This article on WebMD should be of interest to folks who are taking Pepcid to combat Asian Blush.

Aug. 3, 2007 – Long-term use of H2 blockers, including Axid, Pepcid, Tagamet, and Zantac, may increase the risk of mental decline in later life…

The study showed that after taking into account other factors, elderly people who reported “continuous use” of H2 blockers had a 2.4-fold higher chance of some form of cognitive impairment.

The article cites a study on 1,558 over-65 African-Americans, and only concludes that more study is needed.

Last night, I divided 240 by 4 and got 80. The curse strikes again!

Roaming around San Francisco has been a lot of fun. I pick a random restaurant within walking distance of wherever I end up sleeping and go hang out there to work on my computer for a few hours. Because my friends who aren’t on normal working schedules have either moved away or had babies, I live mostly in solitude during week days. And so, I wander around and hang out with the people around me (even though I don’t actually talk to anyone except for wait staff).

Yesterday, at Yummy Yummy (in the Sunset), two of the guys who work there saw a big photo of a shark on my computer screen and had a conversation about it. Here’s how I imagined that it went:

Waiter 1: “Whoah! Check out that shark! That’s really cool!”

Waiter 2: “Are you crazy? That thing would bite your head off in an instant.”

Waiter 1: “Whatever. That’s the coolest thing ever.”

Waiter 2: “Hmm. I’m getting hungry…”

I recognized one of the waiters as having been there when I was a regular customer 8-9 years ago (when my ex-girlfriend lived out in the Sunset). Dave says there is a guy there who will talk your ear off while you eat, but I haven’t met him, yet.

these people are 10 years younger than I am [see all photos]

A week ago, Peter and my cousin, Charlotte, invited me over for a barbecue at their place in Mountain View. Man, did I feel old. Most of the people there were software engineers, still young enough to have that sense of excited empowerment — like they could take over the world one day. I hope they hang onto that energy!

And Peter — nice steaks, even though I didn’t eat one. You’re a natural. :) [see all photos]

I am searching for the best car mount for my iPhone. In my old Subaru, I used a cheapie $4 vent mount from the local carwash to hold my (old) Blackberry. Unfortunately, that sort of aesthetic doesn’t match my current car (and, it rubbed the paint off of the contact areas). :)

I tried an iGrip cigarette lighter adapter mount, but it was so tight fitting that it pulled the metal ring of my cig lighter adapter right out (!), and now, I have to bring my car in to get it fixed. The suction cup version is more ghetto, but might look and work fine. I think I’ll give it a try.

Anyone have a good solution? I know I shouldn’t be using the phone in the car, but the stupid iPhone doesn’t have voicedial.

Baby Jack watches the game with Dad

Being pseudo-homeless at the moment, I spent the last two days down at Stanford with Geoff, Livia, and Baby Jack (Palo Alto: so clear! so cold!). I felt very domestic, even though Geoff and Livia never let me do any work when I’m at their place. Baby Jack is learning quickly; it’s a lot of fun to hang out with him now because he understands pretty much everything you say to him.

Mandy and Elliot came by to see Jack, and Jack instantly fell in love with Mandy. It was funny — he started acting really weird as soon as Mandy walked in the door. (read more »)

The Taiwanese presidential election is tomorrow, and my parents and their friends are rallying for the DPP. I am no expert in politics in Taiwan, but it seems like a mess.

Our close family friend, Judy Lin Linton, has written something about the KMT on her website. It’s in Mandarin, but at the bottom of the page is an English translation.

I have blurry memories of first meeting Judy when she fled to the States. My mom told me the details of her family tragedy, but I have a hard time imagining the forgiveness she must have in her heart that enables her not to hate the organization that jailed her father and murdered her sisters and grandmother.

Call log for the day, so far:

Only 12 more hours of this before I get to stumble into bed.

I went to pick up Geoff and Livia from the airport this afternoon. Livia just finished recording a new album up in Banff, which I would have loved to have participate in had the stars been properly aligned. I hadn’t seen Baby Jack in a few weeks, but when he saw me on the airport curb, he got excited and reached out to be transfered to me from his mom.

That was pretty cool.

I was listening to a bit of Vienna Teng’s music tonight while going over to Obama’s website to donate, and an amazing thing happened when Obama’s video started playing… (read more »)

jim and me

I have been working non-stop over the last two days to help my good friend, Jim Abernethy, whose shark diving operation has just experienced the first mortality from shark bite in the history of organized shark diving.

I’ve been keeping an up-to-date webpage on Wetpixel that lists the details of the bite along with stories in the media (that all say the “attack” was in Florida, for some reason).

My friend, Rob Stewart, will be on the Today Show and CNN tomorrow. Although he will officially be on the show to talk about his film, Sharkwater, we’re all sure that they’re going to be talking primarily about this shark bite incident. Its is likely they will be using footage from Shark Angels, a project I have been involved with since November. (read more »)

Hello, all. I urgently need advice about what kind of video surveillance system to get. Our building is under attack by thieves (car stolen out of the garage last night), and we want to make sure we have the building’s common areas recorded. We have video footage of the two people who stole the car because there was already a camera in the garage, but we need more cameras to track movement inside the building if it happens again.

We need a 6-8 camera system with the best black + white, low-light cameras we can find. The video should be recorded onto a hard disk (existing computer, probably).

Any tips? Thank you!

It’s impossible to tell how many people are reading my journal these days because so many people read via RSS. I’d like to say that I’m sharing photos here just for me, but wouldn’t be entirely true. And the only way I know you’re out there is if you leave comments! So… anyway, now you know how I feel. I’ll continue to post photos. :)

I’m in a concrete box in Hawaii. I am using a sleeping bag rated for below freezing. There are tons of tiny ants around, and I’m afraid they will invade. I am exhausted. I am behind. But at least I’m here.

eugene, on jeopardy!

Hey, an old classmate of mine, Eugene Hung, will be on Jeopardy tonight (January 29, 2008) tomorrow night, January 30, in the Bay Area*. He’s a really smart dude. Good luck, Eugene! [video intro]

* Eugene says, “Monday’s episode was preempted by State of the Union in Bay Area. Other parts of the country saw me [today], Bay Area has to wait until tomorrow.”

Eric: I am looking for a really-small USB headset.
Friends: Have you tried Bluetooth headsets!? They’re small!!
Eric: Yes, I’ve tried Bluetooth. It doesn’t work in urban environments.
Friends: I like Bluetooth. They are really small.
Eric: I hate Bluetooth. I had to retire my mouse because there is so much 2.4Ghz noise in urban environments.
Friends: Have you tried Bluetooth?

I’m going to stop asking for input.

But special thanks to Roget, who has gone out of his way to be helpful. :) And also, Victor A., who suggested the Plantronics .Audio 400 foldable headset. This is the headset I use already. I’m looking for one I can use on the road (much smaller). I don’t think it exists.

carolyn celebrates her birthday @ junoon

I really enjoy going to Nash events because in addition to celebrating whatever event is at hand, I get to see old friends that I don’t get to see regularly. It’s also a reminder of the career path I could have chosen had I not been derailed by the ocean (and by my own inability to stay confined within the tech world). (read more »)

Corinne Chapelle visits

Babies Ella and Jack

Vienna, GG, and intern meet

2 girls, 1… errr, I mean, 3 birds, 1 stone.

shooting guns is fun

Any afternoon with the girlfriend away (not mine) must include Prince Rupert’s drops and shooting guns, followed by dinner with a married woman and her friend.

Right?

amanda with a bobble-head from taiwan

Monica and Wuy cooked up a yummy dinner a week ago for Mandy’s (belated) birthday. I really like hanging out with those guys. [photos @ flickr]