Periodic Ramblings

In celebration of the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei’s exploration of the sky, the International Year of Astronomy 2009 has commissioned a replica of the Galileo telescope.  The "Galieloscope" is available in kit form for $15 plus shipping to interested astronomy and science buffs.

Experience the same view that Galileo had, along with the satisfaction of building your own telescope.  To order one, click here.

An added bonus to me and why I ordered one, was that the company is local to the Racine, Wisconsin area.  I always enjoy supporting local businesses, especially when it is in relation to a hobby of mine.  So click on the link and explore the skies like Galileo did 400 years ago.

Over on the Official Google Docs Blog, there was an announcement about a NCAA Tournament template for Google Docs.

I am constantly amazed at what uses people have for Google Docs and the different templates that are out there.

I was looking today for rules to some of the more common children games that I played as a child, so that I could teach my daughter. 

You know the one’s, Hopscotch, Kick the Can, Jacks.  Well in searching, I stumbled across the wonderful site Streetplay.com which has rules and information on the games that I want to share with my daughter.

On the latest issue of the Weatherbrains podcast, they interviewed the founders of iMap Weather a social networking site for weather professionals and enthusiasts.

The site is currently in beta and offers a lot of potential.  I like the fact that someone finally gets that there is a market for specialized weather information from a network of sources.  This will allow a person to see weather conditions, photos, movies and other information pertinent to  their current location or for that matter any location.  Sometimes it is nice to see a less commercial and more personal view of weather information.

I am excited about the potential that this site shows.  Here is the link to sign-up for their beta site.

Mariner Software announced today that they have released a version of their popular Mariner Calc program for the iPhone.  Finally there is true spreadsheet program for the iPhone that allows the editing of spreadsheets on the go.

This is one item on the iPhone, that I have sorely been waiting for.  I had Documents To Go on my Palm and when originally saw the announcement that Mariner was working on version for the iPhone, I kept waiting for the formal release.

Having purchased it, I will be trying it out and write more over the next couple of weeks.  This is a piece of software that will take the iPhone to the next level for the business man/woman.

The New York Times reported that Amazon announced today that they have released an ebook application for the iPhone that will allow iPhone users to read Kindle formatted books.

Why would Amazon do this?  Two fold actually.  One is to encourage more purchasing of ebooks and two encourage more purchases of the Kindle.  While the iPhone can be used for reading ebooks, the Kindle has a larger screen that is more conducive to reading books over a longer period of time.  The iPhone makes the ebook more portable, as more individuals will have their phone with them, rather than taking the Kindle places. 

Amazon is poised to do for books what Apple did for music, the only difference being that Amazon is showing they are more device open that Apple is at this time.

Starbucks is attempting to reach a broader range of customers in the morning.  Not immune to the economic downturn, Starbucks is attempting to provide more "value" in the morning with their menu, competing potentially with Dunkin Donuts and McDonalds.

For under $4, you get  a sandwich, coffee and egg sandwich, cup of oatmeal or coffee cake.  This competes rather well with McDonalds where the average breakfast meal (sandwich, hash browns and coffee) cost around $3-$4. 

What will be seen, however, is if this brings the cost conscious customer in.  Starbucks has a reputation among the public of being about coffee and speciality drinks that tend to be on the higher end of the cost spectrum.  To combat this reputation, Starbucks is undergoing a store-wide program to bring and understanding of the cheaper side of the menu to their employees, with the hope that they will sell that to customers.

Read more about it in the New York Times here.

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss.

Google celebrated with the following logo today.