Saturday, July 19, 2008

Last Tuesday my son and I did some day-hiking at Mt Rainier. This was also a nostalgia trip for us. When the kids were young, we’d take them to Rainier and this short trip reminded us both of those good times.

These photos were taken on our climb to the summit of Mt Borroughs, one of Rainier’s minor sister peaks.

On the way down, we saw this neat lenticular cloud. These often form above and downwind of Mt. Rainier when winds aloft are fast and the air is moist.

Posted by Digital Quixote in • Out and About
(0) Comments • Permalink

Thursday, July 17, 2008

I swore I would never forgive Al Gore for his claim to have invented the Internet. But today, I do forgive him completely. Not because he in fact invented the Internet, a ridiculous claim, but because of his speech today titled: A Generational Challenge to Repower America.

For the first time today, I heard an address that encapsulates my point of view on carbon-based energy. Briefly Al Gore calls for America to switch to an electricity based energy strategy where the electricity is generated from non-carbon-based sources. It recognises that demand for oil is rising much faster than supply. It recognises the political and economic risk of continued dependence on carbon-based fuel. And it calls for a NASA (or Manhattan Project if you prefer) style strategic investment to free ourselves from carbon fuel dependence within 10 years!.

It is bold. It is compellingly articulated. It’s profoundly simple to understand.

I’ve included his short, readable, articulate address in the “rest of the story” below. 

Click here for the rest of the story ...

Posted by Digital Quixote in • Politics
(0) Comments • Permalink

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Walt Mossberg - “Was Vista a mistake?”

Bill Gates - “Not at all. We have a culture that’s very much about ‘We need to do better.’ Vista’s given us more opportunities to exercise our culture.”

Posted by Digital Quixote in • Quotable
(1) Comments • Permalink

Saturday, July 05, 2008

Click on any image to enlarge ...

A couple of weeks ago we took the boat over to some Lake Washington bays where there are some interesting floating houses. For the most part, these are minimalist houses, with efficient footprints, and due to small moorage, most have eclectic designs. Here are a few for your viewing pleasure.

On the way home we went by Gasworks Park and caught it with nice light on the gasworks themselves.

This 20 acre point on Lake Union was cleared in 1906 to construct a plant to manufacture gas from coal - later converted to crude oil. Import of natural gas in the 1950’s made the plant obsolete. The city acquired the site for a park in 1962. The park was opened to the public in 1975. The boiler house has been converted to a picnic shelter with tables, fire grills and an open area. The former exhauster-compressor building, now a children’s play barn, features a maze of brightly painted machinery.

Fun!

Posted by Digital Quixote in • Out and About
(0) Comments • Permalink

Friday, July 04, 2008

"Watching Microsoft in the company of Google and Facebook is a bit like watching your dad trying to be cool.”

Posted by Digital Quixote in • Quotable
(0) Comments • Permalink