I am a technology nerd/geek/aficionado whatever. I LOVE new technology breakthroughs and I have a feed from Christian Science Monitor where I read about the latest and greatest everyday.

This article has to do with blade design and I mean fan blades. Inspired and field tested by Mother Nature this latest breakthrough will have an unprecedented impact in our daily lives.

Dr. Frank E. Fish (yeah, that's his name), a biologist, noticed, on a figurine of a hump back whale, the bumps on the front edge of its fins. "He was intrigued and decided to investigate."

His whale inspired blade design has been tested and patented. The benefits are amazing:

• These use about 20% less power, even at high pitch angles, drag is low.
• They Work more efficiently at lower speeds. Think wind turbines.
• The stall angle of traditional blades is 16 degrees. The new blades don't stall until a 31 degree angle! These blades provide more lift.
• Stalls can be violent cause damage to the blade and the engine they are connected to. With these blades, the stall is gradual and virtually eliminates the violent stalling.
• These blades are even more quiet.

How does this help us and what are the possible applications for this technology?

• For all of you Earth Huggers out there, wind turbines. Read Whalepower's full article regarding this.
• Car cooling fans, cooler engines means more efficient engines.
• Computer fans, quieter and more efficient. Cooler computers use less power.
• Airplane wings. More lift for faster take off using less fuel. Less drag making planes more fuel efficient. Plane turbines, increased blade angle allowing more powerful turbines while using 20% less energy, again saving fuel. Decreased chance of wing stall with a gradual stall, increasing safety of plane.
• Of course virtually EVERY cooling fan, home, office, industrial. One company can now make a 5 bladed fans that are more efficient than their traditional 10 bladed fan. This is a huge savings on Earth's resources and energy.
• Helicopters: commercial, medical, and military. They all become more safe, faster and more efficient.
• Submarines now become quieter, faster (less drag) and more maneuverable. Obviously a huge advantage for our military subs.
• I wonder if these blades would make better blenders? Margarita anyone?

Anyway, this is just an amazing discovery. Whalepower's wind turbine test comes to a close this year. I can't wait to see the results.

On a side note: I'm a true believer in the power of Mother Nature. She has already discovered the best and most efficient way to do just about everything. It's up to us to decipher her workings. Keep your senses open. You may discover something too!

Zune 2.5 Software Update

I installed the latest version of the Zune software, version 2.5. I didn't read any of the release notes because I always like to see if I can figure what updates have happened. In this case, there were a few very notable changes. There are actually many more very cool new features that I have not mentioned that have been added too.

The track numbers are larger and the song that is playing is easier to see now, due to being highlighted in a higher contrast pink (pink? really?) color.

Sorting! That's right, you can finally sort the 3 different columns!

The Artists column sorts alphabetically in ascending or descending order.
The Album column sorts in 3 different ways: alphabetically by album name, grouped by artist alphabetically, and lastly by release date (grouped by release year).
The Song column also sorts in 3 different ways: by album track number, alphabetically by song name, and lastly by song rating.

The sorting was something that bugged me and I'm glad they finally got it added to Zune.

You can now right click on an album and "Find Album Info" which you could do in the Media player but was lacking in the Zune. If I was missing album art or song names, I used to open WM and use it to find the album info. All of that same functionality is now available in the Zune software.

Reset Zune Music Collection

After the software update, one of my albums that I didn't have song names or art for was updated automatically. The end result was that many of the songs were listed twice. I also still have a few albums where the song names and the actual song that is played is off. The point being, I really wanted to rebuild my song list and hopefully during the rebuild, these issues would get fixed.

How do I get the Zune software to rebuild the list??? How about using Microsoft's own Zune Media Collection Reset Tool? Download it and run it. Easy as pie. Oh and it does exactly what it says it will do. It causes the Zune software to rebuild the song (and any other media) list.

Well did it fix my issues? The duplicate songs in an album, the song names that do not match up to the song that is being played? Yes and no. It fixed the duplicate song issue but not the other. Maybe it's not the Zune software. Who knows? At this point I am not willing to take the time to find out.

Minimize Zune to System Tray

I listen to music pretty much all day at work and it is annoying to have the Zune software taking up space on my Task Bar when it is basically a program that should be running in the background. I did a little google search and Tray It! seems the way to go. It's a nice little program that you can set to start automaticlly on start up. It then looks at the programs currently sitting in your Task Bar and gives you the option to "Place in System Tray" (right click on program name) and then remembers your settings. A nice little piece of softare that just works. Nice.

I am glad I have a Zune. I love my music, the pictures I have on it, and the movies that I have on it. I travel frequently and basically life without it sux.

Many of you that have been following the DRM war know that DRM is dying. Many artists are skipping the middle man and distributing their music for free. NIN is one of those artists and has released The Slip for free and as you can see from the image, encourages me:

• remix it
  share it with your friends
  post it on your blog
  play it on your podcast
  give it to strangers
  etc.

So as instructed, I have posted it on my blog, sharing it with my friends and giving it to strangers.

The Slip mp3 90MB

I went to Chicago this last weekend and that required a flight on an air plane. I never fly without my Zune, NEVER. The older lady (70's) next to me saw my Zune and said, "What is that for?" My reply, "It has music, pictures and movies." "Movies?!", she said. "Oh, yeah", I reply. Oh yeah, movies. 

For all those that are googling this how to: Key words: How to Rip DVD's or movies for a Zune into an MP4 or mpeg-4 format for FREE. =)

I used to only listen to music and look at pictures that I have loaded. Some time in the past two weeks I decided I wanted to load movies. I know Zune supports MP4 and I knew of a few DVD rippers that I could try. After much research and many attempts here is how you rip a dvd into an mp4 format for your Zune. And as you would expect, someone else has already posted step by step directions on how to do this. For some reason it took me a while to find this post:

Anders.com : Converting DVD movies for the Zune using Windows

This post includes links to the FREE software you will need to rip a DVD movie onto your Zune. The directions are clear and come with screen shots although the screen shots may be a bit different than the ones shown, you'll be able to figure it out easily. I think the most important part is making sure that the ripping of the DVD goes into a SINGLE file i.e. "NO FILE SPLITTING". If you miss that step, than the conversion to an .mp4 (mpeg-4) format will not work.

The first movie I converted using the above software and directions was "300" and you get to choose the quality of the conversion. I did a conversion to "MPEG4 QVGA 1024kpbs Stereo/128kpbs." Which I didn't really know what all that meant except it is the high quality video and sound. Well, it turns out it is wide screen and the audio is excellent! There was only a couple of darker scenes where the Zune couldn't handle the levels of black. The fights scenes, the audio, were just awesome. I was really impressed.

I also ripped and converted a second movie "Snatch" of which I have not watched yet. I chose a lower quality conversion, "MPEG4 QVGA 768kpbs Stereo/128kpbs", basically 768 to 1024. When I watch it, I'll let you know how the quality is.

Some other details too: "300" is 5.5 GB raw and after converstion to 1024 kbps mpeg4, it is 833 MB. "Snatch" is 3.4 GB raw and after conversion to 768kbps mpeg4, it is 554 MB.

All in all, I love that I can rip movies to my Zune. I have gen 1 30 GB Zune and because I like it so much, I want the Gen 2 80 GB Zune. I hope this helps and happy ripping!

I guess I'm in a reflective mood. There were two photo road trips that were simply amazing. The first was a GLoF endorsed trip to Frederickburg (Fburg) and Enchanted Rock (end of February). The second was a trip to New Gulf (end of March).

What was it about those two trips? First and foremost, it was the people I was with. Second, it was what we were doing.

Jennifer Lynn, a free spirit, genuinely sweet, and more private than anyone realizes. She's the pioneer, the trailblazer, the scout, the glue that binds (or the Ring that binds them all? =). She regularly takes photo trips solo, exploring all the unknown corners of Texas, get's amazing photos and shares them with us. New Gulf was one of those places. On the road to Fburg, she shared a row of abandoned homes that are a perfect place for photos, that she had found a few weeks earlier.

Darkhairedgirl (DHG), enigmatic, quick witted, and a lover of music. An expert at wooing the masses with her self portraits (read the comments on her photos) and just as adept with her other photos. Her and Jennifer are BFF's and DHG is as private as Jenn is, if not more. With our little group she was quick to laugh at my lame jokes and throw out quick witted jabs (always in a nice way) when any of us got out of hand.

Groovehouse a chivalrous dark knight. Smart, observent, and loyal to those who matter. He's normally the quiet observant guy in the background, but on these trips, he was out there. Many times leading the way and setting the pace for our photo ops.

Let it be said too, all of them are great photographers and each with their own distinct styles. Feel free to take a look at their photostreams as proof. I've learned lighting, framing and post processing techniques from every one of them. And with Groovehouse, he uses many different types of lenses, so I've learned quite a bit about those too (Fish Eye, 50mm). Just being there and watching them work their photo magic is as good as seeing the final result. The different angles they shoot from, the subjects they shoot and discussing their thoughts on a photo as their taking them, is all priceless knowledge.

We spent both trips listening to great music, having fun with engaging converstations and more often than not, laughing our asses off. All this while doing something we have a passion for, photography. For me, this was a wonderful to start off the New Year.

So from the bottom of my heart, thank you TCK! And a special thanks to Jenn for being the Trailblazer and the Glue.

TCK Por Vida!

I'm recently divorced, less than a year officially, more than a year unofficially and it was about that time to start meeting new people. So how does one start? Good question.

I already had a twitter account, but that was for different reasons than meeting people. Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn were all at the top of the buzz list. MySpace creeped me out so that was a no. Facebook looked cool and LinkedIn was fine too. Hmmm, signed up for both, made some connections but I was not "feeling" it. What next?

I am an amateur photographer. Well that's a hobby and I bet other people like it too. I decided to google "Houston Photography". Several sites popped up and I looked through a few of them. Laanba's blog, Photine, caught my attention and really ended up being the linchpin to my entire social network. I read (present tense) all of her posts and she always has something going on in her life and also knows a great deal about the Houston Photography scene. In addition to that, she had a Twitter widget on her blog and I started following her.

I finally sent her an email and introduced myself and told her about my love of photography. I was a COMPLETE NEWB to the online world of photography and said as much to Laanba. She replied with an email that might have been 3 pages long. It was FULL of useful information including links to Flickr photo groups I should join, alternatives to Flickr, and other useful blogs.

I decided to join 3 Flickr groups: Houston, Houston Flickr Weekends, and Houstonist.

A few things happened simultaneously. I was following Laanba on twitter and started following other people she was following to follow the conversations and I started making Flickr contacts. I was also introduced to Yelp during this time, but more on that later. At this point, there are quite a few people I "knew" online through both twitter and Flickr I hadn't actually met yet.

I went to my first Flickr meet up and met Laanba for the first time, Crossmage, and KinjoTx (and a few others). My second meet up I met Jeff Balke, Groovehouse, Erin1225, StephanieDancer, TxTamz, and deji_01 (and a few others).

As you might imagine, most people are on more than one social network site. Many of those people are also on Facebook, twitter, LinkedIn and Yelp.

So through twitter and Flickr I "meet" Fayza. Fayza worked for Yelp and had been twittering about Yelp. I had already heard of Yelp and already had an account, but didn't really do much with it. I check it out again and find out that it is more a social site than I realized. They have Events, both Yelp events and UYEs' (Unofficial Yelp Events).

I went to my first Yelp event. I met Fayza, Cory O., Shao-Tai, AND The_Fuzzball and Erinen31 at Poison Girl. Groovehouse was at this meet up too. The_Fuzzball has a Flickr group called the GLoF (Glorious Ladies of Flickr) and I am invited to join their group as a DMC (Devoted Male Consort), of which I accept.

Through GLoF I meet in person JenniferLynn, DarkHairedGirl, CyberToad (and through CyberToad ChristineBPC), and AggieChristine (and a few others).

I also ventured off with Fazya and Cory O. to an Austin Yelp event and met many people in Austin whom are still contacts in my Yelp world.

As you can see, my social network has grown fairly quickly (it took about 3 months) and exponentially, all from a simple google search and an email to Laanba. There are many more that I have not mentioned too. I count all of these people as friends and naturally I'm closer to some more than others, but I wouldn't hesitate to do what I could for any of them. These are all good people with similar interests as mine. I am privileged to know them all.

With the growth of my twitter, Flickr, and Yelp accounts, Facebook and LinkedIn have now become more useful to me too.

All this from a simple search and well written blog. Thank you Laanba! My life has been rich with social activity because of your blog and your help.

So how does one start? I say google your hobby and see if anyone else in your area does the same thing.

One of the things I rec'd for Christmas was a $50 credit on www.kiva.org. The site is a facilitator for micro-loans to those that need them, usually in a 3rd world country and usually women.

The idea is you loan the money, it gets paid back, and then you can RE-LOAN the money to another person or group in need. It is a wonderful idea and I'm proud to be a part of this. You will receive email updates of the progress for those that you have donated to.

Take a look at www.kiva.org and read the what we do and how it works.

Merry Christmas all!

-Sol

 
On November 11th, on Sunday morning at ~7:15am the Crowne Plaza was imploded to make way for a new Texas Children's Maternity Center that will be run by the wonderful Texas Children's Hospital. Their goal is to be delivering babies by 2010. (Thanks for the info Cara!)

I had never seen a live building demolition, so I reserved a room at the Holiday Inn next door and woke up early to capture both a movie and some pictures. It did not disappoint! The explosions happened in a quick succession and the glass in my hotel room was constantly vibrating from the blast concussions. It was HELLA cool.

I've posted my pictures on Flickr and there is also a series of pictures from the other side of the building.

Enjoy! 

The Houston Cellar Classic 2007 hosted by the Tasting Room (in Uptown, they have many locations) was freaking awesome. I volunteered for the event and didn't really know exactly what to expect but I knew it would be a great experience and hella fun. I was not let down. Everyone I met was nice and anyone that worked for the Tasting Room was very appreciative of the volunteers. I met a lot of very cool people including Dana, Christian, Amelia, Christina, Quinn, Alberto, Paula, Richard, Rolando, Catherine and Lori.

After I finished my shift in the Retail Room I got to go around and do the wine/food tasting. I tasted many wines, I think over 15 of them. My favorites were the St. Supery Elu and the Inwood Estates Cornelious (a Texas winery... I was shocked). The food was absolutely fabulous too. Max's Wine Dive, Shade, Glass Wall, Olivette and many more restaurants were there feeding the masses. Olivette served a mini chocolate ginger muffin and I think the dab of frosting on top was a cream cheese frosting along with a slice of candied ginger. WOW!

In addition to all that, I was in the VIP room and tasted a 1998 Chateax Margaux ($400), 1998 Veuve Clicquot la Grand Dame ($170), MV Krug Grande Cuvee ($170), 2002 Silver Oak Napa Cabernet ($100), and the 2003 Coppola Rubicon ($130). AMAZING!!!

Anyway, it was a blast and I look forward to volunteering for more events!  I also took my camera and snapped a few shots when I could. Check them out here: http://picasaweb.google.com/hgreerii/HoustonCellarClassic2007

 Wow! I've been drooling over this phone ever since I saw the first pic of it 2 weeks ago. I'm patiently awaiting the real specs on this sexy looking piece of hardware. Check out all of the pics over BoyGeniusReport.

HTC is releasing the HTC Kaiser to Europe. Woohoo! That means we should be getting our hands on them soon. Can't wait! You can read the complete details at this Engadget article.

More cool pics (and you can preorder):

• http://www.mobilecityonline.com/wireless/store/seemorepictures.asp?pid=1&productid=22674 

Musicovery... OK this is one of the freaking coolest sites I have EVER been too. You choose a mood and it creates and plays a music list to match your mood!!! And you get to see it create your Music Plot. So EFFIN cool.

I found this site because I am reading the  Top 100 Undiscovered Web Sites on PC Magazines web site. Check it out if you're interested.

Seriously though... you HAVE to try it out!!!

I took 2 photography courses in college to make my art requirement. I have alway been interested in photography because it was a way to "artfully" express myself. I can't draw, I can't paint, I can't write poetry or write songs. I can definitely frame a picture and I have a very fast trigger finger, so by default, photography became my outlet for expressing myself "artfully". I LOVE photography.

After living here in Houston for 2 years I finally (what took me so long) decided to do a search for "Houston Photography". It turns out there is a very strong and active community here. I found Photine, which is a wonderfully written blog. For some reason it is extremely engaging. I'm betting because there's true genuiness (is that word?). Anyway, the author is a photog and I've followed her links to other Houston photogs: CyberToad, Martin, and of course Photine's. One day, when I get the time and the nerve, I'll post my photos too.

Random thoughts... I make my living on the web. I'm a web programmer, yet it never ceases to amaze me how cool the Web is and easy it is to connect; with blogs, with twitter, facebook, etc.

Clive Thompson on How Twitter Creates a Social Sixth Sense is the name of the article on Wired.

This is THE sentence that convinced me to use Twitter: "For example, when I meet Misha for lunch after not having seen her for a month, I already know the wireframe outline of her life: She was nervous about last week's big presentation, got stuck in a rare spring snowstorm, and became addicted to salt bagels."

I thought to myself that this would be the perfect way for all my friends and family to be able to see what is going on in my daily life. In addition to that, I'm not spamming them with emails. Not only do they get to choose to participate, but they get choose how often. I thought that was a perfect way to share my life with the people I care about. Granted I had to make mine public since some of my friends and family are too lazy to create an account, but I try to be very careful with what I say.

Anyway, I'm a huge fan of Twitter and (most of) my sisters are now signed up and Twittering away too. Good stuff!