Ask E.T.: PowerPoint Does Rocket Science

This is worth reading - before you review or write your next Powerpoint presentation.
Ask E.T.: PowerPoint Does Rocket Science

My Left Wing :: A Liberal Translation

What they say - saves me saying it - incorporated by reference:
My Left Wing :: A Liberal Translation

The Torn-Up Credit Card Application - A Cautionary tale

The Torn-Up Credit Card Application: "You should probably buy a shredder today.
"

Michael McGuire at Watertower

McGuire showed some very intriguing panorama images. Some of them are collages, which for me lessens their impact. I like things that appear to be photographs to be closer to reality than a collage. Somehow, faking the image after the fact diminishes the impact on my soul. This is odd, because regular painting "art" is completely artificial and faked (hence art?) -- but can appear to be really real, and have great impact. Go figure. 

In the interest of fairness, Abigail and Julia are Jacob's sisters

  

Jacob, my grandson, age 8.

I was playing with my new toy - a Fuji Finepix F11 - and captured this image at ISO 800. Remarkable for this generation of P&S digicams - probably ho-hum standard for the next generation.

Good stuff at the Art Institute of Chicago

Last Friday I visited the Art Institute of Chicago. They had two fascinating exhibits on display - both worth a visit

From Darkroom to Digital: Photographic Variations is a show of more than 40 objects from the permanent collection features variants and alternative prints by Ansel Adams, Tom Arndt, Chuck Close, Patty Carroll, Frank Eugene, Gertrude Kasebier, Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, and others.

Girodet: Romantic Rebel is the first retrospective in the United States devoted to the works of gifted French painter Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson (1767–1824). The exhibition assembles more than 100 seminal works (about 60 paintings and 40 drawings) that demonstrate the artist’s impressive range as a painter as well as a draftsman.

Leica and the Nazis

In an article entitled Leica and the Nazis Andrew Nemeth notes:

Some German corporations didn't exactly distinguish themselves during WW2, with many fostering an unnaturally close association with the Nazi regime, as well as ruthlessly exploiting their slave labourers & employees.

I'm sure many of you have wondered: "Where were Leica in all this? How deeply did they get involved? Were they Good Blokes, or Creeps?"

Thanks to the efforts of Rabbi Frank Dabba Smith, George Gilbert and Norman C. Lipton, the good news is that in this particular case, E.Leitz did do the right thing. Not only did they treat their workforce reasonably well, but they also helped many Jews (and others) escape the depravity of the Thousand Years Reich - often at great personal risk.

New bill a potential disaster for working photographers

If you are interested in protecting the rights of independent photographers and other independent visual artists, read this and take action.

ASMP: "Urgent Call for Your Action on Orphan Works"

Under the proposed legislation, a person or other entity who wants to use a copyrighted work is required to make only a "good faith, reasonably diligent search" to locate the copyright owner. If, after making such a search, the user is unable to locate the copyright owner, he/she/it gets an almost free license to use the work. If the copyright owner never comes forward, the user gets to use the work for free. Even if the copyright owner discovers the use and demands payment, the MOST the copyright owner can get is "reasonable compensation," i.e. a reasonable license fee for the use actually made. There is NO possibility of statutory damages or attorneys' fees, even if the work was registered before the use was made without your permission.

So, under the proposed legislation, any organization can pick up a photo of yours and use it freely without your permission. All they have to establish is that they did not know who owned the copyright.

My 'puter had a brain transplant and an unclogging of the arteries

Until last week, my primary computer had a 1.8 Ghz Pentium 4 processor. A few months ago , I bought an Intel Pentium 4 2.8 GHz processor as a mid-life kicker. I carefully read the instructions, and decided that it was way too risky for me to attempt to install the upgrade myself. The instructions were something along the lines of "remove everything from the motherboard and gently pry the old processor out, taking care not to damage the motherboard".
I put the processor away - and then I noticed a sign at CompUSA - "Parts installation - $29.95". I asked if that included parts not purchased from the store - sure, I was told. Processor chip? I asked - "Sure" I was told. So, last Thursday, I dropped it off on the way to the city.
Yesterday, I picked up the patient, plugged in the three external hard drives, the printer, both scanners, the iPod, the network, the two phone lines, the speakers, and finally the power.
Bingo! It works, and felt snappier. Just to convince myself that it was not an illusion, I went to the Intel site to find the Processor Identification Utility. I came to this page:

http://support.intel.com/support/processors/pentium4/software.htm#id

and spotted the "Intel Application Accelerator".

The description said:

"The Intel® Application Accelerator replaces the ATA drivers that come with Windows* with drivers optimized for desktop and mobile PCs using select Intel® chipsets. It reduces the storage sub-system bottleneck, enabling the processor and other system level hardware to be more productive and efficient. It is not a requirement for your operating system to work properly."

Sounded like a good thing, so I went ahead and installed it (several steps and checks involved). If you try it, read ALL the "Readme"s and Release Notes to ensure compatibility with your system.
My system really hums now - - I won't need a new one until my major apps support dual processors and Windows Vista has had the bugs shaken out.

Red Lentil Soup - or, How to find happiness in the kitchen

The yummiest and simplest soup I have ever made is a red lentil soup, based on a traditional Jewish recipe. The TV program "America's Test Kitchen" (who advice I usually revere) recently derided and discarded red lentil soup as being too mushy. Pure Northeastern Yankee humbug!

The recipe I used is based on red lentils (1 packet - 16 oz), chopped onion (1 large), chicken or beef stock (7 1/2 cups) and cumin, salt and pepper, with a finish of lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, In its purest form, just simmer the main ingredients for about 30 minutes until the texture is right, add the lemon juice and olive oil, and garnish however you please (chopped parsley is good). Tastes good, looks blah.

To make it great, raid the pantry and fridge and add stuff. The best additions I have found so far are a can of chopped tomatoes (added after about 20 minutes of simmering) and about 12 oz shredded spinach (added 5 minutes before completion). The added colors, textures and tastes are sublime. This is what I cooked last night on the spur of the moment.

This, for me, was a breakthrough. Normally, if I cook something, I plan it with more care than the war in Iraq was planned -- about two days of thinking and making lists. Impromptu cooking is new for me - and very gratifying.

Yes, I know, every working woman does this every day - but I am handicapped - I am a man ;-(

Google throws out US data demand

BBC NEWS | Technology | Google throws out US data demand:
The US government demanded that Google produce data regarding search terms used by Google searchers. Google's response included a phrase that is emblematic of almost everything this administration does:
"This statement is so uninformed as to be nonsensical"
This sums up almost everything GWBs group has said about almost every one of its policy initiatives. I love it. Who said geeks can't write poetry?

Sorry - I could not resist this...

... even though everyone else is commenting. Usually this administration shoots itself in the foot. This time they could not even manage that! Also, I am wondering anyone would want to shoot quail anyway - he no longer wants the VP slot. Slates commentary is below:
Blind Spot - The vice president learns there is no "E" in quail. By Bruce Reed

Just how cold is Chicago?

Not as cold as it used to be. Read on for details of our current balmy winter...
WGN Weather Weblog: SUBZERO TEMPERATURES AT CHICAGO

Era Ends: Western Union Stops Sending Telegrams

So what will we do to fill up the time at weddings?
And our grandchildren will never understand telegram jokes :-(
E.G.
"A cartoon with the caption “Telegram Sex which showed the recipient reading from the slip of paper - DONT STOP DONT STOP DONT STOP STOP
LiveScience.com - Era Ends: Western Union Stops Sending Telegrams

Analog TV shutdown all but set for 2009 - Engadget

Analog TV shutdown all but set for 2009 - Engadget
So start thinking about dumping that box you have somewhere. My study TV is a 20 year old Magnavox. It will have to go :-)

Fear and Loathing and Digital Rights Management

If you have an iPod, and a PC, you need SharePod. This is why:
This morning I opened up iTunes and clicked on a podcast I wanted to hear. Not there. No problem - just listen to another of the thirty or more lined up to for my pleasure. Not there.
Concern!
Check on a music track. Not there. Try another music track. Not there.
Fear!
Open Explorer and look in the folder - empty.
Full blown panic!
Put earphones on iPod - music still there. No problem. About to pop iPod into cradle when memory strikes - DON"T DO THAT. The iPod synch is only one way. Synch now and the iPod is made to match the PC - i.e. empty.
All is not really lost - most of what I put on the iPod is from CDs that I already own - the problem is that I have about 15GB on the iPod - takes forever to load.
OK - go for a file recovery program. It finds nothing.
Go for Google - I find SharePod after many dead ends.
This nifty little program copies everything from the iPod back to your PC. After a couple of glitches caused by file names that are too long, I now have all my music files back on my PC.
Not quite yet. I had bought a couple of tracks from the music store just to see how it works. They have disappeared, as far as I can tell. Good work, Apple. Yay for Digital Rights Management.

The Avalon Project : Hamas Covenant 1988

The Avalon Project : Hamas Covenant 1988

Selfserving bigoted BS - a quote from the "Covenant" above:

"Article Thirty-One:

The Islamic Resistance Movement is a humanistic movement. It takes care of human rights and is guided by Islamic tolerance when dealing with the followers of other religions. It does not antagonize anyone of them except if it is antagonized by it or stands in its way to hamper its moves and waste its efforts.

Under the wing of Islam, it is possible for the followers of the three religions - Islam, Christianity and Judaism - to coexist in peace and quiet with each other. Peace and quiet would not be possible except under the wing of Islam. Past and present history are the best witness to that."

Free translation - if you are Buddhist, Hindu, Jain, Sikh, Taoist, Parsi, Animist, Shinto - or anything other than followers of the religion of Abraham, you are dead meat. Otherwise, if you are Jewish or Christian, you had better be prepared to live under Islamic rule - or we will kill you in the name of peace and quiet.

January 2006 was Chicago's warmest since 1928

... and I am not complaining. See the details on the WGN Weather Weblog: January 2006: CityÂ’s warmest since 1928

A poll shows 47% of the US population now thinks the US was right to invade Iraq

... and by definition, 50% of the population is of below average intelligence. Odd coincidence? I think not.

Also, the Iraqis have Democratically elected a party ideologically sympathetic to the Shiite lunatic regime in Iran.

Good job, George.