Today wasn't as nice weather-wise as yesterday - although one must admit it was nice - but I got a lot done and so it felt much nicer.  Squeezed in a nice ride too, and then took my kids out for dinner, and that was nice...  (okay, too much niceness, I know!)  And hopefully after a bit of blogging I can spend some time on Project Q, poor stepchild that it is...

... but first, a filter pass ...

(I generally read my RSS feeds twice a day, once in the morning, kind of a quick skim, and once at night, as I'm making a filter pass, and I've noticed I am much more likely to blog about something if I read about it in the night pass.  Pretty much I'm reading for news in the morning, and for features at night.  Huh)

Today was Earth Day, and Iowahawk celebrated with a wonderful virtual cruise-in, with readers submitting photos of their gas guzzlers in action.  I particularly enjoyed the various "hot rods"; a great blast from the past...  The giant two-cycle diesel engine was pretty amazing, too (check out the footholds so people can climb into the cylinders). 

Earth Day predictions from 1970.  Aka, why you shouldn't believe the Earth Day predictions from 2009.  I predict you won't :) 

I'm linking this for the gratuitous Creedence Clearwater reference: and I wonder, still I wonder, who owns the rain...  You need to know that Cosmo's Factory was the first record I ever bought with my own money, and I listened to every song a million times...  at a volume which distressed my parents.  Note Fogerty on the bike.  I love it.  It might not be the best rock album of all time, but it belongs in the conversation... 

Apple announced blowout second quarter results - congratulations to them, and in a recession, too - and Apple COO Tim Cook talked about Netbooks.  This was reported as "Apple to Netbooks, drop dead", but that's a terrible headline; what Cook actually said was "if we can find a way to deliver an innovative product that really makes a contribution, then we’ll do that".  That's the key.  Apple doesn't do anything if they can't deliver innovation and make a contribution.  That's why they had a blowout second quarter! 

This Windows 7 Starter Edition stuff is kind of weird, isn't it?  A cheap version of Windows ($15) which only runs three apps.  Seems like Microsoft is doing exactly what Apple won't: they're releasing an inferior product at a low price.  Linux is going to rule this category, and maybe it will be a launching point for a Christensenian "attack from below"... remember, poor customers make poor customers. 

So, there's a new Jawbone headset out, which makes me wonder: when will bluetooth headsets work?  You know, like, really work?  Everybody I know tried them for a while, and just about everybody I know doesn't use them anymore.  Bluetooth kits in the car, yeah, they work, bluetooth headsets, no.  Maybe Jawbone will break the code with this one. 

BTW don't bother sending me email telling me your headset really works.  We both know you're lying :)

ZooBorns of the day: baby Capybaras.  The world's largest rodent, but their babies are still cute :)