Ismael Chang Ghalimi – 2006 December

Posts from December 2006

Posted
31 December 2006 @ 9pm

Last Flight of the Year

Today, Eliot and I did our last flight of the year. We completed three approaches, the ILS or Localizer Runway 31 (ILS OR LOC RWY 31) in Salinas (KSNS), the Localizer-DME Runway 28 Left (LOC/DME 28L) in Monterey (KMRY), and the now familiar RNAV (GPS) Runway 30 (RNAV (GPS) RWY 30) in San Carlos (KSQL), for which we simulated a failure of the Primary Flight Display (PFD). We logged a total of 2.1 hours, including 0.5 hour of actual instruments, and 1.3 hours of simulated instruments.

Posted
30 December 2006 @ 9pm

Tagged
Gastronomy, Watching

All the King’s Men

Yesterday night, May and I watched All the King’s Men (IMDB), a solid movie on politics and corruption directed by Steven Zaillian. Even though not as strong as the original movie it is a remake of, Sean Penn’s impressive performance makes it worth watching. You might want to turn subtitles on though, for the plot is supposed to take place in the great state of Louisiana, and the actors’ accents definitely match the location. Today, we met Dave and Ellen for tapas at Esperpento. The Pollo Adobo and Tortilla de Patata were excellent.

Posted
29 December 2006 @ 9pm

Tagged
Watching

A Scanner Darkly

Tonight, May and I watched a Scanner Darkly [IMDB], a movie based on a novel by Phillip K. Dick and starring Keanu Reeves, Robert Downey Jr., Woody Harrelson, and Winona Ryder. Director Richard Linklater used a relatively new technique called digital rotoscoping, which helps create a sense of enhanced realism that one might experience when under the influence of drugs. Dialogues are excellent, and Robert Downey Jr.’s performance reminiscent of Jeremy Davies’ in Solaris [IMDB]. Highly recommended.

Posted
28 December 2006 @ 9pm

Tagged
Photography

f/1.2

After trying it out, May and I could not resist and decided to go for the new Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM. We ordered it from B&H and received it today. Opening at f/1.2, this is the fastest lens we got so far. Some owners reported that this lens seems to create light where there is not enough of it, and it sure feels that way when taking indoor pictures without flash. While our other lenses (Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM, Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM) would require an ISO setting of 1600 to get anything decent, 800 seems to be plenty enough with this one. It makes me wonder wether we should ditch our zoom lenses, and get primes lenses instead. If so, I would get the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM, and the Canon EF 200mm f/1.8L USM when Canon releases an updated version with Image Stabilizer (IS). In the meantime, I am considering taking some photography classes while we still have some free time available during weekends. Keeble & Shuchat in Palo Alto is organizing some interesting ones on studio lighting and digital image processing.

Posted
27 December 2006 @ 9pm

Tagged
Gastronomy

Mo’s Smokehouse BBQ

On our way back up from Los Angeles, May and I made a stop in San Luis Obispo. We had lunch at the famous Mo’s Smokehouse BBQ. Here is a bit of history about the place: twenty years into his restaurant career, Mo decided to open a real barbecue restaurant. With a good buddy, he set off to find out what barbecue was all about. They made a 3,500 mile swing through the barbecue belt, visiting 10 states and over 80 barbecue restaurants. Along the way, they collected recipes, tips, techniques, advice, and instructions. Everywhere they stopped, they bought an antique chair for the smokehouse they were about to establish. If you like barbecue chicken or pork ribs, make sure to check it out. And if you live in the Bay Area and have a pilot license, keep in mind that you can get down there in less than two hours, as May and I found out on this earlier flight.

Posted
26 December 2006 @ 9pm

Tagged
Photography

Samy’s Camera

If you happen to be in Los Angeles, CA and like to wander down the alleys of a good camera store, you might want to check Samy’s Camera out. It’s not as big as the amazing B&H store in New York, NY, but it’s bigger than any store we have in Northern California. The main location is the one on S. Fairfax Avenue, and there is parking right next to it. May, Ducky, and I went there today and tried the new Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM. One word to describe this piece of glass: amazing!

Posted
25 December 2006 @ 9pm

Tagged
Home

More LEGO

May got me the Y-wing Attack Starfighter (Ref. 10134, 1,473 pieces) for Christmas, and we decided to build it today. This is the fourth addition to our growing collection, which will be on permanent display in my office, for we have no room available at home. After some online research, I found some discontinued models that we might try to acquire: Rebel Blockade Runner (Ref. 10019, 1,748 pieces), TIE Interceptor (Ref. 7181, 703 pieces), X-wing Fighter (Ref. 7191, 1,304 pieces), and the Snowspeeder (Ref. 10129, 1,457 pieces) previously mentioned. We will remain busy for quite some time I guess…

Posted
24 December 2006 @ 9pm

Tagged
Home

Presents

Nicole and I managed to convince the Changs that we should open presents on Christmas Eve, so here they come. Emily, as newest addition to the family, and only grandchild, got spoiled by everybody. It’s too bad really, for she cannot appreciate it yet, but that’s the way these things go I guess. Ducky got all of us some cool WESC clothes, and May got me yet another Star Wars LEGO set. Last year, I spent half a day in one of Tokyo’s busiest shopping areas looking for the perfect pendant for May and finally bought one, only to find out later on that she did not really like it, so we eventually returned it. This year, I got a little bit smarter and decided that we should look for it together. We could not find anything in the malls we visited, so we opted to buy one online. We also spent quite a bit of time looking for this cool Black & Decker power scissors, but they were out of stock in every store we visited, so we’ll have to go the online way as well. Before we opened the presents, we played a game of poker, which gave me an opportunity to learn Texas Hold ‘Em. Merry Christmas everybody!

Posted
23 December 2006 @ 9pm

Tagged
Home

Retirement

Today, we celebrated the retirement of Ning-Ming, May’s father. He worked for Citi as a software engineer for over thirty years. Early on in his career, he was part of the team that developed the very first ATM. While we were partying, I had some thoughts for Josette, my mom, who also retired this year. She worked as an orthophonist, helping kids with learning disabilities. Her patience with children was legendary, and this must have helped her raise my borther and I, for we were not the easiest kids on the block. Josette, Ning-Ming, congratulations for your well-deserved retirements. May and I wish you the best for this next step in your lives. The best has yet to come.

Posted
22 December 2006 @ 9pm

Tagged
Listening

Imitation Electric Piano

Today, May and I drove to Oak Park, CA to celebrate Christmas with May’s family. On the way there, we listened to one of my favorite LPs, the newly-released Blow It Up, Burn It Down, Kick It ‘Til It Bleeds by Imitation Electric Piano. This band was formed by Stereolab bassist Simon Johns and guitarist Andrew Blake. I loved their first LP, Trinity Neon, with a special thing for King Evil (Track #4). This second LP is even better, thanks to vocals by Jo Bramli, whose high-pitched voice will either delight you or make you cringe. I fall into the first category, while May falls into the second, so I had to listen to the LP while she was sleeping. Relatively Good Times (Track #5) is pure bliss.

Posted
21 December 2006 @ 9pm

Tagged
Flying

Ground Lesson

I was supposed to fly today, but the weather was not cooperative, so Eliot and I opted for a much-needed ground lesson instead. We focused on the subtleties of the Garmin GNS 430 and autopilot-coupled approaches. I now better understand when to switch to OBS mode, which is explained for the 530 in this FLYING article. I also have a better appreciation for the differences between the NAV, Heading-NAV, and Heading-NAV-NAV modes on the S-TEC autopilot, for both GPS and VFR approaches. Next step: learning how to use my Vertex Standard VXA-700 as a backup VOR receiver, just in case…

Posted
20 December 2006 @ 9pm

Tagged
Flying

First Solo High Performance Flight

Today, I completed my first solo high performance flight on N2214L, a brand-new Cessna 182T Skylane NAV III. Veronique, Daniel, Etienne and I did the now usual Bay tour, with a stop in Half Moon Bay (KHAF) for lunch. Daniel is a retired pilot from the French Air Force and seemed to really enjoy the capabilities offered by the Garmin G1000. Next step: solo flight to South Lake Tahoe (KTVL).

Posted
19 December 2006 @ 12pm

Tagged
Flying

The Most Beautiful Cockpit Ever

If you like the kind of avionics found in the new glass cockpits, such as the Avidyne FlightMax Entegra you get in a Cirrus SR20 or the Garmin G1000 that is increasingly popular with the venerable Cessna 172 Skyhawk, you will love the Honeywell Primus Apex which will be used for the next generation Pilatus PC-12. This cockpit, designed by BMW Group DesignworksUSA, is simply amazing…

Posted
18 December 2006 @ 9pm

Tagged
Flying

100th Flight

I did my 100th flight today, the 22nd on Cirrus SR20 (824JA). John and I flew a couple of approaches, the Localizer Runway 02 (LOC RWY 02) in Watsonville (KWVI) and the Localizer-DME Runway 28 Left (LOC/DME 28L) in Monterey (KMRY). We flew LOC RWY 02 in Watsonville as a localizer back-course approach, which was pretty interesting. On our way back to San Carlos (KSQL), we simulated a failure of the Primary Flight Display (PFD) on the Avidyne FlightMax Entegra, forcing me to use the Garmin GNS 430 to enter new waypoints that could be used by the S-TEC autopilot in NAV mode, since heading mode cannot be used without PFD. Interestingly, we noticed that the autopilot could not perform standard rate turns without AHRS, which is lost when you pull the circuit breakers to simulate a PFD failure. Definitely not the kind of situation you want to get yourself into when flying into icing conditions…

Posted
17 December 2006 @ 9pm

Tagged
Home

LEGO and Star Wars

As mentioned in this previous post, I love playing LEGO. A couple of months ago, May and I built the Star Wars Imperial Star Destroyers (Ref. 10030, 3,104 pieces). We had so much fun building it that May recently bought Vader’s TIE Advanced (Ref. 10175, 1,212 pieces) and the Imperial AT-ST (Ref. 10174, 1,068 pieces). May picks the pieces up, and I do the assembly. Next, we might get the Death Star II (Ref. 10143, 3417 pieces), or try to get our hands on the now discontinued Snowspeeder (Ref. 10129, 1,457 pieces). And we are eagerly waiting for the rumored release of the collector series Millenium Falcon.

Posted
16 December 2006 @ 9pm

Tagged
Reading, Watching

Why We Fight

Tonight, I watched Why We Fight, a sobering documentary by Eugene Jarecki. The film tries to explain why the United States go to war, and develops a convincing argument that regular war engagements are required to maintain and develop global influence, as has been the case for any empire on record, and is perfectly explained in Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States. But the most fascinating sequence is Eisenhower’s Farewell Address to the Nation. Even though Eisenhower had originally made a carrer in the military, he knew better than anyone about the dangers of letting what he called a military-industrial complex develop out of control. Fourty five years later, it seems that Eisenhower’s prophecy has come true, unfortunately.

Posted
15 December 2006 @ 9pm

Tagged
Listening

A Vava Inouva

As kids, my brother Nassim and I loved a couple of tunes more than any other. Among them, A Vava Inouva from Berber singer Idir, released back in 1976. Recently, I got a copy of Identités, which features a more recent interpretation of the song we loved so much. I like to sing it to the little bean that is currently cooking in May’s belly, and it seems to trigger more dancing than any other melody I know. A legacy is born.

Posted
14 December 2006 @ 9pm

Tagged
Home

No More Travels

I am back home from a three-day trip to Europe for work. May and I are expecting ish+may 2.0 to be released sometime in February, so no more travels until then. Technical specifications are still being defined as I write these lines, but the model is believed to be of the XX kind. Let’s wait until delivery though, for the manufacturer might make some last minute design changes.

Posted
13 December 2006 @ 9pm

Tagged
Road

Autobahn

Question: how do you get from Metz to Bonn in less than two hours, while Michelin tells you that such a trip will take 39 more minutes? Answer: you take advantage of the amazing German highway system, combined with the perfection of German engineering as found in a Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan. While cruising on the autobahn at up to 230 km per hours (143 mph), I got there right on time, and parking was definitely easier than in Paris. I wish some highways in the US would also offer unlimited speed as well. Until then, I’ll take the airways…

Posted
12 December 2006 @ 9pm

Tagged
Road

The Most Annoying Parking Meter Ever

Earlier today, I was in Paris for a meeting with a customer. After driving around the block for about half an hour, I finally managed to find a spot where I could park the oversized car I was given in Frankfurt. My joy was short lived though, as I realized that the meter that would allow me to pay my parking dues would only accept pre-paid smart cards that could only be bought from a tobacconist. Problem was: no tobacco store was anywhere in sight, and I was running late for my meeting. French tobacconists are evidently suffering from a decrease in the consumption of tobacco products, therefore seek help from the government in the form of micro monopolies. They recently lost the exclusive right to sell the local equivalent of DMV tax stickers, therefore must be scrambling to find alternative sources of revenue. But as much as I would like to feel any sympathy for their struggle for survival, this parking system is utterly annoying. Note to Bertrand Delanoe: please upgrade your parking meters with models that can accept payment using good old coins. You might also want to consider giving early retirement packages to your tobacconists.