Google map enhancements

Google maps makes Application Program Interface (API) protocols readily available, so enterprising code jockeys have spawned hundreds of integrated programs (like this one).

Here's two that I find useful. http://www.zeesource.net/ provides a utility to 'pin' multiple locations on a google map. Here's one I drew with the addresses of 4 potential quartet singers in order to figure out the best place to meet.

There's a cool tool at http://maps.huge.info/; enter a zip code and you'll get a refreshed page and an outlined map of the zip code for which you're searching. Add more zip codes to compare locations or expand the area. You can zoom in on it a big and still have the outline.

Categories: technology

Starbucks Economics

Starbucks Economics, By Tim Harford

This reviewer praises the unadvertised "short" cappuccino at Starbucks. I'm going to try it next time.

update: I tried it and its OK, sort of a weak expresso with froth. The clerk didn't flinch when I asked.

bluegrass

Linda and I went to see Alison Krauss and Union Station in concert in Daytona Beach saturday night. It was a great show, and completed a nice bluegrass performer triptych


Last summer we saw Rhonda Vincent in a great show at the historic Ryman auditorium in Nashville, and


a few months ago, we saw new-grass wunderkids Nickel Creek and their kick ass show at Orlando's hard rock cafe.

Categories: music and song

Steppin' Out

I'm learning this old Irving Berlin song to sing with the Orange Blossom Chorus:

Steppin’ out with my baby

Steppin’ out with my baby
Can’t go wrong ’cause I’m in right
It’s for sure, not for maybe
That I’m all dressed up tonight

Steppin’ out with my honey
Can’t be bad to feel so good
Never felt quite so sunny
And I keep on knockin’ wood

There’ll be smooth sailin’ ’cause I’m trimmin’ my sails
in my top hat and my white tie and my tails.

Steppin’ out with my baby
Can’t go wrong ’cause I’m in right
Ask me when will the day be
The big day may be tonight

If I seem to scintillate
It’s because I’ve got a date
A date with a package of
The good things that come with love
You don’t have to ask me
I won’t waste your time
But if you should ask me
Why I feel sublime

Because I am gonna be

Steppin’ out with my baby
Can’t go wrong ’cause I’m in right
Ask me when will the day be
The big day may be tonight

Categories: music and song

Singularity

The Singularity Is Near : When Humans Transcend Biology:
A book by futurist and information technologist Ray Kurzweil. He writes of the "theoretical limitlessness of exponential expansion that will see the merging of our biology with the staggering achievements of 'GNR' (genetics, nanotechnology and robotics) to create a species of unrecognizably high intelligence, durability, comprehension, memory and so on."

In other words, advanced technologies of genetic engineering and in vitrio fertilization will enable the creation of a new human species within the next 30 to 50 years, the lifetimes of our children. This is not a crackpot theory.

I'd like to take a read at this, but there are other books already in line.

Categories: technology

The syllabic equivalent of a Members Only jacket

Visit Woot's recent product description. Nice site, clever prose, and frequent bargains, but you've got to check it early in the morning. I haven't bought anything yet, but I'm hooked on daily visits.

"This irritating orthographical tic is to 2006 what the "xx" ending was to 1986 or the "e" prefix was to 1996. Hey Altec, this lowercase pimping doesn't make you look cool or hip or whatever; it makes you look pathetically square for draping an otherwise fine product in the syllabic equivalent of a Members Only jacket.

Categories: humor

Categories: technology

Amazing Fishing Video - Google Video

Its an Amazing Fishing Video

Three people have sent me this video (as giant file attachments), so I figure I should share it here. It is truly amazing; a trite fishing cliche come to life. (hosted by google.video)

Update: Snopes.com is investigating the legitmacy of this video.

Categories: recreation

Categories: humor

MLK Holiday

I haven't blogged for a while now, not too much has been happening. But today Gina and I had the day off and G asked if we could go fishing. The weather was great, but the water was low and pretty dirty. We didn't find a single fish, but spent a few hours exploring around Mosquito Lagoon.

Categories: recreation

The Eastern Oyster

'I don't eat oysters. I hate oysters,' said Linda Walters, the University of Central Florida biologist who has dedicated her last several years to keeping the Mosquito Lagoon's oysters alive.

I agree, and also don't eat oysters, but this is an interesting article from the Daytona Beach News-Journal about the collapse of the oyster fisheries up and down the east coast. UCF research, The Nature Conservancy and my recreational pastime are all involved.

Categories: recreation

Categories: current events

Former student assistant now in China

John B., former UCF student assistant, graduated and took a teaching post in China a few years back. He keeps a blog and some photos on flickr, the professional wedding shots of him and his bride are amazing, but he's quite the photographer himself, with a nice photo collection of the country.

Categories: work related

Classes for Men

This was forwarded to me by my boss (a man). I really need Class #7:

WINTER CLASSES FOR MEN AT:
THE LEARNING CENTER FOR ADULTS

REGISTRATION MUST BE COMPLETED BY Saturday, January 14, 2006

NOTE: DUE TO THE COMPLEXITY AND DIFFICULTY LEVEL
OF THEIR CONTENTS, CLASS SIZES WILL BE LIMITED TO 8 PARTICIPANTS MAXIMUM.

Class 1 How To Fill Up The Ice Cube Trays --- Step by Step, with Slide Presentation.

Class 2 The Toilet Paper Roll --- Does It Change Itself? Round Table Discussion.

Class 3 Is It Possible To Urinate Using The Technique Of Lifting The Seat and Avoiding The Floor, Walls and Nearby Bathtub? --- Group Practice.

Class 4 Fundamental Differences Between The Laundry Hamper and The Floor--- Pictures and Explanatory Graphics.

Class 5 After Dinner Dishes --- Can They Levitate and Fly Into The Kitchen Sink? Examples on Video.

Class 6 Loss Of Identity --- Losing The Remote To Your Significant Other. Help Line Support and Support Groups.

Class 7 Learning How To Find Things --- Starting With Looking In The Right Places And Not Turning The House Upside Down While Screaming. Open Forum .

Class 8 Health Watch --- Bringing Her Flowers Is Not Harmful To Your Health. Graphics and Audio Tapes.

Class 9 Real Men Ask For Directions When Lost --- Real Life Testimonials.

Class 10 Is It Genetically Impossible To Sit Quietly While She Parallel Parks? Driving Simulations.

Class 11 Learning to Live --- Basic Differences Between Mother and Wife. Online Classes and role-playing.

Class 12 How to be the Ideal Shopping Companion - Relaxation Exercises, Meditation and Breathing Techniques.

Class 13 How to Fight Cerebral Atrophy --- Remembering Birthdays, Anniversaries and Other Important Dates and Calling When You're Going To Be Late. Cerebral Shock Therapy Sessions and Full Lobotomies Offered.

Class 14 The Stove/Oven --- What It Is and How It Is Used. Live Demonstration.

Upon completion of any of the above courses, diplomas will be issued to the survivors.

Categories: humor

Cabin in the woods

Many years ago, I think shortly after gina was born, Linda and I were invited to a holiday open house hosted by our Unitarian friends here in florida at a cabin in the woods. It was a huge private cabin situated adjacent to a beautiful spring with canoes and foot trails available. It was deep in the middle of the Ocala National forest, and seemed to me one of the most privileged places in the whole state. Our friends explained that several persons teamed up and separately entered a lottery every year to reserve the cabin for this particular holiday week. If anyone were to win, they would share the week with the others, and this was the year that one of them got it.

On a lark today, I googled 'ocala cabin', and within a couple of clicks I found it, and recognized it instantly. Its apparently state or national property, and the management company still holds a lottery for friday-friday reservations. Lottery entries for year 2007 are to be mailed in prior to May 31, 2006. and I'm thinking about taking a shot at it.

Categories: recreation

Easy Categories for Blogger Users

I may try this: Easy Categories for Blogger Users

Categories: technology

Trying to move this blog

Inspired by those teentech guys, I'm trying to migrate this blog onto a wordpress platform. I use wordpress at work and I'd really like to have the categorization feature on my personal blog. So I found a free host that doesn't post advertising (I think) and opened an account. http://baribob.wordpress.com/

Now, can someone help me import by blogger.com content? I found numerous references on the web on how to do it, even about how it works so well with the limited access wordpress.com accounts. In fact, one site says:

"Finally WP provides a feature which enables us to import our blogger located at Google’s BlogSpot.com to WordPress.com. You can find a button at the right side of your dashboard. This importer allows you to import posts and comments from your Blogger account into your WordPress blog.

Follow the link and you will find a step by step instruction.

Damn if I can find the button on my wordpress.com dashboard. Wordpress.com does not appear to have a help facility, or even a faq. Can anyone (hint: Aaron!) help me with this.

UPDATE: I found some clues, first a screenshot from october that clearly shows a tab control that I don't have. http://www.kamigoroshi.net/archive/2005/10/19/860

Then I found other comments that the update function was missing, then that it was limited to those with admin privileges. Then one blogger said it was easy to find due to wordpress.com's naming conventions. Finally, I found an explicit direction to bring up the import script:

The blogger import is a top level option in your Wordpress.com admin panel, titled import However, to make it easy for you - change this URI to reflect your wordpress.com account, and you should get there:http://yourname.wordpress.com/wp-admin/admin.php?import=blogger

That seemed to work, but when I ran it, I got this message:

Import Blogger
Howdy! This importer allows you to import posts and comments from your Blogger account into your WordPress blog. Your web server is not properly configured to use this importer. Please enable the CURL extension for PHP and then reload this page.

so, apparently, importing is not currently available on my host.

Categories: technology