XKCD

New comic up… this is great. For all of you out there still a part of the great unwashed, XKCD is a webcomic that covers (mostly) nerdy stuff – math, science, obscure references thereof. Every so often there’s one that is either romantic in nature or so philosophical that it throws you for a loop. Most are pretty light-hearted though, like this one:

Scored a Sigg!

So I’ve been trying to get my hands on a Sigg water bottle for months now. It was probably around May or June when I first heard about them. These things are legit – aluminum water bottles with protective liners inside to prevent any chemical leaching. They started getting really popular in the United States about the same time that reports were coming out about how disposable water bottles made out of PET were potentially dangerous. Here’s a hint: don’t ever leave PET bottles stored in hot places. For that matter, don’t leave bottled water sitting around for too long. All that bottled water that’s been sitting in your garage since the Y2K scare because you thought the world as we knew it would end? Yeah… I would go ahead and toss that. You’re just asking for cancer if you drink it now.

Sarah Palin, Cont’d

Many of you have already read Mudflat’s post regarding Governor Sarah Palin – it’s been the top post on WordPress for a few days now. If not, click on the above link. This is the perspective of somebody that actually lives in Alaska and has exponentially more knowledge and experience with her politics and current investigation than most of us here. Whether you are still reeling at the thought of her being on McCain’s ticket or you only recently stopped throwing back celabratory shots of whiskey, you should probably read it. And by probably I mean definitely, without any hint of doubt, read the post. Now.

You have no idea how much this frightens me.

Apple: A Brief Update

A few things have changed in the past couple days since I last wrote about the upcoming Septbember 9th update that Apple will be announcing. First, it appears more and more likely that both the Macbook and the Macbook Pro will receive updates soon (as in this year).

I’ll give the Macbook around a 65-70% chance of being updated in the 3rd quarter announcement

Governor Palin: An Analysis

When John McCain announced Governor Palin as his running mate, a few questions ran through my head, in a very specific order: “Who?”, followed shortly by “John McCain chose… a woman? That nobody knows?”.  If that last bit comes across sexist, I assure you it was not intended. Allow me to emphasize that I was surprised that McCain of all people would choose a woman, not upset by it. Just a little confused. I mean, seriously? The governor… of Alaska? That has no political experience to speak of? I understand why he chose a woman – it should go a long way toward retaining any female voters he gained after Hillary Clinton left the race. In the long run, it might also prove to be an intelligent decision to pick somebody unknown,

Chevy Volt… Ugh

When Chevrolet first announced the Volt back in January of 2007, I was genuinely impressed. The concept looked good, and the internals promised to be even better. I was practically salivating over the idea of a hybrid designed to go 40 miles on electric power alone, equipped with a lithium-ion battery (presumably one that wouldn’t spontaneously combust) and the ability to recharge from a standard 110-volt outlet.

My First Computer Build

Maybe the title is a little misleading. While this is my first build, it isn’t really mine. I’m putting together a gaming rig for my friend Raymond, who has plenty of money available but not a ton of knowledge when it comes to computers. I’m by no means an expert, but I’ve upgraded computers quite a few times, throwing in new hard drives, memory, graphics/sound/wireless cards, etc. From time to time I’ve performed hard drive reformats, and I seem to have become 24-hour tech support for my family and friends. Raymond happens to be the most recent example, and I’m excited to challenge myself (and a little encouraged by how many people online state that “any idiot with a screwdriver and a how-to guide can build a computer”).

And the winner is…

It’s that time of year again — the Apple rumor mill has kicked into high gear. The upcoming third quarter announcement is traditionally one of several points during the year at which Apple delivers a bevy of new products. In true Apple fashion, there have been absolutely no hints or leads, at least officially, regarding what changes will be made to their lineup. Instead, a flurry of rumors has risen, covering everything imaginable. The following is a run-down of which updates are almost a given, which updates are possible, but not definite, and which updates have absolutely no chance of seeing the light of day.

Updates That Are a Given:

• Refreshed line of iPods: Apple’s vaunted iPod has reigned supreme for more years than I can