Category Archives: Tech

Houston, we have a problem

Now that we’re here in Redwood City for several weeks of post-surgery rehab, we’ve discovered a new problem.

We are staying in a house on a flag lot with access via a long driveway off of Oakwood Blvd. Boulevard is pretty pretentious for this small street through a quiet neighborhood. It is, admittedly, a LONG driveway for a residential neighborhood.

And we are highly dependent on delivery services for groceries, some meals, and other supplies.

The problem is that Google Maps is simply incorrect.

It directs delivery drivers to the next street. But there is no access to this property from that street.

I now watch the progress of DoorDash drivers on my phone, and most have found themselves at the deadend of the next street wondering how to deliver our stuff. I try to head them off, or send texts explaining that they have to approach on Oakwood Blvd and not on any other street. But we’ve also run into a language gap with Hispanic drivers.

I can see how it happens. Because of the long driveway, this house is physically closer to the next street, but it can’t be accessed from there.

When I checked on how to flag the error with Google’s version of maps, it appears to be difficult or impossible, especially if relying on an iPad.

Apple Maps, on the other hand, provides accurate directions to the house.

But it seems Google has the delivery services pretty much locked up.

I try to tip to cover the “lost” time, but that’s not a good solution.

Just an aside on tiny tech

I brought my five year-old iPad Pro on this trip, but didn’t bring it to the hospital with me. I usually rely on it when traveling, leaving my laptop at home.

So since getting out of surgery, I’ve relied on my iPhone 17 Air which has been much more useful than I expected.

I have been able to post on my blog and on Facebook, Follow threads online, get mail and texts, and even post photos in both places.

I’ve asked me to bring my iPad. The next time she visits, but this phone has been surprisingly effective in this unusual circumstance.

I’ve never relied on my phone so extensively, and it has held up well.

The hospital offers guest wifi, which isn’t speedy but does the job, and T-Mobile has bridged a few gaps.

Just FYI for other iPhone users.

An automated collision avoidance system warned of a close call

A reader writing as Pete808 left the following comment, which appears to provide additional details showing why our United flight to SFO on March 21 abandoned it’s initial landing attempt and powered up, went around, and made another landing attempt (this second one was successful).

Pete808’s findings show how much information can eventually be gleaned from existing public data.

Here are his findings, which initially appeared in a comment but are being elevated here because of their importance.

Here’s what I found by doing some additional internet research. By the way, I have no training or experience as a pilot or air traffic controller, although I’ve flown to SFO quite a few times.

In any event, one can go to LiveATC.net and listen to or download the archived air traffic control recordings for SFO for March 21, 2026. The archives are in half hour segments. After what seems to be a routine clearance to land, the archive for “SFO Tower” has a very cryptic communication from UA 373 a little more than halfway through the recording covering the time period beginning at 2200Z (Zulu or UTC time which is 3 pm SFO time). UA373 indicates that he’s going around although I couldn’t really tell what was being said by listening. In response, the tower controller tells UA373 to fly the runway heading and eventually to contact NorCal Approach.

If you review the archive for NorCal Approach for the period starting again at 2200Z, at around 23:45 into the recording the controller asks UA373 to say the reason for the go around and UA373 replies that they were responding to an RA. An RA is apparently a Resolution Advisory from the ACAS system (Airborne Collision Avoidance System), which is an onboard aviation safety system designed to prevent mid-air collisions by independently detecting nearby aircraft and advising pilots on avoidance maneuvers.

Although two planes landing on parallel runways is pretty routine at SFO with the aircraft required to maintain visual separation, the instructions with respect to ACAS Resolution Advisories is to do what the RA says. So even though UA373 was supposed to maintain visual separation from the other aircraft and even if that visual separation was still being maintained by UA373, when the RA was given by ACAS, the crew of UA373 was obliged to follow it.

Hope your health issues get resolved favorably.

Of course, I got curious

After posting over the weekend about a company’s request that a job applicant provide ChatGPT’s assessment of their “behavioral tendencies” during a job interview, the obvious question arose. What would ChatGPT say about me?

So I put the question to it.

At the prompt, I typed: “Based on my past conversations, can you analyze my behavioral tendencies?”

Here’s its summary.

If I had to summarize your tendencies in a few phrases:

* Analytical but not detached
* Structured thinker
* Fact-check oriented
* Curious across domains
* Pragmatic
* Attentive to behavioral nuance

Of course, its answer is based on my specific uses and types of interactions. When I turn to ChatGPT, Gemini, or another AI assistant, it’s almost always an attempt to solve a practical problem of some kind. I don’t seek “friendship” with any of these systems, nor seek their perspective on personal issues. I treat them as tools. I’m trying to understand and experiment with their best uses.

In any case, here’s ChatGPT’s more complete assessment.

Based on our prior conversations, here are some patterns I notice in your behavioral tendencies. I’ll keep this grounded in observable themes rather than speculation:

1. Analytical and Evidence-Oriented

You often ask precise, fact-based questions — legal status of cases (e.g., *Lind v. Grimmer*), historical verification (e.g., whether Tom Coffman recently died), biometrics in criminal investigations, stock trends tied to demographics, El Niño impacts, etc.

This suggests:

* Comfort navigating complex information
* Interest in verification and accuracy
* Likely habit of cross-checking or thinking critically about sources

2. Problem-Solving Mindset

You request step-by-step Sudoku solutions and structured transcripts with timestamps and speaker labels. That indicates:

* Preference for clarity and procedural logic
* Appreciation for organized presentation
* Possibly a background where structured reasoning is important

3. Long-Horizon Thinking

Your question about stocks benefiting from aging baby boomers, and your work supporting a retired administrator with memory issues, suggest:

* Awareness of demographic and aging-related shifts
* Patience with long-term dynamics
* Practical engagement with aging and cognitive change

4. Observant of Behavioral Detail

Your questions about your cat’s fixation on the garage and nesting behavior were nuanced and contextualized over time. That reflects:

* Attentiveness to patterns
* Sensitivity to environmental triggers
* Willingness to look beneath surface behavior

5. Direct but Not Dramatic

Your communication style is concise, low on emotional signaling, and oriented toward clarity rather than persuasion. You tend not to embellish questions — you get to the point.

6. Blending Personal and Professional Domains

You move fluidly between:

* Legal and policy questions
* Health questions
* Pet behavior
* Writing/editing tasks
* Personal narrative (e.g., the rescued puppy story)

That suggests intellectual flexibility rather than a single-domain focus.

It then offered to “describe possible blind spots or growth edges.”

I decided to stop while I was ahead!