Wingsuit Base Jumping

Men jumping off cliffs in winged flying suits, skimming rock walls, and living every boy's dream of flying on. Don't tell mom, but this looks even funner than my jump off of Sky Tower in New Zealand!



(HT Gizmodo)

Verizon to Help Kindle Rivals?

Looks like Verizon plans to offer wireless access to a whole slew of ebook readers. This is wonderful news as it means more competition and therefore more innovation is about to enter the eReader market. A few things I would love to see come from this:

1. All eBook readers come with wireless access.
2. Amazon eventually begins to offer their selection of digital books for sale to any eBook reader (or computer). (I think Amazon does better as a content provider rather than a hardware designer, but they may be quickly coming up to speed in the latter.)
3. Kindle-like wireless purchasing available on all notebooks and netbooks -- possibly expanding to music and video downloads as well over time. (Video may be a long time coming due to much higher bandwidth requirements.)
4. Additional no-fee wireless capabilities -- such as e-mail, Wikipedia, Google, etc. available on eBook readers. Much of this is already available on the Kindle.
5. Apple is rumored to be making a giant iPod Touch. It would be great to see this device become reality with large battery life and the capability to purchase a slew of eBook material and new applications from Apple's App Store using this technology.
6. Google's efforts to digitize every book in print will hopefully lead to integration with eBook readers. I would love to see a subscription service that lets you access an unlimited number of books via a computer and/or eBook reader. The literary equivalent of Rhapsody.
   

One thing is for sure -- this development should lead to some very good things for consumers -- with both new technology and new business models taking advantage of it. I can't wait to see what is next!

The Daily Dozen

1. What will change everything? Many prominent thinkers answer Edge's annual question: "What game changing scientific ideas and developments do you expect to live and see?"
   
2. Exercise is not the key to stopping obesity. Burining more calories than you consume is. I've been arguing this for years, but it's hard to get people to listen.
3. How to take a great portrait shot.
4. A site full of great wallpaper for your PC.
5. Unclutterer turns two! Happy birthday to a great site!
6. Michael Hyatt's best posts of 2008.
7. Economists v. historians on the New Deal and the Great Depression.
8. Will cell phones have built-in projectors starting in 2009? I hope so!
9. Unlike in Virginia, California is forcing break-away Episcopal congregations to surrender their property. Justice Joyce L. Kennard wrote: “This result is constitutional, but only because the dispute involves religious bodies and then only because [the legal doctrine at issue], permissible under the 1st Amendment, allows a state to give unbridled deference to the superior religious body or general church.”
10. 7 steps for creating an in-town vacation.
11. Depressed, sick and fat? Blame your friends!
12. An atheist who truly believes Africa needs God.
    

Asus Launches Convertible Touchscreen Netbooks

It has an 8.9-inch touchscreen, weighs 2-pounds, and has options for a TV tuner and built-in GPS. It should be available in the next 3-6 months.

Looks like they're coming out with a 10-inch version too.

The cause of bad hair days...

more animals

Back from Orlando

I just got back to Virginia last night, after a wonderful week-and-a-half visiting friends in Orlando. It was a much-needed time spent resting and reconnecting with old friends. It was wonderful seeing everyone again and I continue to be amazed at how close all of us still are after all these years.



I drove down and back with my parents and we had a great time. For those who have never done so, here are some great reasons to travel with your parents as an adult. I feel incredibly blessed by a wonderful mom and dad who I love spending time with. Traveling with family on the road is a great way to make memories that will last a lifetime.


(Mom and dad had fun learning to eat with chopsticks at Sushitomi, my favorite Japanese restaurant in Orlando. It was nice to know the waitress still remembers my usual order -- 3-1/2 years after I moved.)

For some other examples of how rewarding it can be to travel with family after becoming an adult, here are some photos of my trip out West with dad in 2005. (We traveled 11,000 miles through 28 states in 30 days.) Also, here are blog posts and photos from my trip to Alaska in 2006 with my great-aunt, Aunt Ruth. She was 90 at the time (she's now 93) and still had more energy than me. These are all memories I will cherish for the rest of my life.

Macro Question

A great question from Russ Roberts:

Here are three $750 billion stimulus plans. All three are financed by borrowing:

1. Give every American a "tax rebate" of $2500.
   
2. Hire 10,000,000 Americans and pay them $75,000 to dig a ditch for six months and spend the next six months filling it back in.
   
3. Hire 10,000,000 Americans and pay them $75,000 to build bridges and sewers and landscape parks and highways for a year.

Do any of these stimulate the economy? If yes, is there a difference between which does a better job at stimulating the economy? You may continue your answer on the back of the page.

Extra credit: Combine 1 and 3. Give every American $1250 and hire 5,000,000 Americans to build bridges etc. Same effects? Different? Why?

Which one would you pick and why?

(HT Nathan Snow)

The Daily Dozen

1. Law firms' woes likely to last.
2. Ali's blog gets a new look.
3. Driving on ice and tips on how not to wreck. Appropriate for the wintry mix they're calling for in DC today. Also, an article on how a man used his Prius to power his house during an ice storm.
4. Instapundit likes his Asus netbook. So do I, by the way. I just got back from 1-1/2 weeks in Florida and used my Asus 901 as my only computer. It was more than enough for e-mail, web surfing, blogging, and light photo editing. I would welcome a better layout of the keyboard, but Asus may soon be addressing this problem. For most users, I'd probably recommend a 10" netbook for a larger screen and (more importantly) a larger keyboard. At only $350-$400, these computers are a steal. (Kevin Tofel shares his thoughts on the best value in netbooks.) I can't wait to see what 2009 holds for these tiny machines.
5. 9 reasons not to attend law school. In case that didn't convince you, here are a few more.
6. Macworld Expo '09 rumor roundup.
7. Milky Way even more awesome than previously believed.
8. 40 facts about sleep you probably didn't know...
9. Do we compete more against fewer competitors?
10. Ford sales off 32.4%. Toyota sales off 37%, GM off 31%. Chrysler sales off 53%.
11. You are not your money.
12. How eating slowly will help you lose weight.
    

O yea!?!1?

more animals

The Daily Dozen

1. Things that work much better when broken.
2. You can do anything in your underwear.
3. Investing now vs. removing debt. Generally good advice, but I favor a 50/50 approach. For every dollar you invest, you should put one dollar against debt repayment. That way you get a psychological reward of seeing your assets grow as your liabilities decrease. It also means that after you pay off $10,000 worth of debt, you should have more than $10,000 saved.
4. Gordon Smith's advice to young scholars: One new idea per article. Read the rest of his advice here.
5. In these poor economic times, library use is booming. I'm now driving on my way home from Florida and checked out six books before I left.
   
6. Common writing mistakes.
   
7. The U.S. could be facing a coming debt 'time bomb'?
   
8. Who saw the housing bubble coming?
   
9. Does innovation require markets?
10. Popular medical myths put to rest.
    
11. In defense of buying books.
12. Bright young economic stars.
    

Solar Powered Puppy

see more puppies

U is my favrite flavur.

more animals

Happy New Year!

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year and great things in 2009!


(A photo shot at my uncle's cottage on one of the Great Lakes.)