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How much does that metered parking space really cost?
Now that Oakland is charging for metered parking 12 hours a day, six days a week, I decided to revisit the mental exercise of "How much does that metered parking space really cost"? Let's assume, for argument's sake, that you leave your car at the metered space all the time, that you pay during all the hours that payment is required, and that a ( Read more... ) -
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From Matt Yglesias, a fascinating analysis of why Quebec nationalism is (thankfully, IMNSHO) dying out.
If you're a progressive, you really should be reading Matt's blog. I only discovered it a few days ago, but I'm thoroughly hooked. -
Excellent Wednesday crossword result
I finished today's New York Times crossword in 4:11, putting me 13th out of 610 people who have solved it against the clock so far. This is better time than I had Monday or Tuesday this week. -
Silly probability question
I don't know why I'm having so much trouble with this, but I am. I am calculating how much money one would win if one were financially and physically able to purchase every possible MegaMillions ticket, thus guaranteeing that one would hit the jackpot, and one were the only jackpot winner. The number of possible tickets is (52 choose 5) x 46. So ( Read more... ) -
iPhone users laugh until they pee for 99 cents!
Amy and I downloaded Smack Talk from the apps store yesterday. You speak into the microphone, and a cute, furry critter (guinea pig, puppy, kitten, or chihuahua) repeats what you said in a high-pitched voice. Then you laugh, and the critter mimics your laugh, then you laugh again, and after a while you can't breathe. Highly amusing. It's especially ( Read more... ) -
iPhones!
Yesterday, Amy and I got up around 5am and drove to Emeryville to stand in line for the new iPhone 3GS phones. We got there at 6 and there were already two long lines, one for people who had reserved phones (us) and one for people who had not. For some reason, our names were not on the list, even though we had visited the same Apple store the day ( Read more... ) -
Piano recital
Saturday afternoon was my piano's teacher's annual recital for all her students who are foolish enough to show up. Being a natural exhibitionist (no, not that kind, you dirty, dirty person!), I though it might be fun to show off my (admittedly limited) stuff. There were 15 kids and three adults on the program, and one of the adults didn't show up ( Read more... ) -
Opera at the Ballpark
Last night, Amy and I went to see Puccini's Tosca at AT&T Park. Admission was free, and there were probably 30,000 people there. The performance was simulcast on an enormous high-definition screen from the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco, and the picture and sound could not have been better. I can't imagine anything more surreal than ( Read more... ) -
Mortgage recommendation
Amy and I recently refinanced our mortgage through Brad Shiffman of Quicken Loans. He was incredibly professional, straightforward, and helpful, and the process was unbelievably fast and easy. If it weren't for the appraiser's backlog, we could have closed in four days. If you're buying property or considering refinancing an existing loan, give him ( Read more... )