Happy New Year Back At Ya

And what do sports fans love on New Year's Eve but hate on New Year's Day? For those who haven't solved the puzzle yet, a coded answer:

xbudijoh uif cbmm espq

Happy New Year

A Happy and Healthy New Year to all MSYCers!!!!!

here's marge!

the only way i get computer-smart is when linda comes to visit!

fame

i happened across this entry in a "tips and tricks" site which explains how to check if any other sites have links to your site. so you would type link:msyc.blogspot.com in the google search window and see what it finds....

here's the problem

instead of doing a search for "writer" you should be searching for "sailing".
i found the following using this methodology:

We are actively seeking experienced RF Integrated Circuit (RFIC) Engineers (multiple openings). Understanding of the following analytical techniques desired: Cascaded NF, intercept point, PLL gain/phase margin, spurious analyses, etc.

but wait - here's another... it's true the pay is not much but...

The Ocean Institute, Dana Point CA
INSTRUCTOR: MARITIME PROGRAMS(Positions also available in Science Instruction)DESCRIPTION: Join our maritime instructional staff in providing award-winning educational programs aboard a tallship! Our instructors utilize role-play, combined with traditional teaching skills and strategies, to take students grades 4 and above on exciting voyages of learning. Programs take place dockside in Dana Point Harbor and on the open sea.QUALIFICATIONS: Two or four year degree in social science, drama, or education (work in progress or equivalent relevant experience may be acceptable.)  Applicant should have experience working with groups of young people.  Self-motivation, quick thinking, humor and curiosity are essential.  Background or coursework in California History, U.S. History, sailing, drama, or music is a plus! Conditions of employment: Approximately 10-40 hours per week (varies week to week)  Wage starts at $9.79 per hour with possible increases to $12.00 per hour  Up to two overnights per week and some weekend work may be required

What Does This Mean?

Still trying assiduously to resume my gainful employment, I opened monster.com on the computer the other day. I typed in the keyword "writer," selected the usual filters (San Diego for location, four or five likely job categories), and discovered the usual seemingly endless listings for "Start a business on your home computer and earn six figures while working just two hours a day!!!" Almost hidden among them, however, was a listing for a real job — technical writer for a company that... uh... well, you be the judge:

"CalAmp is a leading provider of comprehensive breakthrough communications access and content delivery solutions, services, and products."

Huh? What do these people do for a living? Is it just me? In order to get the job, do I have to learn how to talk like this?

Just thought I'd share....

#18 on the List

the List of 50 things to do in one's life:

#18. Sail on an America's Cup Yacht

Mom ___ Cathie ___ Kyle ___ Graham ___ Linda ___

Ross ___ Rosemary ___ Caroline ___ Emma ___X

Dave ___X Vanessa ___ Stuart ___ Lauren ___

A Cruise to Remember

Imagine: Someone comes along and says, Hey, why don't you take a ride on this bike that Lance rode in the Tour de France? Well here's a proposition that's arguably better: Someone came up to me and said, Let's sail Stars & Stripes, the boat in which Dennis Connor raced for the Americas Cup in 1995. And so yesterday, off we went cruising.

Some background: I once sailed in a San-Deigo-to-Ensenada race, and another member of the crew was a woman named Camille Rasdal, who has a husband named Andy, who not so long ago bought a Beneteau First 36.7 called Valhalla. Andy and Camille needed crew to race the boat, Camille remembered me, and now I crew for them regularly.

More background: There's a guy who was affiliated in some background way with several of the recent Americas Cup regattas. He purchased two of the boats — Stars & Stripes and Abracadabra — and keeps them at the Broadway pier in downtown San Diego. On them, he takes passengers cruising on San Diego Bay. Andy and Camille decided to reward their crew after a season of racing by taking us out on Stars & Stripes. (Pretty successful racing, I might add: After an admittedly shaky start to the season, we placed third in the West Coast Championships of the Beneteau First 36.7 class, and in the final race of the season we took our first first place.)

But: Back to Americas Cup sailing. The boat was amazing. I know you're wondering, and yes, I did get to steer it. Although I still have great respect for the sailors who compete in Americas Cup racing, I have to say that this was the easiest boat to sail that I've ever been on.

First of all, the hull is made entirely of carbon fiber, which makes it very light; as a result 80 percent of the weight of the hull is concentrated in the bulb of the keel; as a result the boat is incredibly stable. Most large boats have lifelines (wire lines suspended from stanchions about two to three feet above the rails); to hike, you sit on the rail facing outward, with your feet dangling overboard, and lean your chest against the lifeline. As originally designed, an Americas Cup Class boat has no lifelines, because there's no need to hike; no matter how close you are to the wind, the boat heels a tiny bit and just stays there. (S&S now has lifelines, but only because the Coast Guard requires them for the taking out of passengers.)

Second, it's incredibly fast. Lots of times yesterday, we were sailing faster than the wind speed (and this was with a suit of sails that had seen better days). I don't know if you know about sailboat handicapping: Because boats often race against boats of differing capabilities, every boat gets a PHRF (Pacific Handicap Racing Formula, I think) number that corresponds to a number of seconds per mile. The higher your number is, the slower your boat is. Valhalla (a pretty good boat in its own right) has a rating of 80-something (for the sake of explanation, let's say it's 80). If another boat had a rating of 90, then for every mile of a race Valhalla would owe that boat 10 seconds — that is, if the race were three miles long, 30 seconds would be added to Valhalla's time to evaluate its performance against the other boat. Well, the rating for Stars & Stripes is negative 120. It's really fast.

This was a family event, and I was very happy to have Emma with me. (She brought a book along, of course.) I was also thinking of Dad while I was out there — I'm sure he would have loved to have a crack at a boat like that.

There are pictures: go to this link.

Crabs for a Thousand, Please, Alex

Way back in time, last summer, July,
Ken Jennings was the JEOPARDY guy.
Every night at 7:30 we'd turn the show on.
By eight, another two challengers were gone.
Potpourri, religion and questions high tech,
Quick with the answer, he amazed Al Trebek.
Ken'd win about 50 thousand dollars a show.
By December, he'd won a whole lot of dough.
He knew all the questions/answers, whatever...
He even knew NY state governors, clever!
Any category at all: capital cities, Star Trek,
presidents, wine...he's always correct.
He'd get obscure questions about a volcano
I'd just shake my head, "how did he know?"
We couldn't believe he could win every day,
He's so damn smart, he's just gotta be gay.
No category in JEOPARDY was beyond his scope,
Every other contestant would look like a dope.
His unique genius had taken him so far,
That he became an American celebrity star.
But, after 74 games of ruling the Daily Double
he blanked on some questions that gave him real trouble.
Finally it happened...a brain freeze lock,
He couldn't come up with "H&R Block"
Nancy Zerg had it right! and then
the audience gasped, but cheered for Ken!
Thanks Ken for the run, you made it interesting.
You're number one, the all-time game show king.