It is tough watching the news each evening without wondering how to best help the country of Haiti. Sure I can donate money to relief organizations like the Red Cross, the LDS Church, or Catholic Relief Services, but my skills are worth so much more than the money I could contribute. The trick is how to get to Haiti and be a contributor instead of another drain on the already fragile infrastructure. If I was independently wealthy (which I am not), I think I could pull it off with the following:
1. Spend some time on the Internet and locate several charter sailboats for sale in the Caribbean. There are a lot of 50-foot sailboats for sale in the British Virgin Islands and it would be easy to pick one up for under $200K. Furthermore, charter sailboats are meant to sleep a lot of people and so it could serve as a floating hotel for other relief workers.
2. Fly to the BVIs with two or three other potential relief workers and buy the sailboat. Do enough of a job outfitting the boat to get you to San Juan, Puerto Rico where it is cheaper to reprovision the boat with lots of food and supplies.
3. Sail to San Juan and meet any other relief workers as well as finish getting food and relief supplies. It is important to include things like a portable Ham radio, extra diesel fuel for the boat, gasoline for the dinghy's outboard, a case of batteries (all sizes), a watermaker (used to turn salt water into fresh water), and a good nautical chart of Haiti.
4. Finish sailing to Port-au-Prince which looks to be a fairly protected harbor. Unfortunately all of the commercial piers seem to have been destroyed, making it impossible for large ships to enter. However a sailboat with a 6-foot draft could easily get in close, anchor, and be able to immediately provide relief.
The beauty of a sailboat is that it is like an instant 5-room hotel that is completely self-contained. Workers would have a comfortable place to sleep and prepare meals. Of course it might be a temptation for some of the desperate criminal element, but the anchor is easily raised so the boat can be taken off-shore nightly for safety.
Unfortunately I am not independently wealthy and so all I can do is propose a good idea. Hopefully someone else can run with it.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Electronic Magazines
I must confess that I am a bit of a pack rat, especially when it comes to magazines. Not all magazines, just the ones I read. I have no problem tossing out a computer periodical that I only skim. However, it is difficult to throw away a single skiing or sailing magazine. Who knows when I may need to go back and reference an article.
A couple of years ago, I was helping my oldest daughter build a trebuchet (sort of like a catapult) for one of her school classes. I remember reading a story in Scientific American about trebuchets and so I went looking for it. I found every other issue except the one on trebuchets. A couple weeks after the project was finished, I was cleaning out my bookshelves and found the missing magazine behind several books.
After 15 years of living in the same house and being able to justify keeping old magazines, my hoarding instinct had let me down. Instead of having a story to justify keeping old magazines, I had my eyes opened to the pointlessness of hanging onto old periodicals. I promptly threw out all of my Scientific American magazines.
Recently I started throwing out all of my old skiing magazines. Actually I give them to my kids who cut out the really cool pictures and then throw the rest away. However I still can't bring myself to throw away any of my sailing magazines. This is somewhat of a frustration to my wife. She has no problem throwing things away and will often chuck stuff that is still being used.
I can actually justify keeping my sailing magazines for two reasons: boat reviews and destination information. As an engineer, I enjoy reading boat reviews. Frequently I will see a used boat for sale and want to get more information. My old magazines provide great reference material.
Ever since I was a teenager I have wanted to sail around the world. I have done trips along the coast of California and helped bring boats back to the mainland from Hawaii. Eventually I would like to go all the way around the planet and visit many of the destinations found in my sailing magazines. That reason alone keeps me hoarding these old periodicals.
Luckily a few of the publishers of sailing magazines have made their issues available in portable document format (PDF) that I can store on my computer. I still like to recieve the paper copy so I can read it anywhere without having to rely on a computer. However when I am done with the issue, I download the PDF, store it on my computer, and recycle the paper copy. Now I just need to figure out what to do with all the space left in my bookshelves.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Computer Mistakes
This morning I was reading through one of my computer magazines. I didn't read a single article except for one. Towards the back of the magazine there is a regular column that generally has three short stories about users making various computer mistakes. At the time, I am sure the users don't think they are funny. However after a bit of time some are quite hilarious.
I think one of my favorite computer stories is about how someone called in to technical support complaining about how his computer wouldn't turn on. The support engineer asked a series of simple questions like, "Did you push the 'On' button?". When he asked if the computer was plugged in, the user responded, "I'm going to have to get a flashlight as I can't see the cord because the power is out."
Another one of my favorite stories is about how a guy called in asking to have his cup holder replaced. The support engineer didn't think they shipped cup holders with their computers and probed further. He soon discovered that the user thought the CD-ROM tray was a cup holder.
Computers have the potential to make our lives easier but they also can be incredibly frustrating. Someone once said, "To err is human, but it takes a computer to really foul things up." I would have to agree.
I think one of my favorite computer stories is about how someone called in to technical support complaining about how his computer wouldn't turn on. The support engineer asked a series of simple questions like, "Did you push the 'On' button?". When he asked if the computer was plugged in, the user responded, "I'm going to have to get a flashlight as I can't see the cord because the power is out."
Another one of my favorite stories is about how a guy called in asking to have his cup holder replaced. The support engineer didn't think they shipped cup holders with their computers and probed further. He soon discovered that the user thought the CD-ROM tray was a cup holder.
Computers have the potential to make our lives easier but they also can be incredibly frustrating. Someone once said, "To err is human, but it takes a computer to really foul things up." I would have to agree.
Friday, January 8, 2010
Golf Pencils
I missed writing yesterday because I spent my morning on the side of an ice covered mountain helping coordinate volunteers for a ski race. When I got back to my office after lunch, I had a pile of work which took priority.
Coordinating volunteers for a ski race is a fun job if you know what you are doing. I had to train new people on the basics and then talk to everyone about new rules instituted this year. Finally I had to give everyone their paperwork that needs to be filled out on the mountain. If a skier doesn't ski the course correctly, it needs to be recorded.
Standing on the side of a mountain filling out paperwork for a ski race is very enlightening. For instance, did you know that a ball-point pen doesn't work below 32 degrees Fahrenheit? The ink freezes. NASA knew that a ball-point pen wouldn't work in zero gravity and spent millions of dollars coming up with a pen that would write in space. The Russians just brought a pencil. Ski racing officials use the low-tech solution and bring a pencil, which works great in the cold.
A second discovery that every ski racing official makes is that it is very cold if you have to take your glove off to write. After half a decade of helping with races, I have learned to write with my gloves on. It is a useful skill that recently came in handy when I was playing a party game and was asked to remove some candy from a foil wrapper while wearing thick, winter gloves. The only exception to being able to write with gloves on is if you get stuck with a golf pencil.
Golf pencils are those half-pencils without erasers that you get for free. They are called golf pencils because you most often see them at golf courses and are used to keep track of your score. If you go into an office-supply store, you can buy a huge box of them for less than an order of french fries. In fact the cheapest thing in the store is a gigantic box of golf pencils.
For the record, I hate golf pencils. They are only useful once. The moment you try to sharpen one, it becomes too small to use again. There is no eraser and so if you make a mistake, you're screwed. Well, unless you are carrying an eraser in your pocket. But who carries an eraser to a ski race? Hand warmers, candy bars, and goggle scrapers, yes. Pencil eraser, no.
The whole reason for the invention of the golf pencil is based on the idea of creating a writing instrument that nobody would want to steal. If golf courses gave out nice pencils, they would never get them back. However if you are done playing a round of golf, get in your car, drive an hour down the road, and then discover that you still have your free golf pencil, you will go all the way back to the course to return it because nobody wants such a useless thing.
As the new volunteer coordinator I'm going to go buy a big box of real pencils. Full-sized ones, with erasers on the end. Then I am going to drill holes in the backs of them just below the eraser. That will allow me to run a string through the pencils so I can attach them to clipboards. If that doesn't keep the writing instruments from disappearing, then it is back to golf pencils. But only as a last resort.
Coordinating volunteers for a ski race is a fun job if you know what you are doing. I had to train new people on the basics and then talk to everyone about new rules instituted this year. Finally I had to give everyone their paperwork that needs to be filled out on the mountain. If a skier doesn't ski the course correctly, it needs to be recorded.
Standing on the side of a mountain filling out paperwork for a ski race is very enlightening. For instance, did you know that a ball-point pen doesn't work below 32 degrees Fahrenheit? The ink freezes. NASA knew that a ball-point pen wouldn't work in zero gravity and spent millions of dollars coming up with a pen that would write in space. The Russians just brought a pencil. Ski racing officials use the low-tech solution and bring a pencil, which works great in the cold.
A second discovery that every ski racing official makes is that it is very cold if you have to take your glove off to write. After half a decade of helping with races, I have learned to write with my gloves on. It is a useful skill that recently came in handy when I was playing a party game and was asked to remove some candy from a foil wrapper while wearing thick, winter gloves. The only exception to being able to write with gloves on is if you get stuck with a golf pencil.
Golf pencils are those half-pencils without erasers that you get for free. They are called golf pencils because you most often see them at golf courses and are used to keep track of your score. If you go into an office-supply store, you can buy a huge box of them for less than an order of french fries. In fact the cheapest thing in the store is a gigantic box of golf pencils.
For the record, I hate golf pencils. They are only useful once. The moment you try to sharpen one, it becomes too small to use again. There is no eraser and so if you make a mistake, you're screwed. Well, unless you are carrying an eraser in your pocket. But who carries an eraser to a ski race? Hand warmers, candy bars, and goggle scrapers, yes. Pencil eraser, no.
The whole reason for the invention of the golf pencil is based on the idea of creating a writing instrument that nobody would want to steal. If golf courses gave out nice pencils, they would never get them back. However if you are done playing a round of golf, get in your car, drive an hour down the road, and then discover that you still have your free golf pencil, you will go all the way back to the course to return it because nobody wants such a useless thing.
As the new volunteer coordinator I'm going to go buy a big box of real pencils. Full-sized ones, with erasers on the end. Then I am going to drill holes in the backs of them just below the eraser. That will allow me to run a string through the pencils so I can attach them to clipboards. If that doesn't keep the writing instruments from disappearing, then it is back to golf pencils. But only as a last resort.
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Keep in Touch
One of the benefits of the Internet is how easy it is to keep in contact with people. Some like the structure of Facebook or MySpace to post information about what they are doing. Others like to blog about their various activities. My preferred method of keeping in contact is with e-mail.
One benefit of the new year is that it serves as a reminder to set resolutions for self-improvement. For me, it also serves as a time to reach out and send a note to all of my friends that I haven't talked to in a while. I don't do a mass e-mail to everyone in my address book as I have been exchanging e-mail with some friends quite recently. Instead I go through and find friends that I may have forgotten about.
Yesterday I sent an e-mail to an old friend from Oracle. He lives in the Bay Area but has a second home in Park City that he uses for frequent ski trips. I noticed that I will be in Park City at the end of the month and wanted to see if he was around so we could take a few runs together. I dropped him a note and immediately received a response. It was nice to connect again.
Earlier in the week, I sent out an e-mail to an old work associate. Yesterday afternoon he gave me a call thanking me for the message. We talked for a bit and it was good to catch up. There may even be some business opportunities that would allow us to work together again.
I know that everyone sends the usual Christmas cards around this time of year. That doesn't mean you are done though. Take some time and drop a note to someone you haven't talked to recently. After all, e-mail costs the same whether you send one message or a thousand.
One benefit of the new year is that it serves as a reminder to set resolutions for self-improvement. For me, it also serves as a time to reach out and send a note to all of my friends that I haven't talked to in a while. I don't do a mass e-mail to everyone in my address book as I have been exchanging e-mail with some friends quite recently. Instead I go through and find friends that I may have forgotten about.
Yesterday I sent an e-mail to an old friend from Oracle. He lives in the Bay Area but has a second home in Park City that he uses for frequent ski trips. I noticed that I will be in Park City at the end of the month and wanted to see if he was around so we could take a few runs together. I dropped him a note and immediately received a response. It was nice to connect again.
Earlier in the week, I sent out an e-mail to an old work associate. Yesterday afternoon he gave me a call thanking me for the message. We talked for a bit and it was good to catch up. There may even be some business opportunities that would allow us to work together again.
I know that everyone sends the usual Christmas cards around this time of year. That doesn't mean you are done though. Take some time and drop a note to someone you haven't talked to recently. After all, e-mail costs the same whether you send one message or a thousand.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Free Ski Passes
Recently I was given the task of managing volunteers for ski races at Snowbird. I got the job because I am on the ski team's board of directors. This used to be done by another volunteer but we have recently implemented an online system that requires certain computer skills. I am more than happy to help out.
Unfortunately skiing is one of those expensive sports that gets more so each year. Recently I was at Park City and they wanted $86 for one day. You can buy a lot of pizzas for $86.
When my kids started racing, I discovered a little trick to help keep the costs of skiing under control: volunteer to help at ski races. When you volunteer, you get a free pass for the day. Then at the end of the day, you get either one or two more. When I help with races at Park City, I get one, while Snowbird gives two. The only downside is that your presence is generally required all day long and so you don't get much of a chance to ski that first day. Oh and standing on the side of a mountain in the freezing cold is not the best way to spend your weekend. However it is for a good cause.
The nice thing about our website is that you can see what slots are available before you sign up. For instance, my oldest daughter likes to do the scoreboard. Basically she listens to the announcer and writes down the time for each racer's run. That allows parents and spectators to see how each of the racers is doing. It is an easy job but very important.
My hope is that other mountains will follow our example. Then when my kids have a race in Jackson Hole or Snowbasin, I can volunteer my services for a nice cushy job and get out of having to pay for expensive lift tickets.
Unfortunately skiing is one of those expensive sports that gets more so each year. Recently I was at Park City and they wanted $86 for one day. You can buy a lot of pizzas for $86.
When my kids started racing, I discovered a little trick to help keep the costs of skiing under control: volunteer to help at ski races. When you volunteer, you get a free pass for the day. Then at the end of the day, you get either one or two more. When I help with races at Park City, I get one, while Snowbird gives two. The only downside is that your presence is generally required all day long and so you don't get much of a chance to ski that first day. Oh and standing on the side of a mountain in the freezing cold is not the best way to spend your weekend. However it is for a good cause.
The nice thing about our website is that you can see what slots are available before you sign up. For instance, my oldest daughter likes to do the scoreboard. Basically she listens to the announcer and writes down the time for each racer's run. That allows parents and spectators to see how each of the racers is doing. It is an easy job but very important.
My hope is that other mountains will follow our example. Then when my kids have a race in Jackson Hole or Snowbasin, I can volunteer my services for a nice cushy job and get out of having to pay for expensive lift tickets.
Monday, January 4, 2010
A New Year
Christmas has been cleaned up and the new year has come. Now it is time to think about how to make this one better than the last. Perhaps it might help if I take a quick look back at 2009 and see how I grew, if at all. Then I can set goals to make the coming year better.
2009 can best be described as the year that I spent working on my kiosk project. The software is done and now my partners and I are waiting for a large company to buy it and increase the number of users. The software is already in limited production and so we know it works. We would just like to see it work for more people.
2009 was also the year I spent preparing for a two-week backpacking trip at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. My oldest son and I spent countless hours doing practice hikes to help prepare for this adventure in the wilderness. Unfortunately it had the nasty consequence of burning down several money making opportunities. I don't regret my decision to spend quality time with my seventeen-year-old son, but my hope is that 2010 will be the year that helps me fully recover. I have some interesting prospects already and the year is only four days old.
2009 was the year I finally broke down and started to blog (as evidenced by this entry). I had been thinking about the idea for years but never done it. Then I read an important piece of e-mail that served as the catalyst to go through the simple process of setting up a blog. Now I just need to keep it up.
In the back of my mind I have been tossing around some resolutions or goals for the new year. There are certain parts of my life that are practically perfect and I don't want to change those. For instance, I get more than enough skiing in every year and so I don't need to set any goals about how many days I will ski this year nor do I need to have a goal about visiting new resorts.
While some parts of my life are perfect, others are not. I recently worked on a one-day project involving the C programing language and discovered that some of my skills have atrophied. Maybe I need to pull out The C Programming Language by Kernighan and Ritchie to help brush up on some fundamentals. Or maybe I need to find a good web-based tutorial on threaded programming and convert some of my projects to use threads (threads can make programs faster and smaller when done correctly).
Perhaps 2010 is the year I break down and try something completely new. I might try to learn a new computer language like Ruby, which seems to be gaining more mainstream acceptance. OK, that is not completely new as I already know several computer languages and one more really isn't that different. Istead I might try learning a language like Russian, Portuguese, or Chineese.
I'm not sure how 2010 will turn out but I do know that it has a lot of potential. All I need to do is keep moving in a forward direction and not let myself fall into a routine that halts any progress. May this new year be a great one for all of us.
2009 can best be described as the year that I spent working on my kiosk project. The software is done and now my partners and I are waiting for a large company to buy it and increase the number of users. The software is already in limited production and so we know it works. We would just like to see it work for more people.
2009 was also the year I spent preparing for a two-week backpacking trip at Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. My oldest son and I spent countless hours doing practice hikes to help prepare for this adventure in the wilderness. Unfortunately it had the nasty consequence of burning down several money making opportunities. I don't regret my decision to spend quality time with my seventeen-year-old son, but my hope is that 2010 will be the year that helps me fully recover. I have some interesting prospects already and the year is only four days old.
2009 was the year I finally broke down and started to blog (as evidenced by this entry). I had been thinking about the idea for years but never done it. Then I read an important piece of e-mail that served as the catalyst to go through the simple process of setting up a blog. Now I just need to keep it up.
In the back of my mind I have been tossing around some resolutions or goals for the new year. There are certain parts of my life that are practically perfect and I don't want to change those. For instance, I get more than enough skiing in every year and so I don't need to set any goals about how many days I will ski this year nor do I need to have a goal about visiting new resorts.
While some parts of my life are perfect, others are not. I recently worked on a one-day project involving the C programing language and discovered that some of my skills have atrophied. Maybe I need to pull out The C Programming Language by Kernighan and Ritchie to help brush up on some fundamentals. Or maybe I need to find a good web-based tutorial on threaded programming and convert some of my projects to use threads (threads can make programs faster and smaller when done correctly).
Perhaps 2010 is the year I break down and try something completely new. I might try to learn a new computer language like Ruby, which seems to be gaining more mainstream acceptance. OK, that is not completely new as I already know several computer languages and one more really isn't that different. Istead I might try learning a language like Russian, Portuguese, or Chineese.
I'm not sure how 2010 will turn out but I do know that it has a lot of potential. All I need to do is keep moving in a forward direction and not let myself fall into a routine that halts any progress. May this new year be a great one for all of us.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
