The 50 Greatest Gadgets of the Past 50 Years

PC World has put together a list of the 50 greatest gadgets in the last half century, and a fine job they've done of it. Many of the items on the list are a real blast from the past. The Commodore 64 and TRS "Trash" 80 were the first computers I worked on and the Atari game system took many an hour from my younger years. You'll find new gadgets like the iPod and Tivo and older ones like the first Walkman (1979--can you believe it?) and the first TV remote (well before my time--1956). It's a great list. Go check it out.

50 Greatest Gadgets

Jerry Can Shoulder Bags

There were a few articles running around about a company called Kanita that sells shoulder bags made out of gas cans. They are a different looking shoulder bag and pretty sturdy since they're made of rigid plastic, but the big problem (from my perspective at least) is that they cost over $100!

If that price is too steep for you, this article will show you how to make it for about $10 or so. The instructions are easy to follow and pretty straightforward.

Jerry Can Shoulder Bags

Firefox is my favorite browser

I was a true believer in IE for a long time (and I still think it's the best bet if you're trying to build an app in a corporate setting) but when Firefox came out, I changed my tune. Once you experience the Fox and all of the wonderful extensions that provide functionality you never considered in a browser, you'll never use anything else (well, unless you're forced to by...say...your companies Intranet system). It's that good.

Get Firefox Now

Wired News: The Firefox Hacks You Must Have

Worst Tech Moments 2005

2005 had some great moments in technology, but just like everything else, there is a down side. Wired lists their picks for the worst 10. Do you agree? Can you think of others that are worse? Some of these are plenty scary.

Wired: Worst Tech Moments 2005

Time Magazine's Year in Pictures

This time of the year there is always a flood of retrospective trying to reduce the year to a few pictures. Unfortunately, in a year that saw the tsunami in Asia, Katrina in the American south and continuing war in the Middle East among other equally significant events, there is no way that a few pictures can do it justice. That said, there are some really beautiful photo's that are really amazing in their ability to capture some of those moments. They're worth the look.

TIME: The Best Photos of the Year 2005

2006 Tech Trends

Mercury News has taken a shot at predicting where technology will go in the next year. The don't go out on any limbs, but instead discuss the technologies that are pretty much a given based on recent headlines. Still, a nice look at what's to come.

Mercury News 2006 Tech Trends

Jack McDevitt's Seeker

I'm reading McDevitt's latest--Seeker. Another of the Alex Benedict--or probably more correctly, Chase Kolpath--stories that began with A Talent for War. The series follows Alex and Chase as they solve the historical mysteries of their time. In Seeker, the mysteries continue when they're approached by a walk-in looking for an appraisal on an heirloom. What looks like a common souvineer teacup turns out to be a 9000 year old teacup from a missing colony ship from Earth's early expansion. Chase and Alex manage to follow the tiny clues that would seem to dead-end their investigation, time and again, to a satisfying end. I'm not going to tell you what it is...go read it yourself. It's worth the time. McDevitt writes in a very conversational style that makes this an easy couple of days reading.


Jack McDevitt's Home Page

Great Intro to Game Programming in Java at OnJava

OnJava (the O'Reilly Java portal) has a couple of articles up now that are excerpts from the Killer Game Programming in Java book. The chapter and articles they've published center around building a 3D environment. In this case, you'll build a 3D checker board and navigate around it. Java hasn't hit the level of performance you can expect from C/C++ when it comes to bit twiddling the hardware, but many games don't really need that level of complexity anyway. For those kind of games, Java is really becoming a realistic option.

ONJava.com: Killer Game Programming in Java: A 3D Checkerboard, Part 1

ONJava.com: Killer Game Programming in Java: A 3D Checkerboard, Part 2

Welcome to Wilson Watchers

Kim and I have started a Blog to help people keep up with our lives. It probably won't be all that interesting for people who don't know us, but for those of you who do, you may find something that helps you understand us.

Cheers and Welcome
Ken & Kim Wilson