota Meyer.  He's up for the Medal of Honor and would only be the second living recipient since Vietnam if it goes through.  I mentioned him last July and November, but it seems like the buzz is increasing.  Perhaps a formal announcement may come soon.
• Which version of the iPad 2 should you buy?  Here's a good rundown on why the simplest (and cheapest) version might be the best for most users.
• Don't forget Daylight Saving Time begins this weekend.  This is the embarrassing one where people show for the start of church in the middle of the sermon.  Oops.  At least in the Fall, you forget and show up an hour early and everyone thinks you love church soooo much.
• Military Author Bing West talks about his new book and what we ought to be doing more of in Afghanistan in this video.  I'll only link to it because there's a bit of "soldier language" in the middle of the video, so be warned and be discerning.  But the principles of what he's talking about is going to connect with a lot of people.