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Annie Lennox - A Thousand Beautiful Things
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What I Think I Know by Damien Del Russo
Saturday night I played a marathon game of tennis under the lights at center court in Greenbelt. A very sweaty, poorly-played split 6-7, 6-4 against my friend, followed by spirited drinking of sour mash and ginger ale, philosophizing about imminent parenthood, retirement planning, and world travel.
I awoke at about noon on Sunday, and that was my major accomplishment for the day.
OK, before the photo explanation, a few quick notes:
There is a new song, Annie Lennox's "A Thousand Beautiful Things".
Big decision from the Supreme Court regarding sodomy laws. I tend to agree with all the opinions: the government shouldn't be policing bedrooms (majority opinion), states shouldn't punish behaviors by some groups that are legal or others (O'Connor's equal protection argument), and that none of the above is in the Constitution, so while the laws are crap and should be repealed, they are not unconstitutional (Thomas' opinion). Regarding the critics who argue that not allowing anti-sodomy laws is somehow an attack on marriage, I can only shake my head in wonder: If there is any relationship between sex and marriage, it is surely inverse.
The Washington Post has a cool article on Demi Moore. She does look fine, and her maturity seems to working to her benefit. Duh!
Reverse Cowgirl is a cool new (to me) blog. Lots of good photos and a truly cynical Berkeley girl make for an interesting site.
And finally, the coolest thing on the net, TerraFly.
The photos above are not high quality, but there is a good reason: they were all taken by the little camera pictured in the last photo. It attaches to the bottom of my cell phone, and weighs about 2 ounces (including the leather case).
My favorite aspect of this new toy is that I always have a camera, so I can snap photos wherever I am. Of course I also have a regular digital camera which is, by most people's standards, extremely small. However, it is a bit too heavy to through in my pants pocket every day (unless I'm vacationing) - this new camera easily slips into my slacks, thematically ready to pop out at any moment.
Getting the photos to my computer (and the internet) is pretty easy as well, and it doesn't use any cell service at all (thus it is free). After I take a photo I like, I move it from the camera to the phone using a simple menu on the phone. Then, when I am near a computer with BlueTooth (a wireless networking feature), I select the photo on the phone and hit "Send". A message pops up on the computer asking if it should accept the photo, and I hit "Accept". About 3 seconds later, the photo is transferred.
That system is fine for a couple photos, but not very handy for transferring pictures in bunches. Oh well. Considering I didn't have to install anything, this is pretty convenient. Yes, you read that correctly: I plugged in the camera, and it worked with the phone without any configuration. I sent the photos over BlueTooth to my Mac without first installing anything on the computer, or even knowing what would happen! And, as they say, "it just worked" (no, the camera and phone are not Apple products - thanks to Sony Ericsson for "getting it").
Another cool "getting it" feature is the ability to link photos (the really small ones) to the people in my address book - when they call, their picture is displayed! It's a novelty, but I like it.
As for cost, these little cameras aren't cheap - $99 from AT&T or Amazon. However, I found quite a few on eBay, and only paid $40 for mine (including shipping). The phones themselves (I have the T68i) can be had free (or nearly so) with new activation from AT&T wireless or T-Mobile (offers may not be available outside of the Washington DC area).
Depending on service plans, photos can also be emailed from the phone through the cell network. However, being notoriously stingy about monthly phone charges, I haven't used that service.
By the time you read this, this will be old technology!
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