Brian Tobin's Personal Blog: September 2008 Archives

Maybe they're laughing at McCain's promise to swoop in and fix everything, like a modern day Frankenstein hybrid of Alan Greenspan and Superman. Or perhaps more appropriately, Green Lantern. Alan Greenspantern, to the rescue!

Mandatory Staff Meeting

By

Brian Tobin

on September 24, 2008 11:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

During my first week at Meraki I tweeted about meeting Daisuke, an incredibly talented member of the design team. Unfortunately Daisuke had to leave the company recently because his work visa couldn't be extended. When asked to suggest a theme for his farewell party he replied, "Anything with beer", and thus was born Meraki's mandatory beirut tournament.

In light of the fact that not everyone is familiar with the sport, Daisuke spent the morning creating a beginners guide styled after Meraki's user manuals:

We're going to miss this guy. Here's a time-lapse video of the tournament taking place:

September 22, 2008 @ 5:45 PM

Tweet (#931075664)

By

Brian Tobin

on September 22, 2008 5:45 PM | Permalink

Helped Lois free the net in low-income tenderloin apartments today. Very cool being on the ground and meeting the people you're helping.

Continue reading Tweet (#931075664).

September 21, 2008 @ 2:17 PM

Tweet (#929675382)

By

Brian Tobin

on September 21, 2008 2:17 PM | Permalink

Can anyone familiar with the NFL explain to me the significance of the square-dancing robot Fox shows before & after commercial breaks?

Continue reading Tweet (#929675382).

September 20, 2008 @ 3:57 PM

Tweet (#928809528)

By

Brian Tobin

on September 20, 2008 3:57 PM | Permalink

House sitting in San Rafael. Enjoying the beautiful weather and the amazing view. Link

Continue reading Tweet (#928809528).

September 17, 2008 @ 11:41 PM

Tweet (#925607979)

By

Brian Tobin

on September 17, 2008 11:41 PM | Permalink

David and Mike are downstairs watching Gossip Girls. I haven't lived in the same house as two women since my sister left for college...

Continue reading Tweet (#925607979).

September 17, 2008 @ 4:54 PM

Tweet (#925283504)

By

Brian Tobin

on September 17, 2008 4:54 PM | Permalink

Went from "meh" to "magic man" after lunch. Must have been crack in my sandwich. What other explanation could there be?

Continue reading Tweet (#925283504).

September 14, 2008 @ 4:01 PM

Tweet (#921452672)

By

Brian Tobin

on September 14, 2008 4:01 PM | Permalink

Wait Wait Don't Tell Me is doing a live taping in Berkeley in February. I'm buying tickets today if anyone wants to go

Continue reading Tweet (#921452672).

Please Let This Become A Recurring Sketch

By

Brian Tobin

on September 14, 2008 1:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

My mom e-mailed this to me this morning, so that should give you an idea of how quickly this is spreading across the Interweb. If you haven't seen it, it's spot on.

I can see Russia from my house!

Flipping brilliant.

Typewriters, baby, typewriters

By

Brian Tobin

on September 14, 2008 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Great article from Tom Friedman today:

Why would Republicans, the party of business, want to focus our country on breathing life into a 19th-century technology -- fossil fuels -- rather than giving birth to a 21st-century technology -- renewable energy? As I have argued before, it reminds me of someone who, on the eve of the I.T. revolution -- on the eve of PCs and the Internet -- is pounding the table for America to make more I.B.M. typewriters and carbon paper. "Typewriters, baby, typewriters."

NYT columnists aren't allowed to endorse presidential candidates, but Friedman comes closer than I've ever seen before. And although I think swing voters care more about the ability to bring change than a candidate's unflinching nerves, this column raises a good point: what use is the willingness to fearlessly exert power if there's no power to exert?

September 13, 2008 @ 7:35 PM

Tweet (#920675529)

By

Brian Tobin

on September 13, 2008 7:35 PM | Permalink

Sushi with the gang. Check out this sweet menu! Link

Continue reading Tweet (#920675529).

September 13, 2008 @ 10:14 AM

Tweet (#920259423)

By

Brian Tobin

on September 13, 2008 10:14 AM | Permalink

Let's go bears!

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BART Considers Rush Hour Fare Increase

By

Brian Tobin

on September 12, 2008 10:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Unfortunate news in today's San Francisco Chronicle:

BART is becoming so popular during peak commute hours that agency officials are looking at charging patrons more to ride trains, park in its lots and use certain stations when demand is highest.

The idea is to spread use of the system more evenly throughout the day.

Only so many people can fit onto the trains, flow through the stations or find space at station parking lots, said Kenya Wheeler, BART senior planner. And while BART can currently accommodate all the passengers traveling through its system, heavy use during peak hours is pushing the system near its limits.

Timely public transit helps those who can't afford or are otherwise unable to drive, but for the moment let's focus on San Francisco's desire to reduce car use inside the city. It's my understanding that most public transportation systems run frequently, even when dramatically under-capacity, in the hopes that availability will encourage adoption. Running empty busses is a burden on taxpayers, but reducing their numbers to the point where they're nominally full would make the system unusably infrequent. You're left with a loss-leader until ridership increases to consume your minimum running capacity, at which point you scale the system to meet demand, both in terms of speed and possible destinations. And this makes you happy because public transit gets better without increasing the tax burden.

That's why this doesn't make any sense to me. Is BART saying they can't scale to meet demand? A combination of high gas prices, road congestion, and concern over global warming and air quality has created the perfect storm of public transportation adoption. If the trains are too full then run more trains. If the ticket machines are overwhelmed then encourage TransLink cards. And if the parking lots are full then charge more for parking, but also run cheaper, more frequent busses to/from BART terminals.

Driving sucks and people are starting to get it. Don't fight it. Embrace it.

September 11, 2008 @ 11:31 PM

Tweet (#918611483)

By

Brian Tobin

on September 11, 2008 11:31 PM | Permalink

It's time... to FACE THE HOLE Link

Continue reading Tweet (#918611483).

September 11, 2008 @ 4:17 PM

Tweet (#918258249)

By

Brian Tobin

on September 11, 2008 4:17 PM | Permalink

I'm not sure "iPhones Continue to Hammer Networks" is what Lois tried to communicate, but any press is good press: Link

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Pie-yay-yuh

By

Brian Tobin

on September 10, 2008 10:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

Tonight's culinary adventure went the route of a vegetarian paella. If you attempt this recipe I recommend saffron, paprika, and jalapeño as supplements. And if you figure out a way to make the rice less gloppy and more fluffy I'm all ears (it wouldn't hurt if the pan were wider and the paella thinner).