monaco: check!
Ahh cross that one from the life to-do list. Susan and I got to walk the entire length of the F1 circuit, suprising residents with awkward photo poses at every turn. I must say, Monaco is simply beautiful:
Monday, April 28, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
trouble with the law
Ah yes. In my first day in Nice, we already got in trouble with the French authorities.
The first thing that Susan and I did when I came was to jump on the bus to go meet with her friends. Susan warned me that we have to watch out for conductors that check tickets, but decided not to pay for the fare.
Sure enough, when the doors opened at our stop, we saw three guys in blue uniforms. AAAHH! Susan and I pretended not to understand them, then threw our invalid tickets their way and ran away.
So yeah, we gotta keep low for a couple of days.
The first thing that Susan and I did when I came was to jump on the bus to go meet with her friends. Susan warned me that we have to watch out for conductors that check tickets, but decided not to pay for the fare.
Sure enough, when the doors opened at our stop, we saw three guys in blue uniforms. AAAHH! Susan and I pretended not to understand them, then threw our invalid tickets their way and ran away.
So yeah, we gotta keep low for a couple of days.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
off I go
All right, I'm off to France for a few days. Flying into Paris and then immideately to Nice to meet Susan (very niiiice). I really want to check out Monaco, that has been my F1-inspired dream for a long time now. On the way back, I'll mill around Paris for a bit, and then head back on May 5th.
the revolution will be pneumatic
Ah yes. I have entered a new stratum of manhood – I got myself an air compressor. This is big. It is as if my garage has gone through an industrial revolution to achieve previously unattainable levels of productivity.
I just have to find the right fittings. But that’s small apples.
How manly is my new toy? Manly enough, but not over-the-top. It’s a 125psi 2.5hp compressor with a 15gal tank, running 5.1 SCFM @ 40psi and 4.2 SCFM @ 90psi. Maybe not enough to power an industrial grinder, but should be enough to run an impact wrench. And that’s what I need badly, ‘cause some of those Honda bolts are on there good...
I just have to find the right fittings. But that’s small apples.
How manly is my new toy? Manly enough, but not over-the-top. It’s a 125psi 2.5hp compressor with a 15gal tank, running 5.1 SCFM @ 40psi and 4.2 SCFM @ 90psi. Maybe not enough to power an industrial grinder, but should be enough to run an impact wrench. And that’s what I need badly, ‘cause some of those Honda bolts are on there good...
Saturday, April 19, 2008
arrr got some sea salt on my mast
Last weekend, Roman and I went sailing on the Charles river - I know, how romantic. But, actually, it was really cool. I've seen these boats a million times when driving into the city, but never thought I'd be on one of them. The setup is pretty neat - it's a community boating club, which means that anyone can join, and get on the water after only a couple of lessons. I was amazed at how maneuverable a sailboat is, and how you could pick up some real speed. I guess it helped that Captain R knew what he was doing:
Monday, April 14, 2008
putting the "ass" in "mass.gov"
Massachusetts has traditionally been one of the few states where auto insurance has been regulated – i.e., rates have been set by the state. Now, we’re cautiously removing the regulations, hoping that this will reduce the rates. So far, so good. The state has even set up an informative site to announce the changes – even better!
To find that site, I went to mass.gov and executed a search. The results were certainly reasonable, so I clicked on the first one, and… nothing. After a few more clicks, I thought that either a) my browser froze, or b) my mouse has expired. And then a terrible realization has hit me: THEY MANAGED TO COMPLETELY REVERSE LINK AND TEXT COLORS! Yes, you read that right, you're supposed to click on the black titles, and not the lines that look like links and have link numbers right next to them:
What makes it even better is that on the rest of the site the links are blue and underlined, and the text is black. Awesome, guys.
To find that site, I went to mass.gov and executed a search. The results were certainly reasonable, so I clicked on the first one, and… nothing. After a few more clicks, I thought that either a) my browser froze, or b) my mouse has expired. And then a terrible realization has hit me: THEY MANAGED TO COMPLETELY REVERSE LINK AND TEXT COLORS! Yes, you read that right, you're supposed to click on the black titles, and not the lines that look like links and have link numbers right next to them:
What makes it even better is that on the rest of the site the links are blue and underlined, and the text is black. Awesome, guys.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
see? ate? le?
Back from the West coast, and back to the grind. A little too soon, if you ask me. The whole red-eye-right-to-work routine is getting old. But, Seattle was awesome: I got exactly what I wanted out of the trip.
The city reminded me a bit of San Francisco - same island of skyscrapers perched on a hill and surrounded by water - but it definitely have its own feel to it. Seattle feels more rugged, more authentic, more... grungy? It did help that we went on a tour of the underground that managed to be educational, despite the fact that the tour guide did not take her Ritalin and had an unfortunate affection for puns ("This is a general store. They only sold general stuff, nothing specific.") But anyhoo, the city was pretty much established to supply those heading to Alaska to dig for gold (read: die like flies), and then proceeded to burn to the ground in 1889. After the fire, the citizens decided to solve two pressing problems - lack of sewer lines and the steepness of the hills - by grading said hills and burying pipes along the streets. As a result, the first floors of most buildings downtown became basements, which can now be toured by tourists like me. By the way, one of the tour guides went on to a establish a little coffee house called Starbucks... amazing that a place that epitomizes American consumerism grew out of a city that has a definite hippie vibe to it. Which brings me to my next point...
On the last day, Kenny, Swartz, and I went to Fremont - and as soon as we crossed the bridge, the sky light up, and sunshine rained down on an outdoor market surrounded by quaint little houses. Of course, about twenty minutes later, rain rained down, but such is the weather there. In any case, Fremont is supposedly known for being eclectic, artsy, and peace-loving. Which, of course, explains why there is a huge statue of Lenin standing in a square in front of a Mexican restaurant:
Yup, there he is, Vladimir Ilyich himself. If you're interested in what he's doing there, you are certainly welcome to use Google or your search engine of choice - I need some sleep. Besides, pictures are worth a thousand words.
The city reminded me a bit of San Francisco - same island of skyscrapers perched on a hill and surrounded by water - but it definitely have its own feel to it. Seattle feels more rugged, more authentic, more... grungy? It did help that we went on a tour of the underground that managed to be educational, despite the fact that the tour guide did not take her Ritalin and had an unfortunate affection for puns ("This is a general store. They only sold general stuff, nothing specific.") But anyhoo, the city was pretty much established to supply those heading to Alaska to dig for gold (read: die like flies), and then proceeded to burn to the ground in 1889. After the fire, the citizens decided to solve two pressing problems - lack of sewer lines and the steepness of the hills - by grading said hills and burying pipes along the streets. As a result, the first floors of most buildings downtown became basements, which can now be toured by tourists like me. By the way, one of the tour guides went on to a establish a little coffee house called Starbucks... amazing that a place that epitomizes American consumerism grew out of a city that has a definite hippie vibe to it. Which brings me to my next point...
On the last day, Kenny, Swartz, and I went to Fremont - and as soon as we crossed the bridge, the sky light up, and sunshine rained down on an outdoor market surrounded by quaint little houses. Of course, about twenty minutes later, rain rained down, but such is the weather there. In any case, Fremont is supposedly known for being eclectic, artsy, and peace-loving. Which, of course, explains why there is a huge statue of Lenin standing in a square in front of a Mexican restaurant:
Yup, there he is, Vladimir Ilyich himself. If you're interested in what he's doing there, you are certainly welcome to use Google or your search engine of choice - I need some sleep. Besides, pictures are worth a thousand words.