Passport

I made my way through the government bureaucracy to get my passport ordered today. I had to put a rush on it, so I would have time to get my Russian visa, all told, the cost was $172.50, plus $10 to get my picture taken. I'm definitely turning these receipts in. I was pleasantly surprised to find that Uncle Sam lets you fill in the Passport application form via Acrobat, then print it out, so it's nice and neat. Of course, it'd be more efficient to let me submit it online, or even print a barcode on the form, so that someone could just scan it, rather than re-key all that data. In any case, seven to ten days from now, I should have my shiny new Passport, complete with awful picture.

Happy Birthday to me

Today is my 28th birthday. I got some good presents, a new 35mm SLR camera from my parents, and a fishin' pole. I got some new speakers from my grandfather, as well as a copy of Clinton's new book. I got a polarizer for my new camera from my sister, and of course the iSight from my wife. For myself, I bought a new lawn mower, as my old electric mower simply wasn't up to the task anymore. My new 7 horsepower mower has more than enough oomph to tackle our lawn, and mowing the lawn will no longer be an all-day event.

iHave iSight

My wife surprised me with my birthday present, and cake, a few days early. My birthday isn't until Thursday, but when I got home from work today, she presented me with a shiny new iSight camera for my PowerBook, and a tasty cake! For those of you who'd like to try to video conference with me, my AIM/iChat username is sethb2. The Video should work not only with fellow iChat users, but also with those who have the latest version of AIM installed.

Four More Gmails

I've got four more Gmail accounts to give away. Post a comment with your first name, last name, and e-mail address if you want one.

College Square goes Wi-Fi

The College Square Mall, about three-quarters of a mile from my house, has installed wireless internet now, according to an article in today's paper. The article doesn't mention whether or not access is free, though I'd assume it is. I don't know who "Cedar Valley Wi-Fi" is, as I've never heard of them, and I can't find a web site for them. I don't trust any tech-related business that can't even be bothered to get a web site online. Update: They do have a web site, which I found out by going to the mall and trying the wireless. Unfortunately, they're on crack, and are attempting to charge for access. Even if Cedar Valley Wi-Fi winds up with wireless access points on every city block, I'm not going to pay them $25/month to use it, and I doubt anyone else is either. Charging for access works when you have a captive audience, such as in an airliner, or maybe even a hotel, though I think the right price is free there too. But, in retail spaces, wireless should be offered as a way of enticing people to come to your establishment, not as a way for you to extract more money from them. I'm much more likely to eat lunch at your business if I can bring my PowerBook with me, that's where you make your money, not by charging me for the access directly.