The Underground Man

backing up the iPhone

So, having left Microsoft, I find myself having to backup my iPhone to my TiBook rather than my Dell laptop. Of course, for some bizarre reason, Apple has made this difficult. I fail to understand why I cannot have music I OWN on more than one machine. Anti-deluvian thinking, surely put in place by Apple to salve the concerns of the record companies.

So I’ve had to engage in a search for software that will allow me to “backup” the contents of my iPhone to my Mac desktop. Failing to do that, some of the content I’ve loaded into my iPhone would be deleted by syncing my iPhone with my Mac. I’ve got some videos I’ve converted for viewing on the iPhone that I don’t want to lose, hence my spending a couple of hours find appropriate software to accomplish this.

Along the way, I’ve found this cool app (TinkerTool) written by Mark Bresink, allowing me much greater control over some system features.

I’m currently trying out iLinkPhone, which seems to backup the contents of the iPhone fine, albeit with cryptic names. However, launching a file seems to play it (properly labelled) in iTunes. So, I’ll try importing the content post backup completion.

battling the printer

I’m trying to get three or four prints readied for submission to the juried photo exhibition at our county fair.

I’m planning on going big this year (13×19) as that is as big as my printer (an Epson 1270) will go.

Unfortunately, the printhead definitely gums up through lack of use and I haven’t used it for six months. I’ve resolved to try and do something with it weekly to avoid all the cleaning and testing hassles I seem to go through every time I use it.

Went out last night and bought new cartridges, and am trying to find a place locally that sells the paper (may have to order it). I’m under severe time pressure because I need to submit my entry by next Tuesday. So many phone calls are in my future.

Unfortunately, only the best paper (Epson Premium Luster) will do as it is a dye-sub printer. After printing, I need to have them mounted and then framed.

Past competitions have suggested that even though they are matted, framing is essential to get the blue riband. Sad, but true. Got to learn to play the game.

At least I have time to do this while I’m looking for work.

arggh..

Arrghgh.. The only thought I have to describe my morning interview process with Microsoft Dublin. It was a position I thought I was very well qualified for and very motivated for. Unfortunately, it’s been a long time since I’ve been a programmer and I was unable to answer a hash table question. (Actually, I chose not to try since I would have just been blowing smoke..)

But I suspect, as with most phone screens, anything you cannot answer will generally rule you out of consideration. I think I did well on the thought problem, solved both halves, but I rather think it was pointless after my failure on the hash table question.

One might argue that a senior PM or GPM shouldn’t need to worry too much about technical implementation details but the reality is that the PM roles at Microsoft frequently require some serious technical chops and in this instance, I imagine that a good answer to the question was very necessary.

Frustrating, as the Careers site at MS is just hopeless as an avenue to getting a job - it’s a channel for fodder. This interview came through LinkedIn (as most of my best ones have) and I’ll continue to pursue that.

Time for me to go back and review basic programming concepts so I don’t have the issue arise again.

Mon Reve

Seen on the Vs. TV coverage of the Tour de France (my second favorite sports event to watch): “Mon Reve - Un Tour Propre”. Which translates as “My Dream - A Proper Tour”. In the sense the French mean, that means a Tour without doping, a real competition.

Definitely my dream as well.

Watching the Stage de Reine (Queen Stage - toughest stage in the Tour) today. Looks simply punishing. Nothing I would want to do, but Lance made me an avid watcher of the Tour. Just wish it was on a major network so more people could catch it and come to appreciate the drama of a 3-week competition.

Arlington Fly-In, 2008

A close-up, derived from a RAW image that I retrieved from my hacked A720IS.

Why does anyone care about West Virginia?

Why does anyone care about West Virginia? I mean, really?

It’s a trivial number of delegates and a bastion of racism (at least from the point of view of how Obama was castigated there and it was accepted by locals). She picked up 12 delegates on him (20 out of 28) and he has an apparently insurmountable 173 delegate lead as of this morning.

And why aren’t the press saying as much? They seem to be more willing to toe the party line than Senator Obama which is quite a turn-around from recent elections (as far as politicians go).

I’m more and more energized by his willingness to question the status quo.

55, Arlington Fly-In

Another semi-abstract. Again with Kodachrome.

Bright Tail, Arlington, WA

I just love Kodachrome. My uncle tells me that I can simulate it with a digital and that will be my summer project. In the mean time, I plan to use up my refrigerated stock. This is from last summer’s big fly-in at the Arlington airport in Washington. I love the semi-abstract nature of the profusion of color.

Gabriela, Baltimore

My team mate, Gabriela, in a very late summer evening’s game in Baltimore. One of our team mates had just gotten a puppy and was foolish enough to bring it out in the 100+ degree heat of an evening softball game. I doused the poor thing with water to help it cool itself and caught Gabriela watching a play.

Urban decay, Baltimore

The Fall City Road in Baltimore has been neglected ever since they built the adjacent freeway ten or fifteen years ago. I ventured down it with my friend Adrian and caught this beautiful reflection on a cold spring day a year ago.

Enfield, Baltimore

This is an Enfield I found outside my favorite soccer pub in Baltimore (one of the best in the country). My fellow Liverpool supporter is just about to fire it up. I had been snapping pics of his bike when he walked up to start it.

Sleeping in the Sun

This little fellow I photographed on a seal beach 30 miles or so from my uncle’s place on the central California coast a few weeks ago. He just looks very happy.

Adrian

As promised, my first photo this month.


This is of one of my good friends, Adrian. He and I went to college together, many moons ago, and reconnected at an alumni picnic event here in Seattle three or four years ago.






This was one of my first photos with my new digital (Canon A720IS). I’ve been thinking lately about the lighting used by Rennaissance painters (notably Dutch masters) so that probably influenced the choice and composition.

duckling time

Coming into work this morning I just saw in time a mother duck and ducklings starting to cross the road (five of them!). I stopped my car and while traffic backed up behind me, saw them cross in front, jump up on the grassy medium, and proceed to the other side of the street.

The FedEx trucks waited in the other direction, so we stopped all traffic for the couple of minutes it took for them to cross. Renewed my battered faith in my fellow man, that did.

a month of photos

As per my esteemed uncle’s haranguing, I’m going to start posting some of my photography on this blog. I’ve previously kept it on my Flicker site, but I’ve been so busy of late that I haven’t updated Flickr.

So this will be my month of photos. Barring a couple of mini-vacations, I’ll post a new photo on this page every day for the rest of the month.

On a side note, been selling off items on various auction sites - trying to lighten my load of possessions - and am very close to being able to buy a 17” MacBook Pro. Hallelujah!

Love my Powerbook G4 but it’s just too slow for using Lightroom (I’ve switched to it from Aperture because it’s much faster on my ‘book). Really, I want the Intel Mac so that I can play sophisticated PC games (a serial obsession that overtakes me on average about once a year) and process my huge backlog of photos.

Funny thing, I’ve been using my new Canon A720IS (gift from aforementioned uncle) to photograph stuff that I’m selling. One immediate use! Right after I get stuff sold my next task will be to engage in some serious HDR photography and get back to my series of black & whites on Seattle coffeeshops. Seems like it will be perfect for scouting expeditions.

a worthwhile endeavor

Every year I sponsor an orphan baby elephant, usually for a family member or close friend.

I recommend these folks. Profiled on the BBC and one of the leading organizations working to save elephants.

the coolest experience

Had the best experience today at the Apple Store in Bellevue Square.

I noticed that my newly-acquired iPhone (thanks Thomas!!) had a small bubble in the layers of the screen. At first I thought it was dirt, or a scratch but it turned out to be inside the glass.

So I did a little research and found that Apple had had recent problems with their screens and it was “well known”. Most had reported having their iPhones simply replaced when they brought it into the store.

So I made my appointment at the Genius Bar and drove down over lunch.

Ten minutes, I kid you not, after I walked in I was walking out with a brand spanking new iPhone. Wow! I went all prepared to do battle - one’s normal experience trying to return defective anything in this country - and it was totally pleasant.

Since I had had the foresight to back up my iPhone 1/2 hr before taking it in, I simply had to resync when I got back to the office and all was restored (except my voicemail password).

Let’s just hope they wipe it before sending it out to the factory for refurbishment.

401k

I’m so annoyed by my 401k. It would really be better to simply put the money under the mattress.

This year, it’s lost 7.4%. I literally throw away $7 out of every $100 that I contribute to it. Ridiculous.

Why don’t companies give us a broader choice of mutuals to invest in? Drives me crazy.

photo use

I’m finding my photos used all over the Internet these days. Some scumbags use them illegally without attribution (see the one of the guy on the scooter about 3/4 down the page) but most seem to follow the Creative Commons license and provide the attribution and a link. The guy has the balls to say that he thinks “it was taken in Redmond, WA”. Out and out theft.

Here’s one where they used one of my photos in a photomontage (on a SciFi book in Hungarian!) but I cannot for the life of me figure out which one.

Too cool. Stuff like this makes it worth the CC license.

interesting times

We’re living in interesting times. Seems like many of the things that fascinated me as a boy are coming to pass.

I’ll definitely have to try and watch them on TV.

Crimson Skies, here we come.