Instead, I was surprised to find that it looked at my current subscriptions and made recommendations based off those. It did a pretty good job, too. The list provides the number of subscribers to the feed, the title, description, and the number of posts that blog does in an average week.

Clicking on the title allows you to preview the feed in Google Reader with the option to subscribe. Pretty nice feature. 

Check it out - Google Reader’s Discover Feature

• Mac market share will continue to rise. Call it the halo effect of iPods and iPhones. Argue that it’s a better operating system. Claim security is locked down tighter. What ever the reason, people are switching and will continue to switch in 2008. Apple market share in the personal computer space will reach an all time high. With it, users will find out that they don’t have to be tied to Windows to work and play on their computers. This can only help Linux in the future.
• Mac viruses will become more common. With the increased market share will come increase focus by hackers, crackers and virus writers. Expect to see more and more stories showcasing Mac viruses especially from snobby “we told you so” Windows users.
• Peta scale computing in super computers. Currently, the fastest supercomputers are capable of between 200 - 400 Teraflops per second of raw computing power. In 2008, expect to see this break 1,000 Teraflops or a Petaflop. Faster computers mean huge break-throughs especially in science and biomedical. Plus, as computers get faster on the top end, this increase tends to trickle down to consumer oriented computers. We haven’t maxed out our PC power yet.
• Newspapers will start purchasing online websites. Newspaper circulation and advertising revenue in on the decline. Look for them to get way more aggressive online this year. We’ve already seen a few kill their online paid content in favor of increased online advertising. Look for this trend to continue as them mega companies look for ways to shift their revenue streams.
• GPS in the mobile phone. GPS has been available in phones for a while but only available to 911 type services. 2008 will be the year that handsets will allow users to take advantage of the GPS capabilities. No longer will finding your destination be a difficult thing. This will mean decreased sales in stand alone GPS units.

Outdoor Christmas decorations are springing up daily. I’ve put up one of those inflatable Santa Clauses - stands 8 feet tall - and a string of lights around my palm tree in the front yard. I need to do more, but haven’t found the time. Most neighbors have strung lights across their yard including the on the ground. I wouldn’t have ever try that in Reno as the lights would be covered in snow a few times through out the year, but we don’t have to worry about that here. This gives decorators the freedom to do some neat designs like placing a string of blue lights to simulate water.

For the mega decorators, most stores now sell the dancing Christmas lights. Hook this $100 unit up to your lights and it will choreograph them to one of a few Christmas jingles. It comes complete with a loud speaker, but lacks a neighbor annoyance detection system. Wasn’t the dancing lights a viral video from last year? It’s nice to see companies paying attention to what’s cool. 

Here is a video of the MIT car getting impatient at a stop sign and trying to go around Cornell. I think this is awesome. An unmanned vehicle getting antsy over a car taking too long at a stop sign.

When Twelve Horses hired away the driving force to these events, Michael Thomas, the events eventually died out. When they came back as NCET’s Tech Thursdays, they were different - not bad…just different.

Now that I am tucked away down south in Phoenix, it seems like there is an attempt to recapture the mood of these meetings. David LaPlante has posted about WiFi Wednesdays on his blog. I hope to coordinate a few trips to Reno to attend these new events. Combining effort with the new Reno-Tahoe Young Professionals groups will make these events even that much more better.

When I ask myself this question, my number one theory is memory. If I could some how retain more facts, more figures, more rules, more ideas, I could become a genius. If I could somehow secure these ideas by storing them away, then occasionally I would be able to lift the lid, sift through them and find one that’s promising. I could take this gem and shape it, polish it, and display it properly. And after stepping back and admiring my handy work, I would notice rubies and diamonds I hadn’t realized I had. Soon the bounty would be great enough that other’s would have to stop and take note of the display. This is the crucial step, as what good is this wealth if never shared?

I believe the ideas that generate new ideas are the difference between thinkers and geniuses. These new ideas adorn emptiness creating a new beauty that should seem oh so obvious when observed.

And why must we rely on our brain’s memory to store these items away? We have all the tools necessary from note pads to sketch pads. From computers to the Internet. There is more than enough space to hold these thoughts. Maybe it’s simply a matter of frugality? Saving these jewels takes will-power and practice. It’s all too easy to dismiss the small ones and over protect the large ones. I believe we also need to be aware of the cubic zirconium and glass knockoffs that take up space but add no true value.

The alternative would simply be too painful. If genius is a matter of genetic predisposition, than being born with the silver spoon is the only way to be a great thinker. The ambitious will need to distract ourselves from this desire for greatness? How many jewels can we collect before our biology says our chest is full? Can we continually replace less valuable stones with those of greater value?

Lucky for us that this type of wealth has little to do with monetary riches. Geniuses aren’t guaranteed luxury. Maybe their brains have little left over space to store these desires? If you get to the genius status, let me know.

1. Bring the Stroller: As guys, we often don’t like to haul the stroller around. For us, it often seems easier to carry the little ones than deal with the stroller. However, not only will this lead to tired arms, but you will have a hard time managing the other kids as well. Bring a small umbrella stroller to tote the little one and you may get lucky. If he or she falls asleep, you have a better chance of actually seeing more of the game. Plus, an umbrella stroller is easily tucked under the seats.
2. Bring Water and Snacks: Chances are that your local ballpark will let you bring in a small bag with food and drinks. Check out the club’s website ahead of time to see what kind of things are allowed.
3. Pay to Park Close: It may be cheaper to heel toe it to the park, but the last thing you want your kids to say as soon as you walk in is, “Daddy, we’re tired!” Pay a little extra and park close. Pop out the stroller and make it as painless to get into the park. They’ll be much more cooperative for the first few innings.
4. Don’t Expect to watch the Whole Game: Speaking of the first few innings, don’t expect to see too much of the game. If you’re a die hard fan and have to see every pitch, bringing the little ones may not be so pleasurable. They will stay in their seats for awhile. Then they’ll start to squirm. Then those around you will start to squirm. Plan on walking around the concourse, visiting the kids area, and entertaining them else where besides their seats.
5. Scope out Family Bathrooms: If you don’t feel comfortable taking your little girl into the men’s room or have two little ones like I do, a family bathroom is a life savor. You won’t have to worry about one taking off while attending to the other.
6. Join the Kids Club: The Diamondbacks, like I’m sure many other teams, have a kids club. Each kids gets their own card that they can swipe at kiosks. Each swipe gets them new prizes and gets you coupons. The first prize we received was temporary tattoos. As you go to more and more games, the prizes get better and better. It’s free and fun for the little ones. Some of the coupons are quite good too.
7. Find Discount Tickets: Since you won’t be seeing the majority of the game, don’t pay face value for your tickets. You can catch season ticket holders selling their tickets on the club’s website and a good discount. I was able to get three $30 tickets ($90 value), for $24. I purchased online and the tickets were available at will call. You can also check sites like stubhub.com.
8. Be Careful about where your Seats are Located: Although I got great seats for a great price, I didn’t pay enough attention to the location. They were on the first base side, right between first and right field. They were awesome seats except for the screaming foul balls that frequent that area. If you, like me, find yourself in potentially dangerous seats for your little ones, see guest relations. They will relocate you at no charge.

Hope these help. There’s nothing like getting your kids excited about baseball like you were when you were their age.

Originally posted by me on http://arizonasportsblog.com/.

Tags: MLB, Parenting, tips, Baseball

So, when I heard about this joint interview with Steve Jobs and Bill Gates (iTunes Link), I wanted to watch it. Both these guys are visionaries and have contributed a ton to the computer industry. I highly recommend investing the hour and twenty minutes to watch this.