Lunch conversation

2013-09-20

Phones

We discussed phones. This is the reason we avoid the rain like the plague. They all cost too much. They have become required equipment. We all used them to check out the radar to tell if the rain was as bad as it looked out the window. It was.

We discussed batteries and methods of charging. I like the solar panel idea, but the guy I was talking to said dragging around a solar panel is surprisingly difficult. He suggested getting one of the huge 10 amp storage batteries. It charge your phone for a week.

Games

We went over several phone games but the main topic of games covered the Minecraft knockoff games that give it a first Person Shooter feal. There was also a discussion of the difference between first and third person gaming. We decided the difference is if you are playing the character and aim their shots and such, it is still a first person even if you are looking over their shoulder.

Grid Computing

Remember SETI @Home. We discussed it. We agreed they never should have disconnected the idea of gaming the system with more powerful computers. They also never should have made chips automatically kick in to power save mode when a human is not blathering away in front of the screen.

We spoke of using smart phones to run SETI packets. it’s possible ,but the guy I was speaking with had some issues. His phone while on the car charger is multitasking the following tasks.

• Downloading map information
• Running display on 100%
• Speaking directions
• Connecting to the stereo via bluetooth
• Streaming music to said stereo

Just because the phone is plugged in, does not mean it has spare bandwidth to run an additional ap to do something that is not helping him get on in his life at that specific moment. The phone can be on the car charger and the battery will discharge if he doesn’t cut one of the above tasks.

Rain

On the way out the door, I decided to catch a ride with David instead of our normal walk. This turned out to be a good decision. The rain was coming down in buckets by the time we pulled out of Beck’s Prime.

Beck’s Prime is too expensive. They make a good burger and a good malt. I had both today. I spent a fortune. I had planned on eating about 45 cents worth of noodles. I spent $16 instead. I’m a dumbass. It was fun and I got to spend some good face time with the coworkers. I spent far too much money doing it. How do these people afford these kinds of lunches every day?

It has been so long since we had a good amount of rain. People are afraid to ask for rain in Houston. They do not want a hurricane. My fence is pulling away from the house. The ground is cracking. The pipes are bursging. It is late summer and we are still behind on our rain for the year.

Josh

Josh used a borrowed umbrella to head back to the office. he passed us as we came in from the parking garage. He was headed out. He had used the umbrella to come back to the office to get his large car and run back to gather the stranglers so they would not have to get wet. The rain was coming down sideways. He got soaked. I hope the others remember his sacrifice.

Conclusion

Do you now understand why I blow the money and go to lunches occasionally? The comradery is too important to never go.