I was never very good at math proofs (I could do math classes, but I'm sure I never came up with anything that wasn't an answer to a textbook question). This proof is pretty neat in that it's solving something relatively complicated, but the math works out so beautifully.
Polymathematics: Trekking Into the Desert
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
The New Math Of Global Warming
The math geek in me + the environmentalist just can't resist this set of slides:
The New Math Of Global Warming
The New Math Of Global Warming
Saturday, July 28, 2007
iBike WW29 (1) (2)
Double the bang for your buck, two biking posts in one.
Last Sunday was Da Vinci Days, and we took part in the festivities by watching the mud bog portion of the kinetic sculpture race, and walking around the main area checking out the booths. Fun was had by all (Tom, Mary, Simone and me). Mary and I rode our bikes (Simone jogged alongside), and I'm sure we rode at least half an hour.
Today, Simone and I took a nice long ride toward Oak Creek on the single speed. We rode around some of the neighborhoods out there - neat houses and yards. Simone napped for over half an hour (probably a little bored). Stats for the ride: 1h50min, average speed just over 10mph, for a total of nearly 18.5 miles.
Last Sunday was Da Vinci Days, and we took part in the festivities by watching the mud bog portion of the kinetic sculpture race, and walking around the main area checking out the booths. Fun was had by all (Tom, Mary, Simone and me). Mary and I rode our bikes (Simone jogged alongside), and I'm sure we rode at least half an hour.
Today, Simone and I took a nice long ride toward Oak Creek on the single speed. We rode around some of the neighborhoods out there - neat houses and yards. Simone napped for over half an hour (probably a little bored). Stats for the ride: 1h50min, average speed just over 10mph, for a total of nearly 18.5 miles.
Friday, July 27, 2007
Sleep and Jogging
I went for a jog last night with Simone. She decided it was her turn to ride in the Burley and I had to push her, so it was to be.
As she's not much of a talker, and I have trouble breathing, let alone talking, while running, I usually listen to my MP3 player. Last night's selection was an
episode of Radio Lab on sleep. A fascinating listen I must say. Did you know that birds, aquatic mammals and reptiles can put half of their brain to sleep at a time? Imagine 4 ducks sleeping on a log, the two in the middle sleep with both eyes closed, the ones on the ends sleep with one eye open, and after a chunk of time, the ones on the end stand up, turn around, and sleep with the other eye open.
I highly recommend giving it a listen. Radiolab in general does interesting stories and mixes the stories in a very unique and interesting way.
As she's not much of a talker, and I have trouble breathing, let alone talking, while running, I usually listen to my MP3 player. Last night's selection was an
episode of Radio Lab on sleep. A fascinating listen I must say. Did you know that birds, aquatic mammals and reptiles can put half of their brain to sleep at a time? Imagine 4 ducks sleeping on a log, the two in the middle sleep with both eyes closed, the ones on the ends sleep with one eye open, and after a chunk of time, the ones on the end stand up, turn around, and sleep with the other eye open.
I highly recommend giving it a listen. Radiolab in general does interesting stories and mixes the stories in a very unique and interesting way.
Duck!
Bad news for my grand kids (or perhaps their kids).
July 16, 1862: This Comet Has
Earth Written All Over It
Don't forget to duck come August 14th, 2126.
July 16, 1862: This Comet Has
Earth Written All Over It
Don't forget to duck come August 14th, 2126.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
iBike WW29 (1)
Another Simone ride. We kind of perused around the outskirts of town today, going over the hill by the country club, then back along the duck pond, out the midge cramer trail to oak creek and back. Simone slept for 45 minutes, and if she hadn't woken up when she did, we would have gone over Witham hill too.
Time: 1h15min
Time: 1h15min
Monday, July 16, 2007
Smart Simone
Wanna know how smart Simone is?
She made a meta-rattle the other day and played with it.
And you probably don't even know what one is...
(a rattle made from another rattle)
She made a meta-rattle the other day and played with it.
And you probably don't even know what one is...
(a rattle made from another rattle)
iBike WW28 (1)
Last Saturday was another ride to the market with Simone, though we took the longer route (via Walnut) to get there. We picked up some berries to eat and played in the fountain - which she loved. A nice day all in all.
Ride stats: time: 55min, distance ?
Ride stats: time: 55min, distance ?
Innovation at Risk
I've had many a discussion with friends about patents (specifically whether or not they should be applied to software). Here's an interesting book that's about to come out that looks at patents from an economic point of view - basically, are they adding to our economy or dragging it down.
Innovation at Risk
Three chapters are available on-line. The first is the introduction (worth reading), and I imagine that I should read the ninth so I can win the next debate.
Innovation at Risk
Three chapters are available on-line. The first is the introduction (worth reading), and I imagine that I should read the ninth so I can win the next debate.
Popcorn prices popping up
The demand for ethanol is forcing up prices for ice cream (b/c dairy herds are fed corn), and popcorn.
globeandmail.com: Ethanol demand sends corn prices popping
Of course, nobody seemed to care when Mexico complained their tortilla prices went up...
But rising food prices kind of misses the point. We now spend less than half of our disposable income on food than we did 75 years ago. The other day I saw an ad for meat at Safeway and beef was selling for $1.50 a pound. That's simply ridiculously cheap. It takes 10 times the energy and resources to grow a pound of beef than it does to grow a pound of produce, yet I can buy it for less than much of the fresh fruit at the store. Between 50% and 70% of the total cost of a beef cow is feed cost, and since most of the beef in the US is finished with corn, the price of corn will have a definite impact on the price we see at the store.
Needless to say, corn-fed beef isn't as healthy for you as grass-fed beef (higher CLA and Omega-3 fatty acids). Corn-fed beef have much higher of bacteria in their guts - requiring them to be fed antibiotics.
Anyway, considering the health impact of beef in general, and the environmental impact of growing beef (corn is a very petroleum-heavy food b/c of pesticides and fertilizer), I'd be happy if beef costs were higher in the store - something more along the line of the cost of fish ($7-$15 a pound).
globeandmail.com: Ethanol demand sends corn prices popping
Of course, nobody seemed to care when Mexico complained their tortilla prices went up...
But rising food prices kind of misses the point. We now spend less than half of our disposable income on food than we did 75 years ago. The other day I saw an ad for meat at Safeway and beef was selling for $1.50 a pound. That's simply ridiculously cheap. It takes 10 times the energy and resources to grow a pound of beef than it does to grow a pound of produce, yet I can buy it for less than much of the fresh fruit at the store. Between 50% and 70% of the total cost of a beef cow is feed cost, and since most of the beef in the US is finished with corn, the price of corn will have a definite impact on the price we see at the store.
Needless to say, corn-fed beef isn't as healthy for you as grass-fed beef (higher CLA and Omega-3 fatty acids). Corn-fed beef have much higher of bacteria in their guts - requiring them to be fed antibiotics.
Anyway, considering the health impact of beef in general, and the environmental impact of growing beef (corn is a very petroleum-heavy food b/c of pesticides and fertilizer), I'd be happy if beef costs were higher in the store - something more along the line of the cost of fish ($7-$15 a pound).
Saturday, July 07, 2007
iBike WW27 (1)
Simone and I rode downtown to pick up some fish for dinner. Beautiful sunny day, nice gentle ride. While downtown, we walked through the farmer's market and into the post office and that kind of thing. Simone got most excited when she saw the water fountain on the waterfront.
It's one of those fountains that is flush with the ground and has about two dozen water jets that shoot straight up. They turn on and off in different patterns and with different heights, and the kids love it. Simone started by just walking in the water that was draining off the side. Then she decided to go check out one of the spouts. After that she was shrieking like all the other kids, putting her hands into the spouts of water and walking from spout to spout. Lots of fun. She got to ride home in just her diaper because her clothes were soaked.
You can check the water fountain out here.
It's one of those fountains that is flush with the ground and has about two dozen water jets that shoot straight up. They turn on and off in different patterns and with different heights, and the kids love it. Simone started by just walking in the water that was draining off the side. Then she decided to go check out one of the spouts. After that she was shrieking like all the other kids, putting her hands into the spouts of water and walking from spout to spout. Lots of fun. She got to ride home in just her diaper because her clothes were soaked.
You can check the water fountain out here.
Friday, July 06, 2007
Beep
Beep!
That's Simone's first word. When the timer on the stove goes off, Mary and I often echo "beep" every time it does. Simone has picked up on that and she says, "beep" now.
That's Simone's first word. When the timer on the stove goes off, Mary and I often echo "beep" every time it does. Simone has picked up on that and she says, "beep" now.
Thursday, July 05, 2007
Learning to Walk
It's fun watching Simone starting to learn to walk. She's at the point where she sometimes tries walking while only holding on with one of her hands in yours, with the other one either free floating or holding onto the couch/chair.
One thing I've noticed is she seems to exhibit the kind of behaviors I remember when I first learned to rock climb. You get to a point where you're too tired to do anything but hold on, and you get scared b/c you need to move, but you can't. There's also the obvious problem of keeping your weight over your feet - same thing in both climbing and learning to walk. And there's always the fear of falling, even though you know it won't hurt (b/c you're either 2 inches off the ground, or you're tied in).
One thing I've noticed is she seems to exhibit the kind of behaviors I remember when I first learned to rock climb. You get to a point where you're too tired to do anything but hold on, and you get scared b/c you need to move, but you can't. There's also the obvious problem of keeping your weight over your feet - same thing in both climbing and learning to walk. And there's always the fear of falling, even though you know it won't hurt (b/c you're either 2 inches off the ground, or you're tied in).
Uber-cool reusable water bottle
So there's this guy in NYC who's trying to live w/no impact on the environment. Pretty ambitious goal, and he's taking his wife and kid along with him.
His latest post reminded me about an issue that bothers me a fair amount, bottled water. A bunch of friends of mine drink bottled water, and it's just wasteful. Anyway, I liked this guy's water bottle:
No Impact Man: My ultra cool reusable water bottle
His latest post reminded me about an issue that bothers me a fair amount, bottled water. A bunch of friends of mine drink bottled water, and it's just wasteful. Anyway, I liked this guy's water bottle:
No Impact Man: My ultra cool reusable water bottle
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Democrat versus Republican pardons
Like everyone right now, I have an opinion on W's commuting of Scooter Libby's jail sentence.
Of course Bush has the power to do that, he could commute the sentences of (or pardon outright)everyone in the jails, but that's not the point.
In general, the controversial pardons by Democrats appear to be different than the ones by Republicans. Bush Sr. pardoned folks involved in the Iran-Contra scandal, Bush Jr. pardons (well, commuted the sentence) someone in his administration involved in outing CIA agents, Ford pardons Nixon. Clinton, on the other hand, pardons rich folks who gave money to Democrats, and Carter pardoned Vietnam vets. Of recent presidents, only Reagan appears to not have had too controversial of pardons.
What's the difference between the Democrats and the Republicans? The Republicans all pardoned folks working for the Executive branch. That just seems like plain corruption to me. Republicans can get away with breaking laws when a Republican is president. There's no accountability. So the president (or vice-president) can have folks do shady deals, and the people doing them don't have to worry about being caught because they know they can get pardoned.
There's always going to be controversy over pardons, I'm not arguing the Democrats have only pardoned angels. I'm just saying that Republican presidents pardon people in the Executive branch, and that smacks of corruption to the core.
Not that I needed the Libby decision to show me that W is corrupt.
Of course Bush has the power to do that, he could commute the sentences of (or pardon outright)
In general, the controversial pardons by Democrats appear to be different than the ones by Republicans. Bush Sr. pardoned folks involved in the Iran-Contra scandal, Bush Jr. pardons (well, commuted the sentence) someone in his administration involved in outing CIA agents, Ford pardons Nixon. Clinton, on the other hand, pardons rich folks who gave money to Democrats, and Carter pardoned Vietnam vets. Of recent presidents, only Reagan appears to not have had too controversial of pardons.
What's the difference between the Democrats and the Republicans? The Republicans all pardoned folks working for the Executive branch. That just seems like plain corruption to me. Republicans can get away with breaking laws when a Republican is president. There's no accountability. So the president (or vice-president) can have folks do shady deals, and the people doing them don't have to worry about being caught because they know they can get pardoned.
There's always going to be controversy over pardons, I'm not arguing the Democrats have only pardoned angels. I'm just saying that Republican presidents pardon people in the Executive branch, and that smacks of corruption to the core.
Not that I needed the Libby decision to show me that W is corrupt.
Twinkle Twinkle
It turns out, "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" is the magic song that helps Simone stop crying. I don't know how Mary figured it out, but it works almost all the time. For example, last night Simone was having a little trouble staying asleep (really tired, but waking up periodically). She woke up really angry and I went in to check on her. As soon as I got to the line "how I wonder..." she'd stopped crying.
I'm sure the song will lose its magic soon and I'll have to resort to actual parenting, but it's pretty cute how she responds.
I'm sure the song will lose its magic soon and I'll have to resort to actual parenting, but it's pretty cute how she responds.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
iBike WW26 (1)
I connected with the guy from Craig's list on Tuesday and went for a ride in the forest. We biked to the top of McCulloch Peak and then down the trail known as South Side Slip. Again, I had trouble with the first section of that ride. Last time I just ran into a (small) tree, this time I did an endo and scraped myself up pretty well.
Some say that when you have an accident, time stops. My experience is a little different, I get a slight pause right at the beginning where I can revel in my imminent wreck, and then I'm picking myself up and surveying the damage.
With bruised ego, shoulder, and upper thigh I continued on the ride, enjoying most of it. At this time of the year the trails are pretty overgrown, and you just plow through small branches and point your tire where you think the trail continues. That was half the problem with my wreck, the trail was only about 6" wide, it wiggled, and grass obscured half of it. The other half of the problem is I obviously don't quite know what I'm doing.
Anyway, the ride was pretty good. Stats are: 1h54min, 9.4mph average, 18.15m total. And about 40 minutes of that was just riding to and from the gate.
Some say that when you have an accident, time stops. My experience is a little different, I get a slight pause right at the beginning where I can revel in my imminent wreck, and then I'm picking myself up and surveying the damage.
With bruised ego, shoulder, and upper thigh I continued on the ride, enjoying most of it. At this time of the year the trails are pretty overgrown, and you just plow through small branches and point your tire where you think the trail continues. That was half the problem with my wreck, the trail was only about 6" wide, it wiggled, and grass obscured half of it. The other half of the problem is I obviously don't quite know what I'm doing.
Anyway, the ride was pretty good. Stats are: 1h54min, 9.4mph average, 18.15m total. And about 40 minutes of that was just riding to and from the gate.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Sigh... Organic isn't
The USDA just approved non-organic ingredients to be allowed in food labeled "USDA Organic"
USDA Waters Down Organic Standards (TreeHugger)
Send a letter to the USDA NOW
USDA Waters Down Organic Standards (TreeHugger)
Send a letter to the USDA NOW
I've Had Interviews Like This
Way back, years ago, before I started telecommuting, I interviewed people. I don't know where Intel got its resumes, but HR managed to send us all the mediocre resumes with people who only lived up to their resumes by having the same name. I couldn't believe the depths of knowledge those folks had. There was only one guy I interviewed who I thought was a solid candidate (and he's still doing very well @ Intel).
Anyways, I saw this and it was deja-vu all over again:
F'd Factorial - Worse Than Failure
Anyways, I saw this and it was deja-vu all over again:
F'd Factorial - Worse Than Failure
An Overview of Peak Oil
I pay attention to a blog named "The Oil Drum" - it has very well written articles on energy - usually oil, but also ethanol, wind, solar, coal, etc. This was a nice overview of peak oil.
The Oil Drum | Peak Oil Overview - June 2007
The Oil Drum | Peak Oil Overview - June 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
39.4
Being the hippie-wanna-be that I am, I'm not crazy about driving an hour each way to work, it uses a lot of gas (in addition to taking a lot of time). I am happy to report that the Mazda has gotten over 39mpg each of the last two tanks, this morning it worked out to 39.4 miles per gallon. Pretty impressive for a 15 year old car. It also makes me angry that the auto-makers are fighting the increase in CAFE standarda...
Thursday, June 21, 2007
iBike WW25 (1)
I rode my full suspension bike this time - the first time in ... 8 months? I first had to change two flats, one of which was caused by a nasty thorn.
I was gonna meet a guy I'd connected with on Craig's List, but either he never showed, or I was a bit too late.
Anyway, it was a beautiful night and a nice ride. All the running has kept me in reasonable biking shape for (up) hills. The going down was a bit rough, I'm definitely out of practice with regards to dodging roots and trees.
Stats: 15.24 miles, 1h19min, for an average speed of 11.5mph.
I was gonna meet a guy I'd connected with on Craig's List, but either he never showed, or I was a bit too late.
Anyway, it was a beautiful night and a nice ride. All the running has kept me in reasonable biking shape for (up) hills. The going down was a bit rough, I'm definitely out of practice with regards to dodging roots and trees.
Stats: 15.24 miles, 1h19min, for an average speed of 11.5mph.
Some pictures from the mud party
Simone in the mud:
And the actual product of our (Simone's) work:
All pics from Mile's cob web photos page.
And the actual product of our (Simone's) work:
All pics from Mile's cob web photos page.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
So Many Things
Well, Simone passed the 1 year mark last month, and is about to round 13 months in a few days here. She's got 4 teeth with another starting to poke its way out. She's walking with assistance - just yesterday she walked the entire length of the hall plus the front room. And her personality is getting stronger and stronger (she does the Hulk thing where she holds her hands up and vibrates a little bit when she gets frustrated).
Simone no longer looks like a baby, she's looking more and more like a kid, so I guess we're past that stage (sigh...).
I finished the Intel job, had a party at Tim's place. I started the job at Mentor. Lots of nice little perks (the gym, the grounds, dual 1600x1200 monitors, an actual office). The job looks like it will be interesting - of course there's lots to learn, and I've (after a week) finally got all the hiccups out of my environment. Well, almost...
Last weekend we had a mud party where folks came down and mixed adobe and made bricks. Sam, Ingrid, Miles, Robe, Elizabeth, and Kirsten all showed up to help. Simone got to play in the mud (and eat a little too). Everyone had a great time, and the bricks are already dry enough to assemble - though that stage will happen later.
And, sadly, one of our cats, Jade, is missing. She's been gone for just over a week now. We don't know what happened, but fear the worst. Her leaving happened to coincide with a guy coming to clean the heater/dryer ducts, and Mary and I had noses that mislead us to think something had died in the dryer duct - so we crawled under the house and tore apart the ducting looking for Jade. Luckily it was just a case of hallucination. We're still hoping she's gonna come back home...
Note: upon hearing that Jade is missing, many people proceed to tell us of all the horrific things that might have happened to her. um.... thanks...
Simone no longer looks like a baby, she's looking more and more like a kid, so I guess we're past that stage (sigh...).
I finished the Intel job, had a party at Tim's place. I started the job at Mentor. Lots of nice little perks (the gym, the grounds, dual 1600x1200 monitors, an actual office). The job looks like it will be interesting - of course there's lots to learn, and I've (after a week) finally got all the hiccups out of my environment. Well, almost...
Last weekend we had a mud party where folks came down and mixed adobe and made bricks. Sam, Ingrid, Miles, Robe, Elizabeth, and Kirsten all showed up to help. Simone got to play in the mud (and eat a little too). Everyone had a great time, and the bricks are already dry enough to assemble - though that stage will happen later.
And, sadly, one of our cats, Jade, is missing. She's been gone for just over a week now. We don't know what happened, but fear the worst. Her leaving happened to coincide with a guy coming to clean the heater/dryer ducts, and Mary and I had noses that mislead us to think something had died in the dryer duct - so we crawled under the house and tore apart the ducting looking for Jade. Luckily it was just a case of hallucination. We're still hoping she's gonna come back home...
Note: upon hearing that Jade is missing, many people proceed to tell us of all the horrific things that might have happened to her. um.... thanks...
Saturday, June 16, 2007
iBike WW24 (1)
Just in the nick of time, I got my bike ride in. Saturday evening, en-route to picking up some dinner. Whew!
Stats: 38 min, 12.8 mph, 8.21 miles, (37 mph max).
Stats: 38 min, 12.8 mph, 8.21 miles, (37 mph max).
Friday, June 08, 2007
iBike WW23 (1)
Mary, Simone and I rode to swim class today. They held it outside because a party had taken over the pool inside. Simone liked class until the instructor dunked her a little too long - I even got it on video tape.
But it was a beautiful day, so we picked up some salad rolls, ate lunch in a park, got some groceries for the weekend, and slowly meandered our way home.
Ride: 9+ miles, about an hour.
But it was a beautiful day, so we picked up some salad rolls, ate lunch in a park, got some groceries for the weekend, and slowly meandered our way home.
Ride: 9+ miles, about an hour.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Bigfaceworm
The nickname 'bigfaceworm' was given to me by a guy on the freshman basketball team (way back in high school). Only a couple of guys on the team ever called me it (or some variant like BFW or Worm), but it's stuck in my head.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Leaving Intel
Today is my last day at Intel.
I leave with mixed feelings. At this point, I'm pretty happy to be starting something new (I'm going to Mentor Graphics). But I am sad to leave a lot of good friends, a very good group, and an exciting project with great potential.
For those who don't know the story (earlier, posts, are, here): the division decided that telecommuting was bad. I've been successfully telecommuting for 7 years now, but this was no longer allowed. I was told to move or quit, and after weighing the benefits of staying versus leaving, it was obvious I should leave.
I really liked the project and team I worked on, I think we wrote some pretty good software (doing things nobody else in the world has done yet). However, the department head who took over about two years ago has made lots of changes, and in the last year to year and a half, morale in the department has sunk and there is (still) a lot of uncertainty about the future. So, while I like the people in my immediate group, it's still unclear they will remain a team for more than a year. So... why stay with a team that may not be there?
I realize the new policy (no telecommuting) was not personal, but it was the straw that broke the camel's back. I certainly wish my old team the best of luck and continued success.
For me, however, it's time for a fresh start.
Note: For those who don't know, I live in Corvallis - which is at least a 90 minute commute to Intel.
I leave with mixed feelings. At this point, I'm pretty happy to be starting something new (I'm going to Mentor Graphics). But I am sad to leave a lot of good friends, a very good group, and an exciting project with great potential.
For those who don't know the story (earlier, posts, are, here): the division decided that telecommuting was bad. I've been successfully telecommuting for 7 years now, but this was no longer allowed. I was told to move or quit, and after weighing the benefits of staying versus leaving, it was obvious I should leave.
I really liked the project and team I worked on, I think we wrote some pretty good software (doing things nobody else in the world has done yet). However, the department head who took over about two years ago has made lots of changes, and in the last year to year and a half, morale in the department has sunk and there is (still) a lot of uncertainty about the future. So, while I like the people in my immediate group, it's still unclear they will remain a team for more than a year. So... why stay with a team that may not be there?
I realize the new policy (no telecommuting) was not personal, but it was the straw that broke the camel's back. I certainly wish my old team the best of luck and continued success.
For me, however, it's time for a fresh start.
Note: For those who don't know, I live in Corvallis - which is at least a 90 minute commute to Intel.
Monday, June 04, 2007
The Dilbert Blog: Rational Evil
Scott Adams is frequently funny in his blog, and sometimes he's even right. This time he's right and it's a bit depressing:
Recently I changed my opinion. While I think there was a period in the past when a different foreign policy would have brought us to a different point, we don’t have a time machine. We are where we are. And where we are is totally fucked.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
iBike WW22 (1)
A lovely day for a ride, Simone and I traveled to the farmer's market to pick up some veggies and strawberries (our bed just today gave up its first berry). We then came come via Witham hill so I could get a little bit of a workout. Still no functioning cycle computer.
Time: 45 min, Distance: 7 miles (?)
Time: 45 min, Distance: 7 miles (?)
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Scientists create new crop of genetically modified crops
A depressing report showing how the short-term profits are leading to long term problems. We'll soon have weeds we have no way of systematically getting rid of. It's kind of like the overuse of antibiotics.
Scientists create new crop of genetically modified crops | Gristmill.
Scientists create new crop of genetically modified crops | Gristmill.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
What Is Junk Food?
Here's a little quiz you can take to see if you know what junk food is (according to USDA standards). It's pretty shocking: the junk food quiz
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Two Weeks
I just gave my two weeks notice at work. In a short time my 11 years at Intel and will start a new career at Mentor Graphics. I'll be working on the GUI for the Calibre suite of tools.
Tis an exciting time.
Tis an exciting time.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Plastic or Paper?
I came across this article, it has an interesting breakdown of the energy used in producing plastic versus paper bags. It determines plastic is better.
Institute for Lifecycle Environmental Assessment
Of course the real way to reduce the impact is to reuse bags over and over, both plastic, paper, and cloth. That's what we do.
Institute for Lifecycle Environmental Assessment
Of course the real way to reduce the impact is to reuse bags over and over, both plastic, paper, and cloth. That's what we do.
Something to be ashamed of
Richest country in the world, worst health care. Oh, and it's the most expensive to boot. Study: U.S. care lags industrial countries
iBike WW21 (1)
A beautiful ride this morning toward Fitton Green with Simone. We stopped when the Burley got stuck in the grass (the trail got more and more narrow).
Stats: 8.96 miles, 26mph max, 49min, 10.8mph average. On single speed 32:18.
Stats: 8.96 miles, 26mph max, 49min, 10.8mph average. On single speed 32:18.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Koppel on NPR
Two weeks ago I heard Ted Koppel on NPR, he talked about how the Democrats Can Revel in GOP's Troubles, for Now. Basically he rails on the Democrats for not supporting Bush, mostly because they're gonna inherit the war and it'll be "their" problem at that point. What bothers me is he takes the (Republican) party line of "provide a better solution or get behind the President."
Why does that bother me? Well, for one, 65% of Americans want us out of Iraq, and the Democrats have only put together bills that would withdraw fighting forces (but no contractors, no "training" forces, and none of the support folks. So, even following the bill that got vetoed, the U.S. could have still have something like 80,000 troops over there. Lame Democrats, lame.
The second thing that gets me is that he's implying the Democrats are sitting on some master plan that could solve the mess in Iraq. Wake up and smell the IEDs, Iraq is a mess and there is no good way out. It's like losing a bunch of money in Vegas, there's no graceful exit, you just have to get out. Following the Bush "surge" is just throwing more bad money into the pot. The difference between Iraq and Vegas is that someone (the house) wins in Vegas, in Iraq there are only losers.
There's always the rumor that NPR is liberal, but studies have shown that NPR is conservative. Koppel is just furthering this trend.
Why does that bother me? Well, for one, 65% of Americans want us out of Iraq, and the Democrats have only put together bills that would withdraw fighting forces (but no contractors, no "training" forces, and none of the support folks. So, even following the bill that got vetoed, the U.S. could have still have something like 80,000 troops over there. Lame Democrats, lame.
The second thing that gets me is that he's implying the Democrats are sitting on some master plan that could solve the mess in Iraq. Wake up and smell the IEDs, Iraq is a mess and there is no good way out. It's like losing a bunch of money in Vegas, there's no graceful exit, you just have to get out. Following the Bush "surge" is just throwing more bad money into the pot. The difference between Iraq and Vegas is that someone (the house) wins in Vegas, in Iraq there are only losers.
There's always the rumor that NPR is liberal, but studies have shown that NPR is conservative. Koppel is just furthering this trend.
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
iBike WW20 (1)
Simone and I took the single speed out for a spin this fine morning. It'd had been a while since I had taken a long ride and vacation seemed like a good time to start back up.
We biked past Bald Hill and out to the Oak Creek entrance to the forest. Simone slept for quite a while while I biked up and down the fire lanes in the forest (no single track towing a Burley).
The lower gearing (32/18) did make the hill climbs a bit easier, and it was low enough that I spun my rear wheel a couple of times. I only had to walk once (and that was a really narrow and steep section after a long climb (I didn't want to disturb Simone who was sleeping).
I put the Burley through its most rigorous tests to date. First, I biked about 40 minutes on gravel roads and it held up just fine, Simone remained asleep even while flying down forest roads at 26+ miles per hour. Also, Simone can attest to the sturdy construction of the roll cage. While weaving through some narrow foot bridges near Bald hill, I cut one of the corners a little too sharply. The left tire hit the rail and Simone rode the Burley like she was trying out for the Dukes of Hazard. The Burley flopped on its side, and Simone remained snugly fastened in place in the middle of her seat, only looking a little confused because she had just woken up. Bravo to the Burley, keeping my little girl safe from my maniacal driving.
Stats for the ride: 1h52 min, 17.94 miles, 27mph max, 9.5mph average.
We biked past Bald Hill and out to the Oak Creek entrance to the forest. Simone slept for quite a while while I biked up and down the fire lanes in the forest (no single track towing a Burley).
The lower gearing (32/18) did make the hill climbs a bit easier, and it was low enough that I spun my rear wheel a couple of times. I only had to walk once (and that was a really narrow and steep section after a long climb (I didn't want to disturb Simone who was sleeping).
I put the Burley through its most rigorous tests to date. First, I biked about 40 minutes on gravel roads and it held up just fine, Simone remained asleep even while flying down forest roads at 26+ miles per hour. Also, Simone can attest to the sturdy construction of the roll cage. While weaving through some narrow foot bridges near Bald hill, I cut one of the corners a little too sharply. The left tire hit the rail and Simone rode the Burley like she was trying out for the Dukes of Hazard. The Burley flopped on its side, and Simone remained snugly fastened in place in the middle of her seat, only looking a little confused because she had just woken up. Bravo to the Burley, keeping my little girl safe from my maniacal driving.
Stats for the ride: 1h52 min, 17.94 miles, 27mph max, 9.5mph average.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Mother's Day 2007
We had the grandparents over for a Mother's Day brunch. Mary came up with the menu (I just nodded my head and drooled in anticipation). On Saturday, Simone and I did most of the shopping (while Mary had a chance to look at some fancy fibers spun by local women), and Mary did all the cooking. Well, almost all - I decided when to take the salmon off the grill - and I must say, it was perfect. I don't think I'd ever cooked a 3 pound fillet before.
Everyone enjoyed the food (salmon with yogurt dill sauce, eggs with cream cheese and basil, fresh (local) strawberries with a little Cointreau, applesauce spice muffins, and roasted asparagus). Afterwards we all took a walk around the duck pond.
Dad (grandpa) carried her a chunk of the way - she liked being up high.
"Who is this guy?"
I'm a ham for the camera.
And memere carried Simone nearly as high - on her shoulders (a first for Simone).
mmm... hair...
Everyone enjoyed the food (salmon with yogurt dill sauce, eggs with cream cheese and basil, fresh (local) strawberries with a little Cointreau, applesauce spice muffins, and roasted asparagus). Afterwards we all took a walk around the duck pond.
Dad (grandpa) carried her a chunk of the way - she liked being up high.
"Who is this guy?"
I'm a ham for the camera.
And memere carried Simone nearly as high - on her shoulders (a first for Simone).
mmm... hair...
Single Speed Baby!
I finally finished. Way back in 2004 I changed my old mountain bike into a single speed. But it was just a poor-man's single-speed - still having the original hub and a whole bunch of spacers.
For X-mas, Sam got me the fancy ENO hub, which allows you to convert a bike with vertical dropouts into a true single speed. And for my birthday, Mary got me a very nice rim and spokes. I built up the wheel a few weeks ago, and just today I put it all together. I just bought a vanilla BMX singlespeed freehub and 1/2" chain, and after a little cleaning, I assembled it with some help from Simone.
Here is the finished product in all it's glory. Note the lack of a derailer, it' just like the BMX bike you rode as a kid:
And here's a crummy picture of Simone helping me wash the bike:
Here's what Simone looks like if you zoom into the grainy photo:
I took it for a spin only to find out the rear brakes sounded like they were a flock of angry geese being slowly crushed. A quick brake tune-up and everything is good to go. I'll probably take my first full ride tomorrow.
Note: the new gearing is 32/18, as opposed to the 32/16 it was before.
For X-mas, Sam got me the fancy ENO hub, which allows you to convert a bike with vertical dropouts into a true single speed. And for my birthday, Mary got me a very nice rim and spokes. I built up the wheel a few weeks ago, and just today I put it all together. I just bought a vanilla BMX singlespeed freehub and 1/2" chain, and after a little cleaning, I assembled it with some help from Simone.
Here is the finished product in all it's glory. Note the lack of a derailer, it' just like the BMX bike you rode as a kid:
And here's a crummy picture of Simone helping me wash the bike:
Here's what Simone looks like if you zoom into the grainy photo:
I took it for a spin only to find out the rear brakes sounded like they were a flock of angry geese being slowly crushed. A quick brake tune-up and everything is good to go. I'll probably take my first full ride tomorrow.
Note: the new gearing is 32/18, as opposed to the 32/16 it was before.
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Greenbelt Land Trust
This group is dedicated to "enhance and protect open space" in the Corvallis area. They've got a run coming up in June I think I'll do. It's at Bald Hill (it'd be my first trail run ever).
Greenbelt Land Trust
Greenbelt Land Trust
Saturday, May 12, 2007
iBike WW19 (1)
Biked down to the farmer's market with Simone. Kind of a cloudy day, but we had a blast. 30 minutes worth of biking, a good hour of walking.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Just Sad
A vegan couple gets life over the death of their baby. This is sad for so many reasons.
The first is obviously that a baby died.
The second is that the parents ignorance/stupidity did it, the death was completely needless.
Third, if the quote is to be believed "I loved my son - and I did not starve him" just shows that the parents are still clueless, even after this tragedy.
Vegan couple gets life over baby's death - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com
Where was their prenatal care? Where was their postpartum care?
If you're a vegan, you know that paying attention to nutrition is important because your diet is very restricted. If you're going to have a baby, you have to know that it is going to need special nutrition.
I was going to accuse the couple of taking veganism too far and not feeding their baby the obvious breast milk (breast milk isn't vegan), but after a quick searchi I found a slightly longer article here
They did feed the baby some breast milk.
It does sound like they starved the baby. It appears they do not feel they are to blame in the baby's death. It is sad, and they should be punished.
Note: breast milk has everything a baby needs for the first year of life. Oh, and it's free you cheap bastards!
The first is obviously that a baby died.
The second is that the parents ignorance/stupidity did it, the death was completely needless.
Third, if the quote is to be believed "I loved my son - and I did not starve him" just shows that the parents are still clueless, even after this tragedy.
Vegan couple gets life over baby's death - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com
Where was their prenatal care? Where was their postpartum care?
If you're a vegan, you know that paying attention to nutrition is important because your diet is very restricted. If you're going to have a baby, you have to know that it is going to need special nutrition.
I was going to accuse the couple of taking veganism too far and not feeding their baby the obvious breast milk (breast milk isn't vegan), but after a quick searchi I found a slightly longer article here
They did feed the baby some breast milk.
It does sound like they starved the baby. It appears they do not feel they are to blame in the baby's death. It is sad, and they should be punished.
Note: breast milk has everything a baby needs for the first year of life. Oh, and it's free you cheap bastards!
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Dilbert on working at home
Given all the stuff that's going on at work, this was pretty funny. It's just a collection of 4 Dilbert strips regarding working at home.
CNN.com - Special Reports - Work at Home
Note: I'm not blogging about the work situation b/c my boss reads this blog sometimes, and I don't want to put him in an awkward position. Needless to say, upper management is taking its sweet time coming up with any clarifications on the policies that have sent me and my family into a quagmire of uncertainty.
CNN.com - Special Reports - Work at Home
Note: I'm not blogging about the work situation b/c my boss reads this blog sometimes, and I don't want to put him in an awkward position. Needless to say, upper management is taking its sweet time coming up with any clarifications on the policies that have sent me and my family into a quagmire of uncertainty.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Wedjaget That Bottled Water?
Ironic, do you know where your bottled water was bottled?
A brief note on some of the bottled watter (it's really just tap water, you're wasting your money) Wedjaget That Bottled Water? (TreeHugger)
A brief note on some of the bottled watter (it's really just tap water, you're wasting your money) Wedjaget That Bottled Water? (TreeHugger)
Simone Update
It's been a while since I've had a Simone update. She's nearly a year old now. What's she up to???
She loves to stand - can't get up there on her own, but she'll hang on to your leg or the ottoman for a long time. She still doesn't want to crawl but is starting to do the butt scoot (she goes backwards, kind of like a squid). Simone is getting more and more ticklish, and loves being thrown in the air. She's also beginning to play hide and seek - actually hiding herself.
Today Mary went walking with a friend, and Simone and I tagged along. We were walking in a new neighborhood that had a pretty cool looking playground, so Simone and I went off to investigate. It turns out, they had an infant swing set. Swing Simone, Swing!
Here are some of the pictures - she loved it.
She loves to stand - can't get up there on her own, but she'll hang on to your leg or the ottoman for a long time. She still doesn't want to crawl but is starting to do the butt scoot (she goes backwards, kind of like a squid). Simone is getting more and more ticklish, and loves being thrown in the air. She's also beginning to play hide and seek - actually hiding herself.
Today Mary went walking with a friend, and Simone and I tagged along. We were walking in a new neighborhood that had a pretty cool looking playground, so Simone and I went off to investigate. It turns out, they had an infant swing set. Swing Simone, Swing!
Here are some of the pictures - she loved it.
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Fun With Math
I saw the following question raised in a blog today:
The scary thing is that only 15% of doctors get the answer right. That's not very comforting if you're the one getting a mammography (or whatever screening).
The same problem applies to all these "security" measures that have been put in place, they may catch 80% of the actual terrorists (unlikely) but the policies also yield false positives. The problem is, if you screen 10 million passengers and have 1% false positive rate, that's 100000 false positives you have to sift through - wasting time and money, and not to mention, making 100000 folks very irritated.
Now I'm sure you're all wondering, just what is the answer to the breast cancer question?
7.8%
Here's an explanation: An Intuitive Explanation of Bayesian Reasoning
1% of women at age forty who participate in routine screening have breast cancer. 80% of women with breast cancer will get positive mammographies. 9.6% of women without breast cancer will also get positive mammographies. A woman in this age group had a positive mammography in a routine screening. What is the probability that she actually has breast cancer?
The scary thing is that only 15% of doctors get the answer right. That's not very comforting if you're the one getting a mammography (or whatever screening).
The same problem applies to all these "security" measures that have been put in place, they may catch 80% of the actual terrorists (unlikely) but the policies also yield false positives. The problem is, if you screen 10 million passengers and have 1% false positive rate, that's 100000 false positives you have to sift through - wasting time and money, and not to mention, making 100000 folks very irritated.
Now I'm sure you're all wondering, just what is the answer to the breast cancer question?
7.8%
Here's an explanation: An Intuitive Explanation of Bayesian Reasoning
Monday, April 30, 2007
Department of Huh?
We just got a Sharper Image catalog in the mail. Not sure why - we never buy anything from there.
On the front of the catalog, and spanning first few pages there are pictures of Donald Trump and steaks. Very odd, he's selling everything now: Trump Steaks Classic Collection
I mean, really, who wants to buy meat from him?
On the front of the catalog, and spanning first few pages there are pictures of Donald Trump and steaks. Very odd, he's selling everything now: Trump Steaks Classic Collection
I mean, really, who wants to buy meat from him?
Yo! Can you Yo-Yo?
Simply amazing. I'm sure if I knew anything about yo-yo tricks I'd be even more amazed. All I can do is around-the world and the rock the cradle.
1st with one yo-yo
1st with two yo-yo's
1st with one yo-yo
1st with two yo-yo's
Sunday, April 29, 2007
iBike WW18 (1)
Today we took a family bike ride to the club for family swim. The sun was out, and we didn't feel like doing any more yardwork, so we hitched up the trailer and biked.
Which means I also got my first bike ride in for the week. Nice and leisurely, about 45 minutes.
Which means I also got my first bike ride in for the week. Nice and leisurely, about 45 minutes.
Saturday, April 28, 2007
iBike WW17 (1)
Nice ride on the last day of the week. I took Simone out toward Fitton Green, which meant some nice climbing at the end (of the way out).
The ride was 45 minutes, not sure how long.
The ride was 45 minutes, not sure how long.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Clarification
A faithful reader of my blog pointed out that my recent posts about the whole job situation make it sound like I'm (we're) only staying because Mary wants to stay.
Let me clarify that. We both love living in Corvallis and would prefer continue living here and want to raise Simone here. Mary does have a good circle of friends and community here, and mine is less developed - but that's mostly because I work from home, and it's only been in the last year that I didn't spend half of the week up in Portland every week.
I love the co-op, the biking, the size (yeah, I didn't think I'd like that), our house, our friends, the local events, the Saturday market, etc. etc. etc.
I don't even know where I'd want to live if we were to move back to Portland. Corvallis is HOME and that's where we want to stay.
We may end up deciding to move (perhaps I get an exciting job at Google, perhaps I decide Intel is the place for me, perhaps something else), but staying is our priority.
Let me clarify that. We both love living in Corvallis and would prefer continue living here and want to raise Simone here. Mary does have a good circle of friends and community here, and mine is less developed - but that's mostly because I work from home, and it's only been in the last year that I didn't spend half of the week up in Portland every week.
I love the co-op, the biking, the size (yeah, I didn't think I'd like that), our house, our friends, the local events, the Saturday market, etc. etc. etc.
I don't even know where I'd want to live if we were to move back to Portland. Corvallis is HOME and that's where we want to stay.
We may end up deciding to move (perhaps I get an exciting job at Google, perhaps I decide Intel is the place for me, perhaps something else), but staying is our priority.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Job Update
If you've been following the blog, you'll remember that the wise leaders at work gave me an ultimatum, move or quit. A week and a half ago I had a meeting with my boss's boss's boss (and then my boss's boss the day after). I've not been keeping folks up to date.
Well, the first meeting went pretty well. He was the first boss to immediately realize what moving would do to Mary's practice (translation: she'd start over from nothing), which most people seem to not get. So, I think he got a good impression of me and why I want to remain in Corvallis. However, he definitely made his point that he was sort of stuck in the middle of having to implement a given policy, yet protect his workers.
The second meeting was fine. I asked up front if it would have any bearing on whether I would get an exemption from the rule or not, and it wouldn't, so I relaxed and just chatted about things. I'm a little cheesed that this boss isn't doing more to stand up for me, but it's not personal - he doesn't make waves period.
One unexpected thing came out of the second meeting, he (and my direct boss) were evidentially surprised as to my reaction to the ultimatum. (Hi boss!) I wasn't quite sure how to react to that. But I pointed out that there really was no point in reacting to vague rumors about something that might or might not apply to me.
Still, wouldn't I have moved earlier (say, some time in the past 7 years) if moving back to Portland was something I'd wanted to do? Ahem, sorry, "we'd" wanted to do, after all, it is a decision for both me and Mary. The boss^3 gave the impression he understood the interplay between a husband and wife, and the other boss's do too. Some of the folks I work with just don't get it though. I've a feeling that a number of them don't really care what their wives think about something like this and would expect the wife to uproot and move without thinking.
Anyway, the status is that I don't know any more than I did before. The boss's are going to try for an exception (I believe), but I've not heard 100% sure that's the case. And there's no ETA on when an exception might be granted or denied.
To make matters more complicated, I know of one guy in the department who hasn't been given the ultimatum (similar situation to mine), and I've not received anything in writing.
And, irony of ironies, in a company-wide meeting the CEO was asked if Intel was gonna let people telecommute more and his response was essentially, "yes, and we're ranked #1 in telecommuting companies." I'm still waiting to listen to the meeting (Intel is slow in getting the recording up).
Meanwhile, I've got my resume pretty much done. I chatted with a friend in Corvallis who gave some leads on companies in the area. I looked them up and some sound like they might be interesting. My friend is going to set up some meetings with the CEOs of a couple of them (they're small companies). I've also got a lead on an interesting job at Mentor Graphics working on software similar to what I'm doing right now, and I've got a lead with another CAD software company and expect to have a meeting with a VP there in a week or so.
I'm going to try to get an interview at Google, and we'd consider moving to California for a job there. Neither of us are crazy about living in the area Google is, but it's a dream company.
The #1 goal is to stay in Corvallis - all things being equal. However, if I can't stay here (either through getting an exception to the policy at Intel, getting a job locally, or getting one where I can telecommute), we'll consider moving. That being said, Portland won't be the only place we'll consider moving - all options are open.
Heck, I've even briefly considered teaching - I wanted to be a teacher when I was going into college...
Well, the first meeting went pretty well. He was the first boss to immediately realize what moving would do to Mary's practice (translation: she'd start over from nothing), which most people seem to not get. So, I think he got a good impression of me and why I want to remain in Corvallis. However, he definitely made his point that he was sort of stuck in the middle of having to implement a given policy, yet protect his workers.
The second meeting was fine. I asked up front if it would have any bearing on whether I would get an exemption from the rule or not, and it wouldn't, so I relaxed and just chatted about things. I'm a little cheesed that this boss isn't doing more to stand up for me, but it's not personal - he doesn't make waves period.
One unexpected thing came out of the second meeting, he (and my direct boss) were evidentially surprised as to my reaction to the ultimatum. (Hi boss!) I wasn't quite sure how to react to that. But I pointed out that there really was no point in reacting to vague rumors about something that might or might not apply to me.
Still, wouldn't I have moved earlier (say, some time in the past 7 years) if moving back to Portland was something I'd wanted to do? Ahem, sorry, "we'd" wanted to do, after all, it is a decision for both me and Mary. The boss^3 gave the impression he understood the interplay between a husband and wife, and the other boss's do too. Some of the folks I work with just don't get it though. I've a feeling that a number of them don't really care what their wives think about something like this and would expect the wife to uproot and move without thinking.
Anyway, the status is that I don't know any more than I did before. The boss's are going to try for an exception (I believe), but I've not heard 100% sure that's the case. And there's no ETA on when an exception might be granted or denied.
To make matters more complicated, I know of one guy in the department who hasn't been given the ultimatum (similar situation to mine), and I've not received anything in writing.
And, irony of ironies, in a company-wide meeting the CEO was asked if Intel was gonna let people telecommute more and his response was essentially, "yes, and we're ranked #1 in telecommuting companies." I'm still waiting to listen to the meeting (Intel is slow in getting the recording up).
Meanwhile, I've got my resume pretty much done. I chatted with a friend in Corvallis who gave some leads on companies in the area. I looked them up and some sound like they might be interesting. My friend is going to set up some meetings with the CEOs of a couple of them (they're small companies). I've also got a lead on an interesting job at Mentor Graphics working on software similar to what I'm doing right now, and I've got a lead with another CAD software company and expect to have a meeting with a VP there in a week or so.
I'm going to try to get an interview at Google, and we'd consider moving to California for a job there. Neither of us are crazy about living in the area Google is, but it's a dream company.
The #1 goal is to stay in Corvallis - all things being equal. However, if I can't stay here (either through getting an exception to the policy at Intel, getting a job locally, or getting one where I can telecommute), we'll consider moving. That being said, Portland won't be the only place we'll consider moving - all options are open.
Heck, I've even briefly considered teaching - I wanted to be a teacher when I was going into college...
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Running With Simone
I went on a run today with Simone. She's pretty quick for someone who can't quite yet get to her feet on her own.
I'm trying to build up my running so that the next triathlon isn't so painful. That means three times a week, building up to 12 miles a week. It's not my favorite thing to do, but I think it's necessary to improve my triathlon times. Plus, if I ever hope to run an Olympic triathlon, I've got to be able to run 6 miles without dying.
Anyway, Mary is out partying with some gal friends, so I thought I'd take Simone out for a jog. It'd been a lazy day for me and her so far, we'd not even left the house (it's raining pretty constantly). I set her up in the Burley with toys and pillows and a blanket and begin to jog. At my turnaround point I checked to see how she was doing, and it turns out she fell fast asleep.
Half-way back I reach up to rub my eye and I poke my contact out of my eye. Gaaah! I lose a contact while running, and it's been raining so the ground is wet. Talk about a needle in a haystack. Plus, I was running (super fast dontcha know) so I don't even know where it fell. Long, not so exciting, story short, I do find it on the path, and after a quick rinse in my mouth, back in it goes. Simone sleeps through the drama of it all, happily asleep.
If only I could feel as peaceful running as she looked sleeping.
I'm trying to build up my running so that the next triathlon isn't so painful. That means three times a week, building up to 12 miles a week. It's not my favorite thing to do, but I think it's necessary to improve my triathlon times. Plus, if I ever hope to run an Olympic triathlon, I've got to be able to run 6 miles without dying.
Anyway, Mary is out partying with some gal friends, so I thought I'd take Simone out for a jog. It'd been a lazy day for me and her so far, we'd not even left the house (it's raining pretty constantly). I set her up in the Burley with toys and pillows and a blanket and begin to jog. At my turnaround point I checked to see how she was doing, and it turns out she fell fast asleep.
Half-way back I reach up to rub my eye and I poke my contact out of my eye. Gaaah! I lose a contact while running, and it's been raining so the ground is wet. Talk about a needle in a haystack. Plus, I was running (super fast dontcha know) so I don't even know where it fell. Long, not so exciting, story short, I do find it on the path, and after a quick rinse in my mouth, back in it goes. Simone sleeps through the drama of it all, happily asleep.
If only I could feel as peaceful running as she looked sleeping.
iBike WW16 (1)
Took a lovely ride with Simone yesterday, through the covered bridge and Bald Hill, out toward Oak Creek, and over Witham Hill. She fell asleep at the end.
Time: 1 hour, distance: 13.2 miles
Time: 1 hour, distance: 13.2 miles
Friday, April 20, 2007
First Ever Self-Sleep
Simone fell asleep (for the night) all on her own tonight.
We usually either rock her to sleep or nurse her to sleep (well, I don't do the latter, lacking the necessary parts). But tonight, Mary was at a business networking meeting, and I was trying to cook some dinner, and Simone was dog tired. To keep herself awake, she was using her new-found ability to squeal a very high pitched noise at incredible volume (I'm sure it's nothing compared to a 2-year old, we'll get there).
So I got her all changed into night-time clothes and swaddled up and lay her in bed. I went back to cooking dinner, and not 5 minutes later she was very peaceful, and a couple minutes after that, asleep.
She's growing up so quickly.
We usually either rock her to sleep or nurse her to sleep (well, I don't do the latter, lacking the necessary parts). But tonight, Mary was at a business networking meeting, and I was trying to cook some dinner, and Simone was dog tired. To keep herself awake, she was using her new-found ability to squeal a very high pitched noise at incredible volume (I'm sure it's nothing compared to a 2-year old, we'll get there).
So I got her all changed into night-time clothes and swaddled up and lay her in bed. I went back to cooking dinner, and not 5 minutes later she was very peaceful, and a couple minutes after that, asleep.
She's growing up so quickly.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Virginia Tech
On Monday the crazy guy killed 31 people in a dorm and an engineering building at Virginia Tech. The country has had non-stop news coverage of this for days.
It is truly a horrible thing.
But, for comparison, that same day, some 45 people were killed by drunk drivers (using 2005 statistics). Drunk driving is much more preventable than predicting the behavior of crazy people.
Needless to say, Iraqis die at nearly twice that rate due to suicide bombs and militia violence. But I bet most Americans never make that connection.
It is truly a horrible thing.
But, for comparison, that same day, some 45 people were killed by drunk drivers (using 2005 statistics). Drunk driving is much more preventable than predicting the behavior of crazy people.
Needless to say, Iraqis die at nearly twice that rate due to suicide bombs and militia violence. But I bet most Americans never make that connection.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Sleepy, or not so
Many have asked how the resume and job hunt is coming. So far I don't know if my division leader will grant an exception for me, so my status at Intel is uncertain (we'd have to move to keep the job).
As far as outside of Intel, it's hard to say because I still don't have my resume done. Tonight I was going to take the long, rambling, detailed summary of my career at Intel (spanning 11 years) and condense it into a concise, powerful advertisement for yours truly. However, Mary and I spent the last 4 hours getting Simone to sleep.
Needless to say, nothing got accomplished on the resume.
On the plus side, I did get to listen to Depeche Mode single I hadn't played in a couple of years. I think the dancing finally wore her out.
As far as outside of Intel, it's hard to say because I still don't have my resume done. Tonight I was going to take the long, rambling, detailed summary of my career at Intel (spanning 11 years) and condense it into a concise, powerful advertisement for yours truly. However, Mary and I spent the last 4 hours getting Simone to sleep.
Needless to say, nothing got accomplished on the resume.
On the plus side, I did get to listen to Depeche Mode single I hadn't played in a couple of years. I think the dancing finally wore her out.
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Big Day Tomorrow
I get to meet my boss' boss' boss tomorrow. He's relatively new in the department (heck, all of the management from that level up is new in the past 2 years) and doesn't know me from a hole in the wall.
The question is, will my reasoning win him over to my side. I asked a friend who already talked to this guy, what was his reaction. About the only point the boss-man made that my friend wasn't ready for was that an HP VP recently revoked working from home for their employees (and HP originally backed flex-work and remote working from it's inception in '67). I did a little more looking, and it only applied to the IT folks, not everyone. And the stock may have gone up since then, but there's nothing to indicate it was the VP's decision. It could just as likely be the fact that the CEO spied on board members. Both things happened at the same time.
Also, in 1996, Sun's CEO mandated, "no more powerpoint" and it's stock rose from $3 to a high of $64 in late 2000. Should we ban powerpoint?
Anyway, I'm getting all riled up and have all sorts of facts and points about our department.
This boss-man has 17 teams under his reign. 11 of the 17 teams have either 2 or more people working in different sites, or the manager is in a different site than the majority of the team. That's nearly 2/3!!!! 4 of the 17 have the manager in a different site. How effective is that?
Not to mention that our team has 3 members in Hudson MA. We only overlap their working hours by 2.5 to 3 hours a day. Again, how effective?
I could go on and on, but I've got to keep things on an even keel. It's not personal, it's business. And pissing off the boss-man isn't a good way to keep your job.
Wish me luck.
The question is, will my reasoning win him over to my side. I asked a friend who already talked to this guy, what was his reaction. About the only point the boss-man made that my friend wasn't ready for was that an HP VP recently revoked working from home for their employees (and HP originally backed flex-work and remote working from it's inception in '67). I did a little more looking, and it only applied to the IT folks, not everyone. And the stock may have gone up since then, but there's nothing to indicate it was the VP's decision. It could just as likely be the fact that the CEO spied on board members. Both things happened at the same time.
Also, in 1996, Sun's CEO mandated, "no more powerpoint" and it's stock rose from $3 to a high of $64 in late 2000. Should we ban powerpoint?
Anyway, I'm getting all riled up and have all sorts of facts and points about our department.
This boss-man has 17 teams under his reign. 11 of the 17 teams have either 2 or more people working in different sites, or the manager is in a different site than the majority of the team. That's nearly 2/3!!!! 4 of the 17 have the manager in a different site. How effective is that?
Not to mention that our team has 3 members in Hudson MA. We only overlap their working hours by 2.5 to 3 hours a day. Again, how effective?
I could go on and on, but I've got to keep things on an even keel. It's not personal, it's business. And pissing off the boss-man isn't a good way to keep your job.
Wish me luck.
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
iBike WW15 (1)
Beautiful day today so Simone and I rode around at lunch, returning some library books and videos. The ride was over half an hour, but not very far. Simone still has trouble sitting up in the Burley, but she seems to enjoy herself.
Sunday, April 08, 2007
Beaver Freezer 2007 Results
The results are in. Without further ado: I placed 109th out of 242 total road racers, 82nd out of 131 men, and 7th out of 16 men aged 35-39 (road race). I'm about 3 minutes slower than my 2005 time, primarily due to my slower bike time.
All in all, I'm happy with the race, though I do wish I would have done better. I was really afraid my run was going to be way slow, so that was a nice bonus.
My goal for next year is 1:12. I think that's very doable. I just need to get my biking back in shape to where I was in 2005, and then take a minute off of each of my events (run/bike/swim). A minute off the swim might be difficult, but the bike and run should be pretty straight-forward. Heck, I'd like to take a good two minutes off my run. For reference, a 1:12 would have placed 53rd this year (and 71st in 2005). Plus, my T2 time is horrible, I guess I need to run faster in that transition.
How did the race play out? Well, as I donned my gear to bike over to the start the skies opened up and rained down. It poured. I got soaked and my stuff got pretty wet when I laid it out. Of course, 15 minutes before race the rain stopped completely and wouldn't start up again until I was biking home. Lesson: bring plastic garbage bags and don't lay your stuff out until the last minute (if it's raining).
I had a huge cheering section this year. Mary and Simone and my folks cheered me during the swim - I did actually hear them. I was in a lane with just two other people and they swam much slower so I had to stall with the breast stroke a couple of times before I was able to pass. The swim ended up feeling really good (other than the frustration) and pretty easy.
I ran out to my bike where the Mattsons and Bouchers rang their cowbells. The transition felt pretty fast and I was able to find everything I needed. On a nice day I might forgo the shirt, but it was cool enough that I was glad to put it on.
The bike started pretty well, though my legs did feel a little tired. I got passed by a number of people about half way out toward the first turnaround. That was the first sign that my bike ride wasn't as good as it was in 2005. I ended up playing leap-frog with a guy and a gal at the end, but sprinted to finish ahead of both of them. I think I could have pushed the bike a little harder. Lesson: do more swim/bike bricks to make the transition easier.
I revved up the RPMs during the last quarter mile of the ride - that's supposed to help your transition to the run. However, I just felt really winded during the transition. My fan club was standing next to my space to help me find my running shoes, but I was a little too (un)focused to find it quickly. Lesson: bring big chalk and mark up the sidewalk (or just look for my fans).
The run started pretty painfully. I tried to keep my steps short and the turnover fast, but I think it was more like short steps and slow turnover. The first mile and a half felt sluggish, real sluggish. Kelly timed my last lap (7:43 or something like that - which is just under a mile) which was when I finally started feeling like I could move. I pushed hard for nearly the whole lap - especially up the hill on the backstretch, and I'm sure I left a trail of smoke and flames turning into the center of the quad where the race finished. Lesson from the run: run more, run more, run more - and practice the bike/run brick more.
The race was a fun one - I made some folks laugh as I passed them (or they passed me) on the run, and everyone who showed up to cheer me on seemed to have fun (Elizabeth even showed up for my last lap). I'll definitely do it again next year.
goal: 1:12
| Stage | Time | Pace | Place in Stage | Cumulative Time | Cumulative Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swim | 8:12 | 1:38.4 | 66 | 8:12 | 66 |
| T1 | 2:22 | 87 | 10:34 | 64 | |
| Bike | 39:06 | 18.4 | 112 | 49:40 | 86 |
| T2 | 2:13 | 136 | 51:53 | 90 | |
| Run | 26:11 | 8:26.8 | 134 | 1:18:04 | 109 |
All in all, I'm happy with the race, though I do wish I would have done better. I was really afraid my run was going to be way slow, so that was a nice bonus.
My goal for next year is 1:12. I think that's very doable. I just need to get my biking back in shape to where I was in 2005, and then take a minute off of each of my events (run/bike/swim). A minute off the swim might be difficult, but the bike and run should be pretty straight-forward. Heck, I'd like to take a good two minutes off my run. For reference, a 1:12 would have placed 53rd this year (and 71st in 2005). Plus, my T2 time is horrible, I guess I need to run faster in that transition.
How did the race play out? Well, as I donned my gear to bike over to the start the skies opened up and rained down. It poured. I got soaked and my stuff got pretty wet when I laid it out. Of course, 15 minutes before race the rain stopped completely and wouldn't start up again until I was biking home. Lesson: bring plastic garbage bags and don't lay your stuff out until the last minute (if it's raining).
I had a huge cheering section this year. Mary and Simone and my folks cheered me during the swim - I did actually hear them. I was in a lane with just two other people and they swam much slower so I had to stall with the breast stroke a couple of times before I was able to pass. The swim ended up feeling really good (other than the frustration) and pretty easy.
I ran out to my bike where the Mattsons and Bouchers rang their cowbells. The transition felt pretty fast and I was able to find everything I needed. On a nice day I might forgo the shirt, but it was cool enough that I was glad to put it on.
The bike started pretty well, though my legs did feel a little tired. I got passed by a number of people about half way out toward the first turnaround. That was the first sign that my bike ride wasn't as good as it was in 2005. I ended up playing leap-frog with a guy and a gal at the end, but sprinted to finish ahead of both of them. I think I could have pushed the bike a little harder. Lesson: do more swim/bike bricks to make the transition easier.
I revved up the RPMs during the last quarter mile of the ride - that's supposed to help your transition to the run. However, I just felt really winded during the transition. My fan club was standing next to my space to help me find my running shoes, but I was a little too (un)focused to find it quickly. Lesson: bring big chalk and mark up the sidewalk (or just look for my fans).
The run started pretty painfully. I tried to keep my steps short and the turnover fast, but I think it was more like short steps and slow turnover. The first mile and a half felt sluggish, real sluggish. Kelly timed my last lap (7:43 or something like that - which is just under a mile) which was when I finally started feeling like I could move. I pushed hard for nearly the whole lap - especially up the hill on the backstretch, and I'm sure I left a trail of smoke and flames turning into the center of the quad where the race finished. Lesson from the run: run more, run more, run more - and practice the bike/run brick more.
The race was a fun one - I made some folks laugh as I passed them (or they passed me) on the run, and everyone who showed up to cheer me on seemed to have fun (Elizabeth even showed up for my last lap). I'll definitely do it again next year.
goal: 1:12
Friday, April 06, 2007
10k
No, I'm not ready to run one yet, just a milestone: my blog has 10000 hits. Which is nothing for a web page, but a milestone for me.
iBike WW14 (1)
I rode the Beaver Freezer bike route on Thursday, just to remind myself what I'll be in for.
I've no idea how long it took - it was at least 30 minutes though b/c it's 12 miles long, and I can't bike 24MPH for half an hour on a flat course, let alone one with hills. I'll do it again tomorrow, after a swim, and before a run. woo-hoo
I've no idea how long it took - it was at least 30 minutes though b/c it's 12 miles long, and I can't bike 24MPH for half an hour on a flat course, let alone one with hills. I'll do it again tomorrow, after a swim, and before a run. woo-hoo
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Move or Quit
I've been working from home for nearly 7 years now. In 2000 I asked my boss if I could work part-time from Corvallis because Mary was moving there. He agreed, and I've done work ever since.
The mother organization (12000 employees) has made the decision that people working remotely is not to be allowed. I must either move up to Portland (Santa Clara, CA and Hudson, MA are also allowed) or quit.
That's the short version. The long version involves showing how inconsistent the policy is, how it is not being applied to all employees, and it doesn't fit all departments. But I won't go into that now.
Needless to say, Mary and I are looking at all of our opportunities. I may stay at Intel and we may move up to the Portland area. I might find employment elsewhere. And I can always commute every day up to Portland.
According to the rules, we've got until the end of August to make a decision.
I am, of course, hurt/angry/frustrated by this. While some folks are trying to get an exception made for me, it really makes me concerned for the future of the software department that I (for now) work for.
The mother organization (12000 employees) has made the decision that people working remotely is not to be allowed. I must either move up to Portland (Santa Clara, CA and Hudson, MA are also allowed) or quit.
That's the short version. The long version involves showing how inconsistent the policy is, how it is not being applied to all employees, and it doesn't fit all departments. But I won't go into that now.
Needless to say, Mary and I are looking at all of our opportunities. I may stay at Intel and we may move up to the Portland area. I might find employment elsewhere. And I can always commute every day up to Portland.
According to the rules, we've got until the end of August to make a decision.
I am, of course, hurt/angry/frustrated by this. While some folks are trying to get an exception made for me, it really makes me concerned for the future of the software department that I (for now) work for.
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Don't Mess With Our Chocolate
The FDA is considering changing the definition of chocolate, namely to eliminate the need for cocoa butter as an ingredient (and to allow "milk" chocolate to contain only milk substitutes).
If you don't like this idea, then visit http://www.dontmesswithourchocolate.com to read more and submit a comment to the FDA.
Do it now - it only takes a minute or two, and the deadline for comments is April 25, 2007.
If you don't like this idea, then visit http://www.dontmesswithourchocolate.com to read more and submit a comment to the FDA.
Do it now - it only takes a minute or two, and the deadline for comments is April 25, 2007.
Monday, April 02, 2007
First Tooth
Simone has her first tooth - it's on her lower jaw. It's just barely out, but we're calling it good.
She also now shakes her head back and forth like Stevie Wonder when you do.
The fun never stops at the Jackson household.
She also now shakes her head back and forth like Stevie Wonder when you do.
The fun never stops at the Jackson household.
Funny, yet depressing
JibJab is back at it again, with a video that's funny and depressing at the same time:
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Podcasting
I pay attention to a couple of podcasts using Sage (a Firefox plugin). But it's a pain to manually download each of the .mp3's, and I didn't want to use iTunes to do it for me.
Turns out there's a pretty nice, free (as in GPL) podcast receiver. You just add the feeds you want and it'll download them for you. It also does a nice job of letting you clean them up (delete them) when you're done.
Check it out - click on the button:
Turns out there's a pretty nice, free (as in GPL) podcast receiver. You just add the feeds you want and it'll download them for you. It also does a nice job of letting you clean them up (delete them) when you're done.
Check it out - click on the button:
iBike WW13 (1)
My second ride of the year on my road bike. Still no cycle-computer so I don't know the distance (probably 8-9 miles), but I rode hard for 30 minutes. Just out around Philomath.
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Sadly, It's Not A Parody
I was led to this post and I thought it was funny, until I realized he was serious.
A choice quote:
The post in full is here: Meeting Scientists Behind Closed Doors - Answers in Genesis
A choice quote:
“Based on genetics, I think Adam’s chest hair needs to be short, like Sean Connery’s.”
The post in full is here: Meeting Scientists Behind Closed Doors - Answers in Genesis
Saturday, March 24, 2007
iBike WW 12 (1)
Today was the triathlon clinic at the Osborne aquatic center. We basically did a sprint triathlon and got some tips from some pros (one of the guys finished the 2005 Hawaii Iron Man in 9:39 (205 of 1600)). It was pretty fun - we got video taped while swimming. It turns out my swim stroke is pretty good (need to get my elbow up earlier, but most things are working well) - probably the best thing would be to reduce the drag of my belly (which hangs down pretty low...).
Anyway, I did the long ride (20 miles), and I biked there and back, so that's my ride for the week. I hadn't been on my road bike for probably near 2 years, so the cycle computer needs a new battery.
The beaver freezer is in 2 weeks - hopefully the run then won't be as bad as the run was today.
Anyway, I did the long ride (20 miles), and I biked there and back, so that's my ride for the week. I hadn't been on my road bike for probably near 2 years, so the cycle computer needs a new battery.
The beaver freezer is in 2 weeks - hopefully the run then won't be as bad as the run was today.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Shorts
So, I was leaving work on Wednesday. It'd been a sunny day, but a bit cool. As I was walking through the parking lot I saw a guy heading toward his car wearing a heavy jacket and shorts. I immediately thought, "dork, who wears shorts when it's chilly."
For those who don't interact with me much, I almost always wear shorts - except formal occasions and when I ski. I just had to laugh to myself as I said "dork" - but it just came out.
For those who don't interact with me much, I almost always wear shorts - except formal occasions and when I ski. I just had to laugh to myself as I said "dork" - but it just came out.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Holupchi
Mary made Holupchi for dinner. mmmm...
It's a Ukrainian recipe consisting of savoy cabbage leaves stuffed with ground beef and pork and cooked rice. You cook it slowly for a few hours in some chopped tomatoes (oh, and add onion/garlic to either the rice mixture, or the tomatoes).
Very tasty. The few internet recipes have egg in them, and some odd spices I don't believe they had in the Ukraine, so I think we'll stick to salt and pepper.
It's a Ukrainian recipe consisting of savoy cabbage leaves stuffed with ground beef and pork and cooked rice. You cook it slowly for a few hours in some chopped tomatoes (oh, and add onion/garlic to either the rice mixture, or the tomatoes).
Very tasty. The few internet recipes have egg in them, and some odd spices I don't believe they had in the Ukraine, so I think we'll stick to salt and pepper.
Blowing Bubbles
Tonight Simone figured out how to blow bubbles under water. We were taking a bath, she stuck her mouth into the water and blew bubbles. Occasionally she'd breathe in a tad bit of water, but by the end of the bath - she almost never sucked in water.
And to think, I still have problems blowing bubbles when I am under water.
And to think, I still have problems blowing bubbles when I am under water.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Simone 9.5
She's nearly ten months old. scary.
Lucky for us, she's not crawling yet, so we can still run circles around her. Before long, she'll be flip the tables on us, and then we won't know what to do.
Today was a beautiful spring day, so we decided to do some yardwork. We conned a friend's kid into mowing the lawn (woo-hoo), and did the weeding and pruning ourselves. Simone even tried helping out - she got her first taste of grass.
mmmm.... grass....
mmmm.... phone....
Dad, stop taking pictures and help me up!
She's obviously sitting up and grabbing things. She's actually gotten to the point where not everything immediately goes into her mouth. She looked at the grass for quite a while before tasting it.
Simone's laughing lots more, and still gurlges on command. Just this week she learned how to make the clucking sound by ... um, well combining your tongue and the roof of your mouth.
She's playing the piano, and drumming any two things she has in her hands together. The favorite toys seem to have moved away from the mint tin and wooden ring to a quarter cup measuring cup.
Each day is an adventure.
Lucky for us, she's not crawling yet, so we can still run circles around her. Before long, she'll be flip the tables on us, and then we won't know what to do.
Today was a beautiful spring day, so we decided to do some yardwork. We conned a friend's kid into mowing the lawn (woo-hoo), and did the weeding and pruning ourselves. Simone even tried helping out - she got her first taste of grass.
mmmm.... grass....
mmmm.... phone....
Dad, stop taking pictures and help me up!
She's obviously sitting up and grabbing things. She's actually gotten to the point where not everything immediately goes into her mouth. She looked at the grass for quite a while before tasting it.
Simone's laughing lots more, and still gurlges on command. Just this week she learned how to make the clucking sound by ... um, well combining your tongue and the roof of your mouth.
She's playing the piano, and drumming any two things she has in her hands together. The favorite toys seem to have moved away from the mint tin and wooden ring to a quarter cup measuring cup.
Each day is an adventure.
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Root Beer Remixed
So, I decided to make root beer again. The first two times I made it I used yeast for the carbonation, which gave nice bubbles, but had a little bit of a yeasty flavor.
This time I sweetened the batch with maple syrup (and a little sugar), and I tried carbonating the bottles with dry ice. A guy at work talked about how he did that for his beer and it worked really well. In fact, he wasn't using yeast for carbonation any longer.
I grabbed some dry ice from the store, mixed up my brew, and dropped some small chunks of frozen CO2 in the bottles. The guy had said pea-sized chunks worked well.
I'm here to say, bull-sh*t. A pea-sized chunk of dry ice in my 16 ounce bottles blew the cap right off. I've got the nice, sturdy glass bottles with the wire bale swing-top cap. While testing one of the early bottles out, I popped the top and the entire wire bale mechanism shot off the bottle and hid under the cupboards. Needless to say, I was a bit spooked. My sunglasses and yellow fabric gloves weren't going to be enough to protect me against that danger.
I popped the couple of bottles I'd already done to let them de-pressurize (two more bales came flying off. And I looked for even smaller chunks of ice. The "right" size appears to be about the size of a cooked lentil. We'll see tomorrow. I'll be opening them with a towel over the top to keep from breaking something.
This time I sweetened the batch with maple syrup (and a little sugar), and I tried carbonating the bottles with dry ice. A guy at work talked about how he did that for his beer and it worked really well. In fact, he wasn't using yeast for carbonation any longer.
I grabbed some dry ice from the store, mixed up my brew, and dropped some small chunks of frozen CO2 in the bottles. The guy had said pea-sized chunks worked well.
I'm here to say, bull-sh*t. A pea-sized chunk of dry ice in my 16 ounce bottles blew the cap right off. I've got the nice, sturdy glass bottles with the wire bale swing-top cap. While testing one of the early bottles out, I popped the top and the entire wire bale mechanism shot off the bottle and hid under the cupboards. Needless to say, I was a bit spooked. My sunglasses and yellow fabric gloves weren't going to be enough to protect me against that danger.
I popped the couple of bottles I'd already done to let them de-pressurize (two more bales came flying off. And I looked for even smaller chunks of ice. The "right" size appears to be about the size of a cooked lentil. We'll see tomorrow. I'll be opening them with a towel over the top to keep from breaking something.
iBike WW11 (1)
Just another ride to the gym for tri-training (over Witham Hill).
Stats: 35 min, 13 mph, 7.77 miles.
Stats: 35 min, 13 mph, 7.77 miles.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
iBike WW10 (3)
I rode to the gym today, and since the last ride took just over 32 minutes, I wanted to try to get it under 30.
I also happened to fall off my bike. It was my fault - about the only excuse for going over the handlebars is a stick in the wheel, which didn't happen today. I was at a four-way stop sign, rolling along real slow, waiting for the driver going the other direction to give an indication of what she was going to do (go straight through intersection, or turn left - and cross my path). I waited a couple of seconds until my legs said, "let's go boys!" and I stood up on the pedals, beginning to start going. At just that time, the lady turned on her left-hand turn signal, and my brain said, "whoa there!" and I hit the brakes. What happens when your bike stops suddenly and your center of gravity is way high? You go over the handlebars.
I mostly scraped my left elbow, and my inner thighs got a nice set of scratches from the handlebars. I continued on to the gym (where I did a lighter workout), and biked home.
I did make it in less than 30 minutes though:
time: 28:13, 14.9 mph, 7.01 miles total.
I also happened to fall off my bike. It was my fault - about the only excuse for going over the handlebars is a stick in the wheel, which didn't happen today. I was at a four-way stop sign, rolling along real slow, waiting for the driver going the other direction to give an indication of what she was going to do (go straight through intersection, or turn left - and cross my path). I waited a couple of seconds until my legs said, "let's go boys!" and I stood up on the pedals, beginning to start going. At just that time, the lady turned on her left-hand turn signal, and my brain said, "whoa there!" and I hit the brakes. What happens when your bike stops suddenly and your center of gravity is way high? You go over the handlebars.
I mostly scraped my left elbow, and my inner thighs got a nice set of scratches from the handlebars. I continued on to the gym (where I did a lighter workout), and biked home.
I did make it in less than 30 minutes though:
time: 28:13, 14.9 mph, 7.01 miles total.
Monday, March 05, 2007
Bunk as News
Good article, with an interesting idea on how to make it possible to have real news. Ironically, the article is in some ways an advertisement for a book Why the media passes off bunk as news - Yahoo! News. I'm sure the irony is not lost on its author.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
iBike WW10 (1)
Another beautiful day. I rode to the gym and back. Why go to the gym on a beautiful day? Well, my body isn't ready to run on pavement, and I've got a triathlon in just over a month.
Ride stats: 13.6 mph, 10.5 miles, 46 minutes. The ride went past bald hill, out Walnut to TimberHill, and then back pas the north store of the co-op to pick up some potatoes for dinner.
Ride stats: 13.6 mph, 10.5 miles, 46 minutes. The ride went past bald hill, out Walnut to TimberHill, and then back pas the north store of the co-op to pick up some potatoes for dinner.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
iBike WW09 (1)
Today was one of the only days this week that wasn't raining nasty, and it is the last day of the week - so I lucked out.
Simone and I rode downtown to pick up some library books for me and some bolts for the bed frame that needs some fixing. We also wandered around downtown because it was just so pretty. After paying for the bolts, and my library fine, I had $2 left, so I bought an over-priced cookie at one of the shops. Simone got her first look at a drinking fountain - I showed it to her and she stuck her hand in the water.
We then rode back through campus and the covered bridge. A very nice leisurely ride.
Stats: 36 minutes, 10.5 mph, 6.5 miles.
Simone and I rode downtown to pick up some library books for me and some bolts for the bed frame that needs some fixing. We also wandered around downtown because it was just so pretty. After paying for the bolts, and my library fine, I had $2 left, so I bought an over-priced cookie at one of the shops. Simone got her first look at a drinking fountain - I showed it to her and she stuck her hand in the water.
We then rode back through campus and the covered bridge. A very nice leisurely ride.
Stats: 36 minutes, 10.5 mph, 6.5 miles.
iBike WW08 (3)
The third ride of the week was a simple criss-cross of the country club hill. I try to put hills in to keep the workout somewhat challenging. I happened to choose the only hour during the day that wasn't raining heavily.
Ride stats: 38 min, 12.2 mph, 7.82 miles total.
Ride stats: 38 min, 12.2 mph, 7.82 miles total.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Random thoughts from the last week
Lately I've had it against capitalism lately. I must be turning socialist or something. I'm just getting tired of the crowd that tries to solve all our problems by applying market forces (capitalism).
The first thing is schools. Vouchers don't seem to be in the news as much, but they make as much sense as do the "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) policies. Under NCLB, if your school isn't performing, then they get punished, and kids can go to other schools (with your school footing the bus bill no less).
Sure, there are better teachers and there are worse teachers. There are better (more modern, better equipped, not running down, etc.) schools, and there are worse. However, I seriously doubt that the rich, white, suburban school has twice as good of teachers than the poor, multi-racial, inner-city school. Heck, they've even found that the public schools teach math better than private ones (once adjusting for background).
So, how does shuttling around a bunch of kids who are not doing well in school solve the problem? It just blames teachers and doesn't address anything. Vouchers seem nifty because the folks that (can) take advantage of them already have money and already value education - their kids are going to do better in school. And, you leave behind the ones that value education less, have more problems at home, etc. I'm no expert, but it's difficult for Johnny to do his homework if he's worrying if mom's gonna get home with dinner tonight or not. When was the last time you had to worry about eating? (Let alone worrying about getting shot because your brother is in a gang...)
The NCLB thing just doesn't pass the sniff test. Kids are not untainted raw material, and teachers are not craftsmen. Take the analogy of kids == wood, and teachers == furniture makers. The cities are full of trees/lumber, and we need to turn all lumber into furniture. If an inner city shop (school) is having to spend all of it's time/energy drying the wood, planing it flat, working around knots, it's just not going to be able to compete against the suburban school that is receiving dried, knot-free wood. NCLB and vouchers simply end up concentrating the poor wood in the "problem" shops. Eventually, that poor wood is going to make it to the suburbs and we'll be back where we started.
Before you get all high and mighty, I'm not saying that inner-city folks are knotty and the such, but in general, with lower income, the kids come in with more baggage. The kids aren't flawed, their environment is. That's what we need to fix.
And I do think the teacher's union needs to figure out how to get rid of dead wood. We had some really bad teachers in my high school. The other teachers knew about them, but there's not much you can do b/c of the tenure. But that's another digression...
Back to capitalism. Miles and I were having an interesting discussion on health care. My main beef is that I think that when you try to make a profit off health care, profit becomes #1, and patients take the back seat. Costs are rising for all sorts of reasons, but costs for non-profit health-care providers have gone up more slowly than that of for-profit providers. Anyway, I don't intend to rehash our discussion, but I did find this interesting article that shows two sides to the debate (I'm sure there are more sides than just these two).
Long-Run Health Care Cost Drivers.
Similarly, newspapers. They're in a world of hurt because readership is down, and they're losing advertising revenue. So the LA Times is looking at what to do to address the situation. Well, the LA Times thinking of closing down its foreign bureau, because it is not making enough money. I don't think it's creative editing that makes the investors sound like they want to turn the LA Times into something of a tabloid (like People magazine). A quote:
Mr. Bobrinskoy (vice-chairman of one of the major investors of the LA Times:
So, you've got an investor wanting more money, not caring about the news - the first three things he lists as priorities are exactly what People magazine covers.
You can't expect everything to continue to grow or to make more money, it's just not realistic, and that demand pushes organizations in the wrong direction. At some point, you have to push back against capitalist pressures, because at some point they will push you away from your original goal. If you are a newspaper, you should be reporting news. Simply trying to maximize money leads us down the road to a common low - tabloids.
The recent killer-diaper-wearing-astronaut and Anna Nicole Smith stories are just examples of it. For a week, they were two of the five top stories. The Anna Nicole Smith one has been in the top five for a few weeks now. How is this news? It's not, it's "entertainment." The businesses may hide behind the excuse that, "it's what readers want" - but that's simply lame. We also want to eat fat, salt, and sugar all day, but at some point you have to say enough is enough, we should be eating vegetables.
Enough is enough, we should be getting real news.
capitalism - applied to schools (voucher system, no child left behind)
just doesn't apply well to everything
e.g. food
The first thing is schools. Vouchers don't seem to be in the news as much, but they make as much sense as do the "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) policies. Under NCLB, if your school isn't performing, then they get punished, and kids can go to other schools (with your school footing the bus bill no less).
Sure, there are better teachers and there are worse teachers. There are better (more modern, better equipped, not running down, etc.) schools, and there are worse. However, I seriously doubt that the rich, white, suburban school has twice as good of teachers than the poor, multi-racial, inner-city school. Heck, they've even found that the public schools teach math better than private ones (once adjusting for background).
So, how does shuttling around a bunch of kids who are not doing well in school solve the problem? It just blames teachers and doesn't address anything. Vouchers seem nifty because the folks that (can) take advantage of them already have money and already value education - their kids are going to do better in school. And, you leave behind the ones that value education less, have more problems at home, etc. I'm no expert, but it's difficult for Johnny to do his homework if he's worrying if mom's gonna get home with dinner tonight or not. When was the last time you had to worry about eating? (Let alone worrying about getting shot because your brother is in a gang...)
The NCLB thing just doesn't pass the sniff test. Kids are not untainted raw material, and teachers are not craftsmen. Take the analogy of kids == wood, and teachers == furniture makers. The cities are full of trees/lumber, and we need to turn all lumber into furniture. If an inner city shop (school) is having to spend all of it's time/energy drying the wood, planing it flat, working around knots, it's just not going to be able to compete against the suburban school that is receiving dried, knot-free wood. NCLB and vouchers simply end up concentrating the poor wood in the "problem" shops. Eventually, that poor wood is going to make it to the suburbs and we'll be back where we started.
Before you get all high and mighty, I'm not saying that inner-city folks are knotty and the such, but in general, with lower income, the kids come in with more baggage. The kids aren't flawed, their environment is. That's what we need to fix.
And I do think the teacher's union needs to figure out how to get rid of dead wood. We had some really bad teachers in my high school. The other teachers knew about them, but there's not much you can do b/c of the tenure. But that's another digression...
Back to capitalism. Miles and I were having an interesting discussion on health care. My main beef is that I think that when you try to make a profit off health care, profit becomes #1, and patients take the back seat. Costs are rising for all sorts of reasons, but costs for non-profit health-care providers have gone up more slowly than that of for-profit providers. Anyway, I don't intend to rehash our discussion, but I did find this interesting article that shows two sides to the debate (I'm sure there are more sides than just these two).
Long-Run Health Care Cost Drivers.
Similarly, newspapers. They're in a world of hurt because readership is down, and they're losing advertising revenue. So the LA Times is looking at what to do to address the situation. Well, the LA Times thinking of closing down its foreign bureau, because it is not making enough money. I don't think it's creative editing that makes the investors sound like they want to turn the LA Times into something of a tabloid (like People magazine). A quote:
Mr. Bobrinskoy (vice-chairman of one of the major investors of the LA Times:
"The demand is for a very strong, high-quality, local newspaper, focused on the things that people in L.A. care about: style, Hollywood, entertainment, local government, local sports, local issues like immigration. If he [Dean Baquet, former editor] was focused on all those issues, there would be a lot of demand for his product. Instead he's trying to be the fourth national newspaper."
So, you've got an investor wanting more money, not caring about the news - the first three things he lists as priorities are exactly what People magazine covers.
You can't expect everything to continue to grow or to make more money, it's just not realistic, and that demand pushes organizations in the wrong direction. At some point, you have to push back against capitalist pressures, because at some point they will push you away from your original goal. If you are a newspaper, you should be reporting news. Simply trying to maximize money leads us down the road to a common low - tabloids.
The recent killer-diaper-wearing-astronaut and Anna Nicole Smith stories are just examples of it. For a week, they were two of the five top stories. The Anna Nicole Smith one has been in the top five for a few weeks now. How is this news? It's not, it's "entertainment." The businesses may hide behind the excuse that, "it's what readers want" - but that's simply lame. We also want to eat fat, salt, and sugar all day, but at some point you have to say enough is enough, we should be eating vegetables.
Enough is enough, we should be getting real news.
capitalism - applied to schools (voucher system, no child left behind)
just doesn't apply well to everything
e.g. food
How Cool Is This
At work I do most everything from inside the application Emacs. It's my mail reader, I write software, compile it, run and debug it from Emacs. I've even taught a class in it at work.
Anyway, this guy just wrote a module that lets you post blog entries to blogspot from inside Emacs.
I actually remember him from college - he was getting his PhD at Cornell while I was an undergrad. You see, he's blind. What made me remember him was ... well he was blind and programming computers. When you walked past his office you could hear the computer talking to him. It sounded more like barking to me, but that's probably because it wasn't in English. Turns out, he wrote the program that "speaks" to him, and it runs inside of Emacs.
He left off a few details of how to get the posting functionality working, so I need to download some extra modules. But I hope to begin posting from inside Emacs soon.
Anyway, this guy just wrote a module that lets you post blog entries to blogspot from inside Emacs.
I actually remember him from college - he was getting his PhD at Cornell while I was an undergrad. You see, he's blind. What made me remember him was ... well he was blind and programming computers. When you walked past his office you could hear the computer talking to him. It sounded more like barking to me, but that's probably because it wasn't in English. Turns out, he wrote the program that "speaks" to him, and it runs inside of Emacs.
He left off a few details of how to get the posting functionality working, so I need to download some extra modules. But I hope to begin posting from inside Emacs soon.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Hans Art
A buddy of mine from college has always been a little odd. I think he'd admit to that. Now, he wasn't odd in the insane-but-facinating way an ornithologist friend of his was (who kept a couple of terrariums full of roaches in his room), but more of a "how does come up with these ideas" kind of odd. That, and he seemed to know nearly everyone in College, which was impressive given that 12,000 undergraduates went there.
He was a good friend, and distance has but softened the friendship a tad.
Anyway, once in a while I'd get a wonderful card from him. Usually very random, but very interesting and unique. This past holiday Mary and I got one that kept us entertained for a good 15 minutes.
Why would you care about such cards? Well, if I'd saved all of them (sorry Hans), I could now sell them for a bundle b/c he's famous! He's got his own store in this thing called the "World Wide Web" selling his one-of-a-kind cards (blank no less, mine came with personalized writing). Check out his shop.
Seriously, if you're tired of the Hallmark cards from the mall, or the "artsy" ones they sell at "antique" shops, or the hippie-cards found at organic produce shops, check out Hans'. They are truly unique and the recipient will never forget the card.
He was a good friend, and distance has but softened the friendship a tad.
Anyway, once in a while I'd get a wonderful card from him. Usually very random, but very interesting and unique. This past holiday Mary and I got one that kept us entertained for a good 15 minutes.
Why would you care about such cards? Well, if I'd saved all of them (sorry Hans), I could now sell them for a bundle b/c he's famous! He's got his own store in this thing called the "World Wide Web" selling his one-of-a-kind cards (blank no less, mine came with personalized writing). Check out his shop.
Seriously, if you're tired of the Hallmark cards from the mall, or the "artsy" ones they sell at "antique" shops, or the hippie-cards found at organic produce shops, check out Hans'. They are truly unique and the recipient will never forget the card.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
How FAIR is that?
I recently heard FAIR's counterspin on the radio. The show really intrigued me as they pointed out informative biases/misreportings/outright lies in the news stories of the week.
I have to laugh every time they refer to the NY Times because they label it as a "Right Wing" establishment.
I happen to agree with FAIR's viewpoint (it's mine as well) that media has gotten way too cozy with big business (it is big business) and politics, and it's reporting is very slanted. While I enjoy listening to OPB and NPR, I do often find them leaving out a lot of questions I would have asked. Those organizations just aren't the bastion of left-wing reporting that folks make them out to be. As I wrote two and a half years ago, I just don't see all that many folks in politics representing my view. FAIR does a nice job of poking at the issues I want investigated.
Anyway, it's worth a read/listen. You can listen to the podcasts of counterspin through this feed.
I have to laugh every time they refer to the NY Times because they label it as a "Right Wing" establishment.
I happen to agree with FAIR's viewpoint (it's mine as well) that media has gotten way too cozy with big business (it is big business) and politics, and it's reporting is very slanted. While I enjoy listening to OPB and NPR, I do often find them leaving out a lot of questions I would have asked. Those organizations just aren't the bastion of left-wing reporting that folks make them out to be. As I wrote two and a half years ago, I just don't see all that many folks in politics representing my view. FAIR does a nice job of poking at the issues I want investigated.
Anyway, it's worth a read/listen. You can listen to the podcasts of counterspin through this feed.
Friday, February 23, 2007
Building Stonehenge
This is simply amazing. Hard to argue with a man who shows you how to make Stonehenge:
iBike WW08 (2)
This is the second make-up ride for missing the WW07 ride. I just criss-crossed Witham hill twice (er... crossed it twice, criscrossed once?).
Stats: 43 min, 13.4 mph, 9.67 miles.
Stats: 43 min, 13.4 mph, 9.67 miles.
Thursday, February 22, 2007
iBike WW08 (1)
Well, we went to Hawii. What does that have to do with biking? I didn't.
I could have biked, but it would have been a little lame. I couldn't ike with Simone (no Burley) or Mary (no Burley). The roads have nearly no shoulders, and the bike lanes inexplicably start and stop semi-randomly. I could have gone on one of a small handful of mountain bike trails - but that would have been an entire day away from Mary and Simone. So, I didn't ride.
What's that mean? I've got to ride twice this week to make up for the missed ride.
Today is the first make-up ride. Just a little trip out toward oak creek and back, just missing the rain (whew). It is a pretty flat ride and I pushed pretty hard - thus the higher than average average speed.
Stats: 35 min, 14.7 mph, 8.78 miles.
I could have biked, but it would have been a little lame. I couldn't ike with Simone (no Burley) or Mary (no Burley). The roads have nearly no shoulders, and the bike lanes inexplicably start and stop semi-randomly. I could have gone on one of a small handful of mountain bike trails - but that would have been an entire day away from Mary and Simone. So, I didn't ride.
What's that mean? I've got to ride twice this week to make up for the missed ride.
Today is the first make-up ride. Just a little trip out toward oak creek and back, just missing the rain (whew). It is a pretty flat ride and I pushed pretty hard - thus the higher than average average speed.
Stats: 35 min, 14.7 mph, 8.78 miles.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Shopping
Simone and I went shopping the other day, so she got to ride in a shoppin cart for the second time (she did once earlier with Mary, but it was new to me).
Here she is in all her cuteness:
Here she is in all her cuteness:
iBike WW06 (1)
Today was yet beautiful day, especially for an Oregon winter.
Mary was running some errands, so I tossed Simone in the Burley trailer and we went on a ride around town. Let's just say Simone is very forgiving. She can't quite sit up on her own in the Burley with all the bouncing around. I had pillows there, but she basically just laid on her side during the ride. But she seemed happy - she only told me she was unhappy when I tried to "fix" it.
The ride was just out to 53rd, out the Midge Cramer path, up 53rd to Walnut, and back over the top of Witham hill.
Ride stats: 45 min, 12.6 mph, 9.67 miles, and a max of 27 (the fastest I've gone with Simone yet).
Mary was running some errands, so I tossed Simone in the Burley trailer and we went on a ride around town. Let's just say Simone is very forgiving. She can't quite sit up on her own in the Burley with all the bouncing around. I had pillows there, but she basically just laid on her side during the ride. But she seemed happy - she only told me she was unhappy when I tried to "fix" it.
The ride was just out to 53rd, out the Midge Cramer path, up 53rd to Walnut, and back over the top of Witham hill.
Ride stats: 45 min, 12.6 mph, 9.67 miles, and a max of 27 (the fastest I've gone with Simone yet).
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Simone Napping (not really)
I lay down with Simone the other day, hoping to get a little nap. My cell phone rang, and it was all over. It's been months since I've napped with Simone, but it was not to be my day.
She's very interested in phones - probably because they light up and make noise. Here are some pics of her admiring the phone. They go from her being cute for the phone to wanting to eat the phone.
She's very interested in phones - probably because they light up and make noise. Here are some pics of her admiring the phone. They go from her being cute for the phone to wanting to eat the phone.
iBike WW05 (1)
A short ride today, up the Country Club hill twice. While on the backside (south side) of the hill I came across Mary's River Natural Area, a 1/3 mile board walk in a grassy wetland. Cute.
Yet another beautiful day, I don't recall the last time January had so many beautiful days...
Ride stats: 7.17 miles, 36.5 min, 11.6 mph.
Yet another beautiful day, I don't recall the last time January had so many beautiful days...
Ride stats: 7.17 miles, 36.5 min, 11.6 mph.
Friday, January 26, 2007
Happy 2/3 Birthday
So, Simone turned 2/3 today. Yup, that's 8 months of excited, bubble-blowing, diaper-wearing goodness.
What's new with Simone? Well, she's rolling over back to front and front to back. She's not real crazy about being on her belly, but will hang out there for a while now and then. She's sitting up pretty well, though she doesn't quite realize that straightening her body like a pirate's plank is antithetical to sitting upright (or, maybe she does and is just playing with us).
Her hands operate independently, and she's starting to bang toys together or on the table. I'm thinking a drum set might be in order for her 4/5 birthday, we'll have to see if it passes the censors.
Today, Simone and I took a walk past the duck pond because it was beautiful, we needed a walk, and Mary was up for a nap. You see, Simone has decided naps are passe, and she's also decided that 9pm to 6am is enough sleep for her. Needless to say, it's not enough for Mary who's awake chunks of the night feeding Simone. I, on the other hand, obvliviously sleep through the night.
Some friends came over for dinner, and that was reason enough for Simone to stay up. She's just a party gal who doesn't want to miss a beat.
So happy 2/3 birthday Simone.
What's new with Simone? Well, she's rolling over back to front and front to back. She's not real crazy about being on her belly, but will hang out there for a while now and then. She's sitting up pretty well, though she doesn't quite realize that straightening her body like a pirate's plank is antithetical to sitting upright (or, maybe she does and is just playing with us).
Her hands operate independently, and she's starting to bang toys together or on the table. I'm thinking a drum set might be in order for her 4/5 birthday, we'll have to see if it passes the censors.
Today, Simone and I took a walk past the duck pond because it was beautiful, we needed a walk, and Mary was up for a nap. You see, Simone has decided naps are passe, and she's also decided that 9pm to 6am is enough sleep for her. Needless to say, it's not enough for Mary who's awake chunks of the night feeding Simone. I, on the other hand, obvliviously sleep through the night.
Some friends came over for dinner, and that was reason enough for Simone to stay up. She's just a party gal who doesn't want to miss a beat.
So happy 2/3 birthday Simone.
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