Introducing - The Addition

OK, first off this is not meant to be an example of my photographic prowess. These are some snapshots of the new addition. For those of you that have been to the house this section is off our eating area - the little hall that leads to the garage. First the hall -



Next up is the downstairs bathroom - now with a shower!



On to the new laundry room - formerly my office. These were taken before everything was in place, but you get the idea.



Now my Sweetie's new office, so she can be creative and write lots of books to entertain small children. Sorry, door wasn't up yet. It is now ;-)



And finally, my new little hidey-hole (with a view of the back yard still trashed from construction). Loving it!

Done - Almost

Well the addition is almost done. Need to do some touch up in the hall and finish caulking the bathroom, but it's livable. In fact so livable I now work from my new office with my nice big windows to look out. Only problem is in order to get the house ready for Christmas, all the stuff out of this wing has now taken residence in my new room. Pics are taken - soon to be posted.

Stay Tuned ...

Best news story I heard in a long time was how the Senate told the big automakers to go home and come back when they were serious when they showed up in DC asking for financial help - flying in on their individual private jets. Not that it's going to stop the bailout - but at least someone has their eyes open.

Stay tuned for pictures of "The Addition". Hopefully, under a week and I'll be in my new home office. We started adding a new office for me, an office for my Honey to do her writing in, and a downstairs shower - all just before the market crashed. Yes, great timing on our part. Anyway, we're almost done, then I'll get some pics up.

Rant II

First the banking industry, then Obama wants to bail out the US automakers. Make a better product at an affordable price and be profitable - and you wouldn't need a bail out! If you can't be profitable, you shouldn't be in business.

Enough of that. I know there are jobs on the line, but hopefully I won't have anymore rant topics soon.

How Small Could/Should It Be?

Since it seems I'm an idea person more than an implementation person - let me throw this out for the world to use (but I wouldn't turn down a consulting fee). How small should a cell phone be? Imagine if you will a cell phone with no keypad and no display screen. The limiting factors would then be the battery, antenna and speaker/mic. So picture something the size of a bluetooth headset with one button - that's it!

Now how would you interact with it? I imagine a bluetooth connection to a computer would allow easy access for setting up a contact list or appointment calendar, but the main interface would be through voice recognition. Many advanced phones already have speaker independent voice recognition, so you could say "Call Home" or "Dial 5 5 5 4 5 6 7" but why not extend the functionality? How about accessing a stored calendar by saying "List Appointments" or "Set Alarm for today 3PM"?

OK, next step beyond, have music stored on the device - but wait, that means we're probably talking about increased size again. What if there were audio only online content? When you're not on a call you could say "Stock Ticker" and have your favorite stock quotes. Say "Headlines" and have current events playing in your ear. Or how about this, online radio stations or music collections? Can you see a bunch of people saying "Next Next Next Play"

The growing number of people plugging in during commutes is ever evident by the headphones. In Boston they have cell repeaters in the subway tunnels so you can actually keep a signal underground although the noise level may cause problems with a voice recognition system. Anyway, just a chance to get an idea out there in black and white.

Rant

Generally I'm not a political beast, but since when has the government been appointed to save us from our own stupidity? America is the bastion of capitalism, which means if you make a good product (or make people think you make a good product) you're successful. If not, you don't make it, you close shop, and go do something else. So Wall Street is failing due to deceit and greed. They didn't make it, they should close up shop and go do something else. But the government steps in burdens us with debt so the people on Wall Street can keep their jobs. That's it. The market is still in free fall. The bail out means nothing except that failures keep their jobs at our expense.

Yes, harsh, but that's how I see this whole fiasco. I know the innocent worker bees who still have jobs would argue with me, but couldn't they be worker bees for another company?

A Good Salsa Recipe

At least I think it's good. Have made three batches at last count. Enough kick to make it interesting without making it inedible.

14 1/2 oz Petite Cut Diced Tomato
8 oz Tomato Sauce
1/2 cup Cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 Onion, chopped
1/2 Jalepeño, seeds removed, finely chopped
1/2 T Crushed Red Pepper (chile de arbol)
1/4 t Salt
2 dashes Black Pepper
1 clove Garlic, chopped

Combine them all in a bowl or sauce pan. I like to start with the tomatoes and sauce on low heat to combine the flavors. Best if left to sit overnight. I think you could probably mix all the ingredients cold and have it turn out as well. And yes, if you double the batch the measurments are a lot easier.

My neighbor has me pegged. I'm an experimenter. I like to dabble in things and find what my personal favorite mix, method, ingredients are. So far soap and salsa - who knows where it could go.

Hey, It's a post ...

Well I'm back to the wild world of Linux at work. Yes, things are much easier to do in Windows sometimes, but I'm one of few people on my team who have Linux skills, so I feel obligated to keep them up. Plus, makes me feel good to make things work.

Funny thing happened. Laura was going to New York for a writer's workshop. I dropped her off at the airport, 5 minutes later the transmission on the van went out. Now I dropped her off at around 10PM. Took me an hour to get the van to a lot where I could leave it. Then rode light rail home, got there around 1AM. Sunday Michael got sick, the rest of us fit in the Saturn to go to church. Ian started not feeling well during church, so I took him home. Came back out and the Saturn wouldn't start. After a week and a half, had three kids get sick, towed two cars to shops, got them fixed, and I got lots of sympathy from everyone about how everything happens to me while Laura is out of town. I handled things fine, not that she couldn't have handled them better (and probably would have) but things happen to her many many times when I leave town.

Laura's writer's workshop was a great success. She had a wonderful time, learned a lot, but most importantly got to network with important people in her field (children's writing). She brought us home some nice artwork (which I need to post a pic of) and she had places to submit two of her stories - one with a friend in England who was going to have her publisher look at a story for Laura - and the other with the head of a publishing house. That's it for now. No deep thoughts. No pic or video, but hey, it's a post.

Enjoy the trip

Well, we just got back from Utah. Drive out and drive back took approximately the same amount of time, but they were completely different experiences. We took the same breaks and traveled the same time of day. On the way out I felt fine. On the way back I was sick. The drive out was mostly a pleasant drive, and made me think "Sure, I can do this every other year or so." The trip back made me want to sell my vehicles and stayyyyy home! So moral again, perception determines reality.

But hey, it was one of our best vacations. Got to see many friends and family. Had some good times and lost 10 pounds! Yeah!

Free the World

This is off the wall, weird science stuff. Not real according to current scientific thinking, but what if ...

Ok, so theoretically the frequency of disassociation for water is 42.8 kHz (http://www.keelynet.com/energy/docx.htm).
So to set up a standing wave we would need to apply ultrasound at 42.8 kHz to a column of water matching a multiple of the wavelength.
To determine the wavelength we need the speed and frequency.
The speed of sound in pure water is 1485.72546 m/s at 70 F or 21.1111111 C
Wavelength = Speed/Frequency for second harmonic
1485.72546 / 42800 = 0.034713211682242990654205607476636 m or 1.3666618773 inches

So set up a tube (now I know tube diameter has to come in to play somehow here) with 1.36666 inches of pure water in it, hit it with ultrasound at 42.8 kHz and it should go poof into vapor or o2 and h2. Instant pressurization for compressed air machinery or vehicles.

Wouldn't it be cool!

And the Soap Maker strikes again ...

Yep, had to get one more batch tried before we headed out.

Canola Oil 2 oz.
Castor Oil 1 oz.
Cocoa Butter 1 oz.
Olive Oil 8 oz.
Palm Oil 6 oz.
Water 5 oz.
Lye 2.33 oz.

This one went quick set to trace again. So I need to make sure my last minute additions (color, scent) are ready before I start mixing. May have to draft a helper to keep track of the add-ins while I'm mixing. The red palm oil makes for an interesting color. I think this will be the last batch for a while. Sorry, sleepy, just wanted to document the experiment. So far I think the coconut oil/olive oil are my favorites.

The Soap Maker's Journal

I did not intend for this to be a lab book for my soap making endeavors. Actually I only figured on making one batch of soap, but I found I enjoy it. Ok, this one is an experiment, tried using no scent, and tried using a red tea to color it. Unfortunately the lye turned it deep green then gold. Chemistry is funny that way. So I'll see what the end result looks like.

8 ounces canola oil
6.5 ounces corn oil
1 ounce castor oil (love those bubbles)
2 ounces lye
6 ounces tea

Notice there are no hard oils in there (lard, coconut, Crisco, palm). I was not sure how it would set up (in fact still not sure) but it went to trace without too much trouble. Hopefully it will set. Doesn't smell great, but not putrid either. So they can't all be raging successes.

Congratulations!

...to Michael and Christopher for graduating from 8th grade! They seem to breeze through things getting A's where I didn't. I remember working hard, but they just seem to do it. Can't blame it on the curriculum being any easier (when I help with homework, it's the same stuff I did). So here's to the superiority of the coming generation!

The Traveller

It's unfortunate, but I think universal, in that perception is tainted by our mood, attitude, sense of well being - basically who we are. I'm in St. Louis and granted down by the tracks where I'm staying isn't the most impressive part of the city, but I can see how it could be considered nice. Walking around last night though, I just thought it was old, used up, something that used to be that hasn't gotten around to being anything new yet. Some places have a sense of old, stateliness that impresses or awes a visitor. Sorry, just couldn't see it here.

But it could have just been me. I distinctly remember the first time going through the Chicago airport being wowed by the light and sound show in the underground walkway (very cool if you haven't been there). The next time I didn't see the walkway, but loved gazing at the Brachiosaurus skeleton. The next time the Chicago airport was dirty, crowded, noisy, ugly. It was all the same place, but the perceptions were wildly disparate.

So I got to thinking, maybe I can gauge my attitude and well being, by how I perceive the world around me. Am I happier when I notice the beauty and interesting details in the places I visit? Or do I notice the good things because I am happy?

And one more ...

Just finished a unit on Time Management. It boils down to deciding how much and what YOU want to do. Prioritizing tasks is useless unless done with YOUR personal values in mind. So effective time management is really a value statement for who you are.

Building Me

Since I'm in a bloggy mood, figured I'd better take advantage of it. A few weeks ago, I heard the word edify and the wheels started turning. Edify, edification and edifice all have the same root. Now I'm all about word connotation - shack is a small run down thing; edifice is a majestic building meant to inspire and impress. So I see the need in my life of constant edification, that is, building me into someone inspirational (the majestic and impressive I can pass on, but if they happen I won't complain). Some edification may be the little details, but some of it is also the scaffold raising major enhancements, and somehow I think the scaffolds have been empty for a while - otherwise this wouldn't have impacted me quite so much.

The Great Soap Making Event - Revisited

Ok, so here's try number two (Saturday May 31,2008). Yes, I love the experimentation aspect of this. I noticed a distinct pungency in my first batch of soap when used for shaving (works fine in the shower). I have to attribute that to the lard. Not positive, but it smells sort of lardy. I liked the earthiness of the coconut oil, wanted a bit more slip and, of course more bubbles. So here's the recipe for this batch (instructions are the same, so I'm not reprinting.

Ingredients:

28 oz. coconut oil
10 oz. olive oil
4 oz. castor oil
14 oz. water
2 tablespoons (more or less) of bentonite clay
6.5 oz. lye
mixture of essential oils for scent

Now between increasing the percentage of coconut oil and using a stick blender, this batch went to trace in about a minute and was actually getting too stiff (pudding consistency) when I poured it into the mold. I was able to take it out of the mold the next day and it looked good (even with a few small trapped bubbles). So six weeks and I'll get to try it out. Only two small lye burns this time around, 1 hour start to finish and MUCH less mess.

How are Airplanes like Databases?

Ok, when I was a DBA, we had a rule about doing maintenance during working hours, that is any time customers could be using the database. That's why I worked many nights and we did round the clock maintenance when it had to be done. So, I'm flying back from Orlando via Chicago. The UNITED flight to Portland originally scheduled for 8:12 departure was already bumped to 8:51 when I got to Chicago. That's ok, not too bad. So we get on the plane and after they get everyone seated they tell us they need to upgrade the software on the plane. It didn't work. They tried it three times, then went and got another disk and it finally worked. The plane had just flown in from somewhere, so my only thought is they needed to get the maintenance done before the worker needed to be paid overtime. DON'T DO SOFTWARE UPGRADES DURING CUSTOMER USE! So two and a half hours later, we took off. Got home just after 2AM.

Oh, if you'd like to see a little of what I do (not a shining example, but a sample just the same) go to db2dean.com.

On the road again ...

Yep, big surprise there. On my way to Orlando. Just thought I'd put a note in. I always worry about everyone while I'm away. That and I worry, because I'm teaching a class on Tuesday. Ok, so I'm tending to overworry right now. Somehow I think that's better for me than not worrying enough.

More Vids

Ok, now everything except the Wedding Scene (and my worst performance as bottle dancer) have been uploaded. I may redo some of the clips as the timing looks off, but for now, enjoy.

Another Try ...

Ok, in the words of my sweet wife "rapidshare ain't that rapid" so I bit the bullet and put it on YouTube. Yep, embarrassment for all the world to see. Soooo, here you go.

Video ... BIG Video

Ok, In Dallas this week, with a very little time to do other things, but here's my first attempt at getting a fiddler movie file posted for you all to chuckle at. This is the dream scene. My lovely wife is the main ghost Fruma Sara. I'm that guy that get's zoomed in on. Enjoy - should be good for at least a little chuckle.

http://rapidshare.com/files/89806507/fiddlerdream.mpg.html

Lego Maniac

In all the excitement of actually posting something to my blog - forgot to mention the weekend excitement. A year or so ago Michael was invited to participate in a neighborhood Lego robotics team. Well, they were in the top 5 so got to go on to the state competition which was held last Saturday. Michael's team ended up taking first place in the robotic design division. Michael was chief programmer and robot controller, so was a crucial part of the team. WAY TO GO MIKE!

How the Time Flies

Well, Seattle, was my last trip for the year. I ended up getting to stay home for the rest of the year. We did the Wii thing for Christmas. Games all around. Am now trying (semi-successfully) to get up in the morning and Dance Dance Revolution for some exercise.

The next big upload here should/will be (hopefully soon) video files of our Fiddler tech rehearsal. That being said, this was a rehearsal, and probably the worst full run through we did - ever! And yes the ONLY time I dropped the bottle in a run through was immortalized on video. Oh well. The actual performances were much MUCH better.

So recent/upcoming travel. The kids are back in school (YEAH!) but we're pulling them out for a day this week, so we can go cruising with the in-laws. We're just doing a three day trip to sunny baja (63° and raining) but it will be fun to get away (and eat).

Earlier this month I went to Columbus and back for a quick customer call. First time there, but it was very familiar. It's funny it could have been San Antonio, Detroit, Chicago or Maryland. I've driven that same road in each of those places - almost spooky. You'd think with the variety of landscapes and environments in the world that places so similar shouldn't exist, but then perception always drives what you perceive towards the familiar.

So February I go back on the road. First week I'll be in Dallas. Second week I'll hit a couple of days in Costa Mesa. Third week I turn 40 (AUGHHH!!!). Fourth week I get to do a few days in Utah (so planning on seeing Ben, Tatianna, Sasha, Em and a an old high school buddy and anyone else interested in cheering up an OLD man.

Thanks to Marie, for getting me back on this! Take care and look for updates (yes, they will happen more frequently)