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The Final Stretch...

Posted: September 25, 2011

So it's the start of the school year but not just any school year. This will be my last year (fourth) in the Mechatronics Engineering program! I'm both excited and anxious. Excited because there are some really great projects this year and it's the final stretch of school for me! One project in particular I'm excited for is the capstone project. This is a year long project where we really get hands on and build out own 1/10 scale autonomous car from scratch! I'm also anxious because it means it's time to look to the future and finding a full-time job after graduation. Anyways, I hope this year goes well.

In unrelated news I've reached second place on google hits for "Colin Lobo". Awesome!

Summer 2011

Posted: September 1, 2011

In a sense I feel as if I skipped summer this year. It went by so fast! This summer I worked at Manulife Financial in Toronto, Ontario. It was an amazing experience to say the least! Worked with a great team there and enjoyed every minute of it even though the commute from Hamilton was exhausting at times. Working in downtown Toronto is something I'll never forget. There was always something going on!

Also, over the summer I've developed a new interest in all things Android! I've never owned a phone until this summer. So, after much nagging and jokes from friends I purchased a phone. I put a lot of research into the different phones (ie. iOS, Android, Blackberry OS) and I ended up with the Motorola ATRIX, one of the first few super phones to hit the Canadian market. I went with Android OS becuase its Open-Source software and also allows a ton of customization. I've learned about the different ROMs developers 'cook' on XDA Developers and I was just blown away with the amount of different things you can do if you have a little know-how and an Android OS phone. I hope to make my own Android app someday too. Just need an idea that would appeal to a large group of users. If you have a suggestion email me!

Holiday 2010!

Posted: December 27, 2010

Woah, it's been three months since my last blog post! Can't believe it. Time just flies! All I can say is school has really tied me up. Completed some really interesting courses this year and a few were actually quite fun too. Before September I knew little to none about programming microcontrollers and how to use them but I've learned a ton over the last few months! My favorite thing this semester was probably using the MCU ATMega324p to control a fan and adjust it on or off according to a temperature sensor reading. Really cool stuff! Hope to do some more of that in second term.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy your holiday break! Now, back to watching a marathon of Big Bang Theory! New favorite show haha.

Happy Holidays 2010! - Colin

New York City!

Posted: September 6, 2010

Last week my brother and I spent about five days visiting The Big Apple. It truly was an amazing experience to be in the city. There is just so much to see and do it's almost overwhelming. In the five days that we were there, I think we saw a good chunk of the city. One thing I'll never forget is sitting in the middle of Time Square at night just watching everything going on. All your senses are overwhelmed. Things like the gigantic advertisement screens high on the buildings illuminating everything on the street, the thousands of people walking around shopping, eating etc., the noise of the busy streets with cab drivers honking at each other, which seemed like every second, and the smell of food drifting out of restaurants or coming from the hundreds of street side stands selling everything from fresh fruit, honey roasted nuts, corn, ice cream, kebabs, hotdogs, pizza, burgers, pretzels, and the list goes on. Many describe NYC as, 'a concrete jungle' or as, 'the city that never sleeps'. After visiting I find both of these descriptions fit perfectly. Where ever you walk the buildings tower over you. It feels like walking down a narrow corridor. The city is also always buzzing with people 24/7 not just in the heart of Manhattan, but all throughout the city.

Getting there

To get to NYC we took Megabus. I found out about this bus service on RFD about a year ago when they were advertising seats for $1.00. They still sell seats for $1.00 but you have to purchase them very early. If you book 3+ weeks in advance you could possibly land some seats for that low price but as you get closer to the date of departure the price skyrockets! Luckily, we scored tickets for $30 which when compared to Greyhound is pretty damn good. Now you may ask yourself: For such cheap tickets the bus must be garbage!, but the bus itself was surprisingly good! The tickets are cheap because Megabus is mostly automated. This means that they have very little staff other than a bus driver, a dispatcher and mabye a few other employees but not many. There are also no tickets, just a number you can write down or record on your cell and show the driver. The bus itself had comfortable reclining seats, which for a 7+ hour journey is a must, free WIFI, mini TV screens and a radio. I'd definitely take Megabus again given the chance.

Where to stay

For accommodations we decided to stay in Queens. Now if you're not familiar with NYC it's broken up into five distinct boroughs: Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, and finally Staten Island. The west end of Queens (closest to the East River) is in my opinion the best place to stay if you're visiting NYC on a budget. It is a friendly and quiet neighbourhood, offers many great hotels (Best Western, Howard Johnson etc.) with affordable rates for people on a budget and is not very far from many of the major sites in downtown Manhattan. Travelling by subway ($27 Metro Card 7-day unlimited pass for bus/subway), which is the best way to get around, would take less than 20-30 minutes to get to the heart of Manhattan.

What to see and what to do

While in NYC we visited quite a lot of places. Here are some of my favourites:

Places to eat:

Nicky's Vietnamese Sandwiches (location: 150 East 2nd St. / East Village)

Dubbed, "the sandwich of the moment" by the NYC official guide, the Vietnamese bánh mì is one very unique sandwich. You can get this sandwich in quite a few places all over New York, but according to many locals the best place to try one is here at Nicky's. I ordered the classic version of this sandwich which includes, pate, Vietnamese ham, roasted ground pork, pickled carrots, cucumber, mayo and cilantro all packed in a toasted baguette. It was definitely something I've never tasted before and it was actually quite good. This place itself is pretty small and not crowded with tourists so that was a plus for me. Also, nothing on the menu is over $15 so it's a great place to stop by for a quick and cheap lunch. Definitely a place worth checking out!

Katz's Delicatessen (location: 205 East Houston St.)

I came to know of this deli after an episode of my favourite TV show Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. If you're not familiar with this show it's about a chef, Anthony Bourdain, who travels the globe and is mainly focused on the food at each place he visits. Anyways, the restaurant has been visited by many famous people, which you can see by the photos decorating the walls. It was also the setting of many scenes in movies such as, "I'll have what she's having." in the movie, "When Harry Met Sally..." starring Billy Crystal.

Once you enter the deli you're given a ticket stub which is VERY important to hang on to since your order will be written on it. If you do not present the ticket upon leaving or even lose it, you will be charged a hefty fine (I've heard $50). Another thing to note is whatever you order you get a little sample of. For example, ordering a pastrami sandwich you get a little slice of pastrami to taste. The first thing I suggest to try would be the Pastrami Sandwich (~$15) which basically is a huge pile, and I mean HUGE, of freshly cut pastrami in between two slices of rye bread and two pickles on the side. This is what Katz's is known for and I was not disappointed at all. It was an incredible sandwich and I wish I could've downed five more but I probably wouldn't be able to walk out of there. The other thing I ordered was the Philly Cheesesteak (~$15). This took a very long time to prepare but it was well worth the wait since it was unbelievably good. I'm no food critic but you should definitely check out this place if you have the time!

Sites to See/Things to Do:

David Letterman Show

We were lucky enough to grab tickets to the David Letterman Show and it was one heck of an experience to actually see the show live, played out right in front of you. To get tickets, which are free by the way, it's pretty much a lottery. You sign up on the CBS website (only once every 6-months) and pray you get chosen basically. If you are chosen you will receive a call explaining what time to show up at the theatre, you will then be put on a 'gold list' (We were on Paul's Gold List) which is basically a seating arrangement I guess, and then you will have to answer a show related question. We were asked, "What does Rupert do on the show?" the answer of course is he runs the deli shop but we got that one wrong hah. Luckily though we got a second chance and were asked, "What colour is Alan Kalter's hair?" and of course we answered, "RED!!!1!1!". If we got that one wrong I would've cancelled the visit to NYC for sure.

When we arrived at the Ed Sullivan Theatre we had to line up and wait to get additional tickets. You must show some ID to get in the building. The wait isn't that long, well it wasn't that bad for us on that particular day I guess, and once you get in the building you talk to a person at the desk and he gives you your seating arrangement. Basically, if you smile a lot and act enthusiastic about the show you get front row seats. We ended up getting the balcony seats, which had the perfect view of the entire stage. After getting the tickets you're rounded up in groups of 10-20 to practise some cheers and to laugh the loudest you can. You're told the rules, no smoking, no cameras, no cells, no yelling etc., and most of all to laugh even if the joke bombs haha. After the 'practise' session you are told to come back in an hour and get ready for the show, which tapes Monday to Thurs at 4:30 sharp. When you come back and line up in your section you practise cheering and are told the rules again by very enthusiastic interns at the show. It actually is pretty fun and exciting. Once inside the famous theatre you get your first look at the stage. At first I was blown away at how small it really was. When watching the show on the TV the stage looks huge but in actuality it's not that very big. Still it was something very cool to see firsthand.

Once seated the show starts off with a quick 10 min. routine by a warm up comedian who was actually pretty funny and then another 10 min. of the CBS Orchestra with Paul Shaffer as the band leader playing a few songs. After a quick break the head honcho, David Letterman, himself comes out and starts talking with the audience about the show putting in a few jokes here and there and then asks anyone if they have questions. After that the show begins right on time and it really is a unique experience to be in the audience at a live show. Seeing the cameras and everything behind the scenes, like what really happens during commercial breaks, is pretty cool. Before you know it the show is over! The taping is usually about 60-70 mins. long according to the intern I talked to and never over that time limit. While we were there it was about 70 minutes. All in all it was really fun to be a part of the audience for once and I'd definitely go again!

You can also get tickets for shows like The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon or even Satuday Night Live!

Empire State Building

If there's only one building you can visit in NYC then this would be it. The tallest building in NYC currently (before it was the Twin Towers) standing at 1,453 ft. it's a sight to see. You can go to the 86th floor for $20 (General Admission) or the 102nd floor for and extra $15. We decided to just go to the 86th floor and it was an amazing view. To get to the top you take two elevators. The first one takes you to the 80th floor and is really fast. Well, faster than any elevator I've been in. It took less than 60 seconds to get to the top. On the 80th floor the windows for the visitor's area are all glossed over so you can't see out. I thought that was pretty stupid but they must have their reasons ($$$). Once you do get to the 86th viewing floor you can see everything around NYC, a full 360 degree view. Luckily it was a clear sunny day for us and we could see the Statue of Liberty and Central Park. It's a great experience and should definitely be one of the top things to do while in NYC.

Other notable buildings to visit and explore are:

NYC Public Library is the second largest public library in North America. Now you may ask yourself, "Why would I visit a library?!" well there are two reason I went. One reason being I'm a bookworm and the second being it has been the setting of many major movies. Movies such as Spider-Man, The Day After Tomorrow, The Thomas Crown Affair and most importantly, GHOSTBUSTERS! The two lions at the front steps and the huge reading room are all at the NYC Public Library. We also visited the Ghostbuster's HQ which is a real firehouse named 8 Hook and Ladder in the Tribeca area. Also since were on the topic of film locations you can visit the Guggenheim Museum where Men in Black was filmed. You know the beginning part where Will Smith is chasing down that alien to the top of a white building where he does his weird blinking thing and then plummets down to the street below? Well, that's this museum.

The Seagrum Building is considered as, "the finest example of skyscrapers in the International style" by Galinksy.com. It's distinguishable by its bronze tinge when looking up at it and also its huge plaza in front of the building. The building appears as #16 of 80 treasures in the show, "Around the World in 80 Treasures" presented by Dan Cruickshank by BBC.

The Chrysler Building is another famous building to visit. It's one of the most easily identifiable buildings in the city because of its 'terraced crown'. Unfortunately we didn't get to go to the upper floors, just the main lobby since we arrived after closing time. The lobby itself though is pretty impressive.

The UN Complex overlooks the East River and has been the headquarters of the UN since 1952. The grounds are considered international territory. Inside the building (free admission) you can see photos of many different conflicts in history. Be aware though some of them are pretty gruesome.

New York Stock Exchange is on Wall St. and is the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization. The building is pretty spectacular to look at from the outside and the surrounding buildings too. Also knowing that the daily trading value is $153 billion USD is pretty cool too!

Twin Towers Site is of course where the Twin Towers once stood. Presently the entire area is blocked of by fencing since there is construction going on (One World Trade Center).

Time Square

A visit to NYC wouldn't be complete without a walk through Times Square. Whenever NYC comes up, I picture Times Square. Best time to be in Times Square would be at night so you get the full effect. An even better time would be during New Years. I can only imagine what that would be like. I should also mention you may spot a few famous people in and around this area. The five days we were there we spotted Venus Williams and Alan Kaltar. We also got to see a shooting of 30 Rock with Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin.

Brooklyn Bridge

This bridge spans the East River connecting Brooklyn and Manhattan. It is the oldest suspension bridge in the U.S. You can walk or bike across the bridge along a path situated right above the thousands of cars which cross it each day. Walking across the bridge and seeing the metal beams and massive cable wires holding it all together, kind of makes you admire the engineering in constructing this behemoth. The view of the city from the middle of the bridge is also something worthwhile to see. If you do decide to cross the bridge then once in Brooklyn head to the Brooklyn Promenade Park. Here you get a good view of the NYC skyline, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge.

Statue of Liberty

This statue was a gift to the United States from the people of France and represents freedom. A great way to view the statue (for free!) is to hop on board the Staten Island Ferry. The ferry takes about 20-30 minutes to go from Lower Manhattan to Staten Island and runs every half-hour. If you are heading to Staten Island than be sure to get to the second floor balcony on the right side (starboard)! If you do manage to snag a good spot you will have an awesome view of the Statue of Liberty and the NYC skyline.

Central Park

This 4km long and 0.8km wide park is the most visited park in all of the United States. There is quite a lot to see inside the park itself and most of it lies in the southern part (below 85th street). You need to at least spend an entire day in the park just to see everything but since we were short on time we visited only a few of the important landmarks. The first landmark we visited was the Belvedere Castle, Italian for "beautiful view", which provided just that. Going to the third floor balcony supplies a panoramic view of the park particularly the Great Lawn and many other landmarks. The next thing to visit would be Cleopatra's Needle, a 224 ton red granite obelisk. This obelisk was originally erected in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis around 1450 BC. All four sides of the obelisk are heavily inscribed with hieroglyphics and at its base are metal plates translating each side in English. After visiting the obelisk we went straight to the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. This is the largest body of water in Central Park and has a path that encircles it mainly used by joggers who are constantly dodging the flood of tourists snapping pictures. The next thing to see would be Strawberry Fields, a section of the park dedicated to John Lennon. At its center is a circular stone mosaic with the word 'Imagine" at its center. Finally, the last place we visited was the Chess and Checkers House where you can play a game against some locals or just have fun and get a box of pieces and play with friends. I wish I had some more time to visit this great park and next time I visit I'll be sure to stop by again and explore some more. A visit to NYC isn't complete until you visit Central Park.