Author: John
The Marvels of Technology
I get the Slashdot “News for Nerds – Stuff that Matters” Newsletter for exposure to the geek/nerd universe and what they’re talking about. This enables me to pretend I’m pretty much up to speed with the cutting edge of technology. Also, geeks love to pull the wool over the eyes of technophobes and Luddites, and I enjoy being able to keep a straight face and cast a knowing glance when contemporaries are taken in by a geek. Today, though, I was stumped. The newsletter contained a report about Wireless Electric Cords (WEC’s). A couple of things might be clues that it’s a put-on, but I have a whole lot of stuff to do today other than search for the answer. So, I consulted the ultimate purveyor of cutting edge technological gadgetry, Brookstone, and they don’t sell wireless extension cords, which pretty much proves there’s no such thing. I also consulted the ultimate source of electrical knowledge, and Stephen confirms it’s a joke, pointing out that clicking on the “add to cart” button resolves the question. Pretty good joke, though, especially with Slashdot promoting it.
Speaking of technology, this is pretty good: Strongbad on Technology.
Rude Awakening
|A little after 8:00 this morning and we’re peacefully sleeping in but awakened by sudden roar of wind. Sit up in bed and look out window, it doesn’t look bad, but the wind is getting even louder. Now we’re standing up and suddenly it sounds like hail pelting the house, including a really loud bang I think must be about the size of a grapefruit, and the wind has taken on that dreaded freight train sound. No sirens, but we skeedaddle for the basement, trying to grab flashlight and radio. Electricity goes out when we get to the closet. No sooner found radio station than it goes off the air. A couple minutes and the wind stops, but now the sirens. They last a few minutes and stop. Radio station is still off. Venture a look out the back, calm, although the doghouse is halfway across the yard, without its roof. Radio comes on and they’re talking about maybe a tornado, maybe a wind shear, maybe a microburst, but plenty of damage all around town. But, that was it. Electricity came back in about an hour. All day and they still can’t decide whether it was a tornado or something else. Also all day more really nasty weather all swung by just to the southeast. Yeah, I guess it’s springtime in Kansas. Oh, yeah, there was no hail. It was all the bits and pieces of trees and trash and neighbor’s roof pelting the house.|
The roof is in upper right, by the corner of the fence. Check out the green grass.
Neighbor’s probably getting a new roof. We only lost three or four shingles.|
P.S. Whoa! Watching 10:00 news. I didn’t know it was this bad! KU has cancelled classes tomorrow and placed campus off-limits to employees on account of all the down power lines and damage to buildings, and they’re showing an awful lot of pictures of cars crushed under trees, a mobile home cut in two with a tree down, another totally demolished, traffic signals blown off the poles, traffic signs bent over, beaucoups windows gone. Journal-World Photos. Wow. Of course, part of that might be from the partying after KU beat Texas for Big 12 Championship. 🙂
I Hate DST
April 2, 2006
General, Rants
Comments Off on I Hate DST
John
Normally, I’d post something about how much I hate Daylight Savings Time. But, I’m just tooooo damn tired.
I noticed somewhere a couple days ago that the Brits went to “British Summer Time” last weekend. That answered a question I thought about two or three times in the last decade or two and didn’t exert the effort to find the answer. More evidence in support of the procrastinator’s favorite maxim, “All things come to those who wait.”