Good morning! Today is the first day of winter. Michelle and I both had solid night's of sleep. Between that and seeing sunshine again today, our dispositions should do much better. I'm heading down to Concord today where our team will have a Christmas boondoggle lunch at (related link) . Michelle will be teaching her first class in a week.
Smooth, sunny drive in. Offered a rosary for my wife's continuing good health and then listened to more of "Cryptonomicon" the rest of the way. Looks like west Concord, MA saw at least half a foot of snow or more this past weekend.
Considering how much bribing is going on in DC to move health care forward, I agree with the new expression: "Cash for Cloture".
Our team lunch at (related link) was great. It's hard to have a bad meal there. (or a cheap one) In the "it's a small world" department, we briefly saw our old boss, head of ATI's console negotiations, at lunch. He stopped over at our table to say hello and wish us a good holiday.
Favorite tweet of the day: "Is there a 'making up numbers czar' or is that ad hoc?" (related link)
OK, it's quarter to six. 'Twas helping a peer in Toronto out and lost track of time. Will traffic near MA Route 2 be any better? Somehow I still doubt it!
Smooth drive home. No traffic, but I don't think it's worth leaving at 6 to get better traffic. Thankful for my good headset because it allowed me to accept calls from my dad, my boss, and my wife on the way back without taking my hands of the wheel and stick shift.
Bookmarks I made today:
Google Chrome
Comment: I've used it on the PC and now that it's also available on Mac, I've been using it all weekend instead of Safari. Recommended. I was impressed by how well it imported Safari's settings, including pulling down web site user names and passwords [Don't worry, it required approval each time]
Excerpt: Google Chrome is a browser that combines a minimal design with sophisticated technology to make the web faster, safer, and easier.
How to Manufacture a Climate Consensus
Comment: I was considering this morning on the drive in: In the context of "ClimateGate", suppose similar emails were uncovered from the Vatican. Would the media ignore them if they were released just a week or two before a major conclave in Rome?
Excerpt: In The Wall Street Journal, Patrick J. Michaels shows how scientists who did not toe the line were blackballed from the peer-reviewed literature.
Top 10 Smartphone Advances Of 2009
Comment: A good summary of this past year's trends in smartphones.
Excerpt: As smartphones further cemented their place in the enterprise, Apple, Motorola, Google Android, and RIM Blackberry vied for the spotlight.
Gordon Brown calls for new group to police global environment issues
Comment: When I read this all I can think of is the bureaucrat Wesley Mouch in "Atlas Shrugged" whining that he "needs more power" so that he can save the crumbling economy, even as each dictate he passes causes a further downward spiral...
Excerpt: A new global body dedicated to environmental stewardship is needed to prevent a repeat of the deadlock which undermined the Copenhagen climate change summit, Gordon Brown will say tomorrow.