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Project Insomnia

Project Insomnia is many things, but in this context it is simply a "braindump" of whatever I happen to be thinking/reading/watching/doing at the moment. Parental guidance suggested.

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Giants sign Barry

But not the Barry you're thinking, reports Chronicle staff writer Susan Slusser. Giants finally make a big splash, sign Zito to largest pitcher contract ever:
Barry Zito, the longtime A's ace and member of 'the Big Three,'' will be introduced as the newest member of the San Francisco Giants at a press conference Friday, the Chronicle has learned.

'This is a Bay Bridge free agency,'' said one person with knowledge of the negotiations. 'I think Barry Zito will be the face of the Giants franchise for a long time.''
Sorry, Mom.
|| Andrew, 12:42 PM || || link ||

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Where's that WDW trip report?

We had seven very entertaining days at WDW (December 7-14) and if you scroll down a bit, you'll see that I'd begun writing up a trip report with Day Zero. I hope to add general trip reportage here linked to specific restaurant reviews (we had some very good meals) within a few days. You have my permission to bug me about it.
|| Andrew, 2:38 PM || || link ||

Why I will never (by choice) use Windows Vista

This (rather long, extremely detailed, and must-read) paper by University of Auckland (New Zealand) security researcher Peter Gutmann describes how the content-protection schemes incorporated into Windows Vista will damage the entire industry as hardware manufacturers gear up to support the onerous requirements of the content providers.
Windows Vista includes an extensive reworking of core OS elements in order to provide content protection for so-called 'premium content', typically HD data from Blu-Ray and HD-DVD sources. Providing this protection incurs considerable costs in terms of system performance, system stability, technical support overhead, and hardware and software cost. These issues affect not only users of Vista but the entire PC industry, since the effects of the protection measures extend to cover all hardware and software that will ever come into contact with Vista, even if it's not used directly with Vista (for example hardware in a Macintosh computer or on a Linux server). This document analyses the cost involved in Vista's content protection, and the collateral damage that this incurs throughout the computer industry.
I have made a solemn oath to never, by choice, use Windows Vista. It's very likely, probably inevitable, that I'll have an office PC with Vista and there will be nothing I can do about it. My oath applies to personal computers where I specify the purchase and sign the charge slip.
|| Andrew, 2:35 PM || || link ||

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Flouting the FAA or, what's the frequency Kenneth?

The girl across the aisle to my left is listening to her iPod. The guy in front of me has full DJ-style headphones. We haven't taken off yet--ground delay, apparently--but even on Southwest I'm surprised at the lack of notice anyone gives the "no electronic devices during takeoff" rule. And here I am posting, too.
|| Andrew, 6:30 AM || || link ||

WDW '06, Day 0

Jennifer got us a deal to stay overnight at the Hilton Garden Inn San Leandro, with parking for the length of our trip and a free 10-minute shuttle ride to Oakland airport for our 6:10 flight. We did most of our packing Wednesday evening, left home on schedule at 11:00 and checked in for what would be our shortest hotel stay evar at about 11:30.
When I opened the room door, it felt like opening the oven to pull out a freshly-baked pumkin pie, except without the pie. It was, according to the thermostat on the wall, 95 degrees in the room. The heat had been set to 95 and left on full.
I cranked the A/C, opened the windows the permitted 6" and propped the room door open with one our suitcases. Half an hour later the room was mostly liveable, though the A/C did have a tendency to cycle--loudly and often--to maintain the 70 degree mark I'd set.
Alarms and wake-up calls were set for oh-dark-thirty and seemingly seconds later... to be continued.
|| Andrew, 5:52 AM || || link ||

Saturday, December 02, 2006

17th & Castro

Alien mind control tower of doom!

|| Andrew, 1:33 PM || || link ||

At the San Francisco Silent Film Festival

Albert Hurter

|| Andrew, 1:28 PM || || link ||

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