Started brushing up

on my XML and Python knowledge this weekend, which has largely been unused since college. Maybe I'll post some mindless samples here as I go.

I was comparing some world maps this week and came upon some interesting distinctions between two methods of projecting a spherical map on a 2-dimensional plane; Mercator Projection and Cylindrical Equidistant projection.

Mercator projection uses the latitude and longitude coordinates (φ and λ, respectively) of a point/location to determine the x and y coordinates on the map using the following equation:

Cylindrical Equidistant projection is more simple, with linear functions (lat == y, lon == x).

Like most map projection methods, Mercator projection suffers the fate of stretching or distortion of land-mass far from the equator (ultimately, geographic accuracy diminishes as you get closer to the poles). As a result, Russia looks ginormous.

On a completely unrelated note, I saw Batman Begins last weekend. Great movie. Go watch it in IMAX at Metreon (SF) if you can. One thing I noticed; while the new Batmobile is pretty badass, what's up with the styling? Aesthetically, it goes against Batman's persona: sleek and stealth. A quick contrast and comparison between the new Batmobile and the original:

New:
- Looks like a desert storm tank
- Can bash through concrete walls
- Despite it's un-stealth frame, it has a "stealth mode"
- Like the original, it has a jet-turbine engine

Original:
- Powered by a jet-turbine engine
- Can't bash through concrete walls
- Is the perfect extension to Batman himself

Verdict: Bring back the old Batmobile.

I think I need a vacation. Location suggestions welcome. Maybe Venezia again, but this time for more than three days. Tokyo sounds nice right now too.

(w00t: fully indexed).

Got pulled over...

again last night, near Cupertino while trying to get onto 85-N (second time since getting my car). Not knowing which de-facto law I had broken this time, I calmly got my driver's license, ownership title, and insurance papers ready for the cop. He told me that I waited too long to turn right at a red light and followed me to the highway, "just in case." Translation: he wanted to make sure that the car wasn't stolen. The interesting thing about California is that new car owners can go months without plates because the CA DMV is so efficient like that. So I've been driving without any plates for about a month now and have been pulled over twice, on both occasions being rudely interrogated on the ownership of the car. No, he didn't write me a citation and yes, he was just doing his job, but damnit, cops irritate me.


Plateless, but not lawless.

To every cop aimlessly wandering the streets of Mountain View (or any other town where three patrol cars per two city blocks is completely unnecessary), just because you bear the ridiculous combination of a badge and nothing to do, I request that you stop making everyone's commute that much more unenjoyable. You were that pimple-faced tough guy in middle school who barely graduated to high school, where you ridiculed the geeks, only to again graduate (barely) and found yourself too stupid to get into college and too prideful to go anywhere else. Wow, you made it to the Police Academy whereupon graduating, you could continue to give people shit for no good reason and maintain legality. Congratulations. Thank you for "serving and protecting," all the while exercising the concept of probable cause analogously to your dog taking a piss on your living room carpet.

I saw...

some preliminary pictures of the new 3 Series coupe and contrary to my opinion of the 2005 3 sedan, it's beautiful. Kind of makes me wish I waited, but I still love the E46 coupe design.

... Pretty.

... Back looks like a Kia.

I think the coupe above is actually a mock-up of the new, up-and-coming M3 (or M4?). BMW may change their naming scheme so that all coupes are even numbers (i.e, the current 2 and 6 series) and all sedans are odd numbers (i.e, the current 3, 5, and 7 series). You're right; who cares.

Either way, if BMW can improve upon their current in-line 6 cylinder engine (one of the smoothest engines I've ever driven), the new 4 coupe should be a winner.

I think my love for cars and fascination with engines stems largely from my father. He's always been interested in cars and when I was 16 years old, he purchased a beat up 1973 Corvette, had its huge 450 HP big-block engine completely rebuilt and the entire car fully restored. It looked something like this, but white. Being the little 16 year old punk that I was, I snuck out with the car one night in the rain, crashed it, and single-handedly crushed my father's mid-life crisis dream. My hope is to one day be able buy my father a new C5 Corvette as a replacement.

My dream job? To design some of the bodywork for a leading European auto manufacturer. But in the meantime, you can check out PA:Tech, a mock-up of my soon-to-be company. ;)

I'll confess...

I watched "The Classic" (a sappy Korean drama flick) last night. My friend Young picked it up for me in SF this past weekend. Overall, it was alright, but nothing to write home about. I give it a 3/5 (2 points deducted for excessively cheesy scenes and the lack of an attractive female cast). If you want to see a good Korean movie, go watch "Tae Guk Ki."

I've been trying hard lately to understand women's obsession with handbags/purses. It's a *purse*, yet you'll pay an excess of $1,000 for it? I have a few friends who own numerous such accessories and it boggles my mind. Am I missing something? Here's what can you get for $1,000:

- Eight very good dinners for two at Forbes Steak house
- 1/3 payment on a 42" plasma television
- A nice, mid-model swiss engineered and assembled watch
- Countless Double-Double's (with a strawberry milkshake) at In-n-Out

The list goes on. Can someone explain this to me before I, for whatever reason, start dating a woman who will ultimately despise me for not understanding her love of the handbag? Well, I probably don't have too much to worry about, since my ideal woman would just carry her possessions in a tacky fanny pack bearing the logo of the Silicon Valley hi-tech company she worked for on it (just kidding, kind of...).

Been too busy

to post regularly here, but I guess I'll just run through a few updates:

I finally bought and installed OS X Tiger on my 17" iMac last week (soon to be installed on my 15" Al.PowerBook). In a nutshell, the upgrade was a subtle one. No significant changes to the UI and the only noticeable features at this point are Widgets, Spotlight, and Automator. A few screenshots for the 2% of people who actually care:





I'm learning to embrace the bad luck that's been plaguing my life lately. Yet another unfortunate event: I came home from the city tonight at around 7pm. I started settling in when I realized that one of my watches was missing from the top of my dresser. I distinctly remembered looking at it and deciding not to wear it before I left my apartment on Saturday afternoon. I spend the night in the city at a friend's, come back on Sunday night and it's gone. Since $1,500 Raymond Weil watches don't just grow legs and walk away, it leads me to believe that maintenance or management may have been in here, since the door was locked securely when I got back. I turned my apartment upside down looking for it, but I'm starting to realize that I should just count my losses and move on. Upon speaking to my mother (from whom the watch was a gift), she provided me with some much needed perspective on the situation in the form of a gentle reminder that there are many other things in life that weigh much heavier on the heart, and that I should just let it go. Of course, she's right, but I loved that watch. :(

Stuff happens, life goes on, and Monday morning is just around the corner. Have a great week, everyone.