Microsoft to the Rescue?

I've been an ardent supporter of Microsoft over the years, but Halo as Microsoft's flagship product makes me cringe. Is my "potential" now sitting brain-dead in front of a video game console every day doing something-to-kill-then-save-something-else?

I used to think the office software initiatives (from Google, and recently IBM) had limited potential to overthrow the King...now, I don't know. Good news for those of us who have to compete with Microsoft, to be sure. We know where Reporting Services stands in the pecking order there...

Aptos

JT and I met up with Julie in Aptos this morning. It was a great day on the Monterrey Bay; Julie spent the past 3 days there in a ~$5M house on the beach. Not bad.

Of course, no visit to the area would be complete without a visit to Gayle's in Capitola.

"Sex and Sizzle" in Data Visualizations

In my job, I'm often asked about the "Sex" factor of business data visualizations. Recent advancements in rich-client technology (Flex, Silverlight, AJAX techniques) enable some interesting interactivity and animation, and are widely adopted in many popular "Web 2.0" websites most of us visit every day.

Web 2.0 techniques have been slow to take off in the corporate world, in part due to the lag time of business software vendors in delivering applications and tools that enable these advanced visualizations. Furthermore, implementation by some prevalent business software vendors is often flawed. Many examples are noted on Stephen Few's blog at Perceptual Edge.

Animation by itself does will not add value to business data on a corporate dashboard. But it will enhance the user experience in some cases. For example, look at the following bar chart examples from ManyEyes, an excellent website for experimental visualizations:

• Bar chart of media consumption
• US Violent Crime 1985-2005

Notice how the first example allows the user to click a category and receive instant feedback on it's comparison to the previously selected category. Seeing the bars moving up or down is an excellent tool for relative comparison. This is superior to using a stacked bar, which can quickly make axis labels unwieldy and difficult to interpret when several categories must be included.

The second example has similar animation, but note that when you choose a different category, the values on the y axis change. While the movement gives the perception of an increase or decrease, the change in context makes that change irrelevant to the new data visualized.

The consistent theme here is that instantaneous feedback keeps the user engaged, and allows us to maintain our train of thought as we ask the next question from our data. Since I work with large corporations with massive amounts of data, condensing that data into accurate summaries for analysis is an essential art form which is its own topic altogether.

Fort Worth Gems

A few nuggets of goodness came out of my trip to Fort Worth this week:

• The Marriott Courtyard downtown: Historic building. Spacious suite. Great location and service.
• Downtown YMCA: It's an old brick building with a 2 lane pool in the basement, an old basketball with a concave, hardwood running track above (30 laps = 1 mile, clockwise running on even days), and a tiny stairwell that snakes between levels with equipment and exercise rooms. This place probably hasn't changed much in 80 years -- I love it. Free passes from the Courtyard, to boot.
• Joe T. Garcia's: I had heard about it, but never tried it until this week (thanks to Rick Wilhoit for dragging me along). Killer Mexican grub.
  

My trips to the Metroplex should be a little less painful in the future.

Business Objects: Buh Bye!

"Amid consolidation in the sector"

In other words, "we quit."

Mike and Laura: 10 Years!

In an impressive show of force, a gaggle of Powers followers decended on Las Vegas this weeked for what will be remembered, undoubtedly, as a legendary weekend of libation rivaling any experience I've had in recent (or not so recent) memory.

This was one of those situations where ~30 great people came together under a common mindset and celebratory mood. For us, it was a weekend to spend time with some old friends, make some new ones, and leave reality behind for 48 hours.

Julie's Photos
Laura's Photos

Notes:

The Palms

It was our first visit to the Palms, which gets very high marks for its pool and layout, which are outstanding. Thoughts:

• This is the best pool scene in Vegas. DJs spin tunes all day, and the crowd is hip and tan, especially during "ditch Friday." We had a cabana on Saturday, which was perfect for watching football and people-watching. Only minor complaint is uneven service, but the bartenders were all friendly and efficient if you serve yourself.


• The complex is a great size; everything you need, but not so big that navigating between its two towers requires a Neplaese navigator.


• Although it's not a mega-complex like Mandalay or Venetian, the food andshopping options are worthwhile. We ate at Nove Friday, which has very good Italian food and a trendy/elegant atmosphere at the top of the Playboy tower. The Bistro Buffet is passable, but not quite the level of Rio or Mandalay. The food court is nice to grab a quick bagel or coffee.


• The sports book is comfortable, not too crowded, and more friendly than others I've visited on the strip.


• Mike and Laura had the swankiest suite I've ever seen. It was the perfect central party point for a large group.

Saturday Night

• Words really can't do it justice. How can you expain polyester/afros/platform shoes/jenga drinking games/flatbread pizza/stocked party bus/Viva Las Vegas!/Elvis photos/Art and Kelly with Art and Kelly/checking wigs at the door/dancing en masse at Tryst/table dancing/clubbers feeling up our polyester and Rayon/looks, stares, and high-fives to anyone who wasn't there?


• Wow!

Awesome weekend with awesome people. Thank you all!

Fenway

Went to the Red Sox v. Devil Rays game tonight. Fenway is so cool. I even sat behind Pesky Pole for 3 innings. Tuesday night against Tampa Bay, and the place was packed. Gotta love Boston...

Pacific Grove

After my second annual voyage for The Triathlon at Pacific Grove, this time with Julie, I thought the town itself deserved its own mention. If you haven't been to Pacific Grove, you can read up on it HERE.

We stayed at the Borg's Motel, an unremarkable motel in every sense other than location. It sits directly across the street from Lovers Point, which serves as the transition area for the triathlon. We had a parking lot view, but the motel does have rooms that face the bay. At $109/night, it would qualify as an absolute bargain in Pacific Grove, especially for race weekend.

The best way to see Pacific Grove is on foot. Julie caught some good pictures of some of the many 19th Century homes that line the streets between downtown and the Bay. The homes there reflect the irreverent vibe I get from the town, and are a big reason it has become one of my favorite places in California. After the race, we walked from the hotel along the water to Cannery Row in Monterey, which is also most of the run course for the race. I have a better appreciation for the scenery from the walk: Pacific Grove is my quintessential Central Coast town. Abundant Cypress trees overlooking the water, abundant wildlife, and sandy beaches with rolling dunes.

If you go: just walk from Lovers Point along the Ocean View to Cannery Row. It should take 20-30 minutes, and there are plenty of cabs to drive you back if you aren't up for the return. Also, be sure to traverse downtown on Lighthouse, and explore some of the side-streets (16th - 18th Avenues are great) to see the historic homes.

Restaurants
A great race weekend, for sure. But also a great food weekend. Culinary thoughts:

Latitudes was a nice location for a drink, since it is right next to Borg's. There aren't many traditional bars in Pacific Grove, so the lounge here was a great place to watch football and drink beer after the race. The artichoke heart and calamari plate was very good. Beer selection is marginal. The lounge has 3 TVs and a couple of couches to go with typical bar tables. They also are a race sponsor, so athletes should try to support them in kind.

Joe Rombi's was our Friday night Italian carb-loading meal, and it was a treat. Joe was there to take our reservation, seat us when we arrived, and check in on us throughout the meal. His passion permeates the place, and its loud, upbeat, and affable atmosphere kept us in a positive mindset before race day. The lasagna (Friday nights only) is superb, with thin noodles and a hearty meat sauce that filled me up but wasn't overly heavy. Excellent flavor. The mozzarella/basil/tomato roll appetizer was unique, I liked it. Great strawberry shortcake. Excellent, friendly service by the entire staff (including Joe himself). It's a small place, so make a reservation if you go.

Saturday post-race meal was at the 17th Street Grill, which boasts the best burgers in town (and they probably are, as far as I know). It's a popular spot, you order from the counter and they bring your food to you. Service was slow. My turkey burger, with a side of homemade tortilla chips, was very good. The home-brewed ice tea was also excellent, with a hint of fruit but not too sweet. A good place for kids if you can stand the wait. They also allow dogs on the patio, an additional plus in my book.

We hit The Sardine Factory in Monterey for drinks and music on Saturday. It's a traditional, old-school piano lounge where you can expect to hear Moon River followed by Five for Fighting. Good wine list.

Dinner Saturday was at Passionfish, an eclectic seafood restaurant downtown. This place is totally out of the box, from the Gorgonzola salad with candied walnuts and chutney (it worked) to my "cowboy meal" of sturgeon with sweet corn and potatoes (very hearty and filling). The pear bread pudding was brilliant -- ample fuit and a little crispy on the outside. Julie's scallops were amazing, and I'm not normally a big fan of scallops. Incredible wine list at prices only $5 over retail, although we brought our own wine. Over a dozen after-dinner teas available. Passionfish supports a some very important causes, including sustainable seafood and healthy oceans in partnership with the Monterey Bay aquarium. They are the first Green restaurant in Pacific Grove, and appear intent on running their business the right way. Definitely make reservations if you plan to go.

The Lighthouse Café Sunday filled us up for breakfast. I had an excellent Spanish Omelet with homemade salsa and home-style redskin potatoes. Coffee was average, but the food made up for it.

Special mention to P.G. Juice and Java, which gave me a much needed pick-me-up Friday afternoon. Good smoothie (with plenty of boost options), and they sell California Suncakes (a Julie favorite). It's in a neat old building, and has free wifi. They also appear to have a nice selection of coffee and tea drinks.

The Triathlon at Pacific Grove, 2007

PG 2007 Photo Gallery

Pre Race
After a solid 7 hours of sleep, I felt alert shortly after the 5:30 wakeup call. Pre-race meal consisted of a Clif Bar, bagel with cream cheese, a banana, and 2 cups of coffee.

I fought some stiffness in my right quad and hamstring in the days leading up to the event. Some stretching exercises Friday night helped, because my leg was almost 100 percent at race-time, and wasn't a factor at all on the course.

Staying at the Borg's Motel was fantastic. We were 100 feet from the transition area, which is spectacular for this race.

Swim
The water was 61 degrees at the start, which felt positively balmy compared to last year. I did a quick warm-up 5 minutes before my wave start. I felt good, loose, and relaxed at the sound of the horn.

The swim course is a two loop triangular route that takes us out through the kelp forest, across relatively open water, then back through the kelp. I started to get a good rhythm by the last leg of the first loop. But I had a little trouble finding my own water the second loop. The course tends to get crowded on the swim and parts of the bike. I swallowed what felt like a gallon of fine Monterrey Bay seawater with the waves from other athletes around me. I came out of the water a little ahead of last year's pace, which was important for me to meet my goal.

The end of the swim, though, was difficult. Julie told me I looked a little wobbly coming out of the water. I felt fine, but vertigo is normal after long, open water swims. As I came up the stairs from the beach to the transition area, I slipped and fell, catching the brunt of the fall with my right knee. I didn't feel much during the race, but it has been pretty much throbbing since. At 32min, my time was slightly faster than last year, but off the 30 minute pace I had hoped to set.

T1
T1 was an absolute disaster. My hands were still numb from the swim, and I struggled to get my wetsuit off and it was very difficult to get my gloves on. Knowing I had shot my T1 time, I rushed off without my sunglasses. But after that transition, I took the 10 seconds to run back to get them. Ugh.

Bike
Pacific Grove is a fun, fast bike course. It's four loops from the Lover's Point transition down past the golf course along the water. Totally oblivious to the course, I actually missed the first loop turn -- heading straight toward the transition area instead. The marshal sent me back on course, but I cursed myself for the next 10 minutes for such a stupid mental mistake.

After Vineman, I was determined to regulate my effort on the bike to protect my run. The loop has a couple of slight inclines on the way out, which makes the loop back a bit faster, not to mention less strenuous. Holding back on the ride back turned out to be a good strategy, as I think it set me up well for the run. My pace was 19.7MPH, actually slightly slower than Vineman (20.0). I had a little traffic at certain spots of the course, and I was able to accelerate out of the pack when needed.

T2

There are many reasons to love the P.G. transition area: numbered rack spaces, ample grass, incredible views. But a benefit to the athlete are the long entry and exit runways for T2. While it increases your T times, they are long enough to give your legs an actual transition, so you can hit the run course at almost full speed when you cross the mat.

Run

The run is perhaps my favorite of any race I've experienced in the sport. It's a mostly flat, 3 loop course with stunning coastal views and superb aid stations at the start and turnaround points. Running out is over a bike path with a parallel dirt train, and coming back is on the street. With typical morning overcast, temperatures hovered around 60 for the majority of the race, which kept me fresh through the run. As noted above, I was able to hit my stride early on the course, and maintained a steady pace for the first two loops. I tried to pick up my pace in loop #3, although I didn't keep loop splits. I had enough in the tank to pull off a strong finishing kick, nabbing 18th place (woo hoo!) by a nose over a fellow age-grouper (see the full results HERE ).

Since the run course only needs 2 aid stations, both are well stocked with water, poweraide, and cold fruit. Both stations are also long enough to allow the athletes to get multiple drinks and/or fruit in one pass, without having to slow down. Since Vineman, I've been turning more to fruit on the run as both a source of electrolytes and cold fuel to lower my body temperature. I left all gels behind on the run -- which wouldn't be a main source of energy for me on the Olympic distance, anyway. Still, I took orange slices at the start of each loop, which I think helped me maintain my energy for the final leg. Finished with a 7:17/mi pace, setting a new Olympic distance PR at 2:39:22.

Other Race Notes
While the loop course can create some crowds for the athletes, it is an exceptional race for spectators and families. Given the course layout, it is a great choice for athletes at all levels and first-timers (I will caution all newbies to prepare for the swim, though, since it is a challenge given the water temps and the kelp). The folks at Tri California do a tremendous job; I had no lines all weekend (registration was easy, plenty of bathrooms, not even a wait for body marking) and the typical tri spirit is out in force in Pacific Grove.

The town itself does a great job supporting the race. Hey, the mayor is a participant! In fact, I like Pacific Grove so much, I decided to give it some dedicated space HERE. I'll be back next year…