Category Archives: Personal

Mount Washinton Trip

I’ve wanted to go to Mount Washington in the winter forever. It took until this year for me to finally get the gumption to go. I looked forward to the trip all fall and winter. It was just as good as I hoped – even better. Check out the Tabblo and two short YouTube clips here and here.

Edutrips are run by the Mount Washington Observatory.  I heard about the trips a few years ago, but it wasn’t until this fall that I pulled the trigger and signed up.

In preparation I bought lots of gear (non-cotton layers, jackets, boots, crampons, etc.) and got myself in better shape.  If things go perfectly, you don’t need all of the equipment.  But they were very clear that things don’t always go perfectly.  In those cases you need to be able to hike out safely in severe conditions.

At 8AM I arrived at the bottom of the Auto Road.  The picture above is from the parking lot.  It was cool – 20F or so, but not bad.  While it was sunny at the bottom, the top was clearly “in the clouds.”  We weren’t going to see the sun for a while. A 24-second video of the scene. (The picture above, by the way, is an autostitched panorama created from 5 photos)

We shook hands and met each other.  There was the group leader, a group assistant, the snowcat driver, 8 Edutrippers, and a reporter from Germany.  We walked over to the garage and the gear was loaded onto the snowcat.  One person rode up front with the driver, and the 10 of us packed into the back.
… Read much more here

Rock Band (Guitar Hero)

Boston.com posted this video on its job site. The bit is about Harmonix. Harmonix’s famous because it created Guitar Hero I and II, and now Rock Band (Guitar Hero III is from Activision, which is a whole ‘nother story). Boston.com interviewed Eran Egozy. Eran is a co-founder of the company, a fraternity brother, and a friend. I think the interview, and the whole segment, is pretty good.

I particularly notice that they use scooters to get around the office, while HP forbids me to use them. REWS, are you listening?

I haven’t heard Eran play the clarinet in a decade. It was good to hear him again, but funny that it took this piece for me to hear it.

Snow

It’s been a good year so far for snowlovers like me. I’ve been snowboarding twice already at Mt. Wachusett, and I’m going again tomorrow. In the last 4 days we’ve got 20+ inches of snow. The weather forecast holds the cold/snow pattern for the forseeable future. What more could I ask for?

I came across this time-lapse video on Universal Hub. The first three minutes are good. You can see the plows go past, and you also see how ineffectual they are – the snow just keeps coming!

Two

Sunday night I was excited and tense.  If I’m destined to have a stroke, it will happen during a Red Sox game.  When it was done, I was elated, delighted, ecstatic, and lots of other words.  I screamed at the street, high-fived my friends, and played Dropkick Murphy’s at a volume of 11.  I called and texted and emailed a few dozen people.

As I watched the postgame celebrations and interviews, I thought Sox Chairman Tom Werner nailed it: “2004 was for our parents and grandparents and everyone that suffered through eight decades.  This is for us and our children.”  And we can do it again.

Two.

Sox Fans Don’t Wave Socks

I’m back from game 6, and it was great. The fans were electric from pitch one. They jumped on Carmona’s troubles right away. I’ve never chanted “Faust-oooo” before, but it felt good. I’ll do it again. I didn’t pick J. D. Drew as the hero, but I’ll take it.

Game 7 tomorrow. I like the momentum, and I think we’ll get it done.

Memo for the two people I saw waving socks during the game: we’re smarter than that, thanks. Socks don’t make noise. Clap your hands. Leave the “terrible towels” to people who are dumb enough to think towels make noise.