We are a few days from Christmas and I wonder if I have enough gifts for my wife and children. This is a common occurrence for me and I imagine it is for others as well. If you ask my wallet, I probably over spent. If you ask my kids, they probably want more.
Yesterday I picked up one or two more gifts for my youngest son. He has been out of the country the past 2 Christmases and we really didn't send him much. Putting extra money in his bank account seemed much easier as we didn't have to worry about shipping costs nor everything arriving in the package. So this year I have kind of tried to make up for a lack of gifts in the previous years. My wife isn't happy about that at all. Oh well.
One thing I do when I am worried if I have selected enough gifts for everyone is to pull out a simple spreadsheet. I use the rows to list everyone's name and then I list out the gifts I know they are getting. I do this with my wife and so we use fake names for the gifts we are giving each other. It quickly becomes apparent if we have favored one child or another. If one child seems neglected compared to the others, my wife and I make a purchase or two. If someone seems more favored than the others, we hold a gift for a birthday or other event unless it is easily returnable.
In the case of my youngest son, he is sort of getting a large package of gifts that are all related. Unfortunately they all go together and leaving one out is kind of like giving him a car without tires or wheels. Sure he has a great gift but then has to spend his own money to complete the package. That doesn't seem fair and so I hope the other kids forgive me. I think they will as they have each spent several Christmases away from home and enjoyed the extra gifts upon return. We will see.
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Tuesday, December 20, 2016
Video Game Review: No Man's Sky
This is going to be a bit of a different video game review in that I have never played No Man's Sky. My youngest son has been monopolizing one of my PS4's and playing the game non-stop. In other words, he has been playing it so much, I haven't had the chance. I did sit down for several hours to watch him play and so this will be a "sideline" review.
No Man's Sky was developed by a relatively small indie team at Hello Games but feels like a gigantic game. That is because they used a computer to do most of the work. The computer has a large number of variables and randomly generates worlds. Some are green and full of vegetation while others are radioactive and make survival tough. If you have ever wanted to be a space explorer then this is your game.
There are a number of negative reviews surrounding the game because often times it feels like you do the same thing over and over. You fly to a new planet, collect resources, discover you don't have space for everything, throw out the junk, develop technology, and head to other worlds. Sometimes there are space pirates that try to blow you up. Other times you run out of gas and have to mine asteroids to get enough fuel to propel you to a new planet.
Unfortunately I missed the first few hours my son spent playing the game and so I am not sure what he is doing with the various menu screens a lot of the time. However I have enjoyed watching him play and he really enjoys using the game as a way to relax after having finished his college finals this semester.
No Man's Sky is one of those games that you can enjoy for weeks or months. It is almost infinite and that is what scares me about it. I don't have an unlimited amount of time to spend on a game and so I'm not sure I want to start playing it. If you are someone that plays a game until you get tired of it and then don't mind setting it down, then I highly recommend it for you. I also recommend it to anyone who has wanted to be an intergalactic explorer and enjoys discovering new species of animals.
No Man's Sky has an ESRB rating of T for Teen due to a bit of fantasy violence. As mentioned there are space pirates that try to blow you up as well as new animals you discover that may try to eat you. I hate being something's lunch.
No Man's Sky was developed by a relatively small indie team at Hello Games but feels like a gigantic game. That is because they used a computer to do most of the work. The computer has a large number of variables and randomly generates worlds. Some are green and full of vegetation while others are radioactive and make survival tough. If you have ever wanted to be a space explorer then this is your game.
There are a number of negative reviews surrounding the game because often times it feels like you do the same thing over and over. You fly to a new planet, collect resources, discover you don't have space for everything, throw out the junk, develop technology, and head to other worlds. Sometimes there are space pirates that try to blow you up. Other times you run out of gas and have to mine asteroids to get enough fuel to propel you to a new planet.
Unfortunately I missed the first few hours my son spent playing the game and so I am not sure what he is doing with the various menu screens a lot of the time. However I have enjoyed watching him play and he really enjoys using the game as a way to relax after having finished his college finals this semester.
No Man's Sky is one of those games that you can enjoy for weeks or months. It is almost infinite and that is what scares me about it. I don't have an unlimited amount of time to spend on a game and so I'm not sure I want to start playing it. If you are someone that plays a game until you get tired of it and then don't mind setting it down, then I highly recommend it for you. I also recommend it to anyone who has wanted to be an intergalactic explorer and enjoys discovering new species of animals.
No Man's Sky has an ESRB rating of T for Teen due to a bit of fantasy violence. As mentioned there are space pirates that try to blow you up as well as new animals you discover that may try to eat you. I hate being something's lunch.
Monday, December 19, 2016
My Sons and Video Games
Normally I like to hang out and play video games during the Christmas break. I have 2 PlayStation 4's and so I didn't think I would have to worry about getting time on a console to play video games. This afternoon my youngest son wanted to play Uncharted 4 on the PS4 in my bedroom. My oldest son thought that looked like fun and so he went down to the TV room and played Uncharted 3. When I realized I couldn't play, I went to tune my skis in the basement.
At the start of the break I thought about bringing my 3rd PS4 back to Utah from my boat. Then my two sons and I could play games all at the same time. I didn't think it would be a problem but now I can see that bringing it home may have been the smart move.
At the start of the break I thought about bringing my 3rd PS4 back to Utah from my boat. Then my two sons and I could play games all at the same time. I didn't think it would be a problem but now I can see that bringing it home may have been the smart move.
Friday, December 16, 2016
Lightning Protection
When I am home in Utah during the winter, I like to start out each morning with a quick trip to the ski resort for some early exercise. It is only 15 minutes away and is a great way to start the day. Today I happened to be there during a nice snowstorm. As sometimes happens, today's storm included thunder and lightning. The ski area stopped loading new passengers, got everyone off the lifts, and closed until 30 minutes after the last lightning. I didn't have time to wait around and had gotten my exercise for the day, so I headed home to go to work.
This got me thinking about lightning and how to protect your electronics during a lightning storm. For the most part, the chances of having your home struck by lightning are fairly small. I do take several precautions with my own equipment that you might find useful.
This got me thinking about lightning and how to protect your electronics during a lightning storm. For the most part, the chances of having your home struck by lightning are fairly small. I do take several precautions with my own equipment that you might find useful.
- Turn off all of my computers.
- If it is a big storm and I am really concerned I will go so far as to unplug all of my expensive electrical equipment.
- Unplug all network cables from my computers.
- If I am on my sailboat with a giant lightning rod sticking out of the top of the boat (it is normally called a mast), I will put all of the electronics in the oven which does an excellent job of protecting everything
Thursday, December 15, 2016
True Customer Service
I flew back to Utah late last night and didn't get to bed until about 1:00 am. Then I woke up at 7:00 am this morning so I could take a car into the shop to have some warranty work completed. My daughter is the one that drives the car and tried to get it fixed last week only to be given the runaround. I went in today and expressed some displeasure at how they treated her. I got a free rental car and headed back home so I could do my morning exercise routine.
The dealership had a nice service where two guys noticed a crack in the windshield. While I filled out paperwork for the warranty service, they filled the crack and charged my insurance. When I arrived back home, I received a nice call from my insurance company asking for a few particulars related to the rock-chip repair. Halfway through the conversation I realized I was having an actual conversation with someone in the United States. Compare that with some call centers located in other countries. Sometimes I can barely understand the people on the other end because of thick accents. The lady from my insurance company told me about how her son had borrowed her car while his got fixed. This is something my daughter had been doing but my car didn't suffer as this lady's had. I had to admit that the conversation went well and I didn't feel inconvenienced by the call.
Last month I wrote about working from home and how call centers are a great industry where people should be allowed to work from home. I hope that my insurance company allows the lady from my call this morning to do so. I'm not going to complain if they don't as I am glad I got to talk to a live person with no foreign accent. Considering I started the day with only 6 hours of sleep, I'm not sure I would have had such a pleasant experience otherwise.
The dealership had a nice service where two guys noticed a crack in the windshield. While I filled out paperwork for the warranty service, they filled the crack and charged my insurance. When I arrived back home, I received a nice call from my insurance company asking for a few particulars related to the rock-chip repair. Halfway through the conversation I realized I was having an actual conversation with someone in the United States. Compare that with some call centers located in other countries. Sometimes I can barely understand the people on the other end because of thick accents. The lady from my insurance company told me about how her son had borrowed her car while his got fixed. This is something my daughter had been doing but my car didn't suffer as this lady's had. I had to admit that the conversation went well and I didn't feel inconvenienced by the call.
Last month I wrote about working from home and how call centers are a great industry where people should be allowed to work from home. I hope that my insurance company allows the lady from my call this morning to do so. I'm not going to complain if they don't as I am glad I got to talk to a live person with no foreign accent. Considering I started the day with only 6 hours of sleep, I'm not sure I would have had such a pleasant experience otherwise.
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
Technology Innovation
This morning I met with the head of development for a large technology organization and we talked about some of the latest trends in software development. I work in a research and development group and so my team constantly looks at emerging products and how they can best be used to solve problems. The person I met with came with questions about how his organization can leverage some of these new tools to increase efficiencies and streamline software development.
I find it interesting that I found myself championing technology innovation. I am one of those people that resists change and that is one of the problems with the staff of the organization I met with. Software developers get comfortable with the tools and languages they know. The longer someone uses a technology, the more they resist moving to something else. While Java is a great software programming language, there are problems that can be solved quicker and with less effort simply by choosing Python or Erlang.
I have had to force myself to constantly ask if there is a better way of doing something. A simple example is when I had to cut up some old rags this past weekend. I had a dull pair of scissors and a large pile of rags to cut into smaller sizes. At first I tried to make a quick snip with the scissors and then rip the fabric. Things sped up when I simply just got another pair of sharp scissors. Taking 30 seconds to change my tool cut my project time in half.
Looking for a better way to do a task is not something I developed on my own. I have surrounded myself with people who are always looking for a better way of accomplishing things. I have tried to remember to ask for help but often times my coworkers volunteer better ideas for me. That takes a bit of humility but I find it also saves a lot of time. Sometimes if it wasn't for them, I would still be retyping everything instead of cutting and pasting.
I find it interesting that I found myself championing technology innovation. I am one of those people that resists change and that is one of the problems with the staff of the organization I met with. Software developers get comfortable with the tools and languages they know. The longer someone uses a technology, the more they resist moving to something else. While Java is a great software programming language, there are problems that can be solved quicker and with less effort simply by choosing Python or Erlang.
I have had to force myself to constantly ask if there is a better way of doing something. A simple example is when I had to cut up some old rags this past weekend. I had a dull pair of scissors and a large pile of rags to cut into smaller sizes. At first I tried to make a quick snip with the scissors and then rip the fabric. Things sped up when I simply just got another pair of sharp scissors. Taking 30 seconds to change my tool cut my project time in half.
Looking for a better way to do a task is not something I developed on my own. I have surrounded myself with people who are always looking for a better way of accomplishing things. I have tried to remember to ask for help but often times my coworkers volunteer better ideas for me. That takes a bit of humility but I find it also saves a lot of time. Sometimes if it wasn't for them, I would still be retyping everything instead of cutting and pasting.
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
Christmas Lights
This evening is a cold and rainy night on the boat in the Bay Area. Don't worry, I have two heaters running and so the inside of my boat is nice and comfortable. I also did something a little different with my boat this year: I added Christmas lights to the lifelines around the deck. I just stepped outside for a quick moment to get something and my colorful lights make the boat that much more warm and inviting.
I decided to do Christmas lights on the boat to help me get in the Christmas spirit. For the past several years I have felt like something has been missing from this festive season. My son and his wife came by the boat last night and both remarked about how cozy it made the boat look
Tonight is my last night on the boat and then I head back to Utah to get ready for Christmas in earnest. There I have my Christmas tree set up and the house decorated for the upcoming festivities. That means tomorrow morning I will wake up and take the Christmas lights off the boat so they don't get damaged in one of the many storms that will sweep through the marina during my absence. Removing the lights won't take very long and I have to admit that it won't seem like a chore simply because I have enjoyed having them. There are a number of other boats in the marina with Christmas lights and they have helped add to the season atmosphere. So if you find yourself missing some of the Christmas spirit, put up some lights and see if that doesn't help.
I decided to do Christmas lights on the boat to help me get in the Christmas spirit. For the past several years I have felt like something has been missing from this festive season. My son and his wife came by the boat last night and both remarked about how cozy it made the boat look
Tonight is my last night on the boat and then I head back to Utah to get ready for Christmas in earnest. There I have my Christmas tree set up and the house decorated for the upcoming festivities. That means tomorrow morning I will wake up and take the Christmas lights off the boat so they don't get damaged in one of the many storms that will sweep through the marina during my absence. Removing the lights won't take very long and I have to admit that it won't seem like a chore simply because I have enjoyed having them. There are a number of other boats in the marina with Christmas lights and they have helped add to the season atmosphere. So if you find yourself missing some of the Christmas spirit, put up some lights and see if that doesn't help.
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