tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51092482011-11-27T16:53:25.826-08:00The End UserOne man complains about being subjected to the crappy decisions of others.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.comBlogger761100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-52238619903100928392011-08-17T19:14:00.000-07:002011-08-17T19:30:47.421-07:00Why haven't we seen aliens?
How many of them are in the galaxy? Who knows, but Drake's Equation is an OK framework. What it doesn't deal with is detection and navigation. Let's pretend that we're in the exact center of a galaxy with a radius of 50,000 light years. Now let's say we're emitting radio waves for 100 years, making us detectable. If we STOP using radio today, (not a sure thing, Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-42949157288522687492011-07-30T19:14:00.000-07:002011-07-30T19:25:00.005-07:00An open letter to Game Developers.I am a user that has probably spent in excess of $10k on video games in my life. I have played everything from the Atari to the most modern 3D craziness. I am a connoisseur that backs up his opinion with dollars, and I would like to plead with you to make one small conceptual change in how you think about games, namely how you START a game. I have something Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-57959049360853791142010-02-25T15:26:00.001-08:002010-02-25T15:32:39.754-08:00Would you want to live forever? Hells yeah...http://www.cbsbottomline.com/Live_Forever_.html#This pseudointellectual piece looks at the logistical problems of immortality. It's missing the obvious solution. If you want to live forever, you have to leave. Leave the earth that is. Nearly immortal humans (aside from accident or injury) would be the perfect space travelers. Physically resiliantBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-82229147606781464752009-10-27T15:35:00.001-07:002009-10-27T15:35:33.127-07:00I've been on Facebook for about a year now. I know entirely too much about what you are having for lunch, the song lyrics in your head at any particular moment, and who has the most experience shaking down city council members.I now realize that on the occasions that I get to see you all in person, I have less and less to talk to you about. Not only that, but I realized that with even the Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-60350243133394595222009-08-17T14:33:00.001-07:002009-08-17T15:11:26.398-07:00"And that my lord is how we know the world to be Banana shaped."I'm not so arrogant as to suggest that there aren't some ridiculously smart people working on the fundamental laws of the universe, but I think that they are in serious need of a reality check, as are armchair physicists that are eagerly awaiting the experimental results at the Large Hadron Collider. I want to give the good people Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-74239428019182432612009-02-26T13:26:00.000-08:002009-02-26T13:58:48.887-08:00So Obama wants a new assault rifle ban. BAD MOVEDon't get me wrong, I like Barack Obama, and even I, a great cynic, was hopeful about meaningful, systemic change in politics as usual in DC. I read this article and I realized that nothing has changed at all. Mr. Obama, even discussing any kind of firearms ban is a terrible idea in the long term. I know that you have political favors to pass Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-42769669826604542492009-02-22T04:18:00.000-08:002010-08-31T12:47:42.071-07:00Wait a second!!!So I saw an Ad for CSX that claims they can move 1 ton of freight 423 miles per gallon of fuel. Awesome, I'm all for fuel economy. Let's assume that's a best-case scenario.The alternative would be long-haul 18-wheeler trucks, which have fuel economy in the range of 6-8 mpg. (Truck companies don't clearly state mileage stats, but that seems to be about average from what I have Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-41389024250841138392008-12-11T16:10:00.000-08:002010-08-31T12:49:53.782-07:00Cautiously optimistic about the star trek rebootI will admit it, I like star trek. Crucify me all you like, but Trek was old-school sci-fi. It was about using the future to reflect on the nature of humanity. Kirk wandered the galaxy with his best friends, getting in trouble, getting the girl, and examining the ethics of cultural relativism. Picard and friends did the same thing, but they Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-73101161397171500022008-09-11T13:05:00.000-07:002008-09-11T13:43:04.980-07:00Why isn't Ubuntu the number one operating system?I read crap like this and it occurs to me just how out of touch some people are with reality. There are a lot of Linux fanboys out there that like to spout off about how much cooler they are because they use this $up#r k001 operating system. This particular article was not written by one of them (at least that's not how he appears) It was Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-21802927294453288182007-12-10T15:15:00.000-08:002007-12-10T15:27:00.771-08:00So it's that time of year again. The time for showing people how much you supposedly love them by buying a bunch of crap they probably don't want. So I got real drunk and went on Amazon. I happened to notice the "reccomendations for you" section, and I was intrigued. Amazon.com thought that I would be interested in a 5-user copy of Apple OS-X "Leopard" 10.5. I couldn't help but wonder why onBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-47174454926589173332007-12-01T17:18:00.000-08:002007-12-01T17:33:15.859-08:00So A.E. Vogler proposes that media studios will be replaced by venture capitalists, ala. Michael Clayton.I love the idea, but He's forgeting about two VERY important data points, Uwe Boll and Pornt. Uwe Boll He has consistently pumped out shitty movies by helping wealthy Germans VCs exploit a tax loophole. He spent $3m making craptastic flicks that rake in a modest $15m. The system he Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-40174588513773591072007-11-13T12:41:00.000-08:002007-11-13T13:48:03.034-08:00Galactic Civilizations 3 WishlistI'm a huge fan of a game from stardock called Galactic Civilizations 2. It's much like Sid Meier's Civilization, but a lot less boring. The new expansion, "Twilight of the Arnor" looks great, but it got me to thinking of what would I do to make the game better. This concepts in this wishlist goes for Civilization or any other turn-based strategy game as Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-65972962779859977652007-10-05T04:41:00.000-07:002010-08-31T12:41:30.669-07:00Kids and Technology I read an article about Bob goodnight complaining that education hadn't changed to match the "fact" that kids had changed. This is something I have been dealing with at work for quite some time, and in my opinion, there is a lot of people that are tragically misinformed about kids and technology, including Mr. Goodnight."they are born with an iPod in one hand and a cell Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-75073258996004927592007-09-20T15:38:00.001-07:002007-09-20T16:01:01.443-07:00We're all getting screwed on broadband.I got a note in the mail today from Comcast offering me 12mbps cable modem internet as a way to increase my business's productivity. Aside from the fact that I have no business and my zip code is not in the Comcast service area (at least it shows that they aren't profiling me, or they suck at it) I fail to understand how faster internet would make ANYBODY Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-46552703530955650992007-09-06T02:50:00.000-07:002007-09-06T03:01:14.207-07:00Apple shafts it's customers again.It's not the first time it's happened, but it's certainly very visible this time. Apple computer today slashed a whopping $200 off it's craptastic iphone. This is the reward you get for supporting a company built entirely off of the masochism of it's customers. They know who will be the first to line up, it's the faithful mac-addicts that desperately want to Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-19226785630027067222007-08-15T18:31:00.000-07:002007-08-15T18:38:02.972-07:00Fuck Microsoft. I defend them constantly against an internet full of anonymous jackasses, and they do this shit to me. I use my PC as a TV. It's convenient, I like it. Recently, some programs have started popping up telling me that the broadcaster has restricted my ability to watch their programming. Well fuck that. When did they get the right to tell me what kind of TV I can watch their Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-40947853458268583692007-06-24T04:30:00.000-07:002007-08-15T18:30:01.364-07:00So what exactly did Satan do again? Today I recalled an old conversation. It once occured to me that if you look at the bible in a different light, Satan doesn't really look so bad. Please keep in mind that I am not a satanist, atheist, or any form of religious. I'm merely throwing this out for the sake of argument because I am fascinated by the social aspects of religion.Satan's whole deal isBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-90610034851585629042007-06-22T12:29:00.000-07:002007-06-22T13:55:58.673-07:00The new york times has up a decent review of Michael Moore's new film "Sicko." It closes with an interesting question.When he plaintively asks, “Who are we?,” he is not really wondering why our traditions of neighborliness and generosity have not found political expression in an expansive system of social welfare. He is insisting that such a system should exist, and also, rather ingeniously, Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-45980247952180974042007-06-07T17:23:00.000-07:002007-06-07T17:41:57.008-07:00The Death of conversation, Anonymity + an Audience = JackassSo I was checking out Amazon's customer discussion forum about the new Linkin Park CD. There was a mention of how one customer thought that trying to get all politically preechy in music got kinda depressing and ruined some of the songs. (I tend to agree) There was no mention of any type of partisan bias, only a tendency to want keep Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-34638693173173726652007-06-06T14:03:00.001-07:002007-06-06T14:36:15.299-07:00What's the deal with lifestyles?Why is it that people feel the need to buy into a proscribed set of actions, possessions, and attitude? What sociological factors push people to jump in head-first into everything they do? Id it TV telling us that we need to go the full 9 yards or we're half-assing it? Why do motorcycle riders feel the need to go whole hog into being a leather-clad, bad ass or Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-53092618415204625392007-05-29T13:23:00.000-07:002007-05-29T14:07:57.061-07:00Star Wars at 30, an opposing view.As I watch the Star Wars Legacy on the History channel, I can't help but fundamentally disagree with some of it's assumptions. Those interviewed propose that Star Wars is a tale of Good Vs Evil, a Hero's journey where the protagonists are drawn into a struggle greater than themselves, where their identities change by the actions they are forced to take.I proposeBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-78291515022972478082007-03-27T02:25:00.000-07:002007-03-27T02:35:12.601-07:00Home theater is expensive.I didn't want a home theater, I wanted a nice cozy place where we could watch TV and play games. I think I found a good balance with high-end stuff but not the purpose-specific room built around media. Here's a pic.The thing that bothers me the most was the cold-turkey switch from from Optical to HDMI audio. While I like HDMI, I still have new devices that only run Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-16792286645393994012007-03-18T04:40:00.000-07:002007-03-18T04:44:26.079-07:00Gotta appreciate the irony.I posted a comment about high bandwidth usage on slashdot asking a simple question, what are you doing that takes up the massive bandwidth you are using? The responses made me laugh. Each one talked about how they are the "net user of the future" using interactive services etc, but what they were all doing was downloading TV shows. If this is the net of the future, Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-81669271707390076252007-03-03T21:18:00.000-08:002007-03-03T21:27:27.997-08:00Supreme Cheater is more like it.So my reminiscing about the days of yore, playing total annihilation led me to pick up Supreme Commander. All I can say is WTF! I typically don't play the campaign, and I don't like the dweebs on the net, so I play the skirmish by myself. I like the addition of an AI type, but"normal AI" should be called "roll over and die", but everything else should be called Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-22520690556714031422006-12-30T04:41:00.000-08:002006-12-30T04:54:45.806-08:00Eragon, I liked it better with Luke SkywalkerMy wife persuaded me and some friends to go see Eragon last night as she had read and enjoyed the books. I must say that plagiarism has never boring. A farm boy happens upon a key to a new world only to have his uncle killed by those looking for it. He meets an old wise man with a mysterious past and gets whisked away to join a rebel force, learningBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-78080794268752240872006-12-29T13:14:00.000-08:002006-12-29T14:36:41.902-08:00It's time to ditch the space shuttle.What the hell is the point of sending people into space? Nasa claims that their mission is scientific, but what have we learned in the last 25 years that justifies the hundreds of billions of dollars spent on manned space flight? Don't get me wrong, I'm ALL FOR robotic space exploration, earth observation, etc, but human astronauts don't need to be involved.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1164307687822999732006-11-23T10:42:00.000-08:002006-11-23T10:48:07.843-08:00What do you do with a computing cluster? I recently came into possession of around 30 mid-range servers, and I have a few ideas of what do do with them. Aside from things like folding@home and seti@home, what do you DO with a large cluster of computers? My charter is to advance visualization efforts with them, but I'm having a hard time finding tasks that require that kind of juice. I have a Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1160359238643163842006-10-08T18:56:00.000-07:002006-10-08T19:00:38.656-07:00Which way to the beer tents?I just got back from Oktoberfest Munich. I have to say that it was totally surreal. Ten thousand (mostly german) people standing up and singing for four hours, getting progressively drunker. We met some really cool people, and had a great time, but I will pass along a word of advice to anybody that is interested. My limit is somewhere less than 5 liters of beer. (Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1159064359901595622006-09-23T19:18:00.000-07:002006-09-23T19:19:19.913-07:00I heard a clip on the radio about some dillhole trying to get Oprah to run for president.I'm not scared about Hilary, because I know that she has no chance of victory.Oprah however does have a chance to win, but she really shouldn't.Here's why:5) Oprah has a mentality of "giving" to those in need. In the US, we pay taxes to provide for the common defense, not to give money to those with a hard Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1155866377173262802006-08-17T18:28:00.000-07:002006-08-17T18:59:37.266-07:00Professional ValidationI love my job. I really do. I get to spend my day in intellectual pursuit of whatever I want. I have few resources, no budget, and limited reachback, but I esentially have total autonomy to follow my imagination. I like it so much that I come home and spend hours reading about anything I can that is even tangentially related. I do get guidance, as to the types of Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1142719498221845782006-03-18T13:53:00.000-08:002006-03-18T14:04:58.230-08:00What the hell is wrong with these people?The University of California Regents bowed to student pressure and withdrew their stakes in Sudanese companies. I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on this situation, but this is how the LA times summarized it.The nine companies, many involved in energy and oil, have provided financial or military support to the Sudanese government and showed "little Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1129224291221405782005-10-13T10:24:00.000-07:002005-11-20T06:22:32.083-08:00Understanding Apple Culture for the non-Apple User. Few consumer brands can inspire the kind of fanatical religious zealotry as Apple computer has managed to do over the past 20 or so years. The corporation has expanded beyond a provider of high quality hardware and software to a dictator of culture and ideology to the brainwashed masses that follow their iconic “Great Leader” Steve Jong-Il JobsBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128991852253637132005-10-10T20:24:00.000-07:002005-10-10T17:50:52.260-07:00What do I do? More than once I have told people about how I don't like sports or TV or listen to music. I often get the question "what do you do?" in a generally bewildered voice. It struck me as odd that people couldn't figure out anything to do with their time but watch TV. I even felt a little superior that I was disinterested in intellecually unstimulating entertainment. Then I got to Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128549144499816012005-10-05T14:34:00.000-07:002005-10-05T14:52:24.503-07:00ESRI is toast. If you aren't aware, ESRI is the maker of the ArcGIS Geographic Information Systems, and the #2 supplier of software to the federal government. (next to microsoft) People on the net make a huge hubub about howGoogle is going after Microsoft's home turf, but MS has proven to be a resiliant competitor. ESRI on the other hand is in a REALLY bad spot. ESRI makes so much money Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1126657854552823682005-09-13T17:01:00.000-07:002005-09-13T17:30:54.560-07:00What's the deal with Windows "Vista?"I often find myself forced to stick up for Microsoft against a slew of dingbats that think that Linux is so cool and that they are somehow cool for liking it. I don't like to defend companies, but the fact is that Microsoft has historically made good software, and been very successful in business. Now I look forward to Windows Vista and I can't help but Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1126455489244561282004-09-11T09:16:00.000-07:002005-09-11T09:43:53.313-07:00Technology holds the promise of liberating humanity from the manipulative hand of oppressive governments, religions, and super-empowered individuals that each act like they know what is best for us but really just want the 60" plasma TVs, Escalades, private jets, 17 year old girls and the elusive adjective of powerful. Technology promises to move the world away from a model where powerful voices Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128776504487915802004-02-22T06:01:00.000-08:002005-10-08T06:01:44.490-07:00indie != good"I only go to indie movies and listen to indie music because they are better." I felt blessed to hear this the other day. Not because I had found a like minded individual, but because I was present when the stupidest thing that had ever been said in the entire history of the universe was spoken. It was a flashbulb memory. Yes, the person actually claimed in no uncertain terms Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128776054165598472004-01-08T05:53:00.000-08:002005-10-08T05:54:14.166-07:00Woo Hoo local sports team. I just returned from a wonderful time with my wife at a hockey game. She liked the away team (even though she has at no point in her life lived anywhere near their home city) while I prefered the home team, as I have lived here all my life. Some good natured prodding took place, and we had a great time. (home team won) What struck me as odd was the baseless and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128776757083071502003-06-20T06:02:00.000-07:002005-10-08T06:05:57.086-07:00Rick Berman, My Nemesis. I just watched star-trek:nemesis, and I was less than enthralled. The story played out like a work of fan-fiction, but the direction and special effects compensated a bit. To put it bluntly, it wasnt' what I expected from an even numbered trek. I'll break it down and perhaps figure out the root of the problem.', 'Star Trek Movies1- The motion(less) picture. REALLY Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128775722470510372003-06-08T05:47:00.000-07:002005-10-08T05:48:42.470-07:00Poor Martha Stewart. Worldcom is short 57.7 BILLION dollars. Enron is out 3.5 Billion, yet who is made out to be the biggest criminal? Martha Stewart. She's a smart cookie. She's a major player on the stock market, and she's a successful businessperson. She MIGHT have traded 4,000 shars of imclone stock, valued at something like 30,000 bucks, and her net worth drops by two thirds. This is NOT a Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128776795930996342003-05-30T06:06:00.000-07:002005-10-08T06:06:35.930-07:00HACKED!!!! So, it happened to me. I truly wouldn't have believed that there was a couple of kids bored enough to bother with my little web page. I'm not upset, it caused me no financial hardship, and I really dont care all that much. My problem is that I dont know how to fix it. I checked my web page for the first time in who knows how long, and what do I see but- ATH eh nois HAHAHAHA esse Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128783895486379712003-05-03T06:06:00.000-07:002005-10-08T08:04:55.493-07:00My opinion is better because I am famous.So I have been reading all sorts of articles on celebraties that have been voicing their political opinion on the the assumption that they are entitled to free speach. While this assumption is true, the concept of "free speech" seems to be really misunderstood. The ability to think and say whatever you like is the reason that this country is so great andBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128785270588381642003-04-29T08:27:00.000-07:002005-10-08T08:27:50.590-07:00Spam, gotta love them idealists. Unsolicited commercial email. Junk mail. Floating around right now are several laws in the US and other countries attempting to make spam illegal. There are many many technical attempts to filter good email from bad email. Some of these attempts may work to a degree, but more than likley, they will be outmaneuvered, loopholed, worked around, or broken. The Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128785195370756372003-04-14T08:25:00.000-07:002005-10-08T08:26:35.376-07:00Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf - Comedy Gold. Muhammed Saeed al-Sahaf, the Iraqi information minister, is the real winner in Operation Iraqi Freedom. If he is still alive, he will be a really big star. I can just see him on Leno some night telling us how good the war is going. I mean how much fun it must have been for him to not be constrained by details like the truth. My personal favorite is "Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128776552141880652003-02-24T06:02:00.000-08:002005-10-08T06:02:32.143-07:00Movies from games - the problem as I see it. Every time a movie comes out that was conceptually derived from a vieo game, it gets slammed by critics and viewers for being campy, uninspired, or just lame. The problem is that they are right. I have finally figured out why that is. The reason as I see it is with the games themselves, NOT the movies.', 'Dont get me wrong, the movies are BAD. Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128776453395855432003-02-14T06:00:00.000-08:002005-10-08T06:00:53.396-07:00My Valentine', '2003-02-15 16:17:39I think we can all agree on how Valentines day is kind of a stupid holiday. What I mean by this is that a year of ignoring someone can not be remedied with flowers, candy, and champagne. By the same token, a happily married couple makes EVERY DAY valentines day. I suppose there is a middle ground of those that dont shower appreciation on each other enough, Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128776412362940162003-02-14T05:59:00.000-08:002005-10-08T06:00:12.363-07:00Code Orange - What's the dilly-o?The whole country is on code Orange terror alert this week. That is supposed to signify that there is some reason to expect a terrorist attack. Some ignore the situation, hoping it will go away, others panic and hide in their bathtubs with their cats. The vast majority take what steps they are told and go on with their lives. This is the way it's supposed to Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128776379258220772003-02-11T05:59:00.000-08:002005-10-08T05:59:39.260-07:00I hate MindtrapSo we were playing a family game called Mindtrap. It's not a bad game, and the premise is not terrible. It is an extension of the "5 minute mysteries" that many people did as kids. You would be given a situation, and told to solve it. It may be a short detective story, a math problem, or a critical thinking piece. The problem is that solving problems requires creativity, and Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128776337493294482003-02-10T05:58:00.000-08:002005-10-08T05:58:57.496-07:00Joe Blow. I have to admit the shameful, shocking, awful truth. I have watched EVERY SINGLE episode of Joe Millionaire. Yes, I know. You're disappointed, but I can explain. My wife made me. That and I knew there was some kind of BS behind it. Beth and I figured it out the first episode, and it seems like we were right.', 'Joe Millionaire is this stupid over-drawn-out dating game "with a Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128649887454794362003-01-27T18:50:00.000-08:002005-10-06T18:51:27.456-07:00Black Hawk Down is Bad Ass. I feel a little bad calling this movie "Bad Ass" because it's a true story, plus some artistic license. It's the story of a military operation in Mogadishu Somalia. The mission was complex, but it was basically go in and take some prisoners. The entire (VERY well armed) city turns on a couple dozen Army Rangers and Delta Force. Its bloody, its personal, its apoliticalBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128649809424639372003-01-27T18:49:00.000-08:002005-10-06T18:50:09.430-07:00As a teenager, I had myself convinced of a great many things. Some I still believe, some I have turned 180º on. I figured it was probabally better to write them down now rather than when I am old and senile and slurp applesauce through a straw. (30-35 years old?)LoveI used to think that love could be explained as a combination of hormones, alcohol, and boredom. I had a few relationships in high Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128649767196580242003-01-17T18:48:00.000-08:002005-10-06T18:49:27.200-07:00UNIX is a pain in the ASS. A more appropriate title for this thought would be "Computers are a pain in the ass" but I am singleing out UNIX because it is a slow moving target. Thats right, slow moving. UNIX was written in the 50s and 60s, and really hasnt changed a whole lot since, save for the lack of punch cards. Conceptually, UNIX isnt very complicated, but to do anything really productive Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128649991588467152002-12-23T18:51:00.000-08:002005-10-06T18:53:11.590-07:00What Makes America Great. There are people that will argue this into the ground, but the simple fact is that they are wrong, and I am right. If you agree with me, you too are right. Those that oppose you are wrong. This is the intangible thing that makes America great, attitude. France, England, Germany, Italy, China, Japan, South America, or anywhere else that immigrants come (came) from all Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128650288737166702002-12-09T18:57:00.000-08:002005-10-06T18:58:08.740-07:00The RIAA is Dumb. I dont like to belittle people, but the Recording Industry Association of America has got to be the slowest witted bunch of professionals that I have ever heard of. These are people whose sole job it is to collectively represent 6 companies with simmilar interests. The only way that they can figure out how to do this is to cling to an outdated and flawed dogma for dear life. NotBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128650065417195202002-11-06T18:53:00.000-08:002005-10-06T18:54:25.420-07:00My brother is a rather smart individual, and in a recent discussion, we debated the potential of Microsoft's newest big push, the so called ".net" They haven't really gone specifically into what .net is, but rather they have thrown around a bunch of buzzwords and ambiguous catchphrases. Among these are "XML","Interoperability", and "software as a service." Aside from not really knowing what the Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128775889622561312002-10-08T05:48:00.000-07:002005-10-08T05:51:29.623-07:00On Grand Unification...', '2003-01-27 10:43:54Keep in mind that I am not a physicist. I really dont have anything to back this up except an abstract conceptual model in my head.Einstein was right. (suprise) Einstein's general relativity went against traditional thinking that gravity was instantaneous and infinitely reaching. He showed that gravity could bend light, and that gravity MOVED at Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128776126240631712002-07-20T05:54:00.000-07:002005-10-08T05:55:26.243-07:00What's so great about Mars? I was listening to the radio this morning and I heard the local wacky morning guys talking about how the space program beyond commercial usage was essentially a waste of money, life and resources. They focused on the notion that we should go to Mars. They stated in no uncertain terms that unless we can open a luxury resort or a mine or something useful, then it's Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128775935562672302002-07-08T05:51:00.000-07:002005-10-08T05:52:15.563-07:00Who do you trust. There is a lot of talk in the IT industry about building a "trusted computing platform." This is essentially a term used for creating hardware that talks to each other and software that makes sure that everything is doing what it should be. This opens up a lot of interesting possibilities and poses a lot of interesting questions.A trusted platforms could theoretically be usedBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1126455722995545592002-07-01T09:21:00.000-07:002005-09-11T09:22:02.996-07:00I am through with major league baseball. I really liked the sport before the \'94 strike, but it hurt. Baseball is supposed to be America\'s Game. What does it say about America when we allow politics and money to hurt the consumer? It\'s an accurate reflection of US business ethics.', 'I dont want to take sides in the labor dispute, but I cant help but think that there is entirely too much moneyBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128775570761949852002-07-01T05:45:00.000-07:002005-10-08T05:46:10.766-07:00My farewell to CaliforniaI like California.I like it a lot. The sun is warm, the people are nice, and life is good. In California, I have met some of the most interesting people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. I have been interesting places, I have learned many things. I spent four years waking up to beautiful mountains in the Shenandoah Valley, but they seem trivial compared to the Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128650233944200862002-05-29T18:56:00.000-07:002005-10-06T18:57:13.946-07:00I got your professional tool right here. I can deal with labelwhores. Those people that always wear "outfits" instead of clothes. They need matching "swooshes" or the name of their favorite designer proudly displayed all over themselves. I can deal with these people because they generally dont talk about it, they "Just do it." (couldn't resist) What I DO have a problem with is computer bigots. Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128650172418789322002-05-10T18:54:00.000-07:002005-10-06T18:56:12.420-07:00Email is Going to die. Every time I say this to somebody, I get a reaction that one would expect if you were screaming racial slurs in Compton. This is because I never get a chance to explain myself. I think that Email, as described in RFC 822, along with the associated standardized protocols (SMTP, POP, IMAP, etc) will go the way of the dodo in the near future. (15 years??) EGADS, YOU HEATHEN!!Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128776194668227542002-03-08T05:55:00.000-08:002005-10-08T05:57:40.806-07:00A new home entertainment paradigm. Home entertainment centers are a pain in the ass. They are a pain in the ass because the existing standards have been hacked and tweaked and expanded and are quite simply not sufficient for the masses. A New paradigm is needed for home entertainment that is modular, expandable, backwards-compatible, incrementaly upgradable, and EASY TO USE. The technology now Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128649682383464552002-01-16T18:45:00.000-08:002005-10-06T18:48:02.390-07:00I recently ordered a laptop computer. I was looking at reviews of the model I wanted, and I stumbled across the Cnet user reviews. I looked at just the negative reviews of this product, and noticed a startling trend. All the negative reviews of the laptop were written before the laptop even came out. This baffles me. How do you review a product that you don't have, and have never seen? There are Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1126459205708117692002-01-11T10:06:00.000-08:002005-09-11T10:20:05.720-07:00Civ 3 aint so hotI bought Sid Meirs's newest installment of Civilization, the long awaited Civ3. Civ2 was an absolute classic, and I enjoyed it immensely. When Activision forked the series into \"Call to Power,\" I enjoyed that even more, but those games came out five years after Civ2. So What do I think of it? Not much. Civ3 is a mediocre game in and of itself, but it should have been legendary.Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128775626375520182002-01-08T05:46:00.000-08:002005-10-08T05:47:06.376-07:00Ralph Nader: Well meaning hippyAs I sat here and watched Ralph Nader speak during a pre-recorded session at UCSB, I laughed at his jokes, I shook my head when he said something obvious, and I found myself agreeing with him IN PRINCIPLE. Ralph Nader's big deal is that of Civics. He is of the view that people should, and want to behave in a civicly responsible manner. Its hard to argue against whenBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1126458176068676132001-12-19T10:02:00.000-08:002005-09-11T10:06:10.153-07:00I hate people that hate Brittney SpearsThis is sure to spark a bunch of head scratching from the one or two people that might actually read this. Watch MTV for five minutes with a 12-30 year old and chances are that you will hear them say, at least once, "I hate ." If you ask them why, many will have a total meltdown of cognitive processes. Some get irate, some get defensive, some cant say Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1126457805875510432001-12-16T09:43:00.000-08:002005-09-11T09:56:45.883-07:00Micropayments will never workI read an article on Howthingswork.com about a potential new micropayment scheme called the penny per page model. For those of you unfammiliar with micropayments, the basic way that they work is that you have an account with some sort of intermediary, and use the web as you normally would. When a web page is created, an author has the option of charging a small fee (Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1126456704881741342001-12-13T09:34:00.000-08:002005-09-11T09:38:24.886-07:00On the Utility of Violence.I was watching TV tonight, and a politically correct mother was talking to her son about how he almost got into a fight, but avoided it, and resolved the situation peacefully. It was nice. The world would be a great place if we could all learn to sit down and talk out our differences. We would need to set attitudes, religious beliefs, and millenia of hatred to the side Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128776289239027892001-12-08T05:57:00.000-08:002005-10-08T05:58:09.240-07:00My browser is better than your browser. Who the hell really gives a crap what internet browser is being used more than another? As a web developer, I can appreciate the subtle differences between the browsers and how they render HTML, but 99.9& of the time, they are identical. I personally design my pages to be compliant with MS IE 4.0. IE 5, and 6 are what 91% of all web users use. What I Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1126456441987703042001-11-11T09:27:00.000-08:002005-09-11T09:34:01.993-07:00Personal Computers, in and of themselves, do nothing useful for me. By useful, I mean that they do not make my life any easier. There is a tremendous amount of bullshit that everybody does every day that a computer could just as easily do, but they dont. Lets first examine what computers do well1) Math - I have done a lot of very sophisticated imagery processing that would simply not be possible Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1126455871756273992001-11-11T09:23:00.000-08:002005-09-11T09:26:43.186-07:00I am a patriot. I love this country, and if I was needed, I would give my life to protect it. America is a shining beacon of peace and freedom in the world. The world looks up to us in awe, in respect, in jealousy, in fear, in shame, or in anger. We have carved out a place in the world with everything we need to survive, and to live happily. We have taken the initiative and done what we needed toBrianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128776016554757732001-11-08T05:52:00.000-08:002005-10-08T05:53:36.556-07:00JMU can kiss my buttWe all want to be loved, to be cared for and to be a part of something special. When the JMU Madison connection called me to ask for a donation, the thoughts that ran through my head were not the warm fuzzy memories of administrators helping me make decisions, or my professors working through problems in office hours. What I remembered was the cold mechanical hand of Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1126456933661215742001-10-15T09:39:00.000-07:002005-09-11T09:42:13.663-07:00Don't Rock the VoteI've been formulating this thought since the 2000 election. I don't think you should vote. Thats right, YOU. I don't know who you are, but chances are very high that you A) Dont vote or B) Shouldn't vote. Around every election you have everybody and their brother telling you to register and vote. I think that this is an inherently bad idea leading to a degradation of overall Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1126455817759743512001-10-02T10:22:00.000-07:002005-09-11T09:23:37.760-07:00California is a strange place. I dont think I like it here enough that I would want to live here. Dont get me wrong, the state is chock full of natural beauty, and the people are friendly. There is something else. Its deep and elusive. ', 'The problem I have is that the people that live here are too active. By active I mean politically, socially, economically, physically, and emotionally. I feel Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5109248.post-1128775670312993182001-05-08T05:47:00.000-07:002005-10-08T05:47:50.313-07:00Aliens: Friend or Foe. This is a continuation of a conversation I had with Dr. Helmut Kraenzle in 2000. A recent article I read brought it back into my mind. If we are visited by interstellar aliens, would they be kind, loveable Alfs, or wrecking Vogons? Hollywood sometimes gets an overactive imagination with flicks like Independance Day or Battlefield Earth. (worst movie ever) They depict Brianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07538017535575756487noreply@blogger.com0