Thursday, 29 April 2010
Dramatic sweet william (Dianthus barbatus) blossoms.
Okay, you can get the software that allows you to “bump” iPhones and transfer money. I just wanna know if you can “bump” through fabric (as in: someone’s pocket), and make the transfer. Upon reflection, I suppose not, unless the phone is “on.” Unless.
So, watch it!
Sunday, 4 April 2010
Lazy midday, including admiring these nascent peaches after brunch (thanks! to our hosts)….
Our early evening was interrupted by news of sloshing swimming pool water in SoCal, but not from a San Andreas slip. The big one is now estimated at 7.2, and south of the border, with many sizable aftershocks still trickling in, including at least two higher than 5.0. That’s shaky ground!
Meanwhile, we’re checking out the capabilities of our new device. The download speed is far in excess of any other machines we have around here. Holding it without wrist cramps is the biggest downside I’ve noticed. As a web device, and for browsing photos—superb.
Still exploring, though….
Saturday, 3 April 2010
So, the Pres self-identifies as “Black, African Am., or Negro” on his census form….
I have to say, the 2010 form shows some awareness of the complexity of the race/ethnicity issue by the choices it offers. However, it manages to avoid the fact that “race” is not a fixed thing, but socially identified—and that the individual and the people around him/her may categorize a person differently. I think for now “race” substitutes for “give us some indication of your socio-economic status”—They’ll combine it with your address for an indication of your position in society….
What I find really interesting is that there has been no comparable discussion about the “name” block. That shows little awareness of the cross-cultural complexity of “name.” Even in mainstream USA, people may have more names that fit the set of blanks the census presents.
Yes, TD is here (arrived about 3 pm—pretty darned late). TD is way cool. Look to others for effusion, however…. (Not that I’m not feeling it, just that I’m not going to effuse on it. Today, anyway.)
Side note: iPhoto finally finished its face recognition activity. I discovered that whatever it did, it did NOT tag them by name. Hrrrumph. And it confused JCB and his dad a couple of times….
Friday, 2 April 2010
Just to report: we mailed our census form yesterday. I figured we don’t have a good record on predicting the future, and although we thought we could be sure what our household’s head count would be on April first, we thought we’d stick to an accurate report rather than a prognostication.
Taxes. Hmm. Real excitement for the coming weekend….
Perhaps I can balance that with a foray to buy some plants and put them out.
And the wee photo? Someone near-and-dear has decided where to matriculate next year, as reflected on new sweatshirt….
Meanwhile, my iPhoto is still “munching” through place- and face-recognition on the thousands of images it contains—and has been all day. So far, it has six pictures it locates in Tibet, including one of a pair of small propane tanks, like for a BBQ grill.
Sunday, 28 March 2010
I suspect some marketing people are bracing for a bit of a sea-change next weekend….
I just read in the NYTimes* online:
It turns out the truffles too have a sex life, said Dr. Francis Martin, a plant biologist at the University of Nancy in France and leader of the research team. The precious fungi had long been thought to lead an asexual existence, but Dr. Martin and his colleagues have found that they have two sexes or mating types.
Which is it? Sexes? Or “mating types”?
While you’re thinking about that, remember this next time you take a bite of truffle:
Last, there are the truffle flies which lay their eggs in the truffle. From the fungus’s perspective, the insects are just another way of spreading its spores. So it attracts them by releasing anisole and veratrole, two insect pheromones, when the truffle has reached maturity. Truffles can often be detected by looking for congregations of truffle flies.
Don’t the fly’s eggs and larvae degrade the edibility of the truffle? It seems the opposite is the case. “If collected at late maturation stages, the truffles will likely carry eggs and larvae—adding proteins and aroma to the truffle,” Dr. Martin said.
Mmmm. Fly eggs….
* “Truffles Have Sex Lives, Too” by Nicholas Wade, dated 20 Mar 2010.
Tuesday, 23 March 2010
I’m still getting used to the light so late in the afternoon (aka: early in the evening)….
After yesterday’s cold snap around here, today has been sunny-sunny-sunny!
Best news: the Lumix is back. Second best news: Panasonic fixed it for free.
Awaiting to see if this is even better news: our country’s new health care plan.
Saturday, 13 March 2010
These are architectural details decorating the patio posts of a restaurant fronting the street in our neighborhood near the post office. (How many phrases is that?)
I’ve noticed that the light comes early in the morning, and I’m going to miss it, probably for weeks. We’ll see if I experience the discombobulation I usually do in the wake of the time change….
Friday, 12 March 2010
Hail, hail…. Excitement surrounded us today…. (Since there’s no scale, those are roughly marble-sized, or musket-ball sized.)
Today’s the day for early deciders to plunk down their credit cards and order a TD—stands for “that device,” my now-lame attempt at avoiding a problematic Apple product name (shhhh—iPad). Apparently, Apple had so many orders that briefly it became our country’s third largest company, on the basis of market capitalization (after Exxon & The Empire of Bill Gates).
Okay, yes, we plunked!
Thursday, 4 March 2010
Sometime between yesterday and the day before, the Lumix took ill. No damage-inducing activity. No excess cold. It was just sitting on a shelf.
I’m sure the manufacturer would never believe us, though.
The Guru checked the internet, and other people report similar event-free damage.
Perhaps still amped up from replacing the hard drive in my Mac last year, I think he’s pondering fixing this, based on info he found, yes, on the internet.
Yes, the camera takes pictures just fine. The playback’s what’s compromised (the screen).
Pretty isn’t it?
Thursday, 18 February 2010
These boxes contain pieces of very light melamine foam*. (I assume this is the same melamine that the Chinese were using to fool the protein tests for baby formula. This form is way different, however.)
The brand name stuff always seems pretty darned pricey to me, so I gladly nab a box of the house-brand.
Anyway, with a few drops of water these foam blocks will remove finger sludge from your keyboard (yes, your laptop will look “like new”), soap film from your shower glass, marks from painted baseboards, and the like. Without marring the surface. Like magic!
So, if you didn’t know about what a marvelous cleaning helper melamine foam is, now you do!
* Apparently, it’s a formaldehyde-melamine-sodium bisulfite copolymer. Say that three times, fast!