Poem of the Week #18

Well, last week was a good week for writing poetry, just none of it very good. Below are the least bad example(s):

PotW #18
Earthy aroma floating
Upon my mind - cart ready.
The shelf lacks! Another, less,
Waits, pale granules taunting -
Not expected nor desired.
How will I awaken now?

Bonus Haiku! (for the lateness)
Crunch, snap, crackle, yum.
Nature's bounty broken crisp -
My tongue tastes verdant.

Link to full post.

My Beliefs...

...At least as well as they can be described with an internet quiz. The top result really isn't surprising. After that they are just nonsensical frankly. There were several questions on this quiz where my option simply wasn't available or the least inaccurate option wasn't quite correct. I think that led to some funny percentages.

The most unexpected outcome is that the religion I was raised "Roman Catholic" was ranked equally with Islam and less than Mormonism?! Neither religion I've ever felt the least affinity for. Or that I'm more Scientologist than Catholic? Really?! Why is that even an option? Why don't they just include Pastafarianism while they're at it?

Here's the results:

1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Theravada Buddhism (95%)
3. Mahayana Buddhism (80%)
4. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (79%)
5. Secular Humanism (79%)
6. Liberal Quakers (78%)
7. Nontheist (78%)
8. New Thought (77%)
9. Neo-Pagan (74%)
10. Orthodox Judaism (72%)
11. Reform Judaism (72%)
12. Hinduism (69%)
13. New Age (68%)
14. Scientology (65%)
15. Sikhism (65%)
16. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (62%)
17. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (62%)
18. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (62%)
19. Eastern Orthodox (58%)
20. Islam (58%)
21. Roman Catholic (58%)
22. Taoism (49%)
23. Baha'i Faith (47%)
24. Jainism (47%)
25. Jehovah's Witness (40%)
26. Orthodox Quaker (40%)
27. Seventh Day Adventist (38%)

Quiz found via carnaby fudge

Link to full post.

Friday Fury of DOOM

It's Friday, yes? That time of blissful relaxation where I'm browsing my favorite web sites and groovin' to some new music purchases. Or it would be blissful relaxation if I hadn't received 5 (FIVE!) calls from telemarketers in the last HOUR!

FYI marketing people: if your company, organization, political group or charity calls my house using a recorded message, I am hanging up on you. I don't care if you're calling to tell me aliens are invading and I need to evac now. If you can't take the time to put a real, live person on the phone than this real, live person has no time for you.

Also, this is going to sound mean but when someone with a clearly Indian accent introduces herself as "Mary Brown", I'm hanging up as forcefully as possible. Because if you're willing to encourage your employees to lie to me in such a blatant & ridiculous manner, well, what do you encourage when you think no one will notice? I have no problem at least hearing out someone who introduces herself as "Aruna from Mumbai calling on behalf of Bank of America", but don't frickin' lie to me first thing!

If I get another call in the next ten minutes, I'm unplugging the phone for the weekend. Anyone important emails me anyway.

Link to full post.

Wolf Club For Men

With their own T-Shirts....And the most hilarious Amazon reviews ever. My favorite:

After reading the reviews i ordered a dozen of these hoping to either bring my wife back from the dead or at the very least meet the wolf god who took her. Neither of these happened. Nothing has happened. Nothing ever happens, and I don't know why expect online purchases to plug the hole in my heart. Nothing has, nothing will, and certainly not some wolves howling at the moon.

*snickers*

Link to full post.

May2009 Desktop

After months of super light (grey & pale yellow) desktops, I’ve embraced color. Maybe re-planting my patio garden spurred this, but I chose a green-theme. And it looks awesome!

Clean:

Busy: (the Nautilus background is a borderline to me but it was the best match, even a solid color didn't work as well)

Expo w/ terminal, firefox & songbird:

Details:
Wallpaper – I have no idea where I got it.
Emerald Theme – Fedora Light WEED VER
Controls Theme – (modified so colors match) Clearlooks Mod
Icon Theme – Gion
Firefox Theme – Vista-Nature
Songbird Theme – Euphoria
System Font – Purisa BOLD
Nautilus Background – Green Muted Pattern
Gnome Panel Image – My own creation “Grn-Gloss3”

On a side-note, adding new patterns for Nautilus backgrounds & creating my own panel images are both in the category of “Obscenely Easy Tasks That I’m Embarrassed Took Me This Long To Actually Do”.

Seriously, this is all it took to creating the panel took a whopping 2 minutes using GIMP and that includes saving 3 different panels with different transparencies. The one shown is the one that best matched the rest of my desktop. Still, since installing Ubuntu how many hours have I wasted searching Gnome-Look for the perfect panel when I could have just made one? Clearly I need to develop a more proactive mind-set when it comes to tweaking.

Link to full post.

Poem of the Week #17

A little late but present. It's Haiku cop-out #3 (of 13) this week.

A:
Incandescent ire
Unleashed! But not needed, you say?
(small voice) Nevermind.

B:
Hentai tape grapples
Against those with no desire
For its attentions.

C:
Footlong's worth of hope
for Mr. Bartowski's health.
Will kung fu save him?
*fingers crossed for renewal of "Chuck"*

Link to full post.

Warner Music = EPIC FAIL

SEE UPDATE2 - I WAS MISINFORMED. (I also have a policy of not deleting posts, even if they only exist because I'm a moron)

Actually, this blog-post title is somewhat inaccurate. Warner Music is so far beyond an “Epic Fail” that they flew by that benchmark going Ludicrous Speed and haven’t shown any inclination to slow down. I’ve spoken before about how Warner Music has an economic death-wish but their latest stunt is simply mind-boggling. What level of colossal moron sends a completely invalid DMCA takedown notice to the most vocal and articulate opponent of DMCA abuse?

Let’s just ignore Warner Music’s growing and continued obsession with criminalizing legal customer uses of legally acquired music which, for some unknown reason, they don’t consider an economically unsound business model.

Instead, let’s focus on the apparent legal knowledge of whosoever issued this takedown notice. I assert that said person or persons has some collection of the following characteristics:

1) They are so behind on the public discussion of copyright law that they didn’t recognize who Lawrence Lessig is when they issued the notice.

2) They have so little understanding of actual copyright law as to be unable to identify clear “fair use” even though their job, issuing takedown notices, involves judging whether the use is infringing before sending the notice. (Note: having no law degree myself but after seeing the presentation in question – dude, it’s fair use)

3) They had so little understanding of public perception as to be completely surprised that any member of the public would find it perhaps convenient for Warner Music issue a takedown notice to a presentation critical of their own legal tactics.

4) They likely collect information on the DMCA takedown notices they file to be used by Warner Music & RIAA lawyers as justification for stronger copyright protection law (because every customer is a presumed pirate until proven innocent).

5) They are getting paid a salary by Warner Music, presumably for their legal acumen and good judgment, despite some collection of the above facts being true.

Although in general I’m no fan of lawyers or litigation, I’m also a big believer in punishing excessively detrimental stupidity which is the least-bad possible cause for this debacle. Because if Warner Music doesn’t have a collection of stupid people infesting its DMCA takedown office, then the most likely other explanation is they have a collection of malicious abusers of the DMCA system working in their DMCA office. Either way, I hope Lessig wipes the floor with them. And then I hope he writes (another) bestselling book about how he did it.

UPDATE: Ok, someone in the comments to the linked article mentioned an automated takedown notice being the culprit. That changes nothing about my opinions above. Automated takedown systems do not create themselves. The mindset(s) that created such a system would be just as prone to the "characteristics" listed above as an individual person or person(s) directly issuing the takedown notice. The only thing an automated system would do is embed the said characteristics in the system so that the fact they are architecture makes it easier for Warner Music to claim them as immutable (which someone should really write a book about).

UPDATE2: Apparently, Lessig's video was NOT removed because of a DMCA takedown notice. The culprit appears to be some sort of automated YouTube content-ID program designed to ensure that companies which allow "fair use" videos with their content get attributed the ad revenue for the pages showing the videos in question. Warner Music (due to a previous fall-out with YouTube) is set to "block" so this appears to be something internal to YouTube, not Warner Music. The system YouTube has in place actually sounds like a pretty good idea & they apparently have a very responsive counter-notice system (Lessig's video is already back up) so OK, I flipped out for nothing. While I could change the title of this post, etc, I'm not going to. I have a general rule that I will not delete my posts, even if they make me look at best imprudent. Aside from a note about how wrong I was, this stays as it is.

Link to full post.

Poem of the Week #16

ON TIME! Holy cow!

PotW # 16 aka "Lazy Sunday"
Absent routine, orthogonal and straight,
My days unbroken lethargic sloth-sleep.
Tasked (listed, ignored) for a later date.
Longing but not assertion in does seep.
I flop about a passive, neutral day
While hi-sparks build inside, now held at bay.

With bonus Haiku!
Ripened spring display:
Plastic-wrapped fruits call out sad
For rain-fed roots gone.

Except for a little bit of grocery shopping, I didn't get much done today....

Link to full post.

Plates – Up, Up and More Up

Introducing the Never-ending Staircase of Plates from Rosenberg Texas!

Bottom Landing

First Flight On Left

First Flight On Right

First Landing

Second flight

Second landing

*deep breath* Third Flight

Top Landing


From the same antique shop, the two ugliest plates I have ever seen in my life:
*shudder*

With bonus purse of doom:

Link to full post.

Connections - Literary Edition

I've spoken before about how "Atlas Shrugged" results in some very *ahem* conflicted reactions from me. It appears I'm not alone on that. Here's a very good review about why, for all its flaws, "Atlas Shrugged" still sells like hotcakes. RTWT.

Nothing however beats this line (after describing several characters):

They are a bit reminiscent of similar characters found in Robert Heinlein novels, except they are less flawed and tend to lack the ability to laugh at themselves.

In retrospect that connection is painfully obvious....I feel obscenely blond for missing it.

Although, now I have an uncanny urge to paper over the walls of Galt's Gulch with posters like this one:

*is repressing*

(Note: the "what the hell?" tag is for my brain for going from Galt to Heinlein to Joker's catchphrase in about 2.5 seconds)

Link to full post.

We're Linux (and we're crazy)

Been watching the "We're Linux" ads posted by The Linux Foundation over on YouTube. Some very good stuff. Although it appears a great many Linux users have no problem being just a tiny bit creepy.

Example 1 - For those who always wanted a stalker OS:


Example 2- For the booming super-villain market:


Some more-encouraging videos:

A la TV infomercial of awesomeness


Obscure French Film awesomeness (this is HILARIOUS!)


Aren't these all so much better than trite corporate commercials?

Link to full post.

Poems of the Weeks #8 Thru 15

While I've actually been keeping up with writing the poems, I've obviously had much less luck with posting the poems per my 2009 PE Goals. So, to make up for it, here's a mega poetry post.

PotW #8
Inner eyes unfurl twilight
Lancing through dreams delicate.
Ring down the hope of good-times.
Here, futures flicker out quick.

PotW#9
Debris letters flood the page.
Chatter indiscriminate.
My cubicle rings with waste,
Offensive to efficiency.
But in solemn corners waits
Echoes of Archimedes
Sparse & telling symbols proud
Encompassing all with less.

PotW#10 aka “A Domestic Diversion”
Wafting call of denied renaments,
You haunt shuddered halls with foul arrogance.
A cleaning needed, grasping elements
Which purge these walls of your tainted presence.
But, lethargy and disgust turn my hands;
The evasion of godly duty brands.

PotW#11
My thoughts assemble in discord profound,
Seizing each and all gnawing babble.
Boxes in rows, few, leave many unbound.
Realization, I am all rabble.

PotW#12 aka "The Deeply Creepy Bug-Dream Sonnet"
Canopy floating, through leafy webs go.
Each branch, no solace, hides creatures beady;
Antennae flick at this intrusion. Bough
Writhing all, for perch I do entreaty.
Unheard dangling from thin line now sway
In a space untouched by bark, pincer, legs.
Forest sounds echo; the ground falls away.
Watching spiders chase after fuzz-legged dregs,
I ponder neither high nor low, idle.
Scramble jaws close on innocent insects.
Hungry arachnids sated on trifle.
Larval sparks dribbling life, open necks.
Betwixt, hanging the teeny deaths whine-shout.
I bob, in place, salvation in doubt.

PotW#13 aka "Haiku Cop-out #2"
A:
Numbers crunch, then act.
Frenzied tools change & construct.
Dreams real, now can breathe.

B:
These times, like all else
Confuse, entangle and maul.
But do they embold?

C:
Yes, the Turtle moves
Though Vorbis says “No”; Brutha
gardens Defiance.

PotW#14
Here, dashing flights of fancy
Clash titan-proud with rock hard
Truth (as defined by numbers);
A contest lacking victors
But resolved time and again.

PotW#15 aka "Death of A Router"
Cheap plastic circuits flash-bang
In time with lightening bright.
All else reboots with no hang.
But no matter flashing light,
My network no more functions.
Unplug this & that. It's you!
Surge-subject your dead junctions;
Bricked now, you were sorely new.
Replacement, I will soon seek.
Not again choose I so weak.

That's it! Any opinions?

Link to full post.

Games In Ubuntu

After trying Guitar Hero for the first time last weekend, I was in the mood to try out some new games for Ubuntu. Via the Ubuntu forums, I came across this really fantastic compendium of all things Ubuntu-gaming. With some experimentation and downloading, I ended up trying out several games most of which I really liked.

AssaultCube : I’ve never really been into FPS games but I thought I should have just one. This seemed like the one with the simplest premise (although Tremulous looks awesome) so I chose this one because I figured it would take me a while to get used to playing this type of game. Boy, was I right! I suck at this game. With everything set to easy and in a deathmatch with two measly bots, I never win. I can kill one bot but not the other before it gets me. However, it is fun and while frustrating, it is the kind of frustrating that is enjoyable so I can definitely see myself playing this in the future. My only two gripes are that the default keyboard settings are very awkward and that the only way to open the game is through the command line. The keyboard settings are pretty straightforward to change but you do have to take some time to think about what you should change them to in order to perform certain actions quick enough. The command line thing isn’t so bad; the main annoyance is that it takes 3 commands instead of just 1. I tried automating this but my script wouldn’t run. I’ll have to fix that if I plan on playing this a lot. Which I do.

Frets of Fire : Very disappointing. I can definitely see the potential for the game but, after playing Guitar Hero, it’s just not even in the ballpark in terms of playability and enjoyment. For one thing, the Tutorial to introduce you to the game is incredibly, stupidly condescending. Seriously, there’s no reason for it at all. Also, the F1-F5 keys are incredibly awkward to use as frets. I couldn’t get into it at all. Finally, while I understand an open-source games can’t include copyrighted songs, the included songs were pretty difficult compared to the “Easy” settings for Guitar Hero. I didn’t keep this one on my computer but if there are future improvements, well, I’d have no problem trying again.

Kobo Deluxe : Great space arcade game. The levels are varied and the premise of blowing up stationary objects that are defended works really well. I very much enjoyed this one.

gBrainy : Really good game loaded with logic and math puzzles. It’s not complicated or flashy but the puzzles are engrossing and just hard enough to require something of you. I really enjoyed this one.

Pipewalker : Really cool puzzle game where you have to rotate “piping” in order to connect computers to the network. The randomizing function is just good enough that it is quite difficult but not so much that you don’t believe the puzzle is solvable. The puzzles are pretty hard too. I played for two hours straight and only connected all 20 computers once. Exactly the best kind of game: not easy to win but easy to play. Just a note: This one is available from the repositories so the link is just to a description page.

Other Games On My To-Do List:
Phun – Physics simulator & mechanism creator.
FlightGear – Flight Simulator with tons of different aircraft

Link to full post.

Poem of the Week #6 & #7

Well, I apparently suck at this whole "Poem of the Week" thing, don't I? Here's my two deliquient entries.

PotW #6

Metal-scented daydreams flee
Before those wrapped in eager glee.
Surrounded, my words count more
How they land builds a new lore
Of restraint embracing soft.
Echoes from future thanks waft
To me, query-pressed with stress,
Purposeful and now, no less.

PotW #7

Numbers begin and end my days
I begrudge them nothing big.
The wheel turns at their command.
Speaking clear, my mousy hand
Awaits the only choice mine.
Can you graph comprehension?

I greatly prefer #6 over #7. Just my opinion...

Link to full post.

Steampunk Puzzle Game?!

I cannot wait!

Link to full post.