Phoenix Lander photographs

Phoenix News

Another awesome picture of the Phoenix landing. This photo was taken from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Other pictures include the crater with Phoenix decending. And an annotated shot of the Phoenix lander, heat shield, and parachute.

Real estate agents debate local statistics

Real estate agents debate local statistics:

Overall, I feel that Realtors lobby to protect their vested interests. However, this article, from Press of Atlantic City includes an interesting quote from Bruce E. Breunig. I commend him for his insight and honesty.

"Bruce E. Breunig Jr., broker at Century 21 Alliance in Margate, admitted that 'we Realtors remain part of the problem. We blame the media for fueling the downturn and try to counterbalance it with our own positive spin.'

Breunig had a theory as to why the NAR survey shows rising prices locally that real estate agents aren't seeing.

The Realtor survey tracks median home prices, the price at which half of all sales were for more, half for less.

The subprime mortgage crisis and subsequent credit crunch have made it far more difficult for low-end buyers to get a mortgage, he said, which has reduced the number of low-end sales. The homes that sell are then disproportionately from the upper half of the market, artificially raising the median price.

The other survey with local home prices, from the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, avoids this kind of distortion by tracking price changes at particular properties.

For the fourth quarter of 2007, the OFHEO survey said Atlantic City area prices fell 1 percent, even as the Realtor survey showed them rising 10.7 percent in the same period."

The Phoenix Mission - photos from Mars

I don't have time to comment yet, but The Phoenix Mission is awesome.  There was minimal coverage on the news (in my opinion), but the photos from the University of Arizona site are incredible.

As a kid, I got up early and watched every space launch.  When Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, I thought the video was too good to be real, and at first I thought it was some form of animation.

I only hope that in 2008, there are still kids with that level of interest who seek out sites like this and watch the NASA channel (cable TV or online...).

Technorati Tags: science,space,Mars,photography

Olympus W-10 Voice Album Software

I just went on a search of the Internet to find software for my Olympus W-10 digital recorder and camera.  I found some rip-off usb-drivers.com download site that requires you to register for dozens of what appear to be SPAM sources.  BTW - I registered Karl Rove at whitehouse.gov and that appeared to work, but even then I got into a circular loop and never got to the driver download.

Anyhow, to make sure this doesn't happen to anyone else, I found my original driver CD and Zipped all the files so everyone can have them.

BTW - these are not available on any Olympus support site, and I realize this device is at least 8 years old, so I'm posting them for general consumption and will contact Olympus.

Olympus Voice Album W-10 Software

Technorati Tags: software,hardware,drivers,download

Ride of Silence - Mount Laurel, NJ

Ride of Silence is a silent, slow ride in honor of those who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways. 

I'm leading a Ride of Silence in Mount Laurel, NJ.  We will meet in the corner of the Shop-Rite parking lot at the intersection of Union Mill Road and Elbo Lane.  I posted a Ride of Silence Ride on my Ride List list.  It is currently 11 miles, and I may cut it down under 10 miles, but it will be some variation of the ride posted and it will be on rural roads with relatively light traffic.

It is suggested that we wear black arm bands on the ride and I require that all participants wear a helmet.  The ride is scheduled for twelve miles at a target speed of 12mph.  Think of this ride as meditation and reflection.  The ride is for anyone and everyone who rides a bike, and the ride will be short enough and flat enough that you can ride just about any bike - hybrids, mountain bikes, single speeds, cruisers.  Kids are welcome as well, but if they are under 18, a parent should ride with them.  My daughters and possibly the local Scout Troop may participate.

If a lot of people show up on Wednesday, we may split the ride up into 2-3 groups for safety.

DATE: May 21, 2008
TIME: 7:00 PM
WHERE: Mount Laurel, NJ

Towne Square Center
892 Union Mill Road
Mt. Laurel, NJ 08054

 

Technorati Tags: bicycle

Gas Prices - what's the fuss?

Businesses are significantly impacted by the price of gas, particularly trucking, but I am tired of hearing news outlets incessantly beating the drum about the price for regular gas.

I maintain that for every dollar increase in the price of gasoline, the cost to the average consumer is $50 per month.

The average person in the United States drives 12,000 miles per year.  The average car gets 20 mpg.  At this rate, they buy 600 gallons of gas per year.

12000 miles per year/20 miles per gallon = 600 gallons/year

The price of gas has increased about $1 per gallon since last year, so this is $600 per year or $600/12 = $50 per month.

I'm more concerned about the increase in the price of cream for my coffee, which has almost doubled in the past year.  Bread and other staples have increased at an alarming pace, and quite frankly, I spend quite a bit more on food than gasoline in a month.

$50 per month is less than the cable bill for most households.  $50 per month is less than my than my home water/sewer bill. $50 per month is less than I spend on coffee.

Every time I see the news on TV, they lead with the price of gasoline.  I don't care about the price of gas, I care about health insurance, food, education, and my local taxes.  $50 per month is a rounding error on my monthly budget, not something that I need to hear about every night.

 

Technorati Tags: economy,energy,news

:: rogerebert.com :: Answer Man (xhtml)

:: rogerebert.com :: Answer Man (xhtml):


Roger Ebert has had multiple, disfiguring surgeries to treat his recurring cancer. He is disfigured from the cancer and surgeries, but he is still a public figure, and I think its a powerful message for people.

"Q. Readers want to know if the Movie Answer Man is too PC to review 'Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed'?
Ruddy Spencer, Tucson, Ariz.

A. The last I heard, it is not considered Politically Correct to agree with Darwin. I think it is more like, oh, intelligent."

Exchange Server 2007 Prerequisite Updates

Exchange Server 2007 Prerequisite Updates

This is a good overview of the Exchange 2007 pre-requisites for the various Exchange roles (including Unified Messaging, Edge, x86, x64, and Admin Tools).

I have been traveling quite a bit the past month and am using my spare time (what's that?) setting up a virtual AD/Exchange/SharePoint environment on my laptop. The goal is to hone my PowerShell and admin skills and perform proof-of-concept testing.