| "Making a site is easy" |
[Jul. 27th, 2008|09:16 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  cranky | ] |
When I point people at kliktikfix and tell them what I did to make it like it is, I got a few strange reactions.
"Oh, yeah, that's easy."
I'm wondering what prompts people to react that way. Especially when I tell them I want to add functionality X, and they cheerfully tell me: "Oh, just use library Y -- easy!" Until you look into library Y and discover that it doesn't, in fact, offer functionality X. Apparently library Y is so easy that you don't need personal experience with it to know that it is easily implemented...
I know making a site is easy: just create a database table, make a page to enter stuff into the database, and make another to show it. Sure, that's easy.
But it's hard to do it right. Trust me on that: I spent five years building sites as my day-job, and back there I had the advantage of a full-fledged CMS to build upon. Making a site is easy. But making a site that has lots of functionality that isn't easily hackable is hard.
Right now, I'm building a functionality to leave a comment on an entry. Easy, right? Again, a simple database table, a page to enter your comment and a page to display the comments. We've seen it hundreds of times on various weblogs.
But what about sanitising the entered comment? Because I sure as hell don't want my site to become a vector of XSS attacks. And that is where the 'easyness' breaks down: there are umpteen libraries and shortcuts, all with their own vulnerabilities. Obviously, a simple regexp doesn't cut it, and I could simply strip out all the links and stuff, but I don't want that -- I want to offer a richer experience. I could use BBCode-like stuff, but I hate pseudo-HTML and it adds another learning curve.
There's a lot of hidden complexity in building sites, that most people never even get to see. And if you build a quick intranet-site, you don't have to concern yourself over it. But an outward-facing site that is open to the public, that offers interactivity? Just don't bring your "that's easy"-mentality over, because it will bite you in the ass later. |
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| Linkspam at the midnight hour |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|11:10 pm] |
| [ | Tags | | | 300, conventions, dogs, icons, lost, movies, nottingham, shelby, sherlock holmes, sparkle motion, star trek, terminator, the day the earth stood still, the prisoner, the spirit, the wolf man, true blood, tv, twilight, vampires, watchmen, x-men | ] |
So Shelby seems to be fine, although she managed to scare the ever-living hell out of us first. The bloodwork came back (I guess... it was the kind that doesn't take very long? I don't know) and apparently she's totally fine, everything checked out. I'm hoping she doesn't just, you know, fall over again, but given that she recovered after about ten or fifteen minutes and was "prancing around the vet's office," as my mother put it, we're going to try to be a little calmer if it happens again.
Re: Robert Pattinson's hair: I have to show off my new icon here--![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) wildthyme made two for me here, and I put them together as a gif file because I couldn't choose. Also, this just in: THERE WILL BE BLOOD SPARKLING.
Re: Comic-Con: There are updates pouring in, so I'm pretty much going to do a linkspam now--yes, at this hour, because they're piling up like hell. By order of the Redundant Department of Redundancy, I'm going to omit the phrase "Comic-Con" from headlines when possible, so just assume any news link relates to the convention. Because all except, like, two of them do. Also, I'm going to format things a little differently and do everything alphabetically by movie title, so that if there's something in particular you're interested in, you can scan downwards instead of wading through a random list. ( Go go go! )
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| Things that Make You Go Hmmmm |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|10:20 pm] |
This is a chuckle. Most of it is what you'd expect, but this bit caught my eye:
After having shown that, while there are politically correct professors, there are many who are not, Simmons turns to data to examine what happens to those who are politically incorrect. Here he looks for "stars," those who publish much more than others or who in other ways demonstrate levels of excellence beyond the norm. Here he finds considerable success by the politically incorrect. Of those at top 50 institutions, 73.3 percent are stars.
He reports that of politically incorrect stars, across institution types, 27.8 percent end up at top 50 institutions, while the other 72.2 percent do not. Of politically correct stars, 91.2 percent end up outside the top 50, suggesting that politically incorrect stars are more likely than their PC counterparts to end up at top institutions.
One way to interpret this is that geniuses don't have time to worry about who they offend. A more cynical interpretation would be that if you want to get away with not kowtowing to the CW in academia, you'd better damn well be a genius. |
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| Akrasia |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|09:32 pm] |
"The Fremen were supreme in that quality the ancients called spannungsbogen -- which is the self-imposed delay between desire for a thing and the act of reaching out to grasp that thing."
-- from The Wisdom of Muad'Dib by the Princess Irulan
Take a random sample of a few hundred 4-year-olds. Put them in a room with a marshmallow on a plate and some toys so they're not totally bored. Tell them that you have to go run an errand, and while you're gone they're free to have the marshmallow any time they like, but that if they wait for you to come back they can have two marshmallows instead of one. Then leave the room and time how long they can stand to wait before taking the one marshmallow.
Bit-for-bit, this test will give you more information about how much a child probably will or will not suck at life than any other test you could give. I'm not kidding. It's basically what Walter Mischel and Yuichi Shoda did (e.g. 1988 & 1989), and then followed up with the kids 14 years later. In comparing the third of kids who waited the shortest time and the third who waited the longest, they turned out to have a 210 point gap in their average SAT scores -- corresponding to about a 20-point IQ gap. Turns out the marshmallow test is a better predictor of academic success than race, SES, parental education, and even IQ itself. According to Duckworth & Seligman (2005), measures of self-control are about twice as powerful predictors of GPA as IQ is, which jives with most people's experience and the other literature on the subject (e.g. Wolfe & Johnson 1995).
It gets better: Friedman et al (2008) found that ability to inhibit habitual/instinctive responses has a broad-sense heritability of 0.99 -- which is to say the data fits with what you'd expect if the variance in inhibition is completely genetic in origin. A heritability estimate that high seems too incredible to not be suspicious of, but it's unlikely to be outside the right ballpark; general intelligence has been estimated to have a broad heritability of 0.8 (Plomin et al 1994), so a heritability that high wouldn't defy precedent. (Moreover, a high heritability is what you'd expect for any trait for which there are multiple adaptive optima: sometimes it pays to be impulsive and sometimes it pays to be patient.)
The other interesting thing is that Friedman et al found this trait to significantly independent of g, which dovetails nicely with a meta-analysis by Shamosh & Gray (2007) finding that IQ and delay discounting (how much you prefer a reward now to a reward later) only correlate at about -0.23. It also fits with the fact that, per Mischel et al, the marshmallow test also predicts various indicators of what we might broadly place under the umbrellas of conscientiousness and emotional stability (as evaluated by parents and teachers), which have very small relationships with IQ (Moutafi et al 2003; Ackerman & Heggestad 1997). Tagney et al (2004) found very similar results with slightly more refined measures on older people.
Calling the marshmallow test a test of free will would be pushing it, but we might lightly think of it as a measuring capacity for free won't -- or contrariwise, as an index of akrasia. I spend a lot of time thinking about intelligence, but this variable is at least as important -- not just for the individual, but for the aggregate. I would very interested to see how it does in a regression analysis of economic growth. If anything I would expect the answer to be even more dismal than for IQ. |
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| Post-TV Happiness |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|08:22 pm] |
Well, now I'm a customer of Sirius Satellite Radio, using their Internet-only option. The signing up for all this was very weird - there's a basic level of access with a not-very-good stream, and an upgrade to a 128 Kb stream that is quite listenable. The upshot is that it takes $20 a month for the good stuff. I feel like I've gotten a chunk of that back already. StarPlayr, a freebie app, fixes the deficiencies of Sirius' own controller for OSX wonderfully.
I've been listening mostly to new wave, digressing off to heavy metal, mutant country, bluegrass, opera, and a bit of this and that. DJs. I like DJs. I like hearing people talking from time to time - that's the big advantage of Sirius to me over the streaming audio I can get in iTunes. Color me a happy camper. |
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[Jul. 26th, 2008|08:29 pm] |
"The mission of this webzine is to increase diversity in the field of speculative fiction, both in the authors who contribute and in the perspectives presented. We plan to feature both speculative fiction stories and artwork, as well as essays about speculative fiction and fandom from diverse points of view. Any piece which furthers this mission will be considered for publication....
"Our specific objectives include (but are not limited to):
*Increasing the number of people of color in speculative fiction"
Like many people from Eastern Europe, I have Asian ancestry (undocumented.) But I don't look it. I can tan darker than most Afro-Americans, but that doesn't count.
"*Increasing the number of women in speculative fiction"
Leaves me out. Note: This is not a complaint.
"*Increasing the number of gay, lesbian, bisexual and asexual people in speculative fiction"
Probably leaves me out.
"*Increasing the number of transgender, transsexual, intersex and genderqueer/fluid people in speculative fiction"
I've sometimes thought of myself as belonging to a gender which doesn't exist in our universe. But not often enough for that to count, probably.
"*Increasing the number of people with disabilities in speculative fiction"
Marginal. Speech problems, and can't sing worth a tinker's dam. Movements off about as much as those of someone who's had one or two beers. Deaf in one ear since birth. But I would consider dyslexia rather more limiting for a writer -- and there are several dyslexic pro spec-fic writers.
"*Publishing essays and reflections on fandom which challenge the established biases of the field of speculative fiction"
I suspect they don't mean by fandom what I mean by fandom.
"*Challenging all forms of stereotypes and cliches in speculative fiction"
Well, I can try.
"*Creating a venue so that those whose points of view tend to be represented unrealistically or negatively in most speculative fiction may speak out in their own voice
*Humanizing the 'other' by telling the story from a non-traditional point of view and/or reversing who is the insider and who is the outsider in speculative fiction
"We are expressly welcoming of submissions from esoteric minorities, including Otherkin in the broadest and most inclusive definition of the term, as well as people with rare sensitivities and awarenesses."
I'll have to ask if that includes synesthesia.
http://www.expandedhorizons.net/ |
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[Jul. 26th, 2008|09:31 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  bitchy | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Myrhbusters - Fish in a barrel | ] |
Under protest, and on behalf of Huangdi, I really cannot support this whole Mummy: Dragon Emperor thing.
Because Yellow Emperor >>>> Brandon Frasier, every time. Seriously, who would back some roundeye over the inventor of tea?
( Books read so far, 2008 ) |
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| Home Ownership is Awesome |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|06:01 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  happy | ] |
I can has a house!
My favorite part of home ownership and the moving-in process so far is that I've said, "hey, can we go to Target today?" every day for the past three, and every single time Jameson has responded in the affirmative.
My passion for bright-colored storage ottomans and clever closet organizers may be a little bit unhealthy. |
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| UNITY: Chowing in Chicago |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|08:19 pm] |
Another fun thing about visiting a new city is getting to eat at new restaurants. No Houlihan's or Palm for me, thank you very much.
Thursday my group's VP took us to the fantastic Blackbird, a ultra-chic place with seasonal, creative flair. I got the crispy veal sweetbreads with cashew butter, rye waffle, black mission figs and black olive honey - sweet and meaty. And the main course, seared tasmanian sea trout with cherry molasses, kohlrabi, baby turnips, forbidden black rice and salad burnet. How could I not order something featuring forbidden black rice? "Look, it's rice that's forbidden! And black!" Dessert paired milk chocolate fritters (crunch meet gooey) with apricots, soy and rice milk sorbet (ice cold delicious), with a glass of Asti spumanti.
And the drinks. Oh, the drink. To be in a place that makes its own bitters, and twists them into your cocktail. A fine sazerac that added absinthe and cane sugar to kill the after-bite. A Remy Martin cognac with blackberries and more delicious bitters. Swirly.
Last night another ESPN crew rolled out to Rumba, regarded as the top Nuevo Latino restaurant in Chicago. It's intimate, though dark, with a nice-sized dance floor and a live salsa band. (Some of our dinner mates got up mid-dinner to learn some salsa steps.) The food was interesting. I LOVED the congo rolls - beef tenderloin and lobster rolled in a fried tortilla with cheese, onions and peppers. My filet mignon de Soto was a little dry, and I didn't expect it to be charred, but it still was pretty good. The caipirinhas, with extra lime and sugar, were tasty.
Where will I eat tonight? I don't know. I am tempted to order another thin-crust pizza from room service - relatively cheap, light and delicious. The other day I ate lunch at the Billy Goat Tavern of the famous "cheezborger cheezborger cheezborger" sketches on "Saturday Night Live," and that burger was so unimpressive. Chicago can keep it.
Maybe it's back to the Navy Pier for a Polish sausage? |
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| email2snail.com |
[Jul. 27th, 2008|03:12 am] |
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my idea. Necessity is the mother of invention. This one must be baked! |
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| miscellanea |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|07:53 pm] |
I am now a dishwater/ash blonde.
If this is not remedied within the following week to be platinum/white, I will probably become a blue-purple, instead.
Amusingly though, it's sort of close to aliterati's shade, except rather grayer.
Also, I have the urge to build wings again. I wonder if it's a cyclical thing. "Every 2-4 years, the autumnflame constructs a set of wings for one use, then casts it aside, never to be seen again. The meaning of this peculiarity is unknown." |
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| "Decapitation hazard, everybody!" |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|07:43 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  expansive | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Mythbusters -- Ninja | ] |
A confession: Father, I have sinned.
The last time I read a Pat Cadigan story was in 2005, and it was a reprint. I can't actually remember the last time I read a short story by Kristine Katherine Rusch, Robert Silverberg, or Gregory Benford.
(DISCLAIMER: I went climbing outdoors today--and, despite the trembling in my limbs, because climbing outdoors is terrifying, I sent two 5.2 and a 5.6--and I am currently consuming my second vodka martini, and dinner was English muffins with PB&J, so please issue me the Warren Ellis exclusion for anything here commented, as it may be typed under the influence of (a) booze or (b) a Mythbusters marathon.)
Anyway, I had an epiphany while reading the ToC of the 2007 Year's Best Science Fiction. Which basically amounted to-- "oh."
We don't read them. And they don't read us.
Well, really. I wonder when the last time was that Bob Silverberg read a story by Benjamin Rosenbaum, David Moles, or Yoon Ha Lee?
See, I'm thinking I'm on to something here. There's a generation gap in SFF; we're having different conversations, the Greatest Generation, the Baby Boomers, and Generation X. And as the Millennials (really, guys, this Gen Y thing has to stop: grant the kids their own identity) enter the genre, they too will be having their own argument.
And some of that argument is reflected in how we talk about things. As an illustrative but nonexclusive example: for the oldest generation of SFF writers still producing, it was edgy to talk about gender at all. For the Boomers, it was edgy to put girls in the roles traditionally assigned to boys. For my generation it's edgy to put boys in girls' roles, but that's a game that results in critical and reader huh?!, at least so far.
For the Millennials? Gender roles are so 1999, baby. Get over it.
( Ninjas! ) |
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| Things that drive one to fanfic |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|03:29 pm] |
| [ | music |
| | "Baby Alone In Babylone", Crystal Winter, Origa | ] |
The world needs a good Ocean's 11/A Team crossover. |
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[Jul. 26th, 2008|05:06 pm] |
Friday July 25, 2008 I looked up the lyrics of "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." According to the Wikipedia article, Chaka Zulu is sleeping and will awaken when his people really, really need him. Like Arthur, Barbarossa, and Charlemagne. And, according to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_in_the_mountain, umpteen other royals and non-royals.
Google also led me to a monarchist anarchist article:
http://www.rosenoire.org/essays/sleeping-king.php
The concept of monarchist anarchism hurts my brain.
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"There seems to me no question that the Batman film 'The Dark Knight,' currently breaking every box office record in history, is at some level a paean of praise to the fortitude and moral courage that has been shown by George W. Bush in this time of terror and war."
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121694247343482821.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries
After that, it gets kind of silly.
Via Obsidian Wings http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/
Note: More on Batman at the Volokh Conspiracy:
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2008_07_20-2008_07_26.shtml#1216970942
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"This lottery was promoted and sponsored by Spanish European Lottery Board in line with the King Of Spain (REY) in order to enhance and promote the use of Internet Explorer Users and Microsoft-wares around the globe." |
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[Jul. 26th, 2008|05:03 pm] |
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Happy Birthday, magicwoman and mrissa!! |
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| Soft Tops |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|02:25 pm] |
Who fancies a bit of top-down motoring in the TR6?
(Actually, it's a little too hot for it today, unless you wear a hat, and put lots of sun-scream on.) |
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[Jul. 26th, 2008|01:39 pm] |
Oh my God, Shelby just collapsed and we don't know why.
ETA: And... she's back. She keeled over, they carried her off to the vet, and then half an hour later or whenever--now--she comes bouncing back into the house. I have no idea. They're running some blood tests now to see what the hell that was all about. |
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| PARTAY |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|11:43 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | party | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  busy | ] |
Where: Chez lynch
Why: Housewarming
How much: Just gas money to get here, your favorite beverage, and some grillables.
When: Anytime after 6pm.
Contact?
If you've been friended by me, you should be able to go back in my entries and find the locked entry with directions. If you haven't been and still would like to come you can reach us via Jason's cellphone or my own.
If neither of those work, drop a line here and I'll pop by periodically and see what's up.
cheers! |
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| Hollow Victory |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|10:24 am] |
| [ | Tags | | | djing, links, music | ] |
| [ | mood |
| |  strange | ] |
| [ | music |
| | Johnny Hollow - Superhero | ] |
I've been in a strange state of anti-social sociability lately, riding the thin line between let's hang out and go away! Why? I dunno.
Wednesday night I DJed at the Ren. I was a bit nervous, as I have only done short stints on club decks before. But I guess all those years of radio DJing left me in good stead, because the dance floor was busy from eleven until close. Although my industrial tunes were going over really well, I need more in the way of goth classics (eg. The Cramps, The Cure, Siouxsie, etc.). Gotta go through my collection and pick more of those out for next time. Thanks to all who got out there and danced and made requests. You made my night!
Yesterday, I was hit by yet another goddamned truck. A pickup truck was stopped at a stop sign, and I was behind him on my bike. I was not immediately behind him, but back a little ways and angled because I'd just come around a turn. Suddenly, and without warning, the truck revved into reverse, giving me just enough time to start dragging the bike by madly hopping on one foot. I knew I was pooched. The truck was moving too quickly for me to get out of the way, so I started screaming a litany of cusswords at very high volume.
Ultimately, I believe it was this blue air that saved me. The truck driver stopped just as the trailer hitch got tangled in my bike frame, and just short of snapping both of my legs.
That was too damned close.
The driver got out and walked back to see if I was ok, and told me I had been in my blind spot. That's all well and good, but why the fuck did he suddenly start backing up at a stop sign? Argh.
I used to think I'd die an unusual death (like death by rabid ostrich), but now I'm sure my death will be more ... pedestrian. An idiot driver will kill me, yet.
I got hit while on a mission to promote Johnny Hollow, so I hope all y'all come out and see them now, for sure. Don't let me have suffered that adrenaline roller coaster for nought. Get out to the Ren this Wednesday and check them out. And yes, they're that good. I'm contemplating using one of their songs for a dance performance.
Link time.
Rock drummers 'are top athletes': Anyone who watches a lot of rock bands won't be surprised by this.
Canada Day festival was nothing to celebrate: Oh, those wacky Maritimers (thanks, snowy_kathryn).
Seriously fucked-up operation: When Israel Sarrio's arm was amputated after an accident, it was kept alive in a novel fashion (thanks, gha5t).
The Original Pelican Eats a Penguin: I wish I'd had a video camera going the time my chicken ate a hummingbird.
Piglet with Monkey's Face: In Asia, birthplace of all the freakiest deformations.
Woman stabs herself during Wiccan ceremony: I think she fucked up her good luck ritual.
Rosy-Lipped Batfish: I'm not big on aquariums, but I'd make an exception just to have this fish. |
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| old neighbor |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|09:20 am] |
I ran into my 77-year old neighbor just now, and even though I was sweaty from a morning jog, he asked for a kiss. I said my "boyfriend" wouldn't like that. Unfortunately, I had let him kiss me on the cheek when I met him yesterday. So he asked for a hug, which I thought would be harmless. Then that old bastard groped me! I pulled away really quickly, and he asked if I were mad at him. I told him what he did was inappropriate, and we couldn't continue to be friends if he did that. Then he had the nerve to ask if he could come into my apartment to "get to know me better." What the hell??
Geriatrics was traumatizing because of similar incidences, but I didn't know who to tell, or whether I really wanted to spend the time drudging up repressed memories. I've been told that as we get older, our social inhibitions vanish. At first, I tried to forgive old men who tried to touch or kiss me as I interviewed them. There weren't that many of them, but enough to make that month an awful one.
When I was 10, my great-grandfather (American grandma's dad) molested me. It feels so strange writing this 16 years later, since I've only ever told one person about it. I didn't think anyone would believe me. The thing is, American grandma idolized her dad, and I thought I was protecting her by not ever telling her or my parents. That was the day I started hating my body.
Anyway, he died shortly after the incident. I was 80% happy about this, and 20% horribly guilt-ridden over rejoicing over someone's death. I was convinced I was going to hell, because if he were such a great man, I must have been an evil girl to make him do what he did.
At American grandpa's funeral last year, grandma wanted us to stop by her father's grave to pay our respects. I just couldn't do it. |
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| saturday fun page |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|10:16 pm] |
Sucks to your Fantasy Dinner Party. Who's invited to your Fantasy Balderdash Game?
Margaret Atwood
David Foster Wallace
John Donne
Frank Black
But if John Donne writes his definitions in noticeably dated English and loses every round, we're sending him on a beer run and to pick up Tom Robbins. |
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[Jul. 26th, 2008|10:17 am] |
Incredibly pedantic pet peeve of the day (not prompted by anything or anyone on my friends list):
It's "free rein," not "free reign," people. Unless, I guess, you're talking about winning a kingdom in a box of cereal. |
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| Not for sour owl stools |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|06:53 am] |
Okay, I don't know that they were owl stools. In fact I'm pretty sure it's raccoon scat. But it turns out that my poor filtering air conditioner, which I leave on in fan-plus-filter mode to freshen the air in my bedroom, can be overwhelmed by a pile of poo directly below the intake. No wonder, I discovered this morning, I felt so achy and out of it all night, as if someone were pumping a concentrated blast of allergy-triggering crud right at me whenever I went to lie down.
One up for the poo. |
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| More new anime |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|03:15 pm] |
Telepathy Shoujo Ran: Ran is a latent telepath. Then a transfer student enters the school, who is a fully fledged telepath -- she attacks Ran and her best friend Rui! A psychic battle ensues!
Ran is a genki girl, but other than that, it's all pretty bland, really.
Toshokan Seno: Literally: "Library Wars". The government created an agency for information management. These goons immediately started confiscating books deemed 'unwholesome'. But the government also passed a law to enable libraries to have their own agents -- armed librarians! Iku is an idealistic young woman who enlists at the library army, in order to save the books she so loves.
Pretty bizarre premise: open warfare between two government agencies. Nicely animated, though.
Amatsuki: Rikugo has to take summer classes in history. On the program is an excursion to a museum that uses VR to recreate life in the Edo period. Lots of fun, obviously -- until a ghosts appears and Rikugo is transported to the world depicted by the VR system! So now he has to adapt to this historical time, and find a way back...
Interesting take on the 'modern person is transported back in time'-plot, what with the supernatural and VR-angle.
Gosenzosama banbanzai!: Literally: "Long live the ancestors!" In a typical Japanese family with the typical everyday conflicts, something weird happens: a girl rings the doorbell, and announces that she is the granddaughter of the son. She has travelled back in time to greet her ancestors! Obviously, this is hard to believe, but then irrefutable proof is presented!
It's a retro-sub (almost twenty years old), and the animation is pretty static. We only see a single room -- it reminded me a lot of an absurdistic play. Quite entertaining.
World Destruction: Beast-human hybrids rule the world, and humans have been relegated to the second plan. Ashera, a human, has the Orb of Destruction, and is dubbed 'The World Destruction Committee' by her enemies, the beastmen. When she eats at the inn where Kyrie (a human disguised as a beastman) works, they have to flee together. They make a few additional enemies, and since Kyrie has nowhere else to go, they team up to destroy the world!
Entertaining setup, a bit like a furry wild-west with lots of sand. It's also decently animated... and it has Maaya Sakamoto in the lead role!
Yadamon: Retrosub, about the young witch Yadamon who befriends a boy whose parents work at a scientific lab studying prehistoric eggs.
Yakushiji Ryoko no Kaiki Jikenbo: Ryoko is an investigator for the police. She is able to solve many cases that at first glance seem to have a supernatural component. She is quite arrogant, and doesn't shy away from forcing her underling, poor Junichiro, to accompany her shopping. But when they witness a man turning into a pile of ashes, Ryoko's interest is piqued. She seems more interested in her carreer and her rivalry with another female police investigator than with actually solving the case...
Quite amusing, well drawn, and Ryoko is delightfully egocentric.
Yatterman: Two young kids use their dog-like mecha Yatterwan to thwart the plans of a gang of three thieves.
Colorful and childish. It gave off a definate 'Dastardly and Muttley'-vibe. But then again, it's a remake of a 30-year old series.
Zenryoku Usagi: A building company staffed by rabbits! They're so cute -- until they start to fight! And they get into all other sorts of trouble too!
Short gags, quite random. |
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| Seance |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|09:08 am] |
Communing with those beyond... |
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| Fatherhood |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|01:55 pm] |
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( It ROCKS. ) |
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| a very specific request |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|08:31 am] |
At my company, among other things, we make Master Mixes and dNTP blends and stuff like that for PCR. We made one dNTP blend recently, and would consistently get no PCR product when tested. During troubleshooting, we ran it on HPLC and found there was no peak for G, and a correspondingly larger peak for T/U.
Here's the problem. The blend has both T and U in it already, and of course our operators have access to both already also. Is there another analytical test that can be performed to resolve whether it's T or U? (We're also doing inventory verification, but so far that's been inconclusive.)
Any advice would be much appreciated.
(x-posted) |
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| Poetry Corner |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|05:52 am] |
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all out exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
Through the unknown, remembered gate
When the last of earth left to discover
Is that which was the beginning;
At the source of the longest river
The voice of the hidden waterfall
And the children in the apple-tree
Not known, because not looked for
But heard, half heard, in the stillness
Between the two waves of the sea.
Quick now, here, now, always --
A condition of complete simplicity
(Costing not less than everything)
And all shall be well and
All manner of things shall be well
When the tongues of flame are in-folded
Into the crowned knot of fire
And the fire and the rose are one.
-- T.S. Eliot, "Little Gidding V" (excerpt, Four Quartets) |
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| QotD |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|05:26 am] |
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"Every four years, we get an extra day on the calendar to remind
us that astrophysics doesn't deal in integers. We use this extra day
to have the Olympics and elect a president; doesn't it seem like it
would take more than one extra day to do those?" --
![[info]](http://stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
feste-sylvain,
2008-02-29 |
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| C'mon, Philly |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|05:11 am] |
I should be in bed since it's after 4 a.m., but I just don't feel like it yet.
Thursday was a lot of fun, but this post is only about that morning.
After the awe-inspiring run of dinner at Blackbird followed by partying at Alhambra (salsa with the Hispanic journalists group) and Crobar (hip-hop with the black journos), this morning I took it easy. A nice stroll down Navy Pier was just what the doctor ordered.
Navy Pier is among the many, many nice things on the waterfront. I'll add this to my "Why doesn't Philadelphia have something like this" list. Some others:
-McCormick Place: The nation's largest convention center at 2.7 million square feet across four buildings that include a Hyatt hotel, convention hall with a few ballrooms (one with seating for several thousand people), and a few other business/convention facilities, all on Martin Luther King Drive. My former Tribune co-worker Johann and I kept saying, "Why does Philly have such a rinky-dink piddly shit for a convention center?"
-Wide streets: I know, Philly's original design wouldn't have been good for it, with the plan to keep fires at bay. And Chicago got to clean-slate it because of fires. But I love how the city's so built up (and up and up) yet the streets are boulevard-size and everything's spread out and spaced downtown. I love this town.
-A good waterfront: I already mentioned Navy Pier, but Johann and I also talked about Grant Park north of it. Imagine if Philly finally submerged I-95 and got to build parks and pier attractions next to those ritzy condos?
I love my Philadelphia, but dammit, I want more from it. |
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| Comicon Continues! |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|01:19 am] |
 I had the honor of being brought my first XBox faceplate to scribble on today! The owner requested Tyler (as Moon Shadow) and The Revenant, and I was pleased to have granted his wish (click the image to the left for a larger view). I kind of wish I'd brought some colored Sharpies to help enhance the scene, but overall, I think it worked out well.
More "scenes from San Diego 2008," starting with something odd I saw at Fred's Mexican Restaurant: Apparently, William Shatner has a new show coming out. I'd love to know if this is how they used ALL of the posters, or if the restaurant just had a clever person on staff...
I was at a store in the Gaslamp district for this next one, but someone in the con hall should have been selling these rather Jedi-esque foot coverings. They look like they're from Kenner(tm), but it's Adidas(tm) behind these shoes. Get 'em before the lawsuit. :)
I found I hadn't posted a photo of a Cylon yet, so here it is. I don't know if the sign to the left of it on the floor is a warning to humanity or a tribute to TRON's "Master Control Program," but whatever keeps the kill-bots happy is fine with me. And the SciFi channel wanted to remind us that Eureeka premieres next Tuesday, and they effectively bribed me to say so by offering me wares from an appropriately themed ice-cream truck as well as cleverly-tagged candy in a tin. Regarding the ice cream truck (they were passing out "Drumstick" cones), the person inside must have had a psyche made of iron, as that truck was in the same spot for over 4 hours playing the show's theme song. Now, I like the theme, but I'm sure even a song I liked for 4 hours would be a bit much, especially when surrounded by ice cream hungry con goers in the heat of the afternoon. Plus, after eating it, I halfway expected to be taken over by nanites or find myself turning into soft-serve as some wacky experiment-gone-wrong found its way into Blue Bunny's confections...
One other major life-event took place today: I sang karaoke in public for the first time. Cristi was so enthralled and I was so nervous that I forgot to have her take a photo as I sang the Barenaked Ladies' hit, "If I Had $1,000,000." I almost sang out "If I Had A Million Eisner's," but I thought that might be too much.
I'll continue my hunt for interesting Comicon tidbits tomorrow! In the meantime:
- As a kind of writing stimulus, i09 has their favorite opening lines from sci-fi novels. I kind of dig the one from the Dark Tower (which apparently didn't make i09's list): "The man in black fled across the desert and the gunslinger followed."
- And because he was so well-received on "Have I Got News For You," we present Brian Blessed giving a speech, part 1 and part 2.
- Some more "cool real places for D&D adventures" in the form of abandoned (kinda) Russian castles.
- Similarly, these photos of science labs at night could fit into modern adventures. X-Files, anyone?
- A puzzle game called Spinin' 1 has you tilting a board to get the "smiley" tile to the exit. It kind of reminds me of Tetris mixed with those old-fashioned steel-ball maze games.
- And a spaceship shooter with leveling up fun called Space Wing. Shoot everything that moves and collect that XP, as games were meant to be. :) |
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| sdcc briefly day 1 |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|02:37 am] |
woke up...
walked up the con floor before opening, bought a megaman artbook and a disgaea one, then a gegege no kitaro toy from giant robot... and then i was broke.
signing 1... good... sold lots of art...
buttons sold out already... jill was going to make more...
t-shirts almost sold out...
went to the Spaced thing with jared and adam and Hamilton Cline, it was busy and we didnt want to be jerks so we went and ate pretzel dogs... then someone called and said we had seats reserved, so we went back and saw the Spaced thing after all. that was fun. then we left... walked around a bit... bought a felt fried egg magnet. i don't remember what else. those were the last three dollars in my wallet, actually.
too sleepy to write more!!!!!!!!!!!! |
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| Polite Canadian Bands |
[Jul. 25th, 2008|10:33 pm] |
Man who is excited! It is this girl right here. I am going home to Nova Scotia on Monday!
Then soon it will be time to go back to New Brunswick and the cutest music festival in the country. Here is a tip, if you are anywhere near there next weekend, Sackville will be the place to be. You will be so overwhelmed with adorable things! That is my advice for you today. |
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| Question |
[Jul. 25th, 2008|11:02 pm] |
Does anyone by any chance know the pKa (acidity) of benzylamine or phenylethylamine? I have gone through hundreds of pKa tables and just cannot find this value. I'm guessing it's probably around 32 or something, but I need to know for certain.
Thanks! |
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| ADLKJSALFSJDLFKSDJFLKSD |
[Jul. 26th, 2008|10:31 am] |
http://newmoon.co.jp/
I AM THRILLED. IN
MY
PANTS.
THIS BETTER BE WHAT I FUCKING THINK IT IS.
KAZUMA KANEKO YOU BIG, BEAUTIFUL MANNNNNNn.
*ditches Klavier model and starts up again on all my DS art*
(I think the ad points to it being another devil summoner game, with the black cat with green eyes and the yin yang reference, that's gotta be it. I WILL DIE HAPPY. HAPPY FOREVER IF IT IS ANOTHER RAIDOU GAME AHHHHHHh)
edit:
http://new-moon.tv/
WHAT IS THIS
WHAT IS THIS
THOSE ARE DEFINIATELY DS DEMONS.
I bought 2 new pairs of jeans for $40. A bargain!
Also, baw on raidou haters, gb2 p4. |
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| What do you want for your birthday? |
[Jul. 25th, 2008|09:59 pm] |
Is it to stay inside and watch Lifetime Original Movies with Rachel?
Is it to stay inside and play role playing games with Serpico?
Well, it does not matter, unless you are Rachel and Serpico, in which case I hope you have a lovely afternoon. And a very happy birthday, each.
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| It's a New Jersey sort of night |
[Jul. 25th, 2008|08:37 pm] |
The waves are crashing on the shore and my dad is happy because the Yankees are up by one, dammit. Driving over the causeway, I lowered the windows, turned off the AC, pumped up the Ella Fitzgerald on the stereo, and breathed in that heavy, salty air. God I love the shore, even though the Yankees are still up by one, dammit. |
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| We're home. |
[Jul. 25th, 2008|08:23 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  busy | ] |
Well, we're mostly home now. Benjamin is staying with grandma one more night so we can get everything settled. Daniel is on the couch next to me, sleeping away in his carseat. There is still a lot to do around here to have everything just right, but it's all easy stuff so it won't take long. Once I dig the camera out I'll get the pictures up here. In the meantime, you can see these.
That's all for now. Check back in a few days for a bunch of baby pics. |
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[Jul. 25th, 2008|07:12 pm] |
From http://eurekalert.org:
Public Release: 25-Jul-2008
The lightness of electrons in a twisting metal crystal
A team of researchers at Princeton University's Materials Research Science and Engineering Center has observed electrons moving through a crystal of bismuth metal behaving like light.
http://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=111971&org=NSF&from=news
Public Release: 25-Jul-2008
American Anthropologist
Colonial heritage metaphors used in US military conflicts
In the latest issue of American Anthropologist, Stephen W. Silliman explores the reinterpretation of "Indian Country" in the 21st-century US a | |
drained
confused
tired
sleepy