August 2010
1 post
The Runoff Podcast - This Is A Test
No, really. It’s just a test. If you happen to see this, and it works, then we may put up a short clip for your entertainment while we’re working on episode two. (283 KB) Listen on posterousWill it work? Posted via email from the runoff | Comment »
July 2010
13 posts
3 tags
The Runoff Podcast - Episode 1
Welcome to The Runoff Podcast! On our ingagural episode: Meet @austinmiles Meet @chrisrunoff The best white trash story ever! What are we going to call this? (14064 KB) Listen on posterous Take a listen and tell us what you think! Subscribe via iTunes or the RSS Feed. The Runoff Podcast is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 License. Posted...
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The Neuroscience of Inception - LINK
Thanks to the subdued activity of the frontal lobes and the excited visual cortex, we sit in our plush chairs munching on popcorn and confuse the fake with the real. We don’t question the non-sequiturs or complain about the imperfect special effects or the shallow characters. Instead, we just sit back and watch and lose track of the time together.via wired.com This article is a fascinating...
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My First Act of Free Will - LINK
There’s a certain frivolousness to all these eloquent arguments over free will. The fact is, we are deeply wired to believe in our freedom. We feel like willful creatures, blessed with elbow room and endowed with the capacity to pick our own breakfast cereal. via wired.com Free will, and whether or not it exists, is one of my favorite philosophical topics. This article over at Wired points...
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Photoshop of Horrors: Wired Readers Show BP How...
We asked you last week to help us show BP that when hiring unethical photographers (or photo editors) in the future, they should look for Photoshop proficiency on their resumes. In response, you put the company’s pathetic photo-doctoring of oil-cleanup press photos to shame. Your work was not only more skilled, it was far more imaginative. Why just remove the ground beneath a parked helicopter...
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Federal judge blocks key parts of SB 1070 - LINK
Key parts of Senate Bill 1070 that will not go into effect Thursday: • The portion of the law that requires an officer make a reasonable attempt to determine the immigration status of a person stopped, detained or arrested if there’s reasonable suspicion they’re in the country illegally. • The portion that creates a crime of failure to apply for or carry...
In Case Of Emergency Fail
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7 tags
GeekDad Interviews Phineas and Ferb Creators - ...
As the 104 days of summer vacation start to dwindle into the hot and lazy dog days, our favorite creative and inventive pair of stepbrothers, Phineas and Ferb, have a couple of summer spectacular events on the way to put a little bounce in your house before the kids head back to school. via wired.com This is one of my favorite shows to watch with the kids… and maybe sometimes on my own....
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Mango Salsa Recipe
I made some mango salsa this afternoon and thought it would be a great thing to share since it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything here. So here goes: Mango Salsa: 1 Ripe Mango 1/2 Med. Red Onion 1/2 Med. Red Bell Pepper 1/8 Cup Cilantro Chop them all up and mix together. Simple as that. The secret is to finely chop the onion and pepper. You could add a little fresh...
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Skype Finally Breaks Free on the iPhone - LINK
Skype can now receive calls when the app is running invisibly in the background, which was a major omission in previous versions released before Apple added multitasking to its OS. via wired.com Doesn’t really solve the AT&T coverage woes, but it sure does help in the $ department. “I’ll take the 0 minute plan, please.” Posted via email from the...
Made a Stop At a Favorite
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Sam's Front Flip
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4 tags
Firefox 4 Beta 1 - LINK
Mozilla recently released the first beta version of Firefox 4, the next iteration of the world’s second most popular browser (after Internet Explorer). The new Firefox offers the usual under-the-hood tweaks you’d expect, such as improved security and better page rendering, and it also supports WebM, Google’s new open video standard project. But more importantly to the average...
6 tags
BEHOLD! The Future, Today - LINK
via news.discovery.com That’s right, an ACTUAL flying car. From the article: “It’s a two-seater. Front-wheel-drive. Gets about 30 mpg on the highway. But give it a third of a mile of straight asphalt in front of it, and it really flies.” ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME? Just yesterday, my 10 year old son asked me when we’d have...
June 2010
13 posts
4 tags
Lunar Eclipse Graces Sky Saturday, June 26, 2010 -...
A partial lunar eclipse will be visible across much of North America early Saturday morning, according to the editors of StarDate magazine. As Earth’s long shadow falls across the Moon, the part in the shadow will turn dark. It will look as though a chunk were missing from the Moon. via stardate.org Prime viewing will be in the early morning hours, so set your alarms… or stay up all...
3 tags
AT-AT DAY AFTERNOON
via youtube.com Yep. This is awesome. Enjoy! Posted via email from the runoff | Comment »
Lunch Time
This little guy was hanging out by the Sabino Canyon Tram ticket office. (1070 KB) Watch on posterous Posted via email from the runoff | Comment »
Lunch Time
This little guy was hanging out by the Sabino Canyon Tram ticket office. (1070 KB) Watch on posterous Posted via email from the runoff | Comment »
5 tags
Putting Context to the Gulf Oil Disaster
Using Google Maps, the site Ifitwasmyhome.com helps put some context to the size of the oil spill in the gulf. Check out how large it is compared to my home state. This was a sobering moment this morning. How does it measure up to where you are? The site also has a lot of useful links for those who want to help is some way. Check it out! Posted via email from the...
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Resolving the iPhone resolution - LINK
In other words, at 12 inches from the eye, Jobs claims, the pixels on the new iPhone are so small that they exceed your eye’s ability to detect them. Pictures at that resolution are smooth and continuous, and not pixellated. However, a display expert has disputed this. Raymond Soneira of DisplayMate Industries, was quoted both in that Wired article and on PC Mag (and other sites as well) saying...
Backyard Water Park
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Slip n' Slide part 3
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Slip n' Slide part 2
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Slip n' Slide part 1
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3 tags
Origin of the OSI Model - LINK
As ubiquitous as the OSI model is in the world of network engineering, it occurred to me recently that I could not recall seeing a standard document defining the model referenced even once in all of the books I’ve read. Odd. A little digging turned up a formal definition of the model in the form of ITU recommendation X.200, available for free in PDF format. via packetlife.net If you work...
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SMBC: The Prisoner's Dilemma - LINK
via smbc-comics.com Everyone loves a comic that makes you laugh; a comic that makes you laugh and think is GOLD! Posted via web from the runoff | Comment »
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Stats contradict immigration rhetoric on crime -...
Crime in the Valley and Arizona is on the decrease, according to recent statistics. The city of Phoenix reported 131,052 crimes in 2004. That number fell to 109,784 in 2008 and 90,024 in 2009, according to the Phoenix Police Department. Phoenix had 9,679 drug crimes last year compared to 10,741 in 2004. Statewide, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said there were 255,133 serious...
May 2010
8 posts
Random Shots From the iPhone Part2
Part 2 in the random iPhone library shots collection. Enjoy! «iphone.zip» See the full gallery on posterous Posted via email from the runoff | Comment »
4 tags
Towel Day - Celebrating the life and work of...
Towel Day is an annual celebration on the 25th of May, as a tribute to the late author Douglas Adams (1952-2001). On that day, fans around the universe proudly carry a towel in his honour. via towelday.org Happy Towel Day everyone! Posted via web from the runoff | Comment »
Photocommute: My Morning Drive
Okay, I’m pretty late to the party on this one, but I was inspired by Matthew Petro’s photo journal of his commute to work. This is only my morning drive, but I’m pretty happy with out it turned out and half the journey is better than no journey at all. If you like my photos, check out my flickr page, the link is over the the right there. You’ll find larger versions of...
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Community - Modern Warfare | Must Watch
Community is one of my favorite shows on TV right now and this episode may be the best of the season. Check it out! Posted via web from the runoff | Comment »
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Star Wars in 2 Minutes with Legos
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The Friendship Algorithm
My wife and son brought me a geektastic t-shirt from their trip! Big Bang Theory FTW!!! Posted via email from the runoff | Comment »
May the 4th Be With You!
Happy Star Wars day everybody! Source: http://simonz.co.hu/sagaposter_eng.html Posted via email from the runoff | Comment »
5 tags
Desmond Tutu: Arizona: The Wrong Answer - LINK
Abominations such as apartheid do not start with an entire population suddenly becoming inhumane. They start here. They start with generalizing unwanted characteristics across an entire segment of a population. They start with trying to solve a problem by asserting superior force over a population. They start with stripping people of rights and dignity - such as the right to be presumed innocent...
April 2010
18 posts
3 tags
Maybe The Most Powerful Photo I've Ever Seen -...
27Praying Tibetan monks seen through flames, distorted by the heat shimmer above the mass cremation of victims of the earthquake in Yushu County on April 17, 2010. (AP Photo) # via boston.com This is perhaps the most powerful, devastating, and amazing photo I’ve ever seen; the emotions it generates are difficult to describe. The scene is heartbreaking; yet there is a serenity, a peace...
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The Daily Show Weighs In on SB1070
The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c Law & Border www.thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party Posted via web from the runoff | Comment »
7 tags
Kids Choir Performs Jonathan Coulton's "Still...
via youtube.com The video isn’t great, but the choir does a great job. Posted via web from the runoff | Comment »
5 tags
"No Problemo" Colbert on SB 1070
The Colbert Report Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c The Word - No Problemo www.colbertnation.com Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Fox News Posted via web from the runoff | Comment »
3 tags
How To Protect Your Personal Information In...
If you do not want to expose your personal data to sites outside of Facebook, there are a couple of things that you need to do. Log into your Facebook account and go to the privacy settings, which are under Account–>Privacy Settings–>Applications and Websites (you can find this in the top right corner). At the bottom of the page is an area called “Instant Personalization”. Uncheck the...
Jumping In
When we first got in the pool, Ella didn’t want to leave the steps. She got over that pretty quickly. (1226 KB) Watch on posterous Posted via email from the runoff | Comment »
Weekend Swimming
We had a great weekend by the pool. «weekendswimming.zip» See the full gallery on posterous Posted via email from the runoff | Comment »
How Geeks Give Flowers
I sent this flower to my wife a little while ago. Who says geeks aren’t romantic? «WISE_rosebud.jpg» Source: http://news.discovery.com/space/big-pic-wise-cosmic-rosebud.html Posted via email from the runoff | Comment »
7 tags
Cardinal Mahony likens Arizona immigration bill to...
Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony lambasted legislation passed Monday by Arizona lawmakers that would crack down on illegal immigrants, likening it to “German Nazi and Russian Communist techniques” that compelled people to turn each other in. “The Arizona legislature just passed the country’s most retrogressive, mean-spirited, and useless anti-immigrant law,”...
A Little Perspective
My foot = Size 11 The shoe on the left = Size 13 The shoe in the middle could house the old woman, all her kids, and her extended family. Posted via email from the runoff | Comment »
3 tags
Amazing Photos of Iceland's Volcano
14Lava spurts out of the site of a volcanic eruption at the Eyjafjallajl volcano near the Eyjafjalla glacier in Iceland on March 27, 2010. (HALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP/Getty Images) # via boston.com Boston.com has a collection of some amazing photos of the volcano erupting in Iceland. The Big Picture is a fantastic source for great event photography. One of my favorite sites in my Google Reader...
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Library of Congress To Archive All Public Tweets
Have you ever sent out a “tweet” on the popular Twitter social media service? Congratulations: Your 140 characters or less will now be housed in the Library of Congress. That’s right. Every public tweet, ever, since Twitter’s inception in March 2006, will be archived digitally at the Library of Congress. That’s a LOT of tweets, by the way: Twitter processes more than 50 million tweets...
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Photographing The Newest Man-Made Marvel - LINK
Photographer Jamey Stillings speaks very casually about his relationship with bridges. Even though his photo studies began over 20 years ago when he was an MFA student. Even though he has been obsessively documenting the construction of the Colorado River Bridge at the Hoover Dam for over year. Oh, and he almost forgot to mention that his son’s name means “bridge” in...
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Is Net Neutrality Dead?
…a federal appeals court recently overturned the fines imposed by the Federal Communications Commission on Comcast in 2007. The ruling was overturned on the grounds that the FCC lacks jurisdiction over telco Internet access offerings. This decision has a number of ramifications, which I’ll go into shortly. But first: Some people are saying this ruling sounds the death knell to net...
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It's Not Real, It's a Left-Wing Conspiracy
The park’s glaciers have been slowly melting since about 1850, when the centuries-long Little Ice Age ended. National Park Service THE GIST: Glacier National Park has lost two more glaciers to warming. Twenty-five named glaciers are left in the national park. All of the glaciers could be completely gone by the end of the decade. Glacier National Park has lost two...