techno.blog("Dion")

Being a home owner is so much fun :/ Since it is so bloody cold here, and due to the fact that I live in the land of convenience, I recently purchased a timer for our xmas lights.

The timer has a light sensor, so we set it to “come on when it is dark enough”.

I noticed that when dusk came around, the lights would start flashing. I wondered if there was a short somewhere, and then came to the following conclusion.

When dusk first hits, it is JUST dark enough to flip the bit on the photosensor. The lights are then triggered on, which brings more LIGHT, enough to make the sensor think it is light time.

The end result is that we get flashy lights until it gets dark enough that even with the lights on, the sensor is tricked back.

Ah, the small things.

Wow.

I was chatting with my sis-in-law about a friend who wasn’t allowed to watch He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

The reason? His parents thought Prince Adam was gay? no. Duh.

There is only one master of the universe (God)

Ahh, makes sense. blasphemous!

There’s nought as queer as folk.

I was driving in Utah when I saw:

“We have more dogs that an online dating service”

This was for Utah Pets :)

My friend, Luc Nadau, has released a new verion of his online magazine Purgatorius.

As a Wisconsin resident, it was interesting to read:

The Case for Feingold: Luc Nadeau outlines a possible presidential platform for Senator Russ Feingold (D-Wis) for 2008.

Russ is a true constitutional scholar, and he voted no on both the USA Patriot Act and the Iraq War Resolution. It is far too early to know if he will be a good candidate, but I know I would vote for him.

Elsewhere in the magazine are the following articles:

A Sportswriter: Siamak Vossoughi describes the short-lived career of an unorthodox sportswriter.

A Winter in Fairbanks: Kraig Hays accepted a teaching position at the University of Alaska – Fairbanks last year. In these comedic notes from his first Alaskan winter, he discusses some of the things (cool and uncool) that separate Alaska from the lower 48.

Political Cartoons: Three political cartoons from Luc Nadeau: African Tsunami, Bush and the Environment, Rise of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker.

I have already looked online to book tickets ;) I can’t believe that London got the bid, and I am really excited. The east end of London, which is very run down, will get a good revamp here.

I grew up just a couple of stops out on the central line, so it will be easy to tube it into Stratford.

After all the hype you get so excited about it all, you want it to happen now. Suddenly 2012 seems a long way, a-way.

Congrats to the entire Olympic team, and see you in 2012!

Tony Blair and Jacques Chirac at the G8

Tony: “Do you have the time Jacque?”
Jacques: “Oui, it is 18:34″
Tony: “Funny, I have 2012″

We are in the era of the Corporation. Books have been written about the move from countries to corporations when it comes to power.

You really know that it has come when your childrens fantasy has moved beyond the land of princes and princesses. Sure there are still some out there, Shrek et al, but what about Robots?

Robots was showing on my last flight. The hero has to go in and save a corporation (to save The World). He falls in love. With a princess? A beautiful elf? Nope, someone in the executive board of the company.

Wow. Even our kids have to learn this at age 5? :)

I finally did it. I took a holiday for the first time in many years where I didn’t take my laptop. It certainly felt strange to be away from the world for so long, but it had to be done. One of the aims of the holiday was to:

Vacation away from the obligations of communication

Spending days on the white sandy beaches, with turqoise water in which you can see straight to the ocean floor as it is crystal clear. There was fun with dinghies, beach balls, ice cold smoothies, but all in all we tried to do as little as possible.

Perfect.

Now, I let me computer grab email all night and I have 6000 just in my spam folder :/ If I haven’t replied to you…. it may have snuck in there!

I really hope I get to jump on a train in Madison and end up in Minneapolis or Chicago :)

All aboard

Last month, the transportation departments of eight Midwestern states proposed the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative. This $7.7 billion proposal would connect cities like Indianapolis and Minneapolis through a Chicago hub via 110 mph trains. Last year the feds spent over $30 billion on highways.

[via nuvo.net]

The New Yorker has been publishing a series of articles by Elizabeth Kolbert called The Climate of Man.

It is scarier than any horror movie. It is amazing how soon this could all happen. I think everyone should be reading information such as this, and it needs to be the NUMBER ONE priority for the world at large.

I know that some people think that this global warming stuff is bogus, but lets all come together and look at the facts.

If we don’t, we may lose New Orleans, or Manhatan, or Florida?

Part One

Part Two

New Yorker doesn’t let facts get in the way – PittsburghLIVE.com