blogbuoy

'Star Wars (John Williams Is The Man)' medley - Corey Vidal and Moosebutter - a cappella tribute

2010-02-12T19:52:00.001-05:00

give him 60 seconds before you quit him!

Where I'm At

2009-03-14T16:36:00.001-04:00

As you can see, I'm not blogging much anymore (did I really blog that much in the first place?). If you want to see what I'm up to, find me over on Facebook or Picasa Web Albums (macbuoy) or, heck, just give me a call sometime: 202-905-2071

Terrible accident - Well told story

2008-09-13T23:09:00.001-04:00

I recently heard a guy on This American Life, an NPR weekend weekly, telling the story of how, when he was in High School and was a young driver, a girl from his school rode her bike right in front of his car and died from accident. He went through some crazy shit, in the short time following the accident, before he left for college. But the story went beyond that, well into his adulthood. It was

Balance Board Roomba hack floors us - Nintendo Wii Fanboy

2008-08-26T12:41:00.000-04:00

This gives a whole new meaning to COUNTER-intelligence!Balance Board Roomba hack floors us - Nintendo Wii Fanboy

Wireless recharging one step closer to reality - CNN.com

2008-08-22T11:30:00.000-04:00

Yeah, but how will that effect this metal plate in my head?Wireless recharging one step closer to reality - CNN.com: "Wireless recharging one step closer to reality"

My first Moleskine(s)

2008-08-18T14:46:00.001-04:00

I just bought my first Moleskines. I got three pocket sized, graph cahiers. Ruled paper is annoying for me and my left-hand slop, but I figured the grid would be something to try that might help me write on paper similarly to how I write in code--nice, tabbed and nested short lines. If this goes well, I'll be looking for a larger form for larger ideas. For now, the small form will help me get a

Watched Pot: The New Yorker

2008-08-17T15:35:00.000-04:00

Clarence Thomas: If you got 'em, smoke 'em! Who knew?This is from a New Yorker from back in 2005. I found it while looking for a way to share the awesome story in there a couple of weeks ago about the Medical Marijuana industry and sub-culture in California. All I could find was some audio commentary by the author.The following is from the older story:Watched Pot: The New Yorker: "“In the early

A 'Frankenrobot' with a biological brain - Yahoo! News

2008-08-13T15:43:00.000-04:00

I'm not sure I understand all of this, but what I THINK I understand is MIND BLOWING--pun intended!A 'Frankenrobot' with a biological brain - Yahoo! News: "From the very start, the neurons get busy. 'Within about 24 hours, they start sending out feelers to each other and making connections,' said Warwick.'Within a week we get some spontaneous firings and brain-like activity' similar to what

E-Bike Battery Condition

2008-08-13T14:37:00.007-04:00

So, I just spent a pretty penny on a kit so I could turn my old Huffy 3 speed into an electric bike. The kit includes a cargo rack to mount over the rear wheel, a rechargeable battery pack, a carrying case for that, a battery charger, a power converter, a controller, all the cables and a replacement for my bike's front wheel with an electric motor in the hub and a high performance rim.Everything

Number One Reason to see Elegy

2008-08-12T22:49:00.003-04:00

. . .lengthy scenes of the two actors just talking to each other, mixed with lavish but respectful attention to [Penelope] Cruz's body, especially her bare chest, which is treated as one of the wonders of creation. [Emphasis added!!!]David Denby, The New Yorker, Aug. 11 & 18, 2008Number two, by a nipple, it's based on a novel by Philip Roth.I have to admit, Penelope looks a lot better in the

Followup: comparing each item in two lists for "likeness" in either direction

2008-08-08T09:50:00.006-04:00

Here's what I ended up with:

Favorite Vanity License Plate of All Time

2008-08-08T09:47:00.000-04:00

Maryland:PNDRAGN

comparing each item in two lists for "likeness" in either direction

2008-07-25T18:03:00.001-04:00

Ok, this project keeps getting more and more complex. . .I'm having trouble coming up with a way to do the following in javascript:I have two lists of varchar strings, list A and list B. Each list is of variable, relatively unlimited length. The same for the strings contained in the lists, but the strings ARE limited to the characters allowed in URLs--they are not huge pages of multi-paragraph

Javascript: problem giving focus in onBlur event handler

2008-07-24T16:30:00.003-04:00

So, yesterday I was writing a javascript that would allow me to avoid using Ajax. I have a tool where you create a new item and give that item a name. I don't want you to name that item the same as other items of the same type and I don't want to warn you about that AFTER you've already submitted the rest of the related data.When the page loads, I use Coldfusion to build a javascript array of the

Former Bush Press Secretary Testifies Before Congress - washingtonpost.com

2008-06-23T17:53:00.000-04:00

I've got a question for Scott McClellan: Hey asshole, where were you when your country needed you?Former Bush Press Secretary Testifies Before Congress - washingtonpost.com

Hot Leg

2008-06-13T15:56:00.001-04:00

For my colleague, Jovel. Sorry it took so long to get this up!

The 'Obama Before Obama' (first black elected official in US)- washingtonpost.com

2008-06-10T13:09:00.000-04:00

Fascinating:The 'Obama Before Obama' - washingtonpost.com: "Langston's father was Ralph Quarles, a slaveowner; his mother, Lucy Langston, was an ex-slave and bondswoman. Both parents died when he was 4, and an Ohio friend of Quarles's ended up caring for him. He was the fifth black man to graduate from Oberlin College, was elected to several local offices in Ohio, was active in the black freedom

How We're Wrecking Our Feet With Every Step We Take -- New York Magazine

2008-05-21T07:29:00.000-04:00

I'm extremely flat footed, so I'm still reading this article to see if I can figure out what it has to say for people like me.How We're Wrecking Our Feet With Every Step We Take -- New York Magazine

To be a Cuban in exile is to ache, to yearn - 05/17/2008 - MiamiHerald.com

2008-05-20T13:53:00.000-04:00

On Cuban's and those of Cuban descent--in the first person:To be a Cuban in exile is to ache, to yearn - 05/17/2008 - MiamiHerald.com: "In private, we are awed by Cuban culture: the glory of its literature, visual arts, dance, music. And though most Cuban Americans fervently believe regime change on the island is long overdue, more than one secretly chuckled each time Fidel pulled Uncle Sam's

Platypus Genome Found Fittingly Strange - washingtonpost.com

2008-05-09T10:19:00.000-04:00

Platypus Genome Found Fittingly Strange - washingtonpost.com: "There are genes for egg laying -- evidence of its reptilian roots. Genes for making milk, which the platypus does in mammalian style despite not having nipples. Genes for making snake venom, which the animal stores in its legs. And there are five times as many sex-determining chromosomes as scientists know what to do with."

15 Philadelphia Officers Removed After Taped Beating

2008-05-07T12:27:00.000-04:00

I like the viewer "discretion" part. I guess they want to make sure you don't let your kids riot over such things!MyFox Philadelphia | 15 Philadelphia Officers Removed After Taped Beating: "Fox Exclusive Video: Chase Ends Violently (Viewer Discretion Advised)Slideshow:"

Technology Review: Weather Engineering in China

2008-03-27T17:41:00.000-04:00

Technology Review: Weather Engineering in China: "peasant farmers. . .on call to blast away at clouds with 7,113 anti-aircraft guns and 4,991 rocket launchers."

Record-High Ratio of Americans in Prison - washingtonpost.com

2008-02-28T17:34:00.001-05:00

"One in nine black men age 20 to 34 is behind bars. For black women age 35 to 39, the figure is one in 100, compared with one in 355 white women in the same age group."Yeah, there's no such thing as racism in US society anymore. How could there be--all the blacks are in prison!!Record-High Ratio of Americans in Prison - washingtonpost.com

AJAX: Accidental (appearance of) cross site scripting caused great confusion.

2008-02-08T14:05:00.000-05:00

So, I've working on an AJAX application and the thing works great for 99.9% of my users. Occasionally, a user reports that they click "save" and nothing happens. The "save" in this case is a link that will use AJAX to send the data entered to my server and then the part of the page the user is changing updates after the server successfully updates the DB.Now, usually, when someone tells me that "

Being Overweight Isn't All Bad, Study Says - washingtonpost.com

2007-11-08T11:03:00.000-05:00

Being Overweight Isn't All Bad, Study Says - washingtonpost.com: "data from decades of federal surveys concluded that people who were overweight -- but not obese -- had lower overall mortality rates than those of normal weight."

14886 Days till I die (if I'm lucky)

2007-09-27T14:53:00.000-04:00

A colleague introduced me to this blog post today. I have placed a non-repeating appointment in my Google calendar for the day I die and will see, on a regular basis, how much time I have left to get my shit together and have a good time:Conceptual Trends and Current Topics

Don't have TiVo? Want to know what you're missing on the web?

2007-09-25T13:23:00.000-04:00

Couldn't help but to lift this chart from a good article over on Macworld.comIt's good for more than just the Mac too:What’s streaming on the web Site Technology Quality What’s on ABC Move Video Very good Select prime-time shows including Lost, Desperate Housewives, and Ugly Betty; previous two to five episodes BBC News Windows Media, RealVideo Very poor Headline news updated 24 hours a

Google Docs Is Inspiring

2007-09-19T16:15:00.000-04:00

Kudos to the folks at Google for making this simple presentation on how to use Google Docs for simplifying the creation and sharing of and the collaboration on word processing, spreadsheet and presentation documents.Watch and listen to this video for more. Even if you're not into Google, the presentation technique alone is worth the time:Official Google Blog: Our feature presentation

I got a widescreen monitor at work and new software. . .

2007-09-06T11:45:00.000-04:00

So, the boss decided that no one should be stuck staring at a CRT in the office anymore.My colleague, David, was given a budget and the authority to eliminate as many CRTs as possible. I got a new wide screen monitor in the shuffle!So, I read on LifeHacker about this free software for taking advantage of the valuable new space on the screen. Sizer let me customize the "resize window" options on

Unread Items in Google Reader Has Changed -- Finally!!

2007-09-06T11:41:00.000-04:00

I always found it ridiculous that Google Reader did not show the count for unread items in my reader account for anything higher than 100. They would just show "100+" I noticed this morning that they now show the actual count.So now I know how far behind I am on my reading and can also gauge a bit better whether I'm subscribed to too many feeds.Not sure why I didn't hear about this on the

Case Sensitive Name Attribute for Radio Buttons in FireFox

2007-09-04T13:22:00.000-04:00

So a customer of mine discovered this problem for me today. I have a pair of radio buttons on some search fields for an AND/OR choice. When he clicked OR (the default is AND) the AND stayed selected and his search threw an error.Here's a code example: Or

Breast Feeding Extremism and Corporate Political Power

2007-08-31T13:21:00.000-04:00

In this article, it sounds like the original ads promoting breast feeding contained some fairly extreme images. Women and families should have accurate information about the benefits of breast feeding--but they should also be free from the extreme guilt that so many La Leche League types proliferate. If a woman or her child experiences trouble when trying to establish a healthy breast feeding

12 Volt Battery Hack! You'll Be Surprised... Video

2007-08-20T00:34:00.000-04:00

This guy saved $40 on watch batteries. Here's how:12 Volt Battery Hack! You'll Be Surprised... Video

Dictionary.com/Word of the Day Archive/bellicose

2007-08-13T10:10:00.000-04:00

Dictionary.com/Word of the Day Archive/bellicose Synonym: The 2nd Bush Administration

Libby Given 21/2-Year Prison Term - washingtonpost.com

2007-06-09T09:53:00.000-04:00

"Mr. Libby lied about nearly everything that mattered," obscuring his true role in the leak and those of other officials, while forcing investigators to waste resources probing his account. . .Libby Given 21/2-Year Prison Term - washingtonpost.comGolly gee Batman! Do you think he'll be pardoned? Zonkers, maybe that was the plan all along!

Cocoa (Kookalamookala, King of the Kookamunga!) 1994-2007

2007-06-09T08:47:00.000-04:00

We'll miss you Cocoa and will never forget you!Click for these photos of Cocoa (Kookalamookala, King of the Kookamunga!) 1994-2007

Fatherhood catchup and review volume II

2007-05-04T13:05:00.000-04:00

From Back (in time...Click for photo albumI'm trying my best to get the story of Devin's delivery down for posterity before it's too much of a blur in my head. I'm assuming, based on the previous entry, that this won't be a truly chronological accounting throughout but, since I can't think of anything to rant about or anywhere else to start, today I start at the beginning.When we visited the

Fatherhood catchup and review

2007-05-02T12:03:00.000-04:00

I am officially a father. Devin was born on April 14, 2007--just 3 days before my own birthday.I'm sitting, writing this in the apartment-office of a colleague during my lunch break so that I can take the entire break uninterrupted. This is necessary for two reasons. First, with a newborn baby in the home, my wife and I cannot make our own schedules or do much that is not specifically for the

Libby Found Guilty in CIA Leak Case - washingtonpost.com

2007-03-06T13:18:00.000-05:00

Buried in one man's conviction, another man's corrupt behavior:Libby Found Guilty in CIA Leak Case - washingtonpost.com: "Testimony and evidence revealed that the vice president dictated precise talking points he wanted Libby and other aides to use to rebut Wilson's accusations against the White House, helped select which journalists would be contacted and worked with Bush to declassify secret

Italy indicts CIA agents in cleric's kidnapping

2007-02-18T09:25:00.000-05:00

LATimes.comThe trial would be the first to address 'extraordinary renditions'.. . .It is not clear whether Italy will seek the extradition of the Americans, and it is highly unlikely the U.S. government would comply. In fact, it is all but guaranteed that none of the Americans will ever appear in court.Will be interesting to see how this pans out! Hopefully, there will at least be some serious

Joost beta for Mac

2007-02-18T09:06:00.000-05:00

Found this on BoingBoing:The developers of Joost, formerly known as the Venice Project, have just released the beta for Intel Macs.Link.If anyone has a membership with Joost already, I'm wait-listed, so if you could be so kind as to invite me, I'd love to get the beta and try it out! We're already enjoying watching our TiVo stuff on the new Macbook but I've been itching to try more web-based

i am one-third misanthropic

2007-02-16T12:36:00.000-05:00

I found this mini survey while reading one of my favorite blogs, "Adventures in applied Math:"You Are 36% MisanthropicYou're a little misanthropic - but who isn't? Your reactions to other people are pretty normal.You enjoy being friendly with people you encounter, but if you're having a rough day, watch out!How Misanthropic Are You?

Best Man, Toast to the Bride and Groom

2007-02-02T22:53:00.000-05:00

My own best man, Jimmy, got married tonight and I was his best man. I have been so busy this week--with the bachelor party last weekend and the family reunion / baby shower my mother threw for us--that I was only able to sit down and write the toast this morning. I wasn't sure how it would be received, but it ended up with lots of laughs and compliments. So here it is:I have been married to my

Official Google Blog: The Debate over Net Neutrality

2006-06-08T14:48:00.000-04:00

Google has some clear words on this Net Neutrality issue. I'm with them on this, but I'm not convinced yet on how big an issue this is--who knows what the future holds. If the PTB get what they want and use it the way some of us fear they will then it's really bad news:Official Google Blog: The Debate over Net Neutrality

Boing Boing: DIY Impeachment

2006-06-08T14:09:00.000-04:00

Found this via Boing BoingEvidently, we can initiate the impeachment of W. Bush ourselves--without having to first convince enough of those weasels in Congress to roll that ball! You better believe I'm in:Jodin Morey says: Impeach Bush yourself! This is much more than just a petition. There's a little known and rarely used clause of the in the rules for the House of Representatives which sets

Is washing one's hands overrated?

2006-05-08T17:06:00.000-04:00

So, I've been disgusted with something ever since my company moved to an office with a large, shared restroom. We weren't here more than a couple of weeks when, while I sat in one of the private stalls "taking care of business," one of my colleagues comes in, urinates, flushes and walks right out without washing his hands!Initially this freaks me out. I almost decide that I totally dislike a

CEA_ad.png (PNG Image, 558x779 pixels)

2006-04-27T11:51:00.000-04:00

Click the image for the full view:

Singing Horses

2006-03-12T09:56:00.000-05:00

Found this on RocketBoom YEA:Click each horse to lasso the round.

Hairy Crustaceans Batman!

2006-03-08T09:26:00.000-05:00

Fur Coat lovers will have to go a long way to get their hands on this pelt:Yahoo! News Photo

Package Tracking With Google Maps

2006-03-06T09:07:00.000-05:00

Found this on DiggSee a plot of you package--door to door--and get regular updates, via RSS, of the shipping progress of you package.Package Tracking With Google Maps

Gotta love our hipocracy!

2006-03-04T10:16:00.000-05:00

Found this on BoingBoingThis Wiccan soldier dies in Afghanistan and the military won't put his religious symbol on his plaque. His faith is "unrecognized." My wife made an interesting point--if so many religious folks want more religion in schools, we should give it to them--Wicca, Satanism, Budhism, Islam etc.reviewjournal.com -- News - Sergeant's space left blank

Super Secret Dance Society

2006-01-28T23:17:00.000-05:00

I was at my computer pretty much ALL DAY. . and then, these nice ladies and the music and the DANCING. . .well, I'll just say--Mission Accomplished. My mind is off of bits and bytes and all the code and tonight I will dream instead of boogeying my bottom off!Super Secret Dance Society --via RocketBoom casual Friday

Inverted Indoor Gardening

2006-01-24T12:02:00.000-05:00

Came across this on BoingBoing--this guy designed a beautiful variation on the hanging plant! I think I'm going to try this at home.OhCripes.com » Inverted Indoor Gardening

Will Steve Jobs Be Disney's Big Cheese?

2006-01-21T13:01:00.000-05:00

Will Steve Jobs Be Disney's Big Cheese?: "if Disney does buy Pixar, Jobs would become the company's most important player for no other reason than the large chunk of Disney stock he would get in the transaction. He would be its largest shareholder -- by far. According to media analyst Richard Greenfield, at the $7 billion price tag now being talked about, Jobs would own about 6% of Disney's stock

Who cares? Google cares!

2006-01-21T12:55:00.000-05:00

From Googles, "A resolution for well-being":". . .here's a short review of the findings of a recent study by J. A. Iestra that appears in a 2005 issue of the journal Circulation. It's called "Effect Size Estimates of Lifestyle and Dietary Changes on All Cause Mortality in Coronary Artery Disease Patients." Iestra's data showed notable reductions in coronary artery disease -- and mortality -- when

World's first computer bug report?

2006-01-20T10:31:00.000-05:00

A colleague at work sent this over.Photo # NH 96566-KN picture data

Thinking Outside the Cubicle

2006-01-16T17:39:00.000-05:00

Cool anecdotes on world travel, creativity, and entrepreneurship all from the same couple of early retirees:Thinking Outside the Cubicle [Fool.com: Commentary] January 13, 2006

Reality of Race on FX

2006-01-16T16:19:00.000-05:00

Looks like this starts in March. PRI's on the media says it's so good, you "can't take your eyes off of it."FX Networks

Doctors: OTC Cough Syrups Not Effective - Yahoo! News

2006-01-10T12:25:00.000-05:00

Doctors: OTC Cough Syrups Not Effective - Yahoo! NewsI'd say this was just a way for doctors to get more patients ($$) in their offices, but they don't recommend a visit unless a cough lasts more than 3 weeks. I just had a cold during the Holiday season. It was never horrible, but the symptoms were persistent and moved around to different areas--it started with a mild sore throat, then it became

Great Quote

2006-01-09T13:12:00.000-05:00

"Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition." --Timothy Leary

Tom Kills Oprah - Google Video

2006-01-07T12:05:00.000-05:00

dreams. . .really do. . .come true!!Tom Kills Oprah - Google Video

Robot Chicken - Google Video

2006-01-07T11:50:00.000-05:00

If you've never watched adult swim's robot chicken on cartoon network, this is a great one to start with.Robot Chicken - Google Video

How men screw up romance - Google Video

2006-01-07T11:37:00.000-05:00

I'm still laughing as I type this!How men screw up romance - Google Video

futsal wizards - Google Video

2006-01-07T11:33:00.000-05:00

As you can see, I've been checking out video.google.com lately.If you've ever enjoyed the Harlem Globe Trotters stuff, you'll want to watch these Football (Soccer) videos of amazing footwork. Not a bad rap track either!futsal wizards - Google Video

Matrix Ping Pong - Google Video

2006-01-07T10:13:00.000-05:00

These guys have great imagination and sense of humor!Matrix Ping Pong - Google Video

"Treasures that moth and rust cannot destroy..."

2005-12-24T08:34:00.000-05:00

He writes that they try not to be overly righteous. I found this to be a bit preachy and righteous, but I also feel that a lot of people need to hear this stuff. Over at the CrabCasa, they're always making me feel better that not everyone out there is oblivious to the non-material human needs. --blogbuoy "Treasures that moth and rust cannot destroy...": "Now here are some good holiday, er,

Richard Pryor Gone

2005-12-10T23:09:00.000-05:00

I always enjoyed Richard Pryor. He had a level of honesty and lack of bullshit that I loved. The stuff of his I remember the most from my childhood was him and Gene Wilder in a couple of movies. Those two were hilarious together! I didn't get to see much of his stand up stuff.The Washington Post notes that he was the ". . .first person to receive the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American

BBC NEWS | Africa | South Africa to have gay weddings

2005-12-01T14:16:00.000-05:00

BBC NEWS | Africa | South Africa to have gay weddings Here's an interesting fact from today's article: "South Africa's constitution - introduced in 1996 - was the first in the world specifically to outlaw discrimination on the grounds of sexual preference."

BBC NEWS | US, when lying, only tells the truth?

2005-12-01T14:03:00.000-05:00

BBC NEWS | Middle East | US 'admits' Iraq propaganda drive. . . So, when you lie, if the lie is based on facts, you're actually telling the truth? I LIKE that! Maybe this logic will get me hired onto the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

Cool Math - Math Forum - Ask Dr. Math

2005-11-21T15:47:00.000-05:00

My sister recently wanted help figuring out the inside surface of a pool--in order to figure out how many square feet of concrete should be needed to cover the inside of a pool. It took me an embarassingly long time to remember that all I need to do is figure out the area of five surfaces--the bottom, the front-inside wall, the rear-inside wall, the left-inside wall and the right-inside wall.

Former PBS chair [a republican plant] violated law - MSNBC.com

2005-11-15T17:03:00.000-05:00

Is it just me, and Ralph Nader, or does it seem like the press uncovers stuff like this all the time and then nothing is done about it? You gotta love the weasels in congress on both sides of the aisle who won't take tangeable action on anything hardly! Former PBS chair violated law

Mass release from Ethiopian jails

2005-11-15T12:53:00.000-05:00

Mass release from Ethiopian jails

The Seattle Times: Business & technology: Dial-a-human shortcuts

2005-11-09T12:49:00.000-05:00

The Seattle Times has published the results of a hacking/research project to find out how to get through to a live person in a bunch of customer service centers (I'm trying to get permission to publish the entire data set here for posterity):The Seattle Times: Business & technology: Dial-a-human shortcuts