but my brother had never been, so this was a great opportunity to see yet another one of God's fantastic creations. This picture was taken by my brother who has become quite good at taking pictures with the almighty Canon EOS Digital Rebel. This is one of many spectacular views that this special place offers. Besides getting ripped off at Burger King ($12.64 for four Whoppers and two regular Cokes?!?), and having to repeat our order 3 times to the "fellow" in the speakerphone, we had a great time. Because of circumstances beyond our control (we slept in), we got there in the early afternoon and certainly could have easily spent a few days there exploring the trails and getting even more spectacular shots. Besides lots of spectacular views, there are ample amounts of gift stores to peruse through to satisfy most any shopaholic. One of MY favourite places to go there are the many cafes and coffeehouses spread throughout the 19 square mile town. As you can tell, Sedona is filled with lots of things to do and see, and is a welcome break from the concrete and exhaust filled weekday that we've become accustomed to.
19.12.04
$12.64?!?!
Today my brother and I went to see scenic Sedona,famous for its red rock formations and being a spiritual mecca. I've been there twice before but my brother had never been, so this was a great opportunity to see yet another one of God's fantastic creations. This picture was taken by my brother who has become quite good at taking pictures with the almighty Canon EOS Digital Rebel. This is one of many spectacular views that this special place offers. Besides getting ripped off at Burger King ($12.64 for four Whoppers and two regular Cokes?!?), and having to repeat our order 3 times to the "fellow" in the speakerphone, we had a great time. Because of circumstances beyond our control (we slept in), we got there in the early afternoon and certainly could have easily spent a few days there exploring the trails and getting even more spectacular shots. Besides lots of spectacular views, there are ample amounts of gift stores to peruse through to satisfy most any shopaholic. One of MY favourite places to go there are the many cafes and coffeehouses spread throughout the 19 square mile town. As you can tell, Sedona is filled with lots of things to do and see, and is a welcome break from the concrete and exhaust filled weekday that we've become accustomed to.
but my brother had never been, so this was a great opportunity to see yet another one of God's fantastic creations. This picture was taken by my brother who has become quite good at taking pictures with the almighty Canon EOS Digital Rebel. This is one of many spectacular views that this special place offers. Besides getting ripped off at Burger King ($12.64 for four Whoppers and two regular Cokes?!?), and having to repeat our order 3 times to the "fellow" in the speakerphone, we had a great time. Because of circumstances beyond our control (we slept in), we got there in the early afternoon and certainly could have easily spent a few days there exploring the trails and getting even more spectacular shots. Besides lots of spectacular views, there are ample amounts of gift stores to peruse through to satisfy most any shopaholic. One of MY favourite places to go there are the many cafes and coffeehouses spread throughout the 19 square mile town. As you can tell, Sedona is filled with lots of things to do and see, and is a welcome break from the concrete and exhaust filled weekday that we've become accustomed to.
18.12.04
Taking Back The Web!
I'm a couple of days late congratulating the Mozilla Foundation on the nice two page ad that ran in the New York Times on Thursday toting my favorite browser, Firefox.
In case you didn't know, the Mozilla Foundation ran the ad with nothing but donations from approximately 10,000 fans, whos names were stuffed into the two page spread. The total donations were just over $250,000, while the ad itself was $50,000. The rest of the money will go into more development.
Honestly, if you haven't at least tried Firefox, do yourself a favor and try it out here.
16.12.04
U2 Drops The Bomb
(click it, don't be skeered)
I've been listening to U2 since Boy, and after listening to their newest album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, I realized how much of a devoted fan I actually am to these soon to be inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Famers. I didn't care much for a couple of the albums after Achtung, Baby!, particularly Pop, but this album has them returning to their roots. Raw, yet polished with maturity is how I would describe it. Just check out The Edge's blaring left-channel-only overdriven guitar on their hit Vertigo. Simply awesome. As you can tell, I love this new album, so quit reading and go buy it. OOPS! Did i say buy?! Yeah, yeah, I did. You won't regret it.
14.12.04
BBC NEWS | Europe | France shows off tallest bridge
BBC NEWS | Europe | France shows off tallest bridge
"The world's highest road bridge has been inaugurated in southern France by President Jacques Chirac.
The Millau bridge over the River Tarn in the Massif Central mountains is more than 300m (984ft) high - taller even than the country's Eiffel Tower. "
I remember reading about this structure a couple of years ago, but had forgotten all about it. How could I?!
Built by Eiffage, the same company that built the Eiffel Tower in 1887-89, and designed by Foster and Partners, this bridge is an absolute work of modern art AND technology.
This video gives some great aerial views. (Courtesy of Yahoo!)
Here is the complete list of people that deserve credit:
Architectural Design: Foster and Partners
Design Concept: SETRA
Structural Engineering: EEG Simecsol and Greisch
Contractor: Eiffage Construction
Co-Contractor: Eiffel Construction
Fabricator: Freyssinet (stay cables)
Launching Enerpac
Formwork: PERI Formwork and Scaffolding
Photos courtesy of BBC News
"The world's highest road bridge has been inaugurated in southern France by President Jacques Chirac.
The Millau bridge over the River Tarn in the Massif Central mountains is more than 300m (984ft) high - taller even than the country's Eiffel Tower. "
I remember reading about this structure a couple of years ago, but had forgotten all about it. How could I?!
Built by Eiffage, the same company that built the Eiffel Tower in 1887-89, and designed by Foster and Partners, this bridge is an absolute work of modern art AND technology.
This video gives some great aerial views. (Courtesy of Yahoo!)
Here is the complete list of people that deserve credit:
Architectural Design: Foster and Partners
Design Concept: SETRA
Structural Engineering: EEG Simecsol and Greisch
Contractor: Eiffage Construction
Co-Contractor: Eiffel Construction
Fabricator: Freyssinet (stay cables)
Launching Enerpac
Formwork: PERI Formwork and Scaffolding
Photos courtesy of BBC News
13.12.04
Playstation Portable released in Japan
Technology News Article | Reuters.com
The rash of recent Earthquakes aside, I would love to live in Japan. The Sony Playstation Portable, or PSP, went on sale early Sunday morning in Japan for a slightly discounted price of 19,800 yen ($198). Here's a snippet from the article:
"TOKYO (Reuters) - Game fans stood in lines through a chilly Tokyo night to be among the first in the world to get their hands on Sony Corp.'s PlayStation Portable, the consumer electronics firm's first handheld game machine.
About 200,000 of the sleek black devices, able to play movies, music and games, went on sale early Sunday morning as part of a drive by Sony to loosen rival Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s iron grip on the market for handheld game machines."
The picture below is a concept picture, but it looks pretty similar. Check out IGN's article, where they acquired a few of these bad boys.
The rash of recent Earthquakes aside, I would love to live in Japan. The Sony Playstation Portable, or PSP, went on sale early Sunday morning in Japan for a slightly discounted price of 19,800 yen ($198). Here's a snippet from the article:
"TOKYO (Reuters) - Game fans stood in lines through a chilly Tokyo night to be among the first in the world to get their hands on Sony Corp.'s PlayStation Portable, the consumer electronics firm's first handheld game machine.
About 200,000 of the sleek black devices, able to play movies, music and games, went on sale early Sunday morning as part of a drive by Sony to loosen rival Nintendo Co. Ltd.'s iron grip on the market for handheld game machines."
The picture below is a concept picture, but it looks pretty similar. Check out IGN's article, where they acquired a few of these bad boys.
10.12.04
Silverstone "back on track"
"Silverstone owners, the British Racing Drivers’ Club and Bernie Ecclestone's FOA announced Thursday that they have signed a contractual and financial agreement to secure the British Grand Prix at Silverstone for the next five years."
Finally, some good news today. It would have been a crime not to have Silverstone as part of the F1 circuit because of bickerings between Bernie Ecklestone and the British Racing Driver's Club - the latter owning Silverstone. So Silverstone is not the most up-to-date F1 facility. Who's got $200 million in British pounds to spend on new facilities like the Bahrain circuit and the Shanghai International Circuit in China?
F1 is still the one of the top sporting attractions in all of the U.K. and most of the F1 drivers love the circuit. It just needs a little lovin' is all =)
Finally, some good news today. It would have been a crime not to have Silverstone as part of the F1 circuit because of bickerings between Bernie Ecklestone and the British Racing Driver's Club - the latter owning Silverstone. So Silverstone is not the most up-to-date F1 facility. Who's got $200 million in British pounds to spend on new facilities like the Bahrain circuit and the Shanghai International Circuit in China?
F1 is still the one of the top sporting attractions in all of the U.K. and most of the F1 drivers love the circuit. It just needs a little lovin' is all =)
9.12.04
R.I.P. "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott
"COLUMBUS, Ohio - A gunman charged onstage at a packed nightclub and opened fire on the band and the crowd, killing top heavy metal guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott and three other people before a police officer shot him to death, authorities and witnesses said."
I honestly am speechless, as I've just read this minutes ago. A guitar hero of mine since Pantera's Cowyboys From Hell, Dime was a huge influence not only on me, but thousands and thousands of guitar players everywhere.
You will be sorely missed Darrell.
I honestly am speechless, as I've just read this minutes ago. A guitar hero of mine since Pantera's Cowyboys From Hell, Dime was a huge influence not only on me, but thousands and thousands of guitar players everywhere.
You will be sorely missed Darrell.
6.12.04
BBC NEWS | Business | Judge slams Ecclestone's F1 power
BBC NEWS | Business | Judge slams Ecclestone's F1 power
"A judge has ruled against Bernie Ecclestone in a boardroom dispute which could see the businessman lose control of Formula One racing."
man, what is going on with my two favourite sports (F1 and Hockey)? :\
"A judge has ruled against Bernie Ecclestone in a boardroom dispute which could see the businessman lose control of Formula One racing."
man, what is going on with my two favourite sports (F1 and Hockey)? :\
Broadband challenges TV viewing
"The number of Europeans with broadband has exploded over the past 12 months, with the web eating into TV viewing habits, research suggests."
No surprise here.
No surprise here.
- Broadband services are becoming and have been very affordable.
- Services are becoming widely available for almost everyone.
- TV is mostly crap anyway.
5.12.04
Slashdot | Self-Adapting Traffic Lights
Slashdot | Self-Adapting Traffic Lights
intersting read on adaptable traffic lights. here's a snippet from the forthcoming article:
""If you're like me, I bet you hate moments when you're in a hurry and all the traffic lights seem to intentionally switch to red just in front of your car. Now, according to Nature, a Belgian traffic researcher thinks that traffic lights that respond to local conditions could ease congestion and reduce your frustration. His method would not give you the individual power to switch the light to green. But if you were part of a group of cars approaching a red light, inexpensive traffic-flow sensors would detect your group in advance and turn the light to green. His simulations show that such adaptive traffic control is 30% more efficient than traditional ways of regulating traffic. However, his system has not been adopted by any large city. So you'll continue to be frustrated by these ?%&$! traffic lights for a while. You'll find more details and references in this overview."
i'm not so sure that i'd be totally happy with that. it's a double-edged sword. in one hand, you approach a light with a group of other cars, the light/mechanism "senses" the number of vehicles and automatically adjusts to let that group go next or sooner than another, yet smaller, group of vehicles at the same intersection. i'd be happy if i was in the larger group of cars, but if i'm in the smaller group and i look over to see that there was a larger group to the right or left of me, i'd be a little unhappy. like i said, double-edged sword.
another thing to throw a wrench into these spokes...what about pedestrians? how does the sensor deal with them? or does it? would the pedestrian crosswalk buttons be eliminated? if you ask me, they never did anything anyway.
intersting read on adaptable traffic lights. here's a snippet from the forthcoming article:
""If you're like me, I bet you hate moments when you're in a hurry and all the traffic lights seem to intentionally switch to red just in front of your car. Now, according to Nature, a Belgian traffic researcher thinks that traffic lights that respond to local conditions could ease congestion and reduce your frustration. His method would not give you the individual power to switch the light to green. But if you were part of a group of cars approaching a red light, inexpensive traffic-flow sensors would detect your group in advance and turn the light to green. His simulations show that such adaptive traffic control is 30% more efficient than traditional ways of regulating traffic. However, his system has not been adopted by any large city. So you'll continue to be frustrated by these ?%&$! traffic lights for a while. You'll find more details and references in this overview."
i'm not so sure that i'd be totally happy with that. it's a double-edged sword. in one hand, you approach a light with a group of other cars, the light/mechanism "senses" the number of vehicles and automatically adjusts to let that group go next or sooner than another, yet smaller, group of vehicles at the same intersection. i'd be happy if i was in the larger group of cars, but if i'm in the smaller group and i look over to see that there was a larger group to the right or left of me, i'd be a little unhappy. like i said, double-edged sword.
another thing to throw a wrench into these spokes...what about pedestrians? how does the sensor deal with them? or does it? would the pedestrian crosswalk buttons be eliminated? if you ask me, they never did anything anyway.
aloha
yep, first blog here at Blogger. seems like the easiest of the blogging sites/programs that i have come across. i just started using Msn's Space but it's a bit bloated and still in beta. we'll see how that one turns out. for now, i think this will do just fine.
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