One Hi-Def Resolution
I was watching a "Law andOrder" re-run last night when my New Year's Resolution crystallized before my bleary eyes: In 2006, I resolve not to watch re-runs of television shows I have already seen.
If the toob is all full of re-runs, I will read a book, rent a viddy or practice my guitar. I believe this is a resolution I can realize. Readers are invited to comment up their own resolutions if they so desire.
2006resolutions
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Heh Heh
One step closer to these.
And a link because it's one of the funniest things I've seen in weeks: Classified ads.
One step closer to these.
And a link because it's one of the funniest things I've seen in weeks: Classified ads.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
A Moment of Puggy Zen
I was changing the cartridge in my razor this morning - and the idea that one changes a "cartridge" in a razor is alone worthy of reflection - when I thought of one of the founding pugs of the BlogDog family, now deceased. She was called Tiggy though her formal name was Sandyhook's Classic Antigone. Too much name for the runt of the litter but she was a sweeheart just the same. She was, to put it bluntly, a chewer.
The home of Mr. & Mrs. BlogDog had some lovely new blue wall-to-wall carpeting installed after we moved in and I will give much credit to the good decorating sense of the XMBD: It was wonderful carpet. But it seems thecarpet was not in too terribly long before we found little Tiggy sitting in the middle of the living room chewing away on something. Let me note that she could not have chosen a more conspicuous place to gnaw had she been blessed with actual intelligence. And what had she happened on that she decided was so delicious? A ball point pen of course. Now I have no idea why a ball point pen would send her into a chewing jag but indeed, there was a nice blot of ink smack dab in the middle of the room. My uninformed cleaning efforts mitigated the blot but didn't solve it, I'm sorry to say.
Ah well, moving on. What else did we find little Tenzing Norgay (another name she came to have after her brother's climbing ability got him tagged "Sir Edmund Hillary") having a taste for? There was a sewing needle with thread. The XMBD was a very talented needlepoint artist and had left a needle with a length of floss somewhere, possibly on her nightstand. I spotted a thread hanging out of the pug girl's mouth as she was working her jaw. Worried, I scopped her up and found the needle in her mouth, not stuck in any flesh at all, mind you, just in her teeth. A bullet dodged for sure.
I suppose she liked to chew on things that had been handled - the pen, the needle and the last item which I would have to assume is loaded with epithelial cells: a razor cartridge. Now you see the genesis of the post. Mining the trash, or the snack bucket as pugs seem to think of it, the Tigster had found a used razor cartridge and, using that impenetrable puggy logic, she set out to chew it up. Luckily, I found her chewing with her nutty concentration when I couldn't think of anything that she had a legitimate reason to be noshing, so I opened the mouth and found the cartridge. Oy. If she had swallowed any of those things, we would have had an emergency run to the vet for sure. But we were lucky enough, I think, to have caught her chewing misadventures.
Changing a razor cartridge brings this moment of puggy zen.
I was changing the cartridge in my razor this morning - and the idea that one changes a "cartridge" in a razor is alone worthy of reflection - when I thought of one of the founding pugs of the BlogDog family, now deceased. She was called Tiggy though her formal name was Sandyhook's Classic Antigone. Too much name for the runt of the litter but she was a sweeheart just the same. She was, to put it bluntly, a chewer.
The home of Mr. & Mrs. BlogDog had some lovely new blue wall-to-wall carpeting installed after we moved in and I will give much credit to the good decorating sense of the XMBD: It was wonderful carpet. But it seems thecarpet was not in too terribly long before we found little Tiggy sitting in the middle of the living room chewing away on something. Let me note that she could not have chosen a more conspicuous place to gnaw had she been blessed with actual intelligence. And what had she happened on that she decided was so delicious? A ball point pen of course. Now I have no idea why a ball point pen would send her into a chewing jag but indeed, there was a nice blot of ink smack dab in the middle of the room. My uninformed cleaning efforts mitigated the blot but didn't solve it, I'm sorry to say.
Ah well, moving on. What else did we find little Tenzing Norgay (another name she came to have after her brother's climbing ability got him tagged "Sir Edmund Hillary") having a taste for? There was a sewing needle with thread. The XMBD was a very talented needlepoint artist and had left a needle with a length of floss somewhere, possibly on her nightstand. I spotted a thread hanging out of the pug girl's mouth as she was working her jaw. Worried, I scopped her up and found the needle in her mouth, not stuck in any flesh at all, mind you, just in her teeth. A bullet dodged for sure.
I suppose she liked to chew on things that had been handled - the pen, the needle and the last item which I would have to assume is loaded with epithelial cells: a razor cartridge. Now you see the genesis of the post. Mining the trash, or the snack bucket as pugs seem to think of it, the Tigster had found a used razor cartridge and, using that impenetrable puggy logic, she set out to chew it up. Luckily, I found her chewing with her nutty concentration when I couldn't think of anything that she had a legitimate reason to be noshing, so I opened the mouth and found the cartridge. Oy. If she had swallowed any of those things, we would have had an emergency run to the vet for sure. But we were lucky enough, I think, to have caught her chewing misadventures.
Changing a razor cartridge brings this moment of puggy zen.
Monday, December 26, 2005
Post Christmas
Oh lordy. I feel awful today. Christmas was wet and warm with a great wallowing gout of fog in the evening. And today has blown mightily leaving me under the weather. I won't go into detail but I feel pre-fluish achy all over with periods where I just don't feel I can get my temperature right. Enough clothing at one point turns into too much clothing after a while. If I had some Thera-Flu, I'd probably take it.
But I should not dwell on the negative. My earlier-mentioned gift was indeed a Tortuga Rum cake and its lifespan is now to be measured in minutes, possibly hours. I got iPod accessories from Lycurgus - just what I wanted. The Apple lanyard headphones for the Nano absolutely kicks buttocks. The best way I've ever worn an iPod. The Shuffle comes with a lanyard but it leaves the earbud cord a-swing. The lanyard headphone solves that problem. Also a skin for the Nano which I have been desiring. The Nano is wonderful but it can be hurt. Now mine is ruggedized.
I got some sweet guitar accessories from the friend who set me up with the gitbox. I now must spend a lot more time with it. Christmas was good to me. I hope it was to you too.
Now, I'm going to flop.
Oh lordy. I feel awful today. Christmas was wet and warm with a great wallowing gout of fog in the evening. And today has blown mightily leaving me under the weather. I won't go into detail but I feel pre-fluish achy all over with periods where I just don't feel I can get my temperature right. Enough clothing at one point turns into too much clothing after a while. If I had some Thera-Flu, I'd probably take it.
But I should not dwell on the negative. My earlier-mentioned gift was indeed a Tortuga Rum cake and its lifespan is now to be measured in minutes, possibly hours. I got iPod accessories from Lycurgus - just what I wanted. The Apple lanyard headphones for the Nano absolutely kicks buttocks. The best way I've ever worn an iPod. The Shuffle comes with a lanyard but it leaves the earbud cord a-swing. The lanyard headphone solves that problem. Also a skin for the Nano which I have been desiring. The Nano is wonderful but it can be hurt. Now mine is ruggedized.
I got some sweet guitar accessories from the friend who set me up with the gitbox. I now must spend a lot more time with it. Christmas was good to me. I hope it was to you too.
Now, I'm going to flop.
One Billion Internet Users
I have no idea how they figured this out but I saw the number on the Internet so it must be close. It was paired with the projection that the number of users will double in the next 10 years. This also sounds pretty accurate when you consider China and India.
These sort of stories always remind me of one college administrator I spoke to in 1994 about the Internet. I had basically suggested to him in a piece of email (he had his secretary print it for him so he could read it before our face to face meeting) that it might be a good strategy for Dickinson College to consider how technology might be used to better connect with alumni.
Without patting myself on the back too much (I was simply standing on the shoulders of visionaries like Lycurgus and the BlogDog) I then listened with shocked disbelief as this man said he didn't think anybody would use it. He meant email but he might as well have said the Internet. Much to his credit he did change his tune a couple of years later and my alma mater is as wired as any campus in the country. Though I will always fondly think of him as the man who "didn't think anybody would use it." I will probable still regard him this way whenever the Internet reaches 2 billion users.
I have no idea how they figured this out but I saw the number on the Internet so it must be close. It was paired with the projection that the number of users will double in the next 10 years. This also sounds pretty accurate when you consider China and India.
These sort of stories always remind me of one college administrator I spoke to in 1994 about the Internet. I had basically suggested to him in a piece of email (he had his secretary print it for him so he could read it before our face to face meeting) that it might be a good strategy for Dickinson College to consider how technology might be used to better connect with alumni.
Without patting myself on the back too much (I was simply standing on the shoulders of visionaries like Lycurgus and the BlogDog) I then listened with shocked disbelief as this man said he didn't think anybody would use it. He meant email but he might as well have said the Internet. Much to his credit he did change his tune a couple of years later and my alma mater is as wired as any campus in the country. Though I will always fondly think of him as the man who "didn't think anybody would use it." I will probable still regard him this way whenever the Internet reaches 2 billion users.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
A Few Christmas Eve Dust Bloggies
I've been calling 'em dust bunnies but if I'm going to be dumping the brain sweepings on the blog, I may as well call them something new.
First: Merry Christmas to one and all. There are too many people I love to list them, not to mention that such a list would be dead boring for the majority of readers until and unless they found their own name. But God bless you, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and health, wealth and joy abounding to you all.
Watching ABC last night I realized I had missed a bet in getting my Christmas music this year. I do very much like the John Fahey/Terry Robb album but my next Christmas music purchase will be the Vince Guaraldi "Charlie Brown Christmas" album. ABC did a feature on that 40 year old music and it was like magic. That piano (co-opted by a car company ad this year I'm sorry to say) just takes me back to a time Chistmas still had its childhood wonder. I should note that it was a jazz trio that did the music but it's the piano of "Linus and Lucy" that really just reaches back into your brain and drags that memory out in the open, so bright and beautiful you almost want to cry. Funny to think that something so light and confectionary as a half hour of the Peanuts gang (first brought to us by Dolley Madison cakes as I recall) could become such a classic.
Movies I have rented lately: I mentioned "Serenity" already though I still don't have my copy since Costco didn't have it in stock. But I will get it when I see it there.
I did, however, get a copy of "March of the Penguins" which I rented and flat-out loved. I figure it's a well-known quantity by now so there's no point in explaining what goes on. But I have to say that the cinematography is nothing short of stunning. Antarctica seems to be the very definition of the term "stark beauty" in the lens. There's more anthrpomorphizing than a Disney flick but it sure works with those penguins. It's very touching. Also, renting the DVD is a good thing. You might miss the wide screen effect of seeing it in the theater but you get a couple of very interesting extras: a look at the "making of" and a NatGeoSoc feature that's too heavy on the global(warming)oney but fascinating to see how they used the "crittercam" on the Emperor 'guins. Definitely rent it. You might want to buy it. I did.
"The Brothers Grimm" - I'm a huge Terry Gilliam fan (except for the mullet-ish hairstyle, wuzzup wid dat Terry-man?) and "Grimm" isn't bad. It's just not what I'd expect from him. It seems that he ceded control of the movie to the studio (very unlike the man who forced "Brazil" to be the dark masterpiece it is) so it's not the deeply layered movie that it would be had it been a "true" Gilliam filliam (sorry). But it's fun and exciting. Far from perfect but a good rental for a night you just want to sit back and be entertained. Peter Stormare, who I always think of as the monosyllabic Gaear Grimsrud from "Fargo," chews up the scenery with abandon as the Italian 'torture specialist' Cavaldi in "Brothers Grimm." In my estimation, he needed to dial his madness back by a bout 20%. It got to be wearing. Not a fatal flaw.
"Fantastic Four" - Enh. Feel free to skip it. I'm not a slobbering fanboy for Jessica Alba as many are. I agree with Lileks who called her smooth and shiny like a balloon. I'm working from memory on that so forgive me if I get the words wrong. But he is right: the Sue Storm character looks like the makeup has not only been troweled on but buffed to high gloss. Possibly even a nice coat of carnauba wax on top. But the whole movie is inconsequential. Obligatory Stan Lee cameo. Good special effects. Chris Evans as the Human Torch has the best role. And he plays the reckless yute perfectly - the only character I really bought into. Final word on the movie: it has all the feel of a prequel. It tells us how it all started in excruciating, needless detail and the bad guy is vanquished in what seems the tacked-on ending. I doubt I'll be seeing the next FF movie.
Why can't the people who made the Spider-Man movies for Marvel make all the movies for Marvel?
Enough of the movies. A little bit of Christmas reverie on my way out the blogdoor.
I decided not to go overboard for the holiday eating. I have a present from the Enigmatic Misanthropes which I think may be a Tortuga Rum Cake. (insert image of BlogDog drooling here) Just the best commercial cake made in the whole wide wet wonderful world. If you've never had one, you are missing one of the greatest pleasures in life. So, in the immortal words of Carl Spackler, at least I have that going for me. And I bought some delicacies at Costco (smoked salmon, ham steaks, stuffed portobellos, champagne, a couple of nice cheeses) which I will nibble today and tomorrow morning (I'm thinking champagne, nova lox, scrambled eggs and coffee for the meal) and that'll be it. A new year of Myoplex shakes and salads is in the offing. 2006 will be the year of the Great Shrinkening. But I will enjoy what I have.
So, you there, go. Go and enjoy. A suggestion for your holiday spending: spend some time with your loved ones.
I've been calling 'em dust bunnies but if I'm going to be dumping the brain sweepings on the blog, I may as well call them something new.
First: Merry Christmas to one and all. There are too many people I love to list them, not to mention that such a list would be dead boring for the majority of readers until and unless they found their own name. But God bless you, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and health, wealth and joy abounding to you all.
Watching ABC last night I realized I had missed a bet in getting my Christmas music this year. I do very much like the John Fahey/Terry Robb album but my next Christmas music purchase will be the Vince Guaraldi "Charlie Brown Christmas" album. ABC did a feature on that 40 year old music and it was like magic. That piano (co-opted by a car company ad this year I'm sorry to say) just takes me back to a time Chistmas still had its childhood wonder. I should note that it was a jazz trio that did the music but it's the piano of "Linus and Lucy" that really just reaches back into your brain and drags that memory out in the open, so bright and beautiful you almost want to cry. Funny to think that something so light and confectionary as a half hour of the Peanuts gang (first brought to us by Dolley Madison cakes as I recall) could become such a classic.
Movies I have rented lately: I mentioned "Serenity" already though I still don't have my copy since Costco didn't have it in stock. But I will get it when I see it there.
I did, however, get a copy of "March of the Penguins" which I rented and flat-out loved. I figure it's a well-known quantity by now so there's no point in explaining what goes on. But I have to say that the cinematography is nothing short of stunning. Antarctica seems to be the very definition of the term "stark beauty" in the lens. There's more anthrpomorphizing than a Disney flick but it sure works with those penguins. It's very touching. Also, renting the DVD is a good thing. You might miss the wide screen effect of seeing it in the theater but you get a couple of very interesting extras: a look at the "making of" and a NatGeoSoc feature that's too heavy on the global(warming)oney but fascinating to see how they used the "crittercam" on the Emperor 'guins. Definitely rent it. You might want to buy it. I did.
"The Brothers Grimm" - I'm a huge Terry Gilliam fan (except for the mullet-ish hairstyle, wuzzup wid dat Terry-man?) and "Grimm" isn't bad. It's just not what I'd expect from him. It seems that he ceded control of the movie to the studio (very unlike the man who forced "Brazil" to be the dark masterpiece it is) so it's not the deeply layered movie that it would be had it been a "true" Gilliam filliam (sorry). But it's fun and exciting. Far from perfect but a good rental for a night you just want to sit back and be entertained. Peter Stormare, who I always think of as the monosyllabic Gaear Grimsrud from "Fargo," chews up the scenery with abandon as the Italian 'torture specialist' Cavaldi in "Brothers Grimm." In my estimation, he needed to dial his madness back by a bout 20%. It got to be wearing. Not a fatal flaw.
"Fantastic Four" - Enh. Feel free to skip it. I'm not a slobbering fanboy for Jessica Alba as many are. I agree with Lileks who called her smooth and shiny like a balloon. I'm working from memory on that so forgive me if I get the words wrong. But he is right: the Sue Storm character looks like the makeup has not only been troweled on but buffed to high gloss. Possibly even a nice coat of carnauba wax on top. But the whole movie is inconsequential. Obligatory Stan Lee cameo. Good special effects. Chris Evans as the Human Torch has the best role. And he plays the reckless yute perfectly - the only character I really bought into. Final word on the movie: it has all the feel of a prequel. It tells us how it all started in excruciating, needless detail and the bad guy is vanquished in what seems the tacked-on ending. I doubt I'll be seeing the next FF movie.
Why can't the people who made the Spider-Man movies for Marvel make all the movies for Marvel?
Enough of the movies. A little bit of Christmas reverie on my way out the blogdoor.
I decided not to go overboard for the holiday eating. I have a present from the Enigmatic Misanthropes which I think may be a Tortuga Rum Cake. (insert image of BlogDog drooling here) Just the best commercial cake made in the whole wide wet wonderful world. If you've never had one, you are missing one of the greatest pleasures in life. So, in the immortal words of Carl Spackler, at least I have that going for me. And I bought some delicacies at Costco (smoked salmon, ham steaks, stuffed portobellos, champagne, a couple of nice cheeses) which I will nibble today and tomorrow morning (I'm thinking champagne, nova lox, scrambled eggs and coffee for the meal) and that'll be it. A new year of Myoplex shakes and salads is in the offing. 2006 will be the year of the Great Shrinkening. But I will enjoy what I have.
So, you there, go. Go and enjoy. A suggestion for your holiday spending: spend some time with your loved ones.
Thursday, December 22, 2005
Yahoo Widgets
These are worth a look as they make them for the Mac as well as Windows. The BlogDog will be glad to know they have a widget for the home page of the Australian Football League. Though be forewarned this is all Web 2.0 stuff and is likely to be filled with security holes. Download at your own discretion, but do go visit the Australian Football homepage so you'll know what the BlogDog is talking about next time he uses "Footie" in a sentence.
These are worth a look as they make them for the Mac as well as Windows. The BlogDog will be glad to know they have a widget for the home page of the Australian Football League. Though be forewarned this is all Web 2.0 stuff and is likely to be filled with security holes. Download at your own discretion, but do go visit the Australian Football homepage so you'll know what the BlogDog is talking about next time he uses "Footie" in a sentence.
The Law Firm of Bitch, Carp and Moan
Why does Cingular have all the coolest phones? I clicked an ad link and saw the Samsung d307 which looks just way cool. And of course Cingular has the exclusive on the Motorola Razr phone. Black or silver, it's a geek lust phone, no question.
I have Sprint service but I'm just exceedingly tempted by Cingular if they're going to carry these sweet devices. It has nothing to do with Catherine Zeta Jones. Honestly. I swear. She's married fer goshsakes!
That being said, I want the wireless carriers to offer a device to potential clients. It would be small, about the size of an iPod Nano, with nought but a screen which displays the signal strength available on that carrier's service. I'd carry one with me and if, say, Cingular, provides "more bars" more consistently than Sprint in the areas I frequent, I'd be very inclined to switch. I'd pay $10 to $20 for the device as long as I could get that credited to me if I decide to use their service when and if I turn it back in.
Why does Cingular have all the coolest phones? I clicked an ad link and saw the Samsung d307 which looks just way cool. And of course Cingular has the exclusive on the Motorola Razr phone. Black or silver, it's a geek lust phone, no question.
I have Sprint service but I'm just exceedingly tempted by Cingular if they're going to carry these sweet devices. It has nothing to do with Catherine Zeta Jones. Honestly. I swear. She's married fer goshsakes!
That being said, I want the wireless carriers to offer a device to potential clients. It would be small, about the size of an iPod Nano, with nought but a screen which displays the signal strength available on that carrier's service. I'd carry one with me and if, say, Cingular, provides "more bars" more consistently than Sprint in the areas I frequent, I'd be very inclined to switch. I'd pay $10 to $20 for the device as long as I could get that credited to me if I decide to use their service when and if I turn it back in.
New On The Blogroll
I've added Brian Tiemann's Peeve Farm ("Breeding peeves for show, not just to keep as pets") to the sidebar as I had the sudden revelation that I check it every day. It's Mac-centric but done with rationality and thought, not Cult of Mac excess. Plus he finds good info and posts about it. There's a very good look at the prospects for the coming MacTel machines if you scroll to the Tuesday, Dec. 20 post.
I think the clincher for shoehorning the listing into the blogroll was his posts about Chipotle (the eatery) and one just opened in my neighborhood. I will probably get lunch there either today or tomorrow. He's had really good experiences with them (them being a scion from the McDonald's main trunk) so it's well worth the trying. Finally I have an option other than Tac O'bell for spanglish food.
The Venn diagram of Peeve Farm and BlogDog's politics would probably reveal a rather substantial overlap as well. As much as I love and respect my co-blogger, he likes "The Boondocks" and I will hate it for it's idiot liberal claptrappery with a certain abated heat. It did make me laugh when it had a strip making George Lucas's misbegotten JarJar Binks into JabariJabari Binkara - a fierce adherent of ther Nation of Islam. Peeve Farm seems to agree with my dislike. Good on ya.
I've added Brian Tiemann's Peeve Farm ("Breeding peeves for show, not just to keep as pets") to the sidebar as I had the sudden revelation that I check it every day. It's Mac-centric but done with rationality and thought, not Cult of Mac excess. Plus he finds good info and posts about it. There's a very good look at the prospects for the coming MacTel machines if you scroll to the Tuesday, Dec. 20 post.
I think the clincher for shoehorning the listing into the blogroll was his posts about Chipotle (the eatery) and one just opened in my neighborhood. I will probably get lunch there either today or tomorrow. He's had really good experiences with them (them being a scion from the McDonald's main trunk) so it's well worth the trying. Finally I have an option other than Tac O'bell for spanglish food.
The Venn diagram of Peeve Farm and BlogDog's politics would probably reveal a rather substantial overlap as well. As much as I love and respect my co-blogger, he likes "The Boondocks" and I will hate it for it's idiot liberal claptrappery with a certain abated heat. It did make me laugh when it had a strip making George Lucas's misbegotten JarJar Binks into JabariJabari Binkara - a fierce adherent of ther Nation of Islam. Peeve Farm seems to agree with my dislike. Good on ya.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Movie Dog Says
See "Serenity." Now. Do not waste time. Joss Whedon writes absolutely crackling dialog and tells just one hell of a story. I'm buying a copy of this movie. Probably tomorrow.
See "Serenity." Now. Do not waste time. Joss Whedon writes absolutely crackling dialog and tells just one hell of a story. I'm buying a copy of this movie. Probably tomorrow.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Not Gone Yet
A little Yule music if you'll be as happy as I am that The Blogger Formerly Known As Sugarmama is back in the blogosphere. Megabeth is online and dispensing triathlon-related info and reportage.
PoW loves Mega-Sugar-Beth ... whoever she is!
A little Yule music if you'll be as happy as I am that The Blogger Formerly Known As Sugarmama is back in the blogosphere. Megabeth is online and dispensing triathlon-related info and reportage.
PoW loves Mega-Sugar-Beth ... whoever she is!
Working In Your Pajamas
As a New Yorker who was left without a reasonable way to commute to my office in mid-town due to a crippling transit strike, I enjoyed today what will no doubt be an extended bit of telecommuting. Thank goodness for broadband access!
Truth be told I just couldn't see waiting on line for 2 hours in the freezing cold to buy a train ticket when I could accomplish the same amount of work in the comfort of my apartment. Thankfully my employer agreed and since the demands of my schedule are none too urgent in late December I was given the option of working at home. No, I didn't really work in my PJs but it sure is fun to blog about it.
As a New Yorker who was left without a reasonable way to commute to my office in mid-town due to a crippling transit strike, I enjoyed today what will no doubt be an extended bit of telecommuting. Thank goodness for broadband access!
Truth be told I just couldn't see waiting on line for 2 hours in the freezing cold to buy a train ticket when I could accomplish the same amount of work in the comfort of my apartment. Thankfully my employer agreed and since the demands of my schedule are none too urgent in late December I was given the option of working at home. No, I didn't really work in my PJs but it sure is fun to blog about it.
Who Cares?
Microsoft announced to what I assume was a huge yawn in the Macintosh community that it was discontinuing the development of Internet Explorer for the Macintosh platform. Let me pose this question: What person who is concerned about the security of their PC uses Internet Explorer anyhow? If it weren't for web sites that are designed to function only with IE there would be no reason at all to use any other browser besides my favorite, Firefox.
Speaking of Firefox, if you haven't tricked out your browser with a myriad of extensions you are not using your browser to its fullest ability. I love the ClickWeather extension and the extension that allows me to send text messages to a cell phone. There are hundreds of extensions to choose from and it leads me to wonder what Microsoft will counter with when they finally introduce their latest version of IE sometime next year.
Microsoft announced to what I assume was a huge yawn in the Macintosh community that it was discontinuing the development of Internet Explorer for the Macintosh platform. Let me pose this question: What person who is concerned about the security of their PC uses Internet Explorer anyhow? If it weren't for web sites that are designed to function only with IE there would be no reason at all to use any other browser besides my favorite, Firefox.
Speaking of Firefox, if you haven't tricked out your browser with a myriad of extensions you are not using your browser to its fullest ability. I love the ClickWeather extension and the extension that allows me to send text messages to a cell phone. There are hundreds of extensions to choose from and it leads me to wonder what Microsoft will counter with when they finally introduce their latest version of IE sometime next year.
Google Earth
I have commented on Google Earth before and I love the aerial view it gives me of places I know very well from the ground. The fact it is now unnerving governments around the world who are afraid it offers too good a view of their government buildings and military installations is just another example of how the Internet is changing everything. Or more to the point, how Google is changing everything.
Whether this is good or bad depends upon your prospective. I won't say that India, for example, shouldn't be concerned that Pakistan is able to evaluate images of all their defense preparations.
Though in Google's defense it can be said that any technology can be misused. In my opinion this is usually not sufficient enough reason to limit how people employ it. I wonder if the furor would have been greater if Microsoft had introduced "Microsoft Earth" before Google.
I have commented on Google Earth before and I love the aerial view it gives me of places I know very well from the ground. The fact it is now unnerving governments around the world who are afraid it offers too good a view of their government buildings and military installations is just another example of how the Internet is changing everything. Or more to the point, how Google is changing everything.
Whether this is good or bad depends upon your prospective. I won't say that India, for example, shouldn't be concerned that Pakistan is able to evaluate images of all their defense preparations.
Though in Google's defense it can be said that any technology can be misused. In my opinion this is usually not sufficient enough reason to limit how people employ it. I wonder if the furor would have been greater if Microsoft had introduced "Microsoft Earth" before Google.
Monday, December 19, 2005
FutureMe.org
This is either a sad, deeply disturbed idea or something that is very optimistic. I haven't figured out which but the truth probably lies somewhere in between. Go to FutureMe.org to find out more about this site that allows you to send an email to yourself sometime in the future. They claim that over 112,000 people have done this so far.
There is no guarantee the email will ever arrive as they have only secured $58 in donations to date. The other snags are that people change email addresses, SPAM filters might block the messages, and the entire operation could go out of business. Besides those minor details I am warming to the idea of this Internet Age Time Capsule. Though for the time being I'll leave it to a more reflective and prolific writer like the BlogDog to compose messages worthy of being read sometime in the future.
This is either a sad, deeply disturbed idea or something that is very optimistic. I haven't figured out which but the truth probably lies somewhere in between. Go to FutureMe.org to find out more about this site that allows you to send an email to yourself sometime in the future. They claim that over 112,000 people have done this so far.
There is no guarantee the email will ever arrive as they have only secured $58 in donations to date. The other snags are that people change email addresses, SPAM filters might block the messages, and the entire operation could go out of business. Besides those minor details I am warming to the idea of this Internet Age Time Capsule. Though for the time being I'll leave it to a more reflective and prolific writer like the BlogDog to compose messages worthy of being read sometime in the future.
Sunday, December 18, 2005
Darkness At The Edge Of Christmas
To save readers' time, I don't expect to be posting for the rest of week leading up to the holiday of Christ's nativity. My iMac is in the shop with a power issue and I'm running on my PowerBook. Nice enough but not the machine I prefer to use for extended writing. So, absent Paul's picking up the slack, you'll not hear from me again until the iMac is back home and running. If you drop by because I've commented on some other blog, that's as much of me as you'll see for a while.
Good God I hate the taste of Hoppe's No. 9.
To save readers' time, I don't expect to be posting for the rest of week leading up to the holiday of Christ's nativity. My iMac is in the shop with a power issue and I'm running on my PowerBook. Nice enough but not the machine I prefer to use for extended writing. So, absent Paul's picking up the slack, you'll not hear from me again until the iMac is back home and running. If you drop by because I've commented on some other blog, that's as much of me as you'll see for a while.
Good God I hate the taste of Hoppe's No. 9.
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