Turing Tattoos

You get it and you love it...damnit

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Sleep

All my life I was "the kind of person that loves to sleep wrapped in a blanket". Later in life I realized that wasn't a "kind person" so much as a nearly universal truth.

Over the summer, for reasons I can't even begin to understand, I just folded up my blanket and put it in the closet. Deep within I still felt that human need to be covered and since I lacked a chesty swede or handful of lithe eastern european women to keep me warm I turned instead to one of them non-fitted sheets. It was surprisingly adequate.

Then I found myself waking up each morning with the sheet crumpled in the corner. So now I then I just started to go to bed without bothering with any sort of cover.

So now I sleep with no over at all. Since it's summer I also sleep with Big Confucious out and prowlin', so don't come in.

Does anyone else not cover up? Or have I just begun the journey into madness?

Sleep

All my life I was "the kind of person that loves to sleep wrapped in a blanket". Later in life I realized that wasn't a "kind person" so much as a nearly universal truth.

Over the summer, for reasons I can't even begin to understand, I just folded up my blanket and put it in the closet. Deep within I still felt that human need to be covered and since I lacked a chesty swede or handful of lithe eastern european women to keep me warm I turned instead to one of them non-fitted sheets. It was surprisingly adequate.

Then I found myself waking up each morning with the sheet crumpled in the corner. So now I then I just started to go to bed without bothering with any sort of cover.

So now I sleep with no over at all. Since it's summer I also sleep with Big Confucious out and prowlin', so don't come in.

Does anyone else not cover up? Or have I just begun the journey into madness?

Wooten Barber Shop

I'm always in a better mood after The Woo cuts my hair =-D

Weee

It doesn't do anything but damnit I am proud as an NFL father:

http://alopez.homelinux.org/~lebouf/test/ajax_play.html

Be proud of me damnit!

There should be a class

Playing with Ajax, like I mentioned. My tinkering has brought me to a young'uns very impressive use of DHTML and the like. As always, when I delve into a journeyman's code I am given to express the same sentiment:

COMMENT YOUR GODDAMNED CODE YOU DEMENTED TWAT WAFFLE!

That is all.

Something Cold This Way Comes

I realized that I have always hated the heat of Texas. I was checking the weather to see if we were going to break 95 this week and telling Monica that I didn't think we would break 95 too often anymore. She laughed and told me that every year she can remember me obsessing about the weather report during the fall for any hint of cool weather.

When she mentioned that I started to remember how much I looked forward to the first cold front. From the end of August I would watch the news everyday with my parents in hopes of getting a hint of winter coming. I would even get out my jacket and put it on just to sort of imagine it being cold, a task that is quite difficult with a jacket on.

I havn't done it recently because I've spent the last few summers up North. It would seem, however, that I am back in action. It's a nice throwback to my childhood. Not only that, my mom and I would always be excited about making hot chocolate when it got cold enough. Usually when we got news of the first cold front I would go with her to HEB to some of that instant stuff, then we'd open up the windows and drink hot chocolate.

To be perfectly frank those are some of my fondest memories of childhood. When I was Seattle the first time I had this week alone after Alice flew off and before I had started work and met people when it was cold enough to do just that, and my first trip to a grocery store in Redmond was to get hot chocolate.

I guess it's a tradition gone by the wayside now since I'll likely spend the next few years looking forward to the ever short summer.

Oh, I visited Monica. Rockin'. She taught me, with no dearth of kitchen chemistry, her recipe for sweet and sour chicken. Good stuff.

Bored

I have nothing to say but I feel like blogging so here is what I am going to do: I am going to list my classes and write a blurb about them. Hopefully that'll inspire something

English 314j - Literature and Computer Programming
Rocking! This dude who was an engineer at MCI quite and chose to study english. Then he chooses representations of coders as his area of study. Then he makes a class whose reading list includes gibson, stephenson, torvals, mitnick and esr to name a few. The class is essentially a semester long discussion of coder culture and impressions. I am actually unhappy when class ends.

History 320P - Texas
The professor began talking about texas history on November 12, 1914 and hasn't stopped since. They just sort of roll him in and we just pick up where he is at. The TA says he died 30 years ago but his body never stopped spewing facts, apparently his lifeless corpse is kept animated by the will to live he sucks from his students. Flipside: I am learning some stuff about Texas history I didn't know.

Geography 307 - Intro to this human world
This really charming English gentleman teaches the class. I think he might be mildly retarded, but he is funny and sure as shit loves the subject. Also he is very flighty and easily distracted.

CS 372 - Intro to Operating Systems
YES! It's in C and it's taught by Alvisi and those rhyme. The project we've already had was miserably written and at points actually explicitly incorrect and misleading. Trial by fire, I suppose, I learned a lot. Lecture is entertaining and like most CS professors Alvisi is more than willing to answer questions. My last upper-div cs class...*tear*

CS 108 - Intro To Unix
I taught a seminar called "What I Wish I Knew When I Installed Linux". The class is a joke. I just finished the homework wherin I labeled "ls -la *.exe" with "command", "option" and "command argument".

GEO 307 - Intro to Oceanography
STUPID BIG CLASS. It has that CPS clicker where you have to do something to the affect of drowning an flowered cat in the semen of a rightous man to get the fucking thing to work. The Content is Interesting at least.

Engrish Interview

So I had this assignment in class. I was tasked to interview folks about the way I learned. The teacher didn't give any questions or guidelines beyond that so what I did was this: I interviewed Sarah extemporaneously and based my questions mostly on her responses. Then I interviewed 3 other people who represent different "times" in my college life. Sarah was the new since I met her in December of of last year. Crystal is the old since we met and dated my freshman year. Dylan is the middle ground, And Austin sort of spans the rest of them. If you want to comment please do! It will help my grade I'd wager since I am just turning in this link.

What kind of learner am I? Visual, Audio, Hands-on:
Sarah: I would say you are a hands-on leaner because you like to do things like make taffy*.
Dylan: Probably Hands on
Crystal: Hands-On
Austin: Hands-on

Which of the three would I be weakest at:
Sarah: Definitely aural. Because you and I both know that between the two of us if someone says something we won’t remember it.
Dylan: Aural.
Crystal: Audio.
Austin: Audio

So would you say I am bad at listening:
Sarah: You’re not bad at listening, it is just not your strong point, it is not mine either. It is funny because you don’t take notes in class, but it makes sense because your major is all about hands on programming.
Dylan: Umm, yeah, sure.
Crystal: I think you have room for improvement when it comes to listening, in comparison to the others.
Austin: No, you just don’t pay attention to uh, if you're not extremely interested in the subject you ignore the teacher.

Did my major shape my methods of learning or vice versa:
Sarah: Vice versa, I think you have to have that kind of, I dunno, focus on hands-on learning to be able to sit and [program]. It’s the same thing with people who edit films, which is funny because you are ADHD, I think you are an absurd person.
Dylan: Huh…I would say I don’t really have solid answer but if I had to answer I would say that your learning was shaped by your major.
Crystal: I don't think either shaped the other. But if I had to pick, your learning shaped your major.
Austin: I would say the latter

Considering all that do you think I would have good reading comprehension:
Sarah: Yes, because I know you and you’ve described all of the thorn* novel to me.
Dylan: Uhhh….On the scale of 1 -5 maybe a 4.
Crystal: I think you probably have good reading comprehension; but your learning style is unrelated to that.
Austin: yes.

So is my reading comprehension because of or in spite of my personality:
Sarah: I would say you have good reading comprehension, I don’t know. It’s not in spite of your personality because [your personality] is to understand everything, which is why you are ADHD because you overload yourself in a sensory way.
Dylan: I would say in spite of. I would say that your personality is contradictory to reading comprehension
Austin: Because of. I don’t think you can comprehend can be inspite of your personality.

Would you say I am confident in general:
Sarah: Yes,
Dylan: yes
Crystal: Uh, yeah.
Austin: The fact you even ask that is funny, yes. Fact is you are the most arrogant son of a bitch I know

Would you say I am confident in new areas:
Sarah: Yes,
Dylan: yeah,
Crystal: You always seem confident.
Austin: If you enjoy them, yes.

Would you say I tend to the over confident:
Sarah: No,
Dylan: at times,
Crystal: I think your consistent follow through shows that you are not over-confident.
Austin: At times

Do I let confidence get in the way:
Sarah: No you don’t you don’t because when you are in an area that you don’t know a lot about you ask instead of assume that you know more than the more experienced in the field .
Dylan: maybe, I think that you might let confidence mislead you at times. I think that you may rely on your past experiences and past triumphs too much in determining your current approach to things at times.
Crystal: In the way of what? <-my fault, I missed her asking this question…
Austin: no

Would you say I am skilled at learning:
Sarah: Yes,
Dylan: Yes,
Crystal: Yes
Austin: sure

Why:
Sarah: Because you are one of the most intelligent people I know. Obviously you weren’t born that way so you had to learn something.
Dylan: I think that it goes back to the confidence a little bit. I think that your confidence in your ability to learn, umm…encourages you to take risks in your learning and approach difficult tasks that other people might not, because of a lack of confidence to complete the task.
Crystal: Because you seem quick to pick up new concepts and willing to research stuff you don't know.
Austin: Umm, because I have seen you in situations where you don’t know much, that you're interested in you pick it up rather quickly and keep trying till you understand it.

What connection between intelligence and ability to learn do you assume:
Sarah: To have a diverse base of knowledge you have to have um like gone to find it. There is a better way to say it: You have to have searched it out and then have learned it. So my assumption is that ability to learn correlates with knowledge.

So you meant I am knowledgeable:
Sarah: Yes.
Dylan: Yes.
Crystal: Depending on the subject. Computer Science/Math stuff, yes. Things like World Issues/Teaching/History/Science... I don't Know
Austin: Yes

Name a couple of areas where I lack knowledge, in your experience:
Sarah: Candy Making* and Beatles History.
Dylan: From my past experiences maybe automobiles and chemistry.
Austin: Chemistry and flying a plane

Why do you think that is?
Sarah: you don’t have any desire that seek out that knowledge at this point. But you will when all 10 hours of the Beatles anthology are thrust upon you. You do have taffy making skills now though.
Dylan: Ummmm, lack of exposure, either required or necessary.
Crystal: I don't know if you lack knowledge in those areas. I just haven't been in the situation to see you demonstrate that knowledge.
Austin: I’ve never seen you fly a plane and I know you absolutely hate chemistry.

So would you say I only learn when I need to:
Dylan: I would say you tend to be more driven to learn when it suits you. You’re definitely the kind of person to tell someone to fuck off if you don’t want to learn something.

How often would you say I draw on prior experiences in educational and then personal areas:
Sarah: In every second. You have to do that or you are never going to build knowledge. That is just a human thing. That and I’ve never seen you make the same mistake twice.
Dylan:Educational past experience I would say quite often, and personally also quite often.
Crystal: Probably alot. But I don't really know.
Austin: Very often

On a scale of 1-10, how much did you pull your punches:
Sarah: 2,
Dylan: 1,
Crystal: 1
Austin: 3


*taffy – One night we decided to make salt water taffy and failed miserably. Our second attempt went well.
*thorn – She is actually referring to "Game of Thrones" which is the first in the immensely detailed fantasy series "The Song of Ice and Fire".


COMMENT!

Venting

Y'know what I hate? When cashiers give you change.

It's not the change itself that I hate, it's the way they give it to you. You stand there, holding out your hand ready to recieve change and they place the reciept on your palm, then count out the cash and place the bills on top of the receipt, and then they count out and put the change on top of that. You don't want the reciept and the cash basically creates a slide for the change to fall out of your hand.

So now you're standing, with wallet in one hand and this awkward stack of money sitting on your other palm considering the best way to get the money organized and into your wallet.

You have to put down the wallet, pick up the change with your other hand, place the damn change on the counter, grab the wallet and place the cash + reciept into it and then take the reciept out of your wallet to throw it /THE FUCK AWAY/ then place the wallet into your pocket to free both hands so you can cup one and use the other to sweep the change into it from the counter and then place the change in a pocket.

AND GOD FUCKING FORBID YOU BE CARRYING THE BAG ALREADY! Then you have to pull some Cirque Du Soleil shit to get your change put away.

The whole thing takes like 5 minutes to get finished. WHY THE HELL DO THEY STACK IT LIKE THAT?!?!?

Cashiers: Here's what I want: Take the reciept and shove it right up your ass, otherwise put it in a bag. Then get the cash and hand it to me. Wait for me to put it nicely in my wallet and to put my wallet away. While I am putting away my cash, you can prepare my change. Once I am ready, hand me the change. I put it in my pocket and walk away whistling, rather than imagining your prolonged death.

You Are False Data

A part of me works under the assumption that most everything I experience is made false by some form of posturing or lie. I eat cynicism for breakfast.

Another part dares to dream. I am more naive than Bollywood musicals.

Somehow both sides are regularly vindicated. I guess it makes sense. It's like playing yourself in Go, or Chess: you are going to win.

So I am a vacuous dichotomy. At once unable to be unhappy or happy and continuously both. I'll bet good money a lot of other folks are like this.

I just schrodingered my self...

Meow

AJAX

I am in geography right now. So I decided to read about AJAX. I've always known how most of AJAX worked, but I always black-boxed the gathering of new data in my mind and left it there for later perusal. It seemed absurd to me that google et. al. seemed to have an endless stream of data from their servers without committing any http requests.

Turns out it is absurd, and the key element I had not discovered was the client-side script object XMLhttprequest. Essentially the site is making many requests, only without telling you. It is "Asynchroneous". Extremely clever. The gains are purely aesthetic, but aesthetics are fun.

I want in. I need a project now. Maybe even something in ruby...I dunno.

OOOOoooo, I know wordpress has ajax plugins...that sounds like a marvelous place to start.

Wait..jacobo is dead...=-(

H

Notes

My college career thus far has consisted of every concievable Computer Science concept in class form. I never did consider the "humanities" worthy of my ever more valuable time so I avoided taking them, essentially putting the onus of those classes on my future self. I figured my future self is an idiot for not taking these mickey mouse courses earlier and therefore deserves to be punished with them. (try to choose the appropriate verb tense for /that/ sentenc) Turns out I was right.

In any case I am now in many classes that do not fall under the auspices of "what I do". Ever the astute (=-D) observer of my fellow man I noticed something and now want to ponder it. Of course by "ponder" I mean gather ya'lls's opinions and choose my favorite to zealously adhere to.

In History and Geography and Oceanography the majority of students are stupid-hardcore with the note-taking. In Operating Systems and OOP and STL everyone does what I do: Sit and listen and giggle awkwardly when the professor makes a joke.

I'm concerned because I feel I should be taking notes in these other classes. My theory is that the abstract nature of CS material makes it a little silly to take notes, but these other studies are much more concrete.

Ideas?

Jacobo, We Hardly Knew Ye

Sometime in the middle of season 8 of friends my connection to Jacobo was lost. Through a complex process of pinging, sshing and prayer I determined that Jacobo was in fact the offending system.

So I focused my troubleshooting efforts on the physical Jacobo. It wasn't sending video to my tv and, even worse, wasn't spitting out /any/ POST beeps. So I hauled a spare monitor over and connected to see what I could see. Nothing. Jacobo just stared at me blankly like an uncooperative can of biscuits. So I did what anyone would do when there aren't any post beeps: I wept uncontrollably and endeavored to zero in on which piece of my system had died.

When I opened the case I immediatly knew the problem: The cpu fan and heatsink had apparently decided cooling the cpu wasn't a worthy persuit and opted instead to sit comfortably on the bottem of my case. The cpu was D.E.D. dead. Burnt to a crisp. It even smelled funny.

Not the worse thing. Since Jacobo is my main linux box I'll likely need to get it up and running soonish. but for now it's all gone.

The River Temarc, In Winter

So I'm sitting in my bedroom, as I am wont to do, and thinking to myself: "Self, what is going through your head is interesting and you should share it with your millions of readers". I consider that for a moment, convince myself it is a good idea and bring up the trusty browser for a few minutes of indulgant self publishing.

When I got to www.blogger.com Google presented me with the option of trying out their beta. Within me the beast of curiosity reared it's head and roared loudly. The valiant knight of forward thinking, tasked with arguing for the safe choices in life, started from his tequila-induced slumber, dreamily looked around, and, after shifting his weight, feel immediatly back to sleep. This is merely the status quo.

So I ventured to try blogger beta and immediatly discovered a bug in their conversion system involving my having identical login's for google and blogger. Perhaps "discover" isn't what I did; I more fell victim to this bug. I lost my ability to log into blogger.

Though it seems now they have fixed it =-D.

So, long story short: I have a long post to write and none of the information given will be very interesting. So read this only if you have literally nothing better to do (example: read the google fs paper, It's a good yarn). (Sidebar: Watching Jurassic Park and even though I've already been put in my place in this arena, I can't convice myself that the little girl isn't kirsten dunst...)

Anyway, here goes: I GOT A JEEEERRB! I'm not great looking, not very athletic, don't have the greatest taste in clothing, am emotionally a "high risk" and generally have a distaste for the world around me but damnit I am good at convincing people that I am brilliant and charming. Lying: Don't let the Christian Right convince you it isn't a skill worth having. Same goes for wenching, but thats a different post. So I got off of summer school (21 hours, 4.0...much love) and had a couple of weeks until the fall semester began. In the interim I hoped to cash in my flyout to Amazon so that I wouldn't have to miss classes for it. I emailed the recruiter to tell her just that and she responded in a very accomodating manner. On August 22, 2006 I flew to Seattle for the 7th time in the last 3 years. T-Bag was kind enough to take me from the airport to my hotel in Seattle.

This was the nicest hotel I have ever been in. I don't mean the nicest hotel I've ever stayed at, I mean been in: that includes asking for directions or pinching a loaf downtown. There was this switch on the wall by my bed that, when pressed, opened or closed the curtain. That was the bomb-diggity but not the best part of the Grand Hyatt of Seattle experience. See the bathroom had a bathtub. Bathtubs aren't generally worth mentioning but this particular tub was so big that I fit in it! As soon as I saw that I took my first bath since middle school. It even had that rack that goes across the tub so you can put soap, or a book, or a sandwich or whatever close-by. It was neat.

I also ran across the happy-teryaki place I ate at during my first trip to Seattle. Kind of fun. It's on 5th street. I blogged about it like 3 years go.

The interview itself was standard fair. 5 interviews, a couple of soft-pitch and a couple of hardcore and a recruiter interview. Some of the questions were very challanging. People asked and I told them it was likely my second hardest interview ever. One of my interviewers was Mormon, that was neat. Another is a drummer in a couple of bands, that was also pretty cool. All the folks I interviewed with seemed very cool. During the recruiter interview I started to explain my academic situation to make sure things would be kosher and Dustin, my recruiter, said it wouldn't be a problem in the least. That was exciting.

The next day I got the offer. Yay me. I get to live and work downtown in this big ol' building. I've always wanted to do that =-D.

So now I begin what will likely be the longest semester of my life. I'm soooo damn close. I'm taking a bunch of intro to blah classes so it shoulnd't be that hard. I just have to grit my teeth and get through it and I can leave the college life behind me for as long as I care to.

I'm excited and so in a good place. Good enough, even, to start talking to people again. I dunno, I'm surrounded by freshmen in most of my classes and though I was sick initial conversations revealed them as incredibly uninteresting.

Oh! and my OS class is in C! *Glee*