Low Impact Living  7/5/2010
An outstanding resource to see how you are doing in improving your carbon footprint. Or, alternatively, a great way to find out if you are spewing even more carbon in the air just to upset Al Gore. Either way, a great resource.
It's not just BP's oil in the Gulf that threatens world's oceans  7/5/2010
While I get tired of the scare tactics used by every political group out there, the scariest news always involves the difficult to see damage we are doing to our planet. Perhaps even more terrifying are the number of people that deny this is even possible because it is happening so slowly they do not see it themselves. Why it is that damage we see in a matter of a couple of years is a catastrophe but damage taking place over a couple hundred years can me ignored is beyond me.
Blaming the Messenger for Watchlist Problems  5/8/2010
I have to assume the raw definition of a terrorist is someone who does something terrible to create terror. Well, I'll be damned if that does not apply to a rather wide range of individuals. What about the folks who created the world financial crisis? That is pretty damn scary, effected the entire planet, continues to cause fear, and is having a direct impact on millions of people out of work. Isn't what happened on Wall Street the biggest terrorist plot the world has ever seen? Why aren't they on a "no fly" list?

What bothers me the most is that we are so scared of terrorists (thanks for giving them what they want) that we are willing to sacrifice our liberties to stop them. Present your papers to prove you are a citizen because you might be operating a mob in Arizona (psst .. guys, there are mobs in EVERY major city. Get over yourselves.) But, we are willing to taze a baseball fan running out onto the field at Citizens Bank Park because they might do something bad. They are guilty of running on the field, yes, but we are going to taze them because they MIGHT be trying to do something worse? People have been running onto baseball fields for as long as we have played the game - when did it become acceptable to electrocute these individuals?

I just do not get it folks.
Top 10 Secrets of Effective Liars  5/5/2010
I am a little concerned this appears to read as a training manual on how to be a good liar, which seems just as scary to me as the media telling people how to make a good IED, but so be it. Enjoy the read.
Oil spill sparks new drilling ban  4/30/2010
When Katrina happened Pat explained it was because the Lord was punishing us for the unacceptable behavior in New Orleans. When the earthquake hit Haiti he said it was because they mixed voodoo with Christianity.

So, Pat - we have perhaps the most disastrous oil spill in the history of our country right after America opens up more off-shore drilling. If you need me to connect the dots for you, let me know.

Fact is that the Lord was not involved in any of these things, but it does amuse me how we can pick and choose which events to connect to whatever we dislike.
Oklahoma Republicans Conspire With Tea Parties To Form Anti-Federal Government Militia  4/14/2010
What gene is in us that makes humans divide each other up between 'us' and 'them'? Whether it is us as individuals, as a member of some group, as a person in a city, in a county, in a state, in a country -- why can't we all just admit we are all just part of the big human race and love each other? Why can't we strive for a better world for our entire species rather than 'us' versus 'them'?

Sometimes it is hard to be a fan of our species.
Obama Hails Vote on Health Care as Answering ‘the Call of History’  3/22/2010
Okay. NOW he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. Whether you like the bill or not it cannot be argued that the President has accomplished something that many have tried previously with no success. This is the most major step forward for health care in the United States since Medicare/Medicaid - and, frankly, perhaps even bigger than that.

While it is hardly coverage for all Americans, it is a major step forward cutting the uninsured in this country in half. More importantly, it eliminates the ability of insurers to cut coverage due to pre-existing conditions, meaning that those of us with life threatening illnesses can switch jobs and know we will continue to have coverage.

Congratulations to the Democrats. And a word of warning to Republicans: You may find that Americans start to wonder why anyone ever voted against it.
Winter Olympic Games  2/14/2010

Sarah Palin wins: 'Death panels' declared 'Lie of the Year'  12/23/2009
Honestly evaluating the health care bill or actively trying to find a reasonable solution to the rapidly rising costs for care in America has never been on the agenda of "Rogue" Americans like Palin. Their goal was to find anything that could slowly inch away support for dramatically changing the system providing care for our citizens.

The fact that millions and millions of Americans have no health care is irrelevant. The fact that an illness is a "pre-existing condition" and will keep someone from getting coverage or changing jobs is not on their radar. The huge profits the pharmaceutical industry and health care organizations make is simply not part of the equation. The percentage of costs that go to administration in our private system versus the minuscule administrative costs on Medicare are not worth talking about. The fact that America is ranked below nearly every other industrialized nation by nearly every independent survey is not a focus of our attention. That Americans regularly go into bankruptcy and lose their lives from a major illness is something easily ignored. The bottom line facts about how our country will go broke on the current fiscal health care path is a problem for our children to figure out.

Thank you, Sarah, for putting the attention right where it needs to be: On imaginary "death panels", and not on fixing our countries health care system.
Earth on track for epic die-off  12/20/2009
Being reasonable in a world of extremes is a difficult task and not one that the media has been able to pursue with any degree of success. No matter what the subject, to be a voice of reason is to be unheard in this world.

Unfortunately, this is very true in the climate change debate, as well. If we are to believe the media, there are only two opinions:

1. That the world will die off as a result of human interference before the year 2050.

2. Scientists are idiots and say nothing to concern yourself about. Continue life as normal and burn all the oil you can.

Reality is in the middle, of course. Climate change will not destroy the human race. Humans are certainly a leading cause for the change to our climate, but humans are also your best bet for a solution.

The left-wing nut jobs are responsible for hiding some great solutions (at least temporary ones) to offset our emissions. The right-wing wackos are responsible for continuing to spread misinformation and lies to create doubt that scientific data is incorrect.

So, as you read stories like this that talk about worst-case scenarios, keep in mind that it has little chance of happening. With a little effort, we can and will solve this crisis. No one should be faulted for having confidence in human beings to eventually make the right decisions and find solutions to even the most troublesome problems, and climate change will be one of our biggest success stories in the century to come.
Fox News fiddles with climate change polling  12/9/2009
Whether it is showing a different crowd than what they are reporting, or listing a questionable Republican as a Democrat (multiple times), or taking a poll and re-working the numbers to support what they are saying -- Fox News is the king of changing the news to fit their perspective. I am not saying that they always do this on purpose, but let me ask one question: Can anyone show me a situation where Fox News inaccurately displayed information that worked against their political perspective?

Just asking.
Palin backs questions on Obama citizenship  12/5/2009
So, help me out here folks:
The citizens of the United States of America overwhelmingly elect Obama to the White House. Obama produces his Hawaiian birth certificate to shut up the "birthers". However, the Right Wing, including Palin, continue to attempt to undermine our Republic and a man who Americans overwhelmingly want to be our President. Everyone is welcome to their opinion, I suppose, even if they are attempting to undermine the core values of our country.
Obama legal team wants defendants' rights limited  4/24/2009
For all the talk of Obama being such a huge departure from Bush, there are a hell of a lot of similarities in the way they govern. For example, while Obama might want more transparency, he is also every bit as willing to take away our liberties as his predecessor.

No question, Obama is a major step forward from the last administration. (Sponge Bob would have been a step up, frankly.) Still, he is not the champion of the Left that Fox News would have you believe.
Lights out: biggest show of climate concern ever?  3/23/2009
I will not disagree that it is mainly symbolic, but for everyone to turn out the lights at 8:30pm (for an hour) this Saturday is still an important first step. That said, most of the lights are controlled by our governments, and getting them to turn off the street lights for an hour is perhaps more difficult than solving climate change.
Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer: The Extended Daily Show Interview  3/13/2009
There is no way to sugar coat this: CNBC and Cramer got schooled by Jon Stewart and his crew at The Daily Show. In fact, it is interesting to wonder why Cramer even came on Jon's program given just how badly they screwed up.

Many have compared this ''battle'' (if you can call it that) to a fight between who was right and who was wrong. Not at all. We are all wrong, and it happens to the best of us daily. What the real battle is about is the lack of a mea culpa by the financial experts. They are complicit in the largest financial destruction since the 1930's, and they need to just come out and say ''sorry'' to everyone.

Until they do that, we can not help but root for the comedians of the world to roast them on a regular basis. Not that it will fix anything, but we might at least finally get to laugh about it.
America becoming less Christian, survey finds  3/9/2009
Were it not for Barack Obama, people would be flocking to Jesus, the DOW would be at 18,000 and everyone would own at least two happy gerbils.

Fox Admits To Planting Political Brainwashing In Popular TV Shows  3/7/2009
It is an amusing dichotomy for a news organization that specializes in claiming the mainstream media is brainwashing the public while they brainwash the public. Aside from the hypocrisy, the comedy is even more dramatic when they are so willing to admit to the mainstream media that they are doing it. Why? Because they know that their audience does not care. If anything, they are excited about the fact that they are doing this because they are fighting fire with fire.

There is only one problem with this thinking. The mainstream media may not actually be brainwashing anyone and might actually be reporting news. If anything, you could argue that the mainstream media today (at least in America) leans Right and not Left.

Still, the best way to enjoy this is to flip the boob tube on Fox News with some popcorn and enjoy your dose of brain formatting.
Porn in the USA: Conservatives Are Biggest Consumers  3/1/2009
Who would have guessed that being in religions that force you to stay away from women might cause a little pent-up porn needs? Now, if I were going to spin this story, I suppose you could say that this is how organized religion is able to stay faithful to their families. However, we all know how true that is, too.
Clean Coal Clean  2/26/2009

AIG's Distress: Are There Enough Fingers for This Dike?  2/24/2009
What is 130 billion among friends, right? Surely there is no way that anyone could have known that 130 billion would only keep their company alive for a couple of months, right? Accounting folks simply have no way of seeing hundreds of billions of losses and giving investors a heads-up. What an incredible investment for the U.S. taxpayer. Who was it that said we should let the company die from the onset?

Let the parent file for bankruptcy and the tax payers get the insurance operations, life division and the rest of the profitable pieces, and then let AIG rot in hell.

25 Years Of The Commodore Amiga  7/25/2010
Simply put, computers no longer amaze us. The most interesting systems today are the iPad and iPhone and there is nothing they can do that is "amazing", it is just a really wonderful product that everyone wants. Computers used to be more than that.

When the Amiga was released 25 years ago it was the first computer you could buy to use at home that could do any of these:
1. Could run multiple programs at a time.
2. A modern color graphical operating system.
3. Custom chips that could run programs without the main CPU.
4. True four voice stereo sound.
5. Display 4096 colors on screen at once.
6. Ability to do ray tracing and animation.
7. Did all of this in as little as 256K of RAM.

Simply put, when you saw the Amiga you were amazed a computer at any price could do what it did. The Macintosh looked decades out of date on the first day it was on sale. Unfortunately, it was owned by Commodore and with all of the potential it could never overcome that weight. Even today the Workbench operating system that it ran is comparable to (if not better than) Windows 7 and Mac OS X.

We miss you, Amiga.
How the iPhone 4 could be Apple's Waterloo  7/14/2010
''... What is Apple hiding? That's the question Apple shouldn't want people asking. But the company seems to be going out of its way to force customers to ask it, assuming that the passion many users have for Apple products will overcome any doubt, as the faithful continue to buy the iPhone 4 in droves. After all, Apple has gotten away with such behavior before. ...''
Apple Apologizes: Announces It Is “Stunned” to Learn that iPhone Does Suck  7/6/2010
The iPhone is a fantastic device for consumers, no question - but their arrogance and unwillingness to accept responsibility for mistakes is pure comedy.
Top 10 Clever Google Voice Tricks  6/27/2010
If you have not tried out Google Voice yet, you should do so. It is free and gives you a single number to manage all of your other numbers. It can transcribe your voice mail messages for you, connect to a Skype account, be your primary phone number - heck, with an iPod Touch it could be a key feature of becoming a nearly-free cell phone plan. Worth exploring.
Greatest use of Flash ever.  6/26/2010
So sorry, iPad owners, but THIS is the reason you need Flash. Of course, it is kind of sad this is the best reason I can think of.
iPhone 3GS Encryption Is Useless  6/25/2010
I read this a while back regarding how bad the local encryption was on the iPhone and how it makes it barely better than no encryption at all. I wonder if the iPhone 4 has the same issues?
How to Force Anyone to Follow You on Twitter  5/10/2010
What if you ran one of the most talked about web sites in the world allowing you to create networks of people to talk to? Then one day someone noticed a teeny tiny security hole allowing anyone to add any follower they like by typing two words?

So, did I mention that Barack Obama and Oprah are followers of me on Facebook?
How To Install a Dual Flush Conversion Retrofit Kit  4/26/2010
Yes, you really can change your standard toilet into a dual flushing toilet. There are some concerns about durability of some of the units and whether a half-flush really does the job as far as odor concerns, but it seems like a really interesting weekend project.
This Is Apple's Next iPhone  4/19/2010
Congrats to Gizmodo for getting this scoop. Excellent stuff, and the phone looks wonderful - but that is part of what confirms this is the real thing.

Oh, and Mr. Jobs - please be nice to the Apple employee who lost it. Besides, it is kind of nice to know what you are going to release ahead of time anyway. You might start allowing future devices to get accidentally lost as your corporate marketing plan.
Discovering the Secret Apple Sauce  4/18/2010
What is that Kool Aid the elves in Cupertino are feeding these people?  Do they get a prick of poison when opening the package?  Is there a built in subliminal message of Steve Jobs saying “abracadabra” when you swipe a finger?  Perhaps you are transported through the graviton matrix of the Apple core directly into the laser beam vision of the reality distortion field itself?
Steve Jobs vs. the world  4/14/2010
I admit, I link to this article not only because it is an interesting read, but because it has the sentence of the week.

'Memo to Apple: Making cool products does not give you carte blanche to act like flaming appholes.'

And here I thought 'appholes' were security problems in their app software, but I get the sense that a different definition is emerging.
Apple iPad: Is international shortage the result of success?  4/14/2010
When you have created a brand new product category that is somewhere between an iPod and a Netbook, what sales number defines success? We were debating this question long before the release of the iPad, and really Apple can define whatever number they want. If we compare it to sales of Windows 7, the iPad is a dismal loser. If we compare it to sales of any single tablet PC running Windows 7, the iPad is the biggest thing since the Commodore 64. Obviously, the media is leaning toward the latter.

However, when it comes to an excuse for not meeting timelines of a release the media recognizes the dichotomy. You can still walk into any Apple store and purchase an iPad so clearly this is not an issue of being caught off guard by sales numbers. Apple was not going to re-package unsold iPad devices and send them overseas, last I checked. To blame popularity for not meeting a European release date is pure Cupertino Reality Distortion Field.
A Maker of Fuel Cells Blooms in California  2/24/2010
We have been talking about individuals having their own home power source for years, and it appears that it could happen sooner rather than later. If you missed the 60 Minutes piece on Sunday, it looks as though BloomEnergy has created a fuel cell for powering homes, businesses, and just about anything else. Mix fuel with oxygen and "Bloom!", you have electricity. Or, something like that.

It looks promising, regardless.
Any use of this article without the NFL's express written consent is prohibited  2/15/2010
The constantly changing behavior of companies over-using copyright and patents is amusing to watch but ultimately a bad thing for consumers. This is an excellent article on the subject.
Merry Christmas, everyone!  12/22/2009
Well, it is a bit of a tradition linking to this flash animation annually, so here it is again.

Wishing all two of our visitors a wonderful Christmas and New Year!
AT&T Takes the Blame, Even for the iPhone’s Faults  12/12/2009
Here is something that seems to have never been considered:
Perhaps the reason the iPhone is so terrible over a wireless network is due to the iPhone and not AT&T? The problem with this story is that the iPhone appears to have no issues on networs overseas and in Canada, so I have a tough time buying this "AT&T is fine, so it must be the iPhone" story. Still, it is interesting reading.
Is there a Fox in Microsoft's hen house?  11/24/2009
Tech blogs are all up in arms about Microsoft possibly making a deal with News Corp to have major media outlets (Fox News, Wall Street Journal, etc) only available on Bing and not Google. Apparently this is such a terrible thing to aliens from planets throughout the universe that Microsoft and Murdoch are the new evil empire. Not so fast, folks.

I am clearly not a Murdoch or Ballmer fan, but this agreement might actually be a very good thing. In case it slipped everyone's mind, the news business has been being deep-sixed by the internet since everyone is getting their news online. Newspaper companies are going out of business throughout the country, and there is no solution in sight. Until now.

Look, I am not excited about having Bing be the de-facto search engine of the Right Wing and Google be the search engine of the Left, but if news outlets can start getting paid for their work again, then we all win. Ultimately these companies can get paid to be listed on a particular search engine and will continue to pay their reporters for their work. That is a solution, even if it means we have to start using multiple search engines to get our news.

If someone has a better easily-implemented idea, I am happy to entertain it. Until then, I think Microsoft and News Corp may have found a way to potentially save the entire news business. Why that is such a "bad thing" is beyond me.
Apple betrays the iPhone's business hopes  9/17/2009
Apple not only broke the iPhone from working with Microsoft Exchange Servers (the primary corporate mail server on the market), but the entire time it worked was a lie. Their software told the Exchange Server that it was supporting on-device encryption when it was not, lying not only to corporate servers everywhere but to the technology staff allowing the connection.

In case you are counting, this is three strikes for Apple on the wireless corporate phone front:

1. Apple does not officially support corporate use of their device.

2. It is acceptable to the folks in Cupertino to release a 'patch' that will break the device from working with corporate servers.

3. Apple does not have an issue with writing software that lies to servers to get what it wants or lying to corporate staff on what their product truly does.

We may love the iPhone, but based on these three strikes, it will take years for Apple have a corporate sponsored wireless device. For good reason.
One Planet Living Footprint Calculator  8/5/2009
Calculate your impact on the planet. This is a fairly interesting calculation.
Drunk Driving Safer Than Texting While Driving  6/25/2009
What is the most comic part about stories like this is that it is even a story. Really, you mean having your complete focus on an electronic conversation pressing 'buttons' on a device while also driving a car is less safe than having had too much alcohol and having your focus on the road? Shocker. Who would have guessed? Maybe anyone with common sense?

There is absolutely nothing wrong with demonizing drinking and driving, however there is no question that even just talking on a cell phone while driving (even hands-free) is more dangerous. Just because we all need to be so 'productive' at all times is not an excuse to endanger other human beings, and this is just further evidence of the obvious. Given a choice between a road full of people using cell phones or a road of people drunk, I will take the latter, thank you very much.
 
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