Too Bad Computers Don't Last Forever

Growing up my dad always told me that computers last a long time because there are no moving parts. I have since learned that while they do last longer than mechanical systems, they can't last forever. Furthermore technology evolves at such a quick pace, while a computer may still work, it eventually becomes so slow compared to newer ones that it may seem broken.

This week I had the computer interface on my dishwasher go bad. Rather than buy a new dishwasher, I had a repair person come to take a look at it. He quickly diagnosed the board that handles the user input (a fancy way of saying button presses). Unfortunately they don't make that part any more and so I am stuck paying for the service visit and a new dishwasher. I don't mind the price of the service call as I now know the problem and won't wonder if it could have been fixed for less than the price of a new dishwasher.

While earning my degree in Electrical Engineering, I discovered that there are actually a number of problems that can occur with computers and electrical components. I thought I would list them out should you experience a similar problem with one of your computer-controlled appliances.

• Magic Smoke Escaping - While working in the electronics labs at school, we had a running joke that all components contained magic smoke that allowed them to work correctly. Sometimes a student would apply more power to a resistor than it could handle and the resistor would burn up, letting out all of the magic smoke. It left a nasty smell and everyone knew what happened.
• Capacitors failing - Capacitors are one of those components that have a relatively short lifespan. Unlike resistors, when capacitors fail, they do so with an explosion that sounds like a loud cap gun. Well at least they do when you apply too much power. If the capacitor is old, it may leak and then stop working slowly. My guess is that one of the capacitors in my dishwasher failed slowly and that is why it no longer works.
• Water is Bad - Electricity and water are not good to mix together. When the service technician came to look at my dishwasher, we found a leak and there is also a good chance a part got corroded and stopped working. For those with waterproof electronics, companies will spray a chemical on the electrical components that creates a water-tight seal to protect them. It actually works fairly well but is not a guarantee water will keep electrical components dry. Sometimes that barrier fails and the water will release the magic smoke from a very important part of the phone.
  
• Metal Migration - This is something I learned about in school but have never seen actually happen. Basically electricity coursing through semiconductors will move some of the material to the point it fails. This will only happen inside of integrated circuits or chips. It can happen with memory or logic chips. As I mentioned, I have never seen it happen in practice but it is something engineers have to take into account when designing components.

I have already ordered my new dishwasher but now that I have thought about the issue a bit, I'm sure if I removed the user interface, I could easily locate the failed capacitor or resistor and replace it. I have the technology and the troubleshooting know how. The only cost would be time. Then again, I would also have to fix that leak too. It is so much easier just to buy a new dishwasher.

The Importance of Play

I spent 11 years working in Research and Development for Sony PlayStation, a video game company. While there I looked at a number of studies trying to prove that video games are bad for children. Ultimately the outcome proved that allowing kids to play for an hour a day is actually good for them. Those that played in moderation proved to be better at problem solving and social interactions than those that did not play at all. I always found that interesting and shared it with parents when they questioned me on the subject.

Last night I read an article in the January 2024 issue of National Geographic about how play is also important for adults. The article didn't single out video games but included all sorts of games, whether it be sports, cards, or just horsing around. It went on to look at behavior in animals and how those that play are better able to handle new and unfamiliar situations.

One example of animals playing that stood out to me is young dogs learning to play together. There is an important social interaction when stronger dogs learn to be somewhat submissive so the play fights are not always one sided. They have to learn to balance wins and losses. Having witnessed plenty of dogs having fun, I realized the truth of the article.

As we enter the season of New Year's resolutions and trying to better one's self. I think increasing the amount of play in our lives is something we can all get behind. I don't think you necessarily need to go out and buy a video-game console but it might not be a terrible idea. Some other things you might want to try are regular game nights with friends or family. You could also look at trying a new sport. I understand Pickle Ball is a lot of fun and easy to play.

One of the reasons I ended up working at PlayStation is because my older brother gave me a refurbished PlayStation 2 for my birthday one year. Every Thursday evening we would get together and play SOCOM II online together with my other brother and my dad. We had a lot of fun and I miss those nights of taking down bad guys. Perhaps I will restart that tradition with my own sons and my grandson who loves to play games. I think that will be one of my goals for next year. Feel free to share some of your ideas on how to increase your own play.

Explaining Christmas to Non-Christians

I work for Sony and my boss is from Japan. As today is Christmas, I thought about trying to explain the holiday to him and what it really means. On the surface this must be a strange event for those that don't have a Christian foundation. The reality is that we have a lot of pagan traditions combined with Christian ones and it can be hard to figure out the source of this celebration.

Christmas is supposed to be the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Who is he and why is he so important? There is a lot that can be said to answer that question and it can be difficult to provide a quick summary but I'll give it a shot. Christ taught that no matter what we have done in the past, we can improve and become better people. Yes, there is a lot more that can be said, but that one sentence is something that non-Christians can understand. It is especially true for those in Japan as they have a culture of constant improvement.

As we close out this Christmas season, I hope we can all see past the commercialism that seems to overshadow this time of year and take a moment to think about why we celebrate this holiday. Your answer may be different than mine, but merely taking the time to think about why it is important is a good thought exercise. Your comments are welcome.

Christmas Eve Toy Assembly

My kids are all grown and some even have kids of their own. That doesn't mean I won't be assembling toys this evening. I think it is a time-honored tradition to wait until the last minute before wrapping and assembling toys for Christmas morning.

Fortunately parents of today have a number of options to help them for those hard-to-build toys. A simple Internet search will yield Reddit threads and YouTube videos to help you create a magical morning for your children. The trick is to make sure you have all the necessary parts and tools. Nothing is more difficult for a child than waking up Christmas morning and not being able to play with your new toy because of missing batteries.

Last night I did a walk around my neighborhood and saw a fellow grandparent putting together a playhouse. I heard the the sound of a drill tightening wood screws and saw the nearly completed structure, sans roof in the open garage. Today I saw him again and asked about the spectacular gift. Things are going well and he is glad he began the project a bit early. He should be finished up by about the same time Santa gifts are expected under the tree.

A Last-Minute Gift Idea

Today is the Saturday before Christmas, which will be on Monday. If you are still looking for a gift idea, you might be cutting it a little close. I have finished with all of my shopping but thought I would provide one last gift idea for those that might be searching for something useful but not have any idea of what to get.

Yesterday my youngest son asked if I had a computer with full-sized USB connections. I found the question funny because all of my computers have regular USB connections, also known as USB-A. He didn't bother bringing his laptop with him on this trip. Instead he is relying on his iPad. After all, it is vacation and he shouldn't need to do any work.

Interestingly I have a USB-C to USB-A converter I can loan him. Thinking about last-minute gift ideas, this would make a great one. Now I don't need to find a gift for him but perhaps you have someone in your life that could use such a device. It is one of those things that when you need it, you need it bad.

Christmas Break Begins

Today I finished up work for the week and don't have to go back to work until January 2nd. I know that kids in school have a week more than I do and that those like my daughter only get one or two days off. I consider myself fortunate to have a week of free time. For me, this is time to relax and take care of some personal projects. The question I have to answer is how many of them are computer related or technical.

Several years ago I purchased a ham-radio antenna. It has sat in my office for 2 winters now and I really should put it together and set it up. Then I can play around with talking to people around the world by bouncing radio waves off the ionosphere. Almost all of my ham radio experience has been using short-distance and line-of-sight frequencies. That is what I use when I help with the Salt Flats Endurance run and the Wastach 100. It would be good to gain some practical knowledge in other areas of the hobby.

There are also quite a few video games I own that I would like to play. Not having to go to work frees up a lot of time and would allow me to at least start one of them. Perhaps I could finish my Spider-Man game and then justify owning Spider-Man 2. I also have the new God of War game that I have yet to take the plastic off. That could be fun. Then there are countless games I own simply by being a member of PlayStation Plus. While most look like a waste of time, there are quite a few that look very interesting.

With Christmas just around the corner, I have finished most of my 3D printing projects. I have printed up quite a few nativity scenes and Christmas-tree ornaments. I suppose I could take on a new project and perhaps print up the model of a battleship I found when I discovered the silver filament I have is really gray. It really would bring my skills up a level as the attention to detail requires me to up my game considerably.

I also wouldn't mind taking some time to do a bit of reading. I have a stack of technical reading that I have been putting off due to other pressing matters. While some might consider the subject matter an extension of work, I find it entertaining and wouldn't mind using my break to increase my technical skills.

Thinking about self improvement, I have really enjoyed learning to play the guitar using the video game RockSmith. I have thought about doing the same thing with drums and getting a copy of Rock Band. The only problem is they don't sell the game with the drum kits any more. Instead you have to purchase an electronic drum set with a MIDI interface and connect it to the game. That would be fun and I could involve my other family members.

Finally there is one last project I think would be a lot of fun. I am in the midst of coming up with a space-ship cockpit. I am thinking it would be fun for my grand kids to have a control panel with illuminated switches, lights, and dials that mimic a fictitious space craft's instrument panel. I have some of it designed but just need to order the parts and assemble it. I think my 6-year-old grandson would have a blast letting it fuel his imagination of flying across the galaxy.

Yes I have a lot I can do during the next week or so. I won't be able to get to all of it especially since I have family visiting and a healthy amount of skiing planned. I still look forward to starting one or two projects listed above. 

Christmas Travel

My son and his family are about to leave home and head to the airport to start the long journey to visit my wife and I in Utah. He just texted me and let me know that his 2-year-old daughter has her backpack on and is ready to head to the airport even though they don't have to leave quite yet. My wife and I are equally excited for their arrival.

Should you have family coming to visit you and you are as excited as I am, there are several things you can do to monitor their progress, especially if they are flying. The first thing to do is have the airline and flight information readily available. I have all this information pulled up in a small window that I won't close until they arrive. You can go to the airline website and check the status of each flight leg to see if delays will complicate travel. I just checked my son's flights and so far everything is on time.

The second thing you can do is arm your loved ones with the information on how to set mobile phones up to use in-flight texting. All major airlines now make that service available for free. You may need to use specific texting apps like iMessage on iPhones or WhatsApp on Android devices. Knowing what is required will help you stay in contact during the trip. When I used to fly a lot, I would text my wife as I flew over our house. If she left once she got my text, we would meet at the airport without anyone having to wait for the other. Texting during the flight can also serve as a medium for sending funny flight stories, like when the 2-year-old spills Sprite all over Mom or Dad.

There are also websites that allow you to track flights in real time. If you go to flightaware.com, you can see where the flight is. While the airline may list the flight as being on time, you will be able to see if that is really the case. Sometimes planes have to fight nasty headwinds. Other times, they get nice tailwinds that speed things up. Being able to see where the flight is, eliminates a lot of wondering.

Unfortunately being connected and seeing where your loved ones are during their journey does not speed up anything. If a flight is late, there is not much you can do about it. The only upside to being connected is knowing when a flight will arrive early, which does happen occasionally.

SPAM E-mail Can Be Funny

Every day I go through my SPAM e-mail to make sure the filter didn't catch something I want to receive. To some, this might seem like a chore. To me it is a humorous exercise that always puts a smile on my face. Today I thought I would share some of my favorites from yesterday's SPAM.

• Mysterious Israeli Nuclear Arsenal: International Intrigue Deepens - This is funny to me because Israel has had nuclear weapons for quite some time. It forms the plot from Tom Clancy's book "The Sum of all Fears." It is hardly newsworthy let alone "International Intrigue."
  
• BREAKING NEWS: Putin Drops "Financial Nuclear Bomb" on America - If this is breaking news, why have I been getting the same e-mail for over a year.
• Dr. Fauci's Final Strike Against America? - With the COVID pandemic reduced to a footnote thanks to vaccines, someone is out there trying to keep Dr. Fauci's memory alive.
• RIP: 401(k)s, Pensions, Mutual funds . . . - I don't think they are going anywhere soon. Inflation may reduce their value but they still remain viable investment vehicles. Sometimes they even keep pace with inflation.
  
• China's Secret Plan to Bankrupt Millions of Americans? - This one could be real and I think it is called Temu. With prices that low, people will continue to buy useless crap they don't need.
• Zelensky's Surprise: Ukraine's Military Boosted by AI! - I think the more surprising headline with Ukraine's defense against Russia is that it is still going on. Theoretically Russia should have rolled over Ukraine in the first 3 months of fighting. The fact that the fighting is still going on leads to questions about Russia as a military powerhouse.
• Bombshell Confession from Gates (SHOCKING) - Why would I care? Somehow people think that every little thought in certain successful peoples' heads should be major news. It isn't.
• Pending Order [#48752-11] 36 Piece Tupperware Modular Set - Wait I never made that order. That is what the Spammer is hoping I will say and click on something in an effort to contest the order. The best option is to not do anything at all.
• Medicine's Newest Marvel: A Pill Against Obesity - Yes there are some prescriptions you can take that will diminish your appetite but there are more reputable sources for this kind of news.

I find most of these subject lines humorous because they seem so outlandish to most people with common sense. So how to they get people's attention? All they need to do is find one area of insecurity and the spammer will snag a victim. Perhaps they all seem outlandish to you except for the one about AI. You don't quite understand AI and how it is being used and so the e-mail will lure you in to read it. Then BAM! You have infected your computer with a virus, malware, or some other malady. Furthermore the person that snared you now knows your vulnerability and will continue to use it.

Hopefully you have not been lured by one of the previous headlines. If you have, you have my sympathies and I hope you have extracted yourself from any harm it may have caused. My biggest reason for sharing this list, besides a personal laugh, is to help others recognize what SPAM is floating around and keep them from becoming a victim.

Substitutions

My oldest daughter is working in an electronic orders fulfillment center until she can find a job in her field. She does not enjoy it but it does help her pay her bills. Our evening conversation today revolved around substitutions. Someone will order one product that she is unable to find in the warehouse and so the computer suggests an alternative. Sometimes those substitutions don't make sense and my daughter will note it but most of the time they work.

I thought about how I use substitutions in my daily job working with data. Sometimes I work with a small amount of data in a spreadsheet. Other times I work with large amounts of data in a data warehouse. Can I do the same operations in both tools? After doing this for many years, I can answer that question with a truthful, "Yes."

A few weeks ago I received a spreadsheet with 190,000 or so rows. I immediately needed to do some aggregate functions. That means I needed to count how many rows met certain criteria for text columns or come up with a sum or average for number columns. I had the choice of using either a database or a spreadsheet. To me it didn't make a difference which tool I used. Ultimately I inserted the rows into a database and performed my analysis there.

Working with a computer there are always a choice of tools you can use. While you may have grown used to Microsoft's Excel, you might not have that option with a new personal computer. If you have a Mac, the spreadsheet program Numbers is included in the operating system for free. You also have the choice of using Google spreadsheets. They all have their pros and cons but you should never feel locked into using a specific tool.

This is true for more complex software as well. My youngest son is a mechanical engineer and has access to a very expensive computer aided design (CAD) program called SolidWorks. It can do a lot. There are also a number of less capable products that can tackle any personal projects he decides to start without the exorbitant cost. When I needed to create very specific candle holders for one of my wife's Christmas decorations, I used TinkerCAD. I learned it easy and quickly had the design I needed for my 3D printer. There are a number of even more feature-rich options should you need them. The trick is knowing how to find them.

With the ubiquity of open source software and vast array of commercial software choices, you should never feel there is only one way to get something done on your computer. There are always multiple. The trick is learning how to use Internet search engines and sift through the bad suggestions to find good ones. Perhaps that is a post for another day.

I Don't Know Any Popular Music Artists

One of my jobs at Sony is working with Sony Music Group and that involves analyzing the latest music trends. I have a spreadsheet in front of me with Artists' names and the top tracks being listened to on streaming music services and I don't recognize a single name nor song. I take that back. It is Christmas time and one of the most popular songs is by Mariah Carey called "All I Want for Christmas is You." It is at this point that I have to state that she is a Sony Music artist so people don't think I am promoting her music. The truth is, I think the song is overplayed and prefer quite a few other Christmas songs.

I know I may be old but I didn't think I had grown so out of touch with songs that are popular. The songs I hear on the radio are not even close to what is popular for those that stream music. Now I will confess that I am looking at data for a decidedly younger crowd that is fairly tech savey. That confuses me though as the second most popular song is by Drake and titled "IDGAF" which stands for "I Don't Give a F..." I'll let you fill in the last 3 characters but am surprised youth find the song so popular. While I know Drake is a popular Hip Hop artist, I have never heard any of his songs.

Streaming services have really changed the music we listen to. It is now possible to create your own playlist with only the songs you want to hear. When you hear some songs too many times, like "All I Want for Christmas," you can unlike it and add new songs to your list. While I have a radio in my car, I also have the ability to play songs from my smartphone so I am not subjected to songs that someone else thinks I should be listening to. Unfortunately I think that is true because I don't care what other people listen to. Youth probably don't have that luxury.

I remember riding the bus home in junior high and an older kid asking another if he liked the group AC DC. Not wanting to sound ignorant, the kid replied, "Of course." The older kid then probed by asking him to name a song. I went home that day trying to find out who AC DC was and some of their songs. The only tool I had was the radio. Fortunately "Back in Black" was popular at the time and received a lot of air time. I knew at least one song and felt that would keep me from getting pummeled on the bus by any older kids.

One of the advantages of streaming music is that you can find music that you really like. I hope there isn't any peer pressure trying to get you to listen to music that others think is popular. If that is the case, then we are no more advanced in our music listening than we were 30 years ago.

90 Minutes Saved Me A Week In Las Vegas

This morning I started work a little earlier than usual as I attended a summary of Amazon's recent announcements from the AWS re:Invent conference held recently in Las Vegas. When I first started my career, I loved traveling and going to conferences in other cities. Then I spent a lot of time in planes to the point I now prefer to stay home, if possible. So any time I can have the host company of a conference summarize all of the important points in a 90-minute video conference, I am extremely happy.

AWS made quite a few announcements and they distilled them down into 3 different topics for the call this morning. I won't run through everything I learned as there are 2 announcements that really stood out. The first topic dealt with artificial intelligence. About a year ago, ChatGPT started getting a lot of attention. Naturally AWS is incorporating this technology in their product offerings. They also addressed how they are keeping the data used to train their large-language model (LLM) called Q, separate from your company's proprietary data. That is very important as you don't want someone outside your company asking Q for sensitive information that he/she shouldn't be able to access.

The second announcement I found interesting is using Q to generate database queries. I learned structured-query language (SQL) back in 1986 and thought it to be very natural-language like. As databases have grown in size and contain data in a variety of different tables, those queries have become less and less like natural language. You can now ask Q questions about your own data and as long as it has access to it, will show what you are looking for without knowing how to write the correct SQL. I will be interested to see how Q works in actual practice. I don't worry about it taking my job creating complex queries. Instead I see myself being able to do much more with its help.

My call this morning condensed a week-long conference into 90 minutes. I then pulled out 2 announcements that are important to me. Now I can go back to our AWS sales representative and get the in-depth information I need. To me, that is a step forward towards greater efficiency. For those that don't get to travel often, you may prefer the week in Las Vegas.

Measure Twice, Cut Once

Last night I had one of the neighbor kids come over and ask me to help him mount a new pair of bindings on a new pair of skis. He had been skiing earlier in the day and damaged his old skis. Naturally he wanted to get the new ones ready to go. I used to work in a ski shop and mount bindings professionally so I know what I am doing, otherwise I don't recommend mounting your own skis. I also have all of the equipment to mount bindings correctly.

Before he came over, I asked about the brand and model for both the skis and the bindings. This is important so I knew what I was getting into. Naturally he had Look Pivot 14 bindings, which are the most difficult binding to mount. Fortunately I have a jig for them to help drill the holes in the right place. I told him to bring a boot with him.

My neighbor arrived exactly when he said he would and we headed down to my ski tuning room. The first thing we did was measure the screw-hole distances on his new binding with those on the jig. I'm glad we checked as Look has 3 different hole patterns for their Pivot-line of bindings. I had pulled out the wrong one and needed to get the right one. Then we double checked it with the bindings. Everything checked out.

Now we needed to size the jig for the boots. My jig requires knowing the sole length of the boot. This is normally stamped on the bottom. My neighbor's boot had 2 numbers: 265 and 307. The smaller number is etched larger and prominently while I barely noticed the 307. Having looked at a lot of boot soles in my day, I knew that 265 wasn't right and so I pulled out my ruler which has imperial units as well as metric. The number I needed is in millimeters and so I used the metric side. As I suspected his boot sole is the larger of the 2. I set the jig accordingly.

Next is making sure I used the correct drill bit. Skis with metal in them can use a slightly larger bit while those without need a narrower one. Most skis will tell you which bit to use. My neighbor's skis did not. However they did say they contained a metal layer in the ski. That told me to use the larger of my 3 bits.

I drilled the holes and then added a waterproof glue into each one before placing the binding pieces on the ski. I then started each screw until it bit into the freshly drilled hole. Then I let my neighbor finish screwing the bindings to the ski. I followed along afterwards making sure the bindings hugged the skis tightly. Then we put the boot in and made sure it fit. It did. Next we made sure to set the DIN's and forward pressure appropriately so the skis fall off when they should but also don't release prematurely.

My neighbor felt a huge sense of accomplishment after helping to mount bindings on his new skis. Throughout the entire process, I had him double-check all of the settings and he felt included in the entire process. He is probably up on the hill right now testing them out.

So what does this have to do with computers? Throughout the entire process of mounting the bindings, we followed the rule of, "Measure twice, cut once." In our case we used a drill instead of a saw but the net result is the same. With computers, the consequences are much less severe and so we tend to measure once and if it doesn't work, go back and measure again. For me and some of my coding projects, this can often mean trying different values 3 or 4 times. Things go so much easier when I take the time to double check all of my values first.

Tackling Problems After Sleeping on Them

Tuesday afternoon I started working on my daughter's Jeep Cherokee to replace the thermostat. We meant to start in the evening but I had some time during the day and so we could begin the work earlier than expected. I'm glad we did as I broke a part and had to make a run to the dealership to get a new one. Had we started in the evening, the parts department would have been closed and we would have had to wait until morning to finish the work. It turns out we did anyways.

At around 9pm that evening we found ourselves still trying to remove a bolt from the thermostat housing buried under a mass of other engine parts. My daughter could feel the bolt with her fingers enough to guide the 10mm socket to the head of the bolt. We loosened it only to have the socket slide off the bolt. It eventually got to the point where we couldn't get it back on. It would have helped if I could feel the bolt but no matter what I tried, I could never get a hand close enough. We decided to call it a night and pick up the next morning.

I've always been told that we do our best work in the morning when our minds are fresh. That is why office productivity experts will tell you to avoid e-mail when you first arrive in the office and to tackle any problems you are working to overcome. It is great advice and it proved true while working on my daughter's car. Amazingly I shoved my hands down into the bowels of the engine and could feel the bolt head with not only one hand but both at the same time. We maneuvered the socket with its attachment of extenders and u-joints and managed to get the stubborn bolt out. It then only took an hour or two to replace the thermostat and get the car back together.

Lately I have been going to bed 30 minutes earlier than usual which allows me to wake up that much speedier in the morning. I am using that time to tackle problems and get the most important tasks of the day completed. While I don't recommend going to bed thinking about a problem because you won't sleep very well, working on it in the morning may be the solution you are looking for.

Update on Mac Malware

Yesterday I posted about malware that infected my wife's Mac computer. As soon as I published the article, I checked to see if my wife had taken her laptop to work. She hadn't and so I brought it down to my office and ran one more test. I ran yesterday's "find" command prefaced with "sudo" so it looked like this:

sudo find / -name AccessibleEngineSearch -print

The "sudo" command tells the operating system to run as the super-user with permissions. You will need to enter a password before the command runs. Sudo enabled the command to look into more directories than when I ran it the previous day. I found one more instance of the "AccessibleEngineSearch" malware in the startup directory. That means whenever the computer started up, it would try to load the malware. I removed the file and rebooted the laptop. I no longer receive the message telling me that AccessibleEngineSearch can hurt the computer.

My wife came home for lunch as she works less than a mile away and I shared with her that I completely removed the malware from her computer. She also shared that she went through her Applications directory and deleted a number of programs that she didn't recognize. That is another important task when you discover malware on your computer. I didn't feel comfortable doing that as I didn't know if my wife installed a useful utility. I'm glad she took care of it.

As I mentioned, Mac's don't get a lot of malware. When they do, the operating system can keep a lot of damage from happening. It is also fairly easy to remove the offending programs. One still needs to be careful though as bad things can happen on a Mac.

Malware on a Mac

Yesterday my wife came home from a very busy day as her office switches from locally hosted software to web based. She is the one spearheading the project and yesterday they went live on the new system. Naturally there are some first-day pains as the staff try to figure out how to do things using the new and unfamiliar software. To make matters worse, my wife's Mac picked up some malware.

I happened to be in an online meeting when my wife came home and so when the meeting ended, I left my office to ask my wife how her day went. She seemed extremely frazzled and started talking quickly about how the new software has everyone anxious and to top things off, her computer had a virus. My wife is not very technical and so I asked how she knew her computer has a virus. She opened her laptop and showed me a message about "AccessibleEngineSearch will damage your computer."

The message told me that the Mac operating system smartly caught the problem. Unfortunately it rendered the computer unusable. When I clicked on the message to dismiss it, I had about 3 seconds before the message reappeared. It is a good thing I have another computer in the house to help me fix the problem. I quickly did an Internet search and came across several websites explaining how to remove the offending program.

AccessibleEngineSearch is a browser hijacker that throws up unwanted advertisements in your browser. The trick to eliminating it is hunting down all of the files that have infected the computer and removing them. I started with the documented ones:

• ~/Library/Application Support/com.AccessibleEngineSearch/AccessibleEngineSearch
• ~/Library/Application Support/com.AccessibleEngineSearchDaemon/AccessibleEngineSearch
• ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.AccessibleEngineSearch.plist
• ~/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.AccessibleEngineSearchDaemon.plist

I then emptied the trash and rebooted the computer. Things improved but I still kept getting the message and so I did a bit more searching. This time I pulled out my Unix skills and opened the command prompt. I then ran the following "find" command to look for all instances of AccessibleEngineSearch on the computer:

find / -name AccessibleEngineSearch -print

 If you are not familiar with the "find" command found in all flavors of Unix and Linux, the first argument tells the command where to start looking. I specified the / or root directory so that it would search the entire file system. The next argument is where you specify the name of the file you are looking for. Finally there is the -print on the end that specifies to print the results on the screen.

Naturally I got a lot of "permission denied" errors because I ran it as a user and not the superuser. It still gave me 2 directories that I found and deleted. Once again, I rebooted the machine and the errors disappeared.

Reading through various websites on this issue, I saw the recommendation to install Malwarebytes. I installed the free version and ran a scan of the computer. It found 30 other files infected with some sort of malware. I quarantined the files in question hoping that the computer is clean. Then I rebooted the computer once more.

Unfortunately there is a message about AccessibileEngineSearch when I start the computer and log in. Once I dismiss the message, it doesn't reappear and so I imagine there is one more file hanging around in the system loading area. It probably is in one of those directories I didn't have permission to read when I ran my find command above. I can rerun the command prefaced with "sudo" and eliminate the problem for good.

One of my favorite things about the Mac is that it doesn't get many computer viruses or malware. Unfortunately that has made me a little lazy about protecting them. As shown by the scan on my wife's computer, they do exist and are need to be addressed. You can say I've learned my lesson.

University of YouTube

The check-engine light on my daughter's Jeep Cherokee came on and so I had her use my OBD2 reader to pull the code from the computer. Sometimes the code is a $2000 problem and other times it is a $20 one. She checked the code and found it to be closer to $20 than $2000. The code she pulled is P0128 which indicates that the engine never gets up to the proper operating temperature. Generally this means the thermostat needs to be replaced.

There are a number of tests to verify the problem. If the car is overheating or running cold, that is a good indicator the thermostat is bad. In my daughter's case it is running cold, which means that the thermostat has failed in the open position, which is what it is engineered to do. The final test is to feel the hoses going to and from the engine. If they are both cold, then it is not a temperature sensor problem. My daughter ran through the diagnostic and we are sure the thermostat needs to be replaced.

Now we have two options. We can take the car to a trusted mechanic and pay $300 to have them replace the part or we can buy the part from the auto store and do the work ourselves. Like most of us, my daughter is not made of money and would prefer to save $250 and do the work ourselves. Thermostats generally run about $10 but the Jeep Cherokee requires one to replace the entire thermostat housing at a cost of around $50. It is $42 if you buy an aftermarket part or $63 if you buy the original part from the dealership. At such a low cost differential, I suggested my daughter use an original part.

This evening I spent some time going through YouTube videos on how to pull off the old part and replace the new one. Unfortunately Jeep did a very poor job of making the repair easy. You have to remove a number of different pieces and have useful socket-set attachments, all of which I have. After reviewing the videos, I know it will take a couple of hours but is not an overwhelmingly difficult job. The trick will be to remove as many parts as possible and being able to work hands into cramped spaces.

One nice thing about YouTube is there are a number of do-it-yourself auto mechanics willing to show you the steps for engine repair. They will also show you various tips and tricks to help make the job easier. If you review the videos and feel the job is beyond your skill set, then feel free to back away and leave it to qualified professionals.

A Great Story About Apple

I spent the day in a special meeting where we had a former Apple employee share a very interesting story about the development of the original iPhone. It isn't protected by any confidentiality agreements and so I thought I would share it in my blog to help illustrate the point of making proper technology decisions.

Many years ago Apple decided to create a new product called the iPhone. They didn't make phones at the time but had an idea of what smartphones should look like. They had a hardware division that would create the physical device. They also had a software division that needed to build software for this new piece of hardware. The software team had to decide the basic operating system that they would use. One group felt they should take the existing operating system running on their computers and modify it so it would run on the much less powerful hardware. Another group wanted to start with a different operating system that could already run on it.

If you take the short-term approach, there is a lot less work involved in using an operating system that could already run on the planned hardware. The downside is that Apple would then have to maintain separate operating systems for their computer and mobile devices. Taking the long-term approach meant doing more work in the beginning but simplifying maintenance and code updates in the future.

Ultimately the long-term approach won out and proved to be the better decision. This made it much easier for Apple to switch their computers from the Intel platform to the same ARM platform they run in their phones. It also shows that taking a long-term approach opens up more possibilities for future product development.

Cyber Monday and the Wrong Flight

I am on a flight today headed back to Salt Lake City. I picked today to fly trying to avoid the tail-end of Thanksgiving travel. I also knew I could get some important work done on the flight with the help of in-flight Internet. I'm glad I planned to work as the plane's entertainment service isn't working. They've reset the system 3 times now without success. It is kind of annoying but it means I can focus more of my attention on getting work done. Sometimes you pick the right flight where there are empty seats next to you or something amazing happens. Today is not that day.

Today also happens to be Cyber Monday when all of the online stores have their biggest sales. Once again my e-mail inbox received a flood of messages encouraging me to spend money on potential Christmas gifts. Once again I am not really interested in spending money. It would probably be a good idea to come up with a list of gifts for those on my list before Black Friday and Cyber Monday roll around. Then I could take advantage of some of the deals. Fortunately the discounts seem to stick around up until the big day. Then everything really goes on sale.

One sale I knew would happen today is that from the airlines. I received a special e-mail from both Alaska and Delta as those are the two carriers I use the most. I'm sure I also got one from Southwest but skipped over it as I have not been flying them recently. Don't get me wrong, they are a great airline with spectacular deals. I just prefer nonstop flights and Southwest seems to have multiple legs whenever I want to go somewhere. That doesn't mean I don't check their schedule first as it serves as a great baseline price.

I also received a lot of e-mails from hotel chains that I tend to use for business travel. There are some great deals out there. Unfortunately, for my personal travel I have been scouring AirBnB for most of my overnight accommodations recently. For about the same price as a hotel, I can get a living room and a kitchen. It is only business trips where I use hotels any more. Since the company is paying for it, I don't mind staying in hotels and eating out at restaurants.

Speaking of business travel I should probably get back to work. There is a lot going on this week and I need to get ready for all of the events. Then I can wind down for the Christmas break.

Video Games for Christmas

I have gotten a lot of requests for idea about video games as gifts for Christmas. As it is that time of year, I thought I would provide some ideas for those looking to get games for those who enjoy them. Instead of grouping all games into the same category, I will do a bit of categorizing as it makes things somewhat easier.

Games for Kids

I often post about how I enjoy playing video games with my grandson. I have a few granddaughters too and so that is what I am using to make this list. While I don't see my granddaughters excited right now, it won't take long before these games are appropriate.

• Knack and Knack II - I really like these games for those just starting to play video games. The story is interesting for all ages and your opponents are goblins instead of other people. The best part about the games is that if the child has a tough time navigating the map, the child is brought forward to where the couch-coop parent is on the screen. Most importantly, the games have been out awhile and you can find a copy of each for around $15. Unfortunately they are only available on the PlayStation consoles.
• Mario Party - With my last suggestion being a PlayStation exclusive, I thought I should offer an alternative to those who prefer the Nintendo Switch. Every time I go over to my grandson's house, he wants me to play Mario Party. The games end up running about a half hour but he loves it. My 4-year old granddaughter also loves to play. Nintendo has some great games which is why they have managed to remain so popular. The only downside to the game is that it is rather expensive with a cost of around $55.
• Lego Harry Potter Collection - My kids grew up playing with Lego blocks, listening to me read the Harry Potter books, and watching the Harry Potter movies. My grandkids are following in my kids' footsteps and so I started playing the Lego Harry Potter game with my grandson. He loves it and waits about 2 seconds before asking to play it when he walks into my house. I got the game for free with my PS Plus subscription but it is only $20 if you want to buy it as it has been out a while. My only complaint is that if you stop the game in the middle of a mission, you are forced to restart it instead of having frequent save points. 
• Lego Star Wars Skywalker Saga - This is a game that my grandson plays with his dad and loves it. In anticipation of having grandkids over at my house during the Holiday Season, I picked up a copy for less than $20. I am a huge fan of the movies and look forward to playing the Lego version of the game.

Games for Teenagers and Adults

I must confess that I have stopped playing video games on my own and so I am merely sharing the games that people around me have asked me to help get for those older children on their Christmas lists (adults included). Some of these recommendations will look familiar but I hope to have a well-rounded list.

• Ghost of Tsushima - This one is a game that my youngest son and I both enjoyed playing. My oldest son just can't seem to get into it though. He asked us why we like it so much and the only thing I can think of is that both of us have been to Japan where my oldest son has not. I actually took his younger brother on my older son's birthday while leaving the older son back at home for college finals. I think he might still be mad about that. The reason I like the game is that it reminds me of the very-well manicured gardens and temples in Japan. It is an older game and you can find it on the PS5 for $25. Unfortunately it is a PlayStation exclusive.
• Far Cry 3, Far Cry 4, and Far Cry 5 - I have enjoyed all 3 of those games and they are available on more than just the PlayStation consoles. You can also get all 3 games in the Far Cry Insanity Bundle for less than $20. I have spent countless hours playing the Far Cry games and think this is a great deal that will last long past the Holiday break.
• God of War Ragnarok - I have a copy of this game but have yet to play it. It is another PlayStation exclusive and have helped quite a few of my friends get a copy of the game. If you don't have someone at Sony that can help get a discounted copy, it can be found for $30 on the PS4 and $40 on the PS5. I thoroughly enjoyed the predecessor game and spent many hours entertained by it. I can only assume this version is close to the original.
• Spider-Man 2 - This is another game I have not yet played. I started playing the original but stopped halfway through because of COVID. One would think that isolation would have enabled me to complete the game but without the need to travel to the Bay Area, I had other things to occupy my evenings instead of video games. I did enjoy the original and have enjoyed watching my youngest son as he platinumed this one. This is another one of those PlayStation exclusives and as it released recently is rather pricy at $70.
• Hogwarts Legacy - This is a game available on more than just the PlayStation and is also a game that my sons' wives have enjoyed. Unfortunately I have not played it but might pick it up this Christmas because it comes so highly recommended. It has been out a while and you can find it for $30 at Walmart. Given the glowing recommendations from both of my daughters-in-law, I recommend you give it a shot if you are a fan of the Harry Potter movies and books.
• Jedi Survivor - This is a game from Electronic Arts that is cross platform and picks up where Jedi Fallen Order leaves off. Both of my sons really enjoyed the game and I am hoping it shows up under my Christmas tree. I enjoyed Fallen Order and am excited to give the sequel a try. My youngest son warned me that he thought the original to be better but still recommended this one. Game Stop has a Black-Friday special for only $30 that you should be able to find for awhile longer.

Not everyone will want video games for Christmas and so this may not fit everyone on your list. If you do have people who like to play, I hope this gives you some ideas. It is also important to note that I enjoy action-adventure games and so I have not recommended any sports ones, which are popular with a lot of gamers. I always suggest asking about what people's favorite games are and then looking for sequels or similar games. Then you are sure to get the right gift. If you still aren't sure, a gift card may be the better choice. Then that person on your list can ensure he or she got the right game.

Avoiding Stores on Black Friday

While some people like my sister live to find great deals on Black Friday, I am one of those people that avoid shopping at all costs on this day. This year's Black Friday is coming to a close and I can safely say that I did not visit any stores. I didn't purchase anything online either. Instead I spent some time outside hiking, spending time with family, and doing things around the house.

My wife took some downtime today to do some online shopping for me. She thinks she is done with buying Christmas gifts for me. Unfortunately I have not even started for her. I know what she needs and wants so it should be easy once I find some time to get the gift purchases taken care of.

I did notice an unusual amount of e-mail in my inbox today. I had so much e-mail I had to empty my inbox twice. I had the usual mix of outdoor equipment, guitars, and consumer electronics solicitations, Alaska airlines knew my one weakness and sent me information on their BOGO sale. That means they have airline tickets available at a two-for-one price. The last time they did that, I bought tickets to Hawaii and climbed Mauna Kea with my wife. I mentioned the sale to my wife and she told me to buy tickets to places we know we are headed next year. Where's the fun in that? Fortunately the sale only lasts today and if I can hold off experimenting with flights, I'll be good . . . until Cyber Monday when I am sure they will offer the same deal again.

Smartphone Photos

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving when people will sit down at the dinner table and eat an incredible amount of food all in the name of giving thanks for our many blessings. In order to prepare for the festivities, my youngest son and I went for a rather lengthy hike today. We covered about 10.2 miles and wore my son's dog out. The dog is sleeping soundly on the couch and snoring loudly.

I had hoped to pick up a trail map from the visitor's center of the state park where we hiked today but found it closed because of the coming holiday. Instead I opted to take a photo of the map with my smartphone so I always had it with us even if we lost phone service on the hike, which we did. While I prefer to have a piece of paper for a map, the photo served us well.

This is not the first time I have used a picture on my phone to replace a map. It won't be the last either. As I think about it, a phone picture is a lot better for the environment as paper maps often turn into litter require a lot more resources to create.

A few years ago I took my kids and their spouses to Moab for a family vacation. One of the activities for the trip included rock climbing. We had a guidebook for the area we planned to climb. As we scoped out the area, a couple of other climbers not familiar with the area came and took a smartphone picture from the guidebook of another climbing area next to ours. It worked out well for all. They went to an area away from us so we didn't have to compete for climbing routes and the photo provided important information needed for the climbs.

Taking a picture of a map at the beginning of your hike or of pages out of a guidebook allow you to carry important information in the palm of your hand. All it takes is a little practice on using the photo and a phone with a charged battery. After all, the phone won't do you any good if it won't turn on.

Printing 3D Christmas Tree Ornaments

Recently my wife found some interesting Christmas-tree ornaments in a print catalog. She showed them to me and I told her I could 3D print them for significantly less money. While I had filament that would have worked, I ordered special stuff with metallic flakes in it. I picked up a spool of gold flake and a spool of silver flake. Once it arrived, I printed up an ornament very similar to what my wife found in the catalog. It only cost me about 30 cents.

The ornament turned out well but I got to thinking there is so much more I could do and I still had a lot of filament left over. I found a few more designs and gave the prints a try. The first one turned out a lot different than expected. The pictures showed it with a lot of intricate cutout work. That means someone used a sharp razor to remove some of the plastic. I didn't want to do that so I found another ornament. It is a beautiful 8-point snowflake with a nativity scene in the middle of it.

I had been using the gold filament and rather than swap it for the silver, I printed a test ornament. It turned out very regal. Then I swapped colors and the silver turned out amazing. I shared it with my son who also has a 3D printer. He took it one step further and scaled the ornament so he could print 4 at once. My one ornament is so large it takes up most of the print bed so I can only print one at a time. Scaling it down to 75 percent is all it took to increase that number to 4.

This week is Thanksgiving and my son plans to hand 12 of the ornaments out to his extended family so they can decorate the tree with them this year. It is a little thing to help start the Holiday Season right. I'll be interested to hear how the ornaments are received.

Coding in Python

I have a new project at work that has me interested in doing some Python programing. I always say that Python is one of those languages where even the largest programs are only 50 lines long. That is a bit of an exaggeration but most of the code I have seen fall into that categorization. The reason programs can be so small is because there is an ever-growing list of libraries to help. If you are trying to read in a comma separated values (CSV) list and process it, somebody wrote a library for it. You don't need to reinvent the wheel. Instead you can use the CSV library and focus on what you need to do.

The project at work is kind of simple. We just need to read in a CSV file and apply a hashing algorithm to one of the columns in the file. Then we will write the resulting modified file into a database. As with the CSV library, there is a library to do the hashing for us. There is also a library to write to the database. Furthermore we have source code from one of the teams in Japan that serves as a great sample code to follow.

There is another engineer on the team who is responsible for writing the code and I am merely to act as an advisor. We started by reviewing the sample program and I stepped through each line of code with my coworker. At first I felt glad that he is responsible for doing the coding on the project. The more we reviewed though, the more I felt I wanted to take a shot at doing the work. I don't think it would take me more than a day and I think I would do a great job. Unfortunately that would be overstepping my bounds and my job really is to serve as a mentor. I wonder if it would be okay to add a piece or two to the sample code we already have as there is one difference that I think would be fun to address. Tomorrow I have a progress meeting and will see how far the other engineer has gotten. Hopefully he has figured it out on his own. If not, I'll play with it on Tuesday.

Sometimes You Gotta Get Outdoors

Next week is Thanksgiving and when getting outside becomes more difficult. With all of the technology in our lives, we can keep ourselves entertained while hibernating during the winter months. Unfortunately this may be bad for some. This is the time of the year when seasonal depression kicks in and being outside can help cure it in some instances.

My kids are among those that benefit from being outdoors. It is probably a good thing we spend a lot of the winter skiing as I don't know how else to embrace winter and enjoy being outside. My youngest daughter is noticeably happier after spending a cold winter day teaching little groms how ski. Last year with all of the road closures on the way to Alta because of avalanche danger, she had to find other ways to get outside and keep from getting down.

Today I spent some time with my youngest son. This morning he felt rather down and so we headed outside for a walk to the donut shop. If that doesn't cheer you up, I don't know what will. Unfortunately he still wasn't his jovial self and so we put on jackets this afternoon and headed outside. We walked to a nearby park and played a round of disc golf. I'm not sure if my comedic skills brightened his day or just being outside did the trick. Afterwards he felt much better and we all enjoyed being around him more.

I know you would expect different advice from someone that used to work for a major video game company. After all, shouldn't I be telling you to play the latest and greatest game as it will make you feel better? Nope, the reality is that we all need sunshine. It is tougher to get in the winter but no less important. When you feel yourself getting down on a cold winter day, put down the donut and hot chocolate, put on a nice-warm jacket, and spend sometime outside. Remember there is no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing. 

Children and Work Video Calls

I generally don't like to have any meetings on Fridays as that allows me one day of the week to get actual work done. Today I had 2. Fortunately both occurred this morning so I could get them taken care of and not have to worry about them later in the day.

During my first meeting I had one of my granddaughters walk into my office just as the meeting started. She is definitely cute and so I didn't mind introducing her to my fellow coworkers. She sat on my lap for a bit and then once she got a little fidgety, I sent her back to her parents and continued the meeting alone. Then at the end of my meeting my coworker thanked me for introducing my granddaughter.

This experience got me thinking about how appropriate it is to include small children in work calls. While you would never bring a kid to work except on that one day a year where it is allowed and expected, everyone is fairly lenient with work-from-home policies. It is not unexpected to see a dog or family member in the background on occasion. I am very forgiving when my coworkers include a fussy child in the meeting.

There are certain meetings where you would not want to include children, such as performance reviews or important meetings with upper management. In those cases, I highly recommend doing all you can to make sure there are no interruptions even if it means sending family to a restaurant or movie.

Ultimately we should do all that we can to keep small children from distracting work meetings. Sometimes it can't be avoided though as this morning I didn't even know my granddaughter had followed me into my office. When that happens, roll with it as inconspicuously as possible. Who knows, the child may have a positive experience and follow in your career footsteps. 

An Interesting Travel Site

I've been flying a lot lately and had an interesting conversation with a guy in the Salt Lake City airport. He is a truck driver who's engine and transmission broke down. Instead of waiting around town for a week in Bozeman, Montana, he jumped a flight home to Atlanta. I figured that would be an expensive plane ticket to buy at the last minute. Furthermore he doesn't plan to fly back to his truck until everything is fixed. While it is impolite to ask about how much someone paid for an airline ticket I did remark that it must have cost a lot. He told me he only paid $200 and that he uses Skiplagged to help find great deals on airfare.

I got to my destination and the next day looked into the site. While he may have said "Skip Lagged," I heard "Skip Jack" and so that is how I started my search. Fortunately the correct site came up. On the home page they claim to specialize in ridiculous travel deals nobody else can find. They are not wrong. I did a few searches and it amazed me at how inexpensive last-minute flight deals can be on the site. I did a search from Salt Lake to Columbus, Ohio for the next day and the price came in $200 less than the cheapest flight on the same airline's own website.

Now for the fine print. Skiplagged gets you the cheapest flight available. That means that you probably won't get a seat assignment until you get to the airport. If you are traveling alone, that isn't much of a problem but it becomes one if you are traveling with someone you want to sit next to. Furthermore you are probably getting stuck in a middle seat. You can also assume your loyalty account won't be credited with many frequent flyer miles, if any.

While I really am most interested in the site for air travel, Skiplagged also has great deals on hotels. I didn't do much research on those but what browsing I did on the home page looked like great prices. The next time I need to book a hotel for personal travel, I will give it a shot and see how well the prices really are.

I definitely won't be using Skiplagged for any business travel. I will also think twice about using it for when I am flying with my wife. However if I am footing the bill for a quick trip at the last minute where I am alone, it will be the first place I look.

Not Everyone is Who they Seem on the Internet

When my youngest son discovered the power of the Internet back in high school, he trusted everyone to be who they said they were. I didn't and felt the innocent young woman my son started chatting with might really be some middle-aged man. My son didn't believe me but agreed he couldn't definitively prove me wrong and stopped talking with her.

I have had a lot of experience with people not being who they say they are. It is pretty easy to fool someone into thinking you are significantly different than you really are. Don't believe me, look at the number of anecdotal stories of people showing up on first dates with connections that don't look anything like their picture. I'll be honest, if I needed to create an online dating profile, I might Photoshop myself some hair. Fortunately I am happily married and don't need an online-dating profile.

In the past, I have also received e-mails from a number of African royalty asking for help recovering significant assets. Fortunately we all know that these e-mails are scams and not to be trusted. That doesn't stop certain criminals from trying new tactics that are just variations on this theme. Perhaps you have received an e-mail from a name that looks familiar and asking for help. My dad recently got an e-mail from a supposed grandchild that didn't exist. While there are a lot of grandchildren in the family, there are not so many that my dad doesn't remember them all.

Lately there are a lot of criminals posing to be law enforcement. Perhaps you have seen an e-mail telling you there is a warrant for your arrest. The message goes on to say that you can get out of trouble by paying a fine using gift cards. Should you ever be asked to pay a fine with a restaurant or store gift card, take a second to stop and think about it. Nobody ever asks fines to be paid with gift cards. You can ignore the message.

Some past scams have been obviously fake but criminals are getting more clever. All it takes is a fact or two to convince you someone really is who they say they are when that could be false. That is why it is so important to guard your personal information. Treat it like gold as that is how cyber-criminals view it. I also recommend a healthy amount of skepticism as there are a lot of fakes on the Internet. It is in your best interest to challenge identities and ask for more information from someone simply to verify his or her identity. If the answers don't match reality, it is okay to stop communicating.

Technology Can't Compete with Mother Nature

Mankind has achieved some really amazing things. Just thinking about all the technological advancements that allow me to post to this blog illustrates some of those achievements. Looking at advances in transportation, housing, food production, and many other areas leads one to believe that we can do a lot.

Tuesday we had a nice snowstorm here in Utah and so I decided to drive up to Alta Ski Area on Wednesday morning before work and see if I could make a few turns before the lifts start running in earnest. In addition to snow, Tuesday's storm ushered in colder temperatures and Alta has started making snow. Making snow is a fairly simple process where you spray tiny water droplets in front of a large-powerful fan that keeps the water in the air long enough to freeze before it hits the ground. The key to making snow is having cold enough temperatures.

I put on all my equipment and started hiking up a run called Corkscrew. It is the same run I hike at the beginning of every season and Alta is kind enough to allow people like me the chance to do so. They also have their snow makers cranking out snow so skiers don't have to worry about rocks in the middle of the run. The only problem is that you don't want to spend too much time in front of the snow makers as it can be cold and wet. During the course of my hike, I passed no fewer than 5 snow makers blowing snow 50 to 100 feet in the air.

Man-made snow has a much different consistency than natural snow. It is great for a base layer on runs that are skied frequently as it is more ice than Mother Nature's soft-fluffy flakes. The ice is more durable and does not get scraped off the mountain nearly as easily. The downside is that it is ice and not very fun to ski. I would much rather have natural snow fall from the sky and get compressed by hoards of skiers. Still the technology does allow us early skiing when Mother Nature doesn't cooperate.

As I hiked up the trail, I saw the remnants of Tuesday's storm and marveled at the uniform consistency. The snow blanketed the entire mountain without the need of strategically-placed machines. Even though Alta's snow makers cranked out a lot of fresh snow, it paled in comparison to what Mother Nature provided. Yes mankind can do some amazing things but we still have a long ways to go to catch up to naturally occurring phenomenon.

Start Small and Test Thoroughly

This morning I attended a training meeting from one of our vendors where they talked about a number of their product offerings. They highlighted the various tools available and when you would use one versus another. As I listened to the different options, I realized that a small proof-of-concept implementation is really the best way to gain experience with the various tools.

There are a number of recent examples where engineers didn't understand the technology decisions they made and failed miserably. The big one that comes to my mind is the original healthcare.gov website. On the first day it immediately crashed because of all the traffic. Comedians and late-night-talk-show hosts used it as joke material for a long time claiming they should have hired porn-site developers who know how to create high-traffic websites. Another service that had issues when it started is Disney+. Fortunately they had a much easier time scaling up to meet customer demand.

Starting small and testing thoroughly is not reserved for building computer systems. It is a principle I use in my own investing. Lately I have been looking at buying dividend stocks that pay periodic cash simply for owning it. While most companies pay quarterly dividends, there are some that pay monthly. That sounds pretty good doesn't it? Well you do have to be careful. I found one stock that is paying the equivalent of 25% annually. Instead of dumping a lot of money into it, I bought a few shares and watched it carefully. Yes, I received my monthly dividend but the price of the stock dropped more than the dividend paid. It dropped so much, the company did a reverse 5 to 1 split. That means instead of owning 10 shares of the stock, I now only own 2. Furthermore, the stock continues to fall. This is why I am glad I didn't dump thousands of dollars into it.

I have had some success with other dividend stocks and that is because I have started small. If I see one performing well, I reinvest in that same stock when I receive the periodic dividend. I am using now to learn what strategies work and not listen to over-hyped ones that don't. My hope is that I'll have it figured out when it comes time to retire and my income is based on my investments.

Moving Off Daylight Savings, Again?

Early Sunday morning, those of us that live in states that play the Daylight Savings game got to adjust our clocks and gain an extra hour of sleep. That assumes that you didn't game the system and stay up an extra hour, which I did not. I went to sleep at my normal time. I had hoped I would wake up 8 hours later, which would mean my wake-up time would be an hour earlier. Nope, I slept for 9 hours and got an extra hour of sleep. It felt good.

Most of the clocks in my house adjust automatically but there are a few like the microwave or oven that need to be fixed manually. I also have to adjust the clock in my truck and my wife needs to adjust the clock in her car. It is not a big chore but it does take a few minutes.

The larger problem for me is that I work for Sony, which is a massive international company. Japan does not follow Daylight Savings and so all of my meetings with headquarters get screwed up. Some meetings that used to start at 6pm now start at 5pm. Meetings that are set up by colleagues in the United States adjust with the semi-annual time change and stay at the same time. For those with tightly-packed meeting schedules, it means double bookings and the need to revisit the calendar.

I saw an article in National Geographic about the history of Daylight Savings and why we continue to practice it. While it is merely a hassle for most of us in the United States, the article pointed out that it does cause conflict with other parts of the world. I can attest to that point. 

We were not supposed to go back to standard time this past Sunday as a bill made it through one half of Congress that would have kept the country on Daylight Savings permanently. Unfortunately the bill stalled in the other half of Congress and so we moved our clocks back an hour. We'll have to see if the two halves of Congress ever get on the same page and decide to agree on something. For now, I am not holding my breath.

Internet on a Plane

I have been traveling a lot with recent trips to Alaska, Mexico, and Hawaii. This has given me the chance to test Internet conditions for a lot of different environments including on a cruise ship. I spend all day working in front of a computer and while the device is important, an Internet connection is usually required to remain effective.

So why do I need an Internet connection? I spend a lot of time communicating with my fellow employees. E-mail is good for this but I also use Microsoft Teams and the messaging included with it. I can live without those connections for only a short amount of time before people begin to worry. I also spend a lot of time working on shared documents. While I may have a local copy that I can edit on a plane, it sure is nice to have my changes seen immediately by others working on the document also.

Delta Airlines has started offering free Internet connections to all of the passengers that are members of their frequent flyer program. You don't have be any special status to use the service, just a member of the program. I gave it a try on a recent trip and discovered it works well. Unfortunately you cannot make voice or video calls but you can use it for e-mail, instant messaging, and editing shared documents. Delta claims that it is fast enough to watch a streaming movie and so I don't see why one wouldn't be able to use it for video calls other than the FAA regulation that prohibits it. I did notice the service felt choppy in some instances and I am not sure how the upload speed is so it may be a prohibiting factor.

I also had the chance to check out Alaska Airline's Internet service on my recent trip to Hawaii. While I flew out on a Sunday, I returned on a Thursday and worked on the plane as I flew home. I made sure to let my boss know I wouldn't be available for a meeting during my flight time. Unfortunately the service is not free for everyone. As a T-mobile customer, I had an hour of free Internet service which I never tried. However I did set up texting from my phone and remained in contact with people during the flight.

The overall lesson learned from using Internet on a plane is that as long as I don't have any meetings, it is a viable option to remain productive. Unfortunately for me, I generally have meetings daily and so it is probably impossible to take a day to fly somewhere and count it as a work day. That is something I will need to remember as I make plans for future travel.

With Computers, Heat is Your Enemy

When it comes to computers, heat is an enemy. I recently visited my youngest son in Ohio and enjoyed an evening of watching him play Spider-Man 2. The way he has his PS5 set up is that it sits in a television stand below his TV. His stand has doors on it and so when he plays, he has to open the doors to make sure the console has enough airflow to remain cool. When he forgets to open the doors, it gets really hot and the PS5's fan sounds like a jet engine. Continuing to run the console could cause damage and render it useless.

When I worked in Research and Development at Sony Interactive Entertainment, the PlayStation 5 early development kits took many precautions to ensure they didn't overheat. I can't go into too many details because of my existing confidentiality agreement but we always worried. about heat. The consumer units have been designed to withstand a lot, but they are not designed to run in an enclosed space without proper cooling.

The PlayStation 5 is similar to high-end home computer systems. Both need to be appropriately cooled. This means ensuring there is good airflow around intake and exhaust vents. Dust needs to be cleaned from fans and airways. Basically you should constantly evaluate your computer setup and make sure nothing has changed that would create an overheating hazard.

Remembering Film Cameras

I think we take the ubiquity of digital cameras for granted. Sometimes we forget about the technology that existed before this new one. Yesterday I started reading a non-fiction book about mountain climbing. An up and coming climber had the chance to meet another famous climber. Someone pulled out a camera to capture the meeting. Only later did they discover the camera didn't have any film in it. Reading that reminded me of how much easier digital cameras have made our lives.

This morning I read an article about how archeologists are using declassified cold-war satellite photos of the Middle East to find ancient Roman forts and outposts. These finds are changing the way we view the Roman empire. The article went on to discuss how the pictures taken by the satellites made it back to earth. I just assumed pictures were taken using using early digital technology. Nope, they used film and would drop canisters that landed in the Pacific ocean. The US Air Force would then locate the film and pick it up for developing. A lot of the pictures were never found but most made it to analysts looking for something other than traces of ancient civilizations. Now we have satellites that can take a high-resolution photo and transmit the digital image to analysts in a matter of minutes.

Sometimes we look back into the past and reminisce about old technology like vinyl records and long for days of old. When it comes to photography, I prefer the new way. Our lives are greatly enhanced by charge-coupled devices (CCD) which make capturing digital images possible. We can take pictures in very little light without having to slow down shutter speeds to the point of endlessly blurry images. We are no longer relegated to a handful of pictures before having to change film canisters. Most importantly we have technology that makes what used to be mediocre photos look downright amazing. Yes, I like my digital camera. I'd say the only problem is that cameras are everywhere making it easy to get caught when you do something wrong. 

Paper vs. Eletronic Magazines

I have a notice on my desk that I received in the mail a few days ago. It is from ARRL which is the national association for amateur or ham radio. It is time to renew my membership and I have a choice to make. In the past, membership has paid for a monthly printed magazine. Now that will be an additional cost. If I don't elect to receive the printed magazine, an electronic version is available for just my annual membership dues.

I know I am old school but I still like to read printed magazines over electronic ones. Is it worth an extra $25/year and the associated environmental cost (think trees and gas to deliver the magazine)? For me I think it is and I'll illustrate why with examples of magazines I currently receive.

I have a free subscription to an electronic version of a sailing magazine. I'm not sure how I got on the list to receive it. Perhaps because I previously subscribed to the print magazine or because I had an article published in the magazine on ham radio and sailing. I'm not sure why, but I have it. I also have a subscription to the print version of another sailing magazine. Interestingly enough, I read the print magazine cover to cover every time I receive it. I will only glance through the electronic one and never read more than a single article if I read any at all. From this experience, it seems I prefer print.

I also have a subscription to National Geographic which comes in print form but also electronically. Every day I receive an e-mail with about a dozen article teasers. If I see something that interests me, I click on the link and read the article. Sometimes the articles are from a few years ago that appeared in the print magazine with updated information. Other times the articles are from an upcoming issue. When I receive the print magazine, I am finding that I have read about 60% of the articles already. Furthermore the electronic versions of the articles contain interactive presentations or movies that greatly enhance what comes in the print magazine. This experience has me rethinking my print subscription for National Geographic and going with just an electronic one.

I honestly wish all magazines would come like National Geographic. Instead of receiving something once a month, having a daily e-mail with interesting articles to read. I know my ARRL magazine will show up like the sailing one and I am afraid I will stop reading it without the print version. So until they figure out how to send frequent updates with articles found in the magazine, I'll shell out the extra $25/year.

Storing Electronic Files

Ever since my first computer I have had to work hard to best organize my electronic files. It started with school papers that I thought I would want to keep around forever. Then the problem seemed to explode as film cameras gave way to digital ones and I started storing photos on my computer. Throw in how to best keep e-mail messages and you can see how having a good filing system is required.

Back with my original computer I used floppy disks to store all my school papers. The documents never got very large and so I could use one disk for each class. Even if I still had those disks, I don't have a computer that can read them. Computer operating systems evolved to have a default storage directory or folder for your documents, appropriately named "Documents." There are also picture and movie folders. You can then nest folders inside of other folders to help you organize your electronic files even more.

In my pictures directory I have created a number of folders by subject. I have one folder that I use to store all the pictures of my grand kids and another for my trips to Disneyland. What happens when I take pictures of my grand kids at Disneyland? This is why it is important to have a good filing system. Unix and Linux allow you to easily create symbolic links. This means you can have one file with links to that single file appearing in multiple directories. Unfortunately that is a lot of work to set up when I am just dumping photos onto my computer. Instead I just know all photos related to a trip will appear in the trip folder even if they contain pictures of my grand kids. The "Grand Kids" folder is just the repository for all other pictures of my favorite little people.

What about multiple trips to Disneyland? That is easy. I have a top folder named, "Disneyland," with sub folders inside listing the dates of each trip. I should probably do something similar with my grand kids folder so I know which kid is who while I can still remember. Once kids get older they become much more difficult to differentiate between siblings. I'll save that for another day.

Finally there is the dreaded e-mail organization. I am one of those people that just keeps everything important in my "inbox" until it is no longer needed. Speaking from experience, that is a horrible way to store e-mail. Every week or so, I will go through and delete unneeded e-mails. I also have other mailboxes that relate to major categories. My work e-mail has a mailbox for each project I am working on. My personal e-mail has categories like skiing or Sony, should I receive a work e-mail in my personal account. About once a week, I take an hour and go through both e-mail accounts and move messages from my inboxes to appropriate mailboxes. A lot of the time I will delete messages as they become irrelevant. If I am really on top of things, I will move a message into the appropriate mailbox as soon as it comes in, which is ideal.

So what is your best electronic file storage tip? I'd be interested to know as it may help me. I'm sure others would be interested too. 

Video Games for Younger Kids

My 6-year old grandson loves to come over and play video games. This is not a new thing as he has done it for the past couple of years. Sunday when he came over, it took him all of 3 seconds after walking in the door to ask to play video games. Of course we spent some time with everyone eating a nice dinner my wife prepared. Then after my grandson helped with dishes, we headed into the TV room and played, "Lego Harry Potter Collection."

The Lego-branded video games are a cross between dexterity and puzzle solving. That means I wouldn't start with it for smaller kids. There are much better choices. One of the launch games for the PS4 was Knack and while created to show off the new features of the console, It is a great game for kids. I actually prefer Knack II for younger kids and think most 4-year olds can pick it up easily when playing with someone older in 2-player mode. It has the advantage that if one player is new and doesn't know where to go, the player is transported to the same location as the more advanced player. This feature comes in handy when the youngster surpasses the adult in ability.

I find that when I complete a video game, I am not eager to repeat it. That isn't the case with young children. My grandson has completed Knack II and we are back at it again going through the story one more time. That is important to remember as an expensive game will get more than one play through. Unfortunately the Knack series of games is only available on the PlayStation consoles.

Another game that my grandson loves to play is another PlayStation exclusive called, "Sackboy A Big Adventure." It is part of the Little Big Planet series of games and is another great game for 2 people to play. He started playing it with his dad but knows that I also own the game and he will sometimes ask to play it when he comes over. This is one game where my grandson is better at it than I am.

My son won a contest at work and received a Nintendo Switch console so he has that in addition to a PlayStation 5. Before I started working at Sony, we had a Nintendo 64 that my kids grew up playing. There is a lot of content specific to the Nintendo platforms that is great for smaller children. When I go over to my grandson's house, he is always trying to get me to play on the Nintendo. I think the current favorite is Super Mario 3D World. Then there is always Mario Kart that everyone loves.

Video games can be addicting and so it is important to set limits, especially with small children. An hour a day is about the maximum amount you should allow and it doesn't need to be a daily ritual. I play with my grandson only about once a week. I also would not start a game and then abandon a small child to play alone. I look at video games as a way to bond with the younger generation and it is something I can do with my grandchildren now. I don't know how long it will last but it is fun and one of the reasons my grandson loves coming over.

A Virtual Doctor Visit

Every 6 months I get to visit with my doctor and get a checkup. This morning I got a text from the doctor's office saying that my doctor was ill and wouldn't be in the office today. Instead I had the option of visiting with a physicians assistant or PA about an hour later without the hassle of having to go to the medical clinic. I didn't really have much of a choice as I had a prescription or two that needed refilling. I opted for the virtual visit instead of trying to reschedule.

When I got the text about my doctor being ill, I felt a bit frustrated but understand what happened. When you are a doctor, you get to spend your days seeing sick people. It makes sense that a doctor is more exposed to germs than someone like me that spends all my time in my home office being a hermit. I couldn't be too mad after that realization.

I met with my PA and she had access to all my lab results from my last visit. I am one of those people with perfect health numbers, never mind that they are pharmaceutically enhanced. Of course some of it is due to my constant vigilance to diet and exercise but the net result is my PA felt pleased with my numbers and didn't think it necessary to do anything more than renew prescriptions. That didn't bother me as I didn't feel the need to give a couple tablespoons of blood for lab work. I can wait 6 months.

I wouldn't recommend the virtual doctor visit for everyone. Notice that I meet with my healthcare professional every 6 months and don't mind dropping it back to a yearly visit. I just know that the next time I need to make an appointment, it will be in person and I will have to do the full lab work. It is nice that COVID-19 has made the virtual appointment an option. Before the pandemic, I would have had to reschedule. 

Sending Text Messages from your Computer with Android Phones

Apple recently released information about their latest phones and I don't see the need to spend $1000 or so to upgrade the one I have. Sure I will get a credit for trading in my iPhone 12 mini but it won't be a straight swap and so I am keeping my current iPhone for now. 

One of the reasons I have stuck with an iPhone for as long as I have is because I can stay on top of my text messages using my Mac computer. While I am not too slow texting using the smartphone's tiny keyboard, I am lightning quick using a full-sized one. Furthermore I sit in front of my computer all day and if I get an important text, I can see the message immediately without having to pull out my phone. My oldest son feels the same way but has grown tired of constantly being tethered to Apple's overpriced phones.

My son has been looking at Android phones just to compare specs and also did some research on if it is possible to use a desktop computer to send and receive messages for Android devices. He found a CNet article that shows how to do it. This actually opens up a few possibilities for smartphone options.

One of the advantages of working for Sony is that I have access to great discounts on Sony products. Now Sony isn't a big player in the United States when it comes to Smartphones. However they do have some great products that are technically superior to Apple's. Right now there is a special for a phone that retails for $1800 and I can get it for $400 as a Sony employee. It is tempting now that one hurdle that keeps me on iOS is gone. Perhaps when my current phone's battery needs replacing, I can just replace it with an inexpensive Android.

Fat Bear Week 2023

Yesterday I opened an e-mail from National Geographic and it mentioned "Fat Bear Week." I only got the chance to vote on the last day of the event last year and so I am glad I received notice earlier this year. I voted yesterday but the contest really doesn't begin until Monday. If you want to have a little fun looking at how bears have gone from really skinny to preparing for hibernation, I encourage you to log in and vote.

Late-Night Video Conferencing

One of the downsides of working for Sony is that it is a global company. Don't worry, that is also a bonus but it means that sometimes I am up early for calls with Europe and other times I have to stay up late for calls with Japan. Yesterday I got hit with one of those rare days where I met with our Brussels Lab in Europe early in the morning. Then later in the day I received an invitation for a 9pm meeting with Japan. Don't worry, I took time out for lunch, exercise and dinner so I wasn't working that whole time but it did make for a long day.

When I received the invitation for the 9pm video conference call, it came with an apology for being so late in the day. I responded that I normally practice guitar nightly at that time but would move my schedule around to accommodate the meeting. My boss, who is Japanese but based in Los Angeles, responded that he too practices guitar daily at that time and that we should have a jam session during our meeting. I thought it was an interesting coincidence that we both practice guitar at the same time daily.

The meeting organizer thanked us for adjusting our schedules so we could join the very important meeting. My boss responded by telling him to bring drums. I thought that was a great response and it got me thinking. 

Guitar players can be kind of eccentric with their long hair and wearing sunglasses even in dark rooms. I should show up for the meeting dressed like a rock star and get a few laughs before the meeting started. So my wife went and found a long-haired wig that I use for Halloween and I found a pair of cheap wayfarer sunglasses. Then I threw on a dress shirt over my Snowbird t-shirt but left it unbuttoned. Finally I set my guitar on my lap and joined the meeting.

My boss and the meeting organizer had already arrived when I logged on but didn't have their cameras turned on. They greeted me with silence and then my boss realized why I wore my costume and immediately grabbed his guitar to join me while we waited for about a half-dozen others to join. Everybody laughed and thought it funny. I pulled off the wig and sunglasses before buttoning up my shirt and we started the meeting. My boss tried to get serious and began talking but had trouble keeping a straight face for a solid 5 minutes.

At the end of the meeting we got a lot accomplished but we also had a good laugh that everyone commented on before closing. I figure if we are going to have a late meeting, we should at least have some fun. All attendees agreed.

Not all Televisions are Created Equal

Before starting this posting, I want to reiterate that I work for Sony and we make televisions, very good ones. Unfortunately that means they are expensive compared to other brands. So I will refrain from comparing brands and use general information that applies to all manufacturers.

Before the advent of flat television displays, the Sony Trinitron televisions set the standard for picture quality thanks to patented technology. Then people ditch relatively small and cumbersome tube TVs for flat LCD, LED, and Plasma televisions. Sony lost a significant portion of their industry dominance. With most televisions being made in the same factories it has gotten hard to tell the difference between the many different brands. Furthermore, brands that didn't exist back in the Trinitron days, such as Vizio, now seem ubiquitous. How do you know which TV to buy?

It is important to remember that not all televisions are created equal. As you research which one to buy, pay attention to features and specifications to ensure you get what you want. I'll illustrate with my last television purchase. Sony has several levels of models irrespective of size. It doesn't matter if it is a 55-inch or 85-inch, there are differences between the different models. There is also different technology such as LED vs. OLED with the later producing a higher-quality picture. Unfortunately OLED also comes with some downsides and so it is important find out what they are and make sure you can live with them.

To simplify things, let's focus on LED technology with a resolution of 4K. Sony has models in their value line (because nobody likes to use the word "cheap"), mid-level line, and high-end. Given just that information, everyone wants the high-end. That is until you look at the price tag. Then that value line starts looking pretty good. That is what I decided when I bought my last television. I have a home theater and have the space for an 85-inch television. I bought the cheapest one from Sony made even cheaper because I got a huge employee discount. I didn't do any more research than that: price.

When I went back to Sony, I started working with the consumer electronics arm of the company and discovered why the mid-level and high-end lines cost more. Furthermore I discovered I really didn't want the value-line, I wanted the mid-level or high-end. The picture quality is significantly better and I will leave it up to you to research the differences between the specs. My oldest son profited from my research and recently picked up an 85-inch mid-level model. His picture quality is significantly better than mine.

This is where it is great to go into a Costco or other electronics store to compare the picture quality of the various models. When you read about specs, you don't think you will notice a difference. If you order online, your new TV arrives and you think all is well. Then you get the chance to see the difference and it has you questioning your purchase choice.

I'm not going to throw away a perfectly working 85-inch 4K television and so I will live with my purchase. Should someone offer to buy it or should it break in any way, then I will be sure to look at specifications much more closely and not base my decision solely on price. Anyone want to buy an 85-inch TV?

Will I Ever Need Sick Days

My cold has turned into an ear infection and I am doing my best to fight it without antibiotics. Yesterday I felt pretty good but today I am drained and tired. I must have had a rough night. The net is I don't really feel like going to work. The good news is I don't mind doing work at home. I have 5 online meetings today and I can attend all of them. There are a few other things I need to do and can also get that work done. Basically I can continue to work and don't feel the need to call in sick.

COVID-19 has paved the way for working from home for a lot more people. While I am a special case and am allowed to work from home every day, my colleagues that go to the office frequently are also allowed to work from home several days a week. This was not possible at Sony, where I work, before COVID.

Now I have a mild illness so I don't have a problem trying to work. If I felt worse like I did once with a nasty flu, then I would want to burn a sick day. However for colds or minor illnesses, working from home is sufficient to help me keep up on my work so I don't fall behind. It also saves my time off for those times when I really need it, like exciting adventure vacations.