Friday, July 9, 2010
Corporations
Although corporations are made up of individuals, no corporation will watch out for your own well being. You have to watch out for your own best interest. If not, they will take advantage of you.
Biggest defaulters on mortgages are the rich
The older I get, the more I now realize that many journalists write to be paid, and distort the truth to sell papers.
Whatever happened to journalism to get the truth?
I just love the attention getting tag-line: "Wealthy simply see loss of home as one bad investment and walk away".
Why was the rapper Chamillionaire even quoted in this article? Chamillionaire isn't exactly the pillar of upper class. Yes, in Houston $2 million dollars is a lot of money and can buy you a very large mansion, but in the Bay Area that amount of money doesn't take you very far.
A small two bedroom townhouse in the Palo Alto/ Los Altos area runs for about $800,000 to slightly over $1,000,000. $1,300,000 will not get you much. Most of these people that the journalist pointed out were individuals who are at best in upper middle class trying to extend themselves to buy real estate in a good area of the Bay. These are not wealthy individuals who are running away from their vacation or second home.
I honestly don't think the reporter who wrote this article has ever lived in the Bay Area. Another example of someone trying to create drama out of nothing.
New York Times Article
Whatever happened to journalism to get the truth?
I just love the attention getting tag-line: "Wealthy simply see loss of home as one bad investment and walk away".
Why was the rapper Chamillionaire even quoted in this article? Chamillionaire isn't exactly the pillar of upper class. Yes, in Houston $2 million dollars is a lot of money and can buy you a very large mansion, but in the Bay Area that amount of money doesn't take you very far.
A small two bedroom townhouse in the Palo Alto/ Los Altos area runs for about $800,000 to slightly over $1,000,000. $1,300,000 will not get you much. Most of these people that the journalist pointed out were individuals who are at best in upper middle class trying to extend themselves to buy real estate in a good area of the Bay. These are not wealthy individuals who are running away from their vacation or second home.
I honestly don't think the reporter who wrote this article has ever lived in the Bay Area. Another example of someone trying to create drama out of nothing.
New York Times Article
Hell knows no wrath like a woman scorned.
Hell knows no wrath like a woman scorned.
Apparently, I got off easy with my divorce. There were a couple things that I did not know about during my proceedings (and thankfully my ex-wife).
The wealthier spouse has to pay ALL the legal fees for any divorce proceedings, regardless of who's the aggressor. That just plain sucks. This law, which I'm sure was originally meant to protect, can now be used by a vengeful spouse to purposely spend as much as possible to screw over the wealthier partner.
I also did not know that an ex-wife can be able to leverage her legal powers and try to interject herself into any corporation or company that you have created. Even if she had no part in creating those business nor competent in running it. This basically guarantees the business to fail.
It is quite obvious the sole purpose Justine Musk has is to screw over Elon. The again, it probably wasn't wise for him to be seen dating an actress and become engaged to her while he was still in his divorce proceedings.
Besides for the religious and society pressures to get married, what again is the benefit?
Although usually a very private man, here is Elon's response to the current rumors. It's nice to see both sides of the story.
Apparently, I got off easy with my divorce. There were a couple things that I did not know about during my proceedings (and thankfully my ex-wife).
The wealthier spouse has to pay ALL the legal fees for any divorce proceedings, regardless of who's the aggressor. That just plain sucks. This law, which I'm sure was originally meant to protect, can now be used by a vengeful spouse to purposely spend as much as possible to screw over the wealthier partner.
I also did not know that an ex-wife can be able to leverage her legal powers and try to interject herself into any corporation or company that you have created. Even if she had no part in creating those business nor competent in running it. This basically guarantees the business to fail.
It is quite obvious the sole purpose Justine Musk has is to screw over Elon. The again, it probably wasn't wise for him to be seen dating an actress and become engaged to her while he was still in his divorce proceedings.
Besides for the religious and society pressures to get married, what again is the benefit?
Although usually a very private man, here is Elon's response to the current rumors. It's nice to see both sides of the story.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Amazing what Digital Cameras can do now
Here is a short film on the 24 hours Nurburgring shot from a Cannon 5D MKII. About 19,500 total edited frames used for this film.
24 HOURS IN 19500 FRAMES from tim hahne on Vimeo.
24 HOURS IN 19500 FRAMES from tim hahne on Vimeo.
Friday, July 2, 2010
I guess I should be Assistant to the President
The max salary some working in the White House can make is $172K. Not too shabby. To bad everyone will know how much you make:
David Coulthard with new Mercedes-Benz AMG E-Cell
David Coulthard, former Formula 1 driver and BBC commentator, first drive around the track in a SLS AMG E-Cell. Ugly color, but very fast.
I do miss the exhaust note from the standard SLS though.
I do miss the exhaust note from the standard SLS though.
Andy Grove's thoughts on the American Jobs
I'm not sure why outsourcing is so surprising.
Back in the colonial days, nations derived most of their wealth through colonies that created sugar, salt, tea, tobacco, and other precious materials. The labor force employed were not the colonists, but rather slave labor from Africa or indentured servants native to the colonies.
It is no different today. Companies large and small chase after the almighty dollar (and profit) by producing more with less. Competition in pricing drives companies to relocate their manufacturing and operations oversees to areas where labor is cheap. Companies that failed to produce more with less go bankrupt and are squeezed out by competitors that can.
We can't blame the companies for this practice. We are all guilty. Anyone who does comparison shopping is guilty of contributing to this. Would you buy a $1,000 iPhone 4 if you could get it for $199?
You can't prevent the globalization of our economy by being protectionist. That's the same as saying I want to stag with my horse drawn buggy and be safe on the highway with automobiles going over 65 mph. Protectionist policies will only hurt us in the long run. The only way to compete with this is to continue to innovate.
If individuals cannot innovate and add value to the system, they too will be obsolete.
Excerpt of Andy Grove's article:
"Recently an acquaintance at the next table in a Palo Alto, California, restaurant introduced me to his companions: three young venture capitalists from China. They explained, with visible excitement, that they were touring promising companies in Silicon Valley. I’ve lived in the Valley a long time, and usually when I see how the region has become such a draw for global investments, I feel a little proud.
Not this time. I left the restaurant unsettled. Something didn’t add up. Bay Area unemployment is even higher than the 9.7 percent national average. Clearly, the great Silicon Valley innovation machine hasn’t been creating many jobs of late -- unless you are counting Asia, where American technology companies have been adding jobs like mad for years."
Full article here.
Back in the colonial days, nations derived most of their wealth through colonies that created sugar, salt, tea, tobacco, and other precious materials. The labor force employed were not the colonists, but rather slave labor from Africa or indentured servants native to the colonies.
It is no different today. Companies large and small chase after the almighty dollar (and profit) by producing more with less. Competition in pricing drives companies to relocate their manufacturing and operations oversees to areas where labor is cheap. Companies that failed to produce more with less go bankrupt and are squeezed out by competitors that can.
We can't blame the companies for this practice. We are all guilty. Anyone who does comparison shopping is guilty of contributing to this. Would you buy a $1,000 iPhone 4 if you could get it for $199?
You can't prevent the globalization of our economy by being protectionist. That's the same as saying I want to stag with my horse drawn buggy and be safe on the highway with automobiles going over 65 mph. Protectionist policies will only hurt us in the long run. The only way to compete with this is to continue to innovate.
If individuals cannot innovate and add value to the system, they too will be obsolete.
Excerpt of Andy Grove's article:
"Recently an acquaintance at the next table in a Palo Alto, California, restaurant introduced me to his companions: three young venture capitalists from China. They explained, with visible excitement, that they were touring promising companies in Silicon Valley. I’ve lived in the Valley a long time, and usually when I see how the region has become such a draw for global investments, I feel a little proud.
Not this time. I left the restaurant unsettled. Something didn’t add up. Bay Area unemployment is even higher than the 9.7 percent national average. Clearly, the great Silicon Valley innovation machine hasn’t been creating many jobs of late -- unless you are counting Asia, where American technology companies have been adding jobs like mad for years."
Full article here.
More food I'm going to miss
Sweet Basil, Duck Pad Thai
Of all of the lunch spots located near our office, Sweet Basil is like no other. They are one of the most gourmet lunch meals you can get for under $10. They serve an assortment of amazing curries, noodle, and rice dishes and their portions are also very generous. I have a special attachment to their Duck Pad Thai because this was my last "real" meal before my diet.
Of all of the lunch spots located near our office, Sweet Basil is like no other. They are one of the most gourmet lunch meals you can get for under $10. They serve an assortment of amazing curries, noodle, and rice dishes and their portions are also very generous. I have a special attachment to their Duck Pad Thai because this was my last "real" meal before my diet.
Food that I will miss (or already miss)
There are so many food that I will have to restrict myself from eating that I'm only starting to come to terms with it. I don't believe I can do it justice without mentioning some of my all time favorites. Today is a sad day indeed.
Plaza Gourmet Santa Fe sandwich with their amazing French fries
I'm pretty sure they put crack in their fries. Stored in mundane paper bags, contains some of the best fries I have ever eaten. They are tempura crunchy on the outside while still soft as a pillow on the inside. The Santa Fe is one of the most expensive sandwich they sell at Plaza Gourmet. The sandwich is basically a Philly Cheese Steak on steroids; turkey Philly with pepper jack cheese and guacamole. What can be a better combination. Oh wait, fried bacon. Yeah, this sandwich completes me, and also takes off 5-years from my life.
Plaza Gourmet Santa Fe sandwich with their amazing French fries
I'm pretty sure they put crack in their fries. Stored in mundane paper bags, contains some of the best fries I have ever eaten. They are tempura crunchy on the outside while still soft as a pillow on the inside. The Santa Fe is one of the most expensive sandwich they sell at Plaza Gourmet. The sandwich is basically a Philly Cheese Steak on steroids; turkey Philly with pepper jack cheese and guacamole. What can be a better combination. Oh wait, fried bacon. Yeah, this sandwich completes me, and also takes off 5-years from my life.
Day One
Well, it really sucks that today everyone will be enjoying those amazing sandwiches from Little Lucca and I will be watching from the popcorn gallery.
Thinking about the enormous sandwiches they serve there, I had an epiphany. One thing that contributed to my weight gain is every lunch place we frequent usually offers much more food than I really need, for a great price; regardless of whether it's a deli, Japanese, Thai, Pho, or Indian. Lunch specials usually run anywhere from $7 to $10, plus a drink and appetizer, and we have a full fledged 2,000+ calorie meal.
Thinking about the enormous sandwiches they serve there, I had an epiphany. One thing that contributed to my weight gain is every lunch place we frequent usually offers much more food than I really need, for a great price; regardless of whether it's a deli, Japanese, Thai, Pho, or Indian. Lunch specials usually run anywhere from $7 to $10, plus a drink and appetizer, and we have a full fledged 2,000+ calorie meal.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Well, I guess it's time... again
Tonight, my friend Molly and my girlfriend decided that I was overweight (correction, obese). To their credit, I have not been watching my weight and have been eating whatever I want for at least the past 4-years. In fact, I haven't worked out during this period either.
Before that period, I used to go mountain biking frequently with my coworkers at Medtronic in Santa Rosa, and before that, I used to run 21 miles per week. I was definitely athletic and focused on keeping myself fit. Looking back I believe everything started going downhill after I contracted mono. With mono, I was forced to remain immobile for weeks.
I guess every 9-years or so I get to the lose weight phase, last time being my senior year in college, where I went from a portly 215 lbs to 145 lbs with the help of exercise, a very healthy diet, my college roommates keeping an eye on me (plus what I eat), and a modern dance class. Here we go again...
My last "real" meal was lunch at Sweet Basil. I must have known that this was going to be my last meal, since I decided to order chicken satay skewers as an appetizer, Thai iced coffee, and Pad Thai with roasted duck. I pretty much stuffed myself silly for a mere $18 bucks. Well, I couldn't have gone in a better way.
I will be blogging about my experience, excitement, and pain during this process. Hopefully someone will get something (at least some entertainment) out of it.
Before that period, I used to go mountain biking frequently with my coworkers at Medtronic in Santa Rosa, and before that, I used to run 21 miles per week. I was definitely athletic and focused on keeping myself fit. Looking back I believe everything started going downhill after I contracted mono. With mono, I was forced to remain immobile for weeks.
I guess every 9-years or so I get to the lose weight phase, last time being my senior year in college, where I went from a portly 215 lbs to 145 lbs with the help of exercise, a very healthy diet, my college roommates keeping an eye on me (plus what I eat), and a modern dance class. Here we go again...
My last "real" meal was lunch at Sweet Basil. I must have known that this was going to be my last meal, since I decided to order chicken satay skewers as an appetizer, Thai iced coffee, and Pad Thai with roasted duck. I pretty much stuffed myself silly for a mere $18 bucks. Well, I couldn't have gone in a better way.
I will be blogging about my experience, excitement, and pain during this process. Hopefully someone will get something (at least some entertainment) out of it.
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