June 2007 - Posts

Hypermiling Tip #10
24 June 07 09:42 PM | JoeFuture | with no comments
I've lost track of how many tips I've posted so far, so I will just stat with 10. Today's tip: never go through drivethroughs. Even at idling rates, you can waste a significant amount of gas waiting for those fries. Instead, try parking and going inside, having a nice conversation, and enjoying the AC while you wait.
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Silverlight coming to an Internet TV near you?
13 June 07 04:34 PM | JoeFuture | 1 comment(s)

Maven Networks announced it will be incorporating Silverlight technology into its InternetTV offerings, opening up doors for rich interactive applications on the tube as well as easing content providers' path for providing Windows Media-based video.

It just... keeps... getting... cooler!

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Silverlight Amazon Album Viewer
05 June 07 02:38 PM | JoeFuture | with no comments

AlbumViewerDemo

Check out this slick demo by Dan Wahlin.  He has built an application using Silverlight that looks up artists on Amazon.com and renders a glossy carousel view of all albums by that artist.  Hovering over an album brings up a more detailed view including the Amazon member rating. 

Even nicer, Dan has made the source code available for learning purposes.

Silverlight just keeps rockin' on... get on the train!

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Breakin' the rules
04 June 07 10:07 PM | JoeFuture | with no comments
I broke two of my core shopping rules today. The first involved going into a Best Buy with the intent of making a purchase. The second involved buying that item at WalMart when Best Buy didn't have it!

All I wanted was a simple corded wall phone with Caller ID. Nothing fancy - the kind of phone everyone had 15 years ago. Turns out all you can get at BB these days are cordless phones with features galore. They only had 1 model that didn't require an AC plug, but it was $30 and didn't have Caller ID. Before I got desperate, I even checked an OfficeMax.

Why is it so hard to find something so simple? Can the public really be duped into believing they have to fork over a full day's pay (on credit, of course) for a "mega device" when you can get away with a much more basic solution? Could it be that the luddites are onto something?

Well thank goodness for WalMart, I guess. The phone cost a mere $8 and the 25ft cord was $6. People watching in Hell, priceless. But I have to admit when I think about all the packaging, materials, process, labor, energy, and pollution that went into making that phone, Going off the grid sounds better and better.

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Pen Blogging
01 June 07 11:39 PM | JoeFuture | with no comments

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Live Writer Updated
01 June 07 11:28 PM | JoeFuture | with no comments

Windows Live Writer Beta has been updated, along with Live Messenger and Live Mail.  All three applications now sport a shiny new Vista-esque theme that actually looks very nice even on Windows XP.

Download all 3 at http://ideas.live.com.

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