After finishing last week's post about using the TouchPad as a wayback machine and giving a number of YouTube links to some good TV history, I realized that I forgot a trio that should be near the top of any wayback list...
How the hell did I forget these guys the first time around?
This post was drafted on my TouchPad
Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Friday, October 28, 2011
My TouchPad Today: First Snow of the Season
Check out my post about the first snow of the season on The Friday Special
This post was drafted on my TouchPad
Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087
This post was drafted on my TouchPad
Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
My TouchPad Today: Windpower North of Boston
More meanderings with my TouchPad and Pre2 in tow...
Using windpower to generate electricity is a controversial subject in Massachusetts and many other parts of the nation. But in a small group of communities just north of downtown Boston, wind turbines have established visibility, if nothing else, during the past few years.
Charlestown
On Route 99, across from a former Boston Edison electric plant, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) recently constructed a 364 foot-high -- at blade peak -- wind turbine in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston to generate power to assist with sewage processing.
Click here to learn more about the MWRA turbine.
View an HP Pre2 video clip of the turbine on YouTube. (The video was cropped and processed in Super C, Virtual Dub and Windows Live MovieMaker.)
Medford
In 2009, the City of Medford erected a 131-foot wind turbine on the grounds of the McGlynn Elementary School. The 35-foot blades of the unit have been generating 10% of the school's power needs.
Click here to learn more about this turbine on the shore of the Mystic River.
Chelsea
Reconstruction of an old factory complex began in 2008 on the shore of the "Chelsea Creek". The most visible part of the Forbes Park/Forbes Lofts project is probably a 165-foot wind turbine rising out of the site.
The entire Forbes project may have been stalled by the poor economy, but the turbine is still a stunning sight to local residents and travelers on nearby routes.
Click here to learn more about the original vision for Forbes Park.
This post was drafted on my TouchPad
Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087
Using windpower to generate electricity is a controversial subject in Massachusetts and many other parts of the nation. But in a small group of communities just north of downtown Boston, wind turbines have established visibility, if nothing else, during the past few years.
Charlestown
 |
| Somerville view of MWRA wind turbine -- HP Pre2 photo |
 |
| MWRA wind turbine as seen on Rte. 99, Charlestown -- HP Pre2 photo |
On Route 99, across from a former Boston Edison electric plant, the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) recently constructed a 364 foot-high -- at blade peak -- wind turbine in the Charlestown neighborhood of Boston to generate power to assist with sewage processing.
Click here to learn more about the MWRA turbine.
View an HP Pre2 video clip of the turbine on YouTube. (The video was cropped and processed in Super C, Virtual Dub and Windows Live MovieMaker.)
Medford
 |
| McGlynn Elementary School wind turbine -- HP Pre2 photo |
In 2009, the City of Medford erected a 131-foot wind turbine on the grounds of the McGlynn Elementary School. The 35-foot blades of the unit have been generating 10% of the school's power needs.
Click here to learn more about this turbine on the shore of the Mystic River.
Chelsea
 |
| Forbes Park wind turbine -- HP Pre2 photo |
 |
| Forbes Park from Orient Heights, Revere -- HP Pre2 photo |
Reconstruction of an old factory complex began in 2008 on the shore of the "Chelsea Creek". The most visible part of the Forbes Park/Forbes Lofts project is probably a 165-foot wind turbine rising out of the site.
The entire Forbes project may have been stalled by the poor economy, but the turbine is still a stunning sight to local residents and travelers on nearby routes.
Click here to learn more about the original vision for Forbes Park.
This post was drafted on my TouchPad
Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087
Sunday, October 23, 2011
My TouchPad Today: TP - A TV Wayback Machine
A couple of times a month, I find myself trolling YouTube late on a Friday or Saturday night for old television clips or interviews/remembrances about the history of the medium.
Most of these trips down my memory lane take place on my laptop or the Roku box attached to my TV. In the last few months, however, the TouchPad has crept into the mix of my conveyances.
The TP is a great vehicle (with headphones - remember, this is a late night activity) for use as your personal wayback machine.
My last trip took me to a great series of clips with Bill Marx (Harpo's son) and Dick Cavett chatting about the Marx Brothers.
If you have the opportunity or inclination to take one of these trips, here are some points of interest for your itinerary...
This post was drafted on my TouchPad
Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087
Most of these trips down my memory lane take place on my laptop or the Roku box attached to my TV. In the last few months, however, the TouchPad has crept into the mix of my conveyances.
The TP is a great vehicle (with headphones - remember, this is a late night activity) for use as your personal wayback machine.
My last trip took me to a great series of clips with Bill Marx (Harpo's son) and Dick Cavett chatting about the Marx Brothers.
If you have the opportunity or inclination to take one of these trips, here are some points of interest for your itinerary...
- Sid Caesar
- Your Show of Shows
- Imogene Coca
- Carl Reiner
- Howie Morris
- Mel Brooks
- Dick Cavett
- Archive of American Television
This post was drafted on my TouchPad
Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087
Friday, October 21, 2011
My TouchPad Today: webOS 3.0.4 - Good News/Bad News
I downloaded the latest webOS update (3.0.4) to my TouchPad a couple of days ago.
As with most things in life, there's good news and bad news, but on my TP there doesn't seem to be any of the cataclysmic problems some internet discussion/forum posters are finding on their devices.
Good News (... Or at least not bad news)
Bad News
I think its safe to assume that I'll find more -- hopefully small -- issues in the coming days as I cruise through all of the apps and functions on my TP.
Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087
As with most things in life, there's good news and bad news, but on my TP there doesn't seem to be any of the cataclysmic problems some internet discussion/forum posters are finding on their devices.
Good News (... Or at least not bad news)
- Speed - My TP does seem to be a bit zippier after the update, just as HP stated it would be
- Sound - Does not appear to be having problems after the update
- Video - Video recording capability added with the update seems to be working as well as can be expected with the low-grade TP built-in camera
- Kindle - App appears to be working fine, unlike the situ reported by many Internet posters
Bad News
- Touchstone Charging - A definite loss here... Device will still charge with a cover on, but placement in the Touchstone must be absolutely precise and perfect for it to work
- Accelerometer - Somewhat amiss after the update... Tends to shift from landscape to portrait orientation at the slightest movement
- Preware patches disabled - Maybe not "bad news", but its a kink that should be fixed shortly
I think its safe to assume that I'll find more -- hopefully small -- issues in the coming days as I cruise through all of the apps and functions on my TP.
Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087
Thursday, October 20, 2011
My TouchPad Today: Notes from the Boston Book Festival
More meanderings with my TouchPad and Pre2 in tow...
I managed to get in to Boston for a couple of hours last Saturday (October 15) for the annual Boston Book Festival and attended a couple of good sessions.
This was a late morning presentation, panel discussion and audience Q&A session in the basement-level Dorothy Quincy Suite of the old John Hancock Building (now known as the Back Bay Events Center).
Author Sherry Turkle's brief remarks about her latest book Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other were the springboard for a lively discussion moderated by Andrew McAfee that also included panelists Ethan Gilsdorf and Sue Hallowell.
Davis Sq., Somerville-area resident Gilsdorf approached the discussion as someone who maintains that gaming geeks are not necessarily as isolated and alone as we might think.
Turkle, in response to a question from the audience, explained how, since her first book about social networking 15 years ago, she has evolved from an internet optimist to someone concerned about the ability to always be connected. Back then, the idea was that you participated in the online world for a certain period of time during your day and then went back to the real world. Now, we can be -- and as many are -- connected to the internet world constantly on the devices we have at home, at work, in our cars, and in our pockets. Something has been lost in our lives by this constant ability to remove yourself from the real world.
Frontiers of Science
Boston's Christopher Lydon moderated this afternoon session held in the sanctuary of Copley Square's historic Trinity Church.
Randall followed with a brief spiel about the sub-atomic scale of her scientific work.
Mukherjee presented in the third spot and captivated the audience with a tremendous story of how the understanding of "what cancer is" has changed over the years with research and study.
The current view, based on how we now know genes operate, is that cancer is an unpreventable part of us. Our environment and our behavior may help "activate" cancers, but they do not cause it. Cancer is hard-wired in our genes, just like the info hard-wired in our genes to, say, heal a cut on our hand.
I'm looking forward to next year's festival!!
Follow me on Twitter,,, @rnolan1087
I managed to get in to Boston for a couple of hours last Saturday (October 15) for the annual Boston Book Festival and attended a couple of good sessions.
 |
| Boston Book Festival tents in Copley Square, Boston -- HP Pre2 Photo |
 |
| Boston Book Festival tents in Copley Square, Boston -- HP Pre2 Photo |
Alone Together
This was a late morning presentation, panel discussion and audience Q&A session in the basement-level Dorothy Quincy Suite of the old John Hancock Building (now known as the Back Bay Events Center).
 |
| Alone Together panel, Dorothy Quincy Suite of the BBEC -- HP Pre2 Photo |
Author Sherry Turkle's brief remarks about her latest book Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other were the springboard for a lively discussion moderated by Andrew McAfee that also included panelists Ethan Gilsdorf and Sue Hallowell.
Hallowell came from the direction of being a psychologist who works with couples and families struggling to find real communication in a gadget-filled, "always on" world.
Davis Sq., Somerville-area resident Gilsdorf approached the discussion as someone who maintains that gaming geeks are not necessarily as isolated and alone as we might think.
Turkle, in response to a question from the audience, explained how, since her first book about social networking 15 years ago, she has evolved from an internet optimist to someone concerned about the ability to always be connected. Back then, the idea was that you participated in the online world for a certain period of time during your day and then went back to the real world. Now, we can be -- and as many are -- connected to the internet world constantly on the devices we have at home, at work, in our cars, and in our pockets. Something has been lost in our lives by this constant ability to remove yourself from the real world.
Frontiers of Science
Boston's Christopher Lydon moderated this afternoon session held in the sanctuary of Copley Square's historic Trinity Church.
 |
| Frontiers of Science at Trinity Church -- HP Pre2 Photo |
 |
| Frontiers of Science at Trinity Church -- HP Pre2 Photo |
The presenter/panelists were...
Greenblatt told of how a 2100+ year-old poem, rediscovered and published in the 1500's, spoke of how it was already believed back then that the matter all around us was composed of atoms.
Randall followed with a brief spiel about the sub-atomic scale of her scientific work.
Mukherjee presented in the third spot and captivated the audience with a tremendous story of how the understanding of "what cancer is" has changed over the years with research and study.
The current view, based on how we now know genes operate, is that cancer is an unpreventable part of us. Our environment and our behavior may help "activate" cancers, but they do not cause it. Cancer is hard-wired in our genes, just like the info hard-wired in our genes to, say, heal a cut on our hand.
I'm looking forward to next year's festival!!
Follow me on Twitter,,, @rnolan1087
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
My TouchPad Today: A Lost Cause? - Kodak AiO Cloud Printing with TouchPad and Pre2
I've been aware for the past year or so that cloud printing has been available from HP and Google, but never paid it much mind until last Friday evening. While troubleshooting a printing problem in Word 2010, I found that Kodak has made cloud printing options available for a number of its current and classic printers.
Two choices appear to be available...
I opted to go with Kodak's service as it sounded like what I've understood HP's cloud service to be -- your printer is assigned an e-mail address. As long as you have access to e-mail, you can send an attachment to your printer's address and, moments later, out prints your document. Kodak takes care of finding/determining the ip address of your printer.
Friday night, while sitting next to my printer at home, I test printed from my TouchPad and Pre2. Seemed to work fine.
While out and about on Saturday, I sent several items back to the printer from my TP and Pre combo. Arriving back at home I found that nothing printed.
This led to some to some extended futzing around with my Kodak printer, laptop, TP, and Pre2.
It seems to be that the computer attached to the Kodak printer needs to be turned on and must have a "connector" software program active and logged on... as well as being logged in on Google Cloud Print for the service(s) to work.
My bottom line: unless I'm missing something about the setup/configuration of these services to do cloud printing from your TP or Pre2 to a Kodak printer, take a pass on it until it becomes much more streamlined for users.
Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087
Two choices appear to be available...
- Google Cloud Print
- Kodak's own e-print service
I opted to go with Kodak's service as it sounded like what I've understood HP's cloud service to be -- your printer is assigned an e-mail address. As long as you have access to e-mail, you can send an attachment to your printer's address and, moments later, out prints your document. Kodak takes care of finding/determining the ip address of your printer.
Friday night, while sitting next to my printer at home, I test printed from my TouchPad and Pre2. Seemed to work fine.
While out and about on Saturday, I sent several items back to the printer from my TP and Pre combo. Arriving back at home I found that nothing printed.
This led to some to some extended futzing around with my Kodak printer, laptop, TP, and Pre2.
It seems to be that the computer attached to the Kodak printer needs to be turned on and must have a "connector" software program active and logged on... as well as being logged in on Google Cloud Print for the service(s) to work.
My bottom line: unless I'm missing something about the setup/configuration of these services to do cloud printing from your TP or Pre2 to a Kodak printer, take a pass on it until it becomes much more streamlined for users.
Follow me on Twitter... @rnolan1087
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