Buchan Blog

First Day of New Media Expo from Kevin Spidel on Vimeo.

Chicago IL August 1st 2008

This is a cool hack. Face swapping software finds faces in a photograph and swaps the features in the target face from a library of faces. This can be used to “de-identify” faces that appear in public, such as the faces of people caught by the cameras of Google Street View. So instead of simply blurring the face, the software can substitute random features taken from say Flickr’s pool of faces. A mouth here, an eye there. Like this

Grand Opening of the coordinated campaign of Kent County Dems and the Obama Campaign in Eastown. GOTV effort and BQQ Afterwards. July 26th 2008 11AM

RIGHT NOW…Rumors are flying about Google buying Digg.com for 200 Million!!! Kevin Rose started this website in 2004! Hmmm….50 million a year on an idea, began from little cash and a big dream….

This is no joke…Microsoft was interested in them back in 2006!

Quick background from my point of view…how I remember Kevin Rose… Continue reading ‘Rumors about Google to buy Digg.com…’

We are on our way to Roseberry Music Festival. Where waiting inline courting the officer we’re Elmo’s choosy festival entrance and Matt Salts and Mike my brother and we are looking forward to setting that camp and having some fun. listen

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Obviously this Jott post did not correctly translate my voice post to my blog…we thought this was so funny we would leave it posted…lol. More about Rothbury later when I have a moment to post some of my brother’s photos as well as Matt’s. Mike got some good video too with his new camera. Stay tunned! I chose to take a true vacation…and left all my technology items behind…no regrets! Between Matt and Mike I think it was covered very well!

I just shared with my lovely wife that the Legendary Franco’s formally located in the Esplanade in Phoenix has re-birthed, like a phoenix from ashes…except this time Franco has decided to leave the desert and relocated back in the area where he is legendary, in Greenwich Village, New York. Needless to say my wife has probably already started the budget to visit Franco at the new Trattoria Toscana. My brother was a fine chef for Franco for many years, and recently learned that new restaurant has caught much attention…so now the question is to Mike…when are you moving to NYC?

Trattoria Toscana Review

Reviews from the people in Greenwich Village…

The Menu, which I am certain is a condensed version…

So…time to crunch our numbers and get out to see our favorite chef, Franco Fazzuoli!! Well, my brother is a close second…he learned from the best! Hope to see you soon Franco!

From Ars Technica

No matter what you think of blogging, Internet-based citizen journalism is a real threat, not just to traditional media business models but to totalitarian governments. How do we know that bloggers are drawing blood? Because some governments are hitting back harder and harder; last year saw a tripling in the number of bloggers arrested around the world compared to 2006, according to a report from the University of Washington. Continue reading ‘Governments step up blogger arrests’

From GizModo

This, is Hasbro’s new Millennium Falcon, unveiled to ExtremeTech’s Brian Heater in a Manhattan hotel yesterday. The only reason the toy giant reworked it was because the original mold broke, which made us chuckle. Thirty percent larger than the original, it’s got room for up to 18 action figures—and Han and Chewy (the only two characters I like) are thrown in for free. You can hear the late Sir Alec Guinness’ disembodied voice Obi-wanning it, and dazzle yourself with the flashing lights, but cross your legs, Star Wars fans, because it’s not out until July. There’s also a whole bunch of Clone Wars merch on its way, including an AT-TE walker and some helmets, check out ExtremeTech for a video of that in action.

Viderate?? What is viderate? It is the new buzzword in internet-speak. It comes to terms with how we are evolving with influences out there such as YouTube, Google Video, AOL Video, and the newest video technology I am following Seesmic. Below is an article discussing how the internets are changing politics and the way we perceive our politicians. Beyond the blogisphere internet video is allowing us to see candidates candidly, a small glimpse of what and who they are outside of the capture of the cable network news and pundits. It it shaping our opinion, sometimes in a nanosecond when we see politicians displaying their true colors, remember the George Allen’s slip of the tongue? Below is the article that inspired this blog post, a good read, and a good website that discusses social networking that has become part of my daily web reading routine. Read “Will the Internet Re-Create Politicans”

By Mark Lange

San Francisco - Have you ever wondered how the federal government can bail out banks and mortgage-holders, cut your taxes, try to protect Social Security, expand your Medicare benefits, and send you a stimulus check – all at the same time? These may be symptoms of an embarrassing condition afflicting political parties, banks, and households across America: Deficit Attention Disorder (DAD).

Unchecked, normal individuals (as well as politicians and bank CEOs) afflicted by DAD start to believe in money that doesn’t exist. This silent assassin of fiscal sanity overheats your credit card, sells you a make-believe mortgage, makes your pension go “poof,” and drops a whopping entitlement tab on your kids.

Fortunately, there’s a new way to get DAD under control – without any of the cosmetic remedies prescribed by spin doctors. By combining an ancient Zen secret with a cure-all from your grandmother, our researchers are proud to introduce: Restraint®.

Applied early and often, Restraint® enters the body politic and goes to work fast. It restores reason, calms appetites, and builds a healthy resistance to billionaire tax breaks and deficit spending – to help future generations breathe easier. Continue reading ‘A wonder cure for ‘Deficit Attention Disorder’!’

Hi. I’m posting via Jott, this is a voice recognition system that allows me to do a blog post simply by using my cellphone. This would be a test to see if it actually works, and I’ve tried and tried again and I believe we have it working now. So, if this is the case you’ll see my Jott post to the top of my blog and let’s see if it works. Thanks. listen

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Thoughts?

Cross-posted from Freep.com

LANSING — Michigan Democratic leaders settled today on a plan to give presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton 69 delegates and Barack Obama 59 as a way to get the delegates seated at the national convention

Clinton won the Jan. 15 Michigan primary and was to get 73 pledged delegates under state party rules, while Obama was to get 55. The state also has 29 superdelegates.

The state party’s executive committee voted today to ask the national party’s Rules and Bylaws Committee to approve the 69-59 delegate split when it meets May 31. The plan would shrink Clinton’s delegate edge in Michigan from 18 to 10 and allow the state’s 157 delegates and superdelegates to be seated at the convention.

The state’s Democratic leaders also pushed back the date of the party’s State Central Committee meeting from May 17 to June 14 to give the rules committee time to act. The party is to pick 45 pledged delegates and two superdelegates at that meeting. It chose 83 pledged delegates last month at district conventions. Continue reading ‘Mich. Dems settle on how to split delegates’

Kimberly’s day yesterday…poor Kim!

How many consecutive times do you think you could listen to the Nutcracker Suite before completely losing your mind? If you would like to know, just call the IRS. Worried that you won’t have enough time to find out? Don’t fret! You will be on hold for at least 40 minutes and just as you are being transferred to the next available representative, a technical difficulty will occur and force you to call back at another time. Use that time before calling back to do something nice for yourself, like shower and put fresh clothes on and maybe even brush your teeth. Then while watching a favorite show on tv, call back and try to follow the storyline on tv while quietly listening to the dreaded Nutcracker Suite because it IS interrupted every 60 seconds with a lovely woman’s voice begging you not to hang up because you will just end up waiting even longer as calls ARE answered in the order they are received and if you aren’t listening, you might just mistake a real person coming on the line for this lovely recording and then you WILL have to start over. Continue reading ‘New cause of insanity’

Moira Welsh
Environment Reporter

It was one of the original green movements in Canada, created by environmental activists who had spent their lives protesting big companies that harmed the planet.

Today, Earth Day Canada is a registered charity that relies mostly on money from large corporations.

Founded in 1990, the charity encouraged ordinary Canadians to clear garbage from their communities as a means of understanding the earth’s fragility. Today, environmental awareness has blossomed.

Children speak of atmospheric carbon dioxide while lecturing their parents on the evils of the family SUV. Millions of Canadians turned off their lights during Earth Hour. And, corporations send out daily press releases advertising their commitment to green-ness.

Today, as Earth Day Canada marks its official date for the environmental inspiration of Canadians, a certain question begs for an answer: Is it still relevant?

Glen MacIntosh says no. Continue reading ‘Is Earth Day still relevant 18 years on?’

You heard it here first! Elliot who just turned one year old last month now has his very own blog! Kimberly and I will be posting his adventures from now on at http://elliotbuchan.com. Please take a peek, and post a comment now and then. We created this so family and friends all across the country could watch Elliot’s development, hear his stories, see his pictures and podcasts all in one convenient place. And when he grows up he will already have a virtual place to call “home”. Family and Friends are also invited to participate in this virtual journal of his life, so you can share your own stories too! If you would like to contribute just shoot an email to us and we will set you up. Enjoy!

Remaining Dem Races

(Number of pledged delegates at stake are in parentheses.)

April 22nd Pennsylvania primary (158)

May 3

Guam caucus (4)

May 6

Indiana primary (72)

North Carolina primary (115)

May 13

West Virginia primary (28)

May 20

Kentucky primary (51)

Oregon primary (52)

June 1

Puerto Rico primary (55)

June 3

Montana primary (16)

South Dakota primary (15)

Present Delegate Tally

Hillary Clinton: 1,250

Barack Obama: 1,414

(Numbers include unpledged delegates who say they will vote for Clinton or Obama. Delegates needed to win Democratic nomination: 2,025)

Cross-posted from EcoSpace

Conscious Consuming recently launched a discussion guide on their to make it easy to host local green living discussion groups. Readers can use the tools provided on the website to connect with people in their neighborhoods who are interested in “Slowing Down and Greening Up.”

The five-meeting discussion series provides activities, questions, and supplemental materials for meetings on Food, Time, Stuff, Green Living, and the influence of advertising on our buying decisions.

With the launch of the Discussion Guides, Conscious Consuming received a grant from the Sandy Hollow Arts and Recreation for the Environment, Inc. (SHARE) to encourage people to act on organizing these discussion groups in their local communities. Thanks to SHARE, Conscious Consuming will be able to offer the first 5 people who hold a Discussion Series a stipend of $100 for taking the initiative.

All you need to do is to hold your meetings and document your activities through blog postings, photos, or video clips. Email susan(at)consciousconsuming(dot)org with your results, or if you want help publicizing your event. The goal of the program is to support ordinary people who want to “think globally, but act locally.”

Marty Wrin, Executive Director of Conscious Consuming, is excited about the growth of their MySpace presence and web traffic in the past year, but connecting with a virtual community is only half the battle. He says, “The Discussion Guides are a great way to get people talking about sustainable living with their friends, neighbors, and co-workers. The environment needs us to start taking a second look at all of our consumption decisions, not just the stuff we buy. How we use our time, money, and media affects the earth as well. ”

Learn more at Conscious Consuming

Excerpt from John O’Donohue’s To Bless the Space Between Us

“There is a quiet light that shines in every heart. It draws no attention to itself, though it is always secretly there. It is what illuminates our minds to see beauty, our desire to seek possibility, and our hearts to love life. Without this subtle quickening our days would be empty and wearisome, and no horizon would ever awaken our longing. Our passion for life is quietly sustained from somewhere in us that is wedded to the energy and excitement of life. This shy inner light is what enables us to recognize and receive our very presence here as blessing. We enter the world as strangers who all at once become heirs to a harvest of memory, spirit, and dream that has long preceded us and will enfold, nourish, and sustain us. The gift of the world is our first blessing.”

His Interview from NPR