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Good morning blog public, and happy Valentine's Day to you all. I celebrated in the usual way - by 3-D printing a heart. This year I decided to print it as a four-part puzzle, which seems appropriate given the complexity of relationships :)
Valentine's Day seems stressful to a lot of people; of course it is fun to celebrate being with the one you love, but demonstrating just exactly how much you love them with physical objects can be difficult :)
Did you know? Spotify will make a playlist out of your Valentine's love note. Well that's certainly demonstrating your love ... hehe.
How did this all get started? Apparently it began with a pagan fertility festival in February (as so many good things do :), and then the Catholic church mutated it into a celebration of St. Valentine. Most countries with a Catholic tradition celebrate it today, but more as a secular ode to love and relationships than a religious holiday.
The weirdest practice was that when I was a kid, we bought Valentine's Day cards for all the kids in our class, not just the one we thought was special. (Is that still done? Maybe?) An early attempt at political correctness but perhaps a defensible one, to avoid hurt feelings. I do remember taking great care over the exact wording with which I signed certain cards :)
I hope you enjoy the day, and are able to fit your pieces together...
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Unless you've been out living a normal life away from a computer you will have heard; Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia has passed away, at the age of 79. This is a pretty big deal because he was a staunch conservative, and it opens the door for current-President Obama or whomever is our next President to nominate someone considerably less conservative. It feels like the 2016 Presidential race will take place in two parts, before Scalia, and after.
It is worth noting that in this context conservative is used in its traditional, one might even say "conservative" meaning, as one who conserves the status quo, and resists change. Justice Scalia was apolitical, but became embroiled in politics by arguing strongly against those who wanted to have the court drive change.
President Obama has already said he will nominate a replacement, and the various Republican candidates for President, debating last night in South Carolina, have all called for the Republican-led Senate to delay confirmation of any candidate until the next President is seated. It will be an interesting fight, and it will be played out in public. A year is a long time to go without confirming a new judge, but it is unusual for a lame duck President to nominate a new justice.
I watched a little of the debate last night, and I must tell you, whatever softening I had in my opposition to Donald Trump has hardened again. I will vote for anyone against Hillary Clinton, but I certainly hope it won't be Trump. I think Trump and Sanders are both selling magic, and while that might work to get elected, it doesn't do much to make things better once you're in office. (And I guess President Obama is exhibit A.) This is the downside of our democracy; everyone gets to vote, and everyone isn't very smart, so we end up picking leaders with not-very-smart thinking.
I still think Ted Cruz is the smartest candidate, and support him on that basis, but perhaps Marco Rubio is the most likely to get elected running against Clinton, and so I support him on that basis.
As Winston Churchill noted, "democracy is the worst form of government, except for everything else".
PS did you see this Cruz ad now running in South Carolina, "It feels good to be a Clinton". +1 for the Office Space reference and +1 for not letting Clinton off the hook for having a personal email server while Secretary of State. Heh.

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If you're a frequent reader you'll know, I am a big fan of the Iditarod dog sled race, a 1,000-mile slog in Alaska from Anchorage to Nome, which takes place every year in early March. It began with meeting and becoming a fan of longtime musher and perennial contender DeeDee Jonrowe, but I just like everything about the race; the dog / athletes, the people, the tradition, and most of all the strategy. When to go fast, when to go slow, when to rest, when to push on, how much to feed the team and when, etc. The amazingness of the race was exemplified by the finish of the 2014 race, in which the leader dropped out, the team in second thought they were racing for second, not first, and the winning team thought they were third!
So with three weeks to go I'm warming up for the 2016 edition by following the Yukon Quest race, which is probably the second most prestigious sled race, and which is often used by teams as a pre-Iditarod. Many think this race is even harder than the Iditarod, as it is slightly longer and features more climbing, and takes place in an area which is even more remote. That's current leader Huff Neff and team at right; they are currently about 150 miles from the finish, neck and neck with Brent Sass, Allen Moore (husband of longtime Iditarod musher Aliy Zirkle), and Matt Hall.
For the last few years the competitors have carried GPS trackers, which makes realtime watching of these races a lot more fun. In my nice warm chair I can watch the teams battle snowstorms, subzero temperatures, sheet ice, and moose. Heh.
This year the Quest website has a key innovation, a "race flow" chart, which nicely shows who is where and what's happening. Here's a current snapshot:

Each colored line represents a competitor; with time along the X-axis and distance traveled on the Y-axis. Horizontal lines show when the teams are resting, and the slope of the lines shows how fast the teams are traveling. I love this and I hope the Iditarod adopts it too. If they don't, I wonder if there will be enough data available to make one myself... hmmm.
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Archive: February 14, 2015
I've been busy ... coding, riding, and thinking ... in approximately that order, of various permutations thereof. The year is now truly under way...
Powerline remembers Mr. Lincoln. "Lincoln was America’s indispensable teacher of the moral ground of political freedom at the exact moment when the country was on the threshold of abandoning what he called its 'ancient faith' that all men are created equal." 
Oh no ... the Genius Bar might be losing its logo. "It’s possible that this is a move by Apple’s new retail chief, Angela Ahrendts, to make her mark on Apple’s worldwide retail locations." Sigh. The first thing marketing people want to do is change the names and the logos. 
Good to know: Tesla Model S voice commands. Best single feature: "Play X", where X is any band, song, or album ... thanks to Slacker. 
When dining at a restaurant, often the best options is to sit at the bar. I agree entirely. 
This is excellent: The problem with action movies today. Goes a bit deeper than you might think, and provides great examples. The two best suggestions: the hero must be a real person, and they must have a real challenge to overcome. 
Meanwhile: Star Wars vs Star Trek. "No, it's not real. Yet." It's interesting to think about, which is/are the better action movies? I would vote for Star Trek, on two counts; better (more relatable) heroes, and better (more realistic) science. Though I will most definitely see the next Star Wars movie :) 
Awesome: Watch a reply of the ESA's spaceplane launch. Who knew? 
And ... DSCOVR space satellite successfully launched by SpaceX. Sadly the weather at the landing site was too rough to allow an attempt to land the rocket boosters on a barge, so that will have to wait for next time. Onward. 
I, Cringley remembers Radio Shack. "The barebones TRS-80 cost $199.95 in a pretty much unusable form and about $1800 completely tricked out. The TRS-80 was fabulously successful." I remember that, and also when Radio Shack was a mini Fry's. 
This is excellent: J Class to be part of 2017 America's Cup. Watching huge catamarans foiling at 50 knots is pretty cool, but watching majestic J Class yachts racing is the best. So interesting that new ones are being built today, and are designed to be competitive with the survivors from the golden age of the 30's and 40's... 
CNN: 40 reasons why SNL is still awesome at 40. I'm not a regular SNL watcher (nor actually a regular TV watcher at all), but I'm a fan of SNL and am anticipating the 40th anniversary show this Sunday with great interest...
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Archive: February 14, 2014
Archive: February 14, 2013
Archive: February 14, 2012
Archive: February 14, 2011
This morning I was rereading yesterday's Jobsnotes of note post, and it suddenly struck me; I had forgotten the most important one! (Picture me whacking myself on the forehead... whack!) Yes, the most important Jobsnote was 2008's introduction of the App Store. It wasn't Mr. Jobs' most dynamic presentation - I give the prize for that one to the 2007 iPhone introduction - but it was critical as it established the App ecosystem which defines iPhones today, and which made the success of the iPad possible.

2008 - App Store
the dynasty begins
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Happy Valentine's Day!
to my wonderful wife Shirley, and to
my amazing daughters, Nicole, Jordan, Alexis, and Megan, and to
my fantastic mom Cootje, and mother-in-law Millie
and to you, my awesome friends
you are the joy of my life
let's all have a wonderful day!
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Archive: February 14, 2010
Happy Valentine's Day!
Shirley and I had a wonderful dinner last night at our new local favorite Leila's, accompanied by a simply amazing Foxen Sea Smoke. The more Santa Rita Pinot Noir I drink, the more I love it; it might be replacing Napa Cabernet as my wine of choice. I can't say it is more affordable - I'm not the only one who likes it, and the market prices have responded to the demand - but it is more subtle and versatile.
Valentine's Day is this weird holiday, a chance to spend time with the one you love, but also a chance to screw up. As my daughter says, "love is complicated enough without Valentine's". Anyway good luck, I hope yours is as good as mine :)
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I finally made time to install Google Earth on my "new" laptop, and was reminded once again how absolutely cool it is. That this capability exists is amazing enough, but that it is completely free - even free from advertising - is astonishing. Google might come under fire for some of their practices and policies, but they are still quite a phenomenon.

I especially like using Google Earth in conjunction with my spiffy 3DConnexion Navigator, a little hockey-puck shaped navigation device which comes with an interface to Google Earth. It makes zooming around really easy, rotating, tilting, etc. Quite remarkable.
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And so it is over; BMW Oracle's amazing trimaran (aka "Trizilla") has won the 33rd America's Cup, today defeating defender Alinghi's nearly-equally-amazing catamaran with a horizon job lead. It was apparent to all that BMW Oracle was considerably faster on all points of sail in all conditions, making the result a foregone conclusion even if the regatta wasn't a simple best out of three. As it was, the race was over at the start, but then a wind shift gave the lead back to Alinghi. But not for long, as the speed and power of the trimaran's wing sail prevailed, particularly showing a huge advantage off the wind.
Here are some great photos:



And here's a cool video showing the yacht at full speed:

And so it is over, just like that... all those years of work and dollars of R&D spent, and three days of racing and it is all over. Still, the U.S. has regained the America's Cup - that's a great thing - and the next defense will be much better, with more competitors... it might even be in San Diego! Stay tuned...
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A nice quiet Valentine's Day... hung out, coded, blogged, and generally enjoyed being home... as I have another week of travel coming up... sadly this almost feels like a rhythm now, work away from home all week, and then hang out on the weekend. So be it. Ready for a filter pass?
Robert Scoble: The elephants in the room at TED. "Let’s take the elephant head on: rich people can afford things you and I can’t. I can’t afford a Ferrari either. Even though I definitely appreciate them. I can’t afford a private plane, even though when I’ve gotten a ride in one I’ve always appreciated them and can see why I’d want one. I can’t afford an original Ansel Adams’ print, either, even though I am a huge fan and would love to have one." This is so true... fire on 'em, Robert! 
TTAC: An illustrated history of automotive aerodynamics. If you love beautiful cars, check this out - great shots of some amazing old cars. I'd say they don't make 'em like they used to, but I guess that's not true; today's Maserati's (among others) are rather pretty :) 
Philip Greenspun: Factory Navigation System pricing. "I’m wondering now if the inability of mainstream car manufacturers to take advantage of modern electronics is harming their profitability." What he writes about is so true; the electronics in modern cars are obsolete from the moment they're designed, so that by the time you buy them, they're positively ancient. The nav system in my car is so far inferior to the nav system in my Palm Pre phone, it is ridiculous, and the system in my car was expensive, while nav was just another app that came free on my Pre. 
And here we have Computer Engineer Barbie. I am not making this up :) 
Well, why not? I wonder if she likes PHP?
Wrapping up the weekend, here we have the ZooBorn of the day, a baby anteater.
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Archive: February 14, 2009
A lazy Saturday morning... contemplating a weekend of work and riding (and probably freezing!)...
Happy Valentine's Day to y'all... We celebrated in style last night at Brandywine, with fois gras, cesaer salad for two (dressing made tableside), and chateaubriand for two, rare (and purrrfect), accompanied by a 1997 Della Valle I had been saving for a special occasion. And of course we got to share it all with each other. Truly wonderful. 
Powerline notes Obama lays off the truth. "President Obama today repeated the claim we asked about yesterday at the press briefing that Jim Owens, the CEO of Caterpillar, Inc., 'said that if Congress passes our plan, this company will be able to rehire some of the folks who were just laid off.' But after the president left the event, Owens said the exact opposite. Asked if the stimulus package would be able to stop the 22,000 layoffs or not, Owens said, 'I think realistically no. The truth is we're going to have more layoffs before we start hiring again'." Even Obama's supporters can't like this sort of lying. His desperation to get the spendulous bill passed is a bad sign. 
Via LGF: Onion: Revolutionary New Drug Approved. Really, they are so good. The production values are excellent, and the satire is, well, amazing. I love it. 
These aren't the pants you've been looking for. The best lines from Star Wars that are improved by replacing a word with "pants". 
Zero to 60 in 3.8 seconds. Test driving the Audio R8. Oh yeah. 
Scoble in FastCompany: what Microsoft must learn from Apple and Best Buy. As it contemplates opening retail stores... 
ZooBorn of the day: an orphan Sifaka. In addition to delighting with their cuteness, these ZooBorn posts are pretty educational; who knew there was such a thing as a Sifaka? 
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Yesterday afternoon I rode the coldest ride I've ever ridden. I started at about 4:00, and it was already cold, but by the time I'd finished two hours later it was literally freezing.

the Decker wall - that's 18%, baby

Mulholland and Encinal - the meeting of the ways

top of Encinal - high point and cold point

that's 35o baby, brrr...
Why do I do this? Why does anyone? Who knows?
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Archive: February 14, 2008

To Shirley, Nicole, Jordan, Alexis, Megan, my Mom, Millie, and our whole family:
Have a Wonderful Valentine's Day!
I hope yours is/was wonderful, too. I have heard that Valentine's Day is one of the most stressful days of the year; I can well believe it. I hope it isn't/wasn't too stressful for you. I am looking forward to a nice dinner, some nice wine, (maybe some nice chocolate :), and a nice movie, all here in my nice little house. Pretty nice :)
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Archive: February 14, 2007
Archive: February 14, 2006
Archive: February 14, 2005
Archive: February 14, 2004
Archive: February 14, 2003
Happy Valentine's Day to you, Shirley, and to my four wonderful daughters!
Are you ready for some sailing? The America's Cup starts today! I'm picking Alinghi (Swiss, the challenger) over Team New Zealand (the defender) in a squeaker...
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This will be reported as a "good thing"; scientists at Caltech have isolated a genetic mutation common to people who live 100 years or longer. So ask yourself, with 8B people on Earth, is finding ways to make them live longer really a good thing?
The bork browser. I love it!
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America's Cup Race 1: Start
 | Alinghi takes race one in the America's Cup, as TNZ suffered a series of breakdowns and was forced to retire. It was an even start and a great race was on to weather when TNZ's boom broke. I hate when that happens... If you are at all interested in either sailing or 3D software, you must download and install Virtual Spectator. It costs $10. This is such an awesome application I can't describe it properly. Basically it gives you a full-screen 3D view of the racing, with a camera you can position at any angle and distance. The races are available live via some sort of data stream, and can be replayed at your leisure. The start of race 1 is shown at right (click on picture for a larger view).
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