Bits & Pieces

stunt pilot

2006-09-11T12:33:00.000-07:00

me

2006-07-03T21:26:00.000-07:00

nunus night out1

2006-07-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

nunus night out

2006-07-03T19:48:00.000-07:00

MAGGIE & Me

2006-07-03T19:36:00.000-07:00

Shoe

2006-06-12T10:46:00.000-07:00

andrea

2006-06-11T14:26:00.000-07:00

San Diego Fair

2006-06-10T23:50:00.000-07:00

June Gloom

2006-06-09T15:49:00.000-07:00

RnR Marathon

2006-06-05T17:25:00.000-07:00

images2

2006-06-03T11:26:00.000-07:00

2006-06-03T10:43:00.000-07:00

1/06/2006

2006-06-01T14:34:00.001-07:00

1/06/2006_1

2006-06-01T14:34:00.000-07:00

image

2006-05-31T11:21:00.000-07:00

viejas 1

2006-05-30T10:36:00.000-07:00

viejas

2006-05-30T10:30:00.000-07:00

San Diego Images 2

2006-05-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

San Diego Images 1

2006-05-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

San Diego Images

2006-05-27T08:27:00.000-07:00

image

2006-05-18T13:49:00.000-07:00

image

2006-05-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

image

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image

2006-05-06T12:01:00.000-07:00

image

2006-05-06T11:10:00.000-07:00

image upload

2006-05-05T17:08:00.000-07:00

photo

2006-04-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

Funny photo I made on new Mac

Fractions

2006-04-08T22:17:00.000-07:00

www.mathsisfun.com

Fractions

A fraction is a part of a whole

Slice a pizza, and you will have fractions:


¹/₂	¹/₄	³/₈
(One-Half)	(One-Quarter)	(Three-Eighths)

The top number tells how many slices you have and the bottom number tells how many slices the pizza was cut into.

Numerator / Denominator

We call the top number the Numerator, it is the number of parts you have.
We call the bottom number the Denominator, it is the number of parts the whole is divided into.

Numerator

Denominator

You just have to remember those names! (If you forget just think "Down"-ominator)

Equivalent Fractions

Some fractions may look different, but are really the same, for example:

⁴/₈	=	²/₄	=	¹/₂
(Four-Eighths)		Two-Quarters)		(One-Half)

It is usually best to show an answer using the simplest fraction ( ¹/₂ in this case ). That is called Simplifying, or Reducing the Fraction

Adding Fractions

You can add fractions easily if the bottom number (the denominator) is the same:

¹/₄	+	¹/₄	=	²/₄	=	¹/₂
(One-Quarter)		(One-Quarter)		(Two-Quarters)		(One-Half)

Another example:

	⁵/₈	+	¹/₈	=	⁶/₈	=	³/₄

Adding Fractions with Different Denominators

But what if the denominators are not the same? As in this example:

	³/₈	+	¹/₄	=	?

You must somehow make the denominators the same. In this case it is easy, because we know that ¹/₄ is the same as ²/₈ :

	³/₈	+	²/₈	=	⁵/₈

Temperature Conversion

2006-04-08T22:14:00.000-07:00

www.mathsisfun.com
Temperature Conversion - Conversion Tool

If you freeze water, it measures 0° in Celsius, but 32° in Fahrenheit
If you boil water, it measures 100° in Celsius, but 212° in Fahrenheit
The difference between freezing and boiling is 100° in Celsius, but 180° in Fahrenheit.

180/100 can be simplified to 9/5, and likewise 100/180=5/9. So, this is the easiest way:

Celsius to Fahrenheit	(°C × ⁹/₅) + 32 = °F
Fahrenheit to Celsius	(°F - 32) x ⁵/₉ = °C

Example 1

Convert 26° Celsius (A nice warm day!) to Fahrenheit

First: 26° × 9/5 = 234/5 = 46.8
Then: 46.8 + 32 = 78.8° F

Example 2

Convert 98.4° Fahrenheit (Normal Body Temperature!) to Celsius First: 98.4° - 32 = 66.4
Then: 66.4 × 5/9 = 331/9 = 36.9° C

Long Division

2006-04-08T19:47:00.000-07:00

Notation

In long division notation, 500 divided 4 equals125 is denoted as follows:

Example

The procedure involves several steps. As an example consider the problem

1. Write the dividend and divisor in this form:

The procedure involves dividing the divisor (4) into a number, for each digit of the dividend (950).

2.The first number to be divided by the divisor (4) is the leftmost digit (9) of the dividend. Ignoring any remainder, write the result (2), above the line over the leftmost digit of the dividend. Multiply the divisor by that number (4 times 2) and write the result (8) under the leftmost digit of the dividend.

3. Subtract the bottom number (8) from the number immediately above it (9). Write the result (1), under the bottom number (8), then copy the next digit of the dividend (5) to the right of the result of the subtraction.

4. Repeat steps 2 and 3, using the newly created bottom number (15), as the number to be divided by the divisor (4), and write the results above and under the next digit of the dividend.

5. Repeat step 4 until there are no digits remaining in the dividend. The number written above the bar (237) is the quotient, and the result of the last subtraction is the remainder for the entire problem (2).

The answer to the above example is expressed as 237, with remainder 2. Alternatively, one can continue the above procedure to produce a decimal answer. We continue the process by adding a decimal and zeroes as necessary to the right of the dividend, treating each zero an another digit of the dividend. Thus the next step in such a calculation would give the following:

Proper Use of the Apostrophe

2006-04-04T13:29:00.000-07:00

I'm guilty of misusing the apostrophe a lot. This has been pointed out to me a by some colleagues. Here is a link to a website that aims to protect the Apostrophe in the English language.

*******************
From the Aprostrophe Protection Society website:

The rules concerning the use of Apostrophes in written English are very simple:

1. They are used to denote a missing letter or letters, for example:

	I can't instead of I cannot
	I don't instead of I do not
	it's instead of it is

2. They are used to denote possession, for example:

	the dog's bone
	the company's logo
	Jones's bakery (but Joneses' bakery if owned by more than one Jones)

... but please note that the possessive form of it does not take an apostrophe any more than ours, yours or hers do

the bone is in its mouth

... however, if there are two or more dogs, companies or Joneses in our example, the apostrophe comes after the 's':

	the dogs' bones
	the companies' logos
	Joneses' bakeries

3. Apostrophes are NEVER ever used to denote plurals! Common examples of such abuse (all seen in real life!) are:

	Banana's for sale which of course should read Bananas for sale
	Menu's printed to order which should read Menus printed to order
	MOT's at this garage which should read MOTs at this garage
	1000's of bargains here! which should read 1000s of bargains here!
	New CD's just in! which should read New CDs just in!
	Buy your Xmas tree's here! which should read Buy your Xmas trees here!

Note: Special care must be taken over the use of your and you're as they sound the same but are used quite differently:
your is possessive as in this is your pen
you're is short for you are as in you're coming over to my house

We are aware of the way the English language is evolving during use, and do not intend any direct criticism of those who have made the mistakes above. We are just reminding all writers of English text, whether on notices or in documents of any type, of the correct usage of the apostrophe should you wish to put right mistakes you may have inadvertently made.

2006-04-03T21:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a link to a very useful tool. The tool is called FILE ADVISOR. FileAdvisor™ is a free service provided by Bit9, Inc. that enables you to identify unknown files quickly by searching an index of known commercial applications (malware is currently not indexed). Enter an MD-5 hash, SHA-1 hash, or file name, and FileAdvisor returns information about the origin of the file. It's that simple.

You can search online, or download a small utility (short registration needed) that will allow you to right-click on any file name and it will check the file with the Bit9 database.

In short if you have files on your computer that you are not sure about or are thinking about deleting files this will be of use to you.

How to use a map and compass

2006-03-29T15:22:00.000-08:00

This is a really good site for understanding how to use a map and compass.

http://www.thecompassstore.com/howtousemapa.html

and this is a great site to find your Declination Adjustment Value.

From the site: http://www.thecompassstore.com/decvar.html#

Online Declination Correction Tool - really excellent.

To understand declination you must first realize that there are two North Poles. There is a True Geographic North Pole at the top of the world, and a Magnetic North Pole. The Magnetic North Pole is always moving. It has been as much as 1,200+ miles from true north, but in 2005 is only around 500 miles from the True North Pole.

We typically say that a compass points to Magnetic North, not True North. Technically, that is not exactly true. The compass actually points in the directions of the horizontal component of the magnetic field where the compass is located, and not to any single point. Knowing the difference (measured in angular degrees) between true north and the horizontal trace of the magnetic field for your location allows you to correct your compass for the magnetic field in your area. This angular difference is called your declination.

Declination varies from 0 to 30 degrees in most populated regions of the world. These declination values usually change slightly over time, as the earths plates shift. The actual value of declination and its annual rate of change for your area will usually be shown on your map. This will be expressed as either an Easterly or Westerly declination, depending on your location.

For current and more accurate declination values, visit our "Find your declination value" page. Once you have your correct declination value, you should check out our How To Use Your Declination Value page.

How To Win Friends and Influence People

2006-03-09T13:24:00.000-08:00

First published in 1936 and still very popular today; if you deal with people, How to Win Friends & Influence People is must reading.

Here is a summary (taken from Wikipedia.org):

Summary

Fundamental Techniques for Handling People:

Don't criticize, condemn or complain.
Give people a feeling of importance; praise the good parts of them.
Get the other person to want to do what you want them to by arousing their desires.

Six Ways to Make People Like You:

Be genuinely interested in other people.
Smile.
Remember and use people's names.
Encourage others to talk about themselves and listen to them.
Discuss what the other person is interested in.
Make the other person feel important.

Twelve Ways to Win People to Your Way of Thinking:

Avoid arguments.
Show respect for the other person's opinions. Never tell someone they are wrong.
If you're wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
Begin in a friendly way.
Start with questions the other person will answer yes to.
Let the other person do the talking.
Let the other person feel the idea is his.
Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view.
Sympathize with the other person.
Appeal to noble motives.
Dramatize your ideas.
Throw down a challenge.

Nine Ways to Change People Without Giving Offense or Arousing Resentment:

Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
Call attention to other people's mistakes indirectly.
Talk about your own mistakes first.
Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
Let the other person save face.
Praise every improvement.
Give them a fine reputation to live up to.
Encourage them by making their faults seem easy to correct.
Make the other person happy about doing what you suggest.