Y0utub3: Embedded

Gratuitous self-promotion--sort of; actually just testing pasting the 3v1l "Embed" code into my regular blog post.

Lesson: do it in "Edit HTML" and don't lean over the railing when the whale dives under the boat--get smacked in the kisser!

When apples go bad

Last halloween, in addition to carving a ferocious flaming skull out of a pumpkin, I got out my Sharpie and created a cheerful smile (for an ogre) on a small green apple.  It was really too cute to be scary for halloween.

That was four months ago.

Now he's scary.

...and just think what he'll be looking like by next halloween!

LOL Chickens

Write your own caption...

I CAN HAZ DONUT?

Personally, since I didn't see any dogs, I think that they've been replaced.  The "DO NOT PET" still applies though.

Seen outside the Folsom zoo in Folsom, CA. Photo by Jess.

They have a zoo in Folsom?  That's funny too!

Aerobile: "Arrowplane"

http://www.impactlab.net/2010/08/25/history-of-the-flying-car-part-3-the-waterman-aerobile/

I think it didn't do well because with a name like Waterman people were expecting a boat--or at least a flying boat!

Registered as a motorcycle in CA?

I'm impressed with the tail-less design. It looks like a hangglider, although that technology was developed later, and hanggliders are controlled by shifting the weight of the pilot... does the arrowplane's fuselage hang from the wing and tilt? It wasn't clear to me how stable the thing was without a tail or canard...

There are public-domain plans out there for a similarly-sized fixed-wing glider, simply called the "Goat" ...of which there are powered variations too, but the Arrowplane is way cooler! Makes me wonder if there are public-domain airframe blueprints out there--did Waterman release the blueprints to the public at some point in time, or has his copyright expired? ...his plane is in the Smithsonian and he showed a version to the "Bureau of Air Commerce"--blueprints in public records?

...I want one too, but the only way to get one may be to make your own!
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Waterman liked puns, he variously called his creations Aerobile, Arrowbile, and Arrowplane.

Someone else wants one too! Their post is here: http://www.crowndot.com/arrowbile-test-flight

Chips! (Or "crisps" ...but actually dried fruit!)

I've seen Jackfruit, and not knowing what it was, called it, "big-green-lumpy fruit"...!
These chips come from the local Korean supermarket. It's packed in LA, and I'm going to guess that's Vietnamese ("mít sâ'y khô") ...but where did the fruit come from?--no sé! It is dried fruit, but apparently it is fried in vegetable oil too--not greasy and kind of like banana chips. Mmmmmm!

As an aside: I'm still trying to get the blog-thingys to work right. This should be on ElTristan on both posterous and blogger.
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Like Fireworks

...the tree's blossoming petals are.

This is the same tulip tree with flowers as: http://eltristan.posterous.com/warming-up ...just a couple days later, for comparison.

I think I will be using posterous infrequently from now on.
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Happy Valentine's!!!

...I remember when I used to be single and bitter. Now I'm all stressed with reservations, flowers, gifts, the card, etc--what happened?!

...this is the awesomest jack-o-lantern ever! (I carved it myself)  Have a haunting halloween!

October 23, 2010—Tristan Morrow

These are interesting times for the stock market and investors. One thing to watch is gold. Gold? Sold by the ounce, gold, on this day in October of 1990, was $371.65—the London p.m. fix price. Today, two decades later, gold is $1322.50—again, the London p.m. fix price. To sum up, that’s $47.5425 per year per ounce(17% annual return)—but only a 355% return over 20 years! From the same time in October 1990 to now—October 23, 2010—the S&P 500 went from $304.71 to $1183.08. That’s a meager 278% return on investment. (13.9% annual) Gold is clearly a better investment, right? The marketing literature on gold will often claim that gold is the “one thing” that will always beat the markets. Actually, you could have sold your S&P 500 investment in 2000 for a 378% return after only 10 years, or in 2007 for 400%—for clearly higher annual returns of 37% and 23%. Gold, conversely, hasn’t peaked in the past anywhere near where it is now, until recently. Also, the “gold versus the S&P500” scenario is just that: one scenario. The S&P500 index being a sort of aggregated average of stocks, there is the implication that 50% of the stock returns are higher than that average—although most will be within one standard deviation of that; my point is that it is not possible for gold to outperform itself the way that an individual stock can beat the index. You buy gold, and it performs at the spot price for gold, and it will never outperform that. Gold marketing literature will often claim that gold is the “one thing” that will outperform the markets, or that gold is again that “one thing” that will—or has historically—been a top performer. And, indeed yes, you could have purchased gold in 1990 for $371.65 per ounce. Or, in October 1990, you could have purchased Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) and, 63 cents in dividends and two 2:1 stock splits later, gone from $9.09 per share to 4x $307.47 …a mere 13536%—yes, 13,536%—return over twenty years. Your call. Good luck in your search for what that “one thing” will be, from today moving forward. However, it seems to me that it is unlikely to be gold. (Historic gold price data from https://www.kitco.com/charts/historicalgold.html...cross checked for validity.) October 23, 2010—Tristan Morrow

edit 2022 update here: https://eltristan.blogspot.com/2022/04/2022-spot-price-of-gold-hovers-just.html

People like people like you, fwiw

Ran into a kid riding Amtrak this weekend, kicking off the Spring break, and somehow he opened up about a conundrum he had with a "romantic interest" -- the boy was smitten but paralyzed!  ( btw, Hi :-) Not going to share personal details but let me know how it went, or didn't!)

The details don't matter but it was like looking in a mirror for me and here's why: chasing anything -- a job you really want, a college application, or someone to reciprocate unconditional love and admiration with -- chasing anything that you think you desire always feels nerve-wracking and paralyzing!  And the more you care, the bigger the stakes become!  

You're anxious BECAUSE you care a lot about the outcome.  This doesn't make you weak, it's a sign of your strength of character. We're only able to give a fuck in the first place if we do care.  Don't stop caring; in fact acknowledging that you care deeply and that this is important to you (it doesn't matter what other people think)

You care; now as you try to make it happen, be excited for the future and curious about the outcomes -- you'll still have the butterflies in the stomach and feel sweaty and clammy but think for a second: what is the difference between "anxiety" and "EXCITEMENT"?  How about "dread" and "CURIOSITY"?  This is where it's easier to stop caring about what you think other people think than it is to confront what YOU think about what you think... 

Pulling a lever one more time on a slot machine that's been paying out is the extreme of you feeling curiosity and excitement versus feeling dread and anxiety -- so, yes, it is possible to go too far the other way if it becomes a problem like gambling addiction but RIGHT NOW that's not where you're at, so overcoming any self-paralysis that's keeping you from "pulling the lever" is just the last but most important thing, taking the easiest possible action just to see what will happen.

People like people like you and your crush wants to be asked just like the lever wants to be pulled.  

(I don't think you can go wrong to start with, "May I ask you something?" And, if yes, follow up with a compliment-share-ask like, "You always do your hair really nice!  Believe it or not, I've noticed you for weeks now and have been wanting to get to know you better -- you free now or this afternoon to share a nachos at the Mexican restaurant?"

You get a reality check if she says, "No" to the first one but also it's important that you're establishing that you respect her consent -- don't be creepy!  And the ask is framed where she can say no, and you can respect that and now you know, but she if she changes her mind the balls in her court to approach you and say, "how about those nachos?" -- the door's still open if it's meant to be.)

I tutor highschoolers in various academic subjects: Spanish, Algebras and Geometry, Business and SAT prep -- but getting into a good college and trying to find out what you want to do with your life is only half the challenges of life being faced when people are that age (tbh highschool academics is the EASY half)... across all domains and even as you get older, it's the same attitude and skill set (your "soft skills" they call it).  Kids in 2008 are over diagnosed with anxiety as a mental health disorder, it seems, but paralyzing anxiety is real and you have to assume that people will like you (my #1 here).  "Not giving a fuck" is popular nowadays but just lying to yourself that it's NOT important to you actually makes you more anxious X-) ...it's better to instead acknowledge that you care deeply about the outcome, that caring is a sign that you're a great human being and not give a flying fuck if other people judge you for it because if they do they're wrong -- then move forward by checking if you're excited and curious -- it doesn't matter how anxious or depressed you feel, take the easiest possible action that makes you feel excited and curious about the outcome.