Viva Las Vegas!

So... I spent the weekend in Las Vegas. I didn't win any money, but I didn't loose a lot either. Here are some photos that I've "Ken Burns-ified." Enjoy!

Nobody should get this excited about software

Here's a picture memorializing the arrival of 'iWork' and 'iLife' - the two swank new software titles from Apple. I haven't had much time to play - but iPhoto 5 is a big improvement. Even nerdier is the fact that this photo was taken from a fancy camera phone and beamed to my computer wirelessly, using bluetooth, from the other room.

Next stop, Jacksonville

Hit 'em low... hit 'em high... and watch our Eagles fly!
Fly, Eagles fly. On the road to victory!

E-A-G-L-E-S EAGLES!

Jersey City Blizzard Cam!

Okay... so it's not snowing yet... but I'm rigging up the old iSight to act as my winter weather window to the world. The image is updated every 20 seconds... reload for the latest. (I'm using some software called KeyCamX to do the heavy lifting)



Let me know what you're seeing!

UPDATE #1: (9:50 AM) KeyCamX is shareware... so I have to register it - or reload it every couple of hours. If you see a blue box over the image, it means that I need to reload it. Sorry!

UPDATE #2: (10:24 AM) I switched to a free program called WebCam2FTP. Still no snow yet!

UPDATE #3 (11:51 AM) The snow as started!

UPDATE #4 (3:16 PM) Put the right number of z's in "blizzard." It's still snowing... quite a bit. It's going to either make for one great football game tomorrow... or one canceled football game tomorrow...

UPDATE #5 (2:40 PM Sunday) Snow's over folks... I've stopped the automatic updating of the SnowCam... I'll update later today after the EAGLES game! E-A-G-L-E-S!

NJ Transit fares to increase

To help cover an increasing budget gap, and combat rising fuel and healthcare costs, NJ Transit is planning to raise fares by about 15%. Also to change, is the discount for off-peak tickets. The current discount is 25%... that'll change to only 12.5%.

I suppose that makes sense, because the off peak trains are just as packed, if not more so, than the rush hour trains. There will also be some simplification of transfers for folks with monthly passes. This little number below for the Hudson Bergen Light Rail will jump from $1.50 to $1.75. Not bad, but it really goes to show what a deal the PATH is at $1.20 a ride (when you buy a 20 trip card).

I don't think this will mean NJT will get off it's butt and get some projects running. Re-establishing service on the West Trenton line, the Monmouth-Ocean-Middlesex route, double tracking the Pascack Valley line, extending the RiverLINE through Trenton to West Trenton... and on and on and on. Somehow I don't think 15% will cover that... or even the current budget gap, frankly. As my friends in the New Jersey Association of Railroad Passengers constantly point out... NJT needs a dedicated revenue source - and that source should be slightly higher gasoline taxes (NJ's are some of the lowest in the country).

The real Jersey Journal

Jersey City really has two Jersey Journals - both of which I read daily. The first is the printed daily (no Sunday) Jersey Journal. I read it online to see what burned down the night before. I read Tris McCall's Jersey City Journal to find out who burned it down.

All kidding aside, if you're interested in what's going on in Jersey city - politics, arts or otherwise, that's the site for you. There was an especially good breakdown of the Mayoral candidates from the recent election (something the print Jersey Journal couldn't quite seem to do) and it was the place for information on the Powerhouse Arts District and the 111 First Street artist community (I'm saddened by the need to use the past tense in that sentence... but Jersey City and the artists have lost out to absentee landthug Lloyd Goldman). Check it out... often.

A little math

I was looking at my "most played" playlist in iTunes, and saw that several songs have been played as many as 75 times. Doing a little math the 5 minute 34 second Talking Heads song (Nothing but) Flowers has been played for almost 7 hours. Yikes. That doesn't include how many times it's been played on my iPod.

Blue state gubernatorial blues...

As a Republican in a very VERY blue state, the Republican primary can be a pointless and irritating experience. The two GOP front runners for Governor (with USDA - that's District Attorney, not the government agency that recommends how many daily servings dairy products you need - Christie out of the race) are Bret Schundler and Doug Forrester. The first is a very conservative and relatively successful Mayor of my current home, Jersey City. The second is a successful businessman and unsuccessful US Senate candidate.

My gut feeling is to go with the former. Yes, I know he made some enemies in Jersey City and tried to steamroll some issues through while Mayor that I'll always be opposed to (his tactics in trying to turn the Bergen Arches into a highway, for example). I'm also not convinced that the Governor's position on abortion really matters at all.

The real question is... is it worth my effort to even throw my hat into either ring? Or am I missing the boat entirely... because I can't really say anything bad about Codey or Corzine right now. Tell me what you think or don't. Better yet... click on those google adds. I'm up to about $1.60 in sweet, sweet profit.

iWork (harder in the future)

Mac fans, check out iWork and iLife '05. iWork has a new version of Keynote (PowerPoint type presenstations) and a new word processor called Pages. My copies of both arrive on Jan 22nd. iLife is the photo organization, movie making, DVD burning and music creating suite.

The biggest question - and possibly the biggest omission from what looks like an excellent product - is whether Pages supports WordPerfect documents. Word 2004 doesn't, Text Edit in Panther doesn't... and if this doesn't... well shoot.

I honestly don't know anybody who uses WordPerfect anymore... but Apple should support it. A Mac can open up pretty much any kind of file... almost.

Planet Wings

Planet Wings just opened up a restaurant in Newark on Broad Street. It's a much needed new business in an area of the Brick City struggling to get on its feet. And you know what... the wings are pretty good. I recommend the hot BBQ flavor (they have about 30 types).

Go and check it out, or have them deliver.

Do not eat iPod shuffle?

Apple came out with the wonderfully simple iPod shuffle today. Looks like fun.



Hmmm... but there's the little footnote... I wonder what they need to warn us against?

Suggestions?

I'm looking for a good biography of this guy (Thomas Jefferson). Any
suggestions?

I'm back...

Happy New Year everyone... sorry for the lack of posting, but internet access in Florida was lacking, to say the least.

To get things rolling... here's a fun bit for you Jersey folks: The Kanye West song "last call" has a nice shout out to Newark NJ and the Ikea at port Elizabeth 7 minutes into it. (FYI, the link is to the iTunes store through the affiliate program... so if you buy it, I'll get 3/8 of a penny).