Halloween Freebies

For all you non-Halloween participants that will be missing out on all the free candy, here are a few destinations to feed your hungry monsters.
From the Chipotle Facebook page:

Come dressed like any item on the menu and receive a free meal! There is no catch.
Really all you need to do is wear a piece of aluminum-foil around your arm and you'll be eligible. However, the more you put into it the better!
They make take your picture and a possibility you could make it onto the website!
Spread the word :)

http://www.chipotle.com/email/09-all-005.htm

Almost free:

Google Voice is soooo cool!!

Oh no, not another phone number!! YES! But this is THE ONLY number you'll ever need to consolidate ALL your numbers. For now and forever on.

I'm so excited! I just signed up and got my free Google Voice phone number. I was given about 100 phone number choices in either Oakland or San Leandro (there were none available in the Hayward, Fremont or San Jose zip codes). There were also quite a few for the San Ramon 925 area code. Hopefully they'll add more as I'm sure they'll all get scooped up quickly.

During my first week I can already think of some great situations for Google Voice:

• For your unsuspecting spouse who thinks you go to work everyday but instead you're really playing golf.
• For Craigslist transactions: After the deal is done, you can block/screen their number in case they call back complaining about how the thing you sold them doesn't work.
• For your boss, your ex, your mother-in-law... so that when they call you, you can automatically kick them into voice mail.
• For all those business (banks, Priceline, Amazon, etc.). Sure, you want them to have your real number in case it's something urgent, but at the same time you're worried that they may use your number for solicitation.
• For your kids' school or any other place where they must reach you in case of an emergency.
• For that cute guy you met at Starbucks you wished you haven't given your number to after coming home, you Googled his name to find out he's a registered sex offender.
• To that nerdy salesman at BestBuy you agreed to exchange numbers with if he lets you use his employee discount.
• For that long lost friend you reconnected on Facebook that keeps wanting to get together but you're not sure if he/she is mentally stable.
• For anyone else you don't want to give out your real phone numbers.

I'm sure you can think of many other situations where Google Voice would be handy, like free calls to continental U.S. and Canada. From what I've tested so far, the sound quality is a lot better than Skype. I think the single best feature is that all voice mails are transcribed into and emailed to you as an incredibly accurate text message! Very cool! For kicks, I tried leaving a message in Cantonese. Unfortunately, it doesn't do translatation. It just attempts to transcribe into English sounding words. Pretty funny nonetheless. I wonder what would happen if you played some rap music...

Set up is a breeze, configuring everything online like you do your email. No more "Press 1 to continue in English". You can create groups and customize who gets through and who is forever banished to voicemail purgatory. All callers are prescreened with their recorded voice before you can can accept their call. It's like having a secretary answer all your calls. You really got to try it!

Currently there is a waiting list, so sign up for your invitation here ASAP. It took about three weeks for mine to arrive. In the near future I'll be able to personally invite three lucky souls to Google Voice. Soooo, you all can start sucking up to me at any time :)


LINK: GOOGLE VOICE

Social justice, ghetto style

WARNING: Lots of violence and obscenities. Turn down volume because action speaks louder than words.

This video was uploaded yesterday from the 10 a.m. Muni bus in SF Chinatown.

As someone who grew up in Oakland, I've been intimidated on the bus countless times. So to see someone fight back, I feel a sense of justice finally being served (30 years later). Like, finally... someone standing up to thug. I know this is a very rare occasion, and violence is never the answer, especially when the Bible tells us that vengeance belongs to the Lord and that we should turn the other cheek... But I do feel the need to defend ourselves and not be a doormat to the scum of the earth. So please forgive me for taking a little bit of pleasure in seeing the old Chinese lady open a can of whoop-a** on the unsuspecting aggressor – Like did I see a flying kick in there??

Now had this been in Oakland on AC Transit, and the roles were reversed, you know someone is gonna get killed. True that!

On the serious side, obviously an assault occurred. But Muni is more concerned in investigating why the driver didn't report the incident than the crime itself. Unbelievable! Oh yeah, and I hear a "significant number" of cameras on Muni buses don't work. Beware.

LINK: Matier and Ross

DIY Laminate Flooring

There was a weekend last month where I had a free Saturday. I was already headed out early to Chinatown that morning and I needed to kill some time while waiting for my mom's dental appointment. I decided to visit Sincere Hardware and before I knew it, I was jamming 11 boxes of laminate flooring into my compact car.

Prior to this visit, I had been doing some research on laminate flooring: checking out color selections, materials, prices, and watching a lot of YouTube installation videos. I was convinced that this was something I could do on my own. I already had most of the equipment, I just needed a pullbar and a pushcut saw for the door jams.

The cheapest laminate flooring was 7mm thick @ 99¢/sq. ft. This is the standard 12"x48" that is most common. It has a printed pattern and plank marks. One look and you know it is laminate. I never liked this look because as time goes, the supposed invisible crevices where the planks meet will gather dirt and will become very visible. If you ever go to Ikea, look at their sample floor that people walk on. It's filthy.

I decided to get the 5"x48" individual planks @ $1.59/sf. I liked how they meet together like real hardwood planks. The grooves are real grooves so they look a lot more like real wood. Plus they were a lot thicker at 12mm, which is more warp-resistant and has better sound dampening.

I could have gone with real wood for as little as $2.99/sf., but wood dents more easier. To test the resiliency on the store sample, try digging your fingernail into it. If it leaves a dent, then it's too soft. Most hardwood would resist denting to an extent. But if you go further and dig in your car keys, laminate holds up better. In my mind I already knew laminate was the way to go in terms of durability and cost, especially when you have a house full of kids.

After a whopping six hours to move all the crap out of the office, remove the carpet, remove the carpet tacks, remove closet doors, and pop off the base mouldings, I was spent. Man, I had no idea it would be that much work... and I had not even begun installation! I guess that's the price I pay for being spontaneous. And I can't stop now. I'm at the point of no return.

Once I started, it took over an hour to lay down just three rows of planks. Keep in mind that since I got 5" planks instead of 12", I more than doubled the workload – ughh. Later as my brother-in-law came over to help, we were able to do 10 rows/hour, woohoo! I did all the sawing while he hammered away. Too bad he was only there for one hour because once he left, the workflow slowed big time. Yes boys and girls, do not attempt this by yourself, or else you'll be in for a long, looooooong day.

As I reached the final row, things got a little tricky with the door jams and that's when I realized I should've started on the door side and moved toward the window. Doh! Oh well, live and learn. So after a little bit of improvisation and ingenuity, I completed the job. And I was even able to save one unopened box for return!

I love the new floors now. Much better than the white carpeting I constantly had to keep clean. The only bad thing is now my computer chair rolls too fast and keeps crashing into the desk. But all in all a wonderful improvement and a great learning experience. Would I want to do it again? Ahh, no.

Final Stats: 11'x16' room, 6 hours prep, 8 hours install, $398, and 4 bandaids.

Removing the carpet tack strips from the concrete was a big pain
(and the cause for at least one bandaid).
Removing the base moulding wasn't too easy either (another bandaid).
And to make life even harder, the carpet pad was glued down (a little foul language).

How the bare floor looks like. The drizzle marks are the glue holding the carpet padding.

At the end of the first day.

I had to finish in time for our Friday mahjong party.

Absolute sharks! What kind of people get that many good tiles so early in the hand?