Joost takes me back

The university I work for recently partnered with Joost, a provider of Internet-based TV. Being a connoisseur of new technologies, gadgets, and steak, I wanted to give Joost a shot. Streamed video, no glitches, no synch problems, and a couple dozens channels to choose from left a great impression. However, it was when I saw the featured channel of the month -- the original Transformers cartoon -- that a twinkle came to my eye and I was reunited with, as Scott Brown wrote for Wired and so eloquently put it, the Almighty Rig. Watching Prime whip Megatron's ass again took me back to a time (circa 1985-87) when Michael and I had the plastic-embodied versions of Prime, his Autobot buddies, and Decepticon foes (and let me tell you -- they suffered battle damage and lots of it). Thank you, Joost!

Seadragon + Photosynth = Uber Cool

I recently shared the following video with a colleague and we both agree it ROCKS. The video, from TED in March 2007, demonstrates Seadragon technology. Seadragon centers around a concept that you only need to render on screen at the screen's resolution. In doing so you can view photos at hundreds of megapixels and continuously zoom in to an almost infinite level. Imagine this -- being able to open your newspaper and the period at the end of a sentence contains the complete text of a book you want to read and the first letter on the first page of that book can be zoomed to reveal hidden secrets about the story. Yeah. You'll then see Photosynth which contains Seadragon technology. Photosynth lets you view a 3D environment from almost any angle, made from 2D images -- such as all public images from Flickr tagged with "Times Square". Very, very cool. Enjoy...

Likes me some steak!

20 oz. Porterhouse. Yum.

Where have you been?

Courtesy of a recent online find, Visited States...

POTC: At World's End

Sorry for the blogging hiatus -- work's been extremely busy lately. Steph and I saw Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End today at the new NCG theater in Gallatin. The new theater's DLP setup and digital sound made Keira Pirates look outstanding on the big screen.

Not the best in the trilogy I don't think, but still quite good. The spoilerless plot summary is that Elizabeth (Keira Knightley -- yeah), William and Barbosa want to rescue Jack from "Davy's Locker" (death) but all of them for a different reason (Barbosa owes a debt, William wants to rescue his father, and Elizabeth... well, watch it). Standing in their way, of course, is Lord Bennett & the East Indies Trading Co. Johnny's as great as ever, and "Jack" The Monkey is at his best yet, but more of this installment centers around Elizabeth [and why shouldn't it] and William. So, what did you think of this one?

Car Care Questions Answered

Now that spring has come and most of the pollen is gone it's easier to keep a car clean. I've been asked several times lately what I use to clean the Acura TL with -- and what I use to attempt to keep it clean. So, I thought what better forum to answer those questions but on my blog.

Q: Do you hand wash your car?
A: I'd love to, and when I can, I do. However, I typically visit my local Super SpeedWash and get their Wheel Deal. Though automated, it does an exceptional job washing the car and shining the tires. However, once I drive around the vacuums, I always hand-dry the car with diaper cloth and take it home for the fine details.

Q: What products do you use?
A: I use a multitude of products. Specifically:

• Wash - Mr. Clean AutoDry car wash with a chenille wash mitt
• Wax - Meguiar's NXT Generation Liquid Wax
• Glass - Stoner InvisibleGlass (safe on tint, no streaks)
• Leather - Method Leather Wipes (environmentally safe, biodegradable)
• Tires - Meguiar's Hot Shine
• Exterior Touch-up - Meguiar's NXT Speed Detailer spray
• Interior Vinyl/Rubber/Plastic - Meguiar's Gold Class Protectant (non-shiny/non-greasy)
• Clothes - micro-fiber for all interior work and glass; diaper cloth for exterior detailing; NO TOWELS

Q: Micro-fiber cloth instead of towels?
A: You bet. Towels leave lint. Towels are wasteful. A good micro-fiber cloth cleans incredibly well without any solvent/solution most of the time. I personally use VROOM micro-fiber automotive cloths from Target, but most any will do.

Have more questions? Just ask!

Broadband with more cowbell

Just rebooted the cable modem after Comcast said "SpeedBoost" had been enabled in my area. Tests are not bad at allllllll...

Livestrong Day 2007

This May 16th is Livestrong Day 2007. Wear yellow. Spread the word. Write your representatives in Congress. Demand government support.

• There are more than 10 million individuals in the United States today who are living with cancer.
• Nearly 40 percent of people living with cancer are under the age of 65.
• 64 percent of adults diagnosed with cancer today will be living 5 years from now.
• In 1960, 4 percent of children with cancer survived more than 5 years.
• Nearly 80 percent of children (age 0 through 14) diagnosed with cancer today will be living five years from now.
• The five year survivorship rates for young adults (age 20 through 40) with cancer has remained unchanged for the past 30 years.
• Three out of every four American families will have at least one family member diagnosed with cancer.
• 24 percent of adults with cancer are parents who have a child 18 years or younger.
• One of every four deaths in the United States is from cancer.
• In 2005, 570,280 Americans will die of cancer - more than 1,500 people a day. That's 9/11 every two days.
• The annual cost of cancer in the United States is $189,800,000,000 in direct and indirect costs.
• Government spending on cancer research was lowered for the first time in 30 years.

Prayers for Virginia Tech

Please send up your prayers for the families of those who lost their lives at Virginia Tech on April 16, 2007.

Destination Asheville

Stephanie and I spent April 11-13, 2007, in Asheville, North Carolina for a small spring vacation. We were fortunate to visit the Biltmore Estate during their Festival of Flowers with literally thousands of tulips in full bloom. We've placed 232 photos on Flickr for everyone to enjoy. Biltmore does not allow photography (videography, sketching, etc.) inside the house, but we certainly used some memory cards outside. HA! If you ever get the chance, North Carolina is truly gorgeous near the mountains surrounding Asheville and the Biltmore is something beautiful in photos and breath-taking in person.

TL: 3575 pounds and 183 inches of goodness

Yes, though I traded cars, I remain "TLdrvr". :) On Friday, April 6th, Stephanie and I became the proud owners of a 2005 Acura TL. It weighs 3575 pounds and is 183 inches long and in perfect health.

This TL sports a 3.2L SOHC V6 with VTEC good for 270HP, bi-xenon HID, XM, 7.1 DTS surround sound, Bluetooth HandsFreeLink, and LED lighting all around. Check out our pics on Flickr by clicking the image below of our beautiful TL and gorgeous model.

Web 2.0

A term has been tossed around for a while now -- "Web 2.0" -- and many people do not fully grasp what this means. I've been asked several times to explain Web 2.0 and recently came across this video that does an excellent job at demonstrating the mash-up process that has brought us to the living internet.

30th Mercy Heartwalk, Cincinnati, OH

This weekend the Hutzel family walked in the memory of Jameson Hutzel who survived 18 months with a congenital heart defect. This was the 30th annual heartwalk in Cincinnati. You can see from the image below -- we definitely were not there alone. Everyone you see was or still is affected by diseases that need cures. Click the pic for more information (and a closer view of the sea of thousands of supporters).

Planet Earth

About 24 million households in America have an HDTV these days. Unfortunately, only about half actually pay to receive a true HD signal. Most people have had the experience of being mesmerized watching HDTV on a "Full 1080"-capable display. The human eye best perceives HDTV at 1080i/p (read: 1080 horizontal lines within the image) from about three times the height of the display. So, a 46" HDTV "looks best" to the human eye at about nine feet away.

Some media is "filmed" in HD and some HD content is converted from the original cinematic film. The Discovery Channel is premiering "Planet Earth" on March 25th with 11 episodes in total throughout April and May. I had the privlege of watching the first episode back in December when it was shown as a one-time teaser on Discovery HD Theater. In a word: amazing.

Shot in 200+ locations over 5 years in all high-definition. When they say "prepare to see it again as never before" they mean it.

Watch it, and not on any TV -- watch in HD. You'll thank me.

Ah, college humor

On 21st Avenue South near Vanderbilt. :)

Jameson's Joy

Friends and visitors, I will be walking in my nephew Jameson's memory. He was born with a congenital heart defect called Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS) and lived 18 joy-filled months. The American Heart Association is hugely responsible for the research that helped Jameson in his fight against heart disease. As most of you know, Jameson lost his fight March 28, 2003, but with your help we can continue the battle. Because of the American Heart Association and research, more and more children with heart disease are being saved every day. Please help me support the wonderful work of the American Heart Association. You can help me reach my goal by making a donation online. Click on the link below and you will be taken to my personal donation page where you can make a secure online credit card donation. The American Heart Association's online fundraising website has a minimum donation amount of $25.00. If you prefer to donate less, you can do so by sending a check directly to me. Your donation will help fight our nation's No. 1 and No. 3 killers—heart disease and stroke. You are making a difference. Thank you for your support.

Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support American Heart Association - Heart Mini-Marathon Cincinnati, OH

Forgiveness

I watched a show recently that made me open my relatively-closed mind a bit. One of the topics was that of forgiveness -- whether it's forgiving someone or something -- for something that has happened to you. For example, in 2003 my way of thinking was 'what did I do to deserve this?' Today, I'm taking a new approach.

Thank you for giving me that
experience.

Cancer wasn't fun. Work can be a drag at times. Bills can be stressful. However, each of these things have added positive experiences to my life. I don't like paying bills, but I am happy and thankful that I am able to pay them. Work and deadlines can be challenging, but these challenges make me stronger. The challenges show me, and teach me, that I am capable of handling each and every one of them. Battling cancer was tough -- and my greatest achievement yet -- but having had that experience showed me things that I either never knew before, or knew but took for granted. I now know that I have countless friends who were there for my family (and for me). I saw and experienced what faith can do.

That, my friends and family, is why I can forgive and be thankful.

Paying the tooth fairy

Friends, your well wishes for a painless procedure and recovery are requested. Today I will visit the finest oral surgeon in the area and have three teeth removed. These little guys are in the back of my mouth and didn't play well with my wisdom teeth and suffered damage. I appreciate your prayers for speedy recovery (and prevention of boredom sitting at the house for a couple days).

Join the army

9-11 happens again every two days. That's right -- one person dies every minute of every day due to cancer.

I'm not asking you to donate your money [though I won't stop you either]. What I do ask is that you watch a two-minute video. If you feel the same as I do, as Lance does, and as many, many others, then join the army. Join an army of people that believe that it's not always about which politician says they will cut taxes or find alternative fuels -- it's about saving lives from a horrible disease.

In 2001, in President Bush's pseudo-State of the Union address, he said that Congressman Joe Moakley was battling cancer and that he could "think of no more appropriate tribute...than to have Congress finish the job of doubling the budget for the National Institutes of Health." This year, funding for cancer research was lowered by the government for the first time in 35 years.

Please, watch the video. Join the army.

http://www.livestrong.org/jointhearmy

Welcome to tomorrow, today

What an amazing world we live in these days. Imagine, if you will, that persons living in 1850 would have laughed at the idea of "automobiles". If you lived in 1900 you were amazed by Edison and Bell bringing their wonderous distributed electricity and telephone into the world. A person living in 1950 would have smacked you if you said you had a "computer" in your house (or your pocket!). In 1990 I was using dialup and only dreamed of faster speeds. Look at us now, and tomorrow.

Cisco has an incredible commercial on the air right now that I will paraphrase for you. The essential message is that of the "human network" -- any content, any device, any network. The commercial shows this to us: books re-write themselves (Wikipedia), drag-and-drop people anywhere they want to go (IM, SMS, mobile web, VoIP), maps are rewritten (Google Earth), and anyone can be famous (YouTube/Google Video). The commercial's underlying message is no doubt intended to say, "we're Cisco and we power the network" but the voice-over is quite powerful --"we're more powerful together than we could ever be apart".