The Androids are Coming!

Google announced it's new phone platform a few weeks ago... and here's a pretty cool demo of a prototype:

Heart!

Heart is one of the greatest R&R bands... here's a terrific video of "Crazy on You."

Quarterlife

Hey, this isn't bad.... 30 Something for 20 somethings...

Daily Show writers do their "bit" for the strike

So, we've all been starving for some of the acerbic humor of the Daily Show since the writers' strike started... here's a bit from some of those writers, focusing on the strike, Viacom, and Mr. Redstone:

Curved Air - who would have thought?

One of my favorite bands of all time is Curved Air... an early '70s prog rock band from the UK.

So, I am messing around with Amazon's new music store and looking for Curved Air. Can't find any, so I search using Google. And, lo and behold, there's a whole ecosystem built around Curved Air!

So, here's a YouTube video of a live performance... esoteric and typically 70's progressive, but darn good!

Nano Nano Radio

Berkeley researchers have created a radio receiver that is roughly the size of a human hair. Take that, ipods! Now, the dream of every station manager - implanting a radio tuned to their station in every child born - can be realized.

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

Physicists at UC Berkeley say they have produced the world's smallest radio out of a single carbon nanotube that is 10,000 times thinner than a human hair.
Professor Alex Zettl led a team that developed the minuscule filament, which can be tuned to receive AM or FM transmissions.
The first song it played? "Layla" by Derek & the Dominos. Eric Clapton's unmistakable guitar riff can be heard on a scratchy recording of the nanoradio's output posted by Zettl online.

On You Tube (of course!):

Leslie and Steve send Greetings to friends at Eckerd

Leslie Zajac-Batell and I met up in New Hampshire last weekend. We wanted to share a greeting to our friends at the Eckerd College renunion - so here it is!

SmartCar coming to US!

And, we're all wondering how this car will do in a high-speed crash with a concrete wall...

Well, here's the answer - put your seat belt on!

Our new view of computers...

Back in the '80s, the precursor to the Mac was the Lisa. I remember going to a friend's office and drooling over his recent purchase; as it turns out, he was one of the very few who ever bought the machine.

Here's an ad from Apple, promoting the Lisa - and the new lifestyle it was introducing. Lee Gomes of the Wall Street Journal has a column about this in which he points out that people today would think it was strange to be going IN to work to use a computer, since they have now become so commonplace that some people might go to work to escape the computer (he didn't actually say that, but it seems to be the logical extension of his point).



I remember back in the '80s myself, trying to convince people that personal computers like the Lisa, the Mac and the IBM-style PC were just tools, similar to the tools that a mechanic would purchase to repair your car. I always got strange looks (often because people didn't realize that mechanics bought their own tools, not their employer).

Today, this view is commonplace. And people are using this tool as part of their everyday life in ways that are truly amazing.

And, some people now go to the office to escape the computer.

Providence, RI new Travel Hotspot

The WSJ reports today that - among other places - Providence, RI, is being promoted as a new "travel hotspot," akin to places like Montenegro, Seychelles, and (yes) Minneapolis.

Now, for those of us who have actually been to Providence - we know it's a nice town, close to Block Island Sound, and has some interesting history as a sailing and mill town. But - a vacation destination for the world? No offense, but that's really a stretch!

Radio Focus Group on YouTube

This is a really interesting idea - posting radio "Focus Group" interviews on YouTube. Not scientific, not really researched - but what a great way to see what turns radio listeners on.

Nice Explanation of how to Program a Radio Station

Here, radio consultant Holland Cooke describes how to program a radio station to take advantage of the Arbitron diary methodology.

Four Seasons Kent Island Google Earth View

Four Seasons - View from the SE Corner to North

Hovnanian Homes is planning a development of 1,300 homes on Kent Island, in Chester, Maryland. This is a view from the SE corner of the property, looking to the north over farmland.

Four Seasons - View from the SE Corner

Hovnanian Homes is planning a development of 1,300 homes on Kent Island, in Chester, Maryland. This is a view from the SE corner of the property, looking out over the Chester River.

The Lascivious Biddies

Talk about great girl bands...

Finnish Idol Finalist Video

Foggy

Nice day to post

Pretty outside!

So - Global Warming and Big Snow Storms

I am reading Crichton's book, "State of Fear." It seems like an anti-global warming treatise, but - that's not really clear, since the darn book is written in a pretty confused manner.

But, here we are with a major snowstorm in the Northeast, after the warmest winter on record! It seems like the climate change that is occurring is that the bad weather is moving to the edge of the seasons. Used to be that February was the month for big storms; now it's March.

Norah Jones and John Mayer

Pretty incredible combination...