I'm just watching season eight of FG, and it's surprisingly good.
This one, apart from furthering the society-wide sub-literate error that "vagina" is now being used for "vulva" (the vagina is just the inside tube), is totally hil.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Romance
The last romance I had was with a young, pretty, blonde female doctor, a couple of years ago. She absolutely refused to believe, because I am running a nude pay site, that I am not living the life of a major Casanova. Well, I am not, so maybe I am not qualified to make this statement:
Sex is a lot more boring in real life than in the imagination.
What do you think? Is your experience different?
Sex is a lot more boring in real life than in the imagination.
What do you think? Is your experience different?
Leopard seal mothering
Bert wrote to me:
"This must be one of those days where either I am easy to impress or impressive stuff just keeps coming! Have a look at this video."
Well, I also thought it's a pretty dang amazing story. The video is a bit over-produced in the contemporary style with way too much and loud music, but the story makes up for it.
"This must be one of those days where either I am easy to impress or impressive stuff just keeps coming! Have a look at this video."
Well, I also thought it's a pretty dang amazing story. The video is a bit over-produced in the contemporary style with way too much and loud music, but the story makes up for it.
The Mandelbrot set
If you followed your stuff in the eighties, you'll have an idea of Chaos theory, and know the Mandelbrot Set.
There is a great set of renderings, high-rez, on Wikipedia.
Also, Bert has just found an interesting attempt at rendering it in three dimensions. Very cool.
This one is awesome in full size:
(The site/author sells it in high-rez render poster.)
There is a great set of renderings, high-rez, on Wikipedia.
Also, Bert has just found an interesting attempt at rendering it in three dimensions. Very cool.
This one is awesome in full size:
(The site/author sells it in high-rez render poster.)
Tommy asked:
OK, for the rest of us uninformed low-lifes, could you please explain what this is..
Woa, that's a tall order. It's a whole science. I recommend Wikipedia for the lowdown.
But it's the study of finding order in apparent chaos. It turns out that many apparently chaotic things, like many shapes in nature, can be repeated by pretty simple mathematical formulas, you take two numbers in reiterative calculation (you take the result and put it into the formula again, and if it at length approaches zero, you color the node in the two-dimensional grid black, and if it approaches infinity, you color it white). You will find shapes like leaves and snow flakes and so on.
(What I get from this is that maybe god or nature uses a big computer to make the immense detail in nature.)
One of the characteristics of these drawings is that they are infinitely detailed. But also that you tend to see repetition of shapes at various scales.
The Mandelbrot Set is one of the most famous of the graphics generated this way, and so far as I recall, from one of the simplest formulas.
Photoshop tips
If using Photoshop (at least on the Mac), if you have made important changes to the settings, or recorded an Action, quit Photoshop before you go on, because the stupid application does not save these things until it quits.
Also, if have an action which involves pasting something, uncheck the "export clipboard" option in Preferences/general, this allows you to go to another app while PS works on many pictures in the background.
... Although strangely, if the pasted item is moved in the Action, Photoshop has to stay on screen, not be truly in the background, otherwise it won't work. Weird app.
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By the way, I just noticed something cool about Snow Leopard: in the highly useful file preview (use the spacebar while a file is highlighted, you will see a big version without having to open an app), it can show PDF pages and HTML pages, and not only that, it will even scroll in a page, and if you click on a link, this link will open in your browser! Neato.
Also, if have an action which involves pasting something, uncheck the "export clipboard" option in Preferences/general, this allows you to go to another app while PS works on many pictures in the background.
... Although strangely, if the pasted item is moved in the Action, Photoshop has to stay on screen, not be truly in the background, otherwise it won't work. Weird app.
--------
By the way, I just noticed something cool about Snow Leopard: in the highly useful file preview (use the spacebar while a file is highlighted, you will see a big version without having to open an app), it can show PDF pages and HTML pages, and not only that, it will even scroll in a page, and if you click on a link, this link will open in your browser! Neato.
Browser reload
A question for the tech-heads:
It seems to me web browsers typically either: 1) Load the page you ask for, from cache (from disk) if it has it, regardless of whether the page has been changed or 2) loads the page afresh, regardless of whether it's in the cache.
Safari used to do the latter, now it seems to do the former, which is quicker, but you have to refresh to be sure you have the latest version. So why doesn't the browser just ask the server if the page has been updated since last visit, and then refresh the page only if it's been changed?
It seems to me web browsers typically either: 1) Load the page you ask for, from cache (from disk) if it has it, regardless of whether the page has been changed or 2) loads the page afresh, regardless of whether it's in the cache.
Safari used to do the latter, now it seems to do the former, which is quicker, but you have to refresh to be sure you have the latest version. So why doesn't the browser just ask the server if the page has been updated since last visit, and then refresh the page only if it's been changed?
Temptation
The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself.
-- Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1891
He who reigns within himself and rules his passions, desires, and fears is more than a king.
-- John Milton
Two opposing ideas in today Quote of the Day service. Interesting. Looking at Wilde's idea (while admitting it's from a work of fiction): while it's true that what you resist sticks with ya, I think that he who gives in to every temptation is not above a dog. My new neighbor has a lovely wife with a lovely smile. So I should just follow my pants and hit on her with all my might? Or, if we take the logic to its extreme, follow the lizard brain and take her by force? I don't think that leads to a very happy life.
-- Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1891
He who reigns within himself and rules his passions, desires, and fears is more than a king.
-- John Milton
Two opposing ideas in today Quote of the Day service. Interesting. Looking at Wilde's idea (while admitting it's from a work of fiction): while it's true that what you resist sticks with ya, I think that he who gives in to every temptation is not above a dog. My new neighbor has a lovely wife with a lovely smile. So I should just follow my pants and hit on her with all my might? Or, if we take the logic to its extreme, follow the lizard brain and take her by force? I don't think that leads to a very happy life.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Mountaineering video
This is an hour-long video, so I'm not sure I'll last through it, but Tommy found it and his tips are usually solid, so there it is if you're just a little interested in climbing.
Warning: 7-8 minutes in he talks about a fatal accident in such gory detail that it made my stomach turn.
The picture here is of a mound made of the dinner plates/bowls from the people who have died on mountain K2. Yep, mountaineering makes a lot of sense. :-)
Warning: 7-8 minutes in he talks about a fatal accident in such gory detail that it made my stomach turn.
The picture here is of a mound made of the dinner plates/bowls from the people who have died on mountain K2. Yep, mountaineering makes a lot of sense. :-)
Jennifer Maestre, prickly sculptures
Jennifer Maestre, prickly sculptures.
Pretty amazing, that odd combination they have of snuggliness and hostility.
Pretty amazing, that odd combination they have of snuggliness and hostility.
Washing machine (updated)
My washing machine has started leaking, and since it is basic and came with the apartment seven years ago, I thought I'd just get a new one.
I looked at one of the neighbor's machine recently, and it had more buttons and settings than Microsoft Word. I had no idea how it worked. That's what I don't want, I want something simple and user-friendly, but good quality.
If somebody has a good tip, I'd be grateful. A web search was not so helpful.
(The space for it under the kitchen counter is 60 cm deep, 60 cm wide, 88 cm high.)
Also, a tip about a good UK dealer for these things...? I live near a Currys and a B&Qs. I'd like a dealer which will install the thing and has good service.
Update:
The Miele W1613 seems to be the thing. (Also it's the first time I've come across the revoo review site, it seems to be very good.)
I looked at one of the neighbor's machine recently, and it had more buttons and settings than Microsoft Word. I had no idea how it worked. That's what I don't want, I want something simple and user-friendly, but good quality.
If somebody has a good tip, I'd be grateful. A web search was not so helpful.
(The space for it under the kitchen counter is 60 cm deep, 60 cm wide, 88 cm high.)
Also, a tip about a good UK dealer for these things...? I live near a Currys and a B&Qs. I'd like a dealer which will install the thing and has good service.
Update:
The Miele W1613 seems to be the thing. (Also it's the first time I've come across the revoo review site, it seems to be very good.)
Update 2:
I've ordered it at M&S Large Appliances (see comments for my steam-of-thought entries on this decision) (I don't much see who it'd interest, but heck, I wrote it so there it is.)
Update 3:
Well, at least one reader was interested, that's nice. I must say the "web 2.0" thing has us spoiled with reviews and such research options these days. It's just five years ago I last need a large appliance, a fridge/freezer, and I did not think to research it, I just went to Currys and bought the one that looked like a good one. (Fortunately I got lucky with that.)
Update 3:
Well, at least one reader was interested, that's nice. I must say the "web 2.0" thing has us spoiled with reviews and such research options these days. It's just five years ago I last need a large appliance, a fridge/freezer, and I did not think to research it, I just went to Currys and bought the one that looked like a good one. (Fortunately I got lucky with that.)
Benidorm the comedy
"Benidorm" the comedy (US link - UK link).
This is surprisingly good. First, I'll contrast by quoting from a review by G. Thomas:
"Benidorm is in fact a place on the Costa Brava (Mainland Spain) Frequented many years by the Brits. Benidorm (the place) is notorious for it's loud and obnoxious English & Irish bars, Littered with the typical tacky tourist, equivilant of Trailo Trash.
Benidorm comedy series is based around several families from Great Britain who spend every holiday in Benidorm, and never really travel anywhere else. Benidorm sterotypes typical trashy families dealing with tanorexia, drinking problems and sex.
If you love the new British comedies, and are able to understand English accents that are not typical Queens dialect then this is a must.
Crude, lewd and a little rude Benidorm is "Laugh out loud", and has taken the UK by storm."
This is all true, but what surprises me is that not only is series two, which I've watching now, at least as good as series one, but it rises well beyond it's genre. For one thing it's not just "good fun", it's really hilarious. For another thing, it's beautifully filmed, they actually manage to sometimes make a down-market big-concrete hotel look beautiful. And third, even while being rude and funny, somehow it manages to also be subtly pithy and touching.
For example there's an older couple, both of them are ridiculously over-tanned (their grandson expects any (unlikely) offspring to be "orange"), and pretty ridiculous overall (for example the woman insists on a motorchair, even though she can walk fine). The man shows up to the hotel's careoke night dressed like John T in Saturday Night Fever, complete with jewel-studded belt buckle. He looks shocking, and he plays it to the hilt, deadpan.
And then he gets up to sing a love song to the ol' gal... in falcetto! And then proposes to her. And carries her out, under great struggle. It's all LOL funny, but damn it all if it does not at the same time manage to be sort of sweet!
This is surprisingly good. First, I'll contrast by quoting from a review by G. Thomas:
"Benidorm is in fact a place on the Costa Brava (Mainland Spain) Frequented many years by the Brits. Benidorm (the place) is notorious for it's loud and obnoxious English & Irish bars, Littered with the typical tacky tourist, equivilant of Trailo Trash.
Benidorm comedy series is based around several families from Great Britain who spend every holiday in Benidorm, and never really travel anywhere else. Benidorm sterotypes typical trashy families dealing with tanorexia, drinking problems and sex.
If you love the new British comedies, and are able to understand English accents that are not typical Queens dialect then this is a must.
Crude, lewd and a little rude Benidorm is "Laugh out loud", and has taken the UK by storm."
This is all true, but what surprises me is that not only is series two, which I've watching now, at least as good as series one, but it rises well beyond it's genre. For one thing it's not just "good fun", it's really hilarious. For another thing, it's beautifully filmed, they actually manage to sometimes make a down-market big-concrete hotel look beautiful. And third, even while being rude and funny, somehow it manages to also be subtly pithy and touching.
For example there's an older couple, both of them are ridiculously over-tanned (their grandson expects any (unlikely) offspring to be "orange"), and pretty ridiculous overall (for example the woman insists on a motorchair, even though she can walk fine). The man shows up to the hotel's careoke night dressed like John T in Saturday Night Fever, complete with jewel-studded belt buckle. He looks shocking, and he plays it to the hilt, deadpan.
And then he gets up to sing a love song to the ol' gal... in falcetto! And then proposes to her. And carries her out, under great struggle. It's all LOL funny, but damn it all if it does not at the same time manage to be sort of sweet!
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