Information Overload

2009 Was The Year...

Went to the last Macworld with Apple.
Attended a new President's inauguration.
Watched the switch from analog to digital TV.
iPhone 3G S launched.
Parted ways with one company.
Got bought out of the other one.
Gisele Bündchen married a football player. :,(

Visa Signature + Fandango BOGO

Here's hoping the 2 for 1 Movie Ticket benefit for Visa Signature members continues in 2010. The promo makes it worth a trip to the theater at least once a month. Online ticketing is limited to theaters served by Fandango, which isn't an issue in the Bay Area. Saved $15 (despite the "up to $13.50" limit) by watching Avatar for the first time at a Cinemark.

The Wizard of Oz

The Wizard of Oz is always aired during the holidays, and is always impressive considering that it was filmed 70 years ago. (One wonders how a movie like Avatar will hold up 70 years from now...) Being down with a cold, now would be a good time to have an eBook reader to download L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which is supposed to be a bit darker than MGM's adaptation. The original print is available for free from Google Books. If only there were some sort of iSlate to read it on, perhaps one about to be unveiled next month by the wonderful Steven P. Jobs...

New TSA Passenger Rules Since December 25th

The TSA has issued new guidelines for people traveling on international flights into the U.S. In brief, all passengers must undergo a pat-down, according to The Washington Post. They must remain seated for the final hour before landing, and can't hold personal items on their laps during that time. Flight crews can't announce details about the plane's flight path or position while over U.S. airspace. Avoid watching The Kingdom too.

Taco Bell Drive-Thru Diet

Thought the Taco Bell Drive-Thru Diet TV ad was a joke, but it appears that the fast food chain has Subway Jared envy. Taco Bell Christine claims she lost 54 pounds over two years eating Taco Bell and making other sensible choices. Limiting her daily caloric intake to 1,250 calories a day probably helped. This blogger bets that he could lose weight ("The Drive-Thru Diet® menu is not a weight-loss program.") because eating too much Taco Bell results in the runs from the border these days. 150-calorie Fresco Tacos are available free for a limited time.

Winter Spare the Air 2009

Christmas wasn't quite the same last night without a roaring wood-burning fire in the fireplace. Suppose the Christmas day ban (PDF) on using "fireplaces, woodstoves and inserts, pellet stoves, outdoor fire pits, or any other wood-burning devices" (unless such a device is a home's only source of heat) was a small price to pay to prevent a lousy time for people sensitive to particulate matter. Didn't realize that Bay Area residents are expected to check whether or not it's okay to use their fireplaces during the Winter Spare the Air Alert season.

Happy Xmas!

Peace.

Planters Daybreak Blend Berry Almond Trail Mix

Planters Daybreak Blend Berry Almond Trail Mix is a little bit too granola-e for this blogger's taste. It also contains a bunch of extra ingredients like corn syrup that seem like they don't need to be in there. The company vending machine serves up Mr. Nature Unsalted Trail Mix, which is specially packaged only for vendors. Need to figure out where to buy some online or maybe assemble some snack packs from individual ingredients.

Red Laser Barcode Scanner For iPhone

Need to price check a gift? There's an iPhone app for that! Apple should buy Occipital, the developers behind the Red Laser barcode reader ASAP (i.e. before Google acquires them) so they can roll access to the technology into the iPhone SDK. The 2D barcode reader landscape was looking bleak last year. Now there's an app that instantly scans 1D barcodes just as well as the scanners at the store! Red Laser has recognized everything thrown at it so far, returning Google and TheFind results for each product. Amazon is stupid for not allowing Red Laser to link directly to them. So many possibilities...

Adamson's French Dip

@neonzebra found a new place in Sunnyvale to add to the lunch rotation! Adamson's French Dips are pretty tasty. There's not much room to dine-in, but managed to score a table for three yesterday due in part to the worthwhile wait for orders.