Today in the world of Science

Tomorrow's issue of the journal Science contains two highlights for me. The first is the results of the 2008 Science and Engineering Visualization Contest. This contest is co-sponsored by Science Magazine and the National Science Foundation. I have entered this contest three times and was a Finalist one year and a Semi-finalist the next. Alas, my entry this year did not get any awards, but when I look at this year's winners, I can see why. There are some very cool visualizations of fascinating science concepts and I am continually inspired by the way people are able to communicate abstract science concepts in a very visually appealing way.

The second is a discovery of some very old (4.28 billion years!) rocks in northern Quebec. There is some debate as to whether these are just younger sedimentary rocks made up of older material. But, either way it is an interesting picture into our Earth's history and tells us more about the conditions on Earth shortly after it was formed about 4.5 billion years ago. I haven't been able to read the full paper (I don't have a subscription to Science), but there is an article about it in the NY Times (I'm always excited when geology news makes the national papers!). You'll be able to read the abstract of the article on Science's website tomorrow.

Adobe Creative Suite 4 Launch Event

Check out the launch event for Adobe Creative Suite 4. It's the biggest launch in the company's history and this broadcast shows many of the very cool new features in the CS4 products.

Greg Laswell

My buddy Steve and I went to see Greg Laswell play at Cafe du Nord last night. I have only recently started listening to Greg and while his music is a little sad and depressing at times, it's good stuff and worth a listen.

He mostly played from his new album, Three Flights from Alto Nido, which came out in early July. I hadn't heard any of this album, but have been listening to it today and am really liking what I hear.

I wish he would have been able to play more then a half dozen songs last night, but Joan As Police Woman followed him.

NFL.com Replay Re-Cutter

Adobe has been working with the NFL to create a Replay Re-Cutter built on our Premiere Express hosted service. The new site debuted this week and it is pretty cool.

Basically, you can easily cut together a custom highlight reel of your favorite team from this week's game or from several games throughout the season. You can choose which highlights you want to include, add pictures, graphics, transitions, and music. This service is built on the Flash platform, which the NFL and NBC are also using to stream Sunday night games on the web and give the viewer the choice of which camera angles to view and basically provide a custom viewing experience for the football fan.

Being a huge fan of the reigning Super Bowl Champion New York Giants, I cut together a quick highlight reel of our Week 2 thrashing of the St. Louis Rams. Check it out!

It's going to be brilliant!

For those of you who haven't heard (which is probably most of my readers), Adobe announced their intention to announce (don't ask - we're confused about it too) Creative Suite 4 on September 23rd. This is our flagship software - including favorites like Photoshop, Flash, Dreamweaver, Illustrator, and InDesign.

The main reason that I bring this up is because it has consumed my (and pretty much everyone at Adobe) work life for the last three months. And I just want to spread the word to make sure as many of you check out the products as possible - especially if you're in education. More details on what I've personally been doing in conjunction with the software will come on the 9/23 date.

But, for now, if you're interested in hearing more about CS4 (and trust me - there are a lot of really cool new features), you can sign up to view the webcast of the announcement on 9/23.

How twins are not alike

While I am constantly reminded of just how different my twin brother Ben and I are, there have been a few particularly poignant moments where this fact has been ultra apparent to me. One such occasion occurred August 14 at 12:08 pm when I received the following text message:

"Hey fam-just wantd u 2 no i shot myself in the quad this mornin w a 2 1/2 inch siding nail gun! i got the nail pulled and i bak @ work & i got some sweet pics!"

Receiving this text message sitting in my office cubicle in the midst of a long day at work had a two pronged effect. First, I let out a laugh that must have caught the attention of those working dutifully around me. And second, I shook my head, for some reason yet again surprised that my brother could accomplish such a feat. (This is not the first, or even the second, time he has injured himself with such dramatic flair.)

Needless to say, I called Ben to get the full story and he recounted in painful detail how he had proceeded to shoot himself with a nail gun. The story of getting the nail removed in the local emergency room is slightly more entertaining. Ben is working for Habitat for Humanity on the gulf coast of Mississippi as a construction supervisor. He leads the teams of volunteers who come to help out and makes sure that homes get built and families reach the next stage of the long recovery process from Katrina. Ben has an uncanny ability to match that dramatic mission with an equally dramatic flair for accomplishing it. 

I simply have to provide pictures, but I warn you that they are a little gross. The first is the nail stuck in the Ben's thigh and the second is Ben showing off his "accomplishment" post-nail removal.

Only in the Tenderloin

The other night I was craving some Indian food and since my neighborhood lacks any Indian restaurants that are reasonably priced and good, I ventured into the Tenderloin to get some take out at Pakwan. They also have a location in the Mission, but the Tenderloin one is slightly closer for me.

Anyway, I got my lamb biryani and naan and drove away. As I was cruising west down Ellis Street, between Hyde and Larkin, all of a sudden I notice out of the side of my eye a man sprinting out into the street seemingly headed right for my car. I didn't quite know what to do. Obviously, I didn't want to hit this man, but it seemed more likely that he would hit me first. So, just as I ease on the brakes, he slams into the side of my car near the trunk and goes tumbling down into the street. I immediately came to a stop only to see (in my rear view mirror) the man running away. At this point I notice a SFPD squad car roll up and two officers jump out. They both stop the man and back him up against a wall on the sidewalk. I'm now thinking "oh no, what if this man is seriously hurt after I hit him with my car." But at the same time, it was hardly my fault - I mean the man came out of nowhere and there was nothing I could do. So, I put my four way flashers on, got out of my car, and started walking towards the policewoman who is surveying the area while her partner puts handcuffs on the man. I asked if the man was ok and claim that there was nothing I could do - that he had come out of nowhere. The officer assures me that they saw everything, that he ran into me, that I have nothing to worry about, it wasn't my fault, and that he is "clearly on something." This was my first run in with the SFPD and the officer was surprisingly nice. Nevertheless, she takes down my name, address, and phone number in case they need to contact me, but again assures me that I have nothing to worry about. As I walked back to the car, I heard the officer ask the man "What are you on?" I can only hope that the man is ok. He obviously has enough problems to worry about other than a painful injury.

But, while I drove away a little relieved, I was also saddened by how bad things are in this neighborhood. It is a scary part of town to drive through, let alone walk through. You can't pass through without witnessing a drug deal or a prostitute. Homeless people are everywhere and the area is so dirty. It breaks my heart to see such brokenness and pain. And I wonder what, if anything, I can do. And while the Tenderloin is the worst area, I read recently that SF has more homeless people per capita than any city in the US. This city needs help in a big way and I am going to be looking for way to do my part to meet some of those needs.