Zen Toro Sushi - Davis

Dawn and I ate at Zen Toro Sushi in Davis this evening.

I had:

• Uni x2 (NorCal) $10
• Amaebi x2 (Japan) $3
• 1/2 shell oyster x1 (Shigoku) $3

Dawn had the sesame chicken curry.

Core FTP LE

I really want to like it, I do.

But I am really stuck with the command line interface...trying to do something which seems relatively simple:

• Connect to a remote site using a site profile
• Transfer the whole site...files, folders, everything...to a local folder

That's it. I can't figure it out. I use "-recurse" -d, -p, and so forth, to no avail. It laughs and crashes. I'm using the latest build.

So, I love you Core FTP LE, but ....

Hire friendly and train technical

http://www.blogs.marriott.com/marriott-on-the-move/2014/01/hire-friendly-train-technical.html

Musical interlude

Listened to KVMR 89.5 FM out of Nevada City, CA today:
http://www.kvmr.org/

"Folk & Americana", by Larry Hillberg ; I think he called it "Back
"Backroads": "Ease into your Saturday mornings with first class music, past to present, including folk, acoustic, singer-songwriter, Americana, Country, & more."
http://www.kvmr.org/show/back-roads

Here's the playlist I heard today:

9:17am
Les Claypool's Duo De Twang “Stayin' Alive”from Four Foot Shack CD ALBUM (ATO Records (AT0) 2013) N

9:20am
Greg Brown “1952 Vincent Black Lightning”composed by Richard Thompsonfrom The Live One CD ALBUM (Red House Records 1995)
9:25am
Christine Bonner “Fire Dance” CD ALBUM (Rainbow Music Company 2004) L

9:29am
Ramblin' Jack Elliott and Jerry Jeff Walker “He Was A Friend of Mine”
from Friends Of Mine CD ALBUM

9:32am
Ramblin' Jack and Dave van Ronk “St James Infirmary”
from The Long Ride CD ALBUM

9:35am
Patrice Webb “Hard Times of Trouble”

Super Mario 3D World OST

Some of my favorite songs from the game. Love the jazzy bits and the horns. Some of the songs sound like a cross between a spaghetti western and a 70's weekly show intro.

Some of my favorites:

• Overland theme
• Gusty Garden (a 70's show intro (?))
• Champion Road (the spaghetti western horn solo)

Upside down world wall map

Because no right answer exists.

Several versions exist:

• Paper, Folded: ISBN 1-931057-02-8
• Paper, Rolled: ISBN 1-931057-08-7
• Laminated & Tubed: ISBN 1-931057-01-X

Calvados brandy + pear cinnamon cider

A cashier at our local Trader Joe's suggested a pairing of calvados brandy and pear cinnamon cider. Hrm.

Weekend Escape

• Farrell's Ice Cream, Sacramento (link)
• The unpredictability of the siren irritated Dawn
• Ordered the Triple Chocolate Brownie Sundae 
• Purchased a sea turtle balloon animal for Dawn from a Sacramento City College student also named Kevin
• Monster Mini Golf, Rancho Cordova (link)
• Played lots of skee ball, basketball toss
• Nearly empty due to football game
• Moster animatronics seemed a bit tired, but fun
• Old Spaghetti Factory, Rancho Cordova (link)
• Almost empty due to football game
• Had the "Masterpiece Shake"...pretty good, but nothing to write home about
• Had a fun "Carter the Great - The World's Weird Wizard" vibe at the back
• Burgers & Brew, Sacramento (link)
• Tried to get into the Davis location, but crazy busy on a Friday night...as was the Sacramento location, just a bit less so
• Split a Mushroom and Onion Cheeseburger
• I had a pint of Pliny the Elder
• Split a Guinness float...worth a try, would not buy again though. Just OK
• KP International Market, at the Koreana Plaza, Rancho Cordova (link)
• Saw this mega-supermarket on the way home...circled back to take a look
• Walked around and found several things:
• Meiji Black chocolate (link)...so so...probably would not buy again
• Riga Black Balsams (!!!) (link)...this is the first time I have seen it anywhere outside Latvia...I brought back a bottle 15 years ago but forgot about it and now I do not want to drink it...so happy to find something made more recently : o )
• Kvass (link)...specifically, Monastyrskiy Kvas (link)
• The food court lists things 50% off from 7:00-8:00 p.m. : o )
• The food court had a bunch of mochi items from Osaka Ya in Sacramento
• So many things to see and try o_O;; Quite overwhelmed at it all and will likely try to make it back again...but a bit out of the way
• A better article on the extensive selection of foods (link)
• The shopping center also had a karaoke place called, "Gangnam Style Karaoke"...but it looked closed or not open yet (?)

Braking Bad & Dash Cameras

Researching dash cameras, primarily in response to another driver brake checking ahead of me last Friday evening during stop-and-go rush-hour traffic.

So. Dash cameras.

http://dashcamtalk.com/dash-cam-comparison/
http://www.carcamcentral.com/reviews/dash-car-camera-guide-buyers
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-dash-cam/

Previously (this was before we purchased our new-to-us car)

THOUGHTS

• Infrared LEDs = gimmick (maybe not for internal cabin monitoring or for nighttime security)
• Motion detection: handy, since I park on the street
• Cameras work best within the windshield wiper sweep area
• GPS not a critical feature, for me
• Battery discharge prevention device: "Overall, they are a reasonable device to consider but not 100% necessary depending on your driving behavior and battery condition." (via)
• Footage of rear-end not a major benefit:
• Typically, not culpable
• If driver flees, let police worry about offender
• Use dashcam to prove innocence for front-end collisions
• Estore009 represents a historically-good vendor
• TheWireCutter recommends, as of this post, model  DVR207GS
• Pros: $66; HD; mini-screen; G-sensor: "slightest jostling of the car would set it to record until stillness returned for a few minutes" (via)
• Cons: Color occasionally overexposed and blown out while driving at dusk (via)
• DashCamTalk, recommends, as of this post, model G1W as a successor to the DVR 207 GS
• Pros: $52; HD; mini-screen; G-sensor; "When comparing to our previous best buy camera in this price range, the DVR-027, the G1W video quality is vastly superior." (via)
• Cons: Not all black; loose mini USB plug; light-weight build quality; some wavy noise in the background (via)
• CarCamCentral recommends, as of this post, model K6000 ($38), or, for a bit more, GS1000 ($120)

 Leaning toward the G1W, currently.

INSTALLATION

• Prius technical manual (PDF) of wiring to/from front center mirror
• Front: "The heavy slope on the front windshield gives a very strong reflection in nighttime video. I think maybe I should have mounted it at the bottom of the windshield instead, although hiding the wires would have been much harder." (via)
• Rear: "...my camera location, on that vertical glass, is not so good." (via)
• Head rest...via bungee cord (??? : o \) (via)
• "A screen is not necessary..." (via)
• Itronics ITB-100HD install (via)
• "For my dashcam I took power from the mirror (I have the auto-dimming one with garage opener). It's powered on in READY. There is a wire in the same bunch that is hot all the time." (via)
• Another install of a Itronics ITB-100HD, with pics (via)
• Regarding mounts behind the rear-view mirror: "It is also quite difficult to use the camera if you have to change settings etc. " (via)
• Might want to use a sun shade...which would bump the camera (?)
• Seems like a number of favorite mounting positions for the front windshield (via)
• Rear windshield (via)
• Mounting locations
• After a review, I am still undecided...behind the front RVW can look OK, but it can also look conspicuous
• Front
• Dash
• Behind rear-view mirror mount
• Sides of windshield
• Headrest
• Headliner
• Rear
• Top of rear windshield
• Bottom of rear windshield
• Sides of rear windshielf 
• Headrest
• Headliner

Moon Phases

http://cde.nwc.edu/SCI2108/course_documents/earth_moon/moon/phases/phases_of_moon.htm

AutoIt

Magic!

Via: http://unattended.sourceforge.net/installers.php

Cello

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Cecilio-Cello-Outfit-Everything-You-Need-5-Color-5-Size-/180697976106

Microsoft Windows Powershell

Working with Microsoft Windows Powershell scripts for the first time--cautiously optimistic I may never have to write another Microsoft Windows batch file again. : o )

David Bowie - The Next Day

I liked this album, a lot!

Anderson Valley Winter Solstice Seasonal Ale

Yum, yum...beer on my desk tonight. : o )

Parameter

Add this to the list of words I struggle to spell correctly. I frequently catch myself typing "paramater", which sounds like the way "Cars" movie character "Mater" would say his name. : o \

List of eponymous laws

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_eponymous_laws

For example, Sturgeon's Law: 90% of anything is crap (paraphrased)

Local recommendations

Tootsies On 11th
Collected Works Gifts: http://www.collectedworksgifts.com/

Pain is Beauty

Listening to Submerge's Top 30 albums of 2013.

Listened to Chelsea Wolfe's Pain is Beauty, the #1 pick, then one song from Doombird's Cygnus.

Radio Songs

Heard on 94.7 FM KKDO out of Sacramento, CA:

Avicii's "Wake Me Up." Audio.Aloe Blacc provided vocals and reminds Dawn of Tracy Chapman.

Also, the 2nd movement of Grieg's Peer Gynt...awesome. Video/audio. Most people recognize the first movement.

Skittles

An old English lawn game : o )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skittles_(sport)

Green house

An attractive house on the corner of 15th St and T St:

http://goo.gl/maps/0O8QY

Pitties

http://www.mypitbullisfamily.com/

Seen on a car around town.

Amy Schumer on Fresh Air

One of Terry Gross' favorite interviews of 2013:

http://www.npr.org/2013/06/25/188698578/inside-amy-schumer-its-not-just-sex-stuff

Prix fixe pronunciation

One of those confusing ones: I prefer the French way, "pree feeks," but even Dictionary.com lists it like "pre fix". : o \

Radio Songs

Heard of KXPR 88.9 out of Sacramento, CA:

Alexander Glazunov: Saxophone Concerto in Eb major Opus 109 - Russian National Orchestra; Jose Serebrier, conductor; Marc Chisson, alto saxophone; Label: Warner Classics; Number: 67946 BUY

You can hear a sample.

Apricot Pecan Cake

Colin Street Bakery, out of Corsicana, TX, makes some great Apricot Pecan Cake : o )