Silly Thylacine

Sure, brownies are good...

Wed, 25 Aug 2004 06:38:18 GMT

...but somewhat underdone brownies, hot from the oven, with a big dallop of cherry-vanilla icecream melting on top and drizzled all over with dark chocolate syrup are even better.

I win!

Wed, 04 Aug 2004 06:05:24 GMT

Apparently, within the last two years, I've had three or four migraines. This is news to me. See, I never thought I got migraines -- which I'd been led to believe were mainly intense headaches with tunnel-vision -- until I stumbled upon an exact description of a puzzling phenomenon which had recently started afflicting me. I get the fun visual disturbances without any of the pain or misery of the rest of the migraine! Maybe I can somehow channel this new power creatively; or maybe not, as it seems to be pretty common, really.
At least it's got a fun name. Scintillating scotoma. Say it with me, now.

Life in Appleland. (Hey hey, it's very fun.)

Tue, 27 Jul 2004 06:59:49 GMT

I've been enjoying my new PowerBook for a few days now. It's certainly everything I hoped it would be.

The only major strikes against it so far are minor fiddly little nitpicky things like Terminal.app not playing well with multi-pane curses windows, and selecting text.
Oh, and that it has twice locked up solidly and suddenly from -- I believe -- overheating, but only while running an otherwise promising looking game. The third-party temperature monitor says the insides have been pushing 146°F, which seems a trifle too warm for comfort.

I do really miss having a FocusFollowsMouse windowmanager, but this Desktop Manager gives me my virtual workspaces back, at least.

The dock bar fits so much better on the side than the bottom. The 'genie' effect is stupid. Why does 'font smoothing' default set to the 'CRT' value instead of the 'LCD' value on a laptop? Figuring out that the function keys aren't actually function keys until you hold down the 'function' button took me forever to figure out. Glow-in-the-dark keys quickly soothed my frustration, though.

This interface between ssh and keychain should not have had to have been a third-party utility; come on, Apple, why don't you launch user sesssions under an ssh-agent, at least.

This keyboard remapper gave me back my control key where it belongs, but doesn't seem able to disable the toggling of the capslock light, which is somewhat distracting.

It will take me forever to get used to an application still being open without having any windows to display.

Step one when importing shared media servers' contents into iTunes: turn off 'copy to local drive' option. Thanks for trying, iTunes, but that archive is bigger than the drive you reside on.

This fancy eyecatching bag (in yellow and orange at least) seemed to be a decent choice, with enough room for more than just the laptop itself.

And this.. uh.. cozy, I suppose you could call it, doesn't seem essential but I had to get one anyhow.

I continue my hunt for a bluetooth mouse.

I almost bought a retro keyboard for 'docked' use, until I read that their shoddy internals can't generate some key combinations.

Tue, 20 Jul 2004 06:42:09 GMT

Well, I suppose I ought to start shopping for black turtlenecks, now that the Cult of Steve has sunk its icy white plastic talons into my soul and forced me to order a shiny powerbook.
Also, I shall need suggestions for hipster accessories.

oh good lord, more cat pictures on the internet

Sat, 19 Jun 2004 02:06:36 GMT

So there's this wild kitten in our backyard. The wild mom and it were living under our deck when it was born, a couple weeks ago. We haven't seen the mom in a week or so.

It's really hard not to just give in and decide to have a cat.

Of course, we already bought it some kittenchow so it wouldn't starve.

I am not a scientist.

Fri, 16 Apr 2004 07:00:05 GMT

I get these silly ideas stuck in my head, and everything just snowballs from there. I was trying to figure out quantum probability wave stuff, and it struck my dull programmery brain how similar it seems to branch-prediction. And now I can't not freaking picture it as such.

Another image I can't get out of my head is the entire universal spacetime loaf as an artfully extruded multidimensional paperweight.

Damnit popsci-fluff-media, you know I loves you, why you make me gots to hit you.

Books!

Thu, 15 Apr 2004 01:33:48 GMT

After hearing about it for quite some time, from such varied sources as my friends to Douglas Hofstadter, I fairly impulsively bought a copy of the Codex Seraphinianus the other day.

It was somewhat pricey, but I don't regret it at all! It's pure absurdist fun, in a big fat book.

I'll try to put more pictures up soon.

Eye Candy

Thu, 13 Nov 2003 07:50:59 GMT

The Cremaster Cycle is a crazy artsy thing that's taken nine years to make, and involves hours upon hours upon more hours of video. I just watched the 31 minute climax of one of the five installments. It's certainly interesting, all full of weird guggenheimness and rich with absurd imagery; however, I do not feel that my life will be somehow empty if I don't get to see the remaining hours and hours and hours sometime.

More digestible, and certainly more bang-per-buck, is the Directors Label collection of videos. I've only watched the Spike Jonze volume so far -- but it's a load of fun, and the other two look to hold even more amazing promises.

Also, I still can't stop laughing at this little oddity, from Eric Fensler.

Chhh, chhh, chh.

Fri, 17 Oct 2003 19:39:47 GMT

Apparently, I am now 'Swiper', from 'Dora the Explorer'. At least, according to the gaggle of wee children who just swarmed gigglingly by my office.

Personally, I don't see the resemblance.

I suppose there are worse things one could be deemed to be by children, though.

Sun, 12 Oct 2003 10:24:16 GMT

So, I get 100 geek points for visiting jwz's DNA Lounge just because I wanted to see it, but minus 99 of those points because I did not post this entry from the web terminals scattered around. Overall, I was let down; it's really more of a bar type of place than I was expecting. Odd mix of crowdfolk, too. The backroom would've been interesting, if it wasn't quite so piercingly loud and had opened up sooner than two hours before the place shut down. Ohwell.
Got to drive my somewhat inebriated friends home in one of their's lexus, which is nice and cushy and its seats make my butt toastywarm with the press of a button, but I still like my audi better.

Mind Control Bakeries

Fri, 26 Sep 2003 04:22:03 GMT

About a week and a half ago, we were running through the grocery store when a white and red box, shelved near the floor, caught my eye. I didn't buy it then, but it would wear away at me over the series of days to follow, until finally I would run out to the store again in a fit of sweet-craving madness, parade my prize home on tiptoes and fingertips, then tear asunder into the box of confections, finally sating my lust for a Raspberry Zinger.

You know, as Remebered Hostess Crap Snax Of Yore go, they aren't half bad.

I find myself faintly yearning to construct a gourmet variety now, though.

Tue, 02 Sep 2003 07:18:56 GMT

Fairly spontaneously, I bought a new computer today. What better way to spend a holiday than driving down and up and down and up and down the Nimitz Freeway purchasing overly expensive fiddlybits from two branches of the same store in the poorest execution of consumer logistics ever.

And what better way to spend a Sunday night than with Sean Connery, a giant flying stone head, friends, and some rum & coke.

Sat, 16 Aug 2003 10:46:21 GMT

I have such poor judgment sometimes.
Knowing full well that I wanted to get a decent night's sleep tonight, I not only had a potent thai iced tea with dinner, but a cappuccino with dessert! And this after a week without caffeine.
Stupid me.
At least it was tastey at the time.

Sun, 10 Aug 2003 08:02:47 GMT

TrustFlow trust metric

Created by ciphergoth, see trustmetrics for details.

Closest 50 non-Friends for fek:

1: desu, 2: tann, 3: fareme, 4: spengler, 5: aethan, 6: kavasa, 7: snowyote, 8: orb2069, 9: dogzrbarkn, 10: rancourt, 11: thrashwolf, 12: eselgeist, 13: abigailvr, 14: piqument, 15: iyu, 16: postvixen, 17: bohor, 18: torrle, 19: phyxis, 20: thegreenmonkey, 21: nerfcoyote, 22: oncewas, 23: cooner, 24: katrus, 25: kamenkyote, 26: phooky, 27: kimbalion, 28: sapphirerage, 29: crocodile, 30: ben_raccoon, 31: oliver_otter, 32: normanrafferty, 33: rascalpup, 34: arrowtwolf, 35: acy, 36: canisium, 37: growf, 38: siegferret, 39: nikonraccoon, 40: tastyeagle, 41: fofferin, 42: petzl, 43: makali, 44: chipuni, 45: aprivatefox, 46: otterdoc, 47: kurtmrufa, 48: loiosh_de_talto, 49: justjoel, 50: danruk

90% people I already know or, at the least, know of. Huh.

Not much else of interest.

a geek sure, but what kind

Thu, 24 Jul 2003 02:17:03 GMT

So, after work tonight, I spent some time on my own learning about P3P for the sole purpose of letting my webbrowser's homepage make my new best friend, privacybird, tweet mellifluously at me. Privacybird is always there for me, ready to listen to me troubles. Caw. I loves you, privacybird, even when you're angry.

Catching Up, Thirty-five Days

Mon, 21 Jul 2003 09:42:47 GMT

It's been a while. Here's a rambly summary.

I got a year older, a few weeks back. But only perhaps two months wiser.

I've read some books, not all of which are: Harry Potter 5 (which was okay), Surely You're Joking, Mr Feynman (which I might've read long ago but didn't remember doing so, and am glad I did so again), Hacking Matter (a silly science-fluff which would've been much better at perhaps twenty pages long).
I've put Pynchon's Vineland back on the shelf next to Gravity's Rainbow, both half finished, but for different reasons: Vineland just wasn't interesting me beyond the words he used and the order in which he put them. Gravity's Rainbow is entrancing, but a mentally-wearying chore for me to read.
I'll likely next read some more of Tom Robbins, Tim Powers, Ken MacLeod, or Alastair Reynolds. I find myself wishing, hoping, and daydreaming for more China Miéville.
I'm also tempted to pick up Christopher Alexander's newest opus, but at $75 each for four volumes, I want to get a chance to leaf through it first before committing to what could total three-hundred bucks of just more tao rambling.

I moved some of my computers into prettier cases. I just need a nice sturdy rack cabinet to put them in now, to get them all hidden out of the way, and continue their pretty existences out of sight.

Spent several enjoyable weekends with various friends, being my normal quiet self.

Today, we saw yon Pirates movie, which was better than I'd thought it would be. Last night, we saw the PBS produced Lathe of Heaven from 1979, which was pretty good, considering, as well.

Tried picking up a pencil again for the first time in a very long time, then swiftly put it right back down, remembering why.

And finally, I've gone back to not being able to sleep until the wee hours of the morn. Which sucks.

Tue, 17 Jun 2003 06:25:47 GMT

Hey, kids! Creepy artsy link of the day!
I think it's pretty neat, but could've been done much cuter. Instead of creepy.

Yes, I am easilly amused.

Thu, 05 Jun 2003 02:22:41 GMT

Teehee.

Tue, 03 Jun 2003 04:52:41 GMT

I declare myself white trash.
It's just balanced there delicately, too!

Sun, 01 Jun 2003 00:02:08 GMT

As promised, some pictures from furball.

Sat, 31 May 2003 10:45:28 GMT

So, that dancy thing was pretty fun. I'll cull some of the 132M of pictures I took, to share for later.

Oh, and there's this thing. How the heck do you get over a hundred percent? Thrice?





	
	
	
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How compatible with me are YOU?

Tue, 27 May 2003 07:19:19 GMT

OMG, I spent my day off making thirtyodd candybracelets, some of the many which will be handed out of the pouch (which I'm also making) of someone dear to me at some upcoming loud bouncy dancey thing that many of my friends will be at.
If I keep this up, I might be mistaken for a furry raver, or something.
Fear.

Mon, 28 Apr 2003 21:29:05 GMT

47.9 grams of M&Ms:
14 red, 14 green, 13 yellow, 6 brown, 4 orange, 4 blue.

Other people count these too, right?

Fri, 25 Apr 2003 05:52:23 GMT

Yay, tonight I fixed and expanded on a rather dodgy patch for TinyFugue which makes it natively support SSL connections! This likely means nothing to most of you.
But if it does and you want a copy, here.

Wed, 16 Apr 2003 08:41:54 GMT

So at eleven PM, I made the mistake of downloading Down and out in the Magic Kingdom, finishing such at one-thirty AM, with only a mild sense of accomplishment.
I am vaguely amused, but by no means overwhelmed.
I am now qualified to use Whuffie in casual conversation.
I am convinced 'Microsoft Reader' is the most awkward application ever conceived.
I shall likely be slightly late for any morning meeting I may have forgotten about.

(The trick now, though, is to make it into bed before saying 'screw it' and finishing off the last fifty-eight pages of The Scar..)