Woot

Today is a woot-off. I dare everyone to buy something.

http://www.woot.com/

If you have not looked at Woot before, be sure to look at their forums
section (click "Discuss this product" to the right of the product image).
These people have way too much time on their hands.

Oil

I got my oil changed at the Jiffy Lube on SE Hawthorne (I guess it's
technically on 39th) on the 10th. This morning I drove to work and my oil
light started coming on. When I got to work, I checked it and found it
bone dry.

As soon as they opened I drove to a Jiffy Lube near by on 82nd. I hadn't
driven a whole lot since the 10th but I was pretty worried that it had
been dry. The fellow at the Jiffy Lube was surprised and apologetic. He
found that the oil filter gasket was not installed properly. That's good
news since it means that the oil had leaked out slowly rather than being
dry the whole time. It must only leak under pressure since the oil isn't
in my driveway.

It's all fixed up now. Hopefully no damage done. Hopefully...

Threat

Dangerous Java flaw threatens virtually everything!

http://www.zdnetasia.com/news/security/0,39044215,62028389,00.htm

(Is this a software problem or a Doctor Who episode?)

Microsoft, Here to Help!

When will people learn? Never?

http://news.softpedia.com/news/Forget-about-the-WGA-20-Windows-Vista-Features-and-Services-Harvest-User-Data-for-Microsoft-58752.shtml

"Are you using Windows Vista? Then you might as well know that the
licensed operating system installed on your machine is harvesting a
healthy volume of information for Microsoft. In this context, a program
such as the Windows Genuine Advantage is the last of your concerns. In
fact, in excess of 20 Windows Vista features and services are hard at work
collecting and transmitting your personal data to the Redmond company."

Runbot

Researchers are finally figuring out robotic walking! By sure to look at the video in this story. It's uncanny how natural this walking robot looks.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6291746.stm

"Getting a robot to walk like a human requires a dynamic machine," said
Professor Florentin Woergoetter.

Runbot is a small, biped robot which can move at speeds of more than three
leg lengths per second, slightly slower than the fastest walking human.

Bridge

Portland's Burnside Bridge will soon be closed for three weeks to auto
traffic (open to pedestrians and bikes though) for repairs. Built in the
1920s, the Burnside is a lifting bridge having two hinged spans (photos
here:

http://www.portlandbridges.com/00,D300CRW07960,14,0,0,1-portland-oregon.html

Now according to this:

http://bikeportland.org/2007/07/11/update-on-burnside-bridge-closure/

"The closure will allow a contractor to replace parts of a hinge that
attaches the 3.8 million pound counterweight to the lift span. The
original parts have worn and broken so that the hinge cannot turn freely
when the bridge opens for river traffic. If the hinge were to fail, the
east lift span would not be able to open.

Replacement of the pin and bearing that form the hinge is technically
challenging. The contractor will need to detach the counterweight and
lower it to replace the parts. A complex rigging system will support the
counterweight while it is detached. The bridge closure is needed to ensure
the safety of the public, workers and the bridge itself. Vibrations from
traffic could impact drilling operations and other work."

Impressive! I'm sure repairs to a hinge with a 3.8 million pound
counterweight will be "challenging" indeed.

New!

Having gotten some reasonable OCR working of late, I've started adding
civil defense and related items to the Virtual Atomic Museum. These old
web pages need a lot updating... Here's a new one:

http://www.rdrop.com/~jsexton/cd/AandPC/

Now With Photos!

Added this page:

http://www.rdrop.com/~jsexton/reader.html

...to try out Google's shared links and web photos slide show. Not bad,
but I wish the slide show could do a random order. And I wish there was
an easy way in Google's web album application to select multiple photos
and copy them to another album all at once. That would make it easier to
bulk populate a special album for a slide show like I have here.

Still, this is a great way to show a set of pictures on a particular
topic from a stand alone web page.

iPhone

What blog would be complete without something about the iPhone?

Well here it is! I don't want one.

The Great Pyramid Web Page

This old web page shows up as a 404 sometimes on my web site logs.

http://www.rdrop.com/~jsexton/pyramid/

I have no links to it anymore, but apparently others out there do. So I
put it back. The surprising thing is how much email I used to get about
this page. Once every three or four months someone would write, usually
to denounce or "correct me" on the information quoted (the conversion from
English to metric units is just plain wrong for example, you don't have to
tell me, I know).

This pyramid stuff is a quote from a book written in 1935. I have a small
collection of odd old books and pamphlets along these lines. I find it
funny and interesting that this sort of superstition and pseudo science is
not unique to our own time.

It is of course, when taken at face value, ridiculous. Persistent
believe, or desire to believe, in the ridiculous is, however, fascinating.
Or maybe that's just what "they" want us to think.

(Just kidding (or am I...))