Um, to all of you newly-minted college graduates...

Um, to all of you newly-minted college graduates - another path out of your parents' basements is blocked by robots.

Automation Comes To The Coffeehouse With Robotic Baristas | Singularity Hub

Say goodbye to lattes with funky tastes or attitude from coffeehouse baristas. At the University of Texas, a startup called Briggo LLC has installed a coffee kiosk run by a robotic barista in the acad...

Yikes

Yikes

Facebook Declares War on Google by Pulling Support for Chrome Browser

Facebook is seemingly attempting to break one of the links in Google's ecosystem by slamming the company's Chrome internet browser.

A rainy cove day

When I was a kid, the roof on the camp was simple, just sheathing covered with tar paper and then shingles. We could hear the rain on the roof.

My father had thought he would live at the camp year-round after he retired. He added a heating system, including the oft-mentioned oil tank. He added a layer of foam insulation to the ceiling and covered it with particle board (plywood made from pressed wood chips). It looked nice, was warmer, and took away the sound of the rain.

As a part of last year's renovations, we put on a metal roof. It looks great, will last our lifetimes, and has brought back the sound of the rain.

The temperature has dropped to the lower 50s. A cold northeastern wind pushes clumps of fog and rain across the lake.

I worked in the yard for a couple of hours yesterday and, by the forecast, that may be it for this weekend. We've enough dry wood to last a long time. Was it three years ago when we had that chilly, wet June? This week is setting up for something like that. I'm grateful for a lot of things. Now I'm grateful that I don't have to work outdoors in all kinds of weather. I know people who do and we are in their debt.

From the "My hovercraft is full of eels."...

From the "My hovercraft is full of eels." Dept. 

Welcome to America, Please Be On Time: What Guide Books Tell Foreign Visitors to the U.S.

Such tips as "don't hand out cash to dinner guests" reveal what foreign tourists find surprising about coming to America.

OpenSignalMaps - The politics of WiFi names

OpenSignalMaps - The politics of WiFi names

How people are using the names of their Wi-Fi networks to signal their political allegiances.

Remembering typewriters - http://www.nytimes...

Remembering typewriters - http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/technology/personaltech/in-a-library-san-franciscos-last-public-typewriter.html?_r=1

A Google/Android/firewall mystery

A few days ago, my Galaxy Nexus (ICS, 4.0.2) stopped syncing my Gmail. I could get to Gmail and fetch new mail, but push mail wasn't working. I could wait hours and not get new messages that were appear just fine on my laptop. I could use other services just fine, such as search, browsing, Twitter, etc. My home WiFi signal was strong; no other device was having problem connecting or browsing.

It also synced properly when I was away from home, either out in the wild or connected to another WiFi access point.

The forums weren't much help, although they did point me in the right direction, kinda sorta.  When sync was working, the signal icon was blue.

When I was connected to my WiFi, it was gray.



It was my WiFi firewall. I'd temporarily set up a VPN connection, closed it, and left the firewall enabled.

I haven't figured which port setting is enabling/disabling the synchronization connection to Google's servers. If anyone has any clues, I'd welcome them

There's a lot of useful data in these surveys...

There's a lot of useful data in these surveys, showing us a great example of how poorly we use data. I tried to be methodical in my review of various practice groups, but was invariably drawn to the high and low score markers and making quick judgments accordingly.
BTW, doctors aren't rated here; they don't name names. The report card identifies clinics and practice groups in communities statewide.

The Best and Worst Doctors in Central Mass

A recent survey of Massachusetts doctors’ offices yielded good news for several Worcester-area health practices.

This doesn't bode well for my plans for...

This doesn't bode well for my plans for a .ScheißeKopf TLD.

Will India’s biggest dot-brand be blocked? | DomainIncite - Domain Name News & Opinion

TATA Group, the $83-billion-a-year Indian conglomerate, has confirmed to local media that it has applied for the new dot-brand top-level domain

"We don't always mock poor spelling, but...

"We don't always mock poor spelling, but sometimes we can't resist."

"Young America is... inovative"

The Campaign for Young America is backed by Young Invincibles, an inside-the-Beltway organization backing the healthcare reform law and tied to a number of mainstream liberal groups. Fix Young America...

Intriguing thoughts about what we offer...

Intriguing thoughts about what we offer as science education and how we carelessly lump science, engineering, and math into a 19th century world view. Among other things, Reed contends, it's created lawyers in Washington who equate spectrum with real estate.

dpr » Blog Archive » What we “know” that t’aint so…. and insist on teaching to kids!

What do we teach when we teach science in school? And really, why do we teach science that way? I've personally never been quite sure whether I'm more of a scientist, engineer, or mathematicia...