Twenty Minute Genealogist

Hey, everyone. Just letting you know about the next big thing in my small world. Our startup at BYU is going public; please help get the word out to anyone who you think might be interested.

See a mockup of the project and offer feedback at this link: http://twentygen.cs.byu.edu/

FYI: The 20 Minute Genealogist is an interface with the LDS church genealogical data base whose objective is to help you make REAL progress on your genealogy work in 20 minutes or less.

Specifically, 20MG focuses on:

• preserving context (remembers what you were doing)
• expert help (suggestions for what to do next based on input from expert genealogists)
• one stop (your data is automatically synched with the Church's huge database, so you don't need to try to maintain your data on multiple sites)

Silver Thread Takes Off!

I did get confirmation on my book; the first two copies were shipped September 23. Unfortunately, PublishAmerica thought it was a good idea to not let me post any clips from the book on the web, but a press announcement should be coming out soon and I'll probably post that here. In the meantime, all are welcome to check it out for themselves at http://publishamerica.org. I can probably get a lower price for interested buyers, if you ask me early. :)

I feel very blessed to have written the book and will be very happy to see it in print. Although I can't publish poetry from the book, I have other samples of my work - just let me know if you're interested in a comment to this post.

It's an Uncle!

Well, I thought I'd go ahead and share my good news in detail now: I'm an uncle. My nephew Edward Morgan Miller was born July 8, 2008, just a few days before the birthdays of his uncle, mother, and aunt. We Julians are getting more numerous!

At 7 pounds 9 oz. he also came within 4 1/2 oz. of his uncle. He has long strong fingers; another musician for sure! We're all fond of music (and babies) so here's wishing him a long, happy life. Welcome to the world, Ed!

My New Web Site

As a part of my new PublishAmerica title, Silver Thread and Other Poems (still in production), I now have a new website: http://www.publishedauthors.net/miller/index.html

Pretty empty, right now, but it looks nice. Tell me if there's anything you think I ought to add to the site (or the blog).

On Originality

"Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it." C. S. Lewis

It seems to me that our culture encourages young people to "be themselves" simply by being what everyone else is being. The idea of our being original is far overstated at best. As human beings, our only real liberty is the choice of who we will follow in life: God or Satan. Anything good we do is made possible and adds to the glory of God. Anything evil is simply fueling the power of the adversary. In our heart of hearts, everyone knows this.

Answers

A sole king sulking.

That’s “unheard dove."

The alphabet.

Envelope.

A handful.

A wishing well.

Use an elevator.

Because he was ‘poured’ and the food was ‘rich.’

Neither side. Roosters don’t lay eggs!

The puddle was out of sync, and the history book couldn’t keep up with the times, so only the
ruler was in line.

Disturbing the piece.

The fur, because he turned around and found a way (Wafer, get it?). The bee was too buzzy (busy), the rope got tied up with something, and the phone got hung up too many times.

They won’t know the answer because they are two egg ’n’ a runt.

“Time flies!” (Yeah, a little lame.)

A mew-sician.

Triumph!

A 2 E Z test!

Ketchup!

Four, because the preschoolers don’t count yet.

Fast, because his feet didn’t break.

An environmentalist, because he sorts out all the bugs.

A “not-he” boy.

Because he is an heir. (isn’t here)

Cherry; pear. (Chair repair)

The spider, cause it has more eyes. (ice)

Because they are doubles. A double is twice as much as the number, which makes the number… have a fit. (Half of it, get it? }88{ )

Boxing, cause they always make a square deal; envelopes are sometimes obtuse.

An empty hole (M.T. whole)

They go into the median because they are two left. (too left)

Riddles

I was going through some old stuff and found these. I'll post the answers later.

A bunch of crosspatch monarchs have a meeting, then all of them leave except one. What is that one called?
What do you call a singing dove in a soundproof box?
What English word has the most letters in it?
What begins with e, ends with e, and only has one letter in it?
How many wrinkles are on an old person’s hand?
What is it called when you offer your congratulations to someone?
How do you drop an egg 100 ft. without breaking it?
Why was the water jealous of the food?
A rooster lays an egg on top of a henhouse with a peaked roof. Which side does the egg roll off?
A puddle, a ruler, and a history book were arguing about who was the most stylish. Who was, and why?
What crime is committed when someone tips their king over in chess?
A bee, a rope, a telephone, and a fur were planning to go to a cookie party. Only one made it. Which was it, and why?
What happens when you ask an undersized mutt sucking two eggs a question?
What did the professor say when his alarm clock flew out the window?
What did the kitten want to be when he grew up?
What is it called when three umpires show up for one game?
You have a test coming up about Electricity, English, and Zoology. What kind of a test is this?
What is it called when the last runner in a race passes the first runner?
There are four first-graders in a classroom. They have five preschoolers come visit. Now how many children are there in the classroom?
A man fell out of tree, broke his arm and sprained an ankle. He limped to his car, then drove himself to the hospital. Was the man a fast driver or a slow driver?
Who’s a technician’s best friend?
What’s the wrong boy called?
Why do you always start royal meetings without the prince?
What kinds of fruit are good for broken furniture?
Which is colder, a frog or a spider?
Why do numbers hate numbers equal to them?
What is more dependably honest, envelope packaging or boxing?
What is it called when all the Microsoft Techies get together?
Three cars are in the far left lane of a four-lane street divided by a median. One car turns into the right lane. What happens to the other cars?