Miscellaneous Items of Varying Interest

The LED Approaches Theoretical Maximum: Questions for GE's Gary Allen | Txchnologist

2011-12-11T10:59:00.000-05:00

The LED Approaches Theoretical Maximum: Questions for GE's Gary Allen | Txchnologist

Kodak's long fade to black - latimes.com

2011-12-06T13:21:00.000-05:00

Kodak's long fade to black - latimes.com

Is the Mac Pro dead? | ZDNet

2011-11-21T21:40:00.000-05:00

Pretty much describes my view...

"For many customers upgrading in the box is much more attractive than upgrading across multiple thunderbolt cables and little boxes. These are workhorse systems whose value is not only performance but also their ability to meet business needs for investment protection."

Is the Mac Pro dead? | ZDNet

Spaceflight Now | Breaking News | Three men fly Soyuz capsule to space from snowy pad

2011-11-16T08:11:00.000-05:00

Back in business...

Spaceflight Now | Breaking News | Three men fly Soyuz capsule to space from snowy pad

Spaceflight Now | Breaking News | Soyuz successfully returns to flight for space station

2011-10-31T22:07:00.000-04:00

Spaceflight Now | Breaking News | Soyuz successfully returns to flight for space station

Great news that they can resume missions and keep the station occupied.

NASA says space station may be evacuated in November

2011-08-29T15:32:00.001-04:00

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44315210/ns/technology_and_science-space/#.TlvfHHMW9jA

A thought... any chance Soyuz recovery could happen in the US Southwest if winter daylight hours were longer than Kazakhstan?

Finally, flight dates set for Boeing 787 'Dreamliner' - USATODAY.com

2011-08-25T06:18:00.000-04:00

Finally, flight dates set for Boeing 787 'Dreamliner' - USATODAY.com

United Continental's first 787 hits assembly phase - chicagotribune.com

2011-08-18T08:46:00.000-04:00

United Continental's first 787 hits assembly phase - chicagotribune.com

I usually fly American Airline and last that I can see is they weren't yet committed to getting the 787. Still trying to find more info.

Boeing 787 Ends Flight Tests, Nears Approval

2011-08-18T08:39:00.001-04:00

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-17/boeing-787-ends-flight-tests-nears-approval.html

Boeing Co.’s new 787 Dreamliner, the world’s first composite-plastic commercial jet, finished its 20- month flight-test program last weekend in the final hurdle toward approval for passenger service that could start next month.

Looking forward to an American carrier to get their first one.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner makes first landing in Japan

2011-07-04T02:40:00.000-04:00

Good to see the 787 is close to operating regularly. Looking forward to flying on one.

New jumbo jet performs ultimate aborted takeoff

2011-05-09T01:13:00.000-04:00

Boeing 747-8 does an extreme breaking test...

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-20060716-71.html

ad supported Kinde

2011-04-12T11:25:00.000-04:00

"Amazon to offer cheaper Kindle with ads"

My take on this is if you can afford the Kindle, save up the $25 to get the ad free Kindle. It doesn't seem to be much of a discount.

Boeing's 747-8 touches down for the first time

2011-03-20T21:27:00.000-04:00

Read more: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20044978-52.html#ixzz1HC2SMhFt

Quake moved Japan coast 8 feet; shifted Earth's axis - CNN.com

2011-03-12T14:14:00.000-05:00

Quake moved Japan coast 8 feet; shifted Earth's axis - CNN.com

Talk about the power of nature. The quake and tsunami is still an ongoing crisis.

New Nikon P300.. no RAW?!?!

2011-02-09T09:55:00.000-05:00

http://www.dpreview.com/previews/nikonp300/

Always looking at the higher end range of point and shoots. Would like to get one and being a Nikon fan this new P300 look good until I saw it doesn't support RAW output... really?

Happy New Year

2011-01-05T00:01:00.001-05:00

2011, originally uploaded by xpressbus.

2011 is here

calm before the storm

2010-12-12T00:38:00.000-05:00

Supposed to be heavy rain tomorrow, then a cold front from the midwest will move through during the week. Should make things 'interesting'

10 Day forecast for New York.

Google - Veteran's Day

2010-11-11T01:07:00.000-05:00

Glad to see that Google is commemorating Veteran's Day. Had been very disappointed how they handled Memorial Day and certain other US Holidays.

current weather..

2010-10-27T00:50:00.000-04:00

Haven't posted anything about the weather lately. After that really hot July, August was actually not too bad. September was fine as well as most of October. Actually a bit warm now the past few days for this time of year but nothing uncomfortable.

YouTube - The W3dding

2010-10-27T00:46:00.000-04:00

The beginning of the series finale of one of my favorite tv series "Numb3rs".

YouTube - The W3dding

Larry's speech about love.. (starts at about 3:45). Great.

YouTube - America, The Beautiful : Ray Charles '91

2010-09-11T06:07:00.000-04:00

YouTube - America, The Beautiful : Ray Charles '91

NYC's Tap Water: Clean But Filled With Crustaceans - Gothamist

2010-09-02T11:18:00.000-04:00

break out the melted butter and the cocktail sauce

NYC's Tap Water: Clean But Filled With Crustaceans - Gothamist

YouTube - Ballet

2010-08-21T08:07:00.000-04:00

YouTube - Ballet

Just think where you'd be today if you splurged on a 2400 baud modem instead of sticking with the 1200 baud modem.

summer continues

2010-07-23T07:01:00.001-04:00

It has been hot... that is all for now.

summer has begun

2010-06-22T23:54:00.002-04:00

Summer has begun and so has the heat and humidity. According to WolframAlpha autumn starts 11:15 pm EDT | Wednesday, September 22, 2010
.
Can't wait.

curious job listing

2010-06-02T09:08:00.000-04:00

Was curious to see what BP was saying about the oil disaster in the Gulf on their homepage. Had to chuckle when I went to their Careers page and did a general search for jobs and saw the first job listed "Environmental Advisor"

Google - Memorial Day logo?

2010-05-31T11:29:00.003-04:00

Initial 'Clean' look

Full interface on

Since last night I was looking to see what Google's search page logo would be for Memorial Day 2010. I see they had none. Then once the full interface appears you see a mention with the US Flag and yellow ribbon but it doesn't link to anything, such as a search for "Memorial Day US" or something else appropriate.

What's the deal Google? Yahoo does it...

Update:

Friend pointed out bing.com has handled commemorating the day very well. Here is also a LA Times Article on this.

early summer evening

2010-05-26T22:30:00.000-04:00

Not quite a month yet till the start of summer. Almost 10:30pm and the heat/humidity is oppressive.

Identification Requirements

2010-04-27T22:22:00.000-04:00

Identification Requirements notes from an Arizona Tourism site.

Are there any fruit/vegetable import restrictions? What about immunization requirements? I'd really like to know...

relief on the way?

2010-04-23T09:19:00.000-04:00

Pollen forecast from pollen.com. Hoping I'll really feel the difference in the upcoming lower forecast days.

Norway Prime Minister governs with the iPad | The Digital Home - CNET News

2010-04-16T23:10:00.000-04:00

Norway Prime Minister governs with the iPad | The Digital Home - CNET News

Not that the iPad isn't selling well, but this sure will spark a few sales.

not about the weather

2010-04-14T20:30:00.000-04:00

Allergies have hit me with a vengeance since last week, I hope the pollen count goes way down sooner rather than later. With the winter we had this may not be the case.

Amtrak Commercial

2010-04-11T22:43:00.001-04:00

Tip to Amtrak, don't show a commercial during a popular show (Celebrity Apprentice) and have your website down at the same time.

emergency broadcast test..

2010-03-18T03:25:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago I was up late, television on, and the Emergency Alert Broadcast test (supposedly a weekly test) happened twice late in the evening. A bit jarring to hear the alert sound in a very quiet room, late at night.

Now tonight I get to hear 3 tests in 3 hours... how many are really needed?

The tests will appear during playback of a show on a DVR. I suspect that was by design which is smart. Don't want to miss an emergency alert while catching up on one's shows. I noticed that with the Time Warner's DVR and it happens with Verizon FIOS' DVR. It may also be that multiple stations all do their tests on the same night at different times. I recall though that each test happened while I was watching recorded shows and the DVR is 'locked' (can't change channel) while the test is in progress.

I guess I'm a little peeved at getting that electric buzzer sound for just a test at 3am. They probably could update the alert sound and they could stand to update the 'graphic' to something that didn't come straight from the 80's.

UPDATE... Make that 4 tests... and the last 2 were definitely while I was on the same channel.

UPDATE... Make that 5 tests.... wtf.

UPDATE... Make that 6.

Hulu - Collections: Jude Law Hosts SNL with Pearl Jam

2010-03-14T13:35:00.001-04:00

Hulu - Collections: Jude Law Hosts SNL with Pearl Jam

Toyota... Moving Forward... Uncontrollably

Pre-orders brisk for Apple's new iPad - washingtonpost.com

2010-03-13T03:34:00.000-05:00

Pre-orders brisk for Apple's new iPad - washingtonpost.com

Start of another Apple 'hit'? Looks promising. Was thinking of ordering one but I'd like to see first what compelling applications will be made taking advantage of the larger screen, greater speed, etc.

I'm still very pleased with my relatively new iPhone 3GS. My first generation iPhone bit the dust, but that is a different story.

more control over the look...

2010-03-11T17:16:00.000-05:00

Wow.. really liking the new control over the look of the blog. Still in testing but looks promising so far...

Google tests new Blogger layout design tool

http://www.macworld.com/article/147037/2010/03/blogger.html

Apple iPad

2010-01-28T07:03:00.000-05:00

Interesting device. Not exactly priced as cheaply as other eBook readers but of course it is much more capable than that. Just annoyed that the 3G capability costs an extra $130. Though like the iPod Touch, many will fine WIFI only capability enough.

I think if it imported and handled camera RAW files and had a regular USB port instead of needing that camera photo adapter, it would be a great travel companion for photographers.

I am really interested in the initial comments about the speed of the device from Daring Fireball.

Ratings Soaring for O'Brien as Nasty NBC Exit Nears - ABC News

2010-01-17T14:25:00.002-05:00

Ratings Soaring for O'Brien as Nasty NBC Exit Nears - ABC News

Yeah... I'm thinking if Conan was such a 'failure', his ratings wouldn't rise even if he is leaving.

NBC Executive Dick Ebersol Trashes Conan: 'Astounding Failure,' 'Chicken-Hearted And Gutless'

2010-01-16T09:52:00.002-05:00

NBC Executive Dick Ebersol Trashes Conan: 'Astounding Failure,' 'Chicken-Hearted And Gutless'

Ok.. so if Conan is such a failure, there should be no reason for a non-compete clause if Conan ends up out of NBC.

winter weather

2010-01-10T23:52:00.000-05:00

Cold out but not terribly windy yesterday and today like earlier in the year. With temps this cold I'd like to live in a 'winter wonderland' but all the snow that has fallen is gone. You may spot a few patches of dirty snow. Let's see how much falls on Tues.

Happy New Year

2010-01-01T00:59:00.000-05:00

It is winter in New York City so can't really expect great weather especially on New Year's Eve. Could have been a little more pleasant for the people standing in Times Square but at least it wasn't bitterly cold.

To everyone please have a Safe and Happy New Year.

ebooks

2009-12-31T09:18:00.002-05:00

So I finally was able to handle a Nook at my local Barnes and Noble. For the longest time their information desk had non-functional mockups and kiosks showing off the features. Screen was impeccable. The small color LCD seemed functional. I had handled a Sony ebook reader recently and the main screen while usable didn't seem as clear, may have been just an issue with the display unit I was using.
I saw a mention about Nook's speed being an issue. Switching pages seemed fine but switching to a different book did seem to take a long time. Enough so to be 'annoying' but hopefully it will be something a software update can address.
I've never actually handled Amazon's Kindle but see more and more of them on the subway. The people I know who have one they seem to really like them.
Of course the big news is the supposed Apple tablet that may be introduced late in January. Some rumors place it as the 'Kindle killer', etc. We shall see.

crowded

2009-12-29T01:44:00.002-05:00

crowded, originally uploaded by xpressbus.

Have to thank a cashier at the Toys-R-Us near Times Square. My friend was buying some presents for her niece and when about to pay the cashier pointed out a 3 for 2 sale on some of the items she was about to buy. Allowed her to go back and pick up an extra item. Definitely good customer service.

Boeing’s 787 Is as Innovative Inside as Outside | Autopia | Wired.com

2009-12-28T06:18:00.000-05:00

Boeing’s 787 Is as Innovative Inside as Outside | Autopia | Wired.com

Now if only the upper class shots that are shown to promote new plane designs were actually coach class seating.

787 Second Flight

2009-12-28T06:17:00.001-05:00

Second Boeing 787 DreamLiner Takes Hour-Long Test Flight

Totally missed the 2nd test flight. A shortened flight due to a problem.

Boeing's Big Flight - Forbes.com

2009-12-19T10:19:00.000-05:00

Boeing's Big Flight - Forbes.com

Took a while, hopefully the test program will go smoothly and we'll see the 787 in service soon.

chill in the air...

2009-12-17T21:47:00.000-05:00

Not quite officially winter yet but it feels like it. I wonder how the next few months will be.

still that winter feeling...

2009-12-12T07:30:00.000-05:00

My friends across the country are experiencing the chill as a major winter storm has hit a good part of the US. Even my friends in sunny LA are getting hit with their own weather.

that winter feeling...

2009-12-08T07:12:00.000-05:00

Aside from the snow that fell the other day, temperatures have dropped a bit. Supposed to warm up tomorrow (and rain) but afterwards get really chilly. Definitely getting a taste of winter in New York City.

maybe snow...

2009-12-05T07:04:00.000-05:00

I think it'll only happen in the areas outside of New York City but the forecasters are saying there might be some snowfall when the storm starts later today.

New York from above

2009-11-28T10:57:00.003-05:00

looking south, originally uploaded by xpressbus.

Before there was Google Earth there is The Panorama of the CIty of New York at the QUeen Museum of Art.

If you visit New York City, try and plan a visit.

Post Thanksgiving Weather

2009-11-27T14:29:00.000-05:00

A bit windy and raw today, no rain... yet.

Can feel winter coming.

66 truly great minimalist ads | creativebits

2009-11-24T07:50:00.000-05:00

66 truly great minimalist ads | creativebits

The Lego ad is one of my favorites.

that popcorn smell

2009-11-21T07:44:00.002-05:00

at the movies, originally uploaded by xpressbus.

I actually could smell the popcorn from across 2nd ave.

Movie food not so healthy? Is it really that much of a surprise?

Qantas A380 at LAX

2009-11-19T23:20:00.003-05:00

A380 closer, originally uploaded by xpressbus.

Big debut for Air France's Airbus A380 - latimes.com

While I'm a Boeing fan, I still think the A380 is nice plane. Just wish plane viewing was easier for me here in NY as it was in LA.

Now if only Boeing can get the darn 787 up in the air.

late night crowd

2009-11-18T01:42:00.002-05:00

late night crowd, originally uploaded by xpressbus.

You know, as long as Artichoke has been open and drawing long lines of customers, I never looked to see if it had a website. Apparently it does have one.

schlage on top

2009-11-15T09:00:00.002-05:00

schlage on top, originally uploaded by xpressbus.

Apple Strudel from Ben & Jack's Steakhouse. Delicious.

mild November

2009-11-09T21:31:00.000-05:00

Enjoying the mild weather while it lasts.

Exclusive: 'Numb3rs' fans can count on closure | Ausiello | EW.com

2009-11-07T23:46:00.007-05:00

Exclusive: 'Numb3rs' fans can count on closure | Ausiello | EW.com

Last night's episode made up for last week's, which honestly was the only episode I ever saw that actually 'bugged' me.

While I wish the show would continue a little while longer it will be nice if they do tie up the story.

I've been re-watching past seasons and as many fans have stated I'd like to see Diane Farr's character Megan Reeves return before the show ends.

CBS Reduces Numb3rs, Increases Order for NCIS, CSI and More - Today's News: Our Take | TVGuide.com

2009-11-05T23:23:00.000-05:00

CBS Reduces Numb3rs, Increases Order for NCIS, CSI and More - Today's News: Our Take | TVGuide.com

Yankees win World Series crown, Matsui drives in 6 - Yahoo! News

2009-11-04T23:57:00.000-05:00

Yankees win World Series crown, Matsui drives in 6 - Yahoo! News

It was a great win. Glad I was able to watch most of the games.

car accident in New York City, 1st Ave. and 10th street.

2009-11-01T17:55:00.006-05:00

car accident, originally uploaded by xpressbus.

On the walk home after breakfast saw the aftermath of an accident between two cabs and a delivery truck on 1st. Ave. and 10th St.

More pictures here: http://evgrieve.com/2009/11/cabs-sleepys-truck-collide-on-first.html

Just a short time ago there was another accident some blocks south of this location.

warm up

2009-10-31T14:47:00.003-04:00

I was wondering why I felt a bit warm and had to open a window. With the very cloudy day out thought it would stay cooler. Looks like rain may dampen Halloween festivities tonight.

weather widgets

2009-10-30T22:45:00.002-04:00

The accuweather.com weather widget has a few more features than the OSX weather widget but I think I'll continue to use both.

Microsoft is shocked to find racy content in "Family Guy" special | Company Town | Los Angeles Times

2009-10-27T17:39:00.000-04:00

Microsoft is shocked to find racy content in "Family Guy" special | Company Town | Los Angeles Times
They may want to have Googled Family Guy to get a heads up on the type of humor from the show.

Google Chrome for Mac progress

2009-10-24T06:00:00.007-04:00

It isn't perfect but the earlier builds were somewhat usable for me. When Flash was working, Chrome was much more usable. Lack of QuickTime support was an issue but at least didn't stop me from using Google Chrome for updating this blog. I like how quick it is and how it 'feels' compared to Firefox.

It is still under 'development' as all the articles state but with QuickTime now working... well sort of (just noticed an embedded movie controller doesn't seem to work) I can see they are getting closer.

raw and chilly out

2009-10-16T05:37:00.003-04:00

I was half expecting to see snow on the round when I woke up. Snow did fall and stick in areas outside of New York City. Definitely an early taste of winter for now.

chill in the air

2009-10-12T07:14:00.003-04:00

So far no 'summer' heat breaks this fall. Downright chilly this morning.

no chili in the morning...

2009-09-27T07:02:00.002-04:00

cup of chili , originally uploaded by xpressbus.

Bummer... I guess I may be one of the few people who likes eating chili in the morning. As the weather gets cooler, it really hits the spot. Though it didn't stop me from ordering it over the summer.

My local Petite Abeille used to serve it, though it wasn't consistently to my liking, but still decent. Then they stopped serving it. I was very happy to see that Veselka who have it and it was good. Seems like now they are only serving it past 10-11am.

Guess I'll have to find another place.

west/east coast autumn

2009-09-26T05:12:00.006-04:00

Friends in LA are going through a bit of heat wave now while our short 2 day fall 'summer' start ended. Quite cooler yesterday and now. Just the way I like it.

fall now, but summer is back

2009-09-23T19:23:00.004-04:00

Fall just started, and we lucked out with a very cool end of summer, but summer weather is making a comeback today and tomorrow. Actually a bit warm and humid evening now.

Well, supposedly one more day then back to comfortable temps.

you would think...

2009-09-19T23:07:00.006-04:00

going analog, originally uploaded by xpressbus.

So I picked up Dan Brown's latest novel. I enjoyed the others. Looking forward to it. I noticed a free iPhone game promoting the book. Basically it is a memory, symbol matching game. Fun enough... it's free anyway.

So when you complete the game you get an option to go to the website. Unfortunately as you can see in the screenshot, part of the page is flash based which as you already know isn't supported on the iPhone. You'd think they'd have made a non-flash version of the page for the people led to it through the game.

mild evening

2009-09-14T22:25:00.004-04:00

Mild and comfortable evening. So far September has been pretty pleasant. One more week till the fall season.

Fall yet?

2009-09-10T08:07:00.003-04:00

It may not be fall yet but it feels it. Now I'm thinking we may have a few hot weeks in October.

nice and cool

2009-09-07T07:03:00.002-04:00

Actually woke up and had to put on a sweatshirt. Looks like another week of comfortable weather.

very nice day

2009-09-05T15:46:00.003-04:00

After a bit of a cool week it has warmed up today. Still feels dry. A very start to the Labor Day Weekend

feels like fall

2009-09-01T06:53:00.002-04:00

Definitely quite cool this morning. Feels like fall came early. Forecast says it should be nice for the rest of the week at least.

Friends in LA tell me about the heat wave hitting them right now. Add the numerous fires in the area, adds up to an uncomfortable situation.

a nice day...

2009-08-30T16:26:00.003-04:00

A very very nice dry day. The upcoming weeks looks to be a nice one. Still 3 more weeks of summer.

compare and contrast

2009-08-29T14:24:00.002-04:00

August is ending a bit mild. Definitely been more comfortable. A little tropical today but supposed to cool down a bit tonight through tomorrow.

a few comfortable days...

2009-08-26T07:02:00.003-04:00

Had a few comfortable days so far. Able to catch up on some rest. Forecast is for the humidity to kick up again today but a cool down for tomorrow. We shall see.

some comfort

2009-08-24T06:53:00.004-04:00

Could have used it one night earlier but finally lower humidity has arrived. Supposedly lower (and cooler) tonight. Should be nice.

Supposed to be humid again on Wednesday though.

no relief quite yet

2009-08-23T07:34:00.001-04:00

With the slight drop in temp, it wasn't as bad last night as past nights but could still use a break from the mugginess. Weather forecasters are saying Monday/Tuesday night maybe..... maybe.

compare and contrast

2009-08-20T05:52:00.003-04:00

At the moment weather site says humidity is at 75%. Makes for one uncomfortable early morning. Could use a bit more sleep but don't think I will get it now.

Los Angeles seems nice and chilly right about now.

Current temp... 10:42pm EST / 7:42 PST

2009-08-17T22:44:00.003-04:00

Los Angeles looks certainly comfortable right now.

hot and steamy... for a while

2009-08-16T22:04:00.001-04:00

Well definitely had some decent days since the last post... now we have a block of discomfort coming... well had to happen.

you know it is warm..

2009-08-10T20:11:00.002-04:00

You know it is warm when the temp doesn't drop as the sun goes down. Thunderstorm warnings being broadcast for areas around NYC. We'll see if it starts raining here later tonight.

hot and steamy

2009-08-10T17:09:00.004-04:00

Supposedly the humidity is only 45%. Feels worse. Very stifling out. Hopefully won't be more than two days of this.

Getting there...

2009-08-08T11:34:00.003-04:00

Google Chrome for Mac OS X 3.0.197.12 finally supports Flash. QuickTime still seems to be broken. Looks like it is getting there. It'll be nice to have another browser choice in Mac OS X.

Comfortable again

2009-08-07T06:56:00.004-04:00

After a bit of humidity we have another dry spell... well at least a day. Again the summer hasn't been way too bad.

a bit of relief

2009-08-01T00:47:00.003-04:00

Have to enjoy this break from the heat and humidity. Somehow I wouldn't bet the rest of August will be like this.

Taking of Sesame Street 1-2-3

2009-07-28T23:12:00.002-04:00

Still must have been cool for the kid... not really good for the rest of us.

From the Huffington Post:

Subway Rider: Operator Let Child Drive Train

it is summer

2009-07-26T13:31:00.003-04:00

Summer got a late start but it is here. Temp not too bad but it is particularly humid.

comfortable

2009-07-19T20:58:00.004-04:00

Pretty comfortable now. Breaks between heat/humidity in the summer are always welcome.

pretty decent

2009-07-14T08:33:00.002-04:00

Hate to jinx it but this summer weather in New York has been great. As I tell my friends, I'd be ok with hot humid days as long as nights were comfortable, which it has been.

We'll see how long it lasts.

lemon taralli biscuits

2009-07-14T08:25:00.001-04:00

lemon taralli biscuits, originally uploaded by xpressbus.

delicious

2009-06-27T09:01:00.001-04:00

Feels like a pleasant morning so far...

power outlets galore

2009-06-21T08:09:00.001-04:00

Power outlet wall solves your electrical needs
Unsightly... sure, only a concept.. apparently so... but I would love it... though imagine trying to baby proof that room.

it's summer

2009-06-21T08:07:00.004-04:00

I could do with less rain but I'll take the temperature...

bite

2009-06-19T06:42:00.003-04:00

bite, originally uploaded by xpressbus.

for someone who isn't a big fan of cake, this was -excellent-

Check it out here... Gran Gran Gibs’ Red Velvet Cake