Mark's Expeditions in Technology and Life

This post is dedicated to some of the most important people on the base, the taxi drivers, also known as the "Honcho." Through rain, high winds, dust storms, flooding, and snow?, these people will heroically drive Marines anywhere both on and off base. The hold a special place in every Marine's mind because of this. They will take Marine and their friends anywhere on base for 600Y ($6-$7). Allowing the Marines, if they drive, to leave their vehicles at their domiciles when they go to the club to enjoy some "adult beverages." They also give the Marines who do not drive the ability to enjoy the base's Exchange and various restaurants. These fearless individuals will also venture off base to retrieve a wayward Marine, or to take Marines to the local "sites." Be they Jusco, San-A, a movie theater, the airport, bars, dance clubs, or more risque' places, they never shrink from their self appointed duty. (Jusco and San-A are the local versions...

Well, I have had the Kindle now for over 2 weeks. Since the shiny newness has worn off, I thought I would write some more thoughts about it. I have to tell you, I am really impressed. The battery life is totally awesome. Since charging it right after I bought it, I have not had to plug it in! When you figure I read at my desk during lunch for an hour, 1 to 2 hours at night during the week, and probably about another 2 to 3 hours during the weekend, this is pretty good. Especially when you consider that some cell phones have to charged every other day, if not every day. Granted, I have had the wireless off for the most part. I did notice that the battery did tend to drain at an increased rate when the wireless connection was on. Speaking of wireless, it is not the same wireless connection that a computer uses. It uses the same connection that a cell phone does. AT&T provides the connection for the Kindle to connect to the internet. The internet capabilities of the Kind...

Well, I decided to buy myself an early birthday gift. I bought an Amazon Kindle. I have to tell you, it is a good piece of gear. For those who are wondering what it is, it is the electronic book reader sold by Amazon.com. I know what you all may be thinking, "There he goes, buying another electronic gadget!" Hey, I am not addicted to electronics, I can quit them any time I want....oooo wait, I see a new electronic movie poster projector thingy. I have got to have it!!!!!!! Seriously, it really is a great accessory for me and my library. It is about as big as a paperback book, but weighs much less. The screen is really easy to read, and it looks like real paper. The biggest thing I like about it is the fact that it can hold up to 1,500 books! Since I had to leave all but a handful of books back in the states, this amount of space will allow me to rebuild my library here in Okinawa. No, I do not have that many books, but I do come close. Books for it can range fr...

Chopper is back!! Our mascot has returned from purgatory, and is once again living the "Life of Riley." Yours truly has taken him in his charge. The Band here in Okinawa is the only Marine Band who has a mascot. Our current mascot is named Chopper IV. He is an Okinawan Mixed Breed and is about 7 years old. He has his own Service Record Book, and a complete set of uniforms. Right now, though, only his Woodland Camouflage uniform fits him. I am in the process of replacing his other uniforms, Dress Blues and Desert Utilities, with ones that fit. He holds the rank of Sergeant, and we hope to get him promoted to Staff Sergeant some time this summer. I am also working on getting him a proper ID card, and he needs to re-enlist. Oh yes, he has to sign re-enlistment paperwork just like every other Marine. Since he can not write, he just puts a paw print on the appropriate lines on the forms. I know that all of this may seem silly to some, but you know how tradition can be...