A Darth Vader Piñata

Take a look:



I love this place =)

Theora

Before I go to sleep, I must tell the world I have a new 'puter.
More to follow... as soon as I can get some sleep, that is!

Everybody is worth something.

... even when dead :)

Raw materials are no longer easy to come by. Click on the link for a free appraisal today!!!

$4725.00The Cadaver Calculator - Find out how much your body is worth.

Concept bike from Yamaha

Don't you wish big companies would put some of their concept vehicles into production?



This lovely mechanical creature is called the "Tesseract". It sports not two, but four wheels for additional stability and two engines: one for conventional fossil fuel while the other is electric. Rumour has it they are coordinated for extra-low ecological impact with improved performance pretty much like hybrid cars.

So I keep pondering two things:
* What do we need Sci Fi for when we've got Japan?
* Will it transform into an Autobot or a Decepticon?

Code Injection

Dear Reader:

Never underestimate the power of Code Injection:



This is one of the brightest yet geekiest jokes I've seen in years!

Always, always check your facts...

... or "How not to let your ego ruin your class".

Dear Reader:

Some time ago I took a course on computer security. It's a hot topic and one can only hope to remain up to date with the latest developments.

There were many things I knew, many others I thought I did but nevertheless ended up having a better grasp of, and many many more of which I didn't even think about.

Some instructors were better than others. However, there was one who shall rename nameless for now and whom I thought would end up among the best.
Alas, this was not the case after all; now it's a good time to tell you why.

So there we were, instructor and students, studying the history of operating systems in general and their vulnerabilities. Although the instructor admitted he didn't have a background on computer science (he's a chemistry major from the early 60's), he relies a lot on his personal experience on the good old days.

Now, first hand experience is always pretty valuable... Except when paired with a huge ego. If that unfortunate mix happens, you end up with a class full of anecdotes that makes you think of The Wonder Years.

Anyway, he began to talk about early Unix systems and casually mentioned Xenix. Maybe that word sounds like gibberish to you, dear Reader, and you would be quite correct to assume its current significance is almost nil were it not for a funny fact:

For a while, Xenix was a Unix-like operating system fully supported by Microsoft and geared towards enterprise computing.

Sources:

* My own memory. Doh!
While I am younger than the instructor, due the my early initiation into computer science and folklore encouraged by two wonderful parents, I had access to many then-current product catalogs for software and hardware. One of them is the 1984 edition of the Radio Shack's catalog which I still have in my possession. Turn to the section where the TRS-80 Model 16 business computer is announced and you'll see Xenix as an option:

-- catalog image to be placed here --

* The almighty Wikipedia.

Check this article for further info.



Image source: Wikipedia

I mentioned this unusual fact to the instructor, but he quickly dismissed it as utter and totally false rubbish.

Two different sources for my fact: One of them a still vivid memory from 22 years ago which could be checked rather easily. Obviously, one of us was mistaken. Guess who it was:)

Anyway, as I was deciding on the most concise and clear way to point out this error to the instructor, a second thought began to emerge:

I couldn't win.

If I managed to point out the mistake to the instructor, he would be discredited in front of the whole class and his ego would not take it lightly. A Pyrrhic victory.

If I remained silent, honour would not be satisfied and the instructor would go on thinking he is right.

So what did I do instead? To whom did I really want to show the truth?

I fetched the Wikipedia article on Xenix on my PDA and began to discreetly pass it around the class. They all smiled to me after reading it :)

Something has to be said about an instructor whose ego won't let them accept new perspectives and corrections to his facts. But on that day two things happened. First, he made me completely lose all confidence on his lecture and the course in general. Second, I learned to focus my efforts on those who would be receptive -- maybe lose a battle, but always looking towards victory in war.

Life went on and grades were awarded; the kind that cannot be altered because of a trivia dispute.

So now the time has come:

Dear Dr. Guillermo Mallén, regardless of how bright you are, please check your facts first and read the bloody label on the 5.25" diskette.

Felines everywhere

Dear Reader:

Have you noticed the recent abundance of feline-related stuff on the web?
In this post, I'll give you 5 examples.

(1) For starters, check out Hallmarks of felinity. This comic is a subset of 9 Chickwood lane by Brooke McEldowney and features Solange, a siamese cat who perfectly encompasses the general feline attitude towards life and humans.
If you share your vital space with cats (and even if you don't, but have some acquaintance who does), I'm sure you'll empathise with more than one of the situations portrayed there.

(2) Next, we pay a visit to LOLCAT, also known as "kitty pidgin".
This is a meme which consists of captioning a picture of a cat (preferably in an unusual pose) with a catchphrase using incorrect but persistently coherent grammar and spelling akin to Internet slang or l33tsp34k:


Image credit: Wikipedia

You can see more examples here and here.

(3) In a weird twist of fate, said catchphrases and grammar have spawned a programming language. For more information about it, please click here.
Who knows... maybe you'll get to see reference books like this one:


Image credit: Marco van Hylckama Vlieg

(4) Still unimpressed? Try the LOLCAT Bible, an ongoing translation effort:


Mai teh blessigs of teh Ceiling Cat b pwn u, lol!

(5) Last, but not least, a short animation featuring the tricks cats resort to when their human staff do not respond quickly enough to their will:


Image credit: Simon Tofield

Fun times =)

What kind of nerd are you?

I personally prefer the term "geek" to "nerd" because the former implies a natural ken or knack to do something many others find uninteresting or exceedingly difficult, while the latter not only is a little derogatory but also implies certain clumsiness.

Anyway, let's see how you do on the Nerd Test, v.2.0:

I'm back...

... and so are the haikus:


Cordless powertool,
Gorgeous eyes fixed on target:
Licensed to drill!


Dedicated to this girl.

I'm out of excuses...

... but not of geek jokes :)

Imagine, if you will, the events occurred during World War II from the perspective of online gamers (or G4m3rsp34k):

> *Hitler[AoE] has joined the game.*
> *Eisenhower has joined the game.*
> *paTTon has joined the game.*
> *Churchill has joined the game.*
> *benny-tow has joined the game.*
> *T0J0 has joined the game.*
> *Roosevelt has joined the game.*
> *Stalin has joined the game.*
> *deGaulle has joined the game.*
> Roosevelt: hey sup
> T0J0: y0
> Stalin: hi
> Churchill: hi
> Hitler[AoE]: cool, i start with panzer tanks!
> paTTon: lol more like panzy tanks
> T0JO: lol
> Roosevelt: o this fockin sucks i got a depression!
> benny-tow: haha america sux
> Stalin: hey hitler you dont fight me
> Stalin: i dont fight u, cool?
> Hitler[AoE]: sure whatever
> Stalin: cool
> deGaulle: #### Hitler rushed some1 help
> Hitler[AoE]: lol byebye frenchy
> Roosevelt: i dont got crap to help, sry
> Churchill: wtf the luftwaffle is attacking me
> Roosevelt: get antiair guns
> Churchill: i cant afford them
> benny-tow: u n00bs know what team talk is?
> paTTon: stfu
> Roosevelt: o yah hit the navajo button guys
> deGaulle: eisenhower ur worthless come help me quick
> Eisenhower: i cant do sh1t til rosevelt
> Eisenhower: gives me an army
> paTTon: yah hurry the fock up
> Churchill: d00d im gettin pounded
> deGaulle: this is fockin weak u guys suck
> *deGaulle has left the game.*
> Roosevelt: im gonna attack the axis k?
> benny-tow: with what? ur wheelchair?
> benny-tow: lol did u mess up ur legs AND ur head?
> Hitler[AoE]: ROFLMAO
> T0J0: lol o no america im comin 4 u
> Roosevelt: wtf! thats bullsh1t u fags
> Roosevelt: im gunna kick ur asses
> T0JO: not without ur harbors u wont! lol
> Roosevelt: u little biotch ill get u
> Hitler[AoE]: wtf
> Hitler[AoE]: america hax, u had depression and now
> Hitler[AoE]: u got a huge fockin army
> Hitler[AoE]: thats bullsh1t u hacker
> Churchill: lol no more france for u hitler
> Hitler[AoE]: tojo help me!
> T0J0: wtf u want me to do, im on the other side
> T0J0: of the world retard
> Hitler[AoE]: fine ill clear you a path
> Stalin: u arsshoel! WE HAD A FoCKIN TRUCE
> Hitler[AoE]: i changed my mind lol
> benny-tow: haha
> benny-tow: hey ur losing ur guys in africa
> benny-tow: im gonna need help in italy soon
> benny-tow: sum1
> T0J0: o sh1t i cant help u i got my hands full
> Hitler[AoE]: im 2 busy 2 help
> Roosevelt: yah thats right biznitch im comin for ya
> Stalin: church help me
> Churchill: like u helped me before?
> Churchill: sure ill just sit here
> Stalin: dont be an arss
> Churchill: dont be a commie. oops too late
> Eisenhower: LOL
> benny-tow: hahahh oh sh1t help
> Hitler: o man ur focked
> paTTon: oh what now biotch
> Roosevelt: whos the cripple now lol
> *benny-tow has been eliminated.*
> benny-tow: lame
> Roosevelt: gj patton
> paTTon: thnx
> Hitler[AoE]: eisenhower hax hes killing all my sh1t
> Hitler[AoE]: quit u hacker so u dont ruin my record
> Eisenhower: Nuts!
> benny~tow: wtf that mean?
> Eisenhower: meant to say nutsack lol finger slipped
> paTTon: coming to get u hitler u paper hanging hun
> paTTon: c0cksocker
> Stalin: rofl
> T0J0: HAHAHHAA
> Hitler[AoE]: u guys are fockin gay
> Hitler[AoE]: ur never getting in my city
> *Hitler[AoE] has been eliminated.*
> benny~tow: OMG u noob you killed yourself
> Eisenhower: ROFLOLOLOL
> Stalin: OMG LMAO!
> Hitler[AoE]: i didnt click there omg this game blows
> *Hitler[AoE] has left the game*
> paTTon: hahahhah
> T0J0: my teammates are n00bs
> benny~tow: shut up noob
> Roosevelt: haha wut a moron
> paTTon: wtf am i gunna do now?
> Eisenhower: yah me too
> T0J0: why dont u attack me o thats right
> T0J0: u dont got no ships lololol
> Eisenhower: fock u
> paTTon: lemme go thru ur base commie
> Stalin: go to hell lol
> paTTon: fock this sh1t im goin afk
> Eisenhower: yah this is gay
> *Roosevelt has left the game.*
> Hitler[AoE]: wtf?
> Eisenhower: sh1t now we need some1 to join
> *tru_m4n has joined the game.*
> tru_m4n: hi all
> T0J0: hey
> Stalin: sup
> Churchill: hi
> tru_m4n: OMG OMG OMG i got all his stuff!
> tru_m4n: NUKES! HOLY SH!T I GOT NUKES
> Stalin: d00d gimmie some plz
> tru_m4n: no way i only got like a couple
> Stalin: omg dont be gay gimmie nuculer secrets
> T0J0: wtf is nukes?
> T0J0: holy sh!t holysh!t hoylshti!!!111
> *T0J0 has been eliminated.*
> *The Allied team has won the game!*
> Eisenhower: awesome!
> Churchill: gg noobs no re
> T0J0: thats bullsh!t u fockin suck
> *T0J0 has left the game.*
> *Eisenhower has left the game.*
> Stalin: next game im not going to be on ur team
> Stalin: u guys didnt help me
> Stalin: for sh!t
> Churchill: wutever, we didnt need ur help
> Churchill: neway dumbarss
> tru_m4n: l8r all
> benny~tow: bye
> Churchill: l8r
> Stalin: fock u all
> tru_m4n: shut up commie lol
> *tru_m4n has left the game.*
> benny~tow: lololol u commie
> Churchill: ROFL
> Churchill: bye commie
> *Churchill has left the game.*
> *benny~tow has left the game.*
> Stalin: i hate u all fags
> *Stalin has left the game.*
> paTTon: lol no1 is left
> paTTon: weeeee i got a jeep
> paTTon: o sh!t!
> *paTTon has been eliminated.*
> *paTTon has left the game.*

So su mi

Back to the haikus:

Ain't she lovely in blue?


As blue as the sky
was her dress: just like a dream
that goes forever.

To boldly merchandise...

Quick post while I think about a good excuse for not blogging anything during the last months or so:

Hex numbers at CafePress.com

Never underestimate the power of m4d s1lkscr33n1ng sk1LLz!!!

Having problems with Opera Mini?

Thanks to a message found by my dear friend Bytelord, I finally made Opera Mini work on my Palm TX. Here's how:

* http://forum.brighthand.com/showthread.php?t=237551

Why it does not work as it should on the first run though, I do not know.

Yet another one

Dear reader,

I hope I am not bothering you with this creative surge...
but I cannot help it! Blame (or thank) the devil if you wish ;)

New Haiku, new girl:

Hair of fire, gentle eyes.
Between Passion and Candor
which one would you choose?

Another Haiku

Dedicated to this girl from the Flickr group "Geek girls are sexy":

Time stops and eyes close
visions of purple and joy:
The shine of your smile.

More clips from elsewhere on the net

* Philosophy is a game with objectives and no rules. Mathematics is a game with rules and no objectives.

* If I had only one day left to live, I would live it in my statistics class: it would seem so much longer.

If Klingons were programmers

An oldie but goodie:

12) "Specifications are for the weak and timid!"

11) "This machine is a piece of GAGH! I need dual Core processors if I am to do battle with this code!"

10) "You cannot really appreciate Dilbert unless you've read it in the original Klingon."

9) "Indentation?! - I will show you how to indent when I indent your skull!"

8) "What is this talk of 'release'? Klingons do not make software 'releases'. Our software 'escapes' leaving a bloody trail of designers and quality assurance people in its wake."

7) "Klingon function calls do not have 'parameters' - they have 'arguments' -- and they ALWAYS WIN THEM."

6) "Debugging? Klingons do not debug. Our software does not coddle the weak."

5) "I have challenged the entire quality assurance team to a Bat-Leth contest. They will not concern us again."

4) "A TRUE Klingon Warrior does not comment his code!"

3) "By filing this SPR you have challenged the honor of my family. Prepare to die!"

2) "You question the worthiness of my code? I should kill you where you stand!"

1) "Our users will know fear and cower before our software! Ship it! Ship it and let them flee like the dogs they are!"

Till death do us apart

So I was wondering if this year will be like others and I'll be wearing black on St. Valentine's day as a way to protest for the outrageous consumerism that pervades our time (and my everlasting status as a singleton too), when I ran across this picture:



This couple was buried about 5 to 6 thousand years ago in Mantova, Italy during the neolithic period.

Suddenly, death is no longer the ultimate boundary.

Credit goes to Elena Menotti (Mantova, Italy) and Enrico Pajello (Reuters).

A haiku for an unknown girl

Regarding this picture:

Among snow and ice
together raise gaze and smile:
warmth for soul and heart.

Quasi-lucid dreaming: A field test

I one of those people who prefer to stay up until the wee hours of the morning and wake up only when my internal clock tells me to do so (which hopefully, won't take less than 8 hours after my last glimpse of consciousness).

Then again, this is not acceptable during workdays for I would end up showing up late at the office. Thus, I end up shifting between being half awake and half asleep for about 30 minutes before the voices command me to stop feeling sorry for myself and get up already.

A couple weeks ago, I experienced what could almost be called lucid dreaming.

It was just another morning, I heard the alarm clock ringing so I extended my hand to turn it off. A couple seconds of stretching and finally got up. I looked around and noticed something funny: the TV was on. Aack! Surely I left it on and it's been eating very expensive electricity since last night.

But wait! Something is not right.

Ok, the colours I'm watching have a yellowish tint... that's weird... but now that I think about it, that's not my TV. Furthermore, who on this world had the "idea" to place it sideways???

My kitties looked at me with some curiosity, probably wondering why it took yours truly so long to finally snap.

Then it slowly came to me, almost as a whisper without a voice: You are dreaming, and you are aware of it.

I began laughing, grasping at the thought. Things began to transform around me: The TV turned itself off and morphed into my real TV; the yellowish tint faded away and light around began to darken.

Finally, I heard myself laughing and opened my eyes. It was still dark, but just in time to get up and begin the daily ritual.

Things to remember: When you are dreaming, look for little inconsistences in the scene. Maybe you'll realise it's only a dream and will have the chance to play with it to your heart's whim.