there you have it
missed opportunity
We were sitting here a few moments ago when the power went out suddenly (is there any other way?). My eyes widened as I sprung out of my chair to get the generator out of the garage. Before I had taken three steps, it came back on. 
international aid
I just impromptu Skyped with one of our users in Isreal. He sent an email and was like, now is good, and within 2 minutes I was looking at his face and we were making it happen. He shared his screen and I guided him around the web interface to victory.
I'm no stranger to Skype, and we had many online meetings at my old job but none were that satisfying. The quickness and the ease, and the internationalness really struck me. That was hot. Also, I'm just hanging out in the library. Yuri sends word and all of the sudden we're on the case.
This morning I also attended a quick training on this service that will allow me to control other computers remotely. Again, I have been using this technology personally since 2000, so it's not new to me. But it's enterprise class stuff and it Just Works™. Strangely I'm most excited about it's application vis-a-vis the Mother. It's goddamn Mom proof.
meanwhile in japan…
As many of you know, Tupac's hologram rocked 2012 Coachella with Dre and Snoop a few weeks ago.
I don't know exactly where I come down on the fact that he's a dead artist hologram, but if Snoop or Dre had consulted with me ahead of time, I'd probably have said nahs. It wasn't particularly entertaining either, musically. Naturally I was intrigued with the technology though, and there was another video describing at least the projection part, if not the reanimating-the-dead part. Honestly I didn't watch the full thing. Once they showed me the diagram of the projector and then mentioned something about what's happening in Japan I was done with those two... yupsters? I don't even know what the fuck you would call those guys.
Yeah, so this technology has already been singing and dancing its way into the hearts and minds of the Japanese via cute anime-style girls (Hatsune Miku & Megurine Luka). The series may not be correct, but there's a version of this done in the Ghost in the Shell TV series where essentially a computer is the biggest star in Japan. It creates these impressive light and sound shows in real time. Actually, it might be Appleseed. Either way, this is the infant 2012 version of that. I'm not sure I could go to one of these 'events', but I do find it entertaining, and the first video below is actually something I would buy an entire album of if it were all that catchy.
UPDATE: Shit just keeps getting nuttier. Originally I thought that while definitely auto-tuned and processed, surely there was a real person singing the songs. Nope. I, for one, welcome our new holographic overlords...
double down
I constructed a second raised bed for herbs and veggies last weekend. Today we went and got a load of soil, which we complemented with the first ever barrow full of Beamy's Own Compost. The second time is always easier. Lessons learned from the first box, such as lining the truck bed with a tarp paid real dividends. If dreams come true, we'll do another two boxes next year.
Every morning I stop off at Goose and Willie's for a cup of coffee, and whenever possible I'll drop by for a burger or something else. They found out that we were starting our garden and offered up some extra compost they have sitting around. So we'll pick that up tomorrow. Can't wait!
little brother
I don't know how this happens, but I found myself once again watching Hannibal for King and the Barstarzz on Youtubes the other night. Someone put together a montage with a really nice track at the end, so I put the phone up to the speaker and sampled it for truth. God bless Shazam.
The track was Sincerely Yours, off the Minstrel Show album by Little Brother.
I didn't even bother previewing to the rest of the tracks, just went right out and bought the disc. It's all very good, but I especially enjoy 08 - Say It Again.
The whole disc has a nice old school vibe, thanks to the sampling, but the lyrics are modern and there's a nice sense of humor. I'm really digging it - moonroof open... tunes pumping... birds chirping. Spring is here? Maybe.
hooked up
I just wanted to bring some closure to the great generator colloquium. Well, sort of closure because we haven't actually used it yet - but it's ready when we do.
After much agitated thought over which solution to choose, we finally purchased a portable unit capable of keeping the house more or less running in the event of an outage. It's not the super clean power, or the propane fueled unit I had eyes for, but it'll do pig. So when we last left our heroes, we had the power source but no way to really use it. I had a guy come out to look us over and then we received the quote ($700). Then my job started and it sat on the back burner for a little while. About a month or so ago I finally had them come out and add a transfer switch to the main power supply to the house. The kid came and had everything he needed except the super duty locking style cable to actually plug the generator into the whole affair. It was on the work order, but...
Then I guess they decided that they'd order a nice weather sealed cord rather than fabricate one, so we waited another few weeks for that. A perfect opportunity for us to loose power, but we somehow escaped unscathed. At least, while we were home to notice. It did go out at least once while we were away for the day. We now have this cable though, and despite the awful wind we've had for what seems like decades the power remains constant. I believe I said earlier that I had now ensured a continuous flow from the power company by virtue of the time and money we've spent to protect ourselves.
So now we lay in wait.
I have to say that the switch is far more elegant than I had imagined. The purpose is to provide a means to plug the generator effectively into the main breaker panel, but also to keep generator power from going back to the street. In my electrically impaired brain I had imagined a two step process where you disconnected yourself from the street and then engaged the generator when in reality the switch does it all at once. The generator never has a path back to the street. Simple and smart.
At some point I need to fabricate a little hut for the generator to live in out by the pole during winter so it's ready to go at all times. There'll be no dragging this thing across the back yard with two feet of snow when we need it.
easter hike
We went looking for eggs in the woods today. I used to hike this mountain pretty regularly when I could view it from my bedroom window.
There were flurries, chilly NW winds, and some treacherous ice flows. Spring is not around the corner.