Exam Week

We will be returning to your regularly scheduled programming shortly...

Strawberry Gelato

I just made strawberry gelato and it turned out amazing. Pictures and recipe to come (after all I need an excuse to do it again).

Garfield Minus.....John?

I'm sure many of you have seen or heard of Garfield Minus Garfield. About a week or so ago a Garfield comic ran in the newspaper that once I saw it, I immediately decided it should be a "Garfield Minus John"

I finally got around to firing up GIMP this morning to do some editing and I must say, I'm quite pleased with the results.

"When there's snow on the ground, I like to pretend I'm walking on clouds."
-Takayuki Ikkaku, Arisa Hosaka and Toshihiro Kawabata, Animal Crossing: Wild World, 2005

Palm Pre. Again.

Whatever you do, don't watch the CNET video review of the Palm Pre. I made that mistake and now I'm even more tempted to hold off getting a new phone for a few months so that I can give Verizon more money than I already do.

[via CNET]

"Every great advance in natural knowledge has involved the absolute rejection of authority." -Thomas H. Huxley

Palm Pre News

I just want to say "Thank you!" to Palm. More like an incoherent "thankyouthankyouthankyou", but I'm not the sort of person who would feel giddy about a phone (which I probably can't afford) coming to Verizon (whose data plan I probably can't afford).

[via Engadget]

"Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable." -H.L. Mencken

Intel Pineview

I've been considering getting an Asus Eee PC. While I was debating which model I wanted to get (mostly between the 1000HA and 1000HE), I noticed that they had two different chipsets. The HA comes with the Intel Atom N270 chipset, while the HE is available with either the N270 or the N280 chipset. Curious, I began to research the difference between the two. As far as I could tell the N280 is slightly more expensive than the N270 but offered improved speed and the ability to decode HD video as well as slight energy savings. But then a rabbit hole appeared, and curious to know what lay beyond I took the plunge.

Pineview. That's all I have to say. Well not quite, but that's the crux of the "problem". From what I can tell Pineview, the code name for the up and coming Atom chipset, is going to be cheaper than both the N270 and N280 and better in every way. On top of that, it would appear that the N280 is being discontinued due to lack of demand. Products sporting Pineview aren't due to drop until at least September though. So I can either jump now and get the N280 while it's still out there, or put off a much needed purchase until fall.

Of course then there's the other dilemma, should I really be looking at netbooks if I'm in need of a primary computer?

Places I got info:

pcmag.com

pcworld.com

i4u.com

...and for those of you interested in keeping up on the latest Pineview news: tinyurl.com/intelpineview

Edit: More Pineview info from InsideTech.

"Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning."
-Bill Gates

Jonathon Coulton on eventful

You know you want to

View all Grand Rapids events on Eventful

Palm Pre Jealousy

I just stumbled across a countdown ad for the Palm pre on....... I don't remember where actually, Facebook I believe. Where is beside the point though. The phone looks gorgeous. It pains me that I have to choose between the Pre (Sprint) and sticking with 'The Network.'

Palm, please please please please bring the Pre to Verizon.

The ad, with a cute little Twitter Bird and all can be found at http://is.gd/C9RY

P-day in 15 days and counting.



"It has always been the perogative of children and half-wits to point out that the emperor has no clothes. But the half-wit remains a half-wit, and the emperor remains an emperor." - Neil Gaiman, Sandman

In The Home Stretch

My apologies for the inactivity.

Exam week is this week so the semester is almost over. I start classes again the following week so there isn't much time off, but because I'll be done with everything for exam week monday night I'll at least get close to a week off.

"It is a very sad thing that nowadays there is so little useless information" -Oscar Wilde

Educate Yourself For Free

Lifehacker made a recent post about their "Top 10 Tools for a Free Online Education" and it looks to be full of good suggestions. Two on their list that stand out to me are Google's Code University and Academic Earth.

I've browsed Academic Earth a little bit previously and it looked like it had a huge amount of quality content. Ironically it's level of quality is what has kept me away from it thus far, I know that once I start to sink my teeth into it I won't be able to stop. One more source of procrastination heading into the end of the semester is the last thing I need.

Google Code University I didn't know existed until seeing the Lifehacker posting today. I've used Google Code to a small degree, but just didn't know the University portion existed. I haven't really looked at what's there yet, but I'm interested in finding out. This also falls under the category of potential source of procrastination so, like Academic Earth, I probably won't really get into it for a while yet.

Lifehacker doesn't usually steer me wrong so I definitely plan on giving their eight other suggestions a look at some point as well. Any other suggestions or tips for receiving free education?

[Top 10 Tools via Lifehacker]

Post Script: I do have this in addition to their suggestions. W3Schools is a reference and tutorial covering web development topics. I don't do much html work so when I do I generally like to have a reference handy, and they have delivered.

"You don't need fancy highbrow traditions or money to really learn. You just need people with the desire to better themselves." -Adam Cooper and Bill Collage

Kotaku - "10 Reasons To Buy Prototype"

Sold.

[via Kotaku]

"A good novel tells us the truth about its hero; but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author"

-G.K. Chesterton

Dr. Horrible

Dr. Horrible is on Hulu! That is all.

"In the end, everything is a gag." -Charlie Chaplin

Utah Saints

I recently stumbled across this and it made me happy inside. So watch, and be happy yourself.



"Happiness depends on ourselves." -Aristotle

*Update* I just realized this song reminds me of 'Call On Me' by Eric Prydz

Weekly Running Schedule

For the week of 03/23/2009:

Mon - lift weights
Tues - 4 mi.
Wed - 4 mi. (intervals 2 min. hard, 6 min. recovery)
Thur - lift weights
Fri - 5 mi.
Sun - 11 mi.



"Sooner or later we all quote our mothers" -Bern Williams

Running Continued

Missed a few running posts. Oops. I won't let it happen again, I promise. Don't worry though, I've been keeping up, and even had the opportunity to go snowboarding this past weekend. I was afraid I wouldn't get a chance to at all this season, so I'm glad to have gotten at least one trip in.

 

To the point. On the docket for this week:

Week of 2009/03/16:

Mon. - 9 miles

Tues. - bike 10 miles (easy)

Wed. - roller hockey game

Fri.    - 5 miles (treadmill), weight lifting

Business Card Trickery

Calling it a business card may not fit the strict definition of the word 'card' (trust me, I looked), but who cares. This is just awesome.

Bruce Stewart posted a snippet yesterday on the wired blog in which he shared the magic of the business cards supplied by LEGO for its employees. Putting a spin on business cards that never would have occurred to me, LEGO prints custom LEGO figures. This means the employee's contact information is on the front and back of the figure's shirt. A description just can't do it justice, head over and check it out for yourself.

I've considered getting business cards for myself several times over the past year or so, and I think these would do the trick. I just have one question: LEGO, are you hiring?

[via Wired]

"Neque porro quisquam est qui dolorem ipsum quia dolor sit amet, consectetur, adipisci velit..."

"There is no one who loves pain itself, who seeks after it and wants to have it, simply because it is pain..." - Cicero

Steamcon?

Not to be left out of the lucrative convention business, the steampunk crowd now has one to call home.

The first annual Steamcon will be held October 23-25 2009 in the Seattle Airport Marriott. They plan on having everything from an art exhibition, to theater, to demonstrations about modifying guns (I would assume on how to make them steampunk approved). Oh, and I can't leave out the cabaret act, RPG's, lessons in etiquette, "talks and discussions", and even a display of steam tech.

My initial thought was that as cool as I think steampunk is, I don't know that I'd pony up the cash to attend a convention devoted to it. That is, until I noticed on their site that it would appear that the 3-day ticket is available for $30 through June 1. Now the only thing keeping me back is the whole other-side-of-the-country-and-I'm-on-a-budget issue that also makes PAX, E3, CES, GDC, and SXSW unreasonable to consider.

[via Twitter @steamcon]

"That's it, no more Mr. Knife Guy." - Will Smith as Capt. James West

LG Versa

This phone looks like it could be awesome; of course the last time I got really excited about a phone coming to Verizon was the BlackBerry Storm, and that release was followed by the crush of mediocrity. I feel like I should be slightly gun-shy when it comes to getting hyped about another phone before hearing a lot a bout it, but I can't help but gaze longingly at the Versa.

A quick laundry list of features:

• EV-DO Rev (with tethering capability)
• an OLED display on the cover
• 2 megapixel camera (with face detection)
• GPS
• microSD
• built in accelerometer
• attachable qwerty keyboard (which sounds clunky but in pictures appears to have been done well)
• Visual Voice Mail
• Bluetooth
• threaded messaging (ala Gmail?) - it would appear there is a monthly charge for this feature

I can't wait to see how this shakes out.

P.S. Let me know if they announce the Palm Pre coming to Verizon

[via engadget and cnet]

"A ship in the harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for." - Proverb

T-minus 72 days

72 days left before my 25k. That means less than eleven weeks of training left. I haven't been running as consistently as I would like, but hopefully I'll continue to find enough time to advance my mileage.

I got in an 7 mile run Feb. 16, but missed my long run this past weekend. Despite this I still think I'm in decent shape for being ready in time for the race though. I'm not worried at all about finishing, I'm just too competitive to be willing to 'just finish'; I have to do well.

Anyway, I think I'm going to start posting my planned runs at the beginning of each week, partly to give me something to post about, and partly to motivate myself to structure my training a little more than looking ahead to the next run. 

So to begin:

Week of 2009/02/23:

Tues. - 4 mi.  (yesterday)

Wed. - 3 mi.

Thur. - 5 mi.

Fri.    -  2 mi. & Lift Weights

Sat.   -  8 mi.

"I don't jog. If I die I want to be sick" - Abe Lemmons

Celebration

Happy Birthday to Steve Jobs, who turned 54 today. Have a pączki on me.



"May you live all the days of your life." - Jonathon Swift

Great, or Greatest Ever?

I was recently browsing old Twitter posts of some of the folks I follow, and stumbled across a gem in which Roger Chang, of Revision 3, shared the existence of a programming language I, for one, had never of. What's so special you ask?

First, the name: Brainfuck. Even though the odds of me ever mustering the energy to try it are about 1:1,243 (read further to find out why) I will never forget that the thing exists.

Second, it's tiny. According to the website compiler sizes range from 136 bytes to 240 bytes. Brainfuck has only 8 operators, and so it does not support variables. Yet it is still supposedly Turing Complete. As a consequence of it's small size, the language is extremely restrictive and difficult to use. For example,  'Hello World,' the go to introduction program, is:

++++++++[>+++++++++<-]>.
<+++++[>++++++<-]>-.

+++++++..

+++.

<++++++++[>>++++<<-]>>.

<<++++[>------<-]>.

<++++[>++++++<-]>.

+++.

------.

--------.

>+.

That's right, that series of symbols prints the phrase 'Hello World.' The results are achieved by incrementing or decrimenting an ASCII value and printing the results at the end of each line. Compare that to C++ and decide which one you'd rather look at all day:

#include

using namespace;

int main()

{

cout<<"Hello World!";

return 0;

}

My opinion: intriguing but the lack of operators makes even the most basic functions annoyingly difficult (just check out the website author's odd or even program). 

Yeah, I thought you'd agree.

"Lo! Men have become the tool of their tools." -Henry David Thoreau

EPIC Fail

I know it's cliché but I couldn't resist such a perfect opportunity to take advantage of the over-used meme.

On topic; it would appear EPIC games screwed up royally with the DRM implemented in the PC release of its blockbuster Gears Of War. What was the mistake you ask? They put an expiration date on the DRM certificate. This is a stupid idea. As of January 28, 2009 Gears is impossible to play without tweaking your system's time clock. While this fix isn't terribly difficult, it is definitely annoying and something that is absolutely unreasonable to expect fans to put up with.

According to EPIC they are, in fact, aware of the problem and are working on a fix. All I can say that they'd better get it fixed before the community starts taking things into their own hands and circumvents DRM in an effort to, gasp, render the game they purchased playable.

EPIC, do yourself a favor and fix it soon. [via ars technica]

Update: Supposedly the bug is not related to DRM, EPIC blames the anti-cheat scheme they have in place. [via ars technica]

"All it takes is all you got" -Marc Davis

Yahtzee Reviews Gears of War 2

To rip off an old commercial "He likes it! Hey Yahtzee!" He pretty much nails it when he says "Sometimes, popular things are popular for a reason--because they're good."

I just want to know why it took old Yahtzee until the end of January to review one of the biggest releases of 2008; a release which occured early November. At least the delay didn't affect me, I already decided I like it. (psst. If you haven't go play Horde Mode. Now.)

"When spring comes the grass grows by itself." - Lao Tzu

Big Sale!

This is awesome.

Thank you Cosmic Kitty [via Lifehacker]



"Come my friends, 'tis not too late to seek a newer world." 

- Tennyson

Randomness

Just wanted to round out the night by sharing this story from Clientcopia. It made me chuckle.

Also, has anyone checked out kgb.com? I've been seeing commercials for it but they don't share what it is beyond that kgb stands for "The Knowledge Generation Bureau". It looks like a search engine ala ChaCha. The site looks pretty, however the acronym is a bit of a turnoff for me.



If you are far from the enemy, make him believe you are near. -Sun Tzu

Verizon Acquires Alltel, Creates Opportunity for Amazing Ad Campaign

More news from The Boy Genius Report. Verizon Wireless has completed its acquisition of Alltel wireless, putting itself in position to be the largest cell phone service provider in the United States. Suck on that AT&T. Even better though, think of the ad campaign possibilities Verizon could build off Alltel's campaign following 'Chad' the Alltel salesperson. Picture this: Chad and the verizon guy have lemonade stands next to each other as kids, then kiosks next to each other as adults. Then one day in place of the two kiosks there will be one super-large Verizon wireless kiosk.
Verizon, lets talk.

New Class of Computer?

Asus unveiled a new class of computer at CES this year: the keyboard computer. It is essentially a keyboard with computing specs similar to the netbooks we've been seeing, even down to integrated 802.11 B/G/N, bluetooth, and wireless HDMI. And just in case you don't have, or want, an external monitor, it has a 5 inch touch screen in the place you would find the number pad on a traditional keyboard. One caveat before you get too excited, Asus hasn't announced a price or release date for the Eee Keyboard, so we can only hope that as a member of the Eee line it will be reasonable.

I for one, can't wait to see how this pans out. [thanks to The Boy Genius Report for sharing]