Thursday, November 30, 2006
I Didn't Take This Picture
...but I really like it. I found it on Flikr, here, and it was uploaded by someone who calls him/herself Thrumycamera.
Networking
I installed a package called Network Magic to help me understand how my home network is performing. It's not free, but it's fairly inexpensive. And I've learned something quite interesting.
In a nutshell, it told me that the download speed from the router to the desktop (which is hardwired to the router) is about 3000 K per second. The download speed from the router to this laptop is about a tenth of that. I had thought it wasn't all that bad, but seeing that comparison makes me think well, okay, loss in wireless transfer is pretty high. But today I installed NM on my work laptop. Transferring from the same router, same network, same transfer type (ie, wireless) it says the transfer rate is almost identical. Not to this laptop's rate -- to the desktop's rate. Put another way, the work laptop transfers ten times faster than this laptop.
Shazam. Why? I have no clue. But at least now I know there that there IS a problem. And knowing that, maybe I can fix it.
Btw, I really like that new work laptop!
In a nutshell, it told me that the download speed from the router to the desktop (which is hardwired to the router) is about 3000 K per second. The download speed from the router to this laptop is about a tenth of that. I had thought it wasn't all that bad, but seeing that comparison makes me think well, okay, loss in wireless transfer is pretty high. But today I installed NM on my work laptop. Transferring from the same router, same network, same transfer type (ie, wireless) it says the transfer rate is almost identical. Not to this laptop's rate -- to the desktop's rate. Put another way, the work laptop transfers ten times faster than this laptop.
Shazam. Why? I have no clue. But at least now I know there that there IS a problem. And knowing that, maybe I can fix it.
Btw, I really like that new work laptop!
Road Skill
This is a trivial problem, but its one that I like to think about. For some reason, it soothes me.
Here it is.
Take your average two or three lane highway. Think about it as traffic is streaming down the lanes. At some point, the average speed begins to drop. Cars become more tightly packed; the spaces between cars lessens. Every so often, traffic comes to a halt, or as close as makes no difference -- and then it starts up again. Sometimes it slows back down, other times it opens right up again.
How would you model that kind of changing activity? How detailed would the model have to be? How would you cause the model to accurately reflect how people actually drive, and how would you manipulate the model to reflect how they would drive in circumstances that aren't easy to reproduce -- rain, say, or a blocked lane?
I like thinking about stuff like that. I'm not knowledgeable about it (though I'd like to know more, I don't know of any traffic engineering journals aimed at the public), but I like thinking about it. I think it's fun.
Here it is.
Take your average two or three lane highway. Think about it as traffic is streaming down the lanes. At some point, the average speed begins to drop. Cars become more tightly packed; the spaces between cars lessens. Every so often, traffic comes to a halt, or as close as makes no difference -- and then it starts up again. Sometimes it slows back down, other times it opens right up again.
How would you model that kind of changing activity? How detailed would the model have to be? How would you cause the model to accurately reflect how people actually drive, and how would you manipulate the model to reflect how they would drive in circumstances that aren't easy to reproduce -- rain, say, or a blocked lane?
I like thinking about stuff like that. I'm not knowledgeable about it (though I'd like to know more, I don't know of any traffic engineering journals aimed at the public), but I like thinking about it. I think it's fun.
Recipe -- Not So Sloppy Joes
Not sure if I mentioned this recipe before -- from Real Simple magazine, it's pretty easy, and pretty good.
Not So Sloppy Joes
1 T olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 pound ground beef
6 oz tomato paste
1 1/2 t chili powder
1 t cumin
1/8 t ground black pepper
1/8 t cinnamon
1 t kosher salt
4 hamburger buns
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat
Add onion, garlic, pepper
Saute until fragrant, about 3 minutes
Add ground beef.
Brown the beef, about 5 minutes
Stir in tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, cinammon, salt
Simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens slightly, about 12 minutes
Toast hamburger buns (if desired)
Spoon mixture onto buns; top with cheddar cheese and sour cream.
Not So Sloppy Joes
1 T olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 pound ground beef
6 oz tomato paste
1 1/2 t chili powder
1 t cumin
1/8 t ground black pepper
1/8 t cinnamon
1 t kosher salt
4 hamburger buns
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat
Add onion, garlic, pepper
Saute until fragrant, about 3 minutes
Add ground beef.
Brown the beef, about 5 minutes
Stir in tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, black pepper, cinammon, salt
Simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens slightly, about 12 minutes
Toast hamburger buns (if desired)
Spoon mixture onto buns; top with cheddar cheese and sour cream.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Recipes
We have recipes in four places. Not counting cookbooks.
We have a small plastic index card holder. It contains the things we make frequently, or things we thought we'd make and never did. This last classification is not unique to that holder. The holder sits in the cupboard with the cereal, flour, and general baking stuff.
We have a white binder with seven or eight recipes we make fairly often; though the definition of 'often' varies, the concept doesn't. Each time we make something from that location, it feels like a familiar dish. The binder is on the shelf with the cooking magazines we've saved, as well as the cookbooks, in the kitchen bookcase.
We have three manila folder binders containing recipes we've torn out, been given, or otherwise acquired. I'd say we've made about ten percent of these -- but the others all sound so good! (Well, usually.) They're next to the cook books.
And we have the 'recipes' directory on the desktop PC. Some of the material there has been printed and put in the first or second location. Much of it is also things we haven't made, but think it would be fun to do. The desserts subdirectory is the largest, then the breakfast one and the baking one. The main meals one is pretty skimpy. Hard to find a main meal recipe that we don't already make, thats makeable by us, that I'll actually try, let alone eat. It does happen.... but not too often.
Every so often, we come across a recipe we've saved and say hey, lets do that. Sometimes we say we're going to do this routinely. We almost never do. We try one or two, say wow, that was good but it sure did take a long time to make, or wow, that sure did take a long time to make and it wasn't really worth it.
Sometimes I think that I really should put all of these into one place, and sometimes I even try. And then I say 'why am I doing this?' Since owning up to a sometimes compulsive need for order would expose my vice (well, one of them), I stop. Until the next time.
So -- with all of that, you'd think we have a rich culinary life, wouldn't you? Instead of Pizza Hut on speed dial?
We have a small plastic index card holder. It contains the things we make frequently, or things we thought we'd make and never did. This last classification is not unique to that holder. The holder sits in the cupboard with the cereal, flour, and general baking stuff.
We have a white binder with seven or eight recipes we make fairly often; though the definition of 'often' varies, the concept doesn't. Each time we make something from that location, it feels like a familiar dish. The binder is on the shelf with the cooking magazines we've saved, as well as the cookbooks, in the kitchen bookcase.
We have three manila folder binders containing recipes we've torn out, been given, or otherwise acquired. I'd say we've made about ten percent of these -- but the others all sound so good! (Well, usually.) They're next to the cook books.
And we have the 'recipes' directory on the desktop PC. Some of the material there has been printed and put in the first or second location. Much of it is also things we haven't made, but think it would be fun to do. The desserts subdirectory is the largest, then the breakfast one and the baking one. The main meals one is pretty skimpy. Hard to find a main meal recipe that we don't already make, thats makeable by us, that I'll actually try, let alone eat. It does happen.... but not too often.
Every so often, we come across a recipe we've saved and say hey, lets do that. Sometimes we say we're going to do this routinely. We almost never do. We try one or two, say wow, that was good but it sure did take a long time to make, or wow, that sure did take a long time to make and it wasn't really worth it.
Sometimes I think that I really should put all of these into one place, and sometimes I even try. And then I say 'why am I doing this?' Since owning up to a sometimes compulsive need for order would expose my vice (well, one of them), I stop. Until the next time.
So -- with all of that, you'd think we have a rich culinary life, wouldn't you? Instead of Pizza Hut on speed dial?
Popcorn
I like popcorn. When we went to see Casino Royale (a flick I enjoyed so much, I'd go to see it again, and not just because, to my amazement, a current flick was actually showing in my area), they had samples (big honkin' canisters) of popcorn salt from Kernel Seasons; it was good enough that I ordered some from their web site, NoMoreNakedPopcorn (and yes, the name was catchy enough to remember all the way home, just as they intended). It made okay theater popcorn into Excellent Popcorn.
In my mind, there are only two kinds of popcorn worth mentioning: regular, with lots of butter and salt, and caramel. I would be reluctant to mention my reaction to caramel corn, except to say: Giant Sucking Sound. I love caramel popcorn. So, since we got a catalog from The Popcorn Factory, I thought What the Heck, and went to their site. After meandering around for a while, trying to find anything I could buy that did not include Cheddar (an abomination, in my mind), I found that they would sell paper bags of their stuff. Hey, cool. Two big bags of caramel popcorn. Check that off. Send it to me.
Um, we can't accept your abbreviation for your city, select one from the Approved List. You've got the freakin' ZIP CODE you morons, figure it out! I should be able to say Vatican City, Pluto, and the right zip code, and have it get here. But... okay. Here. Now, go order it.
Um, we need an email address so that we can send you confirmation of the order. Ah, crap. Okay. Here. Now, go order it.
Um, we need a ship date. Here's the next possible one. Type one in, or pick one from the calendar. So I typed one in. THATS NOT A VALID DATE. What, why not? Do it again. THAT'S NOT A VALID DATE. So I go to their calendar. Oh, look, the date I picked happened to be a Sunday. Well, duh, what do you think I'd want to do? You have a fifty percent chance of getting it right. But OKAY DAMMIT...I picked a Valid Date. Now, go....
Um... we need.....
Frack it. Click escape. Go look at other web sites.
Why can't everyone make ordering as simple as Amazon? Or use them as a front end for their ordering system? (I think this is actually what Microsoft was trying to push with their NET PASSPORT idea, but nobody trusted them enough to make it feasible. Amazon, though, I trust.)
Hmmm....wonder if they've got caramel corn?
In my mind, there are only two kinds of popcorn worth mentioning: regular, with lots of butter and salt, and caramel. I would be reluctant to mention my reaction to caramel corn, except to say: Giant Sucking Sound. I love caramel popcorn. So, since we got a catalog from The Popcorn Factory, I thought What the Heck, and went to their site. After meandering around for a while, trying to find anything I could buy that did not include Cheddar (an abomination, in my mind), I found that they would sell paper bags of their stuff. Hey, cool. Two big bags of caramel popcorn. Check that off. Send it to me.
Um, we can't accept your abbreviation for your city, select one from the Approved List. You've got the freakin' ZIP CODE you morons, figure it out! I should be able to say Vatican City, Pluto, and the right zip code, and have it get here. But... okay. Here. Now, go order it.
Um, we need an email address so that we can send you confirmation of the order. Ah, crap. Okay. Here. Now, go order it.
Um, we need a ship date. Here's the next possible one. Type one in, or pick one from the calendar. So I typed one in. THATS NOT A VALID DATE. What, why not? Do it again. THAT'S NOT A VALID DATE. So I go to their calendar. Oh, look, the date I picked happened to be a Sunday. Well, duh, what do you think I'd want to do? You have a fifty percent chance of getting it right. But OKAY DAMMIT...I picked a Valid Date. Now, go....
Um... we need.....
Frack it. Click escape. Go look at other web sites.
Why can't everyone make ordering as simple as Amazon? Or use them as a front end for their ordering system? (I think this is actually what Microsoft was trying to push with their NET PASSPORT idea, but nobody trusted them enough to make it feasible. Amazon, though, I trust.)
Hmmm....wonder if they've got caramel corn?
Foggy Day
This has been a foggy day, in multiple ways.
We all got up late -- around 7, which is when we normally finish breakfast. I staggered outside, checked the time, woke up the daughter and found out what she wanted for breakfast, and got her going. My wife woke about ten minutes later, and we had a minimal breakfast. The drive up to the highway was very slow due, I think, to the dense fog that blanketed the area. That turned a ten minute drive into about a thirty minute one. The first part of the highway was uneventful, then I encountered a massive backup on the highway due to a traffic accident, and exacerbated by the fog. After about twenty minutes, I was able to get off the highway, got lost in some side streets, and finally got to the office about twenty minutes later. That was about nine thirty, so it took me a little over an hour to get in for whats normally a twenty five minute commute. I got into the office, and immediate heard people laughing and telling jokes, which normally doesn't bother me, but when I'm having a bad day, its like nails on a blackboard. So I grabbed the laptop and came home.
Now I'm sitting in the big chair in the living room, working wirelessly. Its quiet. This is much nicer!
We all got up late -- around 7, which is when we normally finish breakfast. I staggered outside, checked the time, woke up the daughter and found out what she wanted for breakfast, and got her going. My wife woke about ten minutes later, and we had a minimal breakfast. The drive up to the highway was very slow due, I think, to the dense fog that blanketed the area. That turned a ten minute drive into about a thirty minute one. The first part of the highway was uneventful, then I encountered a massive backup on the highway due to a traffic accident, and exacerbated by the fog. After about twenty minutes, I was able to get off the highway, got lost in some side streets, and finally got to the office about twenty minutes later. That was about nine thirty, so it took me a little over an hour to get in for whats normally a twenty five minute commute. I got into the office, and immediate heard people laughing and telling jokes, which normally doesn't bother me, but when I'm having a bad day, its like nails on a blackboard. So I grabbed the laptop and came home.
Now I'm sitting in the big chair in the living room, working wirelessly. Its quiet. This is much nicer!
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Programming
Sometimes I wonder about how to do something that I think ought to be possible, and get dejected when I realize that I don't know the smallest thing about how to do it.
Take the Windows XP menu system. I don't agree with the layout that it's in when you first unwrap the product. It doesn't appear to be in any order or classification -- just a bunch of stuff thats tossed in there. No 'the Microsoft stuff in this menu, the Adobe in that'; no 'the writing tools here, the numerical ones there' -- nothing like that. So one of the things that I do is move them around until the order makes sense to me.
For example, on this laptop, I have about ten categories. One is 'Work related', and its whatever software I use to connect to my work network, or to do work once I am there. Another is 'Microsoft related', and that's pretty obvious. Another 'Writing tools', and a fourth is 'Startup'. There are about five that could be characterized as part of something else, or fall into another category, but I haven't gotten around to it -- things like Windows Defender, or Feed Demon, or Network Magic. Then there's Media Players and Displays, and Norton System Works (which is the only one I won't move -- I think it 'remembers' where its start member is, and gets snarky if you move it.) Almost everything else falls into Accessories -- Entertainment, email, Moneydance -- things like that. I see the things I want to see, quickly (the really important ones, of course, are 'pinned' to the Start Menu). The other stuff is available, no more than two clicks away.
It takes me about two hours to jigger all of that around. Part of it is moving things inside Windows' breakup into different userids (we only have two that we use, but Windows has made at least five; go figure). And part of it is removing the duplication -- I don't want pointers in multiple places; I want just one, and I want it in a common place. (Exactly why that bothers me, I'm not sure; I just know that it does.)
So it occurred to me that all of this could be done programmatically. After all, all that it involves is moving files around, which is basic DOS commands! What I'd want is something that could go into a virginal system, identify all of the entries for every single menu entry, eliminate the duplicates, categorize the remainders according to my scheme (which of course would vary by whomever was doing this), and rearrange them accordingly. How hard could this be?
Have I done it? Have I even tried to do the littlest bit of it? Umm.... You know, I really should spend time learning Python, so that I could do this. Really should....
Argh!
Take the Windows XP menu system. I don't agree with the layout that it's in when you first unwrap the product. It doesn't appear to be in any order or classification -- just a bunch of stuff thats tossed in there. No 'the Microsoft stuff in this menu, the Adobe in that'; no 'the writing tools here, the numerical ones there' -- nothing like that. So one of the things that I do is move them around until the order makes sense to me.
For example, on this laptop, I have about ten categories. One is 'Work related', and its whatever software I use to connect to my work network, or to do work once I am there. Another is 'Microsoft related', and that's pretty obvious. Another 'Writing tools', and a fourth is 'Startup'. There are about five that could be characterized as part of something else, or fall into another category, but I haven't gotten around to it -- things like Windows Defender, or Feed Demon, or Network Magic. Then there's Media Players and Displays, and Norton System Works (which is the only one I won't move -- I think it 'remembers' where its start member is, and gets snarky if you move it.) Almost everything else falls into Accessories -- Entertainment, email, Moneydance -- things like that. I see the things I want to see, quickly (the really important ones, of course, are 'pinned' to the Start Menu). The other stuff is available, no more than two clicks away.
It takes me about two hours to jigger all of that around. Part of it is moving things inside Windows' breakup into different userids (we only have two that we use, but Windows has made at least five; go figure). And part of it is removing the duplication -- I don't want pointers in multiple places; I want just one, and I want it in a common place. (Exactly why that bothers me, I'm not sure; I just know that it does.)
So it occurred to me that all of this could be done programmatically. After all, all that it involves is moving files around, which is basic DOS commands! What I'd want is something that could go into a virginal system, identify all of the entries for every single menu entry, eliminate the duplicates, categorize the remainders according to my scheme (which of course would vary by whomever was doing this), and rearrange them accordingly. How hard could this be?
Have I done it? Have I even tried to do the littlest bit of it? Umm.... You know, I really should spend time learning Python, so that I could do this. Really should....
Argh!
Monday, November 27, 2006
Analytics
Aside from her other sterling qualities (and she has a lot), one thing that my wife does that nobody else does: she has thea-conversations with me.
The name comes from a comment that my wife made to her sister about how we communicated, shortly after we were married. She said that we liked to talk about a range of things, and she said 'Doesn't your husband like to have theoretical conversations?' Her sister laughed and said that they did just fine not having theological, theoretical, or thea-anything conversations. For us -- for me -- they're critical. I have observed, and freely admit, that I get grumpy if I am deprived of my wife's sheer presence. But what puts the shine on it is when we talk about theoretical concepts. Now, these aren't deep, philosophical conversations -- in fact, sometimes they're nothing more than diatribes about how incredibly stupid the management of our various organizations, or sometimes the government, can be. But other times, we really do try to come up with some kind of explanation about why what they're trying to do is so stupid -- or, at least, what it is that they're trying to do with their stupid policies and plans. Because we do understand that even though what they're doing is stupid, the people themselves are not -- in fact, they're usually quite bright. So we try to think of how we'd do it differenty -- or at least, why it is that they're doing what they're doing the way that they're doing it. Why did they chose this way?
This evening, we talked a little bit about organizational quality standards, and how they just do not work with software companies. And I came up with a succinct way of putting it, which I will now inflict upon you.
You can get a small group of people to implement a complex procedure, whether they believe in it or not. You can get a broad group of people to implement a simple procedure, whether they believe in it or not. But you cannot get a broad group of people to implement a complex procedure unless they really believe in it.
Such is the case for organizational quality. In small doses, small groups, it can be seen to be effective. In large doses, its not possible. There are so many players, so many variables, that the only way to understand and validate the process is to track it at a global level, and to put a lot of effort (people, mantime) into it. Think global, act local. Keep the big picture, understand what the overarching goal is, but track and implement at the local level, keeping an eye on making each piece demonstratably better. Not just different, not just tracked within an inch of its life, but better. Understand how the pieces fit together, and how they affect the global goal. Otherwise, you're just assuming it works (a little bit works, a lot must work). You can't actually prove it. You can show is that a lot of effort goes into implementing standards (for which read: working on passing the audit) at the lower levels. You just can't prove that it bought you anything other than that. To prove it, you need to put lots of effort into it. Lots of non-product-producing effort. And no one is going to do that, are they? Not in our lean, mean world.
I really enjoy thinking and talking about this kind of thing. I'd like even more making it work in the real world.
The name comes from a comment that my wife made to her sister about how we communicated, shortly after we were married. She said that we liked to talk about a range of things, and she said 'Doesn't your husband like to have theoretical conversations?' Her sister laughed and said that they did just fine not having theological, theoretical, or thea-anything conversations. For us -- for me -- they're critical. I have observed, and freely admit, that I get grumpy if I am deprived of my wife's sheer presence. But what puts the shine on it is when we talk about theoretical concepts. Now, these aren't deep, philosophical conversations -- in fact, sometimes they're nothing more than diatribes about how incredibly stupid the management of our various organizations, or sometimes the government, can be. But other times, we really do try to come up with some kind of explanation about why what they're trying to do is so stupid -- or, at least, what it is that they're trying to do with their stupid policies and plans. Because we do understand that even though what they're doing is stupid, the people themselves are not -- in fact, they're usually quite bright. So we try to think of how we'd do it differenty -- or at least, why it is that they're doing what they're doing the way that they're doing it. Why did they chose this way?
This evening, we talked a little bit about organizational quality standards, and how they just do not work with software companies. And I came up with a succinct way of putting it, which I will now inflict upon you.
You can get a small group of people to implement a complex procedure, whether they believe in it or not. You can get a broad group of people to implement a simple procedure, whether they believe in it or not. But you cannot get a broad group of people to implement a complex procedure unless they really believe in it.
Such is the case for organizational quality. In small doses, small groups, it can be seen to be effective. In large doses, its not possible. There are so many players, so many variables, that the only way to understand and validate the process is to track it at a global level, and to put a lot of effort (people, mantime) into it. Think global, act local. Keep the big picture, understand what the overarching goal is, but track and implement at the local level, keeping an eye on making each piece demonstratably better. Not just different, not just tracked within an inch of its life, but better. Understand how the pieces fit together, and how they affect the global goal. Otherwise, you're just assuming it works (a little bit works, a lot must work). You can't actually prove it. You can show is that a lot of effort goes into implementing standards (for which read: working on passing the audit) at the lower levels. You just can't prove that it bought you anything other than that. To prove it, you need to put lots of effort into it. Lots of non-product-producing effort. And no one is going to do that, are they? Not in our lean, mean world.
I really enjoy thinking and talking about this kind of thing. I'd like even more making it work in the real world.
Button
I want a button.
The button that I want is essentially the same button as I want when I get back from vacation -- one that says that people should take it easy on me because I am not up to speed on all of the crises de jour and current manias, because I am just back from vacation, you see, so back the hell off, and by the way, I'm going home early today, and maybe tomrrow, too.
For the first day back from Thanksgiving, and a long road trip, and time spent configuring a new PC because my employer doesn't sem to find it worth their time to have people do it for me, I want that button.
Tomorrow, too.
The button that I want is essentially the same button as I want when I get back from vacation -- one that says that people should take it easy on me because I am not up to speed on all of the crises de jour and current manias, because I am just back from vacation, you see, so back the hell off, and by the way, I'm going home early today, and maybe tomrrow, too.
For the first day back from Thanksgiving, and a long road trip, and time spent configuring a new PC because my employer doesn't sem to find it worth their time to have people do it for me, I want that button.
Tomorrow, too.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Up and Down
We're back. Long drive up, long drive back.
Many, many people at the reception -- at the Mystic Seaport, no less; quite classy. Much cleavage by the bridesmaids and guests (not that I noticed!). I'm always surprised to find that someone who's so on display can be a friendly, normal person. Then again, I'm not in the running, if I ever was, so its 'safe' to talk to me. The offspring, a junior bridesmaid, looked good. From the front, a normal kid in a nice gown; from the back, a well-dressed, well-coiffed young lady -- tall and slender. That's my daughter?
Much, much food. Good music. Big open bar. Glittering decorations. Shazam.
Not being a party type, I left the reception early, went back to the hotel, watched TV while the wife and offspring cavorted -- and barely 90 minutes later, they called for pickup. We all slept late, and this morning, there was again much food, this time at the sister's house. Lots of cookies, and four (!) Christmas trees already up and decorated. Amazing. We do well to put up one tree and a string of lights in twice the time!
Drive back was uneventful until we were within an hour of home, at which time the excellence of PennDot's planning once again manifested itself where two highways merged, and congealed. We read every word on the back of a semi's trailer, including the license plate.
Glad we went. Tiring, but fun.
Many, many people at the reception -- at the Mystic Seaport, no less; quite classy. Much cleavage by the bridesmaids and guests (not that I noticed!). I'm always surprised to find that someone who's so on display can be a friendly, normal person. Then again, I'm not in the running, if I ever was, so its 'safe' to talk to me. The offspring, a junior bridesmaid, looked good. From the front, a normal kid in a nice gown; from the back, a well-dressed, well-coiffed young lady -- tall and slender. That's my daughter?
Much, much food. Good music. Big open bar. Glittering decorations. Shazam.
Not being a party type, I left the reception early, went back to the hotel, watched TV while the wife and offspring cavorted -- and barely 90 minutes later, they called for pickup. We all slept late, and this morning, there was again much food, this time at the sister's house. Lots of cookies, and four (!) Christmas trees already up and decorated. Amazing. We do well to put up one tree and a string of lights in twice the time!
Drive back was uneventful until we were within an hour of home, at which time the excellence of PennDot's planning once again manifested itself where two highways merged, and congealed. We read every word on the back of a semi's trailer, including the license plate.
Glad we went. Tiring, but fun.
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Various Things
A grandmother blew herself up in the Gaza strip, and its just another normal day in that part of the world. Argh. I understand -- well, I think I understand -- why its virtually impossible for either side, or any side, in this kind of conflict to stand fast and not be provoked by events like that (not to mention, events like the shelling that preceded it). But what do you do when apparently anyone can take that kind of destabilizing action? Is there a threshold where, before it, you won't react, and after it you will? And if so, how much? Kind of like saying how many innocent people are you willing to imprision to be sure you get some percentage of the guilty ones. I'm sure theres a cute sociological name for the concept, but I don't know it.
I read over the weekend that things are calm in Mogadishu. Apparently a stern Islamic government is in control, and they cut no one any slack. The people aren't happy.... but they aren't dying, either.
=================
Long drive tomorrow. Long drive on Sunday. Between, though, a rehearsal, a wedding, a reception, and I hope time in the hotel pool. My shoulder hurts, a little. Some stretching and exercise would be a good thing.
=================
Today I went from not even knowing the concept of a Bluetooth personal area network to concluding that it was a dream that developers have, with no apparent value in the real world. Personal Area Network, yeah. Bluetooth, yeah. Together? Can't see it.
I read over the weekend that things are calm in Mogadishu. Apparently a stern Islamic government is in control, and they cut no one any slack. The people aren't happy.... but they aren't dying, either.
=================
Long drive tomorrow. Long drive on Sunday. Between, though, a rehearsal, a wedding, a reception, and I hope time in the hotel pool. My shoulder hurts, a little. Some stretching and exercise would be a good thing.
=================
Today I went from not even knowing the concept of a Bluetooth personal area network to concluding that it was a dream that developers have, with no apparent value in the real world. Personal Area Network, yeah. Bluetooth, yeah. Together? Can't see it.
Thanksgiving Day 2006
A pleasant day thus far.
It actually started last night, to my mind; we went to see Casino Royale, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Daniel Craig did an excellent job as James Bond; the plot was believable; even the bad guys were good -- smart, not caricatures. A couple of minor quibbles about the pacing of the film, but only a couple. It was excellent. A good reason to get a plasma tv! (Of course, my daughter would say that the existence of Cartoon Network is a good reason, too.)
After we got home, I spent about an hour messing with the new laptop - rearranging the menus to be the way I like, mostly. This version of XP (professional) is different than the one we have (home) in that there seem to be only two values for users -- administrator, and 'all users'. I am, of course, the administrator (he said, buffing his nails modestly). I like that -- the 'home' version seems to spawn users, which is messy and non-useful. Once I've gotten the customization completely done, I will switch to being just a standard user, which I gather is a good idea, generally; that way, if some malicious program tries to install malware, it won't be able to do so under your authority. I know that the time will come (assuming I'm employed there long enough) when I think this laptop is a kludge and a pig; right now, it is sleek and elegant, and I like it a lot.
This morning, I awoke to the aroma of coffee and frying sausage, and then my daughter and I (mostly her) made an apple tart, for which she had found the recipe. Nothing special (not that I could handle it if it were), but a delightful experience to see her doing it carefully, using the methods she's learned from us and from her school Consumer Sciences classes. It's baking now.
For the remainder of the day -- sloughing off, reading, packing, and more pc-messing-around. And then tomorrow, we're off to Connectidotts for three days. A long drive, but one we've done multiple times.
A pleasant Thanksgiving to you all.
It actually started last night, to my mind; we went to see Casino Royale, which we thoroughly enjoyed. Daniel Craig did an excellent job as James Bond; the plot was believable; even the bad guys were good -- smart, not caricatures. A couple of minor quibbles about the pacing of the film, but only a couple. It was excellent. A good reason to get a plasma tv! (Of course, my daughter would say that the existence of Cartoon Network is a good reason, too.)
After we got home, I spent about an hour messing with the new laptop - rearranging the menus to be the way I like, mostly. This version of XP (professional) is different than the one we have (home) in that there seem to be only two values for users -- administrator, and 'all users'. I am, of course, the administrator (he said, buffing his nails modestly). I like that -- the 'home' version seems to spawn users, which is messy and non-useful. Once I've gotten the customization completely done, I will switch to being just a standard user, which I gather is a good idea, generally; that way, if some malicious program tries to install malware, it won't be able to do so under your authority. I know that the time will come (assuming I'm employed there long enough) when I think this laptop is a kludge and a pig; right now, it is sleek and elegant, and I like it a lot.
This morning, I awoke to the aroma of coffee and frying sausage, and then my daughter and I (mostly her) made an apple tart, for which she had found the recipe. Nothing special (not that I could handle it if it were), but a delightful experience to see her doing it carefully, using the methods she's learned from us and from her school Consumer Sciences classes. It's baking now.
For the remainder of the day -- sloughing off, reading, packing, and more pc-messing-around. And then tomorrow, we're off to Connectidotts for three days. A long drive, but one we've done multiple times.
A pleasant Thanksgiving to you all.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Long Day
It started around 3AM, when I got up and found that the file transfer which I'd initiated four hours before, at which time it said that the estimated time was three hours, was still running...and estimating about four and a half hours more. I messed with it for a while, but after about half an hour I gave up and went back to the 'System Migration Aid' that my company provides. I won't say that this is a lousy tool -- it frequently works -- but my track record with it is pretty poor. What fascinates me, in a dark and evil way, is that it could not communicate between my old and new PCs, but an older package that I had, which performs the same function, could do it just fine -- but took hours to run. I opened a problem record, giving them my home number, and damned if they did not call at 8AM, saying that they were ready to look into this for me... and eventually they did figure out why the two sides of the product weren't talking to each other. But the bottom line was, they said, it would be easier just to make the two PCs share files and move the stuff manually. I think that the underlying problem is twofold: first, the product is written by people who have current software on their PCs, and when there is something radically different in an older release, the software doesn't handle it. And second, they assume that everyone's PC is clean and neat, and of course they aren't.
So now, after about four hours of dorking around, the new PC is about 60% usable, and I think I know how to make the rest usable, too. All of this because my company doesn't believe in having people around who specialize in this stuff. Well, in a way they do -- the guy I spoke to this morning was in India.
So now, after about four hours of dorking around, the new PC is about 60% usable, and I think I know how to make the rest usable, too. All of this because my company doesn't believe in having people around who specialize in this stuff. Well, in a way they do -- the guy I spoke to this morning was in India.
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
Morning Thoughts
This morning I woke up early, with two thoughts.
To cook bacon for breakfast. And, Eritrea.
Its bad enough when I wake up from a dream of death and destruction... and unfortunate when I wake up from a dream of lusty Amazon maidens (which I don't dream of nearly often enough)...
But when I wake up with the name of an obscure North African country in my thoughts...
I'd better knock off the jalapeno and caper sandwiches at bedtime.
===============
On another note: Sara Horowitz is doing some interesting things with the concept of trades unionism. Fairly atypical for a Harvard grad, I suspect.
To cook bacon for breakfast. And, Eritrea.
Its bad enough when I wake up from a dream of death and destruction... and unfortunate when I wake up from a dream of lusty Amazon maidens (which I don't dream of nearly often enough)...
But when I wake up with the name of an obscure North African country in my thoughts...
I'd better knock off the jalapeno and caper sandwiches at bedtime.
===============
On another note: Sara Horowitz is doing some interesting things with the concept of trades unionism. Fairly atypical for a Harvard grad, I suspect.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Rerun
Sometimes I like to look through the archives of this blog and see what I was thinking about one or two years ago. I am frequently surprised to see that what I was thinking about is pretty consistant with what I am thinking about. Whether this is consistancy or just not thinking too much about a range of things, I'm not sure.
Here's some thing from November 2004:
One of the computational tasks that's intrigued me for quite some time is how you teach a computer system to solve a problem. For basic problems, the path is pretty obvious -- make up or determine an algorithm, code it, and then apply it to problems for which it's suited. As problems become more complex and textured, it becomes a question of finding out which algorithm is suitable, or which is more suitable. At some point, it starts to evolve into a system for the creation of algorithms, because you can't make one for every possible situation. At some point after that, the system starts to do interesting things, like claiming that the AE-35 unit is about to fail. And we all know where that leads.
Last night, as I was putting the new PC away, having finally gotten it to work, I thought about this a bit. In retrospect, I could have shaved hours off the resolution time if I'd realized that the migration software tool that I'd used had carried along certain registry settings, and then second, with the modem, where it somehow trashed (I don't know exactly where) the ability of the system to use the perfectly fine connection. The Dell people seemed to be working through a checklist, but not a particularly good one -- at one point, they said they'd replace the system, but I thought this seemed overkill, given the results of some experimentation I'd done, and eventually, they suggested that I just do a system restore. They recommended the Dell version, but I chose to do the Microsoft one, which says it won't mess with your program files (mostly true) . The Dell one says that it most certainly will. And it worked. Registry looks fine, modem connects with no problem.
It would have been nice to have a software solution that could help me to that solution, though. I tried thinking backwards -- okay, here's the solution, now how could I have best gotten here, and done so in a way that didn't rule out other, equally viable, options -- but I didn't get very far. I've used some of the Microsoft canned solution engines that are in the Help function, and they almost uniformly are too lame to consider as an actual 'engine'. They probably do work for people who need to be reminded that in order to work, the modem (if its an external one) must be plugged in. But past that level of abstraction, they tend to flame out. I get the sense of an infinite loop. Since my own patience is considerably less than infinite, I can't swear that if I'd Just Stuck With It, it wouldn't have eventually come up with the answer. But I don't think so. An experienced person usually knows when to try quick fixes first, and my sense it that the software wouldn't do that. It tries easy stuff.
Basically, I want a bright little AI engine popping up, advising me what might work best, next, and why. Something that learns over time, and can be downloaded and upgraded at will. (For a nice example of what an AI service can do, see the Twenty Questions site I mention in the post just below this. What's particularly interesting is that it shows how it got the answer. Some of its suppositions are totally hosed -- yet they work. Intruiging.) . I'd buy a service that helped me with this kind of question -- even a subscription service. (Now, there's an idea...hmmm....) .
Of course, if the tool were built by Microsoft, it would sneer at any software on the PC that was more than six months old, and simply recommend replacing all of it. The hardware, too.
.
Here's some thing from November 2004:
One of the computational tasks that's intrigued me for quite some time is how you teach a computer system to solve a problem. For basic problems, the path is pretty obvious -- make up or determine an algorithm, code it, and then apply it to problems for which it's suited. As problems become more complex and textured, it becomes a question of finding out which algorithm is suitable, or which is more suitable. At some point, it starts to evolve into a system for the creation of algorithms, because you can't make one for every possible situation. At some point after that, the system starts to do interesting things, like claiming that the AE-35 unit is about to fail. And we all know where that leads.
Last night, as I was putting the new PC away, having finally gotten it to work, I thought about this a bit. In retrospect, I could have shaved hours off the resolution time if I'd realized that the migration software tool that I'd used had carried along certain registry settings, and then second, with the modem, where it somehow trashed (I don't know exactly where) the ability of the system to use the perfectly fine connection. The Dell people seemed to be working through a checklist, but not a particularly good one -- at one point, they said they'd replace the system, but I thought this seemed overkill, given the results of some experimentation I'd done, and eventually, they suggested that I just do a system restore. They recommended the Dell version, but I chose to do the Microsoft one, which says it won't mess with your program files (mostly true) . The Dell one says that it most certainly will. And it worked. Registry looks fine, modem connects with no problem.
It would have been nice to have a software solution that could help me to that solution, though. I tried thinking backwards -- okay, here's the solution, now how could I have best gotten here, and done so in a way that didn't rule out other, equally viable, options -- but I didn't get very far. I've used some of the Microsoft canned solution engines that are in the Help function, and they almost uniformly are too lame to consider as an actual 'engine'. They probably do work for people who need to be reminded that in order to work, the modem (if its an external one) must be plugged in. But past that level of abstraction, they tend to flame out. I get the sense of an infinite loop. Since my own patience is considerably less than infinite, I can't swear that if I'd Just Stuck With It, it wouldn't have eventually come up with the answer. But I don't think so. An experienced person usually knows when to try quick fixes first, and my sense it that the software wouldn't do that. It tries easy stuff.
Basically, I want a bright little AI engine popping up, advising me what might work best, next, and why. Something that learns over time, and can be downloaded and upgraded at will. (For a nice example of what an AI service can do, see the Twenty Questions site I mention in the post just below this. What's particularly interesting is that it shows how it got the answer. Some of its suppositions are totally hosed -- yet they work. Intruiging.) . I'd buy a service that helped me with this kind of question -- even a subscription service. (Now, there's an idea...hmmm....) .
Of course, if the tool were built by Microsoft, it would sneer at any software on the PC that was more than six months old, and simply recommend replacing all of it. The hardware, too.
.
Charting
One of the things that I've been doing, in trying to improve my blood sugar numbers, is keeping a spreadsheet. Its got multiple columns -- two for breakfast, depending on whether I ate during the night or not, two for before and after lunch, and two for before and after dinner. I track what I had for dinner, and if I took any insulin -- actually, which and how much; I always take it.
I just decided to turn that into a chart, because a visual representation is easier for me to understand. Also, as it turns out, because I can easily skip over the bad numbers on a spreadsheet, but its harder to do that on the chart. The conclusion? I'm not doing very well. I thought I was, but the chart makes it clear that there is a lot of room for improvement.
This is not a good thing, but knowing is. I have to keep tellling myself that. That, and reminding myself to always write down what the numbers are. One of my unwritten mottos is that the numbers do not get better just because I 'neglected' to record what they were.
I just decided to turn that into a chart, because a visual representation is easier for me to understand. Also, as it turns out, because I can easily skip over the bad numbers on a spreadsheet, but its harder to do that on the chart. The conclusion? I'm not doing very well. I thought I was, but the chart makes it clear that there is a lot of room for improvement.
This is not a good thing, but knowing is. I have to keep tellling myself that. That, and reminding myself to always write down what the numbers are. One of my unwritten mottos is that the numbers do not get better just because I 'neglected' to record what they were.
Biscotti
The biscotti's done. Excellent texture, not too hard. And being dipped in white chocolate doesn't hurt, either.
Here's the recipe, from, I believe, Bon Appetit magazine. We didn't do it exactly this way, but pretty close.
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon whole aniseed
1 cup dried sweetened cranberries
3/4 cup shelled natural unsalted pistachios
6 ounces imported white chocolate, chopped
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Sift first 3 ingredients into medium bowl.
Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl to blend well.
Beat in eggs 1 at a time.
Mix in lemon peel, vanilla, and aniseed.
Beat in flour mixture just until blended.
Stir in cranberries and pistachios (dough will be sticky).
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface.
Gather dough together; divide in half.
Roll each half into 15-inch-long log (about 1 1/4 inches wide).
Carefully transfer logs to 1 prepared baking sheet, spacing 3 inches apart.
Bake logs until almost firm to touch but still pale, about 28 minutes.
Cool logs on baking sheet 10 minutes.
Maintain oven temperature.
Carefully transfer logs still on parchment to cutting board.
Using serrated knife and gentle sawing motion, cut logs crosswise into generous 1/2-inch-thick slices.
Place slices, 1 cut side down, on remaining 2 prepared sheets.
Bake until firm and pale golden, about 9 minutes per side.
Transfer cookies to racks and cool.
Line another baking sheet with waxed paper.
Stir white chocolate in top of double boiler over barely simmering water just until smooth.
Remove from over water.
Dip 1 end of each cookie into melted chocolate, tilting pan if necessary; shake off excess chocolate.
Place cookies on prepared sheet.
Chill until chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes.
(Can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight between sheets of waxed paper at room temperature.)
Here's the recipe, from, I believe, Bon Appetit magazine. We didn't do it exactly this way, but pretty close.
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon whole aniseed
1 cup dried sweetened cranberries
3/4 cup shelled natural unsalted pistachios
6 ounces imported white chocolate, chopped
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Sift first 3 ingredients into medium bowl.
Using electric mixer, beat butter and sugar in large bowl to blend well.
Beat in eggs 1 at a time.
Mix in lemon peel, vanilla, and aniseed.
Beat in flour mixture just until blended.
Stir in cranberries and pistachios (dough will be sticky).
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface.
Gather dough together; divide in half.
Roll each half into 15-inch-long log (about 1 1/4 inches wide).
Carefully transfer logs to 1 prepared baking sheet, spacing 3 inches apart.
Bake logs until almost firm to touch but still pale, about 28 minutes.
Cool logs on baking sheet 10 minutes.
Maintain oven temperature.
Carefully transfer logs still on parchment to cutting board.
Using serrated knife and gentle sawing motion, cut logs crosswise into generous 1/2-inch-thick slices.
Place slices, 1 cut side down, on remaining 2 prepared sheets.
Bake until firm and pale golden, about 9 minutes per side.
Transfer cookies to racks and cool.
Line another baking sheet with waxed paper.
Stir white chocolate in top of double boiler over barely simmering water just until smooth.
Remove from over water.
Dip 1 end of each cookie into melted chocolate, tilting pan if necessary; shake off excess chocolate.
Place cookies on prepared sheet.
Chill until chocolate is firm, about 30 minutes.
(Can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight between sheets of waxed paper at room temperature.)
The Myth of Excellence
Its about three on a somewhat chilly Sunday afternoon. Emanuel Ax is on the player, my wife just woke up (she worked in the wee hours this morning), and I am sitting here drinking flavored water and reading The Myth of Excellence, which has as its central premise the concept that companies cannot and should not try to compete on multiple criteria -- that consumers tend not to believe a company that says it has, for example, both the best quality and the lowest price. It also seems, at least initially, to want to talk about the sociological implications of a materialistic society, saying that regardless of how many or what type of possessions people accumulate, regardless of how much better their lives are objectively, people are finding that subjectively their lives aren't as good as they used to be -- that something is missing. And, they say, business can exploit this feeling to become more required, perhaps even indispensable, to consumers. Have to admit, that thought didn't sit well with me, but the book is young; we'll see how it goes.
I'd like to take notes while reading, but I don't have an easy way to do it. I read a post on the Geeky Mom blog about that concept just the other day. I said that for me, 3x5 cards still work best, which is probably a reflection of what I grew up with. Then again, my daughter consumes them by the packet.
The biscotti is in the oven for the first bake. I'm guessing it'll take about another hour, with cutting, rebaking, and then dipping into the melted chocolate. That last is going to be tricky; we want to waste the minimal amount of the chocolate, so simply dipping each cut piece into it seems not the best way -- but we don't know of a better one. We do have a tall, thin vase that I suppose we could fill with chocolate, then use that as a dipping chamber, but somehow I don't think that's a good solution either.
Bean bake tonight -- classic comfort food for me. Not that I need comforting at the moment, but I'll never turn it down.
I'd like to take notes while reading, but I don't have an easy way to do it. I read a post on the Geeky Mom blog about that concept just the other day. I said that for me, 3x5 cards still work best, which is probably a reflection of what I grew up with. Then again, my daughter consumes them by the packet.
The biscotti is in the oven for the first bake. I'm guessing it'll take about another hour, with cutting, rebaking, and then dipping into the melted chocolate. That last is going to be tricky; we want to waste the minimal amount of the chocolate, so simply dipping each cut piece into it seems not the best way -- but we don't know of a better one. We do have a tall, thin vase that I suppose we could fill with chocolate, then use that as a dipping chamber, but somehow I don't think that's a good solution either.
Bean bake tonight -- classic comfort food for me. Not that I need comforting at the moment, but I'll never turn it down.
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