Kevin Voted Today

Governor
Jerry Brown

Lieutenant Governor
Gavin Newsom

Secretary of State
Derek Cressman

Controller
Betty T. Yee

Treasurer
John Chiang

Attorney General
Kamala D. Harris

Insurance Commissioner
Dave Jones

Member, State Board of Equalization, District 1
Chris Parker

Congressional District 3
Ami Bera

Senate District 6
Richard Pan

Member of the State Assembly
Ken Cooley

Superintendent of Public Instruction
Tom Torlakson

District Attorney
Maggy Krell

County Assessor
Abstained

Sheriff
Abstained

State Proposition 41: Veterans Housing and Homeless Prevention Bond Act of 2014
Yes

State Proposition 42: Public Records, Open Meetings, State Reimbursement to Local Agencies (Legislative Constitutional Amendment)
Yes

Shoes

Oxblood bluchers/balmorals:

• Cole Haan Caldwell
• Cole Haan Air Carter Split
• Bostonian Andover
• Bostonian Akron
• Alden
• Style #9015, "Dark Burgundy Shell Cordovan" (Last: Hampton; seems pretty true to standard sizing)
• How to properly try on Alden shoes (video)
• Johnston & Murphy
• Vintage

SIZES

• Extra Narrow (A+)
• Narrow (C, B)
• Medium (D, M)
• Wide (E,W)
• Extra Wide (EE+)

COLORS

• Cordovan
• Oxblood
• Burgundy
• Horween Leather Company colors

BELT TO MATCH

• Horween Color #8 (see link as above)
• Style Forum thread
• "You can get a sufficiently good match with any calfskin burgundy / merlot / cordovan / wine (all different names for basically the same color) belt and don't need to go to the additional expense of a shell cordovan belt."
• Reddit thread
• Chromexcel definition
• Vendors
• Trafalgar
• Broderick ** (?)
• Orion
• Brooks Brothers
• #853C Leather Dress Belt
• Alden
• Allen Edmonds
• Polished cobbler (though reviews suggest it looks dark brown)
• Rancourt And Company
• Chromexcel color #8 (out of stock)
• Shell cordovan color #8

Previously

Zippered leather binder folios

REQUIREMENTS

• Burgundy, or something close
• Good build quality...leather or something that looks professional
• No handles...not my thing
• Zippered around three sides
• Binder (three or more rings)
• Letter-sized paper pad

WOULD BE NICE....

• USB memory stick loop
• Pen on outside or middle (only a preference, so does not interfere with writing on back of pages)
• Gusseted file pocket, if possible, instead of a v-shaped pocket, which squishes papers
• One binder had a removable, velcro-affixed three ring binder...kind of interesting, but not sure if practical...I thought briefly about adding something like that to an existing pad folio, but it seems risky regarding fit

OPTIONS

• YES
• McKinley Leather: #140Z, though the burgundy seems a bit red--$175 (this is the one I purchased)
• A.C. Oehmich Company: option #174 seems to fit all the requirements--$124...or $133?
• Scully (5020Z or 494Z, Color: 22 - BURGUNDY; 06 - Italian leather...but hard to find)--~$230 for the 494Z
• LeatherTree: They sell the 5012 (no zipper) and the 5012Z (zipper)
• Colors which I do not want: 39-PLUM (looks purple)
• Day-Timer: (4462, "Western Coach Leather Zippered 1 1/2" Planner Cover Folio" seems perfect...4584: zippered, but not leather...looks cheaper)--~$92
• MAYBE
• Samsill: 70734 comes in burgundy
• Dacasso (E7002 - Burgundy seems reasonable, but no three ring binder option)
• Leatherology (their burgundy looks acceptable...but no three ring binder option)
• Jack Georges: beautiful, burgundy, but no zipper or rings
• Osgoode Marley: #1810 zippered folio, but no rings...comes in "Brandy" but no way to see color
• Willow Brook Leather: burgundy, zipper, no rings (looks a bit brown?)
• NO
• Levenger (black only)
• Claire Chase (tan only)
• Hartmann (see history...may not represent a good buy...also, only brown)
• Clava (#92107 comes only in black;)
• Barnes and Noble (Sienna Deluxe Bonded Leather Business Folio)...brown, but an easy local buy, I guess
• Quadra: has a USB memory stick loop which seems clever; alas, only black
• Avenues in Leather: only black, but some nice styles
• Gino Ferrari: Ambassador A4 Zip Folio with Calculator looks nice, but, only black 
• Bullet Blocker: well, it stops .45 and 9mm...but only in black
• Bosca: beautiful, hand-made, but no burgundy, no rings, and so forth
• Franklin Covey: only in black
• Johnston & Murphy: no binder, and so forth.
• Piel Leather: beautiful, but not burgundy; only saddle/black/chocolate
• Royce Leather Collection: only black or tan
• Bond St: #710018 looks a bit cheap

SEARCH TERMS

• "burgundy" binder leather pad zipper
• Padfolio (in reference to iPad, I guess)
• Folio
• Zipper
• Leather
• Saddle: the kind I do not want...looks like a pouch
• Binder
• Pad

COLORS

• Cordovan (unlikely to ever find true shell cordovan, due to size/expense, so just the color)
• Burgundy
• Brandy
• (?)

RESULTS

I purchased the McKinley Leather: #140Z after a dialogue with a customer service representative. Of all the companies I contacted, McKinley Leather responded in a timely manner via e-mail and re-assured me about the color and one or two other questions I had. Bravo! Scully Leather and A.C. Oehmich Company failed to respond within a day or two to rather simple questions. As to why I chose the #140Z, I liked the gusseted pocket and the pen placement near the pad's outside edge. It fit all the requirements and had a space for business cards.

Maker Faire Bay Area 2014 : Miss Tickle

My favorite part: watching kids operate Miss Tickle:

From the Maker Faire web site: "Baron Von Jabba's pedal-powered "creature quad," Miss Tickle."

Santa Cruz Housing

Dawn will enter graduate studies at Santa Cruz in early October.

OVERVIEW

• City on a Hill Press: Santa Cruz Hoods (2010)
• Nate Cooper: Maps of Santa Cruz (2006)
• Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce: Neighborhoods in Santa Cruz County
• Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce: Moving to Santa Cruz
• Santa Cruz Chamber of Commerce: Demographics
• Santa Cruz.com: Neighborhoods
• City of Santa Cruz: Statistics
• Who Rules Santa Cruz?

HOUSING

• UCSC Family Housing - do not allow cats : o (
• 
  

Mint Julep

Celebrated the Kentucky Derby today by watching it at the Berkley Bar, then making mint julep drinks.

We used the following:

• Maker's Mark Kentucky bourbon 
• Two kinds of mint: (1) backyard mint; and (2) week-old, store-bought mint
• Homemade turbinado sugar simple syrup
• This recipe: http://backyardbartender.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-best-mint-julep-you-will-ever-taste.html

Some mistakes I learned from: 

1. Ratio of turbinado sugar to water: I initially made a 1:1 ratio, then saw it required a 2:1 ratio. Not a big deal--just remix : o )
2. Forgot to muddle the mint at the bottom of one cup before putting in the ice
3. Sprig of mint for the top of the glass--it looks better to use a generous mint leaf : o )
4. Mix the simple syrup and bourbon together, then pour over the ice
5. Stir the mixture after pouring
6. Muddle the mint leaves over the side of the silver cup

Despite all the beginner mistakes, it turned out somewhat satisfactorily, after the ice had a chance to melt and the various parts had a chance to mingle.

I am not sure how much better a mint julep can really taste--it represents a simple drink. We drank in the kitchen and socialized, but I can imagine how refreshing this might taste on a hot and humid Kentucky summer afternoon!

Note: as a special treat, we watched New Orleans bartender Chris McMillian make it.

Linux (Debian) + Citrix Receiver SSL Error: You have not chosen to trust "DigiCert High Assurance CA-3" the issuer of the server's security certificate (SSL error 61)

Fixed this issue today on my install of Debian.

The exact error received: "You have not chosen to trust "DigiCert High Assurance CA-3" the issuer of the server's security certificate (SSL error 61)"

Relevant Google search phrase: "linux citrux receiver ssl error"

This led to this Ubuntu forums post: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1975705

I Google'd for "DigiCert High Assurance CA-3", which led me to page, "DigiCert Root Certificates :: Download and Test SSL"

I downloaded all six certs containing the phrase "High Assurance" to my Desktop:

1. DigiCert High Assurance EV Root CA
2. DigiCert High Assurance EV CA-1
3. DigiCert High Assurance CA-3
4. DigiCert High Assurance Code Signing CA-1
5. DigiCert SHA2 High Assurance Server CA
6. DigiCert SHA2 High Assurance Code Signing CA

Then, I moved them to the global ICAClient cacerts folder

sudo mv ~/Desktop/*.crt /opt/Citrix/ICAClient/keystore/cacerts

Then, finally, I rehashed everything:

sudo c_rehash /opt/Citrix/ICAClient/keystore/cacerts

After restarting my web browser (Chromium Version 32.0.1700.123 Debian 7.4 (248368)), things began working.

NOTE

I initially downloaded just certificate "DigiCert High Assurance CA-3"...but this did not work.I am not sure which of the above, therefore, allowed it to work.

 

Realism

Falling in:

http://www.artrenewal.org/pages/search.php

UC Davis Professor initiates replacement/supplement of textbooks with wiki

http://larsenlab.ucdavis.edu/

The Campus Crusade for Chaos and Confusion: iteration 001

UC-Davis, Kemper Hall: The Campus Crusade for Chaos and Confusion, iteration001 (more info):

The text:

100101101101111110001010011101110
001011101001000001111001011100110
100100001111000110100001101000110
101001110100100110010100011011010
011110010010111001111110001000100
010011100101001000000111100101010
100101011101110101110100101011001
010101001101110010101011101001011
101011010101010011010100010001010
101001100100010100100100010001001
000111000000101001011110001110111
101000001001001010101001010100101
001010100101010101010010101010010
100101001001010101010010101011100
100000101000101010001001010101011
011101101010100100010010101011010
101110110101110101010101010101001
101010100000010101110100101011011
100110010101010101010100101011001
111110001000001011111010110110101
100110010010010010000100010010100
101001101011010110101110000101000
110100110011010110101101011110012
Brought to you by the Campus Crusade for Chaos and Confusion iteration001

Hmmm.....

Converting the first  from binary (?) to ASCII results in the following confusion:

�ß�w H<¹¤<hhÔé2�§�çâ"r�<ªWuÒ²©¹WK­TÔES"�"G ��ô U*R¥U*�¤ª�r

*%VíR%Z»]UTÕ ºVæUU+? _[Y�HD¥5­p£LÖµ9

Another one, over by the Silo:

Text: 

Avoid reality at all costs.
brought to you by the Campus Crusade for Chaos and Confusion iteration001

Font: Apple Sand (via)

Josh Ritter - A Certain Light

A simple, pleasant tune:

"A Certain Light"

My new lover, sweet and kind
The kind of lover that one rarely finds
And I'm happy for the first time, in a long time

Came along and opened up the door
And though I know I've been in love before
Oh I feel it, so much more, than the last time

And she only looks like you
In a certain kind of light
When she holds her head just right

Its been winter, for a while
The north winds wail cut like a baby child
It was hard to think or smile
That brings springtime

But it did and now it is
The green green grass
Is come up green and its
Feeling just the way it did
The very first time

And she only looks like you
In a certain kind of light
When she holds her head just right

And anymore, it'd stretch the rhyme
So let me leave this where I started, I'm
Just happy for the first time
In a long time

In a long time

Homeless no more - How much would it cost to house the homeless in America?

In reaction to this article (via), remembered myself thinking big on the way home a week or two ago--how much money would it cost overall and per-person to house all the homeless people in America?

The article asserts some facts:

• 3.5 million people without homes each year in America
• $10,000 per unit, on average, for the structures at Second Wind Cottages, a tiny-house village for the chronically homeless in the town of Newfield, NY, outside of Ithaca
• $200,000 per unit for a typical development for extremely low-income housing
• $10 million per year in costs of homelessness to taxpayers, in Austin, Texas

So, doing the math, to house everyone in America would cost (at a minimum): 

$10,000 (10 * 10^3) per unit * 3.5 million (3.5 * 10^6) people 

= $35 billion (35,000,000,000, or 35 * 10^9)

How much does that amount to, per-person, in America? As of this post, the Census population clock reports 317,592,620 Americans:

$35 billion / 317,592,620 Americans
= $110.20 / American

That seems to represent a ballpark figure of housing all the homeless in America...a one-time sunk cost for building out the infrastructure.

Some huge caveats:

• $10,000 gets you the cost of building materials
• All construction labor donated by volunteers (hundreds? thousands?)
• In other locations:
• Costs, in some cases, offset with grants, government funding, and individual donations
• Architecture and design firms might need to contribute design services pro bono
• Supportive governments lease land to the housing for $1/year
• General concerns:
• Must work together with businesses and landowners to address impact on local businesses and homeowners
• "Unique legal zoning limitations and barriers that limit where tiny houses can be stationed."

It costs 9x as much (as it does in Quixote Village, in Olympia, Washington, where units cost $88,000): $308 billion, instead--that leads to $308 billion / 317,592,620 Americans = $969.80 / American

It costs 20x as much (as the average case): $700 billion, instead--that leads to $700 billion / 317,592,620 Americans = $2204.08 / American

So, it seems like a one-time cost to house the 3.5 million homeless Americans would amount to somewhere between $110--$2,204 per American.

But--let's say not everyone wants to pay. What then?

Note: I use the following rough and arbitrary labels to gauge American participation rates (fill in left-wing, center-left, center-right, and right wing assignments to the percentages as you prefer)

• 100% participation
• 75% participation
• 50% participation
• 25% participation

My rough guesstimates:

1. $10,000 units: $110-$441 per American (3.5 million homeless * $10,000 = $35 billion)
• 100% participation = $35 billion / 317,592,620 Americans = $110.20 / American
• 75% participation = $35 billion / 238,194,465 Americans = $146.94 / American
• 50% participation = $35 billion / 158,796,310 Americans = $220.41 / American
• 25% participation = $35 billion / 79,398,155 Americans = $440.82 / American
2. $90,000 units: $970-$3879 per American (3.5 million homeless * $90,000 = $308 billion)
• 100% participation = $308 billion / 317,592,620 Americans = $969.80 / American
• 75% participation = $308 billion / 238,194,465 Americans = $1293.06 / American
• 50% participation = $308 billion / 158,796,310 Americans = $1939.59 / American
• 25% participation = $308 billion / 79,398,155 Americans = $3879.18 / American
3. $200,000 units: $2204-$8816 per American (3.5 million homeless * $200,000 = $700 billion)
• 100% participation = $700 billion / 317,592,620 Americans = $2204.08 / American
• 75% participation = $700 billion / 238,194,465 Americans = $2938.78 / American
• 50% participation = $700 billion / 158,796,310 Americans = $4408.16 / American
• 25% participation = $700 billion / 79,398,155 Americans = $8816.33 / American

My opinion: when it comes down to brass tacks, the statistics in the table above show why homeless people still go without--I am guessing the number of people willing to actually contribute falls somewhere in the 25-50% range (if that), and, at an average cost of $200,000 per unit of housing, it would--at a minimum--cost the 25%-50% of Americans who care ~$4408-$8816 to accomplish. It is too much. Add in a 1% annual maintenance cost after the initial outlay, or $44.08-$88.16...worth it?

However--what if it only cost those Americans who care a one-time cost of $220-$441, plus a 1% annual maintenance cost of $2.20-$4.40? Now that represents an exciting, tractable change--almost NPR-contribution territory! Imagine this coupled with a united consensus to treat the problem.

Anyway, my question, answered. : o )

UPDATE: some additional notes, from comments at the article:

• "The majority of homeless people in the United States are disabled veterans and children and their mothers fleeing domestic violence" (they provide the following source)
• "minimum square footage laws"--apparently these limit housing options
• Frequent inspections? At least at first?
• The Hacker News post also has a ton of intelligent insights from various angles

The Ivory Silo

"The Ivory Silo"

Seen on a license plate frame in the staff parking lot at UC-Davis.

The Benjamin Franklin Effect

"Having heard that he had in his library a certain very scarce and curious book, I wrote a note to him, expressing my desire of perusing that book, and requesting he would do me the favour of lending it to me for a few days. He sent it immediately, and I return'd it in about a week with another note, expressing strongly my sense of the favour. When we next met in the House, he spoke to me (which he had never done before), and with great civility; and he ever after manifested a readiness to serve me on all occasions, so that we became great friends, and our friendship continued to his death."
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Franklin_effect

Breakup

Sitting inside Kemper Hall at UC-Davis watching a couple sitting outside on a picnic table in the public patio breaking up, presumably.

She's looking down, head bowed; he stares at her, alternates between holding his head in his hands and attempting to convince her to change her mind. She does not make eye contact, wipes away tears, stares away from him, turning away so they face each other perpendicularly. Both gesticulate, not wildly, with their hands as they talk. He seems in shock, trying to understand.

Above them, almond blossoms and blue skies.

Taxes

Game on.

And finished. Some notes for next year:

• No need to submit Schedule 540 CA 
• Student loan interest deduction
• Tuition fee credit
• 1099-B contains all the basis info for Schedule D and such
• (?)

Ailouro

The Greek word for cat.

11

Flappybird Impossible mode...apparently 10 or higher is the challenge:

UC-Davis, Kemper Hall

Kemper Hall, UC-Davis. Cold and rainy, today.

Hair

Radiolab did a segment on hair parts and true mirrors: http://www.radiolab.org/story/122613-mirror-mirror/