tima thinking outloud

Lombardi on Success

2008-05-07T21:30:28Z

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.

— Vincent Lombardi

Brooklyn!

2008-04-30T16:57:04Z

We’ll it’s been a hectic and stressful time lately that I haven’t posted here in a while, but I thought its worth noting that I’m back living in NYC. Brooklyn, actually. Park Slope to be exact.

I’m still working on getting unpacked and used to me new surroundings, but if you want to meet up drop me a line. I’ll be here through July and then — who knows!

In other news, The Gothamist is reporting that Darren Star and company (of Sex and the City fame) are developing a show that will revolve around Park Slope and all the “Stroller Moms” that inhabit the here streets.

Great — there goes the neighborhood.

My First Nerd Love Turns 50

2008-02-01T04:39:41Z

LEGO Brick Timeline: 50 Years of Building Frenzy and Curiosities

I was such a Lego freak when I was a kid. They were my first nerd love before computers and code and a real blast looking at the packaging of the space sets here. My brother and I didn’t just build the sets and play around with them. Oh no — we used to “hack” the pieces make much larger and meaner creations with a totally different scale. The names of the ships and weaponry where named after ships in an early Japanese anime cartoon called Star Blazers that was in syndication after school. Star Blazers was originally called Space Battleship Yamato before it was dubbed and watered down for the states. Our ship was The Andromeda and at one point was over three feet long and 18 inches wide and high. I had a picture of it that I wish I could still find.

Those were the days — and look where it’s brought me. I’m certain that a big large part of my ability to work with abstract concepts, develop mental models of logic and break a larger complex system into small parts as I do when coding goes back to what I started to develop as a boy then. It’s amazing what some plastics blocks and molded pieces along with the motivation to have the biggest and baddest Lego space battleship on the block can be turned in to.

The Return of Commercial Music

2008-01-26T04:15:13Z

I’ve written about commercial music every so often on this blog over the past 5 years. I’ve got a small list of recent sightings I thought I’d publish in addition to a commercial music mystery solved.

Herbie Hancock - Rockit

Talk about blast from the past. This track was a hit when I was in grade school. The commercial that is currently using it for Visa and features all these old school breakdancers locking and popping all over some stylized shop that fits the music theme.

Microsoft is using a pair of tracks I’ve been listening to in their Zune commercials.

The Shins - Sleeping Lessons

This Zune commercial features a hipster male who is “tripping” through some psychedelic dream.

Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan

This Zune commercial begin with a female at a a rather French looking covered sidewalk cafe where its pouring rain just beyond her table. A similar trippy dream sequence ensues to this track.

Postal Service - Such Great Heights

UPS is running a series of “whiteboard” commercial that features a male actor explain some innovative service the company offers while illustrating his point on — whiteboard! The airy synth droplets and mechanized drum you hear in the background are from the open of this track.

The New Pornographers - The Bleeding Hearts Show

This track is being used for some time in commercials for the University of Phoenix that shows flashes of people in different walks of life working towards a better life. At least that is the impression I get. The clip used from this track supports that notion well. I can’t help to raise an eyebrow to a virtual university though. This is a great track though an interest thing to be associated with. The blogs have spoken.

In other commercial music news, I solved the mystery of a track I heard in a commercial years ago. I can’t recall the car other then it was a luxury sedan in black where the camera pans over slowly from different angle. It was a jazzy rhythmic piece with a bit of sax and a female voice saying “how do I look?” sampled in. Some time after I saw that commercial, I was sitting in Bard’o in Manhattan’s West Village when I heard what sounded like that track. I asked the DJ and she told me it was the theme from The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. Thing was that album that. What I found out recently was that Dmitri from Paris featured it on SacreBleu in a track called “Une Very Stylish Fille.” (It was this track that I had heard in the commercial which explains why what I heard in the cocktail bar didn’t quite seem the same.) Further, the actual The Girl from U.N.C.L.E. theme was featured on a few somewhat obscure compilations that have been released including one called Expresso Expresso by a favorite of mine — The Karminsky Experience. (That disc is also out of print and a bit hard to find. I’m still trying to find a reasonably priced one or a sugar daddy to buy it for me.)

Oh and that female voice Dimitri from Paris used? That would be Audrey Hepburn from a movie called Breakfast at Tiffany’s. (argh!) I should have picked up on that sooner.

On Knowledge and Wisdom

2008-01-01T04:59:00Z

Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.

-- Alfred Lord Tennyson

Vista Makes Top 10 Worst Technology Products

2007-11-27T04:55:11Z

CNet in the UK has listed Microsoft Windows Vista amongst the 10 worst technology products of all time.

I know I’m biased for having jumped ship years ago to OS X and Unix land, but ouch! Even Microsoft Bob didn’t make their list.

It seems to someone needed to sit the folks at Microsoft a long while ago and play that scene in (the original) Star Wars where Grand Moff Tarkin tells Princess Leia that no one will dare oppose the rule of the emperor and she defiantly replies “The more you tighten your grip, Tarkin, the more star systems will slip through your fingers.”

This is what happens when marketing and bean counters design a product rather then doing right by your customers.

Granted Apple isn’t always a sterling example either, but they do a lot better then Microsoft has.

BTW: What is a “Grand Moff” anyway?

Software needs an editor

2007-10-12T13:28:03Z

On the same theme as yesterday's quotable:

Software needs an editor like a writer needs an editor or a museum needs a curator.

-- Jason Fried

The Editing Pass

2007-10-12T03:12:28Z

Once you get a piece of code to the point where you believe it works - it’s passing its tests - go back over it and edit it. That is, go back and edit it for clarity, flow, and style. Just as if it were an essay.

-- Michael McCracken [via Daring Fireball]

Now that's an airline!

2007-08-01T02:11:10Z

Artur Bergman reports on his tour of Virgin America's new planes as it enters the US domestic market. Air travel is become so miserable and degrading that something has to change. Hopefully this is the shot in the arm the airline business needs.

Daring Fireball on IT Infrastructure

2007-07-23T17:52:45Z

Referring to an article in the Wall Street Journal on the problems Duke University recently suffered and initially blamed on the presence of iPhone's on campus (proven to be a bogus excuse), John Gruber of Daring Fireball comes up with this translation:

Translation: A lot of IT infrastructure is fragile rickety crap, and the people responsible for it aren’t smart enough to fix it so they make rules and place blame based on little more than superstition.

Based on my experience he's right, but I'm not sure I'd use such harsh words. I think the typical IT staffer is far less motivated and up-to-date is more adapt then saying these people aren't smart. They also operate in a highly political environment that saps intelligence.

New Philosophy

2007-06-20T12:31:29Z

I have a new philosophy. I'm only going to dread one day at a time.

-- Charles M. Schulz

So Lonely.

2007-02-14T17:52:25Z

[This post goes out to Danny Gumport.]

My blog feels so lonely. As it should. It's been a long story to how I let things fall off here. I really miss blogging and resolve to get back to it. So here something that has me so excited I could burst.

The Police, a band I had loved since I was in 6th grade, is getting back together to tour. The inner child in me is screaming with delight and playing air guitar. I never got to see them live because the band had stopped touring by the time I was old enough to attempt to sneak out to a concert.

Like Sippey I was a bit worried that Sting's tendency for pretenious sophistication (he just released an album of middle-age lute music afterall) would mess with the Police legacy. When the band performed at the Grammy's Sunday I was ellated to see just Sting, Andy and Stewart on stage -- no back-up singers, string sections, multimedia explosions. Not even a lute! It was just The Police as I remembered them and loved them. OK they are older looking, but quite frankly have aged quite well. I can only hope to look half as good when I reach their age. Check it out in case you missed it:

As if seeing them together wasn't enough the band held a press conference where they told reporters of their long rumored world tour. The quote that made me happiest was Sting confirming that the tour would be more of what we saw at the Grammys. From the AP article:

"It's going to be three guys on stage, that's all," Sting said. "The show is going to look simple but spectacular."

I have to admit to I feeling like a school kid again when I met Stewart Copeland and he told me how he was considering a documentary made out of Super8 film he shot years ago during the band's rise to fame. (And he did. See Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out. It is marvelous.) I think I might start squealing like a little girl if I see them live. Despite that prospect, I'm already "in line" for tickets.

UPDATE: I GOT TICKETS!!! AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! (faints)

Mingus Speaks.

2006-09-27T16:37:57Z

Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.
– Charlie Mingus

[via Bill Ives]

Enter The Dragon.

2006-03-22T19:08:46Z

SCENE: Tim Appnel walking the halls of ETech 2006 when Rich Gibson leaps into his view from off the floor.

Rich: Hey! Is Ben answering your email? Did you hear why Hammersley's isn't here? He's is getting a 3 foot tattoo down his side?

Tim: Really?!? I've heard from him a bit because of the big project he has going on. He got one down his back right before OSCON.

Rich: I know!

Tim: Three foot though?!? What is it this time?

Rich: I don't know, but that's what I'm hearing. I'll let you know if I hear anything else.

Tim and Rich part company.

SCENE: In another part of the hotel in another hall Tim spots the lovely Paula Le Dieu approaching.

Tim: Paula my dear! I have a question to ask you.

Paula: Wait. Wait. I know. Yes he did. It's a 3 foot long dragon down his side. He just got the outline today. It gets filled in 2 weeks from now. He also said it hurt like hell.

Tim smiles and shakes his head slowly trying to process what he just heard. Finally....

Tim: What a wild man!

It was true. Our favorite english gentleman was on his way to becoming a living canvas. Yesterday those two weeks were up.

I now present to you Ben's finished three foot dragon tattoo. More on Flickr here.

Oddly enough the Netflix DVD I had just watched was the night before was Enter The Dragon.

Watching it makes Jesus angry.

2006-03-10T03:03:07Z

Posted on Mike Doughty's weblog:

I watch the American Idol.

It is the terrible awful show.

Watching it makes Jesus angry.