Toast for brekkie

Too bad it’s not Saturday

Posted on June 20th, 2005 by George.
Categories: Uncategorized.

Then I might actually get some sleep. But I have to get this down while it’s fresh on my mind.

I just got back from the Hard Rock Live where I witnessed the most incredible cover band I’ve ever seen. Check out the pictures on the moblog. It’s not so much covers, either, but an exact duplication of an entire album, live. Close your eyes and you would swear it’s the real band. That is, if the real band sounded as good as they do in the studio.

I’m still sort of dumbfounded by the experience of hearing Radiohead’s OK Computer played live note for note from start to finish. The nameless band is a group of studio musicians from Toronto, with a different ensemble depending on which album they’re playing, from The Wall to Nevermind to The Joshua Tree. Tonight’s setup included three lead guitarists, a cellist, bassist, drummer, keyboardist, lead and backup (opera-trained) singer, and percussionist/synth player. The lead singer, Peter Diewick, also played acoustic guitar and was absolutely channeling Thom Yorke. I hadn’t heard the album in almost a year after giving it to my friend Kylie, so it was that much more powerful hearing it live. I kept thinking that if Radiohead had been in the audience they would have wondered if they weren’t hearing things. If you ever get a chance to see Classic Albums Live, take it. You’ll be amazed.

On the way home we were so excited that Karen, Andrew, Jean and I danced through the streets of City Walk and sang Portishead, Beck, the Killers, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Squirrel Nut Zippers, and Weezer all the way home. Amazing how the 45 minute drive from Orlando seemed like five.

To top it all off my sister Liz and her fiance Dan arrived at my house for their first visit tonight! They’re staying over for a couple days before they join my parents in Antigua for their wedding. Talk about the perfect place. Sis, I wish you all the happiness in the world.

That’s it. I’ll get about four hours’ sleep tonight, but it was so totally worth it. ROCK ON!

3 comments.

Day-O

Posted on June 14th, 2005 by George.
Categories: Uncategorized.

Today might just qualify as the hardest I’ve ever worked in my life. It’s always tougher when you don’t get enough sleep, and I had a little internal battle this morning over whether or not I would go to the gym as planned. The healthier me won, and after a full day’s work I spent two hours lifting weights. I must have had some good rest over the weekend, because I was knocking back sets like gangbusters. Unfortunately my 410-pound leg press paled in comparison to the guy after me, whom I spotted while he lifted one thousand, two hundred and fifteen pounds. And when I say “spotted” I mean “stood there in disbelief” as there was no way I could have kept over half a ton of sheer weight from crashing down about his ears. I mean seriously. Put four of that guy together and you could lift a car straight off the ground.

Undeterred, I arrived home to find the lawn overgrown (it’s amazing how fast that happens down here) and grabbed the gas cans for a trip to the local BP. I had just enough sunlight left to mow the entire yard (about a quarter acre) but not without doing a load of laundry first. Oh, and eating dinner. Yeah, might help to replace some of those calories.

I had plans to do the dishes but instead I’m calling it a night. Hopefully now I’ll sleep like a rock and this pain I’ve had in my back since daybreak will work itself out. Mañana, chicos.

1 comment.

L’avenir

Posted on June 13th, 2005 by George.
Categories: Uncategorized.

Let’s talk about the future. I’ve culled from the herd the links that have to do with what’s next; some are sheer technophilia, others border on philosophical. In weighing the pros and cons of several entries versus one big post with several links, I’ve come to realize that either way, there is no avoiding overwhelming the reader. So let us forge ahead.

When I’m not reading Nerdular Nerdence I spend a lot of time at gizmag.com. It’s an Australian site devoted to gizmos, gadgets, prototypes, and all things badical. And it’s where we’ll start with some brain candy, namely electric motorcycles (available today) and airbikes (available in your dreams).

The next link points to one aspect of the future of medicine. It’s also somewhat of a teaser for an upcoming post on the brain. This one’s for all the doctors and med students out there (it’s crazy how many of you I know!). Apparently there are ongoing clinical trials that are treating patients with mild hypothermia. Hey, what kind of news is that? Big deal, just apply heat, right? No, read it again. We’re not talking about warming up slightly cool people, but slightly cooling warm people. Not just for fun, either, but as a method of protecting the brain of recent heart attack and stroke victims. To me it seems like the first step on the road to suspended animation.

On to the environment. We’ll start with the gee whiz factor and show what humans are capable of given enough money, namely the Palm Islands of Dubai. It’s interesting to note that these fantastical projects taking place in the United Arab Emirates would be wholly impossible without the rampant global thirst for oil. And while certain parties continue to ignore the hard facts of global warming, it’s at least somewhat encouraging that big business has finally stepped up to say something must be done. Now if only they’ll put their money on the line and let market forces guide the transformation to closed-loop energy. Looks like we’re going to transition through nuclear (fission) first, since no one is willing to give up their current outrageous level of energy consumption (and attendant luxurious lifestyle…air conditioning and the internet, among many other things, are privileges, people).

Meanwhile designers are waiting in the wings with potential solutions to problems that many might not even realize exist. I can say from first hand experience it would be nice to have a ship that didn’t belch diesel exhaust in order to cross the ocean. The major cargo carriers may operate profitably, but that’s because hard to measure costs like pollution and the relative abundance of natural resources are ignored. I just love the irony that our workhorse ships may go back to sailing. Hey, if the energy’s there, why not?

Now to everyone’s favorite: killer robots. Well, not exactly killer, but robots nonetheless. By now you’re probably used to hearing about robots like Roomba and Aibo and the Martian rovers Spirit and Opportunity. But listen to what co-founder of iRobot Helen Greiner has to say:

“I think the question will not be, ‘Will you have a robot in your home?’ but ‘How many robots will you have in your home?’ ”

It’s just too bad Isaac Asimov isn’t around to see this.

Now you may be thinking, “All this is well and good, but have you given any thought to where technology is leading us? What about The Matrix?” I’ve got an answer to a bit more down to earth concept for you: Is technology making our lives better? An excerpt from Gersh Kuntzman’s recent article:

It may sound ingenious—plug in the module and it will release clean scents round-the-clock—but it is nothing more than a product that creates a pleasant smell in your house by burning electricity that was created by exhaust-belching power plants somewhere else, preferably downwind from you…

We’re supposed to be so impressed by the ingenuity of these gadgets that we’ll ignore our utter lack of need for such technology. But shouldn’t new inventions help mankind achieve great things, not enable our worst neuroses?

Let’s end with a bang. Not the big one, but something to twist your melon for some time to come: The Future Timeline of Humanity. The author, Brian Holtz, admits that many of his predictions are contentious (and some might even say supercilious), but the tone is more than made up for by some of the nuggets of content.

2 comments.

Weekend Update

Posted on June 12th, 2005 by George.
Categories: Uncategorized.

Today the sun is shining and the palms are swaying in a light breeze. I’m sitting here on the back patio with a tummy full of croquetas de yuca and mango lime juice. It is paradise, but it comes with a price. And that pricetag starts with a capital H.

Arlene petered out, but we can’t let that lull us into thinking that this season won’t be just as bad as the last. Still, with a little preparation and some common sense (not to mention some good insurance) we can ride it out. Some question the sense of setting up camp in the path of these monsters. But hurricanes are discrete events; otherwise the weather here is beautiful year-round. The mass exodus from the peninsula has failed to materialize; in fact, folks still arrive every day. Perhaps tropical storms are just a part of life when you live in the, um, tropics.

Second shift is calling today, so I won’t be able to share as much as I’d hoped. I do have time to tie up a loose end, though. You may remember my promise to show you evidence of how I go about simulating auto racing. Let’s throw some photos in to spice things up a bit.

Since the apparatus tends to dominate the living room, any first visits to mi casa inevitably involve a hot lap or two. The seat is real, the helmet is real, the simulation physics are as real as current technology allows. And no, I don’t wear the helmet to play a video game. That’s just hamming for the camera and dreaming of my next time on a “real” track. A BIG shout out to my boy Seth for designing, fabricating, welding, and powdercoating this masterpiece.

For all its glory, though, this puppy still can’t give you that seat of the pants thrill that comes with the massive accelerations experienced in a true racecar. Wouldn’t it be nice to enjoy the real forces exerted on a driver instead of only receiving feedback through the steering wheel? What? That sounds like something you’d like to try as well? Boy, do I have the seat for you. Force Dynamics has taken race simulation to its logical conclusion: use the local gravity vector to replicate acceleration, braking, and lateral g forces by pivoting the entire apparatus about your head. Go ahead, check out the videos. They’ll blow your mind.

If that’s still not enough why not try the real thing? Mitsubishi enjoys a close relationship with the Gran Turismo franchise (creator Kazunori Yamauchi has been known to drive a Lancer Evo), so it’s no surprise they have the most expensive simulator out there: two actual World Rally Championship cars wired to GT4. No plastic pedals or paddle shifters, just the rally car in race trim with every feedback faithfully replicated (minus the g’s of course). This is as close as it gets without being Harry Rovanperra.

3 comments.

Back in Bidness, Babuh!

Posted on June 9th, 2005 by George.
Categories: Uncategorized.

The dry spell has ended. In more ways than one, if you count Arlene. That’s right, hurricane season has officially begun. And this one is shaping up to be a doozy.

It only took two weeks in the mail, an hour of installation woes, and one lost blog entry, but I’m back, baby! I know there’s a rumbly in your tumbly for some good ol’ fashioned brekkie, but this will have to serve as an appetizer. All the work to get online tonight has put me past bedtime. 6:30 comes earlier than you think.

Rest assured I have 30 topics sitting in my inbox, fighting for pole position on the next entry. Lest I overwhelm you I’m hoping to consolidate several links and churn out some tasty food for thought this weekend. That is, if I can keep this new doohickey from kicking me offline every five minutes.

We shall see. Until then, have a fabulous Friday folks!

5 comments.

Socked In

Posted on June 1st, 2005 by George.
Categories: Uncategorized.

Um, yeah. Chicago: sunny and 78. Florida: subtropical thunderstorms.

I awoke this morning to peals of thunder strong enough to shake the walls. It wasn’t until I looked outside that I realized there was no delay between the flash and the rumble. That’s because the bolts were striking my neighbor’s trees.

Ignoring the omen, I ventured out today. I wanted to post this note to say I am still alive and kicking, only I haven’t received my new wireless device yet so the twenty-plus topics left to cover here will have to wait. In the meantime I’m pressing on with the moblog, or as I like to call it, Brekkie Lite. So keep eating your wheaties. The pancakes will return soon enough.

4 comments.