tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-62736512010-04-27T21:53:44.425-07:00[rchen.net]Highly randomized thoughts and commentaryRichhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.comBlogger359125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-53120876824373836212010-04-27T21:53:00.001-07:002010-04-27T21:53:44.900-07:00This blog has moved<br /> This blog is now located at http://blog.rchen.net/.<br /> You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click <a href='http://blog.rchen.net/'>here</a>.<br /><br /> For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to<br /> http://blog.rchen.net/feeds/posts/default.<br /> <div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-5312087682437383621?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-65000327406896310902010-02-03T21:12:00.000-08:002010-02-03T21:33:01.930-08:00Pepsi Ripoff Project<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Wow, things I miss by not watching much network TV. This showed up during "Lost" on ABC last night. Pepsi's agency has got some splainin' to do:</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Pepsi commercial - January 2010</span></span></div><div><object width="425" height="259"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/2fS39FitsoQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2fS39FitsoQ&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="259"></embed></object></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Sour "Hibi No Neiro" - July 2009</span></span></div><div><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/WfBlUQguvyw&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/WfBlUQguvyw&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-6500032740689631090?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-45597576317247348952009-12-12T16:04:00.000-08:002009-12-12T16:25:21.469-08:00Laura Thatcher Out of Berkeley<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Remember when <a href="http://rchen.net/2009/01/nia-sykes-out-of-oakland.html">recreational rioters</a> were driving over the Bay Bridge to screw up Oakland residents' livelihood? Now we have douchebags from one of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Hills_Estates,_California">finer SoCal communities</a> rioting on the UC Berkeley campus.</span><div><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/12/BASN1B3D59.DTL">Six non-students, Julia Litmancleper, 20, of San Francisco; John Friesen, 25, of Fullerton (Orange County); Donnell Allen, 41, of San Francisco, David Morse, 41, of Oakland; </a><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/12/BASN1B3D59.DTL"><i>Laura Thatcher, 21, of Rolling Hills Estates (Los Angeles County)</i></a><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/12/BASN1B3D59.DTL"> and James Carwil, 31, Brooklyn, N.Y., were arrested on the same charges.</a></span></blockquote></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/12/12/BASN1B3D59.DTL">(sfgate.com)</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">You're *so* grounded Laura; go back to Rolling Hills Estates. After your jail sentence.</span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-4559757631724734895?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-29941145960154572352009-12-09T19:38:00.000-08:002009-12-29T09:23:28.207-08:00Unfortunate brands<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">... as seen in the Craigslist "Cars for Sale" section:</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Volkswagon<br />Porsha<br />Alpha Romero<br />Datson<br />Mercedez</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Valvo<br />Camero<br />Camery</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Lexis</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Infinity<br />Carmen Ghia</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Karma Ghia</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Cadalac</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Coupe Devil<br /><br />Manuel Transmission</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Redio<br />Tacometer</span><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Head Casket</span></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-2994114596015457235?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-5170659497920516022009-11-13T15:26:00.000-08:002009-11-13T21:54:49.930-08:00More midlife behavior<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">So, I got an email from my friend </span></span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/mcaltabiano"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Marc</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> the other day. We've known each other since grad school, and in 2000 he bought my 1992 Honda Prelude with 69K miles -- The very first new car that I bought out of college, with a 48-month loan from the credit union.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Turns out he had just bought a new car -- a very sensible Acura TL -- and because his lovely wife Yuriko doesn't drive a stick-shift, can't really keep it around. Would I like to buy it back?</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">How many miles has she got now? 175K.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Has the service been kept up? Yes. With a big stack of receipts. Here's a spreadsheet summary. And I still have all the papers you gave me with the car.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">What kind of shape is it in? Body is meh, with some rust and fading clearcoat in the paint. Mechanically it's sharp, the electrics work, and it's still a fun drive.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">How much do you want for it? About half what you paid for your </span></span><a href="http://lucylc.smugmug.com/Cars/1987-BMW-535i/6029858_rQmL6/1/591017925_3XwVL"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">cheapest car to date</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">... I'll take it! (And agree that if I turned around and resold the car, we'd split the profit. Or something.)</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span><a href="http://lucylc.smugmug.com/Cars/1992-Honda-Prelude-Si/10307949_FjzVY/1/#712317573_BC7LS-A-LB"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://lucylc.smugmug.com/Cars/1992-Honda-Prelude-Si/IMG0303/712317573_BC7LS-S.jpg" /></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I brought the car home yesterday, generally tickled with the very familiar driving experience. The sunroof panel is rusted like I never thought a modern Japanese car can rust, and the body's got plenty of dings and dents (I'm looking at you, </span></span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/people/Helen-Kilber/1104857697"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Helen "SUV Magnet" Kilber</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">), but just the experience of going through old documents -- the original loan agreements, Clifford car alarm receipts from </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whole_Earth_Access"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Whole Earth Access</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> -- was worth the price of admission. The car also happens to be the ride for my first date with </span><a href="http://www.piequeens.com/lucy"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Lucy</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, although I'd rather not revisit the fact that it got keyed while parked outside the restaurant.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">If baby boomers paying big dollars for their college rides is any indication, this just may turn out to be cheap insurance. At the least, it's interesting as a stock 1990s Honda that escaped the </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rice_burner"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">ricer treatment</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">And would you just look at this dashboard? You can just *taste* the </span></span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_asset_price_bubble"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Japanese Bubble Economy</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">!</span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://lucylc.smugmug.com/Cars/1992-Honda-Prelude-Si/10307949_FjzVY/1/#712316300_VkXoR-A-LB"><img src="http://lucylc.smugmug.com/Cars/1992-Honda-Prelude-Si/IMG0310/712316300_VkXoR-S.jpg" /></a></span></span><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Sunroof panels for 4th generation Preludes were apparently made from Soviet-grade steel:</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><a href="http://lucylc.smugmug.com/Cars/1992-Honda-Prelude-Si/10307949_FjzVY/1/#712315197_9vmVt-A-LB"><img src="http://lucylc.smugmug.com/Cars/1992-Honda-Prelude-Si/IMG0314/712315197_9vmVt-S.jpg" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-517065949792051602?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-4384443065816771222009-11-03T22:46:00.000-08:002009-12-09T21:05:49.546-08:00Confessions of an overcompensating Gen Xer<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Big thanks to </span><a href="http://karakullake.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-to-start-and-maintain-car.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Tamerlane's Thoughts</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> (darned fine source for your daily recommended allowance of cars and geopolitics) for letting me </span><a href="http://karakullake.blogspot.com/2009/11/how-to-start-and-maintain-car.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">explain my interests</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">. I hope their readers receive it with more nods than shakes.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-438444306581677122?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-86241297545584911312009-07-08T22:20:00.000-07:002009-12-09T21:06:01.393-08:00Why they won't let me work in Japan anymore<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">(My </span><a href="http://www.rchen.net/2008/12/why-they-wont-let-me-work-in-marketing.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">US marketing failures here</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">)<br /><br />"</span><a href="http://www.seibu.co.jp/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Seibu</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">, Say Me"<br />"</span><a href="http://www.hankyu-hanshin.co.jp/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Hankyu</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> very much"</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-8624129754558491131?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-63957703481874043692009-06-03T17:26:00.000-07:002009-12-09T21:06:12.793-08:00Attainable Aspirations<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">A quick trip to our </span><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/longs-drugs-oakland-5"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">freakingly huge local Longs Drug store</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> reminded me of an episode back when </span><a href="http://www.piequeens.com/isabella"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">our girl</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> was 3:<br /><br />Izzy: (Pointing at a nursery fountain, having just downed a </span><a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/top-dog-4-oakland"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Top Dog</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">) "Can I have a coin? I want to go make a wish."<br />Me: "That's not really a wishing well, but OK. Here's a penny."<br /><br />Me: "So what did you just wish for?"<br />Izzy: "Ice cream."</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-6395770348187404369?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-59784775764476683232009-05-06T21:29:00.000-07:002009-12-09T21:06:25.103-08:00Hi-Res Street View<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I've noticed that the upgraded Google Street View cameras (or the images being served, at least) are sporting a much higher resolution. So very cool. In the image below, click on the arrow to "drive" towards the toll booths to see the difference.<br /><iframe width="425" height="240" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com/maps/sv?cbp=12,261.06376981669285,,0,11.761083743842368&cbll=37.932399,-122.402826&panoid=&v=1&hl=en&gl=us"></iframe><br /></span><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=embed&hl=en&geocode=&q=94618&sll=37.503734,-121.932793&sspn=0.072585,0.139389&ie=UTF8&ll=37.932419,-122.402973&spn=0.00451,0.008712&z=17&layer=c&cbll=37.932399,-122.402826&panoid=8YTKZPh6S5PGHY7vPBjrKA&cbp=12,261.06376981669285,,0,11.761083743842368" style="color:#0000FF;text-align:left"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">View Larger Map</span></a></small><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />And, for extra "wow," click on the full-screen button on the upper right.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-5978477576447668323?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-7245344039195115072009-03-25T19:01:00.000-07:002009-12-09T21:06:35.101-08:00Oakland Tech students robbed at gunpoint. In class.<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Oh, and AC Transit needs some "No Food, No Drinks, No Guns" signage. How frustrating.<br /></span><a href="http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_11986413"><blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Two men in their early 20s entered a classroom at Oakland Technical High School shortly after 8 a.m. Tuesday and robbed three students at gunpoint, according to police .... The robbers had taken an AC Transit bus to the North Oakland high school that morning, reportedly harassing some of the students on the way.</span></blockquote></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-724534403919511507?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-73041332267748539652009-02-08T20:49:00.001-08:002009-12-09T21:06:48.010-08:00This logo is rather unfortunate<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://cache.heraldinteractive.com/images/version5.0/site_images/mlf.gif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 130px; height: 48px;" src="http://cache.heraldinteractive.com/images/version5.0/site_images/mlf.gif" border="0" alt="" /></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br />Two versions of the logo seen on </span><a href="http://www.massliteracy.org/index.htm"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">their site</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">. Transition in progress following an awkward meeting, no doubt.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-7304133226774853965?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-56951153947066433772009-01-27T11:57:00.000-08:002009-03-10T10:06:40.227-07:00For sale: 2007 Mazdaspeed 3Sometimes I've been known to actually *sell* cars. Especially if they're not mine. (And thus, not affecting the <a href="http://www.piequeens.com/cars">car count</a>.)<br /><br />It's a 2007 Mazdaspeed 3: An extraordinarily fun bundle of joy, and it's also a darned practical 5-door hatch. Definitely on my short list for The Only Car You'll Ever Need. If I had more space, I'd definitely be doing some splainin' to <a href="http://www.piequeens.com/lucy">Lucy</a> right about now.<br /><br />Previously owned by these <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/jkondo">internet</a> <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/in/hiroto">titans</a>. Such provenance! Definitely a better deal than Sergey's old Prius that turned up on eBay.<br /><br />Asking $16.5K. Craigslist ad <a href="http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/cto/1066386885.html">here</a>. Mention this post for special discounts and lease financing terms. :-)<br /><br /><table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.comhttp://lh5.ggpht.com/s/v/46.18/img/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/chenrich/ForSale2007Mazdaspeed3?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/_VnbSE1VBtpU/SX4xMZN-pVE/AAAAAAAAEYA/pfyKyYcNO7g/s160-c/ForSale2007Mazdaspeed3.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/chenrich/ForSale2007Mazdaspeed3?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">For Sale: 2007 Mazdaspeed 3</a></td></tr></table><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/A9uEAl6DjVQ&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/A9uEAl6DjVQ&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-5695115394706643377?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-73463753874445138712009-01-07T22:09:00.000-08:002009-01-10T00:14:35.277-08:00Nia Sykes Out of OaklandYou madam, are an idiot. Protest anywhere you like, but please riot in your own little room.<a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/07/MN2N155CN1.DTL"><blockquote>Protesters smashed the storefronts of McDonald's as well as stores called Creative African Braids and Oakland Yoon's Pharmacy. Cars along 14th Street were smashed, and some were set ablaze.<br /><br />A woman walked out of Creative African Braids holding a baby in her arms.<br /><br />"This is our business," she shouted. "This is our shop. This is what you call a protest?"<br /><br />Nia Sykes, 24, of San Francisco, a protester who was with the group, said, "I feel like the night is going great. I feel like Oakland should make some noise. This is how we need to fight back.<br />...<br />Sykes had little sympathy for the owner of Creative African Braids.<br /><br />"She should be glad she just lost her business and not her life," Sykes said.</blockquote></a>(<a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/07/MN2N155CN1.DTL">sfgate.com</a>)<br /><br />Added 1/9/2008: SF Chronicle has published Nia Sykes' response to the article, which has since <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/4813941a12.html">been</a> <a href="http://www.welt.de/english-news/article2996828/Oakland-mayor-pleads-for-calm-after-riots.html">syndicated</a> <a href="http://news.sina.com/oth/singtao/000-000-000-101/2009-01-08/06413546305.html">worldwide</a>.<a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/09/ED9P154NS8.DTL&hw=nia+sykes&sn=001&sc=1000"><blockquote>"I do not advocate violence"<br /><br />Editor - Regarding "Protests over BART shooting turn violent" (Jan. 8): I was dismayed to see that I was quoted grossly out of context. I spoke to the reporter for several minutes and they used only portions from the interview to make it seem as if I was condoning violence, which is not at all the case.<br /><br />I was a part of the peaceful rally that began at 3 p.m. at the Fruitvale BART Station, where Oscar Grant was murdered. I said that the peaceful protest was "great"- not the destruction of property! Some of us continued to downtown Oakland, but I was not a part of the faction of protesters that became violent. I do not advocate violence at all, from police or the protesters, nor did I have any part of it. In fact, when I saw people vandalizing property, I moved to another block, where I was interviewed by the reporter.<br /><br />I only became aware of the woman whose shop was damaged after the reporter informed me of it. I am sorry that her shop as well as other individuals' and businesses were vandalized.<br /><br />I am saddened too, that The Chronicle chose to make this article solely about race. The protests were about the execution-style shooting of an unarmed man by the BART police. The protesters who came were of all races: black, white, Asian and Latino.<br /><br />NIA SYKES<br />San Francisco </blockquote></a>(<a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/09/ED9P154NS8.DTL&hw=nia+sykes&sn=001&sc=1000">sfgate.com</a>)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-7346375387444513871?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-60646001760771149462009-01-02T22:18:00.000-08:002009-01-07T23:49:18.283-08:00Loving the sushi naziI just finished reading "<a href="http://www.sanfranmag.com/story/fish-out-water">Fish out of water</a>," a glowing cover story review of <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/sebo-san-francisco">Sebo</a> sushi restaurant, in San Francisco Magazine. (Yes it's a rather upscale publication in its current incarnation; maybe next time we'll talk about the latest issue of <a href="http://www.robbreport.com">Robb Report</a>.)<br /><br />Sebo sounds like a nice place, the folks running the place sound cool, and I'd like to eat there sometime. I hope the place does well, and the article (likewise an earlier Vanity Fair -- another refined pub, kinda? -- <a href="http://rchen.net/2007/08/vanity-fair-does-tsukiji.html">piece</a> on Tsukiji) is a really interesting, thorough exploration of the sushi-industrial complex.<br /><br />This part got me a giant-geoduck-clam-sized head slap, though:<br /><a href="http://www.sanfranmag.com/story/fish-out-water"><blockquote>Few cuisines are as bound by custom and etiquette as sushi. Plug the word into any search engine, and you’ll come upon dozens of sites listing rules for eating it: Don’t rub your chopsticks together; dip the fish, not the rice, into the soy sauce; put the nigiri into your mouth fish side down and eat it in a single bite. It doesn’t help that chefs at some of the more traditional sushi bars often take a defensive stance against their customers (...) There are plenty of people who relish the intimidation and enjoy the challenge of mastering a purposefully opaque food culture. Me? I’d rather order a pizza.</blockquote></a>Gah. Of course it's intimidating. It's, like, foreign. And the sushi chefs have pride.<br /><br />Take an average Japanese person and imagine how intimidating a formal Western dinner would be to her: Do I sit down from left or right? Can I break the bread with my mouth? Can I pour ketchup on that fish? Is slurping OK? The last I checked, L'atelier de Joel Robuchon in Tokyo does not hold customer hands through these questions.<br /><br />Actually that's a totally dumb comparison, because an average Japanese person would probably have done lots of how-to research before going into that Michelin 2-star, so it's a nonissue. You just don't hear about gauche Japanese behavior perpetrated upon Western restaurants nowadays, and that speaks volumes about their attitudes about foreign customs and how they embrace them in appropriate situations.<br /><br />Sushi has been popular in the West Coast for, what, like 30 years now? How is it that we still hear these provincial complaints about how opaque and difficult its surrounding customs are? Why *are* people still rubbing chopsticks together? <br /><br />I, for one, welcome our <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/stubborn#Translations">ganko</a> overlords. User-friendly is for P.F. Chang. (The article also refers to a recent WSJ coverage on <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122480233710964683.html">sushi bullies</a>, another fun read.)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-6064600176077114946?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-20751728767266571332008-12-29T21:44:00.000-08:002008-12-29T21:47:18.611-08:00Why they won't let me work in Marketing anymore"<a href="http://www.mikasaandcompany.com">Mikasa</a> es su casa"<br /><br />"Live <a href="http://www.longs.com/">Longs</a> and prosper"<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-2075172876726657133?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-61341238005787166692008-12-18T16:39:00.000-08:002008-12-18T16:50:15.265-08:00User-Generated Animation (and Sound Effects!)For whatever reason <a href="http://h.hatena.com/">Hatena Haiku</a> had attracted a lot of illustrations. I'm really looking forward to all kinds of animators to come out of the woodwork for <a href="http://ugomemo.hatena.ne.jp/">this new launch</a>!<br /><object data="http://ugomemo.hatena.ne.jp/js/ugoplayer_s.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="279" height="240"><param name="movie" value="http://ugomemo.hatena.ne.jp/js/ugoplayer_s.swf"></param><param name="FlashVars" value="did=092A3EC8199FD5D5&file=7DD445_086B87CBD0AC9_000"></param></object><br />(Even better with audio.)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-6134123800578716669?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-70713393820292694872008-12-15T21:36:00.000-08:002008-12-15T22:07:58.796-08:00Amtrak and Horizon Air merge, sues Obama<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amtrak.com"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 208px; height: 98px;" src="http://www.greenwestexpo.com/finalimages/AK_SPV.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.airliners.net/photo/Horizon-Air/Canadair-CL-600-2C10-Regional/1274491/M/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 220px;" src="http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/middle/1/9/4/1274491.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.barackobama.com/downloads/"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 272px; height: 271px;" src="http://www.barackobama.com/static/Logos_Taglines/O_Logomark/1color/obama_1color_omark_reversed.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-7071339382029269487?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-61789084030720838232008-12-07T19:35:00.000-08:002008-12-08T17:48:48.668-08:00Stupid EconomyThe restaurant slowdown has <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/07/MN0J14IDRA.DTL&type=business">claimed one of my local favorites</a>. Local businesses are struggling, and this news to me is a big reminder to support the good ones. I hope the folks at <a href="http://www.yelp.com/biz/jojo-oakland">Jojo</a> will reopen in better times.<br /><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/12/07/MN0J14IDRA.DTL&type=business"><blockquote> For Curt Clingman of Jojo, a neighborhood French restaurant in Oakland that just celebrated its ninth year in business, it's the lack of customer traffic that's killing him. When they do come in, diners tend to share a couple of starters instead of buying full meals.<br /><br />"The depth and length of this economic downturn has been the worst I have ever lived through," said the chef, who owns the bistro with his wife, Mary Jo Thoresen, a pastry chef.<br /><br />Clingman said that he started feeling the pain early this year, when his usual clientele began to thin out.<br /><br />"We thought we could weather it," he said. "But things got nothing but worse."<br /><br />During the next few months Clingman and Thoresen tried to retool the business, eventually scaling down to two dishwashers, two servers and a part-time sous chef.<br /><br />"Where do you go from here?" he asked. "To persevere was becoming too reckless."<br /><br />The couple has decided to shutter the place Jan. 1. They have already made a deal to sell most of the restaurant's assets and feel fortunate to have found a buyer. </blockquote></a>(via <a href="http://elapsedtime.blogspot.com/2008/12/in-times-like-these-vote-with-your.html">Hunter's</a> fine local economic stimulus plan)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-6178908403072083823?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-77019047762526756132008-11-15T15:15:00.000-08:002008-11-18T15:05:01.993-08:00Super Isabella, meet Giulia SuperI wish the DMV would offer registration discounts for interesting cars.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://lucylc.smugmug.com/gallery/6562866_Khejv/1/417660683_EMGpP#417660683_EMGpP"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="http://lucylc.smugmug.com/photos/417660683_EMGpP-L.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-7701904776252675613?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-30285999111730423642008-11-04T15:53:00.000-08:002008-11-04T16:29:32.629-08:00Life, Liberty, and...On this glorious and beautiful Election Day, I enjoyed certain <a href="http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration.html">unalienable rights</a> by adding this:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.eddinsmoto.com/id121.htm"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 375px; height: 300px;" src="http://www.eddinsmoto.com/7d0772c0.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Yeah, OK, this ain't pursuing happiness, I'm pursuing crazy.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-3028599911173042364?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-9145344286012116422008-11-01T16:24:00.000-07:002008-11-01T16:29:17.129-07:00[Trailer Trash]Every Halloween, I check to see how an errant party photo from a few years back is doing on Yahoo's image search for the query [trailer trash]. Ah yes, <a href="http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=A0S0207R5AxJtxMAwqOLuLkF?ei=utf-8&fr=sfp&p=trailer+trash&iscqry=">here it is</a>, firmly entrenched above the fold.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-914534428601211642?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-80574602277527738322008-10-31T16:08:00.000-07:002008-10-31T16:11:18.007-07:001987 Called.They want their stock market crash back.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.rchen.net/uploaded_images/P1070217-784951.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://www.rchen.net/uploaded_images/P1070217-784403.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-8057460227752773832?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-23326157595705984382008-10-28T21:02:00.000-07:002008-10-29T09:22:28.070-07:00From Russia with face recognition love<a href="http://www.photofunia.com">PhotoFunia</a> = Brilliantly fun. Someone please liberate them from the godawful "Pimp Your Myspace Profile" ads.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.photofunia.com"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 287px;" src="http://www.rchen.net/uploaded_images/putinandme-796633.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-2332615759570598438?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-761827259514917802008-10-22T23:41:00.000-07:002008-10-23T21:35:15.865-07:00That lady is mad at me.(Via bunch of MoveOn users)<br /><object width="360" height="300"><param name="movie" value="http://s3.moveon.org/swf/embed.swf"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="FlashVars" value="id=.lgr.WIBNMYfiaxF6yW92jE4MzYyOA--"></param><embed FlashVars="id=.lgr.WIBNMYfiaxF6yW92jE4MzYyOA--" src="http://s3.moveon.org/swf/embed.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="360" height="300"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-76182725951491780?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6273651.post-43760363146471163872008-10-18T22:20:00.000-07:002008-10-23T21:32:31.844-07:00Vote No on CA Prop 8It's easy to confuse which vote means what. A "no" vote means "don't eliminate marriage from anyone." Keep it, uh, <a href="http://www.noonprop8.com/">straight</a>.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/CIL7PUl24hE&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/CIL7PUl24hE&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/6273651-4376036314647116387?l=www.rchen.net' alt='' /></div>Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09325091690358272075noreply@blogger.com1