The Johnson Blog

Ramblings of a geek with a few hobbies…

Category: General

  • Is SnapTune One Dead?

    Since last November, I have been using a piece of software called SnapTune One to use my RadioShark (live AM/FM as well as time-shifting and recording) in Windows Vista; it has worked very, very well.  One of the main features, that I don’t use at all, is the ability to sift through recorded radio and identify songs (names, artists, etc) for you to listen to later – and it works with internet radio stations too.

    A couple nights ago, on a whim, I thought I would check for updates to the software and found that their website is no longer functional (www.snaptune.com).  It has been a couple of days so I’m wondering if they’re still even around.  This post even hints at their demise.  Does anyone have any more information about them?

    I guess it’s time to head over to download.com to archive the most recent version of the software for my future use. 😦

    Edit: Here’s the software on download.com

  • Weekend Photos

    Today was absolutely miserable outside.  I was working in the garage on my latest building project and the air was so think it felt like you could swim in it.  I’m building a utility box/cabinet of sorts to go out by the garden for Ana, and since it’s fairly large I can’t do much of the construction in the nice and cool basement.  I’ll have some pictures of that soon.

    The rest of the day and evening was spent playing with David and, of course, taking some pictures.

  • A Little Help

    Every morning David takes a few minutes out of his busy schedule to sit down and help me at the computer.

  • 7 Months Old

    Today David is 7 months old!  I just got done taking his pictures, they can be found in gallery.

  • HP Touchsmart PC

    Almost a year ago we purchased a Touchsmart PC by HP for our kitchen to run my recipe software, Chef.  It has been a great addition to the kitchen and is a perfect match for the software.

    HP recently revamped the machine with the latest model, and it looks pretty darn cool.  If you’re looking for a computer to put into your kitchen, definitely take a look at the Touchsmart – then give Chef a try!

  • Out on the Porch

    David enjoyed the weather over the weekend.

  • FAA and Air Traffic Controllers at JFK

    Apparently over the weekend there was a close call between two aircraft at JFK airport in New York.  The air traffic controllers can be heard on tape telling a pilot to turn immediately, later reporting that two planes were with 100 feet of each other.

    The FAA denies it and I just listened to an interview with an FAA spokesman saying that the radar tapes show the planes were something like a half a mile apart and nowhere near danger.    No word yet from the pilots, but it seems they should be able to clear things up since the surely would have seen another plan 100 feet away.

    Anyway, the thing that immediately came to mind when the FAA spokesperson kept talking about the tapes was – could there have been a software problem which resulted in the air controller’s screens showing a 100′ gap between planes, when in fact there was no issue at all?  Or, is it just more likely that the FAA and airlines don’t want to admit it happened?  It’ll be interesting to see how it unfolds.

  • Garden: Complete!

    Today I finished the landscaping around our garden.  Photos available in Gallery.

  • Rock

    Yesterday I ordered some landscape rock (1.5 tons) to be delivered on Thursday so that I could spend the 4th getting the remainder of our garden area complete.  I got a call today asking if it was ok for them to just drop it off today instead of tomorrow, and here it is:

    Over lunch I figured I would get some of it moved, and made good progress.  40 minutes later, the pile looks like:

    At this rate, I’ll be done with my weekend goal before the weekend starts.

  • Deck Damage

    A few weeks ago I had a little grilling mishap – several hours after eating the deck was glowing.  A small piece of charcoal had fallen out out of the bottom of the grill, bounced off the ash pan, and proceeded to smolder this hole all the way through the deck.

    Last night I replaced these two boards.   I guess I’ll start closing the bottom of the grill from now on!