August, 4, 2005 archives

there is something like $2 million earmarked for “pedestrian improvements” on broadway in the latest federal transportation bill, and according to the most recent story, $400,000 for crosswalk bumps on temple street near downtown.

i’m still trying to figure out why it is that federal money is going towards these things that should be locally funded.

life lessons from blackjack (via jason kottke) is a good piece on exactly what the title claims.

it also flirts with the idea of living as an exercise in optimization, which is something on my mind a lot. the context of how i’ve been thinking about that is just recognizing how much of an underachiever i am, and deciding how comfortable i am with that. (and the answer to that may just be “too comfortable.”)

this weblog about buying and renovating a house in alameda is a great read. it’s amazing to see the progress that has been made. that link is to the first entry, here’s the weblog itself, with the most recent entries.

although i know basically nothing about home repair and maintenance, i have the insane idea that it would be fun to do this sort of thing.

the washington post explains “why the red delicious no longer is.”

i guess delicious is a bit too strong of an adjective, but i still eat them pretty regularly. i think the crunchiness helps make the experience transcend the taste.

the new york times covers an interesting aspect of some startup funding — “when capital goes to the founders, not the company.”

there’s a certain mythology around the value of stock options to employees at startups, and i’m just jaded enough to know that unless you’re management, you’re not going to see much from stock options. it’s certainly hard to justify a reduced salary on the promise of future riches.