FM transmitter interference (3) Jul 17, 2006
I've been using a Belkin TuneCast (FM transmitter) hooked up to my Palm Treo for about a year now (off and on).  It's a great little add-on for converting my PDA/phone into an mp3 player that can play music through my car's sound system.  Initially, the obvious problem was that it's only capable of transmitting on 4 different radio frequencies, which means there's a chance it won't work in heavily radio-frequency-populated areas (i.e. cities, Best Buy [kidding]).  But recently I've discovered a new problem:  Interference with FM transmitters in cars driving past me.  At first, I was wondering why I kept getting a second of seemingly random crystal clear radio stations while my songs were playing.  I figured I was driving through tiny little areas of radio station coverage.  But then I realized that it only happened as I drove past other cars.  That's when I figured it out:  Other people's mp3 players hooked up to radio transmitters were interfering with my transmitter.  That made me a little mad, because I'm not quite sure how their transmitters are more powerful than mine.  Maybe theirs are cigarette-lighter-powered?  Mine is battery powered.  Maybe mine isn't close enough to my antenna?  Does the passing car hear my music as I'm hearing theirs?  I doubt it.  But the whole thing gets me a little angry and makes me go back to CDs, my over-sized, under-packed wastes of money. #entertainment
Echolocation Jul 17, 2006
This article is about a 14-year-old kid who's been blind since he was 3 and has adopted echolocation (bouncing sound waves off of solid objects and observing the time it takes for the waves to return) to determine the size, shape, and location of his surroundings.  He said an interesting thing:  "I tell people I'm not blind," he says. "I just can't see."  (via Digg) #entertainment
E-Glide Powerboards Jul 17, 2006
An E-Glide Powerboard is a skateboard powered by an electric motor, capable of going 0-20 mph in 4 seconds and traveling 12-15 miles per change.  I saw one in Venice Beach when I went to California a couple months ago.  They're controlled via a cable-connected brake and gas "gun".  Great idea for people who can't exert the energy required for a real skateboard. #sports
Funny ad Jul 17, 2006
This funny ad almost makes me want to check out what they're offering.  I respect companies/products/services that are genuinely funny. 
#entertainment
Why grandparents like grandkids Jul 17, 2006
I just spent the weekend with several sets of grandparents (not my own) who love spending time with their grandkids.  I developed a few theories about why grandparents love grandkids: 

1.  When parents have kids, they're usually too young and/or too busy to fully enjoy the experience.  A young married couple has to worry about being married, working, paying a mortgage, etc.  Raising kids isn't exactly a textbook experience (from what I've observed), so there's quite a bit of pressure and stress involved.  Grandparents have been married for 10s-100s of years, are retired, and have paid off their house(s).  Essentially, life begins when you're old.  The only thing left for grandparents to do is enjoy it. 

2.  Grandparents are like long-term babysitters.  They come over and play with the kids for a while, but then give them back at the end of the day.  Sometimes the kids will stay overnight with the grandparents, but no matter how long they stay, there's always the thought in the back of everyone's mind that the real parents will eventually come back and take the kids away.  If the kids are cranky or being bad, it's probably pretty comforting to know that a grandparent's job is nowhere near full-time. 

3.  Grandparents don't have to discipline grandkids.  That's a job for the parents.  Some grandparents feel the need to do it, but most will hand the kids over to the parents. 

4.  They're not their kids.  When it comes down to it, grandparents are free from responsibility.  "Your kid threw a football at my face."  It's not my kid, it's my grandkid.  "Ok.  In that case, I'll talk to the parents."  Grandparents don't have to change diapers, clean up puke, feed, or bathe grandchildren.  They can and often do volunteer for some of these services (ok, really just the bathing ... bathtime is lots of fun!), but can rightfully decline without shame or remorse.  "I'm done playing with and spoiling your child; you can take them back now." #psychology
Blog on homepage Jul 17, 2006
Back in September of 2005, I got rid of the "blog" section of my website and moved all its contents to the homepage.  Why?  Because the blog contained the most recent updates, news, and additions.  The homepage was basically just a landing site, pointing the user to the different sections of the site.  It didn't really serve a purpose other than navigation.  And navigation can easily be included in a sidebar or footer, which is what I did.  I personally think the blog should be the front page of every website, unless there's a viable reason why it shouldn't be.  Why have a /blog/ section or a blog.domain.com subdomain?  Actually, some readers don't like the blog on the front page because it means they have to read what the writer is writing, and sometimes they don't care what the writer has to say.  But if you're me (which you're not), you visit websites to read what people write, which means you don't want to have to navigate to a blog that's unnecessarily placed on a part of the site other than the homepage.  If a website offers a service like Meebo or Zooomr, the blog should be on a different page because the service offered by these respective websites is more important than the news surrounding it.  But on personal sites and other sites that have a semi-useless front page?  Put the blog there and stop wasting my time. #technology