Dec 2002
Sun, 22 Dec 2002
Santa Stopped By US Border Patrol
Thanks to my friend Tony for forwarding the following story detailing how santa was stopped by the US border patrol for surfing into the United States from Canada. [globe and mail] No, really.
Posted at: 23:49 | permalink
Fri, 20 Dec 2002
Pittsburgh Researchers Successfully Transplant Pig's Cells To Mice
In an effort associated with none other than famed transplant doctor Thomas Starzl, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have succeeded in transplanting islet cells from a pig's pancreas into mice - without rejection. [Pittsburgh Post Gazette]
One of the pigs died from causes unrelated to the cloning or the genetic manipulation. The researchers made the most of the opportunity and isolated its pancreatic islet cells, which produce insulin. They injected the cells into experimental mice engineered to mount a furious antibody response to galactose, as humans would do.
Nothing happened.
This raises hope that such a technique may provide the pathway to a cure for diabetes in humans. However, much work remains.
The sheer serendipity involved in the research is mind-boggling: Extensive study in his lab revealed that the galactose gene actually contained a mutation that led to the production of a non-functional enzyme. The chances of that occurring are about one in a trillion.
Posted at: 15:51 | permalink
Thu, 19 Dec 2002
Mississippi Students Build Their Own PCs
The NY Times reports that under an innovative program, Mississippi students are building PCs to be placed in every classroom in the state.
"People come and ask me things," said Tawane Burks, 17, a senior At Port Gibson High School, as he hovered over several open computers at the Blitz Build. "Most of the time it's teachers asking. It makes me feel good."
No matter what it costs them to build these PCs, the boost that these kids receive as a result will be immeasurable. Will other states follow suit?
Posted at: 06:52 | permalink
Sat, 14 Dec 2002
Welcome Keiko - Our German Short Haired Pointer
We picked up our new German Shorthaired Pointer puppy from the German Shorthaired Pointer Rescue of PA last night. All in all, it went reasonably well, considering it was friday the 13th. We had taken an extra week to make preparations for our new addition and that seemed to help the adjustment. The foster parents helped me put her in the cage in the back of my station wagon and I drove slowly over the five minute ride back to the house.
Here's the first set of pictures from the weekend:
The pup seemed frightened when I got her out of the back of the wagon, but there were a number of things that could have been traumatic including the separation from mother and siblings, the addition of a collar and a leash, and the weather. It was about 33 degrees and sleeting when I got home so the brief walk around the side yard was cold and wet.
The dog did adjust reasonably quickly to the new environment, didn't complain much when we caged her for the night, and seems to be headed for house breaking fairly quickly with a few minor accidents here and there. So far so good.
Posted at: 23:06 | permalink
Fri, 13 Dec 2002
Not So Froogle
Denying the potential of it's name, the folks at google have released a froogle beta. On the searches I did, froogle is anything but frugal. [NY Times]
Posted at: 07:42 | permalink
Wed, 11 Dec 2002
Thai Food At Target!
So I'm walking through the local Target store tonight picking up a few odds and ends and I come upon some bags of potato chips. Among them is one labeled "Thai". I'm skeptical but I pick up the bag and head for the register. I get to the car and rip it open and start crunching away. My mouth lights up like I was back at Thai Ginger in Redmond. Mmm Mmm Good. I hope Target keeps carrying these. I doubt they'll sell much here so maybe I can get them at clearance prices!
Posted at: 23:12 | permalink
KDE + Keramic + Crystal
I've been playing around with redhat 8 running KDE and Keramic style with the Crystal icon set. It's a slick looking system. Note the anti-aliased fonts, translucent menus, beautiful desktop icons, and unique window decorations. Redhat 8 with KDE, Keramic, Crystal
Posted at: 11:32 | permalink
Commuting By Sled Dog
We had our first ice storm of the season this morning and it seems pretty severe so far. I thought I'd try the commute about 9:00 am and indeed, that was a mistake. My car was clean and dry when I started and this is what it looked like after going about 10 miles south and back.
I saw two accidents related to the ice in a ten mile stretch, one of which blocked the 4 lane that I was traveling on so I gave up and returned home. I'll wait here until the temperature gets above 32, right now it's running about 29.
Posted at: 10:51 | permalink
Mac On Linux
Mac On Linux - Cool!
"Mac-on-Linux lets you run MacOS under Linux/ppc. MOL runs natively on the processor, i.e. it is very fast. Unlike most mac emulators, MOL can run MacOS 8.6 and later WITHOUT A ROM IMAGE."
Posted at: 07:34 | permalink
Sun, 08 Dec 2002
Holiday Music
I get tired of hearing all the lame holiday music that the local radio stations play around here. That's nothing new but I'm going to try and do something about it. Chuck and I have been working on a Christmas album with a few friends and I'm headed over to Chuck's house tomorrow to do the mixdown on it. I'll post some stuff once I get a hold of the CD master. In particular, there's a really cool version of the little drummer boy done in a Michael Hedges style with acoustic guitar and djembe.
Posted at: 10:55 | permalink
Thu, 05 Dec 2002
Getting Used To The Snow Again
When I got home last night, it was 8 degrees fahrenheit. The witch doctors otherwise known as meteorologists hadn't made any significant prediction for snow so imagine my surpise when I woke up to this...
I headed out, cleared off the walks, gassed up the car and proceeded to wait. I had seen that most of the major roads around the city were backed in excess of 5 miles from the city. In addition, my 2 mile excursion for gas looked like something out of the trans-Canada rally. While I'm all for that kind of thing, sharing it is not my idea of a good time. I finally did come to work around lunch time and indeed Bryan and I were very productive this afternoon.
I can only hope that the snow will continue.
Posted at: 18:22 | permalink
Wed, 04 Dec 2002
New PC Price Performance Benchmarks
I helped my cousin purchase a new PC this week. I just got the shipment this afternoon. The short story: 1.8 Ghz, 40GB disk, 256 MB RAM, Windows XP Home, DVD, CD-RW, 19" monitor that'll do 1600x1200 at 94Hz. All name brand stuff, all new, under $700 including shipping. I set it up this evening and everything works great. It's fast and the display is gorgeous. Ten years ago, I couldn't have guessed where we'd be now in terms of price/performance with these things, but I don't doubt the predictions when people are talking ten years into the future. Nobody should go bankrupt paying for a PC anymore. Cool.
Posted at: 00:07 | permalink
Tue, 03 Dec 2002
Snoqualmie Minus Snow
I commented on the early snow and cold temperatures that we've had here on the east coast recently. It's 14 degrees outside this morning. Snow lovers on the west coast haven't been so lucky. The Seattle Times notes:
Even Mount Baker, which had a world-record 1,140-inch cumulative snowfall in 1998-99, had only 16 inches as of Sunday, one-third the average amount.
I remember the world record snow that year. I took this picture when I lived there:
Note: that picture was taken in the summer.
And I wonder, what's going on?
Posted at: 08:43 | permalink
Mon, 02 Dec 2002
German Short Haired Pointer On The Horizon
My wife and I have been considering adopting a german shorthaired pointer from the german shorthaired pointer rescue. I was going to just go to a local breeder and buy one but then I thought maybe I should check into adoption first. I contacted the nice folks there and lo and behold, they had taken in a stray who was pregnant and gave birth to a healthy litter of nine pups.
It's unusual for a rescue to have pups as they generally deal with adult dogs that have been taken from abusive or neglectful situations. Needless to say, I was thrilled to discover the pups and I've been put on the pending list so just a few more steps and we may be dog owners once again.
We both grew up with dogs, mine including a gigantic irish setter, a beagle/poodle mix, and two weimaraners. If the adoption is successful, this will be our first german shorthaired pointer. I've always admired the breed for it's similarity to the weimaraners. I'm looking forward to it as I miss having a furry friend for running, hiking, and mountain biking, as well as just lounging around the house.
Now I just pray that we pass muster with the fine folks at the rescue so that we can give this pup the loving home that it deserves. If we get the dog, I promise to bombard you with an endless array of funny puppy pictures!
Posted at: 23:55 | permalink
Mountain Biking Kills Tadpoles
Terrific, now mountain biking's on the list of activities with deleterious effects on male health. [msnbc] I guess I'll have to smoke and drink beer while riding so that I can forget that pain down there.
Posted at: 23:30 | permalink
Jeff Zapotoczny: Last Listened For iTunes on Mac OS X
Jeff's got a script for you Mac fanatics running iTunes who want to have that little listening to thingie on your blog.
Never one to leave well enough alone, Jeff then posted some updates to it while noting that he wasn't the first to do such a thing.
Check it out.
Posted at: 23:17 | permalink
Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow
I'm thoroughly enjoying the onslaught of winter weather that we're having in this neck of the woods. When I left work this evening at 7PM, it was 37 degrees fahrenheit. By the time I got home at 9:30 PM it was only 20 degrees fahrenheit accompanied by howling winds, snow, and icy roads. I'm encouraged by the fact that we can get this weather so early in the season. Now, if we could just get a decent blizzard, I could call off and go four-wheeling. Wa hoo!
Posted at: 23:07 | permalink
