Wow, is blogging dead?
Posted by johnG on 24th February , 2010It appears that FB is killing blogging
Email from Stephen Pretto Rossillo
Posted by johnG on 30th July , 2009From: SJROSS1R@aol.com [mailto:SJROSS1R@aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 7:49 AM
To: john@pretto.com
Subject: Hello John
How are you sir? My name is Stephen Pretto Rossillo.
My mother was Vitalina Pretto, daughter of Giovanni Pretto and Cecilia Povolo Pretto, who came from the village of Muschi, in the town of Recoaro Terme, Vicenza.
I have many cousins over there that I see every couple of years or so. Some of their names are:
- Roberto Pretto
- Luca Pretto
- Massimo Pretto
- Stefano Pretto
- Antonio Pretto
- Bruno Pretto
- Eugenio Pretto
…and of course many more.
~
I am from the NYC tri-state area — Ridgefield, Bergen county, NJ.
Talk to you soon.
-Steve
How far is the Horizon??
Posted by johnG on 17th January , 2009
Horizon Geometry
“The square root of your height (or elevation) in feet times 1.2 equals the distance to your horizon in miles.
So, how high would Sarah Palin’s house have to be inorder to see Russia?:
Wasilla, Alaska, is 1130 km from Russia.
How high above the Earth’s surface do you have to be to see a point 1130 km away along the Earth’s surface? If we start plugging numbers into myDistance To Horizon Calculator, we see that the answer is 101425.88 meters. You have to go 101 km (63 miles!) above Wasilla before you can see Russia. You can knock 104 meters off of that if you like to account for Wasilla’s elevation above sea level.
| Height (meters) | Distance (km) | Height(feet) | Distance (miles) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| 1 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 2.1 |
| 2 | 5.1 | 6.6 | 3.0 |
| 3 | 6.2 | 9.8 | 3.7 |
| 4 | 7.1 | 13.1 | 4.3 |
| 5 | 8.0 | 16.4 | 4.8 |
| 6 | 8.7 | 19.7 | 5.2 |
| 7 | 9.4 | 23.0 | 5.7 |
| 8 | 10.1 | 26.2 | 6.1 |
| 9 | 10.7 | 29.5 | 6.4 |
| 10 | 11.3 | 32.8 | 6.8 |
| 20 | 16.0 | 65.6 | 9.6 |
| 30 | 19.5 | 98.4 | 11.7 |
| 40 | 22.6 | 131.2 | 13.5 |
| 50 | 25.2 | 164.0 | 15.1 |
| 60 | 27.6 | 196.8 | 16.6 |
| 70 | 29.9 | 229.6 | 17.9 |
| 80 | 31.9 | 262.4 | 19.2 |
| 90 | 33.9 | 295.2 | 20.3 |
| 100 | 35.7 | 328.0 | 21.4 |
| 1000 | 112.8 | 3280.0 | 67.7 |
| 2000 | 159.6 | 6560.0 | 95.7 |
| 5000 | 252.3 | 16,400.0 | 151.4 |
| 10,000 | 356.9 | 32,800.0 | 214.2 |
| 12,000 | 391.0 | 39,360.0 | 234.6 |
| 100,000 | 1,132.7 | 328,000.0 | 679.6 |
| 500,000 | 2,572.0 | 1,640,000.0 | 1543.2 |
| 1,000,000,000 | 1,006,344.9 | 3,280,000,000.0 | 603,806.9 |
Windows 7 Build 7000 Install on older laptop
Posted by johnG on 3rd January , 2009
Windows 7 Ultimate Installation log
1. Burn copy of Window 7 Build 7000 ISO on Mac “just in case.”
2. Backup data files on Dell Inspiron laptop (Window Vista Capable) 1Gig Ram 1.87G Duo 140GHDD
3. Put Windows Disc in Machine and boot from CD
a. Select Upgrade Path
i. “Cannot Upgrade from Window XP. Can only upgrade from Windows Vista SP1”
b. Reboot machine from XP partition
c. Boot from Windows 7 Disc
i. “Do you wish to check for updates prior to installing – YES
1. This check took about 4 minutes to check and didn’t give any response or dialog back.??? (hmmm, is MS checking on us?)
ii. Create New Partition
1. Windows created two partitions
a. A 200MB “boot” partition
b. The remainder as “primary” partition
iii. “Installing Windows
1. Copying files Fast about 30 sec
2. Expanding files About seven minutes
3. Installing Features just about 10 seconds
4. Installing Updates seconds
5. Completing Installation it completed this after the below reboot
iv. First reboot
v. Setup is updating registry settings
vi. Setup is starting services
vii. Second reboot
viii. Setup is preparing for first time us
ix. Setup is checking video performance
x. Setup prompt for Product Key
xi. Displays list of wireless access points
xii. Do you wish to create a home group?
1. Select Libaries
a. Pictures
b. Videos
c. Music
d. Documents
2. Remember this key
xiii. Windows if finalizing
xiv. Start desktop
4. Finished!!!!
Summary:
Deja Vu: I remember installing Vista in the Fall of 2005 and having a “bear” of a time getting things to work. In comparison, I installed Windows 7 on an older Dell Inspiron (1.87Ghz Duo) and everythig including aero is working great. I haven’t found anything so far that is NOT working. I’ll keep you posted.
Overall: pretty darn good. Microsoft eventually gets things right.
Pondering about Holiday vernacular.
Posted by johnG on 21st December , 2008Pondering about Holiday vernacular.
What is all this fuss about Christmas? Well, people say “Oh, you can’t say Christmas because it is offensive to other religions…” blah, blah, blah.
The politically correct crowd says “Happy Holidays.” That seems to cover it all, eh?
Well I did a bit of research this morning and found this list:
- Happy Holidays – Canada, United States
- Kales yortes” or “Kala Christouyenna” – Greek for Happy Holidays or Merry Christmas
- Buon Natale – Italian for Happy Christmas
- Feliz Natal – Portuguese for Happy Christmas
- Feliz Navidad – Castilian lit. “Happy Nativity”
- Crăciun Fericit! Romanian for Merry Christmas
- Season’s Greetings – United Kingdom Christmas cards, not usually spoken
- Happy Christmas – United Kingdom
- Merry Xmas – Written English (often informal), referencing the Greek word Χριστος, for Christ.
- Merry Yuletide, Good Yuletide or Happy Yuletide – English, can generally refer to the period of cultural festivities surrounding Yule, Winter solstice, Christmas and the New Year.
- Merry Midwinter – English greeting, generally for the period of the winter solstice.
- God jul – Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, lit. “Good Yule”
- Hyvää joulua – Finnish
- Prettige Kerstdagen en een gelukkig nieuwjaar – Dutch
- Geseënde Kersfees en ‘n voorspoedige nuwe jaar – Blessed Christmas and a prosperous New Year – Afrikaans speaking South Africans
- Glædelig jul – Danish
- Joyous Yule – Usually a Wiccan or Neopagan greeting for the Winter solstice
- Joyeux Noël – France, French Canada, Louisiana, Switzerland
- Joyeuses Fêtes – French for Happy Holidays used in French Canada
- Frohe Weihnachten/Fröhliche Weihnachten – German for Merry Christmas
- Mele Kalikimaka – Hawaiian, is preferred over the traditional American “Merry Christmas” in the U.S. state of Hawaii; made popular worldwide by Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters in 1950 in song
- Nollaig Shona Duit – Ireland, (Irish Language), Gaeilge, lit. “You have a happy Christmas”.
- Nadolig Llawen a Blwyddyn Newydd Dda – Wales (by Welsh speakers), “Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year”
- S’Rozhdestvom Kristovym! (С Рождеством Христовым!) or, more commonly, simply S Rozhdestvom! for the informal Christmas greeting, while the traditional religious greeting is Khrystos razhdayetsya! (Христос рождается, meaning “Christ is born!”) and the traditional response is Slavite! (Cлавите!, meaning “Let us glorify him!”). – Orthodox and Eastern Rite Catholic countries
- Happy Kwanzaa – English greeting used before Kwanzaa.
- Wesołych Świąt – Polish greeting used before Christmas (literally ‘Happy Holidays’).
- Habari Gani – Swahili for “What’s the news?” is the daily greeting for each of the seven days of Kwanzaa.
- Happy Hanukkah or Happy Chanukah – English
- Chag Sameach – Hebrew for “Joyous festival”, used for most Jewish festivals.
- Gut Yontiff – Yiddish for “good holiday” used for non festival holidays.
- L’Shanah Tovah – Hebrew, Lit. “a good year”. Common greeting during Rosh Hashanah and Days of Awe. It is derived from L’shanah tovah tikatev v’taihatem, lit. “May you be inscribed and sealed for a good year”.
- Have an easy fast – the solemn greeting for Yom Kippur.
- Happy New Year – often yelled at the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve.
- It’s a Festivus for the rest of us! – often yelled enthusiastically to explain the meaning of the holiday Festivus
- Milad Majeed – Arabic for “Merry Christmas” as used in Syria and several other countries
- Kul ‘am wa enta bi-khair – Arabic for “May every year find you in good health”
- Taqabbala Allahu minna wa minkum. – “May God accept from us, and from you.”
- ‘Īd mubārak – “Blessed Eid” is used to greet at the end of Ramadan on Eid ul-Fitr
- ‘Īd sa‘īd – “Happy Eid”
- Bayramınız Mübarek Olsun – Turkey – “(is a celebration of Ramadan (religious holiday)”
- Selamat Hari Raya or Salam Aidilfitri – Malay and Indonesia
- Rite Catholic countries – Christos Voskresse! (Христос возкресе) replied to with Vo istina voskresse! (Во истина Воскресе!) – Bulgarian
- Maligayang Pasko at Manigong Bagong Taon!! Filipino, greeting for “merry Christmas and Happy New Year”
- Среќна Нова Година и Божиќни празници, Srekna Nova Godina i Bozikni praznici – Macedonian (Makedonski)
- Boldog karácsonyt/Kellemes karácsonyi ünnepeket : Merry Christmas/Pleasant Christmas Holidays in Hungarian, Kellemes húsvéti ünnepeket: Pleasant Easter Holidays– in Hungarian( Magyar)
- Gong Xi Fa Tsai, Xin Nian Kuai Le –in (Mandarin), translation: “We wish upon you good fortunes, and may your heart’s desires be satisfied”.
Now, as a mathematician I am fond of “X”mas because your can replace whatever rhetoric you wish with the lookup table above and replace; Normal, logical and efficient.
Further, than I thought well, isn’t it really a mechanism to generate consumption increasing the “C” component in Gross Domestic Product?
Hmmm, GDP = consumption + gross investment + government spending + (exports −imports), or,
GDP = C + I + G + (X-M).
That is it!
Therefore, the new name of Christmas will now be:
GDPMas or (rewritten)
C + I + G + X-Mas
Or
CIGXMas
Merry CIGXMas everyone!
Your mathematician Mr. Pretto…
Math Enigma
Posted by johnG on 30th November , 2008
- Find X
All these years – I never knew where to look for “x”
Happy Holidays
john…
Secretary of Defence (sic)
Posted by johnG on 25th November , 2008
The first all iPhone band coming soon…
Posted by johnG on 7th November , 2008Ocarina and the other virtual instruments on the iPhone will born an all iPhone band soon! You heard it here first!!
Deja Vu
Posted by johnG on 2nd November , 2008
Windows 7
I’ve been reviewing the initial features in Windows 7 via the CTP. I remember this same phenomenon in the fall of 2005 when I received my first preview of Vista. (Longhorn)
So far I like this:
Windows 7 "Play To:"
The “Play To:” will let you play media to any device on you network. Great for network enabled media play back devices — finally!
john…
Parents Computer Support
Posted by johnG on 7th October , 2008My Mother called and said “My computer keeps telling me to install “A Dopey Flasher” —Adobe Flash!!!! LOL
Testing Live Writer from Microsoft
Posted by johnG on 17th September , 2008Helloworld.com – this is a test from Windows Live writer.
“My Bad” — “You kids today”
Posted by johnG on 16th September , 2008My observation of the day is kids that say “my bad.” Most of them think this is a recent trend. Well, get educated:
Mea culpa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Mea Culpa (disambiguation).
Look up mea culpa in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Mea culpa is a Latin phrase that translates into English as “my fault”, or “my own fault”. In order to emphasize the message, the adjective “maxima” may be inserted, resulting in “mea maxima culpa,” which would translate as “my most [grievous] fault.”
