Rob Lifford

The baby guessing contest will close at noon (central time) today, so get those final votes in. Geek that I am, I’ll probably post a spreadsheet in the next few days so you can see the field, average weight, etc. Last I checked we were very close to an exact 50/50 split with guesses as to the sex of the kid. We may be finding out very soon…

Today family and friends are throwing Cheris a baby shower, and although it’s a girls-only event, I decided to get in on the fun by posting the baby-guessing contest that we’ve discussed recently. Your job: leave a comment in the comments section guessing the following:

1. the sex of the baby
2. the date of birth
3. the kid’s weight

Obviously, you’ve got to be exactly right on number 1. On number two, if nobody gets it right, we’ll look at who’s closest. If more than one person guess right on the date, then the closest guess on the weight will settle it.

The prize will be custom-chosen to suit the winner.

A few things to note: we have absolutely no idea on whether we’re having a boy or a girl, and neither do any of our family members — so nobody has an unfair advantage on this. The official doctor’s estimate on the due date is Friday, January 28.

A few rules and guidelines:

• Identification: You don’t have to include your real name if you’d rather not, but make sure we know exactly who you are. No impersonations or bad practical jokes, please. (And the winner is… I.P. Freely! Hey, wait a sec…) If you know we have an email address for you, no need to leave it, but when in doubt, give us some way to contact you if you win.
• Duplication: No, there’s nothing stopping you from using the doctor’s estimate as your guess on the birthdate, but really, aren’t you feeling bolder than that? You may not completely duplicate someone’s else’s entire entry: vary the weight by a few ounces; distinguish yourself!
• Specification: Your guess on the birthdate need not include the time of day, but feel free to include a ballpark estimate if you’d like to earn bonus points or bragging rights. Your guess on the weight should be in standard American baby-weighin’ pounds and ounces. The metric system, superior though it may be, will not be tolerated.

Any questions, email to rob [at] lifford.org. I’ll post clarifications on this entry if necessary. Good luck!

Well, it’s impossible to forget that 2004 ended tragically for India, Sri Lanka, and so much of southeast Asia, but it helps to remember that tragedies also bring out the best in humankind. Let’s hope that the generosity of people’s money, time, and ingenuity (flowing through the usual relief agencies and projects such as BlogAid, as just one small example), continues well into the new year.

In spite of the sadness surrounding that unbelievable disaster, an overwhelming feeling of hope and happiness carries Cheris and me into the new year, and of course that’s because our first-born will be arriving very soon. Here’s a picture of that beautiful baby belly on Cheris, taken on Christmas day in Corpus Christi, where we had a wonderful holiday (thanks again, Mike and Ann!). Yes, those are reindeer antlers, not some weird new hairstyle on Cheris.

In the nearly-too-surreal-to-believe department, we actually had about six inches of snow in Corpus, but I’ll have to save that story (and hopefully some pictures) for another post — time to go relax on the sofa and feel that kid kick.

A very happy and healthy 2005 to you and yours!

Post number 2 of 2 in my “last word on…” series:

I think file sharing is fine. I used to make mix tapes back in the early eighties, and if something was done in the early eighties, then dammit, it’s ok in my book. I think that the people who download lots (and I mean lots) of music for free weren’t going to buy my CD in the first place. They also probably shoplift, and huff paint.

— Austin’s inimitable Matt the Electrician, in an interview with the unfortunately-named HotBands.com. If you need a laugh, check out the bio on Matt’s website.

…or, at least, the last time I expect to post on the subject, anyway. I’ve finally stumbled across the kind of post that covers most everything I wish I’d found the time and skill to say myself about the issue. Everyone ought to read it. It was written by none other than Eric Meyer, the well-known CSS-centric author/blogger/consultant. All I can say is thank goodness that he occasionally strays from the tech topics long enough to give us a gem like this one.

I reject that whole point of view — that animation is a children’s medium. The way people talk about it is, well, hey, it’s a good thing I have kids, because now I get to see this. Well, hey, no, man! You can just go and see it. There’s no other art form that is defined in such a narrow way. It’s narrow minded, and I can’t wait for it to die.

– Brad Bird, writer/director, The Incredibles.