reference material

webcomics geekery; skip if nonsensical

2009-11-09T01:28:54Z

Her name is Hope.

No wonder everyone in the cast who knows her, as well as the writer/artist, tiptoe around that fact. It's simultaneously ironic and appropriate!

That said, I do still enjoy the notion that Franklin is (by and large) brainwashing the audience to protect her.

I guess I should sound off on the fort hood thing, what with living in tx.

2009-11-06T13:12:40Z

Seriously? Motherfucker decides to open fire IN A MILITARY BASE and kills or injures more than forty people before they... take him into custody?

Any lingering shreds of respect I had for the military are now gone, gone, gone.

1. They took him alive. What are you guys thinking? You're now going to have to spend a hell of a lot of money on this fellow for the rest of his miserable life to make sure that he can't commit suicide or be revenge-murdered.

2. I would expect he should have been driven to the ground by the weight of the bullets that had converged on him. MILITARY BASE. These aren't ordinary people, these are soldiers. That there was enough left of this guy to stabilize in the hospital is pathetic.

If the act of fucking up produced a tone, this incident would be an entire symphony.

MC Hawking samples withheld.

2009-11-02T23:46:26Z

A dear friend of mine once dropped the "just a theory" phrase on me not too many months ago. The blatant insolence of such a statement has been annoying me on and off since then, and furthermore I did her a gross injustice by letting it pass. So, in the spirit of the staircase, I refute it (as usual) with words stolen out of the mouth of a favorite author of mine:

"Only a theory? Let's look at what 'theory' means. The Oxford English Dictionary gives two meanings (actually more, but these are the two that matter here).

"Theory, sense 1: A scheme or system of ideas or statements held as an explanation or account of a group of facts or phenomena; a hypothesis that has been confirmed or established by observation or experiment, and is propounded or accepted as accounting for the known facts; a statement of what are held to be the general laws, principles, or causes of something known or observed.

"Theory, sense 2: A hypothesis proposed as an explanation; hence, a mere hypothesis, speculation, conjecture; an idea or set of ideas about something; an individual view or notion.

"Obviously the two meanings are quite different from one another. And the short answer to my question about the theory of evolution is that the scientists are using sense 1, while the creationists are - perhaps mischievously, perhaps sincerely - opting for Sense 2. A good example of Sense 1 is the Heliocentric Theory of the Solar System, the theory that Earth and the other planets orbit the sun. Evolution fits Sense 1 perfectly. Darwin's theory of evolution is indeed a 'scheme or system of ideas or statements'. It does account for a massive 'group of facts or phenomena'. It is 'a hypothesis that has been confirmed or established by observation or experiment' and, by generally informed consent, it is 'a statement of what are held to be the general laws, principles, or causes of something known or observed'. It is certainly very far from 'a mere hypothesis, speculation, conjecture'. Scientists and creationists are understanding the word 'theory' in two very different senses. Evolution is a theory in the same sense as the heliocentric theory. In neither case should the word 'only' be used, as in 'only a theory'."

I love having conversations, but there's never enough time to cover all the background information. That is why I always resort to quoting out of books long after the fact - I don't know any better way that doesn't leave out anything important.

ot_atma @ 2009-11-02T16:16:00

2009-11-02T22:17:08Z

Flash support in ubuntu still sucks for my box. Although I read some encouraging reports about 64bit flash version 10, I wasn't able to realize those performance gains.

Writer's Block: Seeing stars

2009-10-29T04:51:44Z

"Which character from any film, television show, or book would you most like to take on a date and why?"

Hm. Tough call. The smoking, nymphomaniacal Iris from Assault on Precinct 13? Or the chaste, brilliant veteran Nell, she of the girl's primer? Carnal or intellectual?

Hm hm hm...

the rant that will not die

2009-10-24T07:28:40Z

C: "Good afternoon! My name is Chris Carpenter, I'm a customer service manager with xxxyyy. Is this Norm Norman?"
N: "Speaking. What's up, Chris."
C: "I'm doing good. Norm, do you have a moment to discuss the survey you answered yesterday?"
N: "Huh? Which survey was that?"
C: "It was the automated survey after the call, you were asked to rate several questions from one to-"
N: "Oh right, yeah yeah yeah, sorry, I remember now. Sure, I have a minute or two."
C: "Well, I wanted to let you know how sorry we are that you couldn't recommend us to your family or colleagues. What happened? Is there anything I can do to help out?"
N: "Chris, I'm kinda surprised you called to ask me that today. I'll tell you why I answered that one as an unequivocal no."
C: "Please do."
N: "It's a matter of principle, Chris. I'm not going to push corporate services to people that trust me, no matter what. Can't spare the clout."
C: "…Well, okay, that makes sense. But what would you say to your friend if he came up to you and said 'Norm, I'm in the market for a new jeejah, can you make a recommendation?"
N: *laughing* "None of my friends talk that way, but I'ma guess you're paraphrasing-"
C: *chuckling* "Right."
N: "-Then I'd just say 'Well, dood, mine's working ok.' and then change the subject."
C: "So you wouldn't recommend our service even if they asked?"
N: "I wouldn't. It just doesn't feel right."
C: "Even if they were persistent and actually asked for the brand name?"
N: "Heh! Well, if they actually asked, I might admit to it. But I'm not going to say it right away, you know, it ain't worth it to me to have that kind of conversation generally."
C: "A- admit? Well, let me put it like this, Norm, what went wrong? What needs to happen for you to rate a 9 on that survey?
N: "Nothing. It's not against xxxyyy, Chris. Eva did fine, don't fire her or anything. It just ain't right, that's all. "
C: "I guess I don't follow."
N: "Millions or billions going to marketing every year, they're payin Woogle like ten bucks a click to hit my bud right at the top of the page when he searches - "
C: "No way."
N: " - seriously, it's laid out like that, but they want me to do the pitch because I got some good customer service or whatever?"
C: "Who better than someone who knows first hand?"
N: "xxxyyy marketing department, that's who. It's their responsibility. I'm not on their payroll."
C: "But people have been resisting traditional marketing more and more in recent years! Your friend might be asking you because he wants an opinion he can trust."
N: "What you just said is that your marketing department is untrustworthy, or too annoying to listen to. That's also not my problem. Why do you think my friends trust me?"
C: "But I-"
N: "I've really got to go, Chris, or I'll be late. Thanks for your time." *click*

link of the day

2009-10-19T17:19:14Z

http://nerfnow.com/comic/27

(Warning: There is a rickroll comic a couple of pages back from that link, so don't click "Previous" or you shall regret it.)

ot_atma @ 2009-10-17T18:43:00

2009-10-17T23:43:19Z

damn and blast. I knew I'd regret opening a facebook account; too many people that I dislike are able to find me.

courtesy of therabitt

2009-10-12T18:53:05Z

http://www.myjones.com/limited/wizards

This amuses me.

Writer's Block: Cyberstalking

2009-10-12T17:01:24Z

"Do you keep tabs on ex-boyfriends and -girlfriends over social networking sites? Do you think it's emotionally healthy or dangerous? Amusing or painful?"

Yes. It's dangerous, but definitely amusing.

I always think of this practice as "booster shots". It's something to justify why I gave up and walked away. Like when I read the warcraft forums to remember why I don't want to play the game.

ot_atma @ 2009-10-03T22:39:00

2009-10-04T03:41:05Z

I'm learning dvorak. Gonna be slow going for a while.

qotd

2009-10-01T06:52:14Z

"My plans will not be undone by such amateur-hour horseshit as absorbing too much power and exploding."

ot_atma @ 2009-09-16T10:42:00

2009-09-16T15:42:21Z

Notice to all and sundry:

My work schedule is going to be 2pm to 11pm for the next few weeks.

ot_atma @ 2009-09-13T20:40:00

2009-09-14T01:41:07Z

http://armorgames.com/play/4271/pixel

I've been poking at stupid flash games lately. This one was surprisingly fun for how simple it was. Beware! It is insanely hard on the wrists. Take a break after every round or you will regret it.

ot_atma @ 2009-09-08T01:17:00

2009-09-08T06:17:16Z

back from dragoncon. Oh, so tired.

ot_atma @ 2009-09-02T23:38:00

2009-09-03T04:39:55Z

can't sleep. we drive to the airport in a little over two hours, and I'm completely, totally not tired. I think I may have inadvertantly dosed with caffiene earlier.

well, that'll make the convention more interesting ^_^

Cordelia..!

2009-08-26T12:34:38Z

I had a long, elaborate dream about a system called ALARS and the twelve geeky engineers who built it. ALARS is an immersive holographic array thingy - I forget what it stands for. The tutorial was this incredibly elaborate, detailed story of how they built it, how they learned what they learned, a poignant little love story on the side, and an indepth explanation of the underlying principles. Something about energy waves tuned for interfering with each other - they never said the word, but I remember thinking "dissonance" often. It made sense at the time - IRL, I've been paying more attention than I usually do to the polarization of light because of new sunglasses. There was also a launch title, a really intensely dark and moody sci-fi whodunit thriller storytelling type of game with sublime ambience.

The fun bit was right before I woke up, when I walked out of a room (one of the central fixtures of the tutorial was a long bar table, seating the 12, and it was this I found myself looking at) and realized that I, as a character in the tutorial, had escaped the system and was looking at the actual cabal of geeks who had built the thing. I was able to recognize a couple of the geeks from the love story - one of the girls took a look at me and ran for the hills while the other eleven regarded me with something like amusement. I looked at one of the ones who had his back to me and said "And you.. will have a chin beard." Since the character representing him had had one in the story, see.

As he turned to face me, I saw he did have a chin beard. Somehow, this was extremely awesome.

Also, the bank thing got straightened out without a hitch. I still spent too much money this weekend, but I'm still in the black. ^^

ot_atma @ 2009-08-22T20:23:00

2009-08-23T01:24:02Z

so I went to get tested today.

the crazy broad who ran my card when I was done accidentally typed an extra zero on the machine, wiping out my checking account and then $1100 more. Fun times. I'm going to call them tomorrow and get this straightened out. Naturally, that planned parenthood is not open Sunday.

Writer's Block: Memo to Myself

2009-08-11T03:32:39Z

Prompt: "If you could travel back in time, what advice would you give to your younger self?"

Oh, man, I've got lists. This is practically my favorite fantasy daydream. The thing that always snaps me out of it is remembering that my younger self was even more colossally self-absorbed than I am right now, so I'd have to prepare my advice with exceeding care in order for me to actually take heed.

The only thing for it, really, is to pass my memories along wholesale. If there's a plot hole, let's use it. Without the whole story tagging along, the advice is out of context and therefore hollow. Memory transfer is really like having your cake and eating it too - your self isn't diminished by losing the failful experiences that made you what you are, yet you still get to set them right the second time around. Or, depending on how sadistic the writer is, fuck them up ten times worse with inappropriate foreknowledge.

...My day dreams get kind of wierd.

I re-played Portal yesterday. It was fun.

2009-08-10T03:49:28Z

One eighteen point two five ounce packaged chocolate cake mix.
One can prepared coconut pecan frosting.
Three slash four cup vegetable oil.
Four large eggs.
One cup semi-sweet chocolate chips.
Three slash four cup butter or margarine.
One and two third cups granulated sugar.
Two cups all-purpose flour.

Don't forget garnishes such as:
Fish-shaped crackers.
Fish-shaped candies.
Fish-shaped solid waste.
Fish-shaped dirt.
Fish-shaped ethyl benzene.
Pull and peel licorice.
Fish-shaped volatile organic compounds and sediment-shaped sediment.
Candy-coated peanut butter pieces...shaped like fish.
One cup lemon juice.
Alpha resins.
Unsaturated polyester resin.
Fiberglass surface resins and volatile malted milk impoundments.
Nine large egg yolks.
Twelve medium geosynthetic membranes.
One cup granulated sugar.
An entry called: "How To Kill Someone With Your Bare Hands".
Two cups rhubarb, sliced.
Two slash three cup granulated rhubarb.
One tablespoon all-purpose rhubarb.
One teaspoon grated orange rhubarb.
Three tablespoons rhubarb on fire.
One large rhubarb.
One cross Bohr hole electromagnetic imaging rhubarb.
Two tablespoons rhubarb juice.
Adjustable aluminum head positioner.
Slaughter electric needle injector.
Cordless electric needle injector.
Injector needle driver.
Injector needle gun.
Cranial caps.
And it contains proven preservatives, deep penetration agents, and gas and odor control chemicals that will deodorize and preserve putrid tissue.

note to self

2009-07-30T05:46:59Z

This is a pretty good webcomic. I should remember some of the things it says.

ot_atma @ 2009-07-28T20:32:00

2009-07-29T01:34:36Z

So, I had to take a heroic dose of antibiotics for an infection I had last month, and since then the thing on my face has gone down to about 10% of its former size. You can't see it if you don't know where to look.

I think I won't bother with the surgery. It should be totally gone soonish.

*dancedance*

ot_atma @ 2009-07-22T19:32:00

2009-07-23T00:31:57Z

NO U

Copypasta from the comments of an lj that I read

2009-07-15T13:12:06Z

> I'd a whole lot rather that guys got encouraged by girls who seemed friendly than that they got encouraged by girls who were telling them NO in loud and unhappy tones.

The flipside to this is that because women's sexuality is considered shameful, any woman who is openly sexual is "a slut", which is a very bad thing that "women of any worth or self-respect" shouldn't want to be, so therefore those "women of any worth or self-respect" need to not "give it up" easily. You have to make a guy work for it. You have to say no, and play coy, and make him chase after you and convince you into it, because apparently that is where female power lies. Ergo, some men won't take no for an answer because they're just assholes, and others won't take no for an answer because they think they're not supposed to and have been trained by women themselves to expect that persistence will earn them "the prize".

We are so fucked up as a culture when it comes to sex. Sometimes I am astounded that we manage to reproduce at all, what with the deliberate mindgames, well-intentioned miscommunications, rampant self-hate, and general confusion.

- moiread (who I don't know at all but really liked what she had to say)

Tanstagi

2009-07-05T05:04:23Z

From the wikipedia article:

"...the invisible hand of the free market applies to government as well. In other words, contrary to traditional ideas of laissez-faire capitalism, government interference in the free market is impossible, since governments are inextricably a part of the market as a whole. Thus true laissez-faire conditions are impossible, since the government will always affect the market.

An example of this is the defense industry: since the government is the single biggest customer of this industry, it logically follows that this sector of the free market is inextricably tied up with government interference."