Super HD Super Bowl

In more good Super Bowl news, apparently this year ABC is rolling out all the HD toys. If you are HD capable, then look out baby as they are talking about slinging more pixels then… well then ever. Fancy cameras, lenses, POV (point of view?) and slow mo technology, all this for our little old game? Aw shucks!

Bottom line even with all this stuff Gizmodo just can not believe its in Detroit:

“Why isn’t this thing in Florida again?”

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/home-entertainment/super-bowl-xl-in-hd-151202.php

http://hometheater.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.tvtechnology.com/features/news/2006.01.25%2Dn%5Fabc.shtml

Why Ampd mobile isnt for everyone...

“Watch for this company, Amp’d” my cell phone insider friend said…. This was a year ago. I was pretty sure by his tone that he thought Amp’d would make a big splash.

So as the news came out, and the products started to roll out I was watching with as much interest as anyone. I have to hand it to them, it seems like genius incarnate. I mean getting the Verizon’s EVDO network, beautiful. Taking aim at the young and hip with a slick marketing campaign, double genius. Promising crazy downloadable content while alluding to the coolest phones… I was in love.

But when it rolled out, I met their offer with a resounding … Eh!

Here is the way I see it there are two kinds of cell phone junkies… hardware junkies and content junkies.

I am the former, and when I heard “cool phones” I expected the mega-pixel muscle you would expect overseas and their VGA camera equipped slider phones just don’t do it for me. Where is my FM radio with RDS? GPS? Garage door opener? Cute jet for black phone angel for white phone theme though guys. Sure they have a 1.3 mp flip coming out soon but come on for all the hype I wanted the “coolest phones” I was promised even this seems anemic. Like I said… Eh.

But holy content batman! Everyone knows selling music downloads at .99 cents or a loss of .26 cents a song could lead to trouble. Who do they think they are itunes? Of course not the have to make it up somewhere, where would that be.. oh there it is! Costly data plans. Today on their site they are giving seemingly affordable 18 months (?) contracts but the data is only 3 months free and then what? Not very clear on the site. Want an unlimited data plan, sure just fork over almost 200 value meal items a month, ouch. In there defense they do seem to stream more stuff the new river after the spring melt.

Standing on the precipice of cell phone greatness Amp’d, if your going to slay the goliath(s), you are going to need a better rock…even if the one you have rocks .99 downloads.

Super Bowl XL

Be prepared for an extra helping of crazy, in a town whose plate is already full. The underdog Seahawks show up this week to battle in the Steelers in what will no doubt be contest to be remembered for Super Bowl XL.

Forget that there will be an influx of celebrities, money and events... the fact that is in Detroit is amazing in its self.

Its to bad that the only way the Lions will be there is if they buy a ticket like everyone else.

Super Bowl Ticket …. 600.00
Accommodations and transportation to and from the game …. 500.00
Officially licensed merchandise…300.00

Getting through the game with out Detroit looking bad…. Priceless

Weekend project: volume II Hardwood floors just dont grow on trees.

In an attempt to knock another item off my to do list, I decided to re-do one of the upstairs bedroom hardwood floors. When I say I decided, I mean after Barb G poked and prodded me into to get it done…and with her help and a little help from Ron F, I got it done.

I am not going to lie to you; it was not all a piece of cake. From the rental of the equipment to the final brush stokes of the stain, it was work.

I’m sore from the long hours using the heavy sanders, and the legs hurt from bending kneeling crawling and laboring of the hard red oak floor that I found hidden under the carpet.

The pictures don’t really do it justice especially the second one that was taken late into the night of a long hard day.

Would I do it all over again?

You betcha, it will just take time for me and my body to forget what a pain in the ass it was.

UH.... ME LIKEY ROCKET BIKEY

Somewhere in every boys childhood memories, this bike exists.
Now someone went and created one. 0-60 in 5 seconds... im in love. If I can’t get my flying car, I’m going to have to get me one of these.

Now where did I put that lightsaber ?

Thanks CNN for sniffing this one out.

http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/01/24/rocket.bike/index.html

P.S. CNN? News desperate are we?

Bonus link…

http://www.atomfilms.com/af/content/your_lightsaber

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Robot dog vs real dog?

According to an article from PC Magazine (UK) , I have the link for you below, robot pets are starting to get cool enough to edge out the real thing. Cool is not the correct word but rather sophisticated would be a better one.

Robots like the SONY AIBO are so sophisticated, its is starting to fool people into feeling like they have the living breathing thing around.

Skeptical? Me too, but I have to tell you these things are getting very awesome. No matter how great they get though, I want to see one come sit by you put their head on your leg and look up at you with those big eyes.

If you go by the guy rule, the bigger the mess, the better the fun the robot has a way to go, I mean that thing does not look exactly waterproof now does it?

Better yet, I’ll get one when they make them bad ass enough that they can scare the pizza boy right off the porch buy running up to the screen door barking like Tanner can.

http://www.pcmag.co.uk/vnunet/news/2149128/robot-pets-real-thing

Here is the Sony link

http://www.sony.net/Products/aibo/index.html

Cool Stuff volume 4- digital camera bliss

First and foremost… photo cred to cnet.com.

I was looking for a Sony camera for Barb G last night, and I came across the Sony Cyber Shot DSC-N1.

While Cnet gave this camera a measly 6.6 out of 10 I found that the 8 mega pixel offering was awesome, although I have not touched one yet. Other reviews I have seen offer a much higher opinion:

Here is Cnets take:

http://reviews.cnet.com/Sony_Cyber_Shot_DSC_N1/4505-6501_7-31530033-2.html?tag=nav

3x optical zoom… eeehh ok no so impressive

But you can view those big beautiful mega pixel photos on a big beautiful touch screen, yes TOUCH SCREEN in fact most of the controls are accessed by a really slick menu based interface right on the back of the screen. Sharing pictures could not be eaiser and more impressive when you whip this baby out and turn it around.

Check out this other review I found….

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/n1.html

This kind of stuff makes me want to get a new camera every year (6 months)

Damn you technology for being so enticing….

Shadow frost

Here is something I found that I thought was visually interesting.

The sun as it came up Sunday was melting the frost as it spread across my lawn, as the sun moved across the sky, only the shadow saved a small tree shaped patch. But the relatively low on the horizon winter sun was moving quickly and here if you look close (again click on the image) you can see the offset as the shadow has moved.

Like a relentless advancing army of solar rays, sent from millions of miles away, marching across the blades…you know its only a matter of time until all the frost is gone. Here for a short time, you could see what was left.

Double Reflect

Honestly, I do not know what it is about pictures with reflections… but this building across the street was reflecting the new office so perfectly, that I had to take this on-the-go snapshot.

In doing so I also had the reflection of the side of my truck.. Unintended of course.

Now I don’t recommend that anyone else take pictures while they drive… I am a professional as you know.

If you look really carEfully, the picture should be called triple reflect, as the side of my truck is reflecting the houses in the neighborhood across the street as well. CLICK ON THE PICTURE FOR A LARGER IMAGE

Shuffleboard team blue

This weekend, Beth was in town from CA, up to her usual antics. Here is a picture of her and Barb in front of the Shuffle board table at one of the local liquor dispensaries

Sorry for the bad picture, but bar lighting being what it its were lucky to get a picture this good.

She was only here for a short time then gone again back to paradise. Just long enough to whoop my ass at shuffelboard.... and have a few laughs.

See Saw Weather

Yesterday it was 40, tonight in the 20’s with this heavy snow left over from last night/this mornings heavy wet snow. Tomorrow in the 40’s again.

Crazy weather.

This picture was at night, about 8:45 pm in the woods buy the rec center. I could not get a good picture with the phone, but I did the best I could. These 6 foot trees were bent over in ½ with the weight of the snow.

Vegas Baby!

Paul V just chimed in on my phoned with this little reminded he is somewhere better than I, living large as usual I am sure.

Just another day at the local Ford Dealer

OK so the auto show was just in town. For the first time in years I have not gone, but yesterday, I had to take my F150 in for some routine maintenance and look what I found.

To my surprise hidden in the corner like a pearl among swine was this little beauty.

I tried to get them to let me take it out as a loner but no dice. Probably just as well it rained cats and dogs all day until late at night when I turned to snow. I would have hated to wrap this little GT 40 round a tree.

Sunday

I woke up early yesterday, to take advantage of another break in the weather. Before the sunrise, the weather channel was calling it “cloudy” and I was slightly discouraged but I called my local Flight Service Station (yeah I’m hooked up like that) and they gave me the real scoop…

Few clouds at seven thousand.
Scattered at eight five (hundred) and overcast in spots.

That’s more like it. I decided to take the little plane out for a spin, Pick up co-owner Ron and hit the sky…

Well here are some of the results…. Just awesome. For those of you stuck on the ground on Sunday, I am sorry.

Engadget you have done it again

Warning: Star Trek reference imminent but in my defense:

Come on! Did you see the picture?


OK I know a funny picture when I see it and here is one. His young lady is just way to happy about her Jordie-esk mono visor for her video Ipod.

The manufacturer, MicroOptical Corp., should put this one strait in their advertisement campaign. When I showed it around the office, most of the girls responded by saying “ I’ll have whatever she is watching.”

Anyway if you want one of your very own super-dooper mega exciting dork glasses, you can check out the details at:

http://www.engadget.com/2006/01/11/myvu-personal-media-player-lcd-goggles-for-the-ipod/

PS all credit, complaints, and legal action can be directed to :
engadget.com

I stand corrected....

Ok, so the sun can shine here.

Aparently mother nature has been reading my posts and took pitty on us.

Here, today, 1/12/06 it is sunny and almost 50 degrees and climbing.

I have to go get my shorts on.

Winter Sky

Here is a picture of what It has looked like lately in the land of S.A.D.

I don’t want to say it has been gloomy lately, but we have not seen the sun I so long I have forgotten what it looked like. I mean the local suicide hot line has hung up their operations because several members have been overheard saying “go ahead I don’t blame you.”

But today I had to break out my sunglasses out for the first time in a long time, hell the damn things were out of style.

I was so excited that I forgot to get a picture of anything that showed the sun. To bad, next chance may be three months from now.

Jesus... WT?

At the risk of being sacrilegious I felt the need to post this…

I ran across this at:

http://rhetoricalletters.blogspot.com/

And it made me LOL to I kind of felt compelled to post this, but all cred goes to the blog writers at rhetoricalletter.blogspot.com 4sure.

I mean OMG, dueling religious nut with syntax issues, vs. SMS master in the lower level…. XLNT.

B4 U get all CT and start writing me H8 mail, PLS remember 2DAY’S religious nut is 2MORO’s upstairs neighbor. It was F8 that brought them 2gthr.

Only in CA.

Welcome to the world!

Benjamin (Top) and Noah (Below).

Born 1/3/06

6lbs 13 oz and 5lbs 6 oz respectively.

Mom and babys all doing well. Congratulations Jeff and Lisa and to the whole family.

Granholm! Now that explaines it.

click on article to enlarge and read.





Apparently, Gov. Granholm is behind this whole “cool neighborhood” idea. Whats that aboot?

As you know, the great lady is from Canada. In her defense, its still cool to say “cool” in Canada.

Dont cha know, its so cold time actually slows down and it is like the 80’s up there anyway, eh.

Still, no points to the city for sucking up to the Governors office and making us look like complete morons for 20,000 in state funds. Hell my downtown bar tab runs over that. Despite the fact I live downtown I had no idea that they were doing any of this. I must have missed the focus group.

You have to be kidding me.

OK…

Recently the city that I call home put up this sign.

I was driving down the road in my beloved home town when I saw this sign I had to go round the block and park and get this picture. I have no idea what kind of person thought up this sign. Was he/she smoking crack and watching old episodes of Miami Vice when they thought this nightmare up.

City planners:

Clue #1: do not try and be hip by slinging words like “cool” whey you clearly have no idea what decade it is.

Clue #2: “IF” and I mean if you have a “cool” neighborhood what ever the F that means you clearly and substantially detract from any amount of coolness that you may have had by declaring it cool. WTF?

Clue #3: What kind of desperate position are you in that you feel compelled to display such an abomination in plane sight of people? Have you lost your freaking minds?

For some of you, that may think that this is some photo-shopped hoax and that such an abomination could not really exist in the wild, I assure you that it is true.
Clearly someone should lose their job over this one.