Tralfaz

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  • Sports Ball

    Sports Ball

    Anyone who knows me in real life also knows that I am not really a fan of the “ball” sports (football, basketball, baseball or soccer). Sure, I can sit and watch a game, and I know enough of the rules to follow the game, but I am not a rabid fan. I don’t have a favorite team, and I don’t dedicate my Sundays to the alter of Football like many people I know do. It is all “meh” to me. Of course, during racing season, I watch every MotoGP race…

    This post is inspired by the 2016 NBA finals. Having really not watched pro basketball, well ever, since my wife is suddenly a fan because the Warriors are in the finals, I have been forced to watch a few games. These are my observations: (more…)

  • Jurassic Park

    Jurassic Park

    On the train with Netflix viewing again, Friday night I fired up “Jurassic Park” on Netflix. Released originally in 1993, it was the first movie I recall with this much immersive CGI effects. I did see it originally in the theaters, and I recall being wowed by the cinematography.

    The Premise

    InGen LogoA wealthy “Showman”, John Hammond (played by the amazing Sir Richard Attenborough) undertakes a massive program to bring the dinosaurs back to life for a modern safari park on an island off the coast of Costa Rica (in reality, the filming was done on Kauai). By extracting DNA from fossilized mosquitos in amber, enough DNA was recovered to allow the genetic engineers of the fictional InGen corporation to piece together whole DNA strands to then create the embryos of the recreated dinosaurs (more on this later in the review).

    From there the embryos were implanted in ostrich or emu eggs, and carefully hatched. (more…)

  • Netflix Binging – Battlestar Galactica

    Netflix Binging – Battlestar Galactica

    For some reason, Netflix “recommended” the Battlestar Galactica series to me. Having vague memories of it as a kid, I thought why not, and put it on.

    Star Wars logoThe Pilot is long. I mean, REALLY REALLY long. It is three 1 hour episodes (part 1, part 2, and part 3). Originally broadcast in 1978, it was about a year after the first Star Wars movie, and clearly it was influenced by the blockbuster hit that preceded it. A space opera, with action and special effects to captivate the audience.

    The premise is that an ancient race of cyborgs (the Cylons) are ostensibly engaging with humans to negotiate a long term peace. Of course, they really are planning on wiping out the humans, to cleanse the universe of these pesky life forms.

    (more…)

  • Requiem for a Friend

    Requiem for a Friend

    Last week, I had to say say “goodbye” to a friend. In early 2012, I was on a business trip, which connected through Phoenix. When I got to Phoenix, I was horrified to discover that I had forgotten my headphones. The thought of a week of business travel without tunes was too much go bear.

    Of course, one of those airport vendors had my back, for a price. I bought a Klipsch headset for my iPhone, for way too much money, and went on in audible bliss.

    Turns out they were pretty damn good earbuds. Great sound quality, and a decent microphone for phone use.

    I have had these for over 4 years now. That includes two phone upgrades, and the purchase of replacement ear socks (or whatever you call those silicone rubber things that fit inside your ear). It has been on a few thousand miles of walking/running/gym time, and a couple thousand hours of phone calls and conference calls.

    But last week, on one of my hikes, the sound began cutting out. It appears that the wire near the input jack was having intermittent contact.

    Damn, now it is back to the (mediocre) headset that came with my iPhone. I already miss the ol’ Klipsh’s. (They were S4’s, and actually sounded pretty darned good.)

    I guess $25 a year for great sound isn’t too much to spend

  • Netflix Binge – Columbo

    Netflix Binge – Columbo

    I have written before on my love of classic TV, including a Detective series from the early 1970’s, Columbo.

    Once again, I am back, re-watching the series, and I am again struck by the production quality, and the stories.

    Yeah, like many of the genre, the stories are predictable, but the theatrical presentation is outstanding, and the character Columbo, is the perfect vehicle for Peter Falk to shine. Quirky at his finest, and completely at home in his role as the unkempt homicide detective, Peter Falk remains charming in his portrayal, and the type of character is reprised often (including his outstanding performance in “The In-Laws“, a movie I highly recommend.

    Furthermore, unlike many detective stories, the viewer knows up front who the villain is, and we get to watch the process of elimination that Columbo follows, ultimately finding out that it was an early clue (that we all caught), that causes the culprit to dissemble and be caught in the act.

    One more point, the shows work out to about 70 minutes, so they were broadcast in a 90 minute time slot, giving ample time for story and character development. This really helps the enjoyment of the story, as there isn’t a feeling of being rushed in the telling of the story.

    There is the trademark green, “stinky” cigar that Columbo is always puffing on, as well as the “Oh, one more thing…” the beginning of a question that cuts to the bone, and begins to unravel the composure of the guilty party…

    Ah, how I love Netflix, and binge watching. My classic TV addiction is fed once again.

    Oh, and pick up a copy of The In-laws, it is a very very funny movie…

  • Favorite shoes – Asics

    I am a big fan of Asics running shoes. Having wide feet, and problematic arches, means that I need a wide shoe that has good support. Being a fat ass doesn’t help either, so that is a consideration.

    When I first began running again seriously in 2005 or so (probably earlier) I started using New Balance shoes, mainly because they had a good selection in wide shoes, but alas, they really didn’t offer good support.

    Then one day, I tried a pair of Asics and it was almost magical. Pain or discomfort was gone, I could run further, and more frequently without my feet being a limiting factor.

    So, from that point on, I have been loyal, trying to shop sales, and closeouts, as they are not cheap shoes, occasionally trying something different with bad results, but I always return to the Asics line.

    My main grief with them though is that they don’t last too well. I know that you are supposed to replace shoes frequently, and that it is suggested that between 300 and 500 miles of pounding pavement is the limit. Yet, it seems that before that mileage is reached, the soles are beginning to fall apart.

    While I no longer can run (it really causes my plantar fasciitis to flare up), I do 6 – 7 mile walks 4-6 days a week, so the miles add up, and alas, the soles on my Asics I bought in January are about toast.

    Sigh, time to go hunting for a new pair.

  • Doom

    Doom

    1993, December, actually a little before, I had the inside tip, and an FTP site to get this new game, “Doom”. I remember downloading it at 16kbps dial up. and installing the shareware “beta” on my computer, a 486DX33.

    Original Doom artworkI was captivated. A DOS game, it caused me to upgrade my ram and build a faster machine. But it was awesome. While it was not the first FPS (the first I played was Wolfenstein 3D), it was ground breaking.

    As soon as I could buy the full version, my money left my wallet, and I could hardly wait for the full version.

    It wasn’t really 3D, the graphics were rather primitive, but it was addictive.

    I had a DWANGO account, so I could play dial up multiplayer (this was before the real internet existed for this) and lost a lot of time.

    I bought the sequels, and the 2007 remake, and of course the Quake series. (more…)

  • A Black Hole on Earth

    A Black Hole on Earth

    Science tells us that one of the most destructive things is a black hole. Once you pass the event horizon, you can never escape. If you are a fan of Science Fiction, and have read Frederik Pohl’s “Gateway” novel, you are well aware of the hazards of proximity to a black hole.

    Trader Joe's Logo

    A close second is the parking lot at Almaden Plaza in San José. In this parking lot there are two dynamics that feed off each other.

    The first is the notorious nature of a Trader Joe’s grocer. This is a corporation who seems to pride themselves on driving a lot of traffic to their stores, yet never have adequate parking. This leads to the parking lot fostering a full-contact conflict zone that is a competitive sport.

    Add to that the second dynamic: A Costco. The membership warehouse store offers great value for large families and small to medium businesses that shop there. Of course, this brings in insane amount of shoppers, anxious to get in the door to obtain the great bargains on offer. I will add that when we lived in Arizona, it was chaotic, but here in California, it is chaos on steroids. Oh, how I miss the relative normalcy of Arizona’s Costco.

    Both these dynamics are hazardous on their own. However, when they are in close proximity, it is a recipe for disaster.

    Today, I made a Costco run, arriving at about 10:30 AM, a pretty benign time. It was chaos in the parking lot. I had to dodge and weave to avoid being taken out by several manic parkers.

    Oh, and I highly recommend reading Gateway, a cracking good classic SciFi novel.

  • Drugs, Inc.

    Drugs, Inc.

    I have posted before on the NatGeo show, Drugs, Inc. having blown through the first 4 seasons in a binge watch, then forgot about it. Lately, I saw that Netflix had a couple of new seasons, so back I go into it.

    This set of episodes is a little different than the early ones that were more on the supply chain, and talking about the logistics. Now they go into detail on the party scene that drives demand, like the Molly users on the club circuit, or spring break celebrations, or the Independence Day celebration in Chicago, or New Year’s Eve in New York.

    Like the original episodes, they do a great job of capturing the human element, the risks taken by the people who source the raw materials, the intermediate production steps, and the traffickers.

    Of course, there is plenty of focus on the users, the “demand” component to the equation.

    In all it is a pretty balanced view, and there is little sympathy for the end users. They clearly have gotten themselves into their situation, and many of them acknowledge their problems, and don’t blame anyone but themselves. Still, it is fairly tragic to watch.

    The detail that they go into, particularly around the Mexican cartels, and the hidden camera work is impressive. Clearly, they have made good use of GoPro cameras.

    If you get a chance, drop it in your Netflix queue.

  • Reprise: Rush – the movie

    Last night, I grudgingly (ok, not so grudging) watched “Rush” which I had posted on in 2014 after watching it on a plane. Barbara had added it to our netflix list, and since it is DVD only it took a while for us to roll up to it.

    Here is my review of it from 2014. (more…)