Kicking 2010 out the door

As my New Year's Eve plans implode, I find myself sipping a cool Newcastle Brown Ale in my Stein of Science and look back on the previous year's insanity.

Pros:
* I got a new car.

* I got a new PC.

* I'm still employed.

* I gathered unto me a variety of shiny things (including the aforementioned Stein of Science).

* I saw Prague and much of Bavaria.

Oh, who am I kidding? Listing all the good things in 2010 would take a long time. I did okay overall.

Cons:

* I needed to buy a new car.

* I needed to buy a new PC.

* I find myself plagued with a variety of health issues deriving from overly-bright fluorescent lighting and far too many impacts from my impact sport.

* I didn't get a name or phone phone number of that cute gal on the train tonight. Damnit.

I can't list the crap of 2010 in their entirety in this blog. Most of it is too personal and meaningless to others.


So as the last couple of hours wind away and I drink my irritation down to a dull roar, I guess I should ponder resolutions.

Or I could just resolve to enjoy my beer.

Hey... I think I have a plan!

Happy New Year. May 2011 bring whomever reads this good fortune and happiness as we leave behind the first decade of the 21st century.

Cheers.

Xmas saw a Who

Xmas was pretty awesome. It had a few bumps, but overall it was pretty damn cool. I walked off with much loot.

Thanks to the gracious generosity of a great enabler, I was also able to see the latest "Dr. Who" Christmas Special.

Oh wow, was that awesome.

I actually had to watch it twice to get the full effect (I just finished watching it again). Yeah. It was surreal and really weird, but Moffatt's writing was pretty solid.

I think it was the best of the "Dr. Who" Xmas specials. Good times.

I'm now completely stuffed on Xmas leftovers. Urgh...

Tic-tock

This is pretty much it for time in the office this year.

I'm looking forward to getting caught up on my sleep a bit. Looks like I overdid it for Xmas, so I'll probably be spending a lot of time watching TV instead of doing anything that will require me to spend money.

I suspect I'll spend a bit of money to play with my gift to myself.

Hey now! Get your mind out of the gutter. I'm talking about the Stein of Science I obtained.

My friend Evil Steve loaned me Tucker Max's book I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. I'll probably try to finish that.

I've gotten through the first two chapters. Wow. This guy is quite the jackass. At least he's accepted it and I must admit that he's a funny writer.

Daaamn but this is cool

Neat knife idea

The Size and Shape of a Strange World

In the words of Elijah Snow:

"It's a strange world. Let's keep it that way."

Steins! Of Science!

Pardon the disgusting ruin that is a toaster oven in the background.

So this is one of the Steins of Science I acquired this rainy Monday night from the honorable company of Herr Direktor himself.

I'm impressed with it. Keeps my beer cool and it looks awesome. That I acquired it after an hour(ish) of time hearing of the adventures of Herr Direktor's life was just icing on the cake. I know I'd read of some of it on his website, but for some reason the info didn't stick in my head properly. Likely my grey-matter hard drive is maxed out. *sigh*

I obtained a second one for a sibling who must have one. I can only imagine the sibling's reaction.

It's so shiny... and it holds an imperial pint of beer. I feel I must HIGHLY recommend this to EVERYONE I know!

But first, I need to deal with the fact I've had four pints of strong beer on a work night... ye gods...

Brilliant and a little depressing

Weekend Fallout

This was one of those weekends that has keenly reminded me that I am no longer the age that allows me to abuse my internal organs for two days in a row.

Good lord.

I'm not inclined to go into details. Suffice it to say, there was a fair amount of drinking this weekend.

I spent all Sunday resting and I still think I'm fighting a bug.

Bah. 'Tis the season and all that. I regret nothing.

Testimonial

Q: How does one rejuvenate after a hard evening of the organ and neuron abuse that constitutes holiday festivities?

A: Why, Black Blood of the Earth, of course!

It regenerates brain matter and jump-starts possibly-failing organs. It restores youth and vigor.

It may well raise the dead.

(Note: These statements are based on the writer's observations and not independently-verified, though it's a fair bet there's people out there who believe the writer should be comatose right now.)

Brilliant! FANTASTIC!

This really is genius. (seen on Nerd Approved)

Thank You John Conyers

It's about time someone uttered a little sanity.

RUBBERDUCKZILLA!!!

(WTF Japan, Seriously?)

sugary awesome

'Tis that time of year.

Da boss has delivered candies and a little something extra for xmas.

I've already earmarked the something extra for something awesome. So. Very. Awesome.

And the candy calls to me. Damnit.

I've been getting better as the years have gone by with respect to resisting chocolate (my Kryptonite). Milk chocolate holds less-appeal. The exceptions tend to be when it's wrapping some tasty caramel or a cookie. Twix bars are pure, tasty, evil in that respect.

Dark chocolate, however... oh that will haunt me to my dying day, I think.

Thankfully for my caloric intake, the candies are milk chocolate and mostly-resistable. The damn caramel ones, though... they call to me.

Oh, they call to me.

I can hear their siren song. They sing so very sedu-NOM-NOM-NOM!!!!!

This product needs to be real

A good Dalek scene (for a change)

Yeah.

Gulpo

Hee, hee, hee

Operation SuperCaff: update

Yeah...

So, it's my morning habit to have two cups of coffee. One cup with breakfast. One cup mid-morning when my "coffee buddy" arrives in the office.

*ahem*

As previously stated, I had some BBotE as my breakfast coffee this wet Tuesday morning.

It's doing its work nicely.

I did my coffee buddy a favor and retrieved coffee from our local caffeinating station and opted to get a cup for myself.

Whoo-eee... that plan may not have shown prudence and wisdom on my part.

It's not strong coffee, but I've already got 100 ml of BBotE in my blood.

So I have that much more caffeine in my blood.

Mind you, I have a reasonably-high tolerance for caffeine. Usually. I used to be Starbuck's drone and have actually experienced the joy of caffeine poisoning... over fifteen years ago.

Age, it seems, has lessened my tolerance.

So, the life-lesson here is: obey the suggestions of Herr Direktor. Consume no more than 100ml per DAY.

And now I will... SQUIRREL!!!!

Argh. ADD and OCD overdrive...

Yet another moment of WTF-ery

Nothing says fun like having Yahoo tell me they think my email account may have been compromised.

Doesn't look like anything went awry, but that still doesn't leave me feeling warm-and-fuzzy.

There are days when I think I should retreat to a cave... though that whole lack of running water, central heating, Internet, and all that... that sort of puts the kebosh on that plan.

I'm screwed when civilization collapses. Utterly screwed.

The Esoteric Order of the Old Ones (and Cthulhu Cultists)

(via Ia Ia io9 F'tagn)

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

It's a wet morning. I've been running a bit slow.

So, naturally, I sought to get properly caffeinated on my way out the door this morning. Thus, when preparing breakfast, my gaze turned to the Black Blood of the Earth lingering in my 'fridge...

There's trucks on the freeway when I drive the short trip to work. They're always there, kicking up rocks and pretty much blocking my view.

This fine morning there were several and they were all situated ideally to slow traffic and prevent folks from getting around them.

I was angling my tiny, maneuverable car to attempt the impossible when one of them decided at that moment it was time to change lanes.

Of course, he was coming into my lane. Where else would he go?

Where was I? Oh yes, the BBotE.

So, I'm moderately-convinced I've gained temporary superpowers from that drink. I either had a precognitive flash and knew he was changing lanes or have developed superhuman reflexes.

I avoided being pulped deftly and took an earlier freeway exit to the office.

At first, I thought my increased heart-rate was due purely to adrenaline, but it's been a good thirty minutes or so... I think it's the caffeine.

Sweet, sweet caffeine.

Oh, this is going to be a fun, fun morning. Thank the Loas for spell check. My typing is suffering.

Temptation

Now that I've experienced the quality caffeine product of Funranium Labs known as Black Blood of the Earth, I find my attention drawn to Herr Direktor's other product: Steins of Science.

The problem is, of course, that the Steins of Science ain't cheap. Not that BBotE is inexpensive (it isn't), but the concept of a stein crafted from scientific apparatus and keeps my beer cold for a long period of time... oh that appeals to me.

It could well be worth the money.

Minimum I'm looking at two Franklins and some change, should I take the plunge. That's a hit to the bank account, especially during the holidaze.

The responsible adult in me is counseling me to wait until after Xmas. The responsible adult is saying that I have plenty of vessels to hold my beverages and I don't need this.

It's a shame that the responsible adult in me is kept in a tiny box in the dark recesses of my mind by the irresponsible child that governs most of my affairs.

Oh, the struggle...

Operation SuperCaff: Phase Three

Goal: Compare Sumatra Black Blood of the Earth with Sumatra brewed using the Toddy Coffee method.

Log: Toddy Coffee's method of brewing certainly makes for a smooth cup of coffee. I won't go into the details (the site describes the process better anyway). I found myself wondering if BBotE could possibly be as smooth. I already know Toddy Coffee tends to be less-caffeinated than coffee brewed using other methods.

Conclusion: BBotE is just as smooth as Toddy Coffee and may actually hold more flavor. I could taste a slight berry flavor of the Sumatra in the BBotE. I can't taste the same in my Toddy concentrate.

Unquestionably, BBotE is more caffeinated. A lot more caffeinated.

Overall, I can see myself with a bad BBotE habit in the future.

Operation SuperCaff: Phase Two

Objective: Taste test Black Blood of the Earth and measure reaction to caffeine intake.

Log: Awoke moderately early for a Saturday morning. Prepared breakfast, including one 100 ml shotglass of BBotE. Herr Direktor suggested taste tests should go in the following order:

1) One shot straight and cold (BBotE requires refrigeration).
2) One shot of BBotE to two shots of boiling water.
3) One shot of BBotE to a shot of good-quality vodka.

Prepared step one using an Atwood BigShot. In haste to sample BBotE, did not take note that a BigShot holds roughly 100 ml of liquid.

Tasted BBotE straight. It has a slightly sweet, incredibly-smooth taste. Not like black coffee at all. No bitterness or bite.

Prepared the balance of breakfast. Finished the shotglass halfway through the oatmeal. Considered options and moved ahead to step two. Boiled two shots of filtered water and mixed with one shot of BBotE.

At this juncture, I have ingested 200 ml of BBotE. Halfway through the cup of smooth, tasty caffeinated goodness, I have realized this is more than I'd intended to ingest in one sitting.

Finished the coffee. Starting to feel the effects.

Heart-rate has accelerated a bit. Unspecified muscles between the shoulder blades are tensing. Forehead has a prickly feeling I know from past experience to be an indicator that I am on the high end of my caffeine intake.

Will take note of reactions for the balance of the day.

[UPDATE] Heart-rate remained accelerated for all of the morning and part of the afternoon. Roughly five minutes after the initial post, my eyes felt like they were trying to escape my skull.

In brief, there was plenty of caffeine.

Goal for Phase Three: Compare with Toddy coffee Sumatra concentrate in refrigerator for taste and effect.

Operation SuperCaff: Phase One

Objective: Obtain a sample of Black Blood of the Earth from Herr Direktor, the genius mastermind behind Funranium Labs.

Log: Communication established on 12-9-2010. Due to geographical happenstance, an arrangement was made for a face-to-face hand-off of 750 ml of BBotE (Sumatra).

An initial meeting was scheduled for 16:00 hours. Due to unforeseen circumstances, a second meeting was arranged at a different location. At roughly 18:30 hours, Herr Direktor personally delivered BBotE with thorough instructions as to how best to test (and limit intake) of the onyx-colored liquid life.

Goal for Phase Two: test samples of BBotE.

Shadowy

Ah, Mr. Morden, you ask the tough questions.

Jon Stewart and Julian Assange

You know it was inevitable.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Julian Assange: To Catch a Somewhat Pasty Predator
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

We're Off... to Outer Space!

I've referenced it once or twice.

Yes, I'm talking about Space Battleship Yamato, the live-action remake of the original anime (aired in the U.S. as "Star Blazers").

Oh the memories.

Just seeing the trailers for the live-action movie make me flash back to my pre-teen years catching the serial religiously after school, while dodging admonishments to get my homework done.

I loved this show with the same sort of crazy fervor that Star Wars and similar genre programs held for me.

It's funny how memory works. In the first preview trailer I reference above, you can hear the original music in the background while the pilot (an updated version of "Star Blazers'" Nova, clearly designed to give her a more active role) prepares to do battle with the hostile aliens.

Faint, ambient music in the background threw open doors in my memory of so very long ago.

It's all I've been able to focus on, really. That music.

I ordered the soundtrack from a vendor in Japan that evening and wait anxiously for it to arrive. I've heard samples online and it hasn't calmed me down at all.

Hell, if I could afford it, I'd book a flight to Japan right now and see the movie in Japanese, without subtitles if I could. That's how jazzed these trailers have made me.

There's no way the movie can live up to that expectation, but I don't care right now.

My inner 8 to 12 year old is too busy imagining wave-motion guns blowing alien spacecraft out of the sky and improbable adventures are racing across a star-strewn sky.

Revenge of the Cybermen

Anticipation is wonderful sauce for life, but it can sometimes spoil reality something fierce.

Case in point: a week or two ago, I got a copy of the much-awaited Tom Baker Cyberman story, "Revenge of the Cybermen."

It's the conclusion of the "mini-arc" around Nerva station that started with the "Ark in Space", went into "The Sontaran Experiment", and then into "Genesis of the Daleks".

I interrupted my viewings of "Arrested Development", eagerly plopped the new disc into my DVD player and sat down.

And disappointment set in.

Don't get me wrong. I remain a devoted fan of Tom Baker's era as the Doctor. I love the Cybermen as villains and enjoyed the bits with the hokey Cybermats.

I completely forgot how wrong the Cybermen seem in this. They're so... not-robotic. I swear, if the Cyber-leader had a cyber-moustache, he would have been cyber-twirling it as he did his nefarious death traps.

Just seemed silly.

I did enjoy a random bit of observation. The emblems worn by the Voga aliens seemed strangely familiar when I watched the episode. It took me a whole three minutes to realize they're the Seal of Rassilon the BBC recycled later for the Time Lords.

Ah, shoestring budgets. Gotta love 'em.

POVs

Had a couple of interesting conversations re: WikiLeaks with friends. Points raised:

1) Assange deserves the heat 'cause leaking the info was irresponsible and stupid.

I don't entirely agree. Oh, Assange should have known this would have been a problem. I think he expected heat, though not on this level. I don't think it was irresponsible, per se. The statistic that this information was already available to thousands of people, including private contractors, pretty much puts to rest the argument that any of this information was confidential.

The released cables have - according to most credible reports - been redacted for any indentifying specifics that would create targets. That seems to satisfy due-dillgence.

2) WikiLeaks is aiding terrorists by offering them a list of targets.

Seriously? Again, they're not providing specifics. Do you honestly think potential terrorists haven't already considered dams, train stations, and the like as potential targets? Really?

3) The WikiLeaks people talk about democracy but behave like anarchists.

I haven't seen proof of that, personally. That seems more like a subjective claim. In my (albeit limited) experience, most "anarchists" are just left-leaning folks pushing democratic activism. They aren't always showing good judgement, but that label applies to all ends of the political spectrum...

Personally, I think Assange f*cked up. He didn't realize just how big this was going to get. I feel for the guy and I'm personally sympathetic to what WikiLeaks is trying to accomplish, but I think their tactics weren't the best.

That said, I don't think I could come up with a better way to get the attention WikiLeaks was aiming for, so maybe I'm just naive.

Still ranting

I can't leave it alone.

Great write ups from Charles Stross and zunguzungu.

Via Warren Ellis

rant

It's not really my intention with this blog to be excessively political, but it is my intention to use this blog to voice whatever is going through my grey matter (when anything is).

So apologies if you don't agree with my political views or are tired of hearing about the latest thing that offends me.

That said, nobody's putting a gun to your head to read this (and if someone is, it's probably a faster, kinder end to choose the gun), so... yeah.

Moving on.

Some good articles on just how scary the WikiLeaks censorship fallout is:

* An article by Dan Gillmor on Salon.

* A similar article posted on the EFF.

This entire (over)reaction to WikiLeaks is why I will never have faith in "cloud based" computing nor an excessive amount of faith in the Internet as a communication medium.

I find this an especially-damning argument against the excessive privatization that right-wingers espouse. The U.S. government has a legal obligation to uphold the Constitution and the Bill of Rights (such as freedom of speech). Private organizations are not obligated to do the same. Amazon is perfectly within their rights to tell WikiLeaks (or whomever else) to f*ck off.

Of course, Amazon was all in favor of selling a pedophile book until they bowed to pressure. Funny where they're interested in taking a "moral" stand, huh?

I think in its infancy, the Internet had a lot of potential for free distribution of information, but that time is now long-passed. If folks want some medium for free distribution of ideas and information, there's going to have to be another way. A return to radio? Something else?

Cinema Necromancy 1010

Apparently George Lucas is planning a little necromancy.

Now I'm afraid of a zombie John Wayne eating our brains and spouting dialog from the prequel trilogy.

Could anything be more terrifying?

Can I hear another "SQUEE!!!"?

Whoa

Erik sent me this.

Wow.

Everything makes so much sense now.

If anyone needs me, I'm going to be huddled under my desk and snarling at anyone who gets too close.

OH YES!!!

If I lose, I get to be a LEGEND!

THIS! This right here! This is why I consider "The Order of the Stick" to be one of the best-written webcomics out there.