“Important Safety Precautions”

Here are a few safety warnings in the manual of my new cell phone, the LG VX6100:

  • “Do not use your phone in high explosive areas as the phone may generate sparks.” (I personally never want to be in a high explosive area.)
  • “Never place your phone in a microwave oven as it will cause the battery to explode.”
  • “An emergency call can be made only within a service area. For an emergency call, make sure that you are within a service area and that the phone is turned on.” (As opposed to normal calls?)

Windows Live and Office Live — what does it have to do with Windows and Office?

Not much, besides really good brand recognition. But it does show that Microsoft is starting to take another strategic shift toward emphasizing software as a service. Actually, it’s been trying to do that since .NET and the ill-fated “HailStorm” in 2001, only now there’s actually a business model to go along with it — advertising. The best commentary I’ve seen:

Now, Windows Live doesn’t look too impressive at the moment — mostly a bunch of rebranded MSN services that don’t work in Firefox, and barely work in IE. But guess what? Windows 1.0 was pretty bad too! While it’s too soon to say Microsoft will be successful, underestimate Microsoft at your own peril.

Vote No on Cupertino Measures A, B, and C

I don’t think many readers of this blog live in Cupertino, but Measures A, B, and C would have region-wide impact. These measures would set limits on building density, height, and setback from the street; only part of Vallco would be exempt. Any other exemptions would need a citywide vote, paid by the developer. Proponents want to preserve Cupertino’s suburban character, but these measures are way too extreme. Passing them would just continue ugly sprawl.

For example, the height restriction (36 feet maximum) means that the new library and Apple’s corporate headquarters would be in violation. The Senior Center and the new Peet’s Coffee/Panera Bread building would violate the setback restriction (35 feet minimum). These are not urban skyscrapers by any means. It’s not too often you find a Chamber of Commerce and the Sierra Club on the same side of an issue. They are both against Measures A, B, and C, as are virtually every elected official in Cupertino. I’m with them.

Vote Yes on Prop. 77, No on everything else

I think the special election called by California’s governor is a complete waste of money, but since we’re having it, we might as well vote on the propositions before us. Proposition 77, which takes the power to redraw voting districts out of the hands of the legislature and into a panel of retired judges, is the only proposition I am voting for. It’s not perfect — there’s no reason to redraw districts until the next census in 2010 — but it’s a lot better than what we have now. Here are a couple of examples.

Congressional District 11 has a grotesque shape over parts of four counties, covering such disparate cities as Moraga, Pleasanton, Morgan Hill, and Manteca. State Senate District 15 stretches from Saratoga 200 miles down to northern Santa Barbara County. If this isn’t blatant gerrymandering, I don’t know what is. I want to put an end to this #$&%@&, so I’m voting yes on Proposition 77.

All of the other propositions are either bad ideas or poorly thought out, so I’m voting no on everything else.

De Young Museum

Today was the second day of the grand opening celebration at the de Young Museum, and it was in full swing. Ben and I planned to meet at 10 AM, but when I got there, I found no parking within the park and settled for the new parking garage underneath the Music Concourse. It ended up being $15 for 4 hours — painful, but worth not circling the park for an hour. Then I got in line, which at the time stretched from the museum entrance all the way out to 8th Ave and JFK Drive, about 200 yards. A volunteer guessed it would take about 1½ hours, but it ended up being “only” 45 minutes, and granted, the line moved faster than I expected.

There is so much to see at the museum that we chose to concentrate our visit in three areas: the tower, where you get great views of the city; the special exhibition on Hatshepsut, the only female pharoah of ancient Egypt; and American paintings from the 18th and 19th centuries. I really enjoyed the Hudson River School and trompe-l’oeil paintings, but there were a few pieces of contemporary art that also caught my eye, including a stainless steel “fake rock” by Zhan Wang. As for the building itself, it’s very unusual, but in a good way (IMHO). I hope the copper holds up in the salt air… [photos]