Steve Symington’s Blog

Today I was reading an article on CNN regarding the lending crunch resulting from the current subprime mortgage mess…you know the scenario: A greedy lender offers their customer a toxic ARM without making clear the risks of such a loan. The customer could afford a better (fixed) loan, but jumps out of his/her seat when he/she realizes it’s possible to borrow $300,000 for under $800 per month…at first. What they don’t often realize is the loan will later reset to a much higher rate, easily doubling their monthly payment.

What really made me sick, however, were the content-generated ads that appeared at the bottom of the page…
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My boy Tuff Harris has already gotten his first taste of the NFL a couple weeks into the preseason. What makes this even better, however, is that he signed on as a free agent with my team of choice, the Dolphins, and he’s so far survived the first round of cuts. Best of luck to you, Tuff. I hope you know how much the Griz will miss you here in Missoula…

Update, 9-3-07: Good news and bad news this weekend. Tuff didn’t make the 53-man roster, but the Dolphins gave him a place on the practice squad. Good job fella…I can’t wait to see where this goes. In the meantime, however, check out this pic of Tuff demonstrating his crazy vertical in a preseason game against Tampa Bay.

Yep, we’ve got daddy’s little girl on the way. And my, oh my, how she’s grown since you last saw her. She currently measures about 12 to 14 inches tall, weighs in around 13 ounces, seems to like sucking her thumb, and can kick like a mule. As such, I’m proudly displaying our (second) set of baby pictures…Oh, and I can safely say there’s certainly no need for a “BABY” label this time…

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It’s been awhile since my last post, but I needed some worthy news to motivate me. What, you ask, could be so worthy? I like to think our first baby is big enough news.
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I’m having trouble right with windows right now. It’s not what you think; not your take-over-the-world, Bill Gates & Monkey-Boy windows. Almost a month and a half ago, my wife and I decided to take a trip to Lowes to order replacement windows for our home. Here’s the story so far…

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I suppose a better way to put it would be “Toyota’s expanding demographic.” That is, at least, what they’re going for as of late. Most notably, they seem to have their sites set on blue-collar America with their 2007 Tundra pickup.

Previously labeled as “almost full-sized,” the Tundra never really caught my eye until this year; according to Toyota’s execs, there’s little to link the new Tundra to its 2006 counterpart (it’s now five inches taller, four inches wider, 10 inches longer, includes a V8 option, and can tow 10,800 lbs).

Additionally, last year became the final All-American NASCAR when Toyota made its debut entry this year, which “predictably stirred up some debate among racing enthusiasts and evoked some red, white and blue patriotism.” Many people don’t seem to like the fact that Toyota, a Japan-based company, is digging it’s way deeper into American culture.
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A short while ago, some folks at my beloved University of Montana put a neat little Java applet online and dubbed it the “Grizcam”. In short, a camera sits atop the Jesse Dorm [campus map (.pdf)] and allows web visitors to “take control” for a minimum of 20 seconds to pan the University area. If some other web visitor doesn’t steal control after your 20 seconds of fame, you continue to hold the power glove until you’re forced to give it up (it’s basically a nice way to teach college students how to share).

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I love my gmail account. It has effective spam filters, an ever-increasing account size limit, awesome email search capability, Google Chat (like a better MSN or Yahoo Messenger), and…well…it’s Google. As of my birthday (yesterday), it looks like Google opened Gmail to all. The service was previously accessible by invitation only. Now, armed with only a cell phone, you can ask Google for their wondrous email service. (Note: per Google’s privacy policy, your phone number won’t be sold for marketing purposes unless you tell them to use it.) Update, 2-16-07: You no longer need a phone. Just visit Gmail.com, click the “Sign up for Gmail” link, and create your account.
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I rarely use P2P clients anymore for music downloads (no, I’m not concerned with RIAA lawsuits), and I absolutely don’t want unneccessary software on my work machine. Free, streaming online music sites simply make more sense for me right now. If I just want some music to pass the time, and don’t feel like sifting through my collection or can’t install unneccesary software on a given machine, I’ve got a decision to make: Pandora.com or Blogmusik.net? I know I won’t ever come to a definite conclusion, but I think people need to know about these two awesome sites. Here are a few simple observations for informative purposes… Read More… »