Can this possibly work?

This is the day that all fellow System Administrators across the globe, will be showered with expensive sports cars and large piles of cash in appreciation of their diligent work.

[ System Administrator Appreciation Day - Friday July 29th 2005 ]

I'm rather sure that it takes more than a webpage to create a holiday. At least Hallmark or American Greetings has to get on board, right?

Props to Sajous

Neither is ready for international prime time, in my humble opinion.

Google has the goods on satellite photos of Makassar, Indonesia; but no details on roads, place names, etc. etc.

Virtual Earth totally knows where Makassar is, but the satellite photo sucks, and the interface won't allow zooming in past the halfway point.

If all client side code was written with this article in mind, the Web would be a better place.

When you develop web applications, always consider possible browser differences and be informed about them.

[ Migrate apps from Internet Explorer to Mozilla ]

Props to Joe G.

I particularly like the bits about event handlers, a much better way to achieve cross browser, multi-event, tight code for DHTML. Good tips relating to your Ajax solutions too.

Though who says it better than this?

I bongo
with my lingo
And beat it like a wing yo
To Congo
To Columbo
Can't stereotype my thing yo
I salt and pepper my mango
Shoot spit
Out the window
Bingo I got em in the thing yo
Now what? I'm doing my thing yo

[ M.I.A. on Rhapsody ]

Immortal words from M.I.A.'s track Sunshowers.

Google maps must rock, MSN now has them too:

Virtual Earth has slick new features for online mapping and local search that you'll want to try!

[ MSN Virtual Earth ]

Why innovate when you can replicate?

Props: Dari, who missed the whole Google Maps craze.

My beloved Sidekick II's keyboard is starting to come off. This usually means that I've had my "mobile communication solution" for long enough to start seeing what else is on the horizon. If this is indicative of what's coming, I'm psyched:

...from the five minutes we spent with the Q we can tell you that yes, it is incredibly thin, that it has a nice, crisp screen, and that the keyboard was fairly easy to use...

[ Hands-on with the Motorola Q - Engadget - www.engadget.com ]

The Sidekick II is nice but is still a bit weak. It's a bit bigger than other devices, still no infrared, no bluetooth, poor Outlook sync, and little ability to expand it's functionality. The promise of custom code running on the device has fallen very short, as their developer program has far too much red tape involved, and isn't tailored for home grown efforts (it's clearly designed to allow providers to have tight controls on what can and cannot be run on the device).

Update: Dari brings the Reuter's story about this device to our attention.

And when in Annandale, do as the Koreans do. In this case Bingsoo!

Shilla Bakery
7039 Little River Turnpike, Annandale

[ SuperPages.com ]

What is Bingsoo? 빙수, as it is written in Korean, is shaved ice with fruit and ice cream. The options are so many, as the one we selected had shaved ice with tapioca cubes, strawberry ice cream, strawberry syrup, and condensed milk. Shilla has about 5 flavors, so once we've tried all of them, we'll have to go looking for other places that serve this tasty treat.

Ice Berry in Seoul is apparently well known for their Bingsoo, but their website only confuses me. Looks like burgermania? has Bingsoo too...

I wonder how long it will take before it opens?

A new museum of Islamic art and culture will open in December in downtown Baltimore as part of an effort by Maryland Muslims to promote greater understanding of their religion in the aftermath of attacks such as this month's bombing of the London subway.

[ Islamic art museum set to open in downtown - baltimoresun.com ]

PSA Courtesy Dari:

Don't miss the premiere of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, Monday, July 25 at 10 p.m. ET/PT!

[ Travel Channel :: Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations ]

If you didn't see his FoodTV show, catch at least one episode. If you did see his FoodTV show, I'm guessing that you are TiVoing this right now...

Sure I have my GTI for another year and a half, but now is the time to start doing research on what I might be driving next. And more and more the Honda Element looks good to me.

Where will adventure lead you?

Load up the Element for a long weekend and you'll quickly notice its tremendous utility. With a tall, spacious cargo area and removable, flip-up rear seats, you can haul all the gear, tools, food, clothes and other supplies you need for the ultimate journey—and still have room for friends. Crank up the 270-watt, seven-speaker AM/FM/CD stereo system with XM Satellite Radio (EX models), and the drive alone is worth the trip. With all the options the Element gives you to hit the road with, you'll always be hungry for what's next.

[ automobiles.honda.com: 2005 Element: Overview ]

Gruska has recommended a couple of auto buying links, but I'm not quite there yet, of course since I want to be able to find them later it means I must blog about them:

• automotive.com
• Edmunds

I know that Dari is keen on the Honda company and their never-ever-ever need repairs reputation, any one have anything that they dislike about Hondas? And yes, I picked the orange on purpose, I just like it.

Straight out of Toronto:

The National Hockey League and the National Hockey League Players' Association have reached an agreement in principle on the terms of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement.

[ NHL.com - News ]

Next step: learn the roster for the Washington Caps, since I think they traded away every player that I knew.

Or something like that. I'm still not completely sure what is being said, but I do know that the game is addictive:

Control the stone frog idol of the ancient Zuma in this thrilling action puzzler. Fire balls to make sets of three, but don't let them reach the golden skull or you're history!

[ PopCap Games - Zuma ]

Not just addictive, but addictive everywhere you go. There are versions for:

• Windows
• Web (via flash)
• Pocket PC
• Palm OS
• Cell Phones

And, as with all of these color matching and shape sorting type of games, you don't realize how addictive it can be until you find yourself thinking that you are a giant marble spitting stone frog in real life...

The battery to be specific. I can't find anyone who carries them any more, so I can't get a replacement. Or at least not easily. So why not take it up a notch:

Ryobi HP472K

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Voltage: 7.2 volts 
• RPM: 330/520 (no-load speeds) 
• Chuck: 3/8” keyless 
• Clutch: 24 position 
• Weight: 2.96 lbs.

FEATURES:

• Keyless chuck – enables quick and easy bit changes 
• 24 clutch positions – virtually eliminates screw stripping by adjusting for various materials and driving depths 
• Compact center handle design with power grip overmold – maximizes user comfort 
• Variable speed switch – controls drilling/driving tasks from a slow start to a fast finish 
• Built-in bubble level – improves drilling/driving accuracy by identifying the proper 90 angle 
• Forward/Reverse selector – conveniently located for inserting and removal tasks 
• On-board magnetic storage – for quick access to your driving bit

[ Ryobi ]

Didn't cost much more than the B&D tool I bought before, but has quite a bit more power. Plus it has 30 levels of torque to avoid stripping screws but still allow for the power necessary to get the job done. Didn't have a hex driver bit, but my B&D bits fit in the adapter just fine. And a tool like this is required for any Ikea project...

Look for it in future conversations.

In 1995, McArthur Wheeler walked into two Pittsburgh banks and robbed them in broad daylight, with no visible attempt at disguise. He was arrested later that night, less than an hour after videotapes of him taken from surveillance cameras were broadcast on the 11 o'clock news. When police later showed him the surveillance tapes, Mr. Wheeler stared in incredulity. "But I wore the juice," he mumbled. Apparently, Mr. Wheeler was under the impression that rubbing one's face with lemon juice rendered it invisible to videotape cameras ( Fuocco, 1996 ).

[ Unskilled and Unaware of It ]

Props: Gibson.

One of DC's true gems.

The Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C. are open every day of the year except December 25. Unless noted otherwise, museums are open from 10am-5:30pm; the Anacostia Museum is open 10am-5pm, except during exhibition installation. The Smithsonian Information Center, located in the Castle, is open 8:30am-5:30pm.

[ Smithsonian: Hours ]

In fact I was at least 18 years old before I "discovered" that museums aren't usually free...

On Netflix's recommendation page, they tell me what is popular in my city. Since they know how I've rated over 1000 movies, do you think they can tell where I should live based on the movies I like?