Danica Patrick on ESPN tonite

Another Indy car race tonite with Danica Patrick. ESPN at 7 eastern time. She's starting in the 3rd position, so she must have done well again in qualifying. History in the making - you might see her become the first woman to win an Indy car race!

Belmont Horse Racing
Post time at 5:38 Eastern for the final leg of the Triple Crown, although no horse won both the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, so no Triple Crown winner is possible, but Giacomo and Afleet Alex will duke it out once more and that's worth watching the race .

And we thought we had Health Care problems

An interesting article about problems surfacing in the Canadian Health Care system. Sounds like a crisis to me. If the Canadians aren't careful, they will end up with our health care system. I don't doubt that if they allow private medical care, that more doctors will move to the private system to make more money. And that will result in poorer people waiting even longer in line for surgeries and the wealthy getting better services. They do have a problem with the current system, however. Waiting a year for a hip replacement when you're going out of your mind, is not a pleasant contemplation. It will be interesting to see what happens there.

Need the Time?
Finding that system clock in the lower right corner of your screen to be boring? Well, even if you don't, you should nonetheless take a look at this ingenious web site .

Danger Will Robinson!

Saw this on a blog today and had to pass it along - too funny!

" "Dear Technical Support:Last year I upgraded from Girlfriend 7.0 to Wife 1.0. I soon noticed that the new program began unexpected child processing that took up a lot of space and valuable resources. In addition, Wife 1.0 installed itself into all other programs and now monitors all other system activity.Applications such as Poker Night 10.3, Football 5.0, Hunting and Fishing 7.5, and Racing 3.6. I can't seem to keep Wife 1.0 in the background while attempting to run my favorite applications. I'm thinking about going back to Girlfriend 7.0, but the uninstall doesn't work on Wife 1.0.
Please help, thanks
A Troubled User"

"REPLY:

Dear Troubled User:

Many men upgrade from Girlfriend 7.0 to Wife 1.0, thinking that it is just a Utilities and Entertainment program. Wife 1.0 is an OPERATING SYSTEM and is designed by its Creator to run EVERYTHING!!! It is also impossible to delete Wife 1.0 and to return to Girlfriend 7.0. It is impossible to uninstall, or purge the program files from the system once installed.

You cannot go back to Girlfriend 7.0 because Wife 1.0 is designed to not allow this. Look in your Wife 1.0 manual under Warnings-Alimony-Child Support. I recommend that you keep Wife 1.0 and work on improving the situation. I suggest installing the background application "Yes dear" to alleviate software augmentation. The best course of action is to enter the command C:\APOLOGIZE because ultimately you will have to give the APOLOGIZE command before the system will return to normal anyway. Wife 1.0 is a great program, but it tends to be very high maintenance. Wife 1.0 comes with several support programs, such as Clean and Sweep 3.0, Cook It 1.5 and Do Bills 4.2. However, be very careful how you use these programs.Improper use will cause the system to launch the program Nag Nag 9.5.Once this happens, the only way to improve the performance of Wife 1.0 is to purchase additional software. I recommend Flowers 2.1 and Diamonds 5.0.

WARNING!!! DO NOT, under any circumstances, install Secretary with Short Skirt 3.3. This application is not supported by Wife 1.0 and will cause irreversible damage to the operating system.

Good luck User."

Mini-Strokes

I've gotten into reading Medical blogs now, thanks to that Internet Public Library page on blogs the other day that I mentioned (they have driven me to ruin!). I find all medical stories fascinating - think that goes back to my days of reading Frank Slaughter, M.D. books as a kid. If you get the chance, pick one of those up - they make for great reading - you can often find them in 2nd hand book stores. Anyway, I digress from my mini-stroke heading (why my English teachers loved me in school). I was reading a family doctor's blog this morning called MedPundit and she was introducing a bit of reality into the scare issue that so many of us may face mini-strokes.

"But carpal tunnel syndrome can certainly cause numbness that lasts more than 5 or 10 minutes, and it also tends to be exacerbated by a sleeping hand's position. What's more, there are, by far, more people with carpal tunnel syndrome than with mini-strokes:

Neurologists estimate that there are up to 500,000 ministrokes annually in the U.S. That compares to 700,000 full-blown strokes a year, according to the American Stroke Association .

The prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome, on the other hand, is 2.7% of the adult population - in other words, millions. The figures for degenerative disc disease are even higher.

My point isn't to minimize the significance of mini-strokes, but to temper the article's slant with a dose of reality. Not every case of numbness or dizziness warrants admission and work-up for an impending stroke. If your arm numbness gets worse when you move your neck or wrist or shoulder a certain way, then you likely have slept on it wrong.

Admitting every case of dizziness or limb numbness indiscriminately would dramatically increase the cost of healthcare. And it isn't at all clear that there would be much gained in lives saved or disabilities avoided.

Sounds like a tough call to me, as to which one you might actually be having. It's worth reading the scare issue link above as that does further explain some of the serious issues that you could be facing. Having degenerative disks at C6 and C7 myself, i recently went through a period of 3 days where I was having numbness in the fingers of my hand and in my feet, but at the same time, I was having pain in that area of my neck, so I chalked it up to the degenerative disks. If I'm wrong, you'll probably notice incoherent babbling (something like what I'm doing now), in the weeks to come.

A Good Feeling

Imagine my surprise this morning when I was going through some of my photos on my web site and came upon this comment. It was nice to see that in some very small way, I was helping somebody in a very dangerous part of the world.

I was just looking around the web about a year ago down on base when i came accross your galleries, i guess i must have spent an hour just looking at all the photos of southwest va . Now everytime i get homesick i just click on your website and get lost inside one of your photos for a while. Im on my second tour in Iraq and it seems ive been away from home too long and all the reasons i left those mountains have now become the reasons i want to return. Thank you for the great website. Sincerely, Cpl. Stan......., USMC

Audible and XM Satellite Radio to hook up

Most of you know that I push Audible as a great way to widen your horizons by reading books at times when you are unable to sit down and open a real book. Well, now they're going to partner up with XM radio and develop a portable device that will receive satellite signals from XM as well as books from Audible. So now you can have 150 channels of great radio as well as listen to your favorite books, newspapers,etc. If you're a commuter, you need to check this out. (coming in 2006) Audible stock is up some 12% in the premarket this morning on this news. (Incidentally, did you know that you can get Real Time stock quotes from Google? Just type in the stock symbol and directly under the chart, you will see the Real-Time quote - very nice). Give it a try - type in ADBL and see what you find.

Art Critics - Cruel?

Was reading Hoosier's blog this morning and got a hoot out of this link she posted on being an art critic. You may not find it funny, but my warped mind wraps around it easily. :) World's cruelest critic?

Help! I'm in the rowboat!

From Bob Hebert's column in the NY Times - Consider, for example, two separate eras in the lifetime of the baby-boom generation. For every additional dollar earned by the bottom 90 percent of the population between 1950 and 1970, those in the top 0.01 percent earned an additional $162. That gap has since skyrocketed. For every additional dollar earned by the bottom 90 percent between 1990 and 2002, Mr. Johnston wrote, each taxpayer in that top bracket brought in an extra $18,000.

It's like chasing a speedboat with a rowboat. Rowboat hell, i'm on a raft with no paddle!

Photo of the Day

Taken in Troutdale, VA behind an old abandoned building. I was blown away by the huge profusion of Dame's Rocket (how's that for a name?). Thought this was a beautiful scene, but wished the wind wasn't blowing as hard as it was. That would have made it a bit easier to stop motion in the flowers. I shot at 1/500th, but should have shot at even a faster speed probably. You usually see large clumps of these growing along the roadsides, but I had never seen an entire hillside. Click on the picture for a full sized (and always better) view. Picture taken with Canon 20D and 18-55EF-S f/3.5-5.6 lens - exposed at 1/500th, F5.6, ISO 200 - 56mm film equivalent focal length.

Wayne Henderson Music Fest

Wayne Henderson's annual music festival is coming up soon - June 18th to be exact. For those of you who don't know, Wayne is a famous guitar maker and musician in the hills of SW Virginia. You can read more about his festival and about him by going to his web page .

This could be me

I got a chuckle out of Nick Bradbury's (the guy who authored Feed Demon , the RSS reader I use) blog this morning. I swear we must be related. Got quite a laugh out of his final paragraph.

My Annual Health Crisis

I think I'm on a health plan which dictates that every year I must suffer from a completely unexpected medical issue. Last year it was a neck injury which resulted in surgery; this year, it's sudden hearing loss (SHL) in my left ear.

It all started on my first flight to Denver to meet the folks at NewsGator. I had a really bad cold, and when the flight ended I noticed that my left ear felt "clogged." I figured it was just cold-related so I ignored it at first, but I started to get concerned when it didn't resolve itself over the next week.

My first doctor said it was caused by fluid in the ear, and prescribed something to help clear it up. But over the next few weeks it didn't get any better.

So last week I went to a specialist, and he discovered a pretty significant hearing loss in my left ear. I have trouble hearing higher frequencies, so it's kind of like my own personal Dolby noise reduction system. Apparently, SHL isn't uncommon, and many times the cause is viral.

Now I'm taking two different medicines, one of which makes me feel like I've drank three pots of coffee (great in the morning, not so great at night). The other is a drug commonly prescribed for herpes - a fact I wish I would've known before I picked up the prescription! My eyes bugged out when I saw the drug's description in the printout that accompanied it (hey, how many guys do you know who would want a herpes drug on their shelves?). Of course I immediately called my doctor, asking what the deal was and whether there was something he forgot to tell me, but he said not to worry - the drug had several other uses (whew).

Side note: don't you hate doctors who fail to tell you the side effects of the medicine they prescribe? One of the possible side effects of the first drug is that it "may cause vomiting that looks like coffee grounds." Wow. You'd think they'd write that in big letters on the side of the pill bottle ("Warning: this medicine may have some really disgusting side effects. Wear old clothes before taking this prescription.")

Anyway, now it's just a "wait and see" and hope that the medicine clears up the problem. In the meantime, it's not too bad having poor hearing in just one ear, but it is a little awkward. For example, whenever I talked with someone at Syndicate last month I'd have to turn my right ear towards them, which felt a little odd, like I was saying, "hello, do you like my right ear? isn't it the sexy one?" to complete strangers.

I joked with a friend of mine about how I keep falling apart despite the fact that I have a healthy lifestyle. We figure that by the time I'm 80, I'll basically be a brain in a jar with a wireless connection to my computer (what, you think I'm ever going to stop coding?). Hmmm...actually, some days I'm already like that, so perhaps old age will suit me just fine?

Cool Maps

I was reading techie Sarah Lane's blog today (of TechTV fame) and noted that she had commented on Map24.com . This is a very slick java-based map program. Have a look - slick stuff.

Photo of the Day

A picture of early Hops in the gardens at the Fox Hill Inn. For a larger more detailed view, click on the picture. Taken with 20D and 18-55 EFS 3.5-5.6 lens at 1/60th f5.6 iso 200, handheld. Converted from RAW and adjusted in Photoshop CS2. I am finding that this little "kit lens" takes some fine pictures if you work with it. It's extreme light weight makes it very easy to handhold.

HarperCollins Creates Bookstore Hotspots

Harpers Collins will build hotspots at bookstores in innovative approach: Sure, Barnes & Noble and Borders Books have had hotspots for some time now, with Borders claiming the older network. (Barnes & Noble signed its Cometa deal weeks before it shut down; now SBC operates B&N hotspots.)

But HarperCollins's plan will bring Wi-Fi with a HarperCollins splash page to what sounds at least like a wider variety of booksellers and at no cost. It's an interesting move because many bookstores aren't set up to handle people with laptops, and there's always been some concern that access to perfect information in the form of book price comparisons at Amazon.com (or even my own service, isbn.nu) would erode on-the-spot impulse buying.

The company said in a press release that they will launch a four-month pilot program, to be announced at this weekend Book Expo America. The publisher is providing free Wi-Fi access at the show. (this article comes to you from WiFiNetNews )

As a side note, if you are interested in learning more about wifi, JiWire now has forums available which can be quite helpful. In addition, if you are concerned about wifi security issues (and you should be), here is an excellent article discussing what you should do now.

Coffeeshop turns off Wi-Fi on Weekends
This is an interesting take on today's culture . Apparently this coffeshop in Seattle decided to turn off free wi-fi on the weekends, because too many "freeloaders" were coming in and setting up shop for the entire day and never buying anything. Conversation also disappeared from the cafe because everyone was just pounding away on their laptops. Apparently this was met with the usual outpouring of hate mail, but many have supported the owner's stand on this issue. Personally, I agree with the owner. If you're going to take up their space, at least support the place by purchasing some of their products. At the same time, I have to agree that it does turn a lively place into a "library-like" setting. In the long run, as free wi-fi takes over cities, perhaps people will find other places to get their wifi "fix" and not turn to a coffeeshop, which is currently often the only place in a city where it is available.

A Neat Tip for Photoshop Users

From Photoshop Help Blog comes a nifty little trick to view a picture at 400% and make adjustments while simultaneously seeing how that effects the picture at 100%.

1. Open an image you want to retouch.
2. Choose Window > Arrange > New Window for...
3. A second copy of the image opens.
4. Set the magnification of one to 400% using the Zoom tool.
5. Set the magnification of the other to 100% (Double-click the Zoom tool in the toolbox).
6. Every edit you perform on the 400% version will render automatically in the 100% version.

That should speed things up.

Good Stuff

I should charge for offering up these links as I've had to do all the hard work and you get to enjoy all the benefits! Found a few good sites today that you might want to check out - they'll lead to many other sites and then in short order you will be lost forever and you will curse me.

If you're a photographer, you'll like this list of photo blogs .

If you want to see the best of 2005's blogs, check out the Bloggies . You're bound to find something interesting here.

If you want to see a great collection of blogs, categorized (Education,History, Books, Medical, Politics, Sports,Travel, and many more), check out this page at the Internet Public Library . This will keep you busy for days. How did I find this link? I used Stumble Upon! , which is a neat Extension for the Firefox browser. Just click on the "install now" button and then you can curse me for a few more days as you chase all kinds of web sites across cyberspace.

Photo of the Day

A typical SW Virginia springtime mountain scene. Cows are quite the curious beasts. There was only one in the pasture when I got out of the car to take this picture and then more started coming down off the hillsides to check me out. Hillsides are loaded with cinquefoil this time of year (I think that is what those tiny yellow flowers are - I'm sure a reader of this blog will correct me, if I'm wrong). Click on the picture for a larger view.

Danica makes the History books!

A great Indy race today. First time I've watched one beginning to end in awhile. Was eager to see if this knockout Danica Patrick could pull off a miracle and be the first woman to win an Indy 500. And she almost did it! The place was going nuts as she took the lead with 10 laps to go (first woman to ever lead an Indy 500 race), but due to running on mere fumes, had to dial down the boost in her car to finish the race and was passed in the closing laps to finally finish 4th. But what an accomplishment! My hat's off to her - this will make Indy car racing so much more fun to watch in the future. A comment from her when asked if she had made the point that female drivers could compete against men, Patrick quickly said, "I made a hell of a point for anybody, are you kidding me?"

Hell's Kitchen!

Be sure to check out English Superstar chef Gordon Ramsay on Monday night on Fox (9 p.m Eastern). Saw him talking with Charlie Rose last night on PBS. This guy is intense! He and Anthony Bourdain of Kitchen Confidential fame should hook up! Reality TV in the kitchen - this should be a blast as 12 aspiring chefs try to please our boy Gordon - good luck is all I have to say.

How often do you check your email?

Got a chuckle out of Jeff Krimmel's blog today discussing how often people check email, in particular, the following comment by MDA "I’ve rewired a cochlear implant to interface directly with my hypothalmus (I can spare a few lower order functions like breathing, but there’s no way I’m giving up on my cortex’s ability to surf the web, enjoy a good movie, and… oh yeah… research). The implant has a wireless receiver on it it which is linked to my cell phone (along with a voice synthesizer which has also been hardwired into my cranium). The phone is set up to be constantly taking a call from my server which is continuously reading mail over the phone to me in a specialized shorthand I’ve devised for this purpose (I use call waiting to take more traditional calls). Since my email is now hooked directly into low order brain activity, not even sleep can break my connection. “Reading” email has thus become for me a continuous, inate behavior. "

I am happy to say I've ordered up a cochlear implant for myself!