It was a very sunny and fairly warm day again. However, having got into work at 7.30am, and left at 8.30pm, there's not a lot else to say, except that dinner was cooked while-I-waited in the canteen, and while-I-waited I made a sandwich for later. We progressed some more with the story board for the video, though it took a while because the demo itself is not fully working. Tomorrow afternoon we should start recording some of the raw video - hopefully.
Stopped at the "gas" station on the way back to pick up some food.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Monday, July 28, 2008
Why am I here?
Today's mission at work was to find out what I was here to do. I wasn't brought half-way across the world for my programming skills - there are a team of people conveniently located on exactly the opposite side of the world to do that, in India, where the time zone is 12 hours different.
In fact, my job here is to create a video of the demonstration that the developers are creating - which in usual video style will be a combination of screenshots, sound track, and this time video of real people using various devices too. Initially the team asked at Hollywood, just down the road in Los Angeles, to see if there were any producers going - but unfortunately they were too expensive. So the next best thing was an IT Architect from five and a half thousand miles away. Tomorrow I will be working with Meena again, and attempting to produce the first draft of a sequence for the demonstration.
On the way to work today I managed to fill up with petrol. I decided to put in $50 (£25) worth to keep me going for the week - and ended up vitually filling the tank because the fuel is much cheaper than the UK at four hundred and something dollars a gallon.
In fact, my job here is to create a video of the demonstration that the developers are creating - which in usual video style will be a combination of screenshots, sound track, and this time video of real people using various devices too. Initially the team asked at Hollywood, just down the road in Los Angeles, to see if there were any producers going - but unfortunately they were too expensive. So the next best thing was an IT Architect from five and a half thousand miles away. Tomorrow I will be working with Meena again, and attempting to produce the first draft of a sequence for the demonstration.
On the way to work today I managed to fill up with petrol. I decided to put in $50 (£25) worth to keep me going for the week - and ended up vitually filling the tank because the fuel is much cheaper than the UK at four hundred and something dollars a gallon.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
San Fransisco Part 2
Well, I have arrived again to San Jose after a smooth flight in which the seat-belt signs only came on for a couple of bits of minor turbulance, and the food was edible, and the flight some-how managed to pass without me picking up the magazine I brought to read. I think I spent half the flight trying to send a text message from the exciting aeroplane SMS service, which failed to get through (after a message saying "message aborted" and another one saying "message successfully sent") - and the other half of the time was waiting for the system to reboot after it kept freezing.
I've picked up a car from the airport and it's an elantra. It drives ok, and so far, on the correct side of the road. As it's 8pm now here (so 4am at home) I think it's nearly time for some sleep. Night night.
I've picked up a car from the airport and it's an elantra. It drives ok, and so far, on the correct side of the road. As it's 8pm now here (so 4am at home) I think it's nearly time for some sleep. Night night.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Chock-a-block checking out....
Having checked out of the hotel, and wondered why Graham's room charge was $5 more expensive than mine for 3 of the nights, and the same for all the others, we left for the airport.
As we had a long wait before the plane left, we settled down in the lounge next to the gate, and started working, until we suddenly heard the last call for our plane... we avoided all the queues, as they had already entered the plane, and we were last-but-four on.
The flight was quite quick and smooth, and as the plane was very empty, I ended up with a row of 4 seats all to myself right at the back of the plane, and went to sleep.
The flight was half an hour late starting, and got to London half an hour earlier than it was due, but then had half an hour circling, so we ended up getting in on time.
Adventure over, so last blog entry till the next adventure. Thanks for reading, and "have a good day!".
As we had a long wait before the plane left, we settled down in the lounge next to the gate, and started working, until we suddenly heard the last call for our plane... we avoided all the queues, as they had already entered the plane, and we were last-but-four on.
The flight was quite quick and smooth, and as the plane was very empty, I ended up with a row of 4 seats all to myself right at the back of the plane, and went to sleep.
The flight was half an hour late starting, and got to London half an hour earlier than it was due, but then had half an hour circling, so we ended up getting in on time.
Adventure over, so last blog entry till the next adventure. Thanks for reading, and "have a good day!".
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Weigh too much
The excitement of the day was the fact that the lift was broken in the hotel, and we found the stairs. As you can tell, it wasn't a very exciting day, though the work we have been doing (well, mostly Graham really) is starting to look better.
In my mini-campaign against the polystyrene waste mountain caused by the canteen, I asked for a ceramic plate on which to put my sandwich at lunchtime, rather than using one from the pile of polystyrene ones. Not really a good idea, as they weigh your sandwich (bread, plate and all) at the till, rather than charge per filling. We got round the extra-heavy plate in the end using a serviette for the sandwich weigh-in.
This evening we met with Nick and his American girlfriend Marie and went to Los Gatos, which is a town with a row of shops European style - rather than just having a massive mall. We had some food in a restaurant there, and Nick entertained us with a couple of magic tricks using a coin. If I practice hard on the plane I might be able to demonstrate it by the time I reach the UK, or alternatively knock out the person next to me on the plane, which is infact Graham - as we've just checked in online - and I have got an aisle seat again which is good.
Night night.
In my mini-campaign against the polystyrene waste mountain caused by the canteen, I asked for a ceramic plate on which to put my sandwich at lunchtime, rather than using one from the pile of polystyrene ones. Not really a good idea, as they weigh your sandwich (bread, plate and all) at the till, rather than charge per filling. We got round the extra-heavy plate in the end using a serviette for the sandwich weigh-in.
This evening we met with Nick and his American girlfriend Marie and went to Los Gatos, which is a town with a row of shops European style - rather than just having a massive mall. We had some food in a restaurant there, and Nick entertained us with a couple of magic tricks using a coin. If I practice hard on the plane I might be able to demonstrate it by the time I reach the UK, or alternatively knock out the person next to me on the plane, which is infact Graham - as we've just checked in online - and I have got an aisle seat again which is good.
Night night.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
1 work day "to go"...
American butter is white (in case you were wondering).
When Graham and I entered the restaurant today, the waiter asked for my name (as there was a few minutes wait for a table and they'd call us when ready) so I said "Brown". As often happens, they didn't understand and asked "Did you say Graham?" which co-incidentally was good enough.
However, I had my own problems understanding the lady in the canteen at work today as well. In Hursley, when you ask for your meal, they say "carrots?" "beans?" etc. and put them on your plate if you want them. Today, I asked for my sweet and sour pork, and she said "faheer?". Wondering what sort of vegetable it was that she was potentially offering me, and looking helplessly at the cabbage and potatos she had in front of her, I asked her to repeat it about 3 times. I had never heard of a faheer before. When she showed me a ceramic plate and a plastic box, I realised the Americans don't say "Eat in or take away?", but usually "For here or to go?".
At breakfast, they assume everything is not "faheer", but "to go" - so they provide polystyrene containers for everything. Graham and I put a complaint in the box a week ago that we had no choice other than to be environmentally unfriendly - but we can see the cards still if we peer into the slot in the top, so they haven't looked at them yet.
Lastly, I watered the pot plant today with half a cup of water I didn't want, and then realised it was a plastic one. oops. By the way, the day was 7/10 in the morning and 8/10 in the afternoon.
When Graham and I entered the restaurant today, the waiter asked for my name (as there was a few minutes wait for a table and they'd call us when ready) so I said "Brown". As often happens, they didn't understand and asked "Did you say Graham?" which co-incidentally was good enough.
However, I had my own problems understanding the lady in the canteen at work today as well. In Hursley, when you ask for your meal, they say "carrots?" "beans?" etc. and put them on your plate if you want them. Today, I asked for my sweet and sour pork, and she said "faheer?". Wondering what sort of vegetable it was that she was potentially offering me, and looking helplessly at the cabbage and potatos she had in front of her, I asked her to repeat it about 3 times. I had never heard of a faheer before. When she showed me a ceramic plate and a plastic box, I realised the Americans don't say "Eat in or take away?", but usually "For here or to go?".
At breakfast, they assume everything is not "faheer", but "to go" - so they provide polystyrene containers for everything. Graham and I put a complaint in the box a week ago that we had no choice other than to be environmentally unfriendly - but we can see the cards still if we peer into the slot in the top, so they haven't looked at them yet.
Lastly, I watered the pot plant today with half a cup of water I didn't want, and then realised it was a plastic one. oops. By the way, the day was 7/10 in the morning and 8/10 in the afternoon.
Monday, January 21, 2008
Spits and bobs
Here are the pictures from Sunday (and the others).
I reckon the morning rated about 7/10, the afternoon was 6/10. Neither of the managers were in work today, and our colleague Meena was out of the office until the afternoon, so Graham and I worked on our own in the office for a while, doing lots of bits and bobs that needed doing to our demo. We had a fairly quick walk at lunch time, but long enough to take this photo and get a few spits and spots of rain. It chucked it down the whole evening.
Also discovered a games room, so at 6.30 when we had finished working, Graham beat me at table football, air hockey and pool. We had an Italian at the Olive Garden, quite a big American chain of Italian restaurants, then came back to the hotel. Only 2 work days left...
I reckon the morning rated about 7/10, the afternoon was 6/10. Neither of the managers were in work today, and our colleague Meena was out of the office until the afternoon, so Graham and I worked on our own in the office for a while, doing lots of bits and bobs that needed doing to our demo. We had a fairly quick walk at lunch time, but long enough to take this photo and get a few spits and spots of rain. It chucked it down the whole evening.
Also discovered a games room, so at 6.30 when we had finished working, Graham beat me at table football, air hockey and pool. We had an Italian at the Olive Garden, quite a big American chain of Italian restaurants, then came back to the hotel. Only 2 work days left...
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