These posts were imported from my LiveJournal. I may or may not go through them and categorize them later.
I'm always impressed by the artists on DeviantArt who do crazy things with just Paint and similar programs. No spiffy Photoshop for them! Anyway, if you're interested in such things, you might want to take a look at "Traveling the lands of Sillis".
Just when you thought cockroaches couldn't get any harder to kill….
"The latest issue of Make Magazine volume 2 from O'Reilly publishing has an article on a cockroach controlled robot. Roboticist Garnet Hertz has mounted a Giant Madagascan Hissing Cockroach that drives a small mobile robot around by walking on top of a Kensington trackball. There is a row of proximity sensor triggered LED's that shine light in the roach's eyes, making him steer the robot since roaches instinctively avoid light. Garnet's web page 'Control and Communication in the Animal and the Machine' details the project with several images of the roach in action. Debugging the project is inherently impossible."
What's next? Bumblebees with laser guns instead of stingers? Rats armed with high-grade explosives?
Oh, and 10 points for really bad puns.
I love the rain! We didn't get nearly enough of it in Spokane. I swear, in the last couple days, we've had more rain here in Portland than Spokane got ALL YEAR!
Today (yesterday), I went to get job applications, and it began to pour on the way to the second set of stores. By the time I got to Bi-mart, the rain was bucketing. I walked over to Albertsons, and it was still going on. But when I came BACK out of Albertsons is when the fun really began. Sun was streaming in from low in the sky, cutting across the buildings and lighting the trees beautifully. With the rain coming down in sheets, swirling and eddying through the air and across the parking lot, it looked very surreal. I ran through it to the car, and leapt in with my precious papers clutch in my hand, and as soon as I was in, it began to hail. This hail was bigger than I've seen in a long time. We waited for the hail to stop, at least, before I drove away. Behind the car in front of me, there was a maelstrom of spray from the tires action against the ground, and it looked really cool because it was lit by the sun, which brought it into greater relief than usual. It hit thr ground, and made wonderful little bright splashes (again, because of the sun being out) all across the black roadway. The rain kept going on and off, with the sun still shooting in from the side. Soon, it was behind us, and I could see a really bright rainbow in front. The rain kept coming down, and the mist from the rain hitting the street rose really high, and the rainbow in the sky connected with the car. I could see it stretch all the way across the sky, and arc beautifully down across the road until it hit the car, where it stopped. I was literally the end of the rainbow!
I was very happy after that.
Now, I'm tired. Goodnight.
Hey, SST and NRST alumni. Some people seem to be putting up a site with Alumni contact information, and what people are doing, and stuff like that. So, drop them an e-mail (you can easily find their mail on the site), and tell them what you're doing, your web site, and your e-mail address, if you want to. Apparently, they're planning on putting up a message board eventually. So, frolic on over there and drop them a line.
Well, it looks the the United States is grabbing ahold of its destiny yet again. Bush already backed out of the Antiballistic Missile Treaty (in 2002), which forbid space weapons, and now he's looking to spend billions for defenseive, not to mention offensive measures. "Published studies by leading weapons scientists, physicists and engineers say the cost of a space-based system that could defend the nation against an attack by a handful of missiles could be anywhere from $220 billion to $1 trillion."
The cost is only one factor. The long-term detriment would surely be more expensive to the united States, and also to mankind as a whole. By opening up space to our own military programs (in spite of the policy made specifically to define space as a pacific zone), we open it up to everyone. How long will it be before other countries, threatened by the United States' arms program, start trying to find ways to counter us? Won't it simply become another arms race? The results of every country in the world looking for better ways to destroy each other would be catastrophic to the development of the world. But the US has never cared much for that, have they?
"Space superiority is not our birthright, but it is our destiny. Space superiority is our day-to-day mission. Space supremacy is our vision for the future," says General Lord, leader of the Air Force Space Command. He also states that "establishing and maintaining superiority" is, simply put, the "American way of fighting."
I'm afraid.
Okay, I have to learn C++ programming well enough to be able to challenge a course in the fall. Does anyone know of any good resources? A book to help learn it, or something? There are a billion books out there, and I have no idea which to choose. Anyone?
1. Orthodox Quaker (100%)
2. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (87%)
3. Seventh Day Adventist (81%)
4. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (76%)
5. Liberal Quakers (73%)
6. Eastern Orthodox (70%)
7. Roman Catholic (70%)
8. Orthodox Judaism (60%)
9. Baha'is Faith (60%)
10. Hinduism (58%)
11. Unitarian Universalism (58%)
12. Islam (55%)
13. Reform Judaism (54%)
14. Jainism (52%)
15. Sikhism (48%)
16. Theravada Buddhism (48%)
17. Mahayana Buddhism (47%)
18. Jehovah's Witness (41%)
19. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (39%)
20. Taoism (38%)
21. New Age (35%)
22. Neo-Pagan (30%)
23. Secular Humanism (30%)
24. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (29%)
25. New Thought (27%)
26. Nontheist (22%)
27. Scientology (22%)
It's not surprising that all the mainstream Christian stuff is up near the top right now. Where I deviated most was probably with the Judgement questions, and perhaps the last set on the fundamental aspects of faith.
A lot of the questions didn't really fit me. Most of them supposed that you completely aligned yourself with one of the major religions, and there wasn't much room for deviation. So I chose the closest ones, which were probably more conservative than I would like (I decided to not choose "unsure" or the equivalent). Right now, I would say that "Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants" most accurately describes me, while "Conservative Christian Protestants" isn't something I'd care much to be connected with.
Neil Gaiman mentioned this on his blog, and I immediately started to feel a strong amount of envy for anyone who lives in Chicago. If I were there, I'd be at the show in an instant. Unfortunately, I don't have any good way to get to Chicago, so it doesn't look like I'll be able to overcome my envy by obtaining my desire. If you're anywhere close, or have a way to get there, though…
Neil Gaiman's book, Stardust, is being put on as a play by the Griffin Theater, in Chicago. Stardust is an adult faerie tale, and Neil Gaiman the perfect author to pull it off beautifully. Here's to hoping that the play evokes the awesomeness of the book.
Perhaps this one will be more deserving….
Elana: Shortly after I signed off, I wrote this, trying to get the thoughts out of my head. I wrote a lot of other stuff, but I wanted you to read this. It's exactly as it was when I wrote it, trying to grasp whatever emotions I was feeling. From around 11:15. I really hope I didn't ruin your enjoyment of your evening, but I'm afraid I might have….
"Just a minute ago, I ran away. I fled, without thinking. I'm not sure now if it was a good or a bad idea; whether it'll do more harm than good. Why did I run? I ran because I was afraid of myself. I was afraid I was doing something really stupidl I was afraid I was hurting someone. I knew I was. And the fact that I didn't realize it until then scared me. The sudden illumination that came upon me terrified me. Am I that insensitive? Am I that blind to the paion I can cause others? I couldn't face that, and in my panic, I ran.
"Now, thinking about it after the fact, I'm not even sure why I fled so furiously. I could probably have helped still, given some reassurances. But now I can't go back. I can only wait, and apologize later. Whenever you get this, Elana, I'm sorry."
I often post things that don't really relate to me. They don't tell you anything about me, besides something interesting that happened in my day. Or (in some cases) something not-so-interesting. I'm going to try to spend more time on each entry so that it really reveals something about myself. I'm sure I'll fail often, and sometimes I might just feel like posting something really quick, but I'm going to try this and see where it gets me.
If you don't currently strive towards this ideal, I'd encourage you to. That way, you're not just telling me something that you could do far more personally and meaningfully in a conversation about how your day went.
Good luck. To myself, and to anyone who tries to do the same (or is already trying).