Summer Streets in NYC

This is sorta neat. The city is cordoning off a north/south street through Manhattan to traffic. This appears to be a pedestrian nirvana of bikes, children, dolphins and whales all cavorting with one another.

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Tim

I watch the Watchmen!

That shudder you felt yesterday was a giant collective nerdgasm, as the trailer for the Watchmen movie appeared yesterday.  It's available at Apple in high definition and looks pretty great.  The Watchmen was a comic published by DC Comics in the late '80s about a group of flawed, neurotic superheroes.  The story was written by Alan Moore, who wrote  V for Vendetta, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Swamp Thing, a comic I remember buying the first issue of because the artwork was done by Bernie Wrightson.

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Getting ready for the new iPhone 3G

I'm doing a few things to get ready for the new iPhone 3G. I am preparing my existing data and services; collecting relevant web sites, planning for 1 particular application that I think will change how I use it and what I get out of it, and setting up a better plan so I save some money every month. I'll cover each of these over the next couple of posts.

First, I am updating my .mac environment. Initially this was to sync my browser bookmarks so my own copies were up to date in advance of this warning regarding the service. I definitely keep my bookmarks in sync between my various computers but I use del.icio.us to centralize and share my bookmarks as much as possible. Only my iPhone requires a Safari-managed bookmark list, as much as I can figure out.

In so doing, I also picked up a .mac family pack so that my girlfriend and mom could back up their desktop data easily. Now backups are running at my mom's once a month and both their addressbooks, calendars and bookmarks are backed up centrally.

Photostitching software for MacOSX

Photostitching software provides a way to create a single panoramic photo from photos of partial  sections of the full scene.  Some cameras come with panorama functionality built in; Canon has excellent on-board ability, however the Panasonic Lumix FX7 I have does not.  In fact, other than its small size, it's not a great camera - terrible noise and so-so color reproduction.

I tried PTGui but found the interface to be pretty crude and not very Mac-like.  In fact, it is a cross-platform application, however simple Mac things like drag-and-drop don't work the way they should on MacOSX.

I don't have Photoshop - it's possible that it has  a photo-stitching mode, but at whatever-hundreds-of-dollars it costs, I'll never know.

I wanted something that would work well with iPhoto.

I ended up purchasing DoubleTake which is very easy to use, accepts drag-and-dropped photos from iPhoto, and costs $24.95.  I  posted my first  panorama photo on flickr.  The  results  for a very quick-and-dirty run look really good.  With some work I can warp the images to fit better  (where the lower edge of the car don't meet well in the merged image).

Feeling collars

There's an article about the possible suicide of Manchester police chief Michael Todd where a colleague says "He wanted to get out there, he wanted to feel people's collars."  What a vivid image, this guy itching for the stiff feel of someone's - anyone's - starchy collar in his firm grip.  Or did he just enjoy running his hands lightly over them.  I hope the ghosts in the "bottle of spirits" found next to his body didn't rise up and feel his collar.

Her Space Holiday new (to me) disc

I just picked up The Telescope, a CD of Her Space Holiday rock that was released only in Japan. The jacket is a book, with a short story called The Telescope, as well as the disk and some postcards by the Japanese artist PCP, or real name Heisuke Kitazawa. He does sometimes ornate, psychedelic tableaus, other times spare portraits, like Groove Design figures done by hand.

Resetting the Apple Express

Now that I've hung an Apple Extreme network hub on my network - my cable modem is now connected to the extreme - I can start doing things with it.  First, since it has actual Ethernet ports, I can connect my Apple Mini to it and use it as a Leopard server; Leopard server requires a local Ethernet port.  That local network is bridged to the wireless network that the Extreme also serves, so my computers and devices can see each other and the net.

However I've moved the Apple Extreme up to another floor, so service for the Apple TV downstairs is spotty, and re-inputting the WEP password is a continual pain.  I'm going to try adding an Apple Express to the mix and see if it will act as a bridge or repeater for the network, but operate downstairs next to the Apple TV, with the goal of reducing the timeouts and resets.

I'm in the reset stage of reconfiguring the Express.  Here are the instructions (from Macworld):

Soft reset: Plug the Express into power, launch Network System preferences and choose Airport from the popup.  Click the TCP/IP tab and choose Using DHCP from the Configure menu.  Press and hold the device's reset button for 1 second.  The light will flash yellow and you'll have 5 minutes to make changes before the Express reverts to its previous configuration.  What a pain in the ass.

Hard Reset

With the Express plugged in, hold the reset button for 10 seconds.  The LED will flash green and the device will reset.

Factory Default

Unplug the Express and hold the reset button.  Whilst still holding reset, plug the device in.  Keep holding until you see the LED flash four times.  Release the button to reset the device. 

Getting used to Getting Things Done

I work at a job where I am bombarded by a steady stream of e-mail.  They're almost all project and task related - I tend to not be directly responsible for projects, instead delegating the responsibilities to managers who work for me.  Although I have fairly bad memory and lose track of some tasks, I  am reactive  and able to make quick decisions.

I read about a task management methodology called Getting Things Done or GTD.  It's described in this book by David Allen and is a method of task management that groups tasks by context in which they should be performed (things to do when you're outside, tasks to do at the computer, etc.)  I've read a bit of background in lifehacker.org and 43folders.com,  which are both big GTD sites.  It's geeky enough that I picked the book up,  applied its structure to my Outlook at work, and am trying it out.  

Vinyl LP storage

It's time to move my 800+ record collection to the basement.  I've spent days of my life looking for decent storage and  finally found something that looks pretty good.  I'll reclaim a lot of shelf space for items that I really never use - like books.

UPDATE

So it turned out that these plastic-enforced boxes  are pretty awesome.  I can fit ~50 records per box and while they're not water-proof, they seem water-resistant.  The vendor is in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, so if I need more - and I did not buy enough - next time I can drive over and save the UPS fees.

Space Invaders

This is a pretty neat video reproducing video game classic Space Invaders.

Celsius and Fahrenheit

I've changed my weather preferences on the web sites and apps that I check the weather on (my.yahoo.com, weather.com and my iphone) to show the temperature in Celsius. My original idea was to learn what Celsius really means, and it basically worked.

The exact conversion formula is to multiply the Celsius temperature by 9, divide the answer by 5, and add 32 to get the exact Fahrenheit measure.
An easier way to get an approximation is to double the Celsius reading and add 30, however that's still too complicated.
The easiest way is to follow my simple rule of thumb:
30's = Hot
20's = Warm
Teens = Cool
Below 10 = Cold

There are plenty of online tools, however I think it's easiest to Google "Convert 30 degrees Celsius to Fahrenheit" to get "30 degrees Celsius = 86 degrees Fahrenheit, which is where hot starts in my book.

UPDATE: A friend turned me on to this easy rhyme which I think would have been based on my simple rule, had it not been invented decades ago to teach British schoolchildren. It's even on a T-shirt from Go Metric:
100 is boiling
30 is HOT
20 is NICE
10 is COOL
0 is ICE

Sweet Smell of Success

One of my top 10 movies, if only for the classic lines, great New York cinematography and wonderful acting by Tony Curtis and Burt Lancaster. But what the hell does 'my right hand hasn't seen my left hand in 30 years' mean, anyway?

There's a great long article in Time Magazine of that details the events and people that ultimate inspired the movie.

MEMORABLE QUOTES from SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS
HUNSECKER (Burt Lancaster): "I'd hate to take a bite out of you. You're a cookie full of arsenic."
HUNSECKER (holding an unlit cigarette): "Match me, Sydney."
FALCO (Tony Curtis): "Watch me run a 50-yard dash with my legs cut off."
HUNSECKER: "You see that grin? It's part of his helpless act. He throws himself upon your mercy."
FALCO: "In brief, from now on the best of everything is good enough for me."
HUNSECKER: "What's this boy got that Susie likes?"
FALCO: "Integrity - acute, like indigestion."
STEVE (Martin Milner): "The next time you want information, don't scratch for it like a dog, ask for it like a man."
HUNSECKER: "You're dead, son, get yourself buried."
FALCO: "A press agent eats a columnist's dirt and is expected to call it manna."
HUNSECKER: "Sidney lives in moral twilight."
HUNSECKER: "President? My big toe would make a better president."
HUNSECKER: "My right hand hasn't seen my left hand in 30 years."
RITA (Barbara Nichols): "What am I, a bowl of fruit? A tangerine that peels in an instant?"
RITA: "Here's mud in your column."

FALCO: "You were interviewed?"
RITA: "In his apartment."
FALCO: "Where was his wife?"
RITA: "I don't know; it's a big apartment."

HUNSECKER: "With the simple flick of a switch, I could shut out the greedy murmur of little men."
FALCO: "Starting today, you can play marbles with his eyeballs."
STEVE: "Mr. Hunsecker, you've got more twists than a barrel of pretzels."
HUNSECKER: "I don't relish shooting a mosquito with an elephant gun."
FALCO: "Maybe I left my sense of humor in my other suit."
HUNSECKER: "Here's your head, what's your hurry?"
FALCO: "The cat's in the bag and the bag's in the river."
HUNSECKER: "I love this dirty town."

Compiled by Rob Nixon

Richard Lloyd Redux

A few Richard Lloyd updates. He just played at Knitting Factory - you can download the show viat bittorrent from Dime. There's a wacky interview with him as well (here's the abbreviated version). Not sure if this is on the level but Richard guarantees that his will be 'a household name in a year.'

There's another crazy interview with him that's almost disturbing. It's worth the read all the way through; I think these are from the effect of staying invisible too long, to quote one of its comments.

Google Street View...

Google posted a neat change to Google Maps that shows street level views of some city maps (Brooklyn included). The actual technology behind it is described briefly in this blog. Here are some example shots. Microsoft Maps offers a similar technology but I haven't used it yet.

DVD packaging

DVD packaging really annoys me. It's unnecessarily large considering the CD-sized disc it contains. So I learned today (on a slashdot post) that 2 DVD cases take up exactly the same size as 1 VHS tape. This way retailers can use old displays and containers to hold DVDs. This makes perfect sense but is still wasteful.

Incredibly, there are apparently no places to recycle CD and DVD packaging - at least on an individual level. The discs themselves can be recycled (US and UK).

Sharpest man made thing

This is a photo of the sharpest man made thing.

Artwork by musicians

Brian Eno published his work 77 Million Paintings. It's a hardcover book plus DVD plus Flash web-site. Supposedly Mac and PC compatible and could be an interesting way to burn kilowatts on your fancy flatpanel TV. He's showing at a gallery in SFCA.

David Byrne also published his Microsoft Powerpoint-based artworkMicrosoft Powerpoint artwork (though not online). He actually also does presentations in Powerpoint describing his artistic process. He's a big proponent of Internet radio and, in a presentation at SWSX last year, said that he tended to download pirated music due to DRM content restrictions. Some of his other artwork is displayed here.