Personal Blog

Here is my personal blog, including trips we have taken and other random thoughts. I also have a more extensive blog covering electric vehicles, sustainable energy, peak oil, global warming and other topics.

Blog: Overcoming Gender Differences with Couples Communicati

Posted by: Max Dunn on November 18, 2008 08:50:40

My friend, Janelle Tamm, wrote a very interesting paper for her Master's Thesis about gender differences in couple's communication (see below).

One very interesting conclusion is that she found men tend to communicate for information while women tend to communicate for connection. This was an "aha" moment for me because I finally realized why my wife sometimes comes home and starts talking about some random topic, and why I get impatient waiting for her to get to the point. It is just that she is trying to connect with me through conversation while I am just expecting her to convey information. So now that I realize this, I am better able to relax when talking with Suzanne and just enjoy the interaction.

There are also a lot of good insights here into workplace communication between men and women and pitfalls to avoid. Highly recommended!

Blog: Purpose of Recessions

Posted by: Max Dunn on November 18, 2008 08:22:45

I have been reading Stratfor for a a year now, and am always impressed by their knowledge, insight and ability to communicate clearly on world affairs. Their latest post "On G-20 and GM: Economics, Politics and Social Stability" contained this nugget of harsh, but true wisdom:

This is what recessions are supposed to do. As in China and everywhere else, recessions reveal weak businesses and destroy them, freeing up resources for new enterprises.

Blog: Campaign Contribution Limits

Posted by: Max Dunn on November 4, 2008 07:54:10

While it is a noble cause to try to reform campaign financing so that money doesn't play as big a role, it is also a futile cause. No matter how tightly contributions are restricted, there will always be a way around it. For instance, instead of contributing directly to the candidate, contributions can be made to their party. Or better yet, pick an issue that defines the candidate's stance and contribute a lot of money to that issue. There currently are no limits on this type of contribution and there won't be - because this would be a restriction on free speech.

While this has been rather a theoretical issue in the past, this year it became a reality in California. Proposition 8 is a highly divisive issue and is serving to energize conservative voters to turn out to the polls. So if someone wanted to do more for conservative candidates and has already maxed out on their direct contributions, they can simply contribute to this proposition. Over $35 million dollars was spent by both sides on this proposition - more than any other proposition and more than spent on most campaigns.

So in the end, trying to limit campaign contributions is a futile cause and we should instead concentrate on making it easier for all politicians to raise money in a way that guarantees transparency, rather than forcing them to go through this type of subterfuge which ultimately serves to hide the source of campaign financing.

Blog: Mozy Backup

Posted by: Max Dunn on November 3, 2008 11:50:04

People sometimes ask me what backup system I use. I certainly have used many over the years including tape drive and floppy disks. However, now I prefer to backup my files offsite and use an automated program to do it called Mozy. Mozy works great - it automatically finds most of the files you will want to backup and then just does it automatically. They even have a free service for about to 2Gb. If you want to signup, use the link below and then I will get some extra backup space too!

Mozy Signup

Blog: Gocart Racer

Posted by: Max Dunn on October 31, 2008 15:19:36

Ok, I have to brag a little. Today at Gocart Racer, I got a pretty good cart and scored some good times. My buddy Chris did beat me, but I got the second best time of the month!

Top 100 Racers of the Month For October 2008 Track 1(Monza)

Date as of 10/31/2008

Rank	Racer	LapTime	R.P.M.	Date	City
1	Chris Depuy	28.943	3136	10/31/2008	Hillsborough
2	Max Dunn	29.064	2645	10/31/2008	San Jose
3	Matt Robison	29.351	2956	10/31/2008	San Francisco
4	Dan Lassen	29.581	3090	10/17/2008	Santa Rosa
5	Alex Ratcliffe	30.760	1467	10/14/2008	Berryville
6	Michael Cardozo	30.774	2078	10/17/2008	SANTA ROSA
7	Zach Younker	30.874	2229	10/04/2008	Sunnyvale
8	Chris Vannoy	31.018	1421	10/16/2008	Napa
9	Nick Binkley	31.131	1959	10/04/2008	santa clara

Blog: Buffet Investment Advice

Posted by: Max Dunn on October 23, 2008 10:40:42

In today's volatile market, it is easy to be fearful and want to sell in case the market goes down further. However, Warren Buffett, the “Oracle of Omaha,” has often been quoted for his investment philosophy, “Be fearful when others are greedy, and be greedy when others are fearful.” Buffett said he’s buying U.S. stocks for his personal portfolio to the extent that they will soon comprise 100 percent of his account. So maybe this is the time to be greedy and hold on in the expectation that stocks will soon rise back up again.

Blog-Powering the Future

Posted by: Max Dunn on August 21, 2008 19:00:24

This was the last in the series of outdoor science talks at the Cantor Arts Center (EVT 173). I wasn't able to make it to the others ones - or wasn't interested in the topic. Most of the information was review, but it was interesting to hear about the work Stacey's group is doing with thin-film CZTS technology.

Blog-Christian Parking Lot

Posted by: Max Dunn on July 21, 2008 14:37:51

A Christian parking lot is one that fills up from the back.

Blog-Miata Racing Class

Posted by: Max Dunn on May 28, 2008 10:03:55

Last Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I attended the Skip Barber Miata Racing class at Laguna Seca. What a blast! I wanted to do this class because the last time we did a track day at Laguna Seca, I was terrified going into turn 2 which was at the end of the long straightway and down an incline so you could carry a ton of speed into the corner. The class was great and they started out slow teaching the proper line, gearing and braking and gradually increasing the speed. By the end of the class turn 2 was my favorite and I would blast down into it at full throttle, braking extremely hard at the last moment and barely keeping the car under control around the corner. What could be more fun!