Midori, sans liqueur.

Recording again at the Fenway Center :)

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 14:41:12 -0500

Recording again at the Fenway Center :)

dinner with a non-foodie/the importance of the capitalization of proper nouns.

Sat, 07 Nov 2009 14:36:00 -0500

Ben: Opentable says 9:30 - that okay?
Midori: Omg that's late. Do you want to try calling them again and see if you can get an earlier spot?
Midori: There's also ten tables - it's Boston's "best affordable romantic restaurant", apparently? But if you're sold on the burger, I won't try and change that.
Ben: Haha you think that would be offputting to me? A little simple "romantic" restaurant?
Midori: ?
Ben: We went to Haru last week, I've had my mass market glitz/glam fix.
Midori: I agree.
Ben: So why would telling me that it's little and romantic make me not want to go?
Midori: No, I didn't think that...? I thought that it not having a burger would.
Ben: But it has a burger, the best burger, no?
Midori: Yes, Radius does. So I thought since Ten Tables doesn't, you wouldn't want to go
Ben: Oh oh oh. "ten tables" is a restaurant - I thought Radius only had ten tables in it or something.
Midori: LOL no. Hahaha. Aw, cutie.
Ben: What!
Midori: HAHAHA. I see what happened.
Ben: "There's also ten tables"
Ben: To a non-foodie that sounds like, "The room contains only ten tables"
Ben: Foodie to normal person communication fail.

Nine Tips to Help You Avoid Unnecessary Battles.

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:27:50 -0500

Don’t fight over something that’s none of your business, or that you can’t do anything about.
Think about the consequences of the argument. Are they worth it?
Determine what the conflict is really about. Once you do this, then decide if it’s worth bringing up. If it is, address the underlying issue, not the superficial one.
Make sure the argument is going to solve something.
Don’t fight just because you “feel you’ve been challenged.”
Ask yourself, “Is it really a big deal?” Chances are that it’s not.
Realize that you don’t always have to have the last word, and often it takes the “bigger person” to simply let the conflict go.
Ask yourself, “Am I really right? Does it matter if I’m right? Is there really a ‘right or wrong’ for this issue?”
Is this an issue you’ll remember in five years? In one year or six months, even? If not, don’t fight it.

Wise words.

goodolddays: nikkieoberg: suicideblonde: librarysciences:[via ...

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:33:54 -0500

goodolddays:

nikkieoberg:

suicideblonde:

librarysciences:[via uhhinternet, blackandwtf].

Just started following a blog (goodolddays) whose writer has a penchant for old 1940’s-50’s American culture like I do. This is incredibly exciting in a way that’s so geeky I could only blog about it myself.

I would go so far as to say that I wish I could go back in time and be a 19 year old either in the ’20s or ’40s, but then I realize that I’m Japanese and neither of those timeframes really work out… :/ But why my obsession?

I didn’t grow up in an “American household” - English wasn’t even my first language. No one in Japan was ever like, “Hey, look at these, these are cool” because they were obsessed with modern American culture, something I didn’t particularly care for. I loved going to the library and seeing what my town looked like then, what people looked like then, what music they listened to (my oldies collection is EPIC). I loved Grease. I loved black and white. When I got dial up, I surfed photos of my favorite places as they were… on 28.8kbps. How is it that a little Japanese kid becomes so generationally and culturally displaced? A lot of families in America have personal memorabilia from these era and really don’t see how interesting it can be which bums me out a lot, because I would kill for glimpses like that from my own family (whose photos/records lay destroyed - thank you WWII carpetbombs).

Nevertheless, I love this girl’s blog.

The Average Colour of the Universe This color has become much...

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 14:56:29 -0500

The Average Colour of the Universe

This color has become much less blue over the past 10 billion years, indicating that redder stars are becoming more prevalent. In a contest to better name the color, notable entries included skyvory, univeige, and the winner: cosmic latte.

Day 4 update:

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 14:09:15 -0400

I miss: Eggs and pastries… a lot.

I messed up when: I ate a cannoli with cream in it… but it was delicious.

I don’t feel so terribly limited per se, but I feel like I can’t have my little luxuries which is kind of a bummer. Yesterday Ben got two hard-boiled eggs and I whined like a puppy for about 10 minutes.

…and 24 hours later I’m still whining about it on my blog. (sigh.)

Good morning.

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:05:09 -0400

Corn syrup free shredded wheat and soy milk :)

"A happy life consists not in the absence, but in the mastery of hardships."

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 18:32:47 -0400

““A happy life consists not in the absence, but in the mastery of hardships.””

- Helen Keller

Kids Who Wear Halloween Masks Come Home With More Candy

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:02:06 -0400

newsweek:

From an experiment described on NurtureShock:

Trick-or-treating children who came to the door were instructed to help themselves to the candy – but they were only allowed to take one piece.
Many kids took two pieces or more – even handfuls. Beamer’s team noticed a pattern. Kids who wore costumes that didn’t hide their true identity – such as costumes that didn’t use masks or other head covers – tended to take just one piece of candy. Kids whose costumes truly disguised their identity were grabbing extra. The costumes freed the children from the rules that that normal kids have to play by.

So for some kids, the researchers asked the children to tell them their names or addresses. This worked miracles – those kids then only took a single piece.

Then, the researchers tried a subtler trick – they placed a large mirror behind the bowl of candy. The kids only took one piece. Even kids wearing full-costumes.

It wasn’t until the kids identified themselves or literally saw themselves in the mirror, did they have an awareness that the kid underneath the costume was still the same kid. And the rules applied once more.

The more you know…

This is interesting (and also slightly obvious).

shutupinternet: kvknowsherfun: allthingsalishan: Saw a...

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 13:07:03 -0400

shutupinternet:

kvknowsherfun:

allthingsalishan:

Saw a preview for this movie and started to cry. Straight up tears running down my face. Nevermind that it’s about a rich white family adopting a big squishy disadvantaged black boy.

I’m still going to see that shit, cry, and rave about how much I love Sandy Bullock.

Lacey and I were talking about this movie last night. I straight up LOVE sentimental sports movies. I’m so there.

The book was one of the best books I’ve ever read in my life. There is no reason that Michael Oher should be in the NFL right now other than pure dumb luck. Sure he’s a natural and physical phenomenon but his poor life in Memphis was a practically inescapable situation. I couldn’t be prouder that this man is on my football team.

I’m going to see this movie and I’m going to cry like a baby because the story is so damn remarkable. I hope they end it differently than the book. I hope the movie ends with him running out into an NFL stadium because there’s more information about his fate now than there was when the book was finished.

Watch Oher play sometime, watch the behemoth number 74 on the Ravens line. He’s a rookie and he already kicks All-Pro players’ asses. Look at what he did to Jared Allen. Oher’s got talent. And one hell of a story.

I don’t really know why I’m a sucker for sentimental sports movies (maybe it’s the cheerleader in me) but I really want to see this too.

Day 2 a little luxury: Soy latte w/ raw sugar at Peet’s!

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:05:53 -0400

Day 2 a little luxury: Soy latte w/ raw sugar at Peet’s!

Dinner: Sweet potato salad and Japanese veggies :)

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:40:02 -0400

Dinner: Sweet potato salad and Japanese veggies :)

I’m gonna love againYou gotta break me inI’m holding...

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 18:19:06 -0400

I’m gonna love again
You gotta break me in
I’m holding out too long
But I’m not giving up

Paulson - Break Me In

Binging on Paulson lately. This song melodically doesn’t necessarily fit hand in hand with the majority of their repertoire, but I like it anyway (huzzah happy melodies and chord progressions!)

Lunch, and pros and cons of the corn strike

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:29:00 -0400

Today’s lunch: Spaghetti with spicy cod roe and seaweed. Mmm :)

After going through my pantry, I’ve realized this is going to be easier for me than most.

First of all, I’m Japanese, so the food I cook at home is mostly rice, fish, vegetable, and buckwheat-based. The only things I had to give away were Honey Bunches of Oats (sort of sad, I love that cereal) and eggs.

Secondly, I’m a pescetarian (seafood, no meat), so I already don’t consume any meat :)

Momentary cons:

I eat 5 meals a week at my university’s dining hall, and I’m sure that their food contains a lot of corn product.
I like corn, and I like soup (stock is usually from chicken or beef). I also like the occasional sweet (especially now that it’s close to Halloween…)
NO CHEESE. :(

Corn strike, Day 1: Shopping. Soy milk, instant rice noodles...

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0400

Corn strike, Day 1: Shopping.

Soy milk, instant rice noodles (yeah yeah, I’m lazy and instant ramen apparently contains corn..), brown rice (I just wanted some), and surprisingly, shredded wheat cereal!

Kellogg’s Shredded Wheat uses HF corn syrup, but Post’s uses only sugar and brown sugar. How nice :)

I'm going on a corn strike.

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 12:38:00 -0400

I’ve been posting a lot of tech-related stuff recently (thanks, Microsoft) so lemme switch to another interest of mine: International Affairs.

For a week starting tomorrow, I’m going to try not to consume any corn or corn by-products.

Why? Put simply, the United States is the #1 consumer of corn - We Americans are almost entirely dependent upon it in our diets and lifestyle. That said, I don’t personally know just how much I’m dependent on it, and I’d like to find out. (Tomorrow I’ll explain in further detail why exactly I’m doing this not-so-crazy-but-still-kind-of-crazy stunt, and how this is actually related to international affairs and globalization.)

Anyway, here’s how I’m defining my corn strike:

No corn, corn meal, corn starch, hydrogenated corn oil, etc.
No food or drinks with high fructose corn syrup (no soda, some fruit juices, etc)
No beef, pork, or chicken/eggs (their feed is corn-based)
No milk (comes from cows that eat corn)
No using cars or buses (corn-based ethanol)
No biodegradable utensils from hip little eateries, since they’re made out of corn as well.

I will be…

Using the T: I need to get around, so I’ll be using it. I think it’s classified as a light rail, and therefore electric anyway…but I’m not sure. If anyone would like to clarify this for me, please leave me a comment or email!
Using toothpaste: I know it has corn in it, but I like brushing my teeth and being able to talk to people without knocking them out.
Using antibiotics if needed: I’m not going to literally kill myself with this.

Throughout the upcoming week I’ll be posting pictures of my meals, any rants about the difficulties of this mission, and failures to avoid my corn-reliance. All the posts related to this will be tagged with “corn strike” and you’ll be able to see all of them by clicking the corn strike tag below. Feel free to leave any suggestions, questions, comments here on my Tumblr, or go ahead and email/IM me.

Wish me luck!

A depart from my usual: Pumpkin muffin and an iced caramel...

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:03:15 -0400

A depart from my usual: Pumpkin muffin and an iced caramel latte! Mmm.

Fun day cheering for b at her ballroom competition, but boy, I...

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 17:56:00 -0400

Fun day cheering for b at her ballroom competition, but boy, I could use a nap.

Lesson learned: Microsoft throws a pretty good party.

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 18:27:24 -0400

Video will be up next week, but for now, a few snapshots!

The line to get in was rather epic, since only so many people fit into eight elevators at once…

What we saw when we walked in: The music was already going, popcorn, chips, cupcakes, hotdogs, copies of Win7, and drinks flowing…

Win7 gang signs? Gary looks down upon the rest of us.

Win7 mocktails for those of us underaged folk…

…Made the Microsoft Surface BSoD. Whoops :(

Inside the actual offices, which are GORGEOUS, by the way… (completely empty because everyone was out)

Gary and I definitely did not draw Tux and Ubuntu on their whiteboard. Oh no.

Developer-turned-emcee of the night. I want his shirt! (Um, also, why do I have to be such a pale Asian kid?)

More photos and explanations from the night here!

Microsoft's Quarterly Profit Falls 18%

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:46:00 -0400

Microsoft's Quarterly Profit Falls 18%:

I’ve got a slight problem with this article. Why highlight Microsoft’s drops in profit and sales as if they are bearers of bad news? They’re only temporary. The author acknowledges the cause for each of the numbers in each paragraph, but maintains a pessimistic outlook…Here’s why I think it’s unnecessary:

Windows 7’s arrival couldn’t have come sooner for Microsoft (NSDQ: MSFT), as the company’s operating system sales could use the boost that the newest version of Windows is likely to provide.

“Couldn’t have come sooner”? “Operating systems sales could use the boost”? The drop in sales was caused directly by the then-upcoming release of Windows 7 - People who knew it was coming were waiting it out to buy a computer. Now that it’s here, people will resume buying computers, and others will upgrade. Microsoft was never in a pinch - There is no need to make them sound like they were.

If anything, the drop should have been considered a positive indicator for the company and shareholders. It proves that consumers were aware of the product, and also anticipated its release.

Sales of Windows and Windows Live products were off 39% in Microsoft’s first fiscal quarter, ended Sept. 30th, the company reported Friday. Much of the drop was due to Microsoft’s deferral of $1.5 billion in Windows revenue in the quarter due to a program under which consumers who purchased a Vista PC could upgrade to Windows 7 for a nominal charge upon the latter’s availability.

Windows 7 was formally released Thursday.

But even with deferrals factored in, Windows sales for the quarter were still down from the same period a year ago. Sales were $2.6 billion without deferrals, compared to $4.3 billion last year. Sales would have been approximately $4.1 billion had revenue not been deferred.

%39 drop in sales of Windows/Windows Live? Most of it due to $1.5 billion in deferred revenue for an upgrade program? $2.6 billion in sales this year, vs. $4.3 billion last year - Oh my god!

One. It’s common, if not expected, that a consumer shouldn’t have to pay full price to upgrade a recent purchase.

Two. Deferred revenue is a liability, but only until the good is delivered. And as the article states, the good was delivered yesterday. And, “sales would have been approximately $4.1 billion had revenue not been deferred”

That’s .2 billion down from last year. Boo hoo.

Three. Now, with all of this considered, why are losses in MS’ first quarter (ended Sept 30) being reported as such a big whoop? For people who don’t understand what deferred revenue is, for most people reading Google News, this could be a very misleading article. Rather than solely report on losses reported ended Sept 30, perhaps more pertinent would be a clarification as to what those numbers from Q1 mean post-Oct 22, and an outlook on profits for Q2 given Microsoft’s releases of Win 7 and Exchange Server.

Either break down the entire financial document for the average reader, or leave the analysis to those of us who actually understand it. Don’t sensationalize important stuff like this.