Ok – so my sister lives in Alaska – Anchorage to be precise and if you didn’t know it, there’s a volcano that’s erupting right now.  Mt Redoubt has shown signs of activity over the past couple of months and it resulted in an eruptive phase.  Luckily, Redoubt is far enough away from Anchorage that it’s not causing too many problems, but it has closed down the airport in Anchorage now and then.  My sister has reported that measurable ash has fallen only one or two times where she lives.  That’s good news.

Most people don’t realize that volcanic ash isn’t like the stuff you’d find in your fireplace; it’s actually pulverized rock.  Sometimes it can be the consistency of Comet cleanser, other times it’s much more gritty.  It can cuase serious damage to all types of engines not to mention the damage it can do to fragile humans and other forms of life.  So you see I have an interest in what’s going on.

To see for yourself, what’s going on at Mt. Redoubt, you can view these webcams that the Alaska Volcano Obserbatory has set up:

• Mt. Redoubt hut
• Unocal platform Anna
• Seismic station DFR

There are some pretty spectacular images to be seen, so check it out!

I’ve been using Dropbox for about 2 weeks now and I love it. I am able to keep needed files in synch between my work laptop, my personal laptop and my home desktop. And I can do it for free!

So, here’s how it works. Go to getdropbox.com to create an account and to download the software that you need – Windows, Mac and Linux.  Once you have the software, install it and you’re good to go.  I’m not sure how this works on a Mac or Linux system, but on Windows you can designate a directory that will act as your dropbox and then it is presented as a special folder – simple simple!  The nice people at dropbox have a product tour that explains so much more than I’m willing to expend the effort for.

So what I really like about this is that I have 2 GB of online storage to use to keep important or necessary files in synch between systems.  It’s secure so I can rest assured that anything important is safe.  I also not only have access to my files from the three computers I listed above, but I can also access the files from a web browser.  This option would come in handy when I have to troubleshoot my realtives’ computer as I do from time to time.

If you need more than 2 GB, there’s a pay to play option (Dropbox Pro) available, but for most people, 2 GB will do just fine, thank you.

Seriously, thanks dropbox guys!

Well, February in Chicago can only mean one thing – the Blackhawks are still losing. Actually, it means that the Auto Show hits town.

This year was a treat since I was able to go and look at all of the cool new cars with my sister who travelled down from Alaska to spend some time with the family. The group of us who went had fun, saw some cool cars, grabbed bags of crap from the manufacturers and had some more fun. Anyway, I took a buttload of images like I did last year. You will see some pretty cool cars in the images.

As you will be able to tell, I liked a couple of cars a little more than the others. First off, I like the Toyota FJ Cruiser form a vanity standpoint. Notice the great branding on the vehicle. I’m gonna have to get one in the upcoming years! And I hope Toyota is reading this – I need some cool free crap related to the FJ Cruiser!

I also really liked the Dodge Challenger – the car looked really cool at the show.

Have fun looking at all of the images!