Virtual Travel

(attn: Grandma – do not print this out, it is all pictures, and will look better on the  computer screen)

Sometime during our time in Rome, it became obvious to Cari that I had an advantage over her in navigation.  Sometimes I just knew where landmarks were and how to get to our destinations, when I had no business knowing.  I was forced to concede that although I’d never visited Rome, I had already spent hours and hours scampering around a video game version of it…  The same was true for Florence, Venice, and Jerusalem. 

Since then this blog post has been hotly anticipated (by Cari).  So, I present to you

THE GRAND ADVENTURE ASSASSIN’S CREED MASH UP POST

Assassin’s Creed is a popular series of video games which are set in some of the famous and interesting historical places of the Mediterranean world.  So if you are spending 6 weeks in Italy, chances are that your rout will overlap with the Assassin’s Creed world.  With the exception of Monteriggioni, there was nowhere that we went specifically because of the games, but for most of our time in Italy (and Jerusalem) I had this weird feeling of digital déjà vu.

The above map (click to enlarge any particular image) shows all of our destinations in shades of blue and green… And then the cities which I have traveled to through the magic of Sony are shown with red arrows.   In order of our itinerary, they were:

Florence

Showing that they correctly modeled a surviving landmark isn’t that cool; not as cool as finding yourself just knowing your way around between them, but it is an easy likeness to capture with one image.  Here we are in front of the Santa Maria Novella Church.

If you had asked me about the façade from what I learned in Architectural history class, I would have said that it was a late renaissance addition to a medieval church… but that would have only been partially correct, because here it is in Assassins Creed in 1499 or whatever.  And I trust that they got it right!  Early Renaissance it was!  No research was performed in the writing of this post.

Here is Cari and Ezio (a character from the game) around the back of the Pitti Palace.  No, nothing is exactly the same, but they got the right feeling.

Here’s a view WNW toward the Arno and the Ponte Vecchio.  We took the picture from The Piazza Michelangelo.

Same sort of thing.  The Video Game City is always much smaller than the real city, but it is so much more real than a map.

San Gimignano

There are the steps down to the main square in the center of town.  Scarily Similar.

The well in the center of the square where we sat and ate pizza was a historical FACT, just look at the picture of the game!  The only thing missing from the game were the 3-4 Medieval Torture museums in this small walled city.

Yup

Whoops, I can’t tell which one is from the game.

Monteriggioni

Cari took a day of rest in Colle Val d’Elsa and I walked to this tiny walled city- really the only destination inspired by the game.  It was the Assassin’s HQ, so how could I miss that?   The inside was actually disappointingly dissimilar (with such a small place, I would have though that they could just reproduce it exactly, but they didn’t), but walking up to the south gate felt pretty much the same in real life as it had in the game.

Rome

Yup, they did the Pantheon right.

This is me in front of Constantine’s arch.

Here is the view of the NE corner of the Palatine hill (sadly closed when we were in Rome.  But- it is so similar!  That gets me more than the single monuments (like the Pantheon).

This shows how the virtual version is shrunk down.  The Piazza del Popolo has an obelisk in the center and the double churches at the South end.  The two pictures show the distance between them… but in the game, it’s a little different.

Venice

St Marks Square looking North from the water

Looking East along the South side of the Doge Palace

Istanbul

I actually didn’t play the one featuring Istanbul until after the trip, leaving me helpless as a kitten (of which there were lots) in navigating. 

Here is Ezio and Me in the Grand Bazaar

Valens Aqueduct by night. 

Jerusalem

Here is the Dome of the Rock viewed from the entrance to the al Aqsa Mosque.  The game version of the Temple Mount was smaller, but very similar to real life… probably more similar than it was to real life ca. 1192.

Here is Cari and Altair in front of the Tower of David /Herod’s palace around the Jaffa Gate. 

Looking South from above the Damascus Gate.  I see it. 

Looking from the Armenian Quarter East across the temple mount toward the Mount of Olives.

So in conclusion, Video Games helped me navigate some of the cities we found ourselves in as tourists.  And all the trips which the computer modelers treated themselves to were not entirely wasted. 

happy first anniversary to us :)

 

The bar for married life is set very high after this past year. 

Thanks for the flowers Jack!

mission statement / Seattle Freeze?

Post-Grand Adventure (GA) this blog has become a place to write about our shiny new experience of living and working in downtown Seattle.  I'm also interested in writing about the history and culture of Seattle and the PNW.


In that light, have you ever heard of the Seattle Freeze? It's the idea that people in Seattle put up a social wall that is hard to get past.  Read these to learn more:
the Seattle Freeze real or all in your head?
urbandictionary.com: Seattle Freeze

It's been in the back of my mind for a few months now.  Here are a few things I think are true:

• People are a little reserved.  If you talk first though, or ask for directions, they are quite friendly.  I think the expectations for contact with strangers are very low so people are almost (pleasantly) surprised if you do talk to them.  
• However, we live right in downtown and I suspect this reserve is mostly a feature cities.  There are a lot of people around all the time and a non-negligible number of them are crazy too.  Yesterday I saw a woman swooping her hand over the heads of passersby and holding up a 10" diameter mirror to watch people walking behind her.  At least we're a polite city.
• Furthermore, hardly anyone in Seattle proper is actually from here, so maybe it's a result of rapid growth and everyone thinking they're the odd one out.  At work, of the maybe 40 people in my office I've talked to enough to learn their origins, only 4-5 are actually from Washington state.  Seattle's population grew by 8% to 608,660 between 2000 to 2010.
• Boston absolutely has a freeze going on.  There is a huge divide between locals and everyone else and I found it terribly difficult to make friends because without the help of something like a university community.  Pittsburgh, on the other hand is actively friendly - Why you should say hello to strangers in Pittsburgh.  As for Montreal,  let's just say that bilingualism makes it complicated and that Seattle is probably more friendly.
• Every day more and more people opt to walk around plugged in to headphones at all times.  Maybe if the people who complain of a Seattle freeze went home, they would find that it had changed too.
• I certainly acknowledge that there are cultural differences within the US, but I don't think Seattle is unfriendly.  
• I am biased.

Other superficial observations I've made are that Seattle is an early-rising, green, dog-friendly place.  A lot of people start work at 7 or even earlier here.  This might have something to do with the abysmal traffic and the impressive number of people who work shifts for Boeing.  We are required to compost my office and our apartment building and a plastic bag ban just went in to effect.  I'm still surprised to see dogs on the laps of cashiers and cruising through stores like Target and Goodwill.  

remembering Grandma Van

 

Earlier this summer, Jack’s step Grandma passed away.   She was a wonderful woman who who leaves behind many devoted children and grandchildren.  She lived her whole life in Washington, had long happy marriage and a full life.

amazing trail cam shots!

Remember the family property where we camped in May?  I wrote about it in camping in cascades.

Well, Jack's cousin has some motion sensor trail cameras set up and we were surprised to see the big animals that frequent the property.  Next time we'll be more careful about our food!

7 wonders

While we were backpacking over the 4th of July, we came up with a list of what we think are the biggest advancements of our world in our lifetimes.

These may not be the hanging gardens of Babylon or peace in the Middle East, but we think they're a big deal and they were fun to think and write about.

Feedback is welcome :)


1 - wikipedia 
Thinking about the colossal impact of Wikipedia is what inspired this list.  For many of the details in this post, as in daily life, I turned to .... Wikipedia.

Whether it's history, pop culture or computer science algorithms, Wikipedia is the first place I look for almost everything.  It isn't the last place and it isn't always trustworthy (On issues where there's a financial stake, like in the pharmaceutical industry, I've heard that people are paid to edit pages), but it it's free and enormous in scope.  It  now exists in 40 language and it is heroically collaborative and life-changingly empowering for people all over the world.  Wikipedia represents the best things about the internet.


2 - digitization of everything
It's now been 20 years since the first photo was posted to the internet (link).  Since then, digital music, videos, photos, books, news etc. have become the norm.    I remember learning about the card catalog in the elementary school library and it's amazing how much information storage and access has changed since then.  We save and share media in a totally new way, at unprecedented volumes.



3 - status of women
Women have more equality than ever before.  Yes, we still get paid an average of 17% less than men, but times are changing.  While I'm not terribly interested in the discussions of high powered women like Sheryl Sandberg (of Facebook) balancing work and family, I do think it's a huge deal that Yahoo just appointed a CEO Marissa Mayer) who is six months pregnant.

Women are distinguishing themselves in higher education and the workforce.  As of the 2010 census 29% of American women 25 and older have at least a bachelor's degree, compared to 30% of men.  Continuing the trend, women may well already have the advantage this year.  In the Great Recession, women lost far fewer jobs than men due to the demographics of different economic sectors (link).

Perhaps the most interesting thing I have read on the subject is that a global preference for boy babies over girl babies (via sex-preference abortions, etc.) is finally on the decline.  Obviously, a skewed ratio of men to women in a society is calamitous.  In South Korea and China as women become more successful, daughters are more welcome additions to families (link).


4 - democratization of music
From American Idol, to Justin Bieber to the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, professional music has opened it's doors more than ever before.  Opportunities exist for people who are talented enough (and for a few who aren't particularly talented, as well).

For those who might not know, Bieber went for posting homemade YouTube videos of himself singing at the age of 12 (in 2006) to being third on Forbes' 2012 list of the most most powerful celebrities in the world.

The YouTube Symphony Orchestra, consisting of amateur musicians who auditioned via YouTube from all over the world, has performed twice.  In 2011 the live concert was streamed by over 33 million computers and mobile devices.


5 - smart phones
With great power comes great responsibility, right?  Ubiquitous connectivity is good for a lot of things and bad for others.  We save time and we waste time.  My favorite thing is not getting lost.
On a more socially conscious level mobile phones have also connected people and disseminated important information to people who would not otherwise have access to the internet.  In some cases, like in remote medical clinics in India, phones save lives (link).

Mobile phones have also greatly increased the availability and affordability of assistive technology.  Speech recognition devices used to be so expensive that (blind or disabled) people needed insurance coverage to buy them.  Now they are affordable for most people and so popular that there are options.  Additionally, because they piggyback on mainstream devices, there is competition among manufactures and developers, making for better products.


6 - Amazon
This Seattle company represents the vast change in how we shop.  It might be superficial, but we can buy almost anything (yes, more than just books) online now.  It has changed the whole marketplace, in ways that are mostly good, I think.  Things move fast, so try to keep up.


7 - the Arab Spring

I know a lot less about this last wonder.  Time will tell just how lasting the impact of the popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Syria, .etc., etc., (and even Iran) will be.  People who had not had a political voice in generations have found one.

Elliot Bay showstoppers

 

This week we went to an alumni event on a boat in Elliot Bay.  We talked to some nice people, almost all of whom had lived in Pittsburgh (it was an alumni event) and Boston (it was for computer science and there’s a lot of tech in Boston).  The food was also good, but the showstoppers were the sunset and sight of the familiar Port of Seattle cranes up close. 

I’m sure I wasn’t the only kid to imagine them as dinosaurs. 

a night in Gig Harbor

 

We had a wonderful little vacation this past weekend.  We sandwiched a great backpacking trip between some quality time with our families.

Friday night we managed to get out the door after work.  Then we spent the night on my parent’s boat in Gig Harbor, visited with them and some friends and did a little kayaking.  Saturday we drove around the peninsula and camped by the ocean at Kalaloch.  On Sunday, Monday and Tuesday we backpacked in the Hoh River Valley of Olympic National Park.  Tuesday night we relaxed with Jack’s grandparents in Shelton and enjoyed their hot tub.  Wednesday we dried out our hiking gear in Burien and made our way to a wonderful 4th of July party on Angle Lake.

These are some pictures from Gig Harbor.

Poor Jack’s borrowed paddle broke so we towed each other around.

There are four great blue herons in this picture with Jack.

sailing again

 

Last week I went sailing again. 

Beautiful.

a flat five miles in Seattle

 

Anyone who’s been to Seattle can tell you that we have some serious hills here.  On a recent Sunday, my friend Myra and I managed to avoid them all on a nice walk through town.  Actually, level ground wasn’t the goal, but that’s how it turned out. 

We met at Gasworks park at the north end of Lake Union.

It’s a great spot which was featured in one of my favorite Seattle movies, “10 Things I Hate About You,” as well as my wonderful surprise sixteenth birthday (thanks M+D!).

It offers a great view of the city, the lake and some of the famous Seattle house boats. 

   

Leaving Gasworks, we walked along the west side of the lake.  At the south end, we passed the Center For Wooden boats, where my sister was married five years ago and one of my best friends was married three months ago. Here’s a shot of Gasworks from the south. 

Next we cut through the market, wound our way down the back stairs and walked along the waterfront to Pioneer Square.  We stopped by the unexpected and delightful UPS Waterfall Garden at 2nd and Main.

Finally, we wrapped it up at one of my new favorite restaurants, Cafe Paloma, with Jack.

downtown wildlife

I love living downtown.  There’s just so much to see. 
These are a few of the characters I’ve seen in just the last week or so:

• A Filipino event of some kind with about 12 women in matching dresses, an enormous purple multi-tired umbrella and a bunch of Filipino flags.
• A zombie bride and groom.
• A woman in a realistic astronaut suit being filmed for something.
• The fireman across the street who plays bagpipes marching back and forth on the fire station balcony.
• The guy playing ethereal chimes on the bus.
• An eagle on a telephone pole by a taco truck being harassed by crows and seagulls.

 
Last weekend there was also a marathon and a huge Pride parade.  It’s just another week in our haven in the center of it all.

Junuary in Seattle

I can't take credit for this new month on the PNW calendar, but I like it.  I like the word play, and I'm actually okay with the weather, for the most part.

Today it was 95°F in Boston and it rained.  In Seattle it was 62°F.  


Both cites had a 60% chance of rain.  In Seattle that means that it will rain about 60% of the day whereas in Boston the whole day's worth of rain comes down in an unfortunate and unpredictable half-hour period.  Like I said, I'll take Junuary, thank you very much.

On a related note, Jack and I haven't been in Seattle in June for a decade so we are reveling in the bizarre and dramatic amount of daylight we get.  

We have almost an hour more daylight than Boston at the summer solstice.  

Check back with me in December when we have half as much daylight as now and less than Boston.  I'll tell you about snow and ice and probably come to the same affectionate conclusion that Seattle is the place for me.

pomp and pickle ball

 

Last weekend Jack’s brother graduated from high school.  Hooray!

  

In honor of his graduation, as well as Jack’s grandparents’ 55th anniversary, we had a great family party on the Peninsula.  Jack and I have found a new passion for pickle ball.  We didn’t win the tournament, but we will next time.  Oh, and in our Felix Hernandez (Mariner’s) shirts, we were the only ones in uniforms so we handled that.

Also we got to eat Jack’s grandma’s famous homemade blackberry ice cream.  Jack guarded his jealously.

 

racing on Hobbes

 

Now that we live in Seattle again, we see a lot more of our family.  We both work less than two miles from our dads.  Jack has lunch with his dad a few times a week and on Thursday I got to go (sailboat) racing with mine, in Des Moines.  It’s all terribly cute!

Racing was great, with a healthy amount of wind. I was too busy to take more than two pictures, and we beat the three other boats in our class on Hobbes, my parents’ boat.

camping in the Cascades

 

Over Memorial Day weekend Jack and I camped at Jack's family's property near Cle Elum, which is east of Snoqualmie Pass, in the foothills of the Cascades. 

The property has been in the family since two of Jack’s stepdad’s great-uncles claimed it for gold mining around 1920.  Nearby are several small mines which are still active and other land selectively logged by the Forest Service.

The logged sections were in much better condition, with less erosion and more undergrowth, than what we saw in France (below). 

This was my first trip to the property as well as my first time camping on private land. It seems like you can hike where you want as long as you’re respectful and you avoid strongly-worded private property signs.

We enjoyed hiking, lazing about, having plentiful firewood and spending time with our borrowed dog.  It was a little chilly but that was good for walking and the bugs weren’t out in force yet.

It’s exciting that we can drive there from downtown in less than two hours. This proximity to wilderness is one of things that makes Seattle so special.

We’ll be back!

verbs of the trip

 

 

Cari and I finally finished transcribing our trip log this morning- a fairly concise record of what we did each day of the trip.  We used the word-cloud generator wordle to generate the word-frequency diagram above.  The trip involved quite a bit of walking, did you hear?

(click on the image to enlarge)

language models

At work, I make language models.  This is a little explanation of what a language model is.

"All models are wrong, but some are useful."

I'm not sure who said this, but it's a good thing to keep in mind.

Imagine you have a language and you want to be able to predict what words are likely to be strung together.  You need to create a model, which is just a structured representation.  This model will never be perfect, because it will always be incomplete and the way people use language is constantly evolving.  Nevertheless, the idea is that if you get enough data (texts, transcripts etc.) and you represent it intelligently, you'll be able to make a useful model.

An ngram model is a model where you look at a window of n words.  The most basic model would simply count ngrams.    Lets say we want to use a bigram (a 2gram, where the window is 2 words).

We will train the model based on this is our very very short input text:
The quick fox jumped over the candlestick.  The fox then melted down the candlestick and jumped over the moon.

If we just iterate through the text using a window of two, we get the following bigrams:
the quick
quick fox
fox jumped
jumped over
over the
the candlestick
candlestick .
. the
the fox
fox then
then melted
melted down
down the
the candlestick
candlestick and
and jumped
jumped over
over the
the moon
moon .

You'll notice some of them occur more than once.  So we'll add counts to them like this:

1 the quick
1 quick fox
1 fox jumped
2 jumped over
2 over the
2 the candlestick
1 candlestick .
1 . the
1 the fox
1 fox then
1 then melted
1 melted down
1 down the
1 candlestick and
1 and jumped
1 the moon
1 moon .

This is a language model, albeit not a good one because it's not based on enough data.

Now, imagine you're looking over someone's shoulder as she types.  If she types "the", based on this model you'd predict that the next word would be "quick", "candlestick", "fox", or "moon."  Because "the candlestick" occurred twice while the other combinations only occurred once, you'd probably guess "candlestick" if you had to pick just one.  Based on this model, and the much more accurate model in your brain, you wouldn't predict "the and" or "the then" or "the the."

Now you know what an ngram is.  This is a fun Google site where you can see the frequency over time of different ngrams in models created from books.

For example:
trigram "thou art my"
trigram "never say never"