Subway again

I have been eating Subway a lot more recently, I find it a good way to get some greens into lunch and it is close and fast.

I had a chicken breast sub the other day that was perfectly filling. Today I had a tuna sub that stuffed me to the point of discomfort. I have chalked it up to the recurring theme of objective and not relative standards of measure.

The chicken breasts come to the store in one size. One breast per 6 inches. Not much variance there from employee to employee. However, the scoop of tuna can be completely manipulated by the employee. While the scoopers are standard, a mounding scoop can be much larger than a flattened scoop. I am pretty sure I got four MOUNDING scoops today.

Lowering the probability of insanity

As I was driving home I wondered if off ramp 1 or 2 would be faster. From off ramp 1 there are two routes, getting off to head North then West or continue on the freeway West, off and North. The distances are probably about the same.

Remaining on the freeway allows for a faster rate of travel West (65-75 mph vs 40-50 mph) but it seems like the trip North is faster if I use off ramp 1. I started counting the non-right turn intersection traffic signals. 1,2,3 both ways. It seems like the 2nd off ramp's signals are longer (due to higher traffic volume). I decided I would begin counting in my head the average time it took both ways then write it down when I arrived.

I got to 23 seconds of the first trial then thought, "Does this sound like something a crazy man would do? I mean, is knowing which route is faster (if one even is significantly faster) on average or if one has a lower standard deviation, how much time would I ultimately save per trip upon gaining this knowledge. (It is about a 2 mile trip from point A to B.)"

I decided that yes, counting in seconds was a bit neurotic and that I would probably be happier not knowing. So I decided to lower my risk of insanity and enjoy the drive home.

Something I have dreamed of

Amazing.

http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/electronic/d138/

Facebook Data

A family member wrote on www.Spokt.com that he received speeding tickets in the mail some undisclosed time in the past.

A brother of mine asked if his write up qualified as proof of service, that indeed he had received the tickets. Since Spokt provides private communication, the evidence would be somewhat protected.

That got me thinking though, I wonder how many people have convicted themselves due to facebook/twitter/myspace etc. updates or pictures. That is a statistic I would like to see.

Birds

I was watching a flock of birds the other day.

They flew in a synchronized circle, using their wings at the same time on the same turns. It was rhythmic and beautiful.

I was then taken back by how long the birds continued to fly in circles. It lasted for at least 30 minutes. The birds seemed funny, flying around and around, for no apparent reason. Then the thought came, "I bet the birds think we are pretty funny when they watch Nascar."

Resolutions

I would love to look at some major gym/weight lifting companies entrance data to see the New Year's Resolutions peak in January and slowly decline thereafter.

I imagine the model would not be too surprising, but the rate of attrition would be fun to watch.

One of the daily stops on my highly exclusive internet routine.

In 2006 I returned from an internet/media hiatus of two years I came to discover there were new words like "blog", "myspace" and "facebook." Huh?

A friend of mine explained that facebook was an exclusive networking communication site for college students only. It sounded cool so I joined up and started reconnecting and looking up old friends, some of whom I would never have thought about again.

A very uncomfortable phenomenon that I had to come to terms with was that my nicely partitioned world of relationships were smashing together as I saw how friends of mine in different groups were interconnected. "How could he know her!?" This uncomfortable phenomenon resurfaced when my friend's mom joined facebook, then my dad, and so on. Again, I learned to accept it and be alright.

Still uncomfortable is the fact that what I put on facebook will be looked up by future potential employers. Also uncomfortable is the fact that the marketing engines in facebook know the musical artists I like, the region in which I live, my age, gender, etc. and all are geared to target me. I really do not like to be categorized and that is what it tries to do. Let me also mention that I hate ads that try to appeal to 24 year old single males.

Another uncomfortable scenario:

"Hey buddy, I have been on a few dates with this girl. I think she likes me but I am not sure. I really like her though." I may want to tell a friend.

"Oh yeah, do you have a picture?" He would respond.

"No...oh wait, yeah check her facebook page. Log in as me and you can see her pictures." Really, who has not done that? Creeps. :)

Lastly, it is so uncomfortable to read when someone has a status update that is personal. Whether happy or sad, introspective or depressed; there has got to be a better place to share the emotionally sensitive and personal things in my life. Where can I go to get good relationship advice from people I know and trust without letting the whole world know? Facebook is great for somethings, but what about everything else?

Well, there is a better place. http://Spokt.com. It is group communication, where the content is only visible to those invited. You can share pictures, videos, stories, quetions, comments or polls with only the people you want to. For the free hubs (groups) the ads are small and non-intrusive and the paid hubs have no ads at all.

The designers of the site always work to keep it simple, streamlined and easy to use. Simple, comfortable, private, secure communication with those you really want to stay in touch with. Check it out:

Visit Spokt.com to to keep in touch with your family or friends privately online.

If you want to win an iPod touch, check this out after you look at the first link!

Contest details here: Spokt.com iPod Touch Give-Away!