Jolicloud Launcher

If you are a netbook user and you have been looking for the perfect OS to put on your netbook, might i suggest: Jolicloud.

What are my criteria for a great netbook OS?  Basically 3 things:

Perhaps in the last year you’ve heard mention of the term “food desert” to describe an area with a dearth of grocery and fresh food options.  There are plenty of towns in the US that don’t have a grocery store, and [...]]]>

Perhaps in the last year you’ve heard mention of the term “food desert” to describe an area with a dearth of grocery and fresh food options.  There are plenty of towns in the US that don’t have a grocery store, and folks drive 20—30 minutes to the next town to get food.  And even then their options for eating healthy, or eating on a budget, or gov’t assistance such as SNAP / EBT are limited.

The Food Environment Atlas aims to collect statistics on food availability, assistance programs, production, as well as socio-economic factors, and present that information in a searchable map, organized by county.

While the user interface isn’t exactly “effortless” i am mostly just excited to have access to this kind of data.  This stuff, besides being real interesting to look at, can be super helpful in identifying communities in need of more or better food options. Portland, OR is in fact a food oasis, so it’s sobering for me to see some of these statistics for the surrounding area, outside of our little green seed.  Even in counties adjacent to ours.

Check out your area, how does it match up?  I’ll bet you learn something.  Share your learnings in the comments, i’m curious.

This one via Mark G. thnx, Mark!

I’ve just been picking apart Utah’s state website for like, a while. It’s kind of amazing.… If you’ve never been you should at least take a look, i could spend a long time there learning all sorts of [...]]]> Don’t know what to say except, wow!

I’ve just been picking apart Utah’s state website for like, a while. It’s kind of amazing.… If you’ve never been you should at least take a look, i could spend a long time there learning all sorts of stuff about a place i don’t even live in.  The user experience, attention to detail, and the richness of the content is stunning, and I didn’t get past the font page.

Actually i found it through this interesting slideshow on government website design, and it really got me thinking about the power of technology in democracy. Like, education is one of the foundations of a successful government, and i don’t just mean the “no child left behind” kind of education, but the informed populace kind of education. How many social services go unused or abused because those who can use them don’t know about them? How much more effective would our activism be if we all really understood democratic process in the US?

Using technology to present empowering information to millions of users, now that’s powerful change.

As one who grew up reading everything Jon Davis penned, and then proceeded (later in life) to read much of the likes of Heidegger, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche, i have a supreme appreciation of the “webcomic” Garfield Minus Garfield. G-G [...]]]>

As one who grew up reading everything Jon Davis penned, and then proceeded (later in life) to read much of the likes of Heidegger, Kierkegaard, and Nietzsche, i have a supreme appreciation of the “webcomic” Garfield Minus Garfield. G-G is real easy to sum up: Take an old Garfield comic strip, remove any appearance of any character besides the inimitable Jon Arbuckle, and watch as existential hilarity ensues!

The concept is so simple (and plagiaristic). Yet, something happens when we isolates Jon’s desperate life from its normally comedic surroundings… The blank panels, where acerbic quipping once was, serves to create a sense of timing in the strips that underscore the absurdity, and despair of Jon’s already lonely life.

I am just continually amazed at how MANY old Garfield strips can be repurposed into soul-crushing portraits of human suffering.

Ever the gimmicky city Portland, OR—at the behest of our fearless leader, Mayor Sam Adams—is going to try for the world record for the longest game of telephone in a move that Portlandians hope will sway Google into giving us the [...]]]>

Ever the gimmicky city Portland, OR—at the behest of our fearless leader, Mayor Sam Adams—is going to try for the world record for the longest game of telephone in a move that Portlandians hope will sway Google into giving us the hyper-speed Google fiber we so obviously deserve.  From the Portland Business Journal:

The tech company indicated that “citizen involvement” would play a key factor in its decision.

To that end, Portland Mayor Sam Adams and members of the city’s creative services industries devised the “Telephone” scheme to attract Google’s attention. The game will feature participants stretching from the Rose Garden arena over the Steel Bridge and ending in Pioneer Courthouse Square. “Telephone” is the game in which participants try to relay a message from person-to-person, the amusement coming from how the final missive deviates from the original message’s wording and intent.

The event begins at 9 a.m. Participants are asked to meet at Northwest Naito Parkway and Couch Street. Adams will be the last participant in the event.

High-speed Beer

UPDATE:  Ever the gimmicky city’s gimmicky brewery, Hopworks Urban Brewery has crafted a “Gigabit IPA”, as another bargaining chip in our quest for the countries fastest internet connection!

Described by Hopwork’s Brewer Ben Love, “this fresh & edgy IPA honorsPortland’s new gigabit network project pioneering a connected future with Google fiber-to-home.  Embrace the bandwidth with a massive NW hop aroma, with rich citrus and pine accents aggressively balanced with clear malt caramel flavor, and a deep, clean, satisfying finish. From Hopworks, the world’s first carbon-neutral artisnal brewery.”

The Gigabit IPA is being bottled and labeled in a limited run and shipped to Google to sip on while they review applications for their Gigabit offer.  Hope it’s got that trademark NW bitterness (and ridiculously high alcohol content).  More, including backstory at Taplister.

What’s Google Internet? Well, in their own words.…

Google is planning to build, and test ultra-high speed broadband networks in a small number of trial locations across the country. We’ll deliver Internet speeds more than 100 times faster than what most Americans have access to today with 1 gigabit per second, fiber-to-the-home connections. We’ll offer service at a competitive price to at least 50,000, and potentially up to 500,000 people.

As a first step, we’re putting out a Request for Information (RFI) to help identify interested communities. We welcome responses from local government, as well as members of the public.

Our goal is to experiment with new ways to help make Internet access better, and faster for everyone.

If this doesn’t excite you then you probably printed this blog out to read later while on the bus or some such.  In which case, i understand we won’t be expecting your support on this issue…  If this does excite you.  Well, ME TOO!  So go ahead, let your voice be heard!

Also, check out PDX Community Fiber — Bring Google high-speed internet to Portland, OR. Follow the blog to stay in the loop. And while you’re at it, fill out the form to offer your own thoughts.

Now THAT’s wallpaper

Poolga. iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch wallpapers for the rest of us. -

Poolga offers a directory of wallpapers for mobile devices from artists, designers, and illustrators, and as far as I can tell.… they are all FREE (as in beer).  The designs range [...]]]>

Now THAT’s wallpaper

Poolga. iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch wallpapers for the rest of us. -

Poolga offers a directory of wallpapers for mobile devices from artists, designers, and illustrators, and as far as I can tell.… they are all FREE (as in beer).  The designs range from stylish to whimsical, to outright beautiful.  I spent a loooong time sifting through their archives and found some real gems!  Like the one posted here.

via Drawn! The illustration and cartooning blog

UPDATE:  It appears the the unixkcd CLI interface was a one-day stunt XKCD has done it yet again. The internet has come full circle. Visit the site lo! and behold the glory of the most awesome web interface yet. ever, in the world.

UPDATE:  It appears the the unixkcd CLI interface was a one-day stunt  But hopefully it will make a comeback.…  So why don’t you read today’s comic instead.…  (and make sure you hover over the image to get the full deal)

Spoiler:  Took me a minute but the metal rectangle of lights is the computer screen.

Science attempts to de-mystify orange drink

The title pretty much says it all.

In addition to causing significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially [...]]]>

Science attempts to de-mystify orange drink

The title pretty much says it all.

In addition to causing significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating blood fats called triglycerides. The researchers say the work sheds light on the factors contributing to obesity trends in the United States.

“Some people have claimed that high-fructose corn syrup is no different than other sweeteners when it comes to weight gain and obesity, but our results make it clear that this just isn’t true, … When rats are drinking high-fructose corn syrup at levels well below those in soda pop, they’re becoming obese — every single one, across the board. Even when rats are fed a high-fat diet, you don’t see this; they don’t all gain extra weight.”

The researchers don’t yet have all the answers, but the processing of corn syrup into HFCS seems to a factor.  The unbound sugar molecules that can be metabolized almost instantly end up getting converted to fats in our bodies, rather than something a bit more useful, such as fuel/energy.  Of particular interest is the comparison of HFCS against plain ol’ table sugar (in higher concentrations than the HFCS).  Regular old white sugar is a relatively whole food, at least the sugar cane or beets don’t undergo molecule-altering chemical processes that render their resultant sweeteners useless to our bodies as a fuel source.

And, the other thing i’ve been saying for years now:

The new research complements previous work … demonstrating that sucrose can be addictive, having effects on the brain similar to some drugs of abuse.

Science Says High-Fructose Corn Syrup Is Pretty Much The Worst Thing Ever