Gimli?

Ancient Dwarf Bones Found

"They better bury me when they're through!"

Handheld PDA Market Slowly Dying

Well, this isn't exactly news. The PDA (Personal Digital Assistants, like Palms) are slowly being rolled into cell phones, creating a new category of that device called "smart phones". The functionality these PDAs and Smartphones provide is called Personal Information Management (PIM):

Due to intense competition from converged mobile devices that perform basic personal information management (PIM) tasks, the worldwide market for handheld devices saw its third successive quarter of year-over-year decline in Q3, according to the latest research from Framingham, Mass.-based IDC.

As with any market that is being cannibalized, consolidation has started and no-name brands are entering from the bottom:

Consolidation in the handheld device market continued with the exit of previous top vendors Sony and Toshiba while lower barriers to entry have enabled companies with established core competencies in electronics design and manufacturing to enter the market and quickly gain share, IDC pointed out, even though it comes at the expense of margins in the face of a flat or slightly shrinking market.

In the end this functionality will be carried by cellphones and this segment will become a niche market dominated by only a few low-cost players.

Taking Drink Orders Now for Election Night Party

I've decided to hold an election night party next week and I have started to put together a drink list for the evening. If you have a request or suggestion to add to this list, let me know:

Green With Envy Apple Martini
If you think libs are upset now, just wait until a second Bush term. They’ll be green with envy with republicans staying in power another four years, and what better way to piss them off even further than toasting a Bush victory with a cool mix of Kettle One vodka and Apple Pucker.

Rumsfeld and Coke
Large amounts of Captain Morgan’s Spiced Rum with just a little bit of coke, for that extra caffeine jolt for watching the returns. A drink Rummy himself recommends after doing battle with the press.

Gin and Tax Cut Tonic
Tax cuts are the tonic to any recession, and this drink will pull you out any depression you may be feeling. Made with Tanqueray, the only gin served in the Director’s household.

Comrade Vodka Tonic
Workers of the World will rejoice if Comrade Kerry gets elected, so if returns aren’t looking good, you can join the proletariat and start drinking the heavy amounts of vodka you are going to need for the next four years. Made with Chopin potato vodka for an authentic taste.

You Don’t Know Jack
Dems know little and Kerry even less. So feel free to toast his ignorance with a Jack and coke, Jack on Ice, or Jack neat.

Patriot Sam Adams
What better beer to have during the election than one named after a Founding Father?

Undocumented Coronas
Caught illegally north of the border, these beers aren’t getting the right to vote in this election.

Liberal Wine
Hopefully what we’ll be hearing from the left for the next four years. Red and white available.

Cheap Lighters of the World

Through my travels, I found that I have accidently started a Cheap Lighters of the World collection. I have found that cheap lighters are one of those impulse buys that I have as I go through bazaars and souvenir shops. After all, at $10 or less, I always say "Why not?". Now that I have a collection going I will now need to actually look for these as I travel.

Note that there are serious collectors that spend thousands of dollars to build their collection of expensive, unique lighters, so while my collection is not elegant or fancy, it is at least easy on the budget.

Here is what I have so far:


Item: Soviet Tank Lighter
Type: Naptha (fluid)
Bought In: Lviv, Ukraine
Cost: 50 Hryvnia (about $10)

Perhaps this belonged to a Soviet tank commander? It would definitely make a good story as you lit up that capitalist cigar and bragged how you helped Reagan defeat the Evil Empire. However, as I inspected the lighter in the open air bazaar in Lviv, I noticed the bottom:



What they did is took an American Zippo lighter and glued on Soviet insignia, which were being sold all over the place in the bazaar. There were a glut of these items after the fall of the Soviet Union when soldiers sold whatever they had on them for hard currency. For only a few bucks you could buy enough military ribbons at the bazaar to make yourself a full Soviet general, although Hero of the Soviet Union and The Order of Lenin cost a few extra dollars.

Anyway, although a glue-together, I still thought it was cool, and for ten bucks - what the average monthly salary was when I was over there in 2000 - I said, why not?



Item: Japanese Disco Lighter
Type: Butane Torch
Bought In: Tokyo (Akihabara)
Cost: 600 Yen (about $6)
The neat thing about this lighter is that when it is opened, lights on the side of the thing go on and off in rapid succession, like if the jukebox were playing. The first thing people say when they see this thing in action is "That is sooooooo Japanese."



Item: Korean Traditional Scene Lighter
Type: Naptha (fluid)
Bought In: Seoul
Cost: 10,000 Won (about $9)
When I first saw this, I thought this was another "glue-on" like my Soviet Lighter. Turns out this is from a Korea company called ING that apparently does knock-offs of Zippo. And instead of this scene just being glued on, it is built into the lighter, with a clear coat on top, so it came out of the factory this way.


These are the only ones so far, although I have been to a lot more countries. I will now have to keep an eye out for cheap lighters when I travel. My next potential buy is in China, where I will probably be going some time in the next year or two. I am hoping I can find one with Mao on it since they have Mao everything there.

Another Stupid, but Relevant, Online Test

I haven't done one of these in a while, so I am due. This one seems accurate, except for the fact that I am not a chick:

You Are a Life Blogger!

Your blog is the story of your life - a living diary. If it happens, you blog it. And make it as entertaining as possible.

What kind of blogger are you?

Hat Tip: Coffee with CrankyBeach