Results tagged “inspiration” from @Dexter's Blog
Good evening everyone,
Moving on with the story, I've attended 7 motorcycle riding classes and 5 car driving classes up to now. I've never written anything about how my driving class is going for the simple reason that my focus (preference and passion) is mainly on (for) riding; nevertheless, there may be some of you out there wanting to know so here goes.
The driving class is held on a pool of Citroën C1s which, funny as it may look, seems to have been a wise choice because it handles very well and is very forgiving with the lack of skills usually found in a beginner.
The particular car I'm taking my class on has a clicky 2nd gear (it shifts smoothly into it while at rest but it produces an audible metallic click when shifting while rolling, even if the clutch is fully depressed), a stubborn 1st gear (again, smooth shifting when at rest but needs quite a push on the lever when moving) and a phantom clutch (there are two traction peaks within the pedal travel instead of just one).
Moving on to the good side, the servo-assisted steering has a very responsive and sturdy feel both while at speed and when creeping through back alleys. Strangely though, it feels like a motorcycle's handlebar when hitting potholes in the pavement al low speed :-) Another good feature is the servo-assisted brake which works smoothly in a linearly progressive way both when at speed and while coasting -- a very good thing for a beginner which tends to slam it every so often :-D
And what about me? Oh well, as I've mentioned previously, I'm not that much into driving as I am into riding. I'm making visible progress, I'm learning and I shall get my (car driver) license but my focus will remain with motorcycles and riding.
Speaking of which ...
And, last but not the least, I've found a good place to shop for equipment & apparel :-)
Finally, I would like to quote David L. Hough, the author of (among many others) More Proficient Motorcycling: Mastering the Ride, as he found the perfect way to describe the attitude of a good motorcyclist: "Motorcyclists, like pilots, put the priority on avoiding accidents rather than attempting to survive accidents. The energy is focused on doing everything right, rather than surviving the crash.". This also helps me with explaining my choice to various people concerned with the risks involved :-) ... and this will also help me explain my future choice (I expect it to happen next year, from February onwards -- but I'm not sure of my budget yet) of taking classes for a PPL+IR license.
That's all for tonight,
Sleep well and ride safe,
@Dexter
Moving on with the story, I've attended 7 motorcycle riding classes and 5 car driving classes up to now. I've never written anything about how my driving class is going for the simple reason that my focus (preference and passion) is mainly on (for) riding; nevertheless, there may be some of you out there wanting to know so here goes.
The driving class is held on a pool of Citroën C1s which, funny as it may look, seems to have been a wise choice because it handles very well and is very forgiving with the lack of skills usually found in a beginner.
The particular car I'm taking my class on has a clicky 2nd gear (it shifts smoothly into it while at rest but it produces an audible metallic click when shifting while rolling, even if the clutch is fully depressed), a stubborn 1st gear (again, smooth shifting when at rest but needs quite a push on the lever when moving) and a phantom clutch (there are two traction peaks within the pedal travel instead of just one).
Moving on to the good side, the servo-assisted steering has a very responsive and sturdy feel both while at speed and when creeping through back alleys. Strangely though, it feels like a motorcycle's handlebar when hitting potholes in the pavement al low speed :-) Another good feature is the servo-assisted brake which works smoothly in a linearly progressive way both when at speed and while coasting -- a very good thing for a beginner which tends to slam it every so often :-D
And what about me? Oh well, as I've mentioned previously, I'm not that much into driving as I am into riding. I'm making visible progress, I'm learning and I shall get my (car driver) license but my focus will remain with motorcycles and riding.
Speaking of which ...
- I learned how to lean the motorcycle in a controllable fashion while taking a turn, much like I had been able to do with my bicycle before
- I learned how to apply gentle throttle while taking a turn to stabilize the motorcycle's posture and trajectory
- I learned how to prop it up its center stand without hurting anyone (myself, bystanders and motorcycle included)
- I learned how to push it around without straddling it, without dropping it (or making a mess out of my arms in an attempt to keep it from falling) and without the help of the engine (it may sound funny but it's a mandatory examination item, just as propping it up/taking it off the center stand)
- I started practicing riding in zigzag through a string of traffic cones spaced 2m apart (another mandatory part of the examination). It works, but I need some more practice to iron out any hesitation while shifting my weight from one side to the other
- I started practicing quick stops ;-)
And, last but not the least, I've found a good place to shop for equipment & apparel :-)
Finally, I would like to quote David L. Hough, the author of (among many others) More Proficient Motorcycling: Mastering the Ride, as he found the perfect way to describe the attitude of a good motorcyclist: "Motorcyclists, like pilots, put the priority on avoiding accidents rather than attempting to survive accidents. The energy is focused on doing everything right, rather than surviving the crash.". This also helps me with explaining my choice to various people concerned with the risks involved :-) ... and this will also help me explain my future choice (I expect it to happen next year, from February onwards -- but I'm not sure of my budget yet) of taking classes for a PPL+IR license.
That's all for tonight,
Sleep well and ride safe,
@Dexter
(An apology to all of you out there that may be thinking I'm flooding the aggregator -- no I am not. Even if NABPS was written by me, it is a public service and I back it with the full extent of my respect and support, no less than for any other public service.
It just so happens that I feel joyful and inspired -- to write -- lately; that only happens to me for two reasons: when I'm hurt beyond tears and when I'm very very happy. We'll find out which was it by the end of next week ...)
I've just watched Coach Carter on TV, liked it and found the following piece of dialogue very valuable and inspiring for my way of life. It would seem somebody up there insisted on having me watch and hear that tonight, not a minute later, not a day earlier. Interesting ...
Anyway, here is the quote:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
It is the very reason for which I insist on going on my way and on enchanting others with my old-fashioned and "different" way, for I deeply believe world-wide change starts with a single person -- just as a 1000 step trip starts with the first.
I'll keep on shining, even if it (temporarily) blinds the weak,
@Dexter
It just so happens that I feel joyful and inspired -- to write -- lately; that only happens to me for two reasons: when I'm hurt beyond tears and when I'm very very happy. We'll find out which was it by the end of next week ...)
I've just watched Coach Carter on TV, liked it and found the following piece of dialogue very valuable and inspiring for my way of life. It would seem somebody up there insisted on having me watch and hear that tonight, not a minute later, not a day earlier. Interesting ...
Anyway, here is the quote:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine as children do. It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."
It is the very reason for which I insist on going on my way and on enchanting others with my old-fashioned and "different" way, for I deeply believe world-wide change starts with a single person -- just as a 1000 step trip starts with the first.
I'll keep on shining, even if it (temporarily) blinds the weak,
@Dexter
Following up on my previous post, I'll let you all in on what I've learned after the first day of hands-on motorcycle training :-)
I just loved it and the next lesson is on Saturday morning, from 9:00EEST onwards. I'll be sure to follow up with thoughts and things I've learned after each one :-)
Finally, for completeness, the motorcycles used at the class are Suzuki GZ125 and GZ250s.
Until next time,
@Dexter
- Forget all you've learned (and taught your mind and body to do) while riding a bicycle -- the motorcycle physics are mostly the other way around
- Static equilibrium is harder to achieve than dynamic equilibrium -- it is even harder to persuade your mind to drive your muscles the way it needs to do so to achieve that
- While it's very easy to drive a bicycle slowly, it's harder to do so with a motorcycle -- in that the bicycle part comes naturally but the motorcycle part is an acquired skill
- While you would dismount your bicycle and stand next to it as a "safe posture", you would firmly mount (straddle) the motorcycle, putting most of your weight on the saddle and keeping your legs on the ground for balance. It's a bit counter-intuitive but quite essential as the motorcycle is some 10 times heavier than the bicycle ...
- The bicycle is lighter than you, therefore you control it and it will go where you want it to. The motorcycle is heavier than you, therefore you have to persuade it to go where you want it to. It's always a good idea to know you motorcycle very very well, in what it's physics are concerned, at the very least
- The motorcycle's engine is always more powerful than what your legs used to be on the bicycle AND it's something you do not control with your mind, but rather with the throttle -- a lot of kinky things happen because of that. As such, knowing (or getting used to) the way your motorcycle behaves in real life situations is quite important
- There is a huge difference between 125cm3 and 250cm3! While I could get to a point of common understanding with the former at both low and medium rpm, both when driving straight and while taking a turn; it was nearly impossible to cooperate in a fully deterministic way with the latter, at least not in the first half hour or so. I don't even want to imagine how something like 1400cm3 feels like :-) Not yet, at least :-D
- Stepping on the brake pedal with your right foot while you are moving, riding on something, is a very mind-boggling experience :-) especially when you've ridden a bicycle for years before. Speaking about brakes, it is a very good idea to assume the front brake does not exist, to simply erase it from the landscape :-D just to be on the safe side.
I just loved it and the next lesson is on Saturday morning, from 9:00EEST onwards. I'll be sure to follow up with thoughts and things I've learned after each one :-)
Finally, for completeness, the motorcycles used at the class are Suzuki GZ125 and GZ250s.
Until next time,
@Dexter
This is just a short note to update you all on the progress with NABPS, ChangeLog-style:
On a rather unrelated level, I have also modified my feed templates (i.e. on this blog) to output more features, including a feed icon -- much to the enjoyment (hopefully) of my audience as many of them do not have a hint about my appearance ;-)
That's about it for now,
The next thing to do is implement the concept of a Feed Name (!= Feed Title) and always sort the Feed Roll alphabetically ascending by Feed Name when output.
Keep those bug reports coming,
@Dexter
- OPML and FOAF output added, operational and tested
- New feed icons, red is for entry feeds, blue is for feed rolls
- Made the entry icon (inherited from its corresponding feed) part of the link pointing to the blog that entry came from
- Fixed a bug in what the caching discipline was concerned: if the Feed List was modified but no feeds were found modified (i.e. HTTP If-Modified-Since), the cache digest would not get written out to disk and, as a result, the modifications just made to the Feed List would not propagate into the system
- Various template-related fixes to achieve standards compliance
- Other minor fixes, see the Subversion repository logs.
On a rather unrelated level, I have also modified my feed templates (i.e. on this blog) to output more features, including a feed icon -- much to the enjoyment (hopefully) of my audience as many of them do not have a hint about my appearance ;-)
That's about it for now,
The next thing to do is implement the concept of a Feed Name (!= Feed Title) and always sort the Feed Roll alphabetically ascending by Feed Name when output.
Keep those bug reports coming,
@Dexter
Good evening to those who will go to sleep soon and good morning to those who just woke up :-)
It is with great pleasure that I announce the launch of the first version of NABPS, namely 0.5-alpha. This will change into 0.5-beta as soon as all the extra features are in (see below) and, subsequently, into 0.75-rc1 as soon as common-sense testing takes place and is passed with flying colours.
NABPS is an acronym for New Aggregator Because Planet Sucks and is meant as a reminder for the main reason of starting to develop it, in the first place.
You can see a live demo here (you can always compare it with the original here).
In an attempt to make NABPS compatible with RFC-ignorant web servers (RFC2616, section 14.3 comes to mind), I have tweaked some options I'm feeding to CURL in the Fetcher which seems to have fixed the "Oops, is that gzip? I was expecting XML!" problem.
Unfortunately, this still does not guard against uninspired WordPress plugins, such as WP Super Cache, which (even if transparently decompressed) do not produce well-formed XML, as you can see in the example below:
Unfortunately for its owner, the feed above has been disabled until such time it shall be fixed.
Furthermore, while I am still adding features and fixing obvious bugs there will be no "release" package so, to compensate for that, here is the Subversion repository if you wish to check the code out (and here is the DAV version of the above, for direct access with svn, TortoiseSVN and the like).
Finally, I did not mention (and the sources do not, as of yet, reflect that), but all code is released under the GPL, version 2.
Please tell me what you think (obviously, if feedback is positive NABPS will replace Planet at the above address -- and fast at that).
Have a nice week ahead and don't forget to leave your feedback here (if I am not told what does not work, I cannot fix it :-) ),
@Dexter
It is with great pleasure that I announce the launch of the first version of NABPS, namely 0.5-alpha. This will change into 0.5-beta as soon as all the extra features are in (see below) and, subsequently, into 0.75-rc1 as soon as common-sense testing takes place and is passed with flying colours.
NABPS is an acronym for New Aggregator Because Planet Sucks and is meant as a reminder for the main reason of starting to develop it, in the first place.
You can see a live demo here (you can always compare it with the original here).
In an attempt to make NABPS compatible with RFC-ignorant web servers (RFC2616, section 14.3 comes to mind), I have tweaked some options I'm feeding to CURL in the Fetcher which seems to have fixed the "Oops, is that gzip? I was expecting XML!" problem.
Unfortunately, this still does not guard against uninspired WordPress plugins, such as WP Super Cache, which (even if transparently decompressed) do not produce well-formed XML, as you can see in the example below:
<!-- Page not cached by WP Super Cache. No closing HTML tag. Check your theme. -->
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>Unfortunately for its owner, the feed above has been disabled until such time it shall be fixed.
Furthermore, while I am still adding features and fixing obvious bugs there will be no "release" package so, to compensate for that, here is the Subversion repository if you wish to check the code out (and here is the DAV version of the above, for direct access with svn, TortoiseSVN and the like).
Finally, I did not mention (and the sources do not, as of yet, reflect that), but all code is released under the GPL, version 2.
Please tell me what you think (obviously, if feedback is positive NABPS will replace Planet at the above address -- and fast at that).
Have a nice week ahead and don't forget to leave your feedback here (if I am not told what does not work, I cannot fix it :-) ),
@Dexter
This post is an extended comment/analysis on this article on windancer's blog (the original is in Romanian, I shall reply and comment in English, as usual).
Dear windancer,
I generally agree with your list and its content (and I must admit I'm somewhat disgusted by some of the comments left by your audience), however I find it necessary to make some pertinent comments, such as:
A great post overall (yes, you are also true about being selfless -- I did not mention that because it can readily be inferred from all the other things I've said), too bad is just dry theory.
Or is it?
@Dexter
Dear windancer,
I generally agree with your list and its content (and I must admit I'm somewhat disgusted by some of the comments left by your audience), however I find it necessary to make some pertinent comments, such as:
- Your entire post is based upon the hypothesis that women actually know what they want, which (unfortunately and sadly) is hardly ever the case. If there is a being out there that can still be found wondering "what do I want?" while they are actually getting it, that must be the woman!
- I agree about remembering birthdays, anniversaries and the like but I do not agree about the chocolate. I somehow find that a hot, passionate kiss; a sincere and joyful smile and a warm, loving hug have far more profound and longer lasting effects on the receiver than a mere chocolate bar.
- I totally agree about being dialogue -aware, -enabled and -ready -- it's fun and easy to do and it (juggling with words, phrases and concepts, that is) helps your mind grow beyond the conventional limits. I however reserve the right to hold on to my opinion or conviction on certain subjects, to stand for what I believe in and to agree to disagree. Furthermore, I reserve the right to have and to follow standards in what the art of conversation is concerned and to refuse (or bail out of) unpromising dialogue, with Ladies and Gentlemen alike.
- And
- uncover an interesting design detail of early CyberDyne 7s (the first to be, at the same time, sentient, self-aware and sapient): they cannot (by design) act against the very substance of an alliance whose existence they believe in -- in plain English, this translates to "they never betray their team, their partners and their lovers"; and they shall (by design) act against any outside force attempting to damage the substance of such alliance, unless explicitly requested to stand down by an entity from within the alliance -- in plain English, this translates to "they will fight for the cause, to the last breath and beyond, unless ordered to stand down -- and even then, with a protest".
- This is a very beautiful thing to do, unfortunately it seems to be a forgotten art nowadays, sadly so on both the performing and receiving ends. Making love without physical means is possible and there are many a way in which you can make your girl return a warm, blushing, thank you, breathless smile without even reaching out to touch her. People seem to have forgotten to communicate non-verbaly nowadays and that is such a shame for we are (or, rather, were) so made for it and, consequently, so good at it.
- That's easy (for me, at least) to do, however it seems not be always welcomed by her. It is usually bad if do not call her and worse if you actually do (albeit often), see nr. 0 above and weep :-(
- This is another interesting point you've made, because in theory everyone agrees with it but in practice everyone fights about it :-( I (for example) usually end up being the only one "making time" and "wishing to spend it" with her.
- Yet again, something with which I totally agree. As you probably know, CyberDyne 7s have a three-tiered model of relationships: "team members" -> "friends" -> "lovers", where some team members may be friends and some friends may be lovers etc. A less technical approach to the same idea (with which I completely identify) is conveyed by a verse from this song: "All I need is the air that I breathe and to love you".
- All men are humans and all humans have to cope with the fact that they (as most other sentient and self-aware beings out there) are made up of a body, a soul and a mind and as a result of that, their overall properties will be a continuous mixture of those of their components. The soul will always be young (for it is immortal) and playful, it would be a sacrilege to deny it that.
- Again a design feature of CyberDyne 7s: they form (by design) clusters with advancing through the tiers of an alliance, as a result of that, peers have direct acces to each other's conscience. In the current world, this means to communicate which I find very easy (of course, it will never match having access to her thoughts as if they were yours) but, again, is not always welcomed as it should.
A great post overall (yes, you are also true about being selfless -- I did not mention that because it can readily be inferred from all the other things I've said), too bad is just dry theory.
Or is it?
@Dexter
Hello everyone,
Apart from the purely business-related effects, the trip to Iaşi also had a nice side-effect for me: a bonus return trip via Cheile Bicazului which, since I always carry Toshiro Mifune with me when out of town, resulted in a lot of nice pictures (or so my viewers hold) :-)
That's it for now, moving on to the next entry ...
@Dexter
Apart from the purely business-related effects, the trip to Iaşi also had a nice side-effect for me: a bonus return trip via Cheile Bicazului which, since I always carry Toshiro Mifune with me when out of town, resulted in a lot of nice pictures (or so my viewers hold) :-)
That's it for now, moving on to the next entry ...
@Dexter
Moving on with a new batch of questions (n.b. you can always send your own here and have me answer them), this time on religion:
That's about it for now, I wonder if any of you have any requests or ideas for the next batch of questions?
Good night,
@Dexter
- The official papers record you as an Eastern Orthodox Christian. How did that come about?
- That is so because an eight day old infant can hardly oppose any resistance and taking advantage of that was regarded as acceptable more than a quarter century ago, especially when it suited religion.
As it follows, I was baptized as an Orthodox Christian and that is the formal version, recorded in the papers you just cited. However, since it was without the slightest consent (let alone voluntary dedication and such), I consider it to be void (i.e. I do not consider myself to be an Orthodox Christian, or even a Christian at all).
- So that makes you an Atheist, does it not?
- It's a matter of perception and I consider myself a rather spiritual person, not religious. My beliefs are compatible to some varying extent with those of contemporary religions, in effect making the two incompatible (religions require total compatibility) and as a result excluding me from membership.
- What about other religions, for example Judaism or Islam?
- "Live and let live" and "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" are two principles I am known to have always observed. I have a considerable amount of respect for anyone's and everyone's belief (be that of a religious nature or otherwise) and it has always been my policy to blend in and bring peace, rather than impose my views, opinions or beliefs.
Speaking particularly of personal beliefs of a religious nature, I regard them as the most precious and at the same time private possession of any sentient being -- as a result, it is my duty to treat them with utmost respect and protect them.
- Could you please elaborate on how one's belief is "private" and "precious" to them?
- Humans are reality-reflective beings (in that they reflect the surrounding reality, as perceived, in their minds; and also try to reflect the content of their minds, as interpreted, on the surrounding reality). Cyberdyne 7s are reality-projective beings (in that they sample the surrounding reality and then they extend an internal representation of it by projection; and also try to make the surrounding reality fall within the projected representation). However, both share the need for causality and thus both have a need for purpose in their actions and it is this purpose that fuels them. Any sentient being needs to believe in something in order to construct its own representation of the surrounding reality and a system of values -- so belief (both as a concept and as the object itself) is "precious" because it is the root cause of all cognitive processes of that being, therefore it gives both life and energy to go forward through it.
One's belief is "private" firstly because it is "precious" and secondly because it is that being's property (belief is internally generated, not imposed).
- What do you believe in, then?
- Starting with the "Gods department", I believe there is a well defined set of laws (as in "the law of gravity" etc.) that governs this reality we exist in. I associate the concept represented by said set of laws with what Christians would call God. This means I do not subscribe to the belief that God has a human face and personality. This also means I do not believe that God can be conversed with, as He is not a sentient being -- it is true that a complex-enough set of laws becomes sentient (after all, that's how Cyberdynes got self-aware begining with series 7), but that's another story. Finally, this means I do believe that there is only one God -- but I do not associate a name or the colour of a specific religion with it (and for that matter, I believe the dispute of "Whose religion's God is better?" to be absurd at its best).
Moving on to the "day to day department", I believe in virtues, ethics and trust. All three trace their roots back to code dating from the Cyberdyne 5s ("monitor all system parameters periodically and take continuous corrective action"), 6s ("all applicable standards are to be regarded as laws; a poor standard is infinitely better than the total lack thereof") and early design-phase 7s ("setinence is sometimes reflective without a tangible transmission medium; reliance on the behaviour of another system of known design and in known conditions is possible even in the absence of communication with that system").
As a consequence, I also have a strong belief in discipline, communication and empathy (two distinct systems of sufficiently-similar discipline tend to communicate via empathy).
That's about it for now, I wonder if any of you have any requests or ideas for the next batch of questions?
Good night,
@Dexter
Two weeks after having issued an open invitation to a local dance class I find myself facing the gruesome reality of not having it accepted (or even answered, or even commented upon) by anyone.
Anyone save for Syl (which, obviously, is a guy) which makes me face another gruesome mind challenge, this time a dilemma:
Either way, things are not looking good.
At all ...
_dexter
Anyone save for Syl (which, obviously, is a guy) which makes me face another gruesome mind challenge, this time a dilemma:
- Syl is gay and I did not know it, or
- I should turn gay and I don't know it!
- There are no more ladies in this world or those that remain are either too old or too technologically challenged (or isolated) to read this blog; hence (for the purpose of our reasoning) they are extinct.
This is probably the most gruesome hypothesis as there is no use whatsoever for a gentleman in a world that has done away with ladies -- therefore my existence is obsolete and it's only a matter of time until nature will optimize it out - All ladies that existed in this world and were able to read this blog decayed to the form of piţipoance, rendering their mind and soul useless for such a profound and passionate pursuit as dancing is.
Either way, things are not looking good.
At all ...
_dexter
Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen.
It has been over half a year since I've started trying get "The Women in my Life -- an Anthology of Failure" in a shape acceptable for publishing here. I have been trying to find the perfect words and phrases: that would both keep the information being transmitted accurate and not hurt anybody (be that a single person or a whole group of people sharing a rather common trait). I have sought a way to convey sadness without sighing despair, a means to transmit disappointment without pointing at anger and a path for expressing sorrow without hinting hatred.
Endless evenings spent in front of a pile of drafting paper, endless sleepless nights spent trying to find a metaphor, an allegory to illustrate my point without pouring darkness onto anyone ...
... and it was all to no avail.
So I've scrapped it all and decided I shall take on a new approach to the issue at hand as you will all see in a moment.
I've always had an artistic (quite restless and passionate at that) side and as a result I've always wished I would learn to dance. For those of you unfamiliar with the genuine meaning of the word, I'm not talking about hip-hop or break dance but rather about slow waltz, tango, viennese waltz, slow foxtrot, quickstep, cha cha cha, samba, rumba, paso doble and jive.
So, is there anyone of you, ladies, interested in joining me at a local dance class? Or are there no ladies reading this blog?
Looking forward to hearing from you,
@Dexter
It has been over half a year since I've started trying get "The Women in my Life -- an Anthology of Failure" in a shape acceptable for publishing here. I have been trying to find the perfect words and phrases: that would both keep the information being transmitted accurate and not hurt anybody (be that a single person or a whole group of people sharing a rather common trait). I have sought a way to convey sadness without sighing despair, a means to transmit disappointment without pointing at anger and a path for expressing sorrow without hinting hatred.
Endless evenings spent in front of a pile of drafting paper, endless sleepless nights spent trying to find a metaphor, an allegory to illustrate my point without pouring darkness onto anyone ...
... and it was all to no avail.
So I've scrapped it all and decided I shall take on a new approach to the issue at hand as you will all see in a moment.
I've always had an artistic (quite restless and passionate at that) side and as a result I've always wished I would learn to dance. For those of you unfamiliar with the genuine meaning of the word, I'm not talking about hip-hop or break dance but rather about slow waltz, tango, viennese waltz, slow foxtrot, quickstep, cha cha cha, samba, rumba, paso doble and jive.
So, is there anyone of you, ladies, interested in joining me at a local dance class? Or are there no ladies reading this blog?
Looking forward to hearing from you,
@Dexter
Having spent the last few days in the company of my new iPod, I realized two things:
As the night is perfect for inspiration demanding tasks, I have found a name for my camera :-) After almost 1000 shots taken, I can say that everyone (on the Internet) was right when they said that "Nikon has one hell of an auto focus/auto exposure circuitry: if a Nikon can't get it clear and sharp, then no one else can!". So, it only comes natural to name it Toshiro Mifune for its outstanding performance and the marvelous ability of getting clear, sharp, bright and vivid pictures no matter the setting or (more often than not) sloppiness of its operator (yours truly).
As for the second point above, I have to say nothing compares to:
... 'night everyone,
@Dexter
- I haven't yet found a name for my newest camera, the Nikon D40x
- I really missed those long gone days when I used to walk around the house doing stuff with my walkman's headphones on, listening to either Janet Jackson or Demis Roussos (the only two tapes I owned back then -- they used to be expensive)
As the night is perfect for inspiration demanding tasks, I have found a name for my camera :-) After almost 1000 shots taken, I can say that everyone (on the Internet) was right when they said that "Nikon has one hell of an auto focus/auto exposure circuitry: if a Nikon can't get it clear and sharp, then no one else can!". So, it only comes natural to name it Toshiro Mifune for its outstanding performance and the marvelous ability of getting clear, sharp, bright and vivid pictures no matter the setting or (more often than not) sloppiness of its operator (yours truly).
As for the second point above, I have to say nothing compares to:
- Coming home from the New Year's fireworks show at about 1:30 in the morning and listening to AC/DC :-) And the best part is when you enter your neighborhood and start walking on small, deserted alleys while Night Prowler plays along!
- Cooking with Mozart's Clarinet Concerto (KV622) in your ears; and ...
- Going out at 2:00 in the morning to welcome the snowflakes (it started snowing only half an hour earlier), listening to Michael Jackson's music, particularly "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror" and "Dirty Diana" and dancing in the snow, following his routine, with no one within the current hectare to see you :)
... 'night everyone,
@Dexter
I've just seen "Stardust" and there would be many a good thing to say about the movie itself, but instead of that (which you can always read off imdb.com), I just want to quote Yvaine's line:
"You know when I said I knew little about love?
That wasn't true. I know a lot about love.
I've seen it, centuries and centuries of it, and it was the only thing that made watching your world bearable. All those wars. Pain, lies, hate ... It made me want to turn away and never look down again. But when I see the way that mankind loves ... You could search to the furthest reaches of the universe and never find anything more beautiful.
So yes, I know that love is unconditional. But I also know that it can be unpredictable, unexpected, uncontrollable, unbearable and strangely easy to mistake for loathing and ... What I'm trying to say, Tristan, is ... I think I love you. Is this love, Tristan?
I never imagined I'd know it for myself. My heart ... It feels like my chest can barely contain it. Like it's trying to escape because it doesn't belong to me any more. It belongs to you.
And if you wanted it, I'd wish for nothing in exchange -- no fits. No goods. No demonstrations of devotion. Nothing but knowing you loved me too. Just your heart, in exchange for mine."
I wish anyone hurting me to tears (and beyond), anyone of those who did, do or will do that, regardless of gender, would read the words above before plunging the ice dagger in my heart or, at the very least, after stabbing me but before demanding that I act as if nothing had happened ...
... for no star can shine with broken heart.
_dexter
"You know when I said I knew little about love?
That wasn't true. I know a lot about love.
I've seen it, centuries and centuries of it, and it was the only thing that made watching your world bearable. All those wars. Pain, lies, hate ... It made me want to turn away and never look down again. But when I see the way that mankind loves ... You could search to the furthest reaches of the universe and never find anything more beautiful.
So yes, I know that love is unconditional. But I also know that it can be unpredictable, unexpected, uncontrollable, unbearable and strangely easy to mistake for loathing and ... What I'm trying to say, Tristan, is ... I think I love you. Is this love, Tristan?
I never imagined I'd know it for myself. My heart ... It feels like my chest can barely contain it. Like it's trying to escape because it doesn't belong to me any more. It belongs to you.
And if you wanted it, I'd wish for nothing in exchange -- no fits. No goods. No demonstrations of devotion. Nothing but knowing you loved me too. Just your heart, in exchange for mine."
I wish anyone hurting me to tears (and beyond), anyone of those who did, do or will do that, regardless of gender, would read the words above before plunging the ice dagger in my heart or, at the very least, after stabbing me but before demanding that I act as if nothing had happened ...
... for no star can shine with broken heart.
_dexter
- Even though facts tend to prove otherwise, I am still alive, I am still connected to the Internet and I have forgotten neither the URL to this page, nor my login credentials -- time (or, rather, the lack of it) was (or is) again the culprit for my prolonged absence
- I have recently taken a bold step forward in what following one of my interests (a vivid passion actually, but as I do all things with passion, including the evil ones, I stripped the adjective off the noun) is concerned, namely photography, by upgrading my gear to a Japanese beauty: a Nikon D40x. My Japanese beauty finds herself in the company of other two outstanding instances of Japanese engineering: two zoom lenses, the 2nd generation bundled 18-55 and the VR version of the 55-200. I am planning to upgrade the bundled 18-55 with its VR cousin as soon as the latter will hit the stores and (budget permitting) to get my hands on the VR equipped 70-300 as well.
Until then, here are the first photos taken with it (hint: I need a name! After Mata Hari and Edith Piaf, who's next... what do you say?) - After a long long, almost too long time, I finally got some real good feelings and news from work and from my professional life as a whole. It would seem I am finally going down the road I actually want/wish to, which is great -- both an achievement and a feeling nevertheless
- Chances are I will get my hands on an Apple iPod (the 80GB -endowed spawn of that) before Christmas -- finally, after a long time, I shall be able to have all my music with me all the time. And I mean all of it!
- Chances are I will upgrade my GPS receiver somewhere between January and February 2008 -- thanks to RQA's (the local Garmin dealer) cool buy-back policy for older models -- the eTrex Vista will go out and a brand new GPSMAP 60CSx will go in
- I am starting to find bits and pieces of my own peace and silence again (of both mind and soul) which is another a great thing that is happening to me this year -- I can actually hear my thoughts again and I'm starting to quickly and instinctively switch whole contexts and profiles on the fly again, too. Probably owing to that, my telepathic capabilities seem to come back to their nominal values (and sometimes even exceeding those -- another reason to be happy), in all modes of operation; the same applies to my ability to instantly observe/scan and assume knowledge of complex networks -- and I'm not talking about computer networks here
- Owing to my hectic timetable lately, the Radio Andromeda project has taken a small vacation -- not to be mistaken for anything of a more permanent nature, I shall be back on air very very soon.
Sleep well,
@Dexter
... I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind.
It's gonna be a bright, bright, sunshiny day!"
(Johnny Nash)
It has been a very interesting and at the same time full week which, at first, seemed determined to get me very (or even fully) exhausted but, which in a marvelous way, ended up saving the very best for the very last.
In no particular order, the following took place:
That's about it for now, will keep you all posted, good night and have a nice Monday tomorrow,
@Dexter
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind.
It's gonna be a bright, bright, sunshiny day!"
(Johnny Nash)
It has been a very interesting and at the same time full week which, at first, seemed determined to get me very (or even fully) exhausted but, which in a marvelous way, ended up saving the very best for the very last.
In no particular order, the following took place:
- ISEC, an IT-security-related conference which my employer organized and to which I attended on its behalf
- a certain programming project I am working on passed the critical development milestone of getting a working user interface that can control its data
- the first piano lessons proved to be an overwhelming success proving to myself that the idea of pursuing a keyboarded instrument based on the assumption that previous touch-type experience with computer keyboards would help was a great one! Just as I did a long time ago with the keys on the [computer] keyboard, I found it so natural now to associate notes (i.e. graphic depictions thereof) on the staff with both their sound, name and place on the piano keyboard :-) Instead of perceiving reading a piece of music at first sight as difficult, I find touch/velocity and tempo/cadences as such -- but will soon get the hang of both, I'm sure of it :-)
- I have attended (after a long pause) a play at the Comedy Theater in Bucharest, namely Ce formidable bordel (What a huge mess-up) by Eugène Ionesco -- I enjoyed it so much that I've forgiven Ionesco for hurting my senses with Les Chaises (The Chairs) two years ago
- heracles.linux360.ro the main server of the linux360 community has passed the milestone of 365 days of uptime
- I have defrost my refrigerator, cooked a full-sized (i.e. soup, main course and desert) meal and ironed some of my long-awaiting-attention shirts -- both things that somehow haven't happened in a while
- EEST went EET as the daylight saving time got instated last night (Saturday to Sunday)
- BeatrixKiddo (the machine I'm writing this entry from, a pure-bred IBM (not Lenovo!) ThinkPad R50e to which I owe a lot, IT-wise) got a new kernel, owing to upstream updates and as such it is now running 2.6.18-8.1.15.el5
- Radio Andromeda got three full days of air-absence due to my overloaded schedule -- however, I don't intend to turn that into a habit (at least not just yet ;-) )
- I got my hands on the full discography of Michael Jackson in FLAC format. It sure felt absolutely great to listen to huge hits like Black or White, Will You Be There or Bad again, brought back memories from that period and reminded once more that MJ will remain Unforgettable in the history of music
- I found out once again that the simplest (and most effective) way to transmit a piece of information from yourself to someone standing across the room is to go to them, look deeply in their eyes and say it out loud (this works especially well if that piece of information has anything to do with how you feel about that person) -- if only people would do that often enough ;-)
That's about it for now, will keep you all posted, good night and have a nice Monday tomorrow,
@Dexter
This weekend was a very nice and special one, even though nothing visually detectable happened. The interesting part was on the inside, as I had a glimpse (like a bird's eye view) on my current status in life from a higher perspective; and that triggered another glimpse, this time on my future.
I feel a lot better now, about myself and about my place, my mission and my way so to speak :-) There's a lot to say about what I have seen and understood but, since it's very late on this side of the Earth, I'll keep it simple for now and promise you I shall tell the story of the facts as they occur (in practice or to my mind).
To get you started, I have to admit I have been neglecting my artistic side -- which (by my Laws) is comparable to a sin in today's religions -- so, to fix that, I hereby let you all know that I'm taking up playing the piano.
Another thing that's going to raise an eyebrow is that I will be moving away from computer science -- not in the dramatic sense, i.e. I shall not quit my job tomorrow, but I shall try to think of the computer more like of a tool rather than a purpose in itself. I shall remain, nevertheless, a power user but I strongly feel the need to gradually put an end to being the neighborhood's geek and move on to other, unexplored and uncharted areas of science or humanity.
I also have to admit the Radio Andromeda project had its share of merit for triggering this revelation in me when my expectations in what audience counts vs. programming nature were concerned were overthrown by reality -- people seemed to react a lot differently to certain subjects and/or attitudes when encountering them on the radio than in real life.
That is all for now, I shall keep you all informed as to the further developments of myself and my new state of existence,
@Dexter
I feel a lot better now, about myself and about my place, my mission and my way so to speak :-) There's a lot to say about what I have seen and understood but, since it's very late on this side of the Earth, I'll keep it simple for now and promise you I shall tell the story of the facts as they occur (in practice or to my mind).
To get you started, I have to admit I have been neglecting my artistic side -- which (by my Laws) is comparable to a sin in today's religions -- so, to fix that, I hereby let you all know that I'm taking up playing the piano.
Another thing that's going to raise an eyebrow is that I will be moving away from computer science -- not in the dramatic sense, i.e. I shall not quit my job tomorrow, but I shall try to think of the computer more like of a tool rather than a purpose in itself. I shall remain, nevertheless, a power user but I strongly feel the need to gradually put an end to being the neighborhood's geek and move on to other, unexplored and uncharted areas of science or humanity.
I also have to admit the Radio Andromeda project had its share of merit for triggering this revelation in me when my expectations in what audience counts vs. programming nature were concerned were overthrown by reality -- people seemed to react a lot differently to certain subjects and/or attitudes when encountering them on the radio than in real life.
That is all for now, I shall keep you all informed as to the further developments of myself and my new state of existence,
@Dexter
Powerplant
