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So, the promised massive rainstorm did not materialize. Yet. It is cold however and threatening. Perfect coding weather.
 (click for larger pic) Check out this boat, Temenos, competing in the Barcelona World Race. Wow. (And if you look at the enlarged picture, check out the name - obviously I was in the wrong line of work :) [ via Valencia Sailing, a great blog chronicling the America's Cup and other world-level sailing events...] 
BTW, on 11/9 Valencia Sailing posted Full details of the America's Cup schedule and competition format. I don't know if you've been following this saga, which is now in court, but this was an optimistic high point; everything has gone downhill and it isn't clear whether or when there will ever be another America's Cup race. And this coming after arguably the most popular and publicized competition in history last summer. This sport seems determined to self-destruct, driven by the greedy rich men who compete in it... Too bad. I would have loved to see AC90 boats match racing!
 (click for larger pic) Another sport heading in the same direction is pro cycling, which happens to be the other sport I love myself. I thought the low point occurred near the end of this summer's Tour de France, when leader Michael Rasmussen was pulled from the race by his own team, on the verge of winning. I was devastated; I'm a longtime "chicken" fan and longtime Rabobank fan, this was about as bad as it could get. And then Discovery disbanded (!); the only U.S. pro tour team, the team of Lance Armstrong. We'll see whether the sport can recover. I guess I'm going to become a Slipstream fan...
Useful idiots? The macalope notes Yes, Virginia, any idiot CAN file a lawsuit. About Stace Somers' lawsuit against Apple. "It alleges that Apple has constricted the market by not enabling iPods to play content in the Windows Media Audio (WMA) format, Microsoft's copy-protection technology." This is mere ambulance chasing; clearly there has to be more of a penalty for filing frivolous lawsuits, right?
 Those little Mars Rovers keep on tickin'. Wow, has it really been four years? "Two robots the size of golf carts were given 90 days to squeeze as much science as possible from the barren, dust-swept terrain of Mars. After that, scientists expected nothing more from them than death. Nearly four years after their warranties expired, however, the Mars Explorations Rovers (MERs) 'Spirit' and 'Opportunity' continue to play productively in the red dirt. Spirit celebrates its fourth anniversary of Martian work on Jan. 4, the day it landed in 2004, followed by Opportunity on Jan. 25." Amazing. [ via Slashdot ]
BTW, here's Popular Science's Guide to the Year in Science: 2008. Cool and comprehensive...
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