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Thursday, December 25, 2008

Xmas Gifts that I did not get...

These are the things that I did not get for Christmas:
A WaterMill Vaporator

Cellphone watch

Laser engraving system

Mobile briefcase fireplace

More to follow as we open gifts, ..., now where is that santa suit?

Monday, December 22, 2008

Twitter-er reports CO plane crash from on-board

A twitter-er reported the recent CO crash from on-board:

"Thanks for all the well wishes everyone. Sorry for the radio silence, but my battery died in the middle of all this and I just made it home 2:22 AM Dec 21st from twitterrific

"You have your wits scared out of you, drag your butt out of a flaming ball of wreckage and you can't even get a vodka-tonic. Boo 11:22 PM Dec 20th

"Continental keeping us locked up at the presidents club until they can sort everything out. Won't even serve us drinks. :( 11:21 PM Dec 20th

"Can't see much, but that's the crash site. http://twitpic.com/ut2c 9:35 PM Dec 20th

"This was crash #2 for me. Maybe I should start taking the bus. 8:58 PM Dec 20th

"Ugh ... My glasses fell off in the mass exodus getting off the plane .. Can't see very well 8:57 PM Dec 20th

"Holy ******* **** I wasbjust in a plane crash! 8:25 PM Dec 20th "

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Trucking Duck

As duck is my co-pilot: Trucking Duck

Santa


"The Harwich Fire Department will provide a ride for Santa on one of their fire trucks." - Harwich Oracle

Tips for wreath hanging.

This year's featured ornament from Paula:

My favorite commercial this season so far is Garmin, based on "Carol of the Bells".

Tip of the day: You can use Google Alerts from RSS now instead of getting them in your email.

Stonyfield Farms sponsors charity contest on KaBOOM

This is an interesting marketing campaing from KaBOOM! and Stonyfield Farms: By collecting yogurt lids, the winning organization gets a grant.

ThePelosi

"The kind of feeling you get behind the wheel of the Pelosi GTxi SS/Rt Sport Edition from Congressional Motors."

TwitterGadget

I found this Gmail gadget for TwitterTwitterGadget: Auto-refreshing Twitter client: "TwitterGadget is a clean, robust, web 2.0 style client for Twitter.com, designed to eliminate the need to install third-party applications to monitor and submit status updates to Twitter via your iGoogle homepage."

Saturday, December 13, 2008

WOTD

Word of the day: scrubologist

Job title of the day: pigeon trainer

QOTD: "Treat your password like your toothbrush. Don't let anybody else use it, and get a new one every six months." -Clifford Stoll

Friday, December 12, 2008

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Putting some Coal in your stocking

The Coal industry has some coal for your stocking.

Thursday, December 04, 2008

Google Phone - Android Award Winner

Here's an interesting app: Mobilizy - Wikitude AR Travel Guide: "Users may walk through a city like Seville, Spain, holding the phone’s camera against a building and Wikitude tells what it is."

Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Outlook - Delay the Sending of Your Emails

A few people have asked me recently about cancelling an e-mail message that they wished they had not sent.  Once the email is on the internet, it's out there for the recipient to see.

Microsoft Outlook gives false hope by including a "recall this message" option, but this only works in rare occaisions (<5%)

I use the "send every N minutes" feature in my email programs to avoid this problem (for 5 minutes anyway); it's also a good way to limit distraction by the constant barrage of of incoming e-mails. 


Does anyone know how to do this from an I-phone or blackberry?

PS: Don't forget to check your gutters in preparation for winter, a friend had 3" of water in theirs that would have damaged them over the winter.

Monday, December 01, 2008

Happy Cyber-Monday

Welcome to December. Hopefully everyone is doing what they can for the economy on Cyber Monday.  

It's also World Aids Day, please take a moment to remember friends who are afflicted and remind others that the battle is not over.

ToDo

This month's to-do list. Please comment to add suggestions.

Fix phone & TVs in MA (qq4)
Fix faucet
Finish yard
Send invoices (qq1)
Recruit (qq2)
Figure out plurk & spock
Get chic PJs for DH

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Photography tips

I'm finally organizing my photos.  Great tools are Picnik for free online photo editting and effects, and DoubleKiller to find dupes by content, not just name & size.


BTW, try http://keyboardr.com, it's a really fast keyboard optimizer for Google searching.

Today's blog-OTD is http://37signals.com/svn/

Saturday, November 29, 2008

This Year's Selection from Hammacher Schlemmer


Every year a few items from Hammacher Schlemmer catch my attention:

The Fish Agility Training Set, the R2D2 Aquarium, the Complete NYT Front Pages, the Lighted World Map, and the best: Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh.

Helpful Hints

We're changing the batteries in our smoke detectors in anticipation of Holiday parties and upping our electrical load with too many lights.  Don't forget to check yours too!

Today's PC tools of the day are the clock and mini control panel from Teo's Google Desktop Gadgets

Friday, November 28, 2008

Cardboard figure causes NJ bank standoff - Weird News

Full-size cardboard figure causes NJ bank standoff
The Associated Press

"A standoff at a New Jersey bank is over after police learned a 'person' seen inside was actually a full-size cardboard figure.
Officers went to the PNC Bank in Montgomery Township on Thursday night after an alarm went off. They saw what they thought was at least one person through the windows of the bank, which had its blinds drawn.

The area was sealed off and three nearby apartment buildings were evacuated as a precaution. Meanwhile, authorities used bullhorns and made telephone calls in a bid to make contact with whoever might be in the bank.

After repeatedly failing to get a response, a SWAT team entered the building and discovered the cardboard figure.
It was not immediately clear what set off the bank alarm."

Thursday, November 27, 2008

DoubleKiller

This software is good at removing duplicate files from your harddrive: DoubleKiller

Twitter Fan Wiki / Bots

Here are some twitter hacks & bots: Twitter Fan Wiki / Bots

Friday, November 21, 2008

Google Contacts Sync for BlackBerry

Google has added contact synch to it's Blackberry tools: Google Contacts Sync for BlackBerry

I've also been adding bookmarklets to the Chrome bookmark bar to simulate the Google toolbar functions missing from Chrome.



Thursday, November 20, 2008

10 Great Free Apps for Blackberry - Stepcase Lifehack

10 Great Free Apps for Blackberry

Google Chrome

I'm using Google's new browser called chrome, it's lightning fast and I like the interface better than my current favorite, FireFox.  Does anyone have any add-ins to recommend?

Monday, November 10, 2008

How to publish updates ("tweets") to Twitter via email

Does anyone have any other suggestions on how to update twitter via email?

e.g., http://www.labnol.org/internet/email/send-twitter-updates-email-mobile-phone-without-sms/2955

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Google Gadgets:  Clock

This is a good general clock widget for Google: Google Gadgets: Clock

Friday, November 07, 2008

Cat Vs. Printer - The Sequel | Sangent - The Daily Ramblings

http://nerdnirvana.org/2008/10/23/cat-vs-printer-the-sequel/

Autohotkey

I just wrote a new (simple) script to auto-add selected text to Google Calendar (GCal) using Autohotkey.

excerpt: run firefox.exe http://www.google.com/calendar/event?ctext=+%clipboard%+&action=TEMPLATE&pprop=HowCreated`%3AQUICKADD

PS: Greetings from Keedysville

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Jobs available

Help wanted: Midtown programmer, security expert in NYC, disaster recovery expert in IA or OH.

Word of the day: BFOQ

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Vote Early, Vote Often

Voting locations are here:

http://gis.nyc.gov/vote/ps/index.htm

PS: A friend is selling a 1BR apt near 72nd & York.
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Wednesday, October 29, 2008

PubCrawl XXXV starts on 11/1 at HiLife (2pm to 12 Midnight)

If you can make it down to Manhattan, please join us for BarCrawl XXXV
on Sat. 11/1 (2pm-11pm) starting @ HiLife (477 Amsterdam @ 83rd St in
NYC, NY).

Details are at http://www.Knellen. <http://www.Knellen.com> com and RSVP to mark at ameres.net.

Mark

PS: Also save the date for the RPI Football Tailgate Party at the
Maritime Academy which is across the Throgs Neck Bridge at Kings
Point, Queens on November 15th. It's a 11am tailgate and a 1pm game.
Details at <http://www.alumni.rpi.edu/involved/chapters/newjersey.html>

<http://www.linkedin.com/in/ameres>
<http://twitter.com/mameres>
<http://www.alumni.rpi.edu/involved/chapters/nyc.html>
<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/westchesterRPI/>
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Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Metrocard has a new auto-refilling plan

I've always kept a few metrocards because it was a pain to remember how much was on each. When one ran out, I flipped to the other one and bought a new one (reusing them is a pain, too).

Now they have a refilling program. It lets me go down to 1 metro card and I do not have to carry the special credit card that I use to refill it. Details are at www.mta.info.


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What is an unconference?

Scripting News Annex: "The idea for an unconference came while sitting in the audience of a panel discussion at a conference, waiting for someone to say something intelligent, or not self-serving, or not mind-numbingly boring. The idea came while listening to someone drone endlessly through PowerPoint slides, nodding off, or (in later years) checking email, or posting something to my blog, wondering if it had to be so mind-numbingly boring." [more]:

Friday, October 17, 2008

Political joke

"While walking down the street one day a US senator (no one in particular) is tragically hit by a truck and dies..." (more)

NYC's Legendary Bars - GrandLife

We're partial to a bunch of old NY bars: Fanelli, Ear Inn, White Horse Tavern, McSorley’s, Pete’s Tavern, Old Town Bar, Keens, PJClarke's. For a description of each, please see GrandLife - New York City Dining & Nightlife Features, another good list is on Time Out.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Swimming gold medal

From the US Team Swimming relay
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Sunday, October 12, 2008

Thursday, October 09, 2008

AP: NYC National Debt Clock runs out of digits

NEW YORK - In a sign of the times, the National Debt Clock in New York City has run out of digits to record the growing figure.

As a short-term fix, the digital dollar sign on the billboard-style clock near Times Square has been switched to a figure — the "1" in $10 trillion. It's marking the federal government's current debt at about $10.2 trillion.

The Durst Organization says it plans to update the sign next year by adding two digits. That will make it capable of tracking debt up to a quadrillion dollars.

The late Manhattan real estate developer Seymour Durst put the sign up in 1989 to call attention to what was then a $2.7 trillion debt.

Online version: National Debt Clock

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

Floating the Apple

Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

View from the Overlook

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Friday, September 19, 2008

Amazon Online: Memos from the Chairman

Words of wisdom from Haimchinkel Malintz Anaynikal and Ace Greenberg: Memos from the Chairman

Today's secret words are: Popcorn & Wasilla

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Friday, September 12, 2008

Van Rensselaer Manor House

Van Rensselaer Manor House: "Van Rensselaer Manor House"

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Tommy Westphall - A Multiverse Explored

Today's reading: A Multiverse Explored: "Who is Tommy Westphall?"

Mark Ameres
is a
Money-Eating Laboratory Monkey


...with a Battle Rating of 4.2



To see if your Food-Eating Battle Monkey can
defeat Mark Ameres, enter your name:

Monday, September 08, 2008

Sunday, September 07, 2008

Gone fishing!

Greetings from Chesapeake Bay.

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Anyone going to NY Giants games?

If you are going to the game or interested in tickets, please drop us a line.

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Windmill accident

I just saw this on TV. A windmill in Denmark was overloaded in the wind and broke it's brakes. It ran at 5x speed until it finally shattered.

We have a new pet: Tiger


Tiger is a snapping turtle: " If you need to handle a snapping turtle to remove it from harm’s way, always approach and handle it from behind." [from: nps.gov].

UPDATE: Tiger jumped the wall of his (puny) cage and is currently running hellbent for leather for the border...

Friday, August 29, 2008

GeoCaching Proto-Picnic Event

This was a fun little event in Central Park: Manhattan Proto-Picnic, got together with a few new friends. I met a fellow alumni there and we thought that we should do a similar event for RPI-NYC.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

NPR: Fetch 2.0

An old story, but I love the video: NPR: Fetch 2.0: Guy Builds Machine for His Dog

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

NameVoyager | The Baby Name Wizard

NameVoyager | The Baby Name Wizard

Popularity of names starting with MARSH

MARSH

Monday, August 18, 2008

Watching the Olympic Pole Vault

CBC Olympics: "One vaulter famously arrived at his destination to discover an airport worker had sawed his poles in half to fit them in the hold."

also

"The vaulters can no longer “Volz” the bar, a technique made popular under previous rules by the U.S. vaulter Dave Volz who would clear the bar then touch it with his hands to make sure it stayed on."

Checkout the Olympic...

... "Sandboni" on Flickr, it's for beach volleyball.

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Rubber Duck News: Ducks Around the World

Rubber Duck News: "Rubber Ducks Circumnavigate the Globe"

Victor A. Harder, grandfather of George A. Harder

I was looking for some genealogy info and found this: Obituary: Victor A. Harder - The New York Times, which proves she's really from Brooklyn too. (skip the first part about the guy from NJ).

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Got stress?

Because sometimes...you just need to break something: Sarah's Smash Shack San Diego, CA

Friday, August 15, 2008

Is your kitchen Sabbath compliant?

Our friends just bought a new stove that has a Sabbath mode, which led to some googling: GE Monogram: Sabbath Mode Kit for Refrigerators

Song of the day: "One Night in Bangcock" from Sirius

UPDATE 090208: The NY Times had an article about Kosher technology.

Word of the day - 15.08.2008

Every day is special - 15.08.2008: "plebiscite" (from Turkey)

Filed from Burkittsville

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Billboard: "The most trusted name in the b usiness: Haldeman"

Seen near my current location.  The billboard did not say which business.

http://maps.BlackBerry.com?lat=40.58709&lon=-75.59578&z=1

Monday, August 11, 2008

Pauline Leblond Way

Old News from the neighborhood:

"Pauline Leblond Way - Introduced by Council Member Reyna and Council Member Gallagher
Pauline Leblond served as President of the Stockholm Street Block Association and led the fight to gain historic landmark status from the City for Stockholm Street, between Onderdonk and Woodward Avenues in Ridgewood. She was instrumental in obtaining funding from the City to address problems with the Stockholm Street roadbed, which was deteriorating due to pipes installed during the “horse and buggy” days. Her efforts were rewarded when Stockholm Street was officially named a historic district by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission on November 28, 2000."

Linden Hill

I was wandering around Queens (virtually) and found some old memories on Google Maps

Saturday, August 09, 2008

Friday, August 01, 2008

Useful tools for your phone from DLM

I have not tried these all yet, but they're worth a look.

Google Mobile brings the ubiquitous Google products like Google search, Reader, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Photos and many more to your mobile phone. It supports almost all the multimedia phones available including the iPhone.
Shozu connects your online life to your mobile phone. It supports a huge number of social sites which include Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, Blogger and many more. You can upload photos and videos, download friend's feeds, read and reply to comments and a lot more right from your cellphone.
Mini is an awesome free-to-download mobile internet browser that lets you browse the web in a similar way to your computer's browser. Instead of showing the entire page on your little screen, it cleverly presents an overview of a page and you can easily zoom in and out.
Zyb is an online service whose primary task is to safely backup your contacts on the cellphone. Apart from that it also lets you sync your contacts and other things, share media files and chat with your Zyb friends online.
Qik is a cool app which lets you stream live video to the web from your cellphone. I haven't tried this yet but it certainly looks like an easy process without the need to do heavy downloading or installing.
Fring is an easy to download and install mobile app which lets you make free calls and chat to your IM buddies on Skype, MSN, Yahoo, Gtalk and many other services using your cellphone's internet connection thus saving you money on outgoing calls.
Frucall helps you to compare prices of a product at various online stores like Amazon, Shopping.com etc and hence helps you to clear your doubts about the cost of a particular product and where you can find it at cheaper rates.
Buxfer helps you track your expenses on your mobile and lets you know if you are going over budget.
Mobiluck lets you stay in touch with your friends and alerts you if they are nearby. It also lets you chat with them for free.
Wapedia is a one click mobile encyclopedia which lets you search various Wikipedia entries and also search for images. A good app for students and researchers on the go.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Beer of the Day for Tuesday, July 29th, 2008

Yesterday's Beer of the Day for me was SkullSplitter

Livescribe: Never Miss A Word

This electronic pen seems like a neat gimmick, I wonder if it's actually practical: Livescribe

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Lost Positives: How I met my wife by Jack WinterPublished 25 July 1994 - The New Yorker

from Journey to the East: Lost Positives

How I met my wife by Jack WinterPublished 25 July 1994 - The New Yorker

It had been a rough day, so when I walked into the party I was very chalant, despite my efforts to appear gruntled and consolate.
I was furling my wieldy umbrella for the coat check when I saw her standing alone in a corner. She was a descript person, a woman in a state of total array. Her hair was kempt, her clothing shevelled, and she moved in a gainly way.
I wanted desperately to meet her, but I knew I'd have to make bones about it since I was travelling cognito. Beknownst to me, the hostess, whom I could see both hide and hair of, was very proper, so it would be skin off my nose if anything bad happened. And even though I had only swerving loyalty to her, my manners couldn't be peccable. Only toward and heard-of behavior would do.
Fortunately, the embarrassment that my maculate appearance might cause was evitable. There were two ways about it, but the chances that someone as flappable as I would be ept enough to become persona grata or a sung hero were slim. I was, after all, something to sneeze at, someone you could easily hold a candle to, someone who usually aroused bridled passion.
So I decided not to risk it. But then, all at once, for some apparent reason, she looked in my direction and smiled in a way that I could make heads and tails of.
I was plussed. It was concerting to see that she was communicado, and it nerved me that she was interested in a pareil like me, sight seen. Normally, I had a domitable spirit, but, being corrigible, I felt capacitated -- as if this were something I was great shakes at -- and forgot that I had succeeded in situations like this only a told number of times. So, after a terminable delay, I acted with mitigated gall and made my way through the ruly crowd with strong givings.
Nevertheless, since this was all new hat to me and I had no time to prepare a promptu speech, I was petuous. Wanting to make only called-for remarks, I started talking about the hors d'oeuvres, trying to abuse her of the notion that I was sipid, and perhaps even bunk a few myths about myself.
She responded well, and I was mayed that she considered me a savory character who was up to some good. She told me who she was. "What a perfect nomer," I said, advertently. The conversation become more and more choate, and we spoke at length to much avail. But I was defatigable, so I had to leave at a godly hour. I asked if she wanted to come with me. To my delight, she was committal. We left the party together and have been together ever since. I have given her my love, and she has requited it.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Greetings from 1st & 1st

I'm wandering around alphabet city, waiting for my friend's concert to start.
There was an interesting boutique next to nathan strauss park: dangerousmathematicians.com

Ttyl

GCwdc5
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Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Is Google Making Us Stupid?

Interesting article in the Atlantic: Is Google Making Us Stupid?

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Does anyone else Plurk?

All Star Break - Summer is half over :-( - Plurk.com

This was sent by a friend, has anyone else tried it?

We are also looking for alumni management software, has anyone tried AlumniMagnet.com or alternatives?

Hogweed on August 18, 2008 ...

... at BB Kings. Hogweed is a Genesis cover band.

Come one, come all!

http://www.myspace.com/hogweedband

WOTD: personalty

Cottage for Rent in Harwich, MA 02645

Reply for pricing and contact info. 

Open dates for cottage:

 *     Saturday, July 19 - Saturday, July 26

*     Saturday, July 26 - Saturday, August 2

*     Saturday, August 23 - Thursday, August 28

*     Tuesday, Sept. 2 thru end of October - off-season rates based on number of days, week vs. weekend, and number of people

 Description of Cottage Vacation Rental:

 "The cottage sleeps six (6) comfortably.  It is two levels.  The ground floor consists of a kitchen, bathroom, and combination living/dining room.  The stove and oven are electric.  There is an automatic coffee maker and a microwave.  There is no automatic dishwasher.  The bathroom has a stall shower but no tub.  There is also an outdoor shower.  On the second level are three bedrooms.  There is a double bed in the master bedroom and twin beds in the two other bedrooms.  Guests are responsible for bringing bed linens and towels. 

"There is both a charcoal grill and an electric grill for guests' use. Also, the yard is quite spacious and has a hammock, a picnic table and a wooden swing.  And there are plenty of beach chairs.

"The cottage is not air-conditioned.  However, since it is built of concrete blocks, it is very comfortable on all but the two or three high heat/high humidity days that we experience on the Cape during the summer.  Also there are fans in all the rooms.  There is a gas-burning heating stove in the living/dining room for those chilly nights in the early spring and late fall.

"The Bank Street beach is 9/10 of a mile from the cottage.  Harwich has both salt-water beaches and fresh-water pond beaches.

"Rental from mid-June through mid-September is by the week, running from Saturday to Saturday.  In the off-season, i.e. the beginning of May to mid-June, and post Labor Day to the end of October, both mid-week and weekend rentals may be available."

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Follow me

I just logged a new $: J11595647e @ where'sgeorge.com
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Saturday, July 12, 2008

Today's site

Confluence.com
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Saturday, July 05, 2008

Whod'a thunk it?

Some hybrids get better city mileage than highway:

"... Some hybrids - like the Prius - do get better city mileage than their highway mileage ..." From  forums.treehugger.com/viewtopic.php

OR

http://www.google.com/m/search?q=%22better+city+mileage%22&source=mobilesearchapp&rlz=1H2GGLE_en&v=3.0.35&ltime=1215285271604&qttime=8616&sutime=1120&uaction=B

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It's Tynwald Day on the Isle of Man

I love their Motto: Quocunque Jeceris Stabit (Latin)
" Whithersoever you throw it, it will stand." from Wikipedia: Isle of Man

The Tynwald is their legislature, which they celebrate today.

Another thing I did not know: Japan does not use street names

Friday, July 04, 2008

38 Broadway Avenue ...

... is featured in a Travelers ad, but does not relate to any addresses of the company. Does anyone know what the address from the red umbrella refers to?

http://www.google.com/m/search?source=mobilesearchapp&mrestrict=xhtml&q=%2238+broadway+avenue%22+
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Happy July 4th!

Greetings from Cape Cod. There are lots of flags flying, TV specials, local Indians, and plenty of fish stories.

WOTD: Loosestrife, cortege, staycation, and diadromous

Also in the news: Hollywood East!

Thursday, July 03, 2008

Mio Knight Rider GPS has voice of KITT Inside - knight rider online . news

Mio's Knight Rider GPS has voice of KITT inside - from knight rider online news.

Tuesday, July 01, 2008

Monday, June 30, 2008

WOTD

hypermiling, see also Nempimania

Saturday, June 28, 2008

MSNBC: “Hanoi Hilton” jailer endorses McCain.

John McCain has an unusual endorsement — from the Vietnamese jailer who says he held him captive for about five years as a POW and now considers him a friend.

"If I were an American voter, I would vote for Mr. John McCain," Tran Trong Duyet said Friday, sitting in his living room in the northern city of Haiphong, surrounded by black-and-white photos of a much younger version of himself and former Vietnam War prisoners. MSNBC

Friday, June 27, 2008

Leaning tower of chocolate

@ Ardeo
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Offroading

See photo.

We're near: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=gckbe4&Submit6.x=0&Submit6.y=0
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Cheap gas in Warwick, RI

It's only $3.95-$4.05 up here.

Plus: The car we have has the mind reading option: I don't know if you can see it from the photo, but there's an ESP on/off button.

Tip: Go to gasbuddy.com and get there heatmap for cheap gas prices.
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I stayed at a Holiday Inn last night...

... and they had this interesting hookless shower curtain.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Rotating Skyscraper Announced for NYC

Each floor rotates separately and it's powered by wind turbines between floors. It'll be a site to see (sic), but an operations nightmare.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Yahoo! News - Unicorn Deer in Italy

AP Wed Jun 11, 11:22 AM ET:

This undated photo provided by the Center of Natural Sciences in Prato, Italy, Wednesday, June 11, 2008, shows a deer with a single horn in the center of its head.

The one-year-old Roe Deer - nicknamed 'Unicorn'' - was born in captivity in the research center's park in the Tuscan town of Prato, near Florence, Gilberto Tozzi, director of the Center of Natural Sciences, said. He is believed to have been born with a genetic flaw; his twin has two horns. (AP Photo/Center of Natural Sciences)"

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Just left Cabela's

After stocking up on camping gear.

gc100fk

Panoramio

Found a photo of The Gates on Panoramio

Monday, June 09, 2008

From Frederick, MD

See attached photo, also ameres.net for more.

Seen at http://www.frederickkeys.com/

Near Frederick, MD: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?wp=GCzvjc

Kitten for hire

6 weeks old foundling near Frederick, MD

Sunday, June 08, 2008

Shavuot

Today is the day that the Torah was given to the Jewish people at Mount Sinai. [-Wikipedia]

Saturday, June 07, 2008

Belmont Park - Wikipedia

Belmont Park: "... was named after financier and sportsman August Belmont, Sr., who helped fund the race, and most sources say the racetrack itself was also named for him. Other sources say Belmont Park was named in honor of his son -- August Belmont II, a key member of the Westchester Racing Association, which established the racecourse.

The race was first run in 1867 at Jerome Park Racetrack in the Bronx."

A drinking club with a running problem

NYC has a chapter of the Hash House Harriers, featured recently in amNY.com.

WOTD: buildering - climbing a building like a human fly.

Remote Control Plane

We took my Radio Remote Control Plane out for a test flight today (Volitation in the Chinese language manual). It's made from EPP Foam (like styrofoam) and thus fairly crash-proof. It wasn't flying well, so we lightened the load by removing the landing gear. (Who needs landing gear when you can't do anything but crash land?) We'll try again later.

PS: Please remember June 6 as D-Day and our veterans who died for our freedom.

Swimming Cat

Friday, June 06, 2008

I'm headed south

Anyone in the Maryland area?

Halfway thru NJ so far: http://maps.BlackBerry.com?lat=40.68408&lon=-74.38951&z=1

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Thursday, June 05, 2008

Greetings from Brooklyn

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Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Congratulations Detroit!

They just won the Stanley Cup which has been "cradled and kissed, dropped and dunked" Please be careful with it.

Slashdot | Pringles Can Designer Dies, Buried In a Pringles Can

Slashdot | Pringles Can Designer Dies, Buried In a Pringles Can: "'Dr. Fredric J. Baur was so proud of having designed the container for Pringles... that he asked his family to bury him in one. His children honored his request. Part of his remains was buried in a Pringles can"

Monday, June 02, 2008

Outlook Duplicate Items Remover

Has anyone heard of Vaita and their Outlook Duplicate Items Remover?
"Using ODIR is very easy: select a folder and click the button Remove Duplicate Items. ODIR scans the selected folder for duplicates and MOVES all duplicates found to a subfolder ODIR_duplicate items."

Sunday, June 01, 2008

Vornado Realty Trust

Today's NYC trivia: Vornado Realty Trust "... is a New York based real estate investment trust. It is the inheritor of real estate formerly controlled by companies including Two Guys and Alexander's." read more @ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vornado_Realty_Trust

Back home


The Donut Pub looks like a good place to stop on the way.

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Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Tomorrow is Manhattanhenge

Manhattanhenge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "... was coined in 2002 by Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astrophysicist at the American Museum of Natural History. It applies to those streets that follow the Commissioners' Plan of 1811 which laid out a grid offset 28.9 degrees...

At sunset, a traveler along one of the north-south avenues on the West Side while looking east can observe the phenomenon indirectly, being struck by the reflected light of the many windows which are aligned with the grid. An observer on the East Side can look west and see the Sun shining down a canyon-like street." [from wikipedia]

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Balloon blows away free-fall record bid - CNN.com

Balloon blows away free-fall record bid - CNN.com: "French skydiver Michel Fournier's bid for a record-breaking parachute jump from Earth's stratosphere was aborted Tuesday when the balloon that was to carry him to the edge of space slipped away from his flight crew.

Michel Fournier tests his equipment a few days before his attempt to break four world records.
The former paratrooper had hoped his 'Big Jump' -- starting 40 kilometers (25 miles) above the Earth's surface -- would set new records for the highest jump, fastest and longest free fall and the highest altitude reached by a man in a balloon."

Monday, May 26, 2008

How un-American!

No beer sales in Mass. on Memorial Day
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Hector is big in England

Don't know why this is, but he's a YouTube star in England.

Happy Memorial Day!

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Top 10 High School Sports Programs - Don Bosco

DON BOSCO: (Ramsey, N.J.) is #9 on Sports Illustrated's Top 10 High School Programs: "Talk about a crowded trophy case: The football team went 12--0 en route to its 10th state title; the cross-country team won the state championship; and the all-boys prep school racked up county titles in basketball, bowling, indoor track, soccer, swimming and wrestling. At week's end the baseball team (23--0) was ranked fifth in the nation by USA Today."

@ Barley Neck Inn

http://www.barleyneck.com
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What's in your wallet?

Andrew G. told me about a website that tracks $1 bills as they travel: WheresGeorge.com. "One of the bills in my wallet was logged in 2006: One Dollar Bill, Serial# G7699---0A Series: 2003A, This bill has travelled 1,817 Miles in 2 Yrs, 57 Days, 23 Hrs, 47 Mins at an average of 2.3 Miles per day. It is now 1,817 Miles from its starting location."

Happy Memorial Day. Remember or POWs and MIAs, including the USS Harder.

Happy Birthday Brooklyn Bridge

Good luck to the RPI-NYC club people who are walking across it today. Contact me if interested in any of the 125th anniversary events.
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Saturday, May 24, 2008

Laura Picture # 2

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(TB28FN3) Kansas Sunshine 2008 Geocoina

I found this "curled up toes" Kansas Sunshine 2008 Geocoin in my cache:
http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?tracker=ksv27f


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Congratulations Laura!

Mazeltov!
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Friday, May 23, 2008

HR Geiger

[Placeholder]
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For Pete's Sake

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Fuilles ameres

http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/wormwood
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Ginger's Itinerary

New York, NY 10021 to Zacharys Nightclub via Google Maps: "33.4 mi – about 1 hour 5 mins
up to 2 hours 10 mins in traffic"


View Larger Map

High-tech treasure hunters- NJ.com

Geocaching: "... began in 2000 when the U.S. government released GPS signals for civilian use. GPS enthusiasts began brainstorming online about ways to use the new technology.

A few months later, a computer consultant named Dave Ulmer hid a plastic bucket in the woods in Oregon and posted the coordinates on a website. He called it the 'Great American GPS Stash Hunt.' Within a few days the bucket was found, and a new sport began.

As of this month, there are more than 575,000 caches hidden in dozens of countries around the world, including some in remote locations in Antarctica, Iraq and Papua New Guinea, according to Groundspeak, the company that oversees the geocaching.com website."

Brooklyn Bridge - 125th Anniversary

We went to the 125th Anniversary party for the Brooklyn Bridge last night. I was reading up on the trivia today: "Originally referred to as the New York and Brooklyn Bridge, it was dubbed the Brooklyn Bridge in an 1867 letter to the editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, and formally so named by the city government in 1915."

The Builder of the Bridge Washington Roebling went to my college and I was reading up on his father, the designer of the bridge: John A. Roebling was enrolled at the Royal Polytechnic Institute in Berlin where he studied architecture and engineering. So both Roeblings went to different RPI's.

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Brooklyn Bridge B-day Party

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-----Original Message-----
From: Vivek Sharma

LIFELOCK: Identity Protection Pitchman Bitten by Ads

WCBS-AM Identity Protection Pitchman Bitten by Ads: "Todd Davis has dared criminals for two years to try stealing his identity: Ads for his fraud-prevention company, LifeLock, even offer his Social Security number next to his smiling mug.

Now, Lifelock customers in Maryland, New Jersey and West Virginia are suing Davis, claiming his service didn't work as promised and he knew it wouldn't, because the service had failed even him.

Attorney David Paris said he found records of other people applying for or receiving driver's licenses at least 20 times using Davis' Social Security number, though some of the applications may have been rejected because data in them didn't match what the Social Security Administration had on file..."

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

FYE: Molson Coors donates beer to fuel Dem convention

Wednesday, May 21, 2008
DENVER (AP) Some corporations donate dollars and others donate services.
Molson Coors is donating fuel made mostly out of waste beer to fuel the
Democratic National Convention.
The Denver 2008 Convention Host Committee said Wednesday that Molson
Coors will donate all the ethanol-gasoline fuel blend the convention's
fleet of flex-fuel vehicles will need.
The fuel, known as E85, is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.
The ethanol is made from beer lost during packaging or rejected for
quality reasons at the company's brewery in Golden. The Denver company
began converting waste beer to ethanol in 1996 and today produces about
3 million gallons of ethanol per year.
Molson Coors, one of the world's largest brewers, also will provide beer
for some events during the convention.
On the Net: http://www.molsoncoors.com.

Vendor selection process from Tech Republic



from techrepublic.com

Lost parrot returned to owners after reciting name, address

http://ago.mobile.globeandmail.com/generated/archive/RTGAM/html/20080521/wparrot0521.html

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Geocache: My hole in the wall GC1CEKX

I got tired of geocaching and not finding them, so I thought to setup my own: GeoCache, GC1CEKX.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Mapping multiple locations on a Google Map

I was looking to see if I could make a map of friend's houses or
destinations on a tour and found this site:

http://www.batchgeocode.com/


Drop me a line if you know of anyone that provides a similar service.

Today's wakeup call

[See photo] Ginger likes to play cat & mouse @ 6am, with me as the role of the mouse.

BTW, anyone interested in seeing Young Frankenstein next Wed? ... or going to a RPI cooking class on June 10?

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Saturday, May 10, 2008

Nikon Coolpix S550

Nikon Coolpix S550: Digital Photography Review: "Unique new functions for the COOLPIX S550 help make it easier to shoot beautiful portraits and faithfully record precious smiles when they appear. Smile mode displays a gauge that indicates when the selected subject smiles, enabling the user to capture just the right moment. Blink warning displays a message when it detects that a subject has blinked, offers quick magnified visual confirmation, and allows the shot to be retaken immediately."

Friday, May 09, 2008

QOTD: Cynic

H.L. Menkin: "a cynic issomeone who sells flowers and always looks for a coffin."

From http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_pden/is_199705/ai_645816576/pg_3

Ginger has high blood pressure

I was checking on my cat's high blood pressure medicine when I found today's WOTD: "sequelae":

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

QOTD: "Data centers may surpass the Airlines as the top polluter in 2020"

I'm at a DC conference. We're redoing our datacenters to be more efficient.  Contact me if you are interested in comparing notes. 

Friday, May 02, 2008

All about 'Nicola Fuentes'

http://www.isthisyour.name/nicola_fuentes.htm

Stan Lee Cameos ...

... on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfHHM0I0_VA

Also found today: Garfield minus Garfield

Also, is anyone going to the upcoming IDC events in NYC, or this one is Boston?

2008 IDC IT Forum & Expo - June 4-5, Boston, MA
The IDC IT Forum & Expo continues to be the premier event for IT and business executives interested in how technology can be used to enable and transform business models and processes.

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Kentucky Derby 134

Drop me a line if you can join us at the Beach Cafe for Kentucky Derby 134

Take The NYC Movie Quiz

Take The NYC Movie Quiz

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Breakfast @ Tiffany's...

... is one of those famous movies that I have never seen.
Leave me a comment if you are interested in the NYC "On-location" spots.

4/30/2008-8:16p GC19QEY



Word of the day: practicable

Monday, April 28, 2008

Alternatives to Windows Software

Does anyone havbe a good solution for posting wedding photos and videos? I'd like a shared password for some privacy. Not sure where to go, lot's of ideas where not to go.

PS: "it's time to replace stinky Windows software with its superior (but lesser-known) alternative:

Crapware: Superior Alternatives to Crappy Windows Software"

Friday, April 25, 2008

Waymarking

Waymarking is treasure hunting for historic or scenic locations: NYC Waymarking groups

Geocaching.com - Searching with Google Maps...

My latest obsession is geocaching. It's treasure hunting for little boxes all over the world. Here are a few: Harwich, MA; Keedysville, MD; and NY, NY.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

NASA: Duct Tape Saved the Lunar Rover

Even though it's not the best thing to fix ducts with, it's multi-uses include
fixing the lunar rover.

Elevator Essay in The New Yorker

This is an interesting article on elevators: Up and Then Down: Reporting & Essays: The New Yorker

It includes the time-lapse video of a guy who was stuck in one for 41 hours.

Monday, April 21, 2008

Yet another cat video

It's another cute cat video.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

FreeRice

The FreeRice vocabulary game donates rice for each vocabulary building question that you get correct. I found it on Dumb Little Man's site.

Also Paul Volcker H'05 Spoke to us at the RPI event at the NYSE in NYC.

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Patsy's vs Patsy's

FYE:

"In a trial that began Monday in federal court in Brooklyn, the owners
of the Manhattan restaurant claim that because patrons can't tell the
difference between the two by their name alone, the Long Island
<http://www.newsday.com/topic/travel/long-island-PLTRA000031.topic>
pizzeria is benefiting from the city restaurant's reputation.

Patsy's Restaurant, located in Manhattan's theater district, was founded
in 1944 by Pasquale "Patsy" Scognamillo and touts Frank Sinatra
<http://www.newsday.com/topic/entertainment/frank-sinatra-PECLB003706.to
pic> as having been its most famous customer.

Patsy's Pizzeria opened on Jericho Turnpike in Syosset in 2006, having
purchased the naming rights from a pizzeria in East Harlem
<http://www.newsday.com/topic/us/new-york/new-york-city/manhattan/east-h
arlem-PLGEO100100804010700.topic> that was founded in 1933 by Patsy
Lancieri and now has six locations in Manhattan."

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/ny-lipats0402,0,7590496.story?track=rs
s

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Happy April Fools' Day

We're back from our trip. Call me for details. photos soon.

BTW, Google Happy April Fools Day

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Cologne Cathedral - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

If you are near Dusseldorf, try a visit the Three Kings of the Epiphany at the Cologne Cathedral.

While there, you may want to try the local beer: Kolsch

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Pubwalk

Local pubs

from PC World

"The idea of a Web operating system hearkens back to the model of dumb terminals reliant on a central server that runs every program. "

"Winner: YouOS, launched in 2005 by refugees from Oracle but still in alpha mode, lets you surf the Web via a browser-within-a-browser window, read RSS feeds, create text documents, and use a Nintendo game emulator to play titles like Donkey Kong.

It's mostly a playground for developers right now, and it isn't very fast, but it is free--and running, say, Zoho Writer inside a Web browser that runs on an outside server through a browser running on your PC is oddly thrilling.

Runner-up: EyeOS is an open-source, free application that comes with a full-featured word processor, a basic calendar, a rudimentary Web browser, and an RSS reader. You can use the hosted version of EyeOS or install it on any Web server. Like YouOS, however, it runs slowly.

Also-ran: By contrast, Desktoptwo relies heavily on Flash and Java to pull off its desktop imitation. Though it supplies no browser, the desktop includes a full suite of OpenOffice applications, an MP3 player, and Adobe Acrobat Reader, and it offers a 1GB virtual hard drive."


Friday, March 14, 2008

Child-like intelligence created in Second Life - Internet - iTnews Australia

Child-like intelligence created in Second Life - Internet - iTnews Australia: "Four-year-old Eddie might behave like a typical young boy. Outside of the Second Life virtual world, however, he is anything but.

The child is a product of logic-based artificial intelligence and complex modelling techniques, and operates on what has been said to be the most powerful university-based supercomputing system in the world.

A creation of researchers from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Eddie has his own set of beliefs, and the ability to reason about his beliefs to draw conclusions in a manner that matches human children his age."

Saturday, March 08, 2008

QOTD: Elmore Leonard

Elmore Leonard was once asked why his books were so popular, he answered, "Simple. I just leave out the parts that readers skip."

http://www.linkedin.com/answers/career-education/career-development/CAR_CRD/174692-9900470

Friday, February 29, 2008

Business News - 101 Dumbest Moments in Business List from Business 2.0 Magazine

Business News - 101 Dumbest Moments in Business List from Business 2.0 Magazine

Prison Statistics

I think we incarcerate 1% of our population now, for interesting charts, see Atlas Prison Policy Initiative

In unrelated statistics, here are my visitors:

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Eddy Izzard @ Union Square...

... Thru 3/8, 212-505-0700

Monday, February 18, 2008

Paul Volcker is speaking to the RPI-NYC club

On Wed, April 2, 2008, RPI is hosting a reception at 6:30PM on the Floor of the New York Stock Exchange

Shirley Ann Jackson, President, RPI is welcoming Paul Volcker ’05H for an evening of discussion and networking. Paul Volcker was Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Mr. Volcker received an honorary degree from Rensselaer in 2005 and his father, Paul Volcker was a member of Rensselaer’s Class of 1911.

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Quote of the day (from Cape Cod)

QOTD:

"I'm so miserable without you, it's like having you here."



Today's Link: UES Parking.

There will also be a lunar eclipse on 2/20. It may be visible from NYC starting at approx 8 PM until 12 M. It will get most dark at 10 PM.

Friday, February 01, 2008

Feline ballistics

February 1st, 2008 | by KFC | Tiger leap

Here’s a straightforward question in ballistics: What velocity do you need to launch a 350 pound object over a 12.5 foot barrier that is 33 feet away?

The answer, thanks to Raza Syed, a physicist at Northeastern University in Boston, and a pal is: 26.7 miles per hour at an angle of about 55 degrees.

Now let’s make a few substitutions. Replace 350 pound object with a female Siberian Tiger called Tatiana. And for 12.5 foot barrier 33 feet away substitute the dimensions of the tiger enclosure at San Francisco zoo.

Is this kind of speed possible for a tiger? Apparently yes. Syed says tigers can reach speeds of 35 miles per hour with a run up of only a few feet so this enclosure was clearly no barrier to Tatiana.

After her leap for freedom, Tatiana killed 17-year old Carlos Souza.

The Straight Dope: Who or what are Fig Newton cookies named after?

from: http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a980508.html

Dear Cecil: You probably answered this one years ago, but in 1973, I was in junior high. Fig Newton cookies . . . who the heck was Newton? --William Killinger, via the Internet

Dear William: Much as I like Fig Newtons and the other fine products of the Nabisco company, you can appreciate this is not the kind of fact I keep stored in my frontal lobes. I figured I could leave it to Nabisco to keep track. When will I learn?

Visiting the Nabisco Web site (www.nabisco.com), I found the following: "There are two theories as to the origin of the Fig Newtons name. One familiar tale says the gentleman who invented the machinery that makes Fig Newtons Cookies was so proud of his work that he named the cookies after the great physicist, Sir Isaac Newton. The second theory holds that the cookies took their name from the Massachusetts town of Newton, near the home of Kennedy Biscuit Works (forerunner to Nabisco)."

I thought: Theories? We've got a product that sells in excess of 7.2 gazillion a year and the best we can come up with is theories? I decided to see if I could scare up somebody at Nabisco who had a clue.

By and by I reached John Barrows, senior manager for marketing communications. John was my kind of guy. "There is no truth at all to the Isaac Newton theory," he wrote. Fig Newtons had been introduced in 1891 by the Kennedy Biscuit Company, one of a number of regional bakeries that merged in 1898 to form the National Biscuit Company, later known as Nabisco. "The Kennedy Biscuit Company named all their products after surrounding communities, including cookies and crackers called 'Shrewsbury,' 'Harvard,' 'Beacon Hill,' and so on. There is no doubt (in our minds) whatsoever that the Fig Newton is named for Newton, Massachusetts." Studying my map of the commonwealth, all I can say is, thank God Kennedy Biscuit wasn't near Belchertown.


Thursday, January 31, 2008

FW: Super Bowl could be heart health hazard

Super Bowl excitement may be hazardous; doctors note heart attacks
during World Cup

The Associated Press - 6:43 AM EST, January 31, 2008

NEW YORK -- For rabid fans of the New York Giants and New England
Patriots, this Sunday's Super Bowl won't be just a game. It may be a
health hazard.

Heart attacks and other cardiac emergencies doubled in Munich, Germany,
when that nation's soccer team played in World Cup matches, a new study
reports.

While history suggests European soccer fans can get a bit more worked up
than the average American football fan, doctors think there are some
valid warnings to be shared...

MORE:
http://www.amny.com/news/health/ny-spbowl0201,0,6745580.story?track=rss


BONUS: Whack a Patriot:

http://www.newsday.com/ny-giants-whackgame,0,4099793.flash?track=rss


NYC Scavenger Hunt - A Photo contest in the NYT:
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2007/03/05/travel/20070305_HUNT_SLIDESH
OW_index.html

Friday, January 25, 2008

RPI-NYC: John Perez is playing at the Mean Fiddler tomorrow night

8 PM. Details @ http://www.hogweedlives.com/shows.htm

TTYL, Mark

THE MEAN FIDDLER 266 West 47 Street New York 10036
212-354-2950 212 354-2491

47 Street Between Broadway and 8 Ave Next door To China Club

SUBWAY N or R Train To 49 Street 7 Th Ave C or E to 50 St 8 Ave 1 or 9 to 50 St 8 Ave http://www.themeanfiddlernyc.com/index.php?option=com_contact&Itemid=3

Bookmarklets for the Web 2.0 Jedi Master

you http://www.micropersuasion.com/2007/10/essential-bookm.html

Lifehacker Code: Supercharged GmailThis Bookmarklet

This is a great add-in for your browser and Gmail:
http://lifehacker.com/242811/lifehacker-code-supercharged-gmailthis-bookmarklet/

Monday, January 21, 2008

♠Sports Betting -- Ask the Wizard

This site may have a odds for your numbers in a superbowl pool.

http://wizardofodds.com/askthewizard/sports.html

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

QOTD

"If everything seems under control, you're just not going fast enough." Mario Andretti.

LOLCATS