Cholesterol Free
Posted on 2004-09-30 at 08:02
A correction to my earlier report that I'd be taking Zocor. Apparently, I can get Lipitor, but my copay goes up a little. Acceptable. They are still evil, just slightly less evil than I originally claimed.
FAT Free
Posted on 2004-09-30 at 08:01
The Public Patent Foundation has managed to convince the USPTO to reject Microsoft's patent on FAT (the File Allocation Table file system). A success by any measure!
...With silver bells and cockle shells
Posted on 2004-09-26 at 08:04
Finished doing some research for the future yard/garden. You can see some other gardens I like alot here. You can also see some of the plants I want in my garden.
As with anything I do, my own brand of crazy kicked in. I felt the need to really understand what I wanted out of a garden before I could start a garden. My overzealous notes follow:
Structure
I don't really want the lawns of the English garden nor the precise lines of the French garden. Rather than a regular, geometric layout, I'd prefer an ecology-friendly, liberal layout.
Pathways
Rather than straight, axis-like, tree-lined pathways, I'd prefer windings, zigzagging, leading to places of repose.
Trees
Rather than having them planted in symmetrical forms or in lines, I'd like them isolated, scattered, and in natural forms. Trees that interest me are trees like the Japanese Red Maple, Manchurian Apricot, Fragrant Olive, Tartarian Maple, Chinese Pear Tree, Dogwood Tree, and the Crape Myrtle. I would prefer trees that are smaller, to make the house look larger in comparison and to keep the scale of the garden smaller in general. A tree that grows no larger than 15 feet or so is plenty large for me. Some trees that are too big, but I like the look include the Maidenhair Tree, Manchurian Walnut, and the Scotch Pine. I don't want them, per se, but if there were a smaller tree that were similar in look/blooming times/etc, then that'd be good.
Flowers
Rather than flower beds in well-conceived patterns and coloration, I'd prefer beds for potted flowers, with due attention paid to the form of plants. Plants that interest me are the Magnolia, Azalea, Chinese Lilac, Fragrant Plantain Lily, Tree Peony, and Chrysanthemum. I don't want plants that may cause my neighbors problems, like bamboo or ivy , that spreads too quickly and too relentlessly.
Water Scenes
I doubt I have space enough, but rather than dynamic water scenes, such as fountains and waterfalls, I prefer the look of stationery water scenes, such as streams, ponds and dripping springs
Space
To fill the open spaces, I don't much like extensive lawns, but rather natural rock formations that are interesting and isolating.
Layout
Rather than the traditional extensive, open landscape, I'd prefer smaller scenes hidden in quiet places. The garden should be broken up into smaller spaces that each have a separate view and art unto themselves. I don't want to be able to see the whole yard at a single glance. Also, I'd like the borders of the yard to provide some barrier.
Architecture
Rather than the traditional gazeebo, which is designed to command a more extensive view of the area while providing shade, I prefer the Chinese moon gates (circular doorway/arches), which are designed to limit the view to the scene at hand (see "layout" above.) Occasional bench seating is good as well, especially if it is designed to accent a particularly nice view of the scene in which it is found.
WaWa's Coffee
Posted on 2004-09-26 at 08:03
Just had some WaWa's coffee. Dude, that stuff is crack! I dig it. I want to go back out just to get another cup of the stuff. Not gonna. Just wanna.
Zocor
Posted on 2004-09-26 at 08:02
My latest test results came back. Not horrid, but not great either, so I am gonna start taking Zocor for cholesterol. According to the doc, I should be on Lipitor, but apparently my insurance won't cover that until I've tried Zocor...because they are evil.
Been a few days...
Posted on 2004-09-26 at 08:01
...since I blogged. Just got busy. That's all.
Pantheon and Cosmology in the Sundered Coast
Posted on 2004-09-20 at 08:02
I started working on the hosts of heaven and hell for the campaign today. Fun stuff. Trying to capture the aspect of Faith present in today's religions that is notably absent in DnD religions. I have a fair shot at it. A taste of the cosmology so far:
In the beginning was nothingness, called Yaldaboath by the Bahran people and known by various names in other mythologies. From nothingness sprang Saboath, neither begotten nor desired. Saboath was saw that he existed and determined it was Good. He set about to creating more, thus reducing the nothingness. Yaldaboath was spiteful and begrudged Saboath and all that existed, for it was an affront to her beauty, which is extinction.
From the "O' Bahran Alquandas" (The History of All People):
"...thus Yaldaboath mingled with her own nature and begot seven offspring. These are the names of them: Jealousy, Wrath, Tears, Curse, Suffering, Lamentation, and Bitter Weeping. Each gave child to one another and each, in turn, begat seven so that they amount to forty-nine demon-gods.
And in the presence of these evils, Saboath created seven good forces. These are the names of them: Peace, Gladness, Joy, Blessedness, Truth, Love, and Faith. And from these there are many good and innocent spirits."
Happy Birthday
Posted on 2004-09-20 at 08:01
To me. :-)
The Autumn's Upon Us
Posted on 2004-09-19 at 08:01
The house is filled with the smell of boiling spiced cider and roasting squash.
First Cause
Posted on 2004-09-17 at 08:01
I've always put some stock in the Cosmological Argument for God:
- Effects have causes
- No effect can cause itself
- Every effect, therefore is caused by something other than itself
- A causal chain cannot stretch back infinitely in time
- There must, therefore be a First Cause that, itself, had no preceding cause
- God uniquely answers the cosmological question by being the Uncaused First Cause
- God, therefore, exists
But I am wondering if maybe there would be some merit to claiming that there could be a causal chain can stretch back infinitely in time. If so, we are left with a different question:
Why is there something instead of nothing?
I mean, if the universe can be said to stretch back infinitely in time, then we should ask why the universe need exist at all. There is still a substantial "Why?" left to explain.
If we follow that train of logic, then God's role is not as initiator of the universe, but as sustainer and creator in a sense that we simply cannot understand. We assume a creation time when we speak of creation, but if the universe stretches back infinitely and God created it, then there is no "When?" question we can ask, but we are left with a timeless, spiritual act of creation that is incomprehensible to me...not incredulous, just incomprehensible. Food for thought.
Jason?
Posted on 2004-09-16 at 08:01
Yesterday morning I got a call from Jason, who I haven't heard from in nearly 12 years. We got together last night for dinner and some chat with Denise and Will. A great time was had by all. It made my week!
Copyrights and Patents are of the devil
Posted on 2004-09-14 at 08:01
Lawrence Lessig, a noted legal dude, did a great presentation on the evils of copyright and patent law as it currently exists.
Disney
Posted on 2004-09-13 at 08:05
Gnomes in the campaign
Posted on 2004-09-13 at 08:04
I need to write something more formal up for the D&D group, but I gotta get my thoughts together on the use of Gnomes in the campaign. I like the idea of a Gnomish race that is riddled with secret societies, hidden agendii, and occult interests. Valued as advisors, sages, and researchers, Gnomes would be an important resource to a ruler, but a dangerous one as well, since he would never really be certain the Gnome didn't have ulterior motives that ran contrary to his own good.
Bryan eats babies and hates all that is good
Posted on 2004-09-13 at 08:03
Bryan, AKA "The Yeti", is a loathsome and depraved creature with a lust for little asian boys.
New Cell Phone
Posted on 2004-09-13 at 08:02
Same number, but the new phone is nicer. I also got the Jabra wireless headset for non-bluetooth phones so I could talk hands-free and wirelessly. I'm pleased with the change. Also changed my service to be a little more in line with my usage to get rid of those monthly overage charges. Will can't seem to stop calling on the cell phone even when I'm home and he knows it...because he is of the devil...so I have to fix the problem on my end.
To fix or not to fix
Posted on 2004-09-13 at 08:01
Thanks to Will, I got some javascript that will fix the png graphic rendering issue that plague's Internet Explorer users for my menu (see upper right corner), but frankly I don't care enough about IE to bother implementing the fix. The issue, at heart, is that Microsoft hasn't seen fit to properly supportthe png standard so transparency in png files isn't respected when viewing a png in IE. If you use a real browser you won't have a problem, but for some reason people seem determined to only ise what Microsoft gives em. I'm not inclined to add extra javascript BS to my page to fix it. It's just a blog. If you're still using IE, I'm sure you're used to all sorts of web surfing problems (pop-ups much?) so a few bad graphics won't raise an eyebrow.
Internet Explorer Sucks Ass
Posted on 2004-09-09 at 08:01
If the menu icons don't look right, get a real browser
You...Will...Still...Not...Believe...This
Posted on 2004-09-08 at 08:04
The Voom installer is done and he did a great job. If you need a Voom installation done in this area, ask for his company, LT Designs.
You aren't imagining it
Posted on 2004-09-08 at 08:03
I've changed the colors on my site. I also added some small graphics on the upper right menu. If you don't like it, feel free to drop me a note.
You...Will...Not...Believe...This
Posted on 2004-09-08 at 08:02
Voom actually has an installer on my roof right now doing what they promised me. Holy Crap! And he seems like a good guy, too. He runs his own company (LT Designs) and subcontracts installations from Installs, Inc, which in turn subcontracts from Voom. The real test will be after he's gone, but so far so good.
X.Org is leading the way for modernized Linux Desktop
Posted on 2004-09-08 at 08:01
X.Org just posted the latest version of it's X Server software (the windowing software that underlies Gnome and KDE). Among it's additions are a better nv driver, support for the XDamage extensions, support for Transparency via Desktop Compositing, and support for Drop Shadows. I think I'm gonna cry from glee. Now, what would it take to get this along with Gnome 2.8 in Fedora Core 3...tomorrow?!?
Cold Fusion Claws Out Of The Grave?
Posted on 2004-09-03 at 08:04
After years of ridicule and disregard, the March '89 experiments originally done by Pons and Fleischman may be bearing fruit. Cold Fusion is still alive in the government. Cold Fusion is still alive in the scientific community. And most importantly, recent experiements have started shedding light on why Cold Fusion experiments are so damn hard to reproduce. Apparently, if the deuterium/palladium ratio drop below 100% (one deuterium atom for every palladium atom) the results start to become intermittent. I don't know if Cold Fusion is ultimately gonna work and be scalable to the degree we need it to be, but the rewards of success to the human race are so astoundingly large that we cannot ignore it.
Voom Again
Posted on 2004-09-03 at 08:03
Glad I didn't hold my breath. Voom cancelled on me. Very. Upset. 'Nuff said.
The Internet and Centralization
Posted on 2004-09-03 at 08:02
I am disturbed by recent attempts to centralize the Internet's services. Places that ban mail from servers that aren't fully qualified domain names require everyone to go to a provider for SMTP service. Likewise, Microsoft's new Sender-ID proposal to handle the spam problem makes ordinary people devalued in favor of certifying authorities. This is not what the Internet is about. The Internet is a community of peers, not a community of clients looking for servers. On the Internet every computer is and should remain a potential endpoint. Anyone can run a web server and the browser will not deny pages from a server without a DNS entry. Anyone can run an FTP server and the FTP client does not care whether the server has a domain name of just an IP address. They want to fix spam but they want to do it all wrong. There are better ways to fix the problem of spam that do not destroy the foundation of the Internet as a decentralized, peer-to-peer structure. Sender-ID is not a good idea, and neither is any plan that puts control of email in the hands of the centralized DNS system. Lame. Thankfully, Apache has denied Sender-ID any progress in its projects.
Voom
Posted on 2004-09-03 at 08:01
Waiting for Voom to show up again. They had to order a special upgraded antenna for my house for the terrestrial signals. Apparently they got it and the guy is supposed to come out today to install it. For some reason, I'm skeptical. :-|
Salivating
Posted on 2004-09-02 at 08:03
I've been salivating over the latest crop of Alienware systems again today. Mmmmm, Dual GPU goodness....
Johnny Rocket's Fancy 70's Extravaganza
Posted on 2004-09-02 at 08:02
Yesterday, Mark and I were eating at Johnny Rocket's in MacArthur Center Mall (Posh Shopper Central) when they dimmed the lights, cranked up Saturday Night Fever, and got the wait staff on the floor showing off their poor disco moves. That place scares me. Who thought that'd be a good idea?!? Then, a half an hour later...they did it again!
Do you want this kind of future?
Posted on 2004-09-02 at 08:01