tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63589724721628517662024-03-28T20:29:47.114-07:00RapidGrooveBlogging on technology, fishing, eating and philosophy. And the philosophy of eating fishing technology.Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.comBlogger256125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-46142550667873816552022-05-27T09:29:00.001-07:002022-05-27T09:29:14.266-07:00Fishing Buddies<p><b><span style="color: #660000;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The people who share our </span><span style="font-family: Arial;">pastimes</span></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjcJ0VnS0qKXn4uwoO9omYODYj1tbosZq1ViqBEDTEFcGtywNCx1FQs6PJFHipY1o7XL1tk4xEp1rPWLPIT2Q74_N4LEizmrlgleYS8RSnk4el0kcD51M7px03y-DtoLs1rlM4ReJzXCHOJz-oIEPJtaWVSWgVGxS30pb9KOrRpl5HTtUIqoNPjnWY/s1092/Fishing%20Buddies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fishing buddies" border="0" data-original-height="1040" data-original-width="1092" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjcJ0VnS0qKXn4uwoO9omYODYj1tbosZq1ViqBEDTEFcGtywNCx1FQs6PJFHipY1o7XL1tk4xEp1rPWLPIT2Q74_N4LEizmrlgleYS8RSnk4el0kcD51M7px03y-DtoLs1rlM4ReJzXCHOJz-oIEPJtaWVSWgVGxS30pb9KOrRpl5HTtUIqoNPjnWY/w200-h191/Fishing%20Buddies.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Image credit: Steve Haefele in Salt Water Sportsman</span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I enjoy fishing alone, and I enjoy fishing with friends and neighbors. Alone can be quiet and peaceful and an escape from the noise of the world, while fishing with others is not only social, but practical. Fishing with buddies means more hands when we need someone at the wheel and someone on the landing net or tending an anchor. Fishing with a buddy or two is also a great opportunity to share knowledge. We talk about what bait, lure, tackle, or technique has worked well lately, and what spots have surprised us in recent days in good or bad ways. We might share what we’ve seen in the water that might affect fishing, like big schools of sand eels or bunker.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It’s great to have fishing buddies! Even when neighbors and I fish alone, we often end up comparing notes at the end of the day as we clean the boats. When my neighbors bring their boats back to the dock after a day of fishing and I’m already at my dock, I’ll walk over and offer to hand them a dock line to make things a little easier and then we’ll talk about their day.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Recently, I had the chance to expand my thinking on who "counts" as a fishing buddy.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A few days ago I did my start of season fishing gear inventory and cleanup. I dragged out all my tackleboxes and gear from my fishing shed, pulling the tackle out and cleaning the boxes and then reorganizing the tackle back into the boxes, throwing away a few old rigs that aren’t going to make another season. I cleaned up lures and hooks, replacing rusty treble hooks on topwater plugs I’ll need for spring Striped Bass. When I was done, I had a short list of fishing supplies needed, so I headed into town.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I pulled into the parking lot of the tiny neighborhood tackle shop I’ve been going to for the last 15 years, and as I entered the shop for the first time this season, I saw Tom who has run the place for the owner, his brother Pete, since the shop opened. I’ve known Tom since the shop opened. He and his shop have been a great source for fishing equipment, advice and help, and on what’s biting and where in our local waters. Over the years we’ve gotten to know each other and become friendly. Tom is really another fishing buddy, even though we’ve never actually fished together. He greets me by name with a smile, he knows what I fish for, and he knows some of my preferences on fishing equipment. I appreciate his help and advice and have many times chosen to buy rods and reels from him rather than save a few bucks at a giant chain store or an online supplier. I like my local shop to thrive and stay in business, and I appreciate that they give me the kind of personalized help a local shop provides.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Once, a few years ago, I brought in a very old Penn conventional reel that had some problems. It was very old and it wasn’t a high quality reel. I could have thrown it away, but it had some sentimental value for me. When my mom fished from time to time with my dad and me years ago, she used that reel most of the time. I had managed to keep it working for decades, but now repair was beyond me so I took it in to have Tom work on it. When he gave it back to me a week later it was working well and as part of the repair he explained that he had to replace the handle and showed me how it worked smoothly with the new one. Then he handed me something. It was the old handle on a key ring. He had welded a loop to attach it. He said, “Since it was your mom’s reel, I though you might like to keep that handle so I made a key ring for it.” I was really touched by this. I still have that key ring and keep the key to my fishing shed on it.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anyway, back to present day. When I entered the tackle shop and saw Tom, we caught up on our winters and shot the breeze for a few and then he said, “I’m really glad you stopped in today. Tomorrow’s my last day and I’m saying goodbye to the friends I’ve made here. We are moving out of the area and starting a new life.” Tom had gotten married last fall and he and his new wife wanted to move to an area where they could afford to get a house and some land, and Long Island was not a place to do that affordably.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I wished my fishing buddy well and shook his hand telling him how I really appreciated him and that I hoped our paths would cross again. I told him I valued his help and advice, and his friendship over the years. I’d miss him and I said so. He smiled and said he’d miss my visits to the shop.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Lifelong fisherman like myself have lots of fishing buddies. They enter our lives, and sadly sometimes they depart. I first fished as a 5-year-old with my father, grandfather, and uncles. Sometimes my mother and my aunt would join us. These family members who taught me to love fishing are all gone now, but were my first fishing buddies. Now I fish often with my sons, and I’ve taught them what I know. These days I also fish with my neighbors and with friends from my school days. All of these people have been my fishing buddies.</span></p>
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<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thanks to all my fishing buddies, past, present and future. You make my time spent fishing that much better!</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(128, 0, 128); color: purple; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, tell others about it, and share a link to it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</span></span></p>
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<p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p>Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-83772177236554407252022-02-27T14:56:00.003-08:002022-02-28T04:35:10.380-08:00My New Ride<p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">Back in March 2015 I bought a new BMW 428 hard top convertible, making it the 10</span><sup style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">th</sup><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">car I’d owned in my life, but just the 4</span><sup style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">th</sup><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif">new car. The dark blue BMW was beautiful to look at, and the power, ride, and features quickly made this car my favorite, even surpassing the fond memories I had of my first ever car - a 1972 Chevy Monte Carlo. Add to that the thrill of the automatic hard-top motion looking like something out of a Transformers movie, and I became very attached to this car.</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghGoKVqLBty4pWXWXx45-AdrFXsH_3fTND4cb_pSrJ2lyUHx8c5KorcuD7EUcXhYGHaUGHuidc3M9IcxnRWVemU8azxtUkZQRre_e5j4bDPdZE1X9R5R9vvKoDzxe-bZSfs3XxtY93esK0QUHjd8K8-vqzABJrd1qwDGFD5dEE3E37b7wRjMmaeQTs=s2098" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="BMW 428 cxi" border="0" data-original-height="1468" data-original-width="2098" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEghGoKVqLBty4pWXWXx45-AdrFXsH_3fTND4cb_pSrJ2lyUHx8c5KorcuD7EUcXhYGHaUGHuidc3M9IcxnRWVemU8azxtUkZQRre_e5j4bDPdZE1X9R5R9vvKoDzxe-bZSfs3XxtY93esK0QUHjd8K8-vqzABJrd1qwDGFD5dEE3E37b7wRjMmaeQTs=w320-h224" title="BMW 428 cxi" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxNIw4cR5lQYALr6uYZkEFOKpQRU2xQ7Zv4JIDGIvYuiMTyMu8vpIODKGgPcuh1df6fMoVy2Lxg--2m3zzaQCh874etfIBCsW9gmDjN4v6RjjBoPOQstTwQijTAXkxrivfN9mNWpNyX21xCnyF7St-ovc4TyLNM-8O6W55p7J6duda3b-RR0C6zoNO=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="BMW 428 cxi" border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgxNIw4cR5lQYALr6uYZkEFOKpQRU2xQ7Zv4JIDGIvYuiMTyMu8vpIODKGgPcuh1df6fMoVy2Lxg--2m3zzaQCh874etfIBCsW9gmDjN4v6RjjBoPOQstTwQijTAXkxrivfN9mNWpNyX21xCnyF7St-ovc4TyLNM-8O6W55p7J6duda3b-RR0C6zoNO=w320-h240" title="BMW 428 cxi" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">It may sound strange to some, but I name my cars, just as I name my boats and my houses. I called my BMW 428 “Serenity” and enjoyed driving her year-round but especially in the summer with the top down and my favorite music or podcasts playing on the stereo, wind in my hair.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifCqhfggWegnjTlT9gTabKaZzN8ptAl8gJY5n11rQJkHWiwC23wLSvUjBVKqYf-LHlYlYemgJ0Pt5_p1pl72lYU4LIxbF2THmrKNhfUMS9rnJT_Xzhv-cxgEjW_e_D1qytlJxXFyncbgGwmyKGLbxdpOC2HwIf2k3qMxJAsERA76aUeN9lq7C4lZ-x=s1914" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="544" data-original-width="1914" height="91" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifCqhfggWegnjTlT9gTabKaZzN8ptAl8gJY5n11rQJkHWiwC23wLSvUjBVKqYf-LHlYlYemgJ0Pt5_p1pl72lYU4LIxbF2THmrKNhfUMS9rnJT_Xzhv-cxgEjW_e_D1qytlJxXFyncbgGwmyKGLbxdpOC2HwIf2k3qMxJAsERA76aUeN9lq7C4lZ-x=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Late in 2021, I decided that the time was coming to trade the car in before too many miles racked up on the odometer and before anything major went wrong. My goal was to make a change by or before 7 years with the car. I considered getting the latest version of the same car, but design changes made the BMW 400-series convertibles less attractive to me. Also, I had begun to think about getting a small SUV as my next car in order to haul music gear and beach chairs other things that are parts of my life. I also wanted a car that I could use to tow small watercraft. I looked at a range of brands and models and had hoped to find a luxury hybrid SUV with the right features in the right size at the right price point, but in the end my choice was the BMW X3 M40i which was everything I wanted except for hybrid. The larger X5 comes in a plug-in hybrid model but it’s just too large a vehicle for me. Other brands have some great models that I considered, but in the end my mind was made up.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">I placed an order for a BMW X3 M40i configured with colors and trims and features I wanted and picked it up early in February 2022. In the first week with the car, I didn’t get to drive it much and as much as I was loving it, I had some funny moments of not knowing how some things worked. I couldn’t figure out how to move the moon roof cover and I misunderstood a speed warning setting resulting in an almost constant speed warning. The heads-up display was not in the perfect position and though I adjusted it, it still wasn’t quite right. Slowly, I read the manual and tried things and got to know the vehicle, and a recent 6 hour round-trip drive helped me to really get to know my new car. I’m really enjoying it a lot now and will no doubt learn more in the coming months. I look forward to several years with this wonderful small SUV, and as I get to know her better, I’ll probably give her a name.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzp0WdhS6YPCTLTk6P8AmYZSz2y0TflUp_Y71dJBg_F18dmzqFe75H9cuUBRd0Kp0qI1edm2jFwWMjJhhg8fTHHYPNbz-8DEyC5fF0_tFBYatib5PWef2tjjj41Wiqmcb-QQiXr8tJvR7Rx_57aUylsg0zQ5WmeBplMuediPS2Nyx4ybD9Ha7WoY8D=s1708" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="BMW X3 M40i" border="0" data-original-height="1340" data-original-width="1708" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgzp0WdhS6YPCTLTk6P8AmYZSz2y0TflUp_Y71dJBg_F18dmzqFe75H9cuUBRd0Kp0qI1edm2jFwWMjJhhg8fTHHYPNbz-8DEyC5fF0_tFBYatib5PWef2tjjj41Wiqmcb-QQiXr8tJvR7Rx_57aUylsg0zQ5WmeBplMuediPS2Nyx4ybD9Ha7WoY8D=w320-h251" title="BMW X3 M40i" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivbP47yBSnZ2okHiRako7BHITQJlvXteo87jqtnnPPxuCujwmco4RZepdUdzLWRBOVuJuX6tSeVVR63f3ip5zlwadoy-1KJm09QMx6vQd9DLFlQQbAAU30TyJWhAHQugz_9TxeIdBSZiOYYFnC0Nm9v5-q_GpmQj8JVIiFRYNjm2UlDhdii9Enskw6=s1686" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="BMW X3 M40i" border="0" data-original-height="1352" data-original-width="1686" height="258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEivbP47yBSnZ2okHiRako7BHITQJlvXteo87jqtnnPPxuCujwmco4RZepdUdzLWRBOVuJuX6tSeVVR63f3ip5zlwadoy-1KJm09QMx6vQd9DLFlQQbAAU30TyJWhAHQugz_9TxeIdBSZiOYYFnC0Nm9v5-q_GpmQj8JVIiFRYNjm2UlDhdii9Enskw6=w320-h258" title="BMW X3 M40i" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(128, 0, 128); color: purple; font-family: verdana; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, tell others about it, and share a link to it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</span></p>Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-59700917491637305012021-05-30T06:37:00.000-07:002021-05-30T06:37:05.435-07:00 My First Boat<p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: medium;">Simple beginnings</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">At around this time every year I write about getting my boats into the water and preparing for another boating and fishing season. I watch my neighbors getting their boats ready and, after a quick “how’s the family?”, we talk about boating and fishing in the summer to come. This year instead of looking forward I’ll look way, way back. My boats today are modern fiberglass fishing machines, fun and comfortable to ride in with cushioned seating, cup holders, and Bluetooth radios. My first boat, though, was very different.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">When I was 11 years old, my family spent a few summer weeks in a fishing village that was in the process of changing into a vacation community. I spent my days climbing onto little boats with neighborhood boys, getting to know the local waters and learning the wonders of little engines which we started with a pull string and steered “tiller style” with a handle on the engine while sitting at the stern. We cruised the bays, beached the boats to explore little islands, and best of all, we went fishing. I had learned to fish at my father’s side when I was just 5 and loved it. Now at 11, I also had the “boating bug.”<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">My father was happy about my newly found love for boats and he and I got an empty cigar box and started a boating fund that fall. Every spare nickel was tossed into the box and about once a week I counted it. We didn’t have a lot of money in those days and so it built very slowly. By the spring almost 2 years later in about 1973 we had saved just over $300 (please don’t laugh!) and were looking for a first boat we could afford when my father stumbled across an old wooden boat that he decided was perfect for us. We bought it for $100, leaving us some money to buy equipment and also to pay for some help with hauling it out, scraping the barnacles, filling in spots with wood filler as needed, and painting it. We were willing to do the work, but we were still learning how. </p><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRDzMvsuUKLEOtkbHlrBo66xylSMLKOA5OZzJqPNF6b2437KC3TTvNxiXCfMu6o-oX7JGqVZAUzRxHFAg5-mnHEdL4NxCeFeIvy31QiBIrYh-8QmHRK03O4W_zdjQJBiB7gL3TDQV9GhY/s1080/Screen+Shot+2021-05-30+at+9.23.24+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="844" data-original-width="1080" height="156" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRDzMvsuUKLEOtkbHlrBo66xylSMLKOA5OZzJqPNF6b2437KC3TTvNxiXCfMu6o-oX7JGqVZAUzRxHFAg5-mnHEdL4NxCeFeIvy31QiBIrYh-8QmHRK03O4W_zdjQJBiB7gL3TDQV9GhY/w200-h156/Screen+Shot+2021-05-30+at+9.23.24+AM.png" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">similar vintage boat</td></tr></tbody></table><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">I have no pictures of this boat, but I can paint you a picture in words. It was a very old wooden v-hull boat, about 18’ long, and painted white. There was a flat windshield that, like the rest of the boat, looked cobbled together. I think this flat windshield with three window panes may have been converted from a porch window. Forward of the windshield was a small compartment for the anchor and life jackets, and aft of the windshield was just an open boat. The deck or floor of the boat was wooden decking sections that lifted out to reach the wooden bottom of the boat. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">I remember that there was always a little water in the bottom of this boat as if something was always slowly leaking. In those days, it was common to bail a boat out with a small bucket or a used Clorox bottle with the bottom cut off, thus making a scoop with a handle. A few years later, we got a kind of bilge pump that looked like a bicycle pump. It was meant to be placed on the deck of the boat and the handle at the top pumped up and down so that the water would be pumped out through the hose which was placed over the side. That was a luxury! Today, by comparison, both my boats have electric bilge pumps with a float sensor, so they turn on and off on their own, and neither boat leaks at all unless something is very wrong. The pumps are mostly to handle rainwater and wave splash.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">The steering system of this first old boat of ours was a set of cables and pullies rigged to a steering wheel below that awkward flat window windshield. The cable looped around the shaft of the steering wheel and when you turned in either direction it caused the cables and pullies to pull on metal brackets mounted on each side of the engine, causing the engine, and thus the boat to turn. The steering wheel was a comically small version of a ships wheel with spoked handholds. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Everything about this boat screamed ‘jalopy’ but we didn’t care. We had a boat of our own and if we kept up with the maintenance and saved every penny to pay for parts and labor, we could go fishing whenever we wanted to. And we did! We fished from April to November those first few years. My father was an expert fisherman, and he knew how to read the waters. In those days we had paper charts and no electronics at all. As a former Navy man, my dad had a knack for finding his way back to favorite fishing spots by triangulating landmarks on shore with buoy locations. It must have worked well because we regularly caught more fish than all the boats around us.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">The boat lasted us only a few years as the wood filler couldn’t keep up with the cracks and holes. We eventually had to junk the boat, which was sad, but replaced her with a fiberglass boat of similar size and more modern affordances. Over the course of more than 45 years, I’ve had no fewer than 9 boats, but that simple and ugly wooden boat was the first. This year as the boating and fishing season gets underway, I remember how it all started.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(128, 0, 128); color: purple; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, tell others about it, and share a link to it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</span></span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-4979028510164601982021-04-11T13:50:00.001-07:002021-04-11T13:54:02.555-07:0010 Years of RapidGroove<div class="separator"><br /></div><div class="separator"><p style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></p></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">10 years ago, in April 2011, I started the </span><a href="http://rapidgroove.blogspot.com/" style="font-family: verdana;" target="_blank"><b>RapidGroove</b></a><span style="font-family: verdana;"> blog with a post called </span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://rapidgroove.blogspot.com/2011/04/i-think-that-bird-said-beep.html" target="_blank">I think that bird said beep</a></b><span style="font-family: verdana;">. I followed that a few days later with </span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://rapidgroove.blogspot.com/2011/04/my-doctor-just-friended-my-pancreas.html" target="_blank">My Doctor Just "Friended" My Pancreas</a></b><span style="font-family: verdana;">.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Writing a blog is a bit of a conceit. You have to believe that you have something to say and that other people might care. Twitter gives us a few hundred characters to say something, Facebook a little more. Blogs give us more space to work with and I have appreciated that. Looking back now on 240+ posts and almost 84,000 views, I'm still enjoying writing the blog.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZbMYnRfZs31zpmBr0Jhz2o_2X8x7K95ee-kYof0ID5bAUP622AXfzgWwgTPK0NRHBw0-XBjd1ZAEDkosj2hzbPOKJ4uzW6vra0jgj4g3dViKlGYVZ1ehNsXdI1hHKFIqJnmjuNdBPFA/s726/Screen+Shot+2021-04-11+at+3.25.01+PM.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="726" data-original-width="726" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsZbMYnRfZs31zpmBr0Jhz2o_2X8x7K95ee-kYof0ID5bAUP622AXfzgWwgTPK0NRHBw0-XBjd1ZAEDkosj2hzbPOKJ4uzW6vra0jgj4g3dViKlGYVZ1ehNsXdI1hHKFIqJnmjuNdBPFA/w200-h200/Screen+Shot+2021-04-11+at+3.25.01+PM.png" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I decided to start blogging back in 2011 to exercise my "writing muscles" and to try to get better through practice. Writing is one of those things that I believe can be valuable in many settings. I also think that when we practice writing, it helps us to appreciate the writing skills of others. That is to say, I sometimes read an article that I think is well constructed and admire the authors work and think about how they achieved it and what I can learn from it. I'm not sure I would read in quite that way if I didn't write as often as I do.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In my work as an IT Leader at three different universities over 3+ decades I wrote often, and today in my work as an Executive Partner at Gartner, I write even more.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In the RapidGroove blog, I have written about fishing, cooking, technology, and other things. I often wanted to write about other topics that interested me and on which I had an opinion, but decided that the topic was controversial in some way and that writing about it in a public way didn't serve my purposes well. For these topics, I'll gladly share a pitcher of beer or bottle of wine with friends and have friendly arguments in person! For RapidGroove, I always tried to choose topics that were interesting to many and offensive to almost nobody.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">After 10 years, I don't know whether I'll continue to write in RapidGroove as often. Over the years I tried to write at least once a month, and often I wrote much more often than that. Going forward, I may just write when the mood strikes. I do have a very large writing project in mind apart from blogs, and I look forward to taking that up when I retire.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you've been a reader of RapidGroove during these last 10 years, and especially if you commented here or in social media or in person, thank you. Your choice to engage in the discussion helped to make this more fun and interesting.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thanks for being part of this 10 year journey!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-small;"><b>Links</b>:</span></p><p></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://rapidgroove.blogspot.com/"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://rapidgroove.blogspot.com/</span></a></span></li><li><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="http://rapidgroove.blogspot.com/2011/04/i-think-that-bird-said-beep.html"><span style="font-size: x-small;">http://rapidgroove.blogspot.com/2011/04/i-think-that-bird-said-beep.html</span></a></span></li></ul><p></p><div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(128, 0, 128); color: purple; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, tell others about it, and share a link to it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</span></div>Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-12487916506499573042021-03-14T06:59:00.004-07:002021-03-14T07:05:19.788-07:00 Will COVID-19 Cause Airports to Change Again?<p><b><span><span style="color: #990000;">Standing in line and showing your papers</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="color: #38761d;"> </span></span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">After the horrific events of September 11<sup>th</sup>, 2001, and some subsequent terrorist attempts involving passenger air travel, we all got accustomed to real changes in the experience at the airport. Long TSA lines, taking off shoes, throwing away our water bottles at the check point, travelling with tiny containers of toiletries, plus a trip through the X-Ray machine for our luggage. I’m wondering whether we are on the eve of another set of changes at airports.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieU4vskwVZ7MVEb39pyBwM3BJmNrpCz_DyZVRj7EBDlCavK5FqYv5mkkg_Ra2gYlSX2E2Mu4MnJOc6mh7XNo8ELHOP1ORqObDgp49tD_NmM7qKEitqCyJis73uHyTJSSNN8_kqI9tunwc/s1536/dreamstime_m_175689459.601ae92bf1802.png.webp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="COVID-19 documents" border="0" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1536" height="113" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieU4vskwVZ7MVEb39pyBwM3BJmNrpCz_DyZVRj7EBDlCavK5FqYv5mkkg_Ra2gYlSX2E2Mu4MnJOc6mh7XNo8ELHOP1ORqObDgp49tD_NmM7qKEitqCyJis73uHyTJSSNN8_kqI9tunwc/w200-h113/dreamstime_m_175689459.601ae92bf1802.png.webp" title="Photo credit industryweek.com" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo credit industryweek.com</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">One of the many Coronavirus-inspired discussions these days surrounds proof of vaccination. As the numbers of people vaccinated goes up, some still refuse vaccination and others just haven’t gotten the opportunity yet. It seems to me that the airports, and even the airlines themselves, are in uncharted territory as more people look to get back to air travel.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">In order to preserve safe conditions, will we be asked to carry “vaccine passports” as proof of vaccination in order to travel to and enter some locations. Would this be one more document to show at the TSA checkpoint, or perhaps at some other airport check point? What are the implications for international travel? Today, upon entering a country from international travel, we go through customs to review what we might be bringing into the country from elsewhere. How might this change? It’s not hard to imagine something like vaccine passport checks as part of the process, given that different countries may be at different levels of vaccination and have different rules regarding travel. <o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Beyond documents, will rapid testing play some part? If, as we all hope, vaccinations worldwide help to make COVID-19 rare or even "background noise" soon, maybe there’s no role for testing in airports. But what if some of the COVID-19 variants make for uncertainty over the next year or more about vaccination efficacy? Would rapid testing at airports, perhaps with short term quarantine areas, need to be considered for at least some arriving passengers depending on the locations they have visited?<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">We didn’t imagine the airport experience changing so drastically before September 11<sup>th</sup>, 2001. Maybe we should imagine it now.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">Do you think COVID-19 may have any significant impact on the travel experience or do we go back to the February 2020 notion of “normal?” What if anything do you expect to change? Leave a comment and let us know.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(128, 0, 128); color: purple; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, tell others about it, and share a link to it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-87784548747293452662021-02-26T05:43:00.001-08:002021-02-26T05:46:48.111-08:00In Praise of Fishing Magazines<p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="font-family: verdana;">Over the last 10 or so years, most of my reading has shifted format. I find that I don’t hold paper in my hands in order to read the printed word very often at all anymore.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I do all of my work-related reading on my laptop, my large monitor, or on an iPad. I read for fun on the iPad, and I listen to books on Audible on my phone. I used to read physical newspapers, with all the associated folding trickery, sometimes for hours at a time. Now I read “newspaper” articles for a minute at a time on my phone when I wake up, and occasionally during the day when the alerts on my phone are sufficiently interesting. I subscribe to the New York Times but only the digital edition. I still read some of the things that arrive at my house by US Mail in the old school ways, though I recycle a lot more than I actually read. As I think about it, I read very little today in the formats and ways that I did just 10 years ago.<o:p></o:p></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5soRYUszsq1EtFGS0DwAcXk_Scfy9JKf5b5HpYay3Ayiemh5wkWPdp2qbjlNyVutmst_ZWyWO0dIj6RsjCfNZydQwiZ3SGrjGvs2yCy0EeBfNxVoVVmbDu6PYJ7E7bP5MN8TDtI5fEI/s1420/Mags.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><img border="0" data-original-height="808" data-original-width="1420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr5soRYUszsq1EtFGS0DwAcXk_Scfy9JKf5b5HpYay3Ayiemh5wkWPdp2qbjlNyVutmst_ZWyWO0dIj6RsjCfNZydQwiZ3SGrjGvs2yCy0EeBfNxVoVVmbDu6PYJ7E7bP5MN8TDtI5fEI/s320/Mags.png" width="320" /></span></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My one big exception is fishing magazines. I subscribe to a few fishing magazines and one boating magazine and I still get them delivered in paper form. I still pick them up in my hands, without any electronics involved, and read them that way. More than that, I keep them around for years. I often pick up old issues and read through them again.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When I first get a fishing magazine, I leaf through it slowly and take note of the article titles that are of interest to me. It won’t be all of them. The ones that catch my eye deal with the kinds of fishing that I do, and in the regions that I like to fish or hope to some day fish. Sometimes there are articles about techniques that interest me, such as kite fishing for sailfish, or trolling for tuna and wahoo, or articles about fishing rods and reels and tackle that I use or want to try. I might read these right away or remember them for later. I skip over other techniques that are less interesting for me such as fly-fishing in fresh water. I also may read the reviews of new boats and boating equipment, and I look over the ads for equipment ideas.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When I come back to one of my fishing or boating magazines, whether a week later or years later, I’m already familiar with it. I can leaf through it again and be reminded of the things that I noticed the first time. I might read an article about fishing halfway around the world, or one that caught my eye on drifting techniques or rigs for Striped Bass close to home. It doesn’t matter if the article is 3 years old, it can still inform my fishing.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Unlike news articles which are timely, and unlike most books which I generally read once from start to finish, these magazines are things I read small parts of over longer periods of time. The photos and headlines and ads fuel my fishing dreams.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">My fishing and boating magazines are my favorite beach and deck reading and I keep favorite issues around for years. They really are the last big holdout in my old school reading of the printed word on paper.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Do you read much in dead-tree format? Leave a comment and let us all know.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(128, 0, 128); color: purple; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, tell others about it, and share a link to it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</span></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-88316344987117377832021-01-30T11:43:00.000-08:002021-01-30T11:43:42.842-08:00Working at Home During the Pandemic<p><span style="color: #999999; font-family: georgia;"><b><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This is the 5</span><sup>th</sup><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">time I’ll be blogging on topics that are related to the pandemic. Given the profound impact it’s had on our lives, that probably shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">About 6 months before the pandemic really took hold in the US, and well before it had serious impact on how we work, I changed jobs. My new job involved about 75% work from home and about 25% travel. The company I work for has offices around the United States, some of which have large numbers of office workers, but my job wasn’t assigned to an office under normal circumstances. By March of 2020, as things were changing radically for many workers, I was very lucky in that I kept my job and could continue to work. More than that, the shift to 100% work from home for me was a fairly minor adjustment.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZPXiD5KUBYuk7UommsS4eic8NYmeF3mxizux5kAGsWikWp-B5I-IulksnHEIXtfpZGjAeHIeqgPP7a6jRFqwjgq_ctW2q6V3AEKE5cWJgUH5yP6zmXolbSvrB9GhorxCNLly_igEWIs/s960/960x0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="Working at home" border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="960" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZZPXiD5KUBYuk7UommsS4eic8NYmeF3mxizux5kAGsWikWp-B5I-IulksnHEIXtfpZGjAeHIeqgPP7a6jRFqwjgq_ctW2q6V3AEKE5cWJgUH5yP6zmXolbSvrB9GhorxCNLly_igEWIs/w200-h133/960x0.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Those who have been working from home for years probably have many “pro tips” that make them successful in working from home. I’ve been learning along the way.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Space</b>: Some things are obvious, like having a dedicated space that’s laid out well and ideally is separated from the distractions taking place around the house. I spend a lot of my day on camera, so my space has to be well-lit and tidy, too.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Time, part 1</b>: Some things changed immediately. In the past I had a 1 hour commute each way, so I gained back 2 hours a day. Even if I spend one of those “found hours” on work, getting even more done, I still get back one hour a day for myself and that has been great. As the family cook, I often use that time to get dinner going while listening to audio books or podcasts, which is therapeutic for me. Other times I use 5 minutes of that hour to place an online food order and then watch television or play piano.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Time, part 2</b>: Managing time became a little different. One of the first things I began to learn was exactly how long mundane things in my life take. If I have 3 minutes before my next meeting, do I have time to run to the kitchen, get a cup of coffee, and be back and on camera before my meeting? Yes, easily. I don’t even have to run. Within the first few weeks I learned how much time I needed to make and eat lunch, or visit the restroom, or grab a sport coat for the next call. As it turns out, a few minutes are all that are needed for lots of things when they are within the limited confines of your home.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Lunch</b>: Since I’m not out and about, I don’t buy my lunch at restaurants or delis. I have to plan ahead a bit more and have food in the house, which has been good for several reasons; I can plan for healthier lunches, and I can save some money. But the best revelation about lunch didn’t occur to me until several months in to working-from-home. For the last 35+ years I chose my lunch in ways so as not to impact my breath. Now, though, if I choose to have leftovers from last night’s garlic-laden dinner, or if I want a bunch of raw onions on a sandwich, I won’t offend my boss or my clients in afternoon meetings. This is surprisingly freeing! Of course, I still need to be considerate of others in the house.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Dress Code</b>: The usual joke is that while on camera professionals must dress the part with shirt and jacket but don’t necessarily need pants. I do, indeed, wear pants. But while in my last job my pants were usually part of a suit, my pants these days are often jeans, or the warm-up pants I used to wear to the gym while my top half is generally neat business casual. The thing I generally don’t wear is shoes!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Clothing budget</b>: Related to the above, there was a big change to my spend on clothing. When I wore suits, there were dry cleaning bills and the occasional additions of dress shirts or ties, and at least once a year a new suit. That stuff added up! All of that past spend is now savings for me (which I’ll probably blow all at once on a piece of music gear or a fishing trip).<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The pandemic has been a terrible chapter in our lives, with many of us suffering losses of loved ones or health impacts or economic impacts. I feel very lucky so far to be managing well and will remain committed to masking, washing, and social distancing. And getting vaccinated when I am able. I remain hopeful that the second half of 2021 will look better than the present or recent past has been, with chances to visit restaurants and theaters and gather together, but will continue to adjust my life in the meantime.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">How are you managing? What are your tips and tricks? Leave a comment and let us all know.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(128, 0, 128); color: purple; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, and share it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</span></p>Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-63058417222647326462020-12-28T20:13:00.002-08:002020-12-28T20:13:42.196-08:00Winter by the Water<div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">I’m lucky to have a small beach house that I use as much as possible from May to November as home base for fishing and beaching. From time to time I visit in the off season just to maintain the place. We have to chase small critters (racoons, squirrels, rodents, even bees) away from time to time and deal with seasonal stuff and small repairs.</span><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">I had a short but fun visit late this month to take care of a few things. I managed my schedule so that I drove or walked near the water often as I did my errands. The weather was mild, the skies were clear, and the water looked great – though I’m sure it was very cold.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;">At this time of year all of the boats are out of the water and either stored for the winter at marinas or up on the lawns and driveways of my neighbors. We “shrink wrap” our boats in plastic to keep them clean and dry until spring when we can tear the shrink wrap off and start preparing for a new season. These first two pictures in white shrink wrap are my boats, on the driveway and lawn, and the two in blue shrink wrap are neighbors’ boats. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7jGqcd1JC-rn1hYZi3ctRh5SRDMXpbBFQSd3ZsrStq006yR1HKK4JpI-UkYUWbr8aWkUlX1vZUON_e80W2w-q6OJcbYb9SVpPBRCJFjhcVljw7u-e0_ytSDkobC3v39Pds4XcuZ0zW4/s2048/Boats1.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7jGqcd1JC-rn1hYZi3ctRh5SRDMXpbBFQSd3ZsrStq006yR1HKK4JpI-UkYUWbr8aWkUlX1vZUON_e80W2w-q6OJcbYb9SVpPBRCJFjhcVljw7u-e0_ytSDkobC3v39Pds4XcuZ0zW4/s2048/Boats1.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK7jGqcd1JC-rn1hYZi3ctRh5SRDMXpbBFQSd3ZsrStq006yR1HKK4JpI-UkYUWbr8aWkUlX1vZUON_e80W2w-q6OJcbYb9SVpPBRCJFjhcVljw7u-e0_ytSDkobC3v39Pds4XcuZ0zW4/w200-h150/Boats1.HEIC" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-5fQ6U2D6UYQbz3A7y51yPZcWTvvH27DSlNEOCBxOlKaIlQ9u_v2pnNu-WJ4a008pA1t0GLX1s3j28UrR9ATXoIEAdS7P9wzogbXZ4Ih0kAkRb06qS4fCE3oQYdfoRrgftINWD4qRdI/s2048/Boats2.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU-5fQ6U2D6UYQbz3A7y51yPZcWTvvH27DSlNEOCBxOlKaIlQ9u_v2pnNu-WJ4a008pA1t0GLX1s3j28UrR9ATXoIEAdS7P9wzogbXZ4Ih0kAkRb06qS4fCE3oQYdfoRrgftINWD4qRdI/w200-h150/Boats2.HEIC" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHHXg9eZVRMf8Z8-Ya8zOEa5rK0qdg3skU9BGHm-23Gqhxf98ZypmTN35M2C1xTwmf_GA1E__iCELUHE_ZTEgVgLipVQmL9QGJG5SWQRsYYwt5pwjAZehqFhix72ufOcwnA4RUDcjdyI/s2048/Boats3.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="display: inline !important; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqHHXg9eZVRMf8Z8-Ya8zOEa5rK0qdg3skU9BGHm-23Gqhxf98ZypmTN35M2C1xTwmf_GA1E__iCELUHE_ZTEgVgLipVQmL9QGJG5SWQRsYYwt5pwjAZehqFhix72ufOcwnA4RUDcjdyI/w200-h150/Boats3.HEIC" width="200" /></a></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p>The area was really quiet for these two days. None of my immediate neighbors were around, though I did see plenty of people out for walks when I was out for walks and bike rides of my own. During the season I probably see hundreds of boats every day. This time as I looked out over the water, I saw only two or three boats the entire time. The birds and fish have the waters to themselves. My favorite marina and restaurant was closed too, though I did get a great lobster roll and chowder, and some smoked fish to take home, at one of my favorite local markets.<o:p></o:p><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p></o:p></p><p><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;">Here are a few photos of what the beach is like in the winter – a beautiful reminder of what brings me back every spring.</span> </p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXQThtzPRHEjfsQ9QXdL5Jq4v-HCFjS_FqW39uBP08berH2phP2nhljOTAvNy7KjJetgTZFvTkOIESp0EStMQEKtwfFlqlWd0TecKvQPO8UYaerFBXMUxGl1UsKXJvpp9vNJrSTXXYoM/s2048/Ocean1.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1228" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXQThtzPRHEjfsQ9QXdL5Jq4v-HCFjS_FqW39uBP08berH2phP2nhljOTAvNy7KjJetgTZFvTkOIESp0EStMQEKtwfFlqlWd0TecKvQPO8UYaerFBXMUxGl1UsKXJvpp9vNJrSTXXYoM/s320/Ocean1.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNm7nsIxzwOIKONnI-YhBugKQRQXEo8j_7wcGNxiGs5SDta-xcETYiG8NOZcKb8jxASpqdQBLjTPhmeW2yZxXs4LEPR_hQ5Ehot7vmEFC4AXKK81xubH34dCEgRjRdLx0suDQxjaiMQPI/s2048/Ocean1a.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1469" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNm7nsIxzwOIKONnI-YhBugKQRQXEo8j_7wcGNxiGs5SDta-xcETYiG8NOZcKb8jxASpqdQBLjTPhmeW2yZxXs4LEPR_hQ5Ehot7vmEFC4AXKK81xubH34dCEgRjRdLx0suDQxjaiMQPI/s320/Ocean1a.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDai0QAWk1aIJeFj1PoS5WKGRk_sqti36d_8Js0VeA0oxIu6Nube3r6uuBnJr4ELu3ZapYEA-RwJiZ898oKMLwKROcy2OBd5NmAayq2WNDnmRAkHRW3jNn5sD1I8ZjDVibzXatWCVyxWY/s2048/Ocean2.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDai0QAWk1aIJeFj1PoS5WKGRk_sqti36d_8Js0VeA0oxIu6Nube3r6uuBnJr4ELu3ZapYEA-RwJiZ898oKMLwKROcy2OBd5NmAayq2WNDnmRAkHRW3jNn5sD1I8ZjDVibzXatWCVyxWY/s320/Ocean2.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eTiVYSpeRTNxHTKjFnjBBC4NhYAahPZjkwtWX_IpDTeScmIYgTLfRGga900HOHTVeurIjYhgMww6Ct2jAP2zqtZ7Drzf1OJK2Mx-Zmt2Y9plZthdqfL-Zi_H3RHvFPNw-hZE9vMrs04/s2048/Lunchspot.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3eTiVYSpeRTNxHTKjFnjBBC4NhYAahPZjkwtWX_IpDTeScmIYgTLfRGga900HOHTVeurIjYhgMww6Ct2jAP2zqtZ7Drzf1OJK2Mx-Zmt2Y9plZthdqfL-Zi_H3RHvFPNw-hZE9vMrs04/s320/Lunchspot.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDFJRD2qShB3u5KL3GDLmw7BCnl0fXv_XJaXBtO4zknK_ZAcnO7Hn0nasgd1h3Ch9HPHYf-hRAlYg5l7dwfGDzPpbwt-v1N0v8fuTPeuu-AhbryVwcOBCwAX8IcaN5h1OphTSFXCBB-XU/s2048/Sunset.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1477" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDFJRD2qShB3u5KL3GDLmw7BCnl0fXv_XJaXBtO4zknK_ZAcnO7Hn0nasgd1h3Ch9HPHYf-hRAlYg5l7dwfGDzPpbwt-v1N0v8fuTPeuu-AhbryVwcOBCwAX8IcaN5h1OphTSFXCBB-XU/s320/Sunset.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4ByDwXx1pgnEyTLdnm9Zrt92QgC9gc9mKxjYLZPOsPjdJFSCKndoYsE6cXruC2MuJEU5ASGfuPgDnWlO7THGMJzB8zBUrHSN7TxM07EQgYU6beXrXWHDSQydqvR5krKYHFlSXvmJEm8/s2048/Sunset2.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc4ByDwXx1pgnEyTLdnm9Zrt92QgC9gc9mKxjYLZPOsPjdJFSCKndoYsE6cXruC2MuJEU5ASGfuPgDnWlO7THGMJzB8zBUrHSN7TxM07EQgYU6beXrXWHDSQydqvR5krKYHFlSXvmJEm8/s320/Sunset2.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxN4lpU6yF78BUZV3BMUWSq1N_OgobQqE5N7DjGNBvAXrG7uYC091vFBUQLDVDUS86iuKy8L5ozrHfM6Z1Oqm9mG-rXLNt5cH_kc5TKmpnPpAM60C-BE-od3Z97xUg9p4JO3SIPeVoi8/s2048/Moon-Tub.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinxN4lpU6yF78BUZV3BMUWSq1N_OgobQqE5N7DjGNBvAXrG7uYC091vFBUQLDVDUS86iuKy8L5ozrHfM6Z1Oqm9mG-rXLNt5cH_kc5TKmpnPpAM60C-BE-od3Z97xUg9p4JO3SIPeVoi8/s320/Moon-Tub.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(128, 0, 128); color: purple; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(128, 0, 128); color: purple; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, and share it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</span></div><br />Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-13727026312991876062020-11-29T10:13:00.000-08:002020-11-29T10:13:09.483-08:00 COVID-19 is the Common Enemy<h2 style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">Defeat the virus now, argue with each other later<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"> </span></span></b></h2><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Let’s start off by seeing if we can agree that responding to COVID-19, </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">the<span style="background-color: white;"> infectious disease caused by the </span>coronavirus,</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> really shouldn’t be anything we argue about, and it certainly shouldn’t be a political issue. Everyone I know, of every political persuasion, believes that the death of innocent people is a tragedy. Everyone wants people to stay healthy. Everyone I know also wants the economy to do well for ourselves and our friends and family. Nobody wants pandemic death to devastate families, and nobody wants the pandemic to crush the economy and the livelihood of hard-working people. We all want to be back to (something close to) normal as soon as we can, able to gather together, able to go to a restaurant, a concert, a school. Can we agree that those are fair statements? <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="634" data-original-width="1060" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO4K5uhq1T5PVdUqJnQuRMEcBkL4O63v_DHXBQzFDAf0-qIwfPhtVj06HbcKZGTJB7ayU_aUOQhxfyBsVvwnfwawgcZQD2sW85p9FlxVEUsJ69_2Gsojny11Tc0zPS3iIEaEssvDCHD8g/s320/Screen+Shot+2020-11-29+at+12.09.22+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters">Learn about COVID-19</a></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The fight is against the coronavirus, not against each other. We’re still in the middle of this fight, and we still need to cooperate and to fight together against the virus rather than against each other.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">There is good news and there is bad news. The good news is that thanks to the amazing work of the scientific community, multiple highly effective vaccines are on their way. It has been inspiring to see how multiple teams worked incredibly fast in the interests of public health. Help is on the way. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The bad news is that the coronavirus continues to spread very quickly right now, and that new cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continue to rapidly rise. With more holiday season gatherings taking place in indoor settings, there is a serious risk that the massive spike continues through December and January. The death toll is already well more than a quarter million American lives, rivaling the death toll of our most devastating wars and we are far from done. <b>More Americans have died from COVID-19 than died in World War I, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War combined</b>. Within a few weeks, the death toll of COVID-19 will surpass the death toll of World War II.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxCVHkne3pxlmTXghvXcgAtpY3HWgQ3_Gt9pVbxnlF94Agvrci4apV2v4RvvI8lk4GzEPklnHngT1H2cLOAZWa-p47WKfykhOVCqT4xYfjQ4watnN6t850cHUzmC_nEZnE9ijRPvgZfAI/s1024/Screen+Shot+2020-11-29+at+12.59.08+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="1024" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxCVHkne3pxlmTXghvXcgAtpY3HWgQ3_Gt9pVbxnlF94Agvrci4apV2v4RvvI8lk4GzEPklnHngT1H2cLOAZWa-p47WKfykhOVCqT4xYfjQ4watnN6t850cHUzmC_nEZnE9ijRPvgZfAI/w436-h225/Screen+Shot+2020-11-29+at+12.59.08+PM.png" width="436" /></a></div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0in 4.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Now let’s get back to the part where we come together and fight effectively against the virus. If we can show some discipline now and for a few more months, we can limit the impacts.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">With a good vaccine distribution plan and broad acceptance and willingness to be vaccinated, we can probably be in a much better place by mid 2021. We have to be realistic about the timeline, of course. It will probably take 5 or 6 months to get from where we are now to the point where we have achieved herd immunity through vaccines and natural immunity from those who have been infected and have recovered. So what do we do now?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I’m not suggesting shutdowns and giving up on the economy as part of fighting the coronavirus. We need a healthy economy, and the best thing for the economy is public confidence. People are showing that they are unlikely to spend and to hire in the middle of so much uncertainty. There’s a good case to be made that the best thing for public confidence is managing the impacts of the coronavirus now and defeating it in 2021 when the vaccines are broadly available.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">I’m certainly not a public health expert, but I try to take the advice of those who are. There are plenty of well-credentialed researchers and public servants who have been studying viruses and advising governments on public health for decades, and they are broadly in agreement. Among the most visible of these are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Birx">Dr. Deborah Birx</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Fauci">Dr. Anthony Fauci</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Gottlieb">Dr. Scott Gottlieb</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_R._Redfield">Dr. Robert Redfield</a>. They have been studying the spread and their advice is evolving as we learn.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Over these last 9 months, the experts have learned a lot. We understand the spread better now, and what measures help. Given the state of things today, we probably don’t have to “shut down everything” but instead we can be more surgical by restricting certain activities and certain business types and we can do it in the regions that we can see are most at risk by watching the trends in positive tests and hospitalizations. We can continue to look closely at effective practices, and yes, temporary restrictions if need be, for bars and restaurants while we try hard to keep schools open.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">What we hear from the public health experts is that there are some straightforward approaches to limiting spread. Let’s all wear masks when outside our homes, practice social distancing, avoid crowds and family gatherings. When we have to be together, outdoors is better than indoors. When we have to be indoors, opening windows and improving ventilation can help. <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Again, everyone I know wants people to be healthy and wants the economy to do well, and nobody wants pandemic death to devastate families and crush the economy. The American people have always stepped up when times were tough. Let’s do it again. Let’s be strong and do the things within our power to get us through. The coronavirus is the enemy. All of us are on the same team and it is within our power to keep each other safe and to get through this together</span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><b>Links</b>:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"></p><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><a href="https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters" style="color: #4b11a8; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/advice-for-public/myth-busters</a></li><li><a href="https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/fs_americas_wars.pdf">https://www.va.gov/opa/publications/factsheets/fs_americas_wars.pdf</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Birx">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deborah_Birx</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Fauci">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Fauci</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Gottlieb">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Gottlieb</a></li><li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_R._Redfield">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_R._Redfield</a></li></ul><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(128, 0, 128); color: purple; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, and share it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><br /></p>Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-34695344982546475672020-10-26T16:15:00.000-07:002020-10-26T16:15:22.310-07:00Halloween at Home<p>Since March, most of us have been at home a lot more than in the past. We are working from home, 'going to school' from home, even doing doctor's visits from home. We eat at home more often, not going to restaurants, and when we don't want to cook, we stay home and have food sent.</p><p>And now, we're looking at a Halloween at home. Some kids will have a much more limited Halloween trick or treating plan, visiting a few trusted houses as carefully as possible. Some may stay home and skip trick or treating entirely. Most young adults who might have gone out to a costume party for Halloween may instead stay home.</p><p>Okay, we're staying home more. But why would that mean we cannot have Halloween? Here's Dr. Deke's Halloween prescription...</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVN6-jxiiFSDdFvXNwyxmWzxgjIzqTa7h1j9nmRfHGchFJvGSxO4QGxU74Zwbd73WulwU5h7AzHc02KtdkQIGOU_0rqXGS3e_j_w3oTN1twSSp4jMOBKSklFacdwSeKB_Bc1l3BawWs4/s2048/IMG_1013.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1530" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjVN6-jxiiFSDdFvXNwyxmWzxgjIzqTa7h1j9nmRfHGchFJvGSxO4QGxU74Zwbd73WulwU5h7AzHc02KtdkQIGOU_0rqXGS3e_j_w3oTN1twSSp4jMOBKSklFacdwSeKB_Bc1l3BawWs4/s320/IMG_1013.jpeg" /></a></div><ol style="text-align: left;"><li>Get a costume</li><li>Buy some candy</li><li>Have Halloween at home</li></ol><div><br />I have dressed up for Halloween many times as an adult. When my kids were young, my wife stayed at home to hand out candy. She wore a costume. I dressed up as Darth Vader or Captain Kirk, or a pirate and took the kids out trick or treating. At many of the houses, the adults handing out candy were in costumes. </div><div><br /></div><div>If we work from home, attend school from home, see our doctor from home, do our grocery shopping from home, let's just have our Halloween at home. Dress up, get on some video calls with your friends and neighbors and show off your costumes while eating some of that candy. You can (safely, carefully) drop off a bag of candy at your neighbors house. They can do the same at your house. We can have a fun, if slightly different Halloween. We just have to allow ourselves to do it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Who's in?</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(128, 0, 128); color: purple; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, and share it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</span></div><p></p>Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-12611486869213653652020-09-12T13:26:00.041-07:002020-09-12T13:36:17.341-07:00Labor Day<h3 style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><b>2020 is an unusual year, but some things are familiar</b></span></h3>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Labor Day weekend in the US is about a week in the past as I write this. Labor Day isn’t really the end of summer, which officially comes a few weeks later, but it’s a clear turning point. Summer is ending soon and fall is starting to push in. Students are heading back to school (though in very unusual ways this year), and mornings and evenings are noticeably cooler.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">At my beach house we can see the changes in the surrounding wildlife. Over Labor Day weekend I was in my yard doing some work on fishing tackle when I saw large birds swimming toward me down the waterway. In the summer, it would have been swans but now it was Canadian Geese. In fact, from that point on they seemed to be all around, including flying south in V formation overhead. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="754" data-original-width="878" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnWxSfHjNxtDNufot4ocD1ia3220GWzbqnx0ijnj4lTg6s37miVMWG6PJb_3N-tdGh5t-wVOmML3jRQBQB9YhDcS0_Yz52UD7ZQ-6Pe8Pv05fnolXiPSs3NfyFG16TTQzh6D8Qj1QfqVg/w205-h176/Screen+Shot+2020-09-12+at+4.00.28+PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="205" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Canadian Goose<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: georgia; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I also started seeing Monarch Butterflies, a sure sign of fall. We see lots of migrating Monarchs at the beach and even over the water as the fall starts.</span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="584" data-original-width="734" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5NilmC5ym-w6CGkT11IYUYf-baxKfjtR6XW8PwDc6CXz8Mv-EI7i40EAtADtzHq_YG7kUGEdlh8M3jmSUyCiXF737rgiq50XU6Fr1WBv7wA-9zbjSDwi1tNRDe-b_SYAQmzefft9Pbfw/w250-h199/Screen+Shot+2020-09-12+at+4.00.43+PM.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Monarch Butterfly" width="250" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monarch Butterfly<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: georgia; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"> </span></div><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The fish are changing with the season, too. </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">We can see this in the water where the species and size changes are noticeable, and in the tackle shop where the baits and rigs for fall fish start to show up. The pods of bunker are larger, and they will soon be chased by Striped Bass moving into the area. The bottom fishing is seeing more and bigger Black Sea Bass as the water gets a little colder and clearer.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span><br /></span></span><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="789" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA9IlG1awGdLT2I-5WwbNnQPQIp_1jGS0_uT1KqQeeVALDBILi4V_JZFPQIZJsXxvVoa3uBIZgIzMGHF6FFdqufHF4fb5hB3BK9q_do3GvI8_5_Rcz2fRbR30lP2mQnsC0TiClENf0rJs/w256-h163/bilde.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title="Black Sea Bass" width="256" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Sea Bass</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">At the </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">farm market, the size and mix of fruit and vegetables has started to change. There are fewer strawberries, but larger corn, and more apples. And when pumpkins show up it’s really clear that fall is coming.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The night sky is changing, too. We always see more stars at our beach house in the fall, as the humidity drops. We have been enjoying finding constellations and planets, assisted by smartphone apps, while sitting around the evening fire.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Over the Labor Day weekend I watched as neighbors put away some of their summer toys for the season, including wave runners and standup paddle boards, while leaving bigger fishing boats in for a few weeks longer. Some are even beginning to close up their summer houses but m<span>y plan will be to</span><span> leave the “summer house” open all winter this year as a getaway.</span><span> </span>COVID-19 isn't done with us yet and the availability of a second home to stay locked away will provide a welcome change from time to time.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I'm always a little sad when Labor Day comes, but I'll look forward to a pleasant fall and I'll start counting the months until summer returns.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span face="verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(128, 0, 128); color: purple; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, and share it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-90558192783516236572020-08-30T06:27:00.000-07:002020-08-30T06:27:55.114-07:00 Ideas, Creativity and Prior Art<p><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Where do inventions come from? What’s at the root of innovation and creativity? Does it involve lightning bolts and divine inspiration? Do fully formed ideas pop into the heads of creative people?</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJL8_M9THlOZeN_BzfNCFJ2EMM4sYtTLQ4Rmvh3EM6j10KRTNW-IaYb2Obdeduhyp8JNcLEnKaXQEpboUG6Wa23CRQ_1UnujXlio_I7JjAMmM8aYUK8nZwkEwZ_iyUu7LfebuQ5ZhksE/s1794/erector.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Erector Set" border="0" data-original-height="944" data-original-width="1794" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMJL8_M9THlOZeN_BzfNCFJ2EMM4sYtTLQ4Rmvh3EM6j10KRTNW-IaYb2Obdeduhyp8JNcLEnKaXQEpboUG6Wa23CRQ_1UnujXlio_I7JjAMmM8aYUK8nZwkEwZ_iyUu7LfebuQ5ZhksE/w320-h169/erector.png" title="Erector Set" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Probably, sometimes. My own experience has been less dramatic, usually involving incremental improvements and new ideas for tomorrow inspired by the things that have been successfully built for today. Thinking about this subject, a story from more than 50 years ago popped into my head.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">When I was about 6 years old, my parents got me an erector set. Many people today might not be familiar with these, but they were once very popular. The set was a box full of little metal parts machined with holes the right size for a set of included bolts. Combined with the wheels and pullies and the nuts and washers, the erector set made it possible to build objects like buildings, windmills, and even vehicles like cars and helicopters.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">I remember building simple shapes at first and, as a kid living close to New York City, I built little “skyscrapers.” The wheels, though, are what had me interested. I soon figured out how to build a basic car using axles and wheels attached to some basic shapes. With a few tries, the shapes started to get sportier and I soon had something like a racing car that really rolled smoothly. This was great! <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">When I found out that it was possible to add a battery powered motor to the erector set, I was thrilled. I convinced my parents to let me send away to the company and buy the motor. I used some birthday money and they wrote the check and addressed the envelope. Several weeks later (we didn’t have Amazon Prime in 1969), my motor arrived. It was a small yellow motor that could fit in the palm of my hand. It had a 9V battery connector and the battery would drive a rotational drive shaft that could, when controlled with a 3-position switch, spin forward or reverse or that could be set in neutral, not spinning.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">In my first attempt, I secured the motor to a car I had already built, put it on the floor, and was disappointed when the car didn’t drive away. I had done nothing to transfer energy from motor to car. As my 6-year-old self pondered this, I looked at a picture in the materials that came with the set and saw a motor connected to a windmill and immediately understood the idea. I needed to use the motor to turn another piece of hardware that could drive a belt (a rubber band) that could attach to another piece of hardware attached to the wheel. This was the concept being used on the windmill and I could translate the idea to a car. This was exciting! Within minutes I had a motorized car moving across the floor, having learned how to solve my challenge by studying a similar example and learning from it.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">Echoes of my experience came up often over the years. I watched as good programmers studied the code of others, and adapted ideas originally used to solve one problem in order to solve a different one. Good musicians talked about their influences, having listened to the way a favorite guitar player or singer chose to play through the music and then integrating some of those choices into their own style.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">The biggest example of all may be in the science disciplines. Science values prior art so much that a big part of the way that peer-reviewed journal papers are assessed is by looking at the quality and quantity of relevant references, as these are a sign that the existing body of knowledge has been considered in communicating something new.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">There is a difference between on the one hand inspiration from prior art, and referencing the strong works of others, and on the other hand theft and plagiarism. Knowing the difference is very important, but failing to leverage and respect what went before is like intentionally leaving much of your toolkit at home every day.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">There’s no one answer to the questions I asked at the top, of course, but in my experience the concept of prior art looms large in a very broad range of creative pursuits.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;">How do you think about creativity, innovation, and associated concepts? How have you created in your own life? Please leave a comment and let us know.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(128, 0, 128); color: purple; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, and share it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p>Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-4411211892282984282020-07-25T13:11:00.000-07:002020-07-26T09:00:55.723-07:00Playing Music Together – Separately<br />
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The age of the COVID-19 pandemic has changed so much about how we live our lives. Every one of us can describe the impact on our employment, ability to see family and friends, to travel, and even to get groceries. Sadly, some of us have been sick or have been taking care of those who are, and some have lost loved ones. We are living through a time unlike any in living memory.<o:p></o:p></div>
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One smaller but important impact of the pandemic is the loss of live entertainment. Broadway has gone dark, major musical acts have canceled their tours, and little hometown rock and roll bands like mine, <a href="http://www.thelavarocks.com/" target="_blank">The Lava Rocks</a>, have abruptly halted gigging in the local bars.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Lava Rocks are a classic rock cover band who started gigging in 2019 and by early 2020 had started to play steadily once or twice a month. Our March 7<sup>th</sup> gig was our last for a while, though, and we’ve missed a number of planned dates since. We have shows on our calendar through the rest of 2020 but don’t hold high hopes of playing many or even any of them under the circumstances.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In order to remain connected with each other, and to continue to have a musical outlet, we have done what many musicians have done - we’ve turned to the web. We looked back at some rough video we had of recent shows in the local bars (The Mermaid Inn, The Grape Room, The Red Stallion) and picked out some that suited our purposes, which means the audio and video had to show a complete song, be focused reasonably on the stage, with the stage reasonably well lit, and with reasonable quality audio. It was surprising how much of the video these basic criteria eliminated! But with a few clips picked out, we produced some “web shows” in which we made a few introductory remarks on camera and showed these videos. They can be found on our web site at the <a href="https://www.thelavarocks.com/concert/">CONCERTS</a> link (<a href="https://www.thelavarocks.com/concert/" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.TheLavaRocks.com/concert/</a>). We hope you’ll go check them out if you haven’t already seen them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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After releasing web shows on April 18<sup>th</sup> and May 16<sup>th</sup>, which were great fun for us to put together, we found that we’d used up most of the audio/video material that meets the criteria above, so we decided we needed to begin to create new content. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The obvious approach turns out to be completely unworkable. People everywhere are spending lots of time on video collaboration applications like Zoom, so it seems like playing music together, separately, should be doable by joining a Zoom session and just playing as though all are in the same physical room. As anyone who has tried to sing Happy Birthday in a crowd assembled on Zoom has quickly found out, this doesn’t work well at all! The reason is that small variations in delay from each participating camera to the Zoom servers and then back to the other participants (an effect known as “jitter” to network engineers) makes it impossible to properly synchronize.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The Lava Rocks spent some time considering a few popular apps for recording piecemeal, one at a time, and handing off to the next person. None were quite what we wanted, and some made it hard for us to maintain complete control over the content. In the end we decided that a very simple approach might work best for us, using home recording computer applications such as Garage Band and Pro Tools. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We begin by deciding on the tempo of the piece we want to record. Sometimes we lock this tempo in to match the original album recording of the song, sometimes we intentionally choose something a little slower or faster for our purposes. We then create a “click track” in the recording application, which is a simple click or drum beat at the tempo we selected. We export that simple track as a very basic quality audio file (usually an MP3) and distribute to all band members. The band members then listen to that click track on headphones while recording their part(s) on their computer or even their smartphone, trying to get the best quality audio they can with the least noise. They capture that as a sound file and send that sound file back to the band member engineering the song, who drops it into Pro Tools or Garage Band and aligns them. The tempo will already match because of the click track. The click track is then thrown away and the levels are adjusted for each track. A rough mix of the music is done and exported as a sound file, allowing the vocalist(s) to record their parts while listening to the audio in headphones. Now with the vocals, a re-mix of all tracks is done along with the addition of a little reverb to get a final product. This whole process takes about 2 weeks and about 3 hours of time on the part of the band member engineering the final product.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Once we have a complete and final song recording, we can release the audio. We know that for the web, though, a video is also desirable. With that in mind, we are recording video clips of us recording the audio at home and using the combined audio and video to create something like a music video.<o:p></o:p></div>
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This whole process takes a lot of work, and we are learning as we go. We hope to share some of our work product with all of you in the coming weeks. We hope you’ll give our songs and video a look and listen, and invite you to let us know what you think of the results. In the end, though, we’ve already achieved something really important to us – we’ve stayed connected as a band and continued to play music together, separately.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: purple; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-align: center;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, and share it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</span></div>
Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-1649325460734749052020-06-29T18:16:00.001-07:002020-06-29T18:16:44.114-07:00Last One In is a Rotten Egg?<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 17.33333396911621px;"><b>Launching Late</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">For the past several years, I’ve <a href="http://rapidgroove.blogspot.com/2019/05/start-of-boating-and-fishing-season.html">posted here</a> about getting my boat into the water as early as possible in the year – sometimes as early as the end of April. My goal is to have the longest season possible with my boat and to fish for as many different species as I can, recognizing that some local fish species prefer the colder water of the early season and others stick around as the water temperatures rise. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">I generally start planning in February, looking through my records of what repairs might need to be done and what standard maintenance we “passed” on last year and so will certainly want to do this year. I contact my boat mechanic (who is also a friend of more than 40 years) and talk it through and I look at the calendar and pick a time frame to target. Meanwhile, I get the summer house opened up in March and April and make sure outside water is turned on and that my dock area is set and ready for the boats. If all works out, I get to launch my boat early in the season as planned. And that’s usually how this all goes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">I don’t need to explain to anyone reading this that 2020 has not been usual.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">I started the process as described above in February, but when the time came to get parts for my boat in March, marinas and marine supply stores were all closed. My boat sat on stands in the driveway waiting for things to open up. When they did, parts that I needed were in short supply which added to delays.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">As Memorial day approached, a full month later than I like to launch, neither of my boats were ready to go. I talked to my friend and mechanic and asked him whether we could prioritize the smaller boat my sons use, a really great 19’ Boston Whaler. We agreed that this would be a lot easier to prep and launch and so over Memorial Day weekend my family and I got to <a href="http://rapidgroove.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-slow-but-good-start-to-boating-season.html">enjoy boating on the smaller boat</a>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Almost a full month later, just a few days ago, my boat, a <a href="https://www.ewboats.com/boat-models/center-console/262cc/">26’ EdgeWater center console</a> sport fishing boat was finally ready. On the day before I launched, I looked up and down the lagoon where I keep my boat. Mine is usually one of the first 5 boats to be launched for the season. A few times, I was actually first. This year, I seemed to be last.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XicC2x5EZgeDV0bHFQZd_x3IT76eEjfpAmUxREcKtLp3dHVcURgbzqTJeRwXyUr-1R57Ta-coXn317ZlhyphenhyphenQ4yj-2SjcMPp7F67rP3-QVsQHiTnoTfZ0vCfN1X6NRg_Svy-DDCjYEw_U/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-06-29+at+9.16.06+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="858" height="171" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7XicC2x5EZgeDV0bHFQZd_x3IT76eEjfpAmUxREcKtLp3dHVcURgbzqTJeRwXyUr-1R57Ta-coXn317ZlhyphenhyphenQ4yj-2SjcMPp7F67rP3-QVsQHiTnoTfZ0vCfN1X6NRg_Svy-DDCjYEw_U/s200/Screen+Shot+2020-06-29+at+9.16.06+PM.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Once the boat was launched, all frustration was gone. The boat is and always has been a great pleasure for me. It’s set up the way I want in almost every regard. It handles beautifully and is comfortable at any speed. I caught several fish in these first few days and took a great friend of mine for a long ride through the waterways to the west of my house. I guess I'm off to a good (if late) start.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Kids sometimes say “last one in is a rotten egg” and it looks like my boat was last this year in my neighborhood, but it’s no rotten egg. Whether first or last, my boat</span> <b><span style="color: #002060; font-family: "Brush Script MT"; font-size: 15pt;">Freedom</span></b><span style="color: #002060;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">is a joy and a pleasure that I will never take for granted. </span><o:p></o:p><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17.33333396911621px;">Maybe another common phrase is apt here: "Better late than never."</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 17.33333396911621px;"> </span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: purple; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, and share it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</span></div>
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Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-45579896727906638872020-05-30T12:35:00.001-07:002020-05-30T12:35:02.659-07:00A Slow (but good) Start to the Boating Season<h3>
<span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: large; font-weight: normal;">the pandemic affects everything</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">As my friends know, I’m an avid boater and fisherman. Here in the northeastern US, and certainly </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">in the neighborhood where I keep my boats, </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">Memorial Day is when </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">people launch and get started on their late-spring and early summer on-the-water activities.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">My family and I use our boats (a 26’ Edgewater and a 19’ Boston Whaler, both center console open boats) </span><span style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">for fishing, clamming, tubing, visiting waterfront restaurants at marinas, and taking day trips to other towns within a few hours ride. We are lucky to have a waterfront house and can keep our boats in the backyard waterway alongside our neighbors’ boats.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">At the height of the season, there are about 32 boats docked in our waterway. Often, my larger boat, Freedom, is one of the first boats in for the season. Not this year, though. The COVID-19 pandemic kept the marinas and even the boat ramps closed for much of the spring. Once things began to open up a bit, just before Memorial Day, the boats that needed only minor prep for the spring could launch after a basic spring fitting (cleaning, bottom paint, checking safety gear, etc.). Any boats like mine that needed some parts and repairs, though, had to wait. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">My immediate family had been “sheltering at home” separately since April, with my two older sons at their own places separate from my wife, younger son, and me. Memorial Day would be our first chance to be together and to enjoy our boats. I spoke to my life-long friend and boat mechanic, Bill, and we decided together that the best move for the start of season would be to prep and launch our smaller boat, which normally plays second fiddle to my larger boat and gets launched later in June. My larger boat would have been more comfortable for our merry little band, but the change in plans was an easy decision to make under the circumstances.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freedom, our 26 footer, not yet launched</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg95OEp4GwkRnvojvKj5f2YVuUQbu0VoQ92IFjuAauk_iiElfRlJY476mdxSUbVcjDUfBOpzeH9XKuHRXZnS8S6wUx0pt7jICyr_gRZapSM4V1PgQv9D5Py13XzzQQKnLcoSgf-vS0puSQ/s1600/IMG_2767.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>Our 19 foot Whaler on the water</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">The weather last weekend in our area ended up being a bit cold and foggy, with a few overnight showers, but we got plenty of boating in when we could. We fished several times and caught an early season striped bass and an early season fluke - both on the short side so we carefully unhooked them, got a quick photo and released them to fight another day. We also went clamming twice and got plenty of clams and mussels to feed us all well for several meals - which was great since all our favorite restaurants were still closed.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">young striped bass, released after this photo</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">young fluke, ready to be released</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">We also used the boat to cross the bay and dock at the ocean beach. It was a chilly and overcast day, and there were no lifeguards on duty. None of us swam, but we had a great time playing catch and bocce and we got some sun(burn) and drank some beer, all in good company and in a beautiful setting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">This was certainly a different Memorial Day. I missed my big boat, but I know I’ll have her in the water fairly soon. We caught up with our neighbors by shouting across the street or across the waterway instead of sitting together in each other’s backyards or talking up close near our boats. Still, no complaints at all here. My family was together and healthy, and we enjoyed our time on and around the water. </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">All in all, another great Memorial Day and a summer to look forward to.</span></div>
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<span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: purple; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, and share it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</span></div>
Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-76747618780678747372020-04-30T13:23:00.002-07:002020-04-30T13:34:16.208-07:00Living alongside the Coronavirus<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="color: #274e13;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">a <o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">smaller and simpler life</span></span></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBT1pTm-NcQ_sUjRTpQteDim2Dwc8SLD8OLmFdhiMIIw9yN233BRFPnsHWtK0CiSmryOObdT8bSAlOlNwm3moWMu4ITLb3g_bHEK6pQAU0C_SXbVjvEVyWRaiDhlc66JuRLW7O1XEKMY/s1600/23312_lores.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="393" data-original-width="700" height="111" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnBT1pTm-NcQ_sUjRTpQteDim2Dwc8SLD8OLmFdhiMIIw9yN233BRFPnsHWtK0CiSmryOObdT8bSAlOlNwm3moWMu4ITLb3g_bHEK6pQAU0C_SXbVjvEVyWRaiDhlc66JuRLW7O1XEKMY/s200/23312_lores.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">As I write this blog post, more than a million US citizens have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease that can result from exposure to the Coronavirus. More testing is likely to reveal that a much higher number are now or have been infected. Tragically, there are now 60,000 who have lost their lives as a result and families everywhere are mourning. The majority of us at this point are staying home and hoping to help “flatten the curve,” to help the health care system to manage and hopefully to buy time for the development of therapies. Most people haven’t been exposed as far as we know, but we really can’t say. The vast majority of us haven’t been tested. In an effort to limit the spread most of us have been living a much smaller and simpler life, quarantined in our homes or at least minimizing our time out. The rest of this post are some of my observations in living this smaller and simpler life these past 7 weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I must admit right from the start that I’m exceptionally lucky. I haven’t gotten sick. I live in a comfortable house with two family members who are great company. The house is large enough that we can be together when we want to be, and we can each have space to ourselves when we prefer it. My wife and I are both still working full time, and the prospects are good for that to continue for the foreseeable future so we have a comfortable income to go with the comfortable house. We know that there are so many others who aren’t so lucky.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Managing the Household<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Having more time in the house means more time to deal with the house. Things have been put away and gone through and straightened up. I’m not a very handy person but by now my wife and I have addressed most of the small problems around the house including things we’d been living with for months. Every burned-out lightbulb has been replaced, some broken fixtures in the bathroom have been fixed or replaced, etc. A few things are waiting for more expert repairmen when that’s possible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">We’ve done more than our usual share of yard work, too. With the yard in nice shape, we sit outside when the weather allows and enjoy seeing a variety of birds, including not just robins and wrens but also bluejays, cardinals, and a woodpecker. There’s even what looks like a red-tailed hawk that we see from time to time.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Being home all the time means cooking and eating meals together a lot, which is great. It does make for more cleanup than we had been having to do in the past and the garbage and recycling has to be taken out way more often. We’re also running the dishwasher every day (sometimes more than once) which is a real change from the way things were before the lockdown.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The Fridge<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Continuing a thought from above, we’ve ended up treating food differently. We try to do takeout only about once a week so three people are eating a lot of home made meals each week and just a few from takeout. One take-out order gets us a dinner plus a few meals from leftovers. Some of these “home made” meals are PBJs or a yogurt, but many of them are a little more involved. I like to cook, and so do my fellow “quarantiners.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Food shopping is very different. I used to do one very big shopping a month and then 2 or 3 times a week I’d stop at the store for fresh fruit, veggies, dairy, etc., and while there I could pick up anything we were out of. Now things are different. I tried online ordering and it didn’t really work out, so trips to the supermarket are necessary. I try to shop once every 10 days and try hard to get EVERYTHING all at once. Being out among the potentially-contagious is not something we want to do too often. Making the shopping list now takes a lot more thought. When I get home, packing everything into the fridge is a game of 3D Tetris. Then, over the next 9 or so days, we eat our way through the food until a mostly empty fridge tells us it’s time to shop again. Because some things go bad more quickly than others, we also have to be more thoughtful about meal planning. In the past, I could buy fresh fruit and veggies as often as I needed to. Now we buy what we can fit, eat it while it’s fresh, and resort to frozen veggies later in that 10-day cycle.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">We are also better than we were in the past about eating leftovers as lunches rather than throwing them away and wasting them. Sometimes, like when I grill, we intentionally make a little too much and plan a leftover meal for the following day.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Health and Appearance<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Earlier this year I had been going to the gym 4 mornings a week and had dropped a few pounds while building some muscle. These days, I find that I’m not only getting less exercise, but I’m also eating more. I’m stuck in the house and the food is always just a few steps away. And frankly, I think my own uneasiness about the state of the world is stressing me out and I’m eating (and drinking) more as a reaction. Not such a great coping mechanism, but it’s a reality for me. I’m clearly going to need to fight this tendency or I’ll be shopping for a new wardrobe in larger sizes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Like everyone else, my hair is getting longer (and grayer) and I’m not sure it’s a very good look. But I’ll ride it out for now. My wife gave herself a haircut a few days ago. My bet was that that wasn’t going to go very well but thankfully I was wrong. It looks great and she loves it. Still, I’m not letting her cut my hair!<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">The Roads</span></b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Yet another way in which we are lucky is that we are mobile if we need to be. We have three people at home and three cars all in good working order, and we rarely go out. My car hasn’t been out of the driveway for weeks since both of the other cars are SUVs which are much more suited to big grocery store trips. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">When we are out on the roads, it’s strange how there’s so little traffic even at times of day that are usually busy. In fact, when we take our daily walk around the neighborhood (my primary exercise these days) wearing face masks when we pass other walkers, we often walk in the road because the sidewalks are busier than the roads in my neighborhood. On the subject of neighborhood walks, we’ve begun to notice that we are seeing some of the same neighbors almost daily. Seems they’ve made daily walks a part of their schedule too. I can’t help wondering whether we’d regularly see a different set of people if we walked an hour earlier or an hour later.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Life with Zoom<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Zoom has become a general adjective. “Let’s have a Zoom meeting.” Or a Zoom dinner. Or Zoom cocktail hour. Or anything else we used to do in person. Sometimes it’s actually a WebEx or FaceTime or something else, but in my circles it’s more often Zoom and even when it’s not we might slip and say Zoom. My youngest son was part of a college commencement ceremony a few days ago over Zoom and it went really well. While in some ways it was sad to miss out on the in-person experience, in other ways it was wonderful. I had a great comfortable seat, could grab a snack or beverage when I wanted, could easily have a rest room break, and could make jokes out loud without seeming too rude to the strangers seated next to us, since there weren’t any. My wife has had Zoom happy hours with coworkers, and she and I had a really fun Zoom dinner club night with three other couples with whom we’d usually go to a restaurant. Video chat has been a surprisingly comforting way to stay connected when we’re all locked up at home.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">My band, <span style="color: red;">The Lava Rocks</span><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I’ve been playing in a classic rock cover band for a little over a year. <a href="https://www.thelavarocks.com/">The Lava Rocks</a> were just finding our groove, playing local bars and clubs once or twice a month. Now our upcoming dates are canceled for the forseeable future which is sad. On a happier note, we still connect via Zoom twice a week to talk about active projects like <a href="https://www.thelavarocks.com/concert">web concerts</a> and to plan songs to add to our music catalog. By doing this, the members of the band hope to stay connected and to pick up where we left off when that becomes possible.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Having a Sense of Humor<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">I’ve seen on social media that others have shared some funny parts of being locked up at home. I think we all have examples in our lives. Here’s mine: My wife and I both work as consultants, mostly from home. We can work on our computers, and often on WebEx and Zoom. Our morning ritual has long been to have coffee together while we watch the morning news and then to move on to work. Now we are just going to different parts of the house to work. Every day, without fail, as one of us heads off to take the first Zoom or WebEx call of the day my wife says “Bye, have a nice day at work.” As if I won’t be seeing her in the kitchen or the hallway about five times throughout the day!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Closing thoughts<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">As one of the many people lucky enough to have not gotten sick yet, I can see that we’re all adjusting in some pretty noticeable ways. Does this phase of the new normal give way to a new phase of the new normal in June or July as we (hopefully) enter a stage where the number of new COVID-19 cases continues to drop and more effective therapies make the risk of going out into the public more reasonable? Hard to say. And if June is hard to see from here, it’s impossible to see out to September or October with any clarity from the here and now.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">As a final thought, I’ve noted above how lucky I feel during this crisis to be healthy, to have a safe and comfortable place to live, to have an income and food for my family. Not everyone is so lucky. I feel strongly that as someone with this kind of luck that it’s only right for me to help those less fortunate. There are countless good causes that need our help. If you are in a position to help, as I am, I encourage you to give generously and often. Support our medical professionals and first responders. Keep food pantries full. Help in ways that you can. There are so many who need it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, and share it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</span></b></div>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-small;">[RapidGroove blog posts are my own and are in no way </span></b></div>
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<b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: x-small;">intended to represent the views of my employer]</span></b></div>
Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-35070624186307001822020-03-28T08:53:00.000-07:002020-03-29T12:26:39.887-07:00The COVID-19 “Upshift”<div class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 13pt;"><b><span style="color: blue;">A graphical way to think about coming changes</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 13pt;">As I write this in late March of 2020, we are living through a global pandemic. It’s difficult to see our way past the terrible daily news of rapidly mounting cases of COVID-19 and loss of life. Here in the northeastern US, we are on a lockdown in our homes. Schools are closed, and only essential businesses are operating. More than 3 million new unemployment claims were filed in the last week. The loss of life and the impact on people trying to manage huge economic disruption is tragic, and all of this seems likely to get worse before it starts to get better. In the United States, a $2-Trillion aid and stimulus package, much larger than we’ve ever seen, was just written and agreed to rapidly in a bipartisan way by congress and signed by the president. In so many ways, these are extraordinary times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 13pt;">All of this considered, though, I’m optimistic for the long term. I believe that we are in this for the long haul, but I think we will come through and when we do I think there will be some things about the way we live our lives that will change. Some things will become more common, and some things less. As I think about the changes that may come, there’s a graph shape that keeps popping into my head that I think of as the “upshift.”</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxOaj6WxKBitJTR1nZoMxHV7KnK_Eilk5_ZihvQGvn_WYlQBufhGi4urv5HZowBADiQYjXxF8fFRyQrB0uG6UpwqEkC8j_N0lPKZLPxfraYXyBAFq0Iuap7_A_CLxKaXnskRGvOE1l5o/s1600/Kassabian_Upshift1.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="765" height="475" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxOaj6WxKBitJTR1nZoMxHV7KnK_Eilk5_ZihvQGvn_WYlQBufhGi4urv5HZowBADiQYjXxF8fFRyQrB0uG6UpwqEkC8j_N0lPKZLPxfraYXyBAFq0Iuap7_A_CLxKaXnskRGvOE1l5o/s640/Kassabian_Upshift1.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Upshift Curve - D.Kassabian March 2020 - dkassabian@gmail.com</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 13pt;">The <i>Upshift Curve</i> charts a behavior or activity (the y-axis) over time (the x-axis). It’s not intended to be an actual graph of hard data, but rather a rough trend shape that real data could eventually be compared with. The shape describes a steady state, an inflection point causing a rise, another inflection point as the initial change conditions are relaxed, and then a new steady state prevailing that is different (in this case, higher) than the earlier steady state.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 13pt;">Let’s talk through an example.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 13pt;">When people were sent home from work and from school earlier this month, there was a sudden and massive growth in remote work and in online teaching and learning. Neither of these things are new, but we went from some lower steady state level to a temporary level involving the majority of workers and students. Eventually, when we get past the worst of the pandemic, students will go back to college campuses and district schools and workers will go back to the office, but I believe that attitudes about remote work and online education will be changed, possibly drastically and possibly for the long term.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 13pt;">Let’s talk about working from home, a practice that is possible for some jobs (such as office desk workers) and not for others (first responders, for example). Many companies allowed for the remote work concept in limited ways while some companies and some staff supervisors were not comfortable with the idea. Thrust into remote work at scale as a necessity, though, I think many companies will find that it can work, that their workers appreciate the flexibility and lack of onerous commute and are able to be productive. Additionally, over time the practice could be cost effective for many businesses through reduction of office costs. While remote work is clearly not suitable for every job, and while some people may prefer full time in-office work surrounded by co-workers, this recent emergency is demonstrating that remote work is viable for many businesses and has some benefits. With that considered, I think the practice of work from home will level off post-pandemic at a level that’s higher (and possibly much higher) than before the pandemic struck. So let’s look at the upshift curve again.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWvXxL8Uv4otJTfTgKh2vKybk8jkqlnCtkjkf0iixfQYx1L2Mt8XnL0AznATlcndcONE9v-CH7SEPDFXk_CfxEbpHNIQQu8KvmdKh9ywVpZzHZD2FnJ56N4V1mwwzdrHXsdHe6wuniSE/s1600/Kassabian_Upshift2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="569" data-original-width="787" height="460" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrWvXxL8Uv4otJTfTgKh2vKybk8jkqlnCtkjkf0iixfQYx1L2Mt8XnL0AznATlcndcONE9v-CH7SEPDFXk_CfxEbpHNIQQu8KvmdKh9ywVpZzHZD2FnJ56N4V1mwwzdrHXsdHe6wuniSE/s640/Kassabian_Upshift2.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Upshift Curve - D.Kassabian March 2020 - dkassabian@gmail.com</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 13pt;">As we think about this idea, the upshift could well apply for a great many things. How many of the following things that were already done at low levels before the pandemic might level off at substantially higher levels after? Consider the following list:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Remote-work and work from home (described above)</b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Online schooling, both K-12 and Higher Education</b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Telemedicine/Telehealth (rather than visiting doctors and hospitals)</b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Online ordering of most household groceries</b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Online commerce (already big, but perhaps now growing faster)</b></span></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Use of online apps and payment systems for goods and services</b></span></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 13pt;">For each of the above, what is your own sense of the likelihood that they will be in more common use post-pandemic than before? What would you add to that list?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 13pt;">I think of most of the above as primary or first order effects, and that for many of them there are cascading second order effects. For example, if more people work from home then the upshift curve might also describe the frequency with which we see our neighbors or the amount of weekday business that local neighborhood shops and restaurants get. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 13pt;">These secondary effects suggest that there might be another kind of secondary effect, a kind of inverse or <i>Downshift</i>. The downshift curve is just the Upshift flipped on its head. These are things that I think experience the same kind of change but from a higher steady state pre-pandemic to a lower steady state post-pandemic. One obvious example might be handshaking and hugging in business and social settings, which probably won’t disappear but may well become less common.<span style="font-style: normal;"> </span>I would bet that contact among family and very close friends will not experience this same Downshift (I certainly hope not), but in settings where it was a mere social pleasantry before it may become less common.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 13pt;">The Downshift curve looks like this:</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrX3fjYvn4safUM6Gp0S2uZdomDOuJKMgzGyF0ceg3godJbx1VkeCSR3rCGpuh2jDtSVoFtJkf3W3_p_q3w3fn1uFduoooOm2GImh1ZOwv7CM8RjX4nw8inRtNmqViqlgdjOuWSRSywE/s1600/Kassabian_Upshift3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="568" data-original-width="788" height="459" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkrX3fjYvn4safUM6Gp0S2uZdomDOuJKMgzGyF0ceg3godJbx1VkeCSR3rCGpuh2jDtSVoFtJkf3W3_p_q3w3fn1uFduoooOm2GImh1ZOwv7CM8RjX4nw8inRtNmqViqlgdjOuWSRSywE/s640/Kassabian_Upshift3.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Downshift Curve - D.Kassabian March 2020 - dkassabian@gmail.com</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 13pt;">As with the upshift, there’s a drastic change at an inflection point and then eventually a return to something closer to normal, but now at a lower steady state. Here are some possibilities I’ve thought of.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<li><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Handshaking at work</span></b></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Full-day 5-days-a-week, in-office work</span></b></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Rush hour traffic, subway ridership, and urban congestion</span></b></span></li>
<li><span style="text-indent: 0in;"><b><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Walk-in traffic to food establishments and retail shops near large offices</span></b></span></li>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 13pt;">Even if only some of these changes take hold, what do you think the impact will be on personal interactions? How will these things play through in the economy?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 13pt;">The Upshift and Downshift Curves have been a useful way for me to frame my thinking about what might change in our world in the coming months and years and how. What do you think? Is this a useful framing, and why or why not? Where would you apply an idea like the Upshift Curve to things that you think will change?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria" , serif; font-size: 13pt;">Please leave a comment and share your thinking with all of us.</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: small;">[RapidGroove blog posts are my own and are in no way </span></b></div>
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<b style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #444444; font-size: small;">intended to represent the views of my employer]</span></b></div>
Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-19406208509819427322020-02-28T19:11:00.002-08:002020-02-28T19:11:28.311-08:00Wireless Charging<h3>
<span style="color: #351c75;">Another step toward c<b>able-free convenience</b></span></h3>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We take it for granted these days that we can walk around with laptop computers, mobile phones, and tablets – untethered yet still actively on the Internet. I have news for those under 30 years old... this is not the way things always worked. Computers and telephones were anchored by communications cables until the end of the 20th century. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi" target="_blank">WiFi</a> networks and carrier <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3G" target="_blank">3G</a> are both only about 20 years old, which for people my age is well within recent memory. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6N-mt3hkNCJJS-_D6DswaF7fOUA5VwDmU-DxKtso3po1iU0uLo9cKASd74xmT-TPLygu-T4ed3_dXG2Varwtca1_e-7sLaVQdfXLFxvmoJCKDOwk1IdVMkU-Xk9YsyCq29LLe2TaA4gI/s1600/33-512.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="512" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6N-mt3hkNCJJS-_D6DswaF7fOUA5VwDmU-DxKtso3po1iU0uLo9cKASd74xmT-TPLygu-T4ed3_dXG2Varwtca1_e-7sLaVQdfXLFxvmoJCKDOwk1IdVMkU-Xk9YsyCq29LLe2TaA4gI/s200/33-512.png" width="200" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Early mobile devices were large and heavy (by today's standards), battery life was limited, and data rates were... let's say "limited." Over the years, things have improved substantially. Data rates are much better on both <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11">802.11</a><span id="goog_1554371853"></span><span id="goog_1554371854"></span><a href="https://www.blogger.com/"></a> WiFi networks and on carrier networks, with a promise for big improvements in both in the coming years. Devices are thinner and lighter. Even the battery life is slowly improving which is a higher hurdle than might at first be obvious, because we keep putting faster processors, more memory, and higher performance communications electronics in our mobile devices all of which require real power.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Over that same set of years, cables still played a role for mobile devices. In the early days we plugged phones and tablets into computers to sync data and perform upgrades, and to charge their batteries while we did so. Over time, the mobile devices became less of a peripheral or accessory to a computer and more a standalone device. They became able to store and back up data in the cloud and to download application software and operating system upgrades without a computer playing a part. We now even have the option to get rid of wired ear buds as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth">Bluetooth</a> ear buds like the <a href="https://www.apple.com/airpods/">Apple AirPods</a> are an (expensive) option. It seems as though everyone at the gym has them now, and I admit to loving mine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But the cables are not yet completely gone. We still plug our mobile devices in at least once a day (for me, usually overnight) to fully charge the batteries.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Now, with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_charging" target="_blank">inductive charging</a> available for some mobile devices, and very likely a rapid increase in availability in the coming 1-2 years, we may get rid of the last of the cables. Setting my phone, tablet, and Bluetooth ear buds onto a charging mat once at the end of the day and never plugging anything into them at all would be a great next step.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Is this a convenience you want? What's a reasonable expectation in terms of charging time and cost of equipment? Leave a comment and let us know.</span><br />
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<b><u>Links</u></b>:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-Fi</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3G">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3G</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEEE_802.11</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.apple.com/airpods/">https://www.apple.com/airpods/</a></li>
<li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_charging">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_charging</a></li>
</ul>
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<b style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></b>
<b style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, and share it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</b><br />
<br />
<br />Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-83479280498118010452020-01-31T07:20:00.002-08:002020-01-31T07:20:25.248-08:00Rethinking the TV Experience<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-size: 17.33333396911621px;"><b><span style="color: #741b47;">Traditional "cable TV" may not be a winner for me anymore</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Back </span></span><a href="https://rapidgroove.blogspot.com/2011/09/cord-cutting.html" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;" target="_blank">in September of 2011, I wrote about cord-cutting</a><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">, the idea that people like us who value </span><span style="font-size: 17.33333396911621px;">flexibility</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> and balk at cable's high prices might move away from standard cable packages. Since then, many of my friends have done it and most have been happy. And the world of video options is only getting more sophisticated (and complicated). In addition to traditional cable TV packages there are Internet streaming services that offer original content, and some that offer popular shows in reruns. Many offer movies. There are even streaming services that provide what traditional cable TV packages do – aggregations of commercial television channels but delivered via the Internet. More services are coming online all the time.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Let me describe the video entertainment service – or combination of services - I want. Then I'd love to hear whether this is the kind of service you want, too.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwRChprGtS2G5XCPbHZ-Qj77DG1ZBlqhnWo8ONyrdHKffxhXT9XVZ5cseKoIm3JJBihANL-ktGsrHqDCwSqJv_yNv6WG6KF178KQEniQNEC74yCxA0Hcg7blkWdUGmxK1s9cILURwwxmQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2020-01-30+at+11.13.09+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="501" data-original-width="607" height="165" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwRChprGtS2G5XCPbHZ-Qj77DG1ZBlqhnWo8ONyrdHKffxhXT9XVZ5cseKoIm3JJBihANL-ktGsrHqDCwSqJv_yNv6WG6KF178KQEniQNEC74yCxA0Hcg7blkWdUGmxK1s9cILURwwxmQ/s200/Screen+Shot+2020-01-30+at+11.13.09+PM.png" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: 13pt;">First, of course I want great content and on this score I’m really happy with the offerings we're seeing lately. There’s quality stuff these days on HBO, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video and other streaming services, with more services coming online often. Services like these probably account for 75% of my passive entertainment time. I don’t watch commercial TV much at all, other than news, sports, and Comedy Central.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Next, I want to watch without interspersed commercials. I can live with a few very short pre-rolls. And to be clear, I don’t just want to skip through commercials I prefer to have no commercials at all, like on HBO and Netflix. I recognize that as commercials are a </span><span style="font-size: 17.33333396911621px;">monetization</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> mechanism that this means I need to pay (more) for the limited set of things I want that are on "commercial" television. Even without commercials, I also want the ability to pause, rewind, and fast forward. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">I want to be able to watch all of this content on my large screen television sets, on my laptop computer, on my tablet, and on my smartphone. And when on my mobile devices I want to watch from anywhere and not just on my “home” network. I also want profiles, so that my wife and I can independently set up favorites and keep track of what episode we’re on if we happen to be watching the same show separately.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Lately, I find myself paying about $300 a month to a major cable television provider. And sure, that includes my Internet service, which really is quite good most of the time, but it’s still way too much and it isn’t quite the service I described above.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 13pt;">Is it time for me to “cut the cord?”<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">I’m seriously thinking of firing my cable television provider entirely and then getting a good Internet connection from a different service provider. Next, I’ll get a basic television service like <a href="https://tv.youtube.com/welcome/" target="_blank">YouTube TV</a>, <a href="https://www.sling.com/" target="_blank">Sling TV</a>, or <a href="https://www.fubo.tv/welcome" target="_blank">FuboTV</a> to get my primary news and sports channels. Then I’ll layer on a few streaming services. Netflix and Amazon for sure. Possibly HBO. Others are possible. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">When I do the math, the savings actually seem to be significant. I’d be going from a cable company triple play (including unused phone service) for $300, to a more limited set of channels delivered over a solid Internet connection, and then including Netflix, Amazon and HBO streaming. I’d add services like Britbox -- and in fact I'd add and remove video services as my interests change. For example, maybe I'd add CBS All Access for a while to watch the new Star Trek series and then cancel if and when it wasn't of interest. I can watch all of the content on television sets through my Apple TV boxes, watch on my laptop computer and mobile devices through apps. The total cost of what I want to do looks to be about $100 less per month than what I'm paying today.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13pt;">Is there any reason not to do this? What's your plan? Leave a comment and let us know!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><u>Links</u></b>:</div>
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<ul>
<li><a href="https://rapidgroove.blogspot.com/2011/09/cord-cutting.html" style="color: #954f72;">https://rapidgroove.blogspot.com/2011/09/cord-cutting.html</a></li>
<li><a href="https://tv.youtube.com/welcome/" style="color: #954f72;">https://tv.youtube.com/welcome/</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.sling.com/" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.sling.com</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fubo.tv/welcome" style="color: #954f72;">https://www.fubo.tv/welcome</a></li>
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<b style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, and share it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</b></div>
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Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-60003160864481892342019-12-30T12:31:00.000-08:002019-12-30T12:31:08.854-08:00Predicting The Future In the Past<div style="caret-color: rgb(28, 30, 33); color: #1c1e21; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">
10 years ago I was crazy enough to put my predictions down in black and white and share them as a "note" on Facebook. This was before I had a blog, which came along about a year and a half later. With the benefit of hindsight, how did I do? I welcome your critiques, scoring, high-praise, and laughter.</div>
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My post from Dec 24, 2009 follows, unedited. </div>
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<span style="font-weight: 600;">A Few Tech Predictions for "beyond 2010"</span></div>
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Deke Kassabian</div>
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December 24, 2009</div>
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At the end of every calendar year, the IT community tends to share predictions for technology for the coming year. It's the subject of many late December trade press articles, and a New Year's tradition. Those who make predictions sometimes review the accuracy of predictions made in the past. But why should tech pundits have all the fun? Let's join in.</div>
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My own day-to-day work, and the work of my teams, can often involve the internal details of low layer network communications, security and identity management, communication application interworking, and other areas that are not terribly exciting to most people not also working in those spaces. So, in what follows, I'll talk about my predictions in areas of more general technology interest.</div>
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What follows are predictions of mine for technology: not for next year, but for 2011 and beyond. These aren't areas in which I'm an expert, and they aren't things I've carefully researched. This is just for fun and obviously I could be way off base! The predictions that follow are based on some reading of scholarly engineering journals and also popular IT trade press (print and audio), some conversations with colleagues from around the country in multiple disciplines, and a little of my own thinking to synthesize it all.</div>
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I predict that the following technology developments will happen during the next decade, some a lot sooner than others. Don’t bet your retirement fund on any of these, but give them a read, tell me what you think, try your hand at a few predictions and share them, and have some fun.</div>
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Happy New Year!</div>
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<span style="font-weight: 600;"><u>(1) Robots among us</u></span></div>
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I'm picking the most exciting and outlandish of my predictions as my first: That robots get to be way more common place as an element of our technology.</div>
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Now, we know that there are many things already in reasonably broad use today that can be called "robots." Roomba floor cleaners, for example, have been around for years. But I think that when most people think of "robots" they think of Sci-fi movie robots or Rosie from the Jetsons -- something that stands and maybe walks and talks and responds to voice commands and looks vaguely humanoid in its size and/or shape. And my prediction is that these cooler robots are coming.</div>
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Close to home, in our own Engineering School, The GRASP Lab (see</div>
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<a data-lynx-mode="origin" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.grasp.upenn.edu%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0Kgyoz0iRGWDykmBG1E5dERbAB3tDJvCdzz6Nsg6o2Iiqo8J0MCUy9XcM&h=AT0JmXR-TYTnOKO5YFH__Db_s5iX_C1x8fdnyqUlTfThiNSHGS4Isso_p2DrjasKrXW-4HP5KQJUz7YIK4isyymUd0NCC-DmT8gzrJJKudq8STZnJ__FFFpkqluRPLNxKm_jonuUHiGs9QZTY8uKl98k" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.grasp.upenn.edu/</a>) does amazing things with robotics, including robot motion that can handle inclines, irregular terrain, and even being pushed or bumped.</div>
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Commercially, Honda has the Asimo (see <a data-lynx-mode="origin" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fasimo.honda.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2kXKkkrr7dknE8jRMcQL3B1n0SVzt_ENFbXtV32u1OEtggmW6dkUDJm74&h=AT2RVSRB1_t6AN60uPAkNkOrhTVSthXZ6zBEnr8LpYcEoDFaeIY_275XDmpr1LNwIafy8NOSzZdPkivFCoQhA7HBwQ4wGQ65AFJ3A8ZEkC9bZEWq0kuRV2txICDjeCEFHPMcR3b6IbIqL5ellUmSSvO7" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://asimo.honda.com/</a>). Fuji</div>
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Soft Inc and others are following suit. These companies have robots that stand and walk and can be programmed to move in ways we expect "movie robots" to move. Some of this stuff is commercially available now, though still a little expensive.</div>
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So, I think that impressive robot motion is clearly well on its way. What about interactivity? The fact that my car’s GPS device and my smart phone are (slowly) becoming better at interactive voice response tells me that the technology is coming along and may not be incredibly expensive. If a $500 (unsubsidized price) smart phone can do it, why not a $5,000 robot? But beyond just interactive voice response, robots may, even in the relatively short term, offer some visual feedback reminiscent of emotion. For robot development that may truly excite you -- or maybe creep you out -- check out Hanson Robotics (<a data-lynx-mode="origin" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.hansonrobotics.com%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1wGwLBB6W5Z54t1ee9pWkqrjpWSOp2Q3OaiEW072kVUHw0NgFnn6tQaUk&h=AT0DMy89u61RcQ8rxI6XjYYVZ5NMhxzXcatMRYwQAOVS3RqLtk9nIkpYInUXeO64rw1rRDwiuNPk3TpykK2jCwwrjxiljhuqNdOqbhAZ09-iRnFnjNzvgOtQZak3kEHbJ2Kf_r9TJc8zbuY-iAn2SwQT" rel="noopener nofollow" style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.hansonrobotics.com/</a>), developers of technology that bring facial expression and "attitude" to robots.</div>
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Allow me to now put a finer point on my prediction: maybe we won't all see a robot in every home and office in just a few years, but encountering a semi-autonomous, mobile, interactive humanoid robot a few times a year will I think be common for people in urban environments relatively soon.</div>
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Time frame: 2013-2015</div>
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<span style="font-weight: 600;"><u>(2) The Kindle and today's iPod fade</u></span></div>
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It has been really interesting to watch the growth of the e-book reader space. The Kindle became the first big-dog to the market and then the Sony and Barnes and Noble entries expanded that market. Most of us have experienced them, either by becoming owners of the technology or by trying out a friend's shiny new device.</div>
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My prediction is that the dedicated single purpose e-book reader will have a short life as a general interest device and will fade to a niche device for a much smaller community of users. My bolder prediction is that dedicated mp3 players like conventional iPods will do the same thing. The reason, in both cases, is that I think capacitive touch devices like today's smartphones (think iPhone and iPod Touch, or Droid), and tomorrows larger-screen tablet devices, will supplant them. Smart phones and future multi-media tablets promised by big players like Apple and Microsoft, and smaller players like Joo Joo (nee Crunchpad) and Notion Ink Tegra, will be able to function as an e-book reader or an mp3 player, but will also do much more. Voice calls, video calls, web browsing, TV and movie watching, organizing and sharing photo libraries, and much more, become natural on these devices. Having separate, dedicated music or book devices will only make sense if their user experience is much, much better, or if none of the tablets are any good or all of them are overpriced. And I don't think that will be the case.</div>
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Time frame: 2011</div>
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<span style="font-weight: 600;"><u>(3) SSD for serious laptops</u></span></div>
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This one is a little simpler and maybe a little more obvious. As memory continues to get cheaper, and as people continue to gravitate to laptops over desktops, fast boot and fast wake will be differentiators at first (and perhaps we’re already at this point) and expected soon after. So high-end laptops will move to Solid State Disk (SSD) for their primary storage, followed soon after by the mid-range. Prohibitively expensive for many now, it's just a matter of time for this stuff to get cheap. Conventional spinning disk drives for Netbooks and very low-end laptops will still make sense. SSD will be the choice for mid- to high-end laptops.</div>
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Time frame: 2012</div>
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<span style="font-weight: 600;"><u>(4) The “Clouds” are clearing</u></span></div>
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To borrow terminology from Gartner, and apply it to this year's biggest buzz-phrase, the slide from the "Peak of inflated expectations" into the "Trough of Disillusionment" is about due for Cloud Computing.</div>
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Cloud Computing as a service offered by some industry players is a very interesting tool that looks like it can be used strategically. But the assumption that it is the solution to a long list of IT woes, and a transformational technology to be broadly applied comes from, in my opinion, a misunderstanding of what Cloud Computing really is. This seems especially true within Higher-Ed.</div>
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Over the next several years there will be some outsourcing of email that will be mis-categorized as cloud computing (when it really is tactical outsourcing). In some cases, the use of ad-supported and otherwise free commodity web-based services will be mis-categorized as Cloud Computing. For other uses, the realization that it isn't free and it can be somewhat brittle will hit some of us over the head.</div>
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But then some enterprises will carefully study and understand the Cloud technology that is really available, will consider policy and law as it applies to services and data and will navigate the complexities of the SLAs, will do real ROI analyses for services that are not free, and will deploy services based on Cloud Computing -- some successfully and some not. As that happens, Cloud Computing will "level off" into its rightful place in the Gartner "Plateau of Productivity" and become one of many tools that the best IT shops will be able to use strategically and effectively.</div>
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Time frame: 2012</div>
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<span style="font-weight: 600;"><u>(5) 3D printing comes home (or at least to the small office)</u></span></div>
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3D printing, already in use at Penn at the School of Design and perhaps elsewhere, is the process of building up 3D objects through the printing of successive layers of plastic or other materials. The printer gets a 3D specification as input and literally prints out a 3D object.</div>
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This technology is very valuable for prototyping newly designed objects, but it might also turn out to be a handy way to get small and simple replacement parts in a hurry. Imagine printing a camera lens-cap, a battery cover, small toy parts, and more. Rather than writing to the manufacturer to buy something that costs more to ship than to make, the manufacturer could allow you to replace the parts yourself (and fully at your cost).</div>
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3D Printers are available today in the $10K-$20K range (and of course at much higher cost, too), with some new entries showing up at around $5K. If the price gets closer to $1,000 soon and $300 eventually, and if product manufacturers end up liking the idea of making some of their replacement parts available as specifications for home printing, these interesting devices could become a lot more common.</div>
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Time frame: 2015</div>
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<span style="font-weight: 600;"><u>(6) Cars that drive themselves</u></span></div>
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Really, truly, drive themselves. You sit there and read the newspaper (if newspapers still exist).</div>
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Several times over the last decade, teams from around the world competed in the DARPA Urban Challenge in which vehicles navigated and drove entirely on their own with no human driver and no remote control. The results so far are mixed, but that there are any successes at all is really quite impressive.</div>
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This one comes with a lot of anxiety. Would YOU get into a car that a machine was driving? Knowing all you know about the rate at which computers and other automation systems fail? Would you get in and trust your life and the lives of your loved ones to a non-human? Not today you wouldn't, and neither would I. But some day I think you will. In fact, you already do something like this all the time. Elements of air travel and even elements of car travel already depend upon technology in ways that have crept in over time. When technology works very reliably for a long period of time, we begin to trust it.</div>
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The pieces to make this real already exist in rudimentary form. In fact they are already commercially available. I know I’m oversimplifying, but … (GPS) + (Cruise Control) + (External proximity sensors) lead to self driving cars. Again, I’ll grant that there’s more to it than that. But how much more? Some high-end cars already have on-board systems that allow them to self-park. Others are starting to have crash detection systems that allow them to respond to imminent impact in ways that minimize passenger injury. Isn’t all that the beginning of self-drive?</div>
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Time frame: 2020 for the first workable self drive concept car from a major car manufacturer. A while longer before they are driving down your block.</div>
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<span style="font-weight: 600;"><u>(7) FAX will still be a technology in somewhat common use.</u></span></div>
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Really.</div>
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Time frame: 2020</div>
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Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-33910292110902174902019-11-30T06:59:00.001-08:002019-11-30T06:59:07.148-08:00Improbable Tech in Entertainment<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;"><b><i><span style="color: #0c343d;">Suspending Disbelief<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Here’s a topic I’m betting many of my technology-industry friends can relate to. As techies, we have a reasonably strong sense of the state of the art when it comes to tech portrayed in popular culture and entertainment. In my own case, I understand certain online communications, networked multimedia delivery, encryption, and geolocation well enough to know when television and the movies use these technologies in ways that strain credulity.<span style="font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">When it comes to a superhero movie like Iron Man or Aquaman, or a sci-fi space adventure like Star Wars, it’s easy. We all know that we check our sense of reality at the door. These movies are taking place in an alternate reality in which technologies like flying suits, magic tridents, and light-sabers (“a more elegant weapon for a more civilized age”) exist. With Star Wars we accept light-sabers and death stars easily. After all, the stories are taking place in a galaxy far, far away and maybe they have different physics and different tech. But in television dramas like the CSI shows or The Blacklist, which seem to take place in our real world with no aliens or super heroes, some of the use of technologies can be jarring.<span style="font-size: 13pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">In CSI (Crime Scene Investigations), we see some incredible things happen with technology that can strain our sense of what’s actually possible. Characters use their technologies to assemble and correlate data and present it in 3D visual interfaces in seconds, bringing absolute clarity and rock-solid conclusions. In a favorite TV show of mine, The Blacklist, FBI agents work wonders like intercepting communications that use encryption of unknown origin and break that encryption in seconds (while some timer counts down to zero). The communicating endpoints are identified down to the room number when the right supporting character is present in the FBI command center, and that character then brings up a full 3D rendering of the buildings involved to show us where the people involved are standing.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">While I recognize that government agencies almost certainly have technologies that I haven’t heard of, to the best of my understanding the things described above are not realistic. The state of the art wouldn’t really allow that, but because I love these high drama shows and movies that provide me with some enjoyment through escapism I’m entirely okay with it. I suspend disbelief and enjoy it, and maybe even appreciate that while these things may not be practical or even possible in 2019, maybe they will seem more realistic in the future. Maybe pop culture tech will continue to be a window into our future, the way Star Trek communicators, tablet computers, and voice commands inspired real technologies for years to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Either way, I’m personally happy to take my television and movies with a healthy dose of improbable technology. For me it actually enhances the entertainment value rather than prompting me to complain about a lack of authenticity. How about you? Do you prefer your pop-culture tech to be very real or do you like some alternate reality escapism like I do?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Leave a comment and let us know.<span style="font-size: 13pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, and share it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</b></div>
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Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-43058899095121546022019-10-31T19:19:00.002-07:002019-10-31T19:32:31.667-07:00Sportfishing in Cabo<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt;">
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Last weekend I got the chance to go fishing in one of the most amazing spots in the world – Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. In this blog post I’ll share a description along with some photos and video clips.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">Our charter boat</span></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The opportunity came along because my wife Tacey had business in San Jose Del Cabo, a short distance east of Cabo San Lucas. She and her co-workers were there earlier in the week and while most headed home after business concluded, Tacey and a few others stayed on for a few days along with their partners to enjoy the location. I flew in late in the week as their business was ending. We stayed for a few days in a beautiful beachfront all-inclusive resort, and would fish on Saturday.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Buying live bait on the way out</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I’m a planner and if I know I’ll be visiting a place where the fishing can be good, I’ll research the seasonal fishing opportunities and the boats that ply the trade. I’ll call and ask questions, and make specific arrangements, and that’s what I had done here. After some research back in August, I ended up booking with <a href="https://kingfishcabo.com/fishing-cabo-san-lucas/" target="_blank">Kingfish Cabo</a> and they did a great job for us. We chartered a 40’ Riviera sportfishing boat with an experienced captain and crew. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">At the Arch</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Originally, the plan was for Tacey and I to fish alone, but since two of her coworkers were still in the area and wanted to fish, and since a sportfishing charter like this can handle up to 6, we made it a group. Tacey and I were joined by two other couples – Ric and Lorraine, and Chris and Rachel. Early on Saturday, we all took the 30-minute Uber ride down to Cabo San Lucas to board a fishing boat I had chartered two months earlier.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The boat, Los Compadres, was in great condition and was well equipped, as advertised. It had a full crew including captain Carlos, who had 25 years of local fishing experience, and a crew that included two mates, Juan and Victor, on deck. Having one mate is typical but they explained that when trolling a full pattern of lures and baits, clearing lines after a strike was best handled by two mates. In these situations on other charters, I’ve helped to clear lines but I certainly didn’t object to the extra hands. </span><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Captain Carlos</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKqQQqxkqquCNECeVlrCrW0QCVkXhEoYbWW9CKHSjXwiqqkIziGT9LaO7BxgL3_7Bus8mpkL3w1h38rd0bD2ZW8OuYvZDm5BHbyyAYGUQ_BEVPeS1C-GaJ6-d_1kKu9out0s7W_frV1E/s1600/05-Chris_Ric.HEIC" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfKqQQqxkqquCNECeVlrCrW0QCVkXhEoYbWW9CKHSjXwiqqkIziGT9LaO7BxgL3_7Bus8mpkL3w1h38rd0bD2ZW8OuYvZDm5BHbyyAYGUQ_BEVPeS1C-GaJ6-d_1kKu9out0s7W_frV1E/s200/05-Chris_Ric.HEIC" width="200" /></a> </span></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: blue; font-size: x-small;">Chris and Ric</span></span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 255); color: blue; font-size: x-small;">Chef Ventura</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">A final crew member, Ventura, was our private chef. He had coffee, fruit, and pastry for us as we arrived at 7am, and when lunchtime rolled around he had prepared two kinds of fresh ceviche and three kinds of tacos for us all, and even some sashimi at the end of the trip. The charter also provided a big cooler full of local beers like Tecate, Pacifico, and Corona, as well as plenty of water. Back in the galley, Ventura had Tequila for us so that we could drink Margaritas as we headed back to port in the afternoon.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The main story, though, is about the fishing. This is a great time of year to fish in Cabo as many coveted gamefish are around and close to shore. Throughout the previous week, a major Blue Marlin tournament was underway and as a result all the pros in the area were well informed about what was biting and where either because they fished in the tournament or spoke to those who did. I had originally expressed an interest in fishing for Wahoo (a tasty gamefish I have yet to catch) and our crew said they’d look for them, but also said that we were likely to encounter Striped Marlin. That sounded good to me. I’d caught Sailfish and Pacific Spearfish before, and I’d been on boats where others landed Striped Marlin, but I hadn’t caught one yet. I should mention that while wahoo is a fish kept for food, marlin of all kinds are revived and released after a few photos. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Fishing begins</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The boat got underway just after 7am, and our gang of six decided to ride up in the fly bridge. As we cleared the marina our first stop was at the local bait boats where the mate bought some mackerel for the live-well and some ballyhoo to be rigged. From there we proceeded out to open water and watched a beautiful sunrise as we rounded the famous Cabo Arch area. From there, Los Compadres and several other sport fishing boats throttled up for the run to the fishing grounds. After only about 25 minutes ride to the northwest, never more than a few miles from shore, we were ready to fish. The mates lowered the outriggers and got a pattern of 8 lines out to troll, with a mix of lures and baits.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh48rcPbpohzyHiLTe65vqry8tatlK50NhQlSr5y0A8u-9wv2dEQC8eaTyOsM-J0kpIedzUdhokn2ENmo_HuvTJoBnnFdsvC_zMYbP7SPqTF1PEq2jUOogmavnbD4cYyK44UhWbvj3iRU/s1600/18d-Deke-Marlin4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjh48rcPbpohzyHiLTe65vqry8tatlK50NhQlSr5y0A8u-9wv2dEQC8eaTyOsM-J0kpIedzUdhokn2ENmo_HuvTJoBnnFdsvC_zMYbP7SPqTF1PEq2jUOogmavnbD4cYyK44UhWbvj3iRU/s320/18d-Deke-Marlin4.JPG" width="320" /></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The first strike came after about 40 minutes. The group quickly encouraged me to take it, so I grabbed the rod and hopped into the fighting chair. The mates told us it was a striped marlin as I started the fight. Early on the fish took line faster than I got line back, but after 25 minutes and three runs, the fish was alongside. We hauled it in and got some photos and took a measure, and then let it free to fight another day. The marlin was a beauty, at 92” in length.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtGaRzjpMW1I-GQOycMsM3Hzxi1zsNUbyz3v95UA-hjLdgycVULX2_Ek13n65IXgjl-36FrLlcO6yZ7EA3ki76ErVqYNTV8vS3hVEUkVSZ_qoQNX8ommYoxDVuO4y2nUQIln7zFCPGMzU/s1600/11-TaceyMarlin1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtGaRzjpMW1I-GQOycMsM3Hzxi1zsNUbyz3v95UA-hjLdgycVULX2_Ek13n65IXgjl-36FrLlcO6yZ7EA3ki76ErVqYNTV8vS3hVEUkVSZ_qoQNX8ommYoxDVuO4y2nUQIln7zFCPGMzU/s200/11-TaceyMarlin1.jpg" width="150" /></span></a><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">Over the next three hours, we landed two more. Ric caught one of similar size and his did some beautiful tail dancing during the fight. Chris fought one that got off the hook, and then later landed one of about 96”. Each fight was 20-30 minutes and featured some great jumps and many exciting photos and video clips. We revived both fish carefully and sent them on their way after some photos. We then dug into the ceviche and tacos, as well as the beer, while the boat trolled some lines on a long run back towards home port. After a while, though, the captain up in the fly bridge saw some serious fish activity in the distance and we pulled all the lines in and ran flat out to get in on it. Once there, the fish hit the lines right away. Tacey decided to get in on the fun and took a rod to the fighting chair, and a moment later a second hookup happened and I took the rod. With the chair occupied, I needed to fight the fish standing up which was extra hard but extra fun. A third fish raced past the stern and picked up one of our baits, but dropped it quickly. For the next half hour, Tacey and I fought the two striped marlin at once. They dove down deep, they peeled off line, the jumped, and we got back line when we could. In the end, she landed a 96” fish and I got the biggest marlin of the day at 104”. Again, photos and measurements and high fives all around, and then release.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">It was finally time to head in, and we drank beers and margaritas and relived our catches. We took pictures with the crew and again saw the Cabo Arch. As we approached the marina we ran up the capture flags. As they went up we were surprised to see sea lions following behind us. The mates weren’t surprised though. The sea lions apparently do this every day. They hopped up one at a time on the boat’s stern swim platform and looking every bit like a friendly dog, begged for fish. We tossed them mackerel, which they ate, and ballyhoo, which they didn’t.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">The boat arrived at its slip in the marina and after a few more photos with the crew we said our goodbyes. It was a great day and though we were exhausted, we hiked a few blocks through Cabo … to get a little food and drink at Cabo Wabo, the famous Sammy Haggar cantina.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: blue; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Pancho the Sea Lion</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">I can only say that it was a magical day fishing. The boat and crew were great, the ride was smooth, the scenery was amazing, and the fish were biting. So many fishing days don’t work out, but we fish knowing that once in a great while, a perfect day like this one comes together. The trick is to know how lucky you are when it does.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><b>Links</b>:</span></div>
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<li><a href="https://kingfishcabo.com/fishing-cabo-san-lucas/" style="color: #954f72;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;">https://kingfishcabo.com/fishing-cabo-san-lucas/</span></a></li>
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<b style="color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, and share it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</b></div>
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Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-78873933989223634192019-09-19T08:43:00.002-07:002019-09-19T08:43:12.994-07:00Never Too Old to Rock and Roll<b><span style="color: blue; font-size: large;">A Lifelong Love for Music</span></b><div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thelavarocks.com/">http://www.thelavarocks.com</a></td></tr>
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I've been playing piano since I was about 5 years old. My mother was a classically trained pianist, and my father was an operatic tenor who for a time had a small performing opera company. Neither were professional musicians, but both loved and played music late into their lives. They had me take classical piano lessons for about 6 years starting in grade school, but as I discovered rock and roll, I didn't want to play classical music anymore - I wanted to play the songs I heard on the radio. I'm not now and have never been a virtuoso. I've known a great many keyboard players with better skills than mine. But over time I became good at learning to play songs by ear and occasionally found some sheet music. Most of all, I enjoyed playing music that I liked to listen to written by musicians and composers I admired.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 12.800000190734863px; text-align: center;">Ezra, Don, Nick, Jeff</td></tr>
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Over time, I met other musicians and was lucky enough to play in a string of bands in my teens and twenties, many of which performed for the public. As I got into my late twenties, though, my wife and I were raising three boys and building our careers and my music took a back seat. I still had a piano in the house – actually the grand piano that my mother played and that I learned on – but I played it only rarely and almost never with other musicians. In 2011 and 2012 I briefly tried to get one of my old bands back together, but it fizzled quickly and then, very sadly, one of the band members passed away.<div>
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A few years ago, with my kids now grown and careers well established, it felt like time to play again. Some neighborhood guys had recently put together a weekly jam at which people would show up, call out a tune, and we'd all try to play it. Often it worked out well, and I was having fun. Over the weeks and months I began to shake off the rust and to play a little better, and slowly I got to know some of the players and found some had similar tastes in music and complimentary styles. </div>
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Organically, in mid-2018, a few of us began to talk about putting a band together. Originally, this was a guitar player named Nick, a mandolin and lap-steel player named Don, a guitar player named Ezra who hosted the weekly jam, and me on keyboards. Don would sometimes play bass, and at other times my left hand would be the bass. We began to practice weekly, separate from the jam, and to develop a catalog of music that we could all agree upon. We went through a few drummers and eventually landed with a local guy named Jeff. Having met each other at the Sunday jams at Ezra's house in a town named Laverock, I began to call the band The Lava Rocks and the name stuck.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrRLPsiOGUYPuGwGJrmi1F4NZeoBcpbFdesyEFri6PmCI_O8hMwc3xeSyqPsFT5j6vbXe4tAj1bjlm4dGlhYjZmj1roVqK1y1ku46G5NuEW7CJ2hbHX1hpCeDvL3TpFGx9bnegrQjCvY/s1600/Band1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYrRLPsiOGUYPuGwGJrmi1F4NZeoBcpbFdesyEFri6PmCI_O8hMwc3xeSyqPsFT5j6vbXe4tAj1bjlm4dGlhYjZmj1roVqK1y1ku46G5NuEW7CJ2hbHX1hpCeDvL3TpFGx9bnegrQjCvY/s200/Band1.JPG" width="200" /></a>During 2019, the band really came together. We had moved practices to my basement where I had a PA and microphones, and we developed a catalog of 30 or so songs. The music is what most people call "Classic Rock," including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Tom Petty, The Eagles and others. We played a private party at my house to try it all out and it was well-received, and we recorded a few songs at a local recording studio and put them up on our new web site (<a href="http://www.thelavarocks.com/">www.TheLavaRocks.com</a>). Next, we got booked at a local bar called <a href="http://www.themermaidinn.net/home.html" target="_blank">The Mermaid Inn</a> in Chestnut Hill late this summer. We invited friends and family and played a full show. People seemed to have a great time, which is the real measure of success as far as I'm concerned. Some photos from that first show are included here.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORiJZZ-McsCyhLoU6VxP4u-jyL05WaLrQnvgLrpRlQLXx2JEr3M7ux7ztnTey_vdSH10GhTdsYnMG8QvssL0lR-4LftQN7xU18iZeiYMdHcOH8zSeCtdQXhFMY1Sh6pbt-9TGYU1IifI/s1600/Linedup03.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1084" data-original-width="1600" height="135" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiORiJZZ-McsCyhLoU6VxP4u-jyL05WaLrQnvgLrpRlQLXx2JEr3M7ux7ztnTey_vdSH10GhTdsYnMG8QvssL0lR-4LftQN7xU18iZeiYMdHcOH8zSeCtdQXhFMY1Sh6pbt-9TGYU1IifI/s200/Linedup03.JPG" width="200" /></a>The Lava Rocks are having a blast. We range in age from late 40s to mid 60s, and none of us are slowing down. The Mermaid wants us back in the coming year, and we are talking with 3 or 4 other bars where we'd like to play in the coming months. </div>
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The Lava Rocks - Ezra, Nick, Don, Jeff and I - are proof that you're never too old to rock and roll!</div>
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<b style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, and share it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</b></div>
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Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-75905328190799873512019-08-28T14:11:00.001-07:002019-08-28T14:11:09.648-07:00Fishing Big<span style="color: #38761d; font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif;"><b>Tuna and Striped Bass</b></span><br />
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Earlier this month, I got to do some serious offshore fishing with my sons Steve (28), Rich (26) and Mike (21) out of Montauk, NY. While we primarily do salt water fishing together on our own boats on the southeast shore of Long Island, once in a while we like to charter a fishing boat to take us places we don’t go, in hopes of a great catch and to teach us new techniques. With that in mind, we chartered a boat out of Montauk, NY, to fish off Block Island and offshore to the south for Striped Bass and Sharks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEbiAA7heu5Es9WfZe3D49JmsNqyG-3RvyT31z936bRgoXPt0y-tQlPkxxU3vlbC7WcJ08ZdwqkYbkHgSTwBWMi2B7Sd5oWN0hZF4HZQG_UI9NN3cMI50-WdOtf5AK4msJNw9tU3w3wA/s1600/Halfback.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="408" data-original-width="735" height="110" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqEbiAA7heu5Es9WfZe3D49JmsNqyG-3RvyT31z936bRgoXPt0y-tQlPkxxU3vlbC7WcJ08ZdwqkYbkHgSTwBWMi2B7Sd5oWN0hZF4HZQG_UI9NN3cMI50-WdOtf5AK4msJNw9tU3w3wA/s200/Halfback.png" width="200" /></a>We started out our adventure by heading to Montauk the day before our fishing trip to enjoy the town and walk around the marina, and to be ready to make an early start the next day. We had a great family afternoon and a great seafood dinner overlooking the inlet, and got to bed early so that we were able to get to the docks just after 5am with a cooler full of cold drinks and sandwiches. We hoped to fill that cooler with fresh fish by late afternoon!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fishing as the sun comes up</td></tr>
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We met Captain Art and his able deck hand Dylan, who was about the age of my older sons, we confirmed our plans for the day, and then shoved off from the dock on the 39’ Hatteras express “Halfback” before the sun came up. As we left the Montauk inlet on a heading toward Block Island, part way to Martha’s Vineyard, we talked some more about our plans. We’d start with a little Striped Bass fishing and then move onto some shark fishing, possibly stopping back to fish for Striped Bass on the way back to Montauk at the end of the day. The captain was quick to point out that we’d certainly adjust our plans to respond to conditions and what we saw on the fish finder, and we agreed. That was how we typically fish as well – have a plan to start off, and adjust to the situation for the best chance to catch fish.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steve fights a big bluefish</td></tr>
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So off we went, toward block island. Just 20 minutes into the run, the captain saw big bait balls under the boat and signs of predators chasing them. He figured we were seeing big bluefish, so we got some umbrella rigs set up and dropped them in for some fast trolling. In no time we had a few big bluefish hitting the decks, with plans to filet them to create some irresistible shark baits for later in the day. We kept the carcasses too, since they’d also help to bring sharks around. Soon enough we were back on the run out to Block Island.<o:p></o:p></div>
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By 7:30am we were a short distance due west of Block Island and ready to drop some wire-line rigged tube lures that look like eels to try to attract big Striped Bass. Over the next hour, four or five nice striped bass hit the decks, two of which were large enough to be keepers. One was Mike’s first keeper, and perhaps his biggest fish yet. We got these nice fish onto ice, grabbed some cold drinks, and talked about what to do next. We could fish some more for Stripers, but the favorable tide was running out, so we decided to head south, off shore from Block Island, to fish for sharks. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mike's first keeper Striped Bass</td></tr>
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About an hour later we got to a nice ridge or fall-off to deep water, a place where there’d be an ecosystem that supports sharks. We got the boat into place and figured out our drift, and then we got to work getting a chum slick started, using chum pots full of frozen ground bunker and lots of cut up mackerel chunks tossed into the water a few at a time every few minutes. Slowly, a slick started to develop in our wake as the boat drifted. We tracked the speed and course of our drift and put several lines into the water on heavy rods with big floats and big hooks, each with a juicy fresh bluefish filet from the fish caught early in the trip. With good conditions, good chum, and good baits in place, we waited. Mike and Rich took turns with the captain up on the Tuna Tower looking out for signs of sharks around the boat, while the rest of us stayed in the stern area watching the rods and floats and listening for the click-click-click of the reel that means that a shark has taken one of the baits.<o:p></o:p></div>
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At times like these, the waiting is the hard part. It was a beautiful day, and the seas were calm, and it’s easy to get bored and sleepy (especially given how early we woke up). But we stayed vigilant and hour after hour watched the water around the boat and stood ready to grab a rod when a shark strike happened. We all knew that the boredom could quickly turn into chaos as we responded to a strike by getting other lines out of the way, getting a fighting belt onto an angler, and getting the fight underway.<o:p></o:p></div>
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A few hours into the wait, I saw a fin slicing the surface about 100 yards away and called it out to the others. We all locked in on it and watched it cut the surface for 50 feet, then disappear, then pop up again nearby to do it again – sometimes in the opposite direction. We figured we were seeing 2 or maybe 3 sharks near the boat taking interest in our slick. We shook the chum pot to add to the attraction near the boat, and we put one of the bluefish carcasses into the water. The sharks were around, but not yet taking the bait.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMYVlQJJYWnQTIEAaSKRx16lyVQd96GBxmO_ttBtLYNgo6M0i5G1hXN728jhIoAjI6Ps5I0JmcFQQS8Ry3oX0O2lgve5b1nLqKD6kPWuqRcSbIx65kki_C8dPsz38Lx-i6K4nK7ziB56k/s1600/Screen+Shot+2019-08-28+at+5.07.04+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="373" data-original-width="565" height="131" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMYVlQJJYWnQTIEAaSKRx16lyVQd96GBxmO_ttBtLYNgo6M0i5G1hXN728jhIoAjI6Ps5I0JmcFQQS8Ry3oX0O2lgve5b1nLqKD6kPWuqRcSbIx65kki_C8dPsz38Lx-i6K4nK7ziB56k/s200/Screen+Shot+2019-08-28+at+5.07.04+PM.png" width="200" /></a>At this point, the mate started noticing some mahi-mahi near the boat. We quickly got some lighter rods out and the mate tried to get one of these colorful and tasty fish onto a hook by casting lures their way. Soon, we saw that quite a few of these colorful fish were around the boat, but like the sharks, none were biting. At that point, something crazy started happening. We saw a shark jump clear out of the water, full body maybe up 4 feet from the surface, and spiraling like a football, it went back into the water. And then we saw it happen again. And again. Over the next half-hour we saw this happen about 20 times. I got a little cell phone video of this happening, but it wasn’t easy. They were a good 50 yards away most times and we never knew where it would happen in the huge expanse of water around us.<br />
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We eventually figured that what was happening was that our slick attracted a large amount of mahi-mahi, and that the sharks (which we now believed were Spinner Sharks), were feeding on the fresh live mahi and couldn’t care less about our baits. The day was getting later and the captain and mate and I discussed options. Should we head back to fish for Stripers some more, stay and fish for sharks, or take a chance on trolling for some tuna? That last sounded attractive, but we knew it would be a low probability. I decided to skip the Striper fishing (that’s something we can do on our own), fish a little longer for sharks, and then, at the suggestion of Dylan, our mate, set up a pattern of lures to troll for Tuna on the way home.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In the end, we never did get a shark hookup and I think the captain and mate were feeling badly about that, so they tried extra hard for us by staying out a little late and setting up a serious spread of lures for tuna. It would be Rich’s turn on the rod if we got a hookup and he was up in the tuna tower keeping a lookout. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rich lands the prize - a Bluefin Tuna</td></tr>
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As our time was running out, I saw a sturdy port-side rod bend over almost double. Hookup! Rich flew down the ladder and the mate and I cleared the extra lines. Steve helped Rich get a fighting belt secured around his waist and the fight began. Rich fought that fish for a good long while. The fish didn’t want to give ground and Rich had to keep the heavy rod angled just right while the boat continued forward and the fish fought. The mate was ready with a gaff (a heavy hook on a long rod used to haul the fish in) and was giving Rich instructions. The rest of us were helping in small ways, adjusting the belt, clearing obstacles, helping to get the line spread evenly on the reel at times. I opened the tuna door at the stern as the fish got close. We saw color and knew it was a tuna! Just as the mate got the leader, the tuna decided he wasn’t yet ready to give up and took another run. The mate dropped the leader and made way, and Rich held on and fought the fish some more. A few minutes later, the fish was alongside at the port side again and the mate landed a clean blow with the gaff and hauled a beautiful bluefin tuna over the side. It was a magic moment. High fives all around as Rich caught his breath. He had landed his first tuna and in that moment the trip went from disappointing to great. Dylan bled the tuna and got it iced down quickly.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With the mate, Dylan</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dylan cleans the fish</td></tr>
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We celebrated all the way back to Montauk as the mate cleaned up the boat. Smiles and nods and thoughts of fresh Striped Bass on the grill and fresh Tuna sashimi for all. Back at the dock, Dylan weighed our fish and we got several photos. Dylan got the knives out to turn those fish into filets and steaks, and he helped us with a great tuna tradition – the angler who lands his first tuna eats the heart raw, immediately after it’s cut from the fish. This sounds barbaric, but it’s a tradition, and it’s all about the transfer of energy from a great ocean beast to the angler who caught him. Rich took a great big bite and shared some with the mate and with his brothers.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sons show off their catches</td></tr>
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We drove back to our summer house in East Quogue and I got some of the Striped Bass filets onto the grill for our late dinner while Steve, our resident chef and butcher, processed the tuna loins into steaks and vacuum-packed them for all of us. It was a great trip with a delicious end-product, and a great memory for me to share with my sons.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<o:p><b style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: purple; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.199999809265137px;">Thanks for reading! A blog works best with active participation. If you enjoy this blog, leave a comment, and share it on your favorite social network. More readers will drive more discussion.</b></o:p></div>
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Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6358972472162851766.post-36351911986240791462019-07-29T17:24:00.002-07:002019-07-29T17:24:17.709-07:00Another Summer Fishing TournamentAs we do <a href="https://rapidgroove.blogspot.com/2018/07/competitive-fluke-fishing.html" target="_blank">every year</a>, my sons and I fished a local Fluke (also called Summer Flounder) tournament in late July this year. And like every year, we caught our share of fish, had a fish at weigh-in at the end of the day ... and didn't win. And we are okay with that, because we had a great day of fishing and a lot of fun.<br />
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This year, the <a href="http://www.shinnecockshores.org/" target="_blank">Shinnecock Shores</a> Fluke Tournament was held on Saturday July 20th, from 7am to 3pm with weigh-in from 3-4pm. It's a small local tournament fished by amateurs like me from the community. This year we had 18 boats entered, and their captains each paid a $50 entry fee. The rules are very simple: the heaviest <a href="https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7917.html" target="_blank">legal-sized</a> Fluke (not the longest) wins the grand prize. It must be caught that day, after 7am, by an angler on a registered boat, and it must be presented at weigh-in before 4pm. There's also a "consolation prize" for the heaviest Sea Robin, a nuisance fish that feeds on the bottom and steals bait and isn't considered to be as tasty. The prize for the biggest Fluke this year was $850, and for the biggest Sea Robin just $50.<br />
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It has been an odd year for Fluke fishing for a few reasons. First, there are more Fluke around than in most years, so we've been catching a lot, but the vast majority are "shorts" or fish that are below the <a href="https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7917.html" target="_blank">legal limit</a> of 19". Second, there are far fewer Sea Robins around this year than in the last few, which is great since it allows the focus to be on Fluke. Third, the usual spot for the largest local Fluke, the Shinnecock Reef three miles off shore in the Ocean has been holding lots of Sea Bass and even Mackerel, but not many Fluke. With all of that as context we had a strange fishing day. We fished the morning incoming tide for several hours, came home for a quick lunch and to regroup and freshen up our bait, and then fished a few more hours of the outgoing tide before hustling our best fish over to weigh-in. We caught 50 Fluke over the course of the day, and weren't very bothered by the usual brigade of Sea Robins. We chose to fish in Shinnecock Bay for most of the day, rather than the Ocean, because we knew that the Ocean seemed to have fewer Fluke lately. In the end, though, we caught our only keeper for the day, a mere 19.25", in the Ocean.<br />
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At weigh-in, only 5 boats presented fish. Most apparently had only shorts all day. We ended up having one of two fish just over 2.2 lbs, tied for 4th. The other fish were obviously larger, but the winner won by a long-shot, weighing in at over 7 lbs. We hear the angler took his boat to Montauk to fish for bigger fish. That's a big time and fuel commitment, and more than most of us would be willing to do, but his investment paid off.<br />
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After the tournament and weigh in were over, Shinnecock Shores held a great $25/person Lobster Fest that many fishermen and non-fishermen enjoyed together. My family brought along a cooler of beer and feasted on lobster, corn, coleslaw, and more and it was a great end to a fun day.<br />
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Next year, we're going to win the Fluke Tournament! At least, we'll try hard - as we always do.<br />
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<b>Links</b>:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://rapidgroove.blogspot.com/2018/07/competitive-fluke-fishing.html">https://rapidgroove.blogspot.com/2018/07/competitive-fluke-fishing.html</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7917.html">https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7917.html</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.shinnecockshores.org/">http://www.shinnecockshores.org</a></li>
</ul>
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<br />Deke Kassabianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06890758554797428710noreply@blogger.com0