Monday, May 12, 2008

Recent and near-future happenings

I really want to buy a new Digital Camera. However, there will be a new 3G Apple iPhone coming out in June 2008, according to MacRumors.com's sources. With this new iteration of the popular iPhone, perhaps an upgraded camera assembly will be included, such as a 3 or 4 MP. The original iPhone camera is a 2.0 MegaPixel and the iPhone does not currently have a built in video recorder program. Should I spend $100 - $150 on a Nikon CoolPix L18 8 MP 3x Optical Zoom? Should I put that $100 - $150 toward the next version of the Apple iPhone? By the way - the Nikon CoolPix L18 can also take video clips of varying length, based on available memory. The Apple iPhone 3G (Also rumored to be named "iPhone BLACK") will have a higher price and more functionality. I will end up getting the Apple iPhone 3G at some point anyway, but should I go ahead and buy the Digital Camera now and not wait for the release of the "iPhone BLACK?" Please choose an option in my poll on the right side of this page called "iPhone + Nikon - Nikon = ???"

Sunday, May 11, 2008

I ain't Aussie, but I think its funny!

I am no Australian, but I do feel that everyone should go there, or at least conversate with at least one Australian. Go here, mate! How To Speak Australian, etc...! Funny

Saturday, May 3, 2008

World's Most Daring Architecture and Landscaping



I have always been fascinated with what man can achieve utilizing our current state of technology. We have donut-shaped buildings that are soon to be built in Dubai, UAE. We have a 1,776 feet tall Freedom Tower being built in New York City. We have a new "tallest structure of any kind" in North America going up in Chicago, called "The Spire." There is a skyscraper in Shanghai, known as the "Shanghai World Financial Center," that has a rectangular hole cut out of its top. The Burj Dubai in Dubai, UAE recently took over "World's Tallest Freestanding Structure" title claims from the CN Tower in Canada. There are even taller buildings under consideration over the next several years.
In Japan, a whole international airport was built off-shore by building up the ground from the ocean floor. Holland has built levies and dikes to reclaim many square miles of otherwise tidal zones and ocean marshes. The Suez, Panama, and many other canals have been hewn from bedrock, desert, and jungle. Mankind has learned to reshape the very face of Earth.
Nowhere can this extreme engineering be seen more clearly than in one of the Emirates of the UAE. Dubai, which was led by His Highness Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid Al Maktoum and recently succeeded by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is in the process of completely redefining the traditionally accepted meaning of land reclamation. With the vision of the previous Sheikh, and the conviction of his successor, the grand master plan of developing the Dubai coastline is on track.
Due to dwindling oil reserves, predicted to disappear by 2014, in the mostly desert state of Dubai, drastic steps have been taken to transform a small Emirate into the world's premier tourist destination. Islands in the shape of Earth's land masses have been created and dubbed "The World." There are three different palm-shaped island/peninsula protrusions also. There will be a crescent shaped "Waterfront" and associated islands and connecting bridges.
The reason that I am writing about these things is that most people that I am acquainted with have no idea what is going on around them beyond their own little world. I want to be a resource for friends and family so they may learn about the truly marvelous things humanity has achieved in the last decade. Please visit the development company Nakheel at www.Nakheel.com for a complete video tour of all its reclamation and development projects. See above for a few pictures of tall buildings and extraordinary land reclamation.

Thursday, May 1, 2008

My favorite websites - of late

I like:

CNET's Download.com, which offers downloads of software, multimedia, and other downloadable stuff. What really excites me is that as a band or a fan, music can be uploaded or downloaded for free. I am listening to a mix of about 8 different artist's music whose MP3s I just downloaded for free, with their full consent. As an artist myself, I found this website to be extremely helpful in adding another dimension to my band's distribution channels (MySpace, PureVolume, etc.). Anyway, the music is broken down into niche-genres, thus making it quite fun to discover new music in almost any genre you are into. Try Rock/Pop, then sub-genre Hard Rock/Metal, then sub- sub-genre Sludge Metal, and you will understand the kind of organization that is going with this website.

I don't like:

The Phoenix Suns' Suns.com, which really is just due to me having died just a little bit the other day when they were ONCE AGAIN eliminated from contention in the 2008 NBA Playoffs. Not good. Nuff said.

Kobe, Japan vs. Kobe Bryant

I am sick and tired of supposedly educated news anchors mispronouncing the name of the city in Japan that was struck by an earthquake in 1995. Kobe is pronounced Koh-beh. Even Dictionary.com's American Heritage Dictionary entry is wrong in that it actually shows a long 'e' sound! At least it gives a secondary version, which is semi-correct. "(kō'bē', -bā') A city of southern Honshu, Japan, on Osaka Bay south-southwest of Kyoto. A port and manufacturing center, it was almost entirely rebuilt after World War II. The city was badly damaged by an earthquake in 1995. Population: 1,530,000."

Below, you will find the "Contact Us" message that I sent to Dictionary.com about their pronunciation key.
"The entry for the Dictionary.com Unabridged definition for the city of Kobe, Japan has an incorrect pronunciation guide. It has never been pronounced like the L.A. Laker Bryant's first name. The fact is, it is only pronounced Kaw-bee if you are a person from the South with a strong drawl. It is indeed pronounced Koh-beh, with a short 'eh' sound. I know that my Dictionary documentation format may not be correct, but I do know that I lived in Japan for 12 years growing up and that I took an overnight bus from Tokyo to Kobe in April of 1995 to assist with earthquake relief efforts. It was never pronounced like you say it is in your dictionary."

IRS rules (but this will only make the USA more in debt)


Here is a table from IRS.gov website showing the 2008 Economic Stimulus Package payment dates. Please remember: I did not make this up, so please call the IRS if you don't get your check within the timeline listed on this table.

Get Punched!