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September 29, 2006

The Businessbib

Telecommuters rejoice! Now there's a way for you to work in your boxer shorts while presenting a professional image during video conferences with the head office. It's called the Businessbib, essentially a velcro-on top half of a suit and tie that allows you the freedom to look professional on screen while working, well, any way you want. It was featured September 17 in the New York Times and on Good Morning America on the 22nd. In the age of computers and video conferencing, this may be the best perk yet for telecommuters!

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September 29, 2006

Perfect Landing

In this series of five photos from Dave R, one of our F-111Cs makes a "without wheels" landing at Amberly Base in Ipswich, Australia (near Brisbane) after the nose wheel dropped off following takeoff. The ground crew installed an arrestor wire across the runway and, after dumping fuel, the pilot made a safe and perfect landing.

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September 28, 2006

We're Back!

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September 20, 2006

Chicago Bound

Chicago evening skyline from Lake Michigan

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September 19, 2006

C-17 Globemaster III

This 1/9th scale radio-controlled C-17 model was built in the United Kingdom and to date has about 20 flights. It was built as the centerpiece of a 15-program television series produced in the U.K. for the Home and Leisure satellite TV channel.

More photos and information here (7 images total.) Thanks Michael!

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September 18, 2006

Missouri Rainbow

Barbara sent these nice photos of a rare February rainbow taken by Dan Bush at sunset, February 2, 2006 at the Elam Bend Conservation Area near Albany, Missouri.

Says Dan, "This rainbow  was visible over much of the area and was noticed by many people. It was seen as a partial bow in some areas and completely full and even double in others depending on where the rain was falling."

The captions for each of the nine images in the series were also provided by Dan.

Continued here. Nine images total.

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September 15, 2006

Friday Fly-by

This week's fly-by is a little different. It shows "Steve" getting his first ride in an F-18 and experiencing sufficient G-forces to render him, well, watch the video. Notice that the pilot tells him to flex his legs, a technique used to help counter the G-forces on his body; he's also trying to use required controlled breathing, but he doesn't quite have it down. This experience takes some getting used to. Are you ready for this, Michael?

Have a wonderful weekend!

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September 15, 2006

The Sun May be Setting on Sun

At least, that's what Leonard at DZ Sokel is predicting...

Sun Microsystems was the darling of the dot-bomb era.  Every emerging technology company felt that they had to have a bank of Sun servers offering up web pages.  Sun was so successful that it’s stock price was 10 times greater than it is today.

Sun recently made changes at the top with founder Scott McNealy stepping aside.  The new CEO, Jonathan Schwartz, has made some deep cuts in personnel and spending, but I don’t believe it’s enough to turn the company around. Sun is in a commodity business and it doesn't have the critical mass to stay on par with the likes of HP, IBM, and Dell.  In a manner similar to that experienced by previous mid-sized computer companies such as Silicon Graphics, Digital Equipment, and Data General, I predict that the sun is going to set on Sun.

I'm not so sure, although I'll have to admit, I see fewer and fewer Sun installations. They produce awesome workstations and servers, although they're also extremely expensive. Count me among those who salivated at the thought of having an office supported by Sun but who simply couldn't make the numbers work.

Losses don't necessarily equal failure. Remember Apple's history? Of course, Apple was smart enough to reacquire Steve Jobs. Maybe Sun will find a visionary in Schwartz rather than just another corporate suit.

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September 15, 2006

What about Quad Core?

According to Slashdot, "Apple's Showtime event was all well and good, but the big news today was on Anandtech.com. They found that the two dual-core CPUs in the Mac Pro were not only removable, but that they were able to insert two quad-core Clovertown CPUs. OS X recognized all eight cores and it worked fine. Anandtech could not release performance numbers for the new monster, but did report they were unable to max out the CPUs."

Later this year Intel will be introducing pin compatible upgrades to its Core 2 and Xeon lines, except instead of two cores these processors will feature four.  Codenamed Kenstfield (Core 2) and Clovertown (Xeon), Intel's new quad-core processors will dramatically increase the amount of processing power you can have in a single system.  Given that the Mac Pro features two LGA-771 sockets, you could theoretically drop two Clovertown processors in there and you'd have an 8-core Mac Pro.

Without a doubt Apple will release a quad-core version of the Mac Pro, either by the end of this year or early next year, but are users who buy the Mac Pro today missing out?  While we're still a couple of months away from being able to test a retail Clovertown CPU in the Mac Pro, we wanted to see if the current engineering samples of the chip would work. ...

You knew this was coming. There is so much potential for Macs using Intel chips that we'll likely see power jumps with some regularity. But frankly, the current Mac Pro offers enough juice to quench my thirst for some time. Of course, if Apple introduces an 8-core model before I make my purchase, well, I guess I'll just have to accept the power boost. And smile.

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September 15, 2006

The Perfect Golf Swing

Using a Phantom v5 digital camera capable of shooting 4000 frames per second, Nike created a stunning slow motion study of Tiger Wood's swing. It's poetry in motion. The site allows you to watch from various vantage points. Give it a look. Maybe it'll help your game!

Click image to view

Got it down, Clare?

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September 14, 2006

Did you Notice?

Our politicians are moving us closer to socialism every year. And they're being sneaky about it. Case in point: A little-known provision of the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act calls for an estimated 1.5 million seniors to face premium hikes ranging from 10 percent to 55 percent over the next three years if they earn at least $80,000 a year, or $160,000 for married couples. Seniors who earn more than $200,000 and couples with incomes over $400,000 will see their so-called "Part B" premiums rise the most.

The move, designed to help shore up Medicare's shaky finances, has enraged many because it was adopted without public debate. A Republican-led conference committee added the measure to the Medicare bill even though neither the House nor the Senate version contained it. "This was slipped in, in the dead of night, behind closed doors," said Robert Hayes, the director of the Medicare Rights Center.

Opponents of the move say the premium increases don't address the real problem of rising health care costs but merely shift the burden of paying for them. "Continually shifting the cost onto the people is not the answer," said David Certner, the legislative policy director at AARP. "We need to figure out why we're spending so much more as a nation on health care and our health outcomes are no better than average."

Hmmm... Could it be that a large number of "residents" are enjoying the benefits without having paid into the system? Could there be, dare I say, graft, greed, abuse, misuse and corruption within the system? Could it be that the program is being used by liberals as a segue into socialized medicine? Let's face it, Medicare is hemorrhaging from misuse and mismanagement.

Why is it that politicians can never fix a problem they've created? Instead, they funnel all their energies into finding ever more creative ways to finance the problem and pass its runaway costs on to taxpayers. How often have you heard Congress declare, "Well, that didn't work so let's scrap it?"

And how do you feel about the secret introduction of "means testing," the liberals' buzz word for forcing "the rich" to subsidize everything? Forgetting for the moment that the so-called "rich" have already paid more into the system, how do you feel about your elected representatives slipping what amounts to another slight of hand tax increase -- a whopping 55 percent -- right passed you, deliberately in secret so as to hide it from you until three or four years later when, they reasoned, it would either go unnoticed or be discovered too late to do anything about? Think you've been screwed? You have. Royally. Again.

Of course, politicians rely on lower income voters breathing a sigh of relief, thankful they've been "excused" from the greatest increase. They're willing to piss off the minority of voters while making the majority believe they've been given a "pass" by their benevolent caretakers. Lower income citizens will figure they don't have a dog in the fight and will stay quiet, letting their higher income fellow citizens pay their way for them. It's leading us toward socialism, folks, and we seem to be determined to become the only country in the world to make it work.

Rep. Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., has introduced legislation to repeal the rate hikes, but the bill has stalled in a House committee. That figures. Aren't you tired of this crap? Isn't it time to get off your duff and do something about it? Raise some hell! Write letters. Make phone calls. Tell your friends to do the same. Politicians get away with this crap because the majority of us have become too complacent to do anything about it. Sure, we can't fix everything in a day or even a few years. But we've got to start by making ourselves heard and by holding our politicians' feet to the fire.

Listen, I've been to countries where either socialism or communism is a way of life. Believe me, you wouldn't like it.

Read more in an article in Monday's Sacramento Bee (Free registration required.)

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September 14, 2006

Cox & Forkum

Tunnel Vision

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September 13, 2006

Where's the Anger?

In a recent commentary, former New York Mayor Ed Koch -- a Democrat with at least half his brain intact (which makes him the leading intellectual light of his party) -- asked rhetorically, “Why do so many Americans refuse to face the fact that our country is at war with international terrorism?” Is it because they've become too fat and lazy? Is it because they’re liberals?

I've wondered about this for some time. Each anniversary of 9/11 we post "remembrances" and swear that we'll "never forget" -- but it seems more and more that we're remembering and never forgetting victims rather than the murderous monsters who attacked our country and way of life and who are plotting to continue doing so until we are all dead. I'm all for remembering and honoring our dead, but wake up, folks, have you forgotten we're at war? What happened to your anger after 9/11?

I can hear it now, echoed throughout the Middle East: "Americans have no stomach for war. They will drop some bombs and flex their technology, then whine when they take casualties. We will win because they will tire of the battle." Why have we become such whiners? I think it's because of what Michael Savage calls "the enemy within." Yep, liberals and liberal indoctrination along with the whole politically correct mindset that has overtaken our society.

"If anything, liberals are even more dangerous than Islamacists. The terrorist attacks with bombs and bullets. The liberal saps our will to resist. He rationalizes evil. In the name of civil liberties, he constantly seeks to undermine national security and make it impossible to safeguard our people from another 9/11," writes Don Feder for Human Events.

Was anyone shocked by the news that former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami addressed Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government the other night? Khatami helped to create Hezbollah, and calls his handiwork “a shining sun that illuminates and warms the hearts of all Muslims.” When challenged on this bizarre observance of the fifth anniversary of 9/11, David Elwood, dean of the Kennedy School, wrapped himself in the mantle of the free exchange of ideas. “Do we listen to those we disagree with and vigorously challenge them, or do we close our ears completely?” Elwood sniffed.

What liberal, PC crap! Our nation’s colleges and universities -- the People’s Republic of Academia -- are hotbeds of anti-Americanism. It’s hard to say if Osama bin Laden is more popular in Islamabad or New Haven. Yale has the former Taliban mouthpiece on its payroll.

All of the institutions liberalism controls are hotbeds of sedition. The New York Times works overtime to emasculate America’s response to Jihadism. In June, The Times exposed a covert program to track the financial transactions of suspected terrorists. National security be damned! Don’t terrorists have a right to know who’s looking over their shoulder? Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said he was deeply troubled by the success of terrorist groups in manipulating the U.S. media. It’s helpful to think of The New York Times as Al Jazeera’s infidel subsidiary.

Mike Wallace, that most useful of idiots, recently interviewed Iran’s lunatic-in-chief Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and reported the man who threatens to wipe Israel off the map is a helluva fellow. “He’s actually, in a strange way, he’s a rather attractive man, very smart, savvy, self-assured, good looking in a strange way,” Wallace babbled to the Hollywood Reporter. As the German playwright says in The Producers, "The Fuehrer was a great dancer!"

In mid-July, U.S. District Court Judge Anna Diggs Taylor (a Carter appointee, naturally) declared that a government program to intercept overseas phone calls between persons in the U.S. and al-Qaeda operatives abroad was unconstitutional. The TSP (Terrorist Surveillance Program) had a chilling effect, Taylor Diggs ruled, in a suit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (speaking of terrorist operatives).

Lest you think I'm bashing the Dems, let me point out that not all liberals are Democrats. Some are Republicans. So how do you recognize liberals? All jokes aside, by the way they think. Use your common sense. Are they helping defend America, or are they standing in the way of those who are? If their energies are focused on tying our hands and handicapping our military (albeit flying the banner of civil liberties), they are "the enemy within" and should be expunged from whatever position of authority they hold. We're at war, folks! We must win or forever live in fear! Doesn't everyone get that?

Here's another example of misdirected energy. In this video clip, President Bush "bitch slaps" Matt Lauer who seems more interested in challenging the "rules" with which we fight for our survival than with our winning the war:

We have an army, yet liberals would have us tie one or both hands behind their backs and handicap them with ridiculous "rules of engagement," supposedly to keep us from becoming "like the enemy." We have superior weapons, but we mustn't use them if (as is usually the case) the enemy hides near civilians or can't be distinguished from civilians, or declares a "holy" day, or...

Here's yet another example. As reported in the New York Post, video from a drone airplane showed Afghan fighters ... in a tightly packed formation at a funeral. "We were so excited," said one officer - but he was prevented from wiping out the juicy target. Incredibly, Taliban terror leaders who had gathered for a funeral - and were secretly being watched by an eye-in-the-sky American drone - dodged being taken out because U.S. rules of engagement bar attacks in cemeteries. This is nuts!

If you watched ABC's "The Path To 9/11" on Monday and Tuesday nights, you realize much has not changed. We're still making the stupid mistakes made by Berger, Albright and others during the Clinton administration. Stupid, stupid, stupid.

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September 11, 2006

Remembering 9/11

It's been five years. Perhaps the emotions you experienced that day - terror, disbelief, anger - have faded. Perhaps you think that day is a horrible part of our history to be filed away. It's not. The enemy is reforming and will strike again. The war against evil is now and forever a part of our lives. We must be vigilant. We must use all means to defeat the enemy or he will surely defeat us. That is the nature of war. And make no mistake - we are still at war.

We must remember the act of war that brought us here. Take a few moments to watch this video. Do you remember that day? Were you angry? Are you still angry?

We are Americans. We honor our dead and we give aid and comfort to those who have suffered. But then we return to the battlefield to engage and defeat the aggressor. He is still there, plotting, planning to attack again. The war is not over...

Diane Sawyer hosted an ABC special the other night - she does a similar one at this time every year - called "The Children of 9/11" in which she brought together the mothers and their children who lost their husbands and fathers on 9/11. It was very touching but at the same time uplifting. It spoke of survival, of coping and of finally moving on. The children's comments were particularly moving.

Dawn and I tried to imagine how we would cope under similar circumstances. In the end, we realized that we couldn't begin to conceive that level of grief and despair or how we would handle it. We have the utmost sympathy and respect for those who survived and have moved on. We pray that, if we're ever asked to climb such a mountain, we do so as gracefully and with as much dignity. Go to ABC News for an extraordinary gallery of photos of children who lost parents on 9/11.

The following "tribute" reminds us that, even in the midst of war, we do go on. Give it a watch and remember the victims. Never forget.

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September 11, 2006

Rebuilding New Orleans

At dinner with friends Saturday night, the subject of our possibly visiting NOLA came up. Sorry, but I don't see it as an option for us. Sure, they've reopened many of the clubs in the French Quarter, but I doubt it will ever be the same. And I can't imagine going there and having to stay on Bourbon Street to avoid being shot.

To be honest, the city's romance has never been the reality for most who live there. It's a poor place, with about 27 percent of the population of 484,000 living under the poverty line, and it's a black place, where 67 percent are African-American. In 65 percent of families living in poverty, no husband is present.

New Orleans' public schools, which are 93 percent black, have failed their citizens. The state of Louisiana rates 47 percent of New Orleans schools as "Academically Unacceptable" and another 26 percent are under "Academic Warning." About 25 percent of adults have no high-school diploma.

The police inspire so little trust that witnesses often refuse to testify in court. University researchers enlisted the police in an experiment a couple years ago, having them fire 700 blank gun rounds in a New Orleans neighborhood one afternoon. Nobody picked up the phone to report the shootings. Little wonder the city's homicide rate stands at 10 times the national average.

The city counts 188,000 occupied dwellings, with about half occupied by renters and half by owners. The housing stock is much older than the national average, with 43 percent built in 1949 or earlier (compared with 22 percent for the United States) and only 11 percent of them built since 1980 (compared with 35 for the United States).

Let's face it. New Orleans puts the "D" into dysfunctional. Only a sadist would insist on resurrecting this concentration of poverty, crime, and deplorable schools. Yet that's what New Orleans' cheerleaders—both natives and beignet-eating tourists— advocated. They predicted that once they drained the water and scrubbed the city clean, they'd restore New Orleans to its former "glory." Ha!

Of course, New Orleans won't just disappear. The French Quarter, the Garden District, West Riverside, Black Pearl, and other elevated parts of the city will survive until the ultimate storm takes them out — and maybe even thrive as tourist destinations and places to live the good life. But it's a mistake to raise the American Atlantis. It's gone. That is, unless...

BTW, if you'd like a refresher on how NOLA became a bathtub and why it will again, read the article posted here.

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September 8, 2006

Steve Irwin - A Tribute

There’s not much I can say that hasn't already been said, but the world has lost a man of true passion. We could use more like him.

I met Steve between flights at the airport in Grand Cayman a few years ago and was impressed with his openness and unbridled enthusiasm when he talked about his animal conservation projects. I'll admit I missed some of what he was saying through his heavy Aussie accent, but I certainly understood the essence of what he was all about - unbridled enthusiasm and love of wild animals and the outdoors. And I was, like almost everyone else, a fan. It's hard to believe that he's gone but, as so many have noted, he died doing what he loved. Godspeed, Mate!

Continued in Part 2  I  Part 3

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September 8, 2006

Ceiling Painting

Frank sent this picture depicting an interesting ceiling painting in what I suppose is a designated smoking room. If you're a smoker, it may give you pause. Of course, I doubt it's real; more likely a Photoshop rendering from Worth or Freaking News. I looked for it, but only found it at BreakTaker. I'm sure it's widely circulated by now. Anyway, if a picture is worth a thousand words, this one speaks volumes.

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September 8, 2006

Friday Fly-by

This week's fly-by, Where Eagles Fly, features F-15 Strike Eagles and music by Van Halen and Sammy Hagar. Have a great weekend!

BTW, the white "doughnut" surrounding the aircraft at 200+ secs is formed as it breaks the sound barrier. Cool!

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September 6, 2006

Katie Couric's Extreme Makeover and Anchor Debut

For those of you who've paid little attention to all the network fanny-patting Ms. Couric's enjoyed leading up to her debut last night as an evening news anchor, you may have missed the flap about how CBS, in an apparent attempt to polish up their big investment, did some creative Photoshop work on a released Couric publicity photo in order to make her appear more, shall we say, svelte. So that you won't feel uninformed at your next office cocktail party, here are the actual and manipulated versions via TVNewser. The left photo is the official first-pic-of-Katie released by CBS at this year's upfront. The right photo is an edited version of the same photo, from the September issue of Watch magazine, which is owned by CBS.

Of course, such "big news" didn't escape the blogosphere. Here's a not-so-tongue-in-cheek cartoon from day by day that made me smile:

Oh, and if you're wondering if Katie has shed her goofy Today Show persona as she moves to more serious journalism, her blog should put your mind at ease; she's still, well, perky. C'mon, be a fan. Read her blog.

Of course, this is old news. Katie's a real news anchor now. At the end of last night's maiden newscast, she asked for viewers to go online and enter their suggestions as to what her last words each evening should be. Did you? Neither did I. To close her first broadcast, she played a handful of clips featuring some of the most renowned signoffs in the business, both real and fake, from Edward R. Murrow's "Good night, and good luck" to Ron Burgundy's "You stay classy, San Diego." Not the most elegant way to close the broadcast, but it made for a "perky" goodbye.

Please spare me. No, really.

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September 5, 2006

Mojitos, Robustos and Guayaberas

...The rickshaw driver lugs his fare through the streets of Havana and draws up to a nightclub. The portly tourist climbs out, sidestepping the shadowy figure with the bulging pockets who's selling Cohibas -- "cheap." The trim Lothario who watches the door leers suggestively before ushering the visitor in. Four very different denizens of the Cuban night, they have one thing in common: they all are wearing guayabera shirts...

Friends Michael and Sisko threw a party over the weekend to celebrate completion of their new "cigar room," an addition that will allow Michael and friends to enjoy his latest passion, fine cigars, in total comfort. The room is light, airy, and reminds me of my younger days in Miami where every home included a "Florida room." Add a special ventilation system with ozone filtration, palm trees and a few orchids, and you have the perfect oasis for the cigar aficionado.

As usual, Sisko outdid herself providing every imaginable Cuban-influenced delicacy, and Michael provided ample mojitos and Cuban music to set the tone for the event. A cigar menu (Oh, yes, he has one!) was a big hit, too, although most of us still required some guidance choosing between Michael's extensive offerings. Amazingly, the ventilation system kept the blue smoke to a minimum and quickly cleared the room once everyone had puffed well beyond their bands.

A really nice touch, everyone agreed, was Michael's gift of guayabera shirts for all the gents. I know you've seen them although you may not recognize the name for them. Made of light cotton or linen to weather tropical heat, draped to hide any figure flaw -- like the beginning of a belly -- outfitted with four pockets to stow an ample supply of robustos, yet possessed of all the sex appeal any Latin peacock could want, the guayabera is Cuba's sublime all-purpose gift to menswear. It's casually elegant, perfect for either an early evening mojito at La Bodeguita del Medio, a sunset stroll along the Malecón, or a glamorous showgirl revue at the Tropicana. Short-sleeved or long, it vaunts machismo, with the accent heavy on sexy Latin. If the United States ever lifts commercial sanctions against Cuba, one of the island's resources in highest demand will undoubtedly be the original guayabera, the traditional Cubanisimo garment that fills the needs of summertime dressing with the elegance of a jacket and the comfort of, well, a shirt.

In our case, the guayaberas were sky blue, so to the less "sophisticated," we might have looked like a Cuban bowling team were it not for the array of fine cigars protruding from our collective guayabera pockets. It was a classy gesture and helped get everyone in the mood to celebrate. We all felt so, uh, Cuban.

To make a long story short, the party was a grand success and Dawn and I stayed well into the night, long after the ventilation system had cleared any remnant of cigar smoke from the new room, telling and retelling stories and enjoying the camaraderie of good friends. ¡Gracias, Michael y Sisko, por un día memorable! (Photos)

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September 4, 2006

Happy Labor Day

The origins of the American Labor Day can be traced back to the Knights of Labor in the United States and a parade organized by them on September 5, 1882 in New York City. Inspired by an annual labor parade held in Toronto, Canada, they held another parade in 1884 and passed resolutions to make it an annual event thereafter.

Many other labor organizations, notably the affiliates of the International Workingmen's Association, favored a May 1 holiday, but with the event of Chicago's Haymarket riots in early May of 1886, president Grover Cleveland feared that a May 1 holiday could become an opportunity to commemorate the riots and strengthen the socialist movement. Accordingly, he moved in 1887 to support the position of the Knights of Labor and their date for Labor Day.

Labor Day is generally regarded simply as a day of rest and, unlike May Day, political demonstrations are rare. Forms of celebration include picnics, barbecues, fireworks displays, water sports, and public art events. Families with school-age children take it as the last chance to travel before the end of summer. Some teenagers and young adults view it as the last weekend for parties before returning to school. Seldom do Americans see any vestige in the old socialist movement or violence associated with the holiday.