Skip to content

Monthly Archives: December 2009

Christmas Day Photos

Anthony, Nick, Aaron, Lacey, Brian, Eric

Eric’s favorite gift, an MP3 player with buttons big enough for him to push.

Anthony’s favorite gift, A singing toucan flashlight.

And the expensive one, Aaron’s favorite gift, an iMac. His old PC just couldn’t handle Aaron’s multi-track video editing and encoding, so we finally decided it was time for a Mac and Final Cut (Express).

Bloody Brian

 

And of course, no family gathering would be complete without Aaron making a movie! Brian and I were both casualties in this film.

OK, time to catch up on life and get ready for 2010! Whooo Hoooo!

Share

No Public Option = No Real Change

The American people are not getting the change we wanted when we elected Barrack Obama president, at least when it comes to the mess of our health care system.

True, there are a few regulations in the Senate bill that will help protect some Americans against the nasty ways of the private insurance companies. There are also subsidies to help people pay for insurance. But without a strong public option the worst of our health care problems are not going to go away. This is simply because the problem with our current system is the for-profit private insurance companies. The current health care bill is so watered down now that I consider it a loss. Without a strong public option, the insurance companies win.

Also, don’t forget that the subsidies are tax payer dollars and where will all these dollars go? Right into the deep pockets of the insurance companies. They will only get bigger and stronger, which is the main problem with our system to begin with. As for the new regulations, the insurance companies with their lawyers and lobbyists will find ways around these new regulations and do what they always do: make money.

As long as the goal for the private insurance companies is to make money off of the backs of sick people, our health system is not going to get fixed. Health care should not be a for-profit business; the more care is denied the better the profit margin. This is unethical in my opinion.

I do understand the Republicans who don’t want government controlling our lives, but in the case of health care, I don’t see how any government program could be as bad as the screwing we get from private insurance companies. If you don’t feel the pain, then you are probably not sick or disabled.

The current bill will just create more red tape and headaches for Americans. Until we have a single-payer system and cut out the money grabbing middle-man, our health care system will remain broken.

Share

Top Ten Tech in Ten

PCMag.com’s Best Products, Services, and Technologies of the Decade:

1. Google
2. Apple iPhone
3. Apple iPod
4. Facebook
5. Wi-Fi
6. Broadband Internet Access
7. TiVo
8. GPS
9. Windows XP
10. Apple iMac

Full article: Best of the Decade

I started using Google at the end of the 1990’s, before most people had even heard of the search engine. I really liked it’s clean interface compared to cluttered search pages like Alta vista and Yahoo. But it was Google’s uncanny knack of finding just what I was looking for that kept me using Google and I’ve been Googling ever since.

Back at the start of this decade, I don’t think anyone could have imagined how far Google would go, and there is no end in sight! They certainly deserve the number one spot for the best products, services, and technologies of the decade!

Share

Boston SUPER Megafest 2009

Boston Super Megafest or SMF is the largest gathering of celebrities, fans and memorabilia dealers in the New England area. This weekend event, which took place on Nov 21 & 22, 2009 at the Sheraton in Framingham, MA is lots of fun for only $20.

The people attending are often more interesting than the celebrities. People come dressed in all kinds of elaborate costumes and really get into the fantasy of being a super hero or sci-fi character. The most popular costumes tend to be from Star Wars and Star Trek, but Batman and the Joker are also popular.

Parked outside the hotel was the Batmobile from the original TV show. I was a big fan of the TV show when I was a kid. It is so funny to watch those episodes now. If you are too young to remember the show, there are lots of episodes and clips on youtube.

The vast majority of people who attend these events are geeks, nerds, and dorks, with a few typical folks along to ‘people watch’ the geeks, nerds and dorks. All together it’s a nice bunch of folks just having a good time. For me, it’s a fun escape from everyday life; add that to the nostalgia thrown in and it’s a blast!

The highlight of this years event for me was meeting Brent Spiner (Data from Star Trek: TNG). OK, so I’m a bit of a Star Trek geek. I’ve enjoyed the TV shows and movies since the original, but my favorite Star Trek is the Next Generation (TNG). For movies, Star Trek IV has always been my favorite, but the new 2009 movie, is pretty darn good. Brent Spiner is a friendly guy and very funny.

I also got to meet Larry Storch (Corporal Agarn on F Troop). F Troop was another of my favorite shows in the 60’s and Larry still looks pretty darn good in his 80’s!

Also at the Megafest were two of the Monkees, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork. I met both of them and saw them preform on Saturday night. Peter played “Day Dream Believer” solo with his guitar, which I really enjoyed. Micky is still quite an entertainer.

Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz

 

There was a whole lot more going on at the Megafest, but these were a few of my favorites. More photos on Flickr.

Share