Grahame

from: http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/iphone-telephoto-lens/

Cee Tee, Welcome. Kudos to you for making a meet happen. Given the amount of "Wouldn't it be great if there was Bay Area meet?" posts over at the other place, that never amount to anything, you deserve credit for making it real. You can't please all the people all the time, but you only learn by trying. I may be dropping by next week, circumstances permitting. If so, I look forward to meeting you. If not, all the best for your meet.

Better yet, view the original performance from that Eastern European Pop Powerhouse, Moldova, with their memorable entry in the 2010 Eurovison Pop Contest. And the endless re-mixes http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/epic-sax-guy--2

Happy <NEED TO KNOW - EYES ONLY> Birthday!

^

The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent terrorist threats, and have therefore raised their security level from “Miffed” to “Peeved”. Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to “Irritated” or even “A Bit Cross”. The English have not been “A Bit Cross” since the blitz in 1940, when tea supplies nearly ran out. Terrorists have been re-categorized from “Tiresome” to “A Bloody Nuisance”. The last time the British issued a “Bloody Nuisance” warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada. The Scots have raised their threat level from “Pissed Off” to “Let's get the Bastards”. They don't have any other levels. This is the reason they have been used on the front line of the British army for the last 300 years. The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from “Run” to “Hide”. The only two higher levels in France are “Collaborate” and “Surrender”. The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France's white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country's military capability. Italy has increased the alert level from “Shout Loudly and Excitedly” to “Elaborate Military Posturing”. Two more levels remain: “Ineffective Combat Operations” and “Change Sides”. The Germans have increased their alert state from “Disdainful Arrogance” to “Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs”. They also have two higher levels: “Invade a Neighbor” and “Lose”. Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels. The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy. Canada doesn't have any alert levels. New Zealand has raised its security levels - from “baaa” to “BAAAA”. Due to continuing defense cutbacks, New Zealand has only one more level of escalation, which is “I hope Australia will come and rescue us”. Australia, meanwhile, has raised its security level from “No worries” to “She'll be alright, mate”. Three more escalation levels remain: “Crikey!”, “I think we'll need to cancel the barbie this weekend” and “The barbie is canceled”. So far no situation has ever warranted use of the final escalation level.

Surf + VOIP / Google Voice?

Happy Birthday, sir!

What happens when men bake cookies?

Oh, dear. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13645_3-20029913-47.html via: http://forums.slimdevices.com/showthread.php?p=607150 My take. The information content of losslessly compressed file and the original is identical. Try comparing the md5 hash of the source, and the expanded compressed file, or do a bitwise diff to see if that is the case. (Poor analogy: a word file reads the same, if came as a .doc file or contained in a .zip file) I think he's confusing the data container with the playback system, or succumbing to expectation bias: So while lossless audio compression (FLAC or Apple Lossless for example) can be "expanded" to produce an exact digital duplicate of the original audio stream, that's not necessarily the same thing as sounding exactly like an uncompressed WAV file or a CD. To my ears lossless files add a glare or edge to the music and flatten the soundstage. Please don't misunderstand, I think FLAC or Apple Lossless sound perfectly fine, just not on par with a CD, when played on a high-end audio system. Or, cynically, he has written an inflammatory article to generate page hits and a comment flame war. Are you listening Tyll?

from: http://rcexplorer.se/files/ba11c31bb018b71fbf14995bce5af236-246.html

Pay Attention! Edit: the script is on his blog if he talks to fast for you. http://blog.cgpgrey.com/the-difference-between-the-united-kingdom-great-britain-england-and-a-whole-lot-more/

Well, yes, it is slightly turbocharged

Yeah. Sent by someone who thinks that standards based interoperability is sufficient, who doesn't care what app you used on what device, and wonders if you have considered what message it sends that you appear too dumb, lazy or inconsiderate to change the default settings for an automatically sent signature, providing free advertising for something you already paid for? But hey, that's just me.

Indeed In 1997, the Utah State Legislature approved H.B. 203, designating the Dutch Oven as the State Cooking Pot (Utah Code). The following information was generously sent to the Utah State Library by the International Dutch Oven Society located in Logan, Utah. Utah is not only the headquarters of the Society but the site of World Championship Dutch Oven Cookoff which is a major event of the Festival of the American West. http://pioneer.utah.gov/research/utah_symbols/cooking.html The cast iron dutch oven is also the State Cooking Implement of Texas. (Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 9, 79th Legislature, Regular Session (2005))

Utah is poised to adopt the classic Browning M1911 semi-automatic as its official "state gun", in honour of native John Browning who invented the weapon in 1911. The proposal to add the M1911 to Utah's roster of approved symbols, including state cooking pot and state folk dance*, "breezed" through a House Political Subdivisions Committee hearing this week, and will now go before the full Utah House for a final vote. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/01/26/utah_browning/

Isn't partial convergence wonderful?

Get a client that can play H.264 mkv's natively. e.g. http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=320 There are many others iPeople may want to install http://www.perian.org/ (http://www.perian.org/#detail)

1 in 7 curries sold in the UK is a CTM (Chicken Tikka Masala) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_tikka_masala It's even been called "Britain's true national dish" Chicken Tikka Massala is now a true British national dish, not only because it is the most popular, but because it is a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adapts external influences. Chicken Tikka is an Indian dish. The Massala sauce was added to satisfy the desire of British people to have their meat served in gravy. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2001/apr/19/race.britishidentity

There's always the Old School "Victorian Tea Party" of UKNova http://www.vanityfair.com/ontheweb/features/2007/03/piratebay200703

finalgear.com for some torrents ( and a lively forum ) Usenet (try the handy search string "Top Gear" (and optionally "720p" if thats your fancy) at places like binsearch.info or nzbclub.com

Brunch today was left-overs. And by left-overs I mean Turkey Chili, Quinoa salad, and mixed fridge salad à la Joanne, on the deck in shorts and a T-shirt with a long tall Diet Coke. Tough Life, eh?

They're Back!

Spent they day enjoying the weather in Sonoma. Started off with with brunch at the creekside cafe. Bacon was involved I'm pleased to say. Then off for a pleasant walk up the Sonoma Overlook Trail Not a bad view from the top. Then strolled around the town square. Not too shabby.