Saturday, July 31, 2010


SANTANA - SOUL SACRIFICE (1969) LATIN ROCK (via heroecaifan)


Another non - #earworm.


This is not the music from my generation, I am 39 which means I am wedged solidly in the middle of “generation X.” What we did have was real Classic Rock radio stations that played a LOT of stuff that we would had not run into otherwise. Such radio stations have disappeared over the years, to the point where most radio stations that you will find that call themselves “Classic Rock” usually play the same 20 songs (in no particular order or ranking:



  1. Free Bird - Lynnrd Skynnrd

  2. Hotel California - The Eagles

  3. Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen

  4. White Room - Cream

  5. Black Magic Woman - Santana

  6. Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin

  7. Smoke on the Water - Deep Purple

  8. Yesterday - The Beatles

  9. Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze

  10. Paint it Black - The Rolling Stones

  11. Pinball Wizard - The Who

  12. Living in the Past - Jethro Tull

  13. Lola - The Kinks

  14. Don’t Fear the Reaper - Blue Öyster Cult

  15. White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane

  16. Layla - Derek and the Dominoes

  17. Another Brick in the Wall (part 2) - Pink Floyd

  18. American Pie - Don McLean

  19. Piano Man - Billy Joel

  20. Nights in White Satin - Moody Blues


I can assure you that each metropolitan area in this country has no less than one radio station right now blasting out a play list almost identical to the one I listed above. All of these are great songs, but it is a terrible way to keep interest in these fantastic artists because almost NONE of these songs are representative of the artist.


This is why there are so many “fans” of Led Zeppelin, The Eagles and Queen that can only name one song for that particular band. 


There is a great alternative: online streaming services that use music fingerprinting to dynamically change your playlist based on your tastes. I am really awed by the ability of both Pandora and Last.fm to continuously generate playlists that I almost never skip. At least somebody with the right interest in this kind of music will be able to leverage these services to discover new music the way we used to by relying on the DJ that worked the graveyard shift and used to play weird music just to stay awake through his shift. 


jingo by santana (via DOOMDEVIL70)


Not an #earworm, I just found myself thinking about this song. This was probably the first Santana song that really hooked me on the band. It almost makes me sad because most of the current generation has not been exposed properly to his work. All they have is Carlos playing some uninspired and generic riffs for whatever the hell is the flavor of the day happens to be. 

My previous experience with strip clubs had been in Canada. How does the American/Wisconsin strip club experience differ? Let’s just say that as a 6? tall guy carrying some extra middle-aged weight you would have to abandon any idea that the strippers should be lighter than you.

Philip Greenspun’s Weblog » Wandering around Oshkosh


This is funnier because this is a group of aviation geeks that somehow strayed out of the Oshkosh Week and ended in a strip club. 


So Long and Thanks for all the Fish (via Fihshsticks)


I would like to dedicate this song to AT&T Wireless. I hope you choke on the early termination fee, assholes. 

Thursday, July 29, 2010

According to the findings, seven out of 10 Americans could have landed their dream job last month if they had known where they see themselves in five years, and the number of unemployed could be reduced from 14.6 million to 5 million if everyone simply greeted potential employers with firmer handshakes, maintained eye contact, and stopped fiddling with their hair and face so much.

Report: Unemployment High Because People Keep Blowing Their Job Interviews | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source


Funnier because we are interviewing candidates today and tomorrow. 

The Kindle as razor. Buy any 8 bestselling books on the Kindle ($10 each) and get a paperback Kindle for free.

Seth’s Blog: Paperback Kindle


I was going to call bullshit on Seth’s more recent post on the $139 Kindle (he says it is $90 too expensive) but he is 100% on the money: the Kindle at this stage is a powerful candidate for a razor and cartridges business model (don’t make money on the Kindle, use it as a gimmick to sell eBooks). 

Saturday, July 24, 2010


Impatient (via pvera)


Just a test of AVCHD @ 1920x1080 on the Sony DSC-TX7. Windows Media Player wouldn’t even play it, and Picasa used Divx Plus to play it, which I thought was weird since Media Player didn’t have trouble playing the AVCHD @1440 x 1080. Even weirder, the software that ships with the camera didn’t have any trouble playing the video as long as I did not try to view it in full screen.

As for processing time when submitting to Youtube, there was a small delay, but it could easily be blamed on additional traffic due to Life in A Day. The actual processing part of the upload actually took a few seconds.


Add to that maybe 5-10 more minutes before the HD streams became available. 

Friday, July 23, 2010


The Ides Of March - Vehicle (1970) (via YCSMusic)


This #earworm always makes me think of Blood, Sweat and Tears

Well, if you’re reading a hardcover book, strangers try to start conversations with you. If you’re reading off a Kindle, people just stare at your awesome Kindle

E-Books Surpass Hardcovers At Amazon | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source | American Voices

Wednesday, July 21, 2010


AVCHD test, Sony DSC-TX7 (via pvera)


A quick test of the AVCHD mode in the Sony DSC-TX7. The menus suggest that you use MP4 for online and AVCHD for things like playing directly to HDTV through HDMI, mastering Blu Ray, etc.

Upload of this video was nearly instantaneous (25MB/25MB FIOS), initial processing by Youtube was less than 10 minutes, and around 10 more until it was available in all resolutions. It is obvious that Youtube should have no trouble receiving this kind of video. 


UPDATE: This is not the highest resolution for AVCHD in this camera, it was set to 1440x1080 instead of 1920x1080. I guess I’ll have to shoot it again later. 

Friday, July 16, 2010

Apple’s attempt to draw RIM into Apple’s self-made debacle is unacceptable. Apple’s claims about RIM products appear to be deliberate attempts to distort the public’s understanding of an antenna design issue and to deflect attention from Apple’s difficult situation. RIM is a global leader in antenna design and has been successfully designing industry-leading wireless data products with efficient and effective radio performance for over 20 years. During that time, RIM has avoided designs like the one Apple used in the iPhone 4 and instead has used innovative designs which reduce the risk for dropped calls, especially in areas of lower coverage. One thing is for certain, RIM’s customers don’t need to use a case for their BlackBerry smartphone to maintain proper connectivity. Apple clearly made certain design decisions and it should take responsibility for these decisions rather than trying to draw RIM and others into a situation that relates specifically to Apple.

Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie’s (Research In Motion’s co-CEOs) official statement on Apple’s bullshit excuse on their antenna issues.
Apple’s attempt to draw RIM into Apple’s self-made debacle is unacceptable. Apple’s claims about RIM products appear to be deliberate attempts to distort the public’s understanding of an antenna design issue and to deflect attention from Apple’s difficult situation. RIM is a global leader in antenna design and has been successfully designing industry-leading wireless data products with efficient and effective radio performance for over 20 years. During that time, RIM has avoided designs like the one Apple used in the iPhone 4 and instead has used innovative designs which reduce the risk for dropped calls, especially in areas of lower coverage. One thing is for certain, RIM’s customers don’t need to use a case for their BlackBerry smartphone to maintain proper connectivity. Apple clearly made certain design decisions and it should take responsibility for these decisions rather than trying to draw RIM and others into a situation that relates specifically to Apple.

Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie’s (Research In Motion’s co-CEOs) official statement on Apple’s bullshit excuse on their antenna issues.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Saturday, July 10, 2010


Helter Skelter-Motley Crue (via FunInFuneral13)


#earworm double-header (sorry, I fell asleep last night listening to Mötley Crüe and I can’t get that album out of my head).


And yes, their Helter Skelter is one of the greatest covers, ever. It is one of two Beatles songs that I prefer as a cover instead of the original (the other one is Fiona Apple’s cover of Across the Universe). 


Motley Crue- Danger (via vannuyssixxam)


Yes, this is an #earworm . 

Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele was absolutely right. Afghanistan is Obama’s war and, judging by other recent Democratic ventures in military affairs, isn’t likely to turn out well.

Welcome to AnnCoulter.com


This is what here in Virginia we refer to as “batshit crazy.” I imagine it is only a matter of time before she blames Obama for Desert Shield and Desert Storm. 

Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele was absolutely right. Afghanistan is Obama’s war and, judging by other recent Democratic ventures in military affairs, isn’t likely to turn out well.

Welcome to AnnCoulter.com


This is what here in Virginia we refer to as “batshit crazy.” I imagine it is only a matter of time before she blames Obama for Desert Shield and Desert Storm. 

Humans exist as CUBICS, not entities, for the 4 corner stages of rotating human metamorphosis do not occur at the same time for the individual - except for family Cube. You are educated stupid, indoctrinated evil, and can’t even acknowledge that a mother and baby are the same age - on opposite corners of a Cubic Creation Principle - for Truth in Opposites contradict a god entity.

Time Cube
Humans exist as CUBICS, not entities, for the 4 corner stages of rotating human metamorphosis do not occur at the same time for the individual - except for family Cube. You are educated stupid, indoctrinated evil, and can’t even acknowledge that a mother and baby are the same age - on opposite corners of a Cubic Creation Principle - for Truth in Opposites contradict a god entity.

Time Cube
Jasmine’s aroma equals the calming effect of valium. After she gets off the pole, of course.

FARK.com: (5475639) Jasmine’s aroma equals the calming effect of valium. After she gets off the pole, of course
Jasmine’s aroma equals the calming effect of valium. After she gets off the pole, of course.

FARK.com: (5475639) Jasmine’s aroma equals the calming effect of valium. After she gets off the pole, of course
RON PAUL 2010 THAT IS WHY THIS HORSE IS WORTH ONE MILLION DOLLARS.

How Could This Horse Be Worth One Million Dollars?
RON PAUL 2010 THAT IS WHY THIS HORSE IS WORTH ONE MILLION DOLLARS.

How Could This Horse Be Worth One Million Dollars?

Thursday, July 8, 2010

Unique snowflake turns down 40k/year job, whines to the NYT about unemployment

FARK.com: (5470639) Unique snowflake turns down 40k/year job, whines to the NYT about unemployment


How nice it is to have your family pay for your college education and let you live at home, eat their food, use their Internet and whine about not having a line of super duper companies offer you a super duper salary for bringing nothing to the table. Moron. 


This guy would rather mow lawns here and there than take a $40,000/year job? Why not get a reserve commission and put a few years of active duty? He’s young and healthy, has a college degree and nothing else to do. When he finishes his service obligation he can add that to his resume and reap the benefits. 


Correction: in the article he states he was turned down by the Marines for having childhood asthma. Guess what? *I* had childhood asthma until my 11th birthday or so, and I still managed to serve 5 years out of my 6th year enlistment in the US Army before the asthma came back. Their rule was that you should had been asthma-free for at least 10 years. 

Unique snowflake turns down 40k/year job, whines to the NYT about unemployment

FARK.com: (5470639) Unique snowflake turns down 40k/year job, whines to the NYT about unemployment


How nice it is to have your family pay for your college education and let you live at home, eat their food, use their Internet and whine about not having a line of super duper companies offer you a super duper salary for bringing nothing to the table. Moron. 


This guy would rather mow lawns here and there than take a $40,000/year job? Why not get a reserve commission and put a few years of active duty? He’s young and healthy, has a college degree and nothing else to do. When he finishes his service obligation he can add that to his resume and reap the benefits. 


Correction: in the article he states he was turned down by the Marines for having childhood asthma. Guess what? *I* had childhood asthma until my 11th birthday or so, and I still managed to serve 5 years out of my 6th year enlistment in the US Army before the asthma came back. Their rule was that you should had been asthma-free for at least 10 years. 

And here I just thought I was depressed because my baby’s so damn ugly

Men Suffer Postpartum Depression Too | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source | American Voices
And here I just thought I was depressed because my baby’s so damn ugly

Men Suffer Postpartum Depression Too | The Onion - America’s Finest News Source | American Voices

Saturday, July 3, 2010


Peter Tosh - Johnny Be Goode (via Zionlivity)


This is the weirdest #earworm I have had all week. I don’t think I have heard this song once in over 18 years. 

Friday, July 2, 2010

Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.

Letter from Apple Regarding iPhone 4


I don’t know which part is more ridiculous: that Apple is trying to pitch this as an explanation, or that people are going to take them for their word.


On the other hand, it is a brilliant marketing piece. In one short letter Apple manages to say that:



  1. There’s nothing wrong with the phone itself.

  2. Our math error makes the phone report it has better reception than it should. This basically means “AT&T’s network sucks horribly, but our phone reports it more optimistically.”

  3. It is not our fault that we built the greatest phone in the world and AT&T sucks. 

Upon investigation, we were stunned to find that the formula we use to calculate how many bars of signal strength to display is totally wrong. Our formula, in many instances, mistakenly displays 2 more bars than it should for a given signal strength. For example, we sometimes display 4 bars when we should be displaying as few as 2 bars. Users observing a drop of several bars when they grip their iPhone in a certain way are most likely in an area with very weak signal strength, but they don’t know it because we are erroneously displaying 4 or 5 bars. Their big drop in bars is because their high bars were never real in the first place.

Letter from Apple Regarding iPhone 4


I don’t know which part is more ridiculous: that Apple is trying to pitch this as an explanation, or that people are going to take them for their word.


On the other hand, it is a brilliant marketing piece. In one short letter Apple manages to say that:



  1. There’s nothing wrong with the phone itself.

  2. Our math error makes the phone report it has better reception than it should. This basically means “AT&T’s network sucks horribly, but our phone reports it more optimistically.”

  3. It is not our fault that we built the greatest phone in the world and AT&T sucks.