For many of us, technology can be intimidating and sometimes downright scary. Everything from programming the VCR to trying to get our computers to do all the great things they can supposedly do can be difficult at times. Perhaps it's just that we're too old. We didn't grow up in the digital age. We're more familiar with TV's with knobs, 8-track players and transistor radios. But if you're young... ah, that's another story.

My son, Jack, is all of 4 years old. He doesn't remember life without the internet, DVR's and ipods and I'm constantly amazed by how quickly he's picked up on all sorts of technology around our house. He's a computer wiz. He navigates the internet using the mouse better than my wife and I. Yes, we have to put his favorite websites on the favorites bar, but that's only because he can't spell very well yet. Otherwise, he has no limitations.

The other day he said he wanted to show me something on the computer. He preceded to go on the "Yahoo!" search engine, type in his name and hit the "Web Search" button. He proudly showed me all of the sites that come up for "Jack." My wife and I had never taught him this, he did it on his own, apparently after observing us using "Yahoo!" Now I have to worry about what he stumbles onto in cyberspace.

Of course, even the little media masters can getting tripped up by all the options the fancy technology provides. Jack can also work our TV, DVR and DVD players, however, I noticed something strange recently when I walked in while he was watching a Star Wars movie on DVD. While all the spaceship and laser gun sounds were the same, I realized the various characters in the Star Wars universe sounded a little different. They were speaking Spanish. Jack had been watching this for quite a while. As far as I know, Jack doesn't know Spanish, but it didn't seem to be bothering him at all. Even Star Wars fans like myself know that the dialogue isn't exactly the films' strong point. I changed the DVD back to English, but then I got to thinking. Could Luke Skywalker help teach Jack another language? Hmmm... maybe this technology can be useful after all.

If you hear that a military member was killed during the Vietnam War, you might assume his or her name is on the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C. But that is not always the case. If the soldier or sailor was not killed in combat, their name may not be on the Wall that has become one of the most famous monuments in our country. For the families of many of those veterans, it's an honor they feel their loved ones deserve. Now, some sailors whose names have been left off the Wall finally have their monument, right here in the Kansas City area.

On Friday, a monument that's being called the "Missing Panel" was dedicated at the Mount Washington cemetery in Independence. It lists 74 sailors who were killed on the Navy destroyer USS Frank E. Evans in 1969. The destroyer was in the South China Sea, but not in combat at the time. It was involved in training exercises when it collided with an Australian aircraft carrier and sank. Until last week, the men killed in that accident had never been honored with a monument marking their sacrifice.

As I stood at the dedication ceremony, I was moved by how much this meant to the families of the dead sailors and the 198 survivors of the accident. Many at the event talked about how they still want to get the names on the wall in Washington, but at least now they have something... something to honor these sailors who made the ultimate sacrifice serving our country.

If you're wondering why the memorial is here in Independence, it's because the Mount Washington cemetery is the burial site for the only man whose body was recovered after the USS Evans crash. Seaman Kenneth Glines was an Independence native. His sisters were on hand Friday for the unveiling of the monument honoring Glines and his comrades. It's honor that has been a long time coming and is much-deserved.

Okay, I admit it. I was a novice. An amateur. A rookie. Before I moved to Kansas City, I had no idea what real barbecue was. When I was growing up, my mom made "BBQ sandwiches" all the time, but what we called barbecue was ground beef in tomato sauce. The sandwiches were good, but I had no idea what REAL barbecue was. Until now.

The first time I came to Kansas City, I went to Gates Barbecue. My life was forever changed. I had a beef on bun, needed about 10 napkins to get through the meal, and I was hooked. I soon went to Arthur Byrants and Jack Stack, and ate everything from ribs to brisket. The list of great things about Kansas City is a long one, but man, barbecue is right at the top.

I'm still not a master when it comes to barbecue. I've learned a lot, but you quickly realize how little you know when you go to places like the American Royal contest. Those people know barbecue. They spend thousands of dollars and basically spend an entire weekend with no sleep in order to cook the perfect meat. And boy is it worth it.

I've hopefully learned enough now to actually give my humble opinion on this delicacy. This Friday, I'll be a judge at the Smokin' Chambers BBQ contest in the Northland. This is my second year... it's a great event with some fantastic food. Then, in a few short weeks, I have the honor of being a judge at the grandaddy of all barbecue contests: yes, the American Royal. Judging at the Royal a year ago was the last step in my journey to becoming an official barbecue fanatic. I'm cutting back on my food consumption already to prepare for the several pounds of smoked meat I'll eat. I'm proud to say I'm no longer a novice. Bring on the ribs!

Matchup Mania continues to grow. As I mentioned in my last post, on Friday mornings First News is heading out to two metro high schools to highlight a big football matchup that night. It seems like every week it gets bigger.

This week, Ray-Pec had an incredible crowd... at 5 am! That's right, they had several hundred people right off the bat and the crowd only grew as the morning went on. Everyone took part in the pep rally, even the teaching staff, who formed a human pyramid at one point.

Not to be outdone, Park Hill was ready for Joel's arrival. Faster that you can say "Go Trojans!", Joel had a cheerleaders outfit on with a crazy red wig to go with it. I put out a call here on my blog and on First News for crazy wigs and face paint and, sure enough, the folks at Park Hill had face paint for Joel as well. I also have to give an A+ to the young man who was sporting full face and chest paint at 6 in the morning. I hope it washed off before class.

Thank you again to everyone at both schools who took part. I asked in my last blog if schools could top the spirit of previous weeks. I would have to say the answer this morning was a resounding "Yes!"

We've got a new feature on First News this fall that you may have noticed on Friday mornings. It's called Matchup Mania: we send reporters or weather people out to two high schools who are playing football against each other that night. The goal was to get students, football players and teachers to come out early in the morning to show their school spirit. Keep in mind, we're talking about 5-7 am in the morning. In other words: very, very early. You haven't let us down. We have been overwhelmed with the response so far.

Last Friday morning, I went to Northeast High School in Kansas City to highlight the annual Northeast-Southeast matchup. As you can imagine, at 5 am I was pretty lonely. In fact, I had to resort to doing the world's all-time worst cheerleader jump to show some spirit. But by 5:15 am, the first football player showed up and by 5:40, we had about 10. By 6 am, we had a loud group of players, cheerleaders and some teachers. I want to thank everyone who came out so early... It was a blast.

I have to admit, I love high school football. The high school I attended had a strong football program, so I have a lot of great memories of watching exciting regular season and playoff football games. Even if your school doesn't have the best team, the football game is still the place to be on fall Friday nights, particularly in smaller towns. What a great way to bring a community together. You might have bigger crowds at pro and college games, but you won't have greater enthusiasm.

Matchup Mania will continue through the regular season, so stay tuned for more fun and excitement on Friday mornings. We've seen some great school spirit so far. The question is: Can the schools over the next few weeks top it? I'm putting out a call for people in crazy wigs and painted faces. Look, I know it's early, but face paint looks even better at 5 am. Trust me. See you on Friday!

My son took another big step forward in his young life this week, as he started his second year of preschool. No more half days for the little guy... he now goes all day long twice a week as he gets ready for a grueling full schedule of kindergarten next year.

As a parent, each new step is met with pride, apprehension and yes, a little bit of sadness. There's no turning back. Of course, it's the same for the kids. Is there any other day of your life that has a more perfect mix of excitement and dread than the first day of school? I know Jack was very excited to see his friends, especially his best buddy who he saw very little of over the summer. However, when a friend of ours peeked into our car and asked Jack if he was excited to start school, he looked down and replied, "Not so much."

I happened to read a column in the newspaper this week from a mother on the opposite end of the spectrum from me. While Jack is only starting his school career, her youngest child is a senior in high school. It reminded me that this will all go so quickly. Before I know it, Jack will be finishing high school and we'll all be thinking about college, not kindergarten. I only hope we can enjoy every grade, stage and experience along the way. What a wonderful journey it's going to be.