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Another Thanksgiving gobbled up -
The usual chaos and fun descended on our house on Thanksgiving Day, along with the usual too much food. Kevin and Jonna stayed overnight for a couple of nights to help us with the leftovers. We attacked the stores on Black Friday, though not any of the pre-dawn sales. We leave that to the professional shoppers. On Friday night we rented a copy of Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones, cooked up some popcorn and pizza, and hunkered down for the evening.
—Mike @ 16:00
Are you stressed out? - Take this short stress test, recently presented by WCAU-TV in Philadelphia, and find out:If you answered yes to none or one of the questions, you have low stress. Two or three yes answers means you have moderate stress in your life. Four or more yes answers means you're stressed out!
- Do you overreact or have exaggerated negative responses to everyday situations?
- Do you get angry when people make you wait?
- Do you get less sleep than you think you should?
- Do you find it's better to do everything yourself, rather than ask for or accept help from others?
- Do you set unrealistic goals for yourself?
- Do you feel as though you're always rushing through each day?
- Do you put enjoyable things off until later?
—Mike @ 16:09
Another case of reality mirroring science fiction - Apparently face transplants are now technically feasible.
—Mike @ 16:04
Dreaming of a white Thanksgiving - I was surprised to arrive at work today to a beautiful white fluffy coating of snow covering every inch of ground and every branch in each tree. It had only rained at home, and although my commute is just 14 miles or so, the office is located at a much higher elevation, which made the difference. The traffic was light, the roads weren't slippery, so it was a perfect combination. Very unusual to get a coating of snow so early in the season. Gotta love it.
—Mike @ 14:34
Meteor storm - Here's a great composite picture of the recent Leonids meteor shower, taken from northern Spain.
—Mike @ 06:26
Interesting headlines in the health field today -
—Mike @ 22:32
Tax reform finally on the horizon? - One good thing that may result from the recent elections: more people are talking seriously about revamping, even replacing the 90-year-old tax system. As Nolan Finley in the Detroit News said on 11/17: "Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill is quietly exploring a plan to do away with the income tax, that punitive system of taxation adopted in 1913 that spawned an un-American strain of collectivism. The income tax promotes the notion that the first fruits of hard work and enterprise belong to the government, not the individual.” If you're interested in supporting this movement, visit fairtax.org.
—Mike @ 06:29
Back down to earth - Remember the tale of the monstrous mattress? Well, it's been vanquished. V couldn't stand it any longer and took matters into her own hands. She researched the options and found that Sleepy's had neglected to tell us that there was another bedspring available for order, that's about half the height of the one we received. A small delivery charge later, we're now the proud owners of a downsized bed. Now, I actually have to get up in the morning again. Woe is me.
—Mike @ 22:57
Weekend doin's - The group went to see Pierce Brosnan's latest 007 caper, Die Another Day, and it turned out to be much better than I had expected. I'd say it's one of the better James Bond stories I've seen lately. Non-stop action, beautiful women and gadgets galore, of course, and the story was a little different -- the whole first part of the movie had James in captivity in North Korea, fighting to stay alive. His bosses in England thought he had betrayed them, and so he was even stripped of his "double-oh" status and had to prove his worthiness to get it back so he could go back, "do his job", and fight the good fight. Lots of fun.
Saturday, we attended the 24th annual Arts & Crafts show, put on by the Father's Club at St. Joe's H.S. in Metuchen. What an amazing display of hand-made things, by more talented crafters than I've ever seen assembled in one place. Afterward we joined Bob & Angie for a delicious hibachi dinner at the Tokyo Japanese Restaurant in Edison.
Sunday, five of us gathered at the lake to gather the remaining leaves that had fallen, along with many branches and limbs from a recent wind and ice storm (it gets cold up there). We polished off ten man-hours of work in just two, and went to another delicious Italian meal. Hard work always feels better when followed by a hearty meal!
—Mike @ 22:29
Gasp! - Another search engine besides Google? Check out Teoma -- not bad at all.
—Mike @ 18:27
Airport delays? - Check them out on the Air Traffic Control System Command Center's official Real-time Airport Status page.
—Mike @ 17:48
Let there be life - Scientists are about to create a life form. Now there's a sentence I never thought I'd type. And yes, that brings up a whole lot more questions than answers, not the least of which is how much of the details should be published vs. how much should be classified due to security concerns.
—Mike @ 06:25
Rolling along to approval - Dean Kamen's amazing "wheelchair" that allows users to climb stairs, take a stoll on the beach, and even "stand up" when needed, is very close to receiving FDA approval for general use. The story link includes a 10-minute video from 1999 that first introduced the invention to the world; it's well worth watching. Standing up is a big deal.
—Mike @ 22:47
Almost there: a commercially viable fuel cell - This article explores how scientists at Berkely have arrived where they are today regarding fuel cell technology R&D, and where they're trying to go in effeciency. We're talking about small-scale power generators to serve entire neighborhoods. What's more, they're "closer to breaking the cost barrier than ever before." [Thanks, Mace!]
—Mike @ 22:22
Remember space elevators? - Some companies are still working to make them a reality. If you don't know what a space elevator is:One end of the cable would be attached to an offshore sea platform. The cable stretches up through the sky and outward into space for some 62,000 miles (100,000 kilometers) distance. On the space end of the cable - a counter weight.
Once in place, the competing forces of gravity at the lower end and outward centripetal acceleration at the farther end keep the cable under tension and stationary over a single position on Earth.
The outstretched cable can then be ascended by mechanical means. If a robotic climber slowly tools up to the far end of the cable, then releases from the line, it would have sufficient energy to escape from Earth's gravity well and zoom onward to the Moon, Mars, Venus, or asteroids.
—Mike @ 17:18
High Haziness - prevented us from seeing all but the brightest of the shooting stars from this morning's Leonids show, yet we still managed to see a couple of dozen of them! It was 32 degrees, but the lack of wind and a winter coat kept us comfy.
—Mike @ 06:28
Full solar spectrum photovoltaic materials have been identified - as detailed in this article and in this one. This is an unexpected development in the research of solar cells. Simply put, the use of a material called indium gallium nitride might get the efficiency of solar cells up to an unheard of 70%. "Solar cells so efficient and so relatively cheap could revolutionize the use of solar power". [Thanks, Mace!]
—Mike @ 22:16
Available in 4 months - Amazon.com is now taking orders for the Segway Human Transporter, for delivery starting in March. Be the first on your block!
—Mike @ 17:25
Pictures -The photo album from last week's trip to the B&B in upstate NY is ready.
—Mike @ 15:53
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Of course, this week's movie was the second Harry Potter film. We had a strong turnout of 13 in our group, almost the entire row in the theater. There was a good mix of ages there, too -- from the very young to the, ummm, to us. I was expecting great things, and wasn't disappointed -- it was the ultimate adventure story. Special effects were indistinguishable from reality. (Personally, I'm glad I hadn't read the book yet, so I don't know about all the things they couldn't fit in.)
HBO was kind enough to premiere the first film, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, on the same weekend, so V and I watched it again, and we were impressed to see how well the two stories fit together. Things in the first film that didn't seem particularly important and that we hadn't paid much attention to, had more significance in the second story. It takes a lot of foresight to not only create this universe from the J.K. Rowling's imagination, but to do it in such a way where the continuity is so strong.
Since this weekend is a total rainout, we also enjoyed seeing Legally Blonde, also on cable. We missed this one in the theater. Reese Witherspoon plays the supposedly dumb blonde who surprises everyone, including herself, by seeing just how far she can go by actually applying herself.
Brother Joe was generous in offering us a filing cabinet they had outgrown, since we need the extra space. It fit exactly into the back of the CR-V. Thanks!
—Mike @ 22:59
When hobbies collide - During Tuesday's Leonid Meteor Shower, you might even be able to listen to them on your FM radio. How geeky is that?
—Mike @ 16:40
Nobody to blame - A few factoids:Read more about the 2002 elections and the cause for reform here. Also, did you know that the results of our elections are 100% predictable? Check it out.
- Percent of U.S. House incumbents who defeated non-incumbent challengers in 2002 elections: 99%
- Voter turnout among adult Americans in 2002 elections: 39%
- Voter turnout among adult Germans in 2002 elections: 75%
—Mike @ 19:21
Now that the election is over - they don't have to pretend to be concerned for a couple of years. The Bush administration has reversed a ban on snowmobiles in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, despite widespread support for the measure and 10 years of research detailing the negative impact from the machines on the health of the parks and their employees. So while Yellowstone Park employees order gas masks and ear protection to defend themselves against the exhaust and roar of even more snowmachines, the industry rejoices.
—Mike @ 06:30
Life in the White House - You can now take a virtual tour of many areas of the White House, from the Oval Office, to the Press Briefing Room (which is built over a swimming pool!). Your tour directors are none other than the President, First Lady, Vice President, his wife, the Press Secretary, and other well-known names. Politics aside, it's a pretty interesting use of the technology.
—Mike @ 23:00
New views of ol' Sol - The most detailed pictures ever taken of our sun show closeups of sunspots and the interplay of magnetic fields. To see a large close-up, click the image on this page. Amazing stuff.
—Mike @ 22:22
Imagine a world running on hydrogen - The US is mapping a path to a hydrogen economy. [Thanks, Mace!]
—Mike @ 19:32
Seven degrees of separation? - So, can anyone tell me what the chances are of this type of thing happening? I work with this guy Bill K. here in central NJ. About a month ago while we were talking, Bill and I discover that we know someone in common: when he was a teenager, he used to work in the local A&P with my friend Mike, who we often travel with. This past weekend, V and I join Mike and the traveling crew, and we travel a couple of hundred miles north to central NY state. During dinner, I remember to mention to Mike what a coincidence it is that Bill and I work together, and Mike says that he does indeed remember Bill. During the discussion, V speaks up and says that she also knows Bill from the high school they both went to, which is in a different town where Bill and Mike worked in the A&P. Then Jay, a local NY State resident who happened to be sitting at the table next to ours comes over, introduces himself and apologizes for overhearing, but says that he too knows Bill, and used to work with him on the same police force. Yep, Bill confirmed that when I got back to the office. Yeah, I know it's a small world, but this is just silly!
—Mike @ 17:16
What is Quizilla? - A place for those who like to take quizzes, and especially for those who like to make them. [Thanks, Carl!]
—Mike @ 16:42
A step in the right direction - Staples today committed to bold steps aimed at reducing its consumption of paper products made from endangered forests.
—Mike @ 06:25
One week to go before the Leonids bid farewell - Here's a new and interesting story about how the meteor shower works.
—Mike @ 19:05
Have it your way - No banners. No pop-ups. No kidding. Introducing My Way. [Thanks, Bonnie!]
Homeland Security to Include Solar-Powered Airships - via space.com, by Leonard David:
There are huge, automated solar-powered airships in your future. The President Bush push for homeland security includes use of ultra-high altitude platforms. From sky-high positions, these giant airships would support radar sweeps of U.S. coastline, as well as serve communications and sensor-snooping services.
Several firms are ready to supply the mega-airships, including Lockheed Martin who operates a lighter-than-air surveillance platform division in Akron, Ohio.
Un-piloted airships would operate above the jet stream and above severe weather in a geostationary position to serve as a telecommunications relay, a weather observer, or a peacekeeper from its over-the-horizon perch. No word yet on whether such huge craft could also act as aerial forts, replete with missile defense systems, even satellite launch capability.
—Mike @ 17:23
Cheers! - People who drink wine seem to have a lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, Danish researchers reported yesterday.
—Mike @ 06:33
Is this something we need? - The world's first Internet-connected refrigerator has arrived.
—Mike @ 19:20
Quote du jour - Life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes.
—Mike @ 06:31
B+B = R+R - We spent a very enjoyable weekend at a Bed & Breakfast in upstate NY in Rhinebeck with our usual traveling group of 8, toured the area and ate ourselves silly. We got to see the Vanderbilt mansion, the FDR house & gravesite, a million local antique shops and a winery tour and tasting. Yes, pictures are forthcoming.
—Mike @ 22:15
Quote du jour - "I'm very pleased to be hosting the Oscars again, because fear and nausea always make me lose weight."
-Steve Martin
—Mike @ 06:31
History in the making - A Chickasaw Indian will make history aboard the space shuttle Endeavour early Monday morning. Mission specialist John Bennett Herrington will become the first Native American in space when the shuttle is launched.
—Mike @ 06:28
Here come the Leonids - The morning of November 19th is our last chance for at least three decades to see the Leonid Meteors at storm level (every 6-10 seconds near the time of the peak), astronomers believe. Here are ten tips to maximize your view of the show. Here's a page with more information and local sighting forecasts.
—Mike @ 17:41
Instant Runoff Voting update - Now that the elections are over for most of us, Louisiana finds itself in the position of having to hold an expensive runoff election in December. Someone there has figured out that Instant Runoff Voting would once again be the perfect solution.
—Mike @ 17:21
Privacy Bird - The AT&T Privacy Bird allows users to specify privacy preferences regarding how a Web site stores and collects data about you. If a site's policies meet your requirements, a small green bird icon in the browser's title bar emits a happy tweet after you have loaded the page. But if the site's policy does more than you've said you'll accept, the bird turns red and chirps a shrill warning. So far, about a third of the 100 most-visited sites support the policies the Privacy Bird needs in order to operate.
—Mike @ 18:50
Correction - That story I posted recently about Toyota going all-hybrid in ten years actually was too good to be true. The LA Times reports:what the company wants is to have a standardized hybrid system ready by 2012
to use in whichever segments it decides to offer a hybrid car or truck.
Quite a difference.
...language difficulties led to a misinterpreting of a Toyota engineering
official's remarks to a reporter overseas, resulting in erroneous reports
that the company was preparing to offer hybrid versions of everything
it sells.
But there's still good news for hybrid fans. Toyota Motor Sales America
is expected to announce several new hybrids, possibly including a hybrid
version of its small RAV-4 sport utility vehicle, at the North American
International Auto Show in Detroit in January.
...the firm's long-term plan is to make its hybrid system the universal
standard, with a Toyota subsidiary producing the systems for sale to
automakers across the globe.
—Mike @ 18:15
Things you probably didn't know about numbers - While helping to research some homework questions for my nephew and niece the other night, I came across some interesting factoids about numbers ("Numbers are my friends", I always say :-) According to Encarta,
- The hierarchy of numbers is the following: million, billion, trillion, quadrillion, quintillion, sextillion, septillion, octillion, nonillion, decillion, undecillion, duodecillion, tredecillion, quat(t)uordecillion, quindecillion, sexdecillion, septendecillion, octodecillion, novemdecillion, vigintillion.
- In the French and American system of notation, each number after a million is a thousand times the preceding number; in the English and German system, each number is a million times the preceding. A vigintillion is written as a 1 followed by 63 zeros in the French and American system; by 120 zeros in England and Germany.
- Decimals are written in the form 1.23 in the United States, 1·23 in the United Kingdom, and 1,23 in continental Europe.
—Mike @ 17:28
Farewell, Dr. Smith - Actor Jonathan Harris, best known for his role as the dastardly saboteur on the 1960s sci-fi series Lost In Space died Sunday at the age of 87, from a blood clot in his heart while receiving therapy for a chronic back problem.
—Mike @ 19:49
StyleCam Blink - is the name of a super-slim, inexpensive (~$39.99) digital camera for anyone who want to dabble in digital photography without making a huge investment up front. It can also double as a webcam.
—Mike @ 19:14
Share the Technology - Millions of computers are thrown away every year across the US. Good machines are hauled to the dump daily while thousands of people with disabilities, schools and nonprofit organizations are either struggling along using obsolete equipment or doing without computers entirely. It doesn't make sense to waste valuable resources when so many people and organizations are in need. This web site provides a way for donors and potential recipients to connect no matter where they are in the country.
—Mike @ 18:41
Earth view - This site displays the current configuration of light and dark across our planet as it changes minute-to-minute, in a shape that changes with the seasons.
—Mike @ 16:41
Vote - early and often. I was voter #004 in my precinct this morning.
—Mike @ 07:14
Remember the Olympic skating controversy? - Some major changes in the methods and technology used in the sport could go a long way in correcting the problem in the future.
—Mike @ 19:30
Time's almost up - More than three million people have signed up to have their names included on a DVD that will fly to Mars with NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover mission, slated to land on Mars in 2004. The deadline to submit names is Nov. 15, and you can do it here.
—Mike @ 17:30
Quiet weekends are also good - Other than our weekly dinner and movie (Santa Clause 2 with Tim Allen) with the group, and dinner out with Rick & Erica to celebrate Diane's 20th birthday, it was a nice homey weekend. TV Land premiered a new Sunday night series called TV Land Legends: The 60 Minutes Interviews, which seems very interesting. Old interviews from 60 Minutes featuring some "intriguing personal profiles", such as Jackie Gleason, Johnny Carson, Carol Burnett, and Jerry Seinfeld for starters. Something to make Sunday evenings a little less bleak.
—Mike @ 23:17
Award winner - It's not often that a government web site is a trend setter, but the newly revamped State of New Jersey web site is now a customizable portal, with calendar of events customized to your location, etc. It won 2nd place in official state sites in a recent competition.
—Mike @ 16:22
It's November - That means it's time to clean the leaves out of the gutter (a few times), rake the leaves out to the street (a few times), clean the tools in the shed, shred the remaining pile of clippings and branches, clean the birdbatch, shut off the outside water faucets, start up the humidifier, and replace the screen door with the glass storm door, all of which we did this weekend!
November is also the time to get a flu shot, so I'll be doing that next week. I've been receiving the flu vaccination for about five years, since I last had the flu which then turned into pneumonia. If there's a way to avoid going through that again, I'm all for it. The shot is effective 80% of the time, and contains nothing live to be afraid of catching. The flu virus has been killed before it is incorporated into a vaccine. Now that I'm 50, I'm even in the officially recommended group to receive it. There's even a pneumonia shot which is good for ten years.
The best time for vaccination is October through mid-November. It takes from 2 to 4 weeks to gear up the body's immune system to combat the flu virus, but even if you contract the illness before the immunity is fully developed, your symptoms will be lessened as a result of your body's preparation. This article has more information, as well as a video that explains how the flu vaccine works.
—Mike @ 16:07
End Daylight Savings Time? - That's the idea of a petition at StandardTime.com, which wants to convert the continental U.S. to two time zones that never again have to change their clocks. [Thanks to former co-worker Christine for passing along the info.]
—Mike @ 14:10
Cordless, shmordless - A couple of years ago, Phil gave me a cordless mouse as a birthday present, but the computer I was using was too outdated to be able to use it, so I returned it. Now that I've been running a modern PC for the past year, he thought he'd try again, so this year I received a new Logitech cordless optical mouse -- very sleek, no moving parts to get gummed up. Well, I spent half the morning trying to get it to work with the computer -- nothing. Followed all the troubleshooting tips, etc. The mouse lights up nicely with the batteries in it, and it looks cool, and the system knows when I've plugged in the receiver, and I installed the driver, yada, yada, yada. But I still can't do anything with it. I'm getting a feeling I'm not compatible with the wireless world.
—Mike @ 13:35
Monstrous mattresses - We took delivery of a brand new mattress (a Simmons Beautyrest) and box spring set yesterday, to replace our 12+ year old set which hasn't been getting along well with my back recently. The good news is, I slept perfectly well on the new mattress and my back was very happy with it. But what's the deal with the new towering look of these things? I felt like I needed a ladder to climb into bed, and I'm 6 feet tall. Even the box spring is inches higher than the old ones. I suppose we'll grow used to it quickly enough, but does anybody know the point of these changes? Have Americans suddenly grown taller in the last 12 years since we last bought a mattress?
I've made the following observations after my first night up on the "platform": on the plus side, when I wake up in the morning, I no longer have to "get up" out of bed. By the time my feet find the floor, I'm already standing up... how clever! Also, it's easier to make the bed because of its height, and it's easier to locate it when walking back into a dark room in the middle of the night. And I feel very important sleeping that high up in the room. On the down side, our night tables are so far below the level of the mattress, I can't even see them from the bed. And the wall lamps are in my face when I'm trying to read in bed. And it's more difficult to throw each other onto the mattress. And it's tougher to tie your shoes while sitting on the bed. And the thing just looks silly. Oh, and the bedspread no longer reaches the floor. Very odd.
—Mike @ 10:42
ValiMail - No, it's not like ValiGirl. ValiMail is a brand new product that is designed to really lock down your incoming spam problems, by scanning your mail folders and address books to come up with an initial list of approved people who will be allowed to send mail to you (of course, you can tweak that initial list). Any new senders will be required to follow instructions in a bounce message they will automatically receive from you. Part of those instructions appear as a blurred image, so only the human eye can interpret it correctly, not an automated spambot. In other words, it's an opt-in system for people who want to send you e-mail. Other questions are answered on their FAQ page.
—Mike @ 17:01
More? - There's additional reading available in the Archives.
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