Pittsburgh is not so bad after all.

Took a nice day trip to Pittsburgh this past weekend and I was pleasantly surprised. It's actually a very pretty city with the three rivers and all the bridges. We got there early in the morning and walked around the market. Went to Wholly's seafood market and had some fried calamari and clams. Delicious. Then we got a coffee and did some window shopping. For lunch we wen to Primanti Brother's for their almost famous panini sandwhich and a cup of chili.

After that we went to Ikea and walked around. Got a nice little lamp and night light. Then we went back into the city and took a ride on a cable car up the Duquesne Incline. We later realized it was probably better to drive up there and save a few bucks! We also drove past another incline which we decided to call the Fuquesne Incline. It's funny when you pronounce it all loud.

We got dinner for free at Hooters at Station Square. It was obviously an area that once was hot but now was quickly becoming a ghost town. Next time we'll have to pick out a nice restaurant on Carson. I'll take any suggestions!

The STi on GT5

My favorite car in my favorite game. Wish I had one of these!

CONGRATULATIONS TO ERIC AND MARI!

A new life has come into the world! Baby Noah!

Selling Out...

Wow... This phrase has never been so true. Tom Clancy has sold his name to Ubisoft makers of all my favorite games including Assassin's Creed and all the Tom Clancy based series Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six, and Ghost Recon. Tom Clancy is still able to use his name in books and movies and such but when it comes to videogames, Ubisoft owns the name! That must have been one big paycheck!

Gran Turismo 5 Envy

This is a screen shot from the upcoming GranTurismo5 Prologue. The latest installment from Polyphony Digital in their extremely successful driving simulator series. This is the reason to get a PS3!!! It is the game that made me doubt my purchase of getting a 360. With the first installment of Forza, I really thought I would not miss the GT series. Visual damage to the car a great feeling simulator and unlimited customization of cars all on the LIVE network. However the lack of diversity in the tracks (they are basically all circuit tracks), I miss racing in Tokyo on the streets and in the Alps for a few rally races. GranTurismo5 is begging me to buy a PS3. Hmmm... I wonder if Josephine would..... I still have time... GT5 Prologue ships April 17th.... Come on honey! Just look at the picture!!!

My Dream Car...

I've decided my next car. I don't know when I will have saved enough money for it but at least the decision has been made!! It's the perfect balance of fun and practical. The new WRX STI. All wheel drive, 305hp, 6 speed transmission, and a 0-60 in less than 5 seconds, this is no toy! That's faster than a Porsche Cayman! Yet there is enough room for a baby seat in the back! Just some comparisons:

Joffrey's is GOOD COFFEE!!

I received a sample of Joffrey's Jamaican Me Crazy coffee. And I must say it's a great coffee and I would highly recommend it! The aroma of the coffee as soon as I open the package was enticing. The only issue I have is that it is not as full bodied as I thought it would be. But all in all, it made a great cup of coffee!

Stop the Hunt for Seals

Usually I don't go around signing petitions as I can often find two sides to any story. But this picture says it all. Of course it does, as Nigel Barker famed photographer is trying to raise awareness to this barbarous act. (I am sure he didn't take the above photograph since I am sure that any decent human being would have tried to stop the man with the club!) Please take some time to make yourself aware of this cruel practice and sign the petition that could potentially save the seals. Although I wish there was something more direct that can be done as I hope that not all Canadian fishermen participate in this outrageous behavior.

Winter Storm

Joffrey's Java Beta Tester...

I've just been selected to be a coffee beta tester for Joffrey's Java! I'm excited to get the coffee and let you guys know what I think.

Another Winter Day in Cleveland...

Sitting here in Arabica in University Circle. It's snowing outside but it's really beautiful. the snow is hanging on to the tree branches for dear life almost knowing that this will probably be one of the last snow storms of the year (fingers crossed). It's strange to recall that this is the same coffee shop that I studied in during my freshman year of college. Still here after 14 years. It is time for me to get out of here. At least I guess I can truly call myself a Clevelander!

U2 3D

Josephine bought tickets for us to go see U2-3D last night. It was amazing! For any U2 fan it is a must see and for any casual listener, it's a great intro to what a great rock band they are. My favorite part was Bono on the drums and the transition into Bloody Sunday. The film angles were awesome and it was well edited to give a great feeling of depth. In one scene, Bono reaches out to the audience and you feel like you can reach out and touch him. There were of course a lot of classic U2 hits that they were not able to play but that's what happens when you have such a huge repertoire.

Google Medical

Google has started a test pilot of medical record keeping in collaboration with the Cleveland Clinic. This pilot study will involve 1,500 to 10,000 volunteers who have given Google the right to house their medical information to make it more readily available to them if they discontinue services at the Clinic. I personally would be very scared to have one centralized medical record keeper although I can understand the benefits as well. I think there needs to be some good ground rules set before anything like this goes to public use. I'm surprised that Google would take such a huge risk in taking on this project however, I can't think of a better company to do it!

The original article after the jump.

The HDDVD vs BluRay wars are officially over.

With the announcement from Toshiba (the only manufacturer of stand-alone HD DVD players) that they will no longer be making HD players, the last nail in the coffin has been hit home. This was a drawn out battle but Blu-Ray has won the war. I feel bad for all those people who had bought HDDVD players. I'm glad I held out. I was so tempted to buy the HD DVD player for the 360, but I hear that there will be a Blu-Ray player for the 360 soon! I'm going to wait until Blu-Ray discs become more popular (cheaper!).

My Zune...

Sorry I haven't written in a while. I've been enjoying my Zune! Here it is:

Having A Ball!

Josephine and I went to a fund raising ball for the Kidney Foundation of Ohio. The event was held at the Intercontinental Hotel next to the Cleveland Clinic. Josephine got two tickets from work. The tickets were $100-$2000 a head!! Being a black-tie event, we both had a good time getting dressed and figuring out what to wear. (Granted I had an easier time than Josephine!) The event raised over $140,000. The MC celebrity was Mark Nolan, a local weather forecaster for WKYC.

They were honoring Dr. Braun, a noted nephrologist who was a pioneer in kidney transplantations. What I got most out of the few speeches was that the most important achievement in his life even with all the patients lives that he touched, was his role as a family man. I've noticed this many times and the most successful PIs that I know, also are extremely family oriented. I am glad that I found a wonderful partner in life that I can see us starting a wonderful family of our own. OK, now back to work so that I can do my part!

Zune Delay Resolved...

I got an email from Zune customer service. I am very happy that they have finally taken charge of the situation and I am very pleased with their compensation. They have decided to refund the entire amount and send my Zune within 3-4 days. After all my frustration, i really wasn't sure how MS could make things right. But this definitely makes me happy.

ZUNE STILL NOT HERE...

This is a formal complaint I sent to Microsoft regarding the delay of my Zune order:

I placed an order (1/17/2008) for a Black Zune 80 with Tattoo and Text on the zuneoriginals.net site. My credit card was charged the following day. I got an order confirmation stating that my Zune would arrive in 5-7 days. I understand there was a “delay” for the Red Zunes although I never got any communication regarding this.

I was informed after many frustrating calls to 1-877-GET-ZUNE and what little information I could gather on the zune.net forum that the delayed Zunes would ship on a first order first serve basis on 2/4/2008. I STILL do not have a shipping confirmation or tracking number. After many days of calling and frustration, NOBODY can give me a tracking number. Only that it SHOULD have shipped. I have compiled a list of IDs from the Zune.net social forum. This is the breakdown:

ID	Ordered	Received
zxo2000	15-Jan	NO
J iIIian	16-Jan	NO
DruJC	16-Jan	NO
BunnyGlue	16-Jan	NO
WoodyWindy	16-Jan	NO
clc15025	16-Jan	NO
Delux24Seven	16-Jan	7-Feb
QueenIce07	17-Jan	NO
Halogene	17-Jan	NO
pulsetn	17-Jan	7-Feb
LBrenn	20-Jan	7-Feb
Jfunkese	22-Jan	6-Feb
RazielderVampir	26-Jan	7-Feb
Sparkingling9Souls	28-Jan	7-Feb
Uhlisuh	28-Jan	6-Feb

I want either a TRACKING number immediately or a reasonable explanation why my Zune has not shipped. This is totally unacceptable for a product that I have already been charged for AND an order I am not able to cancel. Somebody needs to fix this now. I have gotten promises of calls from supervisors and even a promised call from your Critical Response Team (2/6/2008) regarding a tracking number but nothing has happened. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?

Becareful of the Gyoza!

A recent article says that there was a batch of tainted dumplings shipped to the Japanese market. Somehow the conclusion was made that it was done on purpose. Not exactly sure what the reasoning would be! Sorry Toshi!! Make sure your family doesn't buy this brand until they figure things out. On the other hand, why would you buy Chinese gyoza in Japan?

Beijing 2008 Olympics

I'm very excited about the upcoming Olympics hosted in Beijing, China. This will be a great opportunity for China to show the world the beauty of our culture and modern progress. Have you seen some of the buildings that have been erected for the games? Absolutely beautiful. Although there is still a lot of reform that will be required, I think that China is steadily moving in the right direction.

I came across this cartoon which is rather funny. Hope it doesn't offend anybody!

How Beijing came up with their Olympic logo: