Thursday, August 25, 2005
Driving Adjustments
We've been living in Seattle for about a week. We're still adjusting to driving around. In general we've been pleased by the well-marked streets, informative signs, etc. But there have been some challenges. For example: both my wife and I have had to adjust for the fact that the ocean is now on the "other side" of the city. I have to keep repeating "East in inland" to myself. And we're still a little perplexed by the street naming scheme. Compared to Boston, it's not that difficult, just different. Most Seattle street names are numbers that include a compass designation which means that you need to remember three pieces of information: an address (which tends to be four-digit numbers), a street number and a compass designation (e.g. 6478 140th NE Ave). Also, downtown Seattle is a maze of one-way streets which means that unless you know the correct route you can easily end up blocks away from where you want to go.
Seattle was ranked the eighth toughest city to navigate. I can't say yet whether that is deserved or not but I won't argue with Boston's number one rank by the same study.
Seattle was ranked the eighth toughest city to navigate. I can't say yet whether that is deserved or not but I won't argue with Boston's number one rank by the same study.
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
wikiHow
wikiHow is a collaborative writing project to build the world's largest how-to manual. It's full of all sorts of handy advice such as how to repair contact paper that is coming off.
wikiHow also contains some less conventional how-tos such as How to Call in Sick When You Just Need a Day Off. Kinda funny that this item is categorized under "Job Training".
wikiHow also contains some less conventional how-tos such as How to Call in Sick When You Just Need a Day Off. Kinda funny that this item is categorized under "Job Training".
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
How bent spaghetti breaks
I love stories like this one. An explanation for a phenomenon that most of us have probably observed. When you break uncooked spaghetti, each strand usually snaps into three or more pieces. Why? According to this article, the initial break sends waves rippling down the length of the pasta triggering a cascade of other breaks. Details on the research including high speed videos can be found here.
Sunday, August 21, 2005
Moved
Sorry for the lack of posts. We've been busy with packing and moving. We're in Seattle now. Two parents, two kids and two cats.
The cable guy came this morning (yes, on a Sunday!) so we have broadband access. I'll try to clear out a backlog of posts this week.
The cable guy came this morning (yes, on a Sunday!) so we have broadband access. I'll try to clear out a backlog of posts this week.
Wednesday, August 10, 2005
Elephants and Gorillas
The Elephant In The Room is an idiom for a topic that's on everyone's mind but is not being discussed. Conversely, an 800-lb Gorilla is someone or something that cannot be ignored (as in the old joke: "What does an 800-lb Gorilla eat? — Anything he wants to!"). Not to be too obscure but events today reminded me of both of these idioms.
In Good Company
I watched In Good Company a couple weeks ago on a flight. I passed on this film when it came out last year but decided to give it a second chance. It's very good. The parallel stories of Dan Foreman (Dennis Quaid), a middle-aged ad executive and his new twenty-something boss, Carter Duryea (Topher Grace), are both well done. Perhaps the ending is a little too predictable but overall it's a worthwhile rental.
Sugar Crash
Sugar Crash is a Flash game. You move around Mr. Sugar to keep a kid happily bouncing on a sugar high. But not too much sugar or the kid will crash. The graphics are goofy fun.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
A Rocket To Nowhere
I read this a few days ago but given the technical problems with the Discovery, I waited until it had safely landed before mentioning Maciej Ceglowski's excellent essay A Rocket To Nowhere.
Brain Freeze
It's another hot August in Boston. Time for plenty of cold drinks and ice cream. And time for the weird discomfort of a Brain freeze. I had one the other day caused by a Frappuccino . It's an intense pain that quickly passes. Apparently not everyone suffers from them. The first time I mentioned brain freeze to my wife she thought I was kidding. She's never had one.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
Why Bill Gates Wants 3,000 New Patents
This New York Times article about Microsoft patents is pretty lame. Microsoft isn't the only software company with a growing number software patents. As in other areas of technology, the main reason behind building a patent portfolio isn't to sue others but as bartering material to avoid costly lawsuits. I'm not a huge fan of software patents but I can understand the motivation — especially given the substantial damages awarded in the Eolas vs. Microsoft case. I believe that the better long-term solution is reform of software patent laws but until then you can't blame companies for protecting their own interests.
Shredding
I have a long history as a packrat. When I was a child I kept my pockets full of colored pens, rocks, rubber bands, etc. My school desks were full of papers, art work, etc. I just couldn't throw anything away. I'm reformed but I still had boxes of old papers cluttering my office and our attic: receipts, credit card statements, cancelled checks, medical statements, etc. Magazines, journals, etc. are easy recycle. Going through papers is tedious. Unneeded personal papers had to be shredded. Our old light-duty shredder wasn't up to the task; it kept overheating. So I bought a new one. It's designed for heavier usage. It's somewhat larger but faster and quieter. And it can shred CDs and plastic cards too. All those old CD backups can be quickly disposed as well. It's actually fun to reduce a box of old receipts into cross-cut confetti.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Cookie D'ohs!
We're sorting through stuff getting ready for our move. Along the way we've made a few discoveries. My latest find was an unopened box of Simpsons Cookie D'ohs!.They're sugar cookies in the head shapes of Homer, Bart, Apu, and Ralph Wiggums. Why not the Simpson family. Why include Apu and Ralph? I opened the box and found that it's mostly full of Apu and Ralph shapes. And the Ralph Wiggums cookie has his finger up his nose.
I'm not sure how old these are; probably a few years. There's no expiration date. They taste okay. A little sweeter than animal crackers but not exactly the "Shortbread Cookies" promised on the box.
Who Is This?
This picture is from the 1974 Maine South Alumni Association web site. Recognize the face? Hint: we have the same former and current employers. (Via Art Thomas)
Monday, August 01, 2005
Thunderstorm
Wow. The most amazing thunderstorm just passed through. Bright white flashes followed by loud thunderclaps and distant rumbling. It reminds me of early scenes in Spielberg's War of the Worlds. You can almost imagine the hot white light and sounds having a sinister purpose.
My younger son woke up. He was already troubled that my wife is out of town. The storm didn't help. I tried to help him back to sleep in the pitch black darkness of his room. The rumbling thunder intruded. The white light from the lightning formed perfect bright flickering rectangles around the shades of his windows. Eventually he fell asleep but only after the storm had rumbled off into the distance.
My younger son woke up. He was already troubled that my wife is out of town. The storm didn't help. I tried to help him back to sleep in the pitch black darkness of his room. The rumbling thunder intruded. The white light from the lightning formed perfect bright flickering rectangles around the shades of his windows. Eventually he fell asleep but only after the storm had rumbled off into the distance.
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