Damm it, I'm Mad!

I recently discovered Jeff Han's name and stumbled on his presentation. I was quite inspired by the guy and at how far people like him had taken the multi-sensor interface, to the point that it seems 'but of course, how else would one interact with a computer'. The presentation then led me to stumble on TED itself and I began exploring more of their talks online. Hans Rosling was the next 'find', brilliant, enthusiastic. The presentation itself gave some great insights into the developing world (an absolute recommendation to all). I'll let you guys stumble on the rest of the people and presentations at TED, but mostly all people there inspire in their own unique ways. Thanks to TED for making these talks available freely!

Tsunamis on the sun http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061213.html ! (time to drop the 'T' in tsunami :))

A new page is turned with this journal entry. The first in a tome to come. ...  I wish :)  Most of my attempts at writing have usually ended up in the confines of personal diaries or been interrupted with vast bouts of silence. So unlike my prior attempts which have been filled with optimism, this begins with a healthy dose of skepticism.

While shortiyergirl has been the proximal influence to the livejournal community, some beautiful pictures posts and neat poems have been the ones that have drawn me in this time. So this post goes to a picture that I chose for my userpic...

Stevens creek blvd in San Jose is most known for its car dealerships, car washes and anything and everything 'car' related. 'Haute cuisine' and 'art' are certainly not words that come to mind here. Yet this red-white-blue balloon filled street, is home to the best baristas in the valley (and I say this having scoured places from north beach to santa cruz for a decent cup of cappuccino). They work at 'Barefoot Cafe' at the corner of Lawrence and Stevens Creek and each one here is an artiste at blending coffee with other flavors and textures as varied as oranges, chocolates, mint and paprika. Not only does each cup have a satisfying oomph to it, it comes wrapped in beautiful fern-art. Each cappuccino comes beautifully blended with foam (unlike the filled-with-foam-so-you-can-search-for-the-coffee starbucks style that seems endemic in the US) and the pouring technique, that comes naturally to these guys, produces some exquisite patterns. Try their orange flavored coffee, paprika/cocoa flavored ones or just roll the dice on their reliable baristas to make their 'whim' (aptly called 'Barista's Whim' on the menu). So check them out the next time you are window shopping for your new car :)