The Omnivore's Dilemna should be familiar to most of us: since us humans can pretty much eat anything, how do we figure out what's good for us to eat? In the modern age, our instincts (which lean heavily towards the sweet and the savory) can easily lead us wrong.
Michael Pollan explores this in four meals: the industrial meal, as typified by the fast food industry, the industrial organic meal, as typified by the Whole Foods culture, the beyond organic meal, with grass-fed, management intensive farming produce, and finally the hunter/gatherer meal, where he hunted and foraged for his own food.
While he does not measure up to the platonic ideals of some of these meals, he does manage to cover a lot of the issues involved in food. After reading this book, you will probably never look at corn fed beef the same way again. But Whole Foods doesn't come across very well either --- its aisles come in for intense scrutiny, and the fact is that a large scale operation like Whole Foods cannot live up to the ideals as espoused by the original organic farming credo, which means that the organic label is now as much marketing as it is an indication of how the food is made.
I am of two minds about the attitudes behind a book like this. On one hand, how do you account for the fact that modern humans have the longest lifespans today, compared to humans living in the past? When farmers did not have fossil fuels and petroleum based fertilizers, crop failures were common, and people did starve! While industrialized agriculture indeed is fossil-fuel intensive and undesirable in many ways, cheap food has in many ways benefited the poorest among us, and I for one wouldn't go back to the days when a crop failure could doom thousands to starvation.
On the other hand, after reading a book like this, I become more sensitized to how the food is grown. There are techniques (such as those being used by Polyface Farms, as described in the book) where the farming isn't just good for profits, but also does good things for the land the animals graze on, and keeps the animals happy as well. The resulting food is also much better for you, nutritionally. It won't be cheap, but that's why we have good jobs, right? So selfishly, what I want is for this type of farming to take over, pay more for the food, and in the mean time reduce global warming emissions and pollution. That's worth the price to me.
Focus in for a moment on just the relationship between Budger and the tuft of fescue she's tearing from its crown. Those blades of grass have spent this long June day turning sunlight into sugars... To feed the photosynthetic process the grass's roots have drawn water and minerals up from deep in the soil (some grasses can sink their roots as much as six feet down), minerals that soon will become part of this cow. Chances are Budger has also chosen exactly which grasses to eat first, depending on whatever minerals her body craves that day; some species supply her more magnesium, others more potassiuml. (If she's feeling ill she might go for the plantain, a forb whose leaves contain antibiotic compounds; grazing cattle instinctively use the diversity of the salad bar to medicate themselves.)
Friday, October 20, 2006
Friday, October 13, 2006
Joseph Stiglitz @ Google
One of the best perks of working at Google is the series of authors and excellent speakers talking at Google. Today, we had Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz visiting to discuss his book, Making Globalization Work. As an economics junkie, I usually go to these talks not really expecting to learn much, since anything that's comprehensible to the general audience would usually have showed up in my prior reading.
In this case, though I was wrong. There were a lot of surprising facts I learnt during the talk that I didn't know before:
The Uruguay round of trade talks actually made poor countries poorer. What had happened was that the cold war ended. While the USA had a major interest in being nice to the poorer countries while the cold war was going on, once the cold war had ended, trade representatives sent to WTO talks essentially changed gears to try to get the best deals they could. Examples included the intellectual property agreements which essentially prohibited cheap generic drug copies of Pharmaceutical medicines. These essentially wrote the death sentences of many many people in poor countries.
Many pro globalization apologists stated that economic theory means that free trade is a win-win situation for the countries as a hold. "The rising tide lifts all boats." What really happened was that "The riptide wrecks the smallest boats." All Economic theory predicts is that free trade provides sufficient gains such that the winners can compensate the losers and still come out ahead (hence the "win-win" part). What it does not say is that the winners will compensate the losers, and in most cases what has happened is that the winners do not. In fact, in many poorer countries what has happened is that the winners try to create a perpetual monopoly of many key resources such that most of the benefits of trade go to them, leaving the rest of the country in poverty. In Venezuela, for instance, most of the oil profits until Chavez came along went to a tiny portion of society leaving the rest of the society poor. Remember that this was oil in the ground --- the wealthy people of Venezuela did not put the oil there. They just controlled access to the resource and used it to their benefits.
(I've heard over and over again the arguments for trade, but to hear a Nobel prize winner provide the clear arguments that trade without spreading the benefits of trade around society will eventually lead to a backlash against trade is a wonderful thing to my ears)
He went on to discuss intellectual property rights, stating that if you don't get the laws governing IP rights correct, you get all the disadvantages of restricting knowledge, without any of the incentives that you were trying to get by having IP property. For example, the Wright brothers got a patent on airplane after Kitty Hawk, but so did Curtiss, and no private company making planes could afford to pay both parties the patent fees, so it wasn't until World War I when the government set in and said that this was too important for you to hold up development that the aircraft industry got its real start.
Another example: In the race to decode the human genome, we already had a plan as to how to go about doing it and a schedule. However, private companies wanted to pick out the valuable genes to get a patent on the gene, so they raced ahead on the decoding. The social value: it was decoded slightly earlier, a small benefit if it is indeed one. The social cost: someone got a patent on the gene related to breast cancer. Another company wanted to provide a free test for breast cancer, but the patent holder wanted money. Result: large numbers of people will die unnecessarily. Canada decided not to honor this patent, but the US still honors it.
The big drug companies have not decided to use their money for more research on drugs that would save more people, but instead spent its money on marketing, advertising, and lifestyle drugs for people in rich countries. This is rational economic behavior, but it means that we've gotten our incentive system wrong. There's a proposal in his book where he discusses using a prize system rather than a monopoly system to disseminate knowledge as widely as possible. When the incentives are not working in the right direction, and we should redesign the incentives correctly to improve both economic efficiency and equity.
He finished off with a discussion of Global Warming, which to him exemplified the failure of globalization --- even if we solve the problem of economic globalization, if we don't solve our environmental problems, it might not matter. He said Kyoto had several failures, chiefest of which was the US not being a signatory, and protection of forests not being put into place. (i.e., Countries got more credit for cutting down their trees and then planting new trees, rather than for protecting the ones they had)
He ended the talk by saying that he was still optimistic that we could still make globalization work, and that things were still in a fluid stage. All I can say is that I hope he's right.
While getting my copy of his book signed, I made a statement that globalization's ill effects have only started hitting the media only when the white collar workers were affected --- when all it affected was workers in Detroit, nobody paid attention. He laughed and said "Yes. It's only a story when the reporter's next door neighbour's job gets outsourced to India. And it's a problem for free trade supporters. When Ross Perot said in the 1992 election words like 'Giant Sucking Sound', we could say, 'We didn't want those jobs anyway. We want good jobs, high wage jobs like programmers, etc.' When it's programmer jobs getting outsourced to India, we can't say that anymore."
In this case, though I was wrong. There were a lot of surprising facts I learnt during the talk that I didn't know before:
The Uruguay round of trade talks actually made poor countries poorer. What had happened was that the cold war ended. While the USA had a major interest in being nice to the poorer countries while the cold war was going on, once the cold war had ended, trade representatives sent to WTO talks essentially changed gears to try to get the best deals they could. Examples included the intellectual property agreements which essentially prohibited cheap generic drug copies of Pharmaceutical medicines. These essentially wrote the death sentences of many many people in poor countries.
Many pro globalization apologists stated that economic theory means that free trade is a win-win situation for the countries as a hold. "The rising tide lifts all boats." What really happened was that "The riptide wrecks the smallest boats." All Economic theory predicts is that free trade provides sufficient gains such that the winners can compensate the losers and still come out ahead (hence the "win-win" part). What it does not say is that the winners will compensate the losers, and in most cases what has happened is that the winners do not. In fact, in many poorer countries what has happened is that the winners try to create a perpetual monopoly of many key resources such that most of the benefits of trade go to them, leaving the rest of the country in poverty. In Venezuela, for instance, most of the oil profits until Chavez came along went to a tiny portion of society leaving the rest of the society poor. Remember that this was oil in the ground --- the wealthy people of Venezuela did not put the oil there. They just controlled access to the resource and used it to their benefits.
(I've heard over and over again the arguments for trade, but to hear a Nobel prize winner provide the clear arguments that trade without spreading the benefits of trade around society will eventually lead to a backlash against trade is a wonderful thing to my ears)
He went on to discuss intellectual property rights, stating that if you don't get the laws governing IP rights correct, you get all the disadvantages of restricting knowledge, without any of the incentives that you were trying to get by having IP property. For example, the Wright brothers got a patent on airplane after Kitty Hawk, but so did Curtiss, and no private company making planes could afford to pay both parties the patent fees, so it wasn't until World War I when the government set in and said that this was too important for you to hold up development that the aircraft industry got its real start.
Another example: In the race to decode the human genome, we already had a plan as to how to go about doing it and a schedule. However, private companies wanted to pick out the valuable genes to get a patent on the gene, so they raced ahead on the decoding. The social value: it was decoded slightly earlier, a small benefit if it is indeed one. The social cost: someone got a patent on the gene related to breast cancer. Another company wanted to provide a free test for breast cancer, but the patent holder wanted money. Result: large numbers of people will die unnecessarily. Canada decided not to honor this patent, but the US still honors it.
The big drug companies have not decided to use their money for more research on drugs that would save more people, but instead spent its money on marketing, advertising, and lifestyle drugs for people in rich countries. This is rational economic behavior, but it means that we've gotten our incentive system wrong. There's a proposal in his book where he discusses using a prize system rather than a monopoly system to disseminate knowledge as widely as possible. When the incentives are not working in the right direction, and we should redesign the incentives correctly to improve both economic efficiency and equity.
He finished off with a discussion of Global Warming, which to him exemplified the failure of globalization --- even if we solve the problem of economic globalization, if we don't solve our environmental problems, it might not matter. He said Kyoto had several failures, chiefest of which was the US not being a signatory, and protection of forests not being put into place. (i.e., Countries got more credit for cutting down their trees and then planting new trees, rather than for protecting the ones they had)
He ended the talk by saying that he was still optimistic that we could still make globalization work, and that things were still in a fluid stage. All I can say is that I hope he's right.
While getting my copy of his book signed, I made a statement that globalization's ill effects have only started hitting the media only when the white collar workers were affected --- when all it affected was workers in Detroit, nobody paid attention. He laughed and said "Yes. It's only a story when the reporter's next door neighbour's job gets outsourced to India. And it's a problem for free trade supporters. When Ross Perot said in the 1992 election words like 'Giant Sucking Sound', we could say, 'We didn't want those jobs anyway. We want good jobs, high wage jobs like programmers, etc.' When it's programmer jobs getting outsourced to India, we can't say that anymore."
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Movie Review: MirrorMask
Written by Neil Gaiman, and directed and created by artist Dave McKean, this is the story of Helena Campbell, a girl whose parents run a circus but who would love to run away to join the real world, inverting the fictional convention of children who want to run away to join the circus. The night Helena and her mom has an argument, her mom falls sick and has to be taken away to the hospital. Helena then enters a fantasy world where she has to find out why she's there, what's happening, and how to rescue herself and her mother.
Visually, the film looks very pretty, though there's quite a lot of computer generated graphics that obviously look out of place, the effects aren't at all crude and the actors are OK. The story is full of little things that I'm stealing for my next game of Grimm.
The DVD has a great making of feature that's worth watching (especially since I've never met Dave McKean). Be warned though, if you don't enjoy Dave McKean's art, the entire movie is going to look horrid to you. I'm not the world's greatest fan of Dave McKean, but I found the look tolerable.
While not the most earthshaking work I've seen, it's worth viewing on DVD if you get a chance. (I checked my copy out of the Mountain View library)
[Update: Googler Tom Galloway can be heard in the DVD asking the question, "How did the two of you meet?"]
Visually, the film looks very pretty, though there's quite a lot of computer generated graphics that obviously look out of place, the effects aren't at all crude and the actors are OK. The story is full of little things that I'm stealing for my next game of Grimm.
The DVD has a great making of feature that's worth watching (especially since I've never met Dave McKean). Be warned though, if you don't enjoy Dave McKean's art, the entire movie is going to look horrid to you. I'm not the world's greatest fan of Dave McKean, but I found the look tolerable.
While not the most earthshaking work I've seen, it's worth viewing on DVD if you get a chance. (I checked my copy out of the Mountain View library)
[Update: Googler Tom Galloway can be heard in the DVD asking the question, "How did the two of you meet?"]
San Jose Rock & Roll Half Marathon
1:56:19
That's my time for the 1/2 marathon. I actually started with the 2 hours 15 minute group thinking I'll have a hard time keeping up with them...but once the race started, I felt really good at mile 1 and decided to go off on my own (they were going a little slower than I usually do). Around mile 10, I caught up with the 2 hour group (the group I originally signed up for, but didn't feel good enough the morning of...), and later on passed them, hence my slightly better than 2 hour time.
I ran the whole race with a relatively full bladder, thinking I should go pee around mile 2...it never got very bad though and I think having the bladder somwhat urgent kept me running rather quickly instead of relaxing, which isn't bad. Definitely something to think about.
One thing I underestimtaed was how much harder my regular training runs were...my regular training run involves basically running laps of 2.3 miles multiple times. The lap however is on a slight incline with one small hump and then some regular downhill sections which makes the training a little tougher than that of a treadmill or running on a flat path. The San Jose RnR was on a really flat course which I think contributed in no small part to my running the fastest time I've ever done for 10 miles, or less.
The last 1/2 mile was finished with some rather strong kicks, and all in all, I cannot say I'm at all unhappy with my results. Quite the contrary. =)
The painful part was catching a flight 1 hour after my run...sitting one hour on the plane and having to fight very hard to get up after the 1 hour (joints appeared to be locked up a little....)
Next target, a full marathon!
I'll post pics the moment I have some from the professional photographers.
That's my time for the 1/2 marathon. I actually started with the 2 hours 15 minute group thinking I'll have a hard time keeping up with them...but once the race started, I felt really good at mile 1 and decided to go off on my own (they were going a little slower than I usually do). Around mile 10, I caught up with the 2 hour group (the group I originally signed up for, but didn't feel good enough the morning of...), and later on passed them, hence my slightly better than 2 hour time.
I ran the whole race with a relatively full bladder, thinking I should go pee around mile 2...it never got very bad though and I think having the bladder somwhat urgent kept me running rather quickly instead of relaxing, which isn't bad. Definitely something to think about.
One thing I underestimtaed was how much harder my regular training runs were...my regular training run involves basically running laps of 2.3 miles multiple times. The lap however is on a slight incline with one small hump and then some regular downhill sections which makes the training a little tougher than that of a treadmill or running on a flat path. The San Jose RnR was on a really flat course which I think contributed in no small part to my running the fastest time I've ever done for 10 miles, or less.
The last 1/2 mile was finished with some rather strong kicks, and all in all, I cannot say I'm at all unhappy with my results. Quite the contrary. =)
The painful part was catching a flight 1 hour after my run...sitting one hour on the plane and having to fight very hard to get up after the 1 hour (joints appeared to be locked up a little....)
Next target, a full marathon!
I'll post pics the moment I have some from the professional photographers.
Fall bike parts inventory
2 Front Phil Wood 36 wheels
2 Rear Phil Wood Freewheel 36 spoke wheels
1 Tandem 48 spoke front Phil
1 Tandem 48 spoke rear Phil (Freehub)
1 spare Avocet 700x25
1 Avocet 700x28 (unmounted, blown off rim twice)
Hm... I seem to be running low on tires.
2 Rear Phil Wood Freewheel 36 spoke wheels
1 Tandem 48 spoke front Phil
1 Tandem 48 spoke rear Phil (Freehub)
1 spare Avocet 700x25
1 Avocet 700x28 (unmounted, blown off rim twice)
Hm... I seem to be running low on tires.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
Review: The Polysyllabic Spree
This book by Nick Hornby is basically a collection of his monthly column about books from The Believer. The column illustrates why Hornby gets paid for his writing while the rest of us have to have day jobs. Here's an excerpt from his critique of Desperate Characters:
I know I'm wrong about this book, because everyone else in the world, including writers I love, thinks it's fantastic, but it Wasn't For Me. It's brilliantly written, I can see that much, and it made me think too. But mostly I thought about why I don't know anyone like the people Fox writes about. Why are all my friends so dim and unreflective? Where did I go wrong?
Toward the end of the book, Otto and Sophie, the central couple, go to stay in their holiday home. Sophie opens the door to the house, and is immediately reminded of a friend, an artist who used to visit them there; she thinks about him for a page or so. The reason she's thinking about him is that she's staring at something he loved, a vinegar bottle shaped like a bunch of grapes. The reason she's staring at the bottle is because it's in pieces. And the reason it's in pieces is because someone has broken in and trashed the palce, a fact we only discover when Sophie has snapped out of her reverie. At this point, I realized with some regret that not only could I never write a literary novel, but I couldn't even be a character in a literary novel. I can only imagine myself, or any character I created, saying, "Shit! Some bastard has trashed the ouse!" No ruminations about artist friends---just a lot of cursing, and maybe some empty threats of violence.
Even great books of literature, such as David Copperfield receives such treatment. Hornby is irreverent, clearly enjoys reading as well as pricking holes in pretentious authors, and extremely entertaining. Not even his hosts escape his sarcastic wit:
The Spree's idea of a good time was to book tickets for a literary event---a reading given by all the nominees for the National Book Critic's Circle Awards---and sit there for two and a half hours. Actually, that's not quite true: they didn't sit there. Such is their unquenchable passion for the written word that they were too excited to sit. They stood, and they wept, and they hugged each other, and occasionally they even danced---to the poetry recitals, and some of the more up-tempo biography nominees. In England we don't often dance at dances, let along readings, so I didn't know where to look. Needless to say, drink, drugs, food, and sex played no part in the festivities. But who needs any of that when you've got literature.
One of the things I try to do when I read a book is to provide an excerpt from it in the blog entry, as an attempt to capture the atmosphere of the book in a little snippet. I regret to say that Hornby does me one better. He reproduces a good page of the book as his snippet, and the selection is quite good, usually something he referenced in his review of the book.
If there's anything with The Polysyllabic Spree, it is that at no point did I want to get off my couch and order one of the books he's read, or even place a hold on it in the library. All I want to do is to find more Hornby and read him.
Highly recommended!
I know I'm wrong about this book, because everyone else in the world, including writers I love, thinks it's fantastic, but it Wasn't For Me. It's brilliantly written, I can see that much, and it made me think too. But mostly I thought about why I don't know anyone like the people Fox writes about. Why are all my friends so dim and unreflective? Where did I go wrong?
Toward the end of the book, Otto and Sophie, the central couple, go to stay in their holiday home. Sophie opens the door to the house, and is immediately reminded of a friend, an artist who used to visit them there; she thinks about him for a page or so. The reason she's thinking about him is that she's staring at something he loved, a vinegar bottle shaped like a bunch of grapes. The reason she's staring at the bottle is because it's in pieces. And the reason it's in pieces is because someone has broken in and trashed the palce, a fact we only discover when Sophie has snapped out of her reverie. At this point, I realized with some regret that not only could I never write a literary novel, but I couldn't even be a character in a literary novel. I can only imagine myself, or any character I created, saying, "Shit! Some bastard has trashed the ouse!" No ruminations about artist friends---just a lot of cursing, and maybe some empty threats of violence.
Even great books of literature, such as David Copperfield receives such treatment. Hornby is irreverent, clearly enjoys reading as well as pricking holes in pretentious authors, and extremely entertaining. Not even his hosts escape his sarcastic wit:
The Spree's idea of a good time was to book tickets for a literary event---a reading given by all the nominees for the National Book Critic's Circle Awards---and sit there for two and a half hours. Actually, that's not quite true: they didn't sit there. Such is their unquenchable passion for the written word that they were too excited to sit. They stood, and they wept, and they hugged each other, and occasionally they even danced---to the poetry recitals, and some of the more up-tempo biography nominees. In England we don't often dance at dances, let along readings, so I didn't know where to look. Needless to say, drink, drugs, food, and sex played no part in the festivities. But who needs any of that when you've got literature.
One of the things I try to do when I read a book is to provide an excerpt from it in the blog entry, as an attempt to capture the atmosphere of the book in a little snippet. I regret to say that Hornby does me one better. He reproduces a good page of the book as his snippet, and the selection is quite good, usually something he referenced in his review of the book.
If there's anything with The Polysyllabic Spree, it is that at no point did I want to get off my couch and order one of the books he's read, or even place a hold on it in the library. All I want to do is to find more Hornby and read him.
Highly recommended!
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Neil Gaiman Talk @Google
My second time attending an Authors@Google talk.
He was at Google to give a short signing/reading tour (more reading than signing, as he puts it) of his short story collection, Fragile Things. As with every Authors@Google, copies of his new book was given out and I got one of them.
The Talk was fabulous and I enjoyed it very much. He was every bit as funny, irreverant and entertaining as one would expect from an author/writer as diverse as he is. I still think his graphic novels represent the epitome of his career, and his books suffered the same symptoms that his longer story arcs in his comics did, but he's still quite the talespinner.
The reading was nice, though not quite as interesting as the rest of the talk. He gave a reading on a variation of how the Arabian Nights came to be, describing it as how authors/writers work: often on threat of death, or the semblance of it.
Some choice quotes from his talk today (all from memory...so forgive if I got some of it wrong)
In Reference to working with Hollywood:
He was at Google to give a short signing/reading tour (more reading than signing, as he puts it) of his short story collection, Fragile Things. As with every Authors@Google, copies of his new book was given out and I got one of them.
The Talk was fabulous and I enjoyed it very much. He was every bit as funny, irreverant and entertaining as one would expect from an author/writer as diverse as he is. I still think his graphic novels represent the epitome of his career, and his books suffered the same symptoms that his longer story arcs in his comics did, but he's still quite the talespinner.
The reading was nice, though not quite as interesting as the rest of the talk. He gave a reading on a variation of how the Arabian Nights came to be, describing it as how authors/writers work: often on threat of death, or the semblance of it.
Some choice quotes from his talk today (all from memory...so forgive if I got some of it wrong)
In Reference to working with Hollywood:
"You remember how in those stories with elves, and you work very hard for them, and they give you a bag of gold, but in the morning that bag of gold has turned into leaves and the leaves blow away with the wind? Well, Hollywood is like that too, except with a little twist. You work very hard for them, and they give you that bag of gold, but in the morning, your work turn into leaves and blows away and you're left with your bag of gold"In Reference to why Roger Avary is not directing the Beowulf Movie:
"Bob Zemeckis asked Roger if he could make a film based on our script, and Roger said "No, I'm going to direct this movie."All in all, a most excellent talk, and I even got my copy of Fragile Things signed.
"How about if we gave you this wheelbarrow full of cash?"
"No, I'm going to direct this movie."
"How about if we gave you two wheelbarrows full of cash?"
"oooh......no no...I want to direct this movie."
"How about if we gave you one wheelbarrow full of cash, another wheelbarrow full of cash for Neil, and a third wheelbarrow of cash for you to do whatever you want with it?"
"Sure! You can do the movie!"
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Pigeon Point 2006
This year's pigeon point run was a lot of fun. Thanks to Lisa's contacts, we managed to get 12 people from work to ride over there for an overnight trip. Most had never done any overnight cycling trips before, but Tanya even volunteered to run a SAG wagon for us, so those who didn't want to didn't have to carry any overnight gear.
Thanks to one of Lisa's friends, Teresa, we even managed to get the sunset spot for the hot tub prebooked before we arrived, and everyone got a chance to enjoy the beautiful hot tub. Despite 3 flat tires, and a few spills, I think it's safe to say that everyone had a good time.
Friday, September 29, 2006
Are human lives too short?
This idea came to me while we were having dinner during our Coast to Coast walk. Human beings live for too short a time. As a result, we are tempted to pass on many of our problems to the next generation, because we know we won't have to deal with them in our short lifespans. The budget deficit, global warming, environmental deterioration --- if your lifespan was measured in hundreds of years, you'd know that there's no escape from the greenhouse gasses you emit, and any "tax cut" you got right now would have to be paid back later with interest by tax increases. You'd have time to educate yourself on issues, and time to make mistakes.
Unfortunately, the practicality of radical life extension is much less than many optimists would assume.
Unfortunately, the practicality of radical life extension is much less than many optimists would assume.
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Review: Smallville Season Two
My big criticism of Season One was that it felt very much like the monster of the week. There was relatively little plot continuity, and while the show was mostly good, it would have gotten old really quickly had season two continued along the same vein.
Thankfully, it did not. We start to have a story arc, with Clark quickly finding more about his powers, and his relationship with the women of his life take on a more central role in the show. The writers give Clark's parents more of a role to play, and Mike Rosenberg who plays Lex Luthor steals every scene he is in. The special effects are fantastic, and the show's cinematography is so good that I have to remind myself that this is a TV series and not a very long movie.
My criticisms: the relationships between Clark Kent and the female characters aren't very realistic --- I find it hard to believe that even teenagers can be this dumb. Nevertheless, I understand that if a couple ever becomes happy on TV the ratings will drop, so TV series can never portray happily matched couples.
Overall, a well written show worth watching. I look forward to Season Three.
Thankfully, it did not. We start to have a story arc, with Clark quickly finding more about his powers, and his relationship with the women of his life take on a more central role in the show. The writers give Clark's parents more of a role to play, and Mike Rosenberg who plays Lex Luthor steals every scene he is in. The special effects are fantastic, and the show's cinematography is so good that I have to remind myself that this is a TV series and not a very long movie.
My criticisms: the relationships between Clark Kent and the female characters aren't very realistic --- I find it hard to believe that even teenagers can be this dumb. Nevertheless, I understand that if a couple ever becomes happy on TV the ratings will drop, so TV series can never portray happily matched couples.
Overall, a well written show worth watching. I look forward to Season Three.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
Wheelbuilding with the Park TS-2
I had a sinus infection (on my birthday, no less!), so no riding this weekend. But thanks to my brothers and Lisa, I got a Park Truing Stand TS-2 with the tilting base, so I could finish building a wheel I'd started ages ago. I'd been using a Minoura/Performance Truing stand, but what a world of difference. Despite having to relace the wheel, the tensioning and truing phase took less than 4 hours (interspersed while watching Smallville), and the result was excellent! There's no doubt in my mind that good tools are really worth while.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Guest Poster
My brother is now guest posting on this blog with movie reviews, etc, so if you see sudden changes in tone check the posted by line. Welcome aboard, Sy.
A Moment With You movie Review
I watched the Google screening of this yesterday. My initial reasons to watch this was that it had a really cool poster, paper airplanes essentially in primary colours, with the tag line, "a love story...as honest as it can be". Very simple, very attractive, at least to me, except for the tagline, but I can forgive that.
My thoughts of it after I watched it is that the website lies. On the website, it states,
This rule of no complicated schemes and gimmicks fail almost immediately 5 minutes into the film. How many of you have had an attractive girl knock on your door, let herself in, and demand that you pay attention to her? Or if you're a girl, reverse it with an attractive guy, I suppose. Although, if you're a girl and a guy knocks and demands to be let in, I hope you call the police no matter how cute he may seem.
Aside from that, the film plays out to be a rather sophmoric love story and does not explore anything new or unique. I suppose as a sophmore film attempt by the directors, it is passable, but they do not really succeed at making this a fresh and interesting take.
Other gripes was that one of the male leads clearly had no acting experience, and to have the directors exclaim he was perfect in the Q&A after the movie was sort of a shock.
Other cute tidbits, they made the film for under 2,000 dollars and filmed it all in San Diego. Having lived in San Diego for two years, it was a real kick to see the locations they used and that I recognized. The soundtrack was decent and was mostly friends and family contributing to it.
Some other unrealistic parts...neither of the male leads had computers or seemed to use them. One of them is an architect grad student.....you do the equating yourself =).
All in all, it was a funny movie if you allow yourself to go with a few of the unbelievable premises. Sometimes it is unintentionally funny, but hey, you take what you can get right?
Those looking for a good use of 100 minutes can probably find something better, but for a free screening, I'm not complaining *too* much.
My thoughts of it after I watched it is that the website lies. On the website, it states,
Often in Hollywood and typical romantic movies audiences are presented with a nice tale to fantasize about. But rarely can a film honestly represent love the way most of us know it as. Most people do not experience war torn, disease ridden, epic love stores. And by the same token, we do not live out fairytales involving complicated schemes and gimmicks to fall in love.
This rule of no complicated schemes and gimmicks fail almost immediately 5 minutes into the film. How many of you have had an attractive girl knock on your door, let herself in, and demand that you pay attention to her? Or if you're a girl, reverse it with an attractive guy, I suppose. Although, if you're a girl and a guy knocks and demands to be let in, I hope you call the police no matter how cute he may seem.
Aside from that, the film plays out to be a rather sophmoric love story and does not explore anything new or unique. I suppose as a sophmore film attempt by the directors, it is passable, but they do not really succeed at making this a fresh and interesting take.
Other gripes was that one of the male leads clearly had no acting experience, and to have the directors exclaim he was perfect in the Q&A after the movie was sort of a shock.
Other cute tidbits, they made the film for under 2,000 dollars and filmed it all in San Diego. Having lived in San Diego for two years, it was a real kick to see the locations they used and that I recognized. The soundtrack was decent and was mostly friends and family contributing to it.
Some other unrealistic parts...neither of the male leads had computers or seemed to use them. One of them is an architect grad student.....you do the equating yourself =).
All in all, it was a funny movie if you allow yourself to go with a few of the unbelievable premises. Sometimes it is unintentionally funny, but hey, you take what you can get right?
Those looking for a good use of 100 minutes can probably find something better, but for a free screening, I'm not complaining *too* much.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
S&S couplers revisited
In the year and a half since I wrote the article, S&S couplers considered harmful, I've really been vindicated. One of my co-workers even admitted as such on an internal mailing list the his S&S single bike (an otherwise beautiful Rivendell marred by the cancerous looking couplers) just was so much of a hassle to break apart and ship that he found himself using my cardboard box method of shipping.
Another couple I heard from recently also switched away from S&S couplers back to an uncoupled bike --- the hassle and time taken to take apart a bike was simply not worth the extra costs to them. There have also been recent reports of airlines now charging to ship a bike, whether it's been uncoupled and packed into separate cases or not, which really eliminates any cost advantage they might have had.
I can't say that the public opinion has completely come around to my point of view, but the trickle of real world experience reports are definitely a far cry from the S&S hype and marketing machine that greeted my first expressed opinions of the couplers with both derision and scorn. Let me say it here once and for all, except for a select few, S&S couplers are a solution in search of a problem.
Another couple I heard from recently also switched away from S&S couplers back to an uncoupled bike --- the hassle and time taken to take apart a bike was simply not worth the extra costs to them. There have also been recent reports of airlines now charging to ship a bike, whether it's been uncoupled and packed into separate cases or not, which really eliminates any cost advantage they might have had.
I can't say that the public opinion has completely come around to my point of view, but the trickle of real world experience reports are definitely a far cry from the S&S hype and marketing machine that greeted my first expressed opinions of the couplers with both derision and scorn. Let me say it here once and for all, except for a select few, S&S couplers are a solution in search of a problem.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Time to plug the gtags internship again
Those of you who've read my blog before will note that I was looking for an intern for gtags a while ago. Well, my blog doesn't get read by many people, so I got one applicant (who did not get hired) out of it.
I did, however, end up getting 2 interns through other sources. Both interns now have job offers from Google at the end of their internship with me. I can't guarantee that a gtags internship is an easy way to get an offer from Google (since both my interns were brilliant, motivated and worked very hard), but you can't argue with the track record of 100% success.
So if you're interested in an internship on gtags, go ahead and submit your application, and in particular note on your application that you want to be considered for a gtags internship. (The internship will be in Mountain View, so make sure you flag that) Leave a comment here as well so I can make sure I look for your resume. I can't say that you'll get an interview just because you applied, but you definitely won't get an interview if you don't.
I did, however, end up getting 2 interns through other sources. Both interns now have job offers from Google at the end of their internship with me. I can't guarantee that a gtags internship is an easy way to get an offer from Google (since both my interns were brilliant, motivated and worked very hard), but you can't argue with the track record of 100% success.
So if you're interested in an internship on gtags, go ahead and submit your application, and in particular note on your application that you want to be considered for a gtags internship. (The internship will be in Mountain View, so make sure you flag that) Leave a comment here as well so I can make sure I look for your resume. I can't say that you'll get an interview just because you applied, but you definitely won't get an interview if you don't.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Review: Smallville Season One
One of the best things about the TV format for a series is that you can really take your time to explore the subject. In this particular case, it's the development of Clark Kent into our favorite Superman.
What I really enjoy about this series is that the writers really make use of the audience's meta-knowledge, while perverting other expectations. For instance, the series introduces Lex Luthor not as the arch-nemesis of Clark Kent, but as his best friend. In one of the episodes, they talk about their friendship, and Clark wonders if they'll ever have a falling out. Luthor says, "Clark, our friendship will be the stuff of legends." In a few other places, the girls in the show tell Clark that "red looks good on you." References to "putting on a uniform and saving the world" abound.
The setup is really well done, as we Clark starts the series with limited powers. Superspeed, strength, but no X-ray vision or Heat-vision or Superbreath. He can't fly, so the show's writers can challenge him with more than just kryptonite. Being the place where Clark landed in his space-ship, Smallville is full of meteorites, so the fact that it's common is quite believable. We get to watch Clark develop his powers and his reactions to them. I really enjoy the depiction of X-ray vision, by the way.
There's a romantic triangle setup between Clark, Lana, and Chloe. Chloe is the spunky female reporter that the viewers clearly are supposed to root for (though despite her perceptive nature, she doesn't realize how special Clark really is) --- she gets into trouble, but rather than wait passively for someone to rescue her, she always takes the proactive approach. Lana, on the other hand, is always the damsel in distress, but of course, she's the one that Clark has his eye on (and as long time fans of Superman we all know that Lana eventually finds out Clark's secret identity, even though we don't know how). The triangle doesn't quite dominate the show, which is nice --- it's good to show Clark having concerns other than his romantic life.
The special effects are really great. I'm very impressed that this is a TV show at all. There's none of the cheesy stuff that's part of early Buffy (my benchmark for good TV shows), and a lot of breath-takingly good scenes.
I do have a number of nits to pick about the show: as with all high school shows, it seems like everyone in high school is really pretty or otherwise good looking. Would it really hurt to have a few plain looking extras? Sure, it's Smallville, and everything's supposed to be larger than life, but too many shows are just overdoing it. Too many times, the show feels a lot like the wierd event of the week that characterizes the first season of Buffy. Given that Smallville happened much later than Buffy, there's no excuse. I hope later seasons improve on this.
The season does end with an obligatory cliff-hanger. All in all, though, a faithful interpretation of the Superman mythos that earns its stripes in spectacular fashion. Highly recommended.
What I really enjoy about this series is that the writers really make use of the audience's meta-knowledge, while perverting other expectations. For instance, the series introduces Lex Luthor not as the arch-nemesis of Clark Kent, but as his best friend. In one of the episodes, they talk about their friendship, and Clark wonders if they'll ever have a falling out. Luthor says, "Clark, our friendship will be the stuff of legends." In a few other places, the girls in the show tell Clark that "red looks good on you." References to "putting on a uniform and saving the world" abound.
The setup is really well done, as we Clark starts the series with limited powers. Superspeed, strength, but no X-ray vision or Heat-vision or Superbreath. He can't fly, so the show's writers can challenge him with more than just kryptonite. Being the place where Clark landed in his space-ship, Smallville is full of meteorites, so the fact that it's common is quite believable. We get to watch Clark develop his powers and his reactions to them. I really enjoy the depiction of X-ray vision, by the way.
There's a romantic triangle setup between Clark, Lana, and Chloe. Chloe is the spunky female reporter that the viewers clearly are supposed to root for (though despite her perceptive nature, she doesn't realize how special Clark really is) --- she gets into trouble, but rather than wait passively for someone to rescue her, she always takes the proactive approach. Lana, on the other hand, is always the damsel in distress, but of course, she's the one that Clark has his eye on (and as long time fans of Superman we all know that Lana eventually finds out Clark's secret identity, even though we don't know how). The triangle doesn't quite dominate the show, which is nice --- it's good to show Clark having concerns other than his romantic life.
The special effects are really great. I'm very impressed that this is a TV show at all. There's none of the cheesy stuff that's part of early Buffy (my benchmark for good TV shows), and a lot of breath-takingly good scenes.
I do have a number of nits to pick about the show: as with all high school shows, it seems like everyone in high school is really pretty or otherwise good looking. Would it really hurt to have a few plain looking extras? Sure, it's Smallville, and everything's supposed to be larger than life, but too many shows are just overdoing it. Too many times, the show feels a lot like the wierd event of the week that characterizes the first season of Buffy. Given that Smallville happened much later than Buffy, there's no excuse. I hope later seasons improve on this.
The season does end with an obligatory cliff-hanger. All in all, though, a faithful interpretation of the Superman mythos that earns its stripes in spectacular fashion. Highly recommended.
My 15 Minutes of Fame
Piaw Na, another engineer, stopped by to browse. He bikes to work from his home in Sunnyvale and can never make it to the library before it closes. When the library started visiting campus, he said, ``I got everyone in my office to sign up.''
Yep, I got everyone in my office (all 4 of us) to sign up for the mobile library. Clearly, my 15 minutes of fame is going to forever link me with nerdiness. I can't complain. I knew that was going to happen when the journalist cornered me when I stepped out of the library.
Yep, I got everyone in my office (all 4 of us) to sign up for the mobile library. Clearly, my 15 minutes of fame is going to forever link me with nerdiness. I can't complain. I knew that was going to happen when the journalist cornered me when I stepped out of the library.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
At the foot of the cables at Half-Dome
A far cry from last year's image. The difference? This year's image was taken at 6:30am on a Sunday.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
The Economist does an about face
The Economist used to be a climate skeptic, gleefully publishing article after article claiming that of all the good things you can do with money, everything else (disease, famine, healthcare, AIDs, etc) was much more important than climate change. This obviously lopsided stance (along with its ridiculously indefensible support of George Bush) prompted me to stop renewing my subscription.
In the latest issue, it appears as though this magazine has done an about face. Suddenly, the climate crisis is worthy of attention and the evidence supporting it is now worth publishing in its august pages. It might very well be too late.
I'm hoping that this turnabout signals the gradual realization amongst the wealthy class that if the planet becomes uninhabitable for human beings, it's not going to matter how many billions of dollars you have --- you'll be just as dead. But I'm not holding my breath.
In the latest issue, it appears as though this magazine has done an about face. Suddenly, the climate crisis is worthy of attention and the evidence supporting it is now worth publishing in its august pages. It might very well be too late.
I'm hoping that this turnabout signals the gradual realization amongst the wealthy class that if the planet becomes uninhabitable for human beings, it's not going to matter how many billions of dollars you have --- you'll be just as dead. But I'm not holding my breath.
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Product Endorsement: Tax Resources, Inc Audit Protection
I've been paying the $35 a year fee for TaxResource's audit protection service every year in recent years as part of my turbotax filing. The product is essentially an insurance scheme. The $35 a year buys you representation in case the IRS audits you for any reason --- they'll represent you, deal with the paperwork, meet with the IRS agents, etc. I always wondered whether this is money being poured down the drain or whether these guys would actually pull through for me.
A great opportunity to find out happened this year --- I received a notification that I was in arrears for a money market fund I bought and sold in 2004. I had made no money from the fund other than the tax-exempt interest, so I'd assumed that I did not need to file for it. Naturally, I was wrong. I received an IRS notification in June, and called TaxResources.
I sent them supporting documentation, a power of attorney form, and they took care of everything. Not only that, every time I called them, my representative always had my file at her fingertips, and always knew what was going on. Every time they spoke with the IRS, they'd call me and tell me what was going on. When the matter was finally resolved (in August, and yes, in my favor), they called me before I even had a chance to check my mail! All through the process, the folks I worked with exhibited confidence, competence, and provided customer service that I didn't expect.
So from now on, I'm happy to pay their $35 fee. It's money well spent. Given how complicated my taxes have become, the nominal fee paid for the insurance provides good peace of mind.
A great opportunity to find out happened this year --- I received a notification that I was in arrears for a money market fund I bought and sold in 2004. I had made no money from the fund other than the tax-exempt interest, so I'd assumed that I did not need to file for it. Naturally, I was wrong. I received an IRS notification in June, and called TaxResources.
I sent them supporting documentation, a power of attorney form, and they took care of everything. Not only that, every time I called them, my representative always had my file at her fingertips, and always knew what was going on. Every time they spoke with the IRS, they'd call me and tell me what was going on. When the matter was finally resolved (in August, and yes, in my favor), they called me before I even had a chance to check my mail! All through the process, the folks I worked with exhibited confidence, competence, and provided customer service that I didn't expect.
So from now on, I'm happy to pay their $35 fee. It's money well spent. Given how complicated my taxes have become, the nominal fee paid for the insurance provides good peace of mind.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Ongoing Mac Mini Review Part IV
It seems to me that perhaps my past notes on the Mac has been quite negative, so on a positive note, here's what I found good about the Mac Mini I bought in April. First of all, the second Mac Mini has so far been working out quite a bit better than the first. It's very quiet (so much so that my external hard drive is by far the noisiest part of my desk), nicely fast, and the UI has been growing on me. The downside is incompatibility: the Logitech USB cam I got isn't quite fully compatible with it (though it works well as a microphone, so I can finally do voice chat on it reasonably well), and of course, I still have to boot into windows to run Quicken or play any kind of decent games, or run Picasa, which is still my favorite photo management software. Until Photoshop has a Universal binary next spring, I'll also boot into windows to run Photoshop 6 (which surprisingly enough isn't really snappy on my fancy new Mac).
I did replace my Panasonic KXP-7100 with a used Brother HL-1270N I bought from someone else at work, so now I can print over the network from both the Mac Mini and Lisa's laptop, as well as the Mac Mini running windows. I do miss automatic duplex, but it doesn't seem like anyone else manufactures good duplex printers at this price point, so I'm stuck.
By far the best thing about the Mac Mini, however, was something I didn't discover until today: the Mac Mini is by far the best machine you can buy for a LAN party. All I do is unplug the Mac Mini and the External Hard Drive (which you can omit if you install all your games on the Mac Mini's hard drive), bring along a USB keyboard and mouse, and I was over at my brother's place where we could play Icewind Dale side by side. (He had a dual-screen setup, so he just sacrificed one of his screens) It was a lot of fun watching my Mini boot up with a 1900x1200 screen, and we had fun. I wouldn't have even considered doing this with my old Tower PC (and forget doing this with a Mac Pro!). Now, the graphics card in the Mini isn't anything to scream at, so you probably wouldn't be running Quake 3 or anything that requires amazingly high frame-rates, but for RPGs and RTSes, the Mac Mini would be what I'd be willing to tote around. You just can't beat the convenience! Now ask me again after I've done this a few times to see if the Mini dies after being toted around a few more times!
I did replace my Panasonic KXP-7100 with a used Brother HL-1270N I bought from someone else at work, so now I can print over the network from both the Mac Mini and Lisa's laptop, as well as the Mac Mini running windows. I do miss automatic duplex, but it doesn't seem like anyone else manufactures good duplex printers at this price point, so I'm stuck.
By far the best thing about the Mac Mini, however, was something I didn't discover until today: the Mac Mini is by far the best machine you can buy for a LAN party. All I do is unplug the Mac Mini and the External Hard Drive (which you can omit if you install all your games on the Mac Mini's hard drive), bring along a USB keyboard and mouse, and I was over at my brother's place where we could play Icewind Dale side by side. (He had a dual-screen setup, so he just sacrificed one of his screens) It was a lot of fun watching my Mini boot up with a 1900x1200 screen, and we had fun. I wouldn't have even considered doing this with my old Tower PC (and forget doing this with a Mac Pro!). Now, the graphics card in the Mini isn't anything to scream at, so you probably wouldn't be running Quake 3 or anything that requires amazingly high frame-rates, but for RPGs and RTSes, the Mac Mini would be what I'd be willing to tote around. You just can't beat the convenience! Now ask me again after I've done this a few times to see if the Mini dies after being toted around a few more times!
Tanya & Lisa at Overlook & Canon
Only 22 miles, but it was a fun ride! (No we didn't climb Overlook... sort of ran out of time)
Monday, August 28, 2006
View of Montebello Road from last Wednesday Morning's Ride
This was taken from the Motorola Razr camera phone I had with me. The picture quality sucked, but I think it captured the mood very well.
The wedding took place at the Greens Restaurant
in San Francisco, which is located right next to the Long Now foundation, which is very much worth a visit if you're there. Christine & Tom gave little lego boxes as party favors, and the many geeky guests sneakily put together their toys during the speeches, making it the most fun wedding I've ever been to. Lisa had a great time too, since all the food was Vegan, so for the first time in a while, she ate everything served at the wedding dinner. Thanks, Christine!
Sunday, August 27, 2006
Video Review: Root of All Evil
This video comes in 2 parts. Part I introduces religious faith, interviews several people, and discusses how faith is the antithesis of reason, and dangerous in civilized society. Part II interviews more people, and provides a compelling view of how Christian fundamentalism is just as dangerous a threat to civilized humanity as Islamic fundamentalism --- they are both sides of the same coin.
I remember when growing up getting to read a lot of Margaret Knight, the moralist, humanist, and advocate of morals without religion. Richard Dawkins comes across much the same way --- I don't think he'll change many minds with this documentary (religion is very much a virus that way --- once you've caught it, it's very difficult for the typical human being to shake of the world view), but it is still very much worth watching --- his interview of a Christian supporter of the man who murdered many abortion doctors is chilling and scary. His interview of religious moderates is also poignant, intelligent, sympathetic, yet ultimately supportive of his answer.
As religious fundamentalism plays a deeper part of American life, I suspect atheists and non-Christians will have to pay more and more careful attention to the signs of a religious revival around them. If fundamentalism becomes too widespread, atheists, evolutionists, and scientists may very well play for American society the role that Jews played in Germany from 1928 to 1945 --- watching out for signs of that and taking action quickly enough may become an important survival trait.
I remember when growing up getting to read a lot of Margaret Knight, the moralist, humanist, and advocate of morals without religion. Richard Dawkins comes across much the same way --- I don't think he'll change many minds with this documentary (religion is very much a virus that way --- once you've caught it, it's very difficult for the typical human being to shake of the world view), but it is still very much worth watching --- his interview of a Christian supporter of the man who murdered many abortion doctors is chilling and scary. His interview of religious moderates is also poignant, intelligent, sympathetic, yet ultimately supportive of his answer.
As religious fundamentalism plays a deeper part of American life, I suspect atheists and non-Christians will have to pay more and more careful attention to the signs of a religious revival around them. If fundamentalism becomes too widespread, atheists, evolutionists, and scientists may very well play for American society the role that Jews played in Germany from 1928 to 1945 --- watching out for signs of that and taking action quickly enough may become an important survival trait.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Sylvia Nasar & David Gruber discuss the unravelling of the Poincare Conjecture
This is a great article. For one thing, it tears away at the veil behind Mathematics and the orderly proofs of great conjectures, and gets at the meaty politics of credit-taking and glory-seeking culture of academics in their search for recognition amongst their peers. The irony of Perelman rejecting all the honors that the field of Mathematics tries to bestow upon him constrasts sharply with the glory-seeking national-pride academics who try to claim credit for his ideas and his proofs. If anyone has any illusions that the pursuit of Pure Mathematics is one of idealism without pretension, this article should dispel them. It's delightful, enjoyable, in depth, and enlightening.
Highly recommended!
Highly recommended!
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Review: Accelerando
In this novel [e-book-link], Charles Stross explores the consequences of a Vingian Singularity --- how would one come about, and how could anything resembling human beings survive or thrive in such an environment?
There are a few answers in this book that are worthy of interest, one is the integration of law with computer software and the GPL, an interesting idea (which is not that far-fetched in that many have observed similarities between legal affairs and computer programming). The other is the exploration of a post augmented-intelligence society, and finally a glimpse of what happens when the entire non-fusion components of the solar systems have become themselves intelligent. The result does not seem to bode well for humanity, though Stross does have an excellent explanation for why there aren't signs of intelligent life on the planet.
The novel is written in an extremely jargon oriented fashion, with words like open-source, self-replicating, and neural networks tossed around with any explanation. Geeks and computer science majors will love this book. Others will probably find it a mystery:
The divested Microsoft divisions have automated their legal processes and are spawning subsidiaries, IPOing them, and exchanging title in a bizarre parody of bacterial plasmid exchange, so fast that by the time the windfall tax demands are served, the targets don't exist anymore, even though the same staff are working on the same software in the same Mumbai cubicle farms. Welcome to the twenty-first century.
All in all, a book worth reading for its ideas, if not for its breathless, unrelenting pace.
There are a few answers in this book that are worthy of interest, one is the integration of law with computer software and the GPL, an interesting idea (which is not that far-fetched in that many have observed similarities between legal affairs and computer programming). The other is the exploration of a post augmented-intelligence society, and finally a glimpse of what happens when the entire non-fusion components of the solar systems have become themselves intelligent. The result does not seem to bode well for humanity, though Stross does have an excellent explanation for why there aren't signs of intelligent life on the planet.
The novel is written in an extremely jargon oriented fashion, with words like open-source, self-replicating, and neural networks tossed around with any explanation. Geeks and computer science majors will love this book. Others will probably find it a mystery:
The divested Microsoft divisions have automated their legal processes and are spawning subsidiaries, IPOing them, and exchanging title in a bizarre parody of bacterial plasmid exchange, so fast that by the time the windfall tax demands are served, the targets don't exist anymore, even though the same staff are working on the same software in the same Mumbai cubicle farms. Welcome to the twenty-first century.
All in all, a book worth reading for its ideas, if not for its breathless, unrelenting pace.
Friday, August 18, 2006
Exit Clov at Google
I will admit that I dislike most of the bands brought in to Google to perform at the Social TGIF --- they are usually over-amplified and under-talented. So I walked over today to the fabulous kitchen to grab some food and run back to my desk to eat and code. But I got caught up by the sound on the way back and had to simply stop and listen to Talkin Radio, a song that really stopped me in my tracks.
I listened to a few more songs after that, and after I heard Dead by Association, I bought their CD, Starfish. Listening to it now, it sounds a little under-produced, but the songs are still excellent and very enjoyable and listenable.
Recommended, even though my brother thinks they're Teeny-Bopper J-Pop in English (which by itself would make them unique).
I listened to a few more songs after that, and after I heard Dead by Association, I bought their CD, Starfish. Listening to it now, it sounds a little under-produced, but the songs are still excellent and very enjoyable and listenable.
Recommended, even though my brother thinks they're Teeny-Bopper J-Pop in English (which by itself would make them unique).
Sunday, August 13, 2006
Review: Tomorrow Happens
This is a rare book that was available at the Mountain View Library, and was very much worth reading. David Brin is one of the most thoughtful and interesting science fiction writers today, and he explores topics ranging from pollution, politics, and privacy in both fiction and non-fiction. If you're a careful reader of his blog or his web-site you won't find much here to surprise you, but having it together on paper with a linear thematic presentation did serve to glue all the thoughts together.
Highly recommended, if you can find a copy at a local library (it isn't worth the $127 that Amazon.com wants).
Highly recommended, if you can find a copy at a local library (it isn't worth the $127 that Amazon.com wants).
Sunday, August 06, 2006
Review: Neverwhere DVD
Before Neverwhere was a book, it was a TV series. I enjoyed the book enough to become curious about the TV series, so when I saw it in the Mountain View Library catalog, I checked it out. The TV series, unfortunately, is a disappointment. The acting isn't very good, the editing is crude, and the sets quite crude, and the scenarios quite contrived. At only half an hour an episode, there's not a lot of exposition that can happen, nor is there significant character development --- the hero, Richard Mayhew seems perpetually confused, no matter what happens. The ending leaves an opening for an ongoing TV series, but clearly the public had had enough of the TV series. If you enjoyed the book, avert your eyes from the TV series.
Friday, August 04, 2006
Review: Wonder Woman: Second Genesis
John Byrne was responsible for the most recent reboot of Superman in the comics. The reboot was quite well done by comic book standards, making Lex Luthor not just a mad scientist, but a shrewd businessman as well, making him truly an adversary worthy of Superman. George Perez rebooted Wonder Woman, but those who know his work mostly know him as a great artist, not necessarily a good writer.
Unfortunately, Byrne doesn't live up to his reputation in taking over the reins at Wonder Woman. The plots are simplistic, with big building destroying fights every issue, but no true revelation of what makes Wonder Woman tick. Indeed, other than a vague mission to bring peace to the world of men, there's nothing to distinguish Wonder Woman from any other hero. Perhaps some day, we'll get someone as talented as Alan Moore or Neil Gaiman to work on the Wonder Woman mythos.
Wait a minute... With Joss Whedon signed up to do Wonder Woman, we're very likely to get something good! If anyone can do female superheroes right, it would be Joss Whedon.
Correction: Tom Galloway notes that it was Marv Wolfman who came up with the idea to make Luthor a businessman, not Byrne.
Unfortunately, Byrne doesn't live up to his reputation in taking over the reins at Wonder Woman. The plots are simplistic, with big building destroying fights every issue, but no true revelation of what makes Wonder Woman tick. Indeed, other than a vague mission to bring peace to the world of men, there's nothing to distinguish Wonder Woman from any other hero. Perhaps some day, we'll get someone as talented as Alan Moore or Neil Gaiman to work on the Wonder Woman mythos.
Wait a minute... With Joss Whedon signed up to do Wonder Woman, we're very likely to get something good! If anyone can do female superheroes right, it would be Joss Whedon.
Correction: Tom Galloway notes that it was Marv Wolfman who came up with the idea to make Luthor a businessman, not Byrne.
Book Review: Anansi Boys
I've always enjoyed many of Gaiman's short stories, such as the ones collected in Smoke and Mirrors. His longer works, however, such as American Gods, left me cold. So it was a very pleasant surprise when Gaiman visited Google and read from the Anansi Boys that I found myself enjoying the reading. I wasn't in a hurry to read the book, though, since I had plenty of other books on my reading list, so I didn't get to it for a year or so.
The novel is about Fat Charlie Nancy, who was always embarrassed by his father growing up, since his father's idea of a prank on his kid was to tell the kid lies that made him do embarrassing things. When Fat Charlie's father dies, Charlie finds out from his neighbors that his father was a God of Spiders, and that he had a brother. One night, Charlie talks to a garden spider and asks him to pass a message to his brother.
Charlie's brother, Spider, who has inherited all of his father's godly powers, obligingly shows up and quickly proceeds to destroy Charlie's life in the way that only a Trickster's God can. What follows is a comedy that leads Charlie from one ridiculous situation to another, as he loses his job, his fiance, and eventually regains what should have been his birthright to begin with.
This is a light-hearted, entertaining read that was very much worth my time. Recommended.
The novel is about Fat Charlie Nancy, who was always embarrassed by his father growing up, since his father's idea of a prank on his kid was to tell the kid lies that made him do embarrassing things. When Fat Charlie's father dies, Charlie finds out from his neighbors that his father was a God of Spiders, and that he had a brother. One night, Charlie talks to a garden spider and asks him to pass a message to his brother.
Charlie's brother, Spider, who has inherited all of his father's godly powers, obligingly shows up and quickly proceeds to destroy Charlie's life in the way that only a Trickster's God can. What follows is a comedy that leads Charlie from one ridiculous situation to another, as he loses his job, his fiance, and eventually regains what should have been his birthright to begin with.
This is a light-hearted, entertaining read that was very much worth my time. Recommended.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Noam Schreiber on The Pro Growth Progressive
I reviewed the Pro Growth Progressive last year, and it looks like Noam Schreiber shares many of the same frustrations I have --- the Democratic party's job right now isn't to device more policies that allow Republicans to claim that there's no difference between the parties (and I'm beginning to think that any policy more subtle than "tax cuts for the rich" is too subtle), but to find ways to win the next election. Anything that requires compromising with Republicans is giving them too much credit --- as far as I can tell, the Republicans aren't into government to serve the people, but to rob as much as possible from the middle class (and social security) to give to the rich. (The only reason they're not robbing the poor is that there isn't any money there left to rob)
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
WSJ.com - Web Start-Ups Lure Executives At eBay, Yahoo
WSJ.com - Web Start-Ups Lure Executives At eBay, Yahoo: A midlevel software engineer who manages engineers and reports to the vice president of engineering makes a median base salary of $145,100 at a private company, compared with $153,200 at a public company, according to Radford.
This new wave of startups is definitely going to burn through cash much faster than the older wave of startups back in the mid-90s. Part of it is inflation --- it's much more expensive to live in Silicon Valley now than it used to be. The other half is that Silicon Valley engineers have become much less enamored of stock options than they were in the late 1990s, so you can't just give someone stock and ask them to take a 30% paycut anymore.
This new wave of startups is definitely going to burn through cash much faster than the older wave of startups back in the mid-90s. Part of it is inflation --- it's much more expensive to live in Silicon Valley now than it used to be. The other half is that Silicon Valley engineers have become much less enamored of stock options than they were in the late 1990s, so you can't just give someone stock and ask them to take a 30% paycut anymore.
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Movie Review: Big Fish
This is a movie about two men. One, the father, loves stories, the more elaborate the better. The taller the better. No truth should go unvarnished, and no situation too magical to be told. He's the hero of all his stories, of course, and he's a fabulous guy. The other, the son, has heard all of his father's stories. But all these years later he feels like his father has told him nothing about the truth, so he doesn't know his father. He stops talking to his father until his father is on his deathbed, sick with cancer.
This is a story about stories. What do they mean to us? Why do we, as human beings, insist on fiction, which is really one big lie, piled on top of another? What does it say about our self-image? Do storytellers really reach for immortality --- does the story, told and retold pass down the essence of the story? Do we embellish our stories about ourselves? Why do we do so? Is our reality truly so drab that we have to spice up our stories with embellishments?
I love Tim Burton's style in this movie. It reminds me very much of his fable, Edwards Scissorhands. The fantastic parts of the stories are illustrated in lush bright colors, in a beautiful palette that reminds us that we're in a larger than life world. The framing story is filmed in a semi-documentary fashion. The actors are fantastic, and the editing well-done. My only beef with his work is that I think he left the running time a bit longer than necessary to make his point, and I would have ended the movie with the son picking up the phone --- the funeral wasn't really necessary.
All in all, this is a good movie worth watching. Highly recommended.
This is a story about stories. What do they mean to us? Why do we, as human beings, insist on fiction, which is really one big lie, piled on top of another? What does it say about our self-image? Do storytellers really reach for immortality --- does the story, told and retold pass down the essence of the story? Do we embellish our stories about ourselves? Why do we do so? Is our reality truly so drab that we have to spice up our stories with embellishments?
I love Tim Burton's style in this movie. It reminds me very much of his fable, Edwards Scissorhands. The fantastic parts of the stories are illustrated in lush bright colors, in a beautiful palette that reminds us that we're in a larger than life world. The framing story is filmed in a semi-documentary fashion. The actors are fantastic, and the editing well-done. My only beef with his work is that I think he left the running time a bit longer than necessary to make his point, and I would have ended the movie with the son picking up the phone --- the funeral wasn't really necessary.
All in all, this is a good movie worth watching. Highly recommended.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Review: The Two Income Trap
Note: The first chapter of The Two Income Trap is available online.
The thesis of this book is that the increasing number of bankruptcy in America isn't due to excessive consumption, but because of excessive spending on important things: houses in good school districts, health insurance, college, and pre-school. The authors assert that for women, having a child at all is a bigger predictor of eventual bankruptcy than all other factors combined.
They point out (quite rightly), that middle income households have stretched themselves to the limit by bidding excessive amounts for houses, thereby ensuring financial disaster if one of them lose their job, for instance, or one of their family has a medical emergency. 87% of bankruptcies have their root causes in either:
Their studies show that the big consumer is that of a house. By buying a big house in the suburbs rather than renting, American households participate in a bidding war for the best schools for their children in a safe location. The result is that it takes most of both incomes to provide for the family, and if a financial disaster happens there is no safety net.
Warren & Tyagi then prescribe a bunch of policy decisions: re-regulating the financial industry so that interest rates are capped, forcing banks and financial institutions to return to the 1950s standards for lending money seems to be their favorite prescription. Given how powerful the financial lobby is, I doubt that this policy will make it very far. The new bankruptcy bill passed last year, for instance, was practically written by the credit card companies.
They give no credence to the concept of universal healthcare, something I find a big pity --- 30% of bankruptcies are caused by medical emergencies. They also tepidly promote universal disability insurance as part of social security. (Note that California has already implemented this --- I've used this feature personally, so I know how useful it is) They also promote school vouchers as a means to de-couple schools from property values so parents aren't trapped by a big mortgage if they want good schools. I'm very skeptical of this proposal, since my guess is that the good schools will have their fees bid up to the same level as that of housing, so it'll all balance out.
Around where I live, there's quite a number of folks who buy houses in good school districts and then send their kids to private school, something I don't quite understand, but Asian parents do have a tendency to want to brag about how much they spend on their kids and can be extremely competitive in this regard.
Warren & Tyagi don't do much in terms of telling you what to do personally about this trap. They do advocate renting for a few additional years if you can't afford to buy right away, which is very sound advice, and to carry disability insurance if your state or your company does not provide, which is very sound advice. (Note that disability insurance is very expensive, precisely because you're more likely to need it than almost any other kind --- one in 3 Americans, for instance, will use the disability insurance feature of social security in their lifetimes --- and the elimination period for that insurance is a year!) Other than that, I guess they tell you not to get divorced.
In any case, The Two Income Trap confirms what I've guessed for awhile: buying a house isn't an investment decision in many parts of the country, it's a consumption decision. Recommended.
The thesis of this book is that the increasing number of bankruptcy in America isn't due to excessive consumption, but because of excessive spending on important things: houses in good school districts, health insurance, college, and pre-school. The authors assert that for women, having a child at all is a bigger predictor of eventual bankruptcy than all other factors combined.
They point out (quite rightly), that middle income households have stretched themselves to the limit by bidding excessive amounts for houses, thereby ensuring financial disaster if one of them lose their job, for instance, or one of their family has a medical emergency. 87% of bankruptcies have their root causes in either:
- Job Loss
- Medical problems
- Divorce or Separation
Their studies show that the big consumer is that of a house. By buying a big house in the suburbs rather than renting, American households participate in a bidding war for the best schools for their children in a safe location. The result is that it takes most of both incomes to provide for the family, and if a financial disaster happens there is no safety net.
Warren & Tyagi then prescribe a bunch of policy decisions: re-regulating the financial industry so that interest rates are capped, forcing banks and financial institutions to return to the 1950s standards for lending money seems to be their favorite prescription. Given how powerful the financial lobby is, I doubt that this policy will make it very far. The new bankruptcy bill passed last year, for instance, was practically written by the credit card companies.
They give no credence to the concept of universal healthcare, something I find a big pity --- 30% of bankruptcies are caused by medical emergencies. They also tepidly promote universal disability insurance as part of social security. (Note that California has already implemented this --- I've used this feature personally, so I know how useful it is) They also promote school vouchers as a means to de-couple schools from property values so parents aren't trapped by a big mortgage if they want good schools. I'm very skeptical of this proposal, since my guess is that the good schools will have their fees bid up to the same level as that of housing, so it'll all balance out.
Around where I live, there's quite a number of folks who buy houses in good school districts and then send their kids to private school, something I don't quite understand, but Asian parents do have a tendency to want to brag about how much they spend on their kids and can be extremely competitive in this regard.
Warren & Tyagi don't do much in terms of telling you what to do personally about this trap. They do advocate renting for a few additional years if you can't afford to buy right away, which is very sound advice, and to carry disability insurance if your state or your company does not provide, which is very sound advice. (Note that disability insurance is very expensive, precisely because you're more likely to need it than almost any other kind --- one in 3 Americans, for instance, will use the disability insurance feature of social security in their lifetimes --- and the elimination period for that insurance is a year!) Other than that, I guess they tell you not to get divorced.
In any case, The Two Income Trap confirms what I've guessed for awhile: buying a house isn't an investment decision in many parts of the country, it's a consumption decision. Recommended.
Review: A Long Way Down
Nick Hornby's last book, How to Be Good was absolutely hilarious, as was his earlier work, High Fidelity. A long way down starts at the top of Toppers House on New Year's Eve, with a quartet of people who intend to end their life by jumping down: a musician who has lost his purpose, a TV show host whose scandalous past overwhelms his present, a mother for whom her comatose son is too much of a burden for her to bear, and a teenager who's just lost her first lover.
This chance encounter causes them to back off from taking the ultimate leap that night, and the foursome agrees to meet over the next few months and find that they were not ready to commit suicide after all.
While there are a number of funny scenes in the book, Hornby does not quite manage to pull off a successful novel here --- the stories do not quite resolves, and the characters never do reach out to one another in a believable fashion. While this is an entertaining read, it is not one of his best.
This chance encounter causes them to back off from taking the ultimate leap that night, and the foursome agrees to meet over the next few months and find that they were not ready to commit suicide after all.
While there are a number of funny scenes in the book, Hornby does not quite manage to pull off a successful novel here --- the stories do not quite resolves, and the characters never do reach out to one another in a believable fashion. While this is an entertaining read, it is not one of his best.
Friday, July 28, 2006
The Landis Case: Waiting for the B sample; Pereiro reluctantly poised to take jersey; Landis takes pass on Leno
The Landis Case: Waiting for the B sample; Pereiro reluctantly poised to take jersey; Landis takes pass on Leno
It's quite possible that Landis did take testosterone to boost his performance on stage 17. Professional cycling has had so many drug scandals in recent years that nothing can disappoint me anymore.
I have to say though, that perhaps it's simply because medical science hasn't done as much for boosting brain performance as it has on performance of the body that drugs aren't a common part of the workplace. Imagine, if you will, a drug that gave you a mental boost equivalent to that of anabolic steriods. One dose, and you could do 200 hour programming projects in 2 hours (Pengtoh and I once turned a 200 hour project into a 20 hour project by doing pair programming, so another order of magnitude isn't inconceivable). Would you, as a good programmer, take it if it meant widespread recognition, promotion, and millions of dollars? What if the drug cost you a year of your life? Or two years?
Imagine this scenario: everyone in your office is taking drugs. You're barely smart enough to hang on to your job, let alone get a promotion. You know the next bright kid who takes this mental enhancement drug (even at horrendous cost to his health) will be so smart that you won't have a prayer of hanging on to your current job. Would you continue to stay drug free? Would you find another career, even if this was the one you loved?
It's questions like this that convince me that perhaps I couldn't be that judgemental about the professionals who do performance enhancing drugs.
It's quite possible that Landis did take testosterone to boost his performance on stage 17. Professional cycling has had so many drug scandals in recent years that nothing can disappoint me anymore.
I have to say though, that perhaps it's simply because medical science hasn't done as much for boosting brain performance as it has on performance of the body that drugs aren't a common part of the workplace. Imagine, if you will, a drug that gave you a mental boost equivalent to that of anabolic steriods. One dose, and you could do 200 hour programming projects in 2 hours (Pengtoh and I once turned a 200 hour project into a 20 hour project by doing pair programming, so another order of magnitude isn't inconceivable). Would you, as a good programmer, take it if it meant widespread recognition, promotion, and millions of dollars? What if the drug cost you a year of your life? Or two years?
Imagine this scenario: everyone in your office is taking drugs. You're barely smart enough to hang on to your job, let alone get a promotion. You know the next bright kid who takes this mental enhancement drug (even at horrendous cost to his health) will be so smart that you won't have a prayer of hanging on to your current job. Would you continue to stay drug free? Would you find another career, even if this was the one you loved?
It's questions like this that convince me that perhaps I couldn't be that judgemental about the professionals who do performance enhancing drugs.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Another lameness about the Mac Mini
My brother and I tried to setup skype on my Mac Mini. The software installs fine, but the stupid mike wouldn't work. After swapping microphone headsets we discovered that the Mac Mini doesn't have microphone input, so I have to either get a bluetooth headset or a USB microphone (as though I didn't have enough devices hanging off the USB ports, which are all maxed out now). My brother also complains that his MacBook Pro randomly shuts down.
I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that Apple makes cool looking products with reliability problems that just aren't practical to use. No wonder they have only a 5% market share. Lisa's $900 laptop works better than a MacBook costing $2000!
I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that Apple makes cool looking products with reliability problems that just aren't practical to use. No wonder they have only a 5% market share. Lisa's $900 laptop works better than a MacBook costing $2000!
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Morning Ride up Montebello Road and Black Mountain
Mark Logan and John Walker joined Matt Stanton and I at the base of Montebello Road. The climb was in the sun and quite warm, so by the time we reached the top (with me begging John to slow down despite his 39x26 and a backpack with a 6 pound laptop) we had drained most of our water. The view from the top was gorgeous --- a line of clouds (a low marine layer) all the way to the North East (towards Diablo and Hamilton) and the same layer all the way to the West where the ocean was. The fire road gave us glorious views of the panorama and we made it to the pavement on Page Mill where we refilled our water bottles.
The descent on Page Mill was beautiful, and right at the cloud line we saw the temperature drop a whole 10 degrees. We hit every red light from Arastedero to B43, forcing us to do interval sprints the whole way, but we made it for breakfast!
The descent on Page Mill was beautiful, and right at the cloud line we saw the temperature drop a whole 10 degrees. We hit every red light from Arastedero to B43, forcing us to do interval sprints the whole way, but we made it for breakfast!
Review: The Hallowed Hunt
If The Paladin of Souls was a disappointment, the Hallowed Hunt make up for it. In contrast to the nervous nellie that Ista was, the lead character in the Hallowed Hunt, Ingrey is a special agent to the Hallowed King, sent to followup on the murder of a Prince of the land. The case of the murder is straightforward, but Ingrey finds himself caught up with the murderess, Iijada, for she bears an animal spirit as a consequence of the murder of the prince.
What are animal spirits, how do they interact with the five Gods of Challion, and what role Ingrey plays (a role which is not made clear to Ingrey for significant periods of time), and how he comes to acknowledge his heritage and his history makes up the subject matter of the book.
Both Ingrey and Iijada are very sympathetic characters, who are intelligent people caught up in an impossible situation. Too much of the book goes into the peculiar theology of Challion, but that's forgivable --- it seems that Bujold has invested way too much in the world building not to let a bit of it peek out.
All in all, a satisfying and fun read.
What are animal spirits, how do they interact with the five Gods of Challion, and what role Ingrey plays (a role which is not made clear to Ingrey for significant periods of time), and how he comes to acknowledge his heritage and his history makes up the subject matter of the book.
Both Ingrey and Iijada are very sympathetic characters, who are intelligent people caught up in an impossible situation. Too much of the book goes into the peculiar theology of Challion, but that's forgivable --- it seems that Bujold has invested way too much in the world building not to let a bit of it peek out.
All in all, a satisfying and fun read.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Cyclists descend Hwy 84 to La Honda
In the picture: Matt Stanton, Laura Granka, Sy Na, Matt Blain, Mike Samuel, Katelyn Mann on 84
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Luck plays a major role in success
As I've stated often before, too many people confuse luck with skill or being smart. Hal Varian (link above) and Brad Delong both provide examples where this is the case. In my career, I've seen alot of hardworking, talented people in unsuccessful companies, and untalented lazy people in successful companies. The latter always did better than the former, hence the phrase quoted to me by a stock broker, "I'd rather be lucky than good."
If you believe that luck plays a major part in our success or failure, then you'd want progressive taxation --- let the lucky subsidize the unlucky. And you'll soon learn to respect wealth come about by selling companies during a dotcom boom less than personal success that's achieved by a means less amenable to luck (e.g., finishing a marathon, or completing a long trek). If you think about man in his natural state, the last two are rarely instances of pure luck, which is why we over-emphasize monetary success in the modern world and under-estimate the importance of luck.
If you believe that luck plays a major part in our success or failure, then you'd want progressive taxation --- let the lucky subsidize the unlucky. And you'll soon learn to respect wealth come about by selling companies during a dotcom boom less than personal success that's achieved by a means less amenable to luck (e.g., finishing a marathon, or completing a long trek). If you think about man in his natural state, the last two are rarely instances of pure luck, which is why we over-emphasize monetary success in the modern world and under-estimate the importance of luck.
Review: Trinity: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman
Matt Wagner was known to me mostly through his autobiographical work, The Hero Discovered. While Wagner is a decent artist and a decent writer, it was his use of symbols and links to the Arthurian Mythos in his autobiography that attracted me to his work. So when I saw this book at the library I had to pick it up to see his interpretation of the classic DC Superheroes.
The plot revolves around Ra's Al Ghul's manipulation of Bizarro and Artemis for an invasion of Paradise Island. Intended to showcase our heroes at the beginning of their careers, this book shows Batman's first encounter with Wonder Woman. Their initial interaction is testy and perhaps overly simplified --- one wonders how Paradise Island held its secret for so long if so many villains and heroes got to visit it (and presumably get GPS coordinates). These conceits get tougher and tougher to accept as the world become more global.
And of couse, Wonder Woman penetrates Bruce Wayne's disguise in a hurry, making you wonder if Gotham City's super-villains were just darn stupid or what. This is a world where Superman putting on glasses and pretending to be late for the train three times a week for appearances is enough to prevent folks from recognizing that Clark Kent is Superman, yet Wonder Woman penetrates Batman's secret identity right away.
I did find the portrayal of Superman's interaction with Bruce Wayne very interesting. He loves his surprises, reflects Superman, as if I couldn't see the submarine following us.
All in all, a good comic, but nothing great, and certainly nothing like Wagner's prior work.
The plot revolves around Ra's Al Ghul's manipulation of Bizarro and Artemis for an invasion of Paradise Island. Intended to showcase our heroes at the beginning of their careers, this book shows Batman's first encounter with Wonder Woman. Their initial interaction is testy and perhaps overly simplified --- one wonders how Paradise Island held its secret for so long if so many villains and heroes got to visit it (and presumably get GPS coordinates). These conceits get tougher and tougher to accept as the world become more global.
And of couse, Wonder Woman penetrates Bruce Wayne's disguise in a hurry, making you wonder if Gotham City's super-villains were just darn stupid or what. This is a world where Superman putting on glasses and pretending to be late for the train three times a week for appearances is enough to prevent folks from recognizing that Clark Kent is Superman, yet Wonder Woman penetrates Batman's secret identity right away.
I did find the portrayal of Superman's interaction with Bruce Wayne very interesting. He loves his surprises, reflects Superman, as if I couldn't see the submarine following us.
All in all, a good comic, but nothing great, and certainly nothing like Wagner's prior work.
Monday, July 17, 2006
"Why Conservatives Can't Govern" by Alan Wolfe
"Why Conservatives Can't Govern" by Alan Wolfe: "not much evidence exists in America today that conservatives are prepared to move in such a direction. If anything, they seem to have reinforced and strengthened their determination to govern as incompetently and unfairly as they can. The fact that they will leave behind a public sector in roughly the same condition that strip miners leave hillsides would cause nothing but pain to yesterday's patricians, for whom ideals such as responsibility and soundness were watchwords. But today's conservatives have no problem passing on the costs of their present madness to future generations. Governing well would require them to use the bully-pulpit of office to educate and uplift their base. But since contemporary conservatives get their political energy from angry voices of rage and revenge, they will always blame others for the failures built into their ideology. That is why conservatism so rarely makes for a good governance party. As far as conservatives are concerned, it is always someone else's government, one reason they can be so indifferent to their own mismanagement."
Thanks to David Brin for the pointer.
Thanks to David Brin for the pointer.
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Movie Review: Who Killed the Electric Car?
This movie succeeds as propaganda. It explores the rise of the zero-emissions mandate in California, followed by its successful dismantling by corporate lobbyists and a compliant California Air Resources Board. The truth is, though, the GM EV1 and its cohorts weren't going to be successful. If you were to buy an only car, you wouldn't buy one with a limit 100 mile range unless there was infrastructure to permit refueling (maybe battery swap stations? but the logistics behind that would have been tough).
Lest I sound like a Republican right-winger, I'll remind readers of this blog that I log about 8000 miles a year on my bicycle, 4000 for commuting alone, so I'm as rabid an environmentalist as they come. But precisely because a range of 100 miles isn't better than what I can do on a bicycle, the only reason I'd ever get in a car was because I needed to go far in a short time.
The gasoline-electric hybrid is a much better idea, and the plug-in hybrid an even better one. But the pure electric car wasn't going to happen unless battery technology got dramatically better (which it hasn't --- battery technology has been getting better linearly, not exponentially), and there was infrastructure to support it.
In any case, this is not a bad movie --- it accomplishes what it sets out to do, which is to insinuate a conspiracy theory around the dismantling of the electric car programs. Unfortunately, any amount of deep thinking by a typical consumer would show that the conspiracies it insinuates cannot possibly be true.
Ultimately, our transportation problems would be much better solved by building a robust and comprehensive passenger rail system than by trying to tinker with the private automobile, but I guess that won't happen until gas gets to $200 a barrel and beyond.
Lest I sound like a Republican right-winger, I'll remind readers of this blog that I log about 8000 miles a year on my bicycle, 4000 for commuting alone, so I'm as rabid an environmentalist as they come. But precisely because a range of 100 miles isn't better than what I can do on a bicycle, the only reason I'd ever get in a car was because I needed to go far in a short time.
The gasoline-electric hybrid is a much better idea, and the plug-in hybrid an even better one. But the pure electric car wasn't going to happen unless battery technology got dramatically better (which it hasn't --- battery technology has been getting better linearly, not exponentially), and there was infrastructure to support it.
In any case, this is not a bad movie --- it accomplishes what it sets out to do, which is to insinuate a conspiracy theory around the dismantling of the electric car programs. Unfortunately, any amount of deep thinking by a typical consumer would show that the conspiracies it insinuates cannot possibly be true.
Ultimately, our transportation problems would be much better solved by building a robust and comprehensive passenger rail system than by trying to tinker with the private automobile, but I guess that won't happen until gas gets to $200 a barrel and beyond.
Movie Review: Aeon Flux
Beautiful woman kicks ass sums up this forgettable "science fiction" movie. The premise is weak, the characters never developed, not even through the admittedly beautfully choreographed action sequences, and the ending makes a hash out of everything that has come before (i.e., were we really fighting for no reason whatsoever) and leaves many plot points unresolved. Ultimately, beautiful eye candy but an unsatisfying movie.
Larry Summers Visits Google
Interesting titbit: Sheryl Sandberg, Google's VP of International Sales and Operations, used to be Larry Summer's Chief of Staff, when he worked for the Clinton administration.
The talk itself is the usual globalization talk you can get from anyone who's a serious thinker (Robert Reich, Brad Delong, etc). He kept it short and relatively free of long words and jargon, but it was the questions that were interesting.
Interesting quotes:
Q: There is now a shortage of men in higher education compared to women. Do you have any idea what to do about it?
A: I've learned over the years never to take the last question... It is a tribute to Google that maybe here, I shouldn't even take the first. I don't believe the shortage of men is due to social discrimination...
Q: Given the neither parties have historically enacted policies to protect citizens from the negative impact of globalization, how long do you expect there to still be support for free trade among the populance? It seems to me that support is steadily eroding for free trade.
A: Free trade is one of those things that's tough to sell. Here's an example. Let's say you're a mediocre performer in a mediocre company, but because of free trade your company's sales go through the roof and you get a promotion. Do you say, "Thank god for free trade, so I got my promotion!"? But let's say because of foreign competition your company has to shut down and you lose your job. Now you know who to blame! So we internalize our success, and externalize our failures. But the tone of your question is the right one --- in the long term, we're going to have to provide mitigation like wage insurance if there's going to be any hope at all of keeping public support for free trade.
The talk itself is the usual globalization talk you can get from anyone who's a serious thinker (Robert Reich, Brad Delong, etc). He kept it short and relatively free of long words and jargon, but it was the questions that were interesting.
Interesting quotes:
Q: There is now a shortage of men in higher education compared to women. Do you have any idea what to do about it?
A: I've learned over the years never to take the last question... It is a tribute to Google that maybe here, I shouldn't even take the first. I don't believe the shortage of men is due to social discrimination...
Q: Given the neither parties have historically enacted policies to protect citizens from the negative impact of globalization, how long do you expect there to still be support for free trade among the populance? It seems to me that support is steadily eroding for free trade.
A: Free trade is one of those things that's tough to sell. Here's an example. Let's say you're a mediocre performer in a mediocre company, but because of free trade your company's sales go through the roof and you get a promotion. Do you say, "Thank god for free trade, so I got my promotion!"? But let's say because of foreign competition your company has to shut down and you lose your job. Now you know who to blame! So we internalize our success, and externalize our failures. But the tone of your question is the right one --- in the long term, we're going to have to provide mitigation like wage insurance if there's going to be any hope at all of keeping public support for free trade.
Movie Review: American Splendor
I'm not a big fan of Robert Crump, or the underground comic book scene in general, so I came to this movie as a complete outsider. As I watched the movie to figure out what the appeal of Harvey Pekar was, I realized that he was essentially the first person to turn the comic book medium into an expression of himself, i.e., he wrote the first comic book blog. Eternally surly, angry, and not very likeable, he nevertheless manages to say profound things and survive cancer in his own way.
Pekar himself appears in this extremely self-aware movie (Pekar is shown in a movie studio narrating the voice-overs in the movie), which makes Pekar's general unlikeability very palatable --- here is someone who's a prick, but knows he's one, and somehow that makes it OK. This is not the greatest movie I've seen, but I'm glad I gave it a shot --- it surprised me how good it is.
I bet I'll have a hard time reading American Splendor, though.
Pekar himself appears in this extremely self-aware movie (Pekar is shown in a movie studio narrating the voice-overs in the movie), which makes Pekar's general unlikeability very palatable --- here is someone who's a prick, but knows he's one, and somehow that makes it OK. This is not the greatest movie I've seen, but I'm glad I gave it a shot --- it surprised me how good it is.
I bet I'll have a hard time reading American Splendor, though.
Book Review: The Paladin of Souls
The sequel to The Curse of Chalion, this book deals with the Dowager Ista, a minor character in that book who was deemed insane by her family and care-takers. Having decided that she'd had enough of being hemmed in, she decides to take off on a pilgrimmage, selecting a motley group of associates and followers. On the way, she encounters demons and an invading body of warriors. She then unravels the mystery of a border keep, finds her true love, and repels the invasion all in the space of days, while recovering her sanity and self confidence.
Ista isn't nearly as interesting a character as Cazaril, and none of the other major characters in the previous novel make an appearance here. The writing is good, but the book isn't nearly as tightly plotted. As a study in a character returning from depression and loss, Ista has too many Deus Ex Machina working in her favor for me to think her a particularly strong person. Nevertheless, the book was compelling and not a complete waste of time. It's not nearly as good as its predecessor, however.
Ista isn't nearly as interesting a character as Cazaril, and none of the other major characters in the previous novel make an appearance here. The writing is good, but the book isn't nearly as tightly plotted. As a study in a character returning from depression and loss, Ista has too many Deus Ex Machina working in her favor for me to think her a particularly strong person. Nevertheless, the book was compelling and not a complete waste of time. It's not nearly as good as its predecessor, however.
Saturday, July 15, 2006
Book Review: The Undercover Economist
This is a great book, and it actually lives up to its subtitle:Exposing Why the Rich Are Rich, Why the Poor Are Poor--And Why You Can Never Buy a Decent Used Car! Tim Harford explains a lot of phenomenon through the tools and lenses provided by modern Economics, and covers the main ideas behind the phenomena very well. He has an excellent but brief explanation of adverse selection, for instance, and why it makes it difficult for a fully private health insurance system to work well. Unlike many other authors who leave it at that, he explores a solution (Singapore's) that appears to work well and shows how successful you can be if you are willing to set aside ideology and adopt an engineering approach towards economic problems. (Not that Singapore's solution can be successful in the U.S. politically, but the ideas are worth considering at the very least)
If you don't know much about economics, this is a great book to read. In the process of pondering the phenomena Harford covers (and he covers them much better than any New York Times journalist ever will), you will learn a lot of economics. If you are an economics junkie like me, you're going to enjoy this book, even more so than Freakonomics. It truly is well-written, entertaining, and accurate. I have no fault to find with this book.
If you don't know much about economics, this is a great book to read. In the process of pondering the phenomena Harford covers (and he covers them much better than any New York Times journalist ever will), you will learn a lot of economics. If you are an economics junkie like me, you're going to enjoy this book, even more so than Freakonomics. It truly is well-written, entertaining, and accurate. I have no fault to find with this book.
Book Review: The Developers
Ellen Spertus came across this book and gave it to me since I was in a slow period, and she claimed that the book was too cynical for her. Since I'm a cynical kind of person, I thought I'd be the perfect target audience for this book.
To my chagrin, I found that the problem wasn't cynicism, but perhaps one of generation gap. I think I must have missed all the cultural references in this book, not being born in this country nor a big watcher of television. But I'm a programmer, right? So the stuff about development should be interesting to me, right?
Unfortunately, the application in question was a city-search type application with lots of UI, and boring bulletin board, chat, and personals application for a small town. It's not even a challenge for undergraduates to build, so it's hard for me to suspend my disbelief and think that an interesting startup could be built around it. The characters themselves were unappealing: most of them seem incredibly obsessed with dating and their sex life. I guess I can believe that in a dot com startup (though I've been at two dot com startups, and it certainly wasn't the case that there was a ton of dating at work) that's staffed mostly with fresh graduates. Then again, the startups I've worked at in Silicon Valley tended to be staffed with experienced people for whom work was their main obsession.
Ultimately, I cannot recommend this book unless you're a hip young developer of the sort depicted in the book. Then again, since I've never been one of those either, even if you were a hip young developer of the sort depicted in the book, my guess is that you wouldn't take book recommendations from an old fogey like me.
To my chagrin, I found that the problem wasn't cynicism, but perhaps one of generation gap. I think I must have missed all the cultural references in this book, not being born in this country nor a big watcher of television. But I'm a programmer, right? So the stuff about development should be interesting to me, right?
Unfortunately, the application in question was a city-search type application with lots of UI, and boring bulletin board, chat, and personals application for a small town. It's not even a challenge for undergraduates to build, so it's hard for me to suspend my disbelief and think that an interesting startup could be built around it. The characters themselves were unappealing: most of them seem incredibly obsessed with dating and their sex life. I guess I can believe that in a dot com startup (though I've been at two dot com startups, and it certainly wasn't the case that there was a ton of dating at work) that's staffed mostly with fresh graduates. Then again, the startups I've worked at in Silicon Valley tended to be staffed with experienced people for whom work was their main obsession.
Ultimately, I cannot recommend this book unless you're a hip young developer of the sort depicted in the book. Then again, since I've never been one of those either, even if you were a hip young developer of the sort depicted in the book, my guess is that you wouldn't take book recommendations from an old fogey like me.
Book Review: The Curse of Chalion
Lois McMaster Bujold, of course, is the author of the Miles Vorkosigan series, a character-driven science fiction series about a dimunitive but incredibly bright member of the Barraya clan. Her Vorkosigan series are definitely brain candy of the type that you can't possibly put down even if you wanted to.
Here, Bujold ventures into the realm of fantasy writing and her character-driven approach is even more appropriate her than it is for science fiction.
Cazaril is a broken man: a former military general who was betrayed and sold into slavery, he barely escaped with his life and walked back to the province where he was raised to ask for a position, any position. He does not seek revenge for his betrayal; he is just hoping to stay clear of court politics. To his chagrin, he is given the job of tutoring the young princess Iselle, who is hot-headed and righteous. When the princess is recalled to the capital along with her brother the heir apparent, Cazaril is drawn back to the politics he was trying to avoid, and finds himself embroiled in affairs of state that turn out to be far darker and sinister than the mere betrayal of his trust.
The novel is a great page-turner after the first section, as history, theology, and the motivations of all the characters are teased and weaved together tightly. Then as the big reveal (what is the Curse of Chalion) happens, the reader is challenged to see if he can unravel the plot before it becomes obvious. To my satisfaction, the apparent red herring turns out to be an essential clue, and though the ending is somewhat obvious, it was not a giveaway. (There was a gratituous happy ending that was obvious to anyone --- Bujold obviously loves Cazaril, that much is obvious)
The criticisms: the lead character is just a bit too perfect. A tutor who used to be a page, a fighting man, and a military general who now has no ambitions of his own, Cazaril is just a little too self-sacrificing to be truly believable. The classic scene comes when he bargains with the leader of a foreign land --- when offered gifts and bribes, he turns them all away, saying that he's got a tumor in his stomach and is going to die anyway, so the bribes are worth nothing to him.
Nevetheless, a good read, one of the best of the year.
Here, Bujold ventures into the realm of fantasy writing and her character-driven approach is even more appropriate her than it is for science fiction.
Cazaril is a broken man: a former military general who was betrayed and sold into slavery, he barely escaped with his life and walked back to the province where he was raised to ask for a position, any position. He does not seek revenge for his betrayal; he is just hoping to stay clear of court politics. To his chagrin, he is given the job of tutoring the young princess Iselle, who is hot-headed and righteous. When the princess is recalled to the capital along with her brother the heir apparent, Cazaril is drawn back to the politics he was trying to avoid, and finds himself embroiled in affairs of state that turn out to be far darker and sinister than the mere betrayal of his trust.
The novel is a great page-turner after the first section, as history, theology, and the motivations of all the characters are teased and weaved together tightly. Then as the big reveal (what is the Curse of Chalion) happens, the reader is challenged to see if he can unravel the plot before it becomes obvious. To my satisfaction, the apparent red herring turns out to be an essential clue, and though the ending is somewhat obvious, it was not a giveaway. (There was a gratituous happy ending that was obvious to anyone --- Bujold obviously loves Cazaril, that much is obvious)
The criticisms: the lead character is just a bit too perfect. A tutor who used to be a page, a fighting man, and a military general who now has no ambitions of his own, Cazaril is just a little too self-sacrificing to be truly believable. The classic scene comes when he bargains with the leader of a foreign land --- when offered gifts and bribes, he turns them all away, saying that he's got a tumor in his stomach and is going to die anyway, so the bribes are worth nothing to him.
Nevetheless, a good read, one of the best of the year.
Katelyn approaching the On Orbit intersection
Katelyn bought her bike from Terry Shaw last Saturday, so she had to see how it climbed today.
At the Intersection Bohlman Road and On Orbit
This ride was 42 miles and about 4450' of climbing. Brian said, "It's expanded my horizon on what steep means."
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
Pharyngula: Noted without comment
Why I no longer read the New York Times. Scarlet probably still thinks I'm arrogant for thinking the Journalism or English majors have no place trying to interpret the complex world we live in for the intelligensia (the others don't read newspapers), but that someone who wrote this gets a promotion makes a mockery out of science:
I don't consider myself a creationist. I don't have any interest in sharing my personal views on how the canyon was carved, mostly because I've spent almost no time pondering my personal views -- it takes all my energy as a reporter and writer to understand and explain my subjects' views fairly and thoroughly.
I don't consider myself a creationist. I don't have any interest in sharing my personal views on how the canyon was carved, mostly because I've spent almost no time pondering my personal views -- it takes all my energy as a reporter and writer to understand and explain my subjects' views fairly and thoroughly.
Monday, July 03, 2006
Mt Tam Hike July 2nd
I returned to Mt. Tam on July 2nd with Matt Stanton to hike Steep Ravine and Matt Davis. We took the descent on Steep Ravine at a slow pace, since I was still feeling the effect of the long ride the day before. The vegetation looked a bit sorry, and the water was definitely at a low. The view to Stintson Beach was gorgeous, though, once we were out of the woods, and the clearing made the beach visible and pretty.
We got to the beach, however, and the temperature dropped 10 degrees, and it was too cold to stay and eat more than a power bar, so we made our way to the Matt Davis trail and started climbing it. Something over took us, and we started cranking up our pace and over-taking everyone we saw. Soon enough, we burst out of the woods into the open space with the clouds below us. We walked along the hillside, ignoring the Coastal trail turn-off, and soon found ourselves on top of the knoll overlooking San Francisco. A group of 4 on a double-date were having lunch there. I pointed out most of the interesting features to Matt, and we headed down the knoll to the West to see the lone tree and to see if we could see Point Bonitas Lighthouse (we couldn't).
We then headed back to the car, arriving there at 12:30pm, meaning that we had hiked 7.3 miles in 3 hours, despite a leisurely stop. The walk across England's made me a weaker cyclist, but I can definitely still walk.
We got to the beach, however, and the temperature dropped 10 degrees, and it was too cold to stay and eat more than a power bar, so we made our way to the Matt Davis trail and started climbing it. Something over took us, and we started cranking up our pace and over-taking everyone we saw. Soon enough, we burst out of the woods into the open space with the clouds below us. We walked along the hillside, ignoring the Coastal trail turn-off, and soon found ourselves on top of the knoll overlooking San Francisco. A group of 4 on a double-date were having lunch there. I pointed out most of the interesting features to Matt, and we headed down the knoll to the West to see the lone tree and to see if we could see Point Bonitas Lighthouse (we couldn't).
We then headed back to the car, arriving there at 12:30pm, meaning that we had hiked 7.3 miles in 3 hours, despite a leisurely stop. The walk across England's made me a weaker cyclist, but I can definitely still walk.
Superman Returns
I went to Superman Returns because of Bryan Singer, who proved that he could make comic books into good movies in both X-Men 1 and 2. What I got was a good movie, but disappointing considering what I had expected. The plot was shallow, and the interaction between characters more than a little stiff. There was a lot of homage to the first Superman movie, so much so that I think it hurt the movie quite a bit.
The high point was Kevin Spacey as Luthor, and the lovely special effects that provided lots of beautiful stills for the movie. The look is definitely intriguing and the images linger long after you've seen the movie. Lisa thought Brandon Routh was very cute, maybe even cuter than Christopher Reeve. I thought Kate Bosworth looked better in the publicity stills than in the movies.
Maybe we can get Sam Raimi to make the next Superman movie.
The high point was Kevin Spacey as Luthor, and the lovely special effects that provided lots of beautiful stills for the movie. The look is definitely intriguing and the images linger long after you've seen the movie. Lisa thought Brandon Routh was very cute, maybe even cuter than Christopher Reeve. I thought Kate Bosworth looked better in the publicity stills than in the movies.
Maybe we can get Sam Raimi to make the next Superman movie.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Princeton University - Link between income and happiness is mainly an illusion
Despite the weak relationship between income and global life satisfaction or experienced happiness, many people are highly motivated to increase their income," the study said. "In some cases, this focusing illusion may lead to a misallocation of time, from accepting lengthy commutes (which are among the worst moments of the day) to sacrificing time spent socializing (which are among the best moments of the day).
This study shows what I've always suspected: that Americans have been doped into accepting ridiculous work conditions (60-80 hour weeks) in exchange for a marginally higher income than the rest of the industrialized countries, all of whom get at least 5 weeks a year to spend with their friends and family. Even with the meager vacation time they get, Americans don't usually take them. I've had former colleagues brag that they took their sabbatical and started a job at another company so they got 2 salaries at once for 5 or 6 weeks.
I remember at a gathering of friends who asked me how much I would think I'd need to not worry about work again. I answered with a figure well in excess of what most Americans would see in their lifetime, but my friends expressed amazement that I would be satisfied with so little! Granted these were Google old-timers who would turn out to be incredibly wealthy, but all it showed me was that no matter how much money you have, all that does is to raise your standards and tell you that you don't have enough.
But happiness can't be bought, and this study definitely illustrates that the impact of extra money on happiness is highly exaggerated.
This study shows what I've always suspected: that Americans have been doped into accepting ridiculous work conditions (60-80 hour weeks) in exchange for a marginally higher income than the rest of the industrialized countries, all of whom get at least 5 weeks a year to spend with their friends and family. Even with the meager vacation time they get, Americans don't usually take them. I've had former colleagues brag that they took their sabbatical and started a job at another company so they got 2 salaries at once for 5 or 6 weeks.
I remember at a gathering of friends who asked me how much I would think I'd need to not worry about work again. I answered with a figure well in excess of what most Americans would see in their lifetime, but my friends expressed amazement that I would be satisfied with so little! Granted these were Google old-timers who would turn out to be incredibly wealthy, but all it showed me was that no matter how much money you have, all that does is to raise your standards and tell you that you don't have enough.
But happiness can't be bought, and this study definitely illustrates that the impact of extra money on happiness is highly exaggerated.
The Lonely American Just Got a Bit Lonelier - New York Times
I find this story simply sad. To a large extent it rings true because American friendships tend to be shallow. It's hard to call someone a friend if they won't reply to your e-mail, or simply don't have time to go cycling, sailing, or even simply shoot the breeze. All of which makes me all the more grateful to the close friends and confidants that I have.
The real problem, however, is in the public realm. People who have no friends or close confidants are much less likely to be willing to invest in public infrastructure, in social security, in public education (why educate other people's kids?) or see the world in a broader realm outside that of their limited social circles. This breakdown of social circles cannot help but become a tragedy.
A recent study by sociologists at Duke and the University of Arizona found that, on average, most adults only have two people they can talk to about the most important subjects in their lives — serious health problems, for example, or issues like who will care for their children should they die. And about one-quarter have no close confidants at all.
The real problem, however, is in the public realm. People who have no friends or close confidants are much less likely to be willing to invest in public infrastructure, in social security, in public education (why educate other people's kids?) or see the world in a broader realm outside that of their limited social circles. This breakdown of social circles cannot help but become a tragedy.
A recent study by sociologists at Duke and the University of Arizona found that, on average, most adults only have two people they can talk to about the most important subjects in their lives — serious health problems, for example, or issues like who will care for their children should they die. And about one-quarter have no close confidants at all.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Mt. Tam Ride
74 miles, 6840' of climb, with Roberto, Marius, Brian Wickman and Dana Levine. Lovely views of the fog on the coast and in the inland valleys, and pleasant temperatures, but no pictures!
We met at 8:30 at the Tamalpais High School Parking lot. Dana asked if I had a first aid kit in the car, since he had crashed into a seagull while riding over to meet us! After he cleaned up and I moved the car so it wouldn't be at risk of being towed, we started off. This was my first ride with Marius Eriksen, and it soon became apparently why other riders held him in awe. He sped away on the flats and up the hills quickly. When we got to Panaromic, we turned left and then descended Panaromic to Highway 1 in the fog.
I saw Dana fish-tail in front of me, which was a signal to pare back on my descent (not fast by anybody's standards). Brian later told me that he fish-tailed behind me as well, so evidently there was a spot of oil on that section of the road that I was just lucky to miss. Highway 1 curves around Muir Woods, normally providing a lovely ocean view that was enshrouded in fog.
A few climbs later, I was climbing alone, having given up on chasing any of the faster riders. When we stopped at the bottom of Panaromic Highway Roberto asked if I could look at his bike, since he felt like it wasn't as fast as it normally was. I looked at both front and rear wheels, and they were true and in good condition, so I couldn't help him. We tweaked Dana's front deraileur, which had been pushed out of alignment with his crash, and then began climbing Panaromic. I started climbing next to Roberto, and to verify that his bike was truly OK, we pedaled to about the same speed and started coasting, and when we slowed down at the same rate, concluded that his bike was no more broken than mine was.
We climbed through the fog, but after a few switchbacks Roberto concluded that it was in fact, something wrong with the way he felt today, so he announced that he would just ride back to the car and wait. He was indeed uncharacteristically slow on both the climbs and the flats, so when we regrouped at the Pan Toll Ranger Station I gave him my car keys and he rode back. We had burst through the fog while under the shade of the Redwood Trees along Pan Toll, and now rode strongly above the clouds. The temperature had warmed to about 80 degrees once we were above the fog, and below us we could see a spread of cloud cover spreading through the trees all the way to the horizon. It was a magical view, and I regretted not having a camera, mine being on loan to my mom who was travelling through China.
Past Ridgecrest drive, we continued to the summit, where the road wound around the mountain enough to show us that San Francisco and the Bay too, was enshrouded in fog, with only the top of Coit Tower peeking out through the fog. I was again, last up the mountain, and got there to see Mt. Diablo across the Bay, with its massive base in fog.
We made a rapid descent to Ridgecrest and headed North towards Fairfax Bolinas road. This is my favorite part of the ride, where you feel like you're riding on top of the world, clouds below you. Large groups of cyclists were coming at us the other way, so there was a club ride going on, but I did not stop to inquire as to what the ride was.
The descent on Fairfax Bolinas road was rough and bumpy, with just enough traffic to keep us from taking any risks around the blind corners. Once we linked up again with Highway 1, we headed North, over a series of sharp rolling hills, down the back of which we managed 38-40mph into Olema. We pacelined our way into Point Reyes Station, where we shared a pizza at the cafe.
Past Point Reyes Station, we turned right onto Point Reyes Petaluma Road, a long flat road along gentle terrain. I found a good position behind Marius and we all hung on as best as we could and begged him to ease up a bit on the gentle inclines so we could all stay together. Past the reservoir, we turned right onto Nicasio Valley Road, where we stopped at the Old Ranchiera turnoff to relieve ourselves and take a break. Soon after that, Nicasio Valley Road entered a shaded climb whose descent would drop us onto Sir Francis Drake. Ignoring the wide road, we took San Geronimo Valley road to by pass the traffic until the pass into Fairfax. We rode the pass into Fairfax separately, agreeing to meet at the turn off to the bike path.
I survived a rude driver and the fast descent into Fairfax, and then gathered with Dana and Marius to wait for Brian. He showed up a few minutes later, having fallen due to his chain dropping off as he shifted at the top of the hill. Fortunately, the traffic was in front of him, so other than a few scrapes he was OK. We then wound our way through San Anselmo and Larkspur through bike paths and backroads before making it to Mill Valley, where we split up, Marius and I heading back to the car while Dana and Brian riding home to San Francisco. We got back to the car at 3:45pm. Brian would get an excess of 105 miles and 10,000' of climbing by the time he got home.
Roberto was waiting for us when we got to the car (fortunately, he had brought a book with him). We would find out later that he had been dehydrated prior to the ride.
We met at 8:30 at the Tamalpais High School Parking lot. Dana asked if I had a first aid kit in the car, since he had crashed into a seagull while riding over to meet us! After he cleaned up and I moved the car so it wouldn't be at risk of being towed, we started off. This was my first ride with Marius Eriksen, and it soon became apparently why other riders held him in awe. He sped away on the flats and up the hills quickly. When we got to Panaromic, we turned left and then descended Panaromic to Highway 1 in the fog.
I saw Dana fish-tail in front of me, which was a signal to pare back on my descent (not fast by anybody's standards). Brian later told me that he fish-tailed behind me as well, so evidently there was a spot of oil on that section of the road that I was just lucky to miss. Highway 1 curves around Muir Woods, normally providing a lovely ocean view that was enshrouded in fog.
A few climbs later, I was climbing alone, having given up on chasing any of the faster riders. When we stopped at the bottom of Panaromic Highway Roberto asked if I could look at his bike, since he felt like it wasn't as fast as it normally was. I looked at both front and rear wheels, and they were true and in good condition, so I couldn't help him. We tweaked Dana's front deraileur, which had been pushed out of alignment with his crash, and then began climbing Panaromic. I started climbing next to Roberto, and to verify that his bike was truly OK, we pedaled to about the same speed and started coasting, and when we slowed down at the same rate, concluded that his bike was no more broken than mine was.
We climbed through the fog, but after a few switchbacks Roberto concluded that it was in fact, something wrong with the way he felt today, so he announced that he would just ride back to the car and wait. He was indeed uncharacteristically slow on both the climbs and the flats, so when we regrouped at the Pan Toll Ranger Station I gave him my car keys and he rode back. We had burst through the fog while under the shade of the Redwood Trees along Pan Toll, and now rode strongly above the clouds. The temperature had warmed to about 80 degrees once we were above the fog, and below us we could see a spread of cloud cover spreading through the trees all the way to the horizon. It was a magical view, and I regretted not having a camera, mine being on loan to my mom who was travelling through China.
Past Ridgecrest drive, we continued to the summit, where the road wound around the mountain enough to show us that San Francisco and the Bay too, was enshrouded in fog, with only the top of Coit Tower peeking out through the fog. I was again, last up the mountain, and got there to see Mt. Diablo across the Bay, with its massive base in fog.
We made a rapid descent to Ridgecrest and headed North towards Fairfax Bolinas road. This is my favorite part of the ride, where you feel like you're riding on top of the world, clouds below you. Large groups of cyclists were coming at us the other way, so there was a club ride going on, but I did not stop to inquire as to what the ride was.
The descent on Fairfax Bolinas road was rough and bumpy, with just enough traffic to keep us from taking any risks around the blind corners. Once we linked up again with Highway 1, we headed North, over a series of sharp rolling hills, down the back of which we managed 38-40mph into Olema. We pacelined our way into Point Reyes Station, where we shared a pizza at the cafe.
Past Point Reyes Station, we turned right onto Point Reyes Petaluma Road, a long flat road along gentle terrain. I found a good position behind Marius and we all hung on as best as we could and begged him to ease up a bit on the gentle inclines so we could all stay together. Past the reservoir, we turned right onto Nicasio Valley Road, where we stopped at the Old Ranchiera turnoff to relieve ourselves and take a break. Soon after that, Nicasio Valley Road entered a shaded climb whose descent would drop us onto Sir Francis Drake. Ignoring the wide road, we took San Geronimo Valley road to by pass the traffic until the pass into Fairfax. We rode the pass into Fairfax separately, agreeing to meet at the turn off to the bike path.
I survived a rude driver and the fast descent into Fairfax, and then gathered with Dana and Marius to wait for Brian. He showed up a few minutes later, having fallen due to his chain dropping off as he shifted at the top of the hill. Fortunately, the traffic was in front of him, so other than a few scrapes he was OK. We then wound our way through San Anselmo and Larkspur through bike paths and backroads before making it to Mill Valley, where we split up, Marius and I heading back to the car while Dana and Brian riding home to San Francisco. We got back to the car at 3:45pm. Brian would get an excess of 105 miles and 10,000' of climbing by the time he got home.
Roberto was waiting for us when we got to the car (fortunately, he had brought a book with him). We would find out later that he had been dehydrated prior to the ride.
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