For all lovers of history, this means that you’ll soon be able to enter 3D renditions of historical landscapes, and walk through them – like a Star Trek holodeck without the [...]]]> Microsoft has released a technical preview of streetside photos, a Bing service which will overlay Flickr photos into Bing Streetview – including historical photos.

For all lovers of history, this means that you’ll soon be able to enter 3D renditions of historical landscapes, and walk through them – like a Star Trek holodeck without the characters (yet).

Try it: visit Seattle’s Pioneer Square

Think of the possibilities: Stroll through the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris; visit Dresden before the bombing; follow Allied troops landing on Omaha Beach. This will be yet another way to make history relevant.

Take a recent bestseller for instance: The Da Vinci Code. Based on the seeming endless availability of used and new copies, the Kindle price is already adjusted to [...]]]> Amazon’s troubles with publishers have focused mostly on how the publishers want Amazon to charge more for ebooks. But what about when the $9.99 price is too high?

Take a recent bestseller for instance: The Da Vinci Code. Based on the seeming endless availability of used and new copies, the Kindle price is already adjusted to balance the reader’s wish to get an immediate copy with the abundance of supply.

I foresee Amazon increasingly tweaking prices in this way – in the meantime it’s you can find other $9.99 Kindle versions competing with a cheap used copy, and look for more used book price arbitrage opportunities.

http://www.economist.com/sciencetechnology/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15172850

So, continuing on the theme of wishful thinking, here are my 2010 predictions:

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/lifestyle-design/200912/why-ill-be-wishing-you-merry-christmas

PS> this blog is re-starting. But some of the pictures are missing because I did not archive them properly.

Zeek’s is peparing to displace Nature’s Pantry on 10th, and I just saw another pepperoni palace going up on [...]]]> 2010 will be remembered as the year of the “great pizza war” for downtown Bellevue. Already well supplied in pizza delivery/restaurants, newcomers are vying to feed the round red objects to the new condo and office dwellers.

Zeek’s is peparing to displace Nature’s Pantry on 10th, and I just saw another pepperoni palace going up on Bellevue Way.

I anticipate some fine discounts in 2010…  hopefully they will all join the gluten-free bandwagon.

We chose a red roof to match some of the red tile and rusted steel roofs of some chalets in Switzerland. G. also provided some sample-size windows – two on the South side and one on [...]]]> The next step was to finish the roof structure in preparation for the steel roof, ordered from Dunn Lumber.

We chose a red roof to match some of the red tile and rusted steel roofs of some chalets in Switzerland. G. also provided some sample-size windows – two on the South side and one on the North side.

For the finish, I sided the walls and the “basement” with fence boards, and designed the deck railing based on my ancestors’ house in Switzerland.

I added a wooden ladder (on the right) and the kids stacked the obligatory firewood below the deck.

(May 24, 2008). I cleared the lower branches of the single fir tree in the back yard. My neighbor says it was one of his live Christmas trees of many years ago. As backdrop, note the fence – my project of two years ago.

I prepared two 4×4 posts forward of the tree, and [...]]]>

(May 24, 2008). I cleared the lower branches of the single fir tree in the back yard. My neighbor says it was one of his live Christmas trees of many years ago. As backdrop, note the fence – my project of two years ago.

I prepared two 4×4 posts forward of the tree, and P. worked on the two support trusses.

We attached the two trusses to the front and back of the tree, and added some bracing to the front posts.

The next step was the addition of plywood flooring. Note how the posts extend past the floor, which helped to support the walls.

I then added three wall sections and rafters. I placed a tarp and took a break during the June rains.