January 2012
2 posts
Life lesson for Jake
If I can instill one thing in him over the next 10 years, this will be it. I think the lines cross a lot sooner than 40.. more like 30!
Thanks to The Big Picture blog for the graphic
December 2011
5 posts
First good use case for my Nest thermostat
I posted a couple of weeks ago about my new Nest thermostat and have enjoyed not paying much attention to it since then - it is simply working as expected. Last week we flew back to North Carolina for the Thanksgiving holiday and had an opportunity to really utilize its features
In the car on the way to the airport I remember not turning off the heat (hectic trying to get a kid ready for a...
November 2011
3 posts
My new Nest thermostat
Many of my friends are tech / gadget geeks and living here in San Francisco certainly gives us a chance to see, play, and own the hottest toys around. While most of the crew loves the personal electronics, I get even more excited about how technology integrates with homes and businesses. That’s what I am a proud early adopter of the new Nest thermostat. You can read all about the...
October 2011
3 posts
September 2011
2 posts
August 2011
1 post
July 2011
4 posts
Trickle Down, Supply-Side economics?
Having an undergraduate degree in Economics allows me to claim expertise the same way a low handicap golfer can claim he is as good as the pros. Regardless, I know enough about it to make marginally intelligent comments on how people who choose to view economics through the lens of biased political rhetoric always seem to get it wrong. A common point is tickle down, supply side,...
Why can't we be patriotic like my Gandfather?
My grandfather, Marty Barrett Sr, passed away last week at just over 90 years and it has made me think about a number of things. One item in particular that has stuck in my mind these past weeks as his health was clearly failing is his definition of patriotism and its application to my generation. As a young man, he joined the Navy when his country called, learned how to fly, and was off to the...
June 2011
1 post
May 2011
3 posts
April 2011
3 posts
March 2011
3 posts
Why don't we care about the price of gas in 2011? →
I’m fascinated by the way gas prices have risen back to the high levels of 2008 but no one seems to notice. I think it is like the “boiling frog” story where if you drop a frog in boiling water (gas prices 2008) it jumps out but if you put the frog in room temperature water and slowly raise it to a boil, it will just sit there and die (gas prices 2011). Because of the gradual...
February 2011
3 posts
January 2011
2 posts
How Jake is shifting my political views
In a quick break from my normal “here is what we did on Friday evening” blog post, I thought I throw out a deeper thought that has been on my mind over the past few months. I was trying to figure out why I am becoming more liberal from decades of being rather staunchly conservative. Data suggests people get more conservative as they grow up and maybe California is just wearing on me...
Barrett's Xmas pictures →
Thanks to Andrea for posting a bunch of pictures from our week long holiday activities. Was a great time having my parents out for an extended visit and to see Jake enjoy his first Christmas
December 2010
4 posts
November 2010
5 posts
October 2010
8 posts
Save Ubercab!
I was horrified this morning to read on TechCrunch that Ubercab has received a cease and desist order. For those of you who don’t know what it is, the service is simple and elegant. In major cities, there are tons of private Town Car services that run executives to the airport (mostly) but are used by many for scheduled car service. Ubercab decided that while these guys are idle, why not...
Jake's 6-month pics →
Andrea did a great job putting the latest pics together. We can’t believe six months have already passed and also how big he is. He has to level off at some point, right?
Premier Executive Status - the hard way
It wasn’t too long ago that I was flying to Hong Kong, London, and Tokyo multiple times a year and achieving the Premier Executive status on United with ease. Before I get too far, lets quickly review the levels of status on United
Premier - >25k miles and your first level status. I think you get this if you sign up for their credit card or just ask politely
Premier Executive - >50k...
Jake and his best friend Sophie →
Thanks to Jeremy & Daisy (Sophie’s parents) for this post