University of California San Diego at the Top

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If you didn't know this by now, I recommend that you take a look at the rankings for Colleges / National Universities specifically Washington Monthly's ranking system. It takes into consideration various attributes that include social mobility, research and service instead of the exclusivity, campus amenities and waiting lists.  Coincidently, the Obama Administration is proposing a new ranking system on just that.

...he says schools should be scored on things like the cost of tuition, loan debt and how much graduates end up earning.

For more in-depth, you should read or listen to NPR's Michel Martin insightful interview with editor-in-chief Paul Glastris.  As some of you who are reading this, take this list into consideration as you or your child begins the application process or looking this fall.

My wife and I are proud alums of the number one school. Chalk one up for yet another top ten San Diego! Maybe it time for that tatoo of Geisel Library? Stay classy!

Geisel Library

Here's an excerpt:

MARTIN: But the University of California at San Diego ranks number one. Now why is that?

GLASTRIS: That's the fourth year in a row for that school. They do an outstanding job on all three of our metrics. A large portion of their student body is on Pell Grants. They graduate those students at higher-than-expected rates. They do great on service and they're a research powerhouse. In fact, there's a - about half the top 15 schools are University of California schools.

via Washington Monthly

One Big Chair

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My wife and I headed out to Balboa Park for Free Tuesdays and went to the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center. Norah had a lot of fun playing around and meeting other kids. It's definitely a great family trip. Next Tuesday, the Museum of Photographic Arts (MOPA) is going to be free so you can expect us to take advantage of that! Oh yea, football is back in a big way especially after Peyton's performance last night. Our Chargers' secondary better be ready! Norah's sure ready for for Rivers' to throw some TDs!

NorahonaBigChair

Amazon Kindle Paperwhite Version 2

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Looks like Amazon's own leak led to the early unveiling of the next generation Paperwhite.  Being dubbed as version 2, Amazon's best e-reader & in my opinion, the best way to consume ebooks is out for preorder today!  Click on the picture or use my link below to get yours shipped on or by September 30th! Here's the quick run down:

  • higher contrast
  • next generation built-in light
  • 25% faster processor
  • 19% tighter touch grid enhancing accuracy

Is it worth the upgrade?  I'll be honest that these features alone won't cause me to sell my version 1 on craigslist just yet but if the light is indeed that much better, you can count on it!

paperwhitev2

Amazon Paperwhite (next gen)

Ramen Again

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I went to Underbelly for my ramen fix three times within a seven-day span.  My wife called me obsessed yet I brought take out every single time for her.  =)  Some people on Yelp ridicule the broth for taste and / or variety (they only have one) and their choice of meats.  Plain and simple, I enjoy it for what it is.  It's ramen conceived with the chefs' persona and he made it his own.  That is all.  Enjoy it for what it is not for something you were thinking it would be.  Norah sure did!

Norah Underbelly Ramen

Norah Water

Not Enough Freedom in Your Thrust

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It's Monday and it's Labor Day so I decided to celebrate the Monday's with a random video.  My good friend Jeremiah shared this with me a week back and it's been entertaining!  It's actually a great YouTube series.  I found it outrageous and over the top, but if laughs is what you need, especially if you're working on this Labor Day, I'm sure that this will do it!  What are your thoughts?

Watermarking

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I haven't solved my post processing / editing workflow problem yet and keep on delaying.  I've come up with reasons such as, I don't have my new MacBook Pro Retina Display w/ Haswell yet or I don't have my new iMac setup or my home cloud server isn't setup the way I want it, but nonetheless, I'm falling way behind.  Yesterday when I posted a couple of images, I thought about watermarking.  I know that you can use either Adobe's Lightroom or Apple's Aperture photo editing software, but because I don't have a computer to install these applications on (another excuse), I was left to find something minimal.  And I'm glad that I did. I stumbled up Photobulk by Eltima Software.  They are having a 20% off sale right now on the Mac App Store or you can download a free demo from their website.  Takes seconds and the results were as expected.  The biggest draw to me was that it was drag and drop.  You can even set multiple presets and bulk edit your pictures.  At the sale price of $7.99, it's a no brainer.  And no, I was not paid to post this article.

http://youtu.be/uZnZnyo8qbg

My Olympus OM-D E-M5

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Let me start off first with saying that I love my Olympus OM-D E-M5.  My wife wasn't sold on full frame cameras such as the Canon 5D Mark III or Nikon due to the sheer size and weight so we ventured in the next best thing; Micro Four Thirds.  The Sony NEX-7 was heavily delayed and hadn't arrived yet but it's little brother, the NEX-5N was just released.  As enticing as it was, I just didn't "love" either camera nor did I care for the operating system.  With a modest budget and a baby looming, I needed a camera and lens that I could quickly acquire and learn.  One major hurdle was that the camera needed to have an autofocus hence eliminating the coveted Leica M9, and the available glass ecosystem had to be great.  At the time, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 was proved to be the answer.  I paired it with the Panasonic/Leica 25 1.4 Summilux and haven't taken it off since.  Here are a few pictures that my wife and I took at the San Diego Safari Zoo the day of our daughter's first birthday.

Safari Zoo Norah and Mom

Safari Zoo Mom and Norah

Safari Zoo Dad and Norah

Norah Balloon

Since then, Olympus has released two amazing micro four-thirds cameras. The E-P5 and the E-PL5 with the former being the Pen series flagship. Highly capable and pocketable depending on which lens you attach, they both make for a very portable and pleasurable experience. They have also become my recommendations to my peers that are looking to get into photography. It's a perfect starting point especially for those that want something smaller and don't want to lug around the bulk of the full frame cameras and lens combo.

Steve Huff posted an amazing and thorough review of the OM-D E-M5 which I highly recommend you check out.  He also recently reviewed the amazing Panasonic 20 1.7 II lens while equipped on the E-P5 (pictured above).  I guarantee, if you're getting into photography, his website is amazing start!  I can't begin to tell you how much I've learned from him.  Of course, I couldn't have even thought of Steve Huff as a reference without the guidance of Mr. Range Traveler himself, Gage Caudell.

Save Money, Save the Environment, Pour Your Own Coffee

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I was at Sur La Table Fashion Valley the other day, taking advantage of the free knife sharpening, when I got the chance to speak to a very awesome sales lady. The biggest hype are not only the amazing Jura and De'Longhi espresso makers but the Nespresso Machines. "They are all the rage!" I have friends that swear by their K-Cup machines and pods proclaiming the value of "only $0.61" a cup and the necessity for speed. But we have to come and realize the bigger picture. There's not that much coffee in them!

When it comes down to it, I thoroughly enjoy sampling freshly roasted beans from places like Bird Rock Coffee, Intelligentsia, Dark Horse, Philz, Tonx, grinding them fresh using my Baratza Virtuoso and executing a fine Hario v60 pour over which yes does require a goose neck kettle (Hario Buono).  It's calming and an art I strive to perfect every morning I'm home. I also only end up producing one paper filter of waste compared to the non-bidegrable k-cups / pods that have been filling up our landfills at an estimated one billion per year. 

Whether it's delicious or not, single-cup coffee is expensive. In fact, pound-for-pound, it costs consumers far more than the finest artisanal coffee available in the Bay Area. A 24-pack of Folgers Gourmet Selections K-Cup, for example, typically retails for $16.49. The capsules each hold roughly 8 grams of coffee, which means that the 24-pack works out to about $39 a pound. A 24-pack of Starbucks House Blend typically costs $22.49, or about $53 a pound. By contrast, the same Starbucks roast costs just $12 a pound when sold in a single bag. An artisanal bean, like Four Barrel Coffee's Kenya Gatomboya, a shade-grown coffee from a 700-member cooperative, costs $18 for a 12-ounce bag, or about $24 a pound.

But as expensive as single-cup coffee is for consumers, the costs to the environment are even higher.

via Vanessa Rancaño for Eastbay Express

San Diego and Attractive People

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San Diego in another top ten. This time its for "Most Attractive" and I'll take the number two ranking. Miami is number one but I won't start an argument here. If you know me, you already know how I feel about the city. Of course, there's always the beach which just adds to the awesomeness!

http://instagram.com/p/cphVGeu4bg/

Tastemade-ing on Anniversary at Underbelly

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Adelle and I decided to keep it fancy but simple. She knew that I loved ramen so we headed down to Little Italy to enjoy Underbelly. While there, I decided that we could make a quick Tastemade video. It's the first of many and we're just learning the trade. Check it out!

Underbelly Tastemade