I'm at a work-related conference this weekend - and more about that in another entry, I think. One of the perks of this trip is that I have a snazzy new laptop for a few days. I was hoping to be able to bring an old spare one, or something. When I asked if one was available, I got a brand new one still in the box. I'll have to turn it in at the end of next week, but in the meantime, I'm having some fun with it.

The first thing that I noticed was the fingerprint pad. How cool is that? Granted, sometimes it takes enough tries to get a clean scan that I could probably type the password faster, but hey, it's new, it's cool, it's bionic - er, biometrics.

So whats going on when a 15-year-old girl starts (literally!) falling asleep as soon as she gets home from school? I understand being tired (6:15 am- 10pm five days a week) but I thought I got a few years of boundless energy and all-nighter capability before I got older. I keep taking unwilling naps on school days! I actually moved my bedtime back to 10 from 9:30 because my parents told me I was getting too much sleep and couldn't wake up during the day. Now the only change is I am sleepy all day AND fall asleep when I get home. This is so aggravating. Most teenagers stay up till 12ish, get up at 5ish, and don't eat breakfast, but only a few subside on Red Bulls and Starbucks. The people who don't seem to have more energy than I, who goes to bed at 10 and eats a huge breaksfast.

Found this today during my morning scan of reddit.com.

From ed-thelen.org:

The Royal Precision Electronic Computer LGP-30 is a general purpose electronic digital computer. The phrase "general purpose" is intended to mean that the computer can solve to any required order of accuracy any mathematical problem expressable in numerical or logical terms. However, for any given computer there are always some problems beyond its practical reach because of the length of time required for their solution. By "electronic" is meant simply that the device uses vacuum tubes and germanium diodes. One way of classifying computers is by the terms analog and digital.

I also found these on reddit.

The first is something I've seen since I first had email. In fact, I think it went around by fax before we had email. The Story of Mel tells of a programmer who worked at the same company that produced the LGP-30 mentioned above:

Mel had written, in hexadecimal, the most popular computer program the company owned. It ran on the LGP-30 and played blackjack with potential customers at computer shows. Its effect was always dramatic. The LGP-30 booth was packed at every show, and the IBM salesmen stood around talking to each other. Whether or not this actually sold computers was a question we never discussed.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060301/ap_on_fe_st/gummed_up_art_2
oy vey

Four lanes, four cars, one speed limit.

I would have to say that the makers of this short video truly proved at least one of their points. They may not have proven that the speed limit is too low, but without strict enforcement to protect those who do follow the law, following the law is truly a dangerous stunt.

Watch Video

Note: Video should be considered PG for some mild profanity.

From ABC News: Fast-Food Ice Dirtier Than Toilet Water:

Jasmine Roberts never expected her award-winning middle school science project to get so much attention. But the project produced some disturbing results: 70 percent of the time, ice from fast food restaurants was dirtier than toilet water.

Somehow I don't think this phenomenon is limited to South Florida, even if this 7th-grader's study was.

This is for everyone who thinks that "the evil hackers out there" don't really want my computer, or if they want it they're gonna get it.

From Invasion of the Computer Snatchers:

Hackers are hijacking thousands of PCs to spy on users, shake down online businesses, steal identities and send millions of pieces of spam. If you think your computer is safe, think again

This article is not without some journalistic flair, but that only serves to drive home the point. Yes, it's rather difficult to protect oneself from this sort of attack, but there are good reasons to do so, no matter how unimportant you might think yourself to be.

I hate calling tech support. By the time I start looking for help, I usually know more about the problem than the person whose help I need. The good news is that when I do resort to others, I often solve my own problem while explaining it to them. Apparently, I'm not alone.

From Solve problems by writing a note to yourself | 43 Folders:

The funny thing I eventually realized was that I could and often did find the solution to my problem — part way through writing the email in which I was asking for help. I realize this sounds kind of silly, but the next time you’re having trouble figuring something out, try writing a note to yourself.

via flickr

From WorshipIdeas.com: Free music and ideas for contemporary worship:

"The Internet, and downloading, are here to stay... Anyone who thinks otherwise should prepare themselves to end up on the slagheap of history." (Janis Ian during a live European radio interview, 9-1-98)

Teri just sent me an article about music downloads. This has been a pretty hot topic for us over the years, so I figured some of the rest of you might find it interesting, even though it's pretty long...