Staycation

V-Day weekend ended up being more of a staycation than a vacation. I did take President's Day off with Allie, but that was mostly a work day around the house. Friday and Saturday, we did do a little driving. We checked out Blackhawk area on Friday. On Saturday, we spent time in Salinas at the Steibeck Museum during the day, and then had dinner at the Fish Hopper in Monterey for a romantic evening. I would still like for us to get away for a weekend somewhere.

Geekfest, FL

My week at the Swan and Dolphin in Florida is finally over. There well hella stuff that I had to do at part of "the press" for SolidWorks World. This is a big geekfest where users of the 3D CAD software join this convention to eat, sleep and breathe SolidWorks. My "job" was to write about on my SolidWorks Legion blog. SolidWorks Corp is wisely involving actual users and modern online venues to support their subscribers. So, I wrote and wrote and wrote. I was at something like 5 press conferences and events. I have never been to a press conference before in my life, but it's not much different that what one might expect from seeing them on TV. However, it is an interesting feeling being in the mix, asking questions and what-not.

I'm glad to be back and now rested up just in time for V-day weekend. My wife and I missed each other. Perfect timing to reconnect.

SolidWorks World 2009

 

From Feb 7 to Feb 12 2009, attended SolidWorks World 2009 as Press at Disney's Swan and Dolphin Hotel. (Original post/backup link)

Jessica Alba proves she's smarter than Bill O'Riley and TMZ

Jessica Alba proves she's smarter than Bill O'Riley and TMZ in one masterful step. TMZ, of course, appears to me to be pretty lame to begin with, but Bill Riley (who often seems as though he just makes stuff up as he goes along...unlike TMZ which seems to simply report on what other people make up) yet again makes a fool of himself too and soundly puts himself in the same camp as TMZ! Of all people to call him out? Jessica Alba. Hell yeahs. This is a pretty funny read: http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.eonline.com/80980- Sometimes I think Bill is a product of the modern school system that he frequently bashes (of course, that school system didn't exist when he was a kid, but who's paying attention...certainly not him).

Basic info on Documentary Hypothesis (origin of Torah)

Documentary Hypothesis (also known as JEDP) proposes that the first five books of the Old Testament (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy, known collectively as the Torah or Pentateuch) represent a combination of documents from originally independent sources.

Development of the hypothesis arise from attempts to reconcile inconsistencies in the ancient texts of the Torah. According to the influential version of the hypothesis formulated by Julius Wellhausen (1844–1918), there were four main sources, and one final redaction. These sources and the approximate dates of their composition were:

• J, or Jahwist, source; written c. 950 BC in the southern kingdom of Judah. (The name Yahweh begins with a J in Wellhausen's native German.) The writings where likely based on early oral and written sources, maybe even original from cultures outside of Israel.
• E, or Elohist, source; written c. 850 BCE in the northern kingdom of Israel. J and E may have been combined at some point after the fall of the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 BCE.
• D, or Deuteronomist, source; written c. 621 BCE in Jerusalem during a period of religious reform. P, or Priestly, source; written c. 450 BCE by Aaronid priests.
• R, or Redactor, source; written c. 400 BCE by the last editor(s) who combed the what was available from the previous sources to combine them in to the final Pentateuch. This editor may have been Ezra.
  

According to Wellhausen, the four sources present a picture of Israel's religious history, which he saw as one of ever-increasing centralization and priestly power. In effect, this exposes a de facto conspiracy by the individuals in the various eras to shape the documents to suit their contemporaneous needs.

Although rejected by most Judaism and Christian faiths (for fairly obvious reasons), modern forms of Wellhausen's original hypothesis have become the dominant scholarly view on the origin of the Pentateuch. Most contemporary Bible experts accept some form of the Documentary Hypothesis, and scholars continue to draw on Wellhausen's terminology and insights. In the area of New Testament scholarship, proposed solutions to the synoptic problem often bear a strong resemblance to the Documentary Hypothesis.

References:

http://www.cs.umd.edu/~mvz/bible/doc-hyp.pdf

http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_tora1.htm

Hawaii Episode of No Reservations

I was watching the Hawaii episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations. There it was, Ono Restaurant. I was actually at a restaurant featured on the Travel Channel. I don't know if that is a good thing or bad. Nowadays, from what I'm reading in recent reviews, you can't just walk up and take a seat anymore, unless you show up at odd hours. 

When I visited Hawaii in 2001 (a little over a month after 9/11), it literally took me three days to find an authentic Hawaii restaurant on Oahu. The one that I found was Ono. When I was there, I talked to the owner or manager (someone of authority) and told him that I was seeking out real Hawaii food and had so far done so without luck until I heard about his place. He sat me down and paraded dish after dish in front of me. The experience was very similar to Bourdain's experience on his TV show. My favorite dish was laulau, of course. I think I gained 5 pounds that day, which I have yet to lose years later. OK, slight exaggeration, but I think I did over indulge. 

I mentioned Ono in my Hawaiian vacation journal. I added that entry to my blog in 2005 here. I have a less than flattering photo of the front of the restaurant which I will keep private. From what I've reading, it no longer matches what someone would find when they arrive there. Ono is still very small, but the term "hole-in-the-wall" doesn't seem to apply anymore. Much like Bourdain, I recommend making at stop of Ono Restaurant.