Horseback Riding through the Buffalo in Yellowstone

A once in a lifetime opportunity, we rode horseback through Yellowstone park.  We spent almost 8 hours on horseback, and rode along side the buffalo.  We went with family who owned the horses and go into the park quite often.

We got up at 3:30am and drove about 2 hours to Yellowstone, and then once in the park, we drove 2 hours to get to our spot to start the ride.

Right from the start, we were in the buffalo.  We walked right through the middle of where they were.  The buffalo didn’t care.

Angie had an English riding helmet.  Our experienced riders called them “lids.”

The buffalo would roll on the ground there were all sorts of these wallows that were pretty well worn.

We got to see geysers/steam pots that 99% of park visitors never see.

We went up and down quite a few hills.  For me, it was hardest on the muscles coming down the hills.  For Angie, the hardest was going up the hills.  However, throughout the ride, the toughest part on the muscles were on our knees trying to keep the stirrups right.

We rode for miles and miles through the back country of Yellowstone.

It was interesting that the horses did not want to cross even tiny streams of water.  Mine to a leap into the air and over a stream.  That was crazy!  By the end, I think I learned how to help the horse step into the small streams first and then walk through.  It felt like after the first big jump, that the horse wanted to jump more.

Just over the next hill.  The horses would want to run up the hill, so we had to hold them back a little.  Angie was on a Tennessee walker which walk a little more smoothly than other horses.

We stopped at a beautiful place for lunch.  The grass was very soft.  At lunch, we were pretty sore already.  My legs were already so tired and trembling from being exercised in a new way.

The river above got a little deap that we crossed.

The rivers were set down in the ground a bit so it was quite a dip down to get in and usually a little jump to get out.

That buffalo above wasn’t too happy about us crossing right there.  Perhaps he wanted to go first.

We had a great time, and then had 4 hours to get back to where we were staying

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EA Sports Active

We’ve had lots of fun trying out the EA Sports Active Game for the Wii.

The basketball, volleyball, tennis, and running are fun. Also, compared to the Wii Fit game, there’s a fast transition between exercises. The resistance band that comes with the game is great for toning upper arm strength.

What’s also fun about the game is that two people can play at once and it tracks your progress.

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Cupcake is Here!!!

Well it’s finally here!  Although yummy edible cupcakes are a delight, this isn’t your grandma’s cupcake we’re talking about.

The much anticipated Android version 1.5 also known as “Cupcake” finally reached my phone through the Over the Air (OTA) update.

Android is the operating system that Google developed and is in use for the G1 by T-mobile.  This year is called year of the Android because many carriers will start releasing Android phones.  Think of it as if Apple opened up the iPhone software and let any phone company put it on their phones for free.  That’s what Android is doing.  It’s a cell phone revolution.

Android links to a “Market” or “App Store” from the phone where you can purchase or download for free applications for the phone.

One of the coolest is called SkyMap which lets you see the constellations in the night sky with labels. It’s awesome:

The other day, we used the phone and Google Street view to take a reminiscing tour of the Eiffel Tower. I could hold the phone up, and when I turn, the view on the phone would pan, rotate, etc. according to how I was holding the phone. It’s pretty cool.

I’m developing an application for the phone (not nearly as cool as SkyMap, but it will be useful and fun).

“My Tracks” is another great application for the phone. We’ve used it when out hiking.

A few new features in Android 1.5 Cupcake:

Here are few more videos from the older release of Android, but that still highlight what’s cool about Android:

Using the Map Application to view Traffic Conditions

Using the Window Shade to see New emails, Text messages, calendar events

Customizing the Home Page and Searching for Applications

I also like that the phone lets me create a password to access the phone.  It’s a simple customizable pattern that you use by sliding your finger on the phone.  Just think of all those executives who use a Blackberry and if they leave their phone somewhere have suddenly opened up their entire corporate network, their email, etc.

Everybody loves Cupcakes! This was uploaded using the camcorder on the phone. The upload can go straight to YouTube.

It’s estimated that there will be 12 to 20 new Android based phones released this year, so if you’re on AT&T, Verizon, or other major carriers, you’re chance is coming soon.  It’s been proposed by analysts that in the next few years, Android based phones will outnumber the iPhone which right now has command of the smart phone market.

Go Android!

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Face-Melting Guitar Solo

Ah, Baroque music, isn’t it about time? (Musical joke.  Baroque music is characteristically all about time.)

Seriously, “funtwo” as he is known in the common tongue can really play, and he hasn’t been playing for all that long. There are quite a number of people on YouTube that have uploaded songs he’s played, interviews he has done, and even a performance at YouTube Live.

Who is this capped musical wonder? Let’s ask Wikipedia:

Lim Jeong-hyun, also known by the online alias funtwo, is a South Korean guitarist known for his cover of the piece Canon Rock. The YouTube user with the alias “guitar90″ is not Lim Jeong-hyun, but an unknown person who just happened to upload Lim’s video. This has been cleared up in his latest interviews. Quoting from the video, the interview clarifies, “someone else called guitar90 who grabbed the video and put it on YouTube where it became a sensation”. Now he has an account on youtube called funtwohimself.

He played and recorded his cover of Canon Rock during 2005. He uploaded his video onto the popular Korean music site called Mule.co.kr. It was then uploaded to YouTube by a viewer nicknamed “guitar90″, under the title guitar. It was not long before the video gathered popularity and viewers speculated as to who was beneath the baseball cap.

His video is among the twenty most viewed and fifth most “favorited” video in YouTube history with over 58 million views and counting.
Lim’s cover of Canon Rock has been mentioned on CNN, 20/20, The New York Times, and National Public Radio, in addition to MBC news, CBC Radio, KBS news, and other Korean news stations.

Many viewers have speculated and thought the video as fake because the audio is not synchronized with the video. Lim later stated to The New York Times that this had to do with the fact that “he recorded the audio and video independently and then matched them inexactly.” The performance itself was recorded in two parts, and edited together. An image of a traffic light was used to make the transition.

Lim Jeong-hyun. (2009, April 30). In  Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 02:14, May 4, 2009, from  http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lim_Jeong-hyun&oldid=287145015

The “face-melting” bit is from “School of Rock.”

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YouTube Symphony

Today not only marks Tax Day in the United States, but it also marks the day for the coming together of musicians the world over to play in the YouTube Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.

CNN.com ran a little special about the symphony, and it’s pretty neat, and a great idea by Google, YouTube, and the musician collaborators.

 

It really shows the power of the Internet to bring together people and ideas. A big fan of classical music, I love the idea, and, as mentioned in the CNN.com video, the project shows that classical music is not outdated. It’s alive and inspirational to millions of people.

You can find more videos from the symphony on the Orchestra’s YouTube Channel.

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