I recently purchased a Samsung Fascinate, a galaxy S phone. They are notoriously easy to “root” and install a custom rom. This cleans out all of the Verizon crap-ware, consequently improving battery life. It also enables you to do more with your phone – use it as a wireless access point, skype from wifi or verizon’s network, and customize much, much more.

One of the cooler things I’ve done with the phone is to have it automagically download my favorite podcasts so I can listen to them on the subway. I sometimes listen to Pandora on my 30 minute morning and evening train ride, but sometimes the train gets stuck beneath the Potomac River and there is no Verizon data signal down there. Pandora will drop the song half-way through and I’ll be sitting listening to farts and coughing for the remainder of my ride.

I chose a free application called Acast to listen to podcasts. I always choose a free application first because I can get rid of it without a second thought if I don’t like it. Acast will:

- Show all of the podcast feeds so I can choose the most recent content (basic functionality)

- Download podcasts to my SD card so I can listen when my phone is off the network or in a tunnel

- Be configured to download podcasts only when my phone is plugged in and on wifi at night (save that battery!)

Anyway, it is cool. The new version of Acast works well. The previous version had some issues with the “podcast control pane”, so when I wanted to pause or ffwd I couldn’t find the pane and would be SOL.

My four favorite podcasts are:

- NPR Marketplace Money

- NPR: Technology

- HVW8 International Podcast – All kinds of funky music

- Gilles Peterson’s Podcast – All kinds of music from Jazz to House, all super tasteful and good for parties and chilling out.

That list is being refined and complemented by other podcasts, so check back.

I highly recommend you download ACast and subscribe to some podcasts of your own! You can customize your content endlessly!

Bank of America recently appended this to an appraisal of me and the condo I’ve chosen for a loan. I’m referred to as “SUBJECT” through their report. Who says they’re heartless?

THE ECONOMIC REMAINING LIFE OF THE SUBJECT IS APPROXIMATELY 40 YEARS.

From Minnesota Congressman Mike Beard who is promoting the construction of coal burning power plants:

Beard also told Shelby that God would prevent the planet from running out of fossil fuels like coal: “God is not capricious. He’s given us a creation that is dynamically stable. We are not going to run out of anything.”

http://minnesotaindependent.com/77707/gops-beard-wants-more-coal-plants-because-god-will-fix-global-warming

Also from the same article:

“A lot of what Beard knows he learned in church,” wrote Shelby. “One Congressman, talking about global warming, recently said that God wouldn’t allow man to do anything to destroy the planet. Beard told me, ‘It is the height of hubris to think we could.’”

And it is the height of stupidity to think we won’t deplete our planet’s natural resources. Is this man really so deluded that he believes God will solve all of his problems? Or is he making theatrical religious statements to take the attention away from his real motivations? Perhaps a large check from coal industry lobbyists?

The bound copy just arrived from the printers.

From My Thesis

I will soon deliver it to Harvard for their library. Feels amazing to be done!
Title: Elastic Load Balancing in Amazon Compute Cloud

Don’t you dare commit any of the seven deadly sins. See below for examples.