Posts from — March 2008

As Pete noted last week, our previously BFFs at Blingo have changed their search provider from good, sweet Google to some gawd-awful mashup of Yahoo, Windows Live and Ask.

The net result is that search results are now a mess. Blingo has sponsored results mixed amongst native results (bad) as well as multiple returns for sites because of the co-mingled engines (really bad). As MichaelGuo says, Blingo's now sucko.

Until Blingo changes its ways and brings back the Google engine, I'm afraid it's sayonara, Blingo.

Popularity: 1% [?]

via email….

You really are much more interesting via tumblog.

Popularity: 1% [?]

• GraphJam: Pop culture for people in cubicles.
  (tags: blog blogs cool Fun funny geek humor web lolcats)

Popularity: 1% [?]

• Adobe Photoshop Express - Free, Online, Good
  (tags: adobe app camera flickr free graphics image images photography photos photoshop online web utilities tools Photo)

Popularity: 1% [?]

We were outside tonight waiting for the shuttle to go overhead en route to the Kennedy Space Center, but the two sonic booms still managed to sneak up on us.

The shuttle makes two sonic booms as it descends - one off the nose and one off the tail. Because of the distance from the nose to tail (122 ft), the booms are separated by about a half second. Here's a video example from NASA.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Remember the great rechargeable batteries I blogged a few weeks back as Stuff I Love? Well, they're on sale at Amazon. A four-pack of Eneloop batteries is on sale for $13.13 - almost 40% off.

Run don't walk - if you need Eneloop rechargeables.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Beloved wife, closest peeps, dear family, and various internet brethren:

As we gather via this blog, or tumblog, or RSS feed, or various other digital platforms, I come before you to report that I have reviewed the state of my iTunes library and it is strong.

Although we may find ourselves divided at times about what rocks us, there can be no mistaking that - amongst the 5,776 song files - there is something there that blows our hair back. And through the 26.65GB of music, indeed there is ample time - 17.3 days - to find that which unites us.

And when our ears have been bled dry by poorly designed iPod headphones and we tire of tunage, we can find comfort within the Movies menu and the full 5.1 sound that awaits. Just a few short years ago I stood before you confused, bewildered, and forlorn. But today I am proud to say that my high-res mp4s have reached 100 feature length movies - formatted for iPod and TV, spanning 7.3 days and 60.52GB. And while the humor and action in many of these flicks are best appreciated among those of legal drinking age, I am pleased to count 28 Disney feature animations among the library for the enjoyment of the peeps both young of age and of heart.

And when our week of film has come to an end, we will fear only the absence of popcorn, as 565 television episodes await. Complete series of 24, Prison Break, and the Sorpranos compliment broader selections, such as Lost, Friday Night Lights, and Pinky & the Brain… and everything in between.

Where I was once afraid that I might fill a single drive with music, I have embraced the oracle of nf0 and the era of networked digital media… and my library has benefited greatly because of it. Today, I am pleased to say that my iTunes library now exceeds 112GBs.

There will be many more albums, epic movies, and landmark series to come and, while the challenge to encode them all will be great, my TeraStation NAS stands ready and my Handbrake & VisualHub installs are updated.

Thank you, my fellow peeps, and may Raid5 watch over and protect us all.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Mike has a great post asking (in a very Seinfeld-esque way) what's the big deal with FriendFeed?

For those not familiar, FriendFeed is a social aggregation site collates all the variouos feeds from all your various friends, and adds comment functionality. In other words, it's a way to combine all the lifestreams of all your peeps.

I've created a FriendFeed (here), but — like Mike — I just don't get it.

My biggest complaint would be that FriendFeed doesn't offer more than just the titles from most feeds. If you post from your blog, for example, only the post title is represented. Ideally FriendFeed would honor full-content feeds (or provide an extended excerpt, at a minimum).

For me, Tumblr is a much better alternative, if for no other reason than it publishes more than just a post title from a feed. Contrast my FriendFeed against my Tumblog and I think you'll agree that my Tumblog is much richer representation of my lifestream than my FriendFeed.

Tumblr doesn't allow commenting at this time, but if I want to comment on your Flickr picture, I'm still very inclined to comment over at Flickr and interact with that full community.

It's well established that I just don't get social networking. So… FriendFeed me if you want, but just know that there are better, richer ways to stalk me online.

Popularity: 1% [?]

• Blackberry Pearl 8100 Keyboard Shortcuts
  (tags: blackberry phone howto reference)
• CyberDuck for Mac to support Amazon S3
  (tags: amazon backup mac ftp app apple macosx osx s3)

Popularity: 1% [?]

• Rent Vs. Buy Myths
  (tags: finance home interesting realestate investment house)
• Breakaway: Headphone Jack Awareness for your Mac
  (tags: apple leopard macbook osx itunes macosx mac mp3)

Popularity: 1% [?]

I feel like I'm tempting the fate of the LazyWeb / Hoosgot gods, but… here goes….

Is anyone familiar with a good Mac OSX client for Amazon S3? I'm using Leopard and trying out Forklift, however, I would prefer some way to treat S3 as a connectable share or server within Finder.

I have found BucketExplorer and JungleDisk, with JungleDisk looking to be more in line with my ideal implementation.

So… what say you, oh Internet brethren??

Popularity: 1% [?]

• AboutNico » Google Analytics AIR beta
  (tags: google adobe air analytics desktop beta tool online)

Popularity: 1% [?]

From a Metafilter thread earlier this week, would you press carbon from your loved one into a lab-crafted diamond?

The LifeGem® is a certified, high-quality diamond created from the
carbon of your loved one as a memorial to their unique life, or as a symbol of your personal and precious bond with another.

Whether you've lost a loved one or simply want to celebrate your love, the LifeGem diamond provides a way to embrace your loved one’s memory day by day. The LifeGem® is the most unique and timeless tribute available for creating a testimony to their unique life.

Is this totally freaky (eg Angelina wearing a vial of Billy Bob's blood) or is this the physical manifestation of an eternal bond?

I don't think I would be down with the memorial diamond, pressed from the ashes of a loved one. Maybe that's easy for me to say - I am blessed to still have my parents, family, and wife by my side.

I suppose it would totally make Camille barf (in a good way) if Merrin & I created one together for an anniversary ring or something.

But — seriously — if Merrin came to me and said she wanted to create a "family" diamond (ie our future daughter, her, and me) for her to wear as a ring… I guess that wouldn't be too freaky, would it?

I know this is a gimmick, but… would ya?

Popularity: 1% [?]

• Top 10 Worst Domain Names » Unofficial DreamHost Blog
  (tags: domain funny humor internet lists fun domains)

Popularity: 1% [?]

One of the great "Stuff I Love" entries (that you might actually get to use if our guestroom is occupado!) is the Wenzel Queen Raised Insta-Bed.

We bought this back during my "man fridge" days of living solo in Florida. (Actually, I got this when Merrin was finally moving down - had to upgrade for the wife, ya know?!)

Here's why I love this inflatable mattress:

#1 - It inflates itself in less than two minutes (and it deflates itself, too!)
#2 - It's raised like a standard mattress/box springs, so you really feel like you're in a "real bed".
#3 - Since it's a true queen size air bed, your standard queen sheets fit.
#4 - It's shockingly comfortable. I wouldn't think twice about making you sleep on this.
#5 - It does not leak. The two of us slept on this for several nights and didn't need to inflate it.

Not convinced? Well, since we only have one spare guestroom in the rental, come on over for a party or to see the Mouse. We'll put someone else in the guestroom (sucker!) and "relegate" you to the air bed. AND YOU'LL THANK ME FOR IT!!!

Seriously, if you are looking for a great spare bed (or a semi-permanent bed for your new apartment, maybe??), definitely check out the Wenzel Insta-Bed air mattress.

Popularity: 1% [?]