Drew’s Daily Deliberations

The Edmonton Journal today reports that a black Honda Civic bearing the Google logo, and equipped with a roof-mounted camera, has been seen twice in the south Edmonton neighbourhood of Pleasantview. It has been spotted driving about 10 kilometers an hour. Google declined comment.

This news comes on the heals of Google backing down, and agreeing to comply with Canadian privacy laws that prohibit companies from exposing personal information without prior consent. Google now says they will blur faces and license plates. Whether Google already has the ability to do so, or if it means Google now has to go back to the drawing board to allow for the blurring is unknown.

This could add fuel to the fire in the U.S. where Google does not have similar laws to follow, and thus, leaves faces in a recognizable state. Many Americans have already complained about this invasion of policy, loud enough to force the company to adjust its policies, making it easier for individuals to request the removal of specific pictures that identify themselves.

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This seems to be a cross between bike trials and free running/parkour. I am simply amazed by this guy.

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Recently I have found myself with an Excel that refuses to open files with a double click. Excel itself opens, but the desired file does not, instead I receive the following message:

Windows cannot find ‘FilePath\FileName‘, Make sure you typed the name correctly, and then try again.

The above message is in Vista. XP shows the following:

Cannot find the file ‘path‘ (or one of its components). Make sure the path and filename are correct and that all required libraries are available.

I do not know what caused this, but was able to find the fix.

1. In Microsoft Office Excel 2007, click the Microsoft Office Button, and then click Excel Options.

2. Click Advanced, and then click to clear the Ignore other applications check box in the General area.

3. Click OK.

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Dolphin shows are always fun for the family… however this show had an extra surprise. A bird, flying low over the water, was accidentally knocked silly by a leaping dolphin. Hopefully no kids were saddened by this turn of events.

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This is some pretty nifty stuff. Researchers have developed methods to resize images dynamically, without distorting or cropping the image. The technique has been well thought out, with the ability to ensure the most important features (ie. a persons face) are not altered, as it is the most noticeable to the eye.

This ability can then be extended to mark an area of the image for removal. This makes cutting a person out of an image brilliantly simple, as the background where the person was standing gets reconstructed automatically.

The video is a must see:

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This is the “Official” iPhone tool direct from Apple. Thanks to Keith M.

Looks like Macgyver stopped catching the bad guys, and has started working for Apple.

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This is just too funny.

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Thanks to Ido Samuelson for this.

It is funny that there is no longer an option to turn hibernation off from the Power Options in Control Panel.

But besides the Disk Cleanup method to disable the Hibernation. I found another way using the console :

powercfg –H off

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I have yet found a valid reason why Alberta caps the amount of wind power produced. In any event, a step in the right direction is being taken by our government, as they are set to just about double the limit for allowable wind-power generation.

I was recently on a road trip that included driving through some of Alberta’s wind farms. To say they were impressive would be an understatement. I suppose other areas may have something much more spectacular, but I was happy enough. Seeing all that potential for clean power was amazing.

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