tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20037544546455889352024-03-19T03:16:21.068-07:00Alon's BlogAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.comBlogger122125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-72959855497374031142010-07-24T18:11:00.000-07:002012-06-08T19:31:29.598-07:00Facebook FriendPhotoCaptcha Roadblock<strong>Update:</strong> I was subject to the captcha again, and this time I took screenshots.<br/><strong>Update 2:</strong> I have created a <a href="http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/group.php?gid=116575571725635">Facebook group </a> for fighting this security feature. Once you have your account back, join the group and invite your friends!<br/><br/>Facebook has recently and silently introduced a new "security" feature, that does a lot to prevent legitimate users from accessing facebook, but almost nothing to deter determined scammers and hackers.<br/><br/>The security feature works as follows:<br/><br/>Suppose you try to log in to Facebook from a location you don't usually use, for example when traveling (which is usually when it's most important for you to keep in touch with friends and family). Facebook asks you to verify your identity.<br/><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/372565-7272010101203am.png"><img title="Security Warning" src="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/372565-7272010101203am-300x172.png" alt="Please review recent activity on your facebook account" width="300" height="172" /></a></p><br/>And how would you do that? First, you have to solve a CAPTCHA. Fair enough, just prove you're human.<br/><br/><a href="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/02-captcha.png"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-267" title="Facebook captcha" src="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/02-captcha-300x204.png" alt="" width="300" height="204" /></a>Next, starts the tricky part. You need to identify your facebook "friends" by identifying photos where your Facebook friends have been tagged. In order to regain access to your account you need to solve a CAPTCHA, then identify 7 out of 9 photos of friends. Even a single error fails the test but you do have two "skip"s.<br/><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/03-intro.png"><img title="Facebook - friend captcha intro" src="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/03-intro-300x204.png" alt="" width="300" height="204" /></a></p><br/>The photos are selected randomly from all photos in which any of your friends have been tagged. If you fail, you can try again within an hour. Returning to a "verified" location does not help once the roadblock has been triggered.<br/><br/><a href="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/09-security.png"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-269" title="Facebook: Come back later" src="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/09-security-300x129.png" alt="Please come back in a little while" width="300" height="129" /></a><br/><br/>I guess the reasoning behind this: If you are really you, you should be able to identify your friends by their pictures. Right? Wrong! First of all, Facebook (and certain apps) keep pushing you to add more and more distant acquaintances as friends. People who you're unlikely to even identify by seeing a clear picture of their face. Second of all, people tag each other in photos that are nothing like a clear portait. When I was faced with the challenge I had to tag pictures of feet, pictures of dogs, blurry pictures of people from behind, and "funny" drawings. <a href="http://www.adhustler.com/facebooks-friendphotocaptcha-your-screwed/">I am not the only one</a>. Many people have been locked out of their accounts for hours due to this impossible "security" challenge.<br/><br/>Below is an example of one of the worst images I've got in my challenge:<br/><br/><a href="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/picB-BAD.png"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-274" title="Facebook: identify this person" src="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/picB-BAD-242x300.png" alt="" width="242" height="300" /></a>The pictures are low resolution, and the pic itself is an xmas card. One of the faces is almost completely obscured by a hand holding a camera. The person in the picture is a work acquaintance I have never met it person, and the worst thing security-wise (and lucky for me) is that the greeting text includes his name!<br/><br/>How did I eventually regain access to my account? The same way any attacker who isn't me could have. The questions in the challenge are multiple-choice. One or two pictures and five names to choose from. Since my profile is relatively open to the public I could create a bogus Facebook account and see my friend list and their public pages. Most of these include a profile picture which allowed me to try and verify the person. Some have a more public profile where all pictures are available, and then I could find the actual picture from the challenge -- just like anyone who isn't me could have.<br/><br/>After finally succeeding in solving the challenge, I was presented with the oh-so-horrible offensive access. I tried to login to Facebook Chat from the United States. Thanks for being so specific, Facebook.<br/><br/><a href="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/10-success.png"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-271" title="Facebook: Attempted login from "United States"" src="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/10-success-300x203.png" alt="Please review recent activity on your Facebook account" width="300" height="203" /></a>After guessing this is probably OK comes the next screen asking me to be a fan of Facebook Security. What can I tell you, I am not a fan!<br/><br/><a href="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/11-success2.png"><img class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-272" title="Facebook: become a fan" src="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/11-success2-300x212.png" alt="Thanks Alon - you've successfully restored your account" width="300" height="212" /></a><br/><br/>From a security perspective, this is not at all useful. An attacker's arsenal would include looking up public friend info, and creating a new account with my name and photo, and trying to "friend" all my Facebook friends. With enough people accepting this friendship (which many will), you can access all their photos and easily solve the challenge. In fact, this could be automated, and the only obstacle is several CAPTCHAs that need to be solved, a problem easily solved by spammers using outsourcing or fake "free porn" sites.<br/><br/>Finally, I would like to suggest several other security methods that could actually work:<br/><ul><br/> <li>Require a user to tag only photos he or she has uploaded, or that he or she appears in. Ask about where or when a picture was taken, and be more lenient.</li><br/> <li>Require a user to use an alternative method to contact a few of his or her friends (of the user's choice) and have them log in can confirm they are OK (for example by giving them some kind of key).</li><br/> <li>Get security questions or challenges from the users in advance -- something the user knows he or she can solve. Make it clear that these questions are not ONLY for the case of lost passwords.</li><br/> <li>Make a phone call or send a text message to a phone number that is in the user's profile with a key to access the site.</li><br/></ul><br/>Better still, allow several of these methods at once. Besides, Facebook is not a bank. Just let go of the stupid security.<br/><br/>Here is Facebook's real world contact information. Call them, send them a letter, or drop by their offices:<br/><p style="padding-left: 30px;">1601 S. California Ave.<br/>Palo Alto, CA 94304<br/>USA<br/>+1-650-543-4800 (Phone)</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com113tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-26858458909112049072010-05-15T10:58:00.000-07:002012-06-08T19:31:29.544-07:00Delays, Downgrades, Dress Shoes - My visit in TorontoI haven't blogged here for a long time, opting to tweet short cryptic messages, if at all. Well, my trip to and from Toronto was eventful enough to warrant a full post or two.<br/><br/>Being the mileage optimizer I am, instead of flying direct to Toronto, I had a stopover in Houston, a Continental hub. Due to differences in price, I flew from San Jose airport instead of SFO, and parked my car in a hotel near the airport. This minor fact will prove crucial later.<br/><br/>The outwards flight went well, except that I did not get an upgrade on the flight to Houston (I was 2nd on the waiting list). I arrived in Toronto, and took the cool <a href="http://www.torontoairportexpress.com/">wifi enabled bus</a> to my hotel. Upon arrival, I checked the conference schedule and was somewhat surprised to see that the main part of the conference starts the next evening, which meant I had a whole day to tour the city.<br/><br/>Since the banquet was to be held in the <a href="http://www.cntower.ca/">CN tower</a>, Toronto's primary attraction, I decided to use my free day to visit the <a href="http://www.rom.on.ca/">Royal Ontario Museum</a>. That day I walked several kilometers to the conference venue, then to the museum, inside the museum, and finally back home. During all that time I wore dress shoes I usually wear for interviews -- I packed my best clothes for the conference.<br/><br/>What I did not realize, is that dress shoes can severely hurt your feet. By the next day my feet started to develop painful blisters and abrasions, which made it painful to walk. I used taxis for my travel to and from the conference venue since.<br/><br/>Academically, the conference was very fruitful. I got to meet many colleagues from institutions around the world, including Michael Wooldridge from the university of Liverpool, where I am about to interview soon. My students' talks went well and there were many interesting posters, some with the potential to lead to further research.<br/><br/>The conference banquet was held in the revolving restaurant on the top of the CN tower. This was the first time ever I've been to such a restaurant. Dinner was edible (not a trivial thing for a fancy restaurant) and the view was beautiful. Having the restrooms in the non-revolving part proved a challenge when I was trying to return to my seat. Sitting right next to the windows, I have attempted to send clever messages by writing them on paper and putting them on the non-revolving part of the restaurant. Few of these came back to me.<br/><br/>On the final day, I rushed to pack all my things and check out of the hotel. Then I took a taxi to the conference venue, attended the final talks and demos, and took the wifi bus back to the airport. At this point my feet were still in pain and it was difficult to walk.<br/><br/>At the airport, I found out that my flight to Houston was delayed by about an hour, which meant I was going to miss my tight 1-hour connection to my flight to San Jose. The Continental agents at Toronto had two options for me: Fly direct to SFO on Air Canada, or stay in a hotel in Toronto and fly via Houston the next day. In either case, my confirmed first class upgrade will be canceled since there was no first class availability.<br/><br/>Since my car was parked near San Jose airport, and they were not willing to pay for ground transportation to San Jose, I decided to go for the next day flight. However, since the flight was pretty early, I asked if it was possible to take the delayed flight to Houston and spend the night there. The agents agreed. This had the added benefit of being able to make the connecting flight in case the other flight happens to also be delayed.<br/><br/>By the time I made it through US customs and immigration at Toronto airport, the flight had been pushed back even more. The reason: Delayed incoming aircraft -- the plane from Houston departed late. With the flight two hours late, there was little hope in making the connection. By the time I was ready to leave toronto the plane I was supposed to board to San Jose was already en route and on time from San Juan Puerto Rico.<br/><br/>Upon hitting the ground in Houston, I decided to check the flight status to San Jose in a last-ditch effort to make that flight. To my astonishment, the flight was severely delayed and I would be able to make the flight! As it turned out, the plane fron San Juan (SJU) had to be diverted to Baton Rouge (BTR) due to weather in Houston. By the time I landed, the diverted plane was en route from BTR to Houston (IAH).<br/><br/>As it turned out, I had to spend a few additional hours waiting in Houston. The plane had to be maintained and was even further delayed. I finally landed in SJC 3 hours late. I still had the upgraded first class seat so I was able to sleep for most of that flight until finally returning home, going straight to sleep. Until now.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com54tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-36456429418059807282010-03-17T07:42:00.000-07:002012-06-08T19:31:29.556-07:00Blog update, forum crash.Some have you may have noticed that my blog has a new look. Others may have noticed that the <a href="http://poly.8ln.org">Israeli polyamory forum</a> that I'm hosting has crashed, losing all information. Both of these events have to do with my (paid) hosting account at <a href="http://www.bluehost.com">bluehost.com</a>.<br/><br/>It all started when I wanted to upgrade my ancient wordpress install (with some custom modifications) to a more modern and standard install. So, I backed up my blog and database and proceeded to install the new version. This required a few iterations, each requiring to delete the old instance of the blog.<br/><br/>My major mistake was during one of those installations, I have misclicked and deleted the wrong site -- the active poly forum. The delete action did create a backup, but since the database was exported using the wrong encoding, all Hebrew data (including the entire forum) was lost.<br/><br/>I immediately called my hosting provider, but they did not have backups of my account. I never set up a backup script for my hosting account, so the entire contents were lost.<br/><br/>I did reinstall a new forum and the blog. I am now working on a backup solution for my account.<br/><br/>The new blog has several nifty features: On the right sidebar you may find my current exact location. Also, the subscription system should work better and replies could be verified by OpenID.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com199tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-52409114266865476942010-03-14T14:29:00.000-07:002012-06-08T19:31:29.580-07:00Happy π day!Today is March 14th, aka <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%CE%A0_day" target="_blank">pi day</a>, a day celebrating one of the most important numbers in mathematics - π.<br/><br/>Since I happened to be in Germany today, I celebrated π day with my brother and his wife by making 2π -- a yummy beef pie for dinner and a chocolate pie for dessert.<br/><p align="center"> <img src="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/beef_pie.JPG" alt="Beef pie for pi day" /></p><br/>For dessert we decided to make the pie even more meaningful and decorate the pie with the first few digits of π, resulting in a delicious, and informative pie:<br/><p align="center"><img src="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/chocolate-pie.JPG" alt="Chocolate pi with digits!" /></p><br/><p align="left">More photos are available on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/90189784@N00/">Flickr</a> and Facebook.</p><br/><p align="left">In other news, I'll be arriving in Israel on Tuesday. If you want to meet me, let me know...</p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com68tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-9996572101754394172010-02-02T04:12:00.000-08:002012-06-08T19:31:29.621-07:00Open Letter to Stanford UniversityI have sent the following letter regarding the AlertSU system at Stanford University. I am hereby posting the letter I have sent verbatim.<br/><br/><strong>Subject:</strong> Troubling unsigned email message sent via AlertSU.<br/><br/>I have received an email message regarding a personal issue via the AlertSU system, which is supposed to be only used for emergencies (letter attached below). The letter was unsigned except by the general name "STANFORD UNIVERSITY".<br/><br/>First of all, I would like to request the name and job title of the author of this message, since this information was never supplied.<br/><br/>Second, this message is by no way shape or form related to any kind of emergency, and therefore should not be posted via AlertSU -- a system the Stanford community cannot opt out of.<br/><br/>Third, I am very concerned about the content of the message itself. The message uses phrases such as "stranger", "Unbeknownst to the student" and "did not appear to pose a threat" and selectively mentions some of that person's private belongings. It seems these were designed to lead the readers to assume that the stranger may have intended to act maliciously, when this is just a simple case of a person forgetting his bag in a stranger's car. The important cautionary note is that you should make sure to take your belongings with you upon leaving a vehicle.<br/><br/>Implying that lighter fluid and handcuffs have no use other for illicit purposes reeks of intolerance that the Stanford community should not be subject to.<br/><br/>Alon Altman<br/><blockquote><em>In the early morning hours of Saturday, January 30th, a Stanford student struck up a conversation with a stranger at a bar in Palo Alto near the campus. The stranger, a male, suggested that they go out for food. The student drove the stranger to a McDonald's in East Palo Alto. The stranger then asked the student if he could crash at the student's residence. The student refused, so the stranger got out of the student's vehicle. Unbeknownst to the student, the stranger left a bag of personal items in the student's car. Upon discovering the bag, the student took it to the Stanford Police (on Monday, February 1) so that it could be returned to the stranger. Among the items in the bag, the police located a pair of handcuffs and lighter fluid. The officers were able to ascertain the identity of the stranger and, after some investigation, determined that the individual did not appear to pose a threat to the student or the community. None-the-less, the Stanford Police would like to remind you to be wary of offering rides to people whom you do not know.</em></blockquote>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com45tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-30127375805125607032009-08-23T16:22:00.000-07:002012-06-08T19:31:29.549-07:00Macs, part 4: getting a new MacBookIn my <a href="http://blog.8ln.org/2009/08/macs-part-3-podcasts-customer-service-and-fingers/">previous post</a> I wrote about my experience with macs, and the conclusion was that in order to criticize macs effectively, I should get one. Over $3,000 and one week later, I got a brand new MacBook Pro 15" (and a free iPod touch).<br/><p style="text-align: center"><img src="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/sdc10085.JPG" title="Apple MacBook box" alt="Apple MacBook box" hspace="10" vspace="5" /> <img src="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/sdc10090.JPG" alt="Everything mac" /></p><br/>The mac came in a brown box, which included a white box inside it. Inside the white box, was the MacBook, the power and video adapters, and a black envelope. Inside the black envelope was a book titled "Everything Mac". There was also an envelope labeled "Everything Else". Following the instructions in the "Everything Mac" book I connected the power supply and powered on the mac using the hidden power button. The book included important information about using the TrackPad, stuff I had to figure out slowly in the previous posts.<br/><p align="center"><img src="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/sdc10093.JPG" alt="Power connector" /> <img src="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/sdc10098.JPG" alt="Power button" /></p><br/>When the system started for the first time, I was greeted with a language selection screen, and then a welcome video (with no useful information). After the welcome video, I was prompted to press Esc to hear instructions on how to use the mac. I did, however, it started a detailed explanation about an accessibility feature that didn't even work.<br/><p align="center"><img src="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/sdc10094.JPG" alt="Macbook (off)" /> <img src="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/sdc10101.JPG" alt="VoiceOver" /></p><br/>I managed to complete the setup without much difficulty, but no tutorials were provided. According to instructions in the <span style="font-style: italic" class="Apple-style-span">Everything MAC</span> book, I installed software updates, and started to explore. I found a document about "Stacks" and document and download stacks. I also found some online tutorial videos.<br/><p align="center"><img src="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/sdc10102.JPG" alt="Taking my picture" /> <img src="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/sdc10103.JPG" alt="After setup" /></p><br/>One of the things I tried to do with the new mac was use the "Time Machine" backup software. I tried connecting two different external HDs, and got no visual response from the OS for the first, and only the small FAT partition showed up for the second. Reading about it online, I figured that ext3 partitions are not supported, and only plain old FAT drives can be used for backup. Big fail!<br/><br/>Another thing I tried was to download TV shows on iTunes, but I was stumped by the repeated requests for money. I have paid $3000 for a mac, why do I have to pay extra to use it???Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-9908788132951123372009-08-11T22:07:00.000-07:002012-06-08T19:31:29.615-07:00Macs, part 3: Podcasts, Customer Service, and FingersAs I've posted before, I'm staying at a fancy hotel in the Boston area. Next to the hotel is a Mall, and in this mall is an Apple store. Again I tried using the display laptops. If you recall, the laptops have no mouse buttons (the entire pad is a button), which after a short use causes pain in the wrist. The answer I got regarding this issue from "mac people" was: My mac has a button, but I'm sure the no-button pad is just A-mazing, Steve Jobs is God and I am his servant!<br/><br/>So, this time I tried a new approach: I asked a customer service person at the Apple store for help. The customer service rep didn't repeat the same "Apple is God" story I get from fanpeople (I guess they are trained to avoid it). Instead, he calmly explained to me another Mac gesture: Hold a finger on the pad while dragging another finger. I had to ask where I find those fingers. It turns out Apple hardware uses unique input devices called "fingers". The idea is that the trackpad somehow reacts differently to multiple input positions. It turns out this feature is required for basic functionality. Right-click is also supported with the Ctrl button, there is also a multi-finger gesture for that but I'm not sure what it is.<br/><br/>The next thing I tried to do is to replicate functionality I have on Linux on the mac machine. The functionality I decided to try was downloading and playing podcasts. I googled it and the search results pointed me to software called "GarageBand". I launched it from the <em>dock</em> and selected podcast. It opened a complicated screen with space for male and female voices (why do I have to tell it who's talking in the podcast?). I decided to try listening to <em>Car Talk</em> from NPR. I used the <em>Safari</em> browser to find the Car Talk podcast, and copied the URL. Then I had to right-click (with Ctrl) on a submenu that said Podcast (why do I have to select podcasts <em>again</em>?), the only option was "open in iTunes". I know iTunes is spamware for copying music to iPods under Windows but that was the only option. Anyway, the iTunes had an option to add a podcast under the Advanced menu (If that's advanced, what's the basic way?). I pasted the URL using SpecialAlt(⌘)-V and confirmed.<br/><br/>Now I could go back to GarageBand and after a few trails I could finally see the podcast there and drag it to the play area. I put it under "Male Voice" since the show is narrated by men. The GarageBand software seems to be an audio editor like Audacity. I'm reminded of old Windows 3.11 WAV files were opened in sound recorder... Anyway, I clicked the play button and it played! seeking was pretty hard since it was extremely zoomed and there was no way of seeing the entire file in one screen.<br/><br/>I thought to myself there must be an easier way to do it. So I googled "mac podcast player" and found a program called Juice. I installed it, subscribed to Car Talk with the URL, and clicked on the play button. Well, it stated playing. In the background. With the same show of Car Talk still playing in GarageBand. All attempts to stop it didn't work. I even closed Juice entirely (with SuperAlt-Q, as the customer service guy explained) and still both podcasts were playing. It finally stopped after I SuperAlt(⌘)-Q'd all applications I could find (except GarageBand, and Finder, that wouldn't close).<br/><br/>Then, I decided to see if GarageBand can export to a mobile device. The whole idea of podcasts is to listen to them on the move! So, under the share menu there was something about Podcasts and iWeb. I clicked that, and the podcast stopped playing and moved to the start, forgetting my playback location. Good thing I remembered what it was and seeked back there manually (the export failed BTW).<br/><br/>After all those trials, an Apple guy finally approached me, and told me -- that the store is closing and I have to leave. I asked why is the GarageBand thing so complicated, and he said that I should use iTunes to play podcasts. He couldn't explain more since I had to leave. That's all for now.<br/><br/><strong>PS:</strong> I forgot to mention the fact that keyboard shortcuts don't work as expected, the Alt-F4 <a href="http://www.ecu.edu/cs-itcs/mac/images/Expose.jpg">Expose settings</a> screen for example, says that expose could work F9, F10, and F11. Instead, those buttons adjust the volume! It turns out the <a href="http://www.apple.com/macosx/what-is-macosx/expose.html">real shortcut is F3</a>! But I found that out only after coming back to my room. Amazing documentation from Apple, yet again.<br/><br/><strong>PPS:</strong> I even thought I'd buy one just to see how it works, but an Apple laptop costs over $7,000, and for that price it's only a 256GB hard drive. What is it made of? Solid Gold? And you still have to pay extra for backup hardware (yes, macs need <a href="http://www.apple.com/timecapsule/">special $500 hardware</a> to enable backups). It seems like macs are the fancy hotels of the computer world -- anything you want to do costs extra.<br/><br/><strong>PPPS:</strong> I suspect Apple puts addictive substances in their products. That's the only way I can explain why anyone who's purchased an Apple product seems to be in love with it. On a more serious note, I think the main driver for people loving Apple products in cognitive dissonance -- You don't want to admit to yourself you significantly overspent for a product that is no better than others, and since things aren't customizable, people convince themselves they like it that way.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-34790014235301052772009-08-09T21:43:00.000-07:002012-06-08T19:31:29.552-07:00Rant about fancy hotelsI have just arrived in Cambridge, MA for a week of consulting for Microsoft Research. They paid for my flight and hotel room so they put me in a fancy $200/night hotel. In this post I will try to explain why in my opinion, in general, the fancier the hotel the worse it is.<br/><br/>I have nothing against hotels as a service. Hotels provide a traveler with a clean place to spend the night, and with basic necessities. Hotels are useful when traveling, or when you need a clean neutral place to have sex. However, fancy hotels do not seem to provide these well, and charge a lot of money to do so.<br/><br/>Compare, for example, the fancy hotel I'm staying at now with a cheap motel for $40/night. The motel included a microwave and fridge, free parking, free wifi, and a free "breakfast", which, admittedly, is nothing to feast over. However, the fancy hotel includes none of those (or least without caveats galore).<br/><br/>Here is a comparison of the cheap motel and the fancy hotel. I am purposefully omitting hotel names, as this is common for many hotels and motels.<br/><table WIDTH=100% BORDER=1> <tr VALIGN=TOP> <th > <p>Amenity</p> </th> <th > <p>Cheap Motel</p> </th> <th > <p>Fancy Hotel</p> </th> </tr> <tr VALIGN=TOP> <td > <p><b>Price per night</b></p> </td> <td > <p>$51</p> </td> <td > <p>$211</p> </td> </tr> <tr VALIGN=TOP> <td > <p><b>Parking</b></p> </td> <td > <p>free, right outside room</p> </td> <td > <p>$20/day</p> </td> </tr> <tr VALIGN=TOP> <td > <p><b>Internet Access</b></p> </td> <td > <p>free WiFi</p> </td> <td > <p>WiFi free with loyalty program, otherwise $10/day</p> </td> </tr> <tr VALIGN=TOP> <td > <p><b>Getting there</b></p> </td> <td > <p>free airport shuttle</p> </td> <td > <p>15 minute walk from subway station</p> </td> </tr> <tr VALIGN=TOP> <td > <p><b>Breakfast</b></p> </td> <td > <p>free coffee and popcorn</p> </td> <td > <p>$21 for continental breakfast</p> </td> </tr> <tr VALIGN=TOP> <td > <p><b>Refrigerator</b></p> </td> <td > <p>free in room, empty</p> </td> <td > <p>only mini-bar</p> </td> </tr> <tr VALIGN=TOP> <td > <p><b>Microwave</b></p> </td> <td > <p>free in room</p> </td> <td > <p>not available</p> </td> </tr> <tr VALIGN=TOP> <td > <p><b>Location</b></p> </td> <td > <p>right off highway</p> </td> <td > <p>near center of town</p> </td> </tr> <tr VALIGN=TOP> <td > <p><b>Storage Space</b></p> </td> <td > <p>lots of empty drawers, closet</p> </td> <td > <p>one drawer, small closet</p> </td> </tr> <tr VALIGN=TOP> <td > <p><b>Bed</b></p> </td> <td > <p>Queen size, comfy, extra pillows on demand</p> </td> <td > <p>King size, very comfy, useless decorative pillows</p> </td> </tr> <tr VALIGN=TOP> <td > <p><b>Power outlets</b></p> </td> <td > <p>Limited</p> </td> <td > <p>Limited</p> </td> </tr> <tr VALIGN=TOP> <td > <p><b>Phone</b></p> </td> <td > <p>One phone near bed</p> </td> <td > <p>Three phones (one cordless)</p> </td> </tr> <tr VALIGN=TOP> <td > <p><b>Phone Costs</b></p> </td> <td > <p>Free local calls</p> </td> <td > <p>$1/local call</p> </td> </tr> <tr VALIGN=TOP> <td > <p><b>Bath/Shower</b></p> </td> <td > <p>Included, with fancy showerhead</p> </td> <td > <p>Included, with fancy showerhead</p> </td> </tr></table><br/>Given the above comparison, why would <em>anyone</em> choose the fancy hotel over the cheap motel? I'm really curious. If you blog readers willingly stay at (and pay for) fancy hotels, why do you do so?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com269tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-43619739305642824992009-07-03T21:30:00.000-07:002012-06-08T19:31:29.572-07:00The Strange World of Macs (Part 2)I promised a second post about macs, and it's time to deliver. The reason I'm updating about it now, is that it turns out that two of the undergrads working with me on the computational pool project are mac people, and use mac laptops. Whenever I explain to them why macs are hard to use and complicated they keep saying I'm doing it wrong, and there's a better way to do it. My main complaint here that this "better way" is never documented and isn't easy to find.<br/><br/>For example, one mac person in our group re-installed a mac machine that was sitting in my office after the HD died (it required a trip to the shop to replace, since mac hardware is hard to maintain, and this is desktop!). After he left, I tried using his machine, the first thing I was greeted with was a screen asking for a password. That's not very user friendly!<br/><br/>So, I googled for password reset information. I found several sites explaining how to reset a password without the CD, but all required you to be already logged in. I realized, it must be possible with the CD. However, there was no apparent way to boot from CD. Heck, there was no apparent way to get the CD out of the drive. Later I found the eject button on the keyboard, but still the computer will always boot from HD. I googled "mac boot from cd" and found you need to hold the <em>option</em> button while booting, not del of F1 like normal computers, and of course no message on boot to tell you that.<br/><br/>I booted the install CD, and it had a password reset option, but it didn't work, since it wasn't the right version. I had to boot an upgrade CD in order to successfully reset the password. After the password was reset I could finally log in.<br/><br/>Next step was to create a user for myself. This was not easy. The "spotlight" search feature I was told so much about did not work since it was "indexing". I finally found the user management from the control panel and created my user.<br/><br/>All this time I was interrupted with an annoying window that wouldn't close saying "Welcome" in different languages. Same annoying pop-up junk as with Windows. After that was done, an "install updates" popup came up and it had to restart and install the updates. By the time I was writing this post, the updates have finally been installed. I will now try to log in.<br/><br/>I am now on the mac itself. I managed to install Adium and Firefox. As it turns out, the popup window that appears is a mounted virtual drive. The two icons represent the application and a shortcut/symlink (I'm not sure) to the "Applications" folder, which is similar to the Start menu in windows. Dragging one to the other launches an install script, though I'm not sure exactly how. After installation is done you must unmount ("Eject") the disk image in order to use the application. The application itself is only available from the applications menu, which can be accessed by searching for "Applications" using the magnifying glass on the top-right of the screen (called "Spotlight"). Spotlight does not search the web, or for uninstalled applications.<br/><br/>You could also use spotlight to search for a specific application. In a way, it's like a limited graphical command line. The most important application to locate with Spotlight is the real command line (called "Terminal"). This application will later appear on the bottom of the screen, and as I found in the book "Mac OSX or Unix Geeks", you can drag it do a different position on the bottom of the screen to have it stay there. I did not find a similar way to add a non-running application.<br/><br/>Another discovery I've made: The screen has a hidden camera near the top, I guess Apple literally watches you. More to come soon.<br/><br/>Tried to install Hebrew. Worked, but without a keyboard shortcut. Any attempt to enable launched a monster keyboard shortcut menu, where it turns out that Hebrew conflicts with the "spotlight" thing. So, it's either Hebrew or being able to launch applications. Updates to come.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com158tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-14431122295252356972009-05-05T16:36:00.000-07:002012-06-08T19:31:29.526-07:00Walking to work experiment<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Blender3D_NormalWalkCycle.gif" title="Walking" alt="Walking" align="right" height="350" hspace="10" vspace="5" width="200" />Today is day 6 of my walking to work experiment, and I could proudly say the experiment is a success. For the past 6 work days, I have been walking all the way from home to work and back every day. A distance of <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=256+walter+hays+dr&daddr=353+Serra+Mall,+Stanford,+Santa+Clara,+California+94305&hl=en&geocode=%3BFYwiOwIdncm3-CntEkE9KruPgDFpCXAwrqPzkQ&mra=pe&mrcr=0&dirflg=w&sll=37.438706,-122.155994&sspn=0.028827,0.044374&ie=UTF8&ll=37.438679,-122.15591&spn=0.028827,0.044374&z=15">2.7 miles</a>.<br/><br/>Why would I do such a thing? For several reasons: First, walking is good for my health. Second, I can save money on gas and parking. And third, it is good for the environment.<br/><br/>Basically, I decided last Tuesday to see if it is possible to walk all the way to work, so I gave it a try. On that first day I realized I should probably take a hat, water, and a better portable radio. I took the route recommended by Google Maps, only to later find various shortcuts to make my way easier. My conclusion after this initial experiment: It's not too bad.<br/><br/>I kept walking Wednesday and Thursday. Then Friday morning it rained. I decided to walk anyway. Also, I said if I can walk in the rain, I can keep up this walking program. So, the same day I returned my parking permit and bought an umbrella. I bought 4 daily parking permits just in case.<br/><br/>Now is day 6 of my walking experiment, and I still haven't used any of the parking permits. I feel good and happy. I really hope I can keep it up.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-38901413648871884372009-04-26T21:39:00.000-07:002012-06-08T19:31:29.560-07:00Order, Office Depot, and Vertical StorageThose of you who have been following my twitter or Facebook updates may have noticed that in the past three days I was in a cleaning spree, transforming my room from an unpassable mess (literally) to a reasonably clean and spacious environment. In addition to the detailed sorting and throwing away of junk, I made some reforms to the order in my room. The goal is to hopefully have maintainable order, instead of just temporary order.<br/><br/>One of the things I've realized is that I do not have enough storage space for all my stuff when all my clothes are clean. That leads to extreme clutter in the clothes drawers and clothes being stored on the floor. My soultion was to use vertical storage. I went to Target (retail) and purchased a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/White-Sterilite-4%252dDrawer-Plastic-Wheels/dp/B0006O0EE2">vertical storage device</a>. This device allowed me to make use of unused room volume for storage while keeping floor area clear. Amazing!<br/><br/>Similarly, I used a 99L storage tub to store all my unused boardgames and empty boxes, instead of keeping several volotile stacks around the room.<br/><br/>Another great solution was to puchase two additional garbage containers to allow for pre-sorting of paper and recycleable trash. No more keeping unneeded paper or empty water bottles on the floor or desk. Now I can trash them immediately and do not need to collect during cleanup time.<br/><br/>While I was at Office Depot, I also found a better solution than envelopes for paper storage. It's called a "<a href="http://www.smead.com/Director.asp?NodeID=887">file folder</a>", and not in the standard sense of a directory for digital storage, but rather a physical object that stores paper.<br/><br/>Hopefully this new room order will actually last.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-39259504707508145442009-04-17T18:17:00.000-07:002012-06-08T19:31:29.563-07:00Missed flight, business classGreetings from over the Atlantic Ocean. I'm writing this blog post from KLM Flight 0605 from Amsterdam to San Francisco in Business class! But, before I write about my business class experience, I should explain my tweet about "missing my flight".<br/><br/>It all started with me booking a one-way award ticket in business class from Tel Aviv to San Francisco via Amsterdam. The ticket was booked for April 16th at 5:05 am local time. Those with a keen eye will notice that that's exactly when I posted my tweet about missing the flight. I did not make the flight for the simple reason I was sure I was booked on the April 17th flight, the one I'm on board right now.<br/><br/>The mix-up occurred due to an "off by one" error in copying the ticket information into Google Calendar. Since I was in the Pacific time zone I had to enter all time information in PDT, which is 10 hours earlier than Tel Aviv time, and 9 hours earlier than Amsterdam time. I did the math correctly, but neglected to adjust the date, thus adding the flight on Apr 16th at 7:05pm PDT instead of Apr 15th.<br/><br/>From that point onward, I did not look at my ticket until I was about to check in, what I believed was 26 hours before departure. I went to KLM's check-in site, selected the flight path and the date and was surprised to see my ticket was not found. After looking up the ticket itself I realized that my booked flight is departing in two hours, while I'm at least a two hour drive from the airport, and my bags are not packed.<br/><br/>I called KLM Platinum reservations and they said that I'd have to book a new ticket, but they could cancel my existing ticket (and hopefully refund the miles and taxes paid). They recommended I call Flying Blue the next morning when they are available.<br/><br/>I didn't want to wait till the next morning and tried calling the local airport, which was checking in my flight at that time. I got no answer. Then, I decided to try to call the US Flying Blue line, but it was already after 8pm on the east coast, so they too were not available. 5 am passed, and I didn't have a ticket.<br/><br/>Then I came across the idea to call the Flying Blue center in a different timezone. I called Flying Blue Japan and they were happy to assist me. It turns out there was one award ticket left, in Business class, for the flight on the 17th. I booked that ticket.<br/><br/>Fast forward to the next day, and I boarded the first flight (TLV-AMS). It seems I would have been upgraded if I had an economy ticket as economy was full (as usual). The flight had a slight delay but my connection was fine. At Amsterdam, I went to the new lounge, took a shower, went online, and made a few phone calls.<br/><br/>About an hour later, I got tricked again by the flight information screens displaying my flight as ``Boarding''. I went to the gate, quickly passed security and realized no one has yet boarded the aircraft. After nervously waiting for about 20 minutes, a delay was announced, then another one, and we finally started boarding 30 minutes after the scheduled departure time, and departed over an hour late. We should make up for some of the lost time in the air.<br/><br/>Now, for the business class experience. I'm seated at row 77, which is the upper deck exit row on the 747. It's about 4 hours into the flight and I haven't yet left the upper deck, and rarely left my seat, which turns into an almost flat bed that's pretty comfy and sleepable. I spent the beginning of the flight sleeping (and eating the pretty good food) and then watched some shows on the IFE system, which is kinda old, but reasonable. I'm writing this on my laptop connected to the in-flight AC power.<br/><br/>Arrived safely at SFO, and posting this from the airport hotel. That's all for now. Sorry for not blogging more, but you can always follow me on Twitter!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-4817798025542822012009-04-10T13:38:00.000-07:002012-06-08T19:31:29.577-07:00I don’t do human babies<a href="http://twitpic.com/356hx" title="Double baby freak out!"><img src="http://www.epsalon.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/freakout.jpg" title="Double baby freak out!" alt="Double baby freak out!" align="right" border="0" hspace="10" vspace="5" /></a>As I have <a href="http://blog.8ln.org/2009/01/uncle/">posted before</a>, my brother has recently had twin daughters, which made me a new uncle. As many of you know, babies and I don't get along very well. I mean, they like me, but I'm very much afraid of them and have no idea what to do with them.<br/><br/>Well, for some obscure reason, I guess mostly to laugh at my feeble attempts, they have placed one of these 3-month-old babies on me. Within a few minutes, she has already has vomited some kind of white substance on my clean t-shirt. I decided to learn more about these weird creatures, so I did what I usually do.Used Google.<br/><br/>Well, I made a series of web searches, but none returned any useful results. I am usually pretty good at web searching. I wasn't sure where I went wrong. Many searches resulted in google scholar papers, but none included detailed enough instructions for beginners. Not to mention the fact that the product itself is not user-friendly. More about that below.<br/><blockquote> <a href="http://twitpic.com/33y7a" title="Me and human infant Shahar"><img src="http://www.epsalon.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/ashahar.jpg" title="Me and human infant Shahar" alt="Me and human infant Shahar" align="right" border="0" hspace="10" vspace="5" /></a>human baby "user's guide"<br/>human infant "user's guide"<br/>human infant manual<br/>human infant safety<br/>human infant care<br/>human infant maintenance<br/>human infant maintanence<br/>human infant upkeep<br/>baby uncle guide<br/>new uncle guide<br/>human baby care<br/>human offspring care<br/>human offspring maintenance<br/>human offspring maintenence<br/>human baby upkeep<br/>human baby maintenance<br/>human baby maintenence</blockquote><br/>Never mind Google's failure here, the product itself is a UI nightmare. No manual included, no labels of any kind on the very delicate parts. No warnings. No warranty (except as required by the state), and it's not even eligible for return or replacement.<br/><br/>It seems that human infants have a significant negative influence on humans, rivaled only by that of cats:<br/><p align="center"><a href="http://xkcd.com/231/"><img src="http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/cat_proximity.png" title="Cat/Intelligence" alt="Cat/Intelligence" align="middle border=" height="439" width="450" /></a></p><br/>I, for one, seem to be immune to that negative effect (of cats too). However, I still cannot overcome the effect of <em>two</em> babies in my vicinity on all other humans, making having fun, such as playing board games, or having meaningful conversations, virtually impossible.<br/><br/>This post is a public service announcement: Use birth control. Because most STDs are manageable, babies aren't!<br/><br/>As for me, I'm considering a vasectomy...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-41271939762274236292009-02-09T21:06:00.000-08:002012-06-08T19:31:29.569-07:00A Political PostToday is Election day in Israel, and I'm voting for the extreme left wing party Hadash. Why? Because I think war is wrong. Period.<br/><br/><div align="center"><a href="http://hadash2009.org.il/"><img src="http://i337.photobucket.com/albums/n391/ihanuka/matsbia_male_small.gif" /></a></div><br/><br/>Why is war wrong you ask? Well, killing or hurting innocent people is obviously wrong. People should be considered innocent until proven guilty in court. At war, people are killed and hurt just because they belong to some nation or group, or believe in a different set of beliefs than the attacker.<br/><br/>It seems to me that there are for major causes of conflict in the national level: Religion, Nationalism, Greed, and Vendictiveness.<br/><br/>Let's start with Religion. The same system that allows people to wholeheartedly believe fairy tales with no shred of truth gives those people justification to do the most horrible things to others. However I believe that people are basically good and would not follow a religion to extremism without other circumstances.<br/><br/>The second point I would like to mention is Nationalism. That is, a feeling, that your nation is better or more important simply because you happen to have citizenship there. It seems silly to me to be proud of, say, Israeli athletes or other achievements. Most of those people share little of my belief system, and I feel much closer to people of other nations who do. I also do not agree with my elected officials, just like most Americans were no proud to be represented by George W Bush.<br/><br/>The third point is Greed. Very rarely do the spoils of war cover the human and even financial cost of the war, even to the "winning" side. There are no winners in war. That said, people who have nothing to lose are much more likely to be aggressive and try to get ahead by force. Therefore, the solution to war prevention is not arms or security, but financial support and fair trade. A person with a good financial situation does not become a terrorist!<br/><br/>The final point is vindictiveness. This is what causes the vicious cycle of war. A well-known experiment asked participants to try and match the pain levels caused by another participant. The results: Although the other participant accurately matched the former's actions, the participants kept escalating their responses due to perceived escalation from the other side. That is why we should break this cycle and stop responding with force. That is the only way to finally achieve peace.<br/><br/>To conclude, I would like you to listen to the lyrics of Imagine by John Lennon:<br/><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/-b7qaSxuZUg&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/-b7qaSxuZUg&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-27709447024493833682009-02-03T20:34:00.000-08:002012-06-08T19:31:29.547-07:00The strange world of Macs (Part 1)If you had to name the two most common operating systems, you would most likely say: Windows and Linux. Well, in the US there is a third common operating system. In fact, it's even more popular than Linux. It's called MAC OSX. In the Bay Area, not far from Cupertino where Apple Computer is headquartered, Macs are very common. It sometimes feels like more people use Macs than Windows.<br/><br/>Macs are supposed to be easy to use and intuitive, so I tried using one in my local Apple Store in Palo Alto. They have working laptops there than anyone can come and use.One of the first things I've noticed was a lack of mouse buttons. We've all heard about Macs have only one button, well the new ones don't even have that. The trackpad is the button, and there is no right or middle button. Dragging requires manual effort to keep the heavy trackpad pressed, and if you've reached the end of the pad, you're out of luck. Can't just hold the button.<br/><br/>Another thing lacking was a scrollwheel, the standard right-side-of-pad scrolling didn't work. I happened to find by chance that you <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic">can</span> scroll on a Mac by using two fingers on the trackpad. It's weird but it works pretty well.<br/><br/>The other input device I was having trouble with was the keyboard. Ctrl combinations don't seem to work, and there are no PgUp/PgDown keys. I had to ask to know that most Ctrl combinations are replaced with a new key called "command" (it's similar to Meta), though some things like ctrl-left/right to move a word back and forth is actually with the alt button, which is also labeled "option". The PgUp/PgDown require yet another modifier key "fn". The total of five modifier keys leave little space for the space bar, and the most useful one ("option") is not near the edge of the keyboard as one might expect, but near the spacebar.<br/><br/>One of the first things I tried to do was install FireFox and an IM client called Adium (I googled "mac IM" and that was the first result). Software installation on Macs is different from Linux or Windows. Downloaded files are "Disk Images" (something like an ISO) which you have to mount. Then, (and this is never explained, I had to ask), you need to <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic">drag</span> the application icon to a nearby icon of a capital "A". I tried to attach a screen cap of that but the capture application only saves to TIFF.<br/><p align="center"> <img src="http://www.epsalon.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/capture.png" alt="Mac Disk Image" /></p><br/>Anyway, even after you install the software, it only appears in a secret menu called "Applications" that you need to do the following to reach: Click on the desktop, click on the "Go" menu, click on "Applications", browse to the application among a whole lot of stuff (like the "Programs" menu in Windows, but not sorted by vendor). The terminal BTW is under another sublevel "Utilities". No wonder I couldn't find it.<br/><br/>Now, I tried to look for some tutorial to explain these basic features. I found a help page about transitioning from windows that didn't explain anything (such as scrolling, or the "command" button, or how to install or uninstall software).<br/><br/>I can talk all day about how non-standard Macs are. The close/minimize/maximize buttons are on the LEFT and are only color coded (red=close, yellow=minimize, green=maximize). Alt-F4 and other common combos don't work (well, it opens an "Expose Settings" screen). Command-F4 doesn't work either. It seems the combo is Command-W (I guess W is for Wlose, or they copied it from Firefox's close tab combo). I tried some of the pre-installed software too, but about that in a future post.<br/><br/>Update: I figured out how to use an image conversion program called "Preview". It seems Macs copy the awful Windows default of hiding extensions, so I had to guess what version of the image I'm uploading...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-53838691715863410452009-01-14T21:37:00.000-08:002012-06-08T19:31:29.584-07:00Uncle!<a href="http://www.epsalon.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/twins.jpg" title="Twins!"><img src="http://www.epsalon.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/twins.jpg" title="Twins!" alt="Twins!" align="right" hspace="10" vspace="5" /></a>Today, Jan 14, 2009, I have become an Uncle. Yes, my older brother is now a father of twin girls, and all is well. I have not yet seen the babies, but once I get photos, I'll post them here.<br/><br/>The growth of the family is a good reason to celebrate, and in our case, it means a family union in Israel scheduled for February. My brother is coming from Germany and I'm coming from the US for a first meeting the newly-extended family.<br/><br/>For those of you who care, my dates in Israel will be Feb 9 to 16 -- one week. During those days I plan to vote. Although I'm not yet sure what party I'll vote for. The options I'm considering "<a href="http://www.myparty.org.il/aspx/default.aspx">Meretz</a>" and "<a href="http://hadash2009.org.il/">Hadash</a>", both left-wing parties. Hadash is the only left-wing party that opposed the war in Gaza, but Meretz stands a chance of actually taking part in a central-left government.<br/><br/>Those of you who live in Israel and have the right to vote, don't forget to vote for peace because war isn't good for anyone.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-69731747358200404502008-12-16T10:10:00.000-08:002012-06-08T19:31:29.592-07:00Desert Snow<a href="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/dscn0620.JPG" title="In the Snow"><img src="http://blog.8ln.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/dscn0620.JPG" title="In the Snow" alt="In the Snow" align="right" vspace="5" width="300" hspace="10" /></a>As I have updated before, my parents have arrived and have been here for a week now. Two days ago (Sunday), we started our road trip to Las Vegas through the California central valley and interstate I-5.<br/><br/>We spent most of the first (sunny) day driving until we reached Mojave, CA. Located in the Mojave desert, this town is home to one of the driest <a href="http://www.mojaveairport.com/">airports</a> in the continental US and the world's first civilian space port. Well, by the time we woke up the next day, it was on of the rare rainy days in the Mojave desert, with very poor visibility. However, our plans didn't change and we took a tour of the airport.<br/><br/>Our next stop on the way was planned to be the Mojave national preserve HQ in Barstow to get tips about visiting this desert national park. However, on the way there something weird caught our eyes. What seemed for a second to be white sand turned out to be snow. Real white snow. In the desert. Barstow was covered with snow, an event unseen since 1985.<br/><br/>The snow was so bad that the direct route to Las Vegas (I-15) was closed and so we decided to go through the Mojave National Park in the snow. The result: some spectacular photos of desert plants in the snow, and a near-accident in 55mph (90km/h) with a truck on a narrow desert road.<br/><br/>When we finally arrived at Las Vegas and checked in to our hotel/casino on the strip, we went right to business and made more than $70 gambling. We'll see how much of that we'll lose...Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-89428385513234672112008-11-29T22:29:00.000-08:002012-06-08T19:31:29.606-07:00Turkey, India, and ThanksgivingThis weekend was Thanksgiving. As always, holidays in the US are designed to create long weekends, and Thanksgiving is no exception. Scheduled on the third Thursday of November, Thanksgiving marks the beginning of the winter holiday period. As I did <a href="http://blog.8ln.org/2007/11/to-eat-turkey-and-rest/">last year</a>, I went to the traditional Stanford Thanksgiving dinner, which was nothing too fancy. I spent black Friday playing boardgames for nine consecutive hours, winning almost all games I've played (except Pandemic and Stone Age).<br/><br/>This Thanksgiving, I couldn't avoid hearing the news about Mumbai, India. I thought to myself this is not the first time Inidans are killed on Thanksgiving, though this time they weren't native Americans. That also made me think about the traditional Thanksgiving dish -- Turkey. In almost all modern language this bird is named after some far away land. Many languages refer to Turkey, many others, including Hebrew and Turkish, refer to India. The interesting this is, the Turkey, like the American Indians, is in fact a native American, a fact most closely reflected in Vietnamese, referring to it as "Western Chicken". For more information, see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_names_for_the_Wild_Turkey">Wikipedia</a>.<br/><br/>In exactly one week (and 3:30 hours) my parents will be arriving here for the first time since I moved here. I'll get to show them my office, my room, and play games. We're also going to go on a road trip to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon! I'm happy!<br/><br/>For those of you who asked what I got from Tanga Trash. Here's your answer: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/21st-Century-Questions-Travel-Tin/dp/1575281236">20 Questions card game</a>, <a href="http://www.greatamericanpuzzle.com/Scripts/PublicSite/index.php?userid=&template=ShowItem&item=2981525">The Fabolous Fifites Shaped Jigsaw Puzzle</a>, and a <a href="http://stellardefender.com/">Space Alien Test Kit</a>, I kid you not.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-56615459847365006882008-11-25T03:58:00.000-08:002012-06-08T19:31:29.588-07:00A hard day’s nightSo, as I wrote earlier, I am in charge of an NSF grant proposal, and today was the deadline, which meant me and my professor had to work the entire day from 10 to 9 on writing the proposal, which meant I had to arrive late and miss on playing <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/31260">Agricola</a> with my awesome new friend. We did play other games though, and I came back home tired but happy.<br/><br/>You<em> could</em> have known all this in real time, because I have signed up for <a href="http://twitter.com/epsalon">Twitter</a>, where I make short updates on my whereabouts and actions. You can follow my twitter by signing up, by looking at the twitter box on the right of this blog, or by signing up for the <a href="http://twitter.com/statuses/user_timeline/17206784.rss">RSS feed</a>.<br/><br/>For example, if you read my latest Twitter, you'd see that <a href="http://www.tanga.com/">Tanga</a> has sent me <a href="http://tanga.com/products/3009-Tanga_Trash_Day_">trash</a>, which I paid good money for. Oh well, you win some you lose some.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-26314810301283906052008-11-24T01:04:00.000-08:002012-06-08T19:31:29.541-07:00A new friendI made a new girl <small>(space)</small> friend this week, and together we have founded the awesome peoples' league (Bay area chapter). She and her fiancé are into boardgaming in addition to using free operating systems. They also watch many similar TV shows and enjoy hanging out and playing the same games I do (and in a good level).<br/><br/>As part of my ongoing commitment to resurrect this blog, I'll tell you all that I'm happy. It's amazing how happy a friend could make you when you need one!<br/><br/>In other news, I am in the process of writing an NSF grant proposal, which basically means write something about your research and beg for money.<br/><br/>One of the great things about being a postdoc is that you have students who do all the work, so I will have at least two papers submitted to IJCAI (probably more), and all of them in collaboration with different authors, both here and in Israel.<br/><br/>BTW, If you like my blog, please comment so I'll be encouraged to write more!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-21548159853576207982008-11-18T18:23:00.000-08:002012-06-08T19:31:29.534-07:00Happy Birthday?It's my birthday today. I'm 28, and at work. One year older and not much to show for it. Maybe I'll start updating my blog, but for now that's all.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-40890661322307517702008-09-08T18:02:00.000-07:002012-06-08T19:31:29.566-07:00$400 to spend a night in GeorgiaThat's what I got offered, I accepted. They took back their offer. I'm talking obviously about Atlanta, GA, and the offer was by Delta due to overbooking in my flight back to San Francisco. The offer was revoked due to the fact they didn't need volunteers after all. Too bad, I was looking forward to a day in Atlanta.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-82749963735655922952008-07-21T15:57:00.000-07:002012-06-08T19:31:29.602-07:00Oral Surgery<a href="http://www.epsalon.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/hpim0131.jpg" title="After Surgery"><img src="http://www.epsalon.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/hpim0131.jpg" title="After Surgery" alt="After Surgery" align="right" vspace="5" hspace="10" /></a>Today I underwent oral surgery under general anesthesia. The procedure was the removal of my two lower wisdom teeth which were impacted. This procedure is uncommon in the US for people my age (27). Usually people get their teeth removed in their teens even if there aren't any complications.<br/><br/>The clinic I have chosen was within short walking distance from my home and I arrived there in less than half an hour:<br/><center><iframe src="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=256+Walter+Hays+Dr,+Palo+Alto,+CA+94303&daddr=720+Cowper+St,+Palo+Alto,+CA+94301&mra=cc&dirflg=w&doflg=ptm&sll=37.444216,-122.14664&sspn=0.007121,0.019805&ie=UTF8&s=AARTsJqVkTrOctRlG3WnLXvsLsoT-yLmhg&ll=37.447197,-122.147713&spn=0.020443,0.025749&z=14&output=embed" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" width="300" frameborder="0" height="300"></iframe><br/><small><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=en&geocode=&saddr=256+Walter+Hays+Dr,+Palo+Alto,+CA+94303&daddr=720+Cowper+St,+Palo+Alto,+CA+94301&mra=cc&dirflg=w&doflg=ptm&sll=37.444216,-122.14664&sspn=0.007121,0.019805&ie=UTF8&ll=37.447197,-122.147713&spn=0.020443,0.025749&z=14&source=embed" style="color: #0000ff; text-align: left">View Larger Map</a></small></center><br/><br/>Before the procedure, I had to pay the bill. Due to my insurance I had to pay only a 20% co-pay, and that amounted to "only" $238, which I paid and proceeded to read the book I brought with me.<br/><br/>Later, I was called in, hooked to an IV and got some oral shots. The procedure itself went smoothly, and in a split-second (from my point of view) I was in recovery.<br/><br/>Due to the anesthesia, I could not walk back home. The clinic strongly recommends having someone drive you home and look after you. I could not find anyone who was willing and able to do that for me, so I had to stay for a few more hours in the clinic for recovery and then took a taxi home.<br/><br/>At home, I took some pain meds and antibiotics, as the doctor ordered and contacted my friends and family onine. Now I can't talk, and have trouble drinking. Hopefully this will pass in the next few hours so I could have dinner tonight.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-17842052980215729252008-07-15T00:28:00.000-07:002012-06-08T19:31:29.531-07:00The road to MidwayToday I have boarded a flight to Chicago, Illinois on my way to the AAAI-08 conference. As usual, instead of flying direct, I have connected through Minneapolis in order to fly Northwest and get a First-Class upgrade. This time I left my passport home intentionally, as this is a purely domestic itinerary.<br/><br/>Some of you may recall my car accident. That led to me leaving my car at a garage for repair and renting a replacement car a few days ago. I have returned the rental car at the airport and thus saved the time and hassle of an airport shuttle.<br/><br/>As this is a short trip and the weather is warm, I packed almost nothing and did not check any bags, so I could proceed directly to the gate with my pre-printed boarding pass (as this is a domestic flight, I get no lounge access). My first class flight went smoothly, arriving on time at Minneapolis.<br/><br/>Upon arrivial, I checked the screens for my connection info and noticed that there was an earlier Northwest flight to Chicago Midway* airport. I decided to head directly to that gate and try to standby for the earlier flight. The gate agent told me that he could put me on standby, but the flight is likely to be full and I am not guaranteed a seat, and even if I get one, it would probably be in economy. I told the agent I don't mind (I prefer spending an hour and a half on the plane in economy than in the terminal), and then I had to wait and see if there would be room for me.<br/><br/>The flight turned out to be fully booked, and all 12 first class seats were full. However, since I had Platinum status I got one of those! The flight did depart late, but I ended up arriving more than an hour before my original schedule. Another plus is that a nice girl sat next to me on the flight and we chatted all the way. She was flying from San Jose (SJO), Costa Rica and was on her final leg back home to Wisconsin. I had fun.<br/><br/>After arriving I checked in at my hotel and took a taxi to dinner with my advisor and some more Stanford folk at a Chicago restaurant. I just now returned to the hotel. Updates to come.<br/><br/>*Midway airport (MDW), is named such not because of its location, but as a reference to the Battle of Midway.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2003754454645588935.post-24951601786819703462008-06-30T17:20:00.000-07:002012-06-08T19:31:29.538-07:00Crash!<img title="Crash!" src="http://www.epsalon.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/hpim0118.jpg" alt="Crash!" hspace="10" vspace="5" align="right" />Just days after my first police ticket, I had my first two-vehicle car accident, and it wasn't even my fault! I was driving down a small residential road (Newell), and the other driver was driving out of the public library parking. However she did not see me and continued right past the stop sign right in front of my car, even though I had the right of way. I stepped on the break but it was too late and I ran into the side of her car.<br/><br/>I sustained no injury in the crash and both cars were drivable. I took some photos for insurance purposes (you can see one of them over here (this is the front of my car).<br/><br/>I have also created an illustration of the accident scene (thanks to Google street view):<br/><p style="text-align: center;"><img title="Accident Scene Sketch" src="http://www.epsalon.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/accidentscene.jpg" alt="Accident Scene Sketch" /></p>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15873113777628548939noreply@blogger.com9