Matt's Texas Tales

OXO and design failures.

2005-10-31T08:27:00.000-06:00

"We're not afraid of a slow build," says Levy. "We're designing products to last a long time."

OXO seems to have a very agile approach to product development. They go through iterations of products because a lot of things just aren't apparent until you see them in real life. For instance, they made a bagel slicer which makes slicing bagels a lest dangerous activity. When they demoed it in Chicago it was somewhat of a failure in that they hadn't designed for Chicago sized bagels (much smaller than their New York counterparts).

The cool thing is that they learned from this mistake. When they made a mango splitter they made sure to test against many varieties of mangos; not just one type. The same thing can be done in software development. When starting a new project most seasoned developers make sure to have source control available, for instance.

I know it's been a while

2005-10-21T09:14:00.000-05:00

But this is how I've been feeling for a while.

The Cato Institute's view

2004-10-31T22:48:00.000-06:00

An interesting opinion in that it says both the Republican and Democrat candidates are wrong when it comes to Iraq. I don't agree with the article's conclusion, but at least it's somewhat fresh.

The Fall Season

2004-10-03T22:26:00.000-05:00

We've been trying out a few of the new fall shows to give Tivo something to do in place of Angel and 24 (which officially sucks as of season 3). There are three shows that seem quite promising: Lost (NBC), CSI-NY(CBS) and Veronica Mars(UPN). Lost is kind of a first season 24/Survivor mix with surprising good suspense. CSI-NY is darker more disturbing brother of the original CSI. Much better than CSI-Miami because David Caruso is a chode in contrast to an enjoyable Gary Sinese. Veronica Mars is a non-supernatural Buffy (a high compliment in my book).

In other news the Bahama Breeze restaurant on Stonelake Blvd is being replaced with a Baby Alcapulco's. I already forsee a few nights of Purple maragarita debauchery.

I didn't inhale.

2004-09-27T22:20:00.000-05:00

My continuing obsession with The Daily Show.

Wireless Replays

2004-09-23T22:19:00.000-05:00

I'd love this feature on a small handheld at the races we go to. BTW, there will be road courses next year.

More from Italy

2004-09-23T21:54:00.000-05:00

We got back from Italy last week and I'm happy to be back. It was my first foray outside of North America and definitely my first extended trip in a country where I don't at least speak a little bit of the language. Without question it was a great time and it was made all the more fun to be able to share it with Laura. She's quite a bit more well traveled than I am so she was able to smooth the way a bit in the more stressful situations like driving around in swarms of Vespas and clearing customs on the way back.

People keep asking me my favorite part of Italy and what things stuck out most as being different than the states. And both have pretty much the same answer: the extensive history. Everywhere you went, it was readily apparent that humans had called this place home for a long time. Certainly people have been in the US for a long time, but native Americans didn't leave as much Western type signs that they were here. Or at the very least, those signs have not been integrated so tightly into the prevailing culture as they have been in Italy.

Laura and I really enjoyed Florence. Although this is an over simplification, the difference between Austin and Houston is about the same difference between Florence and Rome. Rome is huge, has lots of culture and definitely feels like a large metropolitan city. Florence is a quite a bit smaller and feels more like a place where people live. These perceptions are probably more related to where we visited and how the tourist areas are laid out.

We had no problems finding good inexpensive food in Florence. Much like Ed suggested, we would walk down the street, see a busy place and get in line. We had some GREAT fresh pasta and Florentine steak that I will never forget.

Tuscany reminded me a lot of the wine country in California; which I guess isn't a huge surprise. Quite pretty and very laid back.

But finally, we got ready to go home. I was really looking forward to ESPN, the Simpsons in English and most importantly, Tivo. Well I guess Tivo and my friends and family, but you get the point. At the Rome airport it was interesting to note that the check-in counter for our flight back to Chicago was off to the side and you had to go through a security checkpoint to get there. The security was a few uniformed military looking people with fully-automatic weapons. There was also a couple of guys with guns walking the cat-walk up top. All of the flights had one of two things in common: they were headed for the States or they were headed for Israel.

Democracy Inaction

2004-09-23T21:52:00.000-05:00

I just got this book from Amazon today. I've only read 2 pages of it and it's already made me laugh out loud at least 6 times.

Mid Afternoon

2004-09-15T14:42:00.000-05:00

For JP:

Early afternoon - 12-2pm.
Mid afternoon - 2-3pm.
Late afternoon 3-5pm.

Italy, days 2 and 3, update from Laura.

2004-09-02T14:29:00.000-05:00

Laura just read my last post and wanted to add the following:

St. Peter's is just about the most impressive building around.
St. Peter is burried in the basement there.
The climb up Michelango's dome was long 320+ steps but well worth the view.
The climb down from the dome makes you dizzy.
You can't find Pepsi anywhere.

Oh and Robert, current picture count is 212.

Italy, days 2 and 3

2004-09-02T13:58:00.000-05:00

Days 2 and 3 were devoted to sight seeing. We went to the Galleria Borghese and the Vatican. We enjoyed both immensely. The Sistine Chapel is as impressive as you have been lead to believe. You can literally spend hours just staring at the ceiling if your neck would hold out.

We encountered Charle's guy. Well not Charle's exact guy, but a very similar speech. Somehow, the two American looking people were supposed to help this guy find the Train Station. After I pointed out on the map where it is and where we were, he went on to ask where we were from. Austin, Texas. USA. "Oh, I have cousin in LA. Do you know Versacè?" Well sure, we had heard of it. "Would you like free samples?" No. After the first no, he raced off immediately in his car. Obviously on to better customers.

Lunch and dinner were again not that impressive. I did, however, make it a point to stop by the US embassy. I was quite unimpressed. Sure it was big, with large gates and everything but there was not one Marine on guard; at least not prominently. If I had needed to make a mad dash to the door, passport on display and yelling "I'm an American!" I doubt anybody would have noticed.

Things learned today:

The two buttons on my toilet are for different flush sizes. The big one gives you a big flush, the smaller button a smaller flush.
Some subways have buttons next to their doors as well. Push them to get on or off.
Stuff in Rome is expensive.
Acqua, no gas.
Security people at the Vatican do NOT want their pictures taken.
The Roman Catholic church has kick ass facilities in Rome.
Most of the tourist spots do NOT take credit cards. And, they want exact change.
It's a pain to get change anywhere except for the little convenience stores and snack shops.
When buying sun screen, make sure it is not tinted brown. Especially if you have fish belly white skin like me.
No matter how bad the road signs are in the US, they are nowhere near as obfuscated or incomprehensible as the road signs in Italy.
Vespas suck.

That's about all from days 2 and 3. I really liked our hotel room at the Hotel Splendide Royal. Very quiet and comfortable.

Italy day 1

2004-09-01T14:50:00.000-05:00

For those of you who didn't know, Laura and I are in Italy for a quick visit. Currently I'm sitting in my room in Florence which has a computer and an internet connection built in. Free! So, since the opportunity is right, I'm finally making a post.

Day 1: We arrived in Rome at 7:30 in the morning after about 14 hours of travel. Immigration consisted of brief pause at a station where some guy quickly stamped our passports and waived us through. I never said a word to him and vice versa. Bags came quickly and the airport as the airport was next to empty. We hopped on the Leonardo Express. Steps to get on train (matt style):

Buy ticket.
Get on train.
Read ticket, note that it needs to be "validated."
Leave Laura alone on the train with 3 bags
Run back to yellow validating machines, validate ticket.
Run back to train.
Jump on train 45 seconds before it leaves.
Get severe look from Laura.

We made it to the train station at Termini and grabbed a cab to our hotel. Since we were very early, they weren't quite ready for us. We dumped our bags and headed to the closest metro station to catch a metro to the coliseum. There are only two lines in Rome, A and B. You can get a tourist pass for 11 Euro which is good for unlimited rides for a week, busses too.

I won't bore you too much with the details of the coliseum but to sum up: lots of trinkets and tours for sale surrounding one big ass piece of rock. By the end of our moseying around, we were both a bit exhausted from the travel and walking so we went back to the hotel for a long nap. Later we had dinner at some roof top restaurant that was pretty good, but not outstanding. It was nice for the view of the Pantheon, but not much else. Then back to the hotel for more sleep.

Things learned on day 1:

You must validate your train ticket.
Rome is full of doors with buttons next to them. Those buttons open the door. Pushing very hard on the doors over and over again does not seem to open them.
The door close button in the elevators are actually hooked up to the door.
Pack light.
Everybody knows I'm an American, just by looking at me. The UT hat probably didn't help.

City of Austin Police Retirement vs ITT?

2004-08-23T21:36:00.000-05:00

According to the complaint, 12 former ITT employees have already been interviewed and provided detailed information on illegal actions by ITT executives, ranging from inflating enrollment figures by counting nonenrolled students as enrolled and double-counting other students to falsifying student grades and post-graduation employment figures.

Gmail

2004-08-19T22:37:00.000-05:00

Anybody want a gmail account? I have two invites to send out.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Lego-Spiderman

2004-07-08T09:07:00.000-05:00

Courtesy of Martha.

Winery Stop - Napa - Sterling Vineyards

2004-06-24T22:02:00.000-05:00

Laura and I went to this vineyard last summer on a suggestion from a guidebook. The biggest draw: a spectacular tram ride up the side of a "mountain" whose final destination is the winery at the top of the hill. It's $10 per person, but that includes a free tasting and self guided tour at the top. The free vintages we tried weren't outstanding but decent. Because of the construction that was going on at the time, we were offered one of the higher quality wines. The wine was a little better, but not worth the price.

The Tour: Self guided and not all that exciting. The building is quite pretty though and, as I said earlier, they've done some remodeling.

The Wine: Pretty average fair though we only tried one of the higher end vintages. Not that great of a value. The Chardonnay was good.

The Grounds: Almost as pretty as Benzinger; better in some places. Again, camera worthy.

Unique: The tram ride, of course! You and your friend will be treated to some very pretty views during your slow ascent and descent. (There's a 2/1 coupon for the reserve room tasting.)

Winery Stop - Sonoma - Benziger

2004-06-22T21:34:00.000-05:00

My Mom told me about this winery a few years ago. The place is gorgeous; and the wine ain't bad neither. If you're into 100% biodynamic growing, fruity wines and a tractor powered tour this is the place to go.

The Tour: I remember the tour cost around $7-$10 per person which included about a half-hour tour of the grounds powered by a tractor. The family dog might come a long for part of the ride. Really, the tour is more for the pleasant ride through this beautiful place than it is about learning about wine. At the end, you get to try one or two vintages.

The Wine: Very good for the price. Be sure to try a Sauvignon Blanc and a Cabernet Sauvignon. Laura and I did the $20 "upscale" tasting after the normal free (I think it's free, could be $5) tasting and were pretty happy though I wouldn't go out of my way for it. Remember, most places don't mind if two people share a tasting.

The Grounds: Did I mention how pretty this pace is? Be sure to bring a camera. After you go there, you'll wonder why anybody would want to live anywhere else.

Unique: They have their own insectory where they grow "good" insects that eat the "bad" insects which means they don't need to use pesticides. Be sure to check out the flora from different parts of the nation.

Travel to Tuscany

2004-06-20T21:51:00.000-05:00

JP told me about this place a couple of weeks ago. Laura and I went there on Saturday for lunch and loved the place. They make fresh made-to-order Italian style pizzas, sandwiches, salads, coffees and many side dishes. They also have a wine tasting bar in the back. Basically, pay a buck or two for a taste of wine; their delivery system is ingenuous. It's a little out of the way, but I highly recommend it as a great stop before a picnic; a nice place lunch and a very convenient place to do some high-falutin wine tasting.

German Spam

2004-06-11T21:19:00.000-05:00

I got this bit o' spam at work as well. Unfortunately, the babelfish.altavista.com translation didn't do it justice. Something about wailing women and poop videos.

Wine Country Reviews

2004-06-07T22:22:00.000-05:00

For all of those planning trips to the California wine country this summer, I wanted to put together a quick series of posts highlighting some of my and Laura's favorite wineries.

Some quick pre-requisites:

1. You'll need a car. There is really no other way to see the wine country aside from getting a driver. Convertibles are nice and there are some great roads around like Oakville Grade/Dry Creek Rd which connects, rather circuitously, Napa and Sonoma.
2. You'll need some patience. Traffic in the summer can be pretty bad on the small roads and some of the out of way wineries aren't the easiest to find without a good map.
3. You'll need some money. Though many wineries offer free tastings, every year I visit more and more are charging small tasting fees; especially true when sampling the higher end vintages. Also, tours usually have a small charge.
4. You'll need some sun block. And water. And shades. It's sunny and dry but thankfully, no where near as hot and muggy as Austin.
5. You'll need some preparation. Many of the wineries close on Mondays or Tuesdays completely and on Sunday early. Make sure that you find out when your favorite winery is open and if you need reservations for tours. Most wineries now have websites so check them out.
6. You'll need a camera and something to write with. One for the beautiful scenery, the other to help record the wines that you truly enjoy.

Once you have most of the above you're ready to enjoy the wine country.

Keep checking back for some tips on tasting, buying, shipping, eating and where to visit.

Lightning Bolt!

2004-06-07T10:32:00.001-05:00

I like the applause at the end. Thanks to Scott-D! for the link.

Amazon, delivered today.

2004-06-07T08:06:00.000-05:00

I agree, Amazon just gets it. They offer the best of both worlds for delivery now. If you're willing to wait, you can get most items delivered for free. Though most times I only wait a few business days even for that. But now, they're testing same day delivery of orders; that's just sweet.

Moris

2004-05-28T09:46:00.000-05:00


Martin: I am the wondrous wizard of Latin!  I am a dervish of declension

        and a conjurer of conjugation, with a million hit points and

        maximum charisma.

         [spots a blackboard with verbs written all over it]

        Aha!  "Morire": to die.  "Morit": he, she, or it dies.

         [Willy morphs out of the blackboard; Martin gasps]

 Willy: "Moris": _you_ die.

Martin: Aah!  [runs off]

 Willy: [laughs] You've mastered a dead tongue, but can you handle a

        live one?

         [his tongue shoots out of his mouth, wraps around Martin, and

        squeezes him]

         [in class, Martin twists and screams, then collapses on the

        floor]

Nelson: Ha ha!

Mozilla Bloglines Plugin

2004-05-11T07:09:00.000-05:00

I haven't tried it out yet. Pluck seems to be kind of nice, but I don't like how intrusive it is on Windows. Maybe this will be more behind the scenes.

Barbecue

2004-05-05T17:56:00.000-05:00

My good friend Jean-Pierre has organized a group of meat eaters in the Central Texas area. Our first outing is this Saturday at 10am. We're going to Coopers in LLano. Anybody else want to go? All meat fiends are invited.