Google Japan's April Fools Day.

Aside from Pac Man in Google Maps, Google Japan's been busy, it seems, with its April Fools Day pranks. Here are two more:

Google Panda -- comes with a cameo from Matt Cutts!


Piro-piro input

Honda's early 2015 April Fool's Day.

Introducing the Honda HR-V Selfie edition. Of course, the HR-V is not yet available, but I'm excited about the HR-V...Selfie edition, excluded.

Google's early 2015 April Fools.

Enjoy while it lasts: You can now opt to play Pac Man inside of Google Maps! Just go to Google Maps and select it, in the lower left hand corner.

I can't quite figure out this sign.

It makes no practical sense. There is no marked crosswalk after you reach the top of the stair, even though there is a curb cut. That there is a curb cut up there, is odd enough, because it is not an accessible path. Crossing the on-ramp to the Steel Bridge isn't particularly safe, either.

Still, if you were to cross the road where the curb cut is, you'll notice that there's a double-sided curb cut at the narrow strip, which people have taken to mean that you're supposed to cross here and not at the signaled crossing some 25 feet away, as seen by the well-worn paths in the landscaping strips.

Curious, no?

In the shade.

A necessity when resting on a 70 degree day.

Some more late spring photos.

Okay, maybe I exaggerated and it's not late spring, but it was 70°F today, and it sure felt like late spring. I switched out the 85mm lens + extension tubes for the 55mm macro + extension tubes and got some great photos and a lot of throw aways -- as always, patience is lacking. The monopod works decently when I take the time to use it.

Late spring photos.

I know, it's not even April, but it's already late spring in Portland...the petals of most flowering trees have disappeared with the rains.

Aurora alert for March 17, 2015!

TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT!!!

The Kp level is extremely high (+8) as of this moment, so if you're in Europe or on the eastern half of North America, get outside and look up in the sky.

The University of Alaska's GI Aurora prediction center's 1-hr short-term forecast is crazy! If it were dark right now, the aurora would be visible as far down as the California border!

By the time it reaches the west coast, it'll probably dissipate considerably, but when night rolls around, check NOAA's website and the GI's Aurora Prediction Center to see how strong the storm is!

Dear US Postal Service. (Updated 3x)

I'm in Portland, Oregon, not 150 miles north in Federal Way, Washington.

I just thought you'd want to know, seeing as my package has been sitting idle in Federal Way since last week Friday, gathering dust, and you've officially missed the delivery window.

---

Update 3/18:

Still stuck in Federal Way, WA, but I have really bad news to report. I Googled the USPS sort facility in Federal Way, and all 21 people who left a rating in Google+, has given it a 1-star, saying that this facility has either lost or significantly delayed packages. I have never seen any place with just 1-star ratings.

I sent an email to the USPS and to the Amazon seller. According to USPS's site, they may take up to 3 days to respond, which is lame.

---

Update 3/19:
Got a quick reply from both USPS and the Amazon seller. First, USPS. According to their own entry tracking (which is more complete than the tracking the public normally sees), the cargo container's manifest was what was scanned in Federal Way, WA, not the piece. A look up of their codes shows that in fact, this is correct.

The logical conclusion, therefore, is that there are two points at which the package could have been lost. The first -- and presumed most likely -- is that the package was dropped off at FedEx / UPS, and while in their care, they lost it or it was stolen when it was loaded into the container and sent to the USPS. The second is when it was offloaded and was either lost or stolen, thereby bypassing the package scan.

The Amazon seller offered to send a new one, but I'm trying to figure out what happened to the first one.

---

Update 3/20:
Last night the seller offered again to resend the item, and I agreed. This morning, I just thought to check the USPS system, and lo and behold the first package appeared to arrive in Federal Way.

Not seeing the codes for the scans, I emailed USPS to get confirmation of the package scan, and I got a response back in minutes that it was in fact actually in Federal Way, and now on to my place next Monday.

I immediately emailed the seller to not resend the item.

And now I wait.

5 Thoughts for March 17, 2015

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

1. Technology: I got my refurbished Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2" tablet yesterday. It was weird to see old GUI artifacts from Samsung's Touch Wiz, after being well acquainted with Lollipop on my other devices. I changed out the loader to Google Now, but Samsung thought it desirable to prevent key widgets from installing in their tablets, including Google Keep, Evernote. The large tablet screen, as I suspected, was exactly the sort of screen size needed, in order to enjoy reading digital magazines and flipping through images as one would do it a presentation. With a 12" screen, the device definitely feels vulnerable, which is not what I feel about my smart phone or my 7" tablet. I'm most certainly getting a tablet case for this one. I admit that I have a device fetish though, with a desktop, a laptop, two tablets and a smart phone. Nonetheless I will never buy a smart watch, because it just seems dumb.
2. Home Improvement: I restarted my interior painting. I figured I had dragged my feet long enough, so I got off the sofa and moved the furniture around to make just enough room to paint the walls. Through the process, I tossed out most of the magazines that were older than 2010, that, though were great eye candy whenever opened, were too darn heavy and took up too much space. With the warmer temperatures, I can open up the window and let the paint dry without the fumes accumulating -- even though it qualifies under low-VOC rating, it contains glycol and it still smells.
3. Geopolitics: Israelis are going to the polls today to vote. Regardless of the outcome, we've learned one thing: Bibi is a liar and cannot be trusted. Two days ago, he admitted as much, when he announced that there would never be a two-state solution in Israel, so long as he was the PM. That's exactly the opposite he'd said years ago, before he started dragging his feet on the two-state solution, including allowing settlement expansion. Perpetual wars is a weird state of existence.
4. Real Estate / Finance: No, you don't "own your own home", if you've got a mortgage. I often see young people boast about this, but it just shows how naive most people are about finance and real estate. It only hits them in the face when they're about to face foreclosure, that they realize that they really don't own their homes. I bring this up because I'm listening to an ebook from 2012, Pound Foolish, on "loan" from the library, and author Helaine Olen covered people who bought into the myth of housing prices that would continue to go up, and saw real estate as pie-in-the-sky investment vehicles.
5. Common Core: I have no idea what's inside Common Core's testing questions, but I found it laughable that politicians are complaining that the questions are too hard, such that parents are finding them too difficult to help out their children. The answer, inevitably, is to go back to lower standards. As I recall, the bar was so low in high school, I could have graduated a year early if I wanted to. The only reason why I didn't: I really wanted to enjoy being a senior, including prom(s), dances, and socializing.

5 Thoughts for March 13, 2015

1. Trivial Day: Trivially speaking, today is Friday the 13th, and tomorrow is Pi Day, 3.14.15. If you didn't notice, at Safeway they have mini pies for $3.14 in this week's circular. Bought one last night, but the price's relevance somehow escaped my notice until today.
2. Energy: Surely much to the chagrin of the Gulf Coast and Alberta (and parts in-between), it seems that oil storage capacity is filling up fast in the US, with the east coast at 85% capacity. According to EIA's monthly data, last December, at oil's price trough, US production was a mere 8% below a historical high from 1970 -- what this also tells me is that, contrary to what some pundits have said, US producers are not quitting their fields in significant numbers. Combine low prices, increased production and increased storage, and we may be heading to a big price crash just before summer. Oil prices may in fact drop to $30 a barrel...plan accordingly.
3. Geopolitics: Russia is in the middle of Stagflation, with GDP already negative (and still dropping) while inflation is at 16.7% for February. The Russian Central Bank just slashed interest rates by 100 basis points, to 14%, which is an interesting move considering that inflation has not yet peaked, even according to Russia's own projections -- they may have jumped the gun. Given the expected drop in oil prices, this will be a very difficult summer for some.
4. Space: Isn't it amusing that, for decades the human race was focused on the possibility of life on other planets (Martians! Venusians!), when it turns out that we might find life on the moons of planets in our solar system?
5. Architecture: Michael Graves passed away yesterday. Maybe it's just coincidence that one of his best-known structures, the Portland Building, had been granted a reprieve just a few months ago, from being demolished in the face of $100M in repairs. The vast majority of buildings Graves is remembered for, was built in his 50s and 60s. As I get older, I begin to understand why it takes so long for most designers to mature and develop their style: Age brings the patience and discipline to focus and refine your design language that had been inside of your soul for decades. I can see my inherent design language peeking out every so often, and when I sketch I see more of it innately appearing.

5 Thoughts for March 12, 2015

• Football: George Farmer ran a 4.35 40-yard dash at the USC pro day. Just saying, Pete, that's faster than Farmer's former high school mate, Paul Richardson (4.40). He also out-benchpressed all but three wide receivers in the 2015 combine in Indianapolis. You're missing out on a speedster who blocks well.
• Technology: Living in the US, we are spoiled. Despite all the hype, Google Wallet and Apple Pay are not available outside of the US. With Google, the time between devices, apps and programs made available in the US and the rest of the world is lengthy. It took 3 years for Google Play Music to spread to Canada.
• Technology: A few days after Apple's introduction of the new Mac Book sporting a single USB-C, Google showed off the updated Chromebook Pixel, sporting multiple USB-C ports and a price tag lowered from $1299 to $999. Even though the hardware inside, supports the price tag, the lack of high-powered apps built upon web technologies means that the price is too high.
• Net Neutrality: The FCC released its rules on Net Neutrality, which they had voted to pass, a few weeks ago. It's just about what you'd expect from Net Neutrality, specifically, clear rules against blocking throttling and paid prioritization. Then there's the wiggle room provision that blocks "unreasonable" interference or disadvantage to users and edge providers. This probably means that while Comcast can't allow its interconnection with Netflix to downgrade, such that its own OnDemand services receive an advantage over Netflix, Netflix probably can't demand Comcast to upgrade its side of the interconnection to meet peak traffic.
• Shopping: Last week I bought a refurbished Samsung Galaxy Pro 12.2 tablet from Groupon, and now I'm tracking it as it travels across the country. From years of observing their methods, if the truck does not get here by Friday evening, it won't make its Monday delivery window. You can view its progress, here: http://goo.gl/RvFdIk

5 Thoughts for March 11, 2015

Still keeping it to five.

1. Space: This coming Thursday evening is setting up for a potentially good aurora show, and with the burst of M-class flares in recent days, it seems like the opportunity for a good show will last for several days.
2. Economics: For several weeks, the Euro remained stable against the US Dollar at about $1.12 to €1, until it wasn't. Now, it's at about $1.07 to €1 and falling. Perhaps they will reach parity sooner than I predicted (summer)? Seeing as Greece and Eurozone deflation continue to dog the EU, I remain assured that the USD and Euro will reach parity.
3. Football: Seattle made a blockbuster deal to trade center Max Unger and their 2015 1st round pick (31st overall) for New Orleans's tight end Jimmy Graham and a 2015 4th round pick (prelim 109th overall). That's a huge deal that pretty much solves Seattle's receiver needs, but I'd still love to see Seattle grab the speedster, George Farmer, in a late round or in free agency.
4. Technology: The bigger deal of Apple's announcements, was the new Mac Book, because it made some significant tradeoffs. To get it thinner, the Mac Book discarded the glowing logo on the backside and eschewed multiple ports (including a charging port) for a single USB-C port. The downside is, you will never be able to charge it while connecting it to other devices, and if you want to use multiple devices at the same time, you will need a fat dongle.
5. Politics: I was midway through a separate write up on the Hillary Clinton email issue, when I decided that it was not worth it. The people who are critical of what she has done, have demonstrated naivete on government records, email records in general, and campaign laws. I can sum up the reasoning: Firewalls between private and government emails using a single device. Were she using a gov't phone, she could not use it for campaign-related communications, and using it for private emails would jeopardize them to FOIA requests and permanent records. No amount of logic will change the minds of people who insist that what happened was both nefarious and illegal.

The Russet Potato, now genetically modified.

See this potato? I bought it Sunday at the local Safeway. It was advertised as "large Russet Potatoes". Hours ago, I sliced it; it has not browned at all.

It is Simplot's GMO -- the Innate -- I believe, which reduces the amount of acrylamide that is produced when it is deep-fried.

There was a moment of shock when I realized that I had just eaten this GMO. But this GMO is probably a good thing, by reducing the amount of acrylamide -- which isn't exactly novel, as other potatoes around the world don't produce acrylamide like the Russet.

5 Thoughts for March 10, 2015

Ten thoughts, it seems, can be a bit long to write down, so I'm paring it back to five thoughts.

1. Politics: US Senate GOP members sent a letter to Iran, warning them about signing a nuclear treaty with President Obama. As I understand it, this is a violation of the US Constitution, with Congress breaking the Treaty Clause by contravening the President's explicit Executive power to negotiate treaties. The Senate has the power to advise and consent, but it does not have the power to intervene between parties. The irony should not be lost, that Republicans are trying to go to the Supreme Court to adjudicate what they perceive as a constitutional crisis, while in effect they're the ones who are creating their own constitutional crises.
2. Race: It seems that ever since Republicans and conservative members of the Supreme Court announced that we were in a post-racial society, all we've seen is incident after incident to indicate widespread racism. Even Fox News's Megyn Kelly knows what's going on -- you see, if you're not white, you don't often receive these emails, but once you get into the chain, it's enlightening just how pervasive racism is. Let me tell you, a lot of people will come out and tell you that they are disappointed by the actions of a few, and frown upon racism, but their own actions betray their lies. Racism lives...it just became less overt. Racism isn't the problem it was, 20 years ago, but anyone who says that we're in a post-racial world is clueless.
3. Technology: Apple's WWDC kicked off with Tim Cook insulting Google. It makes me grin to think that a CEO of one of the world's largest companies, feels threatened by a competitor so much as to annually throw insults at them. I find it especially amusing that he continues to knock down Google, even as his own company follows Google into new areas of competition (wearables, self-driving vehicles, Street View maps, etc.). I fully expect Apple to announce VR next year, and with it, insults at Google about using cheap materials -- cardboard.
4. Climate: Global warming gives the false perception that there are uniform effects (warming), and consequently disparate effects contradict global warming. That is why there is a push to call it Climate Change. I mention this because the west has seen its warmest winter on record, even as the east and midwest has been pummeled with snow.
5. Shopping: Bought this Neewer Monopod via Amazon, yesterday. After struggling for years to take sharp macro photos using my Fotodiox Extension Tubes, I've caved in and decided that it's okay to carry my camera around, with a monopod attached. If I want to get longer depth of field, I need the monopod. Oh, and it's only $12.

Working: Shipping container design.

This is mostly for kicks: I'm developing a concept of a container home based on some ideas borrowed from old Japanese homes. I've spent a couple of days on it, so far. Just thought I'd share something, since I've slowed down posting.

March 6, 2015 - More spring flowers.

Much of the cherry blossoms remain under wraps, not likely to show for another two weeks, but everything else is popping out quickly.

Allergies were bad, while outside, and are okay, inside.

March 5, 2015 -- last day of Groupon 10% / 20% off discounts.

Just a quick shout out, that Groupon has a 10% off ($50 max) discount on goods (code = TRIPLE), that ends tonight.

It's a bit buggy when you enter the code, as it takes a second to confirm and show the discounted price, and if you navigate away from the cart, you'll need to re-enter the code.

I used it to slash Groupon's already lowest-priced Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 12.2" tablet at $349.99, down to $314.99. By comparison, the lowest price most sites (including Amazon) list the refurbished tablet at $369, while a new one will cost roughly $549.

Oh, and the same code (TRIPLE) applies to local deals (not all cities have local deals available) except the discount is 20%. It, too, ends tonight.

Early spring or short winter?

This winter in Oregon was the warmest on record, and this February was absolutely crazy, with temperatures above normal, nearly every day. As such, I got out to capture some photos, late this afternoon, before the sun sank too low for good light. It's supposed to warm up significantly through the weekend, which means I'll get a lot more time to do photos.

Oh, and apparently even the Tulip Festival in Woodburn is opening up a month early.

Close up pear blossoms.

Close up magnolia blossom.