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Thanks to my good friend David Somers for this link. Apparently the city of Athens has some pretty drastic plans for dealing with the stray pet problem in preparation for hosting the 2004 Summer Olympic Games. I encourage you to sign the petition that proposes a much better solution and would help to educate people on the issue of responsible pet ownership.
Sometimes I wonder whether or not it was a good idea to subscribe to Reuters' Oddly Enough RSS feed. They get some pretty strange stories there.
Via Digital Photography Review: Nikon announced three new products today.
First, and most importantly (for me, at least) is a 200mm f2.0 AF-S VR lens. This lens combines telephoto, very large aperture and VR. The gain of 1 f-stop in aperture combined with approximately 3 f-stops gain with vibration reduction gives you a total of 4 f-stops, a huge advantage when working with fast action in low-light situations and/or without a tripod.
The second item is the TC-17EII 1.7x teleconverter (link is same as above). Designed specifically for use with AF-S and AF-I Nikkor lenses, this teleconverter is a nice addition to the current line of 1.4 and 2.0 teleconverters, and offers a very nice exposure compensation of only 1.5 f-stops. So for an f2.8 lens you'd get about f4.7, but almost double your focal length. Nice.
Finally, for the digital fans, the Coolpix 4100 is a 4 megapixel upgrade to the Coolpix 3200.
I'm going to share a little hack, since I couldn't find a place that talked about how to do this exact trick, although I did find a link to a code snippet that *almost* gave me the functionality I needed.
I'm using datagrids on a few pages of the project on which I am currently working. Some of them are editable datagrids, that is, they implement the standard Edit and Delete button columns. A cool feature, for sure, but it's a bit too easy for the user to accidentally click on the Delete button and, poof, there goes a row from your database table. Of course, you could do a redirect to a different page to confirm the deletion, or provide some custom behavior on that same page, but for me the ideal solution is to pop up a small dialog box and let the user confirm the deletion through that.
Jeff Prosise wrote an article for MSDN Magazine on how to pop up a message box from a datagrid. While I was initially pleased with this solution, it didn't quite give me what I wanted. I wanted the confirmation dialog to show exactly which item was about to be deleted. The way to do this, of course, is to take data from another column in the datagrid that has a description of the item and format that into the dialog box text. So I had to modify Jeff's code slightly, since in his example the Javascript is added at the time the item is created, but before the data is bound to it. So the (simple) change is to use the ItemDataBound event, and not the ItemCreated event. The resulting change (I only show the C# file since that is all that changes) looks like this:
And here's a screenshot:
Happy coding!
This holds true especially when it comes to information on the Internet. Some of you have probably read about the girl that put up a photoblog about her motorcycle trips through Chernobyl. Turns out that whole story is probably a fake.
The N.Y. Times has a piece on blogging addicts. I enjoy blogging, but I wouldn't call myself addicted. At least, not enough to hide in the bathroom while on vacation with my spouse (if I had a spouse).
Like it? Hate it? Discuss. Regardless of what you think about the title....a light sabre duel while surfing on lava?!?!? Give me a fucking break. Are we still trying to appeal to the teenybopper crowd? I can hear the comments as they leave the theater...."Did you see that mean backside roundhouse cutback into a lipper that Anakin pulled? That was sick." "I hear ya, bra, but what about Obi-Wan's floater? That rocked."
The sun is setting later these days, which is nice since I can't seem to get home before 7 p.m. If there is enough daylight left, I'll sometimes grab my camera and sit on the back patio and see if there is anything interesting to photograph. The sunset shot that I posted a few days back is a good example of the kind of stuff that I might see. Tonight I found this little bug sitting on one of the flowers in my backyard. The people that owned this house before me planted all kinds of flowers and plants, so I attract my fair share of bugs and insects. Eventually, I plan to get my backyard certified through the Backyard Wildlife Habitat program. This is a great program for anyone. Even if you have a very small yard there is a lot you can do to make it wildlife-friendly. Some people have even certified small balconies.
I'm a little rusty with my entomology, so if anyone can help me out with the name of this particular bug I'll, uh, credit you, or something.
A bit of sad news...my stepmother called me yesterday to tell me her mother had just passed away. When my father remarried he and my stepmom lived with her parents for a few years, so I got to know her fairly well. Mostly I remember spending a lot of time in the kitchen while she'd be preparing meals. She taught me how to make flour tortillas from scratch, how to make baked beans and several other foods. Man, could she cook...lengua, carne de olla, tamales, you name it. But most of all she was a great mother and a great person. Ramona Campos, descanze en paz.
I'll apologize in advance for typos or incomplete sentences, but I've got about 30 mins of free time this morning and I wanted to get the pictures up from last night. Also, I'm going off my memory of the game and don't have time to double check box scores, I'll fix any errors later.
The game was great (is there such a thing as a bad ballgame?), there is just something about having a dog and a cold beer at the game that is so relaxing. The matchup was Ismael Valdez vs. Greg Maddux. They both pitched fairly well, the game was close up until the top of the 9th when the Cubs broke it open to take a 5-run lead. Padres lost, 6-1.
There was a bright spot, though...three of them, actually. Rookie shortstop Khalil Greene was voted Rookie of the Month for the month of April for his bat. But this kid can play D, too. He made three amazing defensive plays. Any one of them would have made the ESPN highlight reel, but THREE? The kid can play.
Here are the pictures...this guy hit another homerun.
The Friar was out trying to get the crowd into it and giving away freebies.
Grounds crew hard at work prepping the field.
Here is a shot of the infield from just behind the field-level seats.
One from outside the park.
And finally, a shot from the 4th level of parking structure where I parked.
Outta time, gotta run. Enjoy the pictures!
Looks like this guy made a wrong turn somewhere. The guy on the far right is going to need something a little bigger than that broom he's holding to clean up that mess.
This truck has been stuck in that hole since at least yesterday afternoon. They finally got a tow truck out there but they don't seem to be making much progress yet. This is at the intersection of Palomar Airport Rd. and El Fuerte, about a block from my work.
Well, sort of. They've released their WTL code to SourceForge. It seems to me this is mostly a "Hey, we do it, too" message to placate the open source community, a way to possibly score some points with them. They're a long way from being anywhere near open. I'm not even sure this is really more significant than, say, giving us the source code to MFC or to their C runtime library, which we can already get with Visual Studio or through MSDN.
Looks like Google is starting to understand how to write a corporate blog. They are also signing their blog entries now. Well, most of them. Good work. Now the only thing left on the list is to add public comments. Some might wonder if this is a good idea. I think it is. Most people will never post a comment, but it's nice to have a way to get feedback from your users, feedback that others can read and also comment on. You can always delete inappropriate comments. *That* kind of editing will never be frowned upon.
Too busy/lazy to write anything interesting today, so here's a picture I took at Mission Trails Regional Park this past weekend. Tomorrow I'll be going to Petco Park for my 2nd game of the season, the Padres are starting a series against the Cubs. I wish we had Wi-Fi like at SBC Park, I could be as cool as Evan Williams. See, that's what happens when your major sponsor is a company like SBC, here in San Diego the only bonus we get from our sponsor is that on August 8 we can bring our pets to the stadium. Yeah, that's useful. I think they're going to regret that promotional event.
So yesterday I mentioned that Google had put up a blog. I also mentioned my observation that there was no author associated with the 2nd entry. Oversight on their part? Perhaps not. Several people noticed that the text of that entry changed. Specifically, a paragraph was removed.
Dive Into Mark says, "This kind of revisionist history is unacceptable...", and I have to agree. Especially with a company like Google. Frankly, I can't believe someone in charge of their blog could make such a huge mistake. I mean, I could post 1,000 links in 10 minutes to articles on outsourcing, visas, etc. Why would you want to touch such a highly-debated subject? Any why do you even need to explain, or even mention (again), why you have an engineering center in Bangalore? Did you not catch enough heat from people when you first announced it?
Well, lesson learned, I hope. Although, I would venture to say they are probably asking for even more trouble with this entry. Again, is there a need to even post this? Google is a search engine. It has software that crawls sites and indexes their text into a database. They also have a page ranking system. I don't hold them responsible, nor should anyone else, in my opinion, for the content of the search results they return. I'm sure there are many other groups/factions/races/etc. that could equally consider themselves offended by using the right keyword(s) in their search. Are they going to issue an apology to each of those groups? It is unfortunate, yes, that this is happening, but don't stumble all over yourselves trying to explain how it isn't your fault. We know that already. And so does the ADL.
This article is about two weeks old since I initially didn't think it would be interesting enough to link, but I've changed my mind. Especially now that I'm reading the full IEEE Spectrum article on it.
Google finally put up a blog. One interesting observation...although the first post has an author associated with it, the second one does not. I kind of like the idea of knowing who posted what, it assigns responsibility and accountability for the content. The other interesting thing...you can't comment directly on the blog. Now THAT I can *sort of* agree with, I've seen way too many threads, even on corporate or professional blogs, deteriorate into name-calling and insults. In any event, I'm not sure how interesting it will be to read, but I plan to keep an eye on it for a while. Many blogs have been created based around company or product information, such as the Robert Scoble or Chris Pratley blogs. Scoble has even written a Corporate Weblog Manifesto. I think this is a good trend, and a great way for companies to provide information to their customers, shareholders, etc.
Remember my thoughts on moblogging, photoblogs and camera phones? Looks like I'm not alone. The author of that article points to a page with tips, you might need to try a few times to get it to load, they are undoubtedly not prepared for being /.'ed.
While I'm on the subject of digital cameras, Canon has just announced the Powershot S60, successor to the S50.
Somehow I missed this in yesterday's news, but it appears the author of the Sasser worm has turned himself in.
Power is out on my block. And that can only mean one thing...Starbucks. How can it be so hard to live without something most of us didn't have 10 years ago? I am referring, of course, to Internet access. Not only can you get broadband almost anywhere you live these days, you can also get Wi-Fi in many places, as well. There are probably half a dozen hotspots within a mile of my house. So while I'm here, enjoying my triple venti latte, I figured I might as well post.
My friend Scott started a new blog. It should make for some fun reading, based on the name. I'll post a link tomorrow after I get his approval. For all the geeky friends I have, so few of them have blogs. Too bad, most of them are funnier or smarter than I am...or both. But I guess that's not saying much. Of course, you don't have to be geeky to have a blog, there are many places that will host one for you without any work required on your part, like Blogger (owned by Google). AOL has been offering their users a "journal", which is basically a blog, for about a year now.
Well, 30 more minutes and they kick me out of here. I hope power is back up at my house. If not, I might have to actually go to sleep before midnight for once.
Miguel calls the Apache video "shocking". Robert Fisk calls it "appalling". What do you call it? I originally had a pretty long post with my thoughts, but this is a fairly controversial issue so I'll leave it alone. I will say that I don't completely agree with Robert's assessment of the situation or the arguments he makes.
Some interesting facts from this article...about 70 percent of truckers own computers and about two-thirds have Internet access at home. But the article is mostly about truckers using Wi-Fi hotspots, which makes perfect sense if you think about it. They understand what broadband means and will drive extra miles before stopping if it means they can reach hotspot. Now, combine truck driving with moblogging, camera phones and Wi-Fi...that's a blog I would read and I think it would be hella interesting. I mean, think about how many girls flash a truck driver on a given day. I was having this discussion with Stephanie the other day and she told me about her friend who flashed a trucker to sort of break what must surely be a monotonous day for those guys...turns out this guy ends up following them for miles, and radios ahead to his fellow truckers, all of whom converge to try to get a shot of the action. Pretty funny. Unless you're that girl.
Moxie is a seriously funny girl. Need proof? Read today's entry.
Despite a recent name change for this site, a Google search of "el gaucho" will return a blog entry from this site on page two of the results. A search on "Jorge Vel
I'm not Mexican, I'm South American, but I never turn down an opportunity to eat Mexican food and drink beer. Today is Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican holiday commemorating their victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. So how are you going to celebrate, seeing as how it seems to be a bigger holiday here in Southern California than even in Mexico? My recommendation is to head down to Tacos El Gordo in National City, they have some of the best tacos in town and they also offer some of the rarer kinds of meat that are normally only available down in Tijuana (pronounced tee-HUA-nah, *not* tee-uh-WAN-nah)...such as lengua (tongue), cabeza (head) and sesos (brains). Well, the brain tacos might be a bit much for the inexperienced, but the tongue tacos are delicious. If you're less daring, you can stick to the carne asada and adobada tacos. They are all made fresh right there in front of you, even the corn tortillas, just like the taco stands down in T.J.
Hey, that was my idea.
Here's some exciting news, add PayPal to the list of companies exposing parts of their services or functionality through Web service APIs. It should be interesting to see what applications and sites will be built on top of this.