Simultaneity

June 14, 2007

A change in advertising?

Kellogg to Curb Marketing of Foods to Children
The Kellogg Company announced today that it will phase out advertising its products to children under age 12 unless the foods meet specific nutrition guidelines for calories, sugar, fat and sodium.

Kellogg also announced that it would stop using licensed characters or branded toys to promote foods unless the products meet the nutrition guidelines.

Interesting, but here's my first thoughts after reading the article...
It says that Froot Loops' days on Saturday morning TV may be numbered...I've looked for Saturday morning TV, it's really not there any more.

Secondly, who cares? They way I see it, they've already hooked the parents while they were kids. Most people my age and younger are still buying the stuff and guess what? We feed it to our kids...who will then buy it for theirs and so on...no need to market to children under 12, they're not the main target any more.

No more toys?!? They've started charging for them anyhow. I want my toy IN the cereal, not for $4.99 shipping and handling a 4 weeks later.

Posted by Jesse at 5:24 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

February 10, 2007

Walking on Sunshine

Fast foward to the future....you may no longer need to worry about stepping in poo and bringing it into your house, it may already be there...in the floor, in the sofa, and you may even have your drink sitting on a table made from manure.

As George Castansa said, it's really not that bad if you break it down. It's the word Ma, which is good, followed by "newer:" Ma-newer. Seems he isn't the only one that thinks it's not that bad. Researchers at Michigan State University and the Agriculture Department think it'd be good for making fiberboard.

Manure: You May Be Walking on It Soon Home-buyers of tomorrow could find themselves walking across floors made from manure. Researchers at Michigan State University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture insist it's no cow pie in the sky dream. They say that fiber from processed and sterilized cow manure could take the place of sawdust in making fiberboard, which is used to make everything from furniture to flooring to store shelves. And the resulting product smells just fine.

Posted by Jesse at 10:47 PM | Comments (0)

January 7, 2007

Cut-Rate Plumber?

"British police said Friday they were hunting a man who stole a urinal from a pub toilet."

Sounds like the beginning of a good joke, but it's actually an amusing news story.

Posted by Jesse at 8:39 PM | Comments (0)

November 23, 2006

Ionized Gas or Dental Drill?

Cold Plasma to Replace Dentist’s Drill?
The dentist’s drill is the epitome of pain and discomfort in the modern world, but that could soon change. Bio-medical research and the advent of cold plasma needles could eliminate the need for drilling teeth.

The needle is well on its way to becoming the painless treatment of the future, and the dentist's drill is certainly on its way out, because there will no longer be a need to "drill out" bacteria.

Of course, flossing and brushing would still mean that you don't need either one.

Posted by Jesse at 10:19 AM | Comments (0)

November 2, 2006

SIDS linked to Serotonin Abnormalities

NIH News
The lower brainstem helps control such basic functions as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and arousal. The researchers found that brainstems from SIDS infants contained more neurons (brain or nerve cells) that manufacture and use serotonin than did the brainstems of the control infants, explained the study's first author, David Paterson, PhD, a researcher at Children's Hospital in Boston.
Although the brainstem tissue from the SIDS infants contained more serotonin-using neurons, these serotonin-using neurons appeared to contain fewer receptors for serotonin than did the brainstems of control infants. Dr. Paterson noted that there are at least 14 different subtypes of serotonin receptor. In their study, the researchers tested the infants' brainstem tissue for a serotonin receptor known as "subtype 1A."

While this doesn't solve the problem, it helps explain why SIDS happens and gives scientists something to look for after the death for proof of SIDS. Likewise, it gives them something to work toward for preventing and diagnosing SIDS prone infants.

Until then, remember babies should sleep alone on their backs without toys or blankets.

Posted by Jesse at 2:34 PM | Comments (0)

September 13, 2006

Zapping Trash

Ever wonder what happens to all that stuff you throw away? It has to go somewhere and usually winds up in a nearby landfill. Some of it decays over time, but sooner or later, the landfill gets full and you have to start another one.

St. Lucie county in Florida has a better idea - they're going to vaporize their trash; not just the new trash, but all the trash they've been collecting.

They're building a facility that will use plasma arcs to turn trash into gas and rock-like material. The gas will be used to fuel turbines to create electricity, which will power the plant and be sold back to the power grid. The sludge from the wastewater treatment will be turned into a melted organic matter that will harden into slag and solf for use in road and other construction projects.

By zapping their trash at more than 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit they expect that they will delete their current landfills within 18 years.

I don't know if it'll work, but it's something to think about as we each create our 4.5 pounds of trash each day.

Posted by Jesse at 11:38 AM

August 24, 2006

And then there were 8

Just moments ago word was released that alot of books need to be changed, especially text books. Well, that's not really what was said, but that'll be the results now that we no longer have 9 planets in our solar system; now we have 8. Or 11 depending on how you look at it.

Pluto has been downgraded to a dwarf planet so we now have 8 "classic" planets. Also reclassified (or classified) were Cares, a former asteroid (between Mars and Jupiter), and Xena (discovered last year beyond Pluto) which are also now known as dwarf planets.

Posted by Jesse at 10:54 AM | Comments (0)

June 18, 2006

Got a Lemon?

"We obviously cannot sell the car in its current condition, which right now represents nearly $2 million of scrap metal."

The car (costing $1.7 million) was supposably one of 5 made, but that's also part of the law suit since it seems that 6 were made, devaluing the car. The problems began wthin 10 blocks when the oil light came on and have continued, including the car's transmission failed to shift properly, the hydraulic jack system failed and the car's windows came unglued.
Next time you're wondering if you got ripped off by your dealer, remember this story. While it won't solve your problem maybe you'll think things aren't as bad as they could be.

Posted by Jesse at 6:11 PM | Comments (0)

June 13, 2006

Be Careful Out There

Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers quarterback, is in serious but stable condition following a motorcycle accident yesterday (Monday) morning. He was cut off by a car, but the kicker is he wasn't wearing a helmet.

It's not illegal in Pennsylvania, but they are mandatory in other states and I think it's rather irresponsible not to wear one. Be that as it may, I hope he'll make a fast recovery.

Posted by Jesse at 12:05 AM | Comments (0)

June 3, 2006

Words of the Prophet

I haven't seen a tunnel ad yet, but it likely won't be long since WMATA beginning to sell the advertising space. Submedia has come up with an innovative way capture a new audience - the subway traveler. Using a technology roughly based on a flip-book, moving ads can be seen through the windows of the train.

I wouldn't be surprised to see this pop up in other places as well - moving walk ways have already been mentioned, but anywhere that the view is in motion would work. Check out the CNN Video.

Washington Post Article

Bonus points for understanding the title.

Posted by Jesse at 5:05 PM | Comments (1)

April 14, 2006

Spring Break in Style

This week many students have had the week off in celebration of Easter/Spring. I know one girl that went to St. Thomas, another that did mission work, and many kids who just took it easy. But there's one guy out there that decided on a different destination: Wal-Mart.

Spring Break at Wal-Mart
Bartels got the idea from a commercial. Was it true what those happy, shiny people were telling him: "Always low prices. Always"?
Could the biggest, most successful discount store in the world really meet his every need? Twenty-four hours a day? That's what the TV spots were telling him.

The best place for dozing was lawn and garden, where the lights weren't so bright. Nobody worked there between 2 and 4 a.m. Bartels found a lawn chair, kicked back and wondered how life could be better.

And the best part of the read...

Bartels got to feeling so productive and beneficial, he even filled out a job application.
"I wasn't sure how to answer some of the questions," he said. " 'Where can we reach you?' That was a tough one. The electronics department?"

Posted by Jesse at 2:51 PM | Comments (0)

March 28, 2006

Rule Changes

Fox Sports released some of the NFL rule changes that are being considered this season and they all aim to be an improvement.

End Zone celebrations have been getting out of control so this is likely to be the most strict rule change. Currently they are looking at anything other than spiking or spinning the ball or dunking over the goal posts as "taunting." Props are defiantly out - and that's a good thing.

The committee is also suggesting a change in the down by contact replay rule, allowing receivers to flinch, toughening below the knee hits on QBs, and allowing a defensive player to have direct communication with the coach (like the QB currently has).

The only one that I have issue over is the instant replay rule. I like the idea of the rule, but it seems like it may have the potential to have players continuing to play after the wistle blows just incase their is a review. And that will lead to injuries.

Posted by Jesse at 1:53 PM | Comments (0)

February 27, 2006

All this for 99 cents?

Over One Billion Served
The billionth song ”Speed of Sound” was purchased as part of Coldplay’s “X&Y” album by Alex Ostrovsky from West Bloomfield, Michigan and as the grand prize winner he will receive a 20-inch iMac, 10 fifth generation iPods and a $10,000 gift card good for any item on the iTunes Music Store. In addition, Apple will establish a scholarship to the world-renowned Juilliard School in his name to commemorate this milestone.

Man, what a prize package....

Posted by Jesse at 6:50 PM | Comments (0)

February 14, 2006

Institutionalized Home School

Not sure why this 2000 article is just hitting the Cato Institute's website but it had some interesting things to say about home school learning levels.

I also find Clinton's interesting comment, "and if they don't prove that they're learning then they have to go into a school -- either into a parochial or private school or a public school." What if they're in public school and they aren't learning, should we force them into home school?

Anyhow....

Home School and Histrionics
The most reliable data are from a 1998 study by Dr. Lawrence Rudner of the University of Maryland in which over 20,000 home-schooled students took standardized tests and completed other questionnaires. Unlike previous studies, Rudner's was conducted on a comparatively large sample and included only families who agreed to participate before knowing their children's test scores. The study concludes that "in every subject and at every grade level of the [tests], home schooled students scored significantly higher than their public and private school counterparts." Furthermore, the study shows that home-schooled children had average scores that fell between the 82nd and the 92nd percentile in reading and reached the 85th percentile in math. By the eighth grade, the average home-schooled student is performing four grade levels above the national average.

Four grade levels...something to consider.

Posted by Jesse at 1:21 PM | Comments (1)

January 25, 2006

Time to wake up!

Times change and so do school schedules. I thought that maybe I was just getting old, but the thought of school starting at 7:30 has never made sense to me. I know that the bus schedules play a major role, but until I read High schools, Wake Up! in USA today I didn't know it was the main reason.

Sleep experts from Brown University and the University of Minnesota side with the teens who say the schedule makes them tired.Researchers say their brains appear to be wired to stay up later, but require more sleep then kids of other age groups. Sleep-deprived teens are grouchier, poorer learners, prone to attention deficit disorders and more likely to cut classes.

A school in Edina, Minn, flipped the bus schedule with the younger kids (who are up anyhow) and had the elementary schools start first, and they are happy with the results. They had better attendance and better academic performance. They also had happier teens and parents which think sleep is more important than jobs, sports, and bus crowding.

We live in a time where the United States is continuing to fall behind other nations in academics and it will soon have a serious effect on our work force and GNP. As other nations continue towards healthy governments, we'll have fewer people from foreign lands studying at our universities and continuing their work here...soon we'll cease to be the leader in economics, technology and many other areas. We need to make sure that we are giving our students the best opportunities to succeed.

In our area, the big academic magnet is Roosevelt, which you have to test into. It seems they get it - classes start at 8:30. They continue to have the best results of any of the schools in the area. While they only accept the top academic achievers to begin with, I am sure scheduling has something to do with their success.

Although Kevin is far from High School, scheduling is one of the major factors in our choice to home school. Kevin is a late riser and has his best learning time after 2. By then, school is almost out. Not every child is a later riser, but most teens are. Switching the bus schedule may be an imposition in the beginning, but it seems like the best thing to do not only for our students, but also for our nation.

Posted by Jesse at 3:30 PM | Comments (1)

January 6, 2006

Batman

In the what will they think of next category...

Dolphins sing 'Batman' theme
Scientists have taught dolphins to combine both rhythm and vocalisations to produce music, resulting in an extremely high-pitched, short version of the Batman theme song.

Posted by Jesse at 2:59 PM | Comments (0)

December 13, 2005

Odd for God

As Christians, we're called to be different. The world should see that there is something special within us and be drawn to ask why we are different. However, some Christians take things to far and become "Odd for God." When we become odd, people just think there is something wrong - not different, and want nothing to do with us.

A recent event in Phoenix brought this to mind..

Woman With Child Ticked for HOV Violation
Candace Dickinson was driving to work last week when she was stopped by a Phoenix police officer for driving in the carpool lane. When the officer asked her how many people in the vehicle, he got an unexpected answer. “I said two, and he said no there's one, I said no there's two, myself and my son I'm pregnant," Dickinson said.

I believe that life begins at conception, but I also think that this lady has lost her balance. I wouldn't toss her into the "Odd for God" category, but I'm certain that she seems a little goofy.

Posted by Jesse at 9:50 AM | Comments (0)

December 9, 2005

Watch out Hambugler...

Lots of people like cheese, but be careful about who sees you're cheese, your life may depend on it.

Woman Allegedly Hires Hit Man for Cheese

In an unusual case of mistaken identity, a woman who thought a block of white cheese was cocaine is charged with trying to hire a hit man to rob and kill four men. The woman also was mistaken about the hit man. He turned out to be an undercover police officer.

Posted by Jesse at 1:51 PM | Comments (0)

December 8, 2005

Donation or bribe?

What's a donation? Isn't it when you give something to help someone and expect nothing in return?

Angy BellSouth Withdrew Donation, New Orleans Says (WaPo)

Hours after New Orleans officials announced Tuesday that they would deploy a city-owned, wireless Internet network in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, regional phone giant BellSouth Corp. withdrew an offer to donate one of its damaged buildings that would have housed new police headquarters, city officials said yesterday.

...

The network also is used by law enforcement and other city agencies to help speed recovery. Eventually, the city intends to outsource operation of the network's business and consumer services to a private firm, officials said.

I'd venture a guess that BellSouth won't be that private firm.

In fairness, it should be pointed out that city-owned Internet networks are not legal in Louisiana and New Orleans is being "over looked" since high-speed internet is, currently, the only reliable communications method in many parts of the city.

Posted by Jesse at 9:09 AM | Comments (0)

November 15, 2005

A Giant Find

Finding Said to Boost Proof of Goliath - Yahoo! News
Archaeologists digging at the purported biblical home of Goliath have unearthed a shard of pottery bearing an inscription of the Philistine's name, a find they claimed lends historical credence to the Bible's tale of David's battle with the giant.

Posted by Jesse at 6:35 PM | Comments (0)

October 25, 2005

How to change the world

Yesterday an icon of history passed away with hardly a notice yet her actions have had a profound effect on not just the world around her, but the world around all of us. At the age of 92, Rosa Parks after living a life that changed a nation.

I'll admit that I am not a Rosa Parks expert, nor have I done a great deal of study about her. However, I have noticed a pattern that seems to be at the root of historical icons like Abe Lincoln and Rosa Parks that is absent in other historical figures that are trying to make themselves into icons...which really can't be done.

The three things I've noticed that the world changers have in common are humility, conviction/stong faith, and a proper attitude.

When asked why she chose to break the law and sit where not allowed, her response was that "her feet were tired". After a long day at work, she was tired. I'm sure there was more to it, I'm sure that she had an idea of what would come, yet her humble reply to getting asked that question so many times was always the same.

It reminds me of the blind man in John 9. When asked questions about Jesus, his answer remained simple and truthful. I don't know, but I do know I was blind and now I see. A humble answer, a simple answer, yet so much more.

Also common is a deep faith. Despite what Rosa went though and despite what the blind man went through they communicated to others what they believed and lived according to those principles. The same is try for Lincoln, he had deep seeded convictions and despite many, many failures he continued steadfast - which lead to him becoming one of the greatest presidents we've had.

Lastly comes attitude. I can't say to much about Lincoln and lost my train of thought about the Blind man (my writing got interrupted for about 3 hours...kinda throws off your train of thought). Anyhow Ms. Parks, no matter what happened, maintained a positive attitude. When she was robbed in 1994, her reaction was to pray for the thief and the country.

So be humble, be faithful, and be positive and maybe you will change the world.

Posted by Jesse at 6:06 PM | Comments (0)

September 22, 2005

Mr. Chief Justice

It looks like Judge Roberts will become the next Chief Justice. He's out of committee with a 13-5 vote recommending him for the job. The 13 included 3 democrats which should make the Senate vote even easier for Roberts.

During his vote, Biden said something to the effect, "John Roberts is qualified to become the next Chief Justice. (and some other good things). We should understand that he will have more influence over our children and their children then all of us combined." Then voted no. I suppose he felt that he could do the job, but since he's party and possibly his constituents would have wanted a no, he voted that way.

However, I think it's just plain liberal thinking to feel that Roberts will have more influence over a child or grandchild then the parents. Sorry, not the case. Typically, parents spend more than 3000 hours with their children each year. That's more than anyone else. In fact, parents will spend more time in the car with their children in a month then the child will spend at church (if they attend) in a whole year. What I am saying is, there's more potential for the parent to be the influence than anyone else, some don't take on this responsibilities, but many of us do...and it won't matter who's on the supreme court, they'll still be our children.

I also found this "Century City" type article interesting: A Sci-Fi future awaits the Court

Posted by Jesse at 2:11 PM | Comments (3)

Stuck on Stupid

During a press conference, Mayor Nagin began losing control and Lt.Gen Russel Honore stepped in to answer questions and chastise the press. During the conference, he used the phrase, "Don't get stuck on stupid." Since then I've heard it's an Army catch-phrase, which is news to me. I served for 4 years and this is the first I've heard of it...but I do wish I had heard it sooner, there so many things it can be applied too. Radioblogger has a snip of the interview if you'd like to hear.

Posted by Jesse at 2:06 PM

September 16, 2005

MythBusters, please?

Power-dressing man leaves trail of destruction

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian man built up a 40,000-volt charge of static electricity in his clothes as he walked, leaving a trail of scorched carpet and molten plastic and forcing firefighters to evacuate a building.

When he walked into a building in the country town of Warrnambool in the southern state of Victoria Thursday, the electrical charge ignited the carpet.

Ummm...no.

This really sounds like something Jamie and Adam should look into soon.

Posted by Jesse at 8:25 PM | Comments (1)

July 21, 2005

Best Inventions

TiVo has joined the ranks of the toothbrush, seat belt, computer, and alarm clock as part of a year long exhibit at the patent office highlighting the best inventions.

Posted by Jesse at 5:18 PM | Comments (0)

April 18, 2005

Seeing is believing

Best Buy said that they starting a two year process of phasing out rebates because the customers don't like them. I can see that, I think they are a pain, but Best Buy has some of the best ones around.

I was under the impression that rebates were worth the hassle because many consumers didn't send them in...perhaps it's worth it for the vendors but not the middle men. Anyhow, I don't see it happening, but I am glad to see that they plan to make the Reward Zone card more than just a "frequent shopper" points card.

Posted by Jesse at 5:50 PM | Comments (1)

April 9, 2005

In Search Of...

I'm not surprised about the talk of the Pope's death but I've heard a number of things that made me think. First was a person that was upset that nothing was said during our worship service on Sunday. I'm not sure what would be said, I doubt anyone didn't know... The second was the idea that if the Pope didn't decay that he was a saint, and it was implied that he was not being embalmed to see this through (Yuck).

Alone, those things seemed odd to me, but when I look at the global picture and the fact that 4 million people attended the funeral I began to think these 3 things were related. Our world has a deep spiritual hunger and is looking for anything remotely spiritual to cling to.

Psychic networks, cults and others see this and profit from it, yet it seems that the Church falls short in noticing that people hunger for information and spiritual experience. Often, this "experience" is seen by church folk as hype to simply draw masses. While this indeed could be the case, it doesn't have to be. With planning, churches can use the attraction of experiences to draw people into a deeper understanding of God. They can feed their need for community while feeding their soul.

People are looking for ways to fill voids in their life, how is the Church going to respond? Unfortunately, I think we'll respond to this event much like we did 9-11. Then, people turned to the church looking for healing and received "band aid" sermons, fake platitudes, and unforgiving church members - and the Church lost a great opportunity. Unfortunately, if we haven't learned from our mistake, we're bound to repeat it.

Posted by Jesse at 10:27 AM | Comments (0)

March 29, 2005

Double Standard

A former teacher in Montgomery county uncovered a bit of a double standard when sending an e-mail to the school board to complain about the sex-ed curricilum. Seems the e-mail was bounced back for inappropriate comment.

This post and items like it are why Teri and I plan to home school Kevin. Montgomery County is one of the best counties in the state, ours, Prince Georges one of the worst.

Posted by Jesse at 8:28 PM | Comments (0)

December 27, 2004

Don't mime me...

A top educator at the Colombian National University, Antanas Mockus found a new job as mayor of Bogota and learned it was little more than a 6.5 million person classroom. Some of the things that he did to gain control of a city that was full of violence, lawless traffic and on the verge of chaos were not only a bit unconventional, some were outright odd - though many were effective.

Traffic Mimes

420 mimes were hired to control traffic. Pedestrians who didn't follow crossing rules would be tracked by a mime who mocked his every move.

Night Out for Women

Men were asked to stay home and care for the children. The first Woman's night had a turn out of 700,000 women

Ratings Cards

Handed out 350,000 thumbs up and thumbs down cards that were meant to approve or disapprove of other citizens' behavior - they were actually actively and peacefully used.

Voluntary Taxes

They were in a crunch so he asked for people to voluntarily pay an extra 10% in taxes. 63,000 did just that.

Link to Harvard Gazette article.

Posted by Jesse at 12:47 AM | Comments (0)

December 8, 2004

Rest In Peace, Babs

The caretakers at the Brookfield Zoo allowed the gorillas to mourn the loss of one of their leaders. Babs, 30, had an incurable kidney condition and was euthanized Tuesday.

In the wild, gorillas have been known to pay respects to the dead and the keepers allowed them to do so here as well. Babs' mother and daughter as well as the other females in the family sniffed, held her hands, and rubbed her stomach.

CNN.com - Gorillas hold 'wake' for group's leader
"She was the dominant female of the group, the peacekeeper, the disciplinarian, the one who kept things in a harmonious state," Pruett Jones said.

An interesting article. Knowing that she was a prominant leader helps to see why they allowed the other gorillas to "morn" her passing.

Posted by Jesse at 11:12 PM

November 12, 2004

Generosity and voting

The popular view is that Republicans are for raising taxes, but not giving to the poor and Democrats are for ensuring that the less fortunate are taken care of by the government. A recent index by the Catalogue for Philanthropy doesn't disprove this, but when put together with how the states voted for president, it does show more generous giving (in correlation to how much you have) by the states that voted for Bush.

Other bloggers noticed:

World Magazine Blog: Red and blue generosity

1. 80% of the red states rank higher in generosity than ANY of the blue states
2. That ALL the blue states are in the lower 50 percentile
3. That the lowest-rated red states are those that went for Bush most narrowly
4. That Kerry's home state ranks a dismal 49th

Made for some rather interesting commenting as well.

Posted by Jesse at 11:00 AM | Comments (1)

November 3, 2004

Here we go again...

Four years ago it was Florida, this year it's Ohio's 20 electoral votes that will play a major part of the decision for President. We may know soon, but I doubt it. Ohio requires 10 days for military and absentee votes to trickle in and there will be close examination of all provisional ballots as well. Then, when all is said and done you can bet a recount will be asked for in some districts - actually, in really close districts Ohio law mandates a recount (I think within .25%).

Depending on where you look, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Ohio, Iowa, New Hampshire, and Nevada are up for grabs. I don't think there will be many that would contest my saying that Nevada will go to Bush and Wisconsin and New Hampshire will go to Kerry. In fact, many news outlets are already saying that New Hampshire and Nevada have been awarded accordingly.

That leaves New Mexico, Iowa, and Ohio and totals of Bush 254, Kerry 252. It looks like Bush will win New Mexico and Iowa moving him to 266 and still waiting on Ohio to determine the election. If this turns out to be the case, it only strengthens my post of last night saying that the Republicans should have spent more time campaigning in my home county, Prince Georges, MD. A swing of a mere 50,000 votes would have given the state to Bush, pushing my projection to 276 and taking the focus off of Ohio (and likely onto Iowa).

Of course, what's done is done - maybe next time around we'll have more focus, unless the country is less divided at that point.

Posted by Jesse at 9:20 AM | Comments (1)

November 2, 2004

Battleground

Maryland has always been a democratic state but there was some talk about us becoming a battlegound state. I didn't think that was the case, but looking at the results, it seems that the republicans could stand a fair chance to take Maryland in the future. Baltimore City, Montgomery county, and Prince Georges county were the only solid democratic places, the rest of the state was pretty solidly republican (at least with a few % of the polls reporting). If Bush could have split Prince Georges county (swing 50,000 votes), Maryland would have gone to him rather than Kerry.

That should bode well for the governor when he makes a re-election bid (unless his terms are up, I'm woefully uninformed about our states politics at that level).

As for our other choices, the old lady continues to be our Senator and collect a paycheck, as does our representative. I'm not sure what was wrong with Jewitt (other than spamming the night before the election), but he barely pulled in 25%.

Posted by Jesse at 10:11 PM

November 1, 2004

Now What...

Tomorrow's the big day - and not just for the President.
In our area we'll also be looking at our representative, we live in Maryland's fifth district. Simply put, I think our representative needs replaced. I disagree with his views on many things, which isn't surprising since we're from two different parties, however, I'm used to that, I'm a republican in Maryland. What really tipped the scales was a letter that he sent responding to an e-mail I sent. He said that he disagreed with my e-mail, would never support that type of bill, and so forth - then finished by saying "I'll keep your comments in mind when I vote."

Umm, if you disagree that much, why would you keep my thoughts in mind? You made it obvious that everyone could have my view and you'd still vote your way...anyhow, here's the problem:

I just got spammed by his opponent, the guy I WAS going to vote for.

Sigh, I hate choosing the least of two evils.

Posted by Jesse at 9:36 PM

October 25, 2004

A Giant is put out to Pasture

The strongest and fastest fighter plane in the world, the F-14 Tomcat, has two missions remaining before it will be removed from the navy's arsenal. Fighter Squadron 31 is currently on patrol with the carrier USS John C Stennis and will deploy once more this year. After that, the squadron will be flying F-18s, and the famous "Top Gun" plane will fly no more.

F-14s Heading to Aircraft Graveyard
"I like to compare the F-14 to a Harley-Davidson," Cudnohufsky said. "There are a lot of airplanes out there. But none have the beauty and grace of the Tomcat. Every time I am in the aircraft, I am in awe. It looks fast just sitting there."

Having worked almost exclusively on the F-14s for 16 years, Chief Petty Officer Scott Hadley, an aviation structural mechanic, said he believes retiring the storied jets, even if they're showing their age, is "the worst thing they could do in naval aviation. Absolutely."

Posted by Jesse at 4:31 PM

October 9, 2004

RIP - RIF

The Reading is Fundamental program isn't in trouble as the title implies, indeed, it is sorely needed. While I was at the NYWC, one of the speakers noted, among other sobering statistics that most high school graduates will not read another non-fiction book. That struck me as odd since I've read 6 just this year - not counting textbooks.

As Teri and I talked, we began to wonder what percentage of the population reads 10 or more books each year. While I haven't found the answer to that, here's some statistics that shed some light on the sad problem of America's literacy.

• Only about a third of the nation's public school children read proficiently
• Circulation of English-language papers in the United States has declined 11 percent since 1990.
• One-third of high school graduates never read a book for the rest of their lives.
• Fifty-eight percent of the U.S. adult population never reads a book after high school.
• Forty-two percent of college graduates never read another book.
• Eighty percent of U.S. families did not buy or read a book last year.
• Seventy percent of U.S. adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.
• Fifty-seven percent of new books are not read to completion. Most readers do not get past page 18 in a book they have purchased.
• Of the people who do read books, 53 percent read fiction, 43 percent nonfiction.
• Of the top 50 books, fiction outsells nonfiction about 60 percent to 40 percent.
• Each day, people in the U.S. spend four hours watching TV, three hours listening to the radio, and 14 minutes reading magazines.

NEA chairman, Dana Gioia, said, 'We have a lot of functionally literate people who are no longer engaged readers. We're seeing an enormous cultural shift from print media to electronic media, and the unintended consequences of that shift.' According to an NEA study, only 57% of adults read any book at all during 2002. While the drop in reading is wide spread, it was marked for adult men, of whom only 38% read any literature.

Of course, none of the statistics answered my question, "What percentage of the population reads at least 10 books a year(a high volume of books)?"
(for children who are encouraged to read by their parents, 63% read more than 10 books a year and 51% of children whose parents leave it up to them)

Posted by Jesse at 12:12 PM

September 20, 2004

Is Bigger Better

I've been working on a post about a large company and wondering if bigger is better. Rather than jump into that question, I decided instead to look at this story as a warm up.

As if SUVs are not big enough, welcome the CXT -- short for commercial extreme truck. This truck is about 4 feet longer than H2s and stands about 9 feet tall - yes, nine feet tall, as in one full story. Costing around $100,000, the truck weighs about 7 tons and will get 6-10 mpg (diesel).

Think nice looking cement-mixer size pick up truck.

Posted by Jesse at 4:05 PM

Geeks and the NFL

This post has a good post about how computers are changing the game of football. It links to a 60 minutes piece that, I suppose, was about the same thing.

Computers in the NFL
The Secret Of Their NFL Success: 60 Minutes had a great segment tonight about NFL coaches and the role they play in their team's success. Apparently computers are playing an huge role in NFL team strategy.
They showed John Fox, coach of the Carolina Panthers, in front of his machine. He had a VB-ish app on the screen, and it apparently contained digital video of every game his upcoming opponent (the Packers, in this case) played last year. He said it could store three years worth.
Every play of every game had been analyzed, annotated, and fit into some data structure. Fox could query the data to find, for instance, video of every goal line offense the Packers mounted last year ("WHERE line_of_scrimmage < 20 AND side_of_field = 'opponent'" perhaps?). He could just scroll through them, and view the video he wanted to see. (Via Gadetopia)

Posted by Jesse at 2:47 PM

September 17, 2004

Fighting the Counterfeiters

One of the most popular bills to counterfeit was the $20 bill. Big enough to be worth the trouble, small enough not to get noticed. So, the Federal Reserve changed it to make it a little harder - then did the same with the $10 and some other bills....Now those tricky counterfeiters have moved on to a more lucrative product and so, to fight the bubble gum bandits, the US mint is changing the nickel. That's right, sometime in 2005, the counterfeiters will meet their match and will no longer be able to swarm the gumball machines with the warez.

Posted by Jesse at 10:43 AM

September 2, 2004

More WiFi about the town

Texas is in the process of taking bids to offer WiFi connections at all of their rest stops and information centers. The high-speed Internet access will be free. They hope to provide a service to those travelling in Texas as well as encourage people to stop and take a break as they travel.

Having been through part of Texas, breaks are needed as you drive, it's simply too big to travel without stopping. Of course, at times, rest stops are really spaced out as well so by the time you come across one, it's almost always going to be a time to stop unless you can hold it for a few more hours.

This will not only be good for the tech-savvy traveler, but when the WiFi combo phones hit the market, the free calling could come in quite handy at the rest stops.

Posted by Jesse at 8:19 PM

September 1, 2004

Philly gone wireless

Quite an ambitious plan...

Philly Considers Wireless Internet for All
PHILADELPHIA - For about $10 million, city officials believe they can turn all 135 square miles of Philadelphia into the world's largest wireless Internet hot spot.

The ambitious plan, now in the works, would involve placing hundreds, or maybe thousands of small transmitters around the city...Once complete, the network would deliver broadband Internet almost anywhere radio waves can travel - including poor neighborhoods where high-speed Internet access is now rare.

Posted by Jesse at 9:35 PM

Slackers get outsourced

In search of some audio cables for the church's soundboard, my travels took me to Radio Shack, Best Buy, and Circuit City today. The first stop, Radio Shack didn't have all of what I needed, unless I put several adapters together with the cables, so I moved on to Best Buy.

Bust Buy had one of the cables, so I picked it up and went to the front....2 registers were open, each with about 15 people in line. I waited for 5 minutes and didn't move, so I dropped my purchase on the counter on the way out. In the parking lot, there were no less than 5 employees in the tell-tale blue shirt standing around (not to mention the large number I saw standing around in the store).

At Circuit City, I find two cables, then mistakenly talk to one of the people about rechargeable batteries. As soon as I engaged him, I realized my mistake, I should have asked the shelf next to him as it probably knew more about the store then the cro-magnon I had awakened from slumber. I was also mis-charged so I will have to return my purchase tomorrow.

Anyhow, the tale of the story, as I realized while pondering my escape was that none of these stores employ people who care about the business. They fail to realize that if the store doesn't make money, they won't either. When businesses are seen as a corporate blob that has endless cash, this is the result. Until they corporation realizes that the workers don't care...then jobs get outsourced, even the minimum wage jobs like McDonalds.

McOutsourcing
High-tech burger-flippers: McDonald's franchisers in Cape Girardeau, Mo., Brainerd, Minn., and Norwood, Mass., recently began outsourcing their drive-thru order-taking to a call center in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Link found via Blog on the Edge of Forever

Posted by Jesse at 8:26 PM

August 29, 2004

Seems Like a Bad Idea

I'm all for looking for ways to make it easier for our deployed soldiers to cast their ballots, however the Missouri plan to have them vote by e-mail seems to have a few flaws. Least of which "If a solider knows that his commanding officer might see how he voted, that might influence who he votes for."

STLtoday - News - Election 2004
Bruce Schneier, a board member of the National Committee for Voting Integrity, said a plan that Blunt announced this week seems vulnerable to potential problems. Schneier also said the plan would eliminate the soldier's ability to cast a secret ballot.

Posted by Jesse at 9:22 PM | Comments (1)

August 25, 2004

Wireless VoIP

Vonage is working with Netgear and LinkSys to offer wireless routers (as well as wired) for their phone service. This will likely spark more interest in dual phone which operate on VoIP when available, and cellular at other times.

PCWorld.com - Vonage Calls on Linksys for VoIP
The partnership will kick off with Linksys providing broadband-to-phone adapters and wired routers that incorporate that adapter technology, but it soon will branch out with Wi-Fi equipment and could lead to wireless LAN phones...

Posted by Jesse at 9:58 PM

August 23, 2004

Wi-Fi Pony Express

Not sure why this went in the draft rather than posted pile, but using the wayback machine, here's a post that should have been published January 26th.

And the world gets a little bit smaller.
Although we still have a long way to go, it seems like it will not be very long before anyone in the world will be able to communicate with anyone else. Of course, the freedoms that make this possible will be the biggest block but free communication will eventually win out.

Posted by Jesse at 3:14 PM

August 10, 2004

Intelligence or instinct

There's always been an argument as to Koko's ability to "speak" using sign language. I've leaned in both directions over the years and recently was thinking that the instinct side was more accurate until this story:

Yahoo! News - Gorilla Seeks Help Using Sign Language
About a month ago, Koko, a 300-plus-pound ape who became famous for mastering more than 1,000 signs, began telling her handlers at the Gorilla Foundation in Woodside she was in pain. They quickly constructed a pain chart, offering Koko a scale from one to 10.

When Koko started pointing to nine or 10 too often, a dental appointment was made.

Posted by Jesse at 9:20 PM

August 4, 2004

A matter of the State?

The supposed marriage amendment bill was, as expected by all, met by defeat. It was a way of getting senators and representatives on record, but it was really not needed. People who are interested in how their "representatives" vote should be in contact with them and already know where they stand.

Anyhow, many of those that oppose the FMA say that it's a state right, and thankfully states are standing up and taking notice. I think, though, that those opposing the FMA may not be singing the same song when states say "one man, one woman," like many are starting to do. Wether a state right or a federal amendment I believe that this is a matter that should be decided by the voters, not by the courts like was done in Massachusetts.

Missouri marriage amendment wins handily
A state constitutional amendment to define marriage in Missouri as the union of a man and woman cruised to a lopsided victory last night. With 51 percent of precincts reporting last night, the amendment had received 659,267 "yes" votes to 251,754 "no" votes — a margin of 72 percent to 28 percent.

Up to 12 other states may be addressing this issue during the upcoming election:

• Louisiana's vote will be on Sept. 18
• Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Utah will vote on Nov. 2
• Montana, Arkansas and Oregon should also be voting in November
• Michigan is in the process of verification of signatures to add the issue to their ballot
• North Dakota and Ohio have signatures to add the issue to their ballots

Alaska, Hawaii, Nebraska and Nevada have already modified their constitutions to define marriage as "one man and one woman."

Posted by Jesse at 1:06 PM

July 23, 2004

No more laundry

Two scientist in Hong Kong has developed a textile that cleans itself. Using nanotechnology, they have created clothes that pretty much clean themselves.

CNN.com - Washing no longer dirty work
Self-cleaning clothes would be ideal for people who don't have time to wash their clothes or don't have the facilities to do so, he believed.
"Like military people, or travelers, people who go hiking, who don't have a lot of water and time to wash their clothes," he said.
"This is a very good idea because then if the clothes get dirty, the dirt can be decomposed by the fabric itself. So after a few days in the sunshine, or even indoor light, the dirt will disappear."

We live in truly amazing times.

Posted by Jesse at 2:12 PM

Technology goes shopping

A store in Boston has added a wireless computer and RFID to it's shopping carts to add to the convince of shopping -

Supermarket smart cart
The highlights:
Based on the shoppers frequent shopper card, your buying history and favorite items are available in real time as you shop you also have the ability to download your shopping list at home and email it to the device to eliminate the need for carrying (and losing?) that piece of paper.
As you shop, you can scan in each item it will keep a running total of how much you are spending and actually eliminate the need to wait in line at the check-out. You can also check the price of each item before you buy.
As you walk down the aisles, and promotions and paperless coupons pop-up on the screen. Want to take advantage of that special deal? Just touch the screen and scan the item.
You can place an order at the deli from anywhere in the store and when it's ready, you receive a notification to pick it up. No more taking a number and standing in line!

I know that there will undoubtable be privacy concerns since it can also track your location in the store (using the location of the cart) so that it can guide you to the item you need. And there's the privacy of what you're buying, but if you use a shopping card then you have already given that up.

It seems like there are a number of positive uses and our area (D.C.) Giants are going to be among the next to try this out, can't wait to see it in action. I do see the downside for the stores though, these will be costly and it will keep people from over-spending (the checkout total being more than you intended), which I think is fairly typical.

Posted by Jesse at 2:03 PM

July 22, 2004

Reach out and touch no one

As the VoIP battle heats up AT&T stops taking new long distance customers...

AT&T Out of Consumer Long Distance Markets
AT&T will stop pursuing new long-distance customers to adjust to new competitive and regulatory realities. The carrier will continue to support existing customers.
Eventually, management will consider all options -- including sale or spin-off -- for the business that made it one of America's most recognized corporate names.

The money is in business class services and VoIP so this is a smart move for them, but it will be odd to see AT&T fade as a long distance carrier, especially if VoIP doen't take off.

Posted by Jesse at 10:43 PM

July 4, 2004

No Peeking

Passengers Told Not To Peek When Flight Lands At Air Force Base
"Everyone is surmising it was pilot error. The presumption is that the pilot just landed at the wrong ... airport."

Ellsworth controls all airplanes in airspace 40 miles around the base and clears flights to land at both the Rapid City airport and the base. Ellsworth confirmed with Rapid City airport officials that the Northwest plane was authorized in the airspace.

"He was looking toward an airfield, saw one and thought it was the other," said base spokeswoman Lt. Christine Millette. "As far as we knew, they were on track, and then they weren't."

"So as they were coming out of the clouds, they were just about to land and they realized they were at the wrong airstrip," she said. "They said (to air controllers), 'Hey, we are landing' and within seconds they were on our airstrip."

Only a few miles away and then suddenly they were almost 4 hours late.

Posted by Jesse at 10:40 PM

Stairway to Heaven - in 15 years

Yahoo! News - Scientist Sees Space Elevator in 15 Years
President Bush wants to return to the moon and put a man on Mars. But scientist Bradley C. Edwards has an idea that's really out of this world: an elevator that climbs 62,000 miles into space.
Edwards thinks an initial version could be operating in 15 years, a year earlier than Bush's 2020 timetable for a return to the moon. He pegs the cost at $10 billion, a pittance compared with other space endeavors.

Posted by Jesse at 10:30 PM

June 22, 2004

Colored Veggies

Take a mutant found in a marsh, cross breed it and what to you get?

Yahoo! News - Orange Cauliflower Now Available in U.S.
Michael Dickson, the breeder who led its development, says orange cauliflower has caught the attention of restaurant chefs because of its superior appearance. The hybrid also has about 25 times more vitamin A than its pale cousin, making it more appealing to health-conscious consumers.

Not what I would want to see on my plate without knowing in advance....

Posted by Jesse at 8:36 PM | Comments (1)

June 8, 2004

Ad Crazy

I've commented before on information overload. Then I was talking about information that I wanted to receive. Through RSS, TiVo, and ad blockers, I, as well as many others, have managed to disengage for the inundation of advertisements. Ad makers have realized this and Procter & Gamble have come up with a creative (and likely annoying) way to get you to see more ads.

Fool.com: Printing on a Pringle
Maybe informative might be too strong of a word, but Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG) has come up with an innovative process to place images and text on the surface of Pringles potato chips -- or should that be crisps (I always forget). So now a person can spy one message or other before she downs the next victim from the canister.

They'll start this summer with questions from Hasbro's "Trivial Pursuit Junior." The article says that we should expect Disney, Fox and others to follow suit.

Posted by Jesse at 9:39 AM | Comments (1)

June 5, 2004

Passing of a President

Ronald Wilson Reagan
2/6/1911 - 6/5/2004

During his journey from president of the screen actors guild to governor of California to President of the United States he became a spokesman for conservatism and took a strong stance against Communism.

During his term as President he was shot (within 69 days of taking office), he stimulated economic growth, curbed out of control inflation, and added to the military forces of the United States. His policy of "peace through strength" lead to a treaty eliminating intermediate-range nuclear missiles.

Through his overhaul of the tax code - which exempted millions of low income families - lead to our Nation enjoying the longest period of peacetime prosperity without recession or depression.

He also declared war on terrorism long before Bush took office, too bad he never got a chance to see the end of that war.

Posted by Jesse at 6:33 PM | Comments (1)

May 17, 2004

VOIP price wars

The latest move in the VOIP move was from Vonage and it's got me thinking about giving them a try.

Vonage cuts Net phoning prices | CNET News.com
Vonage, which is among the largest and most recognized providers of a technology known as voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), on Monday slashed the price of monthly unlimited North American dialing from $35 to $30.

Right now, my plan is around $54 plus taxes and fees. Vonage would be $32.39 including taxes and fees, a savings of over $600 a year. Same unlimited service, same features. I won't make the jump without a lot of exploration and a trial time but I'd like to hear other peoples thoughts as well. Anyone have VoIP?

Posted by Jesse at 3:42 PM

May 12, 2004

New Scam...

I don't have anything to add to what this post has to say, but I thought it was worth spreading along.

Sneaky Paypal fraud page rewrites URL
It's been easy to spot a paypal fraud site by the telltale URL. But here's a Paypal fraud page that uses a Microsoft feature/bug (take your pick) to overwrite the scammer's URL with a legitimate-looking URL. If you make the page small, you'll be able to see the fraudster's URL.

It doesn't work on a Mac.

The link is to a FRAUD site DO NOT enter your paypal information unless you want to be scammed.

Posted by Jesse at 9:23 PM | Comments (1)

May 10, 2004

Microsoft can't do it all

For the longest time Microsoft bought small companies after company in what looked like they wanted to have their hands in anything that had to do with computers. Now, for a change, they're pulling out of one area - an area that is growing.

Microsoft says bye-bye to Wi-Fi
"After careful evaluation, the Microsoft hardware group has decided to scale back its broadband hardware and networking business," a representative said. "Instead, the plan is to apply the knowledge we have gained in that category to future products and services."

Posted by Jesse at 9:34 PM

May 3, 2004

With Frikin' Lasers in Their Eyes

In the cool department this week...

BBC NEWS | 'Laser vision' offers new insights
US firm Microvision has developed a system that projects lasers onto the retina, allowing users to view images on top of their normal field of vision.

It could allow surgeons to get a bird's eye view of the innards of a patient, offer military units in the field a view of the entire battlefield and provide mechanics with a simulation of the inside of a car's engine.

Honda has begun using this system in auto repairs, which allows the mechanics to access manuals and schematics without crawling out of the car. Honda claims it's saving the mechanics about 40% of the normal time used for repairs.

Surgeons are also testing a version that will show them patient vitals as they operate.

Posted by Jesse at 5:14 PM

April 26, 2004

Notable Passing

Harry Babbitt may have been a name that you have never heard before, but chances are good that you have heard his voice.

Most notable was the laugh, the laugh of Woody Woodpecker. His voice was also used on a solo recording of "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth".

Babbitt died at age 90 and is survived by his wife of 69 years, Betty; three sons; six grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

So long Woody.

Posted by Jesse at 7:44 PM

April 19, 2004

Censors in your DVD player

I'm an avid movie fan, and I've put up with a lot of crap in movies that simply doesn't need to be there. There have been a few times (Bad Boys & Any Given Sunday) where the movies been so full of foul language or excessive sexual content that I've stopped viewing. While I understand that foul language and sexual scenes are a part of life and are 'needed' to maek the movies more realistic, I think some movies go to far.

I'm not alone. TV Guardian and other filtering products are selling quite well. So, why is it that the majority of movies that are produced are R rated? Many of the interviews and articles that I've read say that Hollywood is catering to what the public wants, but if that is true, why the uproar against ClearPay?

DVDs were made with the idea that they could contain extra data and alternate scenes, but they rarely have more than commentary because it's expensive to add extra stuff and most of us don't buy a DVD for the extras, we buy for the movie. Anyhow, a group has developed a DVD player that will examine 14 levels of violence, sex nudity and profanity and allow the view to pick any filters they want to activate.

Sounds like a solution to me, but not so to major directors:

DVD player to edit movies / Technology allows viewer to bypass offensive content
"I think the American public is concerned and is looking for a solution, '' said Bill Aho, chief executive officer of ClearPlay Inc., the Salt Lake City firm that is one of several companies battling a lawsuit filed by the biggest movie studios and major directors like Steven Soderbergh, John Landis and Steven Spielberg. The suit claims that filtering technology such as ClearPlay's produces an unauthorized and illegal version of their artistic work.

So, which is it, are you catering to what society wants, or are you producing an artistic vision and not worried about what the public wants? You can't say your doing one while fighting for the other.

Posted by Jesse at 5:57 PM | Comments (1)

April 9, 2004

Help find a car

If you run your own server (and I know some of you do), check your logs for the following MAC: 00:30:BD:9C:BD:B2
If you find it, drop an e-mail to Komawi and give him the details. The MAC is for his laptop which was in his car when it was stolen. If you help recover the car, he's willing to pay a $500 euro reward. Link

Posted by Jesse at 11:11 PM

March 24, 2004

A Shop teacher's dream

I'm not into wood working but I still think this is an amazing tool.

SawStop Videos
SawStop technology works on all types of power woodworking tools. The video demos below illustrate the operation of the SawStop technology on a table saw, a band-saw and a pneumatic up-cut saw.

Check out the videos.

Posted by Jesse at 10:06 PM

March 21, 2004

Overruled

Last October I mentioned that the FCC didn't site Bono for saying the F-word during the Golden Globes. The Commission has overruled it's staff.

FCC cites Stern, Bono for indecency
Federal regulators opened a new front in their crackdown on offensive broadcasts Thursday, saying that almost any use of the f-word on over-the-air radio and television would be considered indecent.
The Federal Communications Commission overruled its staff and said an expletive uttered by rock singer Bono on NBC was both indecent and profane. It marked the first time that the FCC cited a four-letter word as profane; the commission previously equated profanity with language challenging God's divinity.

Posted by Jesse at 11:28 PM

March 18, 2004

Make it so

This is, to date, this coolest thing that I've read about this week, and maybe this year. It's a very neat time to be alive.

The device pictured here works pretty much the same way that the communicators on Star Trek:The Next Generation work. You tap the badge and state a name and next thing you know, you're talking to the person.

After "hearing" the name, the chip contacts the wireless network, locates the person, then uses VoIP (didn't I already say VoIP was cool?) to transmit your message. I would imagine that this could be used over the internet to talk to just about anyone anywhere there was a network available.

So far, heir biggest tests have come in hospitals where nurses have to wait to contact a doctor. On hospital said it has saved over 1,100 hours with the system. It also has the ability to find someone from a group (say closest pediatric doctor available) if need be.

Further, the Navy is testing it out on one of their ships...well worth the read.

Forbes.com: Your Trekkie Communicator Is Ready
Just as the communicators that Captain Kirk carried down to alien planets in the 1960s version of the Viacom (nyse: VIAb - news - people ) TV show foreshadowed a world with ubiquitous mobile telephones, the two-ounce badge central to the Vocera Communications System was inspired at least in part by the "com badges" that appeared on later versions of the show.

Posted by Jesse at 11:49 PM

Thin, Hungry & Apathetic

Sure I'm thin, but who cares.

MIT has found that carbs help with the serotonin levels, which helps supress your appetite and elevate your mood. In otherwords, a low-carb diet bums you out and can make you hungry. Seems carbs aren't the evil-doers they've been made out to be.

Carbs are essential for effective dieting and good mood
Wurtman, director of the Program in Women's Health at the MIT Clinical Research Center, and colleagues have found that when you stop eating carbohydrates, your brain stops regulating serotonin, a chemical that elevates mood and suppresses appetite. And only carbohydrate consumption naturally stimulates production of serotonin.

I've never been one for dieting, but I've always been anti-low-carb diet. It just doesn't seem natural. My suggestion is eating right and exercising, or live with the results.

Posted by Jesse at 11:10 PM | Comments (1)

Chewbacca Defense

Last summer, Zielinski skidded into oncoming traffic and killed another moterist. In a hearing to dismiss the charges, his attorney attempted to agrue that there was no way of knowing if he swered to avoid something in the road - after all, there had been sightings of sasquatch in the area.

Judge squashes Sasquatch questions
A judge cut short a line of questioning Thursday that suggested a bigfoot might have caused a fatal crash on Route 7 last summer.

Why would a wookie live on Endor?
It just doesn't make sense.

Posted by Jesse at 9:29 AM

March 17, 2004

Tiny Toshibas

Toshiba has a 1.8 inch HD that is used in iPods, but now it has developed one that's even smaller. The .85-inch hard disk will come in sizes up to 4 Gigabytes to be used in cell phones, digital camcorders and who knows what.

CNN.com - Guinness record for world's smallest disk drive
Japan's Toshiba Corp said on Tuesday that Guinness World Records had certified its stamp-sized hard disk drives (HDDs) as the smallest in the world.

Posted by Jesse at 10:01 PM | Comments (1)

March 15, 2004

Quiz: How many planets?

If you answered that our Solor System has 9, you may be right or you may be wrong. Seems another object, the size of Pluto has been found in orbit around the sun.

Universe Today - Astronomers Find a Second Pluto
A new object has been discovered in the Solar System; it's nearly as large as Pluto, but 13 billion kilometres away. Tentatively named Sedna, the Inuit goddess of the Sea, it's approximately 1,700 km in diameter, which makes it the largest Solar System object found since Pluto was located in 1930.

Posted by Jesse at 9:26 PM

March 12, 2004

VoIP ramping up

There's a lot that can be done with VoIP and now that the technology is moving out of it's infancy I think it'll catch on quickly.

At church, I'm thinking of subscribing to a phone tree service that uses VoIP to make it's calls. It's cheap and it's a great way to get the word out.

Now, AT&Ts getting in on the mix, which will bring the technology more into the mainstream. I don't think it will be long before you can get your phone service from your power or cable companies as well as the traditional way.

What a wonderful time to be alive.

Posted by Jesse at 12:45 PM

Fall down, go boom

Opps...Tulane University had some left over cadavers and sold them to a supplier thinking that they would go to a needy university. Instead, they went to the US Army and were blown up in land mine experiments.

You know, I never realized that the Army needed bodies. Maybe, rather than a traditional burial, I'll have my parts blown to bits - seems like a unique way to go after you've went.

Posted by Jesse at 11:25 AM

March 2, 2004

Martians abound

Well, not really but evidence of water was found.

Posted by Jesse at 4:49 PM

February 18, 2004

A peek inside your home

Here's a good piece of news: Score one for technology.

The defense will likely say that it was an invasion of privacy, but hopefully the prosecuter will get by that with some "open airway" law.

A few things that get me....If you are going to abuse your children, why the camera?
Secondly, has anyone ever heard of private key encryption? There is so much floating around out there it's getting to be crazy. This guy gets video from his neighbor, at church I can access someones wireless broadband, at home, I have access to someones network - no wonder virus are so easily spread.
Lastly, and the one I just don't get: Why have foster kids if you are just going to beat them? You can give them back, you could not get them in the first place. I suppose it's just for money. Maybe we should re-work the system. Maybe something to the effect of you get no money for foster kids until they reach a certain age, then you get all the back pay. For instance, if you raise a foster kid, your money goes into an account, and when the kid reaches 25, if he hasn't been to jail, you get reimbursed and the account is all yours. You beat the kid or he winds up in jail, you get nothing.

Posted by Jesse at 11:14 PM | Comments (1)

RIAA stands for RICO

For the most part, the music industry is designed to rip off both the artist and the listener, but so far it's not illegal, but this mom has a unique strategy. She's also charging them with mail and bank fraud. I doubt that she'll win but I suppose it's worth a shot.

My guess is the RIAA will settle out of court before this gets anywhere close to trial.

Posted by Jesse at 11:04 PM | Comments (1)

New Math and a New Phone

Although I've put this in the News I can use category, the truth is, it's news I'd rather not hear.

I have been with AT&T wireless for several years and enjoyed the service. A little over a year ago I upgraded to the GSM network and as a result got even better signal strength. I've always been able to get a signal where other carriers weren't and I enjoy the price structure that allows us to have two phones. I wonder what this will bring...

Ummm....You say your phone service stinks and it's being bought by another that you say sucks and you expect it to get better? Last time I checked two of crap is still crap. This is like the buy one get one free sale at Payless, if you really wanted to screw with me you'd give me three pairs.

Further reading:

While I don't think that it's completely inconcievable that things will get better let's look at what he's saying:

1. Shareholders get $1.20 more per share than it's trading at now. Not to bad and that would be a 52 week high, but far far from the companies high. I can't find Cingular on the market so I don't know if their traded so I can't see if a stock swap would be a good idea.
2. Customers: See my above note on two of crap still being crap. I have yet to see a hugh corprate merger be better for the little guy. More customers, less techs & other support does not mean better service.
3. The workers: I think the biggest oppertunity that they will have that they would not have had with a standalone company will bethe oppertunity to be laid off. Everyone knows that merger usually means people will be losing their jobs.

I suppose it's obvious, but just in case it isn't, I'm not a fan of Cingular and I can't see this buy out as a benifit.

Posted by Jesse at 10:42 AM

February 14, 2004

Serious Bling Bling

Just in time for Valentine's day is the discovery of a diamond that will make anything you get your sweetheart look like you didn't even try.

2500 miles across - that's just a little more than the circumference of the earth - that's big.

Posted by Jesse at 1:57 PM

February 9, 2004

I'm going to destroy the earth

In case you were not aware, Marvin the Martian is my favorite Looney Tunes character, and now the martian really is on Mars.

Posted by Jesse at 8:24 PM

For better or worse

There was a study done where it was shown that people would continue to inflict pain when told to do so by a professional, even when the victims cried out for them to stop. This kind of reminded me of that...

Guys they didn't examine emotional pain....

Posted by Jesse at 8:17 PM

February 5, 2004

Ripple effect of the nipple?

Guess they were too wrapped up in writting about the Janet Jackson "malfunction" to follow up on those renewal notices.
One more reason to read the Times

Guess that won't make the headlines tomorrow.

Posted by Jesse at 10:50 PM

February 4, 2004

If at first you don't succeed

I think that we need to keep tight boarders and ensure that immigrants are hear legally, but I gotta give it to these guys for trying/

Edit 2/5/04: According to the Miami Herald, they were stopped short of their goal. Wonder what they will try next time...

Posted by Jesse at 11:16 PM

January 29, 2004

Don't pick the Daisies

This story came across my radar this morning while I was looking through my RSS feeds. This is cool, finanly something that genetic mutations can be used for other than messing with the food supply.

Posted by Jesse at 9:46 AM | Comments (1)

January 22, 2004

Is that a banana in your ear?

I have no use for one, but it's worth noting...

How small will the phones get?

Posted by Jesse at 11:03 PM

December 4, 2003

Man's Best Friend

Another example of how dogs are smarter than cats and why I prefer dogs.
I'm not sure that it detracts from the dogs only operate on instinct crowd, but it seems awfully close to dogs being able to think and learn to me.

Posted by Jesse at 10:00 AM

December 3, 2003

55 stay alive

I'll admit that I tend to be on the agressive side when it comes to driving, but I do my best to keep it under control. I take other routes, travel at different times, or just continually count to ten. However, like many others, there' sone thing that annoy me more than any other; people on cell phones.

I can't count the number of times that I've been cut off or almost hit by idiots that are incapable of doing more than one thing at a time. I'm glad to see DC doing something about it.

Posted by Jesse at 9:00 PM

Santorum was right

Just as there were pleanty of people that said the sodomy ruling would not lead to this, I'm sure that there will be pleanty of people who will say, "Of course this is OK, and it won't lead to anything else." While I disagree with the sodomy ruling, it's been made; it would have been nice had it been worded a bit better.

Posted by Jesse at 4:00 PM