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Below are the 25 most recent journal entries.

	2009.07.07  00.43 The grinding noise from Hell My computer started making a Very Loud, Very Bad Noise.  The kind of Noise that you would get if a bumblebee the size of your head flew inside the case and started bouncing around looking for the way out.  Or, alternatively, the kind of Noise you would get if the disk drive was grinding itself into powder. I turned everything off ASAP and let it rest for about 10 mins.  When I switched it back on, it did the same thing, so I powered it off again and am now posting on the backup machine. I predict a trip to TekServe in my immediate future, damnit. --Dks Mood: worried

	2009.07.06  23.48 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen I went to "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" last night.  I went in fully expecting $12 worth of pretty explosions and otherwise completely sucktastic.  I had seen the first movie and it was completely and utterly deplorable--but it was ok, because they made up for it by making it so loud that your brain turned to jelly, so you didn't notice the black-hole level of suck. I was actually very, very surprised--pleasantly so. Sure, there were some bits that made utterly no sense.  But, ignoring those, the movie was far more consistent than its predecessor and immensely more so than I had expected.  As to the acting...well, obviously the robots were completely one-dimensional and, in at least a couple were nastily racist.  Both Shia LaBoeuf and Megan Fox did a decent job.  Most of all what it was was funny--sometimes even intentionally.  I was laughing almost all the time. I think I would even see it again.

	2009.07.02  17.50 Security through...um...um...Bueller? I'm trying to sign up for Flickr, which is a Yahoo property.  Do I have a Yahoo email?  I dunno, maybe at one point, who cares?  Oh, "dstorrs" is taken?  Fine, let me see if that was more then. Off to http://yahoo.com/.  Hm...where do I log in? Ok, forget that.  I bet it's http://mail.yahoo.com/.  Yep. Ok, try some of my standard "low-priority site" passwords.  Nope, none get me in. Click "Help! I've forgotten my password and I can't get up!" After some middling steps, they ask me for my alternate address.  In small font, generated by Javascript so that you can't cut/paste it and (in theory) a harvester won't see it, they say "Hint:  Your alternate email is ***********@e********.net" I kid you not.  So, basically, I know that the account name that I was probing for is "dstorrs", and I know that the domain is earthlink.net. I'm reminded of a card named "Filter" from the old Netrunner CCG  The flavor text was along the lines of "Yes, it will let you in if you got the password mostly right--but hey, at least it's free!" (*) (*) Yes, I'm a geek and yes, the Internet knows everything.  Actually the text was "Friendly even to numerically challenged employees, it accepts transposed numerals in the access codes."  I think my version was funnier.  And the card was a zero cost [i.e., free] Code Gate.

	2009.07.02  11.48 Body image: the good and the bad I just sat down to really examine what I want to change about my life, so I started making a list of life goals that I want to work towards.  The first one I came up with was "sound body, sound mind".  Figured I'd assess the easy one first, so I went and stood in front of the full-length mirrors and just looked at myself for a minute to see what I wanted to change. My endurance and wind are sub-par.  Ok, I need to work on that.  Running the stairs, highstepping, other aerobic work.  The kind of stuff I hate.  That will be difficult; have to figure out a program and a set of motivational rules.  Strength is decent, if not fantastic.  A little strength work would be good, but not as important.  Pity--those things are more fun.  Flexibility, acceptable but could stand some work.  Easy enough, if sometimes boring.  On the up side, yoga and Pilates may each count for both the flexibility and the strength work. Overall, I'm fairly happy with my outsides.  I'm not a movie star but I like the way my face looks.   My teeth are a bit dingy but generally look ok.  I've got a bit of a spare tire but it's not bad--if I do the endurance work, that will help reduce it and the strength work will build muscle that will make it easier to keep off.  I've got good hair which OH MY HOLY GOD, WHERE DID THAT BALD SPOT COME FROM? Seriously.  I've got an almost-entirely bald a very thin spot the size of my palm on the top rear of my head.  Apparently, I sunburned the hell out of it while camping, too.    Huh, I'm not even 40 yet.  Dad is 65 and he still has all his hair.  My paternal grandfather was balding, but I think it passes down the maternal line.  Not sure about Mom's father--in the one picture of him that I remember, he was old but I think still had all his hair. UPDATE:  Changed "an almost entirely bald" to "a very thin" after discussion with avivasedai .  When she heard me say "meh, it's not that big a deal--I expect I've got a good few years before it becomes an issue and, absolute worst case, I shave my head" she nearly had heart failure.  So, because I don't want and (unintentional) death on my conscience, I figured I'd amend this post. Happy now?  ;P Mood: disgruntled

	2009.07.01  23.55 Going back on Carrots and Sticks Argh.  Had a medium-long post written, all proofread and ready to go, and I accidentally hit "Back" and lost it all.  Grrr. Short form: I'm going back on Carrot and Stick.  It kept me focused last time Not going to officially start today, because I have not yet figured out what I want the carrot to be, and haven't listed the goals that I'm trying to further.  Tomorrow's list will center around figuring out exactly what my carrots will be and what goals I want to further.

	2009.07.01  23.27 Camping rocked Just got back from camping in Northampton for the long weekend (Thursday - Monday).  It rained muchly, sunned intensely for short periods, and was a complete blast regardless of what the weather was doing.  I mostly went barefoot--mmmm, long soft damp freshly mown grass between the toes!  it was great--and have the bug bites to prove it.  Saw lots of cool folks that I see all too rarely...but I'm not going to name names because I can't remember everyone's LJ names and I don't want to get into "but you remembered HIS / HERS!"  :>  I was a lazy boy.  Didn't move more than 50 feet from my tent the entire weekend except on the last day when I walked about 100' to look at the river..."Yep, there it is.  Looks wet, too."  (Well, I had to be able to say that I'd seen the darn thing, didn't I?)  Fortunately the bathroom, the potluck / bonfire area, and the common hang-out firepit were all within 50' of my tent. Ooooh, bonfires!  Yep, plural; the staff bought > 1 cord of wood.  We tried to burn it all up and still never made it through but half.  Pillars of flame shooting 15' into the sky, heat so intense you couldn't get within 10 feet of the ring of stones around the firepit.  Oh yeah, it was great. Potluck was very tasty; I made a Waldorf salad, which proved popular.  Other dishes included: pesto pasta (yum!), Nutella and pear quesadillas, pizza quesadillas, bean salad, ice cream, corn, meatballs, sausage stuff, and more.

	2009.06.24  00.19 How to make Emacs automatically update timestamps in your files It's basically not possible to know all the nifty ways that Emacs can make your life easier; learning it is part of the fun.  So, the next time you want automatically updated timestamps in your files, just add the following to your .emacs file: ( The techy details ) The above is courtesy of: http://emacs-fu.blogspot.com/2008/12/automatic-timestamps.html

	2009.06.23  12.57 Finally with the energy For the last week or more, I've been dragging around with a total absence of energy. It's made me antisocial and...standoffish? (what's the word for not quite grumpy, not quite depressed, but tending in that direction?). It's made it harder than normal to be motivated to do worky-type productive things. Yesterday I was feeling just yech...food was unappealing, and I noticed that I was snacking a lot, which is something I don't normally do. Okay, time to assess, what the heck was going on? - Well, almost a week ago I did one of my periodic "hey, I don't feel like sleeping, let's stay up until 4am watching movies and playing online games!" stupid things. Maybe 'just tired' was part of it. - I've been sleeping in the bedroom most of the last week. It has the disadvantage of being dark, which means that when I wake up, there is no light to tell my body "Yep, it's morning--time to get moving!" That always leaves me a bit draggy, but I usually shake it off by midmorning. The past couple of nights I've slept in the main room but hadn't bothered to unfold the futon. Maybe I just wasn't getting good sleep with it in "couch mode"? - Water deficiency? Hmm. I had been forgetting to do my usual "make yourself drink more than you want" thing, so maybe I was running a pint low. Ok, when I met avivasedai and luun for the Bryant Park movie yesterday, I bought a water bottle the size of my torso and made myself drink a lot of it. - But what was up with the snacking? That's not normal. Ordinarily, I graze small meals during the day, but this was leaving me unsatisfied. Hmmm. Ok, vitamin deficiency? Aha! I couldn't actually remember the last time I'd had a salad or other significant amount of fresh vegetables. So, last night, I made myself go to bed early (lights out by 11pm), on the folded-out futon in the main room, after having a goodly amount of salad and water during the day. And lo! This morning, I am bright and energetic and the world is a happy shiny place again. Huzzah!!! Mood: happy

	2009.06.21  19.39 30 pages in ~8 hours This morning I promised myself that I was going to (A) exercise and (B) do one full chapter worth of iPhone studying before I did anything that constituted entertainment. I did the exercise. Then I sat down to do the dev work; nine hours later, I am now finished with the 30 page chapter. (In fairness, I took maybe an hour off to eat and get some groceries.) I now know more than I imagined there was to know about Tab Bars and Picker Views in the iPhone. I also learned about using application bundles, resources, and a bit about playing sound (that part didn't actually end up working, but I'm going to call it good and debug it tomorrow--no brain left). I feel wrung out. I'm going to go watch stupid brainless TV. Maybe a nice 2-star action movie off of Netflix; that sounds about my speed right now.

	2009.06.18  13.39 iPhone: Missing symbols ; no view appears in multi-view app Two bits of iPhone development info info that I just wasted substantial time banging my head on and want to promulgate so that others don't need to waste the time: 1) If you are writing a multi-view application where you are managing the views manually, your ViewController's "self.view" is nil until you assign something. This means that your screen will be blank on launch. If you're seeing this problem, just assign one of your views at the top of your ViewController's "-(void) loadView" method. 2) If you look in the console and see the following messages (or ones like them): "warning: Unable to read symbols for "/System/Library/Frameworks/OpenGLES.framework/OpenGLES" (file not found)" this is NOT something for you to worry about. It's a warning, not an error, and you should ignore it--it just means that you can't debug into the Apple-provided framework files (there are no debugging symbols there for the debugger to work with).

	2009.06.16  11.46 Pretty much says it all [Update: Oh, ferfugssake, neither DW nor LJ will display the image. Fine, here's the link: http://graphjam.com/2008/06/16/song-chart-memes-god-vs-satan/ ] My work here is done. Thank you, and good night.

	2009.06.15  14.44 Reasons I love living in NYC: random street music under my window Someone on the street near me just started playing some kind of woodwind that I don't recognize, and playing it really well.  Could be a recorder.  It has a clear piping sound, not like the breathy tone of panpipes; the notes are individual, not continuous the way a flute sounds.  It's too high for an oboe or, I think, a clarinet. Whatever.  I really like it. Yay, New York!!!  You rock! [Update, some time later:  Also, a blue helium balloon just soared past my 15th-floor window.  A minute later, a yellow one went after it, moving fast as though calling "Wait for me!"  Often, I get to watch plastic grocery bags soaring on the updrafts...they frequently go well above my eyeline.  It's cool. :>] Mood: happy

	2009.05.29  12.19 Anyone know how TV does that trick where part of a scene freezes? You know that trick that a lot of shows do, where part of the scene freezes in time but the rest of the scene continues?  Anyone know how they do that?

	2009.05.25  20.29 Wow. Ok, Apple, that's pretty cool. I continue to bang on the iPhone development, and I'm starting to get somewhere.  I stumbled over a couple of keyboard shortcuts that solved my biggest issue with Xcode--specifically, the inability to move between files easily--so I no longer feel like I'm being deliberately hobbled.  Also, I'm starting to learn what to expect from the documentation.  Overall, frustration level is dropping substantially.  I'm sure I'll have more periods of raging irritation, but I'm starting to feel like I'm not beating my head on a blank wall. Now that I can get past the frustration, I have to give Apple real props for the toolkit (meaning, the various UI* classes) they have created.  Starting from a book exercise, I just knocked together a very simple web browser in under an hour (most of which was spent flipping through docs looking up method names) and I'm amazed at how much of the work the tools do.  Kudos to the Fruit Guys. Mood: pleased

	2009.05.21  19.35 Hunger is annoying There are so many things I would like to be doing right now, and "making and eating food" is not among them.  Sadly, my body is informing me that I have about 15 minutes to engage in that activity or Stern Measures Will Be Taken. Damnit.  Fine, off to the kitchen.

	2009.05.21  19.26 Made one, crit-failed the other This morning, I *really* didn't want to work out, but I made my WILL save. I told myself "just do one burpee". Once I did that, I made myself do a couple more...then finish the normal group...then finish the whole set of exercises I do...then do the second set, just to get in my Daily Recommended Allowance of masochism. This afternoon, I was taking my normal lunch-and-comics break from coding and I followed a link to TVTropes.org, which promptly hit me with a Suggestion spell: "keep clicking our links until the day is over!" Sadly, I rolled a 1, and it is now 7:30pm. Grrr. (As an aside, I think you'll be amused at the particular TVTropes.org page I linked to.)

	2009.05.21  14.40 Pure venting, no need for anyone to read this The following is pure venting, there's no need for anyone to read this. It's also going to mostly only make sense to software developers (in particular iPhone developers). ( BOOOOOM!!!!!! ) Oh believe me, there is more. I'm just stopping here because I've blown off enough steam that my eyeballs are no longer red and now I can be productive again. Be assured, there will be more. Mood: rage

	2009.05.21  12.42 Syncing your Google calendar to your iPhone in 2 easy steps Step 1:  Sign up for NuevaSync (it's free) Step 2:  Configure your phone Ahhhhhhh.....

	2009.05.20  16.46 Anyone want a cellular modem? I'm getting rid of my cellular modem  and wanted to offer it around first.  Here's the details: It's a small (easily pocket-sized) USB720 modem; I ship it to you at no charge to you Verizon advertised download speed: 600 Kps - 1.4 Mps (but see reviews below) Verizon advertised upload speed: 500-800 Kps (but see reviews below) Verizon (you do NOT need to have an existing Verizon account) You take over the monthly bill ($60/month) You pay no activation fee (normally costs $35) I avoid the $100 early-termination fee Reviews: http://www.evdoinfo.com/content/view/872/40/ http://tinyurl.com/qyhdp6 http://www.windows-now.com/blogs/robert/review-verizon-wireless-usb720-broadband-modem.aspx The google search that found these reviews and many more The only trick is that I need to get the answer soon.  Ideally before it is canceled on Monday, but even if it's been canceled they will reactivate the account at no charge, refund my early termination fee, and I can then transfer it to you with no fee, so long as you let me know in the next month or so. To give you a sense of the speed of the link--I used to use it as my primary Internet connection.  It's not really feasible to watch video over it, but music is fine.  If you would mostly be using it to surf the web, send email, and / or ssh things around, it is jim-dandy. If no one wants it permanently, I might see about setting up some sort of collective where we hot-potato it around to whomever is about to be traveling for a few days or a weekend.  Probably doesn't work out in the long run, but I like the idea. Anyway, if anyone knows anyone who might want it, please let them know.  If you're interested, drop a comment below.

	2009.05.19  19.34 Link soup Picked up off my LJ friends list:  Some truly unbelievable pictures that are NOT Photoshopped Some mildy racy images if you follow the link:  Ads that really should have been put somewhere else I just added "pet a tiger" to my List of Things to Do Before I Die.  Hopefully, it won't end up being the final entry.

	2009.05.15  15.00 My muscles, they dislike me Second day of daily workouts, this one slightly harder than previous.  Oddly, my abs do not yet ripple.

	2009.05.14  15.17 What a nice day Worked out again this morning; yup, burpees absolutely suck. That plus a bunch of other stuff left me all wore-out and happy. I know my workouts would make a personal trainer or a DI laugh himself sick, but I'm pushing my own limits, not getting hurt, and feel good afterwards. I just really need to make this a daily thing. There was a brief rainshower in the morning, but right now the sun is working hard to burn off these clouds, and it looks beautiful out--the air washed clean and lit up, the street below me purring quietly to itself. I finally got rid of the printer that has been sitting on my return for ages...it wasn't working and I'd been telling myself "yeah, I'll fix that" for months. I dumped it and got a new printer at Staples which is slightly smaller. Also had a delicious brunch at Hollywood Diner, and picked up a tasty salad at West End for later on. Yup, a nice day. Feeling good about the world.

	2009.05.13  21.44 How things change when plotting  I'm working on the (planned) events and backstory for the next session of our Dresden Files RPG.  Several things never cease to amaze me: A)  How much time it takes to put all this together. B) How much it changes between initial conception and actual play.   C) How much fun it is to plot it all out

	2009.05.13  12.58 Movie Review: Star Trek (SPOILERS) I saw Trek last night and Oh My Holy God words fail me in describing it. Let me see if I can come up with a metaphor: take a giant, rotting, putrescent, lice-encrusted ball of vomitus, throw it through a planet-sized plot hole and have it land in a hyper-modern silver bowl wrapped in really shiny special effects with lots of lens flare. And yet, the Internet wants to have its love child. *Every* *single* review I've seen has said "wow, it was awesome. Here is my one tiny quibble but otherwise it's AWESOME!!1!!11!!!!!1!1!!!!" [1] So, let's go through the issues.  Warning:  FULL AND COMPLETE SPOILERS AHEAD. ( Read the review... )

	2009.05.13  09.49 Silly Poll Thingy To those who know me well, which Star Trek character would you say I am most like? (This includes all versions of ST.) ( Here's what the poll said... )