This road sign in Manitoba showed an effective message after a low-tech hacker got his hands on it.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Imagine that!
On tonight's news, I heard about a 73 year old that just won a $50M jackpot in Ontario. That's the largest single-ticket win in Ontario history. This man had purchased his ticket two weeks after retiring. He's been playing the same set of numbers for decades.
It's comforting to see that some elderly folks will be able to live comfortably, without putting too much strain on the government or their families.
Perhaps retirement income supplementation was the reason that drove an 87-year old man to allegedly smuggle $2.9M worth of cocaine across the border. Here's the story.
On tonight's news, I heard about a 73 year old that just won a $50M jackpot in Ontario. That's the largest single-ticket win in Ontario history. This man had purchased his ticket two weeks after retiring. He's been playing the same set of numbers for decades.
It's comforting to see that some elderly folks will be able to live comfortably, without putting too much strain on the government or their families.
Perhaps retirement income supplementation was the reason that drove an 87-year old man to allegedly smuggle $2.9M worth of cocaine across the border. Here's the story.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
I couldn't resist
I got this cartoon today via email and had to share it. It was drawn by Bruce MacKinnon and originally published in the Chronicle Herald (Halifax) on October 7, 2011.
I got this cartoon today via email and had to share it. It was drawn by Bruce MacKinnon and originally published in the Chronicle Herald (Halifax) on October 7, 2011.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Older people need not apply
The internet is a real life-saver for elderly shut-ins who may not have any contact with the outside world, save for the emails they receive and the visits from kids/grandkids who flock to the computer to keep up with their own social media updates.
I've noticed, however, that the diminished eyesight and impaired hand-eye coordination which is common in elderly users requires that desktop resolutions are set much lower than the computer and monitor are capable.
I know many people who prefer to use 800x600 resolutions on their screen; and some that even continue to use 640x480. Much of today's software cannot work properly on that lowest resolution, but most software still functions adequately at 800x600.
Today, Microsoft announced that their next version of Windows will not function properly on computers using less than 1024x768 resolution. This will make it difficult for seniors who purchase a new computer to get the most out of it. We'll just have to wait to see how Microsoft implements their impaired vision feature before I make any other comments.
Here's the article.
The internet is a real life-saver for elderly shut-ins who may not have any contact with the outside world, save for the emails they receive and the visits from kids/grandkids who flock to the computer to keep up with their own social media updates.
I've noticed, however, that the diminished eyesight and impaired hand-eye coordination which is common in elderly users requires that desktop resolutions are set much lower than the computer and monitor are capable.
I know many people who prefer to use 800x600 resolutions on their screen; and some that even continue to use 640x480. Much of today's software cannot work properly on that lowest resolution, but most software still functions adequately at 800x600.
Today, Microsoft announced that their next version of Windows will not function properly on computers using less than 1024x768 resolution. This will make it difficult for seniors who purchase a new computer to get the most out of it. We'll just have to wait to see how Microsoft implements their impaired vision feature before I make any other comments.
Here's the article.
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
One less prayer
Orthodox Jewish prayer services are ritualistic. That's not a bad thing, in my opinion. There's a protocol to be followed. Certain prayers are said during certain times of the day. Certain prayers are said during certain periods of the year.
There is also a category of prayer that focuses on "future events". We say those prayers now, with the hope that some day, we won't have to say them.
Today, one such prayer was removed from our ritual. The prayer for the safe return of Gilad Shalit. I personally don't agree with the policy that allowed for Israel to release 1000+ convicted criminals (some being terrorists) in exchange for this one Israeli citizen/soldier. In my mind, there's no question that the harm which will be visited on Israel by these 1000+ criminals will outweigh the sorrow for losing one man.
But this article isn't about my personal opinion. It is about the prayer for the safe return of Gilad Shalit. A prayer we've been reciting for 5 years. A prayer we will never recite again!
Orthodox Jewish prayer services are ritualistic. That's not a bad thing, in my opinion. There's a protocol to be followed. Certain prayers are said during certain times of the day. Certain prayers are said during certain periods of the year.
There is also a category of prayer that focuses on "future events". We say those prayers now, with the hope that some day, we won't have to say them.
Today, one such prayer was removed from our ritual. The prayer for the safe return of Gilad Shalit. I personally don't agree with the policy that allowed for Israel to release 1000+ convicted criminals (some being terrorists) in exchange for this one Israeli citizen/soldier. In my mind, there's no question that the harm which will be visited on Israel by these 1000+ criminals will outweigh the sorrow for losing one man.
But this article isn't about my personal opinion. It is about the prayer for the safe return of Gilad Shalit. A prayer we've been reciting for 5 years. A prayer we will never recite again!
Monday, October 10, 2011
You know you're having a bad day when...
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. The turkey's been eaten, the Tigers were beaten, and the Lions are playing the Bears...
But that's not what I'm here to write about. It became known today that the U.S. Airforce's UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) are being controlled from a computer that has a serious virus. The technical term is a "keylogger", which enables some bad guy to monitor what the operators of the computer are typing!
That's not a good thing, when it comes to ANY computer, much less one used to shoot missiles at people. Here's the story.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. The turkey's been eaten, the Tigers were beaten, and the Lions are playing the Bears...
But that's not what I'm here to write about. It became known today that the U.S. Airforce's UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) are being controlled from a computer that has a serious virus. The technical term is a "keylogger", which enables some bad guy to monitor what the operators of the computer are typing!
That's not a good thing, when it comes to ANY computer, much less one used to shoot missiles at people. Here's the story.
Tuesday, October 04, 2011
You go, girl!
The Homecoming Queen at Pinckney Community highschool is also into sports. That's not too unusual, since many popular girls are either "jocks" or "cheerleaders".
What makes this girl special is the sport she plays - BOY'S football.
A short while after the homecoming parade, Brianna Amat was the difference, as she kicked the winning field goal in a game against rival Grand Blanc. Here's the story.
The Homecoming Queen at Pinckney Community highschool is also into sports. That's not too unusual, since many popular girls are either "jocks" or "cheerleaders".
What makes this girl special is the sport she plays - BOY'S football.
A short while after the homecoming parade, Brianna Amat was the difference, as she kicked the winning field goal in a game against rival Grand Blanc. Here's the story.
Monday, October 03, 2011
No, THAT'S amazing
So, I'm at Costco doing my weekly grocery shopping when I walk by the TV section. Playing on the tube is the Detroit Lions/Dallas Cowboys game. I glance at the score (27-3 Dallas, in the 3rd quarter) and make a mental note: I guess Detroit will be 3-and-1 after today. I had that thought DESPITE the Lions having overcome a 20-0 deficit last week to beat the Minnesota Vikings. After all, last weekend, the Lions were healthy. This weekend, they were missing one of their best starters.
I didn't think about the game again until a few minutes ago, when I saw the caption "Lions stun Cowboys" at the top of my local newspaper's online edition. And then, I went to the NFL website to look at the highlights.
Sure, the Lions are ONLY 4-0, with no guarantee of even a winning season yet. However, when you add to that the perfect record in their pre-season, and the perfect last month of the last season (where the finished the season with a 4-and-0 effort), that makes TWELVE games in a row where the Lions have been victorious. This must surely be a source of inspiration, and I'm looking forward to the rest of this promising season.
So, I'm at Costco doing my weekly grocery shopping when I walk by the TV section. Playing on the tube is the Detroit Lions/Dallas Cowboys game. I glance at the score (27-3 Dallas, in the 3rd quarter) and make a mental note: I guess Detroit will be 3-and-1 after today. I had that thought DESPITE the Lions having overcome a 20-0 deficit last week to beat the Minnesota Vikings. After all, last weekend, the Lions were healthy. This weekend, they were missing one of their best starters.
I didn't think about the game again until a few minutes ago, when I saw the caption "Lions stun Cowboys" at the top of my local newspaper's online edition. And then, I went to the NFL website to look at the highlights.
Sure, the Lions are ONLY 4-0, with no guarantee of even a winning season yet. However, when you add to that the perfect record in their pre-season, and the perfect last month of the last season (where the finished the season with a 4-and-0 effort), that makes TWELVE games in a row where the Lions have been victorious. This must surely be a source of inspiration, and I'm looking forward to the rest of this promising season.
Saturday, October 01, 2011
That's amazing
A few days ago, I was discussing with a friend which of the senses would be the hardest to live without. Despite my entire career being devoted to computers (where, I believe, programming would be difficult without sight), I still indicated that it would be hardest for me to live without sound.
That's why I found this video so touching...
A few days ago, I was discussing with a friend which of the senses would be the hardest to live without. Despite my entire career being devoted to computers (where, I believe, programming would be difficult without sight), I still indicated that it would be hardest for me to live without sound.
That's why I found this video so touching...