Borbin the 🐱

I often pass the Montlake Bridge on my way to UW, but today was different: the bridge opened for water traffic just as I got there. The light turned red, and the bars descended, signaling the bridge's closure. I watched as the bridge slowly lifted to allow a sailboat to pass through, but I only saw the sailboat's mast passing by. Remarkable to see the massive structure rise and then descend back into place.

14:00:56, Bridge starting to open

14:01:36

14:01:52

14:02:06

14:02:36

14:03:06, Bridge fully opened

14:04:52, Bridge closing

14:05:08

14:05:50, Bridge completed its cycle and traffic resumes in a few seconds

A few days later, I was on the other side of the canal while traffic stood still, watching the bridge rise and settle once more.

A few months later, I was first in line on that same route with a perfect view as the bridge began its cycle. The timing could not have been better. The red lights flashed, the gates descended, and the massive structure started its graceful ascent. Positioned at the very front, I could see every detail: the roadway lifting, the two halves opening, and the quiet pause at full height before the bridge eased back into place.

A while later, I checked the traffic and noticed the red lines of waiting cars on the map. Sure enough, the bridge was operating. Here are some screenshots from a different perspective:

Gates open

Traffic resumes

See also Lake Washington Bridges.

Founded 4.4.1975

In 1998, I had the incredible opportunity to meet Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft.
Years later, I attended Bill Gates' 50th birthday party. The event was a celebration of his achievements and contributions to technology and philanthropy.
I've seen Steve Ballmer, former CEO of Microsoft, multiple times in Seattle. His energetic approach to leadership was always evident.
More recently, I've had the chance to see Satya Nadella, the current CEO of Microsoft, during Hackathon presentations. His commitment to fostering innovation within the company is truly inspiring.

Today in Redmond, I attended the Microsoft's 50th anniversary celebration. The event was quite spectacular!

The rest of the time is writing code, that is still evident while you are on your PC tasks and navigating to this page 👾🛸

Die Herstellung

The common lunch menu is something we all know. But how about this Room Service Menu:
Order up

My Nikon F2 has a battery cap that can be opened or closed using a coin.

To avoid scratching the cap using a coin or any other metal shaped object, I want to fabricate a plastic tool specifically designed for this purpose. This tool would allow me to open and close the cap without causing any scratches.

The only measurable aspects of the slot are its length and depth (a is half length, b is depth).
However, I need the radius: r=f(a,b)

The radius r and side a form a right-angled triangle:

The hypotenuse (longest side) is also r, so c = r - b.
Using the Pythagorean theorem:

All this gets a radius r of 22,9mm.

Machined from a 50mm plastic round stock on the lathe, the middle ridge has precisely the calculated diameter of 45.8mm.