Unchartered
I haven’t been a big fan of Gordon Ramsey. The British know-it-all chef perfected the art of indignant screaming. “I can’t believe you are willing to serve this to the guests of Hell’s Kitchen!!!!”, or “Is that what your failing restaurant puts on the menu? Send it back!!!”, in Kitchen Nightmares. Yelling, screaming, and that indignant laugh had become his brand. It is a brand which made him very rich.
With Masterchef we saw a more gentle, a more understanding side of him. Masterchef Kids was the cherry on top. It started to change my opinion of him. It was as if he had had a heart-to-heart with a public relationships firm: Stop the angry act.
We have been enthralled with National Geographic’s Unchartered. The premise is simple: Gordon travels the world, meeting up with a local top chef. He has to learn about the local food and cooking methods. At the end of a week, he goes into a friendly cook-off with the local chef to demonstrate he has learned about the native cuisine. He travels to New Zealand, Norway, Morocco, Peru, Alaska, etc. From local harvesting mushrooms, to diving for fresh seafood, to climbing trees for yummy berries or shepherd’s beard, to hunting maggots, he does all his own stunts. The dishes are intriguing and makes your mouth water (most of the time - not sure I would eat the peanut-tasting maggot in New Zealand or the fermented fish in Norway).
The show is a lot of fun, and in true Ramsey-style energetic and fast moving. What I like most is that you get to know another side of Gordon Ramsey: a humble chef learning from others, a friendly and laughing guy, and one not afraid to lose at a competition he knows is stacked against him.
We are almost finished with season 2 and can’t wait for season 3.
April 24, 2021
Vaccination #1
April 17th - I got my first covid-19 vaccine (Pfizer) at Levi’s 49ers stadium in Santa Clara. My wife and our daughter also got their vaccine today. Our son already received his first covid-19 vaccine a few weeks earlier.
I was only intending to make this post public much later. Many of my family and acquaintances around the world do not have access yet to a vaccine. It feels first-world-showoffy. Yet, nobody really reads my microblog.
I had feared that once they allowed everybody older than 16 to get the vaccine, that there would be a huge rush to the vaccination centra in the Bay Area. On April 15th, in Santa Clara county alone, one million more people became eligible. At a rate of 25,000 vaccines per day, it could take a bit. I was not in a rush. Luckily, my wife was able to secure an appointment fairly quickly.
The vaccination site at Levi’s Stadium is very well run. There is plenty of parking, obviously. After completing initial forms while queuing, you are ushered into an area where they validate your registration, your identity and insurance information. This is all by barcode and image scanner and only takes a few minutes. You then go upstairs where there are a large set of vaccination stations. Lights indicate to the ushers which stations have an open spot, so they can move it along. After the shot, a follow-up appointment three weeks later for the second shot is scheduled right then and there. You are asked to wait 15 minutes in a recovery area to ensure there are no immediate negative side effects. Within 45 minutes or so, we were in and out. That’s not counting taking some cool pictures with the stadium as the backdrop.
I didn’t experience any negative effects, beyond a little soreness in my shoulder in the evening.
April 18, 2021
For the Amazon Narrative to Work, You Need Two Additional Elements
Amazon’s 6-page narrative is hot in the news again. It is one of the many stories the authors of the book Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon tell while promoting their book on the various podcasts, or in newspaper or blog articles.
I’ve been a fan of the narrative for years, even just for my own process. By writing out the idea, I create better ideas. My process starts with an outline, a bulleted list, or a slide or two. As I collect data or craft a chart, I add additional slides. However, those slides or the bulleted list aren’t the end goal. They are the equivalent of a storyboard in the movie business. As I tell the story I realize I miss some data, or that there is a hole in the thought process. Eventually, I will write out the narrative, while I have the storyboard on the side. The narrative almost writes itself by then.
Also, Netflix has a big Memo-culture. A lot of important work starts in prose.
Yet, while the memo or the narrative provide 80 or 90% of the system, there are two important elements to make the system really work:
- The pre-read: share the document sufficiently in advance, so people can prepare and ponder the proposal. The idea that we all read in silence the narrative during the first 20 minutes of the meeting only works for some. However, most often it can result in a shoot-from-the-hip commentary. It also doesn’t allow participants to consult others prior to the meeting.
- The rebuttal: avoid fly-by comments. After reading the narrative, ensure folks write down their viewpoint in a similar narrative manner. It will clarify where the major conflicts or disagreements are with the narrative. This will set you up for a more focused meeting.
April 16, 2021
De Ronde Is Too Hard
Kasper Asgreen beat Mathieu van der Poel in a mano-a-mano sprint to win De Ronde. Both had escaped on the penultimate climb, the Kwaremont, and stayed together on the Patersberg to barrel down to Oudenaarde for the sprint.
De Ronde is a very hard race, over 250km long, over many steep climbs with only a handful kilometers in between to catch your breath. And therein lies the problem. The current trajectory, “De Ronde New Look” as it is referred to, is too hard. While the strongest rider typically wins, the race is often too much a closed race, with little cat and mouse game throughout. After a brisk attack on one of those steep hills, you may see the strongest racers separate themselves from the rest. But that’s it.
I long for the days where a few riders would slip away on the Muur van Geraardsbergen, or de Bosberg and are being chased by a bunch. They get caught. Then another few riders break away, and so one. Think De Ronde 2011 with the opening shot from Chavanel early on, the counter-attack of Cancellara on de Leberg, the regrouping on de Muur, the escape of Chavanel, Cancellara and Nuyens on route to Meerbeek, and a final desperate move of Boonen. What a spectacle!
It is time to redraw the route and make it a bit easier. Bring back the unpredictability! Bring back the excitement.
April 4, 2021
We Are Ready, Again
Every year I rewatch the video “De Ronde Van Vlaanderen, We zijn er klaar voor” (“We are ready”, in English). The video is over 13 years old but gets me every time.
The video depicts how people in Flanders are getting ready the morning of the most important cycling race of the year: De Ronde, De Ronde van Vlaanderen, The Tour of Flanders.
I start my preparation about an hour after the Gent-Wevelgem race has crosses the finish line the week prior. I rewatch previous editions. I watch behind the scenes coverage from previous years. I catch every talkshow throughout the week about the race or racers. I read interviews. I am ready for tomorrow!
Wout Van Aert is also ready. Mathieu Van der Poel is ready as well. Julian Alaphilippe likely will be ready, although he was struggling a bit in earlier races. Peter Sagan makes you think he is not ready, but make no mistake, he is ready.
I am looking forward to see the tactics to beat the top favorites. If AG2R wants to win, with Van Avermaet or Naessen, they will need to play it smarter. That is also the case for Lotto-Soudal. Even Trek with Jasper Stuyven will need a better plan than “let’s go mano a mano.” I predict that also Deceuninck-Elegance-Quickstep will not want to bet it all on Alaphilppe: they will send Yves Lampaert ahead. Lampi will be extra motivated now that Paris-Roubaix has been postponed to the fall. He is not strong enough by himself, but with a few willing riders, who knows how far they will get.
My only wish for tomorrow is that the riders do not wait until the last passage on the Patersberg to attack.
April 3, 2021
E3 Harelbeke
In the World Cup soccer, the half finals are always more exciting than the final game. Today, the same was true in cycling. The E3 Saxo Bank Classic (aka Harelbeke) provided lots of spectacle with many attacks and counter attacks.
Team Deceuninck-Quickstep masterfully controlled the race when they sent Danish champion Kasper Asgreen on the attack at the Boigneberg. Mathieu van der Poel (MVDP) was strong, but was quickly isolated. Wout Van Aert foolishly squandered his energy and had to let MVDP and others go. A flat before the Taaienberg didn’t help either. Zdenek Stybar was probably the strongest today. And the AG2R brothers, Naessens and Van Avermaet, contrary to popular commentary, played it smart at the end. Many believed that in the final 10km they should have countered an attack by Asgreen, when he went for a second time. I beg to differ: that would have served primarily MDVP. Let him or Langeveld solve it. It was also good to see US hopeful Quinn Simmons present again.
In the end, that second attack by Asgreen was the right one and ultimately a robot handed Kasper Asgreen the winner medal.
There was other cool new technology in this race: a new and safer type of pillar protection and shock absorbing sprint bumper.
Sunday: Gent-Wevelgem. No MVDP. Yes, Van Aert. But also Has Pedersen, Sam Bennett, Tim Merlier and many others.
March 26, 2021
Apple Fitness+ Is for the Pudgy Anti-Gym-Rat
I joined Apple Fitness+ on a whim (read, great advertising by Apple). I lacked motivation to work out during the pandemic and missed my running group, the MVARCs, and the sweat of my fellow Orange-Theorists.
My first workout was a 10 minutes Core exercise, and a 5 minutes cool-down. After an outdoor run, I went again to Apple Fitness+ for a 5 minutes cool-down.
A month later, I still go back to Apple Fitness+ regularly. I especially enjoy the 20-30 minutes dance workouts. I put on my headphones and dance outdoors in the backyard. I pray my neighbors are not watching or sending in a video submission to America’s Funniest Videos. They are guaranteed a laugh. But I don’t care. I am having a lot of fun.
Apple Fitness+ is not for the gym rat. It is not for the serious runner nor the weekend sports fanatic. It is for the busy and somewhat overweight parent. It is for the person who wants to work out but may not be able to find the time or arrange childcare to make a trip to the gym. They also cater to a large group and provide a good beginner level of exercises.
It is also for the person who got suckered into an expensive gym membership before and doesn’t want to fall for the same trap. At $80/year, Apple Fitness+ is a much better deal.
It is for me: bite-sized, on my schedule and at my level. The Time to Walk series are a change of pace for the podcasts while I go on a walk.
I want to try different exercises: HITT, strength and yoga.
There are still a few things which need perfecting. Occasionally Apple Fitness+ does not connect with my Apple Watch, even though all fine Bluetooth-wise. The fact that Apple Fitness+ doesn’t integrate well with Roku Apple TV app is disappointing. I am limited to follow along on my small iPhone screen.
March 21, 2021
First Crypto
Last night, I bought my first crypto: 500 ADA through the Voyager mobile app.
Many smart people I know have been investing in BitCoin or other cryptocurrency for years.
While I have a basic understanding of the blockchain technology, I never bought any cryptocurrency, as I didn’t understand the economics or how the market behaves.
Bitcoin may increase by 1000s of dollars in a week because of … speculators I presume? It is not because a company posted great sales results. And traditional currencies don’t see swings that big. So how this all really work economically?
The NFT or non-fungible token craze made me more wary of investing, as it is more stuff I do not understand. Why does one want to own “the original” of a digital asset, when that asset is never truly a one of a kind in the first place? In the physical world this is different: a Picasso is much different from a Picasso-reproduction. Jack Dorsey’s first tweet is no different on my computer than it is on your computer. Buying Jack Dorsey’s keyboard on which he typed his first tweet is different. Buying an NFT, doesn’t mean you own the asset completely. For example, as described in a great writeup by The Hustle, buying an NBA NFT of a videoclip of LeBron dunking does mean you get the broadcast rights to the clip.
On the other hand, I could understand how one wants to track ownership of physical art using smart contracts on a blockchain. But NFTs? They are complicated.
“On SuperWorld, you can buy NFTs in the form of virtual real estate. East 66th St. in NYC could be yours for just 500 ETH, or ~$822k!”
It is headlines like this that make me believe this is all a scam by some people hyping things up until they are rich and can cash out. Too bad for all the poor suckers who followed them. The crypto and NFT market appears to be a large cattle hall where everyone eggs each other on. Just type in a cryptocurrency into YouTube.
“Cardano will go to a thousand!”
“CARDANO BOTTOMED!! RALLY TO $20 IS STARTING!!!!! BITCOIN GOING TO $90,0000!!!
”The new Ethereal will be amazing!“
”How much ADA Do you need to be a MILLIONAIRE?
“Buy CryptoPunks art! @#$#@!!”
“CryptoKitties is going through the roof”
So if I am still such a skeptic about the crypto world, why did I buy my first cryptocurrency?
First of all, there are plenty of serious and smart people working on infrastructure and platforms underpinning this new world. Just as the first websites were silly - remember the Million Dollar Homepage - the first applications of a new revolutionary technology are often silly. Hello NFTs.
As I spent learning and reading about crypto technologies, scalable and distributed systems, it is a fascinating world with plenty of companies building great technology.
Cryto companies
Thus I decided to buy my raffle ticket at the church of crypto’s annual crabfest. I started with Cardano ADA, and am looking into buying another infrastructure, protocol or storage related crypto.
March 13, 2021
The Need to Improvise
I listened this morning to Pushkin’s industries’ Cautionary Tales podcast episode on the art of public speaking by Martin Luther King Jr. I recognize a bit of my own process. By no means am I an oratory marvel as Dr King was. However, just like during his early days preparing for a sermon, I prepare and over-prepare, and practice when I have to give a big presentation.
Several years ago, I was reading every post on Presentation Zen and elsewhere, of how to become a better presenter. I remember one which gave a behind the scenes look of how Steve Jobs prepares for a keynote. As simple and as authentic as his keynote looked, Steve Jobs would prepare a week long.
Steve Job made presentations look effortless because he put a lot of effort into making it great.
Thus I figured if I wanted to be any good on stage, I would need to follow a similar process: first focus on the story, then the slides, then the timing, and practice, practice, practice. I have seen good progress because this.
However, that leaves one important element out of it: the power and need to improvise as to connect better with your audience.
That’s what the I had a dream speech did. As the podcast episode covers, or as it has been described in a 2013 New York Times opinion piece one of the most famous lines happened because Dr. King improvised. It happened because he had both practiced it before, and because he improvised and adapted to the situation.
As King neared the end, he came to a sentence that wasn’t quite right. He had planned to introduce his conclusion with a call to “go back to our communities as members of the international association for the advancement of creative dissatisfaction.” He skipped that, read a few more lines, and then improvised: “Go back to Mississippi; go back to Alabama; go back to South Carolina; go back to Georgia; go back to Louisiana; go back to the slums and ghettos of our Northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.”
Nearby, off to one side, Mahalia Jackson shouted: “Tell them about the dream, Martin!” King looked out over the crowd. As he later explained in an interview, “all of a sudden this thing came to me that I have used — I’d used many times before, that thing about ‘I have a dream’ — and I just felt that I wanted to use it here.” He said, “I say to you today, my friends, so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream.” And he was off, delivering some of the most beloved lines in American history, a speech that he never intended to give and that some of the other civil rights leaders believed no one but the marchers would ever remember.
February 28, 2021
And at the End, Kuurne Means a Sprint
Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne was an atypical race, with a familiar sprint finish.
MVDP attacked early and made it a long hard practice run. MDVP is getting ready for Strade Bianche. This made the race enjoyable to watch with multiple groups chasing each other. They only joined each other in the last few kilometers, setting us up for the typical Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne sprint.
Trek redeemed themselves with Stuyven leading out for Mads Pedersen’s win.
AG2R with Van Avermaet and Naessens disappointed. The Wolfpack took the day off.
Most steady and dangerous rider this weekend was the young crosser-now-roadracer Tom Pidcock. It could be a very interesting Strade Bianche with MDVP, Wout and Tom.
February 28, 2021