[ Ed Note, although this post is about J.K. Rowling's latest book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, it does not contain spoilers. Except the post title, which has nothing to do with the plot of the book. ]

Last week brought greatness into the world. On Wednesday, the space shuttle launched. On Friday, Starbucks opened at 5th and Green in Campustown, and at 12:01 on Saturday morning, the new Harry Potter book went on sale.

Well, two outta three ain’t bad. Maybe NASA should rename their website to be http://www.nasa.gov/stillwaitingtoreturntoflight/ I guess I’m just annoyed because I made a special effort to be in front of a TV for the launch that didn’t come. Instead, I got to watch Judge Judy and other terrible daytime TV. It sounds like they’re going to try for next Tuesday.

As previously blogged, I dressed up for Harry Potter Day, although I ditched the glasses before lunch because they were bothering me, and my scar sweated off before I left work. Afterwards, I met up with Mr. and Mrs. TL&EMK for mexican at “The Toro.” That meant grande margaritas and quesadillas.

Then we went home and drank out on the deck. Oh, yeah, Friday, July 15th, marked the one year anniversary of the house closing. So we toasted some brews outside on a nice summer evening. (”I HAVE A DECK” may not be as fun as it was a few years ago, but it’s still true. Maybe now it’s more like “I REALLY HAVE TO CLEAN AND SEAL MY DECK!”)

Then, it got late, so we picked up AJ and went to BW3s to hang with the Olsons and Steph in post-rehearsal-dinner-drinking, [ Ed Note: wearing Harry costume to the bar got me carded buying the drinks, and giggled at by at least two waitstaff and a table of girls that looked about Hermione's age. ] but only had time for a car bomb before heading down to a local bookstore around 11. (We didn’t even have time to watch Pujol’s 13th inning HR to win against the Astros.) After a not so good glass of butterbeer, and a very large mocha, and a meandering line through the bookstore – chatting with a GSLIS grad behind me, BTW…neat people you can run into at bookstores – I left with the four copies preordered (the Kresls got two, because, hey, who can share?)

When we got home, Tony started devouring the book like it was covered with melted real cheese and ranch dressing. I, on the other hand, was still a bit drunk and a bit wired from the coffee. Now, I’ve been drunk before, and I’ve been wired before – but I don’t think ever at the same time. I take that back; too many Baileys and coffee does that too me too, and although I love the potent potable, I don’t enjoy the upper/downer battle going on in my head. It makes me edgy, and possibly because of the Christmas Eve connection, makes me want to play board games.

I tried, very hard, to read the first page, several times, and just wasn’t ‘getting it.’ AJ pointed out the irony that the very first sentence of the book talks about reading something and not remembering it. I read that sentence at least four times and didn’t understand/catch it. I decided I could wait until the next day to start the book.

[ Ed Note: Okay, I said I wasn't going to spoil the book, but that's not a spoiler. It's not like I quoted the words from the book. And the first sentence isn't critical to the plot either. A spoiler is something that gives away something you care about, like Harry got caught with his [ THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION CENSORED BY THE MINISTRY OF MUGGLE UNDERSTANDING OF WIZARDRY AFFAIRS AND OTHER LONG BRITISH GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENT TITLES. ]]

But I was too wired to sleep. Too wired to put in a movie. (This would have been one of those times Mom or Aaron would have told me to run around the house four times. And I would have done it.) So, while we goaded Tony and forced him to sit downstairs in the papasan (which is Ikea for “uncomfortable,”) AJ and I played backgammon. We played a few rounds until he got the hang of it, and then the cribbage board came out. I think I played 20 or so games with AJ, Marc and Tony through the weekend, and it was great. I hadn’t played in a long time, and it felt good. Junior, we gotta dig out that old Cribbage program, and sound clips, and play again.

At some point in the night, I opened the book to a random page and yelled down to Tony the title of this post. A while later, after he Apparated several times to different areas of the house to read, he chuckled and told me he’d ran across that page. Sunday, when I read it, I laughed – and today, at about 12:30pm, Andrew sends me an IM with that message. He was reading it over his lunch break. [ Ed Note: That's not the only time that quote is said in the book. ]

More about the rest of the weekend, and what I think’s magical about Harry Potter in another installment. If I make this any longer, your RSS Owl will fall down.

It always scares me a little when I have to give grad students under networking professors special assistance getting on our networks. You’d think this is something they could figure out. The most recent case involved a student who couldn’t get online because s/he had given me their wireless MAC address for me to setup their wired connection. (They should have given me the address for their wired interface.) That’s pretty understandable mistake. With laptops having modems and bluetooth and firewire and everything else, all spitting out addresses when you run “ipconfig /all” it can be confusing. But if you’re here to work in a networking group, you should be respectful of those things.

Even though I believe a rich life involves a little bit of doing things and a little bit of reflecting on them (blogging about them,) I’ve been more of a do-er than a report-er. There are many things I want to share with you, so buckle up – this might be a long one.

At work, we have a rediculously expensive clock system that uses GPS and FM signals to automatically set and synchronize the analog wall clocks in the conference, class, and lab rooms in the building. The carpenters installed most of the clocks last week, and, you guessed it, they aren’t working right. Some of them think we’re on mountain time, others are happy in central. I think I figured out why (with the help of the company’s 800# free tech support,) but it could take a while for the changes to make their way out to the clocks. If they aren’t all right tomorrow, I’ll walk around and reset them manually…. Exactly the thing we spent a crazy amount of money to avoid doing.

The rest of work is going well. I’m still making progress on my network transition plans for the summer. We’re rapidly approaching the diving board – enough talk, enough planning, enough trying to envision every side-effect. Just make the big changes and deal with the splash when you hit the water. I’m contemplating setting up a work blog (instead of categories in this blog,) but I wonder if that’s worth it. Certainly there’s a benefit to journaling my work experiences and learning, but to what degree? I might have to find that out. I could blog about my troubles with perl and my home directory, or the clocks, or the problems you encounter when Windows SFU can put files in place that traditional Windows file APIs cannot touch.

I’ve been trying to read more blogs, and I’ve thrown a few podcasts on the iPod. I still think a good 70% of things on blogs isn’t original – just someone linking to something else with their own little notes. That’s all well and good, but I want things that are interesting and new to me. (What did Tony’s kids learn this week?) The same old rehash, even worse when it’s audibly narrated to me, is annoying. Other than streaming new, unheard of music, or talk shows I’m actually interested in, I don’t see podcasting as being a big thing for me.

My LIS accounts are getting activated, and I’m able to browse their online webboard and resources. I’ve gotten 2-3 IT announcements from them in the week or so. I wonder if the LIS community has a different appreciation for IT than the CS community? I guess we’ll find out.

I was at home this weekend for the fourth, and we kept busy. Aaron and I went to Fair St. Louis on Saturday morning for the parade, food/beer, and airshow. Unfortunately, this airshow was all aerobatics and no military, so I didn’t get to see the big aircraft, or the perennial favorite Harrier. I also didn’t get a gyro or allegator, but I did enjoy corndogs with painted on mustard, ice cold Budweiser, fresh fried potato chips, a steak sandwich and a deep fried Oreo, which I guess is close enough.

On Sunday, Mom, bro and I drove down to the Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. Mom had found an australian shepherd rescue on petfinder.com that she wanted to see, so we loaded into the Maxima (now with iTrip!) and met Lori, who became the next member of our family. She’s seven years old, and is as sharp as a tack and sweet as sugar cane. She’s a little flighty, as I would expect any transplanted dog in a new home to be, but she handled the car ride and rest of the weekend just fine, even with thunderstorms and fireworks! She has some new rules to learn, and we have some old habits of hers to break, but I think it’ll work out.

I don’t regret Lori, but adding a new pet 7 weeks after Winston left us sure pokes at a still sore wound. I think Aaron, Mom and I, each on our own terms, came to the realization this isn’t Winston – as much as we wanted her to be. None of us are fond of the Lori name, and it was all too easy (and bittersweet) to slip in a Winston…and then catch yourself, and maybe cry a little. Winston’s things came back down from the attic, unwrapped with the intention of being for Lori … and after being hugged, smelled, caressed and tear-stained, were quickly put back in their storage and will be put away again.

It’s not Lori’s fault; it’s cancer’s fault. If our Winney wasn’t taken by cancer, and Lori’s previous owner hadn’t been taken by cancer, our lives would be different. We’re all hurting, and we’ll all heal. Lori is fun and smart and beatiful. Once she lets us in, and we let her in, I’m sure we’ll find peace in the happiness we get from each other. Until then, it’s going to take some growth, and that’s not always easy, even when you want/need to do it. As I was packing up my car to leave, it was nice to glance back at the front door and see a dog staring at me through the storm window again. Sure, I’m a little sad it’s not Winston, but it’s hard not to smile at bright brown eyes and a wiggling dock, you know? Pictures will be on flickr later.

I left home at sundown on Monday, and drove by at least 7 firework shows by towns near I-70.

GSLIS is developing a new website/design, and they have a new beta of their site available. This blog post is a mental post-it for me to go back and look at it. The URL isn’t exactly memorable. (It also lets me file the email announcing it out of my inbox.)

For a university study, this one didn’t seem to have the disclaimers/releases I’m accustomed to. (And the badge at the end has nothing to do with how you scored, which makes it lamer than any other blog quiz I’ve ever seen.) Maybe it’s a little more relaxed than some of the social experiments I’ve done at UIUC – maybe for the blogosphere (*groan*) it should be. Remind Future Dave to check back on results later.

To round out the Netflix-related post trifecta, here are copies of the suggestions I just submitted to Netflix.

The first was about putting user and system ‘how this got into my queue’ information into my queue, and the second one is me complaining about the turnaround time and offering suggested solutions. (It’s significant – the true Netflix-killer Blockbuster is going to have (at least for me) is turning their existing stores into distribution centers, where shipping is fast, or I can drop it off.)

Netflix is two things for me: a queue management system that lets me track the movies I want to see, and a distribution method for that queue. These suggestions look to improve both sides of that operation.

There are many movies in my Queue that by the time I get to them, I’ve forgotten why I added them. Did a friend recommend it, and if so, who? When did I add it? The “My 2 cents” is nice to put a one liner for me to remember things AFTER I’ve seen it, but I’d like to be able to leave a note in the movie in my queue when I add it.

The system could store information such as when it was added to my queue (and where in the queue it was when it was added,) as well as how I got to where I added it (was it from a search, an actor page, a recommendation from another movie (and which movie,) or a list (top 100, awards, etc.) A small notes field would let me say something like “Nate recommended” or “Mom says must see”

This information would be viewable/editable in the Queue after the movie is added. It could even be incorporated into the email that gets sent when the movie is mailed, so I get a refresher on why I rented it before it gets to my house.

I hope this idea makes sense to you, and that it would be a valuable addition to Netflix. Thanks,

Dave

And the shipping issue:

I live mid-distance between the Chicago and St. Louis distribution centers, where most of my movies come from St. Louis. The shortest turn-around time I have had for a Netflix movie (from Netflix announcing it ships to Netflix recording it returned, as told by my account history,) is seven days – even if I watch it the night I get it, and put it in the mailbox immediately afterwards. I know the average turn around is much shorter than that (especially for people closer to distribution centers,) and I am disappointed they are getting better service than I am although we’re both paying the same amount.

I recognize most of that trip is USPS transit time (ignoring the 24 hours it’s at my house.) I know that people who live closer to distribution centers get faster service, meaning they can watch more movies, and get more value out of their membership.

I suggest you implement a ’ship me my next movie’ feature to the Queue, so that days when I put a movie in the mail to return, I can register that action online, and you can preemptively ship me the next movie while mine is being returned. This isn’t much different than marking a movie as lost in the mail – it’s just a way to acknowledge the previous movie is on it’s way back, and can you send me the next one a little early? (It would be great if the local post office could scan the red envelope and somehow tell Netflix the movie has been received … but I don’t know if that integration with the USPS system is possible.)

Another solution would be to offer more movies out at a time than my membership allows, so I can ‘buffer’ them and the transit time doesn’t so greatly effect my ability to watch movies.

Thanks for hearing my recommendation,
Dave

If you think these would be helpful, and you’re a Netflix subscriber, please let them know.

I know it freaks my boss out that I look at job postings all the time, (Hi Chuck!) but you learn a lot of things about an organization by who, when and what they’re hiring. (Besides, I was looking for St. Louis positions for you, Mom.) Because you usually hire people for new projects, you can get an idea on where the companies are going by their future workforce. Sometimes, those plans are not-announced anywhere else, but pretty plainly disclosed in the job ad.

For example, Netflix is looking for a new Product Management Director, with the following blurb:

The Electronic Delivery Service (EDS) will augment Netflix’s current DVD delivery model with high quality movies delivered to consumers’ home TVs through the Internet, on a subscription basis.

Reporting to the Chief Product Officer, the EDS Product Management Director will manage the development and shipment of the first generation EDS product, and will set the strategy and direction for future electronic products and services. The scope of responsibilities is broad and involves coordination of internal design and development teams, outside vendors, manufacturers, and partners all with an eye towards building a simple focused product to deliver an exceptional consumer experience.

Interesting!

It’s lame to quote a blog you read about in another blog on your blog, but it happens all the time and I like this person’s characterization of the services Netflix provides that’s outside of the “normal” way people purchase/rent things. It goes with my belief that Netflix can create an agent or avatar that is trained with my preferences and histories. By offering new things to the agent, if it accepts it, there’s a good chance I will. This kind of information mapping isn’t seen (as directly) on the consumer level, and I think the organizations that utilize that kind of personalization will be successful in the long run. Netflix could do more with that. Maybe they should hire me (after the LIS degree.)

Anyway, here’s the quote from ysk.com, which I found through Becky:

However, what I find even more compelling about Netflix is the ability to track new DVD releases and maintain a growing list of movies that I would like to see. I can even add and track movies that have not been released in theatres or on DVD. Netflix can then provide automatic management of new DVD releases into my viewing list on a schedule that I can adjust. On top of that, Netflix provides recommendations and reviews from critics as well as the Netflix community. The net effect is that I now have a relationship with Netflix where Netflix is my personal “movie concierge” or “movie butler”. By providing these personalized services, Netflix is enhancing my overall movie watching experience by ensuring that I see more quality movies that align with my interests and tastes. This value is something that allows Netflix to maintain a premium over other companies that solely focus on delivery efficiency, as well as ensure stickiness that increases switching costs for customers.

I’ll argue that I don’t always see quality movies (in fact, sometimes I rent crap,) but it was crap I wanted to see and enjoyed the experience even if I didn’t care for the movie. At least then I can say I’ve seen it. The rest of the article talks about Netflix needs to improve their interface and access to information: I think it’s better than discussed in the OP but there’s still room to go. Netflix has provides different views and lists and RSS feeds, showing they care about both what information to show/share, and also how to present it. They’ve added a bunch of AJAX applets to the site that give popup balloons with more info, and give you better internal links to friends and reviews.

The one thing I would like is a “notes” field for each movie in my queue, so I can record why I added it. Who told me about the movie, or how I found it. It would be neat to see some other information about the queue (when I added it, where I came from to add it (from a recommendation from another movie, from a list somewhere.) I think I’ll go request that now.

From Google:

Dear David Mussulman,

Thank you for taking the time to apply for Google’s Summer of Code program. We received a lot of interesting applications, but we are only able to fund a limited number. Unfortunately, yours was not one of the finalists.

Please keep up the good work, and we hope to connect with you in the future!

Best regards,
The Summer of Code team

With about 8000 applicants for 200 400 positions, I’m not surprised mine didn’t get selected. I hope those happy few who may get paid finish their projects (and do get paid.) I hope the accepted 400 are extremely useful contributions to OOS and they improve my daily quality of life.

I hope the other rejects keep plugging away at open source, even if they aren’t paid. I probably will, but on projects I am closer connected to (BackupPC, Wordpress, FreeRADIUS, NetReg, and more.) None of those made the list, and my recommendation to what was on the list wasn’t good enough, I guess.

Oh, well, at least I tried. Now I’ll have to find some other gimmick to make $4500.

(Edit: I found out later that LiveJournal was only awarded 4 spots to give to applicants, so those numbers are even tighter. I wonder what the accepted projects were.)

It should be noted to the world that the Firefox Bloglines plugin is a way better (read: less annoying) than the Windows system tray notifier. Both do the same thing.

The Bloglines RSS plugin that intercepts the LiveBookmark link with a redirect to the bloglines add page is pretty swell too.