Tag Archives: San Francisco Bay Area

Biking to Lunch in Mountain View from Willow Glen, July 2011

Cool pedestrian bridge on Stevens Creek Train

I’m very excited that the Bay Area trails are starting to create pathways to fun places all around the bay, without having to leave protected bike trails. In July I rode from my house in the Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose to have lunch in Mountain View, taking the Guadalupe River Trail to the San Francisco Bay Trail to Stevens Creek Trail. I only had to use surface streets three times, all for very short distances with little traffic. Continue reading Biking to Lunch in Mountain View from Willow Glen, July 2011

Phoenix Tech Pubs Update: April 2011

In a busy first quarter, Phoenix Technical Publications recently welcomed a new staff member who has a Ph.D. in Genetics and is a biosciences writing expert. We have worked with both new and existing clients on interesting projects and we are getting involved in several exciting new technologies. Continue reading Phoenix Tech Pubs Update: April 2011

The Band Life, Part Two: Song Writing in the 90’s

Kerry Thomas & Dana Withers, ’Til 2

I had a chance to work with a very good song writer, bass player, lyricist, and producer named Kerry Thomas. This left handed musician had great feel for grooves and melody.

We met in the 80’s while I was attending San Jose State. He was good friends with Gavin Green, who played guitar in one of my college bands. But it was years later when we began our song writing partnership. Continue reading The Band Life, Part Two: Song Writing in the 90’s

Boeing 787 Dreamliner Illustrates the Dangers of Offshoring

Outsourcing to offshore vendors appears very attractive as a cost saving measure. However, there are inherent dangers that a company must address before committing to an offshore business model, or possibly face costly consequences later. Continue reading Boeing 787 Dreamliner Illustrates the Dangers of Offshoring

My “Secret” Granola Recipe

I am now 9 weeks into my training for this year’s Boston Marathon. It’s the first of the 4 events I’ve signed up for this year. But more on that later. I just wanted to make this a short blog of one of the secret ingredients of my training. It’s my homemade granola. It’s a variation on the original recipe I was given when I was living in New Zealand in 1978. (Yes, that’s a lot of granola behind me.) I eat it nearly every morning during training and before an event. It’s good fuel and easy to digest. I can make a big batch that lasts me about 3 weeks. This saves me a lot of time, and I really like it. It seems to be popular, so I thought I’d share the recipe. Here it is: Continue reading My “Secret” Granola Recipe

My Life in Bands, Part One

x10-sive Research

Do you ever wish you could play in a live band? Well I’ve been playing in bands since I was 12 years old.  Sometimes I’ve stepped away to pursue a “real life” but I can’t keep away from music. Continue reading My Life in Bands, Part One

Avoiding Those Long Walks Back to the Car Carrying Your Bike

This isn’t suppose to happen. Generally it can be avoided by packing a flat-tire repair kit.  But how do you prepare for the possibility of four or five spokes snapping?  That happened to me near the Coyote Creek Lagoon of the Bay Trail, some 6+ miles from the car. Not particularly far to walk unless you have to carry the bike all the way. The rear wheel twisted so badly that it couldn’t turn in the frame.  Fortunately, my stock road bike is fairly light at 21 lbs: ideal for loading onto the peninsula commuter trains but a mountain bike would hold up better against the rough conditions on the trail and the surface-street portions of the loop. Continue reading Avoiding Those Long Walks Back to the Car Carrying Your Bike

Old Dog, New Tricks

Photo by Brian Shamanski

This takes a little bit of back story, so bear with me. During my adolescence  and early twenties, I spent most of my time in Palo Alto, CA, and was constantly skateboarding. Constantly. And as a result, (despite the occasional shin ding, knee scrape, or hip bruise), I was in the best physical shape a person can possibly be in . During this time I was also lucky enough to have met a cadre of some of the sport’s legends. I became pretty good friends with one in particular: Jeff “ffej” Hedges. Continue reading Old Dog, New Tricks