Package Shark - the blister pack tamer - The Red Ferret Journal

Package Shark - the blister pack tamer - The Red Ferret Journal

Everybody needs 3.

Sand in the Gears - Archives

Sand in the Gears - Archives: "'I Believe I Can Fly' may be an uplifting song, but it's a stupid life philosophy. You can't fly. If you study about ten times harder, and have an ounce of common sense, and work really long hours, then perhaps you can build yourself a plane, and then you can fly. Otherwise, get used to walking."

My first reaction was to mutter "how droll", but then... I realized that this IS NOT obvious to most kids today. So I guess it isn't really funny after all.

Walt Disney said "If you can dream it, you can do it" notice... he didn't say "If you can dream it, it will happen". Nope, good old fashioned hard work lies between those two points in a very straight line. I do think that if you really believe in a goal and want it bad enough, you will be able to make the right choices that allow you to accomplish that goal. I don't imagine that it will stumble across YOU. The stars may be within our reach, but they don't fall in your lap. You have to climb the damn ladder...

NMSU is home to the world’s hottest chile pepper

NMSU is home to the world’s hottest chile pepper

Woo Hoo! We don't NEED NO STINKIN' TASTE BUDS!!!!!

Freedom to Tinker » Blog Archive » Why Understanding Programs is Hard

Freedom to Tinker » Blog Archive » Why Understanding Programs is Hard: "Nonexperts are often surprised to learn that programs can do things the programmers didn’t expect. These surprises can be vexing; but they’re also the main reason computer science is fun."

Bugs==Fun

You heard it here first folks!

Do not get me started...

Blogspotting - BusinessWeek Online

Blogspotting - BusinessWeek Online: "This raises two questions:

1) How can BusinessWeek reach this generation?
2) I wonder how they're doing in math..."

1) Not sure, but the blog this came from is a start. THe new generation is tuned in to new methods of communication. Papers? TV? Old and busted.

2) My personal observations are probably skewed, but I'd say "pretty good actually".

The SimCam: Film and Digital Camera Simulator - Photonhead.com

The SimCam: Film and Digital Camera Simulator - Photonhead.com

Orbo - The Magnetic Free-Energy Generator from Steorn

Orbo - The Magnetic Free-Energy Generator from Steorn

Snake oil? Interesting. Certainly one thing that limits our continued technological growth is the ability to generate and distribute energy. No, really.

Ballmer blames pirates for poor Vista sales

Ballmer blames pirates for poor Vista sales: "Ballmer admitted to financial analysts that the predictions for Vista had proved 'overly optimistic' and he blamed the pirates in China, India, Brazil, Russia and other emerging markets.

He said his final solution would be to increase the intensity Windows Genuine Advantage as part of an effort to squeeze more revenue from developing nations."

I myself (licenses), my entire family (4-5 licenses) and everyone I know (? licenses) are all just staying with XP. At least until the next hardware upgrade demands a change. Since we just got two new machine in October (cleverly just before Vista became a bundle) it could be quite some time before we are forced to move on.

The reasons are many and varied, but most of the involve getting less for my money and no real extras that I must have. Why pay money to have my computer perform worse and with less functionality that before?

I'll pass for now.

The Space Review: The other side of the Fermi paradox

The Space Review: The other side of the Fermi paradox: "If extraterrestrial civilizations do not exist, it is even more important for humans to survive and colonize space. If we do not do it, then no one else will. If extraterrestrial civilizations exist, the task will be shared. In any case, the ultimate goal for all civilizations is to spread life throughout the galaxy, to transform a largely dead galaxy into a living one."

No that is one heck os a "Manifest Destiny". Are we up to it? Is perhaps the % of livable planets much lower than we have reasoned?

Daring Fireball: Translation From PR-Speak to English of Selected Portions of Macrovision CEO Fred Amoroso's Response to Steve Jobs's 'Thoughts on Mus

Daring Fireball: Translation From PR-Speak to English of Selected Portions of Macrovision CEO Fred Amoroso's Response to Steve Jobs's 'Thoughts on Music': "Translation From PR-Speak to English of Selected Portions of Macrovision CEO Fred Amoroso’s Response to Steve Jobs’s ‘Thoughts on Music’"

Which Superhero are you? Results

Which Superhero are you? Results

Ak! Apparently my real name is Peter Parker


You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man 75% Green Lantern 70% The Flash 60% Batman 55% Iron Man 55% Catwoman 50% Robin 40% Hulk 35% Wonder Woman 28% Superman 25% Supergirl 23%

You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

Science & Technology at Scientific American.com: First "Commercial" Quantum Computer Solves Sudoku Puzzles -- Quantum computing company banks on a lon

Science & Technology at Scientific American.com: First "Commercial" Quantum Computer Solves Sudoku Puzzles -- Quantum computing company banks on a long-shot form of quantum computing: "Researchers believe that by combining many of these quantum bits, or qubits, they will be able to perform certain tasks that are currently out of reach. Chief among them: the ability to swiftly crack encrypted communications."

True if everything stays the same, but quantum computing opens the door to quantum cryptography. This means that you can arrange a cihper such that examining a data streem will alter it. This allows for (if nothing else) knowing that the stream was intercepted 'en route'. So it is a decrypters dream as long as everyone is using current ciphers. Making them with a lot larger keys will help in the interim, but as long as you had one early and unknown...

It is a shift in technology (or will be) that will make some profound changes, however I doubt the users see many byt the time it becomes common place.

e-Pill MD2 Monitored Pill Dispenser - regulated medication - The Red Ferret Journal

e-Pill MD2 Monitored Pill Dispenser - regulated medication - The Red Ferret Journal

Nice. While this may seem expensive, consider the alternatives (such as a day nurse coming in once or twice a day to monitor meds). Having already gone through this a couple of times, I'd say this along with a monitoring service of some kind is a great way to assist elderly folks who are not willing to transition to an assisted living environment. Every little bit of independence is a plus.

Wired: AP Technology and Business News from the Outside World on Wired.com

Wired: AP Technology and Business News from the Outside World on Wired.com: "He said all the evidence the company has indicates that the device is performing quantum computations, but he acknowledged there is some uncertainty. "

Quantum computing, uncertainty? Duh, didn't Heisenberg already prove that?

:)

First Quantum Computer demonstrated

First Quantum Computer demonstrated

Follow-up to a previous entry. Apparently, the demo worked.
Too bad they only have job openings for research physicists...

Robot suit will help old people move around

Robot suit will help old people move around: "A JAPANESE firm has invented a robotic suit to help old people get around a little bit easier."

and I assumed the miliary uses would be first for this type of tech...

Perhaps a shuffle of priorities is in order. The elderly are making up a larger portion of the population and this will continue to increase for a bit longer.

Haptic glove to touch on virtual fabrics - tech - 13 February 2007 - New Scientist Tech

Haptic glove to touch on virtual fabrics - tech - 13 February 2007 - New Scientist Tech

Had to happen sooner or later...

Hackers discover HD DVD and Blu-ray "processing key" -- all HD titles now exposed - Engadget

Hackers discover HD DVD and Blu-ray "processing key" -- all HD titles now exposed - Engadget

pwned in 60 days.

Techworld.com - OS and Servers News - Quantum computer to debut next week

Techworld.com - OS and Servers News - Quantum computer to debut next week

Rumor: "Official" word on 120GB+HDMI 360? - Xbox 360 Fanboy

Rumor: "Official" word on 120GB+HDMI 360? - Xbox 360 Fanboy: "Apparently, Microsoft Australia has informed a local retailer named Myer to get its store ready for a Black Xbox 360 with an HDMI port and 120 GB Hard Drive."

RIAA forced to cough up $50,000 legal fees

RIAA forced to cough up $50,000 legal fees: "It looks as if the label, Capitol Records, will end up owing Foster over $50,000, not a figure to be sniffed at"

And high time...

AMD readies bout of price cuts - again

AMD readies bout of price cuts - again