NYT fails us

Though my typing is lousy, I do appreciate when people take time to spell-check and edit text before anyone reads it, especially if you're a major global media source. I'm disappointed to see the NYT failed to catch the misuse of the word "nonplused" in this article.

Up in Waterloo, where the towering winter snowpacks finally melted this month, R.I.M. executives appear nonplused. Though they would not reveal details, R.I.M. itself is expected to unveil a new 3G phone sometime in May and deliver it to wireless carriers throughout the year.

Nonplused means confused, utterly puzzled. What the author probably meant was "unfazed," unless I'm misreading the tone of the article. The word gets misused pretty frequently, but since they're, you know, The New York Times and all, I figure they should catch that sort of thing.

I sent in feedback email to the main desk and to the author, Brad Stone. He's been writing on technology for a number of years, including a mention of an Atlas client, so let hope I didn't piss him off by emailing him the definition.

Yep. We're related.

Last week I returned to Tejas to hang out with my family and a couple friends. Texas is not as bad as you think it is. However, Plano is much, much worse. Nonetheless, I had a great time eating and observing my nigh-ridiculous niece run around. Also, I acquired this photograph from a fashion shoot The Niece did. If you know anything about my internet tastes, the photograph below will convince you The Niece and I are kin.

How many more times can the W Adminstration make us look dumb?

Seriously?

I'd like to point out that I voted for Ann.

Everybody think good thoughts for Nepal

Nepal had their elections (and the whole country's more or less shut down for the week because of them). They're what is known in political science as "a really big deal." Here's a nice NYT article, if you want to read some background.

That bold experiment will give this nation of 27 million an opportunity to cement peace and install a fully elected government, while most likely ending the monarchy that has ruled Nepal for 250 years.

Read The Himalayan Times to see what's happening daily.

Nepal has a pretty complex and troubled political history. The elections--or perhaps more accurately the power hungry--have brought out a lot of rough elements in Nepal. Transportation has been locked down, and they've had protests, bombings, and all around tense scene. However, turnout was high, and relative to what could have happened, voting day was fairly calm.

Nepal is one of the best places I have ever been, and I will definitely return some day. It made me appreciate living in a safe city and stable country--I'm counting my lucky stars and paying my taxes with a smile (now if we could just quit invading other countries...). So, when the dust settles in Kathmandu, go have yourself a great vacation.

My vacation may have been too good

I seem to be lacking my normal persistence (read: anger) on the soccer field. I still feel pretty calm about everything, and I think I might run harder when I'm mad. Then again, I'm probably a lot dumber, so it's a draw.

In terms of progress, I've been back in Seattle two weeks and played six games. Since I only have one official team, I just accept any invite to sub. I gauge speed by whom I can outrun, in the following order:

5) Nobody (current status)
4) Overweight women in knee braces
3) Overweight men in knee braces
2) In-shape women
1) Men
0) (on a good day) Slowing down the really fast guys

I'm not really supposed to be fast--which is good because no one in my family is really built for land speed--but I did a credible job of getting in the way of the opposing team. I'm actually sort of surprised that I am not worse after so long being gone. In fact, one of my teammates said I was better than he remembered me being.

If I can just force my legs to go faster--I'm convinced that speed is a function of will--I'll be more useful on the field. I'm told not kicking the ball to the opposition will help, too.

DraftGuys - Feedback from anybody?

A friend from college has produced a television show about football (the American kind). Since I compulsively promote small ventures (and because I occasionally pester him about some of my clients), I'll post the link here. I think I'll focus on this one to help me in soccer, though I don't really like Skittles that much...

Hmmm. "Diamond-like substances are a girl's best friend" might need some work...

I'm billing again, my friends! In addition to a couple internal projects for Atlas, I'm working for Zolastar (The website getting hepped up some, don't worry). I'm pretty excited about them because:

1)They have wicked cool machines
The machines add a few angstroms of diamondy-coating to anything you put in them. That fact means you can make the merely shiny sparkle and/or make an item reeeealy hard to scratch.

2) I get to use what I learned in Earth Science
This fact means that 8th grade--conventionally known as The Worst Grade EVER--has finally paid off.

3) I like thwarting De Beers and their stupid ad campaigns in any way possible.
I don't like the diamond business for a lot of reasons, but I do love shiny things.

[Warning: Nerdy text below]

They create a diamond-like coating, which means you can use something else in the middle (like, say the much-less durable CZ) that doesn't have to be mined, but coat it in something that is diamond-like in hardness and depth. It's faster and less expensive to produce than other diamond simulants (look at me with my gemology vocabulary). So, you get all the bling without De Beers.

You can get all-the-way-through-diamond gems that are lab-made, but they are still pricey (I'm not just eco-crunchy and West Coast, I'm cheap, too). Zolastar gave me a sample pair of earrings, but I probably would have bought myself a pair anyway. Feel free to buy me the matching pendant.

Where Zolastar gets more interesting is non-jewelry items where you can take advantage of other diamond properties (like a low coefficient of friction and super-high scratch resistance) for industrial and commercial purposes--airplane parts, lenses, dog toys... I'm pretty entertained by the "What Can We Put in the Zolastar Machine" game, if anyone has suggestions (note: please nothing alive).

FAQ II: Back in Se-attle, again...

Now that I am home, I'd better repeat the exercise of the first FAQ and the iFAQ. Feel free to ask more questions.

When did you get back?
How was the flight?
Feel good to be home?
Are you back for good?
Is your dad glad to have you back?
Did the cats recognize you?
How are the fish?
Have you recovered from jet lag?
How much do you weigh?
Are you working for Grameen Technology Center?
Do you have a job?
What have you been DOING?
What foods have you been getting that you missed?
How about Indian food tonight [snicker]?
Are you playing soccer?
What about those rugs?
Will you keep up the blog?


When did you get back?
Since Monday evening, March 24th. Mrs. Nelson and Mama (a.k.a. Amy-Also) fetched me from the airport.


How was the flight?
Fine. I flew from Kathmandu to Bangalore on Saturday, spent Sunday in BLR, and flew BLR-Heathrow-SEA on Monday. I read Lolita, slept, and watched movies. I sat next to some nice, very tall UW students who had been teaching and coaching in South Africa.


Feel good to be home?
Yes. I'm still finding wee ninjas that were hidden around my house, which was thoughtfully decorated in "God Bless America" style, plus at least nine teeny ninjas, gnomes, teeny horses, and a plate of Peter's Snickerdoodles.


Are you back for good?
I am, both in the sense that I will not go back to work in Bangalore, as well as opposing evil.



Is your dad glad to have you home?
You really can't tell with Dad, what with the furrowed eyebrows and somewhat stern demeanor. Chocolate chip cookies were in place, as expected. He's made these new butterscotch things that may have crack in them, near as I can tell.



Did the cats recognize you?
I don't know. They seemed uninterested in me when I arrived. Apparently they used to freak out when they heard my voice over Skype, but you wouldn't know it from my homecoming.


How are the fish?
The remaining fish seem fine. It was a hard winter, but a lot of my fish had been around for several years, so it may have just been their time. I am looking to get rid of a few aquaria, if you are interested.


Have you recovered from jet lag?
I get very sleepy midday, but I sleep through the night. I wish I could sleep less, though. I have too many nights that end up being >9 hours.


Are you working for Grameen Technology Center?
No, but I may volunteer or work on small projects, if AW needs me.


Do you have a job?
Yes, Atlas Accelerator welcomed me back with open arms. I have one project already, and I'm also working on internal projects. I'll probably have at least one more client soon, so if you want to hire me, call soon!


What are you DOING?
I spent the first week spending time with friends in a jet-lagged haze. If you saw me in the first two days, I was probably kind of stupid and might have tripped over something.

I've been meeting some Atlas clients and our new-since-I-left team. It involves a lot of food, so you know I'm into it. So far, I like all my new(-er) coworkers.

I also have a lot of logistical items like making the car start (needed a new battery), opening mail (thoughtfully and compulsively organized by Dad), starting taxes (hairy this year), cleaning up the fish tanks, and distributing India presents.


What foods have you been getting that you missed?
I ate a fair amount of Western food in Kathmandu (mainly bread!), so I was pretty well satisfied. I still need to go have some pho and a Ragin Cajun sandwich from The Other Coast Cafe in Ballard.

I had to ask Dad to stop baking for a bit while I get my eating habits back under control. I ate 3/4 of a batch of snickerdoodles and half a batch of chocolate chip in 2 days.


How about Indian food tonight [snicker]?
I never got tired of the food in India (except for mediocre Italian-like food) because if I was tired of South Indian, I ate North Indian, or Keralan, or Bengali...

Unfortunately, Seattle only has a few places I know of that serve South Indian, so Uncle Tarang and Auntie Chaithra had best dust off their sambar recipes.


Have you lost weight?
I have recovered most of the weight that I lost, so I'm only a little thinner than when I left. In fact, if anyone wants my dress I wore to the wedding in China, let me know.

I may have returned with another gastrointestinal companion, so stay tuned!


Are you playing soccer?
I've played three game so far. I'm playing the whole game and breathing as well as expected after 6-7 months in Asian cities (that's pollution you hear me coughing up), but I am s__l__o__w. I hope to be back up to my normal faster-than-she-looks-but-slower-than-most speed within a month.


What about those rugs?
OK--nobody asks about the rugs, but they are beautiful and I love showing them off.



Are you going to keep up the blog?
Well, I hadn't planned on it, but I suppose it is a useful thing, in that I don't have to repeat myself. Oh--wait. I ALWAYS repeat things. Well, we'll see what I end up doing. If nothing else, I'll blog about my clients.