Gravity is a theory just like Relativity and Evolution. I once had a jaw dropping debate with an otherwise smart fellow who somehow thought that Stellar Evolution was related to biological evolution and that both were subject to Darwinian critique.
Saturday, November 25, 2006
non-Calculated Risks
Gravity is a theory just like Relativity and Evolution. I once had a jaw dropping debate with an otherwise smart fellow who somehow thought that Stellar Evolution was related to biological evolution and that both were subject to Darwinian critique.
My Signature Weapon
| Air Strike You preferred a weapon with 74% power over speed and 85% range over melee. |
| You use Air Strikes. Fighting? Fighting is for idiots! All you have to do is make a quick walkie-talkie call and have the ground ahead of you carpeted with explosive charges. Your enemies will be searching frantically for refuge as you chuckle from afar. |
 |
My test tracked 2 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
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| Link: The What's Your Signature Weapon Test written by inurashii on OkCupid, home of the The Dating Persona Test |
Thursday, November 23, 2006
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Friday, November 17, 2006
Wisdom Teeth et al.
I had my deeply embedded lower Wisdom teeth and some others removed Wednesday morning, a fairly major procedure. I assumed that, like most surgeries, it would be worst right after and get better as time went on. I seem to be wrong though and each day seems worse than the last. Wednesday was unpleasant, but not too bad. I slept most of it and even made a video in the evening. I was thinking of going to work on Thursday.
Thursday I realized they punctured my sinus cavity when they were working on my upper jaw, called the dentist and got a prescription for antibiotics. I was out for an hour or so in the morning, but was tired by the afternoon and in increasing discomfort. I started using the Codeine prescription I got (which I noted has a refill), which I hadn't needed before and was hoping to "save for later"
Last night I got up every two hours and was supplementing the codeine with 3 Advil. It was like having 4 pending root canals. Only two of the teeth, the bottom 2, were wisdom teeth, buried quite deeply with one "fused to the bone", the uppers were broken beyond repair.
They suggested to me on Wednesday that the swelling would peak "after 3 days", which better be today because I look like the Godfather at the moment. I am hopped up on Codeine and Tylenol atm, and will probably try to get some sleep.
Thursday I realized they punctured my sinus cavity when they were working on my upper jaw, called the dentist and got a prescription for antibiotics. I was out for an hour or so in the morning, but was tired by the afternoon and in increasing discomfort. I started using the Codeine prescription I got (which I noted has a refill), which I hadn't needed before and was hoping to "save for later"
Last night I got up every two hours and was supplementing the codeine with 3 Advil. It was like having 4 pending root canals. Only two of the teeth, the bottom 2, were wisdom teeth, buried quite deeply with one "fused to the bone", the uppers were broken beyond repair.
They suggested to me on Wednesday that the swelling would peak "after 3 days", which better be today because I look like the Godfather at the moment. I am hopped up on Codeine and Tylenol atm, and will probably try to get some sleep.
Thursday, November 16, 2006
A New Video
I've been working on an in-game instructional video for a server wide event I occasionally run in City of Heroes. It's a complicated 2-hour event called a Hami Raid, and generally involves coordinating approximately 140 volunteers for two hours toward jointly defeating a monster no one could defeat alone. The event is broken into phases and, frankly, even minor screw ups in any of the phases can spell disaster for all. I tend to run 2 or 3 of these a month, and a few other "Raid Leaders" on the server do the same. You need to be at the top of the game, level 50, to really participate, and folks that make it that far tend to have "strong personalities". Also, some of the 140 people are absolutely dedicated to seeing it fail for their own juvenile reasons. It's an interesting challenge. The reward for a successful raid is a very rare type of permanent bonus for your character and these can be traded. My whole purpose in running these is to make a market in these bonuses, called Hami-Os.
Since there is a continuous flow of players in and out of the raids, instructing new people and keeping the event popular is a little difficult. My solution is make an amusing instructional video showing folks what goes on and what to do. The video will be ready in December, but I was up late last night and threw together a 3 minute "trailer" to keep interest alive.
High Rez Version
If it looks a little like a confusing mass of people enveloped in lots of glowing stuff with no clue of up or down.... that's about right. You've got the experience of what it's like to be there.
I am, btw, the guy in blue with glasses who waves at the beginning and is standing near the lecture, aka BluShield.
Since there is a continuous flow of players in and out of the raids, instructing new people and keeping the event popular is a little difficult. My solution is make an amusing instructional video showing folks what goes on and what to do. The video will be ready in December, but I was up late last night and threw together a 3 minute "trailer" to keep interest alive.
High Rez Version
If it looks a little like a confusing mass of people enveloped in lots of glowing stuff with no clue of up or down.... that's about right. You've got the experience of what it's like to be there.
I am, btw, the guy in blue with glasses who waves at the beginning and is standing near the lecture, aka BluShield.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Oobleck
At some point, every physics student makes up a batch of Oobleck, a non-newtonian fluid. What's a non-newtonian fluid? Basically it's a compound that acts like water when under little or no sheer stress, but a solid when subjected to lots of stress. The most common demo shows someone stirring a beaker of the stuff with a spoon, then hitting the fluid with a hammer and watching it shatter. You can mix up a batch at home, it's basically cornstarch and water (WARNING: DO NOT DISPOSE OF OOBLECK IN THE GARBAGE DISPOSAL).
This demo however, is a vastly superior demonstration:
(via)
This demo however, is a vastly superior demonstration:
(via)
Monday, November 13, 2006
Department of Self-Absorption
Wow. Grover derivies the wrong lesson entirely:
Although some glitz has come off Mr Rove, Republicans have been more eager to blame botched campaigns and individual ethics scandals. “Bob Sherwood’s seat [in Pennsylvania] would have been overwhelmingly ours, if his mistress hadn’t whined about being throttled,” said Mr Norquist.
Obviously the real lesson is, "make sure the ball-gag is securely fastioned before choking your mistress.
Although some glitz has come off Mr Rove, Republicans have been more eager to blame botched campaigns and individual ethics scandals. “Bob Sherwood’s seat [in Pennsylvania] would have been overwhelmingly ours, if his mistress hadn’t whined about being throttled,” said Mr Norquist.
Obviously the real lesson is, "make sure the ball-gag is securely fastioned before choking your mistress.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
Friday, November 10, 2006
That's Pure Distilled Evil Coming Out Your Ass
Don't let Satan tempt you!
The part where they handed him the newspaper after chruch had me in stitches!
The part where they handed him the newspaper after chruch had me in stitches!
Once and for all, it's called Pop!
| What American accent do you have? Your Result: The Inland North You may think you speak "Standard English straight out of the dictionary" but when you step away from the Great Lakes you get asked annoying questions like "Are you from Wisconsin?" or "Are you from Chicago?" Chances are you call carbonated drinks "pop." | |
| The Northeast | |
| Philadelphia | |
| The South | |
| The Midland | |
| North Central | |
| Boston | |
| The West | |
| What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes | |
I'll Miss You Pink Sugar
She was the gift that kept on giving, the Dan Qualye of her generation and I, for one, will miss her.
Bye Kitty!
Bye Kitty!
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
All of the People, All of the Time
I thought it was P.T. Barnum, but it turns out to be Lincoln
What can I say about the election? It matched my highest, rational expectations. It was the right verdict, for the right reasons and I couldn't be happier. However, as my son has pointed out, it's just a question of time before they dissapoint, and I start voting GOP again.
A few notes:
The Diebold people at my conference were up all night. I predict the VA race will go to Webb because they have explained to Sen. Allen that they cannot produce new paper ballots. Many, many, many times, they have explained it. He's starting to get that "live by the sword, die by the sword" thing. He'll concide within 24 hours.
Civility may return to politics. Some things may again be off limits. I hope the dems dont impeach President Bush unless there are actual crimes. Lying to Congress is a crime, btw, even if that Congress winked and nodded at the time.
The president is, in fact, fucked. 2 years to go and a hostile environment. He may rise to the challenge, but his history says otherwise. I hope, for all our sakes, we don't make him the focus of the next 24 months. The best possible way to repudiate his actions is to deny him the attention and perfrom admirably.
Lincoln Cafee, I'm so sorry. I like you, I think you deserve high office, but I would have voted against you if I were still in Rhode Island. You are a co-dependent enabler and, despite your hihgly respectable positions, you allow the GOP to use you. If it were less close in either direction, I would have recommended a vote for you, but it's not.
The real tragedy is.... you would do the same.
That's it. In my opinion, America woke up, at least for a brief time. It's up to the Dems to govern for get voted out, Good Luck folks.
What can I say about the election? It matched my highest, rational expectations. It was the right verdict, for the right reasons and I couldn't be happier. However, as my son has pointed out, it's just a question of time before they dissapoint, and I start voting GOP again.
A few notes:
The Diebold people at my conference were up all night. I predict the VA race will go to Webb because they have explained to Sen. Allen that they cannot produce new paper ballots. Many, many, many times, they have explained it. He's starting to get that "live by the sword, die by the sword" thing. He'll concide within 24 hours.
Civility may return to politics. Some things may again be off limits. I hope the dems dont impeach President Bush unless there are actual crimes. Lying to Congress is a crime, btw, even if that Congress winked and nodded at the time.
The president is, in fact, fucked. 2 years to go and a hostile environment. He may rise to the challenge, but his history says otherwise. I hope, for all our sakes, we don't make him the focus of the next 24 months. The best possible way to repudiate his actions is to deny him the attention and perfrom admirably.
Lincoln Cafee, I'm so sorry. I like you, I think you deserve high office, but I would have voted against you if I were still in Rhode Island. You are a co-dependent enabler and, despite your hihgly respectable positions, you allow the GOP to use you. If it were less close in either direction, I would have recommended a vote for you, but it's not.
The real tragedy is.... you would do the same.
That's it. In my opinion, America woke up, at least for a brief time. It's up to the Dems to govern for get voted out, Good Luck folks.
Tradesports Election
So I missed several opportunities last night to make some money on the GOP Senate control options. It swung wildly between 50-70% in favor of GOP control during the evening, and was at 86% when I went to bed. This morning, it's at 15%. This is based on the outstanding races in VA and MT, both of which are very close. VA I'm predicting will go for the Dems based on the uncounted absentee ballots which were tending strongly Dem. MT, no prediction.
Many opps to short the GOP last night, but alas, I let them slide.
BTW, the Diebold people were a little worried yesterday. I think today they are going to be more so. In VA and MT it's going to go to a recount, both of which in the past have worked to GOP advantage. In their paperless machines, "recount" just means re-checking the totals. I suspect if the GOP starts losing recounts, we are going to see bipartisan calls for the re-tooling of the Diebold machines.
It was an interesting night
Many opps to short the GOP last night, but alas, I let them slide.
BTW, the Diebold people were a little worried yesterday. I think today they are going to be more so. In VA and MT it's going to go to a recount, both of which in the past have worked to GOP advantage. In their paperless machines, "recount" just means re-checking the totals. I suspect if the GOP starts losing recounts, we are going to see bipartisan calls for the re-tooling of the Diebold machines.
It was an interesting night
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Odds
Currrently tradesports has the election handicapped as a 80-85% chance of a Dem house and a 30% chance of a Dem Senate. So, assuming these probabilities are independent (they are not) and that the Central Limit Theroem holds, (it definately does not), the odds of a Dem Congress are .8*.3 = .24 or about 4 to 1 against. The odds for a GOP Congress is .2*.7 = .14 or about 7 to 1 against. That leaves a 62% (.56 for Dem house, GOP Den, .06 for GOP House, Dem Senate)chance of a split congress.
I can live with that.
Unfortuantely all the assumptions of independence are wrong.
I can live with that.
Unfortuantely all the assumptions of independence are wrong.
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