Um, yeah, that's odd...

http://www.newscientist.com/channel/info-tech/mg18925405.700.html

A computer that works best while turned off...do you think I could get it to write my MS thesis?

Life Imitating Anime: I am Frightened

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060218/ennew_afp/japanentertainment_060218134225

This can go wrong in so, so many ways. The worst case scenario is probably a Jurassic Park style debacle, where a team of scientists sent to inspect the park get eaten by a pack of wild Pikachu. The best case scenario...I don't think there is one.

Lucky Me!

They say that when you have a sprained ankle you should keep the ankle elevated and cold.

Well, the temperature is supposed to drop tonight and I'm on the 3rd floor. Lucky me!

Life Reflecting Video Games

http://www.guardian.co.uk/china/story/0,,1710743,00.html

So a Shaolin temple is holding a "Shaolin Idol" type competition to pick a movie star for a martial arts film.

I know I saw that at GameStop once...

More Writing-ese

In my thesis I just used the phrase "In many cases, it is more efficient to implement this as..."

The phrase "In many cases" translates to "It is a clearly superior algorithm and you can prove that it's identical in two lines of equations. However, it would take me a couple of pages of introducing Big O notation and calculations to do this, and who cares anyway, so into ambiguity we go."

My Debt to Society

I am currently working my way through the video defensive driving course. This is painful.

Fortunately, the pain is eased a little by playing the "where is that in Houston" game...I personally find it funny that film shot in West University is getting me out of a ticket...

UPDATE: My parking garage is in the background of one shot...

More Signs I'm Not a Kid Anymore

http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/torino2006/figure_skating/news?slug=dw-kwanout021206&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

Michelle Kwan, who is my age, is too old to be an olympic athlete.

Whoa

Netflix just refused to allow me to add an item to my queue because I had too many movies on the queue.

I just have 516...

Ways to Waste Time Whilst Thesis Writing

1. Get fed up with "Clippy" the office assistant and replace him with a dog. I recommend this--the dog is much less dumb. If only they had a rat...

2. Search Microsoft's website for office assistants of the rodent persuasion.

3. Blog about it.

Breaking News

My contacts on Capital Hill have told me that one of the representatives from New York has received letters from attorneys on behalf of four of his citizens.

They filed a claim under the Endangered Species Act, which states that "The president's proposed ban on the creation of human-animal hybrids unjustly threatens our species with extinction. As lawfully created homo sapien-terrapene ornata chimera, our clients fear that the prohibition would prevent the creation of female members of their species, dooming the race to cessation."

They expect to file the case of Hamato v. The United States of America shortly. Amicus briefs will likely be filed on the plaintiff's behalf from The Pizza Assoc. of New York and an unnamed human-rodent hybrid.

Signs of Aging

You know you aren't as young as you used to be when you learn that someone from your alma mater is applying to your program and you have never heard of him.

This is more relevant in the context of my graduating class of two physics majors.

When Life Sucks

So my life went downhill today. I'm writing a thesis, which is a soul-sucking, life-draining depressing task.

And then I discover that my abstract to a conference in Seattle got accepted. Seattle has one of the highest suicide rates in the US.

I'm doomed :-)