Aviously

Follow That Taxi!

@iAmAviG

July 23, 2014

I recently discovered a website dedicated to “A Day In The Life” of a NYC Taxi cab.

http://nyctaxi.herokuapp.com/

The website shows trips taken by the taxi (although the routes are the most likely being the only data they have is “Start” and “End” points) as well as tips (only from CC riders, not cash) and Surcharges/Taxes that were charged.

I’ve actually spent a good amount of time watching this site, running through different cabs, and finding commonalities and observations…some of which are surprising:

Taxi drivers may appear dumb (given their appearance of poor drivers and not speaking the native language much), but don’t judge a book by its cover…watch where they drive to when they want to pick someone up. They know the cities hotspots, and what times of day those places are most likely to be hopping with fresh fares.
They don’t get much sleep…from the ones I ran through, I would say average sleep time was around 4-6 hours, usually between 2:30-6:30 in the morning. (Now, if I am not mistaken, taxi companies may use more than one driver per vehicle (provided they have the proper qualifications, of course) but that still shows a heck of a lot of use/wear & tear on these cabs.)
I really want to be a taxi driver, even for just a day, at some point in my life.

Only Use When Needed

@iAmAviG

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July 22, 2014

The title of this post is something that I have come to realize more and more the further I am away from my college graduation.

Since that day (which somehow is now more than three years ago) I have found myself being contacted less and less by friends and the likes.

But when I do hear from them first (without me reaching out and trying to make a connection <more on that in a second>) I just know that within a message or two I should expect to hear a favor that is needed.

The favor can be something like “Do you happen to have this book that I need” or “Are you going to _____, I need a ride” to even “Hey, I am collecting money for _____ can you give to the cause”?

Now, me being the nice guy that I am, if I can help with a favor, I generally will…but when I don’t hear from someone for a while, and then I get that monetary request, I just think it is a little petty for someone to do that…but that’s just my thought on it.

As for when I reach out first…well that is just a whole ‘nother game, in which it can go a whole bunch of ways…ranging from the strangeness that I mentioned a few weeks ago (spoken about here) to actual <albeit generally short lived> conversations.

Why people think that others are disposable I’ll never understand. But they should start thinking more about others, and what they might be feeling/thinking before they use them for their own general purposes.

Amazon Smile

@iAmAviG

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July 21, 2014

Some people use Amazon.com more than others, and most people I know are Prime members (generally via Student accounts).

Recently Amazon has made a bigger push for it, and as a user since Day 1 of the program, I am very in-favor of everyone signing up for Amazon Smile.

Personally, I hope you choose the Brooklyn College Hillel, of which I’m a board member.

In simple terms:

Amazon Smile gives back to your favorite charity every time you purchase something (with most purchases eligible).

With each purchase 0.5% of each purchase goes to your chosen charity (and there are almost a milion to choose from). Now while this doesn’t sound like much (5 cents to the $10) it adds up, especially as more people start to use the program.

So hop on board, and make sure to favorite Smile.Amazon.Com as your new home for shopping!

Sprinkle Cake Recipe

@iAmAviG

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July 18, 2014

This recipe for Sprinkle Cake belonged to my Grandmother.

As a heads up, it comes out a little sweet…so if you don’t like things too sweet, cut down accordingly!

Ingredients:

1 3/4 c. Sugar
1/2 c. Oil
4 eggs
2 c. Flour
3/4 c. Orange Juice
2 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 pkg. Vanilla Sugar
1/4 c. Chocolate Sprinkles

9X13 Pan

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
Combine sugar, oil, eggs, flour, orange juice, baking powder, and vanilla sugar.
Pour into 9X13 pan.
Sprinkle the chocolate sprinkles over the top of the batter and swirl gently with a knife so that the sprinkles sink slightly into batter.
Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Xbox One vs. PS4

@iAmAviG

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July 16, 2014

As my current gaming system is on its way out, I’ve considered buying a new one.

With the new generation of gaming systems, it’s a fresh start for gamers, since as of now the old games won’t work on the new systems.

So I’ve started researching between the XBOX One and PS4.

To be honest, I’ve had the XBOX360 for ~6 years, and am biased towards getting the One for that reason, but nonetheless I’ve been reading lots of comparisons and lots of reviews (from sites including <but not limited to> Microsoft, Sony, Amazon, IGN and Tech Radar), but if anyone has any thoughts on the matter, I would love to hear them!

Someone also brought to my attention: But do you still use your 360? And in reality…not as much as I used to, but I still can’t wait for NHL 15, which offers much better upgrades from NHL 14 via the next-gen consoles! Plus a variety of other uses these systems offer away from gaming.

24: Live Another Day – Series Finale (No Spoilers)

@iAmAviG

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July 15, 2014

After 8 seasons, a movie, and 200+ episodes, 24 came to a close last night.

While recent years felt dry and repetitive, writers went all out with this final season, entitled “24: Live Another Day”.

Previous seasons took 24 episodes, with each episode corresponding to 1-hour and playing out in real time. This season was different, as the 24 hours was played out over only 12 episodes, but that didn’t slow them down at all.

Packing everything in, from kidnappings and murder, to old rekindled romances, this season left fans wanting more of Jack Bauer.

The finale last night was incredible, pulling at heartstrings of fans, leaving no eyes dry (certainly among those who have been watching for multiple years), and having you feel for characters (and against them), the way that only Jack Bauer could make you feel.

For those that haven’t watched previous years, it really wouldn’t’ve mattered, as this season gave you reason enough to like (and dislike) certain characters, and still get an emotional attachment to the show.

One more season? It’s always nice to wish for…

Andrew Klavan’s MindWar – Book Review

@iAmAviG

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July 14, 2014

I have never read anything of Klavan’s in the past, but obviously recognized the name, as some of his previous works have been made into movies, such as True Crime (starring/directed by/produced by Clint Eastwood).

MindWar is the first book in what is called “The MindWar Trilogy” and centers around Rick Dial, a former star Quarterback who has been in a car accident, and now sits at home playing video games all day.

Rick is placed into an alternate Realm, in which his mind controls his (now fully-healthy) character, in an attempt to thwart a terrorist attack against America. The only thing with his character, is whatever happens in the gaming world, affects himself in real life….so if one dies, so does the other.

While this seems like a great plot for a book/series, instead of letting the character develop and turning into a hero in his own right, and saving the world through the Realm, Klavan keeps referencing back to the football life that Rick led before his accident, even though it all happened before the book began.

To give an example, from Page 291 (out of 319) he says:

Rick moved as fast as he could, spinning gracefully, swinging his sword. He could feel the power of his spirit coursing all through him. He could feel himself in full control of his body, the way he used to feel when he was on the football field.

All this made an already vague, and all-over-the-place book, feel more anchored down, as if everything depended on his football career (of which this book is in no way focused on).

When one still needs to be referencing such trivial things this late in a book, even after building up the character until this point (and trust me, we get it, he used to be a football player), it just feels like ideas have run thin.

Overall I’d give it a 6.5 out of 10, and am hoping that the rest of the series can kick it up a notch, or this trilogy will be a dud.

The book is currently on sale (Amazon/Barnes & Noble) with the second book of the trilogy, Hostage Run, due out next March.

Changes to #AvisTravels

@iAmAviG

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July 13, 2014

The blog has now passed 2 months, 50+ posts, and ~20 followers, and from Day 1 I have used the Hexa theme.

While it looked great, it always annoyed me that in the standard layout, widgets (such as my Twitter or more importantly recent posts and topics) wouldn’t appear unless people searched inside of the menus (which weren’t that noticeable in the first place).

As such I have switched layouts this morning to the Flounder Theme.

Whilst it is a big change in the visual look of the blog, nothing else is really changing, and if it annoys you, then please feel free to vocalize your thoughts and they will be taken into consideration for future changes!

Watching R-Rated Movies In Public Places

@iAmAviG

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July 11, 2014

In my recent travels I was watching a movie that was Rated-R while I was on the train.

I was careful about it, taking a corner seat, with no one able to watch over my shoulder (high seats) and the screen turned away from the person next to me.

But while I was sitting there watching it, I thought to myself: “Should I really care who sees it? I am watching it. If they don’t want to see it, then don’t look at my stuff.”

And quite frankly, I was correct. (Of course I was, do you think I’d argue with myself? <On the other hand, I am currently conversing with myself [so off-topic by now…]>)

While reading this months Wired magazine (July 2014) I came across a great article on the topic written by Brendan I. Koerner, and for your enjoyment, I’m gonna put it here for you to read:

That was a full disclaimer…but in case it wasn’t clear enough…I DID NOT WRITE THE FOLLOWING PIECE, but I am fully endorsing the Wired magazine piece, and you SHOULD go out and get a subsciption to the magazine. HERE (you even get a free hat)

Thanks to tablets and new FAA rules you can now watch The Walking Dead from gate to gate. But should you? The person in the adjacent seat might be the sort who takes offense at anything racier than Dancing With the Stars, a show notably lacking in rotting flesh and beheadings.

The answer: It’s fine. Coach class isn’t a Puritan church service, and you shouldn’t feel ashamed about watching video with a little bump-and-grind. Your real concern is noise. “The biggest complaint we get about electronic devices, by far, is that they’re too loud,” says Shawn Kathleen, a veteran flight attendant who runs a blog called Rants of a Sassy Stew. We’re pretty good at keeping our eyes to ourselves while flying, but not so much our ears. So while an occasional flash of buttocks is fine, make sure that nothing audible (movie, music, or personal chortle) disturbs your neighbors.

The “images good, noise bad” maxim will also serve you well once cell phone service is allowed at altitude. Texting will be fine, but talking will be an offense punishable by feeding your bowels to the undead. —BRENDAN I. KOERNER

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