| Looking into purchasing GPSr units |
[Monday 2009.08.17|17:45] |
I'm too lazy to write up a complete background, and that's probably a bad thing since I'm looking for advice, and the right unit (or any at all) depends on what my needs are. So while a complete background/history is not forthcoming, at least some is. And here we go:
I have a GPS unit in my iPhone, but it's limited in several ways. It does point-to-point driving directions, but this is only really useful when you aren't driving or if you have a passenger to help. Pretty unwieldy to manage while driving. (And illegal, I guess.) Also, if there is no network connection, then the GPS becomes useless as well (when using it from within Google Maps as I do).
I also use the GPS in my iPhone for geocaching. A lot. This works pretty well for urban caching. In fact, I don't need GPS at all. We usually just plot the point in the Google Maps satellite view and relate it to the surrounding landmarks. Which works well in urban areas. However, the farther out you go, the less accurate (relative to positioning) and detailed the maps become, and then, once again, without a network connection, the app becomes useless once again.
I wanted one GPSr unit which would nicely serve both for driving navigation and for geocaching. Turns out (from the research I've done), there's no single unit that is *great* for both.
For driving navigation, I'm looking at getting the Garmin Nuvi 255W. This was on the recommendation of my cousin, and from the research I've done, it looks like a good candidate. He and his wife have this model and they like it a lot.
For geocaching, I'm looking at getting the Garmin eTrex Vista HCx. Features that were important to me: high-sensitivity and reliable signal detection, decent battery life, waterproof, color screen and electronic compass. This unit also does turn-by-turn directions, but the Nuvi is a much better unit for it. I also considered the following Garmin units: eTrex Legend HCx, eTrex Venture HC, eTrex Summit HC and the Dakota 20.
My plan is to purchase the Nuvi first. Once I get it, we'll play around with it and see how decent it is for geocaching. I don't like spending so much money, but I'm sure in the long run both of these units would get a *ton* of use.
I'd appreciate any advice regarding specific models or even whether you think I should be purchasing zero, one or two units. |
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| Movie review |
[Sunday 2009.07.19|13:21] |
| [ | Tags | | | movies | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | the Corrs - 13 - Miracle | ] |
The movie at Cinema Club today was Irene in Time. It was the worst movie I've seen in Cinema Club.
My one-line review of the movie: "Had lesbian kissing scene and still sucked." |
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| Cats and ceiling fans |
[Wednesday 2009.07.15|15:15] |
I'm pretty sure I mentioned this before, but Gracie has a big fear of ceiling fans. With it being so hot lately, I've been running them more and she still freaks out. Though she's not as bad as she used to be. In the beginning, she was totally freaked out by them even when they weren't on.
Today, I Googled on "cat scared fan", and I saw that Gracie is not alone in this fear. I also got a chuckle about the other things that some cats are scared of. |
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| Need toilet fixing advice |
[Tuesday 2009.06.23|17:56] |
Email I just forwarded to a mailing list. I'd appreciate advice from anyone:
Hey folks. A couple days ago, I found a puddle of water under my toilet. It appeared to be a slow drip from the tank. The intake hose was wet, the tag on that hose was soaked, and the bulk of the water was dripping off the hose. However, further research would indicate the hose was not itself leaking. The water was just running down the outside of the hose.
As best I can tell, the water is leaking from the nut on the outside of the tank which holds the intake tube in place. I have put up pictures here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/songmonk/sets/72157620419823922/
At first, I thought the leak must be where the hose attaches to the tank. So maybe tighten it a bit? But no, unscrewing it and rescrewing it in did not help. Furthermore, when I gave it time, I found water droplets form on the outside of the nut where the nut meats the tank. This is *above* where the hose screws into the nut. Therefore the leak must not be where the hose attaches to the nut. It looks like it's where the nut attaches to the tank.
I don't know what to do now. I've looked online, but what I'm experiencing doesn't appear to be one of the common toilet problems. I can't even manage to tighten (or loosen!) the nut. I've also read things that made me scared of cracking the tank. It occurred to me that I might just put caulking around the outside of the nut, but I don't know whether that's advisable or not. I don't want to mess up my toilet.
Does anyone who is gifted in home repair have any advice for me? I would really appreciate it. |
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| Burglary live on the Internet |
[Saturday 2009.04.11|14:30] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Tchaikovsky - 1812 Overture | ] |
Woman's house gets burglarized, so she puts a webcam inside her house. A few months later, her house is burglarized again, and she sees it happening live at work from the video feed and calls 911.
Get the details at The Smoking Gun.
The video is posted there but is not too interesting too watch. The 911 call is also there and is a lot more exciting. |
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| Looking a gift gasoline dispenser in the mouth |
[Friday 2009.04.03|13:31] |
Somewhat relating to ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) evwhore's earlier post....
I stopped by the gas station during lunch today. I went to insert my credit card, but I was surprised to see that the screen already said, "Remove nozzle and select fuel type." It appeared that someone's credit card had already been authorized, and yet the transaction had never been completed. Basically, I could have gotten a free tank of gas.
I cancelled the transaction and used my own credit card. (Of course, if I hadn't, I probably wouldn't be posting about it. :-) ) I do see numerous differences between this and evwhore's situation, most leading me to believe that if I put up a poll, nearly everyone would say they would not have opted for the free tank of gas. (The social stigma being so strong that I think most of those who would take the free gas would not feel comfortable saying so in a public poll -- in strong contrast to evwhore's poll where most would feel comfortable being honest about what they would do.) |
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| Finally! |
[Wednesday 2009.02.11|11:04] |
Good news: I *finally* found a coffee shop that offers lactose-free milk as an option for their espresso drinks!
Bad news: They're located in Toronto. |
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| Measure B may pass after all |
[Tuesday 2008.11.18|12:10] |
I have said a few times before that the #1 issue I cared about in the last election was the presidential election, and the #2 issue was Proposition 8. I never named issue #3, but it may have been Measure B, the sales tax to pay for BART maintenance (effectively opening the door to extending BART from Fremont to Downtown San Jose).
I was disappointed to hear that it came up just short. But while votes were still being counted, the conventional wisdom seemed to be that it wasn't going to pass. At least that's how the news agencies reported it in the days after the election.
Well, it turns out that Measure B may pass after all. In fact, it has pulled past the necessary 66.67%. But obviously they know better than to make any predictions at this point before all the ballots have been counted. :-) |
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| Google Mobile App for iPhone |
[Monday 2008.11.17|21:58] |
With all the hype in the media, I surely don't need to tell you about this, but if you have an iPhone, you *must* download the latest version of the Google Mobile App.
The voice search is very cool. |
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| Ain't no ceiling cat |
[Sunday 2008.11.16|00:29] |
Today I installed a ceiling fan in my living room. I thought the cats would find it entertaining, perhaps having their heads go round and round as they try to follow the blades with their eyes.
Instead, they were both freaked out by it. (I had them in the bathroom while I was doing the installation so they would not get into the screws and various parts.) Alex quickly became okay with it, but Gracie is still horrified by it. She won't be in the same room as it, even when it is off. She looks at it like it's a monster.
I hope she eventually becomes okay with it, because it's not like it's going anywhere. |
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| Baby NameMapper |
[Wednesday 2008.11.12|17:52] |
Earlier in this blog I have mentioned the Baby NameVoyager, a really cool Java applet which allows you to see the relative and absolute popularity of a baby name tracked over time. It's really easy to spend hours plugging in different names.
I can't remember if I mentioned the Baby NameMapper, but if I did, I don't remember doing so, because discovering it today felt like the first time. :-) In any case, this applet (also on the same site) allows you to track the geographical popularity of a baby name over time. Not only can you see in which states certain names are the most popular, but using the slider in the timeline, you can see a name "move" across the country as its popularity grows.
Check it out. |
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| Religious Displays in Parks Divide U.S. Supreme Court Justices |
[Wednesday 2008.11.12|13:21] |
Religious Displays in Parks Divide U.S. Supreme Court Justices
While some people will think this is a stupid issue and it's obvious what should happen, I think it's interesting and not at all obvious how the case should be ruled. (And I mean that beyond the fact that I'm no legal expert and am unfamiliar with the details of the case.)
Completely aside from the real issues of the case is this amusing tidbit at the end of the article:
The Ten Commandments depict the rules that Jews and Christians believe God handed down to Moses on Mount Sinai. Summum, a Salt Lake City-based church founded in 1975, says its aphorisms came from an earlier set of tablets that Moses brought down from the mountain and then destroyed in anger.
The Summum aphorisms include "the principle of psychokinesis" and "the principle of correspondence."
As ridiculous as that sounds, FSM says, "Maybe not." |
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| Coinstar $10 bonus |
[Tuesday 2008.11.11|17:53] |
Coinstar $10 bonus
I know $10 is laughable to a lot of you, but I like things like this. I did it before when they had this promotion a year ago, and it went as expected (no fees, no catch, just free money).
Incidentally....
Poll #1295711 How much is enough?
Open to: All, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 31Let's say a certain sum of money is lying on the ground (and assume it is yours to keep if you want it). Which of the amounts below is the smallest required to get you to stop and pick it up?
(I understand that the poll question differs from the Coinstar offer in that the Coinstar offer requires more than reaching down and picking up the money. Consider it a separate but related question. To me, the Coinstar promo is worth it because I have the accumulated change which collects and needs converting anyway. Of course, if you wouldn't stop for $50, you wouldn't accumulate the change in the first place, most likely.) |
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| Mmmmm...bacon-flavored lip balm |
[Thursday 2008.11.06|13:28] |
I know many of you on my friends list are well aware of J&D's Bacon Salt. They have a nice Internet presence for a fledgling food product company, and they have a large Internet following.
And you guys, like me, like bacon.
A while back, I bought their package with the three types of bacon salt they had at the time. They've since expanded their offerings and now have a larger gift pack.
But the part which is getting me to post is the Bacon Flavored Lip Balm. In their words:
For good measure, we finally listened to one of the stranger requests we've gotten and made J&D's Bacon Flavored Lip Balm, which is also included in the gift pack. Yes, now you can make yourself taste like bacon. Believe us when we say that it really, really does taste like bacon. And we're all completely hooked on it now. |
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| Well, that was quick |
[Tuesday 2008.11.04|10:18] |
While a lot of you who get driven absolutely batty by WRGPT, I absolutely love it. I look forward to it every year.
Sadly, I am out in the second hand.
But I'm only the fourth person out of the tournament. :-)
(No money for anyone b/c it's not a bad beat!) |
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| Car buying website |
[Wednesday 2008.10.22|17:26] |
Remember a few months ago when I asked if there was a good website where you could input your preferences for car features and it would spit out a list of good candidates? This is what I had in mind:
CarZen |
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| Whoa! |
[Friday 2008.10.17|12:36] |
For the past couple months while driving, I've been listening to mp3 discs that I had burned for myself. A pleasant option given that I didn't even have a CD player in my previous car.
When I finally got tired of my rotation (maybe I need to burn new discs), I started listening to talk radio and NPR. Especially with all the election stuff.
Yesterday morning, I listened to 97.3. I knew No Name had gotten fired, but I didn't know who the replacement was, or even if they had gotten a permanent replacement.
Imagine my surprise when I read this:
Sarah & Vinnie: Back Together Again On Radio Alice
I didn't even recognize Vinnie's voice! I didn't know the story about what happened until I read this article. (Though it doesn't surprise me.) It's good to hear that he has his feet under him again and is back at his old job. |
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| Whatever |
[Thursday 2008.10.16|18:04] |
I'm posting this via the iPhone ljapp that I just saw on shasha04's journal, but I'm not sure what's so compelling about it. Why wouldn't I just post via the browser if I were to post at all? |
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| I'm not sure what the message is |
[Thursday 2008.10.16|15:24] |
I'm looking at the website for the Yes on 8 faction.
On the left-hand side of the page, there is a column titled "Latest News". Listed there are recent news stories (not explicitly written by the Yes on 8 people) having to do with Proposition 8. As far as I can tell, these are news stories specifically selected by the Yes on 8 people to be displayed on the front page of their website. (Certainly couldn't have anti-8 news stories showing up there.)
The most recently news article is this one:
Asian-Americans oppose gay marriage ban
The other news articles are obviously supporting their cause. This one -- I'm not sure what their message is? It just says that the majority of Asian-Americans oppose the Proposition 8. Is that intended to motivate their target audience into voting for Proposition 8?
I'll stop right there and not say more about how that theory might go. But I *will* ask the question: in light of their rhetoric, why did they choose to put this news story on their front page? |
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| Geocaching |
[Monday 2008.10.13|17:16] |
I have long been interested in geocaching, but until recently, I didn't have GPS. But as that is one of the features of the iPhone 3G, I was set.
Last weekend, I went geocaching for the first time. I love it! It's got elements that I enjoy from the puzzle hunts that you know I am a huge fan of. Some of the caches have puzzles involved with them; some do not. Some of them have really clever camouflage. I found three caches walking distance of work; one of them is in the middle of the parking lot at the strip mall down the street. I've walked past it a dozen times and never known there was a cache there. I love that that is true.
It's just so cool to pull up the satellite view on Google Maps and to be able to see as you walk up to the cache location. And then to get there and still not be able to find the cache, heh.
Davinna and I have found four caches so far. After getting to the location, Davinna was the one who actually found the cache for three out of those four. And for two of those three, I don't know if I would ever have found the actual cache. And I'm the one who is experienced in puzzle hunts? :-)
Note to Game vets: I think someone from Mystic Fish was at two of those four caches. |
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| Bond financing |
[Saturday 2008.10.11|14:56] |
Two years ago, gopackgo posted on a radio segment that was on KQED about bond financing. At the time I lauded it as the most educational piece I had ever heard/read on bond financing. The specific bonds they talked about were the ones on the ballot in 2006, and also the economic situation has changed between then and now. However, the *concepts* that they discussed still hold. I think there is a lot of misunderstanding about bond financing among the general public (I know there are many educated and intelligent people on my friends list, so consider yourself excepted if you like.) There are those who see bond funding as free money. There are others who vote against almost all bond measures because they see it as an inefficient way to fund projects. The reality is (in my opinion) somewhere in between. And of course there are many other considerations such as: is there a better way to fund the project? Will that other way ever happen? What is the cost-benefit for this particular project? What about user-based funding?
I won't go into all the details in this post since some of it is covered in gopackgo's original post. The radio segment is long – about 50 minutes – but I can't emphasize how educational I think this segment is. In terms of you being well informed not just for this election but all future elections, this 50 minutes is well worth your time.
Here is a direct link to the radio segment: http://www.kqed.org/epArchive/R610130900
Edit: The KQED page was down yesterday and today. I waited until it was available again before making this post, but it seems to be down intermittently. If it's down, please check back. It's well worth the listen.
Edit: This won't help if the site is down, but here's a direct embed using their audio player:
Direct download of the mp3 |
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| Someday |
[Friday 2008.10.10|17:24] |
I know that what I am about to say is not an original thought. It's probably been said a bazillion times before but this is just me talking.
Yes, a lot has been made about the fact how some people still think Obama is a Muslim. That he's not a Muslim, why do you think he's a Muslim, don't make that assumption, etc.
I know he's ostensibly a Christian, there's no reason to think he's Muslim, and frankly, I hope (and suspect) he may be a closet atheist.
But what I really hope for someday is that a presidential candidate *can* be a Muslim and not have it be an epithet. I *know* that Americuh is not ready for a Muslim president, but I hope that someday it will be. Muslim != terrorist. Muslim != un-American.
I do honestly think that someday that day will come. |
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| Amazon story conclusion |
[Tuesday 2008.10.07|15:03] |
This is an update to my two previous posts on trying to order a Bluetooth headset from Amazon.com. (First post, second post.)
I was expecting to receive another used headset. After all, it's not like the last customer service rep said, "I will fix that problem and get you a brand-new headset." What he said is that he didn't know how that could have happened, it almost never happens, and he'd have a new one sent out to me immediately.
The third package came from the same location which filled me with even less confidence.
But when the package arrived today, for the first time it actually had the cardboard sleeve the package is supposed to come with. (You can see it in the first post I made, along with how the package I received was lacking it. Along with a headset.) So that was a good thing. The plastic was a bit scratched up, but that was it. When I opened up the package, everything was in place. The internal packaging was completely undamaged and there was no evidence that it had been opened and repackaged.
So far, I've charged it up and paired it with my phone and made one sample call (to TellMe). I'll get my Jabra replacement earbud put on when I get home and test it out further then, but looks like the issue is resolved.
I'm pleased with how the reps I talked to immediately sent me out a replacement, but I'm still extremely dismayed at having received two repackaged products. Well, one repackaged product and one MISSING product. That's still a huge WTF. I don't suppose I'll ever know what actually happened. |
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| Highest quality paper towels ever |
[Monday 2008.10.06|16:23] |
I know I haven't written in LJ on my vacation, but let me say this one thing for now:
The bathrooms at the Borgata have the nicest paper towels ever. From habit, I grabbed two, but one was perfectly sufficient. These things are thick and will not fall apart. But even that isn't doing them justice. These paper towels were halfway to being cloth napkins.
I can safely say that this is the first time I have ever been impressed by paper towels. |
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| Amazon follow-up |
[Thursday 2008.10.02|16:14] |
Remember this?
As expected, Amazon sent me a replacement while I was on vacation. I got back to the office today, and when I opened the package, I found a Jawbone headset. In a used, obviously repackaged container. All the parts were there, but yeah, obviously opened and repackaged. Scratched plastic container, one of the internal boxes was upside down, paper was scrunched when put back in. Missing the outside cardboard sleeve.
I called and complained. The rep didn't have any explanation. He said that 99.9% of Amazon shipments have no problem. (I've never had a problem before.) I speculated that it was related to the product I had selected (given that two in a row have been of this nature). I said that based on the description, I expected a brand new product, and he agreed that it should have been.
He said he'd be sending me a replacement. I have no doubt one will be arriving. What I don't have confidence in is that it will be a new unit. I just don't know what to think.
This is the specific product that I purchased. Just so that you don't go purchasing it too.
(I note that the price has gone down further. I should just ask for a refund and repurchase it, huh?) |
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| WTF |
[Thursday 2008.09.18|13:36] |
I've always been very happy with Amazon. But today I experienced a huge WTF.
Last Wednesday I ordered a bluetooth headset. I am going on vacation tomorrow, and according to the delivery estimate, it wasn't going to arrive on time (supposedly tomorrow), but I know that the estimates are conservative and usually they arrive ahead of schedule. So I was pleased and unsurprised when it was delivered a few minutes ago.
This is what the packaging is supposed to look like:
( Jawbone II )
This is what mine looked like:
( What they sent me )
W. T. F.
Disbelieving, I opened it up and looked inside. The charger was there, the extra ear buds and ear hooks were there. But no headset.
This is WTF for several reasons. How does this even happen? Was it an accident? Was it theft by an employee along the way? How can it be an accident?
Upon closer inspection, it seems clear to me that this is a return. The plastic is scratched, the internal packaging is just slightly bent and handled. I can tell it's a return. If the headset had not been missing, I should still be outraged. I did not purchase a refurbished product or a return. If the headset was not missing, did they think I would just not complain? (Answer: many people wouldn't.) Of course, given that the headset is missing, I think everyone would complain. So I still don't know whether to think it's incompetence, maliciousness or what. How can this be not new? Even if it's not new, how can the headset be missing?
I called Amazon immediately, and the rep was very apologetic. Right off the bat, he said he'd send me a new one. But he offered up no explanation for how this could have happened. This was before I realized it was a return, so I just let it go since if it was brand new there really wouldn't be any explanation. (Other than employee theft.) Given that it's a return, it could be employee theft or poor processing. But if I had known it was return at the time, I would have had additional complaints. If the replacement they send me (which is already on the way, and with faster shipping, not that it will do me any good since I will be out of town) is not brand new, I am going to give them hell.
I should give them hell anyway.
Update (14:03):
I sent this follow-up email:
( Follow-up email ) |
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| The Advantages of Closing a Few Doors |
[Tuesday 2008.08.19|15:11] |
This article talks about how sometimes fewer options are better. More so, perhaps we need to be the ones to limit those options.
The Advantages of Closing a Few Doors
Nothing here I did not know before, but as is often the case, the author brings it into focus a bit more. And plus, for so many things we all "know better" and yet continue to do them anyway. So just knowing isn't good enough.
I do wish there wasn't the Gone with the Wind spoiler at the end though. |
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| Good boy! |
[Sunday 2008.07.27|16:54] |
Nine out of ten times, if one of my cats barfed, it's Gracie. But today I heard some gentle barfing (if there is such a thing) soon after I put the wet food out for the cats. Gracie was already done, so I wasn't too surprised to see Alex next to some wet barf in the bathroom when I peeked in. He went right back to eating (obviously not bothered), and I was in the middle of taking out the garbage, so no worries.
When I finished taking out the trash and came back to clean up the barf, there was distinctly *less* barf than when I left.
Good boy! Having the consideration to barf on the bathroom floor instead of the carpet *and* helping me to clean up! |
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| Good customer service experience |
[Friday 2008.07.25|17:41] |
My one-year promotion with Comcast is about to expire, and so I called Comcast to get that "fixed". The first rep I spoke to gave me the standard line about the promotion I was on no longer being available, etc. I politely told him that I know that's the company line, and I know he's just doing his job, but I know that they can give me the deal if they want to keep a customer, and if they give it to me for another year then they've got a customer for another year. And I asked him to transfer me to the retention department.
So he transferred me and the person I spoke to was friendly *and* no-nonsense. Maybe based on what the first person had told her, she knew there was no point in doing a song and dance, so she didn't try to sell me on something else. She filled in all the notes w/o even making me say it: "Will terminate service, will switch to AT&T, etc." I never mentioned either of those things. I would have, but it's annoying since I don't actually want to terminate my service or switch, but she was really cool about it and didn't even make me do the game.
And she threw in free modem rental for the next six months (about an $18 value, yay). But given that I would have been happy with my existing rates, that's a bonus and does make me happy.
I had been putting off this phone call just because it is annoying (I felt pretty confident I could get what I wanted), but it turned out to be very painless. |
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| Being a child |
[Tuesday 2008.07.22|18:55] |
This morning, I had a memory pop into my head. I don't remember how old I was, but I was pretty young. I was at one of those all-you-can-eat buffets. I think it might have been King's Table. (Doing a quick Google search, I think it may still be around, or may have been revived, but not around here.) I was there with my immediate family and my uncle's family.
Being the big eater I was (not -- I don't think I ate very much as a child), I went for seconds. All by myself! (I guess it really would help to remember how old I was, but I'm really not sure.) I took my plate up to the buffet, and an employee told not to do that. I don't remember her exact words, but I remember enough of it to reconstruct what she must have told me. I think she was telling me not to bring my old plate, but to get a new plate because of health regulations. However, I didn't get that at the time. I just knew that I had done something that I wasn't supposed to do, and I wasn't really sure why, because everyone else was going back for seconds. After all, it was a buffet, and I understood that!
I slunk back to my table without getting seconds. And I can remember how I felt. It wasn't so much that I didn't get to have seconds (though it was that too), but it was that I had done something wrong *and* I didn't even know what I had done wrong. Another child would have asked a parent to get more food, or would have just gone back or whatever. But I carried these things with me. :-)
Anyway, it's nice now both to 1) have better comprehension, and 2) not just take things sitting down when I don't know what was wrong. But the motivation to write this post isn't so much *that* topic as it is about remembering those feelings you have as a child. As a child, I know I thought that adults just didn't *get it*. There were so many things they did that demonstrated they didn't understand us. I know I'm not alone in thinking that. And yet here I am as an adult...acting like an adult. The truth is that it's really hard to remember what it's like to be a child. Oh, we remember the things we did and the things we liked. We remember some of the things that upset us too. But watching adults interact with children, it's clear that in many ways, we don't really remember. Even if we did, it doesn't mean that we'd give in to what the children want (after all, there is plenty that adults know and understand that *children* don't get -- like responsibility, overall health and safety, etc.), but if we remembered it'd be easier to relate to them.
That's why I'm so impressed when I read certain children's books where the adult author really shows that he or she (usually she) remembers what it's like to be a child. And I'm impressed by any adult who can remember. It's easy to not remember -- in many ways we run away from such frustrating, helpless times. But being able to recall and draw from those experiences is very helpful...and wonderful and amazing too. |
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| Free movie queue software |
[Monday 2008.07.21|19:59] |
I'm looking for some free software (preferably online) which allows me to track movies I'd like to see (and mark them as viewed once I've seen them). Basically, I want what Netflix provides, except I don't want to be a Netflix customer and I'm not asking for any movies. Just the software to track the movies.
I tried searching for such a thing, but I'm not finding it. I figure such a thing has to exist. But does it? |
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| Enchanted and Rock Band |
[Saturday 2008.07.19|04:46] |
I watched Enchanted last night. It was a simple but very enjoyable movie. Very good for what it was supposed to be.
I played Rock Band for the first time in a long time (maybe a couple months?). I sucked it up the first couple songs, but then I kind of remembered what I was doing. Kind of. |
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| Almost eight-ender |
[Thursday 2008.07.17|23:47] |
We almost had an eight-ender thrown against us today. I didn't want to be on the losing end of that. For a baseball comparison, it's kind of like having a no-hitter thrown against you – you get to be part of history, but it's not really in a way that you want. But ultimately, we only gave up one point in that end, and we went on to win (barely). So it's kind of like almost getting no-hit, but breaking up the no-hitter barely and going on to win the game.
Kind of like that. |
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| Perpetual wedding day |
[Thursday 2008.07.17|14:44] |
I've talked about Joe Posnanski before. There are multiple reasons I started reading his blog. The Banny Logs, Joe's awareness of sabermetrics. But the more I read, the more I'm impressed. I love how he ties in different topics together (e.g., pop culture, politics, family), I love his coining of new terms (e.g., Jeterate, Pixifood). But I think one of his greatest talents is drawing from common life experiences -- things we all understand -- and applying them to situations we *don't* understand and helping us to understand them.
We often think of professional athletes (or other celebrities) as sometimes (often?) being assholes. Stuck up, can't take time to put up with the adulating fans, the people who made them famous. In recent news is how Willie Mays allegedly snubbed Josh Hamilton.
In a post today, Posnanski draws a comparison to what it's like on your wedding day when you're the complete center of attention and you have so many people coming up to you asking you to do this and that and to give them your attention that eventually you start to tune it out. Now, I have never been in that situation, but I can kind of understand what he's talking about. And it may be a comparison that doesn't resonate with some people, because to some people their wedding day was the happiest day of their lives and they *loved* being the center of attention. Maybe so. The young athletes (and other celebrities) probably did at first too. But that's why he talks about the perpetual wedding day. What *is* it like to deal with that day in and day out? I'm not saying we should pity them. I'm not saying that it's impossible to handle it with grace and respect (some certainly do). But if you think about it, it may not even necessarily be an issue of being an asshole or not...it's surviving an unnatural situation. One that most of us, to be certain, deal with only a few occasions in our life, if that. Certainly not every day. Not a perpetual wedding day.
(And all that was stated *much* better by Posnanski. So skip this blog post and just click the link.) |
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| Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog |
[Wednesday 2008.07.16|22:18] |
Okay, I hate to repeat what's already been going around my friends list, but obviously not all of you are reading the same blogs so I must repeat this here to reach everyone possible.
Joss Whedon worked on an independent project during the writer's strike. It's called Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. You can read more information on the Wikipedia page.
If you like musicals, comic books, superheroes (and super villains), love stories and Neil Patrick Harris (or some combination thereof), this short film is for you. It is being released in three parts, and two of the three parts are up now. The last part is scheduled to premier this Saturday. But all three parts are only going to be available for free on the website until July 20 (after which it will continue to be available on iTunes and a later planned DVD release), so do watch it while you can!
The very beginning is a little bit slow, but believe me, it's worth watching (especially if you like the things listed above). Once again:
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog |
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| I did not know this |
[Wednesday 2008.07.16|15:56] |
What I learned back in school was that if there is not a majority in the electoral college, the House of Representatives determines who becomes president. This is true, but it's not as simple as it sounds.
From FiveThirtyEight.com back in May:
Like Kissing Your Sister |
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| How to make toast |
[Tuesday 2008.07.15|16:43] |
My coworker and I were talking about something work-related, and I Googled on it. I think the search was "format drive Linux". One of the search results was ehow.com, and I was immediately dismissive of it to my coworker. There are some good articles on there, but there are so many stupid articles that the whole site has no credibility to me. (I guess you could say the same thing about Wikipedia, but I guess the difference is what percentage of content is quality.)
I went off on eHow to my coworker and said that there are so many *retarded* articles on there -- stuff like how to make toast. If the site has articles on how to make toast, do you *really* want to trust their article on how to format your hard drive?
I didn't know that there was actually an article on how to make toast. I was just using that as an example of the stupid kind of stuff that is on there. So I looked it up. There are three articles on how to make toast. The first one I saw was this one. Here are the first two steps:
1) Untie the twist tie from bread bag.
2) Remove the wanted amount of bread from bag.
My question is what happens if you don't know how to untie the twist tie? I mean, I could see someone twisting it the wrong way and getting totally stuck on step 1. Should they really assume that you know how to untie a twist tie? (And no, there is no eHow article on how to untie a twist tie. At least not yet.)
I'm also amused by the fact that there are *three* articles on the site on how to make toast. You can just see the third person coming to the site, finding two articles and thinking, "That's well and good. But they don't know how to make toast the way *I* know how to make toast." Either that, or "I really have something to add on this topic of making toast. Their descriptions were okay, but I can explain it better."
Or maybe just everyone is a comedian. |
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| What do you know in a dream? |
[Monday 2008.07.14|18:05] |
As previously mentioned, I watched Ratatouille last weekend. There is one scene in the movie where ( minor spoiler )
So you can't know more than you know. But can you know less than you know?
I had a dream a few days prior that was noteworthy enough (to myself -- I'm sure it would be entirely boring to anyone else) for me to jot a few notes down and thus I could recall it later. Near the end of the dream, I came across two of my old high school classmates. (Found them on Facebook a couple weeks earlier which is why they were in my consciousness at all.) I recognized them, but they were with two girls whom I did not confidently recognize. (Facial blindness, etc.) But they were familiar enough that I placed them as also being high school classmates, something which they affirmed. However, they would not identify themselves and made me guess.
So I started guessing. One I kind of thought I had right, and the other was more of a guess, but they denied both guesses. I kept trying, and I kept getting it wrong. That was pretty much the end of the dream. (Yeah, there's never any resolution in these damn dreams.)
So here's my question. If I could keep guessing, was it even possible for me to guess correctly? My dream is a creation of my brain. Anything that I dream about comes from my storage of information (though it's possible to be in my subconscious so I may not be aware of it). It's possible for my dream-self to know less than my brain (knowing less than you know, see above), so there's no paradox going on. That's pretty much the case by default whenever I don't lucid dream, as my dream-self is unaware that he's in a dream. What I am wondering is whether my brain didn't know who the two girls were and so there's no way for my dream-self to know, or whether it was a big game and my brain really did know, but my dream-self just wasn't getting it right. I'd most lean towards my brain not really knowing except for the fact that the girls really did seem familiar. I get the feeling that there's another possibility in there too, but now I'm getting really confused. |
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| iPod in car, other errands |
[Saturday 2008.07.12|18:25] |
I bought a $12 audio cable to connect my iPod to my car's auxiliary input, and it sounds fine. I was considering buying this $40 Belkin product on the recommendation of a couple online forums but, the $12 cable sounds fine. I mean, at least fine enough given the capabilities of my car's stereo system.
So yeah, this is pretty cool. I might be using my iPod a bit more now. I can start listening to podcasts. And I think I might actually start building out playlists. (For example, I wouldn't want multi-movement classical works being intermixed with the main playlist if I was going to put it on random order, for example.)
Or I could, you know, put this damn HSM soundtrack on repeat.
In other successes, I bought the prescription swim goggles I mentioned before. I also bought a pair of kitchen shears for my Mom – the kind that comes apart which I think is a necessity for kitchen shears, otherwise you can't really clean them which is nasty if you're cutting raw chicken, for example.
On the other hand, an errand failures include purchasing a customized sun shade for my car (the dealership parts store has them, but not in stock today) and buying a mint chip iced blended mocha at the coffee house down the street. Ridiculously, they closed at 3:00 p.m. today. (Not regularly – they had a hand printed sign which declared so on the door (and I got there at 3:10 p.m.). This is the second time that has happened. I swear, I think they just close up whenever they feel like it.)
Also exhibiting failure were the Giants who lost in the 11th inning after scoring five runs in the top of the ninth to tie it up. |
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| Too quiet |
[Saturday 2008.07.12|17:45] |
I've read that some people have a safety concern about the Prius and other hybrid cars in that they run pretty silently when the internal combustion engine is not on. That is, pedestrians rely on hearing cars in order to know that they're there. Some people have even suggested having such cars have an artificial sound so people are aware of them. (Heh, kind of like how my digital camera has a fake shutter sound (at least optional) so you know when the picture is taken.)
I can appreciate that, but that would be pretty lame. Or at least I thought. But today, I appreciated that even more. In two different parking lots, I was stuck behind a clueless pedestrian who would not move out of my way. I felt it inappropriate to honk for a non-safety issue. Of course, a pedestrian should not feel the need to walk *right down the middle* of a lane. |
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| Random stuff |
[Saturday 2008.07.12|02:54] |
I was a bit disappointed by Ratatouille. It was a good movie and I enjoyed it. I just kind of had the impression that it was a *really* good movie. But it's only pretty good.
I stabbed myself with a letter opener. Not the long, dagger-like kind. No, I stabbed myself with one of these. I'm just that talented. And then I made it bleed again twice more over the course of the evening because I kept forgetting that I had injured myself.
I had no idea that Paula Creamer was born in Mountain View.
I finally decided that Firefox 3 has been out long enough for me to upgrade. I did so both at home and work and I'm satisfied. The bookmarking system is improved. Everything else is okay. My "required" add-ons did transfer.
And that's all for now. If I’m inspired, I may make full-length random and uninteresting posts tomorrow. |
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| Harmonizing |
[Wednesday 2008.07.09|01:04] |
| [ | Tags | | | harmony, singing | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Various - Disney Channel - What I've Been Looking For | ] |
Hey! I just found myself out of nowhere1 being able to sing the harmony for "What I've Been Looking For".
1 And by "out of nowhere", I mean listening to the High School Musical soundtrack a bazillion times over the past few weeks. But what I'm getting at is that I wasn't trying to deconstruct it – and deconstructing it is always the only way I've been able to vocalize harmonizes or play complicated rhythms. Do I now "get it" enough to be able to improvise elsewhere? Um, maybe. Let's find out. |
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| Lame |
[Tuesday 2008.07.08|16:53] |
The A/C at work is not working. I don't know how people are dealing with it. I finally relocated to the server room. It's 68 degrees in here. And really, it's like my own private office. |
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| Unsure |
[Monday 2008.07.07|22:18] |
| [ | Tags | | | plum, pulp, snot | ] |
| [ | Current Music |
| | Various - Disney Channel - Get'cha Head In The Game | ] |
I bit into a plum that was so ripe and juicy that it shot up into my nose. I was uncertain whether it was actually a piece of pulp (or just the juice) which had found its way into my nostril, but the discomfort eventually led to me blowing my nose. I'm still not sure whether that was pulp or snot. But my nose feels better now. |
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