Home of the jFrog: April 2006

Wedding Weekend

Natalie's wedding brought a number of rarely seen friends into town. So I spent the past weekend eating, catching up, and hiking with a few high school friends.

On Thursday Natalie, David, Rich, Bob, and I enjoyed a lovely meal at Mandarin Gourmet. It was very nice to finally meet David. For those of you wondering what someone with my eating habits orders at such a place, the answer is flaming bananas hastily cooled in ice water. At least it's fun to watch.

Christine, Rich, Bob, and I went hiking in Uvas Canyon County Park on Saturday. In short order, we encountered a group of young children on the Waterfall Loop trail. Bob and Rich opined that they like children well enough, just not in packs. Desiring a more quiet trek, we went left when the kids went right. After a decent climb, we paused for a snack on a boulder pile in Swanson Creek. Kudos to Rich for making us brownies (even if they were from a mix). On the way back down, Bob created an astounding sequence of sounds to describe the noise that a person falling down the canyon might make. Although it can't be truly appreciated in print, it went like this: Thumpety-Thumpety-Thumpety-Squish-Thumpety-Thumpety-Aaaahhhhh.

The events of the remainder of Saturday must remain a secret until such time as certain wedding presents have been opened. But if you step into the cone of silence with me, I might tell you before then.

The same group reconvened on Sunday for breakfast with Abhay and his girlfriend Isabel at Le Boulanger. Now that is my kind of place. They serve many appetizing selections of my main food source (bread). Sir rLog clearly enjoyed noting that I feasted on three quarters of a loaf of dutch crunch with butter.

Not having met Abhay's longtime girlfriend before, I was pleased to finally meet Isabel. Christine also made quite an impression in a purple t-shirt bearing a picture of a wagon and the phrase "You have died of dysentery". Anyone who grew up playing The Oregon Trail should find that shirt amusing. We found it hilarious.

A couple hours later Christine, Rich, and I took a short walk from my house, into Quicksilver, and back. As noted on her blog, Christine and her husband Matt are selling their current home. They're in the process of looking for their "forever" house.

It's interesting to see my friends' lives take shape. I'm happy that they're all doing so well.

Somebody's Getting Married!

We interrupt this broadcast of silence for the following Muppet News flash: Somebody's getting married! Actually a few somebodys. Natalie and David are getting married tomorrow; and Manny and Jen are to be married in May. Congratulations to all.

Purple Conkers in 1st

After a stint in the cellar and a couple weeks amidst the pack, the Purple Conkers are now leading the Artichoke League. Despite having perhaps the best draft in the league, it's taken me a while to understand the ins and outs of fantasy play. Although it's early in the season, I'm quite pleased that I'm doing this well. As I feared, fantasy baseball is oddly addictive.

The Recent Warm Weather

In stark contrast to our unusually rainy season in the bay area this year, the weather the past few days has been downright pleasant. It was a sunny 85 degrees here today.

Although you might imagine that this is perfect tennis weather, it's actually 10 degrees hotter on court. Usually we have a sunny spring season that helps the tennis kids acclimate to the oncoming summer heat. But this year's odd weather has caught everyone by surprise. As a result, some of the kids are wilting in the heat.

Late Postings

I apologize for the backdated entries. I had already written most of them; but I forgot to post them. I doubt anyone much pays attention to the datestamp on my postings anyway.

The Sound of Silence

I thought I'd give your ears a break from my musical selections for a little while. You may now view my page in complete silence.

Model Steam Train Video

I shot this video of a model steam train at the traveling European Train Enthusiasts exhibit at the Hiller Aviation Museum. Although it obviously doesn't run on steam, I love how the train emits little puffs of smoke nonetheless.

Stanley Hiller Jr.

Alice just informed me that Stanley Hiller Jr., vertical flight pioneer and founder of the Hiller Aviation Museum, died last Thursday at the age of 81. Though his death seems to have gone unnoticed by most major news outlets, Hiller was a major figure in the history of flight.

The son of aviation pioneer Stanley Van Winkle Hiller and an impressive aifcraft designer in his own right, Stanley Hiller Jr. is the father of the modern helicopter.

At the age of 12, he founded Hiller Industries to produce and sell miniture racing cars. The next year, he and his father invented a die-casting machine that enabled him to make and market things as diverse as frying pans and water pistols. By the time he was 20, he was designing his own aircraft.

He readily acknowledged the influence of his father, an inventor and aircraft engineer who had been designing, building, and flying airplanes since 1909. When asked by a reporter how he had achieved so much in so few years, the 23 year old Stanley Hiller Jr. quipped, “I was fortunate in my choice of a father".

While attending the University of California, a professor reportedly told Hiller that his helicopter design would never fly. Undeterred, he went on to found Hiller Aircraft Company in 1942 and United Helicopters Incorporated in 1945. Together they produced over 20 helicopter models and more than 3,000 aircraft in two decades of operation.

Hiller Aircraft merged with Fairchild in 1964. For the next thirty years, his Hiller Investment Company specialized in restoring troubled companies to profitability. Never losing his interest in flight, he continually collected aircraft. In 1998 he founded the The Hiller Aviation Institute and Museum at the San Carlos Airport.

San Mateo County Times Obitutary

Stanley Van Winkle Hiller Sr.

One of Stanley Hiller Sr.'s first planes, the Paterson-Hiller Nieuport-type monoplane powered by the 25 h.p. H.K.B. rotary engine, at Sunset Field, Alameda, California in June 1911.

Stanley Hiller Jr.

Stanley Hiller Up in the "Hornet", California, 1952, photo by John Gutmann courtesy of SFMOMA.

The Hiller X-44, the first helicopter with all metal rotorblades.

Hiller HJ-1.

Hiller J-5

Designed to be portable, the Hiller Rotocycle XROE-1 can fly a solo pilot at over 50 mph.

Stanley Hiller Jr. became the first person to fly a helicopter across America in this helicopter of his own design, the Hiller 360.

The Experimental X-18 tilt wing rotorcraft, the world's first Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) aircraft ever made and flown, can fly like a helicopter or an airplane.

Hiller UH-12

Stanley Hiller Jr. with the X-44

Snowboarding

I went snowboarding at Donner Ski Ranch with Lawrence and Scott on Sunday. Although Lawrence and Scott usually ski, they've both gone snowboarding a handful of times. This was my second time snowboarding, my first being when the three of us went to Soda Springs last year.

I fell an inordinate number of times last year; but I learned a lot. I felt much more comfortable this time out. Although I still have problems making nice S-turns, I can control my speed and stop fairly well. I'm very pleased to note that I descended some blue runs without falling. In fact, I think that I can avoid falling most of the time on blues and greens if I'm really cautious. For the most part though, I preferred to attempt to improve--which necessitates some falling.

We started out on the on the fronside, beginning with the easy green runs and then moving over to the slightly harder, but still fairly easy, blues. Initially I was having some trouble getting off the chairlifts. After a few runs it was determined that although we had asked for the bindings on our boards to be set for regular riding, they were indeed configured goofy (unnatural, i.e. leading with the right foot). I rode much better after realigning my bindings for natural riding.

It began to rain as we descended for lunch. By the time we returned to the slopes, the rain had given way to hail. We spent the rest of the day on the backside amidst various forms of precipitation. And where there weren't many people at Donner to begin with, the backside was almost totally deserted. Towards the end, we had a bunch of runs entirely to ourselves.

It should also be noted that as it continued to snow, hail, and rain, a fair amount of powder was collecting. This made snowboarding more difficult, but aided in the construction of snowballs. As I, myself, was a victim of one of Lawrence's ride-by snoballing attacks, I have this advice to offer: beware unassuming grad students bearing snowballs.

After picking up dinner at Redrum Burger, we concluded our day by watching the San Jose Sharks' 3-0 victory over the Nashville Predators in game 2 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Here are some pictures of the drive up into the clouds and down into the valley of snow-topped hills, followed by a Donner trail map and a picture of us afterward:

SBYB Hiller Aviation Museum

On Saturday I visited the Hiller Aviation Museum with Alice, Geoff, and a couple other South Bay Young Blues members. I was amazed at the number and variety of aircraft at the museum. From rebuilt and replicated early experimental flying machines to modern passenger aircraft to military prototypes, the Hiller Museum houses a cornucopic crossection of the history of flight. Aside from viewing the aircraft, we were also able to explore the cockpit of a 747, try out a flight simulator, and walk into the unfinished prototype of the American SST. Further enlivening our visit, the European Train Enthusiasts were exhibiting their traveling display of HO scale trains.