I’ve been brainwashed for the past 40 years, but today the lights came on and the world is a happier place. If you look at the picture below you’ll see my Shop Vac and my Leaf Blower. Being a simple person, my assumption was that the former was to be used in the shop and … Continue reading
It’s getting harder and harder to maintain my hermit status. Everyone is Reaching Out to me. And it’s not just people. Even organizations that should know better think that reaching out to me makes them my new best friend. Banks, airlines, websites. Really? And it’s not just me. Everywhere I turn it seems people and organizations are … Continue reading
Main-stream media sites lit up this week with the disclosure that the NSA has tapped into private databases in order to subvert terrorist plots. And surprisingly enough, there are actually some interesting sidebars to the original story. A fascinating article in the NY Times explains how recent advances in the analysis of Big Data are being … Continue reading
Today a serious scientific discussion of ‘exo-planets’, but first a quick reminder about Towel Day, which is just around the corner. Towel Day is celebrated every year on 25 May as a tribute to the author Douglas Adams by his fans. On this day, fans carry a towel with them to demonstrate their appreciation for the … Continue reading
In the past we’ve scooped the big boys, but never gone mano-a-mano. This time is different. They don’t get much bigger than The Google, so we have thrown down the gauntlet and rolled up our sleeves. It all started with the latest Google update to their maps app on the iPhone. The ‘Map Team’ decided that in … Continue reading
I received this offer from AT&T today. As Julia Roberts said to Rufus (The Thief) in “Notting Hill” when he asked for a date, Tempting, but no. Since I had recently experienced AT&T’s “Troubleshoot and Resolve” up close and personal, I know first-hand that I get better answers from Siri when she ‘can’t connect’ to her … Continue reading
With the release of the iPad this month, and Apple’s market cap now above half a trillion dollars, it’s natural to kick yourself for not investing with them a year ago. But, there are stocks that have delivered even better returns than Apple.
Talk about being “in the zone”. The final episode of Mad Men (Season 1) shows Don Draper coining the word Carousel for the gizmo that holds the slides on Kodak’s slide projector. And creating the Kodak Moment campaign to sell memories instead of hardware. Which got me thinking about what could top this bit of … Continue reading
Full disclosure right off the bat: I’m a total Google Fan-Boy, even though in my case the term “boy” stopped being appropriate over 50 years ago. Nevertheless. I’ve talked before about how Google changed my life, and the life of virtually everyone else on this planet, by ‘organizing the world’s information’ and making it available. But … Continue reading
Technology can be used to solve some of mankind’s thorniest problems. I read about the “mosquito” several years ago. It’s a gizmo that emits an irritating, high-pitched sound that can be heard only by children and people into their early 20s, and is used to prevent teenagers congregating outside shops, schools and railway stations. It … Continue reading
As a recovering procrastinator, I am big on last-minute gift ideas. Here’s one for Father’s Day, and there is still plenty of time. Hours even. So what’t the gift? A Manly Rat. That’s also smart. Specifically, an African giant pouched rat, about 30 inches long including tail. These are he-man rats, the kind that send cats … Continue reading