Today officially marks the day that I am under 300 pounds for the first time in 2 years. To mark the occasion I decided to make another blog post. I figure this will be a good way to keep updating my blog.
Right now my current goal is to turn my new PSP into an ebook reader. I'm not that into handheld gaming... I think the last handheld console I owned was a Gameboy Color. The PSP has been out for a long time but I never felt inclined to buy it until I heard about bookr... a neat little app for 'homebrew' psp's that lets you read pdfs and txts on your psp.
I'm kind of an ebook addict, I've probably got a couple thousand ebooks stored on my hard drive in a folder called "The Library" I think I have more books than would be humanly possible to read in my entire lifetime... and some of them would probably bore the hell out of me. When will I read The Calculus Gallery Masterpieces from Newton to Lebesgue?
But I have read a few books under the ebook format... the Ringworld series, Ender's Game, Ian Kerner's "She Comes First"... y'know, all books I wouldn't want to be caught reading in public. It's great because most people think that I'm playing an MMO or chatting with friends or on myspace, but in truth I'm actually reading a book on my laptop.
There are lots of ebook readers out there right now. A very popular one at the moment is the Kindle which gives you unlimited free internet access, so you can go to websites like wikipedia. The fact that such a device was created and sells means that there's a market for it. I think more and more people will get used to reading books on little screens, especially if the devices feel like a book.
It's pretty exciting living in the future... I just expected it to have aliens... Why aren't we colonizing the Moon or Mars yet?
See you at 290 pounds!
March 28, 2009
January 30, 2009
Trapped on Earth
Sometimes I wonder if in a few million years some advanced alien race will show up at Earth. They had long ago filtered out all of the radio noise in the galaxy, narrowed down the planets likely to hold life, and finally set out to explore the galaxy.
As they neared our star system they would do some scans and find that the third planet from the sun had a good atmosphere, a warm climate that could support liquid water, and even - to their joy - it was surrounded by thousands of tiny bits of metal; manmade satellites.
They would try to hail us, but would receive no reply. They would come closer to our planet and notice a few man-made objects on Mars. Their stomachs [or whatever they have] would twist with excitement at their realization that we too had the power to leave our planet and travel in space.
They would reach earth and scan it. They would only find primitive cities, barbaric savages, and derelict automated machines trying desperately to fulfill their futile mission. These humanoid barbaric savages couldn't be the ones who built the satellites and the man-made objects on mars could they? Something must have happened to them. Who was that once proud race that once beamed messages into space and sent robots all throughout their star system?
I wonder if the human race will really amount to anything other than a fascinating line of rubble in the fossil record. We refuse to seek out alternative sources of energy, we are so territorial that we kill our own species, and people are even suggesting we should abandon sending people into space altogether.
We are overcrowding this planet, we're killing much of the life on it, and no one seems to be getting it through their thick skull that this is the only planet that we have. That's it. We fuck it up and we're dead. There is no escape hatch, no reset switch, no backup planet we can jump to.
We have to work hard to leave this planet and colonize other worlds. We should be treating other planets the way we treat other continents: take it over and breed like mad.
January 23, 2009
also, this:
I wish more women knew that about me. Unfortunately that bit about "Rare to Find" seems to be prevailing right now.
January 6, 2009
Life Will Find a Way
I drew this in my Basic Design class today during the lecture about how different macs are from windows. I already knew the differences so I loaded up photoshop and played with my tablet.
Someday I hope we really do clone some extinct animal. Scientists are getting closer and closer to being able to easily* clone a mammoth. However now the biggest hurdle seems to be coming up with a good enough reason to clone them. Besides studying them, there doesn't really seem to be a point.
In my nanowrimo novel, the colony on Mars has become a haven for genetic experiments that aren't allowed on Earth. The people of Mars needed a hardy animal that could survive in the harsh cold environment of Mars, be domesticated, and provide a lot of meat. They decided to bring back the Woolly Mammoth [with a few tweaks so it was better suited for the environment], and soon mammoth meat became the staple of Martian cuisine.
I think reviving Mammoths would be beneficial to the entire world. They could survive in harsh cold environments where little else grows [like Northern Canada, Alaska, or Russia] and would provide a lot of meat. They could stimulate the economy in those cold regions, provide food for the starving people of the Earth, and provide a great deal of wool. I'm sure they could probably be milked too.
Hell, we ate them into extinction too. They must taste pretty good.
*as easy as cloning an animal anyway.
January 1, 2009
New Years Predictions
Edit: Novah did one too.
Time for some new year's predictions :D
January
Obama will be sworn in. By the end of the month Republicans will already be blaming the country's problems on him.
February
Springlike weather will arrive early this year.
March
School shooting results in a federal ban on ammunition.
April
Steve Jobs will finally admit that he has declining health and may not live much longer.
May
Religious extremists bomb abortion clinics.
June
Scientists warn of drought and the hottest summer in recorded history.
Summer starts off with a "bang".
July
The LHC will be delayed due to another malfunction.
Some countries withdraw their support.
August
Severe drought will cause food and water shortages around the world.
Many die.
September
More threats of terrorism coming from some surprising sources.
October
A kid is killed in Alaska for dressing as a polar bear for Halloween.
November
Christmas decorations are put up near the beginning of the month instead of waiting until after Thanksgiving.
Even more "Black-Friday" violence that no one seems to react to.
December
Smaller holiday season this year with the economy still tanking downward.
No New Year's glasses are sold because no one can figure out where the eyes will go.
Time for some new year's predictions :D
January
Obama will be sworn in. By the end of the month Republicans will already be blaming the country's problems on him.
February
Springlike weather will arrive early this year.
March
School shooting results in a federal ban on ammunition.
April
Steve Jobs will finally admit that he has declining health and may not live much longer.
May
Religious extremists bomb abortion clinics.
June
Scientists warn of drought and the hottest summer in recorded history.
Summer starts off with a "bang".
July
The LHC will be delayed due to another malfunction.
Some countries withdraw their support.
August
Severe drought will cause food and water shortages around the world.
Many die.
September
More threats of terrorism coming from some surprising sources.
October
A kid is killed in Alaska for dressing as a polar bear for Halloween.
November
Christmas decorations are put up near the beginning of the month instead of waiting until after Thanksgiving.
Even more "Black-Friday" violence that no one seems to react to.
December
Smaller holiday season this year with the economy still tanking downward.
No New Year's glasses are sold because no one can figure out where the eyes will go.
December 20, 2008
The Whopper Virgins and Foreign Food
Burger King recently did an experiment where they had people try a Big Mac and a Whopper who had never had or seen a hamburger before. After the experiment they sent crews to extreme regions and gave them the opportunity to try a hamburger for the first time.
You can watch their propaganda-documentary here.
My favorite part is when a girl bites into a hamburger and acts surprised when she tastes a pickle. It's sponsored by Burger King but the experiment was real and the responses to a hamburger are interesting.
I remember the first time I tried a pickled and fermented egg... it was revolting but it was a taste I didn't know I could taste. I love trying new foods and I'm a little envious that in the distant future my distant grandchildren may be feasting on totally alien foods.
How could you describe the taste of an unearthly plant that is neither fruit nor vegetable? What if the plant itself is an herbivorous plant that feasts on other plants that grow around it? What about eating the meat of an animal that doesn't have flesh or muscles as we know of? What about unknown spices?
Spoiled grandchildren...
You can watch their propaganda-documentary here.
My favorite part is when a girl bites into a hamburger and acts surprised when she tastes a pickle. It's sponsored by Burger King but the experiment was real and the responses to a hamburger are interesting.
I remember the first time I tried a pickled and fermented egg... it was revolting but it was a taste I didn't know I could taste. I love trying new foods and I'm a little envious that in the distant future my distant grandchildren may be feasting on totally alien foods.
How could you describe the taste of an unearthly plant that is neither fruit nor vegetable? What if the plant itself is an herbivorous plant that feasts on other plants that grow around it? What about eating the meat of an animal that doesn't have flesh or muscles as we know of? What about unknown spices?
Spoiled grandchildren...
December 9, 2008
Palm Pistol
The FDA turned down a request to make a Palm Pistol into a medical device. The device apparently is intended to make it easy for elderly or the sick to fire a gun in self defense. The device is actually easier to aim than a normal handgun, more comfortable, and appears easier to fire. You just push down on a button.
I'm not sure, but there also appears to be two buttons on the front that can be pushed. Maybe a safety or a dead man's switch? It'd sure suck to drop the thing and have it go off.
A big scandal is erupting with people saying how dare they turn this down. The elderly should not be deprived of their rights. This is a tool they can use, etc.
The thing that gets me is, why would they try to get that approved in the first place? It's a freakin' gun, not a hypodermic needle. I honestly think they decided to use the opportunity to get some publicity.
I can think of more than one use besides just buying it for my Grandparents. It's compact, not even gun shaped, easier to aim... sounds like a great new weapon! If a policeman had never seen it before, a street thug definitely has an advantage. Someone who's never aimed a gun before can have better aim. And if it really was designed for the elderly, it probably doesn't have as much of a kickback as a Derringer, which can potentially break your wrist.
If they really want to market it to the elderly, maybe they should give them a senior discount, or make it available through the VA. Marketing it as a medical device is a bit disgusting.
I'm not sure, but there also appears to be two buttons on the front that can be pushed. Maybe a safety or a dead man's switch? It'd sure suck to drop the thing and have it go off.
A big scandal is erupting with people saying how dare they turn this down. The elderly should not be deprived of their rights. This is a tool they can use, etc.
The thing that gets me is, why would they try to get that approved in the first place? It's a freakin' gun, not a hypodermic needle. I honestly think they decided to use the opportunity to get some publicity.
I can think of more than one use besides just buying it for my Grandparents. It's compact, not even gun shaped, easier to aim... sounds like a great new weapon! If a policeman had never seen it before, a street thug definitely has an advantage. Someone who's never aimed a gun before can have better aim. And if it really was designed for the elderly, it probably doesn't have as much of a kickback as a Derringer, which can potentially break your wrist.
If they really want to market it to the elderly, maybe they should give them a senior discount, or make it available through the VA. Marketing it as a medical device is a bit disgusting.
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