Best I can figure, it's a petrified gnome buried up to his butt in fallen leafs...
Saturday, October 29, 2005
Strange Formation
Best I can figure, it's a petrified gnome buried up to his butt in fallen leafs...
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Da Donald ...
What's He Really Worth? - New York Times
Disclosure: we watch "The Apprentice"
But not for knowledge nor education, just for laughs.
This is a made up and make believe show.
Contestents are chosen based on looks and "interesting" personaliities.
Situations are pure fiction, decisions are not "real world" and results are, shall we say "Trumped Up"
"Star of the show" is over the top full of himself, and from this article, full of much else ...
Take a few min to read and get some insight as to what a bill (bull?) of goods the viewing public is being sold.
That said, "The Donald" is a master of self promotion.
Disclosure: we watch "The Apprentice"
But not for knowledge nor education, just for laughs.
This is a made up and make believe show.
Contestents are chosen based on looks and "interesting" personaliities.
Situations are pure fiction, decisions are not "real world" and results are, shall we say "Trumped Up"
"Star of the show" is over the top full of himself, and from this article, full of much else ...
Take a few min to read and get some insight as to what a bill (bull?) of goods the viewing public is being sold.
That said, "The Donald" is a master of self promotion.
Saturday, October 22, 2005
The Answer ...Circumzenithal Arc
Circumzenithal Arc
"The circumzenithal arc is the most beautiful of all the halos. The first sighting is always a surprise, an ethereal rainbow fled from its watery origins and wrapped improbably about the zenith. It is often described as an 'upside down rainbow' by first timers. Someone also charmingly likened it to 'a grin in the sky'.
Look straight up near to the zenith when the sun if fairly low and especially if sundogs are visible. The centre of the bow always sunwards and red is on the outside."
"The circumzenithal arc is the most beautiful of all the halos. The first sighting is always a surprise, an ethereal rainbow fled from its watery origins and wrapped improbably about the zenith. It is often described as an 'upside down rainbow' by first timers. Someone also charmingly likened it to 'a grin in the sky'.
Look straight up near to the zenith when the sun if fairly low and especially if sundogs are visible. The centre of the bow always sunwards and red is on the outside."
Spectacular Solar Sight
Not sure what it's called and I don't think I've ever seen one before.
Late afternoon, high cirrus clouds, modest "ring" or halo around the sun and then this "reverse rainbow"
Sun is to the lower left in this shot and there is a hint of the halo just to the lower left.
Shot below is closer to the sun (lower left) more of the halo
Then below is example of a piece of the refraction or iridescence or sun dog
I just decided to catch the reflection in the lake
For this shot, sun is headign towards setting off to the right of the frame.
If I can get the images into Canon's photo software, I can stich a few together to pull the images (halo and "reverse rainbow") together.
Shots were around 4:50 on Fri Oct 21st
Late afternoon, high cirrus clouds, modest "ring" or halo around the sun and then this "reverse rainbow"
Sun is to the lower left in this shot and there is a hint of the halo just to the lower left.
Shot below is closer to the sun (lower left) more of the halo
Then below is example of a piece of the refraction or iridescence or sun dog
I just decided to catch the reflection in the lake
For this shot, sun is headign towards setting off to the right of the frame.
If I can get the images into Canon's photo software, I can stich a few together to pull the images (halo and "reverse rainbow") together.
Shots were around 4:50 on Fri Oct 21st
Thursday, October 20, 2005
DRM : Dumb Rights Machinations
Walt on DRM
Good for him - and he has the "Bully Pulpit"
Excerpt:
WSJ.com - Personal Technology
In my view, both sides have a point, but the real issue isn't DRM itself -- it's the manner in which DRM is used by copyright holders. Companies have a right to protect their property, and DRM is one means to do so. But treating all consumers as potential criminals by using DRM to overly limit their activities is just plain wrong.
Good for him - and he has the "Bully Pulpit"
Excerpt:
WSJ.com - Personal Technology
In my view, both sides have a point, but the real issue isn't DRM itself -- it's the manner in which DRM is used by copyright holders. Companies have a right to protect their property, and DRM is one means to do so. But treating all consumers as potential criminals by using DRM to overly limit their activities is just plain wrong.
Let's be clear: The theft of intellectual property on the Internet is a real problem. Millions of copies of songs, TV shows and movies are being distributed over the Internet by people who have no legal right to do so, robbing media companies and artists of rightful compensation for their work.
Even if you think the record labels and movie studios are stupid and greedy, as many do, that doesn't entitle you to steal their products. If your local supermarket were run by people you didn't like, and charged more than you thought was fair, you wouldn't be entitled to shoplift Cheerios from its shelves.
On the other hand, I believe that consumers should have broad leeway to use legally purchased music and video for personal, noncommercial purposes in any way they want -- as long as they don't engage in mass distribution. They should be able to copy it to as many personal digital devices as they own, convert it to any format those devices require, and play it in whatever locations, at whatever times, they choose.
The beauty of digital media is the flexibility, and that flexibility shouldn't be destroyed for honest consumers just because the companies that sell them have a theft problem caused by a minority of people.
Instead of using DRM to stop some individual from copying a song to give to her brother, the industry should be focusing on ways to use DRM to stop the serious pirates -- people who upload massive quantities of music and videos to so-called file-sharing sites, or factories in China that churn out millions of pirate CDs and DVDs.
I believe Congress should rewrite the copyright laws to carve out a broad exemption for personal, noncommercial use by consumers, including sharing small numbers of copies among families.
Until then, I suggest that consumers avoid stealing music and videos, but also boycott products like copy-protected CDs that overly limit usage and treat everyone like a criminal. That would send the industry a message to use DRM more judiciously.
• Email me at mossberg@wsj.comWednesday, October 19, 2005
That time of year
Morning shot, about 9:15
Clouds just moving on, a few splashes of sun.
Air still pretty clear, few showers moved out
Later, early afternoon with more blue sky.
Walking the dog, break from emailing / talking to lawyers ...
Avian Flew ?
Not a great shot, but representative
Mostly gulls in the air, ducks on the water
That time of year
Scores of Merganzers were fishing very clost to shore earlier, joined by gulls.
Later they moved further out.
We now have about 1/2 dozen swans.
Dozens of Canadian Geese.
Geese, Merganzers and gulls will leave soon, Buffleheads and other diving ducks will come in, some will linger till the ice starts.
For now, I'm assuming the risks of "Flu" are low ... and we don't mingle anyway.
Wilma ...
Sounds of Fred Flintstone ....
Hope this doesn't come to pass.
Don't want to have to pack a mop with travel gear...
From WSJournal
Hurricane Wilma Strengthens
To Category 5 Storm
Associated Press
October 19, 2005 5:55 a.m.
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras – Hurricane Wilma strengthened into a Category 5 monster early Wednesday with 175 mph winds, and forecasters said a key reading of the storm's pressure showed it to be the most powerful of the year.
Wilma was on course to sideswipe Central America and Mexico, and forecasters warned of a "significant threat" to Florida by the weekend.
The storm's power multiplied greatly over the last day. It was only Tuesday morning that Wilma grew from a tropical storm into a weak hurricane with 80 miles per hour winds. (See more information on Wilma at the National Hurricane Center's Web site.)
Forecasters warned that Wilma was likely to rake Honduras and the Cayman Islands before turning toward the narrow Yucatan Channel between Cuba and Mexico's Cancun region -- then move into the storm-weary Gulf of Mexico.
...
A small fishing boat capsized in a coastal lagoon, but Honduran authorities rescued its occupants.
By 2 a.m. EDT, the hurricane was centered about 170 miles south-southwest of Grand Cayman Island and about 400 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico. It was moving toward the west-northwest at nearly 8 mph, according to the Hurricane Center.
"It does look like it poses a significant threat to Florida by the weekend. Of course, these are four- and five-day forecasts, so things can change," said Dan Brown, a meteorologist at the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
...
Although the storm wasn't expected to approach Florida until the weekend, some residents began buying water, canned food and other emergency supplies early. Many said they take every storm seriously now, after witnessing the devastation from a succession of hurricanes that have ravaged the southern U.S.
Wilma's track could take it near Punta Gorda on Florida's southwestern Gulf Coast and other areas in the state hit by Hurricane Charley, a Category 4 storm, in August 2004; forecasters urged Florida residents to closely monitor Wilma.
...
Tracking : Hurricane WILMA
Hope this doesn't come to pass.
Don't want to have to pack a mop with travel gear...
From WSJournal
Hurricane Wilma Strengthens
To Category 5 Storm
Associated Press
October 19, 2005 5:55 a.m.
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras – Hurricane Wilma strengthened into a Category 5 monster early Wednesday with 175 mph winds, and forecasters said a key reading of the storm's pressure showed it to be the most powerful of the year.
Wilma was on course to sideswipe Central America and Mexico, and forecasters warned of a "significant threat" to Florida by the weekend.
The storm's power multiplied greatly over the last day. It was only Tuesday morning that Wilma grew from a tropical storm into a weak hurricane with 80 miles per hour winds. (See more information on Wilma at the National Hurricane Center's Web site.)
Forecasters warned that Wilma was likely to rake Honduras and the Cayman Islands before turning toward the narrow Yucatan Channel between Cuba and Mexico's Cancun region -- then move into the storm-weary Gulf of Mexico.
...
A small fishing boat capsized in a coastal lagoon, but Honduran authorities rescued its occupants.
By 2 a.m. EDT, the hurricane was centered about 170 miles south-southwest of Grand Cayman Island and about 400 miles southeast of Cozumel, Mexico. It was moving toward the west-northwest at nearly 8 mph, according to the Hurricane Center.
"It does look like it poses a significant threat to Florida by the weekend. Of course, these are four- and five-day forecasts, so things can change," said Dan Brown, a meteorologist at the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
...
Although the storm wasn't expected to approach Florida until the weekend, some residents began buying water, canned food and other emergency supplies early. Many said they take every storm seriously now, after witnessing the devastation from a succession of hurricanes that have ravaged the southern U.S.
Wilma's track could take it near Punta Gorda on Florida's southwestern Gulf Coast and other areas in the state hit by Hurricane Charley, a Category 4 storm, in August 2004; forecasters urged Florida residents to closely monitor Wilma.
...
Tracking : Hurricane WILMA
Mindless blather before Coffie
So...While pulling on my skivvies this AM, I wondered ...
Sometime in the future, if/when cloning and "test tube" babies are common, will there be a opening for brand ...
"Fruit of the Womb"?
Blogrolling
Thanks for the attribution Doc ...
The Doc Searls Weblog : Monday, October 17, 2005
Hadn't gotten around to posting these on this blog
Good stuff from Tom and John
Tom's new book goes on my reading list
The Doc Searls Weblog : Monday, October 17, 2005
Hadn't gotten around to posting these on this blog
Good stuff from Tom and John
Tom's new book goes on my reading list
Monday, October 17, 2005
BPL : BroadBand option
Gave little bump to my investment in Ambient (ABTG.OB) but just a poker bet anyway...
Power Companies Enter the High-Speed Internet Market - New York Times: "The idea has been around for years. In Spain and elsewhere in Europe, utility companies have long offered high-speed Internet service to consumers over their power lines.
But American utilities are only now beginning to roll out broadband connections on their grid."
Power Companies Enter the High-Speed Internet Market - New York Times: "The idea has been around for years. In Spain and elsewhere in Europe, utility companies have long offered high-speed Internet service to consumers over their power lines.
But American utilities are only now beginning to roll out broadband connections on their grid."
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Shamless Cleb Spotting
Flight back from NYC to Detroit
Guy across the isle looked so familiar
Typing away on his Powerbook (Mac)
Good choice
Suggested who it was to Shirley, but she doubted me.
Then, as we got ready to leave, the purple bag, lepoard spot strap and big "E" on the bag confirmed it for her ...
Elvis Costello
Very cool
No one else seemed to recognize
Also very cool
Guy across the isle looked so familiar
Typing away on his Powerbook (Mac)
Good choice
Suggested who it was to Shirley, but she doubted me.
Then, as we got ready to leave, the purple bag, lepoard spot strap and big "E" on the bag confirmed it for her ...
Elvis Costello
Very cool
No one else seemed to recognize
Also very cool
Friday, October 14, 2005
Another day of rain ...
Yet another day of rain.
Caught a cab to the Guggenheim for Russia! with visits to Chagall and Kandinsky Galleries.
Evening at Picholine for another nice dinner...
This is Terrance Brennan's place near Lincoln Center.
Busier, louder, a bit more crowded than Daniel.
Head cold had set in, so it dampened my palette.
Upside is it kept us to the more modest end of the wine list (VBG)
Interesting bit on taxonomy
In the Classification Kingdom, Only the Fittest Survive - New York Times: "Essay
In the Classification Kingdom, Only the Fittest Survive"
Wondering how it patterns to work at the Woods Hole Marine Biology Library
MBLWHOI Library: MBLWHOI Library Information
In the Classification Kingdom, Only the Fittest Survive"
Wondering how it patterns to work at the Woods Hole Marine Biology Library
MBLWHOI Library: MBLWHOI Library Information
A day to ourselves in NYC
Thurs the 13th
First off, trudge through the rain and wait in line for
MoMA | The Museum of Modern Art
Followed by early dinner at (Daniel)
Simply Wonderfull.
Superb food, superb service.
Dropped an "Earthy" business card (Earthy Delights) with comment that they are a customer.
Suspect it generated a couple of the extra courses, quick and small...
It would have been great to spend the evening, but Shirley had managed to get tickets to Spamalot !
Not tears in the eyes laughter, but very fun evening!
Note that it's "Sold Out" through January.
Good work Shirley !
First off, trudge through the rain and wait in line for
MoMA | The Museum of Modern Art
Followed by early dinner at (Daniel)
Simply Wonderfull.
Superb food, superb service.
Dropped an "Earthy" business card (Earthy Delights) with comment that they are a customer.
Suspect it generated a couple of the extra courses, quick and small...
It would have been great to spend the evening, but Shirley had managed to get tickets to Spamalot !
Not tears in the eyes laughter, but very fun evening!
Note that it's "Sold Out" through January.
Good work Shirley !
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
NewYork evening ... duh
"Artsy" shot after coming back from theater
"Movin On" with score by Billy Joel, choreography by Twila Tharp.
Started slow, but build well... satisfying.
Monday, October 10, 2005
Misty Evening in The Big Apple
Evening on the way back from Dinner
Cafe Joul on 1st and 60 something with staff of Nightmare the Movie
Just a misty evening, but start of a rainy week
Little did we know ...
This was the brightest, dryest we were to see for the week
Monday around 6PM
View over St. Patrick's with Rockefeller Center to the left
Thursday, October 06, 2005
Once Again - Michigan Rocks
Not my band, but nice little story ... KISS comes to Cadillac High School!
Northern Express:
The Day Kiss Rocked Cadillac
"Retired Cadillac High School teacher Jim Neff leans back in his living room chair each evening after dinner surrounded by his “15 Minutes of Fame.” The plaque on the wall above him reads “Jim Neff Honorary Member of KISS.” The guitar next to him is a Signature Model Paul Stanley given to Neff as a gift by the legendary KISS guitarist. There are photos, lots of memorabilia and news clippings from “Rolling Stone” to “Billboard” and numerous publications inbetween, all with Neff’s name in them.
For the one-time assistant football coach/English teacher seeking out his “15 Minutes” was never the objective. Neff was simply looking for a way to motivate the football team that had named their defense KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). But the results of one special 24-hour period on October 9, 1975 went beyond motivating a football team; it brought students and administrators together and inspired a whole community. It also helped to shape the legacy of one of rock music’s all time greatest bands, KISS."
Northern Express:
The Day Kiss Rocked Cadillac
"Retired Cadillac High School teacher Jim Neff leans back in his living room chair each evening after dinner surrounded by his “15 Minutes of Fame.” The plaque on the wall above him reads “Jim Neff Honorary Member of KISS.” The guitar next to him is a Signature Model Paul Stanley given to Neff as a gift by the legendary KISS guitarist. There are photos, lots of memorabilia and news clippings from “Rolling Stone” to “Billboard” and numerous publications inbetween, all with Neff’s name in them.
For the one-time assistant football coach/English teacher seeking out his “15 Minutes” was never the objective. Neff was simply looking for a way to motivate the football team that had named their defense KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). But the results of one special 24-hour period on October 9, 1975 went beyond motivating a football team; it brought students and administrators together and inspired a whole community. It also helped to shape the legacy of one of rock music’s all time greatest bands, KISS."
End of Steam Powered Trains in China
Flashback to travel across China/Mongolia/Siberia
Thought I don't recall if any of it was steam powered
Sentimental or Not, a Steam-Powered Journey Is Ending - New York Times:
"They're just a little dirty, but there's not much harm in that."
From the workers to the passengers who ride this line, which cuts through vast open expanses of farmland, planted in corn, millet and sunflowers and framed by mountains and narrow roads lined with yellowing poplars, Mr. Gao was one of the few people to express any sentiment at all in the matter.
But international train buffs are already in mourning as they count down the days until the steam whistles are silenced and the old, strangely animate black locomotives with their huge crimson wheels are auctioned off for scrap metal.
'They seem almost like beasts, don't they?' asked Gary Hunter, a rail enthusiast from Tucson who has written about the Jitong line for train magazines and has visited China six times, mostly to experience what has become a rare and disappearing phenomenon. 'You stand close to one on the line, and it gives off heat. The compressors pant."
Thought I don't recall if any of it was steam powered
Sentimental or Not, a Steam-Powered Journey Is Ending - New York Times:
"They're just a little dirty, but there's not much harm in that."
From the workers to the passengers who ride this line, which cuts through vast open expanses of farmland, planted in corn, millet and sunflowers and framed by mountains and narrow roads lined with yellowing poplars, Mr. Gao was one of the few people to express any sentiment at all in the matter.
But international train buffs are already in mourning as they count down the days until the steam whistles are silenced and the old, strangely animate black locomotives with their huge crimson wheels are auctioned off for scrap metal.
'They seem almost like beasts, don't they?' asked Gary Hunter, a rail enthusiast from Tucson who has written about the Jitong line for train magazines and has visited China six times, mostly to experience what has become a rare and disappearing phenomenon. 'You stand close to one on the line, and it gives off heat. The compressors pant."
Wednesday, October 05, 2005
Monday, October 03, 2005
I need this one ...
Mistake
DVR'd the first night
Awesome
Flashbacks
Failed to record second night
Time for the DVR
Shop PBS - American Masters: Bob Dylan: No Direction Home (DVD)
"Martin Scorsese's new two-part documentary recounts five years in the life of popular singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, whose classic songs have endured since the early 1960s. The Minnesota native talks openly and extensively about his early career (1961-66) in this American Masters presentation, featuring never-before seen footage of his performances, interviews with fellow artists and musicians, and archival footage from Newport Folk Festivals."
DVR'd the first night
Awesome
Flashbacks
Failed to record second night
Time for the DVR
Shop PBS - American Masters: Bob Dylan: No Direction Home (DVD)
"Martin Scorsese's new two-part documentary recounts five years in the life of popular singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, whose classic songs have endured since the early 1960s. The Minnesota native talks openly and extensively about his early career (1961-66) in this American Masters presentation, featuring never-before seen footage of his performances, interviews with fellow artists and musicians, and archival footage from Newport Folk Festivals."
Hey It's October ...
Almost 80 todayWhat's going on ?
We get this in Aug, not Oct ...
Not that I'm complaining ... too much (G)
Got the boats in (good and bad)
Plastic (nice ol 17ft Four Wynns) in this AM
Getting things pretty well packed up
From now on it's back to canoe
Ah well, we'll take what we can
A bit later
7:30
75 degrees
Damn nice evening
Ah well ... we know it won't last for long
But we need the change
Saturday, October 01, 2005
Maybe things aren't so bad ...
Watching On the Beach (1959)
On the Beach (1959): "Plot Outline: The residents of Australia after a global nuclear war must come to terms with the fact that all life will be destroyed in a matter of months."
Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Tony Perkins et al.
About post nuclear war, survivors waiting for the radiation clud to bring an end to everything.
Was quite plausable at the time.
Puts things in perspective
On the Beach (1959): "Plot Outline: The residents of Australia after a global nuclear war must come to terms with the fact that all life will be destroyed in a matter of months."
Gregory Peck, Ava Gardner, Fred Astaire, Tony Perkins et al.
About post nuclear war, survivors waiting for the radiation clud to bring an end to everything.
Was quite plausable at the time.
Puts things in perspective
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