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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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