Susan Werner
Great evening
No worthwhile photos
Great performance - wide range, from "Great American Songbook" style through bluegrass and cabaret.
Ironic sense of humor
Sunday, July 31, 2005
Profile of Whole Foods
Face value | A Wal-Mart for the granola crowd | Economist.com
Good star for Purity Foods to be hitched to.
---
John Mackey sees no limit to the appetite for natural foods
NO ONE admits to being more surprised by the runaway success of Whole Foods Market than its boss. “In all my profound wisdom I decreed a maximum of 100 stores, and thought that would saturate the United States,” recalls John Mackey of the time when his company went public in 1992. That in itself was quite a milestone for a grocery retailer that he began in 1978 in a garage in Austin, Texas, when he was living in a vegetarian co-op. At first, hippies and college students were his main customers. But now, with over 170 stores feeding America's organic-food-addicted middle class, Whole Foods Market has become firmly established as the world's largest natural-foods chain.
Nor is there any sign of the firm's rapid growth coming to an end. Its sales rose by 23% to $3.9 billion in the latest financial year. Mr Mackey is now expanding the firm abroad, initially with a move to London. As for the success of this, a chastened Mr Mackey says, “we actually don't have the least bit of doubt”.
Good star for Purity Foods to be hitched to.
---
John Mackey sees no limit to the appetite for natural foods
NO ONE admits to being more surprised by the runaway success of Whole Foods Market than its boss. “In all my profound wisdom I decreed a maximum of 100 stores, and thought that would saturate the United States,” recalls John Mackey of the time when his company went public in 1992. That in itself was quite a milestone for a grocery retailer that he began in 1978 in a garage in Austin, Texas, when he was living in a vegetarian co-op. At first, hippies and college students were his main customers. But now, with over 170 stores feeding America's organic-food-addicted middle class, Whole Foods Market has become firmly established as the world's largest natural-foods chain.
Nor is there any sign of the firm's rapid growth coming to an end. Its sales rose by 23% to $3.9 billion in the latest financial year. Mr Mackey is now expanding the firm abroad, initially with a move to London. As for the success of this, a chastened Mr Mackey says, “we actually don't have the least bit of doubt”.
Saturday, July 30, 2005
more on the Kelo decision - property rights
Looney Dunes: Uh-Oh not good news
Some states moving to protect property rights, some cities move to seize property...
Ruling Sets Off Tug of War Over Private Property - New York Times
Then we have Michigan's Great Lakes Beaches ...
"State's top court rules beach-walking is OK
Tradition a right, Michigan justices say
July 30, 2005
BY HUGH McDIARMID JR.
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Strolling along a Great Lakes beach is no crime, Michigan's Supreme Court ruled Friday in upholding the time-honored tradition of beach-walking.
The court, with five of seven justices fully agreeing, found that "walking the beach ....is inherent in the exercise of traditionally protected public rights."
The decision reverses a state Court of Appeals judgment that walking along the shoreline was trespassing. That ruling had stunned many Michiganders, for whom beach-walking is a long-standing tradition.
Now, its legality is certain.
"This means so much to our state, and so much for the Great Lakes," Pamela Burt, the attorney who argued in favor of beach--walking, said Friday.
But it is a blow to property--rights' advocates who had agreed with the appeals court.
"My initial reaction is that I'm disappointed," said Bob LaBrant, senior vice president with the Michigan Chamber of Commerce. The chamber had filed a court brief in support of property-owners' rights to prohibit beach walkers.
All seven justices agreed the public had the right to walk the beach. Five ruled the boundary was the ordinary high-water mark, loosely defined as "the point on the bank or the shore up to which the presence and action of the water is so continuous as to leave a distinct mark." Two -- Justices Stephen Markman and Robert Young Jr. -- said the beach-walker's domain should be confined to the area of shoreline commonly referred to as wet sand, which could be feet from the water's edge, depending on wind and wave conditions.
The decision was a comfort to generations of Michiganders who have enjoyed a tacit understanding that it is acceptable to walk Great Lakes shoreline as long as walkers stayed near the water's edge out of respect for waterfront landowners.
But that became the fulcrum in a dispute that mushroomed from a garden-variety easement squabble between neighbors in Alcona County.
Joan Glass sued neighbors Richard and Kathleen Goeckel after they tried to block her access to Lake Huron via an easement that runs through their land. They eventually settled all their differences except one: Glass claimed she had the right to venture off the 15-foot wide easement to stroll the shore in front of the Goeckels' property. The Goeckels said it was trespassing and that Glass regularly congregated with friends on the beach in front of their home.
The high court decision did not appear to address what activities other than strolling might be permitted along the shoreline strip, although it did state that beach-walking "remains subject to regulation as is any use of the public trust."
Pro beach-walking groups, including environmental organizations, joined Glass in the case, contending the shoreline is Great Lakes bottomland and belongs to Michigan's citizens.
Property-rights groups, some landowners and the state Chamber of Commerce backed the Goeckels, arguing waterfront property-owners' rights extend all the way to the water's edge, including the high-water mark and the wet sand.
The Goeckels were not available for comment late Friday.
Glass said, "I'm very, very happy, but it's been very, very upsetting for me."
And did she think her neighborhood squabble would turn into a Supreme Court case?
"No, never, never, never, never. I hope it's over now."
Some states moving to protect property rights, some cities move to seize property...
Ruling Sets Off Tug of War Over Private Property - New York Times
Then we have Michigan's Great Lakes Beaches ...
"State's top court rules beach-walking is OK
Tradition a right, Michigan justices say
July 30, 2005
BY HUGH McDIARMID JR.
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
Strolling along a Great Lakes beach is no crime, Michigan's Supreme Court ruled Friday in upholding the time-honored tradition of beach-walking.
The court, with five of seven justices fully agreeing, found that "walking the beach ....is inherent in the exercise of traditionally protected public rights."
The decision reverses a state Court of Appeals judgment that walking along the shoreline was trespassing. That ruling had stunned many Michiganders, for whom beach-walking is a long-standing tradition.
Now, its legality is certain.
"This means so much to our state, and so much for the Great Lakes," Pamela Burt, the attorney who argued in favor of beach--walking, said Friday.
But it is a blow to property--rights' advocates who had agreed with the appeals court.
"My initial reaction is that I'm disappointed," said Bob LaBrant, senior vice president with the Michigan Chamber of Commerce. The chamber had filed a court brief in support of property-owners' rights to prohibit beach walkers.
All seven justices agreed the public had the right to walk the beach. Five ruled the boundary was the ordinary high-water mark, loosely defined as "the point on the bank or the shore up to which the presence and action of the water is so continuous as to leave a distinct mark." Two -- Justices Stephen Markman and Robert Young Jr. -- said the beach-walker's domain should be confined to the area of shoreline commonly referred to as wet sand, which could be feet from the water's edge, depending on wind and wave conditions.
The decision was a comfort to generations of Michiganders who have enjoyed a tacit understanding that it is acceptable to walk Great Lakes shoreline as long as walkers stayed near the water's edge out of respect for waterfront landowners.
But that became the fulcrum in a dispute that mushroomed from a garden-variety easement squabble between neighbors in Alcona County.
Joan Glass sued neighbors Richard and Kathleen Goeckel after they tried to block her access to Lake Huron via an easement that runs through their land. They eventually settled all their differences except one: Glass claimed she had the right to venture off the 15-foot wide easement to stroll the shore in front of the Goeckels' property. The Goeckels said it was trespassing and that Glass regularly congregated with friends on the beach in front of their home.
The high court decision did not appear to address what activities other than strolling might be permitted along the shoreline strip, although it did state that beach-walking "remains subject to regulation as is any use of the public trust."
Pro beach-walking groups, including environmental organizations, joined Glass in the case, contending the shoreline is Great Lakes bottomland and belongs to Michigan's citizens.
Property-rights groups, some landowners and the state Chamber of Commerce backed the Goeckels, arguing waterfront property-owners' rights extend all the way to the water's edge, including the high-water mark and the wet sand.
The Goeckels were not available for comment late Friday.
Glass said, "I'm very, very happy, but it's been very, very upsetting for me."
And did she think her neighborhood squabble would turn into a Supreme Court case?
"No, never, never, never, never. I hope it's over now."
10 years after the Netscape IPO
Wired 13.08: We Are the Web
Damn - 10 years already ???
Time flys.
Good read.
Is the Web going to develop to be Kurzweil's "Intelligent Machine ?
Read on ...
"But looking back now, after 10 years of living online, what surprises me about the genesis of the Web is how much was missing from Vannevar Bush's vision, Nelson's docuverse, and my own expectations. We all missed the big story. The revolution launched by Netscape's IPO was only marginally about hypertext and human knowledge. At its heart was a new kind of participation that has since developed into an emerging culture based on sharing. And the ways of participating unleashed by hyperlinks are creating a new type of thinking - part human and part machine - found nowhere else on the planet or in history."
Much more, with the conclusion :
"There is only one time in the history of each planet when its inhabitants first wire up its innumerable parts to make one large Machine. Later that Machine may run faster, but there is only one time when it is born.
You and I are alive at this moment.
We should marvel, but people alive at such times usually don't. Every few centuries, the steady march of change meets a discontinuity, and history hinges on that moment. We look back on those pivotal eras and wonder what it would have been like to be alive then. Confucius, Zoroaster, Buddha, and the latter Jewish patriarchs lived in the same historical era, an inflection point known as the axial age of religion. Few world religions were born after this time. Similarly, the great personalities converging upon the American Revolution and the geniuses who commingled during the invention of modern science in the 17th century mark additional axial phases in the short history of our civilization.
Three thousand years from now, when keen minds review the past, I believe that our ancient time, here at the cusp of the third millennium, will be seen as another such era. In the years roughly coincidental with the Netscape IPO, humans began animating inert objects with tiny slivers of intelligence, connecting them into a global field, and linking their own minds into a single thing. This will be recognized as the largest, most complex, and most surprising event on the planet. Weaving nerves out of glass and radio waves, our species began wiring up all regions, all processes, all facts and notions into a grand network. From this embryonic neural net was born a collaborative interface for our civilization, a sensing, cognitive device with power that exceeded any previous invention. The Machine provided a new way of thinking (perfect search, total recall) and a new mind for an old species. It was the Beginning."
Damn - 10 years already ???
Time flys.
Good read.
Is the Web going to develop to be Kurzweil's "Intelligent Machine ?
Read on ...
"But looking back now, after 10 years of living online, what surprises me about the genesis of the Web is how much was missing from Vannevar Bush's vision, Nelson's docuverse, and my own expectations. We all missed the big story. The revolution launched by Netscape's IPO was only marginally about hypertext and human knowledge. At its heart was a new kind of participation that has since developed into an emerging culture based on sharing. And the ways of participating unleashed by hyperlinks are creating a new type of thinking - part human and part machine - found nowhere else on the planet or in history."
Much more, with the conclusion :
"There is only one time in the history of each planet when its inhabitants first wire up its innumerable parts to make one large Machine. Later that Machine may run faster, but there is only one time when it is born.
You and I are alive at this moment.
We should marvel, but people alive at such times usually don't. Every few centuries, the steady march of change meets a discontinuity, and history hinges on that moment. We look back on those pivotal eras and wonder what it would have been like to be alive then. Confucius, Zoroaster, Buddha, and the latter Jewish patriarchs lived in the same historical era, an inflection point known as the axial age of religion. Few world religions were born after this time. Similarly, the great personalities converging upon the American Revolution and the geniuses who commingled during the invention of modern science in the 17th century mark additional axial phases in the short history of our civilization.
Three thousand years from now, when keen minds review the past, I believe that our ancient time, here at the cusp of the third millennium, will be seen as another such era. In the years roughly coincidental with the Netscape IPO, humans began animating inert objects with tiny slivers of intelligence, connecting them into a global field, and linking their own minds into a single thing. This will be recognized as the largest, most complex, and most surprising event on the planet. Weaving nerves out of glass and radio waves, our species began wiring up all regions, all processes, all facts and notions into a grand network. From this embryonic neural net was born a collaborative interface for our civilization, a sensing, cognitive device with power that exceeded any previous invention. The Machine provided a new way of thinking (perfect search, total recall) and a new mind for an old species. It was the Beginning."
V65 Sabre
Just a shot of my old Honda
V65 (1100cc) V4
Nice ride, unobtrusive, quick (likely 11sec Quarter Mile), fast enough for me
Stock except for wider rims (about an inch added to each wheel) and (what use to be) sticky tires.
Rake a bit long for "sporty" riding, but that's OK
Rock steady.
Thursday, July 28, 2005
Nice Chamber Music Concert tonight
Manitou Music Festival - Stellar Piano Trio - July 28 & 29, 2005, 7:30PM
Tried to get some photos - but nothing much turned out.
Stellar Piano Trio
Adrienne Jacobs, violin
Debra Fayroian, cello
Maria Meirelles, piano
Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major Spring Op. 24,
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor �Apassionata� Op.57
Antonin Dvorak: Piano Trio No. 4 in D minor
Adrienna is Debra's daughter
Debra is Music Director of the Festival
Tried to get some photos - but nothing much turned out.
Stellar Piano Trio
Adrienne Jacobs, violin
Debra Fayroian, cello
Maria Meirelles, piano
Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 5 in F Major Spring Op. 24,
Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor �Apassionata� Op.57
Antonin Dvorak: Piano Trio No. 4 in D minor
Adrienna is Debra's daughter
Debra is Music Director of the Festival
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Well's War of the Worlds as a communications experiment
Christian Science Monitor Blog | The Index Archive July, 2005
"... while the film version of the century-old tale of alien invaders will no doubt dazzle, the real surprise for some might be the effects that the 1938 Halloween radio adaptation of the H.G. Wells book had on listeners—and some who were connected to the broadcast.
Four years after Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany—violating provisions of the Versailles Treaty—a collaboration between the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) and a small cadre of social scientists and communications researchers created one of the most memorable phenomena in the history of mass media.
On October 30, 1938, two days after Hitler forced thousands of Polish Jews from their German homes and into Poland, Orson Welles, John Houseman, Howard Koch and their Mercury Theater on the Air alarmed listeners with the fictional broadcast about Martian marauders who were wreaking havoc on the northeastern US seaboard. The book was originally set in the England countryside, but Koch and Welles adapted it for a US audience, landing the extra terrestrials in a New Jersey hamlet called Grovers Mill.
According to estimates attributed at the time to the Gallup organization, around six million people tuned in to the program that evening, or about 13 million in today’s US population. It is believed that about one million (a little over two million today) were said to have been fooled by the performance.
What the listeners of the program didn't know was that, with the prospect of entering the war looming, they were more or less part of a large-scale lab experiment - an examination of how communications affects the public's reaction to certain events."
"... while the film version of the century-old tale of alien invaders will no doubt dazzle, the real surprise for some might be the effects that the 1938 Halloween radio adaptation of the H.G. Wells book had on listeners—and some who were connected to the broadcast.
Four years after Adolf Hitler came to power in Germany—violating provisions of the Versailles Treaty—a collaboration between the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) and a small cadre of social scientists and communications researchers created one of the most memorable phenomena in the history of mass media.
On October 30, 1938, two days after Hitler forced thousands of Polish Jews from their German homes and into Poland, Orson Welles, John Houseman, Howard Koch and their Mercury Theater on the Air alarmed listeners with the fictional broadcast about Martian marauders who were wreaking havoc on the northeastern US seaboard. The book was originally set in the England countryside, but Koch and Welles adapted it for a US audience, landing the extra terrestrials in a New Jersey hamlet called Grovers Mill.
According to estimates attributed at the time to the Gallup organization, around six million people tuned in to the program that evening, or about 13 million in today’s US population. It is believed that about one million (a little over two million today) were said to have been fooled by the performance.
What the listeners of the program didn't know was that, with the prospect of entering the war looming, they were more or less part of a large-scale lab experiment - an examination of how communications affects the public's reaction to certain events."
Monday, July 25, 2005
Off the wall piece about "Going Green"
The Green Machine That Could Be Detroit - New York Times:
Note that I've had prior rants on hybrids.
Great marketing
Not a revolution
"O.K., but aren't there technological barriers to building a clean car company? Could a major automaker retool itself this way culturally as well as physically? Sure it can. It would be costly, but there is precedent. The entire American auto industry retooled itself to emphasize quality, and it now makes some of the most dependable cars in the world. Maybe the best way for an automaker to manage this latest transition would be to build a new brand, the way G.M. once did with Saturn. In this new case, however, the brand would consume the parent company."
I don't buy it
Cost money - yeah, a lot
Where does the capital come from ?
Pensions? Health Care? Banks? Investors?
Doubt if it comes from cashflow - that's going to the UAW.
And don't think you aren't going to be laying off workers (at 95% pay) to do the transition.
I think the model is already being executed ... by Toyota
Build and subsidise the Prius ... get that "green halo" while moving into heavy duty pick-em-up trucks.
I'm not against the green marketing approach, Maximum Bob (Lutz) has recoginzed it as brilliant. But I don't see the argument to turn the company upside down overnight.
Note that I've had prior rants on hybrids.
Great marketing
Not a revolution
"O.K., but aren't there technological barriers to building a clean car company? Could a major automaker retool itself this way culturally as well as physically? Sure it can. It would be costly, but there is precedent. The entire American auto industry retooled itself to emphasize quality, and it now makes some of the most dependable cars in the world. Maybe the best way for an automaker to manage this latest transition would be to build a new brand, the way G.M. once did with Saturn. In this new case, however, the brand would consume the parent company."
I don't buy it
Cost money - yeah, a lot
Where does the capital come from ?
Pensions? Health Care? Banks? Investors?
Doubt if it comes from cashflow - that's going to the UAW.
And don't think you aren't going to be laying off workers (at 95% pay) to do the transition.
I think the model is already being executed ... by Toyota
Build and subsidise the Prius ... get that "green halo" while moving into heavy duty pick-em-up trucks.
I'm not against the green marketing approach, Maximum Bob (Lutz) has recoginzed it as brilliant. But I don't see the argument to turn the company upside down overnight.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Neptune Quartet
Wonderful music from our friends The Neptune Quartet plus guest mandolinist Alan Epstien
Manitou Music Festival
Concert was at the Leelanau School
OK, so it was a bit humid.
Otherwise a perfect evening.
Check out their site for more info and samples
As they closed with "The Great Thaw", an homage to Lake Michigan, a pair of Great Blue Herons flew across the high clouds, lit by the setting sun.
Not the best photo - blame the photographer.
A bit better shot from earlier in the evening:
Used Shirley's new PowerShot S2IS (image stablized)
Manitou Music Festival
Concert was at the Leelanau School
OK, so it was a bit humid.
Otherwise a perfect evening.
Check out their site for more info and samples
As they closed with "The Great Thaw", an homage to Lake Michigan, a pair of Great Blue Herons flew across the high clouds, lit by the setting sun.
Not the best photo - blame the photographer.
A bit better shot from earlier in the evening:
Used Shirley's new PowerShot S2IS (image stablized)
Friday, July 22, 2005
Tom Friedman on Hate Speach
Giving the Hatemongers No Place to Hide - New York Times:
"Every quarter, the State Department should identify the Top 10 hatemongers, excuse makers and truth tellers in the world. It wouldn't be a cure-all. But it would be a message to the extremists: you are free to say what you want, but we are free to listen, to let the whole world know what you are saying and to protect every free society from hate spreaders like you. Words matter."
"Every quarter, the State Department should identify the Top 10 hatemongers, excuse makers and truth tellers in the world. It wouldn't be a cure-all. But it would be a message to the extremists: you are free to say what you want, but we are free to listen, to let the whole world know what you are saying and to protect every free society from hate spreaders like you. Words matter."
Podcast Stuff
The Podcast as a New Podium - New York Times
Rather lightweight review from NYTimes
"So what's on these podcasts? The best ones fall into three categories. The first includes the programs of weird monologists and couples capering, complaining and exposing their personal lives in ostentatiously appalling ways. They can be funny. The second category is for talk shows about technology, from which you learn genuinely useful things, including that MapQuest.com is over, and that serious direction-seekers now turn to Google Maps. And then there are podcasts from abroad, including a good esoteric music podcast from Scotland, and an eccentric Roman Catholic one, which is produced by a priest in the Netherlands."
Other stuff
Doc's Podblog
Apple on Podcasting
All of this reminds me of College Philosophy class.
It was pretty esoteric and, for the "term paper" I talked instead of wrote.
Took a portable tape recorder, drove around Mid Michigan and talked.
All I can recall at this time is that one of the topics I used was analysis of various Marvel Comics, such as SpiderMan, X-Men, etc. and how the issues the characters delt with fit topics of the course.
Now, if I'd just held on to my collection ...
Podcasting
What about recording from a POD?
PODS
Wonder what the acoustics would be like...
Rather lightweight review from NYTimes
"So what's on these podcasts? The best ones fall into three categories. The first includes the programs of weird monologists and couples capering, complaining and exposing their personal lives in ostentatiously appalling ways. They can be funny. The second category is for talk shows about technology, from which you learn genuinely useful things, including that MapQuest.com is over, and that serious direction-seekers now turn to Google Maps. And then there are podcasts from abroad, including a good esoteric music podcast from Scotland, and an eccentric Roman Catholic one, which is produced by a priest in the Netherlands."
Other stuff
Doc's Podblog
Apple on Podcasting
All of this reminds me of College Philosophy class.
It was pretty esoteric and, for the "term paper" I talked instead of wrote.
Took a portable tape recorder, drove around Mid Michigan and talked.
All I can recall at this time is that one of the topics I used was analysis of various Marvel Comics, such as SpiderMan, X-Men, etc. and how the issues the characters delt with fit topics of the course.
Now, if I'd just held on to my collection ...
Podcasting
What about recording from a POD?
PODS
Wonder what the acoustics would be like...
Nice product - many tools in one
Hybrid Morphs and Fills Several Household Voids - New York Times
If one consideration has kept the tablet PC from becoming a popular household item, it's that few hardware manufacturers have designed one that's actually handy around the house. A cross between a souped-up P.D.A., tablet PC and hand-held gaming device, the Pepper Pad from Pepper Computer tries to fill that void. It begs to be held in your hands while you loaf on the couch.
Also : Walt Mossberg's review (WSJ pay site)
Info Appliance Offers Nice Touches, but It's Costly, Has Limitations
Ah, but there are some interesting applications ...
More later
More here
Pepper Computer - Home
If one consideration has kept the tablet PC from becoming a popular household item, it's that few hardware manufacturers have designed one that's actually handy around the house. A cross between a souped-up P.D.A., tablet PC and hand-held gaming device, the Pepper Pad from Pepper Computer tries to fill that void. It begs to be held in your hands while you loaf on the couch.
Also : Walt Mossberg's review (WSJ pay site)
Info Appliance Offers Nice Touches, but It's Costly, Has Limitations
Ah, but there are some interesting applications ...
More later
More here
Pepper Computer - Home
Thursday, July 21, 2005
Aerial of the Glen Lakes
Shot from the south
View of Big and Little Glen with the Manitou Islands in Lake Michigan
Is Money Obscene? Try Europe
Is Money Obscene? Try Europe | MartinVarsavsky.net:
Interesting piece I came across (but it was several days ago and I forgot how I got to it... someone's blog)
Anyway - contrast in American and European view's.
---
"Obscenity
'designed to incite to lust or depravity'
So whatever incites lust or depravity is obscene, sex for example is obscene, or is it?
After living in America for 18 years and in Europe, for 10 I can argue differently. Sex is obscene in America, but in Europe money is more obscene."
Interesting piece I came across (but it was several days ago and I forgot how I got to it... someone's blog)
Anyway - contrast in American and European view's.
---
"Obscenity
'designed to incite to lust or depravity'
So whatever incites lust or depravity is obscene, sex for example is obscene, or is it?
After living in America for 18 years and in Europe, for 10 I can argue differently. Sex is obscene in America, but in Europe money is more obscene."
Monday, July 18, 2005
"The End of the M.E.?," Feature Article, May 2005
"The End of the M.E.?," Feature Article, May 2005:
Peter Huber and Mark Mills on Mechanical Engineering
"They call this 'convergence.' Old lines are changing, or disappearing altogether. What it's doing under the hood is downright electrifying. "
Shift from mechanical controls to electronic.
Peter Huber and Mark Mills on Mechanical Engineering
"They call this 'convergence.' Old lines are changing, or disappearing altogether. What it's doing under the hood is downright electrifying. "
Shift from mechanical controls to electronic.
Good Harbor Bay
Lake Michigan
Evening shot
7:40
Looking up the coast
"Whaleback" ridge and dune on horizon
Evening shot
7:40
Looking up the coast
"Whaleback" ridge and dune on horizon
Videos to Your iiPod ?
Wired News: Coming: Videos to Your iPod
08:04 AM Jul. 18, 2005 PT
An iPod with video? Apple Computer has been talking to several major recording companies, looking to license the sale of music videos through the popular iTunes music service, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Negotiations are an indication that Apple is moving to release a device that plays video files, possibly by September, the Journal said. Analysts see the development as likely because of Apple's strength in video software, including the Quicktime movie format and video-editing software, such as Final Cut Pro and iMovie.
An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.
The Journal notes that so far, commercial movie download services have not met with much success, nor have devices already on the market allowing users to transfer video files from their PCs.
Meanwhile, Apple (AAPL) said Monday that iTunes has surpassed 500 million downloads since its inception two years ago.
08:04 AM Jul. 18, 2005 PT
An iPod with video? Apple Computer has been talking to several major recording companies, looking to license the sale of music videos through the popular iTunes music service, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Negotiations are an indication that Apple is moving to release a device that plays video files, possibly by September, the Journal said. Analysts see the development as likely because of Apple's strength in video software, including the Quicktime movie format and video-editing software, such as Final Cut Pro and iMovie.
An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.
The Journal notes that so far, commercial movie download services have not met with much success, nor have devices already on the market allowing users to transfer video files from their PCs.
Meanwhile, Apple (AAPL) said Monday that iTunes has surpassed 500 million downloads since its inception two years ago.
Sunday, July 17, 2005
Dune Climb Concert
Dune Climb Concert
More than a couple thousand showed up for the opening concert
Manitou Music Festival
Song of the Lakes
and
Welcome to the California Guitar Trio
and a look up the dune...
Wonderful Concert
Song of the Lakes great as usual
California Guitar Treo stunning with everything from Bach (Toccata and Fugue) to Beethoven (Ode to Joy) to the Doors (riders of the storm) to Ellington (Caravan, complete with drum solo)...
More than a couple thousand showed up for the opening concert
Manitou Music Festival
Song of the Lakes
and
Welcome to the California Guitar Trio
and a look up the dune...
Wonderful Concert
Song of the Lakes great as usual
California Guitar Treo stunning with everything from Bach (Toccata and Fugue) to Beethoven (Ode to Joy) to the Doors (riders of the storm) to Ellington (Caravan, complete with drum solo)...
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Friday, July 15, 2005
Moons
Good time of year for casual moon viewing
Moon(s) low over southern horizon, but rising quickly from month to month.
Days long, this moon rising early.
Shot is just after 9PM
Same stats as before, only some additional sharpening.
The rest of the exposure is unchanged.
Native American Moon name (Eastern North America)
From the Farmer's Almanac
Full Sturgeon Moon - July The fishing tribes are given credit for the naming of this Moon, since sturgeon, a large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, were most readily caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry haze. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon.
Moon(s) low over southern horizon, but rising quickly from month to month.
Days long, this moon rising early.
Shot is just after 9PM
Same stats as before, only some additional sharpening.
The rest of the exposure is unchanged.
Native American Moon name (Eastern North America)
From the Farmer's Almanac
Full Sturgeon Moon - July The fishing tribes are given credit for the naming of this Moon, since sturgeon, a large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, were most readily caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry haze. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon.
Yet more on Apple/Intel/Movies etc
PBS | I, Cringely . July 14, 2005 - More Shoes
"Shoes are dropping all over, in this case concerning a story I thought we had finished with: Apple and Intel. You see, IBM announced its new dual-core PowerPC processors a few days ago, and they pretty much contradict much of what Steve Jobs was saying about how he'd compared IBM's processor timeline with Intel's, and frankly, they simply didn't compare. IBM's G5 dual cores look easily comparable to Intel's Pentium Ds, both in terms of computing power and electrical power consumption. So what's really up?"
"Shoes are dropping all over, in this case concerning a story I thought we had finished with: Apple and Intel. You see, IBM announced its new dual-core PowerPC processors a few days ago, and they pretty much contradict much of what Steve Jobs was saying about how he'd compared IBM's processor timeline with Intel's, and frankly, they simply didn't compare. IBM's G5 dual cores look easily comparable to Intel's Pentium Ds, both in terms of computing power and electrical power consumption. So what's really up?"
Thursday, July 14, 2005
David as Fellow at Harvard
Very cool.
Good move on Berkman Center's part!
isen.blog
"It's on the Berkman website, so it must be official; I'm a fellow of Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society for Academic Year 2005-2006. My project will be "Freedom to Connect." I'm tempted to link it to the F2C: Freedom to Connect conference I produced in March, but I don't want to lock the project in too tightly just yet."
Congrats David!
Good move on Berkman Center's part!
isen.blog
"It's on the Berkman website, so it must be official; I'm a fellow of Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society for Academic Year 2005-2006. My project will be "Freedom to Connect." I'm tempted to link it to the F2C: Freedom to Connect conference I produced in March, but I don't want to lock the project in too tightly just yet."
Congrats David!
Mark Cuban on Podcasting
Mark with his usual sharp insight into the economics of the net.
Niche is nice, but not necessarly profitable enough to exploit
Podcasting - Blog Maverick - www.blogmaverick.com _
Followed by :
Podcasting - Blog Maverick - www.blogmaverick.com _
But what happens if we can move it to video?
"4th. We won’t get into video since it’s not a fair comparison. The number of portable devices capable of receiving a video podcast right now is miniscule. (Yes, I know about the devices with potential to get them, but they can’t yet and probably all have to be replaced to do so.) So what."
What about devices like : Pepper Pad ?
Niche is nice, but not necessarly profitable enough to exploit
Podcasting - Blog Maverick - www.blogmaverick.com _
Followed by :
Podcasting - Blog Maverick - www.blogmaverick.com _
But what happens if we can move it to video?
"4th. We won’t get into video since it’s not a fair comparison. The number of portable devices capable of receiving a video podcast right now is miniscule. (Yes, I know about the devices with potential to get them, but they can’t yet and probably all have to be replaced to do so.) So what."
What about devices like : Pepper Pad ?
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
SkyShots
Evening of July 12, between 9:25 and 9:30PM
Sunset about 9:28
Clouds remains of Hurricane Dennis
Meanwhile, back to the NEast
Note the mutiple sub-rings immediatly below the main band, and, I did not notice this until "processing", there's a hint of a outer ring on the far left of the frame.
And to the SEast
Note the similar value between the rainbow and the clouds
All shots have minor digital "enhancement" with sharpness increased 20+ % due to the lower light and exposure settings cut 25-30%.
Shutter speeds of 3/10 at f8
Sunset about 9:28
Clouds remains of Hurricane Dennis
Meanwhile, back to the NEast
Note the mutiple sub-rings immediatly below the main band, and, I did not notice this until "processing", there's a hint of a outer ring on the far left of the frame.
And to the SEast
Note the similar value between the rainbow and the clouds
All shots have minor digital "enhancement" with sharpness increased 20+ % due to the lower light and exposure settings cut 25-30%.
Shutter speeds of 3/10 at f8
MORE more more
The Doc Searls Weblog : Tuesday, July 12, 2005
"I've always wanted MORE back.."
I concur
MORE 3.1
Was a great tool
Have to look into OPML
Also had flashback to ...the Not Missed 70's hit...
"I've always wanted MORE back.."
I concur
MORE 3.1
Was a great tool
Have to look into OPML
Also had flashback to ...the Not Missed 70's hit...
Monday, July 11, 2005
More serious note - reflections on the London Bombing
If It's a Muslim Problem, It Needs a Muslim Solution - New York Times
Excerpt :
"But maybe the most important aspect of the London bombings is this: When jihadist-style bombings happen in Riyadh, that is a Muslim-Muslim problem. That is a police problem for Saudi Arabia. But when Al-Qaeda-like bombings come to the London Underground, that becomes a civilizational problem. Every Muslim living in a Western society suddenly becomes a suspect, becomes a potential walking bomb. And when that happens, it means Western countries are going to be tempted to crack down even harder on their own Muslim populations."
I also had reactions to posting by my friend David
Quote of Note: Martin Varsavsky
Then there was a reply by David
Civilian death
And my comment :
"I happened to have been stunned by the tone of the "posting" we both linked to by those "celebrating" the incident.
I sometimes wish that radicals of all sides (as there are many sides, not just two) could be confined to an island and find their own bit of "heaven" by dealing with one another."
Let's take it a bit further
Does Anyone give a damn about Africa?
The Congo Case - New York Times
But that starts a whole 'nuther discussion
Not to mention any distraction from G8 Summit attempts to help Africa or Live8...
Excerpt :
"But maybe the most important aspect of the London bombings is this: When jihadist-style bombings happen in Riyadh, that is a Muslim-Muslim problem. That is a police problem for Saudi Arabia. But when Al-Qaeda-like bombings come to the London Underground, that becomes a civilizational problem. Every Muslim living in a Western society suddenly becomes a suspect, becomes a potential walking bomb. And when that happens, it means Western countries are going to be tempted to crack down even harder on their own Muslim populations."
I also had reactions to posting by my friend David
Quote of Note: Martin Varsavsky
Then there was a reply by David
Civilian death
And my comment :
"I happened to have been stunned by the tone of the "posting" we both linked to by those "celebrating" the incident.
I sometimes wish that radicals of all sides (as there are many sides, not just two) could be confined to an island and find their own bit of "heaven" by dealing with one another."
Let's take it a bit further
Does Anyone give a damn about Africa?
The Congo Case - New York Times
But that starts a whole 'nuther discussion
Not to mention any distraction from G8 Summit attempts to help Africa or Live8...
Very Cool - Nikki Hayden wins
Soup :: Laguna Seca MotoGP Race Photos
Nikki was fastest in qualifying, then led every lap
His first MotoGP win
Home, in front of friends and family.
Nikki was fastest in qualifying, then led every lap
His first MotoGP win
Home, in front of friends and family.
Sunday, July 10, 2005
A step beyond Intel/Apple?
PBS | I, Cringely . July 7, 2005 - Pod Person
NerdTV is coming
VBlogging
Sorta iTunes meets podcasting (without the charges) meets Mashups?
NerdTV is coming
VBlogging
Sorta iTunes meets podcasting (without the charges) meets Mashups?
Intel Buys Apple ? ... more
Looney Dunes: Intel Buys Apple ?
Spotted the following from Jeff Jarvis on Dell customer service
Dell Hell: The Postscript
Now, if Dell is really moving further down the commodity path, maybe it makes sense for Intel to shift to Apple and focus on the "home entertainment" market.
Also :
Hugh on Jeff on Dell
Spotted the following from Jeff Jarvis on Dell customer service
Dell Hell: The Postscript
Now, if Dell is really moving further down the commodity path, maybe it makes sense for Intel to shift to Apple and focus on the "home entertainment" market.
Also :
Hugh on Jeff on Dell
Saturday, July 09, 2005
Evening shot
Tail end of another beautiful day
About 9:45
Not a cloud in the sky
Quiet
Most boaters have headed in
Nice evening
Very young moon
About 3 days old
New was on 6th
This was 9:35 on 9th
Just an experiment to see how it looks online
Bookmark
Welcome to the MBLWHOI Library Website
More or less a marker
Met Cathy Norton, head of the Library Monday 6/27
Awsome place.
Thanks Jim for the intro
More or less a marker
Met Cathy Norton, head of the Library Monday 6/27
Awsome place.
Thanks Jim for the intro
More serious note - Great Lakes Water Quality
Billions Needed to Improve Great Lakes, Coalition Says - New York Times:
"A coalition of government agencies, businesses and environmental groups on Thursday offered a blueprint for improving the deteriorating health of the Great Lakes, including spending $13.75 billion over five years to stop untreated sewage from overflowing into the lakes from aging wastewater treatment plants."
"A coalition of government agencies, businesses and environmental groups on Thursday offered a blueprint for improving the deteriorating health of the Great Lakes, including spending $13.75 billion over five years to stop untreated sewage from overflowing into the lakes from aging wastewater treatment plants."
More on Intel/Apple
PBS | I, Cringely . May 12, 2005 - Inflection Point
Checking back, I found this piece.
Cringely discusses various moves by MuSoft (pre announcing xBox 360 with typical FUD (Fear Uncertianty Doubt) targeting others), Yahoo music, Google "Accelerator" ...
Now, with the shifts going on to get control of "home entertainment" would it be worthwhile for Intel to move from just supplying chips to whole systems.
Note that the xBox 360 is going with IBM designed chip !
Wikipedia
Bill jumps on Steve's processor as Steve shifts to Intel?
Most interesting and I don't have the answers, just speculation.
Checking back, I found this piece.
Cringely discusses various moves by MuSoft (pre announcing xBox 360 with typical FUD (Fear Uncertianty Doubt) targeting others), Yahoo music, Google "Accelerator" ...
Now, with the shifts going on to get control of "home entertainment" would it be worthwhile for Intel to move from just supplying chips to whole systems.
Note that the xBox 360 is going with IBM designed chip !
Wikipedia
Bill jumps on Steve's processor as Steve shifts to Intel?
Most interesting and I don't have the answers, just speculation.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
So that's why the sun looks so small ...
SpaceWeather.com -- News and information about meteor showers, solar flares, auroras, and near-Earth asteroids:
"APHELION: You probably haven't noticed, but the sun today looks a bit smaller than usual. That's because, this week, Earth is at its greatest distance from the sun (152 million km), a point in our planet's orbit called aphelion"
"APHELION: You probably haven't noticed, but the sun today looks a bit smaller than usual. That's because, this week, Earth is at its greatest distance from the sun (152 million km), a point in our planet's orbit called aphelion"
Intel Buys Apple ?
PBS | I, Cringely . June 9, 2005 - Going for Broke
And then :
Intel Takes Stake in On-Demand Movies
So what ?
How about Intel moves further into "home entertainment" ?
Apple is the clear winner when it comes to design issues, both package and interface.
Assume that Jobs/Apple comes out with iHollywood or iWhatever patterned after iTunes. Intel moves further from MuSoft and commodity products.
How better to do it than to team up with leading interface and all around "cool" company.
No need to buy all of Apple, although that would be possible, just take a major stake it it.
And then :
Intel Takes Stake in On-Demand Movies
So what ?
How about Intel moves further into "home entertainment" ?
Apple is the clear winner when it comes to design issues, both package and interface.
Assume that Jobs/Apple comes out with iHollywood or iWhatever patterned after iTunes. Intel moves further from MuSoft and commodity products.
How better to do it than to team up with leading interface and all around "cool" company.
No need to buy all of Apple, although that would be possible, just take a major stake it it.
Terror Attacks in London Kill 2, Injure 190 on Subways, Buses
WSJ.com - Terror Attacks in London Kill 2, Injure 190 on Subways, Buses
From Op/Ed piece on June 29th "The New Stockholm Syndrome"
"If a conservative is a liberal who's been mugged, what do you call a Swede who's been kidnapped? Somebody you wouldn't want to cross, that's for sure.
Ulf Hjertstrom has redefined the term Stockholm Syndrome, the bizarre attachment some hostages develop for their captors, first observed during a bank robbery in the Swedish capital more than 30 years ago. No such bonds were forged between Mr. Hjertstrom, a Swedish oil engineer, and the Shura Council of the Mujahedeen of Iraq, which held him captive for 67 days. "I have now put some people to work to find these bastards," Mr. Hjertstrom told reporters after his release. "I invested about $50,000 so far. And we will get them one by one. These scum should be out of business."
and
"Likewise, Georges Malbrunot, one of two French hostages released in December, first did not understand why he and his colleague were held captive since their country had opposed the war. Eventually, though, Mr. Malbrunot came to understand. "Little by little, we came to discover we were really on planet bin Laden," he wrote in Le Figaro. "For them [the terrorists], France is the West, it's a global vision, it's the infidel West against the Muslim world."
From Op/Ed piece on June 29th "The New Stockholm Syndrome"
"If a conservative is a liberal who's been mugged, what do you call a Swede who's been kidnapped? Somebody you wouldn't want to cross, that's for sure.
Ulf Hjertstrom has redefined the term Stockholm Syndrome, the bizarre attachment some hostages develop for their captors, first observed during a bank robbery in the Swedish capital more than 30 years ago. No such bonds were forged between Mr. Hjertstrom, a Swedish oil engineer, and the Shura Council of the Mujahedeen of Iraq, which held him captive for 67 days. "I have now put some people to work to find these bastards," Mr. Hjertstrom told reporters after his release. "I invested about $50,000 so far. And we will get them one by one. These scum should be out of business."
and
"Likewise, Georges Malbrunot, one of two French hostages released in December, first did not understand why he and his colleague were held captive since their country had opposed the war. Eventually, though, Mr. Malbrunot came to understand. "Little by little, we came to discover we were really on planet bin Laden," he wrote in Le Figaro. "For them [the terrorists], France is the West, it's a global vision, it's the infidel West against the Muslim world."
Grandpa and Grandson
By "Popular Demand" here we are. June 28th, and Robbie is a day old.
All doing well.
Grandpa contemplating "second childhood" although some think he never left the first one...
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Movie/Bike Trivia
Alright
Who's been messing with images ?
Instead of doing something useful, I fiddled around with the following for a bit
There was a story in the NYTimes about an auction of Brando stuff
Didn't grab url before it went behind the "pay-per-view" wall
"The Outtakes Of Brando's Large Life"
But found the shot:
I don't (yet) know the story behind this Guzzi shot,
but it wasn't from "The Wild One"
In the movie, he was a Triumph.
There is also a shot of him on a Matchless
Movie review/backgrounder
The Wild One
Hey, Johnny, What are you rebelling against?
While tapping out a jazzy beat on the top of the jukebox, he raises his eyebrow and drawls his amorphous reason for rebellion:
What've you got?
Who's been messing with images ?
Instead of doing something useful, I fiddled around with the following for a bit
There was a story in the NYTimes about an auction of Brando stuff
Didn't grab url before it went behind the "pay-per-view" wall
"The Outtakes Of Brando's Large Life"
But found the shot:
I don't (yet) know the story behind this Guzzi shot,
but it wasn't from "The Wild One"
In the movie, he was a Triumph.
There is also a shot of him on a Matchless
Movie review/backgrounder
The Wild One
Hey, Johnny, What are you rebelling against?
While tapping out a jazzy beat on the top of the jukebox, he raises his eyebrow and drawls his amorphous reason for rebellion:
What've you got?
Monday, July 04, 2005
Fast Company : on Design
What P&G Knows About the Power of Design
Your products run for election every day, says Procter & Gamble CEO A.G. Lafley. And good design is critical to winning the campaign."
Whole issue on the power of design.
This piece is on P&G
Also see Virginia's examples and comments (Crest Pro-Health Rinse)
P&G's Design Initiative Comes to Mouthwash
"Here's how that resolve plays out in a new product. The bottle for Crest Pro-Health Rinse is so appealing that Steve and I almost bought some, even though we never use mouthwash. It looks especially good compared to the nearby Listerine, which even in its friendly blue form "looks industrial, like Janitor in a Drum," says Professor Postrel."
Ouch
Your products run for election every day, says Procter & Gamble CEO A.G. Lafley. And good design is critical to winning the campaign."
Whole issue on the power of design.
This piece is on P&G
Also see Virginia's examples and comments (Crest Pro-Health Rinse)
P&G's Design Initiative Comes to Mouthwash
"Here's how that resolve plays out in a new product. The bottle for Crest Pro-Health Rinse is so appealing that Steve and I almost bought some, even though we never use mouthwash. It looks especially good compared to the nearby Listerine, which even in its friendly blue form "looks industrial, like Janitor in a Drum," says Professor Postrel."
Ouch
Uh-Oh not good news - Kelo and further thinking
Looney Dunes: Uh-Oh not good news
Reflection on the decision
Not the end of the world
Rather, a wake up call to citizens to get their state representatives to write sensible eminent domain legislation.
Some interesting comments from Virginia :
Appalled but Not Surprised
Interesting reference to reaction to Bowers decision :
"The ruling galvanized efforts to repeal anti-sodomy statutes, to challenge such laws under state constitutions, and, ultimately, to get Hardwick overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Glenn notes that Bowers, unlike Kelo, "was consistent with the law going all the way back." That's not the only difference. Bowers upheld laws that most Americans assumed were essentially symbolic and unenforced. One reason the decision was so shocking was that Mr. Hardwick had actually been arrested in the privacy of his own bedroom, demonstrating that the laws could have real-life consequences. Still, even sodomy law supporters didn't want stricter enforcement. Bowers wasn't going to lead to systematic police sweeps of the nation's bedrooms.
Kelo, by contrast, isn't about cultural symbolism and largely unenforced law. It's about common practices. American cities quite regularly take property from some private parties to give it to other, usually wealthier ones. Now that practice has the Supreme Court's blessing. Kelo could very well lead to much more aggressive use of eminent domain for "economic development." Bowers was offensive, but Kelo is scary. "
Call to action to get local and state laws enacted.
Also, for a giggle :
Souter Home to be Seized by Eminent Domain
"The proposed development, called "The Lost Liberty Hotel" will feature the "Just Desserts Café" and include a museum, open to the public, featuring a permanent exhibit on the loss of freedom in America. Instead of a Gideon's Bible each guest will receive a free copy of Ayn Rand's novel 'Atlas Shrugged'."
Heard this on radio headed to Providence (odd coincidence of name?) WRKO Boston.
Also : thanks to David for picking it up :
David's Blog
Reflection on the decision
Not the end of the world
Rather, a wake up call to citizens to get their state representatives to write sensible eminent domain legislation.
Some interesting comments from Virginia :
Appalled but Not Surprised
Interesting reference to reaction to Bowers decision :
"The ruling galvanized efforts to repeal anti-sodomy statutes, to challenge such laws under state constitutions, and, ultimately, to get Hardwick overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Glenn notes that Bowers, unlike Kelo, "was consistent with the law going all the way back." That's not the only difference. Bowers upheld laws that most Americans assumed were essentially symbolic and unenforced. One reason the decision was so shocking was that Mr. Hardwick had actually been arrested in the privacy of his own bedroom, demonstrating that the laws could have real-life consequences. Still, even sodomy law supporters didn't want stricter enforcement. Bowers wasn't going to lead to systematic police sweeps of the nation's bedrooms.
Kelo, by contrast, isn't about cultural symbolism and largely unenforced law. It's about common practices. American cities quite regularly take property from some private parties to give it to other, usually wealthier ones. Now that practice has the Supreme Court's blessing. Kelo could very well lead to much more aggressive use of eminent domain for "economic development." Bowers was offensive, but Kelo is scary. "
Call to action to get local and state laws enacted.
Also, for a giggle :
Souter Home to be Seized by Eminent Domain
"The proposed development, called "The Lost Liberty Hotel" will feature the "Just Desserts Café" and include a museum, open to the public, featuring a permanent exhibit on the loss of freedom in America. Instead of a Gideon's Bible each guest will receive a free copy of Ayn Rand's novel 'Atlas Shrugged'."
Heard this on radio headed to Providence (odd coincidence of name?) WRKO Boston.
Also : thanks to David for picking it up :
David's Blog
Friedman on Ireland
The End of the Rainbow
Follow up to Rich's piece on Entrepreneur's
It's the Entrepreneurs, Stupid!
"Dublin
Here's something you probably didn't know: Ireland today is the richest country in the European Union after Luxembourg.
Yes, the country that for hundreds of years was best known for emigration, tragic poets, famines, civil wars and leprechauns today has a per capita G.D.P. higher than that of Germany, France and Britain. How Ireland went from the sick man of Europe to the rich man in less than a generation is an amazing story. It tells you a lot about Europe today: all the innovation is happening on the periphery by those countries embracing globalization in their own ways - Ireland, Britain, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe - while those following the French-German social model are suffering high unemployment and low growth.
---
And followed by:
Follow the Leapin' Leprechaun
Dublin
There is a huge debate roiling in Europe today over which economic model to follow: the Franco-German shorter-workweek-six-weeks'-vacation-never-fire-anyone-but-high-unemployment social model or the less protected but more innovative, high-employment Anglo-Saxon model preferred by Britain, Ireland and Eastern Europe. It is obvious to me that the Irish-British model is the way of the future, and the only question is when Germany and France will face reality: either they become Ireland or they become museums. That is their real choice over the next few years - it's either the leprechaun way or the Louvre.
Follow up to Rich's piece on Entrepreneur's
It's the Entrepreneurs, Stupid!
"Dublin
Here's something you probably didn't know: Ireland today is the richest country in the European Union after Luxembourg.
Yes, the country that for hundreds of years was best known for emigration, tragic poets, famines, civil wars and leprechauns today has a per capita G.D.P. higher than that of Germany, France and Britain. How Ireland went from the sick man of Europe to the rich man in less than a generation is an amazing story. It tells you a lot about Europe today: all the innovation is happening on the periphery by those countries embracing globalization in their own ways - Ireland, Britain, Scandinavia and Eastern Europe - while those following the French-German social model are suffering high unemployment and low growth.
---
And followed by:
Follow the Leapin' Leprechaun
Dublin
There is a huge debate roiling in Europe today over which economic model to follow: the Franco-German shorter-workweek-six-weeks'-vacation-never-fire-anyone-but-high-unemployment social model or the less protected but more innovative, high-employment Anglo-Saxon model preferred by Britain, Ireland and Eastern Europe. It is obvious to me that the Irish-British model is the way of the future, and the only question is when Germany and France will face reality: either they become Ireland or they become museums. That is their real choice over the next few years - it's either the leprechaun way or the Louvre.
I'll Fly Away ...
Back to "stuff"
With a nod to Norah Jones (I'll fly away), finally made it back home
Brief recap of return from Boston : just 'cause (recap of Wed 6/29)
Up at 5:00 - not that unusual, beat the 5:30 wake up call (which came at 5:20)
Out and on the road to Providence (RI) by 5:30
Took about hour & a half.
Early because I was a bit concerned about fog from prior night's weather forecast.
Return rental and plenty of time for check-in, security etc. for 9:14 flight.
Chose early flight to avoid delay pile-up's
More than enough time ... or so I thought
"Computer Problems" on the aircraft.
Turns out that it was valve actuation issues with right side engine.
Delay for testing till 9:40 ... OK, but looks like missing the 11:56 connection in DTW
Call NWA for later bookings.
1:30
3:15
5:12
All filled 'till 7:30PM flight out - so book me, if there's an opening earlier, I'll take it.
Delay for testing till 10:40 - glad I booked later flight
Delay for testing till 11:15 - still glad for the later booking.
Finally - "this plane not flying till sometime this evening. We need a new valve and it will have to be flown in. Go to baggage claim, collect your baggage and return to the ticketing counter."
Had 100% carry-on (whew)
Got booked on USAir due out at 1:55 to Philly then on to DTW, leave 4:16 arrive 6:06.
Back through security, but this time, as it was a 2nd pass through - got "special screening"
At first I thought it was to expedite - nope.
Booth sniff, full swab of briefcase, computer case, suitcase.
Make it to USAir and board.
Back away from the gate - but Ground Hold - weather in Philly.
First hold something like 30min, next maybe an hour.
Note that while on the ramp, the A/C doesn't work all that well.
Finally, about 2:50 the captian says "more bad news... 2hr hold" and he takes us back to the gate.
2:52 call to NWA (while we taxi back to gate) to nail only flight to NWA out at 4:14.
OK - hoof it to NWA gate.
Would prefer to get stuck in Detroit - options of hotel, or just rent car to make 5+hr drive home.
"We're booked up" (gate attendent)
"I'm booked... check the computer" - confirmed.
Starting to get frustrated with situation.
Captain calls me aside to show me the radar - obvious that East Coast is in trouble, now LaGuardia, Baltimore, DC closed. With luck, he gets us out between cells, and up to Mowhawk Valley to swing west.
But ... now we need the "ticket" from USAir - back to that gate, interrupt agent and manage to get ticket... back to NWA as they are starting to board.
Whew.
Some ground delays, longer flight due to re-routing, have to OJ it through Detroit Metro to make connection ... but done.
Touchdown a bit after 8:45
Glad to be home.
Lesson's : travel light (carry on), cellphone with airline 800 number.
With a nod to Norah Jones (I'll fly away), finally made it back home
Brief recap of return from Boston : just 'cause (recap of Wed 6/29)
Up at 5:00 - not that unusual, beat the 5:30 wake up call (which came at 5:20)
Out and on the road to Providence (RI) by 5:30
Took about hour & a half.
Early because I was a bit concerned about fog from prior night's weather forecast.
Return rental and plenty of time for check-in, security etc. for 9:14 flight.
Chose early flight to avoid delay pile-up's
More than enough time ... or so I thought
"Computer Problems" on the aircraft.
Turns out that it was valve actuation issues with right side engine.
Delay for testing till 9:40 ... OK, but looks like missing the 11:56 connection in DTW
Call NWA for later bookings.
1:30
3:15
5:12
All filled 'till 7:30PM flight out - so book me, if there's an opening earlier, I'll take it.
Delay for testing till 10:40 - glad I booked later flight
Delay for testing till 11:15 - still glad for the later booking.
Finally - "this plane not flying till sometime this evening. We need a new valve and it will have to be flown in. Go to baggage claim, collect your baggage and return to the ticketing counter."
Had 100% carry-on (whew)
Got booked on USAir due out at 1:55 to Philly then on to DTW, leave 4:16 arrive 6:06.
Back through security, but this time, as it was a 2nd pass through - got "special screening"
At first I thought it was to expedite - nope.
Booth sniff, full swab of briefcase, computer case, suitcase.
Make it to USAir and board.
Back away from the gate - but Ground Hold - weather in Philly.
First hold something like 30min, next maybe an hour.
Note that while on the ramp, the A/C doesn't work all that well.
Finally, about 2:50 the captian says "more bad news... 2hr hold" and he takes us back to the gate.
2:52 call to NWA (while we taxi back to gate) to nail only flight to NWA out at 4:14.
OK - hoof it to NWA gate.
Would prefer to get stuck in Detroit - options of hotel, or just rent car to make 5+hr drive home.
"We're booked up" (gate attendent)
"I'm booked... check the computer" - confirmed.
Starting to get frustrated with situation.
Captain calls me aside to show me the radar - obvious that East Coast is in trouble, now LaGuardia, Baltimore, DC closed. With luck, he gets us out between cells, and up to Mowhawk Valley to swing west.
But ... now we need the "ticket" from USAir - back to that gate, interrupt agent and manage to get ticket... back to NWA as they are starting to board.
Whew.
Some ground delays, longer flight due to re-routing, have to OJ it through Detroit Metro to make connection ... but done.
Touchdown a bit after 8:45
Glad to be home.
Lesson's : travel light (carry on), cellphone with airline 800 number.
Friday, July 01, 2005
Podcasting
I finally understand podcasting - megnut.com
" As much as I love to express myself on this site, I couldn't picture myself making audio posts available for download. And as much as I enjoy reading many other sites, I couldn't imagine listening to people talk about breakfast or parking their cars. I've never been able to test my podcast assumptions because I've been using a dial-up internet connection for a large chunk of this year, but now I think I finally get it.
Podcasting isn't (just) about listening to your friends talk about their day on your iPod. It's about time-shifting: being able to download and listen to programs when you want, e.g. four episodes of Fresh Air while you're cleaning your house."
Meg's comments triggered a "flashback"
Late 60's (dating myself here) and did a "term paper" for a philosophy class.
Professor was pretty esoteric himself so I chose to take a tape recorder, drive around for a couple of hours and "free associate". I don't recall much other than I did talk (ramble was likely more accurate description) about the characters and their "lives" in various Marvel Comics.
" As much as I love to express myself on this site, I couldn't picture myself making audio posts available for download. And as much as I enjoy reading many other sites, I couldn't imagine listening to people talk about breakfast or parking their cars. I've never been able to test my podcast assumptions because I've been using a dial-up internet connection for a large chunk of this year, but now I think I finally get it.
Podcasting isn't (just) about listening to your friends talk about their day on your iPod. It's about time-shifting: being able to download and listen to programs when you want, e.g. four episodes of Fresh Air while you're cleaning your house."
Meg's comments triggered a "flashback"
Late 60's (dating myself here) and did a "term paper" for a philosophy class.
Professor was pretty esoteric himself so I chose to take a tape recorder, drive around for a couple of hours and "free associate". I don't recall much other than I did talk (ramble was likely more accurate description) about the characters and their "lives" in various Marvel Comics.
Hiatus
Back from brief Hiatus.
Multi-Family, multi-generational gathering was "interupted" by arrival of first grandson.
All doing well, all happy.
Will be catching up soon.
Multi-Family, multi-generational gathering was "interupted" by arrival of first grandson.
All doing well, all happy.
Will be catching up soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)