Monday, March 30, 2009

Video games, smart power, Adu, Dynamo, populations

Video games improve your brain's performance. Gaming white-collar professionals are more confident and social, and gaming surgeons make fewer mistakes. Also, video games sharpen eyesight.

Smart power grids might be vulnerable to hackers. I think that's probably a relatively minor concern, since security vulnerabilities are something that can be dealt with.

Freddy Adu's in the US for a little while, and he spoke to reporters. He says he's doing well. Apparently, it's pretty normal for 19 year-olds to not play in "serious European clubs," so he's just working hard to get a chance. I suppose he's in a great place to train, though.

Speaking of soccer, the Houston Dynamo try to secure funding to get their stadium built. Is it getting closer?

Houston added the second most number of people to its population , a recent survey says. Second, behind Dallas. Percentage-wise, Austin is the second fastest growing city.

Friday, March 13, 2009

Facebook, Catholicism, Sears Tower, batteries, the internet

Apparently, Batman couldn't get a Facebook account.

Catholics are asked to abstain from tech-stuff on Fridays. I hope my blogs count as an exception.

Hey, Chicagoians: The Sears Tower is changing names to Willis Tower.

There's a new type of lithium battery which charges really, really fast. Battery technology really interests me, because better, smaller batteries mean better, smaller devices.

Reporters Without Borders has put out a list of countries that are enemies of the internet--that heavily censor the internet. Cuba's on this list; I worry that Venezuela will follow suit and pursue actions to get them on the list, too.

Friday, March 6, 2009

Texas history, light rail, fat ban, beer, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe.

Monday was Texan Independence Day, and what better way to celebrate it than with a piece of history.

The light rail is going to cost $1.46 billion. I wonder how much longer until it'll be useful for me. It needs to be pretty expansive to cater to a sprawling city like Houston. I think it'll get there eventually, though.

A state lawmaker wants to ban trans-fat. He says it'll lower health care costs. Interesting. Maybe a ban on fast food will come next?

And the rodeo's in town! I hope you get a chance to enjoy it.

Saint Arnold's has a limited run special beer you can try.

An article arguing against Huge Chavez's accomplishments. Speaking of which, Venezuela has a 30% inflation rate? And that's down? Ouch! PDVSA is late on payments. Tear gas is thrown at the Vatican diplomatic office in Venezuela.

Zimbabwe's inflation rate is, of course, much worse. The Cato Institute says it's the second worst ever.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Wow. I knew dolphin were smart, but they even prepare their food?

Hey, a free cooking class every Saturday in Houston.

A law proposed to allow alcohol sales on Sundays. As an added bonus, it could bring in more revenue.

Hey, Google Transit now covers Houston!

A walk through Glenwood Cemetery sounds interesting, to see historic Texans.

NASA is getting $1 billion from the stimulus bill.

A big honor for some Houston chefs: James Beard Awards.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Acer Aspire One

So I recently got one of those Acer Aspire Ones. It's a handy little netbook, and very portable. I really enjoy using it to surf the internet and read stuff while I'm out. I'm still learning, bit by bit, how to use Linux, so here are the sites that have come in handy for me thus far:
Aspire One
Aspire One Tips and Tricks
Linux-Watch
Learning the Shell
Linux Keyboard Shortcuts
Google-Watch
Google Blogoscoped
(the last two to hopefully find out when Google Chrome comes out for Linux)

I'm also on the lookout for a good sleeve for the thing, or a small case. I bought a bible book cover, which fits the thing perfectly, but it's a bit on the bulky side. Mostly, I don't know what to do with the power cord. On the other hand, I'm considering buying one of the 9-cell batteries so maybe I won't have to carry my power cord with me so much.

I'm also back to tutoring Economics this semester, so my website and my other blog should see periodic updates (each have been updated in the last week).

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Astroids and Netbooks

An asteroid narrowly missed the earth yesterday. I didn't know an asteroid hit the earth in 1908! I wonder what would have happened if that asteroid had hit the moon, a much smaller ball of mass. Though, I guess, the craters on the moon indicate it's been hit a lot before...

Speaking of which, China did hit the moon. On purpose. They apparently want to send people to the moon in around two years. Go China! Talk about shooting for the moon.

I want one of these. A four-in-one netbook, handheld gaming device, e-book reader, and touch-based tablet. Currently retailing at $399 isn't too bad!

And, as reported on my other blog, Intel is trying to get its Atom into other devices. I really like a lot of products in the past year or so, despite the slump you'd expect from the economy. Although, I'd guess a lot of the low cost stuff--netbooks being a cheap substitute for laptops, for example--are a response to the economy.