 FlipStart combines the performance and functionality of the Microsoft Windows XP operating system with always-on connectivity that fits in the palm of your hand. This combination re-defines mobile computing for users who want access to business-critical software, email, and the Web while on the go.
[ FlipStart.Vulcan.com ]
Don't get me wrong, I love my Dell Axim x3i, but this is what I really want. I wouldn't need my laptop, or my pocket pc, or my fancy phone. Just this and a bluetooth enabled phone (with unlimited bandwidth).
At this rate I fully expect the future to arrive in 5.. 4.. 3.. 2...
Thanks Paul Allen!
Somehow I completely missed this one:
DHL announced today it has reached a major milestone in the integration of DHL and Airborne Express. After only six months, both companies have integrated the majority of their ground and courier networks, and are now launching several new programs for customers. Shipping and logistics customers will benefit from the combination of an expanded domestic portfolio, and a powerful global network.
[ DHL ]
I usually notice news about shipping companies, mostly due to my disdain for UPS, but this one completely slipped my radar. I guess that's what happens when you get a majority of your news from the Beeb.
My new plates have been ordered:
[ VA DMV ]
Visual C# “Whidbey” will include several IDE enhancements including a first-class code editor with rich editing features, a powerful debugger, and drag-and-drop visual designers.
[ MSDN TV ]
I am so freaking jazzed. Generics alone will save hours, the new RAD tools will boost productivity, the new debug visualizations would have saved me many hours of debugging, and the refactoring tool is part “bells and whistles“ and part “God send“. The one new item that seems weak is anonymous methods, it smacks of a crutch to me.
He doesn't actually discuss partial classes or site templates, but they will be in Whidbey as well.
I'm not sure about mail signatures that expressly state blogability, though that sounds like a good idea, and I don't agree with the wedding invitation rule, but I'm not very formal when it comes to weddings, otherwise I think these are all good rules.
Do:
- Use proper grammar, punctuation and spelling in e-mails and other forms of electronic correspondence.
- Don't treat your devices as if they're more important than people.
- Be aware of online subcultures (IRC chatrooms will function differently according to topic).
- Talk quietly when on your cell phone in public
- If you must take a call during a meeting and it will last more than 30 seconds, excuse yourself from the table.
- Attach a note in your e-mail signature file saying whether the contents are bloggable.
- Put contact information, including a phone number if it's a business correspondence, in your e-mail's signature file.
Don't:
- Don't leave your cell phone turned on in meetings, movies, museums, job interviews, worship services, funerals, etc. (exceptions are allowed, but always put your phone on vibrate, warn hosts or companions and, if in a movie theatre [sic], try to sit in an aisle seat).
- Don't read and respond to e-mail on any device during a meeting or a meal.
- Don't send e-mail that does not use conventional grammar, such as upper and lower-case letters in the appropriate places.
- Don't send wedding invitations via e-mail. On the corporate side, never fire people via e-mail.
- Don't watch risqué movies on your portable DVD player while in public.
- Don't send any sort of electronic missive that you would like to keep secret.
- Don't open attachments without being sure you want them.
[ Yahoo! News ]
Anyone have any more?
Although the “improvements” to Metroid have made the game play a whole lot quicker, I think they eliminate only the more banal aspects of the original game. I've “completed” Metroid in just under 4 1/2 hours, which isn't so bad at my age, to arrive at the promised “after story”.
So far it seems like the “voice” of the game has dramatically shifted, though the story seems to be trying to piece in unexplained bits. Clearly the original Metroid wasn't able to handle what later consoles could, so it was light on the details of the story. They've now filled in the supposed bits between the original game and Metroid II or Super Metroid or whichever comes next.
Since I know that everyone else who reads my blog has purchased the game, and has proceeded at least as far as I have, please speak up and give your opinion.
I've just noticed that this weeks “Strong Bad Email” is numbered 99. I expect that means next week's will be number 100 and a special event. In the off chance that the Brothers Chap read my blog, feel free to take my suggestion and go all out.
The 24 worst highway bottlenecks, followed by the number of vehicles handled daily and annual hours of delay, according to a study by American Highway Users Alliance.
[ Yahoo! News ]
By their ranking the “Mixing Bowl” in Springfield, VA is ranked as 15th worst. The problem with their ranking is it is the total number of hours delayed by all people. I personally don't care about everyone else when I'm sitting in the traffic, I want to know how bad it is for me, annually, on average. If the list is re-weighted, taking into account the volume vs the delay, my beloved mixing bowl rises to #5.
Then, if you calculate the difference in rank between total volume and per-capita volume, you get what I call a “weakness” factor. This means that the less total volume you have the easier it should be to manage that traffic, so the higher the number the worse your mega-intersection is handled. Resort by this number and the “Mixing Bowl” now becomes #2. This means it is the 2nd worst managed major intersection in the country. The only worse managed traffic is in Cincinnati at “I-75 from Ohio River Bridge to I-71 interchange”, in what I'll call the crappiest intersection in America.
Strangely enough LA appears on the list 5 times. These 5 intersection all appear in the bottom 7 once ranked by weakness. This means that LA has lots and lots of freaking traffic moving through 1/2 dozen or so intersections, but they manage this traffic rather well, all things considered.
Attachment: Worst Intersections.xls
Tired of the same old Starbucks and Dunkin' Donuts? The Madison Planning Board tonight takes up a man's application to open a topless coffee shop on Main Street.
[ Yahoo! News ]
No shirt means nowhere to put the “contents are extremely hot” warning...
A small Domo-kun plush, ~2", on a key chain.
[ Domo-Kun Plush Key Chain ]
You think that they might have volume discounts?
For a while now I've recognized how JRR Tolkien borrowed from Arab culture for aspects of the dark side of the lord of the rings. Arab sounding names for things, Arab looking peoples, etc. I've never thought that Tolkien was as anti-Arab as CS Lewis clearly is, but I never thought that he had much admiration for Arabs either. Then I stumbled across this:
How does Elvish writing work? Elvish writing looks distinctive and compact partly because consonants are treated like letters and vowels are treated like punctuation marks.
[ How Elvish Writing Works ]
Clearly borrowing a tremendous amount from Arabic, though one could argue Hebrew or Amharic to some degree, I think Tolkien was fascinated with Arabs and their culture and worked it into his fantasy. Of course I'm sure some Tolkien scholar out there already knows this, and could talk for days on the subject, but I've just figured this out myself, thank you very much.
Try beating your head against the Takagism. “What is it?”, you ask.
[ KooshMoose ]
I finally got it. Ring #2 was a friggin' pain. The history page wouldn't come up 19 out of 20 times, so it was of little help. But I didn't have to cheat and I still "won".
Still unanswered:
-
What did I drink?
-
What time is it?
-
What thirst is there besides the thirst of the throat?
-
How was the bed different from usual?
-
If I know that the bed is different, why don't I know if this is a hotel?
-
Since I am shut up, do I usually open up?
-
What is a Takagism?
-
What city is out the window?
-
What is a stale CD player?
-
How does one have a ring with a sculpture?
-
For what a metal stick uses?
Presidential candidate Howard Dean once again stuns America by switching to a passive campaign. Pundits suspect that this will save Dean millions of dollars, and possibly increase his chances of winning.
After failing to win a single state in the Democratic primaries and caucuses, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean pulled the plug Wednesday on his once seemingly unstoppable presidential campaign. "I am no longer actively pursuing the presidency," Dean announced to supporters in Burlington, Vermont. But he said he would build a "new organization" to continue advancing his goals for the Democratic Party.
[ CNN.com - Dean suspends presidential campaign ]
In the years between the release of the original Nintendo Entertainment System and GameCube's debut, the market shifted toward older audiences with less toy-like tastes. When, in 2001, Nintendo unveiled the indigo box with the big black handle, Nintendo executives looked a bit like a well-meaning uncle presenting a Barbie doll to his 15-year-old niece. GameCube seemed doomed from the start.
[ GameSpy.com - Article ]
It seems clear that if Nintendo's next platform is to regain the Nintendo magic, the following things have to happen:
-
Nintendo needs to be first to market. Not so early as to be the weakest or most expensive offering, but early enough to get a good library before they get trumped
-
The console needs to launch with 2 out of 3 of the following:
-
A Zelda Game
-
A Mario Game
-
A Metroid Game
-
Nintendo needs online play. They believe that it's not mature enough to be profitable, but they are missing some important facts:
-
The don't have to launch an Nintendo Live service, 3rd party networks can work, and at no cost to Nintendo
-
Online play can be a loss leader that generates additional sales elsewhere
-
Online play shouldn't be too hard to integrate into games if a decent library is developed
-
Nintendo needs to either stop pushing the GameBoy/GameCube connectivity, or make it worth while and less expensive. Sure FF: Crystal Chronicles looks like “da bomb”, but rumors are you need 4 players to get the full effect. That's 4 times $100 for GBA SPs, 4 times $10-15 for cables in addition to the price of the game itself, and that's a hefty price for fun.
-
Nintendo needs to launch the console in black or metallic grey with a big skull that's dripping blood, at least have it as a choice
-
They should name it the “F'ing Nintendo Killer F'ing Game Machine, boyeeee” or something equally “adult”. People fall for that stuff, and they'll think Nintendo has gone hard core
-
They should go hard core (but still have cute and fuzzy games for the kids)
As long as the big N follows my guidelines, they'll be the biggest success ever, and I'll buy at least 2. One in fuzzy pink and one in black with the bleeding skull...
Update: Nintendo needs to change nothing, the bad press is all wrong.
StarCraft Ghost should be in stores by now (according to Amazon.com).
Blizzard seems to have a winner on their hands so far. Combining fast action, stealth take-downs and the lucrative StarCraft license almost guarantees a new franchise.
[ Nintendo ]
Though searching for more details leaves me a bit confused:
-
StarCraft: Ghost fan site has no details on release date. -
Official site has no details on release date or any new news for that matter. -
-
It looks to me like Amazon.com was lying when they had today as the release day, and they are still lying with their availability in 2-3 days. When will the lies end?
I like this sporty hoody:
[ Volkswagen DriverGear ]
But shouldn't VW be paying me, or at least reducing the price, for the free advertising? Sure, I'm no high-falootin' celebrity, but at least a couple bucks off seems fair.
KAJOL SALE!
Including Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, a personal favorite. Though Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham is a bit unbelievable, so I'll skip it.
I may have to pick up Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge. I'm just a sucker for a good Kajol/Shah Rukh Khan movie.
Once again the question comes up, this time courtesy of Asjouré. And except for the “you can't buy your own”, which I don't think I had heard before, this page jibes with my understanding of the myth behind the Claddagh Ring.
The Claddagh Ring when worn on the left hand with the crown pointing away from your heart tells all you are spoken for. While worn on the right hand in the same fashion suggests love is being considered. If your heart is as yet unspoken for the ring should be worn on the right hand with the crown turned to your heart.
[ 123 Celtic Irish Jewelry ]
And Yes ladies, I wear mine on the right hand, crown facing in.
Update: No longer am I available. You waited too long...
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