Intel HQ As Seen From McAfee HQ

Intel and McAfee have been close for many years, at least physically :-) This is a view from the seventh floor of the McAfee headquarters on Freedom Circle in Santa Clara looking at Intel's HQ on Mission College Blvd. I drive by Intel every day on my way to work. This past Thursday was the first time I stopped there to support the announcement of the acquisition of McAfee by Intel. An exciting experience.

The End of Garbagemen

The street I grew up in back in the Netherlands has changed little over the years. When I visited last weekend I noticed some change though: two new high tech garbage deposit units, underground dumpsters.

To be entirely honest, I didn't notice the receptacles at first. I first noticed that both my parents and my grandmother (they live on the same street) had a new ATM/credit card type pass in their kitchens. I found out that the passes allow access to the new garbage cans (to prevent strangers from dumping and filling up the dumpsters.)

Instead of putting out the thrash once a week for the garbage truck to pick it up, residents now walk to the new receptacle whenever they have a full bag and dump at will after opening the system with their personal card. When the underground dumpster is full, it calls out to the city for a truck to empty it. As a result their is no longer a need for people who walk behind trucks and throw bags into them.

It all seems to make sense, though grandma is sad that the friendly garbagemen are gone and won't wave at her anymore. Also, when I was there he spiffy new dumpster was broken and there was no dumping.

The House is Ready For Holland to Win!

Mom and dad brought some flags from Holland to decorate the house in anticipation of Friday's Holland-Brazil quarter final in the World Cup. The neighbor asked: "Will there be a party, or is this a crime scene?"

Construction By Chopper

Usually when I hear the continuous sound of a helicopter nearby my house it is at night and there's a bright search light shining down on a nearby neighborhood. This morning when I heard the noise I couldn't at first find the chopper, until I started driving to work. Passing by the Westfield Valley Fair Mall I saw this helicopter with a rope dangling from it, probably for hoisting construction material onto a roof. Interesting way of doing construction.

Silicon Valley Window Washers

These guys are washing the 11 story tower across from the building I'm in. I never paid much attention to them before, but they've got a security mechanism that requires a manual action when the cart moves down, otherwise they will end up hanging on the safety line above the cart.