Can't Stop Geeking

Toyota can’t buy a break these days.  First, the recall of over 2 million Toyotas for accelerator issues is a major blow to the Japanese auto-maker.  Then reports start coming out about the Prius’ brake issues.  Ouch.  Now, there’s a report that Toyota is looking into complaints about the power steering on their most popular model, the Corolla. Aye Carumba! What’s next?

As much as I try to avoid it sometimes, I find myself getting sucked in to certain TV programs.  I’ve had a love/hate relationship with TV since I graduated from college.  I hate the apparent lack of creativity in scripted broadcast shows and abhor the reality TV shows that are nothing more than a vehicle for people to appear on TV for a few seconds (I’m looking at you American Idol and Survivor).  What I love are the documentary reality shows from such channels as Discovery, Travel and the History Channel.  I discovered Man v. Food last year as a mistake and have followed it avidly since.  I watch any rerun if I have free time.  Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters, Dirty Jobs and the Deadliest Catch are appointment TV for me.  The one show I’m getting into now is History Channel’s Pawn Stars.  I’m finding I like the guys who run the shop and the artifacts that people bring in plus the stories behind them are fascinating.  What’s your favorite TV show?

Apparently, there is a group of scientists who are contesting the United Nations claim that global warming is leading to rising temperatures.  We’ve heard this kind of thing before.  Awhile ago, eggs were considered healthy, then a report came out saying eggs were bad.  Then, a few years later, another report said that eggs were good again.  Now, the same thing seems to be happening with this whole global warming issue.  The problem, we can’t afford to wait 20 years to find out if pollution is causing global warming or not.  It makes sense to me to act like it’s the truth and enact pollution reduction measures just to be on the safe side.

This is for all the car fans and eco-friendly fans.  Porsche has just unveiled a hybrid vehicle.  So not only can you feel the wind whipping at your hair as you tear down the interstate, you’ll be doing a favor for the evironment as you do so.  I hope these things don’t cost an S&P company to get one.

Are you a fan of the new layout?  Do you have to spend 5-10 minutes just trying to figure out where to visit your profile?  Do you find getting to your apps and games easier?  I myself don’t think the changes are necessary.  I could go into FB, check to see if there were any major friend updates from my last visit, and get on with my life.  I have many friends who also hate the changes, so what’s your opinion?

“Now why didn’t I think of that?”

There’s a company in Florida that has come up with a new eliptical exercise machine. What makes this unique, though, is the fact that working out on this machine will actually generate electrical power. So, you burn some calories on the machine and simultaneously generate electricity to run the machine. Talk about turning your fat into fortune! This story comes from inhabitat.com.

My friend is looking to get a replacement class ring from college.  I told him of this great orange county jewelry store that sells class rings. And since we graduated in the same class, he wants me to get one with him. I never got a class ring for college. Would any of you get one?

Really?

According to Newsweek, there has been a true civil war concerning the Chinese movie theaters.  Chinese officials ordered several hundred movie theaters to stop showing the Hollywood movie Avatar and screen the government sanctioned biopoc Confucius.  Chinese officials probably wanted to pull Avatar due to the unflattering comparisons people can make between the Chinese government and the military portrayed in the movie.  Film goers responded by essentially boycotting Confucius to the point where the Chinese government allowed the movie to start screeening again in some theaters.

I always thought of Avatar as an allegory of the US/Native American relations in the 1800s, but I guess this is more of a movie with applicability to a variety of situations.

This came from inhabitat.com. There’s an artist by the name of Luke Jerram who is working on a project which is best described as a walk-in wind chime. Tubes of various lengths surround a small chamber and each tube has strings in it that will resonate when the wind blows into it. So, change the wind, change the tune. you will literally never hear the same thing twice. Cool!

Virgin Atlantic owner Richard Branson is upping the ante of deep sea exploration with a new submarine from Hawkes Ocean Tech. His goal is twofold: have a submersible that can plunge to depth’s of 35,000 feet below sea level and transport tourists at a weekly rate of $25,000 a week. Now, this is obviously meant to cater to the uber-rich, but the idea of exploring seas not charted yet is really cool. To give you an idea of scale, the deepest we’ve been able to get is almost 12,500 feet which is the depth of the Titanic wreck; Mt. Everest is 29,000 feet and the tallest mountain in the world. The deepest part of the ocean is the Marianna trench, 35,000 feet below sea level. If this work’s I wonder what we find.