Et tu, West Wing?

They killed it! They killed it! Middle East peace in an hour! Argh!

I have always loved the West Wing, but I am afraid its time has finally come. The dorsal fin is circling and the water skis are ready (Click the link for the explanation of that if you are not familiar with Jump the Shark). This show used to rely on characters and exceptional writing from Aaron Sorkin. Now, regretfully, its time has come. Don't get me wrong. I will still watch it, but it has progressed a slow, downward path towards simple formulaic television. Not surprisingly, it is just like when ER decided they needed to start showing car crashes for ratings. It had to create drama that people without little tolerance for the nuance of politics and intrigue could understand. I think longingly back to a time when a meeting between its characters discussing the fundamentals of some arcane fact of Presidential history was great TV. John Wells (the common link between ER and West Wing) has really screwed this show up. He seems to have a modus operandi of being a part of a show with great writers and turning it into a vehicle for all that is bad about television. I just wish they would get Aaron Sorkin to write a couple of episodes so we can remember how it used to be. Until then, we will either suffer through this dribble, or simply watch the reruns my trusty steed, Tivo has recorded for me.

West Wing

Google's GMail - The Killer Internet App at last?

I found a story on Slashdot today discussing Google's new GMail service. Well, it has actually been out awhile but just not released to the general public yet. The only way to get into the system is to be invited to it. I have 4 more invites left so email me if you want one. I have used free web-based email systems like Hotmail and Yahoo before, but they always left me wanting more. With GMail, I continually find myself wondering how they do the things they do. The aforementioned article talks about this. On its most basic level. GMail handles SPAM very well. Most of the things in the SPAM folder are really spam. Most of the things in my inbox are valid. Additionally, you do not have to ever delete anything if you do not want to delete it. You can archive all your mail then search against the archive to find it. You get 1GB of storage to save mail. So, if you have a Hotmail account and find you have to constantly delete it because it gets full, then this is for you. TTFN. - Tom

The Magic of RFID

Slashdot had a reference to this primer on RFID. For those that do not know, RFID is a method to place a tag on something and have an external scanner read it. The most interesting thing about the technology is how the device itself does not have a battery. it absorbs radio frequency (RF) energy and that powers its internal transmitter to allow it to send back its IDentification. Get it? This is the basic concept behind things like EZ Pass, and my license plate system idea (See earlier entry). How long before we plant one of these in every driver's license. Long live the Fourth Amendment!!!

The Magic of RFID

Yet another trip to New Jersey

Well, I took off again to New Jersey this weekend to see my son, David. We went to a rather odd attraction called Northlandz. This place is a giant model train museum. It is hard to describe and the scale is very large. Well, the scale of the exhibits, not the trains :)

David and I also took a ride down the Jersey shore to Sandy Hook. It is a beach area not too far from NYC. Unfortunately, I think its proximity to NYC gives the waves that special brown hue only found near large population areas. I actually made the drive in 3.5 hours each way. All made possible my the wonder that is EZ-Pass. More on that later.

I also made it to NYC. It is actually lots of fun to take the train into the city, leave Penn Station (33rd Street and 8 Avenue) and look up to see the Empire State Building. David and I were trying to find museums to see. I tell you one of the nicest things about Washington DC is the museums and attractions are generally free. In NYC, everything costs money!