We’re deep into the Christmas shopping season and some of you have been asking for gift hints. This post is for you. And by “you,” I mean, of course, Warren Buffet or The Sultan of Brunei. Hennessey Venom GT Forget 0-60. That’s soooo 1960s. Forget 0-100. That’s for wannabes. The new gold standard for vehicular… Continue reading Two Things: Venom / Dogma
Why are scammers such bad designers?
Many of you probably received the following letter, or one very similar to it: Yours probably had a more legible address; I’ve blurred mine to foil people who don’t have access to phone books or the Internet. Clever, huh? Now, this is obviously a scam, which you can confirm for yourself simply by Googling “US… Continue reading Why are scammers such bad designers?
Ask and Ye Shall Receiver, or Not
Have I mentioned that we got a new A/V receiver a couple of months ago? Astute Gazette readers may recall this tragic post in which I documented our tragic inability to watch 3D movies at home because of our tragically old-and-busted equipment (which was really neither, but technology is a harsh mistress). It’s a Pioneer… Continue reading Ask and Ye Shall Receiver, or Not
Christmas Decorations 2012
In an unprecedented and probably unrepeatable display of common sense, I decided to no longer venture onto the roof to hang Christmas lights. I’m going to use a pogo stick. OK, just kidding. About the pogo stick, not the roof climbing. I feel confident that I could continue to walk around on the roof, untethered,… Continue reading Christmas Decorations 2012
Dad: A Major Award
This is the first of what I hope will be a series of posts about events during the life of my Dad, who passed away in early November. The year was 1955. I was three years old and my brother was about six months old, and our parents were in Chicago, a long way from… Continue reading Dad: A Major Award
In Memory of My Dad
My dad passed away a couple of weeks ago, following a battle with Parkinson’s Disease. I want to post a few things about his life to honor his memory, but for those who didn’t know him, I’ll start with his obituary. I drafted it, and if you’ve never written an obit for a loved one,… Continue reading In Memory of My Dad
Ten Years of Fire Ant
Today’s a semi-momentous occasion for the Gazette, as it marks the ten year anniversary of this blog-like thing. Due to a few other more important things going on – which I may elaborate later – I’m not going to do much more than note the event, but I figured it warranted at least a mention.… Continue reading Ten Years of Fire Ant
Fun with Office Supplies
Perhaps I’m easily impressed and/or amused, but I had no idea until I went back into the world of corporate dronage that the Liquid Paper I grew up with had been replaced by cool correcting tape that’s applied with a dispenser filled with all kinds of rollers and gears and semi-circuitous pathways. Anything worth engineering… Continue reading Fun with Office Supplies
A Running Story
It was the most rare of days: cool and clear, with hardly a breeze, and it occurred to me while driving home from work that this would be a perfect day to ditch the usual treadmill workout and go for a run outdoors. I figured I could easily get in five miles before the sun got too low… Continue reading A Running Story
Two Things: HaloRig / Flyboard
Our Two Things spotlight today focuses on a couple of “add-on” products, things that make other things work better, or at least differently. HaloRig: Video Stabilizer Anyone who’s tried to shoot video with a small digital camcorder, point-and-shoot camera, or phone knows how hard it is to keep the dang thang steady. The form factor… Continue reading Two Things: HaloRig / Flyboard