The glories of firefox

I don't know if I can be described as a power-user of web browsers, but i think I'm close. Firefox is and incredible browser even if it isn't the fastest. It makes up for the couple milliseconds behind in load time with incredible add-ons. Because of my last rant on lists I can't recommend more than one of these add-ons at the moment. Buuttt.. if I had to choose it would be a toss up between Smart Marks and FastestFox. I'll go with Smart Marks.

This little change to you bookmarks bar can hugely affect the way you browse the web. It allows you to show any amount of information (usually the minimum is best) on the bookmarks bar for easy access. here is a screen shot of my current bookmarks bar.



You can fit more than 50 little icons on the bookmarks bar and in a couple days you won't know how you lived without it.

Top 10 things that are things

Have we lost the ability to follow an idea that is more than a paragraph long? Even I find myself halfway through a interesting article debating about whether to finish it. The Internet's solution to this new developing A.D.D. is the LIST.

Top 10 movies this summer!
5 Reasons Obama need to fix "issue"
7 Things BP isn't telling us.
11 Alternative Energy Myths

I am not saying that a list is a bad tool for communication. It does its job quite well. The problem is its ubiquity. Even news sites with a wonderful reputation are capable of distracting us with a list instead of providing good reporting. Because you are filling your page with any number of topics, you relieve yourself from the responsibility of analysis. If I can recall some lessons from English in high school: the work worth writing (reading in our case) provides answers to questions like what/who?, when/where?, why?, are there alternatives?, and so on. Lists tell us a bunch of shallow "whats."

So "why" should we care?



It's Earnest Hemingway's Birthday.
"All you have to do is write one true sentence"

The dreaded antenna problem

Over the last couple weeks Apple Inc. has received a lot of heat for some "major" problems with its newest iPhone. One of these design problems is the shorting out of the external stainless steel frame/antenna. Recently declared solution: free bumpers to everyone!
But if you are like me and are willing to invest in a case you will enjoy for the next 2-4 years you have your device then you might want to consider a quick browsing of grovemade.com. This tiny group and architecture students has been milling away for a week or two on customer designed art to engrave on their bamboo cases. Here is a couple pics of the work.


I know you are wondering what costumer designed artwork could mean and what mine looks like. Well here is the image I sent them to get etched on the back of my case.


Some of the pre-designed artist work can be viewed here

On Population Growth

The earth is growing. We all know that. China's economy grows at near 10% in a "global recession," India and Brazil have city upon city with million upon million of citizens. The developing world we call it. Because the average citizen is still striving to buy the first family car or computer. HOLD UP . If you believed me when I said the earth was growing then you fell for my trick. Here is where sustainability comes into the mix. Human-kind is growing. The earth is not. Keep that in mind.

I ran across a video on one of my favorite mind enhancing websites, ted.com. Hans Rosling speaks about the growth of the population from 1960 to 2010 and through 2050 (10 billion people).




Favorite quote: "I am a possiblist."

I will probably continue my thoughts on sustainable growth tomorrow.

Graphs tell more then Venn Diagrams

In school I learned a lot about graphs and diagrams. How to read them, what they mean, identifying trends, analyzing their roots. You can learn a lot from a simple picture. For the most part these graphs were pump curves or triple point thermodynamic curves. But that doesn't mean the graph can't be a useful tool for daily life. Here are two examples showing a "general trend" of two characteristics of college age women vs. geographic location.


The Venn Diagram



The Standard x-y plot

First Post - About the Blog

Yo Yo, Lets get it started. What is this blog about? Well, beside joining the masses of other blogs, micro blogs, webcomics, and huge amounts of pornography that coalesce into the internet, nothing. This is simply my humble addition to a giant pile of information best organized by Google. That being typed, and with the understanding that very few people will even read this: here are a few things that will be covered in this blog.

1. Other Blogs - because who doesn't love 4th source information.
2. Technology - I read Gizmodo and Wired and Engadget almost daily. n'uff s'aid.
3. Sports - Occasionally but probably offbeat.
4. Movies - The good kind
5. Youtube Videos - Mostly the interesting ones.
6. Science - Mainly with a focus on Energy
7. Engineers - This will mostly be diatribes on anti-business majors. (ProEngineer Propoganda)
8. Life in South Bend - Which can be fun, I promise
9. Holy crap I almost forgot. COMICS
10. Indiscriminate Thoughts.
11. And Food.
12. And Spirit.
13. And Beer.
14. None of the above.


-dan