I've been busy ... coding, riding, and thinking ... in approximately that order, of various permutations thereof.  The year is now truly under way...

Powerline remembers Mr. Lincoln.  "Lincoln was America’s indispensable teacher of the moral ground of political freedom at the exact moment when the country was on the threshold of abandoning what he called its 'ancient faith' that all men are created equal." 

Oh no ... the Genius Bar might be losing its logo.  "It’s possible that this is a move by Apple’s new retail chief, Angela Ahrendts, to make her mark on Apple’s worldwide retail locations."  Sigh.  The first thing marketing people want to do is change the names and the logos. 

Good to know: Tesla Model S voice commands.  Best single feature: "Play X", where X is any band, song, or album ... thanks to Slacker. 

When dining at a restaurant, often the best options is to sit at the bar.  I agree entirely. 

This is excellent: The problem with action movies today.  Goes a bit deeper than you might think, and provides great examples.  The two best suggestions: the hero must be a real person, and they must have a real challenge to overcome. 

Meanwhile: Star Wars vs Star Trek.  "No, it's not real.  Yet."  It's interesting to think about, which is/are the better action movies?  I would vote for Star Trek, on two counts; better (more relatable) heroes, and better (more realistic) science.  Though I will most definitely see the next Star Wars movie :) 

Awesome: Watch a reply of the ESA's spaceplane launch.  Who knew?  

And ... DSCOVR space satellite successfully launched by SpaceX.  Sadly the weather at the landing site was too rough to allow an attempt to land the rocket boosters on a barge, so that will have to wait for next time.  Onward. 

I, Cringley remembers Radio Shack.  "The barebones TRS-80 cost $199.95 in a pretty much unusable form and about $1800 completely tricked out. The TRS-80 was fabulously successful."  I remember that, and also when Radio Shack was a mini Fry's. 

This is excellent: J Class to be part of 2017 America's Cup.  Watching huge catamarans foiling at 50 knots is pretty cool, but watching majestic J Class yachts racing is the best.  So interesting that new ones are being built today, and are designed to be competitive with the survivors from the golden age of the 30's and 40's... 

CNN: 40 reasons why SNL is still awesome at 40.  I'm not a regular SNL watcher (nor actually a regular TV watcher at all), but I'm a fan of SNL and am anticipating the 40th anniversary show this Sunday with great interest...