David's Blog

Club Med Beckons Again

2011-03-06T14:22:00.000-08:00

The weather here in Vancouver has been unseasonably cold recently. For example, two weeks ago, the temperature dipped to about -6 degrees Celsius and, with the wind chill factor, weathermen said it would feel closer to -17 degrees Celsius. And then last week, we had a windstorm. Last Wednesday, winds were said to approach 100 kilometres per hour. Thursday was slightly better. This, at a time when Spring should be just around the corner and when temperatures are supposed to be closer to plus 9 degrees Celsius. Overall, it has been a miserable couple of weeks and it has made me think about Club Med’s offerings of resorts in warmer climes. A vacation where the sun is shining and the beaches are inviting is real appealing right now.

I had considered Club Med several years ago. They have a variety of resorts, depending upon your age and interests. For example, some resorts cater more to the hard-partying crowd, while others are intended for people who are not so much into the hard partying. Now that I have small children, I am certainly keeping my eyes open for vacations that are family-friendly. Fortunately, Club Med offers some resorts that are family-oriented. For example, Club Med Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic is referred to as a Baby Club Med but actually offers a lot for older children too. Like other resorts, it features beaches and beach activities, plus a skateboard park and teenager hangout. I am definitely going to explore more of what they have to offer.

Eigenvalue and Eigenvector Calculator

2010-07-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

The web page to which the title of this post is hot linked is the most recent utility I have added for computing the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a real general matrix. It accepts square matrices of up to size twelve by twelve (this limit was arbitrarily picked by me, because that was the largest size matrices with which I worked during my undergraduate engineering studies).

As cited on the page itself, this eigenvalue and eigenvector solver is a translation of routines that come from the EISPACK collection of routines, specifically, balanc, hqr2, elmhes, eltran, and balbak.

Note that the results of the computation may be complex, but the inputs are all assumed to be real entries.

Also note that this utility can solve symmetric matrices, but using a program specifically written for symmetric matrices would be more efficient.

Online Matrix Calculator

2010-06-06T13:15:00.000-07:00

The web page to which the title of this post is hot-linked is the most recent utility I have added for solving simultaneous equations. It features a few changes and additions compared to the simultaneous equation solvers already posted on the site.

First of all, as mentioned in a previous post, the method of accepting input has been changed; instead of accepting input from an individual text box for each entry, data is now input all at once via a textarea box. Similarly, instead of outputting results to individual text boxes, results are output to the body of the web page. These changes are meant to make it more convenient to copy data to and from the utility, thereby reducing the possibility of introducing errors into the input and output. Note that the output can look confusing for larger matrices; lines wrap to stay within the body of the web page, breaking up rows of the matrix. For example, in the case of a 12 x 12 matrix, on my computer each row of the matrix is output on three lines. However, if the entire output section is copied to a plaintext document, the line wraps go back to where they belong (i.e. - the matrix displays as expected: twelve lines of twelve entries each).

The program, itself, offers some additional capabilities compared to the other simultaneous equation solvers on this site: in addition to being able to solve larger systems (up to twelve equations in twelve unknowns), this utility computes the determinant, the LU-Decomposition, and the inverse of the [A] matrix. In fact, much of this additional capability is included in the existing programs, but not used. The algorithm underlying the program for solving N Equations in N Unknowns performs an LU-Decomposition as one of the steps toward solving the system, but the results of the LU-Decomposition are not output by the other Javascript pages. Furthermore, once an LU-Decomposition has been performed on a matrix, computing the determinant and inverse of that matrix is quite simple. These matrix properties, too, are not output by the other Javascript pages presently on site. This latest utility takes advantage of the fact that, since most of the work is already done (the LU-Decomposition), computing and outputting a few additional properties of the [A] matrix is quick and relatively easy. So, this Javascript utility does compute and output those properties:
1) the [P], [L], and [U] matrices are output, where [P] is the permutation matrix (which keeps track of the permutations that were involved in the decomposition), [L] is the Lower Matrix, and [U] is the Upper Matrix;
2) the determinant of the [A] matrix is computed and output; and
3) the inverse of the [A] matrix is computed and output, [A]^-1.

Note that this utility may be used to compute these properties of the [A] matrix without solving a valid system of simultaneous equations. For example, say a user only wants to compute the matrix determinant. In this case, the user would enter a dummy b vector. I use (1 1 1 . . . )^T, but it doesn’t matter what the b vector is, as long as it has the appropriate number of entries. The utility would then be executed and the results for the x vector ignored. The properties of [A] are not effected by b, so entering a fake b vector doesn’t change the determinant, LU-Decomposition, or inverse of [A].

Free Math Tools for Science and Engineering Students

2009-07-19T16:49:00.000-07:00

On the page in the title of this post are presented links to several numerical mathematics tools, programs written in Javascript for performing specific numerical tasks. I have been working on these math programs for several years but never explained why I do it. So, here goes . . .

When I was an engineering undergraduate, commercial mathematics software was not provided by my school. When the need arose for computer programs that solved math problems, we either searched for existing code or wrote the programs ourselves. At the time, I found good-quality source code written in FORTRAN but had a “C” compiler. So I translated the programs from FORTRAN into “C”. Then, instead of letting the programs sit on a floppy disk in the closet doing nothing, I translated them from “C” into Javascript. (In fact, I have received several requests for “C” source code, so that is slowly getting posted too.)

Posting the routines online as Javascript programs transforms them from passive documents into dynamic, immediate-for-use, tools accessible to anybody with an Internet connection. A few other aspects of Javascript are worth mentioning:

1) Javascript syntax is very similar to that of “C”, so the translation from “C” to Javascript is pretty simple.
2) Javascript programs incorporated in a web page can be run in any browser, regardless of whether the page is being viewed on a computer running Windows, Linux, Mac, etc.
3) A separate executable does not have to be downloaded nor does a plug-in have to be installed.
4) The pages can be saved and the programs can be used in a browser offline.

Over the years, the number of routines posted on the site has grown significantly: there are now utilities for computing the roots of polynomial equations, solving simultaneous equations, computing eigenvalues and eigenvectors, linear least-square data-fitting, cubic spline interpolation, minimization/maximization, numerical integration, and more. In addition, more are planned.

Finally, one short note before I conclude this post. The interface for many of the utilities is getting changed slightly. Instead of requiring all the inputs to be typed in individually, which can get quite tedious and increases the chances of entering typos, more use is being made of textarea boxes, in which all input data can be entered at once. This approach gives users the capability to copy data from a plain-text document and then pasted into the form--a much quicker process and one that eliminates the potential for typos in the input data. In other words, regardless of where the data may come from, as long as it is first copied into a plain-text document and arranged in the appropriate format, it can then quickly and easily be copied into the data input box of the utility.

Free Email: RocketScientists.ca

2009-01-05T19:55:00.000-08:00

I have added a free email service to rocketscientists.ca; hopefully, it will generate some additional interest in the site and provide a useful service to users.

Presently, the link to the email login or new user registration page is pretty nondescript, it is just a small link in the upper right side of the main page. It doesn't have a larger presence on the page because it is not the main reason for the site's being; it is just a nice-to-have feature. But I still hope the domain appeals to some high-tech enthusiasts whose fancy might be tickled by the rocketscientists domain.

Polynomial Root-finding with the Jenkins-Traub Algorithm

2008-03-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

I finally completed an article I have been working on regarding Polynomial Root-finding with the Jenkins-Traub Algorithm. I submitted it for publication on math-blog.com and am happy to see that it has been published:

http://math-blog.com/2008/03/06/polynomial-root-finding-with-the-jenkins-traub-algorithm/

Books, DVDs, CDs, Calendars, and More

2007-05-21T13:00:00.000-07:00

I am a regular buyer of books and magazines and over the years I have found Amazon Canada to be a good source of items I cannot find anywhere else–-and at competitive prices. For example, some of the specialized computer programming books I have purchased were not available at the local “Chapters” bookstores (around the Coquitlam and Burnaby area). Among the books I did find at the local “Chapters” stores, I found them offered at lower prices through Amazon.ca. And delivery was quick and convenient.

So I recently applied to become an Amazon.ca affiliate. It seemed like a good fit: I like books, read a lot of them, my websites are designed for students and are featured on many university websites, and it is an opportunity to try to make the sites self-supporting. Fortunately, my application was accepted and one of my affiliate links is on the page in the title link of this post.

If you purchase items such as books, DVDs, CDs, and calendars online, I would highly recommend shopping at Amazon Canada. Setting up an account is pretty simple. You base the account on an e-mail address, provide a mailing address, and supply credit card information (once!). Future purchases on amazon.ca are then done by logging into your account, but you do not have to re-enter credit card information.

If you are already a customer of amazon.ca, or become one in the future, please consider going through my affiliate link. Doing so will not affect your prices in any way, but I would certainly appreciate the commission. Of course, you do not have to go through my link; your only reason for doing so would be to help me out.

And if you do decide to go through my affiliate link, thank-you very much.

Angela’s Third Birthday

2007-04-29T11:18:00.000-07:00

Angela’s third birthday party this past Saturday was a success. Her birthday is actually April 26, but the party was held two days later, on Saturday, April 28, in Blue Mountain Park. The weather cooperated, many guests showed up, and there was lots of food. As always, Thess had planned many games for the children (i.e. - tug-of-war, a pinata, sack races, etc.). Overall, it was a good time.

Moon Phases Calendar

2007-03-11T16:12:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally got my Lunaria Lunar Almanac, three months into the new year. I had actually tried to order it earlier from calendarclub.ca (the same place I had ordered it from last year); however, they told me they hadn’t sold enough of the 2006 edition to stock the 2007 edition. And I hadn’t made a point of looking for it again until recently. I finally ordered it through amazon.ca; in fact, I even applied to become an affiliate of amazon.ca and now have a listing for the almanac on my own website (in the title link of this post).

I really like this almanac. I am not into Wicca or astrology, but the day-by-day information about the moon it provides is very nice. In addition to information about the phases of the moon, it also provides information about what astrological house the moon is in, its rise and set times, solstice/equinox times, and much more. Beautiful!

A Nice Perspective on Life

2007-02-18T16:21:00.000-08:00

Some time ago, I came across a nice anecdote about time management. Since first hearing it, I have come across it several times in different versions. I am pretty sure one version is in one of Stephen Covey’s books (perhaps “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People”). And there is a college version in which the punchline goes something along the lines of “there’s always room for beer.”

My favorite version is the one with a more profound application to life. The link above is one such version, and I have even printed out a hard copy, which is pinned up in front of my desk and re-read every now and then. It is a good reminder to slow down and think about life, perhaps even re-think goals and ambitions. In fact, I have initiated a few changes in my life over the past few years specifically because of such re-evaluations.

Always get gas in Hope

2006-09-29T09:35:00.000-07:00

A tip for anybody traveling into or out of the Lower Mainland of British Columbia: always get gas at Hope. One of my habits whenever I drive out of or into the Lower Mainland is to gas up in Hope. On the way out of the Lower Mainland, I usually plan my trip so that I have enough gas to make it to Hope, where I fill up. On the trip back into the Lower Mainland, I also plan the trip so that I can fill up in Hope. And on a few trips, I have also brought a couple extra gas cans to fill up too. Why get gas in Hope? Gas is significantly less expensive than in the Lower Mainland. The price of gas in, say, Vancouver includes about 12 cents per litre for Translink taxes. (Translink is the local body responsible for managing public transit in the Lower Mainland. They are an unelected body, but they have somehow managed to assume the authority to impose taxes where they want. Not sure how that happened; I don’t want them and their taxes. And, as a resident of the Lower Mainland, I don’t recall being asked about it). In other words, gas is presently about $1.00 per litre, and 12 cents of that $1.00 is Translink taxes. By gassing up in Hope, a person saves the additional expense of those nonsense taxes, but (on the way in to the Lower Mainland) is close enough to arrive with the tank still full, so you can still last a week or longer without having to fill up locally. And if you make regular trips, up the Fraser canyon, up the Coquihalla Highway, out to the Fraser Valley, etc. you can fill up in Hope as often as possible to avoid the excessive taxes as much as possible. Some Lower Mainland residents make day trips to the U.S. to gas up and purchase milk, eggs, cheese, etc. I prefer to stay in B.C. and gas up in Hope.

Nathaniel’s First Day of School

2006-09-06T14:59:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Nathaniel’s first day of school (kindergarten). Classes this week are short (9 am – 10 am) because the school has a gradual entry program. Supposedly, children entering school for the first time find it easier to get used to school if they are eased into the new routine. Next week, the proper schedule takes effect: 9 am – 11:30. In any case, Nathaniel was not nervous. He thought it was fun and looked forward to class this morning too. I had been looking forward to this (probably more than he was); this is a big first step on a new adventure for him. This year should be fun. And I hope he learns a lot.

The Great Pyramid Decoded

2006-09-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

Just finished reading the following book. Not very good.

“The Great Pyramid Decoded”
by Peter Lemesurier
Element Books, Inc., 1996
Rockport, MA. USA

Fly Fishing: A Trip to Houston

2006-08-27T16:19:00.000-07:00

Last week, I took a week-long trip to Houston, British Columbia. As always, I enjoyed the time spent out of the city and in a small town. And, as always, the weather was beautiful. I usually make a trip to Houston once a year, in the summer. Summers tend to be warm and dry; in fact, they are too dry. Farmers and gardeners are always complaining about the lack of water. It rarely rains and, when it does, the rainfall is so light the water barely soaks into the soil. The warm dry weather may not be good for farmers, but it does make visits pleasant for tourists who just spend a little time there.

The skies are also clearer outside of the Lower Mainland; I always seem to come back with a nice tan (ironic, that I don’t tan when I am in the south, but get a nice tan when I go north).

We also enjoyed spending time in Steelhead Park, which is just across Highway 16 from the shopping centre. It is well-maintained, has a nice water fountain, and boasts the World's Largest Fly Rod:

http://www.roadsideattractions.ca/rod.htm

We also took a trip to Smithers, which is a 45-minute drive west of Houston along Highway 16.
Smithers is a very nice small town; it seems to have all the amenities of a small city: a McDonald’s, Tim Hortons, airport, etc.

We headed home from Houston early Friday morning.
Just out of curiousity, I used the trip odometer on my car to check the distance from Houston to Coquitlam. From being parked at my dad’s house, to being parked in my apartment building’s parking lot was 1084 kilometres. This number included a few stops along the way for gas and food but, otherwise, is pretty accurate.

Social Bookmarking

2006-08-21T12:53:00.000-07:00

Some time ago, I got into “social bookmarking”. I had heard about it for a while, but never really paid attention to it. However, I finally decided to try it out, and I like it.

If you are unfamiliar with social bookmarking, basically it refers to saving your bookmarks online at one of the many sites that offer such a service. My favorite is del.icio.us (the URL is included in the title link of this post). The interface is quite plain, but the service is good (and it is free). And having my bookmarks saved online is extremely convenient. Previously, I would often come across a good website at work, and I would e-mail the URL to myself at home. Or vice versa. Now, whenever I find a good link, I don’t have to e-mail myself back-and-forth; I just log into my del.icio.us account and save the URL. I still have a folder full of favorites in the web browser on my computer; however, having them saved online makes them accessible from any computer in the world connected to the Internet. So I can access them from a public library, Internet café, etc. In addition, I consider such services to provide redundancy for my favorite links. For example, if I update my web browser, re-format my computer’s hard drive, get a virus, get a new computer, etc., I don’t have to worry about losing all my favorite links–-good-quality links which have been collected over several years.

Regarding the del.icio.us site specifically, by default, all saved URLs are public. Basically, when you save a URL, you also give it a name and assign meaningful tags to it. For example, if you save the URL http://www.iht.com/ you might give it the title “International Herald Tribune” and assign the following tags to it: news online-news online-newspaper politics

The tags help you find and/or group your sites later (as you gather hundreds of URLs). The tags also make your saved sites searchable by other people (remember, by default, all saved URLs are public). It works both ways: other people can see your sites; you can see other people’s sites. For example, if you check out what other sites people are assigning to the “online-newspaper” tag, you might discover some other good-quality news sites (I have found some of the best online resources this way). Sites which many people have saved recently are listed on the del.icio.us front page.

If you want to keep a URL from being public, click the “Keep Private” checkbox beside the URL textbox when first saving the URL.

Besides del.icio.us, there are hundreds of online bookmarking sites. For example, if you have customized your Yahoo! (http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/) or Google (http://www.google.com/ig) homepage, you have the option of saving your favorite links. To mention a few others:

Blinklist
http://www.blinklist.com/

Shadows
http://www.shadows.com

Blue Dot
http://bluedot.us/friends/dots

A search for bookmarking sites or bookmarking managers should turn up many more, if you are interested.

--------------------------------

A plug for a couple of my sites:
If you use any social bookmarking services please bookmark my sites (and if you do, thank-you very much!):

Numerical Mathematical Utilities
http://www.akiti.ca/Mathfxns.html

Suggested tags: mathematics eigenvalue eigenvector quadratic cubic quartic spline integration algebra matrix

- - -

Aerospace Engineering Resources
http://www.rocketscientists.ca/

Suggested tags: aerospace engineering aerodynamics aeronautics rocket rocketscience rocketscientist mathematics

Quadratic Equation Solver to get a Complete Workover

2006-08-14T12:01:00.000-07:00

I thought it was time to completely re-work the code for the three polynomial root-finding utilities I had written (solvers for the Quadratic, Cubic, and Quartic equations).

Presently, all three programs are simply codings of the textbook formulae for the roots of these equations. However, the textbook formulae do not properly deal with and quantify errors that arise when dealing with floating-point numbers in a computer program.

So I am presently in the process of re-writing all three programs like a proper computer scientist should: assume round-off errors will be present, and code to handle them properly (ideally, keep their effects to a minimum, and quantify them so that a user has some idea how meaningful the results are). I have found some highly-recommended code (in FORTRAN) for a general polynomial solver and am translating it into C++. Once that is done, I plan to post it by itself as a generic solver (as it is supposed to be). I will then further re-write the code into three separate programs, customized specifically for each case of polynomial in which I am interested (degree two, three, and four).

Prehistoric Policies of Canada Customs

2006-08-13T12:32:00.000-07:00

Cannot resist posting about the behind-the-times policies of Canada Customs.

As might be gathered from previous posts, I travel quite a lot. (Also made many trips before starting this blog.)

If you have ever flown into Canada, you’ll know that each person entering Canada must be listed on a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Declaration Card, on which must also be listed the value of goods being brought into Canada. This declaration form is utter nonsense. The only other nation that uses such a declaration form (that I know of) is America. You can fly to most countries in Europe, India, China, Japan, and more, without having to waste your time on B.S. like this form.

A little more about this form.
The main purpose of this form is to shake money out of people. The form specifically asks about gifts being brought into Canada, their value, as well as alcohol and cigarettes. In Canada, I think 50% (if not more) of the purchase price of alcohol and cigarettes is taxes, which go toward supporting Canada’s bloated–and useless–social programs. Instead of eliminating these ridiculous programs, cutting taxes, and eliminating the motive for travelers to load up on alcohol or tobacco before entering Canada, Canada’s policy is, instead, to restrict the amounts people can bring into the country with them.

Of secondary interest is the value of goods being brought into Canada. Canada Customs agents have a general idea where each flight is arriving from so they tend to give special attention to passengers arriving from particular places. For example, if they know Flight XXX just arrived from Hong Kong, and Hong Kong is known as a shoppers’ heaven, they would do more “random” checks of passengers who disembarked from this flight. If a traveler is found to have several children toys, electronic instruments, gadgets, etc., Canada Customs will generally confiscate the items AND fine the traveler $200 - $300. On the other hand, if a traveler does declare goods being brought into Canada, they are hit with duties and taxes.

Canada does not have a domestic SLR camera manufacturing industry to protect, but a person bringing in, say, a Nikon camera would still be hit with duties and taxes. Canada does not have a domestic television manufacturing industry to protect, but a person bringing in, say, a Sony television would still be hit with duties and taxes.

In fact, I have even seen an old woman from Austria being fined for bringing in too many chocolate bars for her grandchildren. It was mid-December. The Customs agent had brought her into the inspection area for a random check and he felt that she was carrying too many chocolate bars (I think she had six). He confiscated the chocolate bars AND fined her. I was in the line beside her thinking that if this is her first visit to Canada she must be getting a terrible first impression. Honestly, does the Canadian government really think this is a good way to greet people coming to Canada? If I were treated that way, I certainly wouldn’t want to spend another tourist dollar in Canada and I’d be telling everyone I could back home about my experience too. For my part, I spread the word among my networks (co-workers, community groups, volunteer groups, family, etc.). I also recommend to everybody I can to open a foreign bank account and get as much money out of Canada as possible. Under Canadian law, foreign bank accounts are allowed. I hope Canada Customs enjoyed that $300 they got out of that old woman. I am sure that, over the years, I have encouraged much more than $300 to leave Canada. And for the foreseeable future I’ll be recommending everybody not come to Canada for visits, trade shows, conferences, etc.

(I do a lot of traveling for business, bringing demo equipment back and forth with me, which is listed on a Carnet, so I go through the inspection area when returning from every trip I take, so I have seen a LOT of what goes on in the inspection area.)

This form is just another means of generating revenue for Canada, to support their high-tax and spend practices. Either they get you when you honestly declare goods being brought into the country or they fine you if you don’t. I will never be convinced that these policies are anything but a petty cash grab.

The form also requests travelers to declare if they are bringing with them more than $10,000 in monetary instruments (cash, cheques, money orders, etc.). Not sure how such a matter is Canada’s business. I make my money honestly and at one time even held three jobs to try to get ahead. If I decide to bring more than $10,000 in or out of the country with me, that is nobody else’s business. The policy behind having such a question on this form is just another reason the credibility of Canada’s political/legal system has all but evaporated.

Banks No Longer Taking Money?!

2006-08-13T12:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I tried to pay an MBNA MasterCard bill at the Bank of Montreal (BMO). I happen to also have a MasterCard issued by BMO, but I do not have an account there. Paying the BMO MasterCard has never been a problem and, usually, paying a MasterCard bill has been possible at any other financial institution that issues a MasterCard card. However, yesterday I was told that BMO’s policy recently changed. Apparently, their new policy is to not accept bill payments from a person unless the person has an account with them (the bill was only about $27 so I had planned to pay the bill with cash). I was advised to go to a bank where I have an account, register the bill with that bank, and pay the bill there. Register!? What does that mean? And what is the point? If that means I will be charged a service charge for paying a bill, I want no part of it. If not, what is the point? Is this policy simply new “Big Brother” nonsense in action? So I will deal with that bill later.

I then went to the HSBC where I hoped to deposit some Euros in my Swiss Franc account (I had some left over from my recent trip to Munich). One nice feature of the HSBC is that for many years they have offered accounts in a variety of currencies: American dollars, Japanese Yen, Swiss Francs, etc. It was a convenient way to hold money in a variety of currencies while remaining within Canada. I had opened a Swiss Franc account a number of years ago. In any case, I was told that the bank’s new policy was to charge a service charge for foreign currency transactions (such a charge had not existed previously). The charge is $4.00. In addition, they would not be able to convert it from Euros directly to Swiss Francs. They would have to convert it first to Canadian dollars, and then from Canadian dollars to Swiss Francs for deposit into my account. I assume the HSBC has a healthy spread–in their favour–when it comes to currency conversions, so not only would I be getting burnt by the service charge, I would also be burnt–twice–on the currency conversion. What nonsense. I decided not to proceed with the transaction; I will hold onto those Euros until my next trip to Europe. What is going on at the HSBC lately? They used to be my favorite bank. However, lately they seem to have been taken over by bureaucrats whose sole purpose is to bite their customers’ ankles and antagonize them. My wife and I closed our chequing account at the HSBC some time ago specifically because of the service charges. We moved most of our banking to a President’s Choice account. When we go house-hunting and shop around for a mortgage, we certainly won’t consider the HSBC.

These incidents remind me of another ridiculous bank policy. I also have a GreenLine account at the TD Bank. I used to go into a local branch every Saturday morning to deposit some money into this account. However, one Saturday I was told that their new policy was not to accept cash deposits before noon. They could accept cheques, but for cash I should come back after noon. Can you believe this?! A bank not willing to accept cash?! I am certainly not going to interrupt my Saturday activities so that I can go to the bank in the noon - 3 p.m. time slot; if I am on the beach or at a sporting event, I am not going leave, go to the bank, and then try to resume my activities. Have banks really become so arrogant that they expect their customers to reorganize their lives around them?!?

Canadian banks have apparently been taken over by ankle-biters. Yet every few years they talk about merging because (so they say) foreign banks are bigger, offering more services, and, therefore, Canadian banks must become bigger in order to be competitive with foreign banks. The implication is that unless the Canadian government allows mergers to take place among Canadian banks, foreign banks will steal customers away from Canadian banks. Here’s a tip to Canadian bankers: Foreign banks are not stealing customers away from you; Canadian banks are driving away customers by the introduction of many ridiculous, “Big Brother”-type, ankle-biting policies. Foreign bank here I come.

Trip to Munich

2006-08-11T22:04:00.000-07:00

Have finally found time to post about my recent trip to Munich, Germany (July 28 - August 5). This flight was much shorter than my last flight (to India); however, I missed the variety of TV channels that were available on the flight to India. The flight to India was on a Boeing 777, whereas the flight to Munich was on a MD11. The MD11 did not offer the individual monitors with several channels of viewing entertainment that are offered on a Boeing 777 or Airbus A330-200.

The trip itself was fine. I really like Munich. I had been there before and liked it then too. I spent most of my time around the Technical University of Munich but found some time to explore a few other places I hadn’t visited before. Of course I strolled through Marienplatz and had a meal (with beer) at the Hofbrauhaus. I also went up to the Olympic Park, the site of the 1972 Olympics. For anybody who is interested in science and technology, I also highly recommend the Deutches Museum. It is not like other museums, that simply have a bunch of pictures and statues. The Deutches Museum is mainly concerned with the development of science and technology, and has many hands-on displays. Of all the museums I have visited, this one is my favorite.

The trip back was uneventful and on-time. About the only twist I found a little irritating is the two extra security checks. (This was before the bomb plot in the UK was broken up). The first one was in Amsterdam (I was flying KLM from Munich to Amsterdam to Vancouver). Even though we never left the security area, we still had to go through a security screen to get to the connecting flight to Vancouver. Okay, fine. I had expected that from the outbound flight. However, there was another security check just before the gate to board the Vancouver flight. This was the first time I have seen a security check for a single gate. The second extra check was in Vancouver right after disembarking the airplane. Customs Canada employees were doing a passport check. Again, this was a first. What a nuisance! Has there been an agreement made among politicians that they are trying to make air travel as inconvenient as possible? It is bad enough that flying to America has become a real hassle; in fact, I have tried to eliminate travel to the U.S. as much as possible and hopefully can avoid going there until this Homeland Security nonsense goes away. Now it seems that Canada has joined the drive to piss off flyers too. What’s going on? Are people supposed to retreat into caves until governments knock on their doors and try to regulate people’s right to sit in their caves?

July 2006 Trip to Mumbai India

2006-07-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I thought it was time to post (belatedly) a little about my recent trip to Mumbai (Bombay), India. Our flight left Vancouver July 8 at 2:55 am. We arrived in Hong Kong July 9 at 7:10 am. Having a 7 hour wait in Hong Kong, I had some time to explore the airport. It is very clean and modern, with many stores to visit. However, I did not find the prices to be as good as I expected, especially considering that the stores claimed to be duty free. Perhaps these stores think, because they are airport stores, they have a captive consumer. So duties may not be applied, but prices are raised to put some extra cash in the merchants’ pockets. I don’t know for sure what the reasons are. In any case, I found lower prices in Mumbai. For example, the duty-free liquor store in the Mumbai airport sold identical bottles of liquor for about 25% less than the duty-free store in the Hong Kong airport (The other nice feature of the Mumbai airport is that it is probably the only airport in the world that has lounge chairs in which a person can actually stretch out and take a nap).

The connecting flight left Hong Kong at 2:15 pm and arrived in Mumbai at 7:30 pm. Whew! Finally! And I lost a day flying over the International Date Line (Oh well, I’ll get that lost day back when I fly back).

My stay in Mumbai was good. The hotel was excellent: The Renaissance Mumbai Hotel & Convention Centre in Powai (Powai is a part of Mumbai). They offered a good variety of English-language television and a buffet breakfast was included with the room.

Visited other parts of Mumbai too, for example, Ghatkopar and Bandra.

Overall, Mumbai seems to be constantly under construction. It is very crowded and traffic is a nightmare—similar to traffic in the Philippines. There are some very poor parts of town, and there are some sections that look like the shopping areas of North America.

Security was present everywhere. I think it may be that security guards are so cheap that everybody hires one, so every building seemed to have at least one.
While I was there, the seven bombs went off on the West line, shutting down one of the major rail lines (the other main line is the Central line). It also made security even tighter. Previously, to get on to the hotel grounds, we had to go through a gate at which the guards even checked out the bottoms of vehicles with mirrors. And then at the hotel itself, another group of security guards checked out any big bags and pieces of luggage. After the bomb blasts, security got even tighter; the hotel staff added a metal-detector at the hotel entrance and all guests had to get checked out. Even laptop bags and purses. It was just like what a person goes through at an airport.

Besides the added security presence everywhere, and everybody talking about it, the bomb blasts did not otherwise affect my trip. I did not see or hear the blasts directly myself, not did I meet anybody who had. Nor did I meet anybody who had been injured in the blasts or know anybody who had been. The only affect it had on the people around me was that, at some of the companies I was visiting, because of the transit shutdown, many people could not get home so they were sleeping in their offices.

And that’s about as close to excitement as I got on my trip to Mumbai.

The trip back to Vancouver was quick and easy. The flight left Mumbai July 14 at 4:50 am. Arrived in Hong Kong at 3:30 pm. This time, I only had about an hour to make it to the connecting flight: The flight left Hong Kong at 4:35 pm and arrived back in Vancouver at 1:45 pm (July 14). It is good to be home.

It's Hard to See What Goes On in Muddy Waters

2006-07-19T09:26:00.001-07:00

I finally finished reading the latest book I had picked up:

“The Early History of Rome”
by Livy
Books I - V of The History of Rome from its Foundations

Translated by Aubrey de Selincourt
With an Introduction by R. M. Ogilvie
and a Preface and Additional Material by S. P. Oakley
Penguin Books
(Penguin Classics)
2002
London

In addition, I found the source for the expression about muddy waters I have been seeking for a long time:

Page 243, first paragraph.
Spoken by Lucius Cornelius Maluginensis
“I can but suppose they are trusting to the fact that what goes on in a muddy stream is less easily detected.”

Google Analytics Code Added to Several Pages

2006-05-23T14:07:00.000-07:00

This past long weekend (Victoria Day) was not too eventful. After being sunny all week, you could be pretty sure of rain on the long weekend (and it happened). So . . . I spent most of the weekend indoors and got some work done. Having finally received Google Analytics code, I found time to add the code to several webpages on the akiti site: http://www.akiti.ca/Mathfxns.html
Several pages remain to have the code added; hopefully, I will get that done by the end of next weekend.

My daughter and I went downtown to get some out-of-town newspapers. I thought she'd enjoy getting out of the house and riding on Skytrain. However, she slept on my arm for most of the trip.

First Post

2006-05-19T16:19:00.000-07:00

This is my first post of my first Blog. Started this afternoon, Friday, May 19, 2006 at about 4pm Pacific time.