Today, the Emoticon Turns 30 :-) - The Atlantic

Today, the Emoticon Turns 30 :-) - The Atlantic

Good history lesson!!

Why Microsoft Chose New York City

Why Microsoft Chose New York City

Good idea!

1. Several good universities in the area. Easier to collaborate with academics and researchers.
2. Young people prefer urban areas. Easier to attract talent.
3. Cross pollination of ideas due to culture, education centers, financial centers, art, etc. Enhance creativity.

How it should work!

Iced Coffee for Purists - The Atlantic

Iced Coffee for Purists - The Atlantic

Good stuff! I would only add coffee ice cubes (made using the infusion process) to avoid making the coffee more dilute!

EURO 2012 Qualifiers: Malta 0-1 Greece (On Top!)

A last gasp score by Torossidis on the second minute of added time gave a very important win and the top spot of Group F to Greece. The Olympiakos F.C. attacking back had a couple of more good chances to score earlier in the game but better late than never! Combined with Croatia’s loss to Georgia, Greece climbed to to the top spot of their Group, one point clear of Croatia, at the midway point of the qualifying round.

The next game is a Greece home against Malta again on June 4th.

UEFA.com: Greece back on top thanks to Torossidis

GOAL.com: Malta 0 – 1 Greece: Last-Gasp Torosidis Saves Blue-White From Embarrassing Draw

Tech Etymology: Animated GIF - The Atlantic

Tech Etymology: Animated GIF - The Atlantic

I knew it! I was right!! GIF is pronounced with the soft 'g'.

From the article:

In the '80s, before the Internet was commonplace, CompuServe released a graphics display bulletincalled CompuShow. In version 8.33 (fQ&A.DOC), the FAQ section on GIFs begins: "The GIF (Graphics Interchange Format), pronounced 'JIF,' was designed by CompuServe and the official specification released in June of 1987." In their very own document, the GIF's creators indicate their preference for the soft-j.

Mass Effect 2

Very cool game! A space adventure with dark overtones and seemingly endless possibilities. And it is not a multi-player game either! I managed to finish it after 45 hrs.37min of gameplay over a span of 38 days. My John Shepard character survived the final escape jump from the Collectors station to the waiting Normandy. Good thing because I can use the same character in Mass Effect 3.

I played the game as a Sentinel which is supposed to be challenging, at least according to the IGN walkthrough which mentioned:

Because of their unique play-style, Sentinels should be left to those who have a lot of experience in the Mass Effect universe. Lacking any real ability to use firearms, Sentinels will need to depend on their dueling skillset, which includes both biotic and tech-based abilities. Good luck! Playing as a Sentinel isn't easy.

I did not really find that particular character very difficult in the normal (default) level of difficulty and I had no past experience with Mass Effect. It took me a while to figure out the ‘biotic’ powers but I could still fight. I finished the game as a level 27 character.

During the game:

• I ‘romanced’ Tali.
• Miranda died in action. She disliked me since I took the side of another female by the name Jack!
• The female Jack is pissed off at me because I dumped her for Tali!
• Morality-wise I was mostly a paragon. No surprise there.
• Best weapon: The Collectors’ heavy weapon.
• I saved the galaxy!

First Blizzard of 2011

Started snowing early AM on Jan. 12 and did not stop until 8 PM the same day. It dumped over 15 inches (38 cm) of snow on top of the frozen snow from the December blizzard. Shoveling took about 8 hours (4 intervals of 2 hours each.) The first one was the difficult one but had heavy hardware for help. The other 3 were maintenance!!

The early AM snowfall was very dense and blanketed everything very quickly with wet and heavy snow. By late afternoon I run out of places to dump it.

Rotten Winter Wonderland…