Were You? iWoz.

Last Tuesday, Steve Wozniak was in town. As part of his iWoz book tour, "Woz" made two stops in Taiwan - one in Taipei on Monday, and one in Hsinchu on Tuesday.

In case you've never heard of Steve Wozniak, perhaps you're more acquainted with his partner in crime and co-founder of Apple, Steve Jobs. In all honesty, I hadn't heard of Woz until recently when I read the Jobs autobiography called "iCon: The Greatest Second Act in the History of Business". But fair enough, I decided to go have a listen to his book promotion since I got my hands on a free ticket through a coworker. In some circles, he's an engineering legend, having almost single-handedly inventing the personal computer.

Woz was one of two guest speakers - the other being Taiwanese Mr. Chang, founder of Trend Micro, best know for its popular anti-virus software PC-Cillan. For the Taiwanese, Mr. Chang is probably a better known name than Woz.

A third character that evening was a Taiwanese female moderator who in my opinion had no reason being there.


The 2 hour event roughly went like so:

• Woz spoke at a podium about his life experience, his childhood, his love for building computers, etc. Probably very close to what he recalls in his book.
  
• Then they switched gears, and had all 3 people (Woz, Chang, and the moderator) on stage, with Woz and Chang answering questions thrown out by the moderator.
  
• The moderator was awful. Trying to segway between answers and her next question, she would constantly throw in irrelevant comments, make terrible jokes (or at least I think they were attempts at humour), and she had a hard time
  controlling an overly-verbose Wozniak.
  
• Woz is a well-spoken man, but as I mentioned above, he sometimes has a hard time keeping it shut. He just wants to tell story after story.
  
• At some points, it felt like Woz and Chang were telling stories to show what they'd accomplished in the past to one-up the other.
  
• Finally, they took some questions from the audience - including one from me asking what Woz's current role at Apple is. Well, this is before I realized he wasn't at Apple anyway. Ok, officially he is. He has a very low salary, and basically just chats with Steve Jobs and acts as a consultant. The salary is just to make him an official employee - as the longest-standing member at Apple.
  
• Overall, I didn't take much out of the event. I didn't learn much, and none of what was said was very enlightening. But I guess sometimes you just go to these things just because it's cool to meet someone famous and have your picture taken with them.
  

After the event ended, a table was set-up on stage where Woz would sign books.

With a copy of iWoz I bought the day before, I stood in line to get my book signed. Some guy brought his iBook to have it signed on the cover. I had brought my digital camera, but without a battery. So, after I got my book signed and shook Woz's hand, I stood in line with my ex-coworker CY, who had brought his camera. As I got to the front of the line for the second time, I told CY to get behind the table to pose with Woz. I took his picture, and then we traded places and had my picture taken. Then CY and I went to McDonald's and to chat a little. About 10 minutes after sitting down, CY says "Eh? Where's my book?" Turns out, with all the photo-taking, we/he completely forgot to take his book. By the time we got back to the scene of the crime, everyone was gone. Fortunately, CY had already read the book - and he wasn't too devastated about losing the signed copy.

But that's how the evening went. I met him, shook his hand, and got his picture.


* While keeping with the Apple them, both books, iCon and iWoz, start with the 'i' prefix. But in my opinion, both titles are horrible. "iCon", which talks about Jobs being an icon, can also be read as "I con", describing how he's screwed over a lot of people in his career. "iWoz" on the other hand seems to indicate Steve Wozniak as a thing of the past, "I was". I feel like both books could have been better named.

$500K

I'm listening to Team 1040 right now, and they're talking about how once-BC Lion quarterback Casey Printers signed with the Ti-Cats.

"Printers signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on September 6, 2007 for a reported $500,000 a season, making him the highest paid player in the CFL."

$500K per season is the highest pay in the CFL? Seems rather low, or does it? I guess in the CFL, they only play 9 games each season over 3 months or so. Just ramble.

EarthShake

We just had an earthquake. Not yet updated on the Taiwan Central Weather Bureau.

Around 1:53am, Taiwan time, Sept 7th.

2:05am Updated: Now it's up.

2007-09-07 01:51:00 6.6 058 24.20N 122.43E, i.e. 87.3 km ENE of Hualien City

Click here to see a map of where it hit. The epicenter is the red star. I live in the 3rd county from the top along the West coast - so I felt a 3.

Da Vinci Strokes

Here's a neat news story...
Researchers uncover Leonardo da Vinci's method stroke for stroke

Fight Club

Ever been in a fight? Like, one where fists are a-flying and legs are a-kicking?

I want to hear about it.

I want the who, what, when, where, and why. Who won? (it's okay to admit to loss) What went through your mind? What was the damage?

If you haven't had a real fight, maybe you can describe your most intense pushing and shoving episode.

I've never being in a real fight. My closest experience was in grade 11 when my classmate AS (now Microsoft employee) and I got into a kicking match. We had a disagreement, and ended up trading low roundhouse kicks (him with his TKD, me with my Ka-ra-te). At the end, we probably got pulled apart, and that was it. Lame, huh. That's why I want to hear your story.

Something Funny

Here's another story from E's birthday party.

We booked a table with couches for our group. I was sitting down on the couch, and E was standing in front of me. Standing off to the right of me was a girl with her back turned to us. So I grabbed E's wrist and threw her hand into the girl's butt.

The girl turns to her left and looks at E. E, shocked at what I just did, points at me, and the girl looks my way. And I say "I didn't do it!"

Then the girl talks to her guy friend, and as she's walking away, she says to me (in English) "That's not funny."

Guess it depends on your point of view. I had a good chuckle with E.

Anyway, in hindsight, I kind of feel a little bad. If I had a clear mind, I might have apologized and told her that I threw someone else's hand into her butt. Because her last impression was probably that I, a guy, slapped her ass. And that might have ruined her night of partying. Oh well. In hindsight.

A Night with Jose

Saturday night was E's birthday, with celebrations clubbing at Room 18 in Taipei.

For the most part, Room 18's hip hop music selection was good - up tempo and perfect for bumpin' on the dance floor. At our table, everyone was having a good time eating chocolate cake, and downing red wine and Jose Cuervo.

Now, one of the few things I remember well from my 1998 trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico was what I learned at at a tequila distillery. The tour guide taught us that tequila is made from a plant called Blue Agave (agave azul), and the good tequila is "100% Agave", which is labelled always labeled on the bottle. Jose Cuervo, which at one time was a quality tequila, is no longer. It's over 50% agave, qualifying it to be "tequila", but it's loaded with artificial additives. The result is a drink that give you nasty hangover the day after.

So it only seems fitting that it was Jose Cuervo that would make me puke for the first time because of alcohol consumption. Yes, I know, at 28, it seems I should have drunk myself to a good throw-up long ago. I don't regret not doing it till now either. In any case, I still remember the night well, and felt better throwing up 3 times quickly (into a toilet). Still woke up with a bit of a headache, but it wasn't too bad.

Just want you to know, Jose, you're a bad, bad man.

Belt It Out

I don't never wear pants* without a belt. I just don't... unless I forget. If there's are belt loops, not having a belt looks a little strange to me.

I just a little more naked, I feel fashionably inferior, and my pants hang uncomfortably lower.

Girls can get away without belts. Guys... not so much, in my opinion. Especially with jeans.

What about you?

*Sweatpants / tearaways / etc excluded.

Competition is in the Air

It's that time of the year again. Our company is holding the annual "Clubs" tournaments, where each company club has a budget of 8,000nt - $15,000nt to hold a competition. This year is my busiest yet, because I'm entered in a whole slew of events. Here's the rundown.

Basketball Club
- 3-point shootout
- mixed (male/female) special event (just shooting)

Foosball Club
- Men's Competitive Singles
- Doubles

Fitness Club
- Muscular Fitness (includes push-ups, chin-ups, benchpress, leg lifts, high-jump, bicep curls, and lat pulldowns)

Billiards
- 14-1

Table Tennis
- Men's Competitive Singles
- Doubles (though my partner's female)

Photography
- Scenery
- People

Swimming
- Men's 100m Freestyle
- 400m Relay

So that's going to keep me busy on top of my overloaded work schedule. But I'm looking forward to it. I expect to take medals in a few of those events, at least. Just for sport, for money, and for fun.

Mangology: The Study of Eating a Mango

Mango season is a time I look forward to each year. A time when the sumptuous tropical fruit can be bought at roughly C$1 for two. I love eating mangoes - they're my favorite fruit.

But there's an art to preparing and eating a mango. Where points are graded upon several factors (awarded 1 - 5 points in each category):

1. Convenience: Opposite of degree of difficulty
2. Performance: How fast you can prepare and eat the mango
3. Cleanliness: How cleanly mango consumption can be performed
4. Maximization: How much mango meat you can eat off one mango
5. Aesthetics: How pretty it looks
6. Servability: How well it can be served or shared

I've tried several different methods of cutting mango, and here're a summary of a few of these - along with my recommendation.

A) The Porcupine

This is the way my mom would prepare mangos for us to eat when we lived at home.

Steps

a) Cut both hemispheres of the mango off the pit.
b) On each half, incise hash marks down to the peel, without puncturing.
c) Flip the mango half (well, technically less than half) inside out for the meat to pop outwards.
d) Eat the individual pop-out cubes.
e) Cut or peel off the skin on the remaining pit slice and eat the meat off the pit directly.

Grading

1) Convenience: 2
Not difficult, but not convenient - especially the eating part. And you'll also be limited to staying around at the sink until you finish eating.
2) Performance: 2
Not really a time-saver with all precision cutting and picking at the mango meat off the flipped out halves.
3) Cleanliness: 1
By the end of this, you'll have mango juice all over your face from digging into the porcupine quills - and probably hands that need cleaning from eating the pit. Not to mention there's likely to be lots of dripping and a stream of mango juice down your forearm.
4) Maximization: 3
Difficult to eat cleanly, leaving lots of leftover meat on the peel - lest you should spend more time scraping it with your teeth.
5) Aesthetics: 5
Full marks for presentation, as far as amateur mango-cutting goes.
6) Servability: 2
Unless you're sharing a mango with one other person, this isn't the way to go. No one will want your sloppy seconds here.

Total Result

15 points out of a possible 30


B) The Slice-n'-Dice

This is one way my coworker serves mango pieces at the office. His family grows mangos in Southern Taiwan.

Steps

a) With a fruit peeler, take off the mango skin.
b) With naked mango in one hand, and fruit knife in other hand, shave off large slices of the mango into a bowl.
c) Further cut the slices into smaller cubes.
d) Suckle and nibble at the pit until it's cleaned.
e) Wash hands and eat the bowled pieces with a fork.

Grading

1) Convenience: 3.5
Not as easy as it seems to cut off large slices, but eating with a fork sure is convenient.
2) Performance: 3
Takes time to peel and slice the mango. Eating may be easier, but certainly not faster.
3) Cleanliness: 3
The first stage isn't too clean with the peeling and slicing, but eating afterwards doesn't get much cleaner.
4) Maximization: 5
Shaving the mango reduces wasted meat.
5) Aesthetics: 3
A bowl of mango chunks. There are prettier things.
6) Servability: 5
Small pieces make sharing easy. Probably the best way to go if you have one mango and many mouths.

Total Result

22.5 points out of a possible 30


C) The Big Simple

After several runs of trial and error, this is the method I settled on. Maybe many people already eat this way, but I came up with this way of eating myself.

Steps

a) Cut both hemispheres of the mango off the pit.
b) Half each hemisphere again (to have four quarters).
c) Eat each quarter by peeling back the skin and eating it like an orange slice.
d) Cut or peel off the skin on the remaining pit slice and eat the meat off the pit directly.

Grading

1) Convenience: 5
Four cuts and you're just about done.
2) Performance: 5
From start to finish, I can wolf down a mid-sized mango in about 2 minutes.
3) Cleansiness: 4
Hard to avoid getting dirty hands eating around the pit, but the quarters can eaten without direct contact with mango meat.
4) Maximization: 4
Peeling the skin off the mango leaves a bit of fiber on it - still, not too bad.
5) Asthetics: 2
It gets marks for being simplistic. Sort of a New York versus Paris.
6) Servability: 4.5
Easy to share with up to 3 other people.

Total Result

24.5 points out of a possible 30

I don't normally care for asthetics when I eat a mango. So, discounting that category, the Big Simple gets 22.5 out of 25. And hence, I recommend The Big Simple for its optimized and simplistic nature.

Mango on!