Random Thoughts from Bleu Chocolate

Getty Museum Acquires Penn Photographs

2008-02-07T13:15:00.001-08:00

This type of portraiture has always fascinated me ...

Getty Museum Acquires Penn Photographs: "On Wednesday the J. Paul Getty Museum announced that it had acquired Irving Penn’s ‘The Small Trades.’ The series includes 252 full-length portraits of workers."

(Via NYT > Art & Design.)

Chupacabra update: Mystery grows with new test results

2008-02-06T22:24:00.001-08:00

Chupacabra update: Mystery grows with new test results : "Who isn't interested in their family tree?
But for Phylis Canion, it's a search for the lineage of a beast living under the oak trees of her Cuero ranch.

(Via .)

Parchment paper: A kitchen marvel, and cheap!

2008-02-06T09:44:00.001-08:00

Parchment paper: A kitchen marvel, and cheap!: "So low-tech it's easy to forget, but a lifesaver in all sorts of cooking conundrums.

GREAT cooking equipment -- copper pots, high-tech gadgets, anything manufactured by European car companies -- can set you back some. So now, while we're waiting for Ben Bernanke to cook up something in his kitchen, is a particularly good time to appreciate a chef's tool that's as inexpensive as it is versatile."

(Via L.A. Times - Food & Dining.)

A Soviet-Era Training Jet Jump-Starts a New Era of Green Flight

2008-02-06T08:58:00.001-08:00

I've always liked the idea of biodiesel and this pushes it to the extreme.

A Soviet-Era Training Jet Jump-Starts a New Era of Green Flight: "A Czech-built plane makes the world's first canola-powered jet flight. Next up: modifying a Learjet.

(Via Wired News.)

In London it could cost you $50 a DAY in taxes to drive a car

2008-02-05T07:23:00.001-08:00

"Congestion taxes" are not working so the solution is to more than double them ...

Stop, thief – it’s Ken’s CO2 tax robbery - Times Online: "Stop, thief – it’s Ken’s CO2 tax robbery
Plans to raise the London congestion charge to £25 a day for some cars will hit the less well-off"

(Via .)

My Top 3 SuperBowl ads

2008-02-04T12:22:00.001-08:00

Here are my Top 3 ads:

I kinda identify with this one, at a interview long ago, the interviewer was constantly interrupted and then the final nail was when they tore off a corner of my resume to write down a number to give to one of the interrupters.

I didn't notice the first time I saw this that the car dropped in the window was the "head of shipping's"

A Nod to a classic movie with somewhat of a surprise

Runner Ups:

Doritos: Mousetrap

E-Trade: Bobo the clown

Bridgestone: The Scream / Headlights

Garmin: Napoleon

Wasted their money:

SalesGenie.com

Ice Breakers

Claritin

Didn't get:

Gatorade: Man's best friend

Is the dog drinking because you wore him out from running or is he drinking gatorade which is doubtful.

Complete piece of GARBAGE:

GoDaddy - Exposure

Shame on Danica for going to the lowest common denominator, this was so trashy Im considering moving my domains and services elsewhere.

Is Obama a Mac and Clinton a PC? - New York Times

2008-02-04T11:08:00.001-08:00

Kinda a different way at "looking" at the candidates on the D side.

Is Obama a Mac and Clinton a PC? - New York Times:

STYLES make fights — or so goes the boxing cliché. In 2008, they make presidential campaigns, too."

(Via .)

5-year-olds repair OLPC laptops at Nigerian "hospital"

2008-02-04T10:48:00.001-08:00

A truly amazing story about the ingenuity of children.

5-year-olds repair OLPC laptops at Nigerian "hospital": "

Filed under: Laptops

During the recent Greener Gadgets Conference in New York, former OLPC CTO (and XO challenger) Mary Lou Jepsen discussed the real-world difficulties with using the kid-friendly laptops, including the creation of an XO 'hospital' used to repair broken computers. Apparently, in the crowded conditions of schools in places like Nigeria, the little green laptops have a tendency to be jostled around and even knocked on the floor from time to time. As there's typically no repair shops nearby, the kids have learned to fix the systems themselves, setting up a 'laptop hospital' where they can repair what's broken using simple tools and cheap replacement parts. Mary Lou says the company designed the systems to be easily fixable, including extra screws embedded in the computers themselves, and allowing for quick changes of the LCD backlight and other components. The in-house repairs cut down on shipping, promote reuse, and increase kids' understanding of ownership and responsibility, thus furthering the OLPC mission, and making everyone generally want to hug.

[Image courtesy NotebookReview / Kevin O'Brien]
"

(Via Engadget.)

Not so fast Micro$oft - Apple and Fox consider buying Yahoo

2008-02-04T10:30:00.001-08:00

Apple among those considering rival bid for Yahoo? - Apple Insider: "

Apple among those considering rival bid for Yahoo?
Apple Insider'- 29 minutes ago
By Slash Lane Global giants including Apple Inc. and Rupert Murdochs News Corp. are considering rival bids for the internet search icon Yahoo, which has received a $44.6 billion offer from Microsoft, the Scotsman is reporting.
Microsoft makes bid for Yahoo! WSLS.com
all 2 news articles

(Via Google News.)

An Indelible Image of War, 40 Years Later

2008-02-02T14:32:00.001-08:00

An Indelible Image of War, 40 Years Later: "

Forty years ago Friday, photojournalist Eddie Adams captured one of history's most memorable images. The 1968 photo of a South Vietnamese officer executing a Viet Cong guerrilla helped change American opinion of the Vietnam War.

(Via NPR Topics: Visual Arts.)

Punxsutawney Phil: Six More Weeks of Winter

2008-02-02T09:58:00.001-08:00

Punxsutawney Phil: Six More Weeks of Winter: "Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow, leading the groundhog to forecast six more weeks of winter."

(Via FOXNews.com.)

Super Bowl How-To Special: Set Up Your HDTV, Plan a Party, Throw a Football

2008-02-02T09:47:00.001-08:00

Super Bowl How-To Special: Set Up Your HDTV, Plan a Party, Throw a Football: "Planning a Super Sunday shindig? Still trying to figure out where to plug in the HDTV? Consult our Super Bowl How-To guide for tips on geeking up the big game.

(Via Wired News.)

Sigma's APO 200-500 F2.8 telephoto lens gets close to wildlife

2008-02-01T07:59:00.001-08:00

I have a Sigma 50-150mm 2.8 and absolutely love it, I've been saving up my pennies for a 120-300mm 2.8 and now Sigma has to do this to me.

Sigma's APO 200-500 F2.8 telephoto lens gets close to wildlife, your wife: "

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Hello daddy! Meet Sigma's new APO 200-500 f2.8 ultra telephoto zoom lens. Weighing 16kg (35-pounds), it's the world's first to offer a F2.8 aperture at 500mm focal length. A dedicated F5.6 attachment ensures autofocusing at 1000mm while an internal Li-ion battery powers the zooming and AF mechanics. Available for Sigma and Nikon mounts in June or Canons in April for ¥2,500,000 or nearly $25,000. So ask yourself, just how deep does your love for the bird go?

(Via Engadget.)

Microsoft Bids $44.6 Billion for Yahoo - New York Times

2008-02-01T07:39:00.001-08:00

M$ buys another company to make irrelevant and stifle innovation...

Microsoft Bids $44.6 Billion for Yahoo - New York Times: "

Edmonton Journal

Microsoft Bids $44.6 Billion for Yahoo
New York Times'- 1 hour ago
By MIGUEL HELFT SAN FRANCISCO - In a bold move to counter Google’s online pre-eminence, Microsoft said Friday that it had made an unsolicited offer to buy Yahoo for about $44.6 billion in a mix of cash and stock.
Microsoft offers $31-share, $44.6 billion, for Yahoo MarketWatch
Microsoft Offers to Buy Yahoo for $44.6 Billion (Update4) Bloomberg
Reuters'- CNET News.com'- Washington Post'- CNN International
all 753 news articles

(Via Google News.)

Berkeley gives Marines the boot

2008-01-31T15:57:00.001-08:00

This is very disappointing.

Berkeley gives Marines the boot: "Forum: Join the reader discussion

The Berkeley City Council voted this week to tell the U.S. Marines that its Shattuck Avenue recruiting station is not welcome in the city."

(Via InsideBayArea.com: Top Oakland Tribune Headlines.)

Uh oh .... Passions to be exposed - MacHeads The Movie

2008-01-31T11:20:00.001-08:00

http://www.macheadsthemovie.com/

Government Healthcare

2008-01-31T09:59:00.001-08:00

Lack of funding and over 18 week wait times ... but hey, it's "free"

BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Tayside and Central | 'Removed patients' to be treated: "health board bosses told him to remove names as a 'simple solution' to people waiting more than 18 weeks for treatment."

Another story from last year, waiting 2 MONTHS for your first URGENT cancer treatment.

BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Cancer waiting cuts 'encouraging': "Just over 87% of patients are being treated within 62 days of urgent referral"

(Via .)

HumanCar

2008-01-31T08:34:00.001-08:00

I wonder how fun this would be in the 50 mph winds we have today?

HumanCar gets a price, release date, new look: "

Filed under: Transportation

It's been awhile since we heard anything about the HumanCar, but it looks like the Flintstones-inspired vehicle is now rapidly becoming a reality, with it finally getting a price, release date and a even slightly sleeker new look. Apparently now more specifically known as the Imagine LMV, the vehicle will appropriately be available this coming Earth Day (April 22nd), when it'll set you back a hefty $15,000 for the 'base' model. For that price you'll apparently get a top speed of 30 mph from the vehicle's dual electric motors and, most importantly, 'variable human power input,' which should soon make you the most popular member of your car pool group. If that's not enough luxury for you, you'll also apparently be add various navigation and internet options, iPod connectivity, and various biometric devices to see just how much of a workout you're getting.

(Via Engadget.)

Apple Delays Apple TV Software Update and I'm sad

2008-01-31T08:08:00.001-08:00

Apple Delays Apple TV Software Update - InformationWeek: "

GameSHOUT

Apple Delays Apple TV Software Update
InformationWeek'- 1 hour ago
Apple says it needs another couple of weeks to finish the software upgrade that will let people rent movies directly from their televisions.
Apple TVs movie rental upgrade not quite ready San Jose Mercury News
MacBook Air Released with Slew of Problems Wired News
Daily Northwestern'- CNET News.com'- San Francisco Chronicle'- TechSpot
all 57 news articles

(Via Google News.)

The Space Race began 50 years ago today ...

2008-01-31T08:05:00.001-08:00

The Space Race began 50 years ago today ...

Jan. 31, 1958: Explorer I Makes It Official — There's a Space Race: "Reacting swiftly to the Soviet success with Sputnik I, the United States makes its first foray into space a highly successful one.

(Via Wired News.)

Dell to close all 140 U.S. Stores that sold nothing.

2008-01-30T13:58:00.001-08:00

Dell tried to copy Apple's success but opened stores that sold NOTHING. Hmmmm, I wonder why that didn't work?

Dell to close all 140 U.S. kiosks | Technology | Reuters: "Dell to close all 140 U.S. kiosks

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Dell said on Wednesday it would close all of its 140 U.S. kiosks, a concept it launched in 2002 to showcase computers, as it expands sales of PCs in retail stores."

(Via .)

Steak School, That's my kind of school ..

2008-01-30T13:47:00.001-08:00

School's open, the butcher is in - Los Angeles Times: "School's open, the butcher is in

The most famous butcher in all of Italy is offering classes. Check your frequent flyer miles. Now.
January 30, 2008

STEAK school is open. The Butcher of Panzano -- aka Dario Cecchini, the most famous butcher in all of Italy -- announces his Officina della Bistecca (Steak Workshop) in the heart of Tuscany's Chianti Classico region:
"
More

(Via .)

Government Healthcare

2008-01-30T12:32:00.001-08:00

NPR: Report: Poor Care at VA Hospital Caused 9 Deaths: "

NPR.org, January 28, 2008 · Investigators say the surgical unit at a southern Illinois veterans' hospital was in such disarray that doctors were allowed to perform operations they weren't qualified to perform and that hospital administrators were too slow to respond once problems surfaced, leading directly to the deaths of at least nine surgical patients and as many as 19.

More

(Via .)

No Breakfast For YOU! .... Lunch, you'll have to wait ...

2008-01-26T10:56:00.001-08:00

I'm reminded of this episode of Sienfeld ...

Today, at about 10:35, I went to an establishment that has the word "Cafe" in their name. I waited in line looking over the menu, noticing that the "lunch menu" is served after 11 am. So I place my order for a "breakfast panini" and was promptly told they are no longer serving breakfast after 10:30, so I thought ok I'll do lunch. Then it was explained to me that in order for them to switch over from scrambling eggs to heating sandwich cold cuts in a microwave they have to close the kitchen for 45 mins and then I could have my "lunch order". I promptly turned around and walked out, obviously they aren't really in the cafe business. Also don't bother going after 6 on a friday night to eat at the "cafe" the kitchen is closed. I've been to this place 3 times and 2 times I could not get something to eat, I doubt I'll give them another chance since there are other REAL Cafes that serve food anytime they are open.

The Origins of Photography

2008-01-25T16:45:00.001-08:00

The Origins of Photography:
In the fifth century B.C. in China, the philosopher Mo Ti (ca. 470 B.C.–391 B.C.) made the first recorded observation that light passing through a small hole into a dark chamber created an inverted but exact image of the scene outside the chamber. In the 10th century, an Arabian scholar, Abu Ali al-Hasan ibn Al-Haytham (Alhazen) (965–1040), discovered that the image thus seen was made clearer with a smaller hole or aperture.
Roger Bacon (ca. 1214–92) in the 13th century and Reinerius Gemma-Frisius (1508–55) in the 16th century made similar observations. The phenomenon these men observed was the basis for the camera obscura, formally developed during the Renaissance.
Initially, a camera obscura (literally ‘dark room’) was an actual room with a tiny opening in one wall that permitted an image of the outside to be projected on the opposite wall. It could then be drawn or traced by the artist standing in the room. A number of 16th-century scholars, including Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519), Girolamo Cardano (1501–76), Erasmus Reinhold (1511–33), and Gemma-Frisius, all recorded descriptions of camera obscurae; no one knows who first invented the device.

Want more essential knowledge? Buy The New York Times Guide to Essential Knowledge, 2nd Edition, today!
(Via Essential Knowledge of the Day.)

Some detective work returns a camera half way around the world.

USNews.com: Nation & World: AP Article: "Photo Clues Lead to Camera's Owner"

Jan. 24, 1984: Birth of the Cool (Computer, That Is)

2008-01-24T17:02:00.001-08:00

Jan. 24, 1984: Birth of the Cool (Computer, That Is): "

I didn't start out using Mac's, at the time they were just to expensive but I'm glad I made the switch.

Coffee - Is it an indicator of the economy?

2008-01-24T12:08:00.001-08:00

This is a $20,000 coffee maker from Japan

At Last, a $20,000 Cup of Coffee - New York Times

Starbucks Tests $1 Cup, Free Refills in Seattle - WSJ.com

According to some doom and gloomers, since Starbucks is test marketing a buck a cup coffee with free refills this must mean we are close to a recession/depression/possibly the end of the world. SBUX offering a "intro priced" product to drive more traffic in the door knowing that people will spend more than $1 on pastries or other snacks in a highly saturated market couldn't possibly be a possibility could it? maybe?

Test of Blogging Software

2008-01-23T20:06:00.000-08:00

testing 1....2....3....

It's been way to long and the Year of Apple

2008-01-02T13:41:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't posted in a while seems life, home renovations and the holidays have kept me busy.

The Year of Apple
After living in the G4 generation of Macs for a few years I finally upgraded to the new Intel based macs and all I can say is WOW, Apple did the right thing. Cross-platform runs seamless, you can run winders if ya hafta, much brighter screens etc. So here's very brief reviews of Apple products I've picked up this year:
iMac 24" - Bought 1 month and 3 days before the new "metal" ones came out. Performance has been flawless, the big screen with support for a second makes photo editing a pleasure. It's fast and quiet, great for recording audio.
MacBook Pro 15" - I downsized from a 17" PowerBook but I like the more portability of this model. Basically a portable version to the T of the iMac with no compromises.
AppleTV - HUGE hit for family gatherings, I scanned and collected photos and present them on the screen with background music during family events. With AppleTV you can share content off your computer to the living room tv very easily. You get Music, Video, Photos, Movies and YouTube all in one little wireless box with component and HDMI connections
Airport Extreme - Like all Apple products its a stylish white box with no antenna or unnecessary blinking lights, it just works and works perfectly.
And finally the iPhone - I waited (for the tmobile contract to end), watched (the hysteria and lines) and waited some more. I've used it for 2 months now and dont know how I ever lived without it. The internet is everywhere now, my email is with me always, music, weather, maps that find places and oh yeah, a phone that works and is easy to use.

I'll have something to say ....

2007-10-12T15:17:00.000-07:00

later.

M$ once again BLOWS it.

2007-09-25T14:21:00.000-07:00

So Halo 3 came out today, you can get the regular version for a mere 60 bucks or the Deluxe "game disc scratched" version for $75. Being that my nephews are avid 360 players I decided it would be cool to order them the deluxe version and have it shipped to them on a day it was released, I'm just a cool uncle like that. Well to my dismay I hear from my brother that they got the damaged disc version and after a call to Gamestop HQ that the boys would have to pack up the game and send it back to Micro$loft. M$ is well aware of the problem and their answer is fill out this form, send you discs in and wait .... wait ..... and wait some more. That kinda kills the fun and anticipation for the ole' Master Sarg. M$ should act IMMEDIATELY and send out replacement discs to retailers so you can exchange the disc instead of waiting for M$ paper shuffling. M$ is still wondering why the Wii is kicking their butt, this is one reason why...

The War

2007-09-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

Wow! Ken Burns did a great job explaining the events leading up to the war tonight. He quietly reminded us that the US didn't want to get into war as we were recovering from the Great Depression. He also showed it was a very tough battle in the Pacific, we didn't win for almost a year and when we did, it was the first defeat for the Japanese in 350 YEARS. He showed that war is not a politically correct exercise, sometimes war causes the good guys to, looking from the outside, do very bad things in a fit of retaliation or just for survival.
Another interesting note that The War covered was the politics, yes even during WW2 Roosevelt had to deal with upcoming elections. Roosevelt relented in invading Europe first and instead went with the British plan to invade North Africa. This was to show the citizens that we were finally doing something, the Japanese attack did a lot more damage than the public was lead to believe. Americans were beginning to wonder what, where and when we were going to answer the declarations of war from the Axis nations. What we know now is how ill prepared we were for the coming war, in the documentary it stated that our military force was smaller than Romania's with only 170,000 by the end of the war 5 million Americans served.

It's something you should watch, its on PBS for the next week or so, I believe there is 6 episodes.

The most beautiful Apple store in Texas

2007-09-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I had the pleasure of visiting what I consider the most beautiful Apple Store in Texas. Most Apple stores in Texas are regulated to the usual mall front store so this one in Austin's "The Domain" is quite unique. This also one of Apple's new "cash registerless" stores, meaning that you find an Apple employee and they have a handy hand-held scanner and card reader. While I was there I took a look at the new Nano and Classic iPods both look beautiful with the Nano being very very thin. Also I picked up my 9th Mac, a 15" Macbook Pro, it's not as exciting as it used to be, but I still love em and would never consider anything else.

Random Randomness

Tim Gunn's Guide to Style - It's a new show on Bravo featuring style guru Tim Gunn and Supermodel Veronica Webb. It's a great and uplifting show, think "Extreme Makeover - Home Edition" for your clothes and style. Tim starts the show with a contract with subject of the show and he does warn them that its going to be a tough life changing experience. Tim and Veronica seem to bring out the hidden beauty in the women they help, in new style of clothing, hair, makeup and a little life coaching. It's a show you should check out.

Terrell Owens - In the after game interview "T O" wore a hat that advertised his personal website, funny I thought he was a member of Cowboys. When you go to his website you are treated to his "rap" song about being baaaaaack, getting all this money and about how great he is for only $2.99, can we say narcissistic. You can buy "Touchdown Towels" with his logo in Cowboy colors. I really miss the days of Laundry and Stabuach when football played fairly was the important thing.

NBC Today - Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is coming out with an new book about his life titled "My Grandfather's Son: A Memoir", Today's response? Let's have Supreme Court Justice Thomas come interview about the book, oh wait, he's conservative that doesn't fit into our "template" who was that whats her name, the one that was widely discredited oh yeah lets book her to talk about Judge Thomas' new book. Lazy agenda based journalism plain and simple, why didn't they have Monica on to talk about Clinton's book "Giving"?

Apple iDid it again!

2007-09-05T11:57:00.000-07:00

The new iPods are great evolutions of the breed. First they kept the Shuffle the Shuffle people love, just some fresh new colors. The Nano isn't so nano anymore with a bigger screen, screen looks to be about the same size as the iPod. The new Nano features all the stuff the old iPod video could do, tv shows, games and movies in a almost square size. The iPod we knew is now the iPod Classic, gone is the scratchy cover, in, rounded clad aluminum. The new Classic comes in 80 and 160 gig (44,000 songs). Finally the iPod Touch, the iPod without the phone. Everything the iPhone can do the Touch can do, net browsing, handful of widgets and new iTunes store. With the new store you will be able to buy tunes on your Touch, then transfer them back to your Mac or computer. Maybe a useless feature is the "Starbucks" button, it allows you to buy the music you are listening to at a Starbucks BUT all Starbucks won't have this feature till 2009, I suspect they will have new iPods with even more features by then.

With this product line Apple is breaking their rule of 3. The rule of 3 for Apple is 3 lines, consumer, pro-sumer and pro. With the iPod you have the Shuffle, Nano, Classic and Touch, I suspect the people in the market for the Classic and Touch will pick the Classic for capacity and the Touch for the gadgetry.

On another note, the other product line that breaks the rule of 3, Macbooks and Macbook Pros. The Mac Book offers 3 models the upper 2 being 2.16 ghz. The only difference between is the hard drive and color. So here's my question, is the MacBook in black worth $200 more for the color and 40 gigs more in hard drive (120g v. 160g)?

Random Randomness (is that a word?)

2007-08-28T22:01:00.000-07:00

Once again the folks in da 'hood got together and fought the big bad apartment developer and won ... YEA!
Things I found out from the developer:
His apartments if sold individually would be worth more than the houses in the neighborhood ... Ummm yeah when have you seen a 250K or more apartment in Midland?
Large Apartment complexes raise the values of homes in the area ... thats a "national statistic" they said
Apartments cause less traffic cause they have only one car and go less places ... Then why do people have to park on the street in the 3 complexes already in my area? And Oh I forgot they will ride bikes to Cotton Patch for chicken fried steaks ....
Shhhhh .... there virtually no crime around apartment complexes
and last but not least ..... Traffic has been REDUCED by up to 5,000 cars a day on Loop 250 between Garfield to Midland Dr. ..... ummmm have they driven the loop lately?

The Madman Pres of Iran knows how to make Iranian stews and dishes and people like them and he hardly ever visits his family because he is to busy making threats to wipe Israel off the map.

Gordon Ramsey didn't call us American's pathetic, he called the sue happy sensibility of some looser manager pathetic and He is right.

Speaking of cooking .... Isn't Top Chef on Bravo getting a little long in the tooth? I mean Hell's Kitchen has come and gone in the time they've been on or you know it's been on to long when you have a "review show" in the middle of it's summer season.

Picked up season 1 of Heroes on dvd, season 2 starts September 24th, if you haven't seen the show take a look at it, its fun, kinda geeky and is a great story all in one. Plus, in season 1 the story ran through Midland and Odessa, with Claire being the indestructible cheerleader from Odessa, Save the Cheerleader, Save the World!

Thats is all, now get back to your random randomness ...

On The Road, Larry and the Wii.

2007-08-18T11:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend(make that the weekend before last) I took a road trip, one that in my mind would have been a mini "On The Road" experience. Next month, Jack Kerouc's On The Road will celebrate it's 50th year in print and I've always loved the idea as millions of others of the open road, no particular schedule or destination. The roadtrip didn't turn out quite like I had envisioned, still fun but not reminiscent of that show Route 66. So I thought of some rules for the ultimate "On The Road" roadtrip:

1. No roadtrips that involve stopping to see family. I'm not saying its bad to see family just that it kills the open road "explorer vibe" when you see some familiarity.
2. Don't take parents with you. Even if they're nice, still have that "authority" figure riding shotgun.
3. Pick your friend carefully. See any "road movie" and this proves to be true
4. Destination not really important. Just pick a place with something to see when you get there.
5. You have to travel in a convertible. To experience the open road you must get a feel, smell and the wind of the open road.
6. Stop and eat. Find that little hole in the wall place in a little town, you might be surprised just how good the food is.
7. Ipod. Packed with road tunes ... Freebird, Roll on down the highway, Ramblin' Man, any and all Bob Dylan etc.

So back to the weekend before last roadtrip, I finally made the pilgrimage to Booked Up in Archer City, TX. I hoped to find some really rare editions to add to my cookbook collection, turned out not to be so. The selection for cookbooks was a little thin, but typical, since really the cookbook category of the market really didn't get hot until the 80's and now is very hard to get published. I did get a book on the "Butter Industry" and a "Treatise on Baking" both from the 20's. While looking over the VAST and I mean VAST other selections of books, I was in the back "garage" of Booked Up no. 1 when I had my brush with greatness. I went to look for Texanna books and mystery books when I noticed a man that looked vaguely familiar sorting and pricing books. We had a pleasant exchange about how hot the weather was and if any more cookbooks could be found elsewhere, nope all looked at already in no.4. So, it was time to go and check out and when I did I asked the nice lady there if that was in fact the man himself back there sweating away pricing books, She why yes thats Mr Larry McMurtry himself. I told her that I didn't want to bother him but my father-in-law who is an avid reader of McMurtry told me to pass along that the only book that he did "get" was "All My Friends Are Going To Be Strangers", she laughed and said she would pass that along. So there folks was my brush with fame, the most recent Oscar winner for co-writing a script to a movie I'll never bother to see, but a damn good writer anyway.

As for the Wii, FINALLY got one and talk about FUN, it's fantastic! The Wii has wireless networking built right in and with the expenditure of 500 Wii points (5 bucks) you can download the Wii Opera browser. I checked all the local bloggers with the browser and that all work and look great. The only thing the browser can't do yet is things like Flash, Java, Quicktime, yet it CAN run YouTube videos without a hitch. I'm looking foward to see how Nintendo expands the platform with things that aren't just shoot'em up, but with games that expand your brain and minimize your waistline (Wii Fitness makes ya break a sweat).

WOW! Never truer words

2007-08-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

New iMacs and other cool stuff

2007-08-08T08:37:00.000-07:00

The new look is growing on me, It has a nice brushed metal look kinda iPhone-ish. The new keyboard is borrowed from the MacBook and is very thin and simply beautiful. I bought a 24" iMac about a month ago and I don't regret the purchase, its very fast and does what I need and the new iMacs aren't that much faster. What I'm excited about is the new "i" apps, iLife '08 and iWork '08. I ordered them as soon as the online store reopened and just received iWork, with MyLife I mean iLife on the way tomorrow, hopefully.

iWork adds a new app that has been missing in the past, Numbers. I can't wait to get into the finer details of Pages, it really feels like a true desktop publishing program like Quark or the ole Pagemaker. Keynote gives you some new animation, so you can animate maps and use them in other projects. Anyway I'm excited about it.

It's a Deja Vu all over again ...

2007-08-06T07:07:00.000-07:00

At the end of June my neighborhood joined together to contest yet another very large apartment complex and extending a street through to the Loop 250 access road. In our neighborhood between the major streets that border us we have 3 apartment complexes, 1 hotel and a handful of various retail stores and restaurants. During the city council meeting in which we had a very large contingency we were told that basically the council would look into resurrecting a former council ordinance on making Whitman a Cul-de-sac and the present council took no action on the complex, thus killing the project. The mayor himself said we need to give these folks "some relief" and make a final decision on Whitman and the vacant land. When we left the meeting everyone had the general impression that the project was DOA and was hoping some day to see a cul-de-sac built.

NOT SO FAST, today once again the neighborhood will have to join together to fight the very some project that we contested before, exactly the same. This time we hope to "nip it in the bud" so to speak with the Planning and Zoning Commission and finally put this thing to bed forever. While at the meeting we were informed that traffic on our relatively quiet street would go from a typical 200 cars a day to an enormous 700 PLUS! basically ruining our neighborhood. So I hope the city can live up to what the mayor said before by "giving these folks some relief" but based on some other issues they have "resolved" recently, I wonder...

Update: The Planning and Zoning Commission approved a slightly different plan, Whitman would be "walled off" and some buildings would be reduced to 2 stories to maintain privacy for neighborhood backyards. Our concerns and petition did not concern the PZC saying that locating the complex there would not effect home values, crime, traffic etc. anymore than it would effect any other neighborhood. I was reminded of a quote when I read our neighborhood bulletin board ... The City Council promised us that NO apartment complex will be built there while the current council is in control, let hope they can keep their word better than what they told us one week about the City Mgr. and did the very opposite the next. August the 28th we'll find out.

Texas: 6 places been, 6 places to be

2007-08-02T19:53:00.000-07:00

Hey, everybody's doing it, Eric and Jimmy so here's mine:

6 Places I've Been:

1. Caddo Lake - in a flat bottom boat with a 5 hp johnson outboard with my brother at sunset. The images of birds, turtles, alligators and beautiful swamps are still painted in my memories.

2. A French Bistro in Austin - I think it was on 7th, what a memorable meal it was, everything cooked to perfection and an apology for running out of squab (pigeon, which I didn't want anyway).

3. The Salt Lick - Driftwood, one of the grand halls of bar-b-que, be prepared to wait, sign in and they will call out your number eventually. When seated you get 45 mins to eat as much as you can then you are out, they have another 2,000 people waiting to eat on a typical saturday night.

4. The State Capitol - I drove by it many times and am still in awe of it. When I was attending culinary school in Austin I would gauge the weather by my ability to see the dome from a part of my commute.

5. The Riverwalk - The first "date-trip" my lovely bride and I took. Still remember the uhum great service at Dick's Last Resort.

6. Marfa - Mod Art in the middle of nowhere.

Places I need to go:

1. Lost Maples State Park - Get the impossible camping spot during october when the leaves change.

2. Any curvy road - I need a curvy road that I can safely feel the g's the Crossfire can take.

3. Dr Pepper Plant in Dublin - I need to make that pilgrimage for the best carbonated prune juice you can get.

4. Booked Up - I can only dream of the cookbooks they have there

5. That Museum at Thurber - Every time I drive to Dallas, I say to myself I'm going to stop and I can't use construction as an excuse anymore.

6. Meyerson Symphony Hall in Dallas - One of I.M. Pei's masterpiece buildings, I've seen bits and pieces from afar but I want to fully experience the building and go inside.

Close Down the Internets!

2007-08-02T10:18:00.000-07:00

Sir Elton John says we need to close down the internet because his musical tastes haven't changed since the 70's, when he last had a hit. He finds dismay in the ability to record professional music in your home and put it out on the internet for all to hear, He thinks we should just sit around listening to old scratchy vinyls of Goodbye Yellowbrick Road. This is yet another case of somebody so out of touch with the realities of modern society, no wonder his last "album" flopped. The internet has brought out more music THAN EVER, people can share their talents with the world without the need of a middleman record company taking all the profits and stealing a little bit of their soul. I for one believe the internet has increased the flow of music, it allows you to find what you like and purchase directly from the artist, you can "social network" your music with services like iLike.com, find old out of print albums etc. the list goes on. So, Sir Elton you are wrong! go back to being a 70's has been where you belong.

Oh my, it's been a week!

2007-07-30T21:33:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Jimmy for doing the good work and now beating his goal by over a grand for a total of $6,328 for Fair Havens!

I'll have other stuff to say later, just got to think of something to write.

iRock and Townfoolery!

2007-07-24T14:14:00.000-07:00

iRock

I got a rock for my front yard and a tree or two. The dirt area will be filled with some fancy grass that they charge to much for, but looks good.

Townfoolery

Ok let me get this straight, The city council said YES to a settlement package for the City Manager to the tune of 481K, quite a bit more than his contract for getting fired. Last week after hearing from the citizens I'm sure they decided to not accept the offer, then today they voted YES AGAIN? I'm sure this will have the citizens of my fair city scratching their heads. The truth of it is, the cost of a lawsuit. The city doesn't want the expense of fighting it in the gray area of employment contracts. I think the city mgr. in question should do the right thing and accept what he signed the contract for and move on. At present, it looks like he is extorting the money out of the city which is not good for anybody concerned.

On a lighter note, the city council approved a Jack in the Box which I'm more thrilled with getting than the Cracker Barrel. I wonder if Jimmy will do building updates on Jack's as he does on the Barrel.

A busy week it has been!

2007-07-19T07:15:00.000-07:00

So last week I decided it was finally time to upgrade the ole' PowerBook and get something bigger and faster.

I went with a 24" iMac and bluetooth keyboard and mighty mouse. Talk about fast compared to the ole G4, I love it. One thing I did discover, the iMac in the box wouldn't fit into the trunk of a Crossfire Roadster.

I also picked up Aperture, Apple's kinda sorta answer to Photoshop. It's iPhoto on steroids, RAW image processing, design your own photo books and the ultimate photo organizer. I can't wait to dig into its possibilities for the photoblog.

My next big project is something very important to me, making a "documentary" of my Father-in-law's WWII stories. He was part of the 44th Infantry that pushed the Germans out of France, lots of interesting stories of found art, champaign and no showers for MONTHS. When its done maybe I can put it up on YouTube for all to see.

If you are interested in documenting your family's vets the Library of Congress has a living history project, all the details and forms can be found here - History

Busy .... Busy ... Busy

2007-07-12T06:43:00.000-07:00

If anybody out there reads this thing ..... I've been busy, so next week I have some interesting things to say and new stuff to review.
ps. AppleTV is fantastic ...

Live Earth Round-up

2007-07-08T20:15:00.000-07:00

Best quote I read about the whole extravaganza ...
"This is what happens when you let hippies organise a big event,"
apparently the organizers in Sydney did not have enough refreshing beverages for the crowd.
The crowds were still light at all the venues, probably because the lack back to back big acts, there were a lot of filler bands.
Of the acts I saw ...
Foo Fighters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lenny Kravitz and Roger Waters of Pink Floyd fame were all fantastic.
The 12 girl band from China not ready for prime time..

Netflix Weekend Movie Review

2007-07-08T14:55:00.000-07:00

Music and Lyrics - A nice sweet film, shows Drew Berrymore in a more mature role. Hugh does a great job at playing a washed up 80's pop star trying to get back into the game. Cora played by a new actress Haley Bennett seemed a little to stiff and fake, but maybe that was the role. It's a date movie that leaves you with a good feeling.

Pan's Labyrinth - A dark fairytale, a very very dark tale. Get ready for reading AGAIN, it's a subtitled movie. I'm beginning to think any Oscar movie, save The Departed, are just exercises in futility. In order to be oscar nominated it has to be perverse or long and boring or foreign and subtitled or all of the above. Anyway, it's worth watching if you like dark fairytales.

The Painted Veil - Chick Flick set in the most beautiful parts of China. It's set in the 20's and tells the tale of the difficult love between a Husband and Wife that really didn't know each other.

SOS - Live Earth - The Morning Review

2007-07-07T07:41:00.000-07:00

Ummm, where are all the people? So far they have shown concerts in London, China, Hamburg and a review of highlights from Sydney ..... the stadiums are not full for a FREE concert, ouch. I guess the concern I had for all the carbon being burned to get to this event was no big deal.

After watching a couple of hours I had the mistaken idea that this was a "Concert" for a climate in crisis actually it's "short attention span theater". You get one song, maybe 2 short ones, a short film that preaches some devastation, but wait, they only show you PART of a SHORT film you have to go online to see the rest. They remind you every segment that you are watching SOS - Live Earth just in case you forgot. Then you have about 3 mins of commercials, you know the guy yelling at you to buy the non-environmental friendly KABOOM solvent for your shower.

BTW you can get all 22 hrs of this on Universal HD

Please have second thoughts about a Happy Fourth!

2007-07-04T08:03:00.000-07:00

Checking the rounds of online newspapers as I usually do everyday I came across this little gem. (probably should read it after the 4th)
Fourth Reflects Hard Realities
Typical of a liberal reporter, all happiness comes from the government. I akin this article to a typical liberal "kick you in the balls, now go have a good time" for thinking about celebrating anything.
Jeffrey asks "But celebrate what?" and "So what's the party about?" That's easy lil Jeffy, you celebrate the freedom you have to print such tripe or like the rest of the world that doesn't believe their happiness is based totally on the state of affairs in the world, you throw a bar-b-que for you and your friends.
Look how far into the pit this guy had to dig ...
"July Fourth just means time with my friends and family and fireworks, steak and ribs," said Bryce Murphy, 18, of Waxahachie.
What about patriotism and a sense of history to be celebrated? Not so much, he said.
"Honestly, I think freedom in America is oppressed," he says. "True freedom of speech and expression is virtually nonexistent. I think what the soldiers fought for in the past doesn't exist anymore." hmmm .... What if he said that in Cuba? oh wait, he couldn't and probably the only freedom thats being oppressed is his ability to smoke weed.

Joanna Tatakis, 23 had this to say, "I don't think our generation really pays attention to current events," she said. "If a lot of people are saying something, they'll agree with it. Our generation is mixed up." No freedom lovers, just security followers ...

In Lakewood the reporter lets us know that Lakewood's theme of "Lakewood Saves the World" parade will be "... followed by sodas, watermelon and snow cones – traditions unaffected by bad news." How nice of him ...

It goes on throwing the kitchen sink in, Vietnam, Gallup Polls, blowing up post offices gotta have all the bases covered you know. I suggest reading this tripe tomorrow on the 5th after you have celebrated everything this guy got so wrong.

SOS - Live Earth, please excuse our mess (pollution)

2007-07-03T17:17:00.000-07:00

7-7-7
First let me be the first to predict - Sometime during the 22 hr. show, probably between the hours 8 pm. - 11 pm. (NBC will be carrying the show at that time) the Goracle (AlGore) will announce a run for the Presidency.
Now on with the show - "Imagine" all the energy thats going into throwing this thing. Approx. 110 "artists" will be performing on 7 continents, in 8 cities. "Imagine" all the planes, trucks, buses and cars for "artists" and concert goers will be using to go to "The concerts for a climate in crisis". I know, I know they will pay for their "sins" by buying the Goracle's do as I say, not as I do carbon credits from Algore's company. So there you go, they are going to have a concert that preaches at you about wasting energy all the while wasting the most energy possible! I call that hypocritical...
BTW quit using the sun so much, you are all GREEDY! - Human Greed
Speaking of the earth, this is totally cool - Flickrvision 3d

Update - Who knew a Prius could go 100 mph? Al Gore III

Weekend Review

2007-07-01T19:28:00.000-07:00

3 Netflix movies-
Good German - A movie made in the "Film noir" style, lacked the common feature of "over dramatic moments" so it made it pretty much a sleeper.
Bridge to Tarabithia - Pure Disney tripe to sell a soundtrack made for 11 yr old girls. The only thing missing was a kick to the crotch of a adult male actor (another Disney stand-by of a crap movie).
Fay Grim - Missed seeing it on HDnet, should have missed seeing it on DVD.

A Real Movie - Ratatouille - Once again Pixar pulls off a great movie. Ratat' is true to the culinary traditions of the kitchen and even explains each job in the kitchen. The story is delightful and leaves you with a smile and good feeling, if not hungry. Which leads to ....

Papa Murphy's - Think subway for pizza and take it home and bake it yourself. The pizza is EXCELLENT! The freshest ingredients and wonderful tasting crust. Try them out, they are just north of the Wal-mart on Loop 250.

iPhone - It seems to live up to the hype so far. Apple thought of everything by upgrading iTunes so that phones could be activated at home thus the only lines were to buy them. The iPhone is a huge step forward for Apple as it moves from computers to ilifestyle appliances. Apple has always been good at pushing the envelope and coming up with new devices ie. the first PDA - Newton, first "networked" video game system - Pippin, one of the first digital cameras - Apple Quiktake. But in the past Apple didn't have the marketing power and brand recognition as they do now. So expect alot more from Apple and hope they don't become a slow moving behemoth that kills innovation like Microsoft or IBM.

UK Hotzone - The bomb attempts remind us, there's people that still hate us and are willing to do us harm. I found this article VERY interesting The Guardian

Town and Country

2007-06-28T07:23:00.000-07:00

My neighborhood got together Tuesday to fight for the peace and serenity we've come to expect. The city had plans to extend our street to a busy loop and also build a 290 unit apartment complex and retail area. Traffic estimates would have been from the average 200 cars a day now to 700 plus! I'm so glad that our city council sided with its citizens and helped us maintain our neighborhood. Thanks!

The council also voted to give a sweet severance package to the former city manager, almost 500k to not work. I would've not worked for much less and I've never heard of a contract that pays you a year plus salary plus benefits etc for getting FIRED, not laid off. I think the citizens will be watching more closely when the next one is hired to make sure the city doesn't get entangled in such a ridiculous contract.

Immigration Bill - FIX IT! - Simply enforce the laws we have. Quit paying for studies on cow farts and start paying for border security. You can come to this country legally, I have a family member that immigrated here legally and now is a home owning, business owning, tax paying member of our country. We need to make it unprofitable to work illegally, for the business - fines. We need to educate workers that when you are "paid under the table" you are actually getting screwed, no benefits, low pay, you can rarely qualify for credit, especially a home. Also, if they can pay a "coyote" thousands of dollars to put their life in danger and sneak across the border, Uncle Sam could come up with some immigration plan to stop that. We could, if Mexico allows set up immigration centers there, similar to embassies, to handle streamlined paperwork, background checks, collect fees for a license to work in the US and educate the immigrant workers the laws, regs. etc. that we require to be part of the worker program. The same could be done here in the US for the workers already here. But one thing should be made very clear, The US will not allow illegal workers, if you don't get your papers, you don't work!

Bong Hits 4 Jesus and Juvenile Free Speech

2007-06-25T10:11:00.000-07:00

In the Supreme Court ruling today, basically gives a government body control over what a juvenile can say in public anywhere they are, even if they are off campus. I can understand the need for order in public school, t-shirts with sayings, flyers that could defame, what I do not understand is the governments reach beyond the campus. While I really don't find the humor in "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" I do believe the kid had the right, right or wrong, to express himself on private property on his own time without penalty from a government body.
This is a further erosion of juvenile rights, years ago I personally experienced just few rights young adults have as a parent. I was frankly amazed at what a government body can do to your child and there's not one damn thing you can do about it, juveniles truly have no rights. With this ruling I see schools reaching into the parental realm even more. Free speech will be quashed on YouTube and Myspace and other sites young people flock to. I see the problems of "bullying" online and this is something parents should be made aware of and asked to prevent. As with a lot of things we have to take the bad with the good, free speech should prevail even for youths.

Netflix Weekend Movie Review

2007-06-24T19:13:00.000-07:00

This weekend brought us the usual 3 movies, 2 being filmed in native languages making them a "readfest". All 3 got some kind of Oscar nod, Apocalypto being the only one worthy.

Apocalypto - For me it started out slow and that was probably on purpose, but the story builds and pulls you in and you get used to the sparse subtitles and great action. This movie is brutal so if you don't like "blood and guts" this movie is not for you.

Venus - Peter O'toole starred as a old man nearing the end of his life falling in love with a young woman, his muse or venus you might say. I would say this movie is very dialog heavy and has amusing moments.

Letters from Iwo Jima - I wondered why hollywood picked "Letters" over "Flags" so I really wanted to see this movie. After seeing it, I still believe that Flags of Our Fathers is more compelling story, the story of the iconic image of the flag raising at Iwo and the aftermath of what happened to the men that did it. Letters is a more personal story of the Japanese soliders, there were no heroes to rally around in this story. Still it was a story that needed to be told.

A Thousand Words

2007-06-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

I decided to do a written blog to say what I can't with my photoblog. Here you will find random thoughts on cooking, photography, politics, local goings-on, movies etc.

Random Facts for Random Thoughts

I currently own 179 cookbooks with the goal of 200 by the end of the year

I've rated no less than 245 movies on Netflix - Netflix Be My Friend

I'm rated a "Music Junkie" on the iLike Music Challenge, according to iLike I listen to Tori Amos the most and have 14.3 days of non-stop music.

I have over 6 thousand images in my iPhoto library

More to come