SCOTT hamilton

Going,going . . . Wow That Was fast!

I had my first experience with craigslist.com over the past few days. On Sunday I listed an electric stove in the free category. It took 15 minutes to see my listing posted and an additional three seconds for someone to respond. And then the next person, and the next. It was an avalanche of response.

 

It was picked up within 24hrs. Sweet. Although that means I can clean my garage now.

 

Craigslist.com – cool experience.

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Google Hacks

Here are some fun Google hacks to try out.

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It’s Alive

My computer has been resurrected!

It has had a gradually disintegrating case of Electrodiscontinuity (I just made that up. Sounds impressive doesn’t it?). The receptacle for the power cord had become loose. I came to learn that it is directly attached to the mother board. A consultation by a major vendor revealed a minimum fee of $250 just to ship out for repair (they couldn’t do it onsite). I was advised to take it to a local repair shop. The diagnosis from them – they couldn’t get the parts from HP and taking it to the only authorized HP dealer around would probably result in having to replace the motherboard for $275. 

My stubbornness kicked in and twenty screws later I had the laptop successfully disemboweled. I didn’t realize things were so small inside. My wife was a little nervous (that was an understatement for those of you who haven’t seen my bathroom remodel project that’s taking longer than the pyramids).  I told her not to worry because all that was needed was a little soldering. Her reply, “I didn’t know you could solder.”
 

Long story short – a little solder and Gorilla Glue later (with only two leftover screws) and my laptop is once again living a full and healthy life.  I could teach the space shuttle technicians a thing or two and save them money on screws. 

 

(Yes Rob my speakers are still working. Dude let it go. I said I was sorry)

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You Light Up My Life

I stumbled across this story of a light bulb that has been burning since 1901. (See the live webcam of it here) It is in a fire station in California. Over the past week I have often thought about it, and in somewhat odd ways I’ve been inspired by it.

 

Here are some random thoughts about it: 

• It doesn’t burn extremely bright, but it endures.
• It has affected countless lives – not more than one or a few at a time.
• It’s not perfect in form, but it is awfully beautiful. Its amber, hand blown glass is artistic – one of a kind.
• It seems genuine.
• It’s presently receiving some notoriety, but for the most part it has been taken for granted.
• I feel slightly guilty using those new fangled fluorescent bulbs.
• “This little light of mine . . .” seems woefully unoriginal to use in this context.

 

The Buddhist saying “In the absence of light, darkness reigns supreme,” seems much more appropriate . . .

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It’s a Small, Small World

As a kid I used to laugh when Tiny Tim would appear on TV.  It was funny the sight of a grown man with curly locks playing a miniature guitar (ukulele). His ‘guitar’ seemed so small, but it’s nothing compared to this nano-guitar.  It is 10 microns long.  To get an idea of how small that is, realize that an average human hair is about 80 microns thick.

The guitar was made by Cornell University researchers from crystalline silicon to demonstrate nanotechnology.  This general term covers a variety of pioneering fields – nanobiology, nanobotics, nanofiber. . .

Possibilities include nanobots that a cancer patient would drink that would seek out and destroy cancerous cells – clothes made from nanofiber that could instantly change color or pattern – manufacturing of durable goods one atom at a time.

We are peering into the infinite smallness of God’s universe and following suit with our own endeavors.

Information is not knowledge

I came across this article and it reminded me of a post by Rob Kelly . . .

Here is an excerpt:

Information is not knowledge

All around us, information is moving faster and becoming cheaper to acquire, and the benefits are manifest. That said, the proliferation of data is also a serious challenge, requiring new measures of human discipline and skepticism. We must not confuse the thrill of acquiring or distributing information quickly with the more daunting task of converting it into knowledge and wisdom. Regardless of how advanced our computers become, we should never use them as a substitute for our own basic cognitive skills of awareness, perception, reasoning, and judgment.

Seeing is Believing . . . Maybe

Seeing is not always believing.

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

This is a picture I photoshopped. With increasing technology it is becoming much more difficult to believe what you see.  Check out some incredible photoshopped pictures here.

Those Crazy Kids

I witnessed an odd spectacle the other night.  I was at a concert for young people and instead of the audience holding up lighters they held up open cell phones. I’m not sure how to process what I saw.  I’ll be turning 40 soon. Long live lighters, Led Zeppelin, and muscle cars.