I really don't mind the Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) as long as I can use my ATM card (Geomagnetic Storm Hits Earth, Tweaking Power Grids). As far as geomagnetic storms go, this one's listed as "strong" (a G-3 on the NOAA Space Weather Scale for Geomagnetic Storms).
Speaking of CMEs, I crawled into the attic this morning to light the furnace's pilot light (I got a blue flame - and not one of those red or yellow ones). The forecast is for the weather to change: yesterday it was 90F, and tonight it's supposed to be 45F (brr!). If I lived in southern California, I might be more concerned about the Santa Ana winds and the wildfires (the Goddard Space Flight Center website has an article about the fires).
Finally, I was ready to trash an empty bottle of Vitamin E when I noticed the USP (United States Phamacopeial Convention) designation, and then (moments later!) I noticed the USDA Organic seal on my Optimum Power Breakfast™ (from Nature's Path). How onomatopoetic! A quick study shows that stuff in the UK costs 50% more than here in The States: 'Rip-off' Britain investigated makes for good reading.
Saturday, October 25
Thursday, October 23
Gene, the film star!
Maybe someday I'll become a movie star! Since the drive isn't as long as it is to Hollywood, I could start at the Studios at Las Colinas. Now I just have to get discovered. I bet I could make a gansta rap movie about Macomb County (Michigan) Circuit Court Judge Deborah Servitto, or get a TV commercial eating Campbell's Select Microwavable Bowls!
Maybe They are just out to get me: Pick A Conspiracy Theory.
I think I'll go to the (14th Annual !) American Indian Art Festival & Market this weekend (it's being held in the Dallas Arts District).
Maybe They are just out to get me: Pick A Conspiracy Theory.
I think I'll go to the (14th Annual !) American Indian Art Festival & Market this weekend (it's being held in the Dallas Arts District).
Wednesday, October 22
Elm=Ellum? So why doesn't Main=Mailun?
I accidentally drove through Deep Ellum (mostly bars on Elm Street, east of Central Expressway) tonight, after the Dallas Homeowners League meeting didn't happen where I thought it was gonna happen (they said one thing on their postcard, and another on their web site). It wasn't a completely wasted trip; it's the first time I've ever been to the Central Branch of the Dallas Public Library (a seriously large building). And (drum roll) I renewed my library card. Woo hoo!
Elm Street was mostly deserted tonight (Wednesday). Certainly no signs of the The Deep Ellum Film Festival.
Video Vault shows how cigarette companies commonly made product placements, even on cartoons! ("We don't market our products to children!") I suspect you won't be able to buy them on dooyoo? which is a British version of e-pinions, apparently. Then again, Google says that similar sites are ConsumerSearch; AskAnOwner; Quality Ratings; Want & Vote; Complaints.com; Ratings.Net and Rip-Off Britain (to name a few).
Jerry Jones and The Big Tuna (Bill Parcells) aren't the only Dallas sports owners/managers that make the news. Don't forget Mark Cuban: Dallas Mavericks: Small Companies, Big Returns
do we have to keep everything for 5 years? not so sure after trying to make heads or tails of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (aka SOX ?)
If the Gene Bob blog doesn't put you to sleep, perhaps you should read Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) or the National Sleep Awareness Week - 2004 Preview. Then, there is Alec's website: crypticide.org which has spectacular photos of his compost pile. My heart, be still!
Elm Street was mostly deserted tonight (Wednesday). Certainly no signs of the The Deep Ellum Film Festival.
Video Vault shows how cigarette companies commonly made product placements, even on cartoons! ("We don't market our products to children!") I suspect you won't be able to buy them on dooyoo? which is a British version of e-pinions, apparently. Then again, Google says that similar sites are ConsumerSearch; AskAnOwner; Quality Ratings; Want & Vote; Complaints.com; Ratings.Net and Rip-Off Britain (to name a few).
Jerry Jones and The Big Tuna (Bill Parcells) aren't the only Dallas sports owners/managers that make the news. Don't forget Mark Cuban: Dallas Mavericks: Small Companies, Big Returns
do we have to keep everything for 5 years? not so sure after trying to make heads or tails of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (aka SOX ?)
If the Gene Bob blog doesn't put you to sleep, perhaps you should read Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) or the National Sleep Awareness Week - 2004 Preview. Then, there is Alec's website: crypticide.org which has spectacular photos of his compost pile. My heart, be still!
Sundry
Fry's Electronics sells almost anything; I understand they started as a grocery reseller in the Bay Area, and when they saw how much money they could make selling stuff to nerds, they (mostly) got out of the grocery business. To this day, it's the only place I know where you can buy a motherboard, a comb, a 4 ohm resistor, a 2-liter bottle of cola and a copy of Penthouse under the same roof. Not sure if they sell Campbell's Soup At Hand (I drank/ate their Clam Chowder).
Plaxo has an app that lets you update a central copy of your info which is automagically distributed to the address books of those you specify. Hmmm.
I still find it fascinating that I can't HotSync my Palm Address Book to Microsoft Outlook Express without spending $20 on a 3rd party application (Jibe). Another application (unrelated) which has been spoken highly of is SpamAssassin
The year I arrived in Dallas, there was an ice storm during Thanksgiving. Yaktrax would have come in handy then.
And finally, I waxed nostalgic when I read Is polygamy OK?
Plaxo has an app that lets you update a central copy of your info which is automagically distributed to the address books of those you specify. Hmmm.
I still find it fascinating that I can't HotSync my Palm Address Book to Microsoft Outlook Express without spending $20 on a 3rd party application (Jibe). Another application (unrelated) which has been spoken highly of is SpamAssassin
The year I arrived in Dallas, there was an ice storm during Thanksgiving. Yaktrax would have come in handy then.
And finally, I waxed nostalgic when I read Is polygamy OK?
Monday, October 20
We're just cogs in the railway of life
I've been on a few trains, but only one in the US: the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority) that goes from ORD (O'Hare Airport) to downtown Chicago. It was late at night, and the train was accompanied by 2 policemen with their German Shepherd Dog. I felt safe, until they escorted a vagrant from the train, about 3 stops from my destination. I remember being accosted by a panhandler when I exited the station, but I really didn't fear for my life (like that time I took a wrong turn leaving the Los Angeles Convention Center).
Anyway, I was spellbound to read about the Pikes Peak Cog Railway which uses a non-traditional track in order to climb (and descend) the steep grade in the Colorado (Rocky) mountains. Gotta do that sometime. Also, I wonder how that compares to the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway in Albuquerque (far as I know, it's the only way to get to High Finance restaurant).
I've been to the local train station, but for a business gathering at one of their meeting rooms (distantly reminds me of a meeting on the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach CA, but that's an item for another blog entry, on a future day). Amtrak's Texas Eagle departs from Dallas' Union Station.
Then there's the story of the oh-so-entertaining round trip train from Vienna to Budapest (you guessed it .. a future blog item).
Finally, I'm amused to see that green fluorescent tubes are still manufactured. When I was in college they were tested in the library; we were told that as the older tubes burned out, they'd be replaced by the low-power green tubes, and that we'd never notice the difference. Wrong! Not only did they really stand out when side-by-side with the traditional white tubes, but they didn't seem to have the same lumens. Now, I see them marketed for night fishing and infant phototherapy. Hmm. I thought about this when one of my GE reveal® bulbs malfunctioned (it didn't burn out .. it's one of those $%^& 3-way bulbs that never seems to work correctly). I'm still unconvinced that they make me feel any happier than traditional bulbs.
Anyway, I was spellbound to read about the Pikes Peak Cog Railway which uses a non-traditional track in order to climb (and descend) the steep grade in the Colorado (Rocky) mountains. Gotta do that sometime. Also, I wonder how that compares to the Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway in Albuquerque (far as I know, it's the only way to get to High Finance restaurant).
I've been to the local train station, but for a business gathering at one of their meeting rooms (distantly reminds me of a meeting on the RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach CA, but that's an item for another blog entry, on a future day). Amtrak's Texas Eagle departs from Dallas' Union Station.
Then there's the story of the oh-so-entertaining round trip train from Vienna to Budapest (you guessed it .. a future blog item).
Finally, I'm amused to see that green fluorescent tubes are still manufactured. When I was in college they were tested in the library; we were told that as the older tubes burned out, they'd be replaced by the low-power green tubes, and that we'd never notice the difference. Wrong! Not only did they really stand out when side-by-side with the traditional white tubes, but they didn't seem to have the same lumens. Now, I see them marketed for night fishing and infant phototherapy. Hmm. I thought about this when one of my GE reveal® bulbs malfunctioned (it didn't burn out .. it's one of those $%^& 3-way bulbs that never seems to work correctly). I'm still unconvinced that they make me feel any happier than traditional bulbs.
Sunday, October 19
Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda
okay, I've had it with wheresgeorge.com .. of 335 bills submitted, i got 3 hits. and only 1 within the last year. too much effort for too little return. I suspect many people stopped using the site due to those incredibly annoying popup ads that appear each time you add a bill (I use the Google toolbar, which does an excellent job blocking popups, plus all the goodies it offers).
speaking of too little return, I have decided to author a White Paper: The Drinking Straws at American Fast Food Restaurants. I like the straws at McDonald's and Sonic, but throw away the ones from Wendy's and Chick-fil-A. Why? ISD (Insufficient Straw Diameter) : soft drinks taste better when consumed through a wider straw. Unless there's something else to the mix (those chains add water to a condensed syrup, and they could have better water at McDonald's, I guess).
which reminds me of the Asian places that have boba (aka Bubble Tea; Pearl Tea) : one chain is named Fat Straws (others are Lollicup; Noodle Bar). It's basically an Icee® with (optional) tapioca balls at the bottom (be sure to order them "with pearl" if you want the Cracker Jack®-like surprise). You slurp these balls through the extra-wide straw and then eat them along with the flavored slush. I remember the first time I had boba: I wasn't expecting the ball, and as I chewed it, it seemed familiar, but I could not place where I'd tasted it before. In hindsight, that's because the tapioca was completely out of context: usually it's in a bowl by itself and not compressed into a semi-hard ball at the bottom of a Slurpee®.
BTW, "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda" was the original name for 7-Up® (so says The Straight Dope)
GoogL'ost: The Shirley Temple Soda Pop Company and (unrelated) Afri-Cola
speaking of too little return, I have decided to author a White Paper: The Drinking Straws at American Fast Food Restaurants. I like the straws at McDonald's and Sonic, but throw away the ones from Wendy's and Chick-fil-A. Why? ISD (Insufficient Straw Diameter) : soft drinks taste better when consumed through a wider straw. Unless there's something else to the mix (those chains add water to a condensed syrup, and they could have better water at McDonald's, I guess).
which reminds me of the Asian places that have boba (aka Bubble Tea; Pearl Tea) : one chain is named Fat Straws (others are Lollicup; Noodle Bar). It's basically an Icee® with (optional) tapioca balls at the bottom (be sure to order them "with pearl" if you want the Cracker Jack®-like surprise). You slurp these balls through the extra-wide straw and then eat them along with the flavored slush. I remember the first time I had boba: I wasn't expecting the ball, and as I chewed it, it seemed familiar, but I could not place where I'd tasted it before. In hindsight, that's because the tapioca was completely out of context: usually it's in a bowl by itself and not compressed into a semi-hard ball at the bottom of a Slurpee®.
BTW, "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda" was the original name for 7-Up® (so says The Straight Dope)
GoogL'ost: The Shirley Temple Soda Pop Company and (unrelated) Afri-Cola
Saturday, October 18
There's a time and place for everything
When I lived in Los Angeles, Bob and I went to see [Do the Right Thing] at a predominately black theatre. This was very different than most theatres; the patrons constantly shouted at the onscreen actors, and I missed about 90% of the dialog. For about 1 nanosecond, I thought about yelling to the crowd "SHUT UP! I CAN'T HEAR WHAT THEY'RE SAYING!" then I realized that would be unacceptable behavior. I thought of that when I happened across the website for InSight Cinema (a chain of theatres for the deaf) and MoPix® (Motion Picture Access).
The DMN must be seeing some success with its Editorial Blog, because that has expanded to Larry Powell's Pet Blog (good stuff; I'll bookmark it for later). The DMN (Dallas Managed News) has a history of self-serving projects that get trashed when not enough people participate. I remember the Dallas Community megasite they started for local non-profit groups; they held local how-to seminars for website novices, and then .. one day, the site just vanished, taking hundreds (thousands?) of sites off the air). It was a site that depended on advertising revenue (banner ads, etc.), so the nonprofits could get a free website. I ran one of those sub-sites and was never notified that the plug was about to be pulled (maybe they lost my email address). Early versions of community.dallasnews.com are visible via the Internet Archive, even though the site itself is now defunct (eventually they figured out how to use the robots.txt file to hide their content, so the latter editions are not visible).
With 20/20 hindsight, I suspected the DMN brought their site online in a preemptive way, to keep other website entrepreneurs (such as Neighborhoods.Net) from gaining a foothold in this new media (there are only so many advertising dollars available).
Anyway, Larry Powell's Pet Blog somehow led me to Animal Allies of Texas (in nearby Garland). There are several of these animal-welfare non-profit organizations on the web. I wonder if they began their web life on community.dallasnews.com?
GoogL'ost: NutritionReallyWorks.com
The DMN must be seeing some success with its Editorial Blog, because that has expanded to Larry Powell's Pet Blog (good stuff; I'll bookmark it for later). The DMN (Dallas Managed News) has a history of self-serving projects that get trashed when not enough people participate. I remember the Dallas Community megasite they started for local non-profit groups; they held local how-to seminars for website novices, and then .. one day, the site just vanished, taking hundreds (thousands?) of sites off the air). It was a site that depended on advertising revenue (banner ads, etc.), so the nonprofits could get a free website. I ran one of those sub-sites and was never notified that the plug was about to be pulled (maybe they lost my email address). Early versions of community.dallasnews.com are visible via the Internet Archive, even though the site itself is now defunct (eventually they figured out how to use the robots.txt file to hide their content, so the latter editions are not visible).
With 20/20 hindsight, I suspected the DMN brought their site online in a preemptive way, to keep other website entrepreneurs (such as Neighborhoods.Net) from gaining a foothold in this new media (there are only so many advertising dollars available).
Anyway, Larry Powell's Pet Blog somehow led me to Animal Allies of Texas (in nearby Garland). There are several of these animal-welfare non-profit organizations on the web. I wonder if they began their web life on community.dallasnews.com?
GoogL'ost: NutritionReallyWorks.com
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