My friends Don and Dave are always trying to out-do each other in the obscure food knowledge department. One of the things they talk about with some regularity is durian fruit. They rant on and on (usually while we're eating thai food) about how durian smells like rotting flesh.

About a year ago I happened to find some durian candy in Bangluck market in Thai town. Bought a couple bags of it, and passed it out to people to see what their reaction would be. Funny how curiosity always seems to get the better of you --you know you shouldn't but then you do anyway. "Want to try a piece of candy that's popular in asia?" I would tell them, "it tastes like you're sucking on a monkey's ass". What an invitation. Surprisingly most people would be up for it. I have never laughed so much as I did that day.

One of the things that came out of that experience was a desire to try and capture that fun and put it on a web site:



Get people to try the candy.

Take a picture just as they realize it tastes like something they would rather not taste.

Record their comments and make them all available multimedia style.



I just finished setting up the rough version of the site. Right now it's just for testing. I would appreciate it if people could check the functionallity of the site and give me some feedback about whether it works or not. I don't expect it to work in any browser but Internut Exploder. The site will be browsable with other browsers, you just won't be able to listen to the sound.



DurianChallenge.Com name url comment
I love durian so I would probably devour your whole bag. You should have them try the real stuff.

Aaron..
sunil he he, funny expressions...strange why they call it a candy.
Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ eh - works great - but the volume (even turning up all the way on player) still has low gain dude - on the last pic only . . .

otherwise great +

does the player come with the gallery ? ?

never noticed that one -

Found a good e-book site yesterday: http://www.blackmask.com/. The site has all of The Shadow novels --something like 306 books. That's a lot of books. I don't know how they are able to make them available. I don't think the copyright has expired. The books were written by Water Gibson using the pseudonym "Maxwell Grant". Gibson's daughter Sue Grafton carries on the writing tradition as a best selling author of detective stories.

When I was in high school I read several of the books. In those days (back when we walked through the snow) they took your picture for the yearbook they used that same picture for your student ID card. In order to have your picture taken you filled out a form, got in line for the photographer. I did it twice. One as myself, and once as The Shadow's alter ego: "Lamont Cranston". The photographer didn't trip to me having gone through the line twice and so I ended up with a second identity.

The weak link in my game was picking up the second id card... I couldn't exactly ask for it as I picked up my real one. Towards the end of the school year I was called down to the ID office. They had discovered my deception. It worked out cooler than it could have. A couple administrators showed me the ID card that I had never picked up: "muhuhaha... the shadow knows!" they told me, and started laughing.

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Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ that's hilarious dude . . . the shadow - which reminds me . . .

i have a series of works - i think only two exist now - of shadows . . . i'd swear your pic there is identical - trick eh ??? Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ almost forgot - thanks John - for the link . . .

i like the enlightened thinkers . . .

"...Most of the consumer-level problems with computer software -- crashes, bad design, version fatigue due to the perpetual upgrade treadmill - - are not inherent in the technology. They are, rather, consequences of user-hostile business models. Microsoft, and companies like them, have no incentive to solve the problems of crashes, poor security, and version fatigue. They like the perpetual upgrade treadmill. It's how they make money.Want to beat software version fatigue? It's easy, Glenn. Take control; dump the closed-source monopolists; get off the treadmill.

OpenOffice will let you keep your MS-Word documents and your Excel spreadsheets and PowerPoint presentations. Join the Linux revolution, and never see a Blue Screen of Death again..."

Eric Raymond: Beating Software Version Fatigue

Even Dilbert's mom hates Windows

The New Adventures of Verity Stob

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Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ . . . lol - the only time the "Blue Screen of Death" was ever on my screen - was when i was being 'taught' - by a hacker friend - about computers - he intentionally set the system for a crash - and then (walked out) leaving me to figure - what went wrong - good friend - seriously - this is (how) i learned not to have problems [basically] with my systems . . . "It was a great Lesson" . . .

ps - as i have mentioned to Michael - i have spent only $500 in the last 12 years of building systems - without a hitch - and it's what i have - for the time being . . . so i work with it - "If it Ain't Broke - Why F@(& with IT" . . . lol

    It seems to me that Richard had a problem with just cutting and pasting text.  What was that about not being broke?

Hanging out at the Novel last night. Got to watch Joe manufacturing a custom cigarette. He's got this plan of how to quit smoking. It consists of slowly replacing the tobacco in his cigarettes with chamomile...

Sounds like a good idea. He could be setting himself up for trouble though. I mean, another way to look at this is that tobacco is a gateway drug. What clever trick will he have for weening himself away from chamomile?



Joseph Farruggia
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Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ Good luck to anyone that really wants to quit . . . my personal taste is smoke - smoke - smoke - and the hell with that evil empire. . .

great one there John . . .about the chamomile . . . lol

Went tonight with a bunch of friends to a pre-burningman event at Dockweiler Beach. Dockweiler is my favorite beach. It's right under the flight path of jets as they take off from Los Angeles International Airport. I've had a few experiences laying on the beach and opening my eyes to find the huge belly of jet screaming directly overhead. Surreal to say the least. Perfect for pre-burningman activity.

It was fun. Mostly people from the Gigsville theme camp. A bunch of "regular Joe's" hanging out around a bonfire at the beach.

On the other hand... someone brought a bed of nails. People were laying on it, and later it went on the bonfire. Another guy brought a large cross and was very intent on burning it. As I was putting some wood on the fire he asked me if I wouldn''t mind not putting wood in front of the cross --an art project he called it.

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Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ . . . it's good that you had some fun -
as for Mr. Cross Burner, ya shoulda thrown Him into the fire lol. . .

Thinking about books to recommend to a friend. Reminded of this one. The Pillow Book is a collection of fragments from the diary of Sei Shonagon, who was a court lady in tenth century Japan. A recurring feature of the diary is her lists: "The List of Elegant Things", "The List of Depressing Things", "Things That Make One's Heart Beat Faster", "Unsuitable Things", "Things That Cannot Be Compared", "Rare Things", "Splendid Things", etc. Here are some excerpts from "The List Of Hateful Things" (basically a thousand year old weblog style rant):

• One is in a hurry to leave, but one's visitor keeps chattering away. If it is someone of no importance, one can get rid of him by saying, "You must tell me all about it next time"; but, should it be the sort of visitor whose presence commands one's best behavior, the situation is hateful indeed.
• A man who has nothing in particular to recommend him discusses all sorts of subjects at random as though he knew everything.
• To envy others and to complain about one's own lot; to speak badly about people; to be inquisitive about the most trivial matters and to resent and abuse people for not telling one, or, if one does manage to worm out some facts, to inform everyone n the most detailed fashion asif one had known all from the beginning -- oh, how hateful!
• One is just about to be told an interesting piece of news when a baby starts crying.
• An admirer has come on a clandestine visit, but a dog catches sight of him and starts barking. One feels like killing the beast.
• One has been foolish enough to invite a man to spend the night in an unsuitable place -- and then he starts snoring.
• One has gone to bed and is about to doze off when a mosquito appears and announces itself in a reedy voice. One can actually feel the wind made by his wings and, slight though it is, one finds it hateful in the extreme.
• One is in the middle of a story when someone butts in and tries to show that he is the only clever person in the room. Such a person is hateful, and so, indeed, is anyone, child or adult, who tries to push himself forward.
• One is telling a story about old times when someone breaks in with a little detail that he happens to know, implying that one's own version is inaccurate -- disgusting behavior!
• A certain gentleman whom one does not want to see visits one at home or in the Palace, and one pretends to be asleep. But a maid comes to tell one and shakes one awake, with a look on her face that says, "What a sleepyhead!" Very hateful.
• The sound of dogs when they bark for a long time in chorus is ominous and hateful.
• I cannot stand people who leave without closing the panel behind them.

(Excerpts from the list of hateful things from "The Pillow Book of Sei Shonagon", translated by Ivan Morris. Columbia University Press.)

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Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ "One has gone to bed and is about to doze off when a mosquito appears and announces itself in a reedy voice. One can actually feel the wind made by his wings and, slight though it is, one finds it hateful in the extreme" - ever notice how bloody loud they virtually are . . .

great update on this rant dude . . .

. . . don't you just hate it when . . . lol

Always looking around for russian music to play when dj'ing. People seem to like it (and anyway --I LIKE IT.)

Found a site in Russia that has some (all?) of the tracks by the band Tatu. I don't know much about them except that I vaguely remember reading something about a couple of teenage lesbians being a pop success in Russia. I guess this must be them...

It's in russian, but if you're clever you can figure out where to download some mp3s and videos: http://www.tatu.ru/

A few screenshots from their videos:

artsy | fartsy | crotch | breast | doggie style | vegetarian

http://www.tatugirls.com/ (for those who can't read russian...) name url comment

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ . . . and what counts most in on'e life - is the mere fact that (you like it) - that's very important - Russian music is GREAT !!! - ya lika me caps sir!

sunil are you sure they are lesbians and not bi?

    Have been looking at the breast picture more "closely"...it looks like there is one of the artiste's breast striking a man's chest, which leads me to conclude that the artiste(s) could be bi or straight but not lesbians.

--sunil

John / Look at the videos and make up your own mind about their sexual preference. I was kind of embarassed to put lesbian but it seems to be associated with the image of the band. We need to move beyond a juvenile concern with sexual preference [as a society.] On the other hand part of what's interesting about this post [for me] is that a band that puts gay issues so far out can be so successful in Russia. Maybe it's a much more different place than I think it is...

As far as breast on chest indicating sexual preference --download the video and watch it. The red head is making out in the center of a merry-go-round with a guy while the dark haired girl constructs a bomb in the toilet. She later blows up the merry-go-round. Who is she jealous of? The guy? The girl?

In another video the dark haired girl fantasizes about the red head while masturbating, and the video and song that made them famous is about a love story between two girls.

I don't think it's real important to make fine distinctions about their sexual preferences. The interesting thing is that it is popular in Russia. [I think] this indicates that at least in this regard it's a more progressive place that the US.

We have a lot of "growing up" to do here when it comes to sexual minorities, or minorities of any kind for that matter.

John / And as for your comment Richard...

Russian music is ok. Sometimes I wonder if it's worth wading through all the bad music to find stuff I can play when dj'ing. I do that anyway with all the music that I play, but it seems like more work [and pain] when it comes to the russian music.

It's hard to find any russian music at all and once I find some I have to listen to it and try and figure out if people will accept it. It's exciting to hear new and different things. Sometimes people get very exciting about some of the russian songs I play.

I wish I had a better source for russian music, maybe there is a place that sells cds in the russian part of town.

I had a bunch of russian music that was pretty cool but I dropped the hard drive while transferring it from my car stereo to my heimcomputer.

    Huh? Well my comment was not of a "homophobic" in nature. Clearly, the thrust of my discord was whether you had actually identified the correct group, since you mentioned the group/girls were lesbian but the "breast" picture showed opposite sexes.

Well anyways it is moot now, since you have put up this link to the video, which as you say, depicts the "relationship" between the two girls

    --sunil

John / Sorry for not being clear. I wasn't trying to say you were being homophobic. I know you well enough to know that's not what you were getting at. My comments were directed at my perception of homophobia in western culture.

I'm just looking for some good music to spin. Nobody is gonna know what they're singing about. I don't know what they're singing about. It's the right band alright. I just don't know how important it is to make a distinction about such things. They seem to think it's important though and the whole thing is fairly interesting (maybe more than the music, and maybe that's the point...)

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ i'll see if any number of my 'russian friends' can get a list of different music for you [that they have] and i know plenty of other friends [they are armenian] but they listen to a lot of russian music [actually - quite a few are russian - armenian] so - when i'm not working - at my job i'll try to get to the 'gulch' and inquire or i can also call a few -

do you have a list of names / songs that you could e-mail me and then i could check it out - ok? . . .

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ "Running Through My Head" - reminds me of the group 'Jude' - her voice is in a similar vein . . .

Michael got me an autographed photo from Martin Sheen. A publicity shot from "West Wing". They were shooting up at Point Mago. He had to report for work at midnight to setup the lights for the next day's shooting.

Reminds me of when I was sitting in Norm's with Anthony and Frederic Forrest walked in. I recognised him, but not as quickly as Anthony did. He wouldn't tell me who he was. Did he think I was going to rip off my shirt, jump on the counter and scream "Fucking Tiger Man!!!"?



The picture is signed:



John, never get off the boat.

Martin Sheen name url comment
Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ lol i'm sitting here - listening to Martin Sheen talking in the show 'The West Wing' - meanwhile i go to your site and there's your post - referring to said show . . . the way things work amazes me . . .

[a signed one at that ! far out - good ol' michael does it again . . .

btw - have you ever watch 'West Wing' John -
John / heard about it...
from michael- Sheen is amazing. After working all day from dawn at dusk he has a line of like 75 extras and service men and woman waiting to meet him and receive an autograph. I kept my eye on the line while I was wrapping, looking for an opportunity to go get this autograph for John. When I saw the last person going through the line I ran over. I could tell he was getting ready to leave. He looked up surprised, when I asked him if I could get his autograph. I said "could you make to John, don't get off the boat. He corrected me and laughing said "its never get off the boat". He shook my hand twice. He asked me if John had been on a PBR. I said no.

This isn't the first time I had perceived Martin Sheen generous side. My mentor in assistant directing, Leonard Haggarty, asked him to narrate a project that he did, "From welfare to workfare". Great voice over huh? He didn't split from the whole * program. He made it.

Months back I saw Katie Couric and Matt Lauer interviewed on Charlie Rose. They talked for a whole hour about "The Today Show". I had never seen it. I got up early and thought it might be a good day to check it out.

Right now they're talking about how to buy the right kind of flatware. Earlier they interviewed a couple of up and coming LPGA golf chicks that had a "makeover".

How do people put up with watching more commercials than show? Especially when you get to the show and it's all about one product or another? Someone help me find the power button here... oh, there it is.

Is This Link Big Enough for People to See That This is a Link to My Today Show Comic?

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Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ . . .first of all - i have to tell you that i hate golf - [i have very intelligent women friends that explain - "those guys out there playing with their little balls] and second of all . . .

and as for : "Someone help me find the power button here... oh, there it is" - good one John and here's another :

"i got some 'flatware' for them - "upside their heads" . . . lol

let's 'create' a KILL remote . . .

hehe, people reading my stuff before I'm even done with the post...

you didn't see the comic I made to go with it

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ hehe - even the word golf brings shivers to me - i do intensely despise the whole idea of sports in general - when i was young lol - i excelled in basketball - and along with 4 other classmates - got a brand - new gym built with proceeds from our games [this was for Allenwood Elementary NJ] and i played the little leagues - baseball - excelled there and actually got together [in the days before] with Mickey Mantel ? spelling - who i met through my father's friends - and i learned enough to know [from him] that the future - when i was asked to play pro sports - somehow i 'knew' back then - that it was going to "involve" bigmoney / drugs / alcohol - and i really didn't want anything to do with it from there . . .

as on another note: i also excelled in pro-wrestling - which has NOTHING to do with the sh#$ on tv these days and i was a really good soccer player . . .

and now - about the comic / pic lol he - she looks so bloody 'gay' - not that that really means anything . . .

    I can picture Richard envolved in Lucha Libre with a mask.  "Get the gimp"

John / Now that you mention it, he does have a gay looking little goatee..

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ ALLRIGHT - THAT DOES IT ! ! ! hahahaha

. . . and FYI - it's (i)nvolved lol

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ and by god - they're coming from deep space no less - what's next . . .

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ BTW - i meant to mention - could ya make the link BIGGER so that i could see it dude lol

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ and the reference to that little gay - is about that 'green' character with the fu#@(*n TV on it's head - me thinks that's where most TV's should be -

as for your comic lol for the addicts in Never - Never Land of TV's - eh - i just realized TV's could be mis-taken for . . .

I like this bit from the end of today's "Slate Today's Papers":

Meanwhile, the WSJ in its leisure section comes down hard on Disney's plans to open up a Disney World theme park in Shanghai. "The news from China is bad, worse than we'd feared it would be: in all likelihood, Disney World will be coming to mainland China well before democracy does," writes Tunku Veradarajan, the paper's chief TV and media critic. The author seems unsettled about which entity disturbs him more. "Disney deals in schmaltz; China is the most unsentimental place on earth." Ultimately, Veradarajan decides the plan won't work out because the two have "cultural incompatibility." "What will happen when the visitors all surge at once for the gate to an attraction? ... The Chinese don't queue. It's as simple as that."

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Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ now - as long as everyone knows what "queue" is and 'follows suit' lol

. . . " a sequence of stored data awaiting processing" hahaha ! ! !

[Note] i say f&$@ Disney and to use your quote John : "It's as simple as that."

She's not for everybody. An arabic speaking friend of mine complains that she sings with an accent, and says that he prefers Om Kalthoum. Get over it --guess what? She's dead. It's not that easy to come across some arabic dub music. And for free?

There's an interview on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic where she describes working with Jah Wobble. He was trying to get her to sing a certain way. She knew exactly what he wanted but was being stubborn cause she has a temper. She said he got so mad that he unzipped his pants, ripped some pubic hair out of his crotch and started chewing on it. An interesting relationship to say the least.

I was hoping last year that she would perform with "Transglobal Express". This looks to be even better.

Yalla Chant (5 meg mp3)

Soleil D'Egypte (3 meg mp3)

Bomba Nonsonicusmaximusm (8 meg mp3)

Natacha Atlas: Morning Becomes Eclectic, April 28, 1998 (real audio)

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Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ loved her 'Soleil D'Egypte' piece - when it comes to middle eastern - uhm uhmm uhmmm !

there are others . . . i'll have to get some of them to you . . .

Sitting here by the window I heard that slapping twisting crunching sound of vehicles colliding. "Was that another accident?" I wondered. But I shrugged it off. When I hear a fire engine roll by I go out on the balcony to take a look. Yep. Another accident at the corner. Seems to happen every couple of weeks. Probably something to do with the short timing of the light --people have a tendency to go on yellow and red because it is green such a short time. Two cars out there getting loaded up. One on the back of a flatbed and another on the back of a tow truck.

Last week there was another accident. That same sound only louder. I went to the window to see if I could see the accident. Two guys ran by below my balcony. White guy being chased by a black guy. Black guy yells "I mo fuck you up homie!" Later when I go downstairs to gawk my neighbor tells me the white guy had blood streaming down his face.

I survey the damage. Two cars totalled. A black women being loaded into an ambulance. She's wearing a neckbrace. No sign of either driver --this would be the guys running that I saw earlier. I hear one of the spectators saying that they got arrested down on 115th street (a few blocks south.) I wonder how this will play out in court. I think the white guy was probably drunk or something but both of them left the scene. Berry berry bad. name url comment
Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ . . . it's the year 2002 - you'd figure that all the jagoff's driving would get a clue -

i especially like the "I mo you up homie!" line - i could just see the idiots running after one another - both wrong [maybe] but it doesn't make a difference . . . if one was to *follow those guys lives - they'd probably see the same ol' shit over and over again lol - so ya got a vantage point from where ya live - eh j
sunil Totally savage...getting drunk and/or fighting by the guys involved.

I recommend spaying them :)...hey good idea, maybe all criminals should be neutered
Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ . . . hear ye hear ye - let's enact this rule . . .

Watching Nova last night. Kind of lame. It was about a group of 40 carpenters that had been enticed to take their vacation in Scotland in order to recreate a couple of medieval stone throwing "seige engines". Part of the "Secrets of Lost Empires" series. I saw another one where a team raised an obelisque in Egypt. Interesting idea for a show. I think it might be stretching journalism a bit far. I mean the whole thing is funded by Nova. I guess it's one type of documentary --where the events portrayed are entirely manufactured by the organization funding the documentary. Can you say Geraldo Rivera?

Early on in the show they had video of some people that had recreated one of these early war machines. They're called trebuchets. Basically mechanical, gravity powered slingshots. The guy was using his to launch pianos. Very funny. They showed video of a piano being launched by a trebuchet. It flew what looked to be about the length of a football field. Made a hell of a racket on impact. Looked like a nice piano too. I wonder if this guy's going to be at burningman...

People, petrol, pianos --even dead cows:

What On Earth Is A Trebuchet?

NOVA Builds a Trebuchet

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    trebuchet are used very frequently in games such as civilization, and other real time strategy's...how dare they throw dead cows...totally sacralegious! :)

    Yeah, and you could have eaten that cow... I'm sure it was only one piano that was launched. You should have seen all the old pianos at burningman one year. I forget what they did with them. If they burned them or what. My friend described it to you from before I went. Maybe you could start a piano for homeless people project.

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ . . . dumb f&%^in scabs - "The guy was using his to launch pianos" - what a jagoff - they realize how much some musician could have used it . . .

leonardo jest turned over in his grave - lol

what a 'waste' of good money - someone should cut them and their little tiny peckers . . .

Installed the Basilisk II Macintosh emulator so I could play text adventure games in style:

The Witness

Planetfall

I got into text adventure games in the early 80's. Back when the Commodore 64 was still actually a better computer than the IBM PC. (talk about flame bait eh?) Maybe it has a lot to do with the mysterious advertising campaigns and cool packaging of the Infocom games but I still think it's hard to improve on this type of game. The main draw for me is that it's like a good book, or a well made film. If it's done right the player becomes an active participant in creating the world --using her imagination. Some of the most powerful moments in film [for instance] involve what is not shown.

I got back into interactive fiction when I found out that someone had written an interpreter for the Palm Pilot. You could actually play most of the old Infocom games while in line at the market or post office (interesting to note too that the computing power of a Palm Pilot is roughly equivalent to that of a Commodore 64.)

The other thing that did it was my interest in emulation. Many (if not most) of the older gaming platforms have been emulated in software. It's possible to recreate the gaming environments that I grew up with. To re-experience the games, and to play stuff that I never got around to playing.

At one point, I went so far as to build a special cable that attached my Commodore 1541 drive to the parallel port on my PC. Using software I got off the internet I was able to extract the game files from actual Commodore 64 versions of Infocom games [on 5.25 inch disks] and through further mumbo jumbo, play those game files on my Palm Pilot. Doing this [btw] I found that I have a totally rare version of Zork that hasn't been reported anywhere. Just when you thought I couldn't get any geekier if I tried...

Recently I found that all the Infocom games are available for download. This doesn't matter much to me as I have purchased all of the games in one format or another throughout the years.

I put up some of the games so people could get a taste of what this is all about. You can play these online if you have a java enabled browser:

All Roads

Anchorhead: An Interactive Gothic

A Bear's Night Out

A Change in the Weather

I-0: Jailbait on the Interstate

Theatre: An Interactive Night of Horror

Zork I: The Great Underground Empire

Zork II: The Wizard of Frobozz

Zork III: The Dungeon Master

Zork: The Undiscovered Underground

If you get stuck (or before you start):

A Beginner's Guide to Interactive Fiction

Look around here to find a place to download the Infocom games:

LATZ.org: Infocom

Buy the games:

Ye Olde Infocomme Shoppe

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Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ personally speaking - i don't play any games - all computers that i had to repair for people - always had some games on them - causing conflicts - when i deleted those games and set them up on a dedicated game system - the owner's computer would work fine - so long as there was no game lol - anyway . . . just letting ya know - i read your article just the same . . .

    These games are a bit different from the kind of games that you're talking about. I didn't do a very good job explaining that difference. But, whatever. There is a reason that text adventure games are not really in favor. Just like there is a reason that they have been making a come back. I have been disappointed that hardly anybody even clicked on one of the game links to just see what it's like. Maybe everybody knows but I don't think so.

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ i knew what you were referring to john - but - i refer to games [including esp like hearts etc . . ya know M$ crap] THEY can go to hell - what text adventure games are virtually like - i've had a few friends / associates / peers using them . . . and most of these friends are pretty intelligent also - but in regards to whatever Diablow etc , , they can take a hike to another universe . . . only as far as i'm concerned . . .

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ eh j - an inform compiler - where did the title originate - i like that one . . . is 'inform' from information short?

I was getting a kick out of some of the tech support jokes on the Computer Stupidities site. They're funny but it's interesting to note the arrogance that the humor comes out of. People that work with computers forget how hard they are to learn to use. I like to tell my friends that we don't need more computer literate people, we need some people literate computers. Being computer literate means having more scar tissue than most people.

Computers could be so different from what the are now. If we could stop thinking of them in archaic terms. So many things about the way computers work are based on historical artifact. A couple of examples:

Why do we have to wait for a computer to boot? It's possible to have the entire operating system in read only memory. How come we don't? The reason used to be cost. The cost of flash memory has dropped dramatically. Would you wait for your washer machine to boot? Your toaster oven?

If I'm sitting in an office and make a notation in a journal, when done I put it back on the shelf in a place where I can find it. To take a similar action in a "virtual office" do I use a document? or an application? And when I'm done, why does it ask me if I want to save my work? What the hell else would I want to do with it? Yeah, O.K. --I just worked on this document for an hour and now I'm going to hit "no"... Yeah, that's going to happen. And later monkeys will fly out of my butt. How come I can't just make a notation or some changes and put it back on the shelf like I do in a real office? Any tech savvy person knows the answer of course --it's because the software is about to make changes to the original document that is stored on the hard drive. All the time you were making changes to a copy of that document [in ram], and now the computer is making sure that you want to overwrite the original. Of course this makes perfect sense to the tech-head (kind of, it makes no sense to me) but it can strike terror in the heart of some users. "are you sure you want to save all changes?" To some people it might as well say "all hope lost ye who enter here".

Seems to me a better way this could work is for the computer to automatically keep track of all changes that you make. If you screw up, just use the "go back" function. Hard drives are cheap now.

I mean --seriously, when are computers going to grow up?

Computer Stupidities: Operating Systems

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Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ EH ! . . . thought ya said ya didn't like that thar go back lol

• i would tend to agree to this in terms of going back - makes sense [instead of 'do you want to save' idiosy . . .]

. . . and as for ". . . And later monkeys will fly out of my butt" comment - let me know if they ever do - ah j - jest 'n' jokie mon - stay cool brotherrr - don't let me jive get your huff 'bout - jambay knows -

btw - ever been to jamaica mon ?

those questions about the way things work - deserve a forum devoted strictly to the issue - where you want to create that forum ??? Synergy maybe - have you been to that forum yet ?

. . . there's some good heads over there - for the most - they are savvy on 'putes

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ heh - isn't there anybody else out there that's reading your work / posts john - i hereby put notice . . . jest

    Good point, computers have not come that far in this area - money I suppose - not profittable.  They have gotten better in the black box idea, can't recall anyone in recent memory that had to open their PC to repair it, well ecxcept maybe you - but you were puttin yar finger in thar messin it up anyway.

I had a thing for this woman once. Salma. Lebanese. Very beautiful. I still really enjoy listening to women speaking arabic.

One day, hanging out in my office --she told me about her hair:

"Look at my hair, women pay a lot of money to make their hair like this. My curls are natural!"

Later I was thinking about what she said and realized that beside that she was maybe more into her hair than most people are (into their own hair) that at least she was happy with it.

For instance, I have curly hair. But I have always wanted straight hair. I figured with straight hair you can curl it if you want to but it's hard to make curly hair straight...(I know this is sounding goofy, bear with me on this one --there will be a test.)

Thinking about this, it occurred to me that it's human nature to always want what you don't have (or maybe just a result of watching too much television?)

Maybe the secret to happiness is having the ability to be happy with what you have?

I started thinking about this again cause I asked my friend what it was like working near Wilshire and Rodeo. She told me a story about having lunch near there and seeing a nearby table where 6 persian women sat. They all had the cutest little irish button noses...

Walked past the buritto place on the corner tonight about 1 a.m. and they were going at it again. Bunch of souped up Honda Accords in the parking lot. Latino kids fighting. Seemed like the same bunch that was behind that Casper thing that I wrote about earlier. Police car drove by without stopping. What a neighborhood I live in...

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sunil With the latest LAPD scandal, cops don't want to be within a mile of a criminal :)


That's why we should have neighborhood s. It should be like the Swiss. All good citizens are given an assault rifle and like a thousand rounds. If they had that we wouldn't be depending on the "hirelings". Jesus said that the hireling flees and leaves the sheep when the wolf comes. But the Good Shepard protects the sheep. So there would be the effect of empowering the people in the getto to take care of their area. If a riot broke out, they would be able to squash it. I believe the reason that the police (the hirelings) ran away is because their higher ups want the people to start crying for law and order. Then they'll say, "you want law and order, surrender your rights". Happened in ancient Rome. If I wanted to take over and have absolute power over the country that's how I'd go about it.

On the bus tonight I recognize the man seated in front of me. Big. Football player, weight lifter --probably both. Shirt and sweatshirt marked UCLA. We ride for a while then the battery on his cd player dies. "Aren't you a bouncer at O'brien's" I say. "Used to be" he replies.

I imagine being a bouncer is a tough job --especially in an irish pub and I say as much. He warms to this and tells me some about what it was like. How sometimes big tough looking guys go down easy, and sometimes small whimpy looking guys are tough. How some women can fight dirty, assuming that since they're women he won't fight back. The lesson in either case? "Never assume anything" he says.

Sex in the bathroom was a regular occurrence. Guys with girls. Girls with girls. Either way, the standard way of dealing with it was to wait until it got noisy then bang on the stall door real loud. When they leave the restroom, the entire bar [having been notified via the PA] gives the lucky couple a standing ovation.

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Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ cool man - can ya dig it - good title John . . .

As I write this, an an old black man is blowing a cheap saxaphone in the street below my balcony. Earlier, at the corner liquor store, he's there--playing badly. I overhear people complementing his poor playing and asking where his hat is [so they can tip him.]



"I just got out of PRISON... twenty years!" he says, "if I had a gun... I would rob you!" name url comment
Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ attitudes eh ?

Stir crazy. Cabin fever. Took 3 buses to cafe Balcony just to get out. Predictable Saturday evening there--usually slow, this one was slower. The only customers I remember seeing were Doug and Denise. Doug with a new book about (what else?) chinese medicine. Denise showing off her new Windows XP laptop to Joanne. I get my double cappuccino and sit outside. Reading Murakami's "Wind-Up Bird Chronicle", but outside I need the backlight and since the NiMH rechargeables I'm using can go dead without warning I sit and enjoy the traffic.

Got it all worked out--how to get home from there on the bus. Have to be sure and split by 10:45, whereupon I walk to the corner of Wilshire and Bundy to wait for the 720. The 720 is the red bus the MTA put into service after the flap over all the money they spent and are spending on lite rail.

Waiting for the bus I look across the street at the Literati Cafe. Strange place. Never had the nerve to step inside. Seems to have less of a McDonalds vibe than Starbucks while still sitting squarely in corporate-coffeeland. Kind of a "La Salsa Bean and Tea Leaf" type deal.

Big picture on the wall. I don't recognize the guy but I can dig that it's some beat poet icon. Probably Kerouac or Cassady. The way the picture is hung it's almost a shrine.

Corporate sponsered bohemianism. Like, dig man... name url comment
Went in literati once before (when balcony was closed), the tea was avergae...corp. lackeys in uniform were behind the till.

never went in there again..too pretentious for me
---sunil
Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ never been thar but - Tobey & i worked on a film - "Baby Love" - about the beat and they're still working on it post yada yada yada - so far as i can tell - i had the look at the time that they were filming and Richard Walden [DP 2nd Unit - Felicity] chose me for the look and then i asked a number of friends to join in at the request of the Producer . . . i like those times jumping trains - living the life and poetry / writing . . . reminds me of the late '60's when you could hitchhike all over the world and meet some really remarkable people - lol be nice if those days could come back

NOTE: the end of those days happened - for me nad maybe for most - when - after leaving the 2 1/2 week long "Sky River Rock Festival" [in Walla Walla - Washington] - i was hitching thru the Rockies - near Banff, Canada - i couldn't get a ride . . . people were actually trying to [some] to run me off the side road - turns out - a young lady - decides to stop and give me a ride to Alberta - she explained that just a few days prior - that a family had picked up a hitcher and he killed the whole lot of 'em . . . that became the time things changed very drastically . . . oh uhmmm . . .

Was at Cafe Balcony tonight. As usual Anne Farnsworth and Richard Green (someone let me know what the bass player's name is so I can put it in here please...) were doing their bebop jazz thing. Not very many people there in the cafe. Kind of weird. I mean, the jazz is great--I would think there would be more of a crowd there digging it. Every Friday 8:00 to 11:00 p.m. name url comment
I believe they have different bass players sometimes--all really professional. I don't have their names.

I think the Friday jazz is still not yet publicized properly. I told Wesley if he wants to get his jazz nights (Thurs. + Fri.) off the ground then he should make an effort to publicize. I was there for a short while on Thurs., and there weren't many people either.

Furthermore, I don't know how many people want to go to listen to Jazz with only tea and coffee being offered. I have been to other jazz clubs and a coffee place where Anne sometimes plays, and they are quite full because they serve some alcohon. Especially with no alcohol, I don't see a steady flow of many people showing up on either of those nights...

hey maybe I am wrong, maybe people are on vacation or something

Do You Feel Lucky?

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Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ bukcakes - is this vietnamese for what i think it is? lol

John / Looks like you're going to have to take the google challenge...

    proxy server blocked google search at the firm today....those people are probably on the lookout for me by now :)

John / The comic basically suggests that it's not really a good idea to search on that at work...

I don't know why I assumed that everybody knew what that means. LOL. I wish I didn't know what it means.

Years ago the Myers Briggs personality test indicated that I was an INTP. The description of the personality type was such a close fit that I'm convinced that it is correct. INTPs make up only about 1% of the general population, so it's one of the rarest personality types. Hehe, I don't think anybody that knows me would doubt that my personality type is rare.

My interest in going over this again is to look [once more] at how my personality type affects my interaction with others.

I've excerpted some stuff that is so right on it's scary (funny too.) If you feel like you know me fairly well, I would appreciate some feedback:



"...takes his interests and beliefs very seriously. Honesty and directness when explaining these interests are usually displayed. INTPs detest facades and particulary dislike people who exhibit them. Equally, those kind of people also dislike INTPs and avoid them at all cost, for they know that the INTP will see right through them. The INTP's serious nature also makes them almost immune to mockery and being made fun of, at least when face to face with their mocker. If someone attempts to make a sarcastic, mocking comment about an interest of an INTP, the latter will defend himself with a pure, almost naive seriousness, explaining his position with a severe exactness, wielding his words like swords. This almost always disarms the mocker who does not expect such a penetrating defence. The INTPs defence usually also contains a subtle but biting attack thrown back in the mocker's face, chiefly because the INTP cannot entirely hide the fact that he believes his opponent to be stupid..."



"...will often make controversial, speculative points of argument, often annoying the discussion-partner, and make them in such a way as to leave the impression that he is very serious about what he says. In reality, the INTP is not actually even certain himself whether he really stands by what he is saying, but his Ne strongly suggests that there must be a core of truth there. The purpose then of his outspoken style of argument is to sharpen his own intuitive understanding by testing the reaction of the listener, and indeed to examine the logic of his own arguments in real time while speaking them out. On occasion, INTPs may seem brash and tactless, but for themselves it is part of their way of getting closer to the truth..."



"...readily dream up jokes about almost any situation. Taking things out of context is the chief source of humour and many an INTP is a Monty Pythonite. The Ne is the engine and source of this joke-generator. Needless to say, the humour of an INTP can be pretty zany and warped and may not be understood easily by others. The problem is that the Ne concepts for jokes are put into a structure only by the Ti. Hence, the humour can become black and tactless, having felt little Feeling input..."



"...One-to-one conversation is preferred in almost every situation. In a group situation, INTPs are sensitive to whether they believe they will be listened to or not. If a dominant (strongly extraverted and loud) person is present, the INTP will withdraw and sulk, believing the dominant person to be a brute. If an INTP speaks, he must be listened to, for he believes his spoken opinions to be important. If not, he withdraws (at least in spirit) and assumes that the people who do not listen lack intelligence..."



"...are fascinated by computer technology as well as the Internet which gives him a voice that he would not otherwise have. Many of the most dedicated Computer Freaks are INTPs. Ultimately, INTPs tend to trust machines more than they trust people and may feel particularly at home in the realm of cybernetics..."



"...There will be little or no decorative objects, electronic equipment will be in abundance and the importance of any object will depend only on its usefulness. The general style of the home is largely irrelevant. When an object is put aside, not to be returned to for a while, it will lie fully ignored until used again. Objects which lie unmoved for more than about 48 hours usually become invisible to the INTP, until such time as he has a use for them again. For other temperaments whose need for tidiness and order in a house is strong, this lack of concern in this area may seem despairing. For the INTP, however, no problem exists. Corners of rooms, table tops and cupboards may become cluttered with objects, but while they don't move they remain effectively invisible and are unimportant. Indeed, less mature INTPs have a reluctance to move objects at all, for the desire to remain detached and not physically interact with the world can be strong. The one thing that will force an INTP to tidy his home radically, even when alone, is when the clutter eventually gets in his way and hinders some activity. Often, however, the offending objects will merely be moved into another corner where they can spend some more weeks being invisible..."



"...typically drawn to wild polar expanses, to mountain ranges and all places on the edges of civilisation. Whatever his particular yearning might actually be, it has a common root. The homeland of the INTP's psyche is a small and cosy community, isolated in the middle of a vast expanse of wilderness..."



"...are collectors, but they are collecters for whom the objects themselves are only important in so far as they evoke a connection to past events, in so far as they yield a nostalgic mood. The curious problem with any collection of an INTP is that he typically fails to enjoy it in the here and now. Items are stored away so that they can evoke this time at some point in the future, but such a point often never occurs. It may never occur because INTPs are always so mentally active that they continually delve into new interests, and continue to hoard items relating to these, so that they rarely allow themselves enough time to reflect on the ever expanding library of their past. The interests of an INTP would be enough to occupy him for several lifetimes if that were possible..."



"...The mystery of emotion is also evidence in the INTP's use of music. He always chooses to listen to music which suits his current emotional state, be it aggression, warmth, excitement, relaxation or whatever. Hence, the emotional state is assumed to be an unchangeable, mysterious property of himself. It is easier to choose appropriate music than to attempt to influence this. People with introverted Feeling, Fi, however, will deliberately choose to listen to music which helps them change and improve their mood. INTPs could never do that. They feel an unpleasant sense of disharmony whenever a music style clashes with their emotional state. Indeed, it is remarkable how much attention they pay to their emotions when music is involved..."



"...Because INTPs focus on what is logical, they have a tendency to be unaware of or to dismiss their own feelings and the feelings of others..."



What is an INTP? name url comment
Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ PHEW - just wwaking up - hit the keys on 'putr and here i am - [didn't even have any coffee yet and only 1 1/2 'usual' hours of sleep] . . .

. . . here's an attempt : [John]

> " . . . detest facades and particulary dislike people who exhibit them"

> " . . . to sharpen his own intuitive understanding by testing the reaction of the listener"

NOTE: this is sometimes known as 'The Provocator'

> " . . . The homeland of the INTP's psyche is a small and cosy community, isolated in the middle of a vast expanse of wilderness"

NOTE: how about the lofty 'Tibet' - 30,000 ft level

> " . . . The interests of an INTP would be enough to occupy him for several lifetimes if that were possible"

NOTE: hence one is always creating and dissecting . .

> " . . . Because INTPs focus on what is logical"

NOTE: jest does this make you a Klingon?


>> "This is his Mission; to be the provider of clarity, and is often suspicious that he is the only person capable of this task. Here, the INTP risks being seen as over-critical, aloof and arrogant. On the whole, however, real arrogance is rare for INTPs for their desire is not to dominate others but simply to observe, analyse and clarify. Once the point has been clarified, the INTP withdraws quickly, for he prefers not to be in the limelight unless absolutely necessary. Hence, for most of the time, INTPs are easy-going and will fit in to others' needs, taking up the role of observer again."

and so it goes - how do you write INTP [squared] - i believe that you have 'surpassed' the level of a single INTP . . .

QUESTION : now, what is the 'Effect' when two INTP's encounter one another and get into a heated dialogue ? Say both of them are 'correct in their argument' - but because they are INTP's - both 'ignore or withdraw' from the other? Are they both sitting back and listening - but 'acting' like they're not interested : The question now would become - "Which 'type' of 'altered INTP' would "break" the silence and re-enter said debate ?
John / The description of two INTPs meeting reminds me of the scene in "Colosus: The Forbin Project" where the two super computers are hooked up and turn into a giant computer that takes over. LOL

http://www.intp.org/intprofile.html

"...However, where friendship develops

rapidly, almost instantly, is when an INTP meets another INTP

or similar temperament. Communication between such people can

become extremely intense, leaving outsiders baffled. When two

INTPs get togther, watch out! All forms of social graces and host- guest

protocols become irrelevant. Both want only to share concepts

and interests and absorb the intellectual stimulation of the other.

Interruption of this process by any social necessity is undesired

and annoying. Often the pair will become oblivious to everything

around them and this may seem almost comical to an outsider. Introductory

greetings such as "how are you?" may just be given and

received with nonchalant disinterest. Conversations are more likely

to open with something like: "Hi, I think I've worked out

how changes in the Borg's command protocols can be routed through

sub- space without compromising their universal teleconnectivity!",

knowing that the other person knows exactly what he's on about.

Later, the host may offer the guest a drink after an hour of discussing

the latest developments in computer technology, and the guest

may then notice that he is thirsty. In most cases however, INTPs

have been groomed by other types into accomodating themselves

into the social world, so that even amongst themselves a minimal

level of social niceties will be given. Favourite topics of discussion

are science and science-fiction, music, computers and any abstract

concept with which one is currently fascinated by..."
Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ Hi, I think I've worked out

how changes in the Borg's command protocols can be routed through

sub- space without compromising their universal teleconnectivity . . .
John / Can you do it and still keep your underwear on?
michael here- When I took the test it said that I was a INFJ. I think that the test has validity. But on another level, I see how it can be . I tend to steer away from anything that smacks of determinism or the view of me as only cog in the cosmic machine. I believe Divine intervention can overcome that which is lacking in my "personality". I'm not stuck in "one" personality. It is more dynamic than that. Of course I also believe that a person has a personality that he is stuck in, cosmic law will render that person stuck in that personality. Cosmic law, or what I call "spiritual inertia" was stated by Jesus when he said: Take heed what you hear, for with what measure you measure it shall be measured to you. To him who has it shall be given, to him who has not even that which he seems to have shall be taken away.
Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ me undies are part of a matrix sir . . .
michael again- The value of the personality test, IMHO, is to identify strengths to gain leverage in life, and to identify weaknesses to minimize their detremental effects and overcome them. I don't believe that they are for justifying complacency or an attitude "That's just the way I am". To use them to lay down and shit on yourself and others is something that I believe would horrify the dedicated people who researched and wrote the tests.

I believe that if you go down to 5th and Wall and talk to the people hanging out there and asked them why they are there and why they act the way they do, they would probably answer something like, "That's just the way I am".
John / Self knowledge is always a good thing. Except maybe in the case of the INTP it where it might be "too much of a good thing". I still don't understand what you're getting at. I don't know if you're talking about me, yourself or just in general. I put this info up because I think it might help my friends to understand who I am.
Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ " . . . I think it might help my friends to understand who I am" - that is precisely what you have done and it's much appreciated - i find it good that people are 'beginning' to explain themselves per se and me thinks it's a good direction - to say the least . . . [afterall - you are a complicated individual - from my perspective] . . . this is all making things a bit easier - to understand you

I have been wanting to write something about this cool book I have been reading. Now I see that slashdot has a post about the author. Heh. I guess I suffer some from the "not invented here syndrome" --I want to be the first to discover anything new and cool. Typical western consumer oriented viewpoint I guess. We are hammered from birth with the idea that new is better.

Well, whatever. Slashdot beat me to it.

The book I'm reading now is "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" by Haruki Murakami. It was suggested to me by someone that I met briefly last week. He wouldn't tell me much about the author or his books. Just said that based on the books we had discussed, he thought I would enjoy this author's books. "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle" is flat, monotonic, and lyrical at the same time. Reminds me of J.G. Ballard's "Crash". Some excerpts:

"Well, don't you think guts and curiosity are kind of similar?" said May Kasahara.

"Where there's guts there's curiosity, and where there's curiosity there's guts. No?"

"Hmm, maybe they are kind of similar," I said. "Maybe you're right. Maybe they do overlap at times."

"Times like when you sneak into somebody's backyard, say."

"Yeah, like that," I said, rolling a lemon drop on my tongue.

"When you sneak into somebody's backyard, it does seem that guts and curiosity are working together. Curiosity can bring guts out of hiding at times, maybe even get them going. But curiosity usually evaporates. Guts have to go for the long haul. Curiosity's like a fun friend you can't really trust. It turns you on and then it leaves you to make it on your own with whatever guts you can muster."

...there was no common ground between us, and so however much we might speak words in each other's vicinity, this could never develop into anything that could be called a conversation. It was as though we were speaking to each other in different languages. If the Dalai Lama were on his deathbed and the jazz musician Eric Dolphy were to try to explain to him the importance of choosing one's engine oil in accordance with changes in the sound of the bass clarinet, that exchange might have been a touch more worthwhile and effective than my conversations with Noboru Wataya.

"...I sometimes wonder what it must feel like to die little by little over a long period of time. What do you think?"

Unsure exactly what she was getting at, I changed my grip on the hand strap and looked into her eyes. "Can you give me a concrete example of what you mean by that? to die little by little?"

"Well... I don't know. You're trapped in the dark all alone, with nothing to eat, nothing to drink, and little by little you die...."

"It must be terrible," I said. "Painful. I wouldn't want to die like that if I could help it."

"But finally, Mr. Wind-Up Bird, isn't that just what life is? Aren't we all trapped in the dark somewhere, and they've taken away our food and water, and we're slowly dying, little by little ... ?"

Slashdot: Two Books from Haruki Murakami

Airplane by Haruki Murakami

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Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ . . . reading is 'food' for you - i've been do'in it since me mum taught me at age 4.

what's left of my 'collection' of books might interest ya bro - you should check 'im out sometime . . .

John / Sure, scan them and send them on down. I try and avoid reading paper books now. It's tough cause a lot of the stuff I want to read isn't available digitally but every now and then I read a paper book. Sounds like you have a lot of science fiction. I don't read much sci-fi, or fantasy type books. I like stuff that is similar to sci-fi. I read a lot of experimental fiction and medical text books.

Reading paper books is bad for trees.

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ . . . lol - i HAD over 5,000 titles [in Canada] and they were not allowed for sime f*$%kin reason into the U.S. - none of them were anything that i see on the shelves today - they were really good - i wish i still had 'em [they were stolen] while i was back in the states . . .

and no - i don't read a lot of sci-fi [my degree in physics] allows me to know which of the sci-fi i should look into . . .

the books i do have - you have to see them [in person / someday?] and scan - "ya mus bea kiddin" - later brother . . .

Look, I know they're trying to sell papers right? But don't you think the big paper in Los Angeles could be a little more responsible? Yesterday's "Slate Today's Papers" had this about a story in the Los Angeles Times:

"...the number of computer hacker attacks on power utilities is "up 77 percent since last year." The article says it's not clear who's launching the attacks, but, citing one FBI expert, says that the utilities "may be moving into the cross-hairs of cyber-terrorists."

Then further in:

"The source for the LAT's lead on the "post-Sept. 11" rise in power-plant hacking is a report by a place called Riptech, which is a computer security firm that contracts out its services to, among others, power-plant companies. The paper never says if there are any other, perhaps less self-interested, sources for similar data (nor does it clarify if the study really started after Sept. 11 or if that's just a terror-hook that the LAT inserted). Meanwhile, it's not until the 21st paragraph that the paper, paraphrasing one expert, says that the hacking attacks at issue are "many levels removed" from actually being able to do real harm. "I see no evidence that there are expert cyber-terrorists today," concluded the security specialist (in the 22nd paragraph)."

I read all this but it didn't really hit me until I saw the headline on the frontpage of the Times:

Hackers Target Energy Industry

Can you say hype? I was telling a canadian friend of mine about this and he said: "Ya'll can kiss your civil liberties goodbye!"

I'm gonna go read "Slate Today's Papers" right now so I can see who's full of shit today.

name url comment

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ hahahaha - " . . . so I can see who's full of shit today"

NOW i'm awake - you are definetly a 'character' john - this is better than reading the 'funny sheets'- which i rarely do unless forced by others . . .

"A white couple in England has given birth to black twins after an apparent mix-up at a fertility clinic."

Mix-up at fertility clinic leads to calls for stricter rules

Abbott & Costello: Who's on first?

Had a running joke with a security guard that I would pass each morning entering work. Mr Foster would ask me: "No face, eh John?" --he liked the way I had of explaining my diet. My experience has been that as soon as you mention that you're a vegetarian people want to "discuss" it with you. I try and avoid talking about it. It comes up sometimes when eating out. If I say I'm a vegetarian, some people want to point out [or ask] "you eat dairy and eggs?/!" On the other hand, saying: "I'm a lacto-ovo vegetarian" tends to lead into a discussion, which is what I try and avoid. I got in the habit of heading this off by just saying: "I don't eat anything that had a face on it". This sums it up in a way that helps explain why I'm a vegetarian, while at the same time [hopefully] shutting down discussion.

I like the way this article starts. I'm going to put it on my pocket computer and read it out loud to all my meat eating friends. I haven't read it yet --except for the beginning. I just know that if it's taking an honest unbiased look at the in's and outs of meat consumption... it can't be a favorable article:



Five Reasons To Eat Meat



1) It tastes good

2) It makes you feel good

3) It's a great American tradition

4) It supports the nation's farmers

5) Your parents did it

Oh, sorry ... those are five reasons to smoke cigarettes.



Should We All Be Vegetarians? name url comment
I probably should have brought this article with me when I went out to dinner. Maybe its because I read it before I went out, so I was more sensitive to the subject, but I doubt it. Either way, I had to listen to the many 'arguments' of meat eaters. "Save the carrots. Eat Rabbit." etc.

-bethie
Moreover, I like the way they ask me "So you are a vegetarian, Sunil?", with the look on their face. Its as if I am not "normal"
I guess I am Lacto-Pesco-vegetarian (occasionally Ovo-Lacto-Pesco) according to the classification

--sunil

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ be afraid - be very afraid : somebody's coming up with 'In-N-Out' Fast Veggie Platters - wonder what the slugs are gonna use for their source . . .

"Just follow these simple rules, and you absolutely can't go wrong. Granted, the girl you find will not be perfect; in fact the odds are overwhelming that she will be shallow and petty and jaded and soulless. But she will be fashionable."Universal Guide to Getting Laid in Japan

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Hehe...need to meet that clown who wrote that fiction article in the link !

John / The whole thing is tongue in cheek of course, but that doesn't mean that it's not accurate. Caveat Emptor.

Monday to Wednesday: 7:30 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Thursday, Friday 7:30 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.

Saturday 2:00 -10:00 p.m.

Sunday 2:00 - 7:00 p.m.

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    Don't forget Jazz every Friday with Anne Farnsworth (Piano/Vocals), Richard "Mulholland Drive" Green (Vocals), and an invited celebrity Bassist...8-11 pm 
    --sunil

I was in Starbucks last night and it occurred to me again that I really can't stand the place.

Years ago on my first visit to Seattle I got a pound of french roast from the Starbucks in Pike's Market (I bet there is more than one in there now...) It literally made me sick to drink it. I should have taken a cue from that and never returned, but I keep going back thinking things will somehow be different.

So, I'm in Starbucks last night. I figure a hot chocolate is safe, can't find it listed on the menu--I ask if they serve hot chocolate. The Starbot tells me they do and when I ask what sizes it comes in gives me the usual confusing size names that I don't understand why they just can't fucking say small, medium and large. When I look at her with a "what planet do you think I'm from look" she opens the cupboard behind her, points to various cups and says: "small, medium and large" (at least she wasn't snotty about it like most Starbots are.) Was that so fucking hard? Do I have to learn another language just to order coffee?

So I get the small, which in this case I guess is a tall (WTF!!!!) and a coffeecake. I figured I was safe drinking the hot chocolate cause I can't stand the way they roast their coffee. They cook it too long. I've seen it written somewhere where they brag about how that reduces the caffeine content. Who the fuck are they making this coffee for? I thought caffeine was the whole point? Not to mention over roasting makes it taste like burnt dirt.

The coffeecake was a miserable, dry lump of undercooked dough with a ton of sugar on it.

That's it. From now on, no more Starbucks for me.



Help Us Overthrow the Tall/Short Mafiaat Starbucks Coffee

Starbucks: Latte Lingo

Starbucks To Begin Sinister 'Phase Two' Of Operation

fuck_picasso.mp3 by ¿michael? name url comment
starbucks is to coffee what McD is to fast food! Un believable...doppio (yeah right!)
--sunil
Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ judging from the size of the cup - it must be a 'really' small one with that little character - or else he's reall f5$k(0g big . . . screw those peeples at starshmucks eh

I was looking through the archives of my site recently--I don't remember for what. I noticed the subjects I had chosen were not very helpful. I used to do that with email too. Write a clever title. An obtuse pun or play on words. Frequently I'm the only one that gets it (I tend to speak like this too.)

At some point I realized that having clever titles works against effectiveness. Now when I compose a title for an email I try and think "if I was looking through an email archive for this what would help me find it?". Maybe I should be doing that with my posts too. It's always possible that someone might be looking later for something I write now. It could happen.

Towards An Ethics and Etiquette of Electronic Mail:

"...Subject lines in each message can be descriptive of the contents of each message, allowing more meaningful scanning of header listings of the messages in one's inbox..."

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Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ . . . or take a line that has relevance to the whole.

Nice post John - keep doing what you do - it is about you and the way you think - therefore - it's ok . . . si

Recently, I read Philip K. Dick's "The Minority Report" and "A Scanner Darkly". "A Scanner Darkly" was pretty good. It was written in the 70's and supposedly takes place right around now. He talks about 8 track tapes and drive-in movies as things commonly found in our time.

"The Minority Report" was ok. I can see how someone might want to make it into a movie. Some other Philip K. Dick that I have read:

The Man in The High Castle

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

His books have a comic book/pulp novel vibe to them, so reading them comes off [for me] as kind of a guilty pleasure. Can I do it till I need glasses?

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Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ try Ursula LeGuinn [i think this is correct spelling] - "The Lathe of Heaven" - PBS even did a 3 Hour special years ago and showed her movie - from the book - ever see it?

try Farmer too . . . i have to get a list of authors i used to read in Canada - but none of these books on 'Sci-Fi' were ever allowed into the U.S. for some asshole reason - they were from Poland / Russia /Austria etc . . . i virtually had over 5000 titles and they were really good reading - no 'aliens' trying to take over earth or anything about fighting - just 'mind' games of a sort . . . nayway - when i find the time and the lists . . . most dated back to about 1954 or so . . .

Beeth: Girls are like internet domain names, the ones I like are already taken.

honx: well, you can stil get one from a strange country :-P

---

spoob: MCSE is to computers as McDonalds Certified Chef is to fine cuisine

---

Pluton: what extension is an Adobe eBook?

feerit: .gay

---

jamesm: geez, it's only 10:20am and i'm already completely e-bullshitted out

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[Matt]: the only thing about mullholland drive that didn't confuse me entirely was the lesbian sex scenes

[Matt]: other than that, i was lost

---

I haven't laughed this hard since the durian candy affair:

geekissues.org: Quote Database

Beth: Boobies

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Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ this has got to be a blonde :

"The problem with America is stupidity. I'm not saying there should be a capital punishment for stupidity, but why don't we just take the safety labels off of everything and let the problem solve itself?"

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ [ Pluton: what extension is an Adobe eBook?

feerit .gay] - figure ya jest may get 'flamed' for this one eh?

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ and now i know i need sleep . . .

DAMMIT NETSCAPE!

DO NOT FREEZE WHEN MY MOTHER WALKS IN AND I AM LOOKING AT PORN!

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ that 'boobies' girl looks just like "suzi" - she & her mother ran / owned The Atomic Cafe - really miss that joint . . .

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ *

this is gonna be harder than i thought

are you looking for your penis again

I setup several interfaces to the kacked irc server. My hope was that it would encourage people to stop by and say hello, maybe hang out for a bit. It's been useful for some people. We've managed to solve a few computer related problems. It's gotten to the point though where it's not really worth the aggravation. Here is an excerpt from today's chat log:

Guest0224 (~eirc@ppp-229-172.xxx.xxx) has joined #kacked

Guest0224 test

Guest0224 (~eirc@ppp-229-172.xxx.xxx) has left #kacked (Guest0224)

Guest6832 (~eirc@ppp-229-172.xxx.xxx) has joined #kacked

Guest6832 (~eirc@ppp-229-172.xxx.xxx) has left #kacked (Guest6832)

Guest2015 (~eirc@ppp-229-172.xxx.xxx) has joined #kacked

Guest2015 ya

Guest2015 has quit (Ping timeout)

Guest8215 (~eirc@ppp-224-195.xxx.xxx) has joined #kacked

Guest8215 Hey!

Guest8215 (~eirc@ppp-224-195.xxx.xxx) has left #kacked (Guest8215)

Guest4889(~eirc@ppp-227-087.xxx.xxx) has joined #kacked

Guest4889 (~eirc@ppp-227-087.xxx.xxx) has left #kacked (Guest4889)

The effect is annoying to say the least. It was an interesting experiment though. I think the problem is that since the interface is available through the web site, people tend to treat the irc chat room as they would treat their experience with the web site. The problem comes about from a mix of the expectation and needs of the different media. Web sites are short attention span deals while IRC is generally not.

Many (most?) people treat web surfing as a temporary break from the day's events. That's cool. I kind of expect that this is the way that most people will view my site. However, having the chat interface available on my web site draws me into this experience as an unwilling participant. I can't really blame the user of the web site. They're just extending their experience of the site in a natural way. The result from my perspective though is as if the information highway was extended directly through my living room --and I was expected to be at the whim of every anonymous person that came along. No wonder I feel annoyed eh? I'm not a trained monkey... Of course it's my fault though. It was an interesting experiment. The chat room is still there for those who have the capacity to fire up a client and navigate in IRC space:

kacked.com on port 6667

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    Hmmm...well I think users may in general want to drop by and say hello. sometimes I have noticed that even if the chat participants are idle for quite a long time, if someone like me joins the IRC to say "hello", the other participants respond. Many a times they are not there but still logged on. In any event a prod is necessitated to see if the other participants are still there. I think there may be solutions to this problem:

1. JUST put the number of "active" participants in the chat room right at the gate! What is meant by an active participant could be determined by you (e.g., someone has not typed in something for X seconds could be deemed inactive). That way an user interested in chatting can see right at the gate if he should enter the chat room or not!

2. JUST request the "annoying" users to not access your chat room anymore. In any event I am sure once he has seen such kinds of posts he will gladly oblige

I think your IRC is an ongoing refinement process. No one says that you have to have it "right" the first time. Nobody says you gotta be a trained monkey :)

--sunil

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ eh j - just send a 'bomb' his way - maybe he'll think twice next time eh? anyway - very busy and dealing with international 'traffic' here . . . chat later bro . . . r

John / It's not the user that is annoying. It's the behavior. The user is behaving quite naturally if the chatroom is seen as an extension of the "instant gratification" environment of the web.

Sometimes I spend hours working on a post--even though I know most people are only going to skim it at best. I'm ok with that. I'm mostly writing for myself anyway.

This post wasn't meant as a criticism of behavior. It's an explanation of why I took the action that I did. Nobody is doing anything wrong. Quite the contrary. I wish other's would participate more!

I'm just making some adjustments to the community engine...

    Looks like i am still getting error posting through IE and the customized version that I have for the site.

Anyways, what you call as "instant gratification" could be nothing more than constraints on the user's side. For example, if an user is having a 56K modem connection then there is no reason for him to be hanging in the chat room waiting for someone to show up, thereby tying up his phone line. Not everyone has DSL now. Remember, you are going to get people with different setups on the net.

-sunil

Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ the previous comment was a 'jest' -

anyway - me thinks you are doing a great job and i personally enjoy "learning" more every day - simply by reading your posts . etc . . . i find you an 'interesting personality' sir . . .

John / That's absolutely true--not everybody has dsl. For almost as long as I have been on the net I have had a dedicated line. Even when it was dialup I had a dedicated phone line that was connected 24/7. If it got disconnected it was set to redial. The good old days. Can you imagine? Being on the internet with Windows 3.11? yuk. Another factor is that you use a laptop. Even if you had dsl you wouldn't be connected all the time.

Some people get around these type of limitations by chatting using alternate methods. I know people that chat using ssh to a machine that has an always on connection (a server.)

"...A number of companies sell sophisticated devices that attempt to measure mouthfeel. The TA.XT2i Texture Analyser, produced by the Texture Technologies Corporation, performs calculations based on data derived from as many as 250 separate probes. It is essentially a mechanical mouth. It gauges the most important rheological properties of a food - the bounce, creep, breaking point, density, crunchiness, chewiness, gumminess, lumpiness, rubberiness, slipperiness, smoothness, softness, wetness, juiciness, spreadability, springback and tackiness..."

"...Without affecting the appearance or nutritional value, processed foods could even be made with aroma chemicals such as hexanal (the smell of freshly cut grass) or 3-methyl butanoic acid (the smell of body odour)..."

The Bitter Truth About Fast Food

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Richard http://lubrichs.mine.nu/ have they tried MacD's / Taco Smell / etc . . .?

that would more than likely 'break' their machine eh? lol