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St. Patrick\'s Day

Mauriat — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:16:37 -0400

I've always found it a bit ironic that St. Patrick's Day occurs during Lent. Some Catholics (not all) typically forgo some indulgence as a form of discipline and self denial in the 40 days prior to Easter. And some Catholics (not all) create an excuse to allow this holiday of sorts to be an exception to Lent. It can be a further disappointment when St. Patrick's Day happens to coincide with one of the Fridays in Lent - which in NO uncertain terms are deemed as days of fasting and abstinence. Luckily this year that did not happen.

One such season where this it did occur was in the later half of my university years. By chance the Bishop granted dispensation for that Friday in Lent. One could make up their fasting on their own, but essentially everyone could interpret this as a "free ticket". Not considering how silly this may sound to a non-Catholic, I casually mentioned this to my colleagues waiting for lecture to start one morning. Perhaps I added a bit of enthusiasm, I don't know, but I will never forget uttering the sentence that began with: "The Bishop says...". And they didn't allow me to forget it either.

Till the end of the semester, the response to anything I said would always begin with: "Don't worry, the Bishop says it's okay" (or something to that effect). ... It's fine, they weren't really mocking my religion (my Hindu buddies would never do that). Honestly, I thought it was pretty funny too, even though it got on my nerves sometimes.

Anyways, while many surrender their attention to a pint of Killian's, wearing green or perhaps kissing the Blarney Stone - on St. Patrick's Day I am left to ponder what the Bishop might say.

The Joy of Vacuuming

Mauriat — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:35:36 -0500

My brother bought a Dyson DC24 off of Amazon for my parents as a Christmas present last year. My initial thought was "Did they need another vacuum cleaner?". Then when my dad assembled it, I was a little taken aback. The thing is tiny and looks almost like a toy. It seems a little flimsy and even a little mechanically quirky. And the dirt tray is so small you would have to empty it frequently. When I looked up the item on Amazon, I was a little shocked how much the thing costs.

I assumed it might eventually get shoved into some closet given how gadgets accumulate. That is until I heard stories. ... Apparently my dad uses it all the time. In odd places and at unusual times he would be found vacuuming or cleaning up. What didn't occur to me is that since it is so light, relatively quiet and so incredibly easy to use, the job of vacuuming became less like a chore. Even though you might empty the dirt frequently, its still so simple that it doesn't interfere with your task.

I have a Dirt Devil with a 12 amp ~~jet engine~~ motor that is so loud and difficult to move around, that just the thought of using that thing gives me palpitations. So I might not vacuum as regularly as I should - at the cost of my health! I think the dust bunnies are getting ready to unionize.

Anytime you have a burdensome repetitive job that must be completed, you need to stop and look at your methodology, and in this case: your tools. When I think about my daily tasks, I am aware of the tools I lack, which on my part is just laziness. (I'll fix this over time) When I think about the deficiency in tools for my day-job, it's downright depressing! (A story for another day) ... How much is my time worth? Or my peace of mind? or arm strain?

Don't go out and buy yourself an expensive lightweight vacuum cleaner (like I most likely will). But do take the time to examine how much self-inflicted torture you endure every day just because you might think you're saving yourself a few dollars. Trust me, you're really not.

Thoughts to ponder for anyone - especially those who might call themselves an engineer. (Hope you had a Happy Engineers Week).

A Modest Look Back Over 2009

Mauriat — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 18:27:47 -0500

Happy New Year! I started writing this yesterday, but didn't get a chance to publish.

This last year was quite an revolutionary year. Lots of up's and down's, hello's and goodbye's and some serious shakeups in the workplace. I want to list some of notable points about the last year. There is really no major order, anything and everything that came to mind I added.

Some of the positive things...

Had 4 memorable fun trips this year.
High point: U2: 360
Best CD I purchased: Coldplay: Prospekt's March off Amazon (actually 2 CD's)
Best DVD I purchased: The Departed off Ebay (I'm cheap)
Smartest purchase: some running shoes
Musical talent I found most fascinating in 2009: Lady Gaga (yes, I admit it)
Best 2009 Movie I saw: Up from Pixar (so sad, but yet so sweet)
The "family" grew not once, but twice
Someone I thought for sure would never get hitched actually tied the knot - there is hope after all
Old friends: 1 engagement announcement, 1 baby on the way announcement and 1 yes!-i'm-finally-a-daddy SMS!
I took the time to really learn something about investing
I finally tried Netflix, I feel stupid for waiting so long - and they have so many bollywood/hindi flicks
Along the lines of Netflix, also came to enjoy Redbox - how can you beat $1/day rentals?
I got Windows 7 Ultimate for free, and I hate to admit I really like it
Coolest gadget I should have bought much earlier: Playstation 3, so many things you can do with this thing
I DID NOT get laid off from my job

And some of lower points...

Sad farewell to my Uncle
Missed a chance to visit China (major bummer)
Realized I need to be more careful on my diet and lifestyle ... the gut is here
Lots of disappointing movies in 2009
- Terminator: Salvation - had such a b-movie feel to it
- The Hangover - previews were much better
- Star Trek - Star Trek should not be sexy!
Not many good places to eat outside of the new office location
Most annoying personality of the year: Glenn Beck
Many friendly intelligent colleagues disappeared from the workplace, hope they learned something
I DID NOT get laid off from my job (there's a flip-side to everything)

Of course there are many things that I can't quite categorize. I had a few personal epiphanies (many go beyond the scope of this blog).

I realized in the past that I have been quite the luddite. I can't beleive how often I have resisted change.
I realized I have no concrete goals. (That's probably the nicest way to put it)
I don't really know anything about investing. Years of reading still seem like you're missing something.
Deadlines really do make the world go round.

And about this new decade that begins with 2010, I have some hopes and fears. Sadly, they start with health care. America you really messed up. When HR says things like "consumer driven options" it is code for "you are screwed". I can deal with that since I am relatively healthy and not in any position that something will bankrupt me, but others? I'm not so sure. ... And will the movie and music industries get a hint already: adapt or the torrents will destroy you! ... Netflix, Redbox and on-demand streaming: maybe cable TV is no longer necessary? ... And the real gem for this coming year: more Android phones! (even though Google is beginning to scare me).

And in conclusion, I did actually pick one real resolution: I resolve to stay single for 2010. Tougher than I originally thought...

Happy New Year

An Avatar For My Credit Card

Mauriat — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 21:33:43 -0500

A few days before Christmas I decided to watch Avatar with my brothers. I don't visit theaters often, so I thought it would be fun to watch it in IMAX 3D (based on great past experience). Considering it was the holiday season with more crowds the box office, I opted to purchase tickets online for a reserved seating show (a first for me). For security, I used a temporary credit card number (like I always do) and printed my confirmation/receipt and went to the theater a few hours later. I didn't think much of it.

At the Showcase Cinemas I waited in line to get my physical tickets and was told that they could not give them to me unless I had the actual credit card with me. So, like any place, I had to talk to the manager. He politely informed me that my confirmation number is inadequate (useless) and he "can't release the tickets from the system". He could not even cancel the seats which were already paid and re-issue them. The system does not provide for that feature. Before he let us pass and get our seats, he asked me to call back later and provide the credit card number. Apparently, that is the only way the theater can actually get paid for the tickets that technically movietickets.com sold me. I agreed and saw the movie.

About the movie, quick synopsis: Attractive blue monkey-tigers in a computer generated paradise world who mind meld their appendages with nature have to fight off stereo-typical technologically advanced civilized people-soldier-strip-miners with the help of a crippled former soldier psychically connected to an artificial monkey-man hybrid which is known as an Avatar. Basically the plot of Furngully: The Last Rainforest redone by the guy who did Terminator 2 and Titanic (with the stuffings). Really good stuff really, however unoriginal. The animation was gorgeous. The only let down was the IMAX 3D did not even come close to exploiting its full potential. Fun and exciting movie nonetheless.

The great irony for me: the movie's theme was clearly anti-technology. I think the blue monkey's mother deity glow stick willow tree was trying to tell me something: pay in cash you moron. I got the message.

When I got back to my computer, I debated whether I should call back. Economically the theater chain should take a hit and fix their broken system they have with their sales and marketing partners. Why should I be punished for being responsible for my online security? But alas, its Christmas dontchaknow, so I called back with the number. On the receiving line the clerk basically said people forget their cards all the time. So no major worry for me. Hmmm.

The moral of the story is: you can't trust the system.

Thanksgiving 2009

Mauriat — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 14:13:43 -0500

This Thanksgiving was really unlike any previous that I can really remember. To start, very few guests actually came. While the house was full for Thursday night dinner, no one actually stayed over. Considering this year's events (2 weddings and a funeral), it was not much of a surprise. I just did not intend to be graced with an abundance of free time.

With that there were quite a few "firsts" this year. My parents broke tradition and actually decided to cook a turkey. I cannot remember a turkey in our house for maybe 20 years? (Yes, for you non-believers there was a picture taken!) While I'm not a big turkey fan, the guests loved it. But I cannot figure out why the drum-sticks were left-over?

Nothing to do with the turkey, but this year I really did not overeat. While I'm not saying I typically engage in binge overeating, usually 2nd's and sometimes 3rd's are pretty common. But not this year. I think I was seriously considering my weight, not that its a major concern ... yet.

And while weight watching, I thought that drinking fewer hard drinks instead of a lot of beer would be better for the gut. Not sure that's logically sound, but I really did not drink that much, although I did have one incident. I've never had a whiskey hangover before and I really hope I never have one again.

Another pleasant surprise, I actually got up on "Black Friday" and did some shopping. It has probably been at least 10 years since I did. I don't care for the crowds, but a co-worker told me last Tuesday that he likes to just walk around at his own pace and just see what's left. So I did the same. I decided that if by chance I woke up before 12 (and I did), then I would just drive around to see what I would find. I went with absolutely zero expectations. Surprisingly I got much more than I expected. I was most happy to get a new jacket. I had been passively looking for a while, but the Friday deal was unbeatable.

I did take some of my free time to put up the Christmas tree early. My brother's new LED outdoor lights are really bright and aren't supposed to burn out for like a hundred years (give or take a decade). I also by chance found my old penny collection that I seemed to have lost in 1995 (that's the last penny in there).

Pretty relaxing holiday for me.

U2 360 Tour: Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, California

Mauriat — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:20:23 -0500

As I previously mentioned, I had a rocking good time at the U2 concert in Pasadena. I trekked all the way across the country because the 360 Tour was not coming to Michigan like they did in 2005. For those who were not as fortunate, the whole concert was performed live on Youtube (an internet first!). ... Anyways, when the dates were announced in April, I made the commitment to come out to California. Since I took floor ("non-seat") tickets in 2005, I thought it would be just too exhausting to repeat that. My brother and I ended up getting tickets in the second level, the view was not as good as we had hoped, but there were plenty of much worse spots. I can't believe how much those seats cost.

We were lucky enough to have a friend arrange parking at a private residence. It was a brisk 5 minute walk to the stadium which was incredibly alive and unbelievably crowded. I think there were supposed to be over 95 thousand people in attendance! After trying to find another friend, we gave up looking and went to our seats. ... About 30 min before the opening act, you could see the stage crew still getting things set up. For anyone who has not seen pictures of the 360 stage, you really have to be there to appreciate the complexity. The stage is underneath 4 giant arms (or legs) that hold up a light tower and a completely circular display screen. The whole thing has been aptly named "the claw". I can't imagine how many people have to work to assemble and dismantle it for each show. Even with the obscene ticket prices, I read that the tour is not making much profit with such a setup.

Sometime after 7, even though the stadium still had not filled up, the opening by the Black Eyed Peas began. I personally don't think the hip hop group really meshes with the U2 demographic, but they were pretty fun to watch. I think the Peas were okay, but what really made it memorable was a surprise appearance by Slash. They played Sweet Child o' Mine (the old GNR hit) before wrapping up.

During the intermission, my brother went to grab some food while I remained seated. I had the horrible experience of having the nearly drunk lady behind me spill her cup of beer all over my right shoulder, arm and camera. This really put me in a bad mood...

When U2 finally showed up, I noticed the entire stadium was absolutely packed to the brim. The band members made a slow walking entrance (as opposed to just appearing on the stage like they did in '05). They started out with 3 songs of their latest album (No Line On The Horizon). To be honest I didn't know most of the lyrics to those songs so I couldn't sing along. It wasn't until they started "Mysterious Ways" that I got of out of my beer-spilled-dont-know-lyrics funk and was truly able to enjoy myself!

I feel like they did a great job with a selection of the older music. There were all the popular "Joshua Tree" and "Achtung Baby" classics. I was surprised to hear the 1984 song "The Unforgettable Fire" and it was really cool to actually see so many fans who actually knew the words to that. There was however one major downer to the music, and this may just be my opinion, but it really sounded as if Bono's voice was really strained during a lot of the songs. I felt as if during some songs, he struggled to keep up with the audience. And at times, it seemed as if he was just speaking the lyrics instead of actually singing. A letdown for me: when performing "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight" off of the new album it sounded nothing like it does in the Blackberry Loves U2 commercial. I was really looking forward to that, instead they opted to use conga drums and make it sound weird. Even the 2005 opener and crowd-pleaser "City of Blinding Lights" sounded a bit off to me. Ahh well, it was still satisfying hearing it live.

As for the mix in politics, there was nothing new there. After the usual recognition of Aung San Suu Kyi, they added a special mention to the 2009 Iranian protests. I'm sure some other important people said some really important things on the big screen, but I might not have been paying that much attention.

Outside of the music and politics, the stage setup was really cool. The circular display screen was actually made up of hundreds of smaller pieces. The pieces themselves could move with the screen to make it stretch the whole height (quite spectacular). At times the screen descended completely at the base hiding the band. It was a gradual motion making it blend so smoothly with the performances. The lights and color were impressive entirely on their own.

Like I said previously the whole event was quite over the top. Lots of visual feedback that never got boring. I chose to be in the stands instead of the floor. And looking around me during the whole concert, I was disheartened to see so many people near me, not even standing or clapping or moving in any way during some of the most spirited songs. They appeared almost bored. And when I looked at the sea of people on the main floor, I could see their energy alive with the music. I'm disappointed I didn't experience that in the stands. My brother suggested next time we get on the floor, while I'm not sure I could do that again, I do envy the enthusiasm present in the heart of the stadium. No big deal.

The band wrapped up with the moving last number "Moment of Surrender". It felt a lot shorter than I expected and we left the stadium without much trouble. I really was looking at the t-shirts but I couldn't bring myself to spend the $40 (they were only $35 in 2005). As we were leaving some t-shirt peddler offered us shirts for $20, and we haggled it down to $15. Impressed we tried again this time for $10 but he refused. Good thing too, it turned out the shirt was xxx-small. Stupid me. It doesn't really matter though. I'll keep it as a souvenir for a crazy night of ups and downs.

I know I was really rambling with this post - there was just too much to explain. Its been over a week and I just wanted to try to capture as much as I could. In retrospect after all the money, travel and spilled beer, I had a great time. And even after just hearing the 360 tour will in fact come to Michigan in 2010, I have no regrets. It was worth it. Every moment.

California 2009

Mauriat — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 21:47:11 -0400

I got back from my trip to California last night. As previously noted I was intending to relax a bit but that never really happened. For better or worse (more of the better), I went around. A lot!. I had a different city for pretty much every day. And I really don't know what I was expecting, but the traffic and driving were too much for me. Although, I was doing much more traveling on account that I was a tourist.

I had a relatively painless flight into I flew into LAX Thursday night and right off the bat, I could see why people dread that airport. Too much traffic, crowds, commotion, police - enough to make you want to avoid it. It took well over an hour and half to get to where I was staying in Orange County with my brother.

I was on the beach Friday and later drove out to the Santa Monica Pier to watch a Cirque Du Soleil show: Kooza. It was pretty entertaining. I will have to write a more in depth review of this in the days to come.

Saturday we spent the day in San Diego. We watched the UofM vs Penn State game at the Pacific Beach Bar & Grill where apparently there is a significant number of Michigan fans. I met up with some college friends and we did some site seeing in San Diego. What a gorgeous city! The view from the top at Cabrillo National Monument overlooking the San Diego Bay was magnificent. You could see all the way to Tijuana (no I did not visit there). Lots more to do there. Sadly I did not plan enough time. Perhaps next trip?

Sunday after church, we drove up to Pasadena. I made a quick side trip to El Monte to visit someone, but eventually we reached our destination: Rose Bowl Stadium to see U2 perform. This will definitely require an additional post. Despite some drunk-thinks-she's-hot girl accidentally pouring beer all over me, I still did manage to enjoy the performance. The U2 360 Tour was just over the top, but an 100% unforgettable experience! We were lucky enough to have someone arrange free parking for us, but unlucky enough to get lost on the way back.

Monday, after a late night, we once again drove back into the mess. This time to Universal Studios Hollywood. I think this may be my first trip to a Theme Park as opposed to a general amusement park. It was really fun, with extra praise for The Simpson's Ride (did it twice!) and The Mummy Ride. Unfortunately the Terminator 3-D attraction was closed down, which was a major let down. Otherwise the park was pretty fun. I think we picked a great day to go as we never waited more than 20 minutes for anything. The people who paid double the general admission price were foolish, there is no way they got their money's worth! We had dinner at the park and I split up to catch up with a friend. We did some cruising through the nicer nearby areas. By that night I noticed my voice had pretty much given out. Probably the screaming..err..singing at the concert.

Tuesday I had lunch in Anaheim. Nothing special, just a place to relax halfway between LA and Laguna Beach. Spent the evening not doing anything special. Watched some DVD's, had some drinks and told some silly old stories. Sometimes the craziness gets a little too crazy with siblings, but all in all enjoyable.

Wednesday I flew back. I wouldn't mention the flight, but the damnedest thing happened. We encountered some unusual turbulence. Apparently somewhere near Colorado, we hit some "mountain wind" which caused the plane to instantaneously drop 500 ft in altitude. It was quite shocking and in truth, a little exhilarating. Everything flew 2-3 feet straight up (including un-belted passengers). I wasn't really scared considering I was buckled down, but the attendants were yelling at everyone to sit down. The real mess was that the passenger next to me had a full glass of wine that also flew up 2 feet and hit me in the stomach, crotch and right leg. It was a mess. I endured over 2 hours smelling like wine sitting in a wet seat. He felt terrible, but I figured it wasn't the worst thing, his wife's wine covered the seat and lady's hair sitting in front of her.

But besides that, I think I was really happy with my time spent in "Cali". I think my brother and I were a bit too ambitious when planning considering we intended to do much more with less time. Even so, I am quite impressed how much we were able to enjoy. This was a first for me visiting where everyone had their S.O. with them. Everyone was a good host (and hostess) to me, considering how thoroughly irritating I can be (was ... am ... will be).

Lots of fun stuff and crazy stuff. Dowsed with alcohol twice (luckily no one lit me on fire ... although some of those California girls ... ). First time doing continuous status updates on my mobile. Too much driving (almost 600 miles total!!!). Lots of talking, singing and screaming. For the people who were making the pitch I should consider relocating ... well, all I can say is this trip was a really compelling argument.

Much more things to say, but I fergit, ask me and I'll tell you. A review on the performances to follow...

Spending Some Time in LA

Mauriat — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 10:45:01 -0400

It has been rather stressful summer for me. Lots of ups and downs both personally and professionally.

Unsurprisingly, I survived the last round of layoffs, but in some weird way I would not have been upset had I been let go. Quite a few "alternate" scenarios played out in my head. I'm an excuse person, I need an excuse to do something and not the other way around. Losing your job would be a great excuse to take some time off and relax or do some exotic traveling (China perhaps?).

Anyways I landed in LA last night. Going to spend some time with my brother and some friends. Would have posted this last night but couldn't figure out airport WiFi. As always I have an excuse for this trip too, there's a band playing that I couldn't see in Detroit. Thought this would be fun.

Everybody needs a "reset" once in a while. Hopefully when I get back I will feel like I'm back at "zero" and not stuck in the red, like the whole world around me.

Look for some updates in the usual places ...

CNN Internet Reporting is Useless

Mauriat — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:07:10 -0400

There is a pretty popular video featuring a staged wedding intro dance at a church in Minnesota. When I saw the video a week ago I think the view count was somewhere near the million mark(?) and as of today it is has passed 13 million views! Almost every news outlet has picked up the story considering the story is quite simple: a fun dance at a wedding featured on Youtube.

I saw this CNN link about the video via the blogosphere. From the article (emphasise mine):

"The joyous video of the group busting their loosely choreographed moves down the aisle went viral after the newlyweds posted it on YouTube."

The only problem is that the link to the Youtube video is not anywhere on the page from CNN. Don't you think it would be nice? The internet as a medium is meaningless without linking to content. This isn't a newspaper. Obviously the first thing any reader will want to do is see the video.

It seems incredibly out of date to report news about a website, a post or internet sensation without actually linking to it. I agree there are many things I don't want to see (violent images for example), but reporting on anything that is "viral" is naturally going to increase its popularity. Unfortunately this issue is not limited to funny videos. There are plenty of useful websites that news sites like CNN discuss at lengths (Wikipedia anyone?) but intentionally refuse to provide any links. In the least, it makes sense to place a link to the content at the end of the article so people can see it after reading (MSBNC for example). The effect of sites like CNN will make me completely disregard the news piece and just google for it myself.

No, I don't really visit CNN anymore. When they figure out how to use the internet, someone please let me know.

A False Sense of Privacy

Mauriat — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 21:58:44 -0400

And the cycle is complete... Today Mozilla released version 3.5 of their popular Firefox web browser. The browser came with a exclusive Private Browsing mode which by their own words claims: "won't leave a single browsing fingerprint behind for others to discover". As silly as that statement is, Firefox is actually the 3rd browser to ship with such a feature. Chrome by Google (ironically Mozilla's primary "benefactor") introduced "Incognito Mode" last year, and even Microsoft's IE8 beat Mozilla with "InPrivate Browsing" in it's release several month's ago. (Opera I love you too, but you don't have this feature ... yet)

All this privacy feature does is prevent the client (that's you!) from recording basic web history, cookie data or cached versions of web pages (included images). Many were quick to point out that this would be ideal for browsing those "mature" websites that you wouldn't want others to know about. First of all, private or not, there are usually at least 3 entities that can see what you're doing: you, your ISP, and the site you are visiting. I won't even try to bother to figure out if it is forensically impossible to detect anything you did while "privately browsing" (anybody know?).

Even with all that in mind, if your browser does not record your activity there are no rules about what your plugins record. Might those "mature" websites use video? Well surprise: Adobe Flash (which practically powers 99% of the video on the web) does in fact leave little tidbits of webby goodness somewhere deep in your personal computer profiles. Lets not forget an occasional Java applet? And I have no idea how what else people allow their browsers to load and run these days (ActiveX I hate you).

Anyways, I honestly don't think that browsing the web has become any more or less private with all these new releases of software. I just hope people don't get the wrong idea and get themselves into bizarre situations assuming their computer is doing something its not (or vice versa).

But hey, don't let this (possible) shortcoming detract from the many new features that the big browsers have been putting out. Great stuff to see, check it out - in "private" if you want.