Tempus Fugit

Latin (tem-pu̇s-ˈfü-git): Time Flies

Author: Garry

  • IBM and Second Life

    I first started hearing about Second Life on the Adam Curry’s Daily Source Code podcast but really didn’t pay too much attention to it. But, then I started to see more and more information about IBMers getting involved in SL. And now I’m reading about how Sam Palmisano is participating in SL. I guess it’;s time to pay attention to the technology and the business implications.

    IBM accelerates push into 3D virtual worlds | Tech&Sci | Internet | Reuters.com

    IBM is ramping up its push into virtual worlds with an investment of roughly $10 million over the next 12 months, including an expanded presence within the popular 3D online universe Second Life.

    Chairman and Chief Executive Sam Palmisano is set to visit Second Life on Tuesday, following a “town hall” meeting with some 7,000 employees in China, and speak with the more than 250 IBM employees on one of the company’s virtual islands.

  • Missing the bike

    This summer I rode by bicycle to work 2-3 times a week when I went into the office downtown. With the colder and snowier weather and being a bit lazy for some reason I’ve reverted to taking the van and driving to work.

    However, the last could of days I’ve found the traffic just totally frustrating. There were no snow storms, no accidents, no road repairs on my route, just lots of slow moving traffic. On the bike I was so used to just passing by all the “parked cars” going to and from work. Now, just sitting in the van and creeping along to get in and out of the downtown core is just too slow. Perhaps I’m just getting more impatient and need to learn to relax more.

    I think not! I just need to get over the cold issue get out there. I know how to ride in the cold and have been out in -30C, you just need to dress for it. In fact, I’ve raced in many of the IceBike races here in Winnipeg. Just the other day I met up with Rob Nagy, the Veteran Icebike Organizer, and for sure I’m planning on entering IceBike #9 on February 4th, 2007. I missed #8 due to some business travel issues but manged to get down to the race course and take some pictures. I’m really looking forward to the blow-out events planned for the 10th anniversary. Yes, bring back the t-shirts!

  • level ground

    I was keeping up with a friend’s blog, which put me on to this post and I’m glad I followed some of the  links and arrived here. The whole post had a lot to think about, but the one line that really grabbed my heart was “we stand with him on level ground before the cross”. I read it over several times to let that profound truth settle deep within me. It made me reflect on the sin in my life and my need of the grace of God and the need to consider more deeply my response to news like this.

    Leadership Blog: Out of Ur: The Haggard Truth

    There is nothing any one has ever done that we –each of us—is not capable of doing. So when we pray for our brother, Ted Haggard, we pray not out of pity or self-righteousness but with a humble spirit because we stand with him on level ground before the cross.

  • Weighing In

    I’ve lost some weight over the last 10 months. Around 30lbs to be a little more specific. For quite some time only close family noticed or perhaps they were the only ones who said anything. But towards the end most people have noticed and said something. Generally. it’s been positive and I feel great about the accomplishment and I like the reflection in the mirror.

    I didn’t just lose weight, I worked fairly hard at replacing it with muscle mass. I work out almost every second day on the Bowflex and over the last couple of months I’ve been augmenting that with a targeted abs routine. This summer I rode my bike to work 2-3 times a week a 20km round trip, and I like to ride fast, which made it a good workout. So, less weight, more toned muscle – at least that’s what I think.

    Now I’m starting to hear that I might be getting too light! That I might be loosing my “presence” as a trimmer guy. This is quite a surprise. So I thought I’d look at what the recommendations are for someone my size. The first benchmark that came to mind is the Body Mass Index (BMI). OK,this may not be the be all and end all of measures, but it is one that is well respected and established.

    I’m currently 210lbs and 6′ 4″, well I may be closer to 6′ 3 1/2″, but I’ll give the BMI calculator the benefit of more height. According to the BMI calculator this puts me at a BMI of 25.6 which in in the 25.0 – 29.0 overweight category. OK, perhaps just inside the range but clearly not in the normal category of 18.5 – 24.9.  Now, there appears to be one overriding factor which may cause a higher BMI that

    BMI – Body Mass Index: BMI for Adults: About | DNPA | CDC

    • Highly trained athletes may have a high BMI because of increased muscularity rather than increased body fatness.

    I guess I could think of myself as a “highly trained athlete”, but then again, perhaps not.

    Since inquiring minds want to know and assuming my height will not change significantly, what would the BMI consider my normal weight range? Well, for 6’4″ It’s 151 to 205, so it seems that according to the BMI I still have some room to loose and still be “normal”. Hmmm, what would I look like at 150? Now that would be too much. Or would that be too little?


  • Starbucks Test

    This was edited lightly for profanity but I must admit if I heard this in line at Starbucks I’d be thinking the same thing. Besides, if Guy Kawasaki can post about it, so can I.

    How to Change the World: Book Review: The No A**h*** Rule by Robert Sutton

    The first step is to recognize who is an a**h***. Sutton’s blog cites one method. It’s called the Starbucks Test It goes like this: If you hear someone at Starbucks order a “decaf grande half-soy, half-low fat, iced vanilla, double-shot, gingerbread cappuccino, extra dry, light ice, with one Sweet-n’-Low and one NutraSweet,” you’re in the presence of an a**h***. It’s unlikely that this petty combination is necessary—the person ordering is trying to flex their power because they are an a**h***.

    The book on Amazon.

    Technorati Tags: Kawasaki, Starbucks

  • katsup

    Actually, that would be catch up on reading my personal
    emails. More specifically, The daily devotion emails from John Fisher at the
    Purpose Driven Life.  Some of the thoughts that challenged me were:

    • To be more aware of and think about being eager to do good (1 Peter 3:13).
      looking for opportunities to serve others
    • To see my work as worship to God, doing what I was created to do, my very life as a gift from God
    • Am I using my uniqueness, the things that God put in me and the experiences I’ve had to benefit others?
    • What will we do in Heaven? Sit around or continue to grow and server? If there is a purpose on earth, that there will be an even more significant purpose in Heaven.
    • The challenge of many different points of view and diversity while yet being in unity with
      Christ.
    • What is worship? The areas of worship that are outside of a church service, and the fact that worship is so much more.
    • What is character and how do we get it? (Romans 5:3-4 and it’s not generally a good time at the time)

    I shouldn’t get so far behind, this is certainly a lot to consider all at once but I’m glad I spent some quite time this morning to read these devotions and think about what they mean to my life. I’m thankful that John makes these devotions available and that they cause me to stop and think about these things.

    Even during this quiet time, life happens, I hear the 3 thumps on the floor above, our family signal to come upstairs and see what’s happening. I have a fair idea what’s happening as I heard some stomach turning sounds from one of the bathrooms a few seconds earlier. Scott’s not feeling too good, perhaps some bad pizza from last night. There’s not too much to be done as generally you just need to ride these things out. I took him a cup of water.

    Technorati Tags: family, devotional, purpose, life

  • Building

    Today,I send a good portion of the day with Eric and Doug at Eric’s new house doing renovations. He’s only two weeks into the project and major work has taken place. I was the drywall guy today and did the inside of the new front room closet and about half the kitchen. Doug & Eric focused on the plumbing and hooked up the tub drain, connected the shower control, filled in the cuts in the basement floor with concrete where they moved the entire stack and ran a new drain line to re-locate the washer closer to the furnace to create a consolidated utility area.A little drywaller’s confession. As I was working on a small panel that had a light switch on it, I noticed that if I cut the hole for the switch box the way it was, that there would be no where for the switch tabs to rest on the drywall, because the opening would be too big. I then noticed that there were some extra tabs on the box that we didn’t need in this application and that they should be removed first and then everything would be good. Well, after that I went back to a larger panel and noticed that I’d made that mistake there. Also, Eric came along and asked if I’d taped up, the vapor barrier behind that panel, which I’d forgotten to do. So, not being one to leave things messed up, I pried off the panel and set about to make it right. Well, that was a good thing because I’d total overlooked cutting opening for the electrical outlet for the refrigerator! I kind of wondered why the panel didn’t sit quite right when I was screwing it on in that area. Oh well, it’s all better now & drywall is fairly cheap.

    So much has happened in such a short time. The first week focused mainly on demolition, taking the entire kitchen and bathroom back to bare studs, and opening several doorways to create a more open concept feel. The place was a real mess! But now you can feel that the corner has been turned as the building and restoring phase has begun in earnest. Fresh drywall really makes you see the progress and that things are on the up swing. Soon there will be paint etc. and then moving it. Yahoo!

  • Head Spinning

    Very cool photos on the spiral theme.

    Spiral pictures – Spiral photo gallery

    Technorati Tags: spiral, photography

  • In Vancouver and lovin’ it!

    I flew in to Vancouver this morning for some professional development and a western regional team meeting for work and I’m having a great time. Vancouver is my favorite Canadian city and any time here is a good time. After the meetings the team was out for dinner and then I headed back to the hotel.

    This trip I’m staying at the Delta Vancouver Suites, and to date this is the best ever hotel that I’ve stayed and and I’d highly recommend it to anyone. The service and experience has been exceptional. Upon arrival I pulled up in front of one of the hotel doors in what seemed to be a loading zone on the street. I was just going to run in and register, drop off the bag and head on out to the office. As I’m checking in they asked if I had a car and where it was. When I told them, one of the staff offered to take it around the block and into the hotel valet holding area as where I left it, I was likely to get a ticket. Checking was quick and with a cookie to boot! The room is fabulous. A corner suite with floor to ceiling glass, a new and modern decor, and a great view of the downtown skyline.

    When I return from dinner later that day, there is a personalized welcome note on the work table with my name printed on the envelope and the note in side. A small fruit plate has also shown up with an apple, two large strawberries and some grapes. A few moments after I enter the room the phone rings. It’s the hotel staff welcoming me to the hotel and ensuring that everything is OK. A nice touch except for the spook feeling that came with know the call was triggered by me using my access card to enter the room. This was no random call, Big Brother is watching.

    I head out for a walk down Robson to pick up a Starbucks drink, (Tazo chai latte, extra hot) and on the way I stop to watch a scene being shot for a movie and wild and crazy crowd of mainly scantily clad young girls in what seem to be Halloween themed costumes waiting to get into some club. Talk about night life.

    Great city, great hotel. Now if they’d only stop hosing you $9.95 a day for Internet access. Oh yeah, wireless would be nice too.

  • Maah Daah Hey – not this year

    Well, this is the weekend where I should be in North Dakota on the Maah Daah Hey trail biking with the boys. But, it’s not happening. We had a great run for 5 years of making the annual trips with a bunch of guys for some great mountain bike riding. The trips were always fun, and resulted in some great stories, guys getting lost in +100 degree weather, crashing and landing on a cactus and other guys (me) crashing and getting a 3rd degree separated shoulder in 2005.

    But this year, thing just seemed to work against getting enough riders to make the trip. Some had weddings to attend, some were moving, some were over worked and needed some home time. Gee, where are your priorities? This would have been easier to take if the weather was really bad because the trail is un-ridable when wet. But at 8:45am in Medora it’s 56F and sunny and the forecast high is 81F and the same for Sunday!

    What are we doing here in Winnipeg? Ugggg.

    Technorati Tags: Maah Daah Hey, Mountain Biking, cycling