hey guys sorry i forgot to blog yesterday i forgot with all the excitement of lara's bday so saturday we were able to sleep in till almost 12 which was SO lovely and then lara and i went on a shopping trip provided by her father it was SO much fun we just wandered around the city centre and went into random stores and tried on a bunch of randomly amazing things. pictures are included
Monthly Archives: March 2010
The night before…
Packing is my worst nightmare. I can not literally think of anything else I am more illsuited for apart from harem trousers. The only way I could be worse is if I were to blind fold myself. My sister is the complete opposite. I have seen her fold clothes origami style. I think deep down what it comes down to is that I seeking confrontation. I want the check in desk to try and charge me excess.
Day 13
The plan for today was to chill out and catch a overnight bus to Buenos Aires later in the evening. I rose quite early and planned to catch up on a few things on the internet get my blog up to date and download some new music for the upcoming 16 hour bus ride. The girls planned to chill out in the sun most of the day and head into town to book the bus. We'd been in each others pockets for the
"ACDC Washing in Lisbon"
2nd June lsquo09Doubledrivers make a mess it's a fact. Jon merrily boards a plane this morning and I'm left with the detritus of two men sharing a truck. Not only is the cab in a deplorable state awash with discarded crisp packets and chocolate bar wrappers but all the cupboards and side lockers look as though they've absorbed a small explosion. In short things need sorting out. Esse
The forgotten county
We spent the weekend in the rolling hills of england in the forgotten country of Herefordshire. Adam Myles Kara Jonson Scott and I headed off Saturday morning for The Stagg Inn a famous gastro pub as it has a Michellon star. It was a grey old day which made the drive very dramatic. Our first stop was Ludlow to see the black and white houses and Ludlow Castle lovely. Apparently Ludlow's stree
First Triangulation Attempt and much more
On Wednesday we didnrsquot do too much. Just drove around some more learning more of the driving routes. Ingrid also got her first practice with trying to triangulate a bird. It was tough because the bird was probably flying at the time plus we kept being in places with lots of interference. But yeah. Then after lunch we went out with Scott for more driving. Stopped at another landownerrsquos
Rainy and cold… I thought I was down south
Day 2 was quite as wonderful as day one After a night of crazy rain and wind the morning began and continued cloudy and cold. In the morning Ingrid and I went by ourselves back to the blind we had gone to yesterday in order to see what birds were there and to write down what we saw. This time we took our gum boots because of the rain. Good thing The path which had been quite muddy yesterda
First day
First day of work Woke up a little after 6 which was only annoying because I kept waking up throughout the night. Probably too excitednervous. Haha. Anyway got up had breakfast with Ingrid and then we headed over to the headquarters at 7. Basically just had orientation today which was actually nice. Although I loved Nevada I was kinda jealous of the fact that I never got an orientation whil
Book Excerpt: Grace on the Go
Barbara Bartocci on prayer opportunities in daily tasks.
Kristin Davis: Personal Freedom candidate for New York Governor
LR EXCLUSIVE!
From Eric Dondero:
Libertarian Republican had a chance to interview Republican political consultant Roger Stone last night, about the current campaign he is coordinating - Kristin Davis for New York Governor. Ms Davis, of course, is the famed New York City Madame who ran an escort service for high-level Manhattan clients. One of her clients was ex-NY Governor Eliot Spitzer.
She is now running a serious, hard-hitting campaign for Spitzer's former office.
Stone informed LR that Davis's campaign will be well-funded. They already plan to spend over $400,000 on ballot status. She will be running on the Personal Freedom Party line, however, she's also hoping to win the nomination of the Libertarian Party.
According to Stone, Davis says she absolutely adores the Libertarian Party folks and is well over 80% in agreement with the Party platform. However, she's also concerned that some purists may be a little less welcoming of her candidacy. Additionally, she is a little uncomfortable with the complicatedness of the LP's nominating process and requirements for the ballot line position.
Breaking News: Stone informed LR that Davis will be attending the upcoming Libertarian Party of New York convention in two weeks.
Stone also stressed that Davis plans very much to reach out to Republicans, and although she will not be listed on the ballot "technically" as a GOPer, she feels in many ways to be a Republican at heart. In fact, in a recent interview with Philly.com she used the term "Libertarian Republican," to describe her political affilation and beliefs.
Davis said she views herself as a Libertarian/Republican, but she's old-school conservative - lower taxes, less government - not morally conservative.
Although, her top issues are Personal Freedom stances, such as Marijuana legalization, Prostitution, and Gay Rights, Fiscal Conservatism is very high on her agenda. She has a balanced budget plan in the works which promises not to raise property taxes or state income tax rates.
She is also a fan of the pro-capitalist writings of Ayn Rand, and a devotee' of economists Frederich Hayek, Ludvig von Mises and Milton Friedman.
Above all, Stone was adament that Kristin Davis is a serious candidate for Governor, and that they are fully planning to run a well-funded and agressive campaign to win.
We will be regularly covering Kristin's campaign here at LR. Early next week there might be a big announcement from her campaign that you will hear about first right here! In the meantime visit KristinDavis2010.com to learn more, volunteer or make a contribution.
Editor's Note - Kristin is a regular reader of Libertarian Republican blog, and through her spokesman she wishes to express her gratitude to fellow Libertarian Republicans across the country for their support.
Colorado Republican Senate candidate Jane Norton passes the first critical libertarian test
Ahead in latest polls over incumbent Democrat Bennet
Former Lt. Governor Jane Norton is likely to be the Republican nominee for US Senate going up against incumbent (appointed Democrat) Senator Michael Bennet. And she appears well-positioned to win the GOP a pick-up. From Hedgehog:
US SENATE – COLORADO (Rasmussen)
Jane Norton (R) 48%
Michael Bennet (D) 39%
But is she someone that libertarian Republicans, and maybe even Libertarians could support?
The always skeptical hardline libertarian/Ayn Randian Ross Kaminsky (photo) of Rossputin; Life, Liberty and Happiness blog out of Colorado recently met with Norton.
From his Blog, "Getting to know Jane Norton, so far, so good" Feb. 5:
While I’m not yet ready to make an endorsement in the Republican primary race to challenge Michael “Who?” Bennet in the US Senate race in November, my first meeting with Jane Norton (on Tuesday morning over coffee for Lt. Governor Norton and hot chocolate for me) was certainly a positive – dare I say surprisingly good ?
Maybe not for outright Drug Legalization, but definitely Pro-Taxpayer, Pro-Tea Party, and Pro-Gun
On the absolute lithmus test issue for Colorado libertarians:
she mentioned more than once that she is a strong supporter of TABOR (Taxpayer Bill of Rights)
On taxpayer issues in general:
I asked Jane Norton what she thought of the Tea Party movement. She said that she thought it was perhaps the most exciting political development of her lifetime and that it is exactly what the country needs.
She seemed entirely sincere in her description of what the Tea Party movement means to her... I found her generally pro-liberty, pro-limited government, and consistent.
Norton has been accused of being a bit too moderate a conservative, for her past support of John McCain for President. Her response:
She said that she supported John McCain because she believed that our national security and the role of Commander-in-Chief was (and is) so critically important during this time of (semi-permanent) war, but that she thinks McCain was dead wrong on his immigration/amnesty position and his support of cap-and-trade.
Other matters:
when we spoke about gun rights, she knew that the Heller case was called the Heller case... I think she’s tougher and more philosophically well-grounded than her nice (possibly too-nice) persona might make one think.
On social issues... I think it’s safe to say that Jane Norton is not a libertarian like I am; she is certainly not pro-choice, likely not for drug legalization, etc. But nobody’s perfect and, to be frank, it’s hard for me to worry a lot about drug legalization while Democrats are destroying capitalism.
Editor's Comment - Coffee for the mainstream Republican, and Hot Chocolate for the Libertarian? Shouldn't it be the other way around?
Somalia a "Libertarian Paradise"; Haiti a "Republican Paradise" according to Michael Moore
From Eric Dondero:
Remember this video from Spring of last year? This was Pre-Tea Party, still in the bloom of the early Obama administration. Quite hilarious, (and well-produced) if entirely inaccurate.
Now, Michael Moore is echoing the same theme, but using another impoverished Nation. And this time the blame is placed on out-of-control "Republicanism," as a substitute for unbridled libertarian deregulation.
From Brent Baker at NewsBusters:
Filmmaker Michael Moore, appearing on Friday night’s Real Time with Bill Maher on HBO to plug the DVD release of his Capitalism: A Love Story screed, cited the 250,000 killed in Haiti, which he snidely described as an unregulated “Republican’s paradise.
"in Haiti, where there are no building codes, no regulations -- a Republican’s paradise -- a quarter of a million people died."
See the video at EyeBlast
Kirk questions Giannoulias ties to Chicago Crime Boss Michael "Jaws" Giorango
The issue of Democrat Senate candidate Alex Giannoulias and his bank dealings with alleged crime figures, is not going away. If anything Giannoulias is creating more questions, by his refusal to be forthcoming on the issue with the Chicago media.
In contention is a major loan Giannoulias personally oversaw as Vice President of Broadway Bank (owned by his father). The $15 bill loan was made to well-known Chicago crime boss Michael "Jaws" Giorango. He was also a Giannoulias family friend. The funds were used in illegal criminal enterprises.
Some background from a 2006 article in the Illinois Times, "Democrat candidate's defense of mobster could derail campaign":
Michael “Jaws” Giorango was apparently a member of the old Chicago Heights mob operation. Years ago he was convicted twice on bookmaking charges. One of the bookmaking operations he worked for, according to the Chicago Tribune, used “threats of bombings, beatings and robbery to collect unpaid debts.”
Chicago Tribune political editor John Kass opined "Giannoulias fails to end bank controversy" March 3:
On this media day, Giannoulias, the Illinois state treasurer and current Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in November, had a job to do:
Put to rest nagging questions about the bank and loans he approved for some earthy types, including Michael "Jaws" Giorango, the convicted Outfit bookie and protector of a national prostitution circuit.
He did address the issues. But he didn't exactly put them to rest. He failed.
If anything, he may have made things worse by offering answers that only supporters would characterize, optimistically, as "evolving.
Meanwhile, Republican Senate nominee Mark Kirk is calling on his opponent to come clean.
From WLS Chicago, March 1:
"Ya know, it's one thing to issue a loan to someone and say in the first year the recipient repaid the loan. But in the case of Michael "Jaws" Giorango, the recipient failed to pay the loan. And it's loans like that are imperiling the Broadway bank, made under Alexi Giannoulias' signature when he was an officer of the bank."
Polls show the race very tight, Giannoulias up by two, within the margin of error.
A Moment of Quiet Contemplation
UPDATE: SOLVED by Bill at 12:32 CDT
Is everybody ready for this today? Remember, there is only this riddle and the one on the 13th left for a chance to qualify for the bonus riddle (on March 15th). Good luck!
Museum of Anthropology - Calendar Stone
Today’s riddle subject is an object.
It is composed of many parts, only a few of which are commonly known or visible to the unaided eye.
This was well known to ancient man; in every civilization.
Very well represented in literature, today’s object is not only in the Iliad and the Odyssey, but also the Bible and possibly the Qur’an.
PhotoBucket - Home Library
Often discovered by accident, you are likely to mistake it for something else when you first see it.
There is usually something tremendously beautiful seen very close to it.
On a cosmic time scale, this is very young.
Venus de Milo
Well? What do you think? In case you’re wondering, these are the people who have solved a riddle up to today: Bruce, Adrianus V, Jim, Patricia, Doug, Dwight Decker, Rob, Alejandro, Stuart, Jim Hammill, Nick, Stephen, Jerry Thornton, and Roger.
I sure would like to add your name to the list!
(you know I’m lurking… don’t you, Trudy)
I'm SO cute!
What Is Man? [Science Tattoo] | The Loom
Todd Disotell of New York University writes,
As an evolutionary primatologist, I had a tattoo of Charles Darwin’s first drawing of an evolutionary tree put on my forearm to commemorate his birthday last year. This year for my birthday, I had Carolus Linnaeus‘ original 1735 definition of the order Primates tattooed onto my other forearm.
Click here to go to the full Science Tattoo Emporium.
Dr. Rachie wins a Shorty! | Bad Astronomy
Thanks in no small part to my beloved BABloggees and Tweeps, Rachael Dunlop won a Shorty Award in the Health category!
Yay!
It’s nice that she gets some recognition for her debunking of quackery, hoaxery, and quite a bit of alt-meddery, but the real schadenfreudeliciousness comes from knowing that she’s helping Mike Adams’ and Joe Mercola’s heads that much more explodey. Go read her link for all the sordid, but oh-so-satisfying details.
For those of you who helped out, my sincere thanks. Ya done good.
How To: Run Windows in OS X, the Right Way [How To]
If you're anxious about switching from a PC to a Mac, consider this: There are a multitude of ways you can virtualize Windows within OS X, and they all work uniquely well. Here's how to choose the right one.
There are three major virtualization products for Mac, and at their core, they're all quite similar. Each creates a virtual machine, which is to say, crudely, a software implementation of a separate computer. When you install Windows in a virtual machine, Windows thinks it's installed on a PC with a somewhat generic set of hardware. In fact, the hardware it thinks it's installed on is a software construct, and any time Windows utilizes what it thinks is a hardware component, its requests are actually being passed through to your Mac's real hardware.
Anyway! What's going on under the hood is conceptually similar among the most popular virtualization apps, but the ways they install, run and integrate Windows inside of OS X vary wildly. So, assuming you're ready to take the virtualization dive, which app should you use? VMWare Fusion 3? Parallels 5? Sun VirtualBox? They're all different, but in a strange way, they've ended up falling out of direct competition—each one is right for certain kinds of users. So which one's right for you?
If You...
• Want to run Windows 7 within OS X, and basically nothing else?
• Want to run Windows apps as if they're part of OS X, visually and behaviorally?
• Think a virtual machine should integrate into OS X almost completely, rather than live inside its own window?
• Want to play 3D games in your virtual machine?
Then You Should Use…
Parallels 5! This is a paid solution, and while it's a full virtualization suite—you can run Linux and other OSes from within OS X as well—it's the one most purely dedicated to making running Windows 7 as seamless as possible. Installation is almost completely hands off, and once you've got it up and running, it can actually be themed to look more like OS X. This has the dual effect of making the OS look more natural when it's running in windowed mode (where the OS is isolated to its own window, like an app), and making the so-called "Crystal" mode, which lets you run Windows apps as their own windows in OS X, and which integrates Windows menus into Apple's operating system, such that it's barely even clear that you're not running native apps.
Parallels' strength lies in how thorough it is in trying to make Windows integration seamless. Windows 7's system-wide transparency effects, powered by Aero, work fine out of the box with Parallels; you can enable OS X's multitouch touchpad gestures for MacBooks in the OS with a simple options menu; pulling an installation over from a Boot Camp partition is just a matter of walking through a wizard; sharing files and clipboard items between OSes was trivially easy.
DirectX support is legitimately good enough to actually run a mid-range game without terrible performance degradation. (Games like BioShock or Crysis will run, but unless you've got a top-end iMac, you'll probably suffer from serious slowdowns. If you're serious about gaming on a Mac, just install Windows natively using Boot Camp.) It's kind of like magic!
Parallels' Windows powers are unsurpassed, but come at a cost. First, in dollars: It's $80. Then, in features beyond Windows integration: There aren't a whole lot of appliances—preconfigured packages that let you install other operating systems, like variations of Linux—as compared to VMWare, and there are stability issues; I've had to close down the entire virtual machine a number of times over the course of testing, and I couldn't identify a particular trigger. One second I'd be seamlessly toggling between Internet Explorer and Safari, and the next I'd be trudging through a prolonged virtual machine restart routine.
So yeah, it's worth it, if you've got a handful of Windows apps you can't live without, or if you want to play fairly recent games without booting into a separate partition. [Parallels]
If You…
• Want to experiment with more than Windows
• Need bulletproof performance with Windows
• Want to run Windows and Linux apps as if they're part of OS X, albeit without too many interface flourishes?
Then You Should Use…
VMWare Fusion 3! VMWare's virtualization software is a reliable option no matter what you want to do. The way it integrates Windows into OS X is fairly transparent, but not quite as aesthetically consistent as Parallels. 
Gaming performance isn't as strong as in Parallels, though 2D rendering—like Windows 7's Aero—runs a bit smoother in Fusion than in any other solution. As with Parallels, Fusion automates the Windows installation process to a degree, and makes importing a Boot Camp installation fairly simple.
VMWare is a workhorse, and for most tasks—be it cross-platform website testing, running Windows versions of Microsoft office, or syncing with a Windows-only device like the Zune HD—it won't let you down.
Tinkerers will find a massive library of preconfigured appliances, so you can try out virtually any operating system you've ever heard of (as long as it's freely available) with little more than a file download and double click. Fusion 3 costs $80. [VMWare]
If You…
• Need Windows emulation
• Don't want to pay anything for your virtualization software
• Don't need to do any serious gaming
• Don't mind rougher integration of Windows into OS X
Then You Should Use…
Sun VirtualBox! While the prior two options are paid, and not exactly cheap, VirtualBox is free. Totally. This means that, if you've got a spare Windows license, you can install Windows to run within OS X without spending an extra dime, and without suffering too much of an inconvenience as compared to VMWare or Parallels. (Full Windows 7 installation guide here)
VirtualBox doesn't have the same level of DirectX support as either Parallels or Fusion, so while gaming is theoretically possible, it's probably not worth your time. There is a "Seamless" mode for minimizing the Windows desktop and running Windows apps as if they're native OS X apps, but it's neither as seamless nor visually integrated as Parallels' or Fusion's.
But really, these are minor complaints. If all you want to do is run the odd Windows apps, try virtualization or configure or access some Windows-specific peripherals, VirtualBox will get the job done. It doesn't have the polish of its paid competitors, but let's be real here: We're virtualizing an operating system. All solutions are by definition going to be less than perfect. VirtualBox will accomplish 85% of what Parallels or VMWare can do, in terms of running Windows apps or booting into alternative operating systems, at 0% of the cost. And for that, it deserves your attention. [VirtualBox]
If you have more tips and tools to share, please drop some links in the comments-your feedback is hugely important to our Saturday How To guides. And if you have any topics you'd like to see covered here, please let me know. Happy virtualizing, folks.
Microsoft Demos Game Across Windows Phone 7, Xbox 360, and Windows 7 [Microsoft]
Whoa. During the keynote presentation at TechEd Middle East in Dubai, Microsoft's Eric Rudder played the same Indiana Jones-ish game on a Windows computer, a Windows Phone 7 phone, and an Xbox 360. Gaming is about to get real ubiquitous.
Not only is the game itself playable on all three platforms, but the session is maintained when you move from device to device: if you're playing on your Xbox and have to run out the door, you'll be on the same level when you fire it up on your Windows Phone 7 Series phone. Basically, you'll never have an excuse not to be gaming.
I'm sure this is very exciting to some of you and a little scary to others. Regardless of its potential for crippling your productivity and taking out your social life at the knees, it's pretty amazing stuff. Presumably we will be seeing more cool tidbits like this in the next few weeks when MIX and CTIA roll around. [Engadget]
Vers Handcrafted Wood iPad Case Beautifies Your Bezel, Props Your Pad [Cases]
Now that you know you'll have your sweaty hands on an iPad on April 3, you can start fussing over the other stuff you'll need for your shiny new gadget. This Vers case is pretty and has one of those..um...
One of those things that keeps a bicycle upright. What do you call those? Footprop? No that's not it. Lean-to? No that's something else I think. Quicksand? Quicksand! Oh that's close—it's on the tip of my tongue. Oh yeah. KICKSTAND.
That's right, the Vers case will not only let you forget that your iPad's chunky black bezel ever existed, it will also prop your iPad up with a convenient wooden peg. If you'll remember, the possibility of a kickstand was a topic of much debate in the months leading up to the iPad's unveiling, and though the device itself does not sport one, this looks to be pretty close to the simple, effective implementation most of us had in mind.
The case itself is crafted by hand from hardwood and bamboo and is reinforced with steel to keep your iPad safe. It has openings for the 30 pin connector and volume controls and is top-loading so you can slip your iPad in and out without much trouble.
The case will be available for preorder soon from Vers for $80 (they make a snazzy iPhone one, too). Did I mention it had a kickstand? [Vers Audio]
Best Buy Goes 3D At 200 Stores On March 10; 900 Stores By March 21 [3D]
If you're sick—literally or figuratively—of 3D now, just wait until the end of the month. HD Guru has Best Buy's schedule for rolling out 3D capable HDTVs and Blu-ray players from Samsung and Panasonic, and they're coming soon.
The Guru claims that sales and demonstrations of 3D gear will commence at 200 Best Buy locations on March 10—as in, like, Wednesday. According to his sources, that initial blast will feature Panasonic's 50" TC-P50VT20 plasma 3D HDTV—we've heard it will retail for around $3500—in tandem with their DMP-BD350 3D Blu-ray player.
On March 21, Samsung will apparently join the fray, showing and schilling their LED 3D HDTVs—the 46" UN-46C7000 and the 55" UN-55C7000—along with the awesome-looking BD-C6900 3D Blu-ray player at 900 Best Buy locations. TechRadar checked out this package earlier this week and said that if you decide to take the plunge, you won't be sorry you did.
We've heard for a while now that Monsters vs. Aliens will be the first 3D Blu-ray movie available, and HD Guru reports that it will be available as part of a promotional package with Samsung's gear on the 21st. [HD Guru]
