Will's Thoughtstream

Selling DataHand Professional II Keyboard on eBay

Wed, 12 May 2010 13:57:02 -0800

I'm selling my DataHand Professional II Keyboard on eBay: http://item.ebay.com/270578212549

These ergonomic keyboards are pretty much unobtainable right now, so if you've been wondering where to buy a datahand, now you know. :)

Live Wire

Fri, 07 May 2010 08:39:06 -0800

Last night I went to see Live Wire record their shows. Live Wire is a variety show that is recorded in front of a live audience, and plays every week on NPR in Portland, Oregon. You can also listen to their shows via podcast. And of course, if you're in Portland, you can see them record the shows live.

I think Live Wire is an awesome experience. At last night's recording, I saw two bands play, two authors interviewed, and a heap of skits, haikus, and poems.

I've never listened to the radio show. I've seen it recorded live twice, and each time it has been a superb experience.

Review: Marque and Reprisal by Elizabeth Moon

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 18:13:49 -0800

I really liked Marque and Reprisal. A fairly straightforward space sci-fi novel, it's about a woman who is one of the last remaining members of her family after an attack, and what she goes through to reestablish herself, and gain a competitive ship. I am looking forward to reading the sequel, Engaging The Enemy.

Precision Motors is an excellent VW mechanic in Portland, Oregon

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:19:49 -0800

When I bought my VW, I asked two friends if they had a mechanic that they would recommend, and both enthusiastically (and independently) recommended Darrell at Precision Motors on Grand, just north of Burnside.

Since then I've had occasion to have a VW Jetta inspected pre-purchase, and been in four times for service, and every experience has been very good.

They are extremely knowledgeable about VWs there. From my vague descriptions over the phone, Darrell is always spot-on at predicting what the problem is. Their estimates are usually right on. They fix the problem right the first time, and they get it done pretty darn quick. They can almost always take my car the very next day if I call for an appointment.

I appreciate that I can drop off my car early and pick it up late. Unlike some other mechanics, I have no problem getting a hold of Darrell or getting return calls from him.

All in all, although having to fix something on my car is never welcome, the experience I have with Precision Motors is great.

Best Brewed Coffee in Portland

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:02:17 -0800

I drank espresso drinks for about fifteen years. And while the quality of an espresso drink can vary widely from one coffee shop to the next. and indeed from one barrista to the next, there are a large number of factors that go into that quality variation aside from just the coffee: the calibration of the espresso machine, the quantity and quality of other ingredients that go into the drink, the ratio of ingredients, and the actual process of making the drink. The coffee bean variables include the type and quality of the bean, and the roasting process.

By comparison, brewed coffee has far fewer variables: it's just the bean, the roast, the grind, and the brew. And because there are less other ingredients to obscure the coffee, the quality of the finished drink is that much more dependent on the coffee.

So after fifteen years of espresso drinks, I switched to brewed coffee. And I found all my old haunts: Jim and Patty's on Fremont (the founders of Coffee People), Portland staple Stumptown (on Hawthorne), and the tiny Ristretto on NE 42th, all somewhat lacking. They make good, but not great coffee.

By comparison to all of those very worthy competitors, Extracto on NE Killingsworth and 30th makes mind-blowing awesome coffee. In fact, the one single downside of going to Extracto is that you may never be able to drink coffee anywhere else again. It's really, really good. Give it a try.

The Environmental Case for Making a Wishlist

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 12:25:55 -0800

Some folks have a love-hate relationship with gifts. They might love the sentiment of a gift, but they hate bringing "stuff" into their lives. It can happen for various reasons: an environmentalist might be concerned with the earth impact of that stuff, someone who is trying to reach material simplicity might be philosophically and emotionally opposed, and sometimes a parent just wants to avoid a glut of plastic toys at the holidays.

People deal with it in various ways: just accept the gifts, ask for no gifts, ask for donations to charity, or entirely avoid the occasion (by not having a birthday party, for example). Some of these work better than others. For example, every time I've been invited to a child's birthday party that said "no gifts" on the invitation, at least a few gifts show up. Then the people who brought the gifts may feel bad that they didn't realize not to bring gifts, the people who didn't bring gifts may be kicking themselves saying "I knew I should have brought a gift anyway", and so on.

In the ideal case, a gift is meaningful, useful, and appreciated by the recipient, and then both the giver and receiver feel good about the gift.

I think that being really explicit about what gifts would be meaningful, useful, and appreciated is alternative way to approach gift giving. After all, even the most fanatical stuff avoider has something they like: maybe a particular type of wine, or maybe tickets to a show. A few years ago, I realized my life was so busy, I had no time for gifts that took time (like a new game or activity), but if a gift fit into an activity I was already doing and made it better, then I greatly appreciated it. That year I asked for quality cookware to replace some of the older pots I had that weren't so great. Another year I had no time to think about gifts before the holiday, but I knew that I would want to go clothes shopping later in the year, so I asked for REI gift certificates.

The point is, most people can think of things that would be meaningful, useful, and appreciated. So instead of hiding under a rock at Christmas, just tell people what you would really like.

One way you can make and communicate a wishlist is by using a tool like Magic Wishlist, which is a wishlist application for Facebook. Then your friends and family on Facebook can easily find your wishlists. Wishlists can include items from any online store, and you can link to charities if you want to solicit donations instead of gifts. (Wishlists also include a handy url you can share with family who might not be on Facebook, or that you can include in an e-invitation to a birthday party.)

Aunt Peach's Honey Cookies Recipe (Struffoli, ribbons, not balls.)

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:14:08 -0800

Aunt Peach's Honey Cookies Recipe

This is the classic italian honey cookie recipe from my Aunt Peach. This is the recipe for just the cookies. The important thing to note is that this is the ribbon version of the recipe, not the balls. The ribbon cookies are far superior.

Ingredients:

2 lbs flour

8 teaspoons baking powder

1 dozen medium eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 lb melted butter

Method:

Beat eggs with melted butter, salt, and vanilla.

Gradually add baking powder until dissolved.

Add flour a little at a time, until dough forms a ball.

Repeat 3 times:

Cover dough, and wait about 15 minutes.
Knead for 10 minutes.

Use pasta machine to roll out. Start with the widest notch, and keep going until right before the last notch.

Cut with wheel into strips and fry.

(I think: store cookies in paper bags overnight. Do honey the next day.)

After this, the honey mixture is poured over the cookies. The honey mixture is documented elsewhere, but I'll try to find it and add it in here.

Then sprinkle with colored hard sprinkles.

Ron Tonkin's Service Department Gets It Right

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 09:46:45 -0800

I'm sitting here in Ron Tonkin's Service Department on SE 122nd Avenue, here in Portland, Oregon. I'm waiting for my car to be serviced. Here is what I find amazing about this experience:

There's a spacious, well lit, and well appointed waiting area.
There's free coffee, and free wifi.
There's comfy cushion seats and a TV for that crowd, and ergonomic office chairs and desks for the digital crowd.
The space is large enough that if anyone needed to make a cell phone call, they could do so without disturbing anyone else.
Even for a relatively significant service, my car was promised back in far less time than I'm accustomed to it taking anywhere else.

All in all, a great place to take your car for service. I'll be back on many more occasions.

Good job, Ron Tonkin!

Permit to keep chickens in Portland, Oregon

Mon, 25 May 2009 07:27:07 -0800

Looking for the permit to keep more than three chickens in Portland, Oregon? It's not easy to find. The permit is located at the Multnomah County Health website. You can keep up to eight chickens if you file the permit and pay the $31 fee, and of course, comply with the requirements.

What Makes Us Happy: 7 Primary Factors

Wed, 13 May 2009 22:02:15 -0800

Via The Atlantic:

What allows people to work, and love, as they grow old? By the time the Grant Study men had entered retirement, Vaillant, who had then been following them for a quarter century, had identified seven major factors that predict healthy aging, both physically and psychologically.

Employing mature adaptations was one. The others were education, stable marriage, not smoking, not abusing alcohol, some exercise, and healthy weight. Of the 106 Harvard men who had five or six of these factors in their favor at age 50, half ended up at 80 as what Vaillant called "happy-well" and only 7.5 percent as "sad-sick." Meanwhile, of the men who had three or fewer of the health factors at age 50, none ended up "happy-well" at 80. Even if they had been in adequate physical shape at 50, the men who had three or fewer protective factors were three times as likely to be dead at 80 as those with four or more factors.

Qualcom April Fool's Joke

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 15:53:41 -0800

This one is pretty funny and novel.

Boy Rescued by Spiderman

Thu, 26 Mar 2009 14:19:29 -0800

I found this cool story today:

Authorities were running out of ideas on how to rescue the boy when Firefighter Sonchai Yoosabai overhead the boy's mother mention his love of superheroes. So, naturally, he raced back to the fire station and changed into his Spider-Man costume.Thai Boy With Autism Rescued by Spider-Man, Mar 2009

You should read the whole article.

Nutritional Analysis

Mon, 09 Mar 2009 09:36:20 -0800

Cool nutritional analysis tool (via Rebecca's Pocket). Just cut and paste the ingredients list from any recipe you have, and it will automatically calculate the nutritional analysis. Here's an example for my chocolate chip cookie recipe:

Goldratt on the recession and layoffs

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 12:40:37 -0800

Dr. Goldratt, author of The Goal, and creator of Theory of Constraints, has a great video entitled A Matter of Choice that goes into the current economic situation. Highly, highly recommended.

The Secret Fear Behind Friday the 13th

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 08:38:41 -0800

The secret fear behind Friday the 13th.