Ben, Brooke, and Ken... such daredevils.

Muahh haa haa haa

Apple's glossy screens will 'mess you up,' University report warns

I've been saying for a while how much I hate these glossy screens. And now Queensland University of Technology agrees with me.

Flash 10 for smartphone beta coming this October

This is great news for those of us that have "Smartphone-Class" phones.

Motorola Morrison Arrives in Higher Resolution Pic | AndroidGuys

Ew. I thought this aesthetic was on its way out by the time the RAZR hit like five years ago. One wouldn't expect the G1's supposed successor to look this ugly.

I just noticed the court's bailif (who also happens to be an la county sheriff) has his name on the bottom of his clip, along with what appears to be a serial number and a "#1".. it makes sense but is also odd at the same time.

--Sam

So today is the day I, Samuel Langert Ganim, do my civic duty at the courthouse. Please be advised that if I should be called and selected to represent the great state of california, los angeles county, I will be out of contact between the hours of the trial. I will be in no way answering questions pretaining to the case or any information thereof. Thank you for respecting my duties and I hope you all enjoy the freedom of justice that holds the very fabric of our country together.

HA! What bullshit. In my opinion, we should devise a way of completely automating the process using complex algorithms (algorythms?) that decide, beyond any shadow of a doubt that a person is guilty. It is unfair that my fate is to be decided by the retarded public and not my computer.

--Sam

Infini-lols

I'm on my way to my last final right now at 830, and I must reflect on last night. After failing my math final, I went back to the dorms and got fucking crunk with my roommate and some friends. Then we went on a night hike (we have been doing that a lot). I sobered up, then at like 1230 I got drunk again with some different housemates. This girl katie is a blackbelt, and I told her about the legendary plastic knife fights in slo, so she really wanted to try it. We could not find any knives which is a good thing, since she's like 6'1" and would have killed me. At about 330 I stumble up to my bedroom, but find this girl passed out on the floor, she was to heavy to move even with my drunk superhero strenghth. I found some soberish people to help me move her, and she started puking everywhere family guy style. I said fuck it, and went to bed. I could not sleep, so I watched a documentery about pterydactyals (misspelled I know, jake) but some girls from another house wanted to go on a hike. So I went on another hike till about 430 when I got in. Thomas Campbell transformed into Vomas Campbell, anbd was puking over the edge of his bunk till 530 or 6, his girlfriend telling him to get out uf the bed the whole time lol. I woke up at 8 for my 9am final, found toms gf on the floor, gave her my blanket and pillow, told her she could use my bed (I don't need it anymore) and went to get breakfast. Now I'm super exhausted gonna take a final and drive to la. Thank god for java monsters.

Diet box cat needs to diet

Why does he even want to get into that box so badly?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUNmLuNdiL8

The Terrafugia Flying Car | Rocketboom


I want this soooo much!

I find it very interesting that tensal agreement, which is so important in the English language, often falls by the wayside in Japanese. What brings this on is the opening sequence to Macross Frontier's third episode, where they talk about "宇宙を旅している” present tense "[ships] travel through space" then the next sentence is "これはフォルドが齎した大航海時代だった” past tense. "This WAS the great diasporan period, brought about thanks to [interdimensional] Fold [technology]." Now naturally, were we to pair these two sentences up in English, it would be a travesty! Yet it's not even eyelash-battingly worthy when you hear it in the nihongo.

I was going to use this as a jumping-off platform for a whole rant about the MLA and stupid archaic English laws like not splitting infinitives and not ending sentences with prepositions that are really just hold-overs from latin where they really WERE incorrect, but I don't think I'll get into that in any further detail. I don't want to bore you, and I would probably end up boring myself, in the process.

So I've been watching Big Love, which is about a polygamist family in Utah, and all that they go through because of the polygamy, and how they escaped one of those polygamist sects that seem to make the news so often. Now, to make one thing clear, as I understand it, the man is only married to one of the women, and the others he has children with, and has a religious marriage with, but they're really just living in sin, insofar as the government is concerned. However, his lawyer, during the course of one of their seemingly endless legal travails, quipped that his lifestyle is illegal. What exactly are any of them doing that's illegal, I wonder? Only one of his marriages is actually on the books, none of them are underage, his children aren't neglected, and certainly none of them seem to have been pressed into this arrangement. Are laws different in Utah? Is adultery actually illegal?

Apparently "center" is incorrect. Only "centre" is acceptable to Lord FireFoxWorthington here!

I'm not sure about you guys, but I am psyched for the new MMO from Lucas and Bioware.. this trailer sealed the deal for me.

I think that instead of the caps lock key, there should be a left-hand backspace key. I think it would make correcting typos quicker.

Gizmodo - Ask Wolfram Alpha: Are You Skynet? - Wolfram Alpha

Made me lol many times.

Destructoid - E3 09: Bayonetta Cosplay

Yeah, that third picture, with the cleavage? I was drooling over the steampunky mechanical clock on her chest...

Seriously, I think I have some issues to work through.

Gizmodo - 'Hello, Phone Sex Operator? I'm Into Unemotional Robots.' - Gil ozeri

Hm... I'm not sure this is real.. how would a phone sex operator know to make a reference to Data from Star Trek?

Gizmodo - Acer's Android Netbook Will Come With Windows, Fail at Being an "Android Netbook" - Acer android netbook


I have a feeling these companies aren't going to give Android a chance until they know consumers will accept it.. Problem is, if they don't put out devices with Android, how the fuck will they know if consumers will accept it?

Retro Thing: The Ultimate Pizza Box Is Finally Delivered

Wow!

I think I have a thing for long gloves, of the type classy ladies wear to the opera. Is this unusual, in anyone's estimation?

io9 - He'll Be Back... With Guitars - terminator

This is easily a billion times better than anything, ever.

http://www.darkroastedblend.com/2007/05/ekranoplans-showcase.html

I loves them! Agh!

I went to Maker Faire once. For those of you who don't know, that's a biannual event held in various places to celebrate the DIY craft, and ostensibly to let your get your solder on with others of a similar bent. In my experience though, it was just a huge, hot place with expensive food and smelly hipsters who think they're all that because they wove their own smelly shirt out of hemp.

There were very few places where any actual tinkering with projects could occur, possibly for liability reasons, and those that existed were lackluster, expensive and filled with the aforementioned hippies. Naturally those who weren't smelly were just there because it was something to do. Even the exhibitors discouraged touching, which completely goes against the spirit of the event, in my estimation.

In short, I was looking for an intimate event with maybe a couple hundred people who love to make shit and blow shit up, but was presented with a horde of some 50,000 idiots, poseurs and hipsters of the worst kind. Attend at your own risk.

Machine Keeps Heart Beating Outside of Body - Neatorama

Yeah, there's a video...
Not for the weak of constitution.

Everyone knows that if you're smoking pot, that's smoking out. BUT, if you're doing it inside, while STAYING IN, is that smoking IN? Like, if a stoner were to be propositioned by his fellow marijuana people, like "Dude, let's smoke out, brah," would he be remiss in saying "Nah man, I'm just gonna smoke in tonight, I'm not feelin' too good..."?

I dreamt last night that we went to Cardzilla, and it was boarded up, saying "In order to comply with new censorship laws, we no longer sell:" and then a huge list of everything they sold. Magic cards was at the top.

This is awesome, check it out!

um... yeah..

Awesome

I've been spending kind of a lot lately, but I think that's ok. I've been making considerably more money since I started working nearly full-time, and I haven't gone into debt at all. Naturally, it kind of puts a damper on the long-term savings I really should be doing. But come on, I'm only going to a state school, and financial aid will almost certainly be generous. What do you guys think? I know that most of you must be undergoing some financial woes, at the very least.

Sometimes I start thinking that my failings embarass and disgrace those around me, but when I think about it, the failings of others don't embarass me in the slightest. Even in that last sentence, I wondered if I used too many personal pronouns. I feel many things have changed about me in the past few months, since moving out of my Aunt's house and out fron under my parents' influence, but lingering, layered doubts about my own status, consideration for others, and myriad other non-sequitur remain. It's what keeps me relatively polite, and what allows me to make a good first impression (when I'm not throwing up on peoples' cars), but I sense it may hurt me later in life. Interesting that frank, positive self-evaluation is almost beyond my reach even now. I feel bad for mentioning any good traits I have, as though I'm denying I have any bad ones. Then I feel bad about feeling bad. But it's all an academic exercise, really, and nothing quite comes of it. That's going to change. From now on, I'm not going to care so damn much.

Yeah, I'm spending a lot of money these days. You know what? I can afford it right now. If you think I shouldn't because of your poor state of affairs, you can go ahead and shove it. (not you guys, but people in general)

Brooke just left, and I'm feeling too wide awake to sleep, so I'm just working on some translating here, and figured I'd watch a movie while I do so. It's something I do often, as I enjoy the act of translating, and having words said in the background seems to boost my vocabulary. It's almost like I take on the timbre of the characters in question, so I tailor my viewing around the subject at hand. Anyway, I put on this Winston Churchill documentary, and find that it's not in its correct folder. Now this starts off a whole cascade of distractions and google searches and new torrents added to my queue. Of course, these are all things that I normally enjoy, but simultaneously trying to work has put me in rather a foul temper. I realize now that to be a database programmer would be really terrible, just because keeping a lot of information organized is one of the most stressful things you can do. Perhaps it's just my male mind at war with my frenetic personality. I want to do five things at once, but my brain just wasn't really equipped for multi-tasking. Indeed, I usually strike a fine balance, but this really tipped the scales. I found myself hunched over, back aching (My back never aches except when I'm under extreme stress), eyes bleary after only ten or so minutes!

Like I say, none of these tasks by themselves are any real work at all, indeed most of them are things I do for fun. What odd stressers do you guys have? Another one for me is untying knots. Egad, I hate untying knots. I never was a boy scout, and I think I'd make a terrible one, just because of the god damn knots. I would also likely make a terrible mathematician for that same reason. Jeez, I can't even imagine all those surfaces and hyperbolic whatsits in however many dozens of dimensions... Egad!

According to engadget, Microsoft is going to start selling games over the net.. renting games won't be far behind.. looks like physical media is going to fall even quicker still.. man, I love progress!

I just got up after sleeping since 9:30am.. Man, do I feel volumes better then I did this morning! lol

Alright Sam, your past 36 hours sounded pretty nuts, but I had a pretty crazy weekend as well. It all started on thus morning at 11am when I woke up. I knew it was going to suck, because I had a midterm scheduled for Friday, who has a midterm week 9? anyways I did not start studying till 5pm on thurs, so I stayed up all night drank 2 moster javas, and studied with a few breaks for meals. Took my midterm, and got back in the dorms just in time for magic. I went to the draft, took second place with a really fun esper artifact deck. Went to dinner and came back to the droms. I called my friend maria, to see what she was doing, she wanted me to go over to oaks (way on the other side of campus) i declined, i dont need to get drunk with a bunch of 18 year old strangers. She calls me like 2 hours later, asking for a ride, because their friend is too drunk, you guys know me, of course i said yes. I went over to oakes, and put 5 girls in my tiny car. drove them back to crown and hung out with them until 4am. I went back to my room and sorted my cards till 5. that was 42 hours with no sleep at all. I woke up on Sat at like 1pm, and relaxed, I was so tired after the midterm. Sat night I went on a night hike with maria and some friends. We went to "cat graveyard" where all these crazy hippies bury there cats, and have this weird pentagram on the ground with the 5 points being earth, wind, water, air and cat.. lol. Then we hiked to tree 9, which is this really tall climbing tree with at rope swing. At 2am we went for taco bell, there is a 24 tb by the bus station. we waited in the drive-thru for about 45 min. Came back ate and went to bed. I woke up on Sunday at 3pm, pissed at myself because I had a bunch of homework to do. I played magic, watched how i met your mother, and procrastinated till dinner time at 5. At dinner we met up with some friends that wanted to go to kresgie swing, which is a rope swing on the other side of campus. I was down, mostly cuse i did not want to do my writing homework. the swing took abotu 45 min to hike to and it was crazy. Its a rope swing on on a really steep hill, and the rope is 25 - 30ft long, and the hill is slanted close to 45 degrees. when your at the apex on the far side of the swing, your like a good 45 50 ft above the ground. we hung out there for a few hours. then we hiked back to kresgie, where they were having karaoke. again you guys know me... I got up on stage with my friend skyla, and we sang....wait for it ......wannabe by the spice girls. except skyla did not really sing. so I sang wannabe to a bunch of strangers, I even did the rap in the middle, and the whole room started cheering. It was defiantly the high point of the weekend. then we hiked back. I went into town to get dinner. i did not write my essay so I had to wake up early this morning to do it :( but its done and I'm just hanging out. get some sleep sam...

have been crazy. Alright let's start yesterday. After taking Tiffany to her friends house, I decide to walk to work. I have like 10-15min before my shift starts, but I'm like, "Fuck it, I'll just tell them my car broke." So I walk to work and felt pretty good. It was only .8 miles but uphill, so I'm pretty proud of myself. I wasn't too tired, but I was sweaty when I walked in because of the change in temperature (Ben knows what I'm talking about, remember chemistry over the summer?)

So I got in late and told everyone that my car broke down. So I worked my shift and inquired about my schedule for this week. My boss asked me if I wanted to work some 4am shifts. I hesitated until he told me that I'd have Sunday (today/yesterday) off. So I agreed to Mon-Wed of 4am-8am instead of Tue-Thr; I'm always in favor of just doing things to get through them. I take my lunch and Mr. Heckeroth gives me a call. He wants to know if me and Jake want to come over and play Magic with him and Ara. So I agree not knowing my fate. So I get off at 8pm and walk home.

I get there around 8:30p and pack for the night and head over to Jake's house. Around 9p or so we start heading out to Irvine. We get to Irvine and stop off at Albertsons for some booze, and del tizzle for some eats. Believe it or not, we spend almost 30min trying to find parking. It was horrible. It seemed that everyone and their mothers were visiting Irvine. We ended up parking all the way where Ken and Ara used to live and traipsed back to their current location. Carrying gear and booze mind you. So we get there and meet a new person: Vivian. She was pretty cool, adjusting very quickly to the increase of personnel, eccentric at that. So we all (five of us) play Magic until around 2-2:30a when Vivian had to go home. Jake and I walk her to her car and go back to more Magic. We wind up going to sleep around 4:30ish.

I wake up at 11:30a to threats of ass-ramming by Jake (or was it the prospect of Dim Sum? Can't remember). I get dressed, drink some coffee and we all go to Dim Sum. It was Legen... wait for it... keep waiting... don't get blue balls... DARY!!! Seriously, it was delicious. I can imagine it being a great hangover food. Afterward, we go to the market next door and Ara picks up some Lotus root and various other food stuffs. We head back home, but not before stopping off at the local comic/magic shop to pick up some cards. More fucking moths for Ken and some booster packs.

We get home at around 1:30p or so and start a marathon of Magic. Seriously, 9 hours later we realize we are hungry and break for Ara's DELICIOUS cooking. We eat, a lot. And play some more Magic. By the end of it Jake is begging us to finish the game. Poor guy.. Honestly, I'm pretty burned out of Magic for now. I think Ken put it perfectly when he said, "I feel like I've been grinding on Everquest for 16 hours." Exactly.

So here I am, it's 1:34am. I'm waiting for the clock to hit 3:30a so I can head out, grab something to eat and work for 4 hours, then take Tiffany to work, and pass the fuck out for 8 hours.

YesButNoButYes: Infectious Moves

This just made my night. Be sure to watch at least until 1:30, it gets big FAST. Just, this gives me hope for humanity.