Meanderings

MSFT CES Swan Song

What message is being sent by Microsoft's final act at the Consumer Electronics Show? Does it mean that they've given up on innovation? Will they be satisfied from here on out with incremental updates and tweaks to their software and services rather than continuing to push for world changing innovation? I guess time will tell.

The Fall of Life

People I know are dying. Like the first leaves that catch a late summer breeze and float away, they are departing this life for whatever follows. It began in late 2009 when my mom passed away. Her death was timely. She had been sick for a long time and her body finally gave in to her many maladies. Last year marked the deaths of two guys who should have lived forever, Vince Lopez and Mark Jansen. This fall we lost two amazing women, Carrie Budd Naas and Suzanne Pierson Dunbar, both in their 40's, both to cancer, and both with two pre-high school aged children.

As I've tried to reconcile these deaths, I've grasped for a metaphor that would help me to understand the question, why now? This evening it came to me. I've reached the fall of my life. By fall, I mean autumn, not fall as in "The Fall of Rome".

In the fall, some of the things that were once vibrant with color begin to dim. Other things reach their full potential in the fall and only then are they able to share the full measure of their gifts with the world. And, unfortunately, some things die in the fall - especially some of the flowers that bloomed most brightly in the spring and summer their lives. This is the natural order of things and it helps me to understand, why now.

What is Average Anyway?

In my math class we have a measure that we call the Bandini Line. This is the score that students must surpass to achieve a passing grade on their assignments. The name comes from a fertilizer commercial that aired in Southern California in the mid to late 1970's in which a skiier stood atop a gigantic pile of cow manure (Bandini Mountain) and unsuccessfully attempted to ski down. He face planted in the manure and that was the humor in the commercial. It was pretty low brow, but to a Junior High School boy it was the funniest thing ever.

In my math class the goal is to avoid the skiier's fate by remaining above the Bandini Line, which is 80 percent.

With the Bandini Line at 80 percent, it means that the average score on a quiz is typically in the range of 84-87 percent. Some students do not reach Bandini and some students surpass the quiz total by doing bonus questions which award them extra points. Now think about that for just a minute. In order to be "average" in my math class the students need to 84 percent on math assignments that are, at a minimum, one grade level ahead and usually 2 or 3 grade levels ahead. That's really hard, and quite an academic achievement. That means that the "average" student in my math class performs above the 90th percentile nationally. This isn't to boast, it is simply to point out the imprecision of the notion of average.

The reason that I bring this up is that earlier this school year, standardized testing results were sent to parents that included a bit of data that compared their child's score to their peers in our community. Some parents where quite distressed when they read that their child scored in the 12th percentile in a particular academic area when their teachers had been reporting all year that they had been doing fine. How is this possible?

It is possible when a lot of kids do very well on a test and their scores are very tightly grouped. If the mean score on a test is 84 percent and the standard deviation is 3 percent, that means that 2/3 of the students scored between 81 and 87 percent. It means that 96 percent of scores fall between 78 and 90 percent; so a student can fall in the 75th percentile nationally and in the 4th percentile locally.

It means that average is a very nebulous thing to define.

 

Duty? I Don't Think So.

Yesterday, the president of my local teachers union sent the membership an email that said, in part: "I also want to thank all the people who attended Tuesday's General Membership meeting.  In order for a union to be effective, it requires all its members to be engaged. Voting during elections and turning out for General Membership meetings are the basic obligations for everyone. The MIEA leadership will continue to work toward setting up structures that enable all members to meet their basic duties next year."

Excuse me, but my obligation to the union ends with the dues that are taken from my paycheck each month. I have no duty to attend meetings, vote for board members, campaign for democrats, or do anything else to support union activities. With my non-involvement I understand that my voice will not be heard, but I am quite clear that what I would have to say would not be welcomed in their meetings anyway. I also understand that non-participation means that I forfeit the right to complain about the quality of their representation. I am fine with that as well, just don't lecture me about my so-called "duty" to the MIEA.

Dusky Goose Rambouillet Vineyard Pinot Noir 2007

 

Santa brought me a really cool wine journal for Christmas so that I could keep track of the wines we opened this year and also to write down our thoughts about them. Here is the first entry: (By the way, apart from the technical aspects the comments are my own and are not from the winemaker)

Name: Dusky Goose Pinot Noir
Vineyard: Rambouillet Vineyard
Vintage: 2007
Region/Country: Oregon, USA
Alcohol Content: 14.5%
Tonight's Pairing: Grilled Steak, Mashed Potatoes and Brown Gravy, Tossed Green Salad
Ideal Pairing: Cioppino, Prime Rib, Stuffing or Herby Artisan bread, Swordfish or Salmon
Color: Deep Ruby
Nose: Blackberries, Redwood, Dark Cherry
Taste: Initially I felt a little bit of pepper on the front of the tongue, it was also just a bit earthy, there were crouton spices present, the finish was a bit tannic and left just a hint of pepper on the front of the tongue. The texture was absolute silk, maybe the smoothest wine I've ever had.
Taste Part 2: As a taste experiment I wanted to see if/how the wine would change when paired with dessert. So, I took out a couple of morsels of Christmas mint fudge that Dawn made and gave it a whirl. Truly I was stunned at the difference in the wine when paired with the chocolate. The first thing that happened was a burst of dark cherry flavor, much like the experience of eating a cherry cordial, next was the absolutely beautiful texture of the wine and the chocolate together, and finally, to my huge surprise, the chocolate eliminated the tannin completely and the finish was very dry.

Conclusion: This is a Very Nice bottle of wine. I like it because it goes well with foods that I enjoy eating. I also like it because it is a wine that can be carried through dessert if you order dessert mindfully: Dark Chocolates, YES, Apple Pie, NO. We were fortunate to have received this bottle as a gift, however, it is a wine that I would consider buying despite its $74.00/bottle price tag.

My Rating: 3.5/5

My Wine Journey

I've spent most of my adult life as a wine cynic. How can you be cynical about a beverage? By discrediting it mentally as something in the domain of things valued by poseurs, sissies, and dudes named Chaz with perfect hair and trophy wives. Ugly guys who watch contact sports and eat food with their hands do not swirl wine and discuss "mouthfeel". Or so I thought.

Last spring Dawn took me, begrudgingly, to a wine tasting class while we were on the Disney Cruise. What an enriching experience! I learned that there was a legitimate reason why wine is swirled around in the glass (it wasn't simply to make the drinker look sophisticated). I learned also that much of the pleasure of drinking a good wine is gained through the aroma emitted by the wine, so sticking one's gob in the wine glass is actually purposeful. Then the wine itself varies depending upon how it is being paired. But you all knew that because you're far more cultured than your Cro Magnon friend here.

As a result of that really cool experience I have begun digging into the science and art of beverage pairing. Wine, yes, but also non-alcoholic beverages and different types of beer. What drinks pair well with what foods and why is it so?

Some people subscribe to the notion of regionality, "If it grows together, it goes together." Others play kitchen chemist and seek to match the acidity in the food to the acidity in the wines that are served with them. And a third group leans toward the aesthetic components of the wine and it's paired dish to create culinary harmony and avoid dinner dischord.

So, in the months to come I will jot down the pairings that have worked, the pairings that have not, and will do my best to explain why.

Confargus Apple!

The other night I updated my Ipad OS to 4.02. I haven't accessed all of the new functionalities yet, but was confounded by one of the unannounced, or underannounced, changes. The task of the switch above the volume control toggle was changed from orientation lock to mute. I checked the Settings to see if there was an on/off button or a switch that I could move to deselect this change but there was none. I looked in the iTunes preferences, the Safari preferences, just about everyplace that I could think of that such a switch could be found.

Finally, I gave in and went to the Apple website and began browsing the Support area. I typed "orientation lock" into the Search box and found the solution fairly quickly. Now the orientation lock is a software function and can be accessed by double clicking the Home Button and scrolling the tool bar at the bottom of the page left until the orientation lock icon appears.

While this is an easy solution, finding it falls far from the intuitive Apple user experience that I am accustomed to. Thumbs sideways on the change, a big thumbs down on announcing the quality of the announcement to Ipad users.

Curried Chicken and Rice

Another really easy, really tasty recipe. Great for sandwiches, pita, roll-ups, etc.

Ingredients:

2 1/4-pound rotisserie chicken

1 cup coconut milk

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 ounces paneer (a firm Indian-style cheese), diced (I substituted extra firm tofu)

1 medium red onion, diced (I used 1/2 an onion)

2 cups cooked basmati rice

Preparation:

1. Remove the meat from the cooked chicken, discarding the bones and skin. Chop any large pieces of meat into bite-size pieces.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut milk, curry powder, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add the chicken, tofu and onion, tossing to coat. Mix in the rice.

3. Serve on tortillas, pita, naan, etc. with mango salsa or mango chutney.

While I was preparing this I thought that all or some of the following condiments might be nice to have on the side so that guests could add them to taste:

Sweet-hot mustard
Golden raisins
Chow Mein noodles
Sri Racha sauce
Crushed Peanuts
Cardamom Seeds

Enjoy!

Southwestern Vegetable Soup

This is the easy version where a lot of prepared ingredients are used. Fresh products can always be substituted.

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken broth
One 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with juice (I sometimes use Rotels for an extra kick)
1 cup water
1 cup canned dark red kidney beans with liquid
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen cut green beans
1 small bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup red onion
1/2 cup tomato sauce
6 corn tortillas, minced
1 1/2 tsp chili powder
Pinch of garlic powder

Garnish
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Crumbled tortilla Chips

Preparation:

1. Mix the soup ingredients in a pot over high heat.
2. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat, and let simmer for about an hour
3. Serve in soup bowls over tortilla chips, sprinkle shredded cheese on top.

Personal Note: This is the one star (heat-wise) and very basic version of this soup. Additional spices and ingredients can certainly be added to add stars or change the flavor to your liking. Try the basic version first and then go from there. If you have the patience, make it on one day and eat it on the next. It is much better on day two.

TSA: Two Steps Behind

When I see and read about the enhanced security measures that are being put into place at airports nationwide, one thought comes to mind: If I were a terrorist, what would I do to thwart these measures and humiliate TSA/Homeland Security? First of all, I would NOT try to repeat a 9/11 type of attack. Why? Because that is precisely what the U.S. security infrastructure is trying to prevent. They are building a big wall between the world and the aircraft. This assumes that the aircraft are either the targets or the delivery mechanisms for distant targets. What if the bad guys changed their targets from the aircraft to the people? The bottleneck created by the enhanced security, particularly if travelers boycott the "naked x-ray" machines, sets up an inviting opportunity for Al Qaeda planners.

A dozen bombers armed with explosive laden backpacks enter the TSA screening lines at airports nationwide. Once they are in the middle of the crowd, they detonate their bombs; maiming or killing everyone within the blast radius. Their body count is not as signficant as the 9-11 attack, but the horror is even greater. This time they attack Main Street and not Wall Street. They wipe out families, college kids heading home, grandparents, it's awful. No one feels safe traveling afterward. The government grossly overreacts in an effort to stabilize the situation and to restore confidence in a shaken populace.

And the terrorist planners disappear into the darkness, protected by the laws of the country they call "The Great Satan".