May 2009 Archives

For those who were wondering what the uniforms here looked like, I present to you two images of pure HORROR! 



Gaze upon these pictures and WEEP! 



Bwa ha ha haaa!






As a note: for those who know where I work, the company name and logo appear on the hat and just above the name tag in both pictures.  To avoid any possible complications now or in the future (since I have no idea what COULD happen, I am trying to play it safe) I have blurred out the company name and logo.



There are actually rules covering how the jacket must be zipped up when worn.  This is proper, anything lower on the zipper is improper.  And, yes, it is hot as hell in this thing.

The shirt is surprisingly lightweight.  It is nice considering that they are not permitted to turn on the AC at work until the temperature BREAKS 28C (over 82F).

Wow.  9 days since my last update.  And here I thought I would be writing more often.  Sorry to anyone who happens to visit this page.

So, what have I been up to?

I have been asked this question by multiple people, and the problem is that, depending on who asks me, what I can say changes.  That's the problem with where and what I work on.

So, as simply as  can put it and still be somewhat descriptive, I have been working on the same design for the past week.  Drawing and redrawing, and re-redrawing it.  Back when I was working in the US, I had learned from my coworkers the joys of creating a model with as much parametric referencing for dimensions as possible (Pro-E style).  This allows you to change one or two dimensions early in the model, and the whole thing will re-adjust to fit the new constraints.  I did this with my model, so any changes should be simple...right?

Wrong!

This is not Pro/E that I am working with, this is Inventor.  It works differently, and is picky in so many ways.  Although,  cannot help but think that it might be a little easier to work with if I could read the buttons and error messages I get.  The problem is that the company only has the Japanese language version of the software.  For the most part, the icons are self explanatory, but menu options and error messages are a different story.

So that one project has, pretty much, been taking up most of my time.  Every change requires that after I adjust the dimensions, I must fix every later protrusion, cut, draft, and round that may or may not have any relation to the adjusted feature.

Outside of that little project, the rest of my time at work has been spent learning what my other coworkers in the other groups have been working on.  "Introducing jobs and roles", as my supervisor says. It has been rather interesting.  Some of the enclosure designs (above ground, below ground, and wall mount) have been really interesting.  The interior of the boxes is simple; not in design, but in function.  You look inside the box and you can tell what goes where just from the layout.

Well, it is getting late in the morning, so I need to head out to go to work.  Maybe I will write more tonight.  Maybe it will be next week.  I just do not know.  However, please do check out the  flickr site  as I have photos from the Sanja Matsuri festival in Asakusa, Tokyo this past weekend (there is video up there, too!).

Well, the original plan was to head over to Asakusa and see the sights. Mostly, look at a bunch of temples and shrines. But, as with all of my plans, things had to go awry. Seems that one of the largest and most prominent temples was under renovations. No way in. Well, no worries, I thought. I will just ask for recommendations from the hostel...once I find it.

The hostel was down a back alley off of a back alley...right next to a rather gaudy, by-the-hour hotel. Not a promising first sight. Photos of the hostel's exterior are up on Flickr. Needless to say, the place gave off a funky vibe...and not in the good way. Canceled those reservations like a bad habit!

So, Bee and myself wanted another shot at Roppongi (round 2...FIGHT!). 30 minutes of subway later we arrived at Roppongi Crossing. We gave a feeble attempt at finding a hotel so we could experience the Roppongi nightlife...but 24000¥ was a bit much. Finally, we settled for a steak at Outback and some beer.

After a good meal, we wandered down one of the many offshoots from Roppongi Crossing, and found our way to Paddy Folly's, an absolutely awesome Irish bar. It was nice to sit down with a glass of Bushmills16 year old single malt (Irish whiskey) and chat in English with the bartender and patrons. In all, a fun day that never went according to plan

-posted from iPhone-

edited 2009-05-10 02:05 - Grammer and Formatting

The uploader for MT4 is slow, painfully so.  So, I opened up a Flickr account.  Addy is: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lostinengineering

Ha! Now I can post any time...anywhere! More in the morning. Walked from Ginza to Tokyo Tower. Climbed the stairs down the tower, then walked to Akabanebashi station. 10 hours on feet. Tired. Ache. Will post more in morning. There is much to post.

Bee and I were shopping at our local Bessia when I wandered down the drink aisle and came across a new Final Fantasy themed drink to support the new game, Dissidia.  There are both white black cans and most are covered with Amano's wonderful artwork, although some have 3D CG insted.

The flavor is not that bad, surprsingly.  It is a clear, carbonated beverage.  Taste is a lot like the Sprite Berry had, but with a slighly different edge to the sweet side.  I cannot read Japanese well enough yet to read the ingredients, but I suspect that the drink is sugar sweetened, rather than corn syrup sweetened.

By the way, I am trying out a new plugin for MT.  Clicking on the pick should open the photo.

And since a size comparison was needed, here is a photo of Bee (the other engineer here with me) and myself in Bee's apartment.  To get an idea of scale and proportion here, I am 6'6" and the ceiling is only about another foot to foot and a half above my head.

I have been living in my apartment since the 9th of April, however I only just recently have received internet access.  Below are some photos of my apartment: