I'm a Feedly user, and I'll gladly wait for them to sort out the issue internally, rather than paying the ransom demanded. Good on them.
Thursday, June 12, 2014
Feedly's Stand Against Criminals
I wish to congratulate the newsreader service Feedly on not caving into their attackers, who are currently staging a second DDOS on the service in as many days.
I'm a Feedly user, and I'll gladly wait for them to sort out the issue internally, rather than paying the ransom demanded. Good on them.
I'm a Feedly user, and I'll gladly wait for them to sort out the issue internally, rather than paying the ransom demanded. Good on them.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
The Philosophical Uncanny Valley
The Uncanny Valley is the phenomenon where, as depictions of people become more life-like, they reach a point where they become really creepy. It's a popular idea, and I've not heard any ideas that conclusively explain why we react worse to things that are almost-but-not-quite-like us than to things that are very different from us.
I have my own theory, which is that our ability to see things varies from object to object. With things that we're familiar with, we are able to see in nuanced detail. An example of this is the "all black people look alike" phenomenon.
This kind of selective myopia happens in other aspects of our lives. I realized this a little while ago while thinking of a coworker of mine. He's a fantastic guy who, in addition to his day job, is very active in his religion. He does counseling, volunteer work, and has become our building's de facto chaplain (we don't have a lot of public prayers, but sometimes we eat together and he gives a blessing that is moving poetry). He isn't aggressive about his beliefs or anything, but they are a part of all aspects of his life, down to his coffee mug.
My beliefs are, in many important ways, quite similar to his. But they are also different in some meaningful and irreconcilable ways. This got me to wonder what he thinks of his heretic neighbors. Does he see the similarities, or the differences? I don't know about him (we're not close enough that we would talk about this sort of thing), but there are a lot of other people like him who seem to only see the differences.
I think that we encounter this all the time. We each have a philosophical uncanny valley. This is where a belief is very similar to our own, but different enough that it's all we can see. It happens with religions (which is why Christians and Muslims seem to hate each other, but not as much as Sunnis and Shiites). And it happens with just about everything on the internet.
I bring this up so that we can be aware of this characteristic of ourselves. Maybe we can learn that there is more to see in others than their otherness.
I have my own theory, which is that our ability to see things varies from object to object. With things that we're familiar with, we are able to see in nuanced detail. An example of this is the "all black people look alike" phenomenon.
This kind of selective myopia happens in other aspects of our lives. I realized this a little while ago while thinking of a coworker of mine. He's a fantastic guy who, in addition to his day job, is very active in his religion. He does counseling, volunteer work, and has become our building's de facto chaplain (we don't have a lot of public prayers, but sometimes we eat together and he gives a blessing that is moving poetry). He isn't aggressive about his beliefs or anything, but they are a part of all aspects of his life, down to his coffee mug.
My beliefs are, in many important ways, quite similar to his. But they are also different in some meaningful and irreconcilable ways. This got me to wonder what he thinks of his heretic neighbors. Does he see the similarities, or the differences? I don't know about him (we're not close enough that we would talk about this sort of thing), but there are a lot of other people like him who seem to only see the differences.
I think that we encounter this all the time. We each have a philosophical uncanny valley. This is where a belief is very similar to our own, but different enough that it's all we can see. It happens with religions (which is why Christians and Muslims seem to hate each other, but not as much as Sunnis and Shiites). And it happens with just about everything on the internet.
I bring this up so that we can be aware of this characteristic of ourselves. Maybe we can learn that there is more to see in others than their otherness.
Thursday, May 15, 2014
Saturday, May 03, 2014
Printed Guns and other Unicorns
3D-Printed guns are becoming quite the bugaboo in the public consciousness. Since the primary medium of 3D printing is various plastics, I'm going to use 'printed gun' and 'plastic gun' interchangeably here.
My co-founder of this Forum, Eric, mentioned recently that he considered posting about printed guns, but decided not to because of the politics behind the issue. I wish to present some facts in context. I'll say nothing about "rights" or "what should happen" here. Maybe some other time though.
This post isn't about politics, it's about the rainbow-farting unicorn that we call a plastic gun.
A plastic gun has several problems that are managed nicely by metal in firearms.
For example, if you want your firearm to be a "repeating firearm", or one that can shoot more than one time in a row, you're going to need a system of ejecting spent cartridges and chambering new ones. ("Repeating" usually means the next round is loaded manually, like in a lever-action. "Semi-Automatic" would also be correct here, if the weapon ejects and loads a cartridge after firing automatically.)
The inside of a currently-firing cartridge is under extremely high pressure and heat. This is why brass is so important in modern ammunition. Brass has high enough temperature resistance that a brass cartridge won't melt and stick to the inside of the chamber. Every time your gun ejects a spent shell, it's also ejecting a great deal of heat. This heat ejection will usually prevent an occurrence called "cookoff", where the chamber is so hot that the propellant in the cartridge combusts from residual heat, instead of the fire from the primer being struck.
Cookoff is extremely dangerous, as it does indeed make guns fire when the trigger is not touched. It's a problem in some current military guns, and those should be best-of-breed.
You may say at this point, "What about Caseless Ammunition?" Great question. First, the lack of a case means that the gun can't expel heat along with a spent shell. That's bad for plastic's structural integrity. Also, caseless ammunition still has a case, it just burns with the rest of the propellant when fired. But it isn't quite the same compound as the primary propellant in the cartridge body. It has to be shock-resistant and strong, so it's polymerized. These extra polymers burn when fired, and leave yet more fouling behind than a cased round does. Oh, and see that primer in the picture? Brass.
While we're here, let's talk about fouling. When you fire a typical small arm, hot gases and smoke are generated. When hot gases and smoke aren't hot anymore, they're just gunk that builds up a little more every single time you fire the gun. There is also typically a small amount of propellant--it's called smokeless powder in modern firearms, but it's really just less smoky and has a bigger punch than black powder--that doesn't ignite when the cartridge is fired. The low end is around 1% of the available propellant unburned after firing. I've seen much higher, especially in the case of guns that fire rounds that were originally designed for longer barrels. (For example, a revolver firing .22 caliber long rifle rounds.) If the bullet is pushed out the front of the barrel before some powder ignites, then the enormous heat and pressure stored in the gun's barrel quickly drops and the powder doesn't burn, instead becoming fouling on the inside of the gun.
These three concepts; Hot moving parts, the incredible heat and pressure inside the barrel and chamber, and
fouling, are the main issues with building a fully-realized "plastic gun."
The first problem is containing the explosion that you create when you fire a round. That's what the chamber and barrel do in a typical metal gun. Most plastics have nothing approaching the tensile strength of steel, and even when they come close, they'll still melt under heat and pressure. In other words, it's hard to make a plastic barrel that won't explode and hurt you. (And even well-made metal guns sometimes blow up and hurt the shooter during use. Google Kaboom and you'll see what I mean.)
And plastic's structural integrity isn't the only problem. Plastic also creates residue and smoke when heated, so this introduces yet another source of fouling.
Some guns are highly resistant to fouling-related problems, like the famously reliable AK-47. Many guns need cleaning after each trip to the range, and many of those will misfire at the range due to fouling from just a few fired rounds. And these are well-built metal guns. That's why I could break-down, clean, and reassemble my .22 rifles in my sleep. I've had to clean them a lot because they don't shoot reliably when dirty.
I'm not a materials science graduate. If you are, and you want to make a real plastic gun, here are some problems that need fixing:
I saw the video of the 9mm plastic handgun, too. But remember, they still needed a metal firing pin for that gun, and the 9mm round inside was a standard, metal-cased round with a normal metal primer. And they could only shoot it once.
It's not undetectable to a metal detector as a "plastic gun" would presumably be, it's likely to blow up and hurt you on first use, and anyone with a modern conventional gun will have an enormous advantage.
I've seen barrels made of carbon, which has very good heat resistance, but tends to be fragile. Maybe a handgun could be printed with polymerized carbon?
Who knows. But for now, there's no such thing as a plastic gun in the true sense. This guy seems to have got closer to it than anyone else, but never produced a working model.
My co-founder of this Forum, Eric, mentioned recently that he considered posting about printed guns, but decided not to because of the politics behind the issue. I wish to present some facts in context. I'll say nothing about "rights" or "what should happen" here. Maybe some other time though.
This post isn't about politics, it's about the rainbow-farting unicorn that we call a plastic gun.
A plastic gun has several problems that are managed nicely by metal in firearms.
For example, if you want your firearm to be a "repeating firearm", or one that can shoot more than one time in a row, you're going to need a system of ejecting spent cartridges and chambering new ones. ("Repeating" usually means the next round is loaded manually, like in a lever-action. "Semi-Automatic" would also be correct here, if the weapon ejects and loads a cartridge after firing automatically.)
 |
| Semi-Automatic Operation |
The inside of a currently-firing cartridge is under extremely high pressure and heat. This is why brass is so important in modern ammunition. Brass has high enough temperature resistance that a brass cartridge won't melt and stick to the inside of the chamber. Every time your gun ejects a spent shell, it's also ejecting a great deal of heat. This heat ejection will usually prevent an occurrence called "cookoff", where the chamber is so hot that the propellant in the cartridge combusts from residual heat, instead of the fire from the primer being struck.
Cookoff is extremely dangerous, as it does indeed make guns fire when the trigger is not touched. It's a problem in some current military guns, and those should be best-of-breed.
 |
| From Wikipedia |
While we're here, let's talk about fouling. When you fire a typical small arm, hot gases and smoke are generated. When hot gases and smoke aren't hot anymore, they're just gunk that builds up a little more every single time you fire the gun. There is also typically a small amount of propellant--it's called smokeless powder in modern firearms, but it's really just less smoky and has a bigger punch than black powder--that doesn't ignite when the cartridge is fired. The low end is around 1% of the available propellant unburned after firing. I've seen much higher, especially in the case of guns that fire rounds that were originally designed for longer barrels. (For example, a revolver firing .22 caliber long rifle rounds.) If the bullet is pushed out the front of the barrel before some powder ignites, then the enormous heat and pressure stored in the gun's barrel quickly drops and the powder doesn't burn, instead becoming fouling on the inside of the gun.
These three concepts; Hot moving parts, the incredible heat and pressure inside the barrel and chamber, and
The first problem is containing the explosion that you create when you fire a round. That's what the chamber and barrel do in a typical metal gun. Most plastics have nothing approaching the tensile strength of steel, and even when they come close, they'll still melt under heat and pressure. In other words, it's hard to make a plastic barrel that won't explode and hurt you. (And even well-made metal guns sometimes blow up and hurt the shooter during use. Google Kaboom and you'll see what I mean.)
And plastic's structural integrity isn't the only problem. Plastic also creates residue and smoke when heated, so this introduces yet another source of fouling.
I'm not a materials science graduate. If you are, and you want to make a real plastic gun, here are some problems that need fixing:
- A non-metal barrel that is strong under heat, can take repeated cycles without failing, and won't produce fouling of its own. (Perhaps carbon.)
- The barrel must also hold shape internally so that the riflings aren't worn away. Without the riflings on the inside of the barrel, the bullet won't spin and fly straight.
- If it is a repeating firearm, cookoff must be prevented, as it is extremely dangerous. The presence of multiple rounds inside the gun and possible inadequate heat management means cookoff is possible, and will have to be designed around.
- Ammunition with a non-metal case, that won't introduce more fouling.
- Bonus Point: Did you remember the primer? It's the explosive cap at the end of the round that the firing pin hits. They're nearly always made of steel or brass. It shouldn't be a weaker material, because if the pressure in the cartridge causes it to melt or burst, you've got energy (and gunk) moving the wrong direction inside your gun. And that will lead to further fouling. Remember, a primer has to be strong enough not to explode from being dropped on the ground or careless handling, but weak enough to consistently fire by firing pin.
- And if the primer needs to be hard, so does the firing pin. Firing pins, again, are almost always made of steel in modern guns.
I saw the video of the 9mm plastic handgun, too. But remember, they still needed a metal firing pin for that gun, and the 9mm round inside was a standard, metal-cased round with a normal metal primer. And they could only shoot it once.
It's not undetectable to a metal detector as a "plastic gun" would presumably be, it's likely to blow up and hurt you on first use, and anyone with a modern conventional gun will have an enormous advantage.
I've seen barrels made of carbon, which has very good heat resistance, but tends to be fragile. Maybe a handgun could be printed with polymerized carbon?
Who knows. But for now, there's no such thing as a plastic gun in the true sense. This guy seems to have got closer to it than anyone else, but never produced a working model.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
"Behold, the power plant of the future, today!"
I read an interesting column today about the future of 3D printing. The author gave the caveat, "I don't fully understand them, so they seem like magic sent to us from the future by Captain Picard." Which probably explains why, while she pointed out some of the many awesome things that 3D printing could do, she may be overselling them a bit, and her predictions for where things will go are, at best, a little naive.
For my own part, I'm largely unfamiliar with the technologies of 3D printers. I've heard some reports of things that they've done, and last year I got to visit two different R&D labs that were exploring the capabilities of the technology. The first was at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (probably the same group of people responsible for this). The second, a couple of months later, was at Gulfstream's Savannah facility (probably related to this educational program, but definitely not the same place). I got to see, first hand, some of the remarkable things that they could do (my favorite: a chess set with rooks that had a spiral staircase going up inside them). 3D printing allows for some amazing things that are simply not possible with other manufacturing techniques.
It's also got a lot of potential as a cost-effective way to do single-item or other low-quantity manufacturing. This is normally touted as a way to go about prototyping. But in my professional environment (buying parts for old systems that require from a few replacements a year to one every few years), this could be a silver bullet against obsolescence (or at least it can be once we redesign everything for the technology). 3D printing is a big deal.
Ms. Kohn hits on a number of major accomplishments of 3D printing. The biggest, arguably, is the ability to print body parts. This is about the closest that we've come to being able to play god, and if the technology can mature sufficiently, it could provide an ethical alternative to the old idea of cloning yourself to create a spare part factory (an idea that was only floated around to show some of the morally reprehensible applications of human cloning).
Her other ideas are interesting, but basically non-starters. Sure, you can print houses, food, and toothbrushes. But most people never would, because it would be a pointless waste of money.
Think of your traditional printer. It gives you the technology to publish your own books. But does Amazon give you a file that sends the book you just bought to your printer? No! It's far cheaper to mass produce those things, store them in warehouses, move them around, and deliver them to your door than it is to buy the paper and toner for your inkjet. Desktop publishing is fantastic, but for anything more than a few copies or a few pages, it's far too expensive.
3D printing has the same problem. Even if the 3D equivalent of "ink cartridges" go way down in price (like 2D ink never has done), it's still going to be far more expensive than just producing most of these things the old-fashioned way.
With any luck, 3D printing will be a significant part of the future. And it will solve a lot of problems. But it won't solve all of them.
For my own part, I'm largely unfamiliar with the technologies of 3D printers. I've heard some reports of things that they've done, and last year I got to visit two different R&D labs that were exploring the capabilities of the technology. The first was at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (probably the same group of people responsible for this). The second, a couple of months later, was at Gulfstream's Savannah facility (probably related to this educational program, but definitely not the same place). I got to see, first hand, some of the remarkable things that they could do (my favorite: a chess set with rooks that had a spiral staircase going up inside them). 3D printing allows for some amazing things that are simply not possible with other manufacturing techniques.
It's also got a lot of potential as a cost-effective way to do single-item or other low-quantity manufacturing. This is normally touted as a way to go about prototyping. But in my professional environment (buying parts for old systems that require from a few replacements a year to one every few years), this could be a silver bullet against obsolescence (or at least it can be once we redesign everything for the technology). 3D printing is a big deal.
Ms. Kohn hits on a number of major accomplishments of 3D printing. The biggest, arguably, is the ability to print body parts. This is about the closest that we've come to being able to play god, and if the technology can mature sufficiently, it could provide an ethical alternative to the old idea of cloning yourself to create a spare part factory (an idea that was only floated around to show some of the morally reprehensible applications of human cloning).
Her other ideas are interesting, but basically non-starters. Sure, you can print houses, food, and toothbrushes. But most people never would, because it would be a pointless waste of money.
Think of your traditional printer. It gives you the technology to publish your own books. But does Amazon give you a file that sends the book you just bought to your printer? No! It's far cheaper to mass produce those things, store them in warehouses, move them around, and deliver them to your door than it is to buy the paper and toner for your inkjet. Desktop publishing is fantastic, but for anything more than a few copies or a few pages, it's far too expensive.
3D printing has the same problem. Even if the 3D equivalent of "ink cartridges" go way down in price (like 2D ink never has done), it's still going to be far more expensive than just producing most of these things the old-fashioned way.
With any luck, 3D printing will be a significant part of the future. And it will solve a lot of problems. But it won't solve all of them.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Plato's Cave Lovingly Rendered in NES Zelda (and others!)
Shockingly good. Lots of good theoretical explanation, plus Zelda!
(Less than three minutes.)
(EDIT: Hat tip to Animal New York.)
(Less than three minutes.)
(EDIT: Hat tip to Animal New York.)
Wednesday, March 05, 2014
Blocking a Sender in Gmail (2014)
Every now and then a person must deal with an acquaintance or family member who is sick and no longer communicates properly. Alternately, you may be in a dark place yourself. In either case, you may find email from certain parties to be inflammatory.
Recently a friend of mine complained about emails from a certain party, and mentioned that he hadn't figured out how to make them disappear from his Gmail properly.
I went into Gmail's settings and figured out what I think his solution would be.
This walkthrough will quickly demonstrate how to:
Here we go. Start your engines and sign into your Google Accounts.
If you go to your main Gmail page in a desktop browser, you should see a gear below your user name in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
Click the Gear icon, and then Settings in the drop-down box. You should now see the tabbed Settings page of your Gmail account.
Choose the Filters tab.
Conceptually, Gmail filters do two things;
With these two very basic tools in hand, we can do a lot of complex things. In this case, all we're doing is feeding the matching query the email address that needs blocking, and disappearing the (future) emails from there.
You can choose your own settings based on need. The settings shown here will make emails from the set party simply disappear, though you can make your rule send them to a folder for later perusal. This may be prudent if you have legal arrangements with the party and have to keep the emails even if you don't read them. Remember that the settings shown here will make you completely unaware that an email came from the sender in question!
After you get to the Filters tab, scroll all the way to the bottom (if you already have filters set up, it could be a long list) and click the text that says Create a new filter.
As you can see, we don't need much here. If all you want to do is block one sender, then all you need is that sender's address. In step one above, we've identified the sender we want to block.
Step two, the 'Do this thing to it', is below.
You'll note that I have checked above, Skip the Inbox (Archive it), then Mark as read, and then Delete it.
I'm probably doing more than I have to here. I want to make sure I don't get a notification in the middle of the night from Zaphod, so I'm making the Inbox completely ignore the email even though it's getting deleted.
Create your filter, and no more sleepless nights. Hope this helps.
Recently a friend of mine complained about emails from a certain party, and mentioned that he hadn't figured out how to make them disappear from his Gmail properly.
I went into Gmail's settings and figured out what I think his solution would be.
This walkthrough will quickly demonstrate how to:
- Create a Filter (or rule) in Gmail
- Make emails from a known sender never appear in your inbox
- And never give you a notification of it
- And make it go away forever (you will not be aware that you were emailed!)
- And not tip off the sending party that their messages are going in a black hole
Here we go. Start your engines and sign into your Google Accounts.
If you go to your main Gmail page in a desktop browser, you should see a gear below your user name in the upper right-hand corner of the screen.
Click the Gear icon, and then Settings in the drop-down box. You should now see the tabbed Settings page of your Gmail account.
Choose the Filters tab.
Conceptually, Gmail filters do two things;
- Match this kind of email
- Do this thing to it
With these two very basic tools in hand, we can do a lot of complex things. In this case, all we're doing is feeding the matching query the email address that needs blocking, and disappearing the (future) emails from there.
You can choose your own settings based on need. The settings shown here will make emails from the set party simply disappear, though you can make your rule send them to a folder for later perusal. This may be prudent if you have legal arrangements with the party and have to keep the emails even if you don't read them. Remember that the settings shown here will make you completely unaware that an email came from the sender in question!
After you get to the Filters tab, scroll all the way to the bottom (if you already have filters set up, it could be a long list) and click the text that says Create a new filter.
As you can see, we don't need much here. If all you want to do is block one sender, then all you need is that sender's address. In step one above, we've identified the sender we want to block.
Step two, the 'Do this thing to it', is below.
You'll note that I have checked above, Skip the Inbox (Archive it), then Mark as read, and then Delete it.
I'm probably doing more than I have to here. I want to make sure I don't get a notification in the middle of the night from Zaphod, so I'm making the Inbox completely ignore the email even though it's getting deleted.
Create your filter, and no more sleepless nights. Hope this helps.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Still Alive - PORTAL IS FREE
I could litter this post with cake and companion cube jokes, but let's just get right to the meat of it...
Portal is free, for a few days. If you don't already own a copy, GET IT NOW. Heck, even if you do already own one, it wouldn't hurt to have a...uh...second Steam account? With your second copy of Portal in it!
It's OK. You'll feel good about this. Click the button and get the game. Even if you're not sure that you'll ever, ever play it. Just get it. It's free.
Get Portal. There is no good reason not to.
Portal is free, for a few days. If you don't already own a copy, GET IT NOW. Heck, even if you do already own one, it wouldn't hurt to have a...uh...second Steam account? With your second copy of Portal in it!
It's OK. You'll feel good about this. Click the button and get the game. Even if you're not sure that you'll ever, ever play it. Just get it. It's free.Get Portal. There is no good reason not to.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
The Office, Pitch-Perfect
Please check out the excellent fan-written script for an episode of The Office, by Matthew Baldwin, the Defective Yeti himself.
If you're not already an Office fan, you might have trouble putting the right voices to the right people. But it's still funny.
If you're not already an Office fan, you might have trouble putting the right voices to the right people. But it's still funny.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Lan Party Time! Again! At Last!
So, yeah, I decided it's way past time for another LAN party. By my estimation, there wasn't one for all of '07, so we're way past due.
So here are the details for this year's LAN party:
Where: the Walker Residence, in Kaysville Utah. If you're invited, I'll send an address and a link to google maps. Any further info, you can contact me.
When: October 17th, 2008, we will start at 5:00, and the party will last into the night (my estimation is 11:00 or later, I will update this post as details become available.)
Who:
*Jake Wilcox
*Jeff Wilcox
*Andy Walker
*Krys Johnson
*Mark Wilcox
*Aaron Sitzman
*Julianne Wilcox
*Cody Walker
*Kyle Heath
EDIT: I've taken out our non-RSVPs and put them at the bottom of this post. I wanted to make the main list neat, but retain a list of those who couldn't make it this time for the sake of future parties.
Kyle Heath has also been added to the list. 15 Oct 1:00pm -Jake.
I updated the list last night. The people with asterisks by their names have RSVP'd, and I've removed the people who have RSVP'd that they won't be there. That's eight by my count.
IF YOU ARE NOT ON THIS LIST, YOU MAY NOT COME TO THIS PARTY. IF YOU FEEL THAT IT IS AN OVERSIGHT THAT YOU ARE NOT ON THIS LIST, YOU MUST CONTACT ME (JEFF).
Why: Because it's been too long.
What: Huh?
So, yeah, if you're on the list, you'll be receiving an email telling you that you're invited and requesting an RSVP.
There will be a cover charge, as the plan for this party is to have Garcia's cater again. I like Garcia's, and I've heard no complaints about them from fellow party goers in years past, so if you have a problem with it, you can go stick your head in a pig. The plan right now is to make the cover $15. It will almost certainly not go up from there, and it may go down. Again, keep an eye on this post as the most up to date details will be here.
This is what you should bring with you: Your computer, as we don't have enough spares to go around; a power strip, since everyone will need multiple places to plug in; network cables, so that your computer can talk to ours; A switch if you have one (a discount is being considered for those who bring one); headphones, if you want sound.
Expect to have one meal at the party, and a good time. Specific instructions for invitees will be sent via email.
Non-attendees:
Eric Widdison
Leon Walker
Gary Walker
Stan Wilcox
Eric Degroot
Sterling Canfield
Scott Barber
So here are the details for this year's LAN party:
Where: the Walker Residence, in Kaysville Utah. If you're invited, I'll send an address and a link to google maps. Any further info, you can contact me.
When: October 17th, 2008, we will start at 5:00, and the party will last into the night (my estimation is 11:00 or later, I will update this post as details become available.)
Who:
*Jake Wilcox
*Jeff Wilcox
*Andy Walker
*Krys Johnson
*Mark Wilcox
*Aaron Sitzman
*Julianne Wilcox
*Cody Walker
*Kyle Heath
EDIT: I've taken out our non-RSVPs and put them at the bottom of this post. I wanted to make the main list neat, but retain a list of those who couldn't make it this time for the sake of future parties.
Kyle Heath has also been added to the list. 15 Oct 1:00pm -Jake.
I updated the list last night. The people with asterisks by their names have RSVP'd, and I've removed the people who have RSVP'd that they won't be there. That's eight by my count.
IF YOU ARE NOT ON THIS LIST, YOU MAY NOT COME TO THIS PARTY. IF YOU FEEL THAT IT IS AN OVERSIGHT THAT YOU ARE NOT ON THIS LIST, YOU MUST CONTACT ME (JEFF).
Why: Because it's been too long.
What: Huh?
So, yeah, if you're on the list, you'll be receiving an email telling you that you're invited and requesting an RSVP.
There will be a cover charge, as the plan for this party is to have Garcia's cater again. I like Garcia's, and I've heard no complaints about them from fellow party goers in years past, so if you have a problem with it, you can go stick your head in a pig. The plan right now is to make the cover $15. It will almost certainly not go up from there, and it may go down. Again, keep an eye on this post as the most up to date details will be here.
This is what you should bring with you: Your computer, as we don't have enough spares to go around; a power strip, since everyone will need multiple places to plug in; network cables, so that your computer can talk to ours; A switch if you have one (a discount is being considered for those who bring one); headphones, if you want sound.
Expect to have one meal at the party, and a good time. Specific instructions for invitees will be sent via email.
Non-attendees:
Eric Widdison
Leon Walker
Gary Walker
Stan Wilcox
Eric Degroot
Sterling Canfield
Scott Barber
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
2007 Abravanel Hall Messiah Sing-In Critique
I attended Saturday the 24th's Messiah Sing-In. Every year my wife and I bring along some family and friends (this year we numbered sixteen strong), and we always like to discuss what we like or don't like about that year's performance.I've decided to post my thoughts this year, and I'll do some catching up on previous years along the way.
Here is this year's dramatis personae:
Susanne Sheston - Chorus Master
Shannon Kessler - Soprano
Erica Brookhyser - Mezzo-Soprano (Soloing the Alto parts)
Tanner Knight - Tenor
Chad Sloan - Baritone (Soloing Baritone and Bass parts)
Again, the annual Abravanel Sing-In is tradition for us, so we're quite familiar with Susanne Sheston by this point. She's usually energetic, and she likes to share a little trivia about Messiah every year before the performance. One year (was it 2006 or 2005?) she was feeling particularly talkative and held forth on the history behind the tradition of standing for the Hallelujah Chorus. When she finished up the explanation after five minutes or so, the audience had a fun, 'What was that?' moment.
In general, she seems a good Chorus Master, and her rapport with the Utah Symphony Chorus is clear. In truth, it's the professional chorus' job to keep the lay chorus sounding passable, and that's always been done well under Susanne's leadership.
Her results in conducting the symphony are more mixed though. In 2005, she just couldn't keep the strings together at all. For nearly the duration of the concert, they were all over the place. This was improved hugely in the 2006 concert, leading me to believe that the buffoonery was not missed, and they aimed to do right after missing the mark so badly the previous year.
This year the strings again had some discord in a couple of places, but overall they held together well. If 2005 rated at a 3/10 and 2006 a 9/10, then they turned in a mid eight this year. Quite passable, but still room for improvement.
My one real complaint with Susanne as a conductor is that every year, she allows the symphony to blow through the transition between the solo and choral portions of "O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion." It's undoubtedly technically correct for her to do so, as the transition is written as quick and smooth. But Handel didn't know about Sing-Ins, and a lay chorus is unlikely to stand and sing without being directed to do so because of social pressure. This bungled transition is awkward and embarrassing for the audience members, but Susanne doesn't notice, because she's too busy directing the symphony and professional chorus, with her back turned to the audience.
I know that the idea must feel unnatural to her, but I hope that Susanne will resolve to pause the symphony, raise the audience, and then start the choral portion, as doing so will dispense with the most flustering moment of the performance for the people who paid for tickets.
Let's move on to soloists.
I'll not beat around the bush here. By far, the standout performance was commandingly delivered by Chad Sloan. He started strong, appropriately booming the introductory line of "Thus saith the Lord," and he continued to deliver rich, powerful reports for the rest of the performance. Chad ably, and, by the look of it, easily stole the show from his fellow performers.Of special note was his performance of "The trumpet shall sound," in which his accompanying trumpeter was also well into a high-performance groove (with little-to-no warm up at that point). Both Chad and the trumpeter (I wish his name was listed in the program) ornamented sparingly but in brilliant fashion. Saturday night's performance of "The trumpet shall sound" was easily the best I've ever heard in person. The one small flaw in that piece was that in the second-to-last melisma (...this mortal must put on immortality), Chad finished his run a little more than a beat early, leaving the symphony to catch up. Notwithstanding that, it was superbly performed, and I'm glad that I was there to hear it.
I'm usually most critical of the Mezzo-Soprano and Alto parts of Messiah, as they put the singer in a range that gives her voice an unfortunate tone to my hearing. Anyone who's heard the 1996 Messiah album conducted by Sir David Willcocks and performed by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir will know this kind of Alto; strained, airy, and unfortunately, often sounding much like a lazy hen. (I'm aware that in the above-mentioned case, the offender was actually Paul Esswood, a man, and a counter-tenor, but the result is too-often effectively the same.)
The standard slaughter of the Alto arias (and recitatives, but I'm lumping them together here) is why I was surprised by Erica Brookhyser, the Mezzo-Soprano, who gave the remainder of the remarkable solo performances of the evening. Erica's voice has a rich, warm quality that suits emotional pieces, like "He was despised," uncommonly well.Sometimes, with the Messiah performance effectively kicking off the holiday season, the soloists forget the somber nature of parts of Messiah. The two stand-alone Alto parts included in the Sing-In are prophetic (Behold, a virgin shall conceive) and mournful (He was despised). In each case, Erica took the stage with proper decorum and delivered deep, soulful performances.
Indeed, the second (in order of prominence) standout piece of the evening was her "He was despised." Erica brought it to an emotional climax that had me riveted.
Sadly, the other female soloist, Soprano Shannon Kessler, didn't fare nearly so well.Shannon gave "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion" a thorough butchering. This piece is full of melismas, during which she frequently missed notes or simply dropped the middle or end portions. She liberally ornamented--poorly, and far over-emphasized the "shout" portions of the piece, blowing them out and frequently sharping her triplet end notes in the process.
The soprano portions of Messiah are in my opinion, some of the more beautiful soprano parts around, especially from "There were shepherds abiding" through to "Glory to God." These were treated in a casual, blasé manner which did not do them justice.
Tanner Knight, the Tenor for the evening, seemed skilled enough for his class, but ultimately green. He also blew melismas, though not as badly or as frequently as Shannon did.Tanner's main issue was consistency. For instance, he couldn't decide if "pardon'd" had two syllables or three, and it made his delivery feel off-kilter. His issues made him seem inexperienced rather than unskilled. I've no doubt that consistency will come to him with more performances under his belt.
It seemed that Tanner and Shannon were both given 'Come to Jesus' talks during intermission, as they each toned down their foibles for the second half. (I prefer this idea over the possibility that it took them each half the performance just to warm up.)
Keep in mind that in order to criticize well, one must be critical. Overall, the performance was very good, with some superb talent brought to bear by two of the soloists, which helped offset the talent that was perhaps uncharacteristically absent in the other two. The Utah Symphony Chorus backed the audience during the choral portions admirably. The symphony was in tune and on tempo in all except two short cases, and the First Trumpet made a simply extraordinary showing in the latter half.
It was a good year. I'm sorry it's over, and that I'll have to wait another year to go again.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Kids Prompt the Damnedest Queries
Like this one: chip's combination cloud moon star +dvd "beauty and the beast"
If you have the Beauty and the Beast Special Edition DVD, then you can use the above query to find all of the needed answers to get through the interactive game on the disc and appease your kids.
Thank you, Google.
If you have the Beauty and the Beast Special Edition DVD, then you can use the above query to find all of the needed answers to get through the interactive game on the disc and appease your kids.
Thank you, Google.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Conversations with The Boy, Part 2
The Boy: Dad, can I have a snack?
Me: I've already told you that we're going to have lunch soon. Could I please have some peace and quiet?
The Boy: Yes.
Me: Thank you.
The Boy: What's a peace and quiet?
Me: I've already told you that we're going to have lunch soon. Could I please have some peace and quiet?
The Boy: Yes.
Me: Thank you.
The Boy: What's a peace and quiet?
Tuesday, November 06, 2007
Target's Big No-No
You may or may not know that I'm expecting a baby boy in April. As a pregnant woman, I seek the company and advice of other women. There is not a time in a woman's life when she needs the help of other women more than when she's pregnant. One of the best places I've found is the online community The Nest and it's sister-site The Nest Baby Beta.
One of the reasons I find the site so useful is that the other "nesties" are more than willing to share their experiences with products and retailers. You don't want to piss off a nestie. She will tell all the other nesties and then you'll have a nation-wide boycott on your hands.
Target may not know it yet, but it's getting a LOT of bad press from the nesties due to their very unwise decision to change it's Baby and Wedding Registry return policies. As of August 8th, 2007, Target will NOT accept returns without a receipt or gift receipt, even if it was checked off on the registry list. Not even for in-store credit.
Target, that was a bad idea.
One of the reasons I find the site so useful is that the other "nesties" are more than willing to share their experiences with products and retailers. You don't want to piss off a nestie. She will tell all the other nesties and then you'll have a nation-wide boycott on your hands.
Target may not know it yet, but it's getting a LOT of bad press from the nesties due to their very unwise decision to change it's Baby and Wedding Registry return policies. As of August 8th, 2007, Target will NOT accept returns without a receipt or gift receipt, even if it was checked off on the registry list. Not even for in-store credit.
Target, that was a bad idea.
Friday, August 24, 2007
Jenny, Myself, and Her Ring
One glorious summer I had a romance with my best friend's sister's best friend. She and I were both teenagers at the time, but she was three years older than I, which was quite a feather in my cap with my friends.
In our teenage eagerness to act the part, we thought that being in love meant kissing a lot and touching each other in dark theaters, so that's what we did.
Her name was Jenny, and my yearning, angsty teenage heart thought that we just might last forever.
We were no more brainy than any other teenagers, so she and I and the friends we hung out with would walk to a local school around midnight and goof around in the schoolyard. More than once, our running around and giggling woke up locals who threatened to call the cops, and we had to split quickly.
One night on the way out or on the way back, a ring slipped off of Jenny's hand and into the grass of a yard next to the sidewalk we were following. Jenny was distraught and insisted that everyone search for the ring in the grass.
The ring was given to her by another guy, and I didn’t give a damn whether she found it or not. On the other hand, I didn't want to look like a jerk. I looked for the ring with everyone else, not knowing what I'd do if I did find it. I still don't know what I would have done.
Jenny didn't find her ring, and it dampened the evening. About halfway through the summer she or I (ok, it was her) lost interest and the relationship came to an end.
I was young though, "Wayne's World" was a new movie, and I had no idea that "Bohemian Rhapsody" was an old song getting in a good second run. Life went on.
I saw Jenny not long ago, working at a local restaurant, and the memories came flooding back. Now that I don't have to be a lovelorn teenager anymore, I can remember her and the ring that I didn't want found--but still looked for earnestly--with a fond smile.
In our teenage eagerness to act the part, we thought that being in love meant kissing a lot and touching each other in dark theaters, so that's what we did.
Her name was Jenny, and my yearning, angsty teenage heart thought that we just might last forever.
We were no more brainy than any other teenagers, so she and I and the friends we hung out with would walk to a local school around midnight and goof around in the schoolyard. More than once, our running around and giggling woke up locals who threatened to call the cops, and we had to split quickly.
One night on the way out or on the way back, a ring slipped off of Jenny's hand and into the grass of a yard next to the sidewalk we were following. Jenny was distraught and insisted that everyone search for the ring in the grass.
The ring was given to her by another guy, and I didn’t give a damn whether she found it or not. On the other hand, I didn't want to look like a jerk. I looked for the ring with everyone else, not knowing what I'd do if I did find it. I still don't know what I would have done.
Jenny didn't find her ring, and it dampened the evening. About halfway through the summer she or I (ok, it was her) lost interest and the relationship came to an end.
I was young though, "Wayne's World" was a new movie, and I had no idea that "Bohemian Rhapsody" was an old song getting in a good second run. Life went on.
I saw Jenny not long ago, working at a local restaurant, and the memories came flooding back. Now that I don't have to be a lovelorn teenager anymore, I can remember her and the ring that I didn't want found--but still looked for earnestly--with a fond smile.
Monday, August 20, 2007
SCO Soon to Cross Styx: Buddy, Can You Spare $2?
This last Thursday, Crystal and I packed up our little family and drove to St. George. On both the trip out and the trip back, I pointed out the freeway exit for Lindon, Utah to Crystal, noting that it's the home of SCO Corp. This always spurs interest from her, because she reads most of what I write, and 15 months ago I gave SCO a doozy of a lashing at this very blog.
Of course, being on vacation and behind on my business and technical reading, I didn't know yet that Federal Judge Kimball's declaration that SCO owes basically the whole company and more to Novell had sent SCO's stock into a death spiral, and that the bell has begun to toll for them. (Image courtesy of Ars Technica.)
But then we got home yesterday, and today I got to catching up on my reading, and my, is that birds chirping in blue skies? I suppose Lindon will never quite be the same again, and I think that's a good thing.
My take on the tangled and twisted wreckage is over at EMB. Have a look, won't you?
Of course, being on vacation and behind on my business and technical reading, I didn't know yet that Federal Judge Kimball's declaration that SCO owes basically the whole company and more to Novell had sent SCO's stock into a death spiral, and that the bell has begun to toll for them. (Image courtesy of Ars Technica.)
But then we got home yesterday, and today I got to catching up on my reading, and my, is that birds chirping in blue skies? I suppose Lindon will never quite be the same again, and I think that's a good thing.
My take on the tangled and twisted wreckage is over at EMB. Have a look, won't you?
Monday, July 02, 2007
1551536
One of the members here has just completed his third decade. Several months ago, Jake asked me for the Fibonacci numbers for his birthday, so I gave them to him. At least as many has his computer can handle. The title for this post is the 30th such number. As of today, Jake is 10957 days old, which corresponds to the number
24405766982725029224574620080529938953110793609559683075724120015586439797376282
63410832575659176516430705286400831276789193401740485777373684894142096376152747
11001428756981426159241459929861020911806728146512534095337056760618262111962592
54448629692167814001818417976360566307312638004935705935835822834134303156254058
96869723340693596570983244577217820496168333549811663852448369918171191063774516
17093128977789323288738797246395635796856734640862449668788154305753994025198077
67242499025847512663982335368229640213014677230809195999480452006754123912196389
14144694116118976490453305624107026886608650474087543836861930120794908429666190
41433952461358618002337965969606442395116248863488764774646057929601246915183790
10261072866606052734121314456422912066502143135472139238976722161704852966247786
22681176410615207873716109601407147021243145792386464912248002630100199892632230
06099427498378047712101365834392505807445254303842927153271275262662620505301438
16887625375704173621323035405204295484924687899094358086527689810039712069067177
02271521977646675164218201925757675342107152841966935793216201059027755778294136
99090999935621944819805057570797854480648560952155777925907047454635464084168401
91529429385177578541804936116000923584424326755410973117179396351841380049976271
61163047533995904585353584772932981081668212155329287559561278715224106821540531
57877034263336220796849644050697049949761686232061176906640977624717578094370892
78188050110780171406795487842233520759309695483727249710368795662472546206127987
50964091451764813509178180014587474007573609149608762597081025009896445522370698
50836956183674464747688750383346314635879026141514131445803480655667944678701782
31310362860131918947859639962696847969664190605141984185100698224571017330240820
45233575711700357184456642699148234103132826262375921181046829168499053819288048
14785620980992614278225490215946612734419887359299459787980155689867770263787261
80702102027210550696905089462399710483021632135031586764174901805643673657707635
88939822742481166899008887164316799292986908481428382448956356641959989810785988
70133693690149147765139706119190762864592679523169372154092510649401683199173130
14123305466067872157348851321829070380590195355102783943487412174917192099610825
76224669506903111775998330097038190778898253429171500050592100579024289641185333
03093414212020577118893066716806120064049583392472069294544632373709785595413387
99004789479281302932413103393616489. (That's 2435 digits.)
Happy Birthday, Jake.
24405766982725029224574620080529938953110793609559683075724120015586439797376282
63410832575659176516430705286400831276789193401740485777373684894142096376152747
11001428756981426159241459929861020911806728146512534095337056760618262111962592
54448629692167814001818417976360566307312638004935705935835822834134303156254058
96869723340693596570983244577217820496168333549811663852448369918171191063774516
17093128977789323288738797246395635796856734640862449668788154305753994025198077
67242499025847512663982335368229640213014677230809195999480452006754123912196389
14144694116118976490453305624107026886608650474087543836861930120794908429666190
41433952461358618002337965969606442395116248863488764774646057929601246915183790
10261072866606052734121314456422912066502143135472139238976722161704852966247786
22681176410615207873716109601407147021243145792386464912248002630100199892632230
06099427498378047712101365834392505807445254303842927153271275262662620505301438
16887625375704173621323035405204295484924687899094358086527689810039712069067177
02271521977646675164218201925757675342107152841966935793216201059027755778294136
99090999935621944819805057570797854480648560952155777925907047454635464084168401
91529429385177578541804936116000923584424326755410973117179396351841380049976271
61163047533995904585353584772932981081668212155329287559561278715224106821540531
57877034263336220796849644050697049949761686232061176906640977624717578094370892
78188050110780171406795487842233520759309695483727249710368795662472546206127987
50964091451764813509178180014587474007573609149608762597081025009896445522370698
50836956183674464747688750383346314635879026141514131445803480655667944678701782
31310362860131918947859639962696847969664190605141984185100698224571017330240820
45233575711700357184456642699148234103132826262375921181046829168499053819288048
14785620980992614278225490215946612734419887359299459787980155689867770263787261
80702102027210550696905089462399710483021632135031586764174901805643673657707635
88939822742481166899008887164316799292986908481428382448956356641959989810785988
70133693690149147765139706119190762864592679523169372154092510649401683199173130
14123305466067872157348851321829070380590195355102783943487412174917192099610825
76224669506903111775998330097038190778898253429171500050592100579024289641185333
03093414212020577118893066716806120064049583392472069294544632373709785595413387
99004789479281302932413103393616489. (That's 2435 digits.)
Happy Birthday, Jake.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Management
So for the last few weeks, I've been looking at a change of profession and I applied to a certain business which isn't too far from where I live and I had an interesting experience in the process. For the sake of keeping myself out of trouble, I'll not name the business, and we'll just call the manager who I dealt with throughout the hiring process Doug. Also, for the sake of not trying to skew reality, I will first outline the facts, as nearly as I remember them and I will try to use quotes as often as possible. Please note that I am human, and as such, I may make mistakes, but I will do my best to stay true to reality as possible. Then after I report the facts, I'll share my opinions.
I've been a customer at this business for some months now, and about a month and a half ago I turned in my resume. It took some time for a spot to open up with adequate hours for me to consider taking the job, but late week before last (If I'm not mistaken it was Saturday the 26th) Doug told me he had a position opening up that had plenty of hours per week, and asked if I was interested; I said yes. So on Tuesday, I strolled in and Doug started talking seriously with me about what the job would entail and we drew up a tentative schedule and we ended our meeting with him saying that he needed to talk with the store owner before I was officially hired and that he would call me first thing the next morning. Wednesday morning came and went and my phone didn't ring, so later that day I went in and said "Hey, Doug, what happened to 'I'll call you in the morning'?"
To which he responded, "I got busy. Business is business. I still need to talk to the owner. What are you up to tonight?"
"Well, I was just gonna head home and play some video games with my brother in law"
"Okay, well don't go too far. Go home and play your games, I'll call you tonight after I talk with the owner."
With that I did exactly what I said I would, keeping my phone close expecting a call. Midnight came and with no activity from my phone, I went to bed at my usual time. Morning came and I saw that I had not missed any calls. This concerned me, so I made my way out to talk to Doug. when I got there I said to him, calmly, albeit in a tone that might be construed as accusatory (though that wasn't my intention), "Hey, this is twice you told me you'd call within a certain time frame, and twice you've failed to do so."
With that, Doug took me aside and said "Listen, I'm the boss here and you don't come in and yell at me. Business is business and sometimes we get busy and sometimes things don't get done. Anyway, my not calling you was sort of a test and you just failed. If this is the way you're gonna act, I don't want you working for me."
There is one more thing I should point out before I start ranting about how I feel, and that is that when I told him that he'd failed to call twice, there was a customer in the vicinity, and though I don't know if he was paying attention, it might have been better if I hadn't said anything in front of him, though I think the outcome would have been the same.
Now I get to express how I feel about this whole thing. I think the fact that Doug didn't want me to stand up to him is the sign of a douchebag manager. A doormat is something I certainly am not, and I would have reacted in the same manner toward anyone who treated me the way he did, I don't care if it's an authority figure, a peer or a subordinate (Something I find myself lacking at the moment ;).
It's a simple matter of courtesy to follow up when you tell someone that you'll do something. When you do follow up, you show people that that's what you expect from them. After all, why should I give you any reason to trust me if I can't trust you?
I've been a customer at this business for some months now, and about a month and a half ago I turned in my resume. It took some time for a spot to open up with adequate hours for me to consider taking the job, but late week before last (If I'm not mistaken it was Saturday the 26th) Doug told me he had a position opening up that had plenty of hours per week, and asked if I was interested; I said yes. So on Tuesday, I strolled in and Doug started talking seriously with me about what the job would entail and we drew up a tentative schedule and we ended our meeting with him saying that he needed to talk with the store owner before I was officially hired and that he would call me first thing the next morning. Wednesday morning came and went and my phone didn't ring, so later that day I went in and said "Hey, Doug, what happened to 'I'll call you in the morning'?"
To which he responded, "I got busy. Business is business. I still need to talk to the owner. What are you up to tonight?"
"Well, I was just gonna head home and play some video games with my brother in law"
"Okay, well don't go too far. Go home and play your games, I'll call you tonight after I talk with the owner."
With that I did exactly what I said I would, keeping my phone close expecting a call. Midnight came and with no activity from my phone, I went to bed at my usual time. Morning came and I saw that I had not missed any calls. This concerned me, so I made my way out to talk to Doug. when I got there I said to him, calmly, albeit in a tone that might be construed as accusatory (though that wasn't my intention), "Hey, this is twice you told me you'd call within a certain time frame, and twice you've failed to do so."
With that, Doug took me aside and said "Listen, I'm the boss here and you don't come in and yell at me. Business is business and sometimes we get busy and sometimes things don't get done. Anyway, my not calling you was sort of a test and you just failed. If this is the way you're gonna act, I don't want you working for me."
There is one more thing I should point out before I start ranting about how I feel, and that is that when I told him that he'd failed to call twice, there was a customer in the vicinity, and though I don't know if he was paying attention, it might have been better if I hadn't said anything in front of him, though I think the outcome would have been the same.
Now I get to express how I feel about this whole thing. I think the fact that Doug didn't want me to stand up to him is the sign of a douchebag manager. A doormat is something I certainly am not, and I would have reacted in the same manner toward anyone who treated me the way he did, I don't care if it's an authority figure, a peer or a subordinate (Something I find myself lacking at the moment ;).
It's a simple matter of courtesy to follow up when you tell someone that you'll do something. When you do follow up, you show people that that's what you expect from them. After all, why should I give you any reason to trust me if I can't trust you?
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Conversations with Eric, Part 1
Me: BTW, when my birthday comes, I know what I want from you...
Eric: Okay, but I'll have to start saving up. Cruise missles are a little pricey these days.
Me: I want a complete set of Fibonaccis...all the way to the end. I've had an incomplete set for ages now. But now I want them all.
Very inexpensive.
I already have 1, 2, 3, 5, and on for 1,000 or so.
8, 13, 21, 34, 55, ...
89, 144, 233, 377, 610...
Eric: Wow, I can't even give you the hope of a full set of them. Machine precision starts to fail us pretty quickly.
Me: But now I want the rest.
Don't let me down here, Eric.
(I'm getting the sense that petulance doesn't become me.)
Eric: Okay, but I'll have to start saving up. Cruise missles are a little pricey these days.
Me: I want a complete set of Fibonaccis...all the way to the end. I've had an incomplete set for ages now. But now I want them all.
Very inexpensive.
I already have 1, 2, 3, 5, and on for 1,000 or so.
8, 13, 21, 34, 55, ...
89, 144, 233, 377, 610...
Eric: Wow, I can't even give you the hope of a full set of them. Machine precision starts to fail us pretty quickly.
Me: But now I want the rest.
Don't let me down here, Eric.
(I'm getting the sense that petulance doesn't become me.)
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Joy, Its part of life.
Well it seems that I have gotten myself into real trouble this time. For those who don't know I am engaged. Her name is Jennifer. The wedding will be on Friday July 13th. We have been engaged for almost three weeks now, and I hope you will all forgive me for being so distracted that I have not posted the news. Unfortunately we have not done any serious planning yet so I don't have pictures to post or any more details. You are welcome to ask questions and I'll answer what I can.
Last night this lovely young lady had me take her to a restaurant she had only heard about. It was very good. I enjoy food that is a little different so I am willing to try just about anything. We started out with the spring roll appetizer witch had noodles inside and a sweet and spicy sauce to dip them in. The noodles gave the rolls a great texture and the flavor was mild. When you order you meal here they have some dishes that are “spicy” and they let you chose how spicy you want them on a scale of 1-5, 1 being “mild” and 5 being cooked on the forges of hell. I had a dish called beef sukiyaki, having never had sukiyaki before I had no idea what to expect. Its thin slices of beef with cabbage mushrooms onions and other veggies all cooked in a sauce and served with glass noodles. I also have a sensitive palette so I ordered it as a 1. (Ok I’m a pansy.)The shock and surprise of an excellent dish is the reason I am so willing to try new things. My apologies to China Hill and The Little Orient, your food is good but these guys really made you look bad. You’re lucky they are so far away. Jennifer went for the green curry with chicken. It has coconut milk onion and lots of spices I can’t identify. She ordered it as a 3, the chicken was ok but the sauce almost made me lose the ability to taste the rest of the food. Oh, they give you a big bowl of white rice too. If you have stuffy sinuses from allergies or whatever this stuff will clear you out. So bring a hanky. Here is the address and maybe some pictures if I can upload them. I also found some more reviews online here, and here. No the images are not from the restaurant I linked them to the sites they are from. (I need to get a digital camera.)
208
American Fork, 84003 - 2228
(801) 492-7677
Ok I realize I wrote more about the food than the girl. I just want you go for the food and leave the girl to me.
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