Ryan Jacobs

Full Service Only

Some time ago, I was in the Portland, Oregon area on a business trip with a few colleagues. As part of the usual drill of filling the rental car with gas prior to returning it, we discovered that Oregon is a Full Service Only gas state, meaning you can’t pump your own gas.

But what is the reasoning for this?

Found in Oregon Revised Statutes 480.315

You can read the details, but you’ll find arguments related to safety, jobs, etc. New Jersey also has a similar ban.

Was there some tragic event that caused these laws to be enacted? I recall that scene in Zoolander where the models are playing with the gasoline pumps and wonder if something like that really ever happened to prompt such legislation.

From what I can gather, the bans on self-service were designed to prevent smaller service stations from going out of business. Larger self-service chains with convenience stores were disruptive to the service station market and thus the bans came in to protect businesses. The safety claims seem to be thrown in for good measure. 23 states had such bans as late as 1968. Even today, you’ll find a city or two that bans the practice within its jurisdiction, presumably holding ground after the bans were repealed.

If anyone has more history, please pass along. I am intrigued by this.

Netflix Ready?

Netflix announced the first Netflix Ready device today. You may remember I recently bought an Apple TV and love it, so I am sold on movies/TV over IP.

The Roku box, at 99 bucks, seems a decent entry point for many consumers. But what this does, is basically allow you to do the whole Netflix Now thing on your TV without going through your browser. I have enjoyed my Netflix subscription, and while I like this idea, I am really not sold on the device yet. I am skeptical how it will work without having storage for the average consumer — even just for buffering, not long term storage. If anyone wants to send me a Roku to review, I promise to deliver an honest review.

Many stories I have read today indicate this will kill the Apple TV, but anyone who has used one will immediately see the things missing from the Roku to even be on the same playing field. Those who haven’t used the Apple TV might not be the wiser and below are my initial thoughts. In full disclosure, I am still bitter that Netflix hasn’t allowed Mac users to use the Netflix Now feature.

Missing from Roku’s Netflix Ready device which are on Apple TV :

• Listening to my music collection, seamlessly. I have heard the ‘lessons’ learned of this complexity in earlier Roku products. Complexity is not a problem with iTunes/Apple TV.
• Viewing YouTube Videos on demand
• Purchasing TV shows that have just aired
• Viewing my Photos
• Downloading Video Podcasts on Demand

Missing from Netflix Ready in general:

• HD movies. That’s kind of a big miss.
• Most of the Netflix Collection. Only 10% is available in Watch Now. Go look at your account if you have one. I couldn’t find a single recent movie hit in the top 50 or recently added section. From a content perspective it is about as interesting as Joost or Hulu IMHO.

What I like so far :

• The Roku will work fine on non-HD sets. Technically, my Apple TV did work on my non-HD set, but this offers perhaps broader appeal than Apple TV.
• While the Watch Now catalogue isn’t the hottest content, it is interesting and could fill in what is missing from the iTunes offerings.

What I’d like to see:

• Netflix has hinted the Roku is the first in a series of devices. Netflix Ready would make a wonderful addition to the Apple TV. In fact, such a partnership was the first thing I added to my Apple TV wishlist. That is just a software upgrade — the hardware is all there.
• Continued improvement of these devices in general. I do love my Apple TV, but there is a lot of room for this idea to expand much further.

Physics of the Impossible

Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel

Michio Kaku presents concepts familiar to both casual and hard-core sci-fi fans alike and discusses the possibility of them happening. Each concept fits into what he calls a Class I, Class II or Class III impossibility.

Class I = Impossible today, but do not violate laws of physics. These could become possible within a few centuries.

Class II= Impossible today and maybe not possible for thousands to millions of years.

Class III= These could only be possible by re-writing current laws of physics.

I don’t recall ever enjoying a book like this so much. His narrative includes explanations of how historical events shaped science and vice-versa.

I really appreciate how he never really closes the door on the possibility of anything, perhaps recognizing how so much has changed scientifically within the last century. Rather, he explains what it would mean for any of these things to be realized. As an example, on the discussion of perpetual motion machines one might ask if they are possible. He classifies these as Class III impossibilities meaning for them to be realized would mean a large change to current understanding of physics.

In short, the book sounds a bit geeky and probably is. Yet I think there is enough balance here to entertain the geek and non-geek alike.

Freshly Scooped On

I saw an odd thing in Starbucks. While waiting in line, I noticed a nice display promoting the Pike Place blend. The little paper bags had seals on them with a hand-written date. I was curious if perhaps they had fixed their freshness problem and were promoting the roast date. No such luck. Closer inspection revealed the verbiage ‘Freshly Scooped On: 5/14′. At least 5/14 happened to be that day, but it is odd to think that they are paying people to scoop stale beans into individual bags at the store to give an illusion of freshness.

Allow me to invoke the great Charlie Brown, ‘Good Grief’. This idea would not have done well in the INeedCoffee Roundtable of Starbucks Ideas.

Interesting side note: the phrase ‘freshly scooped on’ via google returns a link to a cat litter product as the highest link at the moment. That’s certain to change now

Loving Apple TV

The successes of iPod, iMac, MacBook and iPhone are well known. Yet quietly in the corner is Apple TV — not many talk about it. After just a few days use, I am surprised this device doesn’t get more love. Maybe it still needs to rebuild its reputation after the first expensive/not interesting version came out.

We bought one this weekend and let me tell you — this is an unbelievable value IMHO. We got the entry model (40GB) with a lower amount of storage space since we determined a lower need for persistent storage capacity.

In one device, I might possibly realize a la carte viewing.

Television

In many ways, a DVR such as Tivo helps the cable/satellite subscriber achieve more value by recording shows they wouldn’t otherwise watch. But it hurts in much the same way that eating that Super Size Meal does — you feel obligated to consume more than you wanted because you paid for it.

With Apple TV, I can purchase the overwhelming majority of shows I want to watch only when/if I want to watch them. This fills in the gaps of shows I am not getting for free in HD over the air. I can definitely see this as easing the cutting of the cable/satellite cord. If the device added DVR capability it would be game,set, match.

Video Podcasts/YouTube

The other really cool thing is that all of those video podcasts I subscribe to really make more sense now on a television. Viewing YouTube videos on demand is wonderful entertainment. Video quality varies(obviously), but this is probably good for me or I’d be back to gorging at the video trough.

Movies

iTunes movie rentals are straightforward. I think the rental price is fair. Supposedly the HD quality isn’t technically HD or as good as Blu-Ray, but I thought it looked really good.

Music

Yeah, it will play my music library too. That isn’t a small thing when pumped through your home stereo.

Photos

Being able to view my photos on the TV without needing to bring down a camera and plug it in is nice. And the interface is really slick. It adds Flickr support which doesn’t help me much as I am a SmugMug guy, but for a lot of folks this would be great.

Krema Nut Company

I recently stopped into the retail location of Krema Nut Company at 1000 West Goodale Boulevard.  Many times over the years, I have simply walked past the store. Why did I need to go in? After all, I usually purchased their peanut butter in the local groceries.

There are a few things in the retail store you can’t get at the grocery that makes it worth a separate trip.

• Hot & Spicy Peanut Butter - Sounds odd, but it works. I don’t know for certain, but I think this is the type of peanut butter used in Jeni’s Thai Lime Chili ice cream.
• You can arrange a tour of the factory by appointment.
• They have a small food area to make various peanut butter related items including milkshakes and sandwiches. The Peanut Butter and Nana is great, and one that intrigues me is the Kicker. The Kicker is  made with Hot & Spicy Peanut Butter and a Hot Raspberry(?) Jam from Rothschild Farms.

Graceland Cellars

Recently, I noticed some bottles of wine from Graceland Cellars at the grocery. As an Elvis fan, I have rarely been surprised to see the King used to sell many things, but I must admit that the wine thing strikes me as odd. It seems neither campy enough for the King, nor sophisticated enough for the wine fans.

One thing is for sure, the label on the Jailhouse Red Merlot looks great.

Brutus on Parade

To raise money for the renovation of The William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library, The Ohio State University is sponsoring ‘Brutus on Parade‘. If I had the talents to create one of these, I’d definitely do one. Brutus is, without question, the greatest college mascot of all time. Sorry Banana Slug fans.

What I will do is be sure to visit the different designs and take pics.

I ask, is the plural of Brutus, Bruti?

Mushrooms On Logs

I don’t claim to be a fungi expert. If this is a mushroom, toadstool or plain old spore, forgive me. Nevertheless, I found this while walking along the Olentangy Bike Trail. I have eaten many, many mushrooms over the years, but never harvested my own. I became especially fascinated by mushrooms in the wild after reading ‘The Omnivore’s Dilemma‘. I think they make interesting photos.

Here are a few more, but in color — the markings I find interesting.

Whetstone Prairie Grass

Photo taken in the Whetstone Prairie, near the Park of Roses in Clintonville. As the season unfolds, we should see more wildflowers and even sunflowers.