Monday, October 31, 2005
Mt. Baker ranked 17th out of all top ski resorts in US
Skiing Magazine ranked Mt. Baker number 17 out of all US ski resorts. That puts it ahead of all other ski areas in Washington. Here's what they had to say about our new "home mountain" ("home field" just doesn't sound right):
"Welcome to the Six Flags of skiing, if Six Flags had a terrain playground that was caked with 54 feet of snow a year, drew mostly locals, and only offered libations until last chair. Laid-back Baker ski area hunkers between 9,720-foot Mount Shuksan and 10,778- foot Mount Baker, both of which force precipitation out of North-west weather systems and dump it on the ski hill in world-record amounts. It used to be tough to ski Baker-that rainforest powder comes in nonpowder form, with an average water content of 13 percent-but fat skis have changed all that. Bring 'em. You won't hit a rock."
Link to Mt. Baker's take on it:
"Mt. Baker Ski Area was recently selected by Skiing Magazine’s November 2005 issue as one of the TOP 20 SKI AREAS in North America from more than 786 ski area’s continent wide. Using a survey of 340 pro skiers which rated ski areas by STEEPS, POWDER and the “party scene” combined with vertical and annual snowfall statistics, Mt. Baker was selected #18th OVERALL, and got the top rating of all Washington areas, from among all North American areas including the likes of Whistler/Blackcomb, Jackson Hole, Vail, Snowbird and many others."
"Welcome to the Six Flags of skiing, if Six Flags had a terrain playground that was caked with 54 feet of snow a year, drew mostly locals, and only offered libations until last chair. Laid-back Baker ski area hunkers between 9,720-foot Mount Shuksan and 10,778- foot Mount Baker, both of which force precipitation out of North-west weather systems and dump it on the ski hill in world-record amounts. It used to be tough to ski Baker-that rainforest powder comes in nonpowder form, with an average water content of 13 percent-but fat skis have changed all that. Bring 'em. You won't hit a rock."
Link to Mt. Baker's take on it:
"Mt. Baker Ski Area was recently selected by Skiing Magazine’s November 2005 issue as one of the TOP 20 SKI AREAS in North America from more than 786 ski area’s continent wide. Using a survey of 340 pro skiers which rated ski areas by STEEPS, POWDER and the “party scene” combined with vertical and annual snowfall statistics, Mt. Baker was selected #18th OVERALL, and got the top rating of all Washington areas, from among all North American areas including the likes of Whistler/Blackcomb, Jackson Hole, Vail, Snowbird and many others."
Ski season
Okay, did I mention I'm stoked for ski season yet? No? My bad.
KOMO TV is reporting Mt. Baker recieved 24 inches of snow over the weekend. And Mt. Baker itself has some killer pictures and more news on their site today:
YES, WE RECEIVED A LOAD OF SNOW SUNDAY NIGHT! WE HAVE 14 NEW AT HEATHER MEADOWS WHICH BRINGS THE BASE AT THE UPPER AREA TO A WHOPPING 24 INCHES . . . .BEFORE NOVEMBER 1ST!
MOUNTAIN FORECASTS ARE CALLING FOR THE FREEZING LEVEL TO RISE UP TO ABOUT 6OOO FEET TODAY – SO IT IS LIKELY WE WILL LOOSE A LITTLE BASE – HOWEVER! THE FREEZING LEVEL IS THEN EXPECTED TO DROP STARTING LATE TUESDAY, WITH IT DROPPING TO 3000 ( WHICH IS BELOW WHITE SALMON) BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT AND STAYING DOWN AT A CHILLY 3000 THROUGH THE WHOLE WEEKEND – WITH MORE SNOW EXPECTED!
WE ARE CERTAINLY STARTING TO BUILD A SIGNIFICANT BASE, BUT WILL STILL NEED MORE SNOW WITH A MORE LONG TERM COLD FORECAST. HOWEVER, WE ARE WELL ON THE WAY AND FINAL PREPARATIONS ARE HAPPENING NOW SO THAT WE CAN BE READY TO ROLL AS SOON WE ARE ABLE TO BUILD A LITTLE MORE ON THIS FAVORABLE WEATHER PATTERN!
A REMINDER THAT MONDAY OCT. 31 IS THE LAST DAY OF PRESEASON DISCOUNTED SEASON PASS RATES. YOU CAN ORDER ONLINE AT MT. BAKER.US AND GET THE DISCOUNTED RATE – OR OUR BUSINESS OFFICE IN BELLINGHAM WILL BE OPEN MONDAY UNTIL 6:00PM. CALL 734-6771 FOR MORE INFO. FOR THOSE OF YOU WITH A SEASON PASS FROM LAST SEASON, THE PRESEASON RATE HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL DECEMBER 9TH FOR YOU.
Uplifting
-----
From: Tom
Sent: Friday, October 28, 2005 8:32 AM
To: Tim
A gallon of water weighs about 8 pounds, so a 55-gallon barrel of air will lift about 440 pounds. I have a blue barrel I took out from under our deck and I took out the plug and have it at home. I intend to make a wrench that fits the plug and experiment with doing my own refloating.
Dad
From: Tom
Sent: Friday, October 28, 2005 8:32 AM
To: Tim
A gallon of water weighs about 8 pounds, so a 55-gallon barrel of air will lift about 440 pounds. I have a blue barrel I took out from under our deck and I took out the plug and have it at home. I intend to make a wrench that fits the plug and experiment with doing my own refloating.
Dad
PC World blog about Network Magic
PC World's Narasu Rebbapragada blogged about Network Magic 2.0 today. I liked this: "Pure Networks CEO Timothy Dowling quickly showed off how he could get at files, photos, and videos located on his home PC. He also gave me a quick look at his basement through an always-on Web cam. That stuff still kind of creeps me out, but I guess it's good for users of baby- and pet-cams."
Creepy? On Halloween maybe, but for many users, it's a super-cool way to access files and other resources on their home network while they're out of the house.
Creepy? On Halloween maybe, but for many users, it's a super-cool way to access files and other resources on their home network while they're out of the house.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
What's a little sailing among friends?
After lots of planning, several of us from the dock finally got to go sailing on Saturday. I posted some pictures on Smugmug.
Differences
Let me get more specific. The differences between my current employer and my last employer are notable.
Today, we had this innovation demonstration thing scheduled--a bunch of people from the team are working on innovative side-projects and the purpose of the event today was to give demos of all the innovative stuff going on. It was supposed to start at 4:30 today and Alex (my lead) stopped by a few minutes before that and asked for some help setting up. Turns out he’d been shopping for some most excellent cheese and crackers and had brought some wine in (he's a big wine guy) and we got everything ready. When 4:30 rolled around, most folks from the company gathered in and around the kitchen, grabbed some food and wine, and then we went from office to office to watch the demos. We got to mingle a little, I got to meet some new people (which isn't hard considering I've only been there 3 days.) How cool. How awesome...
Today, we had this innovation demonstration thing scheduled--a bunch of people from the team are working on innovative side-projects and the purpose of the event today was to give demos of all the innovative stuff going on. It was supposed to start at 4:30 today and Alex (my lead) stopped by a few minutes before that and asked for some help setting up. Turns out he’d been shopping for some most excellent cheese and crackers and had brought some wine in (he's a big wine guy) and we got everything ready. When 4:30 rolled around, most folks from the company gathered in and around the kitchen, grabbed some food and wine, and then we went from office to office to watch the demos. We got to mingle a little, I got to meet some new people (which isn't hard considering I've only been there 3 days.) How cool. How awesome...
Tim's big news
Well, the big news for me is I started a new job on Monday. (Melissa starts a new job soon too, and we’ll write more details about that when it happens.)
I’m now a program manager (PM) at Pure Networks. According to their web site, “Pure Networks’ vision is to make home networking easy, secure and useful for the home computer user.” Just a week before I arrived, they shipped the new version of Network Magic to rave reviews. Download it yourself and try it free for 14 days!
In terms of specifically what I’ll be doing, at the highest level, it’ll be somewhat similar to what I did at The Evil Empire--writing lots of specs, thinking about what users want to do with the product, figuring out how to present new features to the user without overly complicating the user interface, doing my part to make sure we ship on time with a reasonable level of quality, doing what it takes to enable the developers and QA staff to get their work done, etc. One great thing about Pure Networks is they’re creating products and services in an area that I’m very passionate about--users of computers and networked devices in the home. (This should sound familiar if you know what I had been working on during my last 4 years at Microsoft.) From what I’ve been able to discern, they’ve assembled an impressive array of talent in all areas. (Heh--wait till they figure out the truth about me! :) Lots of people are ex-MSFT, so there’s a certain shared level of understanding and experience.
What really strikes me though are the small differences between Pure Networks and The ‘Soft:
* There are a relatively small number of people I see every day. It’s actually kind of nice; it gives you much more of a sense of community. It’s not entirely unlike what the smaller buildings back at MS were like. Now that they’re constructing mega-buildings over there, you see hundreds of different people day in and day out. At Pure Networks, every refers to everyone else by their first name--even though there are now 3 Tims and many other duplicated names.
* I share an office; most people share an office. I knew this going in and I didn’t think it would be a big deal, and it turns out I was right. It’s just weird when the phone rings or when someone walks in the office and starts talking to one of your officemates for awhile about something you don’t really need to know.
* The little things make a big difference. Sure, Pure Networks offers free sodas like every other high tech employer on the planet (at least from what I’ve heard), but they also provide snacks. Like little packages of M&Ms. And fresh fruit. And Halloween-sized candies. And Nutri-Grain bars. And Cup O’ Noodles. I can’t imagine it costs them that much, but they also haven’t been struck in the side of the head by the cost beast. It certainly isn’t shrimp (and I don’t want shrimp), but it’s a nice, little gesture that means a lot to me.
* The view is nice. For the past 12 years, when I’ve had a window office, I think I’ve always overlooked a street. Or a busy turnaround driveway. Or a freakin’ freeway overpass. The view from my office now is out over the water--I’m basically staring across the NE end of Lake Union over towards the Northlake Boat launch and Wallingford.
* Walking to lunch is nice. Sure, there aren’t that many places close to work to eat lunch, but there are definitely enough of them. I absolutely love not having to get in the car to go somewhere to get something to eat. And don’t even get me started about the old cafe food.
And lastly, did I mention it’s a short walk from home? Oh yeah, forgot about that. There are lots of ways to measure the distance (most of them courtesy of Google Earth):
* As the crow flies, door to door is 834.33 feet.
* Walking the shortest path, door to door is 1586.11 feet (or 0.30 miles). Even the “long” route is only 0.41 miles.
That’s it for now. It hasn’t even been a week yet and I’m already super psyched about what I’m doing.
I’m now a program manager (PM) at Pure Networks. According to their web site, “Pure Networks’ vision is to make home networking easy, secure and useful for the home computer user.” Just a week before I arrived, they shipped the new version of Network Magic to rave reviews. Download it yourself and try it free for 14 days!
In terms of specifically what I’ll be doing, at the highest level, it’ll be somewhat similar to what I did at The Evil Empire--writing lots of specs, thinking about what users want to do with the product, figuring out how to present new features to the user without overly complicating the user interface, doing my part to make sure we ship on time with a reasonable level of quality, doing what it takes to enable the developers and QA staff to get their work done, etc. One great thing about Pure Networks is they’re creating products and services in an area that I’m very passionate about--users of computers and networked devices in the home. (This should sound familiar if you know what I had been working on during my last 4 years at Microsoft.) From what I’ve been able to discern, they’ve assembled an impressive array of talent in all areas. (Heh--wait till they figure out the truth about me! :) Lots of people are ex-MSFT, so there’s a certain shared level of understanding and experience.
What really strikes me though are the small differences between Pure Networks and The ‘Soft:
* There are a relatively small number of people I see every day. It’s actually kind of nice; it gives you much more of a sense of community. It’s not entirely unlike what the smaller buildings back at MS were like. Now that they’re constructing mega-buildings over there, you see hundreds of different people day in and day out. At Pure Networks, every refers to everyone else by their first name--even though there are now 3 Tims and many other duplicated names.
* I share an office; most people share an office. I knew this going in and I didn’t think it would be a big deal, and it turns out I was right. It’s just weird when the phone rings or when someone walks in the office and starts talking to one of your officemates for awhile about something you don’t really need to know.
* The little things make a big difference. Sure, Pure Networks offers free sodas like every other high tech employer on the planet (at least from what I’ve heard), but they also provide snacks. Like little packages of M&Ms. And fresh fruit. And Halloween-sized candies. And Nutri-Grain bars. And Cup O’ Noodles. I can’t imagine it costs them that much, but they also haven’t been struck in the side of the head by the cost beast. It certainly isn’t shrimp (and I don’t want shrimp), but it’s a nice, little gesture that means a lot to me.
* The view is nice. For the past 12 years, when I’ve had a window office, I think I’ve always overlooked a street. Or a busy turnaround driveway. Or a freakin’ freeway overpass. The view from my office now is out over the water--I’m basically staring across the NE end of Lake Union over towards the Northlake Boat launch and Wallingford.
* Walking to lunch is nice. Sure, there aren’t that many places close to work to eat lunch, but there are definitely enough of them. I absolutely love not having to get in the car to go somewhere to get something to eat. And don’t even get me started about the old cafe food.
And lastly, did I mention it’s a short walk from home? Oh yeah, forgot about that. There are lots of ways to measure the distance (most of them courtesy of Google Earth):
* As the crow flies, door to door is 834.33 feet.
* Walking the shortest path, door to door is 1586.11 feet (or 0.30 miles). Even the “long” route is only 0.41 miles.
That’s it for now. It hasn’t even been a week yet and I’m already super psyched about what I’m doing.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
State Dep't. OK's RFID Passports
I can't remember who it was I was talking with, but this came up recently. I guess if the ACLU is okay with it, I'm okay with it, but it's still a little scary...
State Dep't. OK's RFID Passports: " Passport-embedded RFID tags are back with a vengeance, as the State Department has given the go-ahead for December testing of a new system with enhanced security features, following intense public pressure that forced them to scuttle their original design this past June. The new arrangement contains two key security upgrades: embedded anti-skimming material to prevent non-authorized personnel from stealing personal data and Basic Access Control, which requires user-certification before the RFID chip will broadcast its signal. State Department officials promise that the tech jibes with guidelines set by the U.N.-affiliated International Civilian Aviation Organization, the body tasked with setting international machine-readable passport standards. Assuming the tests go as planned, and the ACLU remains placated, expect Uncle Sam to start issuing these high tech ID’s early next year.[Via Smart Mobs and Techdirt, photo courtesy of The Globalist]
State Dep't. OK's RFID Passports: " Passport-embedded RFID tags are back with a vengeance, as the State Department has given the go-ahead for December testing of a new system with enhanced security features, following intense public pressure that forced them to scuttle their original design this past June. The new arrangement contains two key security upgrades: embedded anti-skimming material to prevent non-authorized personnel from stealing personal data and Basic Access Control, which requires user-certification before the RFID chip will broadcast its signal. State Department officials promise that the tech jibes with guidelines set by the U.N.-affiliated International Civilian Aviation Organization, the body tasked with setting international machine-readable passport standards. Assuming the tests go as planned, and the ACLU remains placated, expect Uncle Sam to start issuing these high tech ID’s early next year.[Via Smart Mobs and Techdirt, photo courtesy of The Globalist]
Monday, October 24, 2005
Invasion of the techies
USA Today recently had an article indicating how pervasive tech enthusiasts are, and it does a pretty good job breaking them down into different categories.
Techies: They're everywhere
And check out the map they have too--pretty cool. In a quick skim of the list of the top 100 counties, I didn't see any from Washington state. Benton County, Oregon is there though--woot!
Techies: They're everywhere
And check out the map they have too--pretty cool. In a quick skim of the list of the top 100 counties, I didn't see any from Washington state. Benton County, Oregon is there though--woot!
Friday, October 14, 2005
Un-leveled
Today we had our house re-floated. Sid, one of the local guys who does specialty work on houseboats, brings one of his divers out and a bunch of blue plastic barrels and fires up an air compressor. They fill a barrel full of water (so it will have basically neutral buoyancy), the diver positions it somewhere under the house (flat side of the barrel against the bottom of our concrete float), and then he inserts the long hose from the air compressor and fills the barrel with air. Rinse, repeat as necessary. I believe they're 55 gallon barrels, but I can't remember how much lift each barrel has once it's full of air. (I'm sure a person smarter than me could figure it out pretty quickly.) Based on how long they were here, and how many barrels fit in their truck, I think they probably used 4 or fewer barrels.
The thing motivating all of this was the fact that our house has been off-kilter for about a year now. We did some remodeling which added some weight, mostly to the SE corner and back side of the house. While it was off balance, we had problems with doors swinging open or shut when we didn't want them to and water would build up in our gutters (because it would all flow away from the downspout). Oh, and don't ask why we waited a year...
Monday, October 10, 2005
Backpacking trip
A few weeks ago my dad, my brother and I went on a backpacking trip along east side of The Sisters in Central Oregon. More pictures: http://ahlers.smugmug.com/gallery/836974
Karl
Here's my first try at
Here's my first try at Moblogging. Let's see if it actually works...
Smugmug and The Ahlers
If you're ever wondering what we're up to, a quick visit to our Smugmug site is an easy way to figure it out:
http://ahlers.smugmug.com/
http://ahlers.smugmug.com/
Greetings
Welcome to the first posting on The Ahlers blog. Okay, it's not just any old Ahlers; it's really a blog about Melissa and Tim Ahlers. And to be honest, I don't really expect Melissa to actually post very often (but who knows, maybe she'll surprise me), so I'll try to keep it updated for both of us.
