Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Obsolete Electronic Gadgets

I got a new toy on Monday. On Tuesday, this happened. I think that gave me roughly 12 hours of being slightly ahead of the curve. Admittedly, given the round of late-January/early-February price cuts, I could have predicted something like this happening. It doesn't look like it is a serious upgrade however -- no increase in pixel count, or even a new image processing engine.

Not that I have had time to get out with this beast and do any serious picture taking with it, other than the obligatory cat picture as my first shot.

Monday, February 20, 2006

My first(*) Swim Meet

I did my first swim meet this weekend. It was a somewhat odd meet for #1, in that it was short-course meters. (I suppose long-course yards would have been even odder) I did three events: 200 free mixed relay, where I was the leader, 50 fly, and 100IM. I was disqualified in the 100IM, because my back to breast turn was illegal; I turned onto my stomach before touching the wall. That's wrong in the IM. (Under limited circumstances, it's perfectly legal in plain back.) Something to work on for the next meet.

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*: Actually, I was in a swim meet in 1996. However, I can't remember if it was a sanctioned meet or not, so I claim it doesn't count. I do remember I did a 100m breast stroke, back when I thought I still liked breaststroke.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Worst-Case Scenario, Part II

Buyer Furnished Equipment Red Label Loadable Software Parts.

I know *exactly* where on the airplane I could find them. And, what's worse, is it almost sounds plausible to me that it could happen. But the latest is that there are only two things that are BFE on this program, and neither of them (so far) involve software.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Johnnie Walker and Aviation Electronics

In Johnnie Walker's world, there are four labels: Black, Red, Gold, and Blue. This has a direct (albeit reversed) relationship to the world of aviation electronics, where there are three labels: Blue, Red, and Black. Blue label is Johnnie's oldest and most mature whiskey. Blue Label is aviation electronic's youngest, and most immature product. For both Johnny and electronics, red label is a nice middle ground -- old enough to drink, mature enough to actually take up in the air and put your life in it's hands. Finally, there's black label. In Johnny's world, it's the cheap one. In my world, it's the only thing I can deliver to paying customers.

Unfortunately, the program I'm working on right now doesn't have blue label products. It would be a good excuse to go out and buy a bottle of it.