A slide show of the few pictures I took with my phone:
And some videos about the craziest stuff:
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Maker Fair
Maker Fair is the annual show of Make Magazine held here in Silicon Valley. It's a super geeky stuff. I don't know much about the magazine, but it is a do it yourself kinda thingy from robots to marquees everything. Hard to explain. Something everyone in Shönherz could appreciate :) You could even buy sets to build some of the things that you could see.
A slide show of the few pictures I took with my phone:
And some videos about the craziest stuff:
A slide show of the few pictures I took with my phone:
And some videos about the craziest stuff:
I quit...
... smoking :)
Well I've never been smoking very strong cigarettes. Stronger than 4/0.4 gave me headaches. Living in Germany for almost 2 years alone however increased the amount I smoked a week. From the initial 1 pack/week it climbed up to 2 and then 3 packs/week. That's what living alone getting bored does to you...
So with the constant bugging of my wife 'motivating' myself, I decided to smoke the last cigarette. It happened on Monday evening this week. After that is not too bad at all. Sometimes I do feel irritated, but I have more energy, too. I don't feel irresistible carving to smoke at all! One thing is missing though: leaving my desk every hour for a smoke. But I've found the perfect solution for that:
It was only $21 including shipping, and you can choose cartridges with 0 nicotine content. That's the one I'm after. I watched several online video reviews and all the people said quite good things about it. One also mentioned that you can skip buying cartridges and refill the ones you have with vegetable glycerine fluid. He claimed that this is the solution they use in smoke machines too, and it's just basically a kind of sugar. Saving money über alles! We'll see. I'm excited. Not smoking and being able to leave my computer on the regular basis I'm used would be cool :) I hope I get it next week.
They say that quitting cold turkey way is hard, but I think that is the only one working. And since I never smoked strong ones, I couldn't even choose from the patches or gums since the weakest one would be stronger than my cigarettes :) This is how my dad, mum, and grandparents quit long ago. And they did smoke stronger ones. I saw people using patches and gums, and they gave up quitting after a while. So you just have to make up your mind, and keep doing it. No excuses.
So, let's see how it goes.
Well I've never been smoking very strong cigarettes. Stronger than 4/0.4 gave me headaches. Living in Germany for almost 2 years alone however increased the amount I smoked a week. From the initial 1 pack/week it climbed up to 2 and then 3 packs/week. That's what living alone getting bored does to you...
So with the constant bugging of my wife 'motivating' myself, I decided to smoke the last cigarette. It happened on Monday evening this week. After that is not too bad at all. Sometimes I do feel irritated, but I have more energy, too. I don't feel irresistible carving to smoke at all! One thing is missing though: leaving my desk every hour for a smoke. But I've found the perfect solution for that:
They say that quitting cold turkey way is hard, but I think that is the only one working. And since I never smoked strong ones, I couldn't even choose from the patches or gums since the weakest one would be stronger than my cigarettes :) This is how my dad, mum, and grandparents quit long ago. And they did smoke stronger ones. I saw people using patches and gums, and they gave up quitting after a while. So you just have to make up your mind, and keep doing it. No excuses.
So, let's see how it goes.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Did you know: system security evaluation process at the DoD, USA
The DoD was using a directive that was developed between 1977 and 1981. Published in 1983 and the latest update came out in 1986. In 2002, 21 years later it came into effect (!) it was cancelled by another DoD directive and in 2005 they switched completely over to a civilian industry standard (Common Criteria).
Yepp, I've started working on my doctorate. This information is really dry, but in a certain fashion is fascinating. The 30 years old DoD directive I'm reading right now sounds still frighteningly up-to-date. Did nothing fundamental happened in the last 30 years in developing secure software systems at all?
In case you're interested in the topic, and feel like reading the articles check these links out:
Yepp, I've started working on my doctorate. This information is really dry, but in a certain fashion is fascinating. The 30 years old DoD directive I'm reading right now sounds still frighteningly up-to-date. Did nothing fundamental happened in the last 30 years in developing secure software systems at all?
In case you're interested in the topic, and feel like reading the articles check these links out:
Monday, May 16, 2011
I like IMAX Dome
On Sunday we spent the afternoon in The Tech (www.thetech.org), the technical museum in San Jose. The regular entrance fee is $10 but with AAA card it was only $7. Your entrance is also valid for one IMAX show. The museum is an interactive exhibition from elementary physics through gene- to space technology. It was really interesting, and with children it is a must see. The whole experience was somewhat similar to what Jövő Háza (House of future, my wife used to work there back in Budapest) offered or what the Csodák Palotája (Palace of Wonders) offers.
The museum has an IMAX Dome theatre where there're several documentaries shown throughout the day. We watched the Under the Sea show. It was just amazing. I don't know if there's an IMAX Dome cinema in Hungary, but if yes, you must try this out. I got dizzy a couple of times, but still it definitely was worth it! The show is not in 3D, but the unique dome-like canvas gives an experience you cannot match to anything else. We will definitelly go back to watch the Hubble, Born to be Wild, Human Body and maybe also Tron Legacy! For $10 it is cheaper than any other movie theatre!!
After finishing at the museum I discovered an ad on the street advertising the upcoming Anime Con. I've never been to such a program, and I would definitelly never-ever dress up like an anime hero (hm.. maybe after loosing that 30 pounds and revealing the six pack hiding under my thick layer of bacon I might dress up as teacher Onizuka or Ichigo. HAHA ... not! Seriously!)
Unfortunately the Anime Con will be held on Memorial Day weekend and we plan to go to Yosemite National Park for the three days long weekend. Next time...
And on the street I saw my beloved Dodge Charger from the 70's. This was the second time in my life to see such a car. Hopefully before the last drop of oil disappears from Earth I'll have the money to buy one of these and enjoy it for a little while!
After finishing at the museum I discovered an ad on the street advertising the upcoming Anime Con. I've never been to such a program, and I would definitelly never-ever dress up like an anime hero (hm.. maybe after loosing that 30 pounds and revealing the six pack hiding under my thick layer of bacon I might dress up as teacher Onizuka or Ichigo. HAHA ... not! Seriously!)
 |  |
| Eikichi Onizuka (えいきちおにずか) | Kurosaki Ichigo (くろさきいちご) |
And on the street I saw my beloved Dodge Charger from the 70's. This was the second time in my life to see such a car. Hopefully before the last drop of oil disappears from Earth I'll have the money to buy one of these and enjoy it for a little while!
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Eurovision Song Contest 2011
First of all the show was 3 hours long. No commercial break (yeah baby, something like that does exist). If it was made in the US it would last for 24 hours (mandatory commercial break in every 5 minutes!!) at least!And Georgia and Azerbaijan is part of Europe since when now?! No Offence! And Israel? Did the EU invade the Middle-East together with Libya?! Hmm, I should watch CNN International more often... The thing is international news never make it in the US news. Never. Unless it is terrorism or war. Otherwise this country totally isolated.
Judges chose this song for Hungary:
The other option was:
In my humble opinion this should have been nominated though: ;)
Or maybe this one:
This version could be called European though:
By the way the only compere who couldn't say a single word in English was the French one. Comment s'étonner :P
My favourite was this quote from the German host: "Schluß, aus, Mickey Mouse"
Monday, May 9, 2011
The Secret Society of Personal Trainers
There must be one :) Every week there's someone new who comes in the gym, and hires a personal trainer, because he/she wants to get in shape and for that he/she requires professional help. I think personal trainers however don't like working therefore they make everyone new regret to ask for their help and come up with exercises that (well at least inside) makes everyone in the gym laugh, and I don't see how is it more beneficial to the candidate than 'traditional' exercises.
Each thing they come up with is really spectacular and there's no way you can miss the new guy in the gym. It involves funny walks throughout the gym with dumbbells in the hands, or stand on a stability ball, while doing something with weights etc. I think there's a secret journal with all these exercises. And there must be a secret contest as well between personal trainers: who made the biggest fool out of someone this week. Or something similar.
The funniest is when the guys don't hire the personal trainer any more, but still does the same silly looking exercises. Alone.
These exercises are something like you can find in your monthly issue of Men's Health but the craziness factor is multiplied by a number between 10 to 100. Funny. And I feel sorry for those guys. They spend hard earned dollars every time they come and work out with their personal trainer. All they should have done is research on the net and try to achieve their goals themselves.
Just one example: hold a 5lbs dumbbell in each hand. Walk through the gym lifting your legs up to your shoulders by every step, with your upper body turn left and right with your arms parallel to the ground. With each step touch your toe-tips with the opposite hand. E.g. Step with your left leg up in the air and touch your toes with your right hand holding the dumbbell at shoulder level.
Well, this way everyone gets some amusement. And you do feel you get something for your money...
Each thing they come up with is really spectacular and there's no way you can miss the new guy in the gym. It involves funny walks throughout the gym with dumbbells in the hands, or stand on a stability ball, while doing something with weights etc. I think there's a secret journal with all these exercises. And there must be a secret contest as well between personal trainers: who made the biggest fool out of someone this week. Or something similar.
The funniest is when the guys don't hire the personal trainer any more, but still does the same silly looking exercises. Alone.
These exercises are something like you can find in your monthly issue of Men's Health but the craziness factor is multiplied by a number between 10 to 100. Funny. And I feel sorry for those guys. They spend hard earned dollars every time they come and work out with their personal trainer. All they should have done is research on the net and try to achieve their goals themselves.
Just one example: hold a 5lbs dumbbell in each hand. Walk through the gym lifting your legs up to your shoulders by every step, with your upper body turn left and right with your arms parallel to the ground. With each step touch your toe-tips with the opposite hand. E.g. Step with your left leg up in the air and touch your toes with your right hand holding the dumbbell at shoulder level.
Well, this way everyone gets some amusement. And you do feel you get something for your money...
Friday, May 6, 2011
Who drives what?
Below I try to summarize the typical trends I see on the streets about what are the typical cars here, and who drives them usually. Please keep in mind, that is not official, and based on my own observation!
Ford Mustang: You'd say its convertible version must be the typical car on the street. Well you're wrong. According to my friends who recently came back from Hawaii, that's true in Hawaii only. However Mustang is the 2nd most common car though. The current and the previous generation. Some from the 60's did survived, but classic cars are rare to see here, and are usually driven by Mexicans (see below).
Usual driver is a blond girl/lady. It's cheap to lease (below $300), but its functions are limited (no space in the back etc.) so it is a typicall 2nd car in the family.
Toyota Prius: Now this is the No. 1 car on the streets. Here in Northern Cali everyone is 'environment-aware'. Which is a bit different from what we Europeans would think about being environment friendly, thinking about that trash produced by a single lunch of a single person in a fast-food restaurant fills a family sized trash bin. So they think driving a Prius not only saves them money on gas but also helps the environment (even though it is not the case at all: link). Well the battery dies in 3 years (LiOn!) and is full with hazardous materials. But still, it's a smug thing I guess.
Usual driver are family mums, maybe older hippies. Usual 2nd car in the family with almost no trunk space (well at least in US measures).
Pick-up truck (Dodge Ram, Chevrolet Heavy Duty Truck, Ford F-x50): Mexican drivers. Landscaping and similar jobs. These cars don't exist in Europe. They're huge. They have enough power to act as a camion. And sometimes they _are_ used as one. Some choose Toyota pick-up trucks. Probably they drink less gas and cheaper to buy (I doubt, but didn't double check).
Older pick-up trucks (and any classic (muscle)cars): Mexican drivers. Exclusively. And me, when I pay back my mortgage on the apartment in Budapest (the target is a 1971-74 Dodge Charger).
Chrysler 300 C: If it's not used as a limo, it is pimped (customized). No exceptions. Drivers are exclusively (and again not limos! those are driven by Indian people only!) coming from the Afro-American race. Wannabe rappers. This car is relatively an older model, so it is cheap. Well Chrysler and Dodge are cheap in general.
Dodge Charger: Well it is a 300 C in a different form, but there's no doubt it. Apart from mine and a few fellow Charger drivers, all the Chargers must be customized, and their drivers are coming from the same segment as Chrysler 300 C. I couldn't figure out yet, what makes the difference. I mean why certain people choose the 300 C and others the Charger. Someday this secret shall be revealed! The Charger however is never used as a limo. Haven't seen one. But it is a good family car. It's huge (BMW 7xx size) and the trunk is big, too. Many people chose it as a first family car (I'm also in that market segment).
In Cali there're a few other kind of Fords, too. Usually SUVs or mini-vans (mini, LOL). Some Lincolns, too (== luxury Ford), but they're not significant.
There're other rules, too: old Buicks are usually driven by Afro-Americans, too. If it is a Toyota (and not a Prius), the driver is Indian. The older the car the higher the possibility. Hyundais are exclusively driven by Indian people. With Kia it is about 80% chance. Honda (Civic) usually has an Asian driver (there's about a 10% exception). Behind the steering wheels of BMWs are usually older dudes. In their mid-life crisis. Must be a convertible. Minis are getting popular here, too (what a disappointment), but exclusively the sport version.
Altogether 'domestic' cars are not too popular in Cali. Toyota rules the market with Hyundai and Honda. Americans here are tend to buy the ugliest and the most unattractive looking cars ever. It's almost like making it up for the cars they had between te 50's and 70's. Even young-timer American cars fall into that category. (The term young-timer is a strange term here. Most Americans keep their cars until the wheels fall off, so it is not rare to see 15-20 years old cars on the streets). Check out the models they had from the 90s till recently. But it is changing, thanks God! Well I'm not sure I will ever like the new Buicks or Lincolns but the new Dodges are cool. And muscle cars are coming back, too. The Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro are really popular, and relatively cheap to buy or lease. And that's a good thing!! Those cars represent what an American car should always be. At least for us, Europeans.
Usual driver is a blond girl/lady. It's cheap to lease (below $300), but its functions are limited (no space in the back etc.) so it is a typicall 2nd car in the family.
Usual driver are family mums, maybe older hippies. Usual 2nd car in the family with almost no trunk space (well at least in US measures).
In Cali there're a few other kind of Fords, too. Usually SUVs or mini-vans (mini, LOL). Some Lincolns, too (== luxury Ford), but they're not significant.
There're other rules, too: old Buicks are usually driven by Afro-Americans, too. If it is a Toyota (and not a Prius), the driver is Indian. The older the car the higher the possibility. Hyundais are exclusively driven by Indian people. With Kia it is about 80% chance. Honda (Civic) usually has an Asian driver (there's about a 10% exception). Behind the steering wheels of BMWs are usually older dudes. In their mid-life crisis. Must be a convertible. Minis are getting popular here, too (what a disappointment), but exclusively the sport version.
Altogether 'domestic' cars are not too popular in Cali. Toyota rules the market with Hyundai and Honda. Americans here are tend to buy the ugliest and the most unattractive looking cars ever. It's almost like making it up for the cars they had between te 50's and 70's. Even young-timer American cars fall into that category. (The term young-timer is a strange term here. Most Americans keep their cars until the wheels fall off, so it is not rare to see 15-20 years old cars on the streets). Check out the models they had from the 90s till recently. But it is changing, thanks God! Well I'm not sure I will ever like the new Buicks or Lincolns but the new Dodges are cool. And muscle cars are coming back, too. The Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger and Chevrolet Camaro are really popular, and relatively cheap to buy or lease. And that's a good thing!! Those cars represent what an American car should always be. At least for us, Europeans.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
90 minutes massage for $40
And it was great!
A friend of my wife recommended us this place: Longevity Foot Spa
View Larger Map
Now they have a special deal $40 (plus gratitudes, of course) 45 mins foot and 45 mins back massage. And they're doing it great. When you arrive you put your feet in a basin full with hot water. They tilt your chair back, and while your feet are soaking, you get a nice face, scalp, shoulder and arms massage. Then comes your feet. It feels really good. My only problem that the DVD with the fishes swimming underwater was scratchy so the relaxing Asian music skipped a lot, and was quite disturbing. Hopefully they buy a new DVD, or otherwise the next time I go, I'll buy something in China Town, and bring it with me :)
After you're done, you go to a massage bed, you take off your clothes wearing only your underwear, and then comes your back. The tiny Asian lady went through me like a road roller. I don't know how she could be that strong! Around my shoulder blades and thighs it hurt quite bad. The shoulder blades I understand: sitting in front of the PC the whole day; but thighs, too? Anyway sometimes she made me 1-2 inches taller pressing my spine straight.
I really felt rejuvenated, so I can only recommend this place: great price, great service.
Apart from the guy in the front no one really speaks any English. "Oh-yu" means oil (if you want them to use oil during the massage) btw.
A friend of my wife recommended us this place: Longevity Foot Spa
View Larger Map
Now they have a special deal $40 (plus gratitudes, of course) 45 mins foot and 45 mins back massage. And they're doing it great. When you arrive you put your feet in a basin full with hot water. They tilt your chair back, and while your feet are soaking, you get a nice face, scalp, shoulder and arms massage. Then comes your feet. It feels really good. My only problem that the DVD with the fishes swimming underwater was scratchy so the relaxing Asian music skipped a lot, and was quite disturbing. Hopefully they buy a new DVD, or otherwise the next time I go, I'll buy something in China Town, and bring it with me :)
After you're done, you go to a massage bed, you take off your clothes wearing only your underwear, and then comes your back. The tiny Asian lady went through me like a road roller. I don't know how she could be that strong! Around my shoulder blades and thighs it hurt quite bad. The shoulder blades I understand: sitting in front of the PC the whole day; but thighs, too? Anyway sometimes she made me 1-2 inches taller pressing my spine straight.
I really felt rejuvenated, so I can only recommend this place: great price, great service.
Apart from the guy in the front no one really speaks any English. "Oh-yu" means oil (if you want them to use oil during the massage) btw.
Monday, May 2, 2011
You have a Droid, and your juice does not even last till the end of the day?
I might be a major noob, but I thought that the task handler of Android takes care of killing apps, when I'm not using them. Well there's an application that does it better, get it here:
You can select applications to kill automatically if you don't use them any more (running as background process). I've selected the following ones:
 |
| https://market.android.com/details?id=com.james.SmartTaskManager |
- Xfinity Mobile
- Market
- Skype mobile (Verizon)
- Wiki Encyclopedia
- Amazon Appstore
- Winamp
Sunday, May 1, 2011
How I added GPS info to my pictures
No, my Canon t2i cannot record GPS coordinates, so I used my Droid phone with Google My Tracks to record our trail. After done, I could export the data from the program in KML or GPX file. For Adobe Lightroom there're two great plugins available:
1) GPS plugin at: http://regex.info/blog/lightroom-goodies/gps This little plugin uses the exif date field of the pictures to match with the GPS coordinates and add GPS shadow information to the pictures. Unfortunately with normal export, this information is not attached to the created files, that's why you need another plugin:
2) http://regex.info/blog/lightroom-goodies/picasaweb This will export your geotagged images to Picasa, so you can have the map!
Now, there's a map with the pictures. For that you need a little trick: In Picasa klick on the 'View in Google Earth' link, that will give you a KMZ file. If you have a Google acccount, you have access to Google Sites, where in Manage Site you can add attachments to your webpages. Ergo free hosting for your KMZ file. If you type the URL to the KMZ file in Google Maps, you get the map with the pictures :) Tadam.
Neat trick!
1) GPS plugin at: http://regex.info/blog/lightroom-goodies/gps This little plugin uses the exif date field of the pictures to match with the GPS coordinates and add GPS shadow information to the pictures. Unfortunately with normal export, this information is not attached to the created files, that's why you need another plugin:
2) http://regex.info/blog/lightroom-goodies/picasaweb This will export your geotagged images to Picasa, so you can have the map!
Now, there's a map with the pictures. For that you need a little trick: In Picasa klick on the 'View in Google Earth' link, that will give you a KMZ file. If you have a Google acccount, you have access to Google Sites, where in Manage Site you can add attachments to your webpages. Ergo free hosting for your KMZ file. If you type the URL to the KMZ file in Google Maps, you get the map with the pictures :) Tadam.
Neat trick!
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