It's 60 degrees here. Lucky us!
Friday, December 08, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Mind Tricks 2
The experiment continues...
It's been three months since I started dedicating my keyboard to using Colemak. I have achieved an average typing speed of about 40 words per minute using the layout. The only bad thing is that I've totally forgotten how to type in Dvorak and am very rusty in using Qwerty.
Since I'm well-versed in the new layout, I now plan to begin using Qwerty and Dvorak alongside of Colemak. We'll see how long it takes me to relearn Dvorak to begin the experiment...
It's been three months since I started dedicating my keyboard to using Colemak. I have achieved an average typing speed of about 40 words per minute using the layout. The only bad thing is that I've totally forgotten how to type in Dvorak and am very rusty in using Qwerty.
Since I'm well-versed in the new layout, I now plan to begin using Qwerty and Dvorak alongside of Colemak. We'll see how long it takes me to relearn Dvorak to begin the experiment...
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
What about me?
I own an Apple iPod Nano. I bought it about a year ago, which makes it a First Generation Nano, since they've recently come out with "Second Generation" Nanos.
Recently, Apple upgraded their iTunes and latest iPods to support what's called Gapless Playback. Gapless Playback is a feature that allows MP3s to be played continuously one right after the other, without gaps (hence the name). Where this might come in handy are albums that seamlessly flow from one track to the other, such as live albums, classical music, and even some rock albums.
Before the upgrade, the gaps between my tracks of gapless albums were not too bad, a brief pop or millisecond silence between. After the upgrade? Still the same. Why? Because Apple is not upgrading the First Generation Nanos. Why are they not upgrading the "old ones?" Simple. Money. That's the only reason. And that's why I'm ticked off.
There exists an open source (read free) software for my iPod Nano that supports the Gapless Playback, which proves that it is possible to have such a feature on an "old" piece of equipment. Why not upgrade mine? They want me to go out and buy another iPod!
I paid a good $250 a year ago for the iPod and already Apple wants me to buy another one. Is this the beginning of an iPod subscription program? $250 a year for iPods? I can find other ways to spend $250 that will last me a lifetime! (foreshadowing for a future blog)
I used to think that Apple was a pretty cool company, always being creative and attentive to detail. But recently, I'm starting to think that Apple is like Microsoft- looking out for no one but themselves. (Microsoft shows this by coming out with their new operating system Vista that doesn't improve anything except security for the benefit of Microsoft). If Apple really took care of the customer, the loyalty from the customers would most certainly pay off in the long run.
Recently, Apple upgraded their iTunes and latest iPods to support what's called Gapless Playback. Gapless Playback is a feature that allows MP3s to be played continuously one right after the other, without gaps (hence the name). Where this might come in handy are albums that seamlessly flow from one track to the other, such as live albums, classical music, and even some rock albums.
Before the upgrade, the gaps between my tracks of gapless albums were not too bad, a brief pop or millisecond silence between. After the upgrade? Still the same. Why? Because Apple is not upgrading the First Generation Nanos. Why are they not upgrading the "old ones?" Simple. Money. That's the only reason. And that's why I'm ticked off.
There exists an open source (read free) software for my iPod Nano that supports the Gapless Playback, which proves that it is possible to have such a feature on an "old" piece of equipment. Why not upgrade mine? They want me to go out and buy another iPod!
I paid a good $250 a year ago for the iPod and already Apple wants me to buy another one. Is this the beginning of an iPod subscription program? $250 a year for iPods? I can find other ways to spend $250 that will last me a lifetime! (foreshadowing for a future blog)
I used to think that Apple was a pretty cool company, always being creative and attentive to detail. But recently, I'm starting to think that Apple is like Microsoft- looking out for no one but themselves. (Microsoft shows this by coming out with their new operating system Vista that doesn't improve anything except security for the benefit of Microsoft). If Apple really took care of the customer, the loyalty from the customers would most certainly pay off in the long run.
Thursday, August 24, 2006
Mind Tricks
During my freshman year of college, I went where few computer nerds go: I learned the DVORAK keyboard layout.
I first heard of the DVORAK keyboard layout by one of my Dad's co-workers while attending a company party at the Galt House for Thunder over Louisville. QWERTY was designed to separate frequently used pairs of letters, to prevent the typebars in typewriters from getting stuck. I don't know how much thought was put into the efficiency of the QWERTY layout, but it made sense to me that a layout existed that was more efficient.
And so in the summer of 2002, I began to learn a new language. To learn, some suggested switching the key caps on the keyboard to match the DVORAK keyboard or buying DVORAK keyboard stickers to cover the QWERTY letters. I went the cheap and simple route and printed a layout of the keyboard and taped it to my monitor. I switched my keyboard layout in Windows and all the sudden, my QWERTY keyboard was a DVORAK keyboard. ASDFG were no longer the home keys, they were now AOEU. I quit QWERTY cold turkey and practiced and practiced. I used typing programs to quickly teach my fingers frequently used pairs of letters and short words such as "the" and "of." Within a couple weeks, I was fairly proficient at using DVORAK.
The human mind is an amazing work of God. I had learned DVORAK without looking at the keyboard, but by looking at the piece of paper with the keys. My mind had mapped the keys and their positions by seeing the keyboard layout. Because the keys I was pressing were labeled differently, I had to rely upon this mental mapping of keys in the beginning stage of learning how to type. Soon afterwards, my fingers learned how to do the typing and I no longer had to refer to that mental map to know where a letter was on the keyboard. I imagine that a pianist may understand this concept.
I had been using DVORAK on my computer for three years. I used it at home and on my co-ops on my work computer. After years of use, I had become very comfortable and proficient with it. Because I had not been using QWERTY, I discovered that I was unable to type in QWERTY without looking at the keyboard. My mind had forgotten QWERTY! I was able to look at the keyboard to get me started at QWERTY again, and it wasn't long before I was touch typing in both QWERTY and DVORAK. My mind and fingers had both layouts memorized.
Currently, I'm embarking on an experiment; I am learning a third keyboard layout. COLEMAK appears to be a mix between QWERTY and DVORAK. It places the most used keys on the home row like DVORAK, yet keeps the undo, cut, copy, paste keys (zxcv) and the punctuation keys in the same place as QWERTY. My mind tells me that this layout feels closer to QWERTY.
The experiment is not to see whether I can learn it (because I think I can), but is whether I can quickly switch between all three layouts- mentally. Currently, I am able to mentally switch between DVORAK and QWERTY. What I'm interested in discovering is if my mind can call upon any of the two layouts that I have mentally mapped (DVORAK and COLEMAK) at any time. (QWERTY doesn't count because if I get into a bind, I can always look at the keys on the keyboard, which will trigger QWERTY to be used.)
I am currently using COLEMAK to type this post. It has taken a while, but I already feel better at it. I feel that my fingers are beginning to learn where the keys are. I'll report on the results.
I first heard of the DVORAK keyboard layout by one of my Dad's co-workers while attending a company party at the Galt House for Thunder over Louisville. QWERTY was designed to separate frequently used pairs of letters, to prevent the typebars in typewriters from getting stuck. I don't know how much thought was put into the efficiency of the QWERTY layout, but it made sense to me that a layout existed that was more efficient.
And so in the summer of 2002, I began to learn a new language. To learn, some suggested switching the key caps on the keyboard to match the DVORAK keyboard or buying DVORAK keyboard stickers to cover the QWERTY letters. I went the cheap and simple route and printed a layout of the keyboard and taped it to my monitor. I switched my keyboard layout in Windows and all the sudden, my QWERTY keyboard was a DVORAK keyboard. ASDFG were no longer the home keys, they were now AOEU. I quit QWERTY cold turkey and practiced and practiced. I used typing programs to quickly teach my fingers frequently used pairs of letters and short words such as "the" and "of." Within a couple weeks, I was fairly proficient at using DVORAK.
The human mind is an amazing work of God. I had learned DVORAK without looking at the keyboard, but by looking at the piece of paper with the keys. My mind had mapped the keys and their positions by seeing the keyboard layout. Because the keys I was pressing were labeled differently, I had to rely upon this mental mapping of keys in the beginning stage of learning how to type. Soon afterwards, my fingers learned how to do the typing and I no longer had to refer to that mental map to know where a letter was on the keyboard. I imagine that a pianist may understand this concept.
I had been using DVORAK on my computer for three years. I used it at home and on my co-ops on my work computer. After years of use, I had become very comfortable and proficient with it. Because I had not been using QWERTY, I discovered that I was unable to type in QWERTY without looking at the keyboard. My mind had forgotten QWERTY! I was able to look at the keyboard to get me started at QWERTY again, and it wasn't long before I was touch typing in both QWERTY and DVORAK. My mind and fingers had both layouts memorized.
Currently, I'm embarking on an experiment; I am learning a third keyboard layout. COLEMAK appears to be a mix between QWERTY and DVORAK. It places the most used keys on the home row like DVORAK, yet keeps the undo, cut, copy, paste keys (zxcv) and the punctuation keys in the same place as QWERTY. My mind tells me that this layout feels closer to QWERTY.
The experiment is not to see whether I can learn it (because I think I can), but is whether I can quickly switch between all three layouts- mentally. Currently, I am able to mentally switch between DVORAK and QWERTY. What I'm interested in discovering is if my mind can call upon any of the two layouts that I have mentally mapped (DVORAK and COLEMAK) at any time. (QWERTY doesn't count because if I get into a bind, I can always look at the keys on the keyboard, which will trigger QWERTY to be used.)
I am currently using COLEMAK to type this post. It has taken a while, but I already feel better at it. I feel that my fingers are beginning to learn where the keys are. I'll report on the results.
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Absolute vs Relative
Today at work, I saw two women in the hallway talking. I have come across this scene many times in my life, but this one time I noticed something that I had never observed before: both of the women had high-heels of the same height. Of course, this got me thinking about society, especially that of women.
The obvious, primary function of high-heels is to make one taller. Is the purpose to make one absolutely taller (so one is 5'3" instead of 5'1") or is it to make one relatively taller (5" shorter than something instead of 7" shorter)? Knowing women, I'd bet it's to be relatively taller, which begs the question: to what are they comparing themselves?
Coming upon this scene made me laugh. If the two women were to take off their shoes, one would still be looking up to the other. It appeared to me that their high-heel pain was in vain. It made me ask, "What's the point?"
Maybe the answer to my question was answered a few moments later in an unseen scene. Maybe one of the high-heel ladies came upon a different woman who was not wearing high-heels that day and, therefore, was able to tower an additional 3"? Or is it woman's attempt to compete with men in a man's world?
The obvious, primary function of high-heels is to make one taller. Is the purpose to make one absolutely taller (so one is 5'3" instead of 5'1") or is it to make one relatively taller (5" shorter than something instead of 7" shorter)? Knowing women, I'd bet it's to be relatively taller, which begs the question: to what are they comparing themselves?
Coming upon this scene made me laugh. If the two women were to take off their shoes, one would still be looking up to the other. It appeared to me that their high-heel pain was in vain. It made me ask, "What's the point?"
Maybe the answer to my question was answered a few moments later in an unseen scene. Maybe one of the high-heel ladies came upon a different woman who was not wearing high-heels that day and, therefore, was able to tower an additional 3"? Or is it woman's attempt to compete with men in a man's world?
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
Heated Debate
Over a year ago, there was a heated debate. Red or black? Here is another one that I'm sure will attract the same amount of passion, if not more.
Dlo and I debated this for over half an hour last night. It only lasted 30 minutes because we started getting into the definition of Absolute Truth and whether it exists. Frankly, I was too tired last night to debate the fabric of the universe.
I know I'm right and he knows he's right. So how do we solve our differences? By placing our dilema before the world! Below is a picture of what we debated. Answer this question (include an explanation if you so desire):
Dlo and I debated this for over half an hour last night. It only lasted 30 minutes because we started getting into the definition of Absolute Truth and whether it exists. Frankly, I was too tired last night to debate the fabric of the universe.
I know I'm right and he knows he's right. So how do we solve our differences? By placing our dilema before the world! Below is a picture of what we debated. Answer this question (include an explanation if you so desire):
WHICH REGION IS IN FRONT OF THIS PERSON'S BACK?
A or B?
A or B?
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Opportunity 1
The orbiter Discovery made it! It was exciting to watch the launch and the landing. This shuttle mission was the first that I had seen from start to finish. I've been fighting for the past three years to see a mission start to finish. In that time, I had three opportunities:
1.
I was a new co-op here at NASA in the spring of 2003. We had all just finished four straight semesters of Speed and I had no clue what NASA did. Before my interview with NASA, I asked Adam what great things they had been doing since the moon. He stood in disbelief and asked if I had heard of the Space Station. "Nope!" "Are you kidding?" No I wasn't. I had no idea. Now that I think about, I did know they had space shuttles because I remember as a sophomore in high school sticking around at school after classes to watch the historic John Glenn launch. I felt that someone with more zeal for NASA, like Todd or Adam, should be the one interviewing. Thanks to Adam, he was able to explain the space station before my interview, enough to land me a job with the space station group in Florida.
I had been here at the job for about two weeks and I found myself groggy in the early morning riding a bus to a VIP viewing site to watch the Columbia launch. The sun rose; a beautiful day was born. It was sunny with hardly a cloud in the sky. Three hours later and three miles away, on January 16, 2003, I saw my first Shuttle launch. The shuttle went up and all that was heard were claps and cheers. The wave made its way across the lagoon where birds flew far and fast from their places of rest. The sky sounded like it was being ripped apart- a continuous Grand Finale at Thunder. What used to be on the ground was now in space.
Two weeks later, I awoke early on a Saturday morning to watch Columbia return from space. Fortunate for me, it would be returning right before my eyes. Tickets to watch the landing were abundant- it was just another landing of a shuttle on a Saturday morning. They said that the sonic booms would be loud- two, distinct explosions. With a count-down clock and three-mile long runway in front of me, this was certainly to be unlike any other plane landing I had ever seen.
"UHF comm check" they broadcasted over and over- waiting for an answer. They lost communication with the shuttle. The count-down clock reached zero with the runway empty. The shuttle was running late. We returned to the busses and I drove home. The news said it all: the shuttle wouldn't be landing in Florida today.
1.
I was a new co-op here at NASA in the spring of 2003. We had all just finished four straight semesters of Speed and I had no clue what NASA did. Before my interview with NASA, I asked Adam what great things they had been doing since the moon. He stood in disbelief and asked if I had heard of the Space Station. "Nope!" "Are you kidding?" No I wasn't. I had no idea. Now that I think about, I did know they had space shuttles because I remember as a sophomore in high school sticking around at school after classes to watch the historic John Glenn launch. I felt that someone with more zeal for NASA, like Todd or Adam, should be the one interviewing. Thanks to Adam, he was able to explain the space station before my interview, enough to land me a job with the space station group in Florida.
I had been here at the job for about two weeks and I found myself groggy in the early morning riding a bus to a VIP viewing site to watch the Columbia launch. The sun rose; a beautiful day was born. It was sunny with hardly a cloud in the sky. Three hours later and three miles away, on January 16, 2003, I saw my first Shuttle launch. The shuttle went up and all that was heard were claps and cheers. The wave made its way across the lagoon where birds flew far and fast from their places of rest. The sky sounded like it was being ripped apart- a continuous Grand Finale at Thunder. What used to be on the ground was now in space.
Two weeks later, I awoke early on a Saturday morning to watch Columbia return from space. Fortunate for me, it would be returning right before my eyes. Tickets to watch the landing were abundant- it was just another landing of a shuttle on a Saturday morning. They said that the sonic booms would be loud- two, distinct explosions. With a count-down clock and three-mile long runway in front of me, this was certainly to be unlike any other plane landing I had ever seen.
"UHF comm check" they broadcasted over and over- waiting for an answer. They lost communication with the shuttle. The count-down clock reached zero with the runway empty. The shuttle was running late. We returned to the busses and I drove home. The news said it all: the shuttle wouldn't be landing in Florida today.
Monday, July 10, 2006
More Updates
Katie and I watched the Shuttle launch. It was spectacular to see it go up again. I really feel sorry for TQR who came all the way down here to see it, but couldn't because of the weather delays.
I'm now at work, watching the space walks. It totally brings me back to July of last year when I was watching the space walks while living in Dave's apartment while he was in Europe. It's mind blowing to think that the astronauts are up there orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes while traveling 5 miles a second and I can sit here and watch them on my computer while doing other work. It seems like a scene from a Sci-Fi movie. Katie and I were lucky enough to see Discovery attached to the Space Station fly over on Saturday night. Go here for sighting opportunities near you.
Something else that took me back to college (freshman year specifically) was watching World Cup 2006. I set my computer to record all of the games, and it did, except for one- the final game! I didn't get to see the final game! I suppose that a more dedicated fan would have stayed home to watch it. And just my luck, it's a game that goes to PKs! I was definitely mad.
Speaking of freshman year, some of you may remember me learning a new keyboard layout called DVORAK. Today I'm adding another keyboard layout to my repertoire- Colemak. Why? Because I can! It's supposed to be better than DVORAK and one big advantage is that it keeps the keys used for undo, cut, copy, and paste (ZXCV), in the same positions a QWERTY.
This post is brought to you by the Colemak keyboard layout.
I'm now at work, watching the space walks. It totally brings me back to July of last year when I was watching the space walks while living in Dave's apartment while he was in Europe. It's mind blowing to think that the astronauts are up there orbiting the Earth every 90 minutes while traveling 5 miles a second and I can sit here and watch them on my computer while doing other work. It seems like a scene from a Sci-Fi movie. Katie and I were lucky enough to see Discovery attached to the Space Station fly over on Saturday night. Go here for sighting opportunities near you.
Something else that took me back to college (freshman year specifically) was watching World Cup 2006. I set my computer to record all of the games, and it did, except for one- the final game! I didn't get to see the final game! I suppose that a more dedicated fan would have stayed home to watch it. And just my luck, it's a game that goes to PKs! I was definitely mad.
Speaking of freshman year, some of you may remember me learning a new keyboard layout called DVORAK. Today I'm adding another keyboard layout to my repertoire- Colemak. Why? Because I can! It's supposed to be better than DVORAK and one big advantage is that it keeps the keys used for undo, cut, copy, and paste (ZXCV), in the same positions a QWERTY.
This post is brought to you by the Colemak keyboard layout.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Life update...
Okay, okay. Two people called me out (Dlo and ToddQ). Having both of these guys teaming up on me reminds me of the ole freshman days in Miller. Todd, you may be interested to know that I was listening to FIF yesterday and was totally taken back to Summer 2002 Center Hall. Do you still have the five iron? The marriage proposal to Jeff?
Dlo wants me to convey some news. I suppose that a blog would be the ideal place for spreading news: small amounts of information to a mass amount of people. So here we go.
I proposed to Kathryn Emily Harper on June 2, 2006 at Waterfront Park in Louisville. I did it in the most romantic fashion I could, which involved a limo, sunset, family, expensive dinner, blanket, guitar, and bushes. Ohh, and a ring that she loved which fit her finger without me knowing her ring size. It went as smoothly as possible. Thanks to everyone for keeping the secret from Katie. She was totally surprised! Thanks to Dave for doing all of the reconnaissance work for me!
Since then, Katie moved down here to Florida to enjoy the sunny, palm tree weather. She's living in east Orlando, which is about 45 minutes driving time from my beach bungalow in Cape Canaveral. I'm very thankful for her leaving everything in IN to live down here. We have been spending a lot of time together and our relationship has grown as a result.
She's been down here three and a half weeks and about two weeks ago, we decided on a wedding date: June 9, 2007. We've reserved the church and we've reserved the reception place. Everything else will happen in between now and then.
Work is going well. I'm actually doing real work now, which involves hardware that may be sent to the Space Station. I'll go into more detail after more of the testing is complete.
The launch of the Orbiter Discovery is coming up this Saturday. Yes, Todd, Katie and I will be watching it on the beach. Everyone is like small children before Christmas day. We can't wait for it to go up. It'll be the mark of work returning to some kind of rhythm.
At work, I requested a Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000. It feels very nice, and I recommend it to anyone that types a lot.
Dlo, I'm still using DVORAK. Are you?
Dlo wants me to convey some news. I suppose that a blog would be the ideal place for spreading news: small amounts of information to a mass amount of people. So here we go.
I proposed to Kathryn Emily Harper on June 2, 2006 at Waterfront Park in Louisville. I did it in the most romantic fashion I could, which involved a limo, sunset, family, expensive dinner, blanket, guitar, and bushes. Ohh, and a ring that she loved which fit her finger without me knowing her ring size. It went as smoothly as possible. Thanks to everyone for keeping the secret from Katie. She was totally surprised! Thanks to Dave for doing all of the reconnaissance work for me!
Since then, Katie moved down here to Florida to enjoy the sunny, palm tree weather. She's living in east Orlando, which is about 45 minutes driving time from my beach bungalow in Cape Canaveral. I'm very thankful for her leaving everything in IN to live down here. We have been spending a lot of time together and our relationship has grown as a result.
She's been down here three and a half weeks and about two weeks ago, we decided on a wedding date: June 9, 2007. We've reserved the church and we've reserved the reception place. Everything else will happen in between now and then.
Work is going well. I'm actually doing real work now, which involves hardware that may be sent to the Space Station. I'll go into more detail after more of the testing is complete.
The launch of the Orbiter Discovery is coming up this Saturday. Yes, Todd, Katie and I will be watching it on the beach. Everyone is like small children before Christmas day. We can't wait for it to go up. It'll be the mark of work returning to some kind of rhythm.
At work, I requested a Microsoft Natural Ergonomic Keyboard 4000. It feels very nice, and I recommend it to anyone that types a lot.
Dlo, I'm still using DVORAK. Are you?
Monday, May 22, 2006
NASA Language
Over the past month, I've tried to listen with untrained ears to the sayings that are so common around here. I'm sure every workplace has their own unique language. Ours is no different. Aside from the mass amount of acronyms that fly around, here are some words that have special meanings:
offline: not in a meeting
"We'll talk this issue offline"
capture: to include
"We should capture that idea in the presentation."
folks: distant coworkers
"The safety folks agreed with the solution."
buy: to approve
"The quality engineers won't buy that step of the procedure."
paper: official document
"Where's the paper to justify that work."
rationale: justification or reason
"What's your rationale for stoping this task?"
interface: to work with
"My job requires me to interface with the Japanese."
redline: suggested change to a document
"Does anyone have any redlines?"
inputs: ideas to be submitted
"Give me your inputs by Friday."
mitigate: to reduce
"We must mitigate that risk."
wordsmith: look over a document for grammer and spelling
"After this, I'll wordsmith the procedure."
counter-part: analogous co-worker to your job of another organization
"I've given the updates to my counter-part."
offline: not in a meeting
"We'll talk this issue offline"
capture: to include
"We should capture that idea in the presentation."
folks: distant coworkers
"The safety folks agreed with the solution."
buy: to approve
"The quality engineers won't buy that step of the procedure."
paper: official document
"Where's the paper to justify that work."
rationale: justification or reason
"What's your rationale for stoping this task?"
interface: to work with
"My job requires me to interface with the Japanese."
redline: suggested change to a document
"Does anyone have any redlines?"
inputs: ideas to be submitted
"Give me your inputs by Friday."
mitigate: to reduce
"We must mitigate that risk."
wordsmith: look over a document for grammer and spelling
"After this, I'll wordsmith the procedure."
counter-part: analogous co-worker to your job of another organization
"I've given the updates to my counter-part."
Monday, May 15, 2006
Proprietary Eponyms
I was thinking the other day of how certain household items are commonly referred to by a brand name, such as Kleenex. Imagine if your company's product becomes "the standard" for every other brand of that item; you're golden! Then through everyday English language, your product gets marketed for free by word of mouth!
Imagine a typical consumer. "Honey, while your out could you pick up some Kleenex?" He goes to the aisle and notices that there's Kleenex amongst other brands. The person first notices Kleenex because it's "the ideal" but since it costs more, he will settle for less. Imagine a consumer always feeling as if they are settling for less by buying another product, simply for the fact that "facial tissue" is called Kleenex!
Which products receive such an honor? Are they the first brand name to come out with a product? Are they the brand that completely obliterates every other competitor? How does this phenomenon happen?
I tried to think of as many as possible:
Kleenex
Band Aid
Xerox
Scotch Tape
Velcro
Post-it
Draino
Coke
These sites list more:
http://rinkworks.com/words/eponyms.shtml
http://www.prairienet.org/~rkrause/brands.html
Imagine a typical consumer. "Honey, while your out could you pick up some Kleenex?" He goes to the aisle and notices that there's Kleenex amongst other brands. The person first notices Kleenex because it's "the ideal" but since it costs more, he will settle for less. Imagine a consumer always feeling as if they are settling for less by buying another product, simply for the fact that "facial tissue" is called Kleenex!
Which products receive such an honor? Are they the first brand name to come out with a product? Are they the brand that completely obliterates every other competitor? How does this phenomenon happen?
I tried to think of as many as possible:
Kleenex
Band Aid
Xerox
Scotch Tape
Velcro
Post-it
Draino
Coke
These sites list more:
http://rinkworks.com/words/eponyms.shtml
http://www.prairienet.org/~rkrause/brands.html
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Language
You know, with all this talk about immigration it's interesting to see American's strong loyality towards English- as if it was our language. When they claim that English is America's only language, are they paying tribute to our heritage of having come from the British or do they think that English is OUR language? Quite frankly, we don't have an official language and shame on us for not doing so.
Now, the National Anthem is being recorded in Spanish to appeal to Hispanics. Lot's of people think this is wrong and goes against for what America stands. People say "If you're going to live in the US, then learn English." as if English WERE the official language. Is English really better than Spanish? Personally, I like Spanish better. If we want people to learn English, then let's make it the official language. Otherwise, why shouldn't they be able to have the national anthem in Spanish?
Now, the National Anthem is being recorded in Spanish to appeal to Hispanics. Lot's of people think this is wrong and goes against for what America stands. People say "If you're going to live in the US, then learn English." as if English WERE the official language. Is English really better than Spanish? Personally, I like Spanish better. If we want people to learn English, then let's make it the official language. Otherwise, why shouldn't they be able to have the national anthem in Spanish?
Friday, April 21, 2006
How did he die?
In the middle of the work day, I got to thinking about the question that will one day be asked:
"How did Matt die?"
I have tried to think of what would be good responses to this question when the time comes. So far I've come up with two.
"A whale ate him."
"A house fell on him."
I'm still trying to come up with some more. I'll post them as I think of them.
"How did Matt die?"
I have tried to think of what would be good responses to this question when the time comes. So far I've come up with two.
"A whale ate him."
"A house fell on him."
I'm still trying to come up with some more. I'll post them as I think of them.
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Hilarious!
Last night, I was watching some TV and I saw the funniest commercial ever. Interestingly enough, it wasn't trying to be funny. Maybe those of you who watch TV more than I do may have already seen this commercial, but this was my first- so bear with me. The commercial was for the new 5-blade Gillette Fusion.
Is this a joke? I just about died laughing. I remembered (on SNL or MAD-TV) a parody commercial of a razor with lots of blades. There was an animation of a hair and each of the blades individually swooped down for an even closer shave, except the hair wasn't getting any shorter with each cut. It was pretty funny.
I really couldn't believe that they are selling this. What I also won't be able to believe is that people will buy this. A lot of people will buy this and Gillette will make a lot of money.
I'm starting to notice more and more about all the crap I'm presented with in a day. Yesterday, I went to Best Buy to buy a portable DVD player for playing in the long drives to KY or the plane rides to and from. When checking out, the cashier asked me if I had my Best Buy credit card. "No." She asked me if I had some kind of awards card. "No." Would you like one? "No." Along with your DVD player, I can add a 2 year replacement warranty for $30. "No.'" Okay. I'll ring this up for you. "Ohh, gee, thanks. I was wondering when you were going to get doing YOUR JOB." Okay, sir. Could I have your telephone number? "AHHHHH! LEAVE ME ALONE!" I walked out of there really thanking God for the internet where I can shop in peace.
In addition, I went to my bank to order checks and set up direct deposit. During the process, she pulled up my records and said "You haven't gotten a loan through us." I told her that I don't have any debts and I'd like to keep it that way. "Ohh, and you don't have a credit card through us either." Sigh. Will it ever stop? I got done ordering the checks and the direct deposit and was ready to leave. "Sir, are you interested in a new car? We have some great rates on car loans." I give up.
If you have cable, flip through the channels sometime. Maybe you'll stop upon the home shopping network- a channel dedicated to selling you crap. What's amazing is that people sit and actually watch that channel! So many companies tell us what we need, it's getting ridiculous. I'm starting to get sick of all the commercialism. Will the world really be better with five blades instead of three?
For your entertainment, here are some links to some articles relating to this fiasco.
Press Release of Fusion
Razor Wars
Moore's Law
The Onion's 5-blade Prediction 2 years ago (very funny, but uses the F-bomb...a lot)
Is this a joke? I just about died laughing. I remembered (on SNL or MAD-TV) a parody commercial of a razor with lots of blades. There was an animation of a hair and each of the blades individually swooped down for an even closer shave, except the hair wasn't getting any shorter with each cut. It was pretty funny.
I really couldn't believe that they are selling this. What I also won't be able to believe is that people will buy this. A lot of people will buy this and Gillette will make a lot of money.
I'm starting to notice more and more about all the crap I'm presented with in a day. Yesterday, I went to Best Buy to buy a portable DVD player for playing in the long drives to KY or the plane rides to and from. When checking out, the cashier asked me if I had my Best Buy credit card. "No." She asked me if I had some kind of awards card. "No." Would you like one? "No." Along with your DVD player, I can add a 2 year replacement warranty for $30. "No.'" Okay. I'll ring this up for you. "Ohh, gee, thanks. I was wondering when you were going to get doing YOUR JOB." Okay, sir. Could I have your telephone number? "AHHHHH! LEAVE ME ALONE!" I walked out of there really thanking God for the internet where I can shop in peace.
In addition, I went to my bank to order checks and set up direct deposit. During the process, she pulled up my records and said "You haven't gotten a loan through us." I told her that I don't have any debts and I'd like to keep it that way. "Ohh, and you don't have a credit card through us either." Sigh. Will it ever stop? I got done ordering the checks and the direct deposit and was ready to leave. "Sir, are you interested in a new car? We have some great rates on car loans." I give up.
If you have cable, flip through the channels sometime. Maybe you'll stop upon the home shopping network- a channel dedicated to selling you crap. What's amazing is that people sit and actually watch that channel! So many companies tell us what we need, it's getting ridiculous. I'm starting to get sick of all the commercialism. Will the world really be better with five blades instead of three?
For your entertainment, here are some links to some articles relating to this fiasco.
Press Release of Fusion
Razor Wars
Moore's Law
The Onion's 5-blade Prediction 2 years ago (very funny, but uses the F-bomb...a lot)
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Water Elsewhere
Don't know if you heard, but about a month ago, liquid water was discovered on a moon of Saturn. This seems rare and almost impossible for water to be in liquid form out in the far reaches of the solar system where the sun's heat barely touches planets, but the water appears to be coming from within the moon and shooting up like a geyser. Somehow, there's heat there to keep it from freezing. Cool!
This got me thinking: where else is there water in the solar system? There appears to be ice on the moon inside of perpetually dark craters. There is also a large ice cap at the southern pole of Mars and recently, a small pool of ice was discovered inside of a crater on Mars. So since there's water on Mars and the Moon, life could also be there.
Now with liquid water being discovered elsewhere, is there truly life outside of the Earth? I think there could be.
It seems that history has taught us that us humans have always perceived the Earth to be the center of the universe, but time and time again, we have discovered that there's more to the universe than just Earth. We travel around a sun with other planets. Our galaxy spins relative to other galaxies in a large cosmic dance. The universe really is a grand stage that the imagination cannot even perceive.
To help you get an idea of how big our universe really is, download Celestia. It's a free space simulator that lets you fly around space looking at all the planets and zooming out far enough to rotate the whole Milky Way galaxy like it's in the palm of your hand. Then you can click on a neighboring galaxy and watch it zoom away from "home" to millions of other stars. Then use the hotkey "h" to select our sun and press "g" to swirl around and watch it zoom in from afar, right onto our sun among billions of stars. It's nothing less than breathtaking.
This makes me think that life could be out there. It's exciting to think that there are other organisms out there, simple or advanced. Imagine the day when we do discover other life forms.
This got me thinking: where else is there water in the solar system? There appears to be ice on the moon inside of perpetually dark craters. There is also a large ice cap at the southern pole of Mars and recently, a small pool of ice was discovered inside of a crater on Mars. So since there's water on Mars and the Moon, life could also be there.
Now with liquid water being discovered elsewhere, is there truly life outside of the Earth? I think there could be.
It seems that history has taught us that us humans have always perceived the Earth to be the center of the universe, but time and time again, we have discovered that there's more to the universe than just Earth. We travel around a sun with other planets. Our galaxy spins relative to other galaxies in a large cosmic dance. The universe really is a grand stage that the imagination cannot even perceive.
To help you get an idea of how big our universe really is, download Celestia. It's a free space simulator that lets you fly around space looking at all the planets and zooming out far enough to rotate the whole Milky Way galaxy like it's in the palm of your hand. Then you can click on a neighboring galaxy and watch it zoom away from "home" to millions of other stars. Then use the hotkey "h" to select our sun and press "g" to swirl around and watch it zoom in from afar, right onto our sun among billions of stars. It's nothing less than breathtaking.
This makes me think that life could be out there. It's exciting to think that there are other organisms out there, simple or advanced. Imagine the day when we do discover other life forms.
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Hit the Penguin- Results
Thanks to everyone who played. Below are the scores. Below are also variations of the original game for your enjoyment.
From the looks of it, I’d say that the limits of what scores are possible were found. 323.5, 207.6, 188.9, and 64.1 seem to be the best possible scores able to be won in the various categories. I tried to verify these on the internet somehow by seeing what other people got. One person claimed to get 207.8 and 211 for the far stuck and one person claimed to get 56.3 on the close belly (but by a fluke in the game). I don’t know if I believe these- they didn’t provide a screenshot, you know ;)
I tried to verify the limits of the game first by trial and error, but then by using a macro program that lets you record and edit the clicks of the mouse and the time (within milliseconds) between the clicks and replay them within the flash game. I tried to use this program to edit the time between the mouse clicks to the precise time needed to get the best scores. When I tried this, I quickly found that there is some randomness built into the program to prevent this. With the time between mouse clicks was kept constant (one to make the penguin start to fall and the next to hit the penguin), I was getting different results every time. I have four thoughts about this:
1) The falling speed of the penguin changes randomly within a certain range with each hit attempt while the time the penguin spends walking off the edge is kept constant.
2) The falling speed of the penguin is constant with each attempt and the time it takes the penguin to walk off the edge is variable within a certain range.
3) Both falling speed and time it takes the penguin to jump are variable.
4) The whole outcome of what you do, within certain thresholds, is totally random.
I’ve never looked at flash code before, but I tried and did find a random statement in there. I’m not good enough to know what it’s for, but there is some randomness. For all we know, those that got the highest scores just may have good luck…
From the looks of it, I’d say that the limits of what scores are possible were found. 323.5, 207.6, 188.9, and 64.1 seem to be the best possible scores able to be won in the various categories. I tried to verify these on the internet somehow by seeing what other people got. One person claimed to get 207.8 and 211 for the far stuck and one person claimed to get 56.3 on the close belly (but by a fluke in the game). I don’t know if I believe these- they didn’t provide a screenshot, you know ;)
I tried to verify the limits of the game first by trial and error, but then by using a macro program that lets you record and edit the clicks of the mouse and the time (within milliseconds) between the clicks and replay them within the flash game. I tried to use this program to edit the time between the mouse clicks to the precise time needed to get the best scores. When I tried this, I quickly found that there is some randomness built into the program to prevent this. With the time between mouse clicks was kept constant (one to make the penguin start to fall and the next to hit the penguin), I was getting different results every time. I have four thoughts about this:
1) The falling speed of the penguin changes randomly within a certain range with each hit attempt while the time the penguin spends walking off the edge is kept constant.
2) The falling speed of the penguin is constant with each attempt and the time it takes the penguin to walk off the edge is variable within a certain range.
3) Both falling speed and time it takes the penguin to jump are variable.
4) The whole outcome of what you do, within certain thresholds, is totally random.
I’ve never looked at flash code before, but I tried and did find a random statement in there. I’m not good enough to know what it’s for, but there is some randomness. For all we know, those that got the highest scores just may have good luck…
Far belly
323.5- Mikey, Dlo, Vanessa
323.4- Yeiser
321.1- Bryan
320.2- Hinton
Far stuck
207.6- Yeiser, Vanessa
207.5- Dlo
207- Mikey
Close belly
65.4- Bryan, Vanessa
65.5- Yeiser
69.2- Dlo
153.1- Mikey
Close stuck
188.9- Bryan, Vanessa
189.2- Dlo
189.7- Yeiser
190.2- Mikey
323.5- Mikey, Dlo, Vanessa
323.4- Yeiser
321.1- Bryan
320.2- Hinton
Far stuck
207.6- Yeiser, Vanessa
207.5- Dlo
207- Mikey
Close belly
65.4- Bryan, Vanessa
65.5- Yeiser
69.2- Dlo
153.1- Mikey
Close stuck
188.9- Bryan, Vanessa
189.2- Dlo
189.7- Yeiser
190.2- Mikey
Original Version
Friday, March 10, 2006
Hit the Penguin
In light of the winter olympics, I'll have a little competition of my own.
Below is the game. The contest will last two weeks (will end on March 29th at 00:00).
There are four categories that can be won:
1) Farthest distance with penguin on its belly
2) Farthest distance with penguin stuck in ground
3) Closest distance with penguin on its belly greater than zero (thanks dlo)
4) Closest distance with penguin stuck in ground greater than zero (thanks dlo)
Be prepared to supply a screen shot of your winning score. (press the Print Scrn button on keyboard and paste image in Paint or other software to save it) Only those able to supply a screen shot may win.
If the Flash doesn't show up, try here.
Any Questions?
Below is the game. The contest will last two weeks (will end on March 29th at 00:00).
There are four categories that can be won:
1) Farthest distance with penguin on its belly
2) Farthest distance with penguin stuck in ground
3) Closest distance with penguin on its belly greater than zero (thanks dlo)
4) Closest distance with penguin stuck in ground greater than zero (thanks dlo)
Be prepared to supply a screen shot of your winning score. (press the Print Scrn button on keyboard and paste image in Paint or other software to save it) Only those able to supply a screen shot may win.
If the Flash doesn't show up, try here.
Any Questions?
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