Sometimes when I watch Mad Men, I have to pause to recover.
But not like when I have to pause to recover while watching School Days, that was so I can mentally prepare myself for the next wave of terrible.
This, this is more like pausing to let the wit sink in; let it steep in my brain.
See, Mad Men is often tongue-in-cheek: a wry critique of the 60s just shrouded beneath the surface.
And it's actually hilarious.
Asides on the Dramatis Personae
Jonn Hamm: ...is a handsome, handsome man. Also an asshole and a player.
John Slattery: For some odd reason, I always envision him as a porn actor whenever he shows up on screen. Being that Sterling is the playboy that he is, I guess I'm not too far off.
January Jones: Beautiful, and since they brought it up, I can see the resemblance.
Christina Hendricks: I'd say she's gorgeous, but that bust is much too distracting.
Julie McNiven: Cute, but as a minor character I mostly enjoy her consistent stream of sarcasm towards Pete Campbell's equally consistent ridiculous demands.
Sunday, August 01, 2010
Friday, July 30, 2010
Fuck!
Office on Windows UI is shit!
Why should the big red x in the corner of my window close every instance of the application running as opposed to just terminating the active document? It's counter intuitive because the taskbar is already separating by documents, not applications!
Either tab that shit or run it like Adobe Reader.
Also, Win7 taskbar is pretty much a dock, but not as good. There, I've said it.
Why should the big red x in the corner of my window close every instance of the application running as opposed to just terminating the active document? It's counter intuitive because the taskbar is already separating by documents, not applications!
Either tab that shit or run it like Adobe Reader.
Also, Win7 taskbar is pretty much a dock, but not as good. There, I've said it.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
This
Ultra Culture is my favourite movie blog because it's pretty much how things would turn out if I were a film aficionado and blogged about movies.
In fact, I waited to see what they'd post before deciding if I needed to actually blog about Inception.
Turns out, I've complained to different people about most of those points already, most notably 9 and 10. Actually, the only ones I didn't bring up (and still don't really agree with) are 1 and 7.
So here it is, better than I can express it.
He even made an Ocean's 11 comparison. Amazing.
In fact, I waited to see what they'd post before deciding if I needed to actually blog about Inception.
Turns out, I've complained to different people about most of those points already, most notably 9 and 10. Actually, the only ones I didn't bring up (and still don't really agree with) are 1 and 7.
So here it is, better than I can express it.
He even made an Ocean's 11 comparison. Amazing.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Suck it, Stanley Kubrick
1968:
2010:
This is what I thought of when DiCaprio and Page started treading all over vertical and upside-down Paris. The stewardess scene in 2001 was gratuitously long because Kubrick wanted to show off his amazing special effects. A major technical accomplishment in 2001 was the construction of a 38' long revolving corridor for Dullea's run around the Discovery; Inception had a rotating 100' long hallway for the anti-gravity fight.
The entire set of 2001 was bulldozed after shooting because Kubrick was afraid that the pieces would get recycled for B sci-fi movies.
Contrary to popular belief, Paris was not in fact bulldozed after the filming of Inception.
If I ever wrote a screenplay, it would have 2 helicopters colliding in the Lincoln tunnel.
The scene would be publicized in all the trailers.
2010:
This is what I thought of when DiCaprio and Page started treading all over vertical and upside-down Paris. The stewardess scene in 2001 was gratuitously long because Kubrick wanted to show off his amazing special effects. A major technical accomplishment in 2001 was the construction of a 38' long revolving corridor for Dullea's run around the Discovery; Inception had a rotating 100' long hallway for the anti-gravity fight.
The entire set of 2001 was bulldozed after shooting because Kubrick was afraid that the pieces would get recycled for B sci-fi movies.
Contrary to popular belief, Paris was not in fact bulldozed after the filming of Inception.
If I ever wrote a screenplay, it would have 2 helicopters colliding in the Lincoln tunnel.
The scene would be publicized in all the trailers.
Friday, July 23, 2010
Some bands
...sound pretty bad without post production.
Others are even more amazing live.
Meg & Dia, they sound just like themselves.
Others are even more amazing live.
Meg & Dia, they sound just like themselves.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Typography is getting too mainstream
I should pick up Lomography.
Fuck your strobes and umbrellas and lenses the length of a football pitch.
All I'd need is an LC-A.
Besides, Mio has one.
Other hobbies in consideration include the hatching and rearing of dwarf gouramis.
I think the Lomo is cheaper though.
Fuck your strobes and umbrellas and lenses the length of a football pitch.
All I'd need is an LC-A.
Besides, Mio has one.
Other hobbies in consideration include the hatching and rearing of dwarf gouramis.
I think the Lomo is cheaper though.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Sick burn
jane:
LOOOOOLLL
well girls
tend to have more flexible sexuality than guys i think
o O
i think it's because
girls are pretty
>_>.
like i can't help liking guys
but i think about it intectually
technically, there's nothing really great about you guys
>_>.
Peter [hhhhhh]:
ouch
that's harshWhat I have taken from this [entire] conversation is that girls prefer Rachel McAdams to most guys.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Pecan Oil Extraction Guide
In response to Will's pecan extraction guide, I will write about a much more difficult process: the extraction of pecan oil.
Complete extraction occurs over two stages:
Pressing.
Extraction.
There is no cracking involved; this isn't the petro industry. Plus, the last time I checked, the cost of a cat cracker was approaching 2 billion dollars.
There are two methods to pressing: hot pressing and cold pressing. Unless you're a housewife with a wedge press and infinite amounts of time, you're going to go with hot pressing. C'mon you want be a man don't you?
The heat will affect the oil quality, but let's say we're targeting the massage oil market rather than the cooking oil market. So we'll go for maximum yield. The heat makes the oil less viscous and increases the yield.
First we start feeding our nuts into a screw press. As the press operates, the friction and pressure involved will heat up the seed cake. We pass the effluent oil through a filter and collect the product.
But we can still increase the yield further by the method of solvent extraction. In particular we need a non-polar solvent because washing out oil with water is just silly goosery. Let's use MIBK.
HAHA! Just kidding!
Let's use hexane, because everybody uses hexane for everything. Hexane is a good choice because it's relatively safe, volatile and unreactive. So we wash the seed cake out with hexane. Now we need to separate out the solvent again for recycling and because people don't want to eat/rub themselves with hexane. As much as I like flashing, I can't say that high pressures and temperatures are good for the product. Steam distillation is a much better choice because we can boil off the hexane at a lower temperature than otherwise and is an overall more gentle process.
Once we remove the hexane, we can easily separate the water from the oil because they are immiscible. The product is ready for bottling; for maximum freshness store in a cool dark place.
Complete extraction occurs over two stages:
Pressing.
Extraction.
There is no cracking involved; this isn't the petro industry. Plus, the last time I checked, the cost of a cat cracker was approaching 2 billion dollars.
There are two methods to pressing: hot pressing and cold pressing. Unless you're a housewife with a wedge press and infinite amounts of time, you're going to go with hot pressing. C'mon you want be a man don't you?
The heat will affect the oil quality, but let's say we're targeting the massage oil market rather than the cooking oil market. So we'll go for maximum yield. The heat makes the oil less viscous and increases the yield.
First we start feeding our nuts into a screw press. As the press operates, the friction and pressure involved will heat up the seed cake. We pass the effluent oil through a filter and collect the product.
But we can still increase the yield further by the method of solvent extraction. In particular we need a non-polar solvent because washing out oil with water is just silly goosery. Let's use MIBK.
HAHA! Just kidding!
Let's use hexane, because everybody uses hexane for everything. Hexane is a good choice because it's relatively safe, volatile and unreactive. So we wash the seed cake out with hexane. Now we need to separate out the solvent again for recycling and because people don't want to eat/rub themselves with hexane. As much as I like flashing, I can't say that high pressures and temperatures are good for the product. Steam distillation is a much better choice because we can boil off the hexane at a lower temperature than otherwise and is an overall more gentle process.
Once we remove the hexane, we can easily separate the water from the oil because they are immiscible. The product is ready for bottling; for maximum freshness store in a cool dark place.
I don't have Twitter but...
@danidaly hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhh #queenoftheamazons
hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
hhhh #queenoftheamazons
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Worst random number generator ever!
Hillary = Proc.new {|x| return nil}
So then if I do this:
Hillary.call "Give me a number!"
I get back...nothing.
So then if I do this:
Hillary.call "Give me a number!"
I get back...nothing.
Thursday, July 08, 2010
On Caddys
I can't decide whether I hate the CTS-V because its grill looks outrageous, or if I love it because Jay-Z would sound so sweet coming out of this thing.
Also, the new BMW 5s look good, and the F10 M5 should be just around the corner; though I'm worried that they're approaching the AMG's football pitch lengthed bonnet.
Also, the new BMW 5s look good, and the F10 M5 should be just around the corner; though I'm worried that they're approaching the AMG's football pitch lengthed bonnet.
Wednesday, July 07, 2010
Tuesday, July 06, 2010
We all know Ke$ha is a rip-off of Uffie anyways...
It also helps that she doesn't look like garbage.
I wonder though, where a girl born in Miami, raised in Hong Kong, and based in Paris, would pick up an English accent.
I wonder though, where a girl born in Miami, raised in Hong Kong, and based in Paris, would pick up an English accent.
Sunday, July 04, 2010
Jess is pretty good
But Ness is my favourite drunk of the moment.
Because she gets so cute and bubbly. <3 <3
Because she gets so cute and bubbly. <3 <3
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Proposal
Let's hold all future G8 summits exclusively in Russia.
We'll see how many protesters show up.
We'll see how many protesters show up.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Speaking of LoGH
In one of the movies, Yang Wenli orders all the small ships take cover behind the big ships.
Who the hell does that? Screening destroyers with battleships?!
Master tactician my ass!
Who the hell does that? Screening destroyers with battleships?!
Master tactician my ass!
Here's a ramble
As I was driving home, I was thinking about drawing spaceships and how to go about it without being cliché.
It occurred to me that the bulk of it would be all sorts of modules cobbled together on a keel based on the necessity of functionality rather than constraints like gravity, hydrodynamanics or aerodynamics. Think of this from Star Wars.
But what if the front were shielded by a smooth angular plate, such that the radar cross-section was minimized from the front. Cheap conditional stealth. So then when engaging missiles, the standard procedure would be to turn in towards them, to minimize target size and radar reflections. Just like the days of yore.
Then I thought about how there's a certain romance to ships of a line, slugging it out with cannons and shot, that often brings space battles in fiction back to it. But how would you bring about something like that without being anachronistic?
Well, of course space is big, projectiles would have a lot of travel time giving the enemy time to respond and evade. So then the weapon of choice would be lasers. Photons. The fastest projectile in the universe. Lasers take a lot of energy and they only travel in straight lines, so you need a big powerplant and many many lasers to increase the probability of a hit (because space is big) and also to maximize the damage dealt in a first strike (because if you shoot, everyone will know where you are). The most efficient way of getting a lot of lasers into space and powering them all would be big battleships with big broadsides.
Countermeasures. What wrecks directed energy weapons most in real life is atmospheric conditions. Obviously if you discharge a gas in space, it'll disperse quickly. But what if you discharge colloidal particles? And they're charged so that when they disperse, not only will they stop beams by direct impediment, but they're scattered at a distance apart that optimizes wave interference from reflected beams. Except the colloid will render your own beam weapons useless, so in a head to head battle, neither side will use this unless they're looking to disengage. Like a futuristic smokescreen. Next is that big battleships move slowly, so even if they are turning in, to avoid missiles, it might not be fast enough. So we can have a bunch of smaller ships whose job is to screen the battleships and they will be bristling with point defense systems, rail guns perhaps or even smaller lasers to engage incoming missiles (the missiles can't be steathy because they'll be emitting radio waves, which can be homed in on). Destroyers.
Missiles have limited maneuverability, because to close the distance they would have to be traveling extremely fast, and to turn around would take too much propellant, which makes them easy to pick off. The corollary would be that if a ship gets hit by a nuke-tipped missile, they are done. Fighters are not useful because humans cannot take the gees and their reaction times are too slow when everything is happening at large fractions of lightspeed (and also, at lightspeed).
There would be development into some novel technologies, like photon cannons that shift frequency to get through the colloid shield or ships that are stealthy from all sides, but the previous represents the most practical and economical technologies of the time.
And that's how I would bring future fleet engagements back into the early 20th century.
Man, I should write a novel. It'll be like Legend of the Galactic Heroes, but sensible.
It occurred to me that the bulk of it would be all sorts of modules cobbled together on a keel based on the necessity of functionality rather than constraints like gravity, hydrodynamanics or aerodynamics. Think of this from Star Wars.
But what if the front were shielded by a smooth angular plate, such that the radar cross-section was minimized from the front. Cheap conditional stealth. So then when engaging missiles, the standard procedure would be to turn in towards them, to minimize target size and radar reflections. Just like the days of yore.
Then I thought about how there's a certain romance to ships of a line, slugging it out with cannons and shot, that often brings space battles in fiction back to it. But how would you bring about something like that without being anachronistic?
Well, of course space is big, projectiles would have a lot of travel time giving the enemy time to respond and evade. So then the weapon of choice would be lasers. Photons. The fastest projectile in the universe. Lasers take a lot of energy and they only travel in straight lines, so you need a big powerplant and many many lasers to increase the probability of a hit (because space is big) and also to maximize the damage dealt in a first strike (because if you shoot, everyone will know where you are). The most efficient way of getting a lot of lasers into space and powering them all would be big battleships with big broadsides.
Countermeasures. What wrecks directed energy weapons most in real life is atmospheric conditions. Obviously if you discharge a gas in space, it'll disperse quickly. But what if you discharge colloidal particles? And they're charged so that when they disperse, not only will they stop beams by direct impediment, but they're scattered at a distance apart that optimizes wave interference from reflected beams. Except the colloid will render your own beam weapons useless, so in a head to head battle, neither side will use this unless they're looking to disengage. Like a futuristic smokescreen. Next is that big battleships move slowly, so even if they are turning in, to avoid missiles, it might not be fast enough. So we can have a bunch of smaller ships whose job is to screen the battleships and they will be bristling with point defense systems, rail guns perhaps or even smaller lasers to engage incoming missiles (the missiles can't be steathy because they'll be emitting radio waves, which can be homed in on). Destroyers.
Missiles have limited maneuverability, because to close the distance they would have to be traveling extremely fast, and to turn around would take too much propellant, which makes them easy to pick off. The corollary would be that if a ship gets hit by a nuke-tipped missile, they are done. Fighters are not useful because humans cannot take the gees and their reaction times are too slow when everything is happening at large fractions of lightspeed (and also, at lightspeed).
There would be development into some novel technologies, like photon cannons that shift frequency to get through the colloid shield or ships that are stealthy from all sides, but the previous represents the most practical and economical technologies of the time.
And that's how I would bring future fleet engagements back into the early 20th century.
Man, I should write a novel. It'll be like Legend of the Galactic Heroes, but sensible.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
The last bastions of Liberal power
Looks bad, but let's zoom in a bit.
Uh..hang on.
Okay, wait, one more time.
YEAH! LOOK WHO'S ON TOP NOW!
Don't scoff though; Metro Toronto, Metro Vancouver and Metro Montreal comprise a third of the population of Canada and the combined GDPs of the cities proper amount to $500 billion in a $1.3 trillion Canadian economy, i.e. value disproportionate to their populations.
In other news, I hate Stephen Harper.
Stop spending money on stupid things. I like how people just assume the Conservatives have a balanced budget because they lowered taxes. Spoilers: no, they're not spending your money, they're spending my future earnings because one day someone is going to have to pay for all their crap.
Maybe if I vote Conservative for the rest of my life they can remain in power long enough for me to pass the buck to my children.
But my friends are adamant that it's a bad idea, so anyways...
Dear Mr. Harper, I don't want any more fucking prisons. What do we need them for? Oh yeah, because you're going to increase sentencing terms to be "tough on crime". You know what will be cheaper than 2 billion dollars worth of penitentiaries? How about paying competitive wages for Crown prosecutors? How's that for getting tough on crime? Other than that, I don't know why all your white demograph living in white suburbia is so afraid of crime (which has been going down for decades) anyways. I feel that these new prisons will not, in any shape or form, reduce the number of muggings I experience in any given week. Besides your plan is stupid, restricting the rights of released prisoners is going to make it harder for them to return to an honest living in society, it's going to make for more repeat offenders.
Also, screw all this military spending, we don't need an expeditionary land army. We need P-8s more than all the JSFs in the world. Afghanistan has just been a spec ops circus for the last 8 years anyways.
On abortions, gay-marriage and immigration, good on you! Way to bring social rights in Canada back to an 80s level!
In closing, I hate you personally and I refuse to believe in the moral integrity of any party that would disenfranchise voters¹ to gain power.
And Liberals, get your fucking act together. The conservatives are where they are because centrists hate Harper less than your fucking Michael Ignatieff, so it's your fault. For fuck's sake, what is wrong with the government that I'm yearning for the Paul Martin days? Yeesh!
1. Voter ID was implemented based on a Republican study that showed it caused a 5% gain because new immigrants and young people (a strongly left leaning demographic) are most likely to have difficulty obtaining ID. Voter turnout declined from 68% to 61% under Conservative rule.
McChrystal is damaged goods
Bring in Gen. Mattis; he's got a COIN background and Petraeus is not going back. Plus, he's out of a job and apparently everybody's got a hard on for him.
Yeah, there'll be consequences, but Obama's got to put his foot in the ground.
edit: So Petraeus is going back after all. Colour me surprised, but not disappointed.
Yeah, there'll be consequences, but Obama's got to put his foot in the ground.
edit: So Petraeus is going back after all. Colour me surprised, but not disappointed.
Monday, June 21, 2010
"Meet you on Q+Bath"
That Scott Pilgrim movie better be filmed in Toronto or I will be cross!
What I actually want to talk about is that I hear a lot of people complain that O'Malley or Beaton's art is bad.
No.
I can see how it might be off putting, that's fair enough; personally I hate the character designs in Ren and Stimpy, but Kricfalusi is not a bad artist¹.
The art is technically excellent. Good art isn't always about how accurately you can draw an arm. I challenge anyone who thinks they have the skill to put pen to paper and create as dynamic a cast as those two have. And it's not just about drawing characters, it's the composition as well, and both of them succeed at it marvelously.
I posit that no one who has the skill to actually pull it off, would dare say that Beaton or O'Malley are poor artists.
1. On the other hand, the animation in Family Guy is terrible. Terrible.
What I actually want to talk about is that I hear a lot of people complain that O'Malley or Beaton's art is bad.
No.
I can see how it might be off putting, that's fair enough; personally I hate the character designs in Ren and Stimpy, but Kricfalusi is not a bad artist¹.
The art is technically excellent. Good art isn't always about how accurately you can draw an arm. I challenge anyone who thinks they have the skill to put pen to paper and create as dynamic a cast as those two have. And it's not just about drawing characters, it's the composition as well, and both of them succeed at it marvelously.
I posit that no one who has the skill to actually pull it off, would dare say that Beaton or O'Malley are poor artists.
1. On the other hand, the animation in Family Guy is terrible. Terrible.
The Imprint: Establishing a high watermark for credibility once again!
"Following the second World War's end, the UN passed security council resolution 242 that ordered the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces," Cameron said, "But today, 43 years later, nearly 500,000 Israeli settlers reside in occupied Palestine, 300,000 of them in the West Bank. All of this in direct violation of the Geneva Convention, the European Union, and the United Nations."
Yes. Israeli settlers in the West Bank are violating the Geneva conventions. Also the European Union.
Remind me again why I'm paying a student fee for this?
Yes. Israeli settlers in the West Bank are violating the Geneva conventions. Also the European Union.
Remind me again why I'm paying a student fee for this?
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Wonder if I should to get the password to that Facebook with my name.
Then Toria can be my Facebook friend.
But I have soo many "accounts" already. =P
Then Toria can be my Facebook friend.
But I have soo many "accounts" already. =P
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Frag Kit 6
Looks absolutely ridiculous.
It adds another 2'(!) of horizontal clearance to your Frag 5 HMMWV, and check out those upgraded view ports.
I would love to roll around suburban Toronto in an H2 kitted out like this; maybe with some Jay-Z, lookin' like a real douchebag. The extra 1000lbs is practically screaming, "fuck the environment!"
Not suburban Iraq though, because then I might roll into a ditch and die.
It adds another 2'(!) of horizontal clearance to your Frag 5 HMMWV, and check out those upgraded view ports.
I would love to roll around suburban Toronto in an H2 kitted out like this; maybe with some Jay-Z, lookin' like a real douchebag. The extra 1000lbs is practically screaming, "fuck the environment!"
Not suburban Iraq though, because then I might roll into a ditch and die.
Friday, June 11, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Friday, May 28, 2010
Thanks for the update
"Also, how 'bout that sexting fail she [Hayley Williams] made."
"wait what"
"Yeah... she accidentally sent a topless pick [sic] to her Twitter account instead of her boyfriend."
"oh hayley you're such a ditz"
"I only saw a censored pic of it. I didn't care to continue looking."
Right.
Not actually.
"wait what"
"Yeah... she accidentally sent a topless pick [sic] to her Twitter account instead of her boyfriend."
"oh hayley you're such a ditz"
"I only saw a censored pic of it. I didn't care to continue looking."
Right.
Not actually.
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
I'm just going to post stuff with Hayley Williams now
Because I'm bored. Also because she's a cutie.
Totally the cutest wink at 0:34.
If she were a Pokemon, she'd be a torchic. Or a vulpix because she's foxy.
Airplanes on loop just for you, Jesse. B.o.B reminds me of Lupe Fiasco; I feel I have listened to enough hip-hop to make this judgment, or I could be full of crap. Whatever.
D.F.C.
She's passable as a sexy librarian right?
"...and here, lots to talk about in my kitchen because it's the one room where I really excel!"
Totally the cutest wink at 0:34.
If she were a Pokemon, she'd be a torchic. Or a vulpix because she's foxy.
Airplanes on loop just for you, Jesse. B.o.B reminds me of Lupe Fiasco; I feel I have listened to enough hip-hop to make this judgment, or I could be full of crap. Whatever.
D.F.C.
She's passable as a sexy librarian right?
"...and here, lots to talk about in my kitchen because it's the one room where I really excel!"
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Friday, May 21, 2010
Best thing out of Korea since Korean Popstar Rain
I really want to know if this got made because I would watch it so hard.
Revolutions
I don't like things spinning faster than they need to.
I grow edgy when my computer fan starts spinning up past 1.8krpm (which is about its idle speed), especially when I'm not doing anything intensive.
Another thing is that the road to where I live is rather hilly and its speed limit is 80. My car needs to gear down on the climb and I can see my engine rev up to 4krpm just to maintain the speed. The engine redlines at 7krpm (the indicator says so anyways, it's probably good up to 9k in reality), so it shouldn't bother me; especially since the car's an automatic. But it does.
Tune in next time for an exciting post about things that no one else cares about.
I grow edgy when my computer fan starts spinning up past 1.8krpm (which is about its idle speed), especially when I'm not doing anything intensive.
Another thing is that the road to where I live is rather hilly and its speed limit is 80. My car needs to gear down on the climb and I can see my engine rev up to 4krpm just to maintain the speed. The engine redlines at 7krpm (the indicator says so anyways, it's probably good up to 9k in reality), so it shouldn't bother me; especially since the car's an automatic. But it does.
Tune in next time for an exciting post about things that no one else cares about.
Uncomfortable
There's a friend of mine who I've known for quite a while.
We used to be close, not really anymore; but that's not the point.
I've known his sister since she was 10, and now she's like 17 or something.
It's really weird for me when I hear about people that I know and are at my age take interest in her.
I guess it's not inappropriate or anything now, but I still have this impression of her as a little girl and it totally throws me off.
We used to be close, not really anymore; but that's not the point.
I've known his sister since she was 10, and now she's like 17 or something.
It's really weird for me when I hear about people that I know and are at my age take interest in her.
I guess it's not inappropriate or anything now, but I still have this impression of her as a little girl and it totally throws me off.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Hey there Windows
Trying to calibrate a secondary monitor with you around is retarded.
I'm going to softproof exclusively on OS X.
Kthnxbye.
I'm going to softproof exclusively on OS X.
Kthnxbye.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Saturday, May 08, 2010
"When is this eroge released?"
"There's no point in Mizuki Nana doing character songs, because she just sounds like herself"
"Yo, is Aya Hirano taller than her? How short is she?"
"She's like 153cm"
"She's like Vanessa's height"
"That's"
"Short"
...
"Oh wait, I calculated wrong, she's like Meng's height"
"That's"
"Short"
Introspection
Sometimes I draw things such that I find the result more appealing than the reference source.
On one hand, if the goal was replication, then the instrument of choice should be the camera rather than the brush.
On the other hand, who am I to bend people into images of my superficial desires? Is it fair when the result can only be unattainable in reality? Is it my selfishness manifest onto canvas, visible to all??
I'll leave that to the philosophers.
Here's a sketch.
I might be in a sexy librarian phase.
On one hand, if the goal was replication, then the instrument of choice should be the camera rather than the brush.
On the other hand, who am I to bend people into images of my superficial desires? Is it fair when the result can only be unattainable in reality? Is it my selfishness manifest onto canvas, visible to all??
I'll leave that to the philosophers.
Here's a sketch.
I might be in a sexy librarian phase.
Thursday, May 06, 2010
I'm so~ angry! : Mk II
I'm feeling hateful, so I'm just going to direct my rage at everything.
Red Foxes: Shut up.
Toria: Are you kidding me? Dante's Inferno is retarded. Sometimes your taste is awful. Also, I didn't snub you on Facebook. Because I don't have Facebook, really.
Democrats: Fuck this bipartisan crap and play some hardball, because you're not winning any points with teabaggers either way. Now's a good time for a climate bill, hint hint.
Republicans: You're so stupid it hurts.
Joel Plaskett: For fucks' sake! I'm tired of hearing about you! God. Fuck.
Hillary: Get a computer already. God damn it.
Joel Plaskett (cont.): I am so sick of...
Lady Gaga: I like you for your style and I hate you for the trends you've started. Seriously, Christina, what the fuck? Go back to your bleached hair, swing and burlesque; I miss you.
Quidditch: Harry Potter? Moer liek Harry Gay. Potter.
Boeing: Your proposal for the presidential helicopter will set the White House lawn on fire.
Speed Racer: Just kidding, I love Speed Racer.
Brown kids without a driver's license that stole their uncle's SUV and crashed into my highschool at 3 in the afternoon while trying to drift in the parking lot: FWD will naturally understeer, that and modern cars are designed to encourage understeer because if you throttle off in an oversteer you'll crash. L2 Drift, Tokyo. Noobs.
Joel Plaskett (pt. III): Fuck!
Red Foxes: Shut up.
Toria: Are you kidding me? Dante's Inferno is retarded. Sometimes your taste is awful. Also, I didn't snub you on Facebook. Because I don't have Facebook, really.
Democrats: Fuck this bipartisan crap and play some hardball, because you're not winning any points with teabaggers either way. Now's a good time for a climate bill, hint hint.
Republicans: You're so stupid it hurts.
Joel Plaskett: For fucks' sake! I'm tired of hearing about you! God. Fuck.
Hillary: Get a computer already. God damn it.
Joel Plaskett (cont.): I am so sick of...
Lady Gaga: I like you for your style and I hate you for the trends you've started. Seriously, Christina, what the fuck? Go back to your bleached hair, swing and burlesque; I miss you.
Quidditch: Harry Potter? Moer liek Harry Gay. Potter.
Boeing: Your proposal for the presidential helicopter will set the White House lawn on fire.
Speed Racer: Just kidding, I love Speed Racer.
Brown kids without a driver's license that stole their uncle's SUV and crashed into my highschool at 3 in the afternoon while trying to drift in the parking lot: FWD will naturally understeer, that and modern cars are designed to encourage understeer because if you throttle off in an oversteer you'll crash. L2 Drift, Tokyo. Noobs.
Joel Plaskett (pt. III): Fuck!
Monday, May 03, 2010
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
I was looking through my old photographs
I decided I liked a bunch of them.
First 5 are from BC, last 5 are from Alberta; taken from an ordinary digital point and shoot.
There were others where I liked the composition but the quality wasn't good enough and others where I'd have liked some perspective distortion.
Oh well, such is life; I'm not big on photography anyways.
First 5 are from BC, last 5 are from Alberta; taken from an ordinary digital point and shoot.
There were others where I liked the composition but the quality wasn't good enough and others where I'd have liked some perspective distortion.
Oh well, such is life; I'm not big on photography anyways.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Monday, April 12, 2010
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Sometimes I have nightmares
Where I forget to feed my fish, and then they all die.
I don't even have fish anymore.
Maybe if I start again, I should get something that I can feed every 3 days or something.
Like an arowana.
I don't even have fish anymore.
Maybe if I start again, I should get something that I can feed every 3 days or something.
Like an arowana.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
For any given issue in naval affairs...
...there will always be one guy in the audience who thinks the solution is to re-activate the Iowas.
It doesn't matter if the problem is a shoot-out with Russia, forcible amphibious entry or littoral warfare.
Yes, hunting speed boats with a 45 000 ton battleship sounds totally plausible. Because apparently there is no problem with operating in the littorals with a 30 ft (!) draft.
18" guns are all the mission modules you'll ever need.
It doesn't matter if the problem is a shoot-out with Russia, forcible amphibious entry or littoral warfare.
Yes, hunting speed boats with a 45 000 ton battleship sounds totally plausible. Because apparently there is no problem with operating in the littorals with a 30 ft (!) draft.
18" guns are all the mission modules you'll ever need.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Life
J: "I just discovered that solving non-linear modulus equations is NP-complete"
P: "At any other hour, I might be interested"
K: "Why is this surprising? Everything in life always turns out to be NP-complete. Like grocery shopping."
J: "Yeah, path finding!"
P: "I was thinking knapsack problem."
T: "This is why grocery shopping with you guys always takes forever."
P: "At any other hour, I might be interested"
K: "Why is this surprising? Everything in life always turns out to be NP-complete. Like grocery shopping."
J: "Yeah, path finding!"
P: "I was thinking knapsack problem."
T: "This is why grocery shopping with you guys always takes forever."
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Friday, March 05, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
This is my message in a bottle, and I'm casting it out to sea
I wonder if she stopped talking to me because she really has nothing to say. Or if she stopped talking to me because she knows I stopped talking to her.
I wonder why I stopped talking; what am I trying to do?
I wonder if I am a terrible friend. Or if I made a difference in the first place, a real difference. Because I don't think I did.
I wonder why I care so much, why I want to and wish I didn't at the same time.
I wonder if she actually misses me.
Because actually, I miss her.
I wonder why I stopped talking; what am I trying to do?
I wonder if I am a terrible friend. Or if I made a difference in the first place, a real difference. Because I don't think I did.
I wonder why I care so much, why I want to and wish I didn't at the same time.
I wonder if she actually misses me.
Because actually, I miss her.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Re China
So I've set foot in 9 cities over the past 7 days, and been on so many flights that I can identify the purpose of every part on an airliner's front wing. The camera is still in China with my parents, so you get cellphone pictures; not that I had batteries either...
On Customs:
As in border crossings, not cultural nuances. The US sniff dogs wear little jackets that say "Protecting America". Cute. I also got complimented on my kiwi Macbook by the airport scanners twice. Hill, I grabbed for you a 747-400, 737, 757, A319 and A320; I know you got at least two A320s already, but this one's from United. ;)
On Traffic:
Many of the roads are built by the central Communist Government, so there are a lot of roads to nowhere that are 3 lanes divided either side. A lot of laws are silly, and an automated fine system has been installed, so there's almost an attitude of paying traffic infringements like a cable bill.
"Dammit, I'm going to have to pay for running the red now"
"If you saw the red, why did you run it?"
"I stopped over the line and the cameras saw, so I might as well"
There's definitely some kind of anarchy in action on the the roads and the only thing preventing accidents is that no one wants to trash their Audi. At least it's better than India I suppose.
On Classes:
You hear a lot about the rising middle class in China, and also about the problem of class division. What I always assumed was that the middle class in China is like the middle class of Western countries. Nope, being upper middle class means you're living the high life. Like, maids, Audis and chauffeurs.
My uncle lives in Shenzhen, a special economic area and was pretty much a city built out of a village overnight by the powers of the Communist government. They like to joke about the silliness of owning property on nice land, because it could be "communized" by the government at any time.
This is a shot from my uncle's apartment, which is actually pretty nice. My mother always talked about how big my uncle's place was, I guess she was talking about my other uncle.
Oh, what? He has a house too? It's cavernous! I much prefer it to my other uncle's place in Texas. As an aside, I wonder why my Texas uncle needs such a huge house, I thought it was excessive with my house the size that it is and only having 3 full time inhabitants; his place is larger and has about 2 full time inhabitants. >_<
Those aren't townhouses...
Oh wait, looks like my mother was talking about my other uncle's place. Sure is a bitch keeping the house heated though.
This house actually has a proper tea room, which is sic as hell; what an excellent way to entertain guests.
On Consumers:
Yeah there's a lot of pirated stuff, but there's also a burgeoning middle class ready to feed their egos, so legit items are actually booming. The Louis Vuitton store stopped accepting patrons because they were already full and shoppers needed to wait for people to come out before they can enter.
The malls are more targeted towards middle aged consumers in newfound wealth. So you won't find an Aéropostale store there, instead you get things like Chanel. Don't buy any brands in China though, the items are marked up from here.
Also, there's no hip-hop playing in their stores or any music at all for that matter, which is lame.
On Cars:
Audis are popular among those that can afford it. Massacring the Beemers and Benzs in sales. They are sweet though. Buicks are also popular, for some reason I can't comprehend.
Conclusion:
Still love you, Canada. <3
On Customs:
As in border crossings, not cultural nuances. The US sniff dogs wear little jackets that say "Protecting America". Cute. I also got complimented on my kiwi Macbook by the airport scanners twice. Hill, I grabbed for you a 747-400, 737, 757, A319 and A320; I know you got at least two A320s already, but this one's from United. ;)
On Traffic:
Many of the roads are built by the central Communist Government, so there are a lot of roads to nowhere that are 3 lanes divided either side. A lot of laws are silly, and an automated fine system has been installed, so there's almost an attitude of paying traffic infringements like a cable bill.
"Dammit, I'm going to have to pay for running the red now"
"If you saw the red, why did you run it?"
"I stopped over the line and the cameras saw, so I might as well"
There's definitely some kind of anarchy in action on the the roads and the only thing preventing accidents is that no one wants to trash their Audi. At least it's better than India I suppose.
On Classes:
You hear a lot about the rising middle class in China, and also about the problem of class division. What I always assumed was that the middle class in China is like the middle class of Western countries. Nope, being upper middle class means you're living the high life. Like, maids, Audis and chauffeurs.
My uncle lives in Shenzhen, a special economic area and was pretty much a city built out of a village overnight by the powers of the Communist government. They like to joke about the silliness of owning property on nice land, because it could be "communized" by the government at any time.
This is a shot from my uncle's apartment, which is actually pretty nice. My mother always talked about how big my uncle's place was, I guess she was talking about my other uncle.
Oh, what? He has a house too? It's cavernous! I much prefer it to my other uncle's place in Texas. As an aside, I wonder why my Texas uncle needs such a huge house, I thought it was excessive with my house the size that it is and only having 3 full time inhabitants; his place is larger and has about 2 full time inhabitants. >_<
Those aren't townhouses...
Oh wait, looks like my mother was talking about my other uncle's place. Sure is a bitch keeping the house heated though.
This house actually has a proper tea room, which is sic as hell; what an excellent way to entertain guests.
On Consumers:
Yeah there's a lot of pirated stuff, but there's also a burgeoning middle class ready to feed their egos, so legit items are actually booming. The Louis Vuitton store stopped accepting patrons because they were already full and shoppers needed to wait for people to come out before they can enter.
The malls are more targeted towards middle aged consumers in newfound wealth. So you won't find an Aéropostale store there, instead you get things like Chanel. Don't buy any brands in China though, the items are marked up from here.
Also, there's no hip-hop playing in their stores or any music at all for that matter, which is lame.
On Cars:
Audis are popular among those that can afford it. Massacring the Beemers and Benzs in sales. They are sweet though. Buicks are also popular, for some reason I can't comprehend.
Conclusion:
Still love you, Canada. <3
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
For that matter...
I don't see how Muse can claim legitimacy as an art and fashion magazine if they feel the need to coverpage the fact that Lindsey Lohan gives away a nipple.
Vanity Fair has some fairly risque shoots (read: tits and ass), without feeling the need to explicitly advertise it on their covers.
Well, I guess that's because 86% of their subscribers are women.
Still, point stands: Muse needs to get over itself. Things happen in art and what they've got is not all that special.
Vanity Fair has some fairly risque shoots (read: tits and ass), without feeling the need to explicitly advertise it on their covers.
Well, I guess that's because 86% of their subscribers are women.
Still, point stands: Muse needs to get over itself. Things happen in art and what they've got is not all that special.
Credibility
I always assumed Huffington Post to be kind of like Daily Kos, since people are often keen to offer commentary on its posts. Of course, I don't actually visit these sites because I like my news to be served with a competent editor but whatever.
Then I see this ad off Time:
If I didn't care much for the Huffington Posts editorials before, I will definitely be dismissive of anything sourced from it now.
Then I see this ad off Time:
If I didn't care much for the Huffington Posts editorials before, I will definitely be dismissive of anything sourced from it now.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Snowstorm
Americans are always subject to laughter when their cities freeze up after 2cm of snow.
Some may justify it as a lack of snow clearing infrastructure, but that's clearly not the case.
The weather report predicted a good 15cm overnight yesterday building up to 30cm by evening tonight. By the morning there was about 5cm of snow on the ground after the morning snowplow run. But throughout the day, there was no further plowing and the storm kept brewing. By late afternoon there was a good 20cm on the ground and traffic had ground to a slow 30km/h.
I decided this to be a good time to go Christmas shopping in downtown Ottawa, and apparently I wasn't the only one.
But by the evening, the snow had largely stopped falling and with clear visibility, it was full throttle for everyone at the speed limit-with the ground still blanketed in snow! Granted, people would be exceeding the speed limit on a clear day, but I remain impressed by this feat.
My snow tires of course, are roasting in my basement and I had my all season slicks on through the whole ordeal.
Personally, I just think Canadians are ridiculous.
Some may justify it as a lack of snow clearing infrastructure, but that's clearly not the case.
The weather report predicted a good 15cm overnight yesterday building up to 30cm by evening tonight. By the morning there was about 5cm of snow on the ground after the morning snowplow run. But throughout the day, there was no further plowing and the storm kept brewing. By late afternoon there was a good 20cm on the ground and traffic had ground to a slow 30km/h.
I decided this to be a good time to go Christmas shopping in downtown Ottawa, and apparently I wasn't the only one.
But by the evening, the snow had largely stopped falling and with clear visibility, it was full throttle for everyone at the speed limit-with the ground still blanketed in snow! Granted, people would be exceeding the speed limit on a clear day, but I remain impressed by this feat.
My snow tires of course, are roasting in my basement and I had my all season slicks on through the whole ordeal.
Personally, I just think Canadians are ridiculous.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Kind of scary...
...the number of black ops groups the United States has.
Of particular note is the CIA's Special Activities division. These guys are so elite, they recruit from groups like Delta and ST6. Hell, Delta and ST6 are already recruiting from the Rangers and the regular SEALs, so you can say they're the best of the best of the best. Does the UK have a clandestine group drawing applicants from the SAS? Doubt it!
They go through additional training as intelligence operatives from the CIA and pick up additional skills like lock picking, high performance driving and foreign languages among other things. Then they get dropped behind enemy lines without support holding what I presume is as close an analogue to a license to kill as real life offers.
The stuff of spy novels.
On another note, Sullivan has a piece up on the Atlantic about Obama's announcement. It wasn't entirely a rational argument, but I think it appeals to a lot of people's feelings on the issue.
Of particular note is the CIA's Special Activities division. These guys are so elite, they recruit from groups like Delta and ST6. Hell, Delta and ST6 are already recruiting from the Rangers and the regular SEALs, so you can say they're the best of the best of the best. Does the UK have a clandestine group drawing applicants from the SAS? Doubt it!
They go through additional training as intelligence operatives from the CIA and pick up additional skills like lock picking, high performance driving and foreign languages among other things. Then they get dropped behind enemy lines without support holding what I presume is as close an analogue to a license to kill as real life offers.
The stuff of spy novels.
On another note, Sullivan has a piece up on the Atlantic about Obama's announcement. It wasn't entirely a rational argument, but I think it appeals to a lot of people's feelings on the issue.
Sunday, November 01, 2009
I love Kanye
Super sweet videos? Lyrics so bad it's hilarious? Yes!
It’s crazy how you can go from being Joe Blow
To everybody on your dick, no homo
I bought my whole family whips, no Volvos
Next time I’m in church, please no photos
Police escorts, everybody passports
This the life that everybody ask for
This a fast life, we are on a crash course
What you think I rap for? To push a fuckin’ Rav 4?
But I know that if I stay stunting
All these girls only gon’ want one thing
I could spend my whole life good will hunting
Only good gon’ come is it’s good when I’m coming
She got an ass that’ll swallow up her G-string
And up top, uh, two bee stings
And I’m beasting, off the riesling
And my nigga just made it out the precinct
It’s crazy how you can go from being Joe Blow
To everybody on your dick, no homo
I bought my whole family whips, no Volvos
Next time I’m in church, please no photos
Police escorts, everybody passports
This the life that everybody ask for
This a fast life, we are on a crash course
What you think I rap for? To push a fuckin’ Rav 4?
But I know that if I stay stunting
All these girls only gon’ want one thing
I could spend my whole life good will hunting
Only good gon’ come is it’s good when I’m coming
She got an ass that’ll swallow up her G-string
And up top, uh, two bee stings
And I’m beasting, off the riesling
And my nigga just made it out the precinct
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
She's just become my favourite internet person!
I didn't even have one before!
I got linked off a Typography blog first.
Then, I found these videos:
I want to marry her. <3 <3
...maybe I just have a thing for blondes. ;)
I got linked off a Typography blog first.
Then, I found these videos:
I want to marry her. <3 <3
...maybe I just have a thing for blondes. ;)
Monday, September 21, 2009
Goddamn, your man Hov cracked the can open again!
I think Jay-Z is good because he's got Kanye's production talents without Kayne's decidedly sub-optimal lyricism.
I guess that's better than Klondikes and blond dykes¹.
1. Best part: オオオオ translates to "ohhhh!".
Like an evangelist,
I can introduce you to your maker,
Bring you closer to nature
Ashes after they cremate you bastards
Hope you've been readin' your psalms and chapters
Payin' your tithes, being good Catholics
I'm comin'
I can introduce you to your maker,
Bring you closer to nature
Ashes after they cremate you bastards
Hope you've been readin' your psalms and chapters
Payin' your tithes, being good Catholics
I'm comin'
I guess that's better than Klondikes and blond dykes¹.
1. Best part: オオオオ translates to "ohhhh!".
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Really
When Wizards started printing mythic rares, they promised to make them based off of a criteria of splashiness (like angels and dragons) as opposed to a criteria of competitive power.
Liars.
I guarantee this will see Vintage play. At lowest, probably Leyline of the Void levels of influence and, at worst, Trinisphere levels of environment warping.
(Well, it'll be Legacy and Extended anti-combo tech too and probably be a counter in Standard, but Vintage is more interesting isn't it?)
Liars.
I guarantee this will see Vintage play. At lowest, probably Leyline of the Void levels of influence and, at worst, Trinisphere levels of environment warping.
(Well, it'll be Legacy and Extended anti-combo tech too and probably be a counter in Standard, but Vintage is more interesting isn't it?)
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Affordable is a relative term
It's still in development, but the US army has been deploying the Excalibur shell for a couple years now in field testing, gradually ramping up the production numbers.
What makes the Excalibur special is that the shell is satellite guided. Yes, trust the Americans to make satellite guided artillery shells. Of course, strapping sophisticated computer and flight systems to a bomb makes the Excalibur cost about $80 000 a shot.
Of course, that is still a magnitude cheaper than firing a $400 000 Hellfire.
What makes the Excalibur special is that the shell is satellite guided. Yes, trust the Americans to make satellite guided artillery shells. Of course, strapping sophisticated computer and flight systems to a bomb makes the Excalibur cost about $80 000 a shot.
Of course, that is still a magnitude cheaper than firing a $400 000 Hellfire.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Amazing
Kanye West might be a cockbag, but damn he has style. Just check out his PVs. I mean, it cost a million dollars! Pamela Anderson was in it, and he was jumping "across canyons and shit"! Eval Kanyevel.
I also realized today that I judge hip-hop largely by their samples, because everyone's got flow. Sorry Immortal Technique, I am not cultured enough for you.
I also realized today that I judge hip-hop largely by their samples, because everyone's got flow. Sorry Immortal Technique, I am not cultured enough for you.
Wednesday, August 05, 2009
I don't know what BMW was thinking
But they sure know how to appeal to me!
Take a look at the M5, it's a 4 door sedan.
But underneath its hood is a V10 500bhp engine. 500! That's nearly the power of a F430! Naught to 100kph in 4.7s. Of course you can change from auto to manual, but what's interesting is that there's a Launch Control button, which is an automatic shift program optimized for standing starts. It also comes with paddles and a stick, that's right, paddles in a 4 door saloon.
Best of all though, you can drive around in it and pretend you don't care about cars at all. Until you paint some racing stripes on, but that's a different matter.
Take a look at the M5, it's a 4 door sedan.
But underneath its hood is a V10 500bhp engine. 500! That's nearly the power of a F430! Naught to 100kph in 4.7s. Of course you can change from auto to manual, but what's interesting is that there's a Launch Control button, which is an automatic shift program optimized for standing starts. It also comes with paddles and a stick, that's right, paddles in a 4 door saloon.
Best of all though, you can drive around in it and pretend you don't care about cars at all. Until you paint some racing stripes on, but that's a different matter.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
I'm suitably impressed!
Ferguson begins playing at :48.
That is not within normal range of the trumpet by any means.
That is not within normal range of the trumpet by any means.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Contrasts
I think it's interesting that the Canadian Coast Guard is civilian and the task of protecting our coast is delegated to MARCOM. That leaves about 2 ships that are freely deployable around the world.
The American Coast Guard is a branch of its military and despite its name actually deploys its cutters around the world in soft power missions. Hell, strap some Harpoons onto the Bertholf and it's nearly a match for the Halifax class*.
*Well, not really. But hey, it has a 57mm gun and a Phalanx system, what kind of firepower do they expect to run into?
The American Coast Guard is a branch of its military and despite its name actually deploys its cutters around the world in soft power missions. Hell, strap some Harpoons onto the Bertholf and it's nearly a match for the Halifax class*.
*Well, not really. But hey, it has a 57mm gun and a Phalanx system, what kind of firepower do they expect to run into?
Monday, July 13, 2009
Thursday, July 09, 2009
Judging books by covers
Or How I've come to respect Akon.
Notice how he's brooding and shirtless. Plus, what the hell kind of lettering is that? The line weights are completely stupid.
Look! Now he's wearing a suit! Check out the Futura, now that's classy!
I am a terrible judge of people.
This was his first album:
Notice how he's brooding and shirtless. Plus, what the hell kind of lettering is that? The line weights are completely stupid.
This is his newest album:
Look! Now he's wearing a suit! Check out the Futura, now that's classy!
I am a terrible judge of people.
Saturday, July 04, 2009
I don't think my Macbook likes Windows very much
Once in a while I get inexplicable and random shutdowns.
Also, the fan goes off a lot more often on Windows side. Usually when the fan starts whirling it means you're doing some heavy lifting processes (or your graphics card is shit and the video gets offloaded onto your CPU), but nope, my CPU activity would be hovering at 6% and my system temps at 60°C.
My only explanation is that my computer has decided I've been using XP for too long and is trying to kick me off.
Also, the fan goes off a lot more often on Windows side. Usually when the fan starts whirling it means you're doing some heavy lifting processes (or your graphics card is shit and the video gets offloaded onto your CPU), but nope, my CPU activity would be hovering at 6% and my system temps at 60°C.
My only explanation is that my computer has decided I've been using XP for too long and is trying to kick me off.
Thursday, July 02, 2009
I know everyone has a crush on the Avro Arrow...
...but let's not get carried away. It was a good airplane, but it was not going to thrust Canada into air dominance and it certainly cannot take on any modern aircraft today as some people seem to believe.
The very best argument for it is that it would maintain a domestic air defense ability as well as a competitive Canadian aerospace industry. Again: competitive, not dominant.
The Avro Arrow's main call to fame (other than being Canadian) was its flight altitude and speed. These features are great assets, because it was designed as an interceptor, not an air superiority fighter. That means it has to take off, gain altitude quickly and dash out to meet opposing bombers. I don't know how many Gs it could pull, but just judging from its size and role I expect its turning radius to be measured in nautical miles. So it was suited for its job, but would probably be mediocre as a dogfighter.
The first flight of the Arrow was in 1958. What else took off during 1958? The legendary F-4 Phantom II!
How does an F-4 compare? It actually has a higher speed and operational ceiling! This may be due to the fact that its been in service longer (i.e. still in service) and has gotten numerous upgrades, but usually these would be just newer avionics or a more powerful engine, major airframe modifications just didn't happen as far as I could see. Nonetheless, its original engines outclassed the Arrow's at about 16,000 lbf vs 12,500 lbf each and it's a smaller aircraft so the thrust-weight ratio would be better. Add to the fact that it was designed to take on a fighter role and I honestly don't think the Arrow would stand much of a chance in a head on fight.
As far as taking on modern aircraft, not a chance. Firstly, speed only gets you so far (this was demonstrated during the Falklands War). In fact, the JSF and F-22 are substantially slower than the F-15 in terms of maximum speed. Secondly, modern air warfare is entirely dependent on avionics. An F/A-18F with its souped-up APG-79 can actually fire an AMRAAM and hit a target flying behind itself.
And Super Hornets aren't even real air superiority fighters!
So there you have it. Was shutting it down a bad move? Perhaps, but I feel Diefenbaker gets way too much flak for the project cancellation. Canada should get over itself.
The very best argument for it is that it would maintain a domestic air defense ability as well as a competitive Canadian aerospace industry. Again: competitive, not dominant.
The Avro Arrow's main call to fame (other than being Canadian) was its flight altitude and speed. These features are great assets, because it was designed as an interceptor, not an air superiority fighter. That means it has to take off, gain altitude quickly and dash out to meet opposing bombers. I don't know how many Gs it could pull, but just judging from its size and role I expect its turning radius to be measured in nautical miles. So it was suited for its job, but would probably be mediocre as a dogfighter.
The first flight of the Arrow was in 1958. What else took off during 1958? The legendary F-4 Phantom II!
How does an F-4 compare? It actually has a higher speed and operational ceiling! This may be due to the fact that its been in service longer (i.e. still in service) and has gotten numerous upgrades, but usually these would be just newer avionics or a more powerful engine, major airframe modifications just didn't happen as far as I could see. Nonetheless, its original engines outclassed the Arrow's at about 16,000 lbf vs 12,500 lbf each and it's a smaller aircraft so the thrust-weight ratio would be better. Add to the fact that it was designed to take on a fighter role and I honestly don't think the Arrow would stand much of a chance in a head on fight.
As far as taking on modern aircraft, not a chance. Firstly, speed only gets you so far (this was demonstrated during the Falklands War). In fact, the JSF and F-22 are substantially slower than the F-15 in terms of maximum speed. Secondly, modern air warfare is entirely dependent on avionics. An F/A-18F with its souped-up APG-79 can actually fire an AMRAAM and hit a target flying behind itself.
And Super Hornets aren't even real air superiority fighters!
So there you have it. Was shutting it down a bad move? Perhaps, but I feel Diefenbaker gets way too much flak for the project cancellation. Canada should get over itself.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Beautiful
MacRuby integrates with Xcode and allows calling Objective-C libraries directly through Ruby.
MacRuby 0.5 will use some derivative of the LLVM over YARV, which means Ruby will finally have a compiler. Or at least a compiler in the same sense as Java.
Now I just need to 1) find the time to figure out how it all works exactly and 2) come up with an app idea that I'd want to make.
What about Windows you ask? Well uh... <_<
I don't think Ruby.NET is going to happen like ever. Maybe they'll shove all its features into C# just like everything else and call it a day.
Anyone remember Visual Java? Lolol.
MacRuby 0.5 will use some derivative of the LLVM over YARV, which means Ruby will finally have a compiler. Or at least a compiler in the same sense as Java.
Now I just need to 1) find the time to figure out how it all works exactly and 2) come up with an app idea that I'd want to make.
What about Windows you ask? Well uh... <_<
I don't think Ruby.NET is going to happen like ever. Maybe they'll shove all its features into C# just like everything else and call it a day.
Anyone remember Visual Java? Lolol.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Rude awakenings
You know those things that you knew once but forgot later in order to make room for other things? Like that time you deleted common tropical fish illnesses in order to learn about humanist typefaces?
Okay that was probably just me.
There was also that other time I learned calculus and promptly discarded all my knowledge on completing the square ('haha' I said to myself, I'll find my quadratic vertexes through derivatives now!).
Then shit like ∫1/sqrt(3x² - 2x + 1) dx started showing up and suddenly I wished I hadn't started just throwing past mathematical knowledge out willy-nilly.
I can still tell my Fluvals from my Filstars though. Ask me about canister filters sometime.
Okay that was probably just me.
There was also that other time I learned calculus and promptly discarded all my knowledge on completing the square ('haha' I said to myself, I'll find my quadratic vertexes through derivatives now!).
Then shit like ∫1/sqrt(3x² - 2x + 1) dx started showing up and suddenly I wished I hadn't started just throwing past mathematical knowledge out willy-nilly.
I can still tell my Fluvals from my Filstars though. Ask me about canister filters sometime.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
And my CS adventure of the day
Today I suddenly realized that I could curry in Ruby (I was using the 1.8.6 framework at the time, so I'd have to write my own method).
Currying is basically the concept that you can decompose a function...
e.g. f(x,y,z) = x + 2y + 3z
...into...
g(x) = x + h(y)
where h(y) = 2y + i(z)
where i(z) = 3z
Now obviously I feel a need to show off my new found skills, so I thought to myself, when would this ever be useful? I asked around and nobody seemed to have a good answer. At that point, Google was my only recourse and to my delight it actually returned a thread on Ruby Forum.
Apparently Ruby 1.9.1 has a curry method built-in (also some new syntax, which is nice) and people there were trying to figure out what it's good for.
"It's not difficult at all,
returns the proc object equivalent to
"Uh, how do we call that?
...
What problem does that solve?"
"this one:
I gave a good chortle at this point, because the not retarded way of doing the same thing would just be:
Which is pretty much what people have been doing since forever in imperative languages. It's also more flexible because
So where does this leave me? Well, I still have no idea what use currying is for. I hope someone can give me a practical example outside of Lisp, because being able to do this:
...is actually pretty cool.
Currying is basically the concept that you can decompose a function...
e.g. f(x,y,z) = x + 2y + 3z
...into...
g(x) = x + h(y)
where h(y) = 2y + i(z)
where i(z) = 3z
Now obviously I feel a need to show off my new found skills, so I thought to myself, when would this ever be useful? I asked around and nobody seemed to have a good answer. At that point, Google was my only recourse and to my delight it actually returned a thread on Ruby Forum.
Apparently Ruby 1.9.1 has a curry method built-in (also some new syntax, which is nice) and people there were trying to figure out what it's good for.
"It's not difficult at all,
proc {|x, y, z| x + y + z }.curryreturns the proc object equivalent to
proc {|x| proc {|y| proc {|z| x + y + z } } }""Uh, how do we call that?
...
proc{...}.call(x).call(y).call(z)What problem does that solve?"
"this one:
plus_five = proc {|x,y,z| x + y + z }.curry.call(2).call(3)plus_five[10] #=> 15"I gave a good chortle at this point, because the not retarded way of doing the same thing would just be:
sum = proc{|x,y,z| x + y + x}
plus_five = proc{|x| sum[x,2,3]}
plus_five[10] #=> 15Which is pretty much what people have been doing since forever in imperative languages. It's also more flexible because
plus_five doesn't have to be {|x| sum[x,2,3]}, it could just as easily be {|y| sum[2,y,3]}.So where does this leave me? Well, I still have no idea what use currying is for. I hope someone can give me a practical example outside of Lisp, because being able to do this:
f = proc{|a,b,c| a + b + c}.curry
g = f[1][2]
puts g[3] #=> Outputs 6...is actually pretty cool.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
A startling realization...
My collection of pirated Adobe fonts has a far greater market value than my collection of pirated Adobe software.
I have well over $300 worth of Garamond alone. <_<
Damn.
I have well over $300 worth of Garamond alone. <_<
Damn.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Perspectives
It's interesting to see John Kricfalusi praise the excellent composition of Dennis the Menace.
While David Malki comes down hard on the flat gags.
Though to be fair, Malki does give praise the draftsmanship quality.
While David Malki comes down hard on the flat gags.
Though to be fair, Malki does give praise the draftsmanship quality.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
The worst kind of show
One that ends in terrible trainwreck, but with enough redeeming qualities that you just can't forget about it and all that's left is the sadness of knowing what it could've been.
Macross F, it could've been so good.
Its soundtrack is so good.
But every time I listen to it, I am left with a hollow feeling.
I leave you with episode 6, prelude to the first major battle and before the series' rapid descent into awful territory.
Diamond Crevasse begins 19 minutes in.
Macross F, it could've been so good.
Its soundtrack is so good.
But every time I listen to it, I am left with a hollow feeling.
I leave you with episode 6, prelude to the first major battle and before the series' rapid descent into awful territory.
Diamond Crevasse begins 19 minutes in.
Friday, May 08, 2009
Friday, May 01, 2009
NATO != EU
I've thought about talking on this a while ago, but an article came up so I'll just link to it instead.
In the case of Somalia, it gets even messier because in addition to EU NAVFOR and NATO, we have CTF-151, all of which have different command structures and RoE despite overlapping constituent countries. For instance, Canada is serving under NATO but is also expected to contribute to CTF-151*. Turkey is in EU but will also be flying flag for CTF-151. Greece flew flag for EU and is also part of NATO.
HMCS Winnipeg has already performed a catch and release because NATO RoE doesn't allow them to do anything else. I'm not sure if that would change under CTF-151; on one hand there was the Maersk Alabama incident, on the other hand a hostage situation is different from finding some guys and guns on a trawler.
*I'm not entirely sure how since MARCOM basically only has 2 vessels free for overseas deployment at a time.
In the case of Somalia, it gets even messier because in addition to EU NAVFOR and NATO, we have CTF-151, all of which have different command structures and RoE despite overlapping constituent countries. For instance, Canada is serving under NATO but is also expected to contribute to CTF-151*. Turkey is in EU but will also be flying flag for CTF-151. Greece flew flag for EU and is also part of NATO.
HMCS Winnipeg has already performed a catch and release because NATO RoE doesn't allow them to do anything else. I'm not sure if that would change under CTF-151; on one hand there was the Maersk Alabama incident, on the other hand a hostage situation is different from finding some guys and guns on a trawler.
*I'm not entirely sure how since MARCOM basically only has 2 vessels free for overseas deployment at a time.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Motivation
I was all ready to make a Vocaloid PV. But then I kind of lost the desire to after I installed Processing and Sonia.
Processing is...interesting. I like how the version that doesn't come with JDK on their site is titled "expert" in the file name. I also like that when you click import library on the menu, all it does is add a header that says import whatever.
I've also finally replaced NetBeans with Eclipse. Interesting fact: the only Canadian mirror happens to be UW's Computer Science Club.
Processing is...interesting. I like how the version that doesn't come with JDK on their site is titled "expert" in the file name. I also like that when you click import library on the menu, all it does is add a header that says import whatever.
I've also finally replaced NetBeans with Eclipse. Interesting fact: the only Canadian mirror happens to be UW's Computer Science Club.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Courtesy The Atlantic
I've been going through The Atlantic's podcasts.
Here's one on Afghanistan.
It follows a Canadian unit out on operations, I enjoyed the typical Canadian reservedness of the narration. Much better than the stuff generally linked on millblogs.
It's also interesting to see the Canadians on patrol being controlled and methodical under fire, like when they were tag teaming with the M203 and semi-automatic fire. In contrast to the the Afghan army man shooting blind from the hips. That's the difference in training.
The Atlantic in general is pretty quality, it's nice to see comments that are for the most part legible and rational, even if I disagree with them. Compared that to Wired's comments, which are about a half step above those of YouTube.
Here's one on Afghanistan.
It follows a Canadian unit out on operations, I enjoyed the typical Canadian reservedness of the narration. Much better than the stuff generally linked on millblogs.
It's also interesting to see the Canadians on patrol being controlled and methodical under fire, like when they were tag teaming with the M203 and semi-automatic fire. In contrast to the the Afghan army man shooting blind from the hips. That's the difference in training.
The Atlantic in general is pretty quality, it's nice to see comments that are for the most part legible and rational, even if I disagree with them. Compared that to Wired's comments, which are about a half step above those of YouTube.
Monday, April 20, 2009
I don't really like JSF
People always compare it the F-16, that's not really the case. The F-16 was affordable and had a flawless development process.
As far as the F-35 goes, its final price would be comparable to the Raptor for worse air to air capabilities (worse stealth, no supercruise, worse radar). The thing is, F-22 R&D is done with, so the flyaway cost goes down per aircraft while the F-35 still has all sorts of the issues that will inflate its flyaway cost. Even if the costs remain as listed (I guarantee it won't), I think I'd rather take a Raptor and a couple of Predator-Cs over 2 JSFs. Jack of all trades and master of none type of thing. You don't need an entire air force made of stealth, once the tricky targets have been taken out, legacy aircraft are perfectly capable of holding the line (assuming their airframes hold out). Plus the F-35 is supposed to take on the role of A-10s when they retire. That is a really shitty idea no matter how you look at it.
There are basically three aspects that JSF has over Raptor; export, CV and STOVL. Export isn't a huge deal except for Lockheed Martin, Europe/Australia/Canada have a lot of viable alternatives (Rafale, Eurofighter, Gripen NG, etc) and carrier air isn't huge either. The F/A-18E/Fs aren't great dogfighters but they're adequate and fine jets otherwise; alternatively, Rafales are quite nice and they're CVN-68 compatible with no modification.
STOVL would be a problem though. The Harrier IIs are getting old and they're going to need to be replaced with something. They're also notoriously difficult to fly. Just removing the capability is not really an option, USMC needs their air support.
In summary, the justifications I can think of for the JSF program:
1. F-35B
2. ???
That's a pretty short list. I think it could've been trimmed shorter if people weren't so eager to shovel their money into a black hole to begin with.
As far as the F-35 goes, its final price would be comparable to the Raptor for worse air to air capabilities (worse stealth, no supercruise, worse radar). The thing is, F-22 R&D is done with, so the flyaway cost goes down per aircraft while the F-35 still has all sorts of the issues that will inflate its flyaway cost. Even if the costs remain as listed (I guarantee it won't), I think I'd rather take a Raptor and a couple of Predator-Cs over 2 JSFs. Jack of all trades and master of none type of thing. You don't need an entire air force made of stealth, once the tricky targets have been taken out, legacy aircraft are perfectly capable of holding the line (assuming their airframes hold out). Plus the F-35 is supposed to take on the role of A-10s when they retire. That is a really shitty idea no matter how you look at it.
There are basically three aspects that JSF has over Raptor; export, CV and STOVL. Export isn't a huge deal except for Lockheed Martin, Europe/Australia/Canada have a lot of viable alternatives (Rafale, Eurofighter, Gripen NG, etc) and carrier air isn't huge either. The F/A-18E/Fs aren't great dogfighters but they're adequate and fine jets otherwise; alternatively, Rafales are quite nice and they're CVN-68 compatible with no modification.
STOVL would be a problem though. The Harrier IIs are getting old and they're going to need to be replaced with something. They're also notoriously difficult to fly. Just removing the capability is not really an option, USMC needs their air support.
In summary, the justifications I can think of for the JSF program:
1. F-35B
2. ???
That's a pretty short list. I think it could've been trimmed shorter if people weren't so eager to shovel their money into a black hole to begin with.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Looks good
Boeing has just unveiled the F-15SE Silent Eagle. It's an upgraded Strike Eagle with a smaller radar cross-section, internal weapons bays and AESA radar. Boeing has been pretty good with delivering Growlers and Super Hornets on time and on budget, so they'll probably do good with this too.
Still, $100 million projected unit cost? That's compared to $80 million (flyaway) for the JSF and $45 million for the Super Hornet. Even if JSF's cost goes up (in all liklihood it will), I can't see this as a very attractive buy. Especially since the Raptor itself is 'just' $135 million (flyaway), and purchases have been stopped.
Perhaps the USAF will take the option of upgrading their current fleet. I don't think the Strike Eagles are running into airframe problems yet, they're quite a bit newer than the A/Cs. Probably not though, stealth becomes kind of unnecessary after air dominance has been achieved by the frontline fighters, even the upgraded radar becomes not that useful when you can just augment an F-15 wing with an F-22 to track. Boeing is targeting the export market anyways.
On a semi-related note, I hope the JSF turns out to be all that they say it's going to be, otherwise Western air superiority is going to be in a lot of trouble.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Fuck Dubai
I hope Dubai sinks into the sea.
Caste structure aside, the sheer stupidity of people with too much money is ridiculous. Where else in the world would you try to cool beaches with pipes buried in the sand?
They've built a city in the middle of a desert. A true desert, where you actually can't stand outside because it's too hot and dust storms will blow through every now and then. Then they built a ski resort. And a golf course.
It's like Las Vegas taken to an extreme, but at least Las Vegas isn't building little islands off the coast in the shape of palm trees, which by the way, will get wrecked by rising sea levels like sandcastles on a beach.
I'm not angry that their citizens are filthy rich, but I'm taken aback at the incredibly dumb things they're throwing their money at. Hell, Antarctica is more hospitable than that place. At least then you wouldn't need to produce all your water from the sea.
Their PR though I admit is fantastic.
Caste structure aside, the sheer stupidity of people with too much money is ridiculous. Where else in the world would you try to cool beaches with pipes buried in the sand?
They've built a city in the middle of a desert. A true desert, where you actually can't stand outside because it's too hot and dust storms will blow through every now and then. Then they built a ski resort. And a golf course.
It's like Las Vegas taken to an extreme, but at least Las Vegas isn't building little islands off the coast in the shape of palm trees, which by the way, will get wrecked by rising sea levels like sandcastles on a beach.
I'm not angry that their citizens are filthy rich, but I'm taken aback at the incredibly dumb things they're throwing their money at. Hell, Antarctica is more hospitable than that place. At least then you wouldn't need to produce all your water from the sea.
Their PR though I admit is fantastic.
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Japan is not worried about North Korea
You see, their capabilities extend beyond Airborne Lasers, Aegis BMD, Patriot batteries and THAAD.
As illustrated above, a missile in mid-course would also have to contend with space battleships, Eva, Gundams and magical lolis.
...and if all else fails, deflect to America.
Wednesday, April 01, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Titles optional
For all the bad media, the American military is damn good at warfighting. It's true that their upper echelons have made (i.e. still making) terrible decisions and the whole American military complex is a huge clusterfuck, but even if you put a squad of US soldiers into an ambush situation--outgunned, outnumbered and without close air--they will come out on top.
While the initial gunslinging bravado of the US Army has given way to a new counter-insurgency docterine, the rest of NATO is still struggling to adapt as their peacemakers come under heavier attack.
Iraq is well on its way to recovery whether because of the surge or the Anbar Awakening (I'd vouch for the latter), but on the homefront people have been losing their stomach for war.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan and Northern Pakistan are slipping back into Taliban grips. Pakistan is especially inept at this fighting business so the US Army really needs to be there. [1]
So, can America keep up the momentum and capitalize on their bloody gains or will everything come falling down like a house of cards?
1. Quiz time: what should your main battle tanks do when they encounter insurgents? Hint: full reverse is not the correct answer.
While the initial gunslinging bravado of the US Army has given way to a new counter-insurgency docterine, the rest of NATO is still struggling to adapt as their peacemakers come under heavier attack.
Iraq is well on its way to recovery whether because of the surge or the Anbar Awakening (I'd vouch for the latter), but on the homefront people have been losing their stomach for war.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan and Northern Pakistan are slipping back into Taliban grips. Pakistan is especially inept at this fighting business so the US Army really needs to be there. [1]
So, can America keep up the momentum and capitalize on their bloody gains or will everything come falling down like a house of cards?
1. Quiz time: what should your main battle tanks do when they encounter insurgents? Hint: full reverse is not the correct answer.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Battlestar Galactica
So, I've had 4 different blogs in 3 different folders on my RSS aggregator bring up the Battlestar Galactica finale.
Including a personal finance blog and a paramedic blog.
I don't know what this says about me as a person.
Including a personal finance blog and a paramedic blog.
I don't know what this says about me as a person.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Fighting piracy with Aegis cruisers
Absolutely ridiculous.
The Russians are even worse, blowing up pirate skiffs with a Cold War era 28 000 ton nuclear battlecruiser.
Well, maybe not.¹
Doesn't America have any better idea than to fight fishing trawlers with ships excess of 3000 tons?
1. They actually are, since Boxer is replacing San Antonio on station, it makes sense looking at it as a logistics ship with air capability rather than a 40 000 ton aircraft carrier, whereas the Kirovs are arsenal ships pure and simple. I'm just being a troll. Alternatively: Boxer can launch an invasion on Somalia by itself.
The Russians are even worse, blowing up pirate skiffs with a Cold War era 28 000 ton nuclear battlecruiser.
Well, maybe not.¹
Doesn't America have any better idea than to fight fishing trawlers with ships excess of 3000 tons?
1. They actually are, since Boxer is replacing San Antonio on station, it makes sense looking at it as a logistics ship with air capability rather than a 40 000 ton aircraft carrier, whereas the Kirovs are arsenal ships pure and simple. I'm just being a troll. Alternatively: Boxer can launch an invasion on Somalia by itself.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
So...
You can see what type of developers Ruby attracts:
http://poignantguide.net/ruby/
http://shoooes.net/
It's scary and awesome all at once.
Scarily awesome.
edit: For the record, I found the guide to be too ADD even for me and I was upset that shoes isn't actually a GUI library, it's just its own development environment that uses Ruby.
http://poignantguide.net/ruby/
http://shoooes.net/
It's scary and awesome all at once.
Scarily awesome.
edit: For the record, I found the guide to be too ADD even for me and I was upset that shoes isn't actually a GUI library, it's just its own development environment that uses Ruby.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
GTFO my Ruby, C users
Alternatively: Lies revisited.
It's often stated that Ruby has no primitives, everything is an object. That's not true, rather almost everything is actually a pointer to an object. There is also one primitive: int. They've just been made to behave as objects through other means. Ints are primitive as an interpreter optimization, since you're going to be storing int values in pointers, there isn't much to be gained in constantly creating int objects and then pointing to it, at least in Ruby's case.
What's really interesting is the objects:
Wait, what happened there? Well, since Ruby is meant to be intuitive (this isn't C after all), we don't want to be dealing with all this pointer nonsense. Everything is made to behave as though they were passing by value, so treating everything as an object works. Mostly. What actually happens behind the scenes is that
Ruby gives us some options for changing values directly:
In addition to that, there are a number of bang (!) functions, which behave like their counterparts except that they modify values directly. The ! signifies that they're dangerous.
So what happens? Well, knowing this information, a user decides to suggest in a thread that Ruby ought to have pointers to pointers so he can do things like he could in C.
Because .replace is too messy.
Nevermind that Java gets along just fine without any.
Fucking C.
Yeah, that was a long setup to a bad punchline. I know. I also know that the interpreter was coded in C.
It's often stated that Ruby has no primitives, everything is an object. That's not true, rather almost everything is actually a pointer to an object. There is also one primitive: int. They've just been made to behave as objects through other means. Ints are primitive as an interpreter optimization, since you're going to be storing int values in pointers, there isn't much to be gained in constantly creating int objects and then pointing to it, at least in Ruby's case.
What's really interesting is the objects:
a = 'hello world'
b = a
a = 'goodbye world'
puts a #outputs goodbye world
puts b #outputs hello worldWait, what happened there? Well, since Ruby is meant to be intuitive (this isn't C after all), we don't want to be dealing with all this pointer nonsense. Everything is made to behave as though they were passing by value, so treating everything as an object works. Mostly. What actually happens behind the scenes is that
b still points to the old value, but when a is changed, a new value is created and a is redirected to that. If we change b as well, then our garbage collector sees that 'hello world' is unref'd and reclaims the memory (this isn't C goddammit).Ruby gives us some options for changing values directly:
a = 'hello world'
b = a
a.replace('goodbye world')
puts a #outputs goodbye world
puts b #outputs goodbye worldIn addition to that, there are a number of bang (!) functions, which behave like their counterparts except that they modify values directly. The ! signifies that they're dangerous.
So what happens? Well, knowing this information, a user decides to suggest in a thread that Ruby ought to have pointers to pointers so he can do things like he could in C.
Because .replace is too messy.
Nevermind that Java gets along just fine without any.
Fucking C.
Yeah, that was a long setup to a bad punchline. I know. I also know that the interpreter was coded in C.
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