Another Awesome Engadget Post

I try not to steal too much content from other providers, but this is TWO days in a row that Engadget has been brining the Smackdown! Enjoy this tidbit:

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If you thought a solar-powered ferry was far out, get a load of this. Reportedly, a 132-meter long vessel will be making its maiden voyage next month, but rather than chugging copious quantities of diesel while traversing the Atlantic, it'll be sipping down fuel and receiving a good bit of help from the computer guided kite attached to its bow. The $725,000 device will be tethered to a 15-meter high mast and will fly some 300 meters above the ship in order to catch enough wind to actually aid in its movement. It's suggested that the SkySails kite propulsion system will slash fuel consumption by "up to 20-percent," saving the operator some $1,600 per day and reducing carbon emissions all the while. 'Course, all the company has to do now is make sure the January trip is a success and it'll have a list of to-be owners a mile long.

Found on Engadget

This is one of the coolest concepts I've seen in a while; thought I'd share.

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"We've seen quite a few next-gen nav device concepts, but none with as much potential as the Virtual Cable, from a New Jersey company called Making Virtual Solid. The system uses a laser, a set of lenses, and a moving mirror mounted in the dashboard to project a 3D route-guidance line above the road ahead, as though it's actually out in front of the driver. Besides making driving that much more like a video game, the company says mass-produced versions will cost somewhere around $400 as a factory-installed option, and can be easily interfaced with existing GPS systems. Sadly, there don't appear to be any live videos of the system in action, but judging from the number of patent applications and incredibly detailed schematics and explanations on the website, the vapor factor seems pretty low. Check the read link for a set of video mockups of the system in action."

OH MY GOSH! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

News Flash: Baseball players use steroids.


My opinion: Big Whoop.


Reality check: If your multi-million dollar paycheck depended on being better than the next guy you might find yourself in a similar situation. And, oh yeah, given the number of Baseball players using Steriods that don't seem to erupt in roid rage or die unexpectedly... maybe steriods aren't the deadly killer we've been led to believe?

That's Gonna Leave a Mark

Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus: that's the prognosis with my ankle. In order to fix this not-so-small problem they're recommending an Osteochondral Allograft Transplantation which is your basic fancy speak for removing part of a cadaver's ankle and replacing it in my own. Of course, where they need to put this is hard to get to, so they are going to have to cut the bone away from the ankle, prep the repair site, and then install the bits and pieces. Then after this they will replace the piece of bone and reattach it to the leg with a nice big titanium screw. This is pretty gruesome stuff, but you can see some pictures here, here, and here, if you're interested in how it will all look (warning: not for the squeamish).

The much more pleasing graphical representation, shown here, demonstrates the problem with the ankle in a less gooey manner.

So, the military doctor here in Japan is referring me to a specialist in Hawaii, which was very reassuring that they would make such a recommendation. Only problem is that as long as I'm on foreign soil I'm treated with all the benefits and courtesy of a military member in uniform... but the second my toes touch American Soil I'm outta luck... which means that I can't get it done at a military hospital. I guess they are going to refer me to a specialist in the states and I will get the surgery done some time next year. When, where, etc., I don't know; but I'll keep you posted.

:j

Chuck is Brilliant!

Mind you, my best friend Charles, also known as Chuck (well, at least to me), is in fact quite the mentalite sporting not one but two* degrees [and yes, I know I called him a moron earlier, but he's proposed** to the girl now and you're supposed to have the decency to forget these things after such an occurrence, um, occurs].

However, the particular Chuck that I am referring to is a new comedy shown on NBC. Yes, I know, don't get me started again on my current disdain for NBC and yes, I am in fact currently watching this series on iTunes, which as far as I know is still sticking it to the NBC man, and it is very very likely that I'll not get to finish the series until the DVD comes out--which WILL make me full-on "unhappy". But all that aside, if you haven't seen Chuck, you need to. Even you friends of ours who don't own cable service or who are far too popular to stay home at night, you too need to see this show because it is just that great.

Oh, the premise? Uh, it's "the geek gets the girl, if the girl happens to be Sydney from Alias and said girl happens to have plenty of baggage with the aforementioned geek's former best-friend come arch-nemesis". Throw in a superbly cast crew from the local Best Buy-esque store (aptly named the BUY MORE), a fairly perfect domineering male ego type side-kick spy, and a supporting cast of best friends, siblings, boyfriends, bosses, and bad guys, and this show is all the right chemistry in just the right amounts. This show is so brilliant that you have to thank God that it's not on FOX or they'd already be talking of canceling it.

THAT'S HOW GOOD IT IS.

Speaking of Geek: here's another thoroughly entertaining and mostly true geek piece (Click Me), that I Stumbled upon.

*Officially, Chuck (I'm again referring to the best friend here, not the star of the show that shares the namesake; please try to keep up) only has 1 degree in Mechanical Engineering as he is missing but one tiny little should-have-been-done-a-long-long-LONG-time-ago re-write of his senior thesis to complete his already paid for English degree. Not that I'm nagging or anything.

**And yes, I do support him, not just because that's what friends do but because I truly hope he's found the one! So, I told him personally and I'll now tell the world, Chogras, which I believe is French for Congrats***, to both of you!

***Not Really****

****Due homage noted and paid-in-full to Terry Prachet for use of his now famous asterisks laden writing style.

NBC versus iTunes

Less than three years ago Kazaa was the peer to peer choice for any movie or TV show one could want, free. Just about five years ago Napster was the peer to peer choice for free music. Itunes, then, is a success along the proportions of bottled water. Imagine if you will a couple of rough and tumble Hydrogen atoms suddenly approaching an Oxygen dipole and informing him that he'd have to double down in order to keep their relationship chemically bonded.

Well, scratch that analogy. What I'm trying to get at is that NBC had a good thing with iTunes: make money on something that was previously being traded for free. And then NBC got greedy.

Now, I'm not a huge fan of Steve Jobs. A good market machine... a different voice in a crowd of sameness. But iTunes is a convenience; a simple affordable method of getting something I want, when I want it. Until NBC came along.

In fact, with so few other options in movie and television show department, I'm not sure why every show isn't available on iTunes. They all were available on Kazaa. And when given a choice maybe it's not so much the price that NBC should be worried about, but the availability of their product.

Want Sumo?

The Sumo tournaments are held just about every other month here in Japan, or at least that's what it seems like. So two months ago Lilah and I, along with Jeff Sauby and John Burton headed up to Tokyo for the last Saturday before the finale. Of course, having never been to a Sumo match before, when I bought a 4 person box seat I had no inkling that by four person box what they really meant was four Lilliputians.

Jeff and I are no tiny tots, so this was a bit of a humorous situation when we arrived. Otherwise, what a fun time! There's a lot of tradition that is involved in a Sumo match. There are a lot of Sumo matches at a Sumo tournament. We basically spent about 5 or 6 hours at the pavalion and other than one intermission it was non-stop Sumo. To top off the day, the Royal Princess, who I'm told is a huge fan and knows every Sumo wrestlers name and stats, showed up right before the Ozeki matches started.

After the Sumo ended the four of us headed over to a locally famous pub for some dinner and drinks, and then headed home for the evening on the Trains. All in all, a great day!

Thin Lizzy

Thumbing through some old photos that my mom had and I found a photo of me after Army basic training just as I was starting Airborne School. It's been a long time since I remember sub 200's. Ho hum. Err, I mean: Airborne!

:j

Twinkle Of Your Mother's Eye

Archaic Nonsense in a Digital Age

If I inquired as to the last time someone asked you for your social security number you might very well answer today or yesterday, or maybe 20 minutes ago. More than half my financial life revolves around my social security number, from the paycheck the government sends me every other week, to the stocks I invest in, to a verification for a lost password, checking into a hospital, applying for credit, accessing my student loans, anything tax related... it seems I'm giving this nine digit number just as often as I do my own phone number.

But having been recently posed the question of providing a copy of my social security card, I started thinking that I can't remember the last time some made such a request. In fact, it had been so long since someone asked that I had to respond by saying that I honestly don't know exactly where my Social Security Card is. I mean, come on....for reals? You want to see my social security card? Just giving you the number isn't enough? You're a condo association and you demand to see my card?!?

This is an antiquated relic of the Roosevelt administration from 1935... Of course they used a card--THEY DIDN'T HAVE COMPUTERS! Or TV for that matter. But here in the future, attaching a social security number to a blue business card that I'm not allowed to carry in my wallet and I'm not allowed to laminate is laughable. Forcing me to produce it on demand is downright demeaning. Why not just tattoo it on my skin Auschwitz style?

Maybe Mr. Mike Astrue can update the system?
Complaint Form

Or, if you're a little more old Fashioned:
Michael J. Astrue
Commissioner Social Security Administration
6401 Security Blvd.Baltimore, MD 21235-0001