Tretakoff Musings

Look, I'm no seasoned world traveler. I fly maybe once a month, around the country. Once upon a time, I was so paralyzed with fear about flying I had to be sedated to even get near an airplane, but after so many flights, that's mostly passed. Last week, I was on three different airlines, in three different cities, and it got me thinking. First, what the heck is it about air travel? Yes, it's fast and convenient, but I think JetBlue has it right: go between the big cities, long haul flights, and don't try to make it any more complicated than that. On the East Coast, there is simply no excuse not to take a train between cities 500 miles away. Out here in the West, the land is a little more expansive, but it's crazy to fly. By the same token, I'm so conditioned to fly everywhere, I forget all about trains. Case in point: last week, I flew AirTran from Boston to Chicago. $39 ticket justifies me getting on an airline I never have heard of. Small old plane, poor servi...

Have you heard of Goowy ? If not, it's a great app, and completely lives in your web browser, but in Flash cool animated goodness. Calendar, email (from any account!), contacts, RSS feeds, widgets, and games all in a customizable interface. Oh, did I mention, of course...it's FREE? If you're looking to break free of Outlook, and Gmail and Yahoo are too boring, let Goowy take over. I'll be using it while on the road.

Bob Weinberg, Francine's husband and Amy's brother-in-law, passed away this morning, after a short but intense battle with cancer. There will be a memorial service, Monday, at 10am, at the Schlossberg Funeral Home in Canton. Francine will be having shiva (sp?) at her house for 3 days after, Monday through Wednesday. Bob will be cremated, so there is no cemetery to consider. Schlossberg and Solomon Memorial Chapel 824 Washington Street Canton, MA 02021. (781) 828-6990 Map & Directions The Weinberg's house: 74 Regent Rd., Brockton, MA. 508-583-7046 Map & Directions We arrive in Boston Friday night. Bobby was a character. He was a philosopher and psychologist in the trappings of a hard working blue collar guy. He busted balls with the best of them, and could always get under your skin, but at the end of the day, you always knew it was out of love. I didn't talk much with him in the last few years, but I did talk to him shortly after he was diagnosed with a brain...

OK, time to get serious: my company is growing and growing. I need a FT Client Services Manager, in downtown SF, ASAP. If you know of anyone, PLEASE send them my way. The details of the position are here.

Hard to believe that 10 years after the fact, the folks who made Inktomi what it was are still holding on to the memories of the dotcom boom. And to celebrate, they're throwing a 10 year anniversary party. I was a proud Inktomite for over 2 years, having joined as part of the Impulse Buy Network acquisition, and looking forward to catching up with my old scalable brethren this weekend. Please, no Super Soakers, though, OK? Impulse settled that competition once and for all. :-)

The DVR was invented for me: I can't STAND commercials, and I want to watch great television shows, when I want to. After being a DirecTV subscriber for many years, and enjoying their included Tivo service, Comcast made me an offer I could not refuse: HD and DVR. I was hooked. Like any good junkie, I have my own personal favorite flavors to get my fix. This season, these are the ones grabbing my eyeballs: The Shield: add Forest Whitaker's intensity to Michael Chiklis’ barely contained rage; stir; watch amazing television emerge. Lost : the best written show, period. Just the right mix of puzzle, drama, and great backstory. Maddeningly addictive. Boston Legal: James Spader and William Shatner were meant to demolish scenery in every take in this comedy/drama from the creator of Ally McBeal. Shatner is insane, and incredible; Spader is smarminess incarnate. Hustle: AMC's first series. Like great con movies? Do yourself a favor, and add this one to your list ASAP. Smart, sty...

Hey, with the Atkins diet, eggs are a great friend. Egg Whites are far healthier, and keep the cholesterol and carbs at bay. Every morning, I usually have some sort of eggs, and leave the house with a warm, healthy and carb-free breakfast. A while ago, I started experimenting with eggs in the microwave. In college, I used to crack an egg into a bowl, microwave for about 2 minutes, and I'd have an egg I could walk with. But that was college; I'm MUCH smarter now. :-) Noah's Bagels, a popular chain out here, does what they call an Egg Mitt: Eggs and Bagels, served as a sandwich. What fascinated me was how they make it: they have the egg mixture, and put it right in the microwave. Light, fluffy, and delicious. I was hooked (or yolked?). Now, these folks have taken it to a whole new level: Poached Scrambled eggs. The method they suggest is way too labor intensive for me, but the comments point to the microwave solutions. Looks like I'm on the right track. Check it out; bre...

It takes a special kind of twisted genius to be able to llok at a blank room and say, "how can I paint this to make it really different?" Well, these pictures certianly offer a very unique experience for any would be visitors.

I'm fascinated with photo-realism: the idea of multiple media blending together. This street artist has taken it one step further: these images come alive, on the street, and, when viewed from the proper angle, appear to add a bit of the fantastic to the everyday life.