Jared Jacobs

I Am a Strange Non-Mammalian

noreply@blogger.com (jared) — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 20:39:00 +0000

A couple of months ago I stopped eating mammals. I'd dabbled in vegetarianism before for health reasons, but this time it's different. Lately I've been getting a lot of questions from friends—usually at a meal, where discussing the topic can be awkward—so I'm writing up my thoughts here. I'm not trying to persuade anyone to think differently or change their behavior. Just explaining myself.

It started while I was reading I Am a Strange Loop, in which Douglas Hofstadter attempts to identify the crux of self, or I-ness. In one part, he notes that the species on Earth form a continuum from little or no consciousness (e.g. an amoeba) up to us humans. Language was a huge step forward for us, but despite that advantage, some other animals are surprisingly close to us. Consider: bonobos, dogs, dolphins, and crows. Many non-human species are clearly capable of experiencing emotions, meaningful relationships, and logical reasoning.

To get to the heart of the matter, we all draw the will-eat/won't-eat line somewhere. For many people it falls along our species boundary. For exocannibalists it falls along the tribe boundary. Sometimes the line subdivides a species, like when a child on a farm names a piglet. She won't eat it, but she won't necessarily pass up a ham sandwich either.

It's easy to look down from our vantage point at the top of the food chain and feel entitled to eat whatever we please. To me, though, abstaining from eating our nearest neighbors on the consciousness continuum is like rooting for the little guy or tipping my hat to the unpopular kid. Pick your favorite metaphor. And it's also about respecting the incredible phenomenon that we call life.

"Are turkeys mammals?" "What about fish?" "Why stop at mammals?" These are some of the questions I've gotten. Answers: "No," "Yum," and "Well, this is the right place for me right now." I don't feel too bad about fish. They don't seem to have much going on between their earholes. Birds are a little less robotic. I rationalize by reminding myself that their ancestors ate mine for millions of years.

Test drives at the Palo Alto Electric Car Rally

noreply@blogger.com (jared) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 03:18:00 +0000

Alice and I went to the EAA's 36th annual Electric Car Rally at Palo Alto High School this afternoon. I've been reading about electric cars and bikes for several months. It was exciting to see them up close and to test drive a few.

I was most excited about the CycleCar (above). It has the same battery technology as the Tesla Roadster, so it has awesome acceleration, can go at highways speeds, and can get over 100 miles per charge. It also weighs only 600 lbs. and is affordably priced.

There were also electric scooters...

electric bikes...

whatever this thing is...

a tzero (a 1997 concept car that famously beat a Ferrari and a Porsche Carrera in a drag race)...

a converted 1955 Beck Spyder...

a Myers Motors NmG...

and a few other curiosities like the Smurf-mobile...

I plan to get either a recumbent BetterBike, which I also test-drove today, or a Montague folder real soon now for my 8-mile commute to work (for days when I don't feel like riding my traditional bicycle).

On my wishlist for next year's show: (images from autobloggreen.com)

The Aptera	The XR-3
The VentureOne	The Cree Sam

This album has the rest of our photos from today. Thanks Alice for shooting them and bearing the 98° heat with me!

As a 1930s husband...

noreply@blogger.com (jared) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:49:00 +0000

As a 1930s husband, I am
Very Superior

Take the test!

Who I'll be in 2008

noreply@blogger.com (jared) — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 11:51:00 +0000

I've been thinking about who I want to be in 2008. I've decided to be first and foremost a positive force in the world. That's kind of vague, I know, but it means something to me. Let me try to explain.

It's easy to get hung up on things in life, like injustices, mistakes, failures, and criticism. Days and even years can go by before people even realize that something is limiting them or somehow holding them back. Even when a person successfully identifies a culprit issue, he (or she) may remain crippled because he cannot identify a suitable resolution or feels powerless to achieve it.

This year I plan to let go of a lot of things that have frustrated or limited me in the past -- like, for instance, not knowing the ultimate meaning of life, doubting whether I live up to my full potential at work or at home, and second-guessing decisions I've made. I am what I am, I am where I am, and I am who I am. I accept this, and it's good enough for me.

This year I pledge to treat each day as a chance to bring more good into the world however I can -- usually in small ways, of course. And rather than fret about whether I'm doing all that I can, I'll just keep an eye out for new opportunities.

I sure love new beginnings. Don't you?

Happy 2008!

Gingerbread Nativity

noreply@blogger.com (jared) — Sun, 09 Dec 2007 14:13:00 +0000

Alice and I recently bought a Peruvian crèche, but it's kind of small. Today, while Alice was working on an apple pie, I put to use some cardboard from our overseas shipment and the gingerbread cookies we decorated last week.

Now we have a nativity scene that we can enjoy from across the room.

Merry Christmas!

What is spirituality?

noreply@blogger.com (jared) — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 11:54:00 +0000

I've been thinking today about spirituality. It's inspired many individuals and nations to reach their greatest achievements and arguably accelerated the development or "progress" of humanity. In fact, one might even claim that it's a defining characteristic of our species. Other kinds of organisms have sensation, impulses, and emotion, and some even have primitive rationality (e.g. planning). But do any other species have spirituality? How would we know? Is altruistic behavior evidence of spirituality? (Or at least what looks like it to us?) How do we define it? Is it, perhaps, the sense that we belong to a richer existence than just what we can see and sense and measure in the world around us?

Well, I just read the wikipedia entry on spirituality and it opened my eyes a little. Still, I'm interested in what spirituality means to real people, both those who practice religions and those who don't. When do you feel most spiritual? What brings out your spirituality? Do you feel most spiritual when you're alone or as part of a group? Consider taking a minute to reply to this post or to email me with your thoughts. Thanks!

Ich spreche Deutsch

noreply@blogger.com (jared) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:59:00 +0000

...well not really, yet. But I am on lesson 3 in the German Rosetta Stone software.

One thing that's fun in German is inventing really long words by running other ones together. Herzkreislaufwiederbelebung, for example, means C.P.R. or, more literally, "heart-circle-run-again-enlivenment". Think that's a long one? Check out this list.

Another thing that's kind of fun is capitalizing every noun. It's like everything's my friend now. "Hi Bed, it's so nice to see you again." "Alice, isn't Rainbow beautiful this Morning?"

When I was in college, I read that language is very powerful at shaping the way we think. Kids that grow up with one primary language will see and interpret the world a little bit differently than kids who grow up speaking another. This week I've realized that the implications of something as simple as capitalizing all nouns could be far reaching. For example, maybe German-speakers tend to be more eco-friendly because people don't have as special a place among "God's creations" as they do in the minds of native English-speakers. Germans capitalize Cockroach and Rock just as faithfully as they do Sue and Billy. And it could be why pets are more prevalent (and sometimes better cared for) than kids in Switzerland.

One more funny thing about German-speakers... Their words for Mr. and Mrs. are the same as their words for man and woman. So I'm Man Jared Jacobs. Please address me this way from now on. It'll help me with my German.

The World Moustache and Beard Championships

noreply@blogger.com (jared) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 12:26:00 +0000

If you're like me, right now you're thinking "Do my eyes deceive me? Could such a wonderment really exist?" Well, you betta believe it. Here are some of my favorites:

"The Octopus"

"The Drapes"

"Moses"

"God Help Us"

Here's the full TIME photoessay.

Half Dome by Moonlight

noreply@blogger.com (jared) — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 00:26:00 +0000

Last weekend, Alice, Erik Anderson, and I joined Jon Daniel's group for a night hike up Half Dome to watch the sunrise over Yosemite. We left Friday after work. Here's the play-by-play:

7:00 pm - Started packing.
7:45 pm - Left home.
8:00 pm - Got Erik. Left Stanford campus.
8:07 pm - Filled up at Arco. Flex nozzle acted like a spring and shot the pump out of my car, splashing my foot and flip flop with gas. I hate Arco.
10:10 pm - Potty break at Wendy's.
11:26 pm - Arrived at Yosemite National Park.
12:31 am - Arrived at parking lot in the valley.
12:38 am - Removed excess snacks from car. Stashed them in a bear-proof bin. Put on backpacks. Started hiking.
12:55 am - Reached trailhead.
2:02 am - Reached top of Vernal Falls. Misty trail wasn't misty.
2:23 am - Followed a rock face off course. Lost 15 min wandering around trails made by other lost souls.
2:51 am - Caught up with Dave Haynie and others we knew.
3:30 am - Reached meadow (half-way point).
3:58 am - Hiked with a professional kickboxer from Cambodia. Passed others -- some we knew, some we didn't know, and some we didn't know we knew (too dark).
4:43 am - First light on the east horizon.
4:49 am - Reached the 400 rock steps that lead to the cables.
5:12 am - Started climbing the dome (between the cables).
5:19 am - Lost patience with climbers ahead. Passed them on the left side.
5:21 am - Summited the dome!
5:26 am - Watched the red moon set in the west.
5:48 am - Watched the sun emerge from behind the mountains.
6:08 am - Enjoyed Alice's yummy spicy hot cocoa. Mmm...
6:13 am - Explored dome. Did handstand on overhang.
6:40 am - Group photo.
6:53 am - Left the dome.
6:58 am - Watched a stray bottle slide over the cliff face.
8:52 am - Went rock-hopping beneath the upper falls.
9:49 am - Spotted a bear cub.
10:05 am - Swam in icy stream water. Backflipped off rocks.
11:53 am - Lunch at the only diner in Groveland.
1:43 pm - Surrendered the wheel back to Alice after dozing and veering off the road one too many times.
1:44 pm - Out cold.
4:46 pm - Woke up somewhere east of the bay.
5:39 pm - Home sweet home!

Here are a handful of photos, some taken by Alice and some by Lee Merrick.

Cables leading to the top

Sunrise from Half Dome

Sunrise, looking south from Half Dome
(Morning light is so dramatic. I love it!)

Breakfast. Erik brought bear claws!

Group shot

Many folks brought space blankets for protection from the wind.

One more great view from the top

The cables are scarier on the way down. You have to back down.

Nevada Falls

Vernal Falls

Vernal Falls, up close and personal

Wedding Bells

noreply@blogger.com (jared) — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 12:54:00 +0000

On June 16, Alice and I were married in the Oakland temple. What a special day! I was so happy to share the occasion with good friends and close family members -- some that I hadn't seen in years. A heartfelt thank you to all those who were able to join us, and to those who weren't able to make it. I'll share a few photos here.

Brand-newly-weds!

Christine, Alice's mom, making us laugh (as usual).

Christine hosted our reception at Hayward City Hall. We greeted visitors, cut the cake, danced, laughed, and just had a grand ol' time. Everything was perfect.

Cutting the cake.
Yes, that's Superman and Alice in Wonderland on top. :)

The Jacobs family

The Petty family

The wedding party

Love birds

Our professional photographer, Jonathan Canlas, took lots of funny and artistic shots. (You'll need to enter your email address to view them.)

Thanks again to everyone who helped make our wedding day so wonderful and memorable. Alice and I will remember it fondly forever.

Beating cancer

noreply@blogger.com (jared) — Mon, 28 May 2007 02:57:00 +0000

Last week I mentioned that I wanted to write a little about my bout with cancer. The story begins in the spring of 2004. I had finished the course work for my Masters program in Computer Science at Stanford, but stayed at school for an extra quarter to finish up a research project before starting at Google. Around that time, I borrowed a bike to compete in my first sprint triathlon. I enjoyed it, did well, and thought it might be fun to take up swimming and cycling in addition to running. I bought my first (used) road bike and started accompanying Brad, Rob, Katie, and others on early-morning and Saturday group rides.

I'd also taken an interest in Lance Armstrong's bid to win a record-breaking 6th consecutive Tour de France that summer. I started reading the book he wrote after his first victory, It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life. In it he tells his life story, including how he discovered he had cancer (way too late—after it had spread to his lungs and brain), and how he still managed to beat it. I didn't know much about cancer at the time, but I learned a lot from the book. I found out, for instance, that testicular cancer (the kind Lance had) is the most common form of cancer in men between the ages of 15 and 34. I also learned about its early symptoms, which can be quite varied, and its risk factors. I had first noticed unequal sizes "down there" about six months earlier, but hadn't thought much of it. More recently, I'd started feeling a dull discomfort from time to time, but no pain. Lance's book is what first got me thinking it might possibly be something serious. None of the risk factors applied to me, but the symptoms I had were a little disconcerting. So I decided a check-up would probably be worth the $10 copay.

Well, turns out I had it. I would need to have surgery within a few days. My dad, a physician, was very supportive and flew out from South Carolina. I didn't tell many people, because I didn't want all the concern and attention, and I didn't particularly want to talk about the affected part of my body. :) Anyway, to make a long story short, the doctors at Stanford Hospital were very sharp, professional, and genuinely caring. The surgery, an orchiectomy, was successful. I didn't run, swim, or ride a bike for a while. I graduated a couple of weeks later, on June 13, and started working at Google the next day. Radiation therapy would begin a couple of weeks later. I decided to sign up for a marathon in September, because training for it would be an excellent motivator for me. The Tour de France started a couple days before my therapy. Lance finished second in the Prologue, and his strong, consistent performances over the next three weeks would deeply inspire me. I went in to the cancer center at Stanford Hospital every morning before work. My routine was to get up early, run between 4 and 9 miles, go in for a half-hour of treatment, then arrive at work around 8:30 a.m. I'd occasionally feel nauseated or get a headache at work, but other than that, the radiation didn't have any detectable side effects. The yellow jersey went back and forth a few times, but Lance triumphed once again, by over six minutes.

Since that summer, I've returned to the doctors for blood tests and CT scans every six months or so, and I'm still cancer free. (Testicular cancer sometimes spreads to the abdominal lymph nodes.) Two more years of checkups, and the doctors will lose interest in me. I couldn't be happier.

The Relay for Life

noreply@blogger.com (jared) — Sun, 20 May 2007 21:28:00 +0000

Over the past 24 hours, a few dozen teams have been walking and running around a track at Stanford's Roble field in the Relay for Life 2007. It's an American Cancer Society fund-raising event that provides an excellent opportunity to honor cancer survivors and to remember loved ones. (Here's a promotional video.) Alice and I participated as part of Google's team for the first two hours yesterday, and I returned for an hour of running at 5:45 a.m. this morning. Some of the highlights for me were getting to know a few other cancer survivors (a middle-aged engineer/guitarist and a couple of Stanford students), meeting a former ACS vice president, and joining in the survivor's victory lap.

Before this event, I'd only told my cancer story to a handful of people. After meeting a few other survivors and hearing the stories, I realize the importance of each person sharing their experience. Of course some people's ordeals are worse than others, and some people's stories are better than others. Regardless, each victory merits celebration -- not only for the life of the individual, but for bringing us one step closer to a world in which cancer is nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

No time now, but I promise to share my cancer story in an upcoming post.

Last ride of 2006

noreply@blogger.com (jared) — Sun, 17 Dec 2006 00:37:00 +0000

This morning some friends and I rode over the hills to San Gregorio, where we stopped at the General Store for some homemade snacks to refuel ourselves for the ride back. The pace of life is very laid back in this quaint, out-of-the-way town off Highway 1. Unless a car happens to be passing by (we saw two or three), nothing there betrays which of the past five or six decades we're in. I highly recommend spending an afternoon there. The General Store has live music usually involving a banjo or a guitar and one or more fellows with beards and plaid shirts. And my fingers and toes were won over by the old stand-alone fireplace.

So this is the first time I've used my cycling GPS unit on a ride all the way to the coast. For the curious, it's an Edge 305, and it was a generous gift from dad. Here's the data it gathered, sliced and diced into interesting graphs and figures courtesy of motionbased.com. Look at that elevation map. Wow. Note the links on the left that lead to more detailed data. And here's a full-page map of the route. It's fun to view in Google Earth, with 3D terrain.

I didn't take my camera along today, but here's a photo of some friends and I at the top of West Alpine, from two weeks ago.

Pescadero Ride

noreply@blogger.com (jared) — Mon, 28 Nov 2005 02:50:00 +0000

Last year I started road biking with a small group of friends. Brad Goodson is the most experienced among us, and he's helped us all improve quite a bit. We like to go on long 50-75 mile rides on Saturday mornings. Our favorite ride is to Pescadero, because the views are magnificent, and we can stop halfway at a goat farm for some fresh goat cheese with chives or cranberries. A general store down the street sells pastries and fresh baked bread with artichoke. Mmm... We have some fine lunches in Pescadero.

Katie recently went on her own, and snapped some photos of the views along the way. (When in a group, we're usually too intense to stop for photo shoots.) Enjoy!

Some of my favorite software

noreply@blogger.com (jared) — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 06:42:00 +0000

Free Software

Cygwin - a Linux-like environment for Windows
Ghostscript - view Postscript files and create PDFs for free
iTunes - the best jukebox and online music store
Keyhole - a whole new way of looking at the world
Mozilla Firefox - the best browser for disenchanted IE users
Opera - supposedly the most standards-compliant browser
Picasa - second-to-none photo organizer and album generator
PStill - a shareware PDF converter for Windows and Mac OS X
PuTTY - Telnet and SSH with an xterm terminal emulator
SciTE - a free source-code editor for Windows and X
Webshots - desktop background image collection provider
WinZip - handy utility for file and folder compression

Some of my favorite websites

noreply@blogger.com (jared) — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 06:33:00 +0000

News

Google News - clusters stories from 1000's of news sources
Reuters - a reliable news authority
Scientific American - perhaps the best science news site
Washington Post - well-respected news source
Yahoo News - nice presentation, lots of photos

Shopping

AddAll - best site for comparison book shopping
Amazon - broadest selection, often the best prices
CNET Shopper - comparison shop for computers & tech gadgets
Froogle - trust the folks at Google to scour the web for deals
PriceGrabber - powerful comparison shopping for tech stuff

Other Services

CiteSeer - scientific literature digital library
Free Fonts - the best free font collection online
Google - there's still nothing else like it
Google Maps - so long Mapquest...
QuickTime - watch all the latest movie trailers
USPS - search the official address database

Laurie's tap recital

noreply@blogger.com (jared) — Mon, 13 Jun 2005 06:33:00 +0000

Laurie's been taking tap lessons for a while now, and last night she performed to Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel" with her class members in a public recital. It was excellent. She's well on her way to achieving her goal of mastering the famous Gene Kelly solo in "Singin' in the Rain."