Coming up to the last episode of Contagious, by Scott Sigler.
The latest podcast episode was posted Sunday, only one left. You can get the feed and listen to all of the episodes where Scott reads them for free at
http://www.scottsigler.com/
If you like horror with a science bent, you're gonna love these.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Time, Sigler, Hutchins
Gotta love these guys. Their heart (and tons of time) has gone into their work and the marketing "buzz" is starting to pay off.
Give them a listen at Podiobooks.com (Infected, Contagious, 7thSon book 1)or at the author's websites. I just finished Sigler's Nocturnal and it was great!
Give them a listen at Podiobooks.com (Infected, Contagious, 7thSon book 1)or at the author's websites. I just finished Sigler's Nocturnal and it was great!
Thursday, November 13, 2008
The 3rd issue of RKMag is out!
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Thursday, May 15, 2008
More Wildlife at home
Today, I was quite surprised to find a deer in the yard. A poor picture, but it was the best I could do... (she moved away quite quickly when I approached)
Some tomato plants are loosing their leaves. I wonder why?
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Adsense
Still after a few posts, the references to RUP from a few months ago are still pulling Adsense into those kinds of links. My post was a joke, but of course, Adsense isn't smart enough to figure this out.
I thought the thread between some former associates was a hoot, but then humor from a machine? Perhaps too much to expect...
I thought the thread between some former associates was a hoot, but then humor from a machine? Perhaps too much to expect...
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Obscure measurements
Recently, I send in a comment on the Technorama podcast listener line about this subject, what I said was that I prefer latency to be measured in nanofortnights. Chuck and Kreg didn't believe it, but this is a "real" measurement, obscure yes, but certainly in the days of the VMS operating system, with the TIMEPROMPTWAIT variable, in units per microfortnight.
A microfortnight is 1.2096 seconds, thus the nanofortnight is 1.2096 milliseconds. Both are plenty obscure, but they generally used to slow users down, allowing them to set the parameter properly only after having given the matter some thought.
Yes, the following week, I voice-mailed Chuck and Kreg with this info, so they wouldn't think that I was just making this up.
A microfortnight is 1.2096 seconds, thus the nanofortnight is 1.2096 milliseconds. Both are plenty obscure, but they generally used to slow users down, allowing them to set the parameter properly only after having given the matter some thought.
Yes, the following week, I voice-mailed Chuck and Kreg with this info, so they wouldn't think that I was just making this up.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Late Afternoon at the Beach
At the end of day, nothing beats finding a bunch if shells in a cache. It doesn't matter at all if they are common shells... Nope, these are precious!
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Technobabble
Technobabble (a portmanteau of technology and babble) is a form of prose using jargon, buzzwords and highly esoteric language to give an impression of plausibility through mystification, misdirection, and obfuscation. This is not to be confused with jargon itself, but rather technobabble is a conscious attempt to deliver jargon to outsiders, without insight or comprehensive explanation, to make unsound or unprovable arguments appear to have merit. (Wikipedia)I recently ran across an excellent example of this, but more importantly, the comments are "priceless"...
... this new umbrella methodology also includes the Rational Unified Process for our Software Development Lifecycle. However, keep in mind RUP is a software process a, not a methodology, and the other part of the equation that Blueprinting methodology entails is Business Visualization which is a Business Engineering Process. RUP for instance focuses more on the scoping of a project from the perspective of what is the most technology complex business problem or event. Our Business Visualization Engineering Process focuses on cross-boundary value chain workflow of related business activities (components) and includes for instance measurement and simulation. ...
Commenter 1: I've reread this twice and still can't get it.....
Commenter 2: It’s code. Extract every nth character to form the secret message. N depends on a complex lifecycle method of complex unified workflow umbrellas from the perspective of technology visualization of rational business scoping. Get it now?
Commenter 3: Here is a classic message of yesteryear. Whenever I need a smile I always go back to this one. (posted almost 2 years after the original message)
Commenter 2: Cross-boundary value chain workflow? Huh?
Commenter 3: My cross country value pack of workflow volume measurement, regarding relative performance when compared to the business visualization engineering process until unified in measurement and simulation reality…is just fine. And you?
Commenter 1: from the essence of quantum physics the value chain of oxygen interfering with carbon dioxide has now required a new visualization of the underlying semantics required by the earth's warming interior as engineered by the "goriest" warming of the physical exterior related to relativity as bespoke by Einstein.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Bottled or Tap?
Around our house, we use tap water almost exclusively, but interestingly - there are lots of people who 
simply don't believe this is safe. Our own situation is a little tricky, in that we have our own well, and we do our own R.O. filtration for the main tap where we usually drink from. But this "lots of people" quote comes from a recent article on Skepticality regarding this very topic.
I encourage you to click this link, or the link above, for a read (listen) of this fine work from Derek and Swoopy.
simply don't believe this is safe. Our own situation is a little tricky, in that we have our own well, and we do our own R.O. filtration for the main tap where we usually drink from. But this "lots of people" quote comes from a recent article on Skepticality regarding this very topic.I encourage you to click this link, or the link above, for a read (listen) of this fine work from Derek and Swoopy.
Monday, July 16, 2007
Gawd - Politics
Other than religious horse-pucky that occasionally comes across my desk, the current administration ability to shovel it just amazes me ...
Read this NYTimes article and tell me if you are not incensed by this.
Oh, you want a different opinion? How about this?
Read this NYTimes article and tell me if you are not incensed by this.
...top Bush administration officials repeatedly tried to weaken or suppress important public health reports because of political considerations...This is from the last Surgeon General.
would not allow him to speak or issue reports about stem cells, emergency contraception, sex education, or prison, mental and global health issues.
Hopefully, we can avoid going back into the middle ages under this administration.... discouraged him from attending the Special Olympics because ... (of) ties to a prominent family (The Kennedy's) ...
“I was specifically told by a senior person, ‘Why would you want to help those people?’ ” Dr. Carmona said.
Oh, you want a different opinion? How about this?
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
At the annual fireworks display
Julia wearing her "light rings".Remember what this country stands for. Stand up and make a difference.
Friday, June 15, 2007
Web today
I came home yesterday and my son had they TV on. Paris... He said it's been all that's been on for the last week.
This made me realize that since I'm connected to the news via other means: web, podcast, etc. I get to have a richer experience regarding what's going on around me. Without the web I would probably have to settle for Paris, and that's a sad commentary.
Instead, I know what stem cell research is going on (think growing your own vertebra for surgury on your own back), that a 1957 Plymouth buried then, in Tulsa, to celebrate Oklahoma's then 50 years of statehood is being dug up (and it doesn't look good), what archeologic finds have just been discovered, about a town being wired for phones via wifi, that Gene Roddenberry is being inducted into the SF Hall of Fame (did you know that before all that Star Trek stuff, he flew B17's and also flew for PanAm?) and on and on...
But network news has Paris for us instead... Pllllleeeeeaaaasssseeeee.!!
Monday, June 11, 2007
Interstate 405
I was looking for some other piece of information, but stumbled, instead, upon this gem of a film from 7 years ago.
This film, produced in 2000, was 3 minutes long, took 4 months to make, before the kinds of film making tools that are available today. Still, this work, rivaled what the major motion picture studios could produce.
Link here or here
It is also very funny.
This film, produced in 2000, was 3 minutes long, took 4 months to make, before the kinds of film making tools that are available today. Still, this work, rivaled what the major motion picture studios could produce.
Link here or here
It is also very funny.
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Bees again
Almost a month later, and I'm still working on the bees (that originally showed up in a tree more than a year ago).
As the humane approach, I've avoided any kind of insecticide, after all there are a lot of bee deaths out here in California as humans encroach upon their habitat. And we really need them to pollinate the plants, like all of that fruit that grows in the valleys to the south of us... Got a nation to feed, after all.
What I
have done is stuff plastic bags into the holes at the base of the olive tree. A few years ago, I had tried the expanding foam thing, you know, the kind of stuff you can buy at the hardware store to "seal" up the cracks around your door moldings, etc. To keep energy costs in check... Bees just love this stuff, after it drys and hardens, they just eat right through it, sort of like ants and their tunnels.
So this year, I've tried the plastic bag trick, but I have to do this in the early a.m., when I can see by daylight, and the bees are still cold and not moving around. Evening, well... let's just say, I'm too tired to do much after about 8pm...
My results are mixed, in that the bags have a natural sort of expanding mechanism that on their own must be tied to some kind of mechanical property of the plastic itself, you know, sort of like those "memory" metals that remember their shape. I'm not saying that the bag wants to be a "bag" again, only that it doesn't want to be a "hole plugger". Anyway, give the bees an inch, in that the bag expands out a little, and those little industrious bees, they push like heck until they find a little opening, and BAMM! they are Free!
I'll keep you posted.
**** Update: I really jammed the plastic in the hole, it's staying. That's the good news... The bad news- they have found a crack higher in the tree trunk for ingress/egress...
As the humane approach, I've avoided any kind of insecticide, after all there are a lot of bee deaths out here in California as humans encroach upon their habitat. And we really need them to pollinate the plants, like all of that fruit that grows in the valleys to the south of us... Got a nation to feed, after all.
What I
have done is stuff plastic bags into the holes at the base of the olive tree. A few years ago, I had tried the expanding foam thing, you know, the kind of stuff you can buy at the hardware store to "seal" up the cracks around your door moldings, etc. To keep energy costs in check... Bees just love this stuff, after it drys and hardens, they just eat right through it, sort of like ants and their tunnels.So this year, I've tried the plastic bag trick, but I have to do this in the early a.m., when I can see by daylight, and the bees are still cold and not moving around. Evening, well... let's just say, I'm too tired to do much after about 8pm...
My results are mixed, in that the bags have a natural sort of expanding mechanism that on their own must be tied to some kind of mechanical property of the plastic itself, you know, sort of like those "memory" metals that remember their shape. I'm not saying that the bag wants to be a "bag" again, only that it doesn't want to be a "hole plugger". Anyway, give the bees an inch, in that the bag expands out a little, and those little industrious bees, they push like heck until they find a little opening, and BAMM! they are Free!
I'll keep you posted.
**** Update: I really jammed the plastic in the hole, it's staying. That's the good news... The bad news- they have found a crack higher in the tree trunk for ingress/egress...
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Where do those socks go?
check out this great story at 365tomorrows.comof course there is always this story
Monday, May 21, 2007
Towel Day is this Friday
Towel Day is celebrated every May 25 as a tribute by fans of the late author Douglas Adams.
More information can be found at wikipedia.
The event was first held in 2001, two weeks after Adams' death on May 11, and since then annually. On this day, fans carry a towel with them throughout the day. The towel is a reference to his popular science fiction comedy, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
More information can be found at wikipedia.
The event was first held in 2001, two weeks after Adams' death on May 11, and since then annually. On this day, fans carry a towel with them throughout the day. The towel is a reference to his popular science fiction comedy, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
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