Archive for October, 2006

It can be a daunting task for a large organization with multiple properties to keep track of all of them. Siterra seeks to change all of that. Whether it is multiple retail locations, cell towers, oil wells, or any other properties Siterra’s Asset Tracking Software makes it easy to keep track of every aspect of maintaining and keeping everything up to date. They include tools for mundane things like tracking leases, but also allow for comprehensive analysis of the costs and benefits of relocation, etc. This is another fine example of web-based software that is accessible from any computer with an Internet connection.

What do you get when huge boulders are dropped into large metal trailers right outside your window at 7am every morning? If you can read the title of this post, then you know the answer is the Construction Alarm Clock! It doesn’t need to be set, and it just keeps going off no matter what you do. It will keep waking you up all the way until 4pm if you need it! It is unbelievable how loud it is.

Google really seems to understand that it’s very useful to have access to information anywhere. Web-based tools like email, word-processors, and spreadsheets have been released allowing for anyone with access to a web browser to get work done. Enter Procore Technologies. They understand how useful it is to have easily accessible tools for multiple people to collaborate. They make software called SitePro for contractors to plan and keep track of construction projects. It can be deployed on a web server and everyone involved can be given their own account based on their responsibilities and the details about the project that they need to know. Everyone involved can communicate with anyone else involved through the SitePro framework. Everyone will be on the same page and there will be no confusion over what is expected. You can try out the software for free, so if it looks like something you might be able to use give it a shot.

As a computer science student it is interesting to note the shift taking place to software running on servers and being interfaced with through a browser.

I did some digging around and found out that there wouldn’t be very many pre-orders accepted. Then I found out that a pre-order doesn’t guarantee anything. All it does is give you a place in line on the day the Wii is released. That would have been pretty good, but the Wii is being released on a Sunday. I don’t shop on Sundays because I don’t think it’s right to make people work on Sundays. That means that a pre-order would be useless because they won’t hold a Wii system for me until Monday morning. I drove over to the local EB Games since I was right near it anyway and at 9:30am there were about 20 people in line outside the store. I thought about taking pictures, but the scene wasn’t as interesting as I was hoping for so I just left. I figure that it’s not that important to get one as soon as it comes out. I think there will be enough to go around that I should be able to get one on Monday, November 20th. Let’s cross our fingers.

When I was in Germany on a mission I had the opportunity to take a VIP tour of the Audi factory in Ingolstadt. That was one of the best factory tours I have ever been on. I would have to say it was even better than the Jelly Belly factory tour because we got to walk right on the manufacturing floor. We got to lift some of the equipment used to assemble the cars. There were some spots where we had to wait for sparks to stop showering down onto the path in front of us so we could proceed. My two favorite parts were the slow-motion demonstration of how the seats are placed through the car door opening through a series of robotic arm movements that makes it just barely clear the edges. Then the robot replays the move at full-speed and it takes less than a second to get it in, even though I don’t then I could get it in on my own if given the chance. My second-favorite part was watching the final adjustments to the door alignment. A buff guy with tattoos and a measuring device would quickly but calmly measure how far off the door was from where it was supposed to be when closed, then he would open the door and hammer on it with the heel of his hand, close the door, and measure the adjustments he had made until he got it right. It just seemed so low-tech that it seemed out of place.

The adjoining museum showcased vintage as well as new luxury cars. They told the history of Audi in auto racing. You could see people showing up to literally drive their new cars right off the end of the production line. It made me really want one of their cars someday when I am rich and powerful.

From their website:

GameStop and EB Games stores will begin accepting limited pre-orders for the Nintendo Wii console on Friday, October 13, on a first come, first served basis. Due to extremely limited supply, we expect to reach our limit very quickly, most likely in minutes.

Incidentally, I have been asking about when this would happen since the beginning of this week. Last night I popped into EB Games in the mall and they said it wouldn’t happen until next week, but they then quickly added “but check back every day between now and then.” I casually asked how many systems they thought they would be getting and all the workers there got defensive and said it was against their policy to answer such questions. I’m interested to see how many people go for this pre-order. I’ll be at the local EB Games tomorrow at around 9:15 tomorrow morning. We’ll see if there are any other freaks there like me who are going to take the bait. I wonder if they will open early. They don’t normally open until 10am, I believe. I’ll bring a list of 12 local stores and their phone numbers so I can call around if the one closest to me is already out when I get there.

The rules of poker have found themselves into a number of American idioms. Poker is one of the most popular card games in the US. I wouldn’t recommend gambling myself, but I think it’s useful to understand poker and its variants. bet365 is a UK site that has detailed explanations of poker rules and tips on how to play the games the best. I remember my Grandfather used to study the rules of blackjack and statistical strategies for fun. As long as you don’t go gambling then these games of chance can be a lot of fun! Now you can watch those poker tournaments on TV and understand what’s going on.

I feel like I’m repeating myself a little bit. It wasn’t a week ago that I was complaining generally about bad drivers. Last night we were driving on the rural back road on our way home and some guy in front of us in a truck was going back and forth between accelerating and riding on the person’s bumper in front of him and letting off the gas until he was going 10 miles per hour in front of us forcing us to slam on our brakes to avoid him. A couple of times he put on his right turn indicator or his hazard lights. Once he almost ran off the side of the road. At first I thought maybe he was drunk. Then I thought maybe he was looking for a certain house or road and wasn’t too sure of where it was at night. Krissy was convinced that he was just a jerk and wanted to make people mad. I don’t really know what was going on. He never turned off the road, and he seemed to start driving normally when we got into the city again. It was just a little scary, though. Have you ever had an experience like that? Let’s hear about it!

You know how most of the time when you buy something online there is a box where you can add coupon and promo codes before checkout? Well, most of those stores have secret coupons that you can get ahold of. One of the best places as far a savings goes is Overstock.com. They almost always have some coupons with no minimum, but if you are looking at a big purchase then you can get even bigger savings. You can get coupons for other stores, too, like Dell, Amazon, and Staples. Just remember… you’re not being cheap, you’re being smart!

One of Krissy’s coworkers is getting married in just over a week and the people at work decided that they wanted to go out to eat with him and his fiancee. We went to this brewery/Italian sports restaurant called Oggi’s. It was pretty distracting as there were around forty TVs all over the restaurant. When we ordered our food our waiter hesitated for a moment when I ordered a calzone. I guess I didn’t understand the menu very well. There was a heading that said “Pizzas & Calzones” and under that heading there were about sixteen different pizzas listed. I found one that seemed to have a good combination and just assumed that I could order a calzone made from the same ingredients. I guess I missed that the top nine-tenths of the page was the pizza section and the bottom one-tenth was for calzones. The calzone was pretty good. The sauce was on the side, though, and I wish that it had been inside the calzone. When the check came I thought it was the bill for the four people sitting next to us. Krissy had a sandwich that was $8.00 with a $2.00 soda. I also had a $2.00 soda, but the total was $30.00! My calzone had cost me $15.00! I thought it was going to be about half that. As it turns out the base calzone with nothing on it costs around $7.00 and it costs around $1.50 for each additional topping. I asked for their “special” pizza in a calzone form. That was like five or six extra toppings!

When we left I told Krissy, “I just ate a video game!” That was the most expensive calzone I’d ever eaten.