Arizona Governor Jan Brewer’s opening statement in last night’s debate reflects either an amazing lack of preparation, or sheer panic.
(h/t Politico)
:-O What is this! how are you a politician?!
Wow. She could be VP to President John McCain!
The pricing on Roku is off. They sell their HD model for $69. The $99 XR model merely upgrades the 802.11g wifi to 802.11n. And blip.tv content is available on nearly all of these devices. I’m not sure about the WDTV as I really don’t know much about it. But I’m guessing you can get it on there somehow.
via Engadget
Apple consistently has a clear vision for its products. It then consistently bets the company on that vision.
Apple TV is a Google-esque break from that consistency.
Apple relaunches Apple TV
- $99
- Movies, TV shows, and music.
- Both Ethernet and WiFi built in.
- HDMI for HD Video.
- No storage, all rentals, no purchases.
- Streaming video, no syncing.
- $4.99 for first run HD movies.
- 99 cent TV episode rentals.
- Netflix, YouTube, Flickr, ABC and Fox are available at launch
It’s like the Roku, but years later.
You also just witnessed the death of Roku, unless they drop their price-point by at least half.
This is the exact same Apple TV with Netflix tacked on. It offers little to nothing that isn’t available on most TVs, Blu Ray players, etc. being sold these days. It’s still $30-$40 more than a Roku.
I have an Apple TV. I have, more or less, a larger version of this Apple TV. Jobs knows it’s a half-baked product. Remember, this is a man who never shies away from calling anything and everything the Best Thing Ever. What does it say about the product when he insists on calling it a hobby?
“It’s a shame that Moustafa Bayoumi’s book, a thoughtful and highly regarded portrait of the group living with this growing antagonism, has to be at the heart of it.” (via The Book Bench: How It Feels to Be A Problem : The New Yorker)
Maybe it’s not. Maybe this is exactly the book we all need to go buy and read right now and we can turn it into a #1 best seller…
For much of the past half-century, the problems that have brought Washington to its current state have been concealed or made tolerable by other circumstances. The discipline of the Cold War kept certain kinds of debate within bounds. America’s artificial “last one standing” postwar economy allowed the country to ignore obvious signs of political and social decay. Wars and other military interventions provided ample distraction from matters of substance at home. Like many changes that are revolutionary, none of Washington’s problems happened overnight. But slow and steady change over many decades—at a rate barely noticeable while it’s happening—produces change that is transformative. In this instance, it’s the kind of evolution that happens inevitably to rich and powerful states, from imperial Rome to Victorian England. The neural network of money, politics, bureaucracy, and values becomes so tautly interconnected that no individual part can be touched or fixed without affecting the whole organism, which reacts defensively. And thus a new president, who was elected with 53 percent of the popular vote, and who began office with 80 percent public-approval ratings and large majorities in both houses of Congress, found himself for much of his first year in office in stalemate, pronounced an incipient failure, until the narrowest possible passage of a health-care bill made him a sudden success in the fickle view of the commentariat, whose opinion curdled again when Obama was unable, with a snap of the fingers or an outburst of anger, to stanch the BP oil spill overnight. And whose opinion spun around once more when he strong-armed BP into putting $20 billion aside to settle claims, and asserted presidential authority by replacing General Stanley McChrystal with General David Petraeus. The commentariat’s opinion will keep spinning with the wind.
Stone Gate Vineyard and Winery, Gilford, New Hampshire
There are 30+ wineries in New Hampshire. Most truck in their grapes from elsewhere. Stone Gate trucks in some, but not all, of its grapes. It grows small amounts of a wide variety of grapes and just enough Leon Millot to bottle a very limited reserve of 50 cases. All wines are available only on the premises.
I posted this about a year ago, but it seems particularly relevant right now so I’m posting it again.
The Beatles - Commonwealth
from Get Back Sessions - Unreleased
This track, when combined with Get Off White Power, clearly shows that the origins of “Get Back” were much more political than the end result.
From Wikipedia:
Around the time he was developing the lyrics to “Get Back”, McCartney satirised the “Rivers of Blood speech” by former British Cabinet ministerEnoch Powell in a brief jam that has become known as the “Commonwealth Song”. The lyrics included a line “You’d better get back to your Commonwealth homes”. The “Commonwealth Song” had no musical resemblance to “Get Back”, but gives insight into the thinking behind the song’s lyrics. On 9 January Paul introduced “Get Back” to the group, with the “Sweet Loretta” verse very near to its finished version. Improvising various temporary lyrics led to what has become known in Beatles folklore as the “No Pakistanis” version.[7] This version is more racially charged, satirising right wing attitudes toward immigrants in America and the UK: “…don’t need no Puerto Ricans living in the USA” and “don’t dig no Pakistanis taking all the people [sic] jobs”.[8]
I’ve got lots more Behind The Beatles stories here.
How To Buy A Surge Protector
This has been one of the most popular posts on my old blog for years. I thought it was worth updating a bit, so here’s a slightly revised version.
A lot of people have their computers and other electronics into devices they think are surge protectors. Often, they’re just glorified extension cords. I once had a power surge fry my cable box while sparing other devices plugged into the same strip. While I had a real surge protector, it wasn’t exactly the highest quality. Sadly, I knew this and ignored it. Fortunately, the cable company swapped out my box with no questions asked.
Howstuffworks has some tips for surge protector buyers:
On a listed surge protector, you should find a couple of ratings. Look for:
- Clamping voltage - This tells you what voltage will cause the MOVs to conduct electricity to the ground line. A lower clamping voltage indicates better protection. There are three levels of protection in the UL rating — 330 V, 400 V and 500 V. Generally, a clamping voltage more than 400 V is too high.
- Energy absorption/dissipation - This rating, given in joules, tells you how much energy the surge protector can absorb before it fails. A higher number indicates greater protection. Look for a protector that is at least rated at 200 to 400 joules. For better protection, look for a rating of 600 joules or more.
- Response time - Surge protectors don’t kick in immediately; there is a very slight delay as they respond to the power surge. A longer response time tells you that your computer (or other equipment) will be exposed to the surge for a greater amount of time. Look for a surge protector that responds in less than one nanosecond.
I might add that, while it is important to check the stats of these things, it’s even more important not to get sucked into the outrageous claims and high prices of the products your local home electronics salesman will try to sell you. They often look very fancy, but seldom match your needs.
Still want more info? Scroll down to the bottom of this post to fully understand the dangers of cheap surge protectors.
Do you just want me to tell you what surge protectors to buy? OK. Here are three reasonably priced products that I can personally vouch for:
- APC PER7T - Protects seven devices - $10
- Belkin BZ111200-06 - Protects and conceals 11 devices, including up to five wall warts. - $24
- Belkin Mini Surge Protector - Protects 3 devices + 2 USB ports w/ no cord - $15
