Snow

It’s been snowing all day here in Utah. I woke up to snow and it just hasn’t stopped. I love to ski, but even then I’m getting sick of driving to and from work in the snow. Not to mention that the traffic is terrible when it snows. But the snow amongst other things has made me contemplate the wonder that is snow.

I love how quiet everything around me is when it snows. Whether you’re walking outside your house, or in the woods, snow makes the world quiet. Many stay home and wait out the weather, which is one reason the world grows quiet during a snow storm. Either way, the storm blankets the earth with a white, cold dust. After a storm, the snow dusted mountains here in Utah look amazing against the bright blue sky. It truly is a beautiful sight.

But the snow does not stay that pristine white for long. After a few days, people and animals alike trample through the snow, making it a dirty slush. I’ve been thinking about this fact all day. Much of the snow that falls does not stay white for long. So how can we stay white as snow and not let others, things, or circumstances make us become unclean? I think this can apply to each of us in all aspects of our lives. It can deal with work ethics, personal ethics, religion, and so much more.

Each of us live our lives to certain guidelines, whether their your own or not. As children we were taught to have manners. As adults we are given a set of guidelines for work and other aspects of our lives. So the question remains: how do we make sure we lead our lives in an untarnished manner?

It’s a personal question and I’ll leave that answer up to you. For me, if anything I would like to make sure my ethics and reputation stay untarnished as white as a fresh snowfall. The obvious answer for me is to never do anything that would create a disturbance to fresh fallen snow. I hope that each of us can come up with ways to make sure our reputations and personal ethics stay as pure as this fresh snowfall I’m getting right now in Utah.

Even Google has a Heart

The wildfires plaguing southeastern Australia have left thousands of people homeless. According to CNN the fires have killed at least 173 people. Even worse, some investigators believe the wildfires were started by arson.

Now Google has stepped in to help in the fight against the fires. Google Maps have created a flash map to help keep track of the blazes. Google Maps have created this to decrease traffic on official emergency service sites. Those of us who are following the fires have essentially clogged the tubes. So out of the goodness of its heart, Google created the flash map to hopefully reduce the traffic burden on those emergency websites.

The fires are being tracked in real time by the State of Victoria’s Country Fire Authority via RSS feed. The numbers on the map show the amount of fires at a location. The colors indicate the current containment status of the fire site. I hope that this map will all soon have green markers everywhere-because that means the fires are safe and not ravaging people’s homes and land. Check out the link to keep track of the Australian Wildfires. http://www.gmodules.com/ig/creator?url=http://mapvisage.appspot.com/fires/vicfiresgadget.xml&synd=open&w=550&h=400&title=Victoria+Fires+Map&border=%23ffffff%7C3px%2C1px+solid+%23999999

Koi Pond

For those of you who own an iPhone or an iPod Touch, I’m sure you’ve heard of the Koi Pond app. I know it sounds ridiculously simple and boring. However, after doing this review months ago, I can’t stop singing Koi Pond’s praises.
Koi Pond is a lifelike simulation app complete with feeding, sounds, and water interaction. Sounds stupid right? I know I thought the same thing when I found out what Koi Pond was. I thought for sure there would be more of a game or something than just putting your finger in some water and playing with fish.
It’s a very simple app, but it does its job very well. Whenever I’m stressed, or just need a break from work-this app is one of the first I turn to. Playing with the fish, even if the “bite” my finger. I shake my device to feed the fish, or just hang out in the pool. So check out Koi Pond-you just might be pleasantly surprised.