Duels Defense

Check out this time waster:

Come Suited for Battle at Duels.com

Stereo Bluetooth Devices Are Not Ready for Primetime

My initial enthusiasm over stereo bluetooth has waned. Both my MacBook Pro and Blackjack II support A2DP. Over the past month, I have been using a bluetooth headphone from Best Buy and this Bluetooth transceiver connected to C's Apple Hi-Fi.

Despite not being an audiophile, I can unequivocally state that the sound quality sucks. From the MBP to the headphones, I can hear static. Plus, the music just sounds muffled. Sound degradation can also be heard from the Apple Hi-Fi. In both cases, the bluetooth devices are no more than 10 feet away from one another.

My research into A2DP reveals that the signal is transmitted digitally. It must be poor implementation then. Perhaps in a year I'll try the new A2DP devices on the market.

Traveling Light

Over the long weekend, I experimented with traveling even lighter than usual. I wanted to be more portable than the MacBook Pro + backpack combination. In their place was the Asus eee pc with my trusty small sized Timbuk2 Messenger Bag. I'm happy to report that it was a success. The bag, laptop, accessories, and 2 changes of clothes totaled less than 8 pounds. The eee pc made for a more than adequate LAMP development environment. It also helped that I installed a 2 GB DIMM and an 8 GB SDHC card.

Sweet Ariana

I flew to Durham, NC to meet my new niece Ariana. For the hour a day that she's not cranky, she's the world's most beautiful baby.



I left my brother's house with a strong sense of birth control.

Fixed Gear

I've decided to venture into the fixed gear world. Last Friday, this beauty arrived:



A fixed gear bicycle lacks a freewheel -- when the rear tire spins, so does the crankshaft. There's never any coasting. Whether you're starting, stopping, leaving the saddle, or turning, the pedals are moving. This was startling to me as I acclimated to the new bike.

People have repeatedly questioned why I would opt for a fixed gear. The best answer I can provide is that it appeals to my sense of simplicity and presents a new set of challenges. No rear brake, no chainrings, no cassettes, and no derailers -- just the joy of riding.

Goodbye, A-Rod

Alex Rodriguez has opted out of the final 3 years ($91M) of his contract with the Yankees. He will be become a free-agent and will be free to negotiate with any MLB team. Industry experts expect his next contract to exceed $300M.

As both an Alex Rodriguez and Yankees fan, I'm sorry to see him go. When his career concludes, A-Rod will be remembered as the best power hitter to have ever played. However, I will admire the Yankees organization even further if they stick to their word and choose not to pursue him as a free agent.

A-Rod's next contact will be in excess of $30M/year. At that price, the Yankees would be able to sign Johan Santana and a third baseman with 70-80% the capability of A-Rod. Surely, that is the wiser business move. In baseball, a single player cannot win the World Series for you.

The Yankees' off-season will be intriguing. It has already begun with the firing of Joe Torre. There is a potential of a brand new look if the Yankees choose not to resign Posada, Rivera, and Abreu. Moreover, Pettitte may decide to retire. As a life-long Yankees fan, I think it's time for a makeover.

Then Yankees of this decade are becoming the Braves of the 90s - a team good enough to make the playoffs, but one that quickly fizzles out once they get there. Here's to an exciting winter for the Yankees.

Send large files

If you need to send files that exceed your email system's attachment limit, check out Virtual Drop Box. It's my pet project and employs SSL, Ruby/Rails, reCAPTCHA, Adsense, and Google Analytics. It's simple, secure, and free. While you're at it, click on some of the ads.

10th Reunion

This past weekend, I ventured to Old Nassau to celebrate my 10th college reunion. From the strong showing of children, there will be no shortage of future Princetonians.

Pictured below are my college buddies. We're all older and drink a lot less, but otherwise remain the same.

Ron Paul

I admire Ron Paul for criticizing our asinine foreign policy. Instead of pandering to the masses and parroting the "They attacked us because they hate freedom and our way of life" mantra, Paul invites us to consider the real motivations behind Al Qaeda's attacks. Our Middle East foreign policy, nation building, and pre-emptive strikes are not indicators of a peaceful nation.

Unlike Giuliani, I will take Congressman Paul's advice and read the books he's recommended.

Charitable Donations as Presents

For the past few years, I have made charitable donations as wedding presents in lieu of consulting a registry. As more couples marry at a later age, the idea of registering for linens and china is quite antiquated. Most of my friends own houses and multiple vehicles by the time they're married. Besides, contributing to cancer research or an organization like Doctors Without Borders does much more to balance the karmic scale than buying a crock pot or serving tray.