Toby being a good Tobster
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
It's not necessarily a world invention, but it's a personal invention
Last night, I intended to bake some chocolate chip cookies. I had the store-bought Pillsbury cookie dough in the back of my fridge for awhile, and it was time to use it...many months too late. The expiration was back in March. Apparently, the dough has been at the back of my fridge a bit longer than I remember. Not to be deterred from enjoying some sort of cookie based after-dinner snack, I start thinking about ingredients I had around the kitchen. (No way was I going to make cookies from scratch at that point. Maybe some other day, but not last night.)
Nillas! I have Nillas! And large marshmallows! OK, I can make a kind of a smore with some chocolate that doesn't need melting. Chocolate Syrup, I have that too! Hmm, there's something missing still. This endeavour isn't quite decadent enough just yet.
Think. Think harder!
Coolwhip!
I piled these all together and had an awesome treat.
To repeat this achievement, take 3 large marshmallows and tear them in half. Briefly roast each marshmallow piece, one at a time over a stove burner. When just slightly burnt, mash the marshmallow between two Nillas just like smores. After making 6, add a dollop of Coolwhip on each, and then drizzle chocolate syrup on top.
Glorious!
Nillas! I have Nillas! And large marshmallows! OK, I can make a kind of a smore with some chocolate that doesn't need melting. Chocolate Syrup, I have that too! Hmm, there's something missing still. This endeavour isn't quite decadent enough just yet.
Think. Think harder!
Coolwhip!
I piled these all together and had an awesome treat.
To repeat this achievement, take 3 large marshmallows and tear them in half. Briefly roast each marshmallow piece, one at a time over a stove burner. When just slightly burnt, mash the marshmallow between two Nillas just like smores. After making 6, add a dollop of Coolwhip on each, and then drizzle chocolate syrup on top.
Glorious!
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
Boston talk
Learn Boston as a second language, repeat after me, "I luhnd on Shahk Week tha electric eels rahly shak shaks in shaks."
Monday, August 12, 2013
The River of No Return book review
The River of No Return by Bee RidgwayMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Though the concepts introduced in this book are an inventive twist on the time travel idea, the character dialog and motivations are dreadful. In this story, there are competing time travelling organizations struggling for control of time travel throughout human history. Nick, an English nobleman who fought in Spain in the early 1800's finds himself in the 21st Century just before he is about to die. This is the story of his struggle to dance between these two organizations while sorting out his own role both in the 21th Century and the 19th Century.
I did enjoy reading much of the book as the plot unfolded, but found myself suffering through some dreadful character interactions. Some of this was due to character development that was somewhat engaging, but drowned out by the chorus inauthentic thoughts and experiences. The leading male character, Nick, was a noblemen from the 19th Century and only spent 10 years in the 21st Century, but somehow seemed more in tune with 20th Century social and entertainment elements than us normal people that lived through that time period, even though he did not. His experience with the 20th Century would've have been more authentic if it had been taken from the approach of a child growing up in the Aughties (2000-2010). Also, the characters of British origin often felt more like Americans, often using Americanism and seemed both out of place globally and chonologically. Additionally, the writing of the characters while in the 19th Century felt more like rejects from Jane Austin novels rather than real people.
This book appears to be the first of a new series. Will I look forward to the next book? Eh. The author has to polish her skills of writing for characters with more authenticity, as her first attempt to do so is a distraction from an otherwise good concept and plot.
View all my goodreads.com reviews
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Friday, July 12, 2013
Friday, July 05, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
Notion of Creation is not a theory, and scientific theories aren't proposed notions
Bible based knowledge does not lead to new scientific knowledge. People used to think the Bible was useful to learn about nature. They did try to use it as a guide to make new discoveries. However, over time, scientists started finding out that the Bible just gets so much wrong. The Bible literally has almost every major point wrong about the universe, from its description of Earth as a flat world with a tent over head to its description of rabbits as cud chewers. The value of the Bible is it's a general moral guide taken in the context within the times each portion was originally written/re-written. Taking it for more than that is truly grasping as straws. People discovered the hard way that the Bible was not a good starting point to learn about nature. That's why the practice of referring to the Bible as a source for science was stopped over time.
So, to that point, Creationism based on the Bible isn't a theory. It is a failed notion. A theory isn't just a proposal. It is a proven working model of the Universe with a lot of peer reviewed data, from which accurate predictions can be made. To extend this further, those predictions often create new areas of exploration and further growth of knowledge, directly leading to new technologies, either in the exploration of the theory or as a result of knowledge learned from the theory. Last major invention spurred by Bible belief was the telescope, and use of that technology disproved that belief; the creator being forced to recant his statements about reality and live under house arrest for the remainder of his life.
On the other hand, Darwin didn't create the Theory of Evolution, he proposed the core concepts based on his observations. Evolution was born out of the peer review process with much more independently collected data. Evolution wasn't a theory until there was a massive amount of data and extraneous amount of analysis of that data, from which the natural model was molded.
Why is Creationism not a theory? Because it doesn't have one iota of this. The supporters want a magical shortcut, using circular arguments and cherrypicked research of other people's works in the form of anecdotes and impressive looking fake equations. No actual proven predictions come from Creationsm nor from its child contrivance called Intelligent Design. Creationism is the end of knowledge, not its birth. That is why is it not a theory and it is not science. Now, that said, the challenge is always there for Creationism supporters to objectively collect data and test hypotheses. Even if they don't prove their hypotheses, at least new knowledge would come from that. This process has yet to be undertaken by Creationist (and Intelligent Design believers), or if it has, results have been hidden.
Examples of observations that would grow knowledge along the Creationist track:
On the other hand, Darwin didn't create the Theory of Evolution, he proposed the core concepts based on his observations. Evolution was born out of the peer review process with much more independently collected data. Evolution wasn't a theory until there was a massive amount of data and extraneous amount of analysis of that data, from which the natural model was molded.
Why is Creationism not a theory? Because it doesn't have one iota of this. The supporters want a magical shortcut, using circular arguments and cherrypicked research of other people's works in the form of anecdotes and impressive looking fake equations. No actual proven predictions come from Creationsm nor from its child contrivance called Intelligent Design. Creationism is the end of knowledge, not its birth. That is why is it not a theory and it is not science. Now, that said, the challenge is always there for Creationism supporters to objectively collect data and test hypotheses. Even if they don't prove their hypotheses, at least new knowledge would come from that. This process has yet to be undertaken by Creationist (and Intelligent Design believers), or if it has, results have been hidden.
Examples of observations that would grow knowledge along the Creationist track:
- Find DNA in mammals that cannot be traced back to a common ancestor or introduced by some other natural process.
- Show completely distinct lifeforms with no ancestry at all.
- Find data that offers new evidence to reinterpret apparent evolution in our own species, from malaria resistance to lactose persistence.
- Additionally, find data that better explains why pre-agricultural humans did not have cavities and modern humans with no cavities is almost unheard of? (Hint, that has been very well explained with a recent study of mouth-dwelling bacteria and their evolution to adapt to our changing diets, along with our own evolution for such too.)
These examples cannot be explained with anecdotes. Hard evidence has to be presented from scientific studies using the Scientific Method. Research doesn't count for this. New evidence has be presented. That evidence must be collected and peer reviewed. Until that happens, Creation Notion can never be put on equal footing with any Scientific Theory, especially the Theory of Evolution.
Sunday, June 09, 2013
Article from Northwest University sites big breakthru for Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Big Multiple Sclerosis Breakthrough - Phase 1 trial safely resets patients’ immune systems, reduces attack on myelin protein
From the article:
A phase 1 clinical trial for the first treatment to reset the immune system of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients showed the therapy was safe and dramatically reduced patients’ immune systems’ reactivity to myelin by 50 to 75 percent, according to new Northwestern Medicine research.
Saturday, June 08, 2013
WP on MJ legalization; and the prohibition
The article Five myths about legalization of marijuana has a lot of interesting points about legalization of marijuana and what is likely to really happen.
For me, these are reasons to end prohibition:
When the United States’ 40-year-long war on marijuana ends, the country is not going to turn into a Cheech and Chong movie. It is, however, going to see the transfer of as much as 50 percent of cartel profits to the taxable economy.I don't really agree with the tone for the conclusions about the 5th myth in the article regarding the politics of the matter. The Marijuana Prohibition (and prohibition on all drugs for that matter) is neither a liberal or conservative battle. Many individuals from both camps have reasons to support the Drug Prohibition. And, many individuals from both camps have reasons to end it.
For me, these are reasons to end prohibition:
- personal liberty
- disproportionate application of the laws massive federal investment into the Drug War has not decreased drug addiction nor substantially affected overall use
- expensive drug related battles (literally) that only make our enemies stronger and us weaker by the day
- allows focus on treatment for those are prone to addiciton rather than turning them into career criminals
- better use of local funds to help other areas of society and infrastructure
- tax money from the regulation of drugs, etc.
Thursday, June 06, 2013
Radioactive, radioactive radio edit controversy
Distortion was noticeable on digital format as well as CD. Very poor quality on car stereo really drives home the point.
Somehow, producer Alex da Kid thought that intentionally introducing that awful, cheap sounding distortion (several tracks, most notably beginning on 'Radioactive'), was somehow "artistic". What a stupid idea.What's this about distortion? The bass in the song Radioactive has been distorted to sound like subwoofers maxed out. It's a rough and gravelly sound that doesn't sound good on good stereo systems (such as the stereo systems in the average car these days). I got the CD, and I agree with the criticism. It's OK, but not good.
Theres something called the radio edit version of the song, which I like, but it also seems like it's distorted too much too.
Sunday, May 26, 2013
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
New England Condo Expo
I am on the Board of Trustees for the condo association that governs the community in which I own my home.
Today, I attended the New England Condo Expo at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston, MA. The convention was surprizingly crowded with a lot of vendors, including condo management, painting, gardening, insurance, pavers and high-end locksmiths to name just a few. The swag was great, including some high-end items like cooler bags, water bottles, tons of pens and various tools; not to avoid mentioning the motherload of candy and baked goods.
I attended a very informative seminar about the "Good, Bad and the Ugly" of condo association challenges. A panel of three lawyers discussed various issues, such as the recent legalization of medicinal marijuana and how that might affect communities, handling discord on a Board of Trustees, current legislation being proposed this year and how that might impact condo contracts, addressing rules for attending board meetings from a remote location via online, and recent changes in law that prevent local governments from banning specific breeds of dogs. The information was valuable, but of course, if any of these situations arise, legal council would still be preferred in many cases. Even still, this seminar made was worth the trip into the heart of Boston.
Today, I attended the New England Condo Expo at the Seaport World Trade Center in Boston, MA. The convention was surprizingly crowded with a lot of vendors, including condo management, painting, gardening, insurance, pavers and high-end locksmiths to name just a few. The swag was great, including some high-end items like cooler bags, water bottles, tons of pens and various tools; not to avoid mentioning the motherload of candy and baked goods.
I attended a very informative seminar about the "Good, Bad and the Ugly" of condo association challenges. A panel of three lawyers discussed various issues, such as the recent legalization of medicinal marijuana and how that might affect communities, handling discord on a Board of Trustees, current legislation being proposed this year and how that might impact condo contracts, addressing rules for attending board meetings from a remote location via online, and recent changes in law that prevent local governments from banning specific breeds of dogs. The information was valuable, but of course, if any of these situations arise, legal council would still be preferred in many cases. Even still, this seminar made was worth the trip into the heart of Boston.
Wednesday, May 01, 2013
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Friday, April 19, 2013
Lockdown of Boston
Well, the news today is surreal. Although I don't live in the Watertown area, I do work in nearby Waltham, so I've decided to work from home today. Allie and I are safe. We have relatives in Watertown that are also doing well. Just as I type that, the email comes from work saying that our Waltham Campus is closed due to these on-going incidents. And, as I come to post this article on my blog here, the lockdown of the entire Boston area seems to have just been put in place.
I gotta say, that although any city would be angry that these assholes would attack their home, Boston really was the wrong city to go after. Resolved is heighten, not diminished. The people are not terrorized, they are just pissed. Ironically, these Chechnyan terrorists have misjudged America. US has spoke out against previous Russian actions in Chechnya (de facto support of Chechnya). I'm guessing we won't be doing that anymore. So, instead of forwarding their cause for Chechnyan independence, these idiots have pretty much buried all hope of that ever happening. ...and to spend your entire adult life for one poorly executed blood bath? How sad that they valued their own lives so poorly as to give them up for so little. In America, we say, Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death. I guess these idiots motto is "Give me death because I'm going to make everyone pay for my self-loathing."
I gotta say, that although any city would be angry that these assholes would attack their home, Boston really was the wrong city to go after. Resolved is heighten, not diminished. The people are not terrorized, they are just pissed. Ironically, these Chechnyan terrorists have misjudged America. US has spoke out against previous Russian actions in Chechnya (de facto support of Chechnya). I'm guessing we won't be doing that anymore. So, instead of forwarding their cause for Chechnyan independence, these idiots have pretty much buried all hope of that ever happening. ...and to spend your entire adult life for one poorly executed blood bath? How sad that they valued their own lives so poorly as to give them up for so little. In America, we say, Give Me Liberty Or Give Me Death. I guess these idiots motto is "Give me death because I'm going to make everyone pay for my self-loathing."
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Boston Marathon 2013 tragedy
The attack at yesterday's Boston Marathon was horrible. A lot of people will live the rest of their lives impacted by this henious act. The deaths are saddening. However, it is good that more people weren't killed. This article is not going to discuss any of the gruesome details since there is already plenty of that in the press right now.
The location of the attack in Boston's Back Bay, near Copley Square. This is an area with a rich history and includes several old churches. The marathon finish line is on Boylston Street, between Dartmouth Street to the East, and Exeter Street to the West.
View Larger Map
In the direction of Copley Square is the Old South Church.
The tower of this church is visible in the background of the already famous east-facing photo of the second explosion with the smoke of the first explosion visible. (That photo isn't shown here due to respect for copyright, but it is available on many news sites and blogs, such as these 1 2 3).
From Google Maps, here's what this spot looks like on a normal day, facing West near the site of the first explosion.
The President's statement about the attack about covers the Boston spirit:
The location of the attack in Boston's Back Bay, near Copley Square. This is an area with a rich history and includes several old churches. The marathon finish line is on Boylston Street, between Dartmouth Street to the East, and Exeter Street to the West.
View Larger Map
In the direction of Copley Square is the Old South Church.
The tower of this church is visible in the background of the already famous east-facing photo of the second explosion with the smoke of the first explosion visible. (That photo isn't shown here due to respect for copyright, but it is available on many news sites and blogs, such as these 1 2 3).
From Google Maps, here's what this spot looks like on a normal day, facing West near the site of the first explosion.
The President's statement about the attack about covers the Boston spirit:
Boston is a tough and resilient town; so are its people.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
So, there was a slight problem with my room keys at Double Tree yesterday, and this is what I found...
So, there was a slight problem with my room keys at Double Tree yesterday, and this is what I found in my room the afternoon. All #complementary
Tuesday, April 09, 2013
Saturday, April 06, 2013
Remote Stone
Of what world we wonder true? Our lacking nature holds fast our corporeal soul upon the bosom of thriving abodes that guise the cradled womb. In this place stand we, me and all others, bound not in chains but yoked hereto nonetheless. Grand thrusting spears slice through the wondrous blue veil, floating on the currents of bent universe beyond this round realm, bringing to the helm fleshless anthropomorphized cold creatures to cast away the dark cloak, thus revealing remote stone for stone’s sake.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Expose of hate
Wow, it's the 21st Century, and we still have people using the same old tired arguments to justify beliefs that are only marginally covered in some ancient "holy" text. These are the same arguments used by the Nazis to justify hatred of the Jews and other peoples in the early 20th Century, arguments used by Slave Owners to justify slavery in the 19th Century, and arguments used by racist to justify keeping the races separate during the mid-20th Century. How are they using these same bigoted arguments now? ...to attack homosexuals and gay marriage. I ran into a person spewing this nonsense on a social website the other day. Here's a brief rundown of the arguments with my opinions as replies (each one of these could be their own meme):
- Societies that have embraced homosexuality have declined - (Comment: Really? Over-extended borders, reduced/squandered resources, foreign invasions, and heavy debt are all caused by homosexuality?)
- Statistics show us that it's unhealthy to be homosexual - (Comment: What's really the point of this and how is this justification to deny equal protections under the law? It's risky crossing the street. Should we stop equal access to education for those kids that happen to need to cross a street to get to school?)
- God created and defined marriage as a union between one man and one woman - (Comment: Ah, here comes the bible-thumping! Numerous scriptures were quoted at this point. But, how many bible characters had multiple wives? A lot! The bible even sets out rules on how to take captured women from military conquests home as wives.)
- Homosexuals have a higher risk of mental illness - (Comment: Given the fact that homosexuality was classified as a mental illness up until the last part of the 20th Century, I would question any statistics linking mental illness to homosexuality. But on that point, as more scientific facts are discovered, it is becoming increasing understood that most mental illnesses have a genetic factor, which means that being prone to mental illness is also something with which certain individuals are born.)
- STDs, including HIV, higher among homosexuals - (Comment: Teen pregnancy is infinity higher among heterosexuals. Coal miners have much higher risks of lung related diseases. Umm, there's about a million other pointless and dubious statistics that can be pulled out of thin air. All of this is completely unrelated to the fact that we all deserve equal treatment under the law. )
- Societies that had a spread of Christianity had a decline in homosexuality - (Comment: No, homosexuals where just forced into hiding due to the same kind a bigotry being promoted in our time. This is a kin to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's claim that there are no homosexuals in Iran. Complete nonsense.)
- The gay marriage discussion is about changing the religious definition of marriage - (Comment: Again, no. This statement an attempt to re-frame the discussion to pretend that promoting gay marriage rights is an attack on one's own faith, as if gay marriage is somehow violating the rights of unassociated individuals. This is disingenuous at best. The gay marriage rights discussion is about equal protections under the law without regard for what beliefs one group of people have about another group of people.)
- Marriage isn't a human right, but rather an honored institution - (Comment: Talk about grasping for straws! This is a scorched-earth attempt to argue that marriage is just some sort of contract. Well, even with contracts, we are all entitled equal protection under the law. In other words, we are all allowed to enter contracts freely. So, not only does that argument contradict the earlier argument about God defining marriage, it actually makes the opposite point it is trying to make. The point is, we must have equal protection under the law, regardless the circumstances!)
- Gay couples wish to force their beliefs on corporations and the government to take advantage of benefit structures geared for traditional families. (Comment 1: Yeah, again, equal protections under the law is the point. Do we give corporations the right to deny benefits to other classes of families based on religious beliefs? No, because that is supposedly illegal. Comment 2: This statement is a hint about the right of the corporation to have a religious stand. However, a corporation is an imaginary construct of the law. The presuppositional argument is that imaginary things (like corporations) have rights that trump flesh and blood people. Since this person seems to believe that corporations (which are imaginary) have more rights than actual humans, then let's give other imaginary things rights too, like giving the Easter Bunny the right to vote!)
- Married couples pay more taxes. Gay marriage would benefit the government. (Comment: First, "oh the horror of it all! Oh no, the government will benefit from treating people equally!" Second, married couples pay less, the same or more tax based on their family situation. Number of kids, owning a home as a marriage couple, and other factors actually significantly reduce tax liability for families.)
- The point continues: What if our world economy crashes? Labor unions may fall into foreclosure; employers may have to declare bankruptcy and then won't be able to afford the benefit structures that support gay marriage afterwards. (Comment: Really? Argument against equal protections for gays involves what-iffing about world wide catastrophes? Wow! First, the inclusion of labor unions (the reason we have a middle class in American) as "foreclosing" is down right silly, and a very backwards way of expressing one's wishful thinking. I'm not sure how a union would fall into foreclosure, since unions are a free assembly of individuals for the purpose of collective bargaining. The bureaucratic portion of a labor union may go bankrupt, but that doesn't mean the union would cease to exist. A free assembly of individuals certainly cannot be foreclosed upon, as they are actual living and breathing people, not property. Second, collective bargaining is used by employers to provide benefits to their employees. The more employees that are covered, the more economical the benefits. Having gay couples included actually helps reduce costs, not increase them. Third, the idea that gay marriage will worsen a world wide catastrophe is completely ludicrous. Bankers and Wall Street will have far more to do with that than any other minority in our population.)
Much like the average fundamentalist propaganda brochures, the individual who made these points concluded their statements with a bunch of rhetorical questions that they believe they answered in their diatribe. I reserved my sharpest criticism for my own blog here, but I didn't let these bigoted claims go unchallenged on that social forum, nor was I the only one. Another Christian and others also chimed in and called out this individual for those statements.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Sunday, March 03, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
Friday, February 22, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Senseless Sunday: Antarctica Water Pie
- Antarctica has two species of flowing planets: Antarctic hair grass (Deschampsia antarctica) and Antarctic pearlwort (Colobanthus quitensis).
- Boston Cream Pie is the the official state dessert of Massachusetts. (Go figure.)
- Old trees can actually produce more carbon and methane than they absorb.[1]
- Currently, 400 species of sharks roam on the oceans of Earth.
- The fastest recorded swimming animal is the sailfish, which can swim up to 68 mph.
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Tipping point
Wow, there sure has been a lot of back and forth online recently about customary tipping (gratuities) in America for the service provided by waitstaff at restaurants. A lot of it is playing out on Reddit. There was this pastor who protested an 18% automatic tip on a split bill for a large party, citing God has her reason for protest. That event lead to so much buzz that there's no point trying to cover any more it.
Another Reddit posting appeared more recently of another posted receipt. This receipt actually shows a reduction of the automatic tip from the final bill. An interesting backlash has come out of this second posting. Several problems arise. First, the assumption is the automatic tips are some how compulsory. Second, 20% automatic tip is just nuts. I've seen 18%, and I still have to wonder why so high. Third, how can a tip ever be considered compulsory!
I suggest reading the comments of the Reddit links. There are a lot of good statements (some of them even sourced). Legally speaking, tips are not compulsory. By definition (IRS and at the state level), they must be voluntarily offered by the customer in order to qualify as a tip. Sure, a restaurant can charge a service fee, but a service fee is not a tip, and not taxed the same.
Another reason I stopped overtipping is because 15% is now considered a standard tip. Really? I remember when 10% was considered a great tip! And now, some in the restaurant industry are claiming a minimum tip is 25%!? Really?! Waitstaff aren't the only group of people that aren't making a lot of money. Overtipping is making it harder for average Americans to go out and enjoy dinner. That actually hurts our overall economy. Less people will dine out, consume less when they do dine out, or dine out a places without a waitstaff. This means less overall money finding its way into the full service restaurant industry.
And, just as important. Do not tip on the whole bill. Tipping is on the subtotal. Sales tax is what we pay to the local government. You really want to tax your sales tax? People who pay their tip on the sales tax portion of the bill may think they are being good people, but this is just another form of overtipping.
Now, the flipside of this is that there are many areas of the restaurant that are not under the control of the waitstaff. Judge a tip based on the service itself. For example, if a steak comes cooked incorrectly, it's a 50% chance that the waitstaffer got the order wrong. However, it is 50% chance that the kitchen got it wrong too. Give the waitstaffer the benefit of the doubt.
Another Reddit posting appeared more recently of another posted receipt. This receipt actually shows a reduction of the automatic tip from the final bill. An interesting backlash has come out of this second posting. Several problems arise. First, the assumption is the automatic tips are some how compulsory. Second, 20% automatic tip is just nuts. I've seen 18%, and I still have to wonder why so high. Third, how can a tip ever be considered compulsory!
I suggest reading the comments of the Reddit links. There are a lot of good statements (some of them even sourced). Legally speaking, tips are not compulsory. By definition (IRS and at the state level), they must be voluntarily offered by the customer in order to qualify as a tip. Sure, a restaurant can charge a service fee, but a service fee is not a tip, and not taxed the same.
Overtipping is creating a monster
There's a general issue at the heart of all this: overtipping. There has been way too much overtipping since the late 1990's. People feel good about themselves when they overtip. This is pure arrogance and selfaffirmation. I know, I used to be one of those overtippers. Why did I stop overtipping? Sure, it helps the one individual, but it hurts the overall system. The more overtipping occurs, the more waitstaff come to expect the higher tip rate, regardless to the level of service. Bad servers are rewarded for being bad. The value of good servers is diminished over time. Plus, waitstaff often don't connect the dots well enough to understand why they are getting a good tip and why they are not. I was taught this lesson a very long time ago by a friend of mine who was a former waitress. It took me a very long time to accept it.Another reason I stopped overtipping is because 15% is now considered a standard tip. Really? I remember when 10% was considered a great tip! And now, some in the restaurant industry are claiming a minimum tip is 25%!? Really?! Waitstaff aren't the only group of people that aren't making a lot of money. Overtipping is making it harder for average Americans to go out and enjoy dinner. That actually hurts our overall economy. Less people will dine out, consume less when they do dine out, or dine out a places without a waitstaff. This means less overall money finding its way into the full service restaurant industry.
No more overtipping
Can I afford to overtip? Yes. But I've stopped doing it after realizing the harm it is causing to the overall system. Since 15% is now the normal and legally recognized tip, I consider that to be the minimum for normal/good service. I will often push the tip up for great service. However, that rarely exceeds 18%, and is usually 16-17%.And, just as important. Do not tip on the whole bill. Tipping is on the subtotal. Sales tax is what we pay to the local government. You really want to tax your sales tax? People who pay their tip on the sales tax portion of the bill may think they are being good people, but this is just another form of overtipping.
How to handle bad service
If service was so-so, I normally just ignore it and move on. What I have learned, that if service is particularly bad, do not take it out of the tip (or at least, don't wait to take it out of the tip). Depending on the degree of the problem, talk to the restaurant staff about the issues you are experiencing. For extremely minor issues, I will say, just get over it. For simple matters that need to be addressed, talk to the waitstaff. They should be able to take care of the matter. I've found that waitstaff will often forward bigger issues to the Manager without you asking. If the waitstaff isn't helpful or the problems are bigger, then ask for the Manager. Again, depending on the degree of the service problem, you may wish to wait until after the meal. Some waitstaffers will resent you for complaining. If it is a problem that must be addressed before the end of the meal, then if at all possible, wait until the food arrives.Region
Having travelled much of America now, I've found that some areas are just better than others when it comes to the quality of service. Set your expectations accordingly. Of course, it is still not OK to receive rude service. However, I've found that coastal regions of California tend to have better service on the average than other areas, such as Massachusetts. Many times, trying to get your waitstaffer's attention can be a bit of a chore at many places in Massachusetts. Training seems to be biggest cause for issues in Massachusetts, since normally the waitstaffers are willing to serve, they just aren't always as aware on how to be attentive.Don't punish waitstaff for kitchen and systematic problems
Now, the flipside of this is that there are many areas of the restaurant that are not under the control of the waitstaff. Judge a tip based on the service itself. For example, if a steak comes cooked incorrectly, it's a 50% chance that the waitstaffer got the order wrong. However, it is 50% chance that the kitchen got it wrong too. Give the waitstaffer the benefit of the doubt.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Moon shot (my first successful attempt to photograph the moon with an automatic camera)
Saturday, February 09, 2013
SeaWorld Orlando is moderately disappointing
My memories of SeaWorld San Diego have jaded my experience at SeaWorld Orlando. I actually went to SeaWorld Orlando with high expectations. Everything just seems smaller in the Orlando, FL version of the SeaWorld theme park franchise. Even trying to find a cool t-shirt with "SeaWorld Orlando" provided to be difficult. I will say that the two rollercoasters are actually well designed and fun. Anyway, here's some photos of me and Allie's day there.
Friday, February 08, 2013
Solar energy works well in Germany because they get more sun than U.S.
...says Fox News contributor:
Wow! Just wow!
Friday, February 01, 2013
Crazy facts about Redheads
You cannot handle my superior Vitamin D producing skin! ...and other facts that aren't so great.
Wednesday, January 30, 2013
Creating Universes in the lab, yup, we've done that
MIT Technology Review reports that multiverses have actually been created using a bit of cobalt and kerosene.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Real Soldier vs. Fake Soldier
I am nearly literally sickened when I see a Christian preachers on TV, who are watched by hundreds of thousands if not millions of Americans, and who claim that Christians are being persecuted in America. Here's what's really happening. Just for he record, this has been reported equally by Christian sources.
But then, here's what other Christian sources claim is going on in the military.
It's one step more ridiculous than the bully who forces you to hit yourself and asks "Why are you hitting yourself?" This situation is the bully hitting you directly and saying "Stop hitting my fist with your face!" Not only that, this story outrageously insults our armed forces by even using them as such an example in the first place! Disgusting.
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