Reed Me : family

Tough decision. Should I share this with my son?

reedme — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 21:03:24 GMT

This summer, my oldest son (age 9) has been plowing through every book in the library on electronics, robotics and astronomy that he can convince the public library to check out to him. His current fixation is BattleBots, because he hasn’t solved the “Earth orbit is a long way up” problem, yet.

For the amount of money he might be able to earn in a year or three, somebody else is willing to solve it for him beginning in 2010...

Total Price of the TubeSat Kit including a Launch to Orbit is $8,000!

Interorbital Systems – TubeSat Personal Satellite Kit | International Space Fellowship

Not to be critical, but don’t we already have enough junk in orbit? Well, it would be cool to have our own piece of space junk in orbit sponsored by Fort Reed.

I think the operative question isn’t whether or not I tell #1 Son or not... It’s whether he can keep from telling his mother about the secret account that I just created to save up for it.

Heh.

If you need me, I’ll be in teh garage...

reedme — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 20:02:00 GMT

Tim and I don’t see eye2eye on some things, but quite often he nails the the whole “married geek” thing. It’ll definitely be funny to watch Tim’s comix grow and change when they have kids. A lot like my own father enjoys watching the slow-motion train wreck of my life. Heh.

You don’t even have to know the rest of the plot leading up to this point to understand it and know that nothing good can come of this...

Tomorrow (assuming that I have a tomorrow, of course), I’ll list all the things my wife said she doesn’t want to hear coming out of the man cave today.

For want of a chainsaw, the trip was lost...

reedme — Fri, 15 May 2009 22:30:51 GMT

About two or three weekends back, we took the Sequoia up toward the Glacier Peak Wilderness loaded with the family (wife, kids, me) and various pieces of what-if back country gear: important stuff like MREs, bonus water, rope and rappelling stuff, tire repair bits, etc. Of course, by now, you’ve figured out that I “forgot” something.

Well, you can’t really forget something that you don’t own. Can you?

If you look down the road further, you’ll see lots more downed trees. Even if we pulled the first couple out of the way with the tow chain, we’d still never have made it more than another 10 miles from Darrington before sundown. C’est la guerre. We still had fun playing in the April snow.

The upside is that now I have “permission” from the Mrs. to buy a chainsaw. Bwahahahahaha!!

Yeah, I know I said I’d never run for office again...

reedme — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:07:43 GMT

But then I went and put my name in the hat once more... because it’s for a good cause!

No, it’s not April Fool’s. That’s tomorrow.

Personally, I’d like to thank L.D. Kirshenbaum (the author of the article below) for giving us a fair shake. I’m sure that there were some embarrassing quotes among all the hours that we chatted which she could’ve taken out of context, but she was very professional.

The Gun Club at Microsoft

March 31st, 2009 | Posted in American Bulletin

Right now, the Gun Club has 756 members.
At left, new President David Reed celebrated his wedding anniversary with his wife, Samia, at the shooting range.

Photos by Andrew McDonald.

We’re having a big get-together for Second Amendment Day on Saturday, if anybody wants to come out and celebrate with us.

Yeah, I’m a month overdue on a fitness duel update, a bike update and all that. I’ve been busy (and not necessarily in a fun way). Now that everyone @ Fort Reed is reasonably healthy again, I’ll have more time to goof off.

Legal use of social network websites

reedme — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 20:45:39 GMT

A long time ago, in a life far, far away, I was a deputy constable and I had to physically locate people and hand them court documents (or haul them off to jail). As much fun as it was to run around with a badge and a gun, it would’ve made life much easier if I could’ve just sent them an email! I guess I’m old: “You’ve been served... via Facebook!” just seems odd.

This case took place in Oz, but I suspect that it’s not too far off from becoming the order of the day in other parts of the world, too. Email is pretty common already, and I think SMS (aka text) messages aren’t used only because they can’t carry attachments. As a database-oriented person, I have to wonder whether I could testify to the reliability of Facebook or Myspace as a delivery mechanism. Since the process server got permission from the judge in advance, I guess it’s a moot point.

The court decided Facebook was a legally viable way to communicate.

But, in granting permission to use the social networking site, the judge stipulated that the papers be sent via a private email so that other people visiting the page could not read their contents.

Courts have previously allowed judgements to be delivered by email, but it is not known if Facebook or other social networking sites have been used in the same way.

Australian couple served with legal documents via Facebook - Telegraph

I do feel for people who are having their homes taken away for non-payment of their mortgages. A lot of people are having a rough time out there. One of the hardest things a constable ever has to do is an eviction, especially if there are children involved.

This story would be funnier if the property being foreclosed was in Second Life or WoW. Heh.

Meet the Reedz on Xbox Live

reedme — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 02:36:33 GMT

It’s always interesting to see how other people see themselves. Or want to be seen. Maybe it’s the latent social scientist training from decades gone by in graduate school. Who knows?

Giving them no specific directions besides “make an avatar for yourself”, I turned the family loose on the Xbox Live avatar creator… with interesting results.

Those of you who’ve met my family know that a couple of those bear little to no resemblance to the creator. Heh. Foex, my oldest son has many years to go before he can even dream of growing a beard… or pointy ears. I didn’t realize that the majority of my family picked camo pants until I tossed all the avatars up together. Interesting.

I have to “coerce” my wife and daughter to “hurry up” after watching them spend way more time trying on hairstyles, clothing and accessories than I was willing to give up on the Xbox 360. When I found them “shopping” among the hairstyles and jewelry, I drew the line… The boys and I were done in five minutes or less each. We’re not sure why the youngest zoomed to dark leisure suit plus sneakers, but he was the one who took the least amount of time “fiddling”. We weren’t able to get him to explain his choices to us.

It’ll be interesting to see how the kids’ avatars evolve over time. Mine? I want Gears of War 2 armor for mine. I want my COG armor!!

In other news, I broke down and bought Dead Space last night on the way home from the Halo 3 charity tournament for the Microsoft Giving Campaign and played all the way through Chapter 1 on normal. I’m likin’ it a lot!! It might replace Bioshock in my list of genre favorites. I tried to hold out for Gears of War 2, but... all the good reviews got the better of me. Definitely have to finish Dead Space before Gears arrives with my ceremonial commemorative Lancer. <insert obligatory chainsaw bayonet sound/>

Role reversal: are neurotypicals the crippled ones?

reedme — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 00:41:25 GMT

Wow.

Are people with autism trapped in their own world? Or are the rest of us just trapped in ours?
The Language of Autism - Well - Tara Parker-Pope (New York Times Blog)

At risk of sounding Chomsky-esque: We humans often mistake strong linguistic communication facility [in our own language] with intelligence...

Connected Home's 3-part Series on WHS and more...

reedme — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 21:26:40 GMT

Got my copy of WHS last week and I'm hoping to make time to stand it up this week; I'm sure that I'll want to remember these links later when that happens. Heh.

Coming Home to Windows Home Server, Part 1
A new column begins, focusing on Microsoft's highly touted Windows Home Server. (10/15/07)
Coming Home to Windows Home Server, Part 2
Learn how WHS simplifies and automates the thorough backup of your home systems. (11/21/07)

Coming Home to Windows Home Server, Part 3
Let's cut through all the inconsistencies, half-truths, and false information surrounding WHS and get to the truth. (1/16/08)

Also:

WHS' home page
WHS forums
WHS add-ins
WHS SDK

Want something else/additional/different? Tell the folks who built it: Windows Home Server (Connect 2 Microsoft)

In case you need help justifying a Home Server of your own...

reedme — Thu, 17 Jan 2008 09:25:59 GMT

I have it on good authority that sometimes humor will help get forgiveness when you failed to get permission.

Mommy, why is there a server in the house?

Heh. Let me know if it works for you...

Book addresses teen issues (with an autism twist)

reedme — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 02:37:10 GMT

Sounds like a book any teen could benefit from, not just teens with autism!

Damian, who was diagnosed at the age of 5 and is now a college student, defines a term like acne, kissing or gossip. Then Josie describes the same issue from a parent’s point of view.
Autism Society of America: Book Addresses Teen Issues

I know I probably could've -- not necessarily would've -- benefited from a book on someone else's previous experience... Maybe that's part of my own Larn It the Hard Way® disorder?

Souvenirs

reedme — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 21:58:00 GMT

Bobbie was sure right about the best laid schemes and a' that. I certainly felt about mouse-sized towing a 5x8 trailer in my two-wheel drive minivan crawling through the Rocky Mountains this time! So much for blogging the move from Houston to Redmond in real time, though... I blame that on the streptococcal pharyngitis -- I really meant to be more disciplined about blogging. I did collect some unusual souvenirs along the way (besides the bacteria). I'll spare ye the pictorial account of our drive northward. Heh.

Location	Date	Souvenir
Houston, Tejas	up to Friday 14 December 2007 (when we left)	200+ cartons of household goods, approximately 15,000-pounds gross weight accumulated over 15 years of marriage (seven in the same house). It all fit (surprisingly) in 3/4 of the Graebel moving truck. We only had about 20 cartons of stuff the moving company refused to transport (don't ask) in our little 5x8 Uhaul trailer behind the van.
San Antonio, Tejas (Fort Sam golf course)	Saturday 15 December 2007	I got 3rd place in the 2007 Reed Classic golf tournament (limit to 9 holes due to inclement weather and the early wintertime sunset). Have to schedule this in Yuma, Tucson, Sedona or maybe Prescott next year. In July.
San Antonio, Tejas	Sunday 16 December 2007	New winter coats, gloves and hats for the kids from Burlington Coat Factory (since we know that we'll need them before we get to Denver).
Abilene, Tejas	Monday 17 December 2007	Strep throat (probably contracted earlier and incubated all weekend). Ouch! Didn't make it very far driving in this condition, but I didn't really realize what it was until I woke up the next morning.
Amarillo, Tejas	Tuesday 18 December 2007	Injected and oral antibiotics (taken continuously for the next seven days). Thank goodness for great traveling health coverage from Microsoft!!
Denver, Colorado	Wednesday 19 December 2007	Skipped visiting friends and family to avoid infecting people we care about with streptococcal pharyngitis. No memorable souvenirs collected. Aaron & Steve, I promise to ship the gifts we didn't get to deliver!
Rawlins, Wyoming	Wednesday 19 December 2007	Replacement drive belt for 2004 Toyota Sienna (we were very lucky to find this part 500+ miles from the nearest Toyota dealership). It's amazing how weird the electrical system behaves when the alternator's not turning! We also got our first opportunity to tow the Uhaul trailer through unplowed snow on the streets of Rawlins (where they apparently don't bother plowing side streets). We were very afraid of being stranded in Wyoming over the coming holiday because all but one mechanic in town (there were only 3) couldn't help us until the following Monday! I did get a good view of where I want to put a summer place on Elk Mountain, though. We'll definitely be back to Wyoming!
Ogden, Utah	Thursday 20 December 2007	Raced a snow storm all the way out of Wyoming, but it caught us halfway to Snowville, Utah (that's really what it's called!) and we had to turn around and camp in Ogden for the night. I should've followed the snowplow, instead of passing it in a hurry. Whoops!! The wife is starting to understand why I wanted to buy the 4x4 before we left Houston. C'est la guerre. Had the most expensive bad room service of the entire trip in Ogden. Utah's a lot prettier than my mental image suspected it would be, though. I think I could live here, even though I'm about as not-Mormon as you can get.
Near Juniper, Idaho	Friday 21 December 2007	Decided to brave the snow and the mountains (despite the fact that we can't find anywhere in no-man's land to buy tire chains) and try to push through quickly before the big snowfall projected for the weekend. Shouldn't have. Got stuck for a bit in the snow going uphill just north of Juniper; finally powered out of the snow drift (trailer and all!), but burned up something inside the van -- it never acted "right" after that. I successfully won the "we should've bought the 4x4 before we left argument" but I'm probably going to have to concede the "we should've taken the boring route through California" point. See? We're both right! Heh. Idaho is a lot prettier than I expected, despite the fact that they only run snow plows on the "easy" sections of the road, not on the mountain faces that really need it. Grrr. We're on a first name basis with AAA by now, even though they really haven't been able to help us yet (besides providing a calm voice in a warmer clime on the other end of the phone).
Pendleton, Oregon	Friday 21 December 2007	Really wanted to make it to Redmond today, but after wending our way through the Blue Mountains in the dark (not as much fun towing a trailer as you might expect), we decided to camp and race the projected snowfall in the Cascades tomorrow. Umatilla Indian Reservation is gorgeous; we'll definitely be coming back for some hiking later!
Snoqualmie Pass, Washington	Saturday 22 December 2007	We lost the race. Because the Cascades are so much lower in elevation than the rest of the mountains we've driven through so far, I chalked up the name Snoqualmie to an odd homonym taken from a Native American dialect that just happens to sound similar to frozen precipitation. I was wrong. The snow was coming down by the bucket! And then some. We were less than 90 minutes from our new home when we had to turn around and take a seven plus hour detour back through Oregon; we didn't even bother trying Satus Pass or the others since they're all about the same elevation and the forecast called for snow all weekend. Still no tire chains to be found anywhere. Everyone else has 'em, but nobody knows where we can buy 'em for our van. I promised the wife that as soon as we buy the 4x4, we're coming back through Snoqualmie so that I can thumb my nose at the mountain. It did look like great snow for skiing, too. Samia bought a mug at some interstate truck stop to commemorate our strategic withdrawal from Snoqualmie. Grrr! We got in very late (two days after we'd originally planned to arrive).
Bellevue, Washington	Saturday 29 December 2007	Belated souvenir. Way late, but better late than never own a 4x4. After unpacking all the boxes and starting to get the house in order, we traded in both cars (the Camry that got shipped up from Houston -- the long way, though California -- and the Sienna that barely survived the trip through the beautiful Rockies) on a 2008 Toyota Sequoia Platinum. It doesn't snow enough in western Washington justify the 10mpg monster 4x4, but I do have an upcoming rematch with the mountain. And my wife is starting to believe my threat to buy a summer place on Elk Mountain in Wyoming. Oh, yeah! I won't be held hostage to mere snow anymore. Stupid mountain. Stupid snow. Heh.

Needless to say, I love my wife's new vehicle. It's the best 'souvenir' that we got this trip. I'd never heard of the Platinum trim level, but I do wish (in retrospect) that we'd bought it in Houston. (No, I don't need another car. I'm still planning to bike to the office despite what everyone else thinks. I even bought a new bike to demonstrate my resolve! Heh.) Arctic Frost Pearl is an appropriate color for our new land yacht. The kids are upset about not being allowed to eat (or anything else except breathe) in the new vehicle. C'est la vie. I have to make sure to buy spare everything, though, before we venture back into no-man's land where they don't believe in stocking parts for "foreign jobbies." Note to self: buy tire chains before you need them. Duh. They're probably easier to find from home, with internet access, than interviewing locals who can't understand why I'm not driving a Chevy, Dodge, GMC or Ford.

We're planning to assault Snoqualmie next weekend and go for a hike around Toppenish Ridge or Yakima. The kids are already having flashbacks from the Great Grand Canyon Hike of 2007. Heh. It'll be fun.

Pray for snow!

I quit!

reedme — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 17:02:26 GMT

Well, not exactly. This post title is just my nod to the yellow journalism that pervades the media these days... Where have all the reporters gone? Long time ago? (Sorry, that song is stuck in my head this morning.)

I'm making the leap. Taking the plunge. Leaving Microsoft Services...

But I'm not going far, figuratively speaking. I've accepted a job in SQL Server Release Services as a program manager. Other than the fact that it will have something to do with the SQL Server that I love and community development, the rest of the details apparently fall into the "you figure it out yourself (or else)" category. Heh. I will still be involved with the MVP Academy and the SQL Rangers (of course!). When I know more, you'll know more.

I am going far, literally speaking, since we're relocating from Houston to Redmond. The movers arrive in mid-December. The second road trip for the Reed Clan to Redmond begins soon. This time it's just one way! Maybe I'll be able to make time to blog some of our destinations and pictures this time around. Paving the road with good intentions! (Probably not the analogy I was looking for, but c'est la guerre.)

The only real downside is that packing the house and wrapping up my last consulting engagement are SERIOUSLY cutting into my Mass Effect playing time. Grrr!

Although, I start the new gig in January, y'all have homework. (Yes, I plan to continue saying y'all regardless how long I live in the People's Republic of Washington. He-he.) Your homework is to start thinking BIGGER about SQL Server community projects. Tools. Samples. Templates. Applications. We're brainstorming! If it runs on SQL Server, no idea is to wacky to talk about!!

If there's something that you wish already existed as a SQL Server sample or a community application niche that you wish was filled (especially if you're looking for an excuse to do some coding and would like help from the rest of the planet), post it here or shoot me an email. I want to hear from you!

Wish me luck!