Where's Chuck

Microsoft Patch Tuesday for 12 April 2011 is a Whopper!

2011-04-12T17:22:00.003-05:00

Patch Tuesday is here, and this month is a whopper. Microsoft has unleashed 17 new security bulletins, addressing a total of 64 separate vulnerabilities. Nine bulletins are rated as critical and the remaining eight are rated as important. The vulnerabilities affect Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, Visual Studio, .NET Framework and GDI+.

The full version of the Microsoft Security Bulletin Summary for April 2011 can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms11-apr.mspx.

If you have Automatic Update enabled and configured to download and install the latest Microsoft updates in the middle of the night while you're sleeping, it doesn't really matter if there are two security bulletins, or sixty-four. Either way you wake up to a freshly patched--and probably rebooted--system.

Spaceship Lands at San Francisco Airport

2011-04-07T20:34:00.001-05:00

It looks like the future of space travel and exploration belongs to the commercial sector:

spaceship-virgin-terminal

Navy Wants Doc-Bots, Robo-Ambulances

2011-04-06T19:35:00.002-05:00

Not all of the military's robot research goes into creating unfeeling killing machines. Some of them are here to heal, like the Navy's plan to create a medical robot to treat troops carried by drones.

The Navy envisions its medic-bot actually diagnosing and managing a number of "medically complex, life-threatening clinical events" for more than six hours — to be done either autonomously or with the remote assistance of a human caregiver. To do some of that critical management, ACCS would come equipped with its own drug kit, including "epinephrine, phenylephrine, dopamine, vasopressin, paralytics" among others.

The medic-bot will be a tiny little bot. The Navy wants it to be 30 pounds, max, and should be able to fit into helicopters easily.

But the Navy doesn't just want a robo-doc. It's also looking for an unmanned ambulance — one that flies, preferably. The Office of Naval Research says it expects that "unmanned ground or air vehicles" will be available to carry wounded troops or disaster victims in the future and that their medic-bot will "validate effective patient monitoring and control" on them while in transit.

NOTE: If these military technologies succeed you can bet they will quickly be applied to civilian use, just like medevac helicopters (air ambulances) . Medevac helicopters proved their value in the Korean and Vietnam wars and were then rapidly adopted in community hospitals.

Bananas Could Make Cars Leaner, Greener

2011-03-28T20:21:00.001-05:00

Researchers are going bananas in the quest to build cleaner, greener cars.

Brazilian scientists have developed a way of using fibers from bananas, pineapples and other plants to create plastic that is stronger and lighter than the petroleum-based stuff. So-called nanocellulose fibers rival Kevlar in strength but are renewable, and the researchers believe they could be widely used within a couple of years.

"The properties of these plastics are incredible," Alcides Leão, a researcher at Sao Paulo State University, said in a statement. "They are light, but very strong — 30 percent lighter and three to four times stronger."

That could reduce the weight of new vehicles, which would increase fuel economy. Several automakers are cutting weight in their campaigns to maximize mpg. Ford, for example, hopes to trim 250 to 750 pounds from its vehicles and is exploring nanotechnology to do so.

GOP's anti-immigrant stance could turn Texas into a blue state

2011-03-01T19:24:00.001-06:00

Not today, to be sure, nor tomorrow. But to read the newly released census data on the Lone Star State is to understand that Texas, the linchpin of any Republican electoral college majority, is turning Latino and, unless the Republicans change their spots, Democratic.

Figures released last month by the Census Bureau show that during the past decade, Texas joined California as a majority-minority state: The percentage of whites in the Texas population declined from 52 percent in 2000 to 45 percent in 2010, while the percentage of Latinos rose from 32 percent to 38 percent. Nearly half of all Texans under 18 - 48 percent - are Latino.

What these numbers mean is simply that the Republicans have an existential problem. As America becomes increasingly multiracial, the Republicans have elected to become increasingly white.

Read the entire article at Texas-blue

Military deploys acupuncture to treat soldiers' concussions

2011-02-28T18:04:00.002-06:00

CAMP LEATHERNECK, Afghanistan — The U.S. military is applying an ancient Chinese healing technique to the top modern battlefield injury for American soldiers, with results that doctors here say are "off the charts."

Cdr Stuessi, a military doctor who treats soldiers at the Concussion Restoration Care Center at Camp Leatherneck, describes the results as "phenomenal." "It's like rewiring a computer; you're hitting certain nerves in the body. So instead of sending up a pain signal to the brain, they send up a signal saying everything's OK. It's almost like faking out the brain," Stuessi said.

Read the entire article at military-deploys-acupuncture
PERSONAL NOTE: I have severe tendonitis in my hands and arthritis in my thumbs caused by 48 years of using computer mice and keyboards. Orthopedic surgeons in VA and TX have told me that an operation MIGHT help so I have resorted to using pain medication when the pain gets severe. A couple of months ago I decided to try acupuncture. Acupuncture hasn't cured the problem but has helped to the extent that I no longer use medication.

World’s Total CPU Power: One Human Brain

2011-02-11T18:38:00.001-06:00

"To put our findings in perspective, the 6.4*10¹⁸ instructions per second that human kind can carry out on its general-purpose computers in 2007 are in the same ballpark area as the maximum number of nerve impulses executed by one human brain per second,"

It turns out our computers aren't as powerful as we thought…

Read the article at world-computer-data

The Cranky Redskins Fan's Guide to Dan Snyder

2011-02-02T19:34:00.001-06:00

The City Paper, a small alternative Washington newspaper, published an article detailing dozens of Snyder's inept and unpopular actions as team owner and businessman. It included the 2005 controversy surrounding the removal of more than 130 trees on National Park Service land adjacent to Snyder's home to improve his view of the Potomac River. Afterward Snyder paid a $37,000 fine and planted seedlings to replace the trees. Needless to say it will takes decades for the seedlings to reach the height of the previous trees and meanwhile Mr. Snyder will have an unobstructed view of the river. I remember this well because I lived in Fairfax County Virginia at the time. The episode marked one of the rare times Snyder got crisis PR help. He retained Mike Sitrick, who helped with damage control for the Michael Jackson family after the pop star's death and Paris Hilton after one of her arrests. Mr. Snyder is threatening a lawsuit against the paper and demanding that they fire the author of the article.

Mr. Robert Danno, the Shenandoah Junction resident and National Park Service employee who reported the tree removal to authorities, hasn't been as lucky as Mr. Snyder. Soon after he made his disclosures, he experienced a variety of administrative actions, including temporary reassignment, investigation, frivolous administrative charges, Board of Inquiry, suspension, isolation, permanent reassignment and criminal charges. He was removed from his position as chief ranger and reassigned for more than two years to the George Washington Memorial Parkway, where he was required to commute to Mt. Vernon from West Virginia, to issue picnic permits.

Read the entire article at the-cranky-redskins-fans-guide-to-dan-snyder

Darpa Wants Troop Cellphones With Heat Vision

2011-01-25T19:48:00.001-06:00

There's the shopworn military cliche about every soldier being a sensor. And then there's Darpa's out-there project to shrink thermal imaging down to the point where it would fit on a cellphone screen or a rifle sight. The Pentagon's research branch wants personal infrared imaging that's good enough to tell a soldier whether an armed adversary is coming right at him.

‘White House’ eCard Dupes Dot-Gov Geeks

2011-01-08T19:43:00.001-06:00

A malware-laced e-mail that spoofed seasons greetings from The White House siphoned gigabytes of sensitive documents from dozens of victims over the holidays, including a number of government employees and contractors who work on cybersecurity matters.

The attack appears to be the latest salvo from ZeuS malware gangs whose activities over the past year have blurred the boundaries between online financial crime and espionage, by stealing both financial data and documents from victim machines. This activity is unusual because most criminals using ZeuS are interested in money-making activities – such as swiping passwords and creating botnets – whereas the hoovering up of sensitive government documents is activity typically associated with so-called advanced persistent threat attacks, or those deployed to gather industrial and military intelligence.

Global spam volumes fall precipitously

2011-01-08T19:38:00.001-06:00

Global spam volumes have fallen precipitously in the past two months, thanks largely to the cessation of junk e-mail from Rustock – until recently the world's most active spam botnet. But experts say the hackers behind Rustock have since shifted the botnet's resources toward other money-making activities, such as installing spyware and adware. That's good news or bad news, depending on whether you have a good anti-spyware program. If you don't I recommend Spybot (free) or Systems Mechanic Pro ($49.95). System Mechanic Pro is also a very good PC tunup tool.

Déjà vu - Military Bans Removable Disks AGAIN

2010-12-10T20:00:00.001-06:00

It's too late to stop WikiLeaks from publishing thousands more classified documents, nabbed from the Pentagon's secret network. But the U.S. military is telling its troops to stop using CDs, DVDs, thumb drives and every other form of removable media — or risk a court martial.

More info is available at Military-bans-disks-threatens-courts-martials-to-stop-new-leaks

NOTE: Removable disks were disabled on military computers and networks two years ago. It proved to be impracticable because many military users of imagery and other critical data only have access to low speed networks or no network access at all. In some cases critical operational readiness and project executions were being negatively impacted so the policy was changed. Removable media could be temporarily enabled under controlled conditions if documented. So one of three things occurred that allowed the WikiLeaks: (1) the military agency had not implemented the control procedures, (2) the WikiLeaks perpetrator who burned the documents to CDs had the authority to enable removable disks on the classified network, or (3) the WikiLeaks perpetrator convinced someone to enable removable disks on the classified network. The bottom line is the WikiLeaks were caused by weak management controls over classified networks and data.

ActiveWords – a program you need

2010-12-04T19:23:00.001-06:00

ActiveWords is a simple, intuitive macro-program that allows you to create brief words or shortcuts to substitute text (up to 32kb in size); open programs, files and folders; navigate the Internet; open Windows settings; and execute scripting actions. After using the free trial program for a couple of days I purchased ActiveWords PLUS for $49.95. I have already created several dozen shortcuts. Examples:

cs + F8 inserts "Charles Stone" wherever the cursor is located

ad + F8 inserts my address wherever the cursor is located

w + F8 opens Microsoft Word

wc + F8 opens the wired.com web site

cp + F8 opens the Control Panel

cw + F8 closes the current window

I prefer my shortcuts to be 1-3 characters in length but you can make them any length you like. For example, you could use Word F8 to open Microsoft Word. ActiveWords joins my list of MUST HAVE Windows PC productivity applications: Alarm++, askSam Free-Form Database, Bookmark Buddy and Snagit. Try them – they will simplify your computing life. Trials are available for all of them.

Arsenic-munching germ redefines "life as we know it”

2010-12-02T13:48:00.001-06:00

A strange, salty lake in California has yielded an equally strange bacterium that thrives on arsenic and redefines life as we know it, researchers reported Thursday.

The bacteria do not merely eat arsenic -- they incorporate the toxic element directly into their DNA, the researchers said.

The finding shows just how little scientists know about the variety of life forms on Earth, and may greatly expand where they should be looking for life on other planets and moons, the NASA-funded team said.

IBM chip breakthrough may lead to exascale supercomputers

2010-12-01T19:27:00.001-06:00

IBM researchers have made a breakthrough in using pulses of light to accelerate data transfer between chips, something they say could boost the performance of supercomputers by more than a thousand times. Such supercomputers should dramatically improve weather and climatic predictions by allowing larger parts of the earth to be simultaneously modeled and analyzed.

Hurricane Forecasts Can Be Made Years in Advance

2010-11-08T20:10:00.001-06:00

The parade of storms that pummels the western fringe of the North Atlantic every year just got a bit more predictable. Scientists say they have developed a way to forecast how many Atlantic hurricanes there will be — not just for the upcoming year, as some groups already do each spring, but for several years out.

Knowing how hurricane trends could change in the future, he says, will help society prepare for the damage of the kind that Hurricane Tomas recently dealt the Caribbean.

Why Your Electric Vehicle 'Fuel' Will Be Free

2010-10-29T19:09:00.002-05:00

How can EVs become more attractive to consumers price-wise? One of the ways can be from the realistic prospect of free 'fuel.' Imagine this scenario happening in the not so distant future: You get in your EV for a day of errands and your display screen notifies you that your battery is low. A quick scan on the navigation system says there is an available charge spot at a nearby grocery store where, best of all, charging is free to customers. With a few touches to the navigation screen, your vehicle automatically routes you to the location and you're able to refuel while grocery shopping is checked off your list.

Pie in the sky you ask? Not at all and here's why: depending on battery size, the cost of the total electricity needed to charge your vehicle should be around $1.00 - $1.50. Retailers will likely see this as good business: spending a $1.00 per customer in exchange for the $100 you'll spend at the grocery store is a high return; especially when considering the amount they normally spend on advertisements and reward programs to get you in the door. Essentially, electricity as fuel will be much more than a commodity—it will be a retailer's bargaining chip.

Feds Plot ‘Near Human’ Robot Docs, Farmers, Troops

2010-10-22T19:26:00.002-05:00

Robots are already vacuuming our carpets, heading into combat and assisting docs on medical procedures. Get ready for a next generation of "near human" bots that'll do a lot more: independently perform surgeries, harvest our crops and herd our livestock, and even administer drugs from within our own bodies.

Those are only a few of the suggested applications for robots in a massive new federal research program. The military's blue-sky research arm, Darpa, is pairing up with four other agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Homeland Security, to launch a major push that'd revolutionize robotic capabilities and put bots pretty much everywhere, from hospitals to dude ranches to "explosive atmospheres."

Computerized Grenade Launcher Heads to Afghanistan

2010-10-14T18:51:00.002-05:00

It looks like a piece of riot-control gear. It's got a computerized in-board targeting system. It can kill someone from 2,300 feet away, while he takes cover. And it's on its way to the 101st Airborne Division and Special Forces units in the Afghanistan war.

The XM-25 grenade launcher shoots a 25 mm high-explosive round that's basically a "smart" grenade. What makes it smart? Sensors and microchips inside the round talks to the gun's guidance system, known as the Target Acquisition Fire Control unit, to learn where and when to explode, minimizing the likelihood of collateral damage.

Need to take out an insurgent who's popping out from behind a clay wall? Set the guidance for the distance to the wall and adjust a bit more for his body's position and fire — actually using Plus and Minus buttons on the side of the gun. Watch the round release bursts of shrapnel right over him. You can't do that with a regular mortar tube, even if you were able to shoot the mortar like a gun.

Comments on my blog

2010-10-12T18:39:00.001-05:00

You can now comment on my blog posts if you like. I didn't know until recently that Blogspot was changed so that blogs were set to a default of "no comments". To comment on a post click on "comments" at the end. A new window will be opened to allow you to leave comments. You can choose an identity such as your Google Account or just click on "Anonymous".

Darpa's Self-Aiming "One Shot" Sniper Rifle Scheduled for Next Year

2010-10-07T19:31:00.002-05:00

A sniper crouches near an open window and zooms in on his target, who sits a half-mile away. He peers through a scope and holds his breath, preparing to squeeze the trigger. But it's windy outside, and he can't afford a miss. What to do?

A new DARPA-funded electro-optical system will calculate the ballistics for him, telling him where to aim and ensuring a perfect shot, no matter the weather conditions.

Darpa Moves a Step Closer to Its Flying Humvee

2010-09-29T19:10:00.003-05:00

In the spring, the futurists at Darpa rethought troop transport. Instead of adding armor or changing the shape to deflect bomb blasts, the agency reasoned, why not let it leap into the sky at the first sign of danger or inconvenience? That's exactly what Darpa's "Transformer" project is supposed to be: a mashup of a helicopter, plane and armored truck.

Read more at Flying Humvee

Cyber Thieves Steal Nearly $1,000,000 from University of Virginia College

2010-09-10T20:32:00.002-05:00

Cyber crooks stole just shy of $1 million from a satellite campus of The University of Virginia last week, KrebsOnSecurity.com has learned.

The attackers stole the money from The University of Virginia's College at Wise, a 4-year public liberal arts college located in the town of Wise in southwestern Virginia.

Attackers Exploiting New Acrobat/Reader Flaw

2010-09-10T20:22:00.002-05:00

Adobe warned today that hackers appear to be exploiting a previously unknown security hole in its PDF Reader and Acrobat programs.

In an advisory published Wednesday, Adobe said a critical vulnerability exists in Acrobat and Reader versions 9.3.4 and earlier, and that there are reports that this critical vulnerability is being actively exploited in the wild. The company says its in the process of evaluating the schedule for an update to plug the security hole.

WARNING: Since the latest Adobe Reader available as of today 10 September 2010 is vulnerable, it is CRITICAL THAT YOUR ANTIVIRUS PROGRAM BE KEPT UP TO DATE.

DHS Cybersecurity Watchdogs Miss Hundreds of Vulnerabilities on Their Own Network

2010-09-08T20:14:00.002-05:00

The federal agency in charge of protecting other agencies from computer intruders was found riddled with hundreds of high-risk security holes on its own systems, according to the results of an audit released Wednesday.

Read More DHS Network Vulnerabilities

New Audio Teen-Repellent

2010-09-01T18:54:00.002-05:00

Gallery Place business owners in the Chinatown area of Washington DC are using a new approach to chasing away loitering teenagers: zapping them with a device that emits a high-pitched, headache-inducing sound that only young ears can hear.

The Mosquito, as the $1,000 device is called, is apparently annoying not only its intended targets, but also some of their sharp-hearing elders.

To read more and see if it would bother you go to Gallery Place's New Audio Teen-Repellent

Tiny Thorium Reactors Could Wean World Off Oil

2010-08-31T20:16:00.001-05:00

An abundant metal with vast energy potential could quickly wean the world off oil, if only Western political leaders would muster the will to do it, a UK newspaper says today. The Telegraph makes the case for thorium reactors as the key to a fossil-fuel-free world within five years, and puts the ball firmly in President Barack Obama's court.

My New Home in Far North Dallas

2010-08-09T20:56:00.008-05:00

I have been on the waiting list for two terrific apartments for several months. It took so long for me to find an apartment because I'm picky. I demanded a top floor apartment, preferably a corner unit, with a good view in a vibrant neighborhood. My favorites were the Ravello in Uptown near the Dallas arts and entertainment center and Turnberry Isle located beside the Prestonwood Country Club golf course.

I am now a Turnberry Isle resident. Turnberry is less than 10 minutes from the Galleria and even closer to Addison's nightlife. There are DOZENS of great restaurants nearby. And I'm only 20 minutes to my options classes in Uptown. The rent on my 2-bedroom top floor corner unit apartment costs 60% less than my Fairfax VA 1-bedroom apartment.

The photos below were taken from my balcony that overlooks the 11^th hole of the golf course.
This is my living room. The living room and master bedroom also overlook the golf course. I'm going to turn the master bedroom into a large office as soon as I buy a desk and some bookshelves.

Spinal-Fluid Test Confirmed to Predict Alzheimer's

2010-08-09T20:21:00.001-05:00

The New York Times reports that researchers have found a spinal-fluid test can be 100 percent accurate in identifying patients with significant memory loss who are on their way to developing Alzheimer's disease.

Download a Movie from iTunes in Less than 1 Second

2010-07-27T19:50:00.002-05:00

That's the promise of a research breakthrough from Intel that combines silicon chips and lasers to transmit data at 50 gigabits per second — and someday, maybe as fast as a terabit per second.

The 50-Gbps speed is enough to download an HD movie from iTunes, or up to 100 hours of digital music, in less than a second.

The technology, known as silicon photonics, can be used as a replacement for copper wires to connect components within computers, or between computers in data centers. Over the next two years, Intel hopes to perfect the technology by improving the efficiency of the lasers, as well as the packaging and assembly of the silicon chips and the manufacturing techniques needed to churn out millions of these modules.

Telemedicine Comes Into Its Own

2010-07-15T18:08:00.002-05:00

"Telemedicine — providing care using advanced communications technology may be coming into its own with a little help from Uncle Sam. The Obama administration recently awarded $795 million in grants and loans for 66 new broadband projects. Most of these projects will involve using videoconferencing equipment to allow doctors to consult on medical procedures or examinations remotely."

NOAA interactive map tracks Gulf oil spill

2010-07-12T18:59:00.002-05:00

Geoplatform.gov/gulfresponse employs the Environmental Response Management Application (ERMAR) a web-based GIS platform developed by NOAA and the University of New Hampshire's Coastal Response Research Center. ERMA was designed to facilitate communication and coordination among a variety of users - from federal, state and local responders to local community leaders and the public.

The mapping tool includes only those vessels equipped with the automatic identification system and therefore is not representative of all the vessels supporting the largest oil spill response and recovery operation in U.S. history.

Thanks to Joe Machado for this information.

Army’s Self-Driving Trucks Let Humans Watch for Bombs

2010-07-12T18:48:00.004-05:00

As insurgents in Afghanistan target the U.S. military's soft underbelly — its long logistics lines — trucking materiel through war zones has become an increasingly dangerous mission. One U.S. Army solution? Self-driving trucks that let the humans behind the wheel look out for bombs, instead.
Read more at Self Driving Trucks

Computer Mouse Turns Invisible

2010-07-09T20:32:00.004-05:00

In a magic trick that only geeks can pull off, researchers at MIT have found a method to let users click and scroll exactly the same way they would with a computer mouse, without the device actually being there.
Read more at Invisible Mouse

3-D Printers Make Real Items From Design Downloads

2010-06-13T18:10:00.002-05:00

Home computer printers gave people the ability to produce bank statements, concert tickets, holiday cards and party invitations at the touch of a button.

But what if you wanted to "print out" a dinner plate, the leg of an armchair or an eyeglass frame? It may sound far-fetched and futuristic, but machines that can do this -- popularly known as 3-D printers -- are poised to enter the home electronics market.

To read more click on 3-D Printers Go Beyond Paper and Ink

PERSONAL NOTE: These devices remind me of the "3D printer" that my old Army agency has that can produce solid 3-D color models from digital geospatial information. The 3D printer is used to create color models of cities, mountainous areas and other complex terrain around the world in support of military operations and other applications. Some visiting Congressmen have requested models of cities or other areas in their home districts.

New blood test speeds up cancer detection

2010-06-02T19:24:00.001-05:00

The detection and treatment of solid cancers such as lung, breast, ovarian, colon, and prostate cancers could be on the verge of a major makeover, thanks to a new blood test developed at the University of Nottingham and spinoff company Oncimmune.

Mark Twain To Reveal All After 100 Year Wait

2010-05-24T20:53:00.002-05:00

One of Mark Twain's dying wishes is at last coming true: an extensive, outspoken and revelatory autobiography which he devoted the last decade of his life to writing is finally going to be published one hundred years after his death. Twain, the pen name of Samuel Clemens, left behind 5,000 unedited pages of memoirs when he died in 1910, together with handwritten notes saying that he did not want them to hit bookshops for at least a century, but in November, the University of California, Berkeley, where the manuscript is in a vault, will release the first volume of Mark Twain's three-volume autobiography. Scholars are divided as to why Twain wanted his autobiography kept under wraps for so long, with some believing it was because he wanted to talk freely about issues such as religion and politics. Michael Shelden, who this year published Man in White, an account of Twain's final years, says that some of his privately held views could have hurt his public image. 'He had doubts about God, and in the autobiography, he questions the imperial mission of the US in Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines,' says Shelden. 'He's also critical of [Theodore] Roosevelt, and takes the view that patriotism was the last refuge of the scoundrel. Twain also disliked sending Christian missionaries to Africa. He said they had enough business to be getting on with at home: with lynching going on in the South, he thought they should try to convert the heathens down there.'

Toyota, Tesla Burnish Their Images by Teaming Up

2010-05-21T18:53:00.003-05:00

This is a very interesting article. Suddenly Tesla, the new EV auto company, becomes more believable as it gets Toyota components and an unused California auto plant!

The Japanese giant and the Silicon Valley upstart stunned everyone with Thursday's announcement that they'll work together on electric vehicles and components. Toyota will buy $50 million worth of stock when Tesla Motors goes public, and it gets a closer look at proven EV tech. Tesla gets a shuttered Toyota factory in Northern California to build the Model S sedan and expert advice on how to engineer and build a mass-market car.

Researchers Restore Youthful Memory in Aging Mice

2010-05-18T22:45:00.002-05:00

"German neuroscientists have made a breakthrough in 'age-related cognitive decline', a common condition that often begins in one's late 40s (especially declarative memory — the ability to recall facts and experiences). Their new study identifies a genetic 'switch' for the cluster of learning and memory genes that cause memory impairment in aging mice. By injecting an enzyme, the team 'flipped' the switch to its on position for older mice, giving them the memory and learning performance they'd enjoyed when they were young. Now the team ultimately hopes to recover seemingly lost long-term memory in human patients."

Dallas Cowboys Stadium Tour

2010-05-17T14:07:00.034-05:00

The $1.4 billion Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas opened in May 2009. The domed stadium features an expansive retractable roof, the world's largest HDTV video board, and the largest retractable end zone doors in the world. The stadium has seating for 80,000 expandable to 110,000, 381 luxury suites, club seating on multiple levels and three standing room only areas for 15,000 fans above the end zones. It is the 3rd largest stadium in the NFL by seating capacity. 180-foot-wide by 120-foot-high glass doors, located at each end of the stadium, allow each end zone to be opened.

Tom Landry statue in front of the stadium.

The stadium is the largest domed stadium in the world and has the world's largest column-free interior. The Statue of Liberty and its base would fit inside the stadium without touching the retractable roof. The stadium requires three electrical power substations plus backup generators and averages roughly $200,000 in monthly utility bills. When it is in full summer operation it uses more electricity than all of the high rise buildings in Fort Worth.

The field is actually 50 feet below ground level, so fans entering on the plaza level will have a panoramic view over the field. The end zone areas have the flexibility to convert from standing-room only to seating, based on specific event needs. The maximum seating capacity is approximately 110,000.

The new stadium has more than 3,000 Sony LCD displays throughout the luxury suites, concourses, concession areas and more, offering fans viewing options that extend beyond the action on the field, and a center-hung four-sided video display board that contains two of the largest high-definition television screens in the world. People frequently refer to the video board as the "Jerry-Tron" or the "Jumbo-Tron". It actually consists of four separate screens: two 160-by-72 foot main screens and two 48-by-48 foot screens for the end zones. The video board was originally fixed at 90 feet directly above the center of the playing surface. After the Tennessee Titans punter hit the board during the Cowboy's first preseason game and first game ever played at Cowboy Stadium in 2009, the board was retrofitted so that the board height could be varied from 35 to 100 feet. The video board weighs an astounding 1.2 million pounds and reaches a span of seven stories in height and spans from 20 yard line to 20 yard line. The video board cost $5 million more than the entire construction of the old Texas Stadium.

The 410 foot long by 256 foot wide retractable roof was open when we started our tour. Later as clouds started moving in they closed it. Closing the two roof panels takes about 10 minutes. Not bad considering that each panel is 215 feet long and consists of 14,100 tons of structural steel. During NFL games the Cowboys do not control the retractable roof – the NFL controls whether it will be open or closed.

This photo shows a view of the three standing room only areas above one of the end zones. The areas are above the seats under the Dr. Pepper, Ford and AT&T signs. Each area has a capacity of 2,500. $29 Party Pass tickets gives fans access to these standing room only areas.

This is a view from one of the upper deck end zone standing room only areas. It shows one of the 48 foot screens on the video board.

The facility has a permanent maintenance staff of 6,000 and six different surfaces that can be installed in 12 hours. This allows the stadium to be used for a variety of activities outside of its main purpose (professional football) such as concerts, religious ceremonies, basketball games, college football and high school football contests, soccer matches, motorcross races and rodeos similar to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. For basketball events played in Cowboys Stadium, such as the 2010 NBA All-Star Game, the video board is actually larger than the court and the video board is lowered to 35 feet. The highest the board has ever been raised was 100 feet for a U2 concert. The video board was not used during the concert but had to be raised to make room for their large claw shaped stage.

This telephoto of Ameriquest Field, the Texas Ranger's stadium, was taken from one of the top deck standing room only areas. The traditional, red brick baseball stadium is an interesting contrast to the futuristic Cowboy Stadium.

Player lockers.

The cheerleaders have their own lockers in the new stadium.

The previous photo is a view from one of the luxury suites. There are 381 luxury suites on five different levels with leases ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 per year. The suites range in size from 650 to 800 square feet and seat up to 45 fans. The suites have leather-clad walls, bars with Brazilian granite tops, custom leather furniture and private restrooms.

Seating in one of the larger luxury suites.

The luxury suite lessees and their guests can enjoy catered gourmet foods prepared by 12 chefs, private entrances, private parking, tickets to Cowboy home games and access to exclusive clubs in the stadium.

Tickets: Dallas surpassed New England and now has the most expensive tickets in the league. They average $160, an increase of 90% from last season. The sticker shock doesn't end with the cost of tickets, however. The Fan Cost Index -- what it takes to bring a family of four to a game -- is $759 in Dallas, by far the highest in the league. The Patriots check in with the second-highest FCI at $597, and the league average is $412. The biggest bargains in the NFL can be found in Buffalo, where tickets average $51 and the FCI is $304, and in Jacksonville, $57 and $310.

Parking: Jones and the Dallas Cowboys control all of the premium parking lots around the stadium. Parking passes are available with certain tickets and start at around $50 – $75 dollars and the price goes up from that. Parking at the nearby Texas Ranger's Stadium cost is $20-60. Downtown Arlington parking is available for $25 or less but there are no shuttle buses to the stadium which is 1.4 miles away.

Concessions and merchandising sales: The New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys, two of sports' richest teams, have partnered with Goldman Sachs Group and private equity firm CIC Partners to create Legends Hospitality Management, a sports services company that will operate the concessions and merchandising sales at the new Cowboys stadium in Arlington, Texas, and at the new Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, New York, along with the stadiums of the Yankees' minor league affiliates.

The Art Program At Cowboys Stadium is an art program at the stadium that launched with 14 commissioned artworks by renowned artists, which have been installed in prominent locations throughout the Stadium. Franz Ackermann, Annette Lawrence, and Olafur Eliasson are among those who have created new work for the program. When Jerry Jones and his wife, Gene, announced the Dallas Cowboys Art Program, an initiative to commission and install contemporary art throughout their new football home, Cowboys Stadium became the latest sports facility to double as a gallery. Our 1-hour tour did not include visits to areas displaying art.

Cable Company Makes a Move on Internet Video

2010-05-16T20:33:00.002-05:00

NOTE: When I first started reading this article I thought " So what?" Then I got to the third paragraph below and I changed my mind! It could be a big deal…

Four hundred eighty channels and nothing to watch on TV? Liberty Global, one of the largest cable service providers in Europe, is adding a few more options for its customers.

The company will soon introduce a set-top box that will marry traditional cable content with apps, widgets and access to web-based video, Wired has learned. "It's a set-top box on steroids," Balan Nair, chief technology officer for Liberty Global, told Wired.com. "The interface will be very intuitive and advanced and include features such as search and recommendation that will tie in a seamless way the experience of a using a DVR and a web search engine."

Think of it as a Boxee or Roku-like service living on the cable digital video recorder. For instance, a search for Batman will show what channel is broadcasting it, if is available through video on demand, where on the web you can find it and even if it is available through some peer-to-peer networks.

Pentagon Virus Detector Knows You’re Sick Before You Do

2010-05-13T20:06:00.003-05:00

Imagine knowing you'll be too sick to go to work, before the faintest hint of a runny nose or a sore throat. Now imagine that preemptive diagnosis being transmitted to a national, web-based influenza map — simply by picking up the phone.

That's the impressive potential of an ongoing Pentagon-funded research project, spearheaded by geneticists at Duke University.

Dr. Geoffrey Ginsburg, director of Duke's Institute for Genome Science & Policy, anticipates a suitcase-sized device in the war-zone within "a couple years," and says the devices are already showing excellent accuracy 24 hours before an infected patient becomes symptomatic.

Free antivirus, antispyware, and other security tools

2010-05-11T18:20:00.002-05:00

Concerned about your computer becoming infected with a virus, spyware, or other malicious software? Who isn't? One quick, easy way that you can help protect your PC is by downloading Microsoft Security Essentials. It provides real-time protection against malicious software, and it's easy to install, simple to use, and free. Learn more about Microsoft Security Essentials, plus discover other free security tools from Microsoft for additional protection.

Air Force Treating Wounds With Lasers and Nanotech

2010-05-05T20:24:00.002-05:00

Forget stitches and old-school sutures. The Air Force is funding scientists who are using nano-technology and lasers to seal up wounds at a molecular level.

It might sound like Star Trek tech, but it's actually the latest in a series of ambitious Pentagon efforts to create faster, more effective methods of treating war-zone injuries.

Last year, the military's research agency, Darpa, requested proposals for instant injury repair using adult stem cells, and Pentagon scientists are already doing human trials of spray-on skin.

Pentagon Scientists Inject Necks to ‘Cure’ PTSD

2010-04-30T20:53:00.002-05:00

Finding an effective treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder has been a top Pentagon priority for years. And with an estimated one in five veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from PTSD, the military's been willing to consider anything and everything, including yoga, dog therapy and acupuncture, to alleviate symptoms.

But a small new study out of Walter Reed Army Medical Center might offer more than temporary relief — with nothing more than a quick jab to the neck.

Aliens Exist & We Should Avoid Them, Says Stephen Hawking

2010-04-29T20:40:00.002-05:00

Stephen Hawking believes we should fear aliens, which would probably come to Earth in search of resources and bent on our destruction.

The venerated cosmologist says in a new Discovery Channel series that he thinks aliens exist, but we should do everything we can to avoid meeting them. Any life intelligent enough to find us would probably be seeking resources, he says. And that would likely be bad news for humans.

Ennis Bluebonnet Trails

2010-04-20T21:50:00.006-05:00

I took these pics on my trip to Ennis Saturday 17 April 2010. North Texas bluebonnets are beautiful but they can't quite match Hill Country bluebonnets.

NASA Sending Robot to Space That Looks Like You

2010-04-15T19:43:00.002-05:00

A humanoid robot will visit space for the first time in September aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, NASA announced Wednesday.

The Robonaut 2, which was co-developed by NASA with General Motors, will serve as an assistant to the humans on board the International Space Station, using the same tools developed for astronauts.

The bot will be phased into operation in three stages. First, it'll operate only from a fixed position inside the International Space Station. Then, it'll be allowed to move about inside, and finally within a few years, it will be allowed to do extravehicular activities.

Read More at Robonaut Will Ride The Shuttle

Fiery Crash Leaves Big Rig Dangling Off Bridge

2010-04-09T22:26:00.009-05:00

A crash along northbound State Highway 121 at the Interstate 35E interchange in Lewisville TX caused a big rig to catch fire and dangle off the overpass.

The driver of the big rig was merging onto 121 when he was clipped by a North Texas Tollway Authority dump trunk, caught fire and then hit a pickup truck. No serious injuries were reported in the crash, but it snarled traffic for miles after authorities closed the northbound lanes of Highway 121 and the ramps from northbound I-35E.

Read the article and view a video at Big-Rig-Dangles-Off-Bridge-After-Crash

PERSONAL NOTE: I was driving north on State Highway 121 after returning from a doctor's appointment in Frisco TX when I saw a large black cloud of smoke appear ahead. The traffic almost immediately came to a halt and several emergency vehicles passed on the shoulders. I was able to take an exit and only lost about ten minutes time.

Nanotech Vaccine Successfully Cures Type-1 Diabetes in Mice

2010-04-08T19:44:00.002-05:00

An innovative nanotech "vaccine" has been proven to cure type 1 diabetes in mice, and paves the way to do the same for humans. A dose of therapeutic nanoparticles given to diabetic mice restored healthy sugar levels in the rodents. Read the complete article at Nanotech Vaccine Cures Type-1 Diabetes in Mice

Texas Hill Country Bluebonnets

2010-04-07T17:39:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Dick B elt for these photos.

Nanogel Regenerates Cartilage in Joints

2010-03-31T21:10:00.001-05:00

The body is a resilient biological structure, but there's one thing medical science, an increasing number of Baby Boomers, and the majority of professional athletes will all tell you: Take care of your joints, because once you burn up the cartilage you started with, you're not getting any more. But a breakthrough by Northwestern University scientists will now allow adult joints to naturally grow new cartilage for the very first time.

The process has undergone successful animal testing, but it's likely got a few more years of testing ahead of it before it could become commonplace. But the timing couldn't be better; an aging population means an increase in achy old joints. A fresh round of cartilage production could keep many of the more senior members of society in the workforce, on the golf course and out of orthopedic surgeon's office.

Personal note: I hope this procedure is approved soon. I have severe arthritis in one of my thumbs caused by a teenage injury and over 45 years of computer keyboard and mouse use. It causes me mild discomfort and pain and makes me appreciate the problems and pain of people with a wider range of arthritic joints.

The passing of an unsung artist and intellectual

2010-03-28T17:52:00.008-05:00

Charles Frank "Devo" Ragsdale died of cancer on February 12, 2010. He was an aspiring artist and intellectual whose life can best be summed up in Henry David Thoreau's quotation "If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away." Devo was a teacher who taught in New England, California and Texas; an avowed Zionist who had an excellent knowledge of Middle Eastern history and current events; and a football fan with an encyclopedic knowledge of college and pro football statistics. After retirement he became a reclusive artist who was convinced that his next painting would bring him fame.

Devo was one of my best friends for over 50 years. I am the proud owner of three of his more realistic paintings. The painting of birds above was done for me when my wife died in November 2006. His paintings tended toward Impressionism and Cubism to such an extent that they were incomprehensible to most people. Over the years we had many good natured arguments about his style of painting. I kept telling him he could be a successful commercial artist if he would switch his painting style to Realism. And he would tell me I did not recognize good art when I saw it and that he refused to prostitute himself to the commercial art world just to be successful.

Dallas Blooms

2010-03-27T11:01:00.004-05:00

Dallas Blooms at the Dallas Arboretum is the largest floral festival in the south, showcasing over 500,000 spring-blooming bulbs. The 90 Japanese cherry blossom trees were also in bloom when I visited yesterday.

No more bar codes?

2010-03-26T20:00:00.003-05:00

Lines at the grocery store might become as obsolete as milkmen, if a new tag that seeks to replace bar codes becomes commonplace.

Researchers from Sunchon National University in Suncheon, South Korea, and Rice University in Houston have built a radio frequency identification tag that can be printed directly onto cereal boxes and potato chip bags. The tag uses ink laced with carbon nanotubes to print electronics on paper or plastic that could instantly transmit information about a cart full of groceries.

"You could run your cart by a detector and it tells you instantly what's in the cart," says James M. Tour of Rice University, whose research group invented the ink. "No more lines, you just walk out with your stuff."

For more information read New RFID Tag Could Mean the End of Bar Codes

Cloud computing

2010-03-25T19:55:00.005-05:00

Have you heard the term cloud computing? If you haven't, you will soon. Simply put, cloud computing means using the Internet to provide your programs and store your data. The cloud is a metaphor for "the Internet." This started because in drawing networks, the Internet was usually represented by a drawing of a cloud.

For example, instead of spending $300 on a new copy of Microsoft Office, you might find that Google's free online suite, Google Docs, will do just fine. Needless to say, many companies are investigating cloud computing.

For more information read the Wikipedia entry on Cloud Computing.

American Revolution Quiz

2010-03-18T22:10:00.001-05:00

Courtesy of Chris Aceto.

http://americanrevolutioncenter.org/what_do_you_know

Turn Your Body Into Your I/O with Skinput

2010-03-09T15:24:00.005-06:00

Electronic devices are getting smaller, and so are their interfaces. If you've ever had problems typing on your mobile, or changing a song on your iPod while jogging, Chris Harrison has the answer. His Skinput prototype is a system that monitors acoustic signals on your arm to translate gestures and taps into input commands. Just by touching different points on your limb you can tell your portable device to change volume, answer a call, or turn itself off. Even better, Harrison can couple Skinput with a pico projector so that you can see a graphic interface on your arm and use the acoustic signals to control it.

Incorporating your body into your mobile systems could be the next big theme in human computer interfaces.

Read more at Turn Your Body Into Your I/O

Tiny Chip Made of Paper Diagnoses Diseases and Costs Just a Penny

2010-02-26T19:28:00.002-06:00

Existing lab-on-a-chip designs can put the power of testing in the palm of your hand, but an upcoming model may represent the cheapest and most colorful one yet. A Harvard University chemist has created a prototype "chip" technology out of paper that could help diagnose HIV, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases for just a penny each time, according to CNN.

A drop of blood on one side of the paper chip results in a colorful tree-like pattern that tells physicians or nurses whether a person has certain diseases. Water-repellent comic-book ink helps channel the blood into the tree-like pattern, as several layers of treated paper react to the blood and create the telling colors.

George Whitesides, a Harvard chemist, said that the colors can also reveal the severity of a disease rather than just saying if a person has it or not. It's not the most sophisticated lab-on-a-chip, but that's the point -- many of these could become cheap diagnostic tools for a developing world that often lacks physicians and clinics.

Read the article at Chip that diagnoses diseases for a penny

U.S Spooks Want a System That Automatically Gauges Who Can Be Trusted

2010-02-26T14:29:00.002-06:00

Just as DARPA pushes the wackier Pentagon ideas and ARPA-E backs next-gen energy projects, IARPA serves the intelligence community by checking out "high-risk, high-payoff" research. The spooks' lab has now launched a "TRUST (Tools for Recognizing Useful Signals of Trustworthiness)" program that aims to figure out whom can be trusted, even under the most stressful or deceptive circumstances.

Trust has always presented a problem for the shadowy world of espionage, where believing in the wrong person could mean death and the loss of military or national secrets. A sobering reminder of that came in December 2009, when a trusted informant turned suicide bomber killed seven CIA analysts in Afghanistan who had been directing drone attacks against Pakistani militants.

IARPA's five-year plan aims to design experiments that can measure trust with high certainty -- a tricky proposition for a psychological study. Developing such experimental protocols could prove very useful for assessing levels of trust within one-on-one talks, or even during group interactions.

Read the complete article at http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2010-02/us-spooks-want-better-gauge-trust-matter-life-and-death

Cybersecurity: Here’s What Really Worries the Pentagon

2010-02-21T19:32:00.004-06:00

In Washington, "cybersecurity" is a term that's come to have a thousand meanings, and none at all. Any crime, prank, intelligence operation, or foreign-government attack involving a computer has become a "cyber threat." But at the Pentagon, they aren't worried about some kid painting a Hitler moustache on Defense Secretary Robert Gates' online portrait. They're not even that concerned about a full-scale attack on the military's networks – even though the modern American way of war depends so heavily on the free flow of data. In the military, there's now broad agreement that one cyber threat trumps all others: electronic espionage, the infiltration (and possible corruption) of Defense Department networks.

Well-placed spy software not only opens a window for an adversary to look into American military operations. That window can also be used to extract information — everything from drone video feeds to ammunition requests to intelligence reports. Such an opening also gives that enemy a chance to introduce his own false data, turning American command-and-control systems against themselves. How does a soldier trust an order, if he doesn't know who else is listening – or who gave the order in the first place?

Pew Research quiz

2010-02-12T20:14:00.003-06:00

This is not a humorous joke, but a Pew Research quiz.

See how well you do compared to the national averages. Once you see the results, you will know why the country is in the pathetic shape we're in. No one knows a damn thing!!! I contend the really uninformed Americans haven't even taken this test.

Test your knowledge with 12 questions, then be ready to shudder when you see how others did.

http://pewresearch.org/politicalquiz/quiz/index.php

Pass it along to your friends and see how well they did!!

'Lab on a chip' that detects viruses developed by BYU researchers

2010-02-08T20:09:00.002-06:00

A team of BYU engineers and chemists has created an inexpensive silicon microchip that reliably detects viruses, even at low concentrations.

For medicine, this development is promising for future lab diagnostics that could detect viruses before symptoms kick in and damage begins, well ahead of when traditional lab tests are able to catch them.

Read the complete article at http://news.byu.edu/archive09-Dec-labonachip.aspx

To Charge your iPod, Plug in Your Jeans

2010-01-21T21:09:00.002-06:00

A breakthrough in wearable computing lets researchers change ordinary cotton and polyester into electronic textiles that can double as rechargeable batteries. That means powering an iPod or cell phone could become as easy as plugging it into your tee shirt or jeans and charging the clothing overnight.

Toyota Sees Robotic Nurses in Your Lonely Final Years

2010-01-19T19:37:00.005-06:00

Japan's aging population and low birthrate point to a looming shortage of workers, and Japan's elder care facilities and hospitals are already competing for nurses. This fact has not escaped Toyota, which runs Toyota Memorial Hospital in Toyota City, Japan. Taking a lead from Honda, Toyota in 2004 announced plans to build "Toyota Partner Robots" and begin selling them in 2010 after extensive field trials at Toyota Memorial.

This is more than some futuristic fantasy. The government is drafting safety regulations for service robots, which would include nursing droids. A new agency, the Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization, has launched a five-year project to improve safety standards for the machines. The South Korean Government has even drawn up a code of ethics for how robots should treat humans and, perhaps ironically, how humans should treat robots.

To read more click on Robotic Nurses

Can Cell Phones Help Fight Alzheimer's?

2010-01-17T20:50:00.002-06:00

Jan. 6, 2010 -- Cell phone exposure may be helpful in the fight against Alzheimer's disease, a new study shows.

The study, involving mice, provides evidence that long-term exposure to electromagnetic waves associated with cell phone use may protect against, and even reverse, Alzheimer's disease. The study is published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.

To read the complete article click on http://www.webmd.com/alzheimers/news/20100106/can-cell-phones-help-fight-alzheimers

Free Microsoft Antivirus and Antispyware Software

2010-01-16T21:16:00.002-06:00

Information on Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE), a free antivirus and antispyware program, is available on the Microsoft blog at http://blogs.msdn.com/securitytipstalk/archive/2010/01/10/reviewers-like-microsoft-security-essentials.aspx:

Excerpt from one of the articles : "Not only did AV-Test.org find that it detects 98% of their enormous malware database, but AV-Comparatives (a widely known anti-malware testing group) found that

MSE was one of only three products that did well at both finding and removing malware, including the leftovers. It was also the only free product to grab their "Advanced+" rating—the top honor for an anti-malware solution."

NOTE: I suspect MSE is based on a former $50/year Microsoft antivirus and antispyware program named OneCare that failed as a commercial product. I used OneCare for a year and found it to be easy to use but weak on antivirus protection. Microsoft stopped selling the program last year. If we can believe the blog information the free product is much stronger than the commercial product.

Google Hack Attack Was Ultra Sophisticated, New Details Show

2010-01-14T19:59:00.002-06:00

Hackers seeking source code from Google, Adobe and dozens of other high-profile companies used unprecedented tactics that combined encryption, stealth programming and an unknown hole in Internet Explorer, according to new details released by researchers at anti-virus firm McAfee.

"We have never ever, outside of the defense industry, seen commercial industrial companies come under that level of sophisticated attack," says Dmitri Alperovitch, vice president of threat research for McAfee. "It's totally changing the threat model."

Read More http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/01/operation-aurora/#ixzz0cdsF417s

NZ's cyber spies win new powers

2010-01-02T20:27:00.003-06:00

New Zealand: New cyber-monitoring measures have been quietly introduced giving police and Security Intelligence Service officers the power to monitor all aspects of someone's online life.

The measures are the largest expansion of police and SIS surveillance capabilities for decades, and mean that all mobile calls and texts, email, internet surfing and online shopping, chatting and social networking can be monitored anywhere in New Zealand.

Police and SIS must still obtain an interception warrant naming a person or place they want to monitor but, compared to the phone taps of the past, a single warrant now covers phone, email and all internet activity.

It can even monitor a person's location by detecting their mobile phone; all of this occurring almost instantaneously.

Police say in the year to June 2009, there were 68 interception warrant applications granted and 157 people prosecuted as a result of those interceptions.

Official papers obtained by the New Zealand Star-Times show that, despite government claims that it was done for domestic reasons, the new New Zealand spying capabilities are part of a push by United States agencies to have standardized surveillance capabilities available for their use from governments worldwide.

WOW! Click on NZ cyber spies for the complete article

China develops herbal medication to treat A/H1N1 flu

2009-12-18T09:23:00.002-06:00

Chinese medical specialists announced Thursday they had developed a Chinese herbal medication to treat the A/H1N1 flu.

Seven months of scientific and clinical studies showed the remedy, called "Jin Hua Qing Gan Fang," was effective in treating A/H1N1 flu patients, said Wang Chen, president of Beijing's Chaoyang Hospital. "It can shorten patients' fever period and improve their respiratory systems. Doctors have found no negative effects on patients who were treated in this way," he said. "It is also very cheap, only about a quarter of the cost of Tamiflu," he said at a press conference held by the Beijing Municipal Government.

"We are further developing the medicine and trying to present it to the whole country and world as soon as possible, thus offering an alternative to treat the A/H1N1 flu," he said. For more information click on Herbal Medication

Army Tests ‘Universal Remote’ for Future Troopers

2009-12-16T19:18:00.002-06:00

On future battlefields, the Army wants to have an all-seeing array of drones, robots and sensors that will be tied together over a common network. But the real challenge will be bringing all that digital information down to the lowest level: the individual soldier.

That's the idea behind a recent series of tests pairing Land Warrior, a controversial array of infantry gadgets the service has trialed in Iraq and Afghanistan, with the Common Controller device, a developmental system that functions something like a "universal remote" for different robotic devices.

To read the complete article click on Army Universal Remote

East Texas Palm Trees

2009-12-13T20:54:00.003-06:00

Palm trees don't usually grow well in East Texas – probably because it gets too cold for them in winter. However, one shopping center in Tyler seems to have solved the winter problem:

Nanotech ink turns paper into batteries

2009-12-12T18:54:00.003-06:00

"Stanford University researchers have demonstrated a way to turn ordinary paper ito a battery, which may be crumpled or pressed into any form. It's said the technology promises greater durability, higher efficiency, and faster energy transfer than traditional batteries. The technique uses special ink made of carbon nanotubes and silver nanowires. Thanks to the small diameters of these materials, the ink sticks strongly to the fibrous paper, allowing the battery to be extremely durable. The paper battery could last through 40,000 charge-discharge cycles — at least an order of magnitude more than lithium batteries. According to the researchers, the paper batteries will be low-cost, may be crumpled or folded, and can even be soaked in acidic or basic solutions, yet their performance does not degrade. 'We just haven't tested what happens when you burn it,' one of the researchers quipped." For more information click on Paper Into Battery

Technology is bringing changes in health care

2009-12-01T13:50:00.002-06:00

Amid all the noise of health care reform, a real revolution is happening.

Medical advancements that sound like science fiction -- growing your own organs, being cared for by robotic nurses, popping anti-aging pills -- are either at or near reality already. No matter what is decided about how we deliver and pay for health care in the future, the manner in which bodies and diseases are treated is about to change dramatically.

At least that's the opinion of the innovators in medicine and technology -- scientists, doctors, engineers and philosophers -- who gathered last month at a TEDMED, (that's Technology, Entertainment, Design Medicine) conference in San Diego to unveil solutions to some stubborn health care problems. These innovations are likely to be embraced not only because they could save money, but also because a large, vocal group is going to want them -- the baby boomers.

Click on Future Medical Technology for more information.

Delete Browser Cookies, Clean Up Your Trail of Crumbs

2009-11-22T20:46:00.002-06:00

The web knows who you are. It knows which sites you like, what you search for and where you spend your time. By collating these and other bits of data, it's not hard to figure out quite a bit about you.

If that makes you nervous, you need to learn how to get rid of cookies and browse privately, without leaving a digital fingerprint everywhere you go. Click on Delete Browser Cookies for information on how to Get Rid of Cookies, Keep Cookies out of Your Browser and more.

Health Insurer Loses 1.5 Million Patient Records

2009-11-19T19:06:00.003-06:00

A health insurer lost 1.5 million patient records last May but waited six months to disclose the incident. The data, which was stored on a portable disk drive that disappeared from the insurer's office, was unencrypted and included patient Social Security numbers, bank account numbers and health data

On a separate note, a second health insurer mailed 80,000 postcards to Medicare recipients last week that listed the patient's Social Security number on the front of the card beneath the patient's name.

The complete story is available at Health Insurer Loses 1.5 Million Patient Records

McKinney, TX

2009-11-15T21:59:00.028-06:00

McKinney saved many of the older buildings when they refurbished the downtown area, so it has a nice historic look. There is a wide range of shops and professional offices around and near the square including antique shops, spas and salons, art and music galleries, restaurants, an "eco boutique", law and financial firms, mortgage and insurance offices, a winery and a large ski shop???

The old county court house pictured below is now the McKinney Performing Arts Center. A new courthouse was built in the suburbs near Central Expressway/US 75, the main North Dallas freeway.

In the picture below the building on the left with the red awning is the Spoons Café, my favorite downtown restaurant. They have very good Migas and Breakfast Tacos. There all kinds of restaurants downtown, everything from an expensive Rick's Chop House to Café Malaga, a little tapas restaurant.

The historic old bank building below is now home to a combination antique and home furnishings/accessories gallery.

Churchills British Restaurant & Pub below is a nice cheap restaurant. It has British classics like Steak & Ale Pie and Shepherd's Pie and of course it has Texas favorites like Migas Burritos and Stuffed Jalapenos.

This the original Collin County Prison. Now it's a lawyer's office. Somehow that seems appropriate.

My opinion of a new town is always influenced by their library. The downtown McKinney library passed this test – it's a very nice library. An additional new library will open soon in the suburbs.

There are many prosperous neighborhoods in the McKinney suburbs and many new housing developments continue to be built with houses costing everywhere from $150,000 to $1,200,000

Even the newest most luxurious apartments are cheap compared to Fairfax VA: The new Greenhaven apartments start at $775 for a 1-bedroom/1-bath up to $1415 for a 3-bedroom/2-bath.

Looking at all of the new construction of houses, shopping centers and hospitals, you would never know there was a recession. The new Methodist hospital below is almost completed and a Baylor Medical Center will be built in the future.

One very nice new shopping center is Eldorado Plaza about three miles outside McKinney near Central Expressway/US 75. Cafe Brazil, a small coffee house located in this shopping center, is another favorite restaurant of mine.

Croation Village is a beautiful new shopping center being built further out in the suburbs. Like many of the buildings in this area, limestone and other native materials are being used in the construction.

The imposing building below is Samson's Italian Grill restaurant.

Japan eyes solar station in space

2009-11-09T21:07:00.002-06:00

It may sound like a sci-fi vision, but Japan's space agency is dead serious: by 2030 it wants to collect solar power in space and zap it down to Earth, using laser beams or microwaves.

The government has just picked a group of companies and a team of researchers tasked with turning the ambitious, multi-billion-dollar dream of unlimited clean energy into reality in coming decades.

To read the complete story click on Solar Station in Space.

Where’s Chuck

2009-11-05T22:57:00.002-06:00

In case you're wondering what happened to my travel blog, I have settled in McKinney TX for the winter. McKinney is a small town about 30 miles north of Dallas. I'm continuing to go to school and have started trading options so I decided to stay in the Dallas area for the winter. I found a terrific little furnished studio apartment for $199 per week at Value Place McKinney. That's less than half what I was paying at hotels closer to Dallas. Their prices vary by location. Last month I took some training in Fort Worth and paid $169 to stay at Value Place Fort Worth for the week. If you ever need a nice, cheap place to stay when you travel, check them out. No free breakfasts, no fitness rooms and housekeeping every other week – just cheap, clean, safe accommodations. Only minor problem is they only rent week to week.

About a month ago a couple of friends in Virginia reminded me that I wasn't posting any new security and technology information. Since then I have posted several security and technology articles. I'll be posting articles on McKinney and the Texas State Fair soon.

International Space Station Assembly

2009-10-31T21:01:00.002-05:00

Watch the pieces come together as they are sent up from Earth. This is the International Space Station (ISS) Assembly diagram, piece by piece. Thanks to Richard Belt for this diagram. I had no idea the Space Station had grown to this size.

http://i.usatoday.net/tech/graphics/iss_timeline/flash.htm

Firefox Users, Check Your Plug-ins

2009-10-17T14:53:00.002-05:00

Mozilla is now offering Firefox users a simple way to tell whether the browser's various plug-ins are up-to-date with the latest security patches.

Plug-ins are components installed by third-party software that power videos, animation and games in the browser, among other things. Outdated plug-ins can give malware an easy way into your computer, so it's important to make sure your browser has the latest, most secure versions. Even if you are normally vigilant about updating third-party software, occasionally a software update will fail to automatically patch its accompanying plug-in.

Click on Plugin Check - it scan Firefox and tell you if any of the plug-ins you have needs patching.

OOPS! Data on 103,000 Students Misplaced

2009-10-15T20:09:00.001-05:00

A flash drive containing the personal information of more than 103,000 former adult education students in Virginia was misplaced last month, state education officials reported Wednesday. For details click on Student Data Misplaced

Texas Civil War Museum

2009-10-02T00:02:00.032-05:00

The Texas Civil War Museum located in a suburb west of Fort Worth maintains the most comprehensive collection of civil war artifacts west of the Mississippi River. While TCWM is best known for its military collections, it also holds significant collections of domestic objects and decorative flags, personal furniture and artifacts, and postwar Victorian attire. Object collections total approximately 4,000 items.

"It is well that war is so terrible, else men would learn to love it too much." - GEN Robert E. Lee

Although a majority of Texas citizens and politicians supported secession, a significant minority of about 25% favored remaining in the Union. Governor Sam Houston was probably the best known "Unionist" in Texas. Although he strongly believed in the doctrine of states rights, he thought secession was a "rash action," and certain to lead to a conflict sure to favor – in the long run – the industrial and populated North. He predicted: "Let me tell you what is coming. After the sacrifice of countless millions of treasure and hundreds of thousands of lives you may win Southern independence, but I doubt it. The North is determined to preserve this Union. They are not a fiery impulsive people as we are...but once they begin to move in a given direction, they move with the steady momentum of a mighty avalanche, and what I fear is that they will overwhelm the South with ignoble defeat." Houston refused to take an oath of allegiance to the Confederacy, and was deposed from office.

Approximately 90,000 Texans served in the Confederate Army and about 2,000 in the Union Army. Texas provided 23 Infantry Units, 43 Cavalry Units and 19 Artillery Units, as well as specialized units including a Battalion of Sharpshooters and Mounted Mountain Guards. Among the most famous units were Terry's Texas Rangers (a group of frontier cavalrymen, many of whom later became peacekeepers in the Old West), Walker's Greyhounds and Hood's Texas Brigade. Texans were involved in every major battle of the war in every state. Known as the "shock troops" of the Army of Northern Virginia, Hood's Texas Brigade were "always favorites" of General Lee and, on more than one occasion praised their fighting qualities, remarking that none had brought greater honor to their native state than "my Texans." Hood's men suffered severe casualties in a number of fights, most notably at the Battle of Antietam and at Little Round Top in the Battle of Gettysburg. Texas supplied large numbers of men, cattle and horses for the Confederate forces until mid-1863, when the Union captured of the Mississippi River.

Although Texas did not experience many significant battles, the Union mounted several attempts to capture towns and ports in the south and gulf coast regions of Texas. With ports to the east under blockade or captured, Texas and western Louisiana ports were a critical link to the outside world for the Confederacy. A few cities fell to Union troops temporarily during the war, including Port Lavaca, Indianola and Brownsville. Federal attempts to seize control of Laredo, Corpus Christi and Sabine Pass failed. By the end of the war no territory was in Union hands. The last battle of the civil war was fought at Palmito Ranch May 13, 1865 on the Rio Grande River in south Texas. The Confederates won, only to have to surrender to the Union after realizing the war had ended a month earlier with the surrender at Appomattox Courthouse in Virginia.

The pictures above are not representative of the uniforms worn by the average Confederate soldier, especially early in the war. Early in the war, Confederate soldiers received their uniforms - if and when they had uniforms - from a variety of sources. There were many differences, depending on unit, location, time, and other variables. Some companies had uniforms made up by the ladies at home, some units were issued militia uniforms by their states, and some commands had uniforms made up by local tailors. Lots of Confederates went to war in plain old civilian clothes and just parts of uniforms.

Presentation Sword of General U. S. Grant – picture credit TCWM

The .44 caliber Henry repeating rifle, created in 1860 the year before the Civil War, used the first complete self-contained metallic cartridge. The Henry rifle held 15 shots, which the average soldier could shoot in 10-12 seconds. Compare that to the 15-30 seconds it took the average soldier to reload his single shot muzzle loader rifle and you see why the Henry was a devastating weapon when it was used in battles. It was described by one Confederate as "that tarnation Yankee rifle they load on Sunday and shoot all week." The Union army had an estimated 6000 Henry Rifles, most of which were personally bought by soldiers. The Henry rifles could not be used in larger quantities because the Army could not produce metal cartridges at the rate they would have been consumed or transport the extra weight of all the ammunition the soldiers would have used. The Henry rifle was the direct ancestor of the Winchester rifles that would be used after the Civil War, particularly in the American Indian Wars.

As a countermeasure to the Union's blockades, the Confederate States developed the first naval mines. The mine above was called a "Confederate Torpedo" but it was actually what is now called a contact mine. When a ship contacted a mine it would explode and sink the hapless ship. The mines were promising and sank at least forty Union ships. The success with the naval mines led to the development of torpedoes and land mines as well as other similar explosive devices. A wide variety of fixed, moored, and drifting mines were deployed and used with effect at locations along the Atlantic coast, the Gulf coast, and along rivers, including those in the Mississippi basin. These cost effective weapons caused delays in Union operations, resulted in involved countermine operations, and caused fear and apprehension in crews.

The CSS Hunley was the first submarine (bottom of photo above) to attack a warship successfully. In 1864, the Hunley rammed the Union's corvette Housatonic (top ship in photo above) in Charleston Harbor, successfully setting a torpedo into the ship's hull. This was the method used to deploy torpedoes until the self-propelled torpedo was developed a few years later. The torpedo is shown in the photo underneath the Hunley to the right. The Housatonic sank. Something went wrong on the Hunley, and it also sank shortly after the Housatonic, taking its crew of nine to a watery grave.

At least 618,000 Americans died in the Civil War, more than the nation has lost in all its other wars, from the Revolution through the current date. The Union armies had from 2,500,000 to 2,750,000 men. The Confederate strength, known less accurately because of missing records, was from 750,000 to 1,250,000 men. It is estimated that 94,000 Confederate soldiers died in battle and 164,000 died of disease. Approximately 110,070 Union soldiers died in battle and 250,152 died of disease.

The following photos of clothing are from the Judy Richey Victorian Dress Collection. This private collection is an expansive look at original women's and children's clothing from the Victorian Era. With over 200 Victorian dresses and accessories, the museum exhibits up to 50 at a time on a rotating basis.

Since Texas did not suffer lengthy occupation during the war, reconstruction was not as harsh as in other states. Many people from the east hung a shingle from their home with the letters GTT (Gone to Texas) painted on it and started a new life here.

Fort Worth Sundance Square

2009-09-19T22:34:00.031-05:00

Located in the heart of downtown Fort Worth, historic Sundance Square is a 20-block commercial, residential, entertainment and retail district where people work, live, shop and dine. Most buildings around Sundance Square have preserved their early 20th-century facades. Sundance Square's beautiful landscaping, red-brick streets and turn-of-the-century buildings make it a pedestrian's delight. Named after the famed Sundance Kid, who used the Fort Worth area as a hideout, Sundance Square has been hailed as a monumental achievement in urban redevelopment.

150 Years of Fort Worth History

"150 Years of Fort Worth" traces Fort Worth's development, from its beginning as a frontier outpost, through its rowdy youth as a cattle town, to present day. The exhibit was originally opened in 1984 as part of the Texas Sesquicentennial Celebration. Some of its features include a scale model of the original Fort Worth established in 1849, a display case containing the uniform and writing desk of Maj. Gen. William Jenkins Worth, a display of some of the accomplishments of Amon Carter, a display of the prehistoric Clovis people and other western displays and models. It only takes a few minutes to go through this small museum – don't miss it if you're in Fort Worth.

One of the displays states the following about Amon Carter: "During the first half of the Twentieth Century, the man who gave events in Fort Worth a helping hand was Amon Giles Carter. President and publisher of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Amon made his city the mythical capital of West Texas and pushed, pulled and prodded Fort Worth toward a future he saw clearly. At his death, wrote Amon's biographer Jerry Flemmons, 'fully half of Fort Worth's population worked for companies he had lured to the city.'"

The Jett Building c. 1902 above closely resembles Frank Lloyd Wright's Larkin Building in Buffalo, New York. "The Chisholm Trail" is a trompe l'oeil mural created by Richard Haas that spans the building's southern facade, and commemorates the Fort Worth segment of the Chisholm Trail cattle drives of 1867-1875. The mural attracts many tourists into Downtown Fort Worth. The Jett Building was once home of the Northern Texas Traction Co. which operated the Interurban Railway with service to Dallas and Cleburne.

95.9 The Ranch and Country Legends FM radio station and Jamba Juice are the primary tenants of the Jett Building.

The attractive high-rise building on the left in the previous photo is The Tower. It was originally built in 1974 and named the Fort Worth National Bank Tower. It is 454 feet tall and 37 stories with a sloping base, making it the city's 4th tallest building. It was heavily damaged in the March 28, 2000 tornado. A local developer purchased the building and converted the building into condominium apartments with retail tenants on the first floor. The upper two floors feature four "Super Penthouses". Current retail tenants are: Potbelly Sandwich Works, Texas Capital Bank, Qdoba Mexican Grill, Cantina Laredo, and The Vault.

The red high-rise building on the right in the previous photo is the Sundance West Building built in 1991. It is a mixed use structure that was the first apartment building built in Downtown Fort Worth during its renaissance. It wraps around the Reata Restaurant. The 12 story building contains 59 apartments with four distinct facades that give the impression that there are four separate buildings facing different streets. The apartments begin on the sixth floor. On the ground floor of the building are shops and restaurants including Pizzeria Uno, Etta's Place Bed and Breakfast, Washington Mutual, Charles Schwab, and Daddy Jack's Lobster & Chowder House. Norris Conference Centers uses floors two through five as a multi-use conference center.

Reata at Sundance Square in the previous photo is a new building built behind the original facades of two 1880's buildings surrounded by the Sundance West Building. The four story restaurant has nearly 20,000 square feet that includes several private dining rooms and a rooftop grotto bar and dining patio. The Reata moved to Sundance Square after the 2000 tornado destroyed their original home on the 35th floor of the Bank One Tower. The Reata restaurant has a menu that contains everything from steaks to Creole and Southern dishes. The rooftop offers excellent views of Sundance Square. The Marble Slab Creamery and Four Day Weekend Theater are also located in this building.

The Burk Burnett Building in the previous photo was Fort Worth's first true skyscraper. The 12-story building is on the National Historic Register. It was built in 1914 for banker Earl Baldridge to house the State National Bank. One year later in 1915 it was sold to legendary cattleman, Samuel Burk Burnett, whose 6666 Ranches are famous in Texas history for cattle, oil, scientific breeding and thoroughbred bred horses. Worthington National Bank is now located in the Burk Burnett Building.

Window cleaning

Bass Performance Hall

The Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall complex is the crown jewel of a city which boasts the nation's third largest cultural district. It is also an important symbol of one of the most successful downtown revitalization efforts in the country. Built entirely with private funds, Bass Performance Hall is permanent home to the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, Texas Ballet Theater, Fort Worth Opera, and the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and Cliburn Concerts. It also hosts special productions of Casa Mañana Musicals, and presents Performing Arts Fort Worth's "Hall Series", a popular array of eclectic entertainment.

The Land Title Building located at Commerce and Fourth Street, is one of the oldest buildings in Fort Worth. This brick, sandstone and cast iron building was built in 1889 and is decorated with an owl, sandstone and stained glass windows. The current tenant, The Flying Saucer Beer Emporium, retained much of the original architectural flavor of the building during renovation.The Sanger Building was originally built to house Sanger Bros. Inc., the first department store west of the Mississippi River to feature "manufactured weather" (air conditioning). The new $1 million-plus department store opened on June 25, 1929. Bad timing. The Depression was not kind to Sanger's, and within a few years after its opening, the store had closed. Throughout its history, the building has been named the Color Tile Building, Meacham's Department Store, and Sanger Bros. Department Store. The Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau Modern and the Milan Gallery are currently located on the ground floor and the basement is home to The Circle Theater. The top five floors feature 59 loft apartments that tie into the adjacent Fakes Building. The City National Bank Building was built in the early 1870's for the John S. Andrews Loan, Land & Livestock Company. In the 1880's it became Fort Worth's first bank, City National Bank, which was forced to liquidate ten years later during the 1890's Depression. Two restaurants - Billy Miner's Saloon and Cabo Grande – currently occupy this building.

The Knights of Pythias Castle Hall was constructed in 1881 as the first Pythian Temple erected in the world and the only one with a cornerstone laid by Justus H. Rathbone, founder of the order. The building is now home to Haltom's Jewelers and the 8.0 Restaurant & Bar.

The Domino Building, next to the Sid Richardson Museum, is an exact replica of "Buck's Domino Parlor," a popular gaming house. It was a favorite hangout of such famous personalities as Butch Cassidy, The Sundance Kid and Luke Short, who was the king-pin of honest high stakes gambling in Fort Worth. The original building was built in 1885 and reconstructed in 1981.

Sid Richardson Museum

Sid Richardson was a Texas oilman, cattleman and philanthropist known for his association with the city of Fort Worth. The Sid Richardson Museum has one of the finest and most focused collections of Western art in America. The museum features paintings of the Old West by Frederic Remington, Charles M. Russell and other artists. Since opening in 1982, the museum has been one of Sundance Square's top attractions, drawing more than 50,000 visitors a year from all over the world. Don't miss this museum if you visit Fort Worth.

You have to look closely under the Woolworth Building sign to find the Scat Jazz Lounge sign. This popular cabaret/jazz club is located in the underground/basement of the historic Woolworth Building. Entertainment is traditional jazz and features locals to national touring acts.

Scat Jazz Lounge was named in the February 2009 issue of Downbeat magazine as one of "the Best 100 Jazz Clubs in the World!"

Palace Theater Block

This mixed-use facility was constructed in 1996. Each tenant of the building has a separate facade, although a retro Art Deco style is present throughout the building. Located in the structure are the AMC Palace 9 Theater which features stadium seating, Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Barnes & Noble Cafe, and Ferre Ristorante e Bar. City Streets, a multi-themed night club, with its unique entrance depicting a skyline, is open in the basement. One of the interesting features of the building is the red brick & turret corner portion that houses the Barnes & Noble Cafe. This corner is reminiscent of the Land Title Block across the street and the Knights of Pythias Castle Hall. The last picture is the back of the Barnes & Noble bookstore.

I will be doing two more Fort Worth posts. One to cover some final comments and interesting places I missed. The other will cover the Texas Civil War Museum.

Fort Worth Stockyards

2009-09-17T20:43:00.034-05:00

The Fort Worth Stockyards are a former livestock market which operated under various owners from 1866 until the 1960s. It was once the biggest and busiest cattle, horse, mule, hog and sheep marketing center in the Southwest, where more than 160 million head of livestock were sold. Today, the 125-acre Stockyards National Historic District attracts more than 2 million visitors a year and is home to restaurants, hotels, saloons, galleries, shopping, an opry, a rodeo and other family-type entertainment. The Fort Worth Stockyards are the last standing stockyards in the United States.

Quanah Parker

Bill Neeley, author of the book The Last Comanche Chief: The Life and Times of Quanah Parker, writes: "Not only did Parker pass within the span of a single lifetime from a Stone Age warrior to a statesman in the age of the Industrial Revolution, but he never lost a battle to the white man and he also accepted the challenge and responsibility of leading the whole Comanche tribe on the difficult road toward their new existence." Quanah Parker was a fascinating man. He was the son of Comanche chief Peta Nocona and a European American woman, Cynthia Ann Parker. After the last of the Comanche's led by Parker surrendered in 1875 and moved to a reservation in southwestern Oklahoma, Parker embraced much of white culture, except for monogamy and traditional Protestant Christianity. He was well respected by whites and through wise investments, he became the wealthiest American Indian of his day. He went on hunting trips with President Theodore Roosevelt, had five wives and twenty five children and founded the Native American Church. Click on his name above for more information.

Billy Bob's Texas, the world's largest honky tonk, has 127,000 square feet of space (nearly 3 acres) inside and 20 acres of parking. The building now known as Billy Bob's was built in 1910 as an open air cattle barn - it now provides fun for 6000+ people with a concert stage, dance floor, restaurant, arcade, casino, live bull riding arena and more.

Stockyards Station below, located in the heart of the Stockyards Historic District, provides over 100,000 square feet of shopping, dining, western entertainment, festivals and other special events.

Texas Trail of Fame Plaques

There are dozens of plaques in the sidewalks throughout the Stockyards honoring western actors, singers, cowboys, lawmen, pioneers, politicians, heroes, artists and other personalities.

Amon Carter deserves special attention. He did more than any other person to create the image we have of Fort Worth. He was the creator and publisher of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and a nationally known civic booster for Fort Worth. A legacy in his will was used to create Fort Worth's famed Amon Carter Museum. The newspaper created WBAP, the first radio station in Fort Worth, in 1922; and followed it with Texas' first television station, WBAP-TV, in 1948. This near-monopoly on news in such a large service area gave Carter, the Star-Telegram publisher and two-thirds owner, the money and power to become a major political force in both Fort Worth and Texas. Carter parlayed this money and power into celebrity as a national spokesman for Fort Worth and West Texas (Carter popularized the description of Fort Worth as "Where the West Begins"). During the 1920s and 1930s, Carter personified the image of the Texas cowboy in the national mind: an uninhibited story-teller, gambler, and drinker, generous with his money and quick to draw his six-shooters. Major magazines such as Time and the Saturday Evening Post ran profiles of Carter, and he counted Will Rogers and Walter Winchell among his friends. The well-publicized hospitality of his Shady Oak Farm near Lake Worth was open to any major celebrity or businessman passing through Fort Worth. Carter used his national stage to drum up business and government spending for his home region. From the Texas state legislature, he got a four-year college (now Texas Tech University) for Lubbock. He persuaded Southern Air Transport (now American Airlines) to move its headquarters from Dallas to Fort Worth. Several oil companies moved or kept their headquarters in Fort Worth after personal interventions by Carter. Carter's disdain for Dallas, Fort Worth's larger and richer neighbor, was legendary in Texas.

Dining

Joe T. Garcias is a highly regarded Mexican restaurant located at 2201 Commerce Street less than five minutes from the Stockyards. I had their delicious Chile Rellanos for lunch. Their tortillas are also very good with a strong corn flavor. Jeff – thanks for the recommendation. If you come to the Stockyards don't miss this restaurant.

Fort Worth Mini History & Economy

2009-09-13T16:56:00.009-05:00

With a population of 720,250 Fort Worth is the seventeenth-largest city in the US and the fifth-largest city in Texas. It is the second-largest cultural and economic center of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan area (commonly called the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex). Fort Worth was the fastest growing large city in the United States from 2000-2006 and was voted one of "America's Most Livable Communities."

Fort Worth was named after Major General William Jenkins Worth, a respected and decorated hero of three wars including the 1846-1848 Mexican-American War. Fort Worth, Texas; Lake Worth, Texas; Lake Worth, Florida; and Worth County, Georgia are named in his honor. While leading his troops during the Mexican-American War, Worth personally planted the first American flag on the Rio Grande River. At the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848, Worth was placed in command of the War Department in Texas. In January 1849 Worth proposed a line of ten forts to mark the Western Texas frontier and protect settlers moving westward from frequent Indian attacks. The forts extended from Eagle Pass to the confluence of the West Fork and Clear Fork of the Trinity River. After General Worth died of cholera the northern most fort on the Trinity River was named Fort Worth.

Fort Worth went from a sleepy Army outpost to a bustling town when it became a stop along the legendary Chisholm Trail, the dusty path where millions of cattle were driven North to market. Fort Worth became the center of the cattle drives, and later, the ranching industry. Its location on the Old Chisholm Trail helped establish Fort Worth as a trading and cattle center and earned it the nickname "Cowtown."

In 1876 the Texas & Pacific Railway arrived in Fort Worth causing a boom and transforming the Fort Worth Stockyards into a premier cattle meat-packing and shipping center. In 1893 the two biggest cattle slaughtering firms at the time, Armour and Swift, both established operations in the stockyards. With the boom times came some problems. Cowboys were joined by a motley assortment of buffalo hunters, gunmen, gamblers, adventurers, and crooks who frequented an area known as Hell's Half Acre, the biggest collection of bars, dance halls and bawdy houses South of Dodge City. Shootings, knifings, muggings and brawls became a nightly occurrence. By 1900 most of the dance halls and gamblers were gone because the Progressive era was making its reformist mark felt in districts like the Acre all over the country.

The Fort Worth Stockyards were designated as a historical district in 1976 and now celebrates Fort Worth's long tradition as a part of the cattle industry. Many bars and nightclubs (including Billy Bob's Texas) are located in the vicinity, and the area has a Western motif. There is also an opry, a rodeo and a large commercial area named the Stockyards Station that includes tourist shops, restaurants, a winery and an art gallery. The Fort Worth Stockyards are the last standing stockyards in the United States. Volunteers still run mini-cattle drives each day with a couple of dozen long horn cattle.

In 1917 Fort Worth experienced a new boom when oil was discovered nearby. The establishment of military installations in the area during both world wars also spurred the economy. Today Fort Worth has a prosperous, diverse economy based on oil, finance, transportation, tourism and manufacturing. The city's manufacturing industries range from clothing and food products to jet fighters, helicopters, computers, pharmaceuticals, and plastics. It is home to a multitude of major corporate headquarters, offices, and distribution centers.

Dining

Daddy Jacks New England Lobster & Chowder House I had lunch at their Sundance Square restaurant. Clams in garlic sauce were good and lobster bisque was okay. Their crusty sourdough bread was very good.

Risckys BBQ Restaurant I had lunch at their Sundance Square restaurant. Their grilled smoked catfish was good, but not as good as Gene Stone's fried catfish.

More to come…

Fort Worth

2009-09-10T21:02:00.002-05:00

Although I lived in Dallas for several years in the 1960s, I had never been to Fort Worth until last week. It's nothing like I expected. Since it's supposed to be where the west begins, I expected it to be flat with few trees. Surprise - it has more hills and trees than Dallas. I'm staying in Fossil Creek, a very nice suburb about ten minutes north of Fort Worth. Fossil Creek is the equal of any of the newer Dallas suburban communities.

Sundance Square, a large part of the downtown area, is really beautiful. Tourist brochures describe it this way: "Downtown has preserved the architecture and rich heritage of the city's colorful past through this development, a 14-block collection of graciously restored and replicated turn-of-the-century storefronts, appointed with colorful landscaping and brick paved streets."

I will do one post on Sundance Square and another on the Stockyards.

Hubble Is Back! With New Stunning Images

2009-09-10T20:40:00.001-05:00

Welcome back, Hubble. Everyone's favorite telescope in space is doing science again. And thanks to upgrades and repairs made in May, it's taking better pictures of the universe than ever before.

To see the new pictures click on http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/09/hubble_gallery/

The Crystal Palace in Dallas

2009-09-03T14:25:00.008-05:00

For over twenty years I have driven by this beautiful building. Its Victorian era styling makes it one of the most beautiful office buildings in Dallas. The 1.6 million square feet building was built by Trammel Crow in 1985 and modeled after the Crystal Palace in London. The original Crystal Palace was erected in Hyde Park, London, England, to house the first World's Fair, the Great Exhibition of 1851. The original Crystal Palace was destroyed by a catastrophic fire on 30 November 1936.

The building is named the INFOMART Dallas. It is located at 1950 Stemmons Freeway next to the World Trade Center. More than 110 technology and telecommunications companies lease office space in this beautiful facility, including telecommunications providers, Internet developers, hardware and software developers, systems integrators and others. The crystal fountain in the 20,000 square foot atrium was manufactured from the original Crystal Palace fountain molds. Like the original Crystal Palace, INFOMART Dallas is a stunning landmark whose bold design and elegant seven-story atrium reflect the forward-thinking purpose for which the building was constructed. For this reason, England's Parliment has declared INFOMART Dallas as the official successor Crystal Palace.

Lululemon Atheletica manifesto

2009-08-29T12:47:00.003-05:00

A daily hit of exercise-induced endorphins gives you the power to make better decisions, helps you be at peace with yourself and offsets stress.

--Lululemon Athletica