Last year I wrote about problems that can occur when making online purchases when I tried to purchase some active-3D glasses for a computer monitor. I also wrote about a problem in March of 2013 when the picture of the product I wanted didn't have anything to help me reference the size. Today my son's online purchase from Amazon arrived and it turns out they shipped the wrong item. When I needed to get a new ski rack for my wife's Jeep, I made sure to go to a local ski shop and buy locally. That way if I didn't like something, I could take it back and save myself shipping costs. My son should have read my post but instead ordered a ski box for his car using the aforementioned online retailer. The box they sent won't fit his skis as it is too short.
Fortunately Amazon does a good job of making things right when a problem occurs. In my son's case, they are paying to ship the item back but cannot ship him a new box quickly enough. He has to drive to California after the new year and will be leaving with a car full of skis before the new box can arrive. So what will he do? He found the box he actually wanted at a local retailer and picked it up this afternoon.
My son's comment to me today is that Amazon is great for sending out small things, such as something that can be carried by a drone. When it comes to large-sized purchases, it is too much of a hassle to deal with the various shipping companies when something goes wrong and so he will be purchasing locally. I think that makes sense.
Wednesday, December 28, 2016
Monday, December 26, 2016
Lost Mobile Phone
In the 20-plus years I have carried a mobile phone, I have never lost one until now. I did drop mine on a bike trail 7 years ago but a nice person called my son and I arranged to get it back. Then I lost my phone on Christmas eve and I won't be able to get it back until June as it is now buried on top of a mountain under a lot of new snow.
How did I lose my phone? I fell skiing. Last year I skied 80 days and only fell about 2 or 3 times. My fall on Saturday happened because I went skiing in a huge snowstorm and couldn't really see much. I didn't mind the blindness as all of the fresh snow made for a great ski day. One of my skis hit a large wind-blown mound of snow and threw me off balance. I spun around and landed on my back. I hit the ground hard and gave myself a slight headache even though I wore a helmet. That caused my phone to fall out of an inside pocket but stayed in my jacket. When I stood up, the phone fell out of the bottom of my jacket.
About an hour later I discovered that I no longer had my phone. I knew I lost it because of the fall and so I headed back to the scene of the accident. Unfortunately the ski patrol closed that part of the mountain because of extreme avalanche danger. Had I been able to get near my phone, I could have used my second phone to call it and I would have been able to locate it.
They finally opened that part of the mountain again today and I went looking for my phone. Between when I lost my phone and when I could finally look for it, 2 feet of fresh snow fell. I scouted around a bit but no hope existed for finding my phone. So this afternoon I went out and got a replacement one.
Fortunately I have a fairly recent backup of the data on my phone and am just missing a few notes, a handful of pictures (none really that important) and a list of blocked telephone numbers from telemarketers. I did learn a few things from this experience:
How did I lose my phone? I fell skiing. Last year I skied 80 days and only fell about 2 or 3 times. My fall on Saturday happened because I went skiing in a huge snowstorm and couldn't really see much. I didn't mind the blindness as all of the fresh snow made for a great ski day. One of my skis hit a large wind-blown mound of snow and threw me off balance. I spun around and landed on my back. I hit the ground hard and gave myself a slight headache even though I wore a helmet. That caused my phone to fall out of an inside pocket but stayed in my jacket. When I stood up, the phone fell out of the bottom of my jacket.
About an hour later I discovered that I no longer had my phone. I knew I lost it because of the fall and so I headed back to the scene of the accident. Unfortunately the ski patrol closed that part of the mountain because of extreme avalanche danger. Had I been able to get near my phone, I could have used my second phone to call it and I would have been able to locate it.
They finally opened that part of the mountain again today and I went looking for my phone. Between when I lost my phone and when I could finally look for it, 2 feet of fresh snow fell. I scouted around a bit but no hope existed for finding my phone. So this afternoon I went out and got a replacement one.
Fortunately I have a fairly recent backup of the data on my phone and am just missing a few notes, a handful of pictures (none really that important) and a list of blocked telephone numbers from telemarketers. I did learn a few things from this experience:
- Backup the data on your phone regularly. My recent backup saved me from having to recreate my contacts list and kept me from losing some really precious photos.
- Make sure you have a Find-My-Phone app installed on your phone. This will sound an audible alarm even if your phone is silenced. This didn't help me because the unsafe conditions prohibited from me getting to my phone in a timely manner, however it might help you.
- If you are accident prone and have a tendency to break or lose your phone on a regular basis, spring for the replacement insurance. A new phone can be expensive. My mistake cost me over $400.
- If you ski with your phone, make sure it is in a pocket with a zipper so it doesn't fall out. Both of my sons and my son-in-law reminded me of this even though I came to that conclusion 3 milliseconds after I discovered I had lost my phone.
Thursday, December 22, 2016
A Robot Duster
Last Christmas I got my wife a robot vacuum and felt pretty proud of myself for such an awesome gift. I have to say that after a year of having one, it has dramatically cut down on the amount of vacuuming I have been required to do. I still take care of the weekly laundry and dishes, but I fit those in during spare moments of my weekends. The robot vacuum got me thinking about other household chores that could be automated. With all of the quadcopter devices out there, how about engineering one into a robot to do your dusting?
I told that idea to my wife and she wants me to run out and patent the idea before someone else does. Unfortunately I don't think it is a very practical invention. I don't do a lot of dusting but when I do, I often have to take things off of tables and then replace them. That might be a bit much for a quadcopter duster. About all it would be good for is flying over a table and moving the dust from the surface into the surrounding air.
I am also worried about the liability of a quadcopter duster. My wife has a number of glass figures sprinkled throughout the house and I can imagine coming home to find them all in pieces on the ground. That could be easily rectified by hiding the glass figures behind glass doors but I don't think that is an appropriate solution.
Industrial robots have revolutionized the manufacturing industry and now there are a number of companies looking to figure out how robots can help us in our daily lives. The trick is to make them useful and not just expensive gadgets to show off to your friends. The robot vacuum is a good start, so now the question is: What's next?
I told that idea to my wife and she wants me to run out and patent the idea before someone else does. Unfortunately I don't think it is a very practical invention. I don't do a lot of dusting but when I do, I often have to take things off of tables and then replace them. That might be a bit much for a quadcopter duster. About all it would be good for is flying over a table and moving the dust from the surface into the surrounding air.
I am also worried about the liability of a quadcopter duster. My wife has a number of glass figures sprinkled throughout the house and I can imagine coming home to find them all in pieces on the ground. That could be easily rectified by hiding the glass figures behind glass doors but I don't think that is an appropriate solution.
Industrial robots have revolutionized the manufacturing industry and now there are a number of companies looking to figure out how robots can help us in our daily lives. The trick is to make them useful and not just expensive gadgets to show off to your friends. The robot vacuum is a good start, so now the question is: What's next?
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Am I Ready for Christmas
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.
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.
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.
Monday, December 12, 2016
Video Game Review: Lego The Hobbit
This evening I decided to go through my blog entries for the past year and realize that I never provided a video game review for "Lego The Hobbit" that I played on my PlayStation Vita earlier this year. I know that a lot of people are looking for video games as Christmas gifts and so I thought I would share my impressions on this fun little game.
Lego games are great for video game players of all ages. Any violence is no more graphic than when a child drops his Lego creation and blocks scatter. Contrast that with a first-person shooter that can be rather graphic. One nice thing about the video game is that you don't have all the little plastic blocks to pick up afterwards and it is a win-win situation for parents. I played the Traveller's Tale game on my hand-held and I understand they changed some of the game play to be a bit more customized for the portable format. However I highly recommend it for all platforms including the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or any of the previous console versions.
The game follows the movie very closely and even uses dialog taken directly from the film. While not everything matches perfectly, I preferred that to having different voice actors narrate the game. You also have the ability to take somewhat different paths through the game and play things out of the order you would expect. I really enjoyed this after I finished the game and could go back to complete scenes I skipped the first time through.
I had an enjoyable time throughout most of the game. Of course I did encounter one or two parts of the game that seemed a bit more difficult than usual and found myself grinding through those sections. With a bit of effort and the lack of anything else to do on my plane rides, I got through them and continued the game.
I can easily recommend this game to anyone that loves either Lego toys or "The Hobbit." For the later it doesn't matter if you are a fan of the book or the movies. The game has an ESRB rating of E for everyone and can be found in most stores for around $20. It is well worth that price.
Lego games are great for video game players of all ages. Any violence is no more graphic than when a child drops his Lego creation and blocks scatter. Contrast that with a first-person shooter that can be rather graphic. One nice thing about the video game is that you don't have all the little plastic blocks to pick up afterwards and it is a win-win situation for parents. I played the Traveller's Tale game on my hand-held and I understand they changed some of the game play to be a bit more customized for the portable format. However I highly recommend it for all platforms including the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, or any of the previous console versions.
The game follows the movie very closely and even uses dialog taken directly from the film. While not everything matches perfectly, I preferred that to having different voice actors narrate the game. You also have the ability to take somewhat different paths through the game and play things out of the order you would expect. I really enjoyed this after I finished the game and could go back to complete scenes I skipped the first time through.
I had an enjoyable time throughout most of the game. Of course I did encounter one or two parts of the game that seemed a bit more difficult than usual and found myself grinding through those sections. With a bit of effort and the lack of anything else to do on my plane rides, I got through them and continued the game.
I can easily recommend this game to anyone that loves either Lego toys or "The Hobbit." For the later it doesn't matter if you are a fan of the book or the movies. The game has an ESRB rating of E for everyone and can be found in most stores for around $20. It is well worth that price.
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Quick Video Games
I have a group of around 15 young men between the ages of 12 and 18 coming to visit me at work this evening. There will be the requisite number of adults joining them so I don't have to babysit them alone for the 90 minutes they plan to be here. Instead it is my job to give them a quick tour where I work and then let them play video games for about an hour. We have every console video game you can imagine in our game library and so I went through them looking for titles that the boys could instantly begin to play. Unfortunately I only have 4 consoles and TV's set up for the group. That is not nearly enough for everyone to get their own system and so I wanted to bring down a bunch of games that can be played in 15-minute increments.
Unfortunately console games are not meant to be played in 15-minute increments. That is what mobile games are for. I selected some popular sports titles such as FIFA 17, NBA 2K17 and Madden 17. Then I threw in several driving games like Project Cars and F1 2015 as those don't have too much of a learning curve. Naturally I added a few of the Lego games like Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Jurassic World as they can be a lot of fun and are meant for a younger audience.
I eagerly await the arrival of the group of young men and hope I chose wisely. I know they will be a bit distraught that I didn't throw in any first person shooters like Call of Duty but I am trying to avoid anything with and ESRB rating of M for mature. The last thing I want is a bunch of angry parents asking me why I exposed their kids to inappropriate video games. Of course, I am sure that is what the boys will want to play. After all, I remember being a teenage boy and that is what I would have wanted.
Unfortunately console games are not meant to be played in 15-minute increments. That is what mobile games are for. I selected some popular sports titles such as FIFA 17, NBA 2K17 and Madden 17. Then I threw in several driving games like Project Cars and F1 2015 as those don't have too much of a learning curve. Naturally I added a few of the Lego games like Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Jurassic World as they can be a lot of fun and are meant for a younger audience.
I eagerly await the arrival of the group of young men and hope I chose wisely. I know they will be a bit distraught that I didn't throw in any first person shooters like Call of Duty but I am trying to avoid anything with and ESRB rating of M for mature. The last thing I want is a bunch of angry parents asking me why I exposed their kids to inappropriate video games. Of course, I am sure that is what the boys will want to play. After all, I remember being a teenage boy and that is what I would have wanted.
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Christmas List 2016: Non Video Games
Yesterday I put together a list of games I want to play over the Christmas break and called it a Christmas list. Today I thought I would put together a list of other things that I want for Christmas this year or would want if I didn't already own them. Hopefully some of you will find them useful.
An OBD-II Reader: Yesterday my wife called me and told me that my daughter's car had a check-engine light on. Her car is only a year old because I got tired of fixing her older car and provided a brand-new one to get my Saturdays back. With an OBD-II reader, you can connect it to the car and it will sort of tell you what the problem is. Sometimes it is as simple as your gas cap not being screwed on correctly. In any event, a quick search on the Internet with the make, model, and year of your car along with the code provided by the reader will tell you if you can fix the problem on your own or need to take it to a repair shop. My daughter's car is still under warranty so it is going back to the dealership tomorrow. I actually own an OBD-II reader and use it all of the time. If that technical person in your life doesn't own one, this should be high on the Christmas list.
Google Cardboard: If you have someone on your Christmas list that really wants to play with virtual reality but you don't have the funds to spring for a $400 PlayStation VR, $600 Oculus Rift, or $800 HTC Vive, then think about getting Google Cardboard. It is only $15 and works with most existing smartphones. It provides a first-hand look at virtual reality with a plethora of apps that are inexpensive and give a good feel for the technology. I got one from a conference and liked the technology so much I purchased a PlayStation VR when I got the chance.
Musical Instrument: I have spent the last year learning to play the guitar and recommend everyone learn to play a musical instrument. One of my favorite things to do is wake up on a Sunday morning and relax playing my guitar. Studies have shown that having a hobby like playing the guitar can help keep brain cells healthy.
A Photo Book: Now that almost every phone sold also includes a camera, there is no excuse for not taking pictures of important events. So what do you do with all of those photos? Put them in a photo book. My family took a great vacation this year and it would be great if everyone combined all of their photos to create a memorable book for the family.
Yes there are probably more things I could add to my list but this is a good start. Hopefully it has a something you wouldn't have thought about on your own that will be a great gift for that hard-to-shop-for person on your list.
An OBD-II Reader: Yesterday my wife called me and told me that my daughter's car had a check-engine light on. Her car is only a year old because I got tired of fixing her older car and provided a brand-new one to get my Saturdays back. With an OBD-II reader, you can connect it to the car and it will sort of tell you what the problem is. Sometimes it is as simple as your gas cap not being screwed on correctly. In any event, a quick search on the Internet with the make, model, and year of your car along with the code provided by the reader will tell you if you can fix the problem on your own or need to take it to a repair shop. My daughter's car is still under warranty so it is going back to the dealership tomorrow. I actually own an OBD-II reader and use it all of the time. If that technical person in your life doesn't own one, this should be high on the Christmas list.
Google Cardboard: If you have someone on your Christmas list that really wants to play with virtual reality but you don't have the funds to spring for a $400 PlayStation VR, $600 Oculus Rift, or $800 HTC Vive, then think about getting Google Cardboard. It is only $15 and works with most existing smartphones. It provides a first-hand look at virtual reality with a plethora of apps that are inexpensive and give a good feel for the technology. I got one from a conference and liked the technology so much I purchased a PlayStation VR when I got the chance.
Musical Instrument: I have spent the last year learning to play the guitar and recommend everyone learn to play a musical instrument. One of my favorite things to do is wake up on a Sunday morning and relax playing my guitar. Studies have shown that having a hobby like playing the guitar can help keep brain cells healthy.
A Photo Book: Now that almost every phone sold also includes a camera, there is no excuse for not taking pictures of important events. So what do you do with all of those photos? Put them in a photo book. My family took a great vacation this year and it would be great if everyone combined all of their photos to create a memorable book for the family.
Yes there are probably more things I could add to my list but this is a good start. Hopefully it has a something you wouldn't have thought about on your own that will be a great gift for that hard-to-shop-for person on your list.
Monday, December 5, 2016
Christmas List 2016: Video Games I Want to Play
Every year I try to put together a Christmas list for that technically minded person in your family based upon what I want. Sometimes I have listed feel-good gifts but most of the time I list video games and other items that I would like to receive. Today I am going to restrict it to just video games. I must confess that I already own a bunch of these games and so this list is what I would like to play during the Holiday break when I am not skiing. Some of these are old games while others have just come out. That should give you a healthy mix of economical gifts as well as more expensive ones. Here is the list, in alphabetical order:
Battlefield 1: I really enjoyed playing Battlefield 3. I tried Battlefield 4 but lost interest after about an hour. I understand that EA figured out they need compelling story lines so that Battlefield 1 is much more engaging. I already have my copy of this game and look forward to finding some time to play it.
God of War 3: I have finished playing both 1 and 2 on the PlayStation 3 so now I want to play the remastered version of 3 on the PlayStation 4. I had hoped to start this evening but am getting really tired after waking up at 4:15 this morning to catch my flight to California and may begin tomorrow. Naturally I have a copy of this game already and have had it for quite some time.
Rise of the Tomb Raider: The Tomb Raider reboot is one of my favorite video games. It is along the same lines as the Uncharted series with a female protagonist instead of a male one. Those of you with XBox One consoles have been able to play this game for the past year, while those of us that favor the PlayStation 4 console have had to wait. The exclusivity is now over so I am looking forward to picking this game up and continuing the adventure.
Steep: I am a huge fan of skiing and so I look forward to any well-done skiing or snowboarding video game. When the oppressive heat of summer kicks in, I head to my cool basement and pretend it is winter again. That will probably be the case with this Ubisoft title as I don't own it yet. However I have it on my Christmas list in the hopes that someone who loves me will get me a copy.
Uncharted 3 & 4: I love the Uncharted games and have finished both 1 and 2. Now that I have more time, I will try to finish 3 and 4. It may take me some time as I don't have huge amounts of time to play video games. I already have my copies of each game.
The Walking Dead Season 3: I just saw that this will be released shortly. I played the first and second seasons and am eagerly anticipating the next one. I have yet to purchase the game but will look for it as soon as I complete one or two other games on my list.
Yes I work for a video game company but I have tried to include a number of titles from other game publishers. I have also listed those games that have risen to the top of my want-to-play list. As I browsed through the catalog of video games I own and those available for video game consoles, I came across a number of games that sounded interesting but I didn't want my list to be too long. I want it to be honest. Now we will see how many of these I actually play this Christmas season.
Battlefield 1: I really enjoyed playing Battlefield 3. I tried Battlefield 4 but lost interest after about an hour. I understand that EA figured out they need compelling story lines so that Battlefield 1 is much more engaging. I already have my copy of this game and look forward to finding some time to play it.
God of War 3: I have finished playing both 1 and 2 on the PlayStation 3 so now I want to play the remastered version of 3 on the PlayStation 4. I had hoped to start this evening but am getting really tired after waking up at 4:15 this morning to catch my flight to California and may begin tomorrow. Naturally I have a copy of this game already and have had it for quite some time.
Rise of the Tomb Raider: The Tomb Raider reboot is one of my favorite video games. It is along the same lines as the Uncharted series with a female protagonist instead of a male one. Those of you with XBox One consoles have been able to play this game for the past year, while those of us that favor the PlayStation 4 console have had to wait. The exclusivity is now over so I am looking forward to picking this game up and continuing the adventure.
Steep: I am a huge fan of skiing and so I look forward to any well-done skiing or snowboarding video game. When the oppressive heat of summer kicks in, I head to my cool basement and pretend it is winter again. That will probably be the case with this Ubisoft title as I don't own it yet. However I have it on my Christmas list in the hopes that someone who loves me will get me a copy.
Uncharted 3 & 4: I love the Uncharted games and have finished both 1 and 2. Now that I have more time, I will try to finish 3 and 4. It may take me some time as I don't have huge amounts of time to play video games. I already have my copies of each game.
The Walking Dead Season 3: I just saw that this will be released shortly. I played the first and second seasons and am eagerly anticipating the next one. I have yet to purchase the game but will look for it as soon as I complete one or two other games on my list.
Yes I work for a video game company but I have tried to include a number of titles from other game publishers. I have also listed those games that have risen to the top of my want-to-play list. As I browsed through the catalog of video games I own and those available for video game consoles, I came across a number of games that sounded interesting but I didn't want my list to be too long. I want it to be honest. Now we will see how many of these I actually play this Christmas season.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Working from Home
This morning I sat at a cafe in Tokyo eating breakfast and looking out the window at all of the people coming from trains and heading to work. On Monday evening I got to visit one of my work colleagues that lives here in Tokyo for dinner. This morning I realized that most everyone here lives in a tall building, takes a train to another tall building, works in the tall building, takes a train home at the end of the day, only to repeat the process the next day.
Think of the infrastructure required to move everyone around and how much smaller it could be if we didn't require so many people to work in an office every day. Furthermore, think of how much cost savings there would be if you didn't require office space for everyone.
I work from home on Friday's. I chose that day of the week as it allows me to spend more consecutive time at home. Remember that I fly to work on Monday mornings and don't return home until Thursday evenings. Let's assume I have 5 people on my team and we all decide that each of us will work from home one day per week. Someone works from home on Monday, someone else on Tuesday, etc. My team no longer needs 5 work spaces at the office, we now only need 4. Of course this does have the problem that we never have the entire team in the office at any given time. However that is a problem that can be easily solved. A number of companies don't assign permanent work spaces and just provide the technology so people can move around at will.
As I sat at breakfast this morning, I wondered how many of these people really need to go to an office anyways. There are a number of jobs where people only go to an office because of tradition. There are some forward thinking companies that allow people to do their jobs from home. I have a neighbor that used to work in JetBlue's call center. She woke up every morning, logged into the system to say she was working, and took phone calls all day long from the comfort of her home. At the end of the day, she logged out of the system and stopped receiving phone calls. If a manager felt the need to monitor her work, a number of key indicators exist: number of calls answered, average length of calls, average time between calls, etc. Even then if the manager felt my neighbor wasn't doing a good job, the manager could listen in on the calls.
Call centers should be small and everyone should follow the telecommuting principle. My daughter used to work for one and she was required to go in every day. She hated it. Eventually she quit and took a different job. Now the company needs to retrain someone else and while it probably doesn't cost very much, it isn't free.
There are a number of other jobs that could offer telecommuting as an option. Technology is advancing to the point where simulated face-to-face meetings are getting better and less expensive. WebEx and GotoMeeting are a step in the right direction but they could be greatly improved simply by improving their interface for allowing multiple cameras and screens to be used. That would allow for people's faces to be viewed along with whiteboards and presentation materials.
I am a manager and feel like I need to be in the office to monitor what is happening with my team. Perhaps I am the one that needs to take a step back and figure out how my job responsibilities can be streamlined through telecommuting. I have figured out how to make 1 day per week work. My next step may be as simple as figuring out how to make it 2.
Think of the infrastructure required to move everyone around and how much smaller it could be if we didn't require so many people to work in an office every day. Furthermore, think of how much cost savings there would be if you didn't require office space for everyone.
I work from home on Friday's. I chose that day of the week as it allows me to spend more consecutive time at home. Remember that I fly to work on Monday mornings and don't return home until Thursday evenings. Let's assume I have 5 people on my team and we all decide that each of us will work from home one day per week. Someone works from home on Monday, someone else on Tuesday, etc. My team no longer needs 5 work spaces at the office, we now only need 4. Of course this does have the problem that we never have the entire team in the office at any given time. However that is a problem that can be easily solved. A number of companies don't assign permanent work spaces and just provide the technology so people can move around at will.
As I sat at breakfast this morning, I wondered how many of these people really need to go to an office anyways. There are a number of jobs where people only go to an office because of tradition. There are some forward thinking companies that allow people to do their jobs from home. I have a neighbor that used to work in JetBlue's call center. She woke up every morning, logged into the system to say she was working, and took phone calls all day long from the comfort of her home. At the end of the day, she logged out of the system and stopped receiving phone calls. If a manager felt the need to monitor her work, a number of key indicators exist: number of calls answered, average length of calls, average time between calls, etc. Even then if the manager felt my neighbor wasn't doing a good job, the manager could listen in on the calls.
Call centers should be small and everyone should follow the telecommuting principle. My daughter used to work for one and she was required to go in every day. She hated it. Eventually she quit and took a different job. Now the company needs to retrain someone else and while it probably doesn't cost very much, it isn't free.
There are a number of other jobs that could offer telecommuting as an option. Technology is advancing to the point where simulated face-to-face meetings are getting better and less expensive. WebEx and GotoMeeting are a step in the right direction but they could be greatly improved simply by improving their interface for allowing multiple cameras and screens to be used. That would allow for people's faces to be viewed along with whiteboards and presentation materials.
I am a manager and feel like I need to be in the office to monitor what is happening with my team. Perhaps I am the one that needs to take a step back and figure out how my job responsibilities can be streamlined through telecommuting. I have figured out how to make 1 day per week work. My next step may be as simple as figuring out how to make it 2.
Monday, November 28, 2016
There's an App for That
Yesterday I attended a conference in Tokyo and one of the subjects included mobile phone applications. While you can generally use a web browser to access a number of useful websites, some of them provide smartphone applications to custom tailor the user interface experience to better fit the small screen sizes. My personal preference is to use the phone's browser instead of cluttering my phone with a bunch of apps that I rarely use. This places me in a specific category of users. The point of the presentation showed how much you can learn about a person based on their smartphone app usage.
The thing that I found interesting about the presentation is how accurate of a picture can be painted about you simply based the smartphone apps you use. Similarly that same information can be gathered from the websites you visit and how you use your computer.
For most of us, this isn't a big deal as we don't really use our computers for nefarious purposes. For others, this is rather bothersome. Fortunately the examples provided in yesterday's presentation were used to categorize users in to various demographic groups for ad sales purposes. However imagine if someone were to use that information to deny insurance benefits or keep you from getting a new job. It leads me to believe that we all need to be rather careful of our digital footprint. After all, someone might discover you have a clinical addiction to chocolate-chip cookies.
The thing that I found interesting about the presentation is how accurate of a picture can be painted about you simply based the smartphone apps you use. Similarly that same information can be gathered from the websites you visit and how you use your computer.
For most of us, this isn't a big deal as we don't really use our computers for nefarious purposes. For others, this is rather bothersome. Fortunately the examples provided in yesterday's presentation were used to categorize users in to various demographic groups for ad sales purposes. However imagine if someone were to use that information to deny insurance benefits or keep you from getting a new job. It leads me to believe that we all need to be rather careful of our digital footprint. After all, someone might discover you have a clinical addiction to chocolate-chip cookies.
Friday, November 25, 2016
A Tough Thanksgiving
This has been a very tough Thanksgiving this year. It started with . . . never mind. This is the time of the year that I should really be focusing on what I am thankful for instead of worrying about what went wrong. So here is a small representation of things I am thankful for right now:
- I'm thankful that the mountains got 14 inches of news snow the day before Thanksgiving. I love to ski but I also know that we have had a couple of really bad winters and the Great Salt Lake is getting smaller. I hope we will have a few months of unnaturally wet weather that continues to fill the lake so I can sail my boat more in the summer. Extra powder in the mountains is always nice.
- I'm thankful that I got to spend the week with my family that loves to have as much fun as I do.
- I'm thankful that even though the ski resorts in Utah are not yet open (Snowbird opens tomorrow) I still got to ski every day. Sure I had to hike up the hill, but I have the correct equipment that makes it more fun than a chore.
- I'm thankful for a fun job in technology that pays me to do what most others consider play. About the only job cooler than mine would be an astronaut and those are very difficult to get.
- Finally, I'm thankful that even though I had a busy week, I got everything done that needed to be completed and can look forward to a wonderful Christmas season.
Thursday, November 24, 2016
Black Friday
Tomorrow is Black Friday and the Christmas shopping season officially begins. As for me, I will refrain from shopping tomorrow. Instead I plan to spend the day outside and will officially be supporting REI's #OptOuside movement. I will ski in the morning and then spend the afternoon on my sailboat. No, the lifts are not running in Utah and so I will have to hike up the hill in order to get some turns in.
Unfortunately I have two daughters that work retail and both are being asked to come to work this evening even though it is Thanksgiving. They will come home well after midnight and then have to head back to work tomorrow to work the Black Friday specials. So if you are fighting the crowds in the stores tomorrow, please be nice to the salespeople. They are someone's son or daughter who don't get to spend time with the family so you can get a good shopping deal.
Unfortunately I have two daughters that work retail and both are being asked to come to work this evening even though it is Thanksgiving. They will come home well after midnight and then have to head back to work tomorrow to work the Black Friday specials. So if you are fighting the crowds in the stores tomorrow, please be nice to the salespeople. They are someone's son or daughter who don't get to spend time with the family so you can get a good shopping deal.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
The Achilles Heel of the PlayStation 4
Last night I practiced my guitar as my daughter came in and asked if I wanted to watch a movie. Being in the middle of a song, I wanted to finish it before hanging out so I told her to get started without me. She headed down to the TV room and booted up our other PS4. The only problem is that I was in the middle of my song using Rocksmith on the console in my bedroom. The PlayStation 4 does not allow you to be logged in at the same time on 2 different physical machines and that is its Achilles heel.
I had to laugh as my daughter yelled up a sincere, "Sorry," when she heard me tell my wife why I suddenly stopped practicing my guitar. Last night was not the first time we encountered this problem and probably won't be the last. My daughter could have used the dedicated DVD player or our PlayStation 3 but prefers to use the PS4 as it does so better than any movie player available today.
There is a very simple solution to getting booted from my PS4: create a user on it in the TV room specifically for watching movies. I could even name it something like "Movie Watcher." That way when someone else in the house wants to watch a movie, I get kicked off my console in the bedroom.
I had to laugh as my daughter yelled up a sincere, "Sorry," when she heard me tell my wife why I suddenly stopped practicing my guitar. Last night was not the first time we encountered this problem and probably won't be the last. My daughter could have used the dedicated DVD player or our PlayStation 3 but prefers to use the PS4 as it does so better than any movie player available today.
There is a very simple solution to getting booted from my PS4: create a user on it in the TV room specifically for watching movies. I could even name it something like "Movie Watcher." That way when someone else in the house wants to watch a movie, I get kicked off my console in the bedroom.
Saturday, November 19, 2016
Keeping the Dog Company
It is a Saturday evening and I find myself alone at home in Utah with the dog. My wife is at her sister's visiting with her family and so I can do whatever I want. I find my list of choices almost endless. There is a large library of video games still in the shrink-wrapped plastic. I could also sit down and watch a movie without having to get consensus from the family. I have a $20 bill in my wallet and can even go out to see a movie if I wanted.
When I left the family gathering this afternoon to bring my daughter home so she could go to work, the first thing I did was pull out my guitar and practice it for 2 hours. I have never been musically inclined but thought that if I could play an instrument, I would play all the time. Now that I have taken up the guitar, thanks to Rocksmith, I do play all of the time and it is very rewarding. I only stopped to make myself dinner but that may be something I continue later this evening.
I also have a PlayStation VR that I have not really spent much time using. My youngest son enjoys it and often invites his college friends over to play. They love Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. One person will play the game while everyone watches. It is set up in small 15-minute mini games that work for a group of friends. The person playing will get startled and jump, causing everyone to laugh. They can play for hours on end. I told my coworkers about this and they suggested I get Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. It is a party game that runs on Windows and Mac as well as the PlayStation VR. I have yet to purchase it, but it does sound like fun. In the mean time, I have about 6 or 7 other VR games I could play. Yes, some of them are still in the shrink wrap.
When you think about it, most of our lives today are amazing. It is a Saturday evening and my biggest concern is how to keep myself and the dog entertained. I am not sitting in a fox hole helping to fight some war. My next meal is already in the fridge and so I am not out hunting it or plucking it from the ground. When the house gets a little cold, a thermostat senses it and turns on the heat so I don't have to chop wood or keep a fire burning. Oh the choices I have for the evening and how I am glad I am not having to take care of one of the basic necessities of life.
When I left the family gathering this afternoon to bring my daughter home so she could go to work, the first thing I did was pull out my guitar and practice it for 2 hours. I have never been musically inclined but thought that if I could play an instrument, I would play all the time. Now that I have taken up the guitar, thanks to Rocksmith, I do play all of the time and it is very rewarding. I only stopped to make myself dinner but that may be something I continue later this evening.
I also have a PlayStation VR that I have not really spent much time using. My youngest son enjoys it and often invites his college friends over to play. They love Until Dawn: Rush of Blood. One person will play the game while everyone watches. It is set up in small 15-minute mini games that work for a group of friends. The person playing will get startled and jump, causing everyone to laugh. They can play for hours on end. I told my coworkers about this and they suggested I get Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes. It is a party game that runs on Windows and Mac as well as the PlayStation VR. I have yet to purchase it, but it does sound like fun. In the mean time, I have about 6 or 7 other VR games I could play. Yes, some of them are still in the shrink wrap.
When you think about it, most of our lives today are amazing. It is a Saturday evening and my biggest concern is how to keep myself and the dog entertained. I am not sitting in a fox hole helping to fight some war. My next meal is already in the fridge and so I am not out hunting it or plucking it from the ground. When the house gets a little cold, a thermostat senses it and turns on the heat so I don't have to chop wood or keep a fire burning. Oh the choices I have for the evening and how I am glad I am not having to take care of one of the basic necessities of life.
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Video Game Review: Sniper Ghost Warrior 2
Back in April I finished the Sniper: Ghost Warrior and wrote a review. I've had the second version for several months now and finally got around to playing it last week as I wanted a quick game to get through before the Thanksgiving holiday. The two games are very similar in that you are a US Marine sniper sent on a number of missions. Some of them involve sneaking around without getting caught while others require you to shoot people from a very long distance.
As I have mentioned before, I enjoy playing first-person shooters and so I had fun playing this game from City Interactive. As with the first version of this game, it is not a triple-A title and so don't expect a lengthy story or overly complex action. The maps are fairly simple and the 6 or so hours it takes to play the game feel about right for this title. They did do a great job on the scenery and the only glitch I noticed in the game engine is when it saves your progress to disk. That didn't interfere with the game play though. You should be able to find this for a very inexpensive price. I played it on my PlayStation 3 and most of those games can be found in the $5 bin at Walmart or Best Buy.
The game has an ESRB rating of M for Mature due to graphic violence and strong language. I played it alone on my boat and so nobody got offended by the language. However if I had tried to play this at home, headphones would probably have been a requirement. I recommend this game to any young adult that enjoys first-person shooter games and needs an inexpensive Christmas present. I paid next to nothing for my copy and would not recommend paying more than $7 for the game.
As I have mentioned before, I enjoy playing first-person shooters and so I had fun playing this game from City Interactive. As with the first version of this game, it is not a triple-A title and so don't expect a lengthy story or overly complex action. The maps are fairly simple and the 6 or so hours it takes to play the game feel about right for this title. They did do a great job on the scenery and the only glitch I noticed in the game engine is when it saves your progress to disk. That didn't interfere with the game play though. You should be able to find this for a very inexpensive price. I played it on my PlayStation 3 and most of those games can be found in the $5 bin at Walmart or Best Buy.
The game has an ESRB rating of M for Mature due to graphic violence and strong language. I played it alone on my boat and so nobody got offended by the language. However if I had tried to play this at home, headphones would probably have been a requirement. I recommend this game to any young adult that enjoys first-person shooter games and needs an inexpensive Christmas present. I paid next to nothing for my copy and would not recommend paying more than $7 for the game.
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Video Game Review: Far Cry 3
Recently I finished playing Far Cry 3 on my PlayStation 3 console. I found a really cheap copy that included Far Cry 2 and Far Cry Blood Dragon. I have yet to play the other two games but interestingly enough, I have played some of Far Cry 4 on my PS4. In fact, I enjoyed it so much I thought I would go back and see if there is any tie into the game before. Nope, you can play each game in any order as they don't rely on each other at all.
Before starting the game I did review a few online guides. The game has an ESRB rating of M for Mature. One of the reasons is because of nudity and that's not something I want to see when I play video games. I read that there really only is nudity at the end if you make a specific choice. They lied. There is another section in the game with some brief nudity. The M rating also applies to language and a lot of violence.
I finished playing Red Dead Redemption and really enjoyed that style of game. I tried a number of other games but couldn't find anything else I enjoyed nearly as much. Fortunately I stuck with Far Cry 3 long enough to discover that it is an open-world game where you can try to stick to the main story or go off and do other things just like Red Dead Redemption. I have to say that I really enjoyed Far Cry 3 and enjoyed playing all the way through the game. I spent about 10 weeks on the game. Remember that I only play about 3 nights a week for 1 to 2 hours and so it took me a lot of calendar time to complete it but not a lot of total time.
Far Cry 3 is published by Ubisoft and I have found myself playing a lot of their games lately. I got my copy of the game for $1 and recommend it if you are looking for an inexpensive game for an adult video gamer still playing games on the previous generation of consoles.
Before starting the game I did review a few online guides. The game has an ESRB rating of M for Mature. One of the reasons is because of nudity and that's not something I want to see when I play video games. I read that there really only is nudity at the end if you make a specific choice. They lied. There is another section in the game with some brief nudity. The M rating also applies to language and a lot of violence.
I finished playing Red Dead Redemption and really enjoyed that style of game. I tried a number of other games but couldn't find anything else I enjoyed nearly as much. Fortunately I stuck with Far Cry 3 long enough to discover that it is an open-world game where you can try to stick to the main story or go off and do other things just like Red Dead Redemption. I have to say that I really enjoyed Far Cry 3 and enjoyed playing all the way through the game. I spent about 10 weeks on the game. Remember that I only play about 3 nights a week for 1 to 2 hours and so it took me a lot of calendar time to complete it but not a lot of total time.
Far Cry 3 is published by Ubisoft and I have found myself playing a lot of their games lately. I got my copy of the game for $1 and recommend it if you are looking for an inexpensive game for an adult video gamer still playing games on the previous generation of consoles.
Monday, October 31, 2016
Happy Halloween 2016
Today is Halloween and I am in the Bay Area staying on my sailboat this evening. I would much rather be at home welcoming trick-or-treaters. Fortunately my 22-year-old daughter is home in Utah taking care of all the little monsters that come to my house. My wife and son are there as well but this year my daughter really caught the spirit of Halloween.
I have to say I am a bit jealous. As a kid, I loved Halloween. Being able to go door-to-door and collect candy is a great tradition. More importantly to a child, it signals the beginning of the Holiday Season. We make a mad dash to Thanksgiving and then the month of December is magically filled with Christmas. I am hoping to have a number of reviews over the next couple of weeks should you be interested in finding gifts for the overgrown boy in your life. This means more about PlayStation VR and the games to go with it. I also ordered my PS4 Pro today and will let you know if you should spend the money or pick up the less expensive Slim. Now if it was only 30 degrees colder outside and the rain turned to snow. Then I could sing, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."
I have to say I am a bit jealous. As a kid, I loved Halloween. Being able to go door-to-door and collect candy is a great tradition. More importantly to a child, it signals the beginning of the Holiday Season. We make a mad dash to Thanksgiving and then the month of December is magically filled with Christmas. I am hoping to have a number of reviews over the next couple of weeks should you be interested in finding gifts for the overgrown boy in your life. This means more about PlayStation VR and the games to go with it. I also ordered my PS4 Pro today and will let you know if you should spend the money or pick up the less expensive Slim. Now if it was only 30 degrees colder outside and the rain turned to snow. Then I could sing, "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas."
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Meeting Celebrities
This morning I visited with one of my friends who introduced me to Jeff Clark, a famous big-wave surfer. I knew I had heard his name before and his face looked familiar. I used to surf back in my early college days but I haven't followed the sport in quite some time. Naturally my curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to find out more about him. So this evening I pulled out my trusty laptop and did an Internet search on his name.
I am always asking how we survived before the days of the Internet. If you ever need to know anything, the first place to look is your favorite search engine. Have a question about some random fact? Search the Internet.
My friend that introduced me to Jeff this morning is my old surfing buddy that knew I have been away from the sport so long I might not know who he is. He wanted me to ask Jeff about his celebrity status. Fortunately Jeff is very self-effacing and not caught up in his own fame. He told me about his surfboard shop but didn't mention his many exploits at the big-wave surfing mecca known as Mavericks. I had to find that one out on my own. Sometimes celebrities are just cool like that.
I am always asking how we survived before the days of the Internet. If you ever need to know anything, the first place to look is your favorite search engine. Have a question about some random fact? Search the Internet.
My friend that introduced me to Jeff this morning is my old surfing buddy that knew I have been away from the sport so long I might not know who he is. He wanted me to ask Jeff about his celebrity status. Fortunately Jeff is very self-effacing and not caught up in his own fame. He told me about his surfboard shop but didn't mention his many exploits at the big-wave surfing mecca known as Mavericks. I had to find that one out on my own. Sometimes celebrities are just cool like that.
Friday, October 28, 2016
Timing Airport Pick-Ups Correctly
My wife wanted to spend the weekend in San Francisco and so instead of flying home at the end of a week, I just stayed in the Bay Area and used frequent flyer miles to bring her out. Waiting for her to arrive on Friday felt strange as normally I am not in the office. When it came time to pick my wife up at the San Francisco airport, I had to figure out how to get the timing correct. Airports don't like it when you pull up to the curb and wait for an hour or two for a flight to land.
Fortunately my boat that I stay on in the Bay Area sits at the end of the San Francisco airport runway. I decided to try something new just to see if the timing worked out. My wife gave me her estimated arrival time as the plane took off and then I hung out on the boat waiting for her to land. As the time got close for her arrival, I sat out in the cockpit of my boat playing my guitar, and watching planes land. I saw my wife's aircraft fly by and had that confirmed when she texted me immediately upon touchdown. Then I carefully put my guitar away, closed up the boat, and started the short drive to airport.
I pulled into SFO just as my wife called from the curb. Timing worked out perfectly. I pulled up and my wife immediately got into the car without either of us having to wait more than 15 seconds.
There are a number of smartphone apps that show when flights arrive. You can also use the phone to tell your ride when you are leaving. Unfortunately neither of these take airport congestion into account. Nothing beats sitting at the end of the runway on your sailboat watching planes land.
Fortunately my boat that I stay on in the Bay Area sits at the end of the San Francisco airport runway. I decided to try something new just to see if the timing worked out. My wife gave me her estimated arrival time as the plane took off and then I hung out on the boat waiting for her to land. As the time got close for her arrival, I sat out in the cockpit of my boat playing my guitar, and watching planes land. I saw my wife's aircraft fly by and had that confirmed when she texted me immediately upon touchdown. Then I carefully put my guitar away, closed up the boat, and started the short drive to airport.
I pulled into SFO just as my wife called from the curb. Timing worked out perfectly. I pulled up and my wife immediately got into the car without either of us having to wait more than 15 seconds.
There are a number of smartphone apps that show when flights arrive. You can also use the phone to tell your ride when you are leaving. Unfortunately neither of these take airport congestion into account. Nothing beats sitting at the end of the runway on your sailboat watching planes land.
Thursday, October 27, 2016
A New Company Benefit: Identity Theft Protection
My company had a meeting today where they rolled out next year's changes to our benefits package. For the most part, things are better than in years previous and I can't complain about anything. One interesting new perk is that of identity theft protection. Interestingly enough I have been thinking about picking this up for myself and am happy to see I don't need to.
There are a number of companies providing identity theft protection with Lifelock being the most popular. If you go to their website, you will see that 1 in 4 people are victims of identity theft. Those are pretty high odds and I don't want to take that risk.
I am one of those people that prefers not to store credit card numbers with my online accounts. While it takes a bit more time as I have to manually add my payment information for any purchases I make from a website, it reduces the chance of a bad guy getting my financial information. Unfortunately there are a number of sites that insist on storing that information for me and so I am glad to have this new benefit. Hopefully other companies are following this trend and making it part of your benefits package. If not, now you know what to ask the next time your human resources department requests feedback.
There are a number of companies providing identity theft protection with Lifelock being the most popular. If you go to their website, you will see that 1 in 4 people are victims of identity theft. Those are pretty high odds and I don't want to take that risk.
I am one of those people that prefers not to store credit card numbers with my online accounts. While it takes a bit more time as I have to manually add my payment information for any purchases I make from a website, it reduces the chance of a bad guy getting my financial information. Unfortunately there are a number of sites that insist on storing that information for me and so I am glad to have this new benefit. Hopefully other companies are following this trend and making it part of your benefits package. If not, now you know what to ask the next time your human resources department requests feedback.
Friday, October 21, 2016
Virtual Reality
Last week Sony PlayStation released their virtual reality (VR) hardware. I ordered one for myself and finally got it set up today. Being in the video game industry I have seen countless VR demos and had the chance to share some of them with my family members today. If you haven't had a demo yet, I understand you can get them at Gamestop and several other retailers. I highly suggest seeing them first-hand as there is no way to do VR justice without a live demo.
It has been interesting to watch VR games evolve over the past several years. A few months ago I participated in a demo and it amazed me how immersive the experience is. I wondered if a game that might be rated for teens (T) suddenly becomes a mature (M) game because you feel so much more a part of the game. Specifically I am thinking about violence. When you have a first person shooter or action adventure where you shoot people but there is not graphic blood, you can get away with a T rating. Take that same game, put it in a VR environment, and suddenly certain elements deserve a much more adult rating.
I know that the adult entertainment industry is eager to adopt VR which is why I opted for the PlayStation VR over the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. Sony can exercise some element of control over what content appears on their platform. While they do allow nudity in their games, they would never allow and adults-only (AO) title to appear on their console. However, this does bring up a good point. God of War, The Order 1886, and several other games from Sony studios do contain nudity. While that has only earned a mature rating in the past, will it now deserve an AO in VR?
It has been interesting to watch VR games evolve over the past several years. A few months ago I participated in a demo and it amazed me how immersive the experience is. I wondered if a game that might be rated for teens (T) suddenly becomes a mature (M) game because you feel so much more a part of the game. Specifically I am thinking about violence. When you have a first person shooter or action adventure where you shoot people but there is not graphic blood, you can get away with a T rating. Take that same game, put it in a VR environment, and suddenly certain elements deserve a much more adult rating.
I know that the adult entertainment industry is eager to adopt VR which is why I opted for the PlayStation VR over the Oculus Rift or HTC Vive. Sony can exercise some element of control over what content appears on their platform. While they do allow nudity in their games, they would never allow and adults-only (AO) title to appear on their console. However, this does bring up a good point. God of War, The Order 1886, and several other games from Sony studios do contain nudity. While that has only earned a mature rating in the past, will it now deserve an AO in VR?
Wednesday, October 12, 2016
No Substitute for Paper
Recently I headed out with my family for a day of rock climbing. As a fairly novice rock climber, I usually make sure to purchase a guide for the area I plan to climb. Then I just throw it in my equipment bag and reference it before starting the climb. On this particular trip, we arrived at the climbing area just after two guys from California. They started pulling out their climbing equipment and I wanted to check that we were in the right area. They confirmed it and so we parked the car. Next I pulled out my trusty guide book to determine where we should set our equipment to begin our climb. Our new friends from California took a peculiar interest in the book.
A lot of people rely on smartphones to provided directions to specific locations. Rock climbing is no exception. Unfortunately we all decided to climb someplace so remote, none of us had mobile phone reception. The guys from California drove to the correct location based off of stored GPS coordinates but didn't have the rest of the information needed to start the climb. They consulted my guide book and found a nice place to go so we would not interfere with each other. They also took a picture of the guide book page for the area in case they needed more help.
Smartphones and the ubiquitous Internet have really cut down on how much printed information we need on a daily basis. However every once and a while you may find that there is no substitute for paper. I am not sure what our new friends would have done had I not come along with my trusty guide book.
A lot of people rely on smartphones to provided directions to specific locations. Rock climbing is no exception. Unfortunately we all decided to climb someplace so remote, none of us had mobile phone reception. The guys from California drove to the correct location based off of stored GPS coordinates but didn't have the rest of the information needed to start the climb. They consulted my guide book and found a nice place to go so we would not interfere with each other. They also took a picture of the guide book page for the area in case they needed more help.
Smartphones and the ubiquitous Internet have really cut down on how much printed information we need on a daily basis. However every once and a while you may find that there is no substitute for paper. I am not sure what our new friends would have done had I not come along with my trusty guide book.
Thursday, September 22, 2016
Laptop Size Recommendation
When I first started my current job, I had a laptop provided to me and didn't have the option of choosing it. I was not the first user and the computer had seen better days. Eventually the time came and I got to order a new laptop and I selected one of the larger laptops available. I did so based on the processing power available. I also liked the size of the larger screen.
I liked the new laptop and used it for several years longer than required. Our company policy allows us to refresh our computers every couple of years. At the 4-year mark, I decided to make some changes. I noticed that others carried their laptops with them a lot more than I did. The larger format of mine discouraged that. Instead of the 15-inch model, I chose the 13-inch one. I am pleased with the change. I find myself bringing my computer with me everywhere. I also find myself pulling out my laptop a lot more on planes and in airports. It is much easier to find space for a smaller machine.
If you are in the market for a new laptop, think about any changes you would like to make with your current one. Think about more than just processor speed and memory. Is your computer bag too heavy when you put your laptop in it or do you even notice. Is your screen too small to be useful or is it more than adequate. These are small things that are often overlooked but end up making more of a difference than you probably realize. I know it surprised me.
I liked the new laptop and used it for several years longer than required. Our company policy allows us to refresh our computers every couple of years. At the 4-year mark, I decided to make some changes. I noticed that others carried their laptops with them a lot more than I did. The larger format of mine discouraged that. Instead of the 15-inch model, I chose the 13-inch one. I am pleased with the change. I find myself bringing my computer with me everywhere. I also find myself pulling out my laptop a lot more on planes and in airports. It is much easier to find space for a smaller machine.
If you are in the market for a new laptop, think about any changes you would like to make with your current one. Think about more than just processor speed and memory. Is your computer bag too heavy when you put your laptop in it or do you even notice. Is your screen too small to be useful or is it more than adequate. These are small things that are often overlooked but end up making more of a difference than you probably realize. I know it surprised me.
Thursday, September 15, 2016
Tokyo Game Show
I am sitting in one of the first-class lounges at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Earlier I got off a flight from Tokyo and my connecting flight to Salt Lake is delayed by more than an hour. If everything had worked out, I would have been able to spend an entire day in Tokyo, cross the International Date Line and gotten home on an hour before I left Tokyo. Instead I will get home an hour into the day after a very important day to me. I am kind of upset that I won't be home on time but there is not much I can do about it. Just remember that when you need the airlines to be on time, they won't be.
So what brought me to Tokyo? Tokyo Game Show (TGS), Japan's largest video game conference. I had some important meetings and so I needed to attend. I just wish the show occurred a week earlier or later. Then I could be home on this special day.
I don't have official numbers but the show seemed larger than last year. I didn't see any surprises other than games that are popular in Japan but not in the US. I think the one big stand-out from the show is Resident Evil 7: Biohazard from CAPCOM. I'm not sure if I gave this game more attention because one of my co-workers from Japan really likes the game and so we spent more time watching trailers. What I do know is that it looks like a scary game that should be very entertaining.
I do have to disclose that I work for a video game company but no, we don't work on Resident Evil 7. Also, I have never played a Resident Evil game but have to admit this one does look interesting. I'll have to give it a try when it releases in January of 2017.
So what brought me to Tokyo? Tokyo Game Show (TGS), Japan's largest video game conference. I had some important meetings and so I needed to attend. I just wish the show occurred a week earlier or later. Then I could be home on this special day.
I don't have official numbers but the show seemed larger than last year. I didn't see any surprises other than games that are popular in Japan but not in the US. I think the one big stand-out from the show is Resident Evil 7: Biohazard from CAPCOM. I'm not sure if I gave this game more attention because one of my co-workers from Japan really likes the game and so we spent more time watching trailers. What I do know is that it looks like a scary game that should be very entertaining.
I do have to disclose that I work for a video game company but no, we don't work on Resident Evil 7. Also, I have never played a Resident Evil game but have to admit this one does look interesting. I'll have to give it a try when it releases in January of 2017.
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Online Ski Stores
A few days ago I wrote about my experience purchasing my son ski bindings from an online store. Afterwards I thought that others might be interested in sites that I find reliable for picking up ski stuff. One of the largest ski retailers in my area closed their doors earlier this year and while other stores are stepping up to fill the void, I am resorting to purchasing more and more online. Here is my list of recommended places to shop:
Backcountry.com - This site used to be my favorite as they always seemed to have the best deals around. Recently their prices have not been as good as in the past. I have purchased quite a few pairs of skis as well as a lot of rock climbing equipment from them. They also have Steep and Cheap, a site that showcases one item at a time for huge discounts. You have to be quick though as each item is only available for about 10 minutes. If it doesn't sell out, they switch to a new product. Should that happen you can always check the Department of Goods to see if they still have what you are looking for. They have a retail location in Salt Lake and so if I don't want to pay for shipping, I can always pick it up at the store. It also works great for returns.
Evo.com - Purchasing boots online is very difficult. You don't know if the boot will fit correctly and you run the risk of having to ship stuff back. Evo has a very liberal return policy that allows you to purchase several pairs of boots at once and then ship back the ones that don't fit. This came in very handy as I purchased new ski boots for my daughter last Christmas. I did have to pay to ship things back, but it is a small price to pay to get the right size. If you do need boot work after you purchase them, you will have to find a local boot fitter to take care of that for you and that may eliminate any discount from buying online.
Level 9 Sports - This is another online store with a Salt Lake retail location. I first received a recommendation to their site when looking for ski poles. They also have great deals on other ski equipment and I always make sure to compare their prices with other sites. They do everything they can to make sure you have a great purchasing experience.
There are a number of other online ski shops like skis.com. Unfortunately I have not purchased anything from them and can't make a recommendation one way or another. I do compare their prices though and would not mind trying them out. They just haven't had anything that interested me in the past.
If you can't tell, I am anxiously awaiting the start of ski season and hope to have a good one this year. If you are in the market for new stuff, hopefully this list helps you out.
Backcountry.com - This site used to be my favorite as they always seemed to have the best deals around. Recently their prices have not been as good as in the past. I have purchased quite a few pairs of skis as well as a lot of rock climbing equipment from them. They also have Steep and Cheap, a site that showcases one item at a time for huge discounts. You have to be quick though as each item is only available for about 10 minutes. If it doesn't sell out, they switch to a new product. Should that happen you can always check the Department of Goods to see if they still have what you are looking for. They have a retail location in Salt Lake and so if I don't want to pay for shipping, I can always pick it up at the store. It also works great for returns.
Evo.com - Purchasing boots online is very difficult. You don't know if the boot will fit correctly and you run the risk of having to ship stuff back. Evo has a very liberal return policy that allows you to purchase several pairs of boots at once and then ship back the ones that don't fit. This came in very handy as I purchased new ski boots for my daughter last Christmas. I did have to pay to ship things back, but it is a small price to pay to get the right size. If you do need boot work after you purchase them, you will have to find a local boot fitter to take care of that for you and that may eliminate any discount from buying online.
Level 9 Sports - This is another online store with a Salt Lake retail location. I first received a recommendation to their site when looking for ski poles. They also have great deals on other ski equipment and I always make sure to compare their prices with other sites. They do everything they can to make sure you have a great purchasing experience.
There are a number of other online ski shops like skis.com. Unfortunately I have not purchased anything from them and can't make a recommendation one way or another. I do compare their prices though and would not mind trying them out. They just haven't had anything that interested me in the past.
If you can't tell, I am anxiously awaiting the start of ski season and hope to have a good one this year. If you are in the market for new stuff, hopefully this list helps you out.
Thursday, September 8, 2016
Online Customer Service
Ski season is quickly approaching and so I have been looking to replace some of my old equipment. Generally you can find good deals on the Internet. You do have to be careful though as you may run the risk of getting ripped off. Fortunately there are services like "Google Trusted Stores" to help ensure you do not get taken advantage of.
Saturday afternoon I found a great pair of ski bindings for my son's new skis. I found them on a site I trust with a retail presence in Utah. I purchased them and paid the $7 to have them shipped to the house. Sure I could have gone into the retail store, picked them up, and saved myself some money. However the convenience of not having to go anywhere was well worth the small price. A few days later I got a call from my son asking if he could open the package. I told him he could whereupon he hung up so he could use both hands to rip open the packaging. A few minutes later I got a call back and he explained that only one part of the bindings arrived.
I happened to be at a department offsite and so I couldn't follow up with the seller. When I got back to my office I could not get a hold of them on the phone. They did have a chat app on their website and so I opened the window and asked if a second package might be coming any time soon. Nope, the warehouse had made a mistake and shipped one of two boxes. I needed to take a picture of the parts that arrived along with the packaging. I had a slight problem: everything was in Utah and I was in California. I tried to get my son on the phone but he had taken off for an evening activity. Fortunately my daughter helped me out and sent me the requested photo. I forwarded that to the website and the customer service guy created a new shipment. He even went so far as to personally go to the warehouse, get the second box from the shelves, and send me back a picture of the bindings along with the shipping label. To make things right, he even threw in a few extra low-cost items.
People make mistakes. When you purchase something from a physical store, you have a much lower chance of mistakes being made. I appreciated the customer service representative trying to make amends. Fortunately it is only September and my son doesn't need the skis for a couple of months. I would hate to think how upset we both would have been if snow had already started to fall and we wanted to go skiing the next day. So if you plan to buy stuff online, make sure you don't need it immediately. Otherwise you could be very disappointed.
Saturday afternoon I found a great pair of ski bindings for my son's new skis. I found them on a site I trust with a retail presence in Utah. I purchased them and paid the $7 to have them shipped to the house. Sure I could have gone into the retail store, picked them up, and saved myself some money. However the convenience of not having to go anywhere was well worth the small price. A few days later I got a call from my son asking if he could open the package. I told him he could whereupon he hung up so he could use both hands to rip open the packaging. A few minutes later I got a call back and he explained that only one part of the bindings arrived.
I happened to be at a department offsite and so I couldn't follow up with the seller. When I got back to my office I could not get a hold of them on the phone. They did have a chat app on their website and so I opened the window and asked if a second package might be coming any time soon. Nope, the warehouse had made a mistake and shipped one of two boxes. I needed to take a picture of the parts that arrived along with the packaging. I had a slight problem: everything was in Utah and I was in California. I tried to get my son on the phone but he had taken off for an evening activity. Fortunately my daughter helped me out and sent me the requested photo. I forwarded that to the website and the customer service guy created a new shipment. He even went so far as to personally go to the warehouse, get the second box from the shelves, and send me back a picture of the bindings along with the shipping label. To make things right, he even threw in a few extra low-cost items.
People make mistakes. When you purchase something from a physical store, you have a much lower chance of mistakes being made. I appreciated the customer service representative trying to make amends. Fortunately it is only September and my son doesn't need the skis for a couple of months. I would hate to think how upset we both would have been if snow had already started to fall and we wanted to go skiing the next day. So if you plan to buy stuff online, make sure you don't need it immediately. Otherwise you could be very disappointed.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Final Answer
My son finally made it home safely after two years in Armenia. I have been struggling with the decision on what computer to get him for his first year in college. I presented several choices to him and let him do some research for several days. He came back with a computer choice. Then I felt I needed to make one last look to make sure we reviewed all possible options.
There are several online computer vendors that allow you to specify the features you are looking for and so I visited Best Buy's. They have a store really close to my house and so I knew I could order it, have it shipped there for free, and pick it up rather quickly. I used the configuration tool and put in the options I thought would work best for a college freshman looking to start in the Mechanical Engineering department. Surprisingly I found a computer I had overlooked. I presented it to my son as a viable alternative to his choice and let him decide. I always believe that any large purchase should be thought about for at least a day. When I go to buy cars, I often tell the salesperson I want to sleep on it before I make a purchase. They hate that but then I don't have buyer's remorse. So I let my son sleep on the decision.
He came back and settled on a MacBook Air with an Intel i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 128 GB solid-state drive. Sure I could have gotten more disk space, but with terabyte drives costing $70, why would you need to? I agreed with his decision and so I ordered the computer. The only problem with his choice is that the i7 is an upgrade and so it is not kept in stock at the Apple stores. I had to have it custom built. It will be here next week but is coming all the way from China. School starts on Monday so I hope my son doesn't need his computer until Wednesday when it is due to arrive.
There are several online computer vendors that allow you to specify the features you are looking for and so I visited Best Buy's. They have a store really close to my house and so I knew I could order it, have it shipped there for free, and pick it up rather quickly. I used the configuration tool and put in the options I thought would work best for a college freshman looking to start in the Mechanical Engineering department. Surprisingly I found a computer I had overlooked. I presented it to my son as a viable alternative to his choice and let him decide. I always believe that any large purchase should be thought about for at least a day. When I go to buy cars, I often tell the salesperson I want to sleep on it before I make a purchase. They hate that but then I don't have buyer's remorse. So I let my son sleep on the decision.
He came back and settled on a MacBook Air with an Intel i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 128 GB solid-state drive. Sure I could have gotten more disk space, but with terabyte drives costing $70, why would you need to? I agreed with his decision and so I ordered the computer. The only problem with his choice is that the i7 is an upgrade and so it is not kept in stock at the Apple stores. I had to have it custom built. It will be here next week but is coming all the way from China. School starts on Monday so I hope my son doesn't need his computer until Wednesday when it is due to arrive.
Thursday, August 11, 2016
You Work in Computers?
Several years ago I had someone ask me if I worked in computers. When I replied that I did, she told me that I must have any number of job opportunities because there seem to be so many computer job postings. I tried to explain that there are a lot of different areas and that while I may know databases very well, I am not a Java programmer nor would I be hired as a user interface developer. Unfortunately she didn't understand database, Java, user interface, nor the differences between them.
Today I had the chance to attend a series of presentation given by my company's staff of summer interns. My intern gave an excellent presentation on Kubernetes and I decided to stick around listening to others, trying to gauge how well he did. I quickly became aware of how many different disciplines there are in computer science. One person talked about a very in-depth graphics routine he spent the summer researching. Another talked about how she worked with game console software development kits (SDK's). It reminded me of how truly diverse jobs in computers can be.
Should you be interested in a computer job you might want to spend some time thinking about what interests you. My first professional experience with computers involved data and so I built my career around databases. My son has taken a liking to computer networks and so that is where he has found employment. Yes, the field of computers is large and varied. My only advice is that if you decide that a career with computers sounds right for you, continue learning. The field is always evolving and technologies from 20 years ago are different now. When I started out in databases, SQL was the language to learn. It is still applicable but now there are other data tools and to remain marketable, I have had to keep myself constantly educated.
In case you are interested, my intern did a magnificent job on his presentation and made the team proud.
Today I had the chance to attend a series of presentation given by my company's staff of summer interns. My intern gave an excellent presentation on Kubernetes and I decided to stick around listening to others, trying to gauge how well he did. I quickly became aware of how many different disciplines there are in computer science. One person talked about a very in-depth graphics routine he spent the summer researching. Another talked about how she worked with game console software development kits (SDK's). It reminded me of how truly diverse jobs in computers can be.
Should you be interested in a computer job you might want to spend some time thinking about what interests you. My first professional experience with computers involved data and so I built my career around databases. My son has taken a liking to computer networks and so that is where he has found employment. Yes, the field of computers is large and varied. My only advice is that if you decide that a career with computers sounds right for you, continue learning. The field is always evolving and technologies from 20 years ago are different now. When I started out in databases, SQL was the language to learn. It is still applicable but now there are other data tools and to remain marketable, I have had to keep myself constantly educated.
In case you are interested, my intern did a magnificent job on his presentation and made the team proud.
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Mobile Phone Etiquette
I am at the airport waiting to catch my flight back to Salt Lake for the weekend. Normally I would be bored and trying to figure out something to do. Today I get the pleasure of listening to someone talk on the phone. In the past we used to have somewhat private phone booths that tried to absorb some of the sound. Now people just sit in their chairs carrying on a conversation about their latest prostrate exam like nobody else can hear them. Trust me, there are conversations I really don't want to hear.
The lure of listening in on other people's conversations used to be somewhat diminished by the fact you could only hear half of it. I don't know why but people now think it is perfectly acceptable to use Skype and FaceTime in public places. Every Thursday night as I wait to catch my flight home, I see at least one person with their phone held out like they are taking a selfie so they can FaceTime someone else. Not only can I hear the usual half of the conversation, I get to hear the whole thing. Tonight is no different.
For those that are interested, yes, that scab does look infected and he really should go to the doctor's to have it checked out.
The lure of listening in on other people's conversations used to be somewhat diminished by the fact you could only hear half of it. I don't know why but people now think it is perfectly acceptable to use Skype and FaceTime in public places. Every Thursday night as I wait to catch my flight home, I see at least one person with their phone held out like they are taking a selfie so they can FaceTime someone else. Not only can I hear the usual half of the conversation, I get to hear the whole thing. Tonight is no different.
For those that are interested, yes, that scab does look infected and he really should go to the doctor's to have it checked out.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Busy Signal vs. Fax Machine
While home in Utah last Friday, I was supposed to have carpet delivered and installed. My wife and I had picked this date 3 weeks earlier so I could be there to make sure everything went as planned. That morning my wife got a call from the installer that a family emergency had come up and we needed to reschedule. My wife let me know about the delay and I went into action fixing the wrong as we had spent weeks moving out of 3 bedrooms and ripping out the old carpet. I did not want to go another day without something we had already paid for.
I made my first call to the local store where we had purchased the carpet. It is a large chain store with many locations. I did that on purpose so that in the event that one installer had a family emergency, the company would have other installers they could call on to finish the job. The person helping me on the other end of the phone mistakenly hung up on me while trying to transfer me to her manager. Naturally I called back only to get hung up on a second time. That should have been a clue that this person did not know how to use a phone.
My next call went to the customer service department of this large store. I talked with a nice lady who eventually connected me back to the local store that I had called twice before. She routed me to the same employee that had hung up on me. This whole process didn't take long to write but actually took about 30 minutes of real time thanks to all of the automated phone systems and multiple explanations I had to make. Meanwhile the local store had tried several times to call me back but kept getting a busy signal.
With the ubiquity of call waiting and other features that come standard with our mobile phones, we don't realize that old hard-wired phone lines don't include them without extra charges. Some younger people today have never heard a busy signal and doesn't know what it sounds like. The lady at the local store kept saying she couldn't call me back because she kept getting a fax machine and didn't realize that fax machines sound nothing like a busy signal.
I probably made a mistake using an old land line instead of calling in on my mobile phone. However I called from my basement and prefer a land line down there instead of my mobile. I had to laugh about this person not knowing what a busy signal sounds like.
Ultimately I managed to resolve the issue and carpet got installed at 3pm that afternoon.
I made my first call to the local store where we had purchased the carpet. It is a large chain store with many locations. I did that on purpose so that in the event that one installer had a family emergency, the company would have other installers they could call on to finish the job. The person helping me on the other end of the phone mistakenly hung up on me while trying to transfer me to her manager. Naturally I called back only to get hung up on a second time. That should have been a clue that this person did not know how to use a phone.
My next call went to the customer service department of this large store. I talked with a nice lady who eventually connected me back to the local store that I had called twice before. She routed me to the same employee that had hung up on me. This whole process didn't take long to write but actually took about 30 minutes of real time thanks to all of the automated phone systems and multiple explanations I had to make. Meanwhile the local store had tried several times to call me back but kept getting a busy signal.
With the ubiquity of call waiting and other features that come standard with our mobile phones, we don't realize that old hard-wired phone lines don't include them without extra charges. Some younger people today have never heard a busy signal and doesn't know what it sounds like. The lady at the local store kept saying she couldn't call me back because she kept getting a fax machine and didn't realize that fax machines sound nothing like a busy signal.
I probably made a mistake using an old land line instead of calling in on my mobile phone. However I called from my basement and prefer a land line down there instead of my mobile. I had to laugh about this person not knowing what a busy signal sounds like.
Ultimately I managed to resolve the issue and carpet got installed at 3pm that afternoon.
Thursday, July 28, 2016
Time for a New College Laptop Again
Back in February I wrote about how my youngest son will soon need a new laptop. I didn't see the urgency in making a decision at the time because heading to college seemed so far off. In two weeks he will be home after spending two years in Armenia and getting ready to attend college.
As I wrote before he will need to talk with his academic advisor to see the best recommendation for his engineering program in school. Some engineering software is only available for Windows and so a Mac might not be a good choice. Or the opposite could be true. I doubt it, but it could be.
A quick stop at Best Buy shows that there are even more choices than before. In addition to Windows or Mac, you can also choose a Chrome OS laptop. If you can get by with using online applications for everything you do, then it is a viable option. I don't think it is a good choice for an engineering student though and so I won't bother looking at one of those.
The next question boils down to budget: How much do I want to spend for my son's laptop. I always joke with my other children about how I like my youngest son the most. They all think that is true but reality is that whatever I do for one child, I have to make it fair for all of the rest. When my older son went to pick his laptop, I looked at the lowest price MacBook Pro and used that as the maximum budget. Why? That is what I got his two sisters. While time passes and laptop specifications change, Apple has done a pretty good job identifying realistic price points for student computers. Yes you can get a lower-priced computer but they don't last nearly as long as if you spend a bit more. Just look at my oldest daughter's experience as most of her college roommates needed new computers before the end of the first year.
I am often asked if brand makes a difference. The short answer is, "Yes." You want to be careful about what you purchase online. However if you are visiting a reputable store like Best Buy, they won't carry a junk brand and so your choice will boil down to features for a given price. I recommend more RAM over a faster processor. I also favor a solid-state drive over rotating disk even though you can get enormous disks for next to nothing. If you think your child will have a lot of large files, spend $60 and get an external USB drive and factor that into the cost of the computer.
Writing all of this down has helped me organize my thoughts as I get ready to help my son with his computer. Hopefully it helps you as well. Naturally I will be sure to let you know what I decide.
As I wrote before he will need to talk with his academic advisor to see the best recommendation for his engineering program in school. Some engineering software is only available for Windows and so a Mac might not be a good choice. Or the opposite could be true. I doubt it, but it could be.
A quick stop at Best Buy shows that there are even more choices than before. In addition to Windows or Mac, you can also choose a Chrome OS laptop. If you can get by with using online applications for everything you do, then it is a viable option. I don't think it is a good choice for an engineering student though and so I won't bother looking at one of those.
The next question boils down to budget: How much do I want to spend for my son's laptop. I always joke with my other children about how I like my youngest son the most. They all think that is true but reality is that whatever I do for one child, I have to make it fair for all of the rest. When my older son went to pick his laptop, I looked at the lowest price MacBook Pro and used that as the maximum budget. Why? That is what I got his two sisters. While time passes and laptop specifications change, Apple has done a pretty good job identifying realistic price points for student computers. Yes you can get a lower-priced computer but they don't last nearly as long as if you spend a bit more. Just look at my oldest daughter's experience as most of her college roommates needed new computers before the end of the first year.
I am often asked if brand makes a difference. The short answer is, "Yes." You want to be careful about what you purchase online. However if you are visiting a reputable store like Best Buy, they won't carry a junk brand and so your choice will boil down to features for a given price. I recommend more RAM over a faster processor. I also favor a solid-state drive over rotating disk even though you can get enormous disks for next to nothing. If you think your child will have a lot of large files, spend $60 and get an external USB drive and factor that into the cost of the computer.
Writing all of this down has helped me organize my thoughts as I get ready to help my son with his computer. Hopefully it helps you as well. Naturally I will be sure to let you know what I decide.
Wednesday, July 20, 2016
Pokémon Go in Japan
I am in Japan and have enjoyed being away from the craze of Pokémon Go as it is not yet here. I have seen one or two newspaper articles and CNN clips about how insane things are getting with the game back in the US. I understand that the relative quiet without the game in its homeland is about to be disturbed. Yesterday's international edition of the Wall Street Journal had an article about how McDonald's is partnering with the game developers to have virtual characters located at their restaurants here in Japan.
I wondered how long it would take before businesses decided to cash in on the success of the game. I figured that if you had a virtual character standing out in front of your store, people would come and visit your establishment as a course of playing Pokémon Go. One of my coworkers told me this might be a bad idea because game players would visit your store but not necessarily purchase anything. Real customers would then see the crowd and avoid coming in. I guess McDonalds doesn't feel that way. At least not here in Japan.
I wondered how long it would take before businesses decided to cash in on the success of the game. I figured that if you had a virtual character standing out in front of your store, people would come and visit your establishment as a course of playing Pokémon Go. One of my coworkers told me this might be a bad idea because game players would visit your store but not necessarily purchase anything. Real customers would then see the crowd and avoid coming in. I guess McDonalds doesn't feel that way. At least not here in Japan.
Sunday, July 17, 2016
Laptops, Tablets, Phones, and Paper
I have several hours to kill while I wait for my next flight and so I am hanging out in Delta's Sky Club at the Los Angeles International Airport. Technology continues to evolve and so I thought I would look around to do a non-scientific survey of what devices people are using while they wait for their flights. The lady in front of me is working feverishly on her Mac laptop. In fact most of the laptops in here are Macs. About the only exception is the guy to my right with his Dell. However he is using his oversized iPhone, so does it count? In fact the majority of the people in the airport lounge are actually mostly staring at their small smartphone screens. I wonder how many of them are playing Pokémon Go?
I do see one or two women using tablet computers. All of them seem to be reading. Amazingly I don't see a single book out. I wonder if that is because there is a plethora of electrical outlets here, so everyone seems to be taking advantage of them to recharge batteries. Most of the aforementioned phones seem to be corded to the outlets as well.
Finally the older woman to my right has taken over her table with an old-fashioned paper notebook. Papers are spread everywhere as her husband carefully guards a small corner of space for his bowl of chicken chili. In a large room filled with about 50 frequent fliers, she is the only one using paper. Considering the lounge provides a stack of newspapers and magazines for everyone to read, I find that interesting.
As for me, I have my Mac laptop out as I prefer a full-sized keyboard over the simulated one on my phone. Earlier today I completed a Powerpoint presentation for my meetings this week and now want to top off the battery before my next flight. While I know there will be a power outlet by my seat on the plane, it still feels good to have a full battery just in case I need it. I also used my phone to call my wife and talk about her exciting morning without me. Yes technology is everywhere and most of my fellow travelers seem to be taking advantage of it.
I do see one or two women using tablet computers. All of them seem to be reading. Amazingly I don't see a single book out. I wonder if that is because there is a plethora of electrical outlets here, so everyone seems to be taking advantage of them to recharge batteries. Most of the aforementioned phones seem to be corded to the outlets as well.
Finally the older woman to my right has taken over her table with an old-fashioned paper notebook. Papers are spread everywhere as her husband carefully guards a small corner of space for his bowl of chicken chili. In a large room filled with about 50 frequent fliers, she is the only one using paper. Considering the lounge provides a stack of newspapers and magazines for everyone to read, I find that interesting.
As for me, I have my Mac laptop out as I prefer a full-sized keyboard over the simulated one on my phone. Earlier today I completed a Powerpoint presentation for my meetings this week and now want to top off the battery before my next flight. While I know there will be a power outlet by my seat on the plane, it still feels good to have a full battery just in case I need it. I also used my phone to call my wife and talk about her exciting morning without me. Yes technology is everywhere and most of my fellow travelers seem to be taking advantage of it.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Pokémon Go
There is a new video game for your mobile phone that seems to be the latest craze and it is Pokémon Go. I have not downloaded it to either of my phones nor have I played it. I do have some work associates that are playing it and am amazed at how addicting it is.
Last night I went to dinner with a friend from work. We didn't have a set time to go but I finished my day at the office around 5pm and asked when he would be ready. His responded that he wouldn't be available until 7pm. I did a few things around the office and queried him again at 6pm to see if he could get away a bit earlier. He told me he could pull away from work at 6:15 and so I headed out to meet him. Why the delay? He had been playing Pokémon Go. Remember I work for a video game company and so playing games at work is a normal part of our day.
I don't have a car in the Bay Area as I use my bike to get around. That means my friend had to drive. He took me to his favorite Japanese restaurant. As we walked from his car, he had his phone out while looking for Pokémon. We got a table outside the restaurant which is not normal but as he is a regular they made an exception. We both appreciated that as the restaurant had reached the point that required reservations if you wanted to eat there. The outdoor table also afforded my friend the ability to continue playing Pokémon Go while we ate. We would talk and then every once and a while he would spin the character on his phone and collect free bits of stuff.
After dinner we walked around downtown San Mateo looking for my friend's favorite dessert place. We took a rather circuitous route in an effort to capture more Pokémon Go stuff. Then we took an equally roundabout way back to the car. San Mateo doesn't have much traffic but we took advantage of each stoplight to play more of the game. Eventually I got back to my office where I rode my bike back to my boat.
I asked my friend why he seemed so addicted to the game and he responded that he loved playing Pokémon as a kid. This brings back a number of those memories for him. He already understands the game and enjoys it. So if you are an old Pokémon fan, then you may want to give Pokémon Go a try. If you are like me and have too many other activities vying for your time, you may want to pass on this game. I'll let you decide.
Last night I went to dinner with a friend from work. We didn't have a set time to go but I finished my day at the office around 5pm and asked when he would be ready. His responded that he wouldn't be available until 7pm. I did a few things around the office and queried him again at 6pm to see if he could get away a bit earlier. He told me he could pull away from work at 6:15 and so I headed out to meet him. Why the delay? He had been playing Pokémon Go. Remember I work for a video game company and so playing games at work is a normal part of our day.
I don't have a car in the Bay Area as I use my bike to get around. That means my friend had to drive. He took me to his favorite Japanese restaurant. As we walked from his car, he had his phone out while looking for Pokémon. We got a table outside the restaurant which is not normal but as he is a regular they made an exception. We both appreciated that as the restaurant had reached the point that required reservations if you wanted to eat there. The outdoor table also afforded my friend the ability to continue playing Pokémon Go while we ate. We would talk and then every once and a while he would spin the character on his phone and collect free bits of stuff.
After dinner we walked around downtown San Mateo looking for my friend's favorite dessert place. We took a rather circuitous route in an effort to capture more Pokémon Go stuff. Then we took an equally roundabout way back to the car. San Mateo doesn't have much traffic but we took advantage of each stoplight to play more of the game. Eventually I got back to my office where I rode my bike back to my boat.
I asked my friend why he seemed so addicted to the game and he responded that he loved playing Pokémon as a kid. This brings back a number of those memories for him. He already understands the game and enjoys it. So if you are an old Pokémon fan, then you may want to give Pokémon Go a try. If you are like me and have too many other activities vying for your time, you may want to pass on this game. I'll let you decide.
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Video Games I have Been Playing
I am stuck at the airport yet again and so I thought I would add to my blog seeing as I have sort of neglected it over the past couple of months. I tried to think of an interesting topic and reread the last video game review I wrote. Since then I have completed some really great titles and so I thought I would write about what I have been playing. None of the games are very new and so including multiple games may help you select a very inexpensive game worth looking at if you have not already played it.
When I finished playing Sniper, I had a number of games to choose from. While Sniper played well, I wanted something a little more mainstream and popular. There are a number of PlayStation exclusives in my library and so I wanted to get through a few of them before sequels arrive on the PlayStation 4. I selected God of War as the next game. I had heard a lot of good things about it and have a copy of the remastered version for PlayStation 3. It originally released on the PlayStation 2 in 2005 and has been around for a very long time. I have to note that I do have a copy for the PS2 as well.
I must confess that I have actually been to Santa Monica studios where they originally developed the God of War series. It is a great place to visit and the people that work there are awesome. Therefore I am probably not an impartial judge of their game and can't really write an unbiased review. What I can do is say that I really enjoyed the game. There are certain games that you cannot put down once you start playing them. I often found myself playing late into the evening when I should have been sleeping.
I enjoyed playing God of War but it is not a title I would recommend for children or teenagers. There is a lot of nudity and violence. The nudity is animated and cartoonish but I would not have wanted my son playing this game back when he was a teenager. Regarding the violence, at one point you have to BBQ a captured soldier. Even though it is just a video game, I thought that to be a bit over the top.
I finished God of War and thought about playing the sequel. Instead I chose to play a different sequel from another PlayStation exclusive: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. I provided a review of the first Uncharted game and want to complete 2 and 3 before starting 4. Of the first 3 games in the series, the second one is my youngest son's favorite. Once again I have to excuse myself from trying to write an unbiased review for this game. I love all things about the Uncharted series and own copies of the first 3 games for both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 consoles as well as Golden Abyss for the Vita. I also have a copy of Uncharted 4 still in the plastic waiting for me to finish the other titles before I play it.
As with God of War, I really enjoyed playing Uncharted 2. However I found it much easier to put down in the evenings and didn't try to continue playing late into the night. One reason for that is that Uncharted is divided into nice chapters that serve as great stopping points while God of War just keeps going in one long epic video game. When I would get to the end of a chapter, I looked at my watch and decide if I had time for another one or should head to bed. Don't get me wrong, I would have preferred continuing to play, I just found it easier to break away from the game.
As I mentioned, my youngest son really loves Uncharted 2 and took offense when I told him that it had a similar story to Uncharted 1. He scolded me and said they have different characters, different environments, and are nothing alike. I actually beg to differ. You run through a series of trials where you solve puzzles, kill bad guys, and ultimately lead the main bad guy to a special power that can be used to create immortal soldiers. Looking back on both games, you would have been better off sitting on a beach in the Caribbean or Hawaii. After all, the bad guys aren't smart enough to get to the supernatural power on their own.
Both God of War and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves are fairly old titles and can be found rather inexpensively. A quick Internet search revealed that you can purchase each of them used for less than $10. Considering their original selling price and how much fun I had playing them, they are real bargains. I played both on my PlayStation 3 even though Uncharted 2 is also available for the PlayStation 4. I just have a PlayStation 3 on my boat and that is where I play most of my video games. Soon I will replace it with a PlayStation 4 but until then I am trying to get through a huge backlog of PS3 games.
When I finished playing Sniper, I had a number of games to choose from. While Sniper played well, I wanted something a little more mainstream and popular. There are a number of PlayStation exclusives in my library and so I wanted to get through a few of them before sequels arrive on the PlayStation 4. I selected God of War as the next game. I had heard a lot of good things about it and have a copy of the remastered version for PlayStation 3. It originally released on the PlayStation 2 in 2005 and has been around for a very long time. I have to note that I do have a copy for the PS2 as well.
I must confess that I have actually been to Santa Monica studios where they originally developed the God of War series. It is a great place to visit and the people that work there are awesome. Therefore I am probably not an impartial judge of their game and can't really write an unbiased review. What I can do is say that I really enjoyed the game. There are certain games that you cannot put down once you start playing them. I often found myself playing late into the evening when I should have been sleeping.
I enjoyed playing God of War but it is not a title I would recommend for children or teenagers. There is a lot of nudity and violence. The nudity is animated and cartoonish but I would not have wanted my son playing this game back when he was a teenager. Regarding the violence, at one point you have to BBQ a captured soldier. Even though it is just a video game, I thought that to be a bit over the top.
I finished God of War and thought about playing the sequel. Instead I chose to play a different sequel from another PlayStation exclusive: Uncharted 2: Among Thieves. I provided a review of the first Uncharted game and want to complete 2 and 3 before starting 4. Of the first 3 games in the series, the second one is my youngest son's favorite. Once again I have to excuse myself from trying to write an unbiased review for this game. I love all things about the Uncharted series and own copies of the first 3 games for both the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 consoles as well as Golden Abyss for the Vita. I also have a copy of Uncharted 4 still in the plastic waiting for me to finish the other titles before I play it.
As with God of War, I really enjoyed playing Uncharted 2. However I found it much easier to put down in the evenings and didn't try to continue playing late into the night. One reason for that is that Uncharted is divided into nice chapters that serve as great stopping points while God of War just keeps going in one long epic video game. When I would get to the end of a chapter, I looked at my watch and decide if I had time for another one or should head to bed. Don't get me wrong, I would have preferred continuing to play, I just found it easier to break away from the game.
As I mentioned, my youngest son really loves Uncharted 2 and took offense when I told him that it had a similar story to Uncharted 1. He scolded me and said they have different characters, different environments, and are nothing alike. I actually beg to differ. You run through a series of trials where you solve puzzles, kill bad guys, and ultimately lead the main bad guy to a special power that can be used to create immortal soldiers. Looking back on both games, you would have been better off sitting on a beach in the Caribbean or Hawaii. After all, the bad guys aren't smart enough to get to the supernatural power on their own.
Both God of War and Uncharted 2: Among Thieves are fairly old titles and can be found rather inexpensively. A quick Internet search revealed that you can purchase each of them used for less than $10. Considering their original selling price and how much fun I had playing them, they are real bargains. I played both on my PlayStation 3 even though Uncharted 2 is also available for the PlayStation 4. I just have a PlayStation 3 on my boat and that is where I play most of my video games. Soon I will replace it with a PlayStation 4 but until then I am trying to get through a huge backlog of PS3 games.
Wednesday, July 6, 2016
Use It or Lose It
Today I started getting ready for a new project at work and needed to set up a PostgreSQL database. I have a database administrator that I works for me and normally I would ask him to set it up. However this is sort of a research project that I am doing in part to keep my technical skills sharp and so I wanted to set it up on my own. It has been a few years since I last administered a database and so it took some Internet searches to figure out everything again.
I felt like such a beginner as I got things configured. Fortunately I sort of remembered most of the steps and so I didn't have to comb through too much documentation. However it underscored the importance of keeping up on my technical skills.
After becoming a manager several years ago, I tried to do something technical on a daily basis. When that proved difficult, I tried to do something technical on a weekly basis. After today I can say that I failed at that goal. This new project will be good for me as I work to regain some of the skills lost and also dive into some coding that I have not done since back in school. It should be fun and the skills that I have lost seem to be returning quickly.
I felt like such a beginner as I got things configured. Fortunately I sort of remembered most of the steps and so I didn't have to comb through too much documentation. However it underscored the importance of keeping up on my technical skills.
After becoming a manager several years ago, I tried to do something technical on a daily basis. When that proved difficult, I tried to do something technical on a weekly basis. After today I can say that I failed at that goal. This new project will be good for me as I work to regain some of the skills lost and also dive into some coding that I have not done since back in school. It should be fun and the skills that I have lost seem to be returning quickly.
Thursday, June 30, 2016
Video Games Can Keep You Up at Night
Last night I started playing a new video game and I have to say that it had me so engaged that I found it difficult to get to sleep at a reasonable hour. I kept finding myself wanting to kill one more bad guy. Eventually I had to save my game so I could go to sleep before a very important meeting today. I fell asleep just fine but then I woke up at 5:50 and couldn't get back to sleep. So much for getting the necessary sleep before my meeting. I got out of bed at 7am and headed to work after only 4 and a half hours of sleep.
Knowing that I would probably fall asleep if I held still too long kept me focused on my meeting today. I led the meeting and that allowed me to pace around as I directed everyone. I did admit to being tired and not getting enough rest. Fortunately I work for a video game company and so they all understand why I couldn't stop playing my game. I don't think I could have gotten away with that at some of my other jobs.
Knowing that I would probably fall asleep if I held still too long kept me focused on my meeting today. I led the meeting and that allowed me to pace around as I directed everyone. I did admit to being tired and not getting enough rest. Fortunately I work for a video game company and so they all understand why I couldn't stop playing my game. I don't think I could have gotten away with that at some of my other jobs.
Thursday, June 23, 2016
In Case of Emergency (ICE)
My most recent post has me thinking about emergency contacts and how I have them listed in my phone. I attended an emergency training meeting a few years back and one of the first things they had us do was create an ICE contact in our phones. It stands for In Case of Emergency and first responders are trained to look for that contact to use in case there is an accident and they find your phone.
If you don't have that contact in your phone, you should stop what you are doing and add it. Don't worry, I'll wait. It does not need to be a new contact. It can be one already in your phone. This small piece of information may be the critical piece of information that gets you proper and immediate help if something ever goes wrong.
If you don't have that contact in your phone, you should stop what you are doing and add it. Don't worry, I'll wait. It does not need to be a new contact. It can be one already in your phone. This small piece of information may be the critical piece of information that gets you proper and immediate help if something ever goes wrong.
Saturday, June 18, 2016
The Call No Parent Wants
Knowing the identity of the person calling you is a very helpful tool. There are very few times that you don't want to know this important information. This week I had one of those rare instances. Tuesday morning I got a call from my son. I answered the phone and asked my son, "What's up?"
The caller responded, "Is this Dave's father?"
Right away I knew something wasn't right. Many years ago while still attending college, I got a similar call. This happened before caller ID became available to anyone but the call began with "Is this Rich's brother?" My brother had been in an automobile accident and I was his emergency contact. The incident happened a few miles from where I lived at the time and so I drove to the scene and helped take care of my brother and his young family. Fortunately everyone walked away from two very damaged cars.
Having my son's roommate call me from my son's phone Tuesday morning could only mean that my son had been in an accident. I told the roommate that he had the right person and was informed that my son had been in a bike accident and was in a San Jose, California hospital. Naturally I got the name of the hospital and drove there to be with my son.
I got lucky and my son will make a full recovery. He received a serious concussion, a broken nose, and several facial lacerations requiring about 50 stitches. For the first time my son appreciated that while I live in Utah, I spend most of the week working in California. San Mateo to San Jose is only 35 minutes and I spent the week working from his apartment helping him to recover. As I mentioned, I got lucky. My heart goes out to anyone who gets a similar phone call with more serious consequences.
The caller responded, "Is this Dave's father?"
Right away I knew something wasn't right. Many years ago while still attending college, I got a similar call. This happened before caller ID became available to anyone but the call began with "Is this Rich's brother?" My brother had been in an automobile accident and I was his emergency contact. The incident happened a few miles from where I lived at the time and so I drove to the scene and helped take care of my brother and his young family. Fortunately everyone walked away from two very damaged cars.
Having my son's roommate call me from my son's phone Tuesday morning could only mean that my son had been in an accident. I told the roommate that he had the right person and was informed that my son had been in a bike accident and was in a San Jose, California hospital. Naturally I got the name of the hospital and drove there to be with my son.
I got lucky and my son will make a full recovery. He received a serious concussion, a broken nose, and several facial lacerations requiring about 50 stitches. For the first time my son appreciated that while I live in Utah, I spend most of the week working in California. San Mateo to San Jose is only 35 minutes and I spent the week working from his apartment helping him to recover. As I mentioned, I got lucky. My heart goes out to anyone who gets a similar phone call with more serious consequences.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Power on Airplanes
I spent the last two days flying to Lund, Sweden for meetings here. During the flight from Salt Lake City to Paris I spent most of the time working on a presentation I will be giving during the trip. Fortunately my laptop has a seemingly never-ending battery that lasted the entire flight. However if I had needed it, I could have plugged in my power supply and charged the battery. There is a universal power outlet on most International flights. It will either be between the seats in front of you or down behind your knees.
I started my trip in San Francisco and the young lady sitting next to me had a phone with very little battery life left. She looked at the funny blue light above the outlet on the seats in front of us and asked me if it was a power outlet. After all, a universal power outlet will accept most plugs and so it doesn't look like your standard outlet you would find at home. I told her should could use it to charge her phone which she did.
Not all planes have the outlets and so you can't rely on them being there. However if your plane has them, you should not hesitate to keep your electronics topped up. Almost all of my flight experiences are restricted to Delta, Alaska, and Southwest. My experience is that most Delta planes have the outlets. On Alaska about 60% of the planes have them. Very few, if any Southwest planes have power to the seats. Your mileage may vary.
I started my trip in San Francisco and the young lady sitting next to me had a phone with very little battery life left. She looked at the funny blue light above the outlet on the seats in front of us and asked me if it was a power outlet. After all, a universal power outlet will accept most plugs and so it doesn't look like your standard outlet you would find at home. I told her should could use it to charge her phone which she did.
Not all planes have the outlets and so you can't rely on them being there. However if your plane has them, you should not hesitate to keep your electronics topped up. Almost all of my flight experiences are restricted to Delta, Alaska, and Southwest. My experience is that most Delta planes have the outlets. On Alaska about 60% of the planes have them. Very few, if any Southwest planes have power to the seats. Your mileage may vary.
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
Dog vs. Technology
Sometimes technology is no match for a good old dog at your side. Yesterday I headed to the Salt Lake Airport to catch my usual Monday morning flight to the Bay Area. A lot of other people seemed to be gathered at the airport yet the security line moved fast enough that no significant line existed. The secret is that TSA is using dogs in one of the terminals instead of those insanely expensive body scanners. All of the lines merge into one section where passengers have to walk past a dog with his handler. Then it is like going back in time 15 years. There is an X-ray machine for baggage and a metal detector for the passengers. No need to remove shoes. No need to take your laptop out of the bag. Consequently the line moves incredibly fast.
Engineers think they can solve problems with technology and sometimes they are right. Other times you just need a cute-slobbery pet and life is better. Now I wish all of the airports would switch from expensive machines to furry and lovable dogs. Airport congestion will improve greatly and anyone who travels will appreciate that. Oh a word of advice: don't pet the dog.
Engineers think they can solve problems with technology and sometimes they are right. Other times you just need a cute-slobbery pet and life is better. Now I wish all of the airports would switch from expensive machines to furry and lovable dogs. Airport congestion will improve greatly and anyone who travels will appreciate that. Oh a word of advice: don't pet the dog.
Thursday, May 12, 2016
Airport Flight Delays
I am at the Los Angeles International airport waiting for a flight back to Salt Lake and it is delayed by 2 hours. This whole trip has been plagued by travel delays and so I find myself in the airport wondering how best to spend my time. When I left Salt Lake on Monday afternoon, I finished my ham radio magazine due to a delayed flight. Last night I patiently waited an extra 2 hours for my wife's flight to arrive from Salt Lake so we could spend today at Disneyland. Fortunately I had a car and could drive to get some dinner nearby. I ate at the same coffee shop where they filmed a scene for the movie XXX with Vin Diesel and the food tasted amazing. I recommend it highly.
Even before I headed to the airport this evening I knew that this flight would be delayed simply because it is the last flight of the day and my experience with Southwest is that evening flights are almost always delayed. Unfortunately you cannot plan on the flight being late because if it isn't and you miss the flight, the consequences can be expensive and uncomfortable.
So how best to spend my evening? I have 2 smartphones and a laptop with a full battery as well as my PlayStation Vita. My first thought included using my laptop to write this blog entry. Unfortunately the free Internet connection at LAX is only good for 45 minutes and so I am trying to write quickly. Experience has taught me that when the 45 minutes is up, my network connection gets screwy and requires a fair amount of work to get reconnected. When I am done here I will take care of my work e-mail on one of my smartphones. Then I will pull out my Vita and play some Lego Hobbit. If I still need to entertain myself after that, I will probably be too tired to do anything more than listen to Spotify, Pandora, or stored MP3 files on my phone. Hopefully I will remain entertained.
Even before I headed to the airport this evening I knew that this flight would be delayed simply because it is the last flight of the day and my experience with Southwest is that evening flights are almost always delayed. Unfortunately you cannot plan on the flight being late because if it isn't and you miss the flight, the consequences can be expensive and uncomfortable.
So how best to spend my evening? I have 2 smartphones and a laptop with a full battery as well as my PlayStation Vita. My first thought included using my laptop to write this blog entry. Unfortunately the free Internet connection at LAX is only good for 45 minutes and so I am trying to write quickly. Experience has taught me that when the 45 minutes is up, my network connection gets screwy and requires a fair amount of work to get reconnected. When I am done here I will take care of my work e-mail on one of my smartphones. Then I will pull out my Vita and play some Lego Hobbit. If I still need to entertain myself after that, I will probably be too tired to do anything more than listen to Spotify, Pandora, or stored MP3 files on my phone. Hopefully I will remain entertained.
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
Enjoy Life
I have been traveling a lot lately and so I took last Friday off from work to help with the Salt Flats 100 ultra marathon. It is something I help out with every year as it is organized by a good friend of mine. Besides it is a great excuse to get away from work and do something adventurous. Don't worry, I am not crazy enough to run in the event, I just provide radio support to ensure that runners stay safe.
There is no need to go into too much detail about the event other than to say that it takes almost the full weekend and requires me to drive around on goat trails not suitable for almost any passenger vehicle. I would venture to say that a stock Jeep would have trouble in sections and a lifted Jeep with oversized tires is a must.
This year I decided to keep my involvement to a minimum and just help with a single aid station. In the past I have helped with two. That can be rather difficult and makes for a really long weekend. It is a good thing too because we did not finish with the last racers through our station until after 8pm. Then we packed up our Jeeps in the rain and made the technical drive from the far reaches of the course back to civilization. I thought I had managed to get through the difficult part until the constant rain soaked the seemingly gentle dirt road to the point of becoming a giant mud field. Getting stuck in axle-deep mud well after dark is not something I wanted to deal with and felt great relief when I got back to the start/finish line after several scary sections at around 11pm. I almost had to go all the way back as we feared several runners were lost. Fortunately they staggered into an aid station shortly after midnight while I helped a bring gas back to my buddy in his Jeep after he ran his tank dry pulling SUV's out of the mud. I didn't get home until 2:30 am the next morning and had given the event all of my energy.
Sunday afternoon I sat with a number of neighborhood friends and asked if anyone had done anything exciting over the weekend. One guy noted that he mowed his lawn while another attended a soccer game for his twin daughters. Both are noble events but I felt guilty as I thought about my exciting adventure. Now as I sit in front of my computer thinking about technology I feel I have to encourage others to get out and enjoy life. Technology makes it so we don't have to spend all of our waking hours hunting and gathering food for our families. Let's use that time to do something worthwhile and fun. I spend my weekdays playing video games and doing boring things. Perhaps that is why I feel the need to get outside and go skiing, sailing, or driving over rough terrain in a Jeep. Hopefully you do too.
There is no need to go into too much detail about the event other than to say that it takes almost the full weekend and requires me to drive around on goat trails not suitable for almost any passenger vehicle. I would venture to say that a stock Jeep would have trouble in sections and a lifted Jeep with oversized tires is a must.
This year I decided to keep my involvement to a minimum and just help with a single aid station. In the past I have helped with two. That can be rather difficult and makes for a really long weekend. It is a good thing too because we did not finish with the last racers through our station until after 8pm. Then we packed up our Jeeps in the rain and made the technical drive from the far reaches of the course back to civilization. I thought I had managed to get through the difficult part until the constant rain soaked the seemingly gentle dirt road to the point of becoming a giant mud field. Getting stuck in axle-deep mud well after dark is not something I wanted to deal with and felt great relief when I got back to the start/finish line after several scary sections at around 11pm. I almost had to go all the way back as we feared several runners were lost. Fortunately they staggered into an aid station shortly after midnight while I helped a bring gas back to my buddy in his Jeep after he ran his tank dry pulling SUV's out of the mud. I didn't get home until 2:30 am the next morning and had given the event all of my energy.
Sunday afternoon I sat with a number of neighborhood friends and asked if anyone had done anything exciting over the weekend. One guy noted that he mowed his lawn while another attended a soccer game for his twin daughters. Both are noble events but I felt guilty as I thought about my exciting adventure. Now as I sit in front of my computer thinking about technology I feel I have to encourage others to get out and enjoy life. Technology makes it so we don't have to spend all of our waking hours hunting and gathering food for our families. Let's use that time to do something worthwhile and fun. I spend my weekdays playing video games and doing boring things. Perhaps that is why I feel the need to get outside and go skiing, sailing, or driving over rough terrain in a Jeep. Hopefully you do too.
Thursday, April 28, 2016
Entertaining Video Games
I am sitting at the airport in San Diego getting ready to play a video game on my PS Vita and I have a couple of choices. I have been trying to get through Sly Cooper but find myself grinding through the various levels and it has stopped being fun. Given the choice of continuing the game or watching paint dry, I am leaning towards the latter. Others may disagree but that is how I feel. Knowing this, I threw in another game in my computer bag before leaving home: Lego The Hobbit.
I have never played a Lego video game for more than a few minutes but find them hilarious. When your character blows up or is killed, there is no blood nor gore. Just Lego blocks being broken down into their individual components. It always makes me laugh.
So what makes one video game more entertaining than another? That is the all-important question and I wish I had a complete answer. I do know that there are a number of games that I have played that are like abusive relationships. The game is difficult and you only continue because you have invested time in the relationship and want to see it all the way to the end. Rather than feeling good because things are going well, you feel good because you didn't get the crap kicked out of you. I hate those types of games and that is what Sly Cooper is turning into.
Contrast that with Tomb Raider or Red Dead Redemption where I got totally involved in the game and looked forward to playing them on a daily basis. Some parts of the games seemed difficult but then they got easier for a time and the story built, allowing me to reinvest in my relationship with the characters.
Sly Cooper was amazing when it first hit the market. Since then games have evolved and it makes it difficult to go back to that style of game. I may eventually go back to it but right now I need something else to entertain me. Hopefully Lego The Hobbit is it.
I have never played a Lego video game for more than a few minutes but find them hilarious. When your character blows up or is killed, there is no blood nor gore. Just Lego blocks being broken down into their individual components. It always makes me laugh.
So what makes one video game more entertaining than another? That is the all-important question and I wish I had a complete answer. I do know that there are a number of games that I have played that are like abusive relationships. The game is difficult and you only continue because you have invested time in the relationship and want to see it all the way to the end. Rather than feeling good because things are going well, you feel good because you didn't get the crap kicked out of you. I hate those types of games and that is what Sly Cooper is turning into.
Contrast that with Tomb Raider or Red Dead Redemption where I got totally involved in the game and looked forward to playing them on a daily basis. Some parts of the games seemed difficult but then they got easier for a time and the story built, allowing me to reinvest in my relationship with the characters.
Sly Cooper was amazing when it first hit the market. Since then games have evolved and it makes it difficult to go back to that style of game. I may eventually go back to it but right now I need something else to entertain me. Hopefully Lego The Hobbit is it.
Monday, April 18, 2016
How Smart Traffic Lights Work
One of the advantages of taking Electrical Engineering classes in college and having a degree in the subject is that I learned how a number of devices in our society work. The other day I saw someone who sent their children to jump up and down on a sensor used to detect if a car is overhead. In this case they were trying to open an arm for a parking lot but it is the same technology for traffic lights. Unfortunately this adult erroneously believed that traffic sensors are triggered by weight. I thought the same thing growing up. Imagine my surprise when I attended my Electromagnetic Physics class and the professor informed us that it is just a metal detector buried under the asphalt?
Before college I tried like those kids to get my bicycle to trigger traffic lights to turn green for me. After doing a number of bunny-hops with no luck, I would sheepishly walk over and push the pedestrian button. After college I learned a trick and can now trigger traffic signals to turn green for me about 80% of the time. The bike I currently use to commute has an aluminum frame. While aluminum is a great conductor of electricity, it isn't magnetic and that is what a metal detector is looking for. Iron is magnetic and also rather heavy so they try to use as little as possible of it in bicycles. There is one place they can't avoid it though and that is the bike chain. I have discovered that if you ride so your chain is directly over the sensor, there is enough iron in it to trigger the light. This may take a bit of trial and error for some lights but I have learned where all of the sensors are on my 3-mile ride to and from work each day.
When I saw those kids jumping up and down on the car sensor, I politely asked them to move and rode over the sensor. My trick worked and they entered the parking lot without any trouble. It is a simple trick but looks like magic to young kids.
Before college I tried like those kids to get my bicycle to trigger traffic lights to turn green for me. After doing a number of bunny-hops with no luck, I would sheepishly walk over and push the pedestrian button. After college I learned a trick and can now trigger traffic signals to turn green for me about 80% of the time. The bike I currently use to commute has an aluminum frame. While aluminum is a great conductor of electricity, it isn't magnetic and that is what a metal detector is looking for. Iron is magnetic and also rather heavy so they try to use as little as possible of it in bicycles. There is one place they can't avoid it though and that is the bike chain. I have discovered that if you ride so your chain is directly over the sensor, there is enough iron in it to trigger the light. This may take a bit of trial and error for some lights but I have learned where all of the sensors are on my 3-mile ride to and from work each day.
When I saw those kids jumping up and down on the car sensor, I politely asked them to move and rode over the sensor. My trick worked and they entered the parking lot without any trouble. It is a simple trick but looks like magic to young kids.
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