Christian’s thrown down the gauntlet by bringing up his distaste for the fourth generation iPod interface. There’s a bit at a simplicity page that lists the 2G and 3G iPods (the ones with 4 buttons over the wheel) as the ultimate in design.

Balderdash, I say.

‘Cause I get to teach the boys about farting, girls, and accountability all in one. Jake’s a quick learner, just like his dad.

He can sing, too. I am somewhat relieved that he’s stopped asking total strangers if they want to hear a song the moment Missy or my back is turned, though.

Just a couple more posts, and that’s it, honest. This makes me hot:

One less thing on my desk. Plus, it’s brushed aluminum, so coffee’ll wipe right off. Props to engadget.

of Snow Crash, boing-boing points to actual honest-to-god extendable feet wheels.

Dean Kaman, part-time Fischer’s Island Sound resident and Segway “visionary” is involved in developing these “Tweels”.

My question: Can Stephenson sue for royalties?

First, mad props to Kelly for getting a little bit of reasoned bile back on the porch.

I’d like to take this space to spread the 60%‘er ideal, that there’s 20% “True Believer” outliers on either end of the political spectrum, with a uneasy 60% in the middle who mostly agree with each other on reasonable safety nets, reasonable government services, and reasonable taxes. An overarching goal ought to be to bring government back in line with the wishes of this silent but unspoken minority.

I’m sorry to have stated in my last post that Republicans are evil.

Actually it’s money that’s evil.

“It was like the money was eating away at whatever was good in him,” Misty says. “It reminds me, like, ‘Lord of the Rings,’ how that little guy — what’s his name? Gollum? — was with his Precious. It just consumes you. You become the money. You are no longer a person.”

I came across a couple of items this weekend concerning those evil Republicans and their nefarious plans for taking over the country and world. (yes, I know the instructions for the sarcasm mark are right up there)

Much like my co-workers you are probably wondering about this shoe suspended on the back of a Cadillac.

I will get to see a first run Star Wars flick with my firstborn…

The opening screen has been released. Here’s a link via boing-boing since Cory Doctorow rocks.

The Navy’s posted pictures of the SF in drydock. The first 2 main ballast tanks on the port side are completely gone. The rectangular doors on the lower part of the ship are the torpedo tube shutter doors.

But, overall, it looks like the ballast tanks worked pretty effectively as “crumple zones” – it doesn’t look like there’s gross deformation in the pressure hull.

I’m having a problem with my home theater setup. Take a look at this picture and solve the problem below. (It is not neccessary to show your work, but I give bonus points for the least amount of work I have to do double-checking your results.)

John’s rear surround-sound pictures, which are mounted to the ceiling, are oriented so that sound from the tweeters delivers almost directly to the ears of his listeners (the black arrow) thereby ruining the intended effect of sound coming from behind. At what angle (xº) would John have to insert a wedge so that sound from the tweeters would be reflected off the wall (the blue arrow) to simulate the intended effect?

—Keep in mind that the measurements noted are to the existing tweeter which will move when the wedge is inserted!—

A filmmaker in San Francisco got permission to film the Golden Gate Bridge under the auspices of communicating the relationship between nature and the bridge. His real goal was to capture the many suicides and suicide attempts that occur there every year. I understand the concerns of his detractors who don’t want to advertise the popularity or possibly the ease of access that is the Golden Gate, but I would be interested to hear the stories of the jumpers and the patrolman who have to try to talk the jumpers down.

Kevin Briggs, a friendly, sandy-haired motorcycle patrolman, has a knack for spotting jumpers and talking them back from the edge; he has coaxed in more than two hundred potential jumpers without losing one over the side. He won the Highway Patrol’s Marin County Uniformed Employee of the Year Award last year. Briggs told me that he starts talking to a potential jumper by asking, “How are you feeling today?” Then, “What’s your plan for tomorrow?” If the person doesn’t have a plan, Briggs says, “Well, let’s make one. If it doesn’t work out, you can always come back here later.”

Over the past few weeks I have had to answer “do you think about hurting yourself?” several times — and no, I don’t…at least since I was just out of high school — so I certainly feel safe watching it, but I wonder about people who do have suicidal thoughts, suicide ideation and the people around them. Especially as an adult I feel I have conquered the “absurd” thoughts that would lead to any ideas that life would be better with out me and I am curious about people who still do.

A friend has one of those in-the-walls sound systems that didn’t tempt me until this article (carried by the bane of my wife’s existence — seriously, she may be so complacent about the Playboy© subscription because of her hatred for Sound and Vision) was connected in my mind with this device which connects and controls your iPod.

After viewing the ever-so-popular post-inauguration party picture of Jenna Bush, I asked my co-worker if he thought I was too old for Jenna Bush. I expected him to say I was too married for her. Instead he said, You’re not white enough.

I am foaming at the mouth that I didn’t (don’t?) abandon my white collar cube-job and study enough electronics to create art (commercially productizable art!) like this and this.