Wanderers

A fantastically detailed, atmospherically scored short film:

http://www.erikwernquist.com/wanderers/

MEAN Javascript Fullstack

Installed the MEAN.io stack today. MEAN represents an acronym which stands for MongoDB, Node.js, Express, and AngularJS.

NOTES

• I am running Debian Wheezy stable with backports
• Installing npm
• sudo apt-get install nodejs
• sudo curl https://www.npmjs.org/install.sh | sudo sh
• sudo npm install -g mean-cli
• sudo apt-get install mongodb
• sudo apt-get install grunt
• sudo npm install -g grunt-cli
• mean init yourNewApp
• cd yourNewApp && npm install
• grunt

I think the above represents the gist of what I did...I had a few hiccups along the way. I found the MEAN.io documentation helpful.

Which dentist's office would you prefer?

Wine? ; o ) Smells like fresh-baked cookies?

Via: http://headrush.typepad.com/creating_passionate_users/2007/03/helping_users_f.html

Ferrell's Donuts - Santa Cruz, California

Anecdotally, on why Santa Cruz has donut shops named "Ferrell's" and "The Original Ferrell's":

On this particular morning I was passing through Scotts Valley on my way to play at a Church and I decided it was time to figure this thing out. I asked, “What’s with the word Original in the name?” She told me that years ago, there were 5 affiliated Ferrell’s Donut Shops (2 of them have since gone out of business). 2 more donut shops opened and somehow legally got the business name of Ferrell’s. The owner of the Original 5 shops wanted to separate himself from the fakes, so he changed the name to “The Original Ferrell’s Donuts.” It’s too bad for him that, in my opinion, the copies are better that the original.

Sounds fishy.

Silicon Valley Job Title Generator

http://siliconvalleyjobtitlegenerator.tumblr.com/

Shingy.

Refrigerator compressor decibel levels

Living in an apartment with a refrigerator with a slowly failing compressor. Measured decibel readings today using Android Play Store app Noise Meter by JINASYS, one of four apps which partially met the criteria of the NIOSH Science Blog staff.

We measured our room noise levels with the refrigerator compressor on and off.

RESULTS

Refrigerator compressor ON

• 50.7dB - Six inches away (Noise level: Interior noise in car)
• 43.6dB - six feet away (Noise level: Library)
• 35.9dB - 13-14 feet away (Noise level: Whispering words)

Refrigerator compressor OFF

• 21.3dB - Six inches away (Noise level: Very calm room)
• 20.3dB - six feet away (Noise level: Very calm room)
• 20.6dB - 13-14 feet away (Noise level: Very calm room)

NOTES

• As the NIOSH Science Blog staff note, "Android devices are built by several different manufacturers and that there is a lack of conformity for using similar microphones and other audio components in their devices." In other words, "Android and Windows developers do not offer apps that meet the functionality needed for occupational noise assessments."
• Therefore, I can, at best, hope for a relative comparison between testings on the same hardware, with the caveat understood that the device may not reflect verified decibel levels
• The refrigerator in question represents a 10-year-old Maytag Performa PTB1753GR
• Maytag refrigerator Use and Care Guide - 61005299 (PDF; 15 pages; 1.3MB)...unfortunately, seems to say nothing about dB levels (via)
• This seems to indicate an increase in noise of 15-30dB with the refrigerator running
• Increase in noise levels (via):
• 1dB  –  Not noticable
• 3dB  –  Barely noticeable
• 5dB  –  Clearly noticeable change
• 10dB  –  About twice as loud
• 20dB  –  About four times as loud

Just how much noise should the refrigerator make under normal operating conditions? I see opinions online vary from 30-50 dB. 

How much does the characteristics of the noise matter? For example, whining noise versus white noise. Our refrigerator emits an continuous buzzing noise.

Previously

Lick Icons Meme

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/lick-icons

Original: http://sketchmichi.deviantart.com/art/Lick-icon-base-201253097

Beyond the Lights

http://www.buzzfeed.com/kelleylcarter/the-young-black-romance-movie-everyone-said-no-to-finally-se

Movies I want to see

Pyrodon

http://wiki.hellokittyonline.com/index.php/Pyrodon

Insurance - Collision premium versus car depreciation

"One rule of thumb: When the annual premium exceeds 10% of the car's value, drop it."
Via: http://twocents.lifehacker.com/if-your-car-is-old-you-might-be-wasting-money-on-insur-1585410417

Our car, in a private sale, probably would sell for around $5,500.

10% of $5,500 = $550

Collision: We currently pay $160 every six months ($320 annually for a $500 deductible, or 5.8%)...this means, if an accident totaled our car, the insurance company pays out $5,500 - $500, or $5,000. After $5,000 / $320 = 15 years, we would break even.

Comprehensive: We currently pay $22 every six months ($44 annually for a $250 deductible, or 0.08%)

Also:

""A good rule of thumb is if the cost of collision coverage is 25 percent of your vehicles value every six months, it is probably time to stop paying for collision coverage. Just think in two years time you have saved enough money to cover the cost of a total loss of your vehicle."

25% of $5,500 = $1,375

Collision: We currently pay $160 every six months ($320 annually for a $500 deductible, or 5.8%)

Kevin Voted Today

Governor
Jerry Brown

Controller
Betty T. Yee

Insurance Commissioner
Dave Jones

Lieutenant Governor
Ron Nehring

Treasurer
John Chiang

Member, State Board of Equalization, District 1
Chris Parker

Secretary of State
Alex Padilla

Attorney General
Kamala D. Harris

Congressional District 3
Ami Bera

Senate District 6
Roger Dickenson

Member of the State Assembly
Ken Cooley

For Associate Justice Of The Supreme Court
Shall Associate  Justice of the  Supreme Court GOODWIN LIU be elected to  the office for the term provided by law?
YES
         
For Associate Justice Of The Supreme Court          
Shall Stanford University Law Professor MARIANO-FLORENTINO CUÉLLAR be elected to the office for the term provided by law?    
YES    
           
For Associate Justice Of The Supreme Court
Shall Associate Justice, of the Supreme Court KATHRYN MICKLE WERDEGAR be elected to the office for the term provided by law?
YES

For Presiding Justice, Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District
Shall Presiding  Justice, Court of  Appeal, Third  Appellate District VANCE W. RAYE  be elected to the office for the term provided by law?
YES

For Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District
Shall Associate  Justice, Court of  Appeal, Third  Appellate District ANDREA LYNN HOCH be elected to the office for the term provided by law?    
YES
           
For Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District          
Shall Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District RONALD B. ROBIE be elected to the office for the term provided by law?
YES
         
For Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District          
Shall Associate JONATHAN K. RENNER be elected to the office for the term provided by law?
YES
 
For Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District          
Shall Associate  Justice, Court of  Appeal, Third  Appellate District WILLIAM J. MURRAY, JR. be elected to the office for the term provided by law?    
YES    
           
For Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District          
Shall Associate  Justice, Court of  Appeal, Third  Appellate District LOUIS MAURO  be elected to the office for the term provided by law?          
YES
           
For Associate Justice, Court of Appeal, Third Appellate District          
Shall Associate  Justice, Court of  Appeal, Third  Appellate District ELENA J. DUARTE be             elected to the office for the term provided by law?  
YES

Superintendent of Public Instruction
Tom Torlakson

San Juan Unified School District - Governing Board Member
Greg Paulo - Retired Teacher
Paula Marie Villescaz - Children's Health Advisor

STATE PROPOSITION 1
WATER BOND. FUNDING FOR WATER QUALITY, SUPPLY, TREATMENT, AND STORAGE PROJECTS. Authorizes $7.545 billion in general obligation bonds for state water supply infrastructure projects, including surface and groundwater storage, ecosystem and watershed protection and restoration, and drinking water protection. Fiscal Impact: Increased state bond costs averaging $360 million annually over 40 years. Local government savings for water-related projects, likely averaging a couple hundred million dollars annually over the next few decades.
YES

STATE PROPOSITION 2
STATE BUDGET. BUDGET STABILIZATION ACCOUNT. LEGISLATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
Requires annual transfer of state general fund revenues to budget stabilization account. Requires half the revenues be used to repay state debts. Limits use of remaining funds to emergencies or budget deficits. Fiscal Impact: Long-term state savings from faster payment of existing debts. Different levels of state budget reserves, depending on economy and decisions by elected officials. Smaller local reserves for some school districts.
YES

STATE PROPOSITION 45
HEALTHCARE INSURANCE. RATE CHANGES. INITIATIVE STATUTE.
Requires Insurance Commissioner’s approval before health insurer can change its rates or anything else affecting the charges associated with health insurance. Provides for public notice, disclosure, and hearing, and subsequent judicial review. Exempts employer large group health plans. Fiscal Impact: Increased state administrative costs to regulate health insurance, likely not exceeding the low millions of dollars annually in most years, funded from fees paid by health insurance companies.
YES

STATE PROPOSITION 46
DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTING OF DOCTORS. MEDICAL NEGLIGENCE LAWSUITS. INITIATIVE STATUTE.
Requires drug testing of doctors. Requires review of statewide prescription database before prescribing controlled substances. Increases $250,000 pain/suffering cap in medical negligence lawsuits for inflation. Fiscal Impact: State and local government costs from raising the cap on medical malpractice damages ranging from tens of millions to several hundred million dollars annually, offset to some extent by savings from requirements on health care providers.
NO

STATE PROPOSITION 47
CRIMINAL SENTENCES. MISDEMEANOR PENALTIES. INITIATIVE STATUTE.
Requires misdemeanor sentence instead of felony for certain drug and property offenses. Inapplicable to persons with prior conviction for serious or violent crime and registered sex offenders. Fiscal Impact: State and county criminal justice savings potentially in the high hundreds of millions of dollars annually. State savings spent on school truancy and dropout prevention, mental health and substance abuse treatment, and victim services.
YES

STATE PROPOSITION 48
INDIAN GAMING COMPACTS. REFERENDUM.
A “Yes” vote approves, and a “No” vote rejects, tribal gaming compacts between the state and the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians and the Wiyot Tribe. Fiscal Impact: One-time payments ($16 million to $35 million) and for 20 years annual payments ($10 million) from Indian tribes to state and local governments to address costs related to the operation of a new casino.
YES

How to read Scott Adams' blog at Dilbert.com - Skip to the bottom, read the last paragraph

Per Subject, works for me every time: http://dilbert.com/blog/

Cuts through all the disclaimers and hundreds of words--it seems most of the time everything he wants to say he sums up in the last 1-2 paragraphs, for better or worse.

Note: if Scott Adams ever reads this, Thank You, and, respect.

Fortune

I do not believe in predestination; however, I appreciate the message:

One must dare to be himself, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be.

From a fortune cookie after a breakfast at Harry's Cafe in Sacramento.

I Wanna Be The Boshy

So, this game exists:

http://iwbtb.wikia.com/wiki/I_Wanna_Be_The_Boshy_Wiki

The Surf City Long Course Triathlon

Disrupting traffic near our home today : o )

http://www.finishlineproduction.com/events/triathlon/SurfCityTriathlon/SurfCityTriathlon.html

Eat Move Sleep: How Small Choices Lead to Big Changes

A book recommended by a friend. Not investigated, yet....

Cat fix on morning walk

I often walk up 15th Street on the way to work. Between Uptown Alley ad V Street, on the eastern side of the street, I occasionally see a friendly cream and orange-colored cat near the stairs to the second floor landing of a small apartment complex. My cat fix during this transition.

Whale weather vane

On the house to the east of Sacramento's Naked Lounge Coffee House:

A whale weather vane : o )

Radio stations - I-80, I-680, I-880

Driving from Sacramento to Santa Cruz offers a few regional radio stations which I enjoy listening to:

• KVHS (90.5 FM, "The Edge") - broadcasting at 410 watts out of Clayton Valley Charter High School, Concord, California
• Callsign meaning: (K)layton (V)alley (H)igh (S)chool
• Coverage map
• KPFA (94.1 FM) - broadcasting at 59,000 watts out of Berkeley, California
• Coverage map
• Callsign meaning: "PaciFicA"

Listened to KVHS on previous trips but missed them last night. 

Listened to KPFA last night around 9:30 p.m. and heard a portion of the second hour of a program La Onda Bajita, called "Radio Cafe" (which may occur only one Friday per month), hosted by a DJ called Little Miguel. He interviewed an artist out of the Bay Area called The Genie, an "avant garde per­form­ing artist and gui­tar loop­ing innovator from San Francisco" who innovates with a technique called "Scratch Guitar." The Genie has a collaborative album in development with the working title "Time Being." The live drum & bass tracks around the 1:28:00 mark caught my ear - he did a nice mix of DJ Rino “Essential Beats” (?) & REM's "Losing My Religion," and a "Bassnectar “Yo”/Radiohead “Creep” gmix. The Genie works with J Wiliams as produced (Jaz Hoo). Deuce Eclipse may have assisted with the drum and bass song (?)

Later in the show featured the first cousin of Leonard Peletier, "DJ Free Leonard Peletier".

101.3 FM Santa Cruz

Listened to 101.3 FM Santa Cruz last night and this morning.

Last night (Halloween) around 10:00 p.m., I heard something like Hearts of Space-y electric guitar, but the schedule seems to indicate, "R Duck Show Live Improvised Electronic Music."

This morning, around 11:00 a.m., I heard some Japanese music...some of which seemed a bit sexualized. The schedule seems to indicate, "Mideast Migraines w/ Ren Tawil."  Preceding that show, "SWANA," seemed to air from 10:30-11:00 a.m. The "Solid Waste Association of North America" (?)

So, no real schedule seems to exist that I can find in a cursory glance.

#LetsFixEmail

An important post on the state of e-mail HTML/CSS support across various e-mail clients today and how the industry might come together to improve the experience for everyone.

• Support media queries
• E-mail client preprocessors and varying ways they modify the HTML during the sanitization proces
• E-mail client rendering engines do not support CSS consistently
• E-mail client development teams do not collaborate
• Iframes do not work due to resource demands of full-blown web browser support