Family Pictures

SF Bay Area Blog Start?

On my flight back to San Jose from Boston, I sat next to a really cool girl named Megan Trask, who happens to be a travel blogger for the Boston Globe.

http://www.explorenewengland.com/travel/explorene/massachusetts/blog/

We talked at lengths about her involvement with the Globe, and I learned that she had always been an avid weekend warrior, and the "go-to" person for friends who wanted to know the ins and outs of things to do in Boston. She spoke about her love for exploring different restaurants, bars, concerts, and all sorts of activities. When an opening at the BG came up, she responded and was offered what she now describes as one of the best jobs ever. Of course, when you're getting paid to do what you love and share that passion with others, it's gotta be a winning deal!

So what's the point of all of this? Well, it's gotten me thinking of starting a travel blog about the Bay Area. I looked at the resources on SFGate (SF Chronicle) and SJ Merc, and didn't really see anything terribly similar to the BG blog site. Also, I know lots of folks that know the Bay Area cold... maybe this isn't such a bad idea! I'll noodle on this some more, and see what I can come up with.

Idea of the day

Over the last several weeks, I've been twisting my brain around a start-up idea in the GPS-content space. Although I've hardly begun, already so many people have reached out a helping hand. Yes, some are friends, but at least half are only recent acquaintances. Today's entry is centered around my thoughts on why there seems to be this phenomenon of self-less helping, and a few ideas how this might be further propagated.

First, I believe many people have an inherent need to pass along knowledge in such a way that the passed-along information can take root and grow. Much like a parent might live vicariously through a child's accomplishments, so too an informal mentor takes a measure of satisfaction from seeing his efforts transformed into meaning via a mentee. This pattern is probably obvious to anyone who's thought about it. Often we hear about how teachers, from the elementary up to university level, derive inherent reward from transferring knowledge to others. This is interesting because there is no monetary reward involved, so such a behavior and it's associated incentives might not be so readily analyzed by classical economic theory.

In this relationship between the transfer-er and the transfer-ee (of information), there are set of conditions that must be maintained for the relationship to last. Here is my bullet-list:

• Consistent and regular communication (e.g., e-mails, visits every week, month, etc.)
• Aligned interests and goals (e.g., both are interested in clean tech start-ups)
• Common but time-shifted paths (i.e., one has taken a similar route, or has faced a similar junction in life)
• Enthusiasm from both sides
• Regular action and results based on the transferred knowledge
  

I also think that, except in certain situations, mentor-mentee relationships will not usually last long. Once the common path/crisis has passed (e.g., getting help on college apps), the shared experience that pulls two people together is no longer in play, and the strength of the relationship fades.

I believe that there is a deficit of productive (in the economic sense) and psychologically rewarding mentor-mentee relationships in the current social market. I also propose that having more of these relationships is a positive benefit to society in that people who seek (buy) should be matched with people who can provide (sell). In this case, the goods flow both ways. For the mentor, he or she provides knowledge, encouragement, and contacts, and in return receives a sense of giving, accomplishment, and maybe some ego-boost. The mentee receives valuable coaching, resources, and an expansion of social/professional network. He or she provides meaning and fresh content to the mentor.

As a solution, one might imagine an online service that can pair together people with similar goals, but at different stages of having achieved this goal. Let's call this service MentorNet. Similar services have been organized around smaller segments, and usually around professional or educational institutions. Why not expand this concept to cover the globe? After all, the more people who have access to such a network, the more likely there will be a match between any particular mentor and a mentee.

How does such a service make money? Given the somewhat altruistic nature of mentoring behavior, perhaps a purely market-based approach should be considered a last resort. Instead, perhaps MentorNet could be sustained via sponsorship from businesses and educational institutions, as well as via private donations. As another possible route, government funding might be potentially available to provide this service. In considering the nature of such a business idea, I think MentorNet would likely be considered more a project in social entrepreneurship rather than market entrepreneurship.

Idea Log v2.0

This is a rough list of ideas I started at the beginning of the summer. Some of them are off the wall, and some of them seem like legitimate ideas to do more research on. Anyone interested in going into one of these together?

1) Bus Service

• SD-OC-LA-SJ-SF Route
• Modeled off Vietnamese Bus systems
• Compete with Greyhound
• Tailor for business travelers and/or students
• Offer wi-fi, clean, comfort, efficient
• Faster overall travel than flying, and less hassle
• Current SJ-LA total time for using air service ~ 2.5 hours
• Estimated SJ-LA total time for using bus service ~ 6 hours... hmmm
  

2) Baby machine

• Baby-holder that mimics human temperature, texture, breathing, and movement
• Heart beat based off mom or dad's
• Or simulates a car ride, with exhause noise and engine vibration
• Target market = young affluent couples
  

3) Movie Market - bidding on productions
4) Language programs - karaoke
5) GPS travel guides
6) Low cap funds / VC Microequity

• Market for start-ups
• Opens up funding options for start-ups... not just VCs or FF or Angels
• Can sell and market idea online to hundreds, thousands of people
• You set the ownership terms, and people can vote on your reputation
• Ownership is diluted, so entrepreneur has greater control
• People buy it like stocks... $20 here, $350 there... must keep it small
• Smaller amounts mean people are more risk-tolerant
• People can be their own VCs... knowledgeable folks will invest more in good ideas
  
• No mutual fund "manager"... replaced by electronic system
• Includes risk calculator/recommender
  

7) E-vote
8) Stanford mutual fund
9) Endangered animal market

• Replaces guilt-based activitism with market-forces
• People can purchase shares of animals they want preserved
• Most valued or useful organisms will receive greatest share
• Allows public to vote on allocation of government funds
• Allows public to inject private funds to animals they like
  

10) Debate TV

• TV show that brings together political commentators or politicians
• YouTube like stiching to put together speeches by opposite parties
  

11) Mouth acid tester

12) Online outdoors magazine

• YouTube-like delivery, or e-book format
• Backpacker.com is behind on online format
• Outdoorspeople seem to be tech savvy... maybe just in Bay Area
• Video/Text combination
• Ad-driven revenue... no subscription
• Target niche... don't try to be a YouTube
• Can expand to other topics
• Need Austin's help (magazine experience)
• Combine with outdoor travel community... BIG focus... allow voting
• Gear reviews
• Easily searchable
• Originally, post skills or trip series on YouTube, but revenue?
  

13) Entrepreneurs ideation tool

• Online format, to replace e-mail, Writely, blogs
• Blogs are too one-person centric
• Allow text, images, videos
• A way to organize lots of people's contributions to begin forming end concept
• Allows easy transition to MRD or formal flowchart
• Drag-and-Drop... maybe like Google Notebook
• Able to distinguish core/features/customers/competitors/news/distribution, etc.
• Replaces this damn text-based list... need a file folder system
• Supplements entrepreneur's community website
• Website allows creators, teammembers, and investors to come together
• Look at Work.com

NY Eating Journal

A buddy of mine and I were recently discussing some of the finer restaurants in Seattle, and I remembered putting together a fun eating journal during my A.T. Kearney days. This incredible gastronomic adventure occured while I was staffed on a project for a major i-bank in NY. I'll try to put one together for Seattle and Dallas too.

New York City - Scores reflect mainly the food, and may be biased by
overall enjoyment

Wed 3/8 - Masa (8/10) - Chef's creations were fantastic, but
over-priced. I was expecting
nirvana, but this place cannot displace Kuruma Zushi. The decor was
minimalistic, plain wooden tables and wall-hangings of Japanese
caligraphy.
* Miso clam soup - very good starter, excellent clam flavor
* Toro tartare with black caviar - very nice, one of my favorites
* Toro pieces in a stone bowl - good
* Shabu Shabu with Japanese Grouper - clear broth with scallions
* Poached Japanese small-fish - oil-based flavoring, light taste
* Uni and truffle risotto - excellent, rich and buttery
* Assorted sushi - small pieces, but great variety
* Grapefruit sorbet - refreshing!
* 3 types of sake - enjoyable, but needs more kick
* Pomegranate cocktail - quite good

Tue 3/7 - Aureole (8/10) - Awesome place, right across from Geisha
* Tripe dish - a special of the day, unique character from the
preparation (French/Italian?)
* 48-Hour Braised Kobe Style Beef Cheeks - damn good beef,
exceptionally soft and flavorful (next time should try the
chateaubriand!)
* Fresh Strawberries with creme Chantilly - wow, so this is
strawberries and cream!
* Chianti and some Chablis - both were great
* Calvados - strong, delicious

Mon 3/6 - Sushiden (8/10) - Delivery from this place near Lehman.
Great food and presentation, especially for a place that delivers!
* Sashimi over sushi rice
* Grilled shitake mushrooms
* Miso soup

Sun 3/5 - Per Se (?/10) - Biggest fiasco ever... missed the reservation.
Huge penalty. Ridiculous.

Sat 3/4 - Le Colonial (7/10) - CNN's recommendation for
French-Vietnamese, excellent decor reminiscent of colonization period,
ceiling fans, old photos, 1920's French interior design. Not as
memorable as Slanted Door
* Pho soup - good beefy flavor
* shrimp soup - tangy, powerful shrimp flavor
* mixed vegetables - good source of fiber
* fresh greens and mint with tenderloin cubes
* fried spring rolls - tasty
* Vietnamese pancake/crepe - light, crispy, but not too filling
* fried banana dessert - OK, nothing like Bangkok
* mango sundae - OK

Fri 3/3 - Le Bernardin (7/10) - known for seafood concoctions, French
roll was good, came with Chris, Andrew P. Service was a bit
unattentive, and food was high quality but not spectacular.
* Appetizer - lobster bisque, nice chunks of lobster
* Thin-sliced raw tuna with fois gras and olive oil - tasty
* Open-faced lobster ravioli in fois gras and truffle sauce - very nice
* Monkfish - served lukewarm, temperature was not to my liking, good taste
* Assortment of cheese - 2 soft Frenches, 1 creamy blue, 1 sharp Spanish blue
* White wine - dry, crisp. I think I prefer off-dry, more balanced fruit tones

Thur 3/2 - Thai Delivery - ordered a big giant whole fish.
Mechanically difficult to eat.

Wed 3/1 - Random 24/7 Times Square diner (unrate-able) - Stumbled into
this tourist trip around 12 am for some late night sustenance. The day
was productive, working on the model with good results.

Tue 2/28 - Jean Georges (7/10) - right across the Time Warner Center,
nice area. Very cold night.
* Appetizers - salmon spring roll, grapefruit puree with cheese
* Scallop tartare with black truffle and crouton - interesting,
truffle bits were intense
* Steamed shrimp with mushrooms and foam - sweet, light, fresh
texture, very nice
* Beef tenderloin with truffle cream sauce and truffle string potato -
quite good. quite good.
* Exotic fruit dessert - 4 tasting items, nothing too memorable
* Pinot wine - intense aroma, but lacked a full-mouth feel. Defintely
prefer Cabs.
* 20-year port - thought we had ordered cavados. Too sweet, not to my liking

Mon 2/27 - Sapporo Ramen House (8/10) - this place does not
disappoint, and its fast too. Late night working, so time is of the
essence.
* Miso Ramen - smaller than the Sapporo special, and a tad salty
* Gyoza - ok
* Pork Katsu - very tasty

Sun 2/26 - Wolfgang's Steakhouse (8/10)
* Raw sliced onion and tomato - interesting, basic, too much onion for me
* Porterhouse for 2 - satisfying, black crusted exterior, very
flavorful, juicy and soft
* Key lime pie - full mouth texture with whipped cream on side, nice

Fri 2/24 - Daniel (9/10) - most upscale location so far, fine French
dining. Waiter used to work in San Francisco's Gary Danko, very nice
decor
* mini-tasting appetizers (puff pastry, cheese-filled shell, smoked salmon)
* black truffle braised poulard (chicken breast) - excellent, rich
explosion of flavors
* Wagyu-breed filet mignon - split by manager and other analyst, very
very tender
* grapefruit tatin and grapefruit soup - not too rich, good balance of
fruit and creaminess
* white wine - 2002 Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin 1st Cru Les Frionnes,
refreshing with satisfying flavors and texture, one of the best white
I've tasted

Thur 2/23 - Sparks (4/10) - relatively famous NYC steakhouse
* proscuitto with melon - good as expected
* green salad - ordinary
* filet mignon - ordered rare, disappointing, lots of fat and gristle,
poorly developed flavors, had to spit out a few unchewable pieces

Wed 2/22 - Kuruma Zushi (10/10) - unbelievably good sushi, this place
is a traditional Japanese sushi house that only served sushi/sashimi -
was tucked away in an unassuming location near Lehman Brothers. A few
of us walked right by before realizing we missed it. We had our
Japanese principal orchestrate the chef-tasting course.
* O-Toro (very fatty tuna) - melts away with velvet texture - unbelievable!!
* Toro (fatty tuna) - Actually enjoyed this even more, felt the flavor
explode in mouth - best item tonight!
* Some type of Aji - awesome
* Another type of Aji - wow
* Spicy salmon rolls - ridiculously good, firm sweet rice,
* Scallop - not as big as I wanted, but nice sweet seafood flavors
* Unagi - best I've had, not soggy, and a delicate almost flaky texture
* Raw shrimp - soft gooey texture with a sweet finish
* Red snapper or sea bream (can't remember) - very very good
* Uni - huge lump, impressive, buttery, and apparently will increase
uric acid (not good)
* Mirugai - as expected
* Bonito - finished with this - clean, solid, to-the-point
* Bottle of Sapporo to drain it all down... perfect

Tue 2/21 - Brasserie - (6/10) Came here for lunch at 11:45 am.
* Lobster club sandwish - pretty mayonnaise-y
* Japanese squash soup - OK
Ordered dinner from Thai place near ATK office

Mon 2/20 - No dinner - worked all night in the ATK office until 4 am.
Checked into W Times Square, nice but weird shower configuration. Had
50th floor view of Times Square which was great. Flat screen TV was
not HD, disappointed.

Sun 2/19 - Walked over to a Cantonese noodle house near ATK office - quite good

Sat 2/18 - Lunch at Patsy's Pizzeria (7/10) - delicious pizza, but
somewhat pricey
Dessert at Serendipity (3/10) - hugely overrated, and the chocolate
desserts were pretty bad. La Lanterna Cafe Di Vitoria (6/10) -
fantastic ambiance, perfect for our 12-person gathering, not too loud,
dark, warm, cozy, comfortable. Near Washington Sq park. Tonight stayed
w/ Kevin Ori Naomi in W Union Square - 3rd floor room not too
impressive, no view
* Proscuitto pizza - decent
* White wine - terrible
Later, cabbed over to Yakitory Taisho (8/10) - this place is awesome.
* Two orders of A - variety of chicken skewers, tasty tasty tasty
* Three salmon onigiri - just what I wanted
* Fries - fantastic
* Pork cartilage - cold, interesting

Fri 2/17 - Yakitori Taisho (8/10) - got here late, around 11:30 pm
with manager, and met up with Mr. Sheu. Two adjacent locations, but
this one seemed more genuine.
* One order of A - chicken skewer variety, awesome
* One order of B - chicken balls, skins, gizzard, pork, etc... perfect stuff
* Onigiri w/ roe - perfectly toasted

Thur 2/16 - Sapporo Ramen (8/10) - late night working, grabbed a quick bite
* Sapporo Special Ramen - very very good broth, with sliced pork
* Gyoza - tasty stuff

Wed 2/15 - Hung out with Svec at 1020, grabbed some pizza near the Westin

Tue 2/14 - Esca (8/10) - upscale Italian restaurant, came here with Stacey
* St. Simone oysters - yum
* Blue Point oysters - yummy
* Raw mahi mahi - very tasty
* Raw fluke - also tasty
* Spaghetti - very good, a bit spicy, with lobster pieces
* Grilled pompano, fileted - too full by this time, but excellent fish
* Bellini - champagne with pomegranate juice
* Special Cocktail - cosmo-style with blood orange juice

Mon 2/13 - Blue Fin (6/10) - at the W Times Square. Came here with the ATK team
* Assorted sushi starters - pretty good
* Sea Bass - good, nothing memorable

Sun 2/12 - Sick Today. Ate free appetizers at the Westin Times Square.

Sat 2/11 - Tabla (2/10) - seriously disappointed with this popular
Indian restaurant. Not only was the food unimpressive, the new-age
interpretation was not what I was looking for. Moreover, I became
rather sick the next day, and blame the food from this restaurant.
* Garlic Naan - OK, pretty good mango dipping Chutney
* Saag Paneer - OK pizza-type dish with goat cheese and creamed spinach
* Lamb Sandwich - edible

Fri 2/10 - Spice Market, again (8/10) - came with Stacey, this place
did not disappoint, but we ordered bit too much food
* Papaya salad - good, same as last visit
* Pepper shrimp - a "popular" item, but I don't recommend this, too salty
* Pattaya - Stacey's cocktail, I think
* Sticky rice - same as before, very good
* Halibut - can't remember
* Grilled chicken with kumquats - awesome, just like last time
* Kirin light - good to cut calories I guess, but not as tasty as regular

Thur 2/9 - Sugiyama (8/10) - Food was great, but was so tired that
couldn't really enjoy it. Boss wasn't as thrilled.
Ordered the omakase kaiseki dinner, set course with chef's own
creations. Would go back if given another chance.
* steak strips grilled on a hot stone - really interesting. The stone
was actually glowing orange when it arrived.
* assorted sashimi - good stuff

Wed 2/8 - Morimoto (8/10) - of the Iron Chef Morimoto. Apparently,
this restaurant just opened 1 week ago, and was booked solid for 30
days. Somehow, Chris and I walked in and got a table at 11:30 pm. The
food was great, but service was not totally smooth. Decor was really
cool with a white angular club-like feel, but I preferred Nobu's
earth-tones.
* Mixed green salad - OK. Not anything special. Mori -1
* Toro tartare - wow, this was good, and beautifully presented. Tied with Nobu.
* Morimoto Sashimi - very nice. Tied with Nobu.
* Spicy King Crab - fantastically unique dish, and tasty! Mori +1
* Rock Shrimp - uh oh, not so impressive here. Mori -2
* Ramen Soup - Iron Chef's "Chicken Soup", larger than expected, but
pretty good. Mori +1
* Udon - very good. Even with Nobu.
* Spicy Tuna Maki - good stuff

Tue 2/7 - takeout from Italian at 163 W. 47th (6/10)
* Branzino - fish dish that was pretty good

Mon 2/6 - Spice Market (8/10) - wow! like Ko-Tao restaurant turned
into a swank lounge. Got here at 11 pm, and was sort of eating in a
slightly sleepy stupor.
* grilled new york steak - meaty, satisfying
* grilled chicken with kumquats - awesome
* sticky rice - tasted like coconuts and chicken
* noodles - ok
* papaya salad - old reliable, refreshing
* chicken somosas - excellent, even the cilantro dipping sauce was pretty good

Friday 2/3 - Serafina (8/10) - different location from before
* lobster salad - good stuff
* thin-sliced filet mignon salad - yumm
* grilled halibut - not bad, quite light
* seafood pasta - surprisingly tasty, very very good sauce
* chocolate cake of some sort - not too sweet, nice texture
* bottle of sauvignon blanc

Thursday 2/2 - Strip House (9/10)
* tomato and basil appetizer - refreshing
* 14 oz filet mignon - awesome!
* goose fat potatoes - interesting, but I had higher expectations
* green beans - OK
* Johnny Walker Blue - $31 for 2 oz, but very very smooth, no alcohol taste

Wednesday 2/1 - Serafina (7/10)
* bruschetta - pretty good
* mango Salad - really good
* lobster Carpaccio - good, but not as good as mango salad
* Veuve Cliquot risotto w/ truffle - good, but not as good as Taipei
Bellini's risotto
* fresh fruit with special fruit sauce - not a bad choice
* Warm apple pie baked in brick oven (sampled) - too mushy
* single shot espresso machiato - strong!

Tuesday 1/31 - Nobu (9/10)
* toro tartare - very soft and tasty
* sashimi salad w/ Matsuhisa dressing - excellent fish
* Yellowtail sashimi w/ jalapeno - pretty good, interesting
* Kobe-brand beef - excellent, thin-sliced
* rock shrimp tempura - not recommended
* miso black cod - tasty, but overrated as the most "popular" dish
* roasted eggplant - very very good
* chicken skewers - solid
* Japanese cheesecake - ok
* Nobu reserve beer - yeasty w/ lychee finish
* Sake
* (wanted to try live scallops sushi, but they ran out)

Monday 1/30 - Remi (7/10)
* goat cheese salad - decent
* bacon cheese ravioli - very rich

Idea Blog #4

I was driving around near Google yesterday trying to find my buddy's office building to meet him for dinner. Not knowing the location, I was relying on the onboard GPS device of my Acura TSX to help me find the correct route. As many of you might know, the interchanges around HW 101 and Mountain View can sometimes get clogged and, for the poor navigators among us, pretty confusing. I noticed that I was continuously looking down at the GPS screen and back up to the road, and this often seemed dangerous since cars were constantly slipping back and forth across multiple lanes each second. So now I'm thinking there might be a better way to display the nav data than on a dash-mounted or center-imbedded display. Remember an article in Business 2.0 (9/2006 "The 20 Smartest Companies to Start Now") about head-up displays in automobiles, I started to wonder if such a technology could be applied to GPS navigation. The concept is to have all direction information displayed in an HUD format so that not only is the data right in front of your eyes, but also overlaid on the actual streets themselves. From the driver's perspective, the "correct" route to take would literally be highlighted on the road to indicate clearly where to turn, exit, or merge. One could image a softly lit 3D arrow displayed to seem as if it were laying on the road itself.

Office Depression

A Newsweek article (10/16/2006, "Get the Man To a Monet") touches on the subject of office depression and the associated costs to employers. To quote:

"In 2002, for example, workers suffering from depression cost Lockheed Martin $786,000 in lost work hours, according to calculations by Tufts New England Medical Center in Boston.... Now researchers have new ideas about managing employee moods, and they begin with touches like fresh air, full-spectrum lighting, quiet offices, guided meditations, yoga breaks and cognitive counseling."

I'm not an expert on depression, its causes, or its cures. However, I would suspect that depression likely stems from deeper issues than could be solved by changing the office lighting and providing quiet time. From my discussion with people who have been through depression, it seems that this condition is beyond a simple "mood" like temporary sadness or melancholy. I think some probably causes could be:

1. A sense of lacking control in one's own life (e.g., too much work, too many demands)
2. Lack of self-identity and direction (without a bearing, it's easier for others to shape our lives)
3. Low self-esteem resulting from not enough reward (social, financial, or intrinsic) for our efforts

I don't think I was ever depressed with work in management consulting, but during my 2 years I had begun to feel a bit directionless. It seemed that my own personal motives for work did not coincide with the firm's motives for growth. This is one reason why I decided to take some time off. I needed to sharpen my own sense of purpose.

Wine Camp

Just yesterday I read an article in Time Magazine (I Love Wine Camp, Joel Stein/Napa Valley) that described a weekend camp for wine enthusiasts to take part in the wine-making process. Particpants are able to pick grapes, sort them, crush them, and experience most of the steps up to bottling (and then drinking). An excerpt:

Crush Camp, where laypeople get to be part of wine country's fall harvest, is the most sophisticated addition yet to the pantheon of self-improvement weekends for the BlackBerry set. It joins BMW Performance Driving School, Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp and the original wish-fulfillment adventure, the one in which Cal Ripken puts on a convincing face and tells you that you've got a pretty good swing. Only instead of bond traders, Crush Camp is packed with people who take private yoga classes and won this trip at a benefit auction for the Junior League. If you want to talk wine, being with these people is the price you have to pay.

This interested me because I started to think such local programs might be a great way to add weight to a GPS-content application. As some of my contacts have noted, providing segment-specific tailoring could really add some value to users. Just another random thought right now.

Welcome back to the blogosphere

There are a few reasons I've decided to increase the frequency of my posts. First, I've been reading more interesting blogs lately, and I'm starting to see how this is a good way to share information and also get your thoughts down. Maybe I'm more of a "mainstream" user, so it took some 2 years of getting used to blogs before they started looking appealing. Some of the blogs that have inspired me include:

* My BASD colleague Kevin Wang's blog: http://kjw.blogspot.com/
* Michael Turton's blog coverage in Taiwan: michaelturton.blogspot.com

Second, I'm starting to plan out my career as an entrepreneur, and I constantly have millions of ideas floating around in my mind, with no real destination to send them to. So far, I've been gmailing them to random friends, but they'll probably get tired of this soon. Also, I think the best way to craft the best idea is to share them. If someone else picks up some inspiration, and creates a solid business, that would be fantastic.

Anyhow, here's what I really wanted to talk about today. A couple days ago, I took my friend to the ER after he injured his arm in Judo practice. Looking around the Stanford ER, I noticed that things seemed to be in a general state of inefficiency and makeshift solutions. For example, the narrow hallways were crammed with chairs, movable beds, computer stands, and other various equipment. There might have only been 5 feet of usable walkway for the dozens of medical staff and visitors pacing back and forth in the cramped area. It occured to me that this could be an interesting market to offer some help to these guys. There should be some solution to help reduce congestion... maybe clear out some of the junk all over the place. Maybe the remedy is architecture... just not enough space to go around. But maybe there is something else... not too sure what, but I'll keep this in the back of mind for now.

Also, I was reading an issue of Business 2.0 (a great magazine to get the brain jogging) that featured an article on the market for sleep. Apparently, sleep deprivation is costing the economy quite a bit in the form of less-productive workers, accidents, and lower levels of well-being. Nap centers, sleep-disorder clinics, and high-tech beds are supposed to rake in a good chunk of profit from this trend. About a year ago, I decided to head to a sleep clinic to get some help with my sleep apnea. After spending an uncomfortable night in their monitoring room with electrodes strapped to my head and a pressure sensor stuck in my nose, I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea (but given the foreign accomodation and rather intrustive instruments, does that come as any surprise?). Since then, I've thought about ways to make this diagnosis easier. One possibility is a mobile breathing-pattern recorder and analyzer. Such a device would be appropriate for home use, and could incorporate a software algorithm to detect abnormal breathing or snoring patterns. A quick search on Google, however, revealed that a team in Illinois is already working on this. Here's abstract:

http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1132269&dl=acm&coll=&CFID=15151515&CFTOKEN=6184618
Authors: Nigam, Vivek; Priemer, Roland1
Source: Journal of Medical Systems, Volume 30, Number 2, April 2006, pp. 91-99(9)
Publisher: Springer

This paper presents a snore recorder that can separate snores from their delayed mixtures. This is useful to study the snore sounds of individuals when these sounds occur in a normal in-home sleeping environment, where two people are sleeping together and both produce sounds. Based on methods for blind source separation, we give a snore separator that solves the blind delayed source separation problem and provide a performance index to monitor its convergence. The separated snores can be analyzed to detect symptoms of sleep apnea prior to polysomnography or as a monitoring device after polysomnography has been performed. Experimental results show good performance of the snore separator.

I'm not sure how far this device has progressed or how far it's been commercialized. Might be an interesting opportunity here. In terms of sleep solutions, I've heard that the positive air pressure devices are highly effective, but these are quite bulky and require users to be fairly open-minded to use. An alternative that is smaller, easier to use, and better looking would an idea worth exploring.

Golf Blog One

Went to clinic to pick up newly restored 5 and 7 Taylormade woods. Learned the following tips:

1. Tilt both knees inward slightly to help reduce sway.
2. Need to eliminate right-sway by keeping right knee stable and planted.
3. 3/4 swing to reduce overswing.
4. Lead with the hips first.
5. 1 0'clock finish (swing inside out).
6. Finish high and look at target.

Other pointers:

1. Address ball with hands forward of clubhead.
2. Turn shoulders slightly to the right to place more weight on right side.
3. Place head behind the ball

Also, things I learned on my own:

1. Play it forward (to help reduce topping and promote proper weight shift)
2. Smooth backswing with good tempo (to reduce overswing)
3. Shoulder rotation (to reduce slice)

Useful tips:

1. Loose hands
2. Easy swing
3. For more power, turn the hips faster