Thatgeek – Previously Sonicpling

I didn’t last very long with the updating every day thing, did I?

Maybe I can find something interesting to say once a week then?

If you’re getting worried about Microsoft buying google, then maybe you’ll be happy to know that google refused that offer from microsoft several months ago. The NY Times seems to be going for a sensational headline only. (via techdirt)

I’ve just this evening gotten the chance to install panther on my mac at work and will let you know next week (after using it for a few days) whether I like it.

Kuro5hin has a good article about the US Medical System.

That’s all for now. I’m going to finish reading the healthcare article.

Til Next Time…

At the Tokyo Motor Show this year Toyota showed this uber cool concept car.
This tiny electric vehicle carries the name “PM”, which stands for Personal Mobility, as in one-seater. The articulated chassis, demonstrated in the pictures can shorten the wheelbase and raise the cockpit to an overall height of 73 inches to ease entry and exit, and to afford a view over traffic. At speed, the wheelbase lengthens and the car lowers itself to a height of 47.8 inches. When in the taller mode, the PM can spin in place like an office chair thanks to the wheel’s pivot being mounted above it like a caster.

Entry is achieved by touching one of the PM’s headlights that stick out on the end of stalks, which then glows green to signal the opening of its glass canopy.
As the canopy opens, the PM’s seat slides down, forward and out. When you exit the process is reversed.

The PM can be electronically linked to other PMs, so that the driver of the lead car can lead a train of four PMs to a destination with no input from the occupants of the others. So, instead of one family car, each person would have his or her own PM that could be linked electronically so you can go out together. This is facilitated by the hi-tech visual communication system, which allows you to stay in touch with other PMs in your party in order to share traffic information, and chat.

A wacky feature included is an array of 2500 light-emitting diodes all over the sides of the car that constantly shift color. Car and Driver says of this feature: “We have to wonder how that affects range…”

I got nothing today.

Any suggestions for a good book to read?

Anyone?

Last night I read Redshift Rendezvous by John Stith.

It wasn’t the best book I’ve every read, but was interesting enough to keep me up half the night to finish it.

If you like old-school science fiction (where there’s actually some science in the fiction.) Check it out.

Aboard the hyperspace liner Redshift, the first sign of trouble is the apparent suicide of a passenger. When first officer Jason Kraft discovers that she was murdered, Kraft wants to know why. Before long, a desperate group of people tries to use the hyperspace craft for their evil purposes, and Kraft is the only person in their way.

PASSENGER GUIDE WARNING:
Read This Guide Before Boarding the Redshift. The environment aboard a hyperspace craft is quite safe as long as you are careful. The management reminds you that the speed of light on board this craft is ten meters per second, or about 30 million times slower than what you are used to. This means you will frequently encounter relativistic effects and optical illusions.

NEVER TAMPER WITH YOUR LIFEBELT OR ATTEMPT TO UNFASTEN IT. THE FIELD IT GENERATES ALLOWS YOUR NEURAL TRANSMISSIONS TO OPERATE AT NORMAL SPEEDS AND IT IS ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL TO YOUR HEALTH.
1. Use only the ship’s master clock displays. Do not rely on your personal timepiece; it will accurately record your personal subjective time, but it will never agree with any other timepieces until you reset it when you leave the ship.
2. Remember that everything you see and hear is at least slightly in the past, due to the time it takes sound and light to travel. The closest things to you are the most current.
3. Trust what your hands tell you rather than believing your eyes. Bending light can make you think a convex floor is concave. Colors may shift and shapes may distort.
4. Go slow. Limit your speed to a fast walk until you are familiar with the environment. Please heed the traffic rules. By running fast, it is possible to exceed the speed of sound, which is only 6.7 meters per second.
5. Never assume anything.
6. Have a nice trip.

Excerpt Here.

Busy day spent mostly driving. We drove (2 hours) to Humble and browsed around the Deerbrook mall for a while before going to see Kill Bill at the AMC theater in said mall.

I can’t really recommend it. It had an interesting story and some witty moments, but the gore is a little over the top. (this is deliberate, if I’m not mistaken, but still a little much for my taste.)

Very violent movie.. Normally I’m a big fan of martial arts movies (Jackie Chan mostly), but this one has a little too much slasher flick mixed in IMO.

In it’s favor though, I can honestly say that this is the first movie I have seen Uma Thurman play in where she didn’t look as if she was acting.

All in all it was a nice day out with my wife, and I’m glad we went.