NoteSlate

I hope the NoteSlate isn't vaporware. I love the idea of a simple, single-function device that can replace my legal pads. This would be a lot better than the pens that record what you write, but require special graph paper. From $99... sweet!

From Brick O'Lore

Transparent Monitors

I don't know how this would work given different points of view, but the transparent desktop is nothing short of awesome looking.

The Color Orange: The Condredge Holloway Story Trailer

EPSN is airing "The Color Orange: The Condredge Holloway Story" on Sunday, February 20th at 8PM Eastern. Holloway was the first black quarterback in the SEC.

Coming out of the closet... politically.

This is why I have the blog... I don't feel comfortable discussing my politics with just anyone. I think it is part of my conservative nature that I don't want to be in anyone's face. This blog gives me an outlet and an on-line persona with which to play.

Quoting the letter that was quoted on the blog:

"I’ve just been watching the first series of Mad Men, and I’m struck by the gay guy Salvatore Romano, and how similar his behavior is to me, only I’m hiding my politics, not my sexuality. There are also the classic moments, whereby fellow believers in academia carefully try to work out if you are one of “us”. I remember one guy who heard me comment on how some architecture reminded me of something I read in The Fountainhead, which was enough to alert him. Later we went out for a drink. I remember the nervous moment (for both of us) where he finally came out and asked me, “so what are your political / economic beliefs?” I chickened out, tempered, and said, “well, perhaps more to the center than most academics” and countered, “what are yours?” Reassured, he was willing to admit to conservative leanings. Then I was willing to admit it too."

Maybe I am just more sensitive to it, but it seems that the liberals are more willing to start debates, make political statements on Facebook, and generally stir things up.

Crime Alerts

As a follow-up to my post on the Crime Reports website, I did get a report via e-mail when a crime was committed near my home. In this case, a vehicle theft. I'm pretty happy about this... if there is a local trend I can raise my threat level to code red.

From Brick O'Lore

Would you like to play a game?

No, not Joshua. Maybe it is SkyNet. In any case, the Jeopardy playing computer, Watson, is freakishly good at the game. As of this evening, he/it is leading Ken and Brad by over $25,000.

According to Wikipedia,

"Watson is made up of a cluster of ninety IBM Power 750 servers (plus additional I/O, network and cluster controller nodes in 10 racks) with a total of 2880 POWER7 processor cores and 16 Terabytes of RAM. Each Power 750 server uses a 3.5 GHz POWER7 eight core processor, with four threads per core."

It is one thing to store all the world's knowledge (295 exabytes), but it is another to access it in response to contextual clues in natural language.

Via Slashdot.org

A New, Smaller iPhone

According to this article, Apple may introduce a new, smaller iPhone that is less expensive than the current models. It would be around $200 without a contract. That doesn't sound like the Apple I know. Steve Jobs is losing his iron grip already.

Coal Creek Armory

With the recent posts on the CCA blog, I've started wondering if this is part of a plan to better engage customers. (They are looking for a new General Manager, too.)

I've been going to Coal Creek for over a year now. I took the Basic Handgun and my Carry Permit course there. I've been shooting on the range and even got the membership.

Generally, I'm pretty happy with them. I'll point out some of the bad experiences below, but other than the Lane 2 problem, these were things that happened quite some time ago. Coal Creek does seem to be trending in the right direction.

You occasionally get less than stellar customer service. It's strange, too, because the same person can be extremely nice one day and condescending the next. I know that those of us that are new to guns can ask some dumb questions and it can get tiring, but we are still the customer.

A friend inquired about transferring a gun from Buds and he got a very rude response about the rates they would charge if it was something they had in stock. I have no beef with the policy; they are out to make a buck, but the delivery was uncalled for.

When I took my Basic Handgun course, they changed the time, but didn't bother to tell the people that had signed up. We all had rushed there after work only to wait 30 minutes. We were told that we should have checked the website. Really? You couldn't have called?

And the target carrier on Lane 2 moves like a glacier. It's been this way for a long time and they should really get it fixed.

Oh, and did I mention I was a new shooter? One day we were shooting a rental Glock .40 and were given a box of 9mm for it. Nobody got hurt, but it could have been nasty.

I don't mean to focus too much on the negatives... I know several people that had good experiences - from making purchases to attending classes and I'm still planning on renewing my membership. It is always a good day when I can shoot a few rounds and swing by Bojangles for a cajun filet biscuit.

How to Lube Your Glock from CCA

As a follow-up to the AR-15 How-To, Coal Creek has posted an article about how to lube your Glock.

New Kicks

I had been looking for some boots. With all the snow around here, my trainers just weren't cutting it. On the advice of a friend at Mast General Store, I picked up a pair of the Keen Targhee II Mid boots. Also based on a recommendation, I grabbed a couple pair of Smartwool socks to try out. I'll report back after I've put them through their paces. (Pun intended.)

From Brick O'Lore