walking the earth

one step before the next

an amazing and diverse journey at times, fulfilling well beyond that which one might expect

twists turns fits and starts, ebbs and on occasion generous flows

and now with twenty-twelve upon me

things undiscoverable - mysteries no one knows

festo flying robot

the intuitive mind and the rational mind

iain mcgilchrist

quotes albert einstein:

"the intuitive mind is a sacred gift and the rational mind is a faithful servant...  we have created a society that honors the servant and forgotten the gift"

asteroid towing with ion drive

jobs: everything around you has been made up by people no smarter than yourself

  

i have always thought this way

and there have been extended periods when this thinking has taken me much further than otherwise would have been...

just haven't yet achieved that EPIC WIN that i know is there...

not quite yet

top 10: initial public offerings... how will facebook rank?

 
for quite some time there has been considerable talk of a pending initial public offering for the social networking giant facebook.  with over 800 million regular users there is an enormous monetization opportunity for the palo alto firm.


it would appear that an ipo will take place in twenty-twelve as they try to execute on their monetization strategies...

is it really worth $100 billion?

initial public offering top ten:

3.19.2008  visa  17.9 billion

4.26.2000  at&t  $10.6 billion

6.12.2001  kraft  $8.7 billion

11.9.1999  ups $5.5  billion

7.1.2002  cit group  $4.6 billion

10.21.1998  conoco  $4.4 billion

6.21.2007  blackstone  $4.1 billion

3.21.2002  travelers  $3.9 billion

5.3.1999  goldman sachs  $3.7 billion 

3.27.2001  agere systems  $3.6 billion  

top 10: noteworthy robots

2011  curiosity martian rover (nasa, boeing, lockheed martin) is currently en route to mars, as part of the nasa mars science laboratory (msl) mission...  and will attempt to perform the first-ever precision landing on mars at the gale crater in august 2012.

the overall footprint of curiosity is similar to that of a small car.  it is five times as large as its martian exploration rover predecessors spirit and opportunity, and will carry ten times the mass of scientific instruments.

once it lands it is expected to operate on martian year (686 earth days).

2011  cycling robot (masahiko yamaguchi)  

at the 2011 international robot exhibition in tokyo japan, masahiko yamaguchi provided a fascinating demonstration of a robot riding a fixed gear bicycle.  the robot powers itself through the ride through its legs and balances as a human would.  as the video shows it's even able to brake to stop itself and stand to wave to onlookers.  it's very impressive!  

2011  flying robot  (festo)

2005  bigdog  (boston dynamics)  is a dynamically stable quadruped robot capable of traversing difficult terrain running at 4 miles per hour, carrying 340 pounds.

2003  opportunity martian rover (nasa)  mars exploration rover - (b) remains active on the planet mars from january 25th 2004...


2003  spirit martian rover (nasa)  mars exploration rover - (a) was active on the planet mars from january 4th 2004 and its last communication with earth was on march 22nd 2010.


2003  robosapien

2000  asimo  (honda)


1999  aibo  (sony)

most advanced robotics to date from earth humans en route to mars

+ it makes more sense...

top 10: mobile apps right now

gasbuddy...  road trip gas station information

hipmunk...  find and compare flight plans

tripit...  a single convenient place to keep your flight, rental car and and hotel reservation information

epicurious...  holiday related cooking guidance  

cooking conversions...  on the fly adjustments to account for number of servings to be prepared

wolfram|alpha...  scientific search app

postagram...  customized scenic view postcards

tgi black friday...  for hardcore holiday shoppers

google shopper...  comprehensive price comparison app

silent film director...  creative fun for kids

android army

top 10: net worth for members of congress

darrell issa

calculated average net worth of $448,125,017

michael mccaul  

calculated average net worth of $380,411,527

john kerry

calculated average net worth of $231,722,794

mark warner

calculated average net worth of $192,730,605

jared polis  

calculated average net worth of $143,218,562

vernon buchanan

calculated average net worth of $136,152,641

nancy pelosi

calculated average net worth of $101,123,032

jay rockefeller

calculated average net worth of $99,057,011

frank lautenberg

calculated average net worth of $85,572,116

richard blumenthal

calculated average net worth of $73,151,590

dianne feinstein

calculated average net worth of $69,046,622

bob corker

calculated average net worth of $59,520,022

james risch

calculated average net worth of $54,088,026  

source:  center for responsible politics

top ten: musically induced moods

"portrait of tracy"

is my absolute favorite song, written and performed by bassist jaco pastorious...  from his landmark self-titled debut album from 1976

"sea journey"

the final track on the 1973 debut album for bassist stanley clarke

"romantic warrior"

title cut from the legendary 1976 return to forever album  

"secret journey"

from the 1981 album by the police

"find me"

the second track of the 2007 wynton marsalis album from the plantation to the penitentiary 

"life is just a game"

from stanley clarke's 1976 school days album

"stairway to heaven"

led zeppelin 1971

"yesterday princess"

the completion of the opening tandem on stanley clarke's second solo album (1974)

"children of forever"

title track from the 1973 debut album for bassist stanley clarke 

"school days"

breakout cut from the 1976 album of the same name from bassist stanley clarke

does daylight savings time save electricity?

what is daylight savings time all about?

is it worth the effort?

keep up with your family... join google latitude

this is awesome wat to keep up with friends and family!  

• open the google maps app on your android or iPhone
• under menu select join latitude 
• add your kids as "friends"  

privacy and safety options are baked in...  

smartphones + mobile apps: 21st century swiss army knives

the other day, a gentleman asked me the great american question...  "what do you do?"

this is one of my least favorite questions and has been from times when i've held exciting high paying corporate positions to the times when i have been completely broke...  when i hear this question and my mood allows me to imagine the one posing the question is well meaning, i think that perhaps i struck them as being somewhat interesting...  but if my state of mind is cynical i can't help but hear judgement...  how much do you make or have?  after all - you are what you do - right?

anyway we somehow (probably due to my evasive answer mentioning mobile app development) had come to the subject of internet web addresses and i had shared a particularly compelling address that i own...  feeling generous, he indicated he was about to gift an idea to me - at no charge...  and with bated breath i leaned forward and thanked him with some anticipation

he said i should develop a "swiss army knife" app

the smartphone IS the swiss army knife!

when you think about it - that's what modern smartphones along with the wide array of mobile apps are right now

so i believe the gifted idea is a good one...  an idea best applied in the form of what sort of mobile apps to develop 

angry bird peter tries to lead a presentation

ha hah hah!



i see why peter is so angry

form following function: nokia kinetic "bendy phone"

top 10: fastest internet in the united states

the united states internet speed currently ranks 12th in the world with an average of 5.8 megabits per second (worldwide average:  2.6 mbps...  south korea 13.8 mbps)

states ranked by speed:

1)  rhode island  (8.2 mbps)

2)  delaware  (8.1 mbps)

3)  district of columbia  (7.5 mbps)

4)  utah  (7.0 mbps)

5)  vermont  (6.7 mbps)

6)  california  (6.7 mbps)

7)  new hampshire  (6.6 mbps)

8)  virginia  (6.6 mbps)

9)  washington (6.5 mbps)  

top 10: fastest internet in the world

countries with the fastest internet speeds:

the average global internet speed is increasing and currently 2.6 megabits per second

1)  south korea  (13.8 mbps)

2)  hong kong  (10.3 mbps)

3)  japan  (8.9 mbps)

4)  netherlands  (8.5 mbps)

5)  latvia  (8.2 mbps)

6)  czech repuplic  (7.4 mbps)

7)  switzerland  (7.3 mbps)

9)  belgium  (6.8 mbps)

10)  romania  (6.4 mbps)

12)  usa (5.8 mbps)

source:  akamai  

northern hemisphere from space

7 billion now and 75 years from now?

massive opportunity: explosive growth in the mobile apps phenomenon

explosive growth in the already enormous mobile app developer community continues... 

these apps conveniently and more efficiently connect android, iPhone and other mobile handset users with their physical and internet worlds while on the go...

importantly they provide engagement opportunities for businesses to make their services and products more accessible to existing and established customers.

mobile device users value choice and personal expression.  to that point, more than 28 billion apps will have been downloaded between now and the end of 2011, up from around 9 billion in 2010.

we are seeing a great variety of exciting new handsets and tablets featuring software blends driven by developer creativity and deployed within multiple os/device pairings.

innovation: does making money mean more to us than progress?

sadly, making money in the short term, protecting political prospects and the like almost always take higher priorities than the decisions to innovate

apple of cupertino seems to be an incredibly profitable exception...  how were they able to pull this off?

seven billion humans on earth

the population on earth continues to experience explosive growth...

• 1 billion humans on earth in the year 1800
• 2 billion in 1925
• in 1960 the global population was 3 billion
• in 1987 we hit 5 billion
• by the year 2000, the worldwide population reached 6 billion
• and now the global population is expected to reach 7 billion within a few days from now... by november first 2011
• experts are predicting 9 billion perhaps as soon as 2015

how likely is the population to triple in another 70 years, by 2082?  absolutely not as the math doesn't work that way.

much of this will of course depend on the global fertility rate.  current birthrates in the developing world are above 5 per woman, whereas developed world birthrates are just above 2 per and falling.

the united nations predicts that global population will continue to rise but eventually will peak around the year 2035.

los cristianos, tenerife, canary islands, spain

smartphone subscriber market share in the u.s.

the u.s. smartphone market is experiencing an impressive upward trajectory

but there has been a significant shift over the past couple of years...

research in motion is hurting having lost significant share while google's android is quickly rising, surging from a 3% subscriber share in 2009 towards an amazing 50% subscriber share in the u.s....  while microsoft and apple have made more modest gains

google gravity

1)  go to google.com

2)  search "google gravity"

3)  click the first hit

4)  play with the results for a second...

5)  search on whatever you wish

6)  share if you like 

2011 denver international wine festival

november 2nd - 5th,  2011

wings over the rockies

denver colorado

top 10: united states electricity generation by source

electricity generation by source in the united states in 2009

1. coal  44.9%
2. natural gas  23.4%
3. nuclear  20.3%
4. hydroelectric conventional  6.9%
5. other renewables  3.6%
6. petroleum  1%

la jolla: hotel parisi

if you're planning a few days in san diego...

i highly recommend

a splendid boutique hotel located on prospect street in la jolla  

19 non-smoking suites including two over 700 square feet

msn... what might have been

when the microsoft network first launched, i was "all in"...  actually a beta tester!

it was late summer 1995 and i was enjoying being a bit if a windows 3.1 power user, employing a late model notebook computer to manage my business data.  i remember being rather pleased with myself, knowing my way around windows, microsoft office including the relational database access...  being out front in the prescribed uses and coming up with my own innovative applications.

in these days the "win-tel" ecosystem ruled the earth and early adopters could feel the huge advances of each moore's law progression.  windows 95 hit the scene and i was had been running several early versions for some time before the windows 3.1 facelift became generally available.  so when microsoft launched the microsoft network on august 24th, 1995 i was all over it.

i became connected, anticipating latest new thing the personal computing revolution had to offer.  i had already done the aol thing and was over that flashy but too closed system.  msn promised to be so much more.  windows 95 boasted a much more elegant and useful graphical user interface, msn was a portal and had numerous links to a variety of microsoft websites and there was msnbc.  the previous paradigm seemingly had been shattered!  

sadly, besides getting a nifty new email address, not much else really happened.  

to be continued...

top 10: u.s. states with the highest percentage of citizens with valid passports

as a traveler i find myself wondering from time to time about others who travel, and those who do not

u.s. states with more than 60% of citizens having passports

1. new jersey - more than 60%
2. alaska - more than 60%
3. massachusetts - more than 60%
4. new york - more than 60%
5. california - more than 60%
6. new hampshire - between 50 and 60%
7. connecticut - between 50 and 60%
8. washington - between 50 and 60%
9. vermont - between 50 and 60%
10. maryland - between 50 and 60%

remaining u.s. states having between 50% and 60% of citizens with passports;  minnesota, colorado, rhode island, florida, illinois, maine, arizona

u.s. states having between 40% and 50% of citizens with passports; hawaii, utah, virginia, texas, north dakota, nevada, montana, pennsylvania, delaware, wisconsin, oregon, michigan, wyoming, idaho

u.s. states having between 30% and 40% of citizens with passports; iowa, nebraska, georgia, kansas, south dakota, new mexico, ohio, missouri, north carolina, oklahoma, indiana, south carolina

u.s. states having under 30% of citizens with passports; louisiana, tennessee, arkansas, alabama, kentucky, west virginia, mississippi 

smart grid 101

first snow in telluride

this is very cool...


fresh snow!

driving along colorado highway 145 which passes very near the town of  telluride...

continuing east onto colorado avenue into town

you'll see this old, leaning, propped up dilapidated shack which artfully displays this creative welcome sign 

smart future emerging: time shifting for on-the-go content

japan is launching a smartphone / tablet only *pointcast* service

the venture funded by Mmbi who's largest investors include NTT DoCoMo, dentsu and the country's largest TV broadcasters

• the application features social network interaction
• time shifting features (saved locally - viewed on demand)

the service is scheduled to launch in may 2012 and will use japan's analog TV bandwidth, now available since TV's move to digital

content served at around 10 minutes or less as it is aimed at the mobile client who is likely to consume it between activities

who's major investors include NTT DoCoMo and japan's largest broadcasters

leaf blowers SUCK!

it blows...

and it blows my mind that in this day and age, so many LOUD smelly two-stroke gasoline powered leaf blowers are allowed to be in use.  it's even more surprising in progressive communities which are so active on issues regarding pollution and climate change.

TOTAL WASTE

gardening contractors employ low paid workers to use gasoline powered (in most cases) leaf blowers to move the remnants from lawn mowing, bush trimming and fallen tree leaves.  but we all know that they are only moving the debris from their client's yards and onto ours!  and as soon as the wind picks up it's all just redistributed again!  this of course applies to electric leaf blowers as well.  it blows!!

INTRUSIVE NOISE

there you are, resting peacefully with your windows open or sitting outside when one, two or three grounds keepers assault the peace with these obnoxious contraptions.  it blows!!

TOXIC POLLUTION

emissions from gasoline leaf blowers is an obvious source of air-pollution.  in addition to the adverse health effects of carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and particulates generated in the exhaust gases, leaf blowers pose problems related to dust raised by the blowers.  it blows!!

energy of the krell

in the early 23rd century

in the classic 1956 science fiction film, "forbidden planet", an extinct race of advanced beings of the planet altair iv are known as the "krell"

the krell have reached a stage of technological and scientific development so advanced that they were able to build a machine with virtually unlimited power, a machine that turned their thoughts into reality

the machine is located in a vast cube shaped underground facility measuring 30 kilometers in each direction, and powered by 9,200 thermonuclear reactors

as of august 11, 2011 on the planet earth, a total of 432 active nuclear power plants exist worldwide producing a net electricity output of 365.837 megawatts.  an additional 65 are under construction and will produce a net electricity output of 62,862 megawatts.

chrome rising

by early 2012 (if not sooner) google's web browser will have overtaken firefox as the second most used browser behind

microsoft's internet explorer

there is a report today that windows AV utility software is deleting chrome from windows in some cases related to malware issues

StatCounter's share numbers for september 2011

• 41.7% internet explorer
• 26.8% firefox
• 23.6% google chrome

boeing 787 dreamliner

the latest composite based, super efficient, long range, wide-body commercial aircraft from boeing was delivered to it's first customer all nippon airways today...  with this modern energy efficiency news, i'm posting a few highlights and specifications.  

boeing claims the 787 dreamliner will be up to 20% more fuel efficient than the 767, with roughly 40% of the efficiency gains coming from the new engines.

boeing 787 simplified specifications
maximum takeoff weight:  228,000 - 250,000 kilograms
passenger capacity:  210-330 seats
fuel capacity:  up to 138,700 liters

maximum range:  15,700 kilometers

boeing 767 simplified specifications

maximum takeoff weight:  204,120 kilograms

passenger capacity:  up to 375 seats

fuel capacity:  up to 91,000 liters

maximum range:  10,415 kilometers

airbus a330 simplified specifications

maximum takeoff weight:  235,000 kilograms

passenger capacity:  up to 440 seats

fuel capacity:  up to 97,530 liters

maximum range:  10,830 kilometers

boeing's 1st 787 customer takes delivery of the dreamliner

what if: we rebuild the power grid?

in the united states, election seasons invariably produce a number of ideas, many of which are designed to garner political support more so than actually be acted upon and carried out.  the bigger the ideas can be "boldly" presented having the convenient reality of scope that will go well beyond the term of the politician making the proposal.  sadly the best of these big ideas all too often are born and die as a rhetorical part of the political game. 

but what if we really embarked upon a huge national project? what if we immediately began a bold 21st century endeavor that addresses undeniable national needs, both short and long term?

i like the idea of rebuilding the electricity infrastructure in the united states.  actually building in parallel to the existing 1960s era, pre deregulation grid, a new ultra modern grid optimized for renewable energy sources and sustainable power generation, as well as 22nd century intelligent consumption.

many experts are saying we can immediately jump start our national economy by creating jobs.  jobs that can be fill by many skilled unemployed as well as many others who can be retrained for employment on the project.  

what's wrong with this idea?  

and does what is right outweigh what's wrong?

top 10: nations consumption of crude oil

consumption of crude oil in the year 2008

top 10 nations:

1. 3,099,900 cubic meters  -  united states
2. 1,245,000 cubic meters  -  china
3. 760,700  cubic meters  -  japan
4. 470,900  cubic meters  -  india
5. 463,600  cubic meters  -  russia
6. 408,500  cubic meters  -  germany
7. 395,100  cubic meters  -  brazil
8. 377,800  cubic meters  -  saudi arabia (opec)
9. 359,500  cubic meters  -  canada
10. 345,800  cubic meters  -  south korea

source:  u.s. energy information administration 

per capita electricity consumption

a quick look at electricity consumption (per capita) in the united states and in the BRIC economies:

per capita electricity consumption worldwide

1990:  2,120 kWh

2000:  2,389 kWh
2008:  2,875 kWh

per capita electricity consumption in the usa

1990:    4,050 kWh

2000:  13,671 kWh

2008:  13,654 kWh

per capita electricity consumption in brazil

1990:  1,455 kWh

2000:  1,894 kWh

2008:  2,232 kWh

per capita electricity consumption in russia

1990:  6,673 kWh

2000:  5,209 kWh

2008:  6,435 kWh

per capita electricity consumption in india

1990:  276 kWh

2000:  402 kWh

2008:  566 kWh

per capita electricity consumption in china

1990:      511 kWh

2000:      993 kWh

2008:  2,455 kWh 

source:  world bank, world development indicators

google: energy load of a google search comparable to a drive to the library?

260 megawatt hours in the year twenty-ten for the chocolate factory

is this a reasonably accurate estimate of the search king's electricity consumption?

urz hoelzle, google's vp of technical infrastructure compared the energy load of a google search to a drive to the library in a new york times interview 

harvesting electrical energy from lightning

there have been several attempts to investigate the possibility of harvesting energy from lightning since 1980

although a single bolt of lightning carries on average 5 million joules, that energy is concentrated in a single location and dissipates in a very short amount of time

(amateur photog bertrand kulik captured this amazing shot 7/28.08)

to be continued...

-trinn 

cinquepassi negroamaro

as i sat down at the dinner bar at my new favorite pizzeria...  i labored to decide whether to have beer or wine.  i didn't really want to spend so much so i was leaning towards beer, one pint of beer would have cost about $5 US compared to a glass of wine which would have cost about $8

i was tired, stressed out, hungry and decided i wanted to enjoy my pie as much as possible

this is when i decided to go for the cinquepassi negroamaro

it was the perfect choice!  i first poured a bit in the small tumbler and enjoyed the bouquet - i tasted the red and immediately felt a bit more relaxed and my anticipation for my pizza began to rise - of course, seeing my condiments before me on a platter made the picture more complete

one sip was followed by a glass or three, and then my pizza came...
the cinquepassi negroamaro was the perfect match for my dinner...

in my opinion, the best pizza in boulder just got a whole lot better!

pizzeria da lupo
2525 arapahoe avenue
boulder colorado
www.pizzeriadalupo.com


-trinn

nokia smartphones remain the market leader in the middle east & africa

the finnish mobile phone giant continues to dominate the smartphone market in the middle east and in africa (MEA), claiming a 51% market share 

not the same story in the u.s.  

as a long time nokia fan myself i finally jumped ship, switching over to the droid charge (samsung) running google's android.  i must admit, i'm liking it!

i'm curious to see what happens with google's attempt to purchase motorola mobility, and the subsequent effect on the android ecosystem and the next generations of the motorola handsets.

looking forward to it!

-trinn

colorado connection

not the destination - it's the journey...

and for some reason, i've had this recurring connection to colorado, particularly telluride

the first time i took in the thin denver air i was only fifteen, on a long road trip from ohio. i recall seeing the snow-capped rockies from a distance, briefly confusing mountain top snow for clouds in the sky

as i moved closer to the mountain range my confusion gave way to a special delight, and my new found understanding touched me, connected me to the altitude


-trinn

wood fired roasting

last night i met a pizza friend friend of mine out at a boulder colorado eatery called 'basta'

as i was walking into this cozy, warm restaurant, i was met by a mouth watering aroma which was the unique combination of burning wood and gourmet cooking.  my eyes scanned the eating bar that faces the open kitchen.  people were enjoying wine, beer and a variety of very attractive meals.  then BAMM, a bright open flame caught my eye and upon taking a closer look i realized i had to walk into the heart of the kitchen and take a picture of food i was smelling.  suddenly i was stuck by a couple of points:

- a -  there's a lot more to cooking in a gorgeous wood burning oven than pizza

- b -  my next house MUST have a wood burning oven!

how does THIS sound?

-  roasted turkey

-  scalloped roasted potatoes 

-  portobello mushrooms 

-  cantucci

-trinn