TextPlanet
May 26, 2008
lookANDsee —
The Queen Victoria Building in Sydney’s business centre, was completed in the late 19th century and restored in the early 1980’s. Sadly there are plans afoot to “modernise” it and remove all the beautiful Victorian paraphernalia.
ferrydust — still sick
That strange place of sleepy/overslept, tired/restless, awareness/haziness. rest and water are not repairing me nearly as swiftly as they should. I can get up like this for a few minutes before the discomfort sets in too hard and I’m forced back to bed. I’ve tried throwing up several times but haven’t been so successful. Disappointed to miss out on plans for tonight. frustrated to have been able to do/accomplish nothing today. but understand that somethings just have to be endured. my time is up. back down.
The Real Adam — Pinky and the LOLdog
JustinFrench.com — Rails, Git, Github, etc
A little collection of things I’ve found useful as I dig deeper into Git, dealing with forks, branches, pull requests, patches, etc. There hasn’t been one glorious moment where “the penny drops” and it all makes sense to me… Instead, it’s been dropping again and again as I absorb more about people’s workflows and usage patterns.
- Contributing to Rails in the Rails Lighthouse system
- Everyday Git with 20 Commands
- Git Manual Page
- Got Git? How to Git and github by Steven Bristol
- The Thing About Git by Ryan Tomayko
- Using Git within a project by Dr Nic
- Git Cheat Sheet by Err Free
- Git – SVN Crash Course by Petr Baudis
I’ll add more as I find them, feel free to email me
May 25, 2008
ferrydust — sick
Feeling really sick and miserable today. Grateful tomorrow’s a holiday so that I can continue trying to rest it off… even though so far that has not fixed me. too shall pass, like everything else. So miserable right now, though, and seems so meaningless.
hicksdesign — The Detective's Handbook
Published by Usborne books in 1979, The Detectives Handbook (also published as 3 separate books) was quite simply my favourite childhood book.
Usborne are always known for the wealth of their illustrations, and these were no different. Pages of Colin King’s artwork that made me want to go out and re-enact the scenes, and above all, I really wanted that detectives office!
I found a copy on ebay last week, so I’ve taken some examples from it, and set up a Detective’s Handbook Flickr Set
mrjerz — April 2008: Ryan Jerz and friends visit the Republic of Molossia
April’s Post of the Month selection was a bit closer than I thought it might be. In fact, I actually wanted it to be something about Domingo Rivera, Cyber Lawyer, but was overruled when the little dog insisted with three sharp barks and a bite to my Achilles. I guess it was because this post meant an afternoon of me away from home, thus freeing up the little dog to shred any wayward piece of mail or even a Certificate of Achievement that The Girl might have brought home for accomplishing something her father could only have dreamed of in the third grade.
Anyway, about the trip to Molossia. It’s not often that a post is accompanied by a photo gallery, but the Molossia trip would have been incomplete without one. The place, despite it’s small size for a nation, was a sight to behold. And our visit to Molossia seemed to ring throughout the community in ways I never could have foreseen. Here are a couple of stories on how the trip connected people in ways they may not have been connected before (long bullet points upcoming):
- Two separate people have mentioned, either through chat or Twitter, that they would like to see the nation. It’s funny how that works. I wrote about it twice prior to visiting, but received very little feedback at the time. However, once people saw what it looked like, they were all over it. I also like to think of myself as a trailblazer in this area, and my internet reputation has probably not hurt the micronation’s credibility in the least. No matter what the reason, though, Molossia and His Excellency President Kevin Baugh may receive a few more requests for visitors than in the recent past from the locals. I hope they don’t make him close up shop.
- My step-brother works in the library at UNR. I occasionally get hits from a computer there and always figured it was him. Until one day he IM’d me to ask what the hell was this talk of me visiting a foreign country. Turns out his boss was at work talking about this Jerz guy who went to some other country near Reno and how cool it was. My step-brother, we’ll call him Casey to protect his anonymity in the case he actually is aware of my reputation, kind of asked what the talk was about, and when his boss told him he said, “yeah, that’s my brother.” Apparently a fistfight ensued over “Casey’s” alleged lies and he was almost fired over the ordeal. I offered to broker a deal between the two, which ultimately resulted in a raise for “Casey” and happy feelings all around.
That second story may or may not be slightly embellished. The point is that people are now aware of Molossia and the coolness it brings to our region. His Excellency President Kevin Baugh deserves more credit than I could possibly lavish upon him for maintaining his immaculate micronation. He also deserves a little more praise than he has been afforded, despite his television appearances. The only local coverage he has received to this point that I’m aware of is right here. And I’ll admit this site does not have nearly the audience to amount to the proper recognition.
All in all, though, Molossia was a great time, and very worthy of April 2008’s Post of the Month.
random ruminations — Tactical Advantage
While looking for books my John Farnam on Amazon I came across this review. I’ve seen negative reviews of Gabe Suarez’s books before. Suarez is someone people either love or hate. There is no middle ground. I’ve read some of his writings and believe he knows what he’s talking about.
I read the reviews on this book yesterday and noticed two negative reviews, both by anonymous reviewers. I hate anonymous reviews. I understand why some individuals believe they need to hide, but I also think it’s cowardly. This review caught my attention and I thought about what the reviewer said. There is a wrongness to the comments and I couldn’t let it go. I started to reply on the Amazon site, but then decided to write here instead.
I read the Constitution and the amendments. I came away with the understanding that I am the government (or at least a part thereof). It is my responsibility to watch over those entrusted with running the affairs of this country. Furthermore, I am a part of the militia discussed in the second amendment. It is my right, and my responsibility, to keep and bear arms for the mutual defense of my community. That does not make me a vigilante or a member of some weird splinter group. It makes me a citizen.
I can easily envision a very bad situation (think Katrina) when my neighbor or neighbor’s wife might come to me and ask for help retrieving a family member from their home where they are held hostage. There’s no phone, no security police1, no one but a few neighbors and I to help. I think knowledge of how to enter a house would be a very good thing. There is nothing wrong with tactical knowledge and Gabe Suarez does not teach “how to indiscriminately kill people.”
I think I’ll order a copy of the book just because I want to know something about building-entry tactics.
1 I hope I never see another instance where security is sent off to collect the defensive weapons of private citizens. What happened after Katrina is something we should be ashamed of, in many ways. But the weapons sweep was one of the most heinous.
lookANDsee — Grace Building, Sydney CBD
The Grace Building in Sydney’s CBD dates back to the 1920’s and echoes that era’s art deco architecture. It was originally the headquarters of the Grace Brothers department store chain; it’s now the Grace Hotel.
Swaroop C H, The Dreamer — Smart Techie Startup City
Yesterday, I attended The Smart Techie Startup City event. It was intended as a showcase of startups as well as for learning/sharing/mentoring.
I had taken some notes during the day. As I was expanding it into a blog post, I realized I was just adding filler words which was a waste of bits, so here it is as-is:
- Ashish Gupta, Helion VC on “Concept to Success : Milestones for
startups”
- India is a startup (positive way of looking at things)
- High energy
- Lots of growth
- Small absolute number (relatively)
- Little infrastructure or process
- Lack of talent
- Lots of optimism
- Need to innovate to survive
- ⇒ Once in a lifetime opportunity
- Significant change in dynamics (negative way of looking at it)
- Whatever can be made efficient will be done so.
- We can in turn get bangalored and some other country will benefit.
- Creative folks will thrive.
- ⇒ We have no choice.
- Whatever can be made efficient will be done so.
- Hardest evolutionary steps
- Those that requires behavior change
- For example, starting to think “Become cash flow positive”
- Next level CEO, process, tech, business model, etc.
- Those that requires behavior change
- Put in place metrics to measure everything - will help identify whether one has already hit an inflection point.
- Rules of thumb
- Focus on customer/issue
- Focus on continuous improvement
- Intellectual honesty
- Results matter - only for MEASURING (measure progress on a larger scale)
- ⇒ Same rules for person, family, company
- India is a startup (positive way of looking at things)
© Swaroop for Swaroop C H, The Dreamer, 2008. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us | Want more on these topics? Browse the archive of posts filed under Bengalooru, Business, India, Meet, Startup.
Davenetics — Wild Bill
Every time I hear Hillary’s quote about Obama and RFK, I keep picturing Bill in overalls, chewing on a straw of hay lodged (cigar-like) in the corner of an ominous grin, and resting a double-barrel shotgun on his shoulder.
This really is a study of the psychology of campaigns and what happens when what is discussed in private (or at least in the unconscious) accidentally (or insanely) slips out.
Seriously. Most people who are on the receiving end of moments like this are getting a couple hundred an hour. Consider yourself officially deputized by the American Psychoanalytic Association.
Updated: Hillary is off the hook. This lady is on. Holy shit…
random ruminations — Linkfest — 05-24-2008
“I’d rather have a bottle in front of me than a frontal lobotomy.”
- From a friend…
- Another friend sent this. It’s a good thought, albeit more than a bit schmaltzy. But, that’s OK because such things tend to remind us of what is important.
- I think some Shakespeare would be fun.
- Mitchell’s Mausers has some really cool historical rifles. I like rifles.
- And Freedom Arms makes some very, very cool heavy revolvers.
- OK, I like Kahr Arms pistols. I shot a rent-gun once chambered in 9mm and for a double-action only trigger, the pull was long but very smooth. But, I hate the “Thin is Sexy” line. Gack!
- DVICE occasionally has something cool. This virtual reality mask is almost scary!
- LFG fans will love DickRoll’d.
- The Astronomy Picture of the Day is pretty good this week.
Medialoper — The Daily Loper
Todays links of interest:
- Microsoft Book search winding down
On the eve of Book Expo America, Microsoft is throwing in the towel and telling publishers to scan their own damn books. - Clinton draws rebuke over assassination remark
See? Hillary isn’t staying in the race for any political or selfish reasons, but rather in case Obama is assassinated, we wouldn’t forget that she had also wanted the nomination. Thanks, Hillary! - John McCain and his ‘unremarkable’ buttocks
You probably think that it’s easy to go through headlines trolling for items to make smart-ass comments about. Perhaps, but then we come across something like this, and the only way to handle it is for our brains to shut completely down. - Jones grosses mil on Thursday
Next up: "Indiana Jones and the Retirement Nest Egg." - GameStop Dumps the Zune Because Nobody Wants It
That’s weird: we’ve never heard anything bad about the Zune. - Tila Tequila more guarded in second ‘Shot at Love’
Blames media and "paramour’s" desire for self-promotion as reasons for keeping more of herself to herself. Of course, well, the timing suggests someone might be engaging in a bit of self-promotion herself. - Top Contenders for Weather Channel Emerge
We still believe the weather should remain the public domain…
May 24, 2008
random ruminations — Thirty Years Ago
The other evening I was laying on my bed just thinking. I let my mind wander over things done and seen, places I visited and places I lived.
Thirty years ago Wife and I were living in Kansas City, Missouri, where I attended school part time and worked part time. It was supposed to be a cooperative eduction program, but instead of moving back and forth from Rolla to Kansas City, we stayed there during the school semester and I took classes at the community college.
During work semesters I worked for Black & Veatch. During school semesters I worked for Shafer, Kline, and Warren. We were preparing to move back to Rolla for me to finish my education (the move was still several months off). Some good friends let us live in their basement and we saved our rent money for the move. Wife was about to become pregnant with Daughter.
Life was pretty good, even if I worked hard. I liked Kansas City. It’s really a big cow town and has (or had) a western attitude, unlike St. Louis.
Hmm… Thirty years ago… It doesn’t seem all that long.
Edge of Somewhere — Nantes
Edge of Somewhere — Colours
Somebody explained a phenomena to me recently that I just cannot comprehend. There is widespread harassment of red-haired people in the UK; it’s called gingerism. (When this term was mentioned, I thought the person saying it was making it up…even halfway into the conversation I thought she must be exaggerating. But, alas, no.) She is a red-head who, whist walking down the street has had random strangers yell, “Hey, ginger…you’re ugly!” and some other, more pointed words. This apparently happens frequently without much recourse. One can enter into a legal process if someone calls you a racial epithet at work; however, if you are called a “pale worthless ginger” there is not much one can do. It’s just accepted as normal.
I’m not sure why this is (there are various theories about discrimination toward indiginous Celtic blood and so on). I had never considered red hair as a marker for such abuse—I personally think red hair is beautiful and just assumed that most people do (I know several red-headed men and women and they are all comely to me). But this belief is based on some cultural assumptions—and this makes me wonder about something ugly in humans. Discrimination is a completely cultural construct. In the same way someone from here cannot understand the racial discrimination in America, I cannot understand gingerism—because I have not been educated to discriminate against them.
It’s absurd. It’s so clearly hatred based on an arbitrary assessment; one that no party involved can alter in any way. It’s a discrimination that has no basis in who a person is or what they believe; it is ignorance amplified. It makes me want to stop the next red-head I see and just tell them they are beautiful (though I’d best not try that with some of the burly red-headed guys here; I somehow think they won’t readily grasp what I’m attempting to communicate).
How blind we are to our faults in this; a couple months ago, I was speaking to someone about staying on here in Scotland after finishing my MSc. This fellow said something to the extent of, “Ah, that’s all right and well then for you to stay on…it’s just all these damn immigrants coming in.” I was dumbstruck at this; I honestly think this fellow did not realise that I would be an immigrant—and that what he was saying was that it’s okay for me to be part of this society because I’m white and look like I should be. The problem is those other people who are black, or have red hair, or don’t have the right accent, believe in that other god, don’t support the right football team, or live on the wrong street. I sometimes mourn how pathetic we are.
wongaBlog — Eurovision Song Contest Decision Making Tally Counting Act Judging Generator Machine 2008
You’ve been clamouring for it, and now it’s here. Your ticket to Eurovision success is the Eurovision Song Contest Decision Making Tally Counting Act Judging Generator Machine. Honed to perfection over many years, the ESCDMTCAJGM has yet to fail1. It’s guaranteed2 to pick the right winner3.
I’ll be live-twittering the contest, so people might want to un-follow me to avoid the flood. (edit: or not, as twitter’s down atm)
- for certain definitions of ‘fail’
- for certain definitions of ‘guaranteed’
- for certain definitions of ‘winner’
NeMe — 4th ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival
Together with interfilm berlin the Literaturwerkstatt Berlin is calling for submissions for the 4th ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival. From 9 to 12 October 2008 an international jury will decide the winner of the 4th ZEBRA Poetry Film Festival.
NeMe — Unimovie 12
The 12th edition of Unimovie – International Video and Short Film Festival – will take place in Pescara (Italy), from the 1st to the 4th of October 2008.
wongaBlog — Geohashing with a monkey - 2008/05/24
This is geohashing:
Date + Dow opening = random place, within a 1 x 1 grid of about 60 miles. The xkcd wiki calls it a spontaneous adventure generator.
I’m in 52, -1, classified as Birmingham East. Today’s location was 20mins away, so I thought I’d check it out.
Monkey & I parked in a layby and wandered down a small stone path. The field containing the co-ordinates was private, so Monkey & I pushed our way through the stinging nettles up to the edge of the boundary fence:
The official geohash page is here.
Monkey and I are going to try and reach the Birmingham East geohashes for the next week. No guarantees, but wherever possible.
random ruminations — Airsoft
I own an airsoft gun. It’s an HFC Glock 17 knock-off. It’s a gas blowback design that is really pretty cool, except for a couple of things.
First, it doesn’t have the trigger safety of a real Glock. So, the trigger doesn’t feel quite the same when pressed. Second, it tends to shoot left even worse than I normally do. Third, it has a plastic slide. I would prefer a metal slide.
I’ve been doing a little searching. Tokyo Marui makes nice-looking G17 and G19 pistols. They have the features and are supposed to shoot straight. I would really like to have some good practice guns for my dry work. Now I need to find out if I can find them locally. I’d like to put hands-on before dropping the cash on the pistols and a couple of spare magazine.
Western Arms makes some very nice 1911-style gas pistols that are all-metal. They look more like replicas than gas-gun toys. They have appropriate pricing, though. Maybe later…
