The 19th Floor

Faster

Jul 302012

After reconciling myself to the fact that Google Fiber isn’t coming to Minneapolis anytime soon, I called my friendly Comcast representative to see what kind of speed improvements might be available to me. My connection is already plenty fast, but I’ve been downloading and streaming more video in recent months and a little more bandwidth couldn’t hurt. My friendly Comcast representative informed me that I could get the next speed tier for an additional $10 per month. That seemed reasonable and I told the man to take my money. Here are my new and improved speeds:

My broadband speed: 35/6

I was getting 24/3, so it’s not a huge increase. And it’s not even a tenth as fast as what will soon be available to the good people of Kansas City. I’m certainly not complaining, though. Much of America can’t get speeds much better than 5 Mb/s.

Few Trailers Get Me This Excited

Geeking Out, Movies No Responses »

Jul 272012

The first trailer for the movie adaptation of David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas is up and it looks, well, awesome! Regular readers of this blog know that Cloud Atlas is one of my favorite books, so I’m doing my best to maintain some perspective lest Hollywood disappoint me yet again. I’m a little wary of the Tom Hanks-Halle Berry dynamic, but the trailer gives the impression that movie follows the novel fairly closely. The scenes of future Korea and far-future Hawaii (two key sections of the book) have my inner geek begging for more. Even if the movie falls short, I suspect I’ll enjoy it. To paraphrase a couple of my friends who share my love for the book, it could be a mess, but a beautiful mess.

Youthful Voices

Disability, Tech No Responses »

Jul 262012

The NY Times looks at how more genuine-sounding children’s voices are now being included in communication software for kids with disabilities. While the technology still can’t reproduce the countless nuances of human vocalization, it’s still an improvement over the robotic monotone voices that used to be standard on most kids’ talkers. As research on neural computer interfaces advances, perhaps kids and adults with speech impairments will be able to speak with whatever voice they choose at a rate comparable to natural speech. But until that tech arrives, it’s good to see software developers giving some thought to the style as well as the substance of communication.

No Time To Waste

Miscellaneous No Responses »

Jul 252012

My vacation is half over and there’s still plenty of loafing to do. More tomorrow.

Cost Cutting

Health Care, Wonkery No Responses »

Jul 242012

Talking Points Memo has a good analysis of how the recent Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act will affect the federal budget. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the ACA will save an additional $84 billion at a cost of an additional 3 million people left without coverage as a result of some states refusing to participate in the Medicaid expansion. This estimate doesn’t include the cost to hospitals and other providers that will still be required to treat those unfortunate enough to be poor and living in states like Texas or Florida. And the cost of repeal is approximately $100 billion. That probably won’t give pause to the more rabid conservatives seeking the law’s annihilation, but it might be a complicating factor for a Romney administration.

The CBO estimate gives some substance to conjecture about the long-term consequences of the Court’s decision. The federal government and states will realize savings while millions of people who would have received coverage will now be forced to fend for themselves.

XXXIX

Personal 1 Response »

Jul 232012

Somebody had better figure out a way to upload my consciousness into a much better-looking robotic body because I ain’t getting any younger. But aside from a little more graying at the temples and an inability to stay awake past one in the morning, I seem to be holding up remarkably well with nary a mid-life crisis in sight. Let’s hope the final year of my thirties continues that trend and delivers a few pleasant surprises as I make the final approach to forty. And I hope you’ll stick around to see what happens next.

Long Weekend

Miscellaneous No Responses »

Jul 192012

I’ll be taking a blogging holiday tomorrow to get an early start on my vacation to-do list. The list primarily consists of sampling the games I’ve picked up during the Steam Summer Sale, writing an introduction to the fishnets-themed coffee table book I’m assembling, and trying to make a dent in my to-read pile. I’ll likely be blogging all of next week, although posts may be somewhat abbreviated.

Enjoy the weekend.

Ready, Set, Reform!

Health Care 1 Response »

Jul 182012

The big news at my office this week is that Minnesota signed a contract with a technology vendor to build its insurance exchange, where people will be able to compare and select health coverage. Like a lot of other states, Minnesota will be hard-pressed to complete implementation by the end of next year, but I’m confident it will get done. But I’m taking a week’s vacation before my Outlook calendar is completely booked for the next few months.

It Came From Comic-Con

Pop Culture No Responses »

Jul 172012

Another Comic-Con has come and gone and I was largely content to read the updates from the comfort of my desk (although attending the Firefly cast reunion would have been worth the trip). A few things previewed at the Con that I’m particularly anticipating:

Brian Wood’s Star Wars comic–I’m looking forward to the inevitable issue portraying a day in the life of a deeply cynical stormtrooper.
Revolution–J.J. Abrams returns to television with a series about a world in permanent blackout. I expect lots of sweaty, attractive people saying cryptic things to each other.
Elysium–Neal Blomkamp, director of the superlative District 9, tells another tale of the disenfranchised, this time in a future dystopian setting. But will we get anything as cool as District 9‘s battle mech sequence?
The Hobbit–Duh!

Anything catch your interest?

Critic At Large: Chromatics and Hot Chip at First Avenue

Music No Responses »

Jul 162012

This was probably the first show I attended at First Ave where I was more interested in the opening band than the main act. I’ve been a fan of the Chromatics since I saw their video for “In the City” a few years ago. They bring a dark New Wave vibe to their music that makes me want to turn up the collar on my leather jacket and wander the city streets after midnight, looking for love and trouble. Lead singer Ruth Radelet’s breathy vocals give a sweet aftertaste to the rather bitter “Kill for Love”, while “These Streets Will Never Be the Same” sounds like a lost cut from the Drive soundtrack. They closed with brilliant covers of Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” and Neil Young’s “Into the Black”.

Hot Chip brought a more revved-up dancefloor energy to the club and soon had the whole crowd jumping to songs like “Ready for the Floor” and “Over and Over”. My only gripe was the blinding strobe lights that threatened to send me into convulsions.

On a related note, A.V. Club is running a great article and accompanying video on First Avenue and its iconic status in the Minneapolis music scene.

Older Entries Newer Entries