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[17 Nov 2008|04:05pm] |
http://tanyavlach.wordpress.com/2008/11/11/call-for-engineers
I am attempting to recreate my eye with the help of a miniature camera implant in my prosthetic / artificial eye. The intraocular installation of an eye-cam will substitute for the field of vision of my left eye that I lost in 2005 from a car accident. While my prosthetic is an excellent aesthetic replacement, I am interested in capitalizing on the current advancement of technology to enhance the abilities of my prosthesis for an augmented reality.
Totally. Hot.
I'm going to out myself right now as a transhumanist. I say outed, not because I think it's anything to be ashamed of, and not that many friends don't already know it about me, but because most people look at you kinda funny when you confide that you could live with the amputation of a limb if it meant that you got a replacement that was more functional than the original. I regret not having the mind for advanced science, because I've often fantasized about where and how I could incorporate today's technology into my body without having to amputate, and without being at the whim of someone else to code/fabricate/embed the stuff. It's true, this is the stuff of science fiction, and I suppose in that regard I'm in the company of nerds the world over - the difference is, we're also in the age of science fiction becoming science fact, and I'd give anything to be at the forefront of it. Maybe I can nab a career in HCI (Human-Computer Interfaces) if I stick with psych and pick up some biology/engineering/coding along the way.
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[11 Nov 2008|01:40pm] |
Writing is, for me, like sneezing. The urge arrives urgently and unbidden, a vague tingling that may very well pass if ignored; yet, when focused on, may easily culminate in an abrupt expulsion of great magnitude. Followed by the urge to pee.
I looked in the mirror this morning, and told myself, "You're going to be 24 soon." A face blinked back, scruffy and sleepy, not seeming to grasp this simple concept. I repeated it again. "You're going to be 24 soon. Mid-twenties." The face got wide-eyed, as if to say, "But! I was just 21 yesterday, and 18 the day before that." I shrugged, then looked myself up and down, noting physical improvements I wanted to make; toning here, muscle there. I'm faced constantly with the feeling that I haven't really grown up, never have, never will - I think a part of me believes if I shape myself into more of an "adult" body the status might follow, as if the ability to do a hundred chinups with a single arm is intimately tied to maturity and responsibility. My only consolation is that I'm not alone in wondering when I'm supposed to feel "ready" for the world:
There is no such thing, the older you get the more you find out everyone is just faking it.
Oh, how I hope that's true; even though it would mean I can't shake the feeling, it would hurt less to be in some good company.
I was accepted to CSUCI for the spring semester; hardly a surprise, not because of my own scholastic achievements but because pretty much anyone in this county can attend provided they possess a signature. I won't be accepting congratulations for beginning something I should have finished years ago, either - when I get my Master's, then maybe we can have a little shindig.
I didn't cry when Obama won. I didn't riot, or holler out the window. It's hard to get worked up about something you've been predicting for months, regardless of how much you want it to happen. He wasn't my first choice, which does take away some of the excitement, but I do believe him to be the best one for this stage of the game. My main concern is that we're too far into the rabbit hole for any one man, any one term, to see us through it. The most we can hope for is 4 years of slowly undoing damage, righting wrongs, and building a climate of change for the next candidate (or maybe the same one, who knows) to actually take us in the right direction.
Of course, the main reason I was not as buoyed by the election was that in the very same night, the world darkened considerably. I've always been proud to be a Californian, and I identify personally with that designation - a foolish decision, perhaps, considering we host rural and fundamentalist populations equal in their ignorance and intolerance to any backwater glade in the South or Midwest. It was these examples of medieval thinking that asserted themselves on November 4th, relegating our gay friends and neighbors to second-class citizens. I'm especially perplexed by the large bloc of African-American voters who, while achieving an historic victory, nevertheless shamed themselves by pushing another minority to the back of the bus. It's not just them, either - the various churches that urged their parishes to "do the right thing," the people who voted for change with one pen stroke and senseless discrimination with the next - the whole thing sends me into a vitriolic spiral of rage and depression, and I won't be speaking any more about it.
I'm starting to take a little more control of my financial situation - I'd like to claim it as a sign of maturity, but budgeting to the penny is really the only way I can afford to provide Christmas gifts as well as eat and drive. I'm hoping it's a trend I can continue into the new year, hopefully dragging my endebted ass kicking and screaming all the way to a half-decent credit score.
I feel like I have more to write. But the urge has passed and I should probably get back to work.
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| Parking Fairies |
[25 Sep 2008|09:28pm] |
What do you do when you and Shannon accidentally discover that one of the local college parking permit machines has a glitch that dispenses a $1 permit when you insert a nickel?
Put in a dollar's worth of nickels and spend an hour handing out free permits to students.
Duh.
by the way, if you go Moorpark, try the nickel trick. It's the machine at the entrance to the large parking lot.
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[29 Aug 2008|12:53am] |
Things can change pretty quickly. The past couple weeks have been busy; we moved out of the place in Camarillo, and are now kickin' it Ventura style. It extends the commute to work by 20 minutes, but I prefer the culture greatly (Camarillo is prettier but way boring) and my friends are closer too. Plus, Shannon's less than 5 minutes from school now, which is a boon.
It's heating up at work as well, with tons of projects falling into my lap. I'm continuing to learn a lot, but it's pretty stressful.
I feel really bad for Ender, the "outgoing one" of our cats. He used to be a total outdoorsman, but since we moved he's been cooped up indoors. We're trying to keep him from crapping up the new place with dirty outdoor paws, and hopefully I can resist his adorable kitty-face long enough for him to get accustomed to not being outside anymore.
This is kind of an update for the sake of an update. I'm not putting a lot of thought into what I'm writing and I think it shows. I'll try to come back with something more interesting soon.
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| It's like these guys take pride in being ignorant. |
[07 Aug 2008|01:05pm] |
I'm pleased to see Obama... what's the word? He's finally saying the things that you wish every politician you liked would say whenever their opponent lies about them. Instead, more often than not they let the big things slide right on through and niggle over tiny details, leaving the blogs to come up with proper rebuttals that never get proper exposure. He's been lying down and taking it lately, and now it looks like he's ready to fight back a little.
I'll be the first to say that he wasn't my first choice (Kucinich gets that distinction), but I'll also say that it's nice to have a candidate that shows at least some promise of being more than just the lesser of two evils.
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| Braaaaains |
[06 Aug 2008|10:32am] |
It's 10am on a Wednesday morning, and I'm not in the office.
No, instead I'm ensconced in a huge papasan patio chair, tunes flowing through headphones, barefoot under a cloudless sky with perfect California weather and two loving kitties gamboling around me while I work from home.
Days like this I understand why people go through the stress of becoming their own bosses.
I've been holding off from LJ posting for awhile, because I wanted the additional "cred" of hosting and updating my own blog. Many moons (and scant updates) later, I'm beginning to realize that my thoughts tend to fall into the dichotomy of too complicated and rambling for a journal, or too casual and superficial for a blog, and finding a mix between the two winds up being too self-censoring. So I think I'll start posting here regularly again, and keep a blog confined to my more scholarly interests.
I have a new hero. His name is Marshall McLuhan, and he's been dead for 28 years. He was a teacher, scholar, philosopher, and - more importantly - a Canadian, and he started some very important thoughts about the cultural-technological intersection that I become more fascinated with every day.
I don't want this to turn into a five-page update, so I'll quit here, and try to get back into the groove slowly.
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[15 Mar 2007|08:38pm] |
I just watched a man on TV propose to his girlfriend. After practically losing on the game show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?. By not being able to multiply 12 x 12. And she said yes.
Somewhere, Darwin's rolling over in his grave.
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[21 Feb 2007|09:27pm] |
Okay, seriously. It's been a few years, I thought we were finally past this: ANOTHER LAND BEFORE TIME??! You do realize they've already SURVIVED THE ICE AGE, PEOPLE. There's NOTHING THAT CAN KILL THEM. We will be seeing Land Before Time XVII: Littlefoot in Las Vegas, doubt me not.
Ahh, I love the smell of childhood favourites being shat upon (for the umpteenth time).
* * *
Live thoughts on American Idol:
- I think we've officially made up for the slavery thing by deciding to take a dive on the pop star popularity contests. So far, the way it's going, next week they're just going to turn off the lights and say "will all the girls we can still see please leave the stage?"
- We know that, deservedly or not, Ryan Seacrest has obtained something of a foppish reputation; it's somewhat amusing, however, to see Simon join the fray of vagina. Their little half-veiled barbs at each other are either signs of frazzled nerves due to having their eardrums bleed every year, or maybe just a little bit of homoerotic tension. I'll let the slashers take it from here.
- Maybe it's the rampant liver damage messing with her brain, but Paula somehow decided to become the show's official cheerleader. "You can breathe?! You will make it in this competition! You have a beautiful soul, girl! You look fabulous! Singing? Who the hell cares about that?!"
- Simon's head seems to be filled with various places where bad singers congregate. "That sounded like it belongs in a... [student gig | hotel | karaoke | bar | lounge | old folks home | litterbox | etc.]."
* * *
San Francisco is an awesome town. Shannon and I took incredible advantage of ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif) victoriae and beauwolf's amazing hospitality, rode some trolleys, kicked it in Market Street, and were wowed by the incredible transportation system. The entire population could mass-amputate their limbs and still get around just as easily. However, NEVER TAKE TAXIS. THEY ARE EVIL MONEY HOLES.
* * *
I'm making a housecall to fix the boss of my boss' boss' computer on Friday. Better do a good job? (I need business cards, stat.)
* * *
If there is a god, then potlucks are surely proof of his existence. No event where you can bring a bag of chips and get a seven-course meal in return could be borne of mortal minds.
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[21 Dec 2006|08:20pm] |
Astronomy? A.
Behavioral statistics? A.
Thank you very much. For my next act, 14 units and 40 hours a week.
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[17 Dec 2006|09:34pm] |
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Is it just me, or is Family Guy going a little downhill? Maybe not going downhill, per se -- but you can now count on any remotely funny joke being repeated over several episodes, in-between the increasingly-less-funny pop-culture cutaways every 15 seconds. I don't really think it has any excuse, since South Park has been going for a decade and is still consistently funny as hell.
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[17 Dec 2006|12:53pm] |
I just nailed my friend's belly to a wooden table with a needle.
Her new piercing looks nice though. I should open my own shop!
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[12 Dec 2006|09:21am] |
Hurrah; the anti-net neutrality bill has been pwned. Score one for the tubes.
So I'm not sure what the hell had me so jacked up yesterday. Upon further reflection, even though my symptoms were consistent with mild aspirin poisoning, I had taken only a 10th of what my body mass could have handled. I'll chalk it up to a weird stomach bug that cramped my style, and switch to ibuprofen just to be safe.
Finals next week. For once, I'm not worried; >90% in both my classes (astronomy and stats), even without grade curving (best way to pass certain classes is just to make sure there are some slackers in it).
There was something else, but I forgot.
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[11 Dec 2006|05:39am] |
Never again will I take anything but the exact recommended dose of Excedrin Migraine, even if my headache is really really bad.
I think I fooled my body into thinking I was trying to commit suicide, which has sparked a battle of wills that inevitably ends with me dry heaving every few minutes for the past several hours.
It's an odd feeling to be nauseated, knowing full well that you have nothing left to puke, but not exactly willing to call your body's bluff because there might be a small undiscovered pocket of bile that could be sprung at any time.
And I still have a fucking headache.
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| SHRINK RAY FOR TEH WIN |
[10 Dec 2006|02:19pm] |
Perhaps someone with a much better understanding of physics than myself (not that it'd be hard) can answer this whimsical question:
So when you look at an atom, something like 99.99% of it is empty space, right? Electron shell, protons, all that stuff is like a peanut in a football field.
So... if there were somehow a way to "bleed off" a little bit of that excess space, couldn't you effectively shrink something without affecting its molecular composition or any other properties it might have?
I'm aware that the inverse square law says that electronic repulsion increases exponentially as distance decreases arithmetically, but I don't know at what distance that repulsion goes into effect. Would neighbouring electrons care about there being only 75% empty space instead of 99.99%?
I assume that this is not feasible because nobody's done it yet, and that seems like the sort of thing that would have some speculation surrounding it by now. Just feel like tapping the LJ brain trust for my own amusement.
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| To have a true weekend |
[10 Dec 2006|01:02am] |
Damn it's pouring outside. The weather here's been downright schizophrenic, drunkenly weaving between cold/windy, cold/dry, warm, and wet as all hell.
Anyway, this is more of a work-related update, and something I'm very proud of (though I still support my former troops):
I've finally escaped retail entirely.
Even though I've been working for an indie computer shop the past few months, I still had to make service calls and deal with the public. But thanks to a round of interviews I aced so hard that they rewrote the job description to fit my experience, I now work for Vitesse Semiconductor Corporation as an internal system administrator, maintaining employee workstations and deploying/configuring new infrastructure.
+ 20% more pay than my previous job, with a lot of room for growth
+ Both my immediate and department supervisors are amazingly understanding, flexible and *gasp* knowledgeable
+ There's absolutely zero coworker drama, and they all have senses of humor
+ The corporate atmosphere is both professional and relaxed
+ My boss understands that crawling behind servers in slacks and a tie isn't very fun, so we get to wear jeans
+ I'm learning a huge amount about high-level network administration, Server '03, UNIX, Linux and Sun systems (read: majorly increasing market value)
+ Great perks; entire Christmas-New Years period off, free 100% health, optical, dental, etc.
+ There's always free food somewhere in the building
+ NO CUSTOMERS.
And the greatest thing of all is that if I wanted to start my own repair/web design company, as I so very much do, it would no longer be a conflict of interest.
GeekSquad can kiss my ass. :D
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| LOLZ |
[20 Nov 2006|12:12am] |
Sorry to offend any hardcore creationists out there, but I stumbled upon the Institute for Creation Research while doing some astronomy homework and there's some funny stuff in there. One of their features is "Dr. John's Q&A", which covers topics such as:
"When Is a Day Not a Day?"
"Just How Well-Proven Is Evolution?"
"Is the Earth Really Round?"
Check it out; it's fun.
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| I'm protected by my impenetrable cereal box fort |
[18 Nov 2006|10:48pm] |
I always used to laugh at the people who came online after they'd gotten buzzed or drunk, mainly because they typed like a Korean toddler on a sugar rush. HOWEVER, I myself am somewhere inbetween buzzed and drunk, and I believe my typing to be impeccable. Of course, if I stopped backspacing every little typo I made my typing would soon deteriorate... damn, I tried to prove a point, but my typing skills are just that awesome. I guess nobody will ever be privy to drunk Adam making a fool out of himself.
More vodka!
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