Tag: culture

Seattle, Weather and My Whining Today

Carl Setzer
Weather Forecast for August 16, 2020 – Hot!

 

Seattleites tend to be solidly acclimatized to our temperate climes. Our “normal” temperatures range from 36F in January to 75F in August. Extremes of hot or cold are powerfully uncomfortable. As a general rule, we’re pretty happy between 60-70 degrees F. Outside that band garners complaints, the further out the louder the grumbling. And 92F is pretty extreme for us. Yeah, sure, parts of the US are warmer. But Vegas is used to this. We’re warmer than Miami and Los Angeles for crying-out-loud!

National Weather Map 8-16-2020

 

I’ll be sitting in front of my fan most of the day. Might make a grocery run where I can spend time in an air-conditioned space (AC is NOT common in Seattle). How will you be beating the heat?

Featured image is from Pixabay on Pexels.

Seattle Joke Of The Day

Carl Setzer

I heard this joke on the radio today. Sadly, i can’t remember the radio station, much less the DJ who aid of. 

“What’s the recipe for bad traffic in Seattle? It’s easy. Just add water.”

I don’t know what our is about Seattle, but rain send to bring out the worst in folks. Whether exacerbating already foolish behaviors like high speed tailgating, or a general inattention, simply adding rain, the most common weather phenomena brings chaos. I

Have you noticed that? What do you think is the cause?

Meet The Dogs Of Amazon

Carl Setzer

Just stumbled upon this post on Amazon’s website: “Meet The Dogs Of Amazon“. I was reminded of my brief stint with Amazon.

Back in the mid-90s (est. 1996) I did one temp project with them, back when Amazon was located on 2nd Avenue, close to Pike Place Market. I helped build a call center. I set up the dumb terminals for the inbound call reps. Not the most challenging work. I just pulled a monitor from a box, added the keyboard, pinged the mainframe, then off to the next one. It was just a few day project.

During my intro, I was given a tour of the building. On one floor, there was a corgi and his human. Every hour or so, the human threw the ball down the hall, the corgi chased it, repeat. I thought it was pretty amazing. It was my first experience into a more relaxed office environment. Eye opening and rather life changing. And my first experience with tech culture.

I’ve been fascinated ever since.

Seattle vs The Heat 

Carl Setzer2 Comments


I’m not excited by the expected high temperatures over the next few days. Sure, for much of the world, these temperatures are not considered hot. In western Washington, though, this is near inferno. 

This region is often described as “temperate”. Our relatively narrow band of temperatures makes those of us adapted to it very uncomfortable elsewhere. 

My ideal band fluctuates between the upper 50s to mid 70s. Hence why it seems Seattleites are perpetually complaining about the weather. 

Funny that we generally don’t bother with AC, considering this. It’s not hot enough to spend money, just enough to air grievances. And so we go. Fortunately, we tend to cool significantly overnight. 

Stay comfortable my friends. 

Some #Geektastic Updates

Carl Setzer

You might have noticed I created an Events section of the site (if not, here it is). I’m slowly adding in my Geek Events to this really cool calendaring tool.

I discovered Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman’s cool project, Tested.com, while looking for video of Adam Savage’s No Face creation. I can’t remember where I’d heard about it, but I really wanted to see it. So, I didn’t find the No Face performance from 2011’s Comi-Con, but this is from 2012 and No Face is there at 2:54.

And this video below shows Adam and Norm discussing the creation of the costume.

Seafair weekend

Carl Setzer

Ah, the big weekend! Seafair! This is a pretty big deal in the Seattle region, for the unfamiliar. Brings back loads of memories for me. Cutting out hydro shaped boats to be towed behind bicycles. Many musical memories of marching in Seafair parades. The Seattle Center vibrant and alive, more so than the average summer’s day. And the roar of hydros, both from Lake Washington and from the tv. With the Blue Angels flying overhead.  Oh, and the beloved antics of the Seafair Pirates!

66 years of this stuff. What great fun the organizers bring to the region. I’m thankful both for the memories, both serious and silly, and for the building of community. The parade in particular brings together and showcases the region’s rich diversity. Performers of all stripes come forth. It’s amazing, really, to sit still and have our multicultural vibrancy brought to you. Paraeded before you, so to speak.

So this morning I offer up my morning tea to the ever diligent and hard-working organizers of Seattle’s Seafair. Thanks for this perfect celebration of who we are as a region.

What is #Winning?

Carl Setzer

I read Om Malik’s great piece today about winning. Chris Michel looks like a delightful person, and the tale of their friendship exemplifies the power and delights of networking.

In the course of their recent conversation, defining “winning” comes up. I’ve been pondering that myself recently. Well, I’ve been looking at “success”, but it’s really the same discussion. I love Om’s thoughts on questions: starting the day with more questions than answers, ending the day thinking of new ones. I have one key add: pride. I want to feel good about what I do, both in terms of ethics and in terms of quality.

So, how about you? Let me know in the comments, via Twitter or Facebook.

Seattlites And Complaining About The Weather

Carl Setzer

The Puget Sound region is set up for a lovely weekend. Temperatures are predicted to climb into the upper 70s and (*gasp*) low 80s. I figured out a long time ago that my Seattle area peeps have a narrow band of comfort: basically the 60s, plus/minus 5. Temps in the 40s get complaints of cold and the 80s are hot.

Most other places I’ve lived have a broader comfort range, but they also have a broader average temperature band. (Now, tropical islands tend to be more narrow. And they manifest the same behavior.) This small average range is a feature of temperate zones. Though folks from outside this region might just look at us as whiners, it’s really just a function of the environment. Sure, you might feel you’re tougher since you can put up with hotter highs and colder lows. But we don’t have too; our weather isn’t evil.

Yeah, I, too will be wearing shorts and sunscreen while languishing in the upper 70s. Happily so.

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Zeeks Pizza Coming To Lynnwood

Carl Setzer
Zekes Coming Soon sign in Lynnwood

I passed this on my way to work this morning. This in front of the old Wong’s China Kitchen on 44th & 196th, a smidge east of Fred Meyer. .

 

Zeeks Coming Soon sign in Lynnwood
Zeeks Coming Soon sign in Lynnwood

 

I’ve long enjoyed Zeeks, so am quite delighted to see them coming into the neighborhood.

 

Yet, it is interesting how many of the more urban focused Seattle businesses are making their way into south Snohomish County. Such as Pagliacci, Ezells and PCC just to name a few. I feel this reflects the changing nature of the area; it’s growing urban feel. I, for one, am enjoying this change. But many are disquieted that this venerable suburb is changing quite dramatically. Such is life, I suppose.