Steve's Ice Cream

I saw the new Pixar movie, Ratatouille, this afternoon and am very impressed. Pixar has another hit in their latest film. The story was compelling, the characters were developed, the story moved along at a good pace and last but not least the always amazing animation was top notch.

Director, Brad Bird has a winning combination when working with Pixar. Even though he picked up the project mid-way through production, I can see he directoral style throughout the film. The chase scenes are exciting, the story line is well thought out and to the point. I was even surprised that he was able to get some romance into the film.

Older kids will enjoy the film more than younger kids. My guess is that 5 or 6 year olds might be old enough to follow the story.

My only complaint about the film is that I had a hard time feeling attached to the main character. I don't have a problem with rodents or rats in this case, but the logical side of me wanted to see a human in the main character role. I felt Pixar and Disney may have put rats in for merchandising or other marketing possibilities, despite the actual name of the movie.

Who would want to buy a toy rat anyway!

There is a lot of excitement about new solar panel technology, but more likely than not you will choose to install modules that use the same basic technology that was available in 1984. Here are 10 things you should know before speaking with a solar salesperson.I recently read a newspaper article that told the story about a family is St. George, Utah that installed $15,000 solar panels. Their highest electricity bill in the past few years has been $15.00. The lowest bill was .32 cents. The power company in St. George had to install their first bidirectional power meter for this family.

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Here are some cool images if fire and water were switched. New wallpaper!!

If Fire Were Water

I found this in the classified section of the local news paper. It was selling for $6,000.
This is an original 1930's John Deer Hit & Miss Engine that makes 40 quarts of homemade ice cream in less than 30 minutes. Ideal for fairs, parties, sports leagues, community and special events. Also comes with a 36 gal ice cream freezer. I wish I had one of these in my back yard.

Astronomers at a Boston-area high school snapped this stunning picture of the space shuttle Atlantis docking with the International Space Station, 190 nautical miles up.

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