fuzzblog

White Water Rafting: Middle Fork of the American River

2008-05-24T22:04:00.000-07:00

smile, you're on StreetView!

2008-03-24T21:19:00.000-07:00

I don't think he's selling girl scout cookies.

For the young, TV's passivity is passé next to the Internet

2008-03-24T21:00:00.000-07:00

A new study shows that TV is rarely watched without a web browser close at hand, and that kids are growing up multitasking even their entertainment options. And according to the stats, TV is losing influence even among those who routinely watch.

My youngest brother is in his late teenage years, and he has done this for years. TV, instant messaging, and video games, all at once. I wonder what kids like this will be like when they're older? What sorts of entertainment do you give someone who is so used to being immersed in distraction? Is this a recipe for ADHD, or will it result in adults more capable of tuning out the cacophony of modern life?

I got in a big debate with Kirsten's dad several years ago about whether the Internet would render television obsolete. I said "yes, and soon" but he disagreed. I think we both lost.

bacon french fries

2007-12-28T09:05:00.000-08:00

Last night I hosted a holiday potluck for a small crowd of friends. As with Thanksgiving, I took responsibility for the main meat dish, leaving sides to my guests. Since no holiday feast would be complete without a ham or a turkey, and since I made turkey for Thanksgiving, it was clearly time to try a ham.

Cooking a ham through traditional means is a slow and boring process. At 20 minutes per pound, a 10 pound ham takes nearly 3 1/2 hours of cooking time! As with a turkey, a ham is prone to dry out from such a long stay in the oven. And who has that kind of time? Fuck slow food. Free time is the critical resource in my life, and I'd rather be enjoying time with my guests than fussing over the oven.

Clearly, a more efficient cooking solution was needed. A solution with rapid heat transfer! A solution with effortless seasoning! A solution to lock all that delicious moisture inside the meat! A solution with 35 pounds of peanut oil, 10 pounds of propane, a big-ass pot, and significant risk to life and limb!

After last night's adventure, I have deep-fried the following in the last two months:

a 15 pound heritage turkey
a 10 pound ham
a 5 pound chicken

A few short minutes after lowering the ham into a pot of boiling peanut oil, my whole back yard smelled like fast-food. Think "bacon french fries." Just 45 minutes later, the cooking was done. The meat's outer surface was seared into an amazing crust of deep red-brown, and the juices were safely locked inside. A few pieces of crusty skin hung precariously from the meat. We broke off some of these "ham chips" and verified that they were, in fact, totally delicious.

Win.

Kemi made eggnog with soy milk and raw eggs. DQ made potato gratin. There were veggies and chocolate and wine and gifts. And a big snuggle-fest in front of the fireplace.

Win.

Tonight we (hopefully) make gingerbread houses and blitztort.

Win.

Happy holidays.

Project Respite

2007-12-05T23:10:00.000-08:00

Tonight I went to a fundraiser for Project Respite. I had my picture taken with Meng, Google's Jolly Good Fellow. I gave some money to the cause, and I won a silent auction for an acupuncture session at my house. A neat evening, and a nice change of pace. I blame Jelena.

Olive Garden

2007-12-03T19:30:00.000-08:00

I went to Olive Garden tonight with Kirsten, Ambrose, Dan, Garrett, Kris, and Jelena. I saw this sign by the door, so I asked Jelena to snap a picture for me. I hear these signs are common in California restaurants, but I thought the gold-colored frame was a nice touch.

Student Loans Paid

2007-11-28T12:00:00.000-08:00

My RPI education has treated me well. As of today, I own my education in its entirety.

Orphan Thanksgiving 2007

2007-11-23T14:00:00.000-08:00

Earthquake

2007-10-30T20:05:00.000-07:00

A moderate earthquake occurred at 8:04:54 PM (PDT) on Tuesday, October 30, 2007.
The magnitude 5.6 event occurred 8 km (5 miles) NNE of Alum Rock, CA.
The hypocentral depth is 9 km ( 6 miles).

Magnitude         5.6 - regional moment magnitude (Mw)
Time              Tuesday, October 30, 2007 at 8:04:54 PM (PDT)
                  Wednesday, October 31, 2007 at 3:04:54 (UTC)
Distance from     Alum Rock, CA - 8 km (5 miles) NNE (31 degrees)
                  Milpitas, CA - 11 km (7 miles) E (91 degrees)
                  San Jose City Hall, CA - 15 km (9 miles) NE (45 degrees)
                  Sunol-Midtown, CA - 17 km (10 miles) NE (45 degrees)
Coordinates       37 deg. 25.9 min. N (37.432N), 121 deg. 46.5 min. W (121.776W)
Depth             9.2 km (5.7 miles)

[Full USGS report] [San Jose Mercury News report]

Saturday Windsurfing

2007-10-27T15:00:00.000-07:00

Windsurfing with Lucas and Kemi

2007-10-21T16:04:00.001-07:00

Egoless Programming

2007-10-16T05:05:00.000-07:00

I am familiar with the principles of egoless programming, though I may have trouble following them from time to time. I let my ego get out of control in high school, which led to some bad social experiences. I did my best to learn from those mistakes, and tried not to repeat them in college. Being surrounded by so many incredibly intelligent people at RPI and PsiU was quite humbling, and work has been even more-so. While learning to be humble in this way was far from pleasant, I think it was moderately successful. To a large degree, I feel I have internalized the idea that my current role is that of a student or apprentice. I should find the masters around me, and learn from them. And I should swallow as much of my pride as it takes to make this learning possible.

Unfortunately, I am only human. I had a bit of a head-butting match at work recently, when a coworker disparaged some code and design documentation that I had written. While I certainly am quite proud of my work, I don't think that this was a case of my being overly attached to an implementation, so much as it was a case of me being hurt and offended by the poor handling of a social situation. X rips apart my designs and code quite handily, but I always feel smarter in the end, and I walk away feeling grateful for his time and patience. When Y does the same, I want to throw office furniture. The difference seems to be largely a matter of respect and social grace. Even with engineers, these count for something, and I expect them from my peers.

Despite my occasional jokes about leaving to work for Microsoft, at worst this situation might cause me to change teams. I spent nine months on team A (which was a poor fit for my skills) before becoming the sole member of team B (which was a dead-end project) for another nine months. Team B has now been folded into Team C, and C's project has a future. Unfortunately, this social situation might lead me hunting for team D.

Am I destined to end up like my father, job-hopping every 1-2 years for the rest of my life? Why do I find it so hard to be happy?

The Mac is a Harsh Mistress

2007-10-11T20:28:00.000-07:00

I <3 tortured metaphors.

Microsoft, ladies and gentlemen, is a cheap whore. She lives on the fringes of the law, but there’s no getting rid of her because she fulfils a certain need in our society. People want what she is selling.
[...]
Apple is a lover.
From the moment you meet her, you know that she wants you to be happy. She wants to be a part of your life, and you can’t help but be drawn into wanting to be a part of hers. She is beautiful and elegant in ways that the layers of paint on the Microsoft street-walker can only desperately try to imitate.

lolcat bible

2007-10-07T23:01:00.000-07:00

zomfg lolcat bible! I can't decide whether I like Exodus 20 best:

12. Bez u good to papa and mama so u has long lief.
13. U no mek peepz ded!
14. U no mek sexxes wit other gurlz or menz than ur wief (so no awsum treesum alowed!).
15. U no tek stuffs for free if not getz for free.
16. U no tell bad stuff about ur neibor.
17. U no wantz neibor stuff! No wief, no gurlz, no menz, no animulz, no no no! Bad.

Or Genesis 1:

1. In teh beginnin Ceiling Cat was invisible, and he maded the skiez and da earths, but he did not eated it.
2. The earths wus witout shapez and wus dark and scary and stuffs, and he rode invisible bike over teh waterz.
3. And Ceiling Cat sayz, i can has light, and teh light wuz.
4. Teh Ceiling Cat sawed teh light, to sees stuffs, and separatered the light form dark and stuffs
5. And Ceiling Cat sayed light Day and dark no Day. Teh evning and morning was teh first day.

Back to Blogger

2007-10-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

Free time has become a very limited resource in my life, and running my own web-hosting has become less rewarding over time. Consequently, I decided to move my blog back to Blogger.

Blogger has improved tremendously since 2003-2004. The Blogger GData API is pretty slick, too--I used it to import all the old posts and comments. I even preserved timestamps! At this point, my old blog posts have survived a move from Blogger to my own box (running Bryar), and then from Bryar back to Blogger. The comments have moved from QuickTopic to Bryar to Blogger. There is always so much duct tape and shoe string involved in these moves, but I find them fun in a twisted sort of way.

Comments work again. Say 'hi' if you still read this thing. ;-)

Playing with SketchUp

2007-05-27T17:12:00.001-07:00

Behold my creation!

I was surprised at how easy it was to throw something together, particularly considering my lack of CAD experience. I'm tempted to find other excuses for doing some 3D modeling, maybe come up with a few real-life project ideas. I haven't done much of anything creative except in front of a computer, and I have a stack of Make Magazines tempting me...maybe it's time to draft some plans and build something?

Lights!

2007-01-28T22:39:00.001-08:00

A little bit of home improvement, this weekend.

suctitude

2007-01-14T19:45:00.001-08:00

Compare and contrast.

Food and Friends

2006-12-01T12:46:00.001-08:00

Took the day off to relax. Made breakfast: Asian pear and apple slices, dripped with lime juice, sprinkled with brown sugar and cinnamon. Pancakes, from scratch (no mix), with whip cream, also made from scratch, sprinkled with raspberries and covered with real 100% Vermont maple syrup. Bacon. Eggs, fried in the bacon fat. Discovered that the pancakes cook much better in the bacon fat than in butter. Orange juice. Coffee. Dining room set properly with freshly ironed napkins, silverware, flowers, cream, and sugar. I'm getting the hang of this.

The most important ingredient--spectacular company. A friend from San Francisco I've only had the pleasure of meeting a few times. Good company, great conversation.

I love to entertain. I've known this for a while. I like to cook, and I'm not horrible at it. This I've just learned. Cooking seems to impress. I've been told that I'm "service oriented", although I'm not entirely sure how to interpret that. But I'm not saying it's wrong.

A few weeks ago, I cooked dinner for another special guest. I put hardwood charcoal in the grill and made beer-can chicken (seasoned with chicken rub, coated in olive oil). Baked potatoes and roasted garlic, with rosemary, drizzled in olive oil. Grilled corn, served with chili powder and lime juice. Bruschetta. All from the grill. Served with a cheese platter, an apple and pear platter, and plenty of wine. Everything came out perfectly. Ended up turning the leftovers into chicken melts and fried potatoes. That was the first roasted garlic I had ever tasted. It was _amazing_. I had no idea garlic could ever achieve that consistency.

Cooking these meals, for the sake of impressing company, has been a remarkably theraputic experience for me. Work has its ups and its downs. When I do nothing but work, I find that my mood tracks the ups and downs of each workday far too closely. It's very reassuring to be reminded that I have a purpose in life other than to work, and to know that I can become proficient at something other than software development. I can operate something other than a computer, and operate it well. I'm developing a grounding rod, for my stress, through friendships and hobbies. Perhaps, at last, I'm learning how to live.

Now I'm heading up to Shoreline Park, on this cool and sunny December day, to read some more of Vernor Vinge's A Deepness in the Sky. Planning on making this day end as well as it began.

Maybe I'm Getting The Hang of This

2006-09-27T01:15:00.001-07:00

It's going on six months, but I think I'm starting to get a groove going. Took me long enough. Now if only my circadian rhythm weren't so broken....

One of the unfortunate side-effects of living on the west coast and having a primarily east-coast social network is that I have trouble finding people who are awake and online during my non-work hours. While I have little control over when I leave the office, I tend to have a fair amount of control over when I go in. As a result, I've been staying up later, to claim a bit more time for myself. This, combined with a minor nethack addiction and perhaps a bit too much caffeinated tea has messed up my sleep schedule a bit. I'm too tired to do anything useful, but too awake to sleep. I'd love to spend the time catching up with some of the people I've been neglecting for the last six months, but nobody is ever awake when I'm free. Bah, humbug. I'll probably end up with more time to code, as a result, once my groove fully solidifies.

Randomness: 1080p is pretty--very very pretty. An awesome DVD player manufacturer is based about 3 miles from where I live, so I didn't have to pay shipping on my latest toy. Wizard People Dear Reader is really funny, but really needs to be watched in a group setting for full effect. Kirsten makes good cheesecake, and Dan makes good beef stroganoff. I love my truck, even thought I stall it 2-3 times a day, the "Check Engine" light goes on and off at random, and it smells a little funny. Ze Frank's The Show continues to rock my world.

It's unfortunate that the times I feel the motivation to write blog posts tend to be the times I'm least coherent. Good thing nobody reads this crap. ;-)

You Never Miss It Till It's Gone

2006-09-26T00:17:00.000-07:00

Bill Clinton on Fox News: Perhaps the only Fox News segment I'll ever ask you to watch. It reminded me of Jon Stewart on CNN's Crossfire. It's the same sort of unscripted and self-referential television that totally breaks our elaborate system of one-directional meme delivery. You can't really tell people what to think when someone on the screen is calling "Bullshit," can you?

Maybe I'm reading into it too much. But boy do I miss having a president capable of winning a debate and thinking on his feet.

Can you think of more instances of newsworthy deviations from television scripts? Political / current events stuff, in particular. Kanye West's "George Bush doesn't care about black people" is another perfect example. Send me links, videos, or ideas. I'd like to make a compilation disc, for posterity's sake. Or maybe just for laughs. But it would still be cool.

Feeling Antsy

2006-09-08T01:08:00.000-07:00

I'm feeling a bit stifled, lately. Insufficient outlets for my creative nature. Everything that I want to play with requires more spare time and energy than I seem able to find. I miss building things. I find this sadly ironic, and I suspect a few friends are thinking "I told you so." I've been sleeping too much, and poorly, which I attribute largely to Kirsten's 4:30AM alarm that goes off each morning. I'm sure this doesn't help matters.

I've certainly made a few project attempts, but they've all kinda fizzled. I took a quick look at Loudmouth recently for writing a Jabber bot, but I seem to be incapable of getting it to talk to Google Talk, which is pretty much the only Jabber server I care about. Some months ago, I wrote some VCard parsing code in Perl to help me get my address book off of my Mac and into evite for wedding party invitations. I got it far enough to suit my personal needs, but not far enough to be worth releasing to anyone else. Once the itch was scratched, I put it down, and didn't look back. Nethack was a nice diversion for a weekend or two, but it's just a game, not a project.

A coworker taught me to drive a truck with a manual transmission last Friday. (He's trying to get rid of the truck, and I mentioned that I needed a second vehicle.) Learning to drive stick was quite the experience. Of all the nervewracking things I've done recently (and I've done a few), I think that was one of the most fun, in a totally juvenile sort of way. I'm still not good at it, but I might buy his old pickup anyway. I miss having a second vehicle, I'd like to have a crap-hauler (hatchback or pickup), and it's just fun to operate a vehicle that requires so much manual intervention. (Stalling if you don't hit the clutch when fully braking, etc..) Maybe I'm just warped. It's a fun sort of novelty which appeals to me, right now.

In completely unrelated news, two of our friends treated us to a lunch at a fancy French restaurant named Bouchon in Napa Valley as a wedding gift, last weekend. The food and the experience were both excellent. Probably the coolest trip we've taken since moving to the West Coast. They want to make a trip to the French Laundry sometime this winter, and I suspect we will probably join them. Maybe I'll end up a yuppie after all....

I ascended in nethack.

2006-08-29T23:30:00.000-07:00

Once. And then again, just to prove it wasn't a fluke. It's silly, but it feels like a big accomplishment, and it's about the biggest non-work thing I've been able to make time to do, recently.

Oh yeah

2006-08-17T11:33:00.000-07:00

I bought another bike. Got tired of waiting for the police department to call me back about my old one.

Wedding Extravaganza

2006-08-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

The wedding ceremony and parties went very well, I think. We even survived the air travel, despite it being Red-Dangerous and Orange-Dangerous for most of the week. I didn't see any terrorists with Pepsi-bottles. It was great seeing so many of our friends and family again. I particularly enjoyed the pirate attack and the water balloon arms-race at our Connecticut party.

If you have digital pictures of one of the wedding events, I would love it if you could pass them my way. I'd like to put together a half-decent album, and the more source material I have, the better. :-D