it's time

"The total cost of owning crossed under that of owning a fuel powered vehicle one year ago." Shai Agassi

Bride of Ikea

It's the end of the world.

Ikea is opening a hostel.

According to a report by Guardian Unlimited 30 "lucky" travelers will get to stay in the IKEA of Oslo. There will also be a bridal suite complete with Chandelier.

Every night, the 30 lucky few will be able to stack up on meatballs, Norwegian salmon and cranberry mousse, as Ikea is offering free dinner and breakfast at the usual canteen.

I fear for humanities future.

Lunch for the poor.

I bought a man's lunch today. I am not sure he was homeless but that was the general idea. He wanted to buy bologna and bread, which is a good opening line, instead of just asking for money. I told him I was uncomfortable just giving him money but I'd go and buy it with him. He agreed. It was a silent walk we both felt a bit awkward I think. We only signaled when we wanted to cross the street and where to go. At the market they didn't have bologna or bread, which I found strange; instead I bought him two cheeseburgers and a tea. I offered to buy him milk but he told me it gave him gas. In hindsight I should have bought him an Orange Juice, more nutritious. We parted without introducing ourselves and he gave me a weak handshake.

What do Jerry Seinfeld, Aristotle, and Winston Churchill have in Common?

Lifehacker has a wonderful post about Jerry Seinfeld's "productivity system." He hangs a calendar on the wall and puts a big red X through every day he writes jokes. Aristotle said "Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.” It seems the jester and the philosopher are expressing the same wisdom different ways. They act in there own sphere's but they are the same type of person. They do the same thing to succeed, they "never, never, never give up." Or something like that.

ULTIMATE menu master

So I went to all the trouble of setting up menu access using proxies via Quicksilver, Merlin Mann of 43 Folders so kindly video podcast for us, which is great because it's searchable; however, similar functionality Menu Master functionality is already available in Mac OS X for those times when you know where you're going. Plus the Quicksilver way is a little buggy in Camino and other browsers. I end up with a lot of duplicate bookmark listings.

If you haven't looked at the pro tips section of the apple website please do. It has a bunch of wonderful tips, like this Two Seconds to Sleep tip.

Pictures of Kalirabi

The great thing about Getting Things Done is you have room in your brain for all these crazy ideas. Like pictures of of... kalirabi.

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Small Changes -> Small Miracles

Before I started writing this post. I feel like I need to share I considered the risk I assume when posting this information publicly. It's not like it's a secret to friends or anyone really but I don't advertise it nor do I believe anyone with a disability should advertise it or use it as a crutch. Now that I am considering getting a "real" job I felt I should share that I considered not exercising my free speech rights due to fear of corporation; however, this message is important enough. When in doubt, do the right thing.

I am a Type I Diabetic, I have been for as long as a I can remember. I was diagnosed at fourteen months old and I am sure I had it at eight. My parents used to check my blood sugar by poking my toes. They would dilute the insulin to quarter strength so I had a chance of control. I was eating 1800 calories when I wasn't old enough to walk. I was on a regimen of R and N for many years. I switched the N to U (ultra-lente) when U came out, and despite my Diabetes I stayed on my growth chart and lead a fairly normal life when I was growing up.

College and more specifically engineering had new challenges in store. Gone were the days of structured schedules and regular meals. I was eating dinner at 10 pm and the fourth meal. Breakfast was a luxury. The dining hall offered pizza, pasta and other breads, despite having a dietitian formulate the meals. Not at all a good choice for a Diabetic diet. As a result I lost weight, lots of it, and my sugars where out of control. I had an A1C, the test that measures diabetic control, of... well let's just say "bad."

Endocrinologist: "You should go on an insulin-pump."
Me: "I'm an athlete."
Endocrinologist: "You can still do most things."
Me: "Not good enough, Diabetes will not control my life."

But it was.

I switched to a regimen of Lantus via syringe at night and Novolog via pen needle at meals. This worked okay, but I soon figured out Lantus does not, as advertised, last twenty-four hours. My sugar sky rocketed at dinner time and the Novolog dose was twice that of breakfast (when possible) and lunch doses. I struggled with this a long time (four years). Because I thought It was insanely hectic schedule I reduced the Lantus dose in favor of more Novolog believing it would provide more incremental control. One Saturday night I ran out Lantus, I had forgotten to refill my prescription. The pharmacy was closed on Sunday I was going to have to last until Monday morning at 10 AM. I had always told myself I would just cover with Novolog if something like this had ever happened, THIS DOES NOT WORK. No matter how much Novolog I gave my sugar would not go down. I am convinced the stuff is practically water. I suddenly realized I had not given Lantus the proper respect. I had discounted it's effectiveness because it did not work as advertised. This illustrates an important point about advertising at it's relation to pomodern life. Just because marketing is filled with hyperbolic (yes, curved) assholes does not mean the scientists think like this. They are doing real work and getting real results. Lantus was the most important piece of the puzzle but I refused to see it. That morning I immediately gave enough to cover me until the night. At my normal shot time I upped the dose. My numbers immediately improved; however, the Lantus still ran out early. I hobbled along for a little longer. I swore to myself I would change my habits; eat better, exercise, cut the carbs, no fast food. Only the exercise really helped my blood sugar and I was going low at night, which meant a lack of good sleep at night. I had to cut back on the Lantus again and eat like a maniac right before bed. If I got up at anytime during the night I would go and drink Orange Juice just in case. It was a horrible habit and it lead to wildly erratic results. I was spiraling out of control again. My A1C was the same; "bad".

Then one day I realized all I had to do was give Lantus in the morning. The insulin would fade away at 3 AM when I am neither active nor eating anything. It wouldn't matter. Since switching to this my numbers barely ever reach 200 and rarely drop below 70. It's like I am not even Diabetic. It's beautiful. For the first time in my life I am like everyone else.




P.S. I am not really like anyone else, but it was a nice ending.

Grey Skies of Minnesota

I realized today that I am homesick. Even though I am technically home. It's just not the same as the brightly lit campus of USC or relaxing reprieve of the cabin. Minnesota's just simply not a very nice place to be. The buildings, sky and people are ... grey, for lack of a better word. It's a like a blank sheet of paper that's been dropped in a puddle. It's mind numbing and uninspiring and I can't wait to leave.

The Interweb Vaccum

There seems to be a lack of content on the interweb today. I am not sure if it's because it's Monday or July. So I thought I'd add a little something. I am back from "vacation" aka "work camp 2007." Much longer well thought out posts are on the way. Also, the promised photos.

Hyperslanboldery

Hyperslanboldery - Hyperbole and slander combined.


Ex: My co-author’s claims regarding the scope of his contributions to My First Presidentiary are not just hyperbole, they are slander. Hyperslanboldery.

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