07.02.11
Posted in miscellaneous, tech at 1:37 PM by david
We just had a visit from someone from Vivint Security advertising their home alarm systems. I let him talk for a while, mostly out of curiosity, and I was amused by several items.
- I’m amused by door-to-door sales of security services in general. That is a prime avenue for social engineering. “Hello, stranger. Yes, please come and look around my home and notice any weaknesses. Oh you want to know if I have children? What kind of technology I own? I’ll be glad to tell you. By the way, I appreciate the photo ID you have hanging around your neck. There is no way that could have been made in at Staples.”
- He mentioned that they had installed systems for several folks in the neighborhood. In fact, he had a list. Did I know Mr. Lunt on Timberlane? What about Mr. Larry on Morningside. (Names changed to protect the exploited.) I certainly appreciate that information. Riffles through the phone book. *ring* “Mr. Lunt? Hi, this is Frank with Vivent Security. We are troubleshooting some issues with your system. Could you please disarm your system for 10 minutes while we reboot it? Thank you.”
- They have a cool iPhone app that lets you see the status of all of the sensors in your house, view feed from your security camera, even arm and disarm the system. I had a really hard time surprising a smile when he showed me that. Not because I want it, but because I want AT it. It is possible that they coded it securely, but I would very much like to try to exploit that thing. So many fun things you could do with that.
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05.09.11
Posted in justice at 10:05 AM by david
For those who don’t know, I was in Honduras this past week with a team from Living Water International drilling a water well for the community of Arena (pronounced ah-RAY-nah). I have many pictures and videos to post, as well as much to write about, but for now, here is just a before and after.
Water source before May 5, 2011:



Water source after May 5, 2011:

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03.21.11
Posted in family, food at 10:18 PM by david

Tonight was the Daddy/Daughter Date Night at Chick-fil-A. I called and made reservations for me and Anna as soon as they announced it. I hadn’t been to one of their Date Nights before, but I have been looking forward to it for weeks. It was not a disappointment. Events like this are exactly why CFA is the best chain around. The majority of the restaurant was reserved for the Date Night. It was so awesome to see so many dads there, doting on their daughters.
When you get there, you walk up to a hostess stand and give them your name (reservations are required). They then take you to your table, complete with table cloth and place mats, and place a name card on the table.

As soon as you are seated, a girl brings around a basket full of large (plastic) flowers that have been turned into hairbows. Anna, of course, picked out a yellow one. A server then comes to take your drink order, provide you with menus (if needed), and take your order. While you wait for your food (drinks are brought out immediately), you can go get a long-stem carnation and get your picture taken (prints will be available at no cost next week).
After dinner, everyone got a free cup of ice cream. Well, dads got a little dish and daughters got a nicely decorated cup with sprinkles on top. (Though, I’d suspect that many dads assisted their daughters in finishing their cup, as I did.)

It was a wonderful and very well-done evening. We are certainly blessed to be able to take advantage of such events. And I am certainly blessed to have such joyful and beautiful daughters. I’m looking forward to being able to take both of them next year.

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02.20.11
Posted in animals at 9:09 PM by david
Or, maybe Gatlyn. Or maybe something else entirely. I’m not crazy about the name even though I started calling her that…

(Click the image for more pictures of her)
Gatlin was found by some friends of ours as they played at Gatlin Park on Feb 9. Gatlin came right up to them and their kids, then followed them on their walk home, and played with the kids in the front yard for a few hours. She had a collar, but no tags at all. Our friend posted to Facebook and, since they live right down the street from us and they didn’t have a place for her, we offered to help out. (This was also right when the massive snow storm was coming through, so there was no way we were leaving her out in that weather.)
We borrowed a dog house from some other friends of ours and I set up a kennel in the storage room in the garage. It’s not ideal, but it is way better than her being outside. Fortunately, thanks to Sydney’s and Lexi’s penchant for chewing up their beds, we had plenty of extra bedding to put in the dog house. I also put down the anti-fatigue mat to put her water bowl on so she wouldn’t step in any water that spilled, and I kept the light on to provide a little bit of heat. (The next morning, none of the water had frozen, so it had at least stayed above freezing in there despite the single digits outside.)
We filed a found report with Conway Animal Welfare as soon as they opened (the next Monday). We also put an ad in the paper. Nothing. I took her to our vet to have them scan for a microchip. There wasn’t one, of course. I couldn’t believe that no one was looking for this dog. Someone had been loving on her until recently. She is so sweet and lovable. Her coat is beautiful and soft and her teeth are in good shape. She even knows how to sit and down on command (usually). After a week, though, signs seemed to point to that possibility that someone had dumped her.
Of course we were in communication with All About Labs pretty much immediately. They set up the vet appointment for her this past Thursday to get her checked out, spayed, microchipped, and get her shots. Amazingly, they found out that she was already spayed. Unfortunately, they also found out that she has heartworms.
***** Rant *****
Listen. The cost of heartworm preventative is $5-$8 per month. The cost of heartworm treatment is $500-$800; plus, it is very hard on the dog and can be fatal. Do the math, people!
So, she is staying with us longer than we expected. She is on a 30-day antibiotic before she starts the heartworm treatment. We’re using those 30 days to try to find a foster family to take care of her during the treatment. Because of the treatment, she needs to be inside. She is super-sweet and is great with kids, but she is large enough (60 pounds) that having her inside with Sarah would be very difficult (and stressful).
If you are at all interested in fostering, or even adopting, Gatlin, please let us know. The vet bills will be covered, and we can also provide the food if you would like. You would just need to keep her inside, make sure she doesn’t get too active when she goes outside, and indulge her desire to be loved on. She would also need to go to the vet in Little Rock once a month, but we can take care of that, too.
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02.01.11
Posted in food, frustrations at 10:45 PM by david
I want the world. I want the whole world. I want to lock it all up in my pocket. It’s my bar of chocolate. Give it to me now.
Updated USDA dietary guidelines were recently released. Among the recommendations was a reduction of daily salt intake from 2300 mg to 1500 mg “among persons who are 51 and older and those of any age who are African American or have hypertension, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease.” That seems reasonable, especially seeing as how it is targeting a particularly vulnerable demographic. The Salt Institute didn’t think so.
That’s right, salt has its own industry trade group. I had no idea. Anyway, here are some excerpts from its response regarding the recommended reduction.
This ignores or overlooks recent research that points to obesity, not salt, as the main culprit in rising blood pressure rates.
First, saying that “recent research… points to” sounds a lot like trying to take a single study that showed possible correlation and twisting it to support a preconceived idea. But let’s assume that it becomes established fact that obesity is the primary culprit in rising blood pressure rates. So what? We should only be concerned about primary culprits? What is a group had said something along the lines of, “Recent research shows that heart disease, not lung disease, is the main culprit in early mortality. Therefore, we believe it is imprudent to spend resources trying to reduce lung disease.” Absurd. Not to mention that the statement by the Salt Institute implies that salt is still a leading culprit in rising blood pressure rates.
What’s more, dramatically decreasing sodium can be dangerous. A recent Harvard study links low-salt diets to an immediate increase in insulin resistance, a precursor to Type 2 Diabetes.
This is some fine FUD the industry is spewing. Again, let’s first dissect what was actually stated. “A recent Harvard study” = 1, single study. “Links” = correlation, not causation. “A precursor to Type 2 Diabetes” = actual danger is uncertain, but insulin resistance may be observed prior to the onset of type 2 diabetes.
But, for the sake of argument, let’s assume it becomes established fact that a low-salt diet contributes to the onset of type 2 diabetes. The guidelines for a low-sodium diet from UCSF Medical Center state that the body only needs ¼ teaspoon of salt a day. This is 600 mg. I don’t think 1500 mg a day qualifies as a low-salt diet. Yes, we need salt in our diets and if someone somehow managed to drop below 600 mg of salt, they would probably have health problems. But the recommendation of 1500 mg is 2½ times this amount. And, remember, some of those targeted for this reduction already have diabetes. I’m not sure how pertinent a precursor is for those who already have diabetes.
“These guidelines are a classic example of ‘Ready, Fire, Aim’ by the federal food police,” said Lori Roman, president of the Salt Institute, which represents the salt industry. “While increasing obesity and hypertension rates are health concerns we can all share, it’s simplistic and dangerous to attribute them to salt, an essential nutrient.”
I’m not going to defend federal nutrition guidelines as the most well-considered guidelines ever conceived, but the don’t attribute obesity to salt intake and don’t solely attribute hypertension to salt.
“If high blood pressure increased significantly but salt consumption did not, then it is obvious that the Dietary Guidelines regarding salt are baseless,” said Morton Satin, vice president of science and research at the Salt Institute.
This follows a citation that salt intake has leveled off while hypertension has continued to increase. That could just as easily mean that salt’s impact had plateaued and in no way discounts any benefit from reduction. The guy’s name is Morton? And he works for the Salt Institute?
Be sure to check out Marion Nestle’s Food Politics blog for more insight into the guidelines.
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01.27.11
Posted in frustrations, justice at 11:25 AM by david
Doesn’t make much sense, does it??: Homeless go without eating. Elderly go without needed medicines. Mentally ill go without treatment. Troops go without proper equipment. Veterans go without benefits that were promised.Yet we donate billions to other countries before helping our own first. 1% will re-post and 99% won’t. I KNOW I’m in the 1%
This has been circulating in Facebook status messages for a little while, and rather than tersely comment on individual posts, I’m going to rant here because there are just so many things wrong with this sentiment.
First, the homeless go without eating all around the world. In fact, globally, it isn’t just the homeless. “The United Nations…estimates that 852 million people are undernourished worldwide. According to the USDA, 83 million people live on less than eleven hundred calories a day. Six million people will die of hunger-related causes this year alone.” [Source]
Elderly and the mentally ill go without medicine and treatment all around the world. In fact, globally, it isn’t just the elderly and mentally ill. Talk to some friends of ours who are getting ready to adopt their daughter from Ethiopia after her biological father died of malaria, leaving her biological mother unable to care for her. “If women had access to basic maternal health services, 80% of maternal deaths could be prevented…. More than a quarter of a million children could be saved each year at the cost of $1.25 for a Vitamin A supplement.” [Source]
Troops are fighting wars (legitimate and illegitimate) without proper supplies or benefits all over the world. In fact, globally, children are being kidnapped and forced to fight brutal and illegal wars [Source]
Second, let’s look at actual numbers for the 2011 budget [Source]:
- DHHS: over $900 billion
- HUD: over $47 billion
- DOD: almost $720 billion
- DHS: over $53 billion
- VA: over $123 billion
We do help our own first. Those areas of concern are not going completely unfunded. They may be underfunded, but, in our nation, they likely always will be. International aid makes up just under $20 billion of the Dept. of State’s nearly $54 billion budget (and that’s probably being generous). Much of that is likely just as much for pro-active military/diplomatic reasons as it is for humanitarian. That is also about 1% of the amount spent by the agencies in charge of the issues presented in the status.
Why even make international aid the target of your attack? International aid is not the cause of the problems. If you took all of the international aid and threw it at those problems, not only would you not solve those problems, but you would create even more problems internationally in the long-term. It would not remove the bureaucratic hurdles or the system inefficiencies or the wasteful spending.
If you want something to attack, how about America’s own consumerism mentality? Americans spend $400 billion on Christmas alone [Source]. A fraction of that could eradicate so many injustices, both domestically and internationally.
Third, this comes across as grand hubris. What makes the lives of those in other countries worth so much less than our own? Should the homeless be fed? Of course. Should the sick have access to treatment? Of course. But that is the case around the world, not just in the US. We are still one of, if not the, richest country in the world. We don’t have to worry about dying from a mosquito bite in the middle of the night. We don’t have to worry about our children dying from diarrhea because the only water they have is from a contaminated pond.
The answer is not to forsake the needy in other countries, the answer is for us, as a country and as individuals, to be more responsible and compassionate with what we have.
American, Chinese, Indian, Afghan, Ugandan, Mexican, German — we are all equal. We all have failings. We all have needs. Most importantly, we all bear the image of God.
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01.15.11
Posted in family, theology at 10:02 PM by david
I was reading All Things Bright and Beautiful to Anna this evening and she asked:
Anna: Where is God?
Me: He is in Heaven.
Anna: Is Jesus in Heaven?
Me: Yes, Jesus is in Heaven, too.
Anna: God and Jesus are in Heaven?
Me: Yes.
Anna: I want to go to Heaven when I get bigger.
Me: (almost in tears) Sweetie, I pray that you do.
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01.09.11
Posted in tech at 1:15 PM by david
If you are reading this, then you are looking at felio.org on the new server and all is good.
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10.24.10
Posted in frustrations at 5:15 PM by david
While we were in the triage room for recovery after Sarah’s birth, the following conversation occurred at the bed next to ours between the nurse and a pregnant woman who had come in complaining of possible labor pains.
Nurse: How old are you?
Patient: 24.
Nurse: How far along are you?
Patient: 29 weeks.
Nurse: Any other children?
Patient: Yes, 3.
Nurse: Were any of them full-term?
Patient: No. (Proceeds to tell how early each came.)
Nurse: Do you smoke?
Patient: Yes. (I could have told her that just from the smell emanating into our area.)
Nurse: How much?
Patient: About a pack a day.
Seriously? 4 pregnancies by 24, all early, and you STILL smoke a pack a day? How is this not child abuse? And is this a situation where mandated sterilization is not completely inappropriate? I dare say she has done everything she can to give up the privilege of procreation.
[EDIT: There seems to be some misunderstanding. I did not say that mandated sterilization was a good idea. What I asked was if it would not be completely inappropriate. Still inappropriate, but not completely. Even this was intended as hyperbole.]
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10.14.10
Posted in family at 3:27 PM by david
Introducing…
Sarah Brooke Felio

Date/Time: October 12, 2010 at 11:44 AM
Weight: 7 lbs., 10 oz.
Length: 18.5 in
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