technology – Page 5 – Observations Along the Road

News Chum: Return from ACSAC Edition

Posted onWednesday, December 16, 2009Authorcahwyguy

Well, I’m back in the office after ACSAC (I was at home yesterday), it’s lunchtime, and I’m not fighting a headache (as I was on Monday). You know what that means… it’s News Chum time…

From the “A Walkin’ Talkin’ Man” Department: Technology refreshes. It is the bane of our existance. Here’s an interesting technology refresh in the news: They’re rebuilding Mr. Lincoln. I refer, of course, to the facsimilie president at Disneyland. According to the OC Register, a new “Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln” show is debuting with never-before-used technology that is supposed to make the robot more realistic than ever. Lincoln’s lips will form to make “o” and “s” sounds. His cheek muscles will move. His eyebrows will raise. The new figure will use electronics — the first time a whole animatronic head will be electronic. Disney creators use a computer to design the internal skeleton and then the forms are printed on a 3D printer, a way to make the insides more realistic.
From the “Market Your Idea” Department: Got an idea for a product that would be perfect for a late-night infomercial? Then you want to visit TeleBrands, the subject of a recent NY Times article. They recently held a fair for new product pitches, many of which are described in the article. Would you want a mower caddy shelf; a Find-It beeping keychain; self-adhering wrapping paper; the all new EZ-Stack party dish; or the Gutter Gremlin drainpipe screen? How about a terry cloth jumpsuit for after showering? Operators will soon be standing by.
From the “Passings” Department: There are a number of notable passings to report. Most significant is the death of Roy E. Disney, nephew of Walt, and the man behind the revival of Disney Animation. We have Mark Ritts, who was Lester the Lab Rat on Beakman’s World. There’s Sol Price, who gave the world Price Club, now integrated into Costco. There’s Harold Bell, who created “Woodsy Owl” as the mascot for the Forest Service, and Robert Heft, who created and sewed the first 50-star flag. On the arts side of things, last week brought news of the death of Steve Meltzer of the Santa Monica Puppetry Center, and Liam Clancy, the last surviving member of the Clancy Brothers. Of course, there’s always’s the death of Tiger Wood’s endorsement career, but that story, alas, refuses to die.

News Chum for a Friday Lunch

Posted onFriday, October 30, 2009Authorcahwyguy

It’s been a busy week, as evidenced by my short posts the last few days. Still, I have accumulated a bit of new chum to share:

From the “What’s Wrong With This Picture” Department: The OC Register has a nice article on the opening of some new toll lanes on the Route 241 freeway. However, at the end of the article they note:

Four cell towers also are being erected along the 241 in that area to address a frequent complaint of dropped cell-phone calls around the 91/241 connector.

Umm, aren’t folks not supposed to be using cellphones while driving (ideally, even hands-free due to the distraction). In a similar “think about what you’re writing” vein, an article about how Orange County bought a strip club, and then evicted the neighboring contractor supply business included the lines:

“We’re not going to fight to operate our business the way we have for 20 years,” Arredondo said. “We’ll go to another city that will be happy to have us. It is very expensive to fight city hall. In this market, there are a lot more cities who are friendly to business.”

That city is San Fernando, in Los Angeles.

Now, I realized that the folks “down south” are a little challenged, but San Fernando is it’s own city (in the county of Los Angeles); it is not part of the City of Los Angeles. Sure, every LA community and city looks alike…
From the “Let Your Fingers Do The…” Department: It appears the internet is poised to kill another product: The SF Chronicle is reporting that the white-page phonebook may go the way of the dodo. There seems to be this assumption taking place that every member of society can afford an internet connected phone and a computer, or that the Internet would never fail us. It may come back to bite us.
From the “What Are You Wearing?” Department: The NY Times is reporting how some schools are outlawing costumes for being too scary or politically incorrect. That’s right: don’t come to school as a zombie, Jason, or even a pirate. Come as a box of cereal or a fairy. This hit my daughter this year: She’s going as Annie Oakley (“Annie Get Your Gun”), but notes that a lasso is not the accessory for a sharpshooter. Last year she went as Mrs. Lovett (“Sweeney Todd”), but luckily all she needed was a rolling pin (but I don’t think she could bring that to school either). Are we becoming overly PC or protective? Don’t answer that…

Hump-Day News Chum: Car Tones for Hybrids, Cake Wrecks, KTLA’s Logo, and Sportsmans Lodge

Posted onWednesday, October 14, 2009Authorcahwyguy

Ah, it’s Wednesday. Time for some hump-day lunchtime news chum. Today’s theme seems to be “What Change Hath Wrougt”. Some of our stories are about the impact of technology changes, the others relate to changes in the San Fernando Valley….

From the “I Can’t Hear You” Department: We’re all familiar with fake telephone rings: that is, ring tones that sound like an old-fashioned phone, even though they are being generated by a non-physical bell. Well, it appears that we may soon have “drive tones” because hybrids are too silent. Car manufacturers are building in car sound effects to warn pedestrians of a car’s approach. For example, the Fisker Karma, an $87,900 plug-in hybrid expected to go on sale next year, will emit a sound — pumped out of speakers in the bumpers — that the company founder, Henrik Fisker, describes as “a cross between a starship and a Formula One car.”. So, want your car to sound like a Ferrari… or a Model-T… there’s an app for that. And speaking of apps and sound effects, a company has developed an iPhone app for everyday sound effects: crickets for bad jokes, rimshots for other jokes, evil laughs, etc.
From the “Yes, Everyone is Watching You” Department: Used to be, when you screwed up, only you or a small circle of your friends knew it. Now the whole world knows. Isn’t that comforting? The NY Times is reporting about a popular blog and book about cake icing disasters called Cake Wrecks. Quoting from the first paragraph of the article, “Finally, a few words about customer service: When someone requests that nothing be written on the cake, “NOTHING” should not be written on the cake.” Supposedly, around 100,000 visitors a day are gawking at Cake Wrecks, and more than a million people subscribe to the author’s updates on Twitter.
From the “Everything Old Is New Again, Part I” Department: The Franklin Avenue blog has an interesting article on KTLA-5’s new News Set… and an even more interesting discussion on the evolution of KTLA’s logo, and how it has returned to the stylized “5” of the old days. This particularly interests me, as I find corporate logos and icons interesting (I was once obsessed with articles on the NBC “N”).
From the “Everything Old Is New Again, Part II” Department: Another old thing being reborn is Sportsmans Lodge in Sherman Oaks, which is reopening under new owners, newly remodeled. According to the new owners, the previous darkness is gone, and the place has been restored to the brightness and elegance of the 1930s and 1940s with an emphasis on white. Supposedly the rubber chicken cuisine is gone as well. However, some valley institutions are going away. Curbed LA reports on a plan to demolish Victory Plaza at Coldwater Canyon and Victory, and replace it with a mixed use development with condos, business, a transit plaza, and a hotel, ala the Americana development in Glendale. Somehow, I don’t think it will be that successful: that part of the Valley doesn’t really call out for luxury shopping and hotels.

Friday (uh) Thursday News Chum: iPhones, iPods, Hummers, Caltrans, Supermarket Wars, & Tax Increases

Posted onThursday, September 3, 2009Authorcahwyguy

Today’s the last day of the conference, and as I’m getting on the road immediately afterwards, I thought I would share some chum from this morning’s reading of the news:

From the “At Least It’s Not an Edsel” Department: The NY Times is reporting how the iPhone is overloading the AT&T networks. My favorite part of the article is the line, “Slim and sleek as it is, the iPhone is really the Hummer of cellphones.” Irrespective of the iPhone issue, its interesting to note how certain car names become symbolic of greater woes. The Edsel is representative of something that just was a bad idea, badly designed, badly executed. The Gremlin is an idea that goes up in flames far too easy. The Hummer is something that just wastes too many resources.
From the “Making Hay While The Sun Shines” Department: This weekend the Bay Bridge is being closed while some major work is being done. What’s interesting is that Caltrans is doing it right. While the span is being replaced, they are taking advantage of the closure to do other repair work and train first responders. For all we complain that the government gets things wrong, it is nice to note when they get things right (and why I like the conference this week, which is all about another area where the government is getting things right).
From the “It’s Dead, Bill” Department: Microsoft is killing the Zune, discontinuing it once the Zune HD comes out. For me, the interesting part of the article is related to Apple, “Does the Zune’s discontinuation signal the end of the iPod Classic, as Gizmodo posits? I don’t think so. Even though iPod sales fell 7 percent in the last quarter compared to 2008, Apple still sold 10.2 million iPods.” The thing about the iPod Classic is capacity. There is no other music player out there with a triple-digit GB capacity. When I fill up my 80GB iPod, I’ll likely replace it with a 120GB iPod.
From the “It’s a War” Department: Evidently, an old staple of SoCal is back: the Supermarket Price War. Worried about the loss of customers to Walmart and Target, LA area supermarkets are lowering prices. Of course, many of us won’t notice, as we’ve just given up on them, moving to TJ’s instead. The surprising thing in the article were the statistics: Ralphs is the largest chain, controlling 18.2% of the grocery market in Los Angeles and Orange counties through the first quarter of this year. Vons is second with just under 14.8%. Albertsons is third with 12.4% and Trader Joe’s is fourth with 6.3%. Stater Bros., which has a greater concentration in the Inland Empire, is No. 5 with 6.1%.
From the “Manipulating Taxes for Fun and Profit” Department: Lastly, a report of how politicians are under manipulation pressure to protect industries. We’ve seen it before in the health-care debacle, where the pressure to get rid of the public option is coming from the private insurers who do not want the competition. The LA Times is reporting on how the cable industry is pushing to add a 5% tax on satellite TV, to match the 5% tax they have to pay for digging in the streets and stringing poles. Never mind that satellite don’t need to build that infrastructure. The cable companies just want it to protect their industry. Will a cash-strapped legislature bow to the pressure? Stay tuned. They may sneak it under the radar: Cable’s tax-the-other-guy proposal is being shopped to legislators with the idea of adding it to a noncontroversial bill, currently focused on Indian gambling, that is close to winning final passage and being sent to the governor.

[Edited: This was originally “Friday News Chum”. Attribute it to a brain slip.]

Thursday News Chum: Gyros, Tea, Sand, Sponges, Sandwiches, and Typewriters

Posted onThursday, July 16, 2009Authorcahwyguy

I’ve lifted my head up long enough from the vacation thinking to find some tasty lunchtime chum:

From the “You Are What You Eat” Department: Ever have gyros? Ever wonder what the mystery meat was, or where it came from? Well, the New York Times found out. To me, the most interesting paragraph was:

The process starts with boxes of raw beef and lamb trimmings, and ends with what looks like oversized Popsicles the shade of a Band-Aid. In between, the meat is run through a four-ton grinder, where bread crumbs, water, oregano and other seasonings are added. A clumpy paste emerges and is squeezed into a machine that checks for metal and bone.

Bread crumbs? This means gyros may not be gluten-free; certainly not Kronos gyros. Other than that, they are shipped to restaurants as gyros-sicles for cooking. I think I’ll stick with Zankou, thank you very much.
From the “You Are What You Drink” Department: I’m a tea drinker. I pick what tastes good. Something tells me that I should visit Chinatown in San Francisco during our vacation, if only to go to Vital Tea Leaf. The SF Chronicle has an article on this establishment, where Stanley “Uncle” Gee recommends particular teas based on an individual’s needs. This guy is biased the same as me. He curses anyone who would think of adding milk and sugar to his sacred stuff, and as for coffee: “Do not drink coffee. Ever. It dehydrates you and makes you old.” Of course, his favorite drink? Single-malt scotch.
From the “You Are What You Touch” Department: Ever go to the beach? Ever play in the sand? Don’t. The San Diego U-T is reporting that it’s bad for your health. They are talking about a new study by the University of North Carolina and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that concluded (a) beach-goers who dig into sand are about 13% more likely to suffer from a stomach ailment than those who don’t, and (b) about 20 percent more likely to get diarrhea. Beach-goers who bury themselves in sand are up to 24% more likely to have gastrointestinal illness or diarrhea than those who don’t. They say it is due to all the gunk in the sand, and not washing hands before handling food.
From the “What Lives in a Pineapple…” Department: Speaking of odd things in the sand, SpongeBob SquarePants is 10 years old. This little yellow sponge has generated $8 billion in merchandising revenue for Nickelodeon, is seen in 25 different languages, and counts two world leaders as fans, President Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who say they watch with their children.
From the “An Interesting Sandwich” Department: The LA Times has an interesting article on a new sandwich, but not the edible type. Rather, it is a reflective roof paint consisting of a white tinted topcoat filled with tiny hollow glass balls that deflect heat, layered over a waterproof undercoat made of recycled rubber. The white coating deflects nearly 85% of the heat that hits it, reducing the surface temperature by as much as 50°. There is no information about when this will be available at Lowes.
From the “And I Bet They Use Pencils Too” Department: The NY Times is reporting that the NYPD is still using typewriters, primarily to fill out property forms. Public records show that the city signed a $432,900 contract for typewriter maintenance with Afax Business Machines in 2008, as well as a $99,570 contract with that company in 2009. Typewriter company Swintec received a $982,269 contract from the city in 2007. I wonder if they use the two-ink color ribbons?

Non-Foolish Chum

Posted onThursday, April 2, 2009Authorcahwyguy

It’s past April Fools Day, so today’s lunchtime news skim brings you items that are 100% true:

From the “Long Time, Gone” Department: On your television screen there are some long time things that are soon to be disappearing, and I’m not talking about the over-hyped “ER”. On the soap-side, CBS is turning off “Guiding Light” after 72 years. You read that right, 72 years. Law and Order can’t beat that. More locally, Paul Moyer is retiring from KNBC 4 after working there since 1972 (although he had a short stint at KABC 7). You can read his farewell note here.
From the “For Sale” Department: There are a number of interesting properties currently for sale. Candy Spelling’s home is on the market for $150 million. Hugh Hefner’s home, next to the Playboy Mansion, is listed for $27.9 million. Sally Field’s home is only $6.95 million. Melanie Brown’s home is cheaper, at $1 under $3 million. Want something much cheaper? Al Capone’s former home in Chicago is on the market for $450K.
From the “Cutting Corners” Department: Curious how they are selling the Tata Nano for so cheap? This article gives the skinny on some of the corners that were cut.
From the “Press 1 to Ignore” Department: Hate voice mail? Turns out you’re not alone.

Getting Chummy

Posted onWednesday, March 4, 2009Authorcahwyguy

Some lunchtime news chums, garned from the usual skimming:

From the “More Things Going Away” Department: Yesterday, I wrote about some things that are going away, like Bakers Squares and the old Pepsi logo. Today’s news brought another thing that is disappearing: Viewmaster Scenic Reels. Hell, I’m surprised that Viewmasters are still around.
ETA: In other restaurant news: Jack In The Box unveils a new logo, to be announced by a reenergized and recovered Jack Box, fresh from his recent accident.
From the “Making Lemonaide from Lemons” Department: Even wonder what happened to the folks who made bad loans at Countrywide? Surprise, surprise (as Jim Nabors would say): they are back in the loan business. Specifically, they have started a new company, PennyMac that is purchasing the bad loans and attempting to turn them good. I say: “More power to them”. If they can figure out a way to turn these bad loans into perfomring loans, take them off the balance sheets of the worried banks, that’s inginuity at work.
From the “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” Department: Guess who wants an iPhone, but can’t get it? Hint: It’s not the price that’s stopping the purchase, it’s the manufacturer. Yup, Melinda Gates. Seems the household has a no-Apple policy. Raise your hand if you think Apple should send her one, gratis.
From the “Get to Work” Department: Want a job? It appears that some folks are still in demand. No, I’m not talking about folks who repossess things. I’m talking about folks with security clearances. According to the Orange County Register, the Los Angeles area (including OC) was one of the top 10 areas for folks with clearances.
From the “I’m Cooking with Gas” Department: I’ve had a few food related articles collecting space in the to-post list, so I thought I would share them. The first explores how much water does pasta really need? What’s interesting is the answer: not as much as the package says. The second explores a humble cooking tool that one can acquire at Home Depot: kitchen twine. Sometimes, it is the littlest items that are the secret to a great bacon wrapped roast :-)… but just make sure you don’t use that plastic coated stuff. The last is an article on a retro-favorite: cube steak. I’m actually a fan of this stuff, especially Southern-style Chicken Fried Steak. Yum. Oh, that reminds me, I need to finish my lunch….

Planes, Satellites, Phones: Sense a Theme?

Posted onThursday, February 12, 2009Authorcahwyguy

Some collected chum from the last few days lunchtime reading, all related to communications and transportation:

From the “Fly the Friendly Skies” Department: Some interesting changes are coming to United Air Lines. The Daily Breeze is reporting how a lawsuit was recently settled that will make some gate changes at LAX for United. Specifically, United is giving up four gates in Terminal 6 (freeing them for other airlines), and giving up the customs facility in Terminal 7 (permitting higher fees). They have also reached a settlement regarding the former United Express terminal over by the Delta hanger. For those that remember it, this was where they used to bus you for propjets back in the Shuttle by United days. When United downsized, they moved the propjets to Terminal 8, and abandoned the Express terminal. Airport officials claimed that by doing this United was stifling competition and contributing to overcrowding at the airport (denying Terminal 8 gates to others). The settlement permits United to keep its propeller planes at Terminal 8 – but only at the gates closest to the street so that passengers aren’t blown off their feet by jet engines of passing planes.
In other United news, USA Today is reporting that United is dropping its Indian call center number for customer complaints. No, they aren’t moving it to the US. They are telling you to write a letter or send email. United spokeswoman Robin Urbanski said the Chicago-based airline is able to respond better to customers who write, since they often include more detail, making it possible to provide a more specific response. Phone reservations agents in Chicago and Honolulu will be cross-trained to respond to written customer feedback, too. That will keep 165 jobs in those two centers, she said. No changes are planned at United’s third reservation center, in Detroit, which will continue to take phone calls (including after-flight responses) from United’s largest customers.
From the “Time To Call Bill” Department: Tuesday, it finally happened. Two satellites collided in space, creating a cloud of debris. There are more details in the space.com article. Basically, what happened was that an Iridium 33 communications satellite collided with the defunct Russian military communications satellite Cosmos 2251. This was the first time two intact satellites orbiting Earth have accidentally crashed into and obliterated one another. The debris cloud is at about 790km above earth, and is currently being tracked. There’s less risk to the Space Station (at 354km), and more for Earth observations satellites, such as NASA’s Aqua and Aura spacecraft in orbit 438 miles (705 km) above Earth. There’s another satellite in a 497-mile (800-km) orbit just above the impact level. The Hubble Space Telescope orbits the Earth at about 372 miles (600 km).
From the “Beaming the Music Down To You” Department: There’s another satellite collision a-brewin’: It appears Sirius|XM may be heading into bankruptcy protection (again?), and may collide with the owner of Echostar/Dish (Charlie Ergen), who has a bunch of Sirius bonds. This is because Sirius’s satellites are in much better positions than Dish’s, and bad position is one thing hurting Dish against DirecTV. Needless to say, Sirius is now in talks with DirecTV (which now carries its programing as a result of the XM merger). It is also noted that bankruptcy might permit Sirius to get out of some of its expensive talent contracts. Me? I just wish they would get on with it and bring back “Downstage Center”, which has been gone since the merger sacked XM 28.
From the “Your Circle of Friends” Department: Speaking of mergers, it looks like the merger of Verizon and AllTel may bring the “circle of friends” promotion to select family plans. According to the article, Verizon Wireless, now the country’s largest cellular carrier, is calling the feature “Friends & Family.” It will be available starting Sunday. Customers on single-line plans starting at $60 per month will get five free numbers, and those on family plans starting at $90 per month for two lines will get ten free numbers. Here’s the announcement from Verizon. I’ll have to see if our plan is eligible.