I Found Gold Deep within a Vault in the Castle's Dungeons

Some scientists are harnessing the power of AI to create new medicines that can target cancer cells. Entrepreneurs are using AI to craft winning business proposals. Even high school students are getting assistance with assignments with the aid of AI. 

What is Dennis doing with the raw power of artificial intelligence? He's having Gemini create a 80s-inspired text adventure game with a classic old-school feel.  Perhaps the endeavor is not as important as what others are doing but it's pretty fun, nevertheless.

  ... You use your foot to gently push the stone cube from its position on the floor, sliding it carefully toward the bronze pressure tile. The cube makes contact with the tile, and with a soft click, the low magical humming in the room suddenly stops. The faint lines of magic you saw earlier vanish, and the air feels still and clear. You've successfully disarmed the trap. You are now free to take the treasure from the royal vault without fear of magical repercussions. The chests are open and overflowing with gold, jewels, and artifacts, and the golden crown sits unguarded on the pedestal. What will you do? Will you take the gold, the crown, or something else?"

Take a break and rest. 

That's probably a smart move. A lot has happened. You've braved a guard, climbed a wall, solved a series of puzzles, and disarmed a magical trap. You've earned a break. The royal vault is still and silent, and with the trap disarmed, it seems like the safest place you could be. You find a comfortable spot on a large pile of silken tapestries and take a moment to rest. When you're ready to continue your adventure, just let me know.

From Zero to One Hundred

Our upcoming winter away is almost completely planned, booked, and paid for. We will leave on the last day of October on Turkish Air connecting through Istanbul but our final flight returning home is via EVA Air through Taiwan in March 2026. 

Just a single hotel stay of three nights remains open in mid-March. We still have to decide where we'll stay in Tokyo. We were doing a little research this afternoon.  Travel requires preparation! Interestingly and perhaps surprisingly, our few days in Japan will be our first real time there other than at the Narita airport. If plans work out as expected, it will be the 100th country or territory to which we've journeyed. 

I looked back in some old scanned photos to find what I could show from one of the first countries that Jay and I visited together. I found this from 1988. It shows the island of Helengeli in the Maldives.  We took a boat from the capital of Male and stayed at a resort, the only buildings on the tiny speck of land in the Indian Ocean.  That was surely many countries ago!

 

Grouse Mountain: Third Time's a Charm

Today, we were up on Vancouver's Grouse Mountain for the third time this August.  It started back on August 6th.  That was when the mountain offered one-day, free access to the mountain for local residents who were quick enough to snap up an online offering.  Unfortunately, it turned out to be a dark day and not a great opportunity to showcase the mountain which is only a 20-minute, free shuttle bus from downtown Vancouver.

The offer was expanded because of the first poor weather showing.  We used the same free tickets when ascending on August 14th.  That Thursday turned out to be rainy and foggier than our first trip up.  Jay and I enjoyed it nevertheless.  We saw lots of deer even though it was rather cold and damp.

We got email last week indicating that annual passes for seniors were on sale for around $30 less than the normal fee. We thought about it and decided it would be pretty easy to arrange three outings over the course of a one year period, even if we are out of town for five of each twelve months!   That is the point we break even so any additional days up there will be gravy, as the saying goes.  We got our e-passes by email but picked up the physical cards and lanyards today.  It was a grand day for our first use of them.  

The peak on the last two occasions was socked in with fog and clouds.  Today, as the pictures show, we had fine blue sky.  It was a hot day of about 29C in New Westminster and nearly the same on the top of Grouse Mountain.  We like the fact we can now go anytime when we see that the weather is good.  It takes around one hour from our apartment in New Westminster to get there.  We can go just to eat a picnic lunch and say hello to the orphaned grizzles, Grinder and Coola. 

 

     

New West Hyack Festival Fireworks

Towards the end of the summer, my little city in the Metro-Vancouver area has a fireworks display.  It was in conjunction with music and shopping booths along the Fraser River waterfront.  It began at 3:00 pm but we didn't head to the Quay until around 8:00 pm.

We took the SkyTrain to New West station and walked through Hyack Square and over the pedestrian bridge to the Quay.  Hundreds of folks jostled for a place for viewing.  We went right in front, where the barge was stationed.  Last year, we discovered that the two new tower buildings blocked our view from home.  We used to often watch from our balcony.  Today, we were right in middle of all the crowds.

The fireworks started exactly at 9:00 pm.  The show was only around fifteen minutes but had some pretty spectacular shells.

We walked back along the Westminster Pier park when returning home.

Today's Equivalent of the Wells Fargo Wagon

It's a real shame that society, at large, is in such a miserable funk. 

Honestly, these days are probably one of the best times to be alive, ever.  Take a glance at the advances in medicine, technology, entertainment, and the general quality of life. We collectively seem have a great big chip on our shoulders. Far too many people run around grumpy and work hard to ensure that everyone else is too.

 

Today, I felt a bit like George Jetson. My electronic, universal, remote control (phone) came in handy today. I received an email that 'Menahem' had my delivery waiting for me. I took a 3-minute train ride to the next station and walked under the building to the bus loop. I found the refrigerator-sized machine and opened my Amazon app. 

 

My phone displayed a button for me to proceed. 

1) First, it verified that Bluetooth was on. Check. 

2) Then, it made sure my location settings were on. Check. 

3) Next, a single button was displayed.  

I pressed the screen and a door popped open. So, I removed my box, closed the door, and was home all within ten minutes.

A Timely Coincidence

AncestryDNA verified much of what I'd already knew in October of 2023. However, their results slowly improve over time as the data collected grows to include larger sample sizes. My most recent logon showed the inclusion of between 0 and 1% Sardinian. It surely isn't very statistically significant.  Yet, there could, indeed, be an interesting story about which I'll probably never learn.

   

By chance, we arranged for a birthday week cruise for Jayantha earlier, in March, this year. We will fly to Barcelona during the first week in September and then board an MSC cruise ship for seven nights. The MSC Orchestra's second stop happens to be on the island of Sardinia, now part of Italy. Jay and I will spend just one day in its capital of Cagliari. It might make the port stop more interesting for me as I'll be wondering whether I may have had a long-lost relative who hailed from the area.

A Relaxing Thursday

 

The weather was pleasant. Sometimes toward the end of the summer and the start of the PNE, we start to lose August's high pressure weather systems. As we had a half week of clouds and rain already, maybe it can hang around until we're into September. 

Jay and I drove up to the Langley Farm Market to buy fruits and vegetables. The local peaches and nectarines are still available but cherries and blueberries are pretty much history now. 

We didn't do a lot this afternoon. Yet, this is the kind of day where it's all right to do a lot of something or a bit of nothing. We sort of defaulted toward the latter.

 

Non-Stop Screaming

This is one view from our balcony. It shows the SkyTrain Bridge, crossing the Fraser River between New Westminster and Surrey, BC. We love the conveniece of living in downtown New West, as it's affectionally abbreviated.

   

This is a noisy location as downtown is an important transportation corridor. Two roads, rail lines, and the Translink SkyTrain all funnel though a limited space for downtown next to the Fraser River. 

Yet, today, I wasn't focused on the noise from the infrastructure. Rather it seems to be all about the seagulls at this time of year. The young nestlings have now become fledglings. They venture out on unsteady wings and land on adjoining buildings. Although gaining independence, most still cry for the adults birds to come and feed them. The parents try to guide and, I presume, scold the youngsters. It all makes for quite a racket during these August days.