State of the Shelanman

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August 27, 2004

Adami Japanese Restaurant

Today I had dinner at Adami Japanese Restaurant. This is the kind of Japanese restaurant where you sit at a table with a grill in the center, and the chef puts on a little show in front of you.

Tonight I'm feeling lazy, so I'm not going to look it up, but I'm pretty sure that's called a Teppan grill... If any of you know what I'm talking about, and know that I'm wrong, let me know... I'll fix it, both in this post and in my brain.

This meal consisted of several small courses. Most were prepared in front of my eyes and were timed so that I was just finishing eating one when the next arrived... On to my menu for this evening...

• Miso Soup: I like Miso soup... this was only fairly good miso, however. Not as strong as most.
• Salad: I rarely like salads, and this was no exception... the dressing was the same Japanese dressing that most places use, so if you like that, its probably good
• Sushi Roll: I don't usually like sushi either. I ordered a California Roll, and it was very nice. My brother had the Tuna Roll which actually wasn't bad either.
• Fried Rice: Fried rice is always good, and Adami's is quite good. There were no vegetables in the fried rice, which is a shame -- the veggies add to the flavor. Adami served the vegetables separately, which is unfortunate -- the last bit of rice and vegetables were good though, as I mixed them together myself at the end.
• Grilled Vegetables: Zucchini, onions and mushrooms. What can I say... it's grilled veggies...
• New York Strip Steak: Very tasty. cooked exactly as much as it ought to be -- medium. I do tend to be a steak person, so my decision on what to order was very simple...
• Shrimp Appetizer: 3 shrimp grilled with a little bit of lemon. The shrimp were also quite good.
• Bean Sprouts: At least, I think that's what they were... little white slightly-crunchy stringy things. They weren't bad. I was completely not expecting them to be served -- I thought the meal was over, and then the chef grabbed yet another food tray, this time containing the sprouts.

I ordered the New York Strip steak, everything else listed above was included, all for $17.95, which, although not cheap, is very reasonable for the quantity and quality of food serveed.

I'm sure the regular food critics could come up with delicious phrases to describe all this, but you'll just have to go try it yourself to find out. If you like Japanese food, I can promise you will not be disappointed, and I can also personally guarantee that you will not leave still hungry. While the portions are not enormous, there are so many different things that you're bound to fill up on something.

Strongly Recommended
3.75 out of 5 Stars.
Want to try it?

Adami Japanese Restaurant
5775 E Santa Ana Canyon Rd
Anaheim, CA
714-998-2200
MapQuest

Posted by andrew at 10:31 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 26, 2004

What's up at the Pump

This week there was an article in the Los Angeles Times (no link, since registration is required) that talks about gasoline prices this summer.

LA Times writer James Peltz started off his confused little story as follows: "A funny thing happened on the way to $2.50-a-gallon gas this summer. It didn't get there." He goes on to write, in an apparently mystified tone, that instead, as oil prices have risen, gasoline prices have inexplicably fallen. Indeed, oil reached as high as about $49 per barrel! Yet, in recent weeks, (ending about 4 days ago) gas prices have been falling... very slowly, but falling all the same. Well, its The Shelanman to the rescue, as I present three plausible theories as to what's up at the pump...

Theory #1: Oil Companies Are Making a Killing

Most of the companies that I buy gasoline from do not buy their oil on the market, they drill it themselves. As an example, consider Shell. The Royal Dutch/Shell Group drills for oil all over the world, including Russia, the Philippines, Nigeria and the United States. (source: Shell).

Why does this matter? Simple. If Shell is going to drill for oil, refine the oil into gasoline, and then sell me the gasoline, at what point does it need to buy oil on the open market? As far as I can tell, never. In fact, oil companies are making an absolute killing -- they are the ones who have oil to sell on the market... at nearly $49.00 a barrel, I might add.

This theory might explain why gasoline prices have not rocketted up as oil prices have, but something is missing.

Thoery #2:It Takes Time to Refine Oil

This theory is very simple, and I believe the most plausible of the 3. It goes as follows: Oil cost about $49 a barrel last week. So, over the course of the next 4-6 weeks, gasoline will be made and sold that used this expensive oil. Thus, over the next 4 to 6 weeks, we should expect to see a huge spike in prices at the pump as the gas that cost a fortune to make is finally sold.

About 2 months ago, oil was falling, it reached a relative low of about $36 a barrel -- and thus, recently we have been paying a bit less for gasoline -- the (comparatively) inexpensive-to-create-gas was still available.

Now, however, the cheaper gas is running out, and all that is left is the gas from nearly $50 oil, so we will pay more. Additionally, demand is creeping up again, Memorial Day and Labor Day are two of the highest-demand days of the summer.

Theory #3: Oil Companies are Co-Conspirators

You know how this theory goes... it is the most popular one, for some reason. There are only a few oil companies, and it is very difficult and expensive to enter the oil business. Thus, an artificial, government-created oligopoly exists. Since this oligopoly has complete control over gasoline prices, especially in California which has different gasoline formulation laws than the rest of the country, means that oil companies can charge whatever they want -- so long as they do it in a way that prevents consumer backlash in the form of lawsuits (price gouging). This explains why when gasoline prices fall, they do so at a rate of $0.03 - $0.06 per week, yet rise at $0.05 - $0.15 a week when they are on the upswing.

Indeed, Shell oil recently closed a functioning gasoline refinery in California. They did not sell it. They have no plan to repair or rebuild it -- they simply closed it down. There are debates as to whether or not the refinery was profitable. Shell claims it was not, that it was old and outdated and nearly worthless. The conspiracy theorists claim that it was a very modern profitable refinery. I have no information one way or the other, however there are no plans to build a replacement refinery, and yet oil companies insist that there is simply not enough refinery capacity to meet demand... smells of rotting fish, eh?

I am of the opinion that a mixture of these three theories is in play. I tend to lean strongest on theories 2 and 3, I know too little about international oil dealings to be certain my analysis in theory #1 makes sense... Well, Mr. Peltz. Here you are, now perhaps you will be less confused. Feel free to mention my theory in your next column, but do give me a mention if you do? Thanks!

Posted by andrew at 03:08 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

August 23, 2004

Secret No-Fly Lists and Other Airline Irritants

I have been wanting to engage in a healthy rant about the secret FBI/TSA air "no-fly" list -- and other anti-terrorism policies and procedures in place at U.S. airports, and on U.S. flights for some time now. Finally, today, I received enough ammunition to write what I feel is finally a worthy rant.

This rant was born when I read about John Gilmore who is currently suing John Ashcroft and other high-ranking government officials over what he claims is a highly unconstitutional requirement -- presenting government-issued photo ID to board an aircraft...

As Mr. Gilmore points out, we Americans once mocked Soviet Russia for requiring its citizens to "show their papers" to travel within their own country. And yet, now, when you go to the airport, you will be asked for photo ID. If you refuse to show photo ID you may still be allowed to board a plane -- provided that you submit to a thorough hand search of your person and your belongings.

You can read what John Gilmore has to say about himself here and here.

I personally believe that Mr. Gilmore is... well, I won't be politically correct -- I think he's nuts...

... But I think he is on to something here. First off, the Russian example is both appalling and accurate -- you do have to prove that you are allowed to travel -- and, in fact, there is a secret list of people who are not allowed to travel (at least not by air). The government can add anybody to this list that they choose -- there are no meaningful restrictions on it -- or if there are, they are government secrets (which, of course, means that they may as well not exist). (source: EPIC.org).

Recently several famous individuals have found themselves on the no-fly list, Sen. Kennedy included. Mr. Kennedy was able to place phone calls to the heads of various agencies, such as the Department of Homeland Security (the topic of a future rant, when I have more sources). Thus, the Senator was eventually allowed to board his flight. But what about us lowly citizens? Are you on a first-name basis with Tom Ridge? Would he tell the police and security personnel to leave you alone and let you get on with your business? Probably not. (Mr. Ridge, feel free to correct me on that one if I'm wrong).

In addition to being required to show ID (and the... difficulties... that causes), there are ohter anti-terrorism policies in place. Apparently it is now some sort of crime to be rude to flight attendants, or to be pissed off at the flight attendant, the crew, or the airline in general.

Specifically, I am referring to a fascinating little report about one Hazel O'Leary was arrested while on board a United Airlines flight that had been delayed due to bad weather.

Ms. O'Leary claims that she -- very politely -- asked to be allowed off a plane that was just sitting on the ground for about two hours. She had apparently telephoned the airlines customer service desk and had already scheduled a new flight for herself in the morning (her flight had apparently been diverted to some random location, and she did not relish spending the next 20 hours waiting and then flying back-and-forth.

The flight attendants refused, so Ms. O'Leary stopped the pilot (the pilot was returning from a bathroom break, and walked by her seat). The pilot refused to allow her to leave. Ms. O'Leary then got up and followed the pilot back towards the cockpit (cockpit door was apparently open). She was told that she must return to her seat, or police would be summoned to remove her from the plane. She said "fine" as she wished to be allowed to leave. She was arrested and questioned for approximately three hours by the Airport Police, TSA, and FBI officials before finally being allowed to leave. (source: Original Incident Reports, The Tennessean).

Now, I doubt that Ms. O'Leary was half as calm, collected and patient as she claims to be in her report, but that doesn't matter. You have every right to get just a little pissed off if an airline decides to ruin your entire day, and then decides to have a go at your night too. Personally, I would be livid. I usually don't shout, but I can guarantee that I would have steam billowing from my ears. I might have even acted as Ms. O'Leary did.

Now think for a minute... is it right to have the FBI arrest and interrogate someone for making a small scene on an airplane after being cooped up all day long and then told that she could not get off the plane (apparently one passenger was let off, as the plane had been diverted to his Ultimate Destination -- according, at least, to Ms. O'Leary -- the pilot's report did not mention that passenger).

I am not sure whether I think it was appropriate for Ms. O'Leary to be removed from the plane, or whether or not she should have been allowed to get off the plane. However, as there was no reason to believe that she had committed (or attempted to commit) a crime, nor that she was likely to do so, I find it inappropriate for her to have been arrested. It is, after all, illegal to detain someone without either probable cause or a warrant, and I assert that, given the witness accounts, Ms. O'Leary's situation fit neither requirement.

If I was in charge of the Airport Police, I probably would have removed Ms. O'Leary from the plane, asked whether we could talk about what had happened (mention that 'no' was an aceptable answer) and given her the opportunity to file her "witness/victim" report. I then would have asked her to calm down, and arrange for new flights in the morning -- especially since she seemed to want to do this anyway. If, during our conversation, something questionable arose, then I might have taken action. But a three-hour conversation with so many different law-enforcement types is nothing but an interrogation, which, as I said, is uncalled for and, in fact, illegal in this situation.

On another note... go take a look at the incident reports here (in case you missed the link above). Notice that the pilot's name is visible on the documents, and Ms. O'Leary's name is on the documents. But, all those lovely law enforcement types who so kindly detained and question Ms. O'Leary have conveniently had their names crossed out -- meanwhile we get a physical description of the passenger (who, may I point out, was a paying customer of the airline's).

I'm still saving up for a rant about hiding and disclosing of people's identity by the government, but you can expect one of those soon too... I expect this case and the Kobe Bryant case to figure in heavily in that rant... Until then I'll leave you guessing as to what I think about such disclosure.

Posted by andrew at 08:25 PM | Comments (0)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Well, I know it's 1 o'clock in the morning, but I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and I thought I should take the first crack at reviewing it now.

The Order of the Phoenix is the fifth volume in the Harry Potter series, and is by far the "darkest" yet. Even the cover is darker -- the English version has given up its usually cheerful pastel colors for a dark blue.

This lightning-fast read weighs in at just under 900 pages of torment for our tragic young (but growing) hero...

(for those who have not yet read book 4, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire fair warning... spoilers (of book 4 plot) abound! (couldn't resist))

This volume begins, as always, with Harry at the Dursley's (his aunt and uncle). This year, however, Harry has more on his mind that trying to tolerate the Dursley's horrid treatment. He is paying careful attention to news -- both from the Muggle world and the Wizarding one.

[SPOILER WARNING]

Harry is keeping an ear out for word that Voldemort (yes, I can say his name; no, I won't call him "Voldy") has been attacking people again. Harry witnessed the Return of Voldemort merely a month before this story begins, and so he is waiting for him to strike -- and is becoming increasingly disturbed that he's heard nothing. Of course, it doesn't help that his best friends in the world are all together and seem to know something, and have sworn not to tell.

And thus we embark on by far the least pleasant journey on which Ms. Rowling has expertly guided us. Harry returns to a Hogwarts full of students who don't believe his story about how Cedric Diggory died, instead choosing to believe that Harry is simply trying to increase his fame. Of course, this opinion has help -- the Ministry of Magic insists that Harry is wrong.

JK Rowling has captured quite nicely (actually, rather nastily) how emotionally charged life can be for a boy of fifteen who must face daily mocking from nearly everybody he knows; Shouting matches between Harry and nearly every other character are inserted at precisely the right moments -- when it is understandable but somehow absurd...

And boy does the Boy Who Lived ever know how to let someone have it. He hurts a great many people -- including those he cares very deeply for -- throughout this book. Indeed, as far as Harry is concerned, the only good thing to have come of his fifth year at Hogwarts is that perhaps, perhaps, in the future he will be more mindful of his emotions, and choose when it is appropriate to act upon them, and when it is appropriate to instead destroy some treasured possessions (a favorite pillow, perhaps?).

And that's it. I will say nothing more on the subject. At least, not until the arrival of book 6, which, I have been informed (makes me sound important when I phrase it that way, doesn't it) will be entitled Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I can also, (non-)exclusively reveal to you that neither Harry Potter nor Tom Riddle is the Half-Blood Prince who is featured prominently in the new volume's title. And with that:

Posted by andrew at 01:12 AM | Comments (0)

August 19, 2004

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Over the last week or so I've been listening to my audio copy of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, (fourth book in the world-famous Harry Potter series for the uninitiated). The series is truly remarkable, JK Rowling's wit and clever humor come out in this book, as in the previous.

Ms. Rowling does have a nasty streak though, and she uses it to great effect in this particular novel.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire chronicles Harry's 4th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Harry turns 14 towards the beginning of the book, and, as always, we leave him just before his next birthday -- 15th this time, of course.

While Hogwarts has always appeared an enchanting place to visit, it has always been a dangerous place to live, as Harry learns each year. As I eluded to, there is a nasty element at work in this story, for the first time Harry faces true injustices. I will not ruin the story for those of you who have somehow still avoided the temptations of this series.

During Harry's fourth year at school, Hogwarts plays host to the Triwizard Tournament -- a highly dangerous tournament whose ultimate purpose is to bring together wizards from throughout Europe in friendly competition. As expected all does not go as planned, and the nightmare begins when Harry Potter is chosen as the fourth of three competitors...

This story ends in a very unsatisfying manner -- not to say that you shouldn't read it, you should. You should just make sure you have your copy of book 5, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix at hand. I personally find the injustices in this book, as well as the unsatisfying conclusion more than vaguely depressing -- so you can imagine how I felt when, upon first finishing book 4, I had to wait what became nearly 3 years for the next installment (and I promise, things do get better, even as they get worse).

I just finished reading this book for the fourth time -- the first two occurred within a week of each of each other, the third just days before book 5 was released, roughly 14 months ago. Each time I finished I was left with a very unpleasant weird feeling... I do tend to get too emotionally involved in things I read... May I suggest also not finishing the book when you will be alone for an extended period of time. I did each time, and I always wanted to have a long chat with someone as soon as I finished... couldn't tell you why...

Anyway, this is an excellent volume in an excellent series, I rate it 4.75 out of 5 stars... I can't remember much of book 5 anymore, but I promise a review of it as soon as I finish.

Narrator Jim Dale is perhaps the very best audiobook narrator I have ever listened too. He has amusing and appropriate voices for each and every character -- the one time I read Goblet of Fire aloud, I tried to imitate his voices (I couldn't do it -- mine came out all dumb sounding, especially the female ones). If you can afford it I highly recommend the audio version, it is a masterful accomplishment, Jim Dale should be proud. (Incidentally, I've heard that he rather dislikes the series now, he finds the books annoyingly long to read -- and I don't think he quite likes the recognition he's been getting).

I think I will end this review here, in an effort to minimize the appearance of my obsession with these books (which I assure you is much more serious than this glowing little review might suggest).

Extremely Strongly Recommended.
4.75 Out Of 5 Stars.
Want to buy it?
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) (Paperback)
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4) (Audio CD)

Posted by andrew at 10:42 PM | Comments (0)

August 17, 2004

The National ID Card

First: what makes the federal government believe that it can do a better job at organizing driver's licenses than individual states can. I mean, even in California there are "only" 35.5 million people, versus 290 million nationwide. (source: U.S. census, 2000). Surely a smaller organization can do a better job keeping track of its applicants than a larger one. And for that matter, do you enjoy the thought of having to visit the United States Bureau of Motor Vehicles, or whatever they'd call it, every time your license expired? I mean, the lines at the DMV are already obscene... imagine if it was run by the federal government. And imagine how much more it would cost!

As for a national ID card. Well, you know what? I have one already. It is called the "Social Security Card", and every single taxpayer in the United States has one. And everyone is very afraid to give the number on it to anyone -- because it is a very powerful number. How would you like it if every time you tried to pay for groceries with a check or your MasterCard, the clerk said "Can I have your Social Security card please, just for I.D. verification." I think not!

Beyond the surface of this issue is a deeper one of State's Rights. The battle over State's Rights began long ago -- and was one of the issues at stake in the Civil War. Over the century and a half since then, we have continued along the trend towards a larger federal government. The federal government now has its hands in road building, public education, healthcare and health insurance, criminal prosecution, and now, it seems, driving. Whatever you think, you have to admit that this is not a direction the founders of this country would have recommended -- in fact, the overwhelming purpose of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights was to ensure that this did not happen. But, alas, people get what they want, and they want a sense of security more than anything else

I think I will end with a quote which I like very much, because I truly believe it.

They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty or security -- Benjamin Franklin

(source: Wisdom Quotes)

Posted by andrew at 03:33 PM | Comments (0)

August 13, 2004

Working the Night Shift

This weekend, the company I work for, InsideWork, is launching a new version of its website. This release comes after a remarkably short development period, and represents the first step in some interesting new directions for the company.

As a result of this upgrade, I worked until about 10:30 PM this evening, preparing to perform the upgrades to our live servers. It is actually very exciting, even though the specific tasks are dull, because the new site looks so much better, and works so much better than the previous site, and it has been put together in record time (Approximately 3 weeks since we set requirements).

The old site will be coming down first thing tomorrow, and the new site will go up before the day is out. Take a peek at http://www.insidework.net to see what's going on.

Update: 8/17/2004 - Well, it took until about 4:30 AM Sunday morning to get the site up, but its up! Take a look.

Posted by andrew at 11:53 PM | Comments (0)

It's Officially Unofficial

About once a week I log into UCI's StudentAccess tool to peek at my transcript. I check to see whether or not they have awarded my degree, you see. Well, today something was a bit different, my unofficial transcript lists an awarded degree!

So, It's Official... I've Graduated! Well, it would be official if I paid the $6 for an official transcript, anyhow... but the same database generates the official and unofficial transcripts, so I need not bother (though I might, you never know).

Until I decide that I don't really want the whole world to see my transcript, you can follow This Link to see a copy of the transcript.

Posted by andrew at 11:30 AM | Comments (0)

August 10, 2004

Eragon, Inheritance Book 1

Christopher Paolini's first novel, Eragon, is the story of how Eragon, a young farmboy becomes the last dragon Rider. While the intended audience (at least according to the publisher) are young adult readers, I strongly recommend this novel to any avid reader of epic fantasy -- at least, so long as he is patient. (Books 2 and 3 are still "forthcoming" and this book lacks a satisfying conclusion).

The story begins with young Eragon finding an amazing blue stone in the mountainous region called the Spine. What follows is an entertaining account of how this stone, actually a dragon egg, starts him down a painful road of discovery -- both of himself and of the evils of the world.

Sound familiar? That's because it is. Eragon follows the same "Hero's Journey" story pattern that drives most Epic Fantasy. Normally I would say that is a shame, except that I've read countless different fantasies (and other stories as well) that used the "Hero's Journey", and yet I find that I still really like the ones that do it well. Apparently this is just one of those story forms that resonates with me (and many readers, or it wouldn't be so common)

I thoroughly enjoyed the writing of Christopher Paolini. It was very straightforward and to-the-point, but the occasional bit of philosophising is slipped in (again not uncommon in such a story). Generally the story moves very quickly and with a certain light-heartedness that I find enjoyable. I can't put my finger on how he does it though -- I mean some really awful things happen in the story, and they pull on the right emotional chords, and yet I still walk away saying it was "lighthearted".

I keep reading these things, hoping that I'll somehow spot the magic skill that good authors possess that allows their writing to be so emotionally involved, and mine to feel so very flat. Perhaps I'll figure it out someday -- I do keep trying.

Back to Eragon, however. Paolini makes only one significant writing mistake that I noticed, and that is that the "ancient language" that drives magic in this story (yet another common theme, eh?) possesses many words that aren't readily pronounceable. My favorite author, Orson Scott Card, warns never to do this, and I completely agree. Ok, there, I've criticized the book, nobody can claim this is a shameless plug.

Well, OK, it's a plug. But it was my idea to plug it, I'm not being paid for it, and I really do like the book!

There is an audio version of Eragon as well. I read the print version, I listened to the audio version, and both are excellent.

Strongly Recommended.
4 Out Of 5 Stars.
Want to buy it?
Eragon (Inheritance, Book 1)

Update:Amazon is listing Eldest as releasing August 1st, 2005. That's a long ways away yet... but at least we have a date.

Posted by andrew at 08:52 PM | Comments (0)