Wow, this combines two of my favorite stories of the last few weeks – one can now pay at Starbucks using one’s iPhone!
Check out: “Now at Starbucks: Buy a Latte by Waving Your Phone.”
I have to point out that there’s actually no waving involved, however; there isn’t RFID in the iPhone. It’s simply an iPhone application that displays a barcode specific to one’s Starbucks gift card that the clerk barista then scans.
But I can see where “wave” sounds more futuristic.
I’ve been dreaming of maglev transit since I was in 8th grade (where I won the Science Fair, you may note).
Now today I just saw this article: “Maglev Rail Transportation system moving closer to reality.”
Well that only took 20 years …
Those of you at home probably (hopefully) won’t notice anything different, but the blog here is now optimized for smart phones, like my new iPhone.
This is what iPhone viewers see now:
Pretty awesome, eh?
Let me know if you see any problems with the site (either real computer or phoney) over the next few days. Thanks!
I meant to mention the new Starbucks Coffee logo the other week but was swept up in other nonsense.
It’s okay. Nothing earth-shattering. (Although changing the logo on 16,000-some-odd stores might be costly!)
Well Starbucks is in the news today, again for something rather silly. Today they’ve announced a new 31-ounce sized iced tea and coffee drink – the “Trenta”. Check out: “Starbucks Expanding Rollout Of 31-Ounce Drink Size“.
Canada’s National Post points out that’s larger than an average human stomach.
No, not the next movie (the currently titled “Bond 23” coming out November 9, 2012) but the next novel, coming out May 26, 2011.
Just today publisher Simon & Schuster announced that Jeffery Deaver’s contemporary-set James Bond novel will be titled “CARTE BLANCHE” and is set in Dubai!
Throws another monkeywrench into my whole James Bond vs. Mission: Impossible in Dubai debate (see James Bond in Dubai).
Today’s the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Macintosh Plus – the first Mac my family ever owned.
It’s a far cry from today’s MacBooks and iMacs, but back then it sure was something …
Today marks the 25th anniversary of Epcot’s The Seas with Nemo & Friends Pavilion (formerly “The Living Seas”).
You might remember that John Ritter hosted the television special that introduced us to Seabase Alpha, Seacabs and Hydrolators.
Here’s a peek at that special now:
I love factoids like this:
With the arrival of snow in New York and the unusually severe storm in the South – which dumped more than a foot of snow in some areas – the National Weather Service said an unusual nationwide occurrence had taken place. There was now snow on the ground in every single one of the 50 states – including Hawaii, which had snowfall on one of its volcanoes – except for Florida.
That’s from yesterday’s New York Times: “Snowfall Blankets Region and Snarls Flights.”
Not to make this “all Apple, all of the time”, but in case you missed it today, Verizon is coming out with the iPhone 4 on February 10.
Hopefully this competition will help lower my AT&T bill …
Sunday was the tenth anniversary of iTunes, and apparently also the fourth anniversary of Apple’s iPhone!
I can’t believe that it took me four years to get one …
Ooh! Two of my favorite things: Disney and recipes! Check out: “Taste of Disney“.
Not many at this point, but maybe they’ll add more …
I missed this yesterday but it’s worth a mention – Apple’s iTunes music player software was released ten years ago, on January 9, 2001.
I for one wouldn’t want to go back to life before iTunes …
Nothing steams me more than when people re-write history for their own nefarious purposes. Sure, much of history is subjective, and it generally is written by the victors, but some things are just flat-out truths. Facts are facts.
That’s why I enjoyed this Washington Post article: “Five myths about why the South seceded.”
Because as we get closer to April and the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Fort Sumter we’re going to see more of this revisionist bullshit.
You might have seen this today: “Mickey Mouse magic: Disney plans Israel theme park“.
This is kind of not true.
Kind of.
The “Disney” in this case is not “The Walt Disney Company” but rather “Shamrock Holdings” – the investment firm set up by the late Roy E. Disney, nephew of Walt.
And the “theme park” is not a full park it’s going to be a movie theater and a mall.
But pictures of Mickey Mouse with “Israel” in the title sure sells more papers …
We got each other iPhones for Christmas.
And they are fantastic.
Just saw this Yahoo! News blog post: “U.S. military angers Iran by calling Persian Gulf ‘Arabian Gulf’“.
Sounds like something I would have written about two-or-three years ago … in fact, I did somewhere. I’ll have to go look for it.
Until then, we should remember that the UN recognizes the name “Persian” and not “Arabian”.
For more, here’s a UN report “Historical, Geographical and Legal Validity of the Name: PERSIAN GULF“.
How about we just call it “The Gulf” and move on?
One week you wake up with a new Red Sox player, the next you wake up to a new … Philly?!
Apparently ace pitcher Cliff Lee didn’t sign with the Rangers or the Yankees last night, and instead signed with Philadelphia!
From the Inquirer: “Lee returning to Phillies in five-year deal“:
Pinch yourself, Phillies fans.
What used to be fantasy has now become reality.
Cliff Lee, even after being offered more money by the American League champion Texas Rangers and the 27-time World Series champion New York Yankees, has decided to sign with the Phillies.
That’s the kind of Philadelphia story most of you probably thought you’d never read.
My anti-Yankee sentiment had me all excited, until I realized that Philly now has Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels.
I’m calling it right now: in eleven months it’s going to be a Philadelphia/Boston World Series.
I hadn’t heard this story yet: “Boy left deaf in one ear after line drive; family sues bat maker“.
Apparently several states have banned metal baseball bats, like the one that hurt this 11 year old.
I found the complaint at 10-cv-7751.
Here are a couple of the facts (including the very specific details of the game in question):
7. At all times relevant herein, Defendant, EASTON, designed, manufactured and tested baseball bats to intentionally maximize the “exit velocity” or speed at which a baseball comes off the bat.
8. At all times relevant herein, Defendant, EASTON, marketed such baseball bats as having incredible exit velocity, including advertisements featuring professional athletes hitting baseballs through cement building walls while using Easton baseball bats.
16. At the aforesaid time and place, Plaintiff, JAKE, was pitching for the Mokena Blaze in the bottom of the fifth inning with two outs when a batter on the opposing team stepped up to the plate using an Easton BT265 bat.
Apparently they say that Easton failed to observe known safety hazards of the Easton BT265 and failed to adequately warn foreseeable uses of the bat.
Now, I’m not a lawyer, but if I were, I’d argue that this was a freak accident. It’s not like the poor batter was using a space laser bat from the year 2050. He was using a bat that the league allowed.
I feel bad for the hurt child, I do, but lawsuits like this are the reason that so many products are labeled with lawyer-speak warnings.
Oh snowbirds! Did you see that “Florida is getting some Moxie“?
I hadn’t even had time to write about Adrian Gonzalez yet, and I open up the Globe this morning to this: “Sox sign up Crawford for $142m.”
Key quote:
With Gonzalez reportedly having agreed to a seven-year, $154 million extension to his contract, the Red Sox have invested $296 million in a span of four days. The additions of Gonzalez and Crawford, two stars in their prime, should set the team up as contenders for years to come.
Red Sox Nation just got an early Christmas present …
Josh finally lives in Maine again
after four years at Boston University, a stint in Southern California with
Walt Disney Feature Animation,
and two years in Dubai, UAE,
where he created and wrote
Newlywed in Dubai.
