Browse census data with Google Earth

Posted on March 19, 2007 by admin

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The GCensus web utility lets you download and overlay census information on top of Google Earth maps.

Just choose your data source (GCensus only maps population characteristics like race and age, but more info like income are likely to come), pick your location, download the .KML file, and dive in, you data junkie. Unfortunately GCensus currently only has information for California, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, so in the meantime, others might want to check out previously mentioned Social Explorer. In time and with a bit more data, GCensus looks like a potentially excellent research tool. And, of course, it’s fun. โ€” Adam Pash

GCensus [Stanford.edu]
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Dilbert – March 17, 2007

Posted on March 16, 2007 by admin

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From Dilbert

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Mencken Quote

Posted on March 9, 2007 by admin

"The chief value of money lies in the fact that one lives in a world in which it
is overestimated."

– H. L. Mencken

From Quoatations Page

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Create your own Web 2.0 logos

Posted on March 3, 2007 by admin

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Want to create a logo using that hard-to-define but easy-to-recognize Web 2.0 style? Tech blog Hongkiat.com shows you how.

You’ll need Photoshop and a downloadable "style" file provided by the author. This file includes the necessary elements to recreate six popular logos (including LinkedIn and Skype), though the idea here is not to copy, but rather to learn the basic techniques and "start your own creativity from there."

Although the tutorial suffers from a bit of fractured English, it does show you how to recreate that distinct Web 2.0 style (annoying as it may be). Hmmm…wonder what the Lifehacker logo would look like after being "Web 2.0-ized." โ€” Rick Broida

From Lifehacker

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Slim down your wallet with Just One Club Card

Posted on March 2, 2007 by admin

Not a bad idea – although I like a nice, fat wallet…

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Web site Just One Club Card lets you condense up to 8 different discount club cards onto one front-and-back card, meaning your back-breaking wallet is about to go on a big diet.

Just enter the barcode numbers and choose the store for each card you want to get rid of and Just One Club Card will convert them to a printable, one-card format. Fold, laminate, and enjoy. I currently count about 100 stores in the drop-down, but if a store you need is missing, you can contact the site and ask for its inclusion or try your luck with the advanced page. We posted about a similar tool a year ago, but it appears to be dead, and Just One Club Card’s tool seems better developed anyway. If you’re not keen on getting rid of your cards, you might still consider a better method of organization. Thanks Chuck! โ€” Adam Pash

From Lifehacker

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DIY under-desk gadget mount

Posted on February 28, 2007 by admin

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Organized gadget owner Van Mardian cleared his desktop by mounting all his peripherals – external hard drives, USB hubs, network router – under his desk with pegboard and wire.

For under 35 bucks, Mardian hung pegboard under his Ikea desk and threaded wire through it to stow all his gadgets and wires, completely clearing the top area. This coupled with Adam’s cord management solution would make for an attractive, sparse desktop with lots of elbow room. โ€” Gina Trapani

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Pelagic recalls dive watches due to decompression hazard

Posted on February 28, 2007 by admin

Its never good when your dive watch is giving you bad info!

Pelagic Pressure Systems is recalling some 2,800 of its Oceanic and AERIS digital dive computer watches, citing a possible decompression hazard for divers relying on them (the exact models affected are listed on the CPSC page linked below). The problem occurs when switching from one gas to another during a dive, which apparently has the dangerous side effect of locking up the watch’s display, leaving the diver uncertain of his or her dive time. That could either cause them to enter decompression unknowingly or ascend prematurely, resulting in the serious problem of decompression sickness. While there’s been two reports of defective watches, they apparently haven’t resulted in any injuries. Those with the watches won’t have to do without them for long, however, with a trip to an authorized Oceanic or AERIES dealer for a software upgrade the only fix needed.

From Engadget

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F-22 Raptors' systems crash mid-flight over Pacific

Posted on February 28, 2007 by admin

Lockheed’s shiny new F-22 Raptor stealth fighters may have owned a few war games, but crossing the International Date Line left them as helpless as a carrot in a rabbit trap, with multiple system crashes causing an emergency detour en route from Hawaii to Okinawa, Japan. Communication, fuel subsystems, and navigation systems were rendered useless and repeated "reboots" were of no help. Luckily, the fleet had clear skies and refueling tankers to guide them back to Hawaii. If they had separated from the tankers, "they would have turned around and probably could have found the Hawaiian Islands. But if the weather had been bad on approach, there could have been real trouble," states Retired Air Force Major General Don Shepperd. The voyage suffered a two-day delay on account of the system failures — "a computer glitch in the millions of lines of code, somebody made an error in a couple lines of the code and everything goes." What should have been a showy parade of $125+ million super fighters quickly turned to disaster for Lockheed who would’ve had a lot of explaining to do, had this happened during combat.

[Via Slashdot]

From Engadget

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Dilbert – February 24, 2007

Posted on February 23, 2007 by admin

dilbert-20070224

From GeeK.nL (Dilbert Archive)

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Free fonts at UrbanFonts

Posted on February 14, 2007 by admin

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If you’re looking for a few new fonts to spice up your presentation or document, head over to UrbanFonts, a site with pay-for and freebie fonts.

I’m no designer but lots of these look fun and interesting. The free offerings especially might contain something that should be in your collection. Urban Fonts free typefaces are available as a download for Mac and Windows. โ€” Gina Trapani

From Lifehacker

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