Looks like the BBC is (again) remaking John Wyndham’s Day of the Triffids.
No complaints here, I love that story, and the whole notion of the entire planet being blinded by a natural events rings so plausible.
Well, Assuming such an event would occur, who wouldn’t look up at it? And then it’s too late – you’re plant food.
Here’s one thing I hate: Starting blog posts with the sentence, “I love my MacBook, but…”
Sadly, this is another of those posts.
My MacBook is a early serial number, first revision MacBook. It’s only a Core Duo and it doesn’t have 802.11n wireless, but it’s been a good computer – when it’s working.
It’s had video problems, mainboard problems (which are one and the same) and a defective original battery.
Now, it’s a defective replacement battery.
Recently, I noticed that when I run the battery down, the battery life is good, but the machine doesn’t hibernate when it reaches the end. The day before yesterday I happened to pick the computer up differently than I usually do and I realized there was a big lump in the bottom of the computer. Sure enough, I have an expanding battery.
What am I thankful for this Thanksgiving? That I have AppleCare. A quick call to Apple yesterday morning and a new battery arrived today.
Still, I just wish it would stop having these problems. AppleCare runs out in about 180 days and then…
I would appear that a simple civics (and basic economics) test manages to fox most Americans. The so-called “average person” scores an appalling 49%, while (I would say, predictably) elected officials only score 44%.
Even when you take into account that the “average” person is… well, by definition… not one of our brightest lights, that’s still embarrassing. Are people just collectively picking their naval lint throughout life?
I’m a sucker for this kind of test. In fact, that’s what got me through school – the bad grades of others inspired me to rub their faces in it. It certainly wasn’t application of self or academic rigor.
In this interest of disclosure, I scored a disappointing 90.91%. I expected a 100%. (and I dispute one answer)
Take the quiz here, at the Intercollegiate Studies Institute.
You can learn more about the findings here.
I learned of this quiz by way of Stranger Fruit.
49%… I’d expect to be able to do that well about civics in any of the world’s other English-speaking democracies.
Not since Goldeneye have I walked out a Bond movie with such an awful taste in my mouth.
One of those inconvenient truths about parenting is that awkward time between potty training and actually being able to use a public restroom unaided.
With Michelle I was able to escape that duty fairly easily. I only had to take her to a men’s room two or three times before she could go unassisted to the women’s room.
James, for the most part, has also “gone with mommy” but considerably more often he’s wanted to go with me and I have no good excuse not to take him.
Obviously, the art of standing up to urinate is something probably best taught father to son.
This is something that James already knows how to do but today was something different. Today is the first time James had to use a urinal. The event was forced on him by a “standing room only” condition in the stalls.
No pictures of the momentous occaision. (To, no doubt, the relief of the entire world.)
I just picked up two new free applications at the iTunes store today and both of them are fantastic beyond belief!
The first is SnapTell Explorer, a program that will, no doubt, get iPhones banned from bookstores inside of 6 weeks. Just use the iPhone to snap a picture of a book, CD, DVD or video game and the image is transferred to SnapTell, identified and links to Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Wikipedia, Google and other sources are sent back to you. Perfect for when you don’t want to pay $39 for a computer book you can buy for $26 at amazon.com.
I tested this program on about 25 technical books, 5 to 10 old paperbacks, several DVDs and at least 2 video games (WII) and had about a 95% success rate. (And I have some pretty obscure stuff.) This is the application I’ve been dreaming about since the first cameraphone was invented.
Second, not quite as useful to me, but even cooler, is Shazam.
Like SnapTell this is a program to identify and purchase things. Instead of the camera it uses the microphone to record 12 seconds of audio and then identifies the song for you. I’ve been putting this one to the test since I got home and it’s also had an impressive hit rate. It’s only missed one “popular” music genre song – something a little obscure by Herb Alpert. It’s also done a darned fine job identifying music only tracks from various James Bond soundtracks.
Here’s a little story I think I forgot to blog: I watch international cricket and, when possible, English county cricket. In English cricket, there is a song they play when a Six Boundary is hit, it’s an instrumental piece, a rather jazzy trumpet or horn segment. I love that song, I also had no clue what it was. Google searches were to no avail. I put two separate friends who had both resided in England during the 80’s trying to help me identify it.
After a very long afternoon one day, one of them an I spent hours looking at videos, listening to various audio clips, etc until we finally identified this song: Tom Hark, by the Piranhas. In the US, it’s an obscure 80’s song that really never got play here. After identifying it, I was finally able to get the song.
Shazam identified it in 12 seconds.
That’s impressive indeed
The December 27th arrival of the light rail is just around the corner and I’ve even seen a train or two out on the tracks near the house.
Unfortunately, more often than not, what I usually see are morons, and I’m not the only one to notice. According to light rail operator Kim Zablonski:
“People are walking down the tracks to get where they’re going, riding their bicycles, ignoring the fact the tracks are for trains only, they’re driving their vehicles down the tracks”
You can read a bit more about preparations at ABC 15.
The BBC has posted some fascinating – if a bit difficult to navigate – documents concerning the creation of Doctor Who.
BBC Archive – The Genesis of Doctor Who – The Creation of a Television Hero
Particularly fascinating are the two reports by the BBC on the feasibility of Science Fiction on the BBC, written a year or so before Doctor Who first aired.
Other BBC news: BBC One an BBC Two will be simulcast over the Internet starting November 27th.
Once again, BBC content will only be available to machines inside the UK.
Buy a clue people! There are many people, worldwide, like myself, who would gladly pay the license fee (and not even whinge about it) to get live BBC content. The system of international rights and royalties is obsolete in the 21st century. Someone’s got to be the pioneer and start to break down those walls.
For those of us what don’t get to see Children in Need.
I haven’t posted anything Doctor Whoish lately, except the depressing news that David Tennant has knavishly abandoned his efforts to be the longest running Doctor yet.
However, If I don’t go searching, not much Doctor Who news comes my way, today I ran across this article, (at ComicMix News) which purports to be “what we know” about the upcoming specials – although, from the comments, I see a healthy dose of skepticism, which I’m more than pleased to to echo.
I’m skeptical, but it’s fun to speculate.
Read on if you want to hear things that sound like rumors, but might actually be spoilers…