"Maria's birthday" written by Joe on estrip.org

02/14/15 04:52 - 16.ºF - ID#59837

Maria's birthday

Thursday night we went out to celebrate Maria's birthday at Oshun. They ordered almost one of everything on the menu.
It was a super fishy dinner but even the vegetarian sides were filling. Especially the orzo.

Afterwards we went to (e:mike) and (e:libertad)'s for dessert. I think Paul's dad's stories are the best I've ever heard.

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Permalink: Maria_s_birthday.html
Words: 63
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 02/14/15 06:12

Category: internet

02/10/15 02:28 - 15.ºF - ID#59831

Dream networks

Speaking of net neutrality and real internet providers, when we were in Rochester, (e:masumibot) told us about a new ISP there called Greenlight Networks.

It's what Buffalo and every other place cursed with Time Warner deserves. Basically, it's a fiber ISP that taps into all the existing private fiber networks that were built in the in the late 90's and 2000's (often with government money) and resells service to small business and residential customers. You can see a map of just Fibertech's network here

, which includes a trunk right down Linwood and throughout most of the city.

For just $100 install and $50 a month, Rochesterian (? had to look that denonym up) can get 100/20Mbps internet.

For just $250 a month, they can get 1Gbps down and 100Mbps up.

This is in the same service area as Time Warner, who charges a fucking outrageous $250 for 35/5Mbps at Allen Street, with the worst customer service I have ever seen. For fiber service in the city, Fibertech wants over $1000/month for any sort of connection plus huge install fees.

I feel like we're in a internet desert, with a fiber oasis in front of our house that we can't reach.

In other internet news, there is a group trying to start an free, hyper-local, open access wireless mesh network in Buffalo. (e:paul) says he dreamt of this 10 years ago. The group, called Buffalo Mesh, meets at the Foundry, where they already started to build out their network. I wish I had more time and knew more about networking so I could get involved.
Buffalo Mesh

Permalink: Dream_networks.html
Words: 273
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 02/10/15 02:42

Category: birthday

02/08/15 05:01 - 16.ºF - ID#59829

Happy birthday Masumibot

Happy birthday (e:uchina). Your party was ridiculous and your friends are amazingly strange and fun.

Gummis were eaten, bottles were popped, and balls were compared.

Permalink: Happy_birthday_Masumibot.html
Words: 36
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 02/10/15 02:15

Category: internet

02/07/15 06:44 - 32.ºF - ID#59828

Net neutrality? For real

The FCC chairman Tom Wheeler published an editorial in WIred the other day calling for the FCC to regulate Internet to be regulated as common carriers, just like phone companies. This is going to be decided on by the FCC in the near future.

Everyone kept telling me he was from the cable industry - it turns out he dwasn't from Time Warner or Comcast, but he did run an experimental cable company in the 80's. Unlike dial up providers with phone companies though, the cable companies didn't have to give them access to their network. It's kind of awesome to find out someone regulating business that isn't from that big business.

He also was behind a recent FCC reclassification of broadband speeds from 4/1Mbps to 25. ISP's can no longer market anything else as high speed.

By treating internet providers as common carriers, they will no longer be able to shape or restrict traffic based on origin/destination. I'm sure they're going to fight tooth and nail against this but if this goes
Unfortunately the FCC will not be attempting to regulate pricing. ;(

't-destroying-the-internet/

Permalink: Net_neutrality_For_real.html
Words: 197
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 02/07/15 06:44

Category: architecture

02/07/15 05:56 - 32.ºF - ID#59825

Kittinger House tour

(e:paul) and I went with his mom to tour the Kitenger house on Lincoln Parkway with his mom. While we were there we saw Emily and Mike.

The house was very large - 8,000 square feet, but it was not my thing. It was very 50's and not kept up, and ridiculously oversized. I'm all for converting this into apartments. I often think the size of house we live in is excessive but over double the space is even crazier. The house was filled with old lady perfume and cat smell - Paul couldn't go into the carriage house. It's on sale for $1.5 million dollars.

The cool part was their old intercom system. It was a brass telephone with buttons for each room. I can't imagine how high tech that was when that was added to the house. It also had this weird retro wallpaper in the master bathroom of these 50's cartoons.

Permalink: Kittinger_House_tour.html
Words: 170
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 02/07/15 06:34

Category: programming

02/06/15 04:33 - 20.ºF - ID#59822

A brogrammer is born

(e:terry) is learning programming.

He had an issue converting files for import into Quickbooks - he had a qif file, from the personal version of quickbooks, and needed it to become an IIF file, for the accountant one. professor (e:paul) and I walked Terry through translating his logic into programming. There were a lot of small catches but after a few hours, (e:terry) had it down pretty good.

I think he could be an awesome programmer and I want him to learn more - I feel like it'd speed up a lot of his work and we could all work together.

Permalink: A_brogrammer_is_born.html
Words: 107
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 02/10/15 02:30

Category: tea

02/06/15 12:28 - 6.0ºF - ID#59821

Crazy tea

This tea is the weirdest and best tea I have ever had. It has these little popcorn type balls in it, a bunch of different types of leaves and it makes you so wired you'll be running around the house begging everyone to go for a walk after you drink it. Multiply this by ten if you drink the tea and chew on the leaves. I've gotten some of my best programming done on it too.

We're currently out and I want to order more online, but I'm debating whether I should. Between this and the free iced tea at Cafe 59, I wonder if I drink enough to get lead poisoning.

tinypliny writes at 03:42:25 02/11/15 - Comment #72680: I would worry more about what second-hand smoke exposure, lack of exercise and poor eating habits is doing to all of our collective healths. And let's not forget about random stochastic processes - otherwise known as bad luck. :P

Let go. Enjoy tea. It's what made silk route legends come alive and countless stories to take form. Not sure such praise can be heaped upon coffee (far too modern!).

I would say, try online stores. The variety is mind-boggling. You know your kitchen used to have a vast collection on the top shelf near the fridge (I could never reach it). Is the collection still there?

Also, the key benefits to tea comes not from the tea itself - its from hydration. :)

joe writes at 02:34:13 02/10/15 - Comment #72678: (e:tinypliny) What is your take on the heavy metal content of some of the teas? Every review I read says the content varies so wildly across brands depending on where it's grown it almost seems impossible to worry about since I can't know.

I actually think we got this tea at the Super Bazaar on Sheridan in Amherst.

Machta green is so good. Paul and I tried the powder straight up the other day. I'll have to keep an eye out for Darjeelings and black Keemuns.

tinypliny writes at 10:49:59 02/08/15 - Comment #72675: ^like :) Genmaicha is one of my favourites. They are available for lot less at Chinese groceries compared to online stores. Check out some of the Chinese groceries in Amherst and that rich snooty town beyond it (I forgot the name!)

tinypliny writes at 10:48:40 02/08/15 - Comment #72674: I really Japanese teas. :-) All the matchas are pretty awesome. I eat most tea leaves too! :)

I think you need to try the high-mountain oolongs, the 1st flush Darjeelings and the black Keemuns before giving the honour of the "best tea" to a Japanese matcha. ;-)

Permalink: Crazy_tea.html
Words: 120
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 02/06/15 04:39

Category: work

02/04/15 01:50 - 21.ºF - ID#59816

Wash your hands

We missed Lloyd's today, so (e:paul) and I went with Patrick to the Buffalo General Hospital cafeteria. It was probably the grossest food experience I have ever had.

Everyone in the cafeteria seemed to be coughing or sick, the soups and salad were uncovered and the only option out was pizza. On the other hand, it only cost $8 for Paul and I to eat a slice of pizza and salad.

On the way back, Paul went to wash his hands in the cafeteria bathroom, located in a hallway that smelled like sewage. He soaped his hands but then found out the water didn't work, hence the picture of him walking almost all the way back with soap on his hands.

When we got closer to Roswell, we heard another gross and sad story one of our coworkers Andy about the Buffalo General. I'm save you the details but it's much worse than the cafeteria.

Permalink: Wash_your_hands.html
Words: 156
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 02/04/15 02:07

Category: niagara falls

02/01/15 08:41 - 13.ºF - ID#59813

Frozen falls

We went up to the Canadian side of the falls today. I have never been on the Canadian side before.

It was very cold and snowy, hard to see the falls. Still pretty cool to see the outline of the horseshoe from that side. Weird how a city of 80k looks more bumping than Buffalo. I want it to be summer so I can ride over here and explore it some more. I tried to take a 360 photosphere. Maybe we can find/write a canvas/javascript viewer for these on estrip.

(e:paul) freezing in the car

Like (e:paul,59812) posted about, the number of Tim Horton's cups is disgusting. I think they should ban serving coffee and drinks in them at all. Or if you want a cup, pay $1.00 in tax that should pay for street cleaning services for all the disgusting waste they produce. I don't know what it is about these cups that makes people drop them wherever they finish.

Happy fam

Clifton Hill really is as tacky as I thought it would be. It does look like they have really big dance clubs though.

Initially we were going to eat at the Skylon tower's buffet but it was kind of pointless if you can't see the falls. So we came home to Allentown and ate at Don Tequila - the veggie fajita had more than enough vegetables for me.

Permalink: Frozen_falls.html
Words: 240
Location: Buffalo, NY
Last Modified: 02/01/15 11:30

Category: food

02/01/15 12:53 - 20.ºF - ID#59810

Fried truffle oil spoonful cereal

Last night I went with Terry and Denise to (e:dianne)'s birthday party. The birthday party was crazy fun and had more than enough bean dip. Super impressive fitting that many people in there too. Hope it was a happy birthday!

(e:paul) couldn't go because of cats ;(. So I went home around midnight to go out with him. We were going to go the Just Rave 3.5 party at the Town Ballroom. Paul had to be the one to pry me from the fire for once.

Before we left, (e:paul) suggested that we stay home and fry cereal like his friend used to do in grade school. We went out instead.

It turns out that the event was sold out. What's happening lately that everything electronic in Buffalo is packed now? This was the third big show in a week too. I think electronic music has finally come back to Buffalo for the first time since (e:paul)'s raver days. It's amazing how many options for dancing there are lately.

We waited outside for almost an hour and a half before they announced they weren't letting anymore people in without tickets. A silly (e:terry) came by and waited with us for a half hour, and left. Even people who did have tickets were still waiting at 2 am - I would have been so freaking pissed that they oversold like that. I wonder if it's because their floor collapsed before:

Paul and I went to Underground after for a drink. It's gone from saddy hardcore to just sad. 2am, "Hey there Delilah" and nobody there. Maybe we should bring our own music and take it over, the dance floor is way roomier than Funky Monkey.

We went home to find a very cold (e:terry) waiting outside for us, since he didn't have his key. After we got in and warmed up, Paul cooked up the most redonkulous bougie treat ever - fried truffle oil fancy cereal. His mom gave him truffle oil for his birthday, so with that, multigrain cereal, butter, a little sugar and Parmesan cheese, we had the most amazing cereal I've ever tasted. I still can't believe it.