Lisa and I are planning a trip up to the mountains on the weekend of 2/4 - 2/5 and will be skiing on that Saturday, 2/5. We'll be staying in Truckee and skiing somewhere in the area - Squaw, Apline, Homewood, Sugar Bowl, or Northstar. That is to say, I'll be skiing, Lisa, not a big ski fan, will be knitting in the nice warm lodge. :) I'll post more specifics later.
If anyone is interested in joining us that weekend, please let me know. I'll provide specific locations and times to meet up at the slopes once we know more.

So I don't generally consider myself a conspiracy nut. I don't believe the Gummint Is Watching Our Every Move.

Generally.

But I was reading up on this system, which has been deployed in my home town for several years:

http://www.shotspotter.com/index.html

In short, it's a series of rooftop-mounted audio sensors that detect the sound of gunfire and triangulate on it, enabling officers to respond much more quickly. This seems like a great idea and a very useful tool in making my neighborhood safer. Yay!

Then I read a bit more on their FAQ:

"Privacy rights are an issue of utmost importance to ShotSpotter. We have spent tremendous time and effort designing our gunshot location systems in order to ensure the privacy rights of every citizen. Our sensors trigger only when a loud, impulsive sound is detected. Impulsive noises are defined as the short, rapid onset, high intensity sound produced by a discharge of a firearm, firecracker, or explosion. Human speech is incapable of producing such sounds; hence our sensors are unable to be triggered by either the human voice or many other loud noises such as train whistles, loud vehicles, jet engines, dog barking, etc. "

Ok, good good, this sounds reassuring. Continuing on:

"When an impulsive sound occurs-such as gunfire, a firework, or an explosion noise-- and meets these criteria, our system automatically downloads a brief audio clip of the incident. The audio clip lasts only a few seconds and usually starts a few seconds before the sound and ends a few seconds after. Incident audio is immediately is sent to personnel responding to the alert, allowing them to make an accurate assessment of the incident."

Wait a sec.
The audio clip starts a few seconds BEFORE the incident? And you claim that you're not continuously recording audio? Do you have a very small time machine or something? Are you sure you don't mean you're continuously recording audio, but you don't save it unless there's an incident? That would be a big difference, after all. One system can't be easily abused, the other one...
Well, at least we're talking about recording gunshots, right? Not, like, conversations?

Skipping on in the FAQ, I get to this:

"In extremely rare cases, the sounds of loud human voices can be heard in the background after an impulsive incident has triggered our system. In all of these cases, only the sound of voices can be heard, not the actual words. This is because sensors are typically deployed on building rooftops, far off the ground and away from public access. In short, we deploy our sensors are too far away. This is a part of our patented spatial filtering process. In fact, typical human speech is not intelligible at distances greater than twenty feet away from our acoustic sensors as we use the same microphones used in most cell phones. Try this experiment yourself: while outdoors, call your own voicemail using your cell phone, set your phone down, walk twenty to thirty feet away and speak in a normal voice. When you play back the voicemail, your speech will not be intelligible."

Ummm, ok - but how do I know you're telling the truth?

Now we get to the thing which triggered my interest in the first place.

http://www.mercurynews.com/breaking-news/ci_16391016?nclick_check=1

A summary: Prosecutors in a murder trial resulting from a June 2007 shooting presented a ShotSpotter recording of the incident. The transcript of the recording implicated the murderer with the victim's last words.

"Oh R," Lyles is heard saying on a recording. "Why you done me like that R? R, why you do me like that, dude?"

The article attributes the recording to the ShotSpotter sysetm. This recording was taken in a residential area without a lot of high rise buildings surrounding it. I find it extremely unlikely that the victim was within 20 feet of an "audio sensor" (boy, that sounds a lot less intrusive than "high-powered microphone"), or that he was yelling loudly and enunciating carefully, all while suffering from a fatal gunshot to the gut.

So: here's the conspiracy nut questions I'd like to get answers to. 1) Who is lying, the prosecutors, the newspaper, the ShotSpotter FAQ? 2) Who is monitoring the use of this public safety system to ensure our privacy is being respected? 3) WHAT THE HELL PEOPLE? IS THIS NORTH KOREA?!?

I recognize that this particular murder might never have made it to trial without this particular piece of evidence. But what are we giving up in return? Tools like this need careful oversight, and the lies I'm reading are setting off red alerts about how this tool is being used.

Any suggestions on where I can get more information or take further action would be appreciated. I'm considering enquiring with the ACLU, the Oakland City Council, or possibly the police department directly.

Just in case any of you are watching the SF news and catch sight of Lisa:

Don't Panic.
She is fine.

However, she was, in fact, hit by a car. Kinda. While in a restaurant.
 

The story:

Lisa and several friends gathered at ImagiKnit in San Francisco for, well, something knitting-related. I'm vague on the details. For me, it's one mysterious function, f(x)=y, where x="yarn" and y="holy crap, a sweater!". The details involve higher mathematics beyond mere mortals. And possibly involve black magic. I've never investigated out of fear for my immortal soul.

Anyway, the event wrapped up and they wandered across the street to the Samovar Tea Lounge. They got the best table in the house, right in the corner window.

At roughly 4:30, a driver of an SUV started up the very very steep San Francisco hill that is Sanchez. It looks kinda like this (Sandovar is out of the frame just to the right): Eep!

The driver suffered some kind of unspecified medical emergency - we do not have a definite answer on this, but theories floated around by EMTs and firefighters include stroke, seizure, or loss of consciousness. Whichever it was, she lost control of her SUV, which rolled backwards down the hill out of control. The SUV jumped the curb, struck a customer sitting at a sidewalk table, and plowed into the corner support of the building at what police estimate was 20mph.

Lisa was directly on the other side of this corner support. You can see it in the video linked below. Yes, that shattered 6x6 wood beam. That one. She had her back to it. The windows were completely demolished and cleaned up by the time the video was shot; even the bench and table they were sitting at is now gone.  

She suffered mostly a sore back and neck. Just as a precaution, we had her checked out at the ER, and they gave her a clean bill of health and some strong drugs.

Others were not so lucky. The driver was hospitalized, as was the customer at the sidewalk table. That customer was reported to be in stable condition, amazingly enough. We still haven't heard how the driver is doing, other than 'not well'.

To see Lisa in the news, as well as her friend talking to the media:
CBS5
KTVU
FWIX


Lisa is at home now, and is mostly just rattled and sore. We are hoping the others involved recover as quickly.

Okay, I keep promising to post the recipe for carameltinis. So:

1 part Buttershots
2 parts Stirrings Sour Apple
3 parts Ketel One vodka
dollop of fresh caramel sauce.

Add caramel to a martini glass. Mix remaining ingredients over ice and shake. Serve with a small spoon for the caramel.

Caramel:

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp corn syrup
water

The best saucepan to use is a small non-stick saucepan - this keeps sugar solution from sticking to the sides of the pan and caramelizing unevenly. A heavy-bottomed pan can also work.

Add sugar to the saucepan and cover with just enough water to wet the sugar down. Add the corn syrup (this can help prevent crystallization). Place on medium-high heat and bring to a boil. DO NOT LEAVE THIS UNATTENDED.

After about 10 minutes, the bubbles will begin to get large and slow as the water has mostly evaporated. If the sugar begins to brown unevenly, stir slightly. When the color reaches a light brown, turn the heat down slightly -- this gives you more time between 'slightly toasted' and 'burnt'. WATCH VERY CLOSELY - the timing between the two extremes is usually less than a minute.

When to stop is a matter of taste and practice. You can use a candy thermometer (I always have to look up the right temperature online, I can never remember). Or you can judge by the color, scent, or looking for the first wisps of smoke. I like a nice golden brown, just a few wisps of smoke, and a strong caramel scent.

Pull the pan off the heat and add the cream all at once. Use caution - the resulting steam can scald easily. Stir to combine. If it doesn't fully combine, you can return it to the burner, stir just until smooth, and remove. Cool to room temperature.

Other precautions: The caramelized sugar is VERY hot before the cream is added. Do not taste test, and be very cautious of spills. Professionals call this 'plasma' for a good reason.

Happy birthday to my dearest danea ! I love you!

I make this in large batches and freeze for a quick and easy breakfast protein.

 

1 tbsp whole black pepper

2 tsp whole cumin seed

2 tsp whole coriander seed

6 - 8 dried chili peppers (Colorado, California, New Mexico, or similar), stems and seeds removed

1 ½ tsp fresh ginger

2 hot red peppers

3 serrano peppers

¼ small onion

2 tbsp garlic

1 tbsp rubbed sage

1 ½ tsp red pepper flakes

4 tsp salt

1 cup bread crumbs

2 beaten eggs

1.5 lbs ground turkey breast

0.5 lbs ground turkey, dark meat

 

Combine pepper, cumin, coriander and dried chili peppers. Toast in a hot dry skillet until fragrant. Then grind in a spice grinder, coffee mill, or mortar until fine.

Dice the ginger, hot and serrano peppers, onion and garlic.

Combine with the remaining ingredients.

Mix well. Form into 3.5oz patties. Cook in a lubricated skillet for about 4 minutes on each side.

 

Makes about 14 sausages.

My wife danea is amazing with a camera.

She's just posted our photos from our trip last year to Italy. It was an absolutely gorgeous trip with lots of beautiful sights, and going through her photoset brings it all back with amazing vividness. 

www.flickr.com/photos/ljellis/collections/72157618117556338/

My cell phone is spontaneously developing new features such as Random Mute Mode, Display-Call-But-Refuse-To-Pick-Up Mode, Auto-Disconnect, and Translate-To-Mandarin. While the latter is very interesting, it only works from Aramaic.

So, I'm seeking a donation of an old mobile phone. Since I'm job-hunting, I'd prefer not to sign a new contract (or, in fact, spend much of anything). In addition, I'm trying to hang on to a temporary solution until the Pre becomes a reality.

Consequently: If anyone upgraded to an iPhone recently, ...oh wait. That's, like, my entire audience. Let me try again: did anyone keep their old phone when they got their iPhone?

The details: I'm using Verizon, so please let me know if you can donate any CDMA capable phone which does not auto-dial Turkey at regular intervals despite your having taken the battery out.

(cross-posted from danea's journal)

We have an extra ticket for the sold out Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me taping in Berkeley Thursday, Feb 19 (yes, that's tomorrow!).

Given our household status as a recession statistic, we need to recoup the value of the ticket ($22) if at all possible, since that could easily be 2+ meals for us.

So if you'd like to take the ticket and join ef2p, cortneyofeden, and me, please contact one of us ASAP. The show starts at 8, and the tickets were sold at KQED membership prices, so unless you are a member you'll probably need to go in with the group.

That sure went quickly!</lj></lj></lj>

I've decided on two resolutions this year.

1) I resolve to do better with completing projects that I start. No more loose ends! I don't need to do more things, necessarily, just to finish the ones I start.

2) I also resolve to
...hang on, someone's at the door, be right back.