Public Wi-Fi Hotspots in Altoona

Updated map of public wi-fi hotspots in Altoona, PA

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Shiny and New for Christmas

Christmas Eve freezing rain

Do Ya Feel Lucky?

If it were just 2 degrees colder we'd be a lot of trouble here!

The Twelve Days of Christmas Wordled

The Twelve Days of Christmas
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Twitter Why, Twitter How

SlideShare Presentation: Why you should use Twitter, and how best to use it.

Why you should use Twitter, and how best to use it.

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: twitter convince)

Send Free Faxes Online

FaxZero gives you two free faxes of up to 3 pages each per day, and if, like me, you are a very infrequent faxer then that's probably all you need. Save the document you're faxing on your hard drive somewhere, provide the fax number and company information, and send the file. You'll first get a confirmation email to which you must respond before the fax will be sent. You will then receive a delivery (or failure) notification in your email inbox within about 20 minutes.

I think I really need a new washer

Danish commercial (NSFW-nudity) for a Siemans washing machine ...

Link:

Uploaded by uberlinkert

All I Want for Christmas is ...

From Saturday Night Live: Calculator - Two brothers with a single Christmas wish

Better Living Through Chemistry

You may think this is snow on the parking lot, but it isn't. You think that maybe someone got a little carried away with the anti-icing chemicals?

Daily Video #14 - Oh Christmas Tree

The Logan Valley Mall Christmas tree

I have one more day of the planned 15 consecutive days of Flip mini-video clips. I haven't posted some of them. They were even more mundane than the ones I have put up. I think my goal was achieved though. I am now more attuned to looking for opportunities to shoot.

Netflix Watch Instantly Revisited

Image by via CrunchBaseA couple of weeks ago I posted a piece about Netflix Watch Instantly becoming available to Mac users like myself. After having had some time to play with it, I'm more convinced than ever that this is a really good thing. I've had a chance to browse the available titles. There is a lot of TV as well as theatrical films. I don't know the total number of available selections, but I'm pretty sure you'll have no trouble finding something you like.

As a fan of British TV, I was pleased to find a fairly respectable catalog of comedies and dramas, including a large selection of Dr. Who episodes. The quality is reasonably good, even in full screen. The load time is quite short. In a few minutes you'll be watching your selection.

I don't think you can watch part of a movie now and pick it up where you left off later. I need to experiment with that some more. I do like that you'll get a tip when a movie in your rental queue is available for instant viewing.

I am very pleased so far, now I need to get the mindset that I can watch movies any time I want to.

Daily Video #11 - Cheap Gas!!!

To the best of my recollection, this is the lowest price for gas locally since I moved here 4 years ago.

Daily Video #9 - All I Wanted Was the Hard Drive

Don't ever think you'll open up an iBook to pull out the hard drive and then put it back together. What an adventure! Thank goodness for the interwebs. I'd have never figured this out on my own. I thought it was just going to be "pop off the enclosure, pull out the HD, put it back together". Oh, no! This monkey is not going to be reassembled, at least not by this guy.

You'll find it on eBay being sold for parts. However, I did get a nice little USB external hard drive as originally planned. It was a learning experience.

Daily Video #8 - Nothing Like a Tightly Run Operation

This sign is in a sandwich shop/convenience store in Bellwood, PA. It's funny, but some businesses (not this one) are run this way.

You'll have to use Pause to read it all.

Daily Video #7 - BK Freezy

Waiting at the BK drive thru in freezing rain ...

This is my first video embed from a site I just discovered, MotionBox.

Daily Video #4 - Less than Two Bucks

This is a very short clip celebrating the price of gasoline dipping below $2 a gallon for the first time since who knows when!

This is at the GetGo in Logantowne Centre, Altoona, PA

Daily Video #3 - Muddy Waters

This is the third in a series of quick daily videos. My plan is to do a video each day for 15 days to help develop more of a "shoot anything" mindset.

This is a muddy flood behind my building, apparently from a water main break.

Pay It Backwards?

Driving home this afternoon, I heard a genuinely nice story on CNN Headline News. It seems that at a certain Colorado Starbucks, people are paying for the next person in line behind them. At a local grocery store, a man paid $20 toward the next person's bill.

This is beautiful! Maybe we're giving up on greed and selfishness. Could this be the dawn of a new era of community spirit, shared responsibility, and mutual respect in America? Wouldn't that be something!

I can't wait to do this myself. Who knows, maybe it'll catch on.

Good Morning Central Pennsylvania

In my tightly budgeted morning routine, I left no time for this frosty surprise ...

Great Interception by Steeler Troy Polamalu

Pittsburgh Steeler star Troy Polamalu makes one of the most amazing interceptions I've ever seen ...

Who'll Start the Rain?

I captured this short video this afternoon at the Bellwood Reservoir which is part of the Altoona City Authority water system. For the past 5 years, I have driven past this reservoir several times a week. I have never seen it as low as this. We really need to get some rain into here before it turns into real winter.

NetFlix Watch Instantly For Mac

I was delighted to see earlier in the week that after a very long wait, NetFlix instant movies had finally come to the Mac community. It does requires a download and install of Microsoft Silverlight before you can watch.

I grabbed a BBC import and started watching in less than a minute. No ads. Reasonably good full screen quality on a 17" iMac. There were two brief periods where the video was choppy and in the second half the audio and video got out of sync. But, it is a beta app with expectation for improvement.

There's no limit to how many instant movies you can view as part of your existing subscription. I haven't yet look at how many instantly viewable movies are currently available. It's not the entire NetFlix library.

All in all, it seems the wait may have been worth it.

Posted with LifeCast

America's New Beginning

On this morning as a new era begins in this country, I have never been prouder of the United States of America or happier to live here. But, the real change, the hard work is just beginning. Let's hope we can earn the new America that we have a chance to build.

Posted with LifeCast

The Verbosity of Joe Biden

This is fantastic! Go, Joe!

Track the Polls

As the campaign winds down and election day nears, here are some tools you can use to track opinion poll results ...

• USAToday Presidential Poll Tracker - good trendline representation
• ABC News Poll Tracker - shows poll results with demographic breakdowns you choose
• Pollster.com - numerous results for a variety of races
• TPM Election Central Poll Tracker - non-graphical presentation of results from numerous polls
• Electoral-vote.com - downloadable poll results

Snowy Morning

On the Way to Work Wednesday Morning

I Am Legend

The 1954 novel I Am Legend by Scott Matheson has spawned three feature films ...

The Last Man on Earth (1964)
The Omega Man (1971)
I Am Legend (2007)

Preview the book, I Am Legend, at Google Books.


Last summer, I watched all three movies and, in my opinion, found the most recent iteration, Will Smith's 2007 film, I Am Legend, to be the best effort. Naturally, the effects were better, but I felt the story was more believable. I could better identify with the central character, Robert Neville. I hope to read the book this winter.

The King Of Dental Hygiene

This afternoon, on my way home from work, I was stopped at a traffic light and glanced into my rearview mirror. The driver of the car behind me appeared to be chewing on a pen. However, as I watched him I realized that he was really brushing his teeth! He continued brushing for the duration of the light. As for spitting, I lost sight of him when the light changed so I don't know how he resolved that issue.

Posted with LifeCast

Mixed Messages

I was struck by the rather curious juxtaposition of these two billboards on a local street.

First you see this ad for a nearby drugstore featuring two giant drug-filled capsules ...
... then, less than 100 yards farther along, you see this ad encouraging the public to report drug dealing.

Rationing in World War 2

Recently my mother, who is now 76, came across a couple of her World War 2 ration books that she had as a young child. I was fascinated to see these artifacts which are still in very good condition despite being more than 60 years old. I wanted to share these rare items with you.

During World War 2, American citizens at home were asked to conserve everything. The government found it necessary to ration food, gasoline, rubber, and many more commodities, even clothing.

In the spring of 1942, the Food Rationing Program was introduced with the goals of preventing public pique at shortages and to preclude people with more means from acquiring an unfair portion of scarce goods.

Rationing controlled the amount of commodities that persons could buy. Not all items required rationing, however. All meats, butter, fat, and oils, and most cheese were regulated with "Red Stamp" rationing. Each individual was allowed a number of points weekly. "Blue Stamp" rationing controlled the distribution of canned, bottled, and frozen fruits and vegetables, plus juices and dry beans; and such processed foods as soups, baby food and ketchup.

Rationing also employed a point system. But many Americans grew frustrated and confused trying to decide what coupons went with which items, how many points they needed to purchase them, and that some coupons did not require points at all.

Rationing also controlled the distribution of clothing, shoes, coffee, gasoline, tires, and fuel oil. With each new coupon book came new rules and deadlines. Rationing of gas and tires depended on the distance to a person's job. X stickers on cars permitted their owners unlimited supplies and were obviously highly prized.

An unintended and serious side effect of the rationing programs was the rise of a "black market" dealing in the illicit sale of rationed goods at inflated prices. Meat, sugar, and gasoline were the staples of the black market trade in the US.

In 1944, ration coins were introduced. These pressed cardboard coin-like tokens allowed vendors to make change on purchases made with ration stamps.

For more images of World War 2 rationing items, visit this site World War II Rationing.









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Wooly Caterpillar

A sure sign that autumn is approaching winter!

October Friday Night

The sun sets through the tree tops between the goalposts at the Bellwood-Antis HS stadium

Sarah Palin, My Humble Opinion

People who believe Sarah Palin did well in last night's vice-presidential debate think that because their expectations of her performance had been so low to begin with.

You could compare her to your local high school football team playing Rutgers and managing to score a few points and not lose by 75. Nobody expected them to have a great game, anyway. She succeed in the sense that she didn't thoroughly embarrass herself, but she didn't display any depth of understanding or insight. She adhered faithfully to the party line.

As for her folksiness, we've had eight years of a good old boy presidency. We don't need a Joe Sixpack or a Hockey Mom as a leader of the nation. We should want a smart, articulate, insightful leadership.

Joe Biden exhibited so much more comprehension and understanding of the critical issues facing America. He appeared confident, knowledgable, and poised leaving no doubt which of these two people I would want in the White House should the need ever arise.

Race, Sex, Your Vote

I am saddened that in 2008, many people will decide how to vote based on nothing more than race or gender.

If you choose not to vote for Barack Obama, let it be because you disagree with his positions, not because he is African-American. Conversely, a vote for Obama shouldn't be cast for no reason other than he is a black man.

Should you choose to vote for John McCain, let it be because he reflects your beliefs, not because he selected a woman as his running mate.

This election is far too important to allow your vote to be determined based on emotional, shallow reasoning. Educate yourself about the candidates and what they stand for. Vote with your brain. Decide who you do want to be your next president, not who you don't want.

Keystone State Summer

Store, Share, and Sync Your Files with DropBox

DropBox is a new free Web 2.0 cross-platform application that allows you to quickly and easily store files both on your computer's hard drive and online. This means you will always have two up-to-date copies of every file in at least two different locations. There's nothing new to learn, nothing special to do. Save and open files to and from your DropBox folder just as you would any other folder. Create sub-folders in the DropBox folder to keep your files organized. No need to remember to copy files to a portable USB drive anymore. You can also share files with friends and colleagues by invitation, no need to email files to yourself or others.

But the best feature of DropBox is that it also keeps your files synced across all the computers you use. Edit a file that's in your DropBox folder and when you save it, the file stored online will update the changes automatically. If you move to a different computer, the edited file will be synced to that computer with no action needed on your part. It's that simple. For someone like me who may use 3 or 4 different computers on different platforms in the course of a day, this is a blessing.

Your DropBox folder works exactly like every other folder on your computer's hard drive. You can quickly access your DropBox folder by simply clicking the DropBox icon in the Windows task bar or Mac menu bar.

Learn more about DropBox by taking the tour.

It comes in Mac, Windows, and Linux flavors. DropBox will make your life simpler. Promise.

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Secure Your MacBook

iAlertU from SlappingTurtle Software is a free application to secure your MacBook computer in public places like cafes or meeting rooms. iAlertU is like a car alarm for your laptop which uses the built-in sudden motion sensor device of the MacBook.

iAlertU can be armed using either the keyboard or the remote. Movement of the MacBook or keyboard/trackpad activity will trigger an audible alarm that will continue sounding even if the computer is closed. The MacBook's built-in iSight camera will snap a photo of the villain and email it to a specified address.

Why Do I Pay My Taxes and My Bills?

Why do I bother to pay my taxes? Why do I get my bills paid on time?

I ask myself these questions every time I hear or see one of those ads that purport to be able to settle your IRS or creditor debts for pennies on the dollar. If these ads are to be believed, I should just ignore my taxes and max-out all my credit cards, then get these guys to settle my accounts for a fraction of what I owe.

The Integrity of the 162-game Schedule

Last week, while I was watching part of the Olympic baseball coverage, I listened to the broadcasters talking about the possibility of representing the US with major league players, our best players, as we do in basketball and hockey.

I had previously thought about this point myself. Sending NBA players to the Olympics doesn't really conflict with the NBA regular season, but the NHL season must take a two-week hiatus to allow their players to compete in the Olympics. Such would be the case with major league baseball.

The broadcasters considered this point and agreed that "the integrity of the 162-game schedule must be protected." What the heck is that supposed to mean? Might it destroy MLB if once every four years the schedule were to be adjusted to accommodate Olympic participation by the best baseball players in the world, not only for the US but other nations as well?

Cybersecurity: Where do McCain and Obama Stand?

"It is no longer sufficient for the U.S. Government to discover cyber intrusions in its networks, clean up the damage, and take legal or political steps to deter further intrusions," Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell noted in a February 2008 threat assessment.

Information systems have become the backbone of our economy, our government agencies, energy, healthcare, food supply, and nearly everything else we do. As such, these systems have become the targets of both criminals and terrorists, and perhaps even foreign governments.

What are the positions of the presidential candidates regarding this very real emerging threat to our national security?

Senator Obama has stated that he will make cyber-security a top priority, appointing a national cyber advisor to synchronize policy. Senator McCain has said that a much greater investment toward the federal responsibility for cybersecurity is needed.

For more information:
Cybersecurity and the National Campaign, SC Magazine
US Pesidential Candidates to Tackle Cybersecurity, Softpedia
A plea to McCain and Obama: No Cyber Security Boondoggles, NetworkWorld
Which Presidential Candidate Has the Better Cyber Security Position, Hybrid Consulting Group

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The USS Requin

The USS Requin, named for a sand shark, was commissioned in April 1945 and remained in service until December 1968. In August 1990, she was loaded onto barges in Baton Rouge, LA, for her trip up the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers to Pittsburgh. She arrived at the Carnegie Science Center on the 4th of September and was dedicated and opened for tours on October 20, 1990.

The Requin had a crew of 10 officers and 71 crewmen squeezed into a boat just over 311 feet in length with a width of a bit more than 27 feet. With a range of 11,000 nautical miles, she could be at sea on patrol for up to 75 days.

Pictures from Requin

How To Choose A Safe Reusable Water Bottle

How To Choose A Safe Reusable Water Bottle from The Good Human explains how to select a reusable water bottle and why that choice matters to you and the environment.

RoboShooter

Need a solid shooting guard for your team? Check out this guy from Pittsburgh. He never misses!

Snakey Daze

I had one of life's little adventures while golfing today. On the ninth and final hole, I put my first shot into the pond that protects the front of the green. I hit a horrible second shot that ended up in a ditch along the right side of the fairway. The groundsman had earlier used the weedeater in the ditch and it was still full of the cuttings.

I expected that the ball would be lost under those clippings, but I took a look anyway. I didn't see my ball, but I saw what appeared to be two crossed sticks in the grass. A closer look caused me to suspect one of those things wasn't a stick, but a rather large snake about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and nearly three feet in length.

I watched it for a minute or so seeing no sign of movement. I began to think perhaps it was dead. I called my partner over and he took a look. Still no movement from the snake. The groundsman was mowing nearby, and we waved him over. He took his look, but the vitality of our slithery friend was still indeterminate. The groundsman reluctantly poked at it from behind with a stick. It was not deceased! It didn't move far, however.

Since none of us knew the sort of creature we had on our hands and because of its fairly large dimensions, we decided a speedy termination was in order. While my partner and I maintained our observation of the serpent, nine-irons in hand, the groundsman fetched a shovel. Upon his return, he made short work of the beast.

If any of you find the demise of this snake upsetting, I'm sorry, but as for me, the only good snake is a dead snake.

The face of our next President?

The face of our next President?

miGhtyDocs: v1ru8 or virus?

For the past 3 or 4 months I've been learning to use my iPod Touch for more and more things. The iPhone 2.0 software has given me even more ways to use this brilliant device, allowing more things to be done offline.

Over the weekend, I found via RSS a new app that I thought would be a great addition, miGhtyDocs. This app claims to cache your Google Docs documents for viewing offline. I located miGhtyDocs in the iTunes app store where I was surprised to notice the developer's name, v1ru8, which looked startlingly like virus to me, but despite a little uneasiness, I thought that coming from the app store, it should be OK. And, it was free.

I downloaded and installed miGhtyDocs on my Touch, opened it, enterd the Google Docs login info, and all my documents appeared and could be opened and read. Next, I turned off the wi-fi and tried to read a document using miGhtyDocs. It didn't work. I got "Error 1099", whatever that means. I dismissed that dialog and watched the progress indicator spin on to no avail. A quick Google of "mightydocs" revealed that this was not unique to me. This app apparently does not work.

I hope this wasn't some sort of virus infection or scam to steal Google login data. If it's legit, I hope they get it fixed and working as it should. I think it would be a nice, useful iPhone app.

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It's a Pirates Life for Me!

Green Bay will say "Good Bye, Brett. Thanks for everything, but it's time we all get on with our lives!"

About Off-shore Oil Drilling

A Department of Energy report issued last year predicted that it would take two decades for drilling in restricted areas to have a noticeable effect on domestic production, and that, even then, “because oil prices are determined on the international market,” the impact on fuel costs would be “insignificant.”

John McCain noted just a few months ago that offshore resources “would take years to develop.” The Oklahoma oilman T. Boone Pickens has stated, “This is one emergency we can’t drill our way out of.” Pickens is a strong advocate of wind power.

The DOE estimates that there are eighteen billion barrels of technically recoverable oil in offshore areas of the continental United States that are now closed to drilling. This sounds like a lot, until you consider that oil is a globally traded commodity and that, at current rates of consumption, eighteen billion barrels would satisfy less than seven months of global demand.

Note: Estimating the amount of technically recoverable oil takes into account the industry's current state of technology for extracting oil, without accounting for the potential cost to accomplish this. An estimate of economically recoverable oil takes into account the quality and market value of oil, the costs of exploration and drilling, the financial costs of extracting and transporting the oil, and the financial rate of return expected at particular oil prices.

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Want to be More Popular

Do you wish you were more popular? Are you unhappy because you can't sit at the cool table?

Then this video is the answer to your pain ...

Thanks to topsurf

Today, I saw the new X-Files movie The X-Files: I Want to Believe starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson, stars of the original Fox TV series.

The TV series ended a bit more than six years ago (1993-2002), so I was unsure how it would play after such an extended hiatus. This film did not disappoint in any way. The aura of the original TV shows transitioned seamlessly into this movie. If you are a fan of the X-Files on TV, you're bound to enjoy The X-Files: I Want to Believe.

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