Email Time Capsule

Last night, I found an interesting site where you can send yourself an email for future delivery. Being the internet junkie that I am, I’m surprised I haven’t come across something like this before. While I’m sure most of us have no idea if we’ll have our same email address in a year, (let alone twenty years!), you’ve really got nothing to lose. I think I’ll go ahead and sign up for each option.

UPDATE: As it turns out, Forbes was only accepting messages up until November 30th. If you follow the link provided, it will take you to an interesting article about how the whole thing works. Ensuring the integrity of the data is a lot more complex than some might think. Good read.

In the mean time, you can mosey on over to FutureMe.org if you’ve got the hankerin’ to send your future self an email.

Also, for what it’s worth, it doesn’t seem like the guys over at FutureMe.org are all that happy with Forbes.

Rules of the Road

When I was first considering moving to Taiwan, I had a lot of people tell me that the traffic here was insane. And to tell you the truth, that was my first impression when I arrived here some five months ago. However, the more I observed the traffic patterns and the way people drove, the more it started to make sense. As a matter of fact, I think it makes a hell of a lot more sense that driving in the U.S. Not long after making this realization, I was the proud owner of a second hand scooter and was ready to hit the streets.

When I was in the U.S., I absolutely hated to drive my pickup. Couln’t stand it. But I loved riding my motorcycle. There’s something about the open road that I find satisfying. Thankfully, I get to enjoy that experience everyday here in Taiwan. Riding my scooter around Hsinchu is nothing short of a little slice of heaven and I’m about to tell you a few of the reasons why.

Driving in Taiwan is a very dynamic experience. By American standards, you really do see some crazy things but as I said above, it just makes sense. Here’s a list of some of the greatest things about driving a scooter in Taiwan. Most of these are things I’ve always wanted to do on my motorcycle in the States.

• I can park on the sidewalk. At most places, as a matter of fact, you’re pretty much required to. Awesome.
• Say I need to get to a place on the left side of the road and don’t want to be bothered with going down to the next light to make a U-turn. The solution? I merely drive on the wrong side of the street. While it’s technically not legal, it happens all the time. Lane markings here are really more of a suggestion. So when in Rome…
• It’s become apparent to me that a lot of people are just bad at parking. One thing in particular is some people tend to take up more space with their vehicle than they should. The result is usually three quarter or half parking spaces that no one else can use. Don’t you just wish you could pick up their car and move it where it should be? Well, a scooter isn’t nearly as heavy as a car. Yeah, you get the picture.
• One thing I always wanted to do on my motorcycle was skip the queue at a traffic light. Not only is this allowed in Taiwan, it’s encouraged. Most stoplights have a big box painted in front of them indicating where scooters should line up. What’s even better is that you’re free to do just about anything you have to get to that area. So if you need to pass cars on the right, go for it. If you need to pass cars on the wrong side of the street, knock yourself out. One thing I particularly enjoy is driving between two columns of waiting cars. Best.traffic.manuever.ever. Hell, I’ve even been known to weave in and out of the columns. Now that’s what I call a good time.

These are just a few of the perks of owning a scooter in the lovely country of Taiwan. I could go on and on but I think you get the point.

It’s About Damned Time

Baseball, with the help of the boys on the Hill, has finally instituted a decent steroid policy. The new guidelines come just one year after Major League Baseball began their current program, which most considered a farce to begin with.

WASHINGTON (AP) – Major league players and owners agreed to toughen penalties for steroid use to a 50-game suspension for a first failed test, 100 games for a second and a lifetime ban for a third.

As the title of this entry states, it’s about damned time.

Seafood Ice Cream

Ryne has an interesting entry about a new food fad in Taiwan… seafood shaved ice. I’ve had regular shaved ice here and I’ll admit, it’s pretty darned good. The strawberry is espcially tasty, as is the mango. I’m not to sure what I’d think about the seafood variety. I was in Taipei visiting a Taiwanese friend and her sister today and I happened to mention something about this new and exciting snack. My friend offered to take me up to Keelung for a sampling but I respectfully declined. The more I think about it, however, the more I think I’d like to at least try it. You know, just to say I ate it. I mean, how many people, especially in the United States, can say that they’ve eaten seafood flavored ice cream? At any rate, if I ever do get a chance to taste it, I’ll be sure to file a report.

New Site

You’ve probably noticed that this site looks a lot different than it used to. That is because I switched weblog software packages. I’ve gone from WordPress to MovableType. I’m still working some of the kinks out but so far, I prefer this design much better than the old site. Hope you like it to.

You may have also noticed the “Subscribe” section in the menu on your right. Don’t get too excited, though. A subscription to this site doesn’t have many benefits. As a matter of fact, there aren’t any benefits. On the other hand, it is free so you can’t really complain. You will receive one thing and one thing only by signing up for a subscription… your very own unpersonalized, generic email alert every time I update this site. Given my poor track record at keeping this site up to date, I don’t think you’ll have to worry about me flooding your inbox. So I guess there is at least one benefit included with a subscription.

Anyway, go sign up right now and beat the rush!

Highs and Lows

Most people who know me know that I’m a pretty even person. I don’t get too high and I don’t get too low. I clip along through life at a fairly even keel. I hit a pretty good high this weekend that lasted me through yesterday afternoon. It was the best feeling I’d had in months. It was rather spectacular.

Last night when I got home from work, I hit the corresponding low and it’s still hanging around as I type this. The worst part is, I don’t have any idea what the hell it is or what’s causing it. This is probably the worst I’ve felt in a long time. For some reason, I feel really edgy and nervous. This is something that I very rarely experience and I absolutely loathe it. Work has been a tad stressful lately but I know it’s nothing to do with that. Some people might claim that it’s culture shock and/or homesickness finally setting in but I’d argue strongly against either of those as well.

I could use a real pick me up right now. Personally, I think one of Ryne’s solutions would suit me right now. Since finding a Diet Mt. Dew in this country is impossible, that pretty much resigns me to using the “pretty girl” option. Luckily, this country is swimming in beautiful women.