Deep Thoughts in a shallow pond: February 2007

Friday, February 23, 2007

ScrewAttack - Angry Video Game Nerd: Atari 5200

One of my first video game systems, after my Intellivision, was the Atari 5200, the horribly mutated big brother of the 2600.

Between the 2600 & 7800 was the worst Atari system ever made, but with better graphics than the 2600. To give an idea of how bad, the Atari 7800 was backwards compatible with the 2600, but not the 5200! Talk about killing the upgrade path.

Some of the not-so-memorable games were Jungle Hunt, Centipede, Joust, Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom, and my favourite, Congo Bongo. And if you got sick of the 15 games made for the system, you could get the VCS cartridge adapter to play 2600 games - for only $15 more than an Atari 2600.

Here's a positive(ly funny) review on the worst system ever made.

Link to ScrewAttack - Angry Video Game Nerd: Atari 5200

Here's a link to the emulator if you want to bring your computer down to the level of a 5200.

Atariage

Or just buy the thing on e-Bay for $4.99, and pay $200 for shipping the 200 lb bohemith.

This auction is for a Atari 5200 game console only. It appears to be in good shape it does show wear and scratches from use. I was not able to test it so I am selling it "as is". The game Frogger is in the console but it has no original tag and someone just wrote with masking tape "frogger" so I am not positive if that is the game for sure.

Be sure you're running it on a separate circuit breaker. Buy lots of extra joysticks. On second hand, for $4.99 you'll probably get a cardboard box with a hand-drawn Atari logo on it and a Tupperware lid with frogger-labelled masking tape, so don't bother.

Monday, February 19, 2007

Shaving a religion?

My barber is one of the few in Toronto that

still uses a straight razor.

"Once these guys realize they can switch and in most cases alleviate those skin problems, some of them are almost in tears. It has actually changed some people's lives," Lubrano said.
Joel Ferman also converted because he was "absolutely miserable," his skin red and irritated. He has become a collector in his quest to try blades, and now owns 150 straight razors.
He also runs BadgerAndBlade.com, the largest online forum for wet shaving. After a year in operation, the site gets 200,000 to 300,000 hits per day, Ferman said.
The forum has helped foster a subculture of straight-razor enthusiasts that sometimes borders on religious.

Source: The lure of the straight razor

More tips.

Shave after your shower or soften your whiskers with a hot, wet towel for a minute or two before getting started. Apply shaving cream.

Angle the blade 30 degrees away from the face. NEVER slice it across your skin, and try not to use pressure. Also, watch your fingers.

When you're done, dry off the blade with a few strokes on the leather or by stropping it lightly a few times on a towel. Rinse your face with cold water and apply a gentle after-shave appropriate for your skin.

For more information

www.badgerandblade.com

www.classicshaving.com

www.straightrazorplace.com

www.uniclectica.com/conserva/ razor1.html

Saturday, February 17, 2007

Coding Horror: The cost of leaving your PC on

So leaving my server on is costing me $200 / year, or $16.68 per month. My home theater PC is a bit more frugal at 65 watts. Using the same formulas, that costs me $81 / year or $6.75 per month.
So, how can you reduce the power draw of the PCs you leave on 24/7?

Source: Coding Horror: The cost of leaving your PC on

Friday, February 09, 2007

Google's response to Youtube video ban

Is Google's response to the video ban on Youtube to add torrents to search results?

Web
Results 1 - 10 of about 1,630,000 for crooked 2006. (0.36 seconds)

Tip: Search for English results only. You can specify your search language in Preferences

Wednesday, February 07, 2007

Skandia Cowes Week 2007 - Welcome

When seven yachts signed up for the first organised yacht race at Cowes on 10th August 1826, it is unlikely anyone envisaged that this would become the annual world-class yachting event that we now know as Skandia Cowes Week. With over 1,000 yachts and 8,500 competitors taking part in some very challenging first-class sailing, the Event attracts a wide range of local, national and international entrants, from true amateurs to Olympic and World champions.

Source: Skandia Cowes Week 2007 - Welcome

I want to go to this event one year. Last year we didn't get to make it to the Isle of Wight due to an unfortunate car mishap. Maybe next year...

This event was also the cause for creating the only 2nd production app launched for Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), the new technology launched by Microsoft and embedded in Windows Vista.

Of course, MS doesn't exaggerate their case studies (!) but here is a good quote on how long it took them to build this new app.

Cut Development Time from Months to Days

After developing version 1.0, Middlemiss needed a faster way to build its successor. He got it with the new technologies in Microsoft .NET Framework 3.0 and Windows Presentation Foundation, along with the XAML-based tool Expression Blend. Using these technologies, Middlemiss created the rendering engine—which had taken three months to develop the year before—in a weekend.

Thursday, February 01, 2007

Open Culture: Lifehack for Learning Foreign Languages

Lifehack for Learning Foreign Languages

Here is a quick "lifehack" for you. You can now learn foreign languages and stay current on politics all at once. How so? By taking advantage of a smart podcast concept being used by French and German broadcasters. (See our complete collection of foreign language lesson podcasts.) Radio France Internationale (RFI) issues a daily podcast called Le Journal en français facile (iTunes - feed - web site), which delivers the nightly international news in slow and easy-to-understand French. Along the same lines, the German media company Deutsche Welle (which puts out many great language and music podcasts) also has its own nightly news program — Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten (iTunes - feed - web site). It's essentially the same concept: informative news presented in very simple German, and, in this case, it's spoken very slowly.
Now, what's very nice about these programs is that they also provide a written transcript of the spoken word. So you can read along as you listen and make sure that you're really comprehending. (See transcripts in French and German). Even cooler, with the German version, if you have a video iPod, you can read the transcript on your little portable screen. (See directions).
Finally, check out this offbeat suggestion sent our way by a reader: Nuntii Latini (mp3 - web site) is "a weekly review of world news in Classical Latin, the only international broadcast of its kind in the world, produced by YLE, the Finnish Broadcasting Company."
For more, see Open Culture's complete collection of foreign language lesson podcasts.

Source: Open Culture: Lifehack for Learning Foreign Languages