What's wrong with this photo?

I took a photo of myself post-haircut in the mirror using my iPhone
(in hand) because something caught my eye. Can you figure out what?

If this isn't McCain's low point...

At a rally today, McCain called on Joe the Plumber to stand up before a crowd of 6,000. Unfortunately, Joe wasn't there, and the crowd was composed almost entirely of high schoolers included about 4,000 bussed in from other districts. I don't know what's sadder: bussing in students for a partisan event, or with less than a week to election day, McCain is holding a rally for non-voters.

Homer lost his first tooth

Didn't even realize kittens lost baby teeth (our other two were older
than Homer when we got them).

Google Earth on the iPhone rocks

That's my house and car. This could be my new favorite map app.

How can people like McDonald's coffee?

Office out of coffee until next week. Woke up late and could not brew my own, so I opted in to a McDonald's coffee run. Figured those guys who like it can't all be wrong. As it turns out, YOU ARE ALL WRONG! Must brew my own tomorrow.

Here I Am: Not Too Shabby

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.820394,+-77.057569

Second hand antiques and consignments. Quality is slightly better than
their name implies.

Here I Am: abaca imports

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.817133,+-77.040403

Abaca appears to deal primarily in east Asian goods and furniture.

Here I Am: Hummer Alley

Here I Am: Ten Thousand Villages

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.805556,+-77.049587

Ten Thousand Villages is a non-profit retailer that sells fair trade
goods produced by small and independent merchants across the world.

Here I Am: on our way to commie country

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.914078,+-77.224252

Visiting some import stores this afternoon in Alexandria, the heart of
"fake" Virginia.

Homer meets Molly

We call her Molly

The office is out of coffee...

...but guess who brought his own made from freshly ground shade grown
Kona beans! Boo-yah!

Mid-day Ink 2008-10-23

Lucky rabbit feet

Here I Am: Maggie Moo's Leesburg

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=39.098561,+-77.526226
Maggie Moo's is the best f'n ice cream chain around for one absolutely
crucial reason: hot fudge. Other places claim to have fudge but what
they really have is chocolate sauce. For the real deal, Moo's is the
place to go.

Here I Am: Historic Leesburg

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=39.114751,+-77.564979

Here I Am: Robeks in Broadlands

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=39.026538,+-77.510004
Starting my day with a smoothie before venturing into the "real"
Virginia.

Mobile USB power set at Costco

Thought I'd share this deal I found at Costco. Only $19 for a two-pack USB hub and portable ac expander with surge protector and 2 USB charging ports. Normally around that price way more than that for each separately.

AVG say ZoneAlarm haz bad stuff

Something I'll need to check when I get home: AVG has been tagging some ZoneAlarm setup files as trojans. I run both, so this affects me, as well as other cheapskates who rely on free security software. I should probably blog about my security "suite" sometime.

Obama: good music, poor words

At a fundraising concert featuring Billy Joel (yeah!), Obama warned his supporters not to get overconfident: "Don't underestimate the capacity of Democrats to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Don't underestimate our ability to screw it up. I want everybody running scared." I totally agree the race is not over, but I don't think he should have recycled GOP talking points, ironically or not, to make his point. He'll get bitten by that later.

Unspoken fear no longer unspoken

That "unspoken fear" I blogged about a couple weeks ago has been caught on video. Guess I need to reclassify it as "spoken fear".

Trig has autism?

Bush confident nation not doomed

"Bush, in a meeting with his Cabinet, said he's confident that 'in the long run, that this economy will come back.'" -- As I recall, in the long run, the economy also recovered from The Great Depression. So basically Bush is confident we're not fatally screwed. Great prediction, Nostra-dumbass.

Analysts don't know tablets

"While it would be innovative to put [a touchscreen] in a notebook, it's not really likely from any major computer makers at this point, according to Charles Smulders, Gartner's managing vice president." -- Yeah, I mean, aside from Lenovo, Dell, and HP, no one is selling notebooks with touchscreens. Apparently Gartner does not keep their VPs well informed.

Shoving 25,000 people in a 16,000 capacity building

The McCain campaign claims to have drawn a crowd in Virginia Beach of 25,000 in a building that can only hold 16,000. Such an act, aside from being physically impossible, is both unsafe and illegal. So either they're lying or they violated the fire code. Take your pick.

And here's the "after"

Let's call this "before"

More technical difficulties

There seems to be Internet access troubles in Reston today. My access has been sporadic over both wifi and 3G. Hope it clears up soon.

'Phoning it in

As can be judged by my Rambles, I've been out and about this weekend. Managed to sneak in some work on the next Build 52 inbetween. Also sharing the sights via my iPhone. Nice thing about mobile computing is that I can fill in my downtime and occasionally phone in blog posts.

The view from Chrysalis Winery

The view from Swedenburg Vineyard

Coming down from a High (Street)

Art: raw hamburger on the floor

I'm blogging about Evernote too!

Rob and Warner are playing dueling Evernote blog entries at GBM. I agree with both, largely because I don't ink in Evernote (Rob's big point) and use it as a secondary tool. I shoot notes to it via email from work, use the Evernote app on my iPhone, and access via the web from my tablet. It's a great convenience for me, but if I was using it as my one-stop note tool, I'd be more particular about it.

About those iPhone power adapters...

When you return your defective iPhone power adapter, be sure to ask Apple to re-use that sturdy, over-sized box.

Pork Barrel Asking

Among the creative uses of language employed by the McCain campaign is the accusation that Obama has voted for nearly a billion dollars in earmarks. Actually, that's the total value of all of his requests, which haven't always made it to a vote. So, by McCain's logic, if I asked you for $100 each day for a week, I've asked you for $700, regardless of whether you gave me the money or whether I would have stopped asking after you first gave me $100.

Did I mention Homer is cute?

Why aren't there new McDonald's characters?

A Lifehacker reader going by "Mayor McRib" agreed with me on a comment today. Love the name, but it makes me wonder why there isn't a Mayor McRib. McDonald's keeps updating their menu. Why not their characters?

Technical difficulties

My home broadband connection is really erratic. Lot of loading problems. The Scribbles entry I posted last night somehow got unpublished. Looks like a server error but I had a lot of trouble logging in at the time. 3G on my iPhone is working fine though. Suspect a Comcast problem.

On the prowl

Cats get along better when it's cold

Biden is on fire!

Biden/Palin debate will be awesome or boring

The VP debate is on tonight between Palin and Biden, and I hope they go into it swinging. Biden talks like he knows everything about everything. Palin talks like she knows nothing about nothing. Both say way more than they should. Could be the most f'd-up, gaffe-filled debate in history. Or if they play it safe and keep tight-lipped, it could be boring as dirt. We'll see.

The long arm of Obama

During the first Obama/McCain debate, McCain questioned how Obama can reach across the aisle when he's so far to the left. Apparently he does so by walking, which he did last night to a cold reception from McCain.

Top Ten "Things Overheard At Palin Debate Camp"

Maybe I shouldn't have made a prediction about David Letterman going after McCain forever. It's been a week, and I'm already tired of it. Oh well, here's the latest salvo.

Caged!

New iPhone app NDA

Apple has announced a new non-disclosure agreement for iPhone app developers. I'm sure it will piss off no one this time. And I'm sure it's just coincidence that it's coming shortly after the Android SDK went public.

Is it nihilism?

I've been analyzing my personal disdain for the proposed bailout, wondering how much my nihilistic leanings are shaping my view. Apparently David Brooks of the NY Times is also seeing nihilism at work against the bailout. Nice to know I'm not alone in recognizing the influence.

Letterman v. McCain rages on

Hope Dave's grudge ends soon. Specifically after Nov. 5.

Adding cheese to a crap sandwich

Okay, I admit the revised Senate bill for the bailout is more enticing with renewable energy incentives and a higher FDIC limit, but that's cheese on a crap sandwich in my opinion. Cheese does make everything taste better but it's still crap. But then again, it might be enough to turn the bailout into a cheese sandwich with crap. We'll see.

A progressive bailout

Despite what John McCain says, I'm still calling it a bailout, but that doesn't mean I'm against it. I was definitely against the particular bailout proposed by Bush, but a more intelligent package, one that recognizes the flaws that led to the problem, such as Dean Baker's approach, would earn my support.

Mysterious stuff? On Fringe? No way!

First things first

"The first thing I would do is say, 'Let's not call it a bailout. Let's call it a rescue," McCain told CNN. -- That's straight-talk, maverick-style!

McCain loves bailouts

"Senator John McCain is in favor of the bailout. He loves bailouts — he bailed out on me." -- David Letterman. Yep, still pissed.

House drops crappy bill

The House voted against a plan by President Bush to put hundreds of billions of dollars in the hands of his treasury secretary. It is impossible to gauge whether it was the wise decision, but given Bush's track record of being wrong on everything, I'd prefer we not take our chances on this bill.

Here I Am: Ledo Pizza Sterling

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=39.036795,+-77.408016

McCain invents time travel

Winning a debate that hasn't happened yet is pretty impressive. Congrats. Or should I say "Mission Accomplished!"

Honey seals cat-inflicted wounds

Bailout looks even worse up close

Read through the transcript of Bush's address from last night to review the details. Some key points. 1. He expects us to make back all the tax dollars invested. Last I checked, an investment that breaks even sucks. Why not just stuff it under the mattress? 2. His stated goal is to maintain the ease with which we can borrow money. Isn't easy credit a core problem of this mess?

Smarter than you think

I went to bed last night with a piece of grit in my brain. This morning I awoke with a pearl. T-Mobile is receiving praise for doing the smart thing and dropping their 1GB limit on 3G. Actually, as I realized this morning, their only claim is that it's no longer in their policy statement, and they even left the door open to include it later. Basically they're being praised for being less transparent. Smart move? I'd call it masterful.

Biden fuels my hot streak

Sometimes I hate being right, like when I commented that Joe Biden has a poor grasp on when he should shut up. Well, he's reinforcing that with his comments on clean coal and an Obama attack ad. Good man, but damn, you got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em.

I'm on fire today!

I'll be spilling ink on this too, but in the meantime, let it be known that Pandora is now running banner ads on their iPhone app, in a manner much as I suggested they should. You're welcome.

I'm nailing the analyses

A few days ago, I commented on Lifehacker that the differences in hardware for Android, Google mobile OS, would be a deterrent for developers, and I cited Trism as an app that wouldn't work for all phones. Today, word is out that the developer of Trism is quitting his job to work full-time on Trism and doesn't want the hassles of porting it to Android. Surprising.

More on broken iPhone adapter

Tracked down the guy who posted that photo to his Twitter page. Seems to have been his only mention about it.

Photo of a broken iPhone power adapter

Since news of the iPhone power adapter recall broke, I've been wondering why I hadn't read anything about broken prongs before. I finally tracked down a photo... from four weeks ago. Four weeks and no one pursued this story? Is this the only one?

Must be mushroom season

Free iPhone 3G power adapter

Apple just issued a recall on their new iPhone 3G power adapters. They say to return the old one, but I say, free adapter. I use mine everyday, but always in an extension cord or car adapter, so even if mine broke, I could easily unplug it at the source and not get shocked. C'mon Apple, free adapter.

iPhone app: Under Pressure Football

Friend of the blog Michael Venini has published an iPhone game. Will investigate further when I get home, but I thought I'd ramble it first. Here's the link:
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=290528718

Palin's hacked email: irony or karma?

Poor Sarah Palin. She used Yahoo! rather than a gov't account to keep her email beyond Alaskan freedom of information laws. That in turn made her email more vulnerable to hackers who have now freed it to the Internet. Irony or karma? And now the Secret Service is trying to stuff that toothpaste back in the tube. Nice timing.

Note to self: beef up email password

Hackers broke into the Yahoo! email account Sarah Palin used for official government business. While I suspect her password was not nearly as strong as my more than 10-character, alphanumeric monster, I think I'll beef up my password nonetheless. Is 30 characters too long?

Others now thinking about sustainable sushi

More than two years into my 50-year fish boycott, others are starting to take notice of the seafood sustainability problem. Makes me hopeful I can end my boycott early.

NoVA GOP to hold ethnic unity rally

NoVA Republicans, including George Allen, will hold a "unity" rally on Saturday to build up support from ethnic minorities. I might have to attend, if only to show my support for racial unity, as demonstrated by my marriage to my white VA-born wife. Maybe they'll put us on stage and encourage everyone to follow our example... except maybe for the part about us voting for Obama.

Air Mouse for iPhone

I am so buying this when I get home...
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewSoftware?id=289616509

Offshore drilling I can support

The House passed a measure that allows off-shore oil drilling. Way, way off-shore oil drilling. As in twice the distance Republicans wanted, where no one wants to drill. Or as Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) put it: "The drill-nothing Congress has brought a bill that says drill almost nothing." I personally favor no off-shore drilling, but almost none is good too, particularly when provisions for renewables (and against oil) are included.

John McCain: Miracle Worker

Today, one of McCain's top advisers help up a Blackberry and said, "You're looking at the miracle that John McCain helped create." It's not so much the contention that McCain helped create the Blackberry (whereas Al Gore did sponsor the legislation that lead to the Internet), but the implication that McCain can create "miracles" that has me going WTF? And since when is the Blackberry a "miracle"? By that logic, Steve Jobs is the second coming of Jesus.

Underscores in file names

I find it quite amusing how many people use underscores when naming files, which accomodates systems that break file names with spaces in them, but then stick a space before the version number, as in "DOT_RGB_FFF V2.tif". Pretty much defeats the purpose.

Width and pen defaults

Inking in the sideblog

Here I Am: Reston farmers market

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.968290,+-77.340213

Still not commander-in-chief yet?

Remember when Obama said he'd target al-Qaeda in Pakistan with or without Pakistani approval? McCain called the idea "naive". Turns out, in July, President Bush secretly approved this type of action. Funny how that works out.

Here I Am: Reston Animal Hospital

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.933006,+-77.368370

"Oh, it's you guys."

What a difference a few miles make

Stopped at Rite Aid on the way home. Getting full data here. Email, Internet, Pandora, all working even with only one bar in the store.

AT&T network down again?

Running into the same problem as last time: wifi works, wireless data does not. Earlier, I had some problems with Pandora kicking out too.

Dogs can't drive... or can they?

1 day sale on meat loaf? Kinda shady

That's one cheap tablet dock (not really)

That's one cheap iPhone dock

Network is back up

Yes, there is a data outage

I should always check the tech sites first. Turns out there is an AT&T data outage in the Northeast. I guess Reston is included.

Finally having a real iPhone connectivity problem

iPhone shows full bars in 3G and makes calls, but I'm not getting data. Works fine when I walk downstairs and connect to wifi, but nothing over 3G or EDGE. I suspect a network node is down, but there seems to be no way of knowing.

Sleeping Buddies 2

Mother Ship CE3K

Space Shuttle Enterprise

The Concorde

Enola Gay

SR-71 Blackbird

Here I Am: Udvar Hazy Air & Space Museum

I am at
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=38.912051,+-77.443314

Homer hopes for freedom