Z-Stage Idea for the McWire RepStrap

Here is something else I scavenged from the Universal Stereoplotters. A nice z-stage setup for our McWire RepStrap.


In these images we have two full assemblies being shown. On the left is an assembly that is broken into its two components. The smaller shiny piece is the part you attach to the McWire bot while the darker piece above it is the part that gets the Extruder attached to it. To the right is the same setup--I got two--but put together.

An astute observer may ask how this assembly is kept together once in the vertical position? Ah, there is the cool part: MAGNETS! The two round portions in the dark piece with what look like lines through the centers of them are magnets. The other portion is metal so it gets held against the rollers but doesn't end up touching the magnets. Nice little setup that we should consider for the McWire RepStrap.

Scavanged Motors

These two motors and gearhead assemblies came out of a Universal Stereoplotter from my school. They are swiss made Portescap motors labeled as ESCAP 26L28 213 4 with Portescap gearheads labeled as ESCAP 26.1 156:1.

Pictures:

(One complete assembly with the other broken apart)

(That's the motor on the left and the gearhead on the right.)

(Motor on the right again and the gearhead on the left. Both from the other ends.)

I did some searching online for these motors/gearheads and came up with the following links:

26 Series Motors

K Series Gearheads
(Most of the way down the page and listed as 26.0 instead of 26.1. Don't know what the distinction means.)

My question is: How much are these worth. Neither listing is exactly what I have because they are fairly old though lightly used.

Rivers of Milk!

Apparently we have rivers and aquafirs of milk running beneath our feet! How else could gas be more expensive than milk!?

Let me explain. Cost of an item is usually based on its scarcity. Thus, since milk is cheaper than gas it must be more abundant.

Gas comes from oil which pools in huge underground reservoirs from which we have to extract it and then process it in mass. It is then shipped in pipes or trucks to your local gas station where it is sold in bulk.

Milk, on the other hand, must be produced in cows which have to be feed, tended, herded around, contained, bred, and finally milked. The milk is then collected into much larger batches than the cows can produce individually and processed to eliminate some of the milk fat and to kill of bad microbes. Then, after all this effort, it is packaged in little jugs, bottles and cartons. Crazy!

Just from a simple glance at the above two paragraphs we can see which one is longer and more complicated--I know, I know, very scientific measuring scheme!--so why is it that milk is less expensive than gas!?

That is all

Online Advertisers Are DUMB!

While perusing the vast expanse of worthlessness that is my MySpace profile I was beaten in the head by just how stupid these advertisements are. I'm referring to two kinds of advertising; click able banner-game ads, and the phony profile ads. Let's take these two in reverse order.

Phony profile ads are just sad. Most of the time the profile doesn't even have a picture attached to it. The profile is taken down in a very short amount of time and who really clicks on that shit anyway! It takes you to a porn site sign up page--I'm one of the few who have clicked on it--which tells me nothing but how to pay for porn that I don't even get to peruse! WTF? At least let me sample the wares before you tell me to buy! Do you even have porn in there? Is this just a credit card scam operation? What a waste of your time. And I mean 'your time' as in the person who put up the site and the phony profile. What a joke. This is how you know that the stupid underbelly of American culture is still around.

Click able banner-game ads are just pathetic. Oh, look a game! I'll bet it's not one of those fake games like the others! I'll just play it and see! What I want to know is exactly how many people are dumb enough to do this? I don't just mean click and play one of the games--if it isn't one of the fakes--but to go on and pay for whatever the ad is trying to get you to fork over money for. Aside from the above mentioned phony profile people, I'm not sure there are a whole lot of those kinds of dumb people around. And the phony profile types aren't getting any money to speak of so... Well, a fool and his money are soon parted sot that means that only the first con-man gets paid and since he's probably a fool too it won't be around long. Fucking bunch of morons!

That is all

Kitlers!!!

Thanks to my lover, Crackgerbal, I was turned on to one of the funniest things I've seen this year. It speaks for itself so here it its:

Kitlers!

That is all

Butt Heart (or How Much I Love You!)

In the process of chatting on-line with Crackgerbal, it was discovered that I "Butt Heart" her very much. This may sound like a bit of a demented segway into anal sex but it isn't! I only mean that...well, (o) <3 her very much.

Let me explain a bit more.

"I" or (o). <3 or "heart." Get it now? No? The (o) looks like a butt--at least, according to Crackgerbal!--and the rest just follows from the sentences structure. (o) <3...butt heart.

Not one of the most enduring phrases when looked at this way but, I do what I can on a daily basis. ;-)

Sorry for the long absence.

That is all

What Are We Seeing in Web 2.0 and Beyond

There is a lot of talk about empowering the common person through the Internet. I don't think that this is the big deal of the Internet or Web 2.0 or any other such things. The BIG DEAL is that we can now use the inherent habits of people--communication, gossip, and social hierarchies--to organize and sort data, build content, and dynamically expand the possibilities for advancement.

I mean that Digg and Craigslist and StumbleUpon and other sites offer a way to organize vast amounts of data through things that humans like to do already. Some are Web 2.0 applications--whatever the hell that is!--and others are just simple rating services. No matter what they are the next killer app is data coherence and content creation.

Camping Again and the Fall of Polyphasic Sleep Redux

I have to stop the planned polyphasic sleep agenda. This is ostensibly due to the fact that I am now going to see Crackgerbal every weekend. She is a full state away from me (approximatly 5 1/2 hours of driving) and I cannot continue my little sleep experiments. I'm wondering if this is the biggest reason why the polyphasic sleep thing has failed to catch on or be successful in people's lives. Who knows.

In other news...

Crackgerbal and I went camping again. No pictures this time--we forgot. We went swimming and floated down the river. Nice fun time but I got a sunburn. No big deal but a bit annoying.

Next weekend Crackgerbal will be coming down to see me here at home! She is riding the train so it will be a long, slow trip for her. Not nice but it is good to be seeing her every weekend. I can't wait. I miss her already.

That is all

Polyphasic Sleep Redux (Day 1)

We are at it again as promised before. Not really much different this time other than I know have company for the long nights. It's kinda nice.

Here is a picture of what I'm getting up to while the long night wittles itself away. Mucho progress on that piece of chainmail I showed you before. Still 13" long but now 7" wide! This will be the rear-flap for Crackgerbal's skirt. Very sexy when it is done. I can't wait!


Just feeling a bit of tired and have a stuffy nose. That's the allergies for ya. Fuckers. I'll keep this one short so my 'vast' readership doesn't have to slog through many paragraphs of dense text.

That is all

Polyphasic Sleep (Day 5)

I went to sleep!

Not accidentally, I got all cross-eyed and had to sleep. I am a little concerned about the effects it was having on me. I had control of all my major muscles but the minor ones started to revolt and doe funny things. I couldn't see straight--eyes kept crossing--I was stumbling and veering--fine motor coordination was lost, etc.

I will do the following: I will sleep on a monophasic schedule till Tuesday night at which point I will begin the polyphasic schedule again. This will allow me to recoup and go for it again. The only change will be that I will have two other people with me on this one all trying to do the same thing. This should help with the really bad times. They have also come up against this wall though on various days--two and three--and so we can all help each other through it to the end.

Starting on Tuesday night allows us to get the really shitty days done during the weekend when we don't need to be functional. Hurray for planning ahead.

That is all

Polyphasic Sleep (Day 4)

The weird sensation of wanting to be unconscious is slowly starting to fade. It is somewhat ridiculous to think that I haven't had a full eight hours sleep since Sunday night! It is almost unreal.

I'm finding more annoyances with the scheduling. It is a pain in the ass to have to find a place in which it is safe to take a nap outside the home. Since I work at the College this summer, this isn't such a big deal--couches everywhere! Were I anywhere else, this would be a serious issue. As it is, the restriction it puts on the duration of activities is odd and often annoying.

The fatigue isn't really lifting. I'm currently at the time of my "day" which is most difficult to get through and it is more fatigue-intense than "yesterday." It is harder to deal with as getting the text to sit still is hard with my head bobbing around to stay awake. I'm just kinda bobbing around trying not to pass out in an awkward place. Not looking good.

Also not good is my headaches with this system. I usually need to take a shit-ton of caffeine to get rid of them. This won't work with my sleep schedule as I wouldn't be able to get back to sleep after that. I won't drive in this state as it would be extremely dangerous. Hell, I will barely ride my bike like this. This is sort of ridiculous. If this doesn't clear up a bit, I won't be able to continue this little experiment.

That is all

Polyphasic Sleep (Day 3)

Hump day! And boy was it a hump. The early morning was a bitch. I found myself having to do physical labor so that I wouldn't fall asleep sitting at my computer. The 2 am to 6 am shift is the toughest. I finally felt true fatigue and exhaustion. Very tough to work past.

I'm feeling it again right now and am trying to tough it out. This is the main reason why people fail. They don't have the willpower to push past this stage. They get pretty depressed at how hard this is and they eventually stop trying. No shame, it is very hard. You just want to pass out and let unconsciousness take you away to bliss!

Below is an image of me right now at 3:45 am on Thursday, July 5th, 2007. I'm pretty tired but still hanging in there!

The image is low quality because I used my web cam. Sorry all.


Here is what I have been doing tonight:

It's a 1-3/4 " X 13" piece of chainmail. It's made out of 18 gauge aluminum wire and will be a skirt and halter-top for Crackgeral. Very sexy! I've been doing other stuff too but this is a huge time sink.

No real insights into the process. Just working through the tired when it hits and enjoying the times when I am not so tired. I also have really been looking forward to each nap. They are a real treat once a bought of exhaustion hits.

Crackgerbal brought up something tonight while I talked to her on the phone. I'm dense and hadn't really considered all the ramifications of this little experiment, luckily she set me straight. Turns out that if I stay on this, we will get no real sleep time together. One of the things we enjoy doing a lot is sleeping together. All night cuddling is very healthy for the relationship and is extremely emotionally satisfying for both of us. With a polyphasic sleep schedule, we wouldn't be able to do that because I would only be laying down for a nap while she would be laying down for an 8 hour block. Not satisfying.

Due to this--and other less problems with scheduling--I will not be continuing the polyphasic sleep schedule after this summer. I'm going to continue it until the end--assuming I don't wimp out first!--but I will not be going any further. Just to let you know up front. I value my relationship much more.

That is all

Camping

This last weekend Pam and I went camping again. We had gone before at the same place but had not taken any pictures. We now have pictures! Here are a select few for your viewing pleasure:

OnePam up a tree!

A long stair to...up!


The suspension bridge at Metzler Park. The white spot is probably a raindrop on th lens.


The stream at Metzler. Very pretty.


Me by the "water fall" in Oregon City.


Pretty Pam and Goofy Stan!

That is all

Polyphasic Sleep (Day 2)

I've done a bunch more reading on this now. Many of the failings of others I have simply ruled out by my habits and lifestyle. For instance, I'm very structured to begin with--hurray for engineering students!--and this allows me to keep to the rigid schedule I need. A very good blog can be found here but be warned that the guy is out there a bit. I'm not nearly as spiritually based as him but a lot of his experiences match mine.

At the time of this writing it has been 42 hours since I last woke up from an eight hour sleep period. I haven't missed any naps--though I have pushed a few out longer--and I have not overslept even one minute. My last sleep period, which I took at 10:30 to 11:00 pm was the only one I had any trouble falling asleep on. I did manage it but it was a bit of a struggle. I didn't toss or turn, my mind just wouldn't slow down for a bit--perhaps ten minutes. No harm, no foul.

As the physical sensations of this...I was expecting a lot more fatigue and drowsiness. They are there but only at a minimum. I think perhaps what is different from myself and others is that I started after I had been up 18 hours since my last sleep cycle. Others--Steve Pavelina--started directly upon waking up from a monophasic sleep cycle so they weren't really tired to begin with. I don't know if this is the case--need more data and a larger population to sample from--but it seems to be true.

The time thing is stranger than you think it will be. I had read about what others had experienced and was still in no way prepared for the 'other-ness' of the thing. I simply want to be unconscious. Not because I am particularly tired or anything, it just seems the right thing to be after this long awake.

That sense of being awake for an extended period of time is also weired. True to other's accounts, it is still the same day I started this in my subjective time. Leads to very odd problems concerning what day it is, how long ago a thing was, etc. Not annoying, just interesting and a little disconcerting. I'm fairly certain this will pass due to the texture of the feelings elicited. They seem to be a bit ephemeral, if that makes any sense.

Crackgerbal is a bit worried about the health consequences but I'm not concerned. Call it ignorance or just stupidity but I feel young--because I am--and healthy--because I 'sorta' am. :-)

I'm getting a shit-ton of stuff done. This is a no-joke way to get way more hours in your day. I have a lot of projects that I'm working on with or for other people--as well as my own--and this allows me to get to all of them in a 24 hour period whereas before I would have to spread the rotation out over two or more days.

My specific schedule seems to be shaping up like this:

• Naps at 6, 11, and 4 (am/pm) though this can spread and contract as needed.
  
• Shower when I get home from work at 4 pm and then straight to nap.
• Eat whenever I feel like it.

I have made up my mind to take more frequent naps at night if this seems necessary to maintain my pattern of not oversleeping as this seems hugely detrimental. Most others failed due to this over sleeping. I won't make that mistake--I'll make others, I'm sure! ;-)

I will continue to post other blog entries but all of the ones concerning my Polyphasic experiences will be labeled Polyphasic Sleep (Day #).

That is all

Polyphasic Sleep (Day 1)

Crackgerbal and I just had a bit of a tiff over me doing housework and such while I talked on the phone with her at night. This has been our schedule since she went away for her internship. She says she doesn't feel like I'm paying full attention and I feel like I don't want to give up another hour of my day to the sole activity of talking on the phone. Does this make me an asshole?

Directly after this--coincidence--I get a call from our Wal-Mart hating stoner friends who tells me about P0lyphasic Sleep. I immediately see this as interesting and a solution to Crackgerbal and I's problem--was that grammatically sound? Needless to say, I'm trying this little experiment. For a break down of what it is, follow the link.

So, to that end, I will be sleeping about 2-3 hours a day in 20 minute naps. I hope to continue this through this summer--famous last words!--assuming I can hack the initial break-in period. I'll post daily here on my progress--or lack of it so you can all laugh at me--and to let you know I am still sane.

I looked into the validity of this and found evidence on both sides. Very little in the way of hard science has been done with this so I decided to give it a try and prove/disprove it empirically. Let's all see how it goes.

It's 3:30 am right now and I just got up from my first 25 minute nap a half hour ago. Was rough for the first five minutes but after that I settled in and am not having too much difficulty. I'm coherent and am able to concentrate. Actually did manage to get to sleep in the allotted time--perhaps the last 15 minutes of it--and so I think it did "some" good in the overall scheme of things.

That is all

It's Been Awhile And Here's Why!

My posts have become sporadic. I read a little bit of text once on how to make your blog famous (stupid article by the by) and it said that you should blog consistently and often...Damn! I'm a failure.

Just took my final Final! (Nice bit of wordsmithing, that!) Did a shitload of programming for Crackgerbal this past 5 weeks and have nary a working bit of program to show for it. Another failure. On the upside, I think I got another 4.0 this term. Stupid freshy classes. It'll get better/more interesting as the years go by.

I'm working as deepcleaner here on campus. Not a great job but it's low stress and solid hours. Very predictable. Let's me focus on the Project/Venture I spoke of several posts back. We will now begin making some progress!

Thanks for ya'lls comments on these posts. They are nothing if not enlightening (unless they happen to be sarcastic, rude, stupid, irate, irretated, or just inane! :). Makes me feel as if I had a readership!

Good luck to Papa Rick and Sheri in their upcoming baby venture! I hear if you just start having mad sex in every possible position ten or twelve times per day, the baby just gets tired of all the jostling and comes out on the spot! Give it a try, if Papa Rick is man enough!

I'm starting to build a bit of machinery. Take a look at the RepRap project. They are doing some pretty cool shit. I've ordered a couple of the electronic components and will begin building when they arrive. Soon--hopefully before summer ends--I will have my very own REPlicating RAPide prototyper. 3D plastic printing! It's awsome. I'll keep ya'll posted.

Crackgerbal got her Order of Engineer's ring! I'm so proud of her. She wears a size 3 ring on her pinky!!! Holy Fuck! I didn't even know they made that size! Little girls have bigger pinkys than she does. Anyway, we got all fancied up:



I know, I'm a nerd. I didn't clean up the picture at all so just bear with me. It's hard to get Crackgerbal to stand still for any picture so this is the best we could do. Only got one shot. She's so pretty...I'm a softie.

Got a 1983 Chevy Blazer from Crackgerbal's dad! For FREE!!! Can't beat that shit. Runs well and doesn't require any immediate maintenence so I'm happy as shit. It means I'll be able to go visit Crackgerbal this summer while she is away at her internship! Thanks to Crackgerbal's dad!

That is all

Do Fish Fart?

The short answer is, YES!

Here's the story. Crackgerbal and I were sitting on the couch the other day (nice, ambiguous phrase, that) watching the fish. One of our fish--a simple gold fish, emphasis on the "simple" part--occasionally gets a bloated belly and has trouble not floating to the surface of the tank.

At first, we were worried he was going to die. We just started the tank about a month and a half ago and have had various goldfish dying the whole time. We thought the same toilet-type fate awaited this one. Not to be.

No, this fish likes to swallow air. He has been seen on occasion rising to the top and sucking down a bubble or two. Funny but we didn't think anything of it. Not until it popped out his ass!

There we were--just picture it--watching the fish going about their fishy daily lives when--blub!--out comes a bubble form this wayward fish's ass! Craziest thing ever. Wish we had gotten it on video. Another day in the life.

That is all

Bike Problems

This last Saturday--Yes, I know it was a bit ago!--I had a few bike problems. It went something like this...

My plan was to take a bit of the fish tank water down to the fish store to have it tested to see if we can begin stocking our little tank with some pretty fish rather than just goldfish--the cockroach of the fish world! I would then hit the hardware store as I'm making chainmail again. Sounds simple and straight forward since my house is only about a mile away from both places. Savvy.

I make it to the fish shop on my bike with a little Tupperware container of fish water. It turns out to be nitrate heavy and thus about a week away from being stable. I leave the fish store and head for the Bell hardware. They only end up having a few of the parts I need so I figure I will ride out the Heaten Steel and see if they have what I need.

This is about another mile away so it takes a bit to get there. No luck, they are closed. Okay, I know I can go out to Pacific Air/Gas (incidentally I now know they are closed on the weekend) which is something like 3 to 5 miles away from my current location. Not a huge ride but a bit of a jaunt.

I start out and get about a mile and a half when I spot Grover electric and decide to see if they have what I need (wire of a smaller gauge). They don't and when I come back out to my bike, my tire is flat!

Now, this is the second time in a week. I had just replaced the tube the day before! WTF!!!? I call up Crackgerbal and ask her to come get me and take me to Hutch's bike shop which is about a mile from our house. She isn't happy--doing homework--but comes and gets me.

She drops me off at Hutch's and they tell me they can fix it in 5 minutes. I tell Crackgerbal to head home cause I'll just continue riding when they fix it. Five minutes later I'm back on the road heading out to Pacific Air/Gas again. About a half mile past where I got the first flat, I get another!! SON OF A BITCH!!!

I am near a home improvement place so I stop in and find the wire I need (at least a bit of what I need). I don't want to call Crackgerbal again so I begin pushing my bike the two or so miles back to Hutch's bike shop. When I get there--hot and grumpy and tired--they guy finds out that the tube was defective and fixes it at no extra charge. Small favors! Feh.

In the end I never made it out to Pacific Air/Gas. I got a small amount of *some* of the things I needed and that was all. A pain in the butt!

That is all

I Don't Own My Arm or Shoulder Anymore

Apparently, upon agreeing to be in any sort of male-female relationship (this may be the same for male-male and female-female) I lost possession of my arms and shoulders. Yes, they no longer belong to me but are at the sole disposal and convenience of Crackgerbal. It does not matter that I am uncomfortable, hot, cramped or just itching to move. Crackgerbal owns my arms and shoulders.

This, you would think, wouldn't be a real problem. You would be wrong. Many men and women about the planet--I'm sure in the billions!--are afflicted with this sort of limb-enslavement. They are not the sole owners of their limbs and must whore them out on command to an--admittedly--grateful and attractive person. This appreciation and attractiveness notwithstanding, limb-slavery is a horrible and heinous institution causing many a numb limb and sleepless night.

You may notice that this was posted in the wee hours of the morning my time (pacific standard). This is directly due to the enslavement of my limbs (small print: and a headache). Please, send help quickly! Donate now and stop this vile abuse of arms and shoulders across the globe! For only $19.95 per month you will get a personalized photo of the arm or shoulder you are helping and yearly updates on their progress. $19.95, that's only the price of a mid-range hooker in downtown LA. Don't hesitate, call today!

That is all

It's Been A Bit But Here's The Beef!

I've been remiss in my posts! It is completely my fault. I got distracted with life and failed to think of the needs of my viewers.

Things have been occurring though nothing, really, of interest. A few notes...

Do a search for "Virtual Rape". You will be amazed at the results. My take: talk to people who have "actually" been raped then shut the fuck up.

I'm involved in the HPVC team here at school. We have a lame school--funding-wise--and really no chance in the Speed Bike division. That is why--among other reasons--we are doing a Utility class bike! Play to your strengths! Even if they are only strengths in relation to all your weaknesses.

Gearing down for Summer. In store for me...lots of manual labor. I am working at the college for the janitorial staff. Life sucks ass sometimes.

In other news...

I send my most heartfelt concern to Papa Rick. I hope you and Sheri are doing alright. Hang in there. Things have been hard before, they always swing around.

That is all

A Computer Network

I recently went to Wal-Mart (Oh, fine establishment of underpaid employees and third-world child labor! I could not live without thee) and bought three NICs (Network Cards) and a 5-port Linksys hub. I now have a small--though robust--home network! Ah, the joys of personal computing.

Setup was a breeze. Linux likes networks so you just plug shit in and it loads it no problem. Windows, not so much. A bit of tinkering and everything is talking nicely. A bit more tinkering--and the use of QTParted in Knoppix--and we have a shared network drive and printer sharing set up. I am--once again--in nerd heaven!

Of course, all this bliss and computational joy came at a steep price. Namely around $80. This doesn't sound like much to the average joe but to me it is quite a piece of change. Before paying I took a deep breath, assured myself that all this lost cash was surely worth it, and paid the nice lady.

On paying...Has anyone else noticed that Wal-Mart hires some really fuggly people?! The door greeters are generally heinous to look upon and infirm to boot! It makes me want to find an alternate entrance to the store so I wont be forced into contact with possible leapers and freaks. Then again, perhaps I'm being to reactionary...maybe. In any case, they are truly fuggly!

That is all

Sky Diving and "Inversion"

So, Crackgerbal and I were in the shower (completely clothed and acting appropriately, of course!) and we got to talking about the weather. A seemingly innocent set of events...NOT! Clouds and winds and such were mentioned and then she hit me with the big one.

"You know," she says. "I have an inversion!"

Needless to say I was a bit speechless. Firstly, I wanted to respond in a way that would encourage discussion of her "inversion." Secondly, I was flummoxed at her level of nerdly humor! What a great girlfriend! I wont make any other comments. Just think about the whole "Weather" euphemism thing. Lot of material there!

In other news...

I've been talking with Crackgerbal about going skydiving on the school trip. She is a definite "no." I'm bummed but life goes on. She says that she doesn't want to spend money on things she doesn't need because she might need something later...

I have a problem with this logic. You'll never spend any money on anything! WTF! Totally aside from this I feel like she doesn't want to do "fun" things with me because she likes to stay at home. This wouldn't be a problem except that all of the fun things that I want to do I will end up doing without her and most of my memorable moments will be made without her in them...I'm bummed out.

That is all

Love Juggling Fish!

My clubs came in today! Hooray for the post office working on Sundays! The world marches on out of the heinous stone-age when we all believed that Sunday (or Saturday for others) was a "Holy" day too sacred to do work on. Ahhhh! Progress!

Took them to school tonight and juggled around with them with a few people. Very awesome. My hands and wrists are beat to shit! I'm happy as a bat in a cave on Easter Sunday!

In other news...

Crackgerbal and I bought a fish tank and some fish! We have like nine goldfish to start our tank so that it has a good stock of fish slime so we an get some interesting tropical type fishes! We were so excited bring the stupid thing home. Couldn't wait to get it set up and at the right temperature so we could go back and get the starter goldfish! Hooray for stupid fish!

That is all

Juggling bliss!

Turns out that I am Mr. Money Bags! I happened to have $164 to blow on six Renegade juggling pins. I know that seems like a lot but the Dube clubs were $37 apiece so these ones at $25 apiece (plus shipping) was a steal. Anyway, they are good clubs too. I'm stoked to get them and start nerding out! (more)

I've been working on starting a juggling club at the college. We have one of the most backward schools on the planet. No juggling club! WTF? Bitches!!! Someone should eat their non-existent souls! Gestapo pigs! Foul, disease infested wretches!!!

...

Okay, I'm done now.

In other news...

This terms going well. Took my first Statistics test. Piece of cake. What kind of moron professor gives a multiple choice test for math? Retard. Anyway, statistics isn't hard nor critical so its an easy A, though I do feel ripped off for my tuition now...such is life. My, brother, Papa Rick has been making me consider (though he doesn't know it) getting a hawk. A nice green one! I'm tempted. Don't know what Crackgerbal will think of it (that's a lie, I know she will hate the idea) but you can always dream...

That is all

Readers and Traveling

Ah, the joy's of extended readership! I think I now have 2 people reading who aren't living with me. That's actually not true. My mom reads occasionally but can't (thank all deities!) leave comments. Rue the day when she learns how to click a hot-link....

Crackgerbal and I went a traveling this weekend. We went down to Alturis California for the Toastmasters Area Speech contest. Long car ride with people much older than ourselves. The decided to relegate us to the far back seat in the van because we were much younger and smaller than the party average. Needless to say we immediately bunched up and played kissy face while no one was watching (I think...).

Upon arrival we had Thai food (very good!) and then went to the contest. Your truly royally smashed in the evaluation contest but had a good time none the less. Crackgerbal was put in charge of the timing device and spent her time refusing to put on he name-tag and trying to teach the old lady next to her how to run a stop watch. No success.

Upon arriving back home we were invited to dinner with The Child Herder and her husband Big and Lazy. After dinner we watched a movie that was entirely too fucked up and immediately left for home.

Ah! Bed time and rest...at least, that is always the plan...

That is all

Computing Bliss (sort of)!

I ordered a gig of RAM for my computer the other night and had it FedExed to me over night style! I'm truly a nerd. I paid $20 extra for this service and I think it was well worth it. In all I paid a paltry $160. Okay, not paltry but I think it was worth it. My computer now runs much better than before. I rock!

The Venture runs apace. New sources of income and funding are opening themselves up as we speak and good things come our way. For those of you "in the know" the Venture has the prospect to be big. Not earth shaking big, but BIG none the less. I'll say no more on that.

Also, much love to my Water Brothers from "the before time in the long, long ago." I congratulate the one on soon becoming a father and I congratulate the other on being a success. I soon hope to follow in one of your foot steps! Which one is it!?

Just a quick note to let you know I do read these comments and think about letting people know what is going on.

That is all

A traveling venture resulting in monetary domestic bliss?

Crackgerbal and I will be heading to California for the Toastmasters International Area Speech Contest--whew, that's a lot of capitals--on the 14th. Another trip though we wont be taking the Montero this time, we will be carpooling. I'm not competing in this years contest so I wont be posting in here on how I got my ass handed to me by an old lady and her knitting story. Darn.

My refund was quite substantial this term! I'm (not even close to being) rich! Life is good. My rent for the next 6 months is paid for. It's good to be a student with a future ahead of me. Actually, if I keep this stuff up, I will have about a year of rent paid up in no time. I want to get all my bills taken care of first. Then I can buy the expensive toys that Crackgerbal would shit a brick about if I just came home with them!

On the home front, things are going well. We've settled down into a semblance of domesticity. Weird. And comfortable. It's cool.

We over slept this morning. Apparently I woke up, turned the alarm off, and then both of us went back to sleep! We woke up an hour later and we were late! Great way to start off the day. Also, it's snowing so the day is going all up-hill! Such is life.

I may not have mentioned it in this blog yet but a friend of mine--we'll call him The Cripple--and I are starting a business together. I won't say the name here--we'll call it The Venture--but I will report on any successes we are having. First success; The Cripple brought in our first Angel Investor! We will have some funding in about a month to three months! At that point we can buy some much needed equipment and start showing results in earnest. I'm very excited.

That is all

Driving!!! Meet the family...aargghhh!!!

Due to unfortunate and costly mistakes earlier in my life, I have never gotten around to getting my driver's licence. This is unfortunate. Unfortunate but fixable. Crackgerbal is teaching me how to drive!!!

This is notable for several reasons.

1. I'm not what you would call "focused."
2. Crackgerbal is just that.
3. Other drivers are blissfully unaware that they have a maniac teaching a maniac how to drive.

All of this combines to create a glaring hazard to the health and well being of other drivers, dogs, cats, smaller vehicles, the sanity of the aged, and our own welfare. Needless to say, I'm having a great time!

In other news...

Crackgerbal meets the family! ...sort of.

My aunt invited Crackgerbal and I over for Easter to have a little BBQ with her, her husband, my cousin--her son--my uncle--now you see why I called my aunt's husband "her husband"--and grandma. I'm a social guy so this was a fun outing for me. Not so for Crackgerbal. The reason for the invite was perfectly clear to her--they wanted a first look at this infamous beasty--and she was appropriately dismayed and stressed out.

Matters became more severe when the camera came out for the obligatory pictures of the happy couple. Sadly, Crackgerbal doesn't like pictures and was feeling less than accommodating at this point. Not to be deterred, the family plowed straight on through a few pictures of the decidedly unhappy looking couple until it was announced that we would have to be going.

I don't think I like the whole "meet the family" meal thing. It's awkward and strange. Perhaps we could just send out blood samples, grade sheets, IQ tests and personality profiles to all interested parties instead. Much less invasive that way.

All in all, not a truly horrible day but not particularly great either. Such is life.

That is all

A Failed Camping Trip

We tried to go camping as I noted in my last entry but things didn't work out. It turns out that I'm really allergic to something that lives "outside." Being what it is--the outdoors--we are unsure of what particular thing or things this allergic reaction is due to. What we are sure of is that in a matter of a few hours of sleep I turned into the walking dead. My eyeballs swelled up and started pussing and my nasal passages completely shut down. Not fun.

Crackgerbal was less than pleased but very understanding. This didn't help me much as now I feel like a walking, dripping, gaping pussy. Very unmanly. I now feel a tremendous amount of sympathy and empathy for those others on the planet afflicted with allergies. I've never had these before and I now know they suck royal ass.

In other news...

Its a new term and I have classes I like! Statistics, Differential Calculus, Welding, and MATLAB. All good and fairly interesting. My least favorite is Statistics but it is still useful and mostly interesting. MATLAB is programming so I'm happy as a fly on shit about that! The final term of this school year is shaping up nicely.

Crackgerbal is enrolled in five classes all of which I think she likes. Things are going well with us. She is almost completely moved in and my apartment is now full to the gills with "stuff" of various sorts not least of which is her collection of school books. I like it. Once I get my books sent down from where I had them stored we will have a veritable library of nerdly learning material. Life is good, my friends. Life is good.

That is all

A Camping We Will Go!

Crackgerbal and I are going camping! Things could be better--they always could--but camping is fun. We are going to Silver Lake. I have no idea where that is in relation to us but she is driving so I don't need to know at this point.

I know my last post was a while ago so I decided to drop a note here today. I'm actually on a break at work so this will definitely be short. Just thought I'd let the *cough* extended readership know what was going on. When we get back, I will post soon and let the WHOLE WORLD KNOW what we did.

That is all

Shame and Moving

I'm ashamed to say that it has been a week since I posted here. My heart dies at this knowledge. I apologize to my vast *snicker* readership.

On the upside, Crackgerbal is moving in with me! Good times. We have been packing her stuff and moving it all around in a frantic effort to get her into the apartment. Turns out she has way more shit than I do and a lot of it will have to go into storage.

This is the first woman I will have lived with. Very odd and strange and all that. I'm interested to see how this turns out. Kinda like an experiment on myself.

That is all

A Long Weekend

This weekend was uneventful but fun. Crackgerbal and I stayed home as it is the end of Dead Week and the start of Finals. We wanted to get some studying done--Crackgerbal did anyway, I don't have much to study for--so we stayed in. That's when the whole plan went to shit. Study? What's that? If it didn't have to do with sex, we weren't doing it. Life is good.

In other news...

Crackgerbal started taking pictures of me. I now have a picture on myspace. She picked out the nerdiest picture she took--she had a lot of choices--and posted that one for me. I got to say 'yes' afterwords. Nice of her.

On the upside, I got a few pictures of her and me together. This is when it gets a little weird...

So, we are taking pictures of us kissing and when we look at one of them, she totally looks like a twelve year old next to me. A twelve year old that I'm kissing! Creepy. Not good. Very bad. Weird.

So naturally I've decided to post it here! It will be available in some form or another in a few days at most. I would post it today but I'm at the school right now and don't have it on my thumb drive. Such is life.

(update: here is the picture)


That is all

End of term slowdown...

Since the term is ending, my rushed life is slowing down. It won't ever stop but it does get more manageable. I actually got 8 hours of sleep the night before last and was tire the whole next day. Last night I only got 4 hours of sleep--Crackgerbal kept me up... :-)--and today I feel great! Go figure.

Turned in my tech report I was sweating over all term. It turned out well. You don't get a link to that. Sorry.

I'm working on getting a home web server up and running. If I get that up right and within a reasonable amount of time I will change my blog to there and run my own blog software. Nice to have full control over my own stuff. I don't mind Blogspot--they are fairly good--but I'm a control freak who wants complete power!!!!

Planning a camping trip with a bunch of people from school. Should be pretty fun. Have to get all my ducks in a row first. Can't leave half-cocked and not ready to rock.

That is all

An A+ and Other Stuff

It's good to be me right now. I got an A+ on that paper I posted a link to here. It was, apparently, good enough to make due with. I'm very pleased with it.

In other news...

Discovered: August 17, 2001
Updated: October 21, 2003 1:42:16 PM
Type: Hacktool
Systems Affected: Windows 2000, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows XP
Examples of such tools include:
Port scanners.
Network sniffers and spoofers.
Computer vulnerability scanners and exploiters. These can be used over networks or the Internet.
Password stealers, which save the stolen passwords locally (that is, they do not send them out).
Mail spammers that attack one victim by flooding the mailbox with mail.
News group flooders that flood Usenet newsgroups with messages.These programs are in themselves, nonviral and generally do not cause harm to the hacker who deploys them. However, deployment of these utilities is usually harmful to the victims of the attacks, and they are usually considered a threat by network administrators.
Writeup By: Atli Gudmundsson

The italic text above came from a Symantec site after it had deleted a file on my computer because it was a "virus." Since when are port scanners and network security tools viruses?! WTF! Leave my computer alone you gestapo bastards!

That is all

An essay on Machiavelli for Humanities

Here is an essay I just turned in for my Humanities class. I published it on Google Docs & Spreadsheets so anyone could view it. Hope it isn't too pathetic.

Click this link:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dgvv9zvf_2g6vcw8

That is all

Machiavelli

I suppose that it is fairly cliche for a freshman college student to want to talk about Machiavelli but we are going to do just that anyway.

In my Humanities course--a generally fun subject but way too easy--the Prof introduced the class to Machiavelli yesterday. I had read The Prince before this so I had some idea of what it was all about but I hadn't read it in about a decade. First thing during class the Prof hands out an in class quiz asking us what the "ruler of the US would need as far as personal characteristics go." We got ten minutes to jot down what we thought.

The first three people to discuss what they had written were complete altruists. They didn't read the question as it was written but inserted a "What would you like a ruler of the US to be like" section into the question. Needless to say they wanted a kind, good, ethical person to run the country.

Anyway, after the first three people I was itching to smash a few hopes and shit on a few dreams so I coughed during a lull in the action and said I had something a bit different. Now, the Prof knows I generally take a more pessimistic/realistic view of things that is decidedly anti-christian and generally of a Fundie (Fundie=any religious type individual or group of any sort whether they identify with an actual religion or just as having a spiritual side) bashing nature but she calls on me anyway.

I state, roughly, the following (cleaned up for presentation): "A ruler of the US must first and foremost fake a Christian religious conviction that is in keeping with the mainstream religious tendencies of the country. He must be ruthless, cruel, malicious, and able and willing to lie at a moments notice. He must keep a few worthless people about him to throw to the wolves whenever the public demands a scapegoat. He must treat other countries with utter disdain and disrespect in order to be viewed as 'strong for the fatherland.' He must attack others at the first sign of weakness and not hesitate in the least."

This is nearly exactly in line with what Machiavelli put forward and the Prof latched onto this immediately to point out what the assignment actually said and asked for. Needless to say many feelings where hurt and world-views smashed.

It is important to understand that the College I attend isn't what you would call "standard" or "typical" of colleges. We have a large, strong Fundie population here who complain when the Prof says that all christian religions are Protestant in nature. True, but they don't like it one bit and they will whine and bitch about it to no end. So, when I tell them that any successful ruler of the US should fake a religious conviction in order to assuage the stupid masses, they take personal offense to it! Shocking.

I had a really great time with it. Crackgerbal, not so much. She is of a more or less Fundie persuasion even though she doesn't go to church or anything. She doesn't like that I'm an atheist but she puts up with it (or I put up with her Fundie tendencies, either way). When others who know her told her about my most recent spout in class they started with "Your boyfriend..." as if to accuse her of letting me have horrid ways and mean opinions. Very funny. Stupid sheep.

This post has been much too long.

That is all

New Levels of Nerd-Living

I've sunk to a new level of nerdly-ness. I was in the campus bookstore purchasing four capacitors (100 microfarad, and 220 microfarad) when I realized I was excited! I'm not making anything big. Just an astable multivibrator. Stupid really. And yet I was pleased as punch.

I'm sure Crackgerbal will be pleased with this new state of stupidity. She doesn't mind that I'm a nerd but I prefer not to give her any openings. She's a nerd to so you think it wouldn't matter but...

New term coming up and I finally got classes I'm excited about.

As a freshman I don't really have a chance to take good classes so when I do get interesting ones it is very nice. I'm taking Differential Calculus, Statistics, Welding, and Programming for Engineers. Nice set there!

It occurs to me that no one should really care what I write here. Not that I don't want them to care--deep down I really do :-)-- but they really shouldn't. They should have their own lives which they live on a day-to-day basis to the exclusion of all else. Living vicariously--nice tool song!--is only good if you somehow feel you lack in your own life. Maybe that's why I don't read other people's blogs. Not that I don't want too, it's just that I think that to do so would somehow indicate that my life actually sucks which I'm not ready to admit yet.

That is all

Ranting...

On occasion things in life grow tiring and tedious and we just have to sit back and piss and moan...


I received a letter in the mail from some fundie organization telling me that god had told them to lend me two pieces of paper, both of which I was to return with some prayer requests...oh yeah, and some money! What a shock. It's nice to know that capitalism is alive and well in the churches of the world much like it was back when the catholic church owned brothels in London around the time of Shakespeare. Isn't it great to be a hypocrite!?

Maybe it's just the fact that I have finals coming up and a new term starting soon but it seems that all of the morons are coming out of the woodwork. I don't just have to deal with them on the street, at school, on the bus, now they send me mail. Funnier still is that the letter was addressed to "current resident." Ahhhh, very personalized. You want my money but you don't give a damn enough to find out what my name is?

Actually, that is too harsh. The real problem is in the 10,000 or so people who will actually send these parasites money. These mush-for-brains idiots actually believe that god directed these people to send them a "prayer handkerchief" and a printed letter of prophecy. Morons. Absolute morons. I hope they sent their life savings so that some--obviously savvy and unscrupulous--individual can buy expensive hookers and cocaine in Rio. Live it up bud! You earned it!

In other news...

Having some better luck with the computer. Turns out the CD drive just overheats. No big deal. Not yet, anyway. I'll have to get a new one eventually. The new hard drive went in like butter and is working fine. I now have so much room it is pathetic. Major file downloads to come...

I don't like having to reset all my options and preferences each time I reload my OS. Pain in the ass. Such is life. Gotta sleep/do homework.

That is all

A long night and a longer day...

Crackgerbal and I had dinner with some friends and then went to see a movie. It was a less than stellar movie: Hannibal Rising. Afterwords we tried to cure cancer...and then finally--around 1 am--went to bed. Upon rising at 4 am we went to work and I'm now dead.

Hannibal Rising was a stupid attempt at a back story that wasn't necessary. Hannibal was likable enough from the other movies--we wouldn't keep watching this stupid shit if he wasn't--and trying to make him more human only took away from the delightful creepiness he had going. Also, we don't want him to be human. He was much better as a pure monster.

Gaspard Ulliel plays an "ok" Hannibal but he cannot compare to the original nor should he try. Such a level of creepiness was attained in the original that all other comers will only be wispy ghosts by comparison. The only bright spot in the movie was young Hannibal using a hand from a cadaver laying on his desk to lure a would-be killer "into his clutches." I put that last bit in quotes because even though it was clever it is a plot element that has been done before with much better results. We don't always expect to see something new in a movie, but we do want the old things to be fresh.

If you think I'm being to harsh, then you should read the New York Times review of this piece and come back with apologies. I'm not nearly as polished--nor as interested in giving this crappy movie as much intellectual attention--as they are.

In other news...

While slacking in the workplace the other day I heard a phrase that brought me pause: "Yes, I enjoy the flaccid orgasm!" That was it. No other thoughts. Just that. It made me think...

If you ever want an approaching person to think a second (or even a third) time about stopping for a conversation with you and the person you are with simply do the following:

1. Look your current conversational partner directly in the eye and say rather loudly: "Sure you enjoy a flaccid orgasm but what you really have to ask yourself is whether you consider a self prostate exam a legitimate sexual experience?"

2. Finish the above just as the target reaches you.

3. Look the target directly in the eye--try to be creepy--and say, "Yes?"

This three step routine should result in one of two things:

1. The target immediately vacates the premises.

2. The target stays around and tries to enter your fake conversation.

I think we can all appreciate either scenario.

That is all

Feeding the World and the Flying Spaghetti Monster

During the course of this previous evening, I had the extraordinary thought that Crackgerbal (formerly known as the GF...since she complained that GF could easily equal "insert dumb blond here" and demanded that I use her online handle) and I could quite possibly feed the world, cure cancer, find a cure for AIDS, stop all crime, fix the hole in the ozone, stop Bush from sending our young to die in Iraq, fix the economy, and make us personally rich if we were to have sex immediately! Of course, she immediately questioned this oh-so-obvious theory. When pressed to defend my position, I had to resort--as many before me have--to the Flying Spaghetti Monster.

As you all know, the Flying Spaghetti Monster is a construction to show the absurdity of modern religion most famously used by Richard Dawkins. I happen to be in direct communication with the FSM and he revealed to me--an epiphany!--that immediate sex would have the affore mentioned results. Due to the the fact that I have a right to my religious beliefs, this should be a defensible position.

The FSM has obviously never met Crackgerbal.

I was verbally castrated--no pun intended...honestly!--for this "idiotic" theory. I pointed out that we could falsify this theory very easily! A simple bout of "immediate sex" would serve to dispel any disbelief in the FSM and my direct line with the big slimy guy.

It was not to be.

No, despite the fact that she is pursuing a technical degree, she refused my challenge to apply the scientific method directly in our bed. It was a shame and a loss--mostly for me. Nevertheless, the FSM still maintains that immediate sex will have wondrous results...immediately!

This theory--or divine inspiration if you are so inclined--has yet to be proven. I await further confirmation...I could end up waiting a while if I keep up this argument... :-(

That is all

Computer dies and I work

Today I'm trying to upgrade my Fedora Core 4 installation to Fedora Core 6. I tried to do this some few weeks ago but managed to fuck it up so that it wouldn't work as a live update. This time I mooched off my girlfriend to burn a set of FC6 installation CDs so I could get things going.

As soon as I stuck them in and started, however, I was shown just how far my fucked up attempts at a yum update went in screwing myself. The system installer--Anaconda--told me it would upgrade from FC5 which was installed on my system! Oops! Just after this erroneous message, the install process hung. No amount of cajoling would get it to go any further.

I am writing this post from a Ubuntu 6.06.1 (the Daper Drake) LiveCD! How's that for off-the-cuff and seat-of-your-pants!? No sweat as this nerd has things--if not figured out, then at least--under (some sort) of control. Maybe...

In other news...

I'm now working overtime! Hurray for slacker co-workers! Bitches. Anyway, I suppose I could use the OT for the money. Starving student and all that. Still, I would rather be hanging out with my GF...that's another story though.

Did anyone see the fat-kid custody story out of England? What a laugh. Mother refused to stop feeding him junk food. Said he wouldn't eat fruits and vegetables and such. The kid is eight and weighs just under 200 lbs! At least it isn't just America that is going fucking nuts. Other countries are also sliding into the proverbial pit!

I think I like this blogging shit. I like to rant and it is fun to have the occasional forum for that sort of stuff.

On rants...you should check out Sean Bedlam on YouTube. That guy takes the words right out of my head! He's the man. Respect and support for Sean Bedlam!!!

That is all

Manifesto

I'm an atheist.
I'm a Mechanical Engineering student.
I've had a hard life.
I'm a real softy.
I detest christian and other fundamentalist religions.
I commonly refer to christians and other religious types as Fundies.
I spout home-grown philosophy in (possibly) badly spelled rants.
I'm tech oriented.
I'm pro-frankenfood.
I'm anti-bush.
I'm a nerd.
I will have an opinion on everything.
Most people call me arrogent.

That is all