Happy Towel Day 2012!

My Photo from Towel Day 2010

Woolly Krackers! Yet another Towel Day has come upon us!

May 25 is Towel Day, an annual celebration of the life and work of Douglas Adams, the man behind H2G2 (among other stories). You can get great background on the day and the man at http://towelday.org/ or scifimafia.com. Then surf over to asitecalledfred.com to read a lovely compilation of tributes. By the by, today is also Geek Pride Day (in honor of the first Star Wars film, which was released on this day in 1977. Wired's GeekDad reviews the results of the latest Geek Pride Day Survey. It's two years old, but the Daily Caller's summary of the basic rights and responsibilities of geekdom (May 2010) is a good read as well. And, in the best spirit of geeky mashups, ThinkGeek is having a fun photo contest with cool geeky prizes.

May 25 is also, strangely enough, World Tarot Day. My guess is that Douglas Adams would be somewhat amused with this intersection of superstition and intellect. But, hey, I know many geeks who also dig the tarot in one form or another. How about the Lovecraft Tarot, dedicated to the horror writing of H.P. Lovecraft, or the Vertigo Tarot, a limited edition deck with images celebrating the characters of DC Comics' Vertigo line, hmmm?

So, my hoopy froods, don't panic and always keep your towel handy. Who knows, maybe the Force will be with you as well. (If you're not sure about that, just find your friendly local occultist for a tarot card reading).

Oh, and because Towel Day falls on a Friday this year, you have the added benefit of a Friday 80s Flashback!

Get Out The Dilithium Crystals!

You're familiar with Haynes Manuals, right? They're only known for publishing the very best illustrated guides for repairing (or exploring the guts of) cars, motorcycles and bicycles, as well as a series covering historic aircraft. Maybe you have to be into DIY stuff to have heard of them. Or, maybe, you have to be interested in technical communication (that's my camp).

Well, now they have boldly gone where no (serious) technical DIY manual has ever gone: Star Trek's U.S.S. Enterprise! The startrek.com staff interviewed editor Derek Smith about this latest addition to the Hayes library: Inside the Haynes Enterprise Manual

I can finally build my own warp engine! (No, not really)

Pick My New Phone -- The Choice!

I really wanted a cool title for this post. I considered "I Kissed A Phone" (too cutesy), "The Smartphone Has Landed" (too audacious?), "Smartphone Accomplished!" (too Iraq War), and "What (Phone) Have I Got In My Pocket?" (too Tolkien). In the end, I just went with something that should tie this post in with the previous ones in this thread. Anyway... Anyone out there remember I was looking to upgrade my smartphone and that I narrowed my options down to two devices? I haven't mentioned anything here since June 17, but if you follow me on twitter, you might have caught a reference or two as to what phone I finally selected. It's funny, but my choice ultimately came down to two things: Cost and availability. On the cost factor, the Droid Incredible was going to cost me about 4x as much as the Palm Pre Plus. Concerning availability, as of June 22 the Incredible was backordered into mid- to late July. Now, my favorite time to test drive a new phone is when I travel because I can really put a device through its paces and see if it will work for me. As things stood, I was going to be driving to Boston on July 2 and staying for a few days, so I definitely wanted to pickup a new phone before my departure. Hello Palm Pre Plus. I'm working on a full review of my experience with this device, both on my Boston trip and day-to-day since then. I'm nowhere near ready to post it, but at least now you know what I've got in my pocket.

Pick My New Phone (Is There an App for That?) -- Update!

Hello Prophet or Madman-philes (all two or three of you who read this blog)! As you know, I'm looking to upgrade my smartphone. Several folks have provided feedback here on the blog, by twitter, on my Facebook wall, and by email. Thanks to that input, and a little trip to the local Verizon store, I have narrowed my options to two devices.

• Palm Pre Plus: My last three or four phones have been Palm devices. They easily sync with Mac OS X (contacts, schedule, photos, memos, etc.). The Palm Pre Plus has been rated as having the best OS out there. It can be used as a mobile WiFi hotspot for up to five devices. It has a great touchscreen as well as a slide-out keyboard (with actual keys). Speaking of the keyboard, I am pretty much used to its layout because it is so similar to the Centro. And, with Verizon's current pricing, I can get this smartphone for free.

• HTC Droid Incredible: The name really says it all as this is an incredible device. All the pros of the Droid OS, but none of the reported problems of the Motorola Droid. It cannot be used as a WiFi hotspot, but it can be tethered to your laptop for internet connectivity. The camera is great and it has an LED flash! Now, this device is fairly pricey, and I have to wait if I want it (most locations had about a three week wait to get the device as of a week ago), but I do get a discount on it (thanks to my "new every two" feature with Verizon).

At this point, I still have to perform my own tests to see which device is better at all the tasks I need it to do. But if I am looking for something to keep me for the next two years while I wait for Verizon to get the iPhone, it seems I should lean toward the Palm Pre Plus. It's available now, has WiFi capability (included with the data package), and the price is right. As long as it handles webmail, music, Twitter, and Facebook like a champ, my decision should be pretty much made, right? Thoughts, comments, suggestions?

Pick My New Phone! (Is There an App for That?)

Three months ago, I put it off. And I was prepared to put it off for another month. But the time has come to make a decision.

I'm due for an upgrade and I need a new smartphone.

Now, I am a Mac user, so one would think this is a decision easily made and acted upon. I should get an iPhone, right? Well, let me tell you, I would certainly like to have an iPhone. There are, however, a few issues. First, I am on Verizon. Why is that an issue? Uh, because I am unwilling to switch to AT&T. Sorry, folks, I'm actually happy with the service on Verizon. AT&T is by far the lesser network in my area and I kind of like a phone to, well, you know, make phone calls.

Second, it seems rather unlikely that Apple will strike a deal with Verizon. I was following the rumors, waiting and hoping for the iPhone to be available on my network. But I'm convinced it won't happen ... for quite a while.

Third, and possibly the biggest issue, I have been using Palm products for several years now. My current device is a Centro (I have been through the Palm V, Palm m500, Treo 650, Treo 700p). All my primary contacts -- and a host of other data in the form of memos, scheduling, etc. -- is in Palm's proprietary format. C'mon! Don't judge me! These Palm devices sync very well with the Mac platform, OK?

Here is my Centro!

Now, you may well ask, "Why do you need a new smartphone?" Great question! And the answer is ... I don't really need a new smartphone. But I am up for contract renewal, which means a discount on a new device, and I do want one. Or, rather, I want a phone that is better on the web than my Centro (that Blazer browser is so 2005).

So my question all of you (er, well, anyone reading my blog; so that's all two of you) is this:

What device should I get?

I'm serious. I need some help in choosing my new smartphone. And it will ideally have the following features:

• Sync well with Mac OS X
• Decent web browser
• Good audio quality
• Support for Twitter (preferably via Tweetdeck) and Facebook
• Full keyboard (virtual or practical, I'm not picky just yet)
• Video playback
• iTunes integration
• Ability to import my Palm data

I'm not really all that interested in BlackBerry devices, so I guess the choice is between Android and Palm. Or, maybe Palm is not really part of the discussion. The Palm Pre and Palm Pixi look good, but the new Web OS doesn't seem to support my old Palm data very well and syncing with Mac is an issue. Not that Android is much better in the Mac sync department. Bottom line: I'll have some serious adjustment no matter which direction I go. I just want to ensure I make the best choice given my criteria.

So, have at it! Make a pitch for which device I should get and why. I appreciate any and all help in this matter.

Which droid is the droid I'm looking for, Ben Kenobi?

Oh, look. Palm made phones for Weebles!

Happy Towel Day 2010!

It seems somehow fitting that my next post after writing Forty-Two is for Towel Day. May 25 is Towel Day, an annual celebration of the life and work of Douglas Adams, the man behind H2G2 (among other stories). You can get great background on the day and the man at http://towelday.org/ or scifimafia.com. Then surf over to asitecalledfred.com to read a lovely compilation of tributes. I should also point out that ThinkGeek is having a fun photo contest with cool geeky prizes -- just tweet a photo of yourself, with the #towelday tag, to @thinkgeek. By the by, today is also Geek Pride Day (in honor of the first Star Wars film, which was released on this day in 1977. The Daily Caller sums up the basic rights and responsibilities of geekdom. It's not the only place you'll find the writeup, but I happen to like their title for it. So, my hoopy froods, don't panic and always keep your towel handy. Who knows, maybe the Force will be with you as well.

Steve Jobs Takes a Break

Wow. This sounds pretty serious. Apple's comeback over the last several years was due largely to Jobs being at the helm again. He is closely identified with both Apple's products and the company's image. While many will look only to the inevitable drop in Apple's share prices, I do hope that others will have some compassion for the man and his condition. And I hope that condition does not include cancer.

[News] Apple Inc. Chief Executive Steve Jobs says that because of his health issues he will take a medical leave of absence from the company until the end of June. See full story.

Not Exactly on MY Gift List

Really, if you happen to be looking for a gift for me -- for whatever reason -- please do not purchase this item. I have a window shade. But, more effective, I have two cats. Either one will eventually get me out of bed.

Truemors :: Alarm Clock Pillow a Truly Bright Idea Tired of waking up to whatever heart-attack-inducing alarm is working for you this month? A student design team from Dublin may have found a calmer, but more effective way to wrest you from the covers; their pillow alarm clock is rigged with LED lights that gradually brighten over a forty minute period, simulating a sunrise and letting your circadian rhythms adjust more naturally to a waking state. A layer of special material makes for a feeling indistinguishable from a normal pillow and even doubles as a reading light. Brits can look for it in stores by the end of the year, but no telling when it will hit North American shores."

The Robot Uprising is Delayed ... Well, Sort of ...

The Care-O-Bots are coming! The Care-O-Bots are coming! (Hmmm...that does sound pretty lame). Check out the new robot by German engineers: Robot Underlords: Welcome Your New Robot Over... Oh, Never Mind

The Web that Time Forgot

The International Herald Tribune has a story on a technology pioneer Paul Otlet, who imagined a "Steampunk version of hypertext" more than 50 years before the first Web browser was released. Check it out: The web that time forgot - International Herald Tribune

The telegraph room at the original Mundaneum in Brussels. (Mundaneum)

Obsessive Fan of the Week (with a Recycling Plug)

Sure, you liked the Transformers movie released in 2007. Maybe you even loved it. Perhaps you purchased various fan-oriented items from the movie. But if you were a true fan, you would recycle your car into a 7-foot statue of Optimus Prime.

But, if you don't have the time, or the car parts, you could purchase this one for a mere $4,838.71 (hey, it's a steal!) from Robot-Models.com.

This Is Your Brain On ...

OK. First, we had performance enhancing drugs hit the world of professional athletes. And judging from all the hoopla and controversy (e.g., Roger Clemens, Floyd Landis, and Marion Jones, just to name a few), people seem to genuinely feel that it's no laughing matter. Then came the TV commercials for Southwest Airlines in which an office worker was accused of using "productivity enhancers." Ha ha. Funny, right? Now, here comes a slightly more serious story. According to an online poll, 20 Percent of Scientists Admit Using Brain-Enhancing Drugs (source Wired.com). And we're not talking about caffeine. A majority of the respondents are using Ritalin and Provigil to boost their brain performance. A smaller group has admitted that they take beta blockers like propranolol. What kind of sick society are we living in when people have gone beyond vitamins and minerals and good diet and have turned to pharmaceuticals to get an edge in their careers? Yes, I imbibe coffee once or twice a day. I also take vitamins because, frankly, I know this society's mega-manufactured food supply is lacking in many regards. But I cannot bring myself to see brain and blood doping as anything but tragic. It speaks to the serious disconnect our society has from natural cycles and our bodies. Comments? [Oh, and yes, this post's title is a blatant steal from the old "This is your brain on drugs" commercials.]

Very Metal: The Most Complicated Thing Ever Built

Avi Abrams of Dark Roasted Blend has an article about CERN's Large Hadron Collider. The LHC is a 17 mile monstrosity that crosses the border of two countries. Per the article, one superconducting solenoid (CMS) alone contains more iron than the Eiffel Tower (which weighs about 7,300 tons!). The most interesting aspect of this project? How about the suggested possibility of TIME TRAVEL! Granted, it's the particles that traverse time, but it's still a heady concept according to research published by CERN scientists Arefieva and Volovich. The article has several photos, which alone are worth a look. Sheer words do not do justice to the LHC. Abrams has exclusive permission of CERN to use the photos, so I will not post any here. But I strongly urge you to visit Dark Roasted Blend if only to view photos with the article. They help to give a sense of scale to the whole project.

Yin & Yang Moon

Did you know that Saturn has a two-toned moon named Iapetus? The Cassini mission to Saturn scored hundreds of images during a Sept. 10 flyby of Iapetus. These pictures "show the moon's yin and yang -- a white hemisphere resembling snow, and the other as black as tar" (Spaceflight Now).

Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute Download larger image version here

More information:

• Spaceflight Now
• Cassini-Huygens - Latest Images
• NASA: Cassini-Huygens
• Wikipedia entry
• David Darling's Encyclopedia

Why Drive a Prius?

When the Toyota Prius first hit the road, the majority of people who bought it did so because they wanted to be ahead of the technological curve; that is, they wanted to check out the latest in hybrid tech. These days, according to some marketing research, hybrid vehicle owners are certainly concerned with fuel prices and our country's dependence on foreign oil. But the Prius is the vehicle of choice for hybrid drivers because they want you (as in "other drivers") to know they are driving a hybrid.

The Prius has become, in a sense, the four-wheel equivalent of those rubber "issue bracelets" in yellow and other colors - it shows the world that its owner cares. [International Herald Tribune 07/04/2007] [Centre Daily Times 07/05/2007]

Full Disclosure: I drive a Subaru Forester. I chose it for it's safety ratings, four-wheel drive ability, and because I can sit up straight in it. Yes, I'm concerned about the environment and the "Arab crack pipe", but I'm waiting for hybrid tech to improve and become more sustainable before I try it out.

Alas Poor Clippy

Graphic borrowed from monkeyPi.net

I have been a technical writer for over a decade, and for much of that time I have used Microsoft Office. So I am thrilled over the news of Clippy's "death." And this account of Clippy's exit interview is all kinds of good nerdy humor.

Sit a Spell

Lifehacker has a relevant post for all those folks who, like me, are desk jockies. They're not cheap, but we are talking about maintaining your spine ... and that just can't be replaced, y'know.

Four best ways to sit at your computer

UPDATE: Buck (from Tête-à-Tête-Tête) pointed out that the link to the story was broken. I have corrected it, and there are two alternative links posted in the comments.

Worst Jobs in Science

Popular Science Magazine takes a page from Dave Letterman and provides a Top Ten list of the worst jobs in science (bold emphasis added by yours truly):

10. Orangutan-Pee Collector 9. NASA Ballerina 8. Do-Gooder 7. Semen Washer 6. Volcanologist 5. Nuclear-Weapons Scientist 4. Extremophile Excavator 3. Kansas Biology Teacher 2. Manure Inspector 1. Human Lab Rat

According to Popular Science, these are all real jobs. As this was published in the October 2005 issue, I find the inclusion of Kansas Biology Teacher among the entries to be downright ... prescient. Perhaps they knew how this was going to turn out for these poor teachers who are "on the front lines of science's devolution." Do click the link so that you can read the description of each job. Some of them are humorous (for those of us who don't have to do them). But the same distance that makes some of the entries funny actually lends other jobs a more disturbing veneer. Update (8/14/2008): Popular Science moved, or removed, the page with the top ten list. But I found an archived copy via the Wayback Machine.