Tag: Technology/Internet

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The Cocoa Conspiracy: Albuquerque's iPhone Developers

KOB recently did an interesting article on a group of independent iPhone developers in Albuquerque who work at a coffee shop and call themselves the Cocoa Conspiracy. The group includes Andrew Stone of Stone Design who has a number of both Mac and iPhone applications.

Apparently Stone Design’s Twittelator Proicon is doing well. The article also talks about a very cool sounding hot air balloon and chase crew app.

“It can actually overlay the chase group’s position and the balloon’s location and speed over a map live. That way people can plan their routes to get to the balloon and where it’s going to land,”

That’s an awesome idea, I wish I would have thought of it. Albuquerque has “Largest balloon convention in the world” according to Wikipedia so it’s fitting that a app like this should be developed in Albuquerque.

I want to hook up with these guys perhaps they can give me some help in developing my own apps. The article fails to mention what coffee shop the “The Cocoa Conspiracy” hang out at.

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Update: The group has a website at cocoaconspiracy.com and apparently meet at the RB Winnings Coffee Thursdays at 9:30 am.

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Mythbusters Uses New Mexico Tech's Rocket Sled

The Mythbusters were testing weather two semi trucks that collide at highway speeds into a car would turn the car into a pancake and fuse the semis trucks together. The were not able to prove either scenarios.

In usual Mythbusters fashion, they have to see what it will take to do what they were testing. To turn a car into a pancake, they went to New Mexico Tech to use their rocket rail to smash the car. There is a video of the results on YouTube.

http://www.youtube-nocookie.com/v/MWJU6sbf8Ng&hl=en&fs=1&hd=1&border=1

They also fused sheets of metal together using explosives. If I can find that video I will add it.

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Albuquerque Wants Free WiFi Citywide

The Mayor of Albuquerque wants free WiFi for everyone in the city.

a two-tiered wireless Internet signal covering the entire city that will support not just the basics of Web surfing, e-mail and the like, but phone service and video. Those two tiers are a free, 1 megabit signal for anyone and a premium service at 3 Mb for a “reasonable” cost.

Of course Comcast and Qwest don’t like it. I say screw ’em. Qwest especially doesn’t seem interested in offering extra services and Comcast would probably force everyone to pay $10/month for cable before you can use it. It’s the technical issues and money that will keep this from happening.

One wireless provider estimates it would cost $25 million and would require a access point on every building in the city, I think that’s overblown. They cite the problems that Rio Rancho has had completing it’s network. I thought Rio Rancho had completed it’s network.

I hope they try it anyways. I could use some free wifi when I have to drive into Albuquerque

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Intel Will Upgrade Rio Rancho Plant

Intel Corp. said on Monday it will spend $1 billion to $1.5 billion to retool a factory in New Mexico, which will start to make chips with cutting-edge 45-nanometer-wide transistors in the second half of 2008.

The factory to be renovated in Rio Rancho, New Mexico, is known as Fab 11X and will be the fourth Intel plant to use 45-nanometer technology, which includes new materials that boost chip efficiency by cutting leakage of electrical current.

My employment is secure.

Here’s a little bit more information about the IRB that was used to fund this upgrade. Looks like there’s some money left in the pot.

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Albloggerque: The Evaporative Cooler As An Alter Of Manhood

Summer in Albuquerque gets hot, but not nearly as hot as Phoenix. It rains but it does not get humid like Austin. The summer time in Albuquerque as warm and dry, and we can use some pretty simple technology like the evaporative cooler. Albloggerque explains why it’s so manly.

The swamp cooler is the last bastion of twentieth century manhood. I say this for several reasons.

  1. It is up on the roof. Take your tools, sun hat, beer cooler…go up that rickety ladder and say adios to civilization until you feel like coming down. It is like disappearing under the car in a “Gasoline Alley” cartoon. For kicks, yell down the opening, “Turn on the fan!” once in a while. Then, “Okay…turn it off.”
  2. The guts of the cooler are straight out of a 6th grade science book. Nothing hi-tech here: just pulleys, tubes, pads, and pumps. This is basically a nostalgic visit to the science of Mr. Wizard.
  3. A cooler is so mechanical…a car is not. Guys used to work on the car or truck all the time. Change the points, plugs…maybe the condenser. You need gapping gauges, sockets, screwdrivers. Nowdays cars have no points, no condenser, and plugs last forever. Open the hood and you’re lost. Coolers, on the other hand, still require the occasional wrench and screwdriver. And it feels so good…pockets full of a crescent wrench, a 1/2 inch open end wrench, pliers, and a brush.
  4. It has its own secret vocabulary. You get to sit around with other cooler-techs and throw out words like: pillow bearings, octopus, brass ferrels, 3 quarter horse motor, squirrel cage, and fan belt.
  5. The job can last as long as it needs to. I swear you can be out of there in 20 minutes…or it can last a day and a half. It all depends on how much you replace and how much beer was in your toolbox. (And how much you like being on the roof. A shady tree usually adds a couple of hours to the job).

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Rio Rancho & Lots Of WiFI

Rio Rancho, New Mexico is just butted up against Albuquerque to the north. Thanks to Intel (the largest employer in Rio Rancho and one of the largest in the state) they will have the worlds largest WiFi hot spot. It will cover 103 square miles including residential homes. Funny since you can barley get DSL and no internet via cable.

I lived in Rio Rancho (often called Rio Rathole) when I first moved here. At the time it was mostly a overgrown truck stop with no roads. The road have improved some and the whole city has grown up a lot, it’s good to see some high tech anything moving in.

[Update:] Check out the submission I made to slashdot. Unfortunately I couldn’t remember my password otherwise I would have tons of traffic coming to this site 🙂