Mac vs. Windows

Seriously, this never gets old. It's been like this for many years and many products, but I still chuckle every single time.

Living Up to Stereotype

Weeks ago I ordered some music gear from an online UK retailer I'd used before. After 3 weeks with neither the goods nor an explanation, I asked what was up and they apologized that they'd gone bankrupt or were being bought out or something. But of course. I cancelled the order and placed the same thing at a German retailer I'd also used before. The Germans shipped the order the same day I ordered it (free shipping) and it arrived less than 48 hours later.

Rail De-civilized

What we wanted: air travel more like rail
What we got: rail travel more like air

Behold the vanishing dining cars. We're poorer for their loss. Radio 5 summed it up best: "Now it's back to cardboard cups, plastic wrapped sandwiches and the rattle of the refreshment trolley."

Powerline Ethernet vs. Wifi

Testing out my LAN performance when on wifi, I was only getting 4.5 - 8 Mbps. It's certainly a crowded field. Must take extra time for those radio packets to elbow through the neighborhood scrum. Today my powerline ethernet adapters arrived (D-Link 307AV, £50 for a pair). Does it work? Oh yes: 78 Mbps, even though one is plugged into a shared power strip (suboptimal) instead of a wall socket. Take that, wifi.

Bathing in WiFi

Newest computer at home typically sees about 16 wifi networks. Briefly set a new record tonight by seeing, including my own, twenty-nine networks. The powerline ethernet adapters have been dispatched....

Spring Theatre

The whole family recently enjoyed a charming and thoroughly enjoyable The 39 Steps (very funny, played with panache and gusto, heartily recommended), now looking forward to some Stoppard and might try out an evening as a groundling later in the summer.

Getting Data to the iPad

A while ago I was disappointed that bluetooth tethering (for internet) was not available on iPad. I was considering jailbreaking the thing to try this out but never got around to it. I did end up using a little 3g mywi thingy to create a small personal wifi hotspot for my iPad at work, and that's been fine. But I just noticed that since one of the recent updates, bluetooth tethering is now available. Thanks, Apple! So on my iphone, I'm vending the internet via bluetooth, consuming via iPad. Working fine! Since I tend to underuse the data I purchase on the mywi thing, and underuse the data I'm entitled to on my iPhone plan, this could allow me to stop using the mywi if it works out well. So far so good.

Chattanooga++

I've mentioned before that I really like Chattanooga. I've been visiting there annually for at least a decade now, and it seems to keep just doing the right things in terms of investment, community building, diversifying the economny, public & private investment, focused and meaningful renewal efforts. It's got lots of local crafts, a tidy campus in UTC, a kid-friendly downtown, interesting old neighborhoods, and a lot more. Here's a nice article about the revitalized southside.

And I'm not sure how I missed it, but Nooga has gigabit internet available (at a super-high premium, but still) over the entire city. Been thinking about the state of fiber and broadband, inspired by an excellent PBS piece on the subject, so it's great to see Chattanooga actually leading the charge. As Ars Technica observed when 1Gb was rolled out in the fall, "Thanks to its aggressive buildout, solid management, and willingness to work with researchers, entrepreneurs, and big business, Chattanooga has become a model deployment for muni-fiber backers." And Ars has written a recent followup that not only makes a nice tie-in to the past (electricity to the Tennessee Valley), but talks about the possibilities when people start to "take advantage of abundance rather than conform to scarcity". Well said.

P.S. It's symmetrical!

Mo' Better Money Blogging

A Forbes blogger is turning out to be a goldmine of good explanations. The latest is clear, concise, and well worth a read: Money Growth Does Not Cause Inflation

Commute In Land-Speeders

While the USA stumbles ineptly towards a dream of 100mph rail travel (golly!), Japan is working on flying robot trains.

Bring back the ekranoplan!

Yet Another Reason To Love London

Westbound central line train for Ealing Broadway: next stop, Shepherd's Pie! I love charming and goofy stuff such as this.