Taylor and I drove down to Cincinnati this afternoon to see a reconstructive facial surgeon about his fracture … and as we waited for his appointment I asked how the week after the assault went – “fine,” was his answer, “I have tiger blood.” Obviously Taylor spent too much time last year paying attention to the exploits of Charlie Sheen … but at least he is in good spirits.
As far as the appointment went, we were relieved to have Dr. Brian Pan conclude that the orbital fracture looks like it is healing ok without requiring surgery. His swelling is down, the feeling is back in his cheek and jaw and left eye opens again. Thankfully everything is working as it is suppose to … including his tongue. (I’ll save this photo to show his kids just how immature their dad was “back in the day”)
Saw these tips on Google+ earlier this week and thought they would make for a good Tech Friday post. Chris Miller has some great ideas regarding online security such as using a set of fabricated security question answers, separate addresses for Private, Personal and Public emails and setting all online avatars and info the same “so you know if your ID has been compromised.”
According to Volkswagen (WSJ), the demand for their new American built Passat is showing steady improvement and therefore they’ll will be adding a 3rd shift and 800 new jobs in their Chattanooga Tennessee plant. I’ve commented on the new diesel version Passat previously and found it an excellent mid-sized sedan; with the current high oil prices the TDI version is now an even more attractive. (regular unleaded in our area is now right at $4.00/gallon)
According to Volkswagen, their diesels offerings now account for 22% of sales in the U.S and considering the larger Passat TDI gets 43 mpg, there is no doubt be more buyers will now be interested in them. It would be nice if the U.S. could get a family friendly Passat “wagen” priced right (4motion for me please) and put the TDI in a few more models … EOS, CC, Tiguan, etc. (CNBC video below)
It’s easy for someone like me with a fiscally and socially conservative ideology to disagree with President Obama and his expansion of government. I disagree with his irresponsible deficit spending, his liberal social philosophies and adding new entitlements. As he approaches re-election he has also returned to blaming someone else for problems, even after 3+ years in office (2 with a Democratic congress) … which I know is probably just “campaign mode,” but he should at least take the credit or blame for those things he did accomplish (or destroy, depending on your perspective).
That’s not necessarily the reason for my angst in this post, because not everything spawn from my irritation with President Obama, the Democrats or those further left. I’m also frustrated with those from those within the Republican party. I’m sure that I’m not a lone GOPer … as one who is a believer in smaller government, a strong defense, self-responsibility and the basic Republican platform, … but some politicians get caught up in the attack everything the opposition supports. For example, whenever alternatives to oil are brought up as a way to make us less dependent, more self-sufficient and someone is focused on something “renewable” … it is satirically attacked and joked about – as with the latest belittling of growing algae for fuel. It is as if leaders in the Republican party are as blind when discussing energy (only see drilling as an answer) as Democrats are when talking about deficits and debt (only wanting taxing and spending more).
Drill Baby Drill – a parody of Chuck Berry’s Johnny B. Goode
When Newt Gingrich belittles the potential of a renewable such as algae as part of the “all of the above” solution for energy independent, he does a disservice to reasonable Republicans (for the record I voted for Romney in our Ohio GOP primary). When those on the right repeat the “drill baby drill” mantra, I get as irritated as watching the Alexandra Pelosi documentary “Obama Bucks” in the below HBO YouTube clip. Both our dependence on just “drilling” and this growing of the entitlement society has to end; I can’t believe that 50% of Americans receive more money from the government than they pay in … and that’s not even counting the services offered by government such as securing our nation.
Back to GOP primary hopefuls and energy, instead of using there position as candidates to educate why some options aren’t an immediate solution they go with the rhetoric of “just drilling.” Candidates like like the intellectual Newt Gingrich make comments that all but derail support alternatives to petroleum. His 1-5 points are misleading and overly assuming when he discounts the potential of creating a new American industry (in turn a job creator) that could expand around high volume algae to oil production on desert land that is currently unable to produce other crops. Algae to oil isn’t has far fetched as it is being portrayed – intellectually dishonest and harmful to advancing our nation’s energy independence.
GINGRICH: “… fuel from algae costs anywhere between $140 and $900 a barrel to produce today. As most Americans probably understood intuitively when they heard the President’s speech, there’s not much indication algae can ever overcome its fundamental problems to be competitive with oil and natural gas, of which the world also has plentiful supplies.”
While I don’t disagree with natural gas as an accessible and immediate energy option, those who study economics can tell you that adding cars and trucks to the additional power plants (nuclear are being replaced by NG) along with existing homes and industrial heating will push up demand and therefore prices. Eventually our currently cheap natural gas won’t be the perfect solution either … we better be adding a few more arrows in our quiver … especially renewables that can create jobs and an entirely new industry.
As a nation (a world), we need a variety of energy sources that can compete fairly with each other. I have no disagreement with stopping the subsidies, combatting oil cartels, unfair trade and shining the light on the congressional favors given to select energy sectors. (BTW, I’m ok with a few dollars of non-profit, non-commercial research — key point: few $ and not the Billions to hand picked industries – Solyndra comes to mind). We do need the next generation of scientists and the innovations that keep the U.S. competitive when it comes to energy use and production. So let’s not politicize everything energy. It doesn’t have to be one or the other when is comes to petroleum verses alternatives … it can be all of the above competing and co-existing.
The unseasonably warm weekend prior and first day of spring brought a bit of clean up to the Corbett yard and with that our semi-annual bonfire (we have one spring and fall – or kid gatherings).
While we are probably burning the dead wood and yard debris in violation of some kind of local township or neighborhood regulation, we continue to carry on a family tradition. For 30 years now on our properties and in generations prior.
I remember a story from a few years ago as Brenda’s 85 year old grandmother known as Aunt Mabel in Brocton NY told the young policeman asking her not to burn … “Sonny, I don’t drive a car, I don’t smoke and this burning is the only polutin’ I do … and so I’m going to continue to burn my fire.” The officer politely walked away. So far … we’ll do the same.
Since I already use a sometimes hot smartphone,very hot Gateway notebook and have asmokin’ hot wife (oh, scratch that last Pastor Joe “NASCAR” Nelms plagurized line) … I’m not sure I’m anxious for another “temperature” hot device? Hmm, the discounted iPad2 is looking better all the time.
It looks like we weren’t the only ones to notice the new iPad getting slightly warmer than expected. Dutch website Tweakers.net has taken an infrared camera to the new iPad and revealed that it runs at up to 33.6 degrees Celsius (92.5 Fahrenheit) when running the GLBenchmark — that’s 5.3 degrees Celsius (9.6 Fahrenheit) more than the iPad 2, which reached 28.3 degrees Celsius (82.9 Fahrenheit). The site noted that the hottest part of the device was the lower right corner where the processor is located, but didn’t test for any increase in heat when using the LTE radio.
According to StatCounter, Chrome accounted for 32.70% of browser market share on Sunday, followed by 32.48% for IE and 24.88% for Firefox. The most popular browser version was Chrome 17 with 29.51%. IE9 was a distant second with just 15.61%. IE8, Firefox 10 and Firefox 11 followed with 13.56%, 9.91%, and 6.86%, respectively.
On a regional basis, Chrome has overtaken IE in Africa and is now the second most popular browser behind Firefox. In Asia, Chrome has passed IE and is the most popular browser since the beginning of this month. In Europe, the browser market is a three-horse race in which Firefox and IE are exchanging leads, but Chrome has recently been able to overtake IE on weekends and is now closing in on both browsers. In North America, IE has still a substantial lead, but Chrome has replaced Firefox as the second most popular browser. The same is the case in Oceania. Chrome has been the dominating browser for some time in South America and currently reaches peak market shares of almost 50%.
For the entire month, IE still has the lead globally. IE currently stands at 34.78% while Chrome is at 30.91% and Firefox at 25.04%. The trend shows that Microsoft will surrender about 0.9 points of share this month, Google will gain about 1 point and Mozilla will add about 0.2 points.
Browser market sharedata before 2006 are scarce and it is impossible to trace back market share numbers that compare to today’s StatCounter data. However, the EWS Web Server at UIUC, which was available from 1996 to 1998 found that IE surpassed Netscape Navigator market share in Q4 of 1998 with 50.43% versus 46.87%. It is widely believed that it was IE4, which was released in September 1997, that captured the market lead for Microsoft thanks to its deep Windows 95 integration, and that it was IE5, which was launched in March 1999, that cemented Microsoft’s browser market leadership that exists until today.
Google first released Chrome as a beta version in September 2008. Despite heavy advertising, it took Google nearly half a year to gain 2% market share. In its first full year, gained 4.07 market share points. In its second year, Chrome added 8.81 points and in its third 11.84 points. In march, Chrome will post a new 12-month record market share gain of about 12.6 points, while IE is down about 9.7 points and Firefox is down about 4.6 points. IE has surrendered about 28% of its market share over a period of 12 months, StatCounter data suggests.
The data provided by the web analytics firm indicates that Chrome will pass IE market share on a monthly average basis for in May or June of this year. At that time both IE and Chrome could be holding about 33% of the browser market.
I spent an hour playing with my friend’s new iPad (3) over a lunch this past weekend and may have had too high of expectations. It was nice, but didn’t leave me with the must have desire that I expected. The AT&T 4G version operated similar to my son’s wifi only iPad 2 that I found it “not much different,” although didn’t put the 4G connection through a serious test – concern over the limits.
Of course the just out of the box unit didn’t have many apps on it and for the first time I found the opening and closings of apps a bit clunky compared to my old webOS Palm Pre phone … flipping through open cards, etc (I should have noticed this before???) Also, the impressive retina display didn’t blow my socks off as many reviewers commented. Yes it was very sharp, but not having the iPad2 next to it, I didn’t really have anything but my previous usage to compare it too. I’m sure over time the new display would be appreciated, especially for photos and maybe for reading fine type, but in just casual surfing I can’t say it jump out as shocking.
My conclusion was that, unless I’m missing something, I might be just as happy using a discounted (if they exist soon) iPad 2. What I will be watching for is the battery life report for those who spend time on 4G or 3G. Am I missing something?
The flowers have been blooming this year for over a week now… far earlier than after previous winters. I’m not an avid “global warmite” or in a panic over climate change… but it has been an unusually mild winter and does give concern over the potential lack of snowpack supplying water to the southwest US – farming, wild fires, excessive population, underground water tables? I’m probably making a very amateur observation but it is challenging to make the conclusion that “man” has all that much to do with global climate changes … although agree with my son who does study water aquifers and heavy over use of the mid and western U.S. underground water supplies for irrigation … often in waste. But that’s another subject that has more to do with wisely managing our natural resources.
Friday was one of those days I would rather forget … and I know Taylor would say the same. For me, it was a day of running around to hospitals, dentists and doctors with my son … for Taylor it was a obviously more painful.
He was Uptown in Oxford (Miami University-Ohio) on a Thursday night and met some of his friends at a bar … not my preference, but he is 22 and in college. The evening ended about 1-1:30 and the girls headed back to their rooms in one direction and Taylor back to his house which is in another. Usually he would be with a group of guys, but this evening he was alone (an obvious mistake … but it is “small college town” Oxford).
The sidewalk is well traveled but not so well lit but even at 1AM there are students walking home or standing around outside. Unfortunately for Taylor, two thugs decided to bash his head … no provocation and not even time to look to see who hit him. He blacked out and the next thing he remembers is the rescue squad trying to get him to the hospital. The nurse used his cell phone to call his sister in Columbus who in turn call home.
After some observation and a CT scan they released him, but recommend a stitch in his eyelid and to have a surgeon look at his orbital tripod fracture. Of course the surgeon recommended surgery (we’ll get a second opinion). In the meantime he was able to get a temporary cap on the fractured molar by the dentist, but needs a crown. Ugh.
Hopefully a good night sleep, a little reduced swelling will give a better perspective on things in the morning? (btw … reminds me of his rugby injury)
Taylor and I drove down to Cincinnati this afternoon to see a reconstructive facial surgeon about his fracture … and as we waited for his appointment I asked how the week after the assault went – “fine,” was his answer, “I have tiger blood.” Obviously Taylor spent too much time last year paying attention to the exploits of Charlie Sheen … but at least he is in good spirits.
