It can be argued that battery technology is by far the largest limiting factor involved in a wide range of applications, ranging from tech toys like cellular phones and laptops on up to hybrid and fully electric vehicles.  It’s interesting when you consider that mankind has developed the technology to fling people into orbit around the planet, but continues to be vexed by the limits of physics represented by the interior of a simple AA battery found at the local checkout counter.

While I’ve griped about this country’s general apathy concerning energy tech before, it is nice to know there are numerous startups floating around out there doing new and interesting things with what is available now.  I was flipping through Wired earlier and stumbled over a story about a company in California, Zero Motorcycles, which is building some pretty sweet electric street and motocross bikes. Although the batteries contained within continue to to be both cost and maintenance prohibitive, the bikes themselves represent a great step in the right direction.  Pretty damn cool, too - Check these out!

The "Zero MX" - Zero Motorcycles (Electric Motocrosser)
Specs: 23 horsepower; Up to 40 miles

The "Zero S" - Zero Motorcycles (Electric Street Bike)
Specs: 31 horsepower; Up to 60 miles @ 60mph

More Information :
http://www.zeromotorcycles.com

A friend sent over links to these crazy complex Adobe Flash projects last week.  Amazing stuff!  In case you are unfamiliar, Flash is a development environment for creating interactive, object-based animations or content.  Websites like YouTube are built on the platform.

If you know anything about Adobe’s Flash, you’ll notice the battles actually take place within the development environment and you’ll appreciate some of the humor and “weapons” even more.  I wish I was this creative – Check them out!

Animator vs. Animation

Animator vs. Animation II

Wit and wisdom from my first 30 years on planet Earth.

From the early years -

• Don’t touch an electric fence.
• Fruity Pebbles are the food of the gods.
• Dogs are great friends until they burry or eat your stuff.
• Transformers are WAY better than Go-Bots.
• Hospitals are a scary place to be stuck by yourself.
• Family is a wonderful thing.
• Ignorance truly is bliss.

From high school -

• Dating can be a painful, joyless endeavor.
• Life is better when your Mom doesn’t choose your clothes.
• Words can be hurtful;  Use them with care.
• Not all who wrong or disrespect you are your enemies.
• Popularity is irrelevant unless you’re the U.S. President.
• You are never, ever, as important as you think you are.

From college -

• The state takes your license away after 17 points; Who knew.
• Operating on little to no sleep makes one crabby as hell.
• Living with large, random groups of other people sucks.
• Caffeine isn’t an addiction; It’s a lifestyle.
• Pot and cigs smell horrific and make no sense.
• The debt is an investment in yourself; Don’t squander it.
• English profs are evil incarnate.

As a young adult -

• Your friends should not have an age limitation.
• Be the friend to others you would have them be to you.
• Forgiveness and forgetfulness are two very different things.
• Love what you do; Do what you love.
• Take time out to stop and smell the roses.
• The world is bigger than what you see on TV.
• Everyone walks their own path; Allow them to do so.
• Be yourself; Dare to step to the beat of your own drummer.
• Insecurities are like pimples; Everyone has them.

Looks like I’ve found my next cell phone!  I’m a big fan of Microsoft’s Windows Mobile platform and have been waiting for news regarding the release of Windows Mobile 7 – It appears as though that overhaul of the platform will continue to be in the cooker for some time to come, however.

In the mean time, Microsoft has officially announced a point release of the current version, Windows Mobile 6.5, which should be broadly available on mobile devices later this year.  While it’s not the big release I’ve been looking forward to, it certainly looks like a number of the new devices coming along later this year will keep me placated until then.  Among these I’ve singled out another device from HTC as my next mobile workhorse.

HTC Touch Pro2 Smartphone

• Windows Mobile 6.1
• High-Res 3.6 inch widescreen VGA display
• Slide out QWERTY keyboard
• Expandable memory
• Built-in 5mp digital camera

More Information :

Microsoft’s Windows Mobile Website
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile

HTC Website
http://www.htc.com

Mobile World Congress Website
http://www.mobileworldcongress.com

Around a year ago gasoline was running upwards of $4.00 a gallon and people everywhere were bloody outraged.  You couldn’t turn on the nightly news without some new story about evil oil companies or America’s continued growing dependence on foreign energy sources.  Filling the tank of your auto was only the beginning as a multitude of other interconnected affairs all suddenly became expensive and newsworthy; From heating your house to filling your refrigerator and everything in-between.  People everywhere, the politicians in DC included, were discussing the need to break the habit and start making a real effort to move toward what would almost certainly be cleaner and more renewable energy sources. 

Fast forward to today and, bleak economy or not, the one “bright spot” (as I’ve heard it called) is that oil prices, and thereby gasoline and heating costs, are significantly diminished from those highs a year or more ago.  Interestingly, though, so too is the microscope on the problem it seems. The unfortunate side effect is that without the pain associated with the dilemma, there is less incentive for the necessary funding to be put into the research that has to be done.

I find physics to be a fascinating topic and occasionally find myself reading through various studies related to the field.  I happened across an interesting project related to solar energy not long ago, and while arguments can be made one way or another about the viability of any one initiative, it is important to keep in mind that this is why we should be funding research.  At one point in time everything from televisions to computers were drawings on a chalkboard.  Is it not fair to say this should be going on NOW so we have a head start toward making these things practical?

More Information :

• EnviroMission Website
• History Channel segment on the “Solar Tower” concept
  

The world bursts at the seams with people ready to tell you you're not good enough.  On occasion, some may be correct.  But do not do their work for them.  Seek any job; ask anyone out; pursue any goal.  Don't take it personally when they say "no" - they may not be smart enough to say "yes".

- Keith Olbermann, Broadcast Journalist
from the Starbucks "The Way I See It" collection
http://www.starbucks.com/retail/thewayiseeit_default.asp

I had the pleasure of jotting down to Chicago with some friends a few weeks back to catch Lewis Black live at the Chicago Theatre for his latest comedy tour - titled "Let Them Eat Cake".  I've seen him live on stage a number of times now during previous tours and can tell you he never disappoints.

If you've never caught one of his shows live before then you are missing out!  Lewis Black is by far my favorite comedian because he has a unique knack for intelligent, observational humor delivered via a trademark rage.  I've never left a theatre following one of his shows and not heard the words, "He's funny because it's all true"!  Perhaps we should all be so angry...

The latest tour is ongoing and may be swinging near you.  If the live shows aren't your thing, then I'd definitely recommend grabbing a copy of his HBO special on DVD, titled "Black on Broadway".  Fantastic stuff.  He has written a few books, and has some audio CDs which are fantastic as well - Great for road trips, assuming you can laugh and drive at the same time.

Lewis Black - Official Website
http://www.lewisblack.com
Tour Dates
http://www.lewisblack.com/appearances.asp

Like death and taxes, I guess there are just some things you cannot avoid.  After a good long run, all things considered, my 360 has taken a seemingly predestined trip to console hell where it will join fallen brethren from the four corners of Earth.  Godspeed, dude.  Godspeed.

 
May 20, 2006 - July 10, 2008
RIP

I broke down and picked up a USB webcam several months ago - Mostly because I stumbled over a sale on the devices running at a local Best Buy, but also because I had been considering one for video conferences with colleagues while working on projects or for keeping in touch with friends and family.  Microsoft and other vendors have a fairly wide variety of models available for consideration.

This one, a LifeCam VX-3000 from Microsoft, has worked very well and I've been happy with it.  I'm not using the integrated microphone, however - I had a desktop microphone connected to the system already and it is easier to position independently for better audio.  Being a Microsoft peripheral, the LifeCam integrates very well with the Windows Live Messenger software which I use extensively. My office at home is lit mostly from a desk lamp and I was a little surprised at the quality of the video in such low light - Another bonus.  If you're in the market, give these a look.

More info :

• 640 x 480 pixel video resolution
• Capture up to 30 frames per second
• High definition photos
• Universal attachment base
• Broad IM software compatibility

 
If Jesus returns to earth, as many Christians believe he will, how will we know it?

In the midst of an information explosion and with a multitude of idiots with nothing to say clogging our airwaves, how would he manage to get even a few minutes of our attention?  God help him if he doesn't hire a really good publicist.  Trust me, he's dead meat without a real shark in his corner.

Considering the sea of hairless hoo-hahs and perfect tatas exposed by the drug-addled young starlets who are grabbing all of the headlines, Jesus certainly has his work cut out for him.  He might even have to get the attention he is looking for by immediately going into rehab.  He could say that returning was a real shock to his system and so he started self-medicating on various painkillers and cheap red wine.  Even if he does manage to grab a smidgen of our attention from online porn, eBay, YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, and the whole hysterical cyberspace of bloggers, who among us is going to take seriously someone who looks like any other Hollywood model-actor wannabe?

Then there's the outcry he'll have to deal with from the Religious Right and the televangelists.  I can't see Jesus being really thrilled by the way they are representing him.  They are certainly going to savage the sweet-faced boy trying to put his hand in their till.

All I can say is, he better have one hell of a website.  And he'd better come armed with some bigger, better, and splashier miracles.  Just walking on water isn't going to cut it anymore.

- Lewis Black
from Me of Little Faith
http://www.lewisblack.com/me_of_little_faith.asp

In case you missed it, Apple made official their 2nd-gen iPhone via a keynote at WWDC 2008 today.  I have to admit what they've done is extremely impressive, and not just on a technical level either - There is a lot to be said for the agility on display here.

While they've managed to make a whole host of great hardware improvements to an already impressive little device, what's far more interesting to me is that this was all done inside one year from the launch of the original version.  The company took in all the feedback regarding what customers liked and disliked about the first model and quickly set out to address them.
 

• Faster browsing (3G)
• Enterprise support (Exchange/Outlook)
• Third party app development
• Greater availability
• Price!

And address them they have!  Any gripe I may have had about the original device has more or less vanished with this new revision.  While it remains to be seen if the platform will take off for enterprise customers, it is affordable, fully featured, and attractive - Apple has really done a terrific job with this device and I believe it is quite possible the iPhone will be a universal launch pad for folks of all levels into the growing smart-phone arena.  Check it out!

Apple's iPhone site :
http://www.apple.com/iphone/

I grew up watching the original Muppet Show and it cracks me up to this day.  Rest in peace, Jim Henson - Television hasn't been the same without you.  (Or Statler & Waldorf, for that matter!)

 
Jim Henson (September 24, 1936 - May 16, 1990)

After a 3 day hiatus with a stint in a rental car, I received the new and improved truck back from the shop.  It turned out very well!  Took some photos over the weekend to show off.  Here is a rundown of what was added :

2008 Dodge RAM 1500 Sport 4x4

Custom SRT-10 hood
Chrome tailpipe & gas cap door
Bed Liner
Remote Starter
Bluetooth U-connect system
Paint\Fabric Protection & Rustproofing

Here are a few photos - You'll find more in the album if you are interested in checking it out.  I'm very happy with it so far.

There is a running joke within my circle of family and friends that, given the chance, I'd toss my long established career in systems administration to move into the slums of Redmond, WA for little more than a janitorial job somewhere on the Microsoft campus.  While the accuracy of that sentiment is debatable (as well as the existence of "slums" in Redmond), it does go without saying that I am indeed a big fan of the company; I have made a career out of implementing and supporting a number of their technologies, after all.

* Geeking out on the Microsoft Campus (August 2007)

While there are a number of things I can point to in general conversations which highlight why I'm in the Microsoft camp, I've found making that argument with others can be thorny as it seems every really great or interesting thing they do is countered by another which is seemingly counterproductive or bizarre. To be honest, does this attribute really make Microsoft different than any other large tech company?  Probably not.  I've thought about it, though, and come up with my own list of things the top brass will hopefully contemplate going forward so that others may see the same great company I do.
 

• Yahoo?  Seriously?
  Ok.  I do get it; Well, sort of.  They have a customer base you're interested in, online services, resources, and perhaps some tech as well.  If you're really so interested in taking on Google I can see why this deal seems necessary - People have come to expect sites, services, and applications online to be free or extremely low cost, and this is a major shift from the business model which works on the desktop.  Here's the rub, though - It seems they aren't interested.  I'm not an expert, but I do know that proxy battles are unpleasant and, ultimately, the brass at Yahoo would get a big pile of cash while Microsoft would come out the other end looking like a bully for the trouble.  Forget shareholders for one moment and think about Yahoo's customers, and your own for that matter - You want them onboard and an aggressive takeover will almost certainly put many of them off.  Them and many of the software engineers or other employees of Yahoo itself.  All this for what again?  Advertising revenue?  I simply suggest you tread lightly there and weigh your options carefully. Not all things which start out as good ideas end like them. $44 billion is a lot of cash to drop and may be more useful applied to your own endeavors in hardware, software, and services.
   
• Be proactive, not reactive.
  Cliché, I know.  However, it just seems to me that you wouldn't be in the above boat with Yahoo if more attention had been applied to what you are doing yourself.  It often appears that much of what you are doing is merely aimed at obtaining parity with rivals. It is not necessary or possible to enter existing markets and achieve an instantaneous first place.  The companies that established those markets have done so by providing a quality service or product and built a customer base around it.  You can do the same by being more agile and taking a hard look at many of the things you already have.  For instance - Why has the version of IE with Windows Mobile been left to rot?  Of all the improvements you've made over the years, this is an obvious and glaring omission.  Is it really necessary for another company to build something better and apply customer pressure before you take notice?  You have the talent and you have the resources, so this is the type of thing that shouldn't be happening.  Wow us with some grounded, forward thinking and then allocate the resources necessary to keep the ball rolling.  Xbox Live and the Zune Card are proof you can take an idea and make it more compelling.  No waggle required!
   
• Take your time!  What's the rush?
  Time is certainly money and you have every right to require some return on the investments you make internally in the form of products or services out in the wild.  It seems, however, that your Entertainment & Devices division has unfortunately suffered greatly from rushed initiatives, as have other arguably more important areas within the company.  Throwing something out on the market with the Zune name, for instance, before you've perfected that product and it's identity?  For the sole purpose of entering a new market on a schedule, only to come back and do it right later?  The problem here is that public opinion of the product in question is marred by a perceived lack of quality verses existing options, and that perception will then be difficult to change going forward.  Get it done the first time, do it right, then knock 'em dead - Quality over timing, period.
   
• Get yourself a cure for SKU-itis
  I'm totally down with your message of "choice" for the consumer - No one wants to pay hard earned money for something or features of something that they have no use for.  The problem is that this philosophy seems to have crashed, rolled down a hill, flipped over, and exploded.  I think there is a fine line between providing choice and creating confusion, though I will say that your efforts to ease transition between the editions for products like Windows Vista is commendable.  Creating a SKU to add HDMI to the Xbox because the PS3 has it, though?  Consoles shouldn't be a multi-SKU affair and Sony has underscored the reason for this better than yourself.  Choices are good, but let's try to reign in the crazy.
   
• Bad Press = Cancer
  While arguments for "there is no such thing as bad press" can occasionally be compelling, I have to say I disagree with them entirely.  They miss the point - You are not Paris Hilton and a sex tape is not going to make you more famous. As a company you are investing years and billions of dollars in research and development efforts to create, test, revise, and distribute a product like Windows Vista.  After all of that is it really in your best interest to fumble the ball on the way into the end-zone?  No executive at any level can possibly believe that things like this are good for free publicity, especially when many of these problems point to poor planning and are completely preventable in the first place.  Lesser gaffes than these can create a cloud over initiatives, and you'd certainly find prevention is far better than spin control.

My Dad's "hobby", if you can believe it, is restoring classic muscle cars in his garage - From little more than a frame in some cases.  His favorites are the '67 & '68 Ford Mustang, which he specializes in.  Even with all of that going on at home while I was growing up, I didn't get into the autos much myself until sometime after college - I have an appreciation for them these days, though.

* Dad's '67 Ford Mustang Coupe.

After several test drives of various cars, I picked up a new truck last week.  If I lived anywhere else I'd have picked up a nice AWD car (like the Audi A5 & Dodge Charger I really enjoyed) but I ultimately decided Michigan winters are too brutal and wouldn't enjoy it for 5 to 6 months out of the year. Pretty stoked, though - I thought I'd miss the old truck more, and it was pretty hard to hand the keys over to the new owner, but the new one has quickly become my new project.  I'll be dropping it off at the shop for some upgrades on Monday morning and won't see it again for around 3 days.  I'll post a few photos of the finished product after I get it back.

* The previous truck - 2001 Dodge RAM 1500 SLT Sport 4x4

* The new truck - 2008 Dodge RAM 1500 SLT Sport 4x4
(Consider this the "before" shot.)

I was browsing around on Microsoft's UMPC site earlier and noticed this system added to the list of new devices - Not sure how I missed it.  From a quick rundown on the specs it appears to hold up well against my OQO Model 02, which I'm quite happy with, though with a more traditional TabletPC form factor.  Looks like another great portable!

Specs :

• Windows Vista (Home Premium or Business)
• 1GB DDR2 Memory
• 40GB HDD
• 5.6 inch touch screen
• Bluetooth, 802.11ABG Wireless

More Information :

• Fujitsu Computer Systems - LifeBook U810
• LifeBook U810 Product Literature (PDF)
• Microsoft's UMPC Website

While I'm nowhere near intelligent enough to make a living out of it, physics has always been one of my favorite subjects. I was immediately hooked during my first college level course while I gazed in wonderment as the professor froze water in a jar, as it boiled without applying any heat.  It was like being teleported to the Twilight Zone, and I was happy to be there.

Since those days, I've occasionally lived vicariously through the people who actually understand these principles by reading up on current research projects or other random (and fascinating) topics I'll never fully understand but enjoy anyway.

Happy belated birthday, Albert!  The world wouldn't have been the same without you and the countless others who "get" this stuff.

There are a good number of titles to pick from in the coming year, and each are certain to be a must play. Gears of War 2, Fable 2, Fallout 3, Grand Theft Auto 4, EndWar, and others not yet official for 2008 are all big contenders.

Too Human, from developer Silicon Knights, receives my nod with what looks to be a fascinating take on Norse Mythology, some interesting game-play mechanics, and solid storytelling.  Better yet, it is one of the few major titles in a long lineup this year that is not a direct sequel to an existing IP. While the release date continues to be in flux, and there is some unpleasant business which has yet to be resolved, the developers are optimistic the game will make a promised release sometime later this year.  Looking forward to it!

In what has been dubbed an "experiment" by Nine Inch Nails artist Trent Reznor, the latest album is now available for download via the NIN website. Entirely instrumental, including 36 tracks with intentionally vague & unconventional names, it is a fantastic collection and worth checking out. I've had the album spinning via my Zune all week - Great stuff!

The first set of tracks (Ghosts I) are available free to download, while the complete set is available for as little as $5 depending on what option you choose.  Perhaps the music industry in general will learn something from the example Reznor is setting here.

Probably not ... Unfortunately.

NIN Website
http://www.nin.com

Ghosts I-IV Page
http://ghosts.nin.com

IGN Review of Ghosts
http://music.ign.com/articles/857/857752p1.html

An Etch-A-Sketch?  Seriously - I wish I was this creative.

More Information -
http://angelayuan.com/build.htm