The extended group I work with at Boeing had a 'recognition lunch' today (basically they take everyone out and buy them lunch).
However, we had a $10 limit on what we could actually order, which didn't give us many options on the menu. The real problem, however, was that we didn't get food until we'd been sitting there for well over half an hour. Add in the actual eating of lunch and travel time and we spent about an hour and three-quarters away from our desks as our forty-minute lunch allowance.
IIRC, the rule of thumb is that engineers cost the company ~$100/hour (including salary, benefits, office space, computing, etc.), which would mean Boeing paid $110 for my $10 lunch.
Robert A. Heinlein wins again.
(For the uninitiated, There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.)
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Oh no!
During gaming last night it was pointed out that my current character is management. This point was confirmed a number of times during the session.
I didn't realize I'd created an evil character.
I didn't realize I'd created an evil character.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Mirror, Mirror...
I was born and raised in Massachusetts (postal abbreviation MA), and now live in Washington (postal abbreviation WA).
Flip and M upside down and you get a W.
MA: East coast state with a liberal urban east and a (fairly) conservative rural west.
WA: West coast state with a liberal urban west and a (fairly) conservative rural east.
Both states have their largest city wrapped around a seaport. Both states almost invariably vote democrat for president.
Furthering the "mirror image" idea: MA has high income tax. WA has no income tax. Seven states (including WA) in the US have no income tax. Seven states (including MA) in the US have a flat income tax.
The next state east of MA (NY) is shaped kindof like a backwards "L".
The next state west of WA (ID) is shaped kindof like a forwards "L".
Both MA and WA have about 6.5 million (+/- 100,000) people.
Both MA and WA have double "8's" in their year of admission to the US (MA 1788, WA 1889).
Both the US Senators from MA are male democrats, and it has a male democrat governor.
Both the US Senators from WA are female democrats, and it has a female democrat governor.
WA is the leading producer of rasberries in the US.
MA is the 2nd leading producer of cranberries in the US.
MA has the busiest light-rail system in the country.
WA has the largest ferry system in the country.
Flip and M upside down and you get a W.
MA: East coast state with a liberal urban east and a (fairly) conservative rural west.
WA: West coast state with a liberal urban west and a (fairly) conservative rural east.
Both states have their largest city wrapped around a seaport. Both states almost invariably vote democrat for president.
Furthering the "mirror image" idea: MA has high income tax. WA has no income tax. Seven states (including WA) in the US have no income tax. Seven states (including MA) in the US have a flat income tax.
The next state east of MA (NY) is shaped kindof like a backwards "L".
The next state west of WA (ID) is shaped kindof like a forwards "L".
Both MA and WA have about 6.5 million (+/- 100,000) people.
Both MA and WA have double "8's" in their year of admission to the US (MA 1788, WA 1889).
Both the US Senators from MA are male democrats, and it has a male democrat governor.
Both the US Senators from WA are female democrats, and it has a female democrat governor.
WA is the leading producer of rasberries in the US.
MA is the 2nd leading producer of cranberries in the US.
MA has the busiest light-rail system in the country.
WA has the largest ferry system in the country.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
The March of Agincourt
Part IV of the material I presented at Champions.
Competition Entry #2: The March of Agincourt
Knights may charge, rain may fall
We’ve got longbows; kill ‘em all!
Horses charge o’er muddy field
Stand by me, I’ll never yield!
Clothyard shaft, bow of yew
Aim your longbows high and true
Nock a shaft and call the cry
HOW MANY OF THEM CAN WE LET FLY!
Hold the line with sword and axe
Make them pay a bloody tax
They’ll cut your fingers off your hand
So string your bow and take a stand
I’ll not be ransomed if we loose
And those at home won’t like the news
So draw your bow and call the cry
HOW MANY OF THEM CAN WE LET FLY!
Guard your king and country well
Send these Froggies back to hell!
Win the war, I’ll win the bride
All English chests will swell with pride
Clothyard shaft, bow of yew
Aim your longbows high and true
Pile their bodies to the sky!
HOW MANY OF THEM CAN WE LET FLY!
God give us your blessing now
To your glory we all bow
Do not avenge my father’s crime
Upon my country, not this time!
Although we’ll die if that’s our due
Let us live to honor you!
We’ll sing your praises to the sky
HOW MANY OF THEM CAN WE LET FLY!
Knights may charge, rain may fall
We’ve got longbows; kill ‘em all!
Horses charge o’er muddy field
Stand by me, I’ll never yield!
Clothyard shaft, bow of yew
Aim your longbows high and true
Nock a shaft and call the cry
HOW MANY OF THEM CAN WE LET FLY!
Competition Entry #2: The March of Agincourt
Knights may charge, rain may fall
We’ve got longbows; kill ‘em all!
Horses charge o’er muddy field
Stand by me, I’ll never yield!
Clothyard shaft, bow of yew
Aim your longbows high and true
Nock a shaft and call the cry
HOW MANY OF THEM CAN WE LET FLY!
Hold the line with sword and axe
Make them pay a bloody tax
They’ll cut your fingers off your hand
So string your bow and take a stand
I’ll not be ransomed if we loose
And those at home won’t like the news
So draw your bow and call the cry
HOW MANY OF THEM CAN WE LET FLY!
Guard your king and country well
Send these Froggies back to hell!
Win the war, I’ll win the bride
All English chests will swell with pride
Clothyard shaft, bow of yew
Aim your longbows high and true
Pile their bodies to the sky!
HOW MANY OF THEM CAN WE LET FLY!
God give us your blessing now
To your glory we all bow
Do not avenge my father’s crime
Upon my country, not this time!
Although we’ll die if that’s our due
Let us live to honor you!
We’ll sing your praises to the sky
HOW MANY OF THEM CAN WE LET FLY!
Knights may charge, rain may fall
We’ve got longbows; kill ‘em all!
Horses charge o’er muddy field
Stand by me, I’ll never yield!
Clothyard shaft, bow of yew
Aim your longbows high and true
Nock a shaft and call the cry
HOW MANY OF THEM CAN WE LET FLY!
Monday, March 23, 2009
A Period Piece
Part III of my Bardic Championship material.
Or: There ain’t no Peace in Period!
What we are searching for here is FACT – if you’re looking for glory, the knights are over on the tourney field.
Up until recently, modern historians were completely unaware that Henry V had originally intended to sing an inspiring song to his troops to motivate them prior to the battle of Agincourt. His musicians practiced night and day for three days before the battle. The damp and their exhaustion, however, caused them all to get sick (most likely with dysentery, which afflicted much of Henry’s army, though sources are vague on the subject). Without music to accompany him, Henry was forced to improvise a speech instead. A manuscript including the song was discovered in the tomb of one of Henry's knights by the noted archeologist Dr. Jones in 1938.
So much is historical fact. But rumors and gossip continue to ascribe the most fantastic events to Dr. Jones’ expedition. The idea that he disturbed a secret lab researching the uses of thiotimoline is of course absurd, and that he destroyed the lab in some feat of heroics is even more so. Equally annoying is the contention that the damage to the portion of the manuscript containing the music was due to gunfire or some sort of ancient booby trap rather than the well-known ravages of time. If research on thiotimoline was in fact being carried out so early, why do none of Dr. Asimov’s (perhaps the greatest expert on thiotimoline in history) papers on the subject discuss it?
We can be grateful to Dr. Jones for not encouraging such nonsense, instead providing a simple, rational, account of his findings. We can also be grateful that he was methodical enough to copy the text of the song from the manuscript before it was further damaged.
We cannot, of course, be sure of the music that was intended to go with the text of the song, but a detailed study of other works composed by the same minstrels leads me to believe that I have constructed a piece that I believe is in keeping with the music of the times, which I will now perform.
References:
1., Jones, I., "Examinations of a Knight's Tomb in France," Archeology Yesterday, Volume 4, Number 2, 1938.
2., Asimov, I., "The Endochronic Properties of Resublimated Thiotimoline", Journal of Astounding SCIENCEFiction, 1948.
3., Asimov, I., "The Use of Endochronometers in the Analysis of Thiotimoline", Proceedings of the 12th Annual meeting of the American Chronochemical Society, New York, NY, 1959.
Or: There ain’t no Peace in Period!
What we are searching for here is FACT – if you’re looking for glory, the knights are over on the tourney field.
Up until recently, modern historians were completely unaware that Henry V had originally intended to sing an inspiring song to his troops to motivate them prior to the battle of Agincourt. His musicians practiced night and day for three days before the battle. The damp and their exhaustion, however, caused them all to get sick (most likely with dysentery, which afflicted much of Henry’s army, though sources are vague on the subject). Without music to accompany him, Henry was forced to improvise a speech instead. A manuscript including the song was discovered in the tomb of one of Henry's knights by the noted archeologist Dr. Jones in 1938.
So much is historical fact. But rumors and gossip continue to ascribe the most fantastic events to Dr. Jones’ expedition. The idea that he disturbed a secret lab researching the uses of thiotimoline is of course absurd, and that he destroyed the lab in some feat of heroics is even more so. Equally annoying is the contention that the damage to the portion of the manuscript containing the music was due to gunfire or some sort of ancient booby trap rather than the well-known ravages of time. If research on thiotimoline was in fact being carried out so early, why do none of Dr. Asimov’s (perhaps the greatest expert on thiotimoline in history) papers on the subject discuss it?
We can be grateful to Dr. Jones for not encouraging such nonsense, instead providing a simple, rational, account of his findings. We can also be grateful that he was methodical enough to copy the text of the song from the manuscript before it was further damaged.
We cannot, of course, be sure of the music that was intended to go with the text of the song, but a detailed study of other works composed by the same minstrels leads me to believe that I have constructed a piece that I believe is in keeping with the music of the times, which I will now perform.
References:
1., Jones, I., "Examinations of a Knight's Tomb in France," Archeology Yesterday, Volume 4, Number 2, 1938.
2., Asimov, I., "The Endochronic Properties of Resublimated Thiotimoline", Journal of Astounding SCIENCEFiction, 1948.
3., Asimov, I., "The Use of Endochronometers in the Analysis of Thiotimoline", Proceedings of the 12th Annual meeting of the American Chronochemical Society, New York, NY, 1959.
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