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Tuesday - July 26, 2005

Intel Mac multiboot

Here's a cool setup guide for installing OS X, Linux, and Windows all on one Intel based box. Pretty cool if you can get your hands on the hardware.

Posted by jcraven at 2:52 PM | Tech

Training camp begins

Woohoo! Yesterday was the first day of Dolphins practice. And surprise surprise, Ricky showed up. ESPN is reporting he's also bulked up in the past couple months. Now weighing in at 215. There's also an interesting apology here.

"I'm very regretful that people were hurt in the process of me doing that. I do realize that to a lot of people it comes off as being very selfish. So I do offer an apology to all the people who were negatively impacted."

So it will definitely be interesting to see how this season goes. I'm sure Ariel is thrilled that Ricky is back. :-) On an unrelated note, less than two months before the Hurricane's home opener vs the Thrashers.

Posted by jcraven at 8:48 AM | Sports

Monday - July 25, 2005

Anybody need a phone?

Just in case..... here's my v180 for sale on ebay.

Posted by jcraven at 4:34 PM | Tech

Another one bites the dust

Paid of the remainder of Lara's student loans. I love seeing the $0 balance. We decided to pay them off due the huge increase in interest rates (over 5.0%). I feel sorry for any current students that are racking up that kind of interest. I realize they have to make enough money to keep afloat, but an increase this size could present a major problem for somebody on a limited income.

Posted by jcraven at 3:47 PM | Misc

Sunday - July 24, 2005

iPod flea

The NY Times has a pretty funny parody of the iPod here. Obviously this is a little extreme, but MP3 players are getting smaller and smaller. Check out the MobiBlu-DAH-1500.

Posted by jcraven at 1:06 PM | Misc

Saturday - July 23, 2005

Block fever

Today I decided to trade in an old game at EB Games, and pick up Meteos. This is a very addictive puzzle game created by Tetsuya Mizuguchi, the same guy that created the PSP hit Lumines. Everything about the game is nearly perfect. The colors, and music are catchy, and it's just hard to put down. I've already played over 3 hours on the single player game. There's also a wireless mutliplayer version, that I haven't tried out yet.

On a related note, this is probably the last time I'll trade in a game at EB Games. I could have gotten more money via eBay, but would have sacrificed some convenience. Regardless, I'll probably go the eBay route next time.

Posted by jcraven at 8:03 PM | Comments (3) | Tech

Friday - July 22, 2005

Free iPod Shuffle arrived

Received my Free 1GB iPod Shuffle today from freeipodshuffle.com. So far, it's pretty cool. This is my fourth iPod (others were 4GB, 20GB, and 60GB) from Gratis. As always I'm still looking for signups for the Xbox 360, Mac mini, and PSP. Big thanks to Scott, Nate, and Andy who signed up so I could get the shuffle.

Posted by jcraven at 9:27 AM | Deals | Tech

Wednesday - July 20, 2005

Is it winter yet?

Man, I hate the weather in the summer......

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN RALEIGH HAS ISSUED A HEAT
ADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM NOON TODAY TO 6 PM EDT THIS
EVENING.

HOT TEMPERATURES MOSTLY IN THE MID 90S AND HIGH HUMIDITIES ACROSS
THE ADVISORY AREAS WILL RESULT IN HEAT INDEX VALUES FROM 105 TO
108. A FEW LOCATIONS OVER THE COASTAL PLAIN AND EASTERN SANDHILLS
COULD APPROACH HEAT INDICES AS HIGH AS 110 DEGREES.

Posted by jcraven at 11:05 AM | Misc

Monday - July 18, 2005

What's the point?

So, this weekend, I stopped by Starbucks only to learn their espresso machine was broken. That's just great. That's like trying to order something from Bojangles when their deep fryer is broken. Screw em, I went to Caribou instead.

Posted by jcraven at 10:41 AM | Misc

Congrats

On Saturday, Lara went to a former coworker's wedding. Congratulations Joshua and April! Sorry, I couldn't make it.

Posted by jcraven at 8:54 AM | Misc

Wednesday - July 13, 2005

Bring on the Hockey!!!

For anybody that has been asleep all day, the NHL owners and Player's Association have reached a tentative agreement, and it looks like we'll actually get to see some hockey next year. Full article courtesy of nhl.com. I know some people out there are still pissed about the whole thing, but I'll be there to watch the Canes. I do hope the prices of the tickets will come down as a result though.

Posted by jcraven at 9:14 PM | Food

Sunday - July 10, 2005

More pictures

I uploaded the pictures from the disposable camera here. These are all from the Maid Of the Mist.

Posted by jcraven at 7:08 PM | Misc

Saturday - July 9, 2005

Trip recap

We're back, and glad to be back in our own bed. We had a great time. Here are all the pictures (including some not previously linked in the past entries). And here are the first and second video clips.

Posted by jcraven at 5:31 PM | Misc

Thursday - July 7, 2005

Trip Day 8

Today we drove to Pittsburgh, PA. In the afternoon, we decided to catch a baseball game at PNC Park. Since we had never been to this park, we decided to buy some nice seats in the Club Level. They have a very nice stadium, and the weather was gorgeous. If every game was like this, I would have to go more often. The Pirates beat the Phillies 2-1, in Zach Duke's first major league win. We had a great time, and this marks the end of our little whirlwind tool tour of the Northeast. Tomorrow we will drive home. Pictures from the game are here.

Posted by jcraven at 7:07 PM | Misc

Wednesday - July 6, 2005

Trip Day 7

Today was a busy day. First, we boarded the Maid Of the Mist. This is a must-see if you're ever in the area. We were lucky, and were at the very beginning of a group, so we stood at the bow of the lower deck. The ride started off by going past the American Falls, where we got an up close view on the port side of the boat. Then the boat took a straight shot towards the Canadian Falls. Once it arrived, the boat paused for several minutes in the wash and spray. If it wasn't for the poncho, we would have been soaked. We have a couple pictures here. We will have more once we have the film developed from the waterproof camera.

Next, we went to another walking tour called White Water Walk. This was probably one of my favorite attractions. You take an elevator to the bottom of Niagara Gorge, and then get to walk along the river. They said these rapids are regarded as the most dangerous rapids in the world. I took several fantastic pictures which you can see here. I also took a small video clip here to hopefully convey the speed and power of the rapids.

Finally, we visited the Butterfly Conservatory. This was very entertaining, and it was neat to see all the different butterflies flying around. I don't think any landed directly on either Lara or me, but they came very close. I have some pictures here.

Posted by jcraven at 6:35 PM | Misc

Tuesday - July 5, 2005

Trip Day 6

Today, we went on a walking tour at the Candian Falls called Journey Behind the Falls. The actual view from behind the Falls was a little disappointing (first 2 pictures), but the observation deck near the bottom was amazing. We could actually stand near the rocks about 20 feet away from the impact of the water. The sound was even cool, and the tour is definitely recommended. Pictures here. You can see how close the Maid of the Mist approaches the Falls, and a couple glimpses of the American Falls in the distance.

At night we went to the FallsView Casino. The casino is new, and is pretty nice, but it's not nearly as entertaining as your average casino in Las Vegas. First problem, there's some silly law in Ontario that prevents them from giving you free booze. This is a big problem, since now I can actually remember losing that $100 at blackjack. Finally, for the slots fans, all of the machines are pretty basic. You won't find but a handful of machines that offer bonus games that are so popular in Vegas. Finally, the tables were very crowded, especially at the lower limit ($10-$15) tables. There were plenty open, but they just didn't have dealers manning them. The best thing is that $100 I lost was in Canadian, which translates to about $80 US. :-)

Posted by jcraven at 6:28 PM | Misc

Monday - July 4, 2005

Trip Day 5

Today we drove from Corning, NY to Niagara Falls, ON. The drive went well, and we had no problems entering Canada. We were a little disappointed they didn't stamp our passports though. It's quite hot, and VERY crowded. We checked into our hotel, the Oakes Hotel Overlooking the Falls. We have a pretty good view of the Canadian Falls from the 6th floor.

We didn't have a lot of time in the afternoon, so we just settled to watch the July 4th fireworks over the Falls. It was a nice display that lasted about 9 minutes. Unfortunately, none of the pictures I took really came out. Here's one that's a little interesting, but it is nothing special.

Posted by jcraven at 5:13 PM | Misc

Congrats!

Congratulations Scott and Anna. We wish you the best of luck in your life together.


Posted by jcraven at 12:25 AM | Misc

Sunday - July 3, 2005

Trip Day 4

Today is the big day. We started off the morning by going to the Corning Museum of Glass. It was amazing to see both the history and artistic side of glassmaking. We took a couple pictures here. Unfortunately, we didn't have enough time to create our own glass. We got done in time to eat a little dinner, and then board the bus to the wedding.

The wedding was held at the Esperanza Mansion. The ceremony was outside with a breathtaking view of the Lake. Everything went smoothly, and although very hot, we had a great time. As always, pictures can be found here. We wish our best to the happy couple.

Posted by jcraven at 5:04 PM | Misc

Saturday - July 2, 2005

Trip Day 3

Today is the Rehearsal Dinner. It is located about an hour from Corning at Keuka Lake. The lake is absolutely beautiful, and we have several pictures here. We had a great time and we are looking forward to tomorrow.

Posted by jcraven at 4:58 PM | Misc

Friday - July 1, 2005

Trip Day 2

We left Washington today, and drove to Corning, NY. We're staying at the Radisson Hotel Corning. Overall, the drive wasn't too bad. We went through a bunch of small towns in PA, and stopped to take a couple pictures at this scenic overlook. After we checked in, we ate dinner at Aniello's Pizza. Aniello is Anna's grandfather, and the pizza was great.

Posted by jcraven at 4:50 PM | Misc