Biking Over the Red Hill Trail at Coyote Hills

Coyote Hills Regional park located NorthWest of Fremont and Newark is a popular destination for bicycling. The place falls on migratory path for birds and depending on season and time of day there is abundant wild life to view. I started cycling here during fall of 2008. Ever since I discovered the Red Hill trail I have been aspiring to bike over the trail without having to stop. The trail goes over the top of Red and Glider hills and consists of areas of steep climbs and fast descents. Below is the elevation profile of the Red Hill trail, starting from the Ardenwood Creek trail side.

Elevation Profile Of Red Hill Trail
(Starting from the side of Ardenwood Creek Trail)

The main issue I faced was loss of traction over the loose gravel when going up hill. However, day before yesterday I was able to do it. I guess it was probably a combination of improvement, both in stamina and skill over the past attempts. The main difference, I think, was figuring out a way to avoid the loose gravel by moving to the side of the trail. Another trick is to zig-zag on the trail if its possible to avoid loose gravel while doing so.

Good thing I had my my GPS logger on me and was able to capture the track.


Click here to view larger map

Top of the summit provides some paranomic views of the bay, spanning from San Francisco to Santa Cruz. The burn in the legs and the cardio workout is an added bonus.

posted by Amandeep 5/31/2009 07:30:00 PM | PERMALINK

Calculating Tax Liability When Disposing ESPP Shares

Everyone in the tech. industry participates or have participated in ESPP programs at one time or another. However, calculating tax liability when disposing ESPP shares can be a bit confusing.

Here is a good article that discusses ESPP plans and also provides links (towards the bottom of the page) that discuss tax calculations for both qualifying and disqualifying dispositions.

posted by Amandeep 3/26/2009 11:55:00 PM | PERMALINK

Patent Search

I have been working with my patent attorney recently to reply to some queries related to a pending application. I learned about this URL to be able to search all previously approved and publicly filed pending applications. Nice to know!

posted by Amandeep 3/25/2009 05:33:00 PM | PERMALINK

Factors To Keep In Mind When Selecting the Lender For Your ARM Mortgage

I have been debating with myself, that given the state of housing market and the US economy overall whether one should go for 30 year fixed mortgage or ARMs should also be considered. While there is no fixed answer to which mortgage is better - it really depends on each individuals situation, future plans and risk taking capability - I do have some thoughts on what to look for when selecting an ARM lender.

ARM or Adjustable Rate Mortgages generally have an initial period for which the interest rate is fixed, after that period the rates adjusts periodically depending on the index that the lender follows. Basically the lenders keep a margin (say, 2 or 2.5%) on top of an index (like 1-year constant-maturity Treasury (CMT) securities, the Cost of Funds Index (COFI), and the London Interbank Offered Rate or LIBOR). The index represents the cost at which the bank can borrow the money, and the margin ensures income for the bank. See here list of common indexes based on which interest rates of ARM loans vary once the initial fixed period is over. Besides the interest rate or APR one should look at the index that a bank when picking the lender for an ARM as it can impact the amount of payments once the mortgage rate adjusts. See here to learn more.

Besides the initial interest rate, index and margin other aspects to consider include, upfront costs, interest rate cap - i.e. limit on how much the interest rate can change, ability to convert to fixed rate loan at some designated time and prepayment - (make sure that there are no penalties to prepay the ARM). Once the initial adjustment period is over, some ARMs adjust every month while others may adjust once in six months, one year or five years etc. This should be considered for risk management. Lastly, check out a short summary of various economic indicators which influence mortgage rates can be found at: http://mortgage-x.com/general/indicators.asp

posted by Amandeep 6/15/2008 01:28:00 PM | PERMALINK

Hybrid Gardening - EarthTainer

Came across this article in the newpaper about this improvision by Ray Newstead to grow plants (tomatoes) in a self sutatined watering system built into gardening containers. Newstead has built his system on top of http://www.earthbox.com/ and provides complete instructions at http://www.tomatofest.com/tomato-earthtainer.html. Happy gardening in even more eco friendly manner.

posted by Amandeep 6/14/2008 11:36:00 AM | PERMALINK

Lowest Priced Gas

Find the lowest priced gas in your zip code here.

posted by Amandeep 10/19/2007 09:47:00 PM | PERMALINK

Tips For Buying a New Mattress Without Haggling

Last weekend we bought a new king size Simmons Beautyrest mattress. During this process I realized how similar mattress buying experience can be to buying a car. The whole thing started with a general visit to the Mancini's Sleepworld on late Friday evening. At the time I knew that I had to buy a mattress, but not at that time itself. The sales man seemed courteous and knowledgeable and provided tips about selecting mattress firmness based on whether one is a side sleeper or a back sleeper etc. However, when we asked about the price he quoted a number that was approximately 25% lower than the list price. As we made our exit, he said "I'll throw in the tax if you'd buy the mattress right now". The pressure sale tactic reminded me why I wrote the blog about car buying tips. On the following day, we visited two more stores, each had their own tactics. Mattress Discounters showed a list of competitors selling mattresses similar to one we were interested in and claimed to give 5% discount on the lowest price. Sales people at Sleep Train came the closest to being "used car sales men". They claimed that the sticker price was what the customers are expected to pay, but if the price is too high they'd be willing to work something out. The reason I call them used car sales men is because of some of the phrases they used e.g. "I will give you 10% discount from the sticker price if don't take financing from me" and the signature "what do you want to pay, but don't low ball me now". It was amusing.

As I think about it later, I realize that a mattress can last up to 10 or 12 years, its not very cheap and one does not buy very many of them at a high frequency - its so similar to a car from that perspective. There are several differences as well - for example its difficult to do comparison shopping even if one is willing to put in the effort of visit multiple stores. More about this later. So I thought to myself this subject warrants a blog that would provide the tips that can be helpful in buying a comfortable mattress without having to haggle with the sales people. So here we go :

1. Research and decide what kind of mattress you want to buy. Study the technology behind mattresses offered by different companies. For example, I decided to buy Simmons because of the motion separation that these mattresses offer. Further, after trying various mattresses in the store (for at least a few minutes each) I narrowed down the search to a firm mattress with pillow top. Trying out various mattresses and deciding the specific kind of mattress you want is the single most important step. After all, if the mattress is not comfortable, there is no point in buying a new one. Refer bettersleep.org for more tips in deciding which mattress is right for you. Also see websites of various mattress companies.

2. Second tip is - do not pay sticker price. Generally one should be able to buy the mattress for about 40-50% less than the sticker. How to do that without haggling? Read on.

3. One thing that anyone trying to do comparison shopping will notice is that nonw of the stores carry the exact same model of the mattress. While they may all have a World class Simmons with pillow top and firm support - the order of these words may be different and further a store specific model name may also be there. For example, Mancini's may call it "Kimble", while Sleep Train might call it "Paris". This makes comparison shopping very difficult.

4. Once you know which mattress you want, arm yourself with specific knowledge about the mattress. Note down the model name, make and specifics like "plush", "pillow top", "firm" etc. Ask the store to provide specifications about internal configuration of the mattress e.g. types of foam and thickness used in various layers of the mattress, count and gauge of the coils etc.

5. Hop online and search for the mattress that has similar specifications. I found a couple of websites that sell mattresses and offer free delivery and pickup like the local stores. They can also help locate a mattress that is equivalent to the model that you liked in the store. I particularly liked sdmattress.com. These guys were quick in responding to emails and information was precise. You can even buy the mattress from them, now that you have test driven an equivalent mattress in store. Although I did not do it myself so can't tell from first hand experience.

6. Now, that the guess work has been taken out of the price tag. You can go back to the store where your favorite mattress is and buy it at a price that is 5% lower than the online price (as per the store's price guarantee). Where you buy, in store or online, can also be based on availability and estimated delivery time of the mattress. Remember that the "price guarantee" that many of the mattress stores provide is for a "comparable" mattress and not necessarily for the exact same model name. As I mentioned above, the exact same model will most likely not be available elsewhere.

posted by Amandeep 9/12/2007 12:03:00 AM | PERMALINK