
Napa Valley Panorama

Though the SiliconCali area can be an expensive place to live and work, it has many great opportunities for dramatic photography. I don’t always have my heavy duty SLR camera with me but usually have my phone. Luckily I was able to capture this fleeting SiliconCali sunset shot with the Google Samsung Galaxy Nexus camera.
A rare severe thunderstorm hits the Bay Area bring lightning strikes, heavy rain and hail to the area. Most of California is facing a bit of a drought so the pitter patter of rain drops hitting the roof is a welcome sound.
Weather radar screenshot from NOAA’s National Weather Service site at weather.gov. A good site for reliable weather information without all the annoying flash ads and those ridiculous “One weird trick to ….” ads that plague Weather.com. Weather.gov isn’t ad supported because you’ve already paid for the site whether your use it or not. If you pay federal taxes in the United States, you’re helping to keep weather.gov running. Use it while you can! If you want to see the full loop of radar all over the United States check out this mosaic of all NOAA weather radars in the continental US. Happy weather watching!
Does Southwest fly from here? I don’t think so.
Enjoy! Have a great weekend!
Why yes, even giant Squishable Androids need a break from all that flying around the circuits of your smartphones and tablets.
SiliconCali.com will be taking a break this week. Many more posts coming that will cover Unix, Linux and Windows sysadmin as well as tech and travel. Have a good week!
A view from the Gondola at Heavenly Ski Resort, Lake Tahoe, just after a snowstorm in November 2010. This is from “The Deck” at around 9,000 feet. Awesome views of Lake Tahoe, Desolation Wilderness, Mount Tallac, and the South Lake Tahoe casinos below. Nothing like the fresh, pristine snow at Lake Tahoe, contrasting with the deep blue of the lake.
Does a large mug of Lagunitas IPA make you ‘hoppy’? Good stuff made just north of Silicon Cali, for those that like their hop flavor on the hoppy side. On tap at Red Robin of all places. Lagunitas (Say “LAH-GOO-KNEE-TUSS“) Brewing Company is in Petaluma, CA, north on the 101 from the land of tech.
There is snow on Mount Hamilton in San Jose from last night’s storm. The first snow we’ve seen up there in some time. It’s nice to look up from the warm valley on a clear day like today and see snow draped on the peaks above. The telescopes of the Lick Observatory always look great with a fresh dusting of snow.
Richard Branson’s Virgin America has many advantages over the budget airline competition. One of them is the ability to order drinks and food using the touchscreen on the back of the headrest on every seat. Here you can order basic drinks (still free) or the “Good Stuff” as Virgin America calls them. Just swipe your credit card on the screen and your order is brought right to you. And Virgin America has real beer. In a can. Before you scoff, ponder a little beer can tech below the image.
Beer ‘bottled’ in cans seals out light and oxygen, two mortal enemies of fresh hoppy beer. Another mortal enemy of fresh beer flavor is heat. While the can isn’t that different from the bottle in staying cool, the can is lighter than the bottle, easier to transport and stack in your cooler, easier to recycle, and much more forgiving when you toss a brew to your buddy who isn’t paying attention. And when the cans are recycled, the precious aluminum (aluminium for those non US readers) may just be made into a Virgin Galactic spaceship. I’m pretty sure Richard Branson will serve beer in space as well. Just have to figure out that whole weightless beer pouring thing…
So the next time you see a craft brew in a can, give it a try. You’re in for a pleasant surprise. Other beers besides Black Star appearing on Virgin America flights are Blue Moon, Heineken, and if you like, Bud Light.
Taking a quick weekend break in Vegas. Back to more Unix/Linux/Windows system admin work on Monday.