Google New Year 2007
Google does it again with a great tribute logo to the year 2007 which is just a few hours away:
2007 (MMVII) is the current year in some parts of the world and the upcoming year in other parts, due to the fact that there are still a few hours left for the Western Hemisphere.
It is the 2007th year of the Gregorian calendar. It is also the 7th year in the 21st Century.
Most of 2007 overlaps with the Year of the Pig in the Chinese calendar.
Dates from the first of January 2006 until the 17th of February 2007 are in the Year of the Dog in the Chinese calendar.
The next year of the pig will start in 2019.
This year will also be the year of the sign Pisces in Western Astrology. The next year of Pisces will take place in 2019.
2007 also celebrates the Centenary of Scouting.
If you know any other interesting bits of trivia about the year 2007, be sure to leave a comment.
Be sure to check back as I have some new and exciting things planned for my Geek With Laptop blog.
Have a Happy New Year. See you next year! 
Lack Of Communication
Lack of communication. That’s a powerful phrase. One that can either help you succeed or fail in life and in business.
I’ve never claimed to be perfect, and at various times in my life, I too have lacked in my communication skills with friends, family and in business…
However, there is a silver lining because over the years, I’ve become much better at communication, so good that people have called me an ass or a jerk at times for being so blunt.
This brings me to the next part of this rant.
In email, sometimes proper communication doesn’t come through as we might have intended.
With text there isn’t any tone or real mood set which can make emails that were meant to be light hearted sound really bad or promote the wrong message.
I always try to put a little smile face like this in my emails or posts if I’m messing around or intend for my email to be taken lightly or with a grain of salt.
Reasons like this is why I like communicating via voice on the telephone, Skype or even in person. It really helps solve so many communication glitches this way.
For the record, I like to mess with people. If I like you, I mess with you. If it bothers you, tell me… communicate to me that my words or actions are upsetting you.
Believe it or not, I do have respect for people and never want to hurt someone on purpose or make them feel bad.
Anyway, to bring this post to a close, here are some of the lyrics from a song titled “Lack Of Communication” by one of my favorite 1980’s metal bands Ratt off their album “Out Of The Cellar”:
Too many problems, the world can’t solve
Too many people, no-one wants to be involved
(Lack of communication, back off)Keep rearranging, it’s all the same
Always saying, someone else is to blame
(Lack of communication, back off)Look all around me, who’s standing tall
Hold tight, no-one’s gonna answer your call
(Lack of communication, back off)Put up our boundaries, we build our walls
It’s alright, no-one’s gonna change us at all
(Lack of communication, back off)Time’s passing us by, we have our reason
No-one wants to try, we have our reason
Questions asking why, we have our reason
Problems still arise, we have our reason…
Artist: Ratt
Album: Out Of The Cellar
Original Release Date: 1984
The Soul of a New Machine
Over the past few days I blew the dust off one of my favorite books titled “The Soul of a New Machine” by Tracy Kidder and read it again.
The book was originally published in hardcover August 1981. I own the paperback version which was released in June 2000.
The Synopsis:
Tracy Kidder’s The Soul of a New Machine, the compelling account of the inventors of a new mini-supercomputer for the young Data General company, is the best chronicle of the computer age and the extraordinary people who have created it.
A compelling account of individual sacrifice and ingenuity, it became an instant classic on publication and won a Pulitzer Prize.
The Wall Street Journal described it as “fascinating” and “provocative”, and The New York Times Book Review praised its “high level of narrative art”. This Modern Library edition includes a new introduction by Tracy Kidder.
Computers have changed a lot since 1981, when Tracy Kidder recorded the drama, comedy, and excitement of one company’s efforts to bring a new microcomputer to market.
What has changed little, however, is computer culture: the feverish pace of the high-tech industry, the mystique of programmers, the go-for-broke approach to business that has caused so many computer companies to win big (or go belly up), and the cult of pursuing mind-bending technological innovations.
By tracing computer culture to its roots, by exploring the “soul” of the “machine” that has revolutionized the world, Kidder succeeds as no other writer has done in capturing the essential spirit of the computer age.
One famous line from the book that sticks in my mind:
The bigger game was “pinball”. “You win one game, you get to play another. You win with this machine, you get to build the next.” Pinball was what counted.
I highly recommend this book to all my geek friends. It’s a little hard to find in local stores but last I checked, it was available via Amazon.com and I’ve also seen it listed on eBay.
Hacking The Body
As we come to the close of 2006 most of us will dream up some “New Years Resolutions” to put into effect at the stroke of midnight on December 31.
Some of the stuff people usually toss out to the universe are things like:
- Working harder
- Working less
- Eating better
- Exercising more
- Spending more time with family
- Hanging out with friends
- Finishing random projects
Recently I watched The Secret which has some really good life changing advise, some of which I was already putting into practice and now with 2007 just around the corner, I’m putting even more into motion.
According to doctors and health professionals, for my height and age I should weigh between 175-185 pounds and as of this morning I weighed in at 232 pounds.
When you look at me, I don’t appear over weight. I’m a bulky guy with a lot of muscle. I played football in high school and I was in the United States Marines for close to 4 years. That will bulk up anyone.
Yeah, I’m a solid guy, however I could use a little work in the stomach area. I don’t have a giant gut but there is a little squish going on
So what do I plan on doing to fix this? As my post title suggests, I have started to “hack” my body by changing a few things.
Over the past few months I’ve pulled way back on drinking soda and have started drinking more water and as of 11:30 pm last night, I stopping drinking soda completely.
Just giving up soda alone will help me drop some weight. I know this because of past experience.
I once stopped drinking soda for four months and dropped close to 30 pounds. Granted, I was drinking Mountain Dew which has a ton of sugar in it and lately I’ve been drinking Diet Coke. Not anymore.
I don’t drink coffee either, so soda was my only real caffeine fix, so over the next few days and coming weeks if I seem cranky, you’ll know why.
I’m also giving up my famous Toasted Cheese Sandwich and plan on eating more fruits and veggies.
Anyway, this is my new project… “hacking the body” and once a week I’ll update with my current weight and progress.
I don’t think that I’ll get down to 185 pounds but closer to 200 would be just fine with me. Wish me luck…
Bubble wrap
Bubble wrap was created by two engineers, Alfred Fielding and Marc Chavannes, in 1957 and I’m sure this holiday season you received a few peaces of bubble wrap used as padding for Christmas gifts.
We all love bubble wrap. Why? Because it makes fun sounds when you pop it of course, so in keeping with the theme of bubble wrap and fun popping sounds, I bring you this glorious 4 minute video of a guy demonstrating 13 exciting techniques to pop bubble wrap.
A few of my favorites are “Bubble Mummy Masochism”, “POParty Trick” and “Pop your feelings Luke” which is a Star Wars tribute.
After watching the video, be sure to let me know your favorite popping methods in the comments and if you have some that weren’t represented in the video, share those too.
Yay bubble wrap!
Twisted Sister Oh Come All Ye Faithful
On December 16, 2006 I posted about the Twisted Christmas album by Twisted Sister and how it’s a nice holiday edition to any metal head music collection.
Well today I figured since it’s Christmas Eve here in the United States that I’d post the video “Oh Come All Ye Faithful”, the Twisted Sister version:
Why this song and video you ask?
Well if you haven’t already watched the video, the music is based off the Twisted Sister song “We’re not gonna take it” and they did the video with a similar opening theme… “who are you? what are you going to do with your life?” - good times.
As an added bonus, since I know how to play “We’re not gonna take it” on the guitar, I can now play a metal Christmas song too and just change the lyrics.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays from Geek With Laptop.