It took twelve resend attempts to send the previous text message but I did it with at&t.

Full bars but on 3G on the road to College Station.

Credits earned are unlikely to transfer

Kudos to ITT Tech for clearly stating that credits earned there are unlikely to transfer.

cnnbrk: Dow falls 155 points, or 1.5%, in half-day session. http://bit.ly/92VGAo

What is your favorite movie?

I ask a bunch of people what their favorite movie is and there you go...

iPhoto update

If you have iLife '09, please  remember to run software update from the Apple menu.

This update addresses issues affecting face recognition performance and accuracy. It also fixes minor issues in the areas of book ordering, and iPod touch support.

The update is recommended for all users of iPhoto '09.

For detailed information on this update, please visit this website: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT3941

CNN Breaking News: Michelle Obama on holiday special

cnnbrk: President, first lady to be interviewed by Oprah on holiday special - CNN.com http://bit.ly/65YuLV

More on the Toyota recall

Toyota vehicle recall is going to cost a lot of money for the automaker. All cars on or after 2005 could be affected. Learn more at Toyota's website.

cnnbrk: New Haven firefighters involved in a workplace discrimination case get promotions. http://bit.ly/7UUd8H

britneyspears: http://tweetphoto.com/462123 Photo of the Day (from Britney's show on 11/22 in Brisbane, Australia)

New York Times and Windows 7

When I saw this link on New York Times Bits Blog earlier today (screenshot below, central time), it took me a few moments to realize the assault on Windows 7.

It has been slightly over a month of the retail availability of Windows 7. Soon, Microsoft will release figures for how the sales were during the first month. Here's what the numbers will mean (if I am reading the New York Times' position correctly): diddly squat

From Apple's Dictionary:

diddly-squat |ˈdidlē ˌskwät| (also diddly, diddley, or doodly-squat)
pronoun [usu. with negative ] informal
anything : she didn't care diddly-squat about what Darryl thought | they don't know diddly about softball.
ORIGIN late 20th cent.: probably from slang doodle [excrement] + squat in the sense [defecate.]

Example curtesy of Microsoft:

More than 20 million licenses were sold in the opening month of general availability for the new operating system [Vista], as new tools and programs ease the transition for consumers.

An explanation is in order: What happens to the "spam" I get

Dear friends,

I think I owe everyone who writes in to me an explanation. Whenever I get a message (call, text, email, or so on) that I deem to be "spam", I may choose (at my option) to:

1. do nothing 
2. delete it and do nothing 
3. report it and/or delete it and do nothing 
4. report it and/or delete it and/or do the victory dance and do nothing 
5. something else 

Basically, I am not obliged to follow a certain action when I get a "spam" message. This is not saying that I will not try to stay consistent, it just asks you not to depend on me on being consistent. 

Sincerely,
kushal

Attention GrandCentral subscribers: Grand Central is shutting down

 In case you missed the email from Google, here's the transcript of the message I got.

Dear GrandCentral User (withheld):

We're writing to let you know that we will be closing down the GrandCentral website as of December 31, 2009.

All GrandCentral accounts were upgraded to Google Voice earlier this year, but since that time, you've still been able to log-in to your GrandCentral account and listen to old messages there. You will no longer be able to log-in to your GrandCentral account after December 31. Because of this, we strongly suggest downloading any messages or contacts that you want to keep in the next 43 days.

We will send you another reminder before closing down the site, but we suggest you take action now to download any information you want to keep.

- The Google Voice Team

You've received this mandatory service announcement email to update you about important changes to your GrandCentral account.
Google Inc. - 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043

Black Eyed Peas at AMA--cnn breaking news

cnnbrk: Black Eyed Peas win best pop/rock group at the 2009 American Music Awards. http://bit.ly/4QvFKv

AT&T shows what to do when you have lost the argument: Change the topic

Update: AT&T has reportedly dropped all charges against Verizon. PC world has more.

Verizon was talking about three g availability. Why is at t trying to change the subject?

Disclosure: Not paid for by any CTIA-member wireless carrier. I have not knowingly recieved any compensation from any CTIA-member for this blog post.

Atlanta Falcons 7 - New York Giants 3 in progress
Next game: @ Denver Broncos, Nov 26 8:20pm ET
www.giants.com

googlevoice: Calling all former GrandCentral users...we'll be shutting down GC website on 12/31/09. Download any messages to save prior to that please:)

cnnbrk: Sen. Lincoln of Ark. backs debate on Senate health care bill, giving Dems votes to prevent filibuster. http://bit.ly/6Waneh

Watching 2012

cnnbrk: Italian police arrest 4 in Mumbai terror attacks http://bit.ly/60wTLp

I am going out of town. If you need me, text me.

cnnbrk: California students occupy campus buildings in tuition hike protest. http://bit.ly/6fwAYJ

kushal is a fan of can of bears

can of bears currently uses all small letters, wherever appropriate. are you on facebook? join the can of bears for all the more fun.

Kushal Hada is a fan of

can of bears

Create your Fan Badge

Gmail chat for android users: "Slatka is not an angry robot"

Do you use Gmail chat on your Android device? Gmail has a new feature that you can try. Learn more at the Official Gmail Blog.

Hi whats your number?

CNN Breaking News: Earthquake

cnnbrk: A strong earthquake struck Tuesday off Canada's Pacific coast, the U.S.G.S. said. http://bit.ly/Gt3p2

Don't Diss Darwin! dontdissdarwin.com

Creationist Ray Comfort is giving away a "special" version of Darwin's "On the Origin of Species", complete with a "special" introduction. Before you pick up this book, watch our safety video!
Creationist Ray Comfort is giving away a "special" version of Darwin's "On the Origin of Species", complete with a "special" introduction. Before you pick up this book...

Category: Education

Tags: NCSE Ray Comfort Kirk Cameron creationist creationism intelligent design origin of species Darwin PSA

URL: http://www.dontdissdarwin.com/

Weather: Marshall, TX
56F, Cloudy
Wind: NW 15 mph
Hum: 88%
Mon: 39F-59F, Partly Cloudy

Blake Ainsworth poses for the camera(phone)

Blake Ainsworth
Originally uploaded by KushalHada

I took this picture to add to my address book on my phone. :)

Switch on and switch off: A tale of "reply to" on twitter

Well, a few days ago I wrote that I did not have "in reply to" in my twitter at all (including older messages). Well, twitter seems adamant at proving me wrong as it is back as I see it is back now.

Here is a screenshot. There's no point linking to it because my twitter account is protected (and so is Chelsi's).

I will try to update this blog if and when I get more information but I cannot make any promises. I am not affiliated or related to  the twitter management team in any way.

In unrelated news, I think twitter should tell us how to conduct conversations on twitter by text messages. Right now, when I reply to someone's tweet via text messaging, there is pretty much no way of going back to the thread other than painfully going through each tweet of the people involved.

I would love to hear more about this from anyone knowledgeable about the issue. :)

Apple's latest irritating technology patent: Let's try to see some good in it

As I read the new york times article, I was trying to make some sense out of it. I hope I am not the first person on the Internet to make the connection but I think this patent application probably makes sense.

1.  More than just premium products: With mass adoption of the iPod and iPhone line-up, Apple is not an "exclusive" market player. Especially withe the iPhone (and the iPod Touch), Apple is headed into "free" (as in free beer) territory. Perhaps not so much with the devices themselves, but the apps are stuck in a whirlpool that keeps sucking prices down. Not everyone is going to buy fifty dollar apps even if they are super awesome. Wolfram Alpha gets away with charging fifty dollars for its apps. The rest of the mortals need to stick to USD 1.99 price point at the app store (or even free). To help the developers (and pay its own hosting fees), Apple needs to  monetize this transaction. Enter an annoying scheme that makes advertisers so happy that the cost per impression is dramatically high enough to cover the cost of the app. 
2. More than just products: It might sound be an urban legend now (with the tremendous success of the Mac Book and Mac Book pro line) but at some point in history, there was a joke that actually sounded right. It said that Apple made more money from its patent on laptop design than from selling laptops. Couple this with the ridiculous 1-Click patent that Apple was forced to license and you have a no-brainer. Think of all the money msn live search bing would pay to have a piece of this technology. 
3. Maybe it is not for the money: This may be stretching it too far but could Apple be taking a patent on this topic to stop others from using it? This would force its competitors to come out in the open as far as pricing is concerned and that can only be a good thing for Apple as even today, it has an image (rightly or wrongly is another issue altogether) of being over-priced.
   

Christine Easter's phone called me

Check out this voice mail message. Christine's phone apparently called me and left me a message but when I called her back she denied ever calling me in the first place.

Could it be that she just happened to push the buttons without meaning to like recent calls > received?

Over Friendly Squirrel

Over Friendly Squirrel
Originally uploaded by fangofthedoglord

Justin, thanks for the posting this photo!

Privacy vs free speech

Two German men are suing Wikimedia Foundation to force their names off of the English Wikipedia citing privacy concerns. New York Times writes:

Wolfgang Werlé and Manfred Lauber became infamous for killing a German actor in 1990. [..] In an e-mail message after the interview, he [their lawyer, Mr. Stopp] wrote, “In the spirit of this discussion, I trust that you will not mention my clients’ names in your article.”

- Read the full article at the New York Times. By the way, was it OK for the New York Times to print those two guys' names in the leading paragraph? What do you think?

http://bit.ly/4nH7XD or http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/13/us/13wiki.htm

Starbucks and NASA

Starbucks: Dear @NASA @richardbranson, If you need coffee for your travels to the moon, let us know. #StarbucksVIA with 8oz of water will do the trick.

Starbucks twitter

Starbucks: p.s. ... I just unlocked the 'Thanksgiving Blend' badge at Starbucks. {cc: @adamjackson}

ETBU Cafeteria on twitter

ETBU_Cafe: Lunch Menu: BBQ Brisket Sandwich On International: Pasta Fullilli

recapping the daily show with jon stewart

Lou Dobbs goes "rogue", comments Jon Stewart about Lou Dobbs' exit from CNN. This apparently reflects on the fact that he is leaving with a really incomprehensible excuse just like another high-profile incident. In other non-news, Jon goes on to tell what he thinks Fox News' motto should be:

We alter reality. You are sold a preconceived narrative.

It is official! Google acquired Gizmo5.

googlevoice: Happy to announce we've acquired Gizmo5 http://bit.ly/2YzLl2

CNN Breaking News on twitter: Bank Overdraft fees

cnnbrk: The Federal Reserve cracks down on banks' overdraft fee rules. http://bit.ly/WYlLH

Did twitter get rid of the "in reply to" feature?

I can no longer see "in reply to" links in twitter when I reply to someone for older replies as well as for new replies. Has twitter gotten rid of it?

A tweet from Britney Spears reads: "Glory to Satan"

Full text of the tweet:

I give myself to Lucifer every day for it to arrive as quickly as possible. Glory to Satan!

From http://twitter.com/britneyspears/status/5648982540

Did Britney's twitter get hacked? @PerezHilton thinks so.

jowyang: Noticed that United Airlines tries to get you to buy 'upgrade miles' at kiosks. It's a bit tricky as it's easy to click 'yes' inadvertently

Retweet rolled out for me

The caption reads as follows:

Hi there, you're part of a beta group receiving this feature, which means you may start seeing retweets in a new way. People who don't have this yet will see your retweets prefaced by "RT".

RT cspenn: Interested in financial literacy? Video of preso I did at #masfaa09: http://bit.ly/4g6NFX Try the exercises!

cnnbrk: Suspect in custody, no one hurt after gunman held school principal hostage in New York state Tuesday, sheriff's office says #cnn

Does twitter pay connection charges to wireless carriers?

cspenn: After looking around last night, Blip.tv remains my video hosting platform of choice. The 10 min. limit at YouTube still hurts.

cnnbrk: At least 10 killed, 30 wounded in Pakistan blast, authorities say. #cnn

arrington: RT @TechCrunch If The WSJ.com Says Goodbye To Google, It Will Also Say Goodbye To 25 Percent Of Its Traffic http://bit.ly/1GmmVi

lightbringer127: If you're still using Microsoft Internet Explorer, you could do better. http://www.getfirefox.com Happy 5th Birthday, Mozilla Firefox!

cspenn: For some reason I had to read up on Wikipedia what exactly ranch dressing is. Google it.

arrington: RT @chrisbrogan: I heart Google Voice, even more so now that I'm using #droid. Seamless integration. #droidreport

Rebooted!

Blue bell ice cream

May have? @arrington: Google May Have Bought Gizmo5 http://om.bit.ly/1TuZpw from @gigaom

jayrosen_nyu: "Do what you do best and link to the rest" logic taken over into World Series coverage: http://jr.ly/wg9f By @jasoncfry.

missrogue: RT @hnshah: Upside vs. downside by Seth Godin - http://klck.me/ADb

Big story of the day-@arrington: RT @TechCrunch Exclusive: Google Has Acquired Gizmo5 http://bit.ly/4AsrIZ

RT Kyle Thorn "It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place." -H. L. Mencken-.

Comment.

Happy Birthday, Firefox!

Just wanted to join @mashable, Ars Technica, TechCrunch and everyone else in wishing Mozilla Firefox a very happy birthday. Happy birthday, Firefox! I love you...

Just wanted to join @mashable in wishing Mozilla Firefox a very happy birthday. Happy birthday, Firefox! I love you...

Rep Gohmert is seemingly under intense WH scrutiny.Will he switch his vote on #hcr when it returns to the house?

wonkroom: RT @Populista: Rep. Steve Buyer (R-IN) yells out of order: "Just protect veterans and I'll sit down." Chair had to silence him.

wonkroom: Unidentified Congressman yells out of order: "Just protect veterans and I'll sit down." Chair had to silence him.

Alarms sounding

Coach West really got me!

Yay for a sunnx Saturday! Weather:
Marshall, TX
61F, Clear
Wind: S 6 mph
Hum: 77%
Fri: 52F-77F, Clear
Sat: 52F-76F, Sunny

Exclusive Video of the Litl Webbook

suggested reading http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/11/06/exclusive-video-of-the-litl-webbook/

Movies:
The Box
1hr 56min
Rated PG-13
Horror/Scifi/Fantasy/Suspense/Thriller
3.4/5

Marshall Cinema
6:30 9:00pm
1901 East Travis Street
Marshall, 75670

"Slim pickings" at the box office this weekend, according to Benjamin Rogers.

A script to pitch to Touchstone Pictures? RT @arrington: i'm working on a "what if" post that wonders about what Apple would be today...

A script to pitch to Touchrtone Pictures? RT @arrington: i'm working on a "what if" post that wonders about what Apple would be today if Jobs had never returned.

ETBU_Cafe: Dinner Menu: Sheboygan Bratwurst On International: Chicken Caesar Salad

cnnbrk: Two gunmen were involved in a shooting at Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Hood spokesman says. #cnn #forthood http://cnn.com

PeytonP: Smokers totally ruin the Sonic! America's Drive-in experience.

406

This probably does not mean anything to most people but I wanted this information to be available to those who care.

Google does not assign 406 numbers to Google voice numbers.

This makes a lot of sense now. Of course, one can always claim 20/20 vision looking back. :) 

South Park redefines what it means to be a "fag"

Noise pollution is a serious problem all around the world. For years, we have worked on making newer vehicles more efficient and less noisy. With better batteries for hybrids and plug-in electric vehicles, we could make it possible for vehicles to almost noise-free. New South Wales, in Australia, already seems to have rules regarding loud vehicles and we could see if we need similar legislation where we don't have it.

By the way, here's the definition as quoted on the English Wikipedia article as I mentioned in the title:

"Fag (făg) n. 1. An extremely annoying, inconsiderate person most commonly associated with Harley riders. 2. A person who owns or frequently rides a Harley."

It would be interesting to know the motivation behind this episode of South Park. 

V for Vendetta

If you have not seen the movie yet, go ahead and get it from Amazon.com for just USD 6.49!
http://www.amazon.com/V-Vendetta-Widescreen-Hugo-Weaving/dp/B000FS9FCG/

Sun and emails

Is it just me or did Sun.com just send me two new emails shortly after I exited out of their website? Interesting...

Google dashboard

As reported in numerous tech websites, Google Dashboard is online. Click to see a slice of what Google knows about you.

RT @cnnbrk: Suspected CIA agents ordered jailed in Italy in rendition case. cnn.com

Victim In Fatal Car Accident Tragically Not Glenn Beck

From the youtube video info:

Honors student Rebecca Bunten died in the crash today, leaving the nation to wonder why the grisly experience of burning alive was not reserved for...

An experiment with Wolfram Alpha (was Wolfram Aplha)

(EDIT: I apologize for the typographical error.)

Check it out guys... click here http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=derivative+of+ln%28x%29^%28ln%28x%29%29+with+respect+to+x

K says, "The pleasure is all mine." RT @ Daniel Aldave - Thanks! You're the shiznit

Rref works as expected

A beautiful sunny day in Marshall, TX

1523

Need to research more on the anti-tobacco ads.

from Windows with care

blogger still works, out of the box!

Chase Mobile seems to be up now! Great job, guys.

@Google - Weather:
Marshall, TX
45F, Clear
Wind: N 0 mph
Hum: 97%
Sun: 45F-72F, Clear
Mon: 49F-74F, Clear
Tue: 45F-70F, Mostly Sunny

It is NOT 6 am Central now!

Chase down

JP Morgan Chase seems to have all its automated customer service systems down (lost or stolen card reporting is still up). It appears to be a scheduled downtime. I am told the system is supposed to come back up sometime Sunday (today) afternoon.

iTunes new version 9.0.2 released

iTunes 9.0.2 is available for general download. Here's what it has to offer to you:

iTunes 9.0.2 adds support for Apple TV software version 3.0, adds an option for a dark background for Grid View, and improves support for accessibility.

iTunes 9 comes with many new features and improvements, including:

• An improved look and feel, including a new Column Browser for easily browsing your artists or albums, movies, TV shows, and more.

• iTunes Store has a brand new look, with improved navigation for quick and easy exploration.

• iTunes LP and iTunes Extras create unique experiences that feature exclusive interviews, videos, photos, and more — available with select album and movie purchases on the iTunes Store.

• Home Sharing helps you manage your family's iTunes collection between computers in your home. iTunes can automatically transfer new purchases, or you can choose just the items you want.

• Genius Mixes are created for you by iTunes and play songs from your library that go great together.

• iPod and iPhone syncing now allows you to organize your iPhone and iPod touch home screens directly in iTunes. Syncing is now also more flexible, allowing you to sync individual artists, genres, or TV show and Podcast episodes.

• iTunes U items are now organized into their own section in your iTunes library.

• Sync with iPod nano (5th generation), iPod classic (Fall 2009), and iPod touch (Fall 2009).

• iTunes 9 also includes many other improvements, such as HE-AAC encoding and playback, more flexibility with Smart Playlists rules, simpler organization of your media files inside an iTunes Media folder, and more.

--
It is too early for a review but here's a little advice. If you do not find the updated features appealing, just ignore the new version (92.8 MB download for mac) for a few days. As the notes above do not suggest there is any critical vulnerability with the existing version, it should be OK to hold off on updating your iTunes for a few days. I am updating it anyways. :)  


PS: This blog is not affiliated to Apple, Inc. in any way.This blog is not a replacement for personalized or professional advice. Please talk to your doctor about your wireless service.