I don’t know if anyone else has noticed this, but a few times in the last few weeks when I go to http://www.google.com, I end up here:
I can click the link on the bottom that says “Google.com in English,” and I end up back where I wanted to be:
But you can see that it still has the “Go to Google Korea” link at the bottom. I’m not sure what this is all about. But it seems weird to me. Maybe Google launched a new Korean site and they want exposure? I dunno. Weird…
Ars Technica has a great article on managing one’s e-mail inbox. I think the only thing I’d add or clarify is to point number one on that article.
My “good friend” Mark Horstman (we’ve never actually met, but I love the Manager Tools podcast he does with Mike Auzenne, and since I’ve been a listener almost from day one, I totally feel a connection) always says that it’s ineffective to leave one’s Outlook running all day. E-mail should be checked a couple of times a day, and never first thing in the morning.
He also points out that there’s no such thing as an “urgent e-mail.” If people really need to get a hold of you, they should pick up the phone and call.
At any rate, I’m the low man on the totem pole right now, so I don’t have much of a say as to whether or not my boss(es) or clients are sending me “urgent e-mails” that require immediate attention. But one day, when I’m a manager you can bet that I won’t send any “urgent e-mails.”
Chuck Colson has a wonderful commentary on CNN about his ability to relate to Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich. My friend Andrew had this listed on his Gchat message.
Frankly, I’m surprised that CNN ran such a commentary/opinion. But it’s good to see that Colson stays true to his evangelical position and unabashedly shares the gospel.
My MSI WInd came in today. I can’t believe it came here so fast. I ordered it Tuesday night (meaning they didn’t receive or process until Wednesday morning), I got a confirmation Wednesday, and it was dropped off on my doorstep by Fedex this afternoon.
I took a bunch of pictures, so I’ll have to post those soon. But this thing is amazingly tiny. I can’t believe it. The one annoyance I have thus far is the keyboard. The period (.) and the forward slash (/) keys are shrunken down. They keys in general aren’t very big, but these two in particular are extra small. That makes it pretty difficult when typing in web addresses. I never realized how important those keys were. What they should have done is made the Shift key smaller and slid it over to the right a bit. Oh well.
In the end, we’re only talking about a computer that I paid $310 for, so in some respects, it’s almost a disposable computer. Come 18 months, or even a year, and I won’t feel too bad about buying a new one.
Charlene and I have one month until we get the keys to our apartment. She’ll move in first, have a chance to decorate and organize however she likes, and I’ll need to find someone to replace me before I move into our new place after the wedding.
On another, time-related note, we have 80 days until we are married. Time totally seems to fly and stand still at the same time. It’s quite surreal. But I totally can’t wait to be married!
I ordered an MSI Wind from Buy.com today. It’s a next generation net-book. And it’s got some pretty cool specs:
- CPU: Intel Atom N270 1.6GHz
- Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition.
- Display: 10″ WSVGA LCD
- RAM: 1GB DDR2
- Hard Drive: 120GB SATA I
- Built-in 10/100 Ethernet
- Built-in 802.11b/g WLAN Card / No Bluetooth
- Weight: 2.3 lbs (3 cell)
Yup, you read that last one right: 2.3 lbs. I think this will be the perfect computer to take on our honeymoon. I figure I can download all my pictures from my camera to this thing both as a backup, and as additional storage. I’ll also be able to connect to the internet to upload them if necessary.
Finally, it will be a great little machine for checking e-mail, making Skype calls (both audio and video since it has a webcam) as necessary. (FYI, I don’t really plan on talking to anyone from the “outside world” on my honeymoon, but if it’s necessary, it’s nice to have the ability.)
I can’t wait for it’s arrival!
Lynn mailed our engagement pictures earlier this week, and we just got them in the mail today. He sent two custom-made DVDs with over 1100 photos on them. That’s right! 1100 Photos!
Charlene and I spent about an hour tonight looking at all of them. There are definitely a lot of keepers and some quite memorable ones with weird expressions. haha.
Because of the aforementioned restrictions, I won’t be posting all of them on Wongside. I may post a few, but most likely, I’ll put them up on Picasa as a hidden album. If you’d like access, you can e-mail me.
Praise God! Charlene and I went apartment hunting this weekend, and we spent all day Saturday looking for a place. Upon the recommendation of our friend in Japan, John Gibbs, we’ve chosen The Enclave in San Jose as our new apartment complex. It’s not exactly where we were looking, but it’s still close to ALCF and Charlene’s work, and it’s even closer to work for me, so that’s a plus!
If you’re looking for a place to live, we’d recommend you check it out. GIve us a few months (after the wedding) to live there and we’ll let you know what we think. In any case, if you end up choosing to live there, be sure to tell them that Brian and Charlene sent you because we’ll get a referral bonus of $300, and you get $300 back! So we all win.
We also looked at Maple Wood, Bristol Commons, and Windsor Ridge.
In case you’re interested, here’s what we thought:
Maplewood:
- Location wasn’t great. It’s on California and Escuela in MV, and California is a really busy street.
- The apartments were pretty old; it looked like they were built in the 1960s.
- The appliances were pretty old as well.
- They did have washer and dryer in unit, but they were stackable, so a bit smaller than normal.
- The grounds were well kept, and the pool looked nice and clean.
- Management was pretty nice.
- Rent was higher than our budget.
Bristol Commons:
- Location was much nicer.
- Grounds were OK. The grass was patchy and the ground was uneven.
- No elevators.
- The apartment we saw seemed quite small for its size.
- Nothing spectacular, but it seemed decent enough.
- Rent was higher than we expected, especially for the area and apartment itself.
- Tiny, but functional work out area.
Windsor Ridge:
- Most expensive of the group.
- $2200/month for 2bd/2ba.
- No elevators.
- Considerably outside of our price range, so we didn’t even take a tour.
- We do know that Kevin and Shu Yao live there, and they are quite happy. The apartments seem very nice, but again too expensive.
The Enclave:
- Not exactly the location we were hoping for–it’s in Northern San Jose (Tasman and N. 1st St)
- Washer and Dryer in Unit
- Two beautiful pools, one lap, and one for playing in.
- Tennis Courts
- Two covered, underground garage parking spaces
- Nice workout area.
- Elevators in all buildings for G-3 floor.
- Reservable club house.
- Gated access community.
- BBQ area by the pool.
- Just slightly over our original budget.
- Plenty of street and community area parking.
I’ve posted the information for the Westin and Sheraton in Palo Alto on our website. As with the last post, it’s under The Big Day.
So if you’re looking for something a little more upscale, as well as more pricey, feel free to check them out.
I posted some hotel information about lodging for our wedding on our website. It’s under The Big Day. As of right now, the only info we have is for the Quality Inn & Suites. I’m waiting for additional info from the Westin and the Sheraton. Hopefully, they’ll get back to me this week, and I can post that. So stay tuned…
