Musings

Breath of life

Blue guts exposed front

Today an enterprising engineering wizard (aka The Guru) exposed the guts of Blue/Blu (in English/Italian), used high-powered regular air (not in a pressurized can) to blow off the sensor or whatever had accumulated at least five dust-nasties that made the images…have blotches.

No more! Blue/Blu* is resurrected!

Thank you, Fix-it Guy!

Blue/Blu is our second Lumix point-and-shoot. The first one had a black case, and you can guess the color of the “new” one.

“Siri…”

Building by lenox reflections

Yes, the camera is a great improvement.

Can you say “four ess”?

Pocket lint stash

Pocket lint in sealed ph

Just in case you were wondering, that phone in your pocket that you think of as pretty tightly sealed? It isn’t. But it is a filter for only the finest dust and lint particles.

Not that that’s any consolation.

Staying up-to-date

Google plus top banner

As I said in my first Google+ tweet-that’s-not-a-tweet: what a time-suck!

Hey, that title’s funny to archaeologists….

Sidelight rumination

Lens CU blu cam day1

JCB special I “borrowed,” I liked it so much….

I guess technically this would be a side light, but I always enjoyed the architectural detail, too. Wouldn’t want a house with ’em, mind you (would feel like the world could peek in at me at will), but I enjoy looking at ’em now and then.

Berries…coming on…

Strawberries just getting going ABG

Yesterday at the Bot Garden, we discovered…nascent strawberries! The berries are already forming right there in the flower-centers. I think these plants must have been “forced” in a greenhouse; they seem a bit ahead of the normal plant-speed—although today’s weather has aided and abetted plant progress—whew!—we broke 80 on the Farenheit scale….

The Guru and I wrangled technology, and did some pressure washing. Until the technology “sat down” on the job, and pffft!—no more progress. Well, the back porch is in good shape, and the side has gotten a good tending (REALLY needed it!). The front, the public part of our presentation to the world—untouched.

Conclusion: machine may now be “dead.”

It’s NOT garbage-band

Garage Band new on old iPad

That’s me playing the (iPad GarageBand) bass. Believe it or not!

We bought a new app today! And it’s super-fun!

Yes, the new GarageBand for the iPad. Wow! It is sensitive to the amount of pressure from your fingers, recognizes when you drag the “strings” of the guitar or bass sideways, and myriad other seemingly impossible, powerful features.

Actually, as I understand it, since the surface of the iPad only can tell if you’re touching it or not, ya gotta wonder how it can be pressure-sensitive. I have it on God Good Authority (yes, from The Guru) that it senses minute changes in the position of the iPad that result from your pushing, and translate that into touch-pressure. So the total iPad movement is a proxy for screen touch-sensitivity. Cool!

Y’all know me, that I don’t tout apps and that I have little in the way of musical talent, but this, THIS, I recommend!

And what color case?

Early march white maybe hyacinth

The blooms keep coming.

As do the spell-binding products of Apple.

This new iPad (finally, have gotten used to that name, as forecast), called number two, wow!

So, opinions—black or white? I go back and forth….

More sproinging

Spring yellow gold flower

I’m still (ha! always?) catching up with old New Yorkers, so forgive me that this statistic is from the Dec 20/27 2010 issue: prediction—by 2014, the computer network in the USA will require the amount of energy used by the whole country of Australia (now? author David Owen isn’t clear) to power it.

Add to that the power it takes the rechargers, and, whew, how efficient Wal-Mart makes its buildings and delivery trucks pales.

The article is called “The Efficiency Dilemma,” and starts here. Owen gets the statistic from Stan Cox, I think from his book Losing Our Cool.

Winderup!

Smart car joke

JCB and I have different zones of awareness. Of course, I almost walked by this, but he probably spotted it as we started down the block!

I was focused on a crocus or two, I think.