That should block all the mind control frequencies
Friday, January 09, 2004
You tell the kids they can't skateboard or tag or vandalize things. What happens next? They start getting creative.
Wednesday, January 07, 2004
A few things I've been meaning to post:
1. I hate the business model of gyms. I actually enjoy going the gym and getting a good workout, provided it's the type of workout I want to do. Right now, I'm going through a swimming phase, as it's easy on the joints and has it's own built in cooling while getting the heart rate up. The rat bastards at the gym have decided that they don't need to expand the facilities, just add new members. So, I'm now forced to go to the gym around 10 p.m. just so I can have a 50/50 shot and having a swimming lane open. I realize that some of this may be related to New Year's resolutions, but the point is that the gyms just oversell their memberships to a point where it's not really worth having a membership anymore.
2. This is a blog from a woman who claims to be a London call girl. Even if it isn't true, it's very interesting reading. Be warned, she isn't afraid of discussing pretty much anything.
3. My sister sent this to me last month. Just listened to it again. Hilarious!
1. I hate the business model of gyms. I actually enjoy going the gym and getting a good workout, provided it's the type of workout I want to do. Right now, I'm going through a swimming phase, as it's easy on the joints and has it's own built in cooling while getting the heart rate up. The rat bastards at the gym have decided that they don't need to expand the facilities, just add new members. So, I'm now forced to go to the gym around 10 p.m. just so I can have a 50/50 shot and having a swimming lane open. I realize that some of this may be related to New Year's resolutions, but the point is that the gyms just oversell their memberships to a point where it's not really worth having a membership anymore.
2. This is a blog from a woman who claims to be a London call girl. Even if it isn't true, it's very interesting reading. Be warned, she isn't afraid of discussing pretty much anything.
3. My sister sent this to me last month. Just listened to it again. Hilarious!
Monday, December 22, 2003
I've been working for quite some time now at Honda. I'm not in any way related to the new HondaJet project, but it's still pretty neat to watch Honda venture into this area. You can watch the HondaJet making it's first flight earlier this month. If it's like what happened in the automotive industry, maybe a company like Honda can force the prices of these aircraft down while improving on quality.
Honda's piston engine in development
What I'm mostly interested in is Honda's development of a piston engine for small aircraft. Right now, even brand new aircraft rely on engines that are heavily steeped in 1950's era technology, simply because it is too expensive for manufacturers to obtain FAA certification, so they continue to sell engines that are just plain old. Reliable, but old. For example, having fuel injection in your piston engine is very rare! To make matters worse, the cost of a small engine that you'd typically find in a Cessna is around $20,000! Again, I'm really hoping that Honda can bring market pressures to bear on engine manufacturers so that consumers can be the real winners.
Honda's piston engine in development
What I'm mostly interested in is Honda's development of a piston engine for small aircraft. Right now, even brand new aircraft rely on engines that are heavily steeped in 1950's era technology, simply because it is too expensive for manufacturers to obtain FAA certification, so they continue to sell engines that are just plain old. Reliable, but old. For example, having fuel injection in your piston engine is very rare! To make matters worse, the cost of a small engine that you'd typically find in a Cessna is around $20,000! Again, I'm really hoping that Honda can bring market pressures to bear on engine manufacturers so that consumers can be the real winners.
Friday, December 19, 2003
Finals are over. Thank God. 4 exams in 4 days while working full-time is a good way to earn yourself an ulcer.
While surfing today, I found that the Anaheim Angels have placed some of their local television commercials on their website. They're very creative. If you've got some time (and you like baseball in general) take a look (Free Real Player required). My favorite is "Batting Cage."
While surfing today, I found that the Anaheim Angels have placed some of their local television commercials on their website. They're very creative. If you've got some time (and you like baseball in general) take a look (Free Real Player required). My favorite is "Batting Cage."
Tuesday, December 09, 2003
I haven’t blogged much recently, due to being sick and upcoming final exams. However, much has been happening, and I’m trying to get back in the saddle.
I have to say that I really enjoyed the reality series Average Joe. The final two men that were selected was the classic pretty boy versus the nerd. The nerd, if you can call him that, is a self-made millionaire that balances his family and friends with work and is as genuine as a human can be. He seems to have his life so well-balanced that he’s actually inspiring to me to work harder on those areas.
Beauty and the Beast.
The pretty boy is pretty. He’s 27 years old, lives with his parents and is a student. Should be an easy choice, no?
Who did the pretty girl choose? Well, since this isn’t fiction, of course she chose the pretty boy. I’m actually glad she did this. It really does show just how superficial our society is. And with style, Adam gracefully accepted defeat and let the shallow woman down easy when he had his last chance to try and strike back.
Kudos to the nerds out there, and for all the pretty boys, open a book once in awhile or challenge yourself. Develop a personality. Oh, that’s right, this is reality, you can get by with just being pretty.
I have to say that I really enjoyed the reality series Average Joe. The final two men that were selected was the classic pretty boy versus the nerd. The nerd, if you can call him that, is a self-made millionaire that balances his family and friends with work and is as genuine as a human can be. He seems to have his life so well-balanced that he’s actually inspiring to me to work harder on those areas.
Beauty and the Beast.
The pretty boy is pretty. He’s 27 years old, lives with his parents and is a student. Should be an easy choice, no?
Who did the pretty girl choose? Well, since this isn’t fiction, of course she chose the pretty boy. I’m actually glad she did this. It really does show just how superficial our society is. And with style, Adam gracefully accepted defeat and let the shallow woman down easy when he had his last chance to try and strike back.
Kudos to the nerds out there, and for all the pretty boys, open a book once in awhile or challenge yourself. Develop a personality. Oh, that’s right, this is reality, you can get by with just being pretty.
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Today, the Cal/OSHA released their findings on the Big Thunder Mountain accident. After reading an initial report from the Orange County Register (free registration required), I had assumed that Disney's maintenance procedures were being blamed for this tragedy.
I just spent a few minutes reading the entirety of the report, which was posted and later removed from the Cal/OSHA website. Isn't that odd? I found a copy, and have placed it here for your purusal.
When learning to fly, managing risks is often a topic that receives considerable attention. Most aviation related accidents occur because of several events, chained together, ultimately ending in an accident. The goal of managing risks while flying is to break that chain somewhere along the line. This seems to be the case in this accident. The chain of events regarding Big Thunder Mountain were:
1. Two bolts were not properly tightened to tolerances.
2. Safety wire was not installed where these bolts resided, as required.
3. No procedure existed for ride operators to act upon the train exhibiting an unusual sound.
Had any one of these problems been corrected, then there would not have been an accident. There's also a great deal of rumbling in the report about how green and yellow tag procedures were not followed, which apparently didn't have a result on the accident.
After reading the report, what is very clear to me is that Disney is not at fault at all. Disney had proper procedures in place and the operators and maintenance people failed to follow those procedures. What's frightening is that Disney will escape this unscathed except for a large under the table payment to the deceased's family.
If you've been to Disneyland in the last 5 years, it's obvious that it is not maintained as it used to be. Here's hoping against hope that the new President of the Disneyland Resort, Matt Ouimet, will actually reverse his predecessors objective of maximizing revenue. He obviously has a very rough road ahead of him, and with someone like Eisner leading the company, I don't think he's going to be able to get things back to how they used to be run. My two cents.
I just spent a few minutes reading the entirety of the report, which was posted and later removed from the Cal/OSHA website. Isn't that odd? I found a copy, and have placed it here for your purusal.
When learning to fly, managing risks is often a topic that receives considerable attention. Most aviation related accidents occur because of several events, chained together, ultimately ending in an accident. The goal of managing risks while flying is to break that chain somewhere along the line. This seems to be the case in this accident. The chain of events regarding Big Thunder Mountain were:
1. Two bolts were not properly tightened to tolerances.
2. Safety wire was not installed where these bolts resided, as required.
3. No procedure existed for ride operators to act upon the train exhibiting an unusual sound.
Had any one of these problems been corrected, then there would not have been an accident. There's also a great deal of rumbling in the report about how green and yellow tag procedures were not followed, which apparently didn't have a result on the accident.
After reading the report, what is very clear to me is that Disney is not at fault at all. Disney had proper procedures in place and the operators and maintenance people failed to follow those procedures. What's frightening is that Disney will escape this unscathed except for a large under the table payment to the deceased's family.
If you've been to Disneyland in the last 5 years, it's obvious that it is not maintained as it used to be. Here's hoping against hope that the new President of the Disneyland Resort, Matt Ouimet, will actually reverse his predecessors objective of maximizing revenue. He obviously has a very rough road ahead of him, and with someone like Eisner leading the company, I don't think he's going to be able to get things back to how they used to be run. My two cents.
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