Category: Uncategorized

Two weeks ago I started work at Amazon Web Services. AWS is Amazon\’s cloud computing platform, which provides processing power to individuals and organizations that don\’t want to maintain their own server fleets. I\’ll be working on Amazon Silk, which is the browser for the Kindle Fire, Amazon\’s tablet device.

Okay, this just pisses me off. At the Arboretum in Seattle, a large park filled with rare trees from around the world, some imbecile came in the night and chopped down a rare south Asian conifer. The tree is worth $10,000 simply because of its rarity: the region it comes from is under significant ecological…

I just escaped a geological wiki-hole. I read about the Cascade Arc (home of the only historical eruptions in the United States), Mount Rainier (a surprisingly prominent mountain), plutons (subterranean crystallized igneous rock intrusions), the Volcanic Explosivity Index (Yellowstone tops the scale), Puget Sound (a flooded glacial fjord system), the most prominent peaks in the…

Last night at 9:50 we arrived in Seattle at our new apartment. Since it had been a long day of packing and cleaning Sarah\’s old apartment, we went to sleep after we got all of the boxes inside. Today has been full of unpacking, but we aren\’t even halfway done. It will be a week…

It cooled down today. This morning gusts of chilly morning air blew through the room, sticking the half-curtain thing out horizontally (apparently it\’s called a valance, but I could never use that word seriously). Now there is no wind. The cold air sinks down from the window above the bed. Cold feet. It\’s coming time…

I was talking to Gadget from study abroad, and we got to comparing keyboards: Smurf: I\’m hard on my computer keys…. Some of the letters are worn off, and my left alt key has fingernail pits. Gadget: that coating they put on keyboards is worn off all my keys from typing so much, well all…

Sarah, Paff and I looked at apartments in Seattle yesterday. Sarah had done a lot of online research and arranged for tours. One stood head and shoulders above the rest. It was our top choice before we even visited; touring it just cemented its position. Now we just have to wait to wait for our…

Yesterday was a kitchen day. A few days earlier Sarah and I went huckleberry picking with her friend Cody. So we had waffles with huckleberry syrup for breakfast. Then I made a huckleberry pie. The crust was a little finicky to handle, probably because of the warm house, but it turned out flaky and delicious…

On Wednesday I leave for DEFCON 17, \”the world\’s largest annual hacker convention\” [Wikipedia]. I am meant to learn more about web security there, which is why my employer is paying for my trip and expenses. I\’m obviously more excited about being surrounded by hackers and nerds than about the Las Vegas part, although the…

At Happy Sushi in Logan, Utah, Sarah and I shared a sushi roll that was unconventional and delicious. We might have to try to recreate it sometime. Here is the information from the menu. Logan Roll: Tempura shrimp, cucumber, and crabmeat inside. Topped with avocado, salmon, thin-sliced lemons and finished with special sauce.