May 2006 Archives

Today I ran an errand just before lunch time. I have frequently raved about how much I love WABE, our local NPR affiliate. On my little trip, I learned why the copyright law was extended in 1999. I didn't even know it had been/. Seems that when the copyright law was first passed, it only lasted for 14 years and could be extended another 14. Before 1999, it lasted for 50 years. In 1999 Disney successfully lobbied to have it extended to 70 years. Seems the Disney characters were about to become public domain in 2000. Bet it gets extended again in 2019?!

And, on a similar note: I enjoyed Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 during my little jaunt. The symphony, coupled with the sunny, cloudless day, just seemed to put the world back in balance again. I returned to a luncheon at work in which a blue grass band was playing (and they were actually pretty good, too!). Juxtapose those two!

Coming this July, Apple and Nike will jointly release a new line of products and software geared towards athletes. The campaign is built around a new device: a small receiver attaches to the base of the iPod Nano and receives signals from a small disk that hides in your shoe, allowing the music player to record and respond to your movements. The Nike Plus shoe conveniently has a special pocket under the inner sole to store the disk. The Nano tracks your distance, pace, and calories burned, and transmits it to your computer so that you can analyze and view your progress over time. You can compare your progress with others over the internet, and even challenge other users to a virtual race. And iTunes, of course, will offer a number of new downloads, such as continuous workout mixes that offer coaching and training tips over-top of the music. Check out the demo!

I've read a lot of buzz in the blogosphere lately about net neutrality being jeopardized. You may find this post of interest:

The Telcos (AT&T, Bell South, Verizon and Qwest) are spending one million dollars a week to buy the votes of members of Congress for their legislation (House Bill 5252 and Senate Bill 2686), and on advertising to influence public opinion, using "astroturf" groups to distort the issues. The proposed legislation will curb local control over video franchises, negatively impact thousands of local Public, Educational and Governmental Access channels, allow red-lining in low-income and rural communities and jeopardize the openness of the internet by removing "net neutrality" provisions designed to promote competition.

For more information, and to get involved, see http://saveaccess.org

Everyone knows that cell phones emit radio frequencies next to the brain.  Many suggest that this may cause brain tumors and cancer.  I really don't know, but I suspect the communications industry can't be trusted to tell us the truth about it.

However, the SAR (Specific Absorption Rate) from any given phone can be measured in watts per kilogram (whatever that would actually mean to my health).  For a cell phone to be certified in the US, the FCC has determined that the SAR level must be less than 1.6W/kg.  Mine is .89.

Want to know what yours is?  Check out this site.

I drive an hour to work and an hour home. I normally don't mind this as I go against the flow of traffic and stay moving. As long as I'm moving on down the road, my stress level doesn't rise. On three days this week, my commute (going home) was nothing short of hell! Today some horrific accident blocked the entire GA 400 exit ramp from 85 North shutting down the two major arteries. Apparently someone was killed in the accident.

So, after creeping along inch by inch for an hour and forty-five minutes, and still being at least 30 minutes from home on a good day, I decided to dodge into a Starbucks and connect up and get some work done. First, I start with play!

OK, I was addicted to American Idol because I hoped Elliot Yamin would win.  He has such a natural vocal talent!  Taylor Hicks looks like he's severely constipated when he performs.  And I can't stand his voice.  Katherine isn't too bad.  Her "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" was indeed spectacular.

But now that Elliot is out of the mix, I don't really care to watch it anymore.  Someone just send me an email to tell me who wins.

I received this in an email. I rarely pass on such material, but this is pretty good.

At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated, "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that get 1,000 miles to the gallon."

In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics (and, I just love this first one):

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.
2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.
3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason, you would simply accept this.
4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.
5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive; but, would run on only five percent of the roads.
6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.
7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.
8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.
10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.

On the way home from work, I was talking to my mother (hence the post that follows about her dog).  She was telling me that something was bad in the refrigerator.  She had taken everything out of it, cleaned it carefully, and still an odious stench persists.  She can't seem to isolate the source of what smells so bad.

She was talking to me from her sun-room in the back of her house in Florida and stated that she could smell the horrendous odor from the kitchen even out there.  I was driving down I-75 in Atlanta, and, believe it or not, I could smell the foul stink also!!  No, I'm serious!  I am not kidding!!

As I smelled the putrification, I was struck by how powerful the mind is.  I mean, here I was, some 300 miles away, with the very real, no, incredibly surreal sensory input of the vile smell of which she spoke.

I looked up ahead of me on the interstate to realize that only a few vehicles distanced me from a flatbed semi carrying 9 porta-potties!!  I mean, what are the odds??!!

Lucky, one of my mother's tiny white toy poodles, is getting old and cantankerous.  He apparently is barking all of the time--no, really, non-stop!  Talking with mother on the phone has become rather annoying.  He doesn't seem to want to eat either.  So my mother is having to hand feed him to coax him to eat.

As he is getting very old for a poodle, she thought something might be wrong with him and took him to the vet.  She was right.  The vet diagnosed Lucky as being depressed and prescribed an antidepressant for him!  Amazingly, when he takes his pill he is much better.  Dear god in heaven!

Well, I finally did it. I am now the proud owner of a Canon EOS 30D. I am so ignorant of SLR cameras that I tend to be intimidated by them. I've loved my little PowerShot G2 4 megapixel Canon and have taken nearly 10,000 pictures with it! I will certainly continue to use it, I'm sure.

However, the 30D, aside from being an 8.2 megapixel camera, having a superior lens, and greater image control (all of which is huge), is so much faster! I would frequently be annoyed with the slow response and focus time when trying to take action pictures with the PowerShot G2. It literally takes several seconds to be ready for the next shot, which many times was already gone.

So, to celebrate my first foray into digital SLR photography, I decided to visit Lenox Park. I just recently discovered this wonderful place--a former golf course (many years ago), now-turned mixed-used community. Remember, I'm just learning the new camera, and the light was just a little low. Clicking the picture below takes you to a 25 picture photo album of the park.

This website does an excellent job of predicting who gets voted off the show. Yes, I admit it. I have become an American Idol addict! The only TV show I actually watch on TV!

What frightens me is that this website, Dial Idol is so accurate. They continually rank Taylor as the number one winner of the show! Dear god, he's awful! The best I think he can hope for is a career on a cruise ship (in a desert!)

I really think the best musician is Elliott Yamin. Katharine McPhee comes in with a close second.

If you don't know this series, you must!  In a time of exacerbated divisiveness brought on by extremists in our political machinery, these essays are a deep mirror into our common humanity.  Many of the essays are deeply moving.  I love this series on NPR!

This I Believe is based on a 1950s radio program of the same name, hosted by acclaimed journalist Edward R. Murrow. In creating This I Believe, Murrow said the program sought "to point to the common meeting grounds of beliefs, which is the essence of brotherhood and the floor of our civilization."

In spite of the fear of atomic warfare, increasing consumerism and loss of spiritual values, the essayists on Murrow's series expressed tremendous hope. "We hear a country moving toward more equality among the races and between genders," says Gediman. "We hear parents writing essays that are letters to their newborn children expressing the hopes and dreams they have for them. And we hear the stories of faith that guide people in their daily experiences."

Source:  NPR : This I Believe:

It's happening!  Check this out!  ABC is now streaming their best shows live.  No, they don't look like trash B roll video either!  All you need is a broadband connection!

Bush to German newspaper Bild after being asked about the high point of his Presidency since taking office in 2001:

"You know, I've experienced many great moments and it's hard to name the best. I would say the best moment of all was when I caught a 7.5 pound perch in my lake."

Since I really can't think of any great moments he has had in office either, it's hard to disagree with the POTUS.

He stated that the worst moment was 9/11. He said, "In such a situation it takes a while before one understands what is happening. I would say that this was the hardest moment, once I had the real picture before my eyes."

So, let's recap the first few moments of his knowing of the terrorists' attack. This picture is from footage of him sitting in an elementary school moments after his aid told him of the attacks.

"Because Bild could not immediately furnish English quotes, Bush's comments were translated from the German. The paper said the White House planned to release an authorized English version of the interview on Monday." Right!!

Source: Washington Post

Many of the ads on The Cool Hunter just push past my limits in their quest for the novel.  And we all know advertisers use sex to sell.  Some of their ads ... !  But here's another clever one.

the cool hunter - STOP'n'GROW AD BAGS:

Nail biting - It just aint pretty. World renown anti nail biting product  "Stop'n'Grow" have released a fantastic marketing and advertising campaign in the form of plastic carry bag. The bag is ingeniously printed so that its message is delivered as you carry it. Lets just hope a hemorrhoid cream company does not launch their own version. by Billy T via adhunt

Research indicates that our brains crave novelty and motion.  This ad series has both!  Not only does the flat ad appear to be 3D, it actually is when you add in the steam from the manhole cover that appears to be the steam rising from a hot cup of coffee...in the middle of the road!  Clever, clever indeed!

Source:  the cool hunter - “Hey, City That Never Sleeps. Wake up.”:

If it hasn’t already won an award we think this ad for Folgers coffee should be first in line for the blue ribbon. Created by Saatchi & Saatchi NY, the clever campaign consists of delicious looking photos of coffee printed on vinyl and placed on top of steaming manhole covers around New York. Holes cut out of the photographs allow the steam from the manholes to rise through, created the effect of giant, steaming hot cups of coffee. Brilliant

(Click to enlarge)

This weekend I downloaded a new upgrade to Style Master.  This was a significant release...more like a version change!  So many incredible new features were added.  This is THE application that taught me CSS.  And now, it seamlessly integrates with Transmit to download CSS files for edit and instant review along with HTML code integrated display and a single keystroke to republish!  This is great stuff.

I must say it came at the perfect time.  I launched it Saturday to do a lot of CSS work on several projects with which I am involved.  It made the job significantly easier!!  Gotta love it!

And no charge for the upgrade!  Wow!!

Source:  the cool hunter - TORONTO PLASTIC SURGERY:

Thanks to the success of US television shows like Extreme Makeover, plastic surgery is fast becoming the norm. The latest advertising campaign for Canadian surgery ‘Toronto Plastic Surgery’ takes it one step further. Ad agency DDB Canada dreamt up this clever idea – allowing consumers to test-drive a new nose shape while drinking their coffee. We love it.