The Acer Aspire One

Welcome Aspire,
I'd like to take a moment to recognize just how far we've come. Do you do most of your computer work with smaller applications or mostly online? Looking to replace your laptop with one that could meet your needs without costing a thousand dollars or more? Let's take a look at the Acer Aspire One.

From Amazon:
Acer redefines mobile connectivity with the Aspire one, a netbook (or mini-notebook) packed with fun and powerful computing features in a diminutive 8.9" form factor weighing as little as 2.2 lb. Aimed at business professionals, students and world travelers, it offers a choice of operating systems, wireless connectivity, Internet access, built-in webcam and the storage space needed for digital photos. It's time to simplify your life with the Aspire one.

Specs:
* 1.6GHz Atom N270
* 1GB DDR2 SDRAM
* 1.3 Megapixel camera, SDHC and multi-format media readers
* 802.11b/g, Ethernet, three USB 2.0, VGA, and 3.5mm audio out
* One free mini PCI slot for WWAN, 160GB hard drive (2.2 pounds)



The small footprint and the ability to plug in an external monitor, up to 3 usb devices, and an SD card reader give this small laptop more than enough bang for the common user's buck.

Reuters :: Japanese Sailor Powers Boat Using Waves

This is a great story about Kenichi Horie, whose original claim to fame was as the first Japanese to cross the pacific in 1962. In 2008 he will attempt a similar feat except this time he will be using a boat that is powered only by the motion of waves. A pair of wings on the front of the boat will produce power from the vertical motion.

4400 Miles in about 2 and a half months. Sounds like fun. On the other hand he's not paying for gas. -dean

World Stacking Championships

I had no idea that such a thing existed. You have to watch the kid in the video just to see how inferior I am. If only I had the dexterity and speed necessary to complete such a task. Dare I say HOLY CRAP.

Interesting Site - Flashcard Exchange

One of the things that I always hated about learning languages was making flash cards. Sure it helped by writing the word and the corresponding foreign word. But really now, there are thousands of words out there. I ahve a pretty good handle on the English ones. Sometimes you just need a little help. So today I'd like to recommend the Flashcard Exchange for your flashcard needs.

Culture watch : Newsweek : TV vs Movies

If you got this week's newsweek you'll see on page 52, an article that showcases the changes in scope, focus, and star power given to the little screen; As well as a shift between the big screen movies and television.

And the shift has been dramatic. What do people talk about at work? Is it the latest movie in theaters or is it what happened last night on... "NOOO don't tell me I haven't seen it..!" More often than not the latest episode of (Name your poison here: Lost, Sopranos, Idol, Race, Survivor...) is the topic of the day around desks. Excitement bubbles, coffee consumed, and imaginations run wild at the thought of what next week, or tomorrow will bring. And way shouldn't it? The production value of television has exploded. With big name producers and writers taking part in this part of the craft, the escalation of the expenditure and scope was inevitable. Jerry Bruckheimer, Michael Crichton, and a host of others has brought great writing and visual story telling back to our homes during primetime.

Take the TV show LOST for example. Efforts to bring a sense of disaster, danger, and mystery, required the use of a real airplane cut in to pieces, fire, explosions, and a real island to tell the story of airline crash survivors. Take 24, a show about a federal agent and 24 phenomonal hours of intrigue and and explosive action. The level of scope and story telling have leapt beyond the efforts of recent memory, especially when we look at what I believe is one of our lowest moments in pop culture, the unadulterated glut of "reality based" shows.

Saint Anna - Right?... Err... Seriously wtf?

So Saint Anna died. I mean Anna Nicole Smith. I dubbed her Saint Anna because I was sure that with all the press surrounding her death she'd performed some kind of miracle. Sorry, Playboy and trimspa aren't miracles. They resonate with their audiences but are far from miracles.

Maybe I'm a little harsh, but in what way does the passing of this person draw the kind of media attention worthy of the kind of funeral and retrospective that we grant the President of the United States when one dies?

I guess I'll figure out why the next time I turn on my tv and try to find something on, because even today it's still everywhere.

A look back, and forward

I seem to spend my whole day writing. Whether it's here for you and me, work for me and the stuff I seem to need money for, or a little email to let people know that I'm not quite dead, I seem to spend my whole day writing. It's ok. I enjoy it. It just seems to be in a place where It's all to serve another purpose and less for the sake of just doing it. So maybe it's time to try.

It's dangerous to tell people that you're going to try and write something. Everyone wants to know what it is, and how long it'll be, and if they're in it. It's hard because once you tell people you're suddenly accountable for producing it. That little voice in my head starts screaming "But what if it sucks?!..." The what-if guy is my worst enemy. When he shows up I have to put down my pen/laptop (gently) and put on my running shoes and go for a run. I do a lot of work when I'm running. It's like picking at a knotted piece of string. Some times the string has been knotted for so long that dirt has embedded itself in the ruts and you have to clear years worth of mud to even see where the problems are. Some days the string is unsalvagable no matter how much work you've put in to it, and begrudgingly you have to put it aside and pick up a new thread. And then the what-if guy shows up again just to mess with me.

So I've decided. Yes, I've decided that I'm going to give this a shot. If I can write a few hundred words a day for this site, and a few hundred emails a day for work, I can surely write a few hundred more words for me in a larger piece to someday share with you. That what-if guy will be there too. He will. I know that he will. And it's ok. He's the one that brings glimpses of reality in to the room, reminding me that I do have a day job, and prodding me just often enough to make me go and run until he's out of my head. I'm training for Ironman and so I can use one more run.

I'm ready to tell some stories... I'll keep you posted. -dean

Inventor of the instant ramen noodle passes

Momofuku Ando, who founded the predecessor to the Nissin food products that we know today, and who invented the instant ramen nodle product passed away. He was 96 years old.

The first instant ramen product was the chicken flavor ramen, one of my favorite standby foods. The journey didn't end with a packet. The first of it's kind in 1958, the cup noodle (Cup o' Noodles as many people know it today) was introduced in 1971. Innovations have continued over the decades, introducing a myriad of flavors, sizes of carby sodium filled meals even up to today. In 2005 a special packet was developed so that they could be taken in to space and eaten aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery.

On this day of rememberance I'd like to share a ramen related recommendation.
If you enjoy a good bowl of ramen, happen to be in or near Yokohama, and don't want to traipse all over Japan to sample all the local specialties that can be found in the various regions might I suggest visiting the Raumen Museum in Shin-Yokohama. It's incredibly worth the price of admission. Upstairs there are exhibits, fun facts, and games. But the prize is downstairs. A small labyrinth of lines and ticket machines await hungry travellers in search of excellent ramen. Some of the best and most famous styles of Japanese ramen are represented in every style from Shio (salt) to Shoyu to Miso. I'm getting hungry just writing this. Go hungry, come out happy. There are lines at meal times, but they are pretty managable. The challenge is to sample a "mini bowl" from each shop and still have avoided your food coma long enough to make it back out to daylight.

Jake Shimabukuro - While My Guitar Gently Weeps

Video Hosted on Youtube
This is just a sample of how good this guy is. What you're about to see is Jake Shimabukuro, a ukulele virtuoso from Hawaii. I'd tell you how good he is but you'd better just hit play. If you like what you hear check his site out below and go out and see him in 2007. I'm sure he's touring at a venue close to you.


Seriously folks, it's a ukulele. No tricks. He's actually playing this song.

• Jake's Homepage

Hello Professor. How about a game of chess.

Hello Joshua. On Christmas of this year the IHT published an article about MGM studios battling over wargames. Not the movie, the domain name. The basis of the suit brought against Rogers Cadenhead, owner of the domain, was unauthorized use and registration of a trademarked item. Cadenhead registered the domain in 1998, three years prior to MGM's registration of the trademark.

Today the site is actally being used to sell war games, videos, and books. The movie, a 1983 cold war film about a teenager, played by Matthew Brodrick, who breaks in to a department of defense computer with full access to the nuclear arsenal with command capability over our defense strategy with our primary adversary - communism, debuted in 1983 and it looks like MGM, in 2001, was preparing to come out with a sequel.

I'm confused, but that's ok. What more do we have to say on the subject? Nuclear arsenals and the concept of defense at that level have changed so drastically that we are not nearly as concerned with the actions of nations as we are of factions, and individuals. There aren't treaties that would draw us in to war like they would have over 20 years ago. Besides, if you saw the third Terminator movie, you'd know that Skynet is going to get us anyway.

Merry Freakin' Christmas

Merry Freakin' Christmas people. And I meant that. We've lost our heads here. We're at a point where someone can be admonished for bringing cheer and good wishes to others by using a series of words that are not demeaning, obscene, or negative in anyway. Here's my problem with this problem. More often than not, the phrase's underlying meaning is NOT, "HEY! Celebrate the birth of my savior or burn you heathen." No, it really isn't. More often than not is it an expression of one's desire to share good wishes with the people around them during this most traditional of American seasons.

What's really being said is, "Good wishes upon you. I hope your family is well, you friends plentiful, and your football team does well in the playoffs." Or something like that, I had to do some translation.

It's a greeting, a bringing of good tidings during this season of giving. So whether your greeting is a Happy Kwanza, Happy Chanukah, or Merry Christmas, I say bring it with emphasis of a global citizen of peace on earth and goodwill towards mankind, get off the semantic kick, stop assuming people are out to get you and challenge you and your faith, accept the good wishes, and get on with standing in line at Best Buy hoping against hope that there is just one more Nintendo Wii in the bin in the back with your name on it.

Merry Freakin' Christmas
-dean

Pearl Harbor Day 2006

In this the 65th anniversary of the first day that will forever live in infamy in our short history as a nation I would like to take a moment to give my respect to those who have fallen in that day, and in the days before and since in pursuit and defense of the American way of life. It is through the sacrifices made by men and women in uniforms in all branches of service that allow me to live out a life of my choosing as a civilian. And as such we as members of this society must remember and practice our roles in this republic, speaking up for our selves, understanding the decisions made by those who represent us, and holding them responsible for the same.

A day that will live in infamy, the image of a sinking ship in port, buildings falling within our gates, a sheltered country hit upside the head for ignoring the rest of the world. Cautionary tales and a wake-up call to all of us. But I digress. Today is not a day for celebration, but for commemoration of these events. Solid stepping stones in our history.

If you would be so kind as to take your moment to commemorate this anniversary, lest we forget the events of the past.