Toyota "They did not have any respect for our laws."

I've long been suspicious of Toyota as a company. Of course, I don't trust any corporation. However, foreign companies whose lies result in the death of Americans leave a particularly bad taste in my mouth. Recent comments by a former Toyota top attorney, Dimitri Biller, really brings the point home. Biller and Toyota are now suing each other. Why is Toyota suing Biller? Because he decided break his silence, the very same silence that they apparently thought they purchased from him for $3.9 million in 2007.

Biller has stated, "you have to understand that Toyota in Japan does not have any respect for our legal system." He also stated, "they did not have any respect for our laws," and that "[Toyota had] a culture of hypocrisy and deception." If this doesn't scare people, I don't know what will.

In a ridiculous effort to discredit Biller, Toyota claimed that Biller was a disgruntled former employee who is angry he lost his job. Yeah, I'd be pissed if my company paid me $3.9 million too. Toyota also claimed that Biller did not handle acceleration cases while he worked there. Biller disputed that statement, noting that he worked as the managing attorney for Toyota on a sudden acceleration Lexus case in 2005.

Purple Elephants

I had questions enter my mind,
Purple Elephants serve what purpose?
Can they lift a lot of lumber for building?
Do they trumpet loudly, scaring monsters away?

Well, yes they can do all of that,
But so much more too!

They can clear a path through the jungle
For you to romp and play upon.
When you ride on their backs,
You can go to lands far off.

They can hold you in their fuzzy trunks;
And you can hug them and snuggle all day.
That trunk of theirs can shower you when it’s hot,
And warm you when you are chilly.

You can play hide-and-go-seek with them,
And I bet you’ll always win.
They are loyal, faithful and ready to protect.
They can even fly high to lift your spirits,
But you’re not supposed to know. Shhh

But the best thing those Purple Elephants are good for
You can love them a lot, and they will love you more.

Avatar now highest grossing movie ever? No.

I got a chance to meet James Cameron this week. I told him I liked Dark Angel, while I was having my photo taken with him. There, you can see me saying out of the corner of my mouth.

I do love Avatar. I've seen it once in AMC's fake IMAX theater in 3D. I want to see it again soon. This week, it has become the highest grossing film of all time in terms of actual dollars. However, it is not even close to being the highest inflation adjusted grossing film of all time. Right now, Avatar is #21 and Titanic is #6. Adjusted for inflation, the highest grossing film of all time is actually Gone with the Wind currently at over $1.5 billion, followed by Star Wars at $1.3 billion in today's money. These numbers are well over double Avatar's earnings of $603 million.

Though it doesn't benefit me at all, I am rooting for Avatar to approach those numbers. If Cameron can keep the magic of this new franchise alive, the rumors are that this movie is the first of a trilogy. My hope for any sequels is to not allow familiarity with the characters to interfere with making two more great films. Star Wars balanced this fairly well with its first sequel, Empire Strikes Back, but lost much of its magic since. Here's to the hope of continued high quality entertainment from James Cameron!

Tuesday Two: Anti-gravity Battery paper

Tuesday Two

There's something crazy about Professor Yi Cui and his research team at Stanford University. No, it's not their lab coats. They are using a nanotechnology to develop an ink to make paper batteries that you may fold into an origami crane, crumple into a ball or simply lie flat on a toilet seat.

The Alter-G G-Trainer is called the anti-gravity treadmill. To me, it's g-rated ("g" as in "great") for giving patients a new lighter than air physical therapy tool that uses goal-directed action to get them back on their feet sooner. It's been successfully employed at military hospitals for orthopedic and neurological uses.

.

Epoch-Fail

Again another Epoch-Fail award goes to Toyota for continued unresolved problems with their accelators. This is a PR nightmare that they just don't seem to know how to handle. So far, in my opinion, they have taken the approach of burying their head in the sand and pretending nothing is going on. That is already costing them dearly. I would use the metaphor of a "train wreck", except that is somewhat literal in this case. The disaster isn't over. More recalls might be likely as Toyota is forced to deal with issues beyond the current scope. Here's one example of problems not being addressed on CBS 5 San Francisco.

.Nakkid Girl.

Oh nakkid girl, lathering in the shower,
the suds drap over her body.
Water streams down every curve and
announces her bosoms,
her legs and proud posterier.
"Mmhmm, what a sight to behold."

I want to touch her glistening skin,
caress her nipples and ... wait,
just a minute...she's become a Siren,
and beckons me to join her!
"Woohoo!", I exclaim! She giggles,
and the shower curtain closes behind me.

SolidWorks World 2010

 

January 30, 2010 to February 4, 2010 with Gabi Jack, Scott Baugh, Jeff Mirisola, Richard Hall, Ricky Jordan, Dan Riffell, Anna Wood, Ben Eadie, Anne Yust, Chris Saller, Jason Raak and many others, 

visited Walt Disney World Swan And Dolphin Resort. (Original post/backup link)

SolidWorks Legion articles

Toebzilla chillin by the space heater

United Souls

Our souls are united in consummate love,
Rising from the source of our being,
As if our devotion existed for all time . . .
Yet more, like embryonic emotions,
Not felt, until discovered by us.

Copyright © 1999, 2004 Matthew Lorono

Timeline of Dave's weekend visit (as told via Twitter)

• Just picked up @shadu11 @ SJC 9:36 PM Jan 22nd

• Dinner w/ wife and @shadu11 @ St. Johns 9:37 PM Jan 22nd

• Lunch @ #crepevine in #Burlingame w/ @shadu11. Y is it so hard to find good NorCal/Napa style casual eats in NorCal? 1:47 PM Jan 23rd

• Had a great dinner w/ wife, her friend and @shadu11 @ #Cascal in downtown #mountainview last night. about 19 hours ago

• Breakfast at Lou's in #losgatos. It's hard to find good mom and pop breakfast places nowadays

• Fun @ GoKart Racer w/ @shadu11 today. about 19 hours ago

• Discovered a gaming cyber cafe in Mt. View today...I thought most of those went outta business years ago @shadu11 about 19 hours ago

• Great #pekingduck @ #chefchus in #losaltos w/ @shadu11 8:42 PM Jan 23rd

• #ButchBradley was hilarious at #roostertfeathers in #sunnyvale last nite w/ @shadu11 http://www.roostertfeathers.com #fb #standupcomedy 12:30 AM Jan 24th
  

• Bin too long since I had fresh #Krispykreme, @shadu11 about 4 hours ago

• Late lunch follows late breakfast @ #happihouse in #sjjapantown, @shadu11 about 2 hours ago

• Dropped off @shadu11 @ SJC. ..have a safe fly!!! 33 minutes ago

Ballot initiative for 49ers Santa Clara stadium

With an estimated 7060 valid signatures, the ballot measure to support the building of a 68,500 seat modern stadium in Santa Clara may likely be added to the June 2010 ballot, according to a letter from Registrar's Office to the Santa Clara Clerk's Office. With this little bit of news, the effort for the new stadium moves ever closer to being successful.

Now, it should be noted that if the ballot measure happens to be rejected by the voters of Slara Clara city, that may not necessarily end the move to build the stadium. The bureaucratic process to get approval for the stadium seems to be a mostly city hall affair. The ballot measure is just meant to reinforce efforts (assuming it is approved).

Tuesday Two: Quantum Motions

Tuesday Two

Here's motion control that doesn't require bright lights, tons of balls, or expensive high speed cameras. Instead, it uses a relatively inexpensive pulsating projector with sensors that record movement patterns at 500 times a second.

Keep those rubidium atoms separated in your quantum computer by using polarized light! Your qubits won't be the same! No longer will they interfere with each other, causing screwy quantum calculations. Quantumfy with assurance!

Epoch-Fail

Apple has had fairly high representation in the as of yet short life of the Epoch-Fail awards. Do I hate Apple? Not at all. They just make themselves such an easy target. Epoch-Fail award again goes to the iPhone 3GS for having what some claim to be broken encryption that will not be able to protect sensitive data.

California Nature (rewrite of Your Nature)

Your journey roads herald adventure,
Impelling me to climb your cloven heights,
And romp carelessly,
as aureate poppy fields beckon.

Sun-kissed waters bounce along your shoreline joggle,
Enticing me to surf the crashing calm waves.
Canopy-enveloped valleys thrive with floral scents,
Drawing my ingression, but I forestall.

Instead I caper like the mysterious-moving-desert-rocks,
Which tickle your basin by some unseen will.
I endeavor to hike your proud hills,
And find a place to gaze lostly into lakes, filled with sky.

Vineyard nectar overflows like sweet sweat,
To spur my arousal as I partake.
Your boundless attributes gratify my wanderlust,
Alluring me to appease your nature.

There is no plan B!

What's my story?

>-----Original Message-----
>From: Kate *****
>Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2004 11:53 AM
>To: Matthew *****
>Subject: RE: HI!!
>
>Thangs are great. I'm swamped at work. Took yesterday off to receive 2
>deliveries-a new king bed and a frig. Worked in the garden, walked the dog,
>and totally enjoyed the warm weather. Holidays were delightful.
>What's your story?

What's my story, you ask? Well, at the age of 5 I was living in a home for the mentally insane. My father was a doctor in love with his patient, but like many love affairs in insane asylums, the romance was not meant to last. He moved on, leaving my mother pregnant with me and my evil twin, Horus. We grew up in an orphanage. Horus was always trying to do evil by helping nasty old ladies to cross the street and becoming a lackey for the local YMCA. I, for my part, decided to take a more mundane path. At the age of 8, I built a ray gun that would destroy the moon, which I have proven is the cause of evil insanity. That moon, it's so bright at night, keeping me awake...awake...awake. For some reason this upset the authorities. Something about leaving the Earth helpless at the mercy of huge moon debris, I think, as if that matters to me. So, the nefarious forces of the ATF intervened, taking my ray gun away to use for their own selfish purposes. At that moment, I set out on a life that would allow me to one day rule the world and destroy evil everywhere. I've almost completed my plan twice in the past 10 years, only to be thwarted by some super hero or another. If I have to hear the words, "I'm Batman!" hoarsely uttered by that bat brained fool one more time, I'm going to go crazy myself. He will be the first to go when I am King of Everything, and then I will eliminate my nemesis, Horus where ever he is! ::maniacal laugh::

As for this week, I've just been busy here at work...really busy too. Lots going on. I'm excited about going to Vegas in a couple weeks! woohoo!

Star Trek: The Exhibition at The Tech in San Jose, CA

Star Trek: The Exhibition is currently travelling around the country, presumably before Star Trek: The Experience reopens at its new home Neonopolis Mall later this year. The Exhibition is a seriously scaled back version of the The Experience, without the live actors, large scale stories in the form of rides and adventures. It's pretty much just a museum style display of some of the more common Star Trek vintage items.


They have this scale "authentic replica" of the Enterprise in the first main hall, along with displays giving mundane details about the various Star Trek series and movies. There are also display cases with phasers, tribbles, tricorders, etc.

The Guardian of Forever greeted me. I have no memory of any events that may have occurred as I walked through the gate. Hmmm, I wonder what adventures I had.