Ramblings of a Martian

Twitter posts from 23 July

2008-07-24T05:00:06Z

Kinda wishing I was at OSCON. Instead I'm designing user service APIs. And avoiding the hard one, at that.

Shared Posts from 18 July to 22 July

2008-07-24T05:00:06Z

Items shared from Google Reader:

Seattlest - Sorry, That Rain Belongs to the State - "The Rhythm of the Falling Rain by Grundlepuck This story reminds us of a line from The Beatles' "Taxman". The fact that it's illegal to collect too much rain that falls on your property because of state water laws seems just as ridiculous as the [...]

Coding Horror - Dealing With Bad Apples - Robert Miesen sent in this story of a project pathology: I was part of a team writing an web-based job application and screening system (a job kiosk the customer called it) and my team and our customer signed on to implementing this job kiosk us[...]

Coolbuzz - For the love of a table: Paint or Die but Love Me - Asmita: Created by the French designer John Nouanesing, "Paint Or Die But Love Me" is a very quirky art table that draws upon the magnificence of dripping fresh paint and uses its silhouette to capture the essence of fluidity. With legs and edge[...]

Um...

2008-07-23T05:49:22Z

FedEx SmartPost != Smart.

Est. in Home 07/23/2008

Date Time Description Location
July 22, 2008 1:40 PM Sortation Center Arrival NEW BERLIN, WI
July 22, 2008 10:43 AM Sortation Center Departure INDIANAPOLIS, IN
July 18, 2008 2:32 PM Sortation Center Arrival KENT, WA
July 16, 2008 9:28 AM Sortation Center Arrival LOS ANGELES, CA
July 15, 2008 8:14 AM Sortation Center Departure DALLAS, TX
July 14, 2008 5:13 PM Sortation Center Arrival DALLAS, TX
July 14, 2008 4:20 PM Pickup CARROLLTON, TX

One would argue that perhaps it should have been delivered Monday, while, you know, it was still in the puget sound area. But, I won't begrudge it an adventure.

Twitter posts from 22 July

2008-07-23T05:00:28Z

From my Twitter stream:

06:02pm

Wondering how major the diet change would need to be to make my eyes blue again

Shared Posts from 20 July to 22 July

2008-07-23T05:00:08Z

Items shared from Google Reader:

Amazon.com Gold Box Deals - Free Shipping on Climax Shaft Collar orders of $20 or more - Shared by Marty Just, you know, the name. And finding it in the goldbox feed. One and two piece clamp and set screw type shaft collars available in stainless steel, black oxide and nickel plated brass.Expires Aug 5, 2008

Quotes of the Day - P. J. Plauger - "My definition of an expert in any field is a person who knows enough about what's really going on to be scared."

Boing Boing - Apes, legal personhood and the plight of Nim Chimpsky - Natasha Mitchell, host of the excellent ABC National Radio Program (Australia) recently interviewed Elizabeth Hess, author of Nim Chimpsky: The Chimp Who Would Be Human. Natasha Mitchell: The story of project Nim begins with an ambitious researc[...]

Twitter posts from 20 July to 21 July

2008-07-22T05:00:09Z

From my Twitter stream:

05:52pm	With my freeze ray I will stop the pain.
11:02am	Masochists are annoyingly difficult to punish.

Shared Posts from 24 June to 18 July

2008-07-22T05:00:07Z

Items shared from Google Reader:

The Red Ferret Journal - gadgets, cool sites, freeware and tech trivia - Soft House - harvesting power from your curtains - The Soft House project harvests electrical energy from a set of curtains by using 18organic photovoltaic nanotechnology' material to convert sunlight into power. The idea is that the curtains convert the sun's rays all day, then switch to insulating a[...]

MAKE Magazine - HOW TO - Universalize a MacBook Air SuperDrive - tnkgrl writes: So like me, you have a MacBook Air SuperDrive... It's affordable, it's functional, it's sexy. If only it was usable with other Macs and PCs! Well rejoice :) I have successfully hacked my MBA SuperDrive to work with other Macs[...]

MAKE Magazine - Bridge: By Michael Cross - Shared by Marty Clever idea, but it looks clunky. I'd've had the steps rise straight up on hydraulics. At minimum, the movement needs to be faster and smoother. Balancing mid-step while waiting for the next one would suck. More about Brid[...]

Interior Design, Home & House Design, Furniture - Brandt Aion, the Kitchen of the Future - When thinking how the future will be, I don't include kitchen designs or kitchen utensils in the big picture, but now that I see the Brandt Aion, I think I should have. A result of Antoine Lebrun's work, the multi functional kitchen designed for Fago[...]

Hack a Day - ATmega88 webserver - Filed under: misc hacks If you are an Atmel fan, you may enjoy this webserver built around the ATmega88. Since it has full TCP and HTTP support, communication can be done using a standard web browser on any system. We also noticed that the code us[...]

Macenstein - If you have an iPhone, you need "More Cowbell!" - Obviously PhoneSaber is the number one reason most people will be buying an iPhone this summer, but coming in a close second is the newly released More Cowbell! by Glenda Adams. This brilliant app is a wonderful tribute to the infamous Christopher Wa[...]

del.icio.us/robotwisdom - [MeFi# via taint] - Sweet Pixar/Wall-E anecdote bookmark this on del.icio.us - posted by robotwisdom to movies gossip sweet - more about this bookmark...

Bad Astronomy - HOLY FRAK! Moon transits Earth! - Regular readers know I am deeply impressed with astronomical imagery, and I tend to be a little over-the-top on occasion when describing it. However, having said that, let me be very clear: the following is just about the coolest thing I have ever [...]

Seattlest - Do People Frequently Die from Punches? - It's an honest question. Last week when we read and reported the story of James Paroline who was killed by a single punch, we were slightly stunned that the effects of a punch could kill a man. So much so that we assumed it was likely a very rare occ[...]

Interior Design, Home & House Design, Furniture - How To Demolish A Skyscraper One Floor At A Time - What you are going to see in this post, is one of those rare things in life that leaves you truly speechless, and one more reason to say that technology in these days has no limits. When it comes to tearing down buildings, I'm pretty sure that you th[...]

tithonium @ 2008-07-21T11:08:00

2008-07-21T18:08:04Z

Awesome is getting ship notification at 9:56am and delivery at 11.
Even if it is all gement's fault.

Shared Posts from 03 July to 09 July

2008-07-21T06:49:44Z

Items shared from Google Reader:

Seattlest - Streetlights Synchronized - Photo courtesy of the ridiculously talented Seattlest Flickr photographer LA Chance Further proving that Seattle traffic planning has previously been a huge, cruel joke upon the people trying to utilize it--the city announced yesterday that they s[...]

Interior Design, Home & House Design, Furniture - Plugless Sink Aims to Make People Realise How Much Water they Are Consuming - Plugless sink is exactly that, a sink without a plughole. To get rid of the grey water we have to tip the water out. This idea is totally useless, because what it does is just complicates everything, and takes time, and I'm pretty sure that 99% of th[...]

Hack a Day - Laser tattoo - Filed under: misc hacks We're amazed we didn't stumble across this ill advised burnination sooner. Earlier in the week [tetranitrate], of LED chess set fame, posted his experiences using a laser cutter to scarify his own skin. It's very painful, not[...]

Coding Horror - Investing in a Quality Programming Chair - In A Developer's Second Most Important Asset, I described how buying a quality chair may be one of the smartest investments you can make as a software developer. In fact, after browsing chairs for the last few years of my career, I've come to o[...]

Skepchick - Comment o' the Week: Very Special Monday Edition! - Hello again, darling Skepchick readers! The long holiday weekend allowed me to take off for the rolling farmlands of my South Jersey home, but sadly interfered with my usual Friday posting of the Comment o' the Week. With that in mind, I give you a V[...]

Coolbuzz - Fingers Scissors imitate the action of cutting - Cavale: Scissors have been part of our culture since ancient times. The interesting thing about scissors is that they are universal among cultures and races and there has not been a single country where the scissors have not been used. It might a[...]

Coolbuzz - The Teastick: Making tea better - Asmita: If you enjoy having your teas the traditional way, then this astonishing Teastick is just what you need to add another level of class to your elegant tea services. The sleek instrument is just perfect for medium sized full-leaf teas. To [...]

Coolbuzz - Tooth Piks: Party forks get a makeover - Asmita: Ever wonder who invented tooth picks? And have you ever wondered when the wooden tooth floss made a transition from being an after meal tooth cleaner to actually being a part of the dinner service? Yeah, the guys who made these witty Too[...]

The Red Ferret Journal - gadgets, cool sites, freeware and tech trivia - The Non-Stop Train - detachable docking compartment takes the strain - The Non-Stop Train concept is quite an interesting idea. Instead of the train halting at every stop, it continues through stations while detaching and collecting a transit compartment for people who want to get on and off. The video explains it bette[...]

The Red Ferret Journal - gadgets, cool sites, freeware and tech trivia - Miracle Berry Tablets - taste twisting pills mess your mouth up in weird delicious ways - These Miracle Berry Tablets contain some rogue protein which binds to the tastebuds on your tongue. The result is you taste differently after you take one. Sour tastes sweet, sweet tastes astonishing and basically your tongue does a freak out for aro[...]

Twitter posts from 17 July to 18 July

2008-07-20T05:00:13Z

From my Twitter stream:

02:08pm	ARGH! My mp3 of Twilight Zone cuts out at 5:59, comes back at 6:12 for a second, and then starts skipping!
02:17pm	@joeytrimmer: damned good question!
02:19pm	Bugger. The only copy on amazon mp3 downloads is a live version. I'll have to find the CD and rerip it.
09:41am	@spinnerin: Seattle.
09:42am	cranking the re-ripped Twilight Zone on the living room stereo while getting ready for work.
08:03pm	I'm supposed to be identifying with Dr Horrible, right? Captain Hammer's a git, right?
09:27pm	Awesome. iTunes doesn't see the need to download the new Dr.H episode yet. Fucking iTunes.
09:52pm	@drhorrible and @feliciaday: Excellent. I always like it when the bad guy.. uh.. wins. I .. guess. If we're calling that winning.
10:05pm	Joss Whedon, you are a bad man, and I love you for it.
10:14pm	Martian says to vixy, "perhaps it's that I identify too well with the character."
10:14pm	sure, you've lost everything that could have given your life meaning, but you've achieved every ambition.
10:15pm	Yes, life is horrible, but that is what it is to be Doctor Horrible.
10:31pm	@drhorrible: I must know where you bought or got the pattern for the smocks. The red's particularly nice.
11:30pm	iTunes check-for-purchases /still/ doesn't see the new DrH

tithonium @ 2008-07-19T15:10:00

2008-07-19T22:10:00Z

I'm going to give my ipod to my dentist. In light of this, 'Property of Martian' was perhaps a poor choice of laser engraving.

What should I get on the new one? two lines of 29 characters (17em or less, it looks like).

Current thought is "[insert laser engraving here]"

tithonium @ 2008-07-18T20:33:00

2008-07-19T03:33:20Z

I find myself feeling insecure about my geek cred a lot more lately. Especially when a) people are talking about their hardware hacking, which I basically never do despite many intentions otherwise and b) when thinking about all the websites I wanted to do, which other people have subsequently done.

tithonium @ 2008-07-18T19:32:00

2008-07-19T02:32:13Z

I need a coat like his, I think.
I like my goggles better, tho.

tithonium @ 2008-07-18T18:28:00

2008-07-19T01:28:57Z

I see: A dozen people trying desperately to escape from a tarpit.
I think I want to try making one thusly: take a large shallow metal bowl, attach it to a vibrational apparatus (say, a subwoofer), set it to vibrate as a continuously-changing subsonic frequency. color the material, maybe, to make it more interesting. Leave it running, as a little kinetic sculpture. For more interesting effects, maybe add in bits of metal a-la ferrofluid, and add some motorized magnets below, to stir it up.

tithonium @ 2008-07-17T21:37:00

2008-07-18T04:37:58Z

You'll see this again in my automagic greader post, but you need to watch this. and make everybody else watch it.

Twitter posts from 15 July to 16 July

2008-07-17T05:00:09Z

From my Twitter stream:

10:24pm	It occurs to me that I may have enough servers laying around to put one on every major tectonic plate.
09:50am	@Jenk3: a few trips later, I think the car might still be cheaper.
10:04am	@HollyQueen: ok.
10:05am	It's just that it would cost $300 to get four people to portland for a day trip, we'd have less than 7 hours in town, and ...
10:06am	... and we'd still probably need to rent a car to get around to everything. even without a car, it's too expensive.
10:12am	ok, no. today's APOD is TOTAL FAIL.

Twitter posts from 14 July to 15 July

2008-07-16T05:00:08Z

From my Twitter stream:

10:00pm	@Jenk3: don't forget reading the paper and doing the crossword.
11:02am	I've got 6 posts sitting unread in greader from @scottru, and one from @spinnerin. Because I actually want to read them. And.. so I haven't.
12:23pm	I'm left wondering if the near-miss of 99942 Apophis will knock out any geosync sats, and get people's attn enough to make them do something
03:48pm	... predicting earthquakes based on hurricane landfall. alrighty then. with 4900 follows and 158 followers. b'bye, spam.
09:07pm	Why has growl suddenly started working on my macbook air? also, why hadn't I noticed it /not/ working until it resumed?
09:23pm	@dianthus: whosiwhat?
09:24pm	dropbox is kinda neat. wish the symlink trick worked better. would like to sync my password files with it using links out, not links in
09:50pm	Interesting. To get 4 people to portland, gas would have to cost $16.7/gal for the train to be cheaper. at 20mpg. It's also slower.

tithonium @ 2008-07-15T19:25:00

2008-07-16T02:25:14Z

Would anybody else (besides hollyking, I mean) be interested in a day trip down to portland, either this saturday or next? I'm thinking head down too-early (say, leaving somewhere between 7 and 9) due to the 3-hr transit time. (spent a moment there thinking of taking the train, but it'd cost almost $50/person and still require leaving at 730. shouldn't part of the point of train tracks be being able to go faster than cars?) Hit the saturday market, hit Powell's tech, maybe hit the main Powell's, hit Penzeys. Eat a couple times. Do whatever else may sound interesting, and then head back.

Next weekend might be better, but I'm just gauging interest at the moment.

Twitter posts from 14 July

2008-07-15T05:00:08Z

From my Twitter stream:

03:13pm	@Jamgrrl: already downloaded it. just waiting for new ziphone so I can run all these apps!
03:22pm	@Jamgrrl: ah. yes.
09:00pm	@wilw: I find it interesting that I've seen more people talking on their phone handsets /since/ the WA ban went into effect than before.

tithonium @ 2008-07-14T09:48:00

2008-07-14T16:48:06Z

I continue to be tempted by a switch to gmail. Especially whenever I look at SPF and DKIM and such, and the fact that I should implement them on rigel asap. And still haven't.
One of the big stumbling blocks was that I have a LOT of domains, all of which can receive mail. But, I just searched their help docs, and you can create domain aliases, so that solves that. No indicator of a limit on those, however.
The free version would be adequate in terms of storage, I think. My current archives are less than 3GB, and deleting the spam archive would kill a good chunk of that.
IMAP support would mean that my normal mode of use wouldn't see any change.
People who use alpine or such on rigel would see a difference, but I know alpine can work with IMAP.
Some of the routing controls and policy management might be useful, I don't know, but I'm not willing to pay $50/user/year for it. Not unless I kick everybody else off my domains, which wouldn't be very nice.

... oh ho. I read the help page about upgrading to premier, and it says you can add domain aliases to premier accounts. which implies you can't with standard. which it doesn't mention on the page /about/ domain aliases. awesome.
Hm. There are 11 mail spools on rigel. Some haven't changed in a very long time and can be deleted and ignored. some I know the user never looks at them, so I can probably blackhole them. So, I'm left with 5 to 7 people. Most of whom are probably not willing to pay $50/year for their email.

Hm.

tithonium @ 2008-07-13T23:01:00

2008-07-14T06:01:39Z

Cute toy, Wordle

My LJ from 2007:

My LJ from 2008 (to date):

Twitter posts from 13 July

2008-07-14T05:00:08Z

From my Twitter stream:

09:47am

Twips are an annoyingly STUPID unit of measurement. Also, RTF sucks.

tithonium @ 2008-07-13T11:44:00

2008-07-13T18:44:24Z

I also went to get my new chair yesterday. Here's a picture. Ordered it a few weeks ago, it came in friday. Yesterday I took the rear seats out of Joshua and drove down to pick it up (didn't want to pay another $90 for delivery). It's extremely comfy so far. Wide enough I can sit cross-legged in it, narrow enough I'm not uncomfortable when I do so. The cushions are attached, so they won't slide out when I huddle in the corner. The arms have frames, rather than just being foam, so I can push myself up out of it easily. In short, I'm quite pleased. Going to give it a week or two before I buy the second (for loree), to make sure it doesn't secretly suck in some way.

tithonium @ 2008-07-13T11:37:00

2008-07-13T18:37:44Z

I'm glad I never got around to ordering a Das Keyboard II, to replace the I I've got at work.
'Cause yesterday I pre-ordered the new Ultimate, which is the 3rd gen model without labels. I'm a little disappointed they're producing one with labels, but I understand why (it's a great keyboard, may as well make one that's usable for people who can't live without labels).

Glad I ordered it when I did, too. Pre-order is $30 off, and it's available on monday (which I assume is when the price will go up). La.

The old one will probably come home to be used on Arcturus, or on the workbench or something.

tithonium @ 2008-07-13T10:06:00

2008-07-13T17:06:27Z

I hate RTF.
I really HATE RTF.
Twips are the stupidest of stupid things ever.

Here's the RTF version.
And still the HTML and text versions.