I put new batteries in the computer head unit and sensor today. Finally slapped on a new set of pedals and headed out for my first outdoor bike ride of 2010. It was a little chilly despite putting on layers.
It was a short ride. I mostly wanted to shake down stuff and see what work I should be doing for fixes or maintenance. The other reason for a short ride was that my knee has been hurting lately. I want to see if I can exercise that out over the next month. If not, I guess it's another doctor visit.
I'm not going to change the chain until right before we leave for Florida. I might put new batteries in then too and I'll have to think about fresh tires. But the bike seems in pretty good shape. I didn't even have to pump up the tires.
I did have a close encounter when I made a right turn at the CVS plaza. A car coming the other way turned left and was on my butt for the first 100 feet or so until it turned in to CVS. After I got home, I called daughter #1 and accused her of attempted patricide. She claimed she didn't know it was me so it would have only been patri-manslaughter.
2010-01-18
2010-01-08
Bailey's
We spent a bit of time trying to figure out how to get our bicycles over (under? through?) the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel. You aren't allowed to ride it. Others have held placards for rides, etc. I found one guy who claimed that you could call the tunnel people (hmmm sounds a bit like H. G. Wells) and for the price of the toll, they would toss you into a pickup and take you across. Now that has all changed.
At the family Christmas gathering my sister brought her usual homemade Bailey's. But she had it in two new fancy bottles that she got after Christmas in Williamsburg. My niece, who was joining the Iron Bailey's competition, brought hers in an old plastic milk jug. By the end of the taste guzzling 'er tasting contest my brother and I had changed our route.
We are still crossing the Delaware Bay on the Lewes Ferry. But now we are going to swing over to the mainland via either Tangier or Smith Island so we can hit Williamsburg. I have never been there so I don't know what to expect. I know it is a working colonial village, but that is about it. I guess I'll have to find out late this coming August. But it appears that the main objective is to purchase some fancy bottles for my niece to even out the contest.
I guess there could be worse tasks. And it certainly would require a Bailey's rematch.
Oh, and the judging? My sister's was judged more traditional. Different, but similar to the stuff you buy in the stores. My niece's had a sweet edge. We though it made a good after dinner drink. So of course another round will be required in the future to find a clear winner.
I did forget one thing. My sister was challenged ala Iron Chef to concoct more (of course we had run out) on the spur of the moment. She flew through my kitchen grabbing 1/2x1/2, coffee, 2/3 of my Bushmill's Irish Whiskey, etc. Although somewhere along the way, my son-in-law spilled a bunch of 1/2x1/2 down the front of the counters, the effort paid off. At least I think it did.
Peachy helped me clean up pretty well although she went to bed around 11PM. I think I finally got the kitchen 1/2 way presentable sometime between 12AM and 1AM Sunday morning.
At the family Christmas gathering my sister brought her usual homemade Bailey's. But she had it in two new fancy bottles that she got after Christmas in Williamsburg. My niece, who was joining the Iron Bailey's competition, brought hers in an old plastic milk jug. By the end of the taste guzzling 'er tasting contest my brother and I had changed our route.
We are still crossing the Delaware Bay on the Lewes Ferry. But now we are going to swing over to the mainland via either Tangier or Smith Island so we can hit Williamsburg. I have never been there so I don't know what to expect. I know it is a working colonial village, but that is about it. I guess I'll have to find out late this coming August. But it appears that the main objective is to purchase some fancy bottles for my niece to even out the contest.
I guess there could be worse tasks. And it certainly would require a Bailey's rematch.
Oh, and the judging? My sister's was judged more traditional. Different, but similar to the stuff you buy in the stores. My niece's had a sweet edge. We though it made a good after dinner drink. So of course another round will be required in the future to find a clear winner.
I did forget one thing. My sister was challenged ala Iron Chef to concoct more (of course we had run out) on the spur of the moment. She flew through my kitchen grabbing 1/2x1/2, coffee, 2/3 of my Bushmill's Irish Whiskey, etc. Although somewhere along the way, my son-in-law spilled a bunch of 1/2x1/2 down the front of the counters, the effort paid off. At least I think it did.
Peachy helped me clean up pretty well although she went to bed around 11PM. I think I finally got the kitchen 1/2 way presentable sometime between 12AM and 1AM Sunday morning.
2010-01-05
Taxpayer Subsidized Pet Care
wow. Two posts in one day and both political.
Republicans keep saying to trust them. They are the fiscal conservatives, blah, blah, blah.
How about Thaddeus McCotter, Michigan Republican Congressman?
This miscreant from the fiscal conservative party wants to give everyone a $3,500 deduction for pet care! This is outrageous! Don't make me pay for YOUR freakin' gold fish. You want a cat? Pay for it yourself! Sorry Jen but that includes you and Leo too.
No. It isn't April 1. Read the official PDF of this garbage.
Republicans keep saying to trust them. They are the fiscal conservatives, blah, blah, blah.
How about Thaddeus McCotter, Michigan Republican Congressman?
This miscreant from the fiscal conservative party wants to give everyone a $3,500 deduction for pet care! This is outrageous! Don't make me pay for YOUR freakin' gold fish. You want a cat? Pay for it yourself! Sorry Jen but that includes you and Leo too.
No. It isn't April 1. Read the official PDF of this garbage.
Michael Steele - same old same old
Michael Steele was on the John Gambling (710 AM) show this morning (some guest host Dom G??) saying the same old tired stuff. He talks and talks about the bad old Democrats and never tells us how he is going to clean up his own party. How can we trust a guy who blasts Democrats for their health care, cap and trade, etc. etc. and yet won't call out his own Republican party members who vote to pass that stuff.
He talked about Republicans listening to the people. BUT, when I wrote to my Republican congressman who voted 'yes' on cap and trade, I never got a response. Seems like the RNC is still a bunch of hypocrites in for the politics and not for serving the nation or its citizens.
I am worried that the current administration will totally wreck this nation and or the economy in short order. I am concerned that a third party would take so much time that it would be too little too late. But at this point, although it is a long shot, I'm leaning towards a third party as the only chance.
He talked about Republicans listening to the people. BUT, when I wrote to my Republican congressman who voted 'yes' on cap and trade, I never got a response. Seems like the RNC is still a bunch of hypocrites in for the politics and not for serving the nation or its citizens.
I am worried that the current administration will totally wreck this nation and or the economy in short order. I am concerned that a third party would take so much time that it would be too little too late. But at this point, although it is a long shot, I'm leaning towards a third party as the only chance.
2009-12-26
Three Law of Robotics
Isaac Asimov wrote the three laws of Robotics in the early '40s (although the time is vague and Campbell gets some credit too: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Laws_of_Robotics). Perhaps you heard about them in the movie I Robot (very loosely based on an Asimov story).
I wrote my first computer program in the late '60s.
I bought my first personal computer in '79.
We have all (at least the windows users) gotten accustomed to the endless parade of security breaches and hot fixes. Not exactly the utopia we dreamed of while watching the Jetsons or perhaps Star Wars. But Microsoft has made it somewhat tolerable by automating the process and allowing you to tailor how much interaction you want in the process.
Of course there is the bad side. How many times do you need to reboot? Do you wonder why they have to issue literally hundreds of fixes? Why do they issue the same fix for three or four different OS versions when they claim to have completely rewritten the code? Do you live in fear that when your computer tries to reboot for the 10th time, it won't restart?
It isn't just Microsoft. My daughter brought a Droid a couple weeks ago. It has automatic updates too. So far she has lost the auto-rotation of the screen. Sometimes. And sometimes the speaker stops working. Earphones still work. But it's not all bad. All you have to do is reboot the phone.
Motorola says they are working on the rotation problem. I have seen lots of complaints about the speaker issue, but no promise of a fix yet.
I got a Blu-Ray player
a couple months ago. It's pretty neat. Streams Netflix movies and other cool stuff. But I was kind of weirded out when I powered up and got this screen tonight. I guess I'm glad that technology can help me so much. But really? My movie machine is asking me to download and install hot fixes?
I think it may be time to check myself in to a museum. Just sprinkle some dust on me, stand me in a corner and check back in 100 years.
I wrote my first computer program in the late '60s.
I bought my first personal computer in '79.
We have all (at least the windows users) gotten accustomed to the endless parade of security breaches and hot fixes. Not exactly the utopia we dreamed of while watching the Jetsons or perhaps Star Wars. But Microsoft has made it somewhat tolerable by automating the process and allowing you to tailor how much interaction you want in the process.
Of course there is the bad side. How many times do you need to reboot? Do you wonder why they have to issue literally hundreds of fixes? Why do they issue the same fix for three or four different OS versions when they claim to have completely rewritten the code? Do you live in fear that when your computer tries to reboot for the 10th time, it won't restart?
It isn't just Microsoft. My daughter brought a Droid a couple weeks ago. It has automatic updates too. So far she has lost the auto-rotation of the screen. Sometimes. And sometimes the speaker stops working. Earphones still work. But it's not all bad. All you have to do is reboot the phone.
Motorola says they are working on the rotation problem. I have seen lots of complaints about the speaker issue, but no promise of a fix yet.
I got a Blu-Ray player
a couple months ago. It's pretty neat. Streams Netflix movies and other cool stuff. But I was kind of weirded out when I powered up and got this screen tonight. I guess I'm glad that technology can help me so much. But really? My movie machine is asking me to download and install hot fixes?I think it may be time to check myself in to a museum. Just sprinkle some dust on me, stand me in a corner and check back in 100 years.