The Start of It All - My First Computer Science Course

 

I stumbled across this gem this week.  It is my notes binder from my first computer science course at Cal State Chico on January 26, 1983.   

The first time I logged into a computer was for this FORTRAN class.  I had used punch cards for an Oklahoma State University course a couple of years prior, but never did I sit down at a screen and keyboard until this FORTRAN class.

Four years later, I was hired as a software engineer in San Diego which started an over 30 years career developing software.  It is incredible to think that it all started on this page of this 38 year old binder.

I just looked up the teacher Michael Slavich on Linkedin.  He apparently taught at Chico State for two more years before he launched into a 30+ year career at Hewlett-Packard.  Thank you Michael for helping me launch a career of my own.

Troy Loses A Tooth

 

We went out to dinner at Miguel's.  During dinner, Troy lost a tooth, a molar.  He won't be losing too many more as he is quickly turning into a young man.  

The Chapel in the Cemetery

 

The second in a series.  This is another design I developed while an Architecture major at Oklahoma State University.   The assignment was to design a small footprint chapel that would be at the edge of an urban cemetery.

The design I came up with was based on triangles, since they seem to naturally lend themselves to this type of building, with the apex pointing skyward.

It was a simple design with a smaller triangle joining a larger triangle to form a complete building.  Sort of like generations in a family.  Heritage.  The natural progression of life.

This view shows the first thing I would change if I were to update this design.  I have no idea why I didn't have the window panes in the smaller triangle line up with those in the larger triangle.   That's the first thing I would change today.  I suspect I inked in the smaller triangle first then realized that scale didn't lend itself well to the larger structure.

This shows it at the entrance to the cemetery.

My instructor found a flaw in the design:  the orientation of the pews meant that the person speaking would be standing where the roof pierces the ground, bringing the eye downward.  He had a solution which involved a fairly large redesign that I'll show in a future post. 

Looking at it today,  I think the solution was much more simple:  simply push the pews to the other end of the room and have those seated face the other direction.  Place the stage on a platform above the Lecture Room with doors between the rooms placed on both sides of the stage.  Those sitting in the pews would look up to the speaker and their eyes would naturally rise to the high point in the room, towards the heavens.

The Law Office

 

I was an Architecture major at Oklahoma State University for a couple of years.  During that time, I completed a number of projects before deciding to switch states, universities and majors - for a variety of reasons.   I held on to those projects and stored them in the back of my closet for four decades and nine moves.

While cleaning out my closet this past weekend, I came across them.  The years have yellowed the boards, peeled a few of the stick-on letters off, and added a few stains.  But they still look pretty decent.

This project was a law office.  I don't remember the specific assignment, but I would imagine they specified a plot of land and the numbers of lawyers.  Based on that, I came up with this design.

Note these were done by hand - presentation boards, ink, t-square and a table.   No computer was used - the first Apple Macintosh didn't hit the market until four years later.

The decades that have passed allow me to see this design through different eyes.

The ground floor lacks any sort of storage area, there is no guest bathroom, and there don't appear to be windows in the conference room.  These are all things I would change if I updated this design.

Upstairs contained two senior partner offices, four junior partner offices, a storage room, library, lounge and rest rooms.  

The lounge lacks a countertop, sink, or fridge.  And I'm pretty sure those lawyers would have wanted floor-to-ceiling windows in their offices, not high mounted slivers of light.

While I still like this design, it is too form over function for me now.  I'm not sure how I'd do it differently today, but one thing I know is that it would be different.

Our Graduate

Troy graduates from fifth grade this week and is now moving on to middle school.

We are so proud of him, such a great young man!   On to bigger and better things!

Now you'll have to get used to being a small fish in a big pond for a bit!

 

Maserati Ghibli Photo Shoot

I finally got around to taking more photos of our newest car.  I was waiting for spring when landscapes are green again. 

So at sunrise in the crisp morning air,  I drove around a bit and took photos.

This is our 2019 Maserati Ghibli S GranLusso.

Exterior Color:  Tri-Coat Blu Nobile

Interior Color: Cuoio

The 'S' denotes the larger of the two engines.  It is a twin-turbo V6 built in the Ferrari factory and shipped over to Maserati's Ghibli production line in the Giovanni Agnelli Plant in Grugliasco near Turin, Italy.  It puts out 424 horsepower.

The "GranLusso" denotes a luxury package.  On the exterior,  this package includes adaptive LED headlights, chrome trim just below the headlights, the "GranLusso" badge just behind the front wheels, body-color side skirts, and a body-colored panel between the tailpipes.

On the inside, the GranLusso package includes a steering wheel with a wood insert. Highway Assist, Traffic Sign Recognition, Harmon Kardon Sound System, full natural drilled leather, and 19-inch Poseidon wheels.  Note that the 19-inch wheels are not on this car - it includes an upgrade to the 20-inch silver Teseo wheels.  It also includes an upgrade from the Harmon Kardon to the Bowers & Wilkens Sound System.

This car includes the optional the Driver Assistance Package:  Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, Surround View Camera, and Advanced BAS.  Advanced BAS could be talking about Maserati's Brake Assist System (BAS) which recognizes emergency braking and increases boost accordingly,  or it could be a mis-spelling on the window sticker and really should be Advanced DAS (Driver Assist System) which includes features such as pulling the car back into the lane if it detects the car drifting - a feature that can be turned off which is how I have it set as it induces a slight panic in me to feel the car ignore my instruction.

Other options on this car include the Cold Weather Package, Umbrella, Luggage Compartment Mat, Luggage Compartment Net, Sunshade, and License Plate Frame.

When the Ghibli first came out in 2014, we went to the dealer in La Jolla and bought one - you can see it here.  In 2014, we bought the base model with very few options:  only navigation and Urano wheels, as I recall.  As we purchased other vehicles with more options, we began missing those options in the 2014.   Since we were driving it much anyway, we sold in after 4 years.  Big mistake!  We really missed the car.

So we began researching what options we would want on a new Ghibli.  My wife told me to just order one from the factory so we would get what we wanted. While circling in on a decision I visited the local Maserati dealer to see the options and colors in person.  This was sitting on the showroom floor with everything we were considering and more.  At an astounding price.  It was such a good deal we decided to end our research and buy it.

We're very happy we did as it is everything we want.  We're hoping this is a forever car for us.

This car hits the sweet spot I love:  performance, luxury, beautiful styling, and a practical size (not too big, not too small).

This photo shows the Cuoio drilled leather seats, the heated black leather and wood steering wheel,  the Open Pore Radica wood, and the Bowers & Wilkens speakers.

The back seat is comfortable for most people, but those over 6 foot 2 will probably need to ride up front.

Adequate leg room.

The 8.4 inch MTC+ - Maserati Touch Control Plus.

LED taillights.

Beautiful hips.

Very elegant yet sporty.

In sunlight, the blue paint really sparkles.  It is hard to capture in photos, but this shows a bit of that coming out.  At mid-day, it is really really full of sparkle!

In any case, we hope you enjoyed the tour of our Ghibli.   
 

Just Walking Down The Street, I saw this 1949 Alfa...

 I was looking through old photos this weekend when I stumbled across these that I took in August 2012 in Carmel.  It was Concours d'Elegance week and the nearby town of Carmel is full of cars and live music and fun in the days surrounding that event.  Somehow when I did my original post on the show back in 2012, I did not talk about this car that was just parked on the street.

We were out looking for a place to have dinner when I saw this by the curb.  Just parked there, with no one around.  I knew instantly it was something special and probably unrestored so I took a few photos while my wife patiently waited.

Turns out I was right - this is car sold a year and a half later for $324,500 at a Sotheby's auction.  Read more about the history of the car here.