Panobot lite is complete and tested. Details here. (Look for 'pano' files.) The inspiration was this project: Panobot.

Another cat on the roof

Another cat on the roof.
The previous cat on the roof.

I have added my girlfriend's Intel Pocket PC camera to the page as an experiment. This camera is much reviled for its lack of features, but I kinda like it. The optics are better than the Lego cam (that's not saying much, though) and the X10 cam (saying even less.) The next plan is to adapt a Panobot for it. Fun at parties!

Another step forward for the webcam: Through the miracle of enforced idleness, I have taken the time to wade through the morass of driver issues with my ATI TV "Wonder" card ("wonder how I got it to work") and my X10 camera/radio devices to bring up a cam of a bird feeder. Hooray!

The internet does know all.

The train of thought: listening to a tune called "The Wild Geese" on a Chieftains album (The Celtic Harp: A tribute to Edward Bunting), I recalled that my mom liked a tune that she called "The Wild Geese" but was, in fact, a theme from an Australian limited series from the seventies. All that I could remember was the basic idea of the show, Australian convicts; the general time, late seventies; and that "Wild Geese" was not the name of the tune

I started with imdb, and after a few false starts, searched 'filming locations' on the keyword Australia. I didn't have much hope for this, expecting an unmanageable number of returns and I was right, but scanning the years (which were thankfully included) "Against the Wind, 1978" popped right out. It was a short trip to this episode guide which led quickly to this bio of the composer and astoundingly, to an in-stock CD at Amazon.

This tune was a big hit at the time. Must have been on the same charts as Paul McCartney's Mull of Kintyre.

a Lego accident occurred during an impulse stop at K-Mart (yes, it was a sort of a madhouse): An Ogel's Mutant Squid (WAY cool). Two buckets of Pod Racers. At 60% off! Woo hoo, oo, oh, ho ho ho!

tasteless advertising

This ad was run across my screen courtesy of Yahoo. I can't begin to list the ways that this is just Not Right. Why a bikini? Why a Star and Stripes bikini? Why a horoscope? It's boggling.

Eureka! I finally found the squeak in my Nordic Track! A piece of wood and metal about half a centimeter square were generating an unbelievable amount of noise. Sounded like a Portuguese carrack grounded on a rock.

Enterprise: Tripp gets knocked up after an alien hussy slips him a quart of Jell-O shooters. Deeskoostin'.

Unknown problems on a provider's network prevented the webcam from working for most of today.

Camera was down for an unknown period between 3:00 am and 3:00 pm today. But I don't think anyone was able to notice.

Rock and tree

Rock and tree

Bryce has a new-ish version. Haven't played with that in a while: