Happy Chromebook box is happy

I received a Cr-48 Chromebook this week. I was about to take the box outside for recycling when I noticed something very interesting from across the room.

No Comments / Posted in: Cool, pointless, Tech

Spur of the moment voting

I voted today. Hooray!

I actually hadn’t planned on voting. I thought that I wasn’t registered to vote, but then I saw Nelson’s nifty I Voted Foursquare badge and got jealous. So I checked on the interweb and it turned out I was, in fact, registered to vote AND my polling place was less than one block from my apartment. So I got a nifty I Voted Foursquare badge as well.

My rent is too damn high

Also exciting: Jimmy McMillan, candidate for The Rent Is Too Damn High Party, was on my ballot. As high as my New York City rent is, and as much as I love handlebar mustaches, I will admit that I voted for a different gubernatorial candidate.

Hmmm, my rent is actually due today…I might be regretting my vote…

Meh, I’m sure you are who you say you are

I find it pretty crazy that a photo ID is not required. I just had to state my name and address after which they showed me my previously scanned signature (from the DMV) and then all I had to do was copy the signature directly below it. I guess if the two signatures look remotely similar then the trap door doesn’t open below you. My signature looks like two scribbles anyway so if someone wanted to impersonate me two years from now it probably wouldn’t be all that difficult.

Maybe they will be more daring than me and actually vote for The Rent Is Too Damn High Party…

1 Comment / Posted in: politics, Tech

One full year in New York City

As of this month I’ve been back on the east coast, and living in New York City, for exactly one year. It’s been a while since I’ve given any updates, so as I sit on a wifi equipped Virgin America flight from JFK to SFO for a short west coast visit, I felt that it is only fitting to reflect back on the past year and give an update on how things are going. So here goes:

Things are going great

There you go. Updated. Okay seriously, it’s turned out to be better than I ever expected. New York City is so much fun and there’s always stuff going on. Plus, you don’t have drive anywhere and worry about parking. Plus, there’s amazing food on every corner. Plus, the music scene is incredible. Plus, the seasons change.

In summary, I can’t think of anywhere I’d rather live at this stage of my life. But with that said:

New York City is expensive

I had been making steady progress on my student loans, but I feel like I’ve slowed down quite a bit since moving here. I’m not sure if it’s just the allure of a big city, but I find it harder not to splurge on things.

How long will I live here?

I don’t know, but I have no plans to leave anytime soon. I’m having too much fun and there’s a lot that I need to accomplish here. I’m guessing I’ll be a city slicker for at least the next four years. After that it might be time to mellow out in the suburbs somewhere, but then again, maybe not.

P.S. Gogo inflight wifi is pretty sweet.

P.P.S. The “Mile High” Foursquare badge I just earned is pretty sweet as well.

1 Comment / Posted in: life, Tech, travel

If you’re reading this in Google Reader, you just earned 1 ReaderAdvantage point

The secret is out. The “Mike L.” featured on Google Reader’s ReaderAdvantage™ Program landing page is actually Mike Leotta. As in the MikeLeotta.com Mike Leotta. As in me.

Why is my testimonial featured on this page? And what am I doing squatting in shallow water with ducks? I’m afraid I can’t offer an explanation for the latter but I can for the former: because it was my idea. Well, I actually had proposed the idea for Gmail, but they ended up going in a different direction (which I also had to help out with). So the Reader folks snagged it and modified it slightly.

I’m also responsible for a large portion of the stupid “fine print” at the bottom, which I wrote up very very late at night when I obviously think about Sasquatch more than usual.

Props to the Google Reader team for turning my stupid idea into something fun!

Oh, and don’t forget about that disclaimer link that’s always on the bottom of this site.

3 Comments / Posted in: pointless, Tech, wtf

Exploring a city with help from your iPhone and Google Transit

One thing that I really enjoy doing is flying to city that I’m unfamiliar with and doing some exploring. Of course flying means that I don’t have a car with me, and not having a car means that I have to rely on public transportation to get around. In the past this has involved fumbling with multiple bus route pamphlets and subway maps, trying to coordinate time schedules to get from point A to point B.

But ever since I got my iPhone and Apple integrated Google Transit into the Maps application, I haven’t even had to think anymore.

Let’s say I’m at some random point A. It doesn’t matter where I am. I don’t even have to know where I am. All I need to know is where I want to go, and I don’t even need to know the address of point B. I just search for the point of interest and let Google Maps find it for me:

From there I click the blue arrow from my desired result and then select “Directions To Here” on the following screen. “Current location” should be the default starting position on the following screen:

Now I just click “Route” and let the magic happen:

Bada boom! I don’t even have to think! Google Maps tells me where I need to be  at 7:15pm to catch the closest bus that will get me to my destination, as well as providing me with the trip cost and any transfers necessary. To see the itinerary in list view, click the page flap icon in the lower right corner:

Most cities will offer a two or three day unlimited metro pass, which is usually the best deal if you plan on doing some extreme exploring.

To see a list of global cities where Google Transit directions are available, visit the Google Transit site.

Happy exploring!

* Disclaimer – I work for Google, but I’m still allowed to think this is awesome.

1 Comment / Posted in: Tech, travel