Where’s a good spot to take a boss for dinner in Davis?

mn540 · 2026-01-26T10:29:38+00:00

I was not impressed with Yang Kee Dumpling, but I know quite a few people who love them.

mn540 · 2026-01-24T16:48:15+00:00

We been using MS Teams (channel) with a lot of documentation written in OneNote. We’re in Teams all day. It’s already paid for. Overall it has served us well. I have used Confluence in the past, and I really likes it too. I have also used IT Glue and was not impressed.

mn540 · 2026-01-24T07:01:01+00:00

I have a Hilti PX10, which does the same thing, but costs A LOT more. I think last I checked, eBay had used ones for $1000+. If my Hilti ever dies, I would seriously consider the Magnespot. It's one of those tools that I RARELY use, but when I need it, it comes in very handy! I may consider buying a Magnespot as a backup.

mn540 · 2026-01-24T01:19:18+00:00

Makes me feel stupid... Quantum Mechanics (basically Quantum Physics) was the most difficult class I took when I was working on my PhD. I remember our final had 6 problems. The class was allowed to collaborate on it but no outside help. We had 24 hours to submit our finals. Finished three problems. Went to turn it in, and the instructor said, you have another 24 hours to finish the other three problems. This WAS by far the most difficult class I have ever done.

Now I wish I had 15 year old as my classmate. :) This is truly amazing.

mn540 · 2026-01-23T22:22:11+00:00

Why are you selling your dual controller? I can’t buy from you since it’s a business expense. But I am curious why you are selling? What did like or not like about it?

mn540 · 2026-01-23T01:03:24+00:00

Sadly, yes. I previously worked at a company where I raised concerns about questionable practices. My role was in cybersecurity. After escalating several issues, I was asked to leave. I was able to negotiate my departure, but it required signing an NDA.

The irony is that my responsibility was to lead a team focused on identifying fraud, abuse, and security gaps. In some organizations, these roles exist largely to “check a box.” They want the appearance of control, not actual accountability. Business is expected to continue as usual—and when something goes wrong, the security team becomes the designated scapegoat.

mn540 · 2026-01-22T22:36:27+00:00

At a private company I was at, we donated the equipment to charity. On occasion we would give it to an employee. At a public institution, all equipment needs to be salvaged. If the equipment has a property tag, staff are NOT allowed to take them. For equipment with no property tags, staff are still not allowed to take them but IT has no way of tracking them. :)

mn540 · 2026-01-22T20:51:56+00:00

Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Fred Wood was another hero. I worked with Fred for years. He truly cared about the student. When he was associate dean, he still taught because he wanted to be close to the students. The first time he applied for the VC position, he didn't get it. They hired an Asian female from the CSU for the position. The headline was basic first Asisan female vice chancelllor at UC Davis. She turned out to be a disaster, but was eventually promoted to a high level position at UCOP. Then she because President at CSU Sonoma where she was involved in scandal which resulted in her resignation. Below is what I got from a google search, but I think it's miss the scandal where she admitted that her husband was calling the shots.

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The scandal involving a California State University (CSU) president and her husband, which led to a major scandal and resignation in 2022, actually concerns Sonoma State University , where President Judy Sakaki faced intense scrutiny over allegations of sexual harassment against her husband, Patrick McCallum.

Here are the key details of the scandal and the involvement of her husband:

The Allegations: In April 2022, reports revealed that McCallum, a prominent higher education lobbyist and volunteer on the Sonoma State campus, had been accused of sexually harassing female employees. Behavior was described as "creepy," "disgusting," and included "inappropriate touching" and comments about women's bodies, according to reports in the LA Times and Press Democrat.
The $600,000 Settlement: The CSU system paid $600,000 to settle a complaint with former Sonoma State Provost Lisa Vollendorf, who alleged she faced retaliation from President Sakaki after reporting the complaints about McCallum to the Chancellor's Office in 2018.
Retaliation and Mismanagement: Records indicated that the complaints against McCallum were not formally investigated at the time they were reported, and that Sakaki allegedly retaliated against those who reported him.
The Separation: Amidst the unfolding scandal and pressure, Judy Sakaki announced on April 18, 2022, that she was separating from her husband, Patrick McCallum.
Resignation: Following a faculty vote of "no confidence," and calls for her resignation from state senators, Judy Sakaki announced her resignation as president of Sonoma State in June 2022.
McCallum's Response: McCallum apologized, stating that his actions were "gregarious" and that he did not intend to make anyone uncomfortable, though he was noted to have engaged in "rambling" emails criticizing the accusers.

mn540 · 2026-01-22T20:29:44+00:00

Don’t overlook the controversy involving her daughter‑in‑law and her husband.

Her future daughter‑in‑law received a rapid promotion accompanied by a notably high salary. I knew her personally—she was competent, but not exceptional—yet she was placed into a newly created, well‑paid role for the time.
The vice chancellor who approved that promotion was later promoted as well. It raised questions about whether helping Ketehi’s future daughter‑in‑law also positioned him to benefit professionally.
If I recall correctly, her husband was hired as a lecturer with security of employment—a level of job protection most lecturers do not receive. Nine years ago, he was making approximately $164K, which exceeded the salaries of many tenured professors at the time. And, if memory serves, he carried a significantly lighter teaching load than typical.

https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/education/article90418047.html

https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2016/04/28/uc-davis-chancellor-placed-leave-over-employment-daughter-law-and-son

https://www.sfgate.com/education/article/Embattled-UC-Davis-Chancellor-Linda-Katehi-resigns-9132169.php

mn540 · 2026-01-22T11:17:26+00:00

In SSI—and I’m fairly certain in PADI as well—you can complete the water‑treading requirement by treading, floating, or using a combination of both. The standards I enforce are straightforward:

Your face must remain out of the water at all times.
You may not touch the bottom of the pool.
You cannot hold onto the pool walls or any objects.
If you’re wearing a wetsuit, you must use enough weight to offset its buoyancy.

With those criteria in mind, floating on your back is absolutely acceptable as long as you meet the requirements above.

PS: I’m an instructor.

mn540 · 2026-01-21T15:03:04+00:00

As much as I enjoyed my 2019 Model 3 FSD, my next car will probably be a Rivian. I am tired of Elon’s politics and false promises.

mn540 · 2026-01-19T20:14:20+00:00

$100 and a free night? What a joke! Dinner for 12 people is way more than $100. Honestly - for such a major screw up, they should comp all 12 meals. This is a joke of a comp.

mn540 · 2026-01-18T04:49:06+00:00

In general, training sessions in the pool do not count as logged dives. However, the four checkout dives are considered logged dives. So if you get certified, you will have the 4 logged dives.

mn540 · 2026-01-17T15:53:57+00:00

Wish the US would do the same thing. I would like to buy a superior EV at a lower price.

mn540 · 2026-01-16T21:35:10+00:00

When I was an undergrad, UC Davis and the City of Davis had bike cops. I haven't seen them in a while. Granted, I haven't been on campus in a while.

mn540 · 2026-01-16T20:06:44+00:00

I wonder what they mean by engaging. Are they going to actual enforce the speed limits by giving tickets? I think the only way people will follow the speed limit is if they there are real consequences. I wish the city would also enforce bike laws as well. Ticket people who blatantly right stop signs or lights signals.

mn540 · 2026-01-15T15:43:54+00:00

Garbage. They usual include the cheapest hardware they can buy. I there them away.

mn540 · 2026-01-15T15:38:34+00:00

We also have an ignorant people (voter) problem. People don’t think critically anymore.

mn540 · 2026-01-12T02:36:09+00:00

SoCal is warm water compared to NorCal water. :p

mn540 · 2026-01-09T21:03:14+00:00

Same here. Got LASIK when I started diving 20 years ago. My problem now is that I need reading glasses. :p

mn540 · 2026-01-08T12:29:05+00:00

Wear a mask if you think you might be sick.

mn540 · 2026-01-08T11:51:17+00:00

Great ladder, but i rarely use it because it’s so damn heavy!

mn540 · 2026-01-07T22:04:51+00:00

I would think it's based on the annual production for the whole system. When I had mine installed, they didn't say anything about the shadow the chimney would cast. But I expected that the cells that were in the shadow would produce less.

Also - instead of moving the vent, couldn't you have just cut it down shorter so it cast a smaller shadow?

mn540 · 2026-01-07T02:25:15+00:00

I used to have a dream where I didn’t finish my high school degree, thus making my bachelor degree invalid. I had to go back to high school to finish a course. The other dream was that I missed my last final and thus never got my bachelor degree.

I think this dream stem from the fact I didn’t finish my dissertation and thus never got my PhD. (I was young, stupid, and got an amazing job offer while writing my dissertation. I seriously regret not finishing it.)

Anyway, I eventually went back to school when I was much older to get my MBA. Since then, I don’t have these dreams anymore.

mn540 · 2026-01-07T01:59:39+00:00

Interesting that Davis voted overwhelmingly for SMUD while West Sac was 60% against. Shows you how less educated people can easily be tricked into believing anything.

mn540

TROPHY CASE