The latest experimental release of the next version of Mozilla Firefox is now available for download. Firefox 2.0 (a.k.a. Bon Echo) Alpha 3 includes a new SQLite-based storage system for bookmarks and history, an improved search plugin system, enhances security and localization for extensions, and perhaps most notably, new anti-phishing features. The anti-phishing features are based on code from the Safe Browsing extension, donated to the Mozilla Corporation by Google. As usual, install alpha software at your own risk. To quote the Bon Echo web site: “We do not recommend that anyone other than developers and testers download the Bon Echo Alpha 3 milestone release. It is intended for testing purposes only.”

Here is a Thumbnail Image of our Fleetweek Visit to Times Square yesterday.

Click on it for the full size image. Notice how quickly it loads! (depending on your connection to the internet that is!)

Then continue reading this post…..

CNET very quietly launched a simple new photo uploading site called AllYouCanUpload last week. At first glance it doesn’t appear to be very special. But it is.

By launching AllYouCanUpload, CNET just pulled the rug out from under at least two startups (photobucket and imageshack) that focus on providing image hosting for users who want to display those images on other websites, like Myspace, eBay and others. This is a big business - a lot of traffic flows through photobucket today, and it is a profitable and well funded company.

AllYouCanUpload is a site that makes uploading photos as easy as it can possibly get. They’ve removed all of the friction. You do not need to register for an account. You just use the uploading tool and you are shown the image along with codes to post the photo on sites like Myspace, ebay and others (I’d also like an option to have the image links emailed to me). Unlike Photobucket and Imageshack, AllYouCanUpload is completely free, and no advertisements appear on the uploading areas of the site (there are ads on the hosted part of the site, which you see if you click on a hosted image). There is no limit to the number of photos that can be uploaded or the total amount of storage that may be consumed. There is no limit on the size of an image, and images are not resized unless you request it. And possibly most importantly, there are absolutely no bandwidth restraints.

This last point is important. With other services there are caps on bandwidth. That means if a photo is particularly popular and is viewed a lot, the user account will be shut down after a cap is reached. That won’t happen with AllYouCanUpload.

This is not a destination site - if you lose or forget the URL for your photos you will have to re-upload them because there is no search feature or user account. CNET suggests you go to Webshots, their main photo site, if you want those destination site features. But for users of Myspace and other social networking sites that just want a place to store photos, AllYouCanUpload is a seriously cool site. If it gets traction (and it will, even if it didn’t have CNET behind it), it will force PhotoBucket and Imageshack to rethink their offerings. And that is great for consumers.

Does the statement, “We’ve always done it that way” ring any bells?

The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches That’s an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used?

Because that’s the way they built them in England, and English expatriates built the US Railroads.

Why did the English build them like that?

Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad ramways, and that’s the gauge they used.

Why did “they” use that gauge then?

Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used
for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.

Okay! Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing?

Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long distance roads in England, because that’s the spacing of the wheel ruts.

So who built those old rutted roads?

Imperial Rome built the first long distance roads in Europe (and England) for their legions.
The roads have been used ever since.

And the ruts in the roads?

Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of
destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing..

The United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot. And bureaucracies live forever.

So the next time you are handed a specification and wonder what horse’s ass came up with it, you may be exactly right, because the Imperial Roman army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the back ends of two war horses.

Now the twist to the story

When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets
attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at their factory at Utah. The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site. The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains. The SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you now know, is about as wide as two horses’ behinds.

So, a major Space Shuttle design feature of what is arguably the world’s most advanced
transportation system was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse’s ass.

… and you thought being a HORSE’S ASS wasn’t important!

Thanks Unc!

You may decide you really don’t want to achieve any lasting success in your lifetime. Sure, you can find a lot of strategies and tips here that can help you increase your success rate. But what about the people who are perfectly happy not achieving anything? Is it fair that I keep pushing and prodding if someone is content leaving behind a legacy of debt and mediocrity? hmmm…maybe not. So this is for all the people who want to have goals but not achieve them.

1. Make your goals vague - When setting your goals, use adjectives such as “more” and “some.” Goals like “I want to make more money” or “I want to lose some weight” virtually guarantee your progress will be minimal. Be as wishy-washy as possible. And while you’re at it, you might want to set a goal of getting a job doing something.

2. Make your goals difficult to visualize - A good way to do this is to keep changing your mind on the details of your goal. If you are thinking a goal such as: “I want to own a red, blue or yellow Corvette or just a Mustang”, then you are definately on the right track. If you kept that goal planted firmly in your mind, you are virtually guaranteed you’ll never go above a used Hyundai.

3. Think and speak negatively about your goals - Try using words like “I can’t” and “It’s too hard”. Goals such as “I can’t get a promotion, It’s too hard to take on more responsibility” will certainly keep you at the bottom of the food chain. If you can put it in writing or work up enough courage to tell your boss directly, he or she will almost definately avoid promoting you from that point on. Who knows, you might get lucky and get fired! It’s worth a shot anyway.

4. Avoid planning incremental steps - It’s likely that if you have made it this far you are already following this rule already! Take a goal - even a specific goal like “I will double my income by this time next year”. Then simply leave it as-is. Don’t write down any tasks or steps you’ll need to complete in order to achieve it. Just consider the goal a wish and nothing more. Creating a step-by-step plan will only confuse matters because it’s all too easy to take action on simple steps. Action in the direction of your goal would lead to success and you definately don’t want that.

5. Don’t Do - Talk - Because talk is easier than action, this step one of the easiest steps for you to take. Try to fill up as much of your day with socializing as possible. Talk about all the things you will do someday or that you were gonna do. Just make sure you don’t mess it up by doing anything productive. Action is your enemy. Embrace your excuses!

6. Wait until you are motivated - Let’s face it, it’s much too difficult to go jogging or open a mutual fund account when you simply don’t feel like it. So just wait. Waiting gives you the peace of mind that someday, you might do something. But not yet, the timing isn’t right and you aren’t motivated anyway.

7. Don’t set a date - Setting a date when you expect to achieve your goal is too much pressure. Who needs it? Definately not you if you want to avoid progress. You know that goals with dates get done, so by not setting a date you avoid making a commitment. You can keep putting off stuff. Even though people may ask “When are you ever going to get around to reaching your target?”, you have a wild card. By not having a date, you can put off actually doing anything.

8. List why it’s impossible - Now we are getting into the mental game of failing. This is quite possibly your greatest weapon against achievement because it destroys hope and optimism. So as soon as possible, set aside some time to create a long list of how impossible your goal really is. No matter what your target is, I am sure you can come up with plenty of reasons why it’s impossible. Be creative, make up some if you have to (i.e. “It’s impossible for me to lose weight because I was kidnapped by space aliens and injected with a fat-serum.”) Bonus: You get extra points if you can come up with an excuse using UFOs, ghosts or the Bermuda Triangle.

9. Don’t research your goal - You’re the kind of guy or gal who likes to “wing it.” Reading about how others have succeeded achieving a goal similar to you is just a waste of time. Instead of standing on their shoulders, they should be standing on yours! Sure, they might have overcome unbelievable odds to get from homelessness to CEO or 450lbs to a 180lbs - but they were probably just “lucky” anyway. Don’t read anything that promises to help you get to your destination.

10. Think of anything except your goal - Here’s another mental strategy that will put you on the fast track to failure. Think of anything except for your goal. Why visualize success when there’s plenty of clouds, teddy bears, and TV reruns to think about? And while you’re at it, take action on these flights of fancy instead of your goal. I know what you’re thinking…you’re thinking “I wonder if there are any green teddy bears out there?” Now you’re getting it! Focusing on your goal for long periods of time can be difficult and challenging. Thinking about unicorns is easy and fun. Take the easy path, that’s the only way you can fail in record time.

To conclude, I know you might be a bit overwhelmed with all the work you have to do to avoid reaching your goal. You might even think it’s even more work. Never fear! You can do it. Print out a copy and hang it on your bathroom mirror. Post it in your office. Read it every day. Internalize these principals and you can reach depths of failure you have possibly never imagined!

This one for those who need to once again be on the bleeding edge.

The Office 2007 beta is available as a download to the general public, but will expire on 31 January 2007. Office 2007 Beta Office 2007’s most visible new feature is a user interface that will change according to the task that a user is performing.

Go get it!

Jessica Arnold from the Microsoft Office team takes you on a 30 minute tour of the new features of Outlook 2007 including the new “To-Do Bar” that integrates your calendar and tasks into one quick easy view, in-place attachment viewing, and a whole lot more.

I have recently started watching a show called “Sam the Cooking Guy” and thought I might share one of his dishes with you as I know I will be making “Spare Ribs” on the BBQ this year. It looks really easy to make and I will try them out in the near future. If you happen to try this recipe out before me, leave me a comment and let me know how they turned out.

With Vacation season coming upon us again, I came across a site that does a great job of reviewing hotels.

TravelPost.com is the best source for relevant hotel reviews, travel blogs, photos, and advice from real people like you and me.

In digging through the site it seems they do a pretty good job. They have lots of reviews and tons of ratings. Not to mention plenty of links to your favorite travel sites for easy bookings. It really does seem to be unbiased and the bar graphs used by users to rank hotels by feature are worth the visit next time your researching a hotel.

I’m not too crazy about “Plumbing Supplies” but when I stumbled across this website, I was blown away at it’s simplicity to arrange 435,000 parts using pages which flow effortlessly into one another without any confusion whatsoever. Each section starts off with a quick education on how to measure or identify or whatever, then it diggs deeper into the product giving you instant pricing from which your able to immediately deposit into your shopping cart. WOW!!!!!!
See for yourself.

I’m so ashamed, I’m such a geek! I feel a “Garage Door Parts depot” website may be on the horizon very soon!

This is hilarious!