Random New Year's Thoughts 2008

• Happy New Year!
• Do you need someone to explain which draft pick the Chiefs will have? Look here. Probably the fifth pick overall, but maybe the fourth. It's complicated.
• According the US Census figures, more than 30 percent of Kansans over 25 have a bachelor's degree or higher (12th in the nation). Missouri is under 25 percent (34th in the nation). Missourians also had a higher rate of alcohol-related traffic deaths. I'm just saying.
• I'm learning the algorithms to solve the Rubik's cube we got for Christmas. And by algorithms I mean insanely abstract-seeming patterns of turning and twisting the crazy thing so that it comes out right. There is a method to this madness but for the uninitiated it just looks like randomness. The key is to think of the cube not as having 54 colored squares but rather as having 26 unique pieces, each with one to three colored sides. I spent a few timeouts last night and left it on my desk about mostly complete (22 pieces out of 26 in place). I tried it again this afternoon and can get the first 13 pieces without any help.
  
• Some of the kids last night had cell phones and were making calls as late (early?) as 4am. Who lets their kids talk on the phone at 4am? I can understand reasons for teenagers to have a cell phone but I'm not sure that I'd trust a kid to have unfettered usage of that phone. I'd want to check call logs and minutes and know who my child was talking to and when.
• Another Kansas/Missouri note: According to the Pitch, the best homegrown product of 2007 on the Missouri side: Boulevard Beer. The best homegrown product of 2007 on the Kansas side: Garmin International, the leading GPS device company. Just saying.
• The boys started back on their school work today. No more playing Wii around the clock. They didn't think it was remotely fair.