Tag Archives: tech

Quick post

Well, today during my lunch hour I took some extra time and had an MRI of my brain performed at my doc’s orders. (He does not feel that there are any serious issues beyond the migraines, but we want to rule out any nasty surprises.)

I started today with a mild headache, after the MRI — yes Brad I know nMRI — I have a severe headache, so severe that even new blu-rays can’t distract me.

Want to experience an MRI without bothering with a pesky doctor? Easy!

First crawl into a discard carpet tube so you’re loaded like a torpedo ready for firing. Make sure your head is exposed, because it goes into an old steel bucket (and just like a real MRI — yeah yeah nMRI– don’t forget your hearing protection). Have someone bring over a tweeting bird that’s just starting a cocaine bender, ’cause for the duration of the event you need the incessant chirping to counterpoint the rest. Now, once your head is fully in the bucket, have your friend go at it with a power-sander to the outside of the bucket. Changing it up every few minutes with whack from a lead pipe and throw in a few alarm klaxons and you’ll have an idea what an MRI is like. Primo for headaches, let me tell you.

I’m off to bed.

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Really Interesting Medical News

Scientists have developed a cancer test that can detect free-floating cancer cells in the blood stream. It is sensitive enough to detect individual cancer cells at a ratio of one to one billion.

This is really incredible stuff people. The yahoo article is basic, but once this gets refined and mass produced it will dramatically effect cancer survival rates in my untrained opinion.

I am getting to the age where I think about such things much more often than I used to and news likes this brightens my day.

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There was a Dragon in the sky today!

Earlier today, December 8th 2010, SpaceX successfully launched their Dragon space capsule into orbit. After two orbits, apparently without and flaws, they de-orbited the craft and brought it down for a soft landing in the pacific ocean.

I think this is the first time a private enterprise spacecraft has flown to orbit and back. SpaceX, and companies like SpaceX, (such as Xcor) are the pioneers of a bold new tomorrow.

I salute them and sheer their victory today!

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Back From Convention

We got back last night from Loscon 37, the Los Angeles Area SF convention. This was a good Loscon and I had a great time. There were lots of interesting panels and presentations plus Saturday night I enjoyed the parties so much I stayed out past my knees’ endurance.

I would chat more about the convention, but I’ve been headachy today and am so now. This is going to be a brief post before bed.

It does, however, look like there is a road trip in the near future. The Mojave Air and Spaceport has an open house event every third Saturday they call Plane Crazy Saturdays, and on those Saturdays Xcor — a private enterprise rocket company — hosts open-houses. Xcor is a cool company staffed by cool people and if they stay on schedule they’ll be flying their sub-orbital spaceplane next year.

Not a dropship like Spaceship one and Two, but a craft that takes off like an airplane, scoots above the atmosphere into space — briefly — and then return to the spaceport to be readied for another flight.

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Movie review:Megamind

So, as I mentioned in last night’s post I went out to the movies and saw Megamind, the new animated film from Dreamworks SKG starring Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill, and Brad Pitt.

I am not a huge fan of Mr. Ferrells’ work, but I do know that when given a  good script and sharp direction he can turn in a wonderful performance as he did in the film Stranger Than Fiction. (You must see it if you have not.) Megamind is another film I am going to end up owning.

If you have seen the previews you can pretty much chart the overall arc of this picture.  This is not a deep dissertation into the human condition. This is a fun super-hero parody. It is the movie I wanted the Incredibles to be, but wasn’t. (I know many people really liked that film, for me it wasn’t bad it was just so-so and came of more of a Bond parody than a superhero parody.)

If you have not seen the previews, Megamind is the story of two aliens rocketed to earth as babes. One handsome and lovely who is nurtured and accept and the other blue and strange who is ostracized and shunned. The handsome child become a hero, MetroMan while the shunned child become a villain, Megamind.

Of course in a film of this nature, with an eye to the young people who will be seeing it, good must always triumph and evil punished, so Megamind suffers defeat after defeat. In many ways this reminded me of and would back a good paring with Dr Horrible’s Sing-along Blog. Both films use a villain as a hero, both explore the villain as outcast and both take their villains on journeys that both seek, but did not expect.

There are plenty of reference suitable for both adult and children in the movie. (I the picture you can see a reference to the SciFi cult film Robot Monster.) The two hours of running time passed quickly and I laughed many times. I become so engrossed int eh picture that I stopped trying to predict the plot and simply enjoyed it. That to me is the mark of a film that is well made.

I ended up seeing the film in 3D, not because I have any love for that particular schedule gimmick, but because the 3D showing fit my evening the best. That said the 3D in this film was performed flawlessly. So well in fact that I stopped marveling at the effect and simply accepted the film as it was presented. This director understood how to pace his editing for the effect so that he never strained the viewers eyes.

Overall this film is a big thumbs up and well worth the price of admission.

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My mind’s been blown to the 70′s

As a teenager in the 70’s there was a lot of thing I wanted that I could never have. My family never had much money so while I never wanted for the essentials of life and a few basic pleasures, I spent lusted for things in catalogs that I knew would never be mine.

One of my favorite catalogs to daydream in was from Edmund Scientific. Oh what wondrous items they had. Tonight on a whim I went to their website. To see what sort of things might still inspire and thrill me.

Here’s what I found.

That my friends is the CARDIAC cardboard computer. It as an educational tool for teaching someone the basics of how a computer worked. Seeing this at the website blew my mind because I remember by Brother-In-Law Thom (Pronounced ‘Tom’ he was and remains unique.) putting one of these in my hands. It was a throughly engaging and engrossing device.

Had I been a teenager a decade later that event would have sent me spinning down a life in computers. I am certain of it.

For decades later I would remember this device — never by name — and wonder upon its coolness. Edmund Scientific is selling them for $20 and it’s really tough to resist.

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To Quote Instapundit ‘Faster, Please’

Google has announced that for months that they have been testing driverless cars on the streets and freeways of California. I for one am happy at the prospect of driverless cars. No, they will not be perfect, but I have ridden with and been hit by too many humans to know what sort of drivers most of them are!

There are legal hurdles to clear, but I suspect big business will push for this innovation when it become practical. Insurance companies will love them. It will give them a reason to jack up your rates if you insist on driving yourself.

Perfected this will save lives, time, and money.

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I love modern technology

So All the reservations have been made for my Vegas Trip! I have my room, my tickets, my car, and even a dinner reservation for friday night at a Brazilian Steakhouse in the Mirage Hotel and Casino.

While working with my rental reservation I explored the option available to me with the Hertz Never Lost navigation system. I expect just your basic GPS unit, but it’s really much cooler than that. I had planned out my trip on-line, all the key destination I want to hit, and saved all the data to my geek-stick. Now when I pick up my car, I’ll plug the stick into the GPS system and it will be pre-loaded for my trip.

I love to plan in advance and this just make me smile.

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