CircleCount helps you better understand Google+

2013-05-16 17:08:35 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Iron Chef!

2013-05-16 14:04:40 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Police were called after Star Wars fans clashed with Doctor Who fans at a science fiction convention in Norwich. The two rival groups were advised to "keep out of each other's way": http://bbc.in/13xpBSY

2013-05-15 20:26:50 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

I admit it, I'm a big Riddick fan.

annnnd... here's the 3rd movie installment trailer.  Looks like a merger of Butcher Bay & Pitch Black with some call backs to Chronicles.

& the critters @ the end look like a mean version of some of the demo creatures from Spore.

2013-05-14 21:41:47 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

How not to do it....

2013-05-14 20:16:27 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

"caffeine" never looks like it's spelled right.

2013-05-14 14:30:18 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

I also learned today that G+ isn't showing all the posts in one's stream anymore - which would be why I've missed some of yours and a bunch of others posts!

boooo, +Google+ , crowd doesn't like that!

2013-05-14 12:39:21 (1 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

Google Image Search "Atari Breakout" right now.

2013-05-14 12:24:11 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

This is not news to followers of the NdGTFC but I include it for completeness.

2013-05-14 10:43:02 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Rolling out some big updates for CommercialTruckTrader & EquipmentTraderOnline bright & early this morning. 

Fun times!

2013-05-11 22:21:45 (3 comments, 1 reshares, 2 +1s)

Today's project was building this bed and planting some Gardenias!

That finishes off the landscaping projects. Now to tear down our ancient metal shed.

2013-05-11 11:41:45 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Just sayin'. ^.~

2013-05-10 16:36:21 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 1 +1s)

This guy's fiance is going to have a great story to tell her kids!

The kicker is watching her reactions during the video.  

+Alida Brandenburg  - I think this may be fitting for #feelgoodfriday  !

via #reddit  

2013-05-10 16:25:49 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

A Database Of Everyone & Your Biometrics

+WIRED has posted an article detailing a biometric database of all US Citizens.  It's creation would be part of the Immigration Reform bill the Senate is debating now.

This piece of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act is aimed at curbing employment of undocumented immigrants. But privacy advocates fear the inevitable mission creep, ending with the proof of self being required at polling places, to rent a house, buy a gun, open a bank account, acquire credit, board a plane or even attend a sporting event or log on the internet. Think of it as a government version of Foursquare, with Big Brother cataloging every check-in.

2013-05-10 15:29:51 (0 comments, 4 reshares, 0 +1s)

So... yea.  This is terrifying.

2013-05-10 15:20:57 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

What is happening in schools?

This thread on reddit is pretty depressing.  In it several current students talk about these packets & end of week tests, etc & feeling like they're not actually learning anything.  It's scary what may be happening in some parts of the country.  Education should be the last thing we skimp on.

2013-05-09 19:45:24 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Today I have been plagued with typing "integar" instead of "integer".

Harrumph.

2013-05-07 20:40:16 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

There are no words for this:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/123905608/creepy-little-bisque-doll-head-planter?ref=sr_gallery_36&ga_search_query=doll+head+planter&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_ship_to=US&ga_search_type=all

2013-05-07 18:51:11 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Programming Tunes

Lately I've diverted to more metal-esque tunes for my writing/programming sprints.  These last couple weeks Lacuna Coil has been the band & What I See in particular!

What jams are in your writing-muse pile now?

2013-05-07 17:04:33 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

File This Under:  Are You Serious!?

In a great example of "zero tolerance" going too far, a 7 year old has been suspended for pointing his pencil at a classmate & making gun sounds.

Seems...extreme, right?  I would've likely been expelled were I suspended for all the times I thought/acted like an object would make a cool gun.

Suffolk Public Schools spokeswoman Bethanne Bradshaw says a pencil is considered a weapon when it's pointed at someone in a threatening way and gunlike noises are made.

Bradshaw says some children would consider the incident threatening.

2013-05-07 16:43:26 (3 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Senate Approves Internet Sales Tax
Still has to pass the house.

Online retailers making > $1M dollars would have to apply state's sales tax if the company doesn't have a brick & mortar location in your state, should this pass the House & be signed by the President.

So - don't expect to pay it online with Best Buy or Lowe's, but I suspect you'll see it on Amazon, Overstocked, among others.

Interestingly, Virginia Income Tax requires you to estimate your online purchase values over the course of a year to pay sales tax on them. This would effectively be a way for VA to double-dip, unless it plans to remove this piece from its income tax.

2013-05-03 17:20:19 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

My Adventure Teaching with Glass

As a Glass Explorer, my goal is to transform the way I teach science, making every moment a teachable moment. With the help of +CERN and +Project Glass, I've begun pursuing my goal in the most spectacular way - teaching a class of physics students from halfway around the world while touring the Large Hadron Collider. I'm so excited to share this incredible adventure with you.

2013-05-03 17:09:02 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

How Did I Miss This!?

It's a D-Pad for your feet!   I can definitely see the utility in this while playing +Mechwarrior Online .

2013-05-01 17:33:14 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Anyone having an issue w/ the +Amazon MP3 web player not playing anything before April 2011?

Doesn't seem to want to cooperate today with anything older than that.

#amazon   #mp3  

2013-05-01 17:18:16 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

[Feel-Good Friday: Need 26 stories to cheer you up and give you warm fuzzies?]

Here they are, including one of the cutest, most clever and badass Halloween costumes I've seen. :)


#FeelGoodFriday  

2013-04-30 20:18:17 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Driving with Google Glass. How safe is it?

2013-04-26 14:18:10 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

A little known fact about the extremely profitable pro sports league.

2013-04-26 14:11:15 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Morning

2013-04-26 14:03:14 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Since the Senate has said it's going to sit on CISPA, I'm updating to a more fun profile pic!

2013-04-25 21:34:40 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

Happy rose bushes!

2013-04-24 18:10:35 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

I just got my Google Glass last night, and it's been a long time since a tech gadget has had me grinning ear to ear so often. I was at the #tech4dem  event, and let +Marci Harris and +Macon Phillips try on my Glass. Both of them quickly got the same big grin!

It's not at all what people expect!  It's a magical experience.  I haven't yet been quite able to put my finger on why it feels that way, but I think it's the immediacy. Rather than fumbling for your phone, then opening the camera app, you can take a picture or a video with a touch, and share it with another touch. You can also talk to the device, taking pictures, doing google searches, getting directions, or sending emails or texts, without ever touching the devices. (You can wake it up with a touch or by tossing your head slightly.)

A couple of comments:

1. People have this notion thatit&#... more »

2013-04-24 13:50:26 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

The brands affected are California Natural, Evo, Healthwise, Innova and Karma with expiration dates prior to and including March 24, 2014

2013-04-23 18:49:24 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

[Jimmy Kimmel hilariously pranks Coachella. Does no favors to hipsters.]

"These bands are so obscure that they do not exist."

Jimmy Kimmel has pulled a lot of great stunts. But this... this is undoubtedly the best. Interviewer asks Coachella patrons about made-up bands. Coachella-goers pretend to totally be in-the-know and gush about how much they love that group. Terrible hipster stereotypes promptly reinforced with super glue. 

Absolute perfection.

#humor   #lol 

2013-04-22 20:33:17 (0 comments, 1 reshares, 3 +1s)

#STOPCISPA  
What did it take to get all those Representatives to vote YES on #CISPA  ?

$86 million in campaign contributions. That's money in politics, kids.

New co-sponsors have received 38 times as much money ($7,626,081) from interests supporting CISPA than from interests opposing ($200,362).

Members of the House in total have received 16 times as much money ($67,665,694) from interests supporting CISPA than from interests opposing ($4,164,596).

2013-04-22 16:16:39 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 4 +1s)

A profile image for #stopcispa   #cispa  

2013-04-22 14:57:56 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Toilet Tycoon

Apparently this is a thing.  & Amazon just recommended it to me for reasons I do not understand.

Your goal is to monopolize every john in town and rake in the DOUGH on your way to becoming a total “Toilet Tycoon”!

Choose from a wide variety of components to create the most outrageous toilets imaginable!
Research new technologies that will make your customers want to buckle up before they flush!
Have saboteurs trash other people's toilets and send in the authorities to take them down!
Spy on the facilities of your rivals and spread vicious rumors to chase their customers away!

2013-04-21 19:36:41 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Just finished playing through Bioshock Infinite.

What a great ride!

2013-04-20 15:36:05 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

2013-04-20 06:55:24 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

After this week's events, some words of wisdom.

2013-04-20 00:04:00 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

BPD Scanner:
> Suspect hasn't moved since last round of flash bangs.
> Some talk about a FBI negotiator.

#manhunt   #watertown  

2013-04-19 23:53:57 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

BPD Scanner:
> They've tossed a few flashbangs onto the boat.  No response from the suspect.

#manhunt  

2013-04-19 23:45:54 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

BPD Scanner:
> Boat has a full gas tank, is in a house's back yard.
> Suspect has sat up a few times.
> They're still working out the assault plan.
> Some report of a fire or flame on the boat.

#manhunt  

2013-04-19 23:26:31 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

BPD Scanner:

Shots fired ~ 7 pm

Stay off the radio till this happens

It's gone radio silent as they close in w/ who they think is the suspect who is holed up in a boat.

Some reports indicate he may be injured.

#manhunt  

2013-04-19 17:22:45 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 3 +1s)

Hey, +Google  - get off your ass & get in the game regarding #CISPA  . You want to do no evil?  Then help us keep the gov from getting into all of our data w/out a warrant!

Or do you want to build automated hooks w/ the NSA and other corporations  that real-time streams what we're doing?   #GoogleNoCispa  

2013-04-19 17:07:58 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

Sounds like they might be narrowing in on White Hat.  There's a reported hostage situation developing.

(via a Reddit feed reporting the BPD scanner)

2013-04-19 13:08:56 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

UnConfirmed:  2nd Marathon Bomber's Twitter Feed

2013-04-18 22:31:59 (1 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Pollen. Not sand. F'ing eh.

2013-04-18 22:10:14 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 0 +1s)

FBI releases photos and video of suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings. For more go to http://NBCNews.com.

#Boston   #BostonMarathon   #BostonMarathon2013  

2013-04-18 22:07:56 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 1 +1s)

Moore's Law applied to genetic complexity

So if you apply Moore's law, that processing power doubles every 18 months, to genetic complexity, then reverse, you arrive at a single set of base pairs about 9.7 billion years ago.

Earth is on the order of just 4.5-billion years old. Ipso facto, say the researchers, life originated somewhere besides Earth, evolving not on a geologic time scale, but a cosmic one.

Think that's wild? It gets weirder. Sharov and Gordon go on to draw connections to panspermia, the seeding of life by intelligent aliens, the failures of the Drake equation, and more:

These type of thought problems are always fascinating to me, especially if they tie into the Fermi paradox in some way.  Obviously life exists, but where did it really originate from and where are all of the other spots of life in the cosmos?

&... more »

2013-04-18 19:58:27 (0 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

I'm really excited to hear that Ashley Edward Miller and Zack Stentz are going to write this script!   I remember them both fondly from some of Usenet's SF groups.  They're both talented writers, they both have a deep respect for SF, and they're both as cute as buttons! lol

I can guarantee you that both gentlemen have read Starship Troopers, and that is something that never seems to happen in Hollywood.  Reboots usually annoy me, but I trust that they'll do a good job. 

Okay, I'm done fanwanking.  Carry on.

Both +Ashley Miller  and +Zack Stentz  have G+ accounts that appear to be abandoned.  What a shame.  It would be great fun to have them stop by here and talk about their projects.

2013-04-18 19:31:33 (2 comments, 0 reshares, 2 +1s)

This article is not helping my hate-congress feelings today:

So it seems rather interesting to note that Rogers' wife, Kristi Clemens Rogers, was, until recently, the president and CEO of Aegis LLC a "security" defense contractor company, whom she helped to secure a $10 billion (with a b) contract with the State Department. The company describes itself as "a leading private security company, provides government and corporate clients with a full spectrum of intelligence-led, culturally-sensitive security solutions to operational and development challenges around the world.

She's just very recently now joined a lobbyist group. Specializing in security. Of course. When did the country become less about pride-of-work, personal freedoms, and good product & more about "piss off, I got mine & I don't care who or what rights are compromised in doing... more »