MaisonBisson

US patent laws are broken. Adam B. Jaffe and Josh Lerner say so. Their IEEE article is filled with equal measures of anecdotes and facts about why patent law is doing more to limit advancement in the arts and science than to support it. And that isn’t just wrong, it’s unconstitutional. There are a lot […] » about 900 words

My Beef T-Shirts aren’t exactly mass market, so it’s a pleasure to see sales to California (2), Florida (1), Illinois (2), Kansas (1), New York (3), Ohio (3), Oklahoma (1), Pennsylvania (1), and Washington (2). I’ve just added a Beef Trucker’s Hat for real retro fashion. It’s also a pleasure to see that the other […] » about 200 words

I recently discovered Unusual Hotels of the World, “the online guide for travelers interestedinstaying somewhere truly different,” and was pleasantly surprised to find a few hotels in North America I’d like to check in to some day. Jules Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Florida, is actually underwater. I have secret interest in trains, so I’d […] » about 200 words

People are going wild over Google Maps, but I honestly didn’t get too excited about it until I saw Glen Murphy’s Movin Gmap project. It’s a Python script that reads location data from a connected GPS and pans the Gmap to follow. Upon seeing this hack of Gmaps, I went looking for more. Hack a […] » about 200 words

Jenny Levine, The Shifted Librarian, points out a recent survey that finds 90% of US college students own a cell phone. Nationally, 171.2 million Americans have cell phones. And cell phones aren’t just for talking, as we Americans are sending 2.5 billion text messages a month. Jenny’s point: “you can tell yourself that these trends […] » about 400 words

I’ve been contemplating the idea of welding/fabricating a stainless steel counter top, but I’ve never attempted any welding before, and most people say stainless steel is difficult to work with. Thanks to this PDF, I know everything there is to know about stainless steel finishes, but nothing about working with the material. Azom, “the premier […] » about 500 words

Two perfectly paired books: Blow-Up by Sean Topham and Collapsible by Per Mollerup. One explores inflatable forms in art, architecture, and science. The other explores the somewhat broader range of things whose size and shape are meant to change as their use changes. They both look absolutely delightfull. . » about 100 words

We’ve come to expect certain things. Cars have four wheels, for instance. And we expect two-wheeled vehicles look like bikes or motorcycles or scooters. Then came the Segway a few years ago and shifted the two-wheeled concept around. Now, a number of stories regarding vehicles of one, two, and three wheels have come out. They’re […] » about 600 words

As Cliff likes to say, “cur-tailed, the sweetest two words in the English language.” The snow started falling Wednesday night and didn’t stop. Even now, big, puffy flakes like oversized cotton balls are falling. [update:] Photos added. Also, here’s a snowy panorama from early January. » about 100 words

There’s a new version of Jeff Early’s GPS Photo Linker, which allows you to combine tracks from your GPS (time and position data) with your photos (time and image data), so you end up with a bunch of photos with embeded GPS coordinates. Jeff notes: Apple has confirmed that MacOS 10.4 will support the GPS […] » about 300 words

After some scraping and saving, and our refinancing, we’re remodeling our kitchen. Our first attempt at doing this failed when I realized — too late — that I’m not actually capable of making cabinets. By that time, we’d filled the kitchen with a bunch of poorly made and unfinished junk. Sure, there’s a sink and […] » about 300 words

Today I give props to bunchofpants‘s Flickr photoset on Marmite. I don’t really know what Marmite is, but the Marmite FAQ claims: Marmite is dark brown-colored savory spread made from the yeast that is a by-product of the brewing industry. It has a very strong, slightly salty flavor. It is definitely a love-it-or-hate-it type of […] » about 300 words

There are a lot of folks who will tell you how “wrong” it is that Apple integrates the monitor and computer in so many models, so I guess there’s a bunch of them that will tell you the same thing about how Bluebroc is integrating the a sweet-looking couch and an iMac G5. “You’ll have […] » about 100 words

iPod Giggles » Paul Bourke, of the Astronomy department at Swinburne University of Technology, has developed an iPod stereoscope. His system uses a pair of iPods in an old-style stereoscope viewer to display stereo-matched photos. » Somebody at Iaxb has come up with some renderings of a giant iPod shuffle sitting around the house like […] » about 200 words

Okay, so I’ve been doing at least a post a day since about September 2004 and a few people got concerned when I missed a couple days, but I am alive. Gosh (said Napoleon style). I’d probably pass on posts again today, but I was looking recent comments on my Flickr photoblog and got a […] » about 200 words

The Dunhuang Grottoes are one of China’s richest archaeological treasures. Built during the 4th through 14th centuries, they are a 1,000-year-old ancient art gallery of cave architecture, sculptures and murals. Rediscovered in 1900, the region has been listed on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1987. Despite over 100 years of exploration and study, the […] » about 400 words

Based on the search terms people come to this site with, I know that there’s a bunch of folks looking for the “energy drink ad,” or “K-fee TV commercial,” or “scary German,” or some such. Most people end up finding my story about Zygo energy vodka, and completely miss my story about the (deceptively titled) […] » about 200 words

I have burned 1.6 tons of wood pellets so far this winter. The significance of the number isn’t its size, though 1.6 tons is a lot. The significance is that it represents 80 bags of pellets, each 40 pounds. The significance is that it represents about half of the pellets I’d purchased for the heating […] » about 400 words

My dad forwarded me the following pictures and story: These pictures are of a guy who works for the US Forest Service in Alaska and his trophy bear. He was out deer hunting last week when a large grizzly bear charged him from about 50 yards away. The guy unloaded his 7mm Mag Semi-automatic rifle […] » about 600 words

I am always amazed at the lengths we’ll go through to communicate or express or simply transliterate an idea, and further amazed at how we represent the result. Take this for instance: 6th string| ---0---3---3--5--5----7-8-7-8-7-8-7-8---3-3--5-5 Once you figure it out, you’ll likely not be able to get it out of your head. And this: sort […] » about 100 words

A post on Techdirt notes: You may recall that we somehow got involved in a bizarre battle over Wikipedia, when I got into a discussion with a reporter who told me that Wikipedia was “outrageous,” “repugnant” and “dangerous,” mainly because it’s not reviewed by “professionals.” Despite a valiant effort, I was unable to ever convince […] » about 300 words

Last week I pointed to Will Shetterly’s “The People Who Owned the Bible” as an example of what might happen if copyright/intellectual property law continues to favor short term commercial interests over long term public interests. It’s worth noting that the original copyright laws, developed in 1600s Britain, allowed for only a seven year monopoly […] » about 500 words

Batteries don’t work well in the cold, and with the -20°F nights we’ve had, I think I can say it’s been cold here lately. I woke my PowerBook from sleep in sub-freezing temperatures this morning and got a few minutes of work out of it before it put itself to sleep again. I popped it […] » about 400 words

I’ve been following cell-carrier wireless data options here at MaisonBisson (here and here), but I have to admit that I don’t actually use any such solutions. I live and work (and usually travel) in range of ethernet and WiFi, so I might get a pass on this but the real reason is laziness. Engadget has […] » about 300 words