Summer in the city

Summer photo fun
One of my favorite things to do for a break at work is to grab one of my oldest cameras and wander downtown and shoot some black and white film. You never know what will happen, what you will see when you open your eyes.

Bizzy Weekend, Part Three

Italy party at Crosby's
After the Sunday bike ride we went to the Crosbys home for a planning party for our Italy trip. It was a great planning party. Steve and Karin have a lovely home just east of campus and Steve barbecued. Everybody brought great food and great wine. It was a blast!

[Click here to see more photos on Flickr]

Technorati Tags: Bicycling, Whine and Dine, Cycling, ACTC, ssloansjca

Bizzy Weekend, Part Two

Great Beach Day with Sue
We spent Saturday at the beach. We went to Bonny Doon, a pretty beach just south of Davenport. The fog burned off early and it was a lovely day at the beach, especially if you got in an area where the cliffs block the wind. We went to dinner in Santa Cruz and made a real day of it.

[More Beach Day Photos Here on Flickr]

Technorati Tags: Sue Graziano Sloan, Sloan Family, Graziano Family, Bonny Doon, ssloansjca

Bizzy Weekend, Part One

Ride with Pam to Croy
Sunday morning Pam Downs and I rode to Croy Park a little over 20 miles from where we started the ride in San Jose. The whole ride was 43 miles and it was hot. But, we had a great ride! It really felt great being out riding.

[Click here to see more ride photos on Flickr]

Technorati Tags: Bicycling, Whine and Dine, Cycling, ACTC, ssloansjca

Spirit of Washington, Part Three

Part 3 of 3
The last of my three part coverage of the Spirit of Washington on June 8, 2007. This is the train on its former route between Renton and Woodinville, Washington. This provides an overview of all three short videos with special coverage of the return of the day's lunch charter and the dinner train on the spectacular trestle near Bellevue. This also features the Oriskany Strings song, The Train Don't Run Here Anymore.

[This video also available here on YouTube]

Why I did not buy an iPhone

Here is why I did not buy a sexy iPhone
When it comes to batteries, it is just like an iPod! Here is a battery for my unsexy Treo! Note: I do not approve of vandalism.

Lunch with Kemp

Today I had lunch with Jeremy Kemp of SJSU
Last May I had the pleasure of spending some time with Dr. Daniel Livingstone from the School of Computing at the University of Paisley in Scotland. Dr. Livingstone came to SJSU to deliver a talk on Immersive and Web-based Virtual Learning Environments: Bridging the Gap with Sloodle. I picked him up at SFO and drove him to San Jose. Livingstone and our own Jeremy Kemp had just received a first-year grant of £80,000 from Britain's Eduserv Foundation to develop their Sloodle project (Moodle in Second Life.)

This is big stuff! In my opinion Second Life is where the Internet is headed. Yes, at this stage it is geeky and kinda on-the-edge stuff now, but give this technology ten years. Remember personal computers themselves were once considered geeky and on-the-edge stuff. From what I see all the signs are there for growth in this technology: from Moore's Law to the cost of oil. In my opinion, the world is going to move in a direction of decreasing the movement of people and increasing virtualization in engaging, dynamic and compelling ways. We are going to be moving electrons more and people less.

Is this profound for education, I think so. Kemp has been traveling around the world spending several times a month presenting about this technology while flying the flag for SJSU. Is it a big thing that one of the early innovators in this technology comes from San Jose State University? What do you think? Today I met Jeremy for lunch. What a treat! Someday I will be saying I knew Jeremy Kemp when...

Fun weekly bike rides

Mellow Bicycle Rides
Every week I lead one of three weekly Whine and Dine Bicycle Rides. The rides start in April and run until September. They are very fun and social. We go out for burritos and wine after every ride and, if it is warm, the evening often stretches to after 10:30pm. Also, we have been doing some special weekend rides, like the one at last weekend's Russian River Rally. It is very fun! If you are interested, you are invited to attend.

[Click Here to See More Whine and Dine Photos]

Technorati Tags: Bicycling, Whine and Dine, Cycling, ACTC, ssloansjca

Preferred Parking at SJSU

Camera Phone Post: Contractors get preference
Employees at SJSU, even President Kassing, have to park in lots and parking spaces around campus. Contractors, however, get special sidewalk parking permits to park on the sidewalks on campus. According to one employee who works with a contractor, even contractors who carry no equipment and just walk in the building and sit at a desk are able to park right on the sidewalk outside of the building where they work. Hey, that is the life!

RRR Roundup

A fun Russian River Rally
These are photos from the Russian River Rally (RRR) the weekend on July 21 - 22, 2007 at Casini Ranch near Duncan Mills, CA. Nancy Kenny and Pat and Mylo Stenstrom organized this wonderful event. They did a fantastic job. These are vacation photos of the weekend. I hope you like them!

[Photos, some without captions, of entire event]

[Photos just of Whine and Dine ride at RRR]

Technorati Tags: ACTC, ssloansjca

Chairs, clouds and boat

A nice day on the coast
Yesterday Sue and I drove along the coast. It was a very nice day to see the sea. I really liked how the shapes of the clouds, the chairs and the boat played with each other along Tomales Bay.

Lovely day at SJSU

Cameraphone -- Today was almost a perfect day on campus.

Whine and Dine Ride Shot

Camera Phone Post: At the whine and dine
We had a short whine and dine ride and a long party after on July 18, 2007.

Students in front of statue

Camera Phone Post: Group Shot
A group of students posed in front of the Smith and Carlos Statue at SJSU on July 18, 2007.

13 years yesterday

A fun anniversary
Last night, after work, Sue and I met and we grabbed a bite and then we went to the movies. It was a relaxing and low key way to spend our 13th anniversary. We saw Waitress, a movie we really enjoyed.

[More Photos Here]

Technorati Tags: Sue Graziano Sloan, Sloan Family, Graziano Family, anniversaries, ssloansjca

Thirteen Years

Thirteen year honeymoon
Tomorrow Susie and I will celebrate thirteen years together. On Sunday we celebrated by going out to brunch at La Foret, the restaurant in New Almaden where we got married in 1994. A lot has changed over those years including us. When we got married we had three boys in our home and three cats. Now we have three cats, two of which are not the same. We have grandkids now and more on the way.

We have new friends and old friends. One of my oldest friends came to visit us this weekend. Ken Compton, whom I have known for about 25 years came over this weekend. We met at the train club and then on Saturday we hosted the train club over here. Ken and I had a blast hanging out and sharing memories of the many times we went chasing trains. When my train buddies came over we had a big slide show showing photos from my trip north last month. That was a lot of fun.

Ken and I also share a passion for photography. We went to a camera store together, Kamera Korner, one of the last camera stores in San Jose. Ken bought a lens there.

Ken left Sunday morning right before Sue and I went to brunch.

Sue and I had a great time at La Foret. It is amazing how many of the people who were there when we were married there are still there.

On the way home from La Foret we saw a small herd of deer on the road. They were right next to the car. I handed my Nikon to Sue and she fired a couple of shots right out the window. It was very cool. There was even a young buck who was accompanying the does as they walked down to the creek that flows through there.

[More Photos Here]

Technorati Tags: Sloan Family, ssloansjca

Road Trip 2007

Our Roadtrip, on Flickr
Here is the Flickr collection of photos from our road trip last month. The trip focused on visiting family, friends and chasing trains. After seeing these, I am ready to go again!

Technorati Tags: Sloan Family, ssloansjca

Help Desk Birthday for Shahina

Today we had a little party to celebrate Shahina's birthday at the University Help Desk. Shahina is a really nice person and a long term and important part of our Help Desk family.

Scott and Susan Francks' Great Ride

Great Bike Club Ride!
Scott and Susan Francks led a great 28 mi 3 LM bike ride on July 8, 2007. It was one of the best ACTC rides I have been on in years.

This ride was just in the sweet spot for me and many other ACTC riders. It was well attended. In speaking to Scott he said to me that they plan and execute the rides as LM-G rides. G is a new rating that I think is long long overdue in our club. If you look at the BBB is defines this G as, "Group Ride: All riders remain together. Pace determined by the slowest rider. Can be applied to any ride pace." Thanks John Mazella for instituting this as ride coordinator.

Scott and Susan did a great job on this ride!

[More Photos are here]

Technorati Tags: ACTC, ssloansjca

Some folks spent the holiday at "home"

On the Fourth of July, when Nancy and I were on a ride, we stopped for a phone call on the bike path that goes under Bascom. That is where this homeless person's "home" is.

One of the last camera stores

Keeble and Shuchat in Palo Alto is one of the last camera stores around. I went there today to get some photo stuff.

July third family fun

The day before the Fourth of July
On the evening before the Fourth of July, Kenneth, Jeff, Nicole and Madison came over. The guys (with help from Madison) worked removing the very old air conditioner in our bedroom and replacing it with a new one.

Then, we went out to dinner at a nice Chinese Restaurant. After we got back we finished the air conditioner job (for now) and the ladies did a sewing project (with help from Madison.) They sewed some hems and made some sheets for Madison.

[More family pictures from this day here]

Technorati Tags: Madison Sloan, Sue Graziano Sloan, Sloan Family, sloanfamily, ssloansjca

Fourth of July with Friends Video & Pics

Fourth of July 2007 Party
Yesterday we went to our friends Tyler and Mary's house where we had wine and great food with them and other friends [photos.] That was a lot of fun. After the movie we went to a nearby park and saw an impressive fireworks show. I shot video of the fireworks and edited it into the film you see here. This film is also posted on YouTube.

Fourth of July 2007

Busy but nice fourth of July
The fourth started with the annual pancake breakfast that ACTC, our bicycle club has. I ended up riding with Nancy Kenny and we went on a ride that twisted through residential neighborhoods. We missed a couple of turns and then eventually were off the route. So, Nancy and I decided to so our own route and went back to the ride start via the Los Gatos Creek trail. The trail was relatively not crowded and that was pretty pleasant. On parallel highway 17 the traffic was at a stand still as cars were trying to head west to get to the beaches.

After the ride I met Sue who was out shopping and then I went shopping myself for groceries for the dessert I made for Tyler and Mary's party.

Tyler and Mary live near a park in Santa Clara where they have an annual fireworks show. We had a lot of fun at the party hanging out with them and many other friends who were also at the party. Dinner was great. Then we went to the fireworks show which was also great. I shot both stills and video at the show. It was a very good fourth!

Technorati Tags: ACTC, ssloansjca

Tylers Party

Tylers party
Originally uploaded by sloansjca

Sue is shown with Doug at Tyler and Mary's Party on the Fourth of July. We had a great time at the party.

San Jose Light and Dark

Morning Light
In downtown San Jose, on my way to work yesterday, I saw this interesting morning play of light and dark and shapes and shadows.

Two party Saturday

Great time at Byington!
Saturday we had a great time at Byington Winery. We celebrated the birthdays of many of the folks in our bike club. After the party we went to Jolyce's and had another party. Too much fun!

Technorati Tags: Whine and Dine, ssloansjca

Bob Scoble Gets iPhone(s)

Robert Scoble got it (for his son or his wife?)
What a nice surprise to see Robert Scoble on the cover of Saturday's Mercury News. The former "voice of Microsoft" was on the cover of the Saturday paper. First he said Marayam was getting it, now I think his son got it, OR he got two and we know what Maryam is getting for her birthday! Very cool Bob.