Saturday, January 31, 2004
Fashion Victim
It appears that, in the name of fashion, Britney Spears has had her nipples surgically removed.
I think Sheri is just going to sleep all day. She said she was up every 1.5 hours. I don't know if she did her breathing exercises or not, but it is important for her to at least get out of bed and be vertical on a regular basis.
I set my alarm for 6:00 AM to give her a shot of Heparin. It leaves a nice bruise around the injection point, so in two weeks after 42 of these, she should be one big bruise.
I don't know what I am going to do today. I have taxes to do, and I have a lot of paperwork, bills, checkbook balancing, filing, kind of work to catch up on. I don't feel like doing either.
I set my alarm for 6:00 AM to give her a shot of Heparin. It leaves a nice bruise around the injection point, so in two weeks after 42 of these, she should be one big bruise.
I don't know what I am going to do today. I have taxes to do, and I have a lot of paperwork, bills, checkbook balancing, filing, kind of work to catch up on. I don't feel like doing either.
Friday, January 30, 2004
Sheri is home and doing well. I mixed her up 4 ounces of protein drink, some ice water, and three teaspoons of liquid Vicodin, an opiate similar to codeine, and has about the same pain relieving qualities of morphine.
She said she is not up to talking on the phone tonight. Very tired. The Vicodin will also make her even more tired.
She said she is not up to talking on the phone tonight. Very tired. The Vicodin will also make her even more tired.
I just talked to Sheri (I am at work today) and the doctor said she is doing so well that they might actually let her out today rather than wait until tomorrow.
She still has feelings of nausea, but has not thrown up since that one time yesterday. They gave her two ounces of Boost, and now she is working on some cranberry juice. She has not had anything to eat besides clear liquids on Monday and Tuesday.
Thursday, January 29, 2004
Truth is Stranger than Fiction
A 56-foot sperm whale's insides lie strewn about after its belly burst due to decomposition while being transported to the National Cheng Kung University in Tainan in southern Taiwan on January 26, 2004. The whale ran aground and died on a beach in the southwestern county of Yunlin on January 17. (Taiwan Apple daily via Reuters)
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
I made it home alive. (Read that as: I didn't fall asleep at the wheel.) Last night I went to bed a little after midnight, and then got up at 4:00 AM. I wasn't able to catch any catnaps at the hospital.
Sheri is doing GREAT. She barely had a bought with nausea. She felt a little wave come on around 6:00 PM, but she told the nurse right away, rather than try to tough it out like she normally would, and she shot some anti-nausea medicine in her IV. Fixed her right up.
She has been going through about a Styrofoam coffee cup of ice per hour with no problems.
She walked twice today.
I gave her the first shot of Heparin today. She will get three injections per day for the next two weeks. She wanted me to do it for her first, and then she will try it if she is up to it.
She is in good spirits. She even said at one point today that she was happy. Go figure. She got a call from her California friend. A New York friend. Lisa. Toledo Mom. Columbus Mom. A Chicago friend. And she called another local Chicago friend.
I barely made it to the cafeteria before it closed. I had two pieces of baked chicken on rice. It was supposed to be somewhat southwestern, but the only indication of this were a few canned tomatoes stirred into the baked rice. It was average, but for only $2.79 it was a pretty good deal. I also made a big salad from the salad bar. I think tomorrow I will just get a big salad and add extra chopped turkey breast to make it more of a main course.
She has to breathe some medication through a nebulizer for ten minutes every six hours. That means her next session is at 2:00 AM CST. Give her call around then if you like.
That's about all I can recall right now, plus I am so tired that my mind is starting to get confused. I hope I am not too tired to fall asleep. I also drank too many Diet Pepsis and coffees today.
Sheri is doing GREAT. She barely had a bought with nausea. She felt a little wave come on around 6:00 PM, but she told the nurse right away, rather than try to tough it out like she normally would, and she shot some anti-nausea medicine in her IV. Fixed her right up.
She has been going through about a Styrofoam coffee cup of ice per hour with no problems.
She walked twice today.
I gave her the first shot of Heparin today. She will get three injections per day for the next two weeks. She wanted me to do it for her first, and then she will try it if she is up to it.
She is in good spirits. She even said at one point today that she was happy. Go figure. She got a call from her California friend. A New York friend. Lisa. Toledo Mom. Columbus Mom. A Chicago friend. And she called another local Chicago friend.
I barely made it to the cafeteria before it closed. I had two pieces of baked chicken on rice. It was supposed to be somewhat southwestern, but the only indication of this were a few canned tomatoes stirred into the baked rice. It was average, but for only $2.79 it was a pretty good deal. I also made a big salad from the salad bar. I think tomorrow I will just get a big salad and add extra chopped turkey breast to make it more of a main course.
She has to breathe some medication through a nebulizer for ten minutes every six hours. That means her next session is at 2:00 AM CST. Give her call around then if you like.
That's about all I can recall right now, plus I am so tired that my mind is starting to get confused. I hope I am not too tired to fall asleep. I also drank too many Diet Pepsis and coffees today.
I just found out now that there is an internet-connected computer available on the floor for patients and family. I wish I would have known that 12 hours ago!
There is also a coffee machine that makes GREAT coffee fresh one cup at a time.
I feel like a zombie. Sheri is doing good. Just tired. I wake her up every 10 minutes to take 9 breaths on her lung exercise device.
I didn't eat until after she came up to her room. I had a make-it-yourself cold cut sandwich, and a bowl of pretty good split pea soup from the cafeteria n the basement. $6.
No complications. All vitals look great. She is scheduled for her first walk between 6:00 and 6:30.
She talked on the phone with Greta just for a few minutes, but she is too groggy for any kind of conversation beyond that.
This is kind of a thrown-together post because I didn't really think about what I was going to say. I was just excited to see this PC in the visitor's room. I imagine I will post more this evening and tomorrow.
If everything goes well (and at this point there is no reason to believe that they won't) she will be discharged Saturday morning or early afternoon.
TTFN!
There is also a coffee machine that makes GREAT coffee fresh one cup at a time.
I feel like a zombie. Sheri is doing good. Just tired. I wake her up every 10 minutes to take 9 breaths on her lung exercise device.
I didn't eat until after she came up to her room. I had a make-it-yourself cold cut sandwich, and a bowl of pretty good split pea soup from the cafeteria n the basement. $6.
No complications. All vitals look great. She is scheduled for her first walk between 6:00 and 6:30.
She talked on the phone with Greta just for a few minutes, but she is too groggy for any kind of conversation beyond that.
This is kind of a thrown-together post because I didn't really think about what I was going to say. I was just excited to see this PC in the visitor's room. I imagine I will post more this evening and tomorrow.
If everything goes well (and at this point there is no reason to believe that they won't) she will be discharged Saturday morning or early afternoon.
TTFN!
Tuesday, January 27, 2004
Monday, January 26, 2004
I forgot to put on my watch today. I hate when I do that. I feel naked.
I figured out how to take the northing and easting coordinates from two points and use the Pythagorean theorem (A2 + B2 = C2) to calculate the distance between the points.
There is a measure tool in the software that lets you click on two points and it will tell you the distance, but you could be off by several feet of clicking on the true location of the points.
The problem with just using the Pythagorean theorem is that it only uses XY data (two dimensional) and assumes the two points are both at the same elevation. Imagine that the two points are on a 45° hill. Looking at them from overhead the distance will appear shorter than if you actually took a tape measure on the ground and measured between the two points. My next goal is to figure out how to incorporate the Z plane (vertical data) to get a true distance between two points.
I figured out how to take the northing and easting coordinates from two points and use the Pythagorean theorem (A2 + B2 = C2) to calculate the distance between the points.
There is a measure tool in the software that lets you click on two points and it will tell you the distance, but you could be off by several feet of clicking on the true location of the points.
The problem with just using the Pythagorean theorem is that it only uses XY data (two dimensional) and assumes the two points are both at the same elevation. Imagine that the two points are on a 45° hill. Looking at them from overhead the distance will appear shorter than if you actually took a tape measure on the ground and measured between the two points. My next goal is to figure out how to incorporate the Z plane (vertical data) to get a true distance between two points.
Sunday, January 25, 2004
I have lost about four pounds since I started back to work two weeks ago. The biggest components of my new diet have been soy protein powder and nuts. In the morning at home I mix two scoops of protein powder with 10 ounces of water. This is quick, no fat, and fills me up until about 10:30 AM.
When I start to feel hungry again at mid-morning I will have three or four handfuls of peanuts, soybeans, or almonds. The high amount of nut oil cuts the hunger pangs almost immediately. There have also been a few studies recently indicating that nut oils have a lot of benefits to diabetics.
If you feel that nuts are a "bad" food because of the high fat content, remember two things: 1. They contain "good" fat that reduces the amount of "bad" fat in your body. 2. If the nuts are in place of other types of food rather than in addition to, you will be OK. For example, having nuts along with your beer and pizza during the football game is just extra calories. If the nuts are replacing a burger or a trip to the candy machine, you will actually be consuming fewer calories overall.
For lunch I have been taking either a frozen SmartOnes® frozen dinner, or packing a sensible lunch (turkey sandwich, fruit, tomato juice).
I will have some more nuts mid-afternoon when I start to get snack hungry, and then eat a normal dinner with Sheri.
There is also not a pop machine at work that is easy to get to. The closest one is in another building across the parking lot. I think that the amount of Diet Pepsi I was drinking at my previous job left me a little on the dehydrated and made my body less efficient at processing calories.
At KDOT there is a Culligan water dispenser about 20 feet from my desk. I have a 32 ounce cup from home that I have just been keeping filled up at my desk. I probably go through about four of those per day.
When I start to feel hungry again at mid-morning I will have three or four handfuls of peanuts, soybeans, or almonds. The high amount of nut oil cuts the hunger pangs almost immediately. There have also been a few studies recently indicating that nut oils have a lot of benefits to diabetics.
If you feel that nuts are a "bad" food because of the high fat content, remember two things: 1. They contain "good" fat that reduces the amount of "bad" fat in your body. 2. If the nuts are in place of other types of food rather than in addition to, you will be OK. For example, having nuts along with your beer and pizza during the football game is just extra calories. If the nuts are replacing a burger or a trip to the candy machine, you will actually be consuming fewer calories overall.
For lunch I have been taking either a frozen SmartOnes® frozen dinner, or packing a sensible lunch (turkey sandwich, fruit, tomato juice).
I will have some more nuts mid-afternoon when I start to get snack hungry, and then eat a normal dinner with Sheri.
There is also not a pop machine at work that is easy to get to. The closest one is in another building across the parking lot. I think that the amount of Diet Pepsi I was drinking at my previous job left me a little on the dehydrated and made my body less efficient at processing calories.
At KDOT there is a Culligan water dispenser about 20 feet from my desk. I have a 32 ounce cup from home that I have just been keeping filled up at my desk. I probably go through about four of those per day.
I picked up a really nice boneless pork roast yesterday on special. I put it dry into an open roasting pan and sprinkled some salt and two Indian spice mixes on it (rogan josh and garam masala).
I am cooking it at low heat (325°) until the internal temperature reaches 155°.
I don't have any meal plans for it other than cutting it into pieces and eating it plain.
It is a 2.6 pound roast, so it should be good for a few quick leftover meals this week.
I am cooking it at low heat (325°) until the internal temperature reaches 155°.
I don't have any meal plans for it other than cutting it into pieces and eating it plain.
It is a 2.6 pound roast, so it should be good for a few quick leftover meals this week.
Friday, January 23, 2004
The latest round of RIAA lawsuits has everyone spooked. There is no free music out there now to download.
Just FYI; a stop sign is known in the Industry (and by the industry I mean the Business) as an R1-1. I think the "R" is for regulatory.
Look at the EM (emergency management) signs below. Very interesting. I think they would use "Maintain Top Safe Speed" if they (by "they" I mean "them") were trying to evacuate a city.
Look at the EM (emergency management) signs below. Very interesting. I think they would use "Maintain Top Safe Speed" if they (by "they" I mean "them") were trying to evacuate a city.
All roadway signage is standardized to a Federal specification. Each sign type has an assigned code. I found this out when I was looking at some shapefiles yesterday that had all of the signs inventoried along the roads. There was a sign listed as an OM-3F. The traffic engineer I was working for never heard of that. So we looked it up, and sure enough, there is no such thing as a OM-3F. The sign was an OM-3R (see below). I will have to check with the vendor and see why they coded it from the digital photo graph as an OM-3F.
OM stands for Object Marker. The three is because it is the third class of object markers. The L, C, and R stand for left, center, and right. You will see these on the ends of guard rails and bridge abutments.
OM stands for Object Marker. The three is because it is the third class of object markers. The L, C, and R stand for left, center, and right. You will see these on the ends of guard rails and bridge abutments.
Kane County is forecast to receive about 2” of snow this afternoon, so when I get to work this morning they were in the process of staging all of the plows and getting them loaded with salt.
There were about a half dozen of them outside and already topped off with a load of salt and their engines running. A bucket loader was in the process of filling another one with salt. I loved the sound of all of those diesel engines grumbling at the same time, and the sweet smell of diesel exhaust in the air. I like this work environment.
There were about a half dozen of them outside and already topped off with a load of salt and their engines running. A bucket loader was in the process of filling another one with salt. I loved the sound of all of those diesel engines grumbling at the same time, and the sweet smell of diesel exhaust in the air. I like this work environment.
Thursday, January 22, 2004
I have been too busy during the day to post anything, and in the evenings I have not been on the computer.
My first two weeks at KDOT have been great. I love what I am doing, and I am learning at least half a dozen things a day that I am aware of. I am probably learning a bunch of other stuff that I am not aware of.
I get along great with everyone there. A very nice, friendly group of professionals.
I got to put on an orange safety vest today and go double check some measurements against a geodetic monument.
I have a new favorite word to refer to a person that is a slacker, mope, loser, etc. The word is "slump". As in "Go see what that slump is doing back there."
My first two weeks at KDOT have been great. I love what I am doing, and I am learning at least half a dozen things a day that I am aware of. I am probably learning a bunch of other stuff that I am not aware of.
I get along great with everyone there. A very nice, friendly group of professionals.
I got to put on an orange safety vest today and go double check some measurements against a geodetic monument.
I have a new favorite word to refer to a person that is a slacker, mope, loser, etc. The word is "slump". As in "Go see what that slump is doing back there."
Tuesday, January 20, 2004
Monday, January 19, 2004
I just realized that most people that have never had Chicago pizza probably don't know what it is. It is NOT just a pizza that has a thick crust. (If you think you know because you have been to Pizza Hut, you don't.)
First, dough is pressed into a round pan. Dough is worked up the side of the pan too in order to form a "wall" to keep the rest of the ingredients from touching the pan.
The next ingredient is cheese, not sauce like a traditional pizza. Ideally you will use slices of provolone. Mozzarella is OK to use, but provolone has much more flavor.
Next come the toppings. People mistakenly assume that the thing to do is load up on the toppings. Wrong thing to do. Too many toppings will add too much moisture to the pie and it becomes soggy and messy. Too many toppings also hides the other flavors in the pizza. I think two toppings is about right.
Finally, cover the thing with canned chopped tomatoes, NOT sauce. There is no sauce on a Chicago pizza.
You can also sprinkle some a little parmesan and dry herbs on top before baking.
A Chicago pizza takes almost an hour in the oven.
Two slices of a large is more than a meal for me.
First, dough is pressed into a round pan. Dough is worked up the side of the pan too in order to form a "wall" to keep the rest of the ingredients from touching the pan.
The next ingredient is cheese, not sauce like a traditional pizza. Ideally you will use slices of provolone. Mozzarella is OK to use, but provolone has much more flavor.
Next come the toppings. People mistakenly assume that the thing to do is load up on the toppings. Wrong thing to do. Too many toppings will add too much moisture to the pie and it becomes soggy and messy. Too many toppings also hides the other flavors in the pizza. I think two toppings is about right.
Finally, cover the thing with canned chopped tomatoes, NOT sauce. There is no sauce on a Chicago pizza.
You can also sprinkle some a little parmesan and dry herbs on top before baking.
A Chicago pizza takes almost an hour in the oven.
Two slices of a large is more than a meal for me.
Just a reminder that it is cheap insurance, with weather this cold, to turn a faucet on to a drip if you will be away for more than a day or two. If you lose power it will keep your pipes from freezing and bursting.
The best faucet to turn on is the one that is the highest and furthest away from where the water supply enters your house. So if the water supply enters your basement on the east side of your house, turn the faucet on in the westernmost upstairs bathroom.
The best faucet to turn on is the one that is the highest and furthest away from where the water supply enters your house. So if the water supply enters your basement on the east side of your house, turn the faucet on in the westernmost upstairs bathroom.
When you take your car to the shop for just about any problem, the first thing they do is plug a scanner into your onboard diagnostics port and see what error codes are stored in the car's computer memory.
You can buy one of these scanners from Sears or most auto-supply stores for about $130.
What kind of error codes does your car's computer report? Here you go. You will be surprised at how detailed the codes are.
I would like to get one just as peace of mind so I know the guys are not just telling me something to make an easy buck from me. It could be cheap insurance.
Sunday, January 18, 2004
A British study says that the number of cases of the incurable disease gout has doubled recently, and they think it could be because of the Atkins diet.
It was announced on Saturday that a huge British archive of World War II era aerial reconnaissance photos, including pictures of the D-Day landings in Normandy, is to go on the Internet on Monday (1/19/04).
Under the digitalization project, some 5 million Royal Air Force photos of Western Europe will be available to the public on the Web site www.evidenceincamera.co.uk.
I might tinker with importing the photos into my GIS software and georeference them to their accurate positions. To do this I have to identify the latitude and longitude for at least three points on a photograph. I tell the software what the coordinates are for each point, and then it will position the photo correctly. It will also stretch and rotate the photo if necessary to make it fit correctly. I can do that with an unlimited number of photos. This would let me pan around Western Europe, zoom in, zoom out, and see the geographic relationships between the various photos.
The concentration camp at Auschwitz in Poland.
Under the digitalization project, some 5 million Royal Air Force photos of Western Europe will be available to the public on the Web site www.evidenceincamera.co.uk.
I might tinker with importing the photos into my GIS software and georeference them to their accurate positions. To do this I have to identify the latitude and longitude for at least three points on a photograph. I tell the software what the coordinates are for each point, and then it will position the photo correctly. It will also stretch and rotate the photo if necessary to make it fit correctly. I can do that with an unlimited number of photos. This would let me pan around Western Europe, zoom in, zoom out, and see the geographic relationships between the various photos.
The concentration camp at Auschwitz in Poland.
My diploma for my MBA from Ashland University showed up in the mail yesterday! They included my transcript, which is good, because I had actually forgotten when I started.
Fall 1997
Operations Management (A)
I started with just a single class to get my feet wet.
-----
Spring 1998
Business & Society (A-)
Managerial Accounting (A)
Summer 1998
Business Statistics (A)
Management Information Systems (A-)
Fall 1998
Business Cycles & Forecasting (B+)
I went back to taking just a single class each semester because it was taking up more of my time than I thought it would, and I was not in any hurry to get my degree.
-----
Spring 1999
I took this semester off because I started my position as the MONIES Administrator.
Summer 1999
Marketing Management (A-)
Fall 1999
I forgot why I took this semester off, but I think it had to do with traveling for work.
-----
Spring 2000
Managerial Economics (A)
Summer 2000
Organizational Behavior
Fall 2000
Organizational Development & Design (A)
At the end of this semester is when we moved to Chicago.
-----
After two years in Chicago, I finally got registered at DePaul University in January of 2003 to finish up my degree.
Spring 2003
International Business Management (A)
Summer 2003
Strategic Planning & Policy (A)
In June 2003 I had my DePaul transcript sent to Ashland and applied to graduate. I got a letter explaining that DePaul is on quarters, and Ashland is on Semesters, so instead of the two classes at DePaul being worth 3 credit hours each, they were only worth 2.67 credit hours each. I was short 2/3 of a credit hour.
This was about the time I got laid off and decided to go back to school for GIS. Fortunately one of the classes I took at Northern Illinois, Land Use Planning (A), was a graduate level class, and Ashland was willing to transfer one hour of credit upon successful completion of the class as "MBA seminar".
Fall 1997
Operations Management (A)
I started with just a single class to get my feet wet.
-----
Spring 1998
Business & Society (A-)
Managerial Accounting (A)
Summer 1998
Business Statistics (A)
Management Information Systems (A-)
Fall 1998
Business Cycles & Forecasting (B+)
I went back to taking just a single class each semester because it was taking up more of my time than I thought it would, and I was not in any hurry to get my degree.
-----
Spring 1999
I took this semester off because I started my position as the MONIES Administrator.
Summer 1999
Marketing Management (A-)
Fall 1999
I forgot why I took this semester off, but I think it had to do with traveling for work.
-----
Spring 2000
Managerial Economics (A)
Summer 2000
Organizational Behavior
Fall 2000
Organizational Development & Design (A)
At the end of this semester is when we moved to Chicago.
-----
After two years in Chicago, I finally got registered at DePaul University in January of 2003 to finish up my degree.
Spring 2003
International Business Management (A)
Summer 2003
Strategic Planning & Policy (A)
In June 2003 I had my DePaul transcript sent to Ashland and applied to graduate. I got a letter explaining that DePaul is on quarters, and Ashland is on Semesters, so instead of the two classes at DePaul being worth 3 credit hours each, they were only worth 2.67 credit hours each. I was short 2/3 of a credit hour.
This was about the time I got laid off and decided to go back to school for GIS. Fortunately one of the classes I took at Northern Illinois, Land Use Planning (A), was a graduate level class, and Ashland was willing to transfer one hour of credit upon successful completion of the class as "MBA seminar".
Friday, January 16, 2004
It has been such a great change to work around engineers this week rather than bankers. Don’t get me wrong. I love bankers and enjoyed working at banks, but after almost 12 years it is nice to have a change.
Banking, and more specifically money, is also an abstract concept. Working with “things” (i.e. roads, railways, parcels, property lines, municipalities, etc.) makes the work more interesting.
Banking, and more specifically money, is also an abstract concept. Working with “things” (i.e. roads, railways, parcels, property lines, municipalities, etc.) makes the work more interesting.
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
According to CNN, all of these companies are exporting what were once American jobs to India:
3Com
3M
A
Accenture
Adaptec
Adobe Systems
AMD
Aetna
Agere Systems
Agilent Tech.
AIG
Alamo Rent A Car
Albertson's
Alliance Semiconductor
Allstate
Alpha Thought Global
American Express
American Standard
Amphenol Corp.
Andrew Corp.
AOL
Applied Materials
AT&T
AT&T Wireless
A.T. Kearney
Avery Dennison
B
Bank of America
Bank One
Bechtel
Best Buy
Black & Decker
BMC Software
Boeing
C
Capital One
Carrier
Cendant
Cerner Corporation
Charles Schwab
ChevronTexaco
Ciena
Cigna
Circuit City, Inc.
Cisco Systems
Citigroup
Coca-Cola
Comcast Holdings
Computer Associates
Computer Sciences Corporation
Continental Airlines
Convergys
Cooper Tire & Rubber
Cooper Tools
COVAD Comm.
CSX
Cummins
D
Dell Computer
Delta Air Lines
Direct TV
Discover
Document Sciences Corp.
DuPont
E
Earthlink
Eastman Kodak
Eaton Corporation
EDS
Electroglas
Electronics for Imaging
Eli Lilly
EMC
Emerson Electric
Ernst & Young
Expedia
ExxonMobil
F
Fedders Corporation
Fidelity Investments
First American Title Ins.
First Data
Fluor
Ford Motor
Franklin Mint
G
Gateway
General Electric
GlobespanVirata
Goldman Sachs
Goodrich
Google
Greenpoint Mortgage
Guardian Life Insurance
H
The Hartford Financial Services Group
HealthAxis
Hewitt Associates
Hewlett-Packard
HSN
I
IBM
IndyMac Bancorp
Intel
Intl. Paper
Intuit
ITT Educational Services
J
Jacuzzi
JDS Uniphase
Johnson & Johnson
JPMorgan Chase
Juniper Networks
K
KANA Software
Kaiser Permanente
Keane
KLA-Tencor
L
Lehman Brothers
Levi Strauss
Lexmark International
Lifescan
Lillian Vernon
Linksys
Lockheed Martin
Lowe's
Lucent
M
Marshall Fields
Mattel
Maytag
McDATA Corporation
Mellon Bank
Merrill Corporation
Merrill Lynch
Metasolv
MetLife
Microsoft
Monsanto
Morgan Stanley
Motorola
N
Nabco
National City Corporation
NCR Corporation
Network Associates
Newell Rubbermaid
New York Life Insurance Co.
Northwest Airlines
O
Office Depot
Oracle
Otis Elevator Co.
P
palmOne
Parker-Hannifin
Parsons E&C
Pearson Digital Learning
Pericom Semiconductor
Perot Systems
Pfizer
Planar Systems
Portal Software
Pratt & Whitney
Primus Telecom
Procter & Gamble
Providian Financial
Prudential Insurance
Q
Qwest Comm.
R
Rainbow Technologies
Raytheon Aircraft
Regence Group
Rohm & Haas
RR Donnelley & Sons
S
SAIC
SBC Comm.
SEI Investments
Siebel Systems
Sikorsky
Solectron
Sprint
Sprint PCS
State Farm Insurance
StorageTek
SunTrust Banks
SurePrep
The Sutherland Group
Sykes Enterprises
T
Target
Tecumseh
Telcordia
Texas Inst.
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Time Warner
Triquint Semiconductor
TRW Automotive
Tyco Electronics
Tyco Intl.
U
Unisys
United Online
United Tech.
V
VA Software
Veritas
Verizon
W
Wachovia Bank
Washington Group Intl.
Washington Mutual
Y
Yahoo!
3Com
3M
A
Accenture
Adaptec
Adobe Systems
AMD
Aetna
Agere Systems
Agilent Tech.
AIG
Alamo Rent A Car
Albertson's
Alliance Semiconductor
Allstate
Alpha Thought Global
American Express
American Standard
Amphenol Corp.
Andrew Corp.
AOL
Applied Materials
AT&T
AT&T Wireless
A.T. Kearney
Avery Dennison
B
Bank of America
Bank One
Bechtel
Best Buy
Black & Decker
BMC Software
Boeing
C
Capital One
Carrier
Cendant
Cerner Corporation
Charles Schwab
ChevronTexaco
Ciena
Cigna
Circuit City, Inc.
Cisco Systems
Citigroup
Coca-Cola
Comcast Holdings
Computer Associates
Computer Sciences Corporation
Continental Airlines
Convergys
Cooper Tire & Rubber
Cooper Tools
COVAD Comm.
CSX
Cummins
D
Dell Computer
Delta Air Lines
Direct TV
Discover
Document Sciences Corp.
DuPont
E
Earthlink
Eastman Kodak
Eaton Corporation
EDS
Electroglas
Electronics for Imaging
Eli Lilly
EMC
Emerson Electric
Ernst & Young
Expedia
ExxonMobil
F
Fedders Corporation
Fidelity Investments
First American Title Ins.
First Data
Fluor
Ford Motor
Franklin Mint
G
Gateway
General Electric
GlobespanVirata
Goldman Sachs
Goodrich
Greenpoint Mortgage
Guardian Life Insurance
H
The Hartford Financial Services Group
HealthAxis
Hewitt Associates
Hewlett-Packard
HSN
I
IBM
IndyMac Bancorp
Intel
Intl. Paper
Intuit
ITT Educational Services
J
Jacuzzi
JDS Uniphase
Johnson & Johnson
JPMorgan Chase
Juniper Networks
K
KANA Software
Kaiser Permanente
Keane
KLA-Tencor
L
Lehman Brothers
Levi Strauss
Lexmark International
Lifescan
Lillian Vernon
Linksys
Lockheed Martin
Lowe's
Lucent
M
Marshall Fields
Mattel
Maytag
McDATA Corporation
Mellon Bank
Merrill Corporation
Merrill Lynch
Metasolv
MetLife
Microsoft
Monsanto
Morgan Stanley
Motorola
N
Nabco
National City Corporation
NCR Corporation
Network Associates
Newell Rubbermaid
New York Life Insurance Co.
Northwest Airlines
O
Office Depot
Oracle
Otis Elevator Co.
P
palmOne
Parker-Hannifin
Parsons E&C
Pearson Digital Learning
Pericom Semiconductor
Perot Systems
Pfizer
Planar Systems
Portal Software
Pratt & Whitney
Primus Telecom
Procter & Gamble
Providian Financial
Prudential Insurance
Q
Qwest Comm.
R
Rainbow Technologies
Raytheon Aircraft
Regence Group
Rohm & Haas
RR Donnelley & Sons
S
SAIC
SBC Comm.
SEI Investments
Siebel Systems
Sikorsky
Solectron
Sprint
Sprint PCS
State Farm Insurance
StorageTek
SunTrust Banks
SurePrep
The Sutherland Group
Sykes Enterprises
T
Target
Tecumseh
Telcordia
Texas Inst.
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Time Warner
Triquint Semiconductor
TRW Automotive
Tyco Electronics
Tyco Intl.
U
Unisys
United Online
United Tech.
V
VA Software
Veritas
Verizon
W
Wachovia Bank
Washington Group Intl.
Washington Mutual
Y
Yahoo!
Monday, January 12, 2004
Too tired to write much. My ass hurts because I am not used to sitting all day. Lot's of neat stuff for me to do. Everyone in the office seems very very nice. My boss took me out for a nice lunch.
Tomorrow is also the first day of my last GIS class at NIU. Between that and this internship I should be Mr. GIS by May.
The building I am in has about 40 people in it, and most of them are civil engineers. My boss is a CE.
My boss sat down with me today to discuss my upcoming projects. I have a non-GIS project that he assigned me to do first because of my database background. He wants it done in a month, but I think I can have it knocked out in a week or so.
I also have a longer term project to correct and fine tune the roads center-line database. It initially was digitized from the center of right-of-way, and then it was updated to center-of-pavement, but during that transition a lot of connections at road intersections got corrupted. I have to go back in and fix those. Tedious, but it will be a good way for me to get my hands dirty. This database is, among other things, used to route emergency vehicles.
Those are the tasks that he is under pressure to get done. He then laid out four additional projects that he said I can pick from, or do all of them. These are the fun "Hollywood" projects. (At least for a GIS person.)
One was to conduct analysis on where to locate a new salt bunker. I would analyze a number of layers including existing snow routes, accident data, average daily traffic counts, etc. and find the optimized location.
Another project related to that is creating optimized snow routes. Each plow has a GPS recorder. I would analyze this data looking at when plows return for fuel and salt. Average speed. Number of times plows traverse the same route. Distance from fuel and salt depots.
Another project is converting an older GIS application to the current platform we are using.
I forget what the last project was.
Tomorrow is also the first day of my last GIS class at NIU. Between that and this internship I should be Mr. GIS by May.
The building I am in has about 40 people in it, and most of them are civil engineers. My boss is a CE.
My boss sat down with me today to discuss my upcoming projects. I have a non-GIS project that he assigned me to do first because of my database background. He wants it done in a month, but I think I can have it knocked out in a week or so.
I also have a longer term project to correct and fine tune the roads center-line database. It initially was digitized from the center of right-of-way, and then it was updated to center-of-pavement, but during that transition a lot of connections at road intersections got corrupted. I have to go back in and fix those. Tedious, but it will be a good way for me to get my hands dirty. This database is, among other things, used to route emergency vehicles.
Those are the tasks that he is under pressure to get done. He then laid out four additional projects that he said I can pick from, or do all of them. These are the fun "Hollywood" projects. (At least for a GIS person.)
One was to conduct analysis on where to locate a new salt bunker. I would analyze a number of layers including existing snow routes, accident data, average daily traffic counts, etc. and find the optimized location.
Another project related to that is creating optimized snow routes. Each plow has a GPS recorder. I would analyze this data looking at when plows return for fuel and salt. Average speed. Number of times plows traverse the same route. Distance from fuel and salt depots.
Another project is converting an older GIS application to the current platform we are using.
I forget what the last project was.
Friday, January 09, 2004
Thursday, January 08, 2004
This is the latest invention to come out of Bradley Labs. I call it The HoseFan®.
Many many uses.
In the summertime our home-office gets very hot. It has two windows that face directly south. Three monitors. Two computers. One television. Two lamps. Two warm bodies. The house's central air conditioning just can't keep up on the hottest days. We will be able to run the 20 foot hose out of the office and hang it over the balcony to downstairs and suck cool air into the office.
If we ever burn something in the kitchen, and it is freezing cold outside, we can run the HoseFan® out of a window and stuff a few towels around the opening. Turn the fan on to just suck the smoke out, and only a minimal amount of heated air will need to escape.
This will be useful when working on projects that give off lots of toxic fumes. Open a basement window and stick one end of the HoseFan® out of the window, the other end sucking in the fumes by the work area.
The hose is just 20 feet of 4" dryer exhaust tube. The fan was bought off the shelf in the HVAC section of Menard's. It is supposed to be a booster fan in a house's duct work. It is designed to be wired into the furnace's power source, so it didn't come with a plug; just three wires hanging out of it. I had to buy the electric plug you see in the picture and attach it to the three wires.
Plug: $2
Hose: $6
Fan: $16
Total: $24
Many many uses.
In the summertime our home-office gets very hot. It has two windows that face directly south. Three monitors. Two computers. One television. Two lamps. Two warm bodies. The house's central air conditioning just can't keep up on the hottest days. We will be able to run the 20 foot hose out of the office and hang it over the balcony to downstairs and suck cool air into the office.
If we ever burn something in the kitchen, and it is freezing cold outside, we can run the HoseFan® out of a window and stuff a few towels around the opening. Turn the fan on to just suck the smoke out, and only a minimal amount of heated air will need to escape.
This will be useful when working on projects that give off lots of toxic fumes. Open a basement window and stick one end of the HoseFan® out of the window, the other end sucking in the fumes by the work area.
The hose is just 20 feet of 4" dryer exhaust tube. The fan was bought off the shelf in the HVAC section of Menard's. It is supposed to be a booster fan in a house's duct work. It is designed to be wired into the furnace's power source, so it didn't come with a plug; just three wires hanging out of it. I had to buy the electric plug you see in the picture and attach it to the three wires.
Plug: $2
Hose: $6
Fan: $16
Total: $24
There is a second case of SARS in China. Scientists are keeping on eye on this, with their biggest concern being that there is a SARS "season". Kind of like we have a flu season, and we will have to worry about SARS every year.
Tuesday, January 06, 2004
Technology research firm IDC expects the average price for LCD (not plasma) screens in the 30- to 39-inch range to fall to about $1,250 by 2006 from between $3,000 and $3,500 now.
This is basically saying that plasma sets will be phased out in only three years. I didn't think it would be that fast. So if you're itching to buy a thin screen TV, just try to hold off from buying a plasma set now. You will be much happier in the long run with an LCD set.
This is basically saying that plasma sets will be phased out in only three years. I didn't think it would be that fast. So if you're itching to buy a thin screen TV, just try to hold off from buying a plasma set now. You will be much happier in the long run with an LCD set.
This is the NOAA Ship Peirce. I bought a hat with her name on it from the ship's store when the boat I was bringing back to Ohio from Rhode Island was in a Nova Scotia port the same time she was. That was in April 1985. It is very cold in Nova Scotia in April.
The ship's store was a little cage at about the water line at the very front of the ship. I still have the hat.
The ship's store was a little cage at about the water line at the very front of the ship. I still have the hat.
From Consumer Reports
Well before the government's year-end announcement that it would ban the diet herb ephedra, the supplement industry began marketing supposedly safer "ephedra-free" weight-loss products.
Two of the most widely used replacement ingredients, bitter orange and green tea extract, have not been shown to be safe and effective weight-loss aids. Here's what you need to know about them:
Bitter orange. Also known as Citrus aurantium, it may show up on labels as green orange or neroli oil. It's a featured ingredient in Stacker 2 Ephedra-Free and Twinlab's Diet Fuel Ephedra Free, among many others.
The active ingredient in bitter orange is synephrine, a close chemical cousin of ephedra and mimics ephedra's side effects: constriction of blood vessels and an increase in heart rate. Experts fear that as such, it could cause the same kinds of problems as ephedra: heart arrhythmias, anxiety, high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.
These problems may be even more likely when bitter orange is combined with ingredients that contain caffeine, such as guarana and green tea extract.
Green tea extract. This ingredient contains chemicals called catechins, which exaggerate the effects of bitter orange and ephedra. Some preliminary evidence suggests that green tea may help treat obesity. But too much, especially when combined with other stimulants, can cause jitters, headaches, insomnia, gastroinestinal upset, and possibly worse problems.
Monday, January 05, 2004
I think I found the perfect ratio for using gunpowder tea for iced tea. Believe it or not, only one teaspoon per quart seems to be just about right.
Our iced tea maker has a three quart pitcher, so of course I only put three teaspoons of tea in the basket. It looks so ridiculously small before I start brewing, but after the tea leaves unfold, the fill the basket almost an inch or so. Weird.
I might try 2 ½ teaspoons of tea for the next batch just to see how that works.
Our iced tea maker has a three quart pitcher, so of course I only put three teaspoons of tea in the basket. It looks so ridiculously small before I start brewing, but after the tea leaves unfold, the fill the basket almost an inch or so. Weird.
I might try 2 ½ teaspoons of tea for the next batch just to see how that works.
Sunday, January 04, 2004
As expected, our sleep schedule is all messed up. It is about 10:45 PM. We just sat down to finish up watching the rest of The Hulk, when Sheri decided to throw up. She has been nauseous all day, but this is the first time she actually threw up. I think it is just nerves about tomorrow's appointment.
She had almost nothing to eat today. Five ounces of some vanilla protein drink I mixed for her, and she had just eaten about half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich I made for her when she threw it back up.
She is in the shower now. Said she feels better. We will go downstairs and finish the movie.
Our appointment is tomorrow at 12:30 PM and will probably last about four hours.
I got the snow blower out today for the first time this season. I am glad I have the snow blower; it was a somewhat heavy snow. We got about 5 inches.
She had almost nothing to eat today. Five ounces of some vanilla protein drink I mixed for her, and she had just eaten about half of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich I made for her when she threw it back up.
She is in the shower now. Said she feels better. We will go downstairs and finish the movie.
Our appointment is tomorrow at 12:30 PM and will probably last about four hours.
I got the snow blower out today for the first time this season. I am glad I have the snow blower; it was a somewhat heavy snow. We got about 5 inches.
This is another very good, but very large (10 Mb), video that shows how the Mars rover landing package will unfold its "petals" after it has landed and come to rest to let the rover drive away.
This is an excellent video of how the Mars rover landed on Mars. The whole landing package is covered in big balloons! Kind of like huge air bags.
I heard on the radio that it bounced about a mile away from where it originally touched down! The video is large, about 4 Mb.
The animation looks expensive, so enjoy it. Your tax dollars at work.
I heard on the radio that it bounced about a mile away from where it originally touched down! The video is large, about 4 Mb.
The animation looks expensive, so enjoy it. Your tax dollars at work.
Saturday, January 03, 2004
Wal-Mart already has Valentines Day stuff out!
Wal-Mart also has a store brand bran flakes cereal that is a excellent. The normal price is only $1.50 for a 1 lb 1.3 oz box.
It tastes just as good, if not better, than Kellogg's or Post's bran flakes. A ¾ cup serving has:
• 20% RDA of fiber
• Only 5 grams of sugar
• 50% RDA of iron
• 100% RDA of the B vitamins (B6, B12, and folate)
• 25% RDA of most of the rest of the vitamins
Try it. You can't lose.
I also picked up TurboTax Deluxe to do 2003's taxes.
Wal-Mart also has a store brand bran flakes cereal that is a excellent. The normal price is only $1.50 for a 1 lb 1.3 oz box.
It tastes just as good, if not better, than Kellogg's or Post's bran flakes. A ¾ cup serving has:
• 20% RDA of fiber
• Only 5 grams of sugar
• 50% RDA of iron
• 100% RDA of the B vitamins (B6, B12, and folate)
• 25% RDA of most of the rest of the vitamins
Try it. You can't lose.
I also picked up TurboTax Deluxe to do 2003's taxes.
This is a great picture that Dylan drew of himself hanging out, and doing cool guy-stuff, with his crazy Uncle Brad!
Thanks Dylan!
[click for full size]
Thanks Dylan!
[click for full size]
I have been really enjoying the gunpowder tea that Mom and Dad got me for Christmas. Today I thought I would try it for iced tea.
I normally use seven Luzianne tea bags for a full three quart pitcher of tea in our Mr. Coffee Iced Tea Pot. I cut open a Luzianne tea bag to see how much tea was in one bag. About a teaspoon. I went ahead and added the contents of that bag to the filter basket so as not to waste it. That means I needed the equivalent of six more teaspoons of Luzianne tea for the batch I was making. Because the gunpowder tea is a little stronger than normal tea, I thought I would add just a little more than half of what I normally add for iced tea. So instead of six more teaspoons, I added four teaspoons of the gunpowder.
It turned out perfect. The color of the brewed tea is surprisingly lighter in color than the tea made from Luzianne tea, but the taste is stronger. Go figure. It still has a nice crisp taste that I like in iced tea.
Because gunpowder tea is a green tea it is better for you because it has more antioxidants. If Sheri likes it just as much as the Luzianne tea, I think I will start using it all the time for iced tea.
Because it looks like I will be using about 40% less tea leaves than with the Luzianne tea, it might actually work out to be cheaper too.
I don't like flavored teas (or coffees). Those are not "gourmet", just flavored. I like high quality tea and coffee with no added anything so I can really taste the tea or coffee.
I feel the same way about sea food. I don't want to use tartar sauce, lemon juice, or cocktail sauce on fish, shrimp, oysters, etc. I like seafood and want to enjoy it with as little to get in the way of the taste as possible. If you gunk it up with all that other stuff you might as well be eating fish sticks.
I will use tartar sauce if I have a piece of bad fish that I feel obliged to eat, but with good fish there is no need for extra stuff.
This post kind of took a turn from iced tea, so I think I will stop here, but I will write later about my food philosophy.
I normally use seven Luzianne tea bags for a full three quart pitcher of tea in our Mr. Coffee Iced Tea Pot. I cut open a Luzianne tea bag to see how much tea was in one bag. About a teaspoon. I went ahead and added the contents of that bag to the filter basket so as not to waste it. That means I needed the equivalent of six more teaspoons of Luzianne tea for the batch I was making. Because the gunpowder tea is a little stronger than normal tea, I thought I would add just a little more than half of what I normally add for iced tea. So instead of six more teaspoons, I added four teaspoons of the gunpowder.
It turned out perfect. The color of the brewed tea is surprisingly lighter in color than the tea made from Luzianne tea, but the taste is stronger. Go figure. It still has a nice crisp taste that I like in iced tea.
Because gunpowder tea is a green tea it is better for you because it has more antioxidants. If Sheri likes it just as much as the Luzianne tea, I think I will start using it all the time for iced tea.
Because it looks like I will be using about 40% less tea leaves than with the Luzianne tea, it might actually work out to be cheaper too.
I don't like flavored teas (or coffees). Those are not "gourmet", just flavored. I like high quality tea and coffee with no added anything so I can really taste the tea or coffee.
I feel the same way about sea food. I don't want to use tartar sauce, lemon juice, or cocktail sauce on fish, shrimp, oysters, etc. I like seafood and want to enjoy it with as little to get in the way of the taste as possible. If you gunk it up with all that other stuff you might as well be eating fish sticks.
I will use tartar sauce if I have a piece of bad fish that I feel obliged to eat, but with good fish there is no need for extra stuff.
This post kind of took a turn from iced tea, so I think I will stop here, but I will write later about my food philosophy.
Poor Sheri. Everyone in her department had to work an eight hour shift over the weekend to baby sit a big project that another department is doing. They just wanted representation on-site in case something went wrong.
She worked midnight until 8:00 AM this morning. Fortunately nothing broke on the project while she was there.
I had the crab legs, shrimp, corn on the cob, and red potatoes almost ready for her when she got home for dinner. The crab was unbelievably sweet. It was sweeter than anything we had in Florida. It appeared to be a different species. It had the same general size and shape as the snow crab we had, but the legs were covered with hundreds of little sharp points all over the place, and the shells were a little thicker and harder to crack. But very very sweet.
It was a lot of fun to eat. We covered the kitchen table in several layers of newspaper because I knew we were going to make a mess.
I wanted Sheri to go to bed for a few hours before she had to drive back to work, but she wanted to watch a movie with me. So we left the kitchen and the table a complete mess and watched 28 Days Later. Not a bad movie, but it seemed to drag at times, and there were some logic gaps. Overall, entertaining, but wouldn't put it in the "must see" category".
After the movie I convinced her to lie in bed for an hour. Not to sleep, because she was afraid she would get too groggy for the drive downtown, but just to rest for a little bit. We kept the TV on to keep us awake.
After she left I cleaned up the kitchen. I still have a few of the bigger pots to clean.
She really loves walking the dogs on Saturday and looks forward to it. When she left work she went to the shelter instead of coming home, and walked the dogs for 1½ hours! I didn't think that the wet cold weather would do my cold any good so I didn't go. She took some really good pictures of the dogs today. I am looking forward to seeing a new pit bull they got in. His picture is gorgeous, and she said he was very gentle and affectionate. Another dog started yapping at him, and instead of ripping its head off, just kind of looked apologetic. Wait until you see the color of his eyes. A beautiful hazel.
She brought a Wendy's hamburger home for me. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and then conked out.
I am going to let her sleep until about 4:00 PM or so and then gently wake her up. I don't want her sleep schedule to get completely whacked out. I think I will suggest a light dinner, and then watch the other WalMart DVD movie that came in the mail, The Hulk. I am not expecting great things from the movie though. I heard the special effects were a little too "cartoony".
She worked midnight until 8:00 AM this morning. Fortunately nothing broke on the project while she was there.
I had the crab legs, shrimp, corn on the cob, and red potatoes almost ready for her when she got home for dinner. The crab was unbelievably sweet. It was sweeter than anything we had in Florida. It appeared to be a different species. It had the same general size and shape as the snow crab we had, but the legs were covered with hundreds of little sharp points all over the place, and the shells were a little thicker and harder to crack. But very very sweet.
It was a lot of fun to eat. We covered the kitchen table in several layers of newspaper because I knew we were going to make a mess.
I wanted Sheri to go to bed for a few hours before she had to drive back to work, but she wanted to watch a movie with me. So we left the kitchen and the table a complete mess and watched 28 Days Later. Not a bad movie, but it seemed to drag at times, and there were some logic gaps. Overall, entertaining, but wouldn't put it in the "must see" category".
After the movie I convinced her to lie in bed for an hour. Not to sleep, because she was afraid she would get too groggy for the drive downtown, but just to rest for a little bit. We kept the TV on to keep us awake.
After she left I cleaned up the kitchen. I still have a few of the bigger pots to clean.
She really loves walking the dogs on Saturday and looks forward to it. When she left work she went to the shelter instead of coming home, and walked the dogs for 1½ hours! I didn't think that the wet cold weather would do my cold any good so I didn't go. She took some really good pictures of the dogs today. I am looking forward to seeing a new pit bull they got in. His picture is gorgeous, and she said he was very gentle and affectionate. Another dog started yapping at him, and instead of ripping its head off, just kind of looked apologetic. Wait until you see the color of his eyes. A beautiful hazel.
She brought a Wendy's hamburger home for me. She brushed her teeth, washed her face, and then conked out.
I am going to let her sleep until about 4:00 PM or so and then gently wake her up. I don't want her sleep schedule to get completely whacked out. I think I will suggest a light dinner, and then watch the other WalMart DVD movie that came in the mail, The Hulk. I am not expecting great things from the movie though. I heard the special effects were a little too "cartoony".
Friday, January 02, 2004
This is what the back of the clock looks like that I configured to use a DC power supply instead of batteries.
You can see the spring on the right side where the negative end of one of the batteries touches. That's where I have the negative alligator clip attached. Look to the left and you can see where I have the positive alligator clip attached.
It has been keeping perfect time, so I must have done it right.
You can see the spring on the right side where the negative end of one of the batteries touches. That's where I have the negative alligator clip attached. Look to the left and you can see where I have the positive alligator clip attached.
It has been keeping perfect time, so I must have done it right.
This could be some reality TV I might want to watch:
The show follows employees of Southwest Airlines as they deal with weather delays, blackouts and passengers who are running late or too drunk or too smelly to board the plane. There are unhappy travelers and a few shouting matches.
The first episode airs Monday night on A&E. (1/5/04)
Thursday, January 01, 2004
I still feel sick, but better than yesterday.
Sheri picked up Seabiscuit today. I wanted to see it, but Sheri did not. She was reluctant because of the name of the movie; the subject matter; and Tobey Maguire. As it turned out, she really liked it.
It is a very good movie, and it is more about the three guys involved with Seabiscuit, and not the horse itself. The film does a good job of tying in the movie with what was going on historically at the time; the Depression being the main event.
The movie is on the longer side, 2 hours and 21 minutes, but it was so well paced that it seemed about an hour less than that.
I watched all of the bonus footage on the DVD too, and it is well worth your time to watch that too.
Highly recommended, even if you might be hesitant.
Sheri picked up Seabiscuit today. I wanted to see it, but Sheri did not. She was reluctant because of the name of the movie; the subject matter; and Tobey Maguire. As it turned out, she really liked it.
It is a very good movie, and it is more about the three guys involved with Seabiscuit, and not the horse itself. The film does a good job of tying in the movie with what was going on historically at the time; the Depression being the main event.
The movie is on the longer side, 2 hours and 21 minutes, but it was so well paced that it seemed about an hour less than that.
I watched all of the bonus footage on the DVD too, and it is well worth your time to watch that too.
Highly recommended, even if you might be hesitant.
