London Bombings

I just do not know what to say, other than that this was sickening. My thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those who perished in the attacks in London today. May whoever perpetrated these crimes be brought to justice swiftly. Somehow, we must bring terrorism under control, but I'm not sure how that might be accomplished.

I wonder… if it was al-Qaeda, why didn't we pickup any chatter prior to the attack? Of course, even the best of intelligence can only catch so much, but it has seemed quiet to me in the news lately. I just hope any additional attacks will be stopped before they occur.

The Migration

Well, last night I was still busy copying stuff, so I didn't report exactly what I was up to. I copied any files of any importance onto the new hard disk I bought for my G5, then removed that drive so that Apple would be working with the warranted drive, and I would also have a backup of everything.

I also copied all files I expected I might want access to in the next week or two (most of my home directory) to my iPod. I then copied the 16.5 GB I placed on it onto my PowerBook, which is now serving as my primary system. (Thanks to .Mac sync, my PowerBook is usually already well sync'ed with the PowerMac, but I don't keep everything on it.) The only things I needed to copy onto it were my documents, photos and music. E-mail, being IMAP-based, was already there, and .Mac takes care of bookmarks, contacts and calendar.

I then brought the PB onto my desk and plugged it into my Cinema Display. The system happily woke up from sleep and automatically switched to the maximum 1920×1200 resolution of the display. I could almost forget I wasn't on my G5, if it was not for the fact that things are quieter, and my dock looks itty bitty on this screen (since its size is adjusted for the normal 1024×768 resolution of the 12” PowerBook).

The Apple Store said they weren't sure what was causing the problem: the SATA controller, one of the processors, the logic board as a whole, etc., but they were going to look at it today. Depending on what is needed, they may already have the needed parts in stock. That would be nice!

All Hands Abandon Ship

Well, my G5 is going in to the shop (finally) to get the problems I've been experiencing fixed. I may be quiet for a bit while I get everything situated on my PowerBook…

A New Site Idea

I need to start another site like I need a whole in my head, but I think I have a good idea. I've compiled a list, based on “audience reaction of a typical group of fireworks watchers” (my extended family), of the best affordable fireworks. Maybe I'll start posting my picks somewhere… Hmm.

Happy Fourth, everyone!

Last Minute Shopping...

Nothing says fun quite like lighting large amounts of paiper-mache and explosives on fire. If you are looking for an impressive firework for your display, and you've waited this long, here are a few of my recommendations, based on the ones I shot off tonight at a family get-together. All but the “Bug Zapper” are returning favorites, so I can vouch for their consistency.

• J.A.S.F.: Just Another Stinkin' Fountain — This is one that I've purchased for the last few years. And it is just as good as I remembered it. For around $7-$10, it is one of the best, longest lasting fountains you will ever encounter. It may very well be the best fountain, actually.
• Pop Goes the Fountain (Black Cat) — Another very long lasting fountain with very nice, white and gold sparks. This one only costs around $7, which makes it an excellent value.
• Bug Zapper — The only 500 gram fountain I've seen. Given that 500 grams is the maximum legal amount of explosives, it is unusual for it to be put into a fountain. While it did not last much longer than Just Another Stinkin' Fountain, it did put on a very large and brilliant fire show. It costs around $16.
• Nuclear Meltdown (Black Cat) — This is another colorful, very long lasting fountain that has been around for a few years. At $11, it was the best value until I found J.A.S.F. a few years back. It is still worth adding to your display.

• Golden Silver Flowers/Flowering Peach — Both of these classic, smaller fountains last a nice amount of time and cost around $1.50.
• Green Bamboo/Big Snow — These small aerial balls put on a vivid, if short show for about $4.00.
• Happy — For a small aerial firework, you still cannot beat the old standby, which comes in a variety of prices and sizes.

Smoke: The best smoke bomb you can get is Don't Smoke in a Can. At $3.00, it is pricey, but there is simply none I've found better. It lasts a very, very long time and emits three different colors of smoke.

Combine these with others such as Cuckoo, 2 Cool, Wow!, strobes, artillery shells and so on for a great show everyone is sure to love.

Have a happy Fourth!

Virtual FireworX

If you have a Mac, and you're looking for a way to make your system seem a little more festive for Independence Day, checkout Virtual FireworX, which I just reviewed in my gadget column at OfB. It is really impressive, and a basic version of it is even free.

FridayQ: Never Say Never

FQ1: Somewhere you'll probably never go, but would like to.
The moon. OK, for an answer that is not out of this world — ahem — I'll say Australia. There are some places in Europe I'd like to go to, but I'm counting on making it over the pond one of these days. Down under seems less likely.

FQ2: Something you'll probably never do, but would like to.
Run for Congress or the Senate.

FQ3: Someone you'll probably never meet, but would like to.
Steve Jobs — I'd love to sit down with him to do an interview; he is undoubtedly one of the most visionary people of our times (as a side note, I wrote a post over at TSN last week on some points Jobs made at Stanford that make nice theological points). I would also like to meet Philip Yancy, something that is probably a bit more likely (perhaps at a book signing or something).

FQ REALITY CHECK: What would have to happen in order for you to actually accomplish those three things?
For the first one, someone could hand me a check for a few thousand bucks and I could set off right now to the “bottom of the globe.” In the more extreme choice of the moon, it would require NASA to build its new lunar lander and let civilians ride along and demonstrate it was safe enough for me to feel comfortable getting on it. The second one would require a few tens of thousands of bucks and the opportunity to meet a good political strategist. The third? I'm not sure. Jobs doesn't talk to just anyone, and money certainly wouldn't buy the chance, so I'm not sure… perhaps getting press credentials from the New York Times would do the trick.

Sunset

Tonight was a beautiful night. I've been trying to take more time to enjoy the simple pleasures that can be so easily overlooked with everything that needs to get done. This evening, it was the absolutely stunning sunset that seemed to almost set the trees of the area on fire. Having an ice cream soda to drink while enjoying the view was an added bonus.

Below the trees, not too far away, there were several groups playing baseball. It all seemed almost surreal, as a light breeze blew by, wiping away the memories of the last few scorching days of near 100 degree temperatures Fahrenheit (37 Celsius).

In other news: It looks like my PhotoQuest isn't getting done tonight, so I guess I'm going to have to post it on “June 31st.”

A 64-bit UNIX Workstation...

…for under $900? Now, this looks like a tempting deal. Now that Solaris comes with the Java Desktop System as its primary desktop environment, I'm betting these should sell pretty briskly.

Not an Oven MIT

Go take the MIT Weblog Survey, I did.

Thanks go to Christopher for finding this.