2015-04-01 The Life of Riley

I'm enjoying a break between consulting engagements - and the phrase "The Life of Riley" came to my mind.

I haven't had a break between client engagements since my last sailing sabbatical in Mexico (back in 2007)...so I am a bit overdue for a bit of downtime.

I'm using this time to do some deep dives in various technology areas.

My day begins around 7am...I spend the morning dedicated to read/study/practice (and do a bit of trading in the markets) until about noon - then I head to the spa for an hour of meditation in the whirlpool.

My afternoon is spent (again) dedicated to read/study/practice.

Evenings are spent writing, doing market research, working on a new responsive web design for my corporate web site, and continuing development and refactoring efforts on some stock analysis tools I began working on back in 2006.

When hungry, I eat. When tired, I sleep.

I am learning, growing, recharging the battery...

I am becoming more adept, more skilled - the knife more sharp...

The tide has gone out...but it will return....

The good captain makes ready his ship...

2015-03-25 Watson, The Game is Afoot...

Well, a planned 12 month client engagement ended unexpectedly this week (due to their budget issues) - after only 2 months.

That was disappointing - but not wholly unexpected. One learns how to read the signs after many years in the world of professional services consulting...

I have initiated a few inquiries for some possible new client engagements...and so,

"Come, Watson, come!  The Game is Afoot!"
- Sherlock Holmes, The Adventure of the Abbey Grange


"Improvise, Adapt, Overcome": These words ring in my mind as I sit in the Frolik bar having a martini this evening...(seeking some high speed wifi to download several large .iso files for the new Microsoft Windows 10 preview - no joy so far)....


- Clint Eastwood in Heartbreak Ridge, as Gunny Highway

2015-03-25 Wednesday - Seattle Fast Wifi Resources

Although I have a 30 GB data plan with AT&T - there are times when I need to download large GB files - and the speed of the AT&T broadband device just isn't up to snuff...and sadly, nor are most public/free wifi services (or coffee shops).  This is my placeholder for the search for good, reliable, fast, cheap | free wifi resources:


Seattle Public Library 
- their wifi seems to have some bandwidth regulating rules in place - when trying to download a large .iso file - it seemed to hang after about 20-22MB...pausing/restarting would get another 18-22 MB...and then hang.

Bellevue Public Library
- it seems that the King County Libraries must have a consistent data bandwidth usage / throttling policy - as I also experienced seriously degraded download capabilities once I had reached 80-100MB - eventually, it seemed as if I was blocked even after 4-20 MB after repeated attempts to download a 100+ MB file from the Intuit Turbo Tax site.

Motif's Frolick
- download speed varies wildly/erratically between ~70kbs to almost 488kbs



2015-04-01 Wednesday Update...
well...I have found a great high speed wifi location - but I am not going to announce where it is...it is just a few blocks from where I am staying...and in a bit of an unusual location...with up to ~2.4+ mbs download speeds...


2015-04-06 Monday Update
Some interesting news recently regarding Wi-Fi in the Seattle area:

• Sea-Tac to spend $10M to boost Wi-Fi

• Seattle Center to get new Microsoft 'beyond state-of-the-art' Wi-Fi
• Microsoft rolls out Seattle Center new 'Wi-Fi on steroids'
• Seattle Center WiFi 5,000 times faster - (?)
• GeekWire field tests Seattle Center WiFi
• http://www.seattlecenter.com/microsoftwifi/

2015-02-28 Saturday - Warren Buffett - Annual Berkshire Hathaway letter to investors

http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/2014ltr.pdf

2015-02-25 Wednesday - Win, Lose, or Draw

This is my 6th week working with a new client in the Internet TV / Digital Media space  - and it has been such a welcome and joyful change... Every day, learning something new, challenged, hands-back-on-code, working with bright and interesting people - a team of highly skilled, seasoned, and oh-so-experienced people.

So, my favorite new hangout is a bar in Seattle near the waterfront - at the Four Seasons, about 1/2 way between the office and the condo on my walk home in the evening - where I enjoy looking out over Puget Sound, watching the ferries departing from the docks just down the hill, and the Seattle Ferris Wheel is big-and-large-and-in-charge in the floor-to-ceiling windows

I'm having a a light dinner and a vodka martini as I write this - unwinding after a long day - celebrating the small victories of this week...

Win, Lose, or Draw...I have lived a good life. I have drunk deep from the cup and relished every moment of my existence on this wonderful spinning blue marble.  

I have risked it all on tosses of the proverbial coin...with both wins and losses both accounted for in the ledger of life.

I have but a few regrets...

I am loved, I have deep long lasting friendships that span decades, I have the most precious of physical possessions (my treasured library of books) - and I have my health.  

Life is good. 

If Death were to take me this night - I would count my life as well lived. 

Filled with adventure - and filled with both the highs and lows - that have provided the spice and flavor to this spirit as it has wandered upon this material plane of existence.

(Tolkien, J.R.R. 1974. The Return of the King. Lord of the Rings, Collector’s Edition. Boston: Houghton Mifflin: 308):

Still round the corner there may wait
A new road or a secret gate;
And though I oft have passed them by,
A day will come at last when I
Shall take the hidden paths that run
West of the Moon, East of the Sun.

I am the captain of a seaworthy vessel that can cross oceans.

I am, the Dread Pirate Roberts...

2015-02-20 Friday - Tidal Forces

Inertia grows as the years accumulate... Against the hands of Father Time, a constant struggle to maintain... A battle that is doomed to failure... But still, the spirit whispers, "not yet..." Resisting change is to stand as a stone in the middle of the river... to be worn down by time and circumstance. To embrace change is to accept the forces and find a rhythm within the changing tides... To be carried by the river is to find sustenance to endure until the morning light comes yet once more...and in the end, to be rejoined with Mother Ocean.

2015-02-19 Thursday - Pondering Life and Rhythms

Life has settled into a comfortable rhythm...

For the remainder of this year I will continue in this rhythm...and then we shall see what the future may hold...

This is a year to refresh my hands-on technical skills, to step into a more hands-on role - necessary from time-to-time to renew and resharpen my technical skills.  Titles mean nothing. Knowledge, Ability, and Skill are the ultimate coin for achieving security and prosperity.

To regrow my network of contacts in The Emerald City...

To explore new technologies...

To explore more of this beautiful area of the country...

I am keeping my eye out for a small sailing dinghy...

I discovered a very good thrift store on Mercer Island that has a somewhat better-than-average collection of donated books for sale...

I also discovered that the Mercer Island Community Center offers a $5/day pass for access to their facilities...and they have meeting rooms that can be rented for a very reasonable fee...

I've located useful service providers within short walking distances of my place downtown: USPS, dry cleaners, shoe repair, a Macy's, a Target, Subway sandwich shop, several Japanese sushi places, a convenience store, a barber, a local funky bar, two restaurants, etc.

Within the next few weeks I will begin seeking out opportunities for community service and volunteering again...

It is good to be back in my city.

2015-01-28 Wednesday - Daybreak Meditations

Hints of daybreak peak through layers of clouds...

Sleepy denizens of the dark stir, summoning light at the touch of their fingertips...

Lone individuals emerge from buildings and begin their morning journey along the cold streets...

From my perch high above the streets, I gaze across the waters of the pool and sink deeper into the steaming swirling waters of the spa and contemplate the day to come...

2015-01-24 Saturday - A Visit Home

Last night, into a slight misty evening that hinted at more rain, I departed the client office en route to the Seattle Light Rail Westlake station, on my way to Seattle Tacoma International Airport - to catch a flight South to the marina where my ship is berthed.

Upon landing, a quick shuttle ride to the Hertz rental lot, and I am on my way to the marina.

The night sky was clear, and brilliant gems of stars shone in the sky, as I walked down the dock to my vessel...

This morning I woke to the rushing sound of wind passing through the marina...the boat rocking with a herky-jerky movement...the sound of halyards clanging against masts throughout the marina providing a symphony of sound that is a pleasure to hear for anyone that has been away from his boat for awhile.

No matter where I may roam, no matter where my work may take me...home, for now, will always be a ship, tucked away in some harbor berth or quiet anchorage in some country.  There is nothing that fills my soul with such delight as stepping aboard and falling asleep to the gentle swaying movement of my ship as the tide rises and falls.

2015-01-17 Saturday - Seattle Moving Day

Rain falls lightly as I look westward out from my room on the top floor of the Mediterranean Inn.

Clouds obscure the Olympic Mountains.  A canopy of grey clouds masking the beauty that is the Pacific Northwest.

During my search for longer-term living accommodations, over the last two weeks, I have enjoyed the experience of living in the lower Queen Anne area - and the convenience of the variety of cuisine available within a few minutes walk.

Most evenings, a brisk chill descends - and yet a light jacket is all that is needed to ward off the cold.

This week I signed contracts for a new client engagement and a lease for an apartment. My daily commute will be 13-19 minute walk to the client's office.  A welcome change from my last client engagement, which involved an hour commute (at best) each way - and involved living in hotels for 47 of 52 weeks last year.

Today is moving day.

2014-01-02 Friday - A New Adventure...

A new adventure begins today...

New challenges...

Renewing old friendships...

New friendships...

New technologies...

Immersing myself in the heart of the city...

and it begins with a journey...back to the rainy Emerald City...

...for now, my ship will wait for me on the coast.

2014-12-20 Saturday - Workout

30 minute run-walk around the harbor
10 push-ups
10 jumping jacks
stretching

2014 Retrospective Contemplations

Another year approaches to a close....another year around the sun on this fragile blue marble.  It has been a good and productive year.

Some highlights from this year:

• 5th metacarpal subluxation (April)
• Continued adding substantially to my personal library through various thrift store purchases and library sales
• Completed some important repairs to my sailboat(July-September)
• Continued work on my book of nautical poetry
• Spent time exploring Port Ludlow and Port Angeles
• Labor Day trip to Vegas (August)
• Attended Strange Loop in St. Louis (September)
• San Diego Zoo trip (September)
• Explored the coastline of Maine  (October)
• Attended QCon in San Francisco (November)
• A client engagement was successfully concluded this year
• Spent 47 weeks living in hotels on business trips
• Began negotiations to start a new client engagement in 2015

Goals looking ahead to 2015...

•  Renew my efforts to learn Mandarin
• Focus my efforts to establish a deeper understanding and working level of expertise with Machine Learning concepts, algorithms, and tooling
• Spend some time sailing out to the islands
• Add some new gear to the sailboat [Wind Generator, Solar Panels, ...]
• Attend Carnaval in Mazatlan (Feb 12-17) and see some old sailing friends...
• Attend OSCON 2015 in Portland  (July 20-24)
• Make at least one international trip (Japan or Scotland)

Ripples of Kindness

One drop in an ocean sends out only a tiny ripple.

It is easy to discount and ignore that ripple.

But that ripple intersects with another ripple. Eventually the ripple meets a shore and rebounds. Sometimes the harmonics of the ripples can build. Rogue waves of towering power and immense size arise from just these principles.

An act of kindness can send out ripples that you cannot even begin to imagine. One ripple was started over 10 years ago when someone treated me with kindness at a venture capital breakfast meeting in Seattle.

Today, I send back out yet another ripple.

 

Mark Knopfler - Seattle from new album, "Privateering"

Seattle...where my soul is renewed...

2014-11-10 Monday - New Horizons

There is a familiar nautical saying that comes to mind when the urge to voyage, literally or figuratively, comes to the fore: "Men and Ships Rot in Port"

To head out once more into the great unknown - to explore uncharted waters - one needs confidence in one's ability; confidence in one's ship; and a spirit that can never be satisfied tied to the dock.

A short film, 'Wanderers' by Erik Wernquist captures the spirit of which I speak...



Wanderers - a short film by Erik Wernquist from Erik Wernquist on Vimeo.

2014-10-25 Saturday - Apple iTunes 12.0.1 installation problem

I tried to update my Apple iTunes software this week to 12.0.1 (on a Windows 7, 64-bit system).  I had a similar painful experience back in September when I installed the previous iTunes update.

The software seemed to install - and then I get the error telling me that there was an installation error.

I've tried uninstalling and re-installing - and found no joy.

Trying to download again from the iTunes web site doesn't appear to work (perhaps because it is detecting that 12.0.1 is already installed?).  Listen Apple, you are trying to be too smart for your own good. If i want to download the app again, just get the hell out of my way.  Also, there really should be an option in the application's folder to completely uninstall this infestation.

These links maybe of help to someone trying to solve the same kind of problem.

http://support.apple.com/kb/TS1717

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1926

https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6562#iadcore

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/6601961


Some links on how to uninstall iTunes

http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/23959/completely-remove-itunes-and-other-apple-software-from-a-windows-computer/

http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/topic/169828-unable-to-update-uninstall-or-install-software-due-to-missing-file/

http://techlogon.com/2011/09/11/cant-uninstall-itunes-solution/
...apparently, the order of uninstall matters...

1. iTunes, 
2. QuickTime, 
3. Apple Software Update, 
4. Apple Mobile Device Support, 
5. Bonjour 
6. Apple Application Support (if you have iTunes version 9 or later).

Pearl Buck on the Truly Creative Mind

I have read that Werner von Braun carried this quote in his wallet:

    'The truly creative mind in any field is no more than this: a human creature born abnormally, inhumanly sensitive. To them, a touch is a a blow, a sound is a noise, a misfortune is a tragedy, a joy is an ecstasy, a friend is a lover, a lover is a god, and failure is death. Add to this cruelly delicate organism the overpowering necessity to create, create, create - so that without the creating of music or poetry or books or building or something of meaning, their very breath is cut off from them. They must create, must pour out creation. By some strange, unknown, inward urgency they are not really alive unless they are creating.'" - Pearl Buck

2014-01-26 Sunday - Library Book Sale Treasures

This weekend I was able to pick-up the following books for $43 at a local Friends of the Library book sale:

A Sea of Words
A Lexicon and Companion for Patrick O'Brian's Seafaring Tales
Dean King, with John B. Hattendor and J Worth Estes

Patton: A Study in Command
Hubert Essame

The Four-Color Problem
Assaults and Conquest
Thomas L. Saaty and Paul C. Kainena

Mathematical Recreations & Essays
W.W. Rouse Ball and H.S.M. Coxeter

A Dictionary of Quotations from Shakespeare
A Topical Guide to over 3,000 great passages from the plays, sonnets, and narrative poems
Selected by Margaret Miner and Hugh Rawson

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglas
An American Slave
Ferederick Douglass

Bobos in Paradise
The New Upper Class and How They Got There
David Brooks

Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations
R.C. Bell

The Capable Cruiser
Lin and Larry Pardey

The Rise of Nuclear Iran
How Tehran Defies the West
Dore Gold

The World of Leonardo 1452-1519
Robert Wallace and the Editors of Time-Life Books

This I Believe
Selections from the 1950s Radio Series
Edward R. Murrow

The Essential Gandhi
Edited by Louis Fischer

The Life of Mahatma Gandhi
Louis FIscher

The Unfettered Mind
Writings of the Zen Master to the Sword Master
Takuan Soho

New Seeds of Contemplation
Thomas Merton

Memories of Silk and Straw
A Self-Portrait of Small-Town Japan
Dr. Junichi Saga

Radical Islam
Medieval Theology and Modern Politics
Emmanuel Sivan

My Brain is Open
The Mathematical Journeys of Paul Erdos
Bruce Schechter

Currency Trading for Dummies
Mark Galant and Brian Dolan

To The Top of Denali
Climbing Adventures on North America's Highest Peak
Bill Sherwonit

Tuning Yachts & Small Keelboats
Lawrie Smith

Gaff Sail
Robert Simper

Lateral Puzzles
David J. Bodycombe

Challenging False Logic Puzzles
Norman D. Willis

Recreations in Mathematics
Sliding Piece Puzzles
L.E. Hordern

Math Logic Puzzles
Kurt Smith

Game, Set, & Math
Enigmas and Conundrums
Ian Stewart

The Cunning Caliph
And Other Number Puzzles To Test Your LogicKenneth Kelsey

Mathematical Games
C. Lukacs and E. Tarjan

The Smarter Bet Guide to Blackjack
Basil Nestor

Winning Blackjack For the Serious Player
Edwin Silberstang

Mastering Sketching
A complete course in 40 lessons
Judy Martin

Melloni's Illustrated Medical Dictionary
Dox, Melloni, Eisner

2013-11-30 Saturday - New Library Additions

I made a trip to my favorite thrift store this weekend, and picked up 39 books for ~$44

Travel Related

Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World
by Michael Lewis
http://www.amazon.com/Boomerang-Travels-New-Third-World/dp/0393081818

The Rough Guide To New Zealand, Fourth Edition
by Laura Harper, Tony Mudd, Paul Whitfield
http://www.amazon.com/Rough-Guide-Zealand-Travel-Guides/dp/1843533251

Frommer's Scotland's Best-Loved Driving Tours, 25 Unforgettable Itineraries
http://www.amazon.com/Frommers-Scotlands-Best-Loved-Driving-Tours/dp/0028638409

Frommer's China: The 50 Most Memorable Trips
by J. D. Brown
http://www.amazon.com/Frommers-China-Most-Memorable-Trips/dp/0028616367

Sailing Related

Adrift Seventy Six Days At Sea
by Steven Callahan
http://www.amazon.com/Adrift-Seventy-Six-Days-Sea/dp/B0011N6APE

Captain Cook, R.N.,
The Resolute Mariner
by Thomas Vaughn, and  A. A. St. C. M. Murray-Oliver
http://www.amazon.com/Captain-resolute-mariner-international-Oceanic/dp/B002J83XCI
 

Languages

Oxford French Grammar
by William Rowlinson
http://www.amazon.com/French-Grammar-William-Rowlinson/dp/019860341X

Getting by in Italian
Barron's
Second Edition
http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Italian-British-Broadcasting-Company/dp/0812084446

History

When the Going Gets Weird: The Twisted Life and Times of Hunter S. Thompson
by Peter O. Whitmer
http://www.amazon.com/When-Going-Gets-Weird-Thompson/dp/1562828568

Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10
by Marcus Luttrell
http://www.amazon.com/Lone-Survivor-Eyewitness-Operation-Hardcover/dp/B00BP0N100

Submarine
by Tom Clancy
http://www.amazon.com/Submarine-Tom-Clancys-Military-Reference/dp/0425190013

Undaunted Courage: Meriwether Lewis, Thomas Jefferson, and the Opening of the American West
by Stephen Ambrose
http://www.amazon.com/Undaunted-Courage-Meriwether-Jefferson-American/dp/0684826976

The World's Last Mysteries
Reader's Digest
http://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Last-Mysteries-Readers-Digest/dp/089577044X

The Idea of India
by Sunil Khilnani
http://www.amazon.com/Idea-India-Sunil-Khilnani/dp/0374525919

Philosophy

The Nicomachean Ethics (Oxford World's Classics)
by Aristotle
http://www.amazon.com/Nicomachean-Ethics-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0199213615

A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful
by Edmund Burke
http://www.amazon.com/Philosophical-Enquiry-Sublime-Beautiful-Classics/dp/0199537887

The Problem of Pain
by C.S. Lewis
http://www.amazon.com/The-Problem-Pain-C-Lewis/dp/0060652969

Don't Squat With Yer Spurs On! A Cowboy's Guide to Life
by Texas Bix Bender
http://www.amazon.com/Dont-Squat-Spurs-Cowboys-Guide/dp/0879054700


Architecture & Construction

Architectural and Building Trades Dictionary, Third Edition
by Robert E. Putnam
http://www.amazon.com/Architectural-building-trades-dictionary-Robert/dp/0442274610

New Old House - Designing with Reclaimed Materials
by Ed Knapp
http://www.amazon.com/New-Old-House-Designing-Reclaimed/dp/1586850490

The Architecture of Frank LLoyd Wright
by William Allin Storrer
Second Edition
http://www.amazon.com/The-Architecture-Frank-Lloyd-Wright/dp/0262690802


Business
Becoming Self-Employed
by Susan Elliott
http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Self-Employed-Create-Independent-Livelihood/dp/0897091493

Selling to VITO
by Anthony Parinello
http://www.amazon.com/Selling-Vito-Important-Officer-Parinello/dp/B000K066T4

Successful Large Account Management: How to Hold on to Your Most Important Customers - And Keep Them Going Strong - In Today's Marketplace
by Robert B. Miller, Stephen E. Heinman, Tad Tuleja
http://www.amazon.com/Successful-Large-Account-Management-Marketplace/dp/0446393568

Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies
By Jim Collins, Jerry I. Porras, Jerry I. Porras as, James C. Collins
http://www.amazon.com/Built-Last-Successful-Visionary-Companies/dp/B007OVBTSK

How to Talk to Anyone, Anytime, Anywhere: The Secrets of Good Communication
by Larry King
http://www.amazon.com/Talk-Anyone-Anytime-Anywhere-Communication/dp/0517599058

Research Design: Qualitative and Quantitative Approaches
by John W. Creswell
http://www.amazon.com/Research-Design-Qualitative-Quantitative-Approaches/dp/0803952554

Scientific
Pocket Guide to Stars & Planets
by Ian Morison
http://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Guide-Stars-Planets-Morison/dp/1845377893

Writing
The Language of News: A Journalist's Pocket Reference
by Jack Botts
http://www.amazon.com/The-Language-News-Journalists-Reference/dp/081382494X

Literature

A Salty Piece of Land Hardcover (With Free CD in Back)
By Jimmy Buffett
http://www.amazon.com/Salty-Piece-Land-Jimmy-Buffett/dp/0316743763

Complete Sonnets (Dover Thrift Editions)
by William Shakespeare
http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Sonnets-Dover-Thrift-Editions/dp/0486266869

Greek Classics (Cliffs Notes)
Mary Ellen Snodgrass
http://www.amazon.com/Greek-Classics-Cliffs-Notes-Snodgrass/dp/0822005662

The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights
by John Steinbeck
http://www.amazon.com/Acts-King-Arthur-Noble-Knights/dp/B0019VKHJI

Babbit
by Sinclair Lewis
http://www.amazon.com/Babbitt-Barnes-Noble-Classics-Sinclair/dp/1593082673


Cooking
The Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Cookbook: Recipes and Reflections from FORREST GUMP
Southern Living Magazine
http://www.amazon.com/The-Bubba-Gump-Shrimp-Cookbook/dp/0848714792

Humor
We Suck: A Feel Good Guide to Staying Fat, Loud, Lazy and Stupidby Denis Leary
http://www.amazon.com/Why-We-Suck-Staying-Stupid/dp/0670031607

The Official Explanations
by Paul Dickson
http://www.amazon.com/Official-Explanations-Paul-Dickson/dp/0440564492

Politically, Fashionably, and Aerodynamically Incorrect
by Berkeley Breathed
http://www.amazon.com/Politically-Fashionably-Aerodynamically-Incorrect-Collection/dp/0316107018

Night of the Mary Kay Commandos Featuring Smell O-Toons
by Berkeley Breathed
http://www.amazon.com/Night-Commandos-Featuring-Smell-O-Toons/dp/0316107387