• Google + Keyhole = Google Earth

    Google just released the next version of their Keyhole software. It’s called Google Earth, and of course it’s a beta release. (Update: All I got was a message from a Google email address saying that they were making the beta available to current Keyhole subscribers, which I am. The message included a download URL that… Read more

  • Some Relief For Skyway Congestion

    People driving between downtown Chicago and northwestern Indiana have for several decades now had the option of taking the Chicago Skyway. This is a toll road built and operated by the City of Chicago, and it’s the only toll road not operated by the Illinois Toll Highway Authority. That’s a bit of a problem, because… Read more

  • VAC, Part 2

    As I mentioned in my last entry, we’re having a few electrical problems at our house. ComEd is supposed to supply voltage at 120VAC (Volts Alternating Current). That’s just a nominal value, it can vary a bit. ANSI standards supposedly permit 5% variation, from 114 volts to 126 volts. ComEd’s rule book says they may… Read more

  • VAC

    Here’s a question that’s turning out to be harder to answer than I would have thought: What’s the acceptable voltage range for your house? A few days ago the lights flickered and the speakers on one of my computers started making funny noises. Turns out they’re fried. That computer system wasn’t on a UPS, so… Read more

  • …The Way to Armadillo

    …The Royal Dragoon Guards now carries with it the traditions and history of four of the finest regiments in the British Cavalry; the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards, the 5th Dragoon Guards, the 7th Dragoon Guards and the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons. All four were raised between 1685 and 1689, during the protracted contest between James… Read more