Just when you thought the materials industry was starting to slow down, you run across another really cool innovation. Ecology Coatings (Akron, Ohio) has announced that DuPont will be licensing its nanotechnology coating system. I love the way Ecology Coatings refers to its products. They produce curable liquids that are 100% solids! Sounds like a marketing term, right? Right. But here are the features: fast-drying (3 seconds vs. twenty minutes), no evaporation and/or fumes, no need for solvents and/or carriers. In addition, UV curing consumes about 75% less energy than heat-based drying schemes. In short, this stuff is far more environmentally friendly than traditional industrial coatings.
The potential applications are numerous. DuPont is envisioning the product for use in automobile finishes. Other companies are considering licensing the coating as a screen to apply to other materials. For example, Nano-Tex (a competitor) uses their coatings to prevent socks from absorbing foot odor. Other applications include rain-repellant (or bullet resistant) cloth.
This stuff is pretty cool. And it’s important to note that DuPont is the company that brought us Teflon coating. They know about how to market coatings for an incredible diversity of applications. Indeed, DuPont has been a pioneer for nanotechnology on the future battlefield. I wonder just how much it will cost!
-CyclingRoo-
Author: Lorin Olsen
Success In Carbondale
It’s been three days since my last post. So I’ve been a very naughty boy. I have not had a chance to blog since Friday. Dana and I spent all weekend in Carbondale, Ill. But we were at a Motel 6 w/o any connectivity. Worse still, I couldn’t find free WiFi access anywhere. I am sure that if I cruised through Carbondale with NetStumbler going, I would have found something. But there just wasn’t any time.
So why was I in Carbondale? My daughter Dana was involved in an AAU basketball tournament. The winner of the tournament got an automatic berth to the AAU Nationals (to be held in Orlando this summer). So Dana and I headed out from Kansas City on Friday afternoon. She drove for 6.5 hours and we made it into Carbondale while there was still fading daylight.
The campus at Southern Illinois is great. The gyms were nice with a few minor challenges (like ventilation and clocks). The competition was pretty fierce. We were in the 16U brackets. There were five teams in the bracket. So Saturday was pool play. Our girls played an Illinois team (the Titans), a central Missouri team (the Lady Jazz), and an Indiana team (the Elite). We went 2-1 on Saturday. The Titans put up a good challenge, but fell flat in the second half. The Lady Jazz rallied from a first-half deficit to squeak out a narrow win. And the Elite fought hard until the very end. So Saturday was a good chance to focus on teamwork and trust. The more games these girls play together, the better they are becoming!
When Dana and I got up on Sunday, we were greeted with the news that our final pool play game had been cancelled. We were set to play the Kansas Belles at 10:00. But since the result was only going to determine which of the two would have home court advantage at 1:00, both teams decided to bypass the final pool play game.
So we met the Belles in our bracket semi-final. The Belles were also 2-1 from the previous day. Their only loss had come at the hands of the Lady Jazz. So our 1:00 match-up was very telling. At the same time, there were some personal reasons for this game. About half of our team had been on the Belles at one time or another. So we faced off against friends. But that’s the great thing about amateur athletics. It is supposed be friendly competition – and it was. But when the tip-off whistle blew, both teams came out wanting the win.
Dana had a great start but still struggled at the free throw line. She was hitting around 50% from the charity stripe – and she wasn’t happy. But her interior play was strong. And she put the Belles strong post player (Jadhon Kerr) into early foul trouble. Boy, that was tough. We love Jadhon and her parents. But Dana knew she would need to drive on Jadhon. Eventually, Dana fouled her out. But after the game, Jadhon and Dana hugged. And Jadhon’s mom (also named Dana) promised to pray for our game against the Lady Jazz. I love friendly competition – especially between good families!
So the 3:00 championship game was between Team Excel and the Lady Jazz. We had lost to the Jazz just one day earlier. So this was going to be a tough game. And the venue managers didn’t help. They delayed the game until 4:00. In fairness, this was a good decision. It gave both teams a chance to cool off and revitalize. But it put us another hour later. Win or lose, the trip home was going to be very late.
So Dana took the extra time to work on her free throws. And Todd (her coach) was great. He recognized that the trouble was mental and not mechanical. So he told Dana that she wouldn’t be allowed to go through her typical free-throw ritual (three bounces, a head bob and the shot). She would have to step to the line and shoot without thinking. Dana agreed. So the extra few minutes was good for Dana.
Both teams started well. But since this was the championship game, there were some nerves. After all, the winner of this game would earn a berth to the AAU National tournmament. Once the teams got past the jitters, the game got very serious. Dana was relentless in driving to the net. I wasn’t tracking points (since I’m the designated cheerleader – and I can’t see anything anyway). But she went to the charity line three times in the first half and came away with six points. So Dana finished the first half with some unspecified number of points and 100% free throw shooting. At half-time, we were ahead by six points.
At the beginning of the second half, the Jazz keyed on Dana. They double-teamed her. So she went to work on the inside-outside game. They would collapse on her and she would dish it off for an easy score by her teammates. Everyone got in on the act. Shaylyn, Amanda and Taber were dropping in points from the outisde while Marissa and Ashley kept things exciting inside. Even our newcomers (Hadleigh and Kelley) made a big difference. They were able to find (or make) the openings whenever they turned up. It was great to see this “total team effort” from such a young squad! And when our outside shooters got really hot, the Jazz team shifted their defense. So Dana found herself open on the block and really kicked in some points. In the end, we won by almost twenty points. The Jazz were strong, but our girls were even stronger on this day.
So the drive home was great. Everyone was smiling and hugging each other when we left the gym. And winning always makes a six hour drive more bearable. Dana still needed to drink a couple of Amp drinks (caffeine + sugar). But she drove home as well as she drove to the net.
So it’s now “off to nationals” in July. In the meantime, there are a few more tourneys where we can hone our skills and breed confidence in every player. All in all, this was a great weekend for a team that has only played together for three weeks!
-CyclingRoo-
CastBlaster & PodShow
It is amazing to experience technology changes as they are occuring. Over the past six months, podcasting has started to take off. According to Pew Research, there are over six million podcast listeners on the Net. And there are a bunch of folks that are jazzed about the kinds of social and commercial changes that this medium will spawn.
And these millions of listeners are using lots of different pieces of software. On the Windows platforms, you have iPodder and Doppler as the principal podcatching clients. On the Mac, there are plenty of other tools including iPodderX. And these tools are very good.
But Adam Curry wasn’t happy with just good podcatching software. So he and his development team have been working on podcasting production software. On yesterday’s Daily Source Code, Adam demoed his new production software which he is dubbing “CastBlaster.” From the sounds (and sights) of the software, it looks really good. I am getting excited to try the software – whenever the beta is released.
Of course, I have no idea whether the “studio” software will be proprietary or open source. I would guess that it would be open source. After all, I am sure that he will be using existing open source software as a basis. But I do think that Adam wants to monetize this – but through the “services” angle. In December, he registered the domains for the PodShow. And recent DSC podcasts have hinted at the launch. There is a functioning web site (with little to no content) and lots of hints. I don’t know where this is going, but I suspect that Adam wants to start a “network” of podcasters. On that network, he can charge “rent” (storage space) and collect his “cut” of advertising revenue. In a way, he is building an “MTV” network all over again. But this time, the talent will be far more decentralized – and geeky.
Rick Turoczy talked about this on his “hypocritical” blog. At the same time, Christopher Carti talked about this on his Social Customer Manifesto blog. Both seem to predict big things for the venture. If buzz could kill, this would be homicidal!
-CyclingRoo-
CastBlaster & PodShow
It is amazing to experience technology changes as they are occuring. Over the past six months, podcasting has started to take off. According to Pew Research, there are over six million podcast listeners on the Net. And there are a bunch of folks that are jazzed about the kinds of social and commercial changes that this medium will spawn.
And these millions of listeners are using lots of different pieces of software. On the Windows platforms, you have iPodder and Doppler as the principal podcatching clients. On the Mac, there are plenty of other tools including iPodderX. And these tools are very good.
But Adam Curry wasn’t happy with just good podcatching software. So he and his development team have been working on podcasting production software. On yesterday’s Daily Source Code, Adam demoed his new production software which he is dubbing “CastBlaster.” From the sounds (and sights) of the software, it looks really good. I am getting excited to try the software – whenever the beta is released.
Of course, I have no idea whether the “studio” software will be proprietary or open source. I would guess that it would be open source. After all, I am sure that he will be using existing open source software as a basis. But I do think that Adam wants to monetize this – but through the “services” angle. In December, he registered the domains for the PodShow. And recent DSC podcasts have hinted at the launch. There is a functioning web site (with little to no content) and lots of hints. I don’t know where this is going, but I suspect that Adam wants to start a “network” of podcasters. On that network, he can charge “rent” (storage space) and collect his “cut” of advertising revenue. In a way, he is building an “MTV” network all over again. But this time, the talent will be far more decentralized – and geeky.
Rick Turoczy talked about this on his “hypocritical” blog. At the same time, Christopher Carti talked about this on his Social Customer Manifesto blog. Both seem to predict big things for the venture. If buzz could kill, this would be homicidal!
-CyclingRoo-
Jack Danforth Warns Republican Party
Last week, Jack Danforth (pro-life, ordained Episcopal priest, moderate Republican, former U.N. ambassador) wrote a very interesting piece in the NY Times (registration required). As usual, Mr. Danforth has a lot of good things to say. He notes, “High-profile Republican efforts to prolong the life of Ms. Schiavo, including departures from Republican principles like approving Congressional involvement in private decisions and empowering a federal court to overrule a state court, can rightfully be interpreted as yielding to the pressure of religious power blocs.”
I read this and I was provoked in multiple directions. I am a religious conservative (an evangelical and politically active Southern Baptist). But I am a firm believer in states rights, judicial restraint and the balance of powers. So while I am heartened that religious conservatives feel that they can now publicly voice their concerns, I do agree with Mr. Danforth that the Republicans are walking a very fine line. I hope we can use morality as a stimulus to our policy development. But I pray we don’t relinquish an inclusive political agenda for an exclusive religious agenda.
-CyclingRoo-
Microsoft’s Crossfader Open For Business
On March 23, Scoble left a cryptic note about a new Microsoft site known as Crossfader. This site is designed to promote electonic musicians and their products. Since then Silicon Beat and even MacMusic have mentioned the site. But what is it?
Some of you might suspect that it is Microsoft’s answer to the Mac music phenomenon known as GarageBand. But you’d be wrong. Crossfader is more like GarageBand.com. OK. On the surface, it looks like I’m playing with words. I’m not. GarageBand.com (the web site) existed long before Apple announced GarageBand (the software). So Apple worked out a deal to use the name. Details of the difference between the site and the software can be found at News.Com.
At the current time, Crossfader is a community site for electronic musicians to collaborate as well as educate themselves. But it is not (yet) a piece of software. Indeed, the home page for Crossfader actually lists Sony’s Sound Forge 8 on the left navigation bar. For my simple needs, the Sony product rocks! At the same time, prominent references are made to Ableton’s Live 4.0 product. While I can’t speak to Ableton’s product, I can get excited to see Microsoft mention other vendors and their products so prominently. Yet another example of the growing maturity that I am seeing from the hordes of Mordor (er, Redmond).
As of this moment, there is little of interest on the site, but things are being added at a furious pace. And given my predispositions towards sampling and mashups, I can’t wait to see who starts to join this community. Here’s hoping for a great start.
-CyclingRoo-
Microsoft's Crossfader Open For Business
On March 23, Scoble left a cryptic note about a new Microsoft site known as Crossfader. This site is designed to promote electonic musicians and their products. Since then Silicon Beat and even MacMusic have mentioned the site. But what is it?
Some of you might suspect that it is Microsoft’s answer to the Mac music phenomenon known as GarageBand. But you’d be wrong. Crossfader is more like GarageBand.com. OK. On the surface, it looks like I’m playing with words. I’m not. GarageBand.com (the web site) existed long before Apple announced GarageBand (the software). So Apple worked out a deal to use the name. Details of the difference between the site and the software can be found at News.Com.
At the current time, Crossfader is a community site for electronic musicians to collaborate as well as educate themselves. But it is not (yet) a piece of software. Indeed, the home page for Crossfader actually lists Sony’s Sound Forge 8 on the left navigation bar. For my simple needs, the Sony product rocks! At the same time, prominent references are made to Ableton’s Live 4.0 product. While I can’t speak to Ableton’s product, I can get excited to see Microsoft mention other vendors and their products so prominently. Yet another example of the growing maturity that I am seeing from the hordes of Mordor (er, Redmond).
As of this moment, there is little of interest on the site, but things are being added at a furious pace. And given my predispositions towards sampling and mashups, I can’t wait to see who starts to join this community. Here’s hoping for a great start.
-CyclingRoo-
Fr. Roderick Rides to St. Peter’s
The prayers of every believer are now focused upon the life of Karol Wojtyla (John Paul II). This wonderful man brought Christ’s simple message of peace and forgiveness to millions of people around the world. His grace and humility will be missed. His steadfastness against worldliness must be applauded and emulated. And his faith in Jesus Christ must be affirmed and personally adopted by all believers. Only in this way, can we truly honor this man – as he truly honored his Savior.
Millions of believers (both Catholic and Protestant) will pray that the Roman Catholic Church will be graced with another leader who will heed the call of Christ. While I am an evangelical Protestant, I am still moved by the faith of this simple man from Krakow. I pray that Karol’s example will lead countless more people to the feet of our Savior. And I pray that the next leader of the Catholic church will be even more transparent. May God grace the Catholic church with a leader who will challenge all believers (both Catholic and Protestant) to a deeper and more meaningful realtionship with the carpenter who shed His blood on our behalf.
As I am considering these words, I am listening to the podcast of Fr. Roderick Vonhogen (from Utrecht). He is bicycling toward St. Peter’s Square while podcasting. As he is talking, he is interrupted by French journalists, Arabic pilgrims and Italian passerbys. It is amazing to hear a free-flowing podcast in four different languages. And this is the kind of thing that Karol Wojtyla would have wanted. He spoke many languages. He used the media to broadcast the message of his church beyond its traditional boundaries. So podcasting this event seems so appropriate.
May all of us take up the challenge that Karol (and Fr. Roderick) have laid before us. Let us make our faith real. Let us proudly proclaim the message of salvation that we have received. May we be willing to use _all_ means at our disposal to spread the message of salvation and peace to all mankind.
-CyclingRoo-
Fr. Roderick Rides to St. Peter's
The prayers of every believer are now focused upon the life of Karol Wojtyla (John Paul II). This wonderful man brought Christ’s simple message of peace and forgiveness to millions of people around the world. His grace and humility will be missed. His steadfastness against worldliness must be applauded and emulated. And his faith in Jesus Christ must be affirmed and personally adopted by all believers. Only in this way, can we truly honor this man – as he truly honored his Savior.
Millions of believers (both Catholic and Protestant) will pray that the Roman Catholic Church will be graced with another leader who will heed the call of Christ. While I am an evangelical Protestant, I am still moved by the faith of this simple man from Krakow. I pray that Karol’s example will lead countless more people to the feet of our Savior. And I pray that the next leader of the Catholic church will be even more transparent. May God grace the Catholic church with a leader who will challenge all believers (both Catholic and Protestant) to a deeper and more meaningful realtionship with the carpenter who shed His blood on our behalf.
As I am considering these words, I am listening to the podcast of Fr. Roderick Vonhogen (from Utrecht). He is bicycling toward St. Peter’s Square while podcasting. As he is talking, he is interrupted by French journalists, Arabic pilgrims and Italian passerbys. It is amazing to hear a free-flowing podcast in four different languages. And this is the kind of thing that Karol Wojtyla would have wanted. He spoke many languages. He used the media to broadcast the message of his church beyond its traditional boundaries. So podcasting this event seems so appropriate.
May all of us take up the challenge that Karol (and Fr. Roderick) have laid before us. Let us make our faith real. Let us proudly proclaim the message of salvation that we have received. May we be willing to use _all_ means at our disposal to spread the message of salvation and peace to all mankind.
-CyclingRoo-
Popups Must Die
Has anyone else started seeing more popups in the Firefox browsing experience? Over the past month or so, I have seen an alarming increase in the number of pop-under ads that have appeared while using Firefox. It seems that the marketing nere-do-wells have noted that Firefox does allow plugins to launch popups in an unimpeded fashion. Consequently, a lot of ingenious marketeers have launced their nefarious payloads in seemingly inocuous Flash or Java apps. When a Firefox browser comes along, the popup is launched through an already “approved” extension.
Well, Asa Dotzler and the folks at the Mozilla foundation are working on improvements to the popup blocker. While there is little “new” code in the beta patch, it seems that the Mozilla folks saw this one coming and had a patch already in the offing (and code alredy latent in previous distros). If you are interested in the gory details, go check out Asa’s weblog. But if you are a trusting soul, you can download a signed patch from the Mozilla team.
Happy hunting!
-CyclingRoo-