Category: Web/Tech

Clown and Cuddles

Clown and Cuddles

We’re guessing Clown (above) and Cuddles (below) are relatives.  Clown was born on my friend’s property, to a young female that had shown up out of nowhere.  While waiting for the young (and very sweet) cat’s first heat to get her spayed, my friend realized that while she had missed the first heat, a tom obviously hadn’t.  (Clown’s mother is now a very pampered mouser and barn cat east of here.)  Cuddles showed up within the past year.  He was a very aggressive tom, so my friend trapped him, had him vaccinated, then sent him off to the the low-priced clinic for “snip-snip.”  Cuddles was either handled as a kitten, or gives the lie to the idea that you can’t domesticate a feral cat, because he pretty much lives up to his name these days. It’s hard to walk out to the barn without him throwing himself at your feet, soliciting attention. Cuddles lives outside, though he is trying desperately to get inside, while Clown is an inside-outside cat. Clown has apparently decided he wants to be friends.  Time will tell what Cuddles thinks. (Taken with my iPad.)

Driving in the Lake

There has been a lot of discussion the past few days about the iPhone and iPad default map application in its most recent release: IOS6.  Apple switched from using an app developed by Google using the goggle mapping data to its own app using alternate data. (Even though my iPad is wireless, I use the map functions by taking screen shots of where I plan to go rather than printing the directions.) Not only does the new app lack functions people were using in the Google app, but people are finding a lot of errors in the mapping data.

Some of the data they are using comes from Tom Tom (or wherever Tom Tom gets its data).  In the summer of 2011, a friend let us take her Tom Tom with us to Alaska.  It came in quite handy.  We did notice at one point that the Tom Tom cheerfully showed us driving in a lake on the Kenai Peninsula.  We were, in fact, on the shore of the lake at that time.  When I just checked my iPad for the Seward Highway, it looks as though they are still routing it through the lake.  I just took this screen shot:

Someone has started a tumblr devoted to IOS6 mapping errors.

Sunrise by IPad

I’ve had a mild case of iPad lust ever since they were announced two years ago.  (Yes, I made fun of the name, just like everyone else.)  However, there was no way I could convince myself that I NEEDED one, and it was far too expensive as a toy.  It didn’t seem fair when my sister showed up with one when she visited in February.

After the announcement of the 2012 iPad, I just happened to check the price of a refurbished basic iPad 2.  Hmmm…. I asked Jack if I could get one for my birthday and Christmas present this year.  He agreed. We ordered it last week, and it arrived from China on Friday.

I absolutely adore it.  Though I think I will stick to my DSLR camera for most photos.

Wikipedia Goes Dark

Why? Learn more.

As Tim Bray says:

And any­one who claims that unau­tho­rized trans­mis­sion of bits is anal­o­gous to piracy is at least a liar and is deeply dis­re­spect­ful of the peo­ple who are suf­fer­ing the ef­fects of theft, kid­nap­ping, and mur­der right now today in the In­dian Ocean. They de­serve your con­tempt, and they have mine.

via ongoing by Tim Bray · Not Piracy.