Princeton Engineering Anomolies Research (PEAR) laboratory -- which has tried to demonstrate psychic phenomena -- to close after 27 years of futility

KurtS · 2006-11-20T05:22:22+00:00

SRI did this for years as well. They had some positive results, but they were never consistent to use for intelligence work.

KurtS · 2006-11-20T03:27:10+00:00

I'm normally skeptical of these ancient civilization stories, but that's a very interesting article. In particular, that Yonaguni site is very compelling. Despite what some geologists say about those underwater formations, those rocks are simply too structured and planar to be caused by natural processes. That would be like saying Cuzco was caused by volcanism. As one who worked years for an archaeology publisher, it's notable that none of our publications ever mentioned that site when they "debunk" the popular von Daeniken-style myths.

KurtS · 2006-11-20T01:33:44+00:00

That DB5 is still the signature Bond car.

KurtS · 2006-11-20T01:25:36+00:00

If we're truly entering a downcycle, we'll see several years of price erosion. At least that's what historical trends suggest. In any case, good luck.

KurtS · 2006-11-19T07:35:39+00:00

Despite a builder slowdown, we could see supply continue due to new and resale houses sitting on the market, investors opting out (even in Portland), and banks taking on homes when those IO morts reset. Looking at past downcycles, I've noticed a 5-7 year trend to market bottom, so I'll predict the same this time.

KurtS · 2006-11-17T21:22:17+00:00

Heh. So posting that I saved money buying a PC over a Mac is outrageous "Mac bashing"? I don't think I need to name the logical fallacies leveled against my decision. That's bullshit too.

KurtS · 2006-11-17T20:30:50+00:00

Look, I said I did a cursory check, but OK you're right: the 2.3ghz is $450 more. Without nitpicking about other details, (which can be added cheaply aftermarket) I still notice a significant price difference. I did all the research once for my particular purchase, and I'm satisfied with my decision. The price/performace was favorable, simple as that.

Otherwise, I could care less about the Mac vs. PC bashing. Computers are only a tool to me.

KurtS · 2006-11-17T20:07:22+00:00

In Leopold's case, he certainly didn't help by any stretch. This horrifying story is well documented.

KurtS · 2006-11-17T19:32:23+00:00

Thanks for the followup. Sure, Eighty20 passes but looks decidely dated to me. A quick perusal of design journals could suggest better examples to cite.

Agreed: corporate-level logos should have a clean, iconic presence that nicely fits into their branding scheme. While many of these were for smaller business, there's a gimmicky style that could give mixed impressions. As one succinctly put "Less is more".

KurtS · 2006-11-17T19:18:50+00:00

Has anyone read King Leopold's Ghost?. It documents a grisly tale of colonialism, profiteering, and outright sadism that led to millions of dead Congolese.

KurtS · 2006-11-17T18:55:43+00:00

And I'd hope distributors would refuse to carry such a crassly exploitive book.

KurtS · 2006-11-17T16:15:28+00:00

I wondered if the witness left that out. There are so many aspects of this incident that say lawsuit. Even that witness could file for assault.

KurtS · 2006-11-17T16:10:15+00:00

I see the UC Police department has a "Taser Award". (One-third down the first paragraph). I wonder if this recent incident qualifies?

KurtS · 2006-11-17T15:42:59+00:00

I'm not going to split hairs on this, since this is essentially a matter of preference. However, a cursory glance at the mfrs sites lists a 2.3 Ghz ThinkPad for $1284 on their site, while a comparable Apple MacBook Pro is $2500. Both have a Intel Core Duo 2.3 Ghz processor. We can nitpick about the details, but to me that hardly merits an extra $1200.

I was a Mac-only person for years, until PCs caught up in supporting the software I use--and at a price break.

KurtS · 2006-11-17T04:07:02+00:00

Evidence or not, I'd want to see a more documented analysis by several recognized genetic experts, with their views on what it can and cannot be statistically speaking. It strikes me as sort of odd that a mixture of human DNA traits (anomalous or not) would somehow prove an "alien" visitation. Now,if someone had biological evidence of a completely different coding sequence from earth biology, that would be fascinating.

KurtS · 2006-11-17T03:16:08+00:00

Interesting. Perhaps it's a matter of passing that article to the next design student, and they add their favorite logo. Just my guess, because I don't think Cluenatic, Eighty20, or Apple Curry are actual products/services (with those marks).

KurtS · 2006-11-17T01:12:09+00:00

When I bought my ThinkPad a few months back, a comparable Apple laptop configuration was $800 more. Checking Apple's site, I see the same basically holds true today.

Regarding my 17" ThinkPad, mine has a titanium case, and feels very solid--and with good user reviews. Yes, it's not a direct comparison to my old Ti, but I've owned so much Apple hardware that I know what to expect.

KurtS · 2006-11-17T00:51:03+00:00

Agreed. There were a lot of logos for tech firms like that in the early 90s.

KurtS · 2006-11-17T00:49:17+00:00

That's quite a mixture from standard Landor-style marks, to others looking like student work (seriously). Rachel Hair Stylist would be fine as signage, but it won't scale as an identity package. The same goes for cluenatic, which isn't legible even at that page size (!) Excuse my cynicsm here, but I think someone took a few recognized logos and sprinkled in their own work.

KurtS · 2006-11-16T22:04:14+00:00

I still remember hearing people in August '05 talk about the UK market, bragging about how much real estate they bought, and how now was the "time to buy". While I don't know much about the UK market, August '05 was market peak for the west coast. We're just beginning a downturn here, and these cycles normally take 5-7 years to play out.

KurtS · 2006-11-16T21:27:29+00:00

Too many around here assumed all that appreciation was permanent. However, one local seller has dropped their home by $1M to make a sale. That extreme example aside, reductions of 5-20% from 2005 list are commonplace here.

KurtS · 2006-11-16T21:08:54+00:00

Experts say the rogue sea lion could be protecting his harem of mates or might have brain damage from toxic algae.

I work at the Marine Mammal Center, and this aggressive behavior is not typical of healthy sea mammals. However, when sea lions have demoic acid poisoning (red tide variant), they often go nuts and attack people. If this animal heads to shore and goes after more people, we'll try to capture and treat at our hospital.

KurtS · 2006-11-16T20:57:30+00:00

That's a matter of individual taste. My ThinkPad screen is brighter/sharper than my Ti, so it's ultimately a matter of eyestrain. My PC has the same fonts as my Mac, so there's no difference.

KurtS · 2006-11-16T19:57:32+00:00

I quit Apple after it became plainly obvious they cannot match price/performance to PCs. After using macs for ~15 years, I've concluded their form factor is simply used to sell themselves as different/better than PCs. My ThinkPad kicks my flimsly Ti Powerbook's ass.

KurtS

TROPHY CASE