brian's blog

Another Gates post. From C|Net, Gates wants to scrap H-1B visa restrictions:

Gates said even Canadian employees have received similarly poor treatment: "It doesn't make any sense. We'll have Canadians sitting on the border until some bureaucratic thing happens."

I'm really glad Microsoft takes care of these details for me. My experience at the border was about as painless as could be. Things might have been much different if I had been able to apply for the H-1B, though.

From the Seattle Times, Microsoft may rethink position on gay-rights bill:

Gates said Microsoft was surprised by the sharp reaction after it became known that the company took a neutral position on the perennial measure this year, after actively supporting it in previous years. "Next time this one comes around, we'll see," he said. "We certainly have a lot of employees who sent us mail. Next time it comes around that'll be a major factor for us to take into consideration."

There have definitely been a lot of hallway discussions on this issue, as Steve Ballmer's company-wide email suggests. Personally (and this is, of course, my own opinion), I think issues of basic civil rights should be championed regardless of whether or not shareholders and employees may be offended, or whether it strictly relates to the bottom line.

One way or another, it's great to see so much open discussion and communication from upper management on down regarding this (and many other) issues.

I had tickets to see an advanced screening of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy tonight. Josh and I knew the line would be huge, so we left work early and arrived at the theater to line up around 5:45 for the 7:00 show. Problem is, studios intentionally distribute far more advance screening tickets than they have seats in order to ensure a full theater. And there were already over 400 people there when we arrived. No soup for us.

There were definitely some hardcore fans near the front of the line: The very first people had camping gear, and many others not far behind had towels & bathrobes. (No, not to shower; it's a joke from the book.)

Picked up my very first road bike today. Now that it's sunny and warm out, I'll commute along the Burke-Gilman trail every day from Fremont to the Montlake highway bus stop, shaving at least 30 minutes off my daily commute and avoiding the detour (and missed busses) of a downtown transfer. It'll also force some exercise into my lazy tech worker lifestyle.

I bought the bike used from Bikeworks. It's cheap, completely rebuilt and refurbished, and intentionally not too flashy -- there's a waiting list of 42 people for the Montlake bike lockers, so I didn't want to buy something that would get stolen off the outdoor racks.

The regular flipcup parties on Thursday are starting to get out of hand. Yelling, screaming, wall pounding, it's like a crazy frat house walled up inside a posh apartment complex.

What's scary, though, is that I think I enjoyed it. (Please don't tell anyone.)

This billboard ad is posted near my bus route on the way to work:

It's advertising a gas station chain, ARCO, that generally charges lower prices for gas in part due to their refusal to accept credit cards. Maybe that's smart.

Looking closer, though, it appears that this man is filling up his bumper with gasoline:

I'm no car expert, so someone please correct me if there exists a modern sedan that stores gasoline in the trunk. I thought they learned that lesson after the Ford Pinto.

ARCO: Maybe not so smart after all?

Some amusing store names in Seattle:

• Stupid Prices (discount retailer)
• Durn Good Grocer
• What the Phó (Vietnamese food)

While walking from the highway bus stop to my office this morning, I noticed one of the other PMs on my team pulled over by a cop on the side of the road. He drives a fancy sportscar; it was a ticket waiting to happen.

So I did the only natural thing imaginable: I snuck close and snapped a photo of the scene, complete with the cop beside his driver-side window gesturing about something or other. Then I headed over to the office, printed the photo out in full color, and taped it up to his door with a caption someone else suggested: "But officer, my spec is late!"

He was scared by my lightning fast ninja skills, but thought it was hilarious. That's two photos I now have up on people's doors. (First one is a co-worker sleeping in his office.)

Went out last night with the Waterloo interns. We met in a hotel room they rented and then headed out to the Last Supper Club in Pioneer Square, a.k.a. "the party district that tries a little too hard."

Pretty good time, though somewhere along the way I managed to have my employee badge either lost or stolen. A quick phone call this morning deactivated the card and confirmed that no one had used it to go on a "help yourself to some nice computers and trade secrets" spree. Phew.

I left UW too early, and missed the chance to join the Campus Crusade for Cheese. It's both an amusing name and an actual cheese club! Sigh. (Also see here for one of their on-campus ads.)

Party last night went very well. Made a respectable dent in the bar, especially considering that it was a work night. People seemed to like the apartment, though I got quite a few laughs at my mattress-on-the-ground bed and lack of a couch. (Hey, I'm still living like a student for as long as I can.)

Also very gratefully picked up a handful of red wines as gifts (though I purposely didn't call it a "housewarming" party to minimize the appearance that I was expecting presents). They seem too nice to use for my daily glass of red "to your health" consumption. Me, I'm a cheap drunk.

Just bought $200+ of alcohol to restock after being forced to give up my supplies prior to the move. I'm throwing a small "break in my new place" party tomorrow evening and, as everyone knows, you can't have a good time without alcohol.

Sadly, the LCBO in Ontario puts the liquor stores here in Washington state (named simply "Liquor and Wine") to shame. The stores here are small, relatively dingy, and dated versus the LCBO's bright, colourful, and large selection. Shopping at the LCBO makes me feel like a sophisticated & hip host buying to entertain for an art gallery opening; buying liquor in Washington state makes me feel like an alcoholic named Frank buying the cheap bourbon I need to put myself to sleep every night.

From the NT Times, The Man Date (see BugMeNot.com for a username/password):

Simply defined a man date is two heterosexual men socializing without the crutch of business or sports. It is two guys meeting for the kind of outing a straight man might reasonably arrange with a woman.

It's an amusing concept, but as the article discusses, the problem is real: following university, guys often don't create opportunities for themselves to socialize, get advice and share thoughts with each other in the way that women instinctively do -- just to avoid the possibility of being labelled gay. According to gender historians in the article, it's a worry that is relatively modern; men in the past just didn't have the same concern.

Quite simply, Jostens sucks:

• the package & individual photo prices are exorbitantly high
• their marketing is sappy and exploitative
• their order forms are deceptive (most people will inadvertently sign an area that allows Jostens to use your photo for advertising and promotion purposes)
• they disclose your personal information to others (selling it?) without a way to opt-out

You learn the above only after you've paid their $25 sitting fee to have pictures taken at the Jostens studio on campus (which is necessary, as well, to appear in the class composite in the school's hallways).

Once you get your sales package and see the high prices, you feel compelled to order anyway because you:

• don't want to "waste" the $25 sitting fee
• don't want to go through the hassle of getting dressed & prepared again
• are satisifed with one or two of the Jostens photos
• don't know alternatives exist, and
• have already moved to Seattle

Jostens is the used car dealership of the photographic world. They even have a staggering array of high-margin trim levels to boot.

If you still haven't had grad photos done, find a studio off campus. I've heard Highland Portrait Studio in Kitchener is decent & has reasonable prices.

Okay, I know I've been a little link-heavy lately, but this has to be the best music video ever.

YaGoohoo!gle. Strangely useful, for an April Fools joke.

Google finally integrated satellite imagery into Google Maps, following their acquisition of Keyhole late last year. And it kicks ass. It's fascinating to play with.

The images seem to be at least a few years old, though -- my apartment isn't even built yet in their world.

I turned 25 today, and one of my first thoughts was "Hey, I'm now in a new demographic!"

I might be getting a little too into my work.

Toshiba's new lithium-ion battery recharges in a minute:

Initial applications will be in the automotive and industrial sectors... [...] For example, the battery's advantages in size, weight and safety highly suit it for a role as an alternative power source for hybrid electric vehicles.

This is incredible. It recharges 60 times faster than the standard today, and has a host of other improvements. I had no idea so much power was being wasted in a charge cycle.

Stick these in a hybrid car, and it'll hardly ever need the combustion engine at all. Or, if recharges are so quick, we might finally start to see 100% electric cars and the infrastructure to recharge in minutes at gas stations -- the same amount of time it'd take you to pump gas.

Why isn't this a bigger story? What am I missing here?

Recorded from NPR's Morning Edition, Kevin Smith interviews director Robert Rodriguez and artist Frank Miller about Sin City.

(And while I am digging NPR, it really doesn't come close to CBC Radio.)

From Snopes, Woman calls police because a fast food outlet won't make a cheeseburger the way she wants it:

DISPATCHER: Okay, what exactly is it you want us to do for you?
WOMAN: I . . . send an officer down here. I . . . I want them to make me . . .
DISPATCHER: Ma'am, we're not gonna go down there and enforce your Western Bacon Cheeseburger.

The recording is hilarious. It's terrifying that people like this actually exist.

Just passed my Washington State driver's test. (Had to rent a car to do it.) The test was much shorter than the Ontario one, but included some strange twists such as backing around a street corner while hugging the curb as close as possible.

Flexcar, here I come!