I live in Silicon Valley

DX'd - Other
1

The counselor said neighbors had made a complaint about me. We talked it out and things are back to normal. But during the conversation I told her that you have to be a little aggressive or people will roll right over you. She acted like I said something weird.
This is friggin Silicon Valley, birth of the electronic boom that in the '90s was making new millionaires every day. There is so much competition here and it is so fast paced and everybody is looking for a piece of that pie that will guarantee that they are set for life. Traffic is insane here. I want a piece of the pie too. I kinda already have it. Maybe I’m ungrateful for what I got.

Work was pretty good today. I keep posting that people are nice here in the Army Reserve building. Because it’s true.

When I get tired (which is all the time), it’s almost like I’m drunk and my many inhibitions seem to go away. People like me more and are friendly and I am always friendly so people treat me good. But I was cleaning the lobby today (almost my most hated task) and I was talking to the security guards and I commented to him that the people are so friendly here and I was surprised.

He agreed and said, yeah the people just want to be here and work and get the job done. I told him that I think the soldiers are so cool because most of them are secure and the guard totally agreed with me. Yeah, it was a good day about half the time. My supervisor came to check on me when I was doing some dusting and we got in a conversation. I think maybe he was just stressed and wanted to unwind and talk to somebody and I’m pretty mellow so he talked about his father and he talked about Vietnam (he was in the war; we’re both old coots.) and he told me a little about my co-workers and how the biker got sent home today for being inappropriately angry and how the other guys were causing trouble. We both knew I don’t cause trouble.

It was just a conversation but I think I gained a little respect in his eyes because I opened up and as he walked away he said "see you later’ but yeah, he said it sincerely and respectfully.

It felt good to make the connection. The female boss and I get along but I think she doesn’t understand that I don’t want anything from her but just to talk normally and get along. It’s been a year now and we have normal conversations and have a few laughs but she doesn’t understand I think she’s cool and have nothing against her. It’s cool I’m sure she’ll eventually come around and join the 77nick77 fan club like everyone else. I guess I kinda grow on people after awhile, sorta like a fungus or something.

9 Likes
2

You’re a WONDERFUL person, so it makes sense that the guard, supervisor, and female boss respect and appreciate you! Very glad to hear about your special, meaningful day!

3 Likes
3

Thanks @FlyingPurplePeopleMeeter. Back atcha. That’s always nice to hear. And I felt so good after work that I was friendlier to most other drivers than usual in heavy traffic I guess I’m maturing faster than usual.

1 Like
4

So glad you felt free to be kind!

1 Like
5

Your postings are always interesting. I was in Silicon Valley in 2000, I understand that traffic can be quite insane there, different from my traffic here. I wish you all the best.

1 Like
6

The @77nick77 fan club, AKA schizophrenia.com! We all love you here. I’m glad your coworkers are chill, and that you were able to sort out your neighbor problems.

1 Like
7

I was in Palo Alto in 2001. Schizophrenia.com sent me there to help a young man.

1 Like
8

Where is sillicon valley?

9

California I think it’s somewhere in the middle or north of the state there’s just a lot of techie people working there and they all take tiny doses of lsd and mushrooms and go to work because they think it increases productivity and creativity Tell me if I’m wrong @77nick77

2 Likes
10

Interesting 15 15

1 Like
11

Why is it called Silicon?

12

I knew a girl at my first college that was from silicon valley. She now doesn’t work but posts instagram images of all the expensive food she eats while living in NYC. Her moms have a lot of money.

13

You’re wrong @Jonnybegood. They take HUGE doses.

1 Like
14

Electronics

Main article: Semiconductor device fabrication

Silicon wafer with mirror finish

Most elemental silicon produced remains as a ferrosilicon alloy, and only approximately 20% is refined to metallurgical grade purity (a total of 1.3–1.5 million metric tons/year). An estimated 15% of the world production of metallurgical grade silicon is further refined to semiconductor purity.[64] This typically is the “nine-9” or 99.9999999% purity,[65] nearly defect-free single crystalline material.[66]

Monocrystalline silicon of such purity is usually produced by the Czochralski process, is used to produce silicon wafers used in the semiconductor industry, in electronics, and in some high-cost and high-efficiency photovoltaic applications.[67] Pure silicon is an intrinsic semiconductor, which means that unlike metals, it conducts electron holes and electrons released from atoms by heat; silicon’s electrical conductivity increases with higher temperatures. Pure silicon has too low a conductivity (i.e., too high a resistivity) to be used as a circuit element in electronics. In practice, pure silicon is doped with small concentrations of certain other elements, which greatly increase its conductivity and adjust its electrical response by controlling the number and charge (positive or negative) of activated carriers. Such control is necessary for transistors, solar cells, semiconductor detectors, and other semiconductor devices used in the computer industry and other technical applications.[68] In silicon photonics, silicon may be used as a continuous wave Raman laser medium to produce coherent light.[69]

In common integrated circuits, a wafer of monocrystalline silicon serves as a mechanical support for the circuits, which are created by doping and insulated from each other by thin layers of silicon oxide, an insulator that is easily produced on Si surfaces by processes of thermal oxidation or local oxidation (LOCOS), which involve exposing the element to oxygen under the proper conditions that can be predicted by the Deal–Grove model. Silicon has become the most popular material for both high power semiconductors and integrated circuits because it can withstand the highest temperatures and greatest electrical activity without suffering avalanche breakdown (an electron avalanche is created when heat produces free electrons and holes, which in turn pass more current, which produces more heat). In addition, the insulating oxide of silicon is not soluble in water, which gives it an advantage over germanium (an element with similar properties which can also be used in semiconductor devices) in certain fabrication techniques.[70]

Monocrystalline silicon is expensive to produce, and is usually justified only in production of integrated circuits, where tiny crystal imperfections can interfere with tiny circuit paths. For other uses, other types of pure silicon may be employed. These include hydrogenated amorphous silicon and upgraded metallurgical-grade silicon (UMG-Si) used in the production of low-cost, large-area electronics in applications such as liquid crystal displays and of large-area, low-cost, thin-film solar cells. Such semiconductor grades of silicon are either slightly less pure or polycrystalline rather than monocrystalline, and are produced in comparable quantities as the monocrystalline silicon: 75,000 to 150,000 metric tons per year. The market for the lesser grade is growing more quickly than for monocrystalline silicon. By 2013, polycrystalline silicon production, used mostly in solar cells, was projected to reach 200,000 metric tons per year, while monocrystalline semiconductor grade silicon was expected to remain less than 50,000 tons per year.[64]

1 Like
15

It’s relatively near to San Francisco. It’s south of San Francisco. The area led the country and maybe the world in manufacturing of electronic gadget’s and the invention of new electronics. Google offices are here along with HP.

1 Like
16

I’m curious @Jayster What do you remember about it? I lived there for several years.

17

Maybe some do but there’s a trend in the USA but particularly in silicone valley where they take tiny non hallucinogenic doses of lsd and they say it works like coffee but better. But firemonkey posted an article about the overhype of it.

1 Like
18

I thought you were kidding about the LSD. I once took a half a hit and then went to family group therapy for an hour. The whole group was about me tripping on paranoid schizophrenia symptoms; but I was trippin on the trippin.

1 Like
19

Palo Alto had air and noise pollution.

Because they had air pollution, new house constructions were forbidden from putting in a fireplace. Therefore, Steven Jobs bought an old house and tore down everything but the fireplace and built his house around it.

The family I visited had a lab that loved to go for a walk. One night the dog and I ended up right in front of the Steven Jobs house.

The trolley went through and made a hell of a noise. The crossings were deadly.

Their park came with a mountain in it. I went to the top along the trail. I was a smoker back then!

The AA meetings had some super stars . . .

Fresh produce from all over the world was rushed to the grocery stores of Palo Alto.

Nick, Nick, Nick!

1 Like
20

Well, that’s an interesting recollection. And it’s varied too. I lived there a few years and when I picture it in my mind I always remember the tree lined streets and the squirrels. I’ve never seen a city with so many squirrels.