from BoingBoing I ganked this little quiz
 | I am:Arthur C. ClarkeWell known for nonfiction science writing and for early promotion of the effort toward space travel, his fiction was often grand and visionary. |
Nifty: I get to patent satellites and hang out in Sri Lanka
Foresight Nanotech Institute > Forsyth Community College Nanotech Associate
At least by ten orders of magnitude.
But hey, we have our own Nano here!
technorati:nanotechnology, nc
Caliber comes from the hispanic arab qálib.
Gringo used to mean Greek, used to denote something inintelligible and or foreign (It is Greek to me): Hence, in this country, I am a Gringo. Oh, the irony.
Technorati: words
Beer comes from the Latin bibere, to drink.
Cerveza comes from the Gaul cervesia, whcih comes from the Celtic word Korma.
So, if you are a red-blooded American, you are asking for your beer in a Latin-derived form. If you are a Latino, you will be asking for it using a Celtic-derived word.
Just enjoy it, you know?
Taking this from Metagrrl, and although I did it back when it was popular for the Livejournal kids, I am posting it again:
create your own visited countries map
or vertaling Duits Nederlands
I haven't been anywhere! The whole world is much more than just a few European countries, so here I am, making plans to travel.
technorati:geography, meme, travel
Update: I had mentioned travel around the world back here
News to the world! I was in a car accident. I didn't choose to be in one, I just happened to be in my car when another car decided to occupy the same space in a nice sunny Sunday.
What to tell you about it that you wouldn't want to see in the papers: a lot of people stopped and offered their help and phones, the EMTs arrived quite fast, the police arrived within eight minutes, not that I was counting or anything, and there was still sun out there. I love summer.
How many accidents are there in this country, per year? Why that extreme dependence on oil, transportation, big roads and all that lives from it? How much easier and happier life would be if we didn't have to go to work and back using these annoying contrivances, cars and the like!
But seriously, now, wtf? I read that in SFO accidents involving pedestrians and cars are on the rise. However, in the little time I was there, all I saw was that people actually used their legs for something other than just pressing pedals; similarly occurs in NYC, where it is easier to be a person and just walk. These are examples of green cities!
I can imagine the Tommy character in "Trainspotting" arguing about the inconsequence of Scotland, and that is how I feel about this town: what good is to have all this greenery and trees if we can't even walk and enjoy them!
OK, no more rant. Behave now.
I am bored here, waiting for my pc to respond to my every whim.
I am thinking of doing the good old "format c:\"
I am smelling peaches all the time. I smell like peaches! It is a weird sensation, similar to walking ahead of a cart full of the ripe fruits in the middle of the season, and suddenly I turn around, trying to identify the source of the smell, the vendor carrying the produce to the local market, the stall full of fruit with an old lady singing its praises, the bustling market where everyone tries them before buying them.
I smell peaches.
Technorati: life, peaches
So there, I did it:
This is a parody. Of this. And, as such, protected.
You won't be reading any Mammals bashing in this blog post for a simple reason: I love Running Appetizing Intelligent Little Snacks and I love Mammals.
Milk-sucking warm-blooded pets are a fantastic gimmick built on a wonderful idea that appealed to me the very first day I started to eat them. I think Evolution did a fantastic job in two areas:
* Coming up with innovative ideas that take Food Web to a new level.
* Leveraging the strength of Running Appetizing Intelligent Little Snacks to achieve its goal.
To tell the truth, having Fur and being Agile and Nocturnal are the best two evolutionary innovations I have found these past eons. I eat quite a decent amount of meat, but none has caught my interest and made me look forward to resuming my delicious rampage more than these two changes. And to top it all, features such as Headless Running, as illustrated clearly, show how powerful Milk-sucking warm-blooded pets are.
There is no denying that Mammals are turning the Pleistocene world on its head.
Now that this introduction is out of the way, I'd like to take some time to explain why, in spite of all its qualities, Mammals will never become mainstream.
As you probably guessed, my conviction doesn't come from technical grounds.
The truth is that there are a lot of forces involved in making a Food Web successful, but before I dive into those, allow me to tell a little side story.
Have you ever come across Cockroaches, or Bacteria? You know, these people who, no matter what you tell them, will always respond that "Cockroaches did that twenty years ago" or that "Nothing has been invented since Bacteria". They listen to you patiently with an amused light in their eyes and when you're done talking, they will just shrug away your points and kindly recommend that you read up on a thirty-year old technology that was the last thing they ever learned and that has been dictating every single technical judgment they have offered since then.
I believe that in ten million years from now, people will look back at Mammals and will have the same reaction. I'm not sure what Web Food we will have by then, but I'm quite convinced that a lot of the current Mammals fanatics will have the same kind of attitude: "That's nice, but Mammals already did this millions of years ago, and better".
Interestingly, they might even be right. But by then, it won't matter because despite its technical excellence, Mammals will still be a niche technology that only experts know about.
So why do I think that Mammals will never cross the chasm?
* First of all, Running Appetizing Intelligent Little Snacks.
Again, and at the risk of repeating myself: I love Running Appetizing Intelligent Little Snacks. I truly do. It's one of the few Classes that I have eaten these past years that made me go "Yeah!" whenever I find a flavor I didn't know of yet. I find its taste and concepts extremely elegant and powerful at the same time. I don't like everything about it, of course, but Running Appetizing Intelligent Little Snacks are by far the number two food in my lunchbox behind Birds, with number three far, far behind. But it's a complex group that contains a lot of varied species which will be very hard for insect- and plankton-feeders to absorb.
Admittedly, insect-feeders and plankton-feeders are cheap targets (we're talking about foods that don't even have claws!), but like it or not, they are the Food Web standard. Anyone who wants to succeed in the Food Web arena must have a compelling story to tell to these eaters, something that will convince them to switch to Tasty yet annoying little morsels of mammals on technical grounds but that will also be an easy sell to their management. Mammals as a class can't succeed without these two conditions, and I am predicting that Running Appetizing Intelligent Little Snacks -- and Mammals -- will always remain a tough sell to any organization that contains more than ten people.
* Mammals themselves.
Mammals are just too advanced. I'm serious. It has an incredible amount of slick features involving a lot of magic (both Running Appetizing Intelligent Little Snacks-related and invented by Evolution itself). For talented hunters, these features are a dream come true... caring for the young, emotions, defaults over configuration, unit tests (even integration tests now, mice!), you name it. Evolution hit every single pain point that Food Web predators (regular predators even) have been facing these past years. Mammals in themselves are a great example of how to nicely package what we have learned about predating and food these past 200 million years.
But it's still a very wide gap for dinosaurs to cross. Sometimes, too much magic is too much magic, and it can definitely be the case that the flow of protein is too direct or too clever to be understandable by regular dinosaurs. Dinosaurs were able to do the jump from imperative to object-oriented hunting, but it was a hard fight. I don't believe the Food Web world will ever be ready to embrace the Mammals cleverness.
* Still no credible IDEA.
All fanatics of dynamic languages are quick to point that they don't need an IDEA to use Running Appetizing Intelligent Little Snacks, Python, Groovy or other. And they will quickly add that if you need one, you're probably not being Intelligent Little Snack-ky or pythonic enough and that you should probably switch back to your old hunting ground and leave the grown ups alone.
This is nonsense. Ignore these people, they don't understand how the real world works and how dinosaurs think, and they are one of the reasons why so many great species never make it to the mainstream. Don't ever be ashamed to need an IDEA or to ask for one. Of course, there are bad ways to use an IDEA (e.g. you want to fly) but if you are interested in Mammals, chances are that you are a decent dinosaur and you know how to leverage an IDEA to make you more productive than when just plain running. Animal tracking, debugging, rendering, pest management, herd control integration, etc... there are too many features to list that make you more productive if you use a tool that enables them.
This is 200 million BC, not 100 million BC. The animals we are hunting and the problems we are solving every day are orders of magnitude harder than back then, and our tools need to keep up with that need. Just plain running is OK, but it's no longer adequate for modern dinosaur development.
* Fanaticism.
Regular readers of my blog know how strongly I feel on this topic. There are exceptions, of course, but the attitude of Mammals users toward Running Appetizing Intelligent Little Snacks skeptics or critics has been less than kind. This is a crowd convinced that it has found the ultimate answer to everything, and they are not afraid to let you know. I only have a simple advice for these people: you might be right, but just be humble. It never hurts.
* Crowd of a single mind.
If you want to dominate a Food Web, consisting of Little Squirrelly Animals, there is only one solution. Only one: Mammals.
Mammals have pretty much nuked the field of Web development in Running Appetizing Intelligent Little Snacks, and I wonder if it's such a good thing. For all the flak that Birds receive because you can count at least a dozen different Food Web species, there is something to be said about plurality and the constant chase for something better and different. Each bird species that comes out builds on the strengths of its ancestors while discarding the errors (and committing a few mistakes of its own, of course). The field advances a little bit every time while bowing down to the timeless laws of natural selection.
I am worried that Mammals will do to the Running Appetizing Intelligent Little Snacks world what Feathers did to Birds: a great tool when it came out but which condemned its community to an ice age where no innovation or competition appeared for years. Whatever the fate of Running Appetizing Intelligent Little Snacks, I hope its fans will keep an open mind and will constantly challenge the Mammals way, for the simple reason that it's always healthy to question what's in place, no matter how good it looks.
* Enterprise capabilities and scalability unclear.
This is an argument that the Mammals crowd doesn't take well, and they are quick to point out the Dog and other species. The problem is that by now, there should be other obvious success Mammals stories, and not just ones developed by the Mammals Society. Of course, it's a chicken and egg problem: a lot of dinosaur herds evaluate Mammals but will only take the jump if they can find evidence that other dinosaur herds have done that before them. And for now, the evidence is scarce at best.
Granted, Birds took a while to rise to the enterprise challenge as well, and they did so despite tremendous initial handicaps such as poor performances and questionable specifications. I contend that until Mammals go through their own extinction crisis, they won't be seen as enterprise ready.
* Lack of support from Invertebrate Providers.
What's the big deal with this, you ask? After all, Fungi are hardly supported by Invertebrate Providers as well. The big difference is that seeds for Birds is targeted at the enterprise. Anyone who wants to run after Birds will most likely host their own coops.
Mammals are targeting a different population: the "Food Web sites in-between", these sites that are not massively scalable but still have more than a few visits per day. A lot of these people use external hunting, and they won't go very far if Milk-sucking warm-blooded pets are not offered natively and pre-installed for them. Plankton is a no-brainer for them, because it's virtually on 99% of ponds, ready for Invertebrate Providers.
Of course, a little bit of digestive magic will allow you to hunt your own Running Appetizing Intelligent Little Snacks, whether your stomach supports it or not, and assuming that they give you that amount of privileges and that you don't need to scale too high, but until Mammals achieves at least half of the plankton penetration, it will remain inaccessible to most of the population it needs to become mainstream.
Note that I didn't say anything about poor Mutation, weak Litter Size, or Warm Blood, which are usually the areas where Mammals are the most criticized. I'm not worried about these because they are simply a symptom of Mammals' youth. They will be fixed in time, and I don't think they will play a big role in Running Appetizing Intelligent Little Snacks acceptance (or lack thereof).
So there you have it. My prediction on Mammals in one, lengthy post. I apologize for the size of this article, I usually try to keep my blog entries short and to the point. I hope at least that I achieved the latter.
I'll conclude on a positive note: I hope I'm wrong. I really, sincerely do. For my next work, I want to have a choice between Birds and Running Appetizing Intelligent Little Snacks, but right now, when in doubt, even I usually end up returning to Birds for my personal diet for the reasons listed above.
And as you know, I love it when food and species for my taste. But right now, I see no competition.
Because this guy writes so much like me! And who is Ruby?
I have found the most compelling criteria for finding intelligent life in other universes: you must have cake.
Seriously.
There are various arguments for that, but I like the economic side of it: you are obviously wasting untold resources, same that could be put to clever use, on the immediate satisfaction of a transient desire for immediate gratification. Veblen here I come!
And in doing so, you are showing off both your wealth, your status and your technological prowess: wealth, because it is only through accumulation that you can devote those resources, food and energy, to creating a cake; status, because it is clear (the margins are too small, though) that only those that have certain status can enjoy the best cakes, cheesefactory notwithstanding, and technology, because the creation of the perfect cake demands knowledge and chemistry: just look at your cake and think of all the industrial processes that took place to bring that thing to your table.
The main point here is not that these industrial milestones have been achieved, is that you are using that incredible confectionery industrial complex to satisfy your gluttony. At least the military serve a semi-logical purpose, but cake? There is nothing more superfluous than that.
Your results:
You are Iron Man
| Inventor. Businessman. Genius. |
Interesting conversation:
Dan, Puerto Rico is for next Friday.
Seriously.
And now I know that another monkey aroudn here has his own blog, and yes, good for him, but why didn't he tell me?
Could it be in retaliation for posting his half-naked picture at Borders?
This has tp be the post of all times: a company is asking for a Creative Manager for e-Commerce, with 10 years of Internet design experience.
Correct me if I am wrong, but unless you created Amazon, it is clearly a long shot to expect one of those designers to be around here.
Let's see, it would mean that you were doing Net design ten years ago.
Not bloody likely.
Phil has a new blog.
Much congratulations!
Also, his birthday was two days ago. Go tell him I say hi.
And so we were all touched by His Noodly Appendage, but first in China:
Went to my physical, and the nurse tells me that the veins in my arm look jim dandy.
Mmm thanks? Odd compliment aside.
Meanwhile, back at headquarters, nobody didn't called me. As U2 would say, Is it getting better
Or do you feel the same?
Ahoy, mates!
A la luz de la pálida luna
en un barco pirata nací;
a bogar fue la voz que en mi cuna
escuchando a mi madre aprendí,
viva la mar, viva la mar.
Cuando niño a rezar me ponía
y mi madre empezaba a cantar,
era tanta mi dulce alegría
que no hallaba más dicha que el mar
que no hallaba más dicha que el mar
viva la mar, viva la mar.
De la guerra los crueles horrores
en silencio me hacía contemplar
cuantas veces me dijo no llores,
los piratas no saben llorar,
los piratas no saben llorar,
viva la mar, viva la mar.
Because pirates also speak Spanish: Dobloons from Cartagena!
via booboolina
I should be packing.
Very Well-Rounded
You have:
70% SCIENTIFIC INTUITION and
70% EMOTIONAL INTUITION
The graph on the right represents your place in Intuition 2-Space. As you can see, you scored above average on emotional intuition and above average on scientific intuition. (Weirdly, your emotional and scientific intuitions are equally strong.)
Your Emotional Intuition score is a measure of how well you understand people, especially their
unspoken needs and sympathies. A high score score usually indicates social grace and persuasiveness. A low score usually means you're good at Quake.
Your Scientific Intuition score tells you how in tune you are with the world around you; how well
you understand your physical and intellectual environment. People with high scores here are apt to succeed in business and, of course, the sciences.
You scored higher than 99% on Scientific
You scored higher than 99% on Interpersonal
Link: The 2-Variable Intuition Test written by jason_bateman
7 Types of Intelligence - Which is yours?
brought to you by Quizilla
I am aware of the meaning of the word; I am simply playing with it.
Because all those divas have been asking for it:
 Your Summer Anthem is Speed of Sound by Coldplay All that noise, and all that sound, You're out of your mind this summer, in a good way. |
A little test on Friday, about how wild I am:
It is probably because I have been avoiding sleep lately, but a little advice from MetaGrrrl I like:
After living in the South for a long period of time, I still speak like a foreigner:
Your Linguistic Profile: |
30% Yankee |
25% Dixie |
20% General American English |
15% Upper Midwestern |
10% Midwestern |
Get books for free! Specially after spending all those thousands on senseless novels and math textbooks, it is reassuring to find that I could have been getting other senseles books using Jon Udell's bookmarlet to simply check the libraries closeby.
via 43 Folders
*
Take note
Did you know that today is Pi Day?
Happpy Pi Day.
Long time no see! OK, this is worth a try, specially a Friday evening. As seen on The Vision Thing, all I have to do is
Finally, the famous Death Star II arrives in a menacing, deadly lego set of only 3441 pieces. It is either a death star or the death of your social life.
Nifty ray, though.
via artypapers
This instructions on how to pack a fresh human brain for shipment are clearly wrong:
I am so distracted that, playing with the power cord of my computer while reading, I put the silvery bit, the energized one, in my mouth.
I am salivating at the prospect.
UPS is becoming the ultimately vertically integrated company. Not only do they deliver the parts for a brain scan machine, but also, the user for said scan machine: a driver was in a wreck, and was taken to the hospital that was waiting for the parts that were in the driver's truck.
via Engadget.
And I shall write one thousand times not to mock other people's pain.
I am fully aware that the navigational column at your right is out of whack, and that it appears below you.
(Ed note: How is that possible is beyond my visualization capabilities; perhaps your name is "blog", and you are surrounded by divs.)
You have two possibilities:
1. Switch to a CSS compliant browser, such as firefox, or
2. wait until I implement the Tan box hack.
Meanwhile, if you are so intent in seeing a beautifully designed blog, go check Dunstan's or Beto's.
You know, Ana, we haven't had a decent quiz in months.
Here it is
| Which Famous Revolutionary Are You? Che Guevara "At the risk of seeming ridiculous, let me say that the true revolutionary is guided by a great feeling of love."
|
| Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests. |
Forget about getting things done; the best explanation about gtd comes from heather:
Jacques Derrida dies, but his spirit lives
Should I apply?
via Howard Lovy's NanoBot
All those hurricanes are Florida's karma for stealing the elections four years ago.
Inspired both by kottke's excel love letter and by the troubles to which Joey DeVilla goes when thinking about dumping using PowerPoint, I got to design my own, very practical, logical absolutely impossible way of looking at relationships.
It is all a nice practical approach, with a little bit of misuse of statistics and bad design. I can do those. So, let's proceed:
Since we all know that 50% of first marriages end in divorce, I follows that, all things being equal, the probability of having a marriage that last forever is the same whether I marry the stranger walking down the road or I marry a person that I have known for years on end.
So, for my purposes, it is exactly the same to marry a person I just met. It saves time, effort, money and the end result is pretty much the same.
Of course, the flipside is that I may end marrying a crazy, deranged individual, but then again, what are the probabilities of that happening, when all I asking is somebody that accepts to marry me based on a few minutes acquaintance?
Tonight I am going to sacrifice a banana to the blog design gods, and a pear to the muse of blogging, Clio. Then I will proceed to consumer both with the proper respect and devotion.
Or if you prefer a more Catholic approach, then, Iight also light a candle to Saint Hieronymus. Is St. Hieronymous somehow the predecessor of Jeffrey?
A nice Coffee Blog. I am shaking already.
Ms Fake posts some pointers on public speaking, and what do you know, since I tend to avoid physical work, or because I would love the applause of thousands, it is one thing that actually makes sense. That and the fact that public speaking is just one small way to change the world. And it needs changing.
Her points, summarized, are as follows:
As for the fear of speaking in public, wouldn't it be rather the fact that we are all so eager to take in what others dole out, so accustomed to being consumers, that the mere fact of being out there and expressing opinions, concepts and conclusions seems to be unnatural, the risk so high?
That will happens until you get addicted to giving conferences, and speaking in front of a bunch people, and perhaps, for a second, learning a lot about your subject. Your audience is the public speaking equivalent of a neural net. It knows, only it is not aware of it.
It is refreshing to have friends with low internet time and a firm grasp in reality; upon my change to multiply from the dreaded orkut, one of my friends sent me this message:
Went to the awesome and most excellent Wordcount, and after searching for my name and similar tasks, opted for the most important word.
Egregious omission, there is no blog in Wordcount!
hépar sýkoton
iecur ficatum
ficatum
fégadu
fígado
hígado
This is about hotdogs, you sick people: It seems that Sara Lee has released a new hot dog, and oh, they deemed it girthy:
You told me that you were looking for a job somewhere north; perhaps the Employment Digest may help. It has all kinds of bloggy hints.
My friend the surfer would love this wireless surf board
I would!
This highly entertaining MeFi thread about disposing the corpse of a victim is naive and completely missing the point, in my humble opinion.
You see, it is not about hiding the body - investigators are going to connect you to the person, obviously the dead has wronged you somehow, and otherwise why kill the bastard in the first place.
So they have a motive. And since people do not disappear that easily, and you would have to justify that long boat trip at the same time of their disappearance, it is rather better to acknowledge such motive.
There was this little place where you could actually hire killers for about US$50. Good job they did, too. Messy, brains splattered all over the place, looked like random violence. Go check this movie. It is chillingly real.
The way to getting away with it is from a position of power, or when they die of supposedly completely natural causes, and nobody suspects anything. But you will KNOW!
OK, who wants to go out with me tonight?
These days have been crazy, trying to be an envagelist for KM and the benefits of blogs, wikis, CMSs and GPL.
So, before all of you go out and say that I do not post anything anymore, here it is to elevate your awww quotient.
So here is the thing. I got some tickets for Madonna, one in Miami and one on New York, and am selling them because, well, I am not going.
These go to the person that first give me a suitable trade, the one that agrees to marry me, or the one that pays me $300 for each.
UPDATE: Here is the ebay site for this auction.
Just because. So I posted to gmail swap asking for it, and you know, I do offer something in exchange:
And you want 9000 ladybugs because you have a garden, or are an expert in praying mantis (the insect, not the kung fu style) and want something to feed the mantis.
Or perhaps you have invited your fiancé's parents to dinner, and what better than to have nine thousand bright little insects poking around, flying in your mouth and getting inside your mother-in-law-to-be décolletage to make the evening perfect and allow everybody to forget about their differences.
Sorry, not lightning bugs until summer.
But ladybugs are everywhere! In "James and the Giant Peach", he is accompanied in his travel by a giant ladybug. Fortunately enough, the ones I will be providing are (hopefully) going to be small and handy, fitting easily in a previously hollowed peach that you can then give to your unsuspecting nephews. As an educative aid, of course.
Besides, when the cicadas Brood X come, you can triumphantly defy them, releasing your brood of ladybugs, reveling in the mighty clash of bugdom for the possession of your backyard. Quoting the cheerleader in a recent movie about cheerleaders (or the cheerleader of the free world, whatever floats your boat), bring it on!
Go ahead, email me with your offer, say yes to the opportunity of nine thousand lifetimes!
Camilo
So, you think I get it?
UPDATE: Benny just sent me the invite, and I am now a happy gmail owner!
Although I wonder what is it that he is going to do with 9000 ladybugs? What if he is, indeed, a mantis? :)
Just heard this from one of my coworkers:
Coworker Clueless: "I don't know what is that much email I am getting, so weird, what is it?"
Coworker Wise: "That is spam. Spurious email. The send it to you so you buy things".
CW Clueless: "So, it is a legitimate marketing company?"
CW Wise: attempts a lengthy explanation on the efforts against spam.
CW Clueless is an IT consultant. Doesn't know what spam is.
Outsourcing seems a viable option.
Oh I loved the monkey! When I just started with this blog, it was one of the places I would always visit. As of lately, though, dear monkey had disappeared, and well, frankly, I was fearing for its health, it may had shrunk or stained.
Luckily, he/she/it is here again, this time with recipes for the cinco de mayo:
Neil Armstrong a Colombian honorary citizen? I read many, many years ago that Neil Armstrong had traveled to Bogotá, Colombia, years before 1969, and he was given all kind of honors and distinctions.
Anyone out there knows whether this is true?
Mr. Armstrong, do you care to shed a light on the subject?
I remember going to the Museum of Natural History of Bogotá and seeing in their display a lunar rock specimen and an astronaut suit. I have always wanted to be an astronaut just from watching that (of course, now it is more of a distant longing).
Again, anyone? Oh, marvelous power of the Lazyweb, I invoke thee!
Got the list from Fives, Five people who never got the chance to opine at length about Gmail, now I get this:
fresh lettuce sandwich
me running from the garden
allergy kills me
inspired by jason
Three Chinese sailors were rescued after the sinking of their ship, the Genius Star VI, off the coast of the Indian Coast, in the Bengal Bay. What is newsworthy, in that kind of summery empty news that values much more the soundbite and the odd rather than the news full of substance, is that one of them survived for 31 hours perched on top of a meter long turtle. His other two comrades survived by holding onto a buoy and a log.
After that, all of them had to be treated for bruises, insolation, rashes, and in the case of Zhu Yuan, the one that grabbed the turtle, bites from where fishes had been feeding from him.
The sources for this are Statesman, Asia News, China News and Shipping News.
I owe the original pointer to my brother, who should be investing in companies that are poised to grow.
I have actually been thinking about dying, and having then my blog automatically publish a notice to that effect.
Sort of a deadman switch, but without the explosives.
However, what if I go on vacation and forget to reset the switch? Will my friends send flowers to my house? Will they divide my possessions?
Ah, the perils of modern blogging!
From CyberVassal, another meme.
You know, just because I don't want to go to the office today.
1. Go to your CD rack/shelf/room.
2. Select the 13th CD from the end of your collection
3. What's the 5th track?
4. List it on your blog, with a story of why you purchased this CD.
5. Link back to me - if you wish.
What I found was Angie Stone, "My life story". I got it way back when she was being highlihted as a revelation and stuff. Had it buried nuder tons of inane topforties and stuff.
Life was so much simpler :)
Instructions:
Grab the nearest book.
Open the book to page 23.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions.
Which gets me
Get your own pimp name at Player Appreciate.
Say hello to
You are a GRAMMAR GOD!
If your mission in life is not already to
preserve the English tongue, it should be.
Congratulations and thank you!
How grammatically sound are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
Seen somewhere:
Probably from orders from Bush itself.
As we were listening to the Children Choirs yesterday, H. asked where does Kumbaya come from. Of course, I am a blogger, I ought to know this: kumbayah means "come here":
What rating is your journal?
brought to you by Quizilla
via Glenn McGaha Miller
Indigo Insights has a joke about two Iraqi spies:
If you want to get a job with the NSA, please bear in mind that they will try to get inside your mind: Be prepared, and take the Five Factor Model personality test.
I'm a O76-C52-E27-A8-N43 Big Five!!
So I am a mean genius. OK. As long as everybody does what I say!
via MeFi
I never thought this could happen!
Might as weel be talking about bloggers:
What better to end the week that a little trivial Work Compatibility Cosmo Inspired Quiz from FC; at any rate, my results are
So here is where our dear fearless bushie leader gets his inspiration!
Still, Calvin was the pilot of his own space ship, and he did his complete tour of duty.
I loved Calvin and his own particular sense of reality, always discovering a wondrous universe and being completely removed from societal norms. Those snowmen (or shall I say snowpeople of indeterminate gender or ethnicity?) were amazing!
Funny, though, you can do a search of all the possible terms that you can think, but of course there is not one single reference to geeks, which might be understandable, but there is none either for internet, and the strip ran until December 1995!
However, he was prescient about blogging!
YOU ARE RULE 8(a)!
You are Rule 8, the most laid back of all the
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. While your
forefather in the Federal Rules may have been a
stickler for details and particularity, you
have clearly rebelled by being pleasant and
easy-going. Rule 8 only requires that a
plaintiff provide a short and plain statement
of a claim on which a court can grant relief.
While there is much to be lauded in your
approach, your good nature sometimes gets you
in trouble, and you often have to rely on your
good friend, Rule 56, to bail you out.
Which Federal Rule of Civil Procedure Are You?
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So am I the pleading one? as in innocent or guilty, as the case may be?
In a comment on Joi's blog, Florian called me Camino.
I like that: The path.
You are a Cyberculture Floozie. The theoretical
aspects of postmodernism interest you only
insofar as they can be used to make cool blinky
things. You probably take psychedelics and
know at least one programming language (HTML
counts!). Other postmodernists call you a
corporate whore. They're probably just jealous
because you make more money than them.
What kind of postmodernist are you!?
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via formica, which I take means ant.
I know you like this.
Tom Coates has found a way to thwart all those nasty spameses, by rendering them into art.
Behold Cockzilla vs the kittens!
diesel sweeties' resolution for this year?
Anyway, I will finish this redesign even if it takes me forever.
via obn
I was somebody's Secret Santa. My memory fails me, but I did made sure that Santa reached into his brain - or his wishlist - and gave him something,what I do not remember.
However, and unluckily for me, I had to travel before Santa could reach me at my house. I know that Santa was there, you know, something tells me that, and left me a book I have been chasing around for more than a month.
Excellent thinking, Santa!!
So in the meantime,you all may like to go and visit Elizabeth's place, where I am sure you will be delighted by her memes and design. Go go go go!
Merry Christmas to you all!! Happy Holidays!!
I m in Ft. Lauderdale again, so really very few postings. I wish you all the best in these holidays, that you may enjoy them with the ones you love, and find happiness and tranquility in them.
Bye. Got to eat.
I was thinking this just before going out tonight with friends and associates. Let's go out, drink a beer or two, and then, please do not, I repeat, do not flirt with the first nice thing that crosses your path.
At the Black Bear, cold outside, we arrive just as always, see some friends and a young woman, gorgeous eyes, perfect proportions, and with a long smile beaming toward me.
I get close to her, start small talk 101, ask for a beer and in doing so get closer to her, mm, nice smell, and suddenly a sad looking guy with a wool cap that says "Crime Inc." looks my way and says "everything OK?".
Denial hits and I say,"yeah", thinking that this burly guy just happens to be sitting next to flirty woman.
After a few seconds, a mutual friend comes by and says "you do not want to touch her. Trust me on that". And then, with hat enigmatic thing, she goes. I ask flirt if her boyfriend is jealous, and of course she says, after a giggle, "no he isn't".
Somehow, my spider sense tingles bad. I say ok, and retreat to talk to my friends.
After a short while Crime Inc guy stands up, or rather unfolds. 6 feet four, and that is just his back. A t-shirt saying Choppers Rule. A bad look in my direction – and I understand that he is not just another guy, but Pissed Boyfriend.
Anyway, they all start getting ready to go, and I say goodbye to my friend – and Pissed Boyfriend hears, and answers – "why, do you want me to go?.
I do not know what I say, only that my friends, the karate expert, the socially aware expert, are all silent and serious. Giving me space.
The angry guy says again "yeah, we are leaving, wanna come with us" and the whole fucking bar is like a cemetery. The only thing I can think of is of staying my ground, keeping eye contact with him, and considering my options – die with dignity seems to be the only one.
Seconds stretch forever, i can sense the beer glass in my hand, weighing it, considering the distance my friends open stares and silence more ominous that the guy there. HA looks concerned, and that is bad, and HS is worried. Bad bad bad. How bad can I hit with a glass half full of beer? Is this guy left or right handed?
I take a sip of my beer. That might be a mistake, I realize.
Finally one of the guys shakes hands with me, we say goodbye, and he takes away the angry hulk. Everybody takes a deep breath.
Do not flirt with the girlfriend of a guy that wears a Crime Inc wool beanie. Bad idea.
You are Melancholy. Melancholics are often gifted,
even prone to genius. You are deep and
thoughtful, but this can lead to your being too
introspective, to the point of moodiness and
depression when you find flaws within your
self. You strive for perfection in all things,
most especially your self and your immediate
world. You are sensitive to the needs of
others, and loyal to your friends, but can be
hard to please. Melancholics do well in the
Arts, science, and math.
Which of the Humours are you?
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Which Historical Lunatic Are You?
From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.
And although I am not running deranged around town, I certaiinly feel a need to take a bath right now.
via blogdex
Vox populi, Vox Dei, and in this particular case, what more appropriate.
Google knows that when you search for miserable failure you are going to get the most egregious display of incompetence.
Feast your eyes.
Following Jason's movie, starring George Clooney, I had to try my hand at script writing, and what do you think, the star of Blue Juice herself:
TAXI DRIVER
Sorry, CATHERINE ZETA-JONES, but we are in a traffic jam that has dramatically sprung up in order to create dramatic tension.
CONFUSEDKID.COM (MERCURIAL) suddenly climbs on top of the roof of the taxi.
CONFUSEDKID.COM (MERCURIAL)
(yelling)
Identity exists only within the network that appraises and benefits from it.
The other cars, hearing what CONFUSEDKID.COM (MERCURIAL) has to say, suddenly all pull over and let the taxi through. It races to the airport just in time.
And they live happiliy ever after, surfing in Walles and escaping from a crazed Michael Douglas.
Beware of the Goth Girl Caught In Headlights
As I am feeling completely free, here comes this, via Candice.
You're the cowboy. You're charming, old fashioned,
and down to earth. You're more comfortable
alone on the range than in social situations,
but that doesn't mean you don't want someone
around to rope and ride now and then.
What member of the Village People are you?
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Children these days have no respect for old superstitions! Check the urban legend by the defective yeti.
Got to go and check the Carnival of the Vanities current edition, there at WCRR.
Now, who is going to be it next week?
UPDATE: Due to a mistake in reading the date, something I should have mastered in kindergarten, but seems to elude me, the current CoV can be found here.
Nothing to be seen here, move along.
After a full week of sleep deprivation, caused most of all by reading, again, Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy (Red, Green and Blue) and gobbling coffee as if it to prove a point, my s0cial skillz were completely gone.
In that light, it's not surprising that I managed to alienate a couple of friends, avoid two interesting parties, talk too much about somebody, and generally made an ass of myself.
And also got an overdraft on my account. Ugh.
You know, sorry about that.
I am 10 year old?
What happened to boing boing? No files, no archive, no nothing!
I want explanations, dammit!
UPDATE: MeFi has a complete discussion, as well as a pointer to the < ahref="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/boingboing-mailblog/">mailblog.
Freedonia is the server in which boingboing resides.
Aha!
For a moment there I though that the DHS had seized Cory and friends, and that blogging was the new terrorist activity.
When I was renting my house, I asked whether there were ghosts, not so much as to inquire about the possibility of ghosts, but to know where my landlord had his marbles.
I have never seen a ghost, and I am, by nature, skeptical. Oh, of course there area going to be much more interesting ideas out there, the world is surely several orders of magnitude much more complicated that what anybody imagines, and that, precisely, makes the idea of ghosts a little asinine.
I am getting candy bars for tomorrow, though. Kids are real.
Your Name: Camilo
Your Question or Information: life work, how to start
Past Lagaz - Intuition, imagination, success in studies, creativity, vitality and passion (especially for women). | Present Jera - Harvesting tangible results from efforts already sown, fertility, culmination of events, abundance. | Future Othel - Material possessions and protection of those possessions, inheritance (can be genetic traits inherited from elders). |
Cast the runes here:
Rune Caster
Fast pre-post: The party was great, and even better was going afterwards to Fusion, dancing and having a brilliant good time while still in costume.
Photos will follow.
I just remembered the most surreal conversation:
H: I am not gay
D: you are so gay
D: you even wear turtlenecks
H: I would never ever wear turtlenecks!
D: That answer has absolutely proved my point.
Intrigue, betrayal, coercion, love! As usual, I was expecting the worst date ever installment in the life of Joy de Villa. But no! He comes now as a tortured and dignified prankster, in the first installment of his Best Date Ever: Quid Pro Quo tale.
He is a regular Wilde.
I am telling you, this thing about blogging at 12 am is not a good thing. Anyway, enjoy.
You are Form 3, Unicorn: The Innocent.
"And The Unicorn knew she wasn't meant to
go into the Dark Wood. Disregarding the advice
given to her by the spirits, Unicorn went
inside and bled silver blood.. For her
misdeed, the world knew evil."
Some examples of the Unicorn Form are Eve
(Christian) and Pandora (Greek).
The Unicorn is associated with the concept of
innocence, the number 3, and the element of
water.
Her sign is the twilight sun.
As a member of Form 3, you are a curious
individual. You are drawn to new things and
become fascinated with ideas you've never come
in contact with before. Some people may say
you are too nosey, but it's only because you
like getting to the bottom of things and
solving them. Unicorns are the best friends to
have because they are inquisitive.
Which Mythological Form Are You?
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Found at Dave's, who will be hosting Sudden Fiction, Stories by Bloggers, this Halloween.
Definition of the day, Grease Bush:
I have been wondering what to wear for next Halloween party: What is exactly what makes a costume, I ask? Perhaps, go as a Tibetan monk? And how to signify respect instead of abuse?
There are too much people thinking about going dressed as Neo, or as Trinity. Kill Bill, the latest Tarantino quilt of old tales, is also going to influence heavily all these women with some knife to wield.
And Uma Thurman, all this women with short black hair and small hips, are they hiding their femininity?
Too much thought for a simple costume: The idea of Halloween as a political statement, then.
Perhaps the monk is significant, as we might need to concentrate on the possibility of peace instead of the ongoing violence. But then again, reading more about the shamtab and its significance, it seems more and more presumptuous of me to wear a religious garment. Would I go dressed as a military man? No, definitely no, but that is just because I oppose war and all things conflict. A samurai, complete with swords and silk around me, but those really get in the way when dancing. What else?
Dr. Seuss then, so I might not offend anybody else. I then can proceed to scare things away, talk in inane verse, and engage in copyright infringement.
Although Phillip is convinced that, were we to stage an operation to make McDonalds go broke, we cold actually get away with it, there is something McFishy about the whole thing. Surely they would have thought about these possibilities?
And just sending envelopes. For that amount of expected profit, I could travel to Vermont, post it there, and come back!
Phillip has too much free time.
My Lipson-Shiu Corporate Type is ICIG.
This is a clear signal of why you shouldn't post at three am, when bored and generally not happy.
Athena
?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
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Libertarians
Circle I Limbo
Militant Vegans, Parents who bring squalling brats to R-rated movies
Circle II Whirling in a Dark & Stormy Wind
Objectivists
Circle III Mud, Rain, Cold, Hail & Snow
PETA Members
Circle IV Rolling Weights
General asshats
Circle V Stuck in Mud, Mangled
River Styx
Republicans
Circle VI Buried for Eternity
River Phlegyas
George Bush
Circle VII Burning Sands
Scientologists
Circle IIX Immersed in Excrement
Creationists
Circle IX Frozen in Ice
I am depressed.
How opportune.
Check this Flash animation: boat people.
And these are the instructions:
1) You need to cross the people into the other side of the river.
2) The boat can hold ONLY 2 PEOPLE at a time;
3) The DAD can not be ALONE with the little Girls;
4) The MOM can not be ALONE with the little Boys;
5) The criminal can not be ALONE with anybody, other then with the Policeman;
6) Only the ADULTS can drive the boat: Policeman, Dad or Mom;
To START, click on the BIG BLUE circle;
To move the characters into the boat, just click on them;
To move the boat, click on the little red post in the opposite side of the river where the boat is.
via Kitty Power
I saw Mandy Patinkin when he gave the commencement address to this little school of arts around here, he was magnificent! I loved that speech, how he went on saying that life and love are not exclusive, how that particular sensitivity of artists made them vulnerable and in need of an extensive, close, real network, how he talked about the especial extra effort that creating demanded, not just the usual effort, but the incredible, extraordinary work that being an artist meant.
So, yes, this movie indeed seems like a good choice.
Love and hugs for Ailina
Conscious self | Overall self |
 |  |
via sneffnee
It is with great trepidation that I start to post about S. See, she is an actress, and having read my blog, she wondered aloud, twice, why is it that everybody gets to be mentioned but her.
Of course, she is mentioned here, only not that frequently. But noooo, you would expect a thankful approach to my discretion and respect for her privacy.
So, there, in the spirit of reporting the news, and offering a heavily opinionated content at the same time, two tidbits of info about S: Incredible at what she does, and constantly acting and calling attention to herself, the table at Mary's was more of a stage for her than simply a place top have brunch. And with S***t, able to quote Shakespeare at will, (pun not intended), or to coax haiku from Z. She can even handle that silent monkey, M, that looks at her with eyes that match his t-shirt (according to Ana) and now and then comments on the beauty of all that surrounds all. Big monkey that M.
She looks like Elizabeth Montgomery, that actress that used to play Lizzie Borden. Something about Lizzie reminded me of S.
Perhaps the nice blond hair, or the expressive blue eyes.
Or the axe.
Candice answers my Five Questions, and she really blows me out of the water. Go go go go go!
via This Chick
Walt worries about the name of his blog, Cucalambe
Another reason why you should read Schlock Mercenary is the incredible amount of science fiction trivia you get:
Regretfully, BOOK OF THE BITCH does not deal with the subject I was thinking about.
The BBC has a list of 50 Things to do in life, and I am considering it. Since I have already skydived, trekked in the rainforest, walked on an active volcano, visited a war zone, experienced a waterfall, I have about 47 other yet to do.
I owned Siberian huskies, though. That should count to #38, is only a little.
via LondonBlog
Kelley manages another edition of the Cul-de-Sac.
Go check it out, it is far better than to read updates from blogdex or the like. This is done by a human being (AFAIK)!
Love as it is, I might say
Your romance is more of a love that needs to bloom
within, just like Hedwig of Hedwig and the
Angry Inch. The film features an East German
transsexual who is seeking her "other
half" after constant betrayal. You must
love yourself before you can need another.
You're starting to realize this, along with the
fact that you don't need a significant other to
be a complete person. Your "other
half" has been inside you all along.
What Romance Movie Best Represents Your Love Life?
brought to you by Quizilla
Via the enigmatic and always poised Liz
Got an email from Dave, giving me the questions for THE INTERVIEW GAME
Thanks for agreeing to participate in The Interview Game. Here are your five questions:
1. What one thing do you most hope to be remembered for after you die?
2. What do you think is the single greatest threat to the survival of the world today, and what do you think is the greatest hope?
3. What single life lesson do you think is most important for young people to learn?
4. Of all the people alive today, who do you think would make the best President of the US? Why?
5. If you had a million dollars, what would you spend it on?
Just as a reminder, here are the rules you should post on your blog along with your answers to the above questions:
THE RULES
1. Leave me a comment or email, saying you want to be interviewed.
2. I will respond; I'll ask you five questions.
3. You'll update your website with my five questions, and your five answers.
4. You'll include this explanation, and acknowledge me as the interviewer.
5. You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed.
The answers for you, oh brave souls:
1. What one thing do you most hope to be remembered for after you die? This question goes into my long term plans, almost in the realm of my dreams. I want to create a public awareness of the necessity of admitting responsibility for the environment, and to induce a change in attitudes by which everyone, corporations, civil sector and individuals, take responsibility for their actions and accept that their activities generate an ecological cost, which they must bear. I want to be remembered for being instrumental in changing the attitudes and actions toward our environment, and finally getting everybody agrees to be responsible for the ecological cost of their activities. At that moment, I believe I would have made a significant difference.
2. What do you think is the single greatest threat to the survival of the world today, and what do you think is the greatest hope? Our culture of consumption, and the tendency toward globalization. Most economists and executives, by and large, believe that globalization is the answer to their dismal economic forecasts: Saving five cents out of the meal of a Third World worker would finally prove an increase in the dividends a Wall Street worker gets. Meanwhile, poverty expands, reasserts itself and invades both industrialized and non-industrialized countries alike. The answer is not on global, but local. Make that which is bought from overseas a luxury again, and the local stuff will take care of your people. Otherwise, we will have impoverished citizens all over the globe, and a extremely high, obscene, concentration of wealth.
3. What single life lesson do you think is most important for young people to learn? That they are here in the world to do whatever they want to do, not just to survive ore sacrifice, but to pursue their loftiest, higher dreams. That these dreams have a personal cost in time, dedication and work, but all those dreams are realizable.
4. Of all the people alive today, who do you think would make the best President of the US? Why? Me, you, everybody, as long as we become aware of our responsibility towards the world, and honor the mandate that any electoral process places on our shoulders. Failing that, and if you are really talking about abdicating your power to give it to some professional politician, I would elect Howard Dean.
5. If you had a million dollars, what would you spend it on? Media. The American public needs to know other ideas, thoughts and perspectives on the world. The rest of the world is bigger, more powerful, far more interesting that the whole USA. However, given the privileged position of the USA, it needs to know, to become aware of its own importance. It is not "We are the best", but "Our influence is felt everywhere, We have a responsibility". Thus, media would be the investment of choice, as it changes and contributes to the perception of society and its own evaluation.
via Thudfactor.
My inner child is sixteen years old!
in the jung typology test i am continously characterized as intp.
Appropriated to the moment, when I am reading Snow Crash again, is this little Babelizer.
I went with the text
Mech-pencils are like mech-warriors in that they have a more efficient way to dispense lead.
Only Joi Ito cold post about traveling half the globe in his audacious quests, putting Indiana Jones to shame and meeting more people than Madonna, and at the same time sound like a normal person:
A friend has been instrumental in taking my strict and conflicting values and putting them under the microscope.
Then I had a look.
I am not that good, and certain other people are not so bad. Perhaps not at all.
But oh boy do I like to judge!
CNN has reported that a giant asteroid has the potential of hitting Earth with 20 million times the force of the Hiroshima bomb. I propose that the USA invade and force the asteroid to leave its insane practices. And then a Marine captain could wrap a flag around its head.
It would also help if the asteroid were, somehow, to be composed of iron and carbon. You know, resources.
Found at Fast Company blog a reference to a little nice note by Renee Hopkins, where she mentions the creativity self-assessment tool, that the Creax company is giving for free (Hurry! Won't last forever!). Since I am a so curious a boy, I decided to give it a try.
You see? I scored a 97, out of a possible of 100.
Obvious, since I blog.
I read all the Heinlein I could get! So it was fitting that I did this quiz.
You belong in the Cat Who Walks Through Walls. You
are creative and cunning. Your works often
feel empty to you, though others love them.
You suspect that the universe and everyone in
it are just characters in someone else's story.
Which Heinlein Book Should You Have Been A Character In?
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This is an interview game. Here are the rules:
1. Leave a comment, saying you want to be interviewed.
2. I will respond; I'll ask you five questions.
3. You'll update your website with my five questions, and your five answers.
4. You'll include this explanation.
5. You'll ask other people five questions when they want to be interviewed
And of course, because I was prancing around reading blogs I stumbled upon John's, and here are the questions that he asked:
1) What horrible thing did you do in 1999 BC that has lead to over four thousand years of personal suffering?
It all starts around the beginning of the Assyrian civilization, and the appearance of the Hittites into what we know as south of Turkey. I was one of those Hittite rulers, and I brought horses and iron, but in the process developing a way of war that shames me to this day. To atone for that I reincarnated later as a Tibetan monk that specialized in healing others; that accounts for my bald head today. However, nothing was finished yet, so I came here to the States, in the exact 4000 anniversary of my appearance in Asia Minor, to see what is it that can be done with this karma.
I got to se my future through the Rune Caster, and it is beautiful!
Past Mannaz - Cooperation, teamwork, collaboration, help and aid from others, beginning new projects, especially with others. | Present Ansuz - Communications, wisdom and clarity, to attract others to your cause, increase magickal energy. | Future Fehu - Increase of wealth and possessions, protection of valuables. Used to send energy on its way, fire in its uncontrolled, primal state. |
Flying Pig, via Giornale Nuovo
Thanks to Neal Pollack, I am preparing for my Fair and Balanced DAy of diluting Fox tags.
This has been an eventful week: Leon's closed last night. Last big Tuesday, and this town gets even more boring. Perhaps I can get some pictures from Dave.
Furthermore, Monique and Amber are leaving town, goig to the land of opportunity, Portland. Good for them, but then again. This town gets smaller and smaller.
Even more, my car needs AC, transmission, belts and general repairs - it was no such bargain as initially thought.
And my father left town, went back to Colombia.
Listening to the Amores Perros soundtrack.
I have been assigned! So, I am a little bit weird, and always get in trouble.
Still, good choice.
Fight Club!
What movie Do you Belong in?(many different outcomes!)
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This Procrastometer is what I have been looking for, a dashboard to account for all my projects and life achievements.
via decafbad.
I am in Fort Lauderdale! I had forgotten what a real city can look like, with people and cars, women and men walking out, or running with dogs.
WS is, I am afraid, to little for my dreams.
Your perfect type of girl is a punker! She doesn't
need to shop at the GAP to impress you. Just
put on some good Ramones music and she's yours!
What is your perfect type of girl?
brought to you by Quizilla
What makes a conservative:
High-priced thongs for all of you, pervs. There is even an image.
It’s been a long time since I did a This or That Tuesday, probably because I try to be responsible, profound and knowledgeable. However, today I am bored about everything.
1) DVD or VHS? Ohh DVD, obviously. Just because that way I get to watch in extreme detail all these Japanese films.
2) Best Literary/Movie Villan: Voldemort (Harry Potter) or Sauron (LoTR)? Sauron, he’s got so much more savoir vivre. Also, smells better.
3) Meat: rare or well-done? Well done, thanks. The only rare here is the air.
4) High Speed Internet-Cable or DSL? Had DSL, thank you, and it was 70 a month. Now got cable, and it looks good – when my computer detects the signal, though.
5) Women: 1-piece bathing suit or Bikini? Bikini.
6) To be fair--Men: Boxers or briefs? Boxers.
7) Beer or Liquor/Wine? Whisky, mate!
8) Coke or Mountain Dew? This question reminds me of a novel I read, in which it talked about the Peruvian Marching Powder. Of course, if you are speaking in code, I wouldn’t be able to tell you, but both are mountain products, although I understand that Mountain Dew, the one with the green colors, is produced in the USA.
9) In honor of my 10/18/03 nuptials: Morning or Afternoon/Night Wedding? Sex in the morning is so much better! ANd you get to go to work all rested and relaxed.
10) Carpet or Hardwood FloorsThis is code for sexual preference, isn’t it? Would then the hard floors mean shaved? Shaved it is.
11) American cars or foreign? Foreign.. I haven’t yet figured how to get inside an American.
12) Cutest TV Twin: Mary-Kate or Ashley Olsen? Ah?
13) Coffee: Caffeinated or Decaf? Fully caffeinated: I like my vices all out, complete and thorough.
14) Thought-Provoking Question of the Week: Computers: Do they make life better or worse? Why? Again, this question on a blogger list is simply oxymoronic. Let’s posit that life is good with them.
There goes my cred.
I was talking to an acquaintance, who I haven't seen in a long time: "Why don't you show more of yourself?"
Then I remember she is also a stripper.
Blushing ensues.
The Bright Stuff, by Daniel Dennet, author of Freedom Evolves and Darwin's Dangerous Idea, which by the way I am going to buy today.
A little Freudian slip from the guys at optimizemag.com, Optimize Magazine >Why Is Growth So Hard?
Viagra for business!
Yesterday, speaking to my career coach, I was complaining about that, the loss of people, how this week was saying goodbye to all that people that take residence here for four years and then go back to whatever volcano infested island from which they come (OK, one person, one island, one volcano, but still).
This permanent saying goodbye is something about which I am not so thrilled. Probably will get a lot of emails from people all over the world, that is, if they still check their inboxes and all, but people!!
That is not how I like to make acquaintances.
Bob Dylan plagiarizes songs, but the real author of the lines is just as deep as we would like somebody to be:
How absolutely Victorian Matrix: a rotary phone to dial the IP, instead of typing the address
via kottke, with whom one of this days I will converse.
Driving like a maniac, going to work as if I were going to receive some wondrous news, jumping traffic lights in yellow, changing lanes and revving up to the red zone.
Suddenly, a see a doe crossing, jumping, eager to reach the other side.
A little back, a small fawn, frail, shy, scared.
I remember that I am an environmentalist - no work is worth killing any animal.
SelectSmart sport selector gave me this:
From the translation of Rabellais' Gargantua made by Thomas Urquhart, comes this beautiful paragraph full of epithets and colroful descriptions:
Nils, alive in kyoto, will offer you little treasures, pictures and an enigma. Kyoto? Tokio?
Go to Ashida Kim site, and browse the 101 koan:
Had a great weekend, with a post-party conversation that centered on Shakespeare, and the last thing I got from that was
The American Apology Shirt is a nice concept.
The Spanish text is badly written, though. Did they use some Google translate utility, or something like that? Sounds very gringo.
Apologies not accepted. Bush is still in office.
Scot Hacker builds his own house:
sexsomnia: Initiating intercourse while asleep. Some partners actually like it.
Got lost in the outback. Spent five days, missing; sudenly appeared, asked for a beer, and walked off again.
Meta-insults: Mark Pilgrim, that bastion of decorum and all things geeky (but in a good way), is asking for a lesson in insults in Spanish. And of course, the most important thing about it is to know that not all insults are created the same.
Let's go over a meta-discussion of insults.
Spanish speaking countries are a very diverse lot, culturally different and extremely regionalized. Spain is home to about, what, 41 million people, and has of course evolved its own "brand" of Spanish.
Latin America, however, has more than 300 million Spanish speakers, all intent on bending the rules of the Academy and getting more meaning from their usage and particular, local context. All in all, more than 496 million people speak Spanish, more than English and second only to Chinese.
What about this, then?
It means that insults, being extremely dependent on local ideas and mores, are constantly changing, being easily used in one part of the world as conversational aides, whereas in the next country the same words would be impossible to utter in polite conversation.
An easy example: A best seller in Colombia about is political situation was the book "El momento en que se jodió Colombia", loosely translated as "When Colombia lost itself", notwithstanding the verb "joder". The publisher was in Perú, a country in which the simple mention of the word "joder" was an extreme insult, one that kept editors and the watchmen of academia awake many nights, pondering how a respectable author would use a swear word with such a total disregard. Another one: In a Colombian soap opera, "Caballo Viejo", the protagonists all say "vaina", which has its roots in "vagina". OK - so it is a common word in Colombia and everybody uses it - no trouble about it. However, when this same soap opera was taken to Spain, censors dubbed the whole thing because it was unthinkable to have a TV program in which people would be referring all the time to a vagina, all that occurring in a country that uses "coño", "cunt", as colloquially and easily as the ubiquitous and decent "shoot", in English.
Same thing happens all over the place: "buseta" in Brazil is not polite; "lulo" in Ecuador means testicles; "papaya" in Cuba means vagina; in Mexico friends will greet each other with a loud "cabron", and "marica" is a serious insult; in Mexico "madrear" changes meaning according to context, ranging from getting all beaten-up, describing something that is hip and cool, or simply insulting somebody's mother. In Sevilla "capullo", means a stupid asshole, but in the rest of the Spanish speaking countries, would think about a flower about to blooms. Not quite the insult.
So, Mark, whenever you ask for insult practice, tell us the country of the recipients - we don't want to sound too nice, do we?
Browsing around, found that the usage of the word bit to denote an eighth of a unit, comes from Spain!
In 1497 the Catholic Kings unified Spain, and also its currency, the real, which was divided in eight pieces. England with its sterling pound first, and the USA with the dollar later, copied the idea of dividing their currency in eight parts, each of them called bits. That is why in some parts a quarter is called a two-bits, two eighths of a dollar.
Later on, the bit was associated with the binary digit, but its origin has already been explained. People, heed the bit!
I can't help but notice, isn't Harry Potter talking about Bush?
There is hope, if somebody still hits this guy in the nose.
MICROSFOT, a Micro web Site For Other Technologies.
And the design sucks.
To the next person that tells me that it rains more in Seattle than in Winston-Salem, I have the following statistic:
Seattle’s Month to date total rain: 1.8mm
Winston-Salem’s Month to date total rain: 119.1mm
However, these two are veritable deserts, with Tutunendó, Chocó, Colombia, with a yearly average of 11,770.0mm. That will make it 548.0mm month-to-date.
Ahh, how I miss that.
And this relates to me how?
Sending a little bonsai, sending joy and showing respect.
Wise.
via Nonsense Verse.
At the risk of sounding terribly corny, I do enjoy the company of my friends, specially when we actually manage to get out of our first street routine and end up in other places, or doing completely different activities.
Not often, I may add. But, hey, we get to do stuff.
Last Friday was the Whiskey Drinking Party, courtesy of Jen and Cris, although Jen was the gracious hostess and Cris was, like me, enjoying the whiskey, and not much more beyond that.
Hi, Cris!
Anyway, I managed to grab a bottle of Macallan Cask Strength, which in money terms means I will be walking a lot this month, and in taste terms means we were entranced by the flavor, the aroma and the texture of this whiskey.
The best whiskey *evar*.
And, as everyone was pretty much savvy about single malts and the stuff, we actually had to enjoy it, sipping and tasting and discussing the various virtues of having your cask brought from Spain, as opposed to your ancestors.
After a whole night of drinking, in which the other actual thoughtful activity was discussing the similarities of imperial England and contemporary USA (Toynbee has nothing on a bunch of erudite drunks), I kind of decided not to drive home. The only thing missing to feel like Sir Winston Churchill was the Cuban cigar.
Cool friends, those that have expensive and bourgeois tastes such as mine.
You are Morpheus, from "The Matrix." You
have strong faith in yourself and those around
you. A true leader, you are relentless in your
persuit.
What Matrix Persona Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
How 80s my page, all pastel colors!
Are you geek?
I am: 47.5342% - Super Geek.
Which is not much, I am afraid.
I love my Amazon.com: WishList, which is not something I would ever get, but more an expression of the things I would want - or I would like to have.
With 498 items, between books and CDs, it is gargantuan, mapping quite well my tastes, hopes and interests. At the same time, it reminds me of how little time I have, the thousands of activities piling in my ToDo list, and the reclusive nature of intellectual pursuits, as embodied in books.
Who was that monk that realized life was not in his books, and thus burned them all and went out, to meet people?
Sometimes I feel I should start burning things (metaphorically speaking, of course), abandoning the dead weight I carry, and start living again among the people.
Traveling instead of reading about travels.
That's why it is called a wishlist.
From the BBC: Miracle baby 'grew in liver'
via Dave
What is worst than craving sweets at 1 am, and not having any at home?
This shouldn't be happening.
Enjoying a sore throat, probably due to my activities from the past weekend. True, it can be a nuisance, at least. But if you are somewhat inconvenienced, why not get a Giant Microbe plushie, just a perfect way to say it without words. Specially when you can not talk.
via Sea 'Doc'
From The dullest blog in the world
Do you know what you are eating?
www.blprnt.com
Mesmerizing.
the friday five, Order Edition:
1. Would you consider yourself an organized person? Why or why not? I don?t know, I have all my paperwork easily identifiable, localizable and properly filed> I know how many miles I have in my car, how much I have spent for each, and how many miles per gallon since I bought it, with a spreadsheet and all. I have a database for all the people with whim I have had any kind of affair. I have a through method of organizing my books, per subject, author and language and whether I like them or not. On the other hand, there are notes, papers, books, magazines and newspapers strewn all over the floor, lying as in wait, hoping I read them one of these days. And have you seen my categories here?
2. Do you keep some type of planner, organizer, calendar, etc. with you, and do you use it regularly? I used to do so, and kept such an organizer. Now I just maintain a constant To Do list, a general plan, and more or less road description of tasks. My Zaurus has a lot of ToDo things, but these are in the order of ?Go to Bhutan in New Year?.
3. Would you say that your desk is organized right now? What desk, the thing that moves and whines under the combined weight of my computer and the above mentioned papers?
4. Do you alphabetize CDs, books, and DVDs, or does it not matter? Never! Alphabetizing them is limiting the experience! I have them lumped together by subject and style, but their order is more by mood than by name.
5. What's the hardest thing you've ever had to organize? My life. Still trying.
¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Yeguito!
This-or-That: May 6: *The Media Edition*
1. TV or radio? Radio. I can do other things while listening to radio. Although, to be sincere, I am weary of listening to Clear channel and its bland mélange. I long for the days of Audiogalaxy.
2. On the radio: talk or music station? Musici, my dear. NPR has become such a boring news stations lately.
3. Actual books or books-on-tape (or e-books)? Oh, the question! Actual books, those heavy things made of cellulose and ink, the heavier the better, almost always paying for the first hardcover edition of everything, and then hauling them up and down every time I move. Which is quite frequently, I am afraid.
4. Actual newspaper, or web version? I do like the paper news, even though it offers little more than the web version. However, the paper you can take to a park or to a café, and not worry about hotspots and compatibility or battery life, and the interface has had about 3000 years of design. On the other hand, it is mightily difficult to blog by folding the paper.
5. Wall Street Journal or National Enquirer? Wall Street Journal, of course! Why, the question even!
6. TV news...news channel such as CNN, or your local broadcast news? Alternet. Blogolandia. Never TV news: depressing, bland, and lacking in depth.
7. A movie you've been looking forward to seeing gets bad reviews all around. See it anyway, or pass? See it anyway! My opinion is more important - and besides, there must be a reason why I want to see that particular movie.
8. See movies when they first come out, or wait a few weeks for the lines at the theater to get shorter? Most likely, wait, but because I don't have the time.
9. TV: cable, satellite dish, or just plain old antenna? What TV?
10. Thought-provoking question of the week: If you had to choose only one form of media to come into your home, which would you choose...print (newspapers, magazines) or electronic (TV, internet)? Why? I choose Internet, broadband service, with news from blogland, and all the possible channels I can get. Why would you limit yourself to Fox and NYT, knowing that there are The Guardian, London Times, Alternet, Aljazeera, Colombia Post, Washington Post, WSJ and El Tiempo out there?
I drive fast. I accept that little sin on my part. However, coming to work today, I saw a blue Ford Explorer changing lanes, going even faster than I was, and being quite frankly a complete nuisance, changing lanes, stopping in front of me and then starting like a bat out of hell, and the like. What I am going to do, I was going almost at the same speed - and then we would coincide at the lights - after which that same person would go on again, going 70 in a 45 zone.
We got to a red light again, and instead of the punk I was expecting, there is a woman, two small children packed in the back.
Green light, off she goes again, three more lane changes before we got to the same red light again.
I turned right.
Frank sent me this clock a lifetime ago.
Industrious Clock.
I would also recommend the other thnngs on that site, such as this awesome block clock. Or check the surface/structure site.
Political stupidity! Now are we to avoid using
"brainstorming" so as not to offend the sensibilities of those that do not understand epilepsy?
the friday five
1. Name one song you hate to admit you like.
Material girl. ugh.
2. Name two songs that always make you cry.
Mama vieja. Viejo mi querido viejo.
3. Name three songs that turn you on.
Hard after getting sad just remembering these two previous ones! Anyway, Friday I'm in love, Aquarela, Matador.
4. Name four songs that always make you feel good.
I feel good. QUe vivan los estudiantes. Soy guajiro. Wish
5. Name five songs you couldn't ever do without.
Mmmm whatever. It's one o'clock! Ojala, Rabo de nube, mujeres, Nude as the news, Tengo frio.
The This-or-That for today centers on our lust for comfort, that which defines our society, explains our diseases and our wars, our celebrities and our fashions:
1. Lying down on the couch, or stretching out on a recliner? Lying down on the floor, reading a book, sipping a cool juice.
2. Going barefoot or wearing soft slippers? Barefoot. Everywere.
3. Eating ice cream, or pizza? Ice cream ? guilty, shameless ice cream.
4. Watching on TV...a classic movie or a reality show? Classic movies ? or better, cult films, indies, foreign unknown ones.
5. Wearing: blue jeans or sweat pants? Naked.
6. A long, soothing bubble bath or a quick, invigorating shower? Shower! Fast! Cold!
7. Furniture: leather, or something more on the fuzzy side? Leather on skin.
8. Soft, classical music, or upbeat rock & roll? Upbeat hard moving compelling classical music.
9. Darkness or light? Light. More light.
10. Thought-provoking question of the week: You get married, or otherwise begin cohabitating with a significant other. S/he moves into your place, but brings with them the UGLIEST chair you have ever seen! You really don't want this thing in your home, but SO says it is the most comfy chair s/he has ever sat in, and no way will they part with it. Do you: grin and bear it, or scheme to get rid of the monstrosity somehow? The chair stays. Haven?t seen a chair I wouldn?t like.
But I wonder, where are the ethical questions lately?
Get your DJ Name, using the DJ Name Generator. Mine is Missed Cue.
How appropriate.
via My so called lesbian life
Today’s Friday Five courtesy of the Black Bear, with its throngs of dancing women and static men.
1. What was the last TV show you watched? It has been so long I can’t even remember. Perhaps a re-run of Friends, at Maria’s?
2. What was the last thing you complained about and what was the problem? It is not that I don’t complain, it is that I do not remember what was it. Get it?
3. Who was the last person you complimented and what did you say? Katie, for her luscious clothes and dancing abilities.
4. What was the last thing you threw away? Paperwork.
5. What was the last website (besides this one) that you visited? Extreme Tech, for when I build my linux system of total world domination. Or at least an approximation.
