turtle_island

05:23 pm: lucky to get paid
Thought it interesting that an article in the recent IEEE newsletter about how-hard-it-is-to-get-a-job would use Portland, Oregon as an example of a compacted, heartless job-hunt market.  As bad as Detroit!

http://www.todaysengineer.org/2009/Sep/Job-searching.asp

I guess I'm very lucky to have my consulting time fully spoken for at the moment.

04:15 pm: birding through my window
I've been hearing chickadees around town for the last month, but saw some at the feeder this week.  Much better than waking up to the finches fighting outside my window! 
And my suet has attracted flocks of bushtits!  They're adorable!

12:06 pm: Google Voice
I've been reading a lot of interesting opinion pieces berating Apple and AT&T for denying Google's iPhone app for their Google Voice feature.
( Lots of articles with opinions )It's most interesting to me that the media, as a whole, doesn't understand what Google Voice is, and consistently mischaracterizes it in reports.

Google Voice is not merely a mobile app-- it's a feature that can be accessed through any web page (much like how you can get Gmail either through a web page or through other mail programs).  The iPhone app was just a specifically-designed portal to it.  Google Voice apps exist already for Android and Blackberry phones.  Furthermore, I can get to the same info and functionality through the iPhone's Safari without even needing a special iPhone application.  So Apple/AT&T didn't (and can't!) "kill" Google Voice.  They merely put up a lazy roadblock to it.
( What Google Voice is... is very boring.  )

11:54 am: Finally, a place for my leprous bretheren: the Open Sores Convention
I attended Open Source Bridge this week.  Well, I volunteered at it and got a free pass, if that counts. 

Thoughts:

• I learned so many new acronyms and geeky terms: OSS (Open Source Somethingorother... although, to me, it's still reminiscent of the WWII spy acronym. Q:"What are you working on?"  A:"I'm sorry, I can't tell you. OSS, you know..."), FLOSS (what you do to free teeth from the tyrannical burden of paid food), FTW (although the game never seems to end with this statement), and that "epic FAIL!" is now passe, to be replaced with more-creative dinosaur-based FAILs (Raptor FAIL. T-Rex FAIL... maybe derived from misquoting the geek in-joke "epoch" FAIL?)).
• Netbooks make awesome note takers. There were a lot in circulation: 10% of laptops visibile, maybe? I'd say about 50% of laptops visible were recent-issue Macbooks-- Apple has good penetration in the geek crowd.  But omg-- loud keyboards should be banned.  Your clickyclick is driving me crazycrazycrazy.  Learn to not pound your laptop when typing!
• Wow, there are some awesome coders out there. I'm continually impressed with the local high level of geek proficiency, but also with the collaborative network that has been formed.  I feel like an outsider and lurker right now, but I'll definitely be more forward in my sociability and volunteerism.
• Most mind-blowing presentation award: Markus Robers and Matt Youell's presentation "Spindle, Mutilate and Metaprogram: How far can you push it before there be dragons?" (code here).  They demonstrated SO MANY concepts that I had never been exposed to.  I learned to never raise my hand or risk being pelted with candy.  I made a big list of long, complicated words to google based on this presentation. Also: most props award.
• Best question posed to me: what is the state of open source hardware?  Why doesn't it exist? What the hell is it?  Boy, did I have to explore my own ass for that one.  I blamed the lack of quality tools.  And the lack of incentive for companies to support it, as long as they own the final funnel to the device / chip / board.   But there also has to be some blame for hardware dudes being solo / too proud / antisocial / unwilling to collaborate...  (although organizations like DorkbotPDX disproves with that last statement.  Like I said, I was talking out my ass.)

And then I got a migraine and lost a day and a half.  Ugh.  If I sound discombobulated, it's because I'm just emerging from its long shadow.

10:35 am: let's talk about your passwords
"Dear Hackers, I'm going to be changing all the passwords to all my internet logins soon, so if you're going to launch an attack on me, do it now."

How long has it been since you've changed your passwords?  For me, a little too long.  I've been using the same password system for a few years now, and I really think it's past-due time to reroll my security. 

( My current system sucks... )

( ... so I had to get some new ideas. )

12:52 pm: The Beginner's Guide to Malaysian Politics

I just finished reading a New Yorker article "Eastern Promises", which stories the rise and fall and rise again of Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim. 

The article writer does a remarkable job in tying together the various threads of modern Malaysian politics:  nepotism, the New Economic Policy (NEP), "The Malay Dilemma" and the long shadow of former PM Mahanthir, Malaysiakini, ethnic politics, and Islamic-secularist tensions. 
( ... and I've got a lot of opinion on that.  )

07:31 am: .... that was quick
Nanny died in her sleep Saturday morning, making a quick end to her week-long hospice.   What a way to go!   In our house, tended by myself and my dad.  She had her marbles through the end.  She saw and said goodbye to my sisters last weekend.  
The funeral is Wednesday.

04:26 pm: Hospice
For those of you who don't know (and I'd assume that'd be most of you), I'm back at my parents' place in Belmont at the moment.

But the reasons for my sudden return are not so great.  Nanny, my grandmother, has gone into hospice, and is on her deathbed.  I've returned to Belmont at the request of my family to help out with whatever needs helping out.  I'll be here for as long as my help is needed, or "for the duration" as some have phrased.  I'll be working from Belmont as well, further limiting my free time.

On the flip side, my sister Claire is due to give birth in less than a month, so maybe I'll be around for that.

When I arrived on Sunday, my Nanny was talkative and interactive.  We talked a bit, she had a few sips of my coffee, a strawberry...  we entertained family guests, chatted on the phone with relatives...   I was able to help her move around, get her things she wanted, entertain her with stories, or just sit around and keep her company. 

As of yesterday, she hasn't been taking any solids or liquids (other than pain medication) and is bed ridden.  She's uncommunicative.  She sleeps a lot, and stares off into space when awake. Her vital signs are still ok, so she'll be around for a while, but she's spiritually disconnecting from the world.   It's just taking her body a while to catch up. 

There's now less for me to do.  I fixed up my parents' TiVo to work with their Comcast box.  I bought myself a Slingbox over Craigslist. Today I rode my dad's bike to the local library to get some exercise and a book to read (finally, some cardio!) Dropped by Lorenzo's Sandwich shop for some good local comfort food.  So, I'm taking care of myself.    But still, it's an interesting journey. 

10:08 am: Twilight
Anyone read the whole Twilight series?  You know, the books?   Are they any good?

08:32 pm: The California vacation begins!
Day 1 of vacation:  drive from PDX to Chico, CA. Stop to see Ashland (what a quaint city!).  Stay with sister Heidi, her husband James, and little 9-month old Mark.
Day 2:  Wildflower hiking on Table Mountain, Oregon City covered bridge, Cherokee, Chico Kite Day, and home to a Double James Burger.  Tired!

11:12 am: Portland's economic slowdown
I read a pretty good New York Times article about Portland's economic woes, and its ties to the housing market. As a consultant (aka "small business"), I can feel the slowdown in my leads, and the number of hours I can charge. (If those hours became "0", do I count as "unemployed"?). I've been following the local real estate market with interest. I'd say now is the right time to buy, if you can afford it!

02:17 pm: Daft Punk-- eat your heart out!
This is the most amazing thing I've seen all year.



How does he DO it?

Kutiman remixes YouTube. He remixes YOU. US! We are the future we seek!

And he's not a one-hit wonder thing, either. Watch to some of the other remixes. Awesome, every one.

I was "turned on" by a posting at 43Folders, Merlin Mann''s productivity blog. (This blog has, paradoxically, made me less productive as I obsess over it.) And I'm feeling quite unproductive today. :(

01:27 pm: March Maaaaaadness!
I scored 2 tickets to the first game of the NCAA tournament here in Portland. Have no idea who is playing (no one does! Bracket gets chosen on Sunday), but it's a chance to see some awesome high-level, high-intensity basketball (as opposed to the Portland Trailblazers! ptuey!).

I'm not really a basketball fan, but my girlfriend is. So now I'm learning all about the tournament before the game. I'm interested in participating in a bracket online. Anyone running one?

05:41 pm: The Watchmen conundrum
... I just know it's going to suck. I just know it. The comic book is so full of subtlety and layer, there's no way that this will smoothly convert to a movie. So, my friends, I entreat you to read the book first.

But... I have to see this movie!

http://www.pvponline.com/2009/03/02/ombudsmen/

05:33 pm: The Groundhog Cantata
Videos from my housemate's Groundhog Day Party. It's awesome living with musicians! :)
Written by my housemate, Elinor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3pmW4M-27I (Part One)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn0fqCuUlUY (Part Two)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adbpKY-8UKA (Part Three)

You won't find me singing in the videos. I'm usually around the corner, taking pictures. ;)

12:19 pm: yesterday was a wonderful day
Skateboarding at the DoS on my RipStik, and an absolutely gorgeous rainbow in the sky. What more could I want?

12:48 pm: blue hair and clam chowder
It's about this time of year that I start getting emails that read "OMG! I thought I saw you on TV! With short blue hair, eating clam chowder!".

Yes, that was me.

... so the story is, about 10 years ago I attended the Santa Cruz Clam Chowder Cook-Off, when this guy with a video camera approaches me and asks me to ham it up while taking a bite of chowder. I didn't think anything of it at the time...

It was my 0.15 seconds of fame. But I guess being repeated in a commercial every year for 9 years certainly adds up. (Where's my residuals check?)

So, to answer your questions:
No, I'm not back in Santa Cruz (I'm living in Portland, Oregon). I don't have blue hair anymore (it turned aquamarine, then a cool mottled green... then I tried something different). But I still love me some chowdah.

06:23 pm: iTunes: getting rid of duplicates
Now that I actually have a huge drive, I can re-consolidate my mp3 collection onto my main drive.

Horray for iDupe! Sure, iTunes has the "Show Duplicates" function.... but it's still a huge chore to go through the whole list (1000+) deleting every 2nd one...

02:53 pm: 1.5 years with a Macbook
I upgraded my measly (!) 120GB internal Macbook hard drive to a whopping 500GB drive this morning. It was this week's $99 special at Fry's. Now I should have enough space to fit my entire MP3 collection on my laptop, as well as have plenty of space left over to experiment with an Ubuntu VMware virtual machine!

You know, it's been over a year and a half since I broke down and bought myself a Macbook. As with all great anniversaries, now would be a great time to revisit why the hell I got into this in the first place, and evaluate how well it's paid off for me.
( A long review... )
Conclusion:
MacOS is great! ... if you pay to fill in the holes with 3rd party SW (VMware). But some holes can't be filled yet: like the rest of the world's dependence upon Windows.

08:56 pm: oh WoW
Yes, I actually enrolled for the 10-day trial. I've made a Mage. Anyone want to help out a noob? You can find me on the Cenarion Circle server, under the "Wintre" name.
It's just like crack-- I can quit when I want to, right?