Cox Crow

Computers have no sense of style. When a number is less than ten, it is commonly written out rather than being presented in figures, except when speaking of a set of numbers where the higher number is greater than ten.

For example, when giving a street address one would write Three Main Street rather than 3 Main Street, or 142 Model Road rather than One Hundred Forty-Two Model Road. But if we were to give a set of addresses, such as 3 Main Street, 142 Model Road, and 1600 Example Avenue, one would use numerals for each, as the higher numbers are greater than ten.

But computers have no sense of style, and so you can confuse them by providing the word rather than the numeral.

Have you noticed that on-line contracts are an all-or-nothing proposition? You can’t strike through specific objectionable clauses.

Driving back from Virginia after Christmas, I had to choose a route. Should I take I-81 to I-84 and thence home, or I-81 to I-78 to I-287 to I-87 to I-84 and thence home? I-81 in the former route runs along the ridgeline of the Appalachians after leaving Pennsylvania’s Great Valley. There’s a greater chance of inclement weather, and the grades are somewhat steeper. The latter route runs through the Great Valley and the Lehigh Valley, but traverses some hills in New Jersey and New York. There’s a greater chance of heavy traffic because the route passes through or near several large cities.

So, I was wondering, which route would cost the least in time? Which would cost the least in dollars spent on fuel? And which would cost the least in mileage? Would each route be the same? Which would be the least cost overall?

And now I have a feature request for on-line maps in addition to allowing placement of arbitrary turning points in driving directions: least-cost routing options.

Oh, and the next incremental improvement for Google Maps should be topographical.

We closed on our new home on Thursday, December 22nd. The purchase was much easier than the sale. Once we have things sorted out, I’ll find some time to take a few pictures, but let me note for the record that this place is huge. It is also big.

I am reminded of Douglas Adams’s description of the Universe.

To my surprise, the local exchange carrier is not Verizon but Frontier Communications. And I can get DSL! So now I have an additional broadband option, don’t have to switch to CATV, and can keep my DirecTiVo subscription until News Corporation comes out with a “better” video recorder. But then, we haven’t even plugged in the TV yet.

Yesterday we closed the sale of our house in Carmel, New York. Tomorrow, we will close the purchase of our house in Poughquag, New York.

This was a lot more difficult than it sounds.

Yes! Bow down in awe of my l33t k1dz t0yz packing sk1llz! One room. One box. (Stuffed animals and books not included.)

The Little Sister, when given colors that blend, will blend them. A friend of the family said, This looks like Kandinsky. You know Kandinsky?

I think it’s funny that the forms of “modernism” I truly dislike are the visual and built arts. I like the literary and musical expressions, at least those categorized as Modernist by the Wikipedia article linked above, just fine and dandy, and while I like Klimt and Dali, I do not care for Picasso or Pollack.

From an analytic standpoint, I would say that Modernism as a classification is flawed, being over-broad and encompassing far too much. One might as well simply refer to “people who lived in the 20th Century.”

The Little Sister has been talking about seeing The Copycats for the past two weeks. Last weekend we went downtown to see the lights and the tree at Rockefeller Center. She fully expected to see The Copycats. As we walked the sidewalks of New York, she kept asking, Can we see the Copycats now? Where are the Copycats?.

We found out this morning that she meant the Radio City Rockettes.

While reminiscing about our old home sites in Loveland, Ohio, I learned that a bike trail following the route of the Little Miami Railroad Company winds through the Little Miami State Park along the Little Miami River. The trail was developed since we lived there, but I have fond recollections of the parks in the Loveland area. One of the neat things about the Loveland Bike Trail, judging from its website, is that food and lodging are within easy reach of the trail, if not right on it.

I’ve often wondered as we walk the North County Trailway why some parts of the trail are not as connected to the towns as others. Yorktown is still mostly centered around the old Putnam Division station, and so the diner and other establishments feel connected to the trail. The developers of Somers Commons in Baldwin Place, which adjoins the trail, provide trail access and fairly extensive sidewalks within the shopping center. But where the Putnam County Trailway passes through Mahopac, the eateries are not so obvious, either because the trail runs behind them, or because it is not connected to the existing sidewalks.

So, for the benefit of the public, here are a few places where you might want to rest and eat, ordered from South to North.

• Bucci’s Deli, at Union Valley Road and U.S. Route 6
• Mister A’s Ice Cream and Chicken, at Cherry Lane and U.S. Route 6
• If you don’t mind biking with traffic, or walking on a road with no shoulder, go past Mr. A’s then make a left onto South Lake Boulevard. The Dockside Pub serves a good hamburger al fresco.
• Gino’s Trattoria, across the street from Mr. A’s
• Marco’s, if you’re in the mood for game and a long wait, four doors down from Mr. A’s
• Four Brother’s Pizza, next door to the Mahopac Library, at East Lake Boulevard and U.S. Route 6. Eat out on the patio, but wait until Spring.
• J. P. Cunnigham’s, on East Lake Boulevard is a bit of a dive, but the food is good and they have that Summer-on-the-Lake feel down pat.
• Magnolia’s, on U.S. Route 6 and Church Street in Carmel, is just down the hill from the current terminus of the trail. They’re open for breakfast and lunch.
• Cafe Bella just opened at the corner of Church Street and Seminary Hill Road.
• And don’t forget to snooze in front of a good book in the Reed Library, at the foot of Seminary Hill Road.