I once got in trouble for telling my wife I was going to purchase something for myself right before Christmas. It was a pair of snow boots and I didn't think anyone would be getting them for me as boots really should be tried on before they are bought. I was headed out the door when my wife stopped me and told me that is what she got me for Christmas that year. I felt bad and since then we have a rule in the family: you are not allowed to buy anything for yourself from November 1st until Christmas day.
Now that Christmas is over, I have spent the past couple of days online purchasing things that I needed but didn't get for Christmas. There are a number of auto parts that I need to fix up my daughter's Jeep. I also had to get a brake kit for my BMW as the rear brakes are really squeaky.
I didn't limit my shopping to just physical goods as I also picked up some hotel reservations. My wife and I got free seasons passes to Jackson Hole ski resort, which is only a 4 or 5 hour drive. Naturally they are only good if you use them and we try to take a ski trip or two each year above and beyond the daily skiing I do when I am in Utah. We have two trips planned for the year and found a place with $65/night room rates. Normally I would stay away from budget deals, but we have stayed there before and the place isn't too bad.
Finally there were a number of flight reservations that I needed to make. I fly twice a week whether I want to or not and so that takes a bit of coordination. Most of my flights are on Southwest as they generally have the best deals. Sometimes I can find a better price on Delta and so it is nice to open multiple browser windows and compare ticket costs.
Sadly I spent more on the Christmas after Christmas than I did on Christmas. Perhaps there is a flaw in our rule of not buying stuff in November and December.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Monday, December 29, 2014
No Time for Video Games
I love this time of the year as I don't have to go back to California until after New Year's. Normally I find myself playing video games and hanging out with the family. This year I have not had time to play any video games because I have been spending so much time with the family. That is a good thing. I didn't even notice that PlayStation Network (PSN) nor XBox Live were down on Christmas. In fact it took one day for XBox Live and several days to get PSN back up. Hopefully that didn't ruin your Christmas as I am sure a lot of gamers out there wanted to play with their new toys.
Today is the start of an uninterrupted week of vacation. My wife has to work and so I am hanging out with my oldest son. He has a dentist appointment this morning and so I am going through e-mail and shovelling the new snow while I wait for him to come home. When he gets here we will head up skiing for a bit. I guess I could be playing video games right now but it feels weird playing games before noon. We'll see how I feel after skiing.
Today is the start of an uninterrupted week of vacation. My wife has to work and so I am hanging out with my oldest son. He has a dentist appointment this morning and so I am going through e-mail and shovelling the new snow while I wait for him to come home. When he gets here we will head up skiing for a bit. I guess I could be playing video games right now but it feels weird playing games before noon. We'll see how I feel after skiing.
Friday, December 26, 2014
Video Game Review: FIFA 15
Christmas break is the best time of the year for me to catch up on playing video games. Unfortunately this year I have not had much of a time to play. I have spent a lot of time working on cars, skiing, and taking care of household chores. My oldest son has been home using my PlayStation 4 and playing FIFA 15. My review of the game is based on watching him play.
I have to say that the graphics on the PS4 are incredibly real. Even though you are playing a video game, it looks like you are watching a real soccer match. The announcers you hear as you play complete the experience and do a great job of describing what is taking place.
My son really enjoys how the game plays. You control a single player on the screen but can rotate through the other players so you are always close to the ball. There is a small read triangle that indicates which player you are controlling. When you are cycle through the the character you created at the beginning of the game, the red triangle is highlighted. Your ultimate goal is to make him look good. If you have other controllers, your friends can play with or against you.
Actual soccer matches are around 90 minutes long. The clock runs a little faster in FIFA 15 and so they only last about 12 minutes. When my son has a quick 15 minutes, he runs down to the TV room and plays a match. That is not nearly as quick as some of the other casual games you can play on your phone, but doesn't blow an entire evening like other games have a tendency to do.
FIFA 15 is available for the the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, XBox 360, and XBox One. It is rated E for everyone. I recommend it for those that like sports games, any fan of Soccer, and those with multiple controllers for their console that love to have friends over to play.
I have to say that the graphics on the PS4 are incredibly real. Even though you are playing a video game, it looks like you are watching a real soccer match. The announcers you hear as you play complete the experience and do a great job of describing what is taking place.
My son really enjoys how the game plays. You control a single player on the screen but can rotate through the other players so you are always close to the ball. There is a small read triangle that indicates which player you are controlling. When you are cycle through the the character you created at the beginning of the game, the red triangle is highlighted. Your ultimate goal is to make him look good. If you have other controllers, your friends can play with or against you.
Actual soccer matches are around 90 minutes long. The clock runs a little faster in FIFA 15 and so they only last about 12 minutes. When my son has a quick 15 minutes, he runs down to the TV room and plays a match. That is not nearly as quick as some of the other casual games you can play on your phone, but doesn't blow an entire evening like other games have a tendency to do.
FIFA 15 is available for the the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, XBox 360, and XBox One. It is rated E for everyone. I recommend it for those that like sports games, any fan of Soccer, and those with multiple controllers for their console that love to have friends over to play.
Monday, December 22, 2014
Smartphone App Review: Snocru
I was skiing at Snowbird this past weekend with my oldest son and he showed me a really fun smartphone application called Snocru. I have never really thought there was much of a use for an app while skiing as the mere act of using a smartphone means you have to pull off your glove and your fingers get cold. My son proved me wrong with this one.
We got to the top of the chair where my son quickly removed his phone, took off his glove, started the app, replaced his glove, and we started skiing. We got to the bottom of the run, got on another chair and my son pulled out his phone. It had mapped our run an interactive trail map. It also told him his top speed. A typical GPS app can do that and so I wasn't too impressed. Then my son's phone started buzzing.
Snocru is another one of those social media apps that allow you to interact with other skiers at the same area. People that we didn't know saw that our top speed was just a hair under 60 miles per hour (actually 59.6). It triggered some thresholds on their phones and my son received a number of invitations to ski with others on the hill. If my son was skiing alone, he could have accepted the invitations and been kept from having to ski all by himself. Sometimes I like to ski alone but it is generally more fun to ski with others and Snocru is great for introducing you to new skiers of your same ability.
Now for the downside. GPS functions are required to plot your course on the mountain and they eat up a lot of your phone's battery. So this is one of those apps that will suck power from your phone at an alarming rate. I also find that a GPS is good at speed calculations on flat ground but are significantly off when going up and down hills. Do I believe we were skiing at 60 miles per hour? Not really as we weren't going that fast. At least it didn't seem like it. I could be wrong though.
Snocru is available for both Android and iPhones.
We got to the top of the chair where my son quickly removed his phone, took off his glove, started the app, replaced his glove, and we started skiing. We got to the bottom of the run, got on another chair and my son pulled out his phone. It had mapped our run an interactive trail map. It also told him his top speed. A typical GPS app can do that and so I wasn't too impressed. Then my son's phone started buzzing.
Snocru is another one of those social media apps that allow you to interact with other skiers at the same area. People that we didn't know saw that our top speed was just a hair under 60 miles per hour (actually 59.6). It triggered some thresholds on their phones and my son received a number of invitations to ski with others on the hill. If my son was skiing alone, he could have accepted the invitations and been kept from having to ski all by himself. Sometimes I like to ski alone but it is generally more fun to ski with others and Snocru is great for introducing you to new skiers of your same ability.
Now for the downside. GPS functions are required to plot your course on the mountain and they eat up a lot of your phone's battery. So this is one of those apps that will suck power from your phone at an alarming rate. I also find that a GPS is good at speed calculations on flat ground but are significantly off when going up and down hills. Do I believe we were skiing at 60 miles per hour? Not really as we weren't going that fast. At least it didn't seem like it. I could be wrong though.
Snocru is available for both Android and iPhones.
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Home for Christmas
Yesterday I made it home after a very adventurous drive. Even after all of my preparations that my wife thought was overkill, I still had a number of unknown variables to deal with. My Jeep had no problem in the snow as I crossed the Sierras on I-80. I did have to stop at the chain control station but the guy waved me right through as he saw I was in a 4-wheel-drive vehicle with awesome snow tires. I was glad I knew where the cheap hotel in Reno was. A word of caution though, the price of the room was only about 60% of the total cost. There were a number of taxes and fees. My $25 room ended up costing $36.04. It was well worth the price as having to spend the night in my car was not something I was looking forward to. I also got a hot shower in the morning.
The real adventure happened after I got through the expected hard part of the trip. My Jeep threw a "check engine" code when I got into Reno. I didn't think anything of it as it was one of those you-can-ignore codes. It turns out, I shouldn't have ignored the code. The engine was running too lean and it was causing problems. Every time I stopped for gas, it would throw a code and the car would struggle to stay running. I would clear the code and the car seemed to run fine only to act up 100 miles later. Eventually I figured out what was going wrong. Whenever you car illuminates the "check engine" light, it runs the fuel a little richer. Your gas mileage goes downhill but the car still runs. Even though you turn off the light, it still runs a bit rich for the next 90 or so miles. I knew this was the case but didn't figure it out until I was about 200 miles from home. Then I left the service light on and limped home. I was glad to pull into my driveway and know that I don't have to go anywhere for the next 20 days.
I still have to work for the next few days but I get to do it from home instead of out in California. That will give me plenty of time to track down the problem on my Jeep, play a few video games, and spend a lot of time skiing.
The real adventure happened after I got through the expected hard part of the trip. My Jeep threw a "check engine" code when I got into Reno. I didn't think anything of it as it was one of those you-can-ignore codes. It turns out, I shouldn't have ignored the code. The engine was running too lean and it was causing problems. Every time I stopped for gas, it would throw a code and the car would struggle to stay running. I would clear the code and the car seemed to run fine only to act up 100 miles later. Eventually I figured out what was going wrong. Whenever you car illuminates the "check engine" light, it runs the fuel a little richer. Your gas mileage goes downhill but the car still runs. Even though you turn off the light, it still runs a bit rich for the next 90 or so miles. I knew this was the case but didn't figure it out until I was about 200 miles from home. Then I left the service light on and limped home. I was glad to pull into my driveway and know that I don't have to go anywhere for the next 20 days.
I still have to work for the next few days but I get to do it from home instead of out in California. That will give me plenty of time to track down the problem on my Jeep, play a few video games, and spend a lot of time skiing.
Monday, December 15, 2014
Road Trip 2014
I am back in the Bay Area but only for one night. I flew out this morning and will be driving my car back to Utah tomorrow evening after work. For past road trips, I have wanted to leave work early to get an early start on the drive. Experience has taught me I am better off waiting until 7pm so I don't have to fight traffic from San Francisco to Sacramento. It can seriously add 4 hours to the drive.
My wife is laughing at me as I am working extra hard to be prepared for this trip. This evening I gathered with one of my co-workers and analyzed the traffic patterns out of the area using Google Maps with the traffic setting turned on. My co-worker even showed me how to look at statistical averages as it has been raining today and there were more than the normal numbers of accidents.
Rain in the area means it is snowing in the mountains. The car I am driving back is a 1998 Jeep Cherokee and one of the best four-wheel drives I have ever owned. It also has relatively new tires with excellent winter tread and so I should not be too concerned about the snow. I shouldn't be, but I am and so I am checking the Caltrans website that has cameras showing the conditions along the road. I have driven I-80 many times and so I know where the trouble spots are. Yes there is snow on the road and even an accident or two. However there doesn't seem to be a long line of cars because the road is closed, so that is a good sign.
The weather tomorrow will play a huge role in my trip and so I am checking out the my favorite website at www.weather.gov. While I may not appreciate some parts of our government, they do a very good job of providing weather information. Right now there is a "Winter Weather Advisory" for the first part of my trip, a "Special Weather Statement" for the middle of my trip, and a "Hazardous Weather Outlook" for the end of my trip. I could probably postpone my trip by a day if I need to, but the weather forecast doesn't seem to be improving over the next week and I don't want to hang out here too long.
Normally I drive all the way through without stopping. As it is winter and cold outside, I don't want to get somewhere in the middle of the Nevada desert and be so tired I have to pull over and try to sleep. I also have Kayak open and am looking at hotels in Winnemucca which happens to be the half-way point of the trip. I don't see any super cheap rates and so I won't be making any reservations. However if I come across something a little less expensive than $65 along the way, I may just pull in and get a good night's rest before continuing in the morning.
Yes my wife is right and I am probably over thinking this trip. I just want to make sure I get home safe and sound. After all, when something goes wrong on a road trip in the middle of the summer, you don't run the risk of freezing to death or having other cars slide into you.
My wife is laughing at me as I am working extra hard to be prepared for this trip. This evening I gathered with one of my co-workers and analyzed the traffic patterns out of the area using Google Maps with the traffic setting turned on. My co-worker even showed me how to look at statistical averages as it has been raining today and there were more than the normal numbers of accidents.
Rain in the area means it is snowing in the mountains. The car I am driving back is a 1998 Jeep Cherokee and one of the best four-wheel drives I have ever owned. It also has relatively new tires with excellent winter tread and so I should not be too concerned about the snow. I shouldn't be, but I am and so I am checking the Caltrans website that has cameras showing the conditions along the road. I have driven I-80 many times and so I know where the trouble spots are. Yes there is snow on the road and even an accident or two. However there doesn't seem to be a long line of cars because the road is closed, so that is a good sign.
The weather tomorrow will play a huge role in my trip and so I am checking out the my favorite website at www.weather.gov. While I may not appreciate some parts of our government, they do a very good job of providing weather information. Right now there is a "Winter Weather Advisory" for the first part of my trip, a "Special Weather Statement" for the middle of my trip, and a "Hazardous Weather Outlook" for the end of my trip. I could probably postpone my trip by a day if I need to, but the weather forecast doesn't seem to be improving over the next week and I don't want to hang out here too long.
Normally I drive all the way through without stopping. As it is winter and cold outside, I don't want to get somewhere in the middle of the Nevada desert and be so tired I have to pull over and try to sleep. I also have Kayak open and am looking at hotels in Winnemucca which happens to be the half-way point of the trip. I don't see any super cheap rates and so I won't be making any reservations. However if I come across something a little less expensive than $65 along the way, I may just pull in and get a good night's rest before continuing in the morning.
Yes my wife is right and I am probably over thinking this trip. I just want to make sure I get home safe and sound. After all, when something goes wrong on a road trip in the middle of the summer, you don't run the risk of freezing to death or having other cars slide into you.
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Real-Time Websites
I got up this morning and went skiing up at Snowbird. It has been a while since we have gotten any new snow so I was glad to look on their website and see we had 4 inches of it overnight. My wife and I had a good morning of skiing while it continued snowing and then we came home. I was eager to see how much snow fell while we were skiing. Imagine my surprise when Snowbird's website still registered the same 4 inches. I kept checking throughout the day as it continued snowing only to see the same number.
Snowbird is not the only website that has a problem keeping their website updated. I was trying to get real-time weather reports this last Thursday as the San Francisco area was pounded with a storm. All I wanted was a live picture of the marina where I keep my sailboat. The yacht club located in the marina claimed to have a webcam pointed in the general direction of my boat. Unfortunately I couldn't find the page with live pictures. They did have an automated feed of the anemometer in the marina so I could see the strength of the wind. That let me know that my boat was fine.
The secret to having a real-time website is not having to manually update it. There needs to be some sort of automatic feed to keep the website up to date with the latest information. Something like an anemometer or web camera. I think the people responsible to input the latest snow totals were out skiing instead of doing their job. I can't say I blame them though. I would be too.
Snowbird is not the only website that has a problem keeping their website updated. I was trying to get real-time weather reports this last Thursday as the San Francisco area was pounded with a storm. All I wanted was a live picture of the marina where I keep my sailboat. The yacht club located in the marina claimed to have a webcam pointed in the general direction of my boat. Unfortunately I couldn't find the page with live pictures. They did have an automated feed of the anemometer in the marina so I could see the strength of the wind. That let me know that my boat was fine.
The secret to having a real-time website is not having to manually update it. There needs to be some sort of automatic feed to keep the website up to date with the latest information. Something like an anemometer or web camera. I think the people responsible to input the latest snow totals were out skiing instead of doing their job. I can't say I blame them though. I would be too.
Friday, December 12, 2014
A Time to Call "The Guy"
Generally I am pretty good at fixing things on my own. Every once and a while, it is good to call "my guy" to fix something. There are certain things you don't want to fix yourself as it can be dangerous. When my garage door spring broke, I didn't fix it. Instead I called my garage door guy. Garage door springs store a lot of potential energy that can be fatal if you are not careful. My guy did a great job, charged a reasonable price, and nobody got hurt.
This past week I got a call from my wife and she told me that our very expensive oven wasn't working. I thought about fixing it myself but quickly remembered that it runs on 220 volts. That is twice the amount found in your normal wall electrical sockets. "Danger" was the main thought running through my mind and so I had my wife call her home appliance repair guy. He came out to the house today and discovered the problem in about 2 minutes. That included sliding the oven out from the wall so he could see the back. It turns out a $35 part failed and needs replaced. He ordered a new one and will install it early next week.
It was very educational for me to watch my wife's "guy" work. Should something similar happen in the future, I now know what to do. First, turn off the circuit breaker to the oven. Then carefully slide the oven away from the wall so I can inspect the electrical cord. If something doesn't look right, replace the part with a new one. Before watching the repairman, I might have tried to jury rig it. That would have been bad as my fix might have caused a fire and burned my house down.
When it comes to fixing computers, you don't have to worry about them running at 220 volts or having large mechanical springs that can kill you. About the worst you can do is shock yourself. As long as you avoid opening a power supply or stick to software, I encourage you to use your favorite Internet search engine and see if you can't fix any problems on your own. If you are uncomfortable with that, think about all of the technical people you know and see if you can't figure out who is "your guy."
This past week I got a call from my wife and she told me that our very expensive oven wasn't working. I thought about fixing it myself but quickly remembered that it runs on 220 volts. That is twice the amount found in your normal wall electrical sockets. "Danger" was the main thought running through my mind and so I had my wife call her home appliance repair guy. He came out to the house today and discovered the problem in about 2 minutes. That included sliding the oven out from the wall so he could see the back. It turns out a $35 part failed and needs replaced. He ordered a new one and will install it early next week.
It was very educational for me to watch my wife's "guy" work. Should something similar happen in the future, I now know what to do. First, turn off the circuit breaker to the oven. Then carefully slide the oven away from the wall so I can inspect the electrical cord. If something doesn't look right, replace the part with a new one. Before watching the repairman, I might have tried to jury rig it. That would have been bad as my fix might have caused a fire and burned my house down.
When it comes to fixing computers, you don't have to worry about them running at 220 volts or having large mechanical springs that can kill you. About the worst you can do is shock yourself. As long as you avoid opening a power supply or stick to software, I encourage you to use your favorite Internet search engine and see if you can't fix any problems on your own. If you are uncomfortable with that, think about all of the technical people you know and see if you can't figure out who is "your guy."
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Uncharted 4: A Thief's End
I was going through my e-mail earlier today and received a note from PlayStation with news of a trailer for the new Uncharted 4: A Thief's End game. The trailer shows 15 minutes of game play and it looks amazing. I am a big fan of the Uncharted series of video games and will add that to my must have list when it becomes available. Uncharted is one of those games that makes it worth owning a PlayStation video game console as it isn't available anywhere else.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune first came out in November of 2007 and was an interesting game in that it played more like an interactive movie than a video game. I got the game shortly after its release and found it to be a lot of fun. I made the mistake of introducing it to my sons who also enjoyed it unceasingly. When Uncharted 2: Among Thieves came out in October of 2009, I immediately picked up a copy and my sons attacked it with vigor. Naturally we couldn't wait to pick up Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception when it came out in November of 2011.
My youngest son really enjoyed the second game and thought it was the best of the three until about half way through the third one. Then he decided it was the best but felt the last two were a lot better games than the first one. We were all sad that there weren't going to be any more Uncharted games. Then the PlayStation Vita came out and had another Uncharted game among the launch titles. When they showed the Uncharted 4 demo at E3 this year, we were all pleasantly surprised.
The recent game play video puts Uncharted 4 as coming out in 2015 which means we don't have to wait too long.
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune first came out in November of 2007 and was an interesting game in that it played more like an interactive movie than a video game. I got the game shortly after its release and found it to be a lot of fun. I made the mistake of introducing it to my sons who also enjoyed it unceasingly. When Uncharted 2: Among Thieves came out in October of 2009, I immediately picked up a copy and my sons attacked it with vigor. Naturally we couldn't wait to pick up Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception when it came out in November of 2011.
My youngest son really enjoyed the second game and thought it was the best of the three until about half way through the third one. Then he decided it was the best but felt the last two were a lot better games than the first one. We were all sad that there weren't going to be any more Uncharted games. Then the PlayStation Vita came out and had another Uncharted game among the launch titles. When they showed the Uncharted 4 demo at E3 this year, we were all pleasantly surprised.
The recent game play video puts Uncharted 4 as coming out in 2015 which means we don't have to wait too long.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Video Game Review: Dead Space 3
A few months ago I was able to download Dead Space 3 for my PS3. Tonight was the first time I have been able to play the game and so I thought I would give a quick review. The PlayStation 4 and XBox One are selling well but there are still a number of games for the older generation consoles that can be found at very low prices. My hope is that this will help you pick an inexpensive Christmas gift for that gamer in your life.
The game starts with a number of quick videos giving you some background. I can only assume they surmise the activities of the first two games, seeing as I never played them. It is enough to get you interested. Game play begins as a soldier in a snowy world looking for something. I have been playing games on the PS3 again and so the graphics look pretty good. Had I gone from a PS4 back to the 3, I probably couldn't say that. I especially like how the transition from video to game play is seamless and that the videos are not done at a higher quality. You get to find your way through the snow with the help of a path control that shows you where to go. I thought it was well done and helps first-timers get to where the real action begins.
I have to admit that I have only played the game for an hour or so but found it very entertaining. There are a number of zombie-type monsters that can be rather difficult to kill even on the easiest or "casual" setting. The graphics are also pretty gruesome and quickly became a turn-off to continue playing the game. I have decided that I will probably go back to Mass Effect for the time being but may continue with Dead Space 3 afterwards.
Dead Space 3 is published by EA and is available for the PC, PlayStation 3, and XBox 360. I would recommend the game for older teenagers and young adults. If you are looking for that family game that everyone will enjoy, this is not it.
The game starts with a number of quick videos giving you some background. I can only assume they surmise the activities of the first two games, seeing as I never played them. It is enough to get you interested. Game play begins as a soldier in a snowy world looking for something. I have been playing games on the PS3 again and so the graphics look pretty good. Had I gone from a PS4 back to the 3, I probably couldn't say that. I especially like how the transition from video to game play is seamless and that the videos are not done at a higher quality. You get to find your way through the snow with the help of a path control that shows you where to go. I thought it was well done and helps first-timers get to where the real action begins.
I have to admit that I have only played the game for an hour or so but found it very entertaining. There are a number of zombie-type monsters that can be rather difficult to kill even on the easiest or "casual" setting. The graphics are also pretty gruesome and quickly became a turn-off to continue playing the game. I have decided that I will probably go back to Mass Effect for the time being but may continue with Dead Space 3 afterwards.
Dead Space 3 is published by EA and is available for the PC, PlayStation 3, and XBox 360. I would recommend the game for older teenagers and young adults. If you are looking for that family game that everyone will enjoy, this is not it.
Monday, December 8, 2014
A Different Kind of Christmas List
Every year at the beginning of December I try to compile a list of Christmas gifts that I would like to receive. Most of the time I try to keep the ideas centered around technology items. This year I am going to do something a little different. While I enjoy gifts as much as anyone, I have come to the conclusion that anything that I can buy, I will get for myself even if it is not Christmas or my birthday. In thinking about this Holiday season, these are gifts that don't cost anything but things that I want anyways.
My children to be successful - Most of the time parents think they want their kids to be happy when what they really want is for them to be successful. Happiness should be a by product of that success, not the main focus. Unfortunately that means children need some growing experiences and that can be hard to watch. The end result is well worth it. This past year I have spent a lot of time with my oldest son working on a 1996 Jeep Cherokee. We have rebuilt the upper half of the engine, replaced a number of sensors, replaced the exhaust, and turned a beat-up old car into something much more reliable. It has not been an easy journey, but now my son has the skills he needs to diagnose most car problems. I think I can call that a success and the joy we felt when we were done far outweighs any of the pain felt along the way.
My wife to feel loved - I have to be honest in saying that my wife does not like being alone as much as she is. I spend four days a week away from home and I know she gets lonely a lot. I try to make it up to her as best I can but circumstances make being together all of the time impossible. My wife and I are not alone. There are a number of other spouses out there that travel as much or more than I do. My wife is a huge support to me as I try to further myself in my career and do something that I think matters. I appreciate her for that and I hope she knows and feels that she is loved.
My kids to know I am proud of them - Sometimes we push our children to be successful and they may think that they don't live up to our expectations. I am very proud of the accomplishments of my kids and I hope they know that.
There are a number of other non-material things I could ask for this Christmas but the reality is that they don't really matter. If you have a good family where everyone tries their best and forgives any other shortcomings, then you have everything you need for Christmas. May you have a great Holiday season.
My children to be successful - Most of the time parents think they want their kids to be happy when what they really want is for them to be successful. Happiness should be a by product of that success, not the main focus. Unfortunately that means children need some growing experiences and that can be hard to watch. The end result is well worth it. This past year I have spent a lot of time with my oldest son working on a 1996 Jeep Cherokee. We have rebuilt the upper half of the engine, replaced a number of sensors, replaced the exhaust, and turned a beat-up old car into something much more reliable. It has not been an easy journey, but now my son has the skills he needs to diagnose most car problems. I think I can call that a success and the joy we felt when we were done far outweighs any of the pain felt along the way.
My wife to feel loved - I have to be honest in saying that my wife does not like being alone as much as she is. I spend four days a week away from home and I know she gets lonely a lot. I try to make it up to her as best I can but circumstances make being together all of the time impossible. My wife and I are not alone. There are a number of other spouses out there that travel as much or more than I do. My wife is a huge support to me as I try to further myself in my career and do something that I think matters. I appreciate her for that and I hope she knows and feels that she is loved.
My kids to know I am proud of them - Sometimes we push our children to be successful and they may think that they don't live up to our expectations. I am very proud of the accomplishments of my kids and I hope they know that.
There are a number of other non-material things I could ask for this Christmas but the reality is that they don't really matter. If you have a good family where everyone tries their best and forgives any other shortcomings, then you have everything you need for Christmas. May you have a great Holiday season.
Sunday, December 7, 2014
It is Good to be Home
Friday night I made it from Tokyo back to Salt Lake without too much difficulty. It is good to be home again. Unfortunately it is a short weekend as I have to head to California for the week ahead. Two days in my own house is not enough and so I am looking forward to being able to return again Thursday evening.
While in Tokyo I used a number of technologies to keep in touch with my wife. Normally I use Skype but my wife's schedule didn't allow it this time. At least not computer to computer. I did use Skype on my iPhone while in my hotel and called my wife directly on her mobile phone number. It cost me only a few cents per minute but was well worth it.
My wife wasn't always available to talk and so I sent her a number of text messages. I kept my iPhone in airplane mode and just turned on the WiFi. As my wife and I both have iPhones, we were able to exchange text messages over WiFi and without me having to connect to the local network in Japan. I have written about this before and my son informs me that you can do the same thing with Android phones, but I have yet to give it a shot.
Next week my wife and my schedules should sync up a bit more nicely and that will make talking much easier. I love that technology has made it easier to call home as I will be missing it a lot this week.
While in Tokyo I used a number of technologies to keep in touch with my wife. Normally I use Skype but my wife's schedule didn't allow it this time. At least not computer to computer. I did use Skype on my iPhone while in my hotel and called my wife directly on her mobile phone number. It cost me only a few cents per minute but was well worth it.
My wife wasn't always available to talk and so I sent her a number of text messages. I kept my iPhone in airplane mode and just turned on the WiFi. As my wife and I both have iPhones, we were able to exchange text messages over WiFi and without me having to connect to the local network in Japan. I have written about this before and my son informs me that you can do the same thing with Android phones, but I have yet to give it a shot.
Next week my wife and my schedules should sync up a bit more nicely and that will make talking much easier. I love that technology has made it easier to call home as I will be missing it a lot this week.
Friday, December 5, 2014
A Change in Customs and Immigration
I just landed in Los Angeles after flying from Tokyo's Hanada airport. I was here just 2 months ago and was surprised that I didn't have to fill out the usual customs and immigration form. They told us on the plane that it was not necessary for those of us traveling with a US passport. Then the passenger sitting next to me told me that his wife flew through LAX a few days earlier and it was a breeze to get through the usual welcome-back-to-the-USA process.
We were landed 15 minutes early and that gave me an even 2 hours to clear customs, change terminals, go through security again, and walk to the furthest gate from the door. Two hours is plenty of time and so I wasn't sweating the layover, but I was interested in how the kiosk would streamline things. Guess what? It actually made things longer.
The old process would have you fill out a form on the plane. With a 10-hour flight, taking 5 minutes to fill out a form was not an arduous task. Now you go to a kiosk and answer a few questions on a touch-screen terminal. They also take your picture. Because they scan your passport, there is less of a chance for errors. When you are done, the kiosk prints out a form that looks somewhat similar to the one you used to fill out on the plane. The rest of the process is exactly the same as it was before. The net is that have one additional stop on your trip through customs and immigration.
I am trying to decide if this computer kiosk makes my life easier or not. On the one hand, the Federal Government now has a more efficient method of entering this information into their massive database. On the other, I have to make an extra stop before I am considered on American soil. If the extra stop means we can hire more customs and immigrations officers so I never have to wait very long, then I am all for the new technology. However I don't think it will work that way.
We were landed 15 minutes early and that gave me an even 2 hours to clear customs, change terminals, go through security again, and walk to the furthest gate from the door. Two hours is plenty of time and so I wasn't sweating the layover, but I was interested in how the kiosk would streamline things. Guess what? It actually made things longer.
The old process would have you fill out a form on the plane. With a 10-hour flight, taking 5 minutes to fill out a form was not an arduous task. Now you go to a kiosk and answer a few questions on a touch-screen terminal. They also take your picture. Because they scan your passport, there is less of a chance for errors. When you are done, the kiosk prints out a form that looks somewhat similar to the one you used to fill out on the plane. The rest of the process is exactly the same as it was before. The net is that have one additional stop on your trip through customs and immigration.
I am trying to decide if this computer kiosk makes my life easier or not. On the one hand, the Federal Government now has a more efficient method of entering this information into their massive database. On the other, I have to make an extra stop before I am considered on American soil. If the extra stop means we can hire more customs and immigrations officers so I never have to wait very long, then I am all for the new technology. However I don't think it will work that way.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
How Long to Keep Your Laptop
One thing I have noticed in Japan this week is how everyone seems to have the latest and greatest mobile phone, but how the Japanese will hold onto ancient laptops. When I took the train from the airport to my hotel on Monday evening, everyone seemed to be on their phone and either listening to music or playing some sort of game. All of the phones looked to be the latest and greatest offerings from Apple or Sony. I'm not sure what market share Samsung has in Japan, but based on a very informal non-scientific survey, it can't be much.
I have continued to watch as people around me remain entertained by their phones and the trends I noticed on Monday night seem to be holding. I contrast that with the laptops I see people using around me at the office. Now it could just be the company I work for, but my Japanese coworkers seem to keep their laptops forever. I sort of understand this as my current laptop is about 3 years old and even though company policy allows me to replace it after 2 years, I am fine keeping it for now. There is a lot of work required to transfer all of my files to a new computer and I don't want to take the time to do it. Here they take it to the extreme though as some resort to taped on keys to keep them running.
As I travel through Japan it is very clear that natural resources are very scarce in this highly populated country. Nobody drives cars as everyone takes the train. Houses and apartments are small and in tall buildings because usable land is minimal. There is also no such thing as a regular garbage can. All garbage is sorted into various recycling bins so it can be efficiently processed and reused. It makes me wonder if this effects the thinking of the people here and so they hold onto certain items longer. Laptops require more resources than phones which means phones can be replaced more often. Perhaps this is a lesson we should all learn.
I have continued to watch as people around me remain entertained by their phones and the trends I noticed on Monday night seem to be holding. I contrast that with the laptops I see people using around me at the office. Now it could just be the company I work for, but my Japanese coworkers seem to keep their laptops forever. I sort of understand this as my current laptop is about 3 years old and even though company policy allows me to replace it after 2 years, I am fine keeping it for now. There is a lot of work required to transfer all of my files to a new computer and I don't want to take the time to do it. Here they take it to the extreme though as some resort to taped on keys to keep them running.
As I travel through Japan it is very clear that natural resources are very scarce in this highly populated country. Nobody drives cars as everyone takes the train. Houses and apartments are small and in tall buildings because usable land is minimal. There is also no such thing as a regular garbage can. All garbage is sorted into various recycling bins so it can be efficiently processed and reused. It makes me wonder if this effects the thinking of the people here and so they hold onto certain items longer. Laptops require more resources than phones which means phones can be replaced more often. Perhaps this is a lesson we should all learn.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Waiting for E-mail
It is a little after 6am here in Tokyo this morning and I am busy going through my morning ritual. One of the best ways I know on fighting jet lag is to try and stay on your old schedule as much as possible. So in Japan that means waking up at 4 or 5am and going to bed fairly early. The time difference is as much as 8 hours from home and so that is not a foolproof way of dealing with being a third of a way around the world, but it does help.
I have been up since 4:45 this morning and running through my daily routine. I start by trying to sleep as long as possible. Then I sit in bed and read the daily newspaper that is delivered to my hotel room. English papers in Japan are only about 10 pages and so that is a quick read. The stories haven't changed much since I was last here about 2 months ago. After the paper I sit down and read e-mail. I start with my personal e-mail and even though I received about 45 messages, thanks to a good spam filter, there were really only 2 or 3 messages that were important to me. Then I log into my work e-mail and that is where I am now.
Unfortunately it takes a while for Microsoft Outlook to sync with the servers and so I am patiently waiting for my e-mail to download to my laptop. Once that is done, I can attack all of those things from the office back in the States that have been happening while I slept. After all, it is a little after 1 in the afternoon back there and everyone has had an entire morning to flood my inbox with inquiries and requests. Perhaps now is a good time for a shower.
I have been up since 4:45 this morning and running through my daily routine. I start by trying to sleep as long as possible. Then I sit in bed and read the daily newspaper that is delivered to my hotel room. English papers in Japan are only about 10 pages and so that is a quick read. The stories haven't changed much since I was last here about 2 months ago. After the paper I sit down and read e-mail. I start with my personal e-mail and even though I received about 45 messages, thanks to a good spam filter, there were really only 2 or 3 messages that were important to me. Then I log into my work e-mail and that is where I am now.
Unfortunately it takes a while for Microsoft Outlook to sync with the servers and so I am patiently waiting for my e-mail to download to my laptop. Once that is done, I can attack all of those things from the office back in the States that have been happening while I slept. After all, it is a little after 1 in the afternoon back there and everyone has had an entire morning to flood my inbox with inquiries and requests. Perhaps now is a good time for a shower.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Cyber Monday in Tokyo
Once again I find myself in Tokyo, Japan. This is the fifth trip this year and just happened to occur over Cyber Monday. Due to air travel and crossing the international date line at just the right time, my Cyber Monday was all of about 4 hours long. That means I didn't really get the chance to partake in all of the online shopping deals. I'm not really sure I missed much as most of my Christmas shopping is already done. However I am starting to realized the breadth of deals being offered online at this time of the year.
My e-mail inbox filled up with a number of advertisements related to travel deals and I feel I may have missed some of the best prices of the year. I know my dad took advantage of the low airfare as he forwarded me a message for a trip he will be taking with my mom in February. For someone that commutes weekly between my home in Salt Lake City and my office in the San Francisco Bay Area, I'm wondering if it is too late to cash in on some cheap flights.
I also enjoy taking my wife on quick vacations every quarter and wonder if there were some spectacular destination hotels having jaw-dropping deals. I already have my long weekends away booked for the first two quarters of the year but am vacillating on what to do for the third one. Perhaps I will log into some travel sites and see if there are any great deal on Alaskan cruises or a trip to Hawaii. Holiday deals associated with Black Friday used to be restricted to toys and things that could be wrapped to put under a Christmas tree. Now everything goes on sale and can be had a discounted price. What a crazy world we live in.
My e-mail inbox filled up with a number of advertisements related to travel deals and I feel I may have missed some of the best prices of the year. I know my dad took advantage of the low airfare as he forwarded me a message for a trip he will be taking with my mom in February. For someone that commutes weekly between my home in Salt Lake City and my office in the San Francisco Bay Area, I'm wondering if it is too late to cash in on some cheap flights.
I also enjoy taking my wife on quick vacations every quarter and wonder if there were some spectacular destination hotels having jaw-dropping deals. I already have my long weekends away booked for the first two quarters of the year but am vacillating on what to do for the third one. Perhaps I will log into some travel sites and see if there are any great deal on Alaskan cruises or a trip to Hawaii. Holiday deals associated with Black Friday used to be restricted to toys and things that could be wrapped to put under a Christmas tree. Now everything goes on sale and can be had a discounted price. What a crazy world we live in.
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