Thursday, April 27, 2006

Sci Fi feels Pulse of broadband - Yahoo! News

Sci Fi feels Pulse of broadband - Yahoo! News

It will be interesting to see what the use on PUlse for "recycled original series". I would love to see "Tremors, The Series" rear its Graboid head again, even just in reruns.

Beacon Journal | 04/27/2006 | Our blimp deserves spot on car plates

Beacon Journal | 04/27/2006 | Our blimp deserves spot on car plates

For many years I had the Scenic Rivers plates, although the plates for my new car are standard issue Ohio plates. I would seriously consider a blimp plate. Unique and the money goes to the local Red Cross.

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

Working from home & telemarketers

I am working from home today to get some uninterrupted thinking time. As always it has paid off.

I got a call today that I let my answering machine (yes, I'm a bit old school) get. This is not unusual - because of telemarketers I never answer my home phone until I hear who it is. I am too cheap frugal to get caller ID. Anyone who knows me knows I do not answer my phone until after the answering machine picks up.

This was from John Morgan, to have Mr. or Mrs. Hill return his call at a toll-free number about my mortgage. Well John, if for some reason you read this - I am not returning your call you stinking telemarketer.

How do I know? A few things:

1) I am not married. Never have been. Therefore there is no Mrs. Hill on any mortgage papers.
2) I have no mortgage on my current house.
3) The mortgage I do have on my other house has never called me in almost 7 years. Ever. Not even while I was getting the mortgage. They like to work through mail.
4) Any communication I have had on the phone with the bank that is loosely affiliated to the mortgage company as always clearly identified the company they are with. I know that sounds weird, but the mortgage company & bank are separate entities but are owned by the same parent. They actually share the same building locally.
5) The mortgage that my mom had, on both houses, were in her name. She never remarried and had been divorced for 20+ years before she died. Therefore Mr. Hill on her mortgages.

Monday, April 24, 2006

AFI Top 100 Movies of All Time

AFI's Top 100 American Movies of All Time, or at least through 1998. Since one of my 101 things to do in 1001 days is to get through this list, I thought I would post where I stand on this right now. Some of these I may have seen given the weird tastes my mom had in movies, but I don't recall them.

1. CITIZEN KANE (1941)
2. CASABLANCA (1942)
3. THE GODFATHER (1972)
4. GONE WITH THE WIND (1939)
5. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (1962)
6. THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
7. THE GRADUATE (1967)
8. ON THE WATERFRONT (1954)
9. SCHINDLER'S LIST (1993)
10. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN (1952)
11. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE (1946)
12. SUNSET BOULEVARD (1950)
13. THE BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (1957)
14. SOME LIKE IT HOT (1959)
15. STAR WARS (1977)
16. ALL ABOUT EVE (1950)
17. THE AFRICAN QUEEN (1951)
18. PSYCHO (1960)
19. CHINATOWN (1974)
20. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST (1975)
21. THE GRAPES OF WRATH (1940)
22. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (1968)
23. THE MALTESE FALCON (1941)
24. RAGING BULL (1980)
25. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL (1982)
26. DR. STRANGELOVE (1964)
27. BONNIE AND CLYDE (1967)
28. APOCALYPSE NOW (1979)
29. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
30. THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE (1948)
31. ANNIE HALL (1977)
32. THE GODFATHER PART II (1974)
33. HIGH NOON (1952)
34. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (1962)
35. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT (1934)
36. MIDNIGHT COWBOY (1969)
37. THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES (1946)
38. DOUBLE INDEMNITY (1944)
39. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO (1965)
40. NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959)
41. WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
42. REAR WINDOW (1954)
43. KING KONG (1933)
44. THE BIRTH OF A NATION (1915)
45. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE (1951)
46. A CLOCKWORK ORANGE (1971)
47. TAXI DRIVER (1976)
48. JAWS (1975)
49. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS (1937)
50. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID (1969)
51. THE PHILADELPHIA STORY (1940)
52. FROM HERE TO ETERNITY (1953)
53. AMADEUS (1984)
54. ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT (1930)
55. THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
56. M*A*S*H (1970)
57. THE THIRD MAN (1949)
58. FANTASIA (1940)
59. REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE (1955)
60. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK (1981)
61. VERTIGO (1958)
62. TOOTSIE (1982)
63. STAGECOACH (1939)
64. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND (1977)
65. THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS (1991)
66. NETWORK (1976)
67. THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (1962)
68. AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
69. SHANE (1953)
70. THE FRENCH CONNECTION (1971)
71. FORREST GUMP (1994)
72. BEN-HUR (1959)
73. WUTHERING HEIGHTS (1939)
74. THE GOLD RUSH (1925)
75. DANCES WITH WOLVES (1990)
76. CITY LIGHTS (1931)
77. AMERICAN GRAFFITI (1973)
78. ROCKY (1976)
79. THE DEER HUNTER (1978)
80. THE WILD BUNCH (1969)
81. MODERN TIMES (1936)
82. GIANT (1956)
83. PLATOON (1986)
84. FARGO (1996)
85. DUCK SOUP (1933)
86. MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935)
87. FRANKENSTEIN (1931)
88. EASY RIDER (1969)
89. PATTON (1970)
90. THE JAZZ SINGER (1927)
91. MY FAIR LADY (1964)
92. A PLACE IN THE SUN (1951)
93. THE APARTMENT (1960)
94. GOODFELLAS (1990)
95. PULP FICTION (1994)
96. THE SEARCHERS (1956)
97. BRINGING UP BABY (1938)
98. UNFORGIVEN (1992)
99. GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER (1967)
100. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)

Beacon Journal | 04/24/2006 | Former local TV star beloved by children

Beacon Journal | 04/24/2006 | Former local TV star beloved by children

What I remember of Barnaby is he was a lot like Mr. Rogers but with fewer props and a much smaller audience, but just as entertaining.

Barnaby was as much a fixture of my youth as Super Host, Big Chuck & Hoolihan (later to become Big Chuck & Little John), Mr. Jingaling and The Ghoul.

Now a days you would not find such shows on TV, which is a shame. These hosts may not be great actors, but they knew there audiences and could tap into local in-jokes in a way that gets lost when people only look at the numbers. I do not think such shows would work well as a podcast either. Copyright issues aside, tapping into local jokes does not play well with an international audence.

Friday, April 21, 2006

TechCrunch » Microsoft Live Drive may launch before GDrive

TechCrunch » Microsoft Live Drive may launch before GDrive:

The idea of on-line storage is nothing new. Four or five years ago there was a service that would sync files to a server between multiple machines. Amazon has had something similar for awhile, although it is a pay service.

One bit I found particularly odd:


"With Live Drive, all your information - movies, music, tax information, a high-definition videoconference you had with your grandmother, whatever - could be accessible from anywhere, on any device." [Emphasis mine]


I found this a bit chilling that anyone would even consider putting their tax info in a place they did not have a lot of control over. Microsoft still has a way to go to earn at least my trust, and frankly I would not even put that kind of info on GDrive. At least if it is on my machine I can disconnect my machine from the internet, or copy the file to a CD, etc. to keep that kind of information as private as possible.

Also, given some recent things from the RIAA or MPAA, what kind of responsibility would you have if someone cracked into your Live Drive and illegally downloaded the music and videos you had there? You legally owned them, however I am sure the alphabet groups could make something of a case that you were distributing them.

Don't get me wrong - it is a good idea. However at least right now internet storage has a ways to go to prove itself.

Thursday, April 20, 2006

Beacon Journal | 04/20/2006 | Hikers' participation not at its peak in '05

Beacon Journal | 04/20/2006 | Hikers' participation not at its peak in '05

Although disappointing, it is not surprising given the cost of gas. I only hit the minimum number of trails last year - many of which are sort-of on the way home.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

General things in Egypt so far... (Apr. 18, 2006)

General things in Egypt so far... (Apr. 18, 2006)

Although I am enjoying catching the photos of his trip, this post struck a chord with me. Going back to the old BBS days when we would hook up, snag as much as possible, send as much as possible, and get off the phone before my mom would kick my butt. These days of 24/7 Internet access, many times with always available wireless, it is fun to see some old school work.

Now we just need off-like Flickr setup...

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Researchers Study Stradivarius Violins - Yahoo! News

Researchers Study Stradivarius Violins - Yahoo! News

Yet another attempt to figure out the Stradivari's secrets. I have heard records of some of the Stradivarius violins, however my untrained ear has never really noticed a difference.

Part of me hopes they do not succeed.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Disney to Make 4 ABC Shows Free Online - Yahoo! News

Disney to Make 4 ABC Shows Free Online - Yahoo! News

An interesting twist. Show some patience, and be willing to put up with some ads, and you can get some popular shows for free.

The question will be have they listened to the conversation around advertising. People are willing to watch advertising if it is a) interesting and b) not jammed down their throat several times an hour. Consider the Super Bowl - many people watch the Super Bowl just to see the ads. Can they provide provocative, varied ads to keep people interested?

It will be interesting to see how it plays out.

Friday, April 07, 2006

101 things in 1001 days

I am finally jumping on the bandwagon. Check out Triplux for more information, and a copy of the script for the countdown. Unfortunately Blogger does not want to allow the script to run. My 1001 days in 2 Jan 2009.

1. Find 300 total caches
2. Walk 5 days A week for 3 straight months
3. Read 100 books
4. Completely clean out office
5. Get rid of entertainment center
6. Paint living room
7. Transfer all cds to MP3
8. Finish Route 66 walking program
9. Finish Civil War walking program
10. Finish Lewis & Clarke walking program
11. Finish College Walking program
12. Get a new car
13. Paint outside of House
14. Paint kitchen
15. Paint bedroom
16. Paint office
17. Paint Bathroom
18. Setup tai chi area
19. Complete a self study Javascript book
20. Finish Watch AFI's top 100 American Films of All Time
21. Replace basement windows
22. Lose 50 pounds
23. Replace tool bench
24. Landscape side of house
25. Finish Great Lakes Walking program
26. Finish Lighthouse Walking program
27. Finish Revolutionary War walking program
28. Finish Pony express Walking program
29. Walk a total of 2300 miles
30. Complete NaNoWriMo
31. Complete the Gold Award in the President's Challenge
32. Replace hose faucet
33. Take 500 pictures
34. Learn to juggle 3 balls
35. Release 200 Bookcrossing books
36. Get my Amazon wish list to transfer to my Palm through synch
37. Get my Netflix queue to transfer to my Palm through synch
38. Setup my old machine as a server
39. Get a new hair style
40. Get back in school for my accounting degree
41. Get a Microsoft certification
42. Complete at least half of the hours for my associate in Metaphysical studies at http://www.ccms.edu.
43. Complete Blogathon
44. Visit Lily Dale, NY
45. Setup my scanner (or get a new one if needed)
46. Get a t-shirt from Rubber City Clothing http://www.rubbercityclothing.com/
47. Attend First Night
48. Get a computer desk
49. Take 1 yoga class a week for at least 3 months
50. Get a t-shirt from Think Geek
51. Get 150 volksmarch award
52. Update my resume (I have not touched it in 12 years)
53. Update my will
54. Visit either the new art museum (currently closed for construction) or Summit Art Space
55. See a live play
56. Go to an Akron or Cleveland symphony concert
57. Play a round of mini golf
58. Do morning pages every day for 2 months
59. Take a pottery class
60. Get coffee table up to attic (harder than you would think - need to clean a space in the attic!)
61. Get a set of gel pens for work
62. Get caught up on my magazine reading. Stay that way for a month.
63. Give 1 gallon of blood
64. Get new bed pillows
65. Get smaller trash/recycle cans for the kitchen
66. Setup a compost pile.
67. Redo The Artist Way, preferably with a group
68. Get a massage.
69. Come up with a signature item for geocaching.
70. Transfer last 2 phase study group tapes to MP3.
71. Get a program to extract the data from my time log into something useful for my timesheet
72. Get WiFi working again at home
73. Get a new cell phone
74. Get one of my many posters framed and hung somewhere in my house.
75. Overhaul the look of my blog
76. Replace drapes in office
77. Clean out my silverware drawer of all the crap I don't use
78. Get new glasses
79. Complete "Drawing for Dummies"
80. Watch all avaiable Stargate:SG1 episodes on DVD
81. Get my photo on my blog
82. Visit the Akron Zoo
83. Get a digital recorder I can use while driving and later convert the files to MP3.
84. Get an icon for my blog
85. Clean out my old software.
86. Pay off my new car from above.
87. Try 12 new receipes
88. Get something to transport my crystals in, with appropriate covers/padding
89. Get rid of my unused bulletin board
90. Get rid of my unused filing cabinet
91. Catch up on all the Star Trek:Hidden Frontier episodes
92. Get my inbox to 0 emails.
93. Visit Niagra Falls.
94. Fix my headboard
95. Attend after work social at least once a month for 6 months
96. See Mt. Rushmore
97. Clean off kitchen table. Eat dinner off of the table for a month.
98. Meditate every day for 1 month
99. Take clothe bags shopping every week for 3 months
100. Edge around the sidewalk, driveway, etc.
101. Complete 1 volkesbike event.

[Update]

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

How I Work: Bill Gates - Apr. 4, 2006

How I Work: Bill Gates - Apr. 4, 2006

An interesting article. Some do have a valid complaint about how Microsoft software works. At least Bill (and all of Microsoft) uses its own products.

As a recent multi-monitor convert I can say there is a productivity gain from adding at least 1 monitor. For most of us I can't imagine more than 3 monitors as being beneficial, and in fact I would say many would find 3 to be a hinderance.

I like the idea of the tablet & desktop, along with the white board that will convert your scribblings into a graphic. Tablet PCs are just coming into their own, although they are still a little out of reach for the average PC user (corporate or home). Maybe Microsoft's new Ultra-Moble PCs will make tablet PCs available to the masses. I have resisted blogging about these (the Origami project) until they come out, but these have some great opportunity to get tablet programming to the unwashed masses (or at least us poor geeks).

I am of the opinion that, eventually, people will have several sized tablet-style computers much like you would have different sized pads of paper. The Ultra-Mobile will probably have limited use, much like a the half-sized notepads. The biggest use will be the small sized Palm/Pocket PC sized devices and the larger tablets. These I think are the common sized of papers used by people as well.