Flickr Set here.

Nile likes to stuff animals down his pants. And they also like to wear cookware. Very nice. Also note the tendency to do something cute until the parents try and take a picture of it.

Cyrus is a grazer. So after some weak attempt at eating, he would scream to be let down, and then he would wander around and every once in a while eat something. Anyways, he would periodically shout “Up!”, asking to be picked up. Then Bruce or Tina would say “No Up!”, denying his request. And then he would cackle loudly, walk over to the other parent, and then repeat.

Nile pushed his toy something-or-other (maybe it was the lawnmower?) through the snow. I can only imagine what an experienced tracker would have thought if he came across these tracks in the middle of the woods.

I think this preceded some episodes where Nile pushed how close he could get to whacking Cyrus without getting in trouble.

A perfect metaphor for being a parent. In case you don’t notice, Nile is in the background, ready with a baseball bat in case Cyrus can’t finish the job.

When I visited, Cyrus had a bit of an awkward sleep schedule. He would get really tired at lunch. If they let him go to sleep, then he didn’t really eat much lunch, and he would wake up later hungry and pissed off. So the main effort was to try and get him eat as much as they could until he conked out.

I just can’t imagine how this is a comfortable sitting position for children.

There were times where he would fall asleep with food in his mouth.

Anyways, John Stewart started making EPIC parodies of the rants-with-chalkboard-drawings, the first one back in March. He brought it back one last time after Beck announced he would be ending his show in April, and just in case you haven’t seen them, I thought I would post the videos. Better late than never, I guess.

Flickr set here.
Slideshow below
Pictures & Descriptions after the jump.

A while ago I found this dinosaur rocker on kids.woot, and it was just too adorable to pass up. There was also a cow version…but my Hindu background felt that it was kind of sketchy.

Here is Sachin demonstrating how it’s done. I was concerned that he would be so enthusiastic it would keel over.

Yeah! Sippy cup!

Unlike most babies, Sachin is not suspicious of me. I think.

My cousin Girish was also in town for the wedding, so he got some Sachin time as well.

Sachin shows off his Halloween costume. It’s a really cute monkey suit, but he’s moving around too much to get a clear picture.

I like this picture because it sorta looks like he’s gone crazy, out of control, jumping on furniture and running amok! My sister tries to grab a hold of him, but he’s unstoppable! At least he’s not throwing poop.

Thankfully the monkey is now under control.

Here’s someone else’s picture, using flash so it’s not blurry.

I asked if the banana was sewn in or was velcro-ed. They said that if it wasn’t sewn in, it would have already been eaten.

Nicely enough, this wedding coincided with my birthday. This was quite a unique occasion — it had been probably 10 years since I celebrated my birthday with all the rest of my family. My sister got me a Whole Foods cake. I could taste the hippiness.

Okay, so I forgot my camera, so was forced to rely on my cellphone for everything, which resulted in pretty horrible pictures. But you can see some blurry bridesmaids and a blurry pastor and a blurry emcee, I think.

The bride and groom exit the ceremony. Blurrily.

By the many arms of Vishnu, that’s a lot of Indians! Here’s a picture of all sorts of people that are in some way related to me. I think I spend a lot of time out in the sun compared to everyone else.

Sachin cleans up pretty well, although I think he forgot his dress shoes. He had a good time picking things up, and then throwing them on the floor.

Here are my sisters along with the bride. I like how every person is looking at a different camera, indicating that there are at least 3 cameras pointed at them.

Here are the bride and groom, Michael and Shiela.

Back last May, I visited Mount Tamalpais State Park, great wilderness area just north of San Francisco in Marin County. I’ve hiked in MTSP three or four times total, and each time has been fantastic. There is a nice mix of landscapes and wildlife that I just find really pleasant and relaxing.

My itinerary for this day was the Matt Davis – Steep Ravine – Dipsea trail route, a highly recommended one from a number of hiking guides. The trail starts out high, descending through a beautiful ravine centered around a creek (still flowing pretty well, as it was still May). The trail crosses the water multiple times, so there were a number of bridges. The trail emerges from the trees into a great view of Stinson Beach and the Bolinas Lagoon. The trail descends to sea level, and passes through the downtown of Stinson Beach, before heading back into the hills. After completing this ~ 7.5 mile hike, I took some scenic pictures of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge from the Marin County Side.

Picture set on Flickr, here
Slideshow below
Pictures & descriptions after the jump.

This ominous sign awaited me before I embarked on this trail. 10 foot ladder? Frightening. I hope no one tries to take horses down that ladder.

About 15 minutes in to my hike, I rolled my ankle on this stupid rock. It was excruciating. I actually felt nauseous (probably because I’m a wimp). I heard things “pop”. I hobbled over to a nearby fence and took a seat to take stock of my situation. After doing a cursory examination, I decided that the swelling wasn’t too bad, and that as long as I kept it warm, it would be okay. I didn’t drive 90 minutes to stop after 15.

That blur down by the bottom of the image is a passing hiker, just to give a sense of scale.

I have a thing for shots of fallen trees over water.

I’ve noted this before, but whenever I see the grooves on redwoods spiral in this way, I think of the right hand rule.

At the beginning of this trail, there is a warning sign stating that there is a ladder on the trail that hikers will need to navigate. Well, here it is. Quite imposing.

The giant runs and solid construction of this ladder means that it’s really not much of a daunting task.

If I was a lazy pirate, I would choose this spot to bury my treasure. You know, that’s not a bad euphemism for outdoor pooping.

I just found this bifurcating waterfall pleasing.

With all the bridges around, I could not help but pretend to be Gandalf in the Fellowship of the Ring, defending the passage from an evil Balrog. I know, I’m terribly lame. Normally, I might not subject myself to such potential internet-verified ridicule, but the next picture was disturbingly appropriate.

If it’s hard to make out, the words there under that piping are “Not All Who Wander Are Lost.” This is, generally speaking, a good quote about hikers. I mean, it’s a pretty romantic sentiment for those of us who enter the woods without need for a stunning vista or a wonderful payoff; we just want a chance to enjoy nature and get away from all the extraneous stimulation that modern society demands of us. However, truer nerds will recognize the words reference Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. This is from Bilbo’s “Riddle of Strider”, describing Aragorn : All that is gold does not glitter / Not all those who wander are lost / The old that is strong does not wither / Deep roots are not reached by the frost / From the ashes a fire will be woken / A light from the shadows will spring / Renewed shall be blade that was broken / The crownless again shall be king. Consider that your nerd-lore lesson for the day. I forgive the vandal for his imprecise quoting.

I just thought this was a pretty picture of a bunch of wildflowers.

I tried my best to show my sensitive side and take some closer pictures of flowers. I think I was experimenting with using the flash here.

As I was walking through the forest, my path took me up a hill, and I could just sense that there was going to be a great view coming up. Here we see Stinson Beach, the Pacific, and Bolinas Lagoon off to the right.

The same view, but from a slightly different perspective.

Okay, this picture doesn’t have a whole lot more to offer than the previous two, but man, look at the difference in height between those two!

At this point, I was off of the Steep Ravine Trail, and on the Dipsea trail. Apparently, there’s a race here.

I wonder…does this count as a legal disclaimer?

Okay, I don’t really know why I took this picture. Maybe I just saw the predator, camouflaged.

I started my day descending a ravine, and found myself on the beach. Due to the annoying facts of basic physics, that meant that the second half of my hike had to go back up into the hills. Here’s a look back into the ocean.

Another mysterious picture. What the hell was I thinking of? I really need to bring a voice recorder to take notes.

Here is my attempt to take a picture of myself next to a waterfall. My aiming needs a little work.

This just seemed like an interesting bloom.

I’m probably about 75% of the way through my hike. The trail emerges from the forest and I found myself climbing through steep grassy hills.

The main point of this video, which may or may not be readily apparent, is the motion of the grass rippling like waves as the wind passes through the fields.

I’m pretty sure that this is a view looking south, across the mouth of the San Francisco Bay.

After getting back to my car, I headed back towards San Francisco. Right before hitting the Golden Gate Bridge, though, I took the last exit and traveled up a dirt road to some of the most popular vista areas. The better areas were too busy to park at, so I took this picture first, farther away.

Now, a picture of the bridge that isn’t ruined by an indian.

Just in case you prefer your bridge pictures with a bit of San Francisco in the background, here is another picture.

Proof that I was there.

Here’s a picture of the less exciting portion of the bridge, where it actually connects to Marin county. However, you can see S.F. and Oakland in the background, along with Alcatraz and the Bay Bridge, sorta.

It’s a very nice, bridge, okay? I can’t help but take pictures of it.

It was very windy this day, and a ill-timed gust of wind ruined this timed self-portrait, which otherwise would have been perfect.

The best part about this one is that you can totally block me out with one thumb and still get a stunning bridge picture.

I think this panorama came out surprisingly well.

I am more of a scientist than an engineer; I might be able to talk about the fundamental thermodynamics of how an engine works, but I wouldn’t be able to make even a rudimentary engine. The mere thought of putting that all together leaves me dumbfounded. That’s one reason I love Maker Faire — it’s full of people who can take an idea from the flimsiest (and sometimes stupid) thought all the way through to an actual object. Anyways, I took a bunch of pictures, so hopefully you will enjoy them.

Pictures here.
Slideshow below.
Pictures & descriptions after the jump.

This is pretty much the first thing that I saw when I entered Maker Faire. I think I saw this two years ago as well. I can’t believe that I cannot definitively remember whether or not I saw a sculpture like this before…its not like its something you see every day. Basically, this sets the tone for the day.

Just like two years ago, there was a full size version of Mousetrap, a large and complex kinetic sculpture. There were a few changes to the presentation. For instance, the mice weren’t wearing such tight shorts, I believe. Also, two years ago the safe came down and crushed a cardboard piece of cheese. This time, it crushed a car! However, some things stayed the same — it didn’t work the first time, and the sculpture-minders had to cheat a little to get it go through all the steps.

There’s a Cardboard Institute of Technology? I…I really wish I knew this before I decided to become a materials scientist.

The driver looked like she was having a lot of fun being behind the…uh…levers of this beast.

This is absolutely terrifying. It looks like its just barely in control of itself. And hungry. This kinetic sculpture (the Mondo Spider) was built by a bunch of Canadians, who were adorable in their geekery. Al and I were talking to them, asking them some questions about how long it took them to make (only 9 months!), and he was distracted in mid sentence by an attractive woman with some tattoos across the way. He apologized with a “Sorry. We don’t have hot nerd chicks like that where we come from.”

Andy Graham is awesome. View the next video to find out why.

This guy, Andy Graham, was making noises that I only thought synthesizers could make. He was like a one man, unplugged techno band.

Apparently, there is a Bay Area R2 Builders club. While this is hilarious, it isn’t suprising.

This woman was leading around this monster of sorts from a long leash. I don’t think they were going for “Bigfoot”, say, just an odd looking creature. It has horns and moss-like fur. I thought it was quite skillfully done, in the sense that it was hard to see the guy inside the costume. I think the chick was on a bit of a power trip, though, enjoying being the master of the monster.

Overall, a very fluid monster in motion.

It wouldn’t be a good idea to cut off this car on the highway; you may soon find yourself feeling like you’re being stuck with pins all over.

If only these pinwheels were little turbines….then you can power your car by just driving fast into the wind!

This was an example of an above-ground wetsuit. Now, this is eccentric in itself. But then they claimed that through the power of the wetsuit, he had gained the knowledge of the Universe and attained Oracle status, and they started asking people to give him questions. They would use hydrophones to make sure that he could hear the questions. Odd. I heard that OK Go! performed at Maker Faire, “Underwater”, and thought they were related, but watching that video, I guess not.

Watch out, Chevy Volt

This is the car referenced in the previous picture. It’s definitely got a sleek look. This area of the exhibits was all about car mods. Either converting cars from gas to biodiesel, or hybrids to plug-in hybrids.

I thought this was a pretty cool little experiment. Basically, this little wheel has a bunch of cups attached to its outer rim, and the cups have holes in the bottom to slowly let water leak out. The hose up top constantly spills water. You set up an “initial condition” by filling some of the cups with water, and then you let it go. The cups filled with water are heavier, so whichever side is heavier, the wheel rotates in that direction. It’s basically like a pendulum, so the wheel slows as the pendulum reaches its apex…at which point another cup gets filled by the hose, adding more Lose Weight Exercise to the system and adding more dynamics. Pretty inexpensive yet versatile. The creators of the exhibit were setting up various initial conditions and asking the kids what they thought would happen.

I spent some time figuring out how complex the pattern was here. Obviously there’s some pulley action up there, but given that some of the cylinders are moving independently, either there are a lot of motors up there, or some interesting way of moving multiple cylinders at one time. I imagine that any mechanical engineer out there thinks I’m a simpleton for being fascinated by this.

While this sounds like a creature that would normally be fighting Godzilla, the Gamelatron is an automated Indonesian orchestra. This seems odd all around, but it was really cool in practice. It’s basically a large set of Balinese and Javanese percussion instruments, played in a computer controlled sequence.

Here’s a still shot of the Gamelatron. It’s quite an impressive array of instruments, at least in number if not in variety.

The Gamelatron in Action

Here’s a MakerBot Cupcake CNC 3-D printer, a cool and relatively cheap printer for making small prototypes. Basically, you give this device a three dimensional object, via a CAD drawing, for instance, and it divides that 3D object up into 2D slices, and then prints those 2-D slices one on top of one another to make a structure. In this case, they are just using wax. You can see the coils of wax underneath. The tip is heated, so it melts the wax and pushes it out into a little bead, and prints it like you might print icing for a cake.

It would make me sleep a lot better at night. Although really, I question its efficacy. There’s a big baseball bat for bludgeoning, an axe blade for chopping, and stunning probes (a taser, I guess) that you can shoot as well. I think that tasering would fairly ineffective for zombies, especially if they are actually undead creatures.

This is something I might argue about over a few beers with other belligerent geeks. This dude actually did something about the questions. However…uh…I don’t remember what his results were.

In the battle between Zorro and a Tesla Coil, I guess it was a draw, thanks to Zorro’s grounding foil. I had to admit, when the guy walked up with the fluorescent tube and showed how the energy from the tesla coil was sufficient to ionize the gas inside the tube from afar….I wondered if all my pictures would be erased.

Thanks to the Faraday cage suit and the grounding strap, the high voltage arcs from the Tesla Coil travel safely around the person in the suit and to the earth. The guys here are from UCSC, and they do a traveling Tesla Coil show.

For this demonstration, they removed the grounding strap, so that the electricity didn’t have that easy path to follow. Instead, they had the subject stand on a wooden plank suspended over a metal grounding strip, with just his/hers heels sticking over the back. As that was the path of least resistance, that’s where the electricity went. Again, this is the UCSC-SCIPP group. We were hoping to catch the “Arc Attack” people, who used the Tesla Coils to play music, but we just missed them.

Interacting with Sachin is interestingly different from a lot of other kids. In the limited interaction that I’ve had with my other friends’ young kids, I feel like I’m met with a bit of skepticism. Like, they are not sure if I’m for real or not, and they take a while before they feel like they can address my existence. For Sachin, he took to me pretty quickly. I think that the most simple explanation is that unlike my other friends with little kids, I look a lot like his Mommy and Daddy. Sachin showed little hesitation in crawling up to me, pulling on my pant legs to bring himself to his feet, and then asking to be picked up.

In the pictures below, you’ll notice that there aren’t a whole lot of actual birthday party pictures. That’s because I was pressed into camcorder duty, and was thus unable to use my own camera. However, there are a lot of other pictures of doing cute little Sachin things that I’m sure people can enjoy. You can blame the graininess of the pictures on the fact that I used a high ISO setting to combat his fidgety-ness.

Flickr Set Here
Slideshow Below
Pictures and Descriptions after the jump.

Sachin loves his mommy. And cameras.

At this point, Sachin was just learning to walk. His crawling is a little faster, and he can’t go very far without falling or grabbing on to furniture for support. We thought we would entice him with the shaky noisemaker thing, but it looks like he was more interested in the mommy & daddy food.

Sometimes you just want to sit back, relax, and put your feet up on the kitchen table.

Sachin has an adorable habit of wanting to hold things in his hands, and wave them around. Ideally, the two items should be of similar shape, size, and color. In this case, he decided that socks did not belong on his hat, but in his hands. He would literally hold onto these socks for hours, unless they were taken away or better objects were given to him. I suggest they give him flags for 4th of July. He also likes to mess with doors, like you can see here.

When I watch this video, I always think of that Deep Thought (by Jack Handey) that goes "To me, it’s always a good idea to always carry two sacks of something when you walk around. That way, if anybody says, "Hey, can you give me a hand?" you can say, "Sorry, got these sacks." Sachin could probably feed himself, but he’s holding two socks, so hey, Grandma has to feed him. Here is also the first documented instance of the "furrowed brow" that he unleashes from time to time for no good reason. It’s hilarious. Seriously, the furrowed look is something that he will reminded of constantly when he gets older, in the most embarrassing situations possible.

Grandma doesn’t like to always get him off scott free during meal time, so this time he needs to work for his strawberry.

The return of the furrowed brow!

Sachin & Grandma

We seem to be caught in the middle of a staring contest here.

He doesn’t particularly like being told no. But he does like his socks!

Sachin loves music and dancing and stuff. So his favorite toys are really annoying. Also, my Mom apparently doesn’t know how this floor is washed.

We had a little grill-action going for the birthday lunch, and the rest of my family was monitoring the proceedings.

Sachin was being really fussy at dinner and whining a lot, so Alok had to use his iPhone to placate him with some video. Towards the end of this video, you also see another Sachinism — the tongue waggle.

Here, coasters take the place of socks. You can also see how he tends to grab hold of whatever is near to pull himself up.

My brother-in-law Rich served as Grillmaster today, although given the high concentration of vegetarians, the only items allowed on the grill were fruits, vegetables, and mushrooms.

In the wild, such a baby-baby confrontation would probably result in a battle.

As before, he loves his coasters. And he knows his name.

This seems like the sort of smile that proceeds mischief.

He got a lot of flashy, loud presents

I think there comes a point in every parents life where you just decide to have the kid do whatever as long as it isn’t permanently harmful or indecent.