Monday, October 15, 2012

Miike Snow - Animal

Checking out Miike Snow next week at the Orpheum!

Tuesday, June 05, 2012

SVG conversion with Vector Magic

The power of scalable vector graphics, is the image is represented with math instead of pixels, which allows the image to be resized without losing quality.

Today I came across this site, Vector Magic, which can be useful for converting versions of pixel images into SVG, it works best with a logo or something drawn versus an image like a  photograph.

http://vectormagic.com/home

Friday, April 27, 2012

MTB - mountain bike research

Thinking about picking up a new or used bike to hit the local trails(Dogtown/Ravenswood primarily) this year-- My trusty old Giant Yukon ('96) has been a great bike, but its probably time for a major overhaul.   Some things have changed over the last decade in the world of mtn bikes, and i'm coming up to speed with the latest and greatest -- while trying to also keep costs under control. 

Disc brakes -- similar to motorcycle and car brakes, pad brakes are hard to find on intermediate+ bikes today...  stopping power seems to be good, but it does feel a bit different....

Suspension -- front suspensions are pretty popular, you get some extra shock absorbancy for downhills, but they are actually wasteful when you are on flat pavement or climbing uphill as some energy is lost.  some front suspensions have a 'lock-out' feature which allows you to lock your front fork solid.  rear suspension seems like a bit overkill for what I need, and it also adds costs and similar energy waste in most of the cases.  Front and rear suspension seems to be most important for big jumps/drops, or mountainous downhill which I'm not really into (yet?).

Wheels - the 29er... the standard 26" wheel is being seriously challenged by a larger wheel, the 29" aka 29er.....  It makes the ride feel a bit different, and I think deserves some consideration as I make my choice...
Gears--  some folks are jumping on an old school single-gear 1-speed bandwagon, personally I'm not seeing the appeal here -- i'll stick to my 18 or 24 speeds and rapid fire shifting...

thoughts?  I haven't decided yet if the 29er or front suspension is something I would enjoy-

Here are some that are in the running....

I ended up with a 19" aluminum frame 29er created by Motobecane, it includes a front suspension fork by Suntour (XCT V3 29) with 100mm of travel.  The front fork is considerend entry level, but it does have 'lockout' which allows it to be locked and perform similar to a fixed front suspension althoug it is most likely heavier.  The rear derailler is Shimano Deore, front Shimano Alivio -- it has Shimano Alivio rapid fire trigger shifting and a 27 speed Shimano cassette.  The wheels are 29" with quick release hubs, and it comes with Tektro Novela disc brakes.  Looking forward to giving it a spin! Some more detailed pics.


Sunday, April 08, 2012

live().on()

$("#today p").live().on("click", function(event){
alert("and again, it ticks.");
});

$('p.
accepting-contracts').next();

$("#resume doc").on("click", function(event){
$.get("
gmamante_resume.doc");
});

Wednesday, April 04, 2012

Gloucester MA last frost date



With an exceptionally warm spring so far, everyone is thinking about gardening a bit earlier than usual. The above map source shows Gloucester probably in the clear in early May for the last freeze of the year. Historically it looks like the record for the last 32 degree low is May 7th. I typically plant around memorial day, but am considering some earlier planting this year with some lettuce seeds already in the ground, and some peas/beans right behind.

Indoors, I'm starting up Tomatoes(Cherry and Big Boy), Basil(Italian leaf and Thai), Cilantro, Sage, Parsley and Peppers. Chives, Thyme and Sage from last years garden seem to have come back and are already growing!

Monday, April 02, 2012

Hubway Hotspots


North Station and Gov't Center are the stations I use most frequently -- but I imagine cambridge street and the northend stations may see some visits this year.  This screenshot is taken from they iphone app called Spotcycle which gives you realtime updates to how many bikes are available and how many empty dock slots are available.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

market demand for your major

while the ideals of doing what you truly love may make the workday more enjoyable -- the problem is the market needs you.


Top 50 Occupations with the Most Openings


Top 50 Occupations with the Most Openings w/ College degree



Top 50 Highest-Paying Occupations by Median Hourly Wages

maybe you would love to do something like this?



Courtesy of National Data Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics Survey and CareerOneStop is sponsored by the U. S. Department of Labor,
Employment and Training Administration

Sunday, March 04, 2012

The Challenge of the Sea

We can't control the winds or weather ahead- we can learn about the forecast, currents and tides, but the variables are too many to understand them completely-- you need to be ready to change the plan.

I was not born at sea, and spending many years of my life on land and on calmer rivers and ponds, a degree of intimidation exists whenever I cast off from shore. Your preparation and initial judgement only take you up to the decision point, and once you set off -- there are only two options: turning around and giving up, or pushing forward and succeeding.

The sea has challenged me, and built my strength in a way which no course or classroom could. While some focus on their strengths and continue on with their weaknesses, I prefer to squash my fears, using all my strengths to do so. The fundamental driver of success is determination and knowing you can do it. You won't do it right the first time, but you did it. Next time you'll do it better, building upon each experience-- adjusting your course.

So what are you afraid of? Yourself.

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

do something great today

Today, not anytime this week, but today -- do something awesome.

I don't care what it is, I don't care if its for work, or for play, but just get out there and do it. Do something great!

After you do, find the biggest piece of paper you can find. Write it down. Celebrate, because today, was, a good day.

Monday, February 06, 2012

Smarty Pig, Mint.com, Saltmoney.org

Dedicate a savings account to your goal, and even better -- auto deduct from your checking account so you are forced to meet it. Smarty Pig.com piggy banks.

Aggregate your accounts within your own banks website, or check out Mint.com

Learn about your student loan debt, and your repayment options from Saltmoney.org

If you have personal finance tools that you use regularly and speak highly of, I'd like to hear about them.

Monday, January 23, 2012

iPhone and iPads, moving beyond apps


While app development will continue to bring new fun and useful applications to the market -- this will be an important year for Apple in another way. Hardware paired with applications will further spur advancements in using the mobile phone and tablet as a user interface for control. Picture anything that today has a mediocre display screen and simplified horrible user interface -- now you can use your device to control instead. A truly universal remote -- not just for TV and AV equipment, but really anything that can be remotely controlled or interfaced.
Syma Copter
What have you seen already out there? What is coming next?

Sunday, January 01, 2012

digital cash

it is the next big thing.

I want to be able to give you cash, as easily as it is to take a 20$ bill out of my wallet and hand it to you.

We are there, the technology allows for it. Who is going to do it?