Quixote’s lift

New sections have been added to the FJ mods pages.

Living with boxes

Boxes, boxes everywhere and not a home to live…

They say that you should conquer a seemingly unconquerable task by breaking it into smaller, more do-able tasks. What they don’t tell you is that you have to focus on those little tasks. I learnt this the hard way during our recent packing experience. We dutifully created smaller tasks but I couldn’t keep from reminding myself every five minutes…”First, we pack the speakers, then the vases, then the china.. (oh – Shreesh wants to do all the albums too?), then we pitch all unecessary stuff. That means – lets see… the three storage closets downstairs, then the bedroom closet, then the kitchen, then – ohmigod – the walk in closet – what do we do with all the towels? and sheets? and all that junk? aaarrrggghhhhh!”
Well, so much for the small tasks!

Thank God for Ada. She came to help us the last day before the packers arrived and kept us focused so that with a little effort (read four hours of sleep) we were pretty much ready for the packers the next day. Then it was Shreesh’s turn to stress out…”Will my stuff be ok?” But I drew a long sigh of relief. It finally feels as if we are almost ready to begin our adventure…

Man in a Yellow Jacket

The schedule slips slightly. Not bad by the yardstick of Software Development.

It is now official – the October 15th departure date has now been pushed back to October 20th. The packing, planning and organizing has taken much much longer than expected. What a surprise this is! The packers are here on time but unfortunately we still have too many items on our to-do list. The extra days will also give up more time to spend with our friends here in currently rainy San Francisco.

The slip is a disappointment since each day we delay the hope for making the Peel River ferry dims and the chances of reaching Inuvik become slimmer. But we have decided that in that event we’ll go as far as we can; why cleave to some goal simply to reach just the goal? The journey is more about exploration and discovery, not meeting some arbitrary goal at some arbitrary time. I will miss seeing the Igloo Church but there is always time – time to return or get distracted by another interesting bauble. I guess if we REALLY delay we can do the ice roads, heh, heh.

I’m sure things won’t go according to plan on this trip. I hope they don’t go according to plan – if they do then they indicate a poor and restrictive plan.

Yet another beautiful day in wine country

Exposition on documentary vs. creative photographs. The Panasonic Lumix is a good choice for documentary photographs.

During our past trips and photographic excursions we discovered that our photographs fall into two categories – those that document events and those that are created as an expression of art. Of course, there can be and there is considerable overlap between the two but each style requires very different equipment considerations. It is difficult to be spontaneous with large camera bodies and lenses. Everyone has photo albums full of birthday parties, anniversaries, and celebrations, all documenting good times and milestones. Rarely are these photos taken with bulky gear and big lenses, and almost all are unpublishable and hastily taken. But in the end these are the ones we cherish the most, pictures of loved ones we may have lost or from whom we have become estranged, pictures of us in joy and celebration.

Panasonic Lumix LX-2 with Leica lens.	The rear has a 16:9 LCD to match the sensor and navigation controls.

The Lumix came in very handy for occasions like an impromptu dinner with friends at Cha Cha Cha, a fundraiser for the Steampunk steam house, a stroll to the City Lights bookstore, and the dusty environment of Burning Man.

The Lumix is a little bulky for a slim point and shoot but it offers a lot of creative control for such a small camera.

Professor Frank Gagliardi lecturing to his students

The process of getting an education in Automotive Technology is described. The personalities and travails thereof. A discussion of why the class is endangered. (Map this!)

The biggest and scariest unknown on this trip was automotive technology since neither Neena nor I had the slightest inkling, the briefest hint, the most minuscule crumb of knowledge about cars. We took a twofold approach – automotive classes at the City College of San Francisco and the purchase of a ‘project’ car for our ‘lab’.

Professor Gagliardi is one of those rare teachers with the power to inspire. I don’t know how many teachers I had in college and even though I graduated from one of the top Computer Science programs in the nation but not one, not a single one was as inspiring as Frank Gagliardi. Teaching students is a talent and professors with research prowess at big-name universities do not always make good teachers – indeed some only give classes begrudgingly since they would rather be in the lab working one some obscure project that will likely be irrelevant to most everyone. The formula at my University was classes taught by professors who would rather not teach and students who would rather not learn.

The class that Frank teaches can almost be regarded as community service. For the most part the students in his class are there to improve themselves and for some a major car repair would keep them from making the monthly rent. Then there is Neena & I who are working towards a dream, a retired civil engineer named Henry who likes to keep himself sharp, and life-long learners Smitty and Elizabeth. It is the best example of people raising themselves up through education and letting the community help them without any hand-out. Republicans should love this class – this is what the party is about or claims to be about.

Why is it that at the end of every nature program there is a statement like ‘But this fragile ecosystem is in danger of…’ This story is no different as all things near and dear to me today, the class is threatened. The college seems to be embarrassed with this basic class that teaches so much to those who willingly learn. After being named one of the top ten community colleges in the nation it seems to no longer want to offer a class that serves the community. This semester the class was almost canceled and only through Frank’s strenuous efforts was it kept open. Why does he keep fighting for us? He’s of retirement age and could easily do without the headaches and stress. Could it be that for reasons of his own Frank Gagliardi enjoys teaching the class as much as we enjoy learning from him?

Akimbo Ninjas! (Map this!)

Leaving a job is never easy, especially when I know that I will not be seeking another one for at least fifteen months. At the end of those fifteen months I know not what the job market be like. A twenty+ year career in the high-tech industry has provided us with the financial stability for our long expeditions and explorations. It has been a fun ride but now who knows what the future holds for us? Is is a new career in the wine industry? Or will we work in the Antarctic? The possibilities are endless, and fascinating…

I joined Akimbo Systems Inc. when it was a wee startup, when we were in a building that rented “Class B” office space to us. The office continually failed fire inspections so the fire marshal demanded test after test after test and the religious building manager made a sign of the cross whenever she saw us because we were vendors of porn. After our round of funding we moved to a “Class A” building two blocks away which had a nice shrubbery. The shrubbery was a continual source of delight for me, and I started each day with a smile because of it.

You are not supposed to like your job. You have to complain about it, gripe about it, moan how you don’t want to go to work. At times I have been profoundly unhappy at Akimbo, but for the most part it has been rewarding, comfortable, and satisfying. My friends I will miss you and keep you close to my heart.

Shreesh’s Resignation Letter

Shreesh Taskar
645 Stockton St. #806
San Francisco, CA, 94108
Shreesh@xxxxx.xxx, (415) xxx-xxxx

August 23th, 2007

Mr. Peter Reeves
Director of Engineering
Akimbo Systems Inc.
411 Borel, #100
San Mateo, CA, 94402

Dear Mr. Reeves,

Effective September 15th, 2007, I will be resigning my position of Senior Software Engineer.

It has been a wonderful experience watching Akimbo grow from a tiny startup to where it is today. I thank you for giving me the opportunity to contribute to our efforts and it is now time for me to fully dedicate myself to my North and South American Expedition.

With the best of wishes for your success and the warmest of regards,

__________________

Shreesh P. Taskar

Temple of Forgiveness

The first in a series of Burning Man reports discusses the art. This is only one facet of Burning Man but the most important. This is why we go. (Map this!)

Every year a city rises from the flat expanse of the Black Rock desert. It is a city of art, exuberance, and wonder. The starkness of the playa provides a perfect canvas and a perfect stage for that which unfolds. And unfold it does for the playa is a chrysalis. Sculptures of gigantic proportions, heart thumping raves, mutant vehicles, and performance art all vie for the attention of the sleep deprived and exhausted participant. Every year, on Saturday, the man burns. Why they build him and why he burns is all left to the interpretation of the viewer.

Equally amazing art dotted the playa. A large oil derrick was surrounded by colossal figures praying to it as if it were a god, to indicate our dependence on the mighty crude. Gasoline, as much as you want, till it runs out. A tesla coil was in among the figures signifying… what the heck, tesla coils are cool, they don’t NEED to signify anything! By the temple two big rig intertwined in a downward spiral of dependence. For those ambitious enough to climb inside the big rigs there was a garden about half way up.