Ismael Chang Ghalimi – 2007 January

Posts from January 2007

Posted
31 January 2007 @ 9pm

EveryTrail

Today, I flew to Half Moon Bay (KHAF) for lunch with my friend Joost. We logged our flight with the Garmin Forerunner 205 wrist GPS, and uploaded track and pictures onto EveryTrail. This map shows that we took off in San Carlos (KSQL), flew through San Francisco International Airport’s Class B airspace, got asked to do two left 360 turns to avoid heavy jets taking off on runway 28 Left or 28 Right, flew over the city, made a right 360 over Alcatraz, flew over Sausalito, then went back through SFO’s airspace, because the coastline had only marginal VFR conditions. We then cut directly across the hills, landed in Half Moon Bay for lunch, then flew back to San Carlos. The system is so good that it even shows that my first attempt at landing back in San Carlos was not that great, and that we did a go around. The second attempt was a lot better, and we logged a total of 1.4 hours of VFR flying.

Posted
30 January 2007 @ 9pm

Tagged
Gastronomy, Technology

Gastrovac

Last year, I read a fascinating article published by TIME Magazine on the Gastrovac, a new vacuum cooking device. According to the manufacturer, by creating an artificial low pressure, oxygen-free atmosphere, the Gastrovac considerably reduces cooking and frying temperatures, maintaining the texture, colour and nutrients of the food. Moreover, the Gastrovac creates some kind of sponge effect: when the atmospheric pressure is restored, the food absorbs the liquid around it, allowing infinite combinations of foods and flavours. Now, I am dreaming about the kind of dishes I could prepare with such an apparatus, especially when using extracts of white truffles. Time to save some money…

Posted
29 January 2007 @ 9pm

Tagged
Watching

Oldboy

If you like movies with seriously disturbing stories and jaw-dropping endings, Oldboy (IMDB) from Korean director Chan-wook Park might be for you. May and I watched it tonight and got… seriously disturbed. I do not want to spoil the plot for you, so I won’t tell you anything about the story, but be prepared for some graphical ultra-violence and mind-wrenching twists if you decide to watch it. Consider yourself warned.

Posted
28 January 2007 @ 6pm

Tagged
Sports

T’ai Chi

Today, May and I had our third Yoga session, and I am starting to really like it. The feeling of wellness after the hour and a half long session is quite amazing, and I am now looking for ways of extend ingit throughout the week. For this purpose, I have decided to start daily T’ai Chi workouts. They seem to be a lot less intense than the form of Yoga we are practicing (Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga), and can be conducted during lunch time at the work place. I bought a beginners kit, and will try it out tomorrow. Many thanks to my friend Eric for having introduced me to this martial art many years ago. As you can see, it’s never too late…

Posted
27 January 2007 @ 9pm

Tagged
Watching

This Film is Not Yet Rated

Tonight, May and I watched This Film is Not Yet Rated (IMDB), a documentary directed by Kirby Dick. With the help of private investigators, Dick exposes the workings of the highly secretive Rating Board managed by the controversial Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). The documentary puts special emphasis on the NC-17 rating (no one 17 and under admitted), and makes a convincing demonstration that according to the MPAA, violence in movies is a lot more acceptable than sex, while the reverse is true in Europe. The shortcomings of the MPAA rating process are a good illustration of democracy at work, or the lack of it when no rules for transparency are put in place. Enlightening.

Posted
26 January 2007 @ 9pm

Tagged
Gastronomy

Chez Spencer

Tonight, I had dinner with my friend John at Chez Spencer, a fabulous French restaurant located at 82 14th Street in San Francisco, CA. The sautéed veal sweetbreads with mache, parmesan crisp, and truffle vinaigrette were exceptional, while the roasted lamb rack with braised artichoke “barigoule” and fromage blanc was certainly the best I have ever had in the U.S. We ended the dinner with a refreshing Champagne sabayon served with a pistachio sablé. Outstanding! Many thanks to John for the invitation to share such excellent food and meet with his friend Craig. I look forward to seeing you again soon, hopefully for a flight this time around.

Posted
25 January 2007 @ 3am

Tagged
Technology

Rice Cooker

We recently received our rice cooker, the Zojirushi NH-VBC18. This wonderful appliance uses induction heating for quicker, more evenly distributed heat for cooking any variety of rice perfectly, all the time. With it, all we have to do is rince the rice, add some water to the indicated level, close the cover, select the type of rice (white, brown, mixed) and the type of cooking (regular, sushi, etc.), and hit the ‘Cook’ button. It could hardly be any simpler. Even better, the appliance can also increase the amount of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) naturally found in brown rice. Eating at home has never been so fun. Next step: learning how to cut raw fish for preparing sashimis.

Posted
24 January 2007 @ 9pm

Tagged
Technology, Watching

Who Killed the Electric Car

Tonight, May and I watched Who Killed the Electric Car (IMDB), a documentary that investigates the birth and death of the electric car, with a special focus on the EV1 originally developed by GM. I was actually surprised to learn that at the beginning of the twentieth century, a majority of the cars produced in the United States were actually electric cars, and the internal combustion engine really took over only in the 20’s. The movie is a good reminder that great ideas can be killed by collective stupidity. Hopefully, the idea for a pure electric car (not a hybrid) will come back again, and eventually succeed in the marketplace. In the meantime, I wish I could test drive the Tesla Roadster…

Posted
23 January 2007 @ 9pm

Tagged
Reading

Throwdown

A friend of mine wrote this short story. Chilling…

Posted
22 January 2007 @ 9pm

Tagged
Gastronomy

Diet Fine Tuning

Surprisingly, I got used to my new diet pretty fast. I am now fine tuning the content of each meal, starting with breakfast. After my early morning workout, I drink a smoothie made of two scoops of BioPlex Pure WPI whey protein isolate, one scoop of Nature’s Way Alive! Rice/Pea Ultra-Shake Vanilla vitamins and nutrients, one scoop of Benefiber powder fiber, a handful of fresh or frozen berries, a serving of DanActive fermented milk, and two cups of fat-free milk. After that, I get either some rice, soba noodles, or cereals rich in fibers. Yummy!

Posted
21 January 2007 @ 9pm

Tagged
Sports

Two Weeks

I started my new daily workout program two weeks ago, and I am still on it today. This morning, May and I went to our second yoga class. It was as intense as the previous one, yet a lot of fun. Tomorrow, I’ll be back a the gym at 6:00 AM, increase the amount of weight lifted by about 10%, and move up a level on the cardio machine. Let’s see where this takes us. And in the meantime, I have started tracking my progress with this online database.

Posted
20 January 2007 @ 9pm

Tagged
Watching

Sketches of Frank Gehry

Today, May and I watched Sketches of Frank Gehry (IMDB), a documentary on architect Frank Gehry shot by movie director Sydney Pollack. To a large extent, my understanding of architecture had stopped at the precepts defined by the Bauhaus, and Gehry’s work was definitely out of reach. This documentary opened up a whole new perspective for me, and I must say that I am quite intrigued and excited by it.

Posted
19 January 2007 @ 9pm

Tagged
Technology

RED

One of the most amazing pieces of technology to become available this year is the RED digital camera. This beast of a camera delivers 12M pixels at up to 60fps, and records RAW, or 2x over-sampled HD in 4:4:4 or 4:2:2. If you’re not into digital videography, this won’t mean much to you, but if you are, you know that this is as close as it gets to Nirvana. I had lunch with one of their investors today, and got to learn a little bit more about the workflow that such a piece of recording equipment will make possible. Pretty darn cool…

Posted
18 January 2007 @ 9pm

Tagged
Flying

Hand Flying

Today, Eliot and I did the same approaches as yesterday, with the same emergency procedures minus the engine failure, which is usually omitted during the IFR check ride. Instead, we flew all three approaches manually, simulating a failure of the autopilot. On a Cirrus SR20, flying manually is a lot harder than on a high-wing Cessna, for the aircraft is faster and quite slippery. Nevertheless, it was good practice, and I’m feeling closer to being ready for the final check ride. We logged 2 hours, including 1.7 hours of simulated instruments.

Posted
17 January 2007 @ 9pm

Tagged
Flying

Emergency Procedures

I am getting pretty close to the end of my IFR training, and am now focusing on various emergency procedures. Today, Eliot and I flew the VOR Runway 29 Right (VOR RWY 29R) in Stockton (KSNS), the ILS Runway 25 Right (ILS RWY 25R) in Livermore (KLVK), and the GPS Runway 28 Left (GPS RWY 28L) in Hayward (KHWD). During the 1.9 hour flight, we simulated a complete engine failure with a landing in Tracy (KTCY), as well as failures of the Primary Flight Display (PFD), Multifunction Flight Display (MFD), alternators, primary bus, GPS, and radio equipment. We also practiced holding turns at SUNOL intersection. Pretty intense to say the least, but things are coming together. We logged 1.6 hours of simulated instruments.

Posted
16 January 2007 @ 9pm

Tagged
Flying, Technology

Suunto X9i

During the past couple of weeks, I have been using a Sony GPS-CS1 to log my flights, but found it a little bit cumbersome. First, you have to take it out of your flight bag and find a place for it in the cramped cockpit. Second, you have to recharge its battery on a regular basis, which I tend to forget, making the device utterly useless. So I have been looking for a better solution, and recently set my sight on the Suunto X9i. This wristwatch incorporates an altimeter, a barometer, a compass, a GPS, and a chronograph. It connects to your PC through a USB cable, and you can directly upload tracks onto Google Earth. Time to save some money…

Posted
15 January 2007 @ 8pm

Tagged
Home

Holger and Sasha

Yesterday, May and I attended Holger’s birthday party, during which Holger and Sasha announced their engagement. We also learned that Holger had proposed on New Year’s Eve in Germany. I had previously made the bet that Holger and Sasha would get engaged before the end of 2006, and Dave smartly pointed out that because of the 9 hours time difference with California, I technically won the bet. So here we are: this engagement gives me double happiness, and I wish our two friends a very happy life together.

Posted
14 January 2007 @ 9pm

Tagged
Sports

Yoga

Today, May and I attended our first yoga class together. The session lasted for a solid hour and a half, and gave me a good opportunity to stretch after a first week of daily workouts. Yesterday, I gave my muscles a pause, and did not do any weightlifting. Instead, I ran a bike for an hour, while May did some sessions on the bike and the treadmill. Next week, I will follow the same regimen again, but wake up at 5:30 AM instead of 6:00 AM in order to get a little bit more time for breakfast after an hour-long workout.

Posted
13 January 2007 @ 9pm

Tagged
Home

Baby Shower

Today, May and I attended a baby shower organized for our little garbanzo bean. The party was organized by Kim, Daniel, Ellen, and Dave. May and I got to demonstrate our masterful abilities to change diapers while being blindfolded and using only one hand, and our friends litterally showered us with gifts that barely fit in our car on the way back home. At this point, I am very worried that this first kid will be totally spoiled by friends and family. In any case, thank you guys and girls for this great party: coed baby showers seem to be a lot more fun than their women-only counterparts…

Posted
12 January 2007 @ 9pm

Tagged
Watching

The Exodus Decoded

Tonight, May and I watched The Exodus Decoded, following the advice of our friend Jacques-Alexandre. This documentary aired on the History Channel, received the participation of director James Cameron, and provides an accessible analysis of recent archaeological findings and scientific papers in order offer plausible explanations to the mysterious events described in the Biblical Exodus. The narration is not as fluid as it could have been, but the exercise is a truly fascinating one nonetheless. Definitely recommended. Many thanks to Jacques-Alexandre for this recommendation!