I saw this video on msnbc.com today:
Dec. 29: NBC's Kerry Sanders reports on a huge mass of garbage floating in the Pacific Ocean that is killing marine life and growing larger each day.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/#22431379
After watching this video, I feel really disgusted the way people are messing up this beautiful planet. As I get older, I think I am turning into a bleeding-heart liberal.
Okay, it is time to start a new blog on going Green.
I just found out about the Community Book feature on blurb.com. This is very interesting and may come in handy with the book project being discussed on reginaspektor brümstix. Well, I need another project like I need a hole in my head, haha.
Blurberati Blog » Introducing Community Book: Bookmaking just got a lot more social
I arranged a presentation by a Predator Sensor Operator to my daughter's high school Robotics Club today after school. It is some amazing stuff!
Digital Picture Frames are very popular these days. It is a wonderful way to display all the digital photos that seem to clog up my hard drives. The Smartparts 8" Digital Picture Frame was on sale at Costco this weekend and here is my first impression. The model number I have is the 8" SP8EM. There are many other models available at the Smartparts web site.
The entire wood frame size is about 9-5/8" x 8-1/4" with the LCD screen size of 6-1/4" x 4-3/4". The resolution of the LCD is 800x600. Therefore, the size of the LCD is just a little larger than a regular 4x6 photo. The LCD size is just about right for me.
What's inside the box:
Getting Started:
Getting started is easy. Plug the power cord into the LCD frame and turn the unit on. The slide show starts automatically using the 5 sample slides saved on the internal 128 MB flash memory. I inserted a 256 MB compact flash (CF) card with about 20 jpg photos at 1800x1200 size and they were automatically displayed in the slide show. The jpg files on the CF card do not need to be transferred to the internal memory to be displayed. The photos displayed just fine from the CF card directly. Therefore, if you have a large memory card, the number of photos that can be displayed can be into the thousands.
There are 2 slots for memory cards- CF card and SD card. There is also another USB port probably for an USB memory stick. If the LCD frame is connected to the USB port of a PC, Windows automatically detects the 2 removable card slots and the internal flash memory. Files can then be copied to the removable memory card or internal memory by using copy and paste within Windows. There is a program called Optipix Pro stored in the internal flash memory. Clicking on the setup program automatically install the Windows program.
The OptiPix program basically resize any jpg photo to a 800x600 resolution. This can be done by selecting each file individually or by selecting a directory. If your LCD frame is connected to the PC, the files are automatically transferred to the internal flash memory in a subfolder. A folder is also created on the desktop with the downsized jpg photos. The original photos are untouched. If the LCD frame is not connected to your PC when the OptiPix program is running, you will get an error message; however, the files are still transformed and the subdirectory is still created on the desktop. I converted my original 1800x1200 jpg files to 800x600 resolution to save space. The converted files are about 50 to 80 KB in size.
This is actually the way I preferred to organize my photos on my CF card- putting photos in subdirectories. I ran the OptiPix program multiple times without connecting the LCD frame to the PC and each time I renamed the folder to the title of the vacation photos. Then I copied and pasted the file folders directly to the CF card. Even with the subdirectories, the LCD frame displayed all the photos within them without any problems. The order of the photos being displayed appears to be based on the time the files were created or converted.
Music:
The LCD frame also plays background music if you have music files saved in memory. Unfortunately almost all my musics are in the MP3 format and the LCD frame only works with WMA files. I had to search ways to convert my MP3s to the WMA format. I was able to use a program I already have called TotalRecorder for the job. It does a nice batch convert and saved the output file to my CF card. I encountered another problem with the WMA file. The LCD frame will not recognize WMA9 files and I had to convert the files to WMA7 format. Once I figured out the problem, I was able to encode the files at 128 kBit/s, 44.100 Hz, Stereo. The sound output is adequate. There is a volume control and mute buttons on the small remote. The small speakers are in the back of the LCD frame.
Movie:
The LCD frame will also display movie files with sound. The only movie files I tried are the ones that came out of my small Canon camera. The files I have are MVI files at 640x480. They worked fine on the LCD screen. The resolution of my file is lower than the display resolution, 800x600, therefore the movies were somewhat pixelated.
Remote Control:
The small remote control is very useful. You can select one static photo to be displayed or run the slide show. As mentioned above, it has volume control and a mute button. Adjustment of brightness/contrast and color are also available. Files can be deleted using the remote control, however, I prefer just taking the CF card out and using my PC to move files around. The remote also has an on and off button. There is really no place to store the remote, so I attached a little Velcro to the back of the LCD frame and store the remote there.
Summary:
The prices of digital picture frames are coming down quickly and the Smartparts SP8EM 8" model seems to be a good buy. I like the sizes of the wood frame and the LCD display. I saw a 10.4" LCD model today and the frame seemed a little too big for an office desk. The ability to display jpg files directly from the removable memory card is a plus. The images displayed are sharp and colors are nicely reproduced for the typical family photos. The small remote is also a nice feature.
A few thousand photos can be stored in the internal flash memory if converted using the included OptiPix program. There is no need for additional memory cards other than for convenience.
On the negative side, the LCD frame can only play WMA7 files and people may have problem converting their music to the WMA7 format. However, the LCD frame will probably be used in a silent mode most of time anyway.
Actually my wife has already decided that she is going to take the LCD frame to her office. I just have to finish processing our vacation photos from July. I am still on day 1 of our Italy trip.
Addendum: When shopping for a digital photo/picture frame it is important to note the resolution of the screen and the proportion of the screen. Most of the frames are listed by the diagonal length of the LCD screen in inches. The screen resolution for the SmartParts SP8EM is 800x600 and the proportion is close to a 4x6 print (aspect ratio 4:3). I see some 10.4" screens with similar or even lower number of pixel counts such as 640x480. There are also screens with 800x480 resolution, which displays the photo close to a 16:9 wide screen format. Most of my photos and most digital camera jpg files display better in the 4:3 aspect ratio format. After playing with the frame for a day and seeing the excellent color and resolution, I went back to Costco and purchased 2 more frames to give to the grandparents. I am going to load up the frames with family photos before I give it to them. Overall I am very happy with my purchase.
Made two more pizzas last night and they actually looked like "real" pizzas and not "mutants", lol. I used lots of cornmeal so it didn't stick to the pizza peel. The amount of time needed to make the pizza is also getting shorter and this can become another quick and cheap meal option.
The photo above was my second pizza and it is already kind of dried up. The flour and cornmeal are still making it a little messy to clean up. Overall, I am still happy at the way things turned out again. It is definitely an improvement from my version 1.0 pizza and the kids are really having fun making fun of my cooking. Having some fun with the kids, that is what really matters.
Thanks to AbleComm.com for the above information.
I did my Pizza Version 1.1 for dinner tonight- two 12" pizzas. "Not bad," my wife said. I learned my lesson last week and used a lot more flour and cornmeal. With the cornmeal, the pizza didn't stick to the peel this time and it worked out much better.
The pizza dough was from Trader Joe's and I even baked some bread sticks with a garlic/spice dough. Overall, I am very happy the way things turned out today.
Oh, I still couldn't figure out how to use the fancy digital timer on the Dacor oven. Okay, plans for version 1.2 for next week:
My latest quest in life is to learn how to make a pizza from scratch. As with any tasks in life you must have the right tools and Amazon.com definitely has got my vote for the place to purchase all the required gadgets to make a pizza from scratch. Here is my list:
Well, I kind of cheated for my Pizza 1.0 version. I purchased a ready made pizza dough from WinCo Foods. After reading about 20 variations on dough recipes on the Internet, I think I may have to stick with ready made dough.
Once I have the pizza dough, pizza sauce, and some cheese, I thought to myself how hard can it be? Just put the pizza in the oven and a few minutes later, it is ready to eat. Actually, it was a lot harder than I thought. My version 1.0 pizza bombed. While trying to place the pizza on my new cast iron pizza pan, the dough stuck to the peel and didn't want to slide off. I tried desperately to keep the circular shape as I tucked and pushed on the pizza. The pizza kind of flopped upside down on the pan preheated to 425 degrees.
The end result was still edible, well, kind of, just a small portion of it. My kids ate 2 small pieces and the rest I had to trash. I was just too embarrassed for anyone else to see it. It was one ugly looking pizza. It was all twisted and looked liked a mutated tumor.
Version 1.1 of the pizza is coming this week, and I am planning some adjustment:
My old Casio watch finally broke last week. The month stays permanently in January and changing the time is almost impossible. I had the watch for over 20 years and it has served me well. I had to change the resin watch band and battery once a while, but the watch just keeps on going.
Looking around on Amazon.com, I found another Casio that is almost exactly the same as mine- the classic Casio model F91W. You really can't beat the price. I got it from Amazon.com for $10.99. The lithium battery suppose to last 7 years, similar to my old watch. The F91W even has its own wikipedia entry. Although the watch is now famous due to its connection to terrorism. Just after I got my watch last week the price on Amazon went up 8 dollars, but it is still a bargain.
Feedback:
Overall I am happy with the version 1.1. It is getting close to the real thing. Oh, I need to buy the olive oil/ vinegar dispenser thingy. The one that has both oil and vinegar in one glass holder one inside the other.
Hey don't laugh, I'm not good at writing down recipes.
version 1.0 - 9/4/2007, my first try was not bad. It was a little salty and the Nian Gao could have been cooked a little longer and softer.
version 1.1- 9/5/07, modified by adding some more water to the final step, and took out extra added salt or soy sauce at the end
version 1.2- 9/10/07, pre-soaking the Nian Gao made them softer, increased the chicken to 3 pieces, and re-added the soy sauce at the end, just a little.
version 1.21- 9/18/07, added Chinese cabbage after taking the chickens out. Tried using 1 1/2 bag of the Nian Gao
Procedure:
This is not an official Shanghai Stir-Fry Nian Gao recipe. It is just my version that can be cooked and ready to eat in 90 min. I like my Nian Gao soft since I don't like to chew.
I'm trying this again next week. Wish me luck.
I was messing around with an old Gateway PC this weekend cleaning out the kids' old computers and getting ready for school to start tomorrow. Instead of throwing away the PC's, I decided to install Ubuntu Linux on one of the systems. The latest version of Ubuntu is Feisty Fawn 7.04. The install is easy enough, download the CD image file and it pretty much runs by itself. The problem was trying to figure out what is the best way to partition the hard disk.
The old PC had Windows ME, which is probably the worst version of Windows around, so I decided to use the entire disk for Ubuntu and not install a dual boot partition. There are basically 3 ways to partition Ubuntu:
1. Use the entire disk for Linux in one big partition for all the programs and system files. A SWAP partition will also be added automatically. Total of 2 partitions will be created. This is one of the automatic options.
2. Use multiple partitions for speed and security in the future. The partitions can be /, /home, /temp, /var, etc.
3. The third way and probably middle of the road method is to create three partitions: /, /home, and SWAP. The root partition is the "/", which is used for all the system files. The /home partition is used for all user data, similar to My Document under Windows XP. This is the best way for future upgrades.
The following are a series of screen shots for doing the partitioning task manually. Sorry for the fuzzy pictures. I have no idea how to capture the screen during an install.
After the ext3, 10 GB, partition is defined, I double click on it again to select "Mount Point." This is where I selected "/" for the root partition.
Now repeat the procedure for the next partition. Remember to leave some room for the SWAP partition. The recommended size for SWAP is at least the size of your ram to a max of 2 GB. I just planned to use 2 GB, and made my /home partition accordingly. Don't forget to select /home for the second partition. Use "SWAP" as the type for the third partition, which is around 2 GB in my example. Also note that once "SWAP" is selected, there is no option for "Mount Point."
Once the 3 partitions are created, rest of the install process is pretty simple.
I hope this will save someone a few minutes installing Ubuntu.
Mitch Kapor is the chairman of Linden Lab. He was quoted saying users of Second Life are bunch of crazy people. I think he is correct in his assessment. I am looking forward to become one of these crazy people.
Kapor, who is chairman of Linden Lab, which operates Second Life, said he realized the potential of Second Life at an in-world Suzanne Vega concert last year. Vega
"What's driving virtual worlds is a shared sense, by a few hundred thousand crazy people, that this is important, and they're going to drop everything and go after this," he said.
Mitch Kapor: Virtual Worlds Are Like A Drug Experience -- Virtual Worlds -- InformationWeek
Another potentially promising drug, rimonabant, bites the dust.
FDA panel rejects Sanofi-Aventis' Acomplia drug - MarketWatch
In a report prepared by the panel and published Wednesday, concerns were raised about the safety of Acomplia, particularly its effect on users' mental health. Sanofi-Aventis submitted data and analyses on Acomplia for the panel's review late last year.
"Adverse events" encountered during the testing of the drug included "depressive events, anxiety, psychomotor agitation, and sleep disorders," according to the panel's report.
The FDA's Division of Metabolism and Endocrine Products has received a number of "event" reports from Sanofi-Aventis related to Acomplia, the report said, including "4 reports of delusional symptoms, 6 reports of psychotic behavior (including a man who attempted to strangle his daughter), and 5 reports of aggression (including a man who beat his wife.)"
Rimonabant, the generic form of Acomplia, is approved in 37 countries and marketed in 18, according to Sanofi-Aventis.
Check out this add-on for Firefox and Microsoft Live Writer:
Description:
The Blog This for Firefox adds a button to Firefox which starts a new Windows Live Writer blog post prepopulated with content and title from the current web page. Blog the whole page, or just selected snippets. Interacts with other registered plugins to parse and structure web content where appropriate. Blog quickly when you find something of interest on the web.
I am trying to write this blog using some of the features of the add-on. Once the page is open, the Windows Live Gallery link was automatically added.
If you are having problem staying logged into Blogger under Windows XP and Internet Explorer and have to enter your email and password repeatedly, then go into Tools-> Internet Options-> Privacy-> Sites, and then add www.google.com to the managed websites list. It worked for me.
There are two drug-eluting stents available in the U.S. at this time- Johnson & Johnson/Cordis CYPHER and the Boston Scientific TAXUS.
Medtronic ENDEAVOR stent is currently under review by the U.S. FDA and approval is anticipated in the second half of 2007.
Abbott XIENCE V stent application to the U.S. FDA was submitted June 1, 2007. Approval is expected in the first quarter of 2008.
The Medtronic ENDEAVOR stent is based on the cobalt alloy DRIVER stent. It has a Phosphorylcholine polymer licensed from Abbott Laboratories. The ENDEAVOR stent releases a drug called ABT-578, which is also licensed from Abbott Laboratories.
The Abbott XIENCE V stent is based on the Multi-Link Vision stent with Everolimus as the eluting drug. The XIENCE V stent will also be co-marketed by Boston Science as the PROMUS Everloimus Eluting stent. The Multi-Link Vision stent is the same stent developed and marketed by Guidant in the past. The "V" in XIENCE V probably is in reference to "Vision" and not "version 5" of the stent.
Prior to 2006, Abbott did not have a stent product. How Abbott purchased the XIENCE stent from Guidant is quite interesting. In January 2006, Boston Scientific was locked in a bidding war with Johnson & Johnson for Guidant. Boston Scientific really wanted to buy the rhythm management (pacemaker, ICD) division of Guidant. Abbott was able to purchase the vascular device (stent and balloon) division of Guidant from Boston Scientific as part of the deal. The deal between Abbott and Boston Scientific was a mixture of direct payment, stock sales, and low interest loan. Boston Scientific was finally able to purchase Guidant in 2006.
Am J Cardiol 2007;99:1409-1412
This was a small pilot study to see if supplementation with coenzyme Q10 would improve muscle symptoms in patients taking a statin medication. Statin medications are commonly used to lower cholesterol levels. Many patients experience severe muscle aches and pains while on statin medications. The use of coenzyme Q10 is based on fact that cholesterol and coenzyme Q10 are both lowered by statin medications and a deficiency of coenzyme Q10 may be causing some of the muscle symptoms.
Only 32 patients were involved in this small pilot study. Eighteen patients were given 100 mg of coenzyme Q10 daily and fourteen patients were given 400 IU of vitamin E daily. Vitamin E was used as a control. The study was a controlled, double-blind, randomized trial. The patients were treated for 30 days.
The results of the study showed that coenzyme Q10 supplement decreased muscle pain by 40% and improved the interference of pain with daily life activities by 38%. In the group treated with vitamin E, no affect with pain symptoms or interference of pain with daily activities were noted.
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