Arrived in China

It was a long flight, 12 hours to Tokyo, a few hours layover then a 4 hour flight to Shanghai.  It was almost a full 24 hours from departure in Minneapolis to arriving at my hotel.

The flight to Tokyo was a large plane and was packed. Since we were flying west it stayed light until just before landing, added to the surrealness of it all.

Customs in Japan and China was a breeze ( actually the whole trip, which has not been the case for me in several years since my common name is on the no-fly list.)

I was impressed by the size of the airport in Shanghai. Easily the most immense complex I've ever seen.  Very modern and spacious, the few hundred people at baggage claim seemed small compared to the space.

The taxi ride to the hotel also had the same feeling. Lots of well lit roads with very few people traveling. As we got closer to the city center I expected to see a crowded city, but most of the large apartment buildings we passed looked mostly empty and the city seemed asleep. I arrived at the hotel (Ramada Plaza) around 10:30pm local time. Even when I got to my room and looked out the window the city seemed quite and sparse.

The hotel guests seem to mostly be western -- breakfast was a mixed fare of west and east. Because of my egg-free diet, I ate mostly veggies and rice. The city is starting to come alive, but again not as crowded as I had anticipated. I'm sure there are parts of this megacity that are dense, but the area I'm in feels like a European business center. I can see the Best Buy offices from my room and the hotel is running an Agile conference for HP. ;)

I complete my travel to the clinic in the morning, should arrive late afternoon.  Feeling good, all limbs are functioning well. My speech is slurred and slow, but I'm not talking much so it's not a problem. I have a few apps on my iPad that let me type in English and it will translate to Mandarin, as well as allow others to type or draw Mandarin with translation back.

Everyone I have encountered has been very friendly and helpful, a great start to the trip!

More from Zhongfang in a day or so!

Much love and gratitude,

  -dta

ALS Treatment update - November 2010

Again, we'd like to start with expressing our deep gratitude for all of the amazing love and support that has been flowing our way. We are confident and encouraged that this is a fight we will win together.

I recently returned from a week in Seattle where I had the opportunity to DJ for two great events -- and had a blast doing it! Had no issues that evening, there are even pictures of me waving my right arm high in the air. It was a great time!

In addition I had the opportunity to be seen by 6 healers in modalities that ranged from energy, subtle body, psychic, cranial sacral, SOMA, nutrition and homeopathy.

The treatments and information were powerful. We believe there is a winning formula for beating ALS, and it includes:

Detox (metals, toxic chemicals)

Diet (Glutten and dairy free)

Deep Acupuncture

Herbal Remedies

Deep Tissue massage

Rest

Meditation and prayer

The Chinese acupuncture and herb treatments are coming from a clinic in China that has concentrated on treating ALS since 2005. You can read more here: www.tcmtreatment.com.

I am planning to travel to China in January of 2010 to receive 4 weeks of treatment and bring the information back home to work with local providers to extend the healing.

Rest assured, we are still pursuing all available western treatments, unfortunately there is currently only one that is approved by the FDA. It's job is to help reduce glutamate levels in the blood. This will also be helped by detox and dietary changes.

If you are joining us in prayer, our current visioning is healing along the brain stem and spine -- specifically in the center of the back with golden healing light filling the back, throat and arms.

There is a fundraising event happening on November 27 to help off-set the cost of China and treatments I'm currently receiving here in MN. You can find out more information here:

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=158585904178037

With much love,

-dta, margit and grace

Health Status - October 2010

I'd like to start by first offering my gratitude for all of the love and support that has been sent our way as we have been working through the process of diagnosis. Your prayers and intentions are felt, and have had a positive impact on our experience.

Yesterday I received a diagnosis of ALS (also referred to as Lou Gehrig's disease). It is a disease of the motor neurons and is currently manifesting in my speech and my arms -- predominantly my right.

We consider this diagnosis a blessing, it opens up many support channels ranging from disability insurance to VA coverage.

I will be providing more information in near term regarding the treatment options we are pursuing. For now it is sufficient to say that we are leaving no stone unturned.

Thank you again for your love and support. If you are looking for an intention for prayer, at this time we are focusing on slowing down; slowing the deterioration of neurons, slowing the atrophy of muscles and just general slowing down in life.

Again, we consider this diagnosis a blessing -- an opportunity to connect with the things that are important in life and concentrate on healing.

Best regards,

-dta

Error: This domain has been disabled - Google Apps

Coming out of my blogging sabbatical to post this:

I was a premier subscriber, didn't need the "features" that came with premier, so after two years cancelled. On the same day I receive the email from Google letting me know that I've been downgraded, the domain is suddenly disabled.

Now that's a downgrade!

Can't contact Google via email, without having the premier account. No way to re-up for the premier account with the domain disabled.

After some searching I found that I can add my domain to a growing list of domains that have had the same downgrading problem here, where volunteer Power Poster LMckin51 will gladly add me to a list to be reviewed "on Friday" when apparently such issues are considered.

#GOOGLEFAIL

[UPDATE] - My service has been restored, total downtime just over 2 days. I assume this is the doings of LMckin51, for whom I am deeply grateful.

No communication from Google, and still can't access the control panel. Completely underwhelmed with the backdoor approach to getting an issue into the queue.

[UPDATE 2] - My service has been restored, but not other users on the domain (ie: my wife).

[UPDATE 3] - Everything is down (disabled) again.

[UPDATE 4] - 1/30/2010 Domain is full restored after finally being able to access my account's Control Panel. A confirmed bug that took at least 2 weeks to escalate and fix. Wow.

One win, I managed to track down the form for submitting account access issues officially to Google.

https://www.google.com/support/a/bin/request.py?contact_type=cantaccess

"Your identity will be displayed by what you don't use." -kk

Another excellent article by Kevin Kelly on our continuing Convergence.

ONN: New Apple Macbook Wheel

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

Giles Bowkett: TDD And Experiments: I Was Wrong

Giles Bowkett: TDD And Experiments: I Was Wrong

If you are extending an existing system, or architecting a framework TDD (Test Driven Development) is supreme.

But if you are inventing, the organic process of creative coding allows you the ability to stub things out in real-time... all neurons firing.

All your data are belong to Redmond

It seems Facebook violated their own privacy policies when it comes to sharing data with 3rd parties.  With Microsoft investing in Facebook to the tune of 240 million, this could have been predicted.

Last week the Borg released their own social-network enhanced version of Windows Live.  

Alden Anderson 2.0 celebrates 4 years

Alden Anderson 2.0 is celebrating it's 4th anniversary this month, and we've put together a new website with information on our super not-so-secret project, RAVEN.

RAVEN stands for Relevence Action Value ENgine, it's our patented Business Rule Platform.

We will be producing a case study soon, more information to follow here and at the new site.

I guess you can say we're out of "stealth" mode.  ;)

Some election tracking links

Novel:

NYT: Election Wordtrain
http://www.perspctv.com/

Citizen:

http://www.videothevote.org/

http://www.youtube.com/videoyourvote

http://www.ourvotelive.org/home.php

Distraction:

http://blog.indecision2008.com/

http://www.theonion.com/content/whitehousewar

Essential:
Google election gadget (Note to self - make a timely gadget get a gajillion hits...)

Apple is losing the Hearts & Minds battle

Apparently, the new sexy MacBooks come with a version of iTunes that won't recognize an iTouch or iPhone that has been jailbroken or unlocked.

But, if you have iTunes on Windows somewhere (like in Fusion or that old HP notebook) you are still in luck.

Why would you jailbreak an iTouch/iPhone? Because Apple has a stranglehold on the applications that can be added to the devices, and has refused to allow alternatives to built-in apps like Safari, Mail or iTunes. Or, maybe you don't want/can't afford to pay AT&T's outrageous international roaming rates. 

This is another slide in the descent of Apple becoming the old Microsoft - only worse, because they own the hardware too.

1,000 Web APIs

Read all about it at the Programmable Web Blog

Learn Arduino in Seattle

MAKE reports: 

Josh Kopel will be teaching an Arduino workshop through Seattle's 911 Media Arts Center.

The Arduino is a small programmable device capable of big things. With it you can examine the world through various sensors and use the data to control motors, lights and just about any other electronic device. Come learn how to build kinetic sculpture, audio sequencers, home automation systems or whatever you can imagine. This class will focus on controlling motors using the Arduino, and we will be investigating how to recycle/re-use commonly discarded ink jet printers for their component parts. Bring your best ideas and wildest concepts and lets get them moving. Course fee is 255.00 plus 40.00 lab fee: total 295. The lab fee will over a motor control kit, some additional electronics, and a supply of printers to hack. You will need to have a laptop computer (win XP or Vista, OSX, or Linux*), and you should purchase your own Arduino Diecimila.

Schneier on Barack Obama's Security Mindset

I have made this general point again and again -- about airline security, about terrorism, about a lot of things -- that the person in charge of the security system can't be the person who decides what resources to devote to that security system. The analogy I like to use is a company: the VP of marketing wants all the money for marketing, the VP of engineering wants all the money for engineering, and so on; and the CEO has to balance all of those needs and do what's right for the company. So of course the TSA wants to spend all this money on new airplane security systems; that's their job. Someone above the TSA has to balance the risks to airlines with the other risks our country faces and allocate budget accordingly. Security is a trade-off, and that trade-off has to be made by someone with responsibility over all aspects of that trade-off.

I don't think I've ever heard a politician make this point so explicitly.

More at Schneier's on Security

VFP Investors to get their own bailout?

I wish I had heard the conversation leading up to this point. Why is Ken telling people to go out and buy copies of VFP9, so they can be sold on ebay when MS stops selling?

Android'd

I've had 3 of the last 4 Windows Mobile offerings, I didn't jump at the first iPhone, but I did try out the 3g when it first shipped. So my wife was not surprised when I left the house early this AM to stand in line for one of the first G1 phones in Seattle.

OMG.

It's not as slim and sleek as the 3g, but what it lacks in footprint it makes up for in sheer geek-ability.

I've had a hard time doing anything today other than fondling this lovely piece of gear and downloading (for free, for now) every app that I would ever want to think about using.

If you are a Facebook user, you'll find the process of adding apps to the phone familiar. It lets you know what services you are exposing to the app.

I've read several reviews, and yes -- there is room for improvement but... OMG.

I spent a long weekend trying to jailbreak my G3 just so I could capture videos and secure (crypto) email. With the G1, it's Prego baby -- it's all in there.

OMG.

Is It Worth Upgrading to SQL Server 2008?

Nice article by Nigel Maneffa, covering the features that come with the SQL2008 upgrade. It appears that most of the new features that were part of the CTP are Enterprise only.

Free registration required @ SQLServerCentral.com, worth the time.

Geekthink on a Resource Based Economy

Zeitgeist, the movie has an addendum. If you haven't seen the original it makes for interesting viewing.

In the addendum there is a presentation of the Venus Project and the concept of a Resource Based Economy. Geeks are responding @ Microsoft's Channel 9. Good read.

Universal Design Pattern

Excellent, detailed discussion of the use of the "Properties Pattern".

  

FoxPro on Youtube and other tubes

Watch this (or at least skip through it), then check out related videos.

Props to the SWFoxPro Conference for putting the keynote up.  Great to see VFP grassroots conference attendance is growing.

May be a good time to start the SeaVFP group...