Once was lost...

The newest Dlog is somewhat nostalgic. Nate and Thomas make an appearance, while Jon shares his thoughts...

When is the last time you ventured over to...

...my blog?

A Substitute

Dumb Dumb is still vacationing in Barbados, so to hold you over for the next few weeks there will be an assortment of guest-hosts and even some older, thought to be lost footage. I know it's not the same, but it'll have to do for now.

A little dance for Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone, from Daniel, Zion and the rest of us.

Time for a smurfing good movie...

Ever since I was a little kid I had a dream that they would make this movie. I could never quite imagine how they would turn those little blue guys (and girl) into realistic, live action characters for the big screen... apparently wizard James Camron knows best. Now I am on my way up to Indianapolis to see my dream come true (in glorious IMAX 3D). All I know is this; I don't care that Gragamel is being interpreted as a cigar-chewing x-soldier, that Papa Smurf is being played by Sigourney Weaver or that Smurfette is not actually blond... the only thing I care is that they actually refer to that giant saber toothed beast from the previews as "Azrael". That's all I need.

Kid can't sing but sure can play!!!

California English Pt. 2

This is the new Vampire Weekend that was released with Cousins on the 7" single. It rocks the socks.

VW

Ben posted this a while back... worth another listen.

Fun w/ Photoshop

Lala

Want to know what the absolute best site on the interwebs is? Currently it's called Lala.

You may have seen Lala in the news recently since they were just purchased by Apple, but they are a free music/social network site. Here's how it works:

1. You sign up (click here)
2. Download the music analyzer. This will comb your computer for music then compare that list to Lala's catalog and make all matches available for you on their site. That means you can listen to your music anywhere, from any computer (with a high-speed connection). This of course might not work for all your chamber music or Nigerian Hip-Hop, but there is a huge library.
3. Add friends. With Lala you can find people you know or people with similar tastes and 'follow' them. That means you see what they are listening to and you can discover new stuff. They can also follow you and see that you listen to an inordinate amount of Kenny G.
4. Listen and discover. Listening to music is, of course, the main point. You can listen to any 'web' song for free (once) and buy it for 10c. You can download songs for 89c (unless Apple changes that).



There are a lot of cool features. For example you can be listening to a song and start building your queue on-the-fly. There is also a 'Mix it Up' option on artist pages where Lala builds a playlist for you. Check it out, friend me, and tell me what you think.

Christmas Tree Cutting

As I was thinking about cutting a Christmas tree tonight after work, for some reason, this got stuck in my head.

Have a great Christmas season:

For the cousins...

Thanksgiving

Matt and Jon making lunch.
Ashley standing next to Nate.
William and I discussing the physics of intercontinental highways.
Michal making three dishes at once for Thanksgiving dinner.
David effortlessly carrying the love-seat by himself.
My Dad walking through the Fall colors in the forest.
Aravis' legs sticking out from under the desk, in search of Crumpet.
Zion wriggling in my arms.
My wife Jess, holding her own against the famous Crum sarcasm.
Chipper super-excited. ready for dinner.
Jesse and Jude walking around in Washington D.C.
My Mom, wearing a sweater, surrounded by her boys.
Daniel and Ben debating candy vs. cough drops.
Thomas' prayer for his brother.
Jill, bumping and setting better than the rest of us.
Playing basketball with my taller brother Stephen.
Emily gracefully playing Crazy Pictionary.
The smile on Katie's face.

New Music Monday - Ramona Falls

For all of you suffering from colds, flu and the like, Ramona Falls, "I Say Fever":

VW - CONTRA

From the forthcoming album, download the new track: here

William's Report

William Henry Crum III
November 10, 2009

Great Explorers

David Livingstone was a famous Scottish missionary in Africa and one of Africa’s greatest European explorers. Dr. Livingstone was born in Blantyre, Scotland, on March 19, 1813. In 1836, David diligently began studying medicine and the Bible so that later on he could go to Africa as a missionary doctor. Dr. Livingstone was married in 1845 to Mary Moffat, the daughter of a fellow missionary. Later, in Africa, Livingstone took a four-year expedition to find the route of the Zambezi River to the Atlantic coast. Miraculously, Dr. Livingstone found a magnificent waterfall along this river which he called Victoria Falls. Thinking even greater, he took an expedition to find the source of the Nile. After Livingstone discovered the Nile’s headwaters, he died on May 1, 1873. His body was buried in England, but since he had loved Africa so much, his heart was buried there in Africa.

Similar to David Livingstone, Henry Stanley was also a notable African explorer. Stanley was born John Rowlands on January 28, 1841. When Rowlands grew up, he moved to New Orleans where he met a great friend, Henry Morton Stanley. Ashamed of his own family background, Rowlands adopted Stanley’s name. Unlike Dr. Livingstone, in 1867 Stanley became a special correspondent for the New York Herald. The newspaper commissioned Stanley to go to Africa on a mission to find the missing famous Dr. Livingstone. After Henry had continuously searched and searched for him, he finally found him at Lake Tanganyika. When Stanley met Dr. Livingstone he said a phrase that is very famous today, “Dr. Livingstone, I presume.” Shortly after Livingstone’s death, Stanley continued his exploration of the region. Stanley had to travel the length of the Lualaba and Congo Rivers before he reached the Atlantic Ocean in August 1877. Retiring, and returning to Europe, Henry Stanley was knighted for his important explorations in 1899 and died May 10, 1904. Even though Stanley was born into a sad life, he is well known for his outstanding accomplishments.

Dr. David Livingstone and Henry Morton Stanley each had a great impact on Africa. Livingstone shared the Gospel with many of the Africans he met. Both men helped to bring light to the “Dark Continent”. Stanley, like Livingstone, explored much of the interior of Africa. Their discoveries helped cartographers map Africa’s previously unknown regions and features. After months of searching, David discovered Victoria Falls. Enthusiastically, Henry worked in the northern and southern regions of Africa and was the first to reach Zanzibar in 1871. Prepared for another adventure, Stanley went on to find the Nile’s source. Creating the Congo Freestate, Dr. Livingstone, who personally freed many African slaves, exposed the horrors of the slave trade to educate Europeans. Both men wrote about their adventures and discoveries and shared these around the world. Livingstone and Stanley were such an exceptional influence on Africa that we still remember them today.

William's Geography Paper: Africa

William would like to post a paper he wrote on Livingstone and Stanley, but we don't know how to import it (and I don't want to retype the paper here). Can anyone help?