Radiohead - In Rainbows

So numbing: the world abuzz about a revolt of such great scale, the music industry in introspective pose, all about web distribution and DRM-free and name-your-price marketing and all these, as my own critique, of how insignificant the details are when all that matters is that Radiohead is back with a neat album. Neat! And cleanliness is next to Godliness.

And ZDNet has written an eulogy for CDs: http://news.zdnet.com/2100-9588_22-6224597.html

Red Moon Rising

Highlight of every total lunar eclipse: a blood red satellite.

08:28:2007 03:01 AM PDT Fremont.CA.USA

My Car

Mic's Thunderdome: Nokia N95 vs Apple iPhone

Conundrum: Fanboys taunting an N95 or an iPhone, whether or not they actually bought either! And I'm tempted to join in...but I'd speak for both sides. Inevitably, I found myself having to choose between the two at the start of summer, looking to experts for help.
Amid tiring 'deathmatch' reviews between Nokia's top model and Apple Mobile's debutante, there's a recurring error to the analyses: picking a winner by feature count. As if a prospective owner will buy a cell to use all its functions. I'd rather weigh my options based on my own wants and needs, putting more emphasis on features relevant to me, while downgrading other specifics not of interest.
Comparison: And here, thus, is my Kepner-Tregoe matrix between the Nokia flagship and the Apple startup. Thrown in is the 2007 Nokia 6500 slider.
(I admit--this cluttered attempt at objective decision making was completed after purchasing an 8GB iPhone, as I try to justify a leap of faith into Apple's new venture)

Results: Starting from left column, a cumulative and comparative ranking of features, extended via weighted scores for each phone to reflect a feature's relevance to myself, then totaled for all three phones. How ever much I re-arrange my grading system and weighing scale, the fact comes out that both N95 and iPhone come up very close (N95 slightly higher).

Exit Strategy: I fear the correctly-warranted criticism that the N95 "out-techs" my Appleware ("How could you stoop that low?"). But whenever I regret buying that uberphone, I know I would miss the i-fun factor and ease-of-use of an iPhone, primarily due to a bigger screen, a QWERTY keyboard and sufficient internet power.

Two phones enter! One phone leave!

Seeq and Ye Shall Rock

Need streaming, good quality music without having to get the 20GB iPod?

Seeq and you shall find: seeqpod.com

Thank you, Wired.com.

Röyksopp

Röyksopp


Röyksopp


Röyksopp
http://www.royksopp.com/

The Dauntless Warriors of the Golden State

Pardon that old cliche about time coming to a stop, as Thursday night the Golden State Warriors took it to task. While future playoff glory awaited, time took a pause amid confetti and jubilation. It may as well.
The Warriors forced time a little bit, making history before it was done --- before the 3rd quarter even ended, pulling away from the Dallas Mavericks with a barrage of Stephen Jackson 3's to an 111-86 win, 4-2 over-all in the First Round series. Thus, the first #8 seed to beat #1 in a seven-game series: the greatest upset in NBA history.
And this momentary break allows for appreciating the hundred other things: the loud and very yellow loyal fans from 13 years of futility; the coming together of a team; the mind games; the mastery over Dallas, 25 wins better; the whole series---a highlight reel; the pie in Charles Barkley's face...
While time moves on and leaves behind those content with history, at least we're left with a thrilling memory of an amazing fortnight:

Once In Twelve Years

Computer speeds double every two years (Moore's Law). The Olympics play out every four years. The Golden State Warriors in the NBA playoffs once in twelve years! It is so surreal!

Google Maps Has Swimming Directions

Go to Google Maps to get "driving" directions from any city in the US to somewhere in Europe. At some turn-off, you know you'll have to swim for it!

Robert Horry Did Not Play (DNP) Due to Old Age

A night of pounding from the San Antonio Spurs could have been worse for my Golden State Warriors if one more player had taken to the court to add to the misery.

But as it turned out, Robert Horry did not play for the Spurs this one night due to "Old Age!"

Thank you, Yahoo Sports! Thanks for my brother's sharp eye and ever-meticulous perusal of all things NBA!

March Madness, March Damness

Sports in March means NBA playoff positioning, baseball Spring training...and March Madness! Count me in with all the bracketology:

Fire Engine and Tight Spaces

Dry, fire weather in the Bay Area and the FD was taking the Engine for a ride, checking access and entryways around tight spaces. Like my 'hood.

Asked if I should move the car, and was told it should stay as a prop for the afternoon's practice drive. And yes, they have auto insurance!

Winter of Discontent

A Sense of Danger:
Winter arrived menacingly over my home...a nimbus blitzkrieg overtaking sunny days and night outs...

...and so start the winter games!

A Sense of Speed:

Relegated to indoor sports, I entered LeMan's Indoor Kart Racing in Fremont. Two track configurations: summer and winter. Tight turns. Nine hundred eighty four feet lap after lap. Thirty-five-mph straightaways. Accurate timing by transponder. Stats sheet at the end.

Here is the summer circuit that I conquered...19.135 seconds at the best lap:

...and the winter circuit that I need improvement:

A Sense of Ice:

Here I go with broom hockey, introducing myself to hard, painful ice:

Morale Booster at Work

The return-on-investment for a foosball table at $1,000 would equal years of unplanned employee morale boost and mid-afternoon picker-upper.

And at work, we abuse this unsupervised "team-building" event, at least one hour a day.

R2-D2 Mailboxes!

Look here!

The USPS plans to honor the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars by sporting R2-D2 boxes to take your mail.
Future Headline: Thousands of Mail Lost to Mailbox Theft.

Future Headline 2: Mailmen Protest C3PO Uniforms; Plan Walkout.

A Sense of Flight

Substitute your sense of sight for a 'visual' grasp of US air traffic. What you get is this:

Flight Patterns by Aaron Koblin

T-Mobile MyFaves Top 5 People and One Who Hates It

T-Mobile rolled ouy MyFaves, a plan that gives you unlimited calls to your 5 favorite people you chose. Check out the commercials, including Dwayne Wade and Charles Barkley. People from other networks are allowed. Your top five will appreciate it.
I know one person who doesn't. While at the T-Mobile store in ValleyFair, Santa Clara last week, I selected a "Ken" profile out of the Five Faves shown on one RAZR in-store display. Not expecting that the store would leave the display phones active, I was surprised someone picked up and demanded who's been calling. I didn't want to stick around for trouble so I hung up.
This week, I thought: 'Poor guy. He must be getting a lot of calls from shoppers.' So I went back, called "Ken" again, and there he answered, indeed named "Kenneth," and irate as one would be. I learned he wasn't affiliated with T-Mobile, was a T-Mobile customer but switched to Cingular, gets phone calls from strangers, and was glad to learn its coming from a cell phone in the store display. Asked for a manager, but I advised him to come visit instead, look for the gray Dragon RAZR, and find out who's Fave Five he is with.
Seems like one of his friends pranked him. So much for one's favorite five.
Now...who would I call for free next time I go to the store?

Ipod as World Currency Tracker

Here's a news story from Australia:
Australian bank Commonwealth Securities has launched an iPod index, based on the cost of the 2GB iPod Nano as a benchmark to track currency values worldwide, showing if a currency is overvalued.
The idea stems from The Economist Magazine's Big Mac index. The bank has chosen the iPod since they are all made in China and its price - in theory - should be consistent. This is in contrast to McDonald's "Big Mac" burgers, made worldwide, says the bank.
As a result, the price of an iPod after taxes should be the same regardless of where it is sold. However, in practice this is not the case, as analysts quickly pointed out.

Nevertheless, the 2GB Nano retails this way, per the Index:
Brazil $327.71
India $222.27
Sweden $213.03
France $205.80
UK $195.04
Spain $192.86
Italy $192.86
Germany $192.46
China $179.84
Korea $176.17
Switzerland $175.59
Australia $172.36
Taiwan $164.88
Singapore $161.25
Mexico $154.46
US $149.00
Japan $147.63
Hong Kong $147.63
Canada $144.20

Watch for this headline later this month:
Enterprising Holiday-Makers Spark Global Exodus to Rio. Indians Stay Put, Take Over the World.

No More Ramen

On Jan.6, scouring the headlines while relaxing at a Borders Bookstore cafe, I saw Yahoo post an item: the inventor of instant noodles has died just the day before, at the age of 96. Faced with food shortages in post-WWII Japan, Momofuku Ando created an easy-to-make noodle product to help feed the masses. By 1958, the "instant" variety was born. Inevitably, Ando became a corporate celebrity in his homeland.

Minutes later, as I was in a bookstore, I stumbled upon this book, apparently just recently published. Late 2006. A sick coincidence? Of course not! An instant obit? Perhaps.

The Mindset Of This Year's College Freshmen, The Class of 2010.

Amid the flashbacks to 2006 and the short-term predictions into 2007, there is list of trend-setting factors for much farther into the future: the Mindset of this year's freshmen class, an annual disclosure defining the young and upcoming generation, courtesy of Wisconsin's Beloit College.
A student of history dwells in past tense. A stagnant, satisfied, well-entrenched lifer laughs with the Mindset list. The futurist has already locked and loaded it into memory.

And here are my notable ones from the Mindset of the Class of 2010:

• They are wireless, yet always connected.
• DNA fingerprinting has always been admissible evidence in court.
• "Google" has always been a verb.
• Text messaging is their email.
• Milli Vanilli has never had anything to say.
• Mr. Rogers, not Walter Cronkite, has always been the most trusted man in America.
• Madden has always been a game, not a Superbowl-winning coach.
• They grew up in mini-vans.
• They have no idea why we needed to ask "...can we all get along?"
• Brides have always worn white for a first, second, or third wedding.
• Affluent troubled teens in Southern California have always been the subjects of television series.
• They have always been able to watch wars and revolutions live on television.
• They never played the game of state license plates in the car.
• Ringo Starr has always been clean and sober.
• Professional athletes have always competed in the Olympics.

The complete list for 2007 and past years is here: Beloit College Mindset List.

2006 In Lists

Beware of 2006. The past year reaches out in fading glory with immaterial retrospectives like the Year-In-Review Lists. Check this site for Top Ten and Best Of Lists. Excusable for its fun factor. Cure for the new year hangover. Time-wasters. Website counter boosters. Magazine shelf-life killers.
But reading the self-affirming Darwin Awards, I feel blest having been ushered into 2007, bearing genes fit for survival and human advancement, and thus, push myself on, best not to look back but keep on counting up, past one glorious eve's countdown.

Ah-ah-ah-aah!






Happy New Year!