The Big Day!

Tomorrow, Thursday, 15 May 2008, at 6:00 PM, the very first Boston Apple Store opens its doors on Boylston Street, across from the Prudential Center.



I will be there, and, I hope, among the first hundred in line so I can get a limited edition t-shirt, among other goodies Apple hands out. (edit) There were MORE than enough t-shirts available!

Oh, yes. There WILL be photographs!

(photo of Boylston Street Apple Store copyright © 2008 by Apple. Used with permission)

Happy Anniversary!

In a week, it'll be one year since I lugged the Apple 21" CRT Studio Monitor home. Hasn't given me a moment of trouble in all that time.

There's a reason Apple has such a devoted fan base.

They make superb hardware, to go along with their superb software and operating system.

There's nothing better!

A little hardware geekery

Over the past few weeks, my Macintosh has received:

An upgraded Core Image compatible Video Card (Thanks, Keith!), another Gigabyte of RAM, and the 6 Gigabyte hard drive has been replaced by an 80 Gigabyte hard drive.

Next month (assuming the budget doesn't get blown by something unanticipated) I'll add the Apple Bluetooth transceiver module, in anticipation of adding a Logitech (or similar) wireless mouse at a future date.

There is also the potential for adding a Bluetooth headset for use with Skype/video iChat and/or other VOIP/video IM services. Depending on what shows up at the MIT Flea Market a suitable webcam might also be added to the system.

I would LOVE to get the discontinued Apple iSight camera. Apparently, so does the rest of the Apple using universe. Used iSights on eBay and elsewhere are selling for far more than I can afford/am willing to pay.

The X-Box 360 webcam is an often recommended webcam for Mac users, even though it lacks a built-in microphone, a la the iSight webcam.

A very attractive audio device for use with the X-Box camera is the Griffin iMic USB audio I/O interface. This would allow the use of an external microphone with the X-Box camera.

Also, as it has an audio out jack, my desire to have extension computer speakers in the kitchen area and the bathroom would be that much closer to reality.

Now, if only broadband would get to the neighborhoods of a few friends of mine with computers, Skype, iChat, et al, would save everyone so much money on their phone bills!

"As Seen On TV!"

Ben Stein, shilling for the anti-evolution/pro "Intellegent Design" movie, 'Expelled', on the Trinity Broadcasting Network:

Stein: When we just saw that man, I think it was Mr. Myers [biologist P.Z. Myers], talking about how great scientists were, I was thinking to myself the last time any of my relatives saw scientists telling them what to do they were telling them to go to the showers to get gassed … that was horrifying beyond words, and that’s where science — in my opinion, this is just an opinion — that’s where science leads you.

Crouch: That’s right.

Stein: …Love of God and compassion and empathy leads you to a very glorious place, and science leads you to killing people.

Crouch: Good word, good word.

Ben, it wasn't "Scientists" that blew up the Federal Building in Oklahoma City, set off bombs at the Atlanta Olympics, Planned Parenthood clinics and gay bars in that part of the US, murdered Jewish radio talk show host Alan Berg. These crimes were committed by devout, True Believers in their particular faith. Their only interest in "science" was how to make bombs and poisons.

(sourced from boingboing.net, The Panda's Thumb and National Review Online)

A&E and the Andromeda Strain

Remember how good the movie was?

Yeah, well, the two parter of The Andromeda Strain that'll be shown on A&E starting memorial day is not that good.

OK, I can live with the error about Buckminster Fuller discovering "Buckyballs", rather than having them named after him.

But come on! Having the WILDFIRE site powered by a small nuclear reactor with an open pile, looking like a fuel rod storage pool, complete with the blue glow of Cherenkov radiation.



And then there's the wormhole from whence came the Andromeda Strain.

Don't forget the secondary and tertiary sub-plots concerning a substance abusing reporter AND a Government Conspiracy, a la The X-Files.

OY! Just... Oy.

The first part IS pretty good, and 3/4ths of the second part holds the attention, but, yeah, the whole reactor thing just ruined it for me.

Your milage may vary.

Rating: C+.

The things you find when you look up!

Yes, it's THAT 'Massachusetts 54th Volunteer Infantry'. You know, these guys!


It's about a 20 minute stroll from where I live.

Gone, but not forgotten

(found on the space.com website)

A monument to Laika, the first dog to go into space, standing on top of a rocket, is unveiled in Moscow, Friday, April 11, 2008. Russian officials on Friday unveiled the monument to Laika, a mongrel dog whose flight to space more than 50-years ago paved the way for human space missions. The small monument is located near a military research facility in Moscow that prepared Laika's flight to space on Nov. 3, 1957. Credit: AP Photo/RIA-Novosti, Alexei Nikolsky.